It's a calm autumn night in the capitol city of Canterlot; asleep in the castle we find one of Equestria's four princesses, Twilight Sparkle, in bed hugging a book on study techniques. As she continues to sleep, a shadow suddenly appears on the balcony of her room. Still asleep, she is unaware of the presence as the shadow begins to take form; As the shadow finishes transforming, a woman with dragon wings, black hair, red eyes, and a robe befitting a high ranking sorceress becomes visible in the moonlight shining through the balcony door window. Quietly, the strange woman walks towards Twilight, sitting on the edge of her bed, and places a hand on her shoulder.
"For nearly an eternity I and my siblings have searched for our mortal counterparts; and at last, I have found mine. Twilight Sparkle, I have watched since you were born, much like your teacher watched you as you grew. You will fight alongside my siblings counterparts, and save your home from the impending doom that grows ever so closer." she says.
Twilight groans and turns over to face her, still unaware to the intruder in her bedroom. The woman smiles at this, and stands; as she does this, dragon like wings shoot out of her back. Looking down at Twilight, she begins to turn transparent.
"The first of the chosen four has been found, my magic, my wings, my power, and my sword belong to you," She then turns into a orb of purple light, "Use them wisely."
As she finishes speaking, the orb of light moves towards Twilight and fazes through her chest. as it does this, a strange tattoo begins to form on Twilight's right wrist and hand, before disappearing. As the light finally dissipates, Twilight's eyes shoot open and she sits up in bed. looking around, she scratches her head before shrugging.
"Huh, guess I was dreaming." she says before laying back down and sleeping once more.
As she does this, her wings glow and change into those of the woman before turning back into her feathered ones. As twilight continues to sleep, her dreams become filled with her having magic far more powerful than her own.
Meanwhile...
While Twilight sleeps quietly in her bed, in the Castle Library a mage by the name of Sunset Shimmer tirelessly studies ancient combat spells. While she does this, a single candle lit to provide her with light, a figure perches atop the second floor railing. Looking down at Sunset, the figure drops to the ground. As the figure approaches Sunset, the young mage subsequently passes out, her head landing on the book she was reading. Seeing this, the figure chuckles; as they step into the light. a woman with Scarlet hair, Brown eyes, and armor befitting that of a knight, comes into view.
"You embody my spirit Sunset Shimmer, and will carry the element of fire into the battle to decide the fate of this world," she begins to faze into Sunsets body, "My magic, my wings, my armor, and my sword are yours to wield. Use them wisely."
As she finishes speaking, she completely enters Sunsets body, causing a strange tattoo to form on her right wrist and hand. It disappears as Sunset begins to stir. Looking at the clock, she sighs.
"Twilight's right, I need to stop sleeping in the library," she gets up to leave, "At least the candle didn't set anything on fire this time."
Sunset blows out the candle and begins to leave the library, wishing to return to her private room. As she does this, wings belonging to the Armored lady from before appear on her back before quickly disappearing. Sunset feels something as the wings disappear and she turns to look behind her.
"That's strange," she says, "Must have been the draft."
As she continues walking to her room, a third Shadow descends from the night sky; this one heads into the room directly in front of Twilights'. Inside the room, a young man with blue and white hair is asleep on his bed. A cloud suddenly covers up the moon outside, filling the room with darkness. As this happens, a magical discharge echoes quietly throughout the bedroom. When the moonlight returns, the shadow has been replaced by a transparent figure donning a robe befitting a battle mage. The being walks over to Hawke's sleeping form and places a hand on his shoulder.
"Young Hawke, you are the true mortal embodiment of my undying spirit and kindhearted nature. You have been chosen to wield the element of Lightning in order to defend your home," The figure begins disappearing as Hawke begins to glow, "To you I give my armor, my magic, and my weapon. Use them wisely for they will protect you in a dire time of need." The figure finally disappears completely as Hawke bolts upright on his bed.
"That's odd, I thought I heard someone." he says in confusion; shrugging, he puts the thought to rest.
"I guess I owe Rainbow Dash ten bits when we get back to Ponyville." he says before going back to sleep.
As he goes back to sleep, Hawke is unaware of the blue glow emanating from his back, a pair of wings belonging to a dragon forming before disappearing into his body. He shifts positions in bed as this happens, but doesn't wake up.
The Next Day...
Twilight, Hawke, and Sunset all wake up the next day and head to dining hall where Princess Celestia has had breakfast prepared for them. Upon entering, they take their seats and begin eating. As the time goes by, a strange urge in the back of Twilight's mind causes her to speak.
"Did either of you two have a weird dream last night?" she asks them. Hawke is the first to respond.
"It depends on what you would classify as weird." he tells her.
"Well, did any of you see a sword in your dream?"
"Yeah, now that you mention it. I also saw this strange woman." Sunset admits.
"I saw a sword to, only I saw a guy instead of a girl." Hawke adds. Twilight is puzzled at hearing this, but is then distracted by a strange image on Sunsets hand.
"Hey Sunset, since when do you have a tattoo on your hand?" she asks.
"What are you talking about?" She asks before looking at her hand. Seeing the black markings, she goes wide eyed and is about to scream until she notices a similar mark on Twilight.
"Twilight, you have one too." she tells her.
"What?" Twilight looks at her hand. "OH MY CELESTIA!"
Hawke looks down at his hand and sure enough, he too has a strange tattoo like mark there. But instead of freaking out, he shrugs and takes a sip of his coffee. Seeing this, Twilight and Sunset look at him confused.
"Why aren't you freaking out?" Twilight asks.
"Well, there is the fact that it's just a dumb mark." He explains.
The two girls then calm down, only for their anxiety to pike again when a voice fills the room.
"First off, that is not some dumb mark; and second, you should really think about reorganizing this head of your Twilight." the voice says. "It's a little cramped in here."
"Who said that!?!" Twilight exclaims.
"Uh Twi, who are you talking to?" Hawke asks upon seeing his friend yell towards the sky.
"She talking to us, and by the way you should really put more function into your conscious." a voice inside Hawke's mind tells him.
"Great, now I'm hearing things." he says in annoyance.
"At least nothing's happened to me." Sunset points out.
"Oh, I wouldn't bet on it." a voice tells her.
The three friends all get looks of shock on their faces, but that all goes away when three individuals appear before them, each bearing some form of resemblance to each of the teens. The first is a lady wearing a Purple Robe with magical runes etched into it, a scabbard on her hip. Next is another lady, only this one is wearing armor befitting that of a knight; she too has a scabbard, only it is bound to her back. And finally, a man wearing blue robes that identify him being a combat mage; he also has a scabbard on his hip. seeing the teens expressions the first lady speaks.
"Okay, so how about we introduce ourselves," she suggests, "My name is Aurora. The other girl is my sister Solaris; and finally our brother Barak." she explains while gesturing to her siblings.
"Uh, my name is Twi-" Twilight begins.
"We know who you three are." Solaris says. the three Teens look at the floating figures in confusion at hearing this.
"What?" Sunset asks, "How?"
"Well, let's just say it was always meant to be." Barak replies. Hawke then raises his hand.
"What exactly are you, if I may ask?" he asks. Aurora turns to him and sighs.
"I think we should let our older brother explain that. He can give you a better explanation than we could." se explains.
At hearing this, the three teens all huddle up and begin to discuss options.
"What do you guys make of this?" Hawkes asks.
"I think we're still dreaming." Sunset suggests.
"If we were dreaming, you wouldn't be able to fell this." Hawke lightly punches her in the arm.
"Okay, this isn't a dream." Sunset admits while rubbing where Hawke hit her, "But what are we supposed to do?"
"I think we should play along. At least until we get a straight answer." Twilight suggests.
"Agreed." the other two say in unison.
After coming to an agreement, the three of them turn to the spirits. Right as they are about to speak, Solaris stops them.
"Listen, we know you don't trust us. All we can tell you right now is that we need to find our brother. once that is settled, we'll tell you what you need to know." she explains. Hearing this, Twilight sighs.
"Alright, we'll do as you ask." she says. the three spirits smile at hearing this, then Hawke asks the million dollar question.
"Who and where exactly is this so called older brother." he asks. The all look to each other, but smile as they look out the window behind the three teens.
"I believe he is there." Aurora says while pointing behind Twilight and the others.
The three turns all turn around and go wide eyed as the Canterlot Coliseum comes into view. Seeing this, Twilight turns back to the spirits, a look of shock on her face.
"You can' be serious," she begins," the coliseum is for gladiatorial showcases. Only War prisoners and Enemies of the state stay there." she explains.
"Twilight," Solaris begins," Our brother, when he was still among the living, lived for such things. a valiant leader, caring brother, and very dangerous warrior."
The teens look to each other and nod in agreement. If they want answers, they'll have to follow these spirits to wherever it is they wish to go.
"Alright, we'll do it." Twilight says. Hearing this, the spirits all smile and begin to fade away. Seeing this, twilight realizes something.
"WAIT!" she exclaims, "How will we know when we've found him!?!" she asks.
"Look for the savage style of swordsmanship. It is there you shall find your prize." Barak says as they finally disappear. Twilight, Hawke, and sunset's eyes all flash a certain color seconds after the spirits disappear.
"So... to the coliseum?" Hawke asks.
"I guess so." twilight replies.
Six hours later...
After finding the show time, and a quick chariot ride, the three teens arrive at the coliseum. Upon seeing it, the sound of applause can be heard from outside it's marble built exterior.
"Alright, lets get inside and find some seats. Then we can look for... whoever it is we're looking for." Twilight says.
The other two nod at hearing this and head towards the coliseum entrance. Once inside, they came face to face with an arena surrounded by tens of thousands of spectators.
"Wow, and I thought the Crystal Empire's stadium was impressive." Hawke says in awe of the coliseum interior.
As the three teens head to their seats, the stadium announcer calls everyone to attention.
"Mares and Stallions, this is the fight you have all been waiting for! Tonight, two highly decorated gladiators will fight to the death for your entertainment. The winner lives to fight another day. The loser, not so much." he explains. the audience cheers loudly at hearing this.
"I wonder who's going to win." Hawke says. Twilight an sunset look at him in shock, "You know what I mean!" he says in response to their glares.
"Now, join me in welcoming your Gladiators!" the announcer requests, the audience cheers loudly in response." First up, a man who is no stranger to these types of fights. A warrior of the once mighty griffon army, I give you, CENTURION!"
The audience begins to both cheer and boo as a man walks out wearing a helmet and armor fitting the description of the griffon army. He is clearly a soldier used when raiding cities.
"And next, we have the opponent. A prisoner of the arena for an unprecedented seven years, he lived the life of a mercenary. Now, he lives the life of the fan favorite here in the Coliseum," the crowd roars with applause at hearing this, "Audience, I give you the undisputed King of the Coliseum, he is the Demon King, Prince Bálor!"
The sound of the coliseum becomes unbearable as a young man who looks no older than twilight and her friends enters the arena. He wears a black cloak and cowl, leather armor, and a two swords on his back. The sleeves of his jacket have clearly been torn off, and with that reveals a tattoo similar to the one twilight and the others saw. On his back, a sword with a black guard sits along with one bearing a more traditional look of a bastard sword.
"Look at his arm," Sunset says upon seeing the tattoo, "You think the guy we're looking for is him?"
"I don't know, lets watch to be sure." Twilight suggests.
The fight soon gets underway as Bálor removes his hood, seeing the two swords however, Centurion speaks.
"Why is it that you carry two swords, you some kind of collector?" he asks in a mocking tone.
"One is for killing humans, the other is for special purposes." Bálor replies.
Hearing this, Centurion charges forward, hoping to end the battle quickly. Bálor, however, remains standing, his sword drawn and eyes oddly closed.
"Is he trying to get himself killed!?!" Twilight asks.
"No, he's tapping into the power of the demon." Aurora explains in Twilights head.
Right as Centurion is about to swing his weapon, Bálor's eyes shoot open to reveal two reptilian slits where his pupils would be. He then counters, blocking the mace with his sword, and kicks Centurion in the gut. Centurion quickly recovers and once again tries to attack. He swings the mace at Bálor, only for him to quickly disappear.
"What, where did you go?" Centurion asks.
The sound of flesh being cut then fills the quiet arena, and Centurion stiffens as hells something wet and warm run down his back. Falling to the ground, Bálor is revealed to be standing behind him, a blood soaked blade in his hand. Turning his head, Centurion goes wide eyed at seeing his right wing on the ground beside him, completely separated from his body. A black boot then fills his vision as he is raised to his knees.
"W-Where we're you? You d-disappeared." he says once he is on his knees.
"I'm called the demon king for a reason." Bálor replies.
The crowd then begins chanting finish him as Twilight and the others get confused looks on their faces. Their answer comes as Bálor then swings his sword. A few seconds pass until blood begins flowing from the base of Centurions neck. As Bálor sheathes his blade, Centurion's head falls to the ground, completely severed from the body. Seeing this, Twilight, Sunset, and Hawke begin to feel nauseas as Bálor raises the head in victory. Forcing it down, they continue watching as a crew of people enter the arena with a cart. They place the dead body on it and leave as The announcer begins speaking.
"Audience, I give you the winner, Prince Bálor!!!" he exclaims.
Bálor walks away as the audience begins cheering, his spliced eyes reverting back to normal. He looks towards twilight and the others before entering the darkness that is the inner workings of the coliseum however. Seeing them, he stares for a few seconds before pulling the hood of his cloak over his head. As he reaches his living quarters, he removes his cloak to reveal his pale white complexion, black hair, and red eyes.
"Bálor", a voice says to him, "you saw the aura those three were giving off."
He turns around to find a transparent man a few years older than him, wearing an outfit similar to what he has on, two empty scabbards on his back.
"My siblings have found their hosts." he tells him.
"Yeah, now comes the part about me explaining what is happening and me training the rookies." Bálor replies.
"If you truly wish to lead these teens into battle, you will have to do it whether you like it or not."
"The last time I led a team into battle, it ended with Me holding my girlfriend as her life slipped away, and me getting captured and forced to fight in this arena for this stupid countries entertainment. Why should I lead a group of Equestrians into battle, if I cant even protect a group of teens people from my own homeland?"
"You still believe yourself to be at fault for what happened three years ago?"
Bálor says nothing as his tattoo begins glowing; he walks to the window and looks at the full moon. As he does this, he cant help but think about the incident. He puts the thought to rest however as he stokes a fire pit in the center of his room, staring into the flames with a soulless expression.
The next morning, Twilight and her friends are outside the Coliseum barracks, there priority being to meet the person named Bálor. As they reach the entrance to the inner workings of the massive structure, Sunset begins having second thoughts.
"Twilight, are you sure we should be talking to this guy?" she asks.
"Yes, if we want answers, we'll need to talk to him." Twilight replies.
"It's not that I don't trust you or anything. It's just, well... it's just that the only people they hold in the coliseum are either military prisoners or enemies of the crown." sunset explains.
"So what's your point?"
"My point is, Judging by his fighting style, Bálor is obviously both. We don't who he is, or why he is in the coliseum in the first place."
"Why do you think were going to talk to him?"
Sunset groans in annoyance and concedes, following her two friends into the arena. As they walk through the underground living area, Hawke is surprised by the small number of people being held in the place, but the thought is quickly subsided as the three of them arrive at Bálor's living quarters; only to be shocked at the amount of locks and reinforcements that have been placed on the entrance.
"Holy crap, you think they could've gone for something a little less solitary?" Hawke jokingly asks.
"A door 2 feet thick, locks made of metal found only in the crystal empire quarries, and a magical barrier cast by all three princesses. I think Bálor is living up to whatever reputation he has." Twilight says.
"How did you know all the security measures?" Hawke asks.
"There was a brochure at the entrance." Twilight replies.
"...What?" Hawke replies, dumbfounded.
Twilight pays no mind to her friends antics and approaches the door. As she reaches for the latch, the sound of gears turning fills the hallway. Looking towards the door, the three friends notice four locks disengaging their latches and two steel posts being pull upward from the ground. Afterwards, the sound of a chain lock being unlatched can be heard and a small doorway in the center of the much larger vault like door open slowly.
"So, are we supposed to go in, or?" Hawke asks, a hint of nervousness in his voice.
"He can't get out, the locks may have been deactivated, but the magical barrier is still up." Twilight explains.
"Oh... so who's first?" Hawke asks.
"Not it!" Sunset exclaims quickly.
"Not it!" Twilight exclaims also.
"What, NO!" Hawke yells in defeat.
The two girls fist bump as Hawke hangs his head in defeat, slowly entering the room. As he does this, the tw girls follow behind him as the once dark room is illuminated by a fire pit in it's center. Confused by the sudden ignition, The three friends are caught off guard as Hawke is tackled to the ground, a black blade held to his throat.
"Who are you!?!" the dark figure asks.
"WHOA, Hold on a second!" Twilight exclaims at seeing her friend held at knife point," Lets all calm down for a second."
The figure turns his head into the light and is revealed to be a very agitated Bálor. Twilight slowly backs away as Sunset begins regretting the journey down here.
"Uh...guys," Hawke says," I know we're all having a great time, BUT WOULD PLEASE GET THIS LUNATIC OFF ME!"
Bálor responds by pacing more pressure on Hawke's neck with the blade.
"Why don't you shut up before I turn you into a cannibal buffet." he threatens, barely piercing the skin around Hawke's jugular.
Seeing this, Sunset decides to say something.
"Look, all we need is an explanation for these tattoos." she says while rolling up her sleeve to reveal the tattoo.
Seeing it, Bálor goes wide eyed and looks up to her.
"We're you followed?" he asks.
"Uh, no. Why do you ask?" she replies. Bálor looks back and forth before responding.
"Lock the door and take off your shoes." he replies, getting off of Hawke.
Twilight does as told and relocks the door, turning back to a now much calmer Bálor. At first glance, he appears to be no older than her, several scars running along his back and a few tattoos on his shoulders and chest. His sword returned to it's sheath, Bálor takes a seat in front around the fire pit.
"So, I take it you guys met the other demons?" He asks.
"Well, that's technically why were even talking to you in the first place." Sunset explains. Bálor sighs.
"So, this is my team. A princess, a scholar, and a wise cracking battle mage. Great, that's just fucking great."
"Uh," twilight begins, "Sorry to interrupt, but could you please tell us about these so called demons and what we have to do with them?" she asks.
Bálor throws a piece of wood onto the fire and looks back to her.
"Alright, here's the short version," he begins," A long time ago, Equestria was ruled by a demon king. hi four generals all decided they had had enough of his ruling and turned on him, sealing him in what is known today as Tartarus. those four generals gave up their mortal bodies in order to seal away the demon king, so they roamed the land as spirits, searching for beings they could use as a 'vessel' to fight against the demon king when he returns."
"Could you speed t up a little bit?" Hawke asks.
"Anyway, the four of us are those chosen beings. You all got your partners two nights ago, I've had mine for five years." Bálor explains.
"Wait, before we get any further into this; why are you fighting in the coliseum?" Sunset asks.
"I, along with three others, successfully attacked and destroyed a royal guard fortification about three hundred miles north of us. I was about twenty at that time." Bálor explains.
"Wait, three years ago," Twilight says," That's right in the middle of the Crystal Wars."
"Yeah, I was one of the last few guys fighting against Equestria. I was hired by the rebels to destroy a Royal Guard fortress blocking the road to Canterlot. I did, but I lost a few good friends, and... Never mind." Bálor explains.
"Wait, what were you going to say?" Sunset asks.
"It's not important. So, now that we are all acquainted, I guess you guys will want to know what exactly the demons do for you?" Bálor asks.
Twilight and the others nod at this and Bálor chuckles slightly.
"Alright, but first I need something from you Princess Twilight."
"What would that be?" She asks.
"Freedom. I want a full pardon and all charges against me dropped. You make that happen and I show you what the Demon being bonded to you allows." Bálor explains.
Twilight is about to reach for a hand shake before sunset grabs her and pulls her away from the boys. Now alone, Bálor looks to Hawke.
"What's up with your hair?" he asks.
Meanwhile, Twilight is getting an earful from Sunset.
"Twilight, you cant just give him what he wants; He is an enemy of Equestria!" she exclaims.
"Sunset, we either do this or we can forget about getting more answers." Twilight replies.
Sunset groans at hearing this and returns to her seat. Twilight follows behind and takes her seat as well. after a brief discussion involving Bálor's demands the two come to an agreement and Bálor is released from the coliseum the next day. Now free for the first time in three years, Bálor is a, somewhat, free man. Though he has to do a few tasks first, he will do whatever he can to set things right.
