The Known World - Fall Of The Parliament

Astrim's eyes had shot open and his gaze met the eyes of Lucena.

"Astrim, are you alright?"

"Yeah," Astrim rose to his hooves rubbing the top of his head, "Mother is not fine however. I wanted to help her, but the dragon was far too strong. I couldn't even breathe."

"Do you remember what happened to Mother?" Seasoris said.

Astrim fought hard to remember what happened to Mother Faust in that moment, but couldn't see past the thick black smoke that was breathed upon them. Every time he tried remembering what happened, the black smoke would wash over his thoughts, drowning them in a dark mist that would then almost force him out of thinking completely.

He strained as best he could to see thought in such blackness, but couldn’t remember nothing but that moment when Mother Faust forced him back into the white realm.

"All I remember is that she was tricked and kneeled at the mercy of the elder dragon. When I was able to see again, I was forced back into the white realm."

They all looked at each other and back to Astrim.

"So, what happens now?" Vulcanaria said.

"I'm not sure, but we have to defeat Azathoth and the draconequi in order to save this world from their rule over us by chaos.

"So they are the rulers?" Seasonaria said.

"Yes, but they are not the rightful rulers for this world. Even still, they are why we can't correct some of the chaotic parts of the forest," Astrim bent his head forward and looked to the ground for a moment, but then looked back at all of them with an expression of confidence. "But if we defeat them, we would once again have the world restored to the way its suppose to be, for the good of us all."

"Right," Lucena nod her head forward.

Seasoris jumped up, spread out his wings, and flew away into the forest.

"Let's get started then. No time to lose," Seasoris said as his voice grew distant heading into the forest.

Lucena and Vulcanaria smiled and trotted off into the forest following Seasoris.

"Don't go too far from us now, Seasoris," Lucena said.

Astrim and Seasonaria nodded their heads smiling and followed behind.

They all traveled back through part of the forest and met Vulganaris who made his way towards them after being concerned for them.

"Hello my fellow friends," He said smiling, and they all gave their greetings.

Seasoris slammed face first into a tree branch. The impact had sent him spiraling down from above. "Look out below!"

Vulganaris leaped back while Astrim received the full impact of the crash leaving a huge cloud of smoke.

The smoke had cleared with Seasoris right on top Astrim whose hooves were crossed wearing a frown expression.

"It must be me that receives the blow," Astrim mumbled.

"Sorry there, my friend. Didn't mean you any harm. Tree branches are not my best friend when flying through the forest I guess. I’ll just fly higher next time," Seasoris got up from on top Astrim.

"Guess somepony needs to fly in the air more," Seasonaria chuckled along with everypony else.

"So where are you all headed?" Vulganaris said.

"We are not sure, but we have to focus on defeating Azathoth and The Parliament of Chaos. The sooner we do this the better for us and the rest of the world," Lucena said.

"Very well then," Vulganaris replied. He then turned around and trotted onward and the rest followed while Seasoris took flight to the skies and traveled above the group.

They traveled through the chaotic forest for hours.

The ponies enjoyed themselves, looking at the beautiful trees and plants, and they admired how the sun had shone down on them and created a mystical green glare throughout the forest.

All, but Astrim…

He kept on trying to remember all that happened between what his Mother had told him and her evil brother had said. No matter how hard he had strained his mind, the thoughts he really wanted wouldn’t come clear.

Why can’t I remember his name? I could see his eyes, but his name... what was it? Astrim stopped and held a hoof to his head. He thought on the moment he saw the Elder Dragon.So large, so dark, he thought as he opened his eyes and walked onward to keep up with the rest of the group. He then remembered when they were covered in his black breath.

What was that black breath he breathed on us? Why me? Why isn’t anyone having this much difficulty remembering as I am? Astrim pondered these questions making his way behind the rest of the group. Even though he couldn’t find the answers he sought for, he was determined to seek their meanings no matter what. It was not long before the six ponies came upon a lake.

It sparkled beautifully in the sun. All the ponies were excited and headed for the lake, but Astrim still kept his same moderate pace and stopped at the shore, still pondering his memories, searching for answers he still had no answer to.

Lucena hopped right in and Seasonaria followed.

"You all want to rest here for now?" Astrim sat near a tree.

"Yes, I could use a rinse," Vulcanaria joined in with the others by performing a cannon ball into the lake.

"Yeah, I don't see why not," Vulganaris hopped into the lake and caused water to splash on Astrim.

Astrim shook the water himself and glared at Vulganaris, who was smiling.

"I didn't want to get wet," Astrim grumbled.

"Oh come now, friend. Why don't you cheer up and have a good swim with the rest of us?" Vulganaris laughed then dived under water. Lucena and the others agreed as they splashed water on each other enjoying their swim.

"Did you not hear me say, I didn't want to get wet," Astrim's eyes narrowed. He despised getting his mane unnecessarily wet. He loved to watch his mane of many stars from time to time and couldn’t see them when it was drenched in water.

He looked around for a few seconds before he heard the second rumble.

Astrim became concerned. He looked down at a puddle near his roof hoof and watched it shake as he felt the third rumble.

He became quite curious to see what could've been making the earth move.

"Hey guys?" Astrim said looking everypony enjoying themselves.

"Yeah? What is it?" Vulcanaria said popping up out of the water.

"Is something wrong?" Lucena said looking at Seasonaria knocking out water from her right ear.

"I just want to check something real quick, I'll be right back," Astrim said walking off deeper into the forest.

"Don't trot too far now," Lucena replied. Astrim didn't respond and kept trotting onward.

Astrim trotted through the forest figuring out where could have the rumble been coming from.

He trotted on for a little while before he heard the powerful quake again. Astrim looked around at all his surroundings and still found nothing happening out of the ordinary. But with everything appearing normal to him, he couldn’t help to stay on the alert, the roars were too close for Astrim to trot any further. However, he stood on the alert for anything that might rush up on him from wherever he was not paying attention.

After a few moments of checking around, he heard more loud roars and a rumble that shook the earth beneath him. The roars came in multiple sounds, and Astrim frowned taking a step backwards.

“Who goes there! Show yoursel-”

Three loud thumps shook the ground beneath him and caused him to fall back onto his rump. He quickly rose to his hooves and gazed up at the tree that was about to fall on him. He gasped and immediately dodged to the side of the incoming tree.

The crash created a small cloud dust that clouded Astrim’s vision, and as a result he coughed from breathing in the dust. He still looked around expecting for the worst to rush up on him.

Something very large stopped right in front of him. He placed a hoof on the giant object only to have saw it slide back. Astrim’s eyes widened when he looked into the eyes of the giant pony. The giant pony was mostly covered in moss. He covered his nose smelling the stench that came from its body.

Great mother of light, what in the world am I smelling, he thought backing away from the giant pony.

Two other giants came to its side and looked down at Astrim. The three giant ponies roared in unison. The mighty soundwave sent Astrim off of hooves and back into a nearby tree.

“There’s… three of you,” Astrim struggled up from off the ground and looked at the giant ponies who started rushing towards him. The first giant hoof stopped right in front of Astrim, breaking up the ground and sending Astrim even further back.

His loin rammed against yet another tree. Astrim looked up and scurried away and barely escaped the giant pony’s hoof.

These ponies are fairly quick for their size, Astrim said as he increased pace leaving the ponies  behind. If they reached the pool before me, the others would be killed under their weight. Just at the moment he crashed right into the hoof of one of the giant ponies behind.

They all rushed passed Astrim and headed down the path to the lake that wasn’t too far off from where he was. He got up from his haunches and dashed up behind the giant ponies.

“No, I will not have you crush any of my allies,” he galloped under the middle giant pony. It became tricky for Astrim to outpace the ponies: the ground wasn’t even in certain areas. He looked forward at the front hooves of the pony and dashed on just past them.  They pressed into the ground and propelled Astrim ahead of them.

 “Alright, now to warn the others,” he hastened onward and kept the focus of the lake in the distance as the apple of his eye. The giant ponies roared and caused another powerful sound wave which caused few tall trees to fall no to far down the path from Astrim.

He quickened his pace and leaped over the trees, landing with a thud onto the ground.

“Ach, that was terrible,” Astrim painfully rose up onto his hooves and started again on his way to the lake. The giant ponies broke through the fallen trees with no effort and continued on, maintaining the speed they had prior, towards the lake.

Astrim galloped on down a small slope at an uncontrollable speed.. He slipped and tumbled down, stopping just before entering into the lake.

“Everyone!” Astrim said heading to the lake. “Get out of the pool, Now!”

Vulganaris and Vulcanaria looked over at Astrim who was trying to catch his breath.

“Slow down fellow stallion, no need to kill yourself to say a few words,” Vulganaris said. Lucena and Seasonaria popped up out of the water behind Vulcanaria. They both pounced their heads having the water pour out of one of their ears.

“Astrim, what is it?” Lucena said.

“Giant ponies are coming this way. You all must come from out of the lake before they-”

Huge rumbles shook the earth and Astrim fell onto his face. He got up and quickly turned to see the giant ponies walking in the near distance. The rumbles became more constant, and it became difficult for Astrim to remain on his hooves.

“The stallion is right! We best be getting out of the lake before we get flattened by these creatures,” Vulganaris got up from out of the lake and trotted off to the side.

Astrim turned back, and his eyes widened when he saw that the pace had ever increased.

“Come, you all! We must go now!” Astrim ran to the side and hid behind a tree.

They all made it successfully out of the path of the giant ponies, and watched as the giant ponies entered the lake. And they began taking giant slurps of water and sprayed it up over their heads and loins creating a mist around the three giant ponies.

“I guess there’s a lot that this world has in store for us,” Vulganaris began laughing while the rest gazed in amazement at the size of the giant pony. Seasoris shot him a glare, and he smiled sheepishly.

“Do you think it might’ve seen us by some chance?” Vulcanaria said.

“Who knows,” Astrim took a step back and trotted off deeper into the forest.

“Alright, I’m going onward. We have to find a safe spot for rest before it gets dark.”

“Agreed,” Vulganaris said.

“I already found a spot, follow me!”

Everypony looked up at Seasoris who came down on a cloud in the midst of them.

“I know a decent place for all of us to get a good rest for the night.”

They all followed Seasoris through the forest to the wide open space of grass and trees that stood in a circle around it. What made it quite a unique spot for sleep was that they could look straight up at the skies, unlike many other areas of the forest.

Lucena lowered the sun while Astrim raised the moon. The six ponies afterwards then prepared their resting places and began to sleep.

It was in the middle of the night when the rustling of the bushes awoke Lucena.

“Hello?” Lucena looked at her friends who were sleeping sound in their respective spots.

She then looked afar at the bushes rustle in the distance.

“Hey Astrim, Vulcanaria, wake up. I think we’re being watched.”

Vulcanaria lifts her head up from the soft bed of lush grass and looked around the open space. She then let a huge yawn.

“Who did you see, Lucena?” Seasonaria asked looking all around the bushes.

Lucena turned around at the bushes which were rustling about from behind. Her eyes widened as she saw two timberwolves appear from out of the darkness, growling and glaring at Lucena and the others with their sinister green eyes.

“Come together everypony,” Vulganaris turned and watched a few more timberwolves come out from the bushes behind him.

“Apparently these creatures don’t know who I am,” Seasoris said as the six came back to back, surrounded by the hungry wolves of the night. The stench of their breaths filled the air. Lucena and Seasonaria put a hoof to their muzzles.

“Oh goodness, their mouth could really use some cleaning,” Seasonaria said.

“I don’t think they would take your words to heart if you told them anyhow,” Astrim responded keeping full focus on the approaching timberwolves. He charged his horn with a dark purple spell and fired at one of the timberwolves.

The timberwolf exploded into multiple wood fragments on the ground. Lucena fired at another two timberwolves and they crumbled into heaps of wood on the ground.

The rest came at once to attack Seasoris and Vulganaris. One of the wolves’ teeth ripped into the right wing of Seasoris, and he let a small yelp.  He kicked the wolf away into another three coming at him from behind.

Two wolves approached Vulganaris from the front. He shoved his right hoof inside the mouth of one timberwolf, and with his strength he lifted the wolf over himself and smashed its body onto the ground. The impact of the force caused the timberwolf to fall apart. The other came and sunk his teeth into his side.

Vulganaris cringed at the pain. He then quickly took up the timberwolf and hugged it tightly with his strength crushing the body of the wolf in half.

“Is that all of them?” Astrim looked around at the heaps of wood on the forest floor.  He was shocked as he looked closer at a heap of wood that was quickly forming back into a timberwolf.

“No way,” Vulcanaria looked at three wooden piles form into a larger timberwolf.

She back away from the approaching giant timberwolf. Astrim charged his horn and fired away into the eyes of the giant wolf. Two timberwolves bit into Astrim’s hind legs, but Vulganaris came on one side and tackled one into a nearby tree, while Seasoris came down from the other side and hindkicked it into the sky, exploding into small wood fragments.

All of them glared up at the large timberwolf which howled away at the moonlight. It then raised a giant paw at them. Astrim and Lucena charged their horns, Vulganaris was prepared to charge right into its legs, Seasonaria and Seasoris were also prepared to do damage to the creature.

But in that same moment, a giant black figure ran from out of the dark of the forest and into the moonlight.  He then slammed the large timberwolf in its side. It exploded on impact into tiny tiny wood fragments.

The six ponies covered their faces from the wooden debris. Three cloaked ponies rushed out from behind.

Astrim opened his eyes wide and looked at the beast turn its head towards them. It was a very large black bear. It roared at the six before it transformed back into a pony stallion.

“Who are you pony folk?” the beast that was now a pony said.

“We are,” Astrim responded scratching his head.

“We are... a group,” Vulganaris trotted forward. “Who are you?” he leaned his face forward to the morphing stallion. “What, are you stranger?”

“A shifter…” the stallion responded in a low and dull voice.

“And what is a shifter?”

One of the cloaked ponies walked forward from behind the shifter. Lifting the hood revealed a brown mare. The mare’s long dark mane flowed down from her neck.

“Why are you all out here in the middle of the night?” the mare said looking up at the night sky then back at them.

“We were on our way to hopefully a nearby city, but we couldn’t make it before night fall, so we decided to sleep here for the night,” Astrim replied.

“In the middle of a forest?” the mare retorted. “You six must be ruthless barbarians then. This forest is dangerous for even a momentary rest, let alone a full night’s sleep..”

The six ponies frowned at the mare’s remark. Lucena trotted up besides Astrim and put out her hoof.

“We don’t want any trouble. My name is Lucena.”

The mare placed her hoof in Lucena’s hoof with a smile, “My name is Silver Paw. We are of the Abbey Tribe, peace unto you and your friends. Come with us to our tribe to ensure your safety through the rest of this night.”

Lucena and Astrim gave each other worried looks. The others wore concerned expressions.

“Hmm…” Astrim looked down at the ground.

“Worry not, we are a kind folk. We surely don’t want you putting yourselves into more danger.  Besides, the dawn will be coming soon,” Silver turned from them and galloped off into the bushes.

“Come my friends.”

The six ponies looked at each other, then turned and followed them into the forest.

After traveling through the forest for some time, the group came upon a tribe. There were huts with smokes coming up through the peaks.

Silver Paw lifted her hoof and took slow steps into the tribe, hoof by hoof. She turned back to the group and said “You six, come with me, and I will show you all your place of rest for the night,” she said trotting off to a near by hut. “The rest of you may return to your huts.”

The rest of the group quietly went their separate ways.

The six ponies followed Silver Paw to an empty hut. She trotted over to the side of the hut entrance and signaled them to enter inside. She then looked over at Vulganaris’s right fore hoof but noticed no bruises.

I was almost certain I saw their wounds, what happened to them?

She quickly smiled when she noticed that the six ponies were staring at her.

“Umm, sorry for having you all waiting, please make yourselves comfortable. You all should rest well, and we shall talk in the morning.”

The morning had come to the six ponies sleeping away in the hut when a light was revealed upon them.

“Is it really this far in the daybreak already?” Seasoris placed a wing over his eyes. Astrim, Lucena and Seasonaria began stretching and Vulganaris shot up and began making his way to the light.

“You have not much time, the elder awaits us,” Silver Paw said trotting off to the highest hut in the small village.

“I still feel a little weak,” Astrim said slowly trotting out of the hut.

The six ponies followed Silver Paw up to the chief’s hut. She rushed ahead and opened the hut pusher head inside for a moment and when she pulled her head back out she turned back to the six ponies, winked, and disappeared from their sight.

Vulganaris went forward, but then stopped as he was unsure of his decision to enter into the chief’s hut. He looked back at Astrim and the rest all with perplexed expressions on what they were suppose to do.

A few moments passed when an old voice called from within the hut.

“Hello?”

“Come in, come in my young warriors, come,” an old pony in a dark cloak spoke.

The six ponies looked at each other and entered inside the chief’s hut.

“Come and relax my warriors. We have much to discuss," the elder stretched his hands out at the spacious hut.

"Hello chief," Vulganaris sat down not to far off from the chief. The others sat down as well creating a circle round about the village chief.

"Hello, young warrior," he replied with a smile. "Yes, yes, much pleasure in seeing you all. My name is Elder Night Paw, but I wouldn’t mind if you called me Night Paw or Night. No need in being formal all the time, eh?”

"It has been many years since we had anypony much less any other equine willing to rebel against the draconequi. Many have bravely tried and have met horrible fates.”

“I’m indeed curious as to how the draconequi took over the world?” Vulganaris said.

"Well, let me tell you. Over two millennium ago, the draconequi came as large swarms among the lands of the entire world.

They killed off many of the inhabitants with their great, great strength.

There were six equines that rebelled against the mighty six, but sadly met their fates by the draconequi and thus the world was put under the iron claws of the great Azathoth.

Ever since that time, the world has torment under the reign from skies above down to the soil of our hooves."

"But why didn't they succeed. What difference would we be against them?" Lucena asked.

"The six leaders of the time had the courage, but they didn't have the strength to match it. As for you six, I see great courage and strength in you all, and we shall see now if you are all able to stop the reign of the draconequi," the elder druid rose up and walked out of the tent. "Come with me my young warriors."

They followed the elder druid from out of the tent and trotted with him away from the small village.

Listening to the great tale made them all curious of many things, but Astrim was curious enough to come out with the question.

“Where did the draconequi’s come from?”

“Hmm… good question,” the Night Paw said trotting on the trail to their destination. “I’m afraid I have not an answer for it that’s true. However, there are many tales revolving around how they may have came to be, but the creature for answering such a great question would be the draconequi themselves.”

Tales? Why are there many tales? And no one has come to a solid truth of where these evil monsters come from? Something just doesn’t sound right… Astrim thought on while trotting behind the group when the image flashed through his mind. It was the blue eyes of the elder dragon. He stopped trotting as he thought deeper on that image.

Could it all be his doing? Astrim looked on at the group and started trotting off. Hmm...

They traveled with the elder druid down a lone trail through the forest and unto a shrine which was surrounded by eight tall cedar pillars and were decorated with thick vines. The elder druid stopped.

"Here we are," Night Paw stretched out his hoof to the lake.

"What is this place?" Seasonaria trotted up to a pillar and passed her hoof down some vines.

"This is the zodiac shrine. It was used by ponies of long ago to connect with the twelve realms of the universe.

With this shrine, we were able to keep away evil from the world."

"Was this somehow halted by the draconequi?" Lucena asked as she walked up besides Night Paw.

"Yes. After the battle between them and all the equine races, they made sure to seal all the twelve shrines so that  no pony or any other race would be able to use the power of the zodiacs against them."

"Damn those creatures of evil," Seasoris said as he stomped his hoof firmly on the ground. "I swear to Mother Faust when I see them, not one will be spared for this."

"All the seals must be opened for us to even stand a chance against the draconequi," the elder druid said.

"Then we must start with this one if we are to stand against them," Astrim said as he trotted up to the lake. He turned back to the rest. "Let us begin."

Vulganaris came on Astrim's left side and Lucena on his right, and the rest followed and also stopped at the lake.

As the six ponies entered in and stopped at the middle of small lake, a breeze rushed passed them. Three trees began swaying response to the sudden change in wind patterns.

The six ponies looked up to the skies when they heard thunder roar across the skies.

The clouds started to spiral above the shrine.

"What is going on?" Seasonaria yelled looking back at Night Paw.

The elder druid kept his stare up at the spiraling clouds.

"This is it! The seal is breaking!"

"Which zodiac does this shrine belong to, chief?" Vulganaris yelled.

"Taurus."

The spiraling clouds began to spread outwards opening up a great eye revealing the stars above.

A large sum of rocks suddenly rose from the earth and formed a circular seal which was broken apart by the crushing force of the giant dual horned pony galloping downwards from the hole in the sky.

The great force had sent Night Paw off his hooves.

When the pony landed before them, a great light came down from the heavens and the six ponies including the dual horned pony had disappeared from the shrine.

Night Paw trotted away from and continued in a brisk manner back to the village.

Now that the seal has been broken we may have another chance at winning against the draconequi. Finally, after so long.

Everything began twirling, colors began mixing in between themselves, and then only one color remained, black.

But then in a few moments all was white, and their were our six heroes floating about as they madly tried getting their own bearings.

“What’s going on?” Vulcanaria said.

“This doesn’t feel safe,” Vulganaris said. He was awkwardly floating along with the others.

The ponies were floating in a white space, but after a few moments gravity became normal for them and they landed on an invisible platform in the open space of white when a giant pony figure had appeared in front of them.

A large brown pony was before them. His size was of on a colossal level and they were as grasshoppers compared in size. He was very muscular, but his most noticeable feature, the black red tipped horns, were very large. Their length represented the mighty strength of Taurus.

He exhaled sharply from his nostrils, clear smoke, on the six ponies.

“Sorry about that. Didn’t notice you all were so close,” the brown pony looked down at them.

“Hmm, Azar of the second realm. Pleasure it is to see you,” Astrim said looking up into his giant yellow eyes.

“Ah yes, it’s you Astrim. Same for you. We don’t have much time here, but I would like to thank you all for being here and finally breaking the seal around these lands of the world. So long has it been since I had full grip with my role on protecting this planet, and I’m sure the others are longing for their grip as well as I.”

“How did you lose your grip?” Lucena said.

“Yes, that would be interesting to know indeed,” Seasoris said afterwards.

“I can’t tell you everything, but over two thousand years ago in the raid of the draconequi, the king of the draconequi named Azathoth came and sealed us away and silenced our protection over your planet.

“The black flute he carried on his side when he plays it the listeners become insane and disrupts all levels of harmony, so closing of the shrines wasn’t a difficult task for him at all.”

“Where did they come from?” Astrim quickly spoke up.

“Teza says that she saw them appear through a portal-”

“A portal? What did it look like?”

“It was a portal in which we have no knowledge of where it connects to, but whatever is on the other side of it is certainly not a friendly creature. Oddly, Teza didn’t say that Azathoth came from the same portal as the other ruling draconequi which makes me wonder where exactly did he come from?”

Astrim ears flopped down and his calm expression turned into one of frustration.

This is nonsense. It sounds as though he was in this world long before most things…

But just how could that be… if what he’s saying is right then… something doesn’t sound right.

His ears lifted up, and they all watched Azar step back. His muscles became tighter, and the veins in his neck became thicker. His eye had turned white, and he finally let out a loud wail that went on for a great distance.

“MOOOOOOOOOOOO!”

Great rendering sounds were heard periodically throughout his roar. After a few moments of powerful winds and great trembles that came from his burst yelling, his eyes had turned normal, and he looked down onto the six ponies who were on their faces, one on top another, from such a powerful noise he had created.

“You must now go save the village for they are in grave danger.”

The surroundings got brighter, and Azar began to fade away in the bright light all around them.

They need your help...

Night Paw reached his village to his kind frozen and shivering with fear.

Night Paw dashed through the frozen crowd.

"What's going on?" the elder druids eyes widened when he met the void gaze of a lich upon the back of its skeletal dragon.

Its skull was crowned with several necklaces and two more around its neck, and a rusty red covering adorned its mouth. It wore an old dark grey cape with a few holes and tears at its edges.

It hopped off the its dragon and onto to ground creating little clouds of dust by its hooves.

The lich took a few steps away from the dragon and then it spoke with a mare's voice to all the druid ponies.

"Who here has opened the seal?"

The lich turned her head all around, her void gaze meeting the eyes of the frightened crowd.

"You all know the price for such crime," she summoned a dark scythe. “If none will speak, I will be forced to take all of your worthless lives. I could care less, either way somepony will pay with their lives today.”

No pony answered the lich mare. She used her magic and grabbed up a colt from the group and brought him near the scythe.

“Wait!” Night Paw held out a hoof to the colt. All eyes of the shivering ponies around were on the elder. He continued to glare on into the void eyes of the skeletal lich mare.  “If you are to take anyone’s life, then take mine. I’m the one that opened it.”

The lich dropped the colt on the ground and he dashed back right in through the crowd.

“Gladly,” the lich said as she reeled back the scythe with her magic. “Any last words before your judgement? We are careful to write down the last word of every foolish hero who dare tries to oppose the great leaders of the world.”

Night Paw stood up and kept his focus on the lich. “None.” The scythe went spinning forward straight at him. Night closed his eyes ready to meet his fate, but he opened them again and looked at the scythe just inches before his very face held by the magic of another pony.

Night Paw then looked over at Astrim who held a vicious glare at the lich mare and held the scythe from ending his life.

“If you wanted to test your strength, why don’t you use it against some pony who has the power to send it back,” Astrim sent the scythe spiraling back at the mare, but she quickly stopped its motion and moved it behind her back.

“Hmph, you don’t look like the rest. Maybe you have not met me.”

“I don’t care who you are,” Astrim trotted over to the skeletal mare. “Tell your leaders that we will break every last seal and then it will be them.”

“You listen here and you listen well, child. You will try and then you will fall like all the others,” She pulled up five crowned skeletal heads of different equine races from the dragon’s loin. “These were five foolish kings who you equines deemed great.  They went up against the draconequi and now they are dead. Would you like to be added to the collection?” She magically placed the heads in front of Astrim.

“You know, in fact, there was a foolish one, like you.” She raised up the skeletal head of a minotaur. “I forgot his name… oh well, he was, according his people, the strongest of equines. They say none could compare with his strength, and he took down any small and great beast that opposed him.

“Sadly, that wasn’t the case with Cthulu. He was just another sad statistic that foolishly tried challenging the mighty draconequus and it didn’t really end well. Hence the reason he’s in my hoof facing you.”

The skull started moving while the lich made the puppet sounds, “Please don’t challenge the draconequi. It’s foolish and you’ll just end like me, please reconsider your ways, ple-” the skull was smacked from out of the lich mare’s hoof.

“I don’t count your words of fools. We will silence them all and save the world from it being ruled by your filthy hooves. Now leave the ponies alone and go back from whence you came.”

The lich stood and said nothing. She shrugged and moved the scythe to her side.

“Hurrr, I guess your fate couldn’t be helped then.”

She swung the scythe as fast as she could in the effort to take off the dark unicorn’s head, but Astrim backed away as quickly as it came. Vulganaris quickly rushed out from the crowd and tackled the lich mare and caused her to skid along the ground. The lich used her magic and teleported back near her pet dragon who laid and waited patiently.

Her jaw was on the ground next to Vulganaris. He breathed out sharply through his nostrils and kept his glare. Astrim however held a glaring expression but with some mixture of fear from nearly losing his own his head to the lich.

Vulcanaria and Lucena trotted from out of the group of scared ponies, Lucena having her horn charged with magic and ready to release at any moment the lich tried to attack.  Seasoris also came from out of the crowd, his cloudy beard and mane extended down to his hooves and out past the hooves of Astrim and Vulganaris. They all stood before the lich who was using her magic to twirl the black scythe above her head.

The lich summoned two spears and sent them spiraling at the Vulganaris and Arstrim. Vulganris rose on his hind hooves and used the power from his fore hooves and crushed the incoming scythe and afterwards it had turned into a cloud of dust. The second scythe was stopped by Astrim’s magic which was then moved underhoof that came down and crushed the scythe into cloud of dark smoke that quickly vanished into thin air. The follow up spear was noticed by Lucena who quickly fired at the beam at the scythe, the tip just seconds away from Vulganaris’s eye melting it all to dust that vanished away.

Vulganaris slowly trotted towards the lich mare, Astrim followed. Both stallions wanted to finish the enemy by breaking all the bones of the lich and bury them in the ground.

The lich mare eyed each one of them and started backing up to her dragon as they came closer to her.

I’ve never seen any equine with that sort of strength. Could they be the protectors back from the dead?

No but that would be impossible… That’s too long ago for them to be standing before me now, unless… No, be even still… But what if they are? Hurrrr….

The lich quickly got up on her pet dragon’s loin and took flight. The bony dragon’s wings began to flap, the dusty winds began enshrouding the ponies and within moments the lich and her dragon was gone.

“She better clasp her hooves together and pray to her leaders we don’t meet her again,” Vulganaris glared up at the spiraling clouds that became calm as the lich fled away from the island.

“Our meeting will be inevitable, but I doubt she will do it anytime soon,” Lucena said. Vulganaris looked over at Astrim who was still shivering. He placed a hoof on his shoulder and Astrim quickly turned his attention to him.

“No need to fear, she’s gone for now.”

Astrim let out a small sigh. He then turned away and trotted off to face the crowd, “I know.”

The whole tribe rejoiced in the lich’s defeat. The six ponies were called “saviours” by the tribe.

Layers below the world, down at the last level of a desert wasteland where the creatures who commited the most heinous crimes known to all equine kind rotted.

Tartarus.

The Leaders who sat on the might seats of such a dreadful place are seven of the most powerful draconequi the equine world has ever witnessed since the beginning of time.

The centre in which they resided was called the Parliament of Chaos. However, each have their own dwellings. The lich flew off into the dwelling of the Great King of Chaos.

The lich who has fled from our six heroes has come into the presence of the mighty king. The lowest level of all of Tartarus, Dies Solis.

The lich and her pet dragon landed and bowed in the circle of the great king of chaos who was playing an ritual tune of insanity with his black pipe in which the chaotic dancers of the zodiac danced.

She looked around the mighty circular room. The ceiling designed in ancient symbols of the sun. The patterns run down from the ceiling and onto the golden floors of the room. At the center of the room, the sun pattern around the black throne glowed yellow. None of the other patterns were glowing because it was not his sacred day.

The lich shook her head and focus on up at the great king of kings.

“My great king, Lord Azathoth, the saviors have finally come. They are able to control celestial bodies and are fierce in their strength against us, my lord.”

Azathoth kept on playing his insane tune, and the dancers kept on moving maniacally around his throne. The lich is confused by the non-response.

Azathoth aimed the direction of his insane playing towards the lich and began playing forceful tunes. Instead of the dancers moving around the black throne in their usual ways, their eyes glowed a dark red and there dance patterns changed, twisting their bodies in ways not seen.

The lich was able to hear the great king speak his words of chaos.

SSSO THEY COULD CONTROL THE CELESTIAL BODIESSS…

Yes, my L-Lord, the lich said answering the king within her mind.

HMM… WARRN THE OTHERS AND HAVE THEM DISPOSED OF THEN AS SOON AS POSSIBLEE…

Yes, my great king, the lich responded riding away with her dragon in silence.

The eyes of the dances became normal once more and the insane symphony of the great king continued.

Her travel from one circle to another within the mighty caverns of the underworld to three days. Upon that the lich and her pet dragon had entered into the layer of Nyarlathotep.

She quick landed in his presence and bowed.

“My king, lord of chaos. The saviors of the equine has come to this world from nowhere and seek to end our mighty reign over the lands of this world,” the lich said as she looked up into the eyes of the great Nyarlathotep.

“Hmm… that doesn’t sound good. Even though I’ve only been sitting bored in this uncomfortable throne for over two thousand years already, I still enjoy bringing chaos over my terrified equine slaves,” Nyarlathotep with the snap of his fingers caused his throne to levitate. He moved above the lich and down behind her.

“Where did you meet them?”

“They were near the edge of “Hoof Island” when I saw a light protrude upwards from the center.”

“And why couldn’t you handle them yourself?”

The lich turned and looked up to the mighty lord of chaos holding her hooves together.

“I’m deeply sorry my king, but these rebels are one of a kind. Their strengths, magic, and the ability to control the heavens separate them from all the rebels we have put down over the many centuries. They are even called the ‘saviours’ by the inhabitants of the island.”

“Oh?”

“They also unlocked Taurus’s shrine.”

“Hm?” Nyarlathotep had his eyes fixed on the lich mare. “Hmm… the ability to control the heavens? And they somehow managed to break a zodiac seal? That’s new. Seems like I need to really, pay them a visit. Never heard of my little equine friends able to do such things… Maybe they must be part draconequus!” Nyarlathotep slid down from his floating throne onto the dusty grounds of his layer and caused his place to shake greatly.

“I just love making whole place shake like it wasn’t attached to anything, so fun that is. I mean, after sitting in this chair for so long you… nevermind,” Nyarlathotep stretched his limbs. “I guess I could use the exercise of finding them myself.”

“Hmhmhmhmhm, may I come along Nyarle? I want to see them too,” a purple draconequus floated up behind Nyarlathotep, massaging his shoulders and pressing her face against his.

He slapped her claws away and shot her a glare.

“I thought I told you not to call me that. I like to be called-”

“Discord, I know, but I wanna call you Nyarle! There could only be one Nyarle after all, and that’s you dear,” the purple draconequus said rubbing his chin.

“Would you stop doing like that,” Discord grunted.

“Why, is it the part where you don’t like being called my dear or the part when I’m rubbing below your chin? Stop complaining and just be happy,” Shubbs pulled on his cheeks and made as many funny faces as she could before Discord slapped her claws away and quickly summoned a sword in which he stabbed her with.

“If I ever wanted to be happy or corrected, I most certainly wouldn’t need you to do such.”

Shubbs quickly popped and reappeared giggling behind him.

“Oooh Nyarle, you’re always gonna make me laugh with that old trick of yours.”

Discord grunted again before calming himself. He glared down at the lich mare and then walked off leaving them behind as he began smiling, “I’m going to search for these so called “saviours” and shall cast great despair upon them.”

“Why not just kill them?” the purple draconequus flew away with perplexed expression.

“Well, where’s the fun in that, Shubbs. Plus, I want to make it well worth it having been down here for so long and for sooo many years. I would like to entertain myself and could definitely a bit a moving. I haven’t tried out my powers in years,” The throne started to dance around Discord. Annoyed as he already was, he snapped his fingers and the throne reappeared back in its original place.

Discord twirls around himself and disappears. Shubbs looks around and only finds the lich messenger looking up at her.

“Don’t tell any other draconequi, especially not Cthulu. Or my little cutie pies will have you for lunch! You hear me?!” Shubbs looked down at the lich rubbing her belly.

“Y-Yes, my Queen!” the lich bowed and dashed back onto her pet dragon.

And with that, Shubbs had disappeared from the area. The lich flew away from Discord’s layer into another part of the great caverns of Tartarus...