//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: The Guardian Knights: Equestrian Angels // by AC Punk //------------------------------// A New Life A lone castle sits atop a cliff base as a massive battle takes place at the bottom. The crack of thunder filling sky echoes throughout the battlefield. The rain is only making the battle more dramatic. As the rain falls on both the living and an army of reanimated corpses, four brave heroes manage to get inside the castle walls and into the compound. As they get inside, they stop and pull out a map of the structure. "Alright, we're here in the west wing," the leader explains, "Ashley is being held in the lower levels if the information is correct." "How should we approach this Adam?" One of the others asks. "Jacob," Adam begins, "You and Samuel will sabotage the draw bridge mechanism to allow the rest of the army inside. While this is going on, Marcus and I will make our way downstairs to the lab. Once there, we find Ashley and disable whatever is causing the undead army." "What about the target?" Samuel asks. Adam pauses before speaking. "Leave him to me." As the group splits up, Adam and Marcus begin their descent into the dark castle. Each floor beneath ground level is but a dungeon for the castle's owner to hold his experiment subjects in. As they reach the lab on the bottom floor, a bright green light fills the area as a single girl a little younger then Adam (19-20) seemingly defies gravity in the middle of the room. Her back is to the ground as several magical runes float around her body. Marcus can only watch as Adam brandishes his spear, the spear head glowing reviews ith blue flames. "Ah, so you did come for her?" A voice says. Adam and Marcus turn to the locatio of the voice and brandish their weapons as a elderly man in black and purple robes observes from an alter. "Nercro, what have you done to Ashley?" Adam asks, a hint of venom in his voice when pronouncing the mans name. "Oh Adam, always to the point. If you must know, I'm in the process of finishing the ritual I was in the process of completing decades ago." "What does this have to do with Ashley?" Necro Summons his staff as Ashley's body descends to the floor, standing upright. "I'm afraid I have to sacrifice young Ashley's soul in order to begin the ritual. That massive green light you saw was her soul being separated from her body." He taps his staff on the floor and another Ashley appears above him, bound in chains and glowing white. "YOU BASTARD!!!" Adam says before charging at Necro. Before he could get close to the alter, Ashley's body jerks and she appears in front of him. "I'm afraid I can not allow you to interfere with my plans, so I have taken the liberty of exchange the soul of young Ashley for one of my demon warriors." Ashley body then opens its eyes to reveal they are solid black. "No." Adam says in shock. The demon smirks before chuckling in Ashley's voice and shoving Adam back. "Marcus, go to the others. Keep the royal army from coming down here," He drops his spear and unsheathed a sword from his back, the blade catching fire as it exits the leather cover, "this is my fight." Marcus says nothing, knowing not to question his leader, and ascends the stairwell. An explosion echoing through it as he reaches the top. "So, you wish for a private audience," A massive shockwave erupts from the alter as Necro cuts his wrist, " SO BE IT, THIS LAB WILL BE YOUR GRAVE!!!!" Adam once again charges, locking swords with a possessed Ashley. The trade blows before Adam parries a strike and shove her out of the way. He manages to get to the alter before he is stopped, a painful entity gripping his body as Necro turns to him. "Time and time again, you try and stop me from saving this world," The demon appears behind Adam, her sword pointed at the back of his head, "for years I tried, only for people like you to get in my way. But not anymore, kill him." Before the sword could pierce his skull, Adam breaks free of his hold and grabs her head, slamming it into alter and stabbing her through the neck with his own blade. Necro turns in shock, only for Adam's enchanted blade to fly by his face. The blade lands with its tip stabbed into the ground below Ashley's spirit where the source of the shockwave came from, a magical seal. Necro turns back to Adam, only for a set of Brass knuckles to make a sickening crack as the make contact with his jaw. Necro falls back, holding his now broken jaw, and looks at Adam. "You fool, you've killed us all!" He exclaims in a slurred voice. Adam says nothing as he stabs Necro, killing him. As he walks towards his sword, he looks up to Ashley's spirit and smiles. "We'll see each other soon," he grabs the hilt of his blade, "I promise." Outside, Marcus and the others are at the base of the cliff, disposing of the last of the undead horde with the Royal army. As the last one falls, a massive explosion rips through the castle. A massive fire ball erupts from the lab and destroys the side of the massive structure, causing it to collapse. Seeing this, Marcus and the others retreat to safety as a faint white glow moves closer to a second before disappearing in a flash of light the same color as the magic seal. Adam wakes up in a place void of anything but light. Surrounded by nothing but white, he wonders if this is the afterlife. "I can assure you, this isn't the aftermite." A soothing feminine voice says. Adam turns around to see a woman in her mid thirties standing in the middle of the "rift". She has red hair the comes to her waist and white wings, a horn is also coming out of her forehead. "Who are you, and where's Ashley!?!" Adam asks, clearly agitated. "Your love is alive and well, but she is not with us at this moment. However," her hand glows with a golden aura as Adam's back suddenly catches on fire, "You are needed in the world I created. A paladin to lad those who will defend Equestria from the impending apocalypse." Adam cries out in pain and falls to his knees as the fire burns two angel wings into his back, they for a tattoo that covers his entire back, except for his spine. His silver hair gains blue highlights as two blue ethereal wings form from the tattoo on his back. Grabbing his chest, Adam looks up at the women, tears made of blood coming from his eyes. "What did you do to me?" He asks. "I have given you powers beyond your imagination. You will use them to fulfill your destiny. Now go, the others will know of your arrival and seek you out." Her figure becomes smaller as Adam fills a wind current flow from behind him and pick up speed rapidly. "Wait, who are you!?! You didn't answer my question!!!" Adam yells as he begins to fall at a rapid pace. The woman smiles softly as she looks down upon him. "I am Faust." Meanwhile... Canterlot, the capital city of Equestria. It is currently celebrating Hearths Warming Eve as snow covers the city. At the Castle, we find Princess Twilight and her friends perparing to partake in the annual play once again. As they look over their lines, a guard appears in the doorway. "Sorry for the interruption, butrincess celestial has requested you all come to the dining hall." He says before turning to leave. "Well, I am kind of hungry. Why not?" The cyan colored girl known as Rainbow dash says before taking flight and heading out the door. "Oh well, it is Hearth's Warming Eve." Twilight says and begins to follow her Pegasus friend. As the group arrives at the dining hall, They find both Celestial and Luna at the foot of it. The table is covered in food appropriate for the holidays and the girls can only stare as the princess begins to laugh at their expressions. "Good evening twilight, would you and your friends came to join us?" Celestial asks. The mane six say nothing and take their seats. But before they could dig in, a massive tremor shakes the building as an explosive sound follows. "What I the world was that?" Asks Twilight. A being in a brown suit suddenly appears out of thin air, he is also wearing a holiday scarf. "I swear, it wasn't me." He says before disappearing. Before anyone could say anything, another guard appears in the doorway, several more towards where the explosion came from. "Your majesty, something has fallen from the sky and crashed into the east side of the castle!" He exclaims. "Isn't that where Bluebloods room is?" Luna asks. As the group makes their way to the east wing, they find a massive crater where several rooms onepce stood, and in its center lies a young man with several cuts and wounds exposed to the elements. As he tries to get up, a lone arrow hits the ground next to him. He looks at it before looking at the archer who shot it. The archer quickly shoves his bow into the hands of the guard standing next to him as the young ,an sighs and gets to his feet. As he does this, he begins to lose consciousness as several human like figures begin to approach him. The last thing he can remember before passing out, was Ashley.