We Are All Just Puppets

by Zachurra

Chapter 5 - A Battle Between Ancients*

Despite their distance, Desolate heard War’s words clearly as his wings flared. “Keep… your hands… off.. my. Daughter!!”

Before Desolate could react, War was within reach. He grabbed Desolate by the ankles and spun rapidly before throwing him directly up into the air. Without missing a beat, War shot into the air after his forefather. When they reached the same altitude War smashed his fist against Desolate’s face plate, throwing him back towards the ground. Desolate flew back in a ragdoll fashion for a short time before War reappeared behind him and thrust both his legs into his back, sending him into yet another direction. Again he reappeared before him, this time flipping backwards at sending Desolate upwards once more with a hard kick to his chin. As Desolate was thrown upwards, showing no signs of movement, War ended his flurry by cupping both hands together and slamming them down onto his head. Desolate flew through the air like a bullet before crashing into the ground.

War landed some distance away, standing between his slackjawed progeny and the small hole in the ground the Demon had made upon hitting the ground. War’s wings flared once more like an animal trying to show that it would not back down. To even his surprise, Desolate rose to his feet as casually as a man getting out of bed in the morning. A few audible cracks were heard as he twisted his neck to each side. “Are you finished? Yes? Good.”

Desolate suddenly appeared in front of War. Before War could react, Desolate reared back his fist before slamming it into his stomach. The breath knocked out of him, War was thrown backwards violently. However, he did not make it far. Desolate was soon behind him and stood adamant as War slammed into him. Desolate’s footing remained stable despite such force. War fell to his hands and knees, struggling to catch his breath. He felt the weight of Desolate’s boot on lower back and his hands take hold of War’s wings. The force at which he pulled on them was enough of a threat to show that he would tear them off if he needed to. In such a position he felt almost helpless.

“I am indeed curious as to how these came back.” He said as he rubbed the leathery texture of the wings with his thumb. “I quite vividly remember you removing them after I showed you what it was like to be free.”

“You made me murder innocent people…” War said through clenched teeth.

“Innocent?” Desolate said, tilting his head questioningly. “Please… no one is innocent. Not you. Not I. And especially not that thing you referred to as ‘daughter.’ You lived as a tool and I strived to break the shackles that held you down and set you free. But you refused my acts of kindness. But that doesn’t matter anymore, it’s all behind us. I’m alive once more, and you are no longer—“

His words were cut short as he felt something small clang against the side of his helmet. His eyes gazed down towards the ground and caught the perpetrator: a small rock. His gaze began to rise only to be met by a rock much larger than the last that was wrapped in a white glow. The boulder threw Desolate off of War, effectively silencing him.

War looked dumbfounded. He turned towards the direction that the rock had flown only to see Dark Star with a determined look on his face and holding a few rocks in his hoof, and Pareidolia looked about ready to collapse as she panted and her horn ceased to glow. War stared at them for a moment before returning to reality and realizing just what they had done.

“Run!” he shouted at them. However, they had no time to respond as the boulder suddenly exploded into fragments and dust. The dust cleared to reveal Desolate standing stoic with his arm outstretched and his palm forward. His palm was glowing a blue light.

“I don’t really like making a habit of killing children, but once they’ve proved hostile I believe my hand has been forced.” The light intensified and a beam of energy wide enough to scar the ground shot forward towards the two ponies. War quickly jumped to his feet and took a solid stance with his arms raised out towards it. The blast made contact but War held it in place. He held his ground against the unwavering force but he was beginning to slide back. He turned his head to the side, “Listen to me… run from here… find your mother…”

Pareidolia was the first to start shaking her head, but Dark Star grabbed her and threw her onto his back. He stopped only once to look back at War before galloping towards Ponyville, despite his sister’s obvious objections. War closed his eyes and concentrated on holding back the force that grew more and more overwhelming with each passing second.

“How noble.”

War opened his eyes and the blast dissipated to reveal that it was growing in strength because Desolate was walking closer. Now within reach, Desolate swung his fist down. However War was already poised to block and caught his strike. Desolate tried once more with his left and War caught it as well. The two stood at a stalemate that appeared to quickly be giving away in the crimson Demon’s favor. To add to it, he swung his head back and slammed their foreheads together. He could see the struggle in War’s eyes just as War could see the arrogance in Desolate’s.

As blood trailed down from his forehead, War called upon every bit of strength he could muster just to hold Desolate back.

“I should have known.” He heard Desolate say. “You’re still just a child.”

War was given no time to respond before Desolate pulled his fist from War’s grasp and planted it firmly into his midsection. Blood came from his mouth, catching onto Desolate’s armor. Using the opening in his defenses, Desolate twisted his other arm around to take War’s wrist. He then grabbed him by the bicep and spun around just as War had done with him, dragging him along the ground before throwing him straight up into the air.

He was thrown facedown into the air, to which Desolate’s own leathery wings shot from his back, allowing him to follow in pursuit and plant his knee firmly into War’s gut. The force of the blow intensified as War was drug further into the air by Desolate’s knee. Desolate’s flight came to an abrupt stop. The momentum was enough for War to continue going up, but the force of which Desolate brought his fists down onto War’s back caused him to be sent back down to the earth at high speeds.

However, Desolate was faster. He caught up to War’s body and grabbed him by the ankle. He swung him around and punched his knee. He wasn’t sure which he enjoyed more: the sound of War’s cry or the sound of his armor and bones breaking apart from the force. Desolate whipped War’s body back around, grabbing his wrist and heaving him up high enough for his other wrist to come into reach. Desolate planted his feet firmly into the center of War’s back and pushed down hard. A tearing sound of flesh could be heard as War’s left arm was separated from the rest of his body. Blood fell down to the grassy plains below from both sources until Desolate tossed the limb aside, watching as it fell amongst the trees of the forest, unlikely to ever be found again except by animals.

And just as he had done with the arm, Desolate tossed War forward into the air away from the plains and towards the forest. His body flailed about until Desolate warped into view and caught War by the neck. “I could crush you like an insect right now. I already have crushed you. All it would take,” His grip slowly tightened, tears streamed down from War’s eyes from the pain, “is a little squeeze.”

War opened his eyes just enough to glare at the man who held his life in the palm of his hand, literally enough. Desolate slowly began to chuckle upon seeing such emotion in his eyes. “But I won’t kill you. Not yet. And do you know why?” He reached forward and tapped right between War’s eyes with his free hand. “Because I love that look in your eyes. That look of determination, of hatred for me. Even after crushing your bones and then some, you still look at me as if you really believe you have a chance.”

The arm that held War up stretched out its length. “This is a whole new world for the both of us, and I’m curious to see just how strong it truly is… So I’ll tell you what: I’ll give you three days. I will give you three days before I begin razing this planet in search of one who can actually prove worthy of a challenge. Until those three days are up, I’ll find some place to set down. Maybe I’ll buy a couch or something. Relax, maybe work on my tan…” Again he laughed, his head falling back at his own sarcasm. “I’m sure you’ll be all better by then.”

With that, Desolate released his grip and War fell into the forest below. Desolate watched until the limp body hit the ground. He stared down for quite a while, thinking to himself. Finally he raised his head once more and looked around, searching for some place to test himself while he waited for the days to pass. His eyes were caught by the sight of a kingdom that jutted out from the side of a mountain. It looked familiar somehow, but he cared little to delve into such thoughts. With a hard flap of his wings, he shot off towards the mountain city.

Down below, War lay still. He wanted to pick himself back up, to follow Desolate and do whatever he could even if it meant dying in the process. Even his right arm, which had suffered little during the fight, refused to respond to him. He couldn’t feel his lower body any longer and all he could feel from the left side of his body was pain, nothing more and nothing less. His vision began to turn cloudy. He struggled to retain consciousness but it proved that even a fight with his own body was a fruitless one.

The sound of rustling leaves caught his attention. The sudden sound gave him a few extra seconds of consciousness to which he used searching around. His head refused to turn so only his eyes rolled around. From his right a blurred figure came into view. Its body was of a peach color while its head was black. It looked like it was holding some kind of long stick or spear in its grasp.

“You look pitiful.” Was the last thing he heard before falling into darkness.

Author's Note:

Really wasn't much to fix grammar-wise in this chapter besides adding a word here or there.

Comments

[Zachurra]

For those of you who may not know, part of the reason my chapters are delayed is because I am rewriting Fallen Stars to eradicate typos and make it all flow better. Maybe take a step back, see how it looks?