The Pit

by R3NDL3

Episode 10: The Greeter of War

Chapter 36 - It was supposed to be a good day

I looked all around me and saw nothing but panic. The guards were even panicking. Trying to figure out what the hell just happened. I looked toward the boat and cried even more.

Vanilla and Misty... They were gone, but not in Equestria.

I punched my hoof into the ground and yelled. I breathed deeply and my vision blurred from the tears.

I yelled again and continued punching the ground out of anger. Kynes rushed over to me and tried to help me up, but I just knocked him out of the way and pushed him on the ground.

Kage walked toward me, “Calm down, Digi! It’ll be ok.”

I couldn’t help it. In my anger, I punched Kage onto the ground and yelled, “NOTHING IS OK! IT’LL NEVER BE OK!”

Kypo flew up, “Don’t do this, Digi.”

I ignored him and began walking toward the boat filled with anger, but then I noticed Mr. Chyne on the dock. He was crying so loudly, and screaming for Misty. My anger seemed to be replaced with sadness.

I wasn’t the only one who lost somepony today...

I began to hear ponies screaming behind me and then shots being fired. I turned around and saw the scarlet pony once again. Crimson Tear was here, slicing through the ponies in between me and him.

He walked toward me, covered in blood, and smirked, “Hello, Digi. Enjoying the fire my brother started?”

I unsheathed my sword and began walking toward him, but Mr. Chyne pushed me out of the way and took out a dagger, “You killed her... YOU KILLED MY DAUGHTER!”

He ran toward Crimson Tear and stabbed him in the chest, while also getting stabbed in the stomach by the demon.

Crimson Tear yelled in pain and fell down as Mr. Chyne fell onto his back.

I ran toward Mr. Chyne and knelt down beside him, grabbing onto his shoulders, “Don’t die! Please don’t!”

Mr. Chyne smiled, “I killed him, Digi. The pony who killed Misty... And now it’s time for me to go and see my wife and daughter...”

I didn’t have the heart to tell him that the ‘pony’ didn’t die and that this ‘pony’ wasn’t the one who killed his daughter. All I could do was nod my head, “You did it, Mr. Chyne. You avenged Misty...”

Mr. Chyne smiled, letting out one final breath, and died.

I hung my head, “This was supposed to be a good day...”

Crimson Tear stood back up and pulled the dagger out of his chest, throwing it aside.

Mr. Chyne’s death meant nothing...

I looked up at Crimson Tear, who was walking away, and stood up quickly, “WHERE ARE YOU GOING NOW, YOU BASTARD!?”

Crimson Tear turned his head slightly and smirked, “The war has begun.”

He sprouted demon wings and flew off. All the guards were panicking at the sight . They had no idea what was going on.

I could just stand there and watch the demon fly away and think. What war is he talking about?

I sighed and looked down at Mr. Chyne. I was standing in a pool of his blood. My tears began to fall into the red puddle showing my reflection, “Today wasn’t supposed to be like this...”

As I stood there, I heard a pony yell out, “TWO PONIES ARE COMIN’ OUT OF THE BOAT!”

I looked up and turned around to see what the pony was talking about and saw two ponies hanging onto a board, swimming toward the shore. One was a mare, the other was a filly...

I ran toward them and smiled at what I found.

Vanilla and Misty were alive.

They got onto the shore and I hugged them both as they hugged me back. I teared up on Vanilla’s shoulders, “I was so worried I lost you... How did you get out?”

Vanilla hugged me tightly, “A pony named Salty Jack got us off the ship.”

I looked at Vanilla, “Salty Jack?”

She nodded, “Yeah. He said to tell you to prepare for a war... I don’t like the sound of that, Digi.”

I nodded at what Vanilla said, but I was too focused on Salty Jack. I remember him from my journey to The Pit. I only remember a few of his features, but I need to make sure. Could he be the one I’m looking for? The one I need to deliver the package to?..

I looked down, “Salty Jack...” I looked back up to Vanilla, “what did he look like?”

Vanilla tilted her head, “He wore an eyepatch and had a lot of scars-”

I stopped her before she continued, “He’s the one I’m supposed to meet!”

Vanilla turned her head slightly, “What?”

Misty looked up at me, “Where’s daddy?”

My heart sank. My smile disappeared. I forgot about Mr. Chyne. The happiness of seeing Vanilla and Misty still alive overshadowed the sadness of Mr. Chyne’s death. Misty noticed and let go, “What happened to daddy?”

I closed my eyes and she ran away. Vanilla looked at me, “What happened, Digi?”

I heard Misty cry out, “Daddy!”

I turned around and ran toward her. This shouldn’t happen. A filly shouldn’t go through this. First her mother and now her father...

Blue, Kage, and Kynes all ran toward Misty and knelt down beside her to try and comfort her. When I got there, I saw the filly sitting in her father’s blood, crying.

I sat down beside Misty and put my hoof on her back as Vanilla knelt behind me, holding onto me tightly.

Misty closed her eyes and whispered, “Good night, daddy...”

Chapter 37 - They were afraid

We all made it back to the cathedral. Vanilla took Misty back into our bedroom to try and comfort her as I told everypony about what Crimson Tear said. About the beginning war. Kynes went outside to see how everything was.

Kage sat back, “So you’re telling me that the demons aren’t going to just wait for us to come to them now?”

I nodded, “It looks that way, and what they did at the docks today...” I looked down and closed my eyes in silence for a few seconds before I turned back to Kage, “ that was just the beginning.”

Blue shook his head, “What are you gonna do, boi o? Seems like you may have picked off more than you could chew.”

I sat down and put my head in my hooves, “I don’t know anymore.”

Kypo flew toward me, “You’re going to kill Rage. That’s what you’re going to do.”

I closed my eyes and shed a tear, “I don’t think I can continue.”

Blue crossed his arms, “Oh no, boi o. You went down this path, and now you’ll bloody well finish it. Heroes don’t just quit when they’ve gotten so far and still have so much more to do. They keep goin’, my boy,” Blue put his hoof on my shoulder and I looked up at him, seeing a smile on his face, “and I’ll be here to make sure you do.”

I nodded when Kynes came back inside. Kage turned to him, “How is it looking out there?”

Kynes breathed heavily and shook his head, pointing toward the door, “The guards are all patrolling the streets. Everything seems to be in chaos. It’s like what Digi said. Whatever Crimson Tear meant, he wasn’t joking around. It’s a war zone out there.”

Kage crossed his arms, “Well what the hell are we gonna do?”

The door opened and everyone turned to see who it was. The pony turned back around after shutting the door. It was Greed’s butler. Silver.

Silver bowed slightly and put his hooves behind his back, “Good afternoon, gentlecolts. I’ve come to inform you all of the dire situation.”

Kynes crossed his arms, “Yeah. The fucking war. We know already.”

Silver shook his head, “No. You don’t. This war is bigger than you think. It is dealing with an old prophecy. One that Digi is fulfilling.”

Kypo looked down, “That prophecy...”

I looked at Kypo, “What?”

Kypo crossed his arms, “When demons come to this realm, a hero will be found. Chosen by a holy blade. A blade which will strike down his foes one by one. This hero will not be made for battle, though. This hero will be chosen. This hero will be begotten much like the blade he wields. Begotten. Not made.”

Silver smiled and nodded, “Yes. That is the prophecy and Digi is that hero. He is an entertainer. Not a warrior. He was not made for battle.”

I looked at Silver, “What was Storm than?”

Silver’s smile disappeared, “Storm was only a messenger.”

I stood up and stepped toward him, “He wasn’t just a messenger!”

Silver shook his head, “He was, and he knew it. He knew the burden he carried, and still continued... You never realize that maybe... the messenger has the hardest job of all...”

I looked down for a second and came to terms with what he was saying, “What is happening with Mr. Chyne?”

Silver nodded slightly, “He is being buried with the other ponies who died at the docks today.”

A little voice came from the back of the room, “I want to go to the funeral.”

We all turned around. Misty stood there looking at all of us, tears falling from her cheeks, “I want to see my daddy one last time.”

Silver looked at Misty and frowned, “You can’t. You must stay here on account of the demons looking for you.”

Misty walked toward Silver, “I want to go!”

Silver shook his head, “No. If the demons kill you, Digi will not be able to complete the task at hoof at full functionality. He would surely fail.”

Misty stomped toward Silver, “I’M GOING!”

Silver stepped toward her, making her fall back, “No you aren’t! Sometimes, little filly, the ones you love die! Sometimes you have to move on! Sometimes!..” Silver backed down and hung his head, “sometimes you never get to see them again.”

Misty got back up and wiped away her tears, nodded at Silver, and ran back into her bedroom.

Silver put his hooves behind his back, “I... apologize. I am not used to dealing with foals.”

I looked at Silver and shook my head, “I’m sure she’ll be fine. She’s a strong filly.”

Silver nodded, “Indeed. She’ll grow up to be a fine mare.”

I smiled slightly only for a little while before it disappeared from my face, “So what do I need to do?”

Silver cleared his throat, “You need to kill Rage. Left unchecked, he will turn The Pit into an island of ash and hellfire.”

I crossed my arms, “Where do I even find him?”

Blue put his hoof on my shoulder, “That’s the spirit, my boy.”

Silver walked toward me, “You will find him in the center of the city, no doubt. Destroying everything around him.”

I stood up, “Ok. So when do I go?”

Silver smiled and opened the door, “We must hurry before things get out of hoof, as I’ve said before.”

I nodded and walked outside. I heard the door shut behind me. Kypo followed, “So you’re ready for this?”

I nodded and turned back around, “Yeah.”

I continued toward the street leaving the cathedral and made my way into the city.

Guards ran past me and Kypo through the streets. I looked down at him, “Why didn’t the others come?”

Kypo continued to make his way through the crowded city, “Silver said only one could come with you. We all decided that I knew the most about what was going on, so I was chosen to go.”

I walked through the streets toward the center of the city, “Ok. That sounds smart... Thanks for coming.”

Kypo stayed focused on avoiding getting stepped on by the worried guards, “Don’t mention it.”

I chuckled and nodded slightly, continuing behind him.

We made it to the center of the city after a few minutes of walking and dodging the guards. Rage was nowhere to be seen. I looked around me and noticed ponies running out of their homes and into the streets. They were panicked because of what was going on. They wanted to get out of here. I couldn’t blame them.

I unsheathed my sword, remembering what happened back at the theater so long ago. When Crimson Tear killed all those ponies.

I yelled at the crowd, “Get out of here! It’s not safe!”

One of the ponies looked at me and my sword, “He’s the one. He’s the one they’re after!”

I looked at him, “Get out of here! You’ll die if you stay!”

Other ponies stopped and looked at me, “He’s right. He’s the one those psychopaths are after! He put our families in danger!”

I shook my head, “No! I’m not the one you should be mad at! I’m trying to help you all!”

Kypo stepped in, “We’re both trying to help you!”

The crowd stopped, “They’re working together! The psychopaths want them both!”

One of the ponies shouted, “Maybe if we kill them the psychopaths will leave us alone!”

I stepped away from the crowd, “No! No...”

The crowd stepped closer to me and Kypo. They all looked furious. They looked scared. They really thought this was the only way.

I wasn’t going to attack them. Kypo realized this and flew up, “We aren’t your enemies!”

The ponies came closer. The one who seemed to be leading the crowd was scared. I could tell he didn’t want to do this, but he felt he needed to. He needed to kill me for his family, and if he did it might stop the deaths. It might stop his pain.

It might stop all their pain.

He knew it was wrong, though. A tear fell from his cheek. He stopped walking and just looked at me as I looked back. I sheathed my sword and smiled, nodding, “It’s going to be ok. I’m here to help you.”

He smiled back, teary eyed, “Ok...”

He put his hoof out to stop the crowd, “It’s ok everypony... We don’t need to resort to this. Everything is going to be fine.”

I nodded and the crowd calmed down.

I looked into the sky and saw him looming over the crowd. He had two swords unsheathed. I looked back down at the crowd right as the leader looked back down to me, shedding another tear. This time not one of fear, but one of acceptance. He knew what was about to come.

He just looked at me and spoke softly in the middle of the chaos, “Goodbye.”

I tried to rush toward him, but a bright light flashed in front of me. I had to shield my eyes. The light burned with an intense heat but lasted for only a few seconds.

When it was over, I turned back to where the leader and the crowd once were, but they were gone. The only thing that remained was ash and burnt ground.

I closed my eyes, reopening them to see Rage descend and land on the blackened ground. I whispered to myself, “Goodbye.”

Chapter 38 - Rage

I unsheathed my sword as Rage came closer.

The demon slit his eyes at me while still walking forward, “You did this, Digi. You killed my brothers and sister!”

He slashed one of his swords toward me, but I dodged out of the way, stepping to the side, making his attack only throw dust into the air. He got his other sword and sliced toward the middle of my body, the first sword still slashed into the ground. I ducked below his blade and cut his arm, making him drop the sword that was over my head.

He screamed out in pain and anger, “You can’t hope to stop us all! The city is under attack as we speak!”

He lifted his sword up and thrust it down onto me. I blocked his attack, being pushed down slightly from the force. I wasn’t going to be able to hold back his blade for much longer, but Kypo kicked him off of me and I stood back up and slashed toward him as he layed on the ground.

He lifted his sword above himself toward me, vertically, blocking my attack. I forced my blade down, however, as he did earlier. I could fear anger pulsing through my body. I pushed down on his sword, making him give in to the pressure. I yelled at him, “Just give up and DIE!”

He smirked at me, “We’re not so different, Digi. I can feel the rage in your heart.”

I paused and my eyes widened, but I shook the thought from my mind before I let go of the pressure I put on him from my attack and he could get back up. I lifted my sword and sliced my blade into his head quickly, killing the demon.

I fell to my knees and dropped my sword into the ashes of the fallen demon. He was right. I acted just like him. This place changed me so much. These demons changed me. I didn’t recognize myself anymore. What have I become?

I heard a scream that brought me back up. I looked up to the sky, where the scream had come from and saw Crimson Tear, Rage’s brother.

He looked at me and pointed his blade toward me, “You’ll pay for what you’ve done, Digi! This whole city will burn because of this. I’ll make sure of it.”

I looked down to pick up my sword, but when I looked back up, he was gone.

Kypo turned to me, “You ok?”

I sheathed my sword and hung my head, “Yeah... Just thinking about what Rage said.”

Kypo crossed his arms, “Look. Don’t let him get you down. You aren’t like him. You aren’t like any of them.”

I walked away, back to the cathedral. I was done for today. I just wanted this day to end. I just wanted everything to end...

I closed my eyes, “When will I be able to rest, Kypo? When can I be happy again?”

Kypo sighed, “I was going to ask you the same question.”

I smiled, “At least I have you guys with me.”

He nodded as we walked down the street toward the Cathedral, “Might be the only thing good about all this.”

I looked forward, continuing to walk, “It is.”

*~*~*

We got back to the cathedral at night. I could see some parts of the town smoking. The war had really began.

I opened the door and Kypo flew in as I walked in right behind him.

Everypony stood in the room. They were all waiting for me to come back.

Silver looked at me, “Oh. Welcome back, Digi. I trust you succeeded in your mission?”

I hung my head, “Yeah. I killed Rage.”

Silver nodded, “Excellent. May I ask why you seem upset?”

I walked away from everypony, “I just need to be alone right now.”

They all were quiet as I left to my bedroom. I sat down on the bed and looked at my reflection in my sword. I had scars now. I was dirty from fighting. I couldn’t explain it, but even my eyes looked different. This change wasn’t just the outside. It changed everything. I really wasn’t the same pony who came to this island. Rage was right. We weren’t that different. He wanted to kill all of us, and I wanted to kill them...

I laid back and felt something in my pocket. I pulled it out and saw it wa a letter. The letter Greed left for me.

I opened the envelope and read what was inside.

“I trust you opened this at the right time. The time you were the most afraid. Afraid of becoming different. Afraid of changing... Don’t be. Change means neither good nor bad. It doesn’t hold you to one side or the other. So what will it be? Good or bad?.. I trust you’ll make the right choice... Goodbye, Digi.”

I closed the letter and put it back in my pocket. I hung my head and smiled. I shouldn’t worry. I’m not one of them. I have to kill them to save me and my loved ones. To save all of us. I’m doing it for good. I looked up, “Thanks, Blackjack.”

Vanilla walked into the room and closed the door behind her, “Digi?”

I smiled, ran toward her and hugged her, “You’re beautiful, and I’m not a monster.”

She tilted her head, “Of course you’re not a mons-”

I kissed her, stopping her from what she was saying. She was surprised at first, but kissed me back and closed her eyes. I sat down on the bed, continuing to kiss her and she sat in my lap.

I stopped and looked into her eyes, “I love you so much.”

She smiled, “I love you, too.”

She continued to kiss me.

She seemed to want more, but I didn’t know if a pregnant mare could do that. Could she?

It was too late to even think about it for long, though. It seemed like she didn’t care. She just wanted it to happen, and honestly after today, I didn’t mind at all.

I loved this feeling. Me and her. I wanted to marry her, but I knew that wasn’t possible. Not with how everything was. As she got undressed, I looked into her eyes, “Will you marry me?”

She smiled, and was kind of shocked, “How would we be able to get married, Digi? There’s no way right now.”

I nodded, “I know. I’m just asking if you would if we could.”

She smiled again, “Yes. I would love to be married to you.”

I smiled and kissed her.

That letter changed my outlook on everything.

The letter written by a demon... A demon named Blackjack.

Chapter 39 - A silver lining

Vanilla fell asleep soon after we were done. She was so tired and cute, but I wasn’t tired at all. I had a lot on my mind. I needed to talk to Silver.

I got out of bed and avoided waking Vanilla up. I pulled the covers over her when i got up and left the bedroom. Everypony seemed to have gone to bed.

I walked into the main part of the cathedral and saw Silver sitting in one of the pews. I walked toward him and sat next to him.

He turned to me, “Oh. I did not notice you coming. My apologies. How are you feeling?”

I smiled, “I’m doing a lot better.”

He turned back to face the stained glass window and nodded, “Good... do you want me to tell you who your next target is?”

I shrugged, “I guess... Is it Crimson Tear?”

He shook his head, “There’s one more before him. the next one is Heresy. Silver Tongue... I hate how we share the name Silver...”

I crossed my arms and chuckled, “So he’s the last one before Crimson Tear?”

Silver nodded, “Yes. Greed might have been the door to open the full fury of the demons, and Rage the greeter, but Heresy is the guide, tricking you at every turn. Making you question your own beliefs. Making your world change before your eyes.”

I smirked, “I can deal with change.”

He shook his head, “I hope you can prepare for this change...” he looked at the stained glass window, “... the artwork is exquisite.”

I smiled and looked at the window, too, “It’s beautiful. Makes me want to return to Equestria.”

He chuckled slightly, “That place is wonderful, isn’t it?.. I would love to return there.”

I turned to him, “You used to live in Equestria?”

He nodded, “Oh yes. I was very young. An orphan. A pony saw me and asked me to come with him. Having nopony else, I did. He took me here and he took care of me. As I got older I returned the favor by being an excellent butler and serving him as he served me.”

I laughed slightly, “So Blackjack took you here?”

He looked at me in disbelief, “Yes... I am surprised you call him by his pony name. What happened to make you change so drastically?”

I smiled, “... I got a letter.”