The Diabolic Shadow Spreads

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?”