"Okay, this is bad..." I mutter as the guards, the Mane Six, and the gargantuan warrior all move in on me, all lusting for my blood. No way out, deep in enemy territory, and with no magic. I'd like to say that I'm screwed, but I'm not. I've faced worse odds before, and they all seemed even more hopeless than this one. Quickly, I take my observations: Mane six approaching in a group, but they're spread enough to ensure I don't slip past them. The big guy is big enough that I can roll between his legs, but he'll see that coming. Finally, the guards, who I can easily kill, but not without leaving myself vulnerable. Okay... this calls for only one course of action: I have to berserk... as much as I don't want to.

"Give up, Malideus. If you comply, we can promise that you will be spared. Celestia wants you alive for some reason, but we won't hesitate to destroy you if you resist further." Twilight declares, but her voice only makes me angry for some reason.

"Shut up, you dumb horse knockoff! I won't submit to you, or anyone else, and that's that! You want me, then come get me!" I yell back, pounding my chest for emphasis.

"Are you really that dense, Malideus? We said you would be spared ON ACCOUNT OF CELESTIA! Why do you keep being such a jerk!?" Rainbow Dash asks, and I begin to ponder the question. After all, why would Celestia let me live after all of this? No, this has to be a trick. The minute I let my guard down, they're going to turn me into a statue, or something. Yeah, no thanks.

"Because you fuckers need to learn! Your country is NOT invincible just because your leaders are 'gods', which they're not! Like I said, if you want me gone, you'll have to pull your heads out of your asses and fight me!" I declare, readying my fists. I weighed my options, and there was only one option I could see: I had to get past the big guy, which was not going to be easy. Still, like I said, I've faced worse with a straight face.

"... well, he's certainly a cynical one, isn't he?" the warrior asks, looking to Twilight, who only shrugs.

"Alright, Malideus, you asked for this. Girls, elements!" Twilight shouts, and the six each pull out their respective elements, catching me by surprise. Wow, how did I not see that coming?

"Alright Malideus, this is it for you. Nathan, avert your eyes!" Twilight says, and the warrior quickly turns his head away from the six, and I realize that the warrior's name is Nathan. Okay, that makes that easier, but what about me? I have to get out of this, and fast!

"Crap! Alright, book, don't fail me now!" I mutter, pulling out the Ohgma Infinium from my cloak pocket and opening it, hastily flipping through the pages as the Mane six charge their ultimate attack. Let's see... Iska nokir, lame... Summon Giantdad? Eh, maybe later... Ah, stonewall! Perfect! As I read the spell's incantation from the book, I chant the words as I see them, throwing my hand in the air in a ritualistic manner:

"Gaius fortificus magnus!" I chant out loudly, and I stomp the ground below me just as the rainbow-colored beam fires, causing a massive cylinder of rock to erupt around me, and the beam of harmony impacts the stone, doing absolutely nothing to the impregnable wall. Then the spell ends, and the wall recedes into the ground, leaving me okay, but the Mane six look exhausted, obviously because they exerted all their power into that one puny attack. Before I can celebrate my victory, however, a loud voice suddenly calls me out, causing me to jump:

"You coward! I thought you had no magic left!" Nathan (why the fuck does that name sound so familiar!?) shouts at me, readying his axe.

"Incantations require only minimal mana, you barbarian! Now step aside, before I throw you out of my way!" I threaten in my darkest, evillest voice, but Nathan doesn't seem even a little fazed. In fact, he looks ready to charge at any second.

"You can't scare me, wizard! Let's fight!" Nathan shouts, then he charges me with all his speed and might, and he's going pretty fast for someone wearing more armor than a space marine. As soon as he's upon me, he raises his massive axe to cleave me in half, and I get an amazing split-second decision in my head. Just as he stops to bring his weapon down, I roll to the side, narrowly avoiding his axe, and I high-tail it out of there as fast as I can run, tucking the Ohgma Infinium into my pocket once more as I flee. Yes, that's my plan. Don't judge me. Before I can fully escape, though, I hear the stomping of metal boots again, and I turn to see Nathan charging after me again, gaining speed as he runs. In a blind panic, I veer to the right, heading down another street, and I stop to relish in the screams and crashes as Nathan goes flying through a coffee house, and goes through the opposite wall before stopping, and finally falling on his face. Immediately afterward, I break into another run, and I make my way to Canterlot castle, to search for my staff. Why, you ask? Because, where else would it be? Let's just hope this doesn't end up like last time I was here, or things are going to get out of control really fast, and lord knows I can't handle that.

"Alright... let's get back that staff." I say, cracking my neck as I head off towards the castle, eager to start breaking some heads.

Celestia's Perspective, hopefully for the last time this story.

I paced about the throne room quickly, still mortified at the conversation I had with that... thing, the one helping Malideus. What was it... 'The Narrator'? Yes, that was it. This 'Narrator', whatever it was, was what was truly causing all this destruction, and it was using Malideus as a tool, leaving me with several sour thoughts as I contemplate my next move. I know that Malideus must be stopped, but how? If I kill the simple pawn, would I be any better than him... or his controller?
...

Well, I may have to risk it. If I don't, then many will suffer and die. But what of those only he can save, like Luna? If what the Narrator said was true, then only Malideus could save her. Oh, what to do, what do..?

"Celestia, urgent news!" A guard says hastily, snapping a salute. Oh boy, more bad news... I'll bet it's Malideus again.

"What is it?" I ask tiredly, and the guard responds urgently.

"Malideus has breached containment, and is headed toward the castle! What do we do?" The guard asks, causing me to sigh in annoyance. Called it.

"Alright, gather every guard in the city, and put them inside the castle, then lock all the doors except for Luna's." I quickly command, and the guard looks confused as he voices his concern:

"Uhhh... Why Luna's?" The guard finally asks, tilting his head confusedly.

"Because, I want him herded there. If I am to save my sister, this must be done." I explain, but the guard still doesn't seem to understand.

"But... what if he doesn't do as you plan, Ma'am?" The guard asks, concern in his voice.

"Worry not, soldier... I have a plan. If he does not comply, then I will make him. Now, gather the guards and lock the doors, just as I said." I command, and the guard salutes, and goes off to do my bidding. Now, my trap is set, and I now have the perfect bait: Malideus's Staff. If he would want it back, he would have to find me first. Then, once I have made my demands, he will comply to them, and I will spring my brilliant trap. Soon, he will be locked away forever, and we will be free of him and this 'Narrator' character.

"It won't be long now, Luna... we just have to wait a while longer." I say to myself, remembering what the foul wizard did to my sister... or, rather, what 'The Narrator' did. In fact, was Malideus in control of ANY of his actions since his arrival here? I remember at first, when he was just annoying, but since his sudden jump... No, I can't have doubts now. Innocent or not, he is a menace as long as he is being used, and he will be used as long as he remains here. I'll think of a way to send him back eventually, but now, I need to prevent him from doing any more damage. I just have to wait... So, that in mind, I make my way to Luna's room, where I plan to lie in wait for Malideus.

Finally, back to Malideus.

Oh god... I shouldn't have run this whole way... and I still have a ways to go before I can reach my staff, or at least coerce it's whereabouts from one of the princesses. I look up from my doubled-over position, to see Canterlot castle, so close, yet so far away. Ah well, I better start walking if I want to get there: I got an army on my ass, and Celestia has probably heard of this by now. As far as I know, shit's about to get weird, and there's nothing I can do to stop it... so why bother?

"Alright, Chris, you only got a little ways to go... just keep up the pace, you'll make it..." I say to myself, and that motivates me enough to get moving again, as I make my way to the castle to get my precious, er, my staff, back from those FILTHY, TRICKSY PONIESES!!!... Er, I mean ponies. So, anyway, I continue my journey to the castle by continuing along the road, and basically enjoying the scenery. Much has changed since I've been here last, mostly in the form of new guard towers, and tons of motivational posters that say "I want you, to join the guard", or "Keep calm and carry on", though one of them had been scribbled on over the "Carry on" part, so it now read "Keep calm and Praise the sun!!!", with a little picture of a crusader making a Y-shape with his body in the lower right corner. That last one made me chuckle a little, and after I had finished appreciating such fine literary art, I continued on, slightly suspicious of the lack of guards on the way. I mean, seriously, did they all get recalled to the castle, or something? Too weird... Anywho, after getting lost in thought for a bit, I finally realize that I'm in the garden of the castle, and I just bumped into a statue while I was thinking. Shaking my head to clear my thoughts out, I look upon the obstruction, and find that it's no ordinary statue: It appears to be a statue of... um... is that pyramid head..?

"Freaky..." I say warily, and I walk around the statues, swearing I saw the eerie statue make an odd sound that sounded like a bomb siren. But, I digress. After all, this isn't silent hill... at least, I don't think it is... did it just get colder suddenly?

...Well, I don't get to think on that, because as soon as I get near the door, I hear another voice call out to me:

"Well, what have we here? Is it a pilgrim from the asylum, carried aloft by a friend to our lady of sin? Where to begin..." The voice from the bushes says, and I quickly turn to the maker of the reference, brandishing my fists.

"Who dares sneak up on Malideus?! Come out, and I'll only break most of your face!" I threaten, getting ready to destroy the interloper, when I hear another sharp, crazed chuckle from the brush, and a dirty, ragged, malnourished-looking stallion walks out from them, his rags tattered and torn from years of abuse... and lack of washing, from what I can smell. Goody, it's a hobo. Before I can tell him to beg for change to someone who cares, though, he speaks to me, answering my previous question.

"I? I, am a monument, to all your sins... but you can just call me Chamentia. Or crazy, or bum, but I prefer Chamentia." The ragged beggar says, smiling, and I notice that his teeth have been filed to a point, giving him a sadistic look, and causing me to realize that this creepy fuck is crazier than I thought. Fortunately enough, I like crazy.

"'Kay, that's cool and all, Chamentia, was it? But if I may ask, what are you doing in the gardens? And what are you talking about, with 'the Asylum'?" I ask, and Chamentia laughs again, and looks to the castle, grinning evilly.

"Well, I was just sitting around, watching the ponies capture two unfortunate souls they suspected to be associated with you. Then, just when I thought there could be no hope for them, you came along, right from the Asylum little Twilight has set up shop in!" Ah, that's where... wait, they put me in an ASYLUM!? before I can rant, though, Chamentia continues, interrupting my thoughts: "...Ah, anyway, I'd say it was sweet, sweet salvation for our two friends, but, alas, the front gate is locked, and both entrances are surrounded by guards. But ol' Chamentia knows a secret way in, one he found a long time ago, and has been using to steal rats from the dungeon to finish his rat marionette set!" Chamentia says, turning to me, his crazy smile still plastered to his face. Despite the creepy look, and the fact that he collects dead rats, I immediately jump at the thought of a secret entrance into the castle.

"Well? What is it!?" I ask, and the hobo turns about, beckoning me to follow through the bushes. So, despite my alarms blaring, I follow him, seeing nothing to lose. I saw those front gates while Chamentia was talking, and yes, there were a LOT of guards surrounding it, way more than I can handle. So, I follow him to the west side of the castle, and we both stop at an ordinary-looking section of the wall, which looks completely ordinary. Where's the secret entrance he was so exited about?

"Well, here we are! Just go through here, and you'll be in! We're all counting on you, O champion of... Oops, shouldn't spoil that part!" Chamentia says, and I stare at the wall, with many questions spiraling in my head. I can't ask them all at the same time, though, so I start with the most important one:

"... Where's the entrance?" I ask, and Chamentia sighs, and starts to write something in the dirt, which I read aloud: "Illusionary wall ahead. Amazing chest ahead." I read, and Chamentia smiles again, pointing to the wall once more. Well, might as well, not like I have much to lose by falling for some dumb joke. Still, I have one last question before I go.

"Hey, You said something about me being a champion to someone. What are you talking about?" I ask the crazed hobo, and He laughs, waggling his finger at me.

"Ah ah ah, I can't give that away... It would spoil the story!" Chamentia says, patting my helmet, and before I can force the information out of him, the crazy bum darts away faster than I can catch him, vanishing into the bushes in a swan dive.

"... Oh... Kay..?" I mutter confusedly, before turning back to the solid-looking wall. I stare at the brickwork for a bit, then, after a minute of looking for any telltale signs of illusion, such as rippling or paleness, and inevitably finding nothing, I breathe in, take a step forward, and reach out to touch the wall. My hand inches closer, closer, and ever closer to the white castle wall, and then, I touch it... except I don't. My hand suddenly passes right through the wall, and I quickly try to pull it out, but the illusion is pulling me into it, and I struggle for a bit, but it's no use, for the fake wall finally tugs me into it, and I fly through it, landing in a suspiciously familiar bathroom as I land. Holy shit, apart from the terrifying part of getting pulled in, it worked! But he said that there'd be an 'amazing chest' ahead, so... Where is it?... Wait, is someone showering? I hear water running as I come to my senses, and I slowly look to my side, and see that, indeed, a castle maid was showering, and the curtains were not pulled, leaving her just out for anyone with the balls to be pulled through an imaginary wall to see... So, yeah, this is really awkward for me, and for her, judging by her face. But hey, Chamentia didn't lie, at least; Her chest IS kinda amazing. Wait, did I really just say that about an anthropomorphic pony?! What the fuck is this world doing to my brain!? Anyway, me and this random mare have just been staring at each other for a while, so I decide to worm my way out of this one, the old-fashioned way:

"Uh... I'm just a figment of your Imagination. You've been in the shower so long, you're having a heat stroke." I say, waving my arms for dramatic effect, but the mare continues to stare at me, unfathomable fear in her eyes. Yes, I was looking at more than her tits! Lay off!

"But... I just got in..." The maid says slowly, and then I start to blush beneath my helmet, and I start sweating profusely.

"Oh... well... I'll just... be going this way." I say quickly, pointing at the door, then I sidestep closer to the door and hastily exit as soon as I reach it. "I... I was never here." I explain, and the maid nods in agreement, before I quickly retreat into the hall, slamming the door behind me. Oh, god, I think I have a nosebleed... Where's the mind bleach when you need it?

"That... was awkward..." I say quietly, then I leave the door, and begin my search around the castle in search of my staff... and some booze, lord knows I need some.

"Oh, don't be such a virgin! Admit it, you loved every second of that." My inner voice chimes in, startling me.

"That was AWKWARD!!! I enjoy the female body as much as the next guy, but C'mon, even I should have standards!" I mentally retort as I continue blindly down the hall, unaware of where I was going.

"Dude, you murdered thousands of innocent civilians in a mech, de-souled thousands more in that cloud city, Ruined Celestia's life, tortured her student, put her sister in a COMA, and fucked a dragon, a pony, a changeling, and got tongue-groped by an old goddess, in that order. I think your 'standards' went up in smoke a LOOONG time ago, kid." my inner voice replies, causing my shoulders to slump in shame.

"Oh, yeah..." I mentally mumble, and I feel my inner voice silently gloating at it's own victory.

"Now, if you're done being a pansy, I suggest you find your staff and get the hell out of here, before you get guard-rushed again." my inner voice says, and I physically nod, and snap back into reality after noticing how dark it just got. Did I just..?

"Dammit, I'm in the dungeons!" I curse, stomping my foot in anger, and causing minor cracks to form in the floor as a result. Damn it all, my inner voice distracted me! Now I have to go back and...

"You! Hey, you! Over here!" I hear I voice suddenly whisper to me from the cells. It sounded feminine, and definitely not happy. But nonetheless, I turn and acknowledge it.

"Yeeeeessssss???" I ask, drawing my line out as I turn slowly, faking a strained smile, despite no one being able to see it. When I turn, I see a light blue pegasus with a silver mane behind the cell bars, with a slightly dirtied plain white T-shirt, a thorny belt in the shape of a double-helix holding up her common-looking jeans, and a particularly uninterested expression on her face. Jeez, a lot of people I meet can't seem to give two flying fucks about anything, can they?

"Hey, You're Malideus, right?" She asks simply, and I cross my arms, trying to look as disinterested as her.

"Maybe. Who wants to know?" I ask, looking to the side all dramatic-like.

"I do. I've heard about your exploits, and I know that you know your way around the castle. Let me out, and I might help you." the rude mare says, crossing her arms. Alright, remember how I said I didn't like Kinua? I love her to death compared to this bitch. Her attitude, her sneer, everything about her screams 'disloyal bitch', A.K.A, a classic 'Starscream' character, but way less fun. But, I've never judged a book by it's cover before... so I'll see if I can't get a better deal before I decide whether or not to let her out of there.

"I dunno, You don't strike me as the best candidate for my army..." I say, but the mare scoffs, looking away with a sneer.

"I never said I'd join your army, you murderous freak, I just said I'd help you out. Once our business is concluded, I'm leaving. But while it lasts, you can at least feel safe around the greatest swordsmare who ever lived." the cocky bitch says, and I have no choice but to admire her self-confidence. Plus, if she's as great a swordmare as she says, I'll get my staff back in half the time, and never see her punk ass again!

... On the other hand, she's probably lying.

"Yeah, I'll take my chances. Enjoy your cage, bitch." I say, starting to walk past, but the mare seems shocked. She then turns, gets up, and zips to the bars, initiating some obviously practiced puppy-eyes. Dammit, my only weakness!

"W-wait! You aren't even going to consider it!?" She asks, causing me to stop and turn to her in curiosity, big mistake number one.

"Nope. Now piss off, before I tear you a new vagina." I say nonchalantly, and I start to walk away, but she stops me again, causing me to groan in annoyance, but also I felt confusion at her sudden change in demeanor. I can tell she didn't like this place, but still, what's up with the begging?

"Wait, just let me out, and I'll be gone! You can't possibly be that horrible to deny a damsel in distress!" She calls at me, and I turn around, smiling sweetly, and reply:

"Of course not! So if you see one, let me know, okay?" I say, giving her a thumbs-up, and I try to take my leave, when one last rage-inducing outcry stops me in my tracks:

"I know where she took your staff!" the mare shouts at me, causing me to stop dead. Then, slowly, I turn around, and walk to her cell, my eyes practically on fire again.

"How did you know I'm looking for that?" I ask, and the pegasus backs up, a shit-eating grin plastered to her face.

"I heard Celestia come in here and talk about having retrieved it, and that she hid it." She says smugly, and I grip the bars, using all my willpower to not bend them to get to the lowly pegasus mare.

"Where?" I manage sternly, my anger breaching inhuman levels again.

"Let me out, and I'll show you." the pegasus retorts, smiling so slightly, that I almost don't see it, but I know it's there. She knows she has me, and I know it, too... but unlike her, I have the ability to leave her ass here and search for it on my own. But, frankly, I'd rather not, so I show some trust for once, and give her the benefit of a doubt.

"How do I know this isn't a trick?" I ask, and the mare shrugs, still smiling a cocky, knowing smile.

"Guess you'll have to risk it, won't you?" the pegasus says, and I get a brilliant idea to get the info from her without freeing her.

"And how do I know you actually know where it is?" I ask cautiously.

"You'll just have to trust me when I say I do." She says, falling into my trap, and I then spring it:

"Yeah? Where is it, then?" I ask warily, and she seems to ALMOST fall for it, but she catches herself, and laughs.

"Won't tell you until I'm free. Nice try, though, I see the rumors of your speechcraft aren't exaggerated in the slightest." She says, and I nod, impressed by her cunning. Oh, she's good... and she's right; I will have to risk it. So, nodding silently, I poke the lock on the door with my index finger, and light a magic flame at the end, burning the lock off. Then, opening the door, the mare bumps past me rudely, and walks off, seeming to ignore me.

"Hey, what about my staff!?" I call after her, and she stops, turns to me, and says the single most infuriating thing I ever heard from anyone, ever:

"Try Luna's room, dumbass." the mare says, before walking off. Okay, I think I'll kill her later. Right now, I need to get my staff back from... wait, did she say Luna's room!?

"Aw, hell..." I mutter as the mare vanishes around a corner, and I'm likely left fending for myself... Eh, like I said, I'll kill the bitch later. Staff first, kill anthro-horse later. I can do that. So, reluctantly making my way out of the dungeon, I begin my trek upward, into the main halls of the castle. It's pretty much the same as the last time I was here, but the air seems... tense. When last I came to this castle, everything was so peaceful and carefree, but now the energy of this place, despite the white walls and streams of sunlight through the windows, seems so dire and sad, like ghosts are living here now. Of course, who can blame the place? These ponies probably haven't faced anything as bad as me in a very long time, and this sudden change is running them hollow. Why, I can already see Celestia burning all of her own knights alive, just to rid the world of me once and for all. Anyway, after some quick walking, I see a few doors, which look pretty important, judging by how decorated they are. Oh, and look who's trying to open one of them... betrayal bitch.

"Open... you... stupid... GRAH!!! Why is this door locked!?" the mare who tried to leave me in the dungeon yells, and I cough, getting her attention.

"Well, seems we're having some trouble here. What's the matter, been left in a locked cage so long, you can't figure out how to turn a knob?" I taunt, and the pegasus seems surprised at first, but quickly regains her composure, turning her head with a slight 'humph'.

"Oh, it's you. For your information, the door's locked, genius. Why the hell would they just lock everything? It makes no sense..." the mare asks as she returns her ire to the door, and starts kicking it in a futile attempt to get it open.

"Maybe, I don't know, to keep people out?" I retort, and the pegasus utters a low growl, and turns her attention to me.

"Don't get smart with me, wizard. Here, make yourself useful and get this armory door open, will you? I'm only here for two things anyway." she demands, and I almost tell her to do it herself, but I then realize something: I have to get to Luna's room, and I need weapons. If this is the armory, then there will definitely be weapons. So, uttering a growl of my own, I place my hand to the locks of the door, then I melt them off once again, letting the doors slowly open. After that, the pegasus rushes inside, and begins searching frantically for something. I, however, don't bother to care what she's looking for, because my jaw is too busy hitting the floor. All around me, now, are walls and stacks of swords, axes, hammers, bows, shields, and various bits of armor, some big, some small. I'm not here for armor, though, and I quickly grab the best weapon I can find: a cool golden spear, with a spearhead that looks like a dragon's head, and I rush out of there, eager to leave the annoyingly edgy pegasus behind. However, as soon as I turn to leave, we bump into each other at the door, resulting in more awkward rival conversation:

"I have a feeling this is just going to keep happening. Why don't we just work together? It'll cut the time in half." I say, but the pegasus huffs irritably, then turns away, heading down the hall.

"No. I work alone, and I have what I need." She says, and I notice the two swords now on her back, and I make my comment:

"What, those two letter openers?" I ask, pointing at the blades, and the pegasus freezes, shudders for a second, and finally, before I can flinch, she draws both blades and swipes them at me, a look of impossible rage on her face. Luckily, I manage to catch her swords with my spear, and hold them off.

"Never... insult my swords again... or that stick won't be able to save you." the pegasus threatens, and my near-death experience leaves me humbled for the moment, causing me to tremble a little. But at that moment, something kicks me out of my own head, and proceeds to make things worse for me.

"Hmph. Like you could hurt the all-powerful Malideus. Even without my most glorious, all-powerful staff, I am many times your peer. Now, if you're done being a spoiled brat, I'd like it if you went your own way, because I would like to be as far away from you as I can... Petulant child..." I finally say with as much contempt as I can muster, and the pegasus takes a few silent moments to turn beet red, actively trembling with sheer rage, but instead of swinging her rather deadly-looking swords at me, she reluctantly sheathes her blades and wordlessly bumps past me, going for the exit. Good for her, maybe she'll get guard rushed. You know, though, for someone who loves to boast about their skill, she seemed to leave in an awful hurry. Oh well, I think it was pretty lucky, because I doubt I can take a fight right now, for fear of attracting guards, and I would probably lose. So, shrugging, I continue along my own path, looking at all the locked doors along the way, and wondering why the doors were locked in the first place.

So, finally, after an hour or so of trying locked doors and such, I finally have had enough of the silence, and stop, looking around, and groan audibly:

"Ugh, where IS everybody?!" I call out, resisting the urge to punch a wall. Finally, after some calming breaths, I walk down the last hall... and come across the one thing I hoped to never see, but needed to get past to reach my objective...

"Ah, my old nemesis... Stairs." I mutter, looking up at the tall spiral staircase leading to the bedchambers of the royal pony sisters. Oh, woe is me, that my cursed fear of stairs make everything so complicated. But, I cannot deny my fear, so I begin to look around for another way up. As I look around for an escape of some kind, I hear the all-too familiar marching of armored hooves approaching me from behind, sending shivers up my spine. I can't afford to be seen by anyone without my staff, being the sneaky wanker I am, so I begin to hasten my search as the sounding of marching hooves draws nearer, their intensity indicating a small platoon, which means that they know I'm here. Still, I'm no slouch, so my search is not only quick, but intense as well. Finally, my wandering eyes spot something useful to my cause: A window, left open for reasons unknown to me. Unusual, if I say so myself, but as they say, never look a gift horse in the mouth. So, with much self- lecturing on being stupid for fearing stairs, I proceed to scramble up the wall, and I finally get out the window, and look outside as I cling to the wall for my dear life. Oh lord, that's a long way down... Plus, the wind is biting at my eyes, blowing through my eye-holes and causing my eyes to tear up. But hey, I did this last time, and it worked out, so why can't it this time? So, without hesitation, I dig my claws into the brick walls of the castle walls, and proceed to work my way up the steep surface, hoping to reach the next window soon.

"Fuck my life..." I mutter to myself, wondering why my life feels like a badly-written fanfiction.

Nathan's point of view, as if anyone cares.

"Owwww... dammit..." I utter as I get to my feet, having crashed through a coffee shop in an attempt to stop Malideus. Honestly, this isn't worth it. The guy is too fast, too agile, and too damned lucky. Frankly, it's just not fair. No wonder these poor ponies are afraid of him! I finally get up onto my feet, shaking the rubble off of my armor, which seemed to be indestructable for some reason, despite it having been made of paper mache` and glazed aluminum foil back on earth. Suddenly, I hear the running of hooved feet, and I see the Mane Six run up to me, worry on their faces. Bless their hearts, they're worried about me!

"Nathan! Thank goodness you're okay! Where's Malideus?" Twilight gasps, clearly out of breath. Well, so much for them being worried about me.

"He got away, your highness. The bastard was too fast and jumpy for me, I'm afraid." I say, and Twilight sighs, pinching the bridge of her muzzle in a gesture of frustration.

"Typical... we come so close to catching the bastard once again, and he escapes... again." Twilight says, obviously angry.

"What are we going to do?! If he reaches the castle, we're done for! Who knows what he'll find in the vaults, or what he'll do with it!" Fluttershy cried, trembling like an earthquake. I want to try and comfort her, but I know this isn't the time. If Malideus heads for the castle, then the princesses are in grave danger, and I have to stop it. But can I do it? He is not only gifted in magic, but he can easily outmaneuver meas well, as found out by that fiasco with the coffee shop. Plus, he sounds so familiar, like that kid I used to hang out with back in high school... Chris, was it? I only remember him from that time we hung out, and I had him watch a few episodes of My Little Pony, just so he could stop hating it. Now that I recall that, though, I think that might have only made it worse. Still, He was a good friend of mine despite that, and this 'Malideus' character reminds me of him a lot. Could he be..?... Nah, that's just not possible. What would be the odds of two friends going to another universe together, and unknowingly becoming enemies of each other during that time? Besides, Chris vanished almost a year ago, and he's likely dead. Hell, there was a manhunt for him and everything, it even lasted for three weeks straight!... But, we didn't find him or his body, so we gave up, and we had a little funeral for him, despite the fact we couldn't prove he was dead... I wonder what happened to him... And on a similar note, why am I here, of all places? What happened? All I remember was walking home from comic-con, feeling dizzy, and then, well, here I am. Could this... could this be what happened to Chris? If so... Then where in the world is he?...

"Hey, Nathan!" Rainbow Dash calls at me, snapping me out of my thoughts. Damn, she's louder in real life than she is on the show.

"Uh..? Sorry, what?" I mutter, and Twilight speaks up first, looking up at me expectantly.

"Look, Nathan, we need your help again. We know Malideus is terrible at close-quarters combat, but we still may not be any match for him However, he seems to be afraid of you, and you're the only one that could actually hit him as hard as you did back at the asylum. Can you help us one last time, please?" Twilight pleads, and I feel my ego swell as Twilight looks to me with her puppy eyes, and I don't even have to think about my answer:

"Of course! I'll help however I can, milady!" I shout gallantly, brandishing my axe. Twilight then smiles, and explains her need:

"We need you to go to Canterlot as fast as you can, and stop Malideus before he gets to Luna's room. Can you do this?" Twilight asks hastily, and I tilt my head in confusion at the request. Why would he be going TOWARD the castle, of all places? Isn't his lair the other way? And why Luna's room specifically? it couldn't be that he had anything to do there, unless he wanted to... Oh no..!

"Umm... if I may ask, your highness, why would Malideus be going to Luna's room? Shouldn't he be going after his staff instead of the castle?" I ask, confused, and Twilight replies quickly:

"Because that's where we hid the staff! We figured that, in the event of an escape, Malideus would look somewhere else, like the vaults, or the armory. But he escaped too quickly, and his power is still greater than we thought! We only need this one thing from you! Can you help us?" Twilight asks pleadingly, and I don't even think about my next response; I don't even have to. Suddenly, I kneel down, lower my head, and respond as chivalrously as I can:

"It would be an honor, your highness! I will do this post haste! Now, onward to glorious battle!!!" I say, pointing my axe to the castle, and I finally get up, and before any more words are shared, I begin my long trek to the castle, where my final battle with Malideus was to take place. But as I walk, I begin to wonder old thoughts: Who is Malideus? Why do I feel like I know him from somewhere? And where is Chris? I know he has to be here, I can feel it in my gut, but where? Maybe Celestia would know. After all, humans don't seem to pop up here very often, so he would have to have been seen, even in his costume... what was his costume then, anyway? Some kind of priest? I can't seem to recall. Odd. Well, whatever it was, and wherever he is, I'm sure he's safe: the dude knows MMA for crying out loud, and he rules with a staff. I'm sure he's hanging in some pony village right now, basking in the friendship, and completely forgetting that he ever hated ponies...

Aaaaand, Back to Malideus.

"I fucking hate ponies!!!" I shout in indescribable rage as I climb up the walls toward the window, arrows and magic bolts whizzing around me as I scale the vertical face, sweat dripping from me and muscles aching. The wind was also kicking up, so gripping was even harder now that I was being blown to the side. Why the fuck did I choose to do this!? This is harder than fighting Ornstein and Smough as a wizard, without Solaire! Suddenly, some attacks stop, and I see a pony grab some kind of megaphone and talk up at me, causing me to stop climbing to listen to them:

"Malideus, we're giving you one last chance! Come down from that wall, or we will impale you to it!" The guardspony shouts, his voice enhanced by the megaphone he possessed, causing it to echo through the air. However, I make no actions after ward, and soon try to climb up some more in defiance of the lawpony, but he stops me again with another compelling argument. "Listen here, wizard, we have several bows trained on you right now, and orders from Celestia to fire if you do not comply! Now come down here willingly, or we'll knock you down ourselves!" The guard says, and I adjust my body to face him, and I respond properly:

"YOU'LL NEVER TAKE ME ALIVE, YOU IMPERIALIST PIG-DOGS!" I shout down at them, flipping them the bird for good measure. Then, I turn around, grip the next brick, and quickly work my way to the window once more, avoiding the volley of arrows that was now being launched at me with extreme prejudice. Apparently, ponies either don't like being called imperialist, or hate being called pig-dogs. Either way, I finally make it to the window after some serious physical exertion, and some self-questioning on my part, and I quickly grab hold of the sill, and almost make it inside, but a stray arrow finds my hand, and I slip a few inches as I recoil in fear and shock, causing me to lose my balance and almost fall, had it not been for my other hand. Still, while I'm safe at the moment (save for the volley of arrows), my heart rate has increased greatly, and my lifespan has likely been decreased by that much, as well. Damn you, stress! Finally, after some shifting and clawing on my part, I finally grab the windowsill again, and hoist myself up, ignoring any more stray arrows that get too close to me this time. Finally, I manage to crawl into the window, and I land in a large hallway, with many large doors around it. Okay, now we're getting somewhere. Now, to find Luna's room.

"Alright... where is the wee she-beast?" I ask to no one in particular in a mock-Scottish accent. Looking around, I notice that all the doors seem to be locked, as if someone wanted to keep me out... or wanted to guide me somewhere. Hey, it's a possibility, don't judge. Anywho, So, I try the doors anyway, and eventually come to one at the end of the hall, one that was unlocked, for when I tried the knob, it turned with ease. Okay, this has to be a trap. But, if this room was what I thought it was, then my staff was in there, and I had to get it, and fast. So, without a second thought, I throw the door open, and quickly move inside, holding my spear in front of me, in case any guards are there. Thankfully, there are none, and I hesitantly decide to lower my spear, and look around. But, no matter how hard I look, I can't find my staff. Still, There's Luna here, sleeping like a baby. Maybe I can kidnap her and hold her ransom for my staff...

Suddenly, before I can move to pick Luna up, I am stopped by the door closing, and several hooves marching in, surrounding me, and a loud cough sounds out, forcing me to turn around in dismay. Indeed, just as I suspected, there was an entire squad of guards standing around me, spears ready to skewer, and, of course, the bane of my sanity, Celestia, looking quite serious.

"It's a trap!" I exclaim, raising my spear in front of me in a defensive posture.

"Put the spear down, Malideus, I only want to negotiate. You know how to negotiate, right?" Celestia says, pointing her lance at me defensively, and the guards compact their stance, ready to kill me if need be. I, however, did not lower my spear, and instead channeled my magic into it, causing the weapon to crackle with red electricity. Then, I finally spoke:

"We have nothing to negotiate, princess. Now turn around and get lost, or I'll turn your dear sister into a Luna-Kebab!" I threaten, pointing my spear at the comatose princess of the night. I don't care how many guards Celestia has anymore, they'll all be out of a job if Luna dies, and they know it... And so does Celestia. She won't dare attack me in this position!

"Wait, Malideus, we shouldn't be hasty. Remember, I still have your staff." Celestia calmly says, causing my blood pressure to spike once more.

"Yeah, I noticed. So, are you going to give it, or am I gonna have to pry it from your cold, dead hands? Because I'm cool with both, you know." I retort, lowering my spear slightly. Celestia, though, does not seem fazed, and quietly reaches behind her, and pulls out a long, thin object, about my height, wrapped in cloth as to obscure it. Then, before I could ask if that was her dildo or something, she unwraps the cloth, and reveals none other than a long staff, golden and tipped with two sharp, blade-like horns, with a red gem fixed between them... My staff. I look at it for a while, stunned at such treachery, and then think about reaching for it, but before I can, Celestia holds it away from me, and speaks:

"I will give you your staff, Malideus, but I want an exchange. For your staff... a favor." She negotiates, and I let out a low growl, gripping my spear tighter than I have before.

"I don't have to negotiate with you. You want a favor, Celestia? How about I do you one and put your sister out of her misery?" I growl, raising my crackling spear at the unconscious alicorn. Still, Celestia, unlike her twitchy guards, remains stoic, and simply holds my staff out from her, as if daring me to try and take it... a dare I was more than willing to take.

"I don't think you have a choice, wizard. If you do anything outside of our agreement, I can easily destroy you with your own weapon. In fact, you're lucky I'm even offering to trade it back to you. The only reason I'm offering is because I need a guarantee that you'll do as I say. And I know you will... You can't really do anything without your precious staff." Celestia says, waggling the staff at me. I really hate her, but I have to admire this level of diplomacy. Hell, she's got it all down to a 'T', maybe she IS as old as they say she is; I doubt I could have pulled this off as quickly as she did.

"... What do you want, you old nag?" I ask, defeated. What the hell, that should be ME doing the ransoming, not her!

"I want you to awaken Luna. NOW." Celestia says sternly, causing me to jump at the sudden change in tone. Still, I cast her a confused glance, because this was weird. If she wanted Luna awake, why didn't she just do it herself?

"... What?" I ask, giving Celestia a bemused glare as I lower my spear.

"You heard me. Luna has been cursed, and The Narrator said that only YOU could release her. Now, undo her ailment, before I undo your existence." Celestia says, and I cock my head to the side in confusion. 'The Narrator'? Who the hell was that? Has this bitch finally lost her marbles, or something?

"Yeah, that's great and all, but I have one question: Who in the name of Beelzebub is 'The Narrator'? Or are you just fucking with me?" I ask, and Celestia seems shocked at something, silently curses for a bit, then proceeds to explain:

"That's not important right now! Right now, my sister is in danger of dying, and you're the only one who can wake her." Celestia says, casting a sorrowful glance at Luna's sleeping form, and then returning it to me, but with hate instead of sorrow. Then, she continued. "Now, If you have any sense it that thick, addled brain of yours, you'll release her from her sleep. Understand?" Celestia finishes, raising her lance at me.

"Um, no. First off, I don't even know what I did, how am I supposed to undo it?" I ask angrily, raising my hands to the air in a gesture of irritation. Celestia then sharpens her glare, and lowers her tone.

"I don't know, wizard, but you'd better figure it out before I kill you." Celestia says, and I sigh, seeing little choice. I really want my staff back, and she has it, and doesn't look keen on letting it go without an exchange. So, against everything I stand for, I nod in agreement.

"Fine. But I break her further, that's your own damn fault, Gigantor." I say, causing Celestia to puff up indignantly, but remain silent. Then, I turn, the guards all eyeing me with extreme caution, and I begin to sweat under the pressure, every sense in my body telling me to flee and forget the staff, that I was playing with metaphorical fire, and that this was only going to end badly if I continued. But, I ignored my every intuition (save my inner white knight, who was edging me on to do this), I walk up to Luna, and look her over, pondering how to undo... whatever it is I supposedly did.

"You don't have to do this, you know. What if you make it worse? Think about it! Celestia's going to kill you anyway, just leave while you can! Get out of here! It's not worth it!" My inner voice chided me, causing me to cringe at the mental assault, which only added to the inherent pressure of the room.

"Stop talking, man! I DO have to do this! Bolas will KILL me if I lose this staff! Why are you so against me doing this, anyway? Weren't you always going on about how I should make nice to these freaks?" I retort, but my inner voice only grows in tenacity of his berating, pressuring me more than it ever had in my life.

"This is different! Celestia is going to kill you as soon as you do this! I've only ever cared about our well-being, and this is a bad idea! Stop this now, and GET OUT OF HERE, you dim simpleton!!!" My inner voice practically screams at me, his tone becoming different. I remember when he was just a reasonable asshole before, but now he's... different, for lack of a better word. I can't tell how, but ever since I got into Virgil's forest, my inner voice has been changing, and it's become uncomfortable to listen to him anymore. So, I ignore him, shake my head, and try to press my armored hand to Luna's forehead, but I feel my muscles tense, like something's grabbing me. Okay, this is getting fucked up! What the hell's going on!?

"Stop! Stop right now! You don't know what you're doing, boy! You're making a grave mistake by continuing with this folly!" My inner voice roars in my head, his voice becoming more grating and metallic. I'm officially scared now, 'kay? So, I ignore the presence holding my arm, and push it past, ignoring the odd glances I'm getting from the guards and Celestia, hoping that, by awaking Luna, I'll be rid of whatever's taken residence in my head.

"Malideus? Is something the matter?" Celestia asks, genuinely worried, but I don't turn, and continue, straining to reply to her:

"No... This is.... Weird...what did... you do...?" I strain, and the guards all back up, and Celestia steps forward, clearly worried about something. She mentioned something about a 'Narrator' cursing her, and I'm unable to even touch her, all of a sudden... I don't think it takes a genius to connect the dots here.

"Stop this now, boy! You can't win this fight! Get away from this wretch, or I'll make you suffer! I'll Have your soul for this, cur!!!" the voice says, scraping at my brain with it's dark, malevolent tone, but I'm dead-set on getting rid of this thing, so I tighten my muscles, strengthen my resolve, and wordlessly push one more time, reaching my index finger out to Luna's head, and as I finally make contact, I use what little willpower I have left to brush a strand of ethereal hair from her face. Then, I struggle forward, raising the front of my helmet off my face, and, well, uh... you ever seen sleeping beauty? Well, it happened just like that, and frankly, no one quite cared for it, especially not Celestia, who's face was turning red with ill-concealed anger. Then, as I remove my face from Luna's, I hear the grating, metallic voice of the narrator once more, roaring in rage and hatred as he chides me one last time:

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE, BOY!? YOU COWARD! YOU FOOL! THERE'LL BE A RECKONING YET, CHRIS! A RECKONING IN BLOOD!!!" The voice screams, it's deep, metallic voice fading as I raise my head, and immediately clutch it as the presence leaves me, making me feel... hollow inside, like something important was taken from me. But even so, I feel like a great burden is lifted from me, and not a moment after, I hear Luna moan, and I see her turn her head, and her eyes begin to flutter open, failing to stay so at first, but she soon comes to, much to the joy of her sister. Then, she gets up, clutching her head, and speaks:

"Uhnnnn... Wha..? What happened...? Tia, siste-AAAAGH!!!" Luna shrieks upon setting her gaze on me, falling off of her bed in the process. Thankfully, my helmet was down, so I don't feel TOO offended. Still, that WAS slightly uncalled for.

"Luna! You're okay!" Celestia exclaims, pushing me out of her way as she runs to embrace her sister, who returns it with great fervor.

"Sister, I'm so happy to see you again... that curse was horrible! I kept dreaming that I was being kissed by Malideus!" Luna says, further drawing my ire. It was awkward, okay!? No need to go and insult my kissing skills like that! Finally, the two released embrace, and Celestia spoke.

"Ummm... yeah, sounds like a terrible dream..." she replies awkwardly, and I cough, breaking up the touching moment.

"Yeah, happy times and all, but you made a deal, Celestia. Now hand it back, before I put your sister BACK in that coma."I threaten, holding out my hand, and Luna glares at me, standing up in an effort to intimidate me.

"What are YOU doing here, Malideus?" She says, and I roll my eyes, more than happy to answer her.

"I'm the one who woke you up, sleeping beauty." I retort, and Luna looks about to say something, but she stops beforehand, a look of sheer horror on her face as she begins to turn really, really pale. I guess she just figured out what that dream meant, huh? Finally, Celestia intervenes, holding up my staff.

"I'm sorry, Malideus, but I'm afraid you won't be getting this horrible thing back." She says calmly, and I suddenly feel very, very cold. And angry. And hungry, for some reason. But, mostly angry.

"... W-what...?" I growl, feeling my vision blur and blacken out as I clench my fists, causing them to shake, and my whole body trembles as it starts to go numb. Then, to my increased anger, Celestia replies.

"I'm sorry, Malideus, but as an old proverb goes: 'To overcome a fault, one must understand it'. So, against my wishes, I have willingly deceived you. This staff will remain in the element room for the rest of eternity, and you will be going to the dungeons for the rest of your days; a rather generous reward for your help and self-sacrifice, if I say so myself." Celestia says, and the guards begin to move in on me, forcing me to raise my spear. I've been... betrayed?... HOW DID I NOT SEE THIS COMING!?

"You... Betrayed..." Is all I can muster, before a guard steps too close, and I instinctively jab my weapon at him, striking the guard between his eyes and killing him instantly. then, I return my spear to myself, and my vision has all but blacked out, leaving me near-blind as I hear my body growl and snarl like a deranged animal. I think... I think I'm berserking again...

"C-Celestia... What's he doing..?" I hear the muffled voice of Luna ask her sister, who remains silent as I feel something snap inside me, and a sharp, horrible pain washes throughout my body, but I cannot scream. Instead, I only watch the darkness as it turns red, and I begin to black out as my body undergoes a pain I have never felt before, not even when Celestia hit me with that nasty spell that almost killed me. Then, I slip into the familiar void... but this time, no dream comes, leaving me floating in the darkness of my subconscious... Joy.

Celestia...

It was... horrible. I thought he was bad before, but Malideus had one last surprise for me. Just as I thought I had him, He began to snarl like a rabid dog, and he... his body... it just... changed! One minute, the wizard is standing there, and the next, he's hunched, growling, and his body has now become enveloped in an inky, pitch-like substance, and he's, well, growing! Already, the beast that once was Malideus has reached the roof, leaving us all stunned, and the guards are all backing away as the features of the creature morph and twist: His arms become long and armored, the giant plates melding into his skin as if they were part of him, and giant, scythe-like claws emerge from his fingertips. His legs then change, contorting into more saurian positions, and his feet becoming massive, armored talons. Finally, his head and torso mutate, plates covering his belly as long, jagged spines stab out from his back, and two massive, black, bat-like wings suddenly erupt from the flesh, sending black ooze flying everywhere as they appear, and blocking and absorbing the sunlight from the windows as they unfurl, leaving an unnatural shadow over us. His head then begins to elongate, becoming much like his helmet, but more angled, like a short beak of sorts, but it curls inward at the 'lips', giving it a flatter appearance than a bird's, while still maintaining the same predatory feel to it, one that screamed 'death to all who oppose me'. When the wizard's sudden mutation finally ended, he stood over the room, gazing at us with blank eye-holes. Suddenly, two round, red lights lit up from withing the void behind his eyes, and they stared at us, piercing my being without any thought or emotion as his long, barbed tail swung side to side, threatening death on whoever sought to sneak up on it. This thing, whatever it was, was no longer Malideus, but a demon of his own creation, with only one purpose: to destroy.

"S-sister... w-what is THAT!?" Luna whimpers, clutching my arm, but I do not answer: I don't think I even CAN. Suddenly, without warning, the demon throws it's head back, and roars a horrendous bellow, one that grated like metal, and caused the whole room to shake with it's raw force. Then, faster than I could react, the monster that once was Malideus swung its tail across the room, sending everything and everypony flying, and even striking with enough force to tear the nearest guards in half, causing blood and gore to paint the walls, though the beast's tail did not stain. In fact, the gore slid right off, as if fleeing the murderous appendage. Then, the beast makes a wild grab, snatching up guards and throwing them into its maw, swallowing them in the inky darkness beyond it's armored, fanged maw. Many tried to flee, but it was simply to fast, and when the guards were all gone, it set its red, unfeeling eyes on my sister and I, stalking toward us so slowly, I almost did not see it. But I thankfully did, and before it could lunge, I had grabbed my sister and was out the door, where we are now running from the horrible beast as it crashes through the small halls after us, oblivious to all but its goal: us. But, no matter where we run, it always finds us with ease, and it smashes walls and rips doors off their hinges to get to us, using its long, scythe-like claws to rend all matter apart. I know what it's truly after, and I know that it will stop at nothing until it has it... but I must keep the staff away from it. If Malideus gets it back... our world will be doomed far worse than whatever this monstrosity can do. Finally, after much running, I find the royal vaults, and I quickly use my magic to throw the vaulted door open, and we both rush inside, and I close the vault behind us, trapping the demon outside. Still, though, I hear it bellow for my blood, and I hear it slash at the door, tearing the metal apart as it does. Is there no end to it's capabilities!?

"Celestia... What are we going to do?! Malideus is coming, and he'll kill us unless he has his staff!" Luna cries, huddling into ball on the vault floor, terrified of the beast that was tearing apart the door that was supposed to withstand the mightiest explosions.

"Luna, that thing is not Malideus anymore... But you are right. He is after the staff... So I'm going to give it to him." I say ominously, getting up, and gripping the evil artifact of Malideus. In fact, I was not going to ACTUALLY give it to the beast, but use it on him. To beat evil... one must use evil, as is the way of all things. This, I know too well.

"Celestia, he'll kill you! Just let it be, we'll figure out something else!" Luna cried out, but my mind was set. I don't know who created this monster, but I'm about to destroy it, once and for all... even if I must risk my own destruction in the process.

"Luna, stay there. I'm going to put this beast down." I say, and just as I finish, I hear one last, guttural roar, and the towering, demonic horror pierces the door with it's claws, and rips a great, gaping hole in the front, then crawls through it, compressing it's slender body to fit through the opening, and the abomination stands at last, soundlessly staring at me with its two emotionless lights. I point the staff at it, and it looks at it with primitive curiosity, but the monster ultimately ignores the evil rod, focusing on me with unnatural intensity. Then, without so much as a warning twitch, the horror leaps for me, claws outstretched, and I leap back, causing the monstrous demon to miss me by inches. Okay, so he doesn't want the staff... he just wants me.

"Celestia!" Luna calls out, and I turn my head, giving her warning:

"Luna! Run! This thing isn't after the staff! It's after us!" I shout, and the beast immediately leaps again, forcing me to cartwheel to the side. The monster crashes into the far wall, but instantly recovers, leaping at me once more, but as I move to dodge, it swings its tail in interception, and sends me flying into the wall, leaving a crater in my general shape embedded in it. Finally the beast approaches me, stalking on all fours like a big, twisted cat, and it stops short of me, opening its great, empty maw to finish me off. But as I await the end, it never comes, for as it moves to strike, Luna suddenly leaps on the demonic horror's neck, causing it to reel back, screeching in shock, and the beast thrashes with a fury Tartarus hath no knowledge of. But Luna grips tighter, causing the beast to attempt her removal by slamming into walls, until, at last, Luna falls, and the fell aberration crushes her with it's boot-like foot, and I feel something within me snap as I hear her yelp in pain, and go silent. I feel her life force: It's not gone, but it's fading, and I quickly become angrier than I have in a long time.

Without a second thought, or even a first one, I grab my lance, sped up to the dragon-like behemoth, and thrust as it turns its head to me. The lance strikes home, piercing the foul beast's forehead, and the lights that were it's eyes vanish as it reels back in pain, screeching and wailing in dismay as it thrashes about, it's attempts to remove the lance ending in utter futility. But as I move to pull the weapon out to strike it again, the abomination's head snaps in my direction, mouth open, and it blasts me with a column of black and white fire, pinning me to the ground as its assault continues, and I feel myself slip away into unconsciousness as the colorless blaze does it's work, sapping all my strength and vitality. But... this cannot be the end. Since this thing is barely alive, and certainly is no longer Malideus, I don't have to hold back. Mustering what little strength I have, I raise my golden shield, and block the column of monochromatic fire, and I push, push the column back to the creature's widening maw, and I then slide to the right, grab one of the fell demon's horns, and lift myself onto it's head. The horrible creature bucks and thrashes with all it's might, desperately trying to remove me from its head like with Luna, but I cling on, using the monster's scales as leverage, and I reach for the lance, but it's too far. The beast soon takes advantage of my dismay, however, and finally bucks me off. I hit the coin-littered ground with a solid smack, and the blow leaves me dazed, only able to dodge it's armored foot as it slammed it down, trying to crush me like it did Luna. Then, as I roll, the beast takes the lance out of its head, and tosses it at a wall, where it bounces off, and lands so close to me, and yet so far away. I want to crawl after my weapon, but soon, I have no more energy, and I lay there, broken and defeated. Is this what Malideus truly was, in the end? This horrible, monstrous demon? If so, I think I prefer the wizard, myself. But, it does not matter, now. His demon has won, and now I'm going to die, along with my sister.

The beast paces around us for a while, like a staking shark, and soon comes up to me, maw open, and ready to consume me. But, before it does, I see it's made one final folly: The demon, in its haste, accidentally kicked the lance closer to me. It growls at me with an open mouth, preparing to strike, but before it does, I roll one last time with the final sputter of my energy, grab the lance, and as the demon rears its head for another strike, I put the lance in front of me, and the creature obliviously strikes, and a sick, wet crunch is heard as the lance pierces the roof of its mouth, and the monster suddenly rears back, flailing and roaring in pain and anger as black ichor oozes from its final wound. Soon, however, the loss is too much, and the creature slows its movements, its black shell turning grey, then white, and the creature stops, and proceeds to crumble to dust before my eyes, leaving an ashen pile where it once stood, and, upon it, Malideus, once more unconscious. But, he soon gets up, and shakes his head, looking at us as if this was the first time he'd seen us. However, I do not get to dwell on this, as I feel my own vision fade... and I slip into unconsciousness, leaving my self at the mercy of the foul wizard.

Author's Notes:

Kay, Chapter's done, it's finally here. So, Is malideus going to kill the two, or leave them for dead? Or will he show a bit more mercy, now that his true inner voice is back? In the end, We'll just have to see.

So, you guys wanted lore, right? Here's some suggested to me and some I made myself, now official old gods:

Raggoth: Old god of anger, hatred, and wrath, and seen as a patron of war. He is, as you can guess, always angry, all the time. On a regular basis, he seeks out people who piss him off the most and shoves flagpoles up their asses, his voice is on constant caps lock, and evildoing, ponies, and raisin cookies make him even angrier. He has no allies, only enemies, especially his even-angrier daughter, Raeg. Like with everyone else, he hates Malideus with a screaming passion, and only ignores him because even THINKING about the heretical wizard would cause his head to explode, which would make him very, very upset indeed.

Luft: Old goddess of wind and air, and mother of Gotag-Maw. Luft is a gentle goddess normally, but can become quite irate very easily, usually with disastrous results. Like the wind, she tends to not keep a constant form, but can be physically powerful in her own right. She disagrees greatly with Goblada, and frowns upon Malideus's actions, though she sees no reason to interfere with him. Her allies are Klein, Moebius, Nielk, Gotag-Maw, Kherrie (sometimes), Mundas, Old god of normality, peace, and harmony, and Effie Tana, 'new' old goddess of fire and honor. She usually appears to mortals as some kind of bird, though will assume larger forms for more dangerous situations.

Mundas: Old god of harmony and peace, and keeper of the flame of society. He is quite peaceful, and sees the ponies as his favorite subjects, having given them the blessing of civilization first. He sees the ponies as his children, and the actions of Malideus frankly appall him and cause him great pain. He usually appears as a large, well-fed pony in a large robe adorned with pearls and amethysts. He is Luft's greatest ally and lover, and is also allies with Klein and Kragda-Maul, but is bitter enemies with Shoggoth, Kherrie, Ne-Gok-Sa, Su-Bak-Na, Keenok, and Tyrranax.

Shoggoth: 'new' old god of mindless destruction and self-indulgence. He is considered gluttony and sin incarnate, and often indulges himself in food and entertainment in the form of causing physical torment upon mortals. Amazingly enough, he is descended from Ragnek, born from a curse the old god declared before being banished to Tartarus. Shoggoth despises mortals and old gods alike, and therefor has no allies. However, he sees Malideus as a promising individual, and may help him when it isn't inconvenient for the old god.

Su-Bak-Na: Old god of pride, honor, and strength of body, character, heart and mind, and brother of Ne-Gok-Sa, old god of evil, deceit and treachery. Su-Bak-Na is the most chivalrous and honorable of the old gods, and has passed this trait to his sons, Shao-Ta and Ku-Sol-Gat. His daughter Phillia, however, is a meek, shy, and weak child that continues to disappoint him. Su-Bak-Na himself is the epitome of the ideal warrior: Chivalrous, honorable in and outside of combat, and strong in body, heart, and mind. He is, however, quite judgmental, and dislikes thieves, liars and politicians. He has mixed feelings about Malideus, liking him for his courage, combat prowess,and unflinching belief in his ideals, but disliking him for said ideals, and the manner in which he executes them. Su-Bak-Na takes the form of a muscular, yet scantilly-armored male humanoid, his armor covering his waist, legs, and right shoulder, with a massive blade for a left arm. However, his physical form lacks a face, for unknown symbolic reasons. His allies are many, as almost every old god finds him agreeable, though he does have a few powerful enemies, including Mundas, Ne-Gok-Sa, Kragda-Maul, and Shoggoth.

Effie Tana: 'New' old goddess of fire, honesty, and passion, Effie sees herself as the light in the dark of the world, revealing lies and tricks and destroying them respectively. Kherrie has been a long-time friend of hers, seeing as their youths were quite similar (Effie Tana being born of Kraul, old god of earthquakes and volcanoes), and she respects her decision to be with Malideus, though Effie herself doesn't trust the dark, destructive wizard. Effie Tana was once an extremely powerful individual, but, like Kherrie, she lost most of her strength in a fight with a powerful being. However, Effie was far more unfortunate than Kherrie, for her opponent was Grand Nightmare Tyrranax. Tyrranax of course won the fight, and upon winning, he traumatized Effie by stealing her power and then violating her in her weakened state. As a result, Effie is extremely cautious and distrustful, but extremely passionate and very kindhearted, choosing the company of kinder mortals and old gods over the company of stronger ones, for obvious reasons, and her new, weakened form is a fiery female humanoid in a long, ethereal dress of sorts, with a ruby embedded into her upper chest and forehead. Her allies are Kherrie, Luft, Ne-Gok-Sa, and Gotag-Maw, but she avoids old gods like Yaw-Gammoth, Su-Bak-Na, Keenok, Kragda-Maul, and, most especially, Tyrranax. Furthermore, she sees the old gods Klein and Goblada as respected father figures, and gives them utmost respect above all else.

Wahr Seher: Old god of the pain of wisdom and price of knowledge, he is considered the second oldest and wisest of the old gods, the first being Ragnek, old god of endings and inevitability. However, he is also considered the most cynical as well, for his views of life are quite shallow and pessimistic. He supposedly knows everything about everything, even the exact moment, place, and circumstances of his own death. Wahr Seher is neutral towards all beings, be they mortals or old gods, and has no allies or enemies. Wahr Seher also bears the bloody quill of knowledge, which is said to be an artifact that can grant the bearer infinite knowledge at the price of their sanity, or infinite inspiration at the price of their humanity. Wahr Seher currently searches for a mortal worthy of bearing the quill, as he calmly awaits the final hour of his long existence. He has only one child: a daughter, the youngest of all old gods, original or 'new': Lumi, 'new' old goddess of inspiration and fate. Wahr Seher currently gives very little thought on the subject of Malideus, only that he seems to frustrate his daughter quite a bit, with him being 'fateless' and all, but isn't a suitable candidate to be his successor, and is therefor of no concern to him.

Kaijurax: 'New' old god of calamity and disaster. Not to be confused with Keenok, for these two are completely different entities. Unlike most old gods, Kaijurax is extremely active, and prefers to act within his charge on the mortal plane, actively destroying entire cities in his wake. He has been easily subdued by Celestia multiple times throughout the years, but due to his unusual spiritual structure, she has never been able to seal his power or take it from him, thus leaving him as a constant worldly threat to society. Kaijurax always appears as a giant beast of some kind, usually an armored reptilian biped at least four hundred stories tall, with an axe-like tail, a blade-like crest on his head, and plated, shovel-like claws. Truly, he is the most well-known and destructive of the old gods, second only to Ragnek himself. His thoughts on mortals are bleak at best, and his thoughts on Malideus are no different. He currently has no allies, though he seems to listen to and respect Goblada. Other than that, he has a weakness to music, and is easily lulled to sleep by it.

Djiin-Gytaxes: Old god of discovery and ambition. The ultimate scientist; if there is anything he doesn't know, there is nothing he won't do to obtain it. This old god has absolutely no morals, and will use anything and anyone to get what he wants, even the princesses, who are no match for his power and cunning. No secret eludes him, even immortality, though he has yet to get the final ingredient to make him eternal: an Alicorn horn, extracted during a traumatic (for said alicorn) event, such as torture. Unfortunately, his ruthless ways have deprived him the opportunity to make any allies, though he and Klein have an 'understanding'. He also bears little respect for mortals, but will grant wishes to those who serve him. He seems to be interested in Malideus's exploits, and though he does not interfere with his daily life, he is constantly monitoring and studying him.

Pocket sand: Old god of fuck all. You don't need to know about him, and you frankly don't WANT to know, either. He simply is, and everyone accepts that.

Well, that's the lore so far. If you want me to add some of yours or elaborate on some of the ones you've seen before, just say so. Peace out, heathens.