> The Lost Prophecy of Equus
>  by AlphariusOmegon
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prologue
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

He sat in his throne room alone. Being alone wasn’t unfamiliar to him. Besides, after being “dead” for billions of years, he grew used to being alone in the cold darkness of the never-ending expanse of space. He was pondering to himself, filled with the thoughts of memories long past. The war, the violence, the bloodshed. He remembered it all too well.

His pondering was suddenly interrupted by the opening of the massive doors that led to the throne room. He instantly knew who it was, for no one dared to interrupt his pondering, not even his brothers. “My Emperor,” Abaddon said reverently, bowing on one knee and lowering his head. 

“Abaddon, what news do you bring?” the Emperor asked. 

“My lord, the fleet is ready to slip its moorings. The legions are ready to march. We only await your word.

The Emperor looked at his nephew. 

“Then this is my word,” the Emperor said, leaning forward on his throne. Abaddon lifted his head, awaiting the orders that his uncle would give him. The Emperor's eyes met Abaddon's with a piercing gaze. “We march.” Abaddon only rose and left the throne room, for he understood perfectly.

When Abaddon had departed, he felt the ship begin to move, free from its moorings like a beast freed from its chains. Its engines roared like a lion as the ship departed its dock. The Emperor leaned back on his throne and closed his eyes as he prepared to navigate the ship through the Astral Plane. He could hear the prayers of his people ringing in his ears. They prayed for the safety of his voyage. They prayed for the blessings of the gods. They prayed for vengeance against their ancient foe.

When the Emperor opened his eyes again, he found that the ship was already at its intended destination. He immediately rose from his throne and walked to the window. He couldn't believe it. It was still here. They were not too late.

"Praise Azur'rath..." he sighed in relief as other ships began to arrive, carrying the insignias of the Legions. Every flagship of every Legion was here at his request. He was happy to have his brothers by his side.

About thirty minutes later, his brothers and his chief advisors were standing before him in the ship's throne room.

"Brothers, kinsman, today we stand on the precipice of a conflict that will no doubt consume the universe. Our ancient foe plans to return once more to wreak havoc upon those who we took an oath to protect. Today, we have come to fulfill our oath once more. A new era has dawned..."

He turned to face the window again, looking at Equus.

"An era of war."
> I. A Day for Celebration
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight stirred. She was tired from doing her duties as Princess of Friendship, but she chose not to sleep in nonetheless. She sat up and looked at her alarm clock in her bedside drawer. "5:30, good! I got time to get ready for the day," She thought to herself. Usually, Twilight preferred to wake up on time, but today was a special day for Twilight. A very special day indeed.

Celestia was up bright and early as well. She knew this was the beginning of an important day as well. For a new era was dawning in Equestria on this day. An age of peace, and true harmony.

They both went through their normal morning routines but at a bit of an increased pace. Celestia had to prepare the palace and the city of Canterlot altogether. The preparations were for a massive festival that had not occurred in many, many millennia, and Twilight would be at the center of all of it. Twilight knew she had to get to Canterlot as fast as she could to not keep Celestia waiting. She figured her friends were already there. 

Twilight had assumed correctly, they were in Canterlot, but they were sleeping in a hotel room. Besides, they still had a few hours to sleep anyways. All snug in their beds. Except for Pinkie Pie. Pinkie was wide awake.

"I can't sleep! It's impossible to sleep! Not on a day like this! ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh! Can you believe it?! It's so exciting! I can't wait any longer! EEEEEEEEE-"

"PINKIE!" Applejack yelled, obviously annoyed at Pinkie's rambling, "Can you please go back to sleep for at least thirty more minutes? If you haven't noticed, we're trying to get some rest before the big day today."

"Well, that's why I'm excited! Today is a big day for Twilight! And I'm excited for- wait, what's happening again?"

Applejack sighed. Everyone was half awake at this point. Rainbow Dash had covered her head and ears with a pillow. Fluttershy was just waking up, groggy as a bear just coming out of hibernation. And Rarity? Even with earplugs and a sleeping mask on, she still was woken up by Pinkie.

"By Celestia, this is the eighth time I've had to explain this to you. OK, so, today is the beginning of a massive festival called the Coronation. It's a festival that hasn't happened since Celestia and Luna became princesses. Today is the first out of seventy days of this entire event, with different events planned every week. Today is one of the most important because Celestia and Luna's PARENTS are coming down from the Sun and Moon to give Twilight their blessing, and to stay on Equestria for the entirety of the seventy days of the festival. Then, once the seventy days have passed, Twilight will begin to go through a metamorphosis of sorts."

"Like a caterpillar making its cocoon and turning into a wonderful butterfly," Fluttershy added before she collapsed back onto her bed.

"Yes, thank you, Fluttershy. For ten days, Twilight will start to turn into a true Alicorn. The thing is, Twilight must not be disturbed during this time, otherwise, the whole process will fail and Twilight won't get another shot at this. After those ten days, Twilight will emerge on the balcony of the Palace. Then we'll get to see her raise the Sun on her own without any help for the first time."

"And that's it?" Pinkie asked.

"Yes, that's it. Of course, there's saying goodbye to Celestia and Luna but of course, that will be more of a personal event for us."

"Oh OK, I think I get it. Could you run that by me again?"

Everyone groaned simultaneously.


At the turning of the age, when a new Princess is crowned...


It was almost noon. The press had lined up for photos, guards had been stationed at areas of key importance. Every pony and creature was ready for the big announcement, except for Twilight. She was scared, more than she ever had been in her life up to this point.

"Now Twilight, there's no need to worry about anything right now." Celestia was speaking in a soothing tone to help try and calm Twilight down. Sadly, it wasn't working.

"ARE YOU KIDDING?! I AM WORRIED ABOUT EVERYTHING RIGHT NOW! I'M ABOUT TO MEET YOUR PARENTS WHO HAVEN'T BEEN SEEN IN... FOREVER!"

"Twilight, I too am anxious about seeing my parents again. Truly it has been a while since I last saw them in person, but trust me, they're lovely."

"THAT'S EASY FOR YOU TO SAY! THEY'RE YOUR PARENTS! THEY'VE KNOWN YOU FOR YOUR ENTIRE LIFE! THEY ARE THE MOST POWERFUL BEINGS IN ALL OF- of- wait, would it be this solar system?"

"Galaxy." Luna chimed in. Celestia shot her a look that clearly said "As much as I love you, you're not helping."

"Right, THIS ENTIRE CLOPPING GALAXY!" Celestia summoned a paper bag which Twilight started breathing into immediately.

"Relax Twilight. Just act natural. Be yourself."

"ARE YOU KIDDING, THEY ARE THE ONES WHO CREATED THIS ENTIRE WORLD. I AM BUT A NEEDLE IN A HAYSTACK COMPARED TO THEM! THEY PROBABLY THINK THAT I'M JUST SOME DUMB LITTLE FILLY ON A POWER TRIP!"

"They think quite highly of you," Luna said with a smile.

"Wait, really?" Twilight was dumbfounded.

"Of course!" Celestia said with a bit of a laugh. Twilight started to calm down.  "Remember how you sent letters to me about what you learned in friendship?"

"Yeah, those were key elements in the friendship lessons."

"Well, my sister and I have been writing letters to our parents explaining how far you've come. Ever since the beginning when you became my apprentice. They were overjoyed to hear about how you freed Luna from the darkness when you defeated Nightmare Moon. They've heard all about you and your adventures, fighting evil and always remaining true to the ways of friendship and harmony. We've even told them about your friends as well. Needless to say, they are quite impressed."

"Well, that helps at least." Twilight was still a bit anxious, but a little calmer. Still, she wanted this day to go perfectly. "But what if I say the wrong thing, what if I offend them, what if-"

"Twilight," Celestia took hold of Twilight's face with one hoof and aligned it with her own. "You. will. be. fine."

Twilight felt comforted by Celestia's kind words. She hugged Celestia as tears of joy dripped down her face. "Thank you," Twilight whispered through a whimper.

"You're welcome Twilight," Celestia hugged with one hoof back.

"Awwww, how cute." Rarity said, causing Twilight to jump in surprise.

"How long have you all been here?" Twilight asked in embarrassment. 

"We just got here!" Pinkie said. "I made you a congrats-you're-about-to-become-a-goddess cake for this celebration."

"WAIT I'M GOING TO BECOME A WHAT?!" Just like that, Twilight was back to panicking.

Just then, the clock struck noon and the Sun flared. Everyone looked up in amazement and wonder. No one had ever seen a solar flare before. The way the sun seemed to let loose and let its streams of sunlight dance around. It truly was a beautiful sight to see. One stream was bigger and brighter than the others and it was headed for Canterlot.

"Looks like dad is finally coming!" Celestia said excitedly.

"Don't forget about mom!" Luna nudged her sister playfully.

"Let's go see them, I'm SO EXCITED!" Pinkie was the first one out onto the courtyard.


When gods descend from the heavens to greet their next generation...


A chariot of fire pulled by four Pegasi, their manes like fire, their coats black as a solar eclipse. Wheels of pure gold turned with all haste. Upon the front of the chariot was a depiction of the Elements of Harmony and the royal seal of the Sun and Moon. The chariot touched down in the courtyard just as everyone entered. The ponies that stepped out of it were different. The first had fur as white as snow, his mane and tail were of the sun itself. He commanded a sense of authority, yet you could still feel the love within him. He made anyone who was around him feel warm and welcome. He was adorned in gold, much like Celestia, only with more gems depicting the elements and more armor. In the center was a depiction of the sun made of spessartite. He was an inch taller and a bit bigger than Celestia. The second had blue fur, a shade darker than Luna's, her mane and tail were colored streams of purple and blue. In her mane and tail, you could see stars and constellations, much more than you could see in Luna's. She commanded a sense of motherhood. Stern yet loving. She wore an outfit like Luna, but more mystical. Encrusted with Amethyst and an opal gem in the center.  She was but a little bit taller than Celestia.

One of the Pegasi stepped forward.

"Mares and Gentlecolts, I present to you, King Sol and Queen Stella. Father and mother of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Gods of Equus, and creators of Ponykind."

Celestia and Luna bowed before them. Twilight just stared in amazement.
> II. Secrets and Siblings
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight was amazed at their beauty. Sol and Stella were truly the gods of this world's creation. You could tell by their cutie marks. Sol's Cutie mark was almost identical to Celestia's, however, there were two differences. In the center of the Sun, there was a depiction of the Elements of Harmony. Below the Sun was a mini version of Equestria, orbiting the Sun. Star's cutie mark was the same, except it was a full moon instead of a Sun. The royals from other races bowed before them. Even the Griffons and Yaks, who are usually extremely stubborn and proud folk. Twilight was lost in thought completely. Then, Sol broke the silence that had so entranced everyone.

"My friends, and my children. I am honored with your reverence towards me, however, today is not about me, nor will the next seventy days be. Rather, they are about Twilight Sparkle." On these words, everyone cleared a path for Sol to approach Twilight. As Sol approached Twilight, she felt warmer and more like she was in a father's loving embrace. His radiance and glory were truly greater than what Twilight had felt around Celestia as a filly. She could feel his joy, and he could feel hers.

"So this is the Princess of Friendship I've heard so much about," Sol said, now looking directly at Twilight.

"Indeed father. She has performed many great works and done many services to Equus and its many creatures." Celestia was bowing. Twilight had never seen this before, her mentor, her teacher, bowing before someone else. And Twilight understood perfectly why.

"Very well, my daughter, then it is time for her to take the oath that you once took all those years ago."

"Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship. Do you solemnly swear to carry out the duties as ruler of Equestria?

Sol was using his Royal Canterlot voice, more powerful than Celestia's. It could be heard for miles, blowing away clouds and shaking mountains. Twilight was caught off guard by this, but she remained firm, nonetheless.

"I do!"

"Do you promise to rule justly and wisely, and to never let personal ambition blind your purpose?"

"I do!"

"Do you swear to live by and rule by the principles and virtues of Friendship and Harmony"

"I do!"

"Do you swear to keep the peace of Equestria, forever keeping the world in balance and ensuring that you will only use war as an absolute last resort?"

"I do!"

"And do you swear to guide Equestria in times of strife, and defend this world from all threats, internal and external?"

That last one caught Twilight off guard. What did Sol mean by external? She knew about threats within Equestria such as Chrysalis, Tirek, Sombra, and Cozy Glow. But to think that there was a danger beyond this planet, more so this galaxy was quite terrifying. But her answer was firm nonetheless.

"I DO!"

Everyone was shocked. Twilight had just used a Royal Canterlot voice! Ponies gasped in shock. Rarity fainted in shock. Pinkie Pie could barely contain her excitement. Fluttershy was a bit scared due to the fact she had never seen her friend this firm and determined before. Rainbow Dash went wide-eyed thinking that this was the (second) most awesome thing she had seen in her life. (First would be her first Sonic Rainboom.) Applejack's jaw dropped in sheer surprise. She had heard Twilight amplify her voice with magic before, but this was something completely different. It commanded authority and respect, wisdom and justice. Twilight was surprised that she had done this. Sol smiled when he heard. He knew this would happen. It had happened with Celestia and Luna when they took the oath. Now Twilight had done the same thing.

Very well. I hereby dub thee, Twilight Sparkle, PRINCESS AND GODDESS OF FRIENDSHIP!

Now everyone was even more shocked! Twilight, a goddess?! She knew the princesses were goddesses, but this, feeling for the first time that you're a literal god, was overwhelming. And it was because it was so overwhelming that she nearly passed out.

"Welcome to the Equestrian Pantheon, Twilight. You're one of us now."

The crowd cheered. Pinkie Pie went insane, bouncing around all over the place. Rarity fainted, again. Rainbow Dash's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. Fluttershy celebrated in her little way (cuz she's humble like that). Applejack let out a celebratory "YEE(and I cannot stress this enough)HAW!" Everyone felt it was truly the turn of age.

"Welcome to the family," Sol muttered to Twilight.

And then, Sol hugged Twilight. Twilight started to cry straight-up tears of joy. Almost like a fountain. Star also joined in on the hug, the feeling of happiness was amplified even moment. And then, it was cut short by a scream...

The sky darkened and thunderclouds raged. Lightning struck all around and every creature ran for cover, except for Sol, Star, Celestia, and Luna. Luna seemed joyful but Celestia seemed a little on edge at this.

“I was wondering when he would arrive. Welp, now we all are here.” Sol spoke with a half-smile on his face.

A black chariot descended from the sky. It was pulled by pale, skeleton ponies, clad in black armor with a single red eye made out of ruby and onyx in the center of their chest plates. Once the chariot landed, the lightning seemed to cease, but the thunderclouds were still there. The pony on the chariot was in a cloak. As he stepped out, he started to approach Sol. The royal guards jumped into defensive positions, but Sol’s guard seemed at ease. The cloak started to dissolve into bats. The full features of the pony were revealed. He was Luna’s size, his fur was as white as snow, and his mane and tail were long and black, as black as a night with no stars and moon. So were his wings, and oddly enough, so was his horn. He didn’t wear royal armor, but rather he wore a suit, a red tie, and golden buttons (of course he doesn’t have pants, get your damn mind out of the gutter). 

“Hello, father.” At these words, the clouds cleared.

“Ah, Nox, so glad to have you here. Always like to make an entrance don’t you.” Sol was being a bit snarky.

"Well, don't we all have our entrances? Besides, you put on quite the show with the solar flares."

"Well, I guess it just comes with the job."

And then, they both started laughing. Not in an evil laugh but rather a joyful one. Twilight was just straight-up confused at this point.

"It feels so good to be back on Equus." Nox said as he breathed in Equus's air for the first time in a millenia. "Yep, still smells like a massive flower garden." Nocturne paused and looked over to Luna.

"Lulu!"

"Noxie!"

They ran to each other and embraced.

"Oh, dear sister, it's been too long. How's your side of the dream realm?"

"Oh, busy as usual. At least I have you protecting the outskirts from the Dream Eaters"

"Actually, on that topic, there have been no Dream Eater sightings on the outer edges by the Gargoyles. I think they might have given up, or they flung too many of their kin at my forces that they're going extinct!"

"That's wonderful!"

"Not as wonderful as seeing you again."

Somehow this made Twilight feel at ease. Seeing kindness and compassion from what she would normally define as a monster who used dark magic. This was but one of many times Twilight would see light and darkness and light get along in the following months. Then Nox released his hug and looked over at Celestia.

"Tia," Nox said with a mischievous smile.

"Brother," Tia said with sternness. It was quite clear to Twilight that the relationship between Nox and Celestia was a bit shaky. "You didn't have to scare everyone with that show you put on."

Nox shrugged sarcastically. "What can I say? I'm quite the troublemaker."

Celestia frowned. "Still! You could have just ridden with father."

"I'm the Prince of Nightmares, it's my job to scare every creature."

Stella knew that this might blow over into another argument between the two and stepped in to diffuse the situation. "Tia, Nox, what did I say about differences?"

"Put them behind you and leave them behind you." They both answered simultaneously.

"Good. Now, while I do agree with Celestia that the scare factor was a bit unnecessary, I must also agree with Nox that it's in his nature. Maybe Nox could just limit it down to the bat cloak next time."

"Sorry, mom," Nocturne said embarrassed.

"It's okay my little bat. I don't blame you."

"Mooooooooom, don't call me that! It's embarrassing and we're in public."

Celestia snickered at her mother's remark.

"Oh, don't act like you're off the hook, sun-bun."

Celestia's face turned bright red at this remark. Luna started laughing, lost her balance because of it, fell over, and still kept laughing. Some in the audience snickered trying to hold back their laughter. even some of the royal guards found it funny. Nox was on the verge of laughing but knew if he did, he would get a sunbeam to face, and he didn't want to ruin his glorious mane.

“Alright, you’ve all had your fun,” Sol said with a chuckle. “You can all save your petty insults and name-calling for later. As playful as it is, I don’t want you two accidentally starting a civil war.”

“Are you kidding?! Celestia hasn’t blushed this much in AGES."

"Enough."

Nox shrunk in fear. "...ok."

"Creatures of Equus, without any more interruptions, LET THE FESTIVITIES BEGIN!'
> III. Memories of an Era Long Ago...
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


65 Days until Ascension


Twilight’s palace was the perfect place to tell stories, especially around the Cutie Map. Twilight, her friends, and the Royals all sat around the table. The Pillars were there as well at the request of Sol himself. Everyone brought their chairs.

“So, the patient finally woke up, his skeleton was missing, and the doctor was never heard from again!” Nox had just finished up his story. Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash burst out laughing. Everyone else was just plain confused.

“And that’s how I lost my medical license,” Nox said with a snicker.

"Wait, what?" Star Swirl and Twilight asked simultaneously.

"AAAAAAAaaaanyyyyyyway, moving on." Celestia said with the utmost haste. She did not like to dwell on this subject before everyone was driven mad over if Nox was an actual licensed doctor or an absolute mad stallion. And to make matters even worse, Fluttershy and Mage Meadowbrook were terrified at the thought of a patient waking up with their skeleton missing, let alone that's how someone lost their medical license.

"So, shall I also tell you about the time Celestia got drunk?"

Celestia's face turned fully red. "Brother, I thought we agreed that this topic would be buried for eternity."

"She got up on the table and did a Discord impression. She wasn't half bad."

"CEASE AND DESIST IMMEDIATELY!" Celestia's mane changed from its normal colors to that of fire. A beam of solar magic hit Nocturne flinging him straight into the wall

"I deserve that." Nox groaned in pain.

Twilight was shocked. Celestia had never been... angry-angry before. Sure, she may have gotten frustrated from time to time, but, this was a whole new level. Everyone except Luna, Stella, and Sol were surprised.

"By the Primordials, would you two stop fighting, FOR FIVE MINUTES?!" Sol was not happy. His mane also flared, but it wasn't as intense as Celestia's.

"Wait a minute. Who are the Primordials?" Twilight asked. "I swear I've heard the term in my studies but it's so faint in my memory."

Star Swirl was eager to respond. "The Primordials were beings of immense power who came into existence before the gods themselves. They are considered to be the creators of all magic. Some gods are shards of the Primordials, like Sol and Star."

"Well, if they were so powerful, why don't we recognize them?" Twilight summoned a quill, some ink, and a stack of paper. She was eager to learn about this new subject. Star Swirl smiled and thought to himself "She reminds me of me when I was younger."

"Well in that case," Sol said with a grin, "I guess it's time for my turn to tell a story." Sol's horn lit up and the room was enveloped in darkness





"In the beginning, there was nothing. The nothingiest nothing that never not existed."

"What?" Everyone was confused.

"Yes, I know that doesn't make sense, but hear me out. There was one thing, however, or should I say one creature. The Architect. The God of all Gods and all of existence. From what I've heard, He found the empty nothingness extremely boring, so he created the singularity."

A little orb of light appeared in the middle of the table.

"Then, this singularity started to expand with the force of what you would call a massive explosion."

The little orb of light exploded outwards throughout the entire room.

"This event came to be known as 'The Big Bang' because the explosion was so big, that technically, it's still happening. The universe is constantly expanding, and thus, new things come into existence every day."

"Awesoooooooome." Flash Magnus and Rainbow went wide-eyed at the explosion.

"It's like the universe's largest party cannon!" Pinkie said with joy. "But why did the Architect create the universe? Did He make the universe so he could make a children's TV show and sell merchandise for it?"

Everyone sat in silence.

"Moving on," Sol was damn confused. "The energy and magic from the massive explosion that gave birth to the energy used to form the stars and planets, however, there was still some leftover."

"So out of this leftover magic and energy came the Primordials?" Applejack asked.

"WOOOOOW. Give this mare a Ph.D. for crying out loud. Like that wasn't the most obvious thing that father was building up to." Nox was obviously being sarcastic. It was here that everyone noticed Nox was hanging from the dent in the wall like a bat. His mark was now in full view. It was a crescent moon with a brown bat flying around it. It had the same black patches as Luna's mark, but the moon was facing the opposite direction.

"Son, as much as I love you, you're NOT helping."

"Love you too, dad!" 

Sol was annoyed, but he knew that patience was a virtue. Otherwise, he would have gone insane many, many years ago.

"Back to the story. Yes, to answer Applejack's question in a less, snarky way, the Primordials were a result of the leftover magic and energy. Both of the Light and the Darkness. The Primordials, at first, were like beasts. They went around wrecking the place, devouring planets, stars, and sometimes even entire galaxies. The Architect decided that something had to be done about them. So, He created the first gods to deal with the problem. This conflict was known as the Divine-Primordial War. It shook the Universe to its very core and resulted in new planets, stars, and galaxies while also destroying others. The war ended after all the Primordials were either imprisoned within planets or outright destroyed. One such Primordial that was imprisoned was none other than what we know today as the Spirit of Harmony."

"Oooooooooh." The Pillars and the Mane Six said simultaneously. Nobody knew where the Spirit of Harmony had come from up to this point. Not even Star Swirl or Twilight who both tried to research it but came out empty hooved.

"Mum, as I like to call her, was bound to this very planet. It was around this time that she developed... how do I put this... some form of sentience, which would eventually develop into her consciousness. She recognized that this world was barren and lifeless, so she decided to do something about that. She decided to create the first generation of Equestrian gods. There was me, Stella, and..." Sol paused for a moment, considering his next words carefully. "...my brother, who has been gone for a very long time." Sol's words almost became a whisper. Twilight could see that Sol was going through some bad memories. Stella placed a hoof on his shoulder as he let out a sigh and continued. "It was through this shattering that the Elements were also created."

Twilight was a bit puzzled. "Then what about the other races? If it was only Equestrian gods, then where did the other races come from?"

Now it was Star's turn to explain. "After the Divine-Primordial War, the gods... didn't get along well. There were quite a few wars of rival gods battling each other for territory in the universe. It was nasty business. Lots of unnecessary death. The gods of the other species were refugees of those wars. Sol and I allowed them to come to this world in peace and create without them having to worry about their creation being destroyed."

"Like the Storm King and the hippogriffs?" Fluttershy asked.

"Yes! Exactly like the Storm King and the hippogriffs! Very astute observation Fluttershy."

Fluttershy smiled happily. It's not every day one is praised by a god.

"And that's everything about the creation of this world." The vision of the universe collapsed back into Sol's horn. The room became normal again.

Twilight was still a bit confused. "Wait, Lord Sol, didn't you say that the Primordials are both manifestations of Light and Darkness?"

"Yes, yes they are." Sol knew where this was going.

"Then those you described are the gods of light, are there gods of darkness as well?"

There was a long pause. Sol took a long breath in and sighed. His eyes dimmed, thinking of the one he was about to describe. "Yes. There was one. His name is-"

"Sheol." Everyone turned. It was Luna who had cut him off. Sol took no offense to being cut off like that. He knew this was a sensitive topic for Luna.

"He knows nothing of friendship. The only thing he takes joy in is making others suffer. He is cruel and unjust. He is a demon. A god of demons. He is the one who took advantage of my feelings and corrupted me to become Nightmare Moon. Before that, he plunged Equestria into an age of bloodshed. Millions died by his hand. Millions which I want to avenge. I still hear their screams. I still feel their pain. Not just those of this world, but others. Others share the same sentiment that I do. He murdered so many innocent lives. He killed entire families. HE TOOK EVERYTHING FROM ME!" Luna's rage was about to flow over. She looked like she was about to turn back into Nightmare Moon as an inky darkness enveloped the room. Sol stepped in and the inky darkness receded as Sol spoke.

"Luna, that's enough." Sol sighed. "You may leave the room if you wish. I will not stop you."

Luna galloped out of the room with tears in her eyes, tears that only Twilight saw.





The Emperor sat in his throne room on the ship, hearing calculations and preparations, aiding in that which was to be planned. Planning for every outcome. His brothers were reliable tacticians. Veterans of long wars and galactic conquests. And then, he felt something, something which caused him to shed a tear.

His brother, Magnus, could feel that something was wrong. Placing a hand on the Emperor's shoulder he asked, "Brother, are you alright? You seem very distraught about something."

The Emperor looked at his brother, Magnus.

"Even when I am so far from her, it feels as if we're so close. She weeps for me... and I weep for her."
> IV. ...in which Darkness reigned supreme
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


43 Days until Ascension


Twilight couldn't sleep. Tossing and turning side to side in constant thought. Not even the ultra-fluffy mattress she had in her room would help. She had so many questions, all running through her head like a stampede of angry Yaks. In fact, that's what she was dreaming about. As she was carried by the angry stampede she could hear the questions in her mind get louder and louder.

"What happened? What did Sheol take from Luna? Bloodshed and war? There's nothing in the history books, not even the most ancient records I could dig up. Everything just begins with the Windigos being defeated and then Celestia and Luna come to Equestria. Why is there nothing about Sol, Stella, the Primordials, and other stuff like that? I guess it could have been forgotten if it was that long ago, but even still, someone must have some knowledge about what happened. By the Sun this makes my head hurt." 

"Having trouble sleeping?" Stella asked as she stepped into Twilight's dream, swooping her up and landing on a soft and fluffy cloud with her.

"Queen Stella! Thanks for the assist."

"No problem. Honestly, I haven't done this in ages." She let out a little giggle before sighing, remembering when she managed dreams before Luna was born. "Anyways, you want answers, correct?"

Twilight nodded.

"Very well. It all happened ten billion years ago, a very long time before the Windigos came. Sheol had plans to conquer Equus and beyond. But first, he needed to rally an army and to do so he needed a massive victory to inspire demons to join him. Some lesser demons such as imps are easily persuaded by charisma, with promises of ascending to greater ranks and power. However, most demons, want a deed that proves that this is a leader they should follow."

"So, what did Sheol do?"

"First let me tell you a story, about how two races were united under one banner. During the Divine-Primordial war, there were two who were arch-enemies. Azur'rath, god of the Void, and Asgorath, Creator of Dragons. Near the end of this war, Azur'rath had managed to capture Asgorath and imprison him in a dimension known as the Astral Plane."

"The source of all magic and the space between the planes of existence!" Twilight blurted out. She covered her mouth with her hooves. "Forgive me, Queen Stella. I did not mean to-"

"It's alright Twilight. With your intellect and knowledge, I would expect you to know a little bit about what I'm describing."

Twilight blushed in embarrassment.

"Anyways." Stella resumed. "Asgorath was imprisoned in the Astral Plane. He became its guardian, making sure the fabric of reality was stable, and that no one tried to tamper with it. It was here that he created the first dragons, the Astral dragons. They have no wings but instead move with their minds, for the Astral Plane is a place of knowledge and willpower."

"Sounds lovely, although I would probably never leave if I went there." Twilight was fascinated that one had to use their minds to move instead of motion.

"Oh, trust me, I wouldn't either. It's quite beautiful, but back to the story. Among these first dragons, Asgorath created his children who would guide the dragon race in his stead. Bahamut, the Platinum Dragon of Order, and Tiamat, the Five-Headed Dragon of Chaos. However, things didn't go so well between them."

"Oh yeah! There was a massive civil war between the chromatic dragons and the metallic dragons. Ember mentioned this a few times, but I didn't think it was as bad as she described."

"Nope, it was worse, a LOT worse," Stella emphasized.

"Oh..." Twilight sheepishly looked at the ground.

"But let us not dwell on it. During the same time, Azur'rath tried to create a world for his species of mortals, but it collapsed in on itself and the debris shot off at the speed of light. To prevent any damage to others, Azur'rath created the Void, and he locked his failed creation in it. He was very sad to see this happen. It was after that he didn't try creating anything again for a time. He thought to himself that he would always fail at creating. Keep in mind, Azur'rath is a god of darkness, he's not evil, he's more attuned to destruction than he is to creation. He was a warrior, not a builder. He was created to fight in the Divine-Primordial war."

"I feel so bad for him. He could use a hug. I bet I could give him some confidence back."

"I bet you could." Stella chuckled. "Fortunately, you don't have to. It was one day a certain goddess was wandering through the Astral Plane when she came upon the gate to the Void. She is known as the Pale Mother by the Azur. She entered and found nothing, but large asteroids of pale rock scattered everywhere. It was here she found a lonely Azur'rath, sitting in the center of it all. She recognized that he was lonely and tried to cheer him up. Azur'rath turned her away, but she didn't give up so easily. Day after day she visited him, and eventually he started to have feelings for her. I think you know where this is going Twilight."

"Did they get married?" Twilight asked, although she already knew the answer.

"Yep, they got married. It was after their marriage that the Azur were created. Immortal beings who live in the Void. They also had direct children who are known as the 'Four Patrons'. They also had a fifth child known as Arwen. Now, the four patrons did not like to share power, they wanted to be the favorite child and have power over the others. This started what is now known as 'The Great Game' in which tribes devoted to one of the four patrons fought in a civil war with each other. A four-way civil war between the Azur."

"So, we have two civil wars going on, one with the dragons, and one with the Azur. I don't see how this adds up."

"Trust me," Stella assured Twilight, "This is where it gets good. Arwen was walking through the mortal plane, wanting to stay out of her brothers' conflicts. She had a preferred spot where she liked to rest and relax. A planet is known as Veldor. Most of the world was a giant forest with mountains that cut through it. Upon these mountains lived blood-thirsty trolls, however, Arwen didn't know of this. All she knew about the planet is that there was a young, yet strong monk who was followed by seven golden canaries with who she had a bit of a romantic relationship. One day Arwen was walking to meet him when she was attacked by the trolls!"

Twilight let out a small yelp. She was scared for Arwen. Something about Stella telling this to her made it feel like she was a filly all over again and her brother was reading her bedtime stories about heroes, princesses, and evil monsters. 

"Fortunately, the monk heard the screams and came to save her, it was here the identity of the monk was finally made known to Arwen. It was Bahamut, and the seven golden canaries were his gold dragon bodyguards! They finished off the trolls within seconds. Arwen was truly thankful and now she finally knew who her lover was. Bahamut never wanted to disturb anyone with his true appearance, so he took on the form of a human with eyes as blue as sapphire and glorious platinum hair. Then they got married in secret, for they knew that if their fathers found out, there would be bloodshed."

"Did Asgorath and Azur'rath find out?" Twilight was eager, she wanted to hear the rest of the story. She was scared for these two lovers, who had parents who hated one another. Just like that one book she read. However, she couldn't recall the title.

"Well, a few months later, Arwen got pregnant, and then she disappeared for a while. She was in the Astral Plane fearing for her life and her father's. Azur'rath sent out his minions or 'Void-spawn' to find her. One of these Void-spawn saw Arwen and Bahamut with Asgorath! She was in labor, about to give birth. Asgorath had already spoken on the matter of the marriage. He was okay with it, but when Azur'rath heard the news from his minions, he let out a screech of rage that echoes in the Astral Plane to this day. Arwen knew the jig was up. Bahamut and Azur'rath took up defensive positions to guard Arwen and the baby. Azur'rath charged through the Astral Plane, with the intent of killing both Asgorath and Bahamut. Azur'rath finally made it to Asgorath's cave"

"Please don't say they died!" Twilight was on the verge of tears.

"No, no creature died." Twilight breathed a sigh of relief at Stella's words. "Instead, the first Emperor was born! Azur'rath was about attack Azgorath and Bahamut when he heard the cries of his grandson. And then, he saw him. An Azur with four platinum horns and four wings. His scales were of black obsidian, and his eyes were purple He morphed in-between hybrid and full dragon form erratically, finally settling upon a hybrid form. Azur'rath saw potential in the child, and he saw the salvation of both species. Asgorath and Azur'rath put aside their differences and blessed their grandson, who Arwen and Bahamut had named 'Imperator'. Azur'rath allowed Arwen to stay with Asgorath until her child was fully grown, for he knew exactly what this child would do. A hundred years later, this child had become a mighty warrior. He had already brought down Tiamat, winning the civil war of the dragons and forcing them to reconcile their differences. And then, with an army of unified dragons at his back, he proceeded to conquer the four brothers and beat them at their own game! Thus, he was declared: God-Emperor of the Azur and Dragon-King. He soon took a wife for himself and had a daughter, who was his heir to the throne, and nineteen sons, who were to serve as his generals and closest advisors. All was well, but then, disaster struck..."

Twilight shivered as a chill ran down her spine.

"Sheol somehow entered the Void, killed Imperator, killed his wife, killed his daughter and one of his sons, and burnt the Obsidian City to the ground. That's how he gained the reputation required to raise an army."

Twilight was shocked. How? How could some creature bring themselves to kill a great hero?

"But all was not lost, for you see, Imperator had become good friends with Sol and I. When his sons escaped to us and told us what had happened, we were truly distraught. They also told us that Equus was Sheol's next target and that we should prepare for war. But what was truly shocking, was that they said, that in the Emperor's dying moments, he gave his soul and his power, to his youngest son. His name is Vindicatus. This child became the next Emperor, and he swore vengeance against Sheol. The war that followed was long and bloody, but, in the end, we won. But not without great sacrifice. Void sacrificed himself to banish Sheol to Limbo."

A sudden realization dawned on Twilight. "Wait, are you saying that Sheol is the Pony of Shadows?!"

"Yes, he is when he is not in his true form. He merely used Stygian as a conduit to wreak havoc once more. Possessing Stygian at his weakest, promising revenge against the Pillars for banishing him."

"I knew there was something more to it than just hatred and anger. No pony could grow that powerful on anger and hatred alone."

"Indeed." Stella sighed. "That is where the story ends."

"But what about Luna?"

Stella froze. A grim expression came over her face. "I am not at liberty to discuss it without her permission."

"But-" Twilight was cut off by Stella.

"No more questions. Besides, it's quite late, you better get some sleep. Oh, and before I go, tell no one of the knowledge I have granted you. It must remain a secret." Stella then disappeared without warning.

Twilight was confused but she didn't want to defy Stella's orders. Stella was gone however, she sensed another presence, but she shrugged it off as her mind laid tricks on her. Little did she know that someone was watching. A massive bipedal creature about eight feet tall, adorned in a golden breastplate decorated with numerous runes and symbols from which two horns protruded from both sides of the front of the breastplate, blue leg pieces with what seemed to be adorned with golden scarabs, and a belt with a buckle in the shape of an eye. He held a staff, powerful and ancient. His skin was as black as night, the feathers of his wings were colored red but blue near the bottom which gave off to completely blue the farther you went down his wings, and his hair was like a lion's mane, scarlet red. Two horns protruded from his head, and upon his forehead sat a crown adorned with a ruby in the shape of an eye in the center. He only had one eye, for his right had been lost long ago.

"So, this is the one the prophecy speaks of. Very well, bother. I trust your judgment on this one."
> V. Chance Encounters
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

As much as Sunburst wanted to attend the ascension of Twilight Sparkle, he had other things on his plate. Specifically, he had been dying to try out a new magical experiment involving dimensional doorways and location magic. He wanted to see if he could teleport to someone by projecting himself through the Astral Plane and exiting at that person's exact location. Of course, this certain person that he wanted to teleport to was Starlight.

Sunburst began the process of preparing the doorway, setting the proper protection spells in the case that something went wrong. He began by casting an astral projection spell upon himself, sending his consciousness to the Astral Plane. He had been here many times before on a few scout outings.

He found wandering to his intended destination, or what he thought was his intended destination. Truth was, he was completely lost. "Oh... dammit," he exclaimed while mentally punching himself. Poor Sunburst. One does not want to get lost in the Astral Plane. Otherwise, their consciousness could be lost there forever, never to return to one's body. 

Just when he thought that all hope was lost, he found something.

"Starlight? No. This is... far more powerful. Ancient... massive... more than one of them... what could-

Sunburst found himself back on Equus. In the Astral Plane, one moves not through motion but willpower. His focus on the anomaly had caused him to exit the Astral Plane at its location, well, a few yards away at least. 

He laid his eyes upon two, massive alien giants. Their skin was as black as night, their armor certainly not of this world. One was clad in black armor trimmed with ornate gold. The right pauldron was a color like cold steel, with the insignia of a wolf's head painted upon it. A cloak of grey fur hung from its back. The giant had features like it were a hybrid between its kin and a wolf, hair so... fluffy. Its hair had been tied back into a ponytail, but even then, its hair stretched down to its face. Sunburst could make out fangs in the giant's mouth behind its white beard. This giant carried what Sunburst could only make out to be a massive greatsword. Etched in the sword's blade were runes of some ancient language that he did not understand.

The other giant was clad in gold-like armor, although its black skin was significantly more exposed. Magical gems power and mystery were set upon the other giant's chest, while another gem in the shape of an eye adorned its waist. The legs of the giant were only covered in the front, possibly to allow for more mobility. The image of a golden scarab was beset into the lower legs of the armor. Its feet were that of a hippogriff's claws. This giant had two horns like tusks jutting out of its head. It wore a cape of black fur and upon its back were wings of red and blue feathers. Its hair was a deep crimson red. It carried a staff made of what seemed to be gold. The top of the staff was shaped like a scimitar burning with a blue flame.

The two giants were speaking to each other, sitting around a campfire. Sunburst moved in closer and cloaked himself as a bush so that he could eavesdrop. He was surprised when he heard them speaking in the common tongue.

"Magnus," the first giant said to the other, "why am I here? You're the one who always goes sticking your nose in 'magical places' and whatnot."

The second giant looked at the first, clearly trying not to be offended. "Well, Leman, you're the expert in winter warfare, and the farther north we go, the chillier it gets. You're here to make sure I don't freeze to death," Magnus shrugged.

Leman was obviously offended at Magnus's remark. He had more uses than just "fighting in the cold" as Magnus put it. He was the Emperor's executioner for Azur'rath's sake! "Brother, you know Vindicatus wouldn't put us together with a reason like that. I think I'm supposed to keep you from getting distracted."

"That or this is his idea of family bonding," Magnus sighed. It was clear the two were not on the best of terms. He surveyed the massive crystal tower in the distance. "I'll say, the Crystal Empire is quite similar to the Impossible Fortress, without all of the mind-bending insanity of course."

"On that, we agree, brother. It is quite pretty." Leman remarked while taking a bite of some unknown meat that Sunburst had never seen before. Clearly, Leman had roasted it over the open campfire. "So... this naturally born Alicorn-"

"Flurry Heart. She has a name you know." Magnus interrupted. "From what we have heard from our operatives, she is the first naturally-born Alicorn."

Leman was puzzled. "But what about Celestia and Luna? And Nox for that matter."

"Both of their parents are gods," Magnus answered, "Flurry Heart's father is a mortal unicorn. That's what makes this all the more intriguing."

"And Vindicatus wants us to verify it."

"Precisely," Magnus affirmed. He sat back down at the campfire, resting his staff on his shoulder. Sunburst could now see that Magnus was missing his right eye. Based on the chatter that he had seen between the two brothers and their relationship, Sunburst assumed that Leman had something to do with it.

"Brother... do you smell something?" Leman asked. His nose could pick up any scent from a mile away.

"Aside from the meadow before us and the smoke of the campfire? No. What is it? Meat? Wolves? A tennis ball?" Magnus chuckled to himself. Leman rolled his eyes.

"Brother, I'm serious. It smells like... a pony... we're being watched!" Leman stood up immediately and drew his sword, readying himself for combat. Magnus could tell from Leman's expression that he was being serious. He stood up with staff in hand. The blue flames emanating from the staff intensified. Sunburst panicked, causing his illusion to flicker slightly.

"Well brother, I assume our conversation is no longer private. In fact..." With a snap of his fingers, Magnus cast a bolt of lightning that shattered Sunburst's illusion. Leman immediately ran at Sunburst, pinning him down and holding his sword to his neck before Sunburst even had the chance to gallop away.

"Alrighty, you fucking eavesdropper! Why are you here and who are you working for?!" Leman bared his fangs at Sunburst, whose life flashed before his eyes. Magnus stood beside Leman and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Relax, brother, he's not a threat. Although he reeks of the Astral Plane. A magical experiment gone wrong I assume."

"Well, we can't just allow him to leave! He could jeopardize the mission!"

"Leman, he's just a pony. Besides, it's not like anyone would believe him anyway." Leman loosed his grip on Sunburst. Sunburst didn't try to run, paralyzed with both fear and wonder. The two god-like beings he stood before were both fascinating and terrifying. He didn't know what to say, or if he should say anything at all should he offend them in some way.

"Fine," Leman sighed, "let's just get on with what we need to do before we encounter any more... distractions."

"Agreed." Magnus snapped his fingers and, in an instant, the two were gone. The only thing that remained was the smoldering remains of a campfire. 

Sunburst had questions... so many questions.





Magnus and Leman moved through the halls of the Crystal Palace as stealthily as they could, avoiding the guards in order not to cause a provocation. Magnus used cloaking spells on Leman and himself, while Leman's powerful sense of smell could detect any guards that may have come their way. The last thing Magnus wanted was a diplomatic incident between the Crystal Empire and the Azur. Leman didn't give much of a shit.

The two reached what they had been looking for: Flurry Heart's room. Magnus carefully opened the door while Leman covered his back, making sure no one was coming. The two then entered the room and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Well, that's the hard part over with," Magnus said as he locked the door, wanting to buy themselves as much time as possible in the case of someone discovering their presence. Leman moved over to the crib containing Flurry Heart, examining the sleeping filly.

Leman chuckled to himself. "D'aww. She's adorable! All of this trouble for one little filly?"

"She's not just one little filly, Leman," Magnus sighed as he moved over to examine Flurry Heart. When Magnus saw her for the first time, he could not help but be just a little bit shocked. The rumors were true. "By the gods... Void's visions were correct."

"Aren't they all?" Leman crossed his arms and tilted his head at Magnus.

Magnus facepalmed himself. "Leman, it doesn't hurt to verify. Besides, now that we've seen this wonderful sight for ourselves, we can relay the information back to Void. I'll send him a message."

Magnus put himself into a trance, sending a psychic message to Void back on the ship. As Magnus worked his magic, Leman bent down to get a closer look at the little filly. Leman could not help but just gawk over her. She was the cutest thing he had ever seen. And then... she started to wake up. She stared at the massive face above her, not in fear, but awe. Leman gave her a gentle smile. She smiled back. Leman covered his face and began to play peekaboo with her. She giggled and reached up to touch Leman's bushy beard. Leman was patient enough to let her play with it. To Flurry Heart, Leman's beard was softer than any blanket her parents could give her.

Magnus finished his message and turned back to see Leman playing with Flurry Heart. "LEMAN... WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?!" he shouted in a whisper. Flurry Heart had made a nest in Leman's hair at this point.

"Language, brother! She's the one who woke herself up. Besides, I think she likes me!"

"Leman, this is going to cause a diplomatic incident! Put that child back in her crib!"

"Magnus, I don't think she's going back willingly."

Magnus snapped his fingers, levitating Flurry Heart into the air and bringing her towards him. Flurry Heart frowned and stuck her tongue out at him.

"Don't give me that lip, child! Back to bed, you go." Flurry only crossed her hooves in protest.

"Magnus, you are not good with kids," Leman sighed.

"Then what do you suggest we do, Mr. Child Expert?!" Magnus no longer cared about how loud he was.

"Give her to me, Magnus, I can take care of her." Leman took Flurry Heart in his arms cradled her. Flurry was happy to be with Leman again. Leman only smiled and began to rock her to sleep as he sang an old Fenrisian lullaby.


"The sky is dark and the hills are white
As the storm-king speeds from the north to-night,
And this is the song the storm-king sings,
As over the world his cloak he flings:
"Sleep, sleep, little one, sleep;"
He rustles his wings and gruffly sings:
"Sleep, little one, sleep."
On yonder mountain-side a vine
Clings at the foot of a mother pine;
The tree bends over the trembling thing,
And only the vine can hear her sing:
"Sleep, sleep, little one, sleep;
What shall you fear when I am here?
Sleep, little one, sleep."
The king may sing in his bitter flight,
The tree may croon to the vine to-night,
But the little snowflake at my breast
Liketh the song I sing the best,—
Sleep, sleep, little one, sleep;
Weary thou art, anext my heart
Sleep, little one, sleep."


As Leman sang, Flurry Heart's eyes began to droop, her playfulness giving way to fatigue. She fell asleep in Leman's arms as he placed her back in her crib. Flurry Heart was fast asleep with a smile on her face. Magnus scoffed quietly as Leman smiled to himself. The silence between the two brothers was then shattered by a very pissed-off Princess Cadence and Shining Armor. Shining had busted down the door as Cadence cast a flurry of spells at the two brothers.

"GET YOUR HOOVES OFF MY DAUGHTER!"

"ALRIGHT, TIME TO GO!" Magnus grabbed Leman and teleported out of Flurry Heart's room, who was still fast asleep.





"What... the fuck... were you two thinking?!" Vindicatus, God Emperor of the Azur, slammed his fist on the projector table, causing it to glitch.

"Leman was the one who woke her up!"

"Magnus was the one who wanted to stay and observe her for a little longer! I wouldn't be surprised if he wanted to 'take a sample'!"

"ENOUGH! You are both at fault here!" Vindicatus yelled with the fury of a god. Leman and Magnus shut up for fear of further angering their brother.

"I only asked you to confirm what I had seen in my visions. Nothing more, nothing less," Vindicatus sighed. "Now we have to worry about a diplomatic incident which I will have to explain."

Magnus and Leman kneeled, bowing their heads in shame. "We're sorry, brother," Leman said with remorse in his voice. "This won't happen again," Magnus assured Vindicatus.

"No," Vindicatus said sternly, "It won't. You two are suspended from any and all operations until further notice. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, my Emperor," both brothers said simultaneously.

Vindicatus sighed with frustration. "You are both dismissed."
> VI. Dreams
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight stood outside of her bedroom in her palace. She took a deep breath. She knew, once she fell asleep, there was no turning back. Everyone was silent. Not a single soul would utter a whisper. She breathed again, it was time. Two guards opened the doors, she trotted in, and the doors were closed. No one cheered. No one sang. There was only silence. She looked at her bed, she could feel fate drawing her to it. She got into bed and closed her eyes. She instantly fell asleep. The crowd departed in silence.





Twilight found herself alone, floating in what seemed to be a place of infinite darkness. She could tell this was only a dream, but it was different from any other dream that she had. She felt that her mind was empty, devoid of any thoughts or feelings that would usually contribute to her dreams.

"Okaaayyyyy... this is weird..." Twilight said in worry. "Maybe it's a side-effect of my ascension? Yeah... that has to be it..."

She started to wander a little, navigating the infinite expanse, hoping to find someone or something. All she found was even more darkness. She sighed and sat down, contemplating what to do next. For the first time in her life, she was truly and completely alone. There was just, nothing. But then, she heard something. It sounded like a mare who was crying.

"Hello?" Twilight shouted into the darkness. "Are you okay? Don't worry, I'm coming to help you. Just stay where you are."

Twilight started galloping towards where the crying was coming from. As she got closer, the crying seemed to intensify into wailing. Twilight was no doubt disturbed at this. She hesitated to go any further, but she knew someone might be in trouble, or worse. Her instincts overcame her hesitation and she galloped at all speed. As Twilight galloped towards the crying mare, she could start to make out a figure in the distance. A blue mane that sparkled with the stars, and a blue coat of fur, with black spots on her flank that surrounded her cutie mark: a crescent moon. Luna.

Twilight slowed her pace when she realized who she was galloping towards. "Princess Luna, are you okay? What's wrong?"

Luna said nothing, instead, she continued to cry. Twilight noticed that in front of Luna was an orb of purple light. She seemed attracted by this orb. It seemed to be, drawing her in. As Twilight moved closer, the image of Luna faded away, and only the orb was left. Twilight felt as if this strange orb was extremely ancient as if it was waiting for something. Or someone, some-pony. Then it dawned on Twilight. The orb was waiting for her.

The moment she came to this realization the orb was opened. The orb was an eye. A dragon's eye. It started to draw Twilight in with the force of a black hole. Twilight tried to resist but the force was too much for her. She was pulled in and found herself falling...





Twilight woke to find herself in what seemed to be Ponyville. She still remembered her fall when the eye sucked her in with the force of a black hole. She could feel that this was not an ordinary dream. This wasn't even a nightmare. This was different. As she looked around she noticed that there was no grass. The earth itself was a deep scarlet red. Buildings seemed burnt to a crisp. The smoke completely choked the air, and the sky was completely blotted out by black clouds of ash. There was a crack in the earth that seemed to go down for miles, all the way to lava.

"What happened here... Is this some sort of an alternate reality?"

It was then that she noticed some sort of creature. She couldn't get a good look at it, but she could see that it stood on what seemed to be two hind legs and that its skin was red. It had an elongated head from which two horns curved forward. It seemed to be clothed in some sort of black armor. It was leaning over something, something that Twilight couldn't make out.

Twilight approached the creature. As she got closer, she smelled a stench coming off the creature. It smelled of sulfur, like the dragon lands, but a lot more poignant. She could feel a dark aura surrounding this creature like something wasn't right like its existence offended reality itself. Nevertheless, she decided to introduce herself to it.

"Hello, my name is Twilight Sparkle! What's youuuuurrrrrsssss..."

The creature turned around. Its eyes were like brimstone and its face was monstrous. Its teeth were like iron daggers, and its mouth filled with blood. She could instantly tell what this thing was: a demon. And it was devouring the corpse of a brown mare. Specifically a unicorn.

Twilight was revolted and terrified. As she screamed, the demon pounced at her. Its eyes filled with murderous intent. As the demon leaped towards Twilight, a black sword with a blade surrounded by purple fire sliced through it. It passed through Twilight as if she were only a ghost, cutting the demon's head off in one fell swoop. Twilight put the pieces together right there and then.

"This...this is a vision of the past... isn't it?"

Twilight looked behind her, and she saw a massive, towering figure. His armor was black, adorned with some sort of purple gems. She could tell it wasn't amethyst, but rather something that was completely undiscovered, and much more magical. Upon the shoulders of his armor were carved heads of dragons. His black cape was adorned with a symbol of a five-headed dragon guarding a star, all outlined in platinum thread. He was a dragon, with four wings and four platinum horns. Much bigger than others, he dwarfed the size of normal dragons by far. His eyes shone with a purple hue, and a gaze so infinite, yet consumed with grief and rage.

"Is this... the Emperor?"

Twilight stepped aside so she could watch the memory play out. She saw Vindicatus kneel beside the slaughtered mare, planting his sword on the ground. He seemed moved, but not shocked. How could he be? He had seen this kind of slaughter many times. He knew the sorrows of war and bloodshed.

"Vindicatus." A voice said. Twilight spun around to see who it was. It was Celestia, adorned in golden armor, carrying a golden pike radiating with the energies of the day. Beside her was Luna, adorned in blue armor, carrying a sword that radiated with the energies of the night. "We must keep moving. Ponyville has been destroyed. There is nothing for us here. We're pushing the demons back to the Tartarus gate. Soon we will overwhelm them, and finally, banish Sheol back to the pits where he belongs."

"No. We make camp here and stay the night. There might be survivors, and the troops are becoming fatigued." Vindicatus retorted.

"He does have a point, sister," Luna said, agreeing with Vindicatus. "We could all use a break. Besides, survivors could join our ranks. All the more hooves to drive Sheol back to Tartarus."

Celestia gave a small huff, but she relented. "Fine."

Twilight was confused. How? How could Celestia just disregard the welfare of her soldiers, let alone her people? This wasn't the Celestia she knew as a mentor. And yet, she could feel that this actually happened.

Time sped forward. Twilight found herself at the top of a cliff. Looking down at the surrounding field. It was a slaughter. Demons of all forms, shapes, and sizes, clashed with the armies of Equus. She saw Celestia below, mowing down the demons with her pike. Swing after swing, she lobbed off the heads of many a demon, a pile of corpses gathering at her hooves. She took joy in the slaughter of those who would hurt her kin. Twilight found it disturbing, and yet, she felt that these creatures, these unholy abominations, these twisted things birthed from pits in the lowest planes of existence, deserved it.

Twilight then found herself in a medical tent. Behind the lines of battle, those who were wounded were being treated and helped. Both Azur and Pony alike were there, both wounded and treating those who were wounded. She found Vindicatus there as well. Conversing with those who were wounded and giving them comfort. He was happy and joyous, using his magic to heal instead of harm. No creature seemed intimidated by him, they only took comfort in his presence. Vindicatus was kneeling beside the bed of a wounded Pegasus. One of his wings was completely gone, he had cuts and bruises all over his body. Twilight was undoubtedly disturbed at the sight.

"Lord Vindicatus, thank you for carrying me here. That demon got me pretty good. I'll admit, if it weren't for you, I probably would have been dead. Thanks to you I'll live another day. Maybe they might send me home due to my injuries."

"You need not thank me. I'm just doing what I can for others. A good ruler must always protect his people. Otherwise, they will abandon him and leave him for dead." He paused for a moment. "Tell me, why do you fight for Equus? And don't tell me for the fate of the universe and everyone in it. Trust me, I've heard that more than enough."

The Pegasus paused, contemplating his answer. "I fight for my family. They're a long way from here in Manehattan, but I think of them every day. I would gladly give my life for my wife and daughter. That's something you can surely share a sentiment with. You being a father and all."

Vindicatus nodded. "Indeed. Truly a noble cause. It is a shame so many families have been ripped apart in this war."

"No to be insensitive, lord Vindicatus, but even yours." The Pegasus added.

Void closed his eyes and sighed. "Yes, even mine."

"You must be thankful for Luna's support through these dark times. She has been a beacon of hope through these dark times. I wish I could say the same for Celestia though."

"She is a beacon of hope in her own right. A beacon for warriors, honor, and glory. Even though I may not agree with her sometimes, she still trained me. Without her, I probably wouldn't be what I am today."

"Amen to that, lord Vindicatus." The Pegasus said.

The vision then shifted again, and Twilight found herself in the middle of battle.

It was a slaughter, Ponies, Azur, and demons dying left and right. Twilight ran frantically trying to get out, but she only found herself drawn right back in. She saw the horror and the gore. The heads of decapitated ponies mounted on demon pikes, bodies ripped in half in pools of blood and entrails. The smell of rotting corpses made Twilight gag. She tried to hold back from vomiting as best as she could but to no avail.

"This is horrible! How could a world so peaceful once be so violent? Why were these events not written in our history?" Twilight thought to herself.

A roar sounded from above, powerful and commanding. Twilight looked up in fear. She saw the former Dragon Lord, Torch, covered in steel armor, along with an entire army of dragons who carried weapons. They started to descend upon the demon hordes. Twilight could hear shouting orders at the demons. A tall figure stood among them. One of the captains of the demon army.

"STEADY, STEADY, FIRE!"

A volley of some sort of projectile fired from the bio-organic weapons of the demons. Black crystals soared through the sky with unholy grace. They were made to pierce the scales of dragons. Torch, now realizing what the demons were doing, spread his wings to shield the rest of the dragons from the arrows. The crystals tore through Torch's wings, but he seemed undeterred. He let out a roar as he plunged into the demons, his fire breath making short work of them. He landed and started to fight the demons, crushing hundreds under his feet and killing more with his talons. Some he devoured with his gaping maw, crushing them between his teeth.

As Torch started to rip and tear through the hordes of demons, a new wave of ponies, led by Celestia, Luna, Nox, Sol, and Stella, charged into the demon lines. Celestia herself and her battalion joined in on the dragon's slaughter. Luna's battalion of Ponies moved to the east for an encircling movement to cut off the demons' reinforcements should they call for help. Sol joined Celestia, their weapons flashing with magical energy and cutting down their foes. Their martial prowess was unmatched. Stella and Nox provided support from above, using the power and light of the stars to rain holy fire upon the demons, sending them shrieking in confusion and terror.

And then, the ground erupted. Chunks of earth flew into the air and stayed in place. Some flew higher than others. A column of lava and earth was now in the center of the battlefield. The biggest one flew above the clouds, with two figures on it, Void and Sheol. Twilight flew up to see what would happen.

It was quiet above the clouds. A disturbing, yet peaceful quiet. She couldn't hear the battle below, yet she felt that it still raged on.

Vindicatus stood on one side, sword in hand. He was wounded badly. One of his wings had been torn off. Cuts and wounds adorned his body. His armor was beaten up and sliced open in some areas. Yet even through all the pain, he was still determined. Void's wounds seemed to heal right there and then. His body had stopped bleeding profusely, but his armor was still damaged, and his upper-left wing was still gone.

Across from Vindicatus, Sheol stood, his wounds healing in a matter of seconds. And it was now that Twilight beheld Sheol's physical form. It was similar to the Pony of Shadows but more physical, and darker. His mane and tail were that of hellfire, and his armor was made of brimstone. And his eyes, his eyes were of pure light, but the light they emanated was a pale and sickly glow.

"So, it's just you and me now. Just like you wanted." Vindicatus said with a smile and a mocking shrug.

"No tricks or aid shall save you this time Vindicatus. I've made sure of that." 

"Oh, don't worry. I know this fight is ours alone to fight."

"You foresaw it, didn't you? I am not blind to your gift of foresight. Well then, perhaps you'll be able to foresee THIS!" Sheol charged and swung his scythe at Vindicatus, who was able to block the blow with his sword. The two were now locked together in fierce combat, seeing who would be able to land the first blow. An intricate dance of death ensued. Every clash of the sword, every step taken, every attempt to wound the foe was like a waltz. 

"Why do you point out my gifts? Is it because you're afraid of me? I've made quite a reputation for myself in Hell." Vindicatus said as he parried another strike from Sheol's sword.

"The names they give you have fallen on my ears. Anathema-Child, Hells Bane, Angel of Vengeance, but these names do not trouble me. I know I am above you. It is me that they should fear." Sheol kicked away and landed a few feet away from Void. Void raised his sword in anticipation of Sheol's next attack. Twilight could tell that Vindicatus was playing defensively, waiting for an opportunity to take advantage of Sheol's aggressiveness and end the fight with one single blow.

What happened next, was not what Twilight was expecting.

Sheol charged at Vindicatus, scythe raised in anticipation. A dark grin spread across Sheol's face. Vindicatus simply smiled and charged. Twilight closed her eyes. She couldn't take seeing any more death and gore than she already had.

SCHKK

Twilight opened her eyes. She saw Void impaled by Sheol's scythe, but Sheol was also impaled by Vindicatus's sword, its flame dying out. Sheol had an expression of shock on his face. Vindicatus was simply smiling through the pain.

"You... knew... this... would happen *cough* didn't you?"

"Yes I did."

The ground around the two crumbled and they started to fall. Twilight caught herself from falling with her wings. The pillar of lava collapsed back into the earth, along with the chunks of earth. The battle below had stopped entirely. Both sides looked up in horror as their leaders were falling right into hell with massive wounds through their chests. At that moment, demons, Pony, and Azur knew that the war was over. The demons fled through the pit/portal that was now emerging in a desperate attempt to flee. Now that their leader was dead, they knew that they would all be slaughtered if they didn't run back to Hell. One shriek sounded above the rest. Luna. She was emotionally destroyed by this, and she would be for years to come.

Twilight flew next to Vindicatus as he fell. Sol and Celestia were holding Luna back as she desperately tried to fly after Vindicatus. The tears in her eyes were unbearable to watch.

"NO! I WILL NOT LET HIM GO! PLEASE LET ME GO AFTER HIM!" Luna shrieked.

"LUNA ENOUGH! THE ENTIRE VALLEY IS COLLAPSING! WE NEED TO GET EVERYONE OUT, NOW!" Sol yelled.

As Void fell through the portal it closed up entirely. Luna collapsed wailing and shrieking. Celestia and Sol were shedding tears as they tried to control their emotions. Stella cried, but not as much as Luna. Nox, just stood there, paralyzed by pure shock and grief.

As Twilight looked upon the scene of sorrow, she saw a peculiar figure out of the corner of her eye. He was hooded and robed in black, and he seemed to absorb the vision as it collapsed. There was no orb now, for the figure now stood in its place.

"Twilight..." the figure whispered. It started to approach her. She stepped back a little, now seeing that the figure was much taller than she was.

"Do not be afraid, Twilight." The figure said in a calming tone. "I am not here to harm you."

"Who are you?" Twilight asked nervously.

The figure took off his hood. Twilight couldn't believe it when she saw him.

"I am the one who you saw falling. The one who sacrificed his life for this world." Vindicatus said.

"But I thought you-"

"Regeneration."

"Of your entire body?!"

"Yes."

"That shouldn't be possible!"

"Twilight," Vindicatus said with a stern look on his face, "You have no idea what's possible, but you will soon come to learn that even gods may die."

"Wha-"

"And that is what will happen to Sheol. Twilight, the hour draws near where you must lead your people, as I must lead mine. The door has been opened and the hour of truth draws near."

Twilight didn't speak. Rather she pondered. Everything was now coming to light. All the rumors, all the stories, they were all true. The Emperor was real, the Azur were real. Equus wasn't the only planet in the universe that could support life, it was barely a blip on a grand stage.

"You begin to understand." Void said.

"I just want to know one thing," Twilight said with tears in her eyes. "How many will die?"

Vindicatus paused. He spoke no words but gave a slight nod toward Twilight, indicating that there would be death on a scale never seen before. Twilight started to cry.

Vindicatus put his hand on Twilight's shoulder. "Twilight, you must not dwell on this. Sacrifices must be made, and casualties in a war like this, cannot be avoided."

Vindicatus stood up, he now faced away from Twilight. "I apologize but I do not have much time. We will meet again soon and in person. I will answer as many questions as I can when we do."

Twilight nodded in understanding.

"Then awaken, Twilight Sparkle, for the time of your ascension, has come."

And then, she woke up.
> VII. Imprisioned
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunburst found himself in the palace dungeon. Bleak and dreary, the air was stale from years of not being used. Iron bars encased Sunburst in a stone cell. There was no light save for the torches that lined the hall. He was here for the simple crime of curiosity, wanting to know more. 

So how did he get here?

He sought an audience with Celestia after he had done his research on the Primarchs he saw. He didn't find anything in the libraries, even the really old ones. So, he decided to go to Celestia for answers. She was less than enthused about the questions. She refused to answer them outright. Then, when Sunburst told Celestia of what he saw, she thought him mad and a liar. And now he's here, in the dungeon. He was quite surprised that there even was a dungeon.

"Guess she built it just in case something like this happened." Sunburst was nervous, and he knew he couldn't get out through magic. There was a magic seal that nullified any spell that might be cast. It wasn't powerful, but it was enough to get the job done.

"Oh, she knew. She just didn't expect to use it."

Sunburst jumped at the voice. He turned around, and they're lying on the stone bed was Magnus.

"Do not worry. I am not here to harm you. Besides if I did want to harm you, I probably would have asked Konrad to do so." Magnus chuckled at his own joke.

Sunburst was stunned to see Magnus again. After being cooped up in a cell for so long, Sunburst thought he was insane.

"Would you stop gawking at me? I know you want to ask questions, so go ahead, ask away. Besides, I am not the type to keep secrets from others, as your princess."

Sunburst was stunned. "How did he know I had questions." Magnus had been in this scenario before. Young wizards and scholars in ages past had come to him asking for knowledge about the Azur. 

"So, what are you?"

"I am part of a race known as the Azur. Tall, black-skinned beings with purple eyes. We are an ancient race of creatures that have been around for more than twelve billion years. Our empire spans the entirety of a plane of existence, which is our home, known as the Void. It is a cold and dark place. Unstable and ancient magic rages throughout it, magic which we have tamed to use to our advantage, making us one of the most powerful empires to ever exist. It is a good thing you are our allies."

"Wait, allies?" Sunburst asked in confusion.

"Yes, long ago the king of your people, Sol, signed an alliance with mine. Protection and trade in exchange for information and outposts. Azur military was a common sight on this planet many years ago. Outposts dotted all over. Don't worry, we weren't overlords enslaving your people to do the bidding of my people. It was a friendship, signed in blood by my father and King Sol, your god of the sun if I'm not mistaken.

"So, where do you fall within the Azur hierarchy?"

"Well, there's the common folk, then there are the Azurian Knights, then there are the Primarchs of the twenty legions of Knights. This is the category I fall into, along with my brothers. Honestly, with each tier you move up the taller we get."

"And the Emperor?"

"Ah yes. My brother Vindicatus. Once he was destined to be a Primarch, but after father's untimely murder at the hands, actually hooves, of Sheol, he became the new God-Emperor of the Azur. Usually, the Emperor has four horns, relating to the Draconic heritage the royal family has."

"Yes, the whole Bahamut marrying one of your gods' thing," Sunburst said. "Well, the books only said that Bahamut was married to an ancient goddess who came from an ancient place, but I couldn't find anything else about it."

Magnus truly was a little impressed. "Huh, you did do your research. I respect a scholar of knowledge who peruses his curiosity."

"So, if your brother is a god, aren't you one as well?"

"Yes, but I am a minor god of knowledge. The major god of knowledge is the Whispers, I am simply his champion."

"So, I'm guessing the other three are also champions of the other gods?"

"Yep. They are the champions of the sons of Azur'rath. Angron is the champion of the Eater of Worlds, Fulgrim is the champion of the Instrument of Desire, Mortarion is the champion of the Composer of Strands, and I am the champion of the Whispers in the Void. Four champions for four patrons. They are recognized and worshiped in the Azur pantheon. Along with my brother who is the God-Emperor."

"I see. So why is Celestia so reluctant to talk about him?"

Magnus paused in thought. He sighed. Just before he spoke there was the sound of hooves trotting, and armor following. It was Celestia.

"Sorry to keep you waiting Sunburst but I-" She completely stopped in her tracks. She saw Magnus.

"Y-you-you're-you're-"

"Hello, Celestia, it's been a while." A grin spread across Magnus's face. He had been looking forward to this.

"You went missing... the entire Azur race disappeared after Void's death." Celestia was still in shock. Someone who she thought was long dead and gone, now showing up out of the blue ten billion years later. Celestia's expression turned from one of shock to one of anger. "Why did you leave us? Why did you disappear?"

"My kin have their reasons. We faded into myth and legend, and eventually, non-existence in the minds of your people. All because of you." Magnus pointed an accusatory finger at Celestia. "You wanted to forget. You wanted to put everything that had happened behind you." Magnus stepped off the rock bed and walked right up to the iron bars, which started to melt away. He was right up in front of Celestia, staff in hand.

Celestia summoned her pike from ages long past. It materialized and pointed at Magnus's neck. "Why do you torment me so? I wanted to protect my people. I wanted them to forget the bloodshed. It was too much for any pony to bear."

"And look where forgetting has gotten you. The past is now coming back to haunt you. Sheol is on your doorstep" Magnus retorted.

"SHUT UP! I KNOW YOUR GAMES, MAGNUS THE RED. THE SORCERER KING OF PROSPERO, CRIMSON KING, IF YOU EVEN ARE HIM! I KNOW OF THE WAYS OF THE DEMONS, THEIR TRICKS OF LIES AND DECEIT. SHEOL IS DEAD, NEVER TO RETURN! YOU DARE MOCK VINDICATUS'S SACRIFICE! BEGONE FROM MY SIGHT DEMON! RETURN TO THE PITS OF HELL FROM WHENCE YOU CAME!"

"And yet here I stand in the flesh. The omens are clear. The Lost Prophecy is coming to fruition." Magnus remained calm.

"THAT DAMN PROPHECY DIED WHEN VINDICATUS DID!"

"But he didn't die."

Celestia was silent. She was outraged.

"My brother is alive and well. His heart was not struck by the dark scythe of Sheol. He fell into the pits, we found his body, and brought it home. It seems you've forgotten that gods can regenerate if their physical form is destroyed. Granted the amount of damage relates to how long it will take one to regenerate. He's been biding his time, preparing for the true fight, the true war. And that war is on our doorstep."

"BE GONE FROM THIS WORLD! NEVER COME BACK!"

"...As you wish, Sword of the Sun, Goddess of War, Champion of the Light. Truly ignorance is bliss, but what will happen when the problem shatters your ignorance, and you have no choice but to face the problem head-on?"

And with those words, Magnus was enveloped in purple fire and disappeared.

There was silence for a time. Then Celestia finally spoke.

"Tell no one of this, for if you value your life, you shall not speak of these events."

Sunburst understood, and he took off galloping.
> VIII. Condemnation
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunburst was undoubtedly pissed off. Being threatened by his former mentor was a shock to him. The one who was like a second mother to him, who taught him the ways of kindness and compassion, threatened his own life. Ever since that day, he couldn't sleep. Not for a moment, fearing that he would be killed by some secret order of royal assassins. He was scared, he was frightened, he was angry at Celestia. Starlight was with Sunburst as he ranted. She thought that Sunburst had gone completely insane and that he was making up these accusations. Nonetheless, she was undoubtedly disturbed.

"So, let me get this straight. Do you believe that Celestia has been hiding the fact that there have been these 'super beings' called 'Azur' for ten billion years, and that at one point they saved the entirety of Equus through their leader's sacrifice? And now they've come back preaching about the end-times? And you also claim you've become friends with one of their rulers whose name is, Magnus? I don't know, Sunburst. Sounds like your mind  might be infected with a poison joke or something." Starlight had started making the poison joke cure right there and then.

"YES!" Sunburst yelled. He was very annoyed that his best friend wasn't taking him seriously. Then again, he should have seen this coming. "And now they're back to finish the fight that was started so long ago by this dark god known as Sheol. From what I've heard he's MUCH worse than what Grogar was like."

"Yep, you've gone off the deep end. Here, take this, you'll stop your rambling if you do."

"No! I refuse!

"Dammit Sunburst, TAKE THE DAMN CURE!"

And the chase ensued. For a few minutes, Starlight chased Sunburst throughout Equus. Teleporting to different locations all around the planet, running, conjuring magic portals, and going through them. Starlight yelling the occasional "GET BACK HERE!" and Sunburst yelling the occasional "OVER MY DEAD BODY!" Eventually, they ended back up back in Sunburst's library right where they had begun. Starlight was able to pin Sunburst to the ground and cast a spell that would inhibit his magical abilities. But then the chase continued, with Sunburst climbing up the bookcases, knocking them over, and throwing books at Starlight in an attempt to stop her. All the while, Magnus looked on in amusement. Eventually, he burst out laughing and his invisibility spell wore off. Sunburst was relieved to see Magnus. Starlight was shocked and confused.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! BY AZUR'RATH *snort* THIS IS THE *snicker* FUNNIEST THING I'VE SEEN *snort* IN AGES! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAA....haaaah oh that was funny. Hehe."

"WHAT IN TARTARUS IS THAT THING?!" Starlight yelled.

Sunburst took up an 'I told you so' attitude. "Starlight, this is Magnus the Red. The Crimson King, Champion of the Whispers in the Void, and Sorcerer King of Prospero. He's the one I was telling you about earlier."

Magnus put on his best regal attitude and looked at Sunburst. "Sunburst, I am flattered but please, just call me Magnus." Magnus then looked at Starlight. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Time-Bender. Truly, your magic and knowledge know no bounds. May your wisdom grow ever greater."

Starlight was confused by the title she was given. "Hold on. Time-Bender? Why are you calling me... OH." It dawned on Starlight that this 'Magnus' creature knew of her whole changing-the-future-to-the-point-of-nearly-destroying-the-entire-timeline incident. Starlight blushed in embarrassment. She wanted to forget that whole fiasco.

"Oh, don't be so ashamed!" Magnus said with a comforting tone.

Starlight was nervous. "It's okay. I'm surprised that you're actually-"

"Real?" Sunburst finished Starlight's question.

"Yeah..." Starlight felt ashamed for not believing Sunburst.

Magnus chuckled. "It's alright. I can't blame you. Being gone for ten billion years tends to do that. But as we were such a pivotal part in Equestrian history, really makes you think twice about Celestia's honesty."

"Dammit, now I'm questioning the Princess." Starlight said in frustration. "Do you think Twilight knows?"

"It is a royal secret. She may know something but not everything as you do. Probably just the basics like who we are, where we came from, all that jazz."

"So why keep it a secret?" Starlight was now very curious.

"Most likely because it was the most violent time in this planet's, if not the universe's history. To put it simply, the rivers LITERALLY ran red with blood." Magnus replied.

Sunburst and Starlight shuddered at the thought. After a small moment of silence, Starlight spoke. "Greaaaaaaat." She said sarcastically. She sat down in the nearest chair and slumped over. "Now I know the truth and I'm going to be killed for it. What a wonderful life this is. Just when I thought everything was over, life throws another obstacle right at you."

Magnus leaned on a bookshelf and let out an audible sigh. "Trust me, I know how that feels. But, let us keep a stiff upper lip and our heads held high."

"We can't just confront Princess Celestia with this information," Sunburst said with panic. "She would kill us all if Starlight and I decided to confront her about it. Sol, Star, Nocturne, and Luna are touring the various kingdoms in Equus, giving Celestia free reign to exercise her rule in Equestria. We could be put on the most wanted list if she even has one."

"Weeeeeelll," Magnus said with a grin, "I could grant you two a temporary political asylum if you do confront Celestia about what you've learned. It would make for some interesting debate seeing her subjects turning on her."

Sunburst and Starlight looked at each other. They both knew it was only a matter of time before Celestia found the both of them. They could only imagine what she would do. The ancient knowledge was too important to be kept secret. If no one knew of what was coming, what then? Equus would be caught off guard entirely. The entire planet would be slaughtered. Every creature needed to be warned, they needed to be ready for the coming war, or they would all perish.

"Ah, I see your decision is made," Magnus said with a smile. Starlight was stunned. 

"How did you-"

"He can read minds," Sunburst answered.

"Very well. Lorgar shall finalize the papers. Brothers, you may come out now."

Fugrim, Angron, Mortarion, and Lorgar suddenly appeared. Their invisibility spell wore off at Magnus's command. Starlight was awestruck when she saw the armor-clad giants towering over her. Sunburst just simply smiled.

Lorgar spoke facing Sunburst and Starlight. "Let us give refuge to those who seek it. For the word of the Emperor must continue to spread without persecution. For the time of his return draws near, and so too does the return of Sheol. The people must be warned about the coming darkness, or face death unprepared."





Celestia hated being on damage control, especially while the rest of her family was gone. The press was being a lot more nosy than usual, especially since they had received an anonymous tip that someone had been locked in the dungeon for the first time in forever. Now she was out on the balcony overlooking the royal garden, giving a press conference to the reporters and civilians.

"Settle down every-pony. One at a time, one at a time. Raise your hooves if you have a question to ask."

Hooves instantly shot up. Celestia mentally sighed, knowing that this was going to be a long day. She pointed at one of the reporters.

"Celestia, is it true that a pony was locked in the dungeon? If so, for what reason?"

"Yes, it is true that a pony was locked in the dungeon." This sent a flurry of murmurs and gasps through the crowd. "However, I had good reason to, and it was only for a few hours. No punishment was involved." Some hooves went down, and others were raised. Celestia pointed at another pony. "Yes, you, in the hat."

"You didn't answer why the pony was sent to the dungeon."

"It is a royal business that I shall attend to along with my family when they return. It is information, that if revealed, would put you all in grave danger."

"It is even more dangerous not to reveal it!"

Sunburst stepped forward out of the crowd. Murmurs ran wild, ponies gasped at seeing one of Celestia's students defy her. This had not been seen since Sunset's betrayal, and even then, that was kept under wraps. Starlight stepped forward too.

"Why did you lie to us? I know it was from such a long time ago but if you don't listen then that era is going to repeat itself ten times over!"

"You do not know the half of what you speak of Starlight. Sunburst, I told you to tell no one. How could you betray me like this?"

"Because we all must prepare for what is to come. This is not an age of peace that is dawning, but rather an age of war. Blood will be spilled, lives will be lost, and if you don't start mobilizing the army then many more are going to die!"

Celestia gritted her teeth. She had had enough of this. "GUARDS! SEIZE THEM!"

As the guards moved forward to arrest Sunburst and Starlight, Fulgrim revealed himself. His tail twisted around the squad of guards like a boa constrictor about to devour its prey. He grinned in giddy excitement, for he had not had this much fun in ages. A squadron of the Emperor's Children lined the rooftops, stalker bolters in hand, ready to fire at a moment's notice. Magnus conjured a shield that protected Starlight and Sunburst from physical harm, with Thousand Sons sorcerers in a protective circle around the shield. Mortarion flew overhead searching for any other potential threats. The Death Guard had already made quick work of the guards stationed outside the courtyard with anesthetic gas, which put them to sleep immediately. Angron and the World Eaters were on crowd control, making sure no one would escape and alert the rest of Canterlot. Pure confusion and terror spread throughout the crowd of ponies, and then Lorgar shut everyone up.

"SILENCE!" Lorgar yelled. Everyone was immediately quiet. He stopped in the middle of the crowd, which moved out of the way for this creature, for fear of what he might do to them.

"Citizens of Equestria, do not be afraid. My brothers and I mean no harm here. Please, everyone, lower your weapons. We are not here to start a war." For some reason, the guards found Lorgar's voice calming. They lowered their weapons, and the Azur lowered theirs.

"While it is true that Celestia has kept her secrets over the years, we must not forget what she has done for everyone here. She helped to bring Equestria out of the ruin caused by Sheol ten billion years ago. For that I respect her." Lorgar's voice now became harsher in tone, like a father disciplining his child. "However, Celestia, you have not heeded the signs, you have turned a blind eye to the warnings. Sheol's return is imminent."

"SHEOL IS DEAD, LORGAR! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO TRESPASS ON EQUESTRIAN TERRITORY LIKE THIS!"

"Oh but I do have a good reason, Celestia. You endanger your people by keeping them in the dark. Have you not seen what is happening? The door to Tartarus is no longer enough to hold Sheol back. My spies have gathered intelligence that demons are gathering in Hell once more. They are rallying under one who calls himself the Pony of Shadows. His banner is that of a world on fire. You know who this is. You've always known, but you refuse to believe it! Even now, Sheol presses his advantage while you sit by idly and do NOTHING. To be completely honest we did expect more out of you, but those changes have long been squandered. You are but a shell of your former self, Celestia."

The whole world stood still. Celestia said nothing. She just stood there, with tears in her eyes. All the sorrow, all the pain, it was all coming back to her. The blood, the gore, the violence, the fire, the suffering. She didn't want to go through all of that again. And yet, deep down inside of her, she knew it was about to happen again.

"I figured as much..." Lorgar, his brothers, and the squadrons covering them.

Magnus felt sorry for Celestia, and he decided to try and comfort her. "You know, you don't have to blame yourself for his death. Vindicatus made the choice of his own will. He knew the risk and he knew the sacrifice he would have to make. You taught him well and I get that he meant a lot to you, but sometimes... sometimes we just need to let go."

And with that, Magnus teleported Starlight, Sunburst and the Azur to the Imperator Somnium.

Celestia collapsed in grief and sorrow. No pony dared to speak a word. They all left, leaving Celestia alone.
> IX. The Drums of War
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunburst stirred. Last night had not been a fun one. He couldn't sleep. He felt guilt over what had happened yesterday. How he saw Celestia was destroyed emotionally by Lorgar. If only he had decided to keep his mouth shut. But it didn't matter now. He found himself in a bedroom aboard the Imperator Somnium, the Emperor's flagship. It was a small yet comfortable room, reserved for visitors or diplomats who wished to have an audience with the Emperor. Sunburst couldn't keep up with titles at this point. He had way too much on his mind. There was a knock at the door. Sunburst hurriedly threw on his blue cloak, trying to fix himself up for whoever was at the door. The bed he had slept in was very comfortable, almost too comfortable.

"Dammit! I slept in!" Sunburst thought to himself. He was supposed to be meeting with the rest of the Primarchs today at the War-Council. He didn't remember when it was scheduled but he felt that it was soon. "Give me a minute!" Sunburst shouted in desperation. He didn't want to embarrass himself in front of the Emperor. The door opened and Magnus stepped in.

"Nervous to meet the rest of my brothers, aren't you?"

"Yes! Very!" Sunburst responded.

"Alright, let's not keep him waiting any longer. Fortunately, you're not the only one who slept in." Magnus remarked.

Sunburst was relieved that he wasn't the only one. "Alright, I'm ready."

"Good!" Magnus exclaimed in joy. "Now, would you like to take the scenic route or the quick route?"

"The quick route thank you very much!"

"Alright!" Magnus snapped his fingers. In an instant, they were outside of the meeting hall/throne room. Its tall, obsidian doors were menacing. Their engravings of Dragons and Azur staring down those who would dare to enter. Sunburst had never seen a more beautiful door.

Magnus grinned. "If you think that's beautiful, then just wait until you see the Eternity Gate."

Magnus knocked on the door, and it opened on its own. A grand meeting hall stood before them. A long rectangular room, lined with twenty obsidian pillars, each representing one legion of the Azur Knights, or Space Marines as Sunburst called them. In the center of the room was a circular obsidian table, with twenty-one large obsidian chairs surrounding it. At the top of each chair, the symbol of each legion was engraved. There was no chair at the very top of the table, rather, at the end of the room itself was the obsidian throne of the Emperor

Every Primarch was already at their respective seat of the table. Sunburst found Starlight sitting in a seat that had been specially made for her. Sunburst sat in another one, right next to Starlight.

The Primarchs were conversing with one another, talking about their legion, political matters, weather, debating who's tactics were better, long-standing legion rivalries, the whole shebang. Starlight was relieved that Sunburst was sitting next to her. She had been stuck there for thirty minutes with no one to talk to.

"So, this is new. Never been to a 'War Council' before. What do you think it'll be like?" Starlight asked nervously.

"I have no idea. Seems calm so far."

Magnus was on the other side of Sunburst. "It won't be calm. There hasn't been a War-Council in ages. And when there have been, they're usually when we're about to openly go to war..."

Sunburst started to sweat a little, and worry a lot.

"Don't worry, it probably won't be that bad." Starlight tried to reaffirm. She didn't do a good job. Then, Abaddon entered the room and everyone was quiet. The Primarchs stood up. Sunburst and Starlight were confused.

"Stand!" Magnus whispered to them.

They both stood on their chairs. Magnus sighed. "It will have to do." He thought to himself.

Abaddon spoke. "This meeting is now called to order." With this, he stood next to his seat, right next to Starlight.

Vindicatus then entered the room. Everyone saluted him as he moved across to his throne. As soon as he sat down, everyone else sat down. Sunburst and Starlight still stood, completely lost in the moment. There were a few glances.

"Oh! Sorry." Sunburst said sheepishly. He then sat down, followed by Starlight. Magnus sighed. Everyone's focus shifted to Void.

"It's alright. It has been more than ten billion years since a pony has been in the presence of an Azur. I am not surprised any of your kin know of Azur customs. Especially those outside of royalty. All is forgiven. Now, let us move on with this meeting. The severity of the situation is paramount, and we are ready for what is coming. The problem is that Equus is not ready. Not by a long shot." A map of Equus was projected from the table.

"However, there is some good news. Thanks to the effort of the Alpha Legion and its operatives, we now know where Sheol is going to strike." The map zoomed in on Canterlot.

"Here." Void pointed at the palace. "On the eve of Twilight's first raising of the sun, Sheol will strike, and we will strike back."

Sunburst went wide-eyed. "But that means Twilight is in danger. If the process of her ascension is interrupted then she won't become a goddess!" Everyone turned and looked at Sunburst.

"Twilight will be fine. Trust me." Void assured Sunburst. "My agents are well in place and ready to defend her if needed. Besides, she will be awake before Sheol strikes at the heart of Equus. You'll see."

Sunburst was confused but somewhat put at ease as well.

Robute then spoke. "Brother, since Twilight is secure and the royals are more than capable of defending themselves, we should rally the Dragons. They are your second kin after all and the return of the Dragon King would rally all dragons across the universe to your cause. They are an essential asset. Too long have they gone without a single leader they can trust. They have fallen into petty power struggles among themselves. You know of the events of the Gauntlet of Fire a few years ago. Torch resigned his position honorably, and now his daughter, Ember, is in charge. To gain control-"

"Yes, I am very well aware of the situation, Robute. I know what must be done. I will go alone to the Dragon Lands."

"Don't you at least want some backup?" Lion asked.

"No, I will be fine," Void responded.

"Aye, that he will. If there's one among us who knows the dragons better than all of us combined, it's Void. Besides, we all know of the duel he must face if Ember refuses to submit to Void's authority." Leman said with confidence.

"She'll be utterly obliterated!" Starlight interjected.

Lorgar spoke to Starlight. "It is unwise to doubt the Emperor. The dragons will recognize his divine authority. There will be no bloodshed between Azur and Dragon." Starlight was still suspicious.

"You treat Void like he's some sort of super-important divine god or something," Starlight said with a huff.

There was a moment of silence in the room before Lorgar got up and started to approach Starlight, slowly making his way around the table.

"Ooooooohhh shiiiiiit. Now she's done it." Magnus whispered to himself.

"You dare to question his divinity?! You ungrateful wench! He is responsible for saving your people from the brink of extinction! He sacrificed himself for your people and yet, here you are, uttering blasphemy against him! I should have you executed for this, you HERETIC!"

"Lorgar, enough."

Lorgar was immediately quiet. He went back to his seat with his head hung in shame. He sat down and said, "Forgive me, Brother. My zealotry blinded my judgment. I sincerely apologize."

"Your sins are forgiven, my brother. Take care, these are our guests, not foes. Again, it has been a while since I have paid a visit to this world openly. Due to the passing of time, the memory of the Azur on Equus has long passed into nonexistence. On the subject of our guests, I would like to ask if they have any input to give on the subject of defending it."

A few moments of silence passed while Sunburst processed what Vindicatus had just said. "Wait, you're asking us how to defend the entirety of the planet? With all due respect, Lord God-Emperor or whatever I'm supposed to call you, I am not rehearsed in the arts of warfare. Nor is Starlight. We're scholars of magic, sure, but I think Magnus has long surpassed Starlight and I in that field long before we were even born."

Starlight blushed in embarrassment. "Well, I wouldn't call myself a scholar of magic..."

Magnus stepped in to help. "You have clearly shown your ability to control the forces which are birthed from the Astral Plane. You even manipulated time itself, which, even by my standards, is no small feat. That's the reason why I give you the title of Time-Bender. You should be honored."

"Albeit she had malicious intentions..." Leman said.

"YOU HAVE NO SAY IN THIS LEMAN! YOU KNOW I RESPECT SCHOLARS, AND OTHER MAGIC USERS BOTH GOOD AND EVIL! Except for Sheol, he can go fuck himself, BUT STILL!"

"SHE NEARLY CAUSED A TEAR IN THE SPACE-TIME CONTINUUM! WE HAD TO ISOLATE EQUUS IN A TIME LOOP TO PREVENT DAMAGE TO THE UNIVERSE!" Leman retorted.

"fffffffFFFUCK YOU LEMAN! Fuck you fuck you fuck you fuck you!"

"Enough! Both of you!" Abaddon yelled. "Your constant arguments are not helping the situation at hand!"

"WOULD YOU ALL JUST SHUT UP?!" A voice came from the doorway. "I'M TRYING TO SLEEP, DAMMIT!" A small Azur with two horns stepped into the doorway rubbing his eyes. Sunburst and Starlight immediately took notice of his hair which was identical to Luna's

"Sorry, son, but your uncles are fighting again," Void shouted from the other side of the room. "Do you wish to join in?" Void asked with a grin.

"Sure. I got nothing better to do," Ender shrugged as he answered. In an instant, he was in the lap of his father. Ender was extremely small compared to his father. Starlight and Sunburst were surprised. But he was different. His two horns were similar to his father, albeit much, much smaller. He was practically a mini version of his father. But his hair flowed with the radiance of the night sky.

"Wait, that's your son?" Starlight asked.

"Yep, and he has a daughter as well." Star Rift appeared from the ceiling, falling through a teleportation rift and landing in her father's lap. Instead of taking the form of an Azur, she was in the form of a filly! And judging from her blue coat of fur, it didn't take a genius to figure out who her mother was...

"I now realize who their mother is, and holy shit it all makes sense now..." Sunburst said, eyes wide open.

"Ah, yes, the Dream Weaver, the Queen of the Azur," Sanguinius said.

"Luna... PRINCESS LUNA IS A MOM?!" Starlight yelled in shock.

"It's quite obvious. I'm surprised you didn't freak out sooner," Ender laughed.





Twilight awoke with a jolt in her bed, still reeling from the dream that she had just had. "Was that even a dream? No, that was more akin to a vision... Should I tell Celestia and Luna what I saw? No, no I shouldn't. That might strike a nerve with them both. Still, if Vindicatus was directly reaching out to me... then he must be alive."

Twilight threw off the covers and stood on her own four hooves. Immediately, she felt much larger than she had been before she went through the ascension sleep. She stumbled around a little, trying to gain her footing. It didn't help that she was nauseous as well. She carefully stumbled out of her room and into the palace hallway.

"Twilight!" A familiar voice yelled from down the hallway. Shining Armor came galloping towards his sister, tears in his eyes.

"Shining!" Twilight raced over to her brother and pulled him into a warm embrace. "How long have you been here?" Twilight asked, noticing the bags under her brother's eyes.

"I..." Shining Armor blushed, "I may have convinced Celestia to let me guard you for the entirety of your very long nap..."

"Shining! When was the last time you slept? You look worse than the time you asked me to babysit Flurry!"

"Believe me, I feel worse too!" Shining Armor laughed, prompting Twilight to give a small scowl towards her brother for forsaking his own personal needs. "You're so much taller..."

"Yeah. It's a lot to get used to. Don't worry, you'll always be my big brother." Twilight chuckled with her brother before her stomach let out a loud groan. She hadn't realized how hungry she actually was.

Shining Armor snickered. "Well, you haven't missed breakfast. Follow me!" The two siblings raced across the palace to the doors of the dining hall. Before Shining could open the doors, Twilight stopped him and pressed an ear to the door.

"If this is what I think it is-"

"It is not! Sheol is dead, the Azur are nowhere to be seen-"

"From what I have heard it sounds like they've finally come out of hiding!"

"For what reason then?! If Vindicatus is truly alive-"

"Don't you dare! We all saw him fall!"

"Then why would they be back here?!"

"Regardless, they broke into my palace! I don't know if they were trying to kidnap my daughter or had some morbid curiosity with her but trespassing on Empire grounds is enough to warrant a casus belli!"

"Cadenza, believe me, if it is truly the Azur, you do not want to mess with them-"

"Says who?!"

Twilight looked back at her brother with a very confused and concerned look.

"You've missed a lot in the past few days. Celestia locked someone up, these Azur creatures crashed her press conference, two of them broke into the Crystal Palace, it's getting crazy. But regardless," Shining opened the door. The royals looked at Twilight, stunned at her new appearance.

"Twilight... you look amazing!" Celestia jumped out of her seat and ran over to hug Twilight.

"Thank you, Princess, but I'm very hungry right now," Twilight said, her stomach let out another groan.

Celestia immediately released her embrace and ushered Twilight to a seat of her own where she placed a stack of pancakes in front of her. Twilight began downing them as soon as Celestia set them down. Then she remembered her manners and blushed. "Sorry..."

"Ah, don't worry about it!" Sol said with a hearty laugh. "My children were the exact same way."

The royals all laughed together and gave a toast to Twilight, seemingly forgetting their argument.




"How long have we been on this ship again?" Starlight asked.

"Two days," Magnus responded.

"Wait, isn't it the day of Twilight's ascension?" Sunburst followed up.

Angron sighed. "Yes. It is, but until Vindicatus awakens from communing with the gods, we can't do anything."

It was then that Vindicatus burst into the room.

"THE TIME HAS COME!" Void roared. A wide smile formed on Angron's face.

A few minutes later, Void was leading Sunburst and Starlight down a hallway.

"So, it's beginning?" Sunburst asked.

"Yes, it is. And we shall witness it together." Vindicatus answered quickly.

Void stopped at a door and knocked.

"Just a minute brother!" A voice came from within.

The door opened and Vulkan appeared. "Hello, brother!" Vulkan stretched out his arms.

"Sorry, Vulkan, but we don't have time for hugs. We must make haste."

Vulkan lowered his arms, slightly disappointed. "Yes, sorry. It is a force of habit."

"It's alright." Vindicatus reassured Vulkan, patting him on the back. "Did you make the armor I requested?"

"Yes! The armor for our new pony-friends is over there." Vulkan pointed at two suits of armor. Both of them were made to fit a pony. Both of them had their symbols on the shoulder plates. "I customized it to the colors of their coats while still maintaining the fierceness of the power armor. I have also given them a shoulder-mounted bolter, albeit downsized, and with the help of Magnus, implemented custom Thousand Son's modules that will amplify their magic. Also, they are equipped with power swords that can be deployed at will. Their suits are marked with their cutie marks on the left shoulder, and an image of the Elements of Harmony on the right."

Starlight and Sunburst stared at their new suits of armor. They had never seen armor like this before. They put the suits on. It took a minute to adjust to, but they eventually got the hang of it.

"Hey, what does the button in the left gauntlet do?" Starlight asked.

"NO!" Vulkan yelled.

*BANG* The shoulder bolter fired one of its rounds and ricochet off the wall. Vindicatus was able to catch it with his bare hands, stopping it completely in its tracks.

"Oh, that's what it does." Starlight said with a nervous smile.

It didn't take long for the Legions to assemble in the throne room. The table was gone. Vindicatus and Abaddon stood on at the head of the room. Sunburst and Starlight watched from where the Salamanders stood.

"Brothers and Sisters, today we stand, ready to face the dark foe as we once did ten billion years ago. I know of the concern of the return of the Azur to the universal stage of politics and the troubles we will have to reassert our role as a great power but let us not think of that now! We must think of our lives, our homes, our families. We must think of those who died all those years ago, selflessly sacrificing their lives so that the universe may live, and they did it on the very planet we now orbit. Equus, the planet on which the war ended, and now where it will begin again. I still hear you sing the songs of long ago, but now, let us make new songs! Let us write a new chapter of Azur history! And we shall do it side by side with our old allies, though they may not remember us, they shall come to know us once again!"

"Nam et deorum Imperatoris!" The legions shouted.

Void looked over at Abbadon. "Warmaster Abaddon, would you like to give today's briefing?"

Abaddon took a very long breath before he began to speak.

"BATTLE BROTHERS AND BATTLE SISTERS, TODAY THE ENEMY IS AT OUR DOOR! WE KNOW OUR DUTY AND WE WILL DO IT! WE FIGHT FOR OUR HONOR, AS AZUR KNIGHTS! AS YOU KNOW, SOME OF OUR FORCES ARE STATIONED ON EQUUS, AT AN OUTPOST IN THE EVERFREE FOREST! SOME OF YOU ARE TO JOIN THEM THERE BUT WE ALSO NEED BOOTS UP HERE, PREPARED TO DEEP STRIKE. WHEN THE FOE DECIDES TO REVEAL HIMSELF, WE DESCEND UPON THE FOE! WE WILL OVERWHELM HIM! CODEX ASTARTES NAMES THIS MANEUVER STEEL RAIN! AND IF WE DIE THIS DAY WE DIE HEROES' DEATHS, BUT WE SHALL NOT DIE, NO! FOR WE ARE THE EMPEROR'S FURY, WE ARE THE AZUR KNIGHTS, AND WE FIGHT IN THE NAME OF THE EMPEROR!"

"DEATH TO THE ENEMY! FOR THE EMPEROR!" The legions yelled.

Vindicatus departed for the Dragon-Lands afterward. It was time to unite them his second kin once more.





Void walked across the lava burnt lands. The smell of sulfur and smoke was all too familiar to him. He was completely alone. He knew the sacred tradition of the Dragon duels, and before he departed for the Dragon-Lands, he made damn sure that no one followed him.

He stepped into an arena of sorts. Carved out by the Dragons themselves long ago when they first settled on Equus. In the center of the arena was a large plateau, obviously reserved for the Dragon-Lord. All of the other curved rectangular plateaus were reserved for the rest of the Dragons.

A loud roar sounded from the heavens. "Ah, so it appears they have been watching me. I wondered why it was more barren than usual." Void thought to himself.

Torch descended from the clouds. He landed on the central plateau. Ember was on his head, holding her staff.

"Who dares to enter the Dragon-Lands unannounced? You are not counted among us, yet you are a Dragon." Ember said with a commanding voice.

"I am the one which is spoken of in the Dragon lore. I am he who returns from death. I am he who has come to reclaim his crown." Void responded.

"You are but a stranger in these lands, yet you seek power."

"You know the ancient customs as well as I do. The Dragon-King has the right to seize direct control."

Surprisingly, none of the Dragons laughed at Void's remark. This was a good sign.

"Then prove to me that you are him. Show us your true form as a Dragon." Ember commanded.

Void's form started to change. He grew higher and higher, larger and larger. He now walked on all fours. His platinum talons and platinum horns grew immensely larger. Soon enough, he was fully Dragon. Easily larger than Torch. Ember, for the first time in her life, was intimidated.

Void spoke no words. He could tell that this was enough to convince the Dragons. Torch bowed immediately, then Ember bowed as well. Soon enough the entirety of the Dragon-Lands bowed before him.

Void roared and shot a pillar of purple fire into the sky. All preparations were now complete.

He was ready to march...





Twilight had her reservations about where the event should be held. She suggested that it should be moved to the bottom of the mountain on which the palace was situated to let more creatures see the raising of the Sun since the palace courtyard was too small to fit everyone. She had advocated that the event be moved to the coast so everyone could have a full view of the sun as it rose. Sol and Star agreed to the change. Within a few hours, everything was prepared. Ponies and other creatures were socializing and dancing with one another. The rulers of each species had also shown up. Changelings, Hippogriffs, Dragons, Griffons, Yaks, Crystal Ponies, Saddle Arabians, and others. Each of them presented gifts for Twilight as a show of respect.

The night's celebrations went on. Sol socialized with the rulers of the other kingdoms, and he seemed to get along very well with the Yaks and the Dragons. Star told stories to the young around a campfire she had made. Some parents found the tales a bit disturbing when it came to how she described combat, but they let their children listen.

Star told the story of the Azur and Sheol, but she didn't mention that it was real. She was speaking to children after all, but adults too were fascinated by the tale of this so-called "Dragon-King". As she did, the stars themselves came to life, constellations of the characters moved around and interacted with one another. They showed the glory of the Azur, the fierce battles between the demons and the dragons, the images of famous Ponies who were long gone, and those that were still here. The stars were being manipulated by Star of course. She loved bringing stories to life. Children stared up to the sky in amazement as they listened to the tale. When Star was finished, they all applauded her for the story. No one believed it was real, except those who already knew. 

But then, something peculiar happened. The constellations formed into images of Void and Sheol and played out their last battle, word for word, just as it happened in Twilight's dream. Everyone saw that this was not Star's doing, nor was it Luna's, or any other royal. As the scene finished, a burst of terrible laughter sounded out, one that Sol knew all too well.

"Sheol..."

"Ah, so you finally come to realize the truth."

"Show yourself, demon."

""As you wish." A shadow of Sheol made of pure darkness manifested in the center of the crowd. Creatures ran in terror and screams rang out. Guards immediately surrounded the Princesses, Sol, Star, Nox summoned their weapons immediately summoned their weapons. The truth was finally dawning. The nobility found themselves bound with chains of darkness, not allowing for even the slightest bit of movement.

"Fuck, not again." Celestia thought, having been embarrassed one too many times by stunts like this. In the past she knew Twilight could overcome every obstacle, which was why she allowed herself to be captured so often. But this was different. 

Twilight, bound in chains, spoke up. She had faced villains before, and she knew how to deal with them. "You have no authority or right to be here. I know who you are, Sheol. You do not scare me."

"Ah, so you DO know of me. To be honest, I would have expected Celestia and the rest of the 'nobility' to keep it a secret from you."

"Honesty is one of the Elements of Harmony. Then again, no one is perfect, not even the gods themselves." Twilight knew that what Celestia did was wrong, but she had been taught to forgive mistakes, even the mistakes of her mentor. Sheol sneered.

"Moving on, I have other business to attend to." The shadow of Sheol moved towards Luna with malicious intent. Four guards jumped in front of her, forming a phalanx wall to protect their princess. It was to no avail. In the blink of an eye, the shadow summoned a scythe and cut through the guards like tissue paper. Their bisected bodies lying in a pool of their own blood as their intestines poured out. 

"YOU BASTARD!" Luna yelled.

"Since when did you start caring for your people? Where is the nightmare I once knew? The one that ponies feared for a thousand years? I know she is still in there somewhere. In time, you'll come right back, just like you once did. You were so broken, so sad. You tried to hold off the Darkness for so long... but you eventually gave in to it. You eventually embraced the true nature of the NIGHT."

Luna said nothing as tears welled in her eyes. The shadow grabbed Luna by the throat and started to strangle her. The people looked on in horror. Demons manifested all around and, in the crowd, cackling as they did so. They were hungry for flesh and souls, and they knew that this would be a banquet.

"Enough!" a voice sounded from the distance. A massive, hooded figure moved through the crowd of attendees who were shaking in fear. It was bipedal and carried with it what seemed to be an obsidian sword. The shadow of Sheol turned its head to behold this new presence.

The figure thrust the sword through the shadow's chest. It gave an agonizing cry as the sword was driven deeper and deeper, as it was lifted into the air. "Get your hooves off of my wife, demon scum."

The chains dissipated and the shadow let go of Luna who dropped to the ground unconscious. The figure flung the still bleeding shadow off of the black sword, now with purple glowing runes upon its blade in the Primordial language, its blade encircled in purple flame. Twilight instantly recognized who it was.

Void cradled Luna's unconscious body in his arms before setting her down next to her family. The night sky began to erupt in a storm of black clouds of purple lightning. The stars and moon began to glow with rage. Twilight could hear a voice in her head, shouting, screaming. It was fragmented, yet she could understand it perfectly. Equus itself trembled as it screamed in fury for all to hear.

"O̶̠̓,̶͕̾ ̸̱͛C̵̳̿H̸̩̄Ĩ̶͈L̶͈͒D̶͇͊ ̸͉̏Ọ̴̋F̵͍͗ ̸̟̂T̶̼̄H̷͇̚E̶̖͆ ̶̝͛V̴̮͒O̶̖̓Ǐ̵̝D̷̘́,̴̢͗ ̴̦̾D̸̬̓I̷̘̋V̶̮̀I̵̦̽N̷̦̚Ẹ̴́ ̵̟̆E̷͓͊M̵̟̎P̸̜͆È̷̤R̶͓͘O̸͖̚R̶͕̂ ̷͍̕O̷̩̚F̵̗̏ ̸͎̐Ț̶͠H̵̳̑Ę̸̒ ̵̟̐À̶͔Z̴͉͠U̴̻̿R̵͎̎,̶̠̌ ̶̗͗M̶̬̅I̷̹͊G̴̫̓H̶͇͠Ţ̶͝Y̵͖̔ ̶͈͘K̵̤̍I̵͙͆Ǹ̴͓G̵̗̈́ ̵̻̑Ö̵́ͅF̶̖̋ ̶̲̿D̶͚͛R̸̬͝Ä̴̰G̷̘̉Ō̶̥Ṉ̸͗S̶̘̒,̶͍̎ ̸̹͆H̸̥̾E̴̝̿A̴̻̓Ṙ̵̙ ̵̲̔M̶͖̂Y̴͙̌ ̵̯͒V̶̘̀O̶̩͝I̵̳͑C̷̺̆Ĕ̴̘.̷̳͝ ̶̬̔W̷̦͌H̵͓͛Ē̵͕N̷̮͝ ̸̤̔T̶̥́H̸̫͊E̶̖͂ ̷̫͒H̵̫̎O̷̻͝U̸̲͛S̴͋ͅE̸͙̾ ̷̭͘O̶̖͊F̵͖͑ ̴̳͝T̷̪͆H̴̳͑E̸̻̒ ̷̩̃V̶̳̾O̴̩̾I̸̢͌D̵̻́ ̶̳̅A̶͚͛N̷̦̒D̶͇̆ ̵̪́T̶̬͝Ḧ̶̞́È̷̱ ̷̩̔M̴̝͆Ȍ̶͇Ò̶̙N̷̹̿ ̸̟͊W̶͝ͅE̸̘̋Ṟ̶͝Ḙ̵͋ ̶̲͠C̵̞͑Ö̵̬́N̶̩͒J̸͍̽Ǫ̷͆Ì̵̤N̸̻̕E̷͕̓D̵̫̾,̸͆ͅ ̸͓̈́Y̶̲̋O̴͉̿Ȗ̵̻ ̶̼̋S̵̝̈W̵͎̄Ò̷̠R̶̓͜Ḙ̶̑ ̵͖̄A̸̢̍N̸̟͒ ̶̠͌O̵̮͛A̷͖͛Ț̵̐H̷̝́ ̶͔̿T̶͕̋Ọ̸͌ ̸̪̊É̴̲Q̶̤̅U̶͈͗U̸̩̚S̸̛͍.̴͎̄ ̵̧͐B̸̦̉È̷͈H̵̯̍O̵̧̿L̷̬͌Ḍ̴͛,̶͎͐ ̸̖̂T̵̜̐H̷̺́E̸͈͋ ̴͓̈́D̴͈̽Ȅ̵̮C̶̼̔Ë̶͕́I̵̩̿V̸͓̋E̷̬̿R̶͔͑ ̶̨͗Ṃ̶̐A̵̭̋K̵̡̅Ẹ̴̋Ś̴̯ ̵̰̓Ḧ̶̪́I̴̮͒M̷̝̄S̷̙̎Ę̴̽L̸̛̦F̶͓̊ ̴͓͂Ǩ̸͇N̷͙̂O̴̖͠W̴̛̭N̶̟̽ ̸̜̓Ō̴̭N̵̫̑C̶͍̒E̸̬̊ ̶̞͝M̷̭̍O̵͙̓R̶̯̈́Ě̷̢.̵̩͝ ̴͇͌H̴̗̽I̶̹͑S̴̻͐ ̸͖̚T̵̠͌W̵̬̎I̸̮̾Ş̸͆Ṱ̴͘É̸̜D̷͙̚ ̸͓͒À̵̖R̴̜̀M̵̪̌Y̵͔͠ ̶̗̄Ẇ̵̲I̷̱͠S̸͔̿H̴̗̒E̴̛͓S̴͚̎ ̴̥̓T̵̞͑O̴͔̅ ̷̯͘Ď̸͓Ę̵͗F̶̪̍Į̵̾L̴̖̏Ẹ̴͒ ̶̳̃Ä̶̫́Ḻ̴͋L̵̝̊ ̶͉̃T̷͊͜H̵̱̎A̸͔͋Ṱ̴͐ ̴̢̿I̸̙͝S̸̺͑ ̸͈̈́S̶̯͋Ă̸̗C̷̨̏R̶͈̊E̵̦̓Ḋ̴̮.̴̧̊ ̷̠̊D̶̪̎R̴͖̈́Ī̶̮V̸̜́E̵̯̅ ̶̧́T̸͓̔H̷̦̚E̸̢̛M̴̤͊ ̴͉̃B̸̉ͅA̸̘͌C̶̆ͅĶ̴̀,̷͚́ ̸͈̃H̶͓̽O̶̝̿Ḻ̸͛Y̷͍͠ ̵̱͂Ȯ̷̰N̶̖̑Ë̸͕́.̷̰̄ ̷̠́S̴̝͆T̵̀ͅṘ̴̼I̵̙͋Ḱ̴̺É̶͔ ̷̯͒T̶̛̯H̷̡̚E̷͙͋M̷͇̍ ̸̝̕D̷̤̽O̷͗ͅẀ̷̘N̸̖͌ ̷̍ͅẆ̴̞Ĭ̴̩T̵̺̍Ȟ̷̱ ̸̩͠R̸̡̃I̷͓̅G̸̻̔H̴̖̿T̸͉̈́E̷̼̽Ȯ̶̲U̴̜͋Š̸͈ ̴̮͆F̴̪͘U̴̧̇R̴̹̕Ẏ̶͍.̶͍̆ ̴̘̓Ď̵̬E̷̪͂F̵̰͋E̵̺̓N̴̻͐D̶̘̓ ̶̪̕Ṁ̶̲Y̸̺̋ ̴̖̈́P̷̡͑Ẹ̸̆O̸͜͝P̴̬̍L̸̡̀Ę̶̕ ̵͔͠Ạ̵̿S̴͈̅ ̸̱̊Y̷̙͂O̴͂ͅU̶͚̔ ̷̳̂Ȍ̴̯Ṇ̴̊C̴̬͂E̷͙͊ ̵̩̆Ḑ̸͊I̵͇̚Ḍ̴̈́ ̵̣̂A̵̠̒G̵̈ͅE̴̞̊S̶̛̯ ̸̥͝Å̷͙G̴̭͌Ȍ̶̖.̸̛̫ ̷̼̿T̶̍ͅH̴͘ͅY̵͂ͅ ̵̖̊Ṯ̶̚I̸͈͆M̵̼͐E̴̻̔ ̸͈͊H̶̛̪À̶̳S̶͍̑ ̷̠͒C̷̢͒Õ̷̖M̴̗̈E̵͔͌ ̷̯̚O̸̡͒Ǹ̴̤Ċ̷͖Ḛ̸̛ ̵̱͑M̶̨̿O̴̧̕R̷̤̄E̸̥̽.̸͙̃"

Void tore off his cloak, revealing himself in all of his glory, as a halo of Void fire and stars formed around his head. Drop pods began to descend from the heavens, as an army of Azur Knights and guardsmen, led by Abaddon and the Primarchs marched towards the demon army. 

The legions of the Azur had come, and they were ready for a fight.
> X. An Oath Upheld
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


"HEAR ME MY SOLDIERS! LET US DRIVE THESE FOUL DEMONS BACK TO THE PITS FROM WHENCE THEY CAME! LET US SHOW THEM THAT THE AZUR HAVE RETURNED, AND THE DRAGONS ARE UNITED ONCE MORE! TODAY, WE FULFILL OUR OATH TO EQUESTRIA, AND EQUUS ITSELF! TODAY A NEW AGE DAWNS! CHARGE!"


Stormtroopers - Sabaton

The legions charged with the cry of battle, smashing headfirst into the demons. Fully armored Dragons descended from the skies. They immediately started to mow down the demon lines, one by one. Twilight was both amazed and terrified at their ferocity. Bolter fire whizzed through the demon hordes, blasting holes in those who were unlucky enough to be in the path of a bullet. Strangely, the bullets whizzed through Ponies, not harming them at all as if they were not even there.

Twilight found herself lost in the carnage, running all over the place and watching the Legions fight firsthand. Immediately she thought of the civilians who could not defend themselves. She saw that a demon had cornered a group of children, its jaws open wide, ready to devour them. Twilight would have rushed over to help, had Vulkan not been there first. With his massive hand, he picked the demon up by its head. "Hey, demon, are you Elon Musk?" Vulkan threw the demon up into the air and readied his massive war hammer, "Because I'm about to send you..." The demon started to fall, screaming and hollering as it did, Vulkan tightened his grip on his hammer. "...into outer SPACE!" Vulkan swung his war hammer, hit the demon like it was a baseball, and sent it flying out of the atmosphere. Vulkan made a big, booming laugh at his own joke. The demons who saw this tried to flee but were mowed down by other marines.

"That... was... AWESOME!" A young filly said. Twilight recognized her. Her small wings, magenta mane, and orange coat were all too familiar. "Where did you learn to do that?" Scootaloo asked with wonder in her eyes.

"I was born with this strength. But it took me a long time to master it. Practice makes perfect my small friend." Vulkan answered while patting Scootaloo on the head. Scootaloo would have been insulted for being called "small" but she was too awestruck at the sight of the massive giant that had just saved her and her friends. "Remember kids: Stay in school! Don't do drugs!" Vulkan then lept back into the fray, pulverizing demons with his war hammer.

Twilight was relieved that the children were safe. Then she heard the whirring of some sort of device. She looked over and saw the World Eaters. Their armor was completely covered in blood and gore. She noticed that they found immense joy in combat.

Angron was hacking away with his twin chain axes. He smashed them down into a larger demon, the blades slicing its head open and carving down the middle. Blood and brain matter splattered everywhere as the teeth of Angron's chain axes carved away. When he finished, he just moved on to another demon, beheading it before it could even land a single blow. Angron was euphoric. He had not experienced true combat in ages, and now he was at the front lines. Twilight was terrified of what would have happened if this beast of an Azur was one of the demons of Sheol. A massive red demon with green eyes and goat-like legs charged at Angron. Angron simply laughed.

"HAHAHAHAHA! YOUR SKULL WILL MAKE A FINE ADDITION TO THE BLOOD GOD'S THRONE!"

Angron charged into the demon. He gutted it with his chain-axes, pulverizing its insides immediately. He hoisted the demon into the air and tore the demon in two with his bare hands, showering himself in the demon's blood and guts, laughing as he did so. He then took the upper half of its body and ripped its head clean off. Standing on a mountian of demon corpses, he raised the demon's head and yelled:

"BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD! SKULLS FOR THE SKULL THRONE!"

Twilight nearly vomited at the sight of all this. She decided to move as far away from Angron as possible. As she galloped away, she found herself witnessing the Emperor's Children. "Huh, they kind of look like me... color-wise." She saw they were a lot more malicious in the slaughter. Instead of beheading demons quickly and moving onto the next, the Emperor's Children took pleasure in drawing out the suffering and agony of their foes. Chain flails, barbed whips, power claws, and of course, sonic blasters. Twilight caught a glimpse of Fulgrim strangling a demon with his tail. Usually, she would be horrified at such a display. But in this case, she found it... beautiful in a way. Almost... romantic, and pleasurable. After Fulgrim was done strangling the demon, he noticed Twilight looking at him with lust in her eyes. He slithered over to her, graceful and alluring as he went, his platinum hair flowing in the wind.

"Why hello there," Fulgrim said as he slithered around Twilight.

"H-hi." Twilight stammered. She was entranced by Fulgrim.

"You must be the new Goddess of Friendship, aren't you?"

"Yes... my name is Twilight Sparkle."

"Well, Twilight, you truly do sparkle in more ways than one."

Twilight blushed at Fulgrim. He was so hypnotizing to her. She could almost just kiss him right there and then.

"How about we, I don't know, have a drink after this whole ordeal is over?" Fulgrim asked flirtingly.

"S-sure." Twilight's senses were completely gone at this point. Fulgrim basically could have just kissed Twilight right there and then, if it weren't for Magnus casting a spell that nullified Fulgrim's effect on Twilight.

"Wait what the-" Twilight now realized that a literal snake-man was flirting with her.

"FULGRIM!" Magnus shouted. "WE DO NOT HAVE TIME FOR THIS!"

"You're no fun!" Fulgrim hissed back. He gave Magnus the middle finger and slithered away. Twilight puked a little at realizing that she had been successfully seduced.

Magnus landed next to Twilight. "I'm sorry for my brother's behavior. He tends to have that effect on people. Trust me, it's very annoying. Especially when he's flirting with someone mid-battle." A demon tried to pounce on Magnus, but he beheaded it before it even laid a finger on him. 

Twilight recognized this magic. "Precognition?"

"Yep," Magnus responded as he beheaded another demon. "I was born with it as a result of my patron's gifts. Four Primarchs have specific patron gods. Mortarion, Fulgrim, Angron and I. You can probably tell what kind of gods they are based on their champions." 

"I don't think I've seen the fourth."

"Oh, you haven't seen Mortarion? Well, he's-"

The explosion of a plague grenade a few yards away cut off Magnus mid-sentence. The gas completely ate away at the flesh of a group of demons, the virus consuming them entirely.

"Ah, it seems he's using the death eater virus this time around," Magnus said.

"It smells," Twilight said while holding her nose.

"That's the smell of rapidly decomposing demon flesh, not the gas." Twilight vomited at Magnus's remark. "And I saw that coming from a mile away," Magnus remarked.

"You're not helping," Twilight grumbled.

"By the way, you might want to move to the right a bit."

"What do you mean- HOLY SHIT!" Twilight jumped out of the way of a drop-pod that was coming straight down on top of her. It landed with a massive thud. The door opened and a squad of the Thousand Sons stepped out, jumping into the fray immediately. And two ponies that Twilight did not expect.

"STARLIGHT?! SUNBURST?! WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING HERE?! WHERE DID YOU GET THAT ARMOR?! WHAT IS GOING ON?!"

"It's a long story, Twilight." Starlight responded. "We'll tell you about it later."

Sunburst did not hesitate to jump into the fray. Cutting down demons with his new power sword and using his shoulder-mounted bolter to punch holes through the demon lines. It was obvious that he was having the time of his life.

"Sweet Celestia have mercy..." Twilight said to herself.

"I wouldn't be surprised if they wanted to join the Thousand Sons," Magnus remarked.

Twilight continued to observe the legions of the Azur. The Blood Angels and their ferocity. The White Scars and their speed. The Ultramarines and their chivalry. The Word Bearers and their zealotry. Each legion had something unique to them. But there was one Azur who stood above his entire army.

Void was slicing through demons like there was no tomorrow. What surprised Twilight the most is that he showed no emotion when doing so. But Twilight could feel his anger, his satisfaction, his determination, his raw power. All overwhelming yet masked behind his cool complexion. Demons fell before his sword in droves, and even more to his talons. That was until a demon got in a lucky hit on his power armor and disabled the hydraulics system. Void was effectively stuck

"Really?! Of all times this had to happen! Right now?! I'm going to kill the tech priests responsible for maintaining this thing. Welp, there's only one thing to do now..." 

Void triggered a mechanism and was enveloped by smoke. The smoke dissipated and Void stood where it had once been. Only this time, there was no armor, there was only a purple loincloth.

Jojo's Bizarre Adventure OST - Awaken

Everyone now beheld the glory of the Emperor's muscular physique. His obsidian scales glistened in the moonlight. The moonlight reflected off of his chest and chiseled abs, blinding demons as he strode forward. Mares fainted and stallions' jaws dropped. If there were any doubts that Void was an actual god before, those doubts were quickly crushed under the immense weight of Void's glorious physique.

Golden drop pods began to descend from the skies and land in the midst of battle. Out of them came towering golden warrors, taller than the Azur Kights."My fabulous overlord! The awakening of your chiseled abs summoned us here. What do you require of us?" One of them asked.

"Defend the people and protect the nobility of Equus. Void responded. The Custodes understood perfectly and flipped away towards the designated VIPs. 

"Is this a bad time to try and say hi to mom?" A voice asked from behind.

"ENDER?! STAR RIFT?! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" Void shouted.

"Killing demons," Ender responded as he drove a dagger into a demon's skull.

Void facepalmed himself. "Just... don't get yourself killed. It looks like things are just about wrapping up anyways." Void spread his wings and flew into the sky, tossing nova bomb after nova bomb.

"YAY!" Ender shouted. He immediately ran off, his braided ponytail in his mane flowing in the wind. Twilight observed the whole scene. Her jaw dropped to the floor. "A PARENT LETTING THEIR CHILD FIGHT IN A WAR? WHAT IN CELESTIA'S NAME IS THIS IRRESPONSIBILITY?! AND HE'S A PONY?! THIS MAKES NO SENSE!" Twilight thought to herself. She was so caught up in thinking, that a demon tried to pounce at her. Ender stopped the demon with a flurry of stabs and .

"T-thank you..." Twilight stammered.

"Oh, so you're my new aunt! Or would it be cousin because Celestia is almost like an adoptive mother? Then again, you're now her equal and technically that would make you Sol's adopted daughter in a way... I guess I'll just call you auntie Twilight!"

"And you must be my new... sorta nephew?" Twilight asked with a nervous smile.

"Yep!" Ender responded.

They both shared a good laugh. Before a massive roar sounded from below. A titian emerged from a massive sinkhole in the ground which the demons had opened up. It stood as tall as a mountain, even larger than Torch. Ponies and other creatures ran before its enormous size. The Azur Knights and the guardsmen stood their ground before this beast. They were prepared to die if they had to.

Twilight stared up at the huge demon. "Holy shi-"

"Pfft. Dad will take care of it." Ender said with a smug of confidence.

"What do you mean?! That thing is clopping huge! Your dad is-"

A roar sounded from the heavens as Void descended in his dragon-form. He pinned the titian to the ground before sinking his teeth into its neck. The titian screamed in pain before Void forced its mouth open and shot Void fire into its head, killing it instantly. Void tore its head off and stood on his two hind legs before roaring into the sky.

"IMPERATOR! IMPERATOR! IMPERATOR!"

Void took one last look before he descended into the ocean.

The battle wrapped up with the remainder of the demons being slaughtered by the Azur. Those demons who tried to flee were intercepted and destroyed. The Azur set up a perimeter just in case the demons would try anything, but they doubted that the demons would try anything after the beating the Azur had just given them. They mostly just relaxed, some even awkwardly interacted with the creatures of Equus.

Twilight, was still confused. Starlight galloped up to her.

"Do you want me to explain now?" Starlight whispered to Twilight.

"Yes. Please tell me what the fuck is going on." Twilight responded.





The battle had subsided and the Legions, along with the guardsmen, had set up camp next to the festival. Cheers and songs of glory could be heard, for the Azur were celebrating their victory.

"So, basically, what you're saying is that Void has come back to wage war against Sheol, AGAIN, FROM THE DEAD, and he's also the husband of PRINCESS LUNA?!" Twilight shouted. Twilight was sitting at a table with Sunburst and Starlight.

"I mean, you've already seen one of his children..." Starlight trailed off.

"ONE OF THEM?!"

"Yeah. They have two children together." Sunburst chimed in. "Ender and Star Rift."

"Well, this is one hell of a way to get an extended family," Twilight said sarcastically.

"Yeah, it seriously is." A voice said from behind. Twilight looked around, seeing no one other than Sunburst and Starlight.

"Down here!" The voice said. Twilight turned around and saw a small filly. "Hi! I'm Star Rift! You must be my new auntie Twilight! Nice to meet you!" Star Rift held out her hoof to Twilight.

"Nice to meet you too..." Twilight nervously grinned while shaking Star Rift's hoof. "I'm sorry if I seem rude. It... it's just that... all of this is just so confusing..."

"Pfft, don't sweat it. Besides, you'll get used to it. Say, how about I introduce you to a few of my uncles? I'm sorry that they all seem a bit... violent, but they all have good sides. Especially uncle Vulkan. He gives great hugs." Twilight felt that Star Rift was being genuine, and she didn't want to hurt her feelings by saying no.

"Sure," Twilight said nervously. "Besides, it would make things a lot less... awkward."

Star Rift giggled. "Follow me!" She took off galloping. Twilight followed. Star Rift led Twilight towards the World Eaters. Many of them had their helmets off, their scars of war visible to Twilight. She shuddered at the sight of some of the nastiest scars that she had ever seen. Still, she followed Star Rift despite her fears. Twilight wanted to be diplomatic, and she would get her chance.

"IT'S MY SKULL-TROPHY!"

"NO, IT'S MINE!"

"I KILLED THE DEMON! THEREFORE, IT'S MY SKULL!"

"YOU DIDN'T DO JACK-SHIT! I WAS THE ONE WHO BROUGHT IT DOWN TO ITS KNEES!"

Twilight rushed over to the commotion. Two of the World Eaters were fighting over the skull of a demon that had been slain in combat. They were wrestling on the ground, trying to pry the skull from each other's hands while a crowd surrounded them chanting, "FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!" She could tell that solving this problem wouldn't be easy. She needed a way to get their attention without sounding weak.

"HEY! STOP FIGHTING THIS INSTANT!" Twilight yelled. This got all of the World Eater's attention. The two who were fighting immediately ceased their squabble and stood up.

"He started it!"

"No, you did!"

"Enough! Both of you! It sounds like you both gave an equal amount of effort to bring down the demon. Can't you just share it?" Twilight said. The response she got was not what she expected.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! SHE WANTS US TO SHARE A SKULL?! AND SHE'S BEING SERIOUS?! BY THE BLOOD GOD! THAT'S HILARIOUS!" The World Eater fell over and rolled around on the ground laughing hysterically. The rest of them started laughing at Twilight as she blushed in embarrassment.

"Dammit Twilight! Why did you try and help the situation?! Now you've just made a fool of yourself in front of them!" She thought to herself.

Every World Eater ceased their laughter as Angron walked over to see what the commotion was all about. Star Rift was on his shoulder. Angron stopped at the two arguing World Eaters, giving them an angry glare before yanking the skull out of their hands and breaking it right down the middle, giving one half to each of them. He turned and walked back to his tent. Twilight followed him, not wanting to lose sight of Star Rift.

She entered the tent timidly. The skulls that adorned the inside did not help to calm her down. In the center of the tent was a brass throne, adorned with the skulls of Angron's greatest kills. (At least, the ones whose heads weren't completely smashed and mutilated by his chain-axes.) Leaning on each side of his throne were the two chain-axes that he had wielded for billions of years. Angron sat on his throne, meditating on past events. That was until he was interrupted by Star Rift.

"Uncle Angron, I would like to introduce you to Twilight Sparkle! Twilight, this is uncle Angron."

"It's nice to meet you Mr. Angron..." Twilight was visibly sweating at this point. Nevertheless, she held out her hoof in a gesture of goodwill. Angron said nothing.

"Is he always like this?" Twilight whispered to Star Rift. "I thought he was an unstoppable killing machine from wherever you guys come from." Angron snickered at Twilight's remark, catching her completely off guard.

"I'm sorry!" Twilight squealed. 

Angron sighed and walked over to the now terrified Twilight. He stood over her, chain-axes in hand. His armor was coated with dents and scratches. 

"But you aren't all 'Kill! Maim! Burn!' uncle Angron. I've seen your kinder side before." Star Rift nudged his leg. "Besides, how are things with Lotara going?" She whispered.

"I-" Angron cut himself off in embarrassment. "Well, if you must know... I recently asked her out to dinner." He put a hand on the back of his neck, trying to hide his blushing face. "She... she accepted the offer... but since we've all been so busy I-"

"Uncle Angron," Star Rift placed a hoof on his lower leg armor. Twilight found it amusing that Star Rift was so small yet so courageous. "I don't think she has forgotten about it. She's not one to forget these things. Just be confident in yourself! I know you can do it."

Angron smiled and kneeled to meet Star Rift's face. Even when lowered, he still massively outsized her. "Thank you, my niece. You truly know how to brighten someone's day."

"No problem! Any time, Uncle Angy!" Star Rift beamed with joy. Usually, Angron would rip someone's head off for calling him any nickname, but it was his niece's nickname for him, and only his niece's to say.

"Star Rift," Twilight said sternly, "I think we should leave your uncle alone now. We should take our leave."

Star Rift sighed, "Oh, fine. Alright, I'll see you later uncle Angron!" Angron said nothing back, only standing back up and going back to pondering his maps. What Star Rift and Twilight hadn't noticed was the bouquet of roses hidden under the table.

"That was fun!" Star-Rift said with a mischievous grin.

"That was scary!" Twilight retorted.

"Well, if you would like to talk to the opposite of uncle Angron, let's go see uncle Vulkan."

"Great, another nut job," Twilight said sarcastically.

Star-Rift took offense to this. "Hey! I'll have you know that uncle Vulkan gives the BEST hugs in this entire Universe and he is the nicest Azur you'll ever meet!" Star-Rift looked around. "Oh! It looks like he's talking to Uncle Leman and Uncle Magnus!"

"We shouldn't interrupt-" 

"Even better!" Star-Rift shouted as she bolted over. Twilight sighed. She knew she couldn't keep with Star-Rift. Nevertheless, she made an effort to do so. By the time she had reached Star-Rift, she was out of breath.

"Uncle Vulkan!" Star Rift leaped into his arms.

"Star-Rift! My best niece-friend!" He embraced her with a massive bear hug.

"Hello, Star-Rift." Magnus and Leman said simultaneously. Vulkan released his embrace on Star-Rift.

"Uncles, I would like to introduce you to Twilight Sparkle! Twilight, this is uncle Vulkan, uncle Leman, and Uncle Ma-"

"Oh! Hello Magnus!" Twilight said.

"Greetings Twilight!" Magnus replied.

Star-Rift was surprised. "Oh. You two already know each other?"

"We met on the battlefield," Twilight answered. "He saved my life. Twice." She shuddered thinking about Fulgrim, "I also saw Vulkan defending a group of young ponies. I can't say I've seen Leman though."

Leman frowned. "Well, I guess book worms hang out with book worms."

"Pardon my brother. He is not the most appreciative of knowledge." Magnus said. "Trust me, you get used to it."

"It's your thirst for knowledge that got us in trouble with the Crystal Empire, Magnus."

Twilight raised an eyebrow. "Wait, what?"

"By the gods, Leman... Void told us to drop this subject."

"Oh, I know, I'm just annoying you. Also, Princess Cadence is right behind you."

"What...?"

Cadence unleashed a flurry of magic at Magnus and Leman. Magnus was able to raise his shield in time before any of them were hurt.

“You’re seriously not going to let this go, are you?”

“You trespassed upon the territory of the Crystal Empire, and if you don’t explain what the hell you were doing in my daughter’s bedroom, I will assume you were trying to kidnap her. If that isn’t a worthy reason for a declaration of war, I don’t know what is.” Everyone could tell that Cadence was being dead serious. Twilight remembered when Sombra had tried to kidnap Flurry Heart, and the effects it had on Cadence’s parenting. Cadence didn’t allow Flurry Heart to go anywhere without supervision.

Flurry Heart shook off her swaddling clothes and flew into Leman’s arms at the sight of him. She was happy to see him. Cadence was shocked. Her horn lit up again, intending to blast Leman to smithereens.

“AHEM.” A voice came from behind. Sanguinius stepped forward, scowling at both Leman and Magnus. “Princess Cadenza mi Amore, forgive my brothers for their intrusion. The intent was to have them as a scouting party to map out the Crystal Empire. Unfortunately... Magnus had other ideas. Our brother's visions during his time in the Void showed Flurry Heart’s birth, and that she was an Alicorn. He just wanted to confirm this specific vision of mine and Magnus wanted to see this sight for himself. I sent both of them to investigate. She is truly a marvel.”

Cadence nodded. Her horn started to dim. For some reason, she found comfort and honesty in Sanguinius's words.

“It appears that, during my brother's intrusion, Flurry Heart formed a bond with Leman. I don’t blame him. He is the fluffiest of all of us. She probably mistook him for a massive dog. In fact...” 

Sanguinius fetched Flurry Heart from Leman’s arms and give her back to Cadence. He summoned a tennis ball out of thin air and yelled, “Fetch!” Leman ran after it, catching it mid-air with his teeth. Cadence and Magnus laughed as Leman sprinted back to them with the ball in his mouth. 

“Magnus, on the other hand, just wanted to know if the reports were true. He found the answer.” Void explained. “There was no malicious intent behind their actions. And, if it makes you feel better, I have already disciplined both of them for it.”

Cadence's horn completely dimmed. Twilight was astonished at Void's incredible charisma and way with words.

"If you think that's impressive, know that he has convinced entire armies to lay down their weapons and make peace with each other using only haikus," Magnus whispered to Twilight.

"Twilight, this is uncle Sanguinius. Also known as our resident glorious golden hawk boy." Twilight stuck out her hoof and Sanguinius shook it in response.

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance." Sanguinius said, giving Twilight a sight bow. She had just noticed his fangs behind that bright smile of his. Twilight blushed a little, as he was basically the embodiment of those vampire novels she read when she was younger, except he had angel wings and was clothed in beautiful golden armor.

Twilight caught sight of another Azur who seemed to be leading a sermon of some sort. He was, clothed in white robes, carrying a staff. On top of the staff was the imperial seal, which was ablaze with purple fire. Attached to his belt were religious texts and prayer beads. The front of his pointy hat carried a black version of the imperial seal.

"Oh! Twilight!" Star jumped up and down in excitement. "That's Ecclesiarch Decius the... twenty-third. High-Priest of the Azur people. It's his job to maintain religious stability within the citizenry of the Imperium. He works very closely with-"

"A sacra Mater!" Lorgar shouted as he approached Twilight. He knelt before her and placed a hand over his heart. "It is an honor to be in your presence, Goddess of Friendship."

"There is no need to bow to me. We're all friends here..." Twilight said uncomfortably.

"I must insist. You are a goddess, and it is my job as the Urizen to honor the gods of the Azur and our allies."

Twilight sighed. "I guess it just comes with the job. Very well, you may rise, Lorgar."

"Thank you, Goddess, of Friendship," Lorgar said as he got up. "There is one thing that bothers me though..."

"What is it?" Twilight asked.

"Since you are a goddess and all, shouldn't you be worshiped? The devotion and worship of the Equestrian pantheon seems to have dwindled into nothingness. Perhaps I should order my legion to build a temple to the Azur and Equestrian pantheons. It would be a symbol of unity between our two peoples and would bring back the worship that the gods deserve..."

"Lorgar," Twilight interrupted, "as much as it would be a symbol of unity, worship on Equus is not a thing. When Celestia came to power, she specifically stated that she did not want to be worshiped, lest it causes her to go mad with power..." Twilight's expression became one of concern as she thought of Celestia. She had been a fearsome warrior. That kind of worship could lead her down a very dark path.

"Of course, although she is definitely not the warrior she once was-" Lorgar was suddenly interrupted by a commotion. They all looked over to see Princess Luna, now standing in some sort of anthropomorphic form. She still had her hooves, horn, and wings but she stood like an Azur on two legs. She was huge, taller than a primarch. She was clothed in a dress of starlight and wore jewels that shone like the moon. She stood before Decius... menacingly...

"My lady-" Decius was cut off as he was grabbed by the collar of his robes and hoisted up. Luna stared at Decius with almost murderous eyes.

"Where is he?" Luna hissed.

"My lady I don't understand-"

"Of course you don't! How could you understand my pain. For ten billion years I have wept. Ten billion years I have sat in solitude while your kind disappeared when I needed their support the most. Now, I will ask you again, Ecclesiarch. WHERE IS MY HUSBAND?!"

"Mom!" Star-Rift shouted. Ender followed close behind her. 

"My children..." Luna dropped Decius to the ground before rushing over to hug them. She wrapped them in her arms, sobbing. Tears were exchanged between a family once divided. 

Decius walked over carefully and removed his hat, bowing on one knee to Luna and her children.

"My queen." Decius said with reverence. The rest of the Azur also fell to one knee. Luna was taken aback by the display of devotion. She rose, letting her children go from her embrace, walking back over to Decius before taking him in her arms.

"My queen I-"

"I am sorry Ecclesiarch. My outburst was-"

"My queen, we all know of your suffering. For many millennia we have watched. We waited. We too suffered."

Luna released her embrace of the Ecclesiarch, setting him back on his own two feet. "What is your name, Ecclesiarch?"

"Decius, my queen."

"So, you are Malcador's heir." She said, releasing Decius from her hug before standing back upright. "Tell me, why did you wait so long to return?"

"Your husband wished for us to return sooner, but circumstances back home made it nearly impossible."

"Void? But he-"

"We found his body. Nothing more than a skeleton. The Custodes were dispatched to find his corpse. What we didn't expect was for it to start speaking to them. Void's physical form was destroyed, but his very essence remained intact. He... had to put himself back together in a manner of speaking, gathering lost fragments of his soul before he was finally able to physically regenerate and return to his former glory."

Luna pondered the Ecclesiarch's words before hugging him again. "Thank you, Decius."

"Thank you, my queen."





"I see your deeds. The Azur return to the stage once more. The silence is broken."

"Yes. As it should be."

"Your own return has shaken many."

"I know."

"Including yourself."

"..."

"Are you scared, my child?"

"...yes."

"Put aside your fear. Be who they need you to be."

"I will."

"Good. Awaken, my son."





"He's awake!" A Custodes shouted, seeing Void ascend from beneath the waves. Void made his way onto dry land, clothing himself in his toga. The Azur flocked to meet him. Many creatures of Equus went to see what was happening. The Azur and dragons were kneeling, heads bowed low. Void walked with outstretched wings through the crowd. Some even tried to touch his wings. Void didn't seem to mind. He was set on one thing alone.

He stood before Luna and his children for what felt like an eternity.

"Void..."

"Luna..."

The two embraced each other, tears running down their cheeks as they squeezed each other tightly. Then they started kissing, and it got weird pretty quickly.

"Oh my!" Fulgrim said with anticipation, before Angron tackled him to the ground.

"Shield your eyes!" Lorgar yelled.

"Mom! Dad! Get a room!" Ender shouted. Void and Luna broke their passionate kiss and blushed in embarrassment before laughing.

Twilight just looked on, not knowing what she was in for.
> XI. A Temporary Peace
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Celestia stood at a podium in a room full of reporters, journalists, and observers who were eager to learn of the Azur and the events of last night. On the left of the room were the creatures of Equus, still reeling from the culture shock of learning that they were not the only lifeforms in the universe. On the right, were the Azur, speaking in hushed tones of life back home. There had been a massive influx of pilgrims who were eager to lay eyes upon Equus after the battle between the Azur Knights and the demons. Azur journalists had also arrived on Equus, interviewing ponies and other creatures about the events that had taken place just a few days ago.

When Void entered the room, he was met with a flurry of questions coming from the creatures of Equus. Many were eager just to learn who he even was and why he had come to Equus. The Azur simply stood and said, "Ave Imperator!" out of respect and worship. Decius was beside Void and raised his hand to quiet the crowd.

"Please, everyone, be seated. The Emperor will try to answer whatever questions you may have. Kinsman, you may be seated." The Azur took their seats as the questions from the creatures of Equus continued to intensify. 

"My people," Celestia began, "We will be taking questions back and forth between the two parties present here today. Now," Celestia pointed a hoof at an earth pony, "you there, what is your question?"

The earth pony began to speak as the creatures of Equus quieted down. "Princess Celestia, with all due respect, we have no idea who these creatures are. Many of us think that we are under occupation by them. Have we been conquered?"

"No," Celestia responded. "My father made a pact with the Azur long ago. An alliance bound in blood. An oath, if you will."

It was Void's turn now to receive a question. The hands of the Azur reporters shot up in silence. He pointed at one in the front row. The reporter stood up to ask his question.

"My Emperor, Azkan Bathrul from the Obsidian City Post. Many Azur are wondering if you are going to open the borders once again. With the recent developments, will you reopen the borders to trade and commerce from other species?"

"Yes," Void responded. "The merchant fleets will be recommissioned into service to conduct trade with our allies. This will include Equus. The foreign currency exchange will also become active again on the stock market."

The Azur kept their hands up as Celestia pointed at one of them.

"Princess Celestia, Eresia Vraks with the Azur Independent. Will you allow pilgrim fleets to voyage to Equus to worship at the site of the battle? If so, will you allow the Ecclesiarchy to hold a sermon at the site?"

Celestia looked at Void as she responded. "I see no harm in it. It would be a valuable opportunity for my people to learn about Azur culture should they wish to attend." Celestia gave Decius a kind nod.

Void pointed to one of the creatures of Equus. "Yes, you, changeling."

Thorax spoke with a quiver in his voice. "Um... lord Void, while under the rule of Queen Chrysalis she often spoke of a... great demon who devoured our people in years long past. She said that the demon fought with incredible savagery, nearly driving us to extinction as it had slaughtered all of the changeling queens except for her. She said that this demon had... four wings... as black as night..."

The room was silent. Void folded his hands and sighed. "Yes, it is true. I was the Reaper... the name your people gave to me. I devoured the souls of the old changeling queens. Chrysalis somehow escaped my wrath. But that was a different time. A time when our people warred with one another. I see you have been redeemed in the eyes of the creatures of Equus. Do not worry, Thorax. The Reaper shall nevermore hunt your people."

Thorax and the other changelings breathed a sigh of relief.

Celestia pointed her hoof at a small dragon with purple scales and green spikes. He was seated on the shoulders of Dragon-Lord Ember.

"Princess Celestia," he began.

"Oh! Hello Spike!"

"Hi! So uh, Ember has been telling me stories about a fabled Dragon-King who would return to lead our people. Is he-" Spike pointed a finger at Void.

"Yes, Void is the Dragon-King," Celestia chuckled.

"Wooooooooooow." Spike gazed in awe at his new hero to look up to. Void smiled before turning his attention to the Azur.

"Mighty Emperor, Eskal Darim from the Rift Journal, will Princess Luna be reinstated as the Queen of the Imperium?"

Void leaned forward on the podium, staring directly at Eskal. "Is that a rhetorical question?" Void chuckled. The Azur laughed as Eskal took his seat in embarrassment. Luna, sitting in the back of the room with the rest of the royal family, including Ender and Star Rift, smiled.

"I was planning to make the announcement later, but I might as well do so now. Luna, my wife and mother of our two children, shall once more be the Queen of the Azur Imperium!"

The Azur stood and applauded. Luna shed a few tears of joy.





Sheol smashed the mirror he was watching the press conference through. For days he had been brooding over Void's return. "He should have died... I thrust my scythe through his damn heart! How could he have-"

A thrall burst into Sheol's throne room. "My lord, our armies have returned! We have it."

A dark grin spread across Sheol's face. "Finally, some good news for once! Bring it in!"

A few demons carried in a statue, a statue that served as a prison to three of Equus's most infamous villains. Queen Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow. Sheol knew that he was going to need lieutenants for his army if he was to make any headway on Equus. The demons set the statue down and left. Sheol's horn lit up as he started to chant.

"Nazsh nagal krintor vo'ex." The statue shattered, revealing the villains inside who fell onto the floor.  All of them were disoriented from being in that statue for a while.

"Where are we?" Cozy Glow asked as her vision began to clear.

"I have no idea, but it feels cold... and dark..."

Chrysalis stood up. "It feels familiar... it feels like..." Her vision cleared and saw Sheol standing before her. Her eyes went wide as she recognized him. "Master...!" she said as she kneeled before him. Tirek and Cozy Glow looked on confused.

"You know this guy?" Tirek asked.

"KNEEL." Sheol commanded. Tirek kneeled immediately; his mind dominated by Sheol's will. he recognized this power.

"You're... you're the Demon-Pony! Creator of monsters! Dominator of Wills! Long have I heard the stories but-"

"But you did not believe them. Do you believe now?" Sheol asked Tirek as he stretched his wings, his body alight with dark power. Tirek simply gazed in awe. "Yes... I believe..."

"Rise, magic-eater. Rise, changeling queen," Sheol commanded. Tirek rose, not taking his eyes off of Sheol for a second. For the first time in his life, Tirek felt genuine fear.

Chrysalis spoke up. "Master... I did not think you survived. How-"

"It seems fate had other plans. For both me and the Anathema-Child."

"The Reaper has returned too?! How?!" Chrysalis trembled in fear.

"I'm sorry, I'm very confused. Who are you? Who is this 'Anathema-Child' you speak of?" Cozy Glow interrupted. Usually, Sheol would have cut the head off of those who interrupted him, but he knew the filly was a valuable asset for his plans to come to fruition.

Chrysalis began to speak. "Cozy Glow, this is Sheol. The Demon-Pony, Father of Monsters, Dominator of Wills. He's the one created who the changelings, the centaurs, the windigos-"

"I can speak for myself, Chrysalis."

"I'm sorry, master, forgive me for my-"

"It's fine," Sheol said as he turned his gaze to Cozy Glow. "Besides, how could she even know my name when all records of me have been lost to time? But she will come to learn eventually, along with every other creature. They will all learn to fear me once more."

"Very menacing, I like it!" Cozy Glow exclaimed. Sheol let out a small chuckle.

"Indeed. Now, let's get down to business," Sheol said as he picked up one of the shards of the broken mirror. He could still see Void through it. The very sight of him made Sheol's blood boil with rage. "You three are to be my generals for the coming war. A war that will be fought across the universe itself. Equus isn't the only planet with life on it. Millions of others are the home to alien races both big and small. I intend to conquer them."

"But why not just conquer Equus?" Tirek asked.

"Because there is a much greater prize that lies at the center of the universe. A prize that will divide it in two should we conquer it."

Cozy Glow raised an eyebrow. "And that planet is?"

"All in good time, child. All in good time you shall know its name," Sheol responded. "But first we need an army. The majority of the demons that once served me have moved on as I have been absent for the last ten billion years. My Thralls are all but depleted. The Storm King is dead. Sombra is dead. Grogar died by Void's hand all those years ago. And the changelings have... defected."

"Damn you Thorax," Chrysalis muttered under her breath.

"That being said, those losses can easily be replaced. Oh, and before I forget." Sheol paused as his horn shot pure darkness into Tirek's mouth. Tirek grew to his third form immediately after he absorbed it.

"Now that's more like it!"

Sheol smiled. "Remain loyal and you shall receive more power than you ever could have imagined. Now, back to the subject of the changelings..." Sheol trotted up to Chrysalis. "You know of the ways of how the queens used to compete for my attention through warring with one another and the enemy."

Chrysalis thought back to a time long ago. "Yes, I remember. You never found me in your favor. I was always the weakest of my sisters." Resentment built up in her like a volcano just thinking about it.

Sheol smiled at Chrysalis. "And yet, now you are the last changeling queen. None of your sisters are around to compete with you anymore. You are the winner by default. I think you know what that means."

Chrysalis blushed a very deep red.

"What does he mean?" Cozy Glow asked Tirek.

"Uh, you'll find out when you're older. I think we should leave them alone now."

Sheol looked over at Tirek and Cozy Glow. "My thralls will escort you to your rooms." Two thralls emerged from the shadows and gestured for Tirek and Cozy Glow to follow them. The two obliged, leaving Sheol and Chrysalis alone together. When the doors closed, Chrysalis pushed Sheol onto his back. She stood over him, licking her lips in anticipation.

"Oh my," Sheol said, clearly taken by surprise, "You're an eager one, aren't you?"

"Shut up. I've been waiting for this for an eternity."

Sheol smirked. "Well then, wait no longer. Tell me, what exactly do you want?"

"I want you to breed me, Sheol," Chrysalis said with lust in her eyes. "Breed me, and I will give you the greatest hive in changeling history."

And with that, the two got to work.
> XII. Played Like a Fiddle
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Well, this is... concerning."

Void, Twilight, Celestia, Luna, Nox, Sol, Star, Cadence, Shining Armor, and Thorax stood before the podium where a certain statue was supposed to be.

"I should have known he would pull something like this," Void sighed while facepalming himself. "It was too obvious to the point where I thought he wouldn't steal the statue."

"He played us like a gods-damned fiddle..." Celestia said angrily, grinding her teeth together. Twilight had never seen Celestia this angry before. She placed a reassuring hoof on Celestia's shoulder, trying to calm her down. Celestia took a few deep breaths, not wanting to have an outburst in front of her family.

"So, now what?" Nox asked.

"Well," Void responded, "Now we have confirmation Sheol is trying to rebuild his army. My guess is that he's going to use Tirek to take control of the demons, and he's going to create a new changeling hive. Loose ends really do come back to bite you in the ass."

"Could you elaborate on that?" Thorax asked.

"What he means," Sol began, "Well, back in the day, Void led an extermination campaign against the old changeling hives."

Thorax was even more confused. "Wait, there were multiple hives?"

"Yes," Sol continued, "but that was long before your time. The changeling hives posed a great threat for their ability to infiltrate our forces and leak crucial information to the enemy. Supply chains, troop movements, and the like."

"They were a menace. A menace that had to be crushed." Void's tone was filled with repressed rage. 

Sol moved to Thorax and whispered in his ear. "It was the changelings that infiltrated the Obsidian City and opened the gates that allowed Sheol to invade, resulting in the death of Void's father." Thorax nodded in understanding.

"So, I took the dragons and burned every hive to the ground." Void clenched his fist. "First, we smoked out the hives, filling them with fire and toxic smoke which caused the changelings to flee for fresh air. Then I took a contingent inside the hives to burn the unscathed chambers. No tunnel was left unsearched, no chamber unscathed, no changeling left alive. We burnt them all."

Twilight and Thorax could see the fire in Void's eyes. He wasn't just reminiscing about it; he was emotionally reliving it.

"The queens I dealt with personally. You remember the stories about the Reaper devouring changelings?"

Thorax nodded in acknowledgment. 

"That's what I did to the queens. I devoured them, body and soul until there was nothing left. Then we lit the queen's chamber on fire, destroying the larvae and eggs."

Thorax shivered in fear. Twilight stood close to comfort him and raised her voice. "Void, what you did was-"

"Genocide. I know," Void sighed. "In the end, we burned every single hive, leaving all of them nothing but smoking ruins. But one queen escaped. Chrysalis. She was gone by the time we arrived."

"I still have questions," Thorax chimed in. "Why did my people serve Sheol in the first place?"

"Because the changelings were his creation," Void answered. Thorax was shocked. Shame washed over him like waves crashing into the sand. He felt guilty for what his people had done. "I- I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Void looked at Thorax. The fire in his eyes had died down, now replaced by a gentle gaze. "You yourself have done nothing wrong. In fact, you were the one to lead your people to redemption. The new changelings have rejected the dark doctrines of their creator. In my eyes, your people have been redeemed. Sure, the scars are still there, and I imagine it will be many years before our people learn to live alongside one another. But if we wish to survive, we must all learn to live alongside our monsters."

Thorax could feel a small glimmer of hope radiating from Void's gaze. That hope was quickly vanquished by a feeling of stern conviction. "But Chrysalis... she rejected redemption. Her chances have run out. She once again sides with her creator. And with him, she will create a new hive. Thorax, do you know of the old changeling queens?"

"I've heard stories about them, but Chrysalis never really elaborated on it. Sometimes she would mutter about her sisters. Very angrily I might add."

"Do you know how changeling hives are created?" Void asked.

"Uhhh... no not really. We always assumed that Chrysalis could lay eggs at will," Thorax shrugged. "I'm guessing that's not the case."

Void sighed. "Does no one get taught about the birds and the bees around here?" He thought to himself before beginning to explain. "Okay. So, back in the day, Chrysalis and her sisters would compete for Sheol's favor. This would include making war with us or each other out of jealousy, mass sacrifices of captured civilians, demonic rituals, and other nasty business. You get the picture."

"Changelings back then were much more brutal than they are today," Nox interjected.

"Sounds like it," Thorax said, another shiver running down his spine.

"Indeed. Now, those who had Sheol's favor were allowed special privileges. They were allowed to command the other queens sometimes and lead his armies into battle. But there was one very special privilege they were afforded. Whoever was in Sheol's favor got to be his... concubine."

It took Thorax a few seconds to process the information he had just received. "Wait doesn't that mean they- OH."

"Yup. The good old mushy-mushy, birds and the bees, baby-making, sex. Now, mix a changeling queen without a mate and you get someone who will resort to one-night stands. From what I have heard, Chrysalis would disguise herself as a very beautiful mare and have some fun with stallions from time to time. After all was said and done, she would wipe their memories and disappear without a trace. She probably would still be doing it to this day if she hadn't gotten careless and tried to crash a certain wedding."

"Oh... OOOOOH NO." Thorax said. His eyes went wide as everyone looked over at Shining Armor. Shining was clueless until he saw Cadence and Twilight with very shocked and disgusted looks on their faces.

"WAIT WAS CHRYSALIS TRYING TO HAVE SEX WITH ME?!"

"Bingo!" Nox laughed, "And by the looks of it, she got damn close. You dodged a bullet there."

Shining puked at the thought of having sex with Chrysalis of all creatures. Cadence and Twilight were internally screaming. Thorax started to question who his dad was, soon remembering that he was there for the battle at the wedding. Internally he breathed a sigh of relief but was still horrified nonetheless.

"I guess one good thing came out of Sheol's return. Chrysalis won't be having any 'encounters' any time soon," Sol said with a hint of sarcasm.

"Regardless, this throws a bit of a wrench into everything. Then again, plans don't usually survive the first encounter with the enemy."

"Ah, I remember when I was trapped in a statue." A voice said from behind. Everyone looked back to the podium to find Discord standing on it, posing like an Olympic athlete.

"Hello, Malal, you old prankster." Void said rolling his eyes.

"Oh, you do remember my true name! How sweet. It's Discord now. You put on quite the show, God-Emperor of the Azur," Discord bowed to Void in both respect and mockery. "Welcome back to Equus, by the way," he said, holding out a hand.

Void raised an eyebrow. "You're trying to joy buzzer me, aren't you?"

"Damn, Void, you're good." Discord smirked.

Twilight could see that Void had mixed feelings about Discord, or Malal as he called him.



The dragons had taken the news of Void's return with the most enthusiasm. The return of the Dragon-King was a godsend to them, at least, most of them. There was one who didn't know of the Dragon-King, and he had many questions. Spike sat upon Ember's shoulders as she carried him to the royal palace.

"So, let me get this straight, the Dragon-King is the king of dragons... across the universe?!"

"Yup," Ember responded.

"That's... a lot of dragons."

The two entered the palace and walked to the throne room. There, they found Twilight and Void discussing day-to-day matters. Nothing important. They turned as heard the door open.

"Twilight!" Spike shouted as he leapt from Twilight's shoulders 

"Spike!" Twilight rushed over and embraced Spike. The two hadn't seen each other in weeks. Twilight had sent Spike to the Dragon-Lands for diplomacy. He was officially the emissary between the dragons and ponies. Ember kneeled before Void and bowed her head.

"Drem yol lok, my lord."

"Pruzah sul. You may rise, Ember."

Ember rose and stared Void for a moment. She still couldn't believe that she was standing before the Dragon-King, let alone speaking to him.

"How is your father?" Void asked. Ember jumped a little, being lost in thought at the sight of Void. 

"Oh! He's doing very well and sends his best."

"I'm glad to hear it." Void smiled and then turned to Spike. "So, this is the one I've heard so much about."

Spike looked up to see Void towering over him. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he was intimidated by Void's raw strength.

"You- you have?"

"Twilight has told me much about you, Spike. How you were the savior of the Crystal Empire in its darkest hour. How you braved the Gauntlet of Fire, and then willingly gave up the title of Dragon-Lord to Ember. You're quite the hero around Equus."

Spike found himself at a loss for words. To be recognized as a hero was a privilege in and of itself. But being called a hero by the king of his entire species? Now that was an achievement.

"I'm honored, sir!" Spike stood at attention and saluted as if he were a soldier. He didn't know what else to do to thank Void.

Void chuckled. "There's no need for that, Spike. We're all friends here. By the way, I just noticed your wings. Did you get them recently? I heard you were wingless when you saved the Crystal Empire and triumphed in the Gauntlet."

"Yeah, I got my wings a bit of a while ago. Molting was not fun."

"Oh gods, I remember my molting. You should have seen my fire burps. I almost burnt down the Imperial Palace!" Void and Spike shared a good laugh. Behind Void's kingly stature was a relatable side that all could sympathize with.

"So, your grandfather is Bahamut?" Spike asked.

"Yup. The Platinum Dragon himself. Why do you think I have platinum horns?" Void said, pointing to his horns.

"But, Bahamut only has two... and you have four?"

"Well, my father had four horns as well. They're basically my crown. The symbol of my authority in dragon culture."

"Oh! That makes sense. Same with the wings?"

"Yup!"

"Wait, if your grandfather is Bahamut, does that mean your great aunt is Tiamat?"

"That is indeed true. However, since the end of the dragon civil war ages ago, she has kept her promise of non-aggression. She's actually very nice to talk to. I haven't seen her in a while though. Perhaps I should introduce you to her."

Spike smiled nervously, recalling the stories he had been told. "Uhh... no thanks... I don't want to be eaten by her."

Void laughed. "Oh, trust me, she won't. Not with me around. Besides, she only devours those who dare to question her authority. Might makes right and all of that philosophy. Meanwhile Bahamut values intellect and deeds instead of pure strength. You could say they are two sides of the same coin. Order and Chaos."

Spike pondered Void's words. "Huh. Never really thought of it that way."

"One cannot exist without the other. Same goes for Light and Dark." Void conjured two orbs of magic in his hands. "The Azur were born from that balance. And speaking of my people... I am sorry to cut this little philosophy lesson short, but Mass is about to begin. Would you like to join me?"
> XIII. Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the days that followed Void's return to Equus, fleets of pilgrim ships had traveled from the Void bringing thousands of pilgrims who wished to worship at the battle site. They claimed that it was now a holy site as it had been touched by Void's power directly. This was technically true. Wherever gods fought, remnants of the victor's power would stain the battlefield for weeks, maybe even months afterward. Depending on the god or goddess, the battlefield could smell of a field of flowers, to the stench of rotting corpses. Those who walked upon the site felt a sense of pride, devotion, love, anger, hatred, sorrow, joy, and so much more within themselves. Void's power even took physical form as if it were a purple aurora borealis that had fallen from the sky. It was very faint, but you could see it if you squinted hard enough.

An altar had been erected on the site of the battlefield, constructed with obsidian and platinum to honor Void and his shared ancestry. A massive crowd of Azur and creatures of Equus were gathered around it, a ring of Custodes keeping them at a bit of a distance. After all, priests can't carry out religious ceremonies when the space is cramped. How else would they make the appropriate hand signs and distribute the various sacraments?

Twilight looked on from the crowd, observing the multitude of species that had come from near and far to watch this sacred ceremony. Azur, dragons, ponies, yaks, and even a few changelings. Spike flew above Twilight, trying to get a good view of the altar. Most of the dragons had the same idea, making it hard to see through crowds of wings. He eventually found a good spot.

A bell was rung and a ship hovering above began to blare with a chorus of organs. A choir of voices rang out amongst the crowd. They knew the songs by complete memory as if they were written upon the hearts of every Azur. Through the crowd, a procession was led by Decius. Decius carried with him what the Azur called "The Staff of Malcador". This ancient staff had always been wielded by the Ecclesiarch who was considered the Emperor's closest advisor. Behind Decius followed a procession of bishops from the Azur Ecclesiarchy. Behind the Bishops were two Chaplins, Azur Knights who had been appointed to be a spiritual leader within the legions, of obviously high standing. Behind them was Lorgar, dressed in priestly robes, those that he would use in meditation or leading religious ceremonies. Lorgar carried a book adorned in platinum and that strange purple crystal. From his morning star hung an incense censer, the smell was powerful yet subtle at the same time. Behind Lorgar was Void himself with an entourage of Custodes. As Void walked on the site of the battle, the purple aurora seemed to warp around him, becoming more visible to the naked eye as it got closer.

When the procession had reached the altar and they had all taken their positions, Decius moved to the altar and began the rites of the mass.

"In the name of Azur'rath, the Four, and the Emperor, amen."

"Amen," the crowd responded.

"Brothers and sisters, we are here to celebrate the sacred rite of the mass. I extend a warm welcome to the Dragon-kin, with whom the Emperor shares blood. Friends of the Imperium, creatures of Equus, you too are welcome to join us in giving thanks to the gods today. But first, let us acknowledge our sins so that we may be worthy to receive this sacred sacrament."

The crowd began to chant. "We are sorry for the sins we have committed against our creator, Azur'rath. We have turned from the path he has laid before us through our grievous fault. Sacred Pale Mother, we beseech thee to intercede for us! We ask for forgiveness so that when our final day comes, we may be one with Azur'rath, as the Void will be at the end of all things."

Decius then traded places with Lorgar at the altar. Lorgar kissed the book he was holding before he set it down on the table. He then whispered an incantation, a secret phrase, which opened the book to a page that upon seeing he smiled. The story was a classic.

"A reading from the book of Revelations. As the Emperor traveled across the stars to unite the Dragons, he came upon a world where the sun was smaller than the planet itself. He saw people, four-legged with coats, manes, and tails like silk.

"Wait a minute..." Twilight whispered to herself, "is he talking about us?"

"Upon this planet were savage dragons, those who had no discipline, those who would take and eat who and what they wanted." The ruler of the savage dragons was known as the Tyrant. He led his people on a campaign of violence against the other creatures, as a barbarian would pillage and prey upon those who could not defend themselves. Raid after raid the Tyrant came, stealing away the ponies one by one to be consumed. Their gods tried to intervene, but they were not able to save everyone."

"The Emperor moved with compassion and pity, descended to the surface of the planet. The ponies were terrified at the sight of the Emperor. In their eyes, he was but another dragon who wished to prey upon them. But then the Tyrant came, and with him, he brought a host of dragons, claws barred, and teeth sharpened. The Emperor turned to face the Tyrant. 'Who are you?' the Tyrant shouted at the Emperor. His breath smelled of death, his claws and teeth stained with the blood of many."

Void then began to speak with a voice of authority. He would play the part of his father. "I am the son of Bahamut, son of Asgorath, god of Dragons. Submit to me, and you shall be spared."

"The Tyrant scoffed at the Emperor, and then lunged for his throat! But the Tyrant was unable to pierce the Emperor's scales! The Tyrant's teeth shattered, and the Emperor struck down the Tyrant. The dragons and ponies were awestruck with wonder and fear. One of the dragons who had previously served the Tyrant stepped forward and asked, 'Who are you?'"

Void's third eye appeared, open and blazing with the light of the Void.

"I AM IMPERATOR, EMPEROR OF THE AZUR, GRANDSON OF BAHAMUT AND KING OF DRAGONS. LOOK UPON ME AND KNOW THAT MY WORD IS LAW."



"You want me to do WHAT?" Celestia stared at Void in disbelief. The two were arguing in private, away from prying ears and eyes.

"You heard me, my former mentor." Void said with a smirk on his face. "Train Twilight as you did me."

"NO. ABSOLUTELY NOT."

"Why?!"

"BECAUSE I SAID SO. Void, when I trained you, I intended to break you down and build you back up! Twilight wouldn't last the first day!"

Void rolled his eyes. "Someone has got to do it eventually."

"Why don't you just teach her yourself?"

"Because she would probably end up with a broken spine. Also, its better is she learns from someone she already knows and trusts wholeheartedly. Even with her niceties, I can feel that she still had doubts about me. You taught her once before, and you can do it again."

"I left that life behind a long time ago. I hung up my glaive and my armor to move forward. I will not be dragged back into the past."

"Bullshit."

"I'm sorry?!"

"BULLSHIT. You know that deep down that you're still the Goddess of War! You were one of the greatest warriors in the universe! You cut down legions of demons with a single swing of your glaive! What happened to you, Celestia?! Where's the fire that once burned within you?! Where is that burning beacon of light that guided her people through the darkest age of history?!"

"THAT PONY IS LONG DEAD, VOID. SHE DIED WHEN YOU DID."

Celestia's eyes were filled with fire, her mane and tail alight with the fire of the sun itself. It took her a moment before she regained her composure. Void knew that he had hurt her deeply.

"I'm sorry. I just-"

"Leave, Void."

"Very well. I'm sorry I even asked."

Void left the room, leaving Celestia alone. She began to cry, questioning herself and her leadership. A small spark ignited in her soul, a flame that had been long dead. The ashes had sparked a small ember. Celestia retreated to a hidden chamber and gazed upon her old armor. She remembered the days when she had been a warrior, the days when she didn't have to worry about being a princess. When she looked upon her glaive, the embers ignited.

"No... no more self-pity."

Celestia donned her old armor, her mane and tail reigniting with sun-fire. Not with an uncontrollable flame of emotion, but with a flame that could cut through metal, a flame that was focused.

"Control your anger, and it will be the greatest weapon in your arsenal."

She took up her glaive, reigniting it with her power.

"It's time for the Goddess of War to come out of retirement... temporarily."





Void was trying to train Twilight in the art of combat outside of the palace. Suffice to say, they weren't making much progress. Twilight was certainly struggling to understand. "I can't do this!" Twilight shouted. She threw down her training sword with anger. Void sighed to himself.

"Damn you Celestia."

"Void, I'm not a warrior. I'm a princess!"

"A ruler, let alone a god, must know how to fight to ensure the safety of their people!"

"Why can't I just get the royal guard to do the fighting?!"

Celestia let out a booming laugh as she observed the scene, leaping off of a balcony and descending to meet Void and Twilight. Twilight was shocked. "This... this can't be Celestia... this has to be someone else." Celestia glowed with the light of an angry sun, descending like a meteor.

"Because they've lost their touch with combat." Celestia's voice boomed as she landed. "I should replace them all now that I think about it. Well, your brother was actually competent. It was one of the reasons he rose up the ranks so fast."

There was no denying it. This was Celestia, but a much different Celestia. A Celestia of the past. 

"Princess-"

"Twilight, we know each other on a first-name basis, and you're a goddess now. There is no need to call me princess. However, for this training, to instill discipline, call me mentor."

"Yes, mentor." Twilight was never going to get used to calling Celestia that. Void smiled and took a seat on the sidelines.

The flames in Celestia's mane became gentler as she approached Twilight. She placed a hoof on her shoulder, her eyes filled with that gentle kindness that Twilight knew so well. "Twilight... I hate to admit it, but Void is right. If you are to survive what is to come, I must teach you a lesson I swore never to teach again. This will be your final lesson, a lesson in combat. I must warn you that I won't hold anything back, as I didn't hold anything back for Void. Do you know why? It's because I saw his potential. He just needed a push... actually it was more of a hard shove." Celestia chuckled a little, trying to hold back tears. "Now I see that potential in you, as much as I hate to admit it. Now I must do anything to bring out that potential. Do you understand?"

Twilight nodded, electing to say nothing.

"Good. Now pick up your sword." The fire in Celestia's eyes returned. "We have work to do."

Twilight raised her sword as Celestia ignited her glaive. She eyed Twilight intently as if she were a foe. The two circled around the sparring ground, waiting for one to make the first move.

"First lesson," Celestia started, "A wise ruler never seeks out war, but must always be ready for it. That is the most important thing to know. Now, repeat what I just said."

"A wise ruler never seeks out war, but must always be ready for it."

"Good. Now, second lesson," Celestia flew towards Twilight at lightning speed, knocking her off her hooves. She followed up by swinging her glaive at Twilight's wings while she was on the ground but stopped short by a centimeter. "Never leave your flanks open to attack! You see how easily I could have cut off your wing?"

Twilight looked over to see how close her wing was to being relieved from its socket. She shuddered to think what the pain would have been like.

The two continued to go back and forth for hours, Twilight always being laid out and almost killed by Celestia. Void observed patiently, looking for any sign that Twilight could be what he was hoping for. Dusk was beginning to settle, and Twilight was becoming increasingly frustrated. Void was beginning to worry.

"Azur'rath, great-grandfather... if she is the one we have been looking for... please..."

Celestia was increasingly frustrated too. So much that on her next swing that she accidentally scratched Twilight with her glaive along her cheek. The wound wasn't enough to inflict pain, but it did begin to bleed. Celestia realized her mistake in horror.

"Twilight I'm so sorry! I- maybe we should take a break until tomorrow."

Twilight felt something within her. A spark that had now blossomed into a fire.

"No... we keep going."

"What?"

"I said, WE KEEP GOING." Twilight, blinded by rage, flew at Celestia, catching her off guard. Celestia raised her glaive to block, just barely able to deflect the blow. Celestia could see that this was raw power awakening within her. Twilight kept flying at Celestia eventually catching her off guard, knocking her to the ground. Celestia was bruised and bloodied. Twilight rose her training sword in anticipation to make the final blow.

"TWILIGHT, STOP!" Celestia begged. Twilight's rage ceased looking down at Celestia, now as bloodied and bruised as she was, if not more. What was once rage now turned into sadness. Twilight threw her sword down and embraced Celestia, starting to bawl.

"I'm so sorry... I don't know what came over me-"

"Be still Twilight, it's over now."

"What was-"

"Rage. Anger. I know it all too well. You let it control you. I've let it control me too." She patted Twilight's head as she shot a dirty look at Void who was now approaching the scene.

"I think you've both done enough for today," Void said as he helped the both of them to their hooves.

"Yes, we have," Celestia agreed, dusting herself off. "Twilight, go inside and freshen yourself up. Pay a visit to the spa. That's an order."

"Yes, mam!" Twilight chuckled through tears. She hurried off inside where she found the spa already prepared.

"Happy, Void?"

"I didn't know she would-"

"I told you she wouldn't be able to handle it! This is exactly why I hung up my glaive. I hope you're happy because now I have just potentially mentally traumatized Twilight. She won't forget this."

"But now we know what power lies within her! If you can just show her how to-"

"NO, VOID. NO. I REFUSE TO DO THIS AGAIN." Celestia shouted at Void, stamping inside with a huff.

Void was left alone in the sparring grounds with his thoughts. Guilt washed over him like a wave over sand, but in the back of his mind, there was a sense of relief.

"She is the one."
> XIV. Making Friends
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The morning after the whole training fiasco was tense, to say the least. Especially at breakfast. Celestia had not slept well, her thoughts about the previous day's events keeping her up well into the night. Void was up for a bit of the night as well, racked with guilt about what had taken place. He hadn't gotten much sleep over the past month anyway. Having to plan for an intergalactic war on top of shouldering the weight of not one but two entire species will do that to you.

That morning, everyone was around a table eating breakfast. Celestia had provided pancakes for everyone, even Void who she had shot an angry look towards when she had served him his plate. The room was silent as everyone ate. Sol was the first to speak, trying to ease the tension.

"So, how was everyone's night?"

"It was fine, dad," Celestia answered. It was obvious she was trying to hide the discontent in her voice.

Twilight hadn't thought about yesterday's events that much. She knew that Void or Celestia hadn't intended her to go berserk. She looked over to Void with concern. Void met her gaze and then turned back to Celestia.

"Celestia, I'm sorry about what happened yesterday."

"It's fine, Void."

"It's clearly not. The tension in the room is so thick that one could cut it with a knife."

Celestia sighed, trying to release her anger. "Void, can we please talk about this later? Besides, your kids are at the table."

Ender and Star Rift looked up from their plates, clearly confused. They weren't paying attention.

"Mom, what's happening?" Ender asked. Luna leaned over and whispered to her children so Celestia wouldn't hear.

"Your father and aunt sometimes don't see eye-to-eye, sweetie."

"I see..."

Void turned to Sol. "Foster-father. If you wouldn't mind, I'd like to send a few of my brothers to get acquainted with the local populace."





Rogal and Perturabo stood next to each other on a hill, surveying the landscape of Equus.

Rogal sighed quietly as he looked over to see Canterlot. "Brother, I am quite disturbed at the fact that Canterlot seems to have no defenses."

Perturabo grumbled under his breath. He saw what his brother saw: a city left defenseless. On top of that, they were the ones who had helped with building Canterlot's previous defenses all of those years ago. "To think that they would willingly tear down the walls that could keep them safe. The ones that we designed no less."

"I can't help but feel slightly... offended. Do you think that we could pitch a new design to the Equestrian monarchy?"

"Perhaps. Sol might be willing now that Sheol has returned. Maybe a design similar to the Obsidian City's walls."

"No. Those walls are built on solid stone. If we replicated it here on the soft soil of this world, the walls would sink into the ground over time."

Perturabo nodded in agreement. "True, true. Besides, the Equestrians would probably want something that reflects themselves. Something that is in harmony with nature perhaps?"

"I believe so," Rogal answered. "There are two I remember brother mentioning during our voyage here. One who is an expert on nature and the other an expert in fortifications. I believe he was able to save his entire village by digging a moat. Both of them live in Ponyville."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's get walking."



Leman and Magnus walked through the streets of the Crystal Empire, this time as visitors instead of trespassers. As they walked, crystal ponies stopped and stared at the two alien giants that now openly walked their streets. Some waved with nervous smiles, some actively avoided them, and others couldn't help but stare in wonder.

Magnus took a deep breath through his nostrils and exhaled with joy. "Can you smell it, brother? The pure magic that flows through this place! It's almost like back home!"

Leman shrugged. "No, I don't smell it, brother. All I smell is the scent of every pony around us. That, and their fear." Leman looked towards a group of ponies who were whispering. He could hear their conversations about him and his brother. They clearly weren't speaking kindly of the two brothers.

"You're such a damn hard head." Magnus sighed. 

"And you're a nerd." Leman chuckled, patting Magnus on the back. "Although, the cold does remind me slightly of home, so I do see where you're coming from."

The two approached the gates of the Crystal Palace. Magnus took in the sight of the massive spire of pure crystal that he stood before. It reminded him of the Impossible fortress. Granted, the Crystal Palace was nowhere near the size of the Impossible Fortress, but its material and structure were similar.

"Halt," one of the guards called to the two brothers. Magnus and Leman stopped in their tracks as three guards approached them. "State your business here."

"We're here to answer Princess Amore's summons. She asked for us by name." Magnus presented a letter to the officer of the guards. The officer took it and looked it over carefully, meticulously looking for any discrepancies. The memory of the incident was still fresh in everyone's mind.

"Seems like everything is in order," The officer said with a hint of reluctance in his voice. "Right this way."

The two brothers were led into the crystal palace by the guards who kept a very close eye on them.





Rockhoof and Fluttershy were out in her garden, tending to the flowers and other assortments of plant life. Rockhoof dug holes for Fluttershy to plant new flowers for the coming of spring.

"That should be all of them!" Rockhoof said with joy.

"Thank you so much, Rockhoof. Digging is not my strong suit. I'm very grateful for your help."

"It was nothing. I'm always happy to help..." Rockhoof stopped as he saw two armored giants approaching from the distance. Rogal and Perturabo had arrived.

"You are the one they call Rockhoof?" Rogal asked.

Rockhoof gulped as he formed his response. "I am."

"Good. My brother and I require your advice." Rogal looked over to Fluttershy who was obviously scared of him. "You too."

Fluttershy shyly approached the two primarchs and stood next to Rockhoof. "Um... hi... my name is Fluttershy."

"A pleasure to meet you, Fluttershy." Rogal extended his hand in greeting. Fluttershy, not wanting to be rude, took Rogal's hand and shook it gently. "This is my brother, Perturabo," Rogal said, looking toward his brother. "We are two of the brothers of the Emperor of the Azur. We have come to ask for advice."

Rockhoof and Fluttershy looked at each other, puzzled by Rogal's words.

Perturabo spoke up. "We seek to help fortify Canterlot and Ponyville to prepare for the coming storm. Of course, we know that the design will have to be submitted to your sovereign. So, we need help with designing something that would be both culturally pleasing to your people while also being a formidable defense against any demonic incursions. We were thinking of something to do with the natural beauty of Equus. We have heard that you both would be experts on this topic."

"I- I'm honored," Fluttershy said, still nervous as ever. "W-would you two like some tea? I have a kettle on the stove right now..."

Perturabo looked at his brother and shrugged. "I don't see why not."



"Thank you both for coming." Shining Armor said to Leman and Magnus as they sat at a table of crystal. Cadance was holding Flurry Heart in her hooves, sitting next to Shining.

"It is a pleasure to be here," Magnus said, taking a sip from the small teacup in his hands. Even with all of the niceties, he could sense what they really wanted to talk about. "Your hospitality is much appreciated, but I assume we're all here to discuss the... incident."

Shining nearly choked on his tea. "Y- yes... how-"

"He can read minds," Leman interjected.

"Leman, I think we can both read the room."

The four sat there in awkward silence for a bit before Flurry Heart opened her eyes and recognized Leman. She flew from her mother's arms and flew around Leman like a bumblebee. She was clearly happy to see him again. Leman smiled before gently taking her in his arms.

"Aye, little one, I'm glad to see you again too."

Magnus crossed his arms, clearly jealous of the affection Flurry showed Leman. "Princess, from one child of divinity to another, your child is sacred."

"Yes, she is sacred to me."

"No, I mean literally sacred. Divine magic runs through her like a river's current. I've only seen this kind of power once before when Void was but as Flurry is now."

Shining Armor and Cadance looked at each other with a mix of pride and worry. They knew their daughter was powerful... but this was a revelation.

"Which means that she is a prime target for Sheol's demonic forces, whether it be kidnapping or straight-up murder... I don't think I have to explain it any further to get the point across."

"I assume that's why you were so interested in her in the first place, Magnus," Shining said, holding Cadance's hoof in the reassurance that he would let nothing happen to their daughter.

"Indeed..."

The rest of the talks were brief, only discussing strategy and trade. When all was concluded, the two brothers took their leave. An entourage of Azurian Knights was waiting for their primarchs outside of the palace, relieved to see their leaders emerge from the gates.

"All went well, gene-father?"

"Yes, Ahriman." Magnus responded, "All is..." Magnus stopped before eyeing something peculiar. He felt something familiar, something dangerous. He reached out and grabbed one of the palace guards by the throat, hoisting him up into the air. The aura around the guard faded, revealing something the brothers knew all too well.

"They're already here... CHANGELINGS!" Magnus shouted. Cadance and Shining could hear from the tower above.

"Oh, at last!" Leman drew his sword with anticipation. The Azur Knights readied their weapons as they saw a swarm of dark changelings coming towards the Crystal Palace over the horizon.

And Chrysalis was at the head of the swarm.





"I'm impressed with what you two have done here," Void said as he inspected the new fortifications around Ponyville. The walls were a mix of Equus's natural beauty and practicality. A few artillery cannons and weapons emplacements, donated by the Imperial Guard, lined the walls of the now fortified Ponyville. Twilight could only gaze in awe at the new fortifications. 

"Well, we can't take all the credit. Fluttershy and Rockhoof here helped us with the design process," Purturabo said triumphantly.

Twilight looked over to see Fluttershy and Rockhoof standing with some Azurian architects, overseen by Rogal. She felt pride well up in her for what her friends were doing for Ponyville.

"This will be the first of many joint projects between our people to come," Void said to Twilight. "Oh! Speaking of, I have a present for you!"

Void opened a rift and grabbed a large box from it. It was made of obsidian and was carved with holy symbols of both the Azur and Pony-kind. Twilight opened it and gasped.

"Your own power armor and power sword. Courtesy of my brother, Vulkan. And the best part is that it will change form as you do! The sword is engraved with an aetherium crystal, a source of power and prosperity to our people. The blade is pure adamantium, as is the armor. The right pauldron is adorned with your cutie mark. The left with the Elements of Harmony." 

Twilight stared in awe of this gift that Void had given her. "I've always wondered what all of those purple crystals were..." Twilight said as she took and admired the sword.

Suddenly, a shout came from the walls. It was one of the pegasi who agreed to help move materials from the ground to the higher places of the wall. Void and Twilight flew up to see what the commotion was about. Across the horizon, an army of demons could be seen for miles. Twilight's heart jumped to her throat when she saw them.

"The artillery still needs to be loaded..." Void muttered to himself. Void flew off the wall and immediately started giving orders. Twilight followed him down.

"Rogal! Perturabo! Have your warriors begin loading the artillery batteries!" Rogal and Perturabo gave no response, rather they set about organizing their warriors and relaying Void's orders. The skies began to darken with black clouds, almost blotting out the sun. A few minutes later, Celestia, had arrived in Ponyville with a contingent of her royal guard. There was a fire in Celestia's eyes. 

"How long do we have?" Celestia shouted.

"Not long. I don't think they brought any siege engines. They expected Ponyville to be unguarded. But the artillery still needs to be loaded. The ammunition is only just beginning to flow to the emplacements. Rogal and Perturabo are already on it."

"Shit," Celestia muttered under her breath.

Void froze for a moment, almost as if he were in a trance. "Magnus reports that the Crystal Empire is also under attack as well," Void said as he snapped back to his senses.

"A two-pronged assault. Sheol is trying to divide and conquer. Mom and Dad are back at the palace with Luna and Nox. Canterlot is preparing for refugees."

"You will have enough time. The walls will hold as long as the demons don't bring-"

ROOOOOOAAAAAAAARRRRRRR!

"...a titan." A massive beast rose from the ground unlike anypony had ever seen before. Its hide was a pale leather, and its eyes were white as snow. Chains and nails pierced its flesh as if it had been punished for an ancient crime so long ago.

"This complicates things... that thing can punch right through the walls... we need more time to get the civilians out."

"Did someone say they needed to stall for time?" A voice yelled. Void and Celestia turned to see Discord leaning up against the wall like nothing was happening. "Sounds like to me you need a distraction."

"Hello again, Malal." Void sighed. "What do you want?"

"What do I want? I want to help!"

Celestia and Void looked at each other and looked back at Discord with a bit of concern. Void was the first to speak up.

"Fine. Just give us enough time to get the civilians out and the guns loaded."

Discord snapped his fingers. In but a moment he was dressed in the attire of a medieval knight and had grown an over-exaggerated goatee. Void recognized it immediately.

"Wait you've seen Monty Python and the Holy Grail?"

"You're not the only god who has seen Terran cinema." Discord answered with a French accent.

"What the hell is a Monty Python?" Celestia asked. "Forget it. Just get on the wall and do your thing!"

"Yes, mam!" Discord flew as fast as he could over the wall. Celestia and Void turned to Twilight.

"Twilight... you don't have to fight if you don't want to. I can give you the duty of leading the civilians to safety in Canterlot." Celestia said, placing a hoof on Twilight's shoulder.

"We will lure out the leader of this assault, but I want you to face them personally," Void interjected.

Celestia went wide-eyed "ARE YOU INSANE?!" She shouted at Void.

"Now is not the time!" Void shouted back.

"ENOUGH! BOTH OF YOU!" Twilight shouted. Celestia stared at Twilight, shocked that she raised her voice at Void... and herself. Twilight was on the verge of tears "Celestia... I'm not a filly anymore. I need to be the Pony everyone needs me to be now. Please, just trust me..." 

Celestia stared at Twilight with tears in her eyes before nodding begrudgingly. "I understand..." Celestia responded. "I'll rally the civilians then..." Celestia flew off and began giving orders to her royal guard.

Although he didn't physically show it, deep down, Void was shocked. He wanted to place a hand on Twilight's shoulder to reassure her that she had made the right decision, but he couldn't find it in himself to do it. Twilight took up her sword and began to put on her armor.

"Now it begins..." Void whispered to himself as Twilight ignited her sword with magic.





The leader of the assault rode up to the wall on his demonic steed. He was clad in black steel, carrying a jagged flail as his weapon, and his beard was made of sentient snakes.

"Hello?! Anyone home?!" He shouted. The demonic army chuckled at the jest. They knew that there was a feast of souls that awaited them in Ponyville. What they hadn't expected was the wall.

Discord popped his head over the wall to see the demon leader staring straight back at him. "Allo! 'Oo is it?"

"I am Gotholgar, the lord of suffering! And this is my army! Whose fortress is this?"

"This is the fortress of my lady, Princess Celestia!"

"Go and tell her that this fortress now belongs to Sheol! If she surrenders, her people will be unharmed but will be our captives until this war is over! We'll also give you a... uhhhh gold dispenser!"

"Bullshit," Celestia muttered as began to sneak the civilians out through secret passages that had been carved during Ponyville's founding in case of an event like this.

Discord shrugged mockingly. "Well, I'll ask 'er, but I don't think 'e'll be very keen--  'e's already got one, you see?"

"She already has one?"

"Oh yes, is's ver' naahs."

"Well... ah... um..." Gotholgar was genuinely taken aback. He didn't expect a divine royal of Equestria to have a gold dispenser from Hell's fourth circle. Of course, his inner nature was getting the better of him. If the ponies had one, then there would be riches to go around for days amongst the demons of his army. It would also be a great offering to win Sheol's favor. "Can we come up and take a look?"

"Of course not! You are demon types!"

"Well, what are you then? You're clearly not a pony!"

Discord crossed his arms as if he were offended. "Ah'm French! Why do this out-rrrageous accent, you silly demon?!"

"If you're not a pony, then what are you doing in Equestria?" Another demon shouted. Gotholgar spun around and whipped the demon once with his flail, rending some of its flesh. The demon screamed in pain before being seen to by what Discord assumed to be a medic. Gotholgar was getting impatient. "If you will not show us your gold dispenser, we shall take this town by force!"

"Hah!" Discord taunted Gotholgar. "You don't frighten us, demon pig-dogs! Go and boil your bottoms, son of a silly person! Ah blow my nose at you, so-called "Sheol Keeeng"! You and all your silly demon Knnnnnnnn-ighuts!!!" Discord then banged on his helmet and stuck out his tongue, making strange noises at the demons. The taunts were clearly working, Gotholgar's pride was getting the better of him. "Now look here you mother-"

"Ah don' wanna talk to you no more, you empty-headed animal food-trough wiper! Ah fart in your general direction! Your mother was a hamster, and your father smelt of elderberries!"

Gotholgar exploded with rage, his patience at an end. "MY MOTHER WAS NOT A HAMSTER YOU FUCKING DICKBAG! AND MY FATHER DIDN'T SMELL! THEY WERE BOTH PROUD DEMONS OF THE CIRCLE OF WRATH AND SERVED HONORABLY IN THE WAR OF- wait, you're just stalling for time aren't you?!"

"Well, shit." Discord muttered before ducking behind the wall. Celestia had just ushered out the last of the civilians and shut the passageways.

"May the wind be at your back, Twilight..." she whispered.

"OPEN FIRE!" Void yelled. And with that, the thunder of artillery sounded on Equus for the first time in many an age.