Ireland, 1669

1st POV; Liam Boresti

I walked along the dark roads away from my village, enjoying the shadows that surrounded me, swaddled me, kept me safe as I strolled down the otherwise cold and unwelcoming roads... almost as well as my fur cloak and pauldrons, I turned back and gazed at the flames of the campfire in the distance through the holes in my helm as I pulled out my staff.

“Let’s do this, I guess,” I called upon my familiar, a dire hawk named Marrow. I then smiled as he landed upon my staff. ”Greetings, old friend. Are you ready to finally be rid of this land, and its accursed conflicts?”

Marrow nodded and looked me in the eye. His beak not moving as I heard him in my mind “ Yes, my master. I am ready to fly in new skies, and hunt new prey.”

I smiled and nodded, letting Marrow perch on my shoulder as I began to release the wards that I had placed upon myself. No longer caring if my enemies found me. “Then let us begin! It shall be done tonight!”

I began to chant and threw various druidic and necromantic ingredients to the ground in a shallow grave, topped with a cast iron skull. I felt the power of the being I was calling, I felt his influence over my world grow focused to this one spot “Och, spiorad Mór na foraoise! Heed mo ghlaoch agus a chur chugam teachtaire dod thoil, mar sin is féidir liom a fháil thy bhfabhar!” As I finished the chant, the ingredients ignited in a cold, necromantic flame, tinged with the power of the forest.

A plume of smoke rose forth from the grave, crackling with power. The ground began to tremble and the gravestone shattered. I knew that I had succeeded, but I knew not if this creature would aid me. “Who dares to summon me? Speak, so I may decide whether thou art worthy... or if thou art mine next meal.”

I kneeled to the skull in a show of fealty “Oh great father of the wilds, lord of the hunt, and master of beasts! I beseech you, take me to a land far from the conflicts of this wretched abode of mine!”

From the smoke materialized a wolf with a fur coat of blackest midnight, speckled with stars brighter than any the true night sky could provide. “And if I were to do this, what would you give me?”

I smiled and held out a bone charm, one that has been charged with the power of my family for generations “I offer thee this token, an artifact that has been in my clan since its founding.”

The wolf looked to me with boredom evident “And why, pray tell, would I require such a pitiful, worthless trinket?”

I grinned “This charm shall grant thee a true physical form, not these temporary reprieves granted by our rituals.”

The wolf’s form began to crack, his stars moving through his fur, and he began to approach me crossing the summoning circle, causing it to shatter. It began to laugh, and started to circle around where I was stuck unable to move.

“Alas, I still have no need for your toy, but perhaps you have something else to give,” it said as it stopped mere inches in front of my face. “I will grant your request and in return you will owe me a debt. When I call upon you you must answer else I find another use for you.”

I looked to the wolf and nodded “I will, my liege.”

Marrow then looked to the wolf curiously “And how, pray tell, shall we reach this new land?”

It lost all seriousness and a smile broke across its face, “Ooh so formal, and to you little… bird? We are already here.”

I looked to where my village had been mere moments ago and saw naught but trees, the path I had taken gone, and the sky was now the same as the one that was on the wolf’s fur for a moment before becoming day. I looked to where the wolf was mere moments ago only to find it gone... The shattered gravestone the only reminder of my old home.

I looked to Marrow and smiled “Ready to fly, my friend?”

Marrow nodded “I have been longing to fly free for ages.”

I smiled as he took flight, casting a spell to link my vision to his as he flew over the forest canopy, eventually seeing a village of the oddest architecture I’ve seen in all of my days. “Do you see this, master?”

I nodded as I looked through his eyes. The buildings were floating free of the earth's hold, rotating and spinning in mid air. I saw purple and pink checker marks spreading across the ground and horrible monstrous rabbits running past below. “This land is a far cry from the paradise for which I had hoped.”

Marrow nodded as he began flying back to me and I began my long trek to this ravaged city.

London, 1823

3rd POV

It was night in the city, fog was spreading from the bay to the river and a beyond as far as the eye could see. In a dark alley a shadowed figure was being chased by a pair of dogs, their master not far behind. As he reached the end of the alley, he turned a corner only to find a dead end, the dogs had him trapped, but were waiting.

The man reached into his bag, but before he could get anything one of the dogs lurched forward and snatched it from him just as their master turned the corner.

“It seems you have led me on a merry chase, councillor, but alas the council has lost the dignity to lead the magical community. Now you shall die for your treachery,” he smirked as his dogs caught alight, their fur becoming ash and their eyes coals. “Let's give you a fighting chance. Kill my dogs and I’ll give you a five minute head start before I kill you.”

“You’re mad, Kite!” the councillor screamed, “You must be insane if you think- AUGH!” before he continued one of the dogs ran through him setting him ablaze.

Kite looked down to what was left of his prey, “Hmm, now there’s nothing to feed the dogs. Shame.” He left the alley, with the dogs at his side, having returned to normal. On the street a crowd was beginning to gather as the sun rose.

After a few hours of traversing the streets of London, Kite approached an old manor on the outskirts. It was a decrepit building that had an odd amount of disuse and decay considering it was built recently. As he neared the gate it began to bend outward allowing just enough space for him to pass.

The moment he passed through the gate, the manor changed from decrepit and old to new and well-maintained in an instant. At the door leading inside a servant was waiting for Kite.

“Ah, Lord Kite, the Council is inside. They seem displeased,” he said, but before Kite went inside the butler stopped him. “Whatever you’ve done, they want blood.”

I looked him and smiled, “Don’t they always, they just never want to get it themselves. And James it might be wise to take the rest of the staff together and leave the manor for a bit. A day off, if you will.”

“Of course,” he said with a bow, and left to carry out his orders.

Kite walked through the doors, gaining the attention of those inside. An elderly man was there, along with an assortment of others, the man approached Kite, and as he did time seemed to slow to a halt.

“Kite, we have little time, the Council have decided to remove you, but I believe this is the perfect opportunity to carry out the plan,” he said, before returning to where he was. When he was there time returned to normal.

“Kite, you have killed a member of this council,” the elderly man said, with an almost hidden smirk, “and their negligence, the Council shall be destroyed.” he said with a small laugh, before he spread his hands stopping the other members in time. “Kite, do it now, while they’re stopped!”

Kite, with a somber look, nodded to the old man. “Let your sacrifice bring rise to a new age of magic,” he said before he began to chant, focusing all his energy and power on his spell. “Di ignis et lucis emitte manum percutiam qui potestate occultare. Jul!”

When he finished the sky began to blacken above the manor, a red glow began to spread through the sky. Mere seconds after the ground began to rumble and shake. The clouds began to part as a massive rock to grew near. The roof of the house crashed in, crushing the old man releasing the Council from his spell, but it was too late for them to stop Kite. The meteor crushed them, but not before they unleashed one final spell. A curse to exile Kite in a distant plane, so that he could never raise his new world order, and his followers would be without a leader.

Equestria, Present

1st POV, Liam Boresti

I was wandering through the forest, still travelling toward the settlement Marrow discovered, he had long since returned and I was eagerly awaiting the discovery of what the natives of this land looked like, mayhaps they were taller than me, or perhaps they spoke in some strange tongue. I have always enjoyed learning new things and meeting new people.

Marrow looked to me and called out excitedly, his eyes glowing with excitement. “Master, I am feeling your elation again, you have not been this happy in years!”

I nodded and chuckled, looking ahead before frowning as I noticed some of the ground was burnt “Marrow, be ready for a fight.”

Marrow nodded and flew into the air while I pulled out my staff, the dark flames igniting on the crook of it.

“Help!” called something from the brush.

“Kill?” answered another voice.

“No, Help!” the first responded, then suddenly a pair of dogs similar to those brought to my land by the foreign legions rushed on to path I was walking down. When they saw me they saw me they stopped and turn back to where they came.

“Follow! Help!”

“Die?”

Marrow landed on my staff and we looked to each other before we both sighed “Guess we should see what this is about, huh?”

Marrow nodded “If it is one of the locals that needs our aid, it would be a good idea to help.”

I then nodded reluctantly and gave chase to the two beasts. When I eventually caught up to them they were sitting in a strange burned circle of blacked trees and grass, some even still burning. One of the dogs was licking what I thought was a body but it was hard to tell as it was wrapped in a brilliant white flame.

I sighed as I recognized this magic, it was a protective spell often used by the invaders of my homeland, perhaps this was their homeland I now found myself in. If so, then the rage of the forest and the dead shall be upon their doorsteps! But first, I suppose I should make sure that this was indeed where I thought I was.

As if it sensed my presence the flame quickly died down, and the body gave a violent twitch afore it took in a breath.

“Bora! Bora, get off me!” he yelled pushing the hound off him. The other hearing its master’s voice barked excitedly before jumping on him to join his fellow in licking his master’s face, causing him to start laughing while trying to remove them.

I cleared my throat and looked to him curiously, this caused him and the dogs to stop as they looked to where I stood. “I was wondering where you learned the magic behind that spell? Depending on your answer, we may or may not be enemies.”

He stood causing the dogs to cease and sit by his sides. He took a moment to brush off his clothing, which made me notice it looked almost nothing like I’d ever seen.

Finally he look back up to me, “I learned it from some book I found, I think it was Ancient Roman Magus.” He stopped and rubbed his chin, “or I thought it up on my own, the details are rather foggy. But if it was your magic that I borrowed to finish the healing spell then you have my thanks.”

I nodded slowly before holding out my hand to him “I am Liam Boresti, son of Diana and Dougan Boresti, the last of my clan’s Druids and Necromancers… and thanks to the original practitioners of the magic that you have learned, the last of my clan.”

He grabbed my hand with a smile as though not hearing the last part, “I am Lord Kite Alabaster, and though it is sad to hear you must be rather old to have been alive before Rome fell.”

I shook my head “No, I am actually only in my twentieth year. I made a deal with a powerful spirit to leave the land I called home, as I had nothing left for me there but death at Rome's hands.”

He shook his head and chuckled, “Shouldn’t a druid know better than to make deals, spirits always lie and trick those foolish enough to summon them.”

I sighed “I had exhausted all other options. I could not afford to stay there, else I would’ve died at the hands of my enemies.”

Marrow looked to Kite with his eyes narrowed “I resent that statement.”

His smile grew as he laughed, “Not to worry bird, I am a fool after all, I’ve summoned my fair share of demons and other mischievous things.” He looked back to his dogs, and finally seemed to realize he didn’t know where he was. “Say, Liam was it? Did this spirit happen to tell you where he was sending you?”

I shook my head, “No, but I have a sneaking suspicion that it is not the plane we knew, as I have felt a much higher concentration of magic in the air.”

He whistled causing the two dogs to rush from where they were to his side, “Perhaps a quick bird’s eye view will give us a clearer picture of where exactly we are.” He knelt down touching both hounds, causing their bodies to combust, leaving nothing behind, but a single wisp floating where they were, one slightly larger than the other. They began to circle each other merging into one, before taking the shape of a large hawk, easily larger than either of us. “Well, we’re burning daylight! Let’s go!” he yelled, jumping onto the bird’s back.

I shrugged and let Marrow hop off of my staff as he began to grow as well, his body becoming just a bit bigger than the hawk, I then leapt onto his back as I pointed toward the spot where Marrow saw the village, “There is a large village that way, and I am quite certain that there is a powerful being there, the same being I made my deal with, if I am not mistaking the magical signature. I must do a favor for him, else I will be sent back.”

“You heard him Bora, let’s get going,” he commanded, causing the massive hawk to take flight, following beside Marrow and me. As we began our flight the bird’s feathers grew alight, and Kite laughed, “Two can play at this game, Mr. Boresti.”

I looked to the village that we were rapidly approaching, eager to get this business with the spirit over with. When we grew closer the oddities I had noticed earlier, such as the strange animals and floating buildings had become more normal, Gods damn my luck, the being was sealed! There was no way a being as powerful as the one I summoned could be sealed so easily!

I called to Kite “We seem to have found the wrong spirit, as it were.”

Kite nodded, “Then let us be off.” Bora began to dive down toward the town below, though there were not many... people... on the streets below, they began to panic seeing as a large flaming hawk and a giant undead bird were landing in the streets. A moment after we landed, the streets were completely empty, except ourselves.

Now, I am saying ‘people’ loosely, because… they were equine in body type.

I shrugged and let Marrow revert to his normal size and rest on my shoulder as I walked toward the building, ignoring the screams of the townsfolk in the distance. Bora shifted back into the pairs of dogs, and made to follow me along with Kite.

As we were about to enter the building I heard a shout as I turned around and found an equine woman in strange clothes flying, yes, flying, straight at me. I quickly sent out a burst of druidic energy, causing a tree to sprout up and quickly grow into the way, blocking the woman’s attack and causing her to fall back as I peered around the tree “Why did you attack me? Have I trespassed?”

“Maybe you should’ve knocked,” Kite said, laughing as the girl flew into the tree. “I don’t think she’s gonna leaf us alone,” he laughed, as she got to her feet.

The equine woman, whom I noticed had rainbow colored hair, grunted angrily. “No, but what’s with that creepy bird thing, huh?! Why can I see it’s bones, and why was it so big before?! Are you some sort of a Spy for Discord?!”

“Magic,” Kite answered before I got a chance to respond. Even with his jovial nature, his dogs began to growl lowly, while they made to circle around her.

I sighed and let Marrow out, to which he picked up the equine woman and held her above the dog’s reach. I then looked to the woman “I know not who this ‘Discord’ is that you speak of, I do, however have no wish to spy on any individual. It is without honor, and as the last of my clan, I must uphold their tenants.” I then gestured to Marrow and smiled, “And this is Marrow, my best friend and familiar.”

The woman huffed and looked to the dogs before looking to me “And who are you two?”

I smiled warmly “I am Liam Boresti, last of Clan Boresti, and this is Sir Kite, my newest friend and companion.”

“Lord, not Sir. I’m not some lowly knight!” Kite huffed snarkily. And both dogs looked to me and barked, both saying ‘Lord!’ at the same time.

I nodded and looked to Kite, “I am sorry, but I only call the head of my clan ‘Lord’.”

The woman looked back and forth between the two of us in our bickering, “My name is Rainbow Dash, fastest flyer in all of Equestria and, if you don’t mind,” she said in a surprisingly calm collected tone for someone being held above two hungry-looking dogs, “LET ME DOWN!” she yelled and started fighting against Marrow’s hold. Oh, that’s more what I was expecting her attitude to be.

I whistled and Marrow released her after saying something, “I’d start flying again if I were you, those dogs look mad.” Not hearing him in time she fell to the ground before she could start to fly, causing the hounds to jump on her and begin licking her face mercilessly. I laughed and let Marrow land on my staff as I helped her up, her face covered in slobber.

Rainbow Dash huffed and shoved me away “Get your hands off of me!”

Kite gave a chuckle, completely changing his mood from mere moments ago, “Bora and Lius can have that effect on people, or at least when I want them to.” He smiled as they both went back to his sides, on some hidden command.

I looked to Miss Dash and frowned “I am sorry if I have offended you in some way, I am unused to this lands social norms.”

She looked to me, noticeably less frustrated than before, “Well, I guess it’s not your fault, when SOMEONE’S dogs want to lick your Faust damned face off!” she said pointedly to Kite, who was no longer paying attention, instead focused on something behind her. When I looked around her I saw a small group of individuals approaching in a hurry.

He looked back at her realizing she had said something to him, “Huh, what was that? Were you saying something?”

Miss Dash sighed in frustration, “Look here, you. I’ve had it up to-”

“Rainbow Dash!” called one of the people in the distance.

I looked to the rainbow-haired woman before me “I assume you know the group of people approaching us?”

“You ran off so fast, we were worried,” one of them said out of breath, they said to her, though she didn’t seem to hear still yelling at Kite.

As they grew closer, I got a better look at the group of women and… by the spirits what was that scaled beast behind them?! I drew my staff as I readied a spell, “Adhmad athair, chun leanaí a chosaint ó na sceith salach dorchadais, a thoghairm mé tú!” I then released a burst of mana into the ground as a summoning circle appeared and from it rose a massive humanoid tree. “There is a monster behind you, run!”

The creature looked behind itself and began to look around for the monster, after a second it turned back and looked at me. “Where? I don’t see anything.”

I grunted in effort as I finished summoning the Ent, and commanded it to attack the beast, only for the five women it was chasing to try to halt its advance “What are you doing?!” the one in the front yelled out.

I looked to the woman, who had dark purple hair with a lighter purple highlight, and shouted “Saving you from that scaled monstrosity!”

She was in front of me in a flash, slapping my head hard enough for me to feel it through the bone of my helm “That’s my friend! Cancel the spell NOW!”

“Guh! I can’t do this right now!” yelled Rainbow in Kite’s face completely oblivious to the fight that was happening. She turned around and saw her friends, “Oh, hey Twilight what’s up?”

Twilight gaped and gestured to the Ent that was currently striding toward the cowering dragon, with the other women ineffectively trying to slow it’s progress “This jerk just summoned a tree monster to kill Spike!”

It was then that I realised… I may of been mistaken in assuming he was a threat and dispelled the Ent, it turned into green embers that fluttered away on the wind. “I am extremely sorry, my lady. I was under the impression that magical creatures in this land were like the ones in my homeland, hungry for the flesh of mortals.”

Kite laughed having been paying attention to the fight rather than the woman that was just yelling in his face. “I wonder if my dragon could win?” he pondered aloud, before glancing at Bora.

I then quickly walked over to him and shook my head “Do not even try it.”

“Try what, I wasn’t doing anything,” he said then pointed at his dog, “she was,” causing her to cock her head.

I sighed “No, I mean, do not summon a fire dragon.”

He knelt down and playfully grabbed Bora’s head, “You hear that? No fire dragons, Bora.”

I nodded and looked to the other women that had arrived and bowed “I apologize for the grievous error on my part. I know that it is most likely inexcusable at this time, and I shall strive to undo any damage I have done.”

I then looked to the hole in the ground from where I had summoned the ent and frowned, waving my staff as I spoke a single word. “Deisiúchán.” The ground reforming as if the ent had never rose from it’s depths.

Twilight looked to me suspiciously, her face pouting slightly. “What manner of creature are you? And what was that magic you just cast?”

I smiled “I am Liam Boresti, last of my clan, and this-”

Kite suddenly stepped in front of me, “And I am Lord Kite Alabaster, and this is Bora,” he said waving his hand to his dogs.

I sighed and nodded “Yes, that is right. Now as for the magic cast and what manner of creature we are, well, I am a Necrotic Druid, and this,” I gestured to Marrow. “Is my familiar, his name is Marrow.”

Twilight nodded slowly “Uh-huh… but… what manner of creature are you? Again, I’ve never seen anything like you before.”

I smiled from under my helm and bowed “I am a human, my dear, hopefully, if my bargain was true, one of the few ones here.”

Twilight gasped at me and took a step back “Wh-what?! B-but… the humans were…”

One her friends stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder, “Twi, what’s wrong what’s a hooman?”

Twilight was shaking like a leaf in the wind as she spoke “Th-they are the old gods of Equis, dating back to the pre Discordant era! Faust may of given us our free will, but the humans are said to have made us, and the world around us!”

This caused Kite to laugh, “I think you broke her Liam ol’ pal, she’s gone crazy.”

I looked to her with focus, my magic feeling for any changes in her aura that would suggest madness, and found none, but in my search I found that Kite didn’t have an aura, “I believe she is telling the truth, my friend, but if that were true, whatever occurred to drive our species from this realm?”

Twilight shuddered “I am not sure, no one is, but whatever it was I hope it never comes back.”

I nodded and looked to Marrow, who was busy eating a worm he had found as the yellow one looked to him with equal parts horror and fascination. “Marrow, have you any insight into this?”

Twilight looked to me curiously “Why are you talking to a bird? It’s not like-”

Marrow eyed her sourly “I can speak, young one, do not let appearances deceive you.”

The orange one, who had tried to comfort Twilight, looked to me in shock “What in tarnation? How is that thing even alive?! I thought it was just a decoration!”

“Well obviously we’re gods shouldn’t we be able to do impossible things?” Kite said still ignoring Rainbow Dash giving him angry looks.

I sighed and looked to Marrow again “Insight?”

Marrow shook his head “Nay, master, I have none.”

I then looked to the one in white, who had been staring at me in abject horror “Is something wrong, milady?”

The white one, bah, I will just call them mares. The white mare looked to me and shuddered “Darling, what are those horrible clothes you are wearing? They look positively dreadful!”

I looked to her dubiously “Excuse me? You… you are so horror struck that you have fallen silent… from my clothing?”

The white mare nodded “Indeed so, my dear, your clothes are simply dreadful!”

I looked to her blankly “I care not for appearances in my attire, each article of clothing I wear, from my bone charms to my cloth pants,have served me in some way. Besides, what need have I for new clothing? My clothes do not get dirty, nor do they retain damage.”

The white mare looked to me in shock “They… never need repair?” I nodded and she slowly walked over to me before placing a hand on my shoulder “Please, never share that enchantment with anyone, I would go out of business!”

Then, Rainbow Dash looked at me curiously “Wait wait wait… those things wrapped on you and dangling off of your staff… they’re made of bones?!”

I nodded slowly as she and the others looked highly uncomfortable “I do not see the issue, I gathered these bones from the forest floor, or from beasts I have slain, not from people… or in this case equines.”

“HOW COULD YOU?!” I was then assaulted by the yellow one, who had begun slapping me repeatedly, my helm taking the brunt of the assault “How could you hurt poor innocent animals for their bones?! It’s wrong, it’s cruel!”

I grabbed her wrist gently and looked her in the eyes “These were beasts that were already killers, it was either I slay them, or they get a taste for the flesh of my people.”

“And for the how it’s rather easy I’ll demonstrate,” Kite said and with a wave of his hand and a deer appeared in the street, he snapped his finger and Bora jumped on its back, biting its spine killing it. Before it hit the ground it turned to ashes and was blown away by the breeze.

The yellow one looked to me in horror, her face paled somehow, considering the fur. She then fainted into my arms, to which I set her on a nearby bench. “I disagree with your approach, Kite, but that was a rather accurate representation. Although I use magic, not animals and they were mostly magical creatures that I slew.”

Kite smiled and started to wave his hand, before I interrupted him, “No.”

I suddenly heard muttering, “...to create something with no spell or magic build up, how…they can’t be… they were just stories…”

I looked to the source of the mutterings and saw Twilight, her left eye twitching wildly as I looked to her “What is wrong, Twilight?”

She turned to me from her mutterings, an insane look in her eyes, “Your magic at least made sense you cast a spell and it happened, but YOU!” she yelled to Kite who was looking on in amused interest. “You didn’t even do anything, that animal just appeared… like...like...”

“Magic?” Kite offered.

“Yes! No! Your magic defies everything that equestrian magic is based on!”

I coughed uncomfortably “Actually, I can use magic the same way as him, I just prefer to use the incantations, as they lower magic use needed.”

“Well, due the amount of combat magic and the level of violence in our world, magic has evolved to the point where it is required to be able to cast spells in an instant. For many reasons such as duels and even war. Though most mages are still unable to cast spells with a mere thought, many who can still burn out due to not having the reserve to be able to cast in this manner,” Kite said in an almost scholarly tone, surprising me.

I nodded “And I usually memorize my spells before I cast them, so that I may cast them rapidly.” I then took out a scroll from my pocket “You know, I just made up that spell that summoned the ent... but it actually worked rather well, I think I shall write that one down.”

“Guh! Now there’s three of them,” Rainbow Dash said, throwing her hands in the air, “I’m leaving before they start a freaking book club!”

The pink one, who was previously busy playing with the… less intelligent of the two dogs, leapt over to me and began speaking at high speed “WegottagotoPrincessCelestiashewillknowwhattodoforplotstuffcmonauthorsstopbeinglazyanddothethingwheretheworldgoesblackandweendupwhereweneedtobe.”

[No! Cliffhanger Powers Activate! Nyeheheh!]

“NOOOOO-”

Author's Note

Hypnos is my co- author on this, talk to him if you wanna chat.

But I don't wanna!

*SLAP!* Too bad!