Introduction
In the harsh frozen mountains north of Trollheim, deep under the frozen plains of ice and snow, a great, unending battle continues to tear apart the icy caverns. The forces of four of Gielinor's most powerful gods continue a war that had ended millennia ago. This war was known simply as the God Wars; appropriately named as each god battled with one another for control of the world. These forces were lead by some of the most powerful creatures to ever exist.
General Graardor, a monstrous ogre-like creature, lead the armies of the God of War: Bandos.
Commander Zilyana, the beautiful Icyene warrior from the Hallowland, lead the armies of Saradomin: the God of Peace and Wisdom.
K'ril Tsutsaroth, a fierce and powerful demon summoned from another plane, lead the forces of Zamorak: the False God of Chaos.
Kree'arra, the graceful leader of the Aviantese, lead the armies of Armadyl: the God of Law.
Finally, unbeknownst to many, a fifth force was involved in this horrible conflict. Nex, the Harbinger of Death, lead the army of Zaros: The Empty Lord and God of Conquest, who was betrayed by his followers and banished from Gielinor. Nex's power, in comparison to the other generals, was so unbelievable, that the armies of Bandos, Saradomin, Armadyl, and Zamorak, joined forces in order to seal her away in a prison, protected by a door of ice, in which was required a key to open. The key was separated into four pieces; each piece guarded at the fortresses of each general.
At the climax of the God Wars, the constant battles on the surface awoke the Great God of Balance, Guthix, from his long sleep. Enraged at the devastation that had befallen his world, Guthix used his great power to force an end to the God Wars, and cast a spell upon the cavern, freezing all who inhabited it in unbreakable ice.
Several thousand years have now passed, and the warming of Gielinor has caused the caverns to melt, freeing these deadly forces. They continue to fight a war that they believe still continues on the surface. Despite their constant battles, however, they all kept their minds at some ease, knowing the unstoppable creature Nex was sealed safely away.
It wasn't long before this cavern was discovered by the adventurers of modern day. In their quest for glory, these adventurers battled their way through the strongholds, and learned of the terrible power sealed behind the frozen doors. Each piece of the key was stolen and combined with the others. The frozen door was unlocked, and Nex was set free, unleashing a horrible disaster...
"At last!" cried out Nex; her shrill, evil voice filling the vast caverns. "Fumus! Umbra! Cruor! Glacies! Fill my soul with smoke!" Nex called to her four servants, powerful magi of the Ancient Magics of Zaros. Nex, combined with her servants, swiftly moved through the caves, demolishing everything and anything that stood in her way. All ran at the sight of her, fleeing to the limited protection of their strongholds. The four generals, having foreseen her release, had agreed to a truce, and would work together to rid the world of this hellish monstrosity. They gathered together in the center cavern, where there was far more breathing room, and waited for Nex to appear.
Nex burst forth from the small cavern in which she was travelling, lunging out into the vast open cave where the four generals waited. As Nex drew closer, her servants following close behind, the four generals called upon their magic. A powerful ice spell was cast, freezing Nex and her followers in place. Nex began to easily break through, however, prompting a quick response from the generals. Having surged their magic to the highest possible degree, they cast a spell upon the Zarosian enemy. The spell was a teleport, and it swiftly grabbed hold of Nex and the four magi, pulling them into another dimension. Although Nex fought against it with incredible strength, the combined magic of the four generals was enough to subdue her, whisking her away to another plane. They did not know where she would end up, but they could only hope she wouldn't find a way back.
PonyScape
It was a bright sunny morning in Equestria, and Princess Celestia was sitting comfortably in her throne, attending to her daily royal duties. The past several days had been boring and uneventful, and Celestia constantly twitched and fiddled around in her throne, hoping something exciting would come along to end the boredom streak. Alas, all she had to look forward to this day was piles upon piles of paperwork and royal meetings. Faced with this reality, she couldn't help but slump in her seat and release a grunting sigh.
Suddenly, as if her prayers were answered, she felt a strong magical presence appear in the castle courtyard. At first she was excited to finally have something interesting happen, but her joy quickly turned to dread, as she began to feel the evil power emanating from this magical aura. She quickly grabbed some nearby paper and a quill, and hastily sent a letter to Twilight and the others, demanding their immediate presence at Canterlot. Before the castle guards could even inform her, Celestia was sprinting to the source of the emanations.
In the midst of the courtyard, a dark circle of swirling energies had appeared, resembling a portal of some kind. The castle guard encircled the portal with their weapons at the ready as Celestia and Luna stood before it, staring into the vast emptiness. Several moments had passed, and the portal suddenly began to crack and rip under stress. Streaks of electricity erupted from the portals edge, singeing the air. Finally, in one motion, the portal collapsed in on itself, resulting in a blinding explosion of magic that ripped and fractured the castle's foundation. As the light subsided, Celestia and Luna looked upon where the portal had been to find a figure hunched over and crouched. Before they could approach it, the figure began to twitch. They then took notice of four much smaller figures, who lay sprawled out upon the ground. They too twitched, before beginning to slowly get on their feet.
The two princess looked on puzzlingly at the four creatures that now stood before them. They were unlike any creatures that lived in Equestria, yet they had very common features. They were human, a race of beings that did not exist in the pony world. These four humans were shrouded in full body robes, but each of a different color. One wore gray, one black, one red, and one blue. They stood confidently and stared fearlessly at the horse-like creatures that stared back at them.
Now the larger figure, which had only twitched before, began to slowly rise. As it rose, it revealed to be much taller than its minions, standing easily fifteen feet tall. Celestia and Luna looked on in horror at this creature, for it was frightening to bear, and couldn't be compared to anything they had ever seen before.
It could only be described as a demonic creature. It was obviously female, with red skin, large fangs, and piercing blue eyes that glowed fiercely. Four horns extended out of her head and flared backwards. Her hands and feet were sharply clawed, and her body was clad in various pieces of armor. She possessed bird-like features, as she boasted two enormous wings, a feathered tail, and feathered appendages that drooped from her forearms. As she reached her full stature, she slowly shifted her eyes and took in her new surroundings.
"What place is this?" she spoke after only a few moments of silence. Celestia mustered up the courage to step forward and speak.
"You are in the land of Equestria." She tried desperately to hold back the fear in her voice. "I am Princess Celestia, and this is my sister Princess Luna. Who are you?"
Nex ignored Celestia's question and continued to glance around the area.
"Equestria? Those pathetic excuses for generals must have sent me to another plane. Once I find my way back, my revenge will be great..."
"Answer my question," Celestia interrupted with a more demanding tone. "Tell us who you are!" Nex returned a harsh, hateful glare.
"You dare command me?! I am Nex, loyal servant and general of Zaros! I am one that even the gods fear! I shall claim this world in the name of the Empty Lord! Surrender your realm to me!" Nex demanded.
Celestia, Luna, and the royal guard now entered a state of full battle readiness. It was clear, without diplomacy, that this creature called Nex was eager to take over Equestria, and they would have to fight with all their strength to defeat her.
"Who are you to demand this world? Equestria belongs to us! It is our home!" Luna yelled.
"All those who oppose us will perish." Nex replied. "It would be most wise to surrender."
"We will not give you Equestria!" Celestia joined in. "We will fight to defend it!" Nex gave an evil grin as she entered a combat stance.
"Then face me... and know despair..."
In a swift, graceful motion, Nex sprinted towards the princesses; quickly closing the distance between them. With little time to react, Celestia and Luna quickly pounced to the sides to dodge her approach as the hundreds of guard ponies began swarming in.
Nex was quick to adjust. She immediately took to pursuing Celestia. Instead of continuing her charge, however, she stopped dead in her tracks. She put her arms back, then thrust them forward, unleashing a barrage of smoke that swiftly descended upon Celestia and the surrounding guards.
"Let the virus flow through you!" Nex screeched. Celestia and the guards were quick to escape the cloud of smoke, but felt a drain upon their bodies. Slowly but surely, they could feel themselves getting weaker.
Other guards attempted to swarm over the monstrous demon, but were met with unexpected resistance. As they approached, the guards rapidly became encased in ice, were being poisoned, and were being drained of their strength. The four humans who had accompanied Nex through the rift had quickly taken to defending their master, and were rapidly casting their spells to keep the guards at bay.
Celestia, steadily weakening, attempted to reach an outcrop of higher ground to battle from as a few guards formed a barrier between them. Nex gave an evil grin.
"There is " --Nex leaned forward-- "no escape!" With a strong thrust of her wings, Nex flew straight forward across the ground at extreme speed; her vicious claws ripping the guards to shreds as she plowed through them. Just as she reached Celestia and was about to strike, Nex was struck by a strong magical blast, knocking her to her side. Luna, who had managed to evade the attacks of the human magi, came to her sisters aid. She quickly flooded Celestia with a blue aura of magic.
"I have purged the poison from your body," she said. "The smoke from their magic seems to be a deadly toxin."
"Thank you, Luna." Celestia said as she looked to her guards. "It seems the guards will handle the other creatures. It's up to us to handle her."
Nex, though somewhat shaken, quickly stood up and readied herself; a glare of fury in her eyes. Very few of her enemies had ever been so fortunate to deliver such a powerful blow to her.
"Fear the shadow!" Nex screeched again as she raised her arms. Celestia and Luna stood ready to embrace an oncoming attack, but to their surprise, Nex launched no spells. They stood dumbfounded for half a second, before feeling a strange presence at their hooves. They looked down to see a dark shadow beneath them. At the last second the two alicorns jumped to the side as the shadows erupted beneath them creating a column of darkness. Had they been caught inside, they would have been obliterated.
Now fully aware that Nex had many tricks up her sleeve, the two princesses took an aggressive approach and began launching spells in rapid succession. However, Nex swung her arm, which was encompassed in a blue energy, to the side in a sweeping motion. This seemed to trigger another one of her tricks, as the princess' spells were now being deflected away from Nex. Nex continued with launching her own spells, which varied between the previously seen smoke magic, and the new shadow magic.
The princesses, though valiant in their effort, were unable to fend off Nex, who quickly landed a few blasts of magic, knocking the princesses to the ground. Nex stood above them with a raised foot. Just a she was about to slam it down and crush Celestias head, a powerful blow of magic struck Nex in the back, knocking her several feet forward and into the ground. As she lay there, the skin on her back was ripped and singed; blood seeping down her sides and onto the ground. The entire battlefield came to a halt as Nex suddenly lay defeated. Celestia and Luna staggered to their feet. They gazed upon the smoldering corpse for a moment, before turning back. At the edge of the now vastly destroyed courtyard stood Twilight and her friends, bearing the Elements of Harmony.
"Twilight!" Celestia cried out. "You arrived just in time!" Twilight ran up to embrace her mentor.
"We got your letter," Twilight explained. "It sounded horribly urgent, and I can see why! What is that thing?!" Twilight pointed dramatically at the corpse of Nex.
"We don't know," Luna replied. "She calls herself Nex, and serves a being called 'Zaros'. She didn't reveal anything else before she began attacking us." Twilight opened her mouth to reply, but suddenly felt suffocated as she looked ahead. Nex, who they believed they had just killed, was now slowly rising from where she fell. In obvious pain, she turned to face her new opponents.
"How such lowly beings like you have been able to challenge me like this, I do not understand. But mark my words, this is far from over." Nex said as she hunched in pain. "A siphon will solve this!"
Nex thrust her arms forward towards Twilight. Sensing the motive, Luna quickly jumped between them, and a blood red aura appeared around Luna. Nex then thrust her arms to the side, shredding the aura around Luna's body. As the aura faded, however, Luna's flesh was shredded as well, and blood was rapidly escaping her body and floating back to Nex, who absorbed it through her skin. Luna fell to the floor unconscious as Nex's injuries quickly healed and closed. With Nex back at full power, the battles resumed. The guards continued their struggle with the magi, as Celestia returned to battle with Nex.
Celestia immediately took to drawing Nex's attention while Twilight and her friends escaped to a further distance. With luck, the guards had finally managed to subdue the magi, and were joining in on the fight against Nex. The sudden swarm of opponents helped to even the odds, and although Nex was still incredibly resilient, the guards managed to land the occasional hit, which was slowly harming Nex.
"I've had enough of this!" Nex yelled in extreme agitation. "Now, behold the power of Zaros!" Nex put her claws together as an electric charge of magic formed between them. Pulling her claws apart, she then punched the ground with her right claw, and as she did, a strange wave of magic came out of the ground, slanting through her body. "Turmoil... I turn the power of my enemy to my benefit. Soul Split... I call to my heart and soul the madness of heretics!"
There was now a great change in Nex. As she resumed combat, her speed and strength had increased drastically. The guards found it far more difficult to strike her, and Nex began to strike them down one by one. Each time a guard died, a small cloud of ghostly white mist would leave the body and merge with Nex, and as it did, would begin healing any wounds she had. Celestia, who could only stand there and barrage her with magic, wasn't having any luck. Twilight and her friends, with no other option, began charging the Elements of Harmony again, hoping a second blast would be enough to subdue Nex. Nex, however, was very aware of the battlefield, and as soon as she felt the magical surge of the elements she turned her attention to Twilight.
"Die now, in a prison of ice!" she screeched. Nex cast a spell, and in the blink of an eye, Twilight and the others were frozen in a large chunk of ice. Unable to move or focus, the Elements lost their charge and dissipated.
Celestia, now out of energy to cast magic, looked around. Nearly all the guards were killed, Luna lay barely breathing, and Twilight was frozen solid. Unable to continue standing, Celestia collapsed to the floor. The guards, as well as Nex, noticed her fall, and the battle came to a halt. The guards stood down, and Nex slowly approached the fallen princess.
"I have to admit you did well for a while," she said in a smug tone. "I have not had to put up such a fight since my encounter with Pernix, but it is as I told you. Any who oppose the legions of Zaros will die a most horrible death." Nex raised her claw, and prepared to strike a final blow.
"Nex, cease your anger," came a deep unfamiliar voice. Nex turned to see a tall figure standing at the edge of the battlefield. The figure looked like one of the human magi, except it was as tall as Nex. It was clad in elaborate decorative robes, and its face had a skeletal appearance.
"Azzanadra?" Nex said in surprise. "How is it that you are here in this world?"
"I managed to track you to this world after your banishment. I convinced Sliske to aid me with the Staff of Armadyl to open a portal." Azzanadra explained.
"Well wait a few moments. I am claiming this world in the name of Zaros!" Nex raised her claw again.
"No, Nex." Azzanadra yelled. "We will not come to conquer this world unless Zaros personally wishes it. You have already done far too much damage. We must return to Gielinor. A second God Wars will soon be upon us, and we must prepare for the return of Zaros." Nex lowered her claw and sneered.
"You are lucky this time, you pathetic horse. Next time, I will finish you off for good." Nex turned and stomped to Azzanadra, and the two teleported away without a trace.
Celestia staggered to her feet and limped to Luna's side. A million thoughts raced through her mind. In such a short amount of time, an unbelievably powerful creature appeared from nowhere, nearly killed everypony, and just as quickly as it arrived, vanished again. It was now also obvious that other worlds and dimensions existed, some containing malevolence that might wish harm upon this world. If this world was found once, it would be found again. They'll be back, and more will follow them here.
