Voidby awesomesauce4ChaptersChapter 1 - Opening MovesChapter 3 - The Best Laid PlansChapter 2 - Enter The VoidChapter 1 - Opening MovesIt’s so cold. It’s so dark. It’s so… numb. Is there a point to what I’m doing? Can I really fix myself, after this…? … I can’t give up. Not after what he… what I told myself. I have to keep going. For her. For them. For me. Celestia sighed as she laid in her bedchambers. The sun was up, the birds were singing, and she had closed all appointments for the day. Again. She rolled over, checking the time on her hoof-crafted clock that Star Swirl had given to her many centuries ago. It was as accurate today as it had been the day he had built it for her – not that that was a good thing. She had barely spent half an hour performing her royal duties, and already she was exhausted. She just wanted to sleep in – surely that would be okay? Luna poked her head around the door, and Celestia gave her little sister the same smile she did every day. “Morning, Lulu. Or is it evening?” Celestia teased. It had been their little joke ever since they were foals, considering Luna’s sleep schedule was directly opposite to Celestia’s. “Whichever you prefer,” Luna returned, completing the age-old greeting. “But why are you still in bed? You are usually out and about at this time,” her little sister wondered. “I just thought… that I should take some time off,” Celestia muttered. There was little point in lying to Luna – her ability to detect falsehood was unparalleled. True to form, Luna gave her a grimace, sitting down beside her on the bed. “You’re still thinking of him,” she stated. It wasn’t a question, and Celestia didn’t have to answer, but she nodded anyway. Luna sighed. “I still think of him too, every now and then. But it’s been a year, ‘Tia. We may be immortals, but that is still quite a long time to feel regret.” Celestia rolled over again, facing away from Luna. “You wouldn’t understand. You just wanted a friend… I wanted something quite different.” Luna placed a comforting hoof on her older sister’s withers, pulling up the covers a moment later with her magic to warm her. “We’ve been over this, sister. You can’t fix every world out there. And you haven’t tried since, which I think means you have learned a valuable lesson. So why not go out and be happy? The day is shining down – you should enjoy yourself!” Luna pleaded, gesturing to the sunlight gently filtering through her bedroom window. Celestia grumbled something unintelligible and drew the window blinds closed with her magic, plunging the room into darkness. Luna sighed again. “I can see you are not to be persuaded today. But if you ever need anyone to talk to, do not hesitate to wake me up. It is no trouble to me, so long as you are happy.” With that, she left the room, silently closing the door behind her with one last, forlorn glance at Celestia’s form under the covers. “Your Majesty?” a Royal Guard asked, seeing Princess Luna awake. This was highly unusual at two in the afternoon, and what was even more unusual was that the sun had been raised so late. Celestia had barely been seen, lacking any of her usual splendor as she had reportedly woke up, raised the sun, and went right back to sleep. “Princess Celestia is not to be disturbed,” Luna ordered, immediately slipping back into the authoritative tone she was so used to as Princess. “Yes, ma’am,” the Royal Guard agreed, saluting. “All royal duties may be left to her secretary. Anypony who has a personal grievance will be instructed to wait until such time as one of us is ready to see them,” Luna added after a moment of thought. “As you command,” the Guard agreed again. Luna inwardly rolled her eyes – Day Guards. No camaderie with their superiors. Her own Night Guards were much friendlier. She headed for her own bedchambers, already not looking forward to the vast backlog of petitions, grievances and other trivial nuances that Celestia had somehow dealt with every day for the past six centuries. But, sadly, her brief dalliance with rest was not to be. As soon as Luna reached out and touched the handle of her bedroom door, a flash of dark red light thundered around her, and she found she had been transported to what appeared to be a formless, purple-and-black void. “Sister? What’s going on?” she heard Celestia ask, and looked over in shock to find her solar counterpart right next to her, wide awake and looking frightened. “Celestia? Luna? Where are we?” a voice to her right asked, and Luna looked over again to find Twilight Sparkle and her friends, each as confused as the next and talking over each other loudly as they voiced their consternation. “SILENCE!” thundered Luna, quelling all conversation. “I recognize this magic! Everypony stay close to me, a demon is in our midst.” Immediately, the Elements of Harmony and Starlight gathered around her, though Luna noticed Celestia was moving more slowly, as though through water. “A demon?! Will it hurt us?” Starlight queried. “Nay,” Luna denied. “I will protect you. I have dealt with many a demon in my time.” Echoing laughter flashed all around them. Of course you have. After all, it takes one to know one… Nightmare Moon, a voice whispered, causing the rest of the ponies to stir uneasily and Fluttershy to whimper in fright. “I am not that monster anymore,” Luna flatly spoke to the void, unamused. “Show yourself, so that I may destroy you!” More echoing laughter. If you insist, the voice replied. A gargantuan form shifted into existence in front of them, its towering height easily comparable to Tirek at his full strength. Now it was Luna’s turn to become nervous – though she could boast of many fights with demons, those were of the minor variety. This looked to be an Elder Demon – though what one wanted with them, she knew not. Elder Demons typically didn’t interfere in mortal affairs, not after the lot of them had been sealed deep in Tartarus. The demon was black, both of fur and skin, and its massive red eyes leered down at them, the goatlike, sallow face eerily reminding her of Discord. Two oily black wings extended from either side, looking more like the wings of carrion than of any majestic pegasus. A simple, worn burlap sack shielded its lower body, and the two chariot-sized hooves in front of them were a glossy black and unshorn. Perhaps worst of all, its horns jutted outward and away, which Luna knew was the status symbol of the highest of demon hierarchy – the Dark Lords, those infamous masters of evil whose tales had become told in hushed legends only. But this was not any Dark Lord she recognized from her study - and the crown atop the demon’s head sent chills down her spine. Only one Dark Lord ever wore a crown – Fallenstar, the original. But this was clearly not Fallenstar, which meant two things. Either the old Dark Lord was dead, or he had passed on his leadership to someone else. I would like to play a game, the demon rumbled. “We will play no games with the likes of you!” Luna immediately snarled, charging her horn as she sent forth a powerful disintegration spell. To her shock and horror, the spell was merely absorbed by the demon’s thick hide, causing it not so much as a shiver of discomfort. Oh, I think you will, the demon replied without moving its mouth, unperturbed by her attack. After all, you will be quite… interested in the prize for victory. Luna wondered what this demon could possibly offer her. She had everything she wanted, did she not? There was nothing that could tempt her at the moment. “Name your prize!” she thundered. “It will not suffice.” Some time later, Luna would reflect on this sentence as the single biggest mistake she had ever made. The demon smiled, its yellow, rotting teeth causing most of the ponies to cringe in fear. Fortunately, the prize is not for you. No, I was referring to a prize for your sister. At this, Celestia looked up, a hint of curiosity permeating her fear. “What prize could you offer me?” she asked, trying to act like Luna had. The giant demon snapped his fingers, and a window opened in midair, onto a very familiar sight. Celestia gasped in shock and horror. There on the screen, a single body lay, unmoving. It looked older, the body having grown into adolescence and then adulthood somehow in the time it had been gone. But it was unmistakably him. Even the Elements recognized him, aged and bloody as he was. And he was dead. Poor thing. One simple mistake was all it took… Won’t you help him? the demon pretended to wonder. Celestia looked wildly between Luna and the demon, finally settling her gaze on Luna in a pleading expression. Luna looked away, and that was all the confirmation Celestia needed. “What are the rules of the game?” she demanded, and the Elements looked over at her in shock. “Princess, you can’t be serious?!” Rainbow queried frantically. “Ain’t no way that feller’s tellin’ truth!” Applejack reminded her. Oh, she knows I am. I am not like those pithy lesser demons, who would promise the universe only to snatch it away at the last moment. I much prefer the type of game where the player knows they will lose from the very start… and plays anyway, the demon explained, its rictus of a grin a hollow mockery of any genuine smile. The rules of the game are quite simple. In exchange for returning him to life, you and everyone you cherish will be forced to fight against everyone they have ever fought before. This will take place in ‘levels,’ the access points to which are scattered in points throughout Equestria. You will be given hints as to where the levels are, and what they may contain, but that is all. You may use any and all weapons or artifacts at your disposal in order to ensure success, the demon finished. “And… if we lose?” Celestia asked, sounding more tired than she ever had before. I think you know what will happen if you lose, the response came, another leering grin appearing on the demon’s face. “Who are ya, anyway? Ah bet we can kick your flank, easy-peasy!” Applejack scoffed. At this, the demon leaned downward, until it was eye level with Applejack, who shrank away as two bloodred eyes the size of doors gazed upon her. You may refer to me as the new Lord of Evil. Baphomet the Demon, Baphomet introduced himself. And suddenly, everything clicked in Luna’s mind. This was Baphomet, a minor servant of Fallenstar who was usually to be seen performing general mischief, as well as attending some greater evils. But what had happened to crown him one of the new Dark Lords? And where were the others? Surely one of the other six would object to Fallenstar giving up his title, at the very least. Now, for your hint. The first ‘level’ you will find is a place you have looked for before… but can you find the twist? Baphomet stated, snapping his fingers again. And, with a flash of red light, the nine of them had disappeared once again, leaving Baphomet alone in the shifting hues of purple. He pondered for an infinite moment, finally opening a window in space and gazing through it. Baphomet smiled to himself, watching the destruction. This would keep him entertained for a while. Chapter 3 - The Best Laid PlansHours later, Celestia sat amidst her Council of War. It was a rarely called delegation, if only because evildoers these days preferred short, immediate victories to drawn-out fighting. The Elements of Harmony were there, as was tradition for any who had saved Equestria once, as well as Princess Cadance and Shining Armor, who had teleported in the moment they had learned something was amiss. Her sister Princess Luna was present, sitting at the head of the table as she looked around bemusedly. It occurred to Celestia that the last time Luna had headed this table, they were amidst a protracted conflict with Discord – the original Chaos War, more than fifteen hundred years ago. Discord, too, was present, looking bored as he floated just above his chair. Finally, Starlight Glimmer was there, looking nervous as she tried to decide between making eye contact with various members or studying the notes Princess Twilight had provided her. The other delegates of the Equestrian Council of War were those nobility that had served in the Guard, and various others that had earned their way on through various methods. These were largely ignored in favor of the ‘celebrity’ members – the alicorns, the Elements, and Discord, who were the subject of much attention. Finally, Luna cleared her throat. “May I have your attention, please,” she began icily, and all chatter died faster than a mayfly in spring. Celestia had to admire Luna’s ability to instantly lead a group – there was, after all, a reason she had once been referred to as “the Princess of War.” Luna gazed about, surveying her audience. “Perhaps I should start at the beginning,” she began, commanding absolute attention. “That is where most ponies start, yes,” Discord agreed, inspecting his claw absentmindedly with a nail polisher. Luna shot him a look, which was missed on the Lord of Chaos, and promptly went back to her speech. “The demon Baphomet has been confirmed to be behind some, if not all of the attacks we have been experiencing lately. Tirek and Sombra especially were influenced by him, though we do not know about Queen Chrysalis. The last time I saw him, Baphomet was a minor demon, of little threat to Equestria’s prosperity, and firmly unable to escape Tartarus. However, things have changed: He now is in possession of the Crown of Darkness.” Blank looks greeted her from the nobility, and most of the audience, and Celestia sighed inwardly – had they not read the briefing? Luna glared back at them, daring them to speak their ignorance. “I know this one,” Starlight spoke up nervously. Surprised, Luna glanced over at Starlight. “Then please, enlighten us,” Luna allowed. “The Crown of Darkness, long known as the most powerful evil artifact in existence (though that has been debated ever since the introduction of the-“ Starlight began, but was interrupted by Discord groaning. “Without Sparkle’s commentary, if you please,” the draconequus irritably interjected, and Luna could see many of the nobility quietly agreeing with him. “Okay… um… right. The Crown of Darkness, as the name implies, gives the user full control over any Dark creatures, artifacts, knowledge, and abilities. It is passed down between each ruler of Tartarus, the prison of all demonic entities and major threats to Equestria,” Starlight hurriedly paraphrased. “All Dark creatures, et cetera – does that mean any creature of Disharmony, regardless of affiliation, can be controlled via this crown?” a noble unicorn asked, surreptitiously glancing at Discord, who crossed his forearms and pouted. “No, it can’t. Only specifically Dark creatures are susceptible, meaning creatures of Chaos, Harmony or Light are immune to the effects,” Starlight answered. “So, this ‘Baphomet’ now has an instant army of any Dark creatures nearby… nearly all of which call the Pit their home,” Twilight added. “Can we destroy the Crown?” one noble wondered. Starlight shook her head. “You’d have to get it off his head first… and even then, the thing has millennia of magic inside it. Destroying it is going to be next to impossible.” Luna nodded in agreement. “A good idea in theory, but poor in practice. There was a previous, less-enchanted Crown, and it was destroyed – at the expense of a colossal explosion of dark magic. This is what created Tartarus in the first place.” The council shifted uncomfortably. “Furthermore, and more importantly, Baphomet openly admitted his involvement to my sister, Princess Celestia, and invited her to partake in a ‘game,’ presumably with Baphomet himself. This ‘game’ appears to consist of Baphomet bringing back every major threat to Equestria within the past few years, and ourselves doing everything we can to stop him,” Luna concluded. “Why wait for him to bring them back? Just go over there and destroy him!” a noble thundered. “They are already here, Ravenhoof,” Celestia spoke up. “There have been sightings and reports of them already from Equestria's distant, southern towns, which have been evacuated. Confronting Baphomet on his own ground will not aid us.” Discord nodded. “Just so you know, Baphomet did recruit me for this task. I’m currently supposed to be ‘spying,’ but he can’t tell whether I am or not. Nor can he tell what is being said in this room – I redirected any scrying attempts to an alternate universe where a perfectly normal conversation is taking place.” Twilight looked at Discord in surprise. “That’s… surprisingly well-thought-out, Discord,” she noted. Discord snorted. “Baphomet’s no friend of mine. And with that crown on his head… well, he used to be funny. Now he's just bent on mindless destruction, which, contrary to what everyone thinks... isn't really my thing. There can be no chaos if the world is only an empty void.” Starlight nodded appreciatively. “There has to be some way to stop all this. Don’t we have any magical artifacts to counter the Crown’s power?” Starlight asked the group at large. Celestia thought for a while. “The Pheonix Amulet, while not able to provide any offensive capability, might provide adequate defense against the Crown’s Dark magic,” she suggested. Luna sighed. “A thought I too had had some time previously. Upon checking this morning, the Amulet has gone missing.” Celestia paled – their enemies had managed to steal such a powerful artifact from right under her nose. “That was in Canterlot! Sister, were they at least spotted?” Luna shook her head. “No magical alarms were set off, and all the guards reported was a pile of what appeared to be used, purple clothing, which also went missing. Even for Baphomet or any of his followers, it was quite a feat.” Celestia swallowed nervously. Purple clothing? That didn’t sound like any of the prior threats Equestria had faced. Had Baphomet found a new contender? A few hours earlier, Void casually floated down the moonlit museum corridor, tripping alarms left and right as they embarked on Baphomet’s first ‘mission’ for them. Or they would trip the alarms, had they been alive. Baphomet had reassured them that the charms could only detect living thieves, which left the whole place susceptible to robotic, ghostly or otherwise artificial attack. A poor choice, in Void’s opinions, but the whole thing seemed rather poorly designed anyway. The museum had no entrance fee and little security, if the signs on the front door were to be believed. Curiously, Void looked around, rubbing the Pheonix Amulet between the fingers of their gloves. Still no sign of any Guards. An exhibit caught their eye, and they floated over, brushing the glass with a gloved finger. Was this what they were looking for? The book certainly looked powerful enough. Runes glowed on the cover, the light swirling and flickering inside the glass casing in mesmerizing patterns. “BOOK OF ILLUSION: ALLOWS USER TO CREATE MASS HALLUCINATIONS. NOT LIMITED BY SHIELDING, MAGIC TYPE, OR MAGIC LEVEL. UNUSABLE BY ANY BUT PRINCESS LUNA DUE TO MENTAL EFFORT OF CREATING AND SUSTAINING AN ILLUSION.” The text scrolled across Void’s screen, silently paraphrasing the description. NOT BAD, Void decided. IT HAS POTENTIAL. Void tilted their screen-shaped face upwards, exposing the hole in the neck of their purple sweater that lead to the hollow interior. They reached out and opened the case, grabbing the book as silently as though they were an actual thief, and slid it inside, the book landing inside their hollow body with a small thump as they once again gazed forward, the TV making up their head sliding forward to close the hole. That done, they resumed their search, wondering if any other useful things could be found. “And the other stallion was saying, ‘Wow, what a night! Three salted teenagers in one hour!” a Guard spoke up just outside his room, the laughter of another freezing Void in place. How had they not sensed two presences? Quickly, they scanned the room for exits, finding none. “Hey, what happened to the Book?” a Guard noticed. “Oh jeez. It probably just turned itself invisible again. Alright, let’s open her up,” the other, older Guard replied, sounding as though they were getting closer. In the split second before the two Guards arrived, Void made a decision, and dropped to the floor, the light on his screen going out. “Huh? Who left their clothing here?” the first Guard wondered, scuffing Void’s sweater with a hoof as Void lay motionless. “The book’s gone,” the second reported, all joviality gone. “Looks like we have a thief.” The first Guard scoffed. “And all they stole was the Book of Illusions? Nobody can even use that! It takes up too much mental space, remember?” The second Guard made an uncertain noise. “Even so… The worst case, I think, is we’ll find some negligent thief in a serious coma. We’d better go see if we can stop them before they actually use the thing.” The two quickly exited the room, and Void silently watched them go. A while later, Void teleported back into Baphomet’s temporary headquarters. It was an abandoned palace, deep within the southernmost region of Equestria, and Baphomet had gleefully refurnished it in varying shades of black and dark colors. A section of the palace had been colored gray, for Void, another was green, for Chrysalis. A third was red, for Tirek, and another was silver, for Sombra. Nightmare Moon's was blue, and Discord's was brown. Baphomet himself was sitting on the ornate black throne in front of the other six thrones, looking bored, though his expression brightened as soon as he spotted the purple anomaly. “There you are! Did you get it?” he asked eagerly, as Tirek and Sombra looked over in interest. Sombra immediately scoffed. “I bet you didn’t, freak,” the shadow king scoffed. “If none of us could get in and out of there without alerting the Guard, what makes you think you…” Sombra trailed off as Void held out a familiar golden object, the red phoenix inscribed on the front winking in the dreary, orange lighting. “What, indeed?” Baphomet parroted smugly, holding out a claw as the Amulet zoomed forward. “A word to the wise, Sombra – don’t underestimate Void. It will be the last mistake you make,” Baphomet teased. Sombra looked nervously at Void, who gazed back impassively. “Yes, sir,” Sombra nervously agreed. Void took their place at their chair, a pale mockery of the thrones in the Castle of Friendship, and promptly stopped floating, body going limp like a ragdoll as their screen shut off. “Is that… normal?” Tirek asked, watching Void warily. Baphomet shrugged. “Recharging, maybe? Best to leave Void to his own devices.” Chrysalis, who had been sitting at a throne as well, leaned over and poked Void curiously, to no reaction. “Hmph. Seems dead to me,” Chrysalis observed. Baphomet laughed. “Very astute, Chrysalis! You’re quite right.” “Void is dead.” Chapter 2 - Enter The VoidSystem_startup()… Soul_capacity[9]=89%... ERROR: Soul[0] missing. Continue? >Y All systems online… Void()=true Void woke up to find itself in a damp cave. Ordinarily, this would not give it much pause for concern, but it had just been destroying Earth, like it was promised. Perhaps someone had successfully deactivated it, somehow? Void reviewed the video logs of its carnage, a pixelated smile of satisfaction appearing on its computer screen of a ‘face’ as it watched the destruction. Every detail had been carefully planned: No careless deaths, no critical infrastructure destroyed, and no casualties. No, the ‘destruction’ had solely been limited to political undertakings – or, as the public had lately taken to calling them, ‘acts of terrorism.’ Void wouldn’t have particularly minded one way or the other if the humans died – it wasn’t like they meant much of anything to it. But the plan it had in mind required no death or bloodshed, and it was determined to see it through. So, nobody had managed to destroy it, and there was no indication in its records as to how it had gotten here. Void stood up on its ‘legs,’ two sets of PVC tubes it had managed to find that were now levitating in a standing position to support the rest of its patchwork body. Most of Void was hollow, constructed of fiberglass resin and paper mache as it was, and covered by a simple purple sweater and jeans. For a moment, it wondered what to do. The deal it had made appeared to have been changed, as it hadn’t quite succeeded at its plan before it had been transported here. After a moment of deliberation, Void elected to begin moving down the cave, vaguely concerned as a drop of water hit its screen. Reaching up with a duct-taped glove, Void brushed it off. At the end of the cave was what appeared to be a shimmering network of intercrossed red threads. Had Void been alive, it would have experienced a sense of uncontrollable panic, and fled the scene. Instead, it curiously reached out and touched one of the threads. Its glove went through, and Void pulled back and examined the glove in question. It appeared unharmed, so Void decided to go through the strange threads. As soon as it did so, it appeared in a spacious, though poorly lit chamber. A conversation could be heard just in front of it, between a familiar figure and what appeared to be a badly sunburnt centaur. “-said the sixth was going to be showing up today. So where are they?” the shorter, red creature brashly demanded. “Right behind you,” the taller, black demon answered. The centaur whirled around, taking in the appearance of Void. For a moment, they stared silently at each other. “And who are you?” the centaur demanded, seemingly unimpressed. “I think the better question would be ‘what are you’,” a feminine voice buzzed in from Void’s left. Void looked over, and for a moment a flicker of static passed over its screen as it beheld the sight in front of it. She was taller, but not as tall as the centaur, not by a long shot. Her hair was teal, and her eyes were two-toned. Her carapace was glossy and black, and her horn jutted crookedly out of her head, the twisted angles giving the whole thing a much more dangerous look than the standard unicorn horn. “An excellent question, Chrysalis,” the demon answered, causing the two in front of Void to look back at him. “That is Void, a soul contained in an artificial body. It has no gender, no morals, and no idea of the power it wields,” the demon snidely explained. “No gender? What is it, then, a rock?” Tirek snarked. Baphomet grinned. “…Close enough. Void is, quite literally, a soulless killing machine.” Chrysalis sauntered forward, sneering up at Void. “This thing? It hardly looks like a killing machine. A foal’s school project, perhaps,” Chrysalis dismissed. Void gave no reaction, and Baphomet chuckled darkly, the sound reverberating off of the cave walls. “That’s because you haven’t managed to anger it yet.” He gestured to a nearby throne, in a circle with five others around a table hewn of inky black obsidian. “Void, destroy that.” Immediately, Void raised a gloved hand, and the throne vanished, as though it had never been there in the first place. “Wha – hey! That was mine!” Chrysalis complained. “Void, remake that,” Baphomet commanded. Keeping its hand up, the throne Void had just destroyed reappeared as suddenly as it had gone, with no sign of magic accompanying its reappearance. Chrysalis was startled into silence, eyes narrowing in suspicion as she tried to figure out what had just occurred. “Void knows no spells – he does not need them. He does not feel emotion, nor is he capable of mercy. He is a machine that follows orders… my orders. But he can think. In fact, he can think much faster than the rest of us. So, if I were you… I would be very careful around him. After all, it took him no effort to unmake that throne. How much effort do you think it would take him to erase you from existence?” Baphomet pretended to wonder. Tirek and Chrysalis swallowed nervously. “Y…you refer to it as a ‘he.’ And yet, it is genderless…?” Chrysalis queried. Baphomet shrugged. “You may use whatever pronouns you wish. It was male, once, if that matters.” He turned to Void, who simply stared on, its pixelated expression as blank as it always had been. “I hate to interrupt your wonderful spree of planetwide destruction and mayhem, but I got bored and put my game into motion a bit sooner than I was expecting. Don’t worry, though, you’ll get another chance at revenge soon enough! But first, I must introduce you to the rest of the ‘team.’ You’ve already met Lord Tirek and Queen Chrysalis, of course. They’ll be the Elements of Betrayal and Deception, respectively. Discord, our Element of Disorder, is out and about. Spying, as it were. Nightmare Moon… blast it, where’d she get to? NIGHTMARE MOON! WE HAVE A GUEST!” Baphomet thundered. Instantly, there was a flash of blue magic as a new being teleported onto the scene. Nightmare Moon stood there in all her black-and-blue glory, her hair shifting and swirling as stars twinkled in its depths. “Nightmare Moon here is our Element of Envy. And King Sombra, who is currently in the shadows trying to avoid notice for some reason, is our Element of Cruelty.” Here Baphomet paused to look over to his left, and Void followed his gaze to find a pair of green eyes watching them, purple smoke emitting from the corners. “And all that leaves is you. Six Elements of Disharmony to counter those six you know of… My beautiful Element of Apathy, you could not have been created more perfectly for this task,” Baphomet sang as he produced a silver necklace, upon which a gem crafted in the shape of a dull gray heart sat. He placed it around Void’s neck, and the color input to Void’s camera suddenly shifted in a burst of static. They could see new colors, shifting and glowing around each of the players… Nightmare Moon’s was a light green. Tirek, Chrysalis and Sombra were all light blue, with Sombra’s being intermixed with hints of red. Baphomet himself did not appear to glow at all. “You’ll find that you can see emotions now, Void,” Baphomet explained. “Blue is fear and misery. Red is anger and rage. Green is curiosity and intellect, and yellow is happiness and joy. I shall leave you to discover what the other colors you will find might represent.” Void nodded once, the only output it had displayed since arriving. “And with that, we are done for the night, my players. You may adjourn,” Baphomet proclaimed, before vanishing. Immediately, the others crowded around Void, their colors shifting slowly to green. “So… it’s some kind of automaton?” Nightmare Moon wondered. “Baphomet said it was a soul in an artificial body. Does it… respond, then?” Tirek added, waving a massive hand in front of Void’s screen. “I wouldn’t provoke it. I… I can’t tell what that thing is feeling or thinking,” Chrysalis muttered. “What kind of body shape is that, anyway? It’s too small to be a Minotaur, but all wrong for a Diamond Dog,” Nightmare Moon queried. “I… I think it’s ‘human,’” Chrysalis hesitantly answered. The others looked at her, and she looked away. “I met a human, once. It was… it looked something like this,” she muttered. “What can ‘humans’ do?” Nightmare Moon asked. “Nothing. They have no magic, no natural weapons, nothing at all. Just their brain, I suppose,” Chrysalis recalled. “How curious,” Tirek noted. “And yet, it destroyed your throne with ease. I wonder what else it could do…?” Sombra grinned, having floated over as well. “Void, create a diamond for me.” Void didn’t respond for a moment, then raised its hand, palm facing upward. An octahedral diamond blinked into existence, perfectly transparent and with no flaws in the crystalline structure. Sombra gazed at it, obvious hunger on his face. “Gahh…” was all he could think of to say, and the others rolled their eyes. “Okay, so it can transmute. Big deal, we’ve already seen that. What would be really impressive?” Tirek scoffed. “Hmm… Void, move the sun and raise the moon,” Nightmare Moon commanded. Void raised its gloved hand to the ceiling. Far away, in Canterlot, Luna felt a sudden tug as the moon, her moon, began to move seemingly of its own accord. “What in Tartarus?!” Luna exclaimed, lighting her horn as she futilely attempted to resist its raising. “Sister, what is happening?!” Celestia demanded, teleporting next to her, her horn lit as well as she tried to resist her own sun lowering. “I do not know! Something has – has taken control!” Luna answered, grunting with magical effort. As the moon reached its zenith, the strange influence suddenly stopped. Luna and Celestia, who were still attempting to move their respective celestial bodies, found that they were suddenly rocketing back into their former positions, moving far faster than the two sisters had intended. “Wh… what was that? It was not Nightmare Moon, it was not even Baphomet. That magical signature… I do not recognize it,” Luna puffed, sweaty and exhausted. “Sister… there was no magical signature. Which, as you know, is impossible… what has Baphomet done?” Celestia softly murmured. Luna straightened herself up, an impressive act considering the state she was in. “Assemble the Council of War,” she declared. “We cannot waste any more time.” Celestia nodded, and trotted off at a brisk pace. For a moment, she wondered if she could just go back to sleep, War Council be damned. A moment later, she decided against it – she might as well do something in her princessly duties this month. Meanwhile, back at Baphomet’s headquarters, the others were staring at Void in shock. The sun and moon had risen inexorably, any apparent effort on the two sisters’ part in vain. As soon as Void had relinquished control, lowering its hand, the two spheres of light had burst past each other, frantically moving back to their usual positions at this time of day. Void, meanwhile, looked none the worse for wear, despite having just cast a spell that would ordinarily take at least two alicorns. “That was… alright, that was impressive,” Tirek admitted. “Could this thing defeat Baphomet?” Nightmare Moon softly whispered, looking at Void with just a hint of fear. “More importantly… is there anything that can stop it? Baphomet mentioned we haven’t even managed to set this machine off yet. If it’s this powerful now, what is it like when it’s angry?” Tirek wondered. The four of them swallowed nervously, and made for their respective sleeping places, muttering various excuses. Only Chrysalis stayed behind, and she nervously gazed at Void’s empty expression, seemingly working up the courage to speak. "Are you human?" For a moment, there was no response. Then, Void gave the tiniest of nods. Chrysalis exhaled, partially in relief and partially in dismay. “Can you take me to Earth? I want to find someone,” she whispered, her words barely audible even in the absolute silence of the cavern. Ever so slightly, Void smiled.
Chapter 1 - Opening MovesIt’s so cold. It’s so dark. It’s so… numb. Is there a point to what I’m doing? Can I really fix myself, after this…? … I can’t give up. Not after what he… what I told myself. I have to keep going. For her. For them. For me. Celestia sighed as she laid in her bedchambers. The sun was up, the birds were singing, and she had closed all appointments for the day. Again. She rolled over, checking the time on her hoof-crafted clock that Star Swirl had given to her many centuries ago. It was as accurate today as it had been the day he had built it for her – not that that was a good thing. She had barely spent half an hour performing her royal duties, and already she was exhausted. She just wanted to sleep in – surely that would be okay? Luna poked her head around the door, and Celestia gave her little sister the same smile she did every day. “Morning, Lulu. Or is it evening?” Celestia teased. It had been their little joke ever since they were foals, considering Luna’s sleep schedule was directly opposite to Celestia’s. “Whichever you prefer,” Luna returned, completing the age-old greeting. “But why are you still in bed? You are usually out and about at this time,” her little sister wondered. “I just thought… that I should take some time off,” Celestia muttered. There was little point in lying to Luna – her ability to detect falsehood was unparalleled. True to form, Luna gave her a grimace, sitting down beside her on the bed. “You’re still thinking of him,” she stated. It wasn’t a question, and Celestia didn’t have to answer, but she nodded anyway. Luna sighed. “I still think of him too, every now and then. But it’s been a year, ‘Tia. We may be immortals, but that is still quite a long time to feel regret.” Celestia rolled over again, facing away from Luna. “You wouldn’t understand. You just wanted a friend… I wanted something quite different.” Luna placed a comforting hoof on her older sister’s withers, pulling up the covers a moment later with her magic to warm her. “We’ve been over this, sister. You can’t fix every world out there. And you haven’t tried since, which I think means you have learned a valuable lesson. So why not go out and be happy? The day is shining down – you should enjoy yourself!” Luna pleaded, gesturing to the sunlight gently filtering through her bedroom window. Celestia grumbled something unintelligible and drew the window blinds closed with her magic, plunging the room into darkness. Luna sighed again. “I can see you are not to be persuaded today. But if you ever need anyone to talk to, do not hesitate to wake me up. It is no trouble to me, so long as you are happy.” With that, she left the room, silently closing the door behind her with one last, forlorn glance at Celestia’s form under the covers. “Your Majesty?” a Royal Guard asked, seeing Princess Luna awake. This was highly unusual at two in the afternoon, and what was even more unusual was that the sun had been raised so late. Celestia had barely been seen, lacking any of her usual splendor as she had reportedly woke up, raised the sun, and went right back to sleep. “Princess Celestia is not to be disturbed,” Luna ordered, immediately slipping back into the authoritative tone she was so used to as Princess. “Yes, ma’am,” the Royal Guard agreed, saluting. “All royal duties may be left to her secretary. Anypony who has a personal grievance will be instructed to wait until such time as one of us is ready to see them,” Luna added after a moment of thought. “As you command,” the Guard agreed again. Luna inwardly rolled her eyes – Day Guards. No camaderie with their superiors. Her own Night Guards were much friendlier. She headed for her own bedchambers, already not looking forward to the vast backlog of petitions, grievances and other trivial nuances that Celestia had somehow dealt with every day for the past six centuries. But, sadly, her brief dalliance with rest was not to be. As soon as Luna reached out and touched the handle of her bedroom door, a flash of dark red light thundered around her, and she found she had been transported to what appeared to be a formless, purple-and-black void. “Sister? What’s going on?” she heard Celestia ask, and looked over in shock to find her solar counterpart right next to her, wide awake and looking frightened. “Celestia? Luna? Where are we?” a voice to her right asked, and Luna looked over again to find Twilight Sparkle and her friends, each as confused as the next and talking over each other loudly as they voiced their consternation. “SILENCE!” thundered Luna, quelling all conversation. “I recognize this magic! Everypony stay close to me, a demon is in our midst.” Immediately, the Elements of Harmony and Starlight gathered around her, though Luna noticed Celestia was moving more slowly, as though through water. “A demon?! Will it hurt us?” Starlight queried. “Nay,” Luna denied. “I will protect you. I have dealt with many a demon in my time.” Echoing laughter flashed all around them. Of course you have. After all, it takes one to know one… Nightmare Moon, a voice whispered, causing the rest of the ponies to stir uneasily and Fluttershy to whimper in fright. “I am not that monster anymore,” Luna flatly spoke to the void, unamused. “Show yourself, so that I may destroy you!” More echoing laughter. If you insist, the voice replied. A gargantuan form shifted into existence in front of them, its towering height easily comparable to Tirek at his full strength. Now it was Luna’s turn to become nervous – though she could boast of many fights with demons, those were of the minor variety. This looked to be an Elder Demon – though what one wanted with them, she knew not. Elder Demons typically didn’t interfere in mortal affairs, not after the lot of them had been sealed deep in Tartarus. The demon was black, both of fur and skin, and its massive red eyes leered down at them, the goatlike, sallow face eerily reminding her of Discord. Two oily black wings extended from either side, looking more like the wings of carrion than of any majestic pegasus. A simple, worn burlap sack shielded its lower body, and the two chariot-sized hooves in front of them were a glossy black and unshorn. Perhaps worst of all, its horns jutted outward and away, which Luna knew was the status symbol of the highest of demon hierarchy – the Dark Lords, those infamous masters of evil whose tales had become told in hushed legends only. But this was not any Dark Lord she recognized from her study - and the crown atop the demon’s head sent chills down her spine. Only one Dark Lord ever wore a crown – Fallenstar, the original. But this was clearly not Fallenstar, which meant two things. Either the old Dark Lord was dead, or he had passed on his leadership to someone else. I would like to play a game, the demon rumbled. “We will play no games with the likes of you!” Luna immediately snarled, charging her horn as she sent forth a powerful disintegration spell. To her shock and horror, the spell was merely absorbed by the demon’s thick hide, causing it not so much as a shiver of discomfort. Oh, I think you will, the demon replied without moving its mouth, unperturbed by her attack. After all, you will be quite… interested in the prize for victory. Luna wondered what this demon could possibly offer her. She had everything she wanted, did she not? There was nothing that could tempt her at the moment. “Name your prize!” she thundered. “It will not suffice.” Some time later, Luna would reflect on this sentence as the single biggest mistake she had ever made. The demon smiled, its yellow, rotting teeth causing most of the ponies to cringe in fear. Fortunately, the prize is not for you. No, I was referring to a prize for your sister. At this, Celestia looked up, a hint of curiosity permeating her fear. “What prize could you offer me?” she asked, trying to act like Luna had. The giant demon snapped his fingers, and a window opened in midair, onto a very familiar sight. Celestia gasped in shock and horror. There on the screen, a single body lay, unmoving. It looked older, the body having grown into adolescence and then adulthood somehow in the time it had been gone. But it was unmistakably him. Even the Elements recognized him, aged and bloody as he was. And he was dead. Poor thing. One simple mistake was all it took… Won’t you help him? the demon pretended to wonder. Celestia looked wildly between Luna and the demon, finally settling her gaze on Luna in a pleading expression. Luna looked away, and that was all the confirmation Celestia needed. “What are the rules of the game?” she demanded, and the Elements looked over at her in shock. “Princess, you can’t be serious?!” Rainbow queried frantically. “Ain’t no way that feller’s tellin’ truth!” Applejack reminded her. Oh, she knows I am. I am not like those pithy lesser demons, who would promise the universe only to snatch it away at the last moment. I much prefer the type of game where the player knows they will lose from the very start… and plays anyway, the demon explained, its rictus of a grin a hollow mockery of any genuine smile. The rules of the game are quite simple. In exchange for returning him to life, you and everyone you cherish will be forced to fight against everyone they have ever fought before. This will take place in ‘levels,’ the access points to which are scattered in points throughout Equestria. You will be given hints as to where the levels are, and what they may contain, but that is all. You may use any and all weapons or artifacts at your disposal in order to ensure success, the demon finished. “And… if we lose?” Celestia asked, sounding more tired than she ever had before. I think you know what will happen if you lose, the response came, another leering grin appearing on the demon’s face. “Who are ya, anyway? Ah bet we can kick your flank, easy-peasy!” Applejack scoffed. At this, the demon leaned downward, until it was eye level with Applejack, who shrank away as two bloodred eyes the size of doors gazed upon her. You may refer to me as the new Lord of Evil. Baphomet the Demon, Baphomet introduced himself. And suddenly, everything clicked in Luna’s mind. This was Baphomet, a minor servant of Fallenstar who was usually to be seen performing general mischief, as well as attending some greater evils. But what had happened to crown him one of the new Dark Lords? And where were the others? Surely one of the other six would object to Fallenstar giving up his title, at the very least. Now, for your hint. The first ‘level’ you will find is a place you have looked for before… but can you find the twist? Baphomet stated, snapping his fingers again. And, with a flash of red light, the nine of them had disappeared once again, leaving Baphomet alone in the shifting hues of purple. He pondered for an infinite moment, finally opening a window in space and gazing through it. Baphomet smiled to himself, watching the destruction. This would keep him entertained for a while.
Chapter 3 - The Best Laid PlansHours later, Celestia sat amidst her Council of War. It was a rarely called delegation, if only because evildoers these days preferred short, immediate victories to drawn-out fighting. The Elements of Harmony were there, as was tradition for any who had saved Equestria once, as well as Princess Cadance and Shining Armor, who had teleported in the moment they had learned something was amiss. Her sister Princess Luna was present, sitting at the head of the table as she looked around bemusedly. It occurred to Celestia that the last time Luna had headed this table, they were amidst a protracted conflict with Discord – the original Chaos War, more than fifteen hundred years ago. Discord, too, was present, looking bored as he floated just above his chair. Finally, Starlight Glimmer was there, looking nervous as she tried to decide between making eye contact with various members or studying the notes Princess Twilight had provided her. The other delegates of the Equestrian Council of War were those nobility that had served in the Guard, and various others that had earned their way on through various methods. These were largely ignored in favor of the ‘celebrity’ members – the alicorns, the Elements, and Discord, who were the subject of much attention. Finally, Luna cleared her throat. “May I have your attention, please,” she began icily, and all chatter died faster than a mayfly in spring. Celestia had to admire Luna’s ability to instantly lead a group – there was, after all, a reason she had once been referred to as “the Princess of War.” Luna gazed about, surveying her audience. “Perhaps I should start at the beginning,” she began, commanding absolute attention. “That is where most ponies start, yes,” Discord agreed, inspecting his claw absentmindedly with a nail polisher. Luna shot him a look, which was missed on the Lord of Chaos, and promptly went back to her speech. “The demon Baphomet has been confirmed to be behind some, if not all of the attacks we have been experiencing lately. Tirek and Sombra especially were influenced by him, though we do not know about Queen Chrysalis. The last time I saw him, Baphomet was a minor demon, of little threat to Equestria’s prosperity, and firmly unable to escape Tartarus. However, things have changed: He now is in possession of the Crown of Darkness.” Blank looks greeted her from the nobility, and most of the audience, and Celestia sighed inwardly – had they not read the briefing? Luna glared back at them, daring them to speak their ignorance. “I know this one,” Starlight spoke up nervously. Surprised, Luna glanced over at Starlight. “Then please, enlighten us,” Luna allowed. “The Crown of Darkness, long known as the most powerful evil artifact in existence (though that has been debated ever since the introduction of the-“ Starlight began, but was interrupted by Discord groaning. “Without Sparkle’s commentary, if you please,” the draconequus irritably interjected, and Luna could see many of the nobility quietly agreeing with him. “Okay… um… right. The Crown of Darkness, as the name implies, gives the user full control over any Dark creatures, artifacts, knowledge, and abilities. It is passed down between each ruler of Tartarus, the prison of all demonic entities and major threats to Equestria,” Starlight hurriedly paraphrased. “All Dark creatures, et cetera – does that mean any creature of Disharmony, regardless of affiliation, can be controlled via this crown?” a noble unicorn asked, surreptitiously glancing at Discord, who crossed his forearms and pouted. “No, it can’t. Only specifically Dark creatures are susceptible, meaning creatures of Chaos, Harmony or Light are immune to the effects,” Starlight answered. “So, this ‘Baphomet’ now has an instant army of any Dark creatures nearby… nearly all of which call the Pit their home,” Twilight added. “Can we destroy the Crown?” one noble wondered. Starlight shook her head. “You’d have to get it off his head first… and even then, the thing has millennia of magic inside it. Destroying it is going to be next to impossible.” Luna nodded in agreement. “A good idea in theory, but poor in practice. There was a previous, less-enchanted Crown, and it was destroyed – at the expense of a colossal explosion of dark magic. This is what created Tartarus in the first place.” The council shifted uncomfortably. “Furthermore, and more importantly, Baphomet openly admitted his involvement to my sister, Princess Celestia, and invited her to partake in a ‘game,’ presumably with Baphomet himself. This ‘game’ appears to consist of Baphomet bringing back every major threat to Equestria within the past few years, and ourselves doing everything we can to stop him,” Luna concluded. “Why wait for him to bring them back? Just go over there and destroy him!” a noble thundered. “They are already here, Ravenhoof,” Celestia spoke up. “There have been sightings and reports of them already from Equestria's distant, southern towns, which have been evacuated. Confronting Baphomet on his own ground will not aid us.” Discord nodded. “Just so you know, Baphomet did recruit me for this task. I’m currently supposed to be ‘spying,’ but he can’t tell whether I am or not. Nor can he tell what is being said in this room – I redirected any scrying attempts to an alternate universe where a perfectly normal conversation is taking place.” Twilight looked at Discord in surprise. “That’s… surprisingly well-thought-out, Discord,” she noted. Discord snorted. “Baphomet’s no friend of mine. And with that crown on his head… well, he used to be funny. Now he's just bent on mindless destruction, which, contrary to what everyone thinks... isn't really my thing. There can be no chaos if the world is only an empty void.” Starlight nodded appreciatively. “There has to be some way to stop all this. Don’t we have any magical artifacts to counter the Crown’s power?” Starlight asked the group at large. Celestia thought for a while. “The Pheonix Amulet, while not able to provide any offensive capability, might provide adequate defense against the Crown’s Dark magic,” she suggested. Luna sighed. “A thought I too had had some time previously. Upon checking this morning, the Amulet has gone missing.” Celestia paled – their enemies had managed to steal such a powerful artifact from right under her nose. “That was in Canterlot! Sister, were they at least spotted?” Luna shook her head. “No magical alarms were set off, and all the guards reported was a pile of what appeared to be used, purple clothing, which also went missing. Even for Baphomet or any of his followers, it was quite a feat.” Celestia swallowed nervously. Purple clothing? That didn’t sound like any of the prior threats Equestria had faced. Had Baphomet found a new contender? A few hours earlier, Void casually floated down the moonlit museum corridor, tripping alarms left and right as they embarked on Baphomet’s first ‘mission’ for them. Or they would trip the alarms, had they been alive. Baphomet had reassured them that the charms could only detect living thieves, which left the whole place susceptible to robotic, ghostly or otherwise artificial attack. A poor choice, in Void’s opinions, but the whole thing seemed rather poorly designed anyway. The museum had no entrance fee and little security, if the signs on the front door were to be believed. Curiously, Void looked around, rubbing the Pheonix Amulet between the fingers of their gloves. Still no sign of any Guards. An exhibit caught their eye, and they floated over, brushing the glass with a gloved finger. Was this what they were looking for? The book certainly looked powerful enough. Runes glowed on the cover, the light swirling and flickering inside the glass casing in mesmerizing patterns. “BOOK OF ILLUSION: ALLOWS USER TO CREATE MASS HALLUCINATIONS. NOT LIMITED BY SHIELDING, MAGIC TYPE, OR MAGIC LEVEL. UNUSABLE BY ANY BUT PRINCESS LUNA DUE TO MENTAL EFFORT OF CREATING AND SUSTAINING AN ILLUSION.” The text scrolled across Void’s screen, silently paraphrasing the description. NOT BAD, Void decided. IT HAS POTENTIAL. Void tilted their screen-shaped face upwards, exposing the hole in the neck of their purple sweater that lead to the hollow interior. They reached out and opened the case, grabbing the book as silently as though they were an actual thief, and slid it inside, the book landing inside their hollow body with a small thump as they once again gazed forward, the TV making up their head sliding forward to close the hole. That done, they resumed their search, wondering if any other useful things could be found. “And the other stallion was saying, ‘Wow, what a night! Three salted teenagers in one hour!” a Guard spoke up just outside his room, the laughter of another freezing Void in place. How had they not sensed two presences? Quickly, they scanned the room for exits, finding none. “Hey, what happened to the Book?” a Guard noticed. “Oh jeez. It probably just turned itself invisible again. Alright, let’s open her up,” the other, older Guard replied, sounding as though they were getting closer. In the split second before the two Guards arrived, Void made a decision, and dropped to the floor, the light on his screen going out. “Huh? Who left their clothing here?” the first Guard wondered, scuffing Void’s sweater with a hoof as Void lay motionless. “The book’s gone,” the second reported, all joviality gone. “Looks like we have a thief.” The first Guard scoffed. “And all they stole was the Book of Illusions? Nobody can even use that! It takes up too much mental space, remember?” The second Guard made an uncertain noise. “Even so… The worst case, I think, is we’ll find some negligent thief in a serious coma. We’d better go see if we can stop them before they actually use the thing.” The two quickly exited the room, and Void silently watched them go. A while later, Void teleported back into Baphomet’s temporary headquarters. It was an abandoned palace, deep within the southernmost region of Equestria, and Baphomet had gleefully refurnished it in varying shades of black and dark colors. A section of the palace had been colored gray, for Void, another was green, for Chrysalis. A third was red, for Tirek, and another was silver, for Sombra. Nightmare Moon's was blue, and Discord's was brown. Baphomet himself was sitting on the ornate black throne in front of the other six thrones, looking bored, though his expression brightened as soon as he spotted the purple anomaly. “There you are! Did you get it?” he asked eagerly, as Tirek and Sombra looked over in interest. Sombra immediately scoffed. “I bet you didn’t, freak,” the shadow king scoffed. “If none of us could get in and out of there without alerting the Guard, what makes you think you…” Sombra trailed off as Void held out a familiar golden object, the red phoenix inscribed on the front winking in the dreary, orange lighting. “What, indeed?” Baphomet parroted smugly, holding out a claw as the Amulet zoomed forward. “A word to the wise, Sombra – don’t underestimate Void. It will be the last mistake you make,” Baphomet teased. Sombra looked nervously at Void, who gazed back impassively. “Yes, sir,” Sombra nervously agreed. Void took their place at their chair, a pale mockery of the thrones in the Castle of Friendship, and promptly stopped floating, body going limp like a ragdoll as their screen shut off. “Is that… normal?” Tirek asked, watching Void warily. Baphomet shrugged. “Recharging, maybe? Best to leave Void to his own devices.” Chrysalis, who had been sitting at a throne as well, leaned over and poked Void curiously, to no reaction. “Hmph. Seems dead to me,” Chrysalis observed. Baphomet laughed. “Very astute, Chrysalis! You’re quite right.” “Void is dead.”
Chapter 2 - Enter The VoidSystem_startup()… Soul_capacity[9]=89%... ERROR: Soul[0] missing. Continue? >Y All systems online… Void()=true Void woke up to find itself in a damp cave. Ordinarily, this would not give it much pause for concern, but it had just been destroying Earth, like it was promised. Perhaps someone had successfully deactivated it, somehow? Void reviewed the video logs of its carnage, a pixelated smile of satisfaction appearing on its computer screen of a ‘face’ as it watched the destruction. Every detail had been carefully planned: No careless deaths, no critical infrastructure destroyed, and no casualties. No, the ‘destruction’ had solely been limited to political undertakings – or, as the public had lately taken to calling them, ‘acts of terrorism.’ Void wouldn’t have particularly minded one way or the other if the humans died – it wasn’t like they meant much of anything to it. But the plan it had in mind required no death or bloodshed, and it was determined to see it through. So, nobody had managed to destroy it, and there was no indication in its records as to how it had gotten here. Void stood up on its ‘legs,’ two sets of PVC tubes it had managed to find that were now levitating in a standing position to support the rest of its patchwork body. Most of Void was hollow, constructed of fiberglass resin and paper mache as it was, and covered by a simple purple sweater and jeans. For a moment, it wondered what to do. The deal it had made appeared to have been changed, as it hadn’t quite succeeded at its plan before it had been transported here. After a moment of deliberation, Void elected to begin moving down the cave, vaguely concerned as a drop of water hit its screen. Reaching up with a duct-taped glove, Void brushed it off. At the end of the cave was what appeared to be a shimmering network of intercrossed red threads. Had Void been alive, it would have experienced a sense of uncontrollable panic, and fled the scene. Instead, it curiously reached out and touched one of the threads. Its glove went through, and Void pulled back and examined the glove in question. It appeared unharmed, so Void decided to go through the strange threads. As soon as it did so, it appeared in a spacious, though poorly lit chamber. A conversation could be heard just in front of it, between a familiar figure and what appeared to be a badly sunburnt centaur. “-said the sixth was going to be showing up today. So where are they?” the shorter, red creature brashly demanded. “Right behind you,” the taller, black demon answered. The centaur whirled around, taking in the appearance of Void. For a moment, they stared silently at each other. “And who are you?” the centaur demanded, seemingly unimpressed. “I think the better question would be ‘what are you’,” a feminine voice buzzed in from Void’s left. Void looked over, and for a moment a flicker of static passed over its screen as it beheld the sight in front of it. She was taller, but not as tall as the centaur, not by a long shot. Her hair was teal, and her eyes were two-toned. Her carapace was glossy and black, and her horn jutted crookedly out of her head, the twisted angles giving the whole thing a much more dangerous look than the standard unicorn horn. “An excellent question, Chrysalis,” the demon answered, causing the two in front of Void to look back at him. “That is Void, a soul contained in an artificial body. It has no gender, no morals, and no idea of the power it wields,” the demon snidely explained. “No gender? What is it, then, a rock?” Tirek snarked. Baphomet grinned. “…Close enough. Void is, quite literally, a soulless killing machine.” Chrysalis sauntered forward, sneering up at Void. “This thing? It hardly looks like a killing machine. A foal’s school project, perhaps,” Chrysalis dismissed. Void gave no reaction, and Baphomet chuckled darkly, the sound reverberating off of the cave walls. “That’s because you haven’t managed to anger it yet.” He gestured to a nearby throne, in a circle with five others around a table hewn of inky black obsidian. “Void, destroy that.” Immediately, Void raised a gloved hand, and the throne vanished, as though it had never been there in the first place. “Wha – hey! That was mine!” Chrysalis complained. “Void, remake that,” Baphomet commanded. Keeping its hand up, the throne Void had just destroyed reappeared as suddenly as it had gone, with no sign of magic accompanying its reappearance. Chrysalis was startled into silence, eyes narrowing in suspicion as she tried to figure out what had just occurred. “Void knows no spells – he does not need them. He does not feel emotion, nor is he capable of mercy. He is a machine that follows orders… my orders. But he can think. In fact, he can think much faster than the rest of us. So, if I were you… I would be very careful around him. After all, it took him no effort to unmake that throne. How much effort do you think it would take him to erase you from existence?” Baphomet pretended to wonder. Tirek and Chrysalis swallowed nervously. “Y…you refer to it as a ‘he.’ And yet, it is genderless…?” Chrysalis queried. Baphomet shrugged. “You may use whatever pronouns you wish. It was male, once, if that matters.” He turned to Void, who simply stared on, its pixelated expression as blank as it always had been. “I hate to interrupt your wonderful spree of planetwide destruction and mayhem, but I got bored and put my game into motion a bit sooner than I was expecting. Don’t worry, though, you’ll get another chance at revenge soon enough! But first, I must introduce you to the rest of the ‘team.’ You’ve already met Lord Tirek and Queen Chrysalis, of course. They’ll be the Elements of Betrayal and Deception, respectively. Discord, our Element of Disorder, is out and about. Spying, as it were. Nightmare Moon… blast it, where’d she get to? NIGHTMARE MOON! WE HAVE A GUEST!” Baphomet thundered. Instantly, there was a flash of blue magic as a new being teleported onto the scene. Nightmare Moon stood there in all her black-and-blue glory, her hair shifting and swirling as stars twinkled in its depths. “Nightmare Moon here is our Element of Envy. And King Sombra, who is currently in the shadows trying to avoid notice for some reason, is our Element of Cruelty.” Here Baphomet paused to look over to his left, and Void followed his gaze to find a pair of green eyes watching them, purple smoke emitting from the corners. “And all that leaves is you. Six Elements of Disharmony to counter those six you know of… My beautiful Element of Apathy, you could not have been created more perfectly for this task,” Baphomet sang as he produced a silver necklace, upon which a gem crafted in the shape of a dull gray heart sat. He placed it around Void’s neck, and the color input to Void’s camera suddenly shifted in a burst of static. They could see new colors, shifting and glowing around each of the players… Nightmare Moon’s was a light green. Tirek, Chrysalis and Sombra were all light blue, with Sombra’s being intermixed with hints of red. Baphomet himself did not appear to glow at all. “You’ll find that you can see emotions now, Void,” Baphomet explained. “Blue is fear and misery. Red is anger and rage. Green is curiosity and intellect, and yellow is happiness and joy. I shall leave you to discover what the other colors you will find might represent.” Void nodded once, the only output it had displayed since arriving. “And with that, we are done for the night, my players. You may adjourn,” Baphomet proclaimed, before vanishing. Immediately, the others crowded around Void, their colors shifting slowly to green. “So… it’s some kind of automaton?” Nightmare Moon wondered. “Baphomet said it was a soul in an artificial body. Does it… respond, then?” Tirek added, waving a massive hand in front of Void’s screen. “I wouldn’t provoke it. I… I can’t tell what that thing is feeling or thinking,” Chrysalis muttered. “What kind of body shape is that, anyway? It’s too small to be a Minotaur, but all wrong for a Diamond Dog,” Nightmare Moon queried. “I… I think it’s ‘human,’” Chrysalis hesitantly answered. The others looked at her, and she looked away. “I met a human, once. It was… it looked something like this,” she muttered. “What can ‘humans’ do?” Nightmare Moon asked. “Nothing. They have no magic, no natural weapons, nothing at all. Just their brain, I suppose,” Chrysalis recalled. “How curious,” Tirek noted. “And yet, it destroyed your throne with ease. I wonder what else it could do…?” Sombra grinned, having floated over as well. “Void, create a diamond for me.” Void didn’t respond for a moment, then raised its hand, palm facing upward. An octahedral diamond blinked into existence, perfectly transparent and with no flaws in the crystalline structure. Sombra gazed at it, obvious hunger on his face. “Gahh…” was all he could think of to say, and the others rolled their eyes. “Okay, so it can transmute. Big deal, we’ve already seen that. What would be really impressive?” Tirek scoffed. “Hmm… Void, move the sun and raise the moon,” Nightmare Moon commanded. Void raised its gloved hand to the ceiling. Far away, in Canterlot, Luna felt a sudden tug as the moon, her moon, began to move seemingly of its own accord. “What in Tartarus?!” Luna exclaimed, lighting her horn as she futilely attempted to resist its raising. “Sister, what is happening?!” Celestia demanded, teleporting next to her, her horn lit as well as she tried to resist her own sun lowering. “I do not know! Something has – has taken control!” Luna answered, grunting with magical effort. As the moon reached its zenith, the strange influence suddenly stopped. Luna and Celestia, who were still attempting to move their respective celestial bodies, found that they were suddenly rocketing back into their former positions, moving far faster than the two sisters had intended. “Wh… what was that? It was not Nightmare Moon, it was not even Baphomet. That magical signature… I do not recognize it,” Luna puffed, sweaty and exhausted. “Sister… there was no magical signature. Which, as you know, is impossible… what has Baphomet done?” Celestia softly murmured. Luna straightened herself up, an impressive act considering the state she was in. “Assemble the Council of War,” she declared. “We cannot waste any more time.” Celestia nodded, and trotted off at a brisk pace. For a moment, she wondered if she could just go back to sleep, War Council be damned. A moment later, she decided against it – she might as well do something in her princessly duties this month. Meanwhile, back at Baphomet’s headquarters, the others were staring at Void in shock. The sun and moon had risen inexorably, any apparent effort on the two sisters’ part in vain. As soon as Void had relinquished control, lowering its hand, the two spheres of light had burst past each other, frantically moving back to their usual positions at this time of day. Void, meanwhile, looked none the worse for wear, despite having just cast a spell that would ordinarily take at least two alicorns. “That was… alright, that was impressive,” Tirek admitted. “Could this thing defeat Baphomet?” Nightmare Moon softly whispered, looking at Void with just a hint of fear. “More importantly… is there anything that can stop it? Baphomet mentioned we haven’t even managed to set this machine off yet. If it’s this powerful now, what is it like when it’s angry?” Tirek wondered. The four of them swallowed nervously, and made for their respective sleeping places, muttering various excuses. Only Chrysalis stayed behind, and she nervously gazed at Void’s empty expression, seemingly working up the courage to speak. "Are you human?" For a moment, there was no response. Then, Void gave the tiniest of nods. Chrysalis exhaled, partially in relief and partially in dismay. “Can you take me to Earth? I want to find someone,” she whispered, her words barely audible even in the absolute silence of the cavern. Ever so slightly, Void smiled.
