Dying Embers

by MrSpartan

Hate Leads to Suffering

Editor's Note: Fixed some things I missed earlier. Sorry.

“Sire, is something wrong?” inquired Turluck. He sensed his master was in some kind of pain. The magic wielding group had made great time while heading back to group up with the warriors who had headed to the Capitol through the Everfree Forest. The reason for their superextremeawsoamazing gain in ground? The Adamantine Golem had used the sigils still glowing with untapped astral energy to teleport the company far enough that, after regaining their bearings, allowed them to meet the others before the attack. The Golem had also cowed all beasts away. It also cleared the way across the rapidly thinning jungle turned forest by brutishly smashing everything in its way.

They had nearly caught up now. They had stopped temporarily for a moment to catch their breath and to drink and eat a portion of their rations. It was starting to get too dark to travel safely. Illitheous was currently clutching his bony hand with the black ring on it as if his whole life depended on it. The thing was, it kind of did. The same forces that allowed him to keep breathing were extracting their impatient toll, rather painfully at that. He had taken too long and his body was suffering for it…slowly. The ring was glowing once more as the magic imbued in it demanded what it had been forced there for.

“It’s nothing. Just a flesh wound,” said the deathly being.

“But sire,” protested the healer and enchanter "that hand doesn’t even have any flesh on it. Unless you broke it the only possible problem is a poison of some sort in the bone marrow or some kind of magical trauma. Let me see if I can help.”

He moved closer to inspect the hand. Instead Illitheous’s loud commanding voice took a rather invasive inspection of Turluck’s eardrums; violating them in new and horrible ways. “I said it’s nothing whelp! Learn when you services are not wanted!”

Turluck was hurt at that. He was just trying to ease the pain Illitheous was in. If he doesn’t want any help, fine. Let him revel in the affliction he so clearly wants to keep. “As you wish. I know when I’m not wanted.” He got up from the ground near his leader and went back to the others who had been staring since the outburst. They were still farther away near the Golem. Some were still enraptured at its design and discussing the possible properties and capabilities of the ancient construct; oblivious of the little argument between the commander and Turluck.

Illitheous observed his departure. The healer could do nothing for his pain. Nothing ever could. It was a seemingly permanent price he had unwittingly paid in order to keep both him and his dream alive. A dream of the land he had once called home being reclaimed by its rightful rulers. That, along with humanity being remembered forever, not forgotten like a crazy relative the family never talked about. They would not be forgotten.

He would make sure of that.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

It had been roughly half a month since the Princesses and the Elements of Harmony had gathered to decide how to address the news of a substantial threat heading to Equestria. Although they had tried to be optimistic about it, they were all still worried. Celestia was still insisting she knew only what she had said while doing her best to ready the defenses. Twilight was doing intense research on different types of spells and trying to find out more about humans. The other Elements trained as best they could, in case push came to shove. Luna had gone back to the Everfree Forest to watch for any sign of danger. On one particularly clear night as she sat on a tall hill overlooking much of the forest, she spotted smoke and light on the horizon.

“Wonderful isn’t it?”

Luna gasped as she heard the voice of the deathly figure sitting next to her, legs hanging off the steep
hillside. How did he get there? Did he teleport? Luna wondered before saying,

"What?”

“Can’t you see little Luna?” said Illitheous. “It’s the return of our Empire. We will reclaim our glory and the lands your sister and parents have stolen. We will not fade away as a forgotten myth in history as the weavers of fate might have us,” he said with an unsettling flatness.

“Tis hardlya good thing creature. Your return is to be nothing but an attempt at invasion.” Luna said.

Illitheous slowly, deliberately turned toward Luna, his scowl showing in the pale moonlight. “You would have us all die then?” He began to get to his feet. His ripped, moth eaten trench coat flowing in the gentle breeze.
“You would wouldn’t you? You and your sister would see us all wiped from your perfect little utopia. We don’t matter to you. You long lived ruling beings are all the same.” His voice raised a decibel.

Luna stepped back a few paces. She could see the sudden anger, no the HATRED, showing in the eyes of this entity of old.

“You think us mere insects...an inconvenience to be crushed and ignored. You live so very long while we die in the blink of an eye to you,” Illitheous continued. “Well Princess we refused to die quietly. We’ve clawed our way out of the grave your family so happily dug for us!” The dark form was practically towering over Luna now.

“I don’t know what thou speakest of,” Luna said quietly. She wasn’t about to be cowed, but she was beginning to feel a chill within her chest.

“LIES!!! Surely by now you are old enough to have learned the truth! I will deeply enjoy crushing your sister’s windpipe. Perhaps I’ll make you and all your subjects watch.” Illitheous paused. The open tear that exposed his teeth, cheek, jawbone, and a bit of his neck prominently displayed the grinding motion his canines were now using. “I was going to spare you since you were just a baby during our near genocide. I now see you will only turn out as bad as your parents, always obsessed with order. Order is an illusion used by those in power to step on the weak.

“But now…” he took a step closer.

“We’re…” the air around him shimmered “..STRONG!” At that moment his whole body resembled a fiery version of his skeletal hand. Although his clothes were unscathed his entire body was lit up brighter then a bonfire.

He lunged at Princess Luna; but before he made contact there was a brief flash of light. The next thing he knew, he had hit the dirt where the Princess had been. As Illitheous scanned the top of the surrounding hillside he saw nothing but the trees below and the dark sky mocking him. As the darkness washed over him like the flames over his skull he unleashed a guttural roar. Cursing the gods, as he knew they sat in heaven, laughing at his failures once more.
“AAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaahhh!!!”

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

It was in the middle of the day. Big Macintosh sat across from his little sister, the familiar scent of hay and apples filling his nostrils. They were presently in the main barn sitting at an old, wood table with a pitcher of juice set between them. Two empty cups sat on opposite ends of the table. Big Macintosh, or Big Mac which is what most called him, had finished his chores early when Apple Bloom had approached him asking for some help with her math homework. Not being one to decline helping his family, Big Mac had agreed. He wasn’t one for words but he did his best to explain things to his beloved little sister.

“…and then ya carry the two,” he finished telling Apple Bloom.

“Ugh. All this fancy mathematics is giving me a headache. Why can’t ah be as good at this as you big brother?” the little filly complained.

“Your doin’ fine. Now…” Big Mac trailed off mid-sentence.

Apple Bloom grew alarmed at this. “Big brother?”

“Shhhhh,” went Big Mac.

Something was wrong. He stared at the pitcher of apple juice he had placed in the middle of the table. There were little ripples in the center.
-
Thud.
Ripple.
-
THUD.
RIPPLE.
-
THUD.
RIPPLE.

Just then the workhorse’s eyes widened in realization. The back side of the three story barn splintered to pieces. Down!” exclaimed Big Macintosh as he jolted across the table to shield the filly from the shrapnel that had zoomed at them like blood thirsty timber wolves. A few of the wooden hazards punctured their way into the red colt’s back. He only grunted quietly in pain. Apple Bloom couldn’t stop herself from looking at the back of the new diet barn. (With only half the calories and half the barn!) There was a cloud of dust where a wall had been only an instant earlier.

Then, through it walked a scary looking animal in black with some of its bones exposed.

“I’m back.”

It marched closer to the both of them, a dangerous grimace on its features. Big Mac turned around despite the pain. He would keep his sister safe from this monster that obviously meant them harm. The colt didn’t bother with a warning as he ran up, turned and gave a light buck to the monster’s chest. Even a weak kick from him should be more then enough to knock it out. He inwardly cringed at the unmistakable sound of cracking ribs. Illitheous stumbled back only a single step. His grimace turned to a look of angered insult. He growled as he put full force behind a punch that landed perfectly onto Big Mac’s face, sending him flying a foot above the ground followed by a crash into a support beam. It almost collapsed
as his heavy physique made contact.

“Don’t pass out yet. I’m not done with you,” Illitheous said through gritted teeth.

Big Macintosh was struggling to remain conscious despite the darkness that threatened to eclipse his vision. The nearly dead entity picked him up by the wood harness he wore around his neck. Holding him up with his good hand Illitheous then proceeded to beat him with the other. Illitheous was grinning with his natural disaster of a face when there was a tiny, yet slightly powerful, kick to the back of his right knee. He buckled down to one leg as the other gave out from under him. Big Mac dropped to the floor, still fighting to stay awake. His face had changed from red to a deep purple from the bruises already forming.

“Leave mah brother alone! What’d he ever do tah you?” Apple Bloom shouted.

No! Big Mac thought. Run away! But he couldn’t get his mouth to move. Illitheous got back up and effortlessly picked up the little filly by the mane. She squirmed and wiggled to get free but it was pointless. To Big Mac’s surprise the thing above him only stared at her, not hurting her at all. Even more to his surprise, a gigantic metal creature whose likes he had never seen before, now moved past the still thick dust cloud with its head smashing into lower parts of the ceiling. It didn’t seem to notice whatsoever. The strangeness continued as many other creatures similar to the one holding Apple Bloom strode in after it. He could hear Granny Smith crankily complaining from somewhere outside. The deathly being looked back down at Big Macintosh then, his boot becoming all he could see. Before it collided with his cranium only one thought sailed into his brain. Where are Applejack and ‘er friends when you need ‘em?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Where is Big Macintosh when ya need him? Applejack mentally complained. Couldn’t he fill in for me in just one of these silly get-togethers?

Honestly she knew the biweekly meetings with Princess Celestia were important and she knew only the bearers of the elements were reporting their preparations in order to keep ready when the humans arrived. But she still wished somepony could fill in for her on one of these boring meetings just once. The only training the mare had been able to really do was some common strength exercises. It’s not like she was under the tutelage of some mystical sensei or anything like that. “I’ve gotten a might stronger” was all she ever really had to report anyway.

Twilight was explaining the different spells and the tidbits of info she had scavenged from old tomes about humans since the last meeting when Princess Luna surprised everypony by popping up in the throne room after a blinding flash of light.

“Luna,” Celestia said. “I haven’t seen you since yesterday evening. Where have you been?”

Luna was gasping for breath as she answered her sister. “I was avoiding the human’s search efforts via teleportation. The humans have some kind of incantation that prevented my teleporting the closer one of them gets. I only gained enough distance just now.” Luna’s tone changed to an even more serious level. “Sister, they must be at Ponyville by now. We must go immediately!”

The residents of said village eyes’ widened in fear at those words. They were here having a meeting while their homes, families, and other friends were in danger!

“Everypony to my chariot immediately! It’s the fastest way to Ponyville without teleporting,” Princess Celestia ordered. She turned to one of the stallions in gold armor near the doors and extended a hoof his way. “Guard, tell the captain to gather all the soldiers still stationed here at Canterlot and send them to Ponyville!”

“Yes, your Majesty!” the guard said with a swift salute.

Rainbow Dash’s impatient look that usually accompanied her increased several levels. “Your guards aren’t fast enough, Princess! I’ll head out ahead and meet you guys there.” RD began flying at the nearest open window.

“HOLD IT!” exclaimed all the others, including the Princesses, loudly.

Dash looked back just then right before turning her attention back forward, only to face-plant into the wall instead of going out the window as she had planned.

“We need to stick together for this RD,” Apple Jack said.

“We can’t separate now when the elements are needed together most. Remember, we’re strongest together,” explained Twilight Sparkle.

“I concur darling. Now is not the time for flying off the handle,” Rarity said.

“Besides Dashie, we always beat the bad guys with the power of friendship! How can you use the power of friendship if all your friends are miles away?” Pinkie excitedly stated.

“Uh, well, I agree with the others. I hope that’s ok Rainbow,” Fluttershy mumbled.

“Your friends are right. You must stand united if you are to defeat this foe and save Equestria,” Celestia decreed.

Luna was content to only nod in confirmation of the others points. Rainbow Dash flapped back over to them with a slightly defeated look spread across her features, her forelegs crossed together in frustration.

“Ok fine, but we better not be too late.”

Auther's Note: Picture Provided by OnixBlood from the website deviantart.com

Comments

[Khorne]

I'm now imagining OUR human race (No magic or that stuff) suddenly popping up out of nowhere and fighting off the other humans/
wat

[Mehnlo]

270175
Guns for the gun god? Bullets for the bullet throne?