//------------------------------// // Chapter 18 - Balcony // Story: Fred Walsh's Adventures in Equestria // by Baguettedood //------------------------------// Chapter 18 *The camera shakes as Fred runs* “Well, as it turns out, the castle was definitely right to be on high alert. Judging from these earthquakes, Potens Daemonium was just summoned. I think I'd be right to say we're screwed.” *Rumble* “I have no clue whether or not fighting this hellish bastard's even possible. I truly hope that the defence forces are up to scratch and able to combat... Him? It? “On the bright side, I definitely wasn't a demon, but I still have next to no doubt that the cultists summoned me here by accident while trying to bring their guy over here. “Alright, then, time to go and hope for the best." With a fast pace, Fred Walsh and Jenga Redheart reached one of the castle’s Southern balconies. Standing frozen on the aesthetic construction was Princess Celestia, who was thoroughly paralysed as she stared down the mountain Canterlot was situated on. The pegasus and human followed suit and looked out to see what she was afraid of. At the base of the mountain there could be seen a blue glow, ever shrinking The portal. Recently emerged from the wormhole was a humongous dark red creature climbing up the mountain. There was no doubt that it was Potens Daemonium. It was bipedal, similar to Fred, but the similarities mostly end there. The demon had two strong legs, with black hooves at the end. Its arms were thick at the shoulders, but the wrists were only half the diameter. The beast’s hand was extremely bony, with sharp claws for slicing. The head was wide, with soulless black eyes and two curved horns above its long, pointy ears, though they didn’t seem able to influence any magic. Jenga was the first to say anything, “Oh, Celestia, it's climbing up the mountain... Princess!” she tried to draw Equestria's ruler out of her frozen panic. Sirens began blaring seemingly everywhere to warn the whole of Canterlot about the imminent attack. That, coupled with Jenga, was enough to grab the alicorn from her fright. “This may be the one of the worst things in Equestrian history,” she gasped fearfully. “Only if it's not stopped,” Fred replied, still holding a knife in its holster. “How, exactly, would that even be possible?” Jenga questioned him. “I have no idea, but I didn't get dragged all the way out from my home and into Equestria just so I could die here,” Fred responded, equipping the holster so he could free his hands. He activated the neuro-receptor on the Scavenger Watch to observe the reactions of the populace down below, but it wasn't nearly as effective as it was when Princess Celestia was confronted by those cultists a few days ago. 'Possibly it has to do with magical prowess? Though, magic was being drained. Amplified, possibly, but-' A masculine voice interrupted Fred's quickly derailing thoughts. “Princess!” It was Bullhorn. “The evacuation warning's gone out but I'm not sure how many citizens are going to escape in time.” “I'm not letting this monster set a single foot in my city,” Celestia firmly stated as she turned back to the balcony. “You can't be considering fighting that thing yourself,” the unicorn objected. “If Potens Daemonium makes it to Canterlot, it won't matter whether or not I'm still here,” she said with closed eyes. Out from the castle, a number of pegasus guards, adorned in their golden armour, flew out to attempt to contain the demon, but their attacks were ineffective, as it was able to swipe at them heavily, and any successful attacks did no noticeable damage. Fred spoke up in light of the defence forces' attempts, “A direct confrontation's out of the question. It's not even going to do anything. Daemonium's not going to fall that way.” Jenga quickly thought up an idea:“What if we attacked from the inside?” she suggested. “There's gotta be something worth hitting.” “That's more than a little bit gross, but if it's possible to get in there, you might have a point.” he replied. “If you're seriously going to go in there, Princess, I request to join,” Bullhorn said stubbornly, pre-emptively refusing to take no for an answer. “I'm coming too,” Jenga joined in. Fred pondered this, briefly. “Can I come?” 'Wait, I can't fly... Neither can Bullhorn, for that matter. How's this supposed to work?' Princess Celestia took a moment to respond: “Okay, but I don't know if I can protect you.” “We're joining so we can protect you, Princess,” Bullhorn countered. “I can levitate you two,” she nodded toward the stallion and human, “if we have a plan.” Jenga looked outward to the battle scene, with the pegasus guards slowly losing against Potens Daemonium. She spotted something useful and came up with an idea.“As unusual as it may be, the ears would prove a good entry point,” she pointed out. “As I said before, gross,” Fred reiterated his statement from earlier. “Alright then, let's get moving,” the alicorn stated. Her horn ignited with a faint yellow glow, and a similar light engulfed the two unable-to-fly males. Shortly afterward, the unicorn and human lifted off the ground. A quick “whoa” escaped Fred as he lost connection with the balcony, and he spent a second flailing his legs, attempting to find a support. After that moment, he relaxed in the sun goddess' embrace. In contrast, he noticed that Bullhorn stayed still the entire time. Princess Celestia and Jenga Redheart both looked out from the balcony at Potens Daemonium, silently agreeing upon their destination. Simultaneously, they leaped off the tower to enact their plan. They needed to stop Potens Daemonium before it reaches Canterlot.