The Rise of the New Sith Empire

Chapters

This is just the beginning...
...of the End
Politics
War
Notification
Choices
Celestia's Call
The Way to Hope
Visions
Griffonstone
This Doesn't Bode Well
Good's Got Nothing on Bad
Betrayal and Gains
A Treaty Broken
An Unlikely Ally
Stories of the Beginning
The Test of Strength

This is just the beginning...

2006 Years Ago

The Princesses coughed up small amount of blood, watching as a pony walked over to them and pointed his sword at them. They looked up, anger plastered on his face. Suddenly, an arrow shot through the pony's skull, killing him instantly. The Princesses turned and saw it was one of their unicorn troops.

Their savior ran over to the Princesses, using his magic to heal some of their major wounds. "My Princesses, art thou alright?"

They nodded simultaneously, Celestia being the first to arise. "Have thou pinpointed where the beast is?" She looked around, seeing that flames were gobbling up the houses and that there was a thick, black smoke in their area. They were in the beast's Capital City; Takebu.

The soldier was about to reply something, before suddenly gripping his throat as he was lifted up in the air.

"He is right here, you naive fools." A gruff voice replied. As soon as the voice replied, the sound of the soldier's windpipe breaking made itself noticeable.

As the body fell, it revealed the only creature in the Universe that the Princesses feared; Darth Necriever. His red hood covered his pale face, which was covered by a respirator mask. His armor was dark grey, which protected him from most magical abilities.

Necriever narrowed his eyes and grabbed the hilt of his weapon. He then activated it, and a red saber-like blade jumped out, lit up like a glow stick. "This is where it ends, Princesses." He then slowly walked over to them, anger clear on his face.

The Princesses started firing magical bolts at him, which he easily deflected with his weapon. It was obvious that they couldn't use that, so Celestia turned to her sister, whispering, "Where art the Elements?"

The Princess of the Moon pulled them off the ground where they had hid them. This was their only hope for defeating Necriever, and hopefully it would work otherwise he'd destroy the rest of Equestria.

The Princess of the Sun quickly pulled them out of her sister's magical grasp, using her own magic to activate them. They lit up, and Necriever seemed a little surprised.

He suddenly laughed, "You think that those useless gems will stop me? If you do, then you're a fool, it will only delay the inevitable!" He then lunged at the Princesses, preparing to behead them both.

Suddenly, the gems shot a rainbow beam at Necriever's chest, sending him into the air where he proceeded to scream in pain. Then with a bright flash, he disappeared, blinding the sisters temporarily.

When their vision came back, they saw that it was snowing, and that the burning buildings were gone. There wasn't even the foundation that the city was built on, just snow.

The Sisters looked at each other, and Celestia spoke first, worry clear in her voice, "Dost thou think that Necriever shalt return?"

Luna shrugged, "We aren't sure. He may, yet He may not. Thou must not worry until the time hath come." Celestia nodded, looking back at the snow. She sighed, before taking off towards Equestria, Luna close behind.

...of the End

Present Day

In the Frozen North, there is a city. In that city, there lives ponies and only ponies. But if we travel further, there is a legend about a city once full of mighty ponies. Each one had a role, whether it be a Bodyguard or a Farmer, and one had the special role of Emperor. The Emperor, however, wasn't a pony, quite the opposite, in fact. But that's a story for a later date, and now the city is coming back, and the Emperor is stronger than he ever was before.

Frozen North, Twenty Miles From the Crystal Empire

Snow covered the land, wind blowing from side to side. The temperatures were below freezing, and whoever decided to come out here would freeze to death in hours. All but one, who had been scouring for his beloved city for days.

His red robe kept him warm, as did his grey armor. He wouldn't stop until he had found his city and his beloved citizens, even if the Sisters banish him once more.

Suddenly, he saw a bright light in the distance. He had already passed the Crystal Empire a few miles back, so this had to be his city. If it wasn't, then he'd just have to keep searching.

He sprinted towards the light, hope in his eyes. It took him a few minutes, but he finally reached the source of the light, and saw that it was indeed his city. The tall buildings and strong ponies were the most notable of the entire city, and the street lamps were another. He was about laugh happily, before he heard a scream.

He looked forward down the street, seeing a tall, black haired unicorn in a red king robe looking down upon a dead pony in disgust. This unicorn's horn was red near the tip, but black at the bottom. The scream, however, came from a mare running towards the Sith Lord with fear in her eyes. She hadn't seen him yet, so he used the power of the Force to cloak himself so that he could get closer to the red-horned unicorn.

As he got closer, he heard the unicorn say to the crowd that had gathered around to see what had happened, "This is what happens when you try to rebel against me! Your 'Emperor' will never come back! HE'S DEAD! And if anymore of you try to rebel, I'll slaughter you all!"

This angered the Sith Lord, who uncloaked himself and made his way through the sea of ponies, stating very coldly, "That is something I won't allow, but let me give you a taste of what it feels like." The crowd turned and gasped, seeing their Emperor in all his glory.

The red-horned unicorn looked on in disgust, "What and who are you?"

The Sith Lord put his hands behind his back, "I am a Human, and I am the Emperor of this most wonderful city. I am Darth Necriever, the one who will destroy you. But I like to know the name of my victims..."

The unicorn chuckled, powering up his horn, "I am King Sombra, the strongest unicorn in the world, and the one who will blow a hole through your primitive mind."

Necriever smirked behind his respirator, "Is that so?" He turned to the crowd of ponies, "Do you think that this unicorn knows how powerful I am?" The crowd of ponies shook their heads, looking at Sombra with a smug look.

Sombra was getting nervous, "How powerful are you, exactly."

Necriever laughed once more, "I have enough power to defeat both the Princesses of Equestria alone, and then some."

Sombra frowned, "Don't try to lie to me, ape."

"What makes you think I'm lying, Sombra?" Necriever used the Force to lift Sombra in the air and threw him at a nearby building. "I would never lie to any living creature in my city unless it was an emergency. And right now, this is just the beginning." Sombra slowly stood up, stumbled, and fell back down. Necriever walked over to the 'King' and crouched down and lifted Sombra's head so it was level with his. "And you, my egotistical friend, are no match for me." Necriever threw Sombra's head on the ground and stood up. "Take him to the dungeon, I'll have need of him later."

As a group of guards apprehended Sombra, Necriever turned to the crowd, a smile hidden behind his mask. "I'm sure you all remember me, yes?" The crowd nodded, "Good, and for all you new children or foreigners, let me be the first to say that I am the true Emperor of this nation." The crowd cheered, throwing some hats in the air while the others stamped their hooves against the ground.

Necriever turned to the largest building of the whole city, and walked there, hoping to get some answers from Sombra.

Ostril Dungeon

Sombra was sitting in a chair, his hooves locked together by cuff-links and set on a table. He was not pleased whatsoever, as he had lost his entire city to one ape in rags. To say he wasn't pleased would be an understatement, because he was trembling with anger!

Suddenly, the door opened and in came the one that had beaten him; Necriever.

Necriever frowned behind his respirator, "Do you know why you're here, Sombra?" Necriever didn't even bother using the title 'King' for Sombra, because that was useless at this point.

Sombra looked up with anger in his eyes, "Am I here for more torment?! Or are you just taking one last look before my execution?!"

Necriever laughed aloud, "Mr. Sombra, that is such a misconception by most countries, and I'm not surprised that you thought of that. The answer is no, but if you don't answer my questions, I'll do both."

Sombra frowned, "Fine. What are your questions?"

Necriever leaned over the table, putting both his hands on it, and got very close to Sombra's face with a look of anger in his eyes. "Why, Sombra, have you killed one of my citizens in cold blood?!"

Sombra smirked, "Because he was foolish enough to try and rebel against me."

Necriever punched Sombra across the face, glaring at the unicorn. "YOU KILLED ONE OF MY CITIZENS BECAUSE YOU'RE AN EVIL TYRANT!"

Sombra rubbed his jaw, glaring back at Necriever, but stopped as he saw the pure hate in the Emperor's eyes. For the first time in Sombra's memory...

...he felt fear.

Necriever used the Force to choke Sombra, pulling out his lightsaber and turning it on. "Now answer this next question truthfully and I might spare your life; where's the nearest city or nation that has connections to Equestria?" He stopped choking Sombra, watching the unicorn drop to the ground and gag.

Sombra looked back up at Necriever, only to find a lightsaber pointing at him. "The Crystal Empire! I was defeated there, once, by the Crystal Heart! Princess Cadence is there, along with Prince Shining Armor! They're both related to Equestrian royalty!"

Necriever turned off his lightsaber and set it back on his belt. "Thank you." He turned away and was about to walk away before he remembered what he did to murderers. "Before I go..." He turned around and shot lightning from his fingertips, right at Sombra, an evil smile on his face, "This is for murdering my citizen!"

Politics

Took five months, but he finally did it; he has gathered one thousand pony soldiers trained for war. Their armor was made from the same metal as their Emperor's; Beskar'gam, or for those who don't speak the language, Ciridium. Before the old war, they found out that there was a large mine under their city which held this material. Ever since, they've been manufacturing it to fit a pony soldier.

Necriever sat in his throne, looking down upon his battalion of one thousand pony soldiers with a smile on his face. He was going to go to war with the Crystal Empire and make Princess Cadence his prisoner of war, and they wouldn't know what hit them. This time, they wouldn't know what hit them.

Necriever stood up from his throne and put his hands behind his back. He looked around at the soldiers, all stoically looking forward with their steel swords in their sheaths. This was the moment!

"My mighty soldiers!" Necriever started proudly, "You are here because you are the best of the best, strongest of the strong! If you didn't listen to anything in briefing, let me tell you all that we are going to war with the Crystal Empire." The soldiers cheered, stamping their hooves, but stopped as their Emperor waved his hand dismissively. "Those who survive will be have the honor of being trained by me and a Medal of War. But for those who don't, you will get a place in the Hall of Fame. I wouldn't worry about that though, as the armor you're wearing is the same as mine. But don't get reckless! Otherwise you may end up dead. Anyways, can I get one more cheer for the road?" The soldiers all cheered, laughing happily.

Necriever's adviser, Ink Well, walked up and whispered into the Emperor's ear, "Your Highness, we have the emissary of the Elk waiting outside the door. Would you like me to bring him in?"

Necriever nodded, turning to his soldiers, "Alright, men, new plan for now; make a pathway that leads from the biggest doors here to the bottom of my throne!" The soldiers complied, doing exactly as he said. The lane was large enough for the Emperor to walk through with his arms spread.

Finally, the doors opened, revealing a tall, young Elk. Ink Well led the Elk all the way to the throne, bowing, "Presenting Prince Wakoyantanke of the Elk nation to Emperor Necriever of the Ostril Empire." Ink Well walked up next to Necriever, a small smile on his face.

Wakoyantanke bowed, "Your Majesty, I am Prince of the Elk, as you know, and represent them. I wish to establish relations between our great nations."

Necriever raised a brow, "What are your terms, Elk?"

The Prince stood up, "For now, I just request that we establish a trade route between our peoples, so that it would increase the economy and both of our resources. Maybe allow a few of our citizens to live here."

Necriever thought about it, but got tapped on the shoulder by Ink Well. The Emperor leaned over to hear what Ink Well was going to say to him, "This may be a trick to get spies into our city and report our defenses to their superiors..."

Necriever nodded, looking back at the Elk, "I will allow the trade routes and your people living here. But your traders will be inspected as well as the caravans. And the Elk who reside here will be punished the same as everyone else in this Nation."

The Prince looked at Necriever curiously, "And how do you punish your citizens, Your Highness?"

Necriever smirked under his respirator, "Electrocution, skinning alive, beheading, community service. You know, for thieving and all that. But if you murder the Royal Family or harm anyone in the castle, you will be tortured enough to where you can't feel pain then I will personally remove your head from your shoulders, alive, and set it at the foot of my throne as an example of what happens to rule breakers."

The Elk Prince cringed, "Isn't that a bit harsh, Your Highness?"

Necriever rolled his eyes, "Yeah, I know it's harsh, my friend, but death toll makes sure laws aren't broken, and I keep my citizens happy, so it's a win-win situation!"

The Elk Prince nodded in understanding, "I see, well then, I'll go report to my father about what we have discussed and see what he thinks. I hope to see you again, Your Highness." Necriever nodded, watching as the Elk left the room.

Once the doors closed, the soldiers formed into one big group once more, and Necriever stated three last rules before heading out, "No killing citizens unless you are attacked by one, AND I MEAN PHYSICALLY, NOT MENTALLY! I also want you to leave the Princess and Prince alive, along with any relatives, and bring them back to the Crystal Empire. Finally, I want you all to take whatever treasures and valuables you find OUTSIDE of the Royal Treasury there. If you heard me, I want you to shout, 'YES, SIR!'"

The guards shouted exactly what the Emperor ordered them to do, "YES, SIR!"

War

Necriever and his army of trained soldiers trudged through the snow, the Crystal Empire in view. It was time to get his troops in place and then they would attack.

Necriever signaled separate groups to certain areas outside of the city and out of sight, making sure escape was impossible for anyone or anything. His orders were to arrest anyone who attempts the city unless it was a fellow guard or the Emperor himself. It was going to be perfect.

Necriever chuckled, walking into the Crystal Empire with a wide smile hidden behind his respirator. Time to go see someone of great importance.

Crystal Palace: Throne Room

Cadence and Shining Armor sat happily next to each other, looking down at the happy citizens who were mingling with each other. It was their first time ever hosting a party inside the palace, and hopefully they would be able to do it again.

Suddenly, there was a scream that caused the citizens to fall silent, followed by the sound of a low hum. Then it stopped, and there was a moment of silence where not a single person in the castle spoke. Cadence turned to Shining, worry in her eyes, but just as soon as Shining was about to stand, the large double doors opened and revealed a tall, pale creature. It wore a red hood and robe, which was covered by some type of armor. There was also something covering the creatures mouth and nose. Little did they know it was Necriever.

Necriever laughed aloud, frightening the ponies around him. He then slowly walked up towards the throne, putting his hands behind his back and turning to the citizens. "Why hello, citizens of the Crystal Empire, I am Darth Necriever, Emperor of the Ostril Empire." He turned to the Prince and Princess. "And you are?"

Cadence answered first, "I am Princess Cadence of the Crystal Empire and this is my husband, Prince Shining Armor." The Prince snorted, which caught Necriever's attention.

"Whatever is the matter, Prince?"

"You just barged in on a party for the citizens of the Crystal Empire unannounced!" The Prince replied angrily.

"I believe that was the point." Necriever stated, walking over to the fruit and grabbing an apple.

Cadence was curious. "What do you mean, 'that was the point'?"

Necriever turned to the Princess with stern eyes, "You are about to be attacked by my soldiers when I give the order." The crowd gasped and Shining Armor stood from his chair with his sword drawn.

"You better have a good reason for me not to kill you where you stand." Necriever laughed maniacally, turning towards the crowd.

"You don't want your citizens to die, yes? Or am I wrong when I thought that you actually cared for them like they're your kin?" Necriever reached over and grabbed a mare's jaw and brushed his thumb over her cheek.

Shining Armor lowered his sword cautiously, narrowing his eyes at Necriever. "What do you want, Necriever?"

Necriever stood straight up and turned to the Prince, "Simple; I want you to surrender your city to me and become a Prisoner of War."

Now Cadence stood up, "Never! We stopped this city from being captured by the mighty King Sombra! If we can defeat him, we can defeat you!"

Necriever chuckled, "He attempted to take my city, but I knocked him out in one swift move. Now he's a Prisoner of War that will be tortured till the end of time."

Cadence cringed, "If that's how you treat your Prisoners of War, then why would we want to surrender ourselves to you?!"

Necriever rolled his eyes, "That's just for Sombra; he murdered one of my citizens and now he's paying the price. I electrocuted him myself with just my fingertips." Necriever looked down at his hands.

"Then how will we be treated? And how will our citizens be treated?" Shining asked, glaring at Necriever.

"You will be treated like Royalty, but you will be monitored twenty-four seven no matter where you are and you will be escorted by three trained guards anywhere outside of the castle. As for your citizens, they will be treated like my soldiers; cared for, respected, and treated equally." Necriever replied, looking at them nonchalantly.

Cadence sighed, "We don't seem to have a choice, do we?" Necriever shook his head, and Cadence sighed once more, "We accept, but be sure that you stay true to your word."

Necriever nodded, "I will, now please, follow me." He used the Force to open the large throne room doors, and watched as the Prince and Princess left. As they exited, the double doors slammed shut with Necriever inside and Cadence, along with Shining Armor, were apprehended by five burly soldiers.

Necriever laughed evilly, pulling out his lightsaber and turning to the crowd. "Do you all know why I was put as Emperor of the Ostril Empire?" Nobody answered, and Necriever continued, "Because I was heartless, cruel, and ruthless." He then proceeded to slaughter all the ponies in the throne room.

The soldiers outside of the city heard the screams, and charged down the streets, burning the houses and killing the citizens. Before they got there, the Emperor said there was going to be a change of plans and that they were going to raze it instead. They understood why; they were at war, and the Emperor wanted to make sure that the Princess Sisters knew that he was back.

3 Hours Later, Outside the Crystal Empire

Necriever looked on as the city slowly burned to the ground. The only thing that stood was the Crystal Palace, and since all of his soldiers were out of the city itself, he was going to tear it down.

Necriever ordered that Cadence and Shining Armor were brought up next to him to see what was about to transpire.

"This is what happens when your Aunts don't warn you of their worst enemy, Darth Necriever." Necriever stated, stretching out his hand in the direction of the Crystal Palace. There was a loud crack followed by rubble falling off the large building. Suddenly, it was lifted up in the air at a slow speed. Cadence and Shining watched on in horror as Necriever turned his hand into a fist. As soon as he did that, the Palace started collapsing in on itself, all the way until it was a giant ball of rubble. Necriever then forcefully threw his arm down, watching as the palace slammed into the ground so fast it left a large crater and a dust cloud.

Cadence was crying by the end, and Shining Armor held onto her while Necriever turned to them and crouched down, looking Shining Armor in the eye. "You're free to go, but tell Princess Celestia that I will destroy everything she loves next time I get my hands on one of her precious ponies." Shining nodded, standing and using his magic to put Cadence on his back. He then walked off, and that's when the tears started falling from his eyes.

Notification

Celestia sat at her throne, sipping at some tea while somepony read a petition aloud. It was the fifth one, and a couple more and she could do whatever she pleased after that.

"...And that is why the town of Manehattan requests more bits for their docks." A noble pony stated, rolling up the scroll and looking at the Princess with a small smile.

The Princess nodded, setting her tea down and looking down at the noble with a soft smile, "I understand the reason why you asked for more bits in Manehattan, but we just can't allow any more bits into a single dock. You have plenty as it is, any more and Equestria could go bankrupt." The noble looked sad, "Don't worry, my little pony, maybe when we get enough money we'll rethink about your request."

The noble nodded, heading out the door and towards the train station.

Princess Celestia sighed with relief, a relaxed smile forming on her face.

Suddenly, the doors opened to reveal a disheveled Cadence on the back of Shining Armor. Princess Celestia gasped and ran down from her throne, worry clear on her face. "What happened to her?!"

Shining Armor gently set her on the ground, "An old enemy of yours happened." The way he responded made Celestia cringe.

"Who?" She inquired, checking for any bruises or cuts on Cadence.

"Darth Necriever." Shining Armor replied.

Celestia froze in fear, gently setting Cadence's head on the ground and turning to Shining Armor slowly. "W-Who did you say i-it was?"

Shining Armor snorted, "Darth Necriever! He's the one who caused Cadence to act like this! Do you have any idea what he did to the Crystal Empire after he captured us?!"

Celestia nodded, "I could take a good guess, but I'll let you tell me."

Shining Armor clenched his teeth, "After he captured us, he sent his soldiers to slaughter everypony in the city! Child or not! They burned the houses, blew up buildings, and you want to know what he did last?!" Celestia nodded, "He lifted up the Crystal Palace with his magic like it was nothing, turned it into a ball of ruble, and slammed it into the ground, making a bucking crater!"

Celestia sighed, putting a hoof over her face, "I knew I should've eliminated him all those years ago, but instead I tried to imprison him. Now he's back and flattened the Crystal Empire in hours, and it's all my fault."

"That it is, Celestia." A familiar voice responded, and when Celestia looked up she saw someone she never hoped to see.

Darth Necriever.

Necriever walked over to Celestia and looked into her eyes with anger. "I doubt that your relatives told you what I told them, so I'll tell you right now; I have returned and I will kill everything in my path to get to you. And the next time a pony you care about comes into my point of view, I will capture them, bring them here, and torture them relentlessly, got it?" Celestia didn't respond. "Good, now turn yourself in and I might let your pathetic excuse for a nation exist. If not, then you know the consequences of not listening to the one who's stronger than you."

He suddenly disappeared, and Shining Armor was wide eyed. "What was that?"

Celestia snorted, "That was a request for my surrender to the Ostril Empire, plus a threat of what will happen if I don't comply." She started heading towards the throne.

Shining frowned, "And what are you going to do about it?" He arose, a stern look in his eyes.

"Call the Elements, tell them it is the most urgent message I've ever had." Celestia ordered one of her Royal Guards, who ran off to execute the order. She turned back to Shining Armor, "Sometimes you must fight fire with fire." She then ran off to her quarters, disappearing from sight.

Shining Armor sighed, "There is a very small chance of winning. If we lose, that monster will slaughter us all. But if we win..." he looked up at the throne, "Then we can take back what is ours."

Celestia's Chambers: Midnight

"Mentor." Celestia bowed before a ghost of her mentor, Starswirl the Bearded.

The bearded unicorn smiled, "Ah, my student, it is great to see you. What is it you need?"

Celestia frowned, "The ways of the Force, Starswirl, I must learn. Necriever has returned."

Starswirl suddenly became deadly serious, "I see, we must not waste any more time! Your training starts now!" Suddenly, she was enveloped in a white aura and blinked out of existence. There was no trace of her leaving whatsoever.

Ostril Empire: Throne Room

Necriever sat on his throne in the thinking position, his eyes closed, and was currently meditating. It was what he usually did in his spare time, so he could gather strength for any occasion.

Suddenly, his eyes shot open, revealing the dark red irises of the Sith. "It's too early..." he said to himself. He stood up and walked down to the bottom of his throne as a statue of Celestia formed in his hand. Once he reached the bottom, he slowly turned his head to the statue and locked eyes with it. "I know what you're planning, Celestia..." he stated, "...so I'll just have to play the Ace." He dropped the statue and walked away, listening to it shatter on the ground. He was going to begin his Master Plan that would destroy Celestia, starting with Phase 1...

...find his own apprentice...

Choices

Once morning came, two young colts woke up in a bunk bed. They both looked at each other wide-eyed before taking a look around the luxurious room. Gilded Mace, the Earth Pony on the top bunk with a red mane and black coat, was the first to jump off his bed and use the bathroom.

Steel Grace, the other Earth Pony with a steel coat and grey mane, simply hopped off his bed and explored the room a little more. It was huge, compared to them. This was his first time ever seeing a bedroom so beautiful as this. "Wow..." He said to himself, looking around some more.

Suddenly, the door opened to reveal the Emperor, his dimples showing that he was smiling behind his respirator. "Hello, young one, enjoying your new room?" Steel nodded, looking down at the ground. Necriever noticed this and sighed, "Listen, young one, I know what you saw out in the arena. The fighting, the injuries, the brutality... but you must know that it was all for freedom. If that Dragon didn't try to kill you, he would be here instead of you. Understand?"

Steel nodded, "Yes, Your Highness."

The Emperor chuckled, "Please, no formality, just call me Necriever." The child nodded, and Necriever looked at the child inquisitively, "What's your name?"

Steel formed a small smile on his face, "Steel Grace."

Necriever chuckled, "Nice name, young one. But may I ask what your friend's name is?"

"Gilded Mace." A voice coming from the bathroom shouted.

Necriever chuckled, standing up and stretching. "Well, if either of you want breakfast, please ask the guards outside of the door to escort you to the Dining Hall." Steel nodded, walking over to his bed and sitting on it.

Necriever left the room, turning to the guards who saluted their Emperor with respect. Necriever saluted back, turning and heading towards the Dining Hall.

On his way there, he took notice of the art hanging on the walls; some were pictures of him with his lightsaber out, some with just his head. Then there was his... wife.

Tears welled up in his eyes, and he stopped. He remembered the fateful day that his wife lost her life to protect him from a Griffin Empire assassin. Suddenly, his eyes narrowed and he knew his true enemy; the Griffin Empire. He clenched his teeth, flexing his muscles to keep himself still. He then took a deep breath and let it out slowly, looking back up at the painting with anger. "I will destroy the Griffin Empire first, then Equestria." He then proceeded to the Dining Hall, throwing those memories into the back of his mind.

Upon reaching the doors, he opened them with the Force, surprising the guards on the other side. They pointed their spears, but raised them as they saw their Emperor. Necriever ignored them and made his way to large table that held all sorts of foods; pancakes, waffles, ham, bacon, salad, syrup... it was like a buffet.

Necriever grabbed a plate, putting four waffles on it along with the side of two pieces of bacon. He then removed his respirator, allowing himself to eat. He would only have one hour of air until he runs out of oxygen, but that's enough time to finish breakfast.

Suddenly the doors opened and revealed the two colts from the tournament; Steel Grace and Gilded Mace. Their eyes widened upon seeing the Emperor without his respirator. The scars on his face were obviously caused by battle, not accidentally; one scar was one that showed that Necriever's face was burnt at one point, as it reached from one ear, across the mouth, and to the other. He also had a large scar on the side of his nose that reached down to his chin.

Necriever smiled, "Ah, young ones, please, have a seat." The colts complied, sitting at the table and eyeballing the food. Necriever noticed this and chuckled, "Well, what are you waiting for? Dig in!" The colts looked at each other, then back at the food. Suddenly, they grabbed as much veges and pancakes/waffles as possible, since they couldn't eat meat.

As Necriever finished his food, he looked up at the colts and saw that they were staring at him. He sighed, "What is it?"

Steel answered first, "What happened to your face, Necriever?"

Necriever sighed, looking down at his food. "Ah yes, the scars. I got the one that reaches from one ear to the other from a Jedi Knight named Sniida; we fought back on a planet called Coruscant when there was an assault from the old Emperor, Darth Malgus. He survived, and is probably dead from old age, but maybe his Padawan will remember me, etcetera." The colts nodded, and Necriever continued, "But the one I have spanning from one lip to the other, is from an assassin when I went to sleep one night. He almost got me, but he wasn't quiet enough. I'm sure your imaginations can see what happened next." The colts nodded once more. "Anyways, I wear a mask so that I can breath, because without it, I'd probably die of suffocation."

The colts nodded silently, continuing to eat their food. Once they were finished, they looked at each other then back at Necriever. Gilded Mace asked his question, "What now?"

Necriever's face went straight, and a very serious look formed in his eyes. "I'll give you three choices; the first is you can leave now, and do whatever you want with your life. Second is that you can live here as my adopted child!"

Upon hearing Necriever's silence, Steel frowned, "And the third...?"

Necriever smiled, "You become my Apprentice and learn how to use the Force, but only one of you can be my Apprentice." The colts looked at each other, then back to Necriever.

Gilded spoke up, "Can the Apprentice still see the Adopted one?" Necriever nodded, and Gilded shrug, "I guess I'll be the one who's adopted."

Steel then answered, "And I'll be the Apprentice! I've always wanted to use magic!"

Necriever chuckled, "This isn't magic, this is power."

Steel shrugged, "Same thing."

Necriever smiled, "Alright then, it's settled; Steel will be my Apprentice while Gilded is my son! I'm sure this will work out in the End!"

Celestia's Call

Luna looked for Celestia, curious as to where she was; Celestia hasn't been outside her room except when she raises the Sun and for food.

Once Luna neared Celestia's room, she heard a screech come from the opposite direction. Upon turning around, she saw a Griffon charging at her with a mace in its hand. Her eyes turned to pinpricks and her heart skipped a beat. The Griffon swung and Luna closed her eyes, waiting for the mace to make contact with her head. When she didn't feel it yet, she opened her eyes, and saw the Griffin stuck in a pose while the mace was right next to her face.

"What are you doing, Griffin?" A calm voice asked, and Luna turned to see it was Celestia who spoke. The Griffin only screeched at Celestia, but Celestia didn't flinch. "Trying to hurt my Sister, are you? I think not." She then forced the Griffin to the ground, who emanated a low grunt. "Now tell me; what were you trying to do?!"

The Griffin finally spoke up, "I'm a Griffin Assassin, sent by the Griffin Emperor personally!"

Celestia's eyes narrowed, "Why?!"

The Griffin continued, "Something about preparing to assault Equestria with 'the force of two thousand soldiers' or something of the sort." Celestia's glare scared the Griffin, "Don't hurt the messenger!"

Celestia saw a patrol of guards pass by, and she waved them over. "Take him to the dungeon!" They complied, and Celestia sighed. "We are not ready for another war, Sister."

Luna hung her head, "Yes, and the other countries don't hate the Griffin's enough to go to war with them."

There was a moment of silence or two before Celestia spoke up, "There is only one I know who hates the Griffin's; one who would sacrifice his life to get rid of their Emperor..." Celestia turned to Luna, who's eyes were wide with realization, "Necriever."

Ostril Empire: Throne Room

Necriever was teaching Steel the basics in using the Force; telekinesis. Steel was doing quite well, lifting up a chair with the Force. Necriever was pleased and impressed; he expected it to take much longer to lift up objects, especially counting that Steel has never seen or heard of the Force until a few minutes ago. It was dark outside, so the Emperor sent Steel to the Colt's quarters to get some rest.

Necriever then walked back to his throne and got into a thinking position, closing his eyes. He sensed a presence in the Force, a presence he hasn't felt since two thousand ye- Celestia! He stood up and drew his lightsaber, seeing as Celestia and Luna walked in with their heads held high. "You must have a lot of nerve coming to the heart of the Empire, Princesses."

Celestia was the first to speak, "You won't kill us."

Necriever pointed his lightsaber at them, "Why not?"

Luna then spoke, "Because if you do, you won't have help fighting the Griffin Empire."

Necriever leaped off his throne and landed in front of the Princesses, a look of rage on his face, "WHAT DO YOU CARE IF I CAN OR CANNOT DEFEAT THEIR EMPIRE?!" The Princesses were stunned, as they have never seen the Emperor this mad in their lives. Necriever then used the Force to choke them both. "TELL ME!"

Celestia spoke through gags, "E-Equestria's about t-to be attacked b-by them! W-We n-need your h-help!"

Necriever stopped choking them, watching as they fell to the ground. "Why would I want to help you?"

Luna spoke, "Because if you don't, the Griffin's will win and gain more land, which they will use against you!" Necriever frowned and rubbed his chin, thinking of how they could possibly kill him.

Necriever then spoke, "Fine, but I want something in return."

Celestia spoke, "What are your terms?"

Necriever smirked evilly, folding his arms, "Never come here again. And I also want two-quarters of all the major materials like Gold, Iron, Aluminum, etcetera. Throw in a few gems of all colors."

Celestia seemed confused, "Why?"

Necriever looked behind him and walked up to his throne, "Trade secret, Celestia, trade secret."

Celestia nodded, "Fine, may we make some terms?" Necriever nodded, and Celestia continued, "We would like you to not attack Equestria for the duration of one year and we would like to know what your soldier's armor is made of."

Necriever chuckled as he sat upon his throne, "A rare metal, Celestia, that is called Ciridium. I will agree to your terms, but remember, I could break those rules at any time."

Luna nodded, "We know, but we also know that you wouldn't do that because you want the Griffin Emperor to die."

Necriever looked confused, "The same Emperor as the one over two thousand years ago?" Luna nodded, and Necriever's eyes narrowed, "HOW IN THE LIVING HELL IS HE STILL ALIVE?!"

Celestia looked down at the ground, "He has unlocked the power of Immortality."

Necriever's hands formed into fists, "Just say the word, and I'll be at the Emperor's doorstep in seconds."

Luna spoke up, "Not yet, Necriever. Even with your skills alone, you would die to the Griffin's because of the number of soldiers they have.

Necriever smirked calmly, "Trust me, Luna, the Emperor will be dead if you point me in his direction." Necriever was going to go on a long trip, whether they liked it or not.

Celestia sighed, "We can't do that, because you are a powerful ally, and we would hate lose you because of your arroga- I mean, anger."

Necriever sighed, "Fine, please leave so I don't electrocute you in a minute." They complied, leaving to return to their own nation. Once he was sure they were a ways away, he yelled, "Adviser!" Ink Well appeared, looking tired as all hell. "Point me in the direction of the Griffin Empire, and prepare a long-range portal that reaches from here to there."

Ink Well lazily pointed in a direction, and the Emperor nodded, telling a nearby guard to open a portal in the Griffin Empire's capital. The guard did so, opening a long range portal to which the Emperor stepped through happily.

The Way to Hope

Necriever stalked through the maze of streets in the dark of the night, sticking to the shadows in order not to be seen by the watchtowers that peered down on the silent city. A few minutes ago, he stepped through a portal that one of his guards created for him. It was time to get revenge for the painful years that the Griffin Emperor has caused him, and it was going to be loud and petrifying.

When a door opened in front of Necriever, he cloaked himself. Just in time, as he saw a Griffon Guard walk out with a Griffon female. One whispered something in the ear of the guard, and the guard chuckled, walking off with a goofy smile on his face.

Necriever took this chance and ran into the building, seeing as it was empty and dark. He then took a seat on the cushion on the opposite side of the room, uncloaking himself. As planned, the Griffon female walked in with a smirk on her beak, grabbing a lantern and lighting it with a match. She then sat on a cushion, humming to herself as Necriever watched, dumbfounded that she hasn't noticed him yet.

Then she froze, slowly turning her head to Necriever's position. The man in question smirked, making himself known as he shut the doors with the force. The Griffon was about to scream in fear, but Necriever jumped at her and covered her beak with his palm, glaring at her.

He raised his lightsaber close to one side of her head, "When I remove my hand from your beak, you won't speak unless spoken to. Otherwise," he held a button down on his lightsaber, turning it on. The female's eyes turned to pinpricks, staring at the lightsaber in awe and fear. "You'll forever be known as the Headless Griffon." She nodded, and Necriever cautiously removed his hand from her beak, waiting to see if she will scream.

She walked over to a rocking chair, sitting in it and covering her face with her claws. Necriever heard a sob or two come from her, but then she stopped, looking up at Necriever with fear in her eyes, "What are you?"

Necriever turned off his lightsaber, setting it on his belt, "I am a Human. My name is Necriever, and I am the Emperor of the Ostril Empire." He stated simply, before his eyes hardened, "Now, where is the palace of Emperor Razor Beak?"

The Griffon looked at him quizzically, "You seriously can't notice the largest, most noticeable building in the city?"

Necriever glared, "Thank you." He then walked behind her, putting his lightsaber against the back of the chair and turning it on. The Griffon female gasped, looking down at her chest where the red blade had pierced her heart. Necriever then turned it off, watching as the Griffon's body slumped down in the chair.

He left, looking for the tallest building in the city, eventually finding it when he climbed to the top of the nearest building. He chuckled when he saw the palace, reminding him of what his looked like; huge, scary, and powerful.

A few minutes later, he made it to the palace without a hitch, but then it dawned on him that the city was too quiet.

Necriever felt the hair on the back of his neck start to stand, but when he turned, there was nothing but buildings and darkness. He sighed, turning back around.

Once he reached the palace doors, he quickly killed the guards and walked in. They were no match for him. Next was finding the Emperor's Chambers, which he would need to interrogate someone for in order to get answers.

There just so happened to be a few patrols doing what they do best, so he killed most of a group, leaving a Griffon alive and scaring the info out of him. Once the Griffon spilled, Necriever sliced off the Griffon's head with no remorse, stalking towards the Emperor's Chambers. Necriever had to cut down a few more patrols before finally getting there; sneaking around in a bright red robe doesn't help you sneak around at all.

He sighed, leaning against the Emperor's Chamber door. This was the moment, the part where he would either capture the Emperor or kill him. He was probably going to do the latter, but you never know.

He silently twisted the knob and pushed the door open, sliding in as he did so. He then shut the door behind him cautiously, turning to the bed where he saw a lump in the covers. He slowly walked over to it and leaned down, slowly pulling the covers off, revealing the Emperor's sleepi- wait... it was actually just pillows!

Necriever heard a loud screech, turning around and seeing Razor Beak lunging at him with arms outstretched. Necriever did the first thing that came to mind in his situation; grabbed Razor Beak by the throat mid-lunge.

Razor Beak gagged, clutching Necriever's armored wrist. He tried to pry Necriever's hands off his throat, but to no avail, as it only seemed Necriever gripped tighter. "H-How are you... still... alive...?" Razor asked between gags.

Necriever's eyes hardened, "The want for revenge really makes something stronger, Razor Beak." He then threw Razor at a nearby wall, running up and using his forearm to press him against the wall. "Now you die, you worthless bastard."

Razor's eyes turned to pinpricks, and he quickly spoke up, "Wait! I know where your wife is! She's alive!" Necriever froze, the words repeating themselves in his head. His wife was alive?

Suddenly, Necriever's eyes glared right into Razor Beak's, "Where is she?"

Razor smirked, "If you don't kill me, I'll tell you."

Necriever continued to glare at Razor, waiting for him to lie. "Fine by me, but if you don't, your whole capital goes..." Necriever used his free hand to make an explosion impression. He then stopped pressing Razor on the wall, watching the Griffon slump to the ground and look back up at Necriever.

"She's in the bottom of the cavern near the town of Griffonstone. Go there, and search, she'll be most likely be there." Razor stated, watching as Necriever's glare softened.

"How can I trust you, Razor? You've betrayed me once, you could do it again." Necriever replied, folding his arms.

Razor sighed, "If we could go down there, we would've found her and executed her. But the winds there are very powerful, not even a dragon can escape."

Necriever leaned down to Razor's face, "Thank you." He then pulled out his lightsaber and cut off the Griffon's legs, earning an ear-piercing yell in pain. "That is just a taste of what I'll do to you if you're lying. And don't try to surround yourself with guards; I'll just slaughter them too." He then jumped through a nearby window, disappearing in the darkness of the night. It was time to find his wife. After all...

...family comes first.

Visions

Necriever stopped walking, looking behind him. It was near three in the morning, the darkness making it hard to see. It was time for the Sith to get some sleep, whether he liked it or not.

He walked off the road and into the forest, grabbing a few branches from nearby trees. Once he found a clearing, he set the sticks on the ground and began searching for a few rocks. It had been a few days since he left the Griffon capital, and then it dawned on him; he just put his trust into his worst enemy...

He shrugged, remembering that he had cut off Razor's legs. But still, what if it was still a trap? What if Razor was determined enough to lose his legs just to get rid of Necriever?

The man in question pushed those thoughts aside, walking to a large stream that was a few meters from the clearing. He grabbed a few rocks, then looked at the reflection of himself in the moon's light.

A small smile formed on his lips; this was the first time in a long time since he looked at himself in a mirror, and even for a Sith who has scars all over his face, he didn't look too bad. At least that's what he thought.

Suddenly, a dark figure walked up behind him, and his eyes focused on it. He slowly moved his hand to his lightsaber, trying not to seem suspicious. Once his hand was on the hilt, he quickly turned it on and pointed it at the intruder. His mind crashed and burned as he saw himself. His younger self. His child self.

The doppelganger smiled softly, speaking in a high voice, "Hello, Necriever."

Necriever didn't bring down his lightsaber, but didn't want to harm the doppelganger; it could be his own spirit. Necriever didn't speak, but instead stared in confusion and anger.

The doppelganger's smile faded away, "Yes, I know; it's pretty strange to see a younger, kinder version of yourself. But please, let me explain." Necriever continued to stare at the doppelganger, reluctantly lowering his lightsaber. Once that was accomplished, the doppelganger continued, "My name is Orthorax, dead member of the Jedi Council. I have come here to show you the error of your ways."

Necriever's eyes narrowed, "I've heard this story before, Jedi, and for the last time, I will not change my ways."

Orthorax sighed, "I plead that you do, otherwise your entire legacy will come to an end." Necriever's glare seemed to only harden.

"What do you mean 'your entire legacy will come to an end'?"

Orthorax slowly transformed to an old, wrinkly man in a black cloak with yellow eyes. "Emperor Palpatine, the master of the new Darth Vader, is beginning to conquer the galaxy. He his powerful, cunning, and heavily guarded."

Necriever frowned, "Who is this Palpatine? I thought the Emperor of the Empire was Darth Ruin?"

Orthorax shook his head, "You forget that you were gone for over two thousand years, or perhaps you were never told? Anyways, there was one major war before Palpatine came to absolute power; the Clone Wars."

Necriever turned off his lightsaber and put it on his belt, folding his arms. "Let me guess, there was an army of clones?"

Orthorax nodded, "Yes, and those clones were manufactured on Kamino. The species there was highly intelligent, which one Sifo-Dyas asked that they were manufactured ten years before the war began."

Necriever rubbed the bottom of his respirator, thinking on it. "Who was Sifo-Dyas? Surely he couldn't just be that plain?"

Orthorax continued, "Yes, Sifo-Dyas was an ex-High Council member. He had the ability of foresight, allowing him to sense or even see the future, which led him to believe that the Republic needed an army. But back to the main reason I am here; you're in danger, Sith."

Necriever frowned, "If I must kill this 'Emperor Palpatine', so be it. I will either die gloriously, or I will be victorious and claim the title of Emperor."

Orthorax closed his eyes, and the world around them went dark. Necriever looked around, cautiously moving his hand to the hilt of his lightsaber. Orthorax spoke calmly, "Watch what will happen if you continue on this path and confront the Emperor." Suddenly, Necriever heard screams, and he turned around to see his capital in flames as a man with a black helmet and cape stabbed his wife. His apprentice jumped at the stranger, but stopped midway and gripped his throat, gagging loudly.

He was being Force Choked...

With a loud crack, Steel's body went limp, his eyes rolling up into his head. Necriever fell to his knees, fighting back the tears that were about to pour out of his eyes. Then there was a loud scream in anger, and Necriever looked up and saw himself charging at the cloaked man, lightsaber raised. When they were about to clash, time stopped, and Necriever's rage began to cloud his mind. "Who is the man in black, Orthorax?! Tell me!"

Orthorax's voice boomed from nowhere, "That is Darth Vader, apprentice of Darth Sidious, also known as Emperor Palpatine."

Necriever nodded, watching as time continued once more, and the fight began. Darth Vader swung from the side, but Necriever number two blocked it, kicking Vader backwards. The Darth continued to fight, seemingly not getting tired nor damaged. After a few minutes of relentless fighting, Darth Vader stabbed Number two in the stomach, and the Number two leaned on Darth Vader's shoulder. Out of nowhere, Number two cut off Vader's hand, grabbing the lightsaber and pulling it out of himself. He then sliced off Vader's legs, quickly immobilizing him. Then he quickly cut off Darth Vader's head, hatred in his eyes.

"You did good, Necriever." A old voice stated, and out of the flames came Sidious, who looked at Necriever with a crooked smile, "You have defeated my failure of an apprentice, good. Now join me, and together, we can rule the galaxy!"

Necriever watched as Number two stared down at the headless body of Darth Vader. Number two slowly turned to the Emperor, glaring at the old fool. "You have destroyed my city, family, and my mind, Sidious. What makes you think that I would join, huh?! TELL ME!"

Sidious laughed weakly, "You are a fool, I see that. Now I will show you the true power of the Force." Cackling madly, Sidious raised his hands and shot lightning at Number two, causing the doppelganger to shake uncontrollably as the lightning coursed through his nerves. But Necriever could sense that Number two wasn't dead yet.

Number two slowly stopped shaking, Sidious still shocking him. Number two then glared at the Emperor, who's eyes were slowly widening. Number two then slowly stomped toward Sidious, twitching the whole way. Sidious backed up, staring in awe and fear as Number two got closer. Once Number two was within arms reach of Sidious, he grabbed the Emperor's head, using his lightning power to fry the Emperor's brain. The Emperor screamed in pain, falling to his knees as Number two clenched his teeth and continued to shock Sidious.

Sooner than later, the Emperor stopped screaming, his body going limp. Number two let go of Sidious, watching as the body fell to the ground. Number two fell to his knees, gasping for breath and clenching his heart. He fell to his back, staring up at he burning sky.

The area faded into darkness, and Necriever's eyes were wide. "How...?"

Orthorax's voice boomed once more, "How what?"

Necriever shook his head, "Nothing, nothing..."

"Good, that's the last thing I would want to know. Anyways, it is late, now sleep..." Necriever's eyes started to feel heavy, his thoughts lazily floating away. He closed his eyes and embraced sleep. He needed it.

Griffonstone

Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie trotted up the winding path that lead to Griffonstone, determined to find out what the Cutie Map sent them there for. It was tough and tiring, but they eventually made it up the mountain, and into the rundown village. Its condition was below normal; a few houses were in ruin and nopony was doing anything about it. Looked like something ran through and blew this place up.

"Jeez, this place looks terrible!" Pinkie stated, her eyes wide with surprise.

"You said it." Rainbow agreed, looking around curiously. "So what did the map want us here for?"

Pinkie shrugged, "Don't know, could be anything." They proceeded into the town, hoping to find the reason why they were there.

Center of Griffonstone

Necriever walked around with a calm expression, knowing that this was indeed Griffonstone. He knew about the one-eyed monster that ran through here, stole the Griffon's precious gem, and fell down into the cavern. He was there when it happened, and he hopped it killed the Emperor, but it didn't. He would need help getting to the bottom to the cavern, and one of these Griffons will, or else they... he can't exactly hurt them, as it would anger Equestria since this town is in Equestrian territory.

In other news, the Griffons all looked at him strangely, some even glared. He obviously wasn't welcome, for whatever reason, and it would be a shame if he lost his potential ally because he fought back in self-defense. So no killing, otherwise he must go against two countries instead one.

He was brought out of his brief moment of thought when he saw something out of place in Griffonstone; two Ponies walking up the street and towards him. Luckily they hadn't seen him yet. One was a Pegasus with a rainbow mane and cyan coat, and the other was a pink Earth Pony with a dark-pink mane.

He walked towards them; it may be interesting to learn why they were there. It didn't take long for them to take notice of him, as the pink one pointed at Necriever and gasped. Strange, he's never seen anyone do that when they saw him; others usually cower away or give Necriever a look. Unless it's one of his citizens, of course.

The Rainbow Pegasus saw him and glared, quickly flying up to him faster than he could see. "What do you think you're doing here?"

Necriever raised a brow at the Pegasus' question, "Is there a problem, Miss...?" He waited for her to answer, but she just snorted at him and glared. He rolled his eyes and continued, "What in the blazes do you want, Pegasus?"

Her glare only seemed to harden, "My name is Rainbow Dash, and I know exactly who you are, Necriever."

Necriever sighed in annoyance, "Your point?" He honestly didn't care what people thought of him right now, and just wanted one thing; his wife.

Rainbow answered with full force, punching him in the jaw and watching as he fell to the ground, "You don't belong here after what you did to the Crystal Empire!"

That was surprising, and he chuckled, "Nice punch," he quickly stood up, using the Force to choke Rainbow Dash, "But you are a fool for punching me. If you truly know of what happened to the Crystal Empire, then you'd be cowering." He watched for a moment or two as Rainbow Dash gagged, reaching for her throat with her hooves. He then chuckled, "You're lucky that I signed a treaty with Equestria, otherwise I would kill you here and now." He stopped, watching as she fell to the ground.

She looked up at him with a glare, still coughing, "What treaty...?"

This caused him to chuckle; he thought word spread faster around this country, "Your country is going to be attacked by the Griffon Empire. I am only helping because their Emperor, Razor Beak, supposedly killed my wife two-thousand years ago."

Suddenly, the pink Pony appeared out of nowhere, "Hi! My name's Pinkie Pie!" Pinkie Pie then gave him an accusing look, "Why are you here, then? Shouldn't you be gathering soldiers or something to fight the Griffon Empire?"

Necriever chuckled, "Trust me, Ms. Pie, I am sure that if the Griffons attacked my Empire with all their forces, they would still lose. But the reason I am here, is because I interrogated Griffon Emperor into telling me where my wife is after it slipped out of his mouth." He looked off into the distance, "She is here, I sense it."

Rainbow Dash spoke up, "If you last saw your wife two-thousand years ago, then shouldn't she have died of old age?"

Necriever glared at her, "I chopped off Razor Beak's legs after he told me, and said I would torture him to death if he was lying. But I sense a presence of a loved one. And I hope I'm not mistaken." He then held his hands behind his back. "Now, please answer this; what are you two doing here?"

Pinkie answered happily, "The Cutie Map told us to come here!"

Necriever chuckled, " 'Cutie Map'? Is that what you Equestrians named it?" The two ponies glared at him, and he chuckled even louder, "That's just sad." He then proceeded into the town. "You want to learn why you're here? Then follow me." He was lying, of course, as he had no clue why they were there. He just wanted his wife.

They reluctantly followed him, giving each other a worried look before continuing on. As they walked into the town, Pinkie asked a few questions, "What's it like in your Empire?"

He smirked, "It's very simple, really; don't break the rules and you can become whatever you please. But if you do, there will be dire consequences." He then chuckled behind his mask, "Sombra knows all too well what that means."

Rainbow Dash glared at him, "What do you mean, 'Sombra knows all too well what that means'? Are you and him working together?"

Necriever deadpanned, "Why, out of all the creatures, would I work with the one who murdered a citizen in my city?"

Pinkie spoke up, "Well, you are very dark and your color scheme is all the colors of gloom and doom."

He nodded in agreement, "True, but still, I would never work with such a monster." He smirked behind his respirator, "Doesn't mean I can't torture him until he gives all the information of what happened before I returned."

Pinkie looked horrified, "Why would you do that to a Pony?!"

He sighed, "Miss Pie, in order for me to deal the whole punishment, I must know all of the crimes he committed." He began to notice the Griffons in the town sneaking away into dark alleys as he walked by.

Pinkie asked another annoying question, "Why not just ask your citizens?"

Necriever stopped and looked down to Pinkie, a mad look in his eyes, "That would take all the fun out of it." He then continued through the town, passing through the center and towards the other edge. "Now it's my turn to ask questions," He stated, "What exactly is going on in Equestria that I don't know about?"

Rainbow Dash was the first to answer, "Like we would tell you. Even with the treaty signed, we wouldn't even descri-"

Pinkie cut in, "Twilight became a Princess, Celestia has traveled to the lands of Zebrica for some reason, and we are supposed to protect Equestria from monsters and stuff."

Rainbow glared at Pinkie, but Necriever smirked, "Ah, I see. Thank you for the information, but I believe we reached our destination." He suddenly stopped walking, in front of him a deep cavern, at least five hundred feet deep, made itself known when the howling winds blew through the air. It was so dark that he couldn't see the bottom, and the winds were so strong that the ponies wouldn't be able to follow him if he went down; the winds were too strong for them. He turned to them, "This is where your journey ends and mine begins, see you around." Without thinking twice, Necriever jumped off the edge, spreading his arms and legs so the wind could carry him to the ground.

Pinkie and Rainbow were both watching him with wide eyes, not moving; their worst enemy just jumped off the edge of a cliff, and possibly to his death.

Rainbow sighed, "He's probably alive, searching for his wife." She then turned around, Pinkie nodding in agreement and following suit.

Bottom of the Cavern

Necriever landed roughly, having to roll across the ground in order to not receive any cuts or bruises. Wasn't the first time he jumped from such high places, nor would it be his last.

Once he was certain that he stopped rolling, he quickly stood up and brushed the dust off his body. He was excited to be in such a dark place, as it was the perfect place for evil to lurk. The darkness was something he liked; it was very mysterious and something could attack him at any moment. That was why he was excited.

Suddenly, there was a disturbance in the Force, one he knew all too well. His wife was there, and her power in the Dark Side would guide him to her.

Inch after inch, the disturbance grew stronger. All of it made Necriever even more excited, as this would be the day in years that he's seen his wife.

It didn't take long for him to reach the source; a hut made of stone with light shining out of it entered his view. He heard small whispers come from the hut, and he inched closer and closer until he was able to see the inside of the hut through a small window.

What he saw made him smile; his wife, still as beautiful as ever, sat in front of a fire pit. Her blonde hair waved gently against her pale face. She wore different clothing; a tan scarf was wrapped around her neck and a patched dress hugged her body.

"Necriever...?" She asked quietly, standing up and turning to where he was standing. Her red eyes widened with happiness, and she almost fainted.

Necriever smiled, "Zinco." He walked around and through the entrance of the hut. They stared at each other for a minute, amazed to see one another.

Suddenly, Zinco walked over to Necriever, placing her hand on his chest. She smiled, tears falling from her eyes, "You're real..." She was shorter than Necriever by a foot, her head only reaching to his neck.

Necriever quickly wrapped his arms around Zinco, pulling her into a hug. "Of course I am, Zinco." Tears started pouring from his eyes, and he chuckled softly, "I missed you."

"Me too..." She replied, hugging him even tighter. Once they were done, they took a step away from each other. "H...How are things doing up there...?"

"Everything's going well, Zinco; our Empire and Equestria's are going to destroy the Griffons. And the best thing about it is that we get to keep most of the land!" He stated happily.

Zinco gave him a confused look, "I thought you hated Equestria." The look she received from Necriever then told her what would come after. "Oh..."

He chuckled, "We should probably get going, Zinco. We could get home within three days if we start now, minus the fact that we must climb out of this cavern."

Zinco folded her arms, "And how do you propose we do that? It's not like there's powerful winds keeping us from climbing at all."

Necriever frowned, rubbing his chin, "True, true..." How could he and his wife get out of the cavern? The winds would obviously blow them away if they climbed, so that was a no-go. Suddenly, he smiled, "There is one way..." He turned to Zinco with the same smile.

"What?" She asked, giving him a quizzical look.

"Do you trust me?"

She shrugged, "Sometimes."

He shrugged back, "Good enough."

He then lifted Zinco with the Force, surprising her. "What are you doing, Necriever?"

His face went serious, "I need you to levitate me, Zinco, and do not stop. Otherwise I'll fall to my death."

She was hesitant at first, but complied, "Ok." She then began levitating him in the air. They continued to go up and up, the winds not being able to stop them. They were focused, and if one of them stopped, they would fall to their untimely doom. Zinco had her eyes closed the whole time, but Necriever kept his on the top of the cavern. Didn't take long before they finally made it to the top, to which Necriever dropped Zinco on the ledge. He was then dropped, but stood up and dusted off his shoulder.

"Trust me some more, Zinco?" He asked smugly, folding his arms.

Zinco sighed, standing up and dusting of her pants. "You, my love, are the strangest man I know." She then walked over to him a kissed him on the cheek. "Which is why I love you."

He chuckled, "We should get moving, the locals are not to keen with having us here." He then began walking around the town, Zinco in pursuit. For the first time in awhile, Necriever felt at peace with his wife at his side.

This Doesn't Bode Well

Necriever stretched as he awoke in his large bed, yawning. He then threw his legs over the edge of the bed and into a sitting position, lazily opening his eyes, allowing his eyes to adjust. He rubbed them a little, getting the sleep dust out of them, which allowed him to wake up a little more and see better.

Today was the day he finally got back home and slept in his bed for five days, and boy did he love it.

Suddenly he heard a groan come from behind him, and he looked over his shoulder to see the source of the sound. It was Zinco, who's hair looked like a wet broom. Her face was planted in a pillow, and when Necriever yawned once more, she used the pillow to cover her ears.

Necriever chuckled softly, whispering, "Come on, time to wake up."

That's when Zinco used the Force to throw a pillow at Necriever, her head still stuffed into the pillow. "No!"

He quickly blocked the pillow with his forearm, allowing himself to quickly stand up. "Still as stubborn as ever." He then walked over to his dresser, grabbed his clothes, and began to get dressed. "We have much to do today, Zinco."

Zinco's head turned to Necriever, "Like what?"

Necriever chuckled once more, "First we have to tell the Empire that you have returned, then we have to help increase how technologically advanced our Empire is by making blueprints and getting the correct materials for our engineers. You know what that means?"

Zinco sat up, stretching and yawning, "Means we beat the Equestrians?"

Necriever was finally dressed, opening the door with the Force, "Correct." He then left the room, closing the door behind him. It would take a few months, maybe years, but his Empire would eventually reach the Space Age, and it would be glorious! But first he would need to eat breakfast, manage Day Court, then announce Zinco's return. The citizens would be happy, and hopefully Zinco won't throw a fit when he tells her about his new apprentice.

Few Minutes Later

Breakfast was unnervingly quiet, as Zinco sat on one side of Necriever while Steel sat on the other. Gilded, however, sat opposite of Necriever. Of course, Necriever expected some hate between Zinco and Steel, but he could sense it growing slowly. He was eating some meat with his respirator off, Zinco did the same. Gilded and Steel both had waffles, because Ponies are herbivores.

Necriever calmly spoke up, "Zinco, Steel?" They both turned their heads to him, and he slowly looked up at both of them. "Please tell the other why you hate each other."

Zinco was the first to speak up, "I am not fond of Ponies being an apprentice to a Emperor."

Steel scoffed, "And I'm not fond of you being a complete and total arse to me."

As the two kept on yelling at each other, Necriever continued to eat his food and watched carefully; Zinco has the power to hurt Steel, but Steel can do the same. He was relatively surprised that neither assaulted the other yet.

Zinco suddenly stood up and slammed her hands on the table, shaking the plates, "And you can go eat a dick!"

Steel then stood up, slamming his hooves on the table, "Same could be said about you, hag!"

Necriever chuckled, getting both of their attention. His food was gone, and he had already put on his respirator, but he suddenly pulled his lightsaber out and cut the table in half, surprising Zinco and Steel, who both fell towards the center. Gilded had already left, probably to the barracks. "You two hate each other very much, don't you?" They didn't respond, instead trying to get up. Necriever shuffled the table, which made them slip back to the center. "You two will get along, otherwise I'll make you both stay in the dungeon for a few days."

They stared at each other for a minute or two, pondering whether or not it'd be worth it. Zinco glared at Steel, before huffing in an annoyed manner, "Fine." She then used the Force to jump out of the center and onto sturdy ground. "I'll be sitting at the throne if you need me, Necriever."

Necriever rolled his eyes, tipping the table up and letting Steel slide out. This wasn't the first time Zinco's been angry, nor would it be the last. Suddenly, the doors were thrown open, and in galloped Captain Iron War. He had a grayish coat, with a darker gray mane. His mark was a sword that was in front of a skull.

"Sir!" He shouted, Necriever looking at the Captain expectantly, "Our scouts have spotted a large swarm of Changelings heading towards our great city! We await orders!" The Captain then stoically stood straight, saluting the Emperor.

Necriever rubbed his chin, looking out a large window that was on the right of him. He could see a black dot in the distance, which he believed was the Changelings, and it grew slightly as time passed. He hadn't seen or heard from the Changelings since the Great War, where every nation was against him. But that was back when the world had no Common Sense. Maybe now the Changelings would rather strike a deal instead of going against him.

He turned back to the Captain, "Get the soldiers ready and tell them to head to the Main Gate. We may have our own little reunion." The Captain nodded, turning and running out the doors.

Necriever then turned to Steel, "You want to see some diplomatic skills, you come with me. Or else you can keep practicing." He walked out of the Dining Hall, Steel in pursuit.

Main Gate

Necriever slid his arms behind his hands behind his back, watching as the large swarm of Changelings buzzed closer and closer to the city. He knew almost everything about the Changelings, as he had dissected, interrogated, and experimented on them in the past. He loves to study unknown things inside and out.

As the swarm neared, the soldiers pointed their spears and the ones behind the gates readied the catapults. If they didn't come in peace, he would kill every last one. He didn't want to take the chance of having spies in his city, but would gladly take some in as soldiers.

Suddenly, as the swarm got within a few hundred feet, it stopped, all the insectoid-like creatures landing on the ground. Then, they all separated as their Queen walked through, her height making her stick out like a sore thumb.

Necriever smirked behind his respirator, slowly walking towards the Queen. He could tell that the Queen was indeed malnourished, and he could sense the envy in her. "Hello, I am Necriever, Emperor of the Ostril Empire, and I will be the ambassador for now. May I ask what your name is?"

The Queen looked at Necriever in disgust, probably expecting another pony of some sort, but answered anyways, "My name is Queen Chrysalis of the Changelings, creature, and you shall bow down to me."

Necriever's face deadpanned, and he almost growled at her. "You are making a terrible first impression, Chrysalis. I expected a little courtesy. We are leaders, after all."

Chrysalis scoffed at Necriever, "We could easily take your city, ape."

Necriever then glared at her, "I can tell that your people, soldiers, and yourself are malnourished. They're not ready for this fight, and neither are you. My soldiers have taken the Crystal Empire and demolished it in less than three hours, and killing a few bugs won't take long." He then walked right up to Queen Chrysalis, glaring at her the whole way, "You choose your next words carefully, otherwise I'll destroy you and whatever's left of your army."

Chrysalis was surprised that Necriever had walked up to her without flinching, and was getting nervous. They stared at each other for a few moments before Chrysalis hesitantly spoke, "I'll strike you a deal."

Necriever smirked behind his respirator, but kept his glare, "What are your terms?"

Chrysalis then began pacing, "We request that you give us some sort of non-solid food so that we may be able to nourish our young and ourselves. We also request that you provide us some shelter inside or outside of the city."

Necriever nodded, "Alright, but if you want either of those things, you must swear fealty to me, and you must give me a few of your scouts."

Chrysalis raised a brow, "Why would you need my scouts, Necriever?"

Necriever stared at her with a blank expression, "Don't ask questions, Chrysalis. Do not forget that I could easily destroy you all."

She huffed, "Fine." She then turned to her army, staring deeply into it. A few seconds later and five to six Changelings floated out of the swarm and in front of Necriever. They stared blankly forward, their faces carrying no expression.

Necriever, being the best trainer in the Empire, leaned down and stared into one of the Changelings eyes. If the Changeling got nervous, he'd kick him or her out of the scout team. When a few minutes passed of non-stop staring, Necriever looked up at Chrysalis, "I don't think you remember me, Chrysalis."

Chrysalis raised a brow, "What do you mean?"

Necriever chuckled, standing straight up. "You honestly don't remember me?" After he received a confused expression from Chrysalis, he shook his head slowly. "Shame, Chrysalis, shame. Let me spell it out for you; Red Scourge. Ring a bell?"

When Chrysalis put two and two together, her eyes widened with realization and fear, and she quickly took a step back. "How are you still alive?!"

Necriever chuckled, "Banished for two thousand years really helps preserve the body and mind." He pointed at his head.

The Changelings behind Chrysalis hissed and some even flew up in the air. Archers along the wall pulled back the strings on their bows, waiting for the order. Necriever quickly used the Force to push the whole army back, and brought the six scouts closer. Once they were within arms reach, he used the Force to begin choking them until they were unconscious. As he was doing so, the archers fired upon the army of Changelings and the soldiers charged at the Changeling swarm, shouting a battle-cry.

Once Necriever finally had the Changelings unconscious, he threw them behind him and turned to Steel, who was shocked about the turn of events. He snapped his fingers, catching Steel's attention, and stated, "Prove to me that you're powerful, my apprentice! Go, kill them all!" He then passed his light saber to Steel, who caught the light saber with his mouth.

Steel nodded at Necriever, and charged towards the Changelings and turning on the light saber. Necriever was impressed by the skill the young Apprentice had, and was even more impressed when the colt attacked three Changeling Warriors alone.

Necriever chuckled, watching the carnage with a small smirk. He never liked the Changelings, but they did have good skills; changing appearances, stealth, their agility. It was all amazing attributes that he would have to look into so he could train his soldiers. But it was a shame that the Changelings betrayed him all those years ago, because they could've been allies and defeated Celestia.

The battle raged on for another hour, before the ponies began outnumbering the Changelings. Chrysalis yelled out, "Retreat! Fall back!"

Necriever chuckled, using the Force to allow himself to take longer strides as he sprinted in front of her. She didn't realize who it was at first, before she was lifted up in the air and thrown towards the six unconscious Changeling Scouts. She tried to stand up, but was pinned down by two Brute Earth Ponies.

The other Changelings didn't even bat an eye at their Queen's disappearance, instead running as far as their insect legs could carry them. Her leader skills must have been terrible for their loyalty to waver so quickly.

Once the battle was finally over, Necriever ordered a few soldiers to stay behind to kill any stragglers, and help find any injured soldiers. He wouldn't be surprised if there were some major and/or minor injuries, as the Changelings were the ones who had done the most damage to his army in the past.

He was about to turn away before a soldier walked up to him, "Your Highness, we have an urgent message from the Elk." Necriever raised a brow to this; he hadn't heard from the Elk for a while.

"Go on, soldier." Necriever stated, slowly walking towards his city.

Necriever sensed the soldier's fear, which meant something was wrong. The soldier still spoke, "They have joined the Griffons, Your Highness."

Necriever froze, clenching his fists. He took a deep breath, biting his lip. "They did... what?" He asked tensely, slowly turning to the soldier.

The soldier's eyes slowly turned into pinpricks, "U-Um... t-they h-have joined t-the... G-Griffons, Your H-Highness..."

Necriever's head went red, and he began walking away from his Capital. "They're going to regret betraying me..."

Steel ran up to Necriever, lightsaber in his mouth. Necriever used the Force to pull it out of Steel's mouth, which startled Steel, "Master, where are you going?"

Necriever stopped and looked down at Steel. His cold stare made the colt shrink back, ears folding upon his head. Necriever then looked upon the icy landscape ahead of him. "I'm going to go on a killing spree, Apprentice. On who, is for me to know, and for you to never find out." Necriever then began walking towards the icy landscape. "Don't follow, or else there will be severe consequences." Then Necriever disappeared into the distance, Steel looking on in worry. Hopefully, Necriever will come back safely.

A soldier ran up to Steel and saluted, "Sir, we have the captives, what should we do with them?"

Steel looked at the soldier, turned to the city, and sighed, "Throw them all in the dungeon. We must wait for the Emperor to return." This was the first choice he's ever made, and it will not be his last.

Good's Got Nothing on Bad

Necriever grabbed a table leg and beat the Elk Leader's head in with it, each swing hitting harder than the last. Necriever's assault on the Elk Nation was impressive, as he did it all alone. Honestly, it didn't take long for him to find where they were located as he saw some Elk children and followed them to their city.

Once Necriever was sure that all the brains of the Elk Leader were spread onto the floor and onto its throne, he stopped reluctantly, leaving the large hut. The corpses of Elk Guards were like a small path that lead straight to the bottom of the Elk's throne, blood splattered everywhere. Necriever took most of his anger out on the Elk Leader, but that was nothing compared to what he did to the city itself.

As he left the hut, the smell of smoke and ash entered his respirator, causing him to cough softly. When he stopped, he looked at all the destruction he had caused; houses were burning, the thick smoke acting like fog. Elk corpses littered the streets, some mangled and others headless. Necriever's job was done, and it was time for him to return to his kingdom. He still needed to figure out what to do with Chrysalis.

As he was walking through the streets, he heard a soft crack, to which he sighed as he knew who it was. No, it wasn't his Apprentice.

"Wakoyantanke..." Necriever turned as he said the Elk Prince's name. When he the Elk Prince came into view, he saw that the Prince was holding a spear and was standing on his hind legs. He was surprised, and this could prove to be a challenge.

"Necriever." Tanke replied, getting into a defensive stance. "I can't let you leave here alive, not after what you've done."

Necriever stared at Tanke coldly, his eyes slowly narrowing, "I really hope that your little alliance with the Griffons was worth it, because once I kill you, there will be no more Elk in the Frozen North."

Tanke looked at Necriever with a sad look, "Necriever, please, just stop! It'll make it easier on both of us if you'd just surrender!" Tanke, the Prince of the Elk, asked for Necriever to surrender?

Necriever's cold stare faltered for a moment, before returning full force, "Why should I?! After what your people have done, I doubt that my surrender will prevent a war."

Still, Tanke pushed on, "That may be true, but think of all of the lives that will be lost fighting the Griffons! And what if you do win? Celestia will just strike as soon as the war is over!"

Necriever froze, he had thought that part through, but what if he didn't have the resources. Could Celestia want him dead that badly? After a moment or two, Necriever, reluctantly, sighed in defeat, "Fine. I surrender."

Tanke nodded slightly, "Alright, now drop your weapons." Necriever complied, grabbing his lightsaber and tossing it at the feet of Tanke. Tanke slowly kicked it into an alleyway, and made his way over to Necriever, "You've made a good choice, Necriever. Think of all the lives you've saved-GRK!" He was cut off as Necriever choked Tanke with the Force.

Necriever laughed darkly as he stood up, "You're a fool for thinking that I would give up so easily." He used the Force to get his lightsaber, and once it was in his hand, he turned it on, the red saber lighting up right next to his face. "And now you'll suffer the consequences for being so damn gullible." He then raised his lightsaber in the air, "Goodbye, Wakoyantanke." He brought down his lightsaber on Tanke, but it was surprisingly blocked.

Necriever took a look at what blocked him, and he glared when he saw a green lightsaber. He looked at the source of who was holding it, and he was surprised to see someone who looked like him. The Doppelganger pushed Necriever back with the Force, and when Necriever got his bearings, he looked up and saw that the Doppelganger was wearing light brown clothes instead of Necriever's red.

The Doppelganger stared at Necriever calmly, "Necriever, stop this, let us make peace instead of enemies." The Doppelganger helped Tanke up, which surprised the Elk all the same.

Necriever glared at the Doppelganger, "Who are you?!"

The Doppelganger sighed, "I am what you could become. I am Skto. I am a Jedi." Skto was a strange name, even for a Jedi.

Necriever, however, wasn't in the mood for laughing, "I'm going to tear you apart!" Necriever lunged at Skto, bringing his saber down on the duplicate's head.

Skto quickly blocked it, taking a step back as Necriever began beating down on Skto's lightsaber relentlessly. Necriever hit each time with full force each time, before realizing that Skto wouldn't budge. So he kicked Skto in the stomach, sending the Jedi back. He then continued to beat on Skto.

"You're weak, Jedi! Now do you see why I'll never join your kind?!" Necriever asked rhetorically, finding a weakness in Skto's defense. Necriever then took his chance and jumped up in the air, using the Force to make him jump extremely high. When he reached a good height, he then used the Force to make himself fall faster, positioning himself above Skto. With a battle-cry, he came crashing down on Skto, who tried to block but failed as the sheer amount of force in the hit sent him to the ground and he dropped his lightsaber.

Dust flew up into the air, and Necriever's lightsaber was the only thing visible in the dust and smoke cloud. "You've failed, Skto. And when I'm done with you, I'm going after Tanke." Necriever walked over to Skto who was trying to get up but was stopped as the Sith Lord used the Force to electrocute him. Necriever then used the Force to grab Skto's lightsaber, and he slowly made his way over to the Jedi.

When Necriever reached Skto, he kicked him onto his back so that he could see his face. Skto looked exactly like Necriever, apart from the clothes. Necriever put those thoughts behind him as he turned on both the lightsabers and brought them close to Skto's neck, to which the Jedi didn't react, but instead spoke of sadness, "Necriever, if you make this choice, you'll only quicken your eventual demise. Please, I ask one last time, stop this!"

Necriever laughed cruelly, staring at Skto with crazed look, "Oh, you poor Jedi, still hoping you can redeem me." Necriever then got close to Skto, "It's a shame though, really. Imagine the power we could've had if you were just. Like. Me." He then raised his lightsabers, but was kicked in the back, sending himself head-first into the ash-covered street.

"Skto, run! I'll hold him off!" Necriever heard Tanke yell, followed by the sounds of footsteps fading away.

Necriever let out an angry roar, standing up and glaring at the Elk Prince. "I'M GOING TO KILL YOU, YOU INSUFFERABLE ELK!" He then sprinted at the unarmed Elk, who stood stoically, prepared to die. And die he did, as Necriever wrapped a hand around the Elk's neck and choked him the old fashioned way.

Tanke gasped for air, looking down at Necriever who glared back. "T... This is just... the... beginning..." Tanke's eyes slowly rolled into the back of his head, and Necriever squeezed the Elk's neck as hard as he could, crushing Tanke's windpipe. He then watched as the Elk's lifeless body fell to the ground.

Necriever clenched his teeth, looking at the direction he believed Skto headed as he saw the tracks leading South. Skto was heading to Equestria, no doubt. No need to pursue him, as Equestria would eventually attack the Capital with Skto helping. It's just the ways ponies usually act; they take whatever's stronger than their strongest weapon and take it for granted.

Necriever sighed, heading to his Capital which was North East of the Elk city. He has more important things to attend to than Jedi, like the plans for his super-weapon. Besides, it's not like the Equestrians will be able to beat him anytime so, even if they have a Jedi on their side. Besides, one year or two from now, there will be peace. But as the famous Sith Code goes...

...Peace is a Lie...

Betrayal and Gains

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

A Treaty Broken

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An Unlikely Ally

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Stories of the Beginning

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The Test of Strength

Deep under the Ostril Empire, there was a mine. In that mine, there were diamond dogs slaves, pony slaves, and even dragon slaves. The foreman, Olen (who was a muscular black dragon), watched over them all with an iron fist, punishing the lazies and tired harshly.

However, on this particular work day, it was the Emperor that came down to watch over the slaves.

Necriever walked up to the foreman with a relaxed look, "Olen, how are the slaves doing today?"

The dragon smirked, "Doin' well, Necriever. I haven't seen a single one of them be lazy since last week." Necriever nodded in approval, folding his arms and looking down upon the hardworking slaves.

Necriever and Olen go way back, all the way to when Necriever first crash-landed on Equis. They hated each other at first, but soon became best friends long before Necriever's banishment. They went on a long adventure across the world until they finally landed at the Frozen North. But that's a story for another time, for now, the Emperor wants something important.

"Tell your slaves to line up, I have a proposition for them." Necriever whispered into Olen's ear. Olen nodded, yelling at the slaves to stop working and line up in front of the Emperor. Once they were finished, which took all of five minutes because they were tired as all hell, Necriever walked back and forth like a Sergeant in the military, "I'm sure you're all glad you're not working today, yes?" They all said yes in a tired fashion, "Good, because what we're doing today is going to be a lot more strenuous than working in a mine all day." The group groaned.

"Oi! Listen to yer Emperor when he's talkin'!" Olen shouted at the slaves. They complied, staying silent.

The Emperor continued, "Today, you are all going to fight in the new arena built next to the palace. There will be... let me count..." He counted the heads of the ponies and dragons, "Four teams, each carrying five people. You will have to use your teamwork and smarts to defeat your opponents. The winning team will follow me back to the palace to get some food and rest, while the losers will go back to work in the mine." The slaves looked at each other nervously, one dragon actually biting his nails. "Not to worry, this is just for fun. Enjoy yourselves! There will be more events like this in the future! But for now, this one is important."

"Here that, slaves?" Olen rhetorically asked, "You can earn yer freedom if yer team wins!" The slaves cheered, which echoed around the large mine.

Two Hours Later: Ostril Arena

The arena was large, with five teams behind a barred metal room opposite of the Emperor. The seats in the stands were packed with cheering spectators ranging from Dragons to Ponies, some from foreign nations and some native to the Empire. The Emperor stood on a tall pedestal that had a curved rail, preventing him from falling. He had two guards on each side of him; both were red dragons in steel armor, ready to protect the Emperor in a split second.

Necriever looked upon the cheering spectators with a stern look, then turned to his guards. "Once I signal them to quiet down, I suggest that you get ready for fighting in the crowds; different species in one arena is bound to have some backfires." They nodded, and the Emperor nodded back. He then turned to the crowd, and with a wave of his hand, they quieted down, shushing each other so they could hear him speak. "Foreigners and loyal citizens, we have come here under great circumstances; the first event in our new arena!" The crowd cheered, and the Emperor, "Yes, yes, it is a great thing. But first, let us introduce our fighters!" On the opposite side of the arena, a barred gate made itself known by opening with a loud groan. The first group, which held three diamond dogs and two young colts, walked out with a fearless look, though Necriever could easily tell they were afraid. "Introducing the Blue Team, holding three Diamond Dogs and two young Colts!" The crowd cheered.

The second walked out, holding four Dragons and a Diamond Dog. "Introducing Team Green, full of four Dragons and a Diamond Dog!" The crowd cheered even louder.

The third ran out, revealing five Ponies, each different from the other. "Introducing Red Team, holding five Ponies!" The Emperor looked behind him and glared at Olen, who shrugged. Necriever never should've been in charge of sorting out the teams; come on, five Ponies on the same team?

The fourth slowly walked out, all Diamond Dogs. The Emperor sighed, "Introducing Team Yellow, full of only Diamond Dogs." The crowd politely clapped.

Finally, the fifth walked out, revealing... FIVE YOUNG COLTS?! The Emperor bit his tongue and prevented himself from electrocuting Olen for this. "Introducing Team Black, holding five young pony colts." The crowd gasped and looked at the Emperor with a glare. "Don't look at me, blame Olen! He was in charge of this!" The crowd did so, glaring at Olen and he smiled sheepishly.

Necriever sighed, looking down at the teams, "Welcome, slaves! You are here to fight for your freedom! Let me discuss the rules and rewards before we begin, okay?" He didn't wait for an answer, "Rule one: no fire or other weapons! This is a melee fight with appendages only. Anything not connected to your body cannot be used until I say so." The teams nodded, "Rule two: murder is against the rules!" The team full of Dragons groaned and the Emperor got angry, "WHINE ONE MORE TIME AND YOU'LL GET SENT BACK TO THE MINES, DRAGONS!" The Dragons stopped, fear in their eyes. Necriever sighed, "Anyways, the reason is because there will be more events like this, and we will need competitors." The Emperor's look softened, "Now for the rewards! If you win, you will come with me to my palace where you will get food and rest. If you lose, you'll get sent back to the mines." The teams nodded.

His plan was working so far, "Now, let the games begin!"

Each team went after the other, attacking with their brute force. The five young colts on Team Black all jumped on a dragon from Team Green, biting his claws and punching him in the face. The Emperor looked over to Team Blue, seeing that the only ones left standing in that team were the two young colts.

Three minutes later

There was one Dragon from Team Green and a young colt from Team Blue, both staring at the other. Suddenly, the Dragon charged, quickly grabbing the colt by the throat with anger. The colt coughed and gagged, which was when the Dragon opened his mouth! Necriever saw this, setting his hands on the rail of the pillar he was standing on. Then the dragon took a deep breath, fire welling up in his stomach.

That's when the Emperor took action...

Necriever used the Force to choke the Dragon, stopping it from killing the young colt. He then threw the Dragon at the arena wall. "I said NO KILLING!" He shouted, walking over to the Dragon.

The Dragon got up and glared at Necriever, "So what?! Rules are meant to be broken, Emperor!" The crowd gasped.

Necriever's eyes narrowed, "You're walking on some very thin ice, Dragon."

The Dragon laughed, "And what're you gonna do about it, huh? You're just a one creature, and I'm a mighty Dragon!" The Dragon said pompously.

Necriever gritted his teeth, using the Force to choke the Dragon. "I am going to kill you, that's what." Necriever then used his free hand to electrocute the cruel Dragon. The screams were satisfying to Necriever, but to the colt, it was horrifying. As the screams died out, the crowd went silent, looking on in awe and horror.

Necriever dropped the roasted Dragon and turned to the crowd with a stern look. "That's what happens to Rule Breakers." He then turned to the colt, putting his hands out to him. "Our winner!" The crowd cheered, and left soon after.

As soon as the arena was empty, Necriever crouched down to the colt, who shrunk back in fear. "No need to worry, child, I am not going to hurt you. I am here with two simple questions; first, what happened to your group?"

The colt looked at the ground sheepishly, "I was abandoned by the Diamond Dogs, who said that I was weak. But the other pony stayed by my side until that Dragon came by and knocked him out."

Necriever smiled, "Who do you want to bring with you, child?"

The colt looked around, before looking back at the Emperor, "I only want to bring the other pony with me, please."

Necriever nodded, "Then that's what we will do." He stood up and ordered a nearby guard to escort the colt to the palace while he searched for the other pony on Team Blue. He eventually found him and carried him back to the castle, an evil smile hidden behind his respirator.

The events were going as he had planned...