We Are All Just Puppets

by Zachurra

Chapter 7 - Desolation (To Challenge a God)*

The gates of Canterlot remained shut as the sun was nearing its final moments in the sky. A royal guard by the name of Bound Shield stood at attention on one end. On the opposite side, similar in every way because of their enchanted armor, was another guard that was nameless to Bound Shield. Their posts at the gates were too far apart for idle chat to allow itself. Besides, he would probably never see this mystery stallion any time soon regardless of whether or not they talked.

The guardspony huffed and glanced towards the sun. As soon as it fell below the horizon, he could leave his post for some other sorry soul to take his place. Ever since the last war with the Changelings came to a sudden end, no pony dared rise against the Equestrian banner. Needless to say, being a part of the military had certainly lost a lot of its flair over time.

Another sigh escaped his mouth before he reached up to rub the tiredness from his eyes. Before he could feel a moment’s relief, the silence was broken. “Look alive, soldier!”

Bound Shield straightened up, hoping that his sergeant hadn’t seen him beginning to doze off. Looking up, however, he was met by the sight of the other guard moving forward in an aggressive stance. Bound’s eyes followed where his fellow guard was looking and could have sworn he felt his jaw hit the floor. Stepping towards them was a creature that seemed to walk solely on it's hind legs and had skin the color of crimson. Bound Shield straightened himself up and grabbed his spear. As it neared, the guardspony was able to get a better look at this intimidating visitor. It was not its skin that was crimson, but rather the armor it wore that covered its body from head to toe. Jutting from its helmet was what appeared to be a blonde mane.

The two guards stepped forward to meet him halfway, “Identify yourself, stranger!” the other guard shouted. Bound Shield gulped as it did nothing but glare with its blood red eyes.

“Maybe it doesn’t speak Equuish?” Bound said towards his partner, afraid to take his eyes off the potential threat. It slowly raised its palm forward and a symbol in the shape of a star began to glow a bright blue light. The last thing the two ever heard before being engulfed in light was a single word: "Children"

The entirety of the main gate exploded inward into the city. Dust and debris poured into the streets, coating entire buildings. Guards and aristocrats scrambled amongst each other, each going in opposite directions. A small squad of guards consisting of two Pegasi, two Unicorns and a single earth pony stood ready to defend their homes against whatever force had broken down the gates of Canterlot with such ease. Needless to say they were shocked not to find a dragon or horde of parasitic insect ponies of which some were still weary of, but instead a single being. As the dust cleared it revealed one who stood tall and was covered head to toe in armor of silver and crimson. From its head came a golden mane.

“Under order of Her Royal Highness Princess Celestia and Her Royal Highness Princess Luna,” the center pony spoke as he drew his sword. “You are under arrest for the destruction of Canterlot’s gates and the assault on Her Majesty’s kingdom!”

Desolate’s only response was to throw his arms wide, beckoning forth the soldiers. The Unicorns were the first to respond, their horns glowing a golden aura and quick bullets of magical light firing towards their target. Desolate’s body was tossed about with each direct hit, but his feet remained planted to the ground. One shot hit him square in the head, causing him to bend backwards. The Unicorns halted their salvo, waiting to see if their efforts were enough to stop the intruder. Their jaws fell as Desolate slowly returned to his straight posture with no signs of ever even being hit.

“My Turn.” Desolate’s hand shot forward and a blast of light burst forward. The soldiers were quick to react, dodging left and right around the attack’s cylindrical form. They chose not to be distracted by the sound of explosions behind them, only focusing on the task at hand. The Pegasi reached him first with spears in hoof, ready to pierce through such intimidating armor. Desolate closed his flow of energy, cutting the blast short. Both hands rose to block the attacks. The tips shattered like glass upon impact and the wood cracked and splintered. The twin Pegasi barely had a chance to recover before disappearing behind another set of blasts. The Unicorns wasted no time mourning their comrades before unleashing a heavier volley of magic. Desolate bent backwards, dodging the majority of the assault. He then flipped himself forward and, using his momentum, launched himself towards his attackers. He moved at an incredible speed through the air but only managed to catch one of the guards. The Unicorn was crushed under his boot while the other narrowly dodged to the right, avoiding his otherwise certain death. With some quick thinking the guardspony grabbed a rather large piece of rubble from the devastation Desolate had previously left behind. Like a sling the object swung around in an arc before flying towards its target. Unafraid, Desolate pulled back his fist and punched, shattering it like the gates. Instead of being met with the sight of the Unicorn, however, Desolate found himself face to face with the earth pony from before as it spun face-up.

With rather astounding force Desolate was met by the guardspony’s hind legs. It was enough bring Desolate off his feet, but not nearly enough to stop him as a threat. With flip backwards and a rebound with his hands Desolate was soon braced against the ground, his hands digging into the concrete. Some strange metallic clicks were heard and part of his helmet slid back, and the last thing the earth pony saw was a bright light.

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“Your Majesties!”

A single royal guard sprinted down the halls of Canterlot castle like a bat out of Tartarus. He nearly fell to the ground trying to stop before running face-first into the very Princesses he was looking for. Princess Celestia caught the fumbling guard with her magic before placing him back on his hooves. “Calm yourself, guardspony. Take a moment to catch your breath… Good, now tell me: are you here on behalf of the explosions coming from the gates?”

“Th-The gates… they are gone, Your Highness…” The Unicorn said.

“What!?” Princess Luna exclaimed. Her wings flared for emphasis, “Preposterous! Nopony has ever breached the gates of Canterlot! Be they dragon or any other threat, they would surely be brought down long before–”

“I… That thing was no dragon!” The guard threw off his helmet, revealing a mane that was damp with sweat. He quickly brushed it aside before continuing, “It… he… Whatever it was, it was some kind of strange bipedal… Like a Minotaur but with covered in armor and not nearly as bulky. It must have stood at least eight or nine hooves tall, and its eyes… They were the color of blood, Your Highness.”

Luna looked fearful of what kind of force had managed to so easily break into Canterlot and was reckless enough to stand alone. Celestia, however, only turned her head to see the pony that stood a few paces behind her. “Do you think it’s one of them, Twilight?”

Princess Twilight Sparkle stepped forward and stood at Celestia’s side, opposite Luna. “The description certainly fits… But Dante or War would never try to break into Canterlot like this, I know they wouldn’t!”

Celestia’s hoof rose to her chin, “Then perhaps it is not them that had returned to our world, but another that only shares their form…”

“Wait, I know him! That’s War! But he wouldn’t just attack without being provoked, unless… What color were his eyes?”

“I didn’t get a good glimpse, I had to return to the castle and—“

“What. Color. Were. His. Eyes.”

“I-I think they were red… They looked like the eyes of a demon… ”

A light gasp met Celestia’s lips. It couldn’t be… could it? But how? “Soldier, prep the citizens for an evacuation.”

The Unicorn gave a hasty salute, “Y-Yes Your Majesty!” He sprinted off down another hall before disappearing around a corner.

Luna turned to her sibling, confused and wanting answers. “An evacuation? Sister, pray tell, what kind of threat doth we have on our hooves?”

Celestia looked down at her younger sister, and in her eyes was what almost seemed like genuine fear. “One that may very well tear our land asunder…”

The three Alicorns vanished in a flash of light, leaving behind the emptiness of Canterlot’s halls.

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Desolate felt like yawning. In mere moments he had bested Canterlot’s first line of defense, devastated the surrounding homes and businesses and crushed any resistance that dare challenge him. Needless to say he was not too excited when a bright light shined behind him. He took his time turning around to meet the gaze of three Alicorns. One was small and lavender and it cowered at the sight of his work. Next in line of height was one that was a cool blue and it appeared furious at his actions. The third and final stood between them. Its coat was like the very essence of light and it only looked down on him with contempt.

Desolate responded to their looks of both fury and fright just as he had with the guards from before: by throwing out his arms, pleading for them to strike him. “Perhaps you can offer me some kind of challenge, Your Majesties.”

“I wish it were a pleasure to meet the one that nearly eradicated the Changeling threat all those years ago.” Celestia said as she took striding steps toward him.

“I don’t do it for the praise.”

“We have had enough of this!” Luna said, her wings flaring once more before she used them to leap a small distance, landing between the great Demon and her elder sister. “Do not waste our time with idle banter! Stand down or face our wrath!”

Desolate chuckled, “Oh? Are you actually going to fight your own battles for once? What’s the matter, no little girls to call upon to stop the looming threat of destruction that stands at your doorstep? Or would you prefer to remain in ignorant bliss as your kingdom is ravaged by an army, only to show up after it all, like nothing ever happened?”

Luna began shaking with fury and rage. Such was evident in her renewal of her old dialect, “ENOUGH! WE SHALL NOT BE INSULTED IN OUR OWN HOME! WE MAY HAVE STOOD IDLE DURING A TIME OF CRISIS, BUT NO MORE! NOW, FEEL THE WEIGHT OF OUR MOON!!”

She bent her head and fired a magical blast of extreme proportion. With no time to dodge, Desolate resorted to blocking the attack. His heels dug into the ground as the intensity of the beam magnified with each passing moment.

In the distance a large bell could be heard. After its second ring a booming voice could be heard, clearly amplified by magic to be heard across the entire city. “ATTENTION! A MASS EVACUATION OF CANTERLOT HAS BEEN CALLED FOR! THIS IS NOT A DRILL! I REPEAT: A MASS EVACUATION OF CANTERLOT IS NOW UNDERWAY! ROYAL CAPTAINS ARE TO ASSEMBLE AT THE CITY SQUARE!”

Desolate didn’t have much time to think about the announcement as he saw Princess Celestia take flight and land behind him, her own horn beginning to glow. A blast of similar proportions fired from her horn, causing Desolate to use his other hand to block it. He remained locked between two beams of death, each ready to tear him apart. He looked forward and was met by the smallest of the trio. Twilight looked afraid of the monster before her that was succeeding in holding back the combined strength of the princesses. The weight of his glare felt like someone had tossed a saddlebag with three tons worth of books onto her back when she wasn’t looking.

Princess Celestia? What are we doing so far out from the rest of Equestria?

Twilight, please. I’ve asked you so many times to simply call me Celestia from now on… we are equals now, after all.

Oh, right… Old habits are just hard to break, you know?

Now, I’ve brought you all the way out here for a very special reason… can you guess what it is?

Um… Are you going to teach me some kind of magic? It makes sense, considering our seclusion will certainly exclude any possibilities of distraction so that I may retain the utmost concentration and—

I brought you out here because there may one day come a time when the Elements of Harmony –your dear friends – may not be within reach during a time when Equestria itself is at stake. After the banishment of Nightmare Moon my connection with the Elements was lost, leaving them as nothing more than decorative pieces and stone. There were many times when I wished I was once again compatible with them, but alas I was not. I had a kingdom to protect and with hidden threats around almost every corner, I had to develop some new form of defense… which is what I am about to teach you. I will warn you now that this magic is devastating and incredible and you will likely not get the hang of it right away… but I have confidence that when the day comes that we all must put our life on the line for the sake of all of Equestria, you will know what to do.

Magic began swelling up within Twilight’s body. As it grew, it threatened to overwhelm her but she suppressed the want to let it explode out in every direction. She channeled the power to her horn where it began to rapidly build up.

Just a little more… Just a little more…

Her concentration was broken by the sound of metallic clicks and metal plates sliding alongside each other. She opened her eyes to see pieces of Desolate’s face plate sliding open to reveal… his mouth? He opened his mouth to take in a deep breath of air. Curiously, he held out his tongue as well. Twilight was confused until she saw what looked like a five-pointed star, similar to the ones engraved on his palms, cut into his tongue. As he inhaled it began to glow until he exhaled heavily, unleashing another mighty blast. Twilight was shaken with fear as time seemed to slow down, allowing her to watch as her imminent death approached at rapid speeds. Time returned to normal as she felt something tackle her from the right, throwing her out of the path of Desolate’s attack.

Twilight was dazed and shook her head until the stars disappeared. She looked up to see Celestia atop her. Celestia had halted her attack in order to save her, to which she was grateful, but as a result Desolate was given his arm back. Palm raised up, Desolate fired a blast against Luna’s. The Alicorn’s power proved to be no match and she was thrown back by the force of Desolate’s attack.

Desolate’s face plate slid back into place. “Do not believe that the weight of your little pebble in the sky is enough to hold me down.”

Luna growled at him, insulted. If only it were truly night, and she would be at full strength once more. Celestia risked taking her eyes off the Demon to speak to the small pony that was holding to her fur, “Twilight, you must take flight and leave Canterlot immediately.”

“What!? No! I won’t leave you and Luna behind!”

“Please Twilight, do not argue with me.” Twilight had rarely ever seen her idol appear so serious. “This beast… He will not go down easily. The other Elements may be required to stop such a foe. Luna and I shall hold him here.”

Twilight was torn. On one hoof she would be traveling far away from such a monster to retrieve her friends, but on the other… she would be leaving behind Celestia and Luna to fight for their very lives. She sighed, knowing that if she stayed she would only get in the way once more. Biting her lip to hold back the tears, she gave her former teacher a nod. Her horn began to glow and Twilight soon found herself no longer in the embrace of Celestia but standing on the outer walls of Canterlot. With one last look back at the battleground, she took flight towards Ponyville, only one of the destinations she would need to go to.

Celestia rose back to her hooves in an aggressive stance. Luna did the same as she landed to her left. Desolate stood ready, waiting for them to make the first move. The first attack, however, came not from the Alicorns, but from an unknown challenger to his right. With a quick thrust of his fist the wall of a blown back building was split in half as it soared through the air in an attempt to catch him off guard. With a lazy turn of his head he caught sight of a mare in beautifully adorned golden armor unlike the ones the other infantry wore. Her horn continued to glow as several more pieces of random buildings were lifted by her magical grasp.

On the opposite side a stallion adorned in night guard armor landed amongst the destruction. His wings flared, revealing razor sharp wing blades.

“Captain Dawnstrider.” Celestia said, a hint of pride in her voice.

“Captain Moon Shield.” Luna said proudly.

“And now my foes seem to come to me,” Desolate said, his hands curling into fists. “Like lambs to the slaughter.”

“Silence!” Dawnstrider commanded. Her eyes turned to Celestia, “Princess, please begin the mass teleportation spell. Moon Shield and I shall hold him back for you.”

“Nay!” Luna shouted, “He will simply kill thee like the others! We will not allow—”

“My liege, please,” Moon Shield interrupted, his cat-like eyes not leaving the threat for a moment, “do not underestimate us. And if we should die, then we shall do so here and now rather than like dogs on their last leg.”

Luna was about to interject once more when she felt a hoof fall upon her back. She looked over to find Celestia looking back at her, “Sister, they are correct.” Luna noticed the way her elder sister bit her lip, trying to hold back from denying them their duty. “Come, I will need your help for the spell.”

Luna huffed, torn between her choices. Finally she nodded and the two Alicorns rose into the sky.

“Take your time.” Desolate said as he cracked his neck, “This won’t take long.”

Dawnstrider responded by chucking both objects she had held in her magical grasp. Desolate did away with them with the backs of his hands, reducing them to ash. Desolate was given no time to recover as Dawnstrider was in his face with her blade in her mouth, ready to slice his head from his shoulders. Her sword never made contact as Desolate was just too fast for her. His fist slammed into her throat, throwing her to the ground on her back. Her sword left her mouth upon impact, allowing it to easily fall into his left hand in a reverse fashion. Behind him he could hear the air being split by the sound of Moon Shield’s wing blades. Waiting until just the right moment, he swung his arm back, sliding the blade straight through the bat pony’s chest. Moon Shield shot past Desolate and Dawnstrider, hitting the ground hard and rolling a few times. Shallow breaths and slight twitches revealed he was still alive, albeit barely so. Dawnstrider crawled towards her fallen comrade using one hoof to pull forward while the other held to her throat.

“Moon…” She whispered and coughed, oblivious to the crimson Demon that stood just behind her. She could feel his bloody eyes burning through her, causing her to turn and look up at the cause of the devastation around them. In those eyes she found no remorse, no mercy, and certainly no regret. One of Desolate’s feet rose up, ready to crush the mare below him. Dawnstrider closed her eyes and held tighter to Moon Shield. She waited for her end to come, for his boot to come down and break her in half. However, her end never came. Her eye inched open and she found herself not surrounded by death and destruction, but by green fields and trees. She looked up, confused, and noticed at least two hundred other ponies around her with similar looks on their faces. She looked around frantically before catching eye of Canterlot Castle hanging from the mountainside miles away.

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The stone shattered like glass beneath Desolate’s boot. He cocked his head to the right slightly, curious as to where his prey had vanished to. He turned just as Celestia and Luna touched back down to the ground. Their horns ceased to glow but Desolate could still feel the power swelling up within them even from as far as he stood. “Now we are alone to fight this battle.” Celestia said.

“Now we shall not have to hold back.” Luna hissed.

Desolate smiled beneath his mask. Two dark, large leathery wings sprouted from his back. The three of them bent down before firing off into the air at the same time at alarming speeds. Desolate was the first to strike, throwing his full weight into a punch towards Luna. The blue Alicorn shot higher, giving her sister a clear shot at the Demon. Desolate dodged her attack before flying along its edge. Despite his weight, Desolate flew with intense speeds and Celestia noticed only too late that Desolate was right on top of her. He grabbed hold of her horn first and then her chest. His extra weight was too much and the two began falling back towards Canterlot. Celestia struggled to break free but his grip was too strong. She could only watch as his face plate pieced itself apart revealing an already charging blast from his mouth. Celestia braced herself as Desolate inhaled, but Luna descended onto him, wrapping her hooves around his neck and flipping herself backwards. Desolate lost his grip on the white Alicorn and was arched back. His blast did not cease to come and all across Equestria a blue light was seen shooting into the sky, first towards the horizon and then straight into the air before dissipating as it neared the opposite horizon.

Luna held him in a grappled position, keeping his back arched with her hooves around his neck and her hind legs around his legs. The two plummeted further as Luna tried to spin them around so Desolate was below her. He tried to pull her hooves off of him, but her grip was surprisingly tight. “Just because We lack the appendages that thou has developed, does not mean We cannot hold thee down!” Luna said. Desolate could hear the smile on her lips from how she spoke, as if thinking she had already won.

The ground was rapidly approaching and at the last moment Luna used him at a platform to launch off of, flying across what was left of Canterlot as Desolate hit the ground hard, kicking up plenty of dust and debris. Desolate picked himself up in the small crater he had created, touching his mask to make sure the pieces slid back into place properly. Just then he felt a sudden intense presence. His eyes shot up to catch sight of a ball of flames roughly the size of Ponyville. He had to admit that even he was surprised that Celestia, who hovered just below it, had managed to accumulate so much power so quickly. The flames lashed out like snakes before falling back into the small sun.

“Now,” Celestia said, her head held high and her eyes glaring down at her foe. “Feel the fury of my sun!” With that she lashed her head down, causing the ball to drop.

Desolate grinded his feet into the ground and rose both arms high. He fired a simultaneous blast from his hands directly upwards. The dual beams turned one collided with the miniature sun, but it was not enough to stop its descent. Desolate felt the heat as it grew closer and he intensified the blast. The extra surge of power shot through his attack and actually managed to slow the ball down. Celestia saw this and used her magic to force it down faster. It was dangerous and could possibly destroy the entire mountain, but Desolate was proving to be a threat worth taking risks against. The ball began quickening in its fall, to which Desolate replied with more strength. It fell and fell, soon reaching buildings that had not been topped over. They fell apart, turning to ash before the ball even touched them.

Desolate clenched his teeth and closed his eyes, focusing on the attack that was stopping a small sun from falling on him. His legs slowly began to bend and his head fell forward. Should he die, he would not die without a fight and so he pushed his body to the limits. He felt the ball slow down once more before finally becoming suspended not far from where he held up his arms.

And then, the ball began to suddenly began to feel… lighter? He opened his eyes and looked up to find a young girl in the crater with him. She wore a pure white dress and had blonde hair that fell just past her shoulders. She didn’t look much older than a teenager. Her arm was stretched out above her head just as his were.

“Go away!” Desolate shouted at the girl, causing her to take her eyes off the fiery ball and look towards him. Her eyes revealed a case of sectoral heterochromia, leaving one asymmetrically half dark blue and half bright amber. “I don’t need your help!” His faceplate split apart and he added to his power with a third heavy blast. His body felt drained and his arms felt like they would soon fall off but he pushed himself further. The pain was intense and he screamed out, only causing to intensify the blast coming from his mouth. Slowly the ball began to rise back up into the sky. The inches it moved turned to feet, and those feet turned into yards. It began flying back towards Celestia faster than it had even fallen. Her eyes went wide and she tried to use her magic to halt it, but it was no use. It was simply going too fast. Her only option was to detonate it.

The ball sucked in on itself before suddenly exploding outward. A visible shockwave burst out from the center, not too dissimilar from the sonic rainboom. The wave cut through the top of the mountain, causing it to explode outward. The blast wasn’t close enough to kill Celestia but it did scorch her harshly. She plummeted to the ground, barely conscious. She tried to use her wings to slow her fall but it was only enough to cushion her impact with the ground.

“Tia!” Luna landed next to her unconscious sister, tears rolling down her blue fur. Her attempt to comfort her fallen sister was short-lived as she soon found herself skidding across the ground. She curled up into herself, clutching her kicked midsection. She opened her eyes to find Desolate standing just above her. He had that familiar look of mercilessness in his eyes. He had her right where he wanted her and he lifted his leg to crush her neck. He brought his foot down and the head was severed from the body... but it was not the same Luna he had intended to kill. Rather, he now stood above what appeared to be a cardboard cutout of Princess Luna.

He turned his head around towards where Celestia lay to find Luna in the arms of some kind of chimera. Its body was some number of random pieces. It set Luna down beside her sister before standing its long body back up straight.

“Dis…” Luna whispered.

A hat appeared on Discord’s head and a diploma in his pawn “Actually I graduated at the University of Manehattan, but that’s a good guess.” Both items vanished in a puff just as quickly as they appeared as a smile formed on his lips. His odd eyes scanned the area, his smile fading away to a frown. “I leave home for a few days and look what happens.”

“Discord… he…” she tried again.

“Quiet Lulu.” He said, cutting her off, “You’ll need to save your strength to get out of here with Celestia.”

“What!?” Luna said as she pulled herself up off the ground. “Discord, that monster nearly killed the both of us!”

“I know.” He said. He snapped his claw and Luna and Celestia disappeared from sight, reappearing on Canterlot’s outer wall.

Discord gave Desolate his full attention. “I’ll have you know that the only one allowed making the lives of those two ponies a living hell is me.”

Desolate took a deep breath to help his heart rate return to a more steady level after exerting so much power. His faceplate clicked back into place and he cracked his neck once more. “Then let us see who is stronger then. Kill me, and they are all yours.”

Elsewhere, Luna was pulling Celestia onto her back. Once she was confident her elder sister wouldn’t fall off, the Princess took to the skies. She knew she wouldn’t get far but anywhere other than Canterlot was certainly better. She tried to keep herself aloft but with each flap she came gradually lower and lower to the ground. She could tell she was going to fall short of reaching any towns and would end up, of all places, having to make a landing within the Everfree forest.

Her landing was less than graceful. She hit the ground hard, Celestia falling off and Luna rolling a few times in the dirt. She looked towards her sister and crawled towards her. It was not an easy feat being that she was already panting from the flight over. She checked her sister for any new wounds and was relieved to find that not even her previous wounds had reopened. She looked up towards the orange sky and used the last of her strength to both lower the sun through the rest of its journey and allow the moon to peak over the horizon. With that, her head fell onto the ground, inches from her sister’s.

Author's Note:

Still really hope the Dis joke didn't go over people's head...

Fixed the link for the theme song since the other one got taken down. I hate to use a theme for a video game character, but I feel it's alright since Akuma and Desolate share some similarities. Also changed the girl's sectoral heterochromia to only be in one eye rather than both.