Prologue

In the beginning, all was strife and darkness. Powerful daemons ravaged the land, and kept the races of Equis inslaved, toiling day and night. When a worker perished, their soul would be collected, and sent to Aetherius, home to the daemon's lord, Messorem Animas, the Reaper of Souls, who would torture their spirits for his own amusment, defile them. The beings of Equis, pony, griffon, minotaur, zebra, camel, they all cried out for a reprieve from their suffering, and their prayers were answered.

The Maker, creator of life, Xe sent out Xyr's forces, multitudes of Xyr's soldiers marched upon Aetherius, and slew many of the dread lord's forces. Messorem, the Shadow-Walker, was cast out, into the Void between realities, and all were freed from bondage, The Maker smiled upon Xe's children, and blessed them with the ability to shape the land. To the Pegasi, Xe gave them the ability to control the weather, to the Terra ponies, enhanced strength and an affinity for the land.To the Unicorns, Xe gave them the ability to harness the natural land of the magic through the horn attached to their foreheads.

But, Xe's his two greatest gifts to Equis was that any species, even those non-unicorns, would be able to harness magic through conduits, such as staves, and through rigorous training. The second was how our rulers, Queen Celestia and Queen Luna, came to be. Their mother and father, a young Pegasus named Laurel Faustis, and a Unicorn named Solaris, gave their lives to rescue several thousands of souls from the clutches of Messorem, and were given new life, as Alicorns, beings with combined abilties of all three pony races. Xe continues to watch over us, protecting us, guiding us. Maker be praised.

¨Maker be praised." A lone mare whispered, as she quietly shut the Scriptures of the Maker, Vol. 1. Her armor clanked as she placed the book back into her saddlebag. The mare was Twilight Sparkle, former protoge to Queen Celestia, a newly ordained Grand Paladin, and an Alicorn, one that had control of the dusk between night and day. She had been given this gift as a blessing from the Maker, using Celestia as Xe's conduit. She sighed, as she trotted towards the royal throne room, having been summoned previously. But first-

¨Spike, where are you?" Twilight called out. Spykoran Dojzeimonikaan, or Spykoran Learn-Through-Wisdom (In the Dragon tongue), the Younger, grandson of Spykoran the Old, King of the Dragon Clans, had been sent by his grandfather to become a Knight under his old friend Celestia's former apprentice. When they first met, he had preferred to be known as Spike, and had become something of a younger brother to the mare.

A rustling of armor announced his presence, as young dragon of fourteen emerged, bowed, and saluted, ¨Yes, Lady Sparkle?¨ He asked, as his mithril mail jingled with each movement, his silver broadsword lay strapped on his back. ¨What is it you require of me?"

¨Queen Celestia has requested us in the throne room." Twilight said, as she began trotting, Spike alongside her, humming an old song from when he was but a hatchling. His family, in the Dracovian city of Feykro Reist (Forest Hearth), had been slaughtered, alongside everyone else, by rampaging Ursa Majors. His egg, the sole survivor of the destruction, by his grandfather and Celestia, who had been entrusted to care for the egg.

The guards nodded as the two approached, slowly opening the doors to the grand throne room. Queen Celestia sat on her throne, her gilded gold and silver armor shone in The Maker's sunlight. The throne next to her, Queen Luna's, was vacant, as she slept in the day, and it was not just because she was a vampony. Celestia smiled as her former student, and former ward both approached, and bowed respectfully.

"Grand Paladin Twilight, Squire Spykoran, I'm glad you came." Celestia said, her voice ringing out, as she descended the dais so she could be close to the two, as she pulled out five portfolios, and levitated them in front of Twilight and Spike. "Within these folders are dossiers on five ponies who shall join you on the quest I am sending you on, my faithful knight." Her voice then lowered in tone, "And my greatest lover." She winked, "Now, your quest, I believe you're wondering why I have called you, and what your quest is?"

Twilight nodded, blushing slightly, as Celestia continued, "After you saved my sister alongside those five mares, it seems fate has interwoven your lives once more. You must band together with them, and head north. A great evil has awoken, one that I thought Equiis would never face again." She sighed, bowing her head, "I am sure you have studied the prophecies?" Celestia asked, raising her head once more, her ethereal rainbow mane flowing in the wind, the colors blending into a sea of light, like the aurora borealis made physical.

Twilight placed a hoof to her mouth, she had studied the prophecies written in the scriptures by Saint Starswirl The Bearded, a revered mage, who sacrificed his life saving a covenant of priests from a horde of demons, but his body disappeared from its tomb, the lid halfway opened.Many today believe The Maker granted him new life, and that he still walks the world to this day, immortal.

"The Reaping of Souls..." Twilight whispered, the Reaping of Souls was the last, and most dreaded of all of Starswirl's prophecies. She shuddered as it, and all the terror that came from reading it, came flooding back into her mind, and her lips.

When the Shadow Goddess falls,

And Chaos is tamed by Kindess,

When the Empire returns and the King is dethroned,

Once the fourth Alicorn is crowned, on Sol's eclipse

The seal shall break, and the dread lord shall return,

All mortal souls shall be reaped, and Creation will burn.

"The prophecy is coming true, isn't it milady?" Twilight asked, taking a calming breath, her plate mail clanking. Celestia nodded grimly, a tense frown on her face, "Very well, I will return to Ponyville at once."

Celestia pointed to the door to her right, "A chariot awaits you through that door, my dear," She pecked Twilight on the lips, "And may The Maker watch over you both." She said, returning to her throne.

"And may Xe watch over you aswell, Celestia." Twilight said, returning the short kiss, bowing. Spike followed her as they exited into a ramp, where two Royal Guards, a ruby red Pegasus with an orange mane, eyes of molten gold, and a Cutie Mark that resembled a soaring eagle, and an older looking Griffon with a scar running from his right eyebrow to the end of his lower eyelid. The two nodded, as they boarded the chariot, and took to the skies, the wind howling.

Twilight sat down, and scanned the folios, "Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy, it seems I shall see you again." She said, as the chariot soared the the air, Spike watching the passing scenery.

The moon creeped closer to the sun, and a cruel laugh echoed in the minds of every empath throughout time and space.......

Author's Note

For those of you who don't knowm Messorem Animas means Reaper of Souls in Latin, I chose a name that sounded terrifying, something that would bring dread. To be continued.....