We Are All Just Puppets

by Zachurra

Chapter 10 - Puppet Master

Canterlot was silent, save for the gentle flapping of wings followed by the sound of weight being put on rooftop shingles. From here, Horrus saw just what he expected to see: the total destruction of anything and everything that got in Desolate's way as he beelined straight for the castle. In fact, Horrus was surprised that more of the city wasn't reduced to ash. Besides the crater near the center of the city that Celestia had apparently caused during the battle, it almost seemed like the city would have been in a worse state if something like a hurricane blew through. Perhaps he figured there was no point in destroying if there was no one else here?

And speaking of the which, where exactly was Desolate anyways? The castle looked intact, so perhaps he was there? In that case, it would be best to avoid that section of the city. It was possible that Desolate had not sensed Horrus's soul coming into the city. Hell, perhaps the beast was sleeping, for all he knew. The last light of the sun gave small illumination as the moon began to take its course along the sky. The darkness would certainly help mask his movements, but it could also hinder his ability to find his real target... assuming his target was even here.

"Why am I not surprised to see you skulking about in the shadows?"

Horrus smiled. He turned and faced the one he had come here to see. "For the same reason that this city is in the sorry state that it's in: It's just a Demon's nature."

The Guardian didn't seem amused by Horrus's words. It merely looked over at the young Demon from its position on the other side of the roof with indifference. It wore a brown cloak that surrounded its entire body, save for the head. The skin was pale and its eyes and hair were colorless. There were no defining features that marked it as either male or female besides its voice being slightly too deep for the average woman.

"You're either a fool who came here thinking he could take on the Horseman of Desolation all on his own, or you are here for something else. The question is," It cocked its head to the side slightly, "Which is the true reason?"

"Well, if you really must know..." Horrus said as he moved to face the other fully. "I'm here for you."

"Here I am." It replied.

"I want you to help us." He said quickly. The Guardian gave no reply, simply looking deep into the eyes of the one before it. "As much as I hate to say it, I seriously doubt that the power of not only War, but also the two beings who raise and lower the sun and moon every day might not be enough to kill such a creature."

Strangely, the Guardian sighed. From his cloak came a hand that was covered by what appeared to be a leather glove. The same kind of material covered what little of the rest of its body that Horrus could see as it reached up to rub the bridge of its nose.

"You really don't understand, do you?" It said, clearly frustrated. "I brought the Horseman of Desolation into this world to ensure that Equestria could still protect itself in the event of a cataclysm."

"Because it is obviously prepared for such a threat!" Horrus threw his arm out towards the ruination of the city. "Do you not see the terror you've unleashed? It took the entire might of Hellion's army just to bring the man literally to such boredom that he killed himself! And in doing so, wiped out a thousand soldiers and gifted the landscape with a new two mile wide crater!"

"Enough!" It shouted, pulling its hand away from its face. "This discussion is meaningless. The inhabitants of the planet are not yet finished. They are still capable of defeating this - their greatest foe!"

"He's not even supposed to be alive, let alone be alive here! I've seen first hand that these ponies are, for the most part, completely defenseless against someone of a Horseman's calibur!"

"You simply do not understand." The Guardian closed its eyes for a moment. When they opened, its passiveness had been replaced with a sudden aura of hatred. "And speaking of things that should not be alive..."

In its open hand, a black smoke began to appear and swirl around. It extended out until it was as tall as Horrus himself before taking the color of steel. The Guardian gripped its sword tightly in its hand and held it out, pointing the sharp blade in the direction of the young Demon.

Horrus glared and reached behind his back to pull out his own sword from its sheath. His wings spread and he took a defensive stance. The Guardian merely smiled. "Normally, I stay my hand when it comes to conflict on the planet. But I would be lying if I said that my patience for this outcome has grown thin." With his free hand, he undid the tie that held his cloak up. The wind swept it away, revealing a body bound in leather and straps. Its smile remained as not two, but four wings burst from his back and spread wide. One was a bright white and matched that of a bird. One was dark and almost looked like it was made of stone. One also matched that of a bird's wing, but it was entirely skeletal. The last was not a wing at all, but more took the appearence of a fin.

Horrus's eyes were simply wide. "The fu-"

The Guardian gave the Demon no further time to prepare. In an instant, it slammed its sword down, forcing Horrus to block the attack. The shingles beneath the Demon's feet shattered, causing the roof below him to collapse. The Guardian now stood alone on the rooftop, peering down into the dark hole in front of him. He casually rested the blade on his shoulder. He bent his legs and jumped high into the air just as the rest of the roof exploded outward. From the dust and rubble, Horrus shot into the sky and swung his blade but the Guardian blocked it with ease.

"Predictable."

With a swing, Horrus was sent flying back towards the ground. He landed hard against the roof of another building, and opened his eyes just in time to be able to roll to the side and dodge the sword that was quickly coming to pierce his chest. Acting in retaliation, Horrus's strike proved to be too slow as the Guardian bent its body backwards in a frontflip motion, tearing the sword from its position with ease and dodging the blow.

It twisted its body around, swinging the sword straight for the Demon's head. Horrus jumped up and then disappeared from the Guardian's view. Its eyes twitched for a moment before following the length of its arm down to the sword that was still held straight out. The young Demon stood atop the blade and had reared his leg back, kicking the Guardian in the face before it could react.

Horrus landed on his feet and saw his opponent fall onto its back. Not wanting to give it enough time to retaliate, he lifted his hand towards the sky and quickly drew a few lines within the circle of a Seal. Upon placing his palm against it, six bolts of light shot into the sky before arcing away from each other like a blooming flower. Each falling star turned in the air and flew towards their target: the Guardian.

Horrus saw the Guardian react at the last moment, but he then quickly disappeared behind a wall of dust and debris. However, with a beat of every wing the dust flew outward, revealing the Guardian to be in near-perfect condition, save for the dust and dirt that was now on its skin and in its hair.

The dust blew harshly at Horrus, forcing him to shield his eyes. The Guardian took advantage of this, shooting forward and grabbing the Demon by the neck as he ascended into the sky at breakneck speeds. He let go of Horrus, letting the momentum take him just a few inches higher before planting his palm firmly against Horrus's gut. There was a glow, and then the Demon was sent rocketing through the air before slamming against one of Canterlot Castle's tallest towers.

Dazed by the hit to the head, Horrus dropped and only barely caught onto a flagpole that hung on the outer wall with his free hand while the other still clutched tightly to his sword. He quickly looked around, searching for his opponent. When it proved nowhere to be seen, the sound of flapping above him alerted him to the Guardian's presence. Looking up, he could see the Guardian standing atop a similar flagpole near the top of the tower.

"Foolish child." It said. "It is because of I that you were brought into this world to begin with, and you dare question my plans for the world?" Tightening its fist, it held out its arm and bent it's elbow at a ninety degree angle. It then took the blade of its sword and held it against his forearm. "Can you not understand... that the hand of fate is my own?"

With a swift cut, the blade went right through the Guardian's arm. However, the limb was not severed, and it appeared that nothing had happened at all. However, the sound of a boom from the tower proved that false. The top of the tower began to slide down, appearing to have been cut at the same angle that the Guardian had seemingly cut its own arm. As it slid down, it continued to fall apart, its pieces shattering into chunks both large and small. The Guardian seemed unphased, merely turning to face the falling debris and swinging its sword before disappearing behind it all.

Horrus cursed under his breath before pulling himself up and getting his balance on the pole. With a few light bounces, he judged that the pole would be suitable for possibly the worst idea the strategist had ever had. He began to jump, each time the pole bending further and the wreckage of the tower coming closer. Pushing the pole to its limit, Horrus leapt high into the sky at speed far faster than he would have been able to achieve from a normal takeoff. He readied his sword and cut the first piece of wreckage in half. He hardly had enough time to block the swift strike from the Guardian's sword, who had been falling just behind the piece.

The two locked swords. One held a look of frustration and struggle, while the other was indifferent. Just as it had before, the Guardian succeeded in breaking the lock. Horrus was flung backwards, but found his footing on a large piece of the tower. The Guardian landed opposite of him and he unleashed a flurry of strikes and stabs. The Guardian deflected and blocked each attack and even responded with a few slashes of its own, but Horrus refused to let this supposedly "perfect" being get the better of him.

The stone beneath them suddenly shattered, each piece shifting so that the two combatants stood upside down compared to the other. The two slashed wildly at each other, sparks flying from the metal. Suddenly there was a crack and a noise, and in what felt like slow motion Horrus watched his sword shatter into pieces, just as the tower had. And behind those pieces of metal were the uncaring grey eyes of the Guardian.

There was a flash. Before he knew it, Horrus found himself with his back to what stood of the broken tower and a hand tightly gripping his neck. He grabbed at the arm that held him captive and tried to pull it away but it was no use.

"Do not be so ignorant as to believe these events are beyond my control, child." The Guardian said quietly, his voice almost drowned out by the sound of wreckage crashing against the ground. "Everything that has happened, happened because I allowed it to be so. I have orchestrated every event that has occured since you're arrival on this planet." For a moment, those cold and colorless eyes looked away from the Demon, "While I must admit that your little insurrection was a tad unexpected, as was the one called War's resilience against me, all has still fallen according to plan."

Horrus tried harder to pull away from the position he was locked in as the Guardian merely shrugged off his attempts at overpowering it. "By tomorrow's end, Desolate will be defeated and the land will be saved. And, perhaps, the beings of this world will realize the importance of maintaining their strength, and I will not even be needed anymore."

A small smile came to the Guardian's face. The first sign of true expression since the two had encountered one another.

"You're insane..." Horrus growled and choked.

The smile disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared. The Guardian pulled the Demon from the wall and swiftly threw him towards the ground. Horrus shot through the air before colliding with a statue of Celestia that stood in the castle's gardens. The statue was torn in half as Horrus fell to the ground, motionless. The Guardian glided down, landing beside his now former opponent.

"Your opinion means nothing," It whispered, "Little puppet."

The Guardian's eyes moved from the body of the Demon before him and turned to face the one who watched from a distance. Grey eyes met with those of bloody crimson and the two stood without saying a word. Desolate crossed his arms and shrugged before turning away and walking back towards the castle.

"Not my fight."

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

"This is where Applejack works!?"

Twilight's jaw almost hit the ground as she looked up at the towering skyscraper in front of her. The sun was setting behind it and left the small group of old friends underneath its shadow, almost giving it a menacing feel. In large lettering was the title LIVING STEEL, INC. on the front of the building above the doorway.

"Mhm..." Pinkie nodded briefly, her regular vibrant aura still disturbingly missing.

"So..." Rarity said, finally managing to look away from tower. "Who wants to go in first?"

Rarity looked to Twilight, who in turn looked to Pinkie. With a gentle sigh, the pink mare lead the group through the double doors and into the building. The room was large and plain, much like the outside of the building. Immediately to the left and right of the mares were four vacant metal chairs on each side against the wall. After them were a pair of pillars engraved into the wall with a rifled pattern chiseled out along its surface. After them was two red doors, another set of pillars, two more doors, yet another pillar to finish the symmetry, and on the far wall was a massive picture of what appeared to be the skyscraper when it was still being built.

The room would have been silent if not for a single mare typing away on a typewriter that rested on her desk which was dwarfed by the picture. She wore a simple business atire and a simple pair of glasses. The mare didn't even seem to notice that the group had entered the building, much less cared to greet them. Rarity decided to take the initiative and moved forward. The sound of hooves against the hard floor joined the repeated tapping of the typewriter until the seemingly long journey to the other end of the hall came to an end.

"Ahem," Rarity cleared her throat in an effort to get the mare's attention. However the mare either didn't hear her or simply ignored her. "Excuse me?" She tried again, this time earning what felt like a glare from her as she continued typing away, stopping only to slide the paper back. "Eh, we're here to see Applejack?"

The mare sighed before leaning back in her chair and turning to face the small group. "Who?"

Before Rarity could say another word, Pinkie stepped forward. "What she means is, we're here to see Living Steel."

The mare's eyebrow lifted. "You're kidding, right?"

"Please, Ms...." Twilight said, squinting her eyes to see the small plaque on the desk that gave the mare's name. "Harvest Moon? It's really important that we see-"

"Princess Twilight?" The mare said, her bored expression disappearing immediately and being replaced by one of surprise. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't see you behind the others." She straightened herself up and coughed gently into her hoof, clearly embarrassed by her lack of attention.

Twilight smiled upon seeing the mare act more like a pony and less like a zombie. "But like I was saying, we really need to-"

"Yes, yes, you need to see Ms. Steel..." Harvest Moon let out an anxious sigh, fidgeting a bit as her eyes looked back and forth between the princess and the button that activated the intercom. She bit her lip before reaching over and pressing the red button. A click was heard, and she began to speak. "M-Ms. Steel? There's a few ponies here to see you..."

A loud, annoyed sigh could be heard through the speaker. "What is it this time? I swear, if it's-"

"Wait a second, is that-?"

"They look... really important, Ms. Steel, and I think it would be a good idea if-"

"Alright, fine. Send them up already."

There was another click and the intercom went dead. Harvest Moon swallowed audibly before reaching under the desk and pulling out a small, golden key. "Here," she said, handing the key over to Twilight, "Use that on the elevator and it will take you straight to the top floor."

Twilight took the key in her magic. "Um... elevator?" She asked curiously. What in Equestria was an elevator?

Harvest Moon pointed over towards one of the red doors, which Pinkie was already standing near. With a cocked eyebrow, Twilight and Rarity approached the door. The Alicorn took note of the way Pinkie pushed a button beside the door, causing said door to slide open and reveal... a small room? Pinkie and Rarity stepped inside, followed by a very curious and confused Twilight who proceeded to inspect every corner of the room.

"This is an elevator?" Before Twilight could question the tiny room any further, she turned and saw the door slide shut. The Alicorn immediately began to panic, but was stopped as a pink hoof pressed against her chest.

With a gentle roll of her eyes, Pinkie took the key in her teeth and turned her head to an array of buttons that went up and down in numerous rows. Above all of these buttons was a small keyhole, in which the key was inserted and twisted. Suddenly, the small room shook and began to move.

"Ohmygoodnesswhat'sgoingonwherearewegoingwhyarewe-" Twilight clinged tightly to Rarity, practically on top of the mare. Her frightened shaking was almost enough to make the room itself shake - which likely would have just made her more afraid.

"Twilight, dear, you really must calm down!" Rarity said, crouching down slightly.

"Elevators have only been in use for the last year or so," Pinkie said with a gentle shrug. "So I suppose it's not too surprising you haven't used them... or head of them... Especially given the fact that you have wings.

Twilight got a horrible feeling in her body as the elevator came to a halt on the top floor. A soft ding was heard as the door slid open, but Twilight was still concerned about this new contraption. "I-Is it some kind of magic? Is there a Unicorn on duty just to move a metal box? But how would they know where to-"

"It isn't magic." A smooth voice said sternly. The voice called forth the gaze of all three mares to a mare who sat at a beautifully crafted wooden desk. Papers and models covered the entirety of the top, save for the very front which stood a simple plaque that read LIVING STEEL, C.E.O.

The mare herself was a strong looking earth pony with an orange coat and a short, golden mane. "It's called industr-" Her green eyes looked up from the paper she was writing on to meet with those of her latest visitors.

A long silence passed as they simply looked at each other.

"Applejack...?" Twilight finally said.

Applejack sighed and set down her quill and rubbed her temple, muttering something under her breath.

"Applejack, darling, you look so..." Rarity put a hoof to her chin as she tried to think of the proper word. "Different?"

"Yes, eight years does that to a pony." She simply replied.

"And what happened to your accent? You sound so much-"

"Smarter? More professional? Well, you see, that's what is required of you if you want to succeed out in the real world. Not everypony can make it big simply by fixing a mistake they made by accident." Applejack said, her eyes slowly turning to a glare. Twilight and Rarity's jaws dropped at their old friend's hurtful words and stare. Pinkie stood behind them, simply sinking down a little and looking away. Another sigh came from the orange mare's lips, "I apologize. That was... uncalled for." She quietly picked her pen back up and continued writing, "I can only assume you've come here for reasons other than to question my accent."

"Well, yes, but..."

Another sigh from the mare's lips as she set the pen down quieter this time. "Eight years, Twilight Sparkle. In eight years, you became a respected part of our country's royalty. Rarity became one of the greatest fashion designers in all of Equestria and was even able to set up shop in Canterlot. Fluttershy had twins. Rainbow Dash achieved her dream of become a Wonderbolt and even had a foal of her own after being there for Fluttershy through her pregnancy. Pinkie Pie managed to open up a shop here in the city to sell all sorts of treats and curios. Meanwhile, I was spending time on a farm with my family, doing the same thing that I had been doing for years. Wake up, do chores, go to bed. Day after day, month after month.

"Foals were born, life goals were achieved... and I was hitting trees. I felt like I was wasting my life away. So I left home to find more in life, just as I had done when I was younger. Except this time, I left family behind. I decided to make it on my own; but the question was, what was I trying to make? I didn't exactly have any life goals like Rainbow Dash. I had everything I needed back at the farm. So, I decided to go down the path that any pony who was trying to make it on their own would: the path of an inventor.

"Of course, there was a few things that were holding me back. Rather, one thing that held me back and one thing that gave me an advantage. My advantage was that I was one of the world renown element bearers. Who wouldn't put their faith in the Element of Honesty? I was sure to be put ahead of others... but I didn't want that. If I wanted to make it, I didn't want it to be because I was something of a celebrity. Rainbow didn't become a Wonderbolt just because she was the Element of Loyalty, she became a member because the girl busted a myth when she was still in flight school!

"So, I changed my name and Living Steel was born. Just to make sure, I even got my mane cut. But there was still one thing holding me back. You see, most ponies have this ideal leader in their heads. They want a certain kind of pony at the head of the herd." Her voice slowly became angrier, although she didn't seem to notice. "A kind of pony who spoke like they did. So, I practiced and practiced and after about a week, my accent was gone. And do you know what happened? Ponies started listening to my ideas. And as more ponies listened, more investments were made... and Living Steel, Incorporated was born. My company's influence now spands through every earth pony-centered city, and I even have a few contracts for exports overseas."

At this she smiled, proud of what she had accomplished and proud of the fact that she had rendered her old friends speechless. As her eyes looked past the two mares that were closer to her, she noticed that Pinkie had not said a word the entire time and stood towards the back of the room, trying to avoid eye contact completely. Memories began to return, and the orange mare's smile faded. "Of course, changing my name, looks, and accent wasn't enough to stop some ponies from knowing who I really was. But by that time, I was already so far into being this 'new' me that it just... didn't feel right. Almost like I was taking the friends of my old self from my old self. I had to cut a few ties..." Applejack hopped off of her chair and slowly turned away from the others to look out the window at the city skyline. "Some friendships ended with a bit more... wordage, than others."

A small sniffle from behind was enough to bring Twilight and Rarity to look behind them and see their pink friend staring at the ground, sobbing quietly. "Oh dear..." Rarity said as she embraced Pinkie Pie, to which the mare gratefully accepted and squeezed the Unicorn tightly.

"But," Applejack continued, "I did what I believed had to be done..." A light thump could be heard as the mare let her forehead drop against the glass window. "Oh, this sounded so much better when I rehearsed it in my head..." She closed her eyes and bit her lip, desperately trying to calm down. She had rejected everything - and everypony - from her past life without even so much as a goodbye to some of them, and now her past was here to remind her that it wasn't planning on going anywhere. At least she had managed to block out Pinkie's cries... but then why was she still hearing her sniffles? And why did they sound so much louder and closer? And what in the world was holding onto her so tightly... Oh.

Pinkie was embracing her old friend as tightly as she could. While a normal pony might be trying to gasp for air or push away the usually eccentric mare, Applejack simply found herself returning the gesture.

"Pinkie, I..."

"Shh..." Pinkie hushed before releasing Applejack from her hug. "All of that can wait... Right now, we have bigger problems. All of us do."

"Bigger problems?" She replied with a raise of an eyebrow.

Twilight took the opportunity to finally speak up. "Canterlot, as well as Equestria, is in grave danger."

"Oh please, Twilight." Applejack said, unsurprised. "What is it this time? Is Canterlot about to fall off the mountain? Ostrich flu? Don't tell me that Discord finally learned how to-"

"No, no, no, none of that!" The princess huffed. "This is a serious threat! The monster that lived inside War and helped defeat the Changelings eight years ago has come back and destroyed half of Canterlot!"

"Hold up now, back up." Applejack said, gesturing with her hoof for the purple Alicorn to cease. "War? You mean the big freaky stallion that turned out to not be a stallion at all, but was actually some kind of Demon from another world that had an even more demonic Demon in his head? That one is back?"

Twilight nodded furiously. "And he's likely to go and devestate the rest of Equestria if you don't take up your element once more and help us to fight him!"

"Well, why didn't you just say so?" The orange mare questioned as she turned around and trotted over towards a cabinet by the far wall. "Honestly, the whole of Equestria is in danger and you still got that bad habit of getting side-tracked." She hid a small smile as she opened the door to reveal a black box. She lifted the top off and reached in, pulling out an old looking stetson. The mare looked at it for a moment, as if lost in thought, before closing her eyes and placing it on her head. It certainly clashed with her business atire and Rarity would have likely thrown a fit if the circumstances weren't so dire.

"It's... about time..." She said slowly, her voice changing into something more familiar. "That Ah stopped livin' a lie."

Author's Note:

I would like to apologize for any misspellings, as I have had to use Word Pad for all of these newer chapters and it has no spell check, to my knowledge.

As well, AJ's business makes power tools, in case you were wondering. I intended for it to come up in conversation, with her deciding to bring along a prototype "Jackhammer" (git it?) as a potential weapon, but I was in a bit of a rush to get this done and didn't want to really rework the scene just for that joke. Her invention of power tools is also where the name Living Steel comes from.