> Tin Man
>  by Desrium
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Point Chaos
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The sun came down unforgivingly on the desolate plain. Red weeds, rough and dry, blew in a weak wind. The weeds made a loud rustling noise as they all shook in unison, spread out across large stretches of land until they came to a line of tall, bare trees. The scratching in the air eventually faded to silence, broken only by some creature beating its wings as it flew. The giant shadow floated across the orange-red canvas that was supposed to be the sky. 

A figure with glowing red jewel-like eyes stood in the shade of the bare trees. At the edge of the barren forest, it eyed the flying creature with an unchanging gaze. Behind this static visage was the mind of a thinker, a mind that was set on a mission. The figure shuffled its feet, heavy, dark gray metal boots scraping away at layers of dry dirt. With its decision made, the shape at the treeline started to advance into the open. 

The shadows seemed to peel off of him even before the light of the sun touched his blue robe. The gold trim of the robe glimmered with brilliant light as under his hood, his face disappeared into darkness, a darkness which defied the wisps of light spilling from his eyes. And in truth, this was indeed the case; tendrils of light started to emerge from his back at around shoulder level. Numbering six in total, the whips of golden light wafted through the air behind him in a spellbinding, gravity defying display. They moved with haunting grace despite the rigid march of the armored being. He exuded a warm glow, creating a circumference wherein the area inside was covered in a sun-yellow light. 

In a vast open plain where shades of red were the primary color scheme, the light of the armored being was overwhelmingly noticeable even from such a high altitude. The shadowy shape of the creature in the sky twisted and writhed. Its wings, bat-like in nature, flared out to either side of it, resulting in a striking silhouette directly against the sun. The armored figure stopped walking and simply kept on looking up at the creature, unmoving, unfazed. 
The dark shape appeared to hang in the sky for a moment before it abruptly began to grow in size. It was already large at a distance, but as it dove toward the armored being, it quickly proved to be even more enormous than that. Leaving the glare of the sun behind it, the robed figure was finally able to make out its features. It was the color of bleached bones and slender in build. A long, serpentine neck supported a blunt snouted head at the end of it. Its wings, held outwards and level with its body were utterly huge. Their leading edges were lined with barbs and spikes. Four legs were tucked into itself as it skimmed across the weeds, a cloud of dust trailing in its wake. Blade-like dorsal spines ran down the length of its body from head to tail. 

It had all the characteristics of a dragon to be sure, but Desrium did not consider this creature a dragon. While many others viewed dragons as vicious, destructive beasts – and a good number were – Desrium did not regard them all as such. This was due to his closest friends, Septimus and Jiier, separated from him by distance and the bindings of existence, respectably. Septimus showed him that dragons could be as cunning and intelligent as they were loyal and brave. Jiier showed him the true meaning of courage and will, and when the time came for it, the ultimate act of selflessness when he sacrificed his life for the future of the world. 

This creature – this dragon in name only – was a disgrace in Desrium’s eyes. Even in the heat of combat, dropping low beneath the monster’s maw and avoiding the swipes of its forearms as it passed overhead, he could not help thinking how far it had fallen from grace. He stood up amidst the billowing wind the beast’s passing caused, the dust rushing past him, the fabric of his robe ruffling. It shot upwards into the air and spun around to face him. It began to beat its wings, keeping itself at a hover several yards above the ground. Desrium only stared at it with his unblinking eyes. 

“An unmatched potential for good,” he thought. The dragon sprung, beating its wings powerfully as it arched its body forwards, swooping down at him. Its forelimbs extended, claws bared to slice the armored warrior into shreds. “Wasted.”

The tendrils of light whipped outwards in an instant. An opaque membrane of gold formed in between them, three on each side of the Justicar. They were the wings of light, and Desrium dropped into a low crouch on all fours before kicking off of the ground with inhuman strength. Clumps of dirt and bits of red weed followed him skywards as he spun end over end, leveling out with the aid of the wings. He slammed into the face of the albino monster but was no worse for wear from the impact. No, instead he grappled with the flying beast, his red eyes staring into its soulless black ones. It let out a low, guttural growl as its bony brow fixed itself in a glare. Desrium remained silent. 

It thrashed its head side to side as it flew erratic patterns over the crimson field. Desrium held fast, one hand holding onto a dorsal spine, the other hooked onto a smooth, sunken in groove on the creature’s skull that served as an effective handhold. The monster bucked especially hard and Desrium released his grip, being propelled higher into the air. His extended wings ensured that he never faced away from the dragon and they slowed his eventual descent like a parachute. The monster angled itself so that its jaws were pointed right at him before flapping its wings and streamlining its body. It soared straight like a rocket. 

Desrium angled his wings in different directions, swinging himself around the toothy end of the creature before wrapping them around himself. His metal body plummeted like a stone and he smashed into the bridge of the monster’s nose feet first with an impact that would have killed any lesser creature instantly. Instead however, the scale underneath his boots heaved a bit; blood flowed from the beast’s nostrils and Desrium flipped end over end down the length of the creature’s head until he caught onto a dorsal spike. 

The dragon bellowed angrily, one of its most potent senses crippled in such a callous manner. It then began to spiral through the air, intent on sending its opponent flying off into the great yonder, to send him soaring to his doom. Desrium was lifted off of the dragon’s hide, his legs dangling as he was spun, but his vice grip could not be broken by such means. He let go again and his wings shot out, slowing him down immensely before he too began to twist around, spinning like a top several feet away from the monster. From one of his sleeves came an ornate gold and silver weapon that could not have possibly fit in his robe, much less be stored in the length of his arm. It was a long spear that was headed with sharp twin blades. He extended the weapon as he spun, its range combined with his spin resulting in several clean slices across the dragon’s scales  before he came out of the spin, slowly falling alongside the furious monster.

It struck out with its tail, whipping Desrium in the head. The blow warranted a resounding thud and sent the Justicar tumbling through the air. In spite of this, he did not release the spear. He righted himself seconds before the dragon crashed into him again, bowling him through the air against its snout. He held the spear away from the dragon with one hand as its jaw began to open and swung his boots into the creature’s mouth. With his feet firmly pressed against its bottom jaw, he pushed against the roof of its top jaw with his free hand, resisting the dragon’s attempts to snap its mouth shut with him inside. Puffs of vapor surrounded Desrium with every exhale of the monster’s breath.  

Desrium tossed his arm up a few times, relaxing and tightening his grip as he did to readjust his hold on the spear. When he was satisfied, his hand was nearly centered from the tip of the twin blades and the end of the weapon’s rod. He twirled the spear around in his hand so that its blades pointed downwards and then skewered the monster’s tongue with a thrust. It made a low, moaning sound of anguish. Desrium twisted the blades, a well of dark blood seeping up from pinkish flesh. With another twirl of the spear, the Justicar had lopped off a fair portion of the organ. 

The dragon thrashed as its mouth flew open. It howled, spurting blood. Desrium, accompanied by the severed piece of tongue, was thrown to the wind. Unlike the tongue however, Desrium returned to the dragon with the beat of his ethereal wings, hanging on by the flap of its gum. Desrium stabbed the monster here as well and then scored the blades across it, flaying it. Blood ran free, the flesh fluttered in the air current, the dragon made another agonized cry. The Justicar started to scale up the side of the beast’s head, buffeted by the gales of flight.

They were incredibly high in the air now. The pillaged landscape below became a scrawling patchwork of deep browns, black and red with few defining details to set any one place apart to the average eye. Desrium was no stranger to being this high up. When Septimus was still with him in this forsaken land, he rode on the dragon’s back, experiencing the flight of a dragon first hand. Few would have survived such forces being exerted upon their bodies, but the Justicar and his Scholar companion took to the skies time after time. This accursed beast was not a dragon, so it did not have the same right to the sky, and Desrium was not riding it, he was going to command it. Such a thing would have been impossible with any true wild drake because of their massive pride, but this foul creature had no such pride if it had been subjugated by the demonic forces. A true dragon would die before submitting to another will. 

“By the Dawnmother’s grace, you will concede,” he relayed to the creature when he passed the depression at the back of its skull, what served as its ears. His voice was monotone and the command was soft spoken, lacking any of the passion that the warrior truly felt underneath his metal shell. 
The creature snarled defiantly. Its lips curled, stained red by its own blood. “By the blades of the Lance, you will concede,” Desrium said. The dragon shook its head from side to side. Desrium responded by swinging his spear-wielding arm outwards and then driving its lethal end into the space behind a boney ridge. The masterwork weapon passed through scale, dragon bone and came out the other side. The dragon bellowed then, for the Justicar had struck a much more devastating blow than just a simple stabbing. The eye on that side of the dragon’s head was flushed red with free-flowing blood. A single clean incision was left across it, left by the edge of one of the twin prongs when they did their deadly work. 

“By the Justicar’s decree, you will concede.”

He wrenched the spear from the wound and pushed off of the dragon. As he fell past it, he slashed at its skin and wing before grabbing ahold once more near the end of its tail. Its tailfins were broad and flat, twitching occasionally as they steered the beast through the air. By now it was flying in a corkscrew, the sky and ground liberally changing positions in a vertigo inducing dance. 

That is, until Desrium drove the Lance into the creature’s tail, right in between the two fins. Up ahead, the creature let out a roar that sounded more like it was choking on the very air it breathed. He jerked the lance in one direction and, having no choice but to comply with the movement lest it ended up losing its ability to steer, the dragon tilted its fins in that direction. The dragon pulled out of its tantrum spiral and quickly became level in the air. Desrium continued to force the dragon to steer how he wanted, covering miles of land in the span of twenty or so minutes. 

The red plains and barren forest were long gone by time the land became black and gray, riddled with cracks, chasms and canyons. Smoke still rose from a few of the fissures, where the horrid flames still burned. Towers of black steel stood over the wasteland, the spires at their peaks warped around the spheres of volatile orange energy that warbled and undulated. The towers would not fire their entropic payload at the dragon, however. It was one of their own, after all. Desrium made a note to report this development to the Order. It would do them well to liberate the towers and have them defend the area as they should, instead of being tools of the demonic scourge to maintain their decaying grasp on the land of Tyrbenetus. 

But before he could do that, he had to break the powers that be. That meant striking them where they least expected, but where they were also most strong. He was flying the dragon right towards a demon stronghold, a terrible fortress fashioned out of ebony steel sitting on foreboding land. It had sharp angles every which way and windows that glowed like fire. Effigies to death and destruction decorated their territory, skeletons of various peoples hiked up on jagged poles for all to see. The beings of flesh scorned such things. The demons reveled in it. 

To say it was dangerous was an insulting understatement. Many squads of the Order’s soldiers had embarked on such ventures before and that many squads of soldiers were no longer living. Gone in life, but not in spirit, whether or not they were at peace or victims of eternal torture had yet to be determined by any mage or mystic. But Desrium, on the eve of his decisive strike, drew strength from their bravery and noble hearts, for they did not yield in the face of the blight. They hardened their resolve and fought even when the fight was long lost. 

He would honor them, for he was no ordinary soldier of the Dawnmother’s Order. More so than his title as Justicar, the circumstances behind his being provided an edge that many others lacked. It was an added bonus that he did not age, tire and did not feel pain. If there was ever a warrior suited to battling the endless horde for all time, it was Desrium; he was a monster at one point but he would stay a hero for the rest of time. 

He pushed the Lance back, angling the dragon’s tailfins downward. The rest of its body bent with it, the creature’s midsection arching upward; to Desrium the beast formed a hill of marble. Over its spiked crest he saw the fortress rise, backed with the craggy landscape. He straightened the dragon’s tail and hunkered down as it picked up speed, diving. It began to growl and tense with hesitation and Desrium noted that there were signs of the dragon that used to be, a creature that sought to preserve its life. When demons died, they returned to their hellish realm and awaited their opportunity to return to the battlefield anew. Mortality was not a thing to fear, it was an inconvenience for them. 

“Do not fret,” Desrium spoke to the wayward spirit, “I will free you from the malice that has claimed you.”

He made the dragon skim across the rocky floor, flying just a few feet off of the ground. Demons patrolling the grounds swiftly took notice of the odd behavior the corrupted drake exhibited. They watched with burning eyes as it flew arrowhead straight at the black fortress. Its outstretched wings smashed into the poles that displayed the skeletons, leveling a swath of them in seconds. Clamor and uproar came from the demonic denizens at this and there was many a weapon raised in protest. It did not seem like anyone in the horde saw the Justicar on the dragon as they were consumed by the swell of chaos amongst their ranks. The irony did not go unnoticed by the armored being.

With a swift swipe of the spear’s blades, the dragon’s tailfins were cut off. They tumbled to the rough ground and continued to roll across it, the membranes ripping apart on sharp rocks. The dragon itself almost immediately rolled over, flapping desperately to correct itself. Desrium leaped off and planted his sabatons into the ground, sparks leaping off of his armor as he skated after the behemoth. 

It collided with the stronghold’s door with its broadside, the sound booming across the rocky open. Its wing snapped almost on contact and the rest of its body contorted as it bashed the door in, spilling into the lobby of the damned. Where broken bones gashed flesh, blood and innards spilled onto the stone floor, running along grooves and cracks. 

Demon underlings stared at the broken corpse. They were not visibly shocked, or perhaps they were not shocked at all and were only mildly curious as to why one of their fellow demons crashed into the fortress and made such a mess. Perhaps they were contemplating making the morbid aftermath an exhibit for all the fort’s forces to appreciate. But then the light spilled into the dark hall from over the body of the dragon. The underlings hissed and recoiled, repulsed by the glow of life. They shielded their eyes, gazing upon the figure responsible through the spaces in between their fingers. Their lips peeled back over their sharp, yellowed teeth when they saw Desrium standing on the dragon’s side, the Lance of the Justicar in hand. 

They spoke their forbidden language, cursing him in their own tongue. It did not matter. He understood them all the same. He leaped off of the dragon, the wings of light folding behind him as he did. He came down with a tremendous thud, the stone floor breaking around his boots. He cut down an underling with a single swing, spun on his feet and sliced a few grouped together in two in one clean slash. The underlings were just that, meek impish workers meant to tend to the tasks the combat-proven elites thought beneath them. Their bodies were small and frail and most were adorned in rags for reasons Desrium did not bother to ponder. 

It was not long until the hall was littered with their bodies. The shadows retreated as their blood flowed, igniting on contact with the air. Desrium walked on bathed in orange and yellow light, crossing the hall and kicking open the large, double metal doors on the other side. He stepped through them and was greeted with the sight of a massive cylindrical chamber. A spiraling ridge of gray stone protruding from the walls appeared to be the stairway down to the base of the chamber. Runes of demonic incantations glowed a variety of colors and ran along the walls in accordance to the stairway, illuminating the room with all kinds of shades and hues. Desrium thought it was unfitting for a place of demonic presence to have such frivolous use of color. He thought no more of it afterwards and jumped down the center of the spiral, fearless of what may lurk beneath. As long as he had the Lance, he walked with those who came before, the collective knowledge and experience of a proud line of Justicars. 

The sound of Desrium’s landing echoed. There was more broken stone where he came down in a crouch, powdery flecks and dust raining down around him. He stood upright, looked around and located the next set of doors. He walked up to them and kicked his boot dead center. With a bang and metallic groan, the heavy doors swung inwards and crashed against the walls they hit. Another dull banging rippled throughout the fortress. 

The room beyond the doors was another cylinder. By the way the rooms were arranged, stacked on top of each other floor by floor, filled to the brim with muscle bound red giants wearing plated armors and holding large weaponry, Desrium knew he had found the fortress’ barracks. Or was it a prison? Did demons even have prisons? It would be just like them to arm their convicts with weapons and supply armor. They would be like gladiators. It certainly explained the open center of the room, ringed with lanterns.

The greater demons started to leap down, swords, axes and polearms hoisted and ready for battle. Desrium could fight them, but it was inevitable that no matter how many he struck down, he would be overwhelmed. No, he had to do something that he really did not want to do, but had no choice but to. It was his little sacrifice for the greater good. He wore his robe to follow in Jiier’s example, and so he would follow through. 

Reaching into it, Desrium pulled out a silver and blue talisman with a golden chain that hung around his neck with the iconography of the Dawnmother on it: a debossed impression of Moria facing forward, the mare’s horn pointed frontwards, the bands of light that made up her wings represented as lines that stretched out to the end of the vitorite amulet on either side of her. Vitorite was an ore with a special affinity for the world’s magical essence. The talisman was made of Septimus’ store of the mineral and forged by the magic of the Scholar’s mentor on Tyrbenetus. Because of this, it possessed a great deal of power within its small form, a power that was supposed to appease Desrium’s appetite for mana. It was Septimus’ parting gift to him and Desrium had promised to keep it safe, to cherish it always. He didn’t even feed off of its mana reserves, how dear it was to him.  

He was going to go back on that promise. Though he would always cherish it in memory, what he was about to do would be the complete opposite of keeping it safe. ”I am sorry, Septimus, but I see no greater use for your gift than this.”

The first line of the numerous demonic soldiers were almost upon him when he ripped the talisman from his neck, the chain shattering and fraying into pieces. He opened his metal maw, his four fangs glinting in the fire light. He tossed the talisman into his mouth and slammed it shut; the greater demons began lunging at him. He fell onto his knees; most of the frontline missed their marks. He threw himself to the side and rolled, dodging many swings and stabs. He stopped upright, but he was getting sluggish as his strength waned. It was becoming difficult to do simple movements; standing up in time so that he could jump away from a war axe bearing down on him took a monumental effort. Keeping on his feet when he landed was nigh impossible so he crumpled to the ground, using the gold and silver spear as a brace to keep from falling flat on his face. 

The demons did not let up on the Justicar. His moment of weakness only seemed to fuel their lust for violence, their black weapons and red-streaked blades hungry for the thrill of the fight. They came at him and he evaded with the use of his ethereal wings, gliding backwards away from their strikes. His body gradually became slacker with each passing moment, his arms swinging limply every time he avoided a blow, his legs dangling when he got off the ground. This only spurred on the ravenous warriors, but they were overlooking the transition in the robed being’s eyes. For they were no longer releasing wisps of scarlet, but violet, getting closer and closer to blue. It was only when there was a blinding flash of light did the demons stop their attack and it was only to block their eyes from the source. 

Desrium’s eyes were ablaze, cobalt light flaring outwards from the darkness in his hood. He levitated off of the ground, not by the power of his wings, but by a field of raw magical power that came from within.  Now that he was mana infused, bolts of electricity lashed out at his surroundings. Nearby demons attracted the wrath of the lightning which took on a myriad of forms, branching strikes or narrow, pinpoint streaks. They were all kinds of color, silvery blue to bright red, but they all had roughly the same effect on all they hit: smoldering piles of char vaguely recognizable as what they once were. 

And that was merely the beginning. With a quick wave of his free hand, Desrium sent a crescent wave of magical energy into the once-crazed crowd of soldiers. They all fell over in a cascade, sliced horizontally along the middle. He clenched his fist, gathering energy in the palm of his hand before pointing it into the room. Another overpowering light filled the chamber and in the next instant, the scorched walls were coming down on themselves, groaning and raining sparks, their foundations completely melted by the Justicar’s power. Demons were scrambling along collapsing walkways, crushed by falling debris. 

Desrium held his hand in front of his eyes, knowing – feeling – that he had more than enough power to spare. He felt like he could single handedly level this fortress, battle whole squadrons of corrupted dragons and reclaim the defense towers. “You have outdone yourself, Septimus,” he thought as he felt the mana coursing through him. He held the Lance with both hands, channeling his energy into the spear and pointing its prongs downwards. From in between the spear’s prongs, a spiraling beam of gold erupted, eating through the stone and anything else that might have been in its way. When the energy subsided, what was left was a glowing tunnel into the depths of the stronghold. Desrium descended it, floating downwards, the wings of light illuminating the darkness. 

In time he arrived at what he assumed to be the base that the stronghold was built upon. It was an expansive cavern, the stalactites and stalagmites still present. There was already a light there before he brought the glory of the Dawnmother into this place far removed from the sun. He descended from the cavern ceiling, eyeing the columns of steel and rock that were undoubtedly keeping the whole structure from plunging into the rocky depths.

His vision drifted over to the peculiar assembly at the center of the cavern however. Spires similar to those seen on the defense towers were arranged around a central point, what looked like a pedestal from Desrium’s perspective. Like many other things in the stronghold, it too was made out of black metal, its base ornate and covered in engravings of fire and unspeakable creatures. Something set upon it shed a light yellow light in all directions. There was a hulking demon standing by the pedestal. It stood taller than Desrium and boasted a musculature that could have made the strongest ox envious. The armored being assumed it was a demon lord, with the way it seemed to ignore the pillar of light that might have been sent from the heavens for all it knew. 

“Demon,” Desrium stated, his voice having several layers to it now. It was rough and loud like a lion’s roar, it was soft and gentle as a birdsong. The gradient in between was unbelievable, many voices blending into one. And right in the middle was Desrium’s perpetual monotone. 

The demon lord turned to look at its visitor, uninterestedly at first, but then the implications of his appearance made themselves known. The demon, some twisted blend between a bear, hippo, bull and a man, smiled. Or rather, it did the closest thing to a smile that it could manage with its snout. 

“You were the one responsible for that, weren’t you?” inquired the demon with a voice that was surprisingly smooth, and almost pleasant to hear. 

“Your time is at an end,” Desrium replied, ignoring the question. 

The demon nodded. “I see.” It turned away from Desrium as if it was going back to deal with the pedestal before abruptly facing the Justicar again, dropping into a sprinting pose. Desrium sent a crescent blade of energy its way, but the demon bolted across the cavern floor and jumped at him, a plume of dust and rock following it as it hurtled at the armored being at considerable speed. 

Desrium folded his wings and dropped altitude quickly, twisting around to track the lord’s path through the air. It thudded against the far wall of the cavern in a runner’s stance and bolted again, running sideways along the surface as Desrium chased it down with a thin stream of energy from his palm. Clouds of dust formed with every one of its footfalls and it made another large cloud when it kicked off of the wall, launching itself at the Justicar, one arm cocked backwards and ready to deliver one hell of a punch. 

Desrium shot straight up into the air with a wing beat and flipped over as the demon lord passed underneath him, throwing an orb of magical energy into its back, which exploded with a bright flash and a popping noise. The demon landed at the center of the cavern on all fours and snapped itself around to glare at the Justicar, snorting vapor from its nostrils. Desrium righted himself, his jaws hanging open slightly. Bright light and gaseous streams of color started to spiral into his mouth. 

The demon raised its arms and slammed its fists down like hammers into the cavern floor. The impact rippled outwards and individual slabs of stone rose and fell with the shockwave. With a yell, the demon punched the ground and sent javelins of rock at the Justicar. Desrium shot from side to side deftly, using his wings to maneuver and dodge a few of the projectiles before releasing the power stored in his mouth. A beam of prismatic energy destroyed the remaining rocks in flight and continued onwards to the demon lord. 

The lord did a handstand before pushing off of the ground, throwing it up and over the beam seconds before it hit where the demon lord was just standing. The devilish being landed on the ceiling but did not fall. Instead it charged across it and jumped down when Desrium aimed his beam upwards, avoiding the volatile energies completely. It looked around at the glowing rocks, molten and dripping wherever the beam ran across. 

“Interesting, you’re a lot more powerful than the fodder your rebel camp normally sends us!”

“Don’t you dare refer to them as such, demon. I act in the name of justice, do not temp me with revenge,” Desrium responded.  

“They wouldn’t be worth the effort, honestly,” the demon replied matter of factly. 

“You do not have the right to speak about those soldiers.”

“I have every right, actually,” the lord said, “This is my fortress, after all. Not to mention they tried to kill me.” It laughed to itself, shaking its head. “Tried…”

“I could wipe you scum off the face of this world.” 

“Nothing is stopping you. Unless…” The demon lord smirked. An explosion of dust was left where it was standing, the demon back flipping numerous times before landing back at its altar. 

It slammed its hands down on the pedestal and the object placed upon it jerked into the air and began to spin. The light yellow glow turned fiery, hellish red and orange. Desrium recognized the artifact on the unholy altar. It was a skull bearing an unmistakable U-shaped crest on the front. Though it was elongated at the back, the front of the skull bore a disturbingly uncanny resemblance to a human skull.  

“You would be surprised what can be salvaged from such an explosion!” the demon lord exclaimed maniacally, “And you would be surprised what a few warlocks can accomplish! Pay us a visit, dear old, Xrtylxx!” 

The demon lord leapt away from the altar as the ground fell away into an abyss. The cavern rocked and stones fell from the ceiling. The abyss suddenly lit up, a geyser of fire shooting forth from the nether. A field of magic manifested, electricity running along the border and spiraling back into the center of the summoning in a strange circuit. A single limb reached up from beyond, fleshy and spindly, covered in spikes and singed hair like some kind of hell-spawned spider. An otherworldly noise drifted on up, deep and unsettling. 

“I cannot allow such an abominable act to come to fruition,” Desrium proclaimed from above.  Drawing on all of his power, he channeled mana into the Lance and pointed its prongs at the portal. The spear glowed brightly and the wings of its user intensified in brightness as well. It was if a miniature star had descended underneath the dirt and rock. The limb from beyond reached out, nearing the barrier of magical energy, the only thing separating it from the physical realm where the archdemon could return. 

“Begone, Xrtylxx. The time of your revival is not now.” 

The golden ray shot out and crashed into the field of magic, spreading out around it and nullifying it with tendrils of sunrays, strangling the evil forces. There was a horrible scream from the hellish portal and the lord began angrily spouting words from the demon tongue at the Justicar.  Either words of death, or just gibberish. The electricity expanded outwards in all directions before collapsing back on its center while Xrtylxx was dragged back into the abysmal pit, sans its hellfire. 

“The jokes end here, Justicar!” the demon lord boomed with unbridled fury as Desrium glided back to the ground, voice deepening many octaves and eyes alight. “It took a lot of time and effort to get that skull, and you ruined everything!” 

Desrium spun the Lance of the Justicar in his grip when he landed and then he spun on his heels, ending the motion with the blades pointed at the demon in a combat stance. His eyes, now red again, pulsed and wisps of light drifted through the air. The demon lord roared in response, but stopped midway when it saw what had become of the portal. 

“What in Necros’ molten hell!?”

The bolts of electricity formed a twister as the abyss suddenly became a chromatic field of light. Bands of color swirled around each other before the portal changed into something completely different. It was still some kind of passage way between realms, but instead of bringing something from another, it was reversed. It was trying to pull things through! 

“Look what you’ve done, idiot!” the demon roared, “you’ve killed us all, you metal bastard!” It slammed its fingers into the ground, anchoring itself. 

“I did no such thing, demon,” Desrium shot back dispassionately as he crouched down and stabbed the spear into the ground for leverage as well. 

But alas, the very stone they stood on began to rise, for the demon had shattered it earlier on in the confrontation. They were pulled to the colorful rift at speed, tumbling down a prismatic tunnel until they lost sight of each other. It was only when he realized he was already beyond the point of no return did Desrium notice he had actually let go of the spear. He tried to reorient himself with his wings and catch it, but had no such luck. By the whims of fortune he was relatively right side up when he looked down and saw the point of convergence, a point of pure white light below him. He grabbed the spear with one hand moments before he fell into it and everything became nothingness…

… and from nothingness came everything. He was falling through trees, a hail of dark stone surrounding him. His metal body was colliding with branch after branch, snapping them like twigs as he fell. He was also familiar with this. His return to the ground was swift and ungraceful, with him landing on his back. But despite the unexpected change of events, he had not let go of his weapon. The chunks of stone thudded into the dirt around him, a few small bits glancing off of his metal body. When the dust settled, Desrium raised his legs and flipped back onto his feet, nonplussed by the event. He was surrounded by boulders impaled into the ground. The demon lord on the other hand made its appearance across the way, swinging from tree to tree before sliding down the bark of one in one smooth motion.  

It came down on all fours in a gorilla-like fashion and jerked its head over to look in the Justicar’s direction. It was still for a moment and the two stared at each other until the demon took a good look around them. A dark forest when they were just underground, meaning they were in another, alien realm. The demon lord smirked wickedly with dark thoughts running through its head. 

“FIRST!” it shouted, launching itself into the air and punching a tree with such force that the base became a shower of splinters. The large plant fell towards Desrium, knocking every other tree limb that conspired to catch it down. Desrium swung his free arm upwards, his gauntlet impacting with the tree trunk and embedding itself inside. 

He succeeded in stopping its fall to some extent. 

“First to claim this world!” he heard the demon lord hoot in the distance and he threw the tree aside, ripping his hand free of the wood. He jumped up on the felled timber and looked around frantically, his eyes brightening to combat the dark shadows.

But the demon was gone, disappeared into the wilderness. 

“Enjoy your delusions while they last. I will find you, yet.”

His wings unfurled, shining their golden light as he charged into the underbrush. He listened intently for signs of the demon in the trees and looked around for signs of its passing, but had neither to work with. He didn’t give up, though. He was unaging, untiring, unfeeling. He would find the repulsive creature and send it back to whence it came. Then he would try to find a way to get back to Tyrbenetus. This was his mission. He drew solace from the fact that, while the demon stronghold still stood, its major fighting force was utterly obliterated. He hoped that word would travel back to the Order somehow and they would finish what he started. Moria knew that all he truly wanted was to be there with them when they claimed their victory over the scourge. At least Xrtylxx was still bound in his extra-planar prison with no escape to be had in the near future. 

A long time passed since the demon lord escaped into the forest. A long time of searching proved fruitless. Desrium slowed to an uneasy stop with the roots of giant trees boring into the soil around him. He looked up into the leafy canopy, both appreciating the beauty of life after being in such a dead land for so long and cursing it at the same time. The trees were big and healthy. The demon had proven that it was more than able to use them to its advantage. While he was sprinting across the forest floor, it was slipping through the treetops, making the most out of its head start. It could have been anywhere by now.  He couldn’t give up. Desrium could not allow another land to fall prey to the corrupting influence of demons. Just one demon lord could spell disaster for centuries and millennia to come. 

But how was he to catch the fiend? He would have to meditate on it when he got the chance, for he decided that getting his bearings on his surroundings would be the best course of action for the time being. The Justicar was about to jump onto a tree and work his way to the canopy when he noticed movement amidst the vegetation: a shadow that moved out of turn with everything else. He was put on alert again. Was it big enough to be the demon lord? Could the devil move with such stealth that it could mislead his most acute senses? And why would it dare approach what might have been its only threat in this new world? Focusing his attention, his eyes became much brighter, eventually overtaking the wings and chasing the shadows away with crimson light. He panned his vision around, combing the bushes and ferns for evidence of his enemy. 

What he discovered not long after was something… odd. It was a small hooded figure that was practically a statue before him, partially obscured by the leaves of a bush. He saw blue eyes and the faint glint of jewelry underneath the brown cloak. Most curious indeed, Desrium thought. It was definitely not the demon lord, but the question remained, just what was this creature he had come across? Desrium cocked his head when he heard it speak. It spoke in a tongue that was understandably alien to him, but he was relieved when he did not recognize it as black speech. His interest was piqued by the creature and its rapid speaking. The armored being inferred that it was chanting something, but what, exactly, he could not discern. 

Reflexively, his hand shot out to block the wooden staff that the creature swung at his head. It seemed surprised by the quickness of the reaction by how it reeled backwards, eyes wide. The armored being’s fingers wrapped around the staff and with a forceful tug, he pulled it and the creature forwards into the light of his eyes unobstructed. He took the staff away from it and with a fast motion, used it to push the creature’s hood off of its head. The creature mumbled something irritably while Desrium noted its key features. Black and white stripes, a mane and tail, four legs, a strangely feminine appearance accentuated by the presence of gold jewelry on the neck and foreleg, a resemblance to an equine animal. A closer look at the staff revealed that it was in fact, bamboo. 

“Return to the dark corner you appeared from you ghastly apparition, return to the void of sin, witchery and superstition!” the creature spat with a heavily accented voice. 

“I beg your pardon?” Desrium replied, mildly surprised that the animal could speak a language he understood. 

“I have no care for kinds like you, so I ask that you do whatever it is that you are here to do. If you do not wish to harm me, then I only ask that you leave me be,” she said.

Desrium paused. Aside from the habit of rhyming, the creature was even stranger than he had anticipated. “You attacked me,” he said.

“I was warding off what I thought was an evil spirit. If that is what you are, then do not waste another minute. Do your evil deed or ensure that I am set free.”

“I am not an evil spirit, I assure you,” the armored being responded. “I am Desrium, the Justicar. I come from another place and time, on a mission to save your land from a grave danger.”

“Is that why you cause havoc and run amok? Is your mission to cause confusion and devastation?” the small creature asked accusingly. She had heard and felt the impact when the tree was knocked down. She saw animals scurrying in fear as the robed intruder in the forest went on his rampage. She would not be led astray by lies of grand quests. 

“No, but that is the intention of my foe. It seeks to bring ruin here as its kind has brought ruin elsewhere.”

“You claim to act in favor of the dove, but what is this foe which you speak of?” the equine creature asked. 

“An actual evil spirit,” Desrium answered simply. “They are known as demons where I hail from.”

The equine hummed thoughtfully, ruminating over what she was told. “And why have I not seen signs of this foe? Is there more to your story that I ought to know?”

“I fear that it may have escaped me already,” Desrium replied. “I need to assess the problem differently if I am to have any hope of putting a stop to its visions of destruction.”

The creature stood up warily, looking upon the robed figure with an expression of distrust. Desrium stepped backwards a few paces as a show of his good will. He saw her narrow her eyes, her pupils shifting over to the staff he had taken from her. He went down on one knee and held it out for her to take. She inched forwards, her body tense and ready to react to anything the armored being might pull. Desrium found that interesting, that even though the creature knew what he was capable of, she was still prepared to combat him if he proved a threat to her. He commended such brave spirit. 

She snatched the bamboo away as soon as she was able to and hopped backwards, expertly wielding the staff in her front hooves and standing on her rear ones. She held one end of the staff between her and the Justicar. He did not stir. 

“I apologize for any offense I may have committed,” Desrium said to her as he stood up. “I will be leaving you now.” He turned away from her and started to walk off into the brush. 

“Halt, Justicar!”

Desrium stopped and looked over his shoulder at the equine. She was standing on three legs now, one of them holding the staff vertical by her side. 

“Do I have your word that you have been truthful about who you are?” she asked him. 

Desrium nodded. “By the Dawnmother’s honor.”

“Then I may be able to assist you in defeating this fiend. The help of friends is what you need.”

“Friends?” Desrium inquired, perplexed. 

“There is much that we both have to say. Your questions, I will answer along the way,” said the creature as she started to head back the way Desrium found her. “I will gather my supplies and we will depart for Ponyville before the sun lights up the skies.” 

Desrium wanted to ask her about what Ponyville was, but decided against it. He would be wasting too much time asking about every detail that he came across. Instead, he opted to get a more worthwhile answer. 

“Who are you, if you do not mind me asking?” he asked as he came up behind her, falling into step with her pace.  

“Yes,” she said, nodding, “to you, my identity must be quite the enigma.”

“It is.” 

“There used to be a time when I was as misunderstood as you,” she continued to say. “But there needn’t be any mystery.”

She stopped and turned around to look Desrium in his glowing eyes. With a kind smile and a wave of her staff, she said: “For I am the zebra, Zecora, who lives in the forest of Everfree.” 

Desrium nodded with understanding and replied, “Then I am fortunate to be in your company, Zecora. It is quite rare to find oneself with a kindred spirit.” 

Zecora only bowed her head and continued onwards. The two did not exchange words for the rest of the walk through the dark forest – which was not so dark thanks to Desrium’s ever-shining light – and it was not long until they came to the zebra’s hut built into the base of an aged tree. Bottles of poultices and potions hung from its branches along with various charms. Desrium saw the curious-looking mask that hung over her door, adorned with ferns. 

For some reason, the zebra’s abode reminded him of Jiier’s cave when he too was a hermit in some forbidding jungle, far from civilization. It was a pleasant yet somber reminder of his friend and the world he was taken from. 

> New Magic
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

There was a commotion from inside the hut. There were sounds of rattling, of clattering, pottery, pots, pans and all other things. Desrium was sitting outside with his back against the old tree because the door to the zebra’s home was much too small for him to pass through without him breaking something. Occasionally he would shift over to the circular window and look inside, but all he would be able to see was Zecora speedily pacing around the interior with items in her mouth. In one instance, it was a book. In another, it was a potion bottle. In time, Desrium stopped looking inside. Zecora told him she would explain things along the way, but there hadn’t been much explaining done at all ever since she entered the hut. Apparently there were a lot of things she had to gather for the trip into this “Ponyville”. He was anxious for understanding of the situation he found himself in and his only source of answers was currently too busy to talk to him. 

”Patience,” he told himself. Zecora needed time to get herself sorted and he needed to accept that she was not at his beck and call. But still, he found himself restless waiting for her. For every moment he wasn’t spending hunting the demon lord, the armored being felt he was letting it get even farther away from him. It got so bad that he decided that the wisest thing to do was to consult his spiritual guide to receive words of wisdom and insight. Desrium crossed his legs underneath him and rested the Lance of the Justicar over his lap. He braced his fists against each other and began to meditate. The brightness of his eyes dimmed considerably until they barely flickered at all. He sat there, unmoving and unblinking, a statue in front of the zebra’s home. 

The world inside the mind of the Justicar was an offbeat expanse that was always changing from one state to the next depending on his mood. He looked around the crimson sea from the platform of white, glassy light he stood on, suspended in infinity without his wings extended. The “sky” above him was the image his eyes were seeing as he sat staring blankly into the Everfree forest beyond Zecora’s door. He saw tree trunks covered in vines and moss ahead of him, along with small plants and bushes. They were all plastered above the robed figure in the sea of crimson, dyed a red tinge as well. Desrium stepped forward and a tile of light formed underneath his boot seconds before it touched down. The one he was standing on before vanished. He took another step and another tile of light appeared, while the previous one faded away into the scarlet surroundings. This repeated with every step he took, walking along a disintegrating path floating in empty, red space. He looked from side to side as structures began to assemble on either side of the path, materials rising upwards from the bottomless drop and arching downwards to fall on phantom foundations. There were buildings being made out of rough stones that stacked on top of each other, growing larger and larger into monolithic constructs. There were dark brown bricks that rained down in sequence which quickly formed walls and grew into rustic-looking buildings, dwarfed by the ziggurats and temples that the stones created.

The cause was something Desrium did not spend any time thinking about. The purpose of the structures was meaningless. He accepted the occurrence as any other and walked on. He paid no mind to the buildings as they began to drift about the red space, clouds of brick and stone. A few of them began to lean and roll as they went and a couple crashed into each other, crumbling into dust and debris that lazily hung around the impact zone. Desrium raised his hands to stop a cracked stone block that floated over to him and then hopped up to sit on the hovering block, his legs dangling off the edge.   
“Inarius?” he asked, surveying the area around him, which was no longer as sparse as it once was thanks to the buildings drifting by. There was a warm light behind him that grew, casting him into shadow before dissipating, though not completely. 

“It is a strange predicament you have found yourself in, brother,” said Inarius. The tall figure clad in masterfully crafted golden armor and bearing wings of light of his own stood on the other side of the stone block behind Desrium. 

“It is indeed,” Desrium replied. He swung his legs up as he turned himself around and then stood up to face the Justicar who preceded him. Inarius did not have glowing eyes. Through the spaces in the visor of his helm, there was only an unliftable veil of darkness despite the warrior’s nature steeped in light.  

“Have you any similar experiences?” he asked the presence in the Lance. 

“No, I cannot say that I have.”

Desrium hummed thoughtfully. “What about the Justicar before you?”

Inarius shook his head.

“And the one before they?” 

“It hasn’t happened before in our line, brother. You are the first.” 

“I see,” said Desrium. “Do you have any idea how this may have come about? Why the portal brought us here?” 

Inarius folded his arms and looked downwards for a moment as he delegated himself to deep thought about the question. When he was done, he looked at Desrium and replied, “Closing the portal the way you did might have had an effect, but I do not know why we were brought to this realm in particular.”

Desrium was silent for a short while before he inquired: “Do you believe that there is a way to return?”

“I’m afraid I don’t have the answer to that.”

Desrium’s eyes flared at that. He shook his head and said to Inarius, “Then I will devise my own means to return to Tyrbenetus.”

“That is a good outlook to have in this situation, brother,” Inarius replied with a nod. He looked upwards and then added, “It seems you are needed.” 

Desrium looked up as well, seeing a gigantic Zecora in the red sky. She was waving her bamboo staff in front of his eyes and looked very confused. “Thank you for your time, Inarius,” he said to his guide. He looked down to him and bowed his head. In response, the golden warrior cupped a gauntlet in the palm of his other hand and also bowed his helm. The scarlet dreamscape began to dissolve around Desrium then, colors fading away, the structures of stone and brick falling to pieces. 

Zecora jumped backwards when the armored being’s eyes ignited abruptly, the light spilling out of his helm washing across a wide area around her. She held her staff defensively in front of her as he stood up, his spear in hand. He looked to the side of her when he was back on his feet and commented: “I trust you have gathered all that you needed?”

There was a fairly large sack next to a small blue two-wheeled wagon filled to the brim with all sorts of archaic objects and instruments. Zecora glanced over to her belongings before her eyes shot back to the Justicar, anger in her gaze. “All through the night you creep, but you think now is the time to sleep?”

“I do not sleep,” Desrium corrected her. 

“You could have fooled I, the way you motionlessly lie!” Zecora shot back. 

“I apologize.” Desrium bowed his head respectably. Zecora gave him a bemused look before shaking her head. 

“We have no time to argue and berate. We must hurry, Ponyville waits!” She hurried over to the wagon, sticking her staff into it and propping it up onto herself. She then turned to the sack and began hoisting it onto her back with visible strain, her eyes closed as she pulled the fabric with her mouth. Desrium cocked his head and walked over to her side, sliding the Lance down a sleeve. The weapon disappeared into his robe. 

“Perhaps I can be of assistance?” he asked. Without waiting for a reply, he took hold of the sack with one hand and lifted. Zecora was surprised at the sudden lack of resistance and let go as she opened her eyes. She saw the Justicar swing the heavy bag over his shoulder and onto his back without even flinching. She had a shocked expression on her face at first, but it was soon replaced by a smug smirk.  

“What a surprise, there is something useful about your large size!” she said. She proceeded to walk off into the forest without waiting for what Desrium had to say, not inclined to waste any more time with banter. Not that Desrium had any witty reply anyway; his reply was the one he made in his head. 

”I am not large. Septimus is large. Many things are larger than him. I am not large at all.”

He followed her closely through the forest, shedding light on the path they walked until the sky began to brighten, visible through the leaves overhead. He dimmed his eyes and retracted the wings of light, finding that the sun rose incredibly fast over this new world. In just a minute or so, sunlight had spread across the land in full. 

After another stretch of time walking, the two reached the edge of the Everfree forest. Desrium laid eyes on the buildings in the distance, cottages with thatch roofing, a few buildings with shingles and a couple with spires on top of them. A surge of anticipation washed over him then. He looked down to Zecora and asked, “Is that Ponyville?”

Zecora nodded. “We must make haste; Twilight needs to know of the danger before the whole town wakes.”

“Who is Twilight?” Desrium asked as they walked towards a bridge in the distance. “Is Twilight one of those friends you mentioned earlier?”

She nodded once more. “Who better to lend aid with this than an alicorn princess?”

“I would not know. I am not aware of what alicorns are.”

Zecora raised a brow at him. “There are no alicorns where you are from? Who, then, raises your moon and your sun?”

“They rise on their own accord,” Desrium answered. “The Dawnmother, Moria, is closely associated with their affairs, but she does not control them.”  

Zecora looked somewhat bewildered at this, as if the notion of the heavens acting independently was far too preposterous to take seriously. She was able to compose herself by telling herself that the very presence of the Justicar behind her was preposterous in of itself. He undoubtedly came from a strange world, from a strange land far removed from Equestria. 

“But what are alicorns?” Desrium asked. He was beginning to become self-conscious of his many queries, but it was difficult to contain his curiosity. He wondered if, after he defeated the demon lord, he would be able to learn more about this world before leaving it. It was a small desire compared to his duty he knew, but the opportunity to do so seemed like a grand and worthwhile undertaking to him. 

“In simplest terms,” Zecora began to say, “they are powerful things, ponies with both a unicorn’s horn and a pegasus’ wings.”

“I have met unicorns before,” Desrium replied. “I have not met a pegasus, unfortunately.”

Zecora looked at him, mouth agape. She resisted the urge to voice her disbelief and explained, “They are flying ponies with wings a-feather, ponies that live in the clouds and control the weather.”

“Ah. Radamand would find them interesting. Or not. He is angry a lot.” Desrium said. 

“Radamand?” Zecora asked. 

“The Steward of Storms, servant of Soel, as I am the Justicar, a servant of Moria.”

The zebra nodded despite not quite understanding everything Desrium told her. She had a feeling that to ask for clarification would entail having the Justicar regale her with stories from his home realm and there was simply no time for such elaborate tale-sharing. They passed over the bridge, the Justicar’s metal boots thunking against it as he crossed. Once on the other side, Zecora sped up her pace to a trot and Desrium jogged behind her, the items in the sack jangling against his back. A few ponies opened their windows and stuck their heads out to see the two down the street, the cloaked zebra and the robed figure. 

Zecora knocked against the sturdy wooden door to Golden Oaks library. She backed up from it and waited tensely for it to open. Desrium stood in front of the sign a few feet away regarding the book icon with his unreadable gaze. A couple of minutes later, the door swung inwards. The armored being looked over and saw that it was not some strange horned and winged pony that greeted him and Zecora, but a small purple dragon with blunt green dorsal spines.  

“Hello to you, Spike. Could you please go bring Twilight?” Zecora said to Spike. 

“Zecora? But… wh—who… wha?” the baby dragon stammered, thrown for a loop by the zebra’s unannounced appearance so early in the morning. Usually Twilight and his friends were the ones to go to her, not the other way around, even with Twilight being a princess now. When he caught sight of the specter standing not far away, his eyes widened. 

“T-T-TWILIGHT!” 

The dragon bolted into the library, leaving the door open. Whether it was the fear or the fact she was standing in front of it and Spike did not want to slam the door on a friend, Zecora could not tell. She looked over to Desrium. 

“I did not mean to scare the whelp,” he said simply. 

“His behavior might have been crude, but you do not have to be rude,” Zecora chided him. 

“Very young dragons are known as such where I am from, but I will refrain from referring to him as a whelp if it is offensive here.” 

“Please, refrain,” Zecora replied. “To Twilight, I have so much to explain…”

A few minutes passed before the purple alicorn appeared at the door with a puzzled expression on her face. Spike, shaken, hesitantly followed her. “Zecora, what happened?” Twilight asked. She looked over to the armored being and asked warily “Who… what is that?”

“I will tell you this in short time, but I would feel most comfortable if we were let inside,” Zecora responded. 

“Of course, of course…” Twilight said uneasily and stepped out of the doorway. Zecora flicked her tail at Desrium and he wordlessly followed her lead into the library. He had to duck down some ways to get past the door but once on the other side he found that he had ample space to stand up straight again. He saw rows upon rows of books when he did, though. Books in shelves carved into the very wood of the tree. He saw some stairs and wondered if there were more book alcoves on the next level. 

”Septimus would have liked this place,” the Justicar thought. 

“This is Desrium,” he heard Zecora say and he was pulled from his musings. She was pointing a hoof at him as she spoke to Twilight. “Another world is where he is from.”

“Hello,” said Desrium to Twilight and Spike. They stiffly waved at him. 

“He comes bearing tidings of danger, a dark force with evils much stranger. It has managed to evade him and he wishes to find it before it begins its grievous sins!”  

Twilight gasped but hardened her gaze right after. “How do you know he isn’t lying to you? We should have him sent to Canterlot to be watched by princess Celestia while the others and I go searching for this ‘dark force’!”

Spike voiced his approval with: “Yeah, princess Celestia would know what to do!” 

“If he wanted to harm me, he could have done so easily. I too have considered this, but he has pledged his honesty.”

“Please, princess Twilight,” Desrium spoke, “you do not know what it is you are up against. The fight against this demon is my fight alone. I will not involve others any more than I utterly need to in this battle that I have unwittingly brought here.”

Twilight eyed the armored being with uncertainty. Desrium kneeled before the alicorn and bowed his helm to her. “I vow that I will leave you be after the fiend is vanquished. If I cannot return to my world then I will leave this place – leave Ponyville – forever. I will be nothing but a memory.” 

Twilight glanced over to Zecora, as if silently asking the zebra for help. Zecora only nodded to her. She looked backwards at Spike and the bewildered dragon shrugged his small shoulders. Twilight swallowed hard, took a deep breath and asked, “So what would you like me to do?”

Desrium stood up and swung the sack of items around. He put it down on the ground in front of him and said to the princess, “Zecora said that the help of friends can aid me in finding the demon. If this is true, then I would deeply appreciate it.”

“Wait a minute!” Spike interjected. He hopped out from behind Twilight and pointed a claw accusingly at the robed figure. “Why is it that you have to be the one to fight it? Twilight here and her friends have taken care of their own share of enemies, I’ll have you know!” 

Desrium swung an arm around, a move that made Spike tense and made Twilight take on a wide stance, lowering her head to point her horn at the armored being. Out from his sleeve and into his waiting grip came the Lance. He twirled it around in his fingers before putting its end down on the floor, the double prongs proudly pointed to the ceiling. From his back came the tendrils of light, wriggling and undulating weightlessly.

“I am the Justicar, servant of Moria, champion of peace and justice. Along with my battle brothers of the Dawnmother’s Order, I fight the heartless horde, the scourge of Tyrbenetus. To combat them at every step is my duty and I will not have any other put their selves in danger in my stead. I simply refuse to allow anyone to suffer for my mistake.”

Spike blinked a few times before recoiling sheepishly. Chuckling weakly, he said, “Well… I guess that is a good reason… heh.” He stepped behind a more relaxed Twilight, peeking out from her flank.  

Desrium turned his attention to Twilight and asked, “Do I have your support, princess?”

Twilight looked pensive for a moment more before her countenance became more ridged and resolute. With a stern nod she said, “Yes you do, Justicar. I will need to gather my friends and then we will come up with a plan—“ 

“There he is!” shouted an ecstatic voice from outside. 

“Uhhh…” Twilight droned, shifting her head slightly to look around the armored being. 

Following her line of sight, Desrium turned around and saw the pink pony scrunched up against the glass of the window near the still-open door. Zecora was looking at her too, one brow raised higher than the other. 

“Hi!” said the pony, her voice muffled against the window. “My name’s Pinkie Pie, what’s yours!?”

“I am Desrium,” the armored being replied as if the appearance of the newcomer was the most normal thing in the world. 

Pinkie Pie pried herself from the window and scooted around to enter through the door. She jumped up onto his shoulders and threw her forelegs around his hood. “I knew it, I knew it!” she exclaimed happily. “Last night I was thrown out of bed with one mean shudder and I knew my Pinkie Sense was acting up again! But I didn’t know why because when I shudder that means something I never would have expected was gonna happen and it was a mean shudder so I knew it was gonna be a doozy’s doozy!”

She rubbed her cheek against Desrium’s hood as she continued, “After that my back got really itchy and the last time I itched so bad was when I was so lucky I made a new friend! It was really hard to get back to sleep because my rump hurt from falling out of bed, my back was itchy and I was so excited!”

She pulled off the Justicar’s hood, revealing to the shock of all except the bubbly pony that he was wearing a hat on his helm all along, one that was blue and floppy with a gold trim around its flat rim and constellations as decoration. Pinkie Pie arched herself over Desrium’s head to look him in the eyes upside down and asked: “Will you be my friend!?”  

“Alright,” said Desrium simply. The whole time he was completely still for her sake.

Pinkie smiled broadly and practically flew off of him, confetti flying and small firecrackers going off as she flipped through the air. She landed next to Twilight with her face close to the ground and her tail waving back and forth before her joints locked up abruptly. Her pink coat was slowly turning a pale blue as her teeth chattered. She tackled the pony princess to the side without warning. “Brrr, you’re pretty cold, mister metal bro!” she said, hugging an exasperated Twilight for warmth. 

“I am sorry, friend,” Desrium replied as he pulled his hood back over his helmet. “I should have told you something.”

“No sweat!” Pinkie began snickering at her little joke.

“Pinkie!” Twilight cried out, spreading a wing and dislodging the hyperactive pony from herself.

“Oh, sorry Twilight, I should have asked first, huh?” Pinkie asked, lying on her back. She started chortling and kicking her hooves out. 

“Pinkie, we’ve got some serious trouble on our hooves,” Twilight said to her. Pinkie froze again, her eyes wide. Just as quickly, her body language changed, becoming gravely serious on the drop of a hat. She flipped over onto her legs and stood upright, awaiting explanation. 

“Trouble?”

“Yes, I will explain after everyone is all here. Could you—“

“Get the others!? In a jiffy!” Pinkie turned and shot off through the library door, a pink blur that left confetti in her wake. 

“Her speed is great, so we are fortunate,” Zecora commented after she sped off. “Because she was drawn to the one with the spear, it will not be long before the five others are here.”

“Well, let’s just hope that our luck holds up, huh?” Spike said, walking over to lend Twilight a hand with standing back up.

“Mm,” Desrium hummed as he looked out into the town. He knew it would take a lot more than luck to slay the demon. “Princess,” he began as he returned the gold and silver spear into his sleeve. “Would you mind if I took a look inside one of your books?”

“Uh… no, go right ahead,” Twilight replied. She did not expect the warrior made out of metal to be the type to find value in reading, but she had learned the hard way a long time ago not to jump to conclusions about others. 

Desrium said his thanks and wandered over to one of the many bookshelves. He pulled a book out at random, making sure to note where he got it from before opening to the first page and reading the text lay out across it. 

Pinkie Pie made good on her promise. Zecora saw her bouncing towards the library from the window. She had shut the door after Desrium went to read, so she opened it again for the pink pony and her entourage. Desrium looked back at the door when he heard it open and knew that the time of truth was almost upon him. He put the book back in its slot in the shelf and made his way to the library lobby. He had barely gotten more than a third through the book before Pinkie appeared with four other ponies. Twilight was beside him and welcomed her dear friends when they entered, Pinkie Pie throwing herself through the door while the others walked in with the exception of Rainbow Dash, who chose to fly. 

“So you’re the one causing all of the commotion, huh bub?” the cyan pegasus said to Desrium, getting as much in his face as she could off the bat. 

“You are the first pegasus I’ve ever encountered. Hello, what is your name?” Desrium responded. 

Rainbow Dash cocked her head and raised an eyebrow. She looked over to Pinkie Pie and asked, “So this creepy thing is your friend?”

“Yeppers!” Pinkie replied with much delight. 

“Oh please, Rainbow Dash, could you possibly have worse manners?” Rarity asked from behind the pegasus, swaying from side to side to add emphasis to her words. She trotted forwards up to the Justicar and put a hoof to her chest. “I am Rarity and I am very pleased to meet you mister… um, Desrium. Pinkie Pie was talking about you all the way back to the library! Not that she had much to say, mind you, but still… I do say that is a marvelous robe you have on, where did you get it?”

“My friend, Jiier, gave it to me a long time ago. I do not know where he acquired it, but he had it in his hoard when I met him.”

“His hoard?” Rarity replied curiously. 

“In his cave,” Desrium answered.

“Cave?”

“Jiier was a dragon, miss Rarity.”

“Oh heavens!” 

At the back of the assembly of ponies, there was a whimper.

“Whoa, you are friends with a dragon where you come from?” Spike asked. “Like… a big grownup dragon?”

“That… is actually pretty awesome,” Rainbow Dash said, nodding. “I guess the freaky light-things coming out of your back are pretty cool too, but not like being friends with a big monster dragon!”

“Jiier was not a monster,” Desrium said plainly.

“Psh.” Rainbow Dash waved a hoof dismissively.  

Applejack rubbed her chin and tilted her head off to one side. “Pardon the blunt question, mister, but why is it that ya’ll keep sayin’ things in the past tense? I know you’ve got yerself in a bit of tight spot here in Equestria but don’t let yerself get all bent out of shape!” When she realized what she said she blushed with embarrassment. “That weren’t no joke about you being all metal and stuff, honest.”  

“Thank you for the kind words,” Desrium replied. He decided that to tell them about Jiier’s fate would be grossly unfitting now of all times. The story about the blood dragon was one the Justicar felt deserved retelling for generations, but not everyone needed to hear it. Especially not these small equines in their separate reality, blissfully unaware of the terrors that existed elsewhere. “And your name is?” he asked the orange pony.

“My name’s Applejack and I’m darn tootin’ pleased to meet you, Desrium!” She rushed over to him and held a hoof out for him to shake. Desrium looked at it, hesitating. Applejack reached out harder. “In case ya’ll don’t do this where you come from, you’re supposed to shake it!” she whispered, winking. 

“I believe engaging in this gesture would be most discomforting for you,” Desrium warned her. 

“Aw phooey, it’d take more than a hoofshake to make any earth pony worth their salt feel any sort of way!” Applejack insisted.

“Pinkie Pie, please,” Desrium said, looking over to her. 

“Oh! Right! You’d best watch out Applejack, Desrium is all frosty-frosty!” To reinforce her point, she zipped over to Applejack and waved her front hooves in the hat-wearing pony’s face, blowing on her through puckered lips. “Ooh, frosty,” she whispered. 

“Aw shucks, ya’ll are acting like I need to dress up for winter wrap up just to give him a hoofshake!” Applejack countered. 

“You kinda do!”

“Would you please just take my hoof and shake it, Desrium?” 

“I apologize in advance, Applejack.” Desrium took her hoof in his metal hand and the earth pony became as stiff as a board. He let go and she sheepishly stepped back from him.

“Ah… right…” she said.

Desrium nodded and said no more. He looked to the back of the group when he saw Rainbow Dash fly over there and saw as she began prodding at one partially hidden yellow shape on the library floor. “Rainbow Dash, please!” a delicate voice pleaded.

“It’s not like he tried to gobble her head or anything! Applejack’s fine!” the pegasus said in an attempt to be reassuring, but the mention of heads being gobbled only petrified the yellow pony. She squeaked and somehow managed to squeeze herself into a tiny, shaking ball. 

Applejack forced a cough and said with a smile, “And that’s Fluttershy! Ya’ll don’t feel bad about that whole business now; at one point she was afraid of her own shadow! But don’t you get to thinkin’ she’s easy pickin’s, Desrium, she is brave in her own right!”

Desrium nodded and inquired, “What normally makes her feel better when she gets like this?”

“Well… us, for the most part,” said Applejack. She gestured to the others, Twilight, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie, as they converged on the yellow pegasus to offer their support and continued, “We do what we can to help her when she gets all scared like this, but sometimes it’s her animal friends that help her most.”

“I am not good with animals,” Desrium stated. He would have liked to ease Fluttershy’s spirit but he couldn’t think of anything that didn’t have the potential to make things much worse for her. Brightening his eyes, spreading the wings of light and showing her the Lance all had the potential to cause more harm than good. 

“How so?” the orange pony asked.

“Most of them flee from me. The more aggressive ones attack me.”

“… Right…”

Applejack looked uneasy, looking from the armored being to her friends, not wanting to leave an acquaintance in any curt manner but also wanting to lend her aid to Fluttershy. Desrium nodded his head and told her, “She needs you more than I.”

“Y’sure?” Applejack asked.

“Time is not a luxury we can afford to waste. She is needed in order to combat the evil that has its sights on your home.”

Applejack nodded at that and joined the huddle of ponies, her voice joining theirs as they spoke words of encouragement to their companion. Desrium mentally said his apologies as he looked on. He didn’t want to scare anyone other than the evils that lurked in the darkest shadows. He had to leave this world for the sake of its wellbeing. He was sure of the fact. Meanwhile, Zecora stood with her eyes closed, looking sage-like as she waited, gathering her thoughts and planning. Soon, the decisive battle between evil and good was to take place. 

Later, when Fluttershy was no longer gripped by her crippling anxiety, the zebra had the six ponies gather around her as he went through her stores of ritual items. Twilight explained to her friends the extent of the crisis before letting Zecora take over. She showed them exotic stones and gems, feathers from the plumage of elusive avian creatures, mixtures stored in vials that were all sorts of colors and texture and much, much more. Desrium thought the zebra to be an expert alchemist, with all of these fantastical ingredients and brews. 

“It is with much caution that I use this magic,” Zecora told them all, “for unintended results can be very tragic. We will carry out a most risky ceremony, using the elements possessed by you six ponies. With the powers we will be commanding, I commence a vile summoning. In Ghastly Gorge is where the evil will fear the shining retribution of the Justicar’s spear.”

“Why Ghastly Gorge?” Rainbow Dash asked, not having the best memories of the place. 

“To keep the danger from everypony else, right Zecora?” Twilight answered, looking to the zebra for confirmation. Zecora nodded. 

“If the foe is as powerful as Desrium says then it is best to stage the fight far away, deep in the gorge is where the fury will stay as your magic keeps the innocent at bay. A shield over the gorge will block the sky, forcing the evil to fight inside.”

“Innocent at bay?” asked a puzzled Applejack. “How does that work?”

“We don’t want anyone wandering too close when this all happens,” Twilight replied. “On the down side… it means we’ll have to be inside while Desrium is fighting…”

Of the nine in the room, only three did not react with any form of surprise, and it was no surprise that those three were Zecora, Twilight and Desrium. Fluttershy almost fainted. 

“Spike will stay outside with a letter ready for princess Celestia should things go bad,” she continued, looking at her assistant with a nebulous expression. She definitely did not want him stuck in a magical barrier when a monster was going to be locked inside. 

“But—“ Spike tried to protest, but the princess shook her head.

“No buts.” 

Spike looked crestfallen, but accepted it all the same. It would not be the first time that he had to do something he didn’t want to in order to help his friends save the day. 

“I promise not to let harm befall you,” Desrium pledged to them all. “I know, if given the chance, the demon would make you all its targets. Rest assured that I will not give it that chance.”

Zecora nodded. “We go forth in spite of the peril so you can end this enemy most feral. I ask that you attack with all of your might and rid Equestria of this heinous blight!”

Desrium bowed his head. “By my honor as Justicar, I will not fail.” He looked to the ponies and said, “It seems in bad form to ask so much of you so soon, but I thank you for your bravery.”

“You go show that demon a thing or two then give it a wallop and tell it, ‘That one was from Rainbow Dash!” the cyan pegasus exclaimed, shooting up into the air and punching at it. 

“Yeah, ya’ll teach it a lesson for thinkin’ it could go against Equestria and win!” Applejack shouted and stamped her hooves. 

“Here, here!” Rarity added. 

“We’re throwing a party that it definitely didn’t want to be invited to!” Pinkie yelled. 

“Make it go… uh… ‘ouch’!” Fluttershy offered quietly.

Twilight looked around the lobby and said, “Then we’re off to Ghastly Gorge to save Equestria!”

Desrium watched as the six friends rejoiced as one, putting their hooves together in the air. Even timid Fluttershy, who not too long ago wanted to roll into a ball and hide. In addition to Zecora’s fighting spirit, he commended the friendship of these ponies. With it, they were stronger than they ever could be alone. The way they were merry with one another reminded him of Septimus and Jiier, and rather than make how much he missed them that much more obvious, it uplifted him. He felt a special kind of magic unlike any he had come across before. No mana well could compare to the joy he felt surrounding him in the lobby of Golden Oaks.  

The ponies marched through Ponyville, mares on a mission. Twilight headed the pack, Zecora and Desrium rounded out the back. Zecora pulled her wagon, Desrium hauled the sack. Other ponies stopped and stared at the strange sight as one of their princesses and her friends led the peculiar robed figure through town, past the town hall and over one of the bridges leading out into the wild. They went through the Everfree forest without delay, following the river that would flow into the gorge. They arrived at the scar in the earth before noon and Twilight, with the use of her magic, floated Zecora and the other ponies down into the gray chasm. Desrium’s wings of light manifested and he jumped off of the edge after them, gliding down to the riverside. Spike watched from up top, the failsafe letter to Celestia held firmly in his clawed grasp. 

The next span of time was spent preparing the ritual. Zecora chose a point at the riverside where the water meandered a large distance, meaning there was more ground to use. She retrieved white chalk from her wagon and started to draw circles, filling them in with symbols and icons. She then started laying herbs over the runes, dousing them in various potions when she was done. Despite being wetted, the chalk inscriptions were not distorted or washed away. Desrium could feel mystical forces accumulating around the ritual site. What the zebra was doing was without a doubt potent magic. 

She started sprinkling powders over the runes and herbs while everyone else watched on, almost entranced by the process. “This magic will seek out the evil source, of the blackest heart, rough and coarse,” she said to them as she worked. When she was nearly finished she instructed the ponies to dawn their elements. 

The golden crown went on Twilight’s head while the others put on their necklaces, sporting the marks that were emblazoned on their flanks in the form of jewels.

“Desrium, are you ready?” Zecora asked him. The armored being nodded and swung his arm, drawing the Lance of the Justicar from his sleeve. He stood tall, primed for battle. Zecora looked to the element bearers and asked, “Are you six ready?” They nodded firmly with fierce looks of determination in their eyes. “Then form a circle around the ritual and hold yourselves steady.” 

They complied, falling in line beside Zecora, the eight of them forming a ring around the arrangement. The zebra began chanting as she had when Desrium found her the previous night. But the words she spoke were not to keep evil at bay. They were ominous sounds, strung together in a chilling incantation. Zecora closed her eyes as she sped up the chant, putting more and more emotion into every syllable. Desrium could sense that the aura around the ceremony was quickly darkening. Though the sun was shining brightly overhead and there was nary a shadow in the gorge, it felt as if a great shadow was creeping towards the group. 

It was how he knew the zebra’s magic was working. He steeled himself. 

There was a tension in the air, the precipice of disaster. It was at this point that Zecora sat on her haunches and blew on her hooves towards the arrangement. The herbs burst into flames then. The ponies gasped as they burned a deep blue, swirling around the chalk runes. 

“Now, get back!” she shouted.

The ring scattered outwards as the fire grew. Higher and higher the firespout reached, the gray stones bathed in sapphire light. The twister growled unnaturally, shaped by malice and afflictions of the soul. 

“Girls!” Twilight called out to her friends, “prepare the elements!” 

The necklaces began to shine, the jewels twinkling. Twilight’s crown joined them in the show of light, taking on a pleasant glow that was fighting against the oppressing atmosphere, containing it at the center of their formation. The ponies left the ground in a field of magic that extended to each one of them, disregarding the distance in between. Two segments of a rainbow emerged from Twilight’s element from either side, sweeping through the air to her friends. The light intensified and the fire snarled in disgust. The flames bulged and writhed as if the presence of the elements was causing it great pain. The twisting fire shrunk more and more, the noises it made becoming more and more desperate as it lost its size. It let out a piercing screech when it became as small as it would, but even then the fires still reached past Desrium’s height. 

They were as tall as the demon lord. This was it. The moment the Justicar was waiting for ever since the demon disappeared into the forest. It was finally at hand. The flames took on solid form, a bulky horned shape that stood on two legs. Bands of light started running across the surface. Small stones began to leave the ground. Then the fiery form turned red. It exploded into hellfire, shaking the very ground Desrium and Zecora stood on. The zebra shielded her eyes from the light, feeling the wave of heat rushing at her. Her ears numbed from the noise, the booming that enveloped her sounding more like a distant thumping. 

She opened her eyes again when she realized she had not been broiled. To her surprise, she found that she was behind the Justicar, his back to her. He was crouched and his arms were spread so that the cape of his robe was draped out in front of her. The ponies, protected by their elements, showed no signs of being hurt by the surge of flame. 

Desrium stood. Smoke rose off of his body. Zecora looked at him, taken aback. He truly meant it when he pledged to protect them all. He walked forwards, holding the spear in his hands, the dual blades pointed ahead of him. Zecora shook her head and pulled herself together. This was no time to be standing around dumbfounded. 

The field of magic that surrounded the ponies ballooned upwards, a shimmering barrier comprised of the colors of their coats formed a dome over the gorge and blocked off the two ends of it, trapping the summoned demon inside. Many streaks of color ran along the gleaming wall as the ponies descended to the river side. They looked upon the red creature that stood at the center of a blackened circle. 

The demon lord looked around with its yellow blazing eyes. Its lips were pulled back, revealing its teeth and the burning light that came from down its throat. When it saw the Justicar approaching, it slammed its huge hands into the ground and bellowed angrily. Desrium did not react. He continued walking towards it. 

“You have a penchant for ruining everything!” it snarled, sidestepping. The Justicar and demon lord started to circle each other, walking along the burned circumference of the scorched ground. “You see,” it continued to say, “I was in the middle of tearing off the head of some insect and claiming her army as my own! But then you –!” He looked at the ponies and the zebra. “… You made friends!”

“Leave them out of this. I am here to finish what we began in Tyrbenetus.” 

“Why should I, clearly they are here to help you!” the demon lord replied, chuckling darkly.

“They are to make sure you don’t escape.”

“I can fix that!” The demon fell into a runner’s stance, horns pointed at a pony chosen at random: Applejack. It kicked off, bowling towards the orange pony. Applejack reared up in fright, but then she heard a resounding thud as the Justicar’s metal fist collided with the side of the demon’s head. It tripped over itself and fell opposite to the blow, rolling over several times before stopping near the river on all fours. It snapped itself around to eye its opponent. 

“No.” Desrium spaced his boots apart and held up his spear. “Between us, only.”

The lord laughed deeply. “No blue eyes, no magic, no power! You don’t stand a chance, fool!”

“You have had enough time to enjoy your delusions. It is time for me to end them.”

> Crossing Over
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The demon lord wasted no more time with talk. Dust billowed and stone fragments arced into the air, the demon somersaulting frontwards at the Justicar. It pulled out of its aerial roll with its arms spread and claws splayed. It was a dark shape against the sun directly overhead. Desrium leaped backwards, a beat of his golden wings putting more distance between him and the demon when it crashed into the ground again. There was no pause in its attack; it thundered onwards on all fours, ramming into the armored being and sending him skidding backwards. The ponies behind him, Twilight, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy, scattered as the brawl neared them. Desrium saw the terror in their eyes from his peripherals. 

He dug his boots into the ground, dredging up ruts in the rock, sparks leaping from his feet. The demon’s charge slowed as Desrium sank farther into the gorge. The devil scoffed and stood up on its legs. It raised its arms overhead, cupping a hand in the other. “For something with glowing eyes, you aren’t too bright in the head, are ya!?” the demon joked. Not even a few seconds later, the blow came down viciously on Desrium’s head. The ground split, dust was thrown up from the cracks. The Justicar had disappeared into the ground, only the glow of his eyes and wings visible from beneath the rock. The others looked on in horror. 

“Heh.” the demon smirked. 

The ground broke apart further when Desrium erupted from below, chunks of rock thrown into the air. A sabaton was sent into the demon’s chin, knocking its head upwards. He swung the Lance around, aiming for the demon lord’s throat, but the beast grabbed onto the spear behind the twin blades before they could strike true. It swung its arm around, tossing the Justicar aside. His body spun around at a diagonal as he went, thudding down on the ground in a crouched stance a short moment later, one gauntlet pressed against the stone. The fingertips dug into the rock as Desrium slid backwards, his cape fluttering at his side, his eyes locked onto the lord. As soon as he stopped moving, he broke off into a sprint towards his enemy. The ground shattered wherever his boots landed as he closed in on the demon lord. 

The ground turned to powder in his face when the demon launched itself at the side of the gorge. Desrium swerved himself about, drifting across the bottom as he saw the devil land. It then started to run down the sheer wall, once again targeting a pony. It was Twilight this time and she held fast. Her horn glowed pink as she sent blasts of magical energy into the demon. They struck the demon lord’s red hide and burst. All they did was cause lines of smoke to trail the fiend as it came at her unperturbed. 

With a look of shock, she threw herself back and beat her wings, haphazardly flying away from the demon. A light blue blur came by and pulled her out of the way when the demon lunged at her, its claws scoring across nothing. 
“That was a close one, Twilight!” 

“Thanks, Rainbow Dash. Desrium was right about not knowing what we’re facing here… my magic didn’t even make it flinch!” the alicorn said. When Rainbow Dash set her down away from the demon, she looked at it worriedly. She couldn’t even hurt it with magic, and as far as she knew, Desrium had no magic. How was he ever going to win this fight? Was the demon correct in saying the Justicar had no chance?

The demon fell to the ground with a tremendous thud. A tremor rippled outwards from it and the cracks in the ground spread out in a web-like fashion. It spun on its heels to look at the two ponies with murderous intent. It was going to charge after them again when a sharp pain shot up along its side. The demon arched its back and roared to the sky, hands clenched. It looked over at what caused such agony and saw the handle of the spear sticking out of its midsection under its arm. 

“You f—!” was all the demon could utter before Desrium plowed into it at unbelievable speeds for something wearing heavy full body armor. The others gasped when the sound reached their ears. It sounded like a thunderclap when the armored warrior made contact with the demon. Desrium ripped the blades of the spear out of the demon with one hand while delivering an unforgiving blow to its jaw with the other. The demon skidded across the stone several tens of feet, holding onto the side of its lower jaw. It was hanging off to one side at an odd angle. 

Twilight smiled. ”No,” she thought, ”It is far from unbeatable!”

The devilish fiend looked up at the armored being a fair distance away. The Justicar stood, spear held in both hands, looking at it with that unchanging glare, eyes glimmering. The demon growled with rising ire. It jerked its jaw back into place with the snap of bone. It scowled as it assumed a low stance, muscles rippling. In the next instant, it was barreling towards the winged warrior. It was no longer concerned with the ponies now; it wanted the Justicar’s head. Preferably, removed from the rest of his metal body.

Desrium was above it before it even realized the Justicar had beaten his wings. He came down on the monster’s shoulders and it reared up immediately, momentum alone keeping it moving forwards. Desrium slashed the demon across the back of its neck and it let out a blood curdling scream. It threw one of its hands backwards, backhanding the Justicar off of it before twisting around to face him. Desrium was on his feet for a fraction of a second before the demon lord was upon him, knocking him onto his back and wrenching the spear from his grasp. 

“What irony!” the demon boomed as it held the blades over Desrium’s face. It thrust them down and the armored being caught the spear behind them. The demon let out a guttural noise as its strength fought against Desrium’s, both refusing to surrender to each other. 

“Such filth as you has no right to lay hands on the Lance of the Justicar, the Dawnmother’s gift!” Desrium roared with many voices along with his own. Gone was his impassive monotone, what came out of the armored being’s mouth was a roar that rivaled a titan’s. 

Another booming noise echoed throughout Ghastly Gorge. The armored being kicked his boots into the demon lord’s abdomen with such force; the larger adversary was sent flying backwards in an arch, its hold on the Lance broken. Desrium flipped forwards onto his feet, eyes shining so brightly that tendrils of red extended several feet from his eyes, writhing with his immense wrath. The ponies were stunned by this turn of events. The one that swore to protect them looked as savage as the monster he fought!

“You have made a grave mistake, demon!” Desrium boomed as he stowed the Lance away in his robe. He was marching over the demon lord, the devil barely supporting its self on all fours when Desrium sent the tip of his sabaton into its chest. The hulking creature was knocked over by the attack, wheezing, flaming blood gathering at the side of its mouth. 

“Look into my eyes and know that the depth of the Dawnmother’s fury is inverse to her capacity for compassion, and spread word to your rotten ilk of the Justicar who did this to you!” 

“What happened to acting in the name of justice?” the demon snarled defiantly. 

“This is justice!”

Desrium hooked the demon’s top jaw with a hand and hoisted it up level to him before delivering a callous backhand, sending it back to the cold hard stone floor. The demon lord groaned, but in spite of its pain it would not stop fighting. Not now. It roared as it stood and spun around. There was a reverberating thud when its huge fist smashed into Desrium’s face, knocking the armored being off his feet and sending him crashing into the wall of the gorge. The others cringed.

“You are no different than I, Omen!” the demon yelled to Desrium, who was embedded into the rock opposite it. “You can pretend to love your god all you wish; nothing can take away those centuries of torment you instilled in the world of the mortals!” 

“What do you know of me, filth?” Desrium spat in response as he tore his limbs from the rock, thin sheets and pebbles crumbling all around him. The demon laughed a hateful laugh. 

“Did you never think of those who were watching you ever since that fool dabbled in our sorcery? When you were born a bastard’s birth, a spawn rejected by the natural order of things, us demons – the ones you owe your life to – paid close attention. We saw you squander those precious first years away trying to be at peace with the commoners.” The demon lord assumed a runner’s stance once again. 

“But then you made us proud that fateful night… giving into your base instinct, corrupting a mana well and sinking an island nation; cementing yourself in history as the Blood Omen when you reached the land of Aster and started your reign of terror!”

The demon kicked off, dust and debris trailing it as it hurtled at the Justicar. With a powerful swing of an arm, the demon sent Desrium back into the wall of the gorge, driving him deep into the earth. “How the mighty have fallen, being a slave to your pathetic god! The Dawnmother is nothing!” 

“Brave words, demon.” There was a flash of crimson from the humanoid indentation in the stone. Desrium broke out of it, a blur, with one hand clutching one of the devil’s horns as soon as he got beside the enemy. He kicked the demon in the back of its knees, making it fall backwards. He then dragged it by the horn before twisting his arm. He snapped the horn off at the base and the demon lord howled before Desrium turned around and stabbed its pointed end into the side of the demon’s head. He nailed it in with a savage kick, completely shattering the demon’s jaw in the process. 

“I do not deny the atrocities that mar my past, but by the Dawnmother’s grace I have been given a chance of redemption. It is more than you and your foul kind will ever know.”

The demon groaned something in response. Desrium bent over and grabbed onto his fiendish foe. He lifted the demon over his head as he stood, the ground beneath him buckling and breaking. With a roar, Desrium swung the demon around. Once, twice, three times before driving it into the stone face-first and then dragging it across the gorge. A trail of the lord’s flaming blood formed behind him, the yellow-orange light visible amidst the grime and grit that followed him.

Desrium stopped running and shifted his weight to one foot, the ground heaving in response. More breakage, more puffs of dust and stone fragments shooting upwards. The armored being swung the demon lord overhead by its legs and dropped it onto its back in front of him. Its body was broken, several cuts and gashes leaking flaming fluids. Desrium stamped on its mid torso, pinning it down, and then took its arms in his hands. With a ravenous growl, the armored being tore the demon’s limbs off, the flesh fraying and blood spilling from the gaping holes in its body. He threw the arms aside and looked upon the demon. For the first time, it read the warrior’s emotion. It knew his hate. 

“You’ve won… this time…” the demon rasped through its demolished snout. “But I will be back. We always come back. You cannot protect them forever and this realm will belong to the demons.”

“I won’t have to protect them forever, and your kind will never have the chance to harm them ever again,” Desrium countered. His eyes were gradually reverting to their normal state, his voice already a monotone once more. 

The demon lord widened its eyes at the certainty the Justicar spoke with. Its last thoughts in the realm of the living were of how the Dawnmother’s warrior intended to make sure of that. Thoughts interrupted when Desrium drew his weapon and sent the twin blades of the Lance into the demon’s skull, right in between the bony crests over its eyes. The demon seized up then, dead.

He pulled the spear out of its body and stepped off of its flesh. The body was already beginning to dissolve into a flaming sludge, the light of the fire reflecting off the dark gray surface of the Justicar’s armor. He stood there, immobile, for quite some time. His red eyes stared at the blackened spot that was once the demon lord, all that was left of the fiend after its body burned away into nothingness. The group of ponies and the zebra cautiously approached him, their faces uncertain and wary. 

“I am sorry that you had to see that,” Desrium said to them without making any eye contact. He was not surprised when they did not say anything to him in response. He probably wouldn’t have said anything to himself after witnessing such unbridled brutality either. 

The silence between them remained for a while longer, outlasting the magical shield that the elements created. It was then that they heard Spike calling out to them, though they were not quite able to understand him. 

“The deed is done,” the armored being stated, “the demon has been banished from your home, and all that is left now is for me to leave you as well.”

“Are you… alright, Desrium?” Twilight asked him. She looked more concerned than wary now that she was sure that she was speaking to the Desrium she knew from the library and not the monstrous thing that showed itself before. 

“I do not feel pain, princess Twilight,” Desrium answered. “I don’t feel anything.”

“I reckon that she didn’t mean alright in that way, Desrium,” Applejack said. 

Rarity nodded and added, “Are you alright on the… inside?”

Desrium turned his gaze away from the scorched stone to look at them finally and said, “You should not bother yourself with how I feel.” Changing the subject, he added, “Thank you again, all. You have proven invaluable in my mission; I would not have found the demon in any timely manner had it not been for your assistance.”

“I don’t think he’s alright,” said Rainbow Dash skeptically. 

“There is one last thing I must ask of you all,” Desrium replied. “You have done so much already, but there is a chance that your magic might be sufficient enough to send me back to Tyrbenetus.”

“How do you figure?” Twilight inquired. “I don’t have any spells that could do anything like that…” She looked over to Zecora and asked her, “Do you know anything like that?”

“I am in a difficult spot to admit that I do not,” the zebra replied sadly.

“I may be able to facilitate the means on my own,” said the armored being, “but I will need the energy that your magic will provide.”  

“But why are you so eager to leave, darling?” Rarity asked. “You just got here last night! Surely you would want to stay to meet the other princesses and be recognized for your actions today?”

“You haven’t even gone to one of my parties yet!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, leaping up to look the Justicar in the eyes and floating there for a short time while she put on the poutiest face she could manage. 

“I need to return to my comrades of the Order,” Desrium said to her as she fell back to the ground and to everyone else he explained: “I have found my place in Tyrbenetus fighting demons. It is what I am best suited for. If I stayed here any longer, I would only be a hindrance and a distraction.”

“W- We know that… you aren’t always like that… you know…” Fluttershy said meekly, “All loud and… angry…”

Desrium bowed his head. “Perhaps if things were different I would be more inclined to spend more time with you wonderful creatures. But the fight for Tyrbenetus is never ending. The demons, no matter how many are slain, are always on the attack. Some take millennia to return from the nether, others centuries. The majority of them, however, return within only a few days, perhaps hours even.”

The Equestrians looked upon their visitor somberly when he told them this. They understood the burden the Justicar’s duty entailed. “It doesn’t sound very nice where you come from,” Fluttershy said.

“Or much fun,” Pinkie Pie agreed. 

Desrium shook his head. “Not for the soldiers of the Order, no, I cannot say that their lives know many nice or fun things. But if it were not for them, there would be nothing of the sort for the others who call Tyrbenetus home: the few who resist the demons and hope for a time when the land will be free again.”

Twilight scuffed her hoof at the ground and wondered aloud, “Maybe Equestria could help you? If we were able to cross over to your world as you were able to reach ours—“ 

“I would not dare ask you to join in such a horrid affair,” Desrium said abruptly. “Just as I don’t intend to stay in your world, I intend to spare you of the ravages of the war demons have brought to Tyrbenetus.”

“And how’re ya’ll gonna do that?” Applejack asked.

“I am going to attempt to destroy whatever connection our two worlds share.”

The others gasped at this. 

“You mean, you won’t be able to come back ever, ever, forever and ever!?” Pinkie Pie blurted out hysterically.

“It is the only way to make sure that you never face the demonic scourge.” Desrium turned his sights to princess Twilight and said, “When you are ready, I will lead you to the place where I arrived in Equestria. I believe we would have the greatest chance to open a portal there.”

Twilight nodded. “I say we should get to it as soon as possible, then. Girls?” She panned her gaze over the others and they all nodded as well.  All of them except Pinkie, who hesitated before joining the others.

“Alright then. We go now.” Desrium started walking over to where Zecora’s sack of items remained. The zebra trotted after him, falling into step at his side.

“I have yet to thank you for saving my life,” she started to say. “It must not be easy, battling such strife.”

“It isn’t,” Desrium replied. “Tyrbenetus would have been long lost if its soldiers abandoned the cause because it was not easy.” 
Zecora hummed thoughtfully at the response and said nothing more. She strapped into her wagon while Desrium took the sack in hand and slung it over his shoulder. Afterwards, she grouped up with Twilight and the other ponies and the alicorn levitated them all out of Ghastly Gorge. Desrium followed, the wings fully extended as he ran up the side of the chasm, the tips of his boots bashing in the rock and making their own footholds. He shot up and over the edge of the gorge, landing heavily next to Spike in a crouch.

“Oh, geez!” the baby dragon muttered as he stumbled away, surprised. He grabbed onto the gold and silver rod to regain his balance and realized thereafter that the Justicar had held it out for him. He smiled and said “Heh, thanks for that.”

“You are welcome.”

“I guess I won’t be needing this letter to Celestia anymore, huh Twilight?” Spike asked the purple alicorn. She shook her head. 

“I don’t think princess Celestia will know about Desrium until we write about him to her, Spike.”

Spike looked puzzled when he asked, “Why’s that?”

“Because he’ll be leaving forever and ever and ever and ever!” Pinkie cried from behind Twilight. Applejack’s hoof shot out and pulled the hysterical pink pony close. 

“Now, now, we don’t know that it’ll work…” the orange pony said, trying to be reassuring. 

“But Desrium said that if he can’t go home, he’ll just leave Ponyville and go off on his own! He’ll probably go live alone in the Everfree forest… or go where the dragons go or—“

“Spike!” Twilight accosted the young dragon as Pinkie Pie burst into tears. 

“What!? She didn’t know?” Spike replied, folding his hands as he looked at Pinkie Pie uncomfortably. 

“Please do not cry anymore, friend,” Desrium said to the pink pony. “What becomes of me should not sour your mood. You have the friends who will be with you much longer than I ever could. Be happy for their sake.”

“But how can I be happy for all of my friends except one!?” Pinkie retorted. 

Desrium let his gaze fall to the ground. “I do not know. I don’t have the answer to that.”

The rest of Pinkie Pie’s friends began patting her on the back as she sobbed, not having the answer either. 

Eventually, it was Zecora who suggested that the group move on into the Everfree forest. “Hold your sorrow for what awaits tomorrow,” she said as she took the lead. “Being sad means you have time to borrow.”

So the group followed the river back into the Everfree forest, walking down the path much slower than they did earlier in the day. The sky was turning the colors of the late afternoon when they swung past Zecora’s hut and she dropped off her items to be sorted later on. The walk from there to where Desrium first fell from the sky was even slower. It was dusk when the nine came to the site where boulders were sticking out of the dirt, felled branches littered the forest floor and a fallen tree rested off to the side of it all. 

“Looks like you had one heck of a party here!” Rainbow Dash said, flying over the clutter and disarray. Pinkie Pie started to sniffle and choke as she fought back another onslaught of tears. 

“Don’t say ‘party’, Rainbow dear,” Rarity said, patting Pinkie Pie on the back again. 

“Whoops.”

Desrium walked into the center of the mess, where the boulders formed a rough circle. He could feel the energies weakly flowing around him, what he assumed to be traces of Tyrbenetus from beyond some vast, insurmountable gulf. Or rather, almost insurmountable gulf. While the others looked around and conversed with each other, he drove the blades of the Lance into the ground and held onto its rod with both hands. He rested his helm against it and entered a meditative state. 

“Inarius, do you feel that?” Desrium asked. He in his mind’s eye was floating in nothing, except instead of an all red expanse; there were clouds of other colors drifting idly around him. Inarius appeared in front of him like a ghost, transparent at first before solidifying into the brilliant golden being that the Justicar was accustomed to. 

“I do,” Inarius replied. 

“What is it?” Desrium questioned. 

“It feels like the magic that brought us here, except much weaker. It is fading, brother.”

“I feel that if we let it disappear, there will truly be no returning to the Order.”

“This could very well be true,” said Inarius. 

Desrium nodded. “Then I know what I must do.”

“I wish for the best.”

“Thank you, Inarius.”

Desrium pulled the spear from the dirt when he came out of his trance. The others were looking at him intently. “I told you there was no reason to fear. The Justicar just has a strong connection to his spear,” Zecora said, looking to the ponies. 

“We do not have much time,” Desrium said to the group. 

“When do we ever have much time!?” Rainbow Dash replied. “I mean, time is one thing we never have enough of!”

“It is a sad fact. Despite living many centuries, time is one adversary I cannot seem to overcome,” Desrium said to her. “Princess?” he asked, looking at Twilight. 

“Alright girls, form up and let’s prepare the elements one last time!” 

The ponies spread out, surrounding the Justicar in the same fashion as the boulders. Their jewelry started to shine brightly in the evening hours of the day, their light passing through the leaves of the surrounding vegetation. A soft, green glow fell over the site. 

“Pinkie Pie,” Desrium said as he looked over to the normally bubbly pink pony. He did not like seeing her so downtrodden, so he reached under his hood and retrieved his hat. He tossed it over to her and it landed squarely on her head, its pointed end falling over one of her eyes. “Be happy.” 

Pinkie Pie was taken by surprise at first, but then smiled a small smile in spite of her teary eyes. She nodded and Desrium focused his attention on the magic circulating around him, his wings wafting in an ethereal breeze. Twilight’s crown flashed with a surge of magic, the rainbow reappearing and making its way to all of her friends. It was at this point that Desrium thought about his time in the lobby of the library, where he felt that spark between the ponies. He held onto that joy and happiness as he felt the power around him swell. Twilight’s eyes were glowing now, a solid white. Desrium’s were changing from crimson to violet. It was not long before they flashed blue, streaks of light extending far from his gaze. The field of magic manifested around him, streaks of electricity rippling across it. The lightning was restrained this time, however, spiraling around the armored being instead of striking anything around him. 

Desrium ascended from the forest floor with the ponies, channeling his energy into the Lance. Golden light overtook all other sources; a second sun on the threshold of dusk, when the first’s last light still hung on the horizon. 

”Goodbye, all,” he thought as he felt the bindings of reality beginning to slip from their holds. The light around him began to ripple and warble, distorting as the power in the Lance increased. There was a blinding light when the vortex opened around the Justicar. It subsided, revealing the same colorful rift that dragged the Justicar and his demonic opponent into Equestria. It hung just below the canopy, making the trees rustle and sway as it pulled them towards it. 

Desrium entered the rift, his golden light being consumed by the portal. The ponies watched in awe as he disappeared into the light from beyond, blending into the overwhelming cyclone of color. All of them except Pinkie Pie, who tossed something up into the portal and waved goodbye to her metal friend. 

As Desrium flew through infinity back towards his home realm, he twisted himself around to look back at the entrance. Everything beyond it was fading to white: the point of convergence. He waited for that moment where he couldn’t see Equestria at the other end of the tunnel before releasing the power in the Lance in a discharge of pure magical energy. It spread out in all directions and the tunnel of color destabilized, the rings of energy dispersing around him. In an instant, Desrium found himself fighting to outrun a darkness chasing him as the portal fell apart. It was as if the outer fringes of the tunnel were being burned by an invisible flame that only blackened the walls in between realities. 

His eyes flashed as he soared towards the other end of the tunnel, using his store of magic to fly faster through the ethereal landscape. The darkness did not trail far behind him, but it would not overtake him either. He flew into the point of white light at speed and everything became nothing. And from nothing came everything, the cavern beneath the stronghold with the abyss directly below him as he fell from the ceiling. His eyes were red as he descended, using the wings of light to glide over the seemingly bottomless drop.  He was circling the edge of the pit when he saw an object drop from the portal seconds before it dissipated. 

He tilted his wings and intercepted its fall, catching it in one hand before angling his way towards what remained of the stone floor again. He inspected the object in his hand. It was a somewhat small box given flashy wrappings and a bow. A most peculiar thing to have fall out of a portal, no doubt. When Desrium landed he stuck the Lance into the ground and undid the bow. He tore the wrapping paper and opened the box, finding a pleasant surprise inside. It was a gold chain not unlike the one Septimus gave him, but instead of a vitorite talisman, there was a pendant. A golden spear in the form of a jewel cut, in the style as the jewelry that the ponies wore.  Desrium took the chain in his hand, resting the pendant on his palm. He looked at the cavern ceiling, where the portal just was and said, “Thank you, Pinkie Pie.”

He gingerly set the box down on the ground and took his hood off. He put the chain around his neck, tucked it into his robe so that it would stay safe and put the hood back on. He took the Lance of the Justicar back in his grip and started to walk towards the black metal stairs in the distance ahead. He assumed they would take him back up to the stronghold above. 

After climbing the steps and walking through deserted passages, Desrium came to the main hall where the dragon’s corpse remained. He crossed it and jumped over the body, landing outside of the black fortress. There, he saw robed figures prowling. They were not demons, however. Their robes, deep purple in color, rippled like they were the fabric of shadow. All that Desrium could see of them beyond that were their eyes, which glowed a variety of colors depending on the individual, like the stars at night. 

The closest one to Desrium met his gaze and held it for several moments. The two warriors said nothing to each other over the span of that time. Though they served the same deity, the paths they walked put them at odds with one another. 

“May the Dawnmother light your path,” Desrium said in spite of this. The other warrior nodded tentatively. 

“With both the sun and the moon,” the shadowy warrior replied. 

The forbidding stronghold behind the Justicar disappeared into a blast of energy then, casting him too into darkness. He turned around to see the last of the explosion vanish into the night over Tyrbenetus. The fortress stood no longer, leveled by the reclaimed defense towers. All that was left of it, the last sign of its existence, was a glowing crater filled with slag flowing towards the pit in the cavern.

“Moria is good,” Desrium stated.

“All the time,” the shadowy warrior agreed.  




Tin Man End