> The Man With The Quarter-Staff > by HopeForTheFew > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Chapter 1: In The Blink Of An Eye > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- It all happened so quickly that nobody had any chance to stop it. For so long we have been living in Harmony. And then they go and break it! One minute Humans and Ponies were living in Harmony, the next minute, Humanity found itself on its last leg as they were pushed into their cities from the oncoming ponies. Nobody really knew what had caused the war, but truth be told... nobody cared. We were all just trying to save our selves from the ponies. Until, He came. We were at the end of the line. We had no real chance, all we could hope for was that we could evacuate the civilians out of the city before the ponies came. But even that hope was bashed to the ground when we saw we were surrounded. But we still had one hope. If we could manage to keep hold of this one city we might have a chance. For this was the last city of Humanity. Things were looking grim for us as we lined up our men at the walls of the city, there firearms at the ready to mow down the oncoming armies. The ponies were in reach now and the men had began to fire. The sound that those weapons made echoed from miles around. The ponies were getting mowed down, as thought. The moral of the soldiers picked up and accuracy increased. But that was not to last as magical barrages began to fly towards the Humans. The accuracy of the Unicorns was unmatched and screams of pain could be heard all around the city. Soon there were only a few men left and the ponies began to close in. We thought it was all over. That we were all going to die. And that Humanity would face a terrible genocide. But it seemed that fate had another plan for our race. The ponies reached the city walls and we heard a loud humming noise that we knew all to well. A bright light came and went, and a deep rumble could be clearly heard. They had broken down the gate. Tears flooded our eyes as we gazed at the ponies flooding into the city. However, all of the sudden, they stopped. A look of curiosity on their faces was clear. We had no idea why they stopped until we looked further over. Our mouths dropped as we saw one lonely man standing against the army. That one man had more courage then all of us combined. The man was wearing a dark cloak, his face could not be seen in it. There was nothing but silence. The ponies stood still and as did the Man. But that all ended as the two Princesses moved through. The two Alicorns gazed at the man with fury in their eyes. There horns glowed and they sent two bright and powerful beams down onto the lone man. However, for some strange reason, the Man remained where he was. He was not effected by the blasts of powerful magic. The Man stared at them a bit longer and then raised his hand. A bright flash could be seen and when the light calmed down, a straight rod of wood could be seen in the mans hand. Our mouths dropped further to the ground as we saw the man use magic. No Human being was ever able to use magic and yet, here this man was, doing all kinds of crazy tricks with it. Hope began to return to us as we saw the man whack the two princesses aside the head and send them flying backwards. The next thing we saw was the man charging forward towards the army, his staff raised high, and his speed incredible. Celestia and Luna had barley escaped with their lives from the strange Human like creature. Whatever it was, it sure as hell wasn't a Human. Luna had gone to consult with Discord to see if he knew anything about a strange creature that looked like a Human. They needed someway to kill it or else it might kill them. Celestia was going through the Canterlot archives to see if she could find anything about a powerful being that looked like a Human, when all of the sudden, Luna came in with Discord right behind her. A troubled look was on their king. "Anything?" Celestia asked the two. "Nay. I must say however, an idea has struck me, what if we use the Elements of Harmony against this strange creature" Luna responded with curiosity and anger clear in her voice. "Surely that would throw the evil beast into a stone prison for all eternity." Luna said as she smiled at her sister, hope and want clear in her eyes for the death of the innocent. Discord had agreed to use the Elements of the creature however, he did want to see it first hand. And so it was set, they would regather their forces and head out to destroy that evil beast, to destroy the innocent. That strange man, their hero, stood on top of the wall, leaning against his staff. Everyone was watching him, in both fear and wonder. One brave soul made up the courage to go up to that man, and thank him for what he had done. Never before had a single man ever sent an entire army on the run. But here stood that man that had accomplished such a fantastic thing. And it was fantastic, so much so that many of the people didn't believe it, even some who saw it first hand. "Tell me, what is your name?" The man asked the other who had climbed up the wall next to him. "J-Jonathan, sir." He said, his voice clearly shaking from fear. "Jonathan, hmm, it fits you well, my friend." He said as he looked over at the other. "Thanks." Jonathan said as he worked up his courage to thank the man. He took a deep breath and spoke: "Anyway, I would wish to thank you for saving our people from the destruction the ponies were about to bring." He said. "but tell me, How did you learn the art of magic when no other Human has done so." He asked the strange man, his curiosity only building up as silence was all that was at that time. "It is rather simple, you see, it is not magic of any kind. But rather power." The man stood silent a moment longer before continuing. "Power that was given to me by the one in the end." He stayed quiet once more for a few seconds before continuing. "The one that we all must come to know. You included." The man said as he looked at him, his face could be barley seen while he was in his cloak, the light of the sun that was now beginning to set which made it even harder to see the man. Far in the distance, another army was gathering up their strength to launch another assault onto the last city of Humanity. But they knew not what they faced, they faced the one in the end. The one we must all come to know. > Chapter 2: Hell Is Coming > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "He is coming." "Who is coming?" "The baffled king." Discord stood on the balcony of his room as he gazed down at his soldiers. There were currently eight thousand, four hundred and thirty six, both sun , moon, and chaos guards, with more on the way. However, he knew that he would need to go soon if he wanted to catch the Humans out of their element. He had studied enough of them to know that they were not good when getting attacked a second time around right after the first wave. And so here he was, waiting for the moment of truth. For some strange reason, his heart was beating fast with nervousness and anticipation for the attack that they would bring upon the innocent. He knew not why this was happening just that it was happening, and he had to deal with being afraid of the unknown. Yes, that was it, he was afraid of the unknown, not this Human. When he gets to the city, he will watch as the Elements turn him into either stone, or destroy him. A wicked smile had grown on his face as his mind had drifted away thinking about the Humans. In fact, he was so lost in thought that he didn't even know about his army being ready until Celestia had trotted up and spoke into his ear, snapping him back into the real world. He shook his head and thanked Celestia, and then he began his speech. He knew that he didn't need to prepare a speech of any kind. The ponies would undoubtedly follow him and cheer him on even if he didn't say anything, but he did know enough about war to know that high moral was a lot better then low moral. "Today, my friends, we will bring an end to the Humans that we have fought for so long. TODAY WILL BE THEIR DOWNFALL!" Discord said in a voice that would put the royal Canterlot voice to shame. The slamming of hooves could be heard from miles around as they cheered on their king. "NOW COME, LET US FINISH WHAT WE STARTED, LET US DESTROY HUMANITY!" "Get everyone to the shelter, do it now!" The man said to the soldiers and they began their work. "Meet me back up here if you want to fight for your people." The man said as he once again turned back to facing the kingdom of Canterlot which could be barley seen from this distance. They had no idea what he saw, but they were certain that it was not anything good. What they didn't know was that what that one man saw, was an oncoming Hell. I gazed out at the city of Canterlot, their army had just left the gates and they were heading in our direction quite swiftly. Only a few men had chosen to stay and fight for their people. The others had said that they would 'protect' the civilians, however, I knew what their hearts wanted. And they would do anything to save themselves, even if they killed others to do so. They had no honor and no courage in them. Part of me wondered why I was protecting them, and part of me wanted to leave them to their own demise if they could not learn from their mistakes. Each minute that passed convinced me more and more that I should abandon them, until, she came around. I felt a slight pressure on my left leg and I looked down and saw but a child resting her weary head on my leg. I knelt down and picked up the child, she smiled at me and I returned the gesture. Her eyes were tired and she place her head on my shoulder. It was then I knew that there was hope for my people as she said two simple words to me that brought my eyes to tears. She said 'Thank you' and I pulled her into a tight embrace. We stayed like that for a minute or two before her parents came and started shouting for me to get away from her, so I let her down. I wiped the tears away from my eyes before saying: "You have a brave child there, hold onto her." I said as the parents retreated back to the shelter. I then turned my gaze back at the vast war torn landscape in front of me. The ponies and their king were on the move, they had something with them, I couldn't put my finger on it but I could sense the magic that came from it. I teleported my staff back in my hand and waited for the oncoming battle. The oncoming Hell. Discord's army had just left the gates and they were on the move rather quickly. Celestia, Luna, and the Elements were at his beck and call. He had complete control over the weapons that had once imprisoned him so many years ago. He had slowly worked his way up to being their king by slowly releasing chaos magic so he could corrupt the ponies. Once he had control of the Elements there was nothing that could stop him. And so, after so many years of hard labor he was finally rewarded with the ponies under his complete control. Discord smiled wickedly as they approached the last kingdom of men. The old castle of theirs was in ruins, it was a war torn wasteland that they lived in, not a single tree for miles around, this made Discords smile grow as he was sure that victory would come easily for them. However, the one in the end had a different plan. One that involved a long hard fought battle between one lonely man, and the power of chaos. They were not to far now, a good three hundred yards at the least. It was then that their army stopped, and their king began to magically float in the air, a large wicked grin was plastered on his face. My own face however, contorted into one of rage and a rather large snarl left my mouth. "OPEN FIRE!" I yelled and at that moment the boom's and bang's of the gunshots was the only thing that could be heard. I leapt of the large wall and landed with ease on the soft ground. I raised my staff and sent one of the ends into the earth, there was a large flash and a loud 'BOOM' that shook the earth. I opened my eyes and gazed at the sea of dead that were in front of me. And I closed my eyes once more. "Hell has come." > Chapter 3: Hell Has Come > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- It was impossible, that one man had practically destroyed his whole army with just one attack. The only ones left were the pegusi and the powerful beings like Celestia and Luna, and six strange ponies that were behind the army before it was destroyed. We took out the rest of the pegusi but left all the others for that one lonely man to take care of do to the fact that we knew we could not hurt them with our bullets. So we just stood on the wall, silently praying that our hero would survive this, but in our hearts, we knew he would. "Let's show them girls!" Twilight said as she and her friends gathered together to form the most powerful weapon that their world has ever seen. That one man stood there, waiting for the six ponies to make their move, and they did. The six ponies created a circle and something on their necks began to glow. Whatever those things were on their necks the man did not know. He had defeated the Baffled Kings entire army almost single handed and yet here were six normal ponies who stood in his way from protecting his people. The man sighed and lowered his head, when he raised it a single tear fell from his eye. The man gazed out at the six ponies as they began to float and their eyes turned a bright white. The man raised his staff and said: "God be with me." And he took a battle stance to try and defeat the oncoming threat. A loud 'BANG' could be heard as the six ponies launched a large rainbow colored beam towards that one lonely man. The man charged towards the beam in a vain attempt to stop it. One last tear fell from the mans eye as he was hit by the beam. A loud crackling noise could be heard as everyone and everypony gazed at that one lonely man, slowly turning to stone. He held his staff high as the stone slowly took over his body. In another twenty seconds he was completely covered and not another tear fell from him as he stood there, alone. Discord smiled at the sight. That one man had pretty much destroyed his entire army and yet all he had to do was order the Elements to use their power. And he did, he defeated that powerful being. Discord looked up and noticed a look of shock drawn on all the Humans faces. His smile only grew as he approached the Humans. He was going to have fun today. "Wake up child, you are not broken yet. This world needs a Holy Hallelujah, not a broken one." The mans eyes widened and the stone that imprisoned him began to crack. He pushed with all his might against the stone and the cracks began to grow. Soon enough the stone broke away, and turned to dust beneath the man's feet. "No, I'm not broken yet." He said as he picked up his staff that was lying on the ground beneath him. Discord was near the Humans now, very near. He reached out his hand towards one of the frightened men in an attempt to strangle him to death. But before he could reach the man a loud crackling noise jotted him from the man. Discord turned around and gazed at the cracks that were forming all around the statue of that one lonley man. Discords mouth dropped to the floor in shock and he turned his head back to the Elements. All the while the Humans were cheering for that one mans escape from the stone prison. The Elements nodded to Discord, understanding what he wanted. And so they charged up their power and began to repeat what they just did moments ago. Only this time, that one lonely man had no tears. I watched as those six ponies began to repeat their magic. A scowl grew on my face as I lifted my staff and slammed it into the earth beneath me, creating a loud rumbling noise that shook the earth. Their rainbow beam came towards me once again but I just stood there, that scowl never leaving my face. At the last second I raised my staff and struck the beam, to my satisfaction the beam was obliterated and seemed to turn into billions of small pieces of glass that hit the dirt floor. I looked up at the those ponies who had looks of shock and utter disbelief on their faces, but I simply shook my head. I then turned to discord and jumped up towards him, I slammed my staff on the top of his head, he sped to the ground faster then my eyes could track. I fell soon after him from the sky and landed on my feet into the crater that I had created using Discord. When I landed there was a boat load of smoke and it took some time for it to dissipate, but when it did I saw the unmistakable figure of the being of chaos, he was knocked out from the fall which only led to being more of a convenience. I slowly approached Discord and my staff began to grow a point on the end of it, like a spear. I had reached Discord and I raised my new spear to slam it into the beasts head but before I was able a voice called out from above saying: "WAIT, DONT, PLEASE!" The voice said, but I just shook my head and rammed the spear through the spirit of chaos. When I did this however, a large cloud of black came from Discords body, I did not know what this was, but I did not care, so I just turned around and slowly left the crater. The one who had called out before I killed Discord must have been Celestia seeing as her unconscious body was at the top of the crater. Her body was once again a pure white instead of a dull grey and I knew my mission was complete. My people were cheering for my victory, for our victory, as I walked in the last city of Humanity. The ponies would wake up soon and would want to know what happened. But that would have to wait for another time as I collapsed inside the city and slowly drifted into a welcomed sleep. One last tear fell from my eye before I drifted off, but that one tear, would mean everything. > Chapter 4: The Power Of Music > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Break open the ale!" When I said this I got cheers from every man, and some women. We had successfully one the battle against chaos and now we were celebrating our victory. I watched as several people scrambled to the weak liquor, eager for a drink. A smile touched my face as I saw my merry people. I was so busy gazing at the people that I failed to noticed that same little girl walk up next to me. She tugged on my leg and I looked down. My smile grew as I recognized the little girl beneath me. I picked her up in my arms and gave her a strong hug before putting her down. She giggled and smiled up at me. I knelt down and said two simple words to her. "Thanks you." I whispered in her ear and she just giggled again before saying. "Your welcome!" And then she left without a further word. I stood back up and walked over to the keg barrels that were full of ale. Tonight is gonna be a good night. Celestia awoke from her dark slumber. How long was she out? she didn't know, all she knew was that some great evil had come upon them. What it was she had not a clue. She stood up and shook her light head in a vain attempt to get the dizziness out of her. Once her light head had become clear once more she gazed around the area. Her eyes widened as she saw thousands upon thousands of dead ponies in a war torn wasteland. Tears filled her eyes as she collapsed to the ground and began to cry over her subjects. What could have caused this much death? She kept asking herself. But while she was crying a hand was placed on her shoulder and she looked up to see a Human in a dark cloak looking down at her. The Human knelt down and whispered into her ear something comforting, he said. "Come, let us go and get your friends." And with that said the man picked up Celestia in his arms and began to walk towards a city that was in ruins. For it was the last city of Humanity. The Human entered the city and walked towards a tall building in the center of the city, it was one of the last buildings in that city that actually stood. He approached the building and opened the door. There were several other Humans inside and they seemed to be celebrating over something. But the Human that was carrying her just walked past those people and he opened another door which led down into a basement. The man carried her down the flight of stairs and brought her two a room with several ponies. Some were injured and some her fine. All were confused. Celestia's eyes widened as she saw a familiar pony and she flew out of the arms of the man. The man chuckled a little bit at this as he watched Celestia and her sister reunite. Without the power of chaos, Harmony could thrive, and would thrive. Though there will always be a spirit of chaos. The man walked over to the other side of the room where he gathered the Elements and told them about Celestia's return. When they heard this their eyes widened and they all got out of their beds immediately. The man led them to Celestia and they all gave her large hugs. They were so glad to see their ruler again. The man then began to walk around and check on all the ponies to see if they needed anything or wanted anything. Though all the ponies said that they didn't require anything the man knew that they were all sorrowful and he knew that something needed to be done to rise their spirits. And so the man went upstairs and retrieved Joshua who had become a good friend of the mans and he brought Joshua downstairs. And so Joshua took a seat, brought his guitar up to his lap and bgan to play. The ears of all the ponies perked up when they heard the sound of music and they were slowly swaying back and forth to the song, some were even dancing to it. This brought a huge grin to the mans face as he listened to the music intently. The man then teleported his staff to him and began to repeatedly strike the ground with it, creating a low rumble that sounded like a subwoofer was going off. All of the sudden the ponies began to sing with the music and all were dancing, even the most heavy of heart. I was surprised that Joshua had agreed to come down here and sing for the ponies since most of the Humans blamed them for all the death but Joshua must have believed me when I told them that it was Discords fault for that and not the ponies. I was glad he believed in me but even more glad at the happy faces of the ponies. When I was a child I would always love to go around and spread joy in whatever way I could. When the song ended all the ponies hooves were smashing the ground in applause as they cheered Joshua on and they kept asking for more. And boy did Joshua give them more. Joshua began to play: Stand By Me. Which got them all even more joyful. The song finished some time ago and now all the ponies were going to sleep except Luna since it was the night time and it was her domain. That one lonely man walked out with Luna and they both gazed out at the beautiful night sky that Luna had created. It had been some time since the night was so pretty like this and it forced a smile on the mans face. He put his arm around Luna and whispered in her ear: "Thanks you." He said before he turned and walked back inside. But before he could do so Luna called out to him and said: "No, thank you." She said as her horn glowed brightly and she tuned he head back to the sky to make it appear more wonderful than it already was. The man gave a curt nod before walking back inside and going over to his bedroom. He deserved a good nights sleep, he would need it for what he had planned for tomorrow. Tomorrow would be a work day, they would try to get the city back in order and then they would do their best to fix the landscape that had been so demolished. The man landed in bed and got comfortable, he turned off the little kerosene lamp that was next to him on a small corner table and he closed his eyes. Something told him that he would have sweet dreams tonight. > Chapter 5: The One In The End > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- It is the day. The day where we rebuild our homeland. The day where Humanity returns from war. The day the war is over. The day we rebuild. Wagon upon wagon of fallen stone and rubble were carried out by both man and pony. Applejack who is one of the Elements got her brother to assist in the heavy lifting, and boy, let me tell you, I have never seen anyone or anypony stronger than that stallion and I was glad to work with him. The Unicorns were working on rebuilding the walls and the landscape outside the city. While the pegusi were busy pulling chariots that contained ruble and old stone which we would transfer from the wagons onto the chariots which they would then bring them to the old forest and dump the old stone. At the speed we were working, we could get this place fixed up in a matter of a week. More and more help was coming in each day and the Princesses were helping me set up some legal mumbo jumbo. None of this mattered to me though as all I cared for was the safety of my people and the smiles that they wore. Though, some had no smiles as they were angry at the ponies for something they did not do. But I cant really blame them, I would have done the same thing not three years ago if I had not been saved from my downfall. I shook my head from the thoughts and carried the ruble in my grasp to the wagons that were waiting. Dawn was coming on now and I knew my people were tired. I delivered the last bit of ruble in my hands to the wagon and announced that it was time to stop for the day. The people cheered as they ran as fast as they could to the tall grey building in the distance. The ponies had begun rapping up their work as well as I walked over to the Princess of the moon. "I would like to thank you again for all the help that we are receiving from you and your ponies." I said. Luna smiled at me and nodded her head as she began to raise her moon. The night sky was beautiful, far more pretty then last night and it truly was a marvelous sight to look at. "I would like to thank you again as well for delivering us from the chaos that once bound us." Luna said as her smile faded slightly. "I wish none of this had happened." Luna said, her smile now completely gone. I put my hand on her shoulder and simply spoke: "So do all who live to see such times as this, but you must learn to adapt to war and the problems it brings, and learn to let go of the past, for it is in the past." I took my hand off her shoulder and wiped the tears that were now forming under her eyes. "The Journey has just begun, don't let life destroy you now, for you have a long ways to go." I said as I looked into her eyes. What I saw put a spike through my heart. I saw fear, grief, and pain, so much pain. Something went through me then and I grabbed hold of her horn, only, it wasn't me, I remembered this feeling, the same feeling that saved me from destruction. Her horn began to glow and her eyes lit up with a light so bright, it would put Celestia's sun to shame. And then, just like that, it ended and Luna collapsed to the floor; unconscious. I placed Luna on the bed and covered her with a blanket. When Celestia found out what had happened from one of her ponies she began to ram words into my ears. She even went as far as shoving me into a wall. I just ignored this however and told her calmly what had happened to her sister. Her sister had found the truth, a hope beyond belief, a hope so great that it would make everything else seem small compared to it. It had made me smile internally to know that there was hope for Luna now, if only she would except it, but I suppose only time would tell. I shook the thoughts from my head and kissed the sleeping Luna on her forehead before turning around to see Celestia staring at me with fury in her eyes. She to had yet to understand the truth, a hope that is beyond death, a life beyond death. I had told her all of this of course, but in the end, she would not heed it. She only cared for her sisters well being, and I understood that, so I left her be with her sister. Maybe one day her heart would open up to the one in the end. The one who created us all. Celestia stomped her hooves in anger. How could he do this to Lulu? What did she ever do to him? She asked these questions over and over to herself but when no answer came she sighed in defeat, for that was just it, what had he done? He saved us all from Chaos and yet he hurts my sister? Why? Why? Why? All the while Celestia paced beside her sister she failed to notice that one lonely man enter the room once more. Celestia felt a hand touch her shoulder and she turned her head to see the man who hurt her sister. She sighed deeply and fought the temptation to kill the man right on the spot. But she fought it off and stood there; silent. Everything was silent... Everything was still... ~Canterlot~ Something lurked beneath the hard stone roads of Canterlot, something with nothing but hate in its heart. That something began to wake up from its slumber... its very, very long slumber. That something snorted loudly and opened its eyes. That something had only one thought on its mind... Kill. > Chapter 6: You Saw What I Saw > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Luna had awoken to a soft bed and her own heart beating out of her chest. She had no idea what she had just experienced, but she did know that it was splendid, better then anything she had ever seen before. Luna looked around the room only to find the very same Human who had saved them from chaos holding onto her sisters shoulder. It appeared that her sister was sad about something, Luna had no idea what she could be sad about so, she decided to find out. Luna got out of the bed and stood tall, she slowly walked towards her sister and when she reached her, she pulled her sister into a tight hug in an attempt to cheer her up. The Human smiled at this and Luna saw this, and she returned the smile as tears began to flow from her eyes. It was so beautiful, what she had seen, she had seen fields of flowers of all colors. Colors that she had seen before and had never seen before. She had lain her eyes on wonders that could not be told, she had laid her eyes on the truth, yet, at the same time she didn't know what the truth was, but she knew she desired it greatly. I watched the two hug and it put a smile on my face. Luna seemed to notice the smile and returned it to me which made me certain that she had seen what I had seen, she had seen the truth. She had seen the one in the ends creation. And I pray she never forgets that wonder. Her sister had given up on attacking me some time ago and now decided to find out if there was anything wrong with Luna. She had asked questions that ranged from: was she alright? what did he do to you? what did you see? But even through all the questions Luna kept on smiling, her smile lit up the room and she answered her sisters questions with only three words. "I don't know." Luna said and she then turned back to me and trotted up to me. "What did I see?" She asked in a desire to understand and know. "What you saw was the truth, you saw a beauty beyond this life, and you can go there if you only come to the one in the end." I said as she nodded her head, that smile never leaving her face. And then she trotted out of the room, for whatever reason she had for doing that. It was then Celestia turned to me and spoke: "What did you do to her? I have never seen LuLu this happy before." I smiled up at Celestia as she looked down at me. "I did to Luna what the one in the end did for me." I said as I walked out of the room, leaving Celestia to ponder what had happened in such a short time. Luna now stood at the top of the building that they were now using as, well, everything. As she gazed up at her moon. She was still smiling, and she loved every second of her joy. Tears fell from her eyes as she thought back to what happened. It was so glorious, more beautiful then anything she had ever imagined or seen before. It could not be matched. She would do anything to see that again, what did she have to do to see it again? "You have to come to the one in the end." a voice said behind her. She turned her head and once again saw the Human who had shown her that magnificent dream. "How? I do not know who he is." Luna said in confusion, for she truly desired to go to that beauty once again. But the man just smiled and said: "You will know, in due time. For we all must be patient to get what we desire." He said, and then he turned around and went down the stairwell that led to the rest of the building. "Strange man." Luna said as she turned her head back to the moon. "How do I find you, End Man?" Luna said as she lowered her head, the smile now gone as the words of that one lonely man echoed through her mind. 'You will know, in due time. For we all must be patient to get what we desire.' The ground rumbled and began to crack with the beasts movements. It cared little of what it destroyed and only had one thought in its sick and twisted mind... Kill. It is day 2 of rebuilding our homeland and, so far, everything in going smoothly, and I pray that it will continue to do so. I put my cloak on and grabbed my staff before heading out the door of my room. I exited my room and jogged slowly to the lunch room where breakfast was being served to the men and the ponies. Once I reached the lunch room doors I opened them and walked inside to get my own share of the food. I walked up to the counter and grabbed a plate and began to place the food that I desired into my plate. I looked around the room and found an empty table in the corner of the room where I then headed and took a seat. It was quite early in the morning and almost everyone was still asleep besides a few men and ponies who were able to wake up before me. I ate rather quickly and returned my plate to the counter. I then proceeded out the doors and began the long day of work. I exited the building and continued to walk. It turned out that I was the only one outside at that time and that meant I couldn't get any work done without my people, so I just decided to look out at the land from on top of the wall. The sun was just beginning to rise above a mountain in the distance and the rays of its lights were shining on my face, I gladly accepted them and sucked up the rays, a smile appeared on my face as I basked in the morning rays. I then raised my staff and slammed it into the wall. A low and loud rumble could be heard and I knew that I had successfully raised my people and the ponies from their sleep. For it was time to get some work done. The earth shattered under the creatures strength and it broke free from its prison into the streets of Canterlot. Screams could be heard from all the ponies in the street and the creature knew it was time to feed... It knew it was time to, Kill. > Chapter 7: Leviathan > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The beast picked up its speed and it knew its next target. Its belly was full and now, it was going to get an extra serving. I lifted the large stone and hauled it over to the awaiting wagon. Today was a good day and the people and ponies hearts were merry. Most had smiles on their faces from the sheer fact that our home was getting fixed up rather quickly. I had just put the large stone in the wagon when I noticed a Pegasus flying high in the sky. I watched as the pony began to get tired from its long flight and I watched it lose altitude rapidly. My eyes widened when I saw it nearing our city. I ran to the other side of the wall just in time to see the pony fall from the sky and slam into the ground, leaving a cloud of dust in its wake. I ran down the wall and through the gates of the city and I saw the pony lying still, on the ground. I rushed over there and grabbed hold of the Pegasus. My eyes widened even more when I saw a large wound on the pony's side. The pony was a mare I could tell and she appeared to still be breathing. I picked her up in my arms and brought her inside the city. When everyone saw me they all gasped and rushed by my side. "Someone get a medic!" I shouted and I heard several people leaving my side to retrieve a medic. I lowered the mare to the ground and grabbed hold of my cloak. I ripped a small shred and pressed it on the mares wound. She winced and breathed heavily from the pain she was enduring. The next thing I knew my mind went fuzzy and all I could see was a bright light as I channeled my power into the pony in an attempt to heal her wound. My eyes darkened and it felt like I was going to pass out right there but I was able to hold on long enough to where my vision slowly returned to me. My breathing was heavy and my head was sore but all in all, the pain was worth it, for I watched as the ponies once open wound was now shut and her breathing, no longer unstable but stable. A smile touched my lips and I placed a hand on the mares forehead. The poor pony appeared to be in the Guard do to her armor that appeared to be both burned, and ripped. I gazed at the burn marks, what could burn through Equestrian armor? I thought to myself. It was designed to withhold the strongest dragon fire. My eyes widened once more as a thought came to mind and the mare lying before me confirmed it. "What's going on here?" It appeared the doctor had now come, along with Princess Celestia. "We might have a problem." I said as I teleported my staff to my hands and ran to the top of the wall. I gazed out at the worn torn battlefield that was now just beginning to be repaired. If my thoughts were correct then we would have the fires of Hell on us in no time. However, I looked and looked but when my eyes saw nothing, I relaxed and turned around to see a very worried Celestia. "What is it?" She asked in worry. But when I was about to respond, the earth beneath us began to shake violently. I jumped off the wall and slammed my staff into the stone ground. A loud 'Boom' Could be heard as it traveled through the earth. Suddenly the violent shaking stopped, and another loud 'Boom' could be heard off in the distance. I turned around swiftly and once again traveled to the top of the wall. Only this time, what greeted me in the distance was nothing more but the creature that haunted my past; Leviathan. I jumped off the twenty five foot wall into a small patch of grass outside the city. I raised my staff and once more slammed it into the earth. This drew the beasts attention and I knew I was about to stand against the greatest evil of my life, far worse then the chaos Discord brought, but this creature brought its own version of chaos. And it brought fire. The creature itself was pure black with red glowing eyes. It stood as a titan, reaching up to seventy feet high. But that was not the worst of it. It had a black heart, one of nothing but rage and hunger. It would never be full until it destroys all good in the world... or worlds. "Get everyone and everypony behind the city!" I yelled to Celestia who was standing on top of the wall, staring with wide eyes at the monster in front of her. But she managed to push past her fear and she nodded her head while responding: "And what of the Elements?" She asked. The man just shook his head and said: "Save them, they will be no use against a creature of this magnitude." He then turned back to the creature who was smiling wickedly at the man. The man charged, and so did the Leviathan. The two met with a bang and the human sent a beam of blue power from his staff into the creature who, in return roared in pain and swung at the man. The Leviathan hit its target and the man was sent flying. The creature smiled wickedly once more and breathed in heavily before releasing a large ball of fire that was heading straight for the downed Human... But the Human raised his staff once more and used it to stand up. Right before the ball of fire reached the man, he swung his staff and the ball of fire dissipated into nothing. The Human stared with malice at the Leviathan and raised his staff once more before slamming it into the ground, sending large amounts of earth and stone towards the beast. The Leviathan, was no longer smiling. > Chapter 8: The End... > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The earth and stone slammed into the beast. Sending it sprawling backwards, screaming in pain. Fresh black blood spilt out of a small hole in the Leviathans shoulder, where a particularly sharp rock had punctured its black armor. The creature noticed the blood and the hole in its shoulder. It stared at the wound angrily, as if it was trying to seal the wound shut. Then the creature reared its head back to the man, anger and rage in its eyes. And the next thing anyone knew, the beast snorted out fire from its nostrils and charged the Human, sending large fireball after large fireball towards the Human. The man in turn spun his staff in the air, creating a strong wind that in turn blew the fireballs back towards the Leviathan. But the beast pushed past its own fire as it did nothing to its thick armor and the Leviathan kept its charge up until it was almost on top of the man. The man rolled to his left, falling into a crater that he made when he drew the stone from the earth. He tumbled down the hole until he reached the bottom. He sat up and shook the dizziness from his mind, all the while the Leviathan was about to breath fire down into the hole. But the man saw this coming and stood up quickly and picked up his staff from the ground. He raised it high just as the fire came down upon him. Celestia gasped as she saw the beast breathe fire down into the hole, all the while losing hope. She fell to the ground in defeat and tears began to fall from her eyes. Then, all of the sudden, rage filled her and she stood tall. No, she would not stand idle as she watched this creature burn their world to a crisp. She turned back to the wicked beast and spread her wings to fly. But when she was about to fly off and retrieve the elements and her sister in a attempt to defeat the beast, she saw a faint glow coming from the creatures fire. Once again, Celestia gasped and stared at the glowing fire that was now the color white and shining like a star. Tears filled her eyes once more as Hope began to grow within her again. The man poured his power into the blazing fire, turning it even hotter then it was before. All the while losing strength as he continued to pour his power into the wicked flames. His limbs shook now as he still continued his act, turning the beasts flame into something fantastic to everyone's eyes but his own. The fire now was so bright that it lit up like the sun, showing across miles and miles of open land. Finally, the white reached up to the Leviathans mouth and yet it still kept breathing out its flame. Then, everything went silent and still. There was no noise. Not even any wind, it was all just dead silent and still. That is, until the flame blew up inside the Leviathans mouth. The beast lurched backwards and fell on its back; screaming in pain. The man, through all of this leaped out of the hole, pointing his staff towards the Leviathan screaming: "Your evil ends here, demon!" And with that he charged the Leviathan and when he reached it, he jumped on top of the creature, ready to smite it down. The Leviathan in turn gazed at the Human in fear and anger. And with one last try, the creature pushed upwards off the ground, sending the Human stumbling off the beast. The Leviathan sneered in anger and let out a screech so loud, it pierced the ears of everything that could hear for miles around, except that one lonely man. That one lonely man stood tall, rage in both his mind and his heart. He drew his staff back and a blaze of light filled the place and the sound of a lightning bolt echoed across the land, ending the great evil that was; Leviathan. I stared down at the defeated Leviathan. Nothing but its outer shell remained once I burned it from the inside out. At long last, the beast of my past was brought down. It destroyed my life, and now, with the aid of the one in the end, I have defeated it. I looked away from the downed beast towards the last standing city of Humanity. It stood tall and proud in the sunset. And there, on the wall of the city stood a being of great strength; Celestia. I lifted my staff from the ground and took one last look at the Leviathan before heading off towards my Homeland. The walk was slow and full of thoughts. Many questions still remained for me and I must seek them out and discover what the one in the end has planned for me and my people. I looked up at the city. It was much closer now and on the wall of the city stood Celestia along with Luna, the Elements and last but far from least; My people. A small smile touched my lips then and I knew there was Hope for all of us. Hope, that one day we will go to our true home. The Home that the one in the end has planned for us. And if we make it to our home, not only will we live in paradise, but we will get a rich reward for our Hope. For our Love. And for our belief. The only question that remains now, is that will my people chose to have that Hope... But I suppose only time will tell. I Hope that time will stay on our side. And that I may not steer from the good path. The path that the one in the end has planned for us all. That my God has planned for us all. But something within me wonders, what trials are in front of us? And will we be able to defeat those trials? But as I said before; Only time will tell. The End > Epilogue > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "And you told me he would fall back to his old ways." Gabriel said with a slight smirk on his lips. "Well everyone is wrong some times." Michael said sarcastically in response. "Eye, that is indeed true. Even for us." Gabriel said. Michael in turn shook his head and spoke saying: "That is not important now. What is important is that this one lonely man passed the test, and now he must lead his people, along with the ponies, home. the only question is will he be able to surpass the trials that await him in the future." With that said, Michael tuned his head back down, gazing curiously at the man below. "Well the Father certainly has faith in him. And if he has faith in him, so should we." Gabriel said with a smile. Michael smiled as well and looked up at his good friend. And with that they flew off towards their own homeland. But all the while this happened, that one lonely man stood tall and proud on his city wall, staring up at the sky where he knew his father was waiting for him too complete his mission and then he would finally be able to rest his weary soul. And go to the home that is prepared for him. This man knew this to be true and Hope was in his heart. A Hope so strong that it could not be matched. A Hope of the one who brings Hope. A Hope for The One In The End.