Golden Dawn: Dusk of an Empire

The research labs had long ago been bored into the rock beneath the Palace of House Golden Dawn. It was here that the Elven and Fairy scientists, forgers and gemcutters crafted their newest creations and experimented with the latest alloys and Magicite cuts. Twilight noticed a soft hum in the air as she and her companions descended into the depths on an enchanted platform, growing slightly louder as they reached the bottom. Daylight was quickly replaced by white light-emitting crystals that lined the walls and ceiling of the tunnels she saw, the sharpness of which seemed almost artificial. Rael'ia and Aternus took the lead, guiding the ponies through numerous hallways that seemed identical. Rainbow Dash whined about not teleporting right to wherever they were going, only to be told that due to the secrecy of what the labs contained, wards had been set up to prohibit teleportation. Finally they stopped at a metal door, its only adornment was a Magicite crystal the size of a pea halfway between the top of the door and its midpoint. As Rael'ia stood before it, a wide arc of light shone from the crystal, flooding her in its glow. Before the curious Alicorn could ask what was happening, the light disappeared.

"Access granted," a feminine voice echoed around them, coming from no particular direction. The door glowed and slid open to the left, revealing a large room. Fairies and Elves in Magicite-enhanced lab uniforms worked tirelessly on machines that greatly interested the Alicorn: buttons glittering on the metallic faces, screens of flickering light in front of their faces. Words in a foreign language danced across the screens along with images of zigzags, graphs and charts. Everyone seemed on edge, occasionally glancing at the thick cloth curtain that surrounded a very large something in the center of the room. A few moments later, a Fairy hovered out from the folds, his labcoat stained with dark liquid.

"Denzen," Rael'ia nodded in acknowledgement. The Fairy pulled out a handkerchief from his breast pocket and wiped some of the dark liquid off his glasses.

"Princess, Archmage," he began before noticing the ponies and dragon behind them. "Er... Pony-kin? And a young Dragon-kin, what on Terras-"

"They are with her, Head Engineer," Aternus interrupted. "Now, what is this 'bad news' you have for us?"

"Oh, yes, of course," the Fairy paused to clear his throat nervously. "You remember that I said that we now know how the Angel functions, yes?" The two Elves nodded impatiently, while Twilight and her friends exchanged confused glances. "Well... I'm afraid you're not going to like the answer."

Denzen motioned for the group to follow him behind the curtain. As she did, Rael'ia gasped in horror. Laid out on a metal table, the great Nullium husk of the Angel had been crudely broken open in a frontal bisection, leaving jagged points of metal to frame the withered, naked corpse inside. What had formerly been a male Elf was now leathery, yet fragile gray-green skin stretched over bones, filling the air with a nauseatingly sour, thick and pungent aura. Dark liquid slowly oozed from the tubes connecting the rotting limbs and pooled beneath the entity, shining red in the light. The eyes had dissolved away long ago, and its mouth hung slightly open in an eternal sigh. A female Elf and Fairy were hunched over the corpse's chest, carefully cutting into where its sternum should've been; it had previously been expertly stitched together. The Fairy channeled purple magic inside the cavity, soon tenderly pulling out a chunk of Magicite the size of an apple. To her side, Aternus groaned in disgust.

"I... I can't believe it. To stoop this low..."

"What is it?" Twilight asked. Rael'ia quickly entertained the thought of showing Spike and the ponies but decided against it. It was a good thing they were small; their eye level was equal to just below the surface of the table, making them unable to see the horror inside. Rainbow Dash was hovering in the air as usual however, and recoiled just as soon as she laid eyes on the contents.

"Euuuuugh... you don't wanna know, Egghead," was her response.

"...Oh! ...Oh. ...Ohhhh. ...Ohhhhhhhhh." Pinkie Pie bounced up and down to get a glimpse, her voice lowering and her face changing from her beaming smile to a disgusted grimace more and more as her bouncing gradually stopped.

"It's... better if you do not see," Rael'ia finally spoke. "What it is, however... is monstrous. Necromancy." Twilight gulped nervously. Her extensive magical studies under the tutelage of Celestia had, of course, once brought her to this very topic. She learned the basics of how to recognize such magic, what it could accomplish... and also knew it was almost universally forbidden by all sentient races back in Equestria.

"Highly dangerous. Near impossible to control. And it spits in the faces of our ancestors," Aternus spoke coldly. "They've turned one of our fallen into a soulless killing machine."

"Quite literally," Denzen added, pointing to the dark liquid. "Somehow, the Humans were able to combine their vast mechanical knowledge with the darkest of magic. This liquid is as much oil as it is blood. And the Magicite within its pericardium... look, it was enchanted with Lightning magic to shock the muscles into action. Commanding the entity to pick up a weapon, to attack... to kill."

"But... Humans can't use magic, ah thought," spoke Applejack. "So how did they-"

"Defectors. Traitors to the Magikin Alliance," answered Aternus. "Every war has them. Some among us believe that we are all doomed no matter what we do, so they choose to cast their lot with the Humans, bargaining their magic for their lives."

"Denzen, learn what you can from this... abomination," instructed Rael'ia. "When you've finished, send word to the Void-Seers. Only they are able to lay this poor soul to rest." Denzen nodded before a field of Arcane magic flashed before his face. He picked up a scalpel with another tendril of magic and hovered precariously as he poked into the corpse's chest cavity, recoiling slightly as dark liquid spurted out. Some splashed onto the invisible barrier in front of his face, slowly oozing and dripping off. Fluttershy let out a whimper as she and the others turned to leave. Rael'ia began walking towards the door, stopping just before it.

"Also... please try not to let anyone know about this if they don't have to. This discovery should not be divulged freely," she added after a long pause. "...It won't do any good for morale."

~

"Only the Void-Seers can help... whatever was in there?" Spike asked as they walked back down the endless, identical hallways. Aternus nodded.

"They are, to put it simply, mages that are specially sanctioned to perform Soul magic, the closest our races dare come to that vile school," he spoke solemnly.

"It's closely related to our traditional religion of old," Rael'ia added in a brighter tone. "Some still believe that the souls of all Magikin - those that once were and those that will be - reside in the Void beyond our world. The Void-Seers tend to those souls: receiving visions of what will be, but also guiding wayward souls to their rest in the Void. To all Magikin, the art of Necromancy exists only to twist and torture and enslave those souls, keeping them from their rightful rest."

"It was outlawed milennia ago, at the Summit of the Schools," said Aternus. "All the races of the world gathered together to discuss the different schools of magic, and to ban the practice of Necromancy. Even the non-magical Humans were invited, and even they agreed to the ban. On occasion, a Necromancer's cult will be discovered here and there, but... this. This cannot stand. Whoever has done this... once we discover them, the consequences will be most severe."

Twilight led the other ponies behind her, magic flaring from her horn as it controlled a quill and an empty journal at her side. She glanced back at her friends and saw the unease on their faces; she felt it, too. Though she was learning much about this new world, she decided that she had learned enough for today. In an effort to ease her mind, she clapped her journal shut and dismissed the two objects from the world. They all walked in silence until reaching the enchanted platform, continuing their silence as it ascended from under the ground and came to a stop back inside the palace. The sun had set while they were away, the stone corridors now awash with artificial torchlight glowing from their Magicite sconces.

"Ah, that took longer than I thought it would," Rael'ia sighed. A flash of bright purple light enveloped the group, rematerializing them within the palace's dining hall. Though set for at least twenty people to dine together, the long, wooden table in the center of the room was barren of food. A familiar little Fairy sat on one of the cushioned chairs, fluttering upwards at the sight of her Princess.

"Oh, there you are, Rae!" Zina smiled. "Shall I tell the cooks to get dinner started? Any special requests from your friends?" Rael'ia nodded and looked to her companions, inviting them to answer. Twilight and the others shook their heads out of politeness, though Spike glanced around the room.

"Well... some gems would be nice if you have them," the little dragon answered sheepishly after a few moments. "Rubies, sapphires... and emeralds. Especially emeralds."

"Of course!" Zina beamed as she took notes on a sheet of Arcane paper as big as herself. "Dragon-kin do love their gems, after all. Anything else? Please, don't be shy!"

"Oh, nah, we ain't picky," Applejack waved her hoof. "Whatever y'all are having is just fine."

"If you insist. I'll get that started right away!" Zina sent the paper away with a small burst of magic before teleporting herself away as well. The group wandered or sat around the room as they waited, though Twilight found herself drawn to the open balcony beyond the head of the table. As she gazed upward at the night sky, she gasped at the sight. The cloudless night gave her a clear view of a large, white moon, a thin, ethereal, silver halo around it. The stars above glittered like jewels amongst an ocean of dark azure, very much like the night Princess Luna ruled over back home. But as she gazed longer, she saw the stars slowly moving, some faster than others, as if pushed by a gentle wind. They swirled in a counterclockwise direction, and in the center of the astral whirlpool was a perfect circle of pitch black, the size of a ladybug. Rael'ia walked up behind her, smiling slightly at the curious Alicorn.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" she spoke softly.

"You're... awfully close to a black hole," Twilight said with concern. "Um, how do I explain this simply... it's a region of spacetime exhibiting such unbelievably strong gravitational effects that-"

"Not even light can escape it, I know," Rael'ia chuckled. "We've all known what it is for centuries now. But the black hole, you see how dark it is compared to the rest of the sky? Our old religion told that that hole is the entrance to the Void, and the stars are the souls of our ancestors past and future. And our moon, it was said to be the Lunar god, Lunos. And the sun, of course, the Solar god Celestos Soleus." She looked over to Twilight, who still gazed at the sky with trepidation. "...Ah, yes. We've also studied the more scientific aspects of our night sky thoroughly. Though the stars may be drawn slowly towards it, the black hole seems to not affect this world. Something about the ley lines deep within the world keeping it anchored within the emptiness around the Void... you'd have to ask Aternus, he knows more about that sort of thing than I do. Yet the Void-Seers somehow commune with those very stars, receiving prophecies and premonitions. And so far, they've been right every time... perhaps not as straightforward as interpreted, but still correct."

"Interesting," Twilight breathed. "This truly is a completely different universe, isn't it?" Rael'ia nodded silently, and they quietly gazed at the sky until at last, in a flash of light, a fabulous array of food and drink blinked into existence upon the table, a bowl of shining gemstones being the centerpiece.

~

Just a few hours after dinner, Rael'ia prepared to settle into her own bed for the first time in months. Clothed in a short-sleeved tunic of translucent blue silk, she slipped underneath the embroidered covers and laid her body still.

There's nothing quite like your own bed, she silently thought and let out a content sigh. The mattress and pillows were enchanted to always remain perfectly cool, and the tiny Magicite beads sewn onto the gauzy canopy above and around her bed twinkled like stars, emitting just a touch of light into the darkness. It wasn't long before she drifted off to sleep.

Her dreams took her to a dark place, one she had been able to blissfully will away back in Equestria. It was the first battle after her brother had fallen to the first Angel... well, more like a massacre. Filled with unfathomable grief and rage, she had ordered an attack on the closest Human settlement, regardless of strategical importance or threat level. She and her men attacked at the crack of dawn, easily cutting down those who tried their best to defend their homes and families while she herself unleashed a terrifying barrage of magic at the stone walls.

"The Humans will pay dearly for what they have done!" she screamed as her eyes glowed like suns and the walls exploded into rubble. A swath of destruction tore a straight line through the small town, obliterating everything her magic came into contact with, leaving naught but smoldering earth behind. As the last defender fell, her men rushed through the gaping hole she had created. "Kill everyone you find inside! Spare no one! Your Princess will have her vengeance!" she snarled as she began razing everything she could see to the ground. Her people willingly obeyed, razing, pillaging, murdering.

"Die, you rabbit-spawn! You are nothing to us!"

"Short-lived filth! Like dust in the wind!"

"You will pay for the death of our Prince!"

The sun was high in the sky now, and the town was utterly destroyed. What buildings hadn't been lit on fire were already smoldering ruins. Corpses of men, women and children littered the streets, and the streets ran red with streams of blood. Shops were ransacked, valuables were looted, livestock were slaughtered where they stood for the feast to come later in the day. Rael'ia walked defiantly down one of the blood-soaked alleyways, pleased with the destruction she had wrought. The sight of such carnage brought an evil grin to her face. Her parents, her brother would have been pleased.

Suddenly, a quiet whimper brought her attention to the burned out remains of a house to her right. As she charged up her hand with fierce magic, she peeked over a ruined wall to find the source of the noise. What she saw made her pause: a Human boy, no older than four or five, clothed in bloodied rags was tugging futilely at the dress of a badly singed female body, his mother. She laid beneath the charred body of a man; both of them had perished in fear, their faces wide-eyed and their mouths agape in mid-scream. The stuffed brown bear the child held in his other hand dragged along the floor, slowly soaking in blood.

"Mommy... mommy... please get up..."

In an instant, Rael'ia's icy heart shattered. This child had just suffered the same fate she had suffered. All he knew and loved had been unfairly ripped away from him, for no fault of his own. She staggered back in horror; overwhelming guilt made her body heavy, and she sank to her knees. Tears welled in her eyes as she realized the unnecessary pain and sorrow she had inflicted. This child once had a family, just as she did. And she had cruelly taken that away from him, never to be returned. She, at least, had the faint hope that her own mother yet lived. Who was she to punish the innocent?

"Ah, one got away, it seems." One of her infantry approached from behind her, having heard the crying. "Don't you fret, Princess, I'll fix that-"

Rael'ia grabbed his leg as the soldier walked past, and he stopped immediately.

"...Leave him," she finally spoke, trying her hardest to sound stoic and firm while hiding her own sobs. "In fact... tell the others to return to camp. We are finished here."

"Eh? You sure about that? It's just a child... his death won't make any difference-"

"I said leave him," she growled. "Do you dare defy your Princess?"

"No, of course not, your Highness," the soldier nervously stammered as he backed away with haste. He ran out of view shouting the order to leave as Rael'ia stared at the ground, watching tears drip down and moisten the earth. She sat there until there was nothing but silence, the sobbing eventually ceasing entirely. She was the last one to leave.

~

Without awakening fully, Rael'ia broke herself out of her dream. She felt a cold sweat all over her tense body, and her stomach was a bottomless pit. That was the day she had sworn to find a better way to end the war, the day she had pledged to find a peaceful solution, so those like that innocent Human child would never feel the way she had felt. Never again.

She allowed herself to relax and drift back into slumber. She now had the means to end the war without much more unnecessary blood spilled. Though she would feel this pain for the rest of her life, the burden felt just a little lighter.

This war would end with harmony. With peace.