We Are All Just Puppets

by Zachurra

Chapter 9 - Seeking Help

Years ago, long before any of us were even conceivable as an idea, everything began.

No one is sure how exactly it all began. Some say the universe began as a wave of devestation, wiping clean whatever existed before to allow for a new age of existance to emerge. Others say that there was nothing, and then everything came together to be molded for the time when we would one day come to be. Either way, six factors are always held in common between these two unconfirmed theories.

Life. Time. Order. Emotion. Creation. Death.

These are the six aspects of existance. Without them, things cannot be. The Aspects were there from the beginning and were blessed with unimaginable power at their fingertips. However, as I had said, without each of their efforts, things simply cannot be. The Aspects came to control their powers and realize their potential, and together forged our universe.

Together, Life and Creation brought the stars and planets to be what they are today. Emotion would breath into whatever they created, officially making them whole. Time and Order held everything together, forming a bond between what has, is, and will be and ensuring that their creation did not fall apart. And when things did come to fall apart, Death was there to wipe it away so that new life could be raised and allow for the evolution of consciousness.

However, not all was well among the Aspects for long. One may notice that I mentioned the Aspects in groups: Life and Creation, Time and Order and Emotion. But Death stood alone.

He saw the way that whenever his brothers and sisters would create something beautiful, he would be forced to take it all away. He believed that the others were indeed blessed in their abilities, but his ability was a curse. He did not show the same passion in his duties as the others did, and one of the other Aspects noticed this.

Emotion sensed his instability and hoped to help him through his depression. Death welcomed her to try but awarded her no confidence. Nevertheless, Emotion tried effortlessly to bring Death to a state of happiness. In time, what was once concern for her brother blossomed into something new. She grew a strong attachment to Death and hated whenever he frowned. She made it her personal duty to do whatever it took to see him happy once more.

The others seemed not to notice what was happening between Emotion and Death. Except for one: Order. Order seethed at the thought of something happeneing between his brother and sister, and despised Death for it. For he loved Emotion more than anything in existance and would even go as far as to give up is own abilities if only to have her. He was incapable of seeing Emotion as holding a single fault, and as such blamed Death for their relationship even though Death was in fact oblivious to any such relationship existing.

Meanwhile, the conflict arising between Order and Death was not the only thing that was forming over time. Creation grew jealous of Life. He hated that no matter what he did, that which his hands crafted were merely hollow objects, and any desire for more required Life's assistance. Life tried to explain to Creation just what value he truly had, but the Aspect's words fell upon deaf ears. In anger and frustration, both Order and Creation left the other Aspects, disappearing. It is widely thought that Order's unstable pysche is the reason that the concept of evil exists in the universe.

As well, it has been said that Emotion disappeared shortly after the secession of her brothers. She blamed herself for what happened, as her mind was so consumed by thoughts of her brother that she did not realize just what was happening between Order and Creation. Her heart broke, and sadness appeared in their creations for the first time.

Before all of this, the Aspects created a number of worlds with living creatures residing upon them. On our world, the Aspects created six dimensions. The first dimension is unanimously called the realm of the "living." Apart from this realm are the four that are directly connected: Hellion, Haevora, Zion, and Atlantis. Indirectly connected to every realm is an invisible ring: The Ring of Transcendence. Each of our bodies houses a soul within them. When the body dies, the soul enters the Ring and after a varying amount of time reenters one of the other realms via the form of a newborn child. Each soul has its own base characteristics such as anger issues, benevolence, and other base personality traits no matter how many times a soul passes from one body to another. However, how the new body comes to terms with these base traits is various depending on events in their lives.

How a soul comes to enter a new realm is completely based on their heart's desires in their past life. If the heart yearned for benevolence, it is reborn as an Angel in Haevora. Those who live in decadence are often found in the form of Demons within Hellion. Those who live for the fortifications of either themselves or others reside as Nephilim within Zion's borders. Finally are those who live for the sake of wisdom, who are the Syreni inside Atlantis. Of course, just because a soul entered a particular realm does not mean their personalities are fitting of such a place. Like I said, various events can affect their lives. More than a handful of Angels have broken their own laws and fallen, while Demons have devoted their entire lives to enlighting the lives of those around them. It all falls under unforseeable circumstances.

Once these realms were created, the four realms of Haevora, Hellion, Zion, and Atlantis were given three leaders each: A God, an Advent, and a Harbinger. These three beings were the only immortal beings to exist on the planet, save for the Aspects themselves. They would live to ensure balance and peace among the world and all of its peoples.

It is also rumored, and seemingly confirmed now, that the Aspects did not simply leave after the creation of the realms and their rulers. They left behind a being who would watch over the realms from affar and ensure their survival. A being known only as the Guardian. An enigma in every sense of the word, even I, being in rank just below the Harbinger, was unaware of their existance save for the occasional overhearing of a slip of the tongue.

-------------

Horrus paused in his tale to take a bite out of the crisp fish that had been pierced on the stick he was currently using to hold the fish in place. He noticed the way that the younger of the two Alicorn sisters still flinched slightly every time he took a bite and tore away at the muscle, but that was simply unavoidable. As an omnivore, such nutrients were simply required. He only wished that the squirrel he had killed had cooked better...

"It is extremely likely that not every world that the Aspects created was created the same way. I believe that the Alicorns are equivalent to the Gods of our world... more or less. Considering that the two of you claim to not be the first Alicorns to exist here, it is likely that your predecesors were aware of the existance of the Aspects, but the knowledge was not properly passed on to the next generation. While curious, such a tragic loss of knowledge is not important at the moment."

"I must admit," Celestia said quietly after swallowing a few berries that she and her sister had found in the forest. "Your tale is quite an interesting one..."

"And thou truly believe that these beings, these... Aspects, currently reside somewhere out beyond our world? Even though your kind has not seen them in generations?" Luna asked. Horrus could sense her skepticism as easily as one could spot a black dot on a white piece of paper.

"Whether or not the Aspects exist is hardly arguable. The Guardian's existance here in Equestria is proof enough of that."

"Yes, I have been meaning to ask quite a few questions about this Guardian-" Luna began, but Horrus swiftly cut her off.

"I am well aware that the Guardian has not made himself... itself? It's technically genderless, as gender is unneccesary for one such as it... regardless, just because the Guardian has not made it's presence known to you is hardly ground for debating its existance as a whole. In case you were misinformed, the last time I saw this man," Horrus pointed a finger towards War, who was calmly eating his own food in silence. "I had just thrown my sword into his chest. Yet here he is, good as new and back from the dead."

"Which brings us to a question that I have been meaning to ask." Celestia said, hoping to stop any possibility of a debate over a being's existence to occur between her sister and the Demon. "In the report I had read, I was under the assumption that you too had fallen during the battle. And yet here you are, good as new and back from the dead."

Horrus's brow furrowed at the way she smiled at him. Did she think herself clever just because she used his words? Nevertheless, he took one last bite from his dinner before tossing the stick aside. "Yes, well... I suppose this explanation was going to be happening quite a few times. In case you are not aware, the Demons known as the Four Hoursemen are almost always chosen because they had been great warriors in a past life. War's past life was that of the Horseman of Desolation, whom I am aware you have been recently introduced to. In my past life, I was known as the Horseman of Destruction. Normally, who we were in a past life has no influence on us save for the base traits of our personality. However, we have obtained the knowledge to bring our most recent past life into a conscious state. This greatly increased our lifespans and through them we learned how to become even more powerful.

"However, I was rather... discontent with the fact that the woman who was once Destruction know resided within my head and was tasked with the duty of telling me what to do for the rest of my life. It infuriated me to no end... And eventually I forced the part of my soul that contained her consciousness to be consumed by my own. As a result, I metaphorically tore her apart and obtained new abilities that she had obtained in her life. One of which was what had been dubbed at the time as the "Eyes of Destruction." An ability that was in otherwise constant use, it allowed me to see into the future a short distance. Depending on how much I strained myself, I could see up to at most twelve seconds into the future. However, this ability was quite taxing on my body and often became distracting in my day to day activities. As a result, I created a special Seal that I placed on a blindfold in order to contain the power while still granting me sight. Although I had originally intended to totally consume Destruction, I later discovered that such a feat was an impossibility. She remained, if weakened, within the very back of my mind. She constantly tried to make contact with me, but I always refused and ignored her.

"And then, on the day of the final battle, I found myself on my knees as Pestilence, whom you know as Dante, was sending a specific energy wavelength through his blade that was designed to destroy my soul upon impact. A rather taboo art amongst even the Demons, I was rather surprised he even knew of its existence, let alone that he had mastered it. Either way, he thrust his sword upon me with the intent of obliterating me completely. And that was what he did... to an extent. You see, Destruction was one who had devoted her life to understand the soul and learning how to manipulate its power. As a result, and for reasons beyond me, she was able to deflect the otherwise lethal blow to my soul upon herself. The being known as Destruction now ceases to exist entirely because of what she did, and it allowed me to survive. As a result, my body degraded to what you see now. I am a much younger version of myself. A teenager, by normal accounts, as such was my appearence on the day that Destruction was awoken within me. As well, I lost the eyes that I had stolen. The only remnant of my old self is my memory and comprehensive ability. Outside of that, I am rather... lacking."

Horrus took a moment to let himself rest. One never truly grew used to giving such long lectures about the existence of the universe and the current state of his body. "I managed to survive what should have been a fate worse than death. After the events that occured, I retreated into the forest with my sword and have been living here ever since. I have watched the community that I had nearly destroyed from affar, and payed special attention to certain individuals as they matured." The Princesses noticed the way the Horseman's eyes turned to his much larger companion. "I felt it was... the least I could do for my actions. To simply ensure the safety of a few choice individuals from whatever may choose to threaten their comparatively short lives."

A soft sigh could be heard from War's direction. He never met Horrus's gaze or even the gaze of the Princesses. He had long since finished his meal and now merely stared down at the toasted stick in his hand.

"And what of you, War?" Celestia asked calmly upon seeing the Demon's melancholy mood. "How did you come to return to us? And why is this force known as Desolate attacking us so suddenly?"

War said nothing at first, merely tossing the small stick aside. His cold, grey eyes turned to the Princesses and for the first time since their meeting all those years ago, he spoke to them. "The Guardian... used my children to reconstruct me... It did something to my daughter... allowed her to see the dead... and corrupted her from the inside... It expected me to be obedient towards it... and to destroy... But I refused... It because furious... And tore Desolate from my soul... We are no longer one in the same..."

Since their meeting, both Celestia and Luna had more than once wondered how the giant's voice may sound if he had ever spoke. Was it strong and commanding? Was there even a voice to be spoken? To hear it come so softly and slowly... and with such saddness resonating with each word was a small shock.

"I believe that what happened to me has also happened to War." Horrus said, his own voice almost becoming as quiet as War's. "When Desolate was torn from his soul, he reverted to how had been when the two first became one. I watched the fight happen from a safe distance and noticed the way he acted. War's style was usually calm and calculated, using powerful strikes to quickly break his foe's will. However, in his fight against Desolate his style was aggressive and quick. As a result, Desolate was able to defeat and tear him apart." Horrus eyes the scar that still remained since the reattachment of the Demon's arm. "Quite literally."

Celestia eyed the scar as well. "This Desolate... what is he? What does he want from us?"

War slowly turned his eyes to meet with the Solar Princess's. He said nothing at first, merely blinking silently. Soon his eyes turned to the rocky surface that his feet rested upon. "What Desolate wants... is to die..."

-------------

For years - as long as she could remember, in fact - Fluttershy had never exactly gotten along well with heights. To say that her heart was beginning to race with every swift and regretful glance towards the ground would be more accurate than she would like to admit. However, her body relaxed upon seeing her destination. A plateau upon the top of a cliff tall enough to tower even over some of the clouds. The mountain itself was not important, but rather what resided on top of it: the Wonderbolt Academy. Only there could she find what she was looking for and hope to end the nightmare that was threatening Equestria.

Gently she allowed herself to glide down onto the runway, only to have to quickly regain her balance as a pair of Pegasi flew past her at speeds she would otherwise find too dangerous. She shook her head until her eyes stopped rolling around and ran a hoof along her mane to make sure that it didn't become ruffled by their reckless passing. She made her way off the runway and towards a building that stood alone from the others. She reached forward to pull the wooden door open, but it came at her far faster than she had expected. She let out a squeak of pain and grabbed hold of her muzzle. A warm feeling was forming just behind her eyes, but now was not the time for such a thing and she'd be damned if a bruised nose was going to slow her down. But still...

"Ow..."

"Oh gosh, are you alright!?" A familiar and still slightly boyish voice asked, causing the yellow Pegasus to open her eyes. She was met by a Pegasus as tall as she, orange in coat and with a purple mane that wore an outfit that anypony could easily recognize as a Wonderbolt Academy uniform.

"S-Scootaloo?" She asked, slightly surprised to have run into the pony she had known since long before the Horsemen's arrival some years ago.

"Fluttershy?" One of Scootaloo's eyebrows rose up as her head cocked to the side. "What are you doing here?"

"I don't really have a whole lot of time to explain everything... I'm sorry." She apologized as she rubbed her muzzle gently. "Do you know where Rainbow is? I kind of need to speak to her right away... I mean, as long as she's not busy. No, wait! Even if she is busy! It's really urgent and if I don't talk to her then some really really bad stuff is going to happen and-"

Fluttershy was interrupted as the orange Pegasus stuffed her hoof in Fluttershy's mouth in hopes of getting her to keep quiet for just a moment. "Calm down," she said with a smile. "She's in her office, third door on the left."

Scootaloo removed her hoof and Fluttershy smiled and nodded her head in thanks. The two were about to part ways when the older mare noticed a small gleam out of the corner of her eye. "Oh, and congradulations on getting to be Lead Pony. I'm sure Rainbow Dash is very proud."

Scootaloo turned and looked at the mare for a moment before looking down at the small pin attachted to the front of her uniform. With pride she puffed her chest out and straightened the pin, "Please, did you expect any less from the second most awesome pony around?"

Fluttershy's smile grew and she once again turned to enter the building that her old friend had just came from and after a small journey to the left, arrived at her destination.

Despite being above plenty of clouds, Rainbow Dash's office was surprisingly dark. None of the lights were on for some reason, the blinds on the other side of the room were almost completely closed, letting in only enough sunlight for a pony to be able to see their hoof in front of their face.

All along the walls were pictures and notes which Fluttershy couldn't make out properly. Opposite of her was a desk with various paper work spread out atop it and just behind that was a large chair that was spun around so that the pony who sat in it - granted there was one - was invisible to any new visitors.

The silence was only broken by the gentle ticking of a clock that hung from the wall. Fluttershy wasn't even sure if her old friend was in the room, for the Rainbow Dash she knew would likely be driven insane by such a mundane atmosphere. Perhaps Scootaloo didn't see her leave her office at some point? Just as she was about to turn and leave, a voice stopped her.

"Listen, if you're here about that whole incident with Hail Storm and Snowball, that doesn't fall under our jurisdiction and is currently being handled by their respective families. Now if that's all, I trust you can find your way out. Have a nice-"

"Um, Rainbow...?"

The sound of the other pony jumping in her seat could be heard before Rainbow Dash quickly spun around in her chair and reached across her desk to pull the chain that hung from the lamp at the corner. Instantly the room was lit up enough for the yellow Pegasus to see everything clearly once more, including the wide and surprised eyes of her dearest friend.

"Fluttershy? What are you doing here?"

Fluttershy couldn't help but giggle at the similarity between both Rainbow Dash's and Scootaloo's reactions to her appearence. "Well, I needed to talk to you about something. But what was that whole thing about...?"

"What?" Rainbow Dash's eyebrow rose and her head cocked to the side. Fluttershy had to hold back from giggling again. The similarities between the two "sisters" was just too adorable. "Oh, you mean that stuff I mentioned earlier? Eh, don't worry about it. Just a little scuffle that happened yesterday. So, what's up?"

Fluttershy took a breath, knowing the long explanation she would probably have to give. "Equestria is in danger-"

"Oh, oh! Who is it this time? Has Discord finally shown his true colors? Did Chrysalis go back on her promise?" The excited Pegasus slammed her hooves together. "Let me at 'em!" She suddenly gasped, "Wait, is Thunder okay!?"

Fluttershy smiled at Rainbow's concern for her son. "He should be perfectly fine back in Ponyville. And actually, it's neither of those two." She replied quietly. Upon seeing the quizzical look her friend was giving her, Fluttershy continued. "Rainbow... do you remember War?"

-------------

"Well, I was just about to ask if you were sure you knew where we were going, but..."

Much to Twilight Sparkle's appreciation, finding her old friend Rarity proved to be surprisingly simple. Since the Unicorn's center of industry was located in Canterlot, she, along with the rest of the population of the capitol, were transported to Ponyville after the mass evacuation teleportation due to it being the closest settlement. The two ended up finding each other completely by accident.

Sadly, this happily accepted coincidence did not apply to the other missing members of the group. Fluttershy had been tasked with finding Rainbow Dash and convincing her to pull herself away from her job, while Twilight (and now Rarity) took it upon themselves to find the two earth ponies of their sisterhood.

Which earned another sigh of relief from the young Alicorn, as both happened to be located in the same city: Manehattan. Just a simple teleportation spell away.

Applejack would prove to be the more difficult to find, as, to the both of their knowledge, the farm mare had practically dropped off the map entirely. Pinkie Pie, however, proved to be less... inconspicuous.

Just across the street from the two mares was a store that resided on a street corner. It must have been painted a hundred different vibrant colors and, as if that wasn't enough to make the building stand out, it appeared that Pinkie had requested some help from a familiar blue Unicorn when it came to the design of the sign that was above the door. Almost covering the part of the sign that was the name of the store were a series of swirling colorful contraptions and pyrotechnics. Were those miniature fireworks shooting off from the sides?

Behind all that were the unmistakable words: Pinkie Pie's Fantastic Wonder Emporium of Fun, Smiles, Good Times and General Public Centre of Pleasent Feelings.

"Leave it to Pinkie Pie to stick out like a sore thumb only in a metropolis like this one." Rarity said with a giggle. Together the two trotted across the surprisingly quiet street and dared to venture into what would likely prove to be a myriad of wonders.

What they saw was somewhere in between a candy store, a super market, a joke shop, and the sign on the outside of the building. To say that anything within the mare's view range was subtle was by far an understatement. Ponies were gathered inside the store as if it were some kind of popular convention.

"So, um..." Rarity began, trying to avoid too much physical contact with the numerous amount of ponies that resided within the store. "Where should we begin?"

"Well, I figured we'd just see her around the corner or something, but..." Twilight replied as she took in just how surprisingly big it was inside the shop. It almost seemed like the surrounding buildings were, in fact, actually a part of this shop but only appeared to be seperate.

However, it would seem that any analysis on the surrounding area would have to wait, as a loud noise blasted into her ear and proved enough to topple the purple Princess over.

"Hey!" Twilight said, putting a hoof over her ringing ear, "What do you think you're-" She was ready to chew a pony's ear off for startling her in such a way, but her anger subsided the moment that she saw just who it was that commited the act.

If Pinkie Pie had gasped any harder, she may very well have swallowed the party favor that she held in her mouth. "Girls!" She quickly scooped up both the Unicorn and Alicorn into a backbreaking hug, "Why didn't you tell me you were coming to visit? I would have planned a party!"

"Well... That's because..." Twilight tried to speak as she gasped for breath. Thankfully, Pinkie let them go and the two fell back to the floor with about as much grace as a dead bird.

"But don't you worry!" Pinkie continued, oblivious to whatever it was Twilight was trying to tell her. She pulled out a small metal box with an antenna sticking out from the top and a big red button in the middle from seemingly nowhere. "Here at Pinkie Pie's Fantastic Wonder Emporium of Fun, Smiles, Good Times and General Public Centre of Pleasent Feelings, a party is always right around the corner!"

With a push of the button, an upper part of the walls began to rise and reveal a seemingly endless row of party cannons lined up one after another. With a huge grin, Pinkie pressed the button once more. With a deafening boom, the cannons fired simultaneously. Twilight and Rarity closed their eyes and covered their ears. When they opened them again, it was like the entire store had suddenly changed. Gone were the shelves and tables full of various odd objects and electric buzzers, replaced instead by various treats and pastries. Somehow, the first objects had simply disappeared. Strangely, the ponies inside the store didn't even seem to notice and simply went about their business, talking and laughing with one another.

Twilight and Rarity were shocked, to say the least. They were even more shocked to see that somehow, colorful paper party hats had found their way onto their heads, with even smaller colorful paper party hats sitting on the tips of their horns.

"What...?"

"How did...?"

Pinkie only giggled at their response, a hat of a similar style sitting upon her own head. Rarity fussed over trying to pull off the hat that was on her horn while Twilight quietly took off the larger one first. "Pinkie," she said, "I know your probaby busy with your shop and everything..." She took a moment to look at the astounding number of ponies that filled the building before continuing. "And I'm sure it would be difficult for you to leave on such short notice, but Canterlot-"

"Oh no! Something happened in Canterlot!?" The excitable pony said, every possible catastrophe scenario immediately running through her head. "What happened this time? Is Canterlot about to fall off the mountain? Is there an ostrich flu epidemic? A shortage of cake? Did Discord finally learn how to divide by zero without rendering nearby chickens sterile and in the form of monkeys!?"

"...Something about what you just said doesn't make sense, but I won't ask." Twilight said with a shake of her head. "But no, none of that... It's far worse, I'm afraid. Canterlot has fallen, and all of Equestria is in grave danger."

"Pfft, please Twilight," Pinkie said with a smile. "When are we involved and all of Equestria isn't in grave danger?"

"You don't understand Pinkie... this is worse than anything we've ever encountered. But I'll explain all the details later. Right now, we need to find Applejack. Do you know where she is?"

Pinkie's posture and smile fell at the sound of the final member of the group's name being said. Her eyes turned away towards the floor. "Yeah... about that..."

-------------

The sun was slowly beginning to finish its daily flight across the sky, painting the sky the same orange and yellow that it shined. Horrus watched its descent, the silence only being broken by the gentle sound of the river at his feet. Slowly he reached up to touch the edge of his eye. The feeling of no longer wearing a blindfold still felt so foreign to him. And to even think that this was the first time he had watched a sunset with his own eyes in the last eighteen hundred years almost felt... inconcievable.

As his hand drifted away from his face, his eyes followed the length of his arm down to the rest of his body. Wearing a simple outfit made from the leather of animals he had hunted in his time in the forest, he was certainly a far cry from his former self. In truth, all that he carried from his former body was the blindfold that he had worn, now wrapped around his neck, and only one of the twin swords, as bringing the second one would prove to be more taxing than useful in his new state. The sword and its sheath were strapped tightly to his back.

His eyes drifted back towards the edge of the hilt that he could see out of the corner of his eye when he turned his head. He reached back touched the metal edge. It was the same sword that he had thrown into War some years ago. An act commited in hopes of obtaining new power above the other Horsemen and, one day, above all others.

He sighed to himself and let his arm fall limply back to his side. A foolish desire that only led to his near death and the destroying of the one being that had promised to stay by his side no matter what path he took. To dream of wanting to turn back time and change it all was childish... but wasn't that exactly what he was now? Destruction was brought into his life when he was at the age of one hundred and two, not even an adult by most Demon's standards. Yet he held a mind above so many others, capable of seeing right through his foes even before he obtained new eyes. It was through this mind that he had been found and given the gift of strength beyond strength and later obtained sight beyond sight. His life span had increased to a state far longer than any Demon hoped to live, and even at the age of nineteen hundred and thirty-three he still held the appearence of a young and healthy adult.

And now here he was, the powerful Horseman of Death, reduced to the form of a teenager and left stranded within a forest. For if word had gotten out that he had survived, then it was likely that he would only be hunted down by those he had once campaigned against. As for whatever may have happened once he was found, there was numerous possibilities. Death as an example and imprisonment for treason were obvious possibilities, and even the event of forgiveness and pardon had crossed his mind once or twice.

But to find the one that he had killed falling from the sky - his soul literally split in two by one of the most powerful forces in existence - and to then help said one recover from countless injuries and even a severed limp, followed by the finding and once again aiding of the two monarchs who, at one point, probably would have rejoiced at the thought of their once enemy defeated and dead, was certainly an outcome that was outside even his scope of possibility.

And yet here he was. War's recovery had been rather quick, despite the process taking some eight to twelve hours, and the healing of the Princesses Celestia and Luna had hardly been worth writing home about due to its ease. And soon they would probably move to retake the capitol city, defeat Desolate, and live happily ever after.

But what about him? A shadow of his former self and public enemy in the eyes of any who may have remembered his involvement in Madora's attempt at besieging the country, what was he to become if they actually managed to defeat the one who had only died because he had allowed himself to? Would he somehow be welcomed into a society full of creatures so drastically different than him, or would he have to return to the shadows of the forest in hopes of living a peaceful life? Was peace even obtainable for him anymore?

Of course, this was all considering the group actually succeeded in killing arguably the most powerful Demon to ever live. Should he participate in the final conflict? Would he be able to participate in the final conflict? After all, he was hardly a threat anymore. Outside of his knowledge of strategy and Seals, he could be mistaken for a regular human at this point.

Horrus rubbed the bridge of his nose. Perhaps that was being a little more fiction than fact. As a Demon, he still had some ability that put him above many others. But would that even be enough against the might of a powerhouse like Desolate?

No, there had to be something he could do. Anything. If he were to just sit back and watch as War and the others failed, then he may as well have joined in killing them. He had already made that mistake once before, and look where it landed him. But what could he do? Surely in a fight against the Demon he would merely get in the way. Hell, it was possible he'd get in the way even if the loss of Destruction had left him with his old body.

Horrus closed his eyes, trying to calm his thoughts. He knew that if he kept thinking so negatively than he would never find the answers he was looking for. If a general went into a battle with the mindset of inevitable failure, than he had surely already lost.

Now, what did he know? Desolate resided within the capitol city of Canterlot. It was extremely likely that there were no civilians there, as they had been evacuated when Celestia and Luna had battled with him. The two put up a strong resistance, but they failed. Their power had been drained, but was not irratrievable and they estimated that they would be back to full strength within a few more hours. According to Celestia, she had sent another Alicorn to find others known as the Elements of Harmony in hopes that their combined power as a weapon could defeat Desolate as it had defeated many others in the past.

Horrus brought his thumb and index finger up to his lips. Every so often as he thought, he would feel the sharpness of his teeth with his thumb. A habit that he had had since a child, it was one that proved to be unbreakable even after so many years of life. If Plan A failed, then it would be left to War, Celestia, Luna, and himself to deal with Desolate personally. While the idea was certainly less preferable, Horrus could not deny the possibility of things coming to that. That was their Plan B. But, of course, what if that failed? Any good strategest would keep a Plan C well within reach on the chance that the first two plans are seen through... but what else was left outside of himself and the others, and Celestia's living weapons? Surely if there were any other ponies of noteworthy power out there in the land, then Celestia or Luna would have made some mention of them. But what about something from outside Equestria...

His thumb slid along his canine before slipping out and leaving his lips to smile. It would appear that there was something he could do - granted it was a long shot. However, if living in this world of ponies that were born with catalysts to display the power of their souls had taught him anything, it was that nothing was outside the realm of possibility anymore.

However, before he could even shift his foot forward too far, a voice caught his attention.

"Where are you going..."

Horrus sighed softly to himself. He turned is head to see War standing by the edge of the river. He looked just as he did all those years ago. His torso was free of armor, while his legs and feet were still covered. His long white hair moved gently in the wind and his grey, cloudy eyes looked down at the Demon that had been his killer. Oh, how fate had been cruel to them both.

"Just going out for a walk." Horrus said simply. He didn't need aid for the task he was about to embark upon. If he succeeded, then Desolate's downfall may actually be feasible. If he failed, then at least he would die knowing he tried to redeem himself.

War, however, would not be swayed easily. Quietly he stepped into the stream. His heavy boots sloshed through the water. Even when Horrus was in his old body, War towered above him by roughly a full head. Now, however, the former Horseman stood just high enough to be able to headbutt the bottom of the behemoth's ribcage.

"You wish to go alone..."

Horrus sighed again. "I'm not off to fight Desolate on my own, if that's what your thinking. If i wanted to get myself killed then I would have come out of the forest a long time ago."

Horrus was about to take a step forward again when he felt something grab his shoulder. He quickly brushed off War's hand, "And no, you are not coming with me. You're not in any state to be fighting right now." War's eyes flickered to his arm, but Horrus caught the glimpse. "I'm not referring to that. I'm referring to what's in here." He tapped the side of his head a few times. "I saw you fight Desolate that first time. That's how I found you before you bled out. You don't fight like you used to. Before, you were very controlled in your movements and attacks. This time, however, you were aggressive and reckless."

War's eyebrows came together, but quickly moved apart once more when Horrus stuck his finger up towards him.

"Right there, you did it again. War, without Desolate in your head you are a very different man. Before, you subconciously held your emotions in check out of both fear and precaution that Desolate might use those emotions to get an upper hand and take control of your body. This allowed you to remain unreadable during combat." Horrus turned to fully face the larger Demon and crossed his arms. "You are the first person that has ever proven to be a challenge to me in the game of chess. Pestilence was too relaxed and often didn't realize whenever he was giving his movements away, while Famine practically screamed his intentions whenever you pushed enough pressure onto him. You, however... Your eyes rarely moved as you kept the whole board in your vision. You only moved to move a piece. It was like fighting a statue. Even trying to get you to speak proved little results.

"Now, however, Desolate is no longer there and your brain feels like it does not need to hold itself back anymore. The thought of your children... foals... offspring, in danger infuriated you. I daresay you took even Desolate by surprise. However, I don't need to tell you just how that fight ended. Desolate read you like an open book and easily disposed of you. And until you can learn to control yourself once more, you will fail. As much as I hate to put all my faith in one person... I truly believe you are the only one who will be able to kill that monster."

Desolate said nothing and remained still. His eyes were locked with those of the younger Demon. For a full ten minutes, the two merely stood there. Horrus took note of the way War's breathing had increased - if only a little - when he had begun telling him of why he failed against the being that once resided in his head. After the first minute, however, it returned to its normal, slow rate. Just what was he thinking behind those quiet eyes of his?

Without a word, War reached forward and grabbed the hilt of Horrus's sword. Horrus replied with a raised eyebrow but did not react as the other Demon pulled the sword out of its sheath. The blade came between their line of sight, and for a moment the two merely looked into their own reflections. One saw the beautiful blue of the sky, while the other saw the clouds that covered the sky when the storm was ready to come.

Slowly, War reached a hand behind his head and grabbed his hair at half its length. He silently reached back with the sword and swiftly cut the hair from his head. His hair now rested just above his shoulder blades, the rest being held in the open palm of his hand between them.

"Emotionless... Heartless... That is what you ask me to become once more. But I will not defeat Desolate by becoming Desolate. Your words are true, and my heart must be steeled..." War held out the arm that held his hair and let the snowy strands blow out into the wind and fall into the water to be swept away. "But no longer will Desolate dictate what I am and am not allowed to show... And it will not be the War in my soul that rages to bring his end... but the Peace in my heart that brings him to his knees."

Comments

[Starlight Nova]

Why do some of the chapters have *'s next to them?

[Zachurra]

5075759

Those are chapters that I have gone back to, reread and edited in hopes of fixing flow and grammar issues