I awoke in my room. Cold stone surrounded me, and I simply stared at the ceiling for several minutes. Yesterday was a great triumph but a great defeat at the same time. My father had given me great praise, and the honor of moving on in my training. However, I could not help but feel empty. Sandsturm is gone, and it is all my fault. I lead him to his death, telling him that we would make it out together. We didn’t even recover his body. Something wanted me to desperately believe he was still alive, but I couldn’t overcome the feeling of dread in my soul.

‘All your fault… he’s DEAD because of you…’

‘No… I didn’t kill him.’

‘You promised to protect him. He trusted you. Now you’re all alone. And he’s rotting in a field of death, waiting for you to find him. You never will. You have failed him, leaving him alone.’

‘Stop… no more…’

‘You killed him.’

‘You killed him.’

‘I… I killed him…’

The voices in my head taunted me for hours until my father came knocking on my door.

“Son. Come with me. We have things to discuss.” I got up out of bed and made my way to his side, and we made our way down the hall.

“Several things have come to my attention, Red Storm. Some things I am more proud of than others.” Surely he meant my relationship with Sandsturm.

“I have been alerted by your teammates yesterday that you apparently had a romantic relationship with Commandant Sandsturm. I… cannot say that I approve whole-heartedly, but I can say that I am sorry. You apparently cared for him a great deal, did you not?”

“Yes, father.” He looked at me for a second, and I thought I saw woe in his eyes. I dismissed the thought as he continued on.

“In any case, while the loss of the Commandant is a terrible thing, I must add that I admire your work in the field yesterday. I see you take after me when you ‘take no prisoners’. That is good. It will aid you in the times to come. Follow me here, I have something special to present to you.” I perked up a bit. Whatever this may be, it was surely important. Otherwise, I doubt that father would drag me out of bed so early when I was grieving above all else. He led me into his personal chambers, and together we entered his trophy room. I found it strange that he had his trophy room in his private quarters, where he could not flaunt it. We moved silently past a number of treasures, including skulls, armour, dragon teeth and chalices. When we got to the back of the room, there, in a display case were four suits of armour. Each suit was slightly different, but all kept a very menacing feel to them.

“I-I’m sorry father, but I don’t know what I am looking at.” Red Wing shook his head, before taking me by the shoulder, and pointing at the suits of armour.

“These, my son, are the legendary suits of armour that were once worn by the Four Horses of the Apocalypse.” I was confused, and it showed. Again, my father shook his head before continuing.

“I thought I told you to study these things. The Four Horses of the Apocalypse were warriors of legend. Their combined might was only matched by gods themselves. The Old Gods, to be exact. Before even Celestia, Luna, Cadence and Discord, these Old Gods controlled the very universe as we know it, ranging from the controlling of your dreams to the weather. At some point in ancient history, a group of four mortal ponies were granted a great power by forces unknown. Two pegasi and two unicorns. The two pegasi were granted unlimited combat prowess, being able to exterminate entire armies with a single fell swoop. The unicorns were granted such magical power that they could rend the soul from the body or tear the heavens from the sky. With their newfound power, the Four Horses cut open the world, sinking entire continents with their near unlimited power. The Old Gods saw this destruction being caused by these ponies, and attempted to stop the Horses with divine intervention, acts of holy wrath. A great battle was waged upon the earth, nearly destroying all life as we know it. The Old Gods, pushed to desperation, sacrificed themselves in order to defeat these ponies. After a final act of power, the Old Gods killed themselves in order to stop the destruction of all life as we know it. In his dying moments, the king of the Old Gods scattered the pieces of the Apocalypse Armour, which held the true power of the Four Horses, across the world hoping to prevent such a thing again… It has taken eons of scrounging to bring this ensemble together before you. Ponies, griffon, drake and daemon alike lusted for the power the armour promised, and many have spent generations looking for even hints to their location. By the time our ancestor, Redmane, had risen to power, a great deal of the hidden pieces had been unearthed. It had been but a matter to collect the pieces and find the missing ones. While at great expense of the Kingdom, with much money and lives spent on this grand search, I can safely say that I am missing but a hoofull of pieces. A rivet here, a strut there, and the sets will be complete.” My mind was overflowing with information. Old Gods? Horses of the Apocalypse? And my father claims to have all but a few of the pieces of a legendary set of armour? My father chuckled, upon seeing the look on my face. I looked up to him, trying to keep my brain from hemorrhaging from trying to comprehend this.

“Why are you telling me this?” My father smiled devilishly.

“Because, my son. I believe you are nearly ready to ascend from mortality, and into the realm of gods. The Four Horses were named after the destructive forces that come with the Apocalypse. Pestilence, War, Famine, and Death.” As he went down the list, he moved his foreleg from left to right, pointing at each respectively. The suits were white, red, black and a pale grey. Each had a few cosmetic differences, such as different horns on each helm, or different pauldrons. Each suit was missing pieces, but overall the set looked nearly complete. Pestilence was missing a knee guard, War was missing a horn, Famine was missing a few ornamental pauldron spikes, and Death was missing several plates along the chest area. My father continued as I examined the suits more thoroughly.

“Your sister would be Pestilence, you would be War, your mother would be Famine, and I would be Death. Together, we would be unstoppable. Even the four New Gods could not stand against us! We could bring the world to its knees! We-” He paused. He noticed my solemn look, indicating that I was in no mood to be talking about more death. He took this, and accepted it.

“Anyway… that was all. You are free to roam for the rest of the day, to grieve. Tomorrow, I want you to begin your next level of training with your mother. Do I make myself clear?” I nodded, and he turned away from me to admire his collection more. I left the room, and moved quickly outside to the gardens. I watched as the greenery blew in the breeze. I lay down amongst them, and closed my eyes. I felt the sun on my face as I drifted off into a restless sleep. One of Sandsturm.

My eyes cracked open to the sun, again, for the ten thousandth time. I looked around the wooden room before searching the bed for my wife. Again, as usual, she was not here. Fluttershy was likely downstairs cooking breakfast. I tasted the air. I smelled the faint aroma of food from downstairs. I found this odd. Normally I would be able to identify breakfast. Oh well. It was better as a surprise anyway. Then, I thought back to my dream. ‘Why was I remembering this now? Could it be an omen? Perhaps…’

I made my way down the stairs, bleary-eyed. The second my hoof touched the ground floor, I was assaulted by the three young fillies who had stayed the night. I couldn’t help but laugh, forgetting that they had slept over. I quickly regained my footing while they retreated several steps. I pounced, and they all fled, screaming in mock-terror. When they disappeared out of sight, I made my way to the kitchen. There, Fluttershy was preparing a simple meal of carrots and apples.

“Good morning, love. How long have they been up?” Fluttershy giggled as she turned to me and gave me a kiss.

“They are what woke me up an hour ago. They were in the back yard trying to be ‘Cutie Mark Crusader lion tamers.’ I’m not really sure when they woke up.” I chuckled as I kissed her back and made my way out of the kitchen, intent on finding where the little fillies had gone off to. As I moved through the living room, I saw them leap out from behind the couch at me, wearing toy armor and brandishing plastic weapons shouting: “FOR CANTERLOT, AND THE TRIANGULAR TABLE!” I don’t even know how they acquired such things. They tackled me and proceeded to prod me with said toy weapons until I lay still, feigning death. We then repeated this cycle of me chasing them, them doing a battle charge, and then slaying me. At some point Angel joined the fray, who then repeatedly killed everypony involved. That is, until Scootaloo used the “Celestial Hoof Grenade.” The lot of us played until breakfast was ready, in which we dropped everything and ate. During the meal, we talked and laughed as the Cutie Mark Crusaders recalled their botched attempts to uncover their “Special Talents” which included, but was not limited to; Skydiving, wind surfing, tightrope walking, and fencing. Their costumes (which they neglected to remove) made the whole thing that much more humorous. After breakfast, Fluttershy left to return them home. I stayed home and thought about what I was going to do with myself that day. I did the dishes in silence, and sat down on the couch to think. It was so strange to have the CMC around one minute, and gone the next. It was oh-so-quiet. I decided to brew a pot of tea. It was a special recipe that my mother had taught me. I returned to the couch to let the kettle boil, but then there was a knock on the door. I made my way to the front door, and opened it, not expecting anypony this early in the morning. There stood Miss Doo, as energetic as ever. She looked at me with her wall-eyed stare and a big smile.

“Good morning, Red Storm! Sorry to be bothering you so early!” I waved her off.

“It’s no problem at all. Why don’t you come in? I have some tea on the stove. Fluttershy is out, and I do so hate to be alone.” Ditzy thought for a moment before shrugging.

“Ok! After all, it’s not my shift yet. That reminds me! I am actually here to deliver a letter to you!” I cocked my head to one side as she trotted inside.

“You’re delivering letters even though it’s not your shift?” Again, Ditzy shrugged.

“Yesterday was Sunday. There’s no post on Sunday. Anyway, we get all of Monday’s mail on Sunday, so we can deliver it at our leisure. I just decided to bring it to you now so I wouldn’t have to backtrack later. I actually was planning on coming later, but my clock is one hour fast,” she added sheepishly. I nodded, looking the letter over. There was no return address. It just said “To Red Storm” on the front. The hoof writing was ever-so-familiar…

“Yes, well, either way, it is nice to have you. I would say you arrived at an opportune time, seeing as my wife is out. Speaking of spouses; how is life between you and The Doctor? Have you learned his real name yet?” I joked, as I set the letter down on the coffee table. Ditzy perked up and nodded.

“Things have been great between The Doctor and me! Though I am beginning to believe that is his name. He moved in, did I tell you that? Dinky loves him, and the three of us are practically a family! But he still hasn’t… uh… proposed yet.” Her sheepish grin returned as she pawed at the ground with her foreleg. I waved her off again as I poured the tea, which was now whistling.

“Don’t worry! I never proposed to Fluttershy, she proposed to me. Some things take time, and others must be taken with a different approach completely. I’m sure that when the time is right, one of you will wind up asking for the other’s hoof.” Ditzy rolled her eyes, making it appear as if her eyes were rolling in her head, as I handed her her cup of tea and gestured for her to sit down next to me on the couch. I sipped on mine as she continued:

“So says the stallion who got married to the shyest pony in Equestria in less than five months.” I nodded, and changed the subject.

“So, Ditzy, how has things been going otherwise? It has been weeks since our last lunch date. How’s work been?” Ditzy puffed up her chest with pride.

“In fact, I got a big raise for bringing a very important package to Canterlot! And Dinky is also making lots of friends in school, along with getting very good grades. The Doctor and I are very proud of her.” Ditzy beamed with pride, and I couldn’t help but feel envious.

“So… Red Storm… When are you and Fluttershy going to have foals?” I wasn’t expecting that one.

“We… uh… well, we have been keeping it quite… safe as of late. I have been meaning to talk to Fluttershy about that, but I’m afraid we simply don’t have the time or resources to care for a foal now. ‘Well, we do, but with impending death from my father just around the corner, we really don’t want to risk it.’ Ditzy accepted this answer, nodding. She finished her tea, and rose.

“Well, it has been fun catching up Red Storm! We should really start doing those lunch dates again! I would love to talk over some muffins! Anyway, gotta fly. The Doctor is likely making a fresh batch as we speak! Ooh! Did I mention he bakes muffins? He’s like a perfect match for me! See ya later!” I waved goodbye as she flew away, and I closed the door behind her. I returned my attention to the letter on the coffee table. I walked over and opened it, sipping on my tea as I read it.

‘Dear Red Storm,

It’s me, Whitewash. I sent you a letter because I am out of town, on a "business trip" with Glock. You won’t believe who we found in a saloon in Apploosa. We will be back tomorrow, but I decided to write to you just to put some suspense on you. Give you one hint: It’s one of your old Honour Guard. Turns out I wasn’t the only one who fled from your father’s rule. See you soon, hon.’

“…”

“…”

“… huh. I’ll be damned.”

Author's Notes:

Hey! Look! Another Pony Creator-based extra! Whoopee.
Anywhoo, here are the Four New Horses of the Apocalypse, and the armours to boot. Just 'cause I have nothing better to do.
5047000200FEFEFEFE171700A11FE0000PD183720402000051999999FFFFFE05107F3FCC004CB2= The White Horse(Scarlet Rain)
080FE80080FE804F2F2F26F2F2F27F2F2F26F2F2F2F2F2F27F2F2F23F2F2F26F2F2F23F2F2F2= Pestilence's Armour
4Z152D503033000000000000000EAFE00NN183752C000000713300007F00000L107F3FCC004CB2= The Red Horse(Red Storm)
080FE80080FE8097200006720000772000067200007200007720000472000067200004720000= War's Armour
4K3P002500000000FE171700611FE1212RH1837008000000212A2E4C00000003107F3FCC004CB2= The Black Horse(Scarlet Glimmer)
080FE80080FE8021A191A6191919719191961919191919197191919419191961919194191919= Famine's Armour
5K152S5030666666FE171700010FE0000RF183720B000001G10000006666660L107F3FCC004CB2= The Pale Horse(Red Wing)
066CC66066CC666BFBFBF6BFBFBF7BFBFBF6BFBFBFBFBFBF7BFBFBF3BFBFBF6BFBFBF3BFBFBF= Death's Armour
...
And before you all start bitchin' about "Pestilence" not being a Horseman of the Apocalypse(its actually conquest), I went with the revised list, as pestilence fit Scarlet Rain better. Shaddup.
And thanks for reading!