Storm

I sat in the chair of my office. Drumming my fingers against my desk and occasionally glancing out the window at the dark streets of Canterlot. I sighed heavily as I looked back over the case files... None of it made sense. A strange all-white pony, disappearing into the night after an onimous conversation with Aurora. 'It is not dead' that one phrase kept repeating in my mind as I asked Aurora to recollect their conversation. To me, I didn't make much sense. Why would the spawn from a hell like Tartarus be showing themselves now? Then it hit me, not like a freight train. More like a rampaging rhino. I kicked back and my wheeled chair sped towards the cabinet. I put my arms out to stop my movement and I ripped the cabinet open and began to quickly look through all the files that contained strange murders, homicides. Anything. After gathering a sizeable amount of files I wheeled back to my desk and began looking at the pictures taken at the scene. But was quite rood lay interrupted by Aurora. "Wow Storm, never seen you work as hard as you just did!"

"Can it, Aurora I'm on a roll here." I replied. She walked up to my desk and sat in one of the visitors chairs on the other side of the table. "Whatcha got?" She asked. I turned some of the pictures over to her that I had been examining.

"Well, you said that the pony had known an unnaturally large amount about the creatures that reside in Tartarus. So I was looking at all the strange murders that occurred over the past year, and came up with these." I pointed at each of the pictures that displayed rather gruesome scenes. Not something the likes a pony-kind murderer would make. "The murderer was never found. But there was also never a repeat of the same murder twice. Never the same MO." I smiled as Aurora looked up at me with wide eyes.

"So what you are saying is..."

"Yes. Somehow that white pony has got to be connected to everything. Whether she is our enemy or our friend."

"Huh, I thought you were bullshitting me for a second there but I can see all the logic." She paused for a few moments. "We need to find where that pony went. We need to know what is happening, it's gotta be the only way to get answers." I nodded slowly. Looking back out at the dark streets. The rain had started again and slowly pattered against the glass. The weather called for more rain than we have had in quite a while. There was still a couple ponies running around in the streets. Probably now seeking shelter from the coming Storm. "I'm going for the night, Storm. Don't tire yourself out too much there, buddy."

"I'll try not to." I could almost hear her smile and the sound of her steps began to grow farther away with the distance she went.

???

I grabbed my cup from my coffee table and threw it at the wall. It exploded in a shower of dust and debris. "What do you mean the ridder is dead?" I roared as I grabbed another cup and threw it at the head of the unicorn in my room. The unicorn caught it in their hand with impossible speed and dropped it on the floor. "I mean what I said, mentor. The ridder was killed by a hunter that goes by the name of Star." I scrunched up my face in anger and punched a wall, my hand going through the drywall. Both me and my trainee had both been augmented by demonic powers in order to serve out Masters better. "That ridder took so much magic from me... Even just contracting it took more than the usual effort."

"We could always use mine. Mentor."

"No, I forbid you to open gates that you are not able to properly control yet. I care too much about you to think of the consequences of something going wrong." I pulled my white-dusted hand from the drywall and patched it up with a repair spell. I looked into the mirror and saw my face. I looked tired, my mane unkempt and shaggy and my eyes had noticeable bags under them. "Send a message to the Masters, Scarlett. We must see when the proper time to act will be." Scarlett bowed and walked out. I wiped some dust from the mirror and stared at myself again. "The time will come soon. Equestria will be like the old days again. The ponies will known the word fear again. Learn to live in fear of mine and the Masters names. They will fear Sunset Shimmer."

5000 years before current events

The sounds of battle echoed through the fields surrounding the pits of Tartarus. Swords clashed and shone in the moonlight and flashes of technicolored light shone and illuminated dark battleground. Roars would occasionally drown out the other sounds of battle as the smell of burnt flesh and blood flooded into my nostrils. Gripping my sword tight I met the battle axe of a demon from Tartarus. The demon spit white hot flames at me but a shield quickly erected itself and the flames washed over the sphere surrounding me and a blast of magic exploded against the creatures chest, sending it careening back into the lines of the forces of Darkness. A white unicorn ran up to my side. "Star! The mages are sending orders to all still fighting that we are to fall back to the forest and meet the enemy there!" An arrow whizzed across the enemy lines, my shield briefly flaring up to protect it. "The mages are running out of magic energy and can't keep it up for much longer. Neither can our amulets." The pony, Striker said as he enclosed his own amulet in his palm. I nodded, the war had been going on for days. Each side not gaining or losing too much ground, but the demons just kept coming. The pits of Tartarus were seemingly endless. "I'll get my remaining fighters and pull them back. I hope we have a plan or else we may not win." As the unicorn began to spread the message I called to my personal team to fall back. Only five remain from the twenty there once was.

"If I may ask miss. What's our trump card here?" A white earth pony asked me, as he blocked a blow from a red demon, his name was Hatflip if my mind is not mistaken.

"I wouldn't be able to tell ya, our retreat into the forest should have given us an advantage, most of the spawn from the pits are too big to fit between the individual trees but the Council must not have taken brute strength into count," I replied quickly before lobbing the head off of a skeleton. "Also, what the fuck is with these skeletons? Was there a necromancer imprisoned here?"

"There was a few, actually." Hatflip replied as he matched my blow with another skeleton but a sword flipped through his guard. His shield flared up but shattered once the sword came in contact and the skeletons sword embedded itself into Hatflips's head. Instantly ending his life. My vision grew red with rage as another one of my company died before my eyes, throwing a knife through the skeletons head I caught Hat's body before it impacted roughly with the blood soaked ground and set him down gently. Mumbling a quick prayer before closing his eyes and taking the sword from his skull and tossed it away, laying his own across his stomach. I let a single tear fall before I stood up slowly before I looked back up at the other blood soaked ponies fighting for their freedom before I once again, joined the fight.

Starlight

I woke up suddenly. A thin layer of sweat covering my entire body. 'Why do I keep having this dream?' I dropped my head into my hands and rubbed my eyes to get rid of the slight blurryness from just waking up. Removing my hands I glanced at the clock to see it was 4:30am. "Uhhhh, I've been up for two days straight just give me a break!" I frustratedly said to the empty room. As I plopped back down on my bed and tried to get back to sleep, only to decide twenty seconds later that it would be a fruitless effort. Standing up I sleepily shambled over to the light switch and flicked it into the on position, a couple seconds later and the room was illuminated in orange light. It wasn't much, not by a long shot. A small closet sat at the far end of the room across from the light switch and my small bed lay a few centimetres next to the entrance of the closet door. A bookcase with a couple books sat to the right of the door leading out and a small bathroom was a couple paces after that.

Walking it to the bathroom I looked into the mirror at what my current state of morning messiness was. My mane stuck out in different places and there was more than a few feathers out of place, adding to that there was still a bit of dried toothpaste in the corner of my mouth from before I went to bed that night. My eyes were bloodshot and there was still bags under them so I ran some cold water over my face and wiped my hands on my pink top. I, personally though pink contrasted well with my white coat. Fixing my mane so it didn't stick out everywhere and instead ran down to the small of my back, then preening my feathers quickly I stepped back out of the bathroom to change into some clothes for the day.

After some slight debating I picked a tank top that showed my cutie mark above my left breast. A sparkling star. I put another shirt on over that and made sure my wings were comfortable through both, then I slipped on some navy blue jeans and strapped my sword onto my back.. For the finishing touch I through a jet black cloak on and made sure that I could quickly pull my sword out in a tight situation and admired myself in the mirror. "Hmm, maybe a little bit too heavy on the black... Ah fuck it." I waved my hand at the piece of glass and went to go make some (very) early morning breakfast.

Storm

I downed my twentieth cup of coffee as I looked at the wall I had tacked stuff to and the connections I made. It all seemed to click into place last night. That white pony, the murderers, the spawns of Tartarus. It all seemed to all connect to the ancient battle of light and dark. The demons and corrupted denizens of the planet had tried to fight their way out of the prison and plunge the world into darkness where the Light itself was their prisoner. But the armies of the Council of Light had fought back, suffering many casualties they were able to seal all the prisoners back into the pits once all the mages banded together in one last ditch effort to teleport the foul beings back and seal it off with ancient magic. But magic can degrade. Just like anything else magic has a time limit and everyone knew it. Now, almost five thousand years later that timer was beginning to reach its end, that's how the creatures are becoming more prominent and summoners are beginning to become more frequent. The wards must be weakening around the prison and they might soon break. "So, that's my theory." I finished as Aurora looked at me like I sprouted a third eye.

"You must be fucking joking."

"No! Aurora you have to listen! Princess Celestia has to see this!"

"You're grasping at straws, Storm, and you know it as well as I do. You are telling me a fucking fairy tale meant to scare little fillies and colts to drink their medicine. Come back to me when you have concrete evidence that some sort of otherworldly cataclysm is going to happen. Get some sleep and when you get some sense back I'll be in my office trying to gain some IQ points back,"

I sighed heavily as Aurora walked back out and I looked back at the pictures on the wall. Maybe I was just grasping at straws after all... I heard the fairy tales dozens of times too, but to some they may not be just that! I balled my fists and looked out at the brightening day. I needed more answers and I knew just the pony to ask...

Author's Note

Sorry about the long wait, I have no excuse except for the fact that I had immense writers block and I am terribly sorry. In another note I would like if someone could edit for me, as I could always use the second pair of eyes looking over everything, thanks a ton and please leave comments and tell me how to improve!