Absolution

by BlackRoseRaven

Warmth In Winter

Chapter Seventeen: Warmth In Winter
~BlackRoseRaven

Winter was late in coming, but moved in with a vengeance when it did: it began with a gentle snowfall, but soon escalated into a blizzard that raged on and off for an entire week, heavy enough to force Celestia to put off the trip back to Ponyville for another day once Twilight had healed thanks to the roads being blocked up with snow and sleet. Not that anypony minded: they were still able to train while in Subterra, and it was warm and cozy in the underground caverns compared to how cold and blustery it had become up in Canterlot. It was a good place to think, too, which Antares needed right now: he and Prestige were in an uncomfortable fugue over Antares' confrontation with Rosewood, both ponies doing their hardest to think things out and dancing around the subject whenever it came up.

But Celestia refused to delay long: although it was still snowing and the roads hadn't been completely cleared by the day that followed, she pushed them into a hard march into the winter snowfall in full armor. It was cold and rough, but Antares recognized that it was more than just Celestia making them miserable, too: it was a learning experience, even if Avalon complained loudly the entire time and kept landing on Antares to curl up in a little armored ball on his back. Not that Antares minded: Avalon's extra body heat was welcome in this cold weather.

He was surprised to find that Prestige didn't seem to care about the cold all that much: of all of them, she handled the weather almost as well as Twilight Sparkle and Celestia did, smiling a little now and then at Antares when he grumbled and giving Avalon entertained looks when the tiny Pegasus cursed at her every now and then in frustration. Meadowlark and Rustrproof were trailing at the rear of the group, but both were holding up well despite their own shivers, while Aphrodisia looked sulky as she dragged her hooves through the snow in front of them, complaining almost as much as Avalon and yelling every so often at Burning Desire.

The fiery stallion was cheerfully prancing along beside Twilight Sparkle, who kept absently nudging him away every time he got a little too grabby, but she was smiling all the same. The demon had decided to come with them to help continue training, and because he had gleefully declared that he was going to spend as much time as possible with his new marefriend. Twilight only rolled her eyes at this and called him a child every time he brought this up, but she looked... happy, all the same. Like she had found something that helped her cope, even if nothing could ever replace Scrivener and Luna... and Burning Desire, to the surprise of the younger ponies, seemed to not only understand this but even be okay with it.

The demonic stallion had healed well, although he still bore some ugly bruising over his body, but asking him if he was in pain had only led to him bragging about what a fight he'd put up against Cancer. Antares was unnerved by the fact that Cancer had actually taken down a demon made of fire, considering what they had thought his weakness was... but on the road back to Ponyville, when Antares had brought up this concern, Burning Desire had only shaken his head violently and explained easily: “No, no, no! These flames that protect my body might look like normal fire, but if they were there would be many more badly-scorched mares walking around Subterra and Canterlot and... well, right beside us.”

Burning Desire leered over at Twilight, who glared at him even as she blushed deeply. Then he laughed before continuing in a cheerful voice: “The fires that enshroud me affect people's emotions, not their physical bodies. Sure, I burn hot...” He licked his lips slowly, leering at Twilight again. “But I'm a lover, not a fighter, for the most part. Given the right kick I like to think I can be as fierce as any Wrath demon, but if I want to set someone on fire I have to use my magic, not my mane.”

He flicked this to the side, then paused before swinging his tail out, drawing a trail of heat through the snow beside him and leaving a melting trench of white powder. “That monster, though, he didn't handle my heat very well, and for once I don't mean to make a pun. But he was slippery... and any time I managed to set him on fire he would shed his skin or split apart or do some other disgusting cheating thing. But he's dead, yes? The chaos entities sent him back to the Void?”

“I'm not sure where he was sent... and I doubt it will be that easy.” Celestia replied softly, and Burning Desire frowned a bit as Antares looked up nervously: this topic had been almost taboo for the last week, and Celestia hesitated before her eyes focused on the silhouette of Ponyville in the distance, a black shape barely visibly through the thin veil of snow whipping back and forth as they plodded on beneath listless gray skies.

At first, Antares thought she wasn't going to say anything further, as they walked on for a few minutes in awkward silence, Twilight looking apprehensively at Celestia as Burning Desire frowned and lost some of his playfulness... but then Celestia spoke again, and Antares looked up in surprise as she asked quietly: “Do you believe that Allonym was telling the truth when he told you he couldn't affect things as he desired?”

“Yeah, I do. I know that Discombobulation and Discord managed to make Cancer vanish, but... I don't think it's permanent. I don't...” Antares hesitated, looking up at the ceiling of clouds overhead before he said finally: “I just... I think about what he said, too. He implied there could be consequences for... trying to make Cancer just vanish. And I don't like to think about what he could have meant by that...”

Celestia nodded slowly, then she murmured quietly: “Meddling with reality is never a good idea, Antares... I can only imagine the dangers of making even the smallest of changes. Not even the Norns had absolute control, as my little sister proved...” Celestia hesitated, then she smiled faintly as she dropped her eyes towards the snow-strewn path in front of her, murmuring: “I wonder what she thought of Allonym, if his story about meeting them is true...”

Antares smiled faintly at this, nodding a little himself before Celestia shook her head quickly, then straightened and murmured: “We'll have to be careful. But we might have time, too, even if Cancer does return. Winter has moved in hard, but it might give us an advantage against an organism like Cancer.”

The young stallion looked up curiously, and then he looked over his shoulder as Meadowlark said hesitantly: “Because... you think it'll slow him down?”

“I'm certain of it, with what we've seen of his physiology.” Celestia said softly, then she grimaced a little. “But we should prepare for the worst in any event: he's chaos as much as he is destruction, and who knows how that will drive him to react and adapt? What also worries me is that if the cold does begin to slow or hamper him, he might be driven to attack the nearest source of heat and life he can to try and sustain himself through the winter. We'll need to ensure Equestria is aware of the threat he poses and we should begin sending out scouting teams immediately. We need to destroy it as soon as possible.”

Antares shifted uncomfortably, looking down and nodding slowly, and his nervousness seemed to ripple through the ranks. It drew Celestia's attention, the ivory winged unicorn looking over her shoulder with a bit of a frown, but then her eyes turned to Twilight as the Lich said quietly: “If we have the chance, maybe instead we should focus on training, and on healing the disease where it's still spreading. I heard that Canterlot still has ponies coming in sick... and that the disease has made its way as far as Manehattan and Hoofston.”

“It's spread to a few of the larger metropolitan centers, yes... my guess is diplomats and businessponies who thought they were too important or in too much of a rush to bother with the required health screenings.” Celestia shook her head slowly. “This sudden winter hasn't helped matters: more ponies are reporting illnesses and it could cause a panic. As it is, the plague is already difficult to follow: the only things about it that stay constant are its extreme virulence and its resilience. And with the way it evolves itself once inside a host...”

“You're scared many ponies could be infected and not show any symptoms other than a cough or sneeze, passing it on to others... and then it's either going to mutate, or Cancer's somehow going to seize control of his own disease and make it mutate, and they'll go from sneezing and coughing to heart attacks and organ death.” Twilight said quietly, and Celestia nodded with a grimace. The Lich shivered a bit at this thought as Antares and his friends traded nervous looks, before Twilight hesitantly looked over her shoulder and asked quietly: “Could any of us... I mean, not me, clearly but anyone else here...”

“I don't know.” Celestia said honestly, then she sighed softly and shook her head slowly. “We'll need to figure out a better way to screen for the illness than we currently have, and we'll need to put more effort into developing stronger vaccines and antivirals.”

She grimaced, looking ahead and murmuring: “Biological warfare. There's nothing worse, and nothing more cowardly than this indiscriminate poisoning. Cancer fills me with disgust, on every level of my being: he is dishonorable, contemptible, and pathetic.” She closed her eyes, then smiled wryly and shook her head slowly. “And Luna will never let me live it down if I fail to put a stop to an overgrown flu before we bring her and Scrivener Blooms home.”

Antares and Twilight both laughed a little at this, and then the group fell quiet again as they continued to make their way on towards Ponyville. As they drew close, the snowfall lightened, and they were greeted by Nibelung and ponies that were clearing the roads leading to the open gates, Celestia smiling and Antares feeling like the world had just grown warmer despite the biting wind and the frost that clung to his armor.

They made their way into the village, passing bundled-up ponies that greeted them warmly and waved to them, and Antares smiled back and forth, blushing a little at the welcome. It was a welcome for heroes, not for a team of ponies that had just started to learn how to properly work together, but all the same he couldn't complain. Not with the happiness and pride he felt filling up his friends... not with the joy that filled him up, and reminded him of exactly what and why he was determined to fight so hard... not with the hopes it brought for the kind of welcome back his parents would receive, when he saved them from wherever they were.

Celestia brought the group to the front of the library, then she turned around and said calmly: “For today, I'd advise all of you to rest... you've earned a day off. Tomorrow, we'll resume training and I'll explain some of the duties I expect each of you to begin handling. Meet me here at the library at seven.”

“Seven in the morning?” Avalon groaned loudly as she flitted through the air, then she slapped moodily at her own face as the others only looked at her, mumbling: “It better not be snowing again. God, this sucks. This sucks, doesn't this suck?”

“You suck.” Aphrodisia said sourly, and Avalon glared at her before the demon asked curiously: “Wanna go get hot chocolate at Mommy's store?”

“You're such a foal.” Avalon said mildly, and when Aphrodisia huffed and then turned to gallop off, the tiny Pegasus winced and hurriedly shot after her. “Wait a minute, I didn't say I didn't want to come! Hold up!”

Antares shook his head, then he glanced towards Meadowlark... but the Pegasus was already leaving with Rustproof, and the young stallion smiled for a moment before awkwardly looking at Prestige. She hesitated, looking at the library as Celestia turned to the door, but then the ivory winged unicorn smiled over her shoulder, saying quietly: “Go ahead, Prestige Luster. Besides, I look at Twilight Sparkle, and think... maybe I still have more to learn from my old apprentice than I thought.”

Celestia smiled a bit as Antares and Prestige both glanced towards the Lich, who was laughing as Burning Desire grinned widely, gesturing energetically as he told some story in a confident, carrying voice, and then both young ponies looked towards the ivory winged unicorn as she nodded slowly, saying thoughtfully: “Yes. There's nothing wrong with finding happiness where you can... with taking pleasures when they present themselves. And it amazes me again... to see a demon that has a depth of understanding and compassion rivaled perhaps only by my brother, and yet here I am, still thinking...”

She quieted, then smiled softly, looking down at the two young ponies as she said gently: “Don't waste the precious time you have with one another on anger and sorrow. And don't keep secrets, or leave things unsaid because you're afraid of what might happen. If you two truly care about each other... you'll find your way through things.”

Antares and Prestige looked at each other... then they both slowly nodded as their eyes locked. Celestia smiled at them in approval, then she turned around and headed into the library while the two young ponies only continued to study each other, before Antares said quietly: “Prestige...”

“Let's... just enjoy the walk.” Prestige said awkwardly, and Antares hesitated before she reached up and touched his shoulder, saying quietly: “When we get back home... we can discuss everything then.”

“Home.” Antares smiled a little, tasting the word, studying Prestige curiously with how naturally, easily, she had used it, and the young unicorn mare blushed a bit before Antares leaned forwards and kissed her. She returned it, and he felt her warmth, her honesty, her compassion, and that bittersweet tickle when their mouths parted... and the pleasure that came with knowing that at any time, any moment, they could share another kiss any time they desired.

They turned, approaching Burning Desire and Twilight Sparkle as the Lich laughed, then turned her eyes towards them before smiling amusedly and reaching up to cover the fiery stallion's mouth, saying easily: “Okay, okay, enough, Burning, before you traumatize anyone here... and that includes me. Am I ever glad you and Luna never met.”

“And yet all the same I can't help but hope we do one day, even though I know that will be a day of both great joy and great sorrow for me.” Burning Desire smiled warmly, touching his chest, and Antares looked surprised at the honesty that radiated from the Passion. But Burning Desire only chuckled, gazing back with entertainment at the surprise on Antares' features as Prestige gazed up at her mentor with quiet affection that had grown in leaps and bounds over the last few days. “Antares, I have spent thousands of years in longing and desire and contemplation. But longing like mine can again, only be filled by that which is freely given... never by force. Do I feel jealousy? Of course. But I'm not a demon of envy. My jealousy is not like hatred... it is sorrow, for what I long to always have standing freely beside me...”

Burning Desire softened, gazing at Twilight Sparkle as he murmured quietly: “And after a thousand years of desire, my sweet undying flower has come to take that pain away. It may be for a week, for a month, for a year... and then, yes, I know she will return to those she loves more than she could ever love me. And yes, I will cry like a little filly, but I will... I will let her go.” Burning Desire reached up, touching the Lich's face gently, Twilight blushing as she bowed her cheek against his hoof. “Because I truly care for her. She is no pretty object to add to my collection, she is neither crown nor crown jewel... she is like my goddess, and I am merely the humble devil that sits on her shoulder to keep her entertained and happy on the journey.”

Burning Desire paused, then he smiled softly, glancing over at Antares and Prestige as he said quietly: “Being a demon has taught me that mortals are such idiots. They desire so much, they constantly go to one extreme or another, they can so rarely ever be satisfied with their lot in life unless castrated or brain-dead. And most annoying of all, they have the awful, awful habit of taking everything and everyone around them for granted unless given a rough kick every now and then. But of course, my passion never dies, and some would say that's a bit of a character flaw itself.”

Antares smiled after a moment, and Prestige nodded slowly, looking up at him with softness and respect, taking in every word he spoke. Burning Desire looked back and forth over the young ponies almost curiously, then he returned his eyes to the Lich, grinning slightly. “Besides, who knows? Maybe I'll succeed in stealing her away from greedy Luna and Scrivener. Or at least stay friends with benefits. Luna sounds like the kind of pony who could appreciate that.”

“Can... can we not talk about my mother like that while I'm right here?” Antares asked awkwardly, looking up with a bit of a wince, and Burning Desire looked at the young stallion with amusement. “It's always a little uncomfortable to think about... well... you know.”

“Oh, it's all very natural Antares. Mostly. I heard your mother was a very adventurous type. Why, Twilight has told me all kinds of stories about-” Burning Desire was cut off as the Lich shoved him firmly into a nearby pile of snow in a sprawl and burst of flame and powder, before he yelped and wheezed a few times as the pile of snow rapidly began to melt around him, water boiling up into steam as he whined: “Well what's the point of sharing stories if I can't share them with others?”

“Let's just go.” Twilight said tiredly, blushing a little, and Antares nodded quickly as Prestige gave Burning Desire an amused look over her shoulder. The demon huffed from where he was now sitting in what was mostly a puddle, splashing moodily at the water before popping to his hooves and bouncing hurriedly after the trio as his mood returned.

The walk back home felt almost unfamiliar to Antares with all the time he'd spent away from the cottage, but all the same he felt the forest silently welcoming him back, felt the vibrant life that was still here, even with much of the world hidden beneath the blankets of white snow that covered the trees and layered the ground.

Burning Desire marveled over the forest as they made their way through the woods, smiling widely and seeming to enjoy the long hike: but here inside the forest, the cold wind couldn't bite at them, and despite the powder that came up past their hooves, the snow did little to hinder their journey. And the sights they caught here and there helped make the journey feel shorter, and more comfortable: Phooka that surveyed them curiously through the trees, wild animals that darted here and there across the path, and the simple, raw beauty of nature that was all around them. Nature that was wild, but was stronger and far more majestic than the all-but-synthetic nature ponies had once maintained in place of this verdant empire.

When they reached the cottage, Twilight couldn't help but smile warmly: someone had been out here and had shoveled a path through the snow-filled yard to the deck, which they'd also taken the time to clean off. She gazed back and forth curiously, wondering who could have done this kindness, as Burning Desire murmured: “I'll never get over what a pretty home this is, Twilight Sparkle... and what feelings are invested into it... now, if I recall, the stairs are around back, yes?”

He chuckled quietly, then halted in front of the deck and smiled as his horn glowed before he flicked it firmly. Immediately, a sharp, hot wind whistled past, making Antares wince a bit, and then stare as the wave of heat visibly carved a path through the snow that curved around the side of the cottage and to the back of the house, as Burning Desire grinned and winked. “Tell you what, kiddo. You and your girl get the upstairs for yourselves, and me and Twilight will take the first floor for a few hours. I'm sure we all can agree to that, right?”

Antares groaned and rolled his eyes, then he smiled awkwardly at Twilight when she blushed and said hurriedly: “Just ignore him, Antares, he's... well...”

“No, no, Mom... it's okay. I know what he means.” Antares hesitated, then he said softly, glancing between the two adults: “And... I'm glad... you have each other. You seem to make each other happy and... Mom and Dad would want you happy, Twilight, not spending every day pining for them. Hard... hard as it is. And... I know, I'll come down, help you make dinner in an hour or two, huh?”

“Alright, Antares. That sounds good.” Twilight smiled a little, then she glanced up at Burning Desire as the demon winked at her. “Stop that. I'm already regretting this decision.”

“Oh, you are not.” Burning Desire sniffed, then he leaned down and half-shoved Twilight around in a circle, pushing her towards the door as the Lich winced and the fiery stallion called cheerily over his shoulder: “Knock first!”

Antares groaned and rolled his eyes as Burning Desire yanked the door open and half-tossed Twilight through before gleefully prancing in himself, and the young, glossy-black stallion sighed tiredly and shook his head slowly before Prestige said awkwardly: “I'm sure he's just... teasing, Antares...”

“I know. I know, I know... he and Mom...” Antares hesitated, then he shook his head slowly, softening. “I know what's really going on. Burning Desire and Mom are probably talking about... me, right now, not... doing anything. Because it's... it's all such a weird situation, and I know he really does care about her but...”

Antares sighed a little, then he turned to follow the path Burning had made for him, Prestige softening as she followed after him as the glossy black young stallion murmured: “I think sometimes... how none of this is fair to Twilight. She's pining for the ponies she cares about, and she's a wonderful mom but she already has so many responsibilities on top of looking out for me... Burning Desire is one of the only ponies who's ever shown interest in her of any kind because she's... and that's not fair. It's not fair that she...”

Antares shook his head again as Prestige gazed after him softly, and then they were silent as they made their way to the back of the house, then turned and approached the steps. All the same, Antares hesitated for a moment, glancing towards the window as he said quietly: “I kind of wish they really were... you know... almost. And Twilight wasn't instead laying down ground rules and telling him what's okay and what's not and making it clear that she's my mother and he's not to boss me around and... she's so protective. I just...”

He lowered his head, then mumbled as he made his way up the stairs, and Prestige followed after him quickly, studying him silently as they headed up to the door leading into the second floor. Antares pushed his way through this, smiling a little at the closed door of the office before he made his way quietly down the hall to a den room at the end.

Twilight was always very careful to never change the layout of the house around too much: this room was probably the one she had changed the most. It had been a guest room or something once, but now it was more just a place to go and relax. There was a large, plush couch that folded out among the other furnishings, a coffee table that had all kinds of board games and trinkets in the shelves on its underside, and a few squat shelves against one wall with children's literature and coloring books.

Antares headed for the couch, and flopped down on it with a sigh... then he glanced up quietly as Prestige strode in and smiled faintly at him. She shook herself a little, then carefully pulled off her cloak before her horn glowed, undoing the clasps holding the lightweight vest closed over her body as she said softly: “Come on, hero. Take off your armor, at least.”

“I don't really want to.” Antares mumbled, rolling over and mashing his face into the cushions of the couch, and Prestige laughed before the young stallion arched his back and smiled despite his best efforts not to as he felt a warm tickle run through his body, heating up his veins, making his blood run a little faster as he murmured: “I'm not tired, Prestige, energizing me isn't going to do anything...”

“It'll do something.” Prestige said softly, as she strode forwards and reached up to gently begin undoing his armor, and Antares closed his eyes and smiled faintly as she pulled his gear off, bit-by-bit. She set it aside with more reverence than she treated her own with, from breastplate to additional guarding and gear until she reached his vambraces.

He rolled onto his back as she climbed carefully up, straddling him as she reached down and slowly pulled these off to put aside on the table, gazing at the rose-etched metal before turning her eyes back to Antares. He looked up at her, leaning up for a moment... but she grasped his shoulders and pinned him back gently, murmuring quietly: “Wait.”

Antares hesitated, tilting his head a bit as he shifted beneath her, their eyes locking before Prestige said quietly: “I want you to know that... I... did want to be like my father. I did want to impress him... and one day, outdo him. But Antares Mīrus... that kiss... there was nothing behind us getting together. Not even when we first met, did I ever think of you as just... a possible candidate for... pure and noble blood. Because to me you're not a pureblood, you're not a proud unicorn...” She bowed her head forwards, closing her eyes. “You're a splinter-horn, a mudwalker, a pony that always has and always will look at his lessers as if they were his equals. And you showed me there's more honor and happiness in that than there is in being the proudest and mightiest and loneliest unicorn in the world.

“Antares... I...” She took a slow breath, leaning down closer, before whispering: “I love you. And... and I'm going to tell my mother that I'm not going to go back to Silver Hoof, if... if you'll have me here. Even if things don't work out between us, Antares... you opened my eyes, and I've never had real friends before like I do now. I want to stay here, one way or another. And I want it... with all my heart... to be with you.”

Antares trembled a bit, swallowing slowly before he reached up and hugged her fiercely, and she buried her face into his neck as she curled herself down against him, clinging tightly to the young stallion as he whispered: “I believe you. And I think it was when I started talking to Rosewood that I realized... how much I cared for you, that... I love you too, and I don't want to ever let anything separate us.”

Prestige slipped back, swallowing a little before she closed her eyes and bowed her head forwards, then smiled faintly. “I've... I've spent this entire week trying to find the words, Antares, to figure out what I wanted to do, and... and no matter what else entered my mind, I always thought back to how you would hold me at night, and everything would be okay. I thought about a lot of things and... I want to be with you, Antares. And I want to be beside you, every step of the way.”

The young stallion nodded, then he leaned forwards and kissed her slowly, firmly, and she met his lips with just as much passion, sharing breath and life as they squeezed one another closer, felt their bodies press tight together before their mouths slowly parted, and they gazed deeply into each other's eyes before Prestige quietly pinned him back and leaned up, licking her lips a little as she whispered: “Oh, hero... I... I want...”

Antares swallowed at this, blushing a little as he leaned back, reaching his hooves up to rest on her shoulders as they locked eyes... and then Prestige blushed and shook her head slowly, smiling faintly again as she murmured: “You are like no other stallion I've ever met, Antares.”

“I... sorry.” Antares mumbled embarrassedly, and then he closed his eyes and said quietly, as Prestige reached a hoof forwards to stroke his face gently: “It's... it's not that I don't want to. But... then I think of what your mother said to me and... I...”

“I understand. But... you do know that... I'm telling the truth, yes? And if I stay with you Antares, either way... my father will do everything in his power to ensure I can never go home again.” Prestige said quietly, and she lowered her eyes as Antares frowned up at her with concern. “No, it's not worth talking about. Unicorns place pride and their pure blood above all else, that's all... and all I've always been aware of is that for all my father's pride in me, it was always tinged with the disappointment that I was his talented daughter instead of his talented son.”

Antares grimaced a bit, then he leaned forwards and nuzzled her soothingly, and she curled herself down against his body as she closed her eyes. The two held tightly onto each other in silence for a little while, before Prestige hesitantly asked: “Would you mind... telling me about your mother and father, Antares? Not... Twilight, of course, although... her relationship to your parents boggles my mind even more than how Burning Desire can be so... okay with things.”

“That's because you never knew anyone like Sleipnir.” Antares smiled a little, then he shook his head and hesitated before nodding slowly and murmuring: “I guess I do talk about trying to find them and everything all the time but... I never really told you anything about them, huh? Well... I mean... what do you know already, Prestige?”

“I'd rather not repeat silly stories, Antares.” Prestige glanced up with a smile, and then she laughed a little when the young stallion gazed up at her pointedly. “Oh, fine, fine, but don't get mad at me should I say something wrong.

“It's common knowledge, of course, that the Baroness had a sister she found living in the Ponyville area, which is why she began to spend so much time here... and that her sister, Luna, helped form the Starlit Knights, the elite force that protects Equestria.” Prestige continued, looking a little awkward, but Antares was only nodding quickly, looking almost enthralled. “There are all kinds of stories and rumors about how... she has connections to the night, and the dark places of Equestria. And that she was a warrior, but... after seeing what Celestia is truly capable of... I have to say, it scares me a little to wonder what Luna must have been like if Celestia is considered the gentle Baroness and your mother is supposed to be the wild warrior.”

“Mom was amazing.” Antares said softly, smiling warmly and nodding quickly, and then he laughed and shook his head. “Mom and Dad... they'd train and spar all the time, and Mom taught me everything I know about horn foiling and fighting. Aunt Tia uses swords, but... my Mom had a treasured spear she named Andlitstingar after Aunt Tia was given Tyrfing. Mom was silly like that... she always competed with Aunt Tia, but... looked up to her. But even though my Mom was the younger sister, Aunt Tia looked up to her, too, idolized her in a few ways... and she and my Dad were good friends, even though Aunt Tia was the one who gave my Dad that big scar on his face.”

Prestige cocked her head in surprise at this, and Antares smiled warmly as he slowly drew his hooves along Prestige's frame, murmuring: “Yeah. They had a big fight, many, many years ago, before... this Equestria was formed. Mom and Dad had some crazy stories about that, too... they used to tell me all about how life used to be so different. And they told me all about how the story in my room, those paintings all along the edge of the ceiling, that's really how they came together.

“I asked Aunt Tia about it before, and... she said it was true. That she used to be... the word she described herself with was 'mercenary,' and I don't think she meant like she took money and did jobs for ponies. I think she meant... she didn't care about anything but the job she had to do at the time, and that even then... it was only for her own ends, her own ideas.” He quieted, then shook his head slowly. “I... I saw into her one time, and saw... well, you remember. It was dinner, you were there.”

He closed his eyes, then simply leaned up and kissed the side of Prestige's neck, and she closed her eyes as she massaged her hooves slowly over his chest, asking quietly: “But we can all change, can't we? Even I've changed... at least, I hope I have. It's still very hard for me to think of other ponies as my equals, after all...”

“Maybe it'll surprise you, Prestige, but I look down on other ponies sometimes, too.” Antares smiled despite himself, glancing up and saying quietly: “I mean, I spend so much time with demons and ponies who are the best of the best at what they do and all sorts of weird and wonderful things that sometimes... I forget that normal ponies are out there for more reasons than just to get in the way, you know? I forget that they can stand and fight for themselves, and that they have their own talents, too.”

Prestige smiled a little in return, shaking her head slowly as she said softly: “That's different, Antares. And your father... he was a unicorn, but he had no horn, correct?”

“That's right.” Antares nodded slowly, gazing up at her quietly. “I guess Caprice's ranting makes more sense now, with... what I've learned about unicorn traditions from you and that talk with your mother. He carried pure blood in his veins, and... even though she had wings, they look at my mother as an ideal unicorn, don't they?”

“Some of the old traditions state that in the first days, all unicorns had wings... but they lost them as punishment for letting their divine blood mingle with slave hoofs.” Prestige blushed a little, and then she reached up and quietly took Antares' face in her front hooves, gazing at him quietly. “They say that when the bloodlines are purified once more, then our wings will come back... but I never believed in such stupid stories.”

“Good.” Antares smiled a bit, leaning forwards as their lips almost brushed, murmuring: “Because I'm just a splinter horn, and these wings... well, you've been told how they came about...”

Prestige smiled in return, then their lips met briefly before she half-lidded her eyes, wrapping her forelegs around his neck as she murmured softly, pressing down against him: “You're a filthy splinter-horn, touched by darkness and evil... and yet here we lay, me, a pure and vulnerable pureblood unicorn noble, and you're nothing but a scared little colt who won't lift a hoof against me.”

“Oh, stop it.” Antares laughed, before he smiled as he gazed up at her with amusement before sliding his hooves along her sides, murmuring quietly: “I think you only care about me for my body.”

“You should be flattered either way, Antares Mīrus.” Prestige replied, and then she sat up and looked down at him, hesitating only a moment before she asked softly: “And me, Antares? Do you find me attractive?”

Antares gazed up at her, at how vulnerable she seemed in that moment, strangely innocent even with the coyness that lurked in her eyes... and he licked his lips slowly before grasping her sides and suddenly rolling on top of her, Prestige gasping, then laughing when he pushed her down with a wink and smile, murmuring softly: “You're beautiful, Prestige. I find you beautiful.”

Prestige smiled, and then Antares leaned down and met her lips in a kiss, the unicorn mare closing her eyes in delight as she arched her body up against his. They shared affection and warmth and love as they explored one-another's form and shape, both ponies only aware of each other... and that with every day they passed, they were growing closer and closer together.

The wind screamed through the mountain peaks as the gray clouds rumbled, snow whipping violently through the dark night air. These crags and cliffs to the west of Canterlot were lifeless and abandoned even during the best of times... but now, with the temperature sitting at well-below zero and the cruel snowstorm that reminded many demons all too much of frozen Helheim, not even the undead dared to wander the jagged slopes or cracked plateaus.

Then a sound picked up, at first mixing with the wind, then shortly overwhelming it as it grew to a fevered pitch, like a scream of nails against a blackboard: it echoed through the mountains, disturbed drifts of snow, and sent down a brief avalanche before a white shape shot out of the sky and hurtled into the mountainside with a sickening splat. Even soft as it was, the meteor struck with enough force to shatter the stone plateau.

Electricity crackled through the clouds above as the hum faded out, before the snow covering the windswept plateau shifted and rippled... and a few moments later, a mottled white entity slowly formed, shoving itself to its false hooves with a scream of mixed agony and frustration. Red eyes snapped open, and Cancer looked wildly back and forth before it threw its head back and screamed again... and as if in response, the mountains rumbled, resulting in another avalanche of snow and rock collapsing down into the valleys and nooks below.

Cancer dropped forwards, rasping hard in and out as his eyes blazed and he gurgled low in his throat. His gaze snapped in all directions, taking in where he was before he hissed furiously at the dark skies above, then spun around before his gaze locked on Canterlot in the distance, shivering and snarling once before screaming: “I'll be back! I'll be back, you hear me? Gonna hunt me down all y'all! Gonna rip you up and tear you down and... and... I'll kill you all!”

The monster shook its head wildly back and forth, then started to shriek again, throwing itself down on the plateau and jouncing and rolling back and forth in a psychotic temper-tantrum, acidic drool flying in all directions as snow clung to its wet and hideous body. Legs kicked and slashed and gouged at the air as its whole form rippled, muscles expanding, then shrinking; sinews and veins stood out like cables before sinking back into flesh; jaw stretched wide enough with every bellow to swallow a pony whole.

Cancer rocked and rolled back and forth, then leapt up to his hooves... and promptly skidded on some half-hidden ice with a yelp before a fierce wind caught him in the back like a foot to the flank, the monster's eyes bulging as he slid forwards before screaming when he toppled off the edge of the cliff. He crashed into the mountainside with a thick crunch, then bounced and rolled to the bottom of the enormous mountain as the cruel wind seemed to howl with laughter.

The monster ended up crashing into a heavy pile of snow at the bottom of the tall mountain, sending up a puff of powdery spray as a few large rocks tumbled after the monster. For a few moments, there was no response... and then Cancer tore his way up and out of the snowy mound, growling in frustration as he half-swam through the snow before toppling and rolling onto a mostly-dry stone path left uncovered by the cruel wind.

He skidded over a bit of ice again, hissing in frustration before a shiver tore through his body, and then he snarled in fury, breath rushing in and out as he glared in the direction of Canterlot. “Oh... you gonna get yours... don't you worry. I'm gonna destroy that whole city... but again, again, the zombie interfered, ruined my plans! And those worthless patchwork dolls got in the way too... and that kid! That kid was there yet again! The stupid little runt... oh, oh, oh, I'm gonna rip that kid to pieces when I find him! I'm gonna bleed him, and I'm gonna kill him, and I'm gonna crush him!”

Cancer gnashed his teeth wildly at the air, snarling as he glared furiously back and forth before shaking his head out quickly, red eyes glowing as electricity sparked over his body. He shivered, then snarled as his head twitched back and forth before gargling and clutching at his throat. He shifted back and forth as if agonized, steam hissing up from his body before he screamed; but this cut out a moment later as his back arched unnaturally, standing on his hind hooves as his front limbs froze in place in midair, rasping in an echoing, soulless voice: “Murder and destroy, bleed and perforate, infect and kill, kill, kill...”

Then he screamed and twitched violently again, grabbing at his head and dropping forwards, curling up as he shrieked: “I'm trying! Don't you think I'm trying, dude? But they're stronger than we gave them credit for! What the hell am I supposed to do, chief? What the hell are we supposed to do?”

He gurgled, then his eyes flashed red before he grinned insanely, drool dripping from his jaws as he slowly picked himself up, whispering: “Yeah. Yeah, maybe you're right. I gotta stay positive, keep on smiling, and keep on trucking on. Gonna spread my sweet nectar to every corner of this world... but if I'm gonna do that, I gotta keep a smile on my face, my chin up, and my claws buried deep into every fleshbag I find. And yeah, yeah, they tried to send me away, but ooh, I'm back, and I'm badder than ever...”

Cancer looked down at one of his forelegs, then he grinned as the hoof-like end of it shivered before transforming into talons: these flexed, then transformed again as bones jutted cruelly upwards and fused together, transforming into an enormous, hideous blade of saw-toothed ivory. “Well hello! I couldn't do that before... oh, but even though it weren't no pleasure cruise they sent me on, I got a sweet taste of home, a delicious dessert of chaos, and some mm-mm good radiation... and I had more than enough time to process all the tasty genes and samples I ripped out of the patchwork punk and that love-struck necrophiliac of a demon. Yeah, ooh, yeah, I'm learning how they work... learning how they speak... and soon enough baby, I'm gonna learn what makes 'em tick and what to tweak!”

He threw his head back and laughed as the bony blade shivered, then transformed back into a hoof as Cancer grinned widely: he felt full of energy, full of strength and life, as he stepped forwards... then frowned slowly as he heard a strange tinkling sound before slowly looking over his shoulder and hissing in disgust at the sight of ice that had already formed over one slick hindleg.

He breathed slowly in and out, licking his teeth with a snarl before he looked back and forth at the snowy, windswept mountains, as if he was just now processing the cold and the winter climate. Cancer cursed, then he snarled in the direction of Canterlot before shaking his head in disgust, whispering: “Oh, smoothly played, big white weasel and friends, well-frigging-done. Bet you and the zombie must just love this... what the hell is this?”

Cancer reached down, pawing at some of the snow nearby, then he leaned down and bit into it... before spitting violently in all directions, flailing his limbs around as he shouted in disgust: “Water! And no contaminants in it but the dirty dirt dirt! What kind of nonsense is this? Ginnungagap made more sense than rain that's nearly solid! Is this snow? Snow? But snow's supposed to look like ashes, why don't it feel and taste like sweet ashes too?”

The monster growled in frustration, then shook his head wildly back and forth before his red eyes flashed as he shivered once. Then he hissed and violently shook himself back and forth, his body starting to steam rapidly as he stomped his hooves up and down and forced his body heat to rise: but now that he was aware of it, the monster could already feel the cold quickly cooling down his almost gelatinous form: not that cold could kill him, oh no, but if he wasn't careful...

“They're trying to freeze me solid again. Oh, in the time I was gone, them ponies done hooked the whole world up to a giant freezer unit!” Cancer cursed as he looked back and forth, eyes blazing with fury. And again, he looked in the direction of Canterlot... before screaming in frustration as he realized... “Goddammit! No, no, no, no! I don't wanna wait for my revenge, but all those demons are gonna be on the watch for me, and if I show up at their door a frozen Cancer-sickle that Gluttony whore will pop me in her mouth and chew me up like a lollipop! I gotta... gotta find another target... I gotta find me something that I can hurt... that I can crawl into, somewhere nice and warm, like those sewers...”

Cancer gritted his teeth, and then he looked up sharply, breathing harder as he whispered: “Yeah. Yeah, the white weasel was in that nasty demon hive, along with all her friends and pals... maybe that dirt-smear village of hers is unguarded right now! Maybe I can sneak my way in, have me some fun, let her come home to the sight of a real hot party... and ooh, there's that hot-spot in that place too, yeah? A hot spot I can heat myself on up at, yeah, yeah, yeah, that would be real nice...”

The monster nodded rapidly to itself, then he licked his teeth hungrily before hissing quietly and shaking himself violently out, bits and pieces of ice hailing down off his form as he attempted to raise his body heat again, rasping: “No, no, no... gotta keep focused, gotta keep myself warm, don't wanna be no topiary... c'mon, c'mon, focus now, you hear?”

Cancer nodded violently to himself as he dropped a little lower and began to scuttle forwards through the snow, breathing hard in and out as he whispered: “Just gotta get me to that vacation spot, and then I'll find my way in and curl up for a nice long nap right inside that beautiful bulging cyst they've built. Ooh, yeah, just gotta keep up my pace now, keep the blood flowing...”

The monster nodded to itself as it slithered through the snow, body rippling a little as it rasped slowly for breath, turning away from Canterlot with a growl to begin the journey towards Ponyville. And even though the night was dark and the screaming wind and whipping snow blinded and burdened anyone trying to push through the darkness, even all the miles away that he was, Cancer still zigzagged almost straight in the direction of Ponyville, sniffing out and hunting down his objective as he whispered: “Yeah... no hiding from me... I know just where you are...”

He grinned, then giggled a little as he slipped down into a shallow trench that was free of snow, body lowering further to get himself out of the blistering wind for a moment as he shook ice and water off his body before murmuring: “I need me a pick-me-up, though... but ooh, you know what always helps on the way, keeps a mind happy and distracted?”

He giggled a little, licking his teeth slowly before he dropped his head forwards, slinking slowly onwards as he began to hum to himself. Then, as he emerged back onto the snow-swept earth, he arched his back and rose his head, singing in low, rusty tones:

“Ooh, walkin'... on my way through the winds...
Getting my feet all dirty as I pace on through the snow-oh-oh...
Filth and grime, oh, so sublime, awaits me when I get there,
Such a sweet scent fills the air, it makes me think of ho-o-ome...

Ba sha da do da dop, wop wop, ain't nothin' gonna stop me now,
Ain't nothin' gonna slow me down, as I go, go, go...
Ba da do da do dop de dah, sha-ba, sha-be, oh whoa whoa,
Hey baby, don't you fret, the boogeyman ain't late for his date, with you... quite yet.

Oh whoa, whoa! Snow, sleet and hail, I like you even as I ail,
Because really, you and me are a pair, about the wide wide world neither of us care,
We just do what nature compels us to do and make the fleshbags rue...
The day... they... encountered us... oh yeah, ha ha ha...”

Cancer grinned widely at this, licking his teeth slowly as he nodded firmly, prancing down a path that had formed naturally in the snow before he slipped easily forwards and into a narrow tunnel, belting out and making frozen icicles above shiver violently with his echoing voice:

“Yeah, why would I waste my time on dealin' with Helheim,
Not when nature is so much sweeter and crueler...
She's the bitch-queen of the apocalypse, she lights fires and drowns babies,
And she and me are one-two-three and the same!

Hey, hey, hey, yeah... ba-da-ba-do. do-dop, oh whoa ho-ho oh no, no, no! Yes! No! Yes!
Yeah, nature-nature honey, gimme another kiss, of your poisons and your pain!
I'll put up with your ice if we can cut a deal, and you pump your poisons into my veins,
Yeah, gimme your poison, gimme your pain, gimme your last long breath,
'Cause I'm here doin' just what Momma Nature intended, bringing disease and spite and... and...

death.” rasped the monster, his head twitching to the side as his eyes glowed fierce red, and then he gargled before looking up with an insane, twisted grin as he walked out of the other side of the tunnel, as the wind howled as if in response to his song. “Yeah... you and me gonna get along just fine... I gotta stop being so selfish! But it's hard, hard, hard, when you make me so sleepy, sweetie... ooh, cold is freezing up my joints, getting in my veins, but I know, baby nature, I know you got big plans for me... you want me to kill those suckers, is that it? You're softening 'em up for me with all this biting wet and cold... oh, but why can't you rain acid? Vomit up a volcano? March on in a horde of parasites and cockroaches and diseased vermin? Ooh, gimme a snack! Gimme a sign!”

Above, there was a rumble, and Cancer looked up almost excitedly as he stepped into an open valley before a powerful gust of wind snapped by, stirring up a wave of snow from the top of one side of cliffs and sending a thick wave of white powder washing down and splashing over the monster. Cancer yelped as he was buried beneath the snow before snarling in frustration, then shivering once as the frost began to work its way into his veins again, hurriedly starting to claw his way out as he rasped: “I get that you wanna put me to bed, Momma Nature, but oh, no, no, please, I gotta make my way to that village... I gotta keep me awake, not asleep...”

The monster emerged from the blanket of snow, gasping before he hissed as another wave of snow burst down over him, and Cancer gargled before his mottled white skin started to turn faint blue. He shivered violently, then began to shake himself rapidly, but just as he began to heat up the wind kicked up again, and a shelf of snow clinging to the cliffs just above him trembled before collapsing. Powder and chunks of ice and thick sheets of snow splashed down over the monster, knocking him flat and burying him deep beneath the snow as he squeaked, knocked senseless for a few moments... and then Cancer's red eyes stuttered before he whimpered weakly: “But I didn't do nothing wrong, Momma Nature! Why are you sending... me to... bed...”

Slowly, Cancer's red eyes became like crimson glass, as mottled white body became brittle and icy beneath the blanket of frost and snow... and by morning, when the snow finally stopped, the monster was left buried beneath almost a dozen feet of snow and ice, a frozen statue buried in a deep gorge somewhere in the wild mountains around Canterlot. For now, the destruction entity had been stalled... but as the overzealous sun gazed down from above and heated the world, the melting ice made it clear it wouldn't be entombed forever.

Comments

[BarrenBaron]

Why is Cancer seriously starting to remind me of some sort of singing, even more unhinged version of Alex Mercer?

[Icthelight]

and Celestia did, smiling little now and then
Alright, I'm feeling too guilty now to not let you know what I figured out xD.
You know you could just go ctrl + f and the search for double spaces and you'd find them all? The only reason I hesitated in telling you this is because I still want to feel useful, and these things are pretty much the only errors I found nowadays

[Icthelight]

Equestria is aware of the threat he poses and we should
Gah.
Tell me whether I should continue posting these or not. Until then, I'll continue posting =)

[Koekelbag]

Slip-up:

of all of them, she handled the weather almost as well as Twilight Sparkle and Celestia did, smiling little now and then at Antares

Feels like there's an "a" missing in between.

Also... huh, Cancer seems to have a much deeper personality than I originally thought, what with the "chief" and the random eyes glowing red.
Fascinating...

Lastly, note to self: Don't skim through older story comments to see if the author replied to them, spoilers will happen. (If you're wondering wich one I'm talking about at the moment of writing, Rose, select newest comments->go to page 3->read (wich I accidently did) top comment, it should be from Lelouch)
God...fucking...dammit...

[BlackRoseRaven]

5568730

Cancer is... he's both very hollow, but there's just enough chaos to give him a bit of crazy personality in there.
And. Well. Yes. I uh. Don't know what to say to that except uh. This story is pretty rough, yes. I hope that doesn't ruin everything for you.