Chapter 1 - Escape from the hospital!

Let's recap real fast: I've existed in Equestria for fifteen hundred (and change) years. I was once the wielder and master of Psynergy, before giving up that strength, piece by piece, to light Elemental Lights, to form the Golden Sun, to defeat the Wise One.

Said sacrifice tore apart my then-shell of Dullahan, but the powers of the Sun were not so easily denied. I eventually came back, in my own body, and Dullahan too returned. After a rousing adventure across a good bit of Equestria, I find myself facing off against some pony who would use and abuse Psynergy, magic, and Alchemy to defy death itself, no matter the cost.

I bested him, but the cost of doing so was all my Tokens from all those others in other Equestrias. Void-energy is not so easy to come by, so that's...one reason I carried them around. Now I can't Call on them anymore. The only token I have of those other Equestrias is a few books from Typhon. In theory, they could Call on me...but, well...

See, I've formed a sort of bond with a mare here. Name's Measured Thought. White coat, black-and-grey mane, brown eyes, flask with some green fluid bubbling in it as her mark, oh, and a unicorn. Recently, I saved her thrice over. As in, the last gambit of the guy who would've abused all those things I mentioned earlier sent a command to one of his mind-controlled minions to kill her, and I saved her.

Cost was pretty high, though. I ended up reaching inside myself for the power that kept me immortal, and broke it. Now, without that power to sustain a human form, the magic of this world...changed me. I'm Auric Fulcrum, and I used to be human. I'm a pony now, though. Orange coat, black mane and tail that turn to gold at the ends, golden eyes, crystal-blue hooves, mark of an eclipse, and I, too, have a horn on my head. Currently, this scares me.

Why? Oh, besides the whole species-swap thing. Besides the terror of learning to do everything all over again while I figure out just when I'll get my human body back. Besides the idea that I'm probably without a good portion of my power and thus defenseless?

"Siiiiiilver Liiiiiiining!"

...Yeah, I may have pulled a small joke on one of Tia's guards with that name a little while ago. Possibly involving something sexual. And now she's here to return the favor.

Being scared was an entirely rational response.

"Get me the buck out of here! Now now now now now!"

Twilight Sparkle and Flash Sentry, two of my visitors in the hospital, tilted their heads in confusion while their ears swiveled to pick up both my complaining and Tia's cries. Twilight spoke up first. "Why would you..."

I cut her off. "Because I pulled a prank on her and her guards once, and I doubt she's forgiven me for it! And now that I'm stuck as a pony for gods only know how long, I dread to think what she'll do to get even with me!"

I turned to Measured, who I hoped would listen. "Please! You have to get me out of here! I'll come back, get checked up, all that good stuff! I just don't believe I should be out of my tower while Tia's in town!"

Measured put a hoof to her chin while she ran the idea over in her mind. Cel's cries only got closer. Eventually, Measured nodded and lit up her horn with a brown aura. "Fine, but the moment she leaves, we're coming back to get you your checkup. And you owe me."

I nodded as her magical aura encompassed us both. "I can live with that, just get me out of here!"

Twilight and Flash raised a hoof as though to stop us, but thankfully, we both vanished. The last thing I saw of the room was the door opening and the start of Cel's muzzle peeking in before it all vanished, to be replaced by the sight of my tower's walls just in front of me. Measured nodded and shook herself as the strain from teleporting two ponies across town hit her, but opened the gates just the same. She rushed in, and I...stumbled in.

Hey, walking with four legs is not easy. I was surprised I didn't drag myself in. I felt the tingle of my protective spells pass over me and sighed in thanks as they still accepted me for me. For a moment, I was rather afraid.

Measured was apparently fed up with my shenanigans and decided to just levitate me into the tower proper. The doors closed with an almighty 'BOOM' and we both sighed.

And then the bell rang. Measured and I shared a Look. One that quite plainly stated to each other that we weren't going out there.

"I'm not going out like this," I motioned to my new body.

"Yeah, and I'm not the lord and master of this tower. You are. The bell ringing is your responsibility!"

"Look at me and tell me that I don't look indisposed to you!"

Measured cast a, well, measured glance at my new form. She held it for significant amount of time before blushing. I waved a hoof in front of her to get her attention again, and she blinked before looking away, blushing all the harder.

"As I was about to say, this is not my native form. And until I'm either on two legs again or can, in fact, move myself under my own power, I am in no position to answer that ringing bell."

Measured sighed. "Meaning I get to answer the door. Joy."

She pushed the doors to the tower open and walked out to the wall before blinking on top of it. "Oh, Princess Celestia. What brings you here?"

Silence for a moment, followed by, "Yes, well, as you may have heard, Auric is indisposed. He does not wish to be seen at this time."

Another, longer pause. "Yes, that's more or less what he told me. And quite frankly, I think I favor his favor a bit more than yours, seeing as how you can't quite get in without an invitation, which I'll not be giving at this juncture."

I wiped my brow with one of my hooves and let out a breath I hadn't known I was holding. "Sorry, but he made it quite clear he does not wish to see you until such a time as you let his little prank go."

Silence for a bit longer then. "Well, unless you make a...what was it that mare called it...oh yes, a Pinkie Promise, the sort that I am given to understand nopony breaks, that you are not here to cause trouble, then I can't let you in."

Sweat condensed on my brow as I heard those words. She wouldn't actually? "Very well then. Princess Celestia, please come in."

She just did. The doors ground open, and I heard the hoofsteps nearby. I clumsily got to my feet and made for the door on the opposite side of the room. If I could just get in there!

It was not to be. Just as I started to manage flailing about quickly, I was snagged in a golden aura of magic and brought to hover in front of Cel's face. She smirked at me as she examined my new form. "My my, I see your powers of transformation are still remarkable as they ever have been. I think this form looks even better than Silver Lining."

I scowled at her. "Remember your promise, Cel. I want no trouble from you on this."

Her smirk grew into a grin. "If I am given to understand the wards on this place properly, then only what you invite in can get in. I could break my promise right now..."

I smiled at her in turn. "Except for three things. One, you have to leave eventually, and then Pinkie will get you. Two, I could just invite Pinkie in if I think you're going to break your promise. And three, this is Pinkie we're talking about. For all we know, she could already be in here."

Celestia hummed, put a hoof to her chin, opened her mouth, and then there was the sound of...something impacting the wards. The three of us looked out the door to see a huge sign had been lifted over the wall. One done in crayon on cardboard. One that read, 'I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE, PROMISE-BREAKER.'

Cel wisely shut her mouth after that, and the sign was pulled back down. She turned to me, and I smiled smugly at her. "Like I said. Pinkie. Attempting to outwit her or her promises is never a good idea."

Cel nodded slowly. "I...see that now. Very well. I have a few questions for you, Auric, and then I will leave you be. The pony that was the mastermind behind all these plans and schemes, where is he? Luna only said something about how you wanted to deal with him and that she was not privy to the methods."

I sighed. "I exiled him from reality, Cel. From all realities. He'll never be a bother again. And while we're at it, let me predict your next question: he wanted to take some Water of Hermes, the powers of you and your sister when infused with sympathetic elements, and the power of Alchemy granted to him by a False Sun he constructed, and create Waters of Eternity. While...theoretically possible, and something I'm going to look into when I have my power again, it's also something I think we could do without."

She slowly nodded. "I concur. Housing would become a nightmare, for starters. And feeding too many immortal ponies would be impossible."

I nodded as well. "So. Anything else, Cel?"

She merely smiled at me. "No, I think that covers all of my immediate concerns for the moment. The rest, I can wait for."

And with that, she leaned in and whispered in my ear.

"I'll get you one day, just wait."

She blinked out of existence, leaving me to impact the tower's floor bum-first. I groaned and Measured giggled. I cast a glare at her, and she merely smiled at me.

"Come along, Auric. She's left, hasn't she? Time to get you back to the hospital so they and Twilight can run their tests on you..."

And for some reason, I shuddered. I wondered if Twilight had forgiven me for that little stunt in the Archives yet...

Author's Notes:

Yup, I have no adventure in mind for this part.
Just general 'human getting used to his pony body for as long as he has it' fluff.
...
And the Crusader tag is there for a reason.
One that will leave Auric a shambles of his former self.

Chapter 2 - Your new body and you

"You know," I stated, my mouth being one of the few parts of me free to move, "I get the distinct impression you're holding a grudge against me."

I'd lost count somewhere around the tenth form of medical monitoring device that Twilight had attached to my new body. What few actual doctors were present in the building had either aided her, or fled when they saw the look on her face.

Gods, I wish I could've. It all but screamed 'I am going to tie you up and research you, and there is nothing you can do to stop me.' Were it on any other female, it would've been slightly less disturbing. Or is that more? Hard to tell.

"Oh shush," Twilight said, staring at a bank of machinery. "You want to know these results as much as I do."

"Yes," I countered, "But I would think there would be other ways than rendering me immobile with sensors to get them."

She turned towards me and smiled a very creepy smile. "Well, true enough, but those ways aren't nearly as much fun."

"Ah-HA! You are holding a grudge against me! It's that whole arson thing, isn't it?"

Twilight growled a bit at that. "Partially. But this is also revenge for constantly winding me up. And a down payment on everything you're going to do."

"Now what makes you think-"

"You're you. Case closed."

"Ouch, Twilight. Just ouch. For the record, I have had nothing to do with the shenanigans that have happened ever since I became a pony. That's all on you guys. I just want to go home, learn how to walk and such with four legs, and then figure out just how long I have to wait until I'm back to normal."

Twilight sighed. "Which is why it's important we get these readings done now. We'll have a baseline for later!"

My ears flicked a bit at that. Still getting used to having rotatable ears, by the by. Weird as all get out. "Wait. Later? You're doing this again?"

The sound of her chuckling did not fill me with enthusiasm.

So. The baseline.

Not that it was degrading at all for Twilight to get the baseline. Heavens no.

Though I think I would've been feeling cleaner and less violated if I ran through the sewers of Las Vegas.

But I digress. The baseline for my pony form showed only a few anomalies! Which is wonderful, considering the circumstances of getting it. (I am told it took a day and was a long process that sickened doctors to even hear, much less look at.)

Apparently, the anomalies are threefold. What fun. First, my coat. Apparently, it appears to be made of something that is not hair/fur at all. There's a distinct metallic quality to it, which answers the question of 'where did the clothes Typhon made me go.' I can't wait to see what'll happen should I get in a combat situation. Or sufficiently angry.

The second anomaly is my magic. Apparently, there is the capacity for it to be higher than a normal unicorn's power. However, every time it gets past some invisible line, the power gets siphoned off to...well, Twi wasn't able to answer, but I know, or have a theory anyways. My magic in this form is being converted into raw power for my agelessness to turn back into true immortality again. Once I get about...oh, halfway there, I think I'll be able to transform into a human form again and not have to worry about the world shoving me back into this pony body. Could be wrong.

The third anomaly is my hooves. Apparently they don't just look crystal blue. They seem to be made of blue crystals, but not any sort Twilight can identify. They also seem to be natural magic drains - more magic is channeled into my body from the world around me primarily through my hooves. It was while Twilight was stressing over my hooves that I figured out just what they actually are.

She'd taken the monitoring devices off me and was looking at the readout from one of her machines. "It just doesn't make any sense! The crystal of your hooves doesn't match any known types of crystals, and let's not go over the fact that an organic being is producing crystal as a by-product. Or the fact that they're channeling magic into you! Your body just does not make sense!"

I reached out with a hoof and laid it on her...withers? Is that the term? It's where the shoulders would be on a human, anyways. And then I said the stupidest thing.

"Don't worry, Twilight. I'm fairly certain not everything about me or my powers are meant to be understood."

At that, my hoof shone with an inner light, and Twilight tensed, letting out a small gasp as she did so. "Of course, you aren't properly a pony. We'd have to do so many other tests to see if we can isolate your unique magic and see how it behaves as compared to any other unicorn's magic. And those powers called Psynergy, so many tests to do! So much science to be done! But at the end, if you can finally be quantified, it will be worth it!"

She rushed out, and Measured stuck her head in the room. I'd like to think I was giving her my best 'Oh god no' face.

Eureka, the Blade of Understanding, was now located in my hooves. And it reacted to what I'd said. And I'd touched Twilight with it activated by accident.

"Measured," I said.

"Yes?"

I turned to face where the Lavender Terror had gone. "I believe I have made a grave, grave error."

"Yes?"

I nodded once. "Indeed. It would seem young Sparkle was seized by sudden inspiration. A moment of revelation. An 'aha' moment, if you will, once I started talking about how I and my powers were not meant to be properly conceptualized."

Measured nodded slowly. "Yeeees?"

I looked down at the hoof that had been touching Twilight. "It would seem I have located my sword, and what not to say when touching a pony with my hooves, even accidentally. Kindly get me out of here before the return of The Crazed Lavender One."

Measured nodded and hauled me over to a physical therapy room in the hospital. There, I spent an hour, a solid hour, learning how to walk and run and all sorts of fun locomotion maneuvers. The reason why I didn't spend longer there was simple: That was about when Twilight got back.

How could I tell, you ask? Well, apparently, Twilight's been taking Royal Speaking Lessons with Luna. I know these things, you see, because I experience them.

"AURIC FULCRUM, GET YOUR SORRY FLANK OVER HERE AND CAST WHATEVER SPELL YOU CAST LAST TIME! I NEED ANOTHER RUSH OF INSPIRATION!"

That was our cue to get out of the hospital. Fortunately, I could now run...or is it gallop? Properly. So we did.

Were it not for Measured's last-second teleportation, I doubt we'd have escaped Twilight at all. I distinctly recall running across open fields, the sound of wingbeats coming closer, looking over my shoulder to see a flash of lavender, and then we were at the tower, safe, sound.

Right up until Twilight started screaming and banging at the wards, it was bliss. So, ten seconds, really. It's more than I normally get.

I sighed and walked through my ever-changing door, ending up first with Measured's room (not where I wanted to be), then I got my room (not a bad idea, a nap), and then I remembered to ask politely and ended up in the kitchen.

I wasn't in the mood for hay or flowers, and I also wasn't willing to put my new tastebuds to the test with either those or meat. So fruit and veg it is! Fortunately, Measured stocked up recently. How, I'm not sure. I'll have to ask soon.

I munched on an apple and some lettuce, thankful for low enough tables, before I grabbed some water already in a glass and sighed. "Today has been hectic, no two ways about it."

Measured giggled from nearby. "But it'll get better. You're already using your hooves like you would your hands."

I blinked and looked at the glass I was holding. Indeed, I was holding it in my hoof. "Huh. Gonna have to research that. Ah well. It's been a trying day, and though Twi's still out there, banging on the wall..."

I let a particularly loud blast interrupt me, this one sounding like a cross between a lightning spell and Twilight attempting to shout the tower down.

"I feel exhausted and could do with a rest. I'll see you in the morning, Measured."

I walked through the door, remembering to ask to end up in my room this time, and climbed on top of my now-gigantic bed. It wasn't long before I fell asleep.

...What? I've slept through worse than an angry Twilight. I once slept through a damn hurricane. Twilight was nothing compared to that.

C̝ͅh͖ͅạ̞̭p̨t̳̤͍͘e͔r̙͜ ͕̙̺͈͍̞̙͢?̘͉??̜̥̺͕̖ ͍̰̭̫̣̠ͅ-̛̫̦̦͇̼ ͏̠̟̲̱̟̮H̠̻̪͠e̢͔̜̱̺̭ͅ ͓̟̬̭̝̕s̹̥ée̱̹̳̦͞s͘ ͇͎y̸̻͙o͔u ͎̙̖͚̲̲w̥͈͕̱̹̭̥ḩ̥̟̗͓̜̟en͖̣̩͔̫̳͉ ̸͇̟̩͖̪y̥̣̘̰͙̻͔o̬͙̬u͎̲̣͝'͏̠̮̖r͝e̸̳̠̥̲̝ ̣̜ṣ̭̠̺̥i̢̩̹̬͍̮̘̤ṇn̩͕i̫ń͔͙͚̖g̟̝̯͢.̥̙̳̺̩́.̰͙.̺̭̤͖͠ͅ

“No Mortal has ever killed a God…” Alessa said as the barbed wire around her hospital bed supported her.

“I fear this may be an uprising…” Hermaeus Mora said levitating a book into his slimy tentacles.

“No! My fellow Gods and Goddesses, we will not be slaughtered by those who we consider our pawns! I will not, nay, NEVER allow it! I, Jubileus, the Creator, sayeth and what I say is LAW!” Jubileus, the mighty creator of Paradiso and the Laguna stood up in an outrage. “Never once has a mortal been even on par with a God, now we have one going around and killing one!” Her golden hair weaved around her orange orb, violently shaking it. Her halo suddenly burst into a fiery red orange. “It was bad enough to be slain by a witch! BUT THIS IS THE STRAW!”

“Please keep it down, Eva is asleep right now and I wish you wouldn’t scream.” A man in a purple over coat said, wielding a broadsword and a katana in his grasp.

“I can stomach Hermaeus being here, because he is not of our world, but you Sparda, I will not. I gave my guards very specific instructions to keep you out of here, let alone Paradiso.”

“Please, Jully, is that anyway to treat an old friend?” Sparda said shrugging his shoulders. Jubileus’ eyebrow twitched with fury. “What’s wrong, still hate the nickname? Or maybe it’s because you got your heavenly ass handed to you by Queen Sheba?” Sparda said, waving around his hand in the motions of something flying. “Oh, and about the guards? Find something bigger next time.” Sparda said walking away and opened the door showing the outside. Courage’s and Temperance's laid skewed across the heavenly ground. As he was walking out of the room, a Courage stood up and attempted to crush him. Yamato flew out of its scabbard and just as quickly flew back in.

The Courage seized up before falling into four separate pieces along the ground. Sparda looked back at the closing door before winking and blinking out of existence. Jubileus had to swallow a lump that found its way in her throat. Alessa suddenly spoke up, “Anyway, getting back on topic with the God Slayer. I’ll have Pyramid Head go after this Mortal.”

“And what makes you think your monster of a Protector can do? I’m sure Grace and Glory can handle him.”

“If that is your wish, however I am giving him permission to kill everything that hinders his progress in finding him.”

Jubileus stopped cold. She knew of the demon of Silent Hill and her pawn. While they might not of been of Inferno, they made the place seem like paradise. “Fine. Do as you please.”

Jubileus faded in and out before disappearing completely leaving the Daedric Prince and the Mad Goddess to themselves. “Tis a shame… I was hoping to acquire the “Hierarchy of Laguna” from her…” He said before fading out as well.

I’ve slept before, certainly. I’ve had dreams while in Equestria, probably. I can never seem to recall them, though. Whether that’s the failing of the human mind or Luna messing with me, I don’t know or care about.

This one, though. I knew it was a dream right off the bat. For starters, I was human again, clad in the clothes Typhon had made me, with Eureka in my hands. This was, quite clearly, a dream, since last I checked, I was still a quadruped. Yet if it were a lucid dream, I would have some measure of control, wouldn’t I? And the world refused to bend to my whims.

On a second look, the dream-world around me seemed...I think dreary is a good word for it. Gray fog everywhere, the feel of blacktop under my shoes. Sidewalks, buildings, houses, cars...yet no people. The sense of unease, like there should be something or someone here, sent the hair on the back of my neck on edge.

Scrape…scrape…

That sounds like...a huge metal thing scraping against stone. I should know, I only was a huge metal thing for so long.

Scrape...scrape…

Why does this all seem so...familiar? It’s like there’s something, just on the tip of my tongue…

Scrape...scrape…

A half-remembered name, like dew in the sun, it vanishes before you can properly see it. I could have sworn I’ve heard that sound before...but not in my…

Scrape...scrape…

My eyes widened, my breath caught, and I whirled around desperately, knowing that he was already there, that defense was going to be difficult if not impossible.

I finally put a name to the place, to the one hunting me.

I was in Silent Hill, and I was facing off against the final member of the Triad I had yet to see. The one I had hoped never to see. The battle was already in his favor: I was in his domain. True, it was a dream, but any concession made to him was one more than I wanted to give him.

The King of Fear, the ultimate expression of Terror, he who rules over Silent Hill.

Pyramid Head. A low moan was heard in the distance, maybe two or three blocks away. The scraping kept getting closer, and as it did, my mind whirled.

Okay, my knowledge of swordsmanship is useless, at least, comparatively. That leaves Psynergy and the properties of my sword as things I can count on. No pulling any punches here, then. Wait, if he wields a Weapon of Madness, same as I...oh dear. This could be worse than I thought...

And then, as if said by a thousand voices, in harmony with none, echoing from nowhere and everywhere, came the words.

“YoU hAvE sInNeD gReAtLy, NoW, fEeL mY wRaTh.”

Like nails on a chalkboard, the words unnerved me. Moreso when I realized who had to have said them. I kept my blade level and my head on a swivel, looking for the owner. “According to which gods...that I do not believe in?”

Hey, shut up. It was an excellent retort, thank you very much. The sound of metal scraping on stone came from nearby, and I tensed, ready to dodge...

Was he playing with me? I am no God, but yet he sees me as one. ...Does he really think that highly of me? I watched as he looked around, expecting to be attacked. I laughed silently to myself and circled once more before I decided to show myself. He tensed at my form, the skin of my victims hung from my waist, I still had a few errant unicorn horns lodged in my legs somewhere…

I used the trick Z taught me years ago. “Why think me… as a God?” I asked, my voice hard and choked. Z had taught me this long ago. Long ago being 2 days free from my stony prison mind you.

Well...that’s unexpected.

“Oh, please, Pyramid. I know you aren’t a god. But you’re still someone I’d rather not tangle with, even if you are a pawn.”

I kept my blade level and observed his form. Apparently, he’d had a less than cordial relationship with his Equestria’s ponies. At least, if the horns...and skins...and...bleh, everything, were anything to go by. Just the thought that he’d killed so many, so carelessly, sent a twinge of fear up my spine. And the knife. It was far longer than my own sword, if a bit less...elegant. I swear I saw dried blood on it.

“Still, the fact remains. You’re powerful. You’re here. You’re in my dreams for a reason. So tell me what it is, or I will defend myself.”

“Then there must… be some kind of mistake… I was sent to kill a God Killer, one whose Pride and Wrath surpassed all. All I see is a lost boy with no hope at all…” He said loosening the grip on his blade. I almost opted to attack right there, get him while his guard was down, but who am I kidding? This was fucking Pyramid Head, ya’know? Bane of all Souls, Master of Fear, The Red fucking Pyramid!

“Ah, yes, the Wise One. I remember him. Tore him apart on the subatomic level, granted him peace. Call it what you will, I fucking murdered him, for the good of my world. I never thought of him as a god, y’know, but if you’re here, then someone must have noticed and counted him among their number.”

“Yes… The Elder Gods… The Enlightened Ones… Even my own little Alessa took interest… But what I do not understand, is why she sent me after a weakling like yourself...”

Okay, let me clarify: Pyramid Head calling you weak? Pretty damn scary. Then again, I would be surprised if he didn’t call everyone that. “Hmm. Let’s think. I’m only Aluric Fulcrum, wielder of Alchemy and Eureka, Blade of Understanding. There are so many things I can do in the waking world...once I’m whole again, that is.”

“And what will you do? Are you living only to cause misery? Hate? No… You are something more… What are you…?”

I lowered my blade a fraction of an inch. “Well. This is interesting. The puppet doesn’t want to dance to the master’s tune. Tell me, if you had a chance...would you do as I did? Would you free yourself?” He hesitated for a minute or two before answering.

“...I once thought the same way you did. Freeing myself of the Masters’ strings… But I couldn’t bring myself to do it… I was meant to kill sinners, so I said to myself, “Alessa’s a sinner, why not her first?” It was then I realized that I couldn’t kill her… because she was my own flesh and blood…”

I nodded at him. “Nothing is harder on anyone than betrayal. Especially when it comes from family. I would say her controlling you cuts to the core, doesn’t it?”

“No… She is but a child in need for a Father… A Protector… I was like you, I was a normal boy from the U.S. I made myself a Pyramid Head costume and everything. I wasn’t a father, I wasn’t a monster… But now… I need to do this.” His blade whipped out in front of him just short of me. I could see the ring on his finger burn brightly with a red hue. “YOU ARE A SINNER AND WILL BE PUNISHED AS ONE!”

I jumped back a few feet at the blade being brought to bear on me. Two minds? Or is the character overwriting the original? Doesn’t matter, I can’t seem to get through to him anymore! “All of us are sinners! What of you? Is not murder in and of itself a sin? The taking of life, however sin-filled, is a sin as well!” Keep him distracted, think!

“HER SINS ARE MINE TO BEAR! I will not have you muddle me any longer!”

Ladies and gentlemen, the original has checked out, all that is left is Pyramid. Fine, I can deal with this. Arguing will get me nowhere, it seems...but it gives me a moment to think while I try to come up with something. The way my stuff works, I need his ‘affinity,’ if he has one, before I can try its counter. “I do not seek to muddle, but understand! Where do you get off? Murdering a so-called ‘god’ is a sin, but the mortals that attack you are not? Where is the line drawn, Pyramid? Where is your justification?!”

“Attack the Executioner, and he shall attack back…”

“Surely there were ways that didn’t involve killing them! Dissuading them, persuading them!” Drat, nothing yet!

“Faded Glory! A mare whose Pride and Arrogance left ten fillies dead, all because she didn’t want her hooves dirty! Sunrise! A hateful stallion with an equal hate towards all! He beat his son and his wife to death bare hoofed! Nightwish! Whose Sloth left his squad dead in the forest we now fight in… Do you still believe I could dissuade them? Persuade them?”

I shook my head at that. “Those sorts of ponies, those that I am loathe to call living beings, I cursed. I cursed them with the knowledge of their victim’s pain. I acted out against the living rarely, if ever. Sombra, he was first. Then Lady Skycleaver, though it was under my worse half’s influence, I must claim her death as my fault. I will also admit to a half-dozen acts of violence, but none near as many as you! You seem to revel in it!”

“I am their Judge, Jury, and Executioner. I find those who sin guilty and make sure they pay their dues. Those I find never guilty are the children, whose concept to sin is that of getting caught with your hand in the cookie jar.”

“So, twisted as you are from your base human form, you still maintain your morals. Or is it that you don’t wish to harm any that remind you of the one pulling your strings?”

“SILENCE! YOUR INSOLENCE WILL NO LONGER BE TOLERATED!” He swung his blade in a wide arc, just barely missing. I yelped in surprise at the sudden attack and raised my blade in defense.

“Insolence? Insolence? There was a time when either of us would be called before a jury of our peers, when freedom, life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness was as much of a given as the air we breathed! When did questioning what the hell is going on become insolence?”

“You speak lowly of her… I will not allow it, for she has been SHAMED enough!” Another swing, but I got nicked on the side of my face. The cut stung, but I could not concentrate enough to heal it, that would mean not focusing on him.

“How can I speak lowly of her when I do not know her? How can I shame her when I do not understand who or what she really is? Ignorance would be my defense, and what I seek to dispel! Call her forth, O Pawn, and let me speak with her!” Pyramid Head froze suddenly, as if he was struck. A low grumble came from his chest before an ear piercing roar escaped his throat.

I crouched and covered my ears before realizing that I was dropping my guard. Damnation! Think think think...okay, manipulate the air, make it reactive to loud sounds… A sudden burst of light came from where he was standing. It burned, but not in bad way. It felt almost… soothing…

Then the soothing feeling quickly vanished as I saw who stood next to him. A hospital bed floated around him, barbed wire coming every which way to balance it perfectly straight up. Expecting a monster, I quickly rose my blade but my shock made me drop it a fraction again. A young, human girl, no more than about seven or eight laid in the bed. She had curly brown hair, a blue gown dress on, and her eyes were almost a… vermillion color.

“So, it was you who called for me?” She asked, in an aether like voice. A name filled my mind from my time with Alice. She who rules the Silent Hill. Of course, the fact that Pyramid had been saying it a few times didn’t hurt either.

“Alessa, mistress of fear and terror, I presume? I am uncertain if it is an honor to meet you, seeing as how your pawn was attempting to give my head and my shoulders some time apart from one another.”

“Hmm, is that so? Are you not the fabled God Killer? The one who single handedly killed a God? If that is the case I am right here.” Pyramid made a move to confront her, but a shot of the wire flew through his chest. “Silence! If he is who we really think he is, he should not be a problem.”

I shrugged my shoulders. “I never thought of the Wise One as a god, per se. But if you claim him amongst your number, then yes. Apparently I can kill gods. I don’t intend to make it a habit, unless you threaten me or mine. And seeing as how you sicced Pyramid on me…” I leveled the blade at her and gave her a grin. “I always did want to test my limits. I’ll give you a chance to call this little blood feud off, though. Afterwards, I’ll not be held responsible for what I do.”

“Hehehe… Look Daddy! I’m gonna play with a new TOY!” Her voice shifted from the aetherical tone to a more demonic one. Her skin charred black and her clothes burst into flames. The bed rusted and rotted away leaving only the springs in her back and the frame of the bed. The barbed wires began lashing wildly and cut down some of the thickest trees around her.

Dear lord, what have I gotten myself into? The mistress herself was after me, I had a shot. Let’s hope all gods all vulnerable to the same damn technique. “Seal!” I bellowed, hoping it would take. If it did, perhaps, just perhaps, I would have a shot at coming out of this alive.

Alessa reeled back and screamed loudly, filling my hopes… which were soon crushed after she began to laugh. “Did you honestly think that would work?! I am from SILENT HILL, not your world…”

I grinned at her, despite my situation. “Y’know, for a second there, I kinda did. It worked on...would brother be the correct term? It worked on him, after all, and it tends to work on magic as well. Ah well. Things just got interesting.” Alessa’s wires came shooting out at me like bullet trains and I held up my sword to block them. “Let’s see how your metal likes my Inferno!” The essence of fire filled my sword, causing it to burst into flames.

“Humph, like old Gwyn himself… Fancy you a showoffer too!” The wire wrapped around the base of the sword and then quickly around the rest of it. She was trying to cut off the oxygen from the fire. I smiled again, that’s one thing I learned from Nocturne: Smile, even in the worst situations, because it unnerves them like nothing else.

“You shoulda kept your eyes on me, dear! Ragnarok!” A ghostly blade about as long as I was tall materialized over my head and rushed at her. The blade was just about to hit her when she reached out with her bare hands and stopped it dead in its tracks.

“He’s right y’know. You are insolent.” She said before tightening her grip on the blade and shattered the ghostly sword. I winced at the fact that it didn’t detonate, it was always supposed to.

“Well, when you don’t believe in the gods or their supposed ‘right’ over certain mortals, or have been imprisoned in a damn basement as nothing more than a spirit for fifteen hundred years, you tend to develop a temper. By the way, Diamond Dust!”

Winds whipped up, carrying hail the size of golf balls, before they grew to head sized chunks that blew most strongly around the girl. She winced at the bitter cold and retracted her wires to create a sphere around her, keeping in her warmth. My smile only grew at her reaction to the cold. “Oho, don’t like that, do you? Aligned to fire, I presume, meaning water and ice hurt the most? Well, while Mercury has more healing than hurting, there are plenty of things in that school I can use! Last chance, dear!”

Her face poked out of the wired mess, fresh skin adorned it. “You shouldn’t worry about me, but rather yourself…” Before I could ask what she meant, I felt pain in my back… my chest… I coughed red. My eyes widened as I realized what, or rather who was behind me.

“You’re a fucker Pyramid Head…” He only groaned in response. I had a few things I could try, but if this was all in my mind-

I blinked at the realization. This was in my mind. She and he were the avatars/gods of Fear and Terror. They were in my mind. I began to laugh then as the pieces lined up. “Oh. Oh man. You are both fucked now.”

“Finally catching on, eh? Daddy, let him go.”

I slumped forward as Pyramid retracted his blade, and I didn’t stop laughing. “What better thing to fight misunderstanding with than facts? What better weapon to fight fear than truth? What better weapon to fight Terror than Understanding?” I drew myself up and smiled at them both. “What better weapon to fight you than ME?!” I glowed a godly white as my body changed. I felt the familiar weight on my shoulders, arms, legs, everywhere. I 'looked' down at my hand and saw my shield staring back at me.

Now this is where the fun starts, huh? I asked them. I ‘glared’ at Alessa. I still believe you should go screw yourself, because frankly, gods pulling strings offends me. I will give you to the count of ten, and then I’ll go back to the moment when I Understood everything.

One. Alessa looked at Pyramid Head, who seemed to be talking to her.

Two… Three… Four…

“Enough. We have tormented you long enough and we have both come to the same conclusion.” I leaned forward, curious of what they meant. “Dullahan, you have NOT broken free from a God's control, but rather you are lining yourself up to it.” With that, she smiled and waved goodbye before vanishing from my mind. I ‘looked’ over to Pyramid as my form snapped back to my human one.

“So. This was a test?”

“In a sense. While the higher up wanted you dead… Alessa and I, came to a compromise. We made sure you were ready, and made sure that the ones upstairs don’t hear about this.”

“Ready. I assume, for more. Because if there’s one thing I’ve heard about gods, it’s that they’re a wrathful bunch.”

“So I’ve been told…” Said a new voice. I looked up at Pyramid Head only to not see him, but a man with a short beard, glasses, auburn hair, and a “Zombie Killer” T-Shirt. “Scott Visk, you?” He said holding out his hand.

I shook it. “Frank DeFontaine. Also known as Dullahan, also known as Auric Fulcrum. Only those that I trust get to know me as Frank these days, though. Lemme guess, some part of your costume brought you to your particular Equestria?”

“Rather the opposite… sort of. I bought this ring from a Merchant at Comic Con. Said it was a hundred bucks, but he shot the price down. Can’t remember how much though.”

I shrugged. “So. Are you aware of what goes on when you’re, y’know, your other self? Or is it just him?”

“...The voices tell me to, and I can’t ignore the voices. That choir you heard a while ago? That happens, is still happening, inside my head right now. I’m like a drug addict, I need more so they can stop…”

I winced at that. “Okay, new question. This place looks like Silent Hill. Just...what is your connection to it? Is there one?”

“...” He blinked a couple of times breathing in and out heavily. “If I told you, that Silent Hill existed in ALL realities, would it make you feel better? We have Silent Hill back on Earth too, it’s just ever so rare. You know those reports about people disappearing in the fog? Yeah…”

I nodded. “Well...it could be that there is a Silent Hill in all worlds...or it could be there are merely a few Silent Hills, but connected to all worlds. I like that one a bit more, though...New question. Just how close is this place to an actual Silent Hill, and is it somewhere you can go?”

“You want to go there? Why would you want to… Oh, I see. No, no… I’ll give it to him…” He said to himself? It was as if he was talking to someone who wasn’t there. He pulled out a book and flipped through it quickly before tearing out a page. “Just draw this symbol on a flat surface, it’s the Halo of the Sun. Just… draw it somewhere and stand on it, and woosh, you’re in Silent Hill…”

I took the paper and it vanished, the symbol imprinting itself in my memories. “Well, that’s convenient. But not the gist of my question. Can you ever come here? I’d like to leave a gift for you...assuming what I leave here transfers to a Silent Hill you can access.”

“There is only one Silent Hill… but yes, just draw out the symbol and place your ‘gift’ down on it.”

I nodded at him. “I...I do earnestly hope that you find some way to break your curse. Whether that’s the voices or being her puppet, I care not. You should be free to do as you will. Wasn’t it said by Optimus that freedom is the right of all sentient beings?”

“Yes… but, I try not to see it as a curse and more as a… Game, of sorts… While Alessa is not really my daughter, I treat her like one.” He purred slightly… Which kinda freaked me out. “Alessa was confused, not having her Father there…”

I shook my head at the display. “I’d say our, or rather, your time is growing short if you’re focusing on her like that. While I admit that she is just a child, the way she attacked me proves she can defend herself. You should be her champion because you want to, not because you have to.”

He looked at me with a sad smile and said to me, “When I was a child, I was treated like a monster because I beat someone that was taller than me by about three solid feet into submission. I knew I was a monster, and in my room there was a full body length mirror. I may have been a monster, but that didn’t mean I had to look like one.” He faded in and out and finally disappeared from my sight.

The world started to grow more foggy around me, and I sighed. “Poor bastard. I’ll try to find some anti-psychotics and send them to him, if at all possible. Who knows? Might help.”

The sound of an air-raid siren was the last thing I heard…

Author's Notes:

He sees you when you're sinning,
He knows when you're asleep,
And if in Silent Hill you fall,
You'd best prepare to weep!
Oh, you'd better watch out,
Think on the fly,
Defend yourself,
I'll tell you why,
Pyramid Head is going to town!

(...In case you couldn't tell, this chapter was written with SCP Pinkamena and is a crossover with A Thousand Tortured Souls Scream My Name.)