Chains and Ladders

“You knew.” Celestia’s piercing gaze forced Discord to look away. The nervous

draconequus stood opposite the solar princess, as they watched Luna sleeping serenely in her hospital bed. Twilight had left only a few moments earlier to the library in an attempt to find what information she could about Ahriman.

“I felt him within.” Discord grumbled, biting his lip.

“How is he still alive?” Celestia queried, her anger barely contained. While her sister lay catatonic, the embodiment of destruction was roaming freely. Taus, Daemon, and Halos were all dead or worse. Aquila had fled, and Goliath was still just an infant. What coalition could she assemble against Ahriman now?

“There was a...stain.” Discord clenched his fists. “I let that… that parasite incubate within me for years. Of course, he abandoned me when you fired the Elements of Harmony at me.”

“Discord…” Celestia sighed. “What you’ve done… is in the past. We need to focus on the present.”

“The present?” Discord’s voice cracked. “There is no present! Ahriman will swallow the world!” The draconequus cackled maniacally before Celestia smacked him across the face with a hoof.

“Shut up.” Celestia’s voice was icy. “We will find a way.” With most demigods out of commision, she’d need to use Mazda’s devices to stop Ahriman. The problem was that the only weapon she could think of, the Elements of Harmony, were locked in the Tree of Harmony. She doubted that Twilight and her friends could recreate that power surge that allowed them to defeat Tirek; and besides, she wasn’t sure that would do anything against Ahriman, who was more than merely Mainyuan. Celestia remembered the tales Titania had imparted upon her during the sundering. How Angra Mainyu had twisted the Old Elohimi god of oceans, Lotan, to create Ahriman after Lucifer’s slaughter of the Old Elohim.

Celestia, who had been slouching slightly, suddenly stood up. The Old Elohim hadn’t been completely destroyed. If she could find some of the survivors, perhaps they could stand against Ahriman. She already knew where to find one.

“Discord, do you know where I can find the surviving Old Elohim?” Celestia looked at Discord, who threw his head back and laughed.

“They’re no match even if they were still alive. I haven’t sensed one ever.” Discord shook his head slowly.

“You aren’t sure what to look for.” Celestia almost smirked before remembering that her sister was still laying next to her. “I’ve already found one.”

“Impossible! If you had one, you’d have used it!” Discord shrieked, a small clap of thunder accompanying his proclamation.

“I didn’t want to risk her against Daemon, and she was busy running an empire anyway.” Celestia watched as a light bulb appeared over Discord’s head, before he grabbed it and took a bite out of the glass.

“Cadenza. You think she’s Qadeshtu?” Discord tapped his chin with a claw as he chewed. “I could see it. Even so, she’s not a fighter. You need more than that.”

“You, me, an awakened Cadence, and perhaps more.” Celestia pondered the possibilities. If Cadence was really Qadeshtu reborn, then Celestia could unlock her hidden powers against Ahriman. Discord was right though; she needed more members for her coalition. “Twilight could help.” Celestia reluctantly conceded as Discord reeled in surprise. That Celestia was willing to send Twilight into this kind of danger was telling of just how desperate she had become. Another time, Discord might have savoured such a revelation, but now the worry in his belly was too prevalent.

“If Luna recovers…” Discord began before being cut off by Celestia’s sudden swipe of a hood.

“When Luna recovers.” Celestia glared at Discord, who swallowed nervously.

“When Luna recovers, if in time for the battle, that still only leaves us with five.” Discord reminded her. “It took seven to halt Ahriman last time.”

“Seven?” Celestia looked at Discord, flabbergasted. “What are you talking about?”

“You didn’t know?” Discord furrowed his brow at her. “Titania, Gaea, and Ouranos had help.”

“Help from who?” Celestia asked. Her memories contained nothing about this.

“The lesser Elohimi, of course.” Discord scratched his head in confusion. “Anat, Khothar-wa-Kasis, and Marqod.”

“That’s only six.” Celestia absorbed the new information with a sudden hope. She’d thought the lesser Elohim to have died long before the Dawn War. Why hadn’t she known about this?

“The seventh was the Spentan amalgamation, the Sandaramet. You really don’t know this?” Discord looked at Celestia in disbelief. She hadn’t been there, he supposed, but had Titania not passed on this knowledge. Why not?

“Where are they now?” Celestia queried, a sinking feeling suddenly overtaking her. The Spenta had vanished, so conjuring this, Sandaramet, was not an option, and now that she really thought about it why had she never sensed these lesser Elohim? She suspected she already knew why.

“Unfortunately, I think they all died.” Celestia nearly collapsed as Discord sighed. “The Sandaramet I know for sure, along with Khothar-wa-Kasis, died in the battle. I don’t know about any others, like the children of the Elohim.”

“And the other two?” Celestia watched her sister’s chest rise and fall, unwilling to look at Discord.

“I killed Anat, who was already dying after the battle.” Discord confessed as Celestia closed her eyes. The draconequus decided he was better off not explaining the details of how he had tortured Anat for agonizing hours before becoming bored with her. “And though Marqod escaped, he was horrifically wounded during the fight. I doubt he survived.”

“But there is a chance.” Celestia insisted as Discord grimaced. Marqod had been nearly cut in half by Ahriman. Discord could think of only two beings that could survive that sort of damage, and neither was Marqod.

“Celestia, I…” Discord began before a sudden surge of power across the world caught their attention.

Ahriman relished freedom. As he leveled the Sultan’s palace with only his breath, he felt truly alive again. The serpent god curled around the minarets of the grand mosque, contracting his muscles to crush the entire structure. Around him he heard the screaming of pitiful ponies begging their god to save them. Ahriman let loose a guttural laugh as he took back to the sky and shrouded the land in darkness, blotting out the sun.

Inhaling deeply, Ahriman reared back. As the ponies before him watched in horror, he blew massive gusts of wind across the city, leveling building with tornado force winds. Ba’al Hadad may have been the storm god, but Ahriman was far more powerful than his brother had ever been. Cackling, Ahriman landed his massive serpentine body and spread his wings. Still, he supposed he ought to be faithful to his origins.

A massive wave rose from the harbor, once more obscuring the sun. Those who had survived the wind now fell to the ground in horror as the seawater crashed over the city, swallowing even Ahriman. The serpent burst out of the water and flew overhead, surveying the damage. Inside, he felt the horror of his pathetic host and the conflicting emotions of the Sultana, who was still trapped within the madstone that Ahriman had consumed. As Ahriman watched, however, one small section of the city of Constantineighple still stood, with shivering figures huddling behind one rather tall pony who glared at Ahriman.

“What do we have here?” Ahriman hissed in joy as he descended to the ground, landing some yards away from the group. The tall pony just continued to stare with burning intensity. Disappointed, Ahriman turned away and swiped his tail, intending to crush the group. However, he suddenly felt his tail being grabbed and he hissed in anger as he was tossed back inland. Roaring his fury, Ahriman coiled up to find himself face to face with a massive crocodilian figure. Hissing his displeasure, Ahriman launched himself into to battle with his former son, Sobek.

Narrowly avoiding his the being who used to be his father’s attack, the lesser Elohim swiped his claws at the serpent, who wriggled to avoid damage before coiling back around to sink his fangs into tough hide of the crocodile god. Sobek spun quickly, ripping Ahriman off the ground and delivered a stunning punch to Ahriman’s neck. As Ahriman released his fang’s hold, Sobek opened his jaws wide and tried to crush Ahriman’s head between his sharp teeth.

With a flick of his wings, Ahriman dodged the attack and countered with a swipe from his spiked tail. His fangs hadn’t done much damage to Sobek’s formidable natural armor, but enough of his venom had entered the wounds to begin crippling his opponent. Sobek seemed to sense this, and as he dodged the tail attack he charged in against Ahriman.

Twisting and turning, Ahriman managed to avoid Sobek’s desperate attacks. Time and time again, as Sobek tried desperately to strike Ahriman with his teeth, claws, and tail, Ahriman’s fangs found purchase on his body. Slowly, the crocodile slumped to the ground, his eyes betraying his fear. Ahriman cackled in pleasure as he flipped his opponent over and ran the spikes on his tail along the soft underbelly of his opponent, drawing the red blood of an Old Elohim. Ahriman gazed into Sobek’s pleading eyes. Sobek seemed to be begging for his father.

Ahriman felt no remorse as he unhinged his jaw. As the light faded from the fallen god’s eyes, Ahriman swallowed Sobek whole.