Rise of Darkness

A thunderous boom echoed from the imposing iron door. The large iron beam barring the door groaned as it was berated from the other side. The chains crossed in front of the door jangled gleefully with the pounding of the enemy. Dust and dirt rained down from the edges, filling the air with the dull powder as it rained listlessly downward.

The door was an ancient monument forged of thick black iron. Etched onto the door was a scene from an ancient battle long past. Equines of all races pushed back the shadows and sealed them inside this very cave. Even time could not mar its beauty or tarnish its grandeur. Etched onto it was a single passage;

“Through me the way to the suffering city.

Through me the way to everlasting pain.

Through me the way that runs among the Lost.

Justice urged on our exalted Celestia.

Divine Power made me.

The Supreme Wisdom and the Primal Love.

Nothing was made before me but eternal things, And I endure eternally.

Abandon all hope - You Who Enter Here”

Steel-plated soldiers were positioned around the massive door embedded into the mountain, all in deadly silence, listening to the echoes of the thundering assault.

They were stationed on a large island in the sea south of Equestria. This inhospitable land was once known as Howlrokin. White mountain peaks rose from the sea like a giant set of teeth, as light of the midday sun shone down onto them. Nothing, not even weeds or rodents, would dare to survive in this barren land.

The encampment was designed not only to protect Equestria, but the entire world. A single, well-armed platoon was posted there by order of Princess Celestia to guard the door. It was their sworn duty to ensure the door remained closed at all cost. If they should fail, the dark creatures sealed within would be free once more.

Commander Steelwing stepped closer to the gate. He was a proud and strong pegasus with a light grey coat. His mane and tail were both black and cut short in the military fashion. Embossed upon his flank was an image of a winged steel shield.

"They're really going at it this month," he joked. He made sure to speak loudly enough for the soldiers to hear him over the booming echoes and rattling chains.

A private-ranked pegasus approached the commander. "Sir, is it really true that they force ponies to slave away in their mines?" He gulped audibly, "And that they rub pegasi wings to satisfy their sick fetishes?"

“How long have you been here, private?” sighed Steelwing.

“15 days, sir,” he replied sharply.

"Looks like you've already picked up on those rumors," Steelwing continued, "but I have commanded this encampment for a year now." He flared his wings proudly and boasted, "This door has stood for a thousand years and it will stand for a thousand more! THEY ARE NOT GETTING THROUGH ON MY WATCH!"

As if in response to the commander's words, two more thuds rocked the iron door, as if two heavy objects were thrown against it.

"See there, private? This is a marvel of the Ancient Equestrian blacksmiths!" Steelwing proclaimed, proud of his people's accomplishment.

Then, as if in defiance of the ancient blacksmiths, the door buckled against the mightiest blow thus far. The iron beam barring the door bent slightly and thin cracks appeared across the door. Smoke billowed from the small cracks in the metal.

“What the hell was that, sir?” cried a soldier in disbelief.

“How..." Steelwing couldn't even articulate his disbelief, then the door exploded outward.

Purple flames licked around the shattered remains of the door. Shattered iron shards ripped through the soldiers, shredding them to bloody pieces. One piece struck Steelwing's right wing, fracturing his bones in several places. Before he could even register the pain, another shard struck his head. The blow forced him to the ground and only his extensive training kept him from losing consciousness.

Shadows burst forth from the destroyed entryway. They surrounded the entire battlefield, shrouding it in darkness. Only their pure white eyes pierced the veil of shadow. Several shadowy figures detached themselves from the circling mass and leaped out with flashing claws and teeth.

The earth ponies fell by claw and fang. Several pegasi attempted to fly away, but they were knocked down as more shadows leaped onto them from the tall cliffs which surrounded the encampment. The remaining forces crowded together forming a ring around their commander. Then the unicorns summoned their magic. They created a barrier of vicious flames that surrounded the platoon, keeping the shadows out.

The remaining platoon encircled their commander, hoping he could come up with some great plan to save them all.

“Sir, what do we do!?” asked the trembling sergeant.

The commander, teetering on the edge of consciousness, forced himself to give an order straight out of textbook training, “The main goal is to get somepony out of here. We must get a message to Celestia in Canterlot.”

“Now THAT would be quite the feat,” growled a disembodied voice from the shadows.

"SHOW YOURSELF!" ordered Steelwing. Without a physical being to identify, he scanned the shadows fervently, wary of any movement.

"Of course that would be the kind thing to do, but then again I don't care much for pleasantries. But if you insist..."

One of the shadows separated from the swirling mass. It strolled straight through the wall of roaring flames. The fire simply parted to allow passage for the beast.

The soldiers gaped in disbelief. They couldn't fathom a creature that could simply walk through such powerful magic unfazed.

A brave unicorn charged his horn and launched a ball of energy at the approaching shadow. Surprisingly, it shattered just before impact and passed harmlessly around the shadow.

"Nothing should have the power to dispel magic that strong!" exclaimed Steelwing, who was still fighting to remain conscious. More shadows prowled uninhibited through the flames.

Then as if to announce their return, the shadow that had approached them howled, his howl dispersed the shadows that kept their enemy hidden.

Steelwing blinked his eyes to regain focus. When his vision cleared, he saw a figure that would haunt his nightmares.

A wolf, larger than any pony, sauntered in front of the platoon. His bristly fur was black as shadows, except for his dark grey underbelly which clashed against his fur in a wave pattern. His eyes glinted in the light of the flames, revealing vicious red stripes across his black irises. Plated iron armor etched with pulsating purple lines covered his body, and adorning his head was a simple crown circlet made from something that looked suspiciously like polished bone.

“Hello, PO-ny,” cheered the wolf as his eyes locked with the commander

“Demon!” spat Steelwing.

The wolf roared with a crackling laughter which echoed through the devastated encampment. Limp bodies of the dead laid scattered across the ground, staining the white stone with pools of blood. The smell of death and smoke was heavy in the air.

"We are not the demons here, pony. We are the WOLFKRINE!" howled the wolf. The shadowy figures echoed his howl, dispelling the shadows that hid them. Each wolf was as black as night, and they wore armor like their leader.

“And I am King Versailles,” sneered the king as all the wolves fell silent.

"Let us go! We have no means to harm you. Attacking the defenseless is dishonorable," demanded Steelwing.

"Honor is a weakness which we rid ourselves of long ago. Especially after your kind forced us underground centuries ago. As for letting you go..." he flashed the commander a toothy grin, "I intend to, after this." He gestured to his followers, "Keep the pegasi and the commander alive. Do what you will with the others."

The wolves dove into their slaughter. The rest of the fight was a blur of claws and teeth smashing against hooves and swords. The platoon was no match for the ferocious wolves. Although the king intended for more Pegasi to remain alive, only two remained, excluding Steelwing.

The king waved a paw and motioned to the pegasi to leave. They took to the air and flew as fast as they could. One of wolves' eyes glowed white. A spear lying beside a unicorn corpse levitated in a white aura.

“Captain, how many pegasi does it take to send a message?” the king asked the wolf with the glowing eyes.

“One,” answered the wolf, as he smirked and sent the spear flying toward its target.

Despite the agonizing pain in his broken wing, Steelwing snapped his head around to watch as a pegasus plummeted to the ground. It was the same private he had comforted earlier. Hatred welled up within Steelwing. Pure rage burned in his heart and mind.

“You… bastard! They were fleeing!” Steelwing screamed and spat at the king.

Before the king could reply, an unarmored wolf crept from behind the broken door. He stepped tentatively toward the light.

"Stop, you fool!" shouted one of the wolves. He froze in his tracks just before reaching the rays of sunlight touching the ground.

"The light could kill you if you are not protected by our armor," explained the king in a calm tone, "But why are you here, Wolfkin? Rebellion in the lower zones? The wealthy complaining about taxes? Trivial matters like that?"

“Your son sent me to ask you if the armor and Mithrilian explosives had worked as designed.”

The king ran up to the wolf and struck him down with a paw. He then stood menacingly over the messenger.

“What did you say?" the king snarled accusingly. The messenger cringed in fear. He knew that he had made a terrible mistake mentioning his son.

"S-sorry, sire! M-my deepest apologies! Please allow me to rephrase." He paused to think. "The royal engineer asks if Your Majesty is enjoying his new equipment."

“Yes, compliments to the engineer for focusing and improving our powers,” the king replied sarcastically.

Inspecting his armored claw, he continued, “Wolfkin, grab the commander and give him to the royal engineer. He will see if we can exploit any weaknesses that the pegasi may have, and once we have acquired full knowledge of each of the equine races our march can begin!” the King shouted triumphantly to his troops as he shifted his murderous gaze onto Steelwing.

King Versailles strode up to Steelwing. The pegasus blinked as the wolf raised a gleaming armored paw. He braced for the impact, but with one swipe the commander crashed to the ground and his vision faded to black.