Magnus entered the portal to immediately find it was not as he expected. He had initially thought Purgatory was either going to be a bright and social locale or a cold and dark pit of despair, but it was neither of those things. Instead, Purgatory was a vast plane of white and emptiness, filled with many ponies that stood waiting and wandering. "What the fuck is this!?" Magnus asked irritably.
"This is Purgatory… what did you expect, Magnus?" Famine asked questionably.
"I expected a lot more than this… great, big, vast nothingness. What gives?" Magnus asked.
"Ah… but you haven't seen everything yet…" Famine said. The Four Horses chanted together again in Pony Latin, and Purgatory suddenly began to fill with a deep scarlet red glow quickly, turning the ponies inside into Runners, Shamblers, and Predators. They all turned to the Four Horses, and Magnus began to turn to flee. But rather than charge at them, the ponies inside remained still. The Four Horses turned to Magnus. "Pestilence… this is our plague… help me explain how to solve it," Famine advised.
"Wait… explain the Black Plague more to me…" Magnus requested.
"Very well. The Black Plague; first designed by me, Death, and Pestilence. You may notice that our magic has both benefits and repercussions. The Black Plague was one of those magical bittersweet moments, in fact the first major spell we created," explained Famine.
"Why did you create this spell?" Magnus asked.
"When we first created this spell, Princess Luna of Canterlot had revolted against her sister, Celestia, for her reign over the day, an epic battle was fought between Luna's Shadow Army and Celestia's Royal Guard. Possibly one of the bloodiest and only incidents in the history of Canterlot, both factions faced many deaths," War stated. He then formed a pool of red water, floating in midair. He beckoned Magnus to peer inside, and he did so.
He saw what appeared to be Pegasi, with bat wings and coated in dark purple armor lined with black streaks, attacking the castle situated in Canterlot. Royal Guards then charged at them, piercing them in their abdomens and heads with the antique spears they used then. The Shadow Army lost many of their frontal assault forces, but their rear support forces used their blades to slash and decapitate Royal Guard forces. The battle was desperate, the ground soaking in blood, gore, and carnage, but no one side appeared to have the upper hand over the other, and both sides continued to raise the death toll of the other.
"My god!" Magnus said in horror.
"Yes?" Famine said in reply.
Magnus turned to him in surprise at his response, but then remembered of Famine's status. "So… what happened here that caused you to create the Black Plague?" Magnus asked in confusion.
"Well, about ten days after the assault on the castle began, the Shadow Army finally broke through the Royal Guard defenses, and they began executing soldiers on the spot. Luna herself, wearing her battle garments, captured Celestia, and placed her on death row. What she ended up doing was placing Celestia in the guillotine, and pulling the chord. Long story short, the morning had not come for the next fortnight, and we had to act fast. The only way we could bring back the princess was to resurrect her using Arcane magic. When we did… she came back... no doubt about that…" Pestilence said slowly.
"She came back… but she was possessed by a demon in the process. Our magic was made purely for darkness, and it was the only way to bring her back. The Black Plague places the original soul into the body, but places a demon soul inside as well, and they conflict with each other. Usually, the original soul is stronger than the demon's, but when the body is weak from hunger, wounds, or other factors, the demon soul takes over. Her body attempted to escape Purgatory, hunger on her mind, but we restrained her and prevented her from escaping. That's where your past life comes in…" Famine said.
"Yes… Caelum. He was slightly younger than Celestia, but he had his power fulfilled at the time. War sent for him while we restrained Celestia here. Unfortunately, he refused at first to help with our… problem. We warned him to do so, or the consequences would be dire. Like a fool, he still refused to do so. So we set forth our newly created plague, and unleashed it upon the denizens of Canterlot," Pestilence said.
Magnus stood dumbfounded when he heard Pestilence state they released the Black Plague upon Canterlot, and then that surprise turned into anger. "YOU WHAT!? DO YOU REALIZE HOW MANY LIVES YOU HAVE TAKEN WITH THIS PLAGUE!?" Magnus yelled in rage.
"Calm your tits, Maggie!" War replied angrily. "You're past life, Caelum, refused to do so, and so we 'persuaded' him to help out our dear friend Celestia. And so the deaths across Canterlot helped to convince him to learn the exorcism spell and perform it widely throughout Canterlot. He then arrived in Purgatory, had an angry fit, and finally exorcised Celestia. With the weakened state of Canterlot, she returned to the castle, overthrew her sister, and banished her to the moon for a thousand or so years."
Magnus then felt stupid at realizing why Celestia banished Luna to the moon, and why this incident was kept so far under wraps that not even Caelum dared to reveal the dark past to Magnus.
"So… he learned the exorcism spell… and saved Canterlot. Why would he refuse to do so at first?" Magnus asked.
"He's known us before… seen us in action. He wanted nothing to do with our Arcane magic, until we convinced him otherwise. After performing exceptionally well, we had made him the manager of the damned, while Death here only collected their souls. He did an outstanding job judging the souls, but every so often he would make the mistake of granting a second chance to those who did not need one. We confronted him about this, and he stated he wouldn't have this duty for long anymore, and so he continued. He yet again challenged us, and so we gave him reincarnation powers when he did pass on naturally, to teach him that he will do this for as long as we please," Famine said.
"And so I came back… and I travelled throughout Equestria, my adoptive parents realizing my identity and trying to hide me. So… does that mean… I have to manage the damned as well?" Magnus asked.
"Yes… and for your first task of judgement, you will learn the exorcism spell needed for separating the demons from the ponies possessed. Are you ready, Magnus?" Famine asked.
Magnus raised an eyebrow, and stood unresponsively. "Um… you may have a problem with that…" he said matter-of-factly. Famine raised his brow as well at the response, and turned to Pestilence.
"Pestilence, you know of the spell. Teach it to him, as he is being idiotic," Famine stated.
"One problem with that, Famine; this mortal was onto something. He doesn't have a horn," Pestilence replied. Famine turned back to Magnus, and nodded.
"He doesn't… strange. Caelum had one… perhaps this reincarnation does not. Very well," Famine said. He then glowed his black aura, and he shot a beam of black energy at Magnus, his eyes glowing a dark green, red, and yellow as he did. Magnus was hit with the beam, and he felt a sharp and terrifying pain as he did. He yelled out in agony, and his eyes began to glow the same color as Famine's, until Famine ceased the beam. Magnus collapsed onto the ground, struggling to get up.
"What… what was that for!?" he finally yelled out in anger. Famine, Pestilence, and War all laughed in humor as he did, and Magnus became enraged. "If all you brought me here for was to blast me with your eyes of death, then I'm leaving!" Magnus threatened.
The Horses finally ceased there laughter, heaved the last few sighs of relief, and approached Magnus. "Well, if unicorns can perform a spell to create artificial wings, then we sure as Hell can make a Pegasus have a horn… take a look," Pestilence said. He created a large pool of water, floating sideways so as to act as a makeshift mirror. Magnus stared into it, and reacted in shock as he saw a horn, looking exactly like that of Caelum's, attached to his forehead.
"What… what did you do!?" Magnus stammered, not believing his eyes.
"Relax… it's not permanent. That horn has an endless store of energy, but it will only be of use to you for three days, which should be enough time for you to exorcise Canterlot and Ponyville," Pestilence said.
Magnus touched his horn, amazement mixed with confusion as he did. "How… how do I use this?" Magnus asked in wonder, still feeling his horn.
"You point, concentrate, and then the horn does the rest. Now… this is important that you perform the spell correctly, otherwise you will exorcise both the original soul and the demon, and they will be permanently stuck here in Purgatory. You need not bother with the rotting ones… their souls were harvested long ago, and should immediately be destroyed. The possessed ones who have been killed by the remaining live ponies will collect here, where you will judge them after you exorcise the land. Now, stand at the ready," Pestilence ordered.
Magnus stood, bending a bit as if in a fighting stance. "Now, point at one of the damned souls here…" Pestilence advised next. Magnus looked around, and saw something that made his heart drop. He saw three souls that he immediately recognized; Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Big Macintosh, all of their eyes glowing red and remaining absolutely still. What? But… they were still Control Freaks when I left… oh, god… what happened when I was gone!? He stopped standing at the ready, and he stood staring at the sad sight.
"Magnus, focus. This is why you are here; for their salvation. Now, aim at one of them," Pestilence stated. Magnus stood for another moment, and he nodded slowly. He stood ready again, aimed his horn at Pinkie Pie, and waited. "Now what?" he asked slowly.
"Now… think about complete… utter… life. Pure… innocent… blissful… life," Pestilence said calmly, almost hypnotically. Magnus closed his eyes and attempted to do so, but all that could appear on his mind were images of death, cannibalism, blood, gore, and destruction. His horn glowed brightly a greenish color, and it shot a ray at Pinkie Pie's body. She reacted, and as she did, a blue beam of light exited her body. The light then took the exact form of Pinkie Pie, and she looked around.
"Wow! What a crazy dream! I saw ponies, and then I saw fire, and then I ran, and then… red confetti… and then I woke up!" she said excitedly. She looked at herself, and gasped in astonishment as she did. "I'm… blue now? I can't be Pinkie Pie if I'm blue… I'd have to be called… Blueberry Pie now!" she said disappointedly, her ears lowering in sadness. Magnus turned to her, and then turned to the body, which still had its eyes glowing a blood red, now growling and snarling.
"You thought about death, didn't you?" Pestilence questioned knowledgably. Magnus looked down in shame, and nodded slowly. "OK then… how about this? Think about the one thing that makes you grateful to be alive again. Think of that, and fire again," Pestilence advised.
Magnus nodded, and pointed again to Pinkie's body. He closed his eyes once more, and tried to concentrate. But… what do I think about? I… I've seen their souls here… what if Alan's is here too? No… no… I will help him. I won't let anything happen to him… he thought to himself. His horn glowed yet again, but instead of the green aura it was before, the horn glowed a bright red color. He fired the beam once again, and once again it hit Pinkie's body. This time, however, Pinkie's blue aura was sucked into her body, and another was ejected from it. This one was red, and when it formed, it formed in the shape of a fanged Windigo. The Windigo hissed and neighed wildly, but then something else happened. Magnus's horn fired yet again on its own at the Windigo, and the Windigo was hit with the beam. It neighed and roared in rage once more, before it began dissolving, and eventually disappeared completely.
Magnus stopped firing the beam, and he began panting heavily. Pinkie Pie's eyes stopped glowing red, and returned to their usual blue color. "What just happened!?" she asked excitedly. She then began to slowly fade away, and then disappeared completely. Magnus stared in shock, and his mouth hung wide open.
"Where… where the fuck did she go!?" Magnus interrogated.
"Calm the fuck down, Maggie! She's outside the portal in the castle, completely alive. Seriously, I've had it up to here with your constant bitching!" War yelled in rage, and was held back by Death and Pestilence to prevent him from attacking Magnus. Magnus seemed a bit surprised at War's sudden outburst, but remained calm.
"War, you're lucky I'm not as angry as I used to be… otherwise I would have bitch slapped you to kingdom come!" Magnus struck back, laughing heartily afterwards. War wasn't angry anymore. No, if anything, he was more furious than he had ever been before, and he struggled to get free from Pestilence and Death to attempt to put a beating on Magnus.
"He isn't worth it, War! You know how important he is!" Pestilence said quickly, trying to calm down War. Famine turned to Magnus.
"Magnus… you have received the horn and the spell… do what must be done! Remember… if you wish to resurrect your friends as you have with the pink one, you must return here to do so. Go now… and end the Black Plague once again!" Famine said, as he turned to War and punched him in the face. Magnus nodded, bowed respectfully, and thanked all of them. They hailed him as well, except for War, who created a large, glowing, red hand with a middle finger extended out of magic. Magnus only chuckled at the display, and used his wing to perform the same action. War then grinned widely, and bowed to Magnus. Magnus bowed again, and turned to the portal exit. He went through the portal, and ended up back inside the Four Horses' castle.
"Hey! Leon! I found you!" a familiar voice rang in the building. Magnus turned to the exit, and saw Pinkie Pie, as happy and merry as usual. Magnus looked her up and down, and saw no bite marks whatsoever on her.
Magnus smiled, and embraced Pinkie Pie. "Pinkie… you don't know how happy I am to see you!" he said gratefully. Pinkie Pie returned the warm hug, and then turned to the exit, her ears lowering. "Don't worry, Pinkie… I have clothes for the cold for you. You need it much more than I do." With that, Magnus handed Pinkie the winter clothes from the saddlebag, and she immediately placed them on with one swift motion. She then smiled widely.
"Excellent! Now I'm all nice and cozy!" she said as she squeed excitedly. Magnus then pulled out one of the hatchets from the saddlebag, and gave it to Pinkie Pie. She took it slowly, and her good mood disappeared as she held the hatchet in an almost dreaded way in her hoof. She turned back to Magnus with a horrified look, and appeared as if she was going to break out into tears. "Leon… why? I… I don't want to be scary again… it's… it's horrible. I… I can't be able to control myself… and… and I hurt other ponies…" she said, sniffling and holding back tears.
Magnus had forgotten about Pinkie's bipolar disorder, as well as her manic depression, which was lethal to many ponies. Though no serious incidents had occurred in the past regarding Pinkie's alter ego, Pinkamena, she had caused some harm to ponies regarding attacking them with cupcakes, pans, pots, and spoons. She had been restrained at times in Ponyville Urgent Care, but her conditions remained. Magnus nodded, and extended his hoof for the hatchet. She handed it to him, looking away from it as she did. He took it slowly, and held it in his wing. "All right, Pinkie… it's OK… come on… let's head to Canterlot… would you like to fly on my back?" Magnus asked calmly and soothingly. Tears still lingered in her eyes, and she nodded slowly. She began to climb on his back, and he exited the building. He spread his wings out, and took off from the snow plagued castle towards the south, back to Canterlot.