Demons of the Past: Part 1: Chapter 5: The Prelude to the Darkness
I do not own MLP or Pyro.
Recap: Vendetta sucked in a quick breath.
"He is not back? Is he?"
He asked, looking forward into Celestia's eyes.
"Don't be absurd. You and me both saw him going into the ground. You were the one who felt the killing blow. It's not Death Bringer, but," she sent the books to him, laying them on the floor.
"This is proof enough that they indeed are rising up again."
He read it, then grinned. "It's been so long since I've had a demon ponies blood on my hooves."
As soon as Twilight could not bear it anymore, she collapsed on her bed and let out an annoyed sigh.
By Celestia, Demon ponies must have been the least written about thing in Equestria! Not a single book in her library even mentioned them! How could she research these monsters if there was nothing to research with. She flipped in her bed, her blanket twisting around her.
She saw Spike sleeping peacefully, confirming her intuitive feeling it was late, and a glance at the clock confirmed it, it was 4 in the morning. She closed her eyes and sleep overtook her.
Her dream was of gnashing claws and slicing wings. Grey, white, and black ponies coming from everywhere. Blood dripped from a white ceiling, and pooled on the white ground. The demon ponies fought hard against pastel ones, and she saw, in the sky, Celestia, fighting a grey Stallion. "The Demon of Demons..." She said. His form was just a grey blob to her, but as time moved and so did they, she saw an emerald eye.
"Slash?" She said, without realizing it. The demon of demons reminded her of Slash, and she was about to call out to the forms in her dream when a hoof on her side jutted her awake.
"Uhh..." She said as she lifted her head up.
"S- sorry.." A timid voice called to her, quietly.
"No, it's alright, Fluttershy." She said getting out of bed and putting a hoof on her forehead.
"I have a killer headache." She said as she walked over to her dresser and brushed her hair, levitating her brush with her magic.
"Oh, well, um, I have some herbs in my saddle bag that might help... If you'd like.." Fluttershy said softly.
"Sure, thanks." Twilight said, turning to the yellow mare.
Fluttershy nodded then opened her bag with her wing, pulling out a couple leaves.
"They may be bitter, but I'm sure they'll help..."
Twilight took the herbs with her magic and eats them, then sighed. "Thanks, Fluttershy." She said as the pain in her head began to lessen.
"So, what can I help you with."
"Well, Pinky is having that party today by the pond... I kind of forgot why... Something about gummy... But I was worried when you didn't show up, so I came to find you. Why where you still asleep? It's like two in the afternoon... Unless you don't wanna say cause..." She faded on the end, her shyness seeping into her kind voice.
"Sorry, thank you for coming to get me. I was up late studying something..."
"Oh..." Fluttershy said scuffing her hoof on the ground. "What where you studying..?"
"Uh, just something I read about... An old mare's tale, really. Nothing to worry about."
"Uh... Okay.." The pink maned Pegasus said calmly.
"I'm sure the part is still happening, if you'd like to go..."
"Sure!"
"Yay." Flutter said with a smile, wings outstretched, then pulled them tight to her side.
"Let's go then." Twilight said, smiling at her friend.
They walked down stairs and out of the library, heading towards the watering hole where the party was being held.
"Hey guys!" Twilight said as she walked up to her other friends. "Sorry it took me forever to get her, thank Celestia for Fluttershy."
Said mare blushed, scuffing her hoof on the ground, making a cloud of dust roll up, but didn't bother anypony.
"I'm jus' glad you could join us, Twi." Applejack said, giving the unicorn a smile.
"Totally," agreed Rainbowdash.
Twilight smiled, then hugged her friends.
"Sorry it's been so long, guys. I've been so busy, research and all."
"It does not matter!" A pink pony with a Gummy on her head said bouncing around the other five ponies.
"As long as you have some fun and time off, you look awful dear, you'll have to get a pedi pony with me sometime." Rarity said flicking her mane.
"What are we waiting for! NOW LETS REALLY GET THIS PARTY STARTED!" Pinkie screamed in her girlish voice. All of the friends agreed and the festivities continued.
Slash awakened by the pool of water he had landed in the other day. (A/N not the same one Pinkie's party is at BTW)
His chest ached something fierce but other than that he felt numb. Numb in the body, and numb in the soul. He felt dead... Standing up in a daze, he looked to the sky. He needed adrenalin, he needed excitement, and he needed it now. NOW.
Without thinking, and feeling an itch of protest in muscles, he shot upward, a trail of white behind him. He traveled fast, not even marking his progress. He just needed to feel something. Anything. The air around him bent as he flew faster, and his wings flapping hard.
He didn't notice, but he flew past his highest point, and Ponyville became a speck under Slash.
His breathing picked up, the atmosphere thinning as the air got darker and more tight and sparse.
His heart beat loudly and fast, he felt alive once more.
He grinned, not noticing the pain and protest of his chest, lungs and body. He didn't feel anything except his heart in his ears.
Thump, thump, thump...
Black started to branch out of his chest, swirling, the black wing tips of his wings oozing, dripping down on his wings. He didn't even notice the black cloud rolling over his vision until all air was lost and darkness took him.
He started to fall, until he twisted around and his wings tucked to his sides, twisting him around and sending him down, cutting cleanly through the air. He grinned, his teeth slightly pointed. When he once again had air in his lungs, he opened his wings, flapping, staying in one place for a bit.
His wings had changed from a regular Pegasus's wings to a more large leathery, dragon type. They were still a bit feathery, but each feather, under the main membrane, was razor sharp and looked as though it could slice a board with the slightest touch. The top of the main membrane also gleamed and seemed very sharp.
The awakening stone was completely visible in Slash's chest, and his sclera had turned black, leaving an emerald iris floating in a sea of ebony.
'It has been to long that façade has been in control' thought the now transformed Death Bringer.
He tucked in his wings and began his decent back on Equestria.
In the Everfree forest, Zecora had been collecting herbs and just made it back into her cozy little hut. She smiled as she set her basket of herbs by the fire to begin to dry them, and began to prepare a potion for a client that had come in last week.
A bubbling noise caught her attention, and she looked over to see a grey feather - Slash's - from before when he was performing some stupid stunt. The black on the tip of the feather was bubbling, coiling down the tines of the feather and covering it. It stayed on the feather for a bit then started sizzling, then steamed off, leaving it with metallic looking shine. Zecora picked it up, and tested it on the fleshy part of her leg.
She hissed as a thin line of blood rolled down her leg.
"Very interesting..." The zebra said as she let the feather fall to the floor and placed a bandage on her new cut.
"If this was from Slash, then he is more than he knows, and it really shows." She tried forgetting about it, but her mind would not leave it and her curiosity got the better of her.
She went to her back room, opening it and coughing from the dust. She looked all around, and finally brushed dust off a scroll.
Taking it out of the room, she opened it on her work table. She picked up the feather carefully and placed it next to the scroll. The scroll was instructions for a potion to let the drinker experience part of the past of an item that had absorbed a bit of the potion by placing a drop of the liquid on it.
Zecora began to gather the ingredients mixing them in a bowl, adding some water and juice from a Lilly blossom, the mixture fizzed for a bit and the herbs melted together and became more of a liquid. Zecora transferred the now finished potion to a bottle and dropped a
Single drop onto the razor feather. (A/N not the same thing per-say as in the season 4 premiere, but similar.)
Zecora then, hesently placed a drop on her tongue.
Her world went dark, and she had trouble breathing. Muffled chanting came from above, and the dark started to clear away. It was dirt. It clung to her fur, stung her eyes and her wings. She fought to escape the binding substance. As her muzzle broke the surface. She let out a strangled breath, and paused, looking up at the bright moon. It put some comfort into her, and she found strength to pull another hoof from the ground, using it to continue to pull herself out.
When she was completely free of the ground, she lay on her back, panting, and staring up at the moon. It filled him with warmth, and he had thoughts of a deep blue Alicorn standing over her, her mane of galaxy's and stars bringing deep comfort.
The comfort was replaced with terror as a unicorn pony intruded on her vision of the moon.
"Death Bringer, my lord you have awoken."
She say with a happy, but dark tone. "Who?" She said, her voice that of a stallions.
"You don't remember my lord?" She said then examined him closer.
"Your body has changed... Where is the Demon I remember?"
"I..."
The mare grit her teeth. "Your not him! I went through all this trouble for an Amnesic Pegasus! Curse that sun- butt! Curse that white Pegasus! Curse all of pony kind!"
Zecora's mind in the colts was hazy and could not remember anything. Confusion and exhaustion sunk in, and she collapsed.
"You cheated death so many times, but now it has caught up with you. You damned fool. I will find away to get your old body back, M'lord. And your old self. Have fun being innocent for a bit, Death Bringer." Was the last thing she heard before pulling out of the vision.
She shook her head and sighed, more confused than before. It must have been part of Slash's past, and though she felt a bit bad about intruding on the past if a friend, but the razor feather was a very dark omen.
She grabbed the feather, placing it in a book and ran out if the cottage to look for Slash, and ask him what he knew.
Twilight had flipped her little raft in the middle of the pond when she saw the streak of white shoot into the sky, he came out of the water and continued to watch as it moved upward. Rainbow Dash had stopped as well, and watched, but sighed, mumbling about still being the best flyer in all if Equestria and it didn't matter how high that Pegasus was flying. Twilight knew it was Slash, and bit her lip, still treading water. She exited the pond, still staring up at the streak left by the resident Dare Devil pony.
"Is that Death Slasher?"
Fluttershy asked, looking up.
"It's impressive!"Rarity said watching as well.
Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash was still mumbling and trying not to acknowledge Slash as a 'decent flyer.'
"Is he falling?" Applejack asked staring up at it, and indeed the streak failed to continue. "Or just sittin' up thar?"
"No, look! he's coming down!" Twilight said as the streak doubled on its self and it moved down faster than it went up.
Soon, Wind was gusting across the lake and a table holding food flipped over, getting a sad "awe" from Pinkie, but the rest if the ponies where staring at the sky, for the white streak had turned black, and it was heading straight towards them!
"Sister, you said you wanted to see me?" Luna said as she entered the throne room.
"Thank you for coming, Sister." Celestia said nuzzling her muzzle next to her sisters in a caring way.
"There is something that is rising up and threatening our kingdom..."
She started, turning to look out the window over all of Canterlot.
"You where not... around... The last time this threat was real.."
Luna winced at the hinting of her banishment, but kept her appearances up for her elder sisters sake.
"They are demon ponies, a race similar to normal except for they feed of pain and destruction and are nothing but pure evil." She said the last to words clipped short. "The threat is small now, but, it will grow if not taken care of now. I want you to ready your guard and-"
Tears ran down Luna's face, her eyes sad.
"What?" Celestia asked, confused as to why Luna was crying.
"I know if the race you speak of... And I can't do anything against them... I can't..."
Celestia placed a hoof on her sisters shoulder.
"Why not?"
Luna looked down at the crystalline floor, her tears rolling off her swollen muzzle.
"They lived in the night... They let the moon-"
"They killed under the moon sister, they soaked our kingdom in blood, all under your moonlight."
The blue Alicorn gritted her teeth.
"I know that sister, but unlike other ponies, they felt comfort under the moon. They lived under my rule, my time of the day. They are my subjects, Celestia, my children."
She looked up. "I cannot say they are not evil, but I cannot betray them! You want me to help kill one of the only entire races that are devoted greatly to my time of day!" She said her eyes flashing all white while she placed her hoof down.
"As you wish, sister." Celestia said with her voice clipped and without emotion.
"Then this no longer concerns you, you may go."
Luna turned away, "Thank you."
She left.
Vendetta came out of the corner where he stood quietly the entire time, and tisked.
"Your sister is a whack-job, not believing those ponies are evil and not raising a hoof against them. She thinks she knows, but she does not. She could have possibly seen from the- "
"The moon? I believe she could see from there, and she was there because no pony loved her night. There is nothing I can do to change her mind. I think we can handle this on our own, as long as she does not interfere.
Luna slammed the door to her room shut, and she collapsed on her bed.
She closed her eyes and looked for that one mind she could always find love in. Besides Pyro, her dearly devoted apprentice, that mind was open, and took love in her night.
Recently, if she found that mind it would be locked, a feeling unknown to her, demonic power keeping her out.
She knew he was in trouble, but she could not help him... He was secluded from her for the time being.
She pulled herself from her dream walking state, ad leaned up in her bed staring out at the sun.
"M'lady?" Pyrojack said knocking on the door.
"Come in, Pyro."
The night princess said, getting up from her bed.
The orange unicorn walked in and bowed.
"How did the meeting go M- have you been crying?" He asked, tilting his head.
Luna wiped her muzzle.
"I'm sorry you have to see me like this, it's just, this threat Celestia talked about... These ponies... They love my night. They are my subjects, and Celestia wanted me to help kill them... I just couldn't seem to agree..." She looked deep into Pyro's eyes. "You read parts of those books, yes?" She asked.
Pyro nodded.
"It spoke of the demon ponies that pillaged villages, and murdered many ponies."
Luna closed her eyes and nodded.
"Did it also speak of Death Bringer?"
"Who?"
"The Demon of Demons?"
"Yes, I just didn't know him by name."
"Well, I can feel, he has returned. I just... He is true darkness... But one of my children... I want your insight... What should I do."
Pyro looked down. "Maybe you should try to talk with him... Make a truce if some sort... And if you cannot change his mind..." He trailed off.
"Pyro... I want you to look for him. I want you to bring him to me..."
"Is that smart? You could be hurt by him!"
"Are you questioning me?"
"Just caring for your safety, M'lady..."
"If he will not work with me, or promise to not taint my night and be my subjects, just like you... I will get rid of him for Equestria's sake... I might be able to use him for our future plans..."
Pyro bowed
"As you wish, M'lady."
Typed on phone, forgiveth thy mistakes.