Author's Note

Here it is! After a long break, I'm back to writing! Huzzah!

P.S. - It's highly recommended to listen to the music I give you when you reading; it will help the overall mood.

The War Begins

CANTERLOT

Princess Cadance stood out on a lone balcony in her Aunt's castle that overlooked what was once the bustling and peaceful city of Canterlot. Now it gave her a cold, hollow feeling whenever she looked down upon it.

The city was was shrouded in a heavy gloom, courtesy of the dark, churning clouds above. They cast a cold, miserable wind upon the city below, stirring up trash and unwanted feelings of hopelessness. One would think that it was Windigos that were responsible for these depressing conditions, but in reality they were the effect of creatures called reapers - terrible, happiness-devouring creatures of darkness that spread cold, darkness, and miserable thoughts wherever they ventured. The human wizard by the name of Rod - or Roderick - had once explained to her the terribleness of these foul beings, but now that she was forced to be in their presence around the clock, she finally understood what he had meant.

The streets of Canterlot were almost always empty, except for the occasional small group that scurried from place to place in a hurried and frightened manner. The streets and alleyways were littered in paper, most of them being wanted posters that had been posted all over the world. Whenever Cadance saw one of these papers, her heart gave an odd leap - but at the same time, felt a sinking feeling.

One of the said papers fluttered up to Cadance's balcony on the harsh wind, coming to a rest on the marble railing to her immediate right. She picked it up with her magic and hovered it in front of her face. All at once her heart gave a leap and a sinking feeling as she laid her eyes on the picture that dominated the poster.

A young human boy, no older than sixteen, with messy brown hair, hazel eyes, and a slightly pointed face stared back at her from the paper. Above his head were giant words in a harsh, black print:

WANTED ALIVE
Joey Steffen
5'11'', brown hair, green eyes
1,000,000 bit reward for capture

Signs like this had been posted up all over the world, but they didn't only ask for Joey. Numerous wanted posters of other humans had been posted up as well. Cadance knew that these people were the protagonists - the ones to root for. Most of the world's population knew this, too. The people on the posters were not guilty of anything - instead, they were the victims of a new, evil regime that had been set place.

A dark wizard by the name of Lord Valkaris had begun his great ascension to power two weeks prior to the present day. In the span of one day, he had every kingdom under his control - including the hidden Seaquestria. He had then assigned his Maulers - that is, those who followed him almost religiously - to different cities as sentinels. This way, Valkaris had eyes all over the place. He also had Imperius Curses placed upon influential political figures, so that they could keep things running smoothly when the sovereigns refused to cooperate. Finally, as a precaution, he had stationed reapers all over the world to keep sowing confusion and despair among everyone.

The princesses of Equestria had done exactly as the wizard Roderick had told them - follow along. It had been a miserable path to take, that was true, but no one had been harmed under their watch. Most of the other sovereigns, such as Queen Novo of the Hippogriffs and Thorax of the Changelings, had done the same. King Gaius, King of the Griffons, did not submit to this plan. He had dealt with the consequences - fortunately, he agreed to do the same after being tortured by Valkaris himself. Now all of them, as well as the Elements, were being held at Canterlot Castle.

Cadance sighed and looked closer at the face of Joey Steffen. She had only just taken him under her wing when he left. His father Roderick had given him a task, one he said would lead to the defeat of Valkaris. His son had accepted the task readily, and soon after that had run off with his girlfriend, Jo-Ann, and best friend, Naiose.

She was so sad to see Joey go, and yet... she knew that he would be happier if he died trying to save the world rather than dying in his surrogate mother's clutches. It was this fact that soothed her fears slightly, but they still gnawed at her insides - what if they got caught? What if they were killed? She forced these horrible thoughts from her mind as she refocused her gaze upon her son's face.

"Where do you think he is now?"

Cadance gave a start when the voice had spoken and whirled around to see her fellow princesses standing there - Twilight, Luna, and Celestia. It was Twilight who had spoken; the lavender alicorn timidly stepped forward, indicating that she had spoken.

Cadance sighed and look back at the 'wanted' poster. "I wish I knew."

"Wherever he is, he is most likely safe," Luna said consolingly. "He has to excellent friends at his side, as well as his wits."

"Not to mention the fact that if he was caught, it would definitely be all over the news," Celestia said gravely. "All we can do for now is hope."

Cadance and Twilight nodded, looking at Celestia. Luna, however, kept her gaze to the sky which was grey and even more ominous-looking over the horizon. This did not go unnoticed, for Celestia gave her sister a questioning look.

"Is something wrong, sister?" she asked apprehensively, eyeing Luna.

"Look at the sky, Tia," Luna replied vaguely. "What do you see?"

"I see a lot of grey," Celestia deadpanned.

"No, no... on the horizon... over Manehattan," Luna continued, not breaking her gaze.

Celestia looked in the direction of Manehattan and squinted. Cadance and Twilight copied this action and looked for themselves. After a moment, Celestia inhaled sharply.

"I see it, sister."

MANEHATTAN

The very moment, far away from Canterlot, the skies over Manehattan began to churn. A couple of the ponies going about their daily business noticed, and began to head home immediately. Meanwhile, a faint, rasping scream echoed from the sky, gradually becoming louder and louder.

Then, after a long moment, a horrifying face emerged from the clouds, although it was made of the same cloud that surrounded it. It was skeletal, like that of a human skull. It opened its jaws slowly, and the screaming became even louder. Many of the ponies below were now looking up in fright and began to panic ever so slightly.

Then they came.

Zooming out of the skull's mouth came two tendrils of pitch black smoke. The tendrils were not attached to anything, and they entered into a gut-wrenching dive towards Manehattan.

They zoomed through the streets, busting through vending stands and carriages of all sorts, reducing them to splinters as they sped by. They rounded corners and dodged ponies, causing a small amount of mayhem as they traveled by at an amazing speed. Finally, they rounded another corner and sped towards a large suspension bridge that spanned the Hoofson River. They zoomed towards it, ignoring the screams and shouts they caused along the way.

Upon reaching the bridge, they encircled it, slowly getting closer. As they went by, cables shook harshly, then snapped like pieces of string. The whole bridge shook tremulously, then collapsed into the Hoofson River. Everyone who watched the horrifying event was too transfixed upon the collapsed bridge to even notice that the two tendrils of smoke had disappeared from view.

Meanwhile, over the warehouse district, the two tendrils of smoke came and collided with the ground close to an old refinery that was composed of aging bricks. After a brief moment, the smoke cleared, and two men in black cloaks stood there, studying the wall of the refinery in front of them.

After a moment, the shorter man chuckled. "Never gets old, does it?" he said in a growl of a voice, shaking his head and chortling to himself. "Scarin' the pulp outta them, it always gets me, every time."

The taller did not reply, but started forward towards the brick wall in front of the pair. Pulling out his wand, he muttered an incantation and tapped one of the bricks. Instantly, they began to rearrange themselves into a small archway.

"You were never much of a talker," grunted the squatter of the two, hurrying through the gateway after his fellow, whose cloak had swept out of sight.

They traveled through a series of underground corridors, all of which were lit by emerald-green torches, bathing the place in an eerie green light. After many turns, the taller man took an abrupt left into a room, the shorter one panting as he struggled to keep up with the taller man's strides.

The room was long with a low hung ceiling, also lit by emerald torches. A table dominated the center of the room, and surrounding it were numerous other men and women in black cloaks. Neither of the new arrivals had eyes for any of this except for the man that sat at the end of the table.

He was a skeletal figure, and almost literally so. The shape of his head bore resemblance to a skull, and his skin was a very pale grey. His narrow, scarlet eyes rested on the taller of the two men who had entered the room.

"The news, Bergemann?" Lord Valkaris spoke in a low tone. His voice radiated an evil coldness unlike any other; it seeped into the very bones of those seated around the table with little confidence, causing them to shoot apprehensive glances at their master.

"My lord," the taller of the two arrivals replied, taking a confident step forward. "The city of Griffonstone has been brought under complete control. The troublesome rebels have been dealt with; it was clear they had underestimated us."

"And what of the Hippogriff country?" Valkaris pressed, leaning forward in his seat slightly.

"Rosery is now overseeing it," Bergemann replied calmly. "Queen Novo has also been relocated to Canterlot Castle, as you instructed."

Lord Valkaris stared intensely at Bergemann for a few moments, causing the tension in the room to rise dramatically. Everyone waited with bated breath as the Dark Lord stared down his most appraised servant. After a moment, a cold smile stole its way onto his face as he looked towards Bergemann with satisfaction.

"Good, good," he purred, drumming his long, pale fingers against each other. He then redirected his harsh, commanding gaze to the squatter wizard. "Any news from Canterlot, Dickenson? Our dear equine friends are still playing by the new rules, are they not?"

Dickenson bowed low. "They are keeping unusually quiet, my lord," he replied in an oily voice that earned him leers from around the table in his direction. "They have not done anything out of the ordinary; rather, they seem to have only been subdued."

"That is, no doubt, from the death of Roderick Steffen," Valkaris sneered, looking appraisingly at Bergemann. "That would definitely work to put them off, wouldn't it? Indeed... but why do you seem out of your usual character, Derek?"

Bergemann made eye contact with his master once more. "I don't know what you mean," he said stiffly.

"Don't be a fool," Valkaris said, sneering even more. "Could you possibly be sad at the murder of your brother? Traumatized?"

A couple figures at the opposite end of the table snickered. Valkaris's gaze lingered on them for a moment, then returned to Bergemann, who hastily replied, "Of course not, my lord. I will admit, though, that it is not every day when you have the opportunity to kill one of your kin."

Valkaris chuckled darkly. "Indeed... but we are kin to you, are we not, Bergemann?" All eyes present rested on the tall wizard.

"In a sense," Bergemann replied stiffly.

"Always the one with the most pleasing answers," Valkaris said softly. He then gestured to the seat at his immediate right, which was empty. "Bergemann, here. Dickenson, next to Slater."

The two wizards took their respectful seats, and everyone turned their gaze upon Valkaris, who had placed his elbows upon the table and folded his hands. He stared at them intently, as if he were deep in thought. After a long, tense moment in which everyone else seated at the table watched him, he looked back up and addressed Bergemann.

"Have you discovered any clues as to where we can find the rest of the Order, Bergemann?" he asked quietly.

"No, I haven't even seen a hint of a trace," Bergemann replied, folding his hands on the table and gazing back at his master.

"Hmm," Valkaris muttered, bringing his hands to his chin. "They seem to be wise enough to avoid public excursions, at any rate... but it does not make my task easier." He stood up and began to pace around the table.

"Why aren't the wanted posters enough?" he asked, pausing behind Dickenson. He did not seem upset, however; he seemed to be in speculation, but still addressed the table. When no one answered, he moved on. Dickenson visibly shuddered after he felt the presence of his master leave.

"I would think that initiating a task force as well as a large reward would be motivation enough for the creatures that reside in this world," Valkaris continued softly, stopping behind another woman. He placed his hands on the back of her chair, gazing at all the apprehensive faces along the table. The woman looked as if she were about to faint. "And yet - I still lack the knowledge of Joey Steffen's position. I am no closer to capturing him than I was when we first set foot in this world.

"I was a fool then; I did not foresee the magic of prophecy being present here. Now, just from the power of one prophecy, it has bestowed hope upon those who fight for their own insignificant liberty. I was, I must admit, disappointed - and have been nothing but so since stepping foot into this god forsaken world. The gateway between us and out home has been sealed - we may as well call this place our home... as much as it disgusts me."

He gazed around the table once more, then resumed his pacing.

"The Order is finished, yes - effectively, we are the new Order of Illisair. We are what it should have been all along, how the noble Scaron Sletherus said it should have been. But now I am far greater a magician than Sletherus. I am the pinnacle of human magic... nearly unstoppable."

A weedy man at the lower end of the table leaned forward. "Almost... unstoppable? My lord," he added quickly as Valkaris slowly turned to face him. The Dark Lord regarded him for a moment, then continued his pacing.

"Yes, Lynskey - almost unstoppable," Valkaris replied lazily, putting his hands behind his back as he paced. "You all may be wondering why I hold a strong desire to capture Roderick Steffen's son, Joey. Ask yourself this - how many times has he escaped me, without the aid of his father?"

"Just the once, at the gateway after I killed his father," Bergemann replied casually, looking intrigued. "But, my lord - how is that relevant?"

"In due time, Bergemann," Valkaris replied. "Let me ask another question: if he has only escaped the once, and holds no extraordinary talent like his father, then why haven't we found him?"

"He has gone into hiding, my lord," Dickenson said, casting a look around the table.

"Do not explain to me the obvious, Dickenson!" Valkaris said harshly, causing many around the table to flinch. "It was a question for all of you to answer, not for myself! I may assume that our task force isn't putting in the effort I require?"

He glared at the people that sat at the opposite end of the table, specifically the man in the middle. They all shuddered.

"M-my lord," said the man in the center, casting nervous glances around. "He has his friends with him, and m-many hiding places, I'm sure -"

"They are all children," Valkaris said in a dangerous voice, "And you tell me you cannot find them? As I suggested earlier, perhaps you aren't exercising the level of effort I desire?"

"We - we are, my lord -"

"Such lies, Agees," Valkaris said in a low hiss. Most of those sitting at the table barely repressed a shudder as the hiss echoed along the table.

Valkaris faced the man named Agees fully, giving him a murderous, piercing gaze.

"Mordo!!"

There was a flash of pale green light, a sound of rushing wind, and it was over. Agees keeled over onto the floor, dead.

Valkaris resumed his seat at the head of the table, and stared down at his hands, which he had placed on the table. "Claudier... you are now in charge of finding Joey Steffen. Do not disappoint me." He did not look up as he spoke, but the message was clear.

A tall man stood up quickly and hurried toward the door, beckoning for the other members of the search delegation to follow. When they were gone, Valkaris looked up at the company around him.

"I require the boy in order to become truly immortal," he muttered, staring back down at his pale hands. Despite his quiet voice, his voice carried to every corner of the room. "I thought I understood the prophecy, but I was a fool. I understood nothing."

Everyone at the table watched their master with an immense nervousness. The tension of the situation seemed to press down from all sides, making the room seem much smaller. The Dark Lord, however, did not seem to be reprimanding them; he seemed to be talking to himself more than anyone else.

"Now, I understand," he said in a whisper. "Roderick Steffen was not my mortal enemy the prophecy spoke of. It was speaking of his son rather than his father... Joey Steffen is my mortal enemy."

Everyone watched apprehensively as he lifted his head and gazed around the table. His expression was neutral, but a trace of evil determination lingered upon his face.

"I, and I alone, must be the one to kill Joey Steffen."