Atop Erra and Ares, (Y/n), Pestilence, Gladio, and Ignis rode out of Hammerhead. They rode down the road a little ways before veering off into the dusty, rocky landscape. They were able to avoid the detection of daemons as they rode towards Formouth Garrison. Their bright flashlights and Ares' fiery mane lit up the darkness.

Once reaching Formouth Garrison, the group circled around the perimeter in search of an infiltration point. The stone walls were thick and high, but some were starting to crumble and give way to the flow of time. The two horses trotted around the stronghold until coming to a stop at the command of their riders.

The four dismount the horses after discovering a crack in one of the walls that was big enough for them to squeeze through. Pestilence and War went first followed by Ignis and Gladio. They kept their heads low to avoid being detected by the prowling MTs and imperial troopers. Hiding behind a pile of crates, the group peered out to watch the enemies' movements. They took note of the large dreadnought hovering in the center of the stronghold and how they were loading the cargo hold with mechs and large metal crates.

"Any idea what they're doing?" Gladio asked just above a whisper.

"It seems they're reclaiming what was left behind," Pestilence answered. "Something feels off, though."

"What's wrong?" (Y/n) questioned.

"If this is a simple reclamation, why are there so many soldiers and MTs? Wouldn't it be easier without a large force?"

"I fear there's more than meets the eye," Ignis stated.

"Dave only wants us to see what's going on, but I think we need to deal with these guys," the redhead commented. "We don't need imperial scum around these parts when the daemons are already a handful as is."

"Yes, I agree. We should deal with them here and now," the lilac-eyed girl responded.

"I'm on board," Gladio stated.

"As am I," Ignis said.

"We'll remain on watch for the time being. Whenever we've a feel for their movements, that's when we'll establish our next course of action," Pestilence explained.

The group kept their attention focused on the imperial forces' movements. They watched them march around the stronghold and load up the large dreadnought. (Y/n)'s attention was drawn to a couple of soldiers who exited the airship and sauntered away in the opposite direction. She could see their lips moving, but couldn't hear what they were saying. "Excuse me for a moment..." She whispered to the others before pursuing the two soldiers in the shadows. She used whatever she could for cover, following them to the opposite side of Formouth Garrison.

(Y/n) concealed herself behind a rack of weapons when the two soldiers suddenly turned around. She tensed up when they started walking over to her hiding spot. She was about to summon her sword and deal with them, but stopped when she heard them conversing.

"Won't that wipe out the entire area?" One soldier asked.

"There's nothing to worry about. The explosion will just be a distraction. As long as we get the hell outta here in the next twenty minutes, we'll be fine," the other soldier answered.

War's eyes narrowed at hearing their conversation. She listened to their retreating footsteps before carefully making her way back to Gladio, Ignis, and Pestilence. She kneeled beside her sister with a grave expression. "We've got a major problem."

"What is it?" Gladio asked.

"This place is gonna explode in the next twenty minutes."

"What?" Ignis gasped, emerald eyes widening behind his visor.

"I overheard a conversation between two soldiers. They mentioned the explosion was going to be a distraction."

"A distraction for what?" Pestilence wondered.

(Y/n) shook her head with a sigh. "No idea."

"Damn..." Gladio growled. "We've gotta do something."

"We need to locate whatever they plan on using to destroy this place and deactivate it," the ivory-haired girl said.

"We don't have much time," Ignis stated.

Suddenly, the dreadnought lifted into the sky with its cargo hold filled. It took off in the direction of Hammerhead, leaving behind a small group of imperial troopers. One of them broke off and headed towards a metal door.

"War, follow him," Pestilence stated. "We'll be right behind you once we deal with the remaining soldiers."

(Y/n) nodded and summoned a single dagger. She warped over to the door just as it closed behind the soldier. Quietly, she followed after the enemy. He led her to a room with a large console. When he pressed a single button on the control panel, she saw a number appear on the screen.

5:00

She gasped when seeing it began counting down. Acting quickly, she killed the soldier and ran over to the control panel. She pressed random buttons desperately, hoping one would stop the 5-minute countdown. Looking back up at the timer, her eyes widened in horror.

3:00

The redhead wondered how else she could stop the countdown. She summoned her sword and went to destroy the control panel, but stopped when she feared it would result in the explosion to trigger earlier. Dispelling her blade, she glanced up at the large computer screen with a melancholic gaze. There was one idea left she wanted to try, but she knew Gladio, Pestilence, and Ignis wouldn't agree with it.

2:00

(Y/n) steeled herself, deciding to try her final idea. Using the Crystal's power, she erected a large scarlet barrier around her and the console. She prayed to the Astrals her barrier would be strong enough to stop the explosion from destroying all of Formouth Garrison with her as the core.

"What're you doing?!" War heard Pestilence shriek.

The (e/c)-eyed girl turned around to see her sister, Gladio, and Ignis standing outside the barrier. "Stopping the explosion."

"You can't!" She screeched. "Your body will vaporize and you'll die!"

"(Y/n), put this damn barrier down now," Gladio hissed, scowling at her.

"No," she dully replied, turning her back to them. "You three need to get out of here. I'm not sure my barrier will be able to contain the entire explosion and I don't want you all to get caught in it."

"Like hell we're leaving!" Gladio growled. "I've already lost one person. I'm not losing another!"

0:50

"Pestilence, please," (Y/n) begged.

The lilac-eyed Horseman stared sorrowfully at her sister's back. She knew she only wanted to protect them, but she couldn't bear the thought of losing her. She clenched and unclenched her fists before deciding to respect War's wish. "I...I understand."

Before Gladio or Ignis could react, Pestilence grabbed both of them and used all her strength to teleport them out of Formouth Garrison. When they appeared outside the walls of the stronghold, she released the two men and fell to her knees in exhaustion. Ignis kneeled beside her, placing a hand on her back. She turned her head and offered him a melancholic smile to reassure him.

Gladio turned his fiery glare towards Pestilence. "The hell did you do that?! You're gonna let (Y/n) sacrifice herself?!"

"Gladio," Ignis' voice was lower than usual. "There's no need for-"

The Horseman placed her hand against the advisor's knee, silencing him. With his help, she got back on her feet. "I don't want her to sacrifice herself. She's my sister, after all. But I wish to respect her decision and grant her final wish. Be mad at me all you like."

Just then, the ground rumbled slightly. The group knew exactly what caused the tremor and fell silent. Gladio gritted his teeth, clenching his fists tightly. Pestilence leaned into Ignis' side the moment she felt tears threatening to fall. She could no longer sense (Y/n)'s presence.

"Now, now, everyone!" A cheerful voice rang out.

Gladio and Ignis looked around in confusion while Pestilence knew exactly who was speaking. She not only sensed one presence but two. "King Aeshema?"

As the daemon king's name echoed out into the darkness, a man with blue horns and pointy ears adorned in an intricately designed robe appeared. Alongside the immortal was War. He had an arm wrapped around her waist, smiling. "Your darling (Y/n) is safe and in one piece."

War sighed, removing his arm from her waist. "I appreciate the help, Your Majesty, but it's way too dangerous for you to be here."

"Aw, don't be like that!" He pouted. "My only desire was to reach you in time. You are one of my Horsemen, after all. I cherish you like I do your sisters. It would be a shame to lose you."

"You could always make another soul take the persona of War," she mumbled.

"That's way too much work. Besides, I don't think it would be fair if you were to sacrifice yourself after finding that special someone." King Aeshema looked over at Gladio with a knowing grin. "Oh, but he looks a little mad."

"Your Grace, please return to Hell," Pestilence gently demanded. "There are daemons approaching."

"Ah, my lovely subjects have come to greet me. A shame they won't be able to witness by vanishing act." The daemon king smiled at the group. "Farewell."

In the blink of an eye, King Aeshema was gone.

"We should go as well," Pestilence advised. "There's a large horde of them coming our way."

The four rode back to Hammerhead before daemons could surround them. When they rode through the gate, they dismounted the horses. Pestilence went to ask (Y/n) what happened, but she watched with wide eyes as Gladio threw her over his shoulder and marched her inside the caravan.

"Well, um..." She cleared her throat. "I guess all that matters is we stopped the empire and everyone's safe. Even the dreadnought has vanished."

Ignis couldn't help but chuckle at her slightly flushed expression. "Indeed."

Inside the caravan, Gladio tossed (Y/n) onto the bed. Her body bounced up and down a couple of times when coming in contact with the mattress. She tried to sit up, but her wrists were quickly pinned down against the mattress above her head. She stared into Gladio's anger-filled amber eyes with a stoic expression. "If you're gonna yell at me, do it now and get it over with. But before you do, I just wanna let you know that I'm not gonna apologize."

"Yeah, I already know you well enough to know when you actually feel remorse," Gladio retorted vehemently. "But what you did today was stupid and reckless. If that daemon king of yours didn't show up, you'd be dead."

"I know," she mumbled sorrowfully. "I am sorry for how I made you feel, but not for what I did."

Gladio released her wrists and moved to sit on the edge of the small bed. "Dammit..." He ran a hand through his hair. "Feels like I'm scolding Noct..."

(Y/n) pushed herself up into a sitting position. "Guess royalty will always be a royal pain in the ass."

The brute chortled. "Can't deny that."

The couple fell silent. War scooted closer to Gladio and rested her head on his shoulder. "You'll see him again, I promise."

"Yeah..." Gladio went to raise his arm, but grunted in pain.

Of course, the redhead heard. "What's wrong with your arm?"

"Probably pulled a muscle. No big deal, though."

"You'll heal on your own," she snickered.

The shield let out another chuckle. "So much for being my personal healer."

"Hey, you're the one who said it isn't a big deal." She lifted her head from his shoulder and stood up. "Try to get some rest. I need to chat with Pestilence."

"You won't hear me arguing." Gladio flopped down on the bed with a huff. He was fast asleep within a minute.

(Y/n) smiled at him before leaving the caravan.

<-------------<<<<<

By the time Gladio awoke six hours later, (Y/n) was sitting on the small couch in the caravan. She watched him closely as he got up and headed to take a shower in the small bathroom. She moved to sit on the edge of the bed, waiting for him to finish.

Ten minutes later, Gladio emerged from the shower and changed into a fresh set of clothes. Seeing she was waiting for him, he sat down on the bed. (Y/n) scooted back on top of the bed, tucking her knees underneath her as she combed her fingers through his damp locks. She found his longer hair was more fun to mess with than when it was shorter. She even helped him style it from time to time just as she was doing for him now.

After combing her fingers through Gladio's hair and ridding it of a couple of knots, she took a small rubber band and put his hair up in a half ponytail. "There. All done."

"Thanks, firecracker," Gladio replied.

(Y/n) stared at his back for a few seconds before pushing herself to her knees and wrapping her arms around his neck from behind. She leaned against his back, resting her head on top of his. She wasn't bothered that his hair was still wet. "I know I don't say it a lot, but...I love you, Gladio."

A warm smile blossomed on the shield's face at her gentle words. Because of their current position, he couldn't kiss her properly. Instead, he grabbed one of her hands and placed a kiss on top of it. "Love you too, (Y/n)."

She closed her eyes with a content smile. "Thank you for showing me what real love is."

•••••••••••END••••••••••••

This marks the end of the Four Horsemen series! I wanted to thank everyone who joined me on this journey and supported the stories. There is another FFXV reader insert series I will be doing. If you wish to ask questions about the next series, feel free to leave a comment or PM me! I hope some of you are looking forward to it! Love you all!!!
~✨Celestial✨~