"My mommy always said there were no monsters. No real ones. But there are."

-Aliens (1986)

Somewhere in a barren wasteland...

My claw emerged from the rubble. I was already worse for wear, but this was just asinine. I'm pretty sure the dents on my body were close to becoming holes. My vision was getting glitched up to Hell, so I had to smack myself in the head in order to make sure I wasn't looking forward to seeing TV static for the rest of my life.

I looked around. Well, this place was perfect to describe my mood. Cold and miserable. Thanks to that insipid voice, justice was once again spat on. Thankfully, it wasn't my fault, but what did that matter? Even WORSE rape happened! This time, at the monstrous hands of a...a...Great Old One? Not sure what they are, but I should look into it.

How about NO! Do you even know what you're going up against in your head?! Not me, of course, but that thing! Ever heard of H.P Lovecraft?

You again! I swear I'm gonna...who?

H.P Lovecraft. Science fiction horror author and renowned racist. Those were the days. Anyway, he ended up writing a bunch of books about indescribable horrors from another realm or something that wanted to drive all into madness. I'm guessing this is the one he DIDN'T write about. One thing's common in those books. You can never win against a Great Old One. They're just so damn strong!

I thought you said I could do anything due to my supposed 'awesomness'! It's times like this I wish I was overpowered! Then again, it bled when I slashed at it. If it bleeds, I can kill it.

Just...go pay attention to your pals. I've gotta go.

Fair enough. Actually, that's a really good idea. I looked upon the others rising from the rubble. The Three Shadows looked worse for wear, but they managed. Valerie collapsed comically onto the surface and raised her claw.

"Anyone who hasn't kicked the bucket, say I." She weakly said.

"I." We all responded in kind.

Mordred also rose up and shook his head vigorously. "Well, that was awful! I doubt I'm gonna be right in the head again, but hey! We're alive. Right?"

The most depressing sight was, obviously, Sonata. She looked like she was barely keeping it together. Like if she or somebody made the wrong move, she would burst into sobs. I couldn't blame her. She had watched her home taken over by a monstrous eldritch abomination that raped her closest companions and broke them in front of her with the promise that she was next. I hung my head in sadness, as I felt I could provide little comfort, given my past involuntary actions.

Before I could change my mind on that, though, Mordred looked at her. "Oh...oooohhhh....I am so sorry for what happened."

"It's...okay..." She said, though I could tell by her look that...well, you get the idea. "It'll be okay...it'll be okay...it'll be okaahahahaaaaay!" She sobbed at last, burying her hands into her face.

"Poor child." Lucretia bowed her head. "One of these days, we will make that freakish lout pay for his crimes."

"What a cruel creature that Overcast was." Eve did the same. "He's no different than Sombra, if not worse."

"I'll believe that after he's conquered an entire race, but I suppose the Arceus-awful things he did qualify." Valerie narrowed her eyes. "And we could have easily done him in, too!"

As they spoke, Mordred placed removed his cape and placed it around the Siren. "Wh...what are you doing?" She asked, her eyes utterly red with the tears.

"This place is kinda chilly, even for me. It was the least I could do." Mordred said kindly. "Here, I'll give you a lift." He did so and she just curled up into his chest. Such a kind Knight. No wonder we became buddies almost instantly.

"So...now what?" Valerie uneasily said. "We can't just stand all about here and stare at the non-existent sun! Seriously, it's greyer than an goth Onyx in here."

We stood in silence, unsure of what to do. I wanted to say that we should take revenge against Overcast (though I would have advised not eating his remains as calamari, as well, on account that we didn't know where else he's been), but I knew that was, for the moment, impossible. Aaron wasn't cooperating (for possibly legit reasons THIS time) and...well...here goes nothing.

"I say we find civilization, then we should discuss our plan." I asked. "It's the only option we've got."

"Sadly, he has a point." Lucretia said. "We cannot just stand here and wallow in sorrow. Our resolve must be built from the ground up."

"Maybe over a cup of hot cocoa." Eve suggested.

"I could go for some." Sonata sniffed.

And with that, we set out. Perhaps I could open up to these guys? Who knows? We could exchange stories along the way. For in times like this, we might as well be in this together.

Meanwhile in Tartarus...

Nightmare Rarity (named herself so based on her new form and BECAUSE TALENT OR SOME SHIT) cleared the dust and, before her, were the Demon Lords. Or, really, their "Shell" forms. Basically, just floating orbs of differing colors. All of which were red and pulsating with energy, as if whatever was in them was just begging to get out.

"So...these are the Demon Lords I was promised?" She raised an eyebrow at their small forms. "I was expecting something much more...menacing."

"You underestimate us, mate. Like I expected any different." A sly sounding Australian voice came from one orb.

"This IS the one who dares call herself the master of all nightmares when there is already one who rules over them all." A deep gravely voice that sounded only slightly Australian (we don't get it either) orb pointed out.

"That time on the moon could have NOT been healthy." A deep laid-back voiced orb stated.

"I could..hrrrnggg...care less." A wheezy voiced orb said.

Nightmare Rarity's eye twitched at these remarks. "Do you really think you are in any position to demean me? I am Nightmare Moon! The true ruler of Equestria and the one who will blanket this-"

"Entire world in night. Our brethren have heard it all before." The gravely voiced one interrupted.

"Honestly, mate. Get some new material." The sly voiced one scoffed.

"ENOUGH!" The mare of the moon stamped her hoof down, silencing the orbs. "At least I actually did things. You fools stayed here in Tartarus as mere infants. Even when you grew into powerful new forms, you choose these because you are under the false pretense that you'll be here forever."

"Why are you here?" The laid-back voiced one asked.

"Yes...get to the point..." The wheezy voiced one implored.

"Sigh. You're no fun." Nightmare Rarity sat down on her makeshift throne. "As you know, Equestria is densely populated with a mostly female population. Personally, that's one perk I agree on with Celestia. So many delicious mares, griffons, dragons, and what-not." She licked her lips.

"Oi! Creeeepy." The sly voiced one remarked.

"Also, here's something I need to ask you. How are you alive?" The gravely voiced one asked. "From what we got from our peers, you were all but erased from Princess Luna. Also...is that the essence of Sombra floating in? I thought he died a while ago. Not recently!"

Nightmare looked to the side and saw, indeed, Sombra's shrieking spirit being dragged into the lake of Hellfire. "Hmph. He was a distraction, after all. I understand why you're curious and, really, I'm shocked too. This strange being known as Aaron has brought me back from the brink on the basis of a...story. I'm not sure what to make of this, but I am alive and that is what matters. Sombra followed suit, but all he kept talking about was his empire and all that worthless dribble."

"Kinda like you and your 'eternal night' shtick?" The laid back voiced asked.

"Yes, and-HEY!" She fired some dark magic at the orb, which it dodged. "Refrain from your comments, you abomination! As I was SAYING....I am alive. And there is a great amount of females ripe for the taking. For, you see, there is a secret in this realm. All the evil in this world has been converging in the center of Tartarus. I think it began when Aaron first arrived in this land, but I'm in no mood for speculation. If we can just speed up the process, it might create an abomination that will ensure our absolute dominion over Equestria!"

"Hmmm...it would be...nice to see...aaaughhh...the sun again..." The wheezy voiced one said.

"Just think of it! The anarchy we'll spread! Frying those buggers like shrimp on the barbie!" The sly voiced one chuckled.

"I heard there were some pretty big oceans out there. I could use the swimming practice." The laid-back voiced one said.

"Whatever. I'm fine with both this realm and the other one. I'll personally enjoy turning Celestia's little castle to rubble, though." The gravely voiced one growled.

"Exactly what I wanted to hear." Nightmare Rarity grinned. "Do you wish to earn your freedom? Bring back a good amount of females here and you'll be one step closer to it."

"May I ask...hnnnng....why?" The wheezy voiced one asked.

You know, having an opinion against a powerful figure is a very BAD idea.

"Ah. Aaron. You've come to join us." Nightmare Rarity heard the voice alongside the others.

"So, that's Aaron? Eh. I've heard worse." The sly voiced one would have shrugged, but he was still in his shell.

"Why should we be afraid of a little voice?" The laid-back voiced one asked.

"Idiot. Never underestimate an opponent." The gravely voiced one reprimanded.

See? He's got the right idea and I'm pretty sure his true form is butt ugly. Anyway, do what she says. Else, I'll show you my power, which goes a bit something like...this.

Suddenly, the orbs convulsed with pain as electricity coursed through their bodies for a good few minutes.

"OKAY, OKAY!" The sly voiced one pleaded. "I GET IT! OUT OF LINE! OUT OF LINE!"

"I take whatever I said earlier back!" The laid-back voiced one said.

"No...more...I'm already...auuugh...suffering enough." The wheezy voiced one panted.

"I think the pecking order has been established." Nightmare Rarity said, though there was slight anger in her voice at the thought at being below this voice. "Anyway, seek out females already! This place is utterly repugnant! And, if you dare disobey me, I'll take my time ridding this whole planet of life just because I can!"

The orbs gasped at that.

"I'm a villain. It's what I do." Nightmare Rarity shrugged.

"Well, that was weird. C'mon, boys! Let's ride!" The sly-voiced one rose up.

"Freedom, HERE WE COME!" The laid-back voiced one exclaimed.

"Reprieve....recovery...maybe..." The wheezy voiced one sighed before rising.

"This isn't over." The gravely voiced one warned as he rose. "Who knows? I might come for you."

"Don't count on it." Nightmare Rarity winked as she watched them all leave. "Aaron, what was it you promised me again?"

Dominion over the sun and moon once more. Don't need to remind me twice. It's like you don't trust me.

"Trust is a dangerous thing to give in times like this." The mare said. "Now, buck off to whatever realm you call home."

I believe I will, sweetcheeks. See ya'!

Nightmare Rarity made a mental note to, if this 'Aaron' showed up in physical form, kick him hard in the balls for that quote.

Back with out heroes...

As we walked, I decided to break the ice. "So...Lucretia...can I ask you a question?"

"Choose your words carefully. I still have memories of you blasting me almost to oblivion." She replied.

"Well, you were attacking me under the thrall of a tyrant, but I see your point. Nevertheless, I ask you." I implored. "What was it like before you ended up in Equestria?"

"That's a bit personal, don't you think?" Eve innocently pointed out.

"Yeah, it's not a fun collection of stories." Valerie agreed. "Sure you're interested?"

"We're going to be traveling with each-other for quite a while." I replied. "It would be inadvisable not to get to know each-other as allies. After all, it would spite Sombra's memory if you just let it all out."

"Right answer." Lucretia almost smiled at that last bit before returning to her stoic self. "Mordred, do you allow this?"

"Oh, sure!" The jovial Dullahan answered. "Just try to keep the fine details from being too life scarring." He looked down at his Siren friend. "You feeling better now?"

"A little." Sonata replied. "There's got to be a way we can get back at that...that...freak!" She almost hissed at that last part. "I can't even come up with a witty insult right now! He's that bad!"

"I can think of one." Mordred suggested. "Pillock, git, son of a taint, seafood surprise, tenta-fool, sword bait, arrow bait, whip bait, other types of dangerous weapon bait...should I go on?"

"Oh, uh, sure." Sonata replied, a bit impressed with the list of insults as it continued to grow.

"Well, at least they're occupied." Eve said.

"Anyway, Valerie? You go first." Lucretia suggested.

"Okay, fine. Here we go." Valerie cleared her throat. "Listen, love. Pokemon and battle are like bread and wine. You can't have one thing without the other. Unfortunately, some humans deciding to stop mucking around waiting to get Pokemon of their own and just started a fight club for the heck of it. As you can imagine, Pokemon went in and only the strongest came out. Me, personally? Top of my class in the speed department. Had a fair share of close calls, but it was all well and good."

"There is nothing 'well and good' about being forced to fight for your life for eternity." I replied, a bit disgusted by the implications of that place.

"Yeah, yeah. I know what you mean. The food was awful, the bosses provided some of the worst commentary I heard since Sombra got drunk and spectated the slave pits with zero tact, and soon, people started drugging up their Pokemon to better stand a chance. My last opponent before some random portal came along the way was this Houndoom. He was probably the biggest blooming dog I've ever seen and I almost lost an eye to his flames. Almost felt like my life was coming to an end that time. All in all, I'm pretty much over it." She smiled as she squeezed her breasts a bit, humming in satisfaction. "Plus, you don't have these knockers back where I come from. I could get lost in doing this sometimes."

"You're hopeless." Lucretia sighed.

"I think I should go next." Eve suggested. "And please stop talking about breasts. So embarrassing..." She blushed as she tried to hide her face with one of her ears.

"No promises!" Valerie responded.

"I guess it all began when I was young." She started. "Before I evolved, my trainer was...lonely. So lonely, that I would sometimes find him making love with the most...questionable of things, even the kitchen sink. He was so desperate for a girlfriend that he kept leering at me whenever I wasn't looking. I wasn't even a Lopunny at the time, so I never really felt safe. I was always afraid he'd turn on me and, as you know, we Bunearys start out with a base friendship level of 0%. You can imagine how hard it was to like him at the moment."

I felt like retching, however impossible that was without a mouth and a stomach. This man was basically checking out a child and...well, one of my circuits fried trying to comprehend that reality, so yeah. I'm not pleased. I continued to listen.

"When I finally became a Lopunny, he was overjoyed. Still, as if to gain back my trust, he had me participating in actual battle. Surprisingly, I was really good at it. I refused to use Charm to boost this, as I eventually gained quite a lot of strength in my legs. Somewhere along the line, something burned within me. Complete and utter resentment for my trainer. Even after the battles, he continued to leer and he even tried touching me in...private areas in my sleep. Then, one day, he went too far. I was beaten savagely by a rabid Aggron and, shortly afterward, he struck. He was right on top of me when..." She shivered as she got to the uncomfortable part.

"I think it's time the other half took over this portion of the story." Lucretia said as she flicked some pepper at her companion's face. I braced myself for the abrasive personality to surface. Indeed it did.

"That bastard thought I was sooooo defenseless that he didn't notice the big rock I brained him with!" She shouted, clenching her fist with a smile. "You should have seen the carnage after that! Blow by blow, he was reduced to a reddened stain on the floor! It was then I found my true calling in life! Smashing the living shit out of everything that got in my way! Hoo boy! I could not even begin to describe the rush I got when I watched a bastard's life disappear!"

"Aaaand we're moving back to the Eve we know and love." Valerie got some dust and threw it at her, causing another sneeze, and reverting her back to her passive self.

"So, then the portal came and there I was. Alone. Until I met Lucretia." Eve looked at her companion. "Thanks to her, we managed to find the Crystal Kingdom...a decision we came to regret for a while."

"I suppose that leaves me." The Lucario bowed her head. "My origin was a bit more...elaborate. I was literally born in a lab. I forgot which organization and frankly, I don't want to remember. As a Riolu, I was unaware of the outside world. All I knew was the padded cell that was my home. The scientists didn't pay much attention to me. Only the other children. They spoke of how they were ripped from their families to be experimented on for whatever cause they could think of next. A particularly wise Diglet even told me the place was going under in a financial sense, so every experiment was growing more and more life threatening to us."

"You seem strong. I'm sure you endured nicely." I commented, though I kinda felt like kicking myself for that quote. This seemed like a touchy subject already.

"'Endured' is the appropriate word, Stranger." She responded. "The moment I evolved into a Lucario after a few years of rigorous training, they began to use much more intense means of pushing me to my limits. Electrocution, oxygen deprivation, beatings in which I could never defend myself...I'll admit this much. I should have died, but every day left me feeling stronger once the pain subsided. My hatred of them and their cold attitudes didn't waver, though. I planned, one of these days, to utterly destroy this place and burn its legacy to the ground. Then, one day, something happened."

She looked a bit sadder now. "Three new Pokemon were sent from another region. I think it was...Unova. Interesting name, indeed. They were an interesting trio, all things considered. The first of which was an eel-lamprey like Pokemon they labeled an Eelektross. He was an utter adrenaline junkie, thirsting for the next opportunity for action. He named himself Pestilence for some odd reason. The next was a more quiet dragon-type they labeled a Shiny Haxorus. Despite his intimidating appearance, he loved to play with the children when he wasn't being injected with all matter of strength enhancing drugs. He named himself War when we both realized what his purpose would be. The final one I knew even better. He was...broken, to say the least. He was a mighty dragon-type named Conquest. I believe his species was titled 'Hydreigon'."

"Say...am I the only one who thinks I know where this is going?" Sonata raised an eyebrow, having calmed down significantly.

"Oh, yes." She closed her eyes as she relished the memory. "We grew awfully close as we trained together. He was much like me. Focused on the task at hand, yet he would regularly cry whenever he went to sleep. As I would learn, he was suffered even worse tortures then I had. Owned by a petulant man named Ghetsis, he was constantly and forcefully fed a diet of his fellow Pokemon that failed to live up to certain standards. Thanks to it, he was hostile to all humans, thus, he was sent to our facility alongside the other two males for 'better use', as they called it. It was during one fateful night, after a harsh day of training, in which we took our friendship one step further. He had been pushed too far and he had injured more than one technician in his madness. Out of kindness, I visited him for comfort's sake. To help even further, I offered to stay with him through the night. Perhaps it was the feeling of our bodies together. Maybe we weren't thinking straight after electric experiment #221. Whatever the case...we gave away our purity to each-other."

"You basically had sex." I pointed out.

"Yep! And I bet it was awesoooome!" Valerie giggled.

"Erm...yes." Lucretia, unsuccessfully, tried to hide her blush. "P-p-please! Be quiet!" She calmed as she remembered sadder times. "Unfortunately, our union only attracted more men in white coats. They wanted to see what kind of Pokemon would be birthed from me, despite the fact that I was not great with his child. They intended to take me to a separate and more secretive facility due to the fact that their organization was finally falling apart. In a fury, Conquest and his compatriots rampaged through the place, reducing it to rubble. By the time the dust settled and the Pokemon were free, I could not see him or the others. It was painfully clear to me that...they perished in an explosion that did most of the damage. My resolve to make all types of injustice pay began that day...right before a portal sent me to Equestria."

"Ouch. One moment you're up, the next, you're down." Sonata remarked.

"It was then I met Eve and, eventually, Valerie. The three of us were captured by Sombra's forces only two days after we had entered the land and grown accustomed to our new bodies. Seeing potential in us, as we have never been seen in his lands before, we were turned into his personal guards. And that is when we met Mordred." She pointed to the Dullahan.

"Perhaps this would be a good opportunity to tell of your story." I suggested.

"Oh, boy! Story time! I mean, it's not as heavy as what the girls just said, but I'll tell ya'! It's something!" He began.

Meanwhile at the Ponyville hospital...

"Ditzy Doo, this can't go on." Nurse Redheart, one of the most renowned medics of Ponyville, face-palmed as she looked upon her patient. "You can't keep flying up above with multitudes of heavy objects above civilized areas."

"Sorry, ma'am." The dull grey blonde mare shrugged as her eyes once again rolled to different directions. Such was the plight of the single mother mailmare. "I just don't know what went wrong."

Redheart sighed. "Look, I know you're not the mare everypony thinks you are. You show no mental health issues and your eyes are purely a physical affliction. Perhaps you and I could talk about ways to work around that issue."

"Are you talking about a seminar?" Ditzy asked. "Because...well...my Dinky and Amethyst need me."

"Your daughters? I'm sure they can understand your absence." The nurse replied. "They love you too much to be inconsiderate."

"Yeah. I guess." Ditzy looked back, nervous. "Also, is it getting hot in here or is it just me?"

"Hmmm...you have a point." Redheart admitted. "Summer's a month away. Did Celestia get drunk again?"

Suddenly, a flash of fire erupted from the halls. Doctors and patients ran for the door as the flames licked the walls. A red orb floated through the inferno and floated in front of the twosome.

"Wh-what's going on?!" Ditzy exclaimed upon seeing the burning wreckage in front of her along with the orb.

"I don't know, but we need to remain calm!" Redheart replied, though she was frantically looking for some kind of way out of this. Sadly, both ends of the hall were blocked off.

"You'll be....hnnnnguuugh....happy to know there aren't any casualties. You two and I are the...the...urrrg...only ones left." The wheezy voiced orb said.

"Who...what are you?" Ditzy shivered.

"And why did you just set the entire hallway ablaze? You could have hurt somepony!" Redheart admonished it.

"I...apologize. You're probably afraid of this hideous orb form." The wheezy voiced one rationalized. "Perhaps...grrrnggg...I should turn back into my true form. Then, I implore that you two listen."

The two mares looked at each-other. "So...that fire was an accident?" Ditzy tilted her head.

"Yes...now...behold..." The orb groaned as it shook violently in the air. With a flash of light that nearly blinded the duo, a new form stood in front of them. As if they weren't terrified already, they were now.

He was a large dragon-like creature with 3 large hoops of pure flame on each side. It's skin was horribly charred and it was covered in various areas with bony yellow armor. His long tail swooshed about as his claws flexed. His head was like a bird, but it had 4 small green eyes and no sign of a mouth or beak-mark. He still looked like he was in agony, as he limped towards them a bit, dragging his toe-claws against the floor.

"I am the Demon Lord of Fire...The Pain." He said before noticing their discomfort. "Don't be afraid...I...urghh...won't hurt you. In fact, the only person I seem to hurt...is myself."

"...you pause a lot." Ditzy broke the silence.

"Forgive me. Speech impediment..." He looked at Redheart with utmost curiosity. "You're...a nurse? You rid people of pain?"

"Yes. Did you come for an appointment? Because this really isn't how we usually do things around here." She stated, keeping her cool at last and standing up slowly. "There's a lot less explosions and possible loss of life."

"I didn't...gaaah...come here for help. Nothing can cure the disease that is me...however...you could provide some possible...auuugh...reprieve." He edged closer and, before she could move, cupped her cheek with his claw. "White as snow...and hair red as cherry blossoms...please...provide me reprieve."

Ditzy looked at the creature with curiosity. He didn't seem unfriendly and he genuinely looked and talked like he was in constant pain, hence his odd name. She also had to admit. For a sickly and somewhat scary demon, he wasn't exactly scrawny. She jumped a bit when he suddenly wrapped his tail around her.

"You...you have two daughters...where is the father? Everyoen...gnnngh...has a father. Forgive me if I'm prying but...I haven't...hnnngh...seen the surface in...ever." He asked innocently.

"I don't really like to talk about that." Ditzy looked to the side, a bit sullen. "Also, could you let me go?"

"You have...the most wonderful eyes." He gazed into them longingly. "Even more beautiful than I could ever hope to be. It makes me forget about the ceaseless agony that is me...oh, wait...gnnnng...there it is again."

"You like my eyes?" Ditzy tilted her head again, almost getting a chuckle out of the Demon Lord. "Well, uhhh...thanks."

"Could you please tell us what you want? This is getting rather creepy." Redheart said, backing away from his claw.

"You have to come with...herraagh....me. I need to do so for my master. Please. I'll protect you two along the way." The Pain stated.

"I'm sorry, but I have a job." The nurse said. "I don't even like where this is going, though I don't doubt that you have good intentions, your entrance aside."

"Thank you for your considera...gaargh...consideration, but we have no choice. The master will not be pleased and we will all die or worse if we don't comply." The Pain hung his head down. "I'm sorry."

"But...what about my Dinky and Amethyst?" Ditzy asked. "I can't just leave them!"

"Don't worry. If anything bad happens to them, I will do my best to release you two." He said, fighting through his pain to form a coherent sentence. "You must...aaaaugh! You must trust me! Agony! FADING! FAAADIIING....okay, I feel a bit better now."

Before another word could be spoken, they vanished in puff of smoke. Their trip to Tartarus had begun.

Back with our heroes...

"So, this is the story all about how my life got flipped, turned upside-down! So I'm gonna have you all sit right there! I'm gonna tell you how I became the-"

"Focus, Mordred." Lucretia interrupted the joking Dullahan.

"Oh. Sorry. Anywho, I don't know what I was made for to begin with. Maybe a hornless minotaur? A really stupid dragon? I'll never know. I just know that, one day, I decided to be alive! Haboozki!"

"That's it?" Sonata looked up at him. "You just decided to become a walking suit of armor?"

"That hardly makes logical sense." I remarked.

"Well, I guess you don't want to be alive too often! You would never know how it feels! However, I felt empty without...well, a purpose, so I wandered the land until I found the Crystal Kingdom. At first, it looked pretty damn good, but then the slavery and annoying ruler came and kind of set fire to that image. Needless to say, I was turned into his loyal servant on the spot. At first, it was..eh...okay. Plenty of battle, plenty of...stuff...okay, it sucked. But at least I met the Three Shadows of Sombra here." Mordred pointed to the trio.

"He was very kind, funny, and considerate." Eve cheerfully said. "He provided much comfort during even the harshest of moments."

"And then there was that contest to see who would get him in the sack first." Valerie said. "Kinda went nowhere, on the account that he has no di-"

"Moving on." Lucretia interrupted. "He became our new master and we accepted it with grace and honor."

"Buuuut then Sombra decides to be a dick himself and turn us immortal. Sounds good, right? Hooo boy, you'd be so wrong. Nothing much, actually. Just imprisoning us in a mountain until he rose again, which was NEVER, by the way." The Dullahan folded his arms. "But hey! At least he's dead."

"And soon, Overcast will follow." I clenched my claw. "And that weird voice in my head."

"Say what now?"

"Nevermind."

"So, how about you?" Mordred asked Sonata. "Got any stories you'd like to tell us? I won't tell anyone of any scandals. Because let's face it. It's pretty much a rite of passage for pop singers nowadays."

"If you really wanna know..." Sonata considered her options. "I guess. Though, to prevent this from being just filler, let's just transition again. Hit it, bold line!"

Okay, what?!

Meanwhile in a Hot Spring near Ponyville...

"C'mon, Gilda! The water's fine!" Roseluck, one of the famed members of the Botany Trio of Ponyville, called out to her Griffon companion.

"As if! Look, Rose, I appreciate it that Pinkie managed to get us a good spot, but I'm probably not ready to have my feathers get soggy." The griffoness replied, her clothes still on (or lack thereof, considering her tanktop and short ripped jeans) as she feasted upon a freshly killed wild bear.

"C'mon! There's no-one here but us girls! We'll be good." The very-pale yellow Earth pony replied. "Besides, didn't you come here because you needed to unwind after that flying Cragodile invasion?"

Gilda had both fond and foul memories of that day. A time where flying Cragodiles (of all things) attacked her still recovering kingdom and nearly reduced the place to dust before she and her kind managed to fend them off in a glorious battle that lasted about the length of 5 minutes. Vacationing was on the minds of a few and Gilda was no exception. How she ended up with Roseluck was anyone's guess, but Pinkie probably got the memo that the flower pony was a bit overworked.

That and she didn't know her "Shipping Wall" wasn't a secret anymore. The mare had some pretty weird ideas on who was hot for whom.

"Well...I guess." Gilda said, blushing a bit.

"What's the matter? Never seen a mare naked before?" Roseluck asked, her breasts poking above the surface of the water. "Trust me. I have." She recalled several memories of her, the other flower ponies, and her best friend, Minuette, getting it on. She was still curious to this day on how she would feel with sleeping with a stallion.

"Actually, yeah. I have. A lot." Gilda answered honestly. She wasn't ashamed that she'd slept around with most of the girls back at her college, including her best friend, Rainbow Dash. Much like Roseluck, she had yet to bang a guy, though she was happy enough with her current sex life. Just ask Greta.

"Soooo...go right ahead. You'll never know until you try it." Roseluck stated.

"Ugh. Alright. Stare, though, and you risk losing a limb." Gilda sighed before removing her top and sliding out of her jeans. Roseluck had to resist getting a good peek, considering that the griffon was a perfect mixture of physically fit and nicely slender. Despite her stoic expression, Gilda was hiding her pussy with her lion tail as she stepped into the spring.

Flexing her wings as she allowed herself to unwind, she found herself sighing happily. "Okay. I'll give you this. You were right."

"Sure. So, I heard you and Rainbow Dash were friends. How's she doing?" Roseluck asked.

"Let me guess. Because she's a Wonderbolt?" Gilda raised an eyebrow. "I swear, I like her and those uniforms are hot, but she won't shut up about wanting to get into just about every girl's pants there. Even that dweeb, Soarin."

"Actually, we met at the 2015 Poetry Slam. Still, I thought Soarin was gay." Roseluck asked.

"Oh. He is. She's probably still in denial over it. You know how she gets when she's cock-blocked. Trust me. I'd know." The Griffon said with a mischievous smirk.

"I guess you left her hanging at one point." Roseluck said, blushing a bit upon looking upon her companion's frame for a bit longer than expected.

"Yep. And she was all like 'My body is ready' or something like that. Couldn't go through with it. I was still a bit pissed at her for that paper airplane massacre incident." Gilda said.

"Paper airplane what now?" Roseluck looked taken aback a bit.

"Nopony died, but the paper industry took one Hell of a blow." Gilda said, before her eyes shot open. "Wait a minute. Poetry Slam? With Rainbow Dash attending? You've gotta be kidding me."

As Roseluck explained why on Equestria Dash was doing at one of her favorite events, an orb floated through the trees. Noticing the bathing females, it flew closer.

"Wow...she's beautiful..." The laid-back voiced one observed the Griffon. "I've seen a few ponies, but I've never seen anything like that before! Her friend's not too bad either." He examined the Earth pony. "Kinda cute too. Okay. Play it cool. You can do this. It's not like you're doing anything unethical...maybe. That was a maybe, right? Right? Ah, whatever."

The orb flew right into the water, making a small splash.

"...And she got third place. Can you believe that?" Roseluck finished.

"Wow. I've hung out with her for years and even I thought she wasn't THAT crazy over turtles." Gilda admitted.

"Turtle or tortoise?" The laid-back voiced one emerged out of the water. "There's kind of a difference. Not that I mind, but still."

"What the hell?!" Gilda shouted. "Where did you come from?!"

"Are you like one of those Breezies Twilight mentioned?" Roseluck asked, covering up her breasts in embarrassment.

"BREEZIE?! WHERE?!" The orb floated rapidly about in a panic. "Sorry, but I bet you haven't met the Tooth Breezies. I've experienced their love of teeth firsthand and I had to take 3 years of therapy afterward. At least one of you doesn't have to deal with that terror."

"Speak for yourself." Gilda said, figuring he was alluding to her beak. "You don't even have any arms. Or legs. Or anything else really. Now, could you..." She thought for a bit. Apparently, when Dash and Pinkie helped her open a up a bit to friendship, she had been working on choosing her words carefully. "...I dunno...leave us in peace?"

"Really? Well, uh...I guess I'd better get go-"

"I mean, we wouldn't mind at least one stallion coming along." Roseluck interrupted. "But I guess you'll do."

"Oh, sure!" The orb floated just above the water. "I guess we're cool!"

"Yeah...let's go with that." Gilda rolled her eyes a bit. She was a bit wary of Roseluck's sudden calmness with a guy around the both of them, while naked no less, but she guessed she could handle the odd groping session if that came to pass. "So...what are you exactly?"

"Before I explain, I've gotta apologize." The orb said apologetically. "You must be disgusted with this form! It's hideous and not very impressive, I know! I could always change into my real form if you want!"

"Not really seeing how scary you are right now." Roseluck examined the orb. "Still, we won't mind."

"Go right ahead. Knock us dead." Gilda said halfheartedly. "Just know that we're not in the mood for any funny stuff. Try any of it and I'll break your pelvis, if I can find one."

"Alright! Here goes!" A brilliant flash of blue light materialized in front of the two, causing the hot spring to bubble violently for a moment. The two females covered their eyes before the light faded.

"...So, what now?" Roseluck looked around. There was no sign of the orb.

"You gonna show yourself or is your true form thin air? Figures." Gilda shrugged before noticing two large grey fins sticking out of the water, topped with wicked dull blue armor.

Before they could get a word out, the orb's true form surfaced. Needless to say, they were certainly not prepared.

He was basically a hunched humanoid shark-monster. His massive tail ended in twin shark tail-tips. His muscular body shook the Earth each time he took a step (despite being only 3 feet taller than Gilda). His three large claws on each hand/foot flexed with anticipation. There were even some arm fin-blades he had displayed. The most striking feature was the head. Other than the razor sharp teeth and the red eyes, he had a large knife-like nose. It looked so sharp that solid rock would be reduced to chopped vegetables in a single swipe.

"Ta-da!" He extended his arms out. "Behold! Demon Lord of Water...THE SUFFERING! So, what do you think? Way less hideous than that last form! Am I right? Right?"

The reactions of the two were mixed. On one hand, Roseluck looked absolutely terrified of this creature. Not helped was the fact that he just called himself a demon. She couldn't run, though, due to how frozen with fear she was and she was also feeling a bit lethargic from the hot spring.

Gilda, however, just stared at the beast. Of all the guys she met, she never found somepony...or really, something with that impressive of a body. Sure, he was a bit freakish with that grin, but he had the finest muscles she had ever seen. As for the bit about him being a shark-creature...

"Huh. You're a shark." Gilda pointed at him, still a bit shocked. "That's really metal, actually."

"Gee, thanks! Personally, I like nightcore, but that's fine as well." The Suffering replied.

"Nightcore? Isn't that the music that sounds like Alvin's Chipmunks are making a comeback?" Gilda regained a bit of her snark as she got used to the being's presence.

"You never know until you get invested." The Demon Lord waved his finger at her. "Though, to be fair, those were my first thoughts too. Also, I've got to let this out. I've never seen a creature like you before? Are you a...bird-lion?"

Now, the Griffoness looked kind of perplexed. "You really have never seen or heard of a Griffon before? No offense, but do you live in a cave?"

"Nope! Just the pits of Tartarus where fun goes to die." He stated. "Either way, you look fantastic! Your wings are so...majestic! Also, nice legs! I bet they've shattered many a foe's resolve!"

"Oh mein Gott." Gilda whispered in her language as she blushed a bit.

"You're...not gonna eat us, right?" Roseluck asked.

"Eat you?" The Suffering backed away a bit. "By Unicron, no! I'm just gonna involuntarily take you to the Master's place! Don't worry! It won't be permanent! It might be fun, too!"

"Back up, fish-boy!" Gilda looked a bit apprehensive now. "You're not trying to say that we're getting dragged off to Tartarus, right?! Or Hell. Or Hölle. Or whatever terminology we use nowadays."

"Look, can't we talk this over?" Roseluck asked. "And can we put on our clothes, preferably?"

The Suffering sighed. "I'm afraid I cant' do that. If I disobey the Master, who KNOWS what she'll do to me and you! She's got magic all over this bitch!"

"That depends. What's the worse she can do?" Gilda challenged.

"Make you all watch endless loops of 'The Adventures of Paddy the Pelican'. That's what I've heard." The shark creature shrugged.

Imagine his surprise when Gilda leaped into his arms out of terror. "Next stop, Tartarus." She quickly said.

The Suffering just had a dumbstruck and blushing expression on his face as she felt her soft feathers/fur against his claws and her arms around his neck.

"And today was going so well." Roseluck sighed in defeat as the three vanished.

Back with our heroes...

"Well, that increased the word count by a bunch." Sonata said as she finished her story.

"All you did was stay quiet until you said that." I pointed out.

"I thought it was beautiful!" Mordred wiped an imaginary tear from his eyehole. "So many feelz!"

"Honestly, you two were meant to be." Valerie muttered. "Kinda wish I got that lucky."

"You are attracted to our master?" Eve asked.

"Nah, but a girl can wonder, you know?" The Weavile shrugged.

"Wait! I see a house!" Lucretia pointed to the horizon. "Where there are structures, there is civilization."

I resisted the urge to call her "Lady Obvious" because that actually was a nice change of pace. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's walk there." I said.

"Not a chance! I call dibs!" Valerie shouted before attempting to zoom into the distance. She realized a bit late that Mordred was holding her back by the tail. "Oh, bollocks. Ruin a good ol' adrenaline boost, why don't you?" She pouted.

"Let's not get an angry mob going like we did 24/7 when we tried spreading the 'good' word of Sombra." Mordred advised.

"Also, I'm pretty sure they'd freak upon seeing a human." Sonata said. "Wait a minute. How come I'm still human in this realm, anyway?"

"'Cause you're cute?" Mordred leaned in, causing Sonata to blush.

"I guess we're in agreement. We shall enter the abode in an organized manner." Lucretia said.

"And tell them that this isn't a costume. Please." I said, thinking ahead.

"Wouldn't that scare them less if it was one?" Eve asked.

"It's a matter of personal pride." I stated. "How would you like it if I kept mistaking you for an Easter Bunny fanatic?"

"What's Easter?" She asked.

"Nevermind." What? It was either that or explaining to her that it kinda boiled down to 'Thanks for dying, Jesus! This candy's awesome!'

Wait a minute. Who's Jesus? Whatever. Off we went to the humble looking house in the distance.

Meanwhile in the Dragon Kingdom...

"What do you mean you're 'not interested'!?" The great dragon king, Torch, roared. "You're a few years from becoming queen and you're not impressed with the upcoming arena?! Impossible!"

Ember, the bright blue dragoness princess of her kingdom, sighed as she heard her father go on another rant. She supposed he had a point, though. She was, indeed, closer to becoming the ruler of all the kingdom (helped by her friend, Spike on more than one occasion), but finding a suitable mate was another matter entirely.

While she did try to implement a much more friendlier and compassionate system into dragon culture due to recent experiences with some of Ponyville's finest, including the aforementioned Spike, it was still a fact of the Dragon Kingdom that only the strongest male could court her. She would have settled for Spike, but not only did he want to stay in his homeland, but he also decided that he was gay. Not that she had a problem with it. Anyway, it was dragon tradition that all the males would fight in a battle royale just to see who would get to court her. Normally, she wouldn't mind, but something about these males just seemed...dull. Sometimes, they only had mating and leaving in mind, others were just there for the power. There were a few nice dragons, but they weren't her type. Perhaps something unique would do? She did, indeed, muse over interspecies relationships in her spare time...

"I mean, come now, my daughter." Torch tried to speak softly. "You're probably the most desirable dragon in all the land. You've got to make some effort to find the best in our males. Right, everyone?" The dragons walking passed by looked at him. "BE CONCERNED!" He yelled, causing the dragons to looking pleading to her.

"Dad, you know I hate it when you do that." Ember looked at him. "It's bad enough I have to wear this particular set of armor, but this rather barbaric ritual just isn't doing it for me." In regards to her change in wardrobe, it was armor, alright, but in the same way a tie-die shirt was formal wear. It was basically a solid gold chest-piece that was anchored around her neck that only covered her breasts, as well as some gold wrist bands, horn earrings, and a gold-plate attached to a string that acted as a thong. Essentially, it was fancy lingerie.

"Ember, you've grown quite a bit. It's time to make a decision." Torch reminded her. "You remind me of your mother when I courted her. Both my arms were broken before I became her king." He shivered a bit, remembering fond, but painful times. "Just...don't tell me that these males bore you."

"In a way, yes." Ember slouched over her scepter. "Let's get this over with, already."

"Perhaps I could help settle this." A deep gravely voice said. The dragons turned to a red orb floating about.

"And who might you be?" Ember asked. "If you're here to court me, you can sign up for the tournament there."

"Wait a minute." One dragon spoke up. "I don't know what that little thing is, but not only is he not a dragon but...well, look at him!"

"I can assure you. The blood of dragons flows through me." The orb spoke. "Though, I have no interest in this...tournament of yours. Unless that's really necessary to get the princess of this kingdom to come with me. I've got a mission to complete."

"And what might that be?" Ember raised an eyebrow, growing suspicious already of this being.

"Hopefully, nothing too big." The gravely voiced one replied. "However, it's still a pleasure to meet you, your majesty." The orb floated to her claw and bopped it a bit as if it was kissing it.

"No need to be formal." She said. "So, tell me your about your 'mission'. Is it to court me or something else entirely?"

"Actually, both." The orb replied. "I'll say this. You're quite beautiful for us dragons, but I'm not trying to rush into anything. Still, you are needed in the presence of the mas-"

"Hey! Let's get him in line!" A random dragon interrupted, grabbing the orb and flinging him into the center of the arena.

"Are you serious?!" Ember stood up, incensed. "Apparently, we're being met by an emissary from another land. Whatever happened to 'don't shoot the messenger'?"

"Well, he is a guy AND he's obviously trying to woo you." Torch rationalized. "Not sure why he thinks he has a chance now."

"Great. Now, I've got to worry about accidentally killing all of you." The orb sighed as it looked around its large number of foes.

"You? Kill us? Keep dreaming!" A teenage dragon mocked.

"I'd imagine you'd all be cowering in terror at this repulsive form. So, I guess I'll turn into something a bit less hideous for this battle." The gravely voiced one said. "Still, in honor of the princess, I will finish this battle in 3 minutes. Then, we will go from there."

"3 minutes? Hmph. He sure knows how to talk tough, but I can already see how this ends." Torch looked at his subjects again. "BE SKEPTICAL!"

"Dad, stop. This is already embarrassing as it is." Ember said. "Still, this should be interesting."

"Here we go..." The orb started glowing a brilliant red color. The dragons shielded their eyes...before gazing upon the abomination that stood before them.

Letting out a horrible guttural sound that ended in a surprisingly evil laugh, the dinosaur-like monster stood tall. He was dark blue on the back and crimson red on the front. His long tail ended in a saw-like appendage and on of his arms that didn't end in wicked claws was a massive organic mace. His back was covered in long blue spines not unlike a porcupine. His head was utterly gruesome, as it had a long mouth littered with rows of sharp teeth and two wicked horns like a demonic bull. The most startling feature were the pure yellow eyes. 3 of them on each side glowed with yellow fury, but many more pupil-less smaller eyes ran down the sides.

"Demon Lord of Earth...THE DEVASTATION!" He exclaimed with another roar. "And now I am one with my ancestors! The great dragons of old!"

Ember looked upon this being with curiosity. He was certainly terrifying, but he seemed a bit...tempting, when she thought about it. He was ferocious, though he was civil, if his previous dialogue was anything to go by. Perhaps he could be an ideal mate? He even offered to take it slow. Still, a battle was to be had.

"So, uh...2 minutes?" One dragon backed away, as nervous as quite a few of the denizens, before he regained a bit of misplaced confidence. "We can handle that! You look like some rejected B-movie monster!"

"I can assure you. I'm a one-man apocalypse." The Devastation pointed to them. "And you're the collateral damage. Now, let me go with Princess Ember so we can get whatever my Master has over with or we might all be in trouble. For a darkness is coming and I don't want to see my ancestor's legacy be tar-"

SLAM!

The fist of an impatient dragon collided with his snout horn. Unamused, he swatted the dragon away with his mace. "Or...we could do this the hard way. In which I fulfill my promise. Start the timer, citizen."

"Roger!" A small dragon started a timer as the dragons came rushing at the demon.

Though he already looked like he was grinning with that perma-smile, he really pulled off a sinister one as they drew near.

"SHOW-TIIIIIME."

With that, the dragons converged. Several of them were swatted away with his mace and tail, but several were now clinging onto him, biting, clawing, and punching at him. The Devastation just waddled around as the dragons assaulted him with everything they had.

"Wow! This guy's a threat?! He's so slow!" One dragon commented. However, the scales were a bit hard to get through and the beast didn't seem to mind his foes doing this sort of thing.

With a hideous roar, his body crackled with red and purple energy, electrocuting his oppressors. Some of his spines stood on end and actually fired out of his back like missiles, striking many dragons in one place and sending a few flying. Speaking of which, the remaining dragons took the skies and rained hell down upon him.

"Amateurs." He muttered as he walked through the flames. "Through fire, I was baptized. Through Tartarus, I was raised. Through torment, I was forged into the instrument of destruction! THE DEVASTATION!"

With those words, he opened his mouth and, as his back lit up like a demonic Christmas Tree decked in only red lights, a massive red beam of energy erupted. The rest of the dragons were blasted away, alive, but horribly battered and burnt. Those that remained looked at him in silence.

"Like I said. I have no interest in fighting my own kind. Now, run while you still can. Because that was disappointing." The Demon Lord growled. "Next time, bring better fighters."

Torch and Ember looked upon that brief, but vibrant display with utmost attention. They had never seen a beast like that, much less one that could nonchalantly brutalize many dragons in less than 2 minutes. The princess was even...aroused, if one could call it that.

"So..." The Devastation looked upon her as he climbed out of the arena. "Do you accept my offer now? It's of utmost importance anyway!"

"You have impressed me, though I do hope the damage you dealt isn't permanent." Ember admitted. "My subjects might be a bit crude, but I still care for their well being."

The Demon Lord bowed. "Indeed. Dragon-kind must be allowed to exist and revenge upon Celestia."

"Celestia? Oh, her? Eh. Ignore her." Torch shrugged.

"Ignore her?!" The creature roared. "She's responsible for the reason I never got to see the blue skies and lovely scenery! But that's another story." He took Ember's claw gingerly. "Come, princess. We have much to discuss. Oh, and...um...I like your formal wear."

"Trust me. I wish this was formal." Ember replied, though she was blushing a bit with such a strong being holding her hand in a gentle manner. However, she was a bit taken aback my his sudden outburst. Perhaps there was more to this creature other than a demonic origin and massive amounts of power and tact?

Before Torch could object, the two vanished. "They grow up so fast." Torch wiped a tear from his eye. He looked upon his subjects. "BE...ah, nevermind. I need aspirin. Where are my pills?!"

Back with our heroes...

The 6 of us (not counting the thankfully absent Aaron) peeked over a large rock. Looking over the horizon, we found a cute little house in the distance. Looked like a cross between a farm and a cottage. Still, there were inhabitants, so there was that.

The first of which looked rather irritable. She was a bluish-grey horse creature with short grey hair. She oversaw the work that the other two horse creatures were doing with that mean look as if she was constantly displeased. Personally, I would have told her to contribute in some way that wasn't yelling, but I decided not to intervene.

The second one was more neutral-looking. And I do mean that quite a bit. She was a Persian blueish grey horse creature with a purple mane (same style as the first one, only longer) and purple eyeshadow. Apparently, despite her stoic demeanor, she was the muscle of the group, considering she was smashing up boulders like nobody's business. Even more galling was the fact that she didn't even look like she worked out. No trace of muscle at all (or, at least, the bulging type for, I don't know, POWDERING ROCK).

The third one that was gathering some of the smaller rocks reminded me, rather painfully, of Fluttershy. She was even grayer than the others and her gray/white mane draped over her face. However, she looked utterly frail, as if a pebble could send her toppling like a wind gust to a house of cards. I swear I saw her ribcage a bit! She was also very quiet like her friend, but in a meek sort of way.

"So, what's our next move?" Lucretia asked Mordred.

"Maybe hello? Or aloha?" The Dullahan thought out loud.

"Do not worry. The voice in my head, much as I despise him, will allow us free entry." I said, thinking about that one time he allowed me access into Ponyville with no trouble at all.

"Wait a minute. Are you crazy?" Valerie asked in actual seriousness.

"Is it like the voice in my head that keeps telling me that this adventure is never going to catch on?" Sonata asked.

"I...should have explained much earlier." I admitted. "It's not something I like to talk about, but, as my friends, you deserve to know."

"You're not the worst companion we've had to go with, so I guess now is a good time to open up." Lucretia suggested.

"Sure thing, buddy! What are friends for?" Mordred pulled me in close for a hug.

"Aw, gee." I said. "Well, I don't know where I came from, but all I know is that I came from the stars and I woke up with a really annoying voice in my head. Apparently, he's named Aaron and he's trying to railroad me into having sex with everything with a hole in it. I mean, it wasn't too bad at first. Sure, I was more interested in a committed relationship, but it was rather harmless. I guess. The girls were pretty enthusiastic, although I blame Aaron for that. There was also this bit about some weird energy from them going into me, but I'm pretty sure that plot-point is going nowhere."

"So, you have a magical voice in your head that helps you sleep around?" Valerie looked interested. "Well, bugger me! That sounds awesome!"

"It...really wasn't." My head went down. Even though I had a feeling we had been spotted, I continued. "On the second day of my stay in Equestria, the voice forced me into ruining a relationship between a horse creature named Fluttershy and a bull creature named Iron Will. Suffice to say...he had me...he had..." I could barely finish that sentence without holding back a sob. "The things I said...the things I did...and she wasn't the only one. There was this pink one named Pinkie Pie who said she would fix a few things...she was caught in the middle of it too..."

"He made you RAPE them?!" Eve looked mortified.

"Yep. I never forgave him for that and, by extension, I'll never forgive myself for allowing it." I said. "There might be a few ways to atone, like dealing with a certain Eldritch horror, but, other than that...I honestly don't know what to do. We're miles from them and their friends have probably found them. Best case scenario, they get the therapy they need and we all forget that happened. I mean, I didn't remove their virginity. So, there's that. Though, that bull creature might still be a little mad. I don't blame him."

"You're not lying. I am sensing the aura of another being inside of you." Lucretia said as he eyes glowed. "Something with a terrible power and a wicked heart."

"Great. Now, we have TWO malevolent entities we have to deal with." Sonata huffed. "This is not my day."

"Don't kid yourself, guy!" Mordred patted me on the back. "We'll get you through this! In fact, we'll get each-other through this! We're like rubber and glue all put together in one big package of fun!"

"I can see how you have endured all these years. Your optimism is quite admirable." I admitted.

"Really grows on you, you know?" Valerie said.

"Thank you all. Really." I said. "Now, let's go out there and give it our best! We'll show ourselves as not villains, but well-meaning citizens!"

"You can start by not spying on us." A dull female voice said behind us.

If we jumped up in fright any higher, we would be in the stratosphere.

Meanwhile in Cloudsdale...

"What the bleeding hell?" The sly voiced one said as he looked upon the city. "Did they move Elysium down a peg or is this the Chinese knock-off version?"

The orb moved through the city, looking at the various pegasi that flew through it. "Huh. Plenty of options, really. If I'm lucky, ol' Nightmare Sheila will let me off the hook and it's freedom for days, mate! Clear skies and smooth sailing from here, whoo!"

The sound of moaning drew him to one particular house. It wasn't anything special. it looked like the house next to that...and the house next to that...and the-

"You know, thank Unicron everything here is more-or-less new to me. Because all this sameness is gonna drive me up the wall!" The sly voiced one yelled before it slipped through a hole in the door. When he saw what was going on, his orb grew in size a bit. "Goodnight Irene. That's the ticket..."

In the bed were two pegasus mares making out passionately. The one on top was a bright arctic blue pegasus with a snow-white mohawk-like mane. Though her breasts and pussy were exposed, the rest of her was covered in a skin-tight blue and yellow uniform. The one on the bottom was a slightly taller azure pegasus with a white/grey mane. The only clothing she had barely on was a tanktop and a black thong.

"Mmmmm...Night...Glider..." The arctic-blue pegasus gasped as her tongue caressed her significant other's neck. "How long has it been since you've been with a mare?"

"Nnnngh...too long, Fleetfoot." Night Glider replied. "Never once in that town did we ever get to cut loose. Personally, I...ahh..." She gasped a bit as the Wonderbolt buried her head into the azure one's breasts. "S-stop that!" She giggled.

"C'mon. You know you love it when I do that." Fleetfoot voice was muffled a bit, despite the breasts not being too big. "So soft...so cool..."

"Well, they don't call me Night Glider for nothing. Nothing like a nice cold swoosh through Luna's gift." The liberated pegasus held her loved one close as she continued to speak. "As I was saying, personally, whenever Starlight wasn't looking, I'd have these...fantasies. Wanna hear?"

"Sure." The Wonderbolt slurred, lost in the wonderful frame of her marefriend.

"I've always wondered..." Night Glider nervously looked back a bit, choosing her words carefully. "...whatwoulditbeliketobematedbyadragon."

Fleetfoot head shot up. "Huh? Did you say dragon?"

"Yeah. Don't judge me." The azure pegasus huffed. "Look, I love you, but wouldn't if be great if it was just the both of us and a big strong dragon warming us through the night and...well, you know."

"Let me guess. A cock bigger than Big Macintosh's?" Fleetfoot spread her hands out to emphasize that. "Like...THIS big?"

"Maybe a bit smaller, but yeah." Night Glider replied. "Doesn't help that one horny rebel back at town kept drawing erotic dragon fan-art before we were free. Steamy stuff, I'll tell you."

"Guess a mare can only dream." Fleetfloot shrugged as their breasts massaged each-other. "Hey...forget that. Look. Even our nipples are kissing."

"Don't make it weird, hon." Night Glider grinned a little bit before giving her marefriend another kiss, though this one was softer than the last.

"You know, if you wanted a dragon, you could have just asked!" The orb spoke up.

And thus, the sly voiced one's first physical contact with anything of the surface world was an incoming pillow.

"OW! GREAT BARRIER REEF! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?!" The orb shot up through the fallen pillow.

"Who and what are you and what are you doing in my house?!" Fleetfoot yelled as she and her companion covered their breasts and pussies (to varying degrees of success).

"Look, I know this form is is utterly repulsive, but I can assure you, you're getting your dragon. Bet on it, Sheila!" The orb said, having calmed down a bit. "Either way, calm your tits."

"So...are you like that thing from those cartoons that grants wishes on a whim?" Night Glider asked. "Because I'd think that getting a dragon all the way here would just cause a teeeny bit of, I don't know, catastrophic collateral damage."

"Oh, believe me. This is so much more interesting..." The sly voiced one giggled a bit. "FIRE IN THE HOLE!" With a flash of blue light, the orb vanished, leaving his true form to be seen by the duo. Needless to say, Fleetfloot buried her face under the covers, while Night Glider stared, her mouth agape and her temperature rising.

This dragon was unlike those documented by Equestrian kind. He had a mixture of dark purple and red armored scales with blue crystals acting as his toe-claws, tail-mace, shoulders (the largest), spines, and two horns. He had 3 sets of sharp crystalline wings that looked quite thin, but strong at the same time, if that makes sense. The most striking features were his hands, which were basically mini-dragon heads make entirely of crystal.

"Demon Lord of Air...THE FURY!" He roared. "So, satisfied?"

"Wow..." Night Glider looked upon the mighty being. "Just...try not to move too much. Fleetfloot just paid for the new roof."

"Tell him we taste terrible! I need the assurance!" Fleetfoot shivered underneath her blanket.

"You've got nothing to fear, mates! I'm just here to...well, my master requires I bring some hot ladies down to my home for a while, but that doesn't mean we can't have fun when we get there, amirite?"

Night Glider thought about that for a moment. On one hand, this guy looked pretty sinister and they were essentially going with a stranger. On the other hand, the two weren't exactly defenseless (Fleetfoot was renowned for her agility in the air while Glider was a bit of a heavy hitter) and this did seem like one of her fantasies was coming true.

"Fine. Just don't try anything too funny." The azure pegasus said as she adjusted her top and panties to cover herself again. Fleetfoot zipped up her uniform to cover herself again, despite the fact that it was still skin-tight, so nothing was left to the imagination.

"Well, that was easy. Just to let you know, you're doing the right thing. This is a matter of life and death! I'll explain later." The dragon's seriousness faded a bit when he smiled again. "But who cares! Time to show you the REAL land down under!"

With a laugh from The Fury, the three of them vanished.

Meanwhile in the Pie Rock Farm Residence...

In the time it took you to read that frankly odd transition, me and the group were now crammed into the house. Surprisingly, there was a lot of space for us to discuss matters, but the tension was there. Understandably, they were a bit freaked out (sans the one named Maud, who remained stoic as ever) at the sight of us, but I managed to explain ourselves that we were not threats. After much deliberation, we were allowed entry into the house. Still, even after names were exchanged, the conversation was still...rocky.

"So, let me get this straight. You came for the job?" Limestone eyed the group with suspicion. "And we're supposed to trust you how? One of you looks like a diseased monkey, for crying out loud!"

"Hey! I take offense to that!" Mordred argued.

"She was referring to me, Mordred." Sonata grumbled. "I can tell you're fun at parties, alright."

"Leave my sister out of this." Limestone grumbled back.

"The point is that we need a place to stay for a while." I said. "And don't worry. We're not crashing or anything. We'll gladly help with the rent. We're pretty powerful, after all."

"We just need enough time to find a way back in order to defeat a wicked monster." Lucretia said.

"The things he did...I can never forget them." Sonata shivered a bit before regaining her posture. "However, the thought of revenge is kind of...tempting."

"You bet your ass!" Valerie high-fived her.

"So, if it's not too much, do we have a deal?" Eve asked politely.

Limestone eyes us for a second before I spoke up again. "By the way, is it true you lord over this place? Aren't your parents around?"

The three sisters (I had yet to know their last names) looked at each-other and I felt a tinge of melancholy hit the room. Immediately, I'd thought I had said something that hit way too close to home, but then Maud spoke up.

"If you must know, things aren't looking to well for our father, Igneous Pie." She said. "He's currently in the hospital due to him having a case of Plottus Forwardus."

"Shouldn't last too long." Limestone said confidently, though I sensed some doubt. Even more interestingly, one of Eve's ears went up when she whispered something into Marble's ear, causing the frail sister to leave as quietly as she came.

Also, I want to take this moment to scream internally. Really loudly. Here I was. Standing in the presence of the sisters of one of my victims. Personally, I didn't see the resemblance, but the facts were there. If they found out what went down...well, just try to imagine what would happen if I tried to confess. Something like...

HI! I'm the guy who semi-raped your sister and her friend because a voice in my head took control of my body! So, we cool now? Say, I don't think my arms are supposed to bend that way! Now, is it me or is my head no longer attached to my shoulders?

Yeah. Close enough. The only option was to play it cool. Still, as Lucretia and Limestone discussed matters, I leaned in to Eve. "Say, uh, what did you get?"

"She said 'Ready the ritual'." The Lopunny replied.

"Suspiiiicious." Sonata and Mordred both said before looking at each-other and nervously looking away while rubbing the backs of their heads (helmet, in the Dullahan's case).

"Mind if I investigate?" Valerie asked. "Nothing gets past these eyes, after all."

"Whatever you need to do." I said.

"Hey, rover. What are your friends up to?" Limestone raised an eyebrow.

"First of all, I'd appreciate if if you didn't call me that." The Lucario narrowed her eyes. "Secondly, they're just talking nonsense. The point we're framing, though, is that our intentions are true and we wish the best for your father."

I bowed in respect. "We accept whatever cores come our way. For it is good to help."

"Amen to that!" Mordred bowed too, although it was a bit more exaggerated.

Sonata just shrugged. "Just don't let it ruin my dress. This is practically the only thing I can wear at this point."

"Guess we have a deal." Maud said before looking at a rock in her hand. "Boulder says you should try out the rock cakes before you start. They're to die for."

Huh. The most reasonable out of the three that wasn't belligerent or quiet and she has a literal Pet Rock.

Some trends never die, I guess. Also, we need to talk. NOW.

Oh, NOW you show up?! Where have you been?

...Stuff. I was doing stuff. It's my life and I can do what I want with it.

Meanwhile at the Carousel Boutique...

Rarity, the snow-white seamstress unicorn everpony who had a shred of dignity knew and loved, continued to wait for Twilight to answer the phone. Normally, she'd just walk over to the library herself, but she was a little busy at the moment. Not only did she just want to talk to her as a friend (and potential marefriend, should things escalate), but she really wanted to get down to why nopony was talking about the huge hole in her library.

Suddenly, the phone rang. Immediately, the fashionista unicorn grabbed it. "Hello, Twilight? For goodness sake, I've been calling for perhaps 2 hours. Is something the matter?"

"Nope. Not at all, Rarity." Twilight replied, somewhat drunkenly.

"Oh, for Elysium's sake, don't tell me you actually took up Dash's advice and took up a life of drinking the days away with cider." Rarity face-palmed.

She could have used this time to notice the shadowy-like figure seeping through her window slowly.

"Actually, funny story. Remember that thing I was studying?" The studious unicorn continued as rhythmic slap-slap-slapping sounds were heard. "Well, surprise! It's a giant robot and my new stallionfriend!"

"You're joking." Rarity didn't know how to react to that or the noise. "You not only have a stallionfriend, but he's an alien robot. Tell me the honest truth. HAVE you been drinking?"

"I'm a lightweight. I wouldn't be talking if that were the-OH! Oh, stop it you! We'll have some fun afterward!" Twilight giggled.

"You've got legs, Twilight. YOU'RE ALL OVER THE PLACE!" A loud and utterly psychotic voice rang out. "Yeah!"

"Twilight, was that him?" The white unicorn asked, more than a bit shocked at that outburst.

"Sure! He's a bit scary, but really funny when you get to know him. Just ask Vinyl and Octavia! They're with me, too! Did you know Vinyl's a really great kisser? Not as good as you, but good, nonetheless."

Rarity blushed for a moment, remembering better times, before continuing. "Do you mind if I come over there? I might have to see this for myself."

"That be great." Twilight said. "Trust me! I've never felt this good in ages!" Her tone changed to something a bit serious, though. "If you can, however, maybe you could help me find Spike when this is over. He hasn't been seen since yesterday."

"I'll be sure to do that." Rarity said, a bit more worried due to that comment.

"Thanks. I've gotta go. MASSA-CURR's getting a bit frisky and I've got plenty of positions to try out before this day is done."

Rarity's eyes could not be any more comically huge from hearing that utterly suggestive and preposterous name. She hung up and splashed some of her wine onto her face to bring her out of her stupor. She let out a sigh. "Oh, Twilight. What have you gotten yourself into this ti-MMPPPH!"

The shadowy mass had wrapped around her face like latex. Rarity fell out of her chair and desperately tried to claw it off. Her magic was cut off, furthering her terror.

"Don't panic, my prize...not yet, at least." A dark seductive female voice spoke as she struggled. "Your form was simply divine, but I'd rather have the real thing. We'll make a lovely toy out of you. Just you wait. Oh, and you need better taste in wine. This tastes like the stuff Discord tried to sell back in the day. Don't ask."

With a cruel laugh, the substance enveloped her body and she soon vanished with her catch into parts unknown.

Thank Primus that Sweetie Belle was on tour and not a witness to this evil plot.

Back with our heroes...

I'll admit. Terrible revelation that I was hanging out with unsuspecting family members of Pinkie Pie aside, helping people still felt good. For the rest of the day, we helped farm the Earth of its precious minerals and such. Me and Mordred hacked apart at boulders, Lucretia used her powers to sense the richest deposits of whatever special minerals we could find, and Sonata and Eve gathered materials from the nearby underground caves.

Yeah. I don't get it either. How do you live off rocks?! I'm the guy without a mouth and even I find that confusing.

"Hey, guys!" Sonata's head burst up from the ground after a good 40 minutes of spelunking. "I met this group of moles that said they can lead us to Overcast! What do you say we get the revenge we deserve so much?"

"Revenge? Isn't that a bit...severe?" Eve's ears drooped.

"The guy took my sisters away from me." The siren's tone became more grim. "He deserves all that's coming to him."

"As a wise man once said, inner peace leads to your inner self. Revenge only leads to destruction." Lucretia said. "I may preach vengeance sometimes, but I always have to remember. It's justice that matters in the end. Or, at least, that's what War kept telling me whenever I lost it a bit."

"Also, moles are...kinda blind." I remarked. "I think we should give it a few more days before we set out again."

"Whatever." Sonata sighed. "It was worth a shot."

Mordred leaned over to her. "Don't be like that! Before you know it, we'll be eating calamari like it grows on trees! Then, I'll find the means of whatever it takes to help me gain the sacred MOUTH so I can try to eat this thing you call...tacos."

"You poor thing." Sonata caressed his helmet is a half-joking, half-sincere fashion. "You're missing out, man! They're like the holy grail of food!"

Personally, I'm a fan of Italian.

Oh, it's you. I'm trying to do some good and earn our keep. Now, leave us in peace.

Not until I figure out why you're getting so hard to control now!

What? I'm getting harder to control, you say? Music to my ears. I suppose that means I'll never have to endure you taking over my brain anytime soon.

Ṣ̹ͩ͐́H̒̆ͭ͋ͭ̑҉͈I̬̯̖̻͝Tͤ̒͛́!̛͕̔̎͗ͭ͐̚ ̰͔̟̘̩͢N̨͔̖̠̔̊̈́O̤̖͈̝̣͙̜͑̇̑̊̚!̴͇̲̌̊͆͐̇͋ͤͅ You weren't supposed to...you know what the problem is? Without me, you'll never get back to Overcast and fulfill your destiny. Trust me when I say this. Great things are coming...GREAT things...

Great things? What do you mean? Hello? Equestria to Aaron?! Whatever. At least he's gone.

Suddenly, Valerie raced zoomed towards us. "Blimey! You will not believe what I just found out!"

"What's up, Val?" Mordred walked over to him after he helped up Sonata and Eve.

"I found out what that whole 'ritual' thing was and...well, it's something, alright." The Weavile said.

"Are they conspiring with Aaron or Overcast?" Lucretia asked.

"Nope."

"Are they cannibals?" Sonata asked.

"Nope."

"Did they worship a giant Virtual Boy?" Eve shivered.

"Oh, forget it!" Valerie threw up her hands. "Let's kick this off, shall we?"

A few moments earlier...

Valerie zoomed through the house once the coast was clear. After 30 minutes, she was about ready to call it quits when she heard some chanting coming from the basement. Cutting some eye-holes through the hatch, she observed the 'ritual', as they called it.

Her mouth nearly salivated when she saw the three sisters, completely nude and paining strange markings on each-other. Limestone's body markings looked jagged spikes, Maud's markings looked like smoke, and Marble's looked like skulls. The less-than sexy aspects of the place were the monster skulls adorning the room and strange symbols painted all around, including the large Crocodile-like skull symbol on the floor.

The sisters sat on 3 large fossil-like rib-cages and as they joined hands. "Great forgotten spirit..." Maud began. "We beseech you. Our father faces the possibility of death. We ask only one thing of you."

"Provide him with a clean passage to Elysium." Limestone continued. "We promise to pleasure you further if that is what you want."

"Mmmm-hmmm." Marble mumbled as a pitch-black portal emerged in front of them.

"We welcome you to our realm, The Reaper of Souls...The Lord of Nightmares...The One They Left Behind...THE END!" The shouted in unison.

Much to the Pokemon's surprise, a massive monstrous reptilian head emerged from the portal. It looked like crocodile, but with saurian proportions. There was also the fact that it was...well...undead. Black bones made up most of its face and bits of black flesh filled in the gaps. Gleaming red eyes pierced through the dark room as it looked around.

"So...you have summoned me once more." The beast spoke in a reverberating dark voice. "The only family that worships me...I am grateful that you have summoned me again. You even wore the markings. How thoughtful."

His massive head moved to Limestone. She shivered a bit as his long black forked tongue caressed her breasts. "Yeah...I know...they're not...haaaa...too big."

"They're alright." The End said. "Have you've taken care of your brethren good, lately?"

"Yeah. Sure." Limestone said nervously.

The beast moved on to Marble, where he nuzzled his head against her body. "There is no need to be afraid. You are my mates and future bearers of your eldest sister's children. I shudder with joy at the thought of hearing your voice."

"As do I." Marble finally spoke before humming in pleasure as her supple breasts massaged the monster's skull.

Finally, he turned to Maud. "Speaking of the eldest..." He whispered before they kissed. Well, really, he had to extend his tongue. Maud allowed it to explore every part of her mouth, moaning with ecstasy in the most emotion she showed that day. The other two ponies watched with utmost attention as she made out with the monstrosity before they parted. "How are things?"

"Some parts good. Some parts bad." She plainly said. "Dad might not make it, after all."

"I'm sure he has utmost belief in that you three and your mother can carry on. Even better, I hope that 'gift' I gave you, Maud, has provided you the means to show your love to your sisters." The End spoke.

"I still can't believe you gave HER the dick." Limestone pouted. "Speaking of which, where is it again?"

"It shall spring forth when the time is right for us to breed." The End said.

"I'm a bit scared. What if I'm not ready?" Marble asked.

"We don't have to make love yet. Only when we're ready." Maud said, caressing her sister's face before turning to the monster. "Thanks for being around. We'll make sure future generations know of your presence."

"Hark!" The head shot up. "I sense the presence of others here." In response to that, Valerie backed away a bit. "They appear to be friendly, judging by their souls. One, however, does not even have a soul. A machine, if you will."

"Oh, yeah. Him? Kind of a goody two-shoes." Limestone said. "He'll be here until he and the other are prepared or whatever."

"At least they're working for free barring food and drink." Marble pointed out. "I think they're really nice."

"Same. Even Boulder likes them." Maud said.

"I want you three to know something before I depart to my queen." The creature said. "A darkness is coming...those creatures you brought here might be instrumental in warding it off. I do not know any further than that. Either way, I bid you adieu. Until we meet again, ladies."

With that, the head vanished and Valerie ran off to tell the others.

Present Time...

"So...they worship an undead Spinosaurus who's basically the Grim Reaper?" I remarked, unimpressed. "At this point, I've seen everything."

"At least they're not plotting against us." Lucretia said. "They can worship whomever they wish."

"He doesn't sound like Sombra, after all." Eve said.

"Kinda wish I had an ominous name like that." Mordred thought outloud.

"Seriously, though. What's next? The Itching? The Nasty? The OoooOOoooh?" Sonata wiggled her fingers at that last option.

"At least I got to see some good knockers." Valerie shrugged. "Good stuff, I say."

"The point is, they will be grand hosts until we figure out a way to seek Overcast. And find Spike. And apologize to Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie. And perhaps figure out who I am. Whichever comes first." I said.

Still, I couldn't help but feel bad with all this talk of sex and love. It almost made me wish I had a significant other. I didn't care about the sex, good as it was. I just wanted a loving and understanding relationship.

Was that too much to ask, Aaron?! Was it?!

Meanwhile in Discord's Dimension...

"Attention HUT!" Discord shouted in his temple as he marched about looking like Patton. His Angels rushed over to his location alongside Iron Will. "Today, we avenge our friends and revenge upon the fool who calls himself the Stranger! And you know what that means?! MASS AMOUNTS OF CHAOS!"

The Angels made motions as if they were cheering. Yellow and Black were even close to flashing their breasts before White and Red stopped them. Orange, Purple, and Blue looked excited to finally get some action. Pink and Green just looked at each-other nervously, as if they were dreading this day.

"Finally! We get to put that miserable bucket of bolts into the ground!" Iron Will snorted in approval. "Still, how are Fluttershy and Pinkie doing?"

"Just fine, actually." Discord remarked. "It seems they've forgotten about their ordeal...but that's no excuse! I never thought I'd say this, but justice rocks!"

"Yeah! When some-pony tried to block, SHOW THEM THAT YOU ROCK!" Iron Will flexed his muscles.

"That's the spirit! Are we ready, gals?" Discord asked, to which his Angels unveiled their respective weapons. "Good! Now, let's get out there and...hold on..."

"Something wrong?" The minotaur asked.

"I sense...a presence...two of them. One of them is alien...the other...familiar...one that smells like death..." His face twisted into a scowl. "And very deserving of an ass-kicking!" His face changed into a more pleasant one. "But I digress from that little OOC moment. The future is bright and filled with massive amounts of violence! Tally-ho!"

With that, Discord, Iron Will, and the Angels went through a massive portal. Sure, someone (probably Blue) got the coordinates a bit off, but they would soon meet up with our heroes. A battle was looming over the horizon.

Later that night in Canterlot Castle...

Princess Luna sighed unhappily as she read the daily news. The dark-blue lunar princess would usually be in a better mood, considering that Nioh turned out to be really great, but now was not the time. Not only had she and Celestia been getting some odd traces of energy in the air, but now THIS was happening in Ponyville.

The headline read 'Machine Mayhem! Twilight, Vinyl, and Octavia in Steamy Relationship with Killer Alien Robot!'. The article went on how it was so easy to see through the massive hole nopony bothered to fix, but the fact was still there.

Twilight, to Luna, had officially become "the One that Got Away". The one mortal pony she had romantic feelings for had chosen a soulless machine as her companion. What was this world coming to today?

A loud noise interrupted her. It was a pitch black portal. Despite the fact that Twilight had been taken by another, she still felt like smiling at the newcomer.

Out came The End, but this time in all his massive glory. The extra features revealed were his skeletal/organic body in full. His massive claws, spiked tail, and massive spine were on full display.

"My beautiful queen..." He whispered before nuzzling her, snout to nose. They separated and the beast laid down on the balcony. "I see you are troubled. Is it because I visit the Pie residence?"

"No. They deserve your love after all the worship they have given you that you had been denied so long." Luna said.

The End just sighed. "Everypony is afraid of death and nightmares. To reap the souls of the dead is my greatest burden, yet my greatest gift. Still, it already took a while to convince Igneous that I did not create...you know."

"Nightmare Moon?" Luna raised an eyebrow as she sipped her cup of herbal tea. "Wasn't she actually a wannabe that latched onto me at that one point where Twilight and her friends became my saviors?"

"Yes. I remember her quite well." He growled. "She failed to understand that the nightmares I spread to everypony each night were meant to give them a sense of urgency, not catatonic fear. Of course, then you came into both their and my life and showed us the magic of dreams."

"We're quite the dynamic duo, aren't we?" Luna giggled a bit. "Remember when I countered one of your nightmares with one of a flood of chocolate pudding?"

"Ah, yes. Don't forget that time when I showed that one soul a nightmare of his family leaving him if he did not change his ways." He remarked. "Good times. If only they didn't keep forgetting about me."

"Not exactly humorous, but I see what you mean." Luna said before looking downcast again. "It's about Twilight."

"The one you pine for?" The End questioned. "If it is her choice, it is best to accept it. Though, there might be a chance that she comes around."

"It's just...I could have said something. Made a few more signals. Dated her, dare I dream?" Luna exclaimed. "I guess I didn't have a chance. I acted too little, too late." She gasped a bit when his claws massaged her shoulders.

"You still have me, right? You are my Queen of the Night. The one who gave my life meaning before the Pie family worshiped my long forgotten idol."

"And you are my King of Death." Luna kissed him on the snout.

"Still. I might have to rally the other Horsemen in order to stop an incoming evil. I'd suggest you and Celestia rally as well." The End said. "A power not seen in Equestria since Unicorn and Primus fought is coming. I fear it has already spread its influence. We must not lose our world to this entity."

"That's one way to ruin the night for us." Luna sighed. "Very well. I will do all I can to convince my sister that something is wrong."

"Beware. This being's power is unpredictable." The reaper warned. "I will meet a creature connected to it in tomorrow. I'll see where things go from there."

"Be safe, my King." Luna said. "And bring an ice pack tomorrow night." She gave him a mischievous smirk. "Your ass is going to need it after I beat you in Super Smash Stallions."

"Oh, haha." The End remarked. "I promise you. My skills will evolve as my kind as on the world I came from. Except I won't end up as a bird like them. I'm still not convinced I'm related to avians."

"Take that up with the scientific community." Luna said. "Farewell."

"Same to you, my love." The End said before vanishing with a hideous roar.

Author's Note

Inspirations for the Demon Lords and The End:

-The Pain (Art by Izor)
-The Suffering (Art by Jako-M)
-The Devastation
-The Fury (Art by Jako-M)
-The End (Art from Kaiju Combat Trading Cards)

Also, changed the voice of the Stranger again. This time, it's for good and a lot less mainstream. Refer to the first chapter for details.

On the next chapter...

The Rock Farm is never going to be the same when our heroes, Discord's group, and The End's group converge and battle for their own purposes. And things are only going to get worse when a certain Eldritch abomination shows up. What chaos will be sewn? What relation does Discord have with The End? Who are the Horsemen that the reaper speaks of? How are the Demon Lords and their girls doing? Stay tuned...