The Diabolic Shadow Spreads

Chapters

In Which An Explanation is Given
In Which Meetings are Made, and Gifts are Given
In Which Fear and Hate Begin to Manifest
In Which Lessons are Offered
In Which True Power Shines Through
In Which Friendship and Evil Rise
In Which the Threat Creeps In
In Which Heroes are Challenged
In Which the Shadow Begins to Spread
In Which A Request Was Made

In Which An Explanation is Given

It had to have been a solid ten seconds before the wizard and witch doctor actually registered what they were seeing as real. Though to be honest, considering what it was they were seeing, it was quite understandable: two tall, human figures with equine features upon their faces, and a further aesthetic accent of wings on their backs and horns on their heads.

After that initial shock, they were able to notice a fair bit more about them. The one on the right was about as tall as Imperius, with a soft white coat and a flowing rainbow of pastel colors for a mane. A golden tiara rested upon her head, and she was dressed in a flowing garb, the top of which was held by a tie at her neck. It was a style and silk that would not be uncommon with the aristocrats of Caldeum, as Maximilian thought to himself, with the light and airy aesthetic and the open chested design. She seemed to be calm and carried an almost matronly air about her.

The one on the left, however, carried a very different air. She was significantly shorter than the other, about the size of Tyrael or any of the other archangels. Her coat was a deep blue, and her mane had an appearance of a nebula, filled with shimmering stars and other celestial things. She wore a black tiara on her head and wore a dress that could be best described as something very...industrial in appearance. It completely covered her, with a lacy trim at the wrists and neck. Folded fabric made up the center of the chest, with spiral patterned fabric adorning the rest of the blouse. The same folded fabric made up the skirt, which extended to the floor, just barely scraping it. All in all, it contributed to a dark aura of worry and uncertainty.

The white equine woman walked up to Imperius with a smile, revealing a small, bipedal dragon following close behind, with purple scales and green spines, carrying a piece of parchment and quill. Surprisingly, the least shocking aspect of what Max and Bozz were seeing.

“Salvete amici.”, she said with a regal tone in her voice and a smile on her face.

Imperius, in a rare display of respect, bowed his head and said, “Meridiem bona, filia reginae.”

She then turned to the two champions with a smile and said, “So, I believe you requested a thorough explanation, Maximilian?”

Maximilian gave a clear of his throat and said in a deadpan tone, “Well, given the presence of beings with your appearance and power are something that not even I bore witness to, yes, an explanation would be lovely.”

The mare gave a chuckle and said, “I am Princess Celestia, ruler of the sovereign nation of Equestria.” She then made a motion to the darker one and said, “And this is my dearest sister, Princess Luna.”

Princess Luna, in something of a distracted trance, shook herself free from it and said, “A-Ah! Yes, a pleasure to meet you.” She added a curtsey to it, but it was apparent from the way she carried it out that she was less than used to such formalities. As she did so, she stumbled slightly, eliciting a chuckle from Celestia as she made sure her sister didn’t bust her face open.

Celestia, who giggled in response to the look that Luna gave her, then said softly, “Though I imagine those words sound like complete nonsense without proper context. For that, I must guide your attention to Itherael.”

After a nod of confirmation, Itherael opened his book and said, “I request your undivided attention, nephalem. I am not fond of repeating myself.” He then cleared his throat and said, “Many years ago, in the time when the world was young, a great demon invasion was launched upon the land in order to corrupt the Worldstone.”

Maximilian gave a look of recognition and said excitedly, “You refer to the invasion of Baal, Lord of Destruction? The one thwarted by Tyrael and those heroes who came before us? A great victory against the demons, to be sure.” He remembered hearing whispers of it amongst those at the Yshari Sanctum, about a group of warriors going to stop Baal at Mount Arreat.

Tyrael interjected with a somber nod and said, “Yes...however, the corruption that the Lord of Destruction had placed upon the Worldstone was far too great to be purified. In the end, despite my deepest regret...I had to destroy the Worldstone entirely.”

Celestia, listening quietly up to this point, walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry, Tyrael.”, she said in a comforting tone. “You did what you needed to do in order to keep the people of Sanctuary safe.” Tyrael nodded solemnly in response to this.

Itherael gave a clearing of his throat and said, “I agree with our guest greatly, Tyrael. But as you know, that was not the end of that story.” He ran his finger across the pages for a moment before tapping an area on the next page. “Now, while the resulting explosion definitely had an effect on the surrounding area of Mount Arreat, the energy that was released caused a much more substantial wave of magical energy here and, as we later learned, the Burning Hells. It created a rift, fracturing both planes of existence in two, creating the lands that would become known as Equestria and Tartarus.”

Bozz thought for a moment, mulling this all over. After that, he spoke up with the statement, “Well, that is certainly a fascinating tale...however, all respect due to the princesses, it does not explain their existence.”

Luna gave a slightly annoyed look at the small man with the complete lack of tact. However, after a pat on the shoulder from her sister, she took a deep breath and said, “Well, we’re sure he’ll detail that as well, if you will be patient.” Celestia couldn’t hold back a giggle in response.

Itherael nodded and continued on. “When the rift was created, it sent a great number of our Heavenly Beasts through it.”, he said in his same monotone. He then noted Celestia’s raised eyebrow and added, “Or alicorns, as is their true name. We made an effort to enter the rift after it had sealed in the aftermath to find them, and succeeded after a span of six months. However, in that time, an entire century had passed beyond the rift.”

Maximilian rubbed his chin in thought. He muttered, “So the entire realm beyond the rift is a temporal anomaly. One year here would equate to two centuries there…” As he did this, Celestia glanced at him with a smile. How interesting that her pupil and this human had such similar mannerisms.

Itherael gave a nod of agreement and continued. “When we were able to meet with them, they had manifested immense magical ability and intelligence. Their magic was as powerful as ours in all cases, but was unfocused. Unrefined. Given this, we came to a decision: to remain for another century of their time to help them refine and hone their magics, and they, in turn, showed us their development and culture.”

Celestia nodded and interjected with a smile, “I remember the tales of that were passed down through the generations. It was over that time that we began to see you as Gods.” She then smiled at Maximillian and Bozz, and said, “That led to us honoring them by taking on...this form.”

Bozz chuckled and said, “A completely understandable show of faith. Even my tribe created masks in the image of the spirits of the Unformed Land, to both honor them and allow us witch doctors to welcome their strengths into our minds and bodies.”

Celestia chuckled and said, “Well, I’m sure we would have done something similar, though they would mainly consist of hoods obscuring our faces.”

After that comment, Itherael gave a somewhat annoyed grunt at the interruption. He then closed the book and said, “Regretfully, as is the case for you, Nephalem, they exist beyond the domain of Fate, and thusly are not mentioned in our records after this point.”

Maximilian gave another moment of thought, pacing the floor as he rubbed his chin. He then said, “Alright...that does explain the scenario, I will admit. It doesn’t, however, explain the Diabolic threat that we are facing. It is in this...Equestria, I would assume. What do they face given our recent defeat of Diablo?”

Celestia stepped forth and said, “That, Maximilian, is why me and my sister are here.” She and Luna then stepped into the center of the room, revealing a small dragon scribbling fervently on a scroll. He seemed to be chronicling the meeting between these two powers.

Luna and Celestia then focused their magic into their horns, altering the room and surroundings to appear like a plane remarkably similar to the Hells, if slightly darker. Celestia then said, “This is a recreation of what we saw on a routine check of Tartarus, to ensure that none of our past enemies that were sent there broke free.”

Luna nodded her head and said, “We saw this in the deepest pits, not a few of our weeks ago.” The landscape then moved fast beneath their feet, as if they were pulled along by invisible strings. When they abruptly stopped, the found themselves floating over a deep pit, with a glowing red gash in the earth at the bottom.

After a moment, the gash began to be ripped open from the other side by two massive, clawed hands. When it was completely open, a truly nightmarish image began to emerge from it. First came the head, a horrifying skeletal visage with two massive upswept horns attached to the side. It’s eyes looked up, red pinpricks in the back of deep eye sockets, in a look of pure malice.

Then came the torso, with an appearance of having been completely skinned. Many bones seemed to protrude from under the flesh, including the spine, the lower ribcage with an elongated sternum, and many fragments in the arms. Speaking of, this creature had four arms attached to it, disproportionately long and with oversized, clawed hands that were lightly caked with blood. Disturbingly, the lower set of arms seemed to have eyes placed in the palms, darting around as if trying to absorb every detail around them.

Then came it’s lower body...or rather, the lack thereof. It’s exposed spine dangled loosely below it, it’s pelvic bone attached below. As it completely pulled itself away from the rift, the elongated bottom of its spinal column dragged across the ground. All of this contributed to a visage that could best be described as horrifying. It then rose up from the ground quickly, passing the group that was observing it as it cackled madly. As it did this, Maximillian and Bozz could not help but stumble back in shock.

It was at this moment that the projection fizzled out, the former setting of the council chamber bleeding back in. The princesses closed their eyes for a moment as the energy from their horns died down before Celestia said in a serious tone, “This was when we hurried back to our world, to prepare for the contact with the High Heavens.”

Max, after recovering from the shock of what he saw, looked franticly to the angels and said, “Surely that...that wasn’t Mephisto? I thought his essence was eliminated when Diablo fell at our hands after absorbing it?”

Bozz shook his head as he rubbed his chin worriedly and said, “It would seem that was not the case, my friend. And if the Lord of Hatred has returned, we can be certain that his brothers could do the same, if they haven’t already.”

Imperius nodded his head and said, “We believe so as well. Hence the reason we...begrudgingly called for your assistance.” He then sat back on his council chair and said, “Whilst we attempt to better comprehend how to deal with this development, you must go to Equestria to help them suppress any Diabolical threat they may face. The other nephalem will take care of that duty here, due to the demons likely having more of their forces here.”

Maximillian and Bozz gave each other a glance that gave a simple message: “we’re ready.” Maximilian gave a nod to Imperius and said, “We will be more than happy to assist.” Bozz bowed and said, “The spirits would look upon me with shame if I did not help those in need.”

Celestia gave a bright smile and said, “It is wonderful to see that you are eager to help.” She then turned to her sister and said, “Dearest sister, shall we ‘open the door’ for them?” Luna gave a smile and nodded, the both of them channeling their energy again, this time reaching out their hands to focus it at a blank area of wall, a circling yellow and navy blue portal slowly cracking open.

Maximilian and Bozz, not wanting to waste any time, looked at each other one last time, nodded, and ran forth, jumping through the portal into the unknown...

In Which Meetings are Made, and Gifts are Given

For a moment, there was nothing but a tunnel of pure color. Reds, blues, greens, violets. Every color that was possible for the human eye to view flashed by Maximilian and Bozz in a mere five seconds as they floated towards a bright light at blinding speeds. After that, they felt their feet land upon something solid. After Maximilian brushed himself off, they both looked up and around to assess where they were.

It appeared to be a windowless chamber, octagonal in design, with a heavy metal door affixed with many locking mechanisms on the wall in front of them, mainly consisting of metal bars crossing perpendicularly over it. Attached to the mechanisms were small channels, leading to two peculiar divots in the wall, with handprints carved into them and runes surrounding them. As they looked around, they noticed other runes etched all along the stone walls, each glowing with a soft blue light, providing lighting akin to a fireplace on each wall.

They then heard a sound of building energy behind them. They turned and saw the open portal begin to surge with light, and then flash at it’s brightest for a fraction of a second. Out of that flash appeared Celestia and Luna, both appearing rather discombobulated by the journey, much to the amusement of the nephalem. The dragon was even worse off, clinging to the leg of Celestia to keep his balance.

Luna, tidying her skirt and fixing her mane, said in an dazed slur, “Dearest sister, I am unsure if I will ever get used to this blasted thing.”

Celestia, adjusting her dress, responded in a similar tone, “Agreed. At least we aren’t wracked with pain from the migraines anymore.” She then smiled and attempted to pat her sister on the shoulder, stumbling slightly from vertigo.

Maximilian chuckled, amused that these royal figures of the highest standing were speaking in such an informal tone...excluding Luna’s rather bizarre speech pattern. He then walked to them and said in a joking, if slightly condescending, tone, “Well, worry not. After a few jumps in and out of rifts, it becomes as second nature as breathing. Believe you me, we can attest to this. Right, Bozz?”

Bozz, however, found himself distracted up to that point. There was something...different about this world. It was by no means foreboding, but it was...unusual. After Max called to him, however, he pulled himself back into the moment and nodded with a chuckle.

Maximilian walked up to the door and inspected it closely, examining the runes and machinations. “Interesting...not a form I’m aware of...placement is odd on the door...maybe…”, he mumbled to himself, trying to extrapolate their purpose in regards to the door.

Celestia chuckled as she walked up behind Maximilian, getting his attention with a tap on the shoulder. She then said in an encouraging tone, “Go on. Maybe what, Maximilian?” She smiled to herself, as she believed that this would be a nice little test of his magical knowledge, as well as a decent icebreaker.

Maximilian nodded and said aloud, “Obviously, there is more to these runes than simple activation for the purpose of opening them. You wouldn’t have used them otherwise, there’d be no point.” He then traced the path from the print to the door and said, “If I were to guess from the layout, these runes are meant to respond to only the magic of you two, thereby creating a sort of living key system starting at the runes, going through the channels, and activating the mechanisms.”

Celestia nodded her head and said, “Quite so. However, this in itself would be insufficient for our means of keeping this place safe.” She then placed a finger on what a casual observation would identify as an aesthetic pattern. “That is why we placed these smaller runes on the door in between the ones in charge of the mechanism. They are attuned to our magic at their creation, and then enchanted to dispel any other magic.” She then motioned to the runes on the wall, now recognizable as the same as the ones protecting the door, and said, “They prevent the door and chamber from being magically destroyed or teleported into.”

Maximilian nodded as the sisters got into place. “I see. So, in the event you are physically subdued, you can teleport directly into the chamber, while your enemy cannot.”, he said looking upon them do their work. He was fascinated by the impressive rune work in the structure. Even at the Sanctum, they only used a more basic shield approach to defense, rather than the incorporation of runes. Certainly a note to take back home when this was over.

The sisters began to channel their magic into the handprints on the wall, sending it through the channels and causing the gears along the way to turn and the large metal bars to raise and retreat into the wall, as well as the smaller latches and chains to unfasten. The doors then slowly creaked open, revealing a long, straight cavern passage to a more basic set of double doors with a standard key based lock.

As Bozz and Max walked behind the princesses, they both felt a quick tug on their leg and pants respectively. They both looked down to see the small bipedal dragon from before. To be perfectly honest, they had somewhat forgotten about this little thing in the time they witnessed the door’s workings. “U-umm...I’m Spike. Sorry I didn’t introduce myself earlier, I was...a bit nervous. But yeah...nice to meet you.”, he said in a timid voice.

Bozz, slightly taken aback by the speaking dragon, smiled warmly and said, “Well, I believe you already know who we are.” He then extended a hand to the dragon, who shook it heartily in pleasant surprise.

Maximilian chuckled at his enthusiasm. He then looked at Spike with an inquisitive expression and said, “Hmmm...I have heard of dragons before, but none of your size and stature that were so...articulate.”

Spike gave a look of pride and said, “Well...I DO consider myself one of a kind. Hero of the Crystal Empire and Friendship Ambassador to the Dragonlands right here.” He then gave a shrug and said, “But, eh, I GUESS it’s no big deal.”

Max gave a raised eyebrow and said, “I am...unsure about what a Friendship Ambassador is exactly…” Bozz gave him a somewhat annoyed look in response to that statement and he quickly corrected himself. He said with an amused smile, “Oh, but saving an empire, THAT I understand fully. You have my respect, my good man.”

They then both chuckled at the blush the boy took on in response. By this point, they had reached the locked door, Celestia pulling the key out of the front of her dress and unlocking it. Max gave a slightly amused chuckle at the storage method, finding it humorous that she would keep a key on her in such a manner. “Well, I suppose it makes it more unlikely to be stumbled upon...depending on her love life.”, he thought with a shake of his head. The princesses then opened up the door.

The door revealed a grand hallway, a great foyer about seventy-five feet down. This building seemed to have a build not too unlike the heavens, akin to a grand cathedral. The princesses led them down the hallway into the foyer, revealing grand, gilded double doors at the front and a massive central staircase splitting into wings at the back. Bozz and Max looked in awe at the sheer majesty of it all, much to the amusement of the sisters.

After leading them up a few flights of stairs, they came upon another massive set of doors. Those doors were opened up into a massive throne room, pillars with lavender filled sconces all along the sides. A multitude of stained glass windows were set up, depicting what Max believed to be the history of pivotal events in this nation’s history. Quite a few of them seemed to feature the same group of six equines, made up of an alicorn, unicorn, a pair of pegasi, and a pair of...normal equines. Curious.

As they came to the front, the princesses sat down in their respective thrones and looked at them with a smile each. Celestia then said, “Another group of ponies will be around in a few hours to meet you both.”

Luna nodded her head and said, “We believed that, considering you are visiting us as guardians of your world, it is only fair that you meet ours. We believe it will be an...interesting meeting, to say the least.”

Bozz nodded his head and said with a bow, “Thank you for this opportunity, princesses. We will treat them with respect and humility.”

Maximilian held his hands behind his back and bowed in kind as he said, “Most certainly.” He then stroked his chin and muttered, “I’ll have to take stock of the differences between their anatomy for my notes. They must be absolutely immense to accommodate--” He was interrupted by a poke at his side from a smirking Bozz, who then gestured to an annoyed Luna and a rather amused Celestia. Max cleared his throat and said, “Yes, well, that can be done at another time. I’ll meditate here in the meantime until the meeting. What about you, Bozz?”

Bozz gave a moment of thought before saying, “I...will join you. There are some things about this world I need to know.” With that, he knelt in front of the thrones, facing the door, and began his meditation, focusing on the sound of the voices of the Unformed Land as his body began to lightly shake, eyes rolling into the back of his head.

Max nodded his head and sat cross legged next to him, closing his eyes and tuning out everything but the immense magical energy around him, allowing it to permeate into him and fill him completely. This caused him to begin floating slightly upward, while appearing as though gravity was weakening its grip on him.

The princesses watched these two in fascination. Both of them could recognize the immense magical energy residing in Maximilian, which seemed to rival even the most magically adept unicorns in the land. They had heard of what he was capable of for simply his more basic arsenal, and it sounded like something Starswirl had taught them in their later years of study. Max was certainly someone to watch out for.

They then turned to Bozz, who was...a much different story. Not in terms of the scale of his energy, no, not by any means. It seemed to be exactly on the same level as Max. It was more that the energy itself felt...different. It was far different from the feeling their own magic filled them with, or what they felt with Max. It was more...ethereal, more outlandish, than anything they had encountered previously. Not even dark magic could compare with it. It was something...entirely different.

As they observed their alien guests, a knock could be heard at the door. They listened closely to determine if it was their first arrival by the pattern they gave her and her friends. Short-short-short, long, long. Short-short-short, long, long. Celestia smiled and Luna sighed in relief as they both opened the massive double doors, revealing the first guest.

She walked in quickly, almost flying over the ground as she approached them. She wore her deep purple hair freely around her shoulders, bangs resting on her forehead and parted at her light purple and magenta stripe by her horn. Her wings were collapsed behind her as she ran, her light blue, strapless dress flowing behind her and her shoes of the same color clicking on the ground as her tail flowed behind her. Her lavender eyes darted excitedly between the princesses, her energy boundless in this moment. As soon as Spike saw this mare, he immediately ran to her side.

“Princess Celestia! Princess Luna! I came as soon as I-!”, she said excitedly before finally feeling the immense magical power in the room with them. She looked over at the two guests, stepping back quickly in shock at their appearance. After looking them over briefly, she looked to Celestia, as if silently pleading for guidance on how to interact with them. Celestia, in response, smiled reassuringly and nodded. She then looked down at Spike who smiled up at her and said in a whisper, “No worries, Twilight. They’re pretty cool guys, near as I can tell.”

After a short nod of understanding, she slowly approached the floating...creature. In a timid, albeit somewhat excited, voice, the mare said, “Pardon me...sir? My name is Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Frie--.” She found herself cut off when the individual opened his eyes and immediately set his feet on the ground. She yelped in surprise and stepped back about seven feet.

Max gave a stretch and looked over at the new arrival. With a slight smirk that radiated indeterminate amounts of amusement and smugness, he said in as friendly of a tone as he could muster, “Ah...so YOU are the presence we felt just now.” He then rubbed his chin and looked her up and down for a few moments, making Twilight somewhat nervous, before he said in a mutter, “Fascinating…” He then turned to Bozz and said, “You DID feel her presence, right old friend?”

Bozz, still in his meditative pose, closed his eyes for a moment before focusing them on the mare. He gave a friendly smile to her and said, “Of course, Maximilian.” He then stood and walked over to her, his hunched over figure still slightly shaking as he offered his hand to her.

Twilight, however thrown off she was, approached him and grabbed his hand with a smile, her excitement over meeting these beings overpowering her initial shock. As he took her hand, she was surprised when he did not shake it. Rather, he took her hand in both of his, closing his eyes for a moment before looking at her with a warm smile. “Your spirit is one weighed down by the demands of a leader. You have fought beings of chaos, darkness, and tyranny.”, he said in a wise tone before holding up a single finger and finishing with, “However, you have not allowed it to darken your soul, nor cause you to stray from your path.”

Twilight and Spike both looked at him with a fair amount of surprise. “H-how did you know all of that?”, Twilight asked as her mind raced with theories on how he would have guessed her story to that level of detail.

The wizard evidently noticed her surprise and walked up behind her as he said, “That is one of the perks of being connected to the realm of spirits. He can, for lack of a better term, ‘sense’ the spirits of most living beings. Their experiences, intentions, and the like.” She whipped around to see him bowing and saying, “As my friend so kindly said, my name is Maximilian, of the Vizjeri Mages, in the realm of Sanctuary. Though my relation with my clan is...strenuous.”

Before Twilight could question what he just said, the hunched man bowed as well and said, “I am called Bozz, witch doctor of the Umbaru Tribe, also in Sanctuary.”

Twilight, deciding it would be better to save her questions for later, curtsied and said, “I am Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship. It is an honor to meet you both, Bozz and Maximilian.” When she looked up from her curtsy, she noticed the wizard giving her an incredulous eyebrow. Twilight looked around and said, “What? What is it? Did I say something wrong? Did I not curtsy properly? Do people not curtsy where you’re from? I mean I can do a bow if--”, before being cut off by Spike giggling at her sudden concern over something as small as a greeting gesture.

Max, with a sort of baffled tone in his voice, said, “It’s just...Friendship Ambassador? Princess of Friendship? Pardon my bluntness, but I seem to be missing something.”

Twilight responded with an even more baffled expression, though she quickly realized it was likely due to the world he was from being far different from hers. She gave a moment of thought before saying, “Well...friendship is a very tangible thing here. It is a sort of amplifier of magic. The more connections we make, and the stronger they are, the more our innate magic is connected, and therefore increased in strength.”

Max gave a moment of pondering before saying softly to himself, “Interesting...the magic’s flow between organisms is more free, allowing for increased capabilities...hmmm.”

Twilight interrupted him carefully by saying, “Do you, um...not have friendship on that level where you are from?” Ever since she began her studies into friendship many years ago, she still could not imagine living without it for ANY living being.

Max, jumping a bit at the response from her, said, “Oh, camaraderie certainly exists...just not in areas where magic is concerned.” He noticed the curious look on her face and said with a chuckle, “It is a long story, Princess. Let us meet the other guests before we go any deeper into MY story, eh?”

Twilight giggled, rubbing the back of her neck with embarrassment as she said, “Yeah, fair enough.” Well, this was certainly an interesting individual. And such vastly different external anatomy and physiology! It would certainly require further study…

Max and Bozz found this Princess to be overall...enjoyable. She seemed quite the inquisitive and investigative sort, which Max found very refreshing. Bozz was also pleased by her respectful demeanor. It was very rare back in Sanctuary

She was then shook from her planning of various interviews, tests, and measurements by another code knock. Twilight decided to take responsibility for the door this time, opening it carefully.

Right when she had barely opened it up enough for someone to fit through, a pink blur whizzed through the opening. Even Bozz and Max had a difficult time making out its shape as it came barreling down the chamber. Reflexively, Max extended his hand and cast a Slow Time spell in front of them, causing the pink blur to hit it, and allowing them to make out what it was.

Within the sphere of the spell’s influence, in full sprinter’s stance, was another mare. This one was bright pink, with a deeper pink mane and tail practically horizontal behind her, both of them having a very...bouffant look to them. Her baby blue eyes were wide open in pure joy, bordering on mania, with a wide smile to match. She was dressed in very basic garb compared to the ponies the Nephalem have seen up to now. She wore a short sleeved shirt, a slightly darker shade of pink than her coat with a set of three balloons emblazoned on the front of it. She wore a pair of bright skinny jeans and pink and white sneakers on her feet to complete the ensemble.

Twilight, after looking on for a few seconds in wonder at the wizard’s mastery of such a complex school of magic, cleared her throat and said, “Sorry about Pinkie Pie. She’s...excitable around any newcomers, extra-dimensional or otherwise.”

Max nodded his head as he continued to examine her, wondering what in the name of the Heavens allowed her to move at such a rapid pace. Sadly, all he could make note of was the fact that, compared to Twilight and the other Princesses, her build was slightly more muscularly dense. Enough to give her noticeable muscles in the main areas; biceps, abs, and thighs, but not much more than that. Realizing he’d get nowhere with a surface examination, he looked around the room and said, “Would one of the more physically adept of us care to try and stop her when I deactivate the spell? I would rather my introduction to her not involve inadvertently sending her headlong into the thrones.”

Bozz chuckled as he walked into the circle of influence, thankfully unaffected by the spell’s selective effects. He then stood at the ready, hands placed upon Pinkie’s abdomen, and called out to Max, “Alright. I am prepared.”

With that, Max waved his hand again and deactivated the spell. It was then that Bozz, for the first time in many a year, painfully regretted a decision. This pink mare sent a force into his arms, back, and legs akin to a Savage Beast charging on a fully fledged blood frenzy. One moment, he was standing as strong as possible, ready to stop this blur of a mare. The next, he was skidding back ten feet with this same mare near breaking his arms. When she was stopped, she let out a loud “oof!” as her arms and legs extended on either side of him.

After that debacle, Pinkie landed on her feet, at first looking around with a look of confusion before turning back to her “savior”, taking his hand and shaking it vigorously. “Oh my gosh, thank you so much! I could’ve really hurt myself if you didn’t stop me. I could’ve even broken my nose! And that’s no way to introduce yourself to new friends, no siree!”, she said at about a mile a minute. She then turned on her heel and said to Maximilian, “And that was a really nifty spell you did there, Mr. Ponytail! I mean, all you did was go ‘whoosh’ with your hand, and suddenly I was frozen solid like dis.” On the last word, she froze in the position she was originally stuck in before hopping up and down and saying, “Ooooo, and it felt all tingly and stuff! It was SUPER cool!”

Maximilian, internally laughing at the sheer absurdity of how she was acting, looked to Bozz with a smirk as Twilight shook her head with a smile. Bozz, with a slight chuckle himself, tapped Pinkie on the bicep to get her attention. After she turned to him with a friendly grin, Bozz clasped his hands together and said, “We are thankful for your gratitude and praise...Pinkie Pie.” He had difficulty saying such a peculiar name. One of the reasons he and Max avoided saying Twilight’s name. He then finished with, “However, I don’t believe we have truly introduced ourselves to each other.”

Pinkie looked at him blankly for a moment before adopting an expression of shock. She then said in an apologetic tone, “Your RIGHT! I am so sorry! Here, lemme try again!” She then stepped back, cleared her throat, straightened her t-shirt out, and walked back up to him, extending her hand enthusiastically and saying with a grin, “Hi! I’m Pinkie Pie! Party thrower extraordinaire, master baker, and co-defender of Equestria!”

Bozz gave a good natured chuckle as he took her hand and shook it slowly. This one would certainly be entertaining. He and Max had not seen someone with such...liveliness for quite some time. It was certainly good to see. “I am Bozz, witch doctor of the Umbaru tribe.”, he said with a small bow.

Pinkie leaned forward, fascinated by this seemingly frail man. She then asked with wide eyed curiosity, “Oooo! What’s that? Is it like a doctor with a witch’s hat, or a witch with a stethoscope?” Twilight snickered at this, not entirely sure if this was a serious question or an ice breaking joke.

Bozz gave a quick look of confusion at the word “stethoscope” before chuckling at the statement and shaking his head. “Oh no, neither of those things.” He then said with a great deal of dignity, “As a witch doctor, my duty to the tribe is to commune with the spirits of the Unformed Land, so we may have guidance towards safety, health, and bounty.”

Pinkie and Twilight both listened closely, the former having sat cross legged on the floor like a young student, looking with wide eyed wonder up at him. “Oooo! What KINDS of spirits do you talk to?”

Bozz gave a moment of thought, as the Unformed Land is seen by those few who are aware of his tribe’s beliefs as a source of confusion. He then said carefully, “Well, I am able to speak to those that have passed on, as their spirits use the Land to commune with the living. However, there are...other spirits.” He then began to walk around and said, “Imagine, if you will, a world of creatures and ethereal beings, many who are masters of their own aspect of the world. I commune with both those who have passed and these natural spirits, in the hopes that I may use their guidance to better the world.”

Pinkie looked on with pure amazement. Talking to the dead? She never heard of ANYPONY doing that, not even Twilight. She also wondered how these other creatures and nature spirits would look, how they’d sound, how they’d act. She then grinned and said to Twilight, “Did you hear that?! A whole other WORLD inside of a world! Isn’t that cool?!”

Twilight nodded her head and stroked her chin in fascination. To see into the world of the departed, in ANY scenario, has only ever been dabbled in by unicorns. Even in folk magic, there were few concrete examples of it happening. “Well, the Zebras MAY have something like this, but we don’t have enough testimony to--.” She then stopped herself, noticing that she was mumbling again. She blushed slightly in embarrassment and cleared her throat, saying, “Sorry about that. Just...thinking out loud.”

Bozz waved a hand with a smile. “Worry not, my friend. I understand the inquisitive nature of those who are more studious.” He smirked at Max and said, “The Wizard has shown that behavior time and time again.”

Max rolled his eyes and said in a smug tone, “Need I remind you that my ‘behavior’ saved you and ours from being skinned alive on MANY occasions?”

Bozz gave a chuckle and nod in agreement as he turned back to Pinkie Pie, still listening intently. He then said in a friendly tone, “But we’ve talked about ourselves enough. I would like to know about you and your friends.”

Pinkie giggled and clapped her hands, hopping up and walking over to Twilight. “Well, it all started when Twilight here came to Ponyville.”, she said happily as she gave Twilight a hug. She then ran over to one of the stained glass windows, depicting the six mares going up against a black coated alicorn in midnight blue regalia. “After we met, the evil Nightmare moon reappeared after a thousand years to cover the world in eternal night!”, she exclaimed as she opened her arms towards the window.

Max and Bozz both looked over the window, at first just impressed with the deed. However, after they both examined it more closely, they noticed the similarities between that mare’s clothing and Princess Luna’s. They both turned to face the princesses, assuming that they noticed how long they were observing.

Luna had a look of shame on her face. She said in a sad and regretful tone, “Nightmare Moon was...what I unfortunately became. My envy for my dear sister allowed a foul darkness to pervert my spirit into something...truly awful.”

Celestia placed a hand on her sister’s shoulder and gave her a reassuring smile. She then turned to the Nephalem and said, “Were it not for their use of the Elements of Harmony, I would not have my dearest sister in my life.”

Bozz nodded and said with an almost nostalgic look on his face, “I understand that feeling. In my tribe, family was a cornerstone of everyday life, be it by honoring our ancestors, or helping those still with us.”

Max, however, was mulling over something that Celestia just said. “Elements of Harmony...tools of defense against evil, I’m guessing. Perhaps even connected to these mares? Hmmm…”

Celestia chuckled and said in a slightly raised voice, “The answer to all of your theories is yes, good sir.” This made Max jump and clear his throat, a fair bit embarrassed at his mumbling.

Pinkie, having walked back to the group, said with a proud smile, “Yessiree! Twilight is the Element of Magic and I am the Element of Laughter!” When she gave them her title, she made a pose as if she had her foot resting on something in triumph. This elicited a confused look from Max and Bozz, considering that her balance should have been abysmal with the stance she was in.

Before they could ask questions about it, another code knock was heard. By the Heavens, first a princess who came bearing the good word about friendship, then a pink mare with the energy and strength of thirty men. These next few meetings were bound to be something, all right.

This time, the doors were thrown open to allow the next guest in. The next mare walked in briskly, with a carefully measured gait. She held her head forward, a pleasant smile spread across her alabaster face. Her black high heels clicked along the tiles as she stepped, the color matching her skirt and vest, a white blouse finishing off the ensemble. Her deep violet mane and tail were swirled consistently throughout, showing a high amount of volume.

The two noticed her slow down a bit, a pensive look flashing across her face for a brief moment before she regained her charming demeanor. While most would barely notice the change in expression, Max and Bozz had fairly keen senses of awareness. What exactly caused that mare to hesitate?

The alabaster missus gave a practiced curtsey as soon as she reached them. She then said in a lilting, proper tone, “Good afternoon, my good sirs. My name is Rarity, fashion designer extraordinaire, founder of three separate boutiques in Equestria, and bearer of the Element of Generosity.”

Max smiled, appreciating the way she carried herself and her poised manner of speaking. Max bowed to her as he offered his hand to her, which she took with a smile. “A pleasure indeed, Lady Rarity. My name is Maximilian, Master Wizard and defender of the realm of Sanctuary.”

As Max was carrying out his introduction, Bozz slowly walked up beside him, bowing in respect to her. When Rarity saw this, much as his appearance was...odd to her, she smiled the same dignified air about her and offered her hand to him. He took it with a friendly smile and said as he sensed her spirit more clearly, “Many have a mindset of what type of person you are, but you make an effort to let your true self be known. You spirit radiates an aura of determination mixed with compassion. Be it for yourself or others, especially others, you place all of your effort in laying forth a path to prosperity.”

Rarity gave a surprised smile and looked over to her friends, seeing them both nod as if confirming the validity of his spiritual analysis. She then turned back to Bozz and said, “Well, I must say, that is an impeccable analysis, Mr. Bozz!” She then clapped excitedly and said, “Ooo! May I perhaps try to do a similar analysis for you? Using my own special talents, of course.”

Bozz looked over with a bit of confusion at Max, who gave a shrug and smirk in response. He then turned to Rarity, saying carefully, “Well, if you wish to, do it by all means.”

Rarity clasped her hands together in excitement and took a step back, quickly going into analysis mode as she stroked her chin and pursed her lips in focus. She then walked a few times around him before stopping to examine his garb closely. After this elicited a confused look from him, Rarity stepped back with a smile and said gesturing to him, “You...are someone who holds spirituality in high regard. As a part of that, you seek to be as close to the natural world as possible, that your connection with the spirits is unfettered. However, you don’t let that goal stop you from helping your fellow man.”

Bozz looked with an intrigued expression. Given her statement of “using her own special talents”, he was a bit thrown off at how accurate her statement was. He cocked his head in intrigue and said, “If I may ask, how did you come to that conclusion?”

Rarity giggled and said, “Well, simply by virtue of your outfit, darling. It is made using hide from a variety of different animals. Though hide is not as widely used here, there ARE a variety of sources that I have drawn upon for inspiration in some of my designs. Often, in societies where it was the norm to use the material, they often had a very close relationship with nature, as hunter gatherers and the like.”

Maximilian looked at Rarity with a pleasantly surprised smirk before turning to look at the other two mares. Pinkie had a wide smile on her face and was giving her a double thumbs up. Twilight, meanwhile, had a look of stunned silence. It was clearly evident that she never saw her stylistically inclined friend go into a scholarly tangent.

Max then chuckled and turned back to Rarity, saying as he walked up to her, “Well, well! It would seem that you are not only a designer of garments, but a woman who lives and breathes every facet of your trade.”

Rarity blushed and giggled as she waved away the gesture, “Oh, stop. I simply believe that if I’m going to put my passion into this career of mine, I should at the very least absorb as much of it as I can.” She then looked at him a bit closer and said, “I believe that is something that you can relate to. You're appearance is well kept in general, but someone with an eye for detail can see that you have spent many nights awake, pouring yourself into your magical studies. The dark circles around your eyes, the slight coarseness of your hair, the faint traces of stains in your doublet. All of this reveals a person who throws himself completely into his work, perhaps to his detriment.”

Max simply stood there for a moment, suddenly with a pensive expression on his face. At first, Rarity was somewhat worried that she unintentionally said something rude. However, that was assuaged when he adopted a smug grin. “Well, given that I now have access to a level of power unseen by most sentient beings...I believe it was a decent trade-off.”, he said with a mixture of humor and arrogance.

Rarity gave an internal sigh of relief at his statement, giving a chuckle in response. She said in a friendly tone, “Well, in the grand scheme, I suppose you have a fair point there.” With that, she gave the two Nephalem a bow and walked over to her friends, planting a kiss on both of their cheeks.

It was then that another knock was heard...although it would be far more appropriate to consider it a banging. It resounded throughout the entire throne room like the impact of a trebuchet. While the mares and princesses were only mildly surprised by the noise, the Nephalem dropped into combat stances, not noticing the pattern of the knocks. After some confused stares from the others, they quickly corrected their error. This did, however, throw the girls off a bit. They’ve been jumpy before, sure, but their meeting was known only to the Elements and the princesses.

After the Nephalem calmed down, the door was thrown open with a resounding “thud”. The mare in the doorway was a stark contrast to Lady Rarity in aesthetics. While SHE carried a refined air of a socialite, the Nephalem could tell from looking at the mare in front of them that she was a worker to her core. Her outfit was practical, an olive green plaid shirt, a pair of light blue working denims, and a pair of mud stained work boots. Her blonde mane was tied in the back, same as her tail, as if to keep it out of her way, and her orange coat had a sheen to it, as if she had been working in the blazing sun just before. That and the light freckling in her cheeks indicated a very close relationship with the sun.

With a wide smile on her face, she immediately walked up to the both of them and grabbed their hands on after another. “Good afternoon, y’all! My name’s Applejack, head of the Sweet Apple Acres orchard and Element of Honesty!”, she said enthusiastically. She shook their hands quite vigorously, leaving both of their hands lightly pulsating. She seemed to notice this from the slight wince they gave and said, “Ah, sorry ‘bout that. I forget mah strength sometimes.”

Bozz gave a reassuringly warm smile as he rubbed his hand and said, “Oh, worry not. We’ve endured far worse pain than this.” He then gave a bow and said, “I am Bozz, and this is Maximilian.”

Max nodded his head and said, “Yes, a pleasure, Miss Applejack.” He then flexed his hand and said, “I must say, your size does not betray your physical capabilities.” She was very muscularly defined, with clearly toned biceps and strong shoulders, but she was by no means massive, unlike their old Barbarian friend Grognak.

Applejack rubbed the back of her head and said with a hand on her hip, “Well, shucks, Mister Max. Awful kind of ya to say.” She then gave a chuckle and said, “Does me real well when I gotta deal with varmints in the fields. They think they can hold up against me, and then…” She punctuated the end of her statement with a swift and powerful side kick, her foot just an inch from Maximilian’s face.

Max nodded and said after leaning around her foot, “Well done, miss.” He then said with a smirk as she lowered her foot, “I must say, if you put NEARLY as much effort into your crop as you do your physical aptitude, I see myself buying from you very soon.”

Applejack gave a good natured smile and said, “Well, I must say, I look forward to that” She then leaned in and said with a smug grin, “Just don’t give me a reason to show you how strong I really am.” She then gave a hearty chuckle and walked over to her friends, giving them all a group hug.

As the girls started lightly conversing about their encounters with the Nephalem so far, Max and Bozz heard something faint at the far end of the throne room. The Elements and princesses didn’t quite hear it the first time around, but after a few times, their ears turned to the door as well. It was clearly in the pattern of the code knock, but unbearably quiet. The girls all gave each other knowing nods in response to this while the Nephalem looked at each other in confusion.

However, everyone in the room jumped as the door was slammed open, followed by a rainbow blur flying through the air to the thrones. It stopped above them, revealing a lean figured winged mare. “Sorry I’m late! Had to take care of some Wonderbolt stuff.”, she said in an exhausted voice, hand running through her rainbow mane and a panicked look on her cyan face. She had on an ensemble of a black tank top, white athletic shorts with a black stripe along the thighs, and a pair of white athletic socks with cyan sneakers.

In an effort to get the attention of the newcomer, Bozz walked up and said with a clear of his throat, “Pardon me, ma’am. May we introduce ourselves?”

The mare quickly looked down and realized who the weird individuals were. “O-Oh! Sorry about that, man.” She then gracefully landed and pat the both of them on the shoulder, saying with a smirk, “Name’s Rainbow Dash, nice to meetcha.”

Max was slightly thrown off by the casual air of this one. Reminded him quite a lot of that rogue fellow back in Sanctuary...and he wasn’t entirely sure if that was a good thing. He looked at this Rainbow Dash for a moment before saying, “I’m Maximilian, master wizard, and this is Bozz, witch doctor.”

Rainbow Dash looked over the both of them for a moment before saying, “Really? Master wizard? Don’t exactly look like much.” Before they could respond, she continued with, “Sorry I’m a bit out of it. Had to fly from Wonderbolt HQ to here, and that’s about...fifty miles? Something like that. Dang drills only ended half an hour ago. But eh, no big deal, I guess.”

Any annoyance at her slight lack of tact that the two had was immediately quelled by that statement. Fifty miles? In a mere half an hour? Even at the fastest the nephalem could move on land, they didn’t reach NEARLY that speed, save for teleportation.

Rainbow seemed to notice that and adopted a smug look on her face. After brushing off her shoulder, she said, “Oh, that’s not even my record. Heck, I can normally make that distance in a quarter of the time.”

Bozz chuckled at her boasting, seeing another facet of Maximilian in her. He then said politely, “Very impressive, Miss Dash. That speed has served you well in battle, I am sure. Oftentimes it is said that those who strike with speed win the day.”

Max scoffed and decided to take a small dig at the mare. In a sort of patronizing tone, he said to her, “Yes, but it is those who strike with cunning who win the war.” He then walked around to the other side of her, back facing the door before saying, “I respect your capabilities, Rainbow Dash, but speed is hardly everything.”

Dash gave a look of surprise before changing to a sly smile, as if daring him to offer her a challenge. “Oh? And what else IS there, Wizkid?”, she said in a teasing tone, feeling like the addition of the nickname would throw him off.

It had seemed to work, given that Max gave a slight sneer at the name. He couldn’t readily decipher what it exactly meant, but he knew damn well she meant it as an insult. He kept his cool and said in a matter-of-fact manner, “Cunning, awareness, and discipline. Anyone who wishes to succeed in battle must develop and hone these abilities.”

“U-umm, excuse me…”

“Sure, any soldier can strike quickly and hope to win-”

“Pardon me, sir, but I-”

“But if you are not aware of those around you, you can already consider yourself-”

*poke*

In response to that, the Wizard felt himself jump forward about a foot and whirl around to determine the source of the unexpected prod. As he did so, from behind him, he heard Rainbow let out a howling cackle.

The source of the prod was now standing timidly in front of Max, her finger still in a pointing position. Her light pink mane flowed down from her head into a subtle sweep at the bottom, same with her tail, complementing the pale yellow of her coat. She wore a forest green wool sweater and a brown full length skirt, a pair of matching flats poking out from the bottom.

“O-Oh! I’m sorry, mister. I didn’t mean to startle you.”, she said in a very apologetic tone. She then gave Rainbow a scolding look and said, “I THOUGHT Rainbow would let you know I was behind you before she started poking fun at you.”

Max, realizing that the mare presented no immediate threat, Max calmed himself and straightened his doublet out, saying, “No, no, miss. You’re fine, no harm done. Just wasn’t paying atten-.” In the middle of his sentence, he had a look of realization before adopting a friendly smile. “Actually, you doing that helped me support what I was just saying. So, thank you Miss..?”, he said with the intent of starting the introduction.

The yellow mare gave a look of realization before nodding her head, clearing her throat, and saying, “Fluttershy. I am a professional animal caretaker and bearer of the Element of Kindness”

Bozz walked up to her and extended his hand, saying, “I am Bozz, and this is my friend Maximilian. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” As she shook his hand, Bozz gave a chuckle and a slow nod before saying, “Your Element befits you. Your spirit exudes a warmth and a welcoming feeling, one that compares to a village bonfire around which to share tales and spend time with those close to you.”

Fluttershy responded to the compliment with a fair bit of bashfulness. “Oh, I just do what I think anypony would do.”, she said with a small giggle. Her kindness wasn’t typically complimented in such a way, so it felt nice to hear what Bozz had to say.

Max nodded his head and said with a smile, “That may be, Madame, but where we come from, such kindness is sadly far less prominent.” He bowed to her and said, “Not only your kindness, but your humility in dispensing it are things that are considered acts bordering upon the divine.” He then looked back to Rainbow Dash, a look of bewilderment on her face in response to how he flipped the practical joke on her. “Oh, terribly sorry, Miss Dash. I forgot about our discussion. May we continue it another time?”, he said in a slightly smug tone of voice.

Rainbow gave a slight pout for a brief few moments before looking back at Max with a small smile and saying with a wave of her hand, “Nah. I think the point’s been proven.”

After a short chuckle from Max in response to that, Princess Celestia stood up from her throne, immediately drawing the attention of everyone in the throne room with her. She said with an amused smirk, “Well, after those...interesting introductions, you have now been introduced to the defenders of our land...and your compatriots for the extent of your time here.”

Luna nodded her head and stood up as well, saying, “You will assist them in learning about, surveying for, and eliminating potential Hellish threats.” She then walked up to the Nephalem and said, “But first, we need to announce your arrival to the public, along with a public demonstration of your abilities. We need to let our fellow ponies know who you are and what you are capable of, that should the need arise for you to call upon your powers while in the public eye, there will be an immensely reduced risk of compounding the panic.”

Max ruminated on this for a brief moment, looking to Bozz who nodded in approval of the idea. Looking back to the princesses, he said, “Excellent idea, Princesses.” He then offered, “Not only that, but if by some chance news of our arrival reaches any Demonic forces here, perhaps their past experiences combating us will dissuade them from attacking major cities and settlements.”

Celestia walked up to her sister’s side and said, “Excellent point, Maximilian.” She then walked towards the doors with Luna, motioning for the group to follow them. As they did so, she said over her shoulder, “Now, it will take about a day to make the arrangements for the public display, so for now, we’ll have you two stay in the castle. In the meantime, if there is anything about our realm that you would like to know, feel free to ask me or my sister. We’d be happy to help.”

Bozz nodded his head and said as he clasped his hands, “Thank you so much, Princesses. I feel grateful for the opportunity to learn about this new land, as does my friend, I’m sure.”

Luna smiled and said, “Oh, we’re happy to provide it. It’s not every day we have someone from a completely different realm to visit us.”

Celestia then came upon a single door, which she opened to reveal a lavishly decorated guest room with two beds and two accompanying sets of drawers and a wardrobe. The most amazing thing, however, were what was at the foot of the beds.

Max walked up to a mannequin at the foot of his bed in complete awe. Upon this figure was something out of legend. Something that he, and the rest of those who have heard of it, believed was lost to the ages. “This…”, he said in an awestruck tone, “...this is Delsere’s Magnum Opus!”

The set was akin to the visage of a raven, sleek and black. It was elegantly crafted, with magic imbued materials throughout. This was evident from the sheer aura coming off of it, almost as strong as the Wizard himself. It’s chest piece was open, allowing for ease of movement, while everything else was made of a deep black metal, one that was imbued with the legendary Mage Delsere’s magic. The head was covered by a hood and mask, the absolute picture of elegance.

Bozz, meanwhile, walked up to the mannequin in silence. Here was the Helltooth Harness. A red fabric served as the core color of this garb, though weather this was its own color or the blood from its original owner’s actions, no one could say. The deadly witch doctor Jeram of the Whispering Valley knew how to make something intimidating, golden trim with demon skulls adorning every piece. To hold it all together, there was a deep brown leather in the sleeves and legs.

The both of them walked up to the princesses, who both had wide smiles on their faces, as if giddy at how happy the Nephalem seemed. Max was the first to speak to them, saying in wonderment, “How...how in the name of the Heavens did you find these sets of armor? From my studies of the Magnum Opus, the most I could find was that it disappeared shortly after Delsere vanished from society.”

Bozz nodded in agreement and added, “And it was believed by all of the tribes that heard of this armor that Jeram had died wearing it far from any community or society.”

Celestia gave a giggle and said, “Oh, well, it was fairly easy when our mutual Angel friends told us about you, we decided to pay a visit to your world and find you a gift.”

Luna nodded with a kind smile and gestured to the two outfits, saying, “We wanted to provide you with this and the room as a surprise for you, so...surprise!” She gave some slight jazz hands to punctuate her last word.

Both Max and Bozz looked at the princesses and bowed in thanks. Bozz then said, “We promise to use these gifts for the good of the people.”

Celestia placed a hand on his shoulder and said with a smile, “Oh I don’t doubt that at all.” He then gestured for the six mares to head to their guest rooms, starting to follow them out before stopping with her hand on the doorway and her sister at her left, both of them turning around at them. Celestia smiled and said, “The girls will be staying with us as well, so we can all learn more about you. There will be a dinner in the dining hall, should you wish to attend,”

Luna gave an excited smile and said, “Miss Pie is bringing some of her newest confectionaries for desert as a sort of test run. It should be absolutely wonderful!”

Celestia gave a chuckle at her sister’s frankly adorable excitement and said, “Well, you may join us if you wish. It’s your choice, you are our guest after all.” With that, she and her sister exited the room.

As the door clicked shut, Max gave a sigh and sat down on his bed, looking around the room as he tried to gather his thoughts. After a moment, he looked to his old friend and said, “So, how do you feel about these new associates of ours.”

Bozz, having been observing the Harness, looked to his friend and thought for a moment before saying, “I sense no ill intent from them on our part, if that is what you are asking. If not, they are certainly interesting women.”

Max nodded and said with a chuckle, “Oh that most certainly goes without saying. Quite the eclectic group of ladies.” He then looked at the ceiling and said, “I feel safe here, Bozz...and I’m not entirely sure I like it.”

Bozz smiled and walked up to his friend and placed a hand on his shoulder, smiling reassuringly and saying, “Well, worry not. I can almost guarantee that we will be placed deep within a crowd of demons soon.”

Max gave a small laugh at his comrade’s slightly black humor and said, “I look forward to that moment. Until such a time...I suppose it’s only polite for us to attend dinner, eh?”

In Which Fear and Hate Begin to Manifest

Author's Note

I feel like I need to apologize for the length of the previous chapter XD. Worry not, the only reason that one was so long is that I felt the need for each of the Mane 6 to be given proper introductions to the Nephalem, being that this is something of an official visit, and therefore would be treated as such. Also want to build up connections between the characters, to have any future drama feel impactful.

That said, the rest of these chapters will be SIGNIFICANTLY shorter. Like this one you are about to read! Enjoy :D

In Which Fear and Hate Begin to Manifest

The dinner was certainly a massive spread. Just for the main courses, there was a massive variety of different vegetable, fruit, and legume dishes. Max and Bozz had more food in that short moment than they did in the past few months, which the Wizard was more than delighted with. Now the deserts were being served by a phenomenally enthusiastic Pinkie Pie, with the main feature of the course being a light crusted pastry with a lime filling.

Max took a bite out of the pastry and carefully savored the flavor. He could immediately tell that she had decided to go for a more natural route with the filling, having it taste much more like the fruit it was based on rather than sugar with a light flavoring. Max appreciated this approach, and decided to call the chef over to congratulate her. "I must say, Miss Pie, these pastries of yours are positively divine. Akin to something I would have had from a master chef of Caldeum, once upon a time.", he said with a polite tone. After a giggle and thanks from the pink mistress of confectionery, he leaned in and said, "However, I have an idea that would make it even better."

Pinkie widened her eyes in excitement and leaned in as well, whispering, "Really?! Oh, pretty PLEASE tell me! I was happy with how I did the filling, letting the natural juices give it the flavoring when I got the preserves, but I felt like it didn't have a lotta 'OOMPH', y'know?" She was always excited to get new ideas for her work, be it from her own imagination or that of another.

Max chuckled and said in a whisper, "Well, back in Caldeum, in order for any chef to truly stand out, they need to do something innovative, unexpected, and in some cases borderline insane. Over the years, they've done this by mixing two flavors together." He then pointed to the pastry and said, "For this, imagine for a moment that the lime filling was mixed with just a hint of...chili pepper."

Pinkie stood there in stunned silence for a moment, and if one listened closely, they could hear the sound of a ticking clock emanating from...somewhere. When the bell to that invisible clock went off, Pinkie gave a wide grin and said, "OH MY GOSH! Sweet and spicy! Why didn't I think of that before? I mean I guess I've TRIED it before, but I never thought of SELLING something like that. What an amazing idea, thank you!" With that, she threw her arms around him in a big hug, with Max looking over at the princesses and Bozz, all of whom were eating this up.

With a giggle as Pinkie walked back to her seat, waving at Max, Celestia knocked on the table to get the attention of her guests. She then looked around and said in a kind, welcoming tone, "Thank you all for being here tonight. It is good to see this interaction between our two species go so amazingly well." After some sounds of agreement from around the table, she gave a deep breath. On the exhale, her expression went from matronly caring to monarchical seriousness, followed by a surprisingly dark statement. With a firm voice, she said, "As much as I wish it wasn't, however, this is a meeting caused by a great evil visiting our land." She then looked to both of the Nephalem and said, "So, if we may ask...what exactly are we going up against, here?"

Luna nodded with a similar look on her face, saying as she gave a slight sigh, "We attempted to get all of the information we could during our brief time in the High Heavens, though not surprisingly, the angels were very tight-lipped about how much of a threat the demons are, what they could do, and how their numbers stood after their failed attempt of the High Heavens."

Max gave a sigh and thought for a moment on how to proceed with this. The demons where something from the depths of evil and malice, destruction and damnation incarnate. After a moment, he looked across the table at Bozz, who slowly nodded his head. Max then gave a small nod himself and turned to look at the princesses. The room seemed to chill in that moment, deathly quiet as Max said, "Think about every single fear that you or your people have ever felt. Every nightmare you have ever had. Each and every deep, dark depravity that has ever been dreamed up in this world. Imagine, if you will, that every single one of them had a face...and an insatiable blood lust."

Everyone in the room, save for the two Nephalem, looked on with a mixture of emotions. Applejack and Rainbow Dash looked at their friends in concern. Twilight and Rarity both began whispering fervently. Fluttershy was shaking with fear at the description as Pinkie walked up to her and pat her back, looking genuinely scared.

Bozz walked around as well, patting Fluttershy as well as he passed her. He then said as he passed each one of them, "Yes. These creatures are ruthless, wanting to cause nothing but pain and calamity anywhere they go." He then looked each of the ponies in the eye before saying, "However, despite their abilities and their disregard for life...they can still be beaten. They can still bleed, they can still feel pain, and most importantly, they can still be destroyed."

Max nodded his head and said, "Other warriors before us have done so before. The demons always fall to their own folly, be it arrogance, pride, or a powerful tendency towards infighting." Max stood up and walked over to Bozz and said as he leaned on the table, "It was one of the reasons OUR campaign against the demons was so successful." Max looked around the table and said, "So to answer your question in summation, you are going to be in for a tough and brutal fight, one that may leave scars that won't heal...but I assure you, it is a fight you can win."

The ponies looked at the two Nephalem for a moment before looking at each other with determined expressions on their faces. If these demons were beaten back as often as their new allies said they were, they would definitely fight any that are here off.

Celestia gave a thankful expression as she stood from her chair at the head of the table. She then addressed the entire table with, "Let us take their words to heart. These beasts may be horrible, but they are nothing that our new allies have not faced before."

Luna nodded in agreement as she approached the two, placing a hand on both of their shoulders as she added, "With their assistance, we will surely be able to contend with this new threat." Luna then giggled and said, "To be honest, this only increases our excitement for the exhibition of your abilities."

Max looked at Bozz with a grin, knowing damn well just what they were both capable of. With a chuckle, he turned to Luna and said, "Well...we'll be sure to put on a good show when the time comes, yes?"

It was dark deep within the pits of Tartarus. Faint outlines of a barren, mountainous terrain were all that could be made out as far as the eye could see. These mountains were vastly different in size and shape, from many countless hillocks to a monumental central plateau. The only light that illuminated this land came from the deep, dark red sky, which gave the land an ethereal, nightmarish hue. Aside from that light, one could observe the plateau and notice a blue hue, indicating the highest, most isolated area in the realm.

It was hear that a spindly figure thrashed about among an intricate combination of various chains and bindings. His deep red skin tightened and pulled as he struggled, his yellow iris' darting around in rage. His four hooves pulled at the shackles that practically bolted him to the ground while his arms flexed and tried their hardest to pull from their restraints. He had been like this ever since those infernal princesses threw him into this realm for the second time, thanks to the Elements of Harmony. As he struggled, his ears picked up on something faint just outside of his field of vision. He could not quite place it, but he could swear he heard a...cackle.

As this grew louder and louder, the ghastly image of Mephisto slowly appeared at the edge of the area of visibility, a demented grin permanently fixated on his skeletal visage. He then said in his typical echoing whisper of a voice, "Hello...Lord Tirek."

Tirek, as soon as his eyes were laid upon this horrendous being, he was immediately filled with shock and terror. However, it was not because looking upon such a creature terrified him normally. No, THAT he was more than used to seeing. Rather, it was WHO this particular creature was.

"...Lord Mephisto?", he said in a slightly wavering tone.

The Lord of Hatred held up a finger slowly in response, as if telling Tirek to wait for a moment. After that, he put all four of his hands together and slowly pushed them forward. As he got close to the exact edge of the prison, a shimmering glow began to form, revealing the magical barrier that had been formed there by the princesses in order to prevent any sort of magical escape, be it internal or external. With that having been discovered, Mephisto channeled dark magic into his hands and quickly thrust them into the barrier, turning his hands as he did so and, before long, completely ripped the barrier open.

Mephisto then floated up to him and said, "It has been quite some time, has it not?" He then chuckled and floated around him like a predator circling its prey as he continued with, "Though that was by design, I'm sure. For if I remember correctly, you were one of those awaiting this new world as your exile." He then shook his head and said, "Misguided fool, always grasping for more power than he deserved. Lord of Conquest, indeed."

Tirek changed from slightly concerned to angry in an instant. His failure in the Hells was something that he pushed from his mind long ago. To be reminded of it now, of all times, the time he was disgraced for the third time in a damned row. It triggered the rage that he held since he first manifested those many centuries ago. "My Lord, you held me back from taking what was rightfully mine!", he growled out weakly. "Azmodan was making moves against you by that point. By right, I was meant to take the place of the Lord of Sin!"

Mephisto gave a growl in response and said, "Yes, you were meant to, after WE dealt with the matter! Your actions sent us into disarray, allowing the damned Angels to push us back from the Worldstone!" He then closed his eyes for a moment before placing a hand on his head, channeling his magic into him as he said, "Consider yourself grateful that we decided to do this for you."

As the magic was channeled, Tirek felt a surge of energy go through him as his body began to grow. His horns lengthened to a massive, vertically curved shape. His upper body muscles grew to the point where his arms were the size of most ponies. His lower body grew to send his body towering up 10 feet, completing his former, glorious form. He looked at Mephisto with surprise and confusion.

Mephisto gave him a look of satisfaction and said, "We are planning to expand our reach into this realm, that we may invade the realm above." He then looked to the horizon and said, "That will allow us to FINALLY obtain the foothold in the heavens my foolish brother lost us with his brainless scheme." With that, he swung his claws at the air, ripping open a portal back to the Burning Hells. "So, let us go make our plans for this realm. In the meantime, you can provide me with the information I will need, such as how we can enter the world above."

Tirek gave a smirk as he flexed every muscle in his body, breaking the chains that held him in the process. He then bowed before him as he approached the portal, saying in a deferring tone, "As you wish, my lord."

As Mephisto walked through the portal with Tirek, he asked the now reinstated Lord of Conquest, "Where is the other prisoner that was sent here with you? I remember there being two."

Tirek chuckled and said, "Oh, are you referring to Qandar? His tale since his escape is an...interesting one, to put it simply.

Mephisto gave an eerie cackle and said, "Is that so? Well, do tell! I would like to know what our fallen Lord of Discord has been doing with himself..."

In Which Lessons are Offered

Twilight wandered around the castle garden, as she did from time to time whenever she visited. Even at this time of day, she was already in her full attire for the day, a similar dress to the one she wore when they first met their guests. It was early morning, dawn barely breaking over the horizon, on the day of the combat exhibition for the Nephalem. The two visitors had sparked a curiosity in her that drove her to learn as much about them as she could, within reason of course. She sadly could not get a lot from them through interviews, since they seem to be instinctively very closed off to others. It was frustrating from a scientific and magical standpoint, to be sure, but she couldn't exactly fault them for it. With all of the things that they have lived through up to that point with the demons, she was honestly surprised that these two even accepted the assignment to help them.

As she approached a small clearing in the wooded part of the garden, she had only just barely noticed the witch doctor kneeling in the middle of it. She carefully observed him as he continued his meditations, head lolling around his neck as his eyes rolled in the back of his head. She was unsure of what to do in this situation, so she slowly walked up to him and leaned down to look at his face. She then cleared her throat and said, "U-um...Mr. Bozz, sir?"

Bozz then closed his eyes for a moment before turning to her with a friendly smile. He then looked to the horizon and said, "Princess Twilight, you are up rather early.", as he slowly got up. "You should be resting in order to face the day ahead.", he added as he brushed off his knees.

Twilight gave a chuckle and crossed her arms, saying with a cocked eyebrow, "I could say the same thing about you, friend." She then adopted a more friendly expression and said, "And please, you don't have to call me by my title. We are gonna be working together after all."

Bozz chuckled and said, "I will be happy to oblige you, if you could extend that same courtesy." He then gave a light bow and said, "I never was one for titles. Titles give an indication that I am any better than others. I simply do what I am supposed to do as a witch doctor."

Twilight nodded her head and said, "Certainly. It's only fair." She then held her hands together behind her back and looked around the garden, not quite sure how to ask--

"Why am I meditating in the garden?", Bozz asked the princess, causing her to jump slightly. He then smiled and said, "I am correct in believing that was the question you were going to ask?"

Twilight blushed and gave a nervous giggle, twiddling her thumbs in front of her torso, She then said with a bashful expression, "Was it really that obvious? Gosh, I'm not very good at being subtle." She then sighed and said, "I'm sorry if I've been bothering you since you've arrived here. It's just that we haven't had many interactions outside of the Angels, so I figured it'd be good for our relations if we knew more about--" She then stopped herself and blushed brightly as she said in a panicked tone, "N-no, I don't mean OUR relations, I mean the--"

Bozz interrupted her with a touch on her bicep, causing her to jump slightly. He then gave her a kind, reassuring kind of smile and said, "Worry not, Twilight. I understand your dilemma." He then looked around and said, "It is strange to see something you are unfamiliar with so suddenly. It can cause anxiety in most cases, and in others either insatiable curiosity or irrational fear."

Twilight took a moment to digest those words. They most definitely could apply to her and her friends, much as she hated to admit it to herself. She recalled when she and her friends first encountered the Zebra potion maker and shaman, Zecora. They certainly did not give her a WARM reception, to say the least, with calling her an enchantress and cannibal, among other things. Even their justification was flimsy, that being she was wearing a brown cloak and kicking at the soil. To this day, she still can't believe she and her friends treated Zecora like that. After that thought, she nodded her head and said, "I can understand. I have friends who have responded with fear...and those I responded with fear TO."

Bozz nodded his head slowly and said in a clear tone, "You should feel accomplished, Twilight. The decision made between those two mindsets is one that is not often reversed." He then continued with a pensive expression as he said, "Ever since I got here, This world felt...odd. I've needed to meditate a few times to determine what about it made it so." He knelt back down for comfort's sake, grunting lightly as he did so.

Twilight, preferring to speak with him at least somewhat eye to eye, pulled up her skirt enough so that she could kneel down as well. Granted, this still put her a good head and a half taller than him, given that she and other ponies averaged about seven feet tall or so. She then asked with a curious cock of her head, "Well, did your meditations reveal anything?"

Bozz nodded his head slowly and asked, "Do you remember when I told Miss Pinkie Pie about the Unformed Land? When we were first introduced?"

Twilight nodded her head fervently and said, "Yes, yes, I remember. I still find it very fascinating, the ability to commune with these 'spirits'." She then thought for a moment and said, "We've rarely ever read anything about one of our magic users being able to do that."

Bozz chuckled at her intrigue before falling silent for a moment. After a short moment of thought, he then said, "However...ever since I first arrived here, I have noticed that the Land has...fallen largely silent. I hear a nature spirit in passing, and the occasional call of an animal spirit. Everything else, however..."

Twilight looked at him for a moment with a sad expression. To lose something that is so close to him, something he clearly holds close to him. She wondered how lost he must feel whenever going into the Unformed Land. She placed her hand on his shoulder and said, "I'm sorry, Bozz. I can't imagine what you must be feeling right now."

Feeling a fair bit somber, he nodded his head and said, "It is...troubling, I will admit. I always found a great amount of guidance from the souls who have passed. Their insight has always been valuable to me."

Twilight thought for a moment on how she could help the good doctor. She ran through her massive mental archive of various sources to provide him with. Old tomes on folklore of the dead, scrolls of theoretical spells. Not even any books she read on black magic seemed to bring anything to mind. She then, however, revisited an earlier thought that struck her with inspiration. She quickly stood up, much to Bozz's surprise, and said in an excited tone of voice, "Wait right here! I think I know JUST the person to help!" With that, she closed her eyes and enveloped herself in a magical aura before vanishing from view in a blinding light.

After recovering from that, Bozz mulled over what the Princess of Friendship just said. Could someone truly assist him in this world? He figured it was unlikely, since by Twilight's own admission there was little information. Then again, she did mention something about "Zebras". She mentioned them having something similar to the Unformed Land, so...could that be who she is referring to?

After a few moments of Bozz being trapped in thought, Twilight reappeared in another flash of light, somehow looking even more excited than she did before she left. Then, she whipped around and walked over to him with a smile and offered both of her hands to him, which Bozz took with a confused expression. As she helped him up, she said at a rapid pace, "She said yes! I mean, unfortunately not right now, she's bogged down with a COPIOUS amount of potion orders, which she has to complete for her income, but TOMORROW, she can definitely help!"

Bozz, very thrown off by this news, responded by squeezing both of her hands and bowing in thanks. With a genuine smile on his face, he said as he looked up at the Princess, "Thank you immensely, Twilight. I assure you, this means everything to me, and I will not squander this chance."

Twilight nodded her head and said with a wide smile, "Of course...what are friends for?" With that, she pat him on the shoulder and said, "Now, let's head to the dining hall. Breakfast is about to be served, and you'll need a hearty meal for the exhibition.

With that, the both of them walked on to their meal, Bozz with a notably more steady stride.

Maximilian, as this was happening, had also gotten up early. He was already more of a night owl on his more normal of days, and this was certainly far more than a normal day. He had eventually found his way to the Canterlot Castle Library, after extensive searching (by the Angels, there were far too many rooms in this damned palace) and a large amount of convincing on his part, due to the guards being adamant that he not be allowed to enter (they seemed to fall silent rather quickly when he brought up the princesses). After that debacle, he spent the past hour or so pouring over as many magical texts as he could find, no small task in the sizable aisles of shelves. He was fascinated by the apparently old Equestrian art of what he described as "camaraderie augmentation". After learning more about the exploits of the Elements of Harmony, he became incredibly fascinated with the subject. How was it that friendship seemed to refine the power of spells? What were the mechanics of magic in relation to it? Did magic simply work differently here than in Sanctuary?

As he was mulling over these questions and more, he did not notice an unexpected guest peering around a set of bookshelves. This guest knocked on the shelf, causing Max to whirl around and reveal that it was Princess Celestia. She smiled at him warmly and said as she walked up to him, "Terribly sorry if I startled you, Maximilian. I simply noticed you were having trouble and didn't want to interrupt."

Max gave a dismissive wave of his hand as he went back to his readings, mumbling out, "Fine, fine..." His eyes then immediately went back to skimming every inch of the pages he was observing.

Celestia looked over some of the books that Max had tossed to the side and skimmed them herself, almost immediately realizing what exactly the Master Wizard was searching for. Smiling at Max, she cleared her throat and said aloud, "Philosophy." When Max gave a confused gaze in response, she clarified with, "The book that will help you the most here? It's in the Philosophy section."

Max was about to head over to that section before Celestia raised her hand in a gesture of patience. Afterwards, she held her hand out towards a particular shelf, enveloping her horn and a far away book with that golden glow of her magic. She levitated this book at immense speed towards her before immediately slowing it and handing it off to Max.

Max looked over the cover of the tome, a lavender covered one with a design of a five-pointed star on the front, with a different colored gem on each point and in the middle. He opened the front cover to read the title, which he repeated out loud. "The Friendship Journal, as written by Princess Twilight Sparkle and the Elements of Harmony." He then looked up at Celestia with a cocked eyebrow and said, "An entire book from your Elements about camaraderie, eh?"

Celestia chuckled and said, "Well, it does have valuable insight." She then walked up to him and said, "Insight into what TRUE friendship means, how best to act upon all of it's virtues, and guiding advice for when things look bleak." She bent down to be eye to eye with him and said, "Every single journey, hardship, and resolution that the Elements have ever faced are written within these pages. From stopping an apocalyptic scenario to resolving a dispute between school fillies, each and every singly one of them contributed to their understanding of friendship, and in turn their magical power."

Max looked at the book for a moment, trying to extrapolate just what the Princess was recommending he do with those insights. After a moment, he said in an inquisitive tone, "So you are saying that if I approach this from a PHILOSOPHICAL perspective, the mechanics of it all will fall into place?" After a nod from her, he looked back down at the book. He gave a shrug as he placed the book in his satchel, saying, "Well, nothing ventured, I suppose."

After a nod and a giggle, Celestia stood back up to her full height and said, "Excellent. If you ever need help, don't hesitate to ask us, be it me, my sister, or Twilight. In fact, I dare say you and her apprentice would benefit greatly from discussing the lessons she teaches."

Max gave a smirk and said in surprise, "Oh, she has an APPRENTICE, does she?" He then gave a hearty chuckle and said, "Oh, well now I simply MUST know more. Who did she take under her lavender wing?"

Celestia giggled again and said, "Oh, all in due time, Master Wizard. For now, breakfast is drawing close." She then walked past Max, who followed her closely as she said, "You will need all the strength you can muster...for the upcoming fight."

In Which True Power Shines Through

The Nephalem sat patiently behind the massive portcullis, preparing their weapons as they heard a crowd quickly build outside. This was it: the time when they would showcase their powers to the world of Equestria. They knew that every single eye in the nation would be watching them closely. The purpose of this exhibition was to prove to everyone here that they would be more than able to help combat the Diabolic menace, and that was exactly what they planned to do.

Maximilian was outfitted with the Magnum Opus, lightly floating as he examined a focus that was given to him by the Angels some time ago. This was the Triumvirate, three floating orbs representing the three primal elements of creation. After he was satisfied with it's stability, he quickly turned to his comrade. "Are we ready, good doctor?", he asked with a smirk.

Clad in the Helltooth Harness, Bozz had just finished sharpening his sacrificial dagger to a honed edge, testing it with his tumb before responding with, "As ready as I will be." He then lifted up one of his Mojo, a conduit for the spirits to enter him, and uttered a silent prayer. He asked the spirits for guidance and assistance in the fight, and for an honorable victory. After the prayer was said, he looked at Max and nodded his head, mentally prepared for the test.

As this was happening, far above in the Royal Suite, the Elements and Princesses conversed, largely about the upcoming event. Celestia herself had apparently planned the content of the demonstration out herself, though she proved to be very tight lipped about the details whenever the Elements asked her about it. Every single time the question was brought up, she brushed it off with a chuckle and said, "Oh, worry not, my little ponies...you'll see." All of the Elements noted that this was rather ominous for her, making them wonder even more what was in store.

However, of all the ponies in that box, in that section, even in that entire arena, no one held more worry and anxiety that Twilight Sparkle. Typically, her mentor would share almost every detail of her plan, to ensure that Twilight could note her ideas and perhaps incorporate them into her own duties. Now that she wasn't informed, however, she found herself running every possible scenario in her head, each more concerning than the last.

She was taken out of her panicked mental marathon when Celestia placed a hand on her shoulder. "You are troubled by my approach, dear student.", she said with a reassuring smile. She remembered how often the young mare worried over the unknown. She could still recall the debacle where, in a rather perplexing case of short distance time travel, Twilight went back in time to deliver a message to herself, but was pulled back before she could give anything more than a vague warning.

Twilight sighed and said, "I apologize, Princess Celestia. It's just...I fear for the Nephalem. We've only seen glimpses of their power so far, and as impressive as it may have been, I haven't been able to witness their combat efficiency." She then turned her head to the center of the arena and said, "I just don't want them to get hurt on our account."

Celestia, understanding her pupil's trepidation, gave her a short pat on the shoulder and looked into her eyes. She lightly gripped her shoulder and said, "Don't worry, Twilight. If their power is anything even remotely similar to what the Angels have described, I will be giving them exactly what they can handle." After a moment of silence, and Twilight giving a nod of understanding, Celestia gave a deep breath and walked up to the podium at the front of the box.

After channeling her magic into her throat, she cleared it and began to address the crowd, which by this point had completely filled the 100,000 seat arena, to the point where Pegasi had to move clouds to provide seating for other Pegasi. "Ponies of Equestria, hear me! For I have news that I must deliver to you all, and not all of it good.", she boomed out over every voice in the stadium, causing everyone to pause and look her way. She waited for a moment before continuing with, "I regret to inform you all that an even greater evil than any we have faced looms over the horizon. It does not seek merely to enslave us, or to drain us of our magic. No, this evil, this...Diabolic force will have nothing less than all of us dead or serving as their playthings." When this earned some surprised murmuring from the audience, she held her hand up to silence them. When it died down, she said, "But despair not, citizens...for we have obtained assistance from the High Heavens themselves! In the form of two of their bravest and fiercest warriors, who will demonstrate their skills for all of us!"

At that moment, a guard called from near the Nephalem, "OPEN THE PORTCULLIS!!!" With that, the iron and stone door was lifted up. The Nephalem looked at each other and nodded before stepping out into the field of battle, raising a chorus of shocked gasps and frantic whispers from the crowd. "I thought the Heavens didn't contact us for years?", one would say. "Why now?", another would ask. These questions would soon be washed away by the river of tension that swept through the entire battleground as Celestia's voice boomed down to them. "Nephalem! Are you prepared for battle?", she called out.

Both Nephalem raised their fists in unified agreement. After that, with a nod from Celestia, the castle sorcerers surrounded the field, channeling their magic to create a small army of projections made to appear as Royal Guards. There must have been a good forty opponents surrounding them on all sides. They were split evenly with regards to weaponry, half of them brandishing pikes while the other half were unicorn marksmen, charging up their horns in preparation.

Max scoffed at this and said, "I do hope this is some ploy to kill us via boredom." He then allowed lightning to envelop the hand in which he held his wand as he said in a more serious tone, "I'll take the half I am facing, you can take the rest.'

Bozz chuckled as he prepared his dagger and said, "Well...let's be sure to give the ponies a good show, eh old friend?" He lowered himself into his combat stance and murmured lightly to himself as his body began to shake.

Celestia nodded her head. "Combatants ready..."

"And..."

"FIGHT!!!"

With that, Max began to slowly walk toward his side, a smug smile on his face. As a group of five pike guards came rushing at him, he sent out the lightning coursing through his right hand and watched as it chained between all of them. They were sent into a whirlwind of pain before they quickly dissipated in a puff of light blue smoke. This caused the crowd to let out a collective gasp, as they had rarely seen the guards so easily dispatched, projections or otherwise.

The witch doctor, in turn, was surrounded by six pike men as he kept shaking, his eyes closed. Right when two of the false soldiers attempted to run toward him in order to run him through, his eyes sprang open and he dropped to the ground. This caused his opponents to stab themselves in the chest, a viscous blue fluid leaking from the wounds for a moment before they both fell back and vanished from view. Bozz then took advantage of the confusion this caused, rolling around on his back and belly as he used his blowgun to plant deadly poison darts in each of the remaining soldiers' necks. This immediately took effect, causing their bodies to bloat and their airways to close as the fell to the ground and clawed at their own necks as they desperately gasped for air. After a few moments of convulsions, they too went the same way as their compatriots.

This brought forth a wide array of different reactions from the Elements of Harmony. With Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, they were had begun to cheer their new friends on as they stood near the front of the box. Rainbow Dash let out a variety of cheers such as "C'mon, Wizkid, you got this" and "Beat 'em down, Doc". She was clearly getting into the excitement of combat, having never been able to witness it without being directly involved.

Pinkie, in tandem with this, cheered along with Rainbow as she jumped up and down, holding a large handmade sign that she...didn't have as she walked in. It was a bit crudely made, with greatly simplified renditions of the Nephalem drawn on it with their names written above them in bold pink marker. Despite that, she held it above her head proudly with a grin of pure joy plastered on her face.

The others were a bit more passive, with Applejack leaned forward with her chin on her fist as she stared in deep focus. Rarity talked to Twilight as she took extensive notes on their fighting styled, with the alabaster fashionista having noted the way Max carried himself and how gracefully Bozz moved in combat. Fluttershy watched nervously, lightly biting on the knuckle of her index finger as the frightening scene played out before her. All of the ponies continued to react in their own ways...until they began to notice something worrying for the Nephalem.

The wizard and witch doctor had already eliminated nineteen more enemies by that point. Max had switched to his magic missiles, which he sent soaring from his wand as he decimated nine of them. Meanwhile, Bozz had sent out an entire brood of poisonous spiders, this having brought the remaining ten of the recently fallen to their knees. They had believed that they were almost victorious for a small moment before they noticed what the Elements had caught onto.

The amount of opponents on the field...it had not dwindled. There still stood that small army of Royal Guard apparitions as they stared at the Nephalem with blank, empty expressions. In fact, upon closer inspection, the number of soldiers seemed to increase from what it was at the beginning of the match. A quick head count on the part of the Nephalem revealed that their numbers ad increased by thirty soldiers, a number that gave them pause for thought: the exact same number of foes they had only just previously felled.

Bozz quickly met his comrade in the middle of the arena and said in a slightly concerned tone of voice, "My friend...it would appear we are not fighting any normal apparitions." He kept his blowgun close to his mouth, in case he and Max needed to rapidly fire into the crowd.

Max growled as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. He then grumbled out, "Yes. Multipliers. Memories of the Caldeum waterways are flooding back to me." With that, he began focusing his magic above a large gathering of the soldiers and said, "Bozz...I do believe it is time to call upon your friends. We'll need to eliminate our foes quickly."

With a nod of confirmation, Bozz felt an energy surge through his body as he focused his mind, trying to listen for those familiar voices in the Unformed Land. When he found them, he raised his Mojo over his head and gave a loud murmur, causing three spots on the ground around him to begin to shake, almost as if something was trying to dig its way out. After a second, three hulking, four legged figures emerged from the dirt. Each of them was about the size of an alpha timer wolf, with muscular bodies and horrifying, skeletal heads, the latter completely filled with teeth sharp enough to bite through tempered steel. Their visage inspired both cheers and shocked gasps from the crowd.

With a wave of his hand, Bozz's zombie dogs quickly went to work on the soldiers. At blinding speeds, the small pack ran into the crowd of soldiers, tearing through swaths of them. Two of them focused on the legs of their victims, swiping at them with their honed claws, while the third went for the necks of it's victims as it pounced on them and gripped their throats with its vice-like jaws. Both methods sent the blue fluid flying through the air and splattering on the ground before it faded from existence. By the end of their rampage, twenty fell by the claws and teeth of the dogs, while another five were killed on account of friendly fire.

On the other side of the field, Max had completed preparing his spell, which caused a whirling cloud to form over a majority of the squadron that he was facing down. With a quick downward motion of his hand, massive ice spears began raining down from the cloud and impaling the opponents below, causing them to slump to the ground for a brief moment before dissipating. In total, he felled a grand total of thirty-five opponents. This caused the crowd to cheer a bit more, which the wizard gave a brief bow in response to.

The Nephalem then turned to the remaining ten and charged them, Bozz with his dogs in tow, in the hopes of killing them before the multiplication took place. Just before they were about to finish them off, Bozz and Max noticed something out of their peripheral vision. The sorcerers that were projecting their opponents had their horns and hands glow brighter for a split second before the perimeter of the arena took on a blue aura, and a second later, the new soldiers were created, fiercer than ever.

"Dammit!", Max exclaimed as he shuffled back to assess the situation. All right, so the soldiers seem to have a very short multiplication time. How to go about eliminating them before that time is up?

Bozz quickly went to him, dodging the stray unicorn bolt by rolling out of the way. As his dogs fell back in order to defend him, Bozz then said to Max, "You have a plan for succeeding, I hope? It would seem that the unicorn soldiers are becoming impatient with their comrades."

Max looked around for a moment, trying to think of how to solve the issue. It was clear that the spell would be broken if all of the soldiers were killed quickly. That is how it has always worked with the opponents they've faced in the past with that ability. The trick of the matter was getting them all in one group so they could be quickly eliminated. It took a second of thought (and dodging potshots), but he eventually came upon an idea.

"Bozz!", he called out to his friend, going back to back with him again. Max then said in a quiet tone, "I do believe I have found the solution to our problem. It will require both of us to use our more...grand abilities, mind you, but I'm sure it will work."

Bozz nodded his head and said, "I understand, friend." He then looked around at the now sizable army, now prepared to rush them. "I will use mine to gather them all together, and you will use yours to decimate the horde."

Max nodded his head and said in a determined voice, "In summation yes." He gave a deep, meditative breath before saying, "Ready when you are, my old friend."

With a nod. Bozz squatted down low to the ground and began to chant. Quickly after, he raised both of his hands up, causing something to shoot up from the ground in front of him. It took a second for the dust to clear from around the Nephalem, but when it did, the crowd was treated to a truly intimidating sight. In front of the witch doctor now stood a gargantuan beast. It stood tall above the Nephalem, being twice their height. Its limbs and chest were wrapped up in deep black cloth, barely containing the muscles on his arms, which were as long as most ponies. Upon its back were placed three stakes with rings hammered into them, a skull hung from each ring. To complete the fearful display, along with the rest of his teeth, it sported two massive fangs in it's mouth, easily large enough to run most ponies through.

The gargantuan creature looked around for a moment before letting out a primal roar. It shook the very foundations of the stadium, and could be heard all throughout Canterlot. Not a moment after releasing that nightmarish noise, the zombie ran full force through a group of pike men, shrugging off their spears as if they were nothing, even grabbing one of the false guards by the leg and dragging him behind. The rest of them, he simply knocked over like bowling pins, sending the entire platoon into a panic.

Deciding that the new threat would prove to be the biggest and most immediate one, the army began to slowly turn its attention to the rampaging beast, chasing after him. Every time they would approach from the front, however, he would simply knock them over. Given this, they adopted the strategy of chasing after the beast and attempting to immobilize it.

This was much to the relief of Max, as they were playing right into his and Bozz's hands. He looked at Bozz and nodded his head, signalling Bozz to call out to the gargantuan zombie with a short phrase in is tribe's native tongue. When that signal was given, the zombie turned around and tossed the guard he was carrying at the mass of soldiers that followed him, causing them all to stumble back.

This allowed Max to quickly run in between the army and the zombie, where he stood strong and allowed the magic within him to flow unrestricted all throughout his body. His eyes went stark white for a moment before a blast of magical energy enveloped him, colored every possible color that existed. As it died down, the crowd, Elements, and even the princesses were shocked to see what was there. Max had shed his physical form, becoming a vague silhouette of himself that was comprised completely of magical energy, appearing to the crowd as a shimmering indigo nebula.

Max looked over the crowd of soldiers in front of him as they stood and looked at each other in uncertainty of how to proceed against this new threat. With a chuckle, he raised his hands as a deep red energy began to swirl in front of them, growing immediately in intensity. Just before their foes could scramble away, Max let out a massive red beam, engulfing each and every projection in the mass in a fiery blaze as every fiber of their being was disintegrated. It was not long before Maximilian allowed the beam to dissipate, leaving nothing of any of the projections, save for a faint hint of light blue dust.

The arena was still for the briefest of moments as the audience stared in shock. One moment, there was an army facing these newcomers down. The next...not a trace was left of them. After that moment, the whole stadium erupted in a cascade of cheers and hollers, satisfied that their newest allies would be able to defend them from any menace that threatened them.

Max floated toward Bozz, the gargantuan zombie in tow, before releasing his form and returning to his physical body and removing the helm of his ensemble.

Bozz removed his mask in kind, looking at his friend with a smile before looking around at all of the individuals cheering for them.

In the midst of the cheering, the princesses flew down toward the victors, the Elements following closely behind them. As they approached, the crowd fell silent to see what they would say. Celestia them gave a kind smile and said in her amplified voice, "Nephalem, you have more than prove yourselves in our eyes, and in the eyes of everyone in attendance here. We welcome you to Equestria, and look forward to helping you defend our land from the Diabolic menace." With that, she extended her hand out to them in a gesture of friendship.

Max and Bozz looked at each other and nodded their heads before shaking her hand vigorously. Strange of a land as this was, they were glad to see it so full of allies...

A draconequis sat at his armchair, his long tail swinging as he read his ever-updating newspaper to learn about these newcomers. His two ears, the only matching parts of his body, perked up when he read the description of them. A witch doctor and a wizard, eh? Oh these two should be quite fun! A misfired spell here, a fouled-up potion there. Quite the wide range of possibilities with these new guests. He clapped his talon and paw together in glee just thinking about it.

He was shaken from his glee, however, when he heard a knock at the door of his cottage. Odd. Only he and those close to him knew how to get to his extra-dimensional plain. He quickly slithered over to the door and cleared his throat, expecting Fluttershy to have paid him a surprise visit. With a smile, he flung open the door and said, "Hello Flutter...shy..."

His voice died down...for one of the beings that he never believed he'd see again stood, or rather floated, in front of him, with another old friend in tow.

"Greetings, Qandar...may we come in?"

Author's Note

Me again! I just want to say thank you to everyone who is following the story. I'm overjoyed that people are responding to it. If you have any suggestions, criticisms, or praise, by all means leave a comment! I'd love to hear from you guys.

In Which Friendship and Evil Rise

The draconequis Discord stood at his door and stared with wide eyed shock at the figures just outside his home. He would be shocked if it was only Tirek at his door, seeking revenge for how Discord's friends beat him back during his last attempt at ruling Equestria. Despite Tirek's presence, however, it was the being that Tirek stood behind that truly gave Discord a jolt of shock. There, floating idly in front of him, was his progenitor, the being that gave him his powers over chaos and disharmony: Mephisto, Lord of Hatred. His hands were folded in front of his chest, giving an air of patience that would unsettle most, if it came from a pony. From something like Mephisto, it was almost horrifying.

Mephisto then asked again, slower and more menacing this time, "May we...come in?"

Discord, weighing his options, decided to allow the two in. If it was only one of them, he might have been able to at least hold them off until he escaped to Canterlot and the Elements. With both of these immensely powerful beings accosting him, however, left him with few options for escape that didn't result in one of them following close behind him.

Tirek, as he walked past, decided to do a bit of posturing. "Hello, 'old friend'. Consider yourself lucky that Lord Mephisto is here.", he said through gritted teeth. He then continued after cracking his neck with, "If he wasn't, you would certainly be dead by now."

Discord smirked and shot back by spitting out, "Yes, yes. But since your MASTER is here, you are going to be a good little pet. Oh! Perhaps he'll give you a TREAT if you behave. Would you like that boy? Hm?"

Just as Tirek raised his fist to drive it into Discord's head, Mephisto's eerie whisper seemed to fill the room. "Now, now...no reason to be so confrontational to an old friend.", he said in an ominous tone. They both turned to face him as he motioned for Tirek to return to him. When he did, he said to Discord, "So, my pupil...Tirek has regaled me with rather intriguing tales of your 'exploits' since your escape from banishment."

Discord, donning a more stoic expression, slowly nodded his head and said, "Anything in particular that caught your attention? Perhaps had you on the edge of your seat?"

Mephisto floated over to his creation and said as he tapped his long claws together, "Oh, they were all incredibly engaging, I assure you. The tale of your first rise to power, how you dethroned the princesses...how they returned and beat you back." He then began to circle him slowly, listing off more of his failures. "How you returned, only to be beaten again by six ordinary equines. How your hubris was your undoing TWICE with that defeat. Then, there was the crowning achievement: you turned traitor for nothing more than their...camaraderie?" When he let the foul word pass through his teeth, he stopped in front of him and placed one of his upper hands on Discord's shoulder, his lower set of hands gripped tightly behind him.

Discord tensed at the contact, looking his former master in the eyes with as calm of an expression as possible. He looked to Tirek, who was still wearing a deep sneer, before he said to Mephisto, "I imagine that this is about the time that you try to beat me within an inch of my life, punctuated by my swift disembowelment? I remember that being a FAVORITE of yours."

Mephisto kept that same tight grip, his skeletal face keeping the same menacing expression it always had. After a moment of tense silence, Mephisto gave a slight chuckle and said, "Oh, you think far to little of me. For you see, Tirek told me of how easily you betrayed your supposed 'friends'. You still have that desire for something more, that...drive to unleash your fullest potential." He then placed both hands on Discord's shoulders and said, "I can help you achieve that...if you help me with my work in this realm." He saw Discord adopt a pensive expression, likely running through his mind everything these ponies supposedly did for him versus what Mephisto had done. This went on for a minute or so, the tension humming throughout the room as though a swarm of bees was circling overhead.

Discord looked towards him and said with a serious tone, "Tirek promised me the same thing, and it didn't exactly work out well for either of us. How can I be sure that you will both succeed in your plan?"

Mephisto looked to Tirek and said menacingly, "Oh...worry not about him. He has learned his place. Haven't you Tirek?"

Tirek slowly nodded his head, eye slightly twitching as he did so. He then said, "Of course, my lord. It is only by your hand that I was able to escape my prison. I serve you, and only you, until such a time as Master Baal returns."

Discord slowly began to nod his head after he heard this, appearing to have grown to feel safe. He looked back to Mephisto and began to tap his talons and claws together as he said, "What would you have me do...master?"

Mephisto chuckled in approval and said with a pat on Discord's shoulder, "First, Qandar, I want you to use your connection to the Royals of this realm to figure out as many details about the court as you possibly can. It doesn't matter how you obtain it, be it official records or whatever you can take from conversation with the Princesses and those close to them, so long as it is a comprehensive list of details. After that, we will act upon the first lesson I ever taught you. To break the chain..." He walked to the door with Tirek following closed behind and finished with, "Find the weakest link...and give it some tension." With that, he took his leave of his Lord of Discord, carrying an air of confidence as he vanished into the ether...

Maximilian looked over the edge of the chariot as it was carried away from the shining city of Canterlot by two of the royal guards, and the sprawling mountains and meadows rolled underneath them. He was fascinated by how...pristine it all looked, untouched by war and corruption. It stretched on for what seemed to be forever, with what he believed to be the small town of Ponyville in the distance. The Princesses told him and Bozz about this quaint little town, filled mostly with artisans of fairly large variety. As he looked at the town from a distance, he felt a very familiar air about it, the same feeling he experienced after he helped cleanse the town of New Tristram back in Sanctuary of the necromancy of the Skeleton King. The town of Ponyville looked like the most peaceful hamlet in all of creation.

Before long, he and Bozz had the opportunity to see it all up close. The chariot quickly landed in front of a massive crystalline structure, a gold staircase leading to the doors. As the Nephalem stepped out, said doors were thrown open, revealing the mistress of the castle from behind them.

Twilight smiled at them and went to greet them. She was in something far different than her dress from the castle. Her new outfit gave her more of the appearance of a scholar or a librarian. She had on a long sleeve white dress shirt with a deep violet button-up vest. A knee length skirt clung to the sides of her legs, and she wore black tights with similarly colored heels.

She looked down at the both of them and shook each of their hands, having to lean down for Bozz. She then gave a deep breath and said, "I am incredibly honored that you accepted my offer to stay in Ponyville. I'm excited for the opportunity to share our knowledge and cultures with each other!"

Max gave a nod and said, "If I am to be honest, I'm looking forward to seeing this pupil of yours that Celestia told me of. If you saw fit to take her under your wing, proverbially speaking, she MUST show a great amount of magical prowess." He then looked past her and stroked his chin inquisitively as he said, "It would be quite interesting to measure her capabilities. Perhaps in her, I would find a colleague in researching the camaraderie augmentation."

Twilight covered her mouth as she snickered at the inquisitive wizard. "Well that is an...interesting term for it, I must say." She then motioned them both inside and closed the doors. She then walked up and looked around her entrance hall as she said, "As for learning about how friendship effects our magic, you're in luck! I'm just about to receive a status update on her progress so far." Twilight began to walk down one of the massive hallways, the two Nephalem close in tow.

Maximilian quickly caught up with her and asked, "Progress reports? May I ask on what? Is it perhaps on her magical capabilities, or perhaps her work on some experimental magic, or--?"

Twilight cut him off with a good-natured giggle and said, "Oh, no no no. Nothing like that. You see, in order to better understand the ideas behind friendship, we catalog what we learn about it through our various adventures and interactions, which we call our 'friendship lessons'"

Max gave a look of recognition and nodded his head. He then chuckled and said, "Ah, yes, I remember reading about more than a few of these tales in a copy of your compilation book. Very fascinating read, that. Especially your adventures." He then shook his head with a smirk and continued with, "A spell of allure placed on a child's DOLL, of all things! Marvelous thought, if misplaced."

Twilight blushed and bit her lower lip as she began to fidget with her hands. It was one of her more unsavory moments, to be certain. She looked down at the ground as she remembered that she had a LOT of those unsavory moments early on. The Smartypants incident, the time travel debacle...the release of the Pony of Shadows. All of these and more spoke volumes about her, and she didn't like what she heard.

Max looked at her face and immediately felt a small pang of....something. He was always un-apologetically frank with what he thought and felt, THAT would never change. However, more and more, Bozz had been trying to keep him in line with his words, on account of those words landing them in deep trouble on innumerable occasions. Outside of Bozz, he didn't really have any desire to filter his words, but...something was different here. He then said in a more serious tone of voice, "And, if it is alright for me to ask, what do you remember LEARNING from that?"

Twilight slowed down and thought about it for a moment. By Celestia, that was so long ago, it was rather fuzzy in her memory, outside of the fact that it happened. She tried to remember exactly how she wrote it all down in the book. "U-umm...if I remember correctly, it was that I didn't need to create some friendship problem for the sake of my own fear and paranoia.", she said timidly, slightly embarrassed that she couldn't remember it exactly.

Max nodded his head and said, "That was the general idea of what was written, yes." He held up his finger and continued with, "However, I took it in a different direction. I gathered that there is no need to CREATE a problem to solve, if there is none. If you cannot be idle, then fair enough, reflect on past successes and failures and learn from them, but do not try to create a new problem for the sake of the satisfaction of solving it, for it dilutes the value of the experience." Noticing Twilight's fascinated and bewildered expression, he smiled nostalgically and said, "A lesson I could have used in my youth. I was...arrogant and socially unaware then. Far worse than I am now, if you could believe it. Always proving myself, even when there was nothing more to prove."

Twilight gave a similar smile and said, "Yeah. I know that experience." She then stopped in a massive chamber, with six white thrones encircling what Max and Bozz would best describe as something akin to a war map. She then said to Max, "But THAT, I'm afraid, will be a story for another time.", and gestured to a set of doors on the opposite side of the room. She then said, "You'll find the guest rooms and library through there. Both of you share the first room on the left. My pupil is currently in the library, Max, so I'd recommend you and her introduce yourselves." Twilight smiled and said, "I can promise, if you two start talking now, you will be doing so well into dinner."

Bozz, happy that his friend was interacting more with these ponies, looked up at Twilight and said quietly, "If I may ask, Twilight, while Max is speaking to your pupil, what am I to do?"

The princess smiled and leaned down, saying to him, "Well...I do believe I have a promise I need to make good on." With that, she offered him a hand, which Bozz carefully took. As her horn began to glow, she said to Max, "We'll be back in a moment. You two play nice!" With that and a giggle, she and Bozz vanished, leaving Max in the middle of the room.

With a deep breath, Max quickly walked to the library, eager to meet this pupil of hers. As he opened the doors at the end of the hallway, he was greeted with an impressive sight. A massive circular chamber was filled from floor to ceiling with books of various sizes, from the contemporary to the borderline ancient. In the middle of the room, laid on her side on a fine sofa and with her arm propping her head up, was who Max assumed to be the pupil in question. She was a pink unicorn with a purple mane cascading in waves from her head, and the same color tail draped over her lower body, a powder blue streak running through the middle of both. The outfit that covered her fairly curvaceous figure was comprised of dark grey sweatpants and a t-shirt with a similar hue to her hair. She was levitating a book in front of her, titled History of the Practice of Illusion Magic, with a pensive expression on her face. It was very obvious she didn't see him enter.

Max looked around for a moment, unsure of how to proceed. He had assumed that Twilight told her that he was coming, but not much else aside from that. In order to not startle her from her reading, he gave a clear of his throat and waited for her response.

The mare responded with a nod of her head and a response of, "One moment. I need to finish this chapter for my magical studies." After a moment or two of silent reading, she closed the book with a deep breath and said, "Sorry about that. Now to introduce myself properly." She stood up, walked up to about two feet in front of him, cleared her throat, and held out her hand as she said in a chipper tone, "Hello! My name is Starlight Glimmer. I am a student of my friend, Princess Twilight Sparkle, and co-defender of Equestria."

Max slowly took her hand and shook it, still trying to gauge her from her magical aura. It was...smaller and weaker than he thought it would be, considering her position. "Maximilian, Master Wizard of Sanctuary.", he said in a wary tone. "I must say, you are...different than I expected you to be, given what I have heard."

Starlight nodded her head and said, "I'm assuming that you are referring to my aura." After a surprised nod from Max, she sighed and said, "Yeah. I tend to keep it suppressed for a few reasons...namely my attempt to destroy all of Equestria by way of time travel."

Max's eyes shot completely open and said, "I'm...sorry? You attempted to dismantle time itself?" Max then stroked his chin and thought for a moment. He was simultaneously worried about working with what seemed to be a known traitor to the nation...and also impressed with her magical talents.

She must have noticed his expression, because she immediately stammered out, "N-now don't worry, I put that part of my past behind me." She then held up both of her hands and said, "A bit of friendship to get my mind right, and I am a changed mare." After a moment of awkward silence, she said to herself, "Which I now realize is probably not making you feel any better..."

Max shook his head as he continued his pensive chin stroking. "No, no, it's quite all right. If you WERE to attempt some sort of surprise coup, it's unlikely you would have waited this long to carry it out.", he said in an analytical tone. He then continued with, "This is especially telling considering the lengths you went to. Changing history itself..." He looked at her for a moment before he let out a small chuckle and exaggerated bow of respect.

Starlight, comforted by his acceptance of her past, rolled her eyes with a smirk and said with palpable sarcasm, "Oh, you think THAT'S impressive, let me tell you about the time I forced equality by removing everyone's cutie marks!"

Max unintentionally let out a clear laugh before stopping himself and rubbing his temples. Starlight gave a confused expression, to which Max responded with, "Apologies. I am absolutely certain that this is a very culturally significant thing here in Equestria, but...by the Heavens, these names are ridiculous." Maximilian collected himself as he took a deep breath, and said in a respectful tone of voice, "Now, if I may ask, what exactly IS a 'cutie mark'?"

Starlight gave a nod and began to explain. "Well, a cutie mark is an image that appears on our flanks whenever we discover our talents, meaning something that we do exceedingly well from a young age." Without warning, she pulled down her sweats just enough to reveal the entirety of her rear. "This, for example, is mine. A glimmering star, meant to signify my talent with all schools of magic." She noticed Max looking at her with a raised eyebrow before she said, "Oh, c'mon, go ahead and look. It's fine."

With a shrug, he walked forward and leaned over, closely observing the mark closely. "Hmm...unique shape, vibrant color, detailed design. A remarkably eye-catching sight.", he said, appearing to be in analytical mode on its highest setting. He then looked up at her with a devilish grin, deciding to have a bit of fun with her to test her social borders. "Oh, and of course, the cutie mark is rather lovely as well.", he chuckled as he stepped back, half expecting to need to teleport out of the way of a magical blast.

To his surprise, she only rolled her eyes and chuckled as she pulled up her sweatpants and said, "Alright, you're attempt at crude humor aside, thanks for the compliment." She then sat back down on the sofa and opened up her book again. She then pat a spot on the couch next to her with a friendly smile on her face, a wordless invite to discuss any number of topics one could think of in the presence of a rare species.

Max, happy to have more individuals to discuss magic with, sat down next to her and gave a sigh of relaxation. "So, illusion magic, eh? Quite a fascinating school. It requires an expansive knowledge of the inner workings of the human mind and it's connection to the body.", he said as he recalled his own experience with the practice. His first attempts were quite...interesting to say the least. The elders had to be brought in to clean up after the rampage.

Starlight nodded her head and rubbed the back of her head as she said with a nervous chuckle, "Yeah, I know that first hand." She then sighed and said, "Attempt one of two in the 'Starlight Takes Equestria' quest."

Max looked at her and gave a small nod of acknowledgement before he said, "Well, Miss Glimmer, we have all allowed ourselves to fall to our more...dark impulses." He then smiled and continued with, "However, as with the time travel incident, I imagine it was an impressive feat." Noticing a tea set on a nearby table and helped himself to a cup, asking with fascination in his eyes, "May I ask you to regale me with tales of these feats?"

With a reassured look in her eye, she nodded her head and grabbed a cup for herself. They would be at this for some time, that was certain.

In Which the Threat Creeps In

In an instant, after a brief flash of light, Bozz had found himself in a dense wood, Twilight standing nearby with a giddy grin on her face. He could not quite put his finger on it, but this area felt...familiar. The sounds, smells, and sights all gave off an atmosphere akin to the jungles of his homeland. Off in the distance, he could hear a frog croaking on a log, while an crocodile growled in a bog nearby. Less obvious to others, however, was the spirits. They were still barely legible to him, but it was here that they were clearer than anywhere else. The distant whispers from before had turned into ones that were closer and more intense.

Twilight clapped her hands and said as she bounced on the balls of her feet, "Oooo, this is so exciting! I'll be able to learn SO MUCH about both of your abilities!" She then gestured excitedly for him to follow her, walking immediately to one massive tree in particular, which upon closer inspection revealed itself to be hollow, with two windows carved out on either side of a wooden door. At this door, Twilight turned around and whispered, "She's almost done preparing a brew. Go right on in."

Bozz, looking between the door and the princess motioning him forward, carefully opened the door to reveal the inside of the hut. Across the walls, various tribal masks and wooden slabs with painted patterns were hung all around the large chamber. On the floor, shelves lined the room, filled to the brim with books on botany, alchemy, and spiritual folklore, all accompanied by bowls of various herbs and flowers. As Bozz continued to look around the room, he heard what sounded like something boiling alongside...humming? With that realization, Bozz turned his attention to the middle of the room, revealing the mare who was hosting them.

In the middle, dancing around a bubbling cauldron, was a visage directly taken from the folklore of Bozz's tribe. The mare was waving her arms, humming a tune as the cauldron simmered and the bangles on her right forearm clinked along with her movements. The bangles slid over her striped coat, both of them given a light sheen in the light of the candles. Her hair was done up in a tall Mohawk, revealing the rings around her neck and the hoop earrings dangling from her ears. These were complimented by a brown loincloth and a tanned handmade top. As she slowed down, she noticed her new guests at the edge of the room and gave a friendly smile, walking up to both of them.

"Twilight, good to see you again/May I ask, is this your new friend?"

Twilight nodded in excitement and quickly hugged her before she turned to Bozz and said, "Yep! The very same. I rushed him over here as soon as he was done with the demonstration!" Excitement dripped from her voice as she was nearly bouncing up and down, a smile stretched wide across her face.

As she nodded in acknowledgement, Zecora walked slowly up to Bozz, her eyes quickly scanning him as she seemed to be trying to get a read on him. She then gave a warm smile and bowed her head as she said, "How wonderful to have you here/I am Zecora, zebra seer. Are you ready, my friend, to take my hand/and see, as you call it, the 'Unformed Land'?"

Bozz smiled and nodded his head eagerly. "As you may know, I am Bozz, witch doctor of the Umbaru tribe. To answer your question, yes, I am! To see what spirits roam these lands would help me better understand the ways of this world.", he said as he knelt next to the cauldron. He then clasped his hands together, bowing his head to signal his readiness.

Zecora knelt down just to the left of him, smoothing her loincloth as she took a deep breath. As she took a moment more to center herself, she looked at her new guest and said in a serious tone, "To see the unformed upon this plane/your vision must scan, your hearing strain. The spirits are timid in this land/Is what I say clear, Umbaru man?"

Bozz took in what she said, the words seeming odd to him at first, before he nodded his head and said, "Yes...I believe I understand." He then took in a deep breath, reflecting the meditative practices he was taught. "If I am to see the spirits in this land, I am to focus my senses. Is that accurate?" He inwardly chuckled to himself as the situation that he found himself in. It had been many decades since he was able to ask anyone these questions. Truly, he did not believe that his lingering spiritual questions would be answered, whether here or even in Sanctuary. Yet here he was, about to enter on a journey akin to his first.

Zecora gave a small smile and nodded her head as they continued their deep breathing exercises. After a few breaths, she said, "Now we shall see where the spirits roam/within the forest outside my home. With these spirits, we shall commune/that you may use that as a boon."

All throughout this conversation, Twilight had already grabbed a chair and sat to the side as she furiously scribbled on her parchment, quill practically smoking with friction as she wrote down every detail of their encounter. To bear witness to the meeting of humans and ANY race within Equestria and beyond...such an event was nothing short of historic. She considered it her own personal honor to transcribe this meeting for future generations to learn from. When she looked up from her notes, Zecora and Bozz had their eyes rolled into the back of their heads as their bodies began to shake. She had to wonder what they were seeing...

Bozz looked around slowly as he found himself in Zecora's hut, though it was different, as he expected. There was no light that was there in the physical plane. Instead, everything in the hut and everything that could be seen outside of the window had a certain luminescence to it. A light blue color seemed to radiate from everything, from the leaves of the trees high up in the canopy to the small rivulets in the far distance. This was the Unformed Land. If nothing else, Bozz thought to himself that, strange of a land as this was, it would seem the Unformed Land would remain a constant.

With a quick clear of her throat, Zecora made her presence known. Bozz's head snapped back to the center of the room. There knelt Zecora, as before, but now she carried a much more ethereal aura. Her eyes, once light blue of iris, were now a solid white, similar to the witch doctor himself. She held a bright glow throughout her body similar to the spirits that Bozz had seen in his previous insights into the Land, and her earrings and some strands of her hair were almost floating, as if she were completely submerged in water.

With a calm tone, Zecora said to her momentary pupil, "Welcome to the Land Unformed/From which all that is is born. Go into the forest deep/to find where the spirits creep." She then closed her eyes, taking deep breaths in and out in sequence.

Bozz looked to the front door of the hut and slowly swung it open. He quickly scanned the surroundings, looking for any sign of a spirit's presence. One didn't simply stumble across one, even back in Sanctuary. These spirits were far more elusive than that, going where they pleased. Like anything that exists, however, spirits always leave a slight trail to follow. The trouble with this world's Unformed Land was FINDING any trails.

Bozz stepped carefully through the underbrush, keeping low to the ground as all of his senses scanned for sounds, smells, anything that could indicate a presence. After a few minutes of fruitless searching, he found something. It was a small, fairy-like creature...

...That had been very recently crushed under the gait of something VERY large.

Recognizing that this was certainly an abnormal occurrence, he immediately stood up and listened for what could have caused this sudden upset of the spiritual balance. There was nothing, but Bozz knew better. In all his years of serving as a guardian of his world, rarely did he find that “blindly malicious” equate to “stupid”. His head was fervently turning, listening for the presence of...something.

That presence made itself known with a sudden snap of a twig. All Bozz had to do was turn around, and there it was: a slightly ethereal form of a Dark Berserker hulking over him, lipless mouth growling and chattering as it’s spiked club was cocked back behind it, ready to strike.

Bozz just barely dodged the swing, one of the spikes giving him a bad scratch on the front of his leg. Immediately, he focused his mind and phased out of the Unformed Land, back to the physical plane. He had to hurry, for he rarely ever saw a demon appear so clearly in the Unformed Land...

...Unless it was really, DANGEROUSLY close...

Author's Note

Apologies for the short update after so long, I kinda wanted this to be something of a turning point for the story, establishing just how far the demons have gotten in their movement to Equestria. This would facilitate further interactions down the line, I believe. As always, lemme kno what u guys think! :D

In Which Heroes are Challenged

Bozz returned from the Unformed Land with a start. “They’re here!”, he said under his breath as his head whipped around quickly, trying to find any sign of the nearby demon.

Zecora and Twilight both looked confused, startled even, with Zecora going to a collection of spears she kept near her storage area. Twilight tried to get a read on any sort of magic in the area, but all she could sense was this...pervasive foulness completely clouding her senses. She looked out the window and saw an entire segment of the forest swaying and shaking, a chorus of snapping twigs getting closer and closer.

Soon after that, a rock came sailing through one of the windows, striking the Princess of Friendship on the side of the head. It didn’t incapacitate her, but the sudden force against her head sent her reeling towards the wall, her instincts demanding that she get away from the windows.

Bozz cursed in his native tongue. He couldn’t get an accurate read on how many demons were out there. By this point, he had also put his back to the wall. Carefully, he moved towards the injured princess and said, “Don’t worry Twilight. I will help you fight them off. Where is Zecora?” When the zebra ran towards them and crouched down next to them, he whispered in his native tongue.

Twilight, still reeling from the blow to the head, listened to the two go back and forth through her haze. She knew little about their native tongues, but she could tell they were planning something. She saw Bozz go to the door after they were done, kneeling down and summoning his hounds. He looked to Zecora, who nodded her head and silently counted to three. On three, Bozz threw open the door and sent the dogs out, closing it just as quickly. Zecora, meanwhile, was looking out the window, her eyes darting around as her lips silently moving in indeterminate syllables.

It was then that Twilight understood the plan. She waited for them to get back in cover.

Zecora got there first as she gestured for Bozz to come in closer and said, “There are twelve of those...m-monsters out there/Tell me, friend Bozz, should we beware.”

The look on Bozz’s face was something that neither of the equines expected: a look of relief. Bozz nodded his head calmly and said, “Well, THAT is something that I can more than manage on my own.” He slowly went to the door and stood up, wind whistling through the window on the left where the rock flew in. With a deep breath, he stepped out and quickly shut the door. There were many sounds of demons yelling, dogs barking, and one of Bozz’s Gargantuan zombies howling, and then...silence.

Zecora and Twilight glanced at each other nervously. The silence had a weight to it that neither had felt very often, if at all. There was the combined dread of wondering what had happened to their new associate...and fearing their fates should he have failed. Gulping down her fear, Twilight carefully opened the door.

Bozz stood in the middle of the carnage, back turned to the hit. All across the ground were the bodies of the fallen that had been banging down their proverbial door not a few minutes prior. His dogs tore apart the various demons into nothing but scraps and bones, while the Gargantuan stood beside the Witch Doctor, his immense body heaving with every breath. After a brief moment, Bozz finally turned around to face the mares, his mask streaked with demonic blood. Had they not already gotten to know the good Doctor, this scene would have been terrifying.

Actually it was still terrifying.

Bozz took off his mask and drew a deep breath before quickly stepping into the hut. “We need to move.”, Bozz said in a rushed tone. “If there is a group of that size roaming the forest, chances are there is a bigger gathering nearby.”

Zecora shook her head and said, “No, Doctor, this cannot be/I simply cannot move, you see/For you need someone with no fear/To warn when demons are drawing near.”

Twilight began to nervously bite her nails as she added, “She is right, but we can’t risk her getting hurt or...or worse.” She paced the floor for a minute before an idea came to her. “Got it! We’ll have a squadron of guards set a perimeter around your hut, Zecora. If one of them spots the demons, they’ll fall back and assist you in reporting to us.”

Bozz wasn’t entirely sure about leaving any of these equines to the demons, but he had to admit that the plan was sound. With a small sigh, he said, “Alright. This is the best plan for our situation.” He then gazed out the window and said, “I do hope Max isn’t going through the same trials as us...”

Max was deep in discussion about the various schools of magic with Starlight Glimmer. They had spent the past hour just talking about all of the possible combinations of spells that the unicorn had tried. The sheer number of possibilities was staggering, if the stories she told him were any indication. After a humorous story involving a pig and a tree, he said, “Ah...your mind is an exceedingly fascinating one, Miss Glimmer. Such an enterprising mindset for magic development is something not often seen in my world, and I commend you greatly.”

Starlight couldn’t help but giggle and blush a bit at the compliment. She moved a bit of her mane behind her ear and said, “Well...I suppose I just like to discover new things rather than just...regurgitate the old lessons, Yknow?”

Max nodded his head and said to her, “I can understand that. It’s...painful to have so many desires and aspirations, only for—.”

A commotion had suddenly arisen from the town square. What was once an orchestra of joyous laughs and excited chatter had almost immediately turned into an absolute cacophony of panicked exclamations and commanding shouts.

Clearly concerned and disturbed by the sudden shift in atmosphere, Starlight ran to the door and threw it open. A large crowd had formed in the center of Ponyville and had started to move towards the castle. A majority of the townspeople were simply walking along, talking with panic dripping from their tone. The rest of the most able-bodied mares and stallions we’re closer to the middle, using ropes to try and contain...something.

When that something was cast in front of the steps of the castle, Starlight and Max both tentatively approached it. It was then that Maximillian recognized the foul creature.

“A Fallen Imp.”, he growled as he squatted over it. “A foul stain upon this world sent from the Burning Hells. Tell me...where your masters are.”, he added as he grabbed the face of the monster.

The monster responded to his command by promptly spitting in his face. To this, Maximillian responded by sending a bolt of electric energy through it. Not strong enough to kill, but certainly enough to cause pain. Despite this, the imp still cackled madly.

The Wizard wiped his face and said to the town, “Lock this beast up as effectively as you can. Me and my compatriot will see to him later.”

As the townsfolk started to put a sturdy cell together, Starlight walked up to Maximilian and said, “What...what in Celestia’s name IS that!?”

Max looked around before saying grimly, “A demon...and Hell is sure to follow behind.”

In Which the Shadow Begins to Spread

The Fallen Imp thrashed inside of the freshly made cage, occasionally head butting the bars to terrify any ponies foolish enough to come close. Every time this happened, the Imp released a shrill cackle that was sure to be permanently burned into the minds of the villagers. Max sat in a wooden chair not too far from the cage, staring the demon down. He wasn’t going to start the interrogation. Not until Bozz and the Elements were all present.

Speaking of, a group consisting of Bozz, Twilight, and Fluttershy came running up to the cage. Bozz said in a hurried tone, “We just came from Zecora’s hut. We were ambushed by a Fallen horde during my meditation.”

Fluttershy looked absolutely terrified as she flew towards the group and said in a panic, “I put all of my animal friends in a safe haven away from the house! I made sure the cottage had some protection too. Oh my Celestia, this must be so terrifying for the poor things!”

Max nodded his head and placed a hand upon her shoulder, saying in as reassuring of a tone as he possibly could, “Worry not. As soon as your friends arrive...we shall see what this creature knows.”

As he said this, Rainbow Dash flew from the direction of a massive cloud-like city (Cloudsdale, as Max heard it was called). She looked around frantically as she muttered something under her breath. After another laugh from the Imp shook her from her trance, she spat out, “T-told the Wonderbolts about the situation. Messages from Twi and Max. Circling Everfree.”

Max was about to ask if there were any sorts of updates when Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie, and Spike all came running from the town’s border. Applejack said as she ran a hand through her mane and said, “Alrighty, I got Mac workin on the defenses with the local soldier boys. Rarity’s designs shouldn’t leave any gaps, and Mac’s got the construction know-how. Should keep the varmints out the hen-house.”

Pinkie bit her lip nervously and said, “I-I made sure all the little fillies and colts here safe in the town hall. Me and spike wrote a message to Canterlot, so the princesses should be able to send some more soldiers. Hopefully big ones with bigger weapons.”

Max gave one last look around. Some townsfolk were still looking at the scene, wondering how it might unfold. Max hollered to them, “Return to your homes, board them up, and remain vigilant, people of Ponyville. We’ll ensure that this problem is resolved.” When the crowd dispersed, he looked back to the demon in the cage, who was growling with a mad grin.

Max immediately went to work. He flicked a finger and allowed lightening to arc from the tip of it. The demon immediately locked up as the electricity coursed through it. It fell to the ground and started to convulse violently. This however did not budge the Imp, as it continued to giggle madly, like it was perpetually thinking of the most demented inside joke. This was starting to try the patience of the wizard in the worst possible way, made evident by his slowly increasing the current.

Bozz had a visible look of confusion on his face, to the likewise confusion of the ponies and dragon. The imps were considered the almost absolute bottom rung of the demon army. While they often only had the most basic of information to give, it was by no means difficult to extract that information from them. Yet despite that, this Imp showed absolutely no fear in the face of this constant electric torture. It was...concerning. Something was not right at all.

Just then, when the Imp fell against the bars of the cage, he looked directly at the pony with the pink mane and the yellow coat. He cackled madly and said something that, while seeming like gibberish to the nephalem, struck fear into her heart.

“Harry not scary! HARRY NOT SCARY!”

The nephalem looked at Fluttershy as she went pale as death itself. “How...do you know that name?”, she said at what was barely above a whisper. The ponies all partly knew why she was so terrified: Harry was the name of her bear companion. However, only Fluttershy knew what was truly terrifying about the seemingly random statement. The fact that scared her was that, when she said she left protection at her cottage...

...she was referring to Harry.

The Imp giggled and said, “Harry has sinew go snap and crack! Smack his head on the floor and drink the nectar within!”

Fluttershy looked absolutely horrified for a fraction of a second before bolting back towards the cottage. Her mind was racing with thousands of images of what could be there when she arrived, and she silently prayed that none of them would come true.

As the group was trying to figure out how this Imp knew about Fluttershy’s cottage so soon after appearing in the forest, the Imp suddenly looked towards Applejack. He still had that same mad grin on his face.

He hissed out as he said, “And what of the green Granny, little apple?! Such an old apple she is...so many soft places to BITE!” He snapped his teeth hard after that last word, chuckling as he cracked his neck.

Applejack felt something rise in her. Folks could threaten her up and down, as much as they wanted, till the damn cows came home...

...but you do NOT threaten her family.

Without a second thought, she grabbed the demon and pulled him hard into the bars. She then sprinted off to her farm to protect her farm and her family...leaving the Imp’s face imbedded in the bar and his body twitching slightly.

All of the remaining elements and the nephalem were troubled by these developments deeply. Not only did the information they had clearly indicate that they had advanced further and much more rapidly than expected, but the reaction of Applejack was frankly the most violent she had ever been.

Rarity found herself pacing back and forth, muttering angrily at the situation. What few words everyone could make out were things like, “foul creatures...take it to their families...” She semmed disgusted by them more deeply than her disgust typically ran. This wasn’t just being grossed out, this could be described as absolute moral repugnance.

Max looked around, trying to formulate...some kind of plan. He took a deep breath. He thought to himself, “Reprioritize Max. Focus on the immediate threat now, plan the rest later.”

He took a deep breath and said to the group, “Alright. Twilight, Pinkie, you see to Fluttershy. Rarity, Dash, you go to Sweet Apple Acres. Both of you take a few squads of the best soldiers nearby. Spike, send a message to everyone friendly to Equestria...we may need reinforcements. Prioritize the dragons. As ambassador, you have significant pull with them.” He looked to the Everfree Forest and said in a low tone, “We’ll need all the heavy firepower we can get...”

Fluttershy stood at the edge of the grotto...where her cottage once stood. In its place was a demolished heap, smoldering and festering with a foul stench. Unidentifiable bits of flesh were scattered across her land, indicating the death of something. She fell to her knees and wept silently, but not for this. As Twilight and Pinkie saw clearly when they arrived, Harry was nowhere to be found. All there was left of him were drag marks and signs of a struggle heading towards the forest.

Fluttershy simply looked towards the forest. Her heart was heavy, her mind was numb. All her body could do now...was sob. Her hands gripped her skirt until her palms began to bleed, her teeth doing the same thing to her lower lip. She looked well and truly broken by all of this.

As Pinkie was trying to console her, she suddenly felt her tail twitch violently. In a fraction of a second, she pulled Fluttershy from her spot. This was just in time to avoid a metal chain with a heavy hook caving her skull in from a tree branch. As Pinkie tried to calm Fluttershy down, her blood ran cold. She looked at the hook and immediately recognized the type. It wasn’t often seen in Ponyville, but she remembered it clearly from her time in the Griffon Kingdom...

...These were the exact same hooks used in a butcher shop.

When Applejack got back to her farm, Big Mac was leaning against one of the barricades, clutching his abdomen. Upon inspection, the medic Unicorn that came with them determined it to be a partial disembowelment. As he was escorted back to town for medical attention, Applejack saw her granny, having just pulled a pitchfork out of what could only be described as a larger version of one of those imps. It was clear from the number of bodies that Granny was fighting tooth and hoof to hold this land. As Granny was pulling the fork, she was also staring down...one of the most vile looking creatures she had seen yet.

The beast stood at twice the height of a pony, and was as wide as a wagon. Its eyes were sunken in deep into the sockets, and its skull sported two massive horns on the sides, one broken off at the halfway point. Muscles that were inconceivable for a mortal being rippled across its body, especially its massive arms. Those same arms had bony growths jutting out from them, some stained with dried blood. He simply wore a loincloth with a belt of skulls, and in his left hand he held a massive hammer with a skull adorning each side.

Granny Smith spat towards the beast and said, “Now lookie here, you overgrown cut of beef! You ain’t gettin yer hands on this land while I’m still standin! Now why don’t you turn around and crawl back in whatever foul smellin hole ya done crawled out of, ‘fore you see me REAL mad!”

The demon didn’t heed the words of the Apple family matriarch. He simply looked over the land and said, “Lots of land here. Perfect for buildin’ siege engines of all sorts.” He then looked at Granny Smith and smiled, saying, “Take comfort knowin’ that this land will serve me master well.”

Granny Smith, pitchfork in hand, ran at the hulking beast. She still had one last fight in her, by Celestia! Just as the demon swung his hammer down, she slid between its legs and ran the tips of the fork along its inner thigh, causing it to howl in pain. She then leaped up and planted the fork in its back, holding on for dear life.

Just as Applejack started to sprint to her Granny’s aid, the demon yanked her off its back. With one mighty swing, he buried everything from Granny Smith’s waist down into the dirt. It was then that the bulk of the soldier squads arrived, driving the demons to, at the very least, a far enough distance to pull the fallen Granny away.

Applejack fell to her knees, holding Granny as her mind rattled off thousands of panicked questions, but none of them left her lips. She was just...feeling so much at once.

Granny, in her pained state, saw her turmoil. She willed herself to do anything she could to calm her grandbaby...for the last time.

“F-fore you ask, Applebloom is fine. Sh-she’s in town w-with the crusaders. A-a-and by Celestia, don’t you go blaming yourself for this. I...I did what I wanted to do. I wanted to fight and g-give my life for my home.”

Applejack hushed her and said, “N-now don’t you go talkin all that nonsense, y-you can’t die yet. A-ain’t nobody else to...to tell stories to Applebloom, or to tell the little fillies of the town our history, or...!”

Granny chuckled and coughed a bit, saying, “Oh child, you can do all that. You’ve...you’ve been ready for some time now.” She caressed the face of her granddaughter and said, “Oh...yer mama and daddy are proud of you. Of that, I am sure as sugar. Remember: you were always enough. And I loved you every day of your life.” She then looked up at the sky and said, “Guess you...did outlive me...you ornery old Pear.” With those words, her eyes gently closed and her breath left her for the last time.

Applejack didn’t do anything at first, aside from just staring at the ground. All of these emotions were fighting for dominance inside of her. Sadness, guilt, regret. However, one emotion showed out above them all...

Rage.

She screamed in visceral anger, her fists flying repeatedly at the ground underneath her. With every punch she let out another yell that reverberated throughout the fields and town. She punched with such force that a crater began to form under her, the rocks from underneath the soil embedding themselves in her knuckles. And with one final scream to the heavens...she collapsed to the ground.

Everyone in the immediate vicinity could swear...they heard a chilling laugh on the air.

In Which A Request Was Made

Maximilian, as he was prone to doing as a Wizard, was meditating over the magic tomes he had collected over his many adventures across the world of Sanctuary. He was very unlikely to use any of these as a focusing point for his magic, preferring his Winter Flurry, a small, light blue crystal like structure. He obtained this Legendary source during one of his many travels, and relied on it ever since. While he was at the Yshari Sanctum, where many magic users are sent to hone their skills, he read many books on this particular source, and was incredibly fascinated with it’s properties. Aside from the Flurry, it was here that he also learned of the prophecy that set him on his journey...against the wishes of his masters, naturally. He kept the same appearance he had since he left, his long black hair hanging straight, with some in a small topknot and two braids behind his ears. He was of a fairly athletic build and fair complexion, clearly showing his preference for mental pursuits as opposed to physical.

As Maximilian was returning to his meditations, his companion Bozz was also doing his own form of meditating. Being a Witch Doctor of the Umbaru, he didn’t always need to perform any rituals to make contact with those who reside in what his people called the “Unformed Land”. As he always puts it, “The Spirits are always guiding my actions, always warning me of danger and aiding me when I cannot fight alone.” These Spirits aid him usually by way of assorted undead, from zombie dogs to undead of gargantuan size. It was odd to Maximilian, seeing these rather frightening creatures around a small, almost emaciated, dark skinned figure. The only truly supernatural aspect of him was his pale eyes, appearing almost white. Much like Maximilian, Bozz was born into this power and taught how to harness it by his people, and even to this day is always learning new abilities the more he communes with the Unformed, which the Wizard gave him the utmost respect for. Maximilian saw him as a great friend and asset to their adventures ever since they first arrived in the quiet town of New Tristram those innumerable days ago.

After Maximilian was finished with the final tome, he took a quick survey of their camp site. It was a decent size, enough for a tent and a large fire pit, perfect for the plains they were exploring. Bozz was sitting at the campfire, cooking the meat of the Savage Beasts he hunted that evening. Thankfully, Bozz was taught how to live off of even the most hostile environments in his youth.

“You’re quite sure there is nothing wrong with this meat?”, Maximilian said warily as he sat on a log near the fire. Maximilian, being used to buying food from the inn of whatever town they stopped in, was paranoid that the meat could be diseased. Adding that to the fact that the Witch Doctor usually hunted and fought with poison darts, he felt his paranoia was not without reason.

Bozz looked at him and chuckled, causing the large gold rings on his ears and lower lip to move as he did so, “Worry not my friend. I assure you, it is fit for consumption.”

He took a piece of meat from the spit and offered it to Maximilian. Being hungry from the day’s fighting and plundering through caves and tombs, he took the meat and slowly took a bite. After a moment he stated, “Well, it is...edible. Most certainly edible.”. After a chuckle from the good Doctor, they sat in the silence of the night around them, only hearing the crackle of the fire.

As they were about to enter the tent for the night, Bozz stopped stiff with a grunt. After Maximilian said “Bozz, are you alri-?”, the same feeling surged through him that his friend was experiencing: an immense surge of Divine energy. They looked at each other and nodded, already knowing it’s source.

Shortly after, a portal of blinding white light appeared before them, temporarily blinding the both of them. As the light died down, they see an all too familiar face before them. This face is dark of complexion, dressed in an olive robe with armored body and right arm. In this armored hand, he held his golden hilted great-sword, El’druin. This was Tyrael, Archangel of Justice.

With a warm smile he said in a soft voice, “Greetings, friends. How has the adventuring life fared for you?” It had been a few years since they last met, him and these heroes. He had grown to see them as close friends in that time, following their journey closely.

Maximilian nodded his head and said respectfully, “It has fared well so far, Tyrael.”

Bozz nodded his head and said, “We were just about to rest for the night.”

Tyrael’s smile curiously left, leaving a serious expression in its place. “Unfortunately, you’ll not be able to rest tonight. I need to bring you to the Heavens.” With a motion of his wrists, he opened another portal for them to traverse through.
After a short nod of confirmation, they both walked into the portal, a tingling sensation spreading across both of their bodies as they were transported to the High Heavens.

As they entered the realm, they noticed that they were in the council chambers of the Archangels, with Imperius, Aspect of Valor at the head, and Auriel, Aspect of Hope, at his right. Auriel was dressed in a lightly armored white robe while Imperius was in his full suit of golden armor. She leaned in intently while Imperius leaned onto his arm, seeming bored.

When Tyrael stepped into the chamber, he noticed the bewildered look on the faces of these heroes and said in a more powerful voice, “Nephalem, you two have been called upon to fight another threat to the realm of Sanctuary. Will you answer the call?”

Maximilian gave a glance to Bozz, who gave a small nod of agreement. “Wherever the spirits will me, that is where I will go.”, he said respectfully.

Maximilian looked up to Imperius and nodded his head, saying boldly, “But of course. If we don’t, who will?”

Imperius growled in annoyance at the gall of this insignificant half breed, but the rest of the council was already in favor of the idea. Begrudgingly, he nodded his head and said in an irritated monotone, “All right, then. The decision is final.” With a final rap of the gavel on his part, the council left the chamber, save for him, Auriel, and Itherael, Archangel of Fate, with his massive tome of all that was, is, and will be in hand.

Maximilian gave a look around the chamber and said in a slightly confused tone, “Well, now that we have consented to go on this grand mission, may I inquire as to what in the Hells and Heavens it is for?”

Bozz gave a chuckle at his comrade’s forward nature. As far back as he could remember, Max always had something of an arrogant streak. Even in the face of the highest beings in all of Sanctuary, he was still somehow the biggest presence in the room. Only thing larger than his ego was his immense power in Bozz’s eyes.

With a pat on his comrade’s shoulder, Bozz spoke up and said, “I am in agreement with my comrade. What is the threat you have called upon us to resolve, may we ask?” It had been a great deal of time since they had dealt with the last Diabolic threat, which would be the only type that they would even be called for. The fact that they were not only called, but brought directly to the chamber of the Heavenly Council. Needless to say it must be of utmost importance.

Tyrael gave a small chuckle as he walked toward one of the grand doors of the chamber and said, “I do believe it would be best for them to explain it.”

Maximilian was about to raise a question as to who exactly “they” were when the door’s handles were both encompassed by a different color of aura, which he and Bozz both identified as a magic akin to the angels. The one on the right adopted a sort of golden aura, akin to the sun of eastern Sanctuary, while the one of the left took on a sort of midnight blue. Soon after the doors were thrown open, with what came through eliciting a shocked expression from Max and an intrigued one from Bozz.

“All right...I may need a more thorough explanation now.”, Maximilian said with a cocked eyebrow.

Author's Note

Well, that was certainly fun! This had been an idea rolling around my head since high school. Finished this and I figured, "What the hey? May as well post the blasted thing" XD

By all means leave as much criticism, or even suggestions, as you please. Only way I'll improve, after all.