We Are All Just Puppets

by Zachurra

Chapter 11 - Corruption

The light was blinding, forcing Horrus to shield his eyes and allow them to adjust. His head, no, his everything hurt and the last thing he needed was some ball of flames up in the sky taking away his ability to see. He groaned as he tried to lift himself up, but he quickly gave up on the effort and let his hand fall back to the ground.

"It's about time. And here I was, thinking that you had gone and died so easily."

Horrus growled at the voice as he let his head fall to one side so he could see the one who had left him in such a state. The Guardian stood not too far away on the castle wall where he laid, its arms crossed and that same indifferent look in its eyes.

"Why did you keep me alive?" Horrus said, glaring the victor of their previous battle. "You said yourself that I don't belong here."

"Yes, I did. But I decided that your death could wait. After all, I want the one who thought me so foolish as to not have a contigency plan to see the events unfold before I strike him from this world forever."

"Tch, I didn't expect something like you to feel pride." Horrus smiled when he caught the slight twitch in the Guardian's eyes that signaled its irritation.

The Guardian turned its head away, taking its gaze over the ruined and hollow city instead. "Pareidolia's corruption was found before it was ready, and the Horseman of War's resilience to my control proved rather... surprising, to say the least. But this time, my plan is fool-proof."

"And just what is this plan of yours anyway? What hope could this land have against something as foreign to it as a Demon that couldn't even be held down by his own people?"

"Oh, you will see in due time. In fact, Equestria's last hope has almost arrived..."

Horrus forced himself to roll over and pulled himself up onto his knees. He followed the Guardian's gaze into the city, to one spot specifically.

Ruination surrounded him. Rubble, dust, and silence. But the Horseman of Desolation didn't seem to mind in the slightest. In fact, he almost seemed content to just be sitting there cross-legged in the middle of the city. The piece of armor that covered his mouth was slid back, allowing him to drink from a small cup that he held in his hand. Every so often, he would set the cup down on the tray in front of him and take a surprisingly well-intact teapot and pour more into the cup and repeat the process of drinking and refilling.

His eyes were closed as he simply took in all that was around him. Not the desolation that he had caused, but rather how life seemed to use his destruction to form anew. Somewhere in the distance he could hear the sound of baby birds chirping for their mother before momentarily going silent as they were finally given the meal they craved. It was interesting to him. No matter what happened, life always found a way of persevering.

His eyes did not open to the sound of the birds, and they did not open to the new wind that blew through the streets. But the crimson orbs were opened to meet with the six who stood just across the way, each adorned in some kind of amulet or relic. Their glares were met with indifference as Desolate took another drink from his cup.

"How long will you stand there, staring at me?" He said just loud enough for their ears to hear. They had only just arrived, but already nearly two minutes had passed and they had not acted against him.

"We're here to put a stop to your destruction!" The lavender one stated aloud. She was given the opportunity to escape at the risk of the other princess's lives, and yet here she was again. At least she had not come alone, otherwise he would think her insane.

"That didn't exactly answer my question." He replied simply, taking another drink and looking down at what little remained in his cup. "You claim to be here to stop me. Well, when do you plan on doing so? Between the seven of us, I doubt I'll be the first to die of old age."

He dipped his head back to take in the remnants of his drink before setting it down on the tray once more. "Before you do whatever it is you plan on doing to me, will you at least sit down for a moment and have a drink? Surely at least one of you must be thirsty and I know I would rather not fight while parched."

He gestured towards the second cup on the tray, but the blue one quickly seemed to take offense to his suggestion. "Yeah, right!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed as she took to the sky, her wings betraying her anxiousness, "You probably put some kinda poison in that to trick us!"

Desolate took the pot and poured more into his cup. "Take a moment to look around yourself. Do you truly think I would resort to mere tricks to bring your end? If I wanted you dead right now, we wouldn't be speaking." He took another drink. "Come see for yourself. It is merely water taken from the mountain itself. Have you ever tasted it before? It is really quite something... probably the purest I've ever tasted."

He took another sip, and when his eyes returned to the ponies that stood before him he found that one of them was much closer. She was an unfamiliar mare, one that War had not spent much time around during his time at a warrior here. An orange coat and blonde mane, curiously adorned in both a stetson and business suit.

"Applejack, what are you doing!?" The mare from before spoke up, "It's gotta be some trick!"

"Calm down, Rainbow Dash!" Applejack said, her voice rising to the same level as Rainbow Dash's. "Ah'm the Element of Honesty, remember?" She looked deep into Desolate's eyes for a moment before sitting down across from him. "Ah think Ah know when Ah'm bein' lied to."

Desolate merely looked at her, half expecting her to attempt to strike him now that he was in reach. But, to his slight surprise, she took the teapot and poured herself a drink. She lifted the cup up to her nose and took in its scent, her natural instincts getting the better of her when offered a drink by her enemy. It smelled just as water should, and tasted even better than expected.

Applejack looked down at the emptiness of her cup. She had drank it all in practically two gulps, yet he was able to take a sip some half of a dozen times before having to refill his. She looked up at the Demon and looked at his uncovered mouth. Rather, not his mouth, but the skin around it, and how she was able to count at least four scars just on that part of his face alone.

"Ah wanna ask ya somethin'." She said calmly, her gaze moving from his skin to his eyes. "Why?"

His eyes moved from his water to hers faster than she had expected, but she did not back down under his gaze. "Why?" He asked.

"Why do you fight? Not just against us ponies, but against everythin'?"

Desolate slowly closed his eyes and set his cup down on the tray, leaving it alone this time. He opened his eyes again as his body straighted up. "I have been asked that question many times, and if I live this day than I will likely be asked it many more. Only once have I ever given an answer. What makes you think that you deserve to know the truth?"

"Because Ah know that underneath all that armor, you really ain't such a bad guy. You wanna know how Ah know that?" She gestured towards her cup with her other hoof. "Because even though you didn't know what kinda company you'd be gettin' this mornin', you still thought to give them the finer glass."

Desolate's finger reached down to his glass, traching it along the single crack that went down its frame, while the glass that Applejack held was in perfect condition. He couldn't help but smile. In fact, he couldn't help but laugh.

Some of the mares looked scared by this laughter, while the others simply looked confused, unsure of why he was laughing in the first place. It certainly wasn't your typical evil villain laugh, but one straight from the gut.

"To think," he said, his laughter quieting down. "I have fought so many, yet the one with the finer eye for detail is the pony from another world... You are wrong to think that I am not a "bad guy", I'm afraid. But I was not always so bad, even though some did think of me as such. Thief, street rat, vermin - now that's one I've heard many times - all of which were names for me when I was young. But the name that I preferred... was survivor. Despite being the land of the decadent, Hellion is not such a bad place to live nowadays. However, it was not always so... Your family was the most important thing to you during that time. And if you did not have a family... you had to make one. And so my dearest friend, my only friend, and I looked upon the world with eyes eager and ambitious. Yes, we stole food, but the life of a thief on the streets was not always to be our lives. We sought to change the world..."

He laughed again. Not the same heavy laugh as before, but instead a light chuckle. "We were children, hardly even a century old... That is young, by our standards. And yet there we were, looking up into the stars and thinking that one day we would bring down that light and illuminate our people. But as time passed, it became more and more clear that my friend and I were not looking up at the same star. I sought to change the world by becoming a beacon of hope to our people. To show that even a simple vermin like myself could ascend to such heights if only we put our minds to it. My friend, however, did not wish to simply change Hellion from within, but from both within and without. To destroy our world's way of life and replace it with something new, where it is the people who decide what is right and wrong, not some ancient God.

"I did not see my friend for some time... and then the day came when a servent of that ancient God came to me with a proposition." He began to bear his teeth and the mares could see the way that his hands tightly gripped his knees. "A succubus in every sense of the word. A Horseman, or Horsewoman, as some seemed to prefer, came to me on a peaceful morning like this one. She came to me to ask for my assistance in dealing with a problem. She claimed that a group was planning to destroy our world and everything in it. She said that she was initially given the task, but her "busy" schedule just simply couldn't allow it. And so she came to me, offering me all kinds of rewards should I agree. Pleasure, money, a home to call my own, but I still refused. I had little desire for such things when I got by just fine on my own. And then she made me an offer that I just could not refuse...

"She told me that certain people had been keeping an eye on me for quite some time. When I asked why, she smiled and told me that I was the reborn spirit of the first Horseman, supposedly the most powerful mortal to ever live. It was the reason that my soul was so much more powerful than the souls of others, she said. I had limitless potential, all I needed to do was take hold of it. She promised me power. Enough power to fulfill my dream and creating a new world, a world worth living in. I took her offer, and with bloody fists clenched I marched alone on the growing rebellion."

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

The sky was beginning to darken. A storm was likely to come soon, and outside two men began debating on whether or not to leave their post for shelter. Before an agreement could be reached, one of them saw a boy walking towards them. He didn't look very old, surely not even an adult yet.

"Hey, kid! You should get inside, it's probably going to rain soon!"

But the boy said nothing. He simply looked at them with burning red eyes. Before they could bark at him again, he lifted up his hand towards them. It was covered in blood, causing them to stop momentarily and look curiously into the crimson. When they noticed the glowing Seal that had been carved into his hand, it was already too late. When the light faded, the two men were gone and the doorway they guarded was replaced by a gaping hole that almost reached the other end of the building.

Most events after that were merely a blur. The sounds of bones breaking and the flashing lights of his Seals burning away these traitors were all that remained after so many years. He did, however, remember that none of them managed to land a single blow on him. None, except for one.

There was a bang.

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

"It was amongst these traitors that I found my dearest friend. Beneath me were the corpses of the people she cared for, and in her hands was a gun - a taboo weapon amongst my people - which she used to give my my first scar." He unconsciously reached up and traced two fingers along the armor that covered his cheek. "She told me to leave. To leave and never return. But it was too late. I was already too far gone. The promise of power had set my soul ablaze, and there was nothing that anyone could do to stop it. Not even her. When the blood haze lifted, I stood above her: the final enemy. She looked up at me with hollow, dead eyes. I still remember... one was two colors. An after effect of when I hit her there.

"And then the succubus returned, congratulating me on a job well done. I wasted no time in taking her by the neck and squeezing until her throat was crushed. She promised me power... but I did not need her to unlock such a hidden reserve within me any longer. Her corpse joined those of her enemies. Oddly enough, events did not end there. For the next sound I heard was that of clapping. I turned and was met by one of the immortals, the very Harbinger of Hellion himself. Fate proved that it was not done with me yet, and he offered me her place as a Horseman."

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

"You will need a new name for yourself, of course." The Harbinger said, putting a finger to his chin as he casually strode past the bodies of the fallen. "Something that defines you... Perhaps, the Horseman of War?"

The boy said nothing at first and simply continued to stare into the cold eyes of the one person he had ever cared for in life. His fists clenched tightly together once more, small chips of dried blood falling to the ground. They slowly relaxed again as he spoke.

"No... War can be ended. War does not have to be surrounded in death and destruction, but it also does not always bring people to new heights. But most of all, War is not absolute. I would prefer something that sounds a little more... permanent."

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

"I had done it. I had reached the pillar of strength and influence that I desired by becoming a Horseman. But at this point, my desire to bring about a new world of hope was something I had lost all faith in. After all, if I had to slaughter innocent people, if I had to slaughter the very one I loved just to reach this new world... then it was not a world that I wanted to live in anymore. The death of a hundred were on my hands, and the deaths of a thousand more would come as I was used as a tool of devestation. But I had had enough. The souls of those that had fallen before me cried out and demanded my death. Their memory haunted me, and still haunts me to this day. Everywhere I go, I see her. I see those hollow, damaged eyes looking into mine.

"I had thrown away everything I had lived for. What was there left for me? My new desire was not to bring peace to the living... No, my desire was to give relief to the lives that I had taken away. But, my soul would not allow me to end my life by my own hands. Any attempt ended in my own body fighting against itself. And so I called upon the greatest warriors the realms had to offer. And my call was met. Two thousand Demons surrounded me, each prepared to take my head for themselves and take my place. Alongside these Demons was a single Nephilim. An Advent, much to my surprise. Before the battle, he and I sat together and drank water just as you and I are doing now. Despite the restlessness of the Demons around him, he refused to allow them to strike me. He threatened that the first to disobey him would have two enemies on the battlefield. And what did he do?

"He talked. He talked on and on about his life. The battles he had encountered, the different people that he had met. He told me of his wife and daughter back at his home. He told me of his most treasured moments and of the people most precious to him. 'This is why I fight.' he said, 'Now tell me, why do you fight?'"

"And so I told him. I told him everything that I am telling you now. Of how I fought to bring hope to the people, but in the end all I did was give them fear. I told him what I now desired, and he told me that he would give everything he had to ensure that my dream came true." Desolate took a moment to sigh, his eyes no longer looking at the mare but rather through her as they ventured deeper into long lost memories. "It was the greatest battle I had ever fought. Just he and I, fighting not for control or pride or anything else, but instead for the simple desire of righting the wrongs that I had comitted. And even though he drew his last breath, even though he had abandoned his family, he still died with a smile on his face. For he died fighting for others, and not for himself. A true Nephilim of Zion if I had ever seen one. It was that day that I realized that the greatest warrior of my world had fallen, and none would ever hope to hold a candle to him. I would not let his death go in vain... so I used every essense of my soul to bring down desolation upon both myself and those around me. Even I was unable to escape my final blow against the world. My soul refused to let me run from the fight, but it also refused to allow myself to die in such a way... I was stuck. And I couldn't have been happier.

"When I next opened my eyes, I was looking through a window. I had refused to let the Demons take hold of me, and so they robbed me of my death and put my spirit into a new body to control. I did everything I could to try and break him down, to make him hate me... only in hopes that he would one day be able to break me instead and repress me. To absorb my soul into his and achieve dominance so that I could finally rest. Sadly, it seemed I still have yet to go before I can get the rest I so desperately desire."

Desolate stood and looked down at the mares. "I ask of all of you a single question... can you give me that which I desire?" Past the mares he saw a being not unlike him in form. A young girl who looked up at him with damaged eyes. "Can you give them the rest that they so desperately desire?"

The six eached looked at each other, taking in his words. For so long, they had thought him as only a monster. And yet, now...

"We can try."

Desolate said nothing, but a few of the mares could see the softening in his eyes. The sound of metal sliding against metal was heard as his mouth piece slid back into place. "Then try." He took a few steps back to give the mares room and held out his arms wide. "My stomach, my heart, my eyes, wherever you so choose... I offer you the first blow. Make it count."

The six nodded and moved to take position. The wind began to pick up and Desolate watched as they began to rise into the air, their accessories glowing brightly. Suddenly, a rainbow colored vortex enveloped them and shot high into the sky like a tornado before arcing back down and heading straight for him. He watched as it began to swirl around him now, blocking his view of the city and the mares. He looked around, trying to understand the nature of what was going on. But the moment he felt his body growing stiffer, he knew it was too late. He looked down at his legs and saw the way they were changing from their normal red and silver to a solid grey. The petrification rose up through his body from his feet and from his finger tips.

When the vortex finally dissipated and the mares regained their focus, they looked over and saw the statue of the one who was now allowed to have his dream come true. He had been looking down at his hands, as if trying to study what was happening to him while it was happening. They each breathed a sigh of relief.

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

"Ha! Do you see now, little Demon?" The Guardian said, smiling triumphantly as it pointed towards the statue of Desolate. "The Elements of Harmony are the single most powerful weapon that Equestria, no, the world has to offer! The Elements had split up to see their individual dreams fulfilled over the years, which caused them to drift apart. But now, I have brought them closer than they have ever been in their lives!" The Guardian looked over to Horrus, who was looking down at the scene and was as pale as could be with his eyes wide and his mouth open and speechless. "What's wrong, child? Too shocked to see yourself so wrong? So dumbfounded that-"

Crack.

The Guardian stood still, his mouth open in mid-speech. Slowly, his head turned towards where it's finger pointed. Desolate still stood, grey and cold as he did a moment ago. Now, however, there was a large crack that went straight up his arm. Even the six mares stood awestruck at what they saw.

Another crack spiderwebbed across his palm. The stone began to fall apart, dust and pieces dropping to the floor around the joints of his hand. One by one his fingers began to move. Soon his wrist was free, then his elbow, and before any of the viewers could speak a word he was was tearing the stone pieces from his body.

With his chest free, he reached for it and put a single finger against it. From his finger came a glowing light that left a trail wherever it went. When the Seal was complete, he pressed his palm against it and the stone exploded, leaving only Desolate to stand there, seemingly untouched.

"A worthy attempt." He almost sighed, brushing a small amount of dust from his forearm. With what looked like disappointment in his eyes, he walked forward towards the six mares. Some shrank back while the orange and blue one took a more defensive stance. He closed the distance between himself and Twilight quickly, snatching the tiara from her head.

"H-hey!" She cried out and immediately attempted to use her magic in retaliation, but Desolate grabbed her by the horn and squeezed firmly, causing the Alicorn to whimper and fall to her haunches.

The Demon examined the Element piece for a moment before releasing Twilight with a shove, pushing her onto her back. With one eye open she reached up and rubbed her horn, and then watched in horror as Desolate took the tiara in both hands and snapped it in half.

The Guardian simply had no words. His hand was visibly shaking as he looked down at the scene below. "And you called me the fool..." Horrus muttered as he regained his composure. "Did you even stop and think of the possibility of the Elements failing?" The Demon struggled to pull himself to his feet, "Shall I name just a few reasons as to why your plan was destined to fail? Desolate is from another world, what guarentee did you have that the Elements of Harmony would even work on something like him? Assuming they did, who's aspect of 'harmony' do they even use as a template? If it is from those of the ponies, Desolate just admitted that everything he did, he did for the sake of bringing harmony to those who have already failed. By offering himself, he was attempting to bring harmony and may have not been percieved as a threat to the land any longer due to his more honorable reasonings. If it's from his own viewpoint, which is still plausible due to the fact that most wretches in the world are well aware of their own evil aspects, than it wouldn't effect him at all due to the fact that he believes he's doing the right thing! You left far too much room for error, and now this world will pay the price!"

Slowly the Guardian's hands turned to fists. Even from where he stood, Horrus could practically feel the emotional unbalance growing within the godlike being's soul. This emotional unbalance became even more apparent as the Guardian's body even began to change physically.

"This wasn't supposed to happen..."

It's otherwise colorless features began to Change. Its hair and skin began to darken to black as its eyes rolled back into its skull to show only pale white. The straps of his attire began to fall apart, hanging down and seemingly catching fire spontaneously. Downward facing horns grew from it's head, and it began to look more and more like the Demons that it had been toying with. Now, however, it was looking as though it was the one being toyed with. It's odd set of wings flared out and the Guardian burst forward into the city, leaving Horrus alone on the wall to simply watch what was about to happen.

For all of its rage, the Guardian landed rather softly some distance away from the red behemoth. Desolate tossed away the broken pieces of the Element of Magic and turned halfway to meet the gaze of the one that had brought him here in the first place. "Well," he said, "I didn't realize that Halloween had come early this year."

As expected, his words only worked to fuel the Guardian's already unstable rage. Without warning, the distance between the two was closed as it rushed forward and grabbed the Demon by his helmet, flying forward at breakneck speeds and holding him forward as the two broke through building after building as if they were mere clouds. Those who spectated the fight could only stop and watch as each piece of architecture that happened to be in their way came either came crumbling down or had been decorated with a new hole that a cannon may as well have left.

The Guardian used the Demon to shield itself from every impact until the city wall finally came before them. Much thicker and sturdier than mere houses and shops, when Desolate collided with the wall his head was buried into it and new cracks that reached as high as the very top threatened the stability of it all. The Guardian only tried to push his foe deeper into the hardened structure.

"You were supposed to die!" It growled in anger. It's hand covered most of the Demon's face, but it could still see as
Desolate's eye snapped open and glared at it. Before anything could be done, Desolate grabbed the Guardian's wrist and held to it tightly. The Guardian struggled to pull away from the Horseman's grasp, but it was no use. Desolate pushed his free hand into his captive's gut and, with a bright light from his seal, sent it flying backwards through the last building he was pushed through and into the city street.

The Guardian quickly pulled itself up off the ground and clenched it's fists tightly in frustration for not being able to defend itself from the Demon's strike. "I must say," Desolate said as he landed on nearby rooftop and stretched his wings out as he looked down at his new challenger, "That new look really suits you more than the whole 'colorless' thing. Very intimidating."

Just as expected, the Guardian lashed out in anger in response to his mocking. Forming a sword in it's hand, it gave a beat of it's wings to get high enough and swung, carving a new wound into the house but missing it's real target. Desolate sidestepped and dodged back as the Guardian's sword swung relentlessly in an effort to end his life.

Taking a quick look behind him, Desolate noted just how close to the edge of the rooftop he was getting. His eyes rolled back to the task at hand and he pulled his head back just in time to see the tip of the Guardian's blade scratch the front of his helmet as it swung by. Determined not to let it happen again, Desolate pulled his arm back and threw his fist forward. The Guardian blocked the attack with the width of it's sword, but the strike was still strong enough to shove it backwards, kicking up small amounts of dust around it's feet.

"Look at you... like a child, furious because things didn't go their way!"

The Guardian slashed at the rooftop with its sword, "Silence!" It thrust its palm outward and from it came an overwhelming blast of light. "I have seen the birth of nations!" The force of energy threw the Demon back, the pillar of light expanding halfway across the city before Desolate used his own soul's flow of energy to break the attack apart only to be met by the Guardian's feet being planted square into his chest and sending him even further back, this time soaring back towards the ground. The Demon landed hard on his back but was able to use momentum to roll backwards and land on his feet. He skipped backwards just as the Guardian landed in front of him, once again swinging it's sword. "I saw the foundations of the planet being laid!"

Desolate had intended to anger the Guardian to send it into a reckless fury - and had clearly succeeded in doing so - but the ancient being's attacks came so unpredictably that it was becoming increasingly difficult to catch his opponent off guard and take advantage of the situation. Even with the adrenaline pumping through his veins, the former Horseman felt his heart skip a beat when he suddenly found himself unable to back up any further. It was now the Guardian who was taking advantage of its opponent no longer being able to retreat back and thrust its sword forward, piercing through the armor that covered Desolate's chest. However, the armor was the only thing it pierced as Desolate clapped both hands together around the sword to hold it back from being plunged any deeper than it already was.

"I was there to see the conception of imagination," The Guardian's words dripped like venom from its mouth, "Of a species..." With his back against the wall, Desolate found himself being lifted off the ground by the Guardian's sword. All the while, the Guardian gaze never seemed to pull away from the Demon's eyes. "And you have the audacity to call me a child!?"

Suddenly the Guardian felt a chill run up its spine. Out of the corner of its eyes it could see a pair of pale hands reach forward and gently run along its cheeks. They were not solid and looked more like those of a-

"You must have been so lonely... so many years on your own..." A voice whispered into its ear. It couldn't help but inhale sharply as the soft words reached into him, causing him to quickly spin around and confront whatever it was that dared interrupt its battle. However, it was not expecting to see the ethereal body of a young female, the same species as Desolate and the other humans it had brought into the world. It wore a simple white dress and looked at him with a pair of dark blue eyes. However, it appeared that one of them was also the color of amber in an odd, unatural way. It drifted backwards, its feet not touching the ground. Its damaged eyes looked sad for a moment and the Guardian swore that it heard apologize for something before it suddenly broke apart like mist. What it happened to break apart against was a sweating lavender Alicorn which had an alarming level of energy swelling up within its horn.

Twilight bit her lip so hard that it bled as she charged everything she had into her horn. The very rubble around her began to lift up off the ground as if gravity had suddenly turned off. She braced herself and bent her head forward to unleash a blinding light that soon overtook the Guardian and Desolate both. Her spell looked similar to the blast of energy that the Guardian had used just moments ago against the Demon, but it trumped the attack tenfold.

As her reserves began to diminish, the blast of light faded away. Twilight's eyes barely even opened back up before her body collapsed from exhaustion. Thankfully, her friends were theret to grab her lest her fall onto the hard ground be painful.

"You okay, Twi?" Rainbow Dash asked as she helped the Alicorn into a sitting position.

"Yeah, I... I'm fine." She said quietly as she trembled. It was taking all of her willpower just to ensure that she stayed conscious long enough to see if her attempt would be futile or not. And if she were to judge just that on only the amount of devestation that now laid before her... she'd assume she had done a pretty good job.

Everything between the Alicorn and the far wall of the city had been obliterated. A scar on the land stretched all the way to the torn down wall, showing the horizon in the distance. What else the ponies could see of in the distance disturbed them almost as much as seeing their Alicorn friend pull of such a terrifying feat.

Desolate lay near the edge of the city. He groaned as he reached up and took the blade that was still held in place by his armor and pulled it out swiftly. He pushed himself up off the scarred ground into a sitting position and looked over to see a certain being lying face down.

Before the Guardian could so much as try to push itself up, Desolate was up and planted his foot squarely against its back. Its hands curled into shaky fists and its head turned to see him. For reasons Desolate cared little for, its pupils were back.

"You... ruined everything..."

Desolate merely tilted his head to the side slightly. "Ignorant and prideful to the very end." Desolate tossed the blade around and grabbed it by the hilt before plunging it straight down into the Guardian's back. It cried out and writhed in pain, but the Demon spared it no mercy. "You brought this down upon yourself." He said as he turned away to finish what he began.

"I... refuse... to be put down!" The Guardian gasped between breaths as it still tried to pull itself up. "I... am..."

The Guardian didn't hear Desolate turning around due to it's heavy breaths, but all of that became apparent when the Demon roughly pulled the sword from the Guardian's body and firmly kicked it in the side to flip it onto it's back. Wasting no time, Desolate took the sword and once again plunged it into it's body. This time, however, the sword was put straight through it's neck and was pushed deep enough to penetrate the stone below.

"You are nothing."

The Demon wasted no further time in dealing with the misguided being. With slight frustration fueling his steps, he made it out of the scar and was soon back in front of the ponies who now stood cowering before his form. His crimson eyes seemed to pierce into their very souls as he watched them huddle up together.

"I must admit," He softly began, "If not for my armor, I would very likely be dead right now." From his palms came a light that quickly was beginning to intensify, "Whether or not you were merely mimicing what you've seen from the battlefield, even I am rather surprised by your capabilities." He stretched out both arms and spread his fingers out. The mares could see the glowing outline of the seals that had been carved into his hands. "Allow me to shower you in thunderous applause."

The ponies held tightly to each other and closed their eyes. It was clear that Twilight would never be able to pull off another attack like that one after another, and if they were to try and run then he would only pick them off one by one until he got bored. This was their end.

Or, at least, that was what they were thinking. When there came no blinding light and intense heat, they risked opening their eyes to see what was going on. Desolate still stood there with his hands outstretched, but he did nothing. When their eyes opened further, they saw what must have been the reason.

The one that they had thought lost in the past, War now stood just to Desolate's right with his own arm stretched out. Near his palm was a glowing light in the same shape as Desolate's own seals.

For some strange and almost disturbing reason, the mares couldn't shake the feeling that Desolate was smiling at the moment.

"Well, well, well... I was afraid you might have died in that forest." Desolate turned his head to meet War's cold gaze. "How's your arm?"

As if to respond, War's palm touched the seal and a blast of light exploded outward. It never made contact with its target as Desolate used a hard flap of his wings to throw himself backwards and out of the line of fire. War immediately moved to put himself between the ponies and his former self.

Curiously, Desolate touched a finger to his chin. "You look different somehow..." As if doing so unconsciously, Desolate quickly began drawing a seal off to the side. More curiously, the area around him began to darken. "Did you do something new with your hair?"

Suddenly he slammed his palm against the seal he had drawn. A bubble-like forcefield formed in a sphere around his body. Not a moment later a massive bolt of lightening came down from the dark clouds that had quickly formed above him. As the clouds dissipated so too did his shield. Only bothering to turn his head, he glared at the Alicorn princess that stood some distance behind him.

"How rude. To think that this land's great monarch would outright interrupt two guests of her kingdom in such a way."

"You are no guest of mine." Celestia replied bitterly. "A guest wouldn't go about ransacking an entire city!"

"Well, perhaps next time the apocalypse comes around in this world, you'll be better prepared for it. Speaking of the which, where is your dear sister? I'm a tad surprised to see the two of you so far apart... And before you ask, I did a bit of light reading during my time here - I like to know a thing or two about the things that are trying to kill me, you see. Very interesting history you and your kingdom have. So many troubles or disasters... reminds me of home."

"You hardly spoke a word the last time we fought, now you won't shut your mouth." Celestia said surprisingly harshly.

"I won't lie, I didn't expect much from you or your sister during our first encounter. But now," The metal that covered his mouth slid back, revealing his twisted smile. "Now, I'm excited!"

He threw out both arms, each one's palm facing the two new arrivals, and let loose his mighty power. Celestia and War held their ground but it was clear just how much they had to dig in their heels in order to stay there. As the force of his blasts intensified with each surge, Desolate could only smile. That was, at least, until he sensed a power unlike one he had met so far fast approaching. In the amount of time it took for him to turn his head forward, it was already on top of him.

Like a train, this new power slammed straight into his gut and caused him to lose concentration on his seal's flow. The Demon was thrown backwards at a speed that likely would have been lethal to any man or pony that could be considered normal.

Celestia and War stood their ground, surprised by what had just joined the fight. It held the shape of a pony, that much was certain. The differing factor was how this pony seemed to be set ablaze in black fire and had wings larger than any Pegasus. Only it's red eyes were not consumed by fire. As it's wings began to relax, something that stood out from the darkness could be seen. A small, white Unicorn that seemed to be holding onto the flaming pony for dear life. Her eyes were closed, but the moment they opened and saw the Horseman of War, she couldn't help but exclaim, "Daddy!"

To say that War was surprised by the sudden arrival of his daughter would be an understatement. This was nothing to say of the foal's mother's reaction to her child arriving in such a fashion on the battlefield.

"Pareidolia!" Fluttershy rushed forward, not much caring for the still looming threat that was the Horseman of Desolation for the moment. The mare quickly grabbed the young Unicorn and embraced her tightly. As they gently hovered in the air, the flaming being suddenly began to shrink down to a size not much larger than Pareidolia. There stood Dark Star, not at all looking amused now that he was back to his original self. Upon seeing this, the otherwise timid mare took her colt in her hooves and practically squeezed the life out of them both.

"Crushing...bones..."

"Can't...breathe..."

"What in Equestria are you two doing here, of all places!" The worried sick mother exclaimed, her wings flapping rapidly due to her newfound anxiety. At that moment she felt something grasp her shoulder. She knew immediately just who it was. But as she turned to face him, her protective side began to melt away. "And as... as for you..."

She just couldn't help it. Looking into those grey eyes, as cold as they may be, she just could not help but feel a sense of peace. "Calm yourself..." He said quietly as his hand guided the mare back towards the ground, where she released the two foals from her vice grip but kept them at hoof's length. He knelt down on one knee to be closer to their height, "Spirit has no age... and I believe we need it most in this battle."

Keeping his hand on Fluttershy, he reached down and placed his palm on Dark Star's head, running it gently through his mane once before moving to caress Pareidolia's cheek. "The why is obvious..." He said, watching the filly nuzzle into his hand. "But as for the how..."

"I believe I can be of assistance in that explanation." Celestia stepped forward, standing tall and strong despite the state of her city all around her.

"Princess Celestia!" The other mares quickly rushed forward, gathering around the princess and the Demon. The Alicorn gave the young mares a smile in hopes of relieving some of their stress.

"Hello, my little ponies." She closed her eyes and used her wings to embrace the closest one - Twilight. "I am so glad to see you safe."

"Ah'll say! We'd likely o' been long gone if not for you two!" Applejack said with confidence.

"Yeah!" Pinkie exclaimed as she leaped into the air with joy. "Now it's time to fight back against that big meanie, put him in his place, and be back home in time for dessert!"

Rarity stepped back in hopes of avoiding the ecstatic mare's duel with an invisible foe as she spoke. Despite being more happy than she's ever been to see the princess of the land and what was most likely to be the subject of necromancy before her, she couldn't help but bring forward something that she had noticed. "Erm, princess? I do understand that we're having a good rally here and all, but I must ask... where is Princess Luna?"

Celestia smile faded to a slight frown. "I asked her to remain behind. I understand that this may very well be our final battle against Desolate... and if something were to go wrong, if we were to lose this fight, I would not want my ponies to be without guidance in such a dark time."

The Princess of the Night certainly had not been happy with the decision in the slightest, and the last thing that Celestia would want is to not bring every capable being she could to a fight to determine the state of her land, but they both knew what could happen here within the next few hours. It was just a sacrifice they would have to make.

"And as for these two," The regal pony's eyes turned down towards the colt and filly before her. "I was curious as to just what was rushing forward during our fight and almost believed that my sister had come in spite of the consequences. Needless to say, I was rather surprised to see that such a large spike of power came not from an Alicorn like my sister, but instead from two of my youngest subjects." Her lips curved back into a smile, which she offered to the two she spoke of. "Am I right in assuming that such a powerful source of magic came from you, Pareidolia?"

The white filly smiled and nodded her head, her mane swaying. "I was able to find a way to directly flow my magic into my brother, making him bigger, stronger, and faster!"

Celestia nodded once before turning her eyes to Dark Star, who only shifted a little uncomfortably and rubbed the back of his neck. "I-I didn't really do anything special... It was all her."

"Do not be so quick to put yourself down, Dark Star. While Pareidolia's magical reserves are incredibly impressive, it is just as impressive that you were able to take in that much power and use it properly. In fact, I am rather surprised that both of your bodies are still fully intact after such an output..."

"The Guardian unlocked her inner potential..." War responded. "Its intentions were to unleash her power in such a way that she could not control, and eventually the outcome of such would prove to be a threat to the nation... It planned ahead for the case that such a power could destroy her, but it did not anticipate my disobedience and its plan failed... What it did next, you already know."

Celestia nodded to show she understood. Beneath her wings, Twilight pulled away and looked up towards her oldest friend, "What do we do now? The Element of Magic was broken, and, well... no offense to either of you, but you've already tried to take down Desolate once before..."

The Alicorn closed her eyes and brought her hoof up to her chin as she pondered what their next move should be. It was true that both her's and War's power may only prove to delay the inevitable, but she also could not deny that they may succeed in wearing the Demon down. Either way, it would take much time. Perhaps...

"Pareidolia, how confident are you in your ability to directly release your magic into something else?"

Pareidolia shrugged gently, "It took a bit of practice before I was able to make my brother look the way he did..."

"How long do you think you can do it for?"

"Princess," Fluttershy spoke up, unconsciously pulling her daughter closer, "You don't really plan on making them fight, do you?"

"Of course not, dear Fluttershy." She responded, her tone not changing despite the mare's accusations. "While the combined power of myself and War may prove enough to put Desolate down once and for all, I cannot deny that we will still need all the help we can get. If we use the power of the remaining Elements, as well as Pareidolia's ability to take in and release large amounts of magic without causing any harm to herself, we can repair the Element of Magic and once again use their power."

"And you're sure this will work?" Twilight said, unable to not feel slightly nervous about this plan. "Have the Element's ever had to be repaired like that before?"

Celestia shook her head gently, "No... but it may be our only hope of winning this fight."

"Does anyone else want to join this battle!?"

All eyes shot towards the direction that the shout came from. A short distance away, Desolate stood with his arms out and his eyes searching around the area. "Anyone at all? I welcome the challenge!" Despite his words, it was clear that he was begining to get frustrated with the amount of late arrivals. "No one? Excellent." With his mouth piece still slid back, he inhaled deeply before opening his mouth and using the third seal on his tongue to fire a mighty blast. The attack shot forward incredibly quickly and only War reacted fast enough to get in front of the others, but it would appear that his effort was unneeded.

Out of fear and surprise, Pareidolia's horn began to glow brightly and the group of ten were surrounded by a forcefield. Upon impact, the shield managed to hold it's ground against Desolate's frustration. The group inside looked around in surprise as the Demon's attack split apart all around them. Both powers faded together, and Pareidolia closed her eyes and let out the breath she had taken in while Desolate merely stretched a bit.

"I feel much better!" He said as he rolled his shoulders each a few times. "Now, let's make things exciting again, shall we?"

The Demon shot forward, both fists thrusting ahead only to be caught in the hands of his younger half. War's feet slid across the ground as the force threw him backwards and past the others, but he refused to be pushed down this time. His eyes were lit by defiance towards Desolate, and Desolate basked in that look.

"Yes, YES!" Desolate laughed as he continued stepping forward, pushing War back with each proceeding step. "That's the look that I want to see! You tamed that fiery rage, I can tell!"

War grunted as he risked the stability of his defense to lift his right leg up and slam it into Desolate's chest. The kick was enough to push Desolate back, allowing War a moment away from the other Demon's seemingly limitless strength. Desolate held his arm up, the seal already glowing, but he did not see what was occurring just behind him.

The other ponies quickly moved out of the line of fire to begin repairing the Elements. Meanwhile, Celestia stood her ground and closed her eyes as her horn began to glow brightly. It began as an ember just above the tip of her horn, but it soon grew to a flame. She began shaking her head in a circular motion and the fire began to stretch, growing ever longer with each rotation around. The fire grew hotter and once it was long enough, the Alicorn swung the fiery whip around where it grabbed onto Desolate's forearm, holding it back and scorching his armor.

The sudden weight against his arm caught him by surprise and gave War enough time to strike. His fist slammed against Desolate's helmet and caused him to recoil back, but he managed to catch War's second attack in his hand. With a kick to the back of his knee, War was brought to one knee and gave the Demon enough time to grab the whip and give it a hard tug.

Celestia was thrown forward, her weight not enough to keep her in place. Taking advantage of War's position, Desolate grabbed him by the head and threw him at the Alicorn princess. The two collided with a satisfying thud. Opting not to give them another chance, Desolate held out his hand and his seal began to glow, but before it could be fired there was a blinding light behind him followed by a shock wave that surged across the city. The seal went dead, and even Desolate felt mildly disturbed by what he had felt.

"He didn't..." He muttered to no one in particular as he turned his head back to the scar in the land that the young lavender one had created earlier in an attempt to kill him. There was another surge of power that exploded out, this one not nearly as intense as the thunder that had heralded the event. Stepping out of the destruction came a man, appearing just as human as he. He almost expected it to be that cursed Guardian, but Desolate could feel the power overflowing from the being's soul. It was similar to the Guardian, but the texture of it was different.

From their hands formed two identical swords, each held out at their full length. From his back came four different wings, each one exploding out one after another. A black cloth was tied around his neck and his eyes, despite being a pleasant shade of blue, seemed to pierce through even Desolate's armor.

"The Pale Horseman... rides again!"

Author's Note:

The art by Wen-M is available for anyone to use so long as he is given credit, so do please go and take a look at some of his stuff. I don't how he does, but he certainly puts every drawing I've ever attempted to shame!

As well, and because I don't believe I ever directly mention it... The Guardian's corrupted form and the betrayal by Order in Horrus's story ARE connected, which is essentially what caused all these events to happen in the first place.

Also as well, I didn't choose that image for his new form simply because it looked cool... Okay maybe I did a little, but it still means something. His darkening skin and hair shows the darkness it's falling into, his attire shows how it's falling apart, and the flames show his rage