Anti-Matter

Part I of

"The End of All Beginnings"

A/N: This is a side-story that will slowly evolve throughout the entirety of The Travels. This part in particular takes place after everything in "Omnius' Travels: Equestria", and before "Eternal Twilight"

XHXHXHXHXHXHX

It was a little after midnight in Equestria, and I had just started making a sandwich, when an apocalypse started. There were no fires. No screams of terror. Just the quiet, almost unnoticeable sound of knocking on my door.

"I'm coming," I called out, putting the mustard down, and grumbling at the ill timing. Jeez, sometimes I swear that the multiverses have it out for me.

Opening the door, not bothering with pony form as nopony with any sense would be up at this hour (I feel like I say that a lot).

"He's stirring," a hooded woman stated with a sense of dire urgency. That wasn't what really caught my attention though. What did was the sight of Torrentican, who had an arm slung over the figure's shoulders, and was leaning on her for support. His hand was pressed against his side, and a look of considerable pain was on his pale face.

"Get inside," I quickly commanded, recognizing the woman as Neutra. "Set him on the couch. I'll get some drinks, while you get him patched up."

She nodded, lowering her hood to reveal skin the color of dark coffee, and pitch black eyes. As she spread Torrentican flat over the couch, and started to murmur words of healing over him, I set myself to making a pot of tea.

Impatiently, I snapped my fingers, and caused the water to start boiling instantly, using minor heat magic to speed up the process. In less than a minute, the tea was ready, and I had already poured two cups for my unexpected guests.

Neutra murmured her thanks, while Torrentican said, "Thank you."

For a moment, I let them drink in silence, letting them collect their wits. Once they were halfway done, I skipped to the point and asked, "Who's trying to wake it up now?"

Torrentican grimaced, and set his cup down. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he pulled a small book out of the pocket of his long, black, smooth coat, and set it on the coffee table. He gestured at it, and said, "A group of Cultists who think they've stumbled upon the God of Gods."

I flipped through the book a little bit, taking note of the symbols and how it was handwritten in neat calligraphy. While I did that, Neutra said, "Torrentican was on that world, and thought that he could kill all of them before the word was spread."

"And they stopped you?" I asked incredulously. I might hate the guy's guts, but I'll have to admit that he's one of, if not the most, powerful beings I've ever met. If these cultists had fought him off…

Scowling in silent fury, he said, "They managed to extract some of its essence, and put it into their leader."

"WHAT!" I roared, flinging the book down. "They managed to do that!"

Their only response was a silent nod, and I let out an aggravated breath. I pinched the bridge of my nose, lost in thought, as I contemplated the enormity of what was going on.

Ye Gods and Goddesses protect us.

Okay. You readers NEED to know this.

As Travelers, all three of us have one primary goal that holds a higher priority than anything else: Make sure that the stories survive. Without stories, most multiverses, if not all, would collapse into complete destruction. Mostly because life is just one big story, blah blah blah, zen stuff.

Either way: This…thing…was pretty much the anti-thesis of creation. No, it's not death…because even death creates something. This annihilator wanted to end everything. Think of it as the Anti-Universe. Everything it touches will be…gone. Just that.

And as Travelers, it's our job to make sure that it doesn't wake up. That it stays asleep, and never awakens.

Or else we're ALL doomed.

"Okay," I finally said after a moment. "What's the plan that the Gods put up for us?"

Neutra reached inside of her cloak, and pulled out a shield, a lyre, and a helmet out. Placing them on the table, she gestured for me to get a closer look at them. I picked them up, and let out a sigh, running a critical eye over the equipment.

The Helmet looked like the gaping maw of a fearsome lion, made entirely of black steel. The visor was encrusted with scratches filled with ruby dust, and shadows seemed to cling to it, no matter how I tilted it to the light.

"Creepy," I muttered, before setting it aside. I then picked up the lyre, and plucked its silver strings. Pure, haunting notes filled the air, and I felt a sense of peace, and serenity. After each string was tested, and the frame was pushed on a little (Neutra flinched a little when I did that), I set it next to the helmet.

The shield was what really caught my eye. An intricate golden sun blazed on the front of it, with a small diamond shaped insignia in the center of it. A gleaming band of silver lined the outside of it, and it constantly glimmered and shined. I tapped it with my fingernail, and winced when I jabbed at it too hard.

"Okay. What's with the equipment?" I finally asked.

Torrentican leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, and said, "While I was on this world, I learned that their deities have three primary powers, with at least one good, evil, and neutral god in each: Light, Darkness, and Music." Standing up, and finishing the rest of his tea, he placed a gloved hand on the helmet, and continued. "The Gods want us to get rid of the Annihilator cult, while restoring faith in their own powers. So Neutra forged the items, and I put my own magic power into them. In theory, when we vanquish the cult, these items will represent how the gods saved them, or some such trite. We will give them to the leaders, and they will pass them on, preserving the true gods."

"All that remains is for you to guide the enchantment, and that will finish the bindings." Neutra picked up the lyre, and cradled it in her arms. "When we are done banishing the monster's essence, we will leave the items behind as Holy Relics, possibly for a chosen one to reclaim, and save their world when the time comes."

"Okay. Basic enchantment. I can do that. Gimme a sec," I said cheerfully. I placed my hands on the lyre, and focused my will on the magic inside of it. Instantly, I felt raw, untamed power surge into my mind, and I had to grit my teeth to prevent a gasp from escaping. Slowly, I muttered words of power over it, and once I was finished with that, moved onto the helmet, and then the shield.

After almost two hours of straight enchanting, I slumped in my seat and set the relics on the table. I lifted my bandana up, and mopped up some of the sweat from my face. "Alright, that's done. The lyre should play enchanted music, and depending on the song played, have a myriad of different effects. Not only that, but it can be used to summon spirits, calm demons, etcetera, etcetera."

Neutra thanked me, and picked up the lyre without any hesitation.

"The helmet should allow you to control shadows, and use your own as a physical weapon to interact with other shadows. Think Dr. Facilier's shadow, and it's close enough. Not only that, but you'll be able to see through any illusion. Nifty little bonus, I'd think." I tossed the helmet to Torrentican, and he placed it on his head, giving me a reluctant nod of satisfaction.

"What does the shield do?" He inquired.

I shrugged, and slung it onto my back. "It absorbs light, can release it in focused beams from the side, or at a lower, wider beam to make an improvised torch. Can't break, or be dented, and is linked to the wearer's thoughts." I walked outside, with Neutra and Torrentican at my sides. "I can throw it, and it'll always come back, and I can make it warp a short distance away from me. So if I don't have time to switch it from defensive shield to offensive whacking board, I won't have to worry about it."

"Omnius, are you really going to refer to that as a 'whacking board'?" Torrentican sneered, pulling the visor of his helmet down. He snapped his fingers before I could answer, and I felt my breath snatched away from me, as all of the air was sucked out of my lungs in an instant.

Almost as soon as the sensation came, it disappeared, leaving me coughing in the middle of a grey field, while Torrentican smirked at me. "Oops. I should have warned you about that," he mockingly apologized. "Remind me to do that next time."

Neutra rolled her eyes, and tapped my chest with a slender fist. Air rushed back into my lungs, and I gasped gratefully. "Torrentican, we have a job to do," she chided. "Take us to the cult's place of operations, and we can finish this sooner."

"What she said," I added. I gripped the shield in my right hand, and glanced around the field. It was a dreary, dead looking place, and the air was laced with…nothingness.

"They're not too far," Torrentican said, his smirk replaced with a somber expression. "Over the hill, there should be a massive village, almost a kingdom, really. Just on the outskirts, we'll find a cave with a black gemstone in front of it."

"That's where they are?" I asked, rolling my arm.

"Indeed. The caves aren't very large, and we should be there in less than five minutes. If I'm correct, a demonstration of their power should be underway as we speak," he confirmed. "Stay close to me, and for the sake of shades, put on armor representing your side. We need to make an impression!"

I sighed, and nodded. Neutra snapped her fingers, and elaborate silver plate armor with gold trimming materialized out of thin air, and equipped itself onto my body. Neutra was engulfed in light blue robes, with a treble cleff on the back, and Torrentican was engulfed in a mass of writhing shadows. A cloak appeared on his shoulders, and hid the rest of his body from view.

"Well. I feel badass."

"As much as I hate to agree, I must say that we do appear quite intimidating. This should put the fear of the gods into them," Torrentican chuckled grimly, silently drifting ahead of us.

I rolled my eyes, and followed him, trying not to make much noise. Sneaking around in plate armor isn't really a fun thing to do. Thankfully, Neutra had cast a spell on my armor to silence it after the first two seconds of metal screeching against more metal.

She's smart. Gotta give her that much. Still have no idea about her life though.

Anyways, the three of us crept down the halls, Torrentican guiding us as best as he could. He flipped his visor down, and held up a fist to signal a stop. He beckoned us closer, and we huddled behind a loose pile of boulders. In front of us, what appeared to be enough people to fill a small town were cramped inside of a large cavern. Those that were in front of us wore blood-red robes, with purple flames painted on them. In front of those people, pitiful looking peasants were herded in the center of the room, where they had a perfect view of the small stage shoved against the far side of the cavern.

"Wow…how're we gonna get over there?" I whispered, glancing at the vast amount of people that were standing before me.

"We must wait until their leader comes on stage. A path will be cleared for him to demonstrate some of his power, and that will give us the opportunity to strike," Torrentican answered coldly.

I grunted in agreement, and Neutra placed a hand on my shoulder. She pointed to the center of the stage, and my eyes widened in surprise.

On the stage, a tall, thin man wearing nothing but a pair of threadbare pants had appeared. His body was covered in disturbing purple tattoos, and his long, black hair fell in matted clumps against his head. He gave the crowd a toothy grin, and bowed for them.

"Welcome, fair citizens of yonder village! My name is Stefan Wraith. Welcome, to the Brotherhood of Ultimate Creation!" He called out, his voice echoing with power. He went on to explain the corruption of their own gods, and how they had already failed them, causing a drought to fall upon their crops, and destroying their medicinal plants, and how magic was failing to work now.

"Sure, don't blame the sudden coincidence that you discovered this power at the same time this shit started happening," I scoffed.

"I must agree with you, Omnius," Neutra said, her grip tightening on her lyre. "We must be patient, however."

As if those were the magic words, Stefan's speech worked itself into a frenzy. He started screaming, "NOW, WHERE ARE YOUR GODS? WHERE ARE THEY IN OUR TIME OF NEED! I'll tell you…THEY ARE GONE! THEY HAVE ABANDONED US!"

The peasants shifted nervously, feeling the fear and corruption that was emanating from Stefan's body. He gave them a smile, and whispered, "Fear not. What you feel is the power of our new leader…its power has been put to sleep, for the gods were afraid that he would usurp their unearned power, and reclaim his true throne! BUT! THEY CANNOT STOP HIM! THEY FAILED TO STOP HIM FROM REACHING OUT TO ME, AND GRANTING ME HIS STRENGTH! BEHOLD!"

His tattoos started glowing, and the three of us tensed, ready to strike. Before I could throw my shield, Torrentican hissed, "Wait! This is different! He wasn't this powerful when I first came here!"

"What?"

Just then, Stefan smacked his hands on the wall behind him, and cracks started to form in the walls. They slowly spread from there, and onto the floor, and ceiling. Not a moment later, the entire caver started to shake, and with a crazed cry of, "THE TRUE GOD IS WITH ME!" Stefan pulled his hands away, and a blinding light filled the area.

As my eyes adjusted, I felt my jaw drop in pure shock. All around us, boulders and huge chunks of stone floated aimlessly about, suspended by a shimmering in the air.

And Stefan was standing in the middle of it all, without a single bead of sweat on his forehead.

"He gives me the power of the Earth, and all that has come from it! I will use this power to cleanse this world of the blasphemous light gods! The treacherous dark gods! And the worthless music gods!" he shouted, laughing maniacally. "And they are powerless to stop me!"

"Now?" I asked sardonically.

"Now," Torrentican confirmed, flying forward in the form of a black cloud of darkness. I charged in with my shield braced in front of me, while Neutra thrust her hand forward, teleporting the peasants a safe distance away from the chaos using her own brand of magic. I ducked behind my shield, and barreled through the ranks of the cultists, forcing them to move out of the way. Torrentican caught the boulders in his shadow, and flung them away from the area.

"What! Who are you to meddle in my…affairs…" his eyes widened in recognition of Torrentican's form, and he grimaced in rage. "So, you think to return after your failed attempt of ending my life last time?" he sneered.

Torrentican visibly shuddered (more from disgust than fear), and he spat, "The last time…I did not have my gods with me. Now, though, is different!"

The peasants seemed to have heard this, and they started muttering about how Stefan had brought about an early apocalypse for them. Good. Superstitions might help us out in this equation.

"Shade Harbinger is right," I called out. "The Dark Gods walk with him this day, just as the Music Gods walk with Muse Heartstrings, and the Light Gods walk with me."

Stefan glared at me, and then smiled suddenly. His body convulsed suddenly, and his eyes changed from a simple brown, to a glowing, ominous violet. "Travelers…" he whispered in an ethereal voice. "You once again try to deny my revival."

"Anti-Matter," I whispered. "He really is stirring."

"What's wrong, little Traveler? Afraid to say my name?" he taunted, floating up into the air. "Are you truly scared, to know that the very mention of my real name speeds up my revival? Even now, you must fight yourself to keep from saying it…"

I warped my shield to my hand, and flung it at him, growling, "Go back to sleep you sunuvabitch."

He lifted his hand, and a pillar of dirt rose up, and absorbed the blow. I called the shield back, and he laughed mockingly. "It is not wise to challenge me…this vessel has been given enough of my power to assure my return. At least, on this world."

"Only if you can spread your being across the entirety of it," Neutra calmly stated. She started strumming her lute, charging it with magic, and I instinctively knew that she was charging a sleeping spell. If it landed a direct hit, he'd go nighty-night, and we'd have fought off the ultimate apocalypse…again.

"You won't be able to stop me," Stefan's body answered in the malignant voice of The Destroyer. He flew higher into the air, while the remains of the caver flew about him, merging with his body. Soon, the stone buildings and castles of the nearby village were dragged across the ground to add to his mass.

All three of us stood there, helpless, as he grew, gaining more and more bulk, until he was the size of a small skyscraper. In front of us, a colossus made of the very village loomed in front of us, with a gaping maw formed of broken glass, wooden panels, and jagged spires of rock. His eyes were composed of the remains of shattered windows, and two long, stag-like horns made of trees were sticking from the top of his still amazingly human shaped head.

"Right…Torrentican, what's the plan?" I asked, tightly gripping my shield.

He looked around for a moment, muttering to himself, and he snapped his fingers. "I have it. Neutra, can you keep charging that spell of yours?"

"Yes, but it will be worthless if I can't land a direct hit on him. Unless we can remove that…whatever it is, the lyre's magic won't be able to affect it," she instantly answered. "I can pour more power into it though. Why?"

Torrentican growled, and tightened the strap of his helmet. Flying upwards, he called out, "I can disable his ability to sustain the form for a short time if I can find wherever Stefan is inside of it! Omnius, you get to distract him while I do so!"

"…Sometimes I feel like you guys give me the easy jobs," I weakly said, gulping at the behemoth in front of me. "Does that mean that-?"

"All gloves are off! Feel free to unleash your Super Aura, or whatever it is now!" he shouted, flying off in a trail of black smoke.

"Well then. Esperanto!" I shouted, running forward. I threw my shield at the ankles of the monstrosity, and called out, "Hey! Ugly! Down here!"

What was formerly Stefan looked down, and leered at me. "You intend to challenge me now?" it asked in a rumbling voice.

"As a matter of fact, no." I closed my eyes, and felt power rush through me. My muscles expanded slightly, and my thoughts quickly sharpened, as everything around me came into clarity. Pure energy radiated off of me, pressing the grass flat to the ground, and my hair floated around me as if tossed about by a gentle breeze.'

The Super Aura had been activated.

"I intend to stop you now."

"Ha! You think that is enough to stop me?" he laughed. "You know nothing of what you are against!" He brought his fist up, and slammed it on top of me, while shouting, "Fear me! My power has ended dreams, shattered hopes, and killed thousands of lives!"

The peasants screamed, as they watched me be flattened by the massive attack. Their cries quickly turned to gasps of awe however, as they watched the fist slowly be raised ever so slightly. In a slightly strained voice, I answered, "Fear me. I've created dreams, brought hopes to life, and saved countless lives."

[Right now, I'd suggest listening to "Solaris Phase II" from the Sonic The Hedgehog OST.]

With that, I raised my shield fully, and threw the fist off of me. The towering beast stumbled backwards, and I charged my shield with energy, before swinging it in a wide arch, releasing a giant wave of rainbow-tinted light at it. The attack severed the arm from the torso for an instant, before it reattached the limb with hardly any effort. While it was busy with that, I shot forward at impossible speeds, and sped up the leg, quickly closing the distance between myself and its face.

The giant swatted at me, attempting to knock me off of it, but I managed to dodge it several times by leaping to another safe ledge. Occasionally, I had to duck inside of a crumbled doorway, but I pressed on. When I reached the chest, I shot another arc of light at it, and grinned when it stumbled backwards, clutching at the gash like it was a mortal wound.

Just before I could do anything else, the beast struck at me with its open hand, and caught me in a massive stone and dirt fist. "ENOUGH!" it roared, before hurling me at the ground. Not even giving me time to react, it slammed its fists repeatedly against me, battering me against the hard earth, while the peasants looked on in terror.

After minutes of endless battering, it stopped, confident that I was done for. There, in a large crater, I lay, my armor dented and torn off completely in some places. I groaned in pain, and tried to stand up, faltering slightly.

"I can't believe…that you beat my Super Aura," I panted, my head pounding in my ears. "That's pretty bad, isn't it?"

The beast said nothing, and instead, raised its foot for one final blow. I closed my eyes in acceptance of the inevitable, and prayed that I would be forgiven for my failure.

"THAT'S IT! HE CAN'T REGENERATE HIS WOUNDS NOW!" Torrentican called out in a triumphant voice. "LET HIM HAVE IT!"

I think it was the fact that Torrentican had snuck inside of him without anyone noticing, but the colossus stopped mid stomp, and tilted its head confusingly. While that went on, I heard Neutra speak in my mind, and she reminded me that if I failed, then the Annihilator would move on to other worlds. It would reach Hollow Bastion. It would reach Earth.

It would reach Equestria, and the rest of my friends and family.

It would reach Twilight…

Big mistake.

I roared in defiance, and felt a new surge of strength shoot through me. The urge to protect, one of the most fundamental aspects of my life, took over my entire being, and only one thought went through my head, repeating constantly:

Protect my friends.

Suddenly, I felt myself start to change. Light started to pour out of my mouth, eyes, and nose, forming new armor that shined with the intensity of a golden sun. My broken bones healed instantly, and I started to increase in size. In the blink of an eye, I stood in a sort of…light avatar, which matched my look in every detail, with the exception of being created entirely of light energy. And it stood as tall as the monster that wanted to hurt those close to my heart.

I glared at the colossal threat to my friends, and pointed a spectral finger at it. In a loud, commanding voice, I stated, "You. Will never. Hurt the ones I love!"

Raising my arm up, a golden shield appeared in it, and I raised it over my head, shouting, "FEEL HEAVEN'S WRATH, AND OF THE ETERNAL GUARDIAN!"

I then smashed the shield against its face, crushing its head into rubble. I didn't stop there though. The shield went up again, and came crashing down on its body repeatedly, until it was just a pile of dust on the ground.

Stefan Wraith, or at least his body, stirred quietly on the ground, before I pinned him with a single, golden index finger. Neutra leaped out of the shadows then, and started playing a soothing melody on her lyre, with tendrils of both light and shadows reaching out for Stefan.

"No!" he shouted. "No! You have only delayed the inevitable! I WILL be revived! I WILL END ALL OF YOU!"

I pressed harder, and snarled, "Goodnight Goldilocks."

"NO!" Stefan screamed piteously one last time, before the spell banished all traces of The Destroyer from his mind, and the world.

I then crushed Stefan like a bug, ending his short-lived reign of terror.

[Music over.]

"Ugh…" I groaned, before the avatar started flickering rapidly. My energy was draining rapidly, and soon enough, the aura, and its avatar, disappeared, leaving me floating a couple hundred feet in midair.

"Shit," I whispered, before plummeting to the ground. The last thing I remembered before passing out from exhaustion was a dark cloud of smoke rushing over to meet me.

XHXHXHXHXHXHXHX

"Sean? Sean, wake up!"

I stirred slightly at the sound of a familiar voice. Who was it…? The rest of my body seemed to slowly come to life, and I noticed a multitude of things. For instance, warm sunshine was shining down on my body, and said body was in considerable amounts of pain. My muscles were stiff from overexertion, and my head pounded with every little sound that reached it.

Cracking my eyes open, I was shocked to find myself back in my room, on Equestria. I tried to move my head, but hissed in pain as soon as I barely moved an inch.

"Oh no, try not to move," the voice said comfortingly. A pair of crystal blue eyes hovered over mine, tipping a glass of water to my mouth. Greedily, I drank, and the voice said, "I was really worried about you for a moment there."

"Fluttershy?" I croaked in a raspy voice. "What happened? And how long was I out for?"

"I found you lying in front of your house four days ago. You were really hurt, but I was able to get you inside," she explained. "But as for what happened…well, there was a letter addressed to you in the pocket of your jeans."

I frowned, and she lifted it off of the small table next to my bed, and held it up for me to read. "I didn't read it, I promise," she quickly said.

I nodded, and went back to reading.

"Dear Omnius. The mission was a success. We managed to pass you off as a sacrificed guardian who gave up his life to protect theirs, and they promised to cherish your shield, and your memory, for as long as they live. It was I who managed to catch you before you hit the ground, thus improving our sense of…camaraderie, as it were, and improving the Gods' standing with them. The Corrupter was banished from that realm, and Neutra has informed me that he is still slumbering in his realm.

"Please remember that the next time that we meet, it will have returned to our usual standing game of 'Good' versus 'Evil', and I do hope that you will be better prepared for our next encounter. Lots of love, Torrentican."

"Torrentican wrote that!" Fluttershy half-squeaked, reminding me that she was still there. Oops. I guess I forgot that I tend to read letters out loud.

"Yeah. Aw, he gave me lots of love. How precious."

"What did he mean by, 'Corrupter'?" She asked, looking at me with concern in her eyes.

I managed to lift my good arm (as in, the one with only a broken wrist), and fondly scratched her behind the ears. "Nothing to worry about. Just another day on the job for me," I joked.

She frowned at me, and shook her head. "Is there anything you want to tell me? Or any of our friends for that matter?"

I thought about it for an instant, and answered, "Yeah. Tons of things. But it'll have to wait. It's another story for another day."

I closed my eyes, and drifted off to sleep again.

Well, that's one crisis averted. Endless more to go.

Still, I can't deny one thing:

It's good to be The Traveler.