This was the thought that echoed through Will Iredet's head as he fled from the one he loved. She hunted him. Hated him, and that stung worse than any knife, any venom.
Darting between two trees, he dodged a blast of magic meant for him, though he knew it wouldn't have killed him. Though to stumble might mean seeing her face, and his heart could not bear that sorrow. If she were to catch him, he would have to face her wrath.
"Celestia..." He choked out between sobs, then a small laugh. "Why have thou forsaken me?"
Another blast of magic turned the tree next to him into wooden shrapnel. He doubted she got the joke. He continued to run. He could have flown, transformed and escaped. Not even Celestia could hope to keep up with him while he bore wings. Yet his internal fire, his light, felt dim. Nearly extinguished.
The sound of her hoofsteps stopped. She had given up the chase.
"If all you want to do is flee and cower, so be it! It's not like you ever did anything else!" She called out.
The words hurt, but Will continued to run. He had to fix this. If only he knew how. His grip tightened around the last item in his possession, a relic from an age long past.
But how had it ended up in a museum? A weapon like this... Will thought, rubbing his thumb over the sliver revolver, noting the odd symbol engraved in several places on the gun. A firearm like this, in such a peaceful place? No, it came from somewhere else.
Will had stolen it as had fled Canterlot from Princess Celestia. Sadly it wasn't the only reason she was after his blood.
Will flew up higher and higher, till Canterlot was but a tiny speck on the mountain. Though the wind was cold this high up, He/She (Will was never quite sure of the gender this form had) could feel the sun warm his already fiery back. He loved to fly, it made him feel truly alive. With a deep breath, he started to dive. His heart began to race faster and faster, he pulled his wings closer to his body, and began to go into complete free fall. THIS is what he lived for, what he enjoyed about this form. The fact he could fly.
He expanded his wings, and slowly pulled out of the dive. The G-forces tugged at his sleek body, a blazing red streak trailing behind him. He finally leveled out, and headed towards his room in Canterlot Castle, high up in one of the towers. The entertaining thing about where he lived was that there were no stairs leading up the tower. The only entrance being a small balcony, which means the only way to get in is if you could fly. But this was not what Will was thinking at this point in time. He was thinking about the work ahead of him.
As he landed on the balcony, there was a orange flash, and he returned to human form. He strode into the room, and glanced at his desk. Just as he expected, there were six scrolls laying in a stack on the desk. He picked up two, glancing at who they were addressed to. One was to be given to a Mr. Ironclaw, which Will knew to be the griffon diplomat to Equestria, the other being addressed to the head administrator of Canterlot Archive. Will stuffed both scrolls in his overcoat's pockets and stepped back over to the balcony. With an orange flash, Philomena soared away.
Gruff Ironclaw was in a particularly good mood, he was never known to be a very happy being, even for a griffon, but today he was quite joyous. He had purposed a lower tariff on the trade of goods between The Griffon kingdom and Equestria, and Princess Celestia seemed to support the idea. It made sense really, both countries would profit from a raise in exports and imports. She had said she needed to talk it over with her advisors. Ironclaw was simply sitting in his office awaiting her response.
Suddenly a crimson and orange phoenix flew though the open window. It perched on top of an empty chair, and looked at the griffon.
"Oh, hello Philomena, you must be here to deliver the Princess's response to my idea." The Phoenix nodded slightly, and ducked its head under one wing, and pulled out the scroll that Ironclaw was to receive. She placed the scroll in the griffon's claw and flew of to the window sill.
"YES! YES! She said yes!" Ironclaw shouted.
Guess he's happy about what ever Celestia told him. Will thought to himself, rolling his eyes. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Note Book was up to her eyeballs in paperwork, though that's to be expected, running the Canterlot Archive and such. Still, she was backed up a bit more that normal. She let out a big sigh, it was going to take her all day to file all of it. Then she noticed a phoenix darting in between bookshelves, and grew quite pale. She was always afraid that bird would set something on fire.
Who let that accursed bird in here anyway? She thought to herself. "Well hello there sweetie." She said in a sickly sweet voice.
That said "Accursed bird" landed on the edge of her desk. Will knew that Note Book didn't like him, and he didn't like her right back. He ducked his head under his wing, pulled out the scroll, and spat it out on her desk and took off.
If she doesn't like Phoenixes, well that's her problem. Will thought to himself. Two scrolls down, four to go... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Two hours later Will finally finished his duties. He landed on the balcony and with a flash, morphed back to human form, and flopped on the small couch in his room.
I'll just take a quick nap, then I have to pack for tomorrow. Soon he slipped into unconsciousness, and he dreamed a wonderful dream. A dream where he was back at his house on the beach, with his family. The family he was ripped away from oh so long ago. He missed them so much. He liked his new life a lot, but he would trade it all away in a heartbeat for his old life. It was....simpler, less complicated and worrisome, and he still had his family.
Will awoke at the sound of ringing, and pulled out his pocket watch. Three hours? I was asleep for three HOURS? Sheesh, I wasn't that tired was I? Uhhhgggg! I gotta pack! He ran to his small closet and grabbed a few pairs of clothing. Then pulled his suitcase out from under his desk. Clothing, check. hmmm what else will I need? Oh, duh. The Bits that Celestia gave me for the trip, check. Pocket watch, check. Sunglasses, check. Ha, this is going to be one heck of a vacation. Will briefly wondered who was going to deliver the Princess's letters and run her personal errands while he was gone, but thought better of it. No need worrying about my job while I'm on vacation. He reasoned.
This is going to be my chance to rest, relax, and heck maybe make a few friends too, and I am going to enjoy every minute of it. Suddenly Will perked up, Oh, Celestia needs me. Hmm, wonder what she could need me for this time. He walked over to the balcony, got a running start, and leapt off. There was an orange flash and Will morphed in mid-air. He did always enjoy doing things with a little drama, even if no one was actually watching. If you don't do something with style, why do it at all? That's the way Will liked to do things, with a little flair, because why not?
"I'm going to ask once more, WHY are you going to Ponyville?"
"Because I need a vacation?" Will responded, attempting to hide a smile.
"That's not the answer I'm looking for William." Celestia muttered."
"Ooo, you never use my full name unless I've done something wrong. Have I done something wrong?"
This had been going on for quite some time, awhile back Luna, Discord and Will made a pact. That pack was to mess with the Princess of the sun when ever possible. At first Will thought it was mean spirited, but eventually realized that Celestia needed a way to break the seriousness her job entitled.
"Moving on...I have a few ground rules for your little trip."
"Wait a minute...rules? What KIND of rules?"
"Three simple rules to help you stay out of trouble. Its not much, and I'm guessing you would follow them anyway."
"Such as?" Will was slightly curious as to what the Princess thought his moral code was.
"One, Don't hurt anypony, I know this goes without saying but still... sometimes I wonder about you."
"Heh, I completely trust you too."
Celestia rolled her eyes before continuing, "Two, Help out however you can. This isn't just a leisure trip you know."
"Well, I think I can mange that."
"Three, don't get yourself hurt. I know how you tend to put yourself at unnecessary risk, and quite frankly I do not like it. Just because you have that feather does NOT mean you are entirely invincible."
"Yes Ma'am!" Will said, saluting in a very comical fashion.
"Oh, and one last thing, try not to burn the whole village, not many ponies remember why Las Pegasus is built in the clouds, but I do."
That comment made Will cringe slightly. "Oh....yea...I was hoping you forgot about that too."
Celestia let out an exasperated sigh, then told Will he was dismissed. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sometimes, she is waaaaaay to easy to mess with. Will thought to himself as he flew laps around Canterlot. Moving along... I've got the rest of the day to myself. Well I could finish reading the book about Hydra...
Will leaned against the side of the train car's wall. The car was empty, a precaution the princesses put in motion, probably so Will wouldn't cause some kind of panic. Few knew of his true existence, and he preferred to keep it that way.
As Twilight approached the train station, she noticed many ponies glancing in her direction. Some we're even staring, others we're whispering to one another.
I suppose they wouldn't expect a princess to just be walking around Canterlot alone.
When she entered the reserved train car, she noticed the tall biped she was to be traveling with, his back to the one wall. He had his eyes shut, but didn't appear to be sleeping. He just seemed to be standing there.
"Ah Ms. Sparkle, I was wondering if you would ever get here." He said with a sly grin.
"Will! Good to see you...I think. How did you know I was here?"
"Eh, a great magician never reveals his secrets." Twilight rolled her eyes.
"So, I have a BUNCH of questions to ask you, and I didn't get to really ask you any of them last time we met." Twilight asked as the train began to roll into motion.
"Oh dear... what exactly have I gotten myself into this time." Will mumbled to himself.
"So, first question, How did you acquire that blue phoenix feather?"
Will looked up, reminiscing. "That's a story for another time, lets just say it was a gift from Starswirl the Bearded."
"You KNEW Starswirl the Bearded?!?!" Twilight shouted, excited that someone who knew her idol might have a chance to shed some light on his history.
"I was afraid of this." Will said, face palming. "We're moving off track, what's the next question?"
"Oh, yea, of course, second question. Where are you from, exactly?"
"I'm from a place that's so far away, I will never see it again. My home, my family. Never again will I see the place where I truly belong." Will said, sadness in his voice. He let out a big sigh. "In this world, I. Am. Alone." A single tear crawled down Twilight's cheek.
"Sorry... I didn't want to bring up bad memories..."
"Its fine. Moving on! I do think that its time for the next question!" Will stated, hoping to change the subject.
"Oh yes! Third question, why do you serve the princess?"
"Because, Miss Sparkle, I have nothing better to do. Absolutely nothing."
"Errr ok? What does that mean?"
"Twilight, after a certain length of time, I have done most of the things on my bucket list."
"What's a bucket list?" Twilight asked, noting that Will had used her first name for the first time.
"It's a list of thing you want to do before you die, I've done them all and due to that fact I still have this feather, I am not dying anytime in the near future. In a word, I am bored."
"Huh. Guess somepony needs a hobby." Twilight muttered
"Ok, first, I'm not a pony, second I DO have a hobby. I do favors for the princess." Will retorted.
"Moving on again... next question."
"How many questions do you have?" Will asked.
"Lets see..." Twilight responded, squinting at the scroll in front of her. "What number comes after Trillion?"
"For the love of all that is holy." Will exclaimed as he face palmed hard.
Nine Quadrillion questions later, and Will believed every possible question in the history of the multiverse was asked at some point on that train. The questions started getting ridiculous after a few hundred, such as "What color is your liver?"
Will really was beginning to believe that mare was crazy...
"FINALLY WE'RE HERE!" He yelled, With a flash, he had transformed and flew out the window, leaving a speechless Twilight behind.
As she stepped off the train she noticed Will/Philomena soaring above Ponyville train station. She also noted that many ponies we're looking up at the fire bird as it did tricks.
So much for not attracting attention. Still, its nice not to be the focus of everyone's attention for once.
After a moment, Philomena landed on Twilight's head. Twilight wasn't entirely happy about this.
"Will you get off my head?" Twilight muttered, Philomena either didn't hear her, or didn't care. (Probably a combination of both.)
The unlikely group headed towards the library, Twilight muttering the entire way.
"You know that it would be nice if you could stop being so difficult to deal with all the time." Twilight said. Philomena didn't respond.
Finally they arrived at the tree house. Spike greeted them at the door. "Hey Twilight, nice you finally made it back, but why did you bring Philomena?" The baby dragon inquired.
"Because He...errr I mean she, is going to being staying with us for a while."
"Um, why?"
"It's hard to explain, but can you please get the rest of the girls together, but I have something to show them."
Finally Spike arrived back at the library with the rest of the elements of harmony. Twilight stood there, while Philomena was perched on a nearby shelf.
"So Twilight, what have you brought us all here for?" Rarity asked.
"Yea, Spike didn't really say much bout it, just said you wanted to show us somthin?" Applejack said.
"Is it something cool?" Rainbow Dash asked.
Twilight took a deep breath. "Sort of. It would be best if Will explained it."
"Uh, who's this Will feller?" Applejack asked.
Twilight glanced over to Philomena and nodded. "Show them." The Phoenix fly to the center of the room, and with an orange flash of light, there stood the tall human. He smiled meekly.
"Um, hello?" He said sheepishly.
Suddenly the jaws of five mares and one dragon hit the floor.
That's all Rainbowdash managed to say. She and the others just stood there dumbfounded. Everything was quiet for a moment before...
"WHAT!!! YOU COULD HAVE TOLD ME YOU WOULD HAVE BEEN FINE? WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY SOMETHING?"
Five mares a dragon and Will looked to who had the outburst, its was Fluttershy, she seemed mad, VERY mad.
"Well, I was trying to help you learn a lesson, everything turned out ok in the end didn't it? Though getting force fed medicine and chased through town by Twilight and you was not exactly my cup of tea, I couldn't just go around revealing myself to everypony now could I?" Will responded. "Besides, I had a chest cold that week. I was kinda stuck in Phoenix form. Not much I could do now could I?"
"B-but....I don't understand!" Rarity exclaimed. "Who are you and what have you done with the princess's pet?"
To this, Will rolled his eyes. "I AM the princess's pet. Sort of, in a way. and Who am I? Well since everypony is here, I suppose a proper introduction is in order." Will began to fiddle with his coat for a moment.
"My name is William Benson, I am one thousand seven hundred and eighty three years old, I posses the only known blue phoenix feather, and I am the only human being in this world."
"That was...pretty cool." Rainbowdash said.
"Heh. Guess I've always been good at drama." Will chortled. "I suppose you all know something about that." Everypony laughed at that.
"Spike? You ok? you've been kind of quiet." Twilight asked in a concerned tone.
"Twilight...we need to get everypony out of the building right now. When I went on the Dragon Migration, I heard a few of the legends about the monsters known as humans... Twilight we are all in danger!"
"Ah HAHAHAHAHA, ah that's funny," Will said, wiping a tear out of his eye with a finger. "I've heard those legends, almost NONE of them are true!" Even if they were, what's the worse thing they say?"
"Y-your kind, they KILL dragons." Spike said accusingly. At this all the ponies in the room gasped.
"Oh ho ho ho, No see, theres a reason they are called legends, myths, stories. None of it is true, besides the fact that if it was, why haven't I attacked you yet? Being a dragon and all..."
"But-but-but..." Spike stuttered.
"You might want to be careful who you accuse of what they haven't done." Will said with a smirk.
"You know Will, you can be kinda mean sometimes." Twilight said.
"I blame being around politics for nearly a thousand years. It does things to you, indescribable horrible things." Will said, trying to hold back a smile.
"Well aren't you just a ray of sunshine." Rarity muttered.
"Nope that's usually Celestia's job." Will said, laughing.
"But just one question, if your technically a human, why did the Princess have you in the cage last time we meet?" Fluttershy asked.
"Probably because she still can't trust me in a public place." Will said Cheekily.
"Some how I done think that bodes well for us." Twilight said under her breath.
"So anyhow, Rainbow, wanna race later?" Will asked.
"Really? You wanna race?" Rainbow dash responded. "Ok I guess, but prepare to lose."
"Oh no, I am aware that there will be a loser, but they won't be standing on two legs." Will said with a grin.
"Oh, It. Is. On." Rainbow said. "There is no way you can beat the fastest flier in Equestria!"
"One problem with that logic, I'm not from Equestria."
"Oh yea? Where ya from then?" Applejack inquired. Will winced at the question, he never liked talking about where he was from,
"A-a place, far from here, a place where the land met the sea, where it was always warm, where what seems impossible here happens there on a regular day, and vice-versa. Magic? Ha, where I'm from its a myth."
"But magic isn't a myth! It is a proven scientific fact!" Twilight said, flustered that the one thing that means the most to her was being called a MYTH.
"Not where I'm from it isn't, either humans never found it, or it just doesn't exist there. I'm not sure."
"Interesting, It would make sense that this piece of Q&A would have come up at some point in the train scene last chapter..." Pinkie Pie said, rubbing her chin with her hoof.
"Pinkie, what are you talking about?" Twilight asked, utterly confused.
"Oh? Nothing! Carry on!"
" So any who, we should go to Sugarcube corner, I want a cupcake, and last time I was there I was in a cage. Anypony wanna come? My treat!" Will said, lifting a bag of Bits from his coat pocket.
"But Will! Your in human form! other ponies will freak out!" Twilight said franticly.
"Oh, Miss Sparkle, You have much to learn about me, first, risks mean nothing. Now then, lets go! Allon~y!"
And with that shout, Will and company walked outside, only to be met with strange stares from everypony that went past. (Not that Will particularly cared.) As they walked along however, a pair of eyes was watching from a nearby bush. Those eyes stared at the Biped with such hate, such fury, such anger. If looks could kill, the human would be dead already.
Finally, I have found the Demon, now I can finish what my master tried to do so many years before. His eradication will by my glory, soon he will taste my blade. Tread this town with care, human, for it will be the last place you will ever see.
Will walked along with the Elements of Harmony and Spike, the latter grumbling due to the fact he didn't trust this human. Will was whistling a tune, he was having difficulty doing this because he was trying not to smile. Every pony in town had shut themselves up inside their houses. Will briefly wondered if coming to Ponyville was as good an idea as he had thought earlier.
"So Will, on the train you said you travelled quite a bit, where did you go?" Twilight asked him, breaking into his line of thought.
"Around the world." Will said, a silly grin on his face. "I've always wanted to try this."
"Around the world. Around the world. Around the world." Will repeated, as he began to dance.
Pinkie Pie was the second to join in the dancing, followed quickly by Rainbow Dash, though Rainbow had no idea what exactly was going on. The entire time Will was singing in a strange voice that wasn't his own, but seemed to fit the song fairly well. Soon, the rest of the Elements began to dance, leaving Spike very confused.
The group continued down the street, dance/walking the entire way. To an average passerby, this would seem quite ridiculous, to somepony who lives in Ponyville however, this is known as a Wednesday. Eventually the music began to die down, and the group walked to Sugarcube Corner. When they got there, Pinkie Pie bounced ahead, into the building.
"Mr. and Mrs. Cake! I brought my friends! And a new one too! He's funny!" Pinkie Pie said, as the rest of the group made their way inside.
"Oh, how nice dear. Glad to welcome you to Ponyville, how long will you be-..." The words died in Mrs. Cake's mouth when she saw Will.
"What is it honey?" Mr. Cake said, stepping into the room. "What's the-...matter."
"Pinkie Pie, just one question. What is THAT?" Mrs. Cake asked.
"Will, at your service." he said, bowing.
"Oh my, What a gentlecolt." Rarity said, Impressed by his manners. Will rolled his eyes.
"Now then, everypony get whatever you like, I'm paying." Will said, pulling out his bag of bits.
"I'll have a strawberry cupcake." Twilight said.
"I'll have one too!" Pinkie Pie agreed.
"I'll have ah me ah apple pie slice." Applejack announced.
"I believe I would like a chocolate éclair." Rarity stated.
"Uhhh, can I get a cupcake?" Rainbow Dash said.
"C-can I get a slice of angel cake?" Fluttershy asked meekly.
"Do you have any gem cupcakes?" Spike inquired.
"Emerald, ruby, and topaz." Mrs. Cake listed.
"Hmm, I'll get the ruby." Spike decided.
"And I'll get a whole chocolate cake with chocolate frosting." Will said.
"Umm...What? How could you possibly eat all that cake?" Twilight asked skeptically.
"You have no idea how many calories switching forms burns up." Will said, heaving a big sigh. "And I haven't eaten much else today."
"Well, we'll get your order out to you as soon as possible." Mrs. Cake said.
The group found a table, with Will awkwardly sitting in a chair not designed for a being of his size.
"So...um...Will? Why you in Ponyville anyways? Don'tcha usually travel with the princess in...bird shape or somthin'?" Applejack said.
"Not right now, I'm on vacation." Will responded. And what a vacation its been so far.
"But why choose Ponyville?" Rarity asked.
"Why not? I'm in Canterlot too much. I need a break from the big city. My usual day is often more than a little hectic."
"How so?" Rarity wondered.
"I am Celestia's personal messenger, and I do a lot of deliveries, mostly to foreign ambassadors and dignitaries. And the occasionally grumpy Canterlot archivist."
"So you've met Note Book, huh?" Twilight said.
"Yea, yea I know her." Will said, massaging his temples.
"Your order is finished." Mrs. Cake declared, pushing two metal carts of pastries to their table.
"That is one big cake..." Applejack said, in awe.
"Yes. Yes it is. With chocolate sprinkles, and layers. And I intend to eat every last bite." Will said, rubbing his hands together, eyes on the cake.
The ponies and Spike watched in fascination as the human consumed an entire chocolate cake that was almost as big as he was. With a little fork. In under five minutes.
The pony wore a hooded robe that hid it's face and most of it's body, including, most importantly, it's Cutie Mark. It kept out of sight so as not too arouse suspicion, and hurried out of town towards the Everfree Forest. Once arriving there, it found the shack they knew all too well, right on the northern edge of the forest.
It made their way to the door, and knocked.
Rap-rap-tap-tap-rap
The door opened slightly. All the pony could see was one bleary eye poking out of the shadows from house.
"That cake was delicious." Will said contentedly, licking his fingers.
"I'm sure it was," Twilight grumbled. "So what is next on your list of things to do?"
"Number four, race: Rainbow Dash." Will responded.
"Wait, number four? We've only did one!" Twilight said.
"Nope, three. One: freak out your friends, Two: random musical number, Three: eat more cake then humanly possible." Will said with a stupid grin, rubbing his stomach.
Twilight resisted the urge to facehoof.
"So Rainbow, are you ready to race?" Will inquired.
"You bet!" Rainbow replied.
"Ok lets find a nice field to start off in." Will answered.
Soon they found a nice area of soft grass outside of town.
"Ok, first one to Canterlot and back wins - Twilight, your the ref." Will said.
"All the way to Canterlot? Are you nuts?" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.
"What? Think you can't handle it?" Will said mockingly.
"Oh, it is ON! Let's DO this!" Rainbow Dash yelled.
"Three, Two, One, GO!" Twilight yelled. There was a flash and Rainbow Dash and Philomena flew off faster than greased lightning. Faster and faster, till....
......sonic rainboom. Rainbow Dash left Will in the metaphoric dust. She was laughing at how slow Will was going. Suddenly she heard a noise like thunder, it was if the very air trembled. Rainbow looked back, and saw what at first looked like a ball of fire, then realized that it was Philomena. She rocketed past, and Rainbow Dash swore she saw a grin on the bird's beak.
That's impossible. She thought to herself. Nothing can go faster than a sonic rainboom. She was wrong, Will had magic on his side. Normally that would have been considered cheating, but no actual rules had been agreed upon, so Will was using what power the magic feather in his possession had. Rainbow Dash didn't even have a chance.
Princess Celestia was in the middle of something that was usually quite rare for her. She was having a break from her usually political meetings, and was currently having tea on her private balcony. She glanced towards the sky, simply enjoying such a nice day. It was at this moment that she noticed her tea cup rattling on its little plate, followed by a noise she knew all to well, a faint boom. She face-hoofed.
Will...Oh well, not my problem, at least not today. With that thought, the princess continued to enjoy her tea.
A group of ponies sat in a dimly lit room, it was just dark enough to hid their faces and cutie marks. They sat in a semicircle, and waited. After few moments, a elderly stallion hobbled into the room, and sat facing the rest of the group.
"This is the first time in many years for this council to meet. It is as we fear, the Demon, the one who has escaped us time and time again, has returned. None here have faced him, yet others of our order have centuries ago. They told that he is unique, not like the many of his kind we have slayed. He is different, but nopony ever wrote how." The stallion said in a gravely voice.
"How do we know it is him." A feminine voice spoke up.
"My own apprentice was the first to see him, They will be the first to hunt him. Perhaps they will be the one to slay the monster." The stallion said.
"What if they are to fail?" A very pompous male voice asked.
"Then we will send another. There are many in our order willing to lay down their lives to kill this Demon. We can not allow him to escape this time. Never again." The elderly stallion replied. "We will kill the "human". It is our sworn duty. To protect Equestria from their evil."
Rainbow Dash stood their, panting. Will was a few feet away, laughing at her.
"You should have seen the look on your face when I passed you! Priceless!" Will said.
"Not....fair...." Rainbow said in between gasps for air.
"I still can't believe you managed to beat Rainbow Dash at a race." Twilight remarked.
"Eh, I've had a few hundred years to practice. It's not like Rainbow stood a chance." Will told them.
"Whatever, lets head back to town." Rainbow said, finally beginning to breath at a normal pace.
As the group walked back to town, Applejack spoke up. "So Will, what is It that you do durin yur free time?"
"Well, I happen to play an instrument. I am not quiteas good as some, but I have been playing a long time. Perhaps I can show you when we get back to tow-"
With out warning, a small knife hit Will right in between his shoulder blades. his jaw was open in shock. Rarity was the first to scream, followed quickly by Twilight, Applejack and Spike were just frozen, uncertain of what to do, and Rainbow Dash was trying to shield Fluttershy from looking at Will.
"Well...This sure ruins my day. This is my good coat. Do you know how expensive it is to get a pony tailor to make a coat custom made for a human being?" Will asked, turning to face the attacker.
"Wha-? Will! Are you ok?" Twilight asked shocked that the human didn't seem to care that there was a knife sticking out of his back.
"I have been better, but right now we have bigger problems."
"Berry Punch?!?! What, what are you doing attacking Will?"
"You should be dead human. That knife has the poison of a Preenblood Tree on it." Berry said, her voice steady.
"Preenblood poison, only one group would use that. The Cult of the Spectral Hoof. I thought for sure you had disbanded a couple hundred years back."
"We have returned, but I do not understand, not only should my knife made a killing blow, but the poison should have gotten you by now as well."
"You don't last as long as I have and not have a few tricks up your sleeve."
"Everypony stop!" Twilight exclaimed. "This doesn't make any sense! Berry, no offense but your the town drunk! Not some assassin!"
"It was the perfect cover. No one would expect the one most believe is not in her right mind most of the time. I was biding my time, until this Demon appeared, treading the ground with his demented footsteps!"
"Demon? Will what is she talking about?" Twilight inquired.
"It stems from this world's old legends. That all humans are monsters that only wish to kill and destroy. That our only purpose is to be feared," Will explained, his voice heavy with sadness. "But know this, the actions of the many do not reflect the morals of the few, nor do the actions of the few reflect the morals of the many."
"I refuse to believe those lies." Berry Punch said, gritting her teeth. "You are a thing of evil. We will stop at nothing to kill you."
"I will not fight you." Will said, pulling the knife out of his back, and dropping it on the ground. "Nopony needs to die today, or any human. Leave now, I mean you no harm, and I do not intend to harm anything else."
"Then leave this world and never return." Berry Punch said, and darted away.
"You make friends where ever you go, don't ya?" spike said sarcastically.
Will stared down Berry Punch, and she met his gaze with eyes full of hate. Though Will's face was devoid of any emotion, on the inside he was in turmoil. The Spectral Hoof? He was sure they had scattered. The leader...he was dead. This Will knew for sure.
"Even If I wanted to leave I can't. Believe me, I have tried. I have the scars to prove it." Will informed.
"Then you will die as others have before you." The Assassin said, her voice hardly a whisper. She tensed up, preparing to strike.
What she wasn't expecting was being blasted with a concussive spell from Twilight. The blast sent her flying a few feet away. Will gave Twilight a surprised look, with his eyebrows raised high. She could only grin sheepishly in response.
"Well that's our queue! We are leaving!" Will shouted to the group.
Twilight was the first to get into the library, followed by Will, who was being tailed by Spike. Twilight had sent the others home for the time being. She didn't want them in any danger. After Spike made it through the door she bolted it shut.
"Spike! I need you to send a letter to the Princess. She needs to know what's happened." Twilight instructed.
"No! Wait, Spike I need you to write down exactly what I say." Will cut in.
"Uh, ok?" Spike said.
"Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain. Make sure you capitalize every word in that." Will dictated.
"Done. Shall I send it?" Spike asked.
"Yes!" Twilight and Will both shouted.
With that, Spike sent the letter off. It was at this moment that Will noticed how frantic Twilight and Spike seemed. The last time he saw Twilight like this was at Fluttershy's cottage. This was different however. This was full blown panic.
Its my fault. I've dragged them into all this. This is the reason I don't go outside anymore! When I do others get hurt. I never do, just the ones around me. Will thought to himself. Here they are, in the middle of a fight they don't understand.
Spike belched out a letter. Twilight grabbed it, and looked at it for a moment. She noticed it didn't have the usual wax seal that most letters from the Princess. It still had a seal, but it was different. It showed a creature Twilight couldn't identify grasping a broken spear.
"Uh, Will? I think this is for you." Twilight said, giving him the scroll. He looked at the seal and nodded.
I'm going to be brief, seeing as you know what to do. However, I want you to leave Ponyville. I can not allow you put anypony, especially Twilight or her friends, in danger. I request you return to Canterlot as quickly as you can.
"Well, that was brief. Twilight I'm afraid that due to this incident, I'm going to have to put this vacation on hold for a little while. Its going to wreak havoc with my schedule too." Will said, heaving a big sigh. Twilight face-hoofed.
It would appear that even in stressful situations that Will's sarcasm and humorous personality remained. It was almost like somepony threw Pinkie Pie's and Discord's personalities together, and made Will's. Interesting thought....
"Ok, seriously, Twilight I'm leaving so that the assassins will follow. I'll get to Canterlot before nightfall, but I'm going to go though the Everfree forest to throw them off the trail." Will explained.
"But Will that's Dangero- ...? Did you say Assassins? As in plural?" Twilight asked.
"I'm afraid so. Where there's one, there are many more." Will said, shaking his head.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Will stumbled, but kept running. Another knife embedded itself into a tree. Will couldn't see where it was thrown from, but he assumed it was nearby. He hid behind a tree, trying to catch his breath. It was at this moment that an arrow nailed its way into the tree, landing right above his head with a thunk!
Crossbows? Will thought, That's hardly fair.
The next half hour was Will ducking and weaving to avoid multiple types of projectiles, some of which specifically designed to kill humans. Knives, arrows, tomahawks, and the occasional spear. Yet they were falling for his plan. So he headed farther into the forest, and they followed. Soon had stumbled into a grassy circular clearing in the thick trees.
Perfect.
He ran to the center of the field. By the time he got there he was out of breath and gasping for air. He glanced back the way he came, and saw a small group of ponies in black hooded cloaks strut out of the brush that surrounded the clearing.
Well I could either stay and make a bit of a last stand, or try my other plan. Will pondered. Some of them might be pegasus, so plan number two might not be effective. I could try talking to them, its a long shot, but I have to try.
Will raised his hands, showing them his open palms, the universal sign for surrender.
"Can we talk about this?" Will said hopefully.
The pony at the front of the group lowered their hood, it was Berry Punch.
"Doubt it." She muttered.
"I mean you no harm." Will tried assuring her.
"Well we do." She growled. With one quick motion she grabbed a knife out of the interior of her cloak, and threw it at Will. Quick as lightning, he grabbed it by the handle, inches away from his face. He didn't even flinch.
"Well I guess negotiations aren't going to work." Will sighed, "I'll take this as my queue to leave."
With a orange flash, Philomena blazed up towards the sky, leaving the dumbfounded assassins wondering what exactly they were hunting.
Will walked down the hall, till he found a door he hoped he would never open again. He reached into his pocket and pulled out an odd looking little key. He held his breath, and inserted it into a keyhole in the center of the door. The sound of several clicks and whirs could be heard, and finally a little ding. He pulled the key out, and the door slid away.
Princess Celestia was standing there waiting for him. The rooms was made of a much darker color then the rest of the castle. A large wooden table dominated the room, and there were a couple of chairs surrounding it. Will sat down in one, and looked to the Princess.
"We can't really get the team back together, seeing as most are either dead, or too old for active combat." Will reminded her.
"Which is why We have selected new recruits for this plan." Princess Luna said, stepping out of a dark corner. Will raised one eyebrow.
"You have?" He asked. "well I'm going to assume that you are going to tell me who, right?"
"Indeed." Celestia confirmed, giving him three files. As he opened the first, she began reciting the basics of who they were. "Big Macintosh, very strong, and older brother of Applejack. He is also a third generation, seeing that his parents and grandmother were on this team before him."
"Interesting..." Will commented.
"Second, A Changeling named Arigos, you remember him don't you Will?" Celestia asked.
"Heh, how could I forget."
"Well he recently joined the detective force in Manehatten, we figured since you two knew each other this might work well. Third is up to you, I trust you will find somepony that can get the job done." Celestia finished.
"Ok then, lets go meet the team." Will said, rubbing his hands together.
As they walked, all Will could think about was who exactly could he recruit for the team. That thought was all that he could think of for the time being.
finally they made it to the place where two ponies stood awkwardly, slightly fearful of each other. One was a tall muscularly built red stallion, who was always known for saying few words, and letting his actions speak for themselves.
The other was a Changeling, who few knew, was a close friend of Will. Will had saved his life once before, but alas, that is another story for another time.
Will strode over to them both, and hugged Arigos, which surprised both Arigos and Big Mac.
"Good to see ya pal." Will said.
"O-oh yea, its great to see you gain too." Arigos stuttered, dumbfound at the embrace.
"I'm guessing you've been briefed on why your here, but you still have a few questions, don't you?" Will asked.
"Eeeyup." Big Mac said. Arigos only nodded.
"First off, Let me be the first to say. Welcome to the C.P.I.D.." Will declared.
"Is it true? That we are going to help you protect others that wish to harm you?" Arigos asked.
"No just me, anyone like me, and anyone that gets near me or any other human." Will explained.
"Yikes." Arigos muttered.
"They are extremists, and will not negotiate or surrender. They would rather die then lose." Will informed them.
"Sounds like one of my old cases." Arigos joked. "I've dealt with ponies like this before."
"No you haven't." Will barked. "These are trained killers, and they have no mercy."
Will glanced over at Big Mac, and saw that he showed no emotion. He had a better poker face than Celestia!
"Big Mac, your grandparents and your parents knew this. I just want to say, I'm sorry I couldn't save them." Will whispered. Big Mac gave him a seemingly blank stare.
Will continued, "Can you forgive me?"
"Nope."
Will hung his head. "I can't blame you." Suddenly he perked up. "Well, let's go see what R&D managed to cook up for us this time."
Metal Gears was very excited about this, apparently not only were the Princesses themselves coming to inspect her work, but three other V.I.P. as well. She hoped that her work would please them. From what she heard, they wanted to test them long term. What she wasn't expecting was that the three V.I.P. were a changeling, a farmer, and whatever that even was. Some sort of monkey? The monkey-thing cleared its throat.
"We are here to see what you have built to assist us on our....uh...mission." It said.
"The best Non-lethal weaponry in Equestria," She explained, holding up a gauntlet made of copper and brass gears. "Mark four zero three grapple hook. It adjusts to fit all hoof sizes, and has dependable accuracy up to fifty meters. There is a switch that changes the tip depending on what you are using the it for, a three prong claw for climbing, a blunt tip for Non-lethal combat, and suction cup tip for scaling smooth surfaces, the gauntlet also has a clock readout to give time of day and date. The cord extends and contracts due to a tether spell, which is far more convenient then the old crankshaft that the older mark three zero one model used. The gauntlet has been tested by dragons and griffons, so Mr...uh."
"Will, the name is Will."
"Right, so Mr. Will here should be able to use this device with little to no trouble at all."
"Great. Lets get started then." Will said, handing Arigos and Big Mac each a Gauntlet, and putting one on himself. It fit under his sleeve with ease, meaning that he could conceal it.
After a few hours of messing around with the grapple hooks, the trio figured they had gotten he hang of using the device.
"Just know that these are prototypes and my suffer malfunctions, so be careful!" Metal Gear reminded them.
"Shouldn't we see if she had anything else that could help us?" Arigos asked Will.
"Next time we will. For now, these are just fine." Will responded. "For now, lets get to work."
Will rolled out a massive map of Equestria and its bordering countries on the wooden table. The group had made its way back to the other room, which Will had informed them was going to be their base of operations.
"Okay, Our enemy, the Cult of the Spectral Hoof, had an old base right here." Will said, pointing to a spot just north of Neighagra Falls. "They occupied an ancient castle, it was here before Equestria was founded. I have reason to believe that it was built by humans long ago." Will explained.
"Why do you say that?" Arigos asked.
"The design of the building, it looks like structures from my world, sort of." Will said.
"How do we know they are there?" Arigos inquired.
"We don't, I'm going to assume that they aren't there. So where would the most logical place for a building to house murderous psychopaths be?" Will pondered half jokingly.
"Las Pegasus?" Princess Luna joked.
"Hmm, actually that's a possibility. Its worth checking out." Will said seriously.
"You just want to go to Las Pegasus." Arigos muttered, rolling his eyes.
"True, but it would be a good place for them to hide, seeing as it would be in plain sight." Will countered.
"What about in or around the Everfree?" Celestia asked.
"True... no wonder there were so many trying to kill me when I was there." Will said, rubbing his chin.
"Wait, WHAT? Will what did I say about putting yourself in danger?" Celestia barked.
"Calm down, its not like too many actually managed to hit me. Just one or two." Will shrugged.
It was at this moment that Will caused an event to happen that has only happened a few times in recorded history. Both Princess Luna and Princess Celestia face-hoofed at the same time. Chances are that this rare event may not happen again for at least a few centuries. It will most likely be Will's doing next time it happens as well.
"Moving on, the Everfree forest IS an excellent place for them to hide, if a bit cliché." Will commented.
"True, do you know how many detective books I've read where the villain's lair is in the Everfree forest? A lot of them." Arigos agreed. Every living thing in the room gave the changeling a funny look.
"What?" Arigos asked.
"You...read detective stories?" Will questioned, trying to hold back a grin.
"Yea, Its how I keep my wits sharp." Arigos said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Big Mac rolled his eyes.
"We are digressing away from our task. Are we agreed that we are going to the Everfree forest? Yes or no." Will asked.
Arigos hadn't felt so sore in ages, Will had convinced them that they had to avoid populated areas, so that civilians couldn't interfere. What Will had forgotten to mention was that in order to do so, they had to trek around the borderline of Ponyville.
Big Macintosh was a farm pony through and through, so he wasn't complaining, and Will didn't seem to notice the distance of their journey in the least. If this was because of magic, or simply that he was absorbed in the task ahead, Arigos wasn't sure.
Arigos himself, however, had become a bit of a city pony. He was still healthy and physically fit, but he had gotten use to the luxury of the apartment that had been paid for by his detective work. He wasn't pampered, but the idea of sleeping in the dirt and grass of the forest didn't appeal to him much.
It wasn't until after sundown that they decided to lit a fire and rest for the night. Big Mac went out and gathered a decent amount of firewood, and Will surprised them both by simply grabbing one of the logs, and laughed as they both sat stunned as it burst into flames in his hands.
Will had volunteered to stay awake and keep watch while the others slept, and nopony protested. Not much had been said on the trip, since Big Mac rarely spoke, and Arigos always did keep to himself.
Will just sat there, staring into the dancing fire. He was thinking of many things, not just of the task at hand, but what consequences this adventure may bring. The fire that he tended that night reminded him so much of the fire that inhabited his soul. The blue phoenix feather in his possession was permanently attached to him, this gave him great powers, great magic, yet brought with it terrible curses. No matter if he wanted to or not, he could not die by any means. It tortured him, burning his very essence, leving nothing but ash. Perhaps it would be better to die, He thought, Then live this cursed life. At least the Spectral Hoof would get what they want....No...What if other humans find their way here? They would be helpless. I have to finish what I started.
Snap.
What was that? Will thought, as he tensed up. He could hear the rustle of leaves, and then the sound of more twigs snapping. He braced for trouble. His fists clenched, he stood up to his full height, and if you looked carefully, you could see fire burning in the center of his eyes. Everything about him said that he was ready for a fight.
"Mac, Arigos, wake up. We got trouble." Will instructed, his voice steady.
"...Wha?" Arigos asked, still half asleep.
Slowly six Timberwolves circled around the group. Will could see the blood lust in their wooden eyeholes, they were ready for a hunt.
Before Will or anypony could react, the first wolf pounced.
"Mac, Arigos, wake up. We got trouble." Will instructed, his voice steady.
"...Wha?" Arigos asked, still half asleep.
Slowly six timberwolves circled around the group. Will could see the blood lust in their wooden eyeholes, they were ready for a hunt.
Before Will or anypony could react, the first wolf pounced...and exploded into flames.
Every living thing in the nearby area immediately looked in Will's direction, and discovered that his whole left arm was on fire, and pointing directly where the remains of the first timberwolf lay. Will looked sad but determined, and if you looked closely, you could see the inferno in his eyes. It was as if the sun itself had took up nesting ground in his soul.
The five other wooden monstrosities hesitated, unsure if the prize was worth the risk. This hesitation gave the unlikely earth pony, changeling, human trio a moment to prepare. Big Macintosh tensed up, Arigos's horn hummed to life as pure raw magic began to course through it, and fire slowly crept down Will's other arm.
Now the timberwolves were certainly spooked, it seemed that the fight wasn't worth it. Then, the largest timberwolf, who was obviously the pack leader, growled, and charged, and the other four remaining wolves followed suit. Will shot two of them before anyone could blink, and Arigos sliced one into bits a few seconds later. The last two remaining timberwolves ganged up on Big Mac. Mac managed to buck one in the chin, but the pack leader tackled him to the ground moments later. The beast bit into the earth pony's front left hoof with its wooden teeth, and though the pain was unbearable, Big Mac remained silent. Will jumped closer to intervene, but Arigos was quicker and blasted the pack leader clean in two. The group watched as the last remaining wolf limped off into the woods. The trio had made there message clear, they were not to be trifled with.
Will decided that it was probably best if they kept moving rather than attempt to go back to sleep, so after packing up, and putting out the fire, they headed off. It was quite dark still, so Will lit a torch. After about an hour and a half Will checked the time on his gauntlet, It said five forty five AM.
Sun will be up in a few hours, I suppose then will be the best time to head into the forest, I would prefer that we stay out of it till we have enough light to see. I can't afford the group getting lost in the dark. Besides,Will mused,I know what goes bump in the night.
Soon, the edges of the sky turned from a dark purple to a light blue, and a bit after that orange streaks could be seen on the horizon. Eventually, the sun began its clime across the eastern sky, and the moon made its retreat. At last, the trio could see their surroundings with a little more clarity. Will could see Ponyville out in the distance, and shreds of sunlight leaking through the forest canopy to his left.
They pressed onward, not yet going into the forest itself, but instead completely tracing the border. It was there they found a cottage, covered in vines, it looked as if the forest itself was eating the building. Two ponies in gray hooded cloaks stood outside the sturdy oak door. They had yet to see Will or the others, and stayed at still as stone.
Will pointed to the guards, "See them? Their with Spectral. Arigos, can you disguise yourself and act like you are a lost traveler to distract them?" Will inquired.
"Can do." Arigos confirmed.
"Great, Big Mac and I will circle around back, and knock out the guards, and we'll bust in and find out what their planning." Will explained.
Brute Force was minding his own business, guarding the door. It was a simple job really, stand there and look tough. It discouraged the curious, and allowed The Order of the Spectral Hoof to continue operating with little to no distractions.
So imagine his surprised when a blue pegasus with a green mane came walking up to him.
"Excuse me but I appear to be a bit lost, you see I'm from Fillydephia , and I'm visiting relatives in the area and I have not idea how to navigate the area. Not that I'm good with navigation to begin with, I mean really, do you see a compass cutiemark on my flank? No! I don't suppose you could direct me to the Ponyville train station?" He asked.
"Uhh." Brute said, unsure of how to respond to the verbal bombardment.
"Its just that If I can't meet up with my second cousins sister's nephew within half an hour, I'm going to be late. I need directions to get to the train station." The pegasus continued.
"Oh...well...See that barn over there? Well your gonna wanna take a left over there then go straight and-..." Brute force was cut off by a certain human slamming Brute's head into the wall behind him. Brute Forces fellow guard met a similar fate moments later at the hooves of Big Mac.
The blue pegasus disappeared, and was replaced by Arigos, who flashed Will a grin.
"Good work guys, alright, lets see what their up to." Will said.
Big Macintosh walked over to where the wooden door was, turned around and bucked it with all his might. Thanks to years of apple bucking, this kick broke the door in half. It fell to the ground with a snap, and Will glanced into the building. The interior was dark, and since nopony came to intercept them, it seemed as if the cottage was empty.
The group walked into the dark house hesitantly, unsure whether or not it was a good idea.
"What? No Spectra? Maybe no ones home?" Arigos wondered.
Suddenly all hell broke loose.
" No Spectra! You just had to open your big mouth!" Will shouted.
Will rolled to his left, ducked under a crossbow bolt, and leapt over an unconscious Spectra assassin, the latter knocked out by Big Mac. Meanwhile, Arigos was fighting feverishly against multiple opponents, but with the darkness, the trio was having quite a bit trouble. Arigos was a changeling, and was somewhat use to the low light of the hive, yet Will and Big Mac were just stumbling about, fighting the assassins that got too close. This continued for awhile till Will ignited a part of the wooden floor. Now on a slightly more even playing field, the group made short work of the now completely exposed assassins. Amazingly none were actually killed in the fight.
Will entered the next room of the building, to find an empty floor space dominated only by a simple oak table. Will walked over to it, and discovered a paper parchment on the table.
Nice try, but we are quite a bit more clever this time around. You and those who aid you will perish, and Equestria will be rid of your filth.
Will sighed in defeat.
"Well, looks like we are going to have to be a bit more subtle if we are going to finish what I started a long time ago." Will stated.
"Eeyup." Big Mac agreed.
The trio began discussing what exactly their next step would be as they walked towards the exit.
*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*
"What?" Arigos wondered.
"Sounds like a knock on the door." Will said. "But who exactly could be?"
*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*
Carefully, Will opened the door. What he saw was not what he was expecting, to say the least.
"Hi Will!" Pinkie Pie said, bouncing.
All six Elements of Harmony.
"B-but....how did you find me?" Will asked dumbfounded.
"Pinkie Pie." Twilight deadpanned. Will facepalmed hard enough that it left a mark on his face.
"Can you just leave please? We are kind of on a dangerous mission." Will said bluntly.
"We want to help." Twilight explained.
"Big Mac? What in tarnation are ya doing here? Yer supposed to be workin' on the farm!" Applejack yelled.
Big Mac's eyes grew wide, like a spooked animal. "You didn't tell her?" Will asked.
"N-nope." Big Mac said with a gulp.
Applejack went right in front of the poor stallion, and looked him straight in the eye. "Get back to the farm. Right now." She muttered.
Big Mac was not afraid of Timberwolves, Spectral Hoof, heck he would probably take on a hydra if he had to, but the way Applejack looked at him chilled him to the core. He took off running.
Jeez. Will thought.Fluttershy must be giving lessons on that 'stare' of hers. Hope Pinkie Pie doesn't figure out how to do it, that would NOT end well. I probably shouldn't get on her bad side, or any of the Elements of Harmony for that matter.
"Its very dangerous here. Anypony near me is considered a possible threat by the Spectral Hoof." Will said.
"So? We've been in danger before!" Rainbow Dash protested.
"No like this. They will kill you." Will insisted. "All of you go home right now, Arigos you too."
"I'm staying." Arigos said determinedly.
"We are too." Twilight added.
"Besides, you could die too, so you need our help." Applejack said.
"I can't die, believe me I've tried." Will explained, muttering the last part.
"Whattda mean ya have tried?" Applejack asked, intrigued.
Will took a deep breath, then spoke. "I was not always immortal, because I was not always in possession of this blue phoenix feather. You see, long ago I came to Equestria. Not by normal means either."
Will fumbled through the underbrush, hoping that he could shake his pursuers. He was not so fortunate. Two griffons could be seen darting between the trees above and slightly behind Will. Both brandished sharp spears, both of which practically had Will's name on them. Seeing as his pursuers had the ability of flight, it wasn't entirely fair.
Will understood that this new world he had been trapped in wasn't fair in the least. When he introduced himself to the local population, their reaction was mixed, a few welcomed the new creature warmly, while others plotted its downfall. In the end, practically everything was out to get him. That included every living thing in the Forest.
A curved knife dug it's was deep into the soft wood of a nearby tree, missing Will by inches. He knew that the next projectile would likely hit it's intended target. Up ahead, however, Will saw something that gave him a slight hope. I glimpse of light. It caused Will to run faster, because he new that this couldn't be the end for him. It just simply couldn't.
At last he tumbled into the clearing, immediately recognizing the castle before him. The Castle of the Princesses, who were Will's closest friends. Some had called the building the Castle in the Woods. At the moment, Will was just glad to call it relatively safe.
"Will! Quickly, get inside! They are coming!" Celestia shouted from the balcony.
Will could only force a smile. Suddenly his pursuers entered the clearing, finally catching up with their prey.
"Will! Run! Will? Will!!!" Celestia shouted as Will simply stood facing the castle.
He turned to face the griffons. His smile faltered for a moment, then returned.
"I know why you are here, so just do it and go." Will stated.
"Will! Don't do this!" Celestia begged from the balcony.
"Do not interfere! They will kill you too!"
"You are not afraid to die?" The one asked.
"No."
"Then you will die as others have before you, alone and scared." The other griffon said.
Alone.
Alone.
All Alone.
"I may be alone, but I am not afraid." Will said, gritting his teeth.
"Your blood must still be spilled."
A knife went through Will's heart, and the griffons walked away, back into the forest from which they came, leaving Will to die on the ground.
As soon as they left, Celestia coasted down from the balcony, and hurried to Will's side.
"Why? WHY!" She said, shaking him.
"Because now they will stop hunting you, they will not kill again."
"You didn't need to die for me! We could have found another way!" She cried.
"I did it...because I miss my family, I miss my home. And to protect you. I...I...regret....nothing." Will said, his breath barely above a whisper.
"No! Will you are not going to die! You just can't"
"I'm just going to skip the part with me waking alive and kicking, though that was thanks in part to Starswirl." Will explained.
"Oh, Come on!" Twilight and Pinkie shouted, though for different reasons.
"The story was just getting good!" Pinkie Pie complained.
"Wait a sec, does that mean that you and the Princess are...?" Applejack wondered.
"Um, no. For the record I have no interest in her, she is just a friend, but she wished otherwise." Will said matter-of-factly.
"That's...interesting." Rarity said.
"Yes. Yes it is." Will agreed.
"That explains how you got here and all, but how does that fancy feather keep you alive?" Applejack asked.
"Its soul bound to me. I can't get rid of it. It I threw it out a window, and the wind took it, I could open my pocket and its right back where it started." Will said with a sigh. "Still it has its benefits."
"Such as?" Twilight asked.
"Well for one I can do basically what ever I want with no risk of actual bodily harm. I'm like Deadpool!" Will exclaimed.
"What's a deadpool?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Human.....uh, book character." Will tried explaining. "It's kinda complicated."
"Sorry to interrupt this fantastic conversation and all, but we need to get moving." Arigos butted in.
"Yea, true. True." Will said, rubbing his chin.
"So where should we go?" Twilight wondered.
"Las Pegasus." Will deadpanned.
"You can not be serious." Arigos complained. Will gave him a look, and began walking away.
"Oh my Sweet Celestia, he is serious." Arigos muttered, running after him.
He was old, and wise, and knew so much. He was so caring and kind, so friendly and nice. So brave and adventureous. He had so much emotion, yet showed so very little of it. Joy, and sadness.
Yet so little anger, he kept it welled up inside of him.
But when he was angry whole cities burned. His enemies turn to ash at his feet and entire empires cried for mercy.
And when he was angry no mercy came to those who begged for it.
They called him a traveler, a hero. A monster, a demon, and most of all.... One of the last of his kind.
His name was Will, and some say that he saved Equestria from one of the greatest threats it has ever faced. A group of foes that even the Elements of Harmony could not defeat. They hid in the guise of other things, They hid, and lied, and almost destroyed the world, if not for Will's doing. They were monsters, that wished only destruction upon everything. They were aided by many creatures, vile evil beasts. Yet they had a plan, a brilliant cunning plan. Will never knew just how far the rabbit hole went...till he went tumbling down further than even his enemies wanted him to.
Few knew how much he suffered, the source of his power burning his very soul. Tormented by enemies that always seemed one step ahead, and having those he cared about fall dead at his feet. He felt very much alone, and all he wished was to be able to just rest, for everything to just stop.
Will squinted at the sun. It was still fairly early in the morning, before noon at the very least. Such a perfect day...why did it feel like something was going to go horribly wrong?
"So when is the next train to Las Pegasus?" Will asked the clerk.
"Sir, I've already told you. There are no trains going to Las Pegasus. BECAUSE ITS BUILT ON A CLOUD!" The clerk exclaimed.
"Ok ok, sheesh!" Will said, rolling his eyes.
"We would like eight tickets to Applewood, please." Arigos asked.
"THAT, I can get you." The clerk muttered. "It's a days journey from Las Pegasus though, and your....friend here doesn't have any wings that I can see."
"Believe me, I've been there...last time was about four hundred years ago? Maybe?" Will reminisced, tapping his chin.
"Wouldn't that be around the same time a great fire razed the place? The reason its now built on a cloud?" Twilight asked.
Will froze for a moment. "Oh, I suppose so..." He said slowly, rubbing the back of his neck.
"You don't mean that you were the.." Twilight began, pointing an accusing hoof at Will.
"Oh look the trains here!" Will shouted, running to it.
"Will! Get back here! You have a lot of explaining to do!" Twilight yelled after him.
"Applewood, last time I was here, All that was here was Las Pegasus." Will narrated.
"A lot can happen in four hundred years." Arigos said.
"True. Be weary, Spectral seems to be quite a bit braver this time around." Will explained.
"Oh, that's a fantastic confidence booster, thanks." Arigos complained.
"I would you rather be aware of the danger rather then have you over confident of your abilities." Will retorted.
"Sheesh Will, I don't think I've seen you act like this, your being a jerk." Arigos growled.
It was true, the fun loving sarcastic Will seemed to just melt away when danger was around. A hard pressed, merciless fury driven blood thirsty monster took his place. No wonder Spectral thought his kind was so evil, if he was representing them.
Will blinked. "Yea, I suppose I am....sorry. Its just.....I'm sick of hunting and being hunted all the time."
"Don't worry, when this is all over, we can sit back and relax." Arigos assured him.
If only....my work is never over.Will thought to himself, but nodded to Arigos.
"Work it do it makes us harder better faster stronger!" Arigos said in a voice similar to his, but not quite.
Suddenly, a beat could be heard, and Will had the sudden urge to sing. Oh no....not this again...I WASN'T PLANNING THIS!!! Will shouted in the interior of his mind.
Again the Elements of Harmony looked on in confusion, unsure of what exactly was happening.
Will and Arigos continued to walk, so they followed, and by the time the music started to wind down, they were almost under Las Pegasus. It was almost dusk, and the lightning powered signs glowed both eerily and beautifully against the dark blue sky. It surely was something amazing. Will and Arigos looked at it in awe, while Pinkie Pie took photos with a digital camera that shouldn't technically exist, but try explaining that to her. All you will get is a headache.
"I suppose since some of you can't fly, Arigos and I will have to go up alone. You can stay here, where its safe." Will tried to reason.
"Nice try, but we have a cloud walking spell." Twilight retorted.
"That doesn't explain how you'll get up there." Will said, gesturing upwards with his thumb and gritting his teeth in frustration.
"Ooh! I have an idea, we take some stray clouds, and they can stand on it and lift them up!" Arigos chimed in.
"Gee thanks." Will muttered.
"What did I do?" Arigos wondered.
"Its settled then." Twilight said.
Will shook his head. "Doesn't matter what species, women will be the death of me. One way or another." He muttered.
Will sulked and muttered as the group wandered through the neon lit city. Advertisements glowed like Hearth's Warming Eve trees. It was beautiful, the whole city built to grab your attention. This made Will more weary then ever, while the girls and Arigos marveled at what many called the City of Sin, Las Pegasus. Casinos lined every boulevard, lights flashing and pulsing in an eager attempt to draw ponies into their doors. Greed and lies multiplied like bacteria in the shadows, and money exchanged hooves every second.
There was a reason that Will burned the place to the ground once, he believed it to be a wretched vile place. He had every right to believe it, for it was not far from the truth. So there he stood, grumbling as ponies gossiped and conversed everywhere. None paid him any heed. All species, Griffon, Dragon, Diamond Dogs, were welcome. As long as you had bits in your pocket, they treated you as a friend. Even Arigos was allowed passage, as the group strolled into a casino on Will's insistence.
"Here, go have some fun." Will told Twilight as he handed her an her friends each a sack of bits.
"Huh?" She wondered.
"We need to act natural, as to not attract suspicion." He explained.
"Oh, ok. But where did you get the bits?" Twilight wondered.
"Being such a close friend of the princess does have its perks you know." Will said with a grin.
"Well, ok." Twilight said as they began to wander into the casino.
Arigos began to wander in as well, before Will reached out a hand to stop him. "Follow me." Will said.
"huh?" Arigos wondered.
"We aren't going in. This whole plan was so we could get Twilight and Co. off our backs. What we are going to do is going to be too risky for such a large group." Will explained as he walked along, Arigos tagging behind.
Twilight giggled as Pinkie won yet another round of Blackjack, Her Pinkie Sense came in handy and the dealer was getting nervous. She had practically doubled what Will had given her already.
Twitch.
Twitch Twitch Itch Scratch.
"Oh." Pinkie said, looking to the exit just in time to watch Will and Arigos walk out the door.
"Something wrong Pinkie?" Twilight wondered.
"Oh, nope. Everything is fine." She said with a weak smile.
"Well, alright." Twilight mumbled and turned back to the card table. If she had caught on to Pinkie's bluff, she was very good at hiding it. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
"So...Will. This is the first time its just been me and you in quite awhile." Arigos said, attempting to strike up a conversation.
"I suppose so." Will confessed. "I've been trying to keep a low profile for a few years now."
"How's that working out for you?" Arigos joked.
"Not too well, but you know me too well. Staying concealed is rather difficult when you stick out like a clown as a funeral." Will laughed.
"Interesting choice of words." Arigos chuckled.
"I suppose so, but at least I'm not actually a-.....GAH!" Will exclaimed as his sentence was cut short. He reached behind him and pulled out another knife. This caused every pony in the nearby area to scream and vacate to someplace else.
"You know I'm getting sick of this, learn some new technique please." Will grumbled.
"Its only an old trick because its suppose to be used once. Do the world a favor and stay dead." Berry Punch quipped.
"Really wish I could, but I guess I'm here to stay for awhile." Will retorted.
"You are a wrench in the works demon, soon you and those that follow your cause will be eradicated from this world. There are entities at play that you cannot comprehend. You will die. That will ensured." She gloated.
"Well sorry to cut this little monologue short but I would rather like to get this over with." Arigos interjected. Both Berry Punch and Will gave him a glare.
"Fine. Let's finish this." Will muttered.
"Finish? The game has only begun." Berry laughed.
"Then get on with it already." Will retorted.
"As you wish." Berry Punch said, launching herself towards Will at break neck speed. Will side stepped, and took a few steps back and took up a defensive stance. This caused Berry to lunge yet again, knife in hoof. Only this time she was blasted from the side by Arigos, who had finally found a chance to attack.
"You little whelp!" She screamed, changing her focus off Will and turned her savage offensive on Arigos. The poor changeling had scarce a moment to react before she had tackled him, and began repeatedly sinking her blade into his chest.
"No!" Will screamed. He ran to assist the fallen shape shifter, only for Berry Punch to attack him once again. She attempted to flank him, only for him to begin to throw fire from his hands in a blind rage.
"No! No! No! You take everything from me! Every ounce of meaning! Anything that I have you ruin! BURN!" Will raged.
The sudden act of violence startled the assassin. Will had gone from calm and collected to savage and blind with fury. He charged, screaming at her. She reeled back, fear in her eyes. He took advantage of this, and grabbed the Arigos, who groaned. Will knew that his only chance of getting Arigos out alive was to leave the city, and attempt to find medical aid elsewhere. So Will ran as fast as he could, with Berry Punch hot on his heels. She threw her knife, only for it to impact on the cloud that made up the city. She snarled in frustration. Eventually the trio made it to the edge of the cloud where the city sat. Will gave one look at Berry, a glance at Arigos who still lay over his left shoulder, and one last look at the city.
He took a breath and jumped.
And fell,
and fell
and fell.
And landed on the hard unforgiving ground with a noise not unlike the sound a nut makes when you crack it. Even with all the untainted magic stored in the blue phoenix feather in his pocket, he hurt. Pain, lots of it. One does not simply fall hundreds of meters and not feel anything. He tasted iron as his blood mingled with his saliva, and spat it out coughing.
"Uhhg." Will moaned. "A-Arigos? You ok?"
All Will heard was a wheezing sound. "I'm...hurt bad." Arigos managed to say.
"Yea, I know." Will croaked. "We'll get you to a doctor, I just got to let my magic heal me enough that I can get up."
"I-I don't think I'll last that long." Arigos admitted.
"No...." Will denied. He struggled to get up.
"Don't worry...I had a good run....lasted a whole lot longer than I should have....Guess I have you to thank for that." Arigos croaked.
"No...." Will said again.
"I just wish...that...things could have been different. That.....things....were........" Arigos breathed.
"No....Please.....No.....No...No No No!" Will shouted.
Arigos the Changeling, one of the only friends Will had ever had, and the best detective Manehatten had ever seen, had breathed his last. Will sobbed uncontrollably for some time, and by the time his phoenix feather had healed him, he could cry no more. His face was grim, and inside he was filled with hate.
In peace time, sons bury their fathers.
In war time, fathers bury the sons and friends must bury each other.
This was a time of war.
Will sobbed while burying Arigos, and tears collided with the dry soil, and became mud beneath him. He stumbled through the brush of the harsh dry grassland below Las Pegasus, with no idea what to do. Maybe he should have died all those years ago. It was then that it dawned upon him. He was alone.
Twilight was worried. Will and Arigos were no where to be found, there had apparently been some sort of stand off in the street, and now she had no idea what to do. Spike stayed behind, so she could not contact the other princesses, her options were limited.
Go home? No, Will needs us.
Look for him? No, he could be anywhere.
What then? She thought.
I don't know...
She sighed. The only thing to do was go home and await word from Princess Celestia. She hated not being able to help. What if they were in trouble? Or hurt? She hated herself for her inability to help those who obviously needed her help. Why had Will just left like that? What reason could he have for doing that? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Will shambled along, his face pale and grim. He could cry no longer, but he knew that grief would hang over him for centuries to come.
Would have...
Could have...
Should have...
Spectral takes everything from me...just to watch me suffer.
The tears had dried. Will knew he only had one chance... He just hoped that The Order of the Spectral Hoof was as clever as they claimed. Because if he was wrong, then they would pay. They would burn and turn to ash, and Will would watch the ash blow into the wind. They only had one chance.
"Will, I have something I would like to tell you." Princess Celestia said. The newly revived Will could only look at her with confusion in his hospital bed.
"The blue phoenix that we used to revive you...It has been stolen. We aren't sure who did it, but I know you know who took it." Celestia muttered. Will coughed and hacked for a moment, gasped for air and answered. "Spectral. But, why?"
"I don't know..."
They took it thinking they could find a way to end their immortal enemy. That they could learn his secrets by studying the bird. They foolishly kept it for nearly a thousand years. Never once did they think that a human would stride right through their doors to reclaim it. They were wrong.
Will looked around, examining the pillars around him. They reminded him of buildings in Rome, back on earth. But why build it here? Neighagra Falls, possibly one of the most terrible puns Will had come across in a long time. He wasn't entirely sure why Spectral had chosen this place to maintain as their base. Perhaps they knew who built it? Did they built it themselves? Will couldn't care less.
Will shook his head, trying to understand why they didn't have any guards posted outside. Surely they expected him? Was it a trap? Probably. Did he care? Probably not. Will opened the door and walked in. He was not attacked immediately, he was not shot by crossbows, nor did anything try to slit his throat. Instead eight ponies sat in a half circle in the middle of the room, apparently waiting for him.
"Please sit." a gravely voice said. So Will sat, facing them.
"This isn't usually how you guys play this game, so what's up?" Will inquired.
"We know why you have come, and we have an answer." Another voice said.
"Really? And what exactly have I come for?" Will questioned.
"You think we believe that you still wish to wipe us out? To end us? No. You have come for what was stolen from you." Yet another voice answered.
"I'm getting kind of sick of you all knowing what I'm going to do before even I do." Will sighed.
"Enough." The first voice said. "We will aid you in your goal."
"Wait, why?" Will wondered.
"We have learned why we hunt you." One voice said.
"We are puppets, serving our masters. The strings have been cut." Another voice added.
"This is the first time in ages that we have been able to chose for ourselves. We will use this choice to spite those who control use." The gravelly voice muttered.
"Why?" Will asked.
"We have our reasons." The gravely voice whispered.
"We will let you return what was lost, but first we must give you what was taken." The first voice said.
A blue phoenix flew out of the shadows and landed on Will's shoulder.
"Thank you." Will said nodding to the group, and began to walked away.
"Our hopes are with you."
Will turned around. "I never did ask your name."
"Regret. They simply call me Regret." The hoarse voice said.
"Well then, thank you Regret." Will said, and walked away.
Will flew as fast as he could back to Las Pegasus, a blue phoenix tailing close behind. He landed at the site of Arigos grave, and with an orange flash, a human face looked pleadingly at the blue phoenix. The bird tucked its head under one wing, and preened a feather. With the feather now in its beak, it gingerly gave it to Will. Will took out a small knife, and cut his hand. Though he felt nothing, he smiled as a few drops of blood landed on the feather, and it seemed to glow slightly. He carefully placed it on the grave and waited.
Nothing.
Nothing happened.
At first Will was confused, and then angry. It didn't work. Arigos was gone, and nothing in Equestria could change that. Will cried out, shouting at the sky like only someone who had lost everything could. Because the world wasn't fair. Because life wasn't fair. At first the phoenix looked confused by the way Will acted, then it just looked at him with sympathy.
Unfortunately, as Will walked away, he did not notice the spark that glinted off the feather that still rested on top of the dirt mound.
Nor did he notice the ground shift ever so slightly.
"Your treachery is unforgivable. The only reason we leave you alive is the others see you as the leader of this cult." A deep voice boomed.
"We understand. This was a plan we have set in motion. The demon knows nothing of what we have done. He will not know what has happened until it is too late." Regret explained.
"So you say, but our trust in you has diminished greatly. How do we know that you don't have your own reasons for what you have done?" Another voice boomed.
"Because we live to serve you. We took the oath, we will aid you till the end of eternity." Regret gulped.
"Never the less. We will be watching with interest..."
"Yes, of course. Masters." Regret said.
"So what is this plan that you have created? What could merit giving him our pet?" The masters asked.
"The ability to strip him of his immortality." Regret explained.
"Impossible."
"I have to disagree. If you don't mind me saying." Regret said. "He is immortal because of his link to the princess. If we were to stretch the link to the point of breaking. We could sever it, and kill him."
Princess Celestia was having a rather nice day. Things were not as hectic as usual, and Will was away, meaning she was able to keep her sanity intact. Still she missed and worried about him. Imagine her surprise when he kicked in the door to the throne room, stumbling in. The Guards immediately jumped into defensive positions to protect the princess.
"Will?" Celestia asked.
"Chill." Will told a guard as he walked towards the throne. "I'm not here to hurt her, and You couldn't stop me if I tried."
The guard looked to the Princess for confirmation. She nodded, and the guard ponies relaxed slightly. They took a few steps back, but kept their eyes on Will.
"That's a bit better." Will grunted. "Can somepony please get me a drink? Something strong preferably."
"We cannot do that, even if you are a guest, there are rules and regulations that say-" A guard began to say.
"Just get him a drink lieutenant." Celestia commanded.
"Y-yes ma'am."
"You can leave us alone for a while." She said.
"Of course, just call for us if you need anything."
"Will? You look like you crawled through Tartarus to get here." Celestia commented.
"Yea...something like that." Will whispered. Princess Celestia was startled when rather abruptly, a blue phoenix perched on Will's shoulder.
"Is that what I think it is?" She asked.
"Yea." Will responded.
"Why would you retrieve it?" She wondered.
"Arigos is dead. It's my fault." Will explained.
"Oh... Will I'm sorry." She said, obviously concerned.
"I...I tried....but....nothing." Will said, hanging his head.
"You did all you could." She tried comforting him.
"No...I could have stopped it from happening. I dragged him into this doomed plan in the first place." He muttered.
At last, a servant arrived with Will's drink. "Thanks." He whispered, gulping it down. "Whiskey river take my mind."
"You can't just drink your sorrows away!" Celestia shouted. "The Order of the Spectral Hoof are still out there. No one knows what they are planning!"
"As a matter of fact I can drink my troubles away! You can't tell me what to do and how to live my life. You have done it for a thousand years! I quit. I'm leaving." Will yelled, turning for the door.
There were few places Will could go. Few safe places where he wouldn't be attacked at least. Not that being attacked would bother him. So he sat on a hill over looking Ponyville watching the sun go down, His back on a tree's trunk. He often found himself alone through out the thousand years of his existence, and grew to enjoy the peace and the quiet.
"Lovely night, huh?" A voice behind him asked.
"Screw you." Will muttered.
"What's wrong? Bad day?" Berry Punch mocked.
"I'm not in the mood. You can't kill me. I'm being overly nice, leave so I can just enjoy this moment to myself." Will said, not even turning to look at her.
"Hmf. They say your a demon, but you don't seem to act like one." She commented, sitting down next to him.
"Well. Now you listen. After innocent ponies were hurt and killed." Will hissed.
"I do as I am told. Nothing more." She admitted.
"Regret....." Will whispered.
"How do you know that name?" Berry questioned, surprised.
"What, your leader didn't tell you he helped me? I walked in and they gave me my Blue Phoenix." Will laughed.
"What? No! Impossible..." She denied.
"Hmf." Will grunted.
"But that means...." She began, putting two and two together.
"Yep, he is betting on both sides...but why? Have Arigos killed, gave me the bird so I could try to resurrect him... What is he planning?" Will wondered.
"I don't know." Berry admitted.
"Fat lot of good you are." Will commented.
"Why don't you ask me yourself?" A new voice said.
"Master? What are you doing here?" Berry Punch asked.
"Getting rid of anything that can stop me." Regret cackled, stepping to the side to reveal a pony behind him.
"Arigos?" Will rejoiced.
"Not the fool you once knew. Not anymore." Regret informed.
Will noticed it immediately. Arigos's eyes were orange instead of their usual blue, and the natural holes and dents in his carapace were gone. The biggest difference though was his horn, which was normal a bit curved, was now almost a half circle and razor sharp. It wasn't Arigos. Not anymore.
"What did you do to him?" Will shouted. All Regret did was laugh.
"Nothing, that is the beautiful thing about it. You did this. You revived him. All we did was...highjack the process. Too easy."
"You monster." Will accused. "You call me a demon? Look at the unmoral things you do and tell me I'm the monster."
"Ha. Let me finish what I was saying. The best part is that it still retains your friends memories. All your dark secrets and knowledge. It is faster, stronger, and smarter that you in everyway human. Do not beg for mercy because there will be none." Regret exclaimed, and turned to the thing that was once Will's best friend. "Kill them."
"Master! Wait! Why kill me? What have I done?" Berry Punch begged.
"You know too much. He is no demon. No monster. Just something that could stop us. What the Great Ones plan." Regret answered.
"Great ones? Who are they and what are they planning?" Will questioned.
"The Four of the Apocalypse. What they plan? The ruin of everything. Beware human. Your world as well as this one will come to an end soon."
Regret turned to Arigos, "No more talk, Kill them."
Will barely had time to duck before a blast of magic struck the oak tree he had been resting on earlier. The tree splintered into toothpick sized pieces. Will had to put his hands in front of his face to shield himself from the wooden shrapnel. Arigos let out a long hiss.
"Arigos! Listen to me. I am your friend! Please!" Will begged.
"Your friend is gone!" Berry shouted.
"Thanks for the optimism!" Will yelled back, dodging another blow. Berry attempted to lunge, her blade in hoof, only to be knocked back by a kick from the seemingly possessed Arigos. She landed a few feet away, and struggled to get up.
"Arigos! Listen to me. I am not your enemy! I saved you when you were little. You were abandon and I held you and told you that everything would be ok!" Will told him. "You looked at me and asked who I was, and I told you that I was like you. Scared and alone. Please..." Will trailed off.
"W-will?" Arigos hesitated. Will jumped and tackled him. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his feather. He forcibly placed it on Arigos's chest, and watched as his eyes turned from orange to their normal blue. Strangely the other changes stayed.
"How do you feel?" Will asked.
"Like you just tackled me." Arigos muttered.
"Nice to see your sense of humor survived intact." Will laughed.
"Weird..." Arigos said.
"What?" Will asked.
"I feel tingly." He said.
"Damm it Arigos, I'm an Immortal, not a doctor!" Will said rubbing his forehead. "I think your alright, but let's get you to somepony with medical experience first."
"Are you sure that is wise? This Apocalypse my master spoke of sounds rather eminent." Berry Punch cut in.
"Isn't that the mare who stabbed me?" Arigos asked.
"We should get my friend to a doctor first, make sure there isn't anything else they did to him." Will argued.
"Really though, didn't she try to kill us? The crazy pony who has been trying to murder us?" Arigos tried to get Will's attention.
"Fine, at least we are near Ponyville, though I doubt an assassin, a changeling and an unknown being walking into town will be welcomed with a party." Berry pointed out.
"Well, they kind of know me. Arigos can disguise himself, and I think it will be ok if we explain what happened with you." Will said.
"Fine." She said.
So the trio walked down the hill and into town. They still got a few surprised and suspicious looks, but no one stopped them until-
"So Will, whatcha been up to?" Pinkie inquired. Will sighed in defeat, knowing all too well that attempting to avoid the pink menace would only end in a headache.
"Just....stuff. Nothing too fun." Will lied. Pinkie Pie stared blankly at him for a moment, and Will could feel her eyes boring into his soul.
"Okie dokie lokie then!" She said cheerfully, blinking twice. Will could only struggle to keep up his fake smile. Pinkie gasped abruptly, and darted away to Celestia knows where...
At least it gave Will a moment to think.
What now? The world was supposedly coming to an end and he had no idea where to go, where to even start looking for more awnsers. When all hope is lost, where do you go?
Will stumbled out of the pub. Alcohol had its limits due to his immortality. If it wasn't for his endless bag of bits, the owner would have thrown him out a few hours before.
His friends were waiting for him outside the whole time.
"Isn't getting extremely wasted more or less your style?" Arigos asked Berry.
"Shut up." She replied. Will could only grunt in response, and fell on the ground face down in the dirt before being lifted gingerly by a certain changeling's magic.
"You both should really cut back on your alcohol intake." Arigos remarked. Berry Punch struggled to suppress the urge to step on the insect. That didn't stop her from hitting him upside the head.
"Suppose I deserved that." Arigos admitted. Will could only shake his head, either in disbelief or shame. Possibly both.
"So what exactly are we going to do about the end of the world?" Berry asked. "No clue. Any ideas?" Will answered.
"We could just head towards the massive cloud of ash and fire heading for us." Arigos muttered.
"That's convenient." Berry whispered, her body frozen, eyes watching the plume of fire and death coming to greet them. Will did not wait for a plan, instead changing into phoenix form and charging into the blaze. Arigos could only mutter darkly before following him in. Meanwhile Berry Punch could only stand there, resembling a very terrified statue.
"Guys?" She called out. "I'm not immortal. I can't follow you in there! Guys?"
There was no reply, only the rumble coming from the cloud. Berry Punch could only sigh before attempting to out run it to evacuate the town. This was going to be a long day indeed. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In the ash, two birds of fire struggled to see through all the dust. Large rocks falling from above didn't help their flight path either. Multiple times they were almost crushed. Unfortunately they were getting lost, and for all they knew they could be flying in circles. The larger one looked to the smaller one and nodded. They both shot upwards, above the ash. From their the could see the source of the destruction. A stone spire, the only thing they could see above the dust and the rock below.
They flew towards it as fast as they could. They knew the truth, only they could stop this madness. The only other option was the end of the world. Which wasn't much of an option at all.
The spire was almost like a beacon, standing against everything around it. Resisting the darkness. Yet it brought the darkness with it, like a storm brings lightning.
It looks like the Empire State Building. Will thought. Though perhaps quite a bit bigger.
Arigos shook his head. Staying in this form for an extended time was mentally exhausting, the only reason Will did it so easily was he had a thousand years to practice. Arigos had minutes. His wings ached, and his head was spinning. He began to descend rapidly as he struggled to stay airborne. Will spotted this and flew beneath him and pushed upwards with his back in order to help the new immortal keep aloft. It was tiring for both of them. When they had finally reached the spire, they collapsed on a balcony. Turning back into their native forms, both lay on their back gasping for breath.
"I-I think we flew too far." Arigos gasped. "Yea." Will replied.
"Well, what has appeared on our doorstep? Hmm?" Regrets voice echoed. Will stood up quickly, but Arigos simply lay there.
"Show yourself coward." Will spoke through clenched teeth.
"You dare call me the coward? I didn't hide myself away for a thousand years." Regret remarked.
"I did it to protect the innocent." Will shot back.
"Well why don't you hide away like you always have, and leave current events to those who actually care." Regret said with a not so sincere smile. Will gestured around him, "You call this caring? The world is dying in fire. There will be nothing left for you. Your plan makes less sense then the Dark Knight plot!" Will shouted.
"I don't really have a choice." Regret admitted. "They keep me obedient, like a toy for their games."
"Then break free, resist them and fight back." Will pleaded.
"If only I could....." Regret whispered. Then the whole place shook. Arigos looked to will with a worried face.
"We have to get out of here soon, this place is going to tear itself, and I prefer we aren't here when that happens."
"Agreed." said Will. They both ran off farther into the building. Regret just stood there, watching them go.
"I do hope they stop this before it gets out of hoof." He whispered, neither immortals hearing him. "If it hasn't already."
"So what do you think?" Will asked.
"What do I think about what?" Arigos wondered.
"What do you think of the soul binding?" Will finished.
"I didn't wanna tell you because you would worry." Arigos admitted. "It burns...behind my eyes, in my mind."
"Yea, it does that." Will sighed.
"How do you get rid of it?" Arigos pondered.
"You can't." Will said, his face faltering from its usual calm. It showed a bit of guilt.
"Then how do you ignore it?" Arigos asked. "How have you put up with it for so long?"
"You don't." Will muttered.
"Oh." was all Arigos said. Will could hear the hurt in his voice.
If only things could be like they were before..... He thought.
"Come on! Get the civilians to safety!" Berry Punch shouted.
A little while before, a rather smug guard had asked why the town drunk was taking charge in a disaster. She gave him a glare that could make a dragon back off from its hoard. The unfortunate guard would have nightmares for years to come.
If we survive that long. Berry thought.
She was never for very optimistic thinking. It just didn't mix with her job. Assassin work, not drinking. Though that does give a pony a rather bleak outlook on life as well.
