Void

It’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.