Chapter 5

Just like Celestia said, shit does get real in this chapter! Thanks for all the concern, the brony community really is the best! Enjoy!

Derek sat on the ground, panting. Sweat rolled down his body, dripping onto the grass. He and Rainbow Dash had just gotten through their first flying lesson, and she was a very tough teacher. He hadn't expected her to be okay with his idea, or for her to decide to start the first lesson right after she accepted it, but overall he was happy.

Rainbow Dash walked up, rolling her eyes at the gasping human. "Honestly, it wasn't that hard!" she laughed. Derek shot her a look, noting with some annoyance that she seemed totally unbothered by their workout. "Easy for you to say, you fly every day! I just got these!" He gave his wings a twitch, sending a slight gust of wind at Rainbow Dash.

She smirked, before frowning as she thought of something. "Hey Derek, you know how your wings were like printed on your body, before you raised them off of it?" He nodded. "Can you put them back on your body?" He blinked a couple of times, thinking the question over. "Um…I don't know. Let me check!"

He grabbed his wings with his magic, feeling every texture and feather on them. With barely any effort, he gave them a slight push, and they were back to being tattoos. "Woah.." Rainbow Dash breathed, slightly impressed. It was Derek's turn to laugh. "It's not that impressive, my magic does most of the work when it comes to the wings."

Both of them shared a laugh, before looking up into the sky. Luna's night had fallen on them, and the stars shone like diamonds in the sky. Rainbow glanced over at Derek, and saw what appeared to be worry on his face. "What's wrong?" she asked. Derek shook his head, and flashed Rainbow Dash a smile. "It's nothing, don't worry about." Rainbow narrowed her eyes, not satisfied. "C'mon, you can tell me! I won't judge!"

Derek sighed, before looking back up into the stars. "It's stupid, really, but… I've been thinking. That thing that destroyed my home…. What if it comes here? I mean, I don't want to insult ponies, but I doubt you guys could handle something like that, even with Celestia and Luna." Rainbow hesitated. Truth be told, she had been wondering the same thing herself, and, from what she could determine, so did Luna and Celestia. After all, it had been their idea to start training Derek, and the routines they selected seemed a bit military.

The rainbow pegasus, however, gave Derek a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, dude. As long as Luna and Celestia are around, nopony, big dimension eating thing or otherwise, is going to hurt us. Besides, there are tons of other dimensions for it to devour. Probably." Derek nodded. "Yeah, you're probably right." Rainbow smiled once more. "I always am." The human and the pegasus watched the stars in silence, unaware that they were being watched themselves, by a few pairs of cold, yellow eyes.

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"WHAT?" Twilight Sparkle shouted, slightly shocking Princess Celestia, as well as the others. "You mean to tell me that the thing that eats entire dimensions in one bite is here!" The princess nodded, causing Rarity to gasp. "It's been injured by my sister and I however. It won't be eating dimensions whole for quite sometime." Fluttershy smiled. "So, it isn't dangerous anymore." Celestia shook her head. "Oh no, it's still very dangerous. In fact, it still can destroy Equestria. It's just going to need some help doing so."

Applejack gave the princess a hard look. "And jus' what kinda' help is this thing gonna go get?" The princess turned towards the orange farm pony. "Creature from a hellish dimension. Gargoyles, to be exact." Twilight gave a frustrated moan. "Why hasn't it eaten the gargoyle dimension? I thought that's what it did!" Rarity spoke up as well. "Yes, it does seem rather odd that it would destroy some dimensions, and yet use others as allies."

Celestia raised her hoof, silencing the group. "The reason that the creature hasn't destroyed the gargoyles is because it can't. This thing feeds on two things. The matter that makes up a dimension, and pain and suffering. Gargoyles enjoy pain, so when this thing begins to destroy their world, they simply do not care. Eventually, the creature gives up and moves on." Pinkie Pie, who had been silent the entire time, finally perked up.

"What type of pony enjoys pain? Pain isn't fun!" Celestia smiled at the pink pony, amused. "Well, gargoyles aren't ponies. They're demons. Twisted, evil demons that enjoy destruction and death." Celestia stood up, giving her wings a good ruffle. "Now, if all of you will excuse me, I must go find Derek. He needs to know all of this, since he will be most vital in the effort to stop this creature."

Twilight jumped up. "I'll go with you princess! Last time I checked, he was with Rainbow Dash, and who knows what kind of trouble they're getting into!" The princess chuckled, and opened the door. "Alright, lead the way Twilight Sparkle. Fare well, my little ponies!" The group waited until the door had closed before any more words were spoken.

"Anypony else get the chills when she says "mah little pony"?" Applejack said curiously. Every pony in the room answered yes, except for Pinkie Pie, who just laughed. "Oh silly fillies, that's only because she mentioned the title, which is sort of like reveres fourth wall breaking, and whenever that happens it weirds us out because it's like forbidden knowledge! Or was, I should say, since the show doesn't exist anymore…" That's when Pinkie noticed that all eyes were staring at her, and that every mouth was wide open.

"What?" she asked, truly curious as to why she was being stared at. "Pinkie.." Rarity said. "What goes on in your mind?" The pink party pony shrugged, before turning and bouncing out of the room, leaving everpony wondering just what had happened.

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A twig snapped behind Rainbow Dash and Derek, startling them. Turning around, Derek saw nothing but the beginning of the Everfree Forest. "Relax" Rainbow said, giving him an odd look. "Twigs snap all the time in there. Nothing to get crazy about." Derek shrugged before returning his gaze to the stars.

Luna does a damn good job. He thought, his mind wandering. Wonder why nopony paid attention to this. Wait, did I just think nopony? Oh god, I'm starting to speak like them! Which actually, really isn't a bad thing. I mean, I used pony language when I was on the internet and talking to other bronies, but to actually speak and think like a pony, that may be a bit too-

He saw it out of the corner of his eye. A slight glint of light reflected off of the blade as it sliced through the air. He rolled, and the blade smashed into the ground, sending dirt flying. Jumping to his feet, Derek saw the attackers. They looked a bit like humans, except a bit bulkier and slightly taller than him. They had large bat-like wings, razor sharp claws and teeth, and eyes that glowed an eerie yellow. Their skin looked like black leather, and on top of their heads sat two pointed horns.

There were 6 of them, and each one of the creature were holding a sword of some kind. "Dash, do you have any clue what the fuck these things are?" Derek shouted, fear obvious in his voice. Rainbow Dash, who was on her feet and in a battle stance, replied tersely. "Not a clue." The two groups stood facing one another for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, the creatures attacked.

They launched into the air at Derek and Rainbow Dash, each one letting loose a vicious battle roar. Dash flew into the air, avoiding any contact, but Derek wasn't so lucky. He dodged the blades, but one of the creatures lashed out with a thick arm, slamming him in the chest. He flew back ten feet, landing hard on the ground. Dazed, he saw three of the creatures come after him, the others trying to catch Rainbow.

He quickly got up, and immediately started moving. The past few months of intense physical and mental training saved his life. He dodged and weaved away from the blades, however, that was all he could do. He had no offense against these massive brutes. Dash, in the meantime, was dodging as well, using her superior speed and agility to evade the attacks, and in fact, she was managing to get a few good blows in.

As Derek was planting his foot into the ground after a particularly difficult move, he felt the ground underneath him give. He hit the ground, and had just enough time to see the blade approach his face. What happened next was difficult to determine for him. One moment, he had been on the ground, seeing death itself coming for him, the next, he was on his feet, holding the sword by the blade, watching as the creature on the other end struggled to regain control of its weapon.

He felt a primal power surge through him, one that he recognized as his magic, and he flashed an evil grin. He pulled on the blade, jerking the creature towards him. With strength that could rip metal like paper, he grabbed the things head with one had, and with seemingly no effort, pulled it off. The body slumped to the ground, headless. Derek looked at his prize for a second before dropping the head and turning. All eyes were on him. The three chasing Rainbow had given up the moment he had killed one of their own. Derek looked, and saw Rainbow Dash staring as well, shock on her face.

"Rainbow" Derek said calmly. "Go find Twilight and the princess. They are on their way here. Tell them what happened." The pegasus hesitated, clearly uncertain. Derek was having none of it. "GO!" he shouted, surprising Rainbow. With her normal speed and quickness she shot off into the night, quickly disappearing from view.

Derek returned his gaze to the ghouls before him. He felt a strange bloodlust fill him, and he crouched down into a battle stance, throwing the sword to the ground. "So" he said with a laugh, the blood of his first victim dripping from his face. "Whose first?"

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Twilight Sparkle and Princess Celestia walked through Ponyville in silence. Twilight had been thinking the entire time about how a creature that destroyed entire dimensions was in Equestria, and how any day could be her last. Eventually, it became to much for her to bear. "Princess?" she said quietly. "Do you think we can beat this thing?" Celestia smiled reassuringly at her student. "Of course I do, Twilight. My only concern is not if we can beat it, but when. Equestria hasn't had a war since Nightmare Moon, and I would like to keep it that way."

Twilight nodded, and the two resumed their silence. For a while, the only sound heard was their hooves hitting the pavement, before Celestia spoke up. "Well, I do believe that's Rainbow Dash coming at us!" Twilight looked up, and sure enough, there was Rainbow Dash speeding towards them. She came to a screeching halt right in front of the two, allowing Twilight to see that her friend was hurt.

"My goodness, Rainbow, what happened?" Rainbow took a few deep breathes before replying. "Not important! Some things attacked me and Derek in the fields by Fluttershy's! They're really big, and they had swords! I didn't want to leave, but Derek made me!" Twilight stared at Rainbow Dash, before looking at the princess, who was already moving.

"Follow me, the both of you. Derek may need our help." Celestia took off in a full gallop towards Fluttershy's cottage, leaving Twilight and Rainbow behind. Right as Twilight was about to follow, Rainbow spoke again. "He ripped one of their heads off." Twilight turned and looked back at her friend. "What?" "Derek. He ripped one of their heads off with his bare hands."

Twilight stared at Rainbow for a second, before shaking her head. "We'll worry about that later. Right now, we need to help Derek!" Twilight took off, and, after another moments hesitation, Rainbow followed.

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Derek spun, catching the creature in the jaw with a right hook. Normally such a blow would leave some bruising at best, but Derek's hand had black spike coming out of the knuckles. The creature roared in pain, blood spurting all over the human. Derek sensed movement behind him, and spun, seeing another one of them coming at him with a sword.

Derek crouched, and flared his wings out, slamming them into the launching creature midsection. The steel feathers sliced the thing in half, spewing intestines and blood over the soft grass. Derek grinned madly, before turning and grabbing the wrist of one of the other creatures that had tried to sneak up on him. He twisted, breaking the wrist completely, and delivered a sharp kick that broke many ribs. Blood sprayed on the ground from the creatures mouth, which only fueled Derek's attack. With one solid punch, the things neck caved in, and Derek watched as it suffocated on blood and bone.

Turning, Derek saw the other three struggling to their feet. One had large holes from his spike fist in it's jaw, one had an obviously broken leg, the other was missing an arm and an eye. All three charged at him. Picking up two swords from the ground, Derek waited a moment before throwing them.

The blades impacted with two of the creatures, each one in the head. The last one continued it's charge, unaware of the demise of its comrades. Derek waited until the creature swung at him, before sidestepping and bringing his knee to the things chest. A satisfying crack answered him, and he saw the thing tumble to the ground. It slowly got back to its feet, and tried to attack again. "Never learn, do you?" Derek snarled, as he swung at the creature. His fist impacted the creatures stomach, breaking skin and intestine as it traveled through the front and exited the things back.

Derek heard it gurgle, which disgusted him slightly. He pulled his fist out, grabbed the things throat, and pulled. A gush of blood and a cease of noise assured him that he had done the job right. The last creature dropped to the ground, dead, leaving Derek standing in the field, covered in blood. He let loose with a wild scream, and turned, only to see Princess Celestia staring at him a few feet away. Behind her, Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle watched. Derek's night vision, a product of his predator-like state, allowed him to see the terror in their eyes.

He snarled at Celestia, as she was the closest, baring his teeth and spreading his wings. Celestia, stunned by what she had just witnessed, was now fully shocked. Derek's eyes were totally black, and his teeth were longer and sharper. Covered in blood, he was quite a fright to look at, especially for the three ponies who had just seem him kill three gargoyles in 10 seconds flat.

"Derek" Celestia warned, planting her hooves firmly into the ground. "I don't know what's going on in your mind right now, but we're not here to hurt you." Derek snarled again, as black, whip like tendrils shot from his wrists, thrashing about as if looking for something to attack. Celestia could feel the magic coming off of him, and she could tell he was only gaining in power. The ground underneath his feet cracked and glowed, and lighting danced around his feet. Celestia looked grimly at Derek, realizing what had to be done. She summoned a powerful spell, causing her horn to glow a bright yellow. Derek instinctively summoned one of his own, is mind focusing on one thing: Kill or be killed. Just as the two were about to engage, a rational thought finally broke through to Derek: Hey, that's Princess Celestia! Immediately, Derek realized what was going on. He allowed his magic to fade, and slowly, he returned to normal. The moment the last drop of black left his eyes, he fell to the ground, his body exhausted from the battle.

Celestia sighed with relief, allowing the magic to fade from her as well. Twilight and Rainbow came up behind the princess, who was walking towards Derek. She approached the collapsed human, and bowed her horn to him. One bright flash later, and he was gone. "I've teleported him to Fluttershy's so he can sleep. I suggest you two follow his example and rest as well. I'll deal with here." Her gaze swept out to the carnage. Blood stained the ground, which was covered in bone, flesh, intestines, and other remains of the gargoyles.

Rainbow and Twilight nodded, each one of them barely acknowledging what had just happened. The two went their separate ways, and returned to their houses, both still in a state of shock at the horrors they had just witnessed.

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Rainbow Dash lay in her cloud bed, her mind racing. Over and over, she replayed what she had seen in her head. First, there was Derek ripping the head off of the "gargoyle" as Twilight had called it, and then there was him killing those last three, and almost battling Celestia. Rainbow shuddered. She couldn't imagine what would have happened had Derek attacked the princess. She didn't think Celestia would kill him, even thought the same couldn't be said for Derek.

He seemed like an animal she thought, wrapping herself tightly in the cloud. And that's supposed to be his magic! What type of world need magic like that?

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Princess Luna sat on the stool, watching her sister wash the gargoyle blood out of her hair. "So, let me get this right. Derek slaughtered six gargoyles?" Celestia nodded. "And he almost went after me." Luna laughed. "That would have been interesting!" Celestia slammed her hoof against the sink, startling the princess of the night.

"Dammit, Luna, listen! Derek was using his magic! Had he attacked, I don't know if I could defeat him! His magic is designed for battle, mine isn't! And it's not like he was in control of himself! He looked like a frightened animal! He had no idea I was a friend, until it was almost too late!"

Luna held up a hoof. "Relax, sister, I tease. I'm just glad everypony is okay, and that Derek is on our side." Celestia sighed, and allowed her eyes to drift back to the bloodstains on her coat. "As am I" she whispered.

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