Author's Note

I assume you have read the story from the beginning. If not, go back and read the previous chapters.

This was a long chapter to write considering my schedule. Now the reason why I didn't put in more description as what the demons look like, is because I want you to imagine them for yourself. Think about it, there's no one set uniform for all demons. Throughout the years, demons have been depicted differently in different cultures, and more recently, in TV shows, video games, you name it. Also, these are demons from all over Hell who have come to fight for Sheol, so there are many different types. They could be the demons from Warhammer, Doom, The Elder Scrolls, Hazbin Hotel, or maybe just straight up giant flying spaghetti monsters. Point is, it's up to YOU, the reader. To imagine what these demons look like and how they function. If there is a demon who is going to play an actual role in the story, like the one Twilight encountered, they will be described in detail. Also don't read this in dark mode.

Sheol - Oryx, the Taken King

Abbadon - I've posted his voice later in the chapter... for... reasons... :)

Hammer - Demoman

Anvi - Meridia from the Disney movie "Brave" (Go watch it. It's actually really good.)

The Drums of War

Twilight stepped aside so she could see the memory play out. She saw the Void Master kneel beside the slaughtered mare, planting his sword in the ground. He seemed moved, but not shocked. How could he be? He had seen this kind of slaughter many times. He knew the sorrows of war and bloodshed.

"Void." A voice said. Twilight spun around to see who it was. It was Celestia, adorned in golden armor, carrying a golden pike radiating with the energies of the Day. Beside her was Luna, adorned in blue armor, carrying a sword which radiated with the energies of the Night. "We must keep moving. Ponyville has been completely destroyed. There is nothing for us here. We're pushing the demons back to the Taturus gate. Soon we will overwhelm them, and finally banish Sheol back to the pits where he belongs."

"No. We make camp here and stay the night. There might be survivors, and the troops are becoming fatigued." Void retorted.

"He does have a point. We could all use a break. Besides, survivors could join our ranks, all the more hooves to drive Sheol back to Tarturus."

Celestia gave a small huff, but she relented. "Fine."

Twilight was confused. How? How could Celestia just disregard the welfare of her own people, let alone her own soldiers? This wasn't the Celestia she knew as a mentor. And yet, she could feel that this actually happened.

Time sped forward. Twilight found herself at the top of a cliff. Looking down at the surrounding field. It was a slaughter. Demons of all forms, shapes, and sizes, clashing with the armies of Equestria. She saw Celestia below, mowing down the demons with her pike. Slaughtering them with extreme efficiency. She took joy in slaughtering those who would hurt her kin. And yet Twilight found it disturbing, and yet, she felt that these creatures, these unholy abominations, these twisted things birthed from pits in the lowest planes of existence, that they deserved it.

Twilight then found herself in a medical tent. Behind the lines of battle, those who were wounded were being treated and helped. Both Azur and Pony alike were there, both wounded and treating those who were wounded. She found Void there as well. Conversing with those who were wounded and giving them comfort. He was happy and joyous, using his magic to heal instead of to harm. No creature seemed intimidated by him, they only took comfort in his presence. Void was kneeling beside the bed of a wounded Pegasus. One of his wings was completely gone, he had cuts and bruises all over his body. Twilight was undoubtedly disturbed at the sight.

"Void Master, thank you for carrying me here. That demon got me pretty good. I'll admit, if it weren't for you, I probably would have been dead. Thanks to you I'll live another day. Maybe they might send me home due to my injuries."

"You need not thank me. I'm just doing what I can for others. A good ruler must always protect his people. Otherwise they will abandon him and leave him for dead." He paused for a moment. "Tell me, why do you fight for Equestria? And don't tell me for the fate of the Universe and everyone in it. Trust me, I've heard that more than enough."

The Pegasus paused, contemplating on his answer. "I fight for my family. They're a long way from here in Manehattan, but I think of them every day. I would gladly give my life for my wife and daughter. That's something something you can surely share sentiment with. You being a father and all."

Void nodded. "Indeed. Truly a noble cause. It is a shame so many families have been ripped apart in this war."

"No to be insensitive, Void Master, but even yours." The Pegasus added.

Void closed his eyes and sighed. "Yes, even mine. My mother and father's death was a heavy blow to all of my brothers and I."

"Truly you must be thankful for Luna's support through these dark times. She has been a beacon of hope through these dark times. I wish I could say the same for Celestia though."

"She is a beacon of hope in her own right. A beacon for warriors, honor, and glory. Even though I may not agree with her sometimes, she still taught me about warfare. Without her, I probably wouldn't be what I am today."

"Amen to that, Void Master." The Pegasus said.

The vision then shifted again, and Twilight found herself in the middle of battle.

3 DAYS UNTIL ASCENSION. WAR DRAWS NEAR

Sunburst stirred. Last night had not been a fun one. He couldn't sleep. He felt guilt over what had happened yesterday. How he saw Celestia absolutely destroyed emotionally by Lorgar. If only he had decided to keep his mouth shut. But it didn't matter now. He found himself in a bedroom aboard the Dragon's Wing. It was a small yet comfortable room, reserved for visitors or diplomats who wished to have an audience with the Void Master, or the Emperor as he was also known as by his own kin. Sunburst couldn't keep up with titles at this point. He had way too much on his mind. There was a knock at the door. Sunburst hurriedly threw on his blue cloak, trying to fix himself up for whoever was at the door. The bed he had slept in was very comfortable, almost too comfortable.

"Dammit! I slept in!" Sunburst thought to himself. He was supposed to be meeting with the rest of the Primarchs today at a war council. He didn't remember when it was scheduled but he felt that it was soon. "Give me a minute!" Sunburst shouted in desperation. He didn't want to embarrass himself in front of the Void Master. The door opened and Magnus stepped in.

"Nervous to see my brother aren't you?"

"Yes! Very!" Sunburst responded.

"Alright, let's not keep him waiting any longer. Fortunately you're not the only one who slept in." Magnus remarked.

Sunburst was relieved that he wasn't the only one. "Alright, I'm ready."

"Good!" Magnus exclaimed in joy. "Now, would you like to take the scenic route or the quick route?"

"The quick route thank you very much!"

"Alright!" Magnus snapped his fingers. In an instant they were outside of the meeting hall/throne room. It's tall, obsidian doors menacing. Their engravings of Dragons and Azur staring down those who would dare to enter. Sunburst had never seen a more beautiful door.

Magnus grinned. "If you think that's beautiful, then just wait until you see the Eternity Gate."

Magnus knocked on the door, and it opened on its own. A grand meeting hall stood before them. A long rectangular room, lined with twenty obsidian pillars, each representing one legion of the Azur Knights, or Space Marines as Sunburst called them. In the center of the room was a circular obsidian table, with eighteen large and obsidian chairs surrounding it. At the top of each chair, the symbol of each legion was engraved. There was no chair at the very top of the table, rather, at the end of the room itself was a throne, the throne of the Void Master.

Every Primarch was already at their respective seat of the table. Sunburst found Starlight sitting at the seat of one of two Primarchs that seemed missing. Sunburst sat in the other one, right next to Starlight. The chair was far bigger than he was, but he managed to get on it and sat down.

The Primarchs were conversing with one another, talking about their legion, political matters, weather, debating who's tactics were better, long standing legion rivalries, the whole shebang. Starlight was relieved that Sunburst was sitting next to her. She had been stuck there for thirty minutes with no one to talk to.

"So, this is new. Never been to a 'War-Council' before. What do you think it'll be like?" Starlight asked nervously.

"I have no idea. Seems calm so far."

Magnus was on the other side of Sunburst. "Nope. It won't be calm. There hasn't been a War-Council in ages. And when there have been, they're usually when we're about to openly go to war..."

Sunburst started to sweat a little, and worry a lot.

"Don't worry, it probably won't be that bad." Starlight tried to reaffirm. She didn't do a good job. Then, Abbadon entered the room and everyone was quiet. The Primarchs stood up. Sunburst and Starlight were confused.

"Stand!" Magnus whispered to them.

They both stood, on their chairs. Magnus sighed. "It will have to do" He thought to himself.

Abbadon spoke. "This meeting is now called to order." With this he stood next to his seat, right next to Starlight.

Void then entered the room. Everyone saluted him as he moved across to his throne. As soon as he sat down, everyone else sat down. Sunburst and Starlight still stood. There were a few glances.

"Oh! Sorry." Sunburst said sheepishly. He then sat down, followed by Starlight. Magnus sighed. Everyone's focus shifted to Void.

"It's alright. It has been more than ten-billion years since a Pony has been in the presence of an Azur. I am not surprised none of your kin know of Azur customs. Especially those outside of royalty. All is forgiven. Now, let us move on with this meeting. The severity of the situation is paramount, and we are ready for what is coming. The problem is that Equus is not ready. Not by a long shot." A map of Equus was projected from the table.

"However, there is some good news. Thanks to the effort of the Alpha Legion and it's operatives, we now know where Sheol is going to strike." The map zoomed in on Canterlot.

"Here." Void pointed at the palace. "On the eve of Twilight's first raising of the sun, Sheol will strike, and we will strike back."

Sunburst went wide eyed. "But that means Twilight is in danger. If the process of her ascension is interrupted then she won't become a goddess!" Everyone turned and looked at Sunburst.

"Twilight will be fine. Trust me." Void assured Sunburst. "My agents are well in place and ready to defend her if needed. Besides, she will be awake before Sheol strikes at the heart of Equestria. You'll see."

Sunburst was confused, but somewhat put at ease as well.

Robute then spoke. "Brother, since Twilight is secure and the royals are more than capable of defending themselves, we should rally the Dragons. They are your second kin after all and the return of the Dragon-King would rally all dragons across the Universe to your cause. They are an essential asset. Too long have they gone without a single leader they can trust. They have fallen into petty power struggles among themselves. You know of the events of the Gauntlet of Fire a few years ago. Torch resigned his position honorably, and now his daughter, Ember, is in charge. In order to gain control-"

"Yes, I am very well aware of the situation, Robute. I know what must be done. I will go alone to the Dragon-Lands."

"Don't you at least want some backup?" Lion asked.

"No, I will be fine." Void responded.

"Aye, that he will. If there's one among us who knows the dragons better than all of us combined, it's Void. Besides, we all know of the duel he must face if Ember refuses to submit to Void's authority." Leman said with confidence.

"She'll be utterly obliterated!" Starlight interjected.

Lorgar spoke to Starlight. "It is unwise to doubt the Void Master. The Dragons will recognize his divine authority. There will be no bloodshed between Azur and Dragon." Starlight was still suspicious.

"You treat Void like he's some sort of super important divine god or something." Starlight said with a huff.

There was a moment of silence in the room before Lorgar got up and started to approach Starlight, slowly making his way around the table.

"Ooooooohhh shiiiiiit. Now she's done it." Magnus whispered to himself.

"You dare to question his divinity?! You ungrateful wench! He is responsible for saving your people from the brink of extinction! He sacrificed himself for your people and yet, here you are, uttering blasphemy against him! I should have you executed for this, you HERETIC!"

"Lorgar, enough."

Lorgar was immediately quiet. He went back to his seat with his head hung in shame. He sat down and said, "Forgive me, Brother. My zealotry blinded my judgement. I sincerely apologize."

"Your sins are forgiven, my brother. Take care, these are our guests, not foes. Again, it has been a while since I have paid visit to this world openly. Due to the passing of time, the memory of the Azur on Equus has long passed into nonexistence. On the subject of our guests, I would like to ask if they have any input to give on the subject of defending it."

A few moments of silence passed while Sunburst processed what Void had just said. "Wait, you're asking us how to defend Equestria? With all due respect, Lord Void Master or whatever I'm supposed to call you, I am not rehearsed in the arts of warfare. Nor is Starlight. We're scholars of magic, sure, but I think Magnus has long surpassed Starlight and I in that field long before we were even born."

Starlight blushed in embarrassment. "Well, I wouldn't call myself a scholar of magic..."

Magnus stepped in to help. "You have clearly shown your ability to control the forces which are birthed from the Astral plane. You even manipulated time itself, which, even by my standards, is no small feat. That's the reason why I give you the title of Time-Bender. You should be honored."

"Albeit she had malicious intentions..." Leman said.

"YOU HAVE NO SAY IN THIS LEMAN! YOU KNOW I RESPECT SCHOLARS, AND OTHER MAGIC USERS BOTH GOOD AND EVIL! Except Sheol, he can go fuck himself, BUT STILL!"

"SHE NEARLY CAUSED A TEAR IN THE SPACE-TIME CONTINUUM! WE HAD TO ISOLATE EQUUS IN A TIME LOOP IN ORDER TO PREVENT DAMAGE TO THE UNIVERSE!" Leman retorted.

"fffffffFFFUCK YOU LEMAN! Fuck you fuck you fuck you fuck you!"

"Enough! Both of you!" Abbadon yelled. "Your constant arguments are not helping the situation at hand!"

"WOULD YOU ALL JUST SHUT UP?!" A voice came from the doorway. It was Ender. "I'M TRYING TO SLEEP DAMMIT!"

"Sorry, son, but your uncles are fighting again." Void shouted from the other side of the room. "Do you wanna join?"

"Sure. I got nothing better to do." Ender answered. In an instant he was in the lap of his father, as small as Ender may be compared to a massive Azur Dragon in his royal power armor. Starlight and Sunburst were surprised. Another pony? But he was different. He had the same four horns as his father, albeit smaller. He was basically a mini-ponified version of his father. But his hair flowed with familiarity.

"Wait, that's your son?" Starlight asked.

"Yep, and he has a daughter as well." Star Rift appeared from the ceiling, falling through a teleportation rift and landing in her father's lap. And judging from her coat of fur, it didn't take a genius to figure out who the mother was...

"I now realize who the mother is, and holy shit it all makes sense now..." Sunburst said, eyes wide open.

"Ah, yes, the Dream Weaver, the Queen of the Azur." Sanguinius said.

"Luna... PRINCESS LUNA IS THEIR MOTHER?!" Starlight yelled.

It was a slaughter, Ponies, Azur, and demons dying left and right. Twilight ran frantically trying to get out but she found herself being drawn right back in. Blood and gore were everywhere. The smell of rotting corpses made Twilight gag. She tried to hold back from vomiting as best as she could, but to no avail.

"This is horrible! How could a world so peaceful once be so violent? Why were these events not written in our history?" Twilight thought to herself.

A roar sounded from above, powerful and commanding. Twilight looked up in fear. She saw the former Dragon-Lord, Torch, covered in steel armor, along with an entire army of dragons who carried weapons. They started to descend upon the demon hordes. Twilight could hear shouting orders at the demons. A tall figure stood among them. One of the captains of the demon army.

"STEADY, STEADY, FIRE!"

A volley of arrows loosed from the demon archers' bows. Black arrows which soared through the sky with unholy grace. They were made to pierce the scales of dragons. Torch, now realizing what the demons were doing, spread his wings in order to shield the rest of the dragons from the arrows. The arrows tore through Torch's wings, but he seemed undeterred. He let out a roar as he plunged into the demons, his fire breath making short work of them. He landed and started to fight the demons, crushing hundreds under his feet and killing more with his talons.

As Torch started to rip and tear through the hordes of demons, a new wave of ponies, led by Celestia, Luna, Sol and Star, charged into the demon lines. Celestia herself and her battalion joined in on the dragon's slaughter. Luna's battalion of Ponies moved to the east for an encircling movement to cut off the demons' reinforcements should they call for help. Sol joined Celestia, their weapons flashing with magical energy and cutting down their foes. Their martial prowess was unmatched. Star provided support from above, using the power and light of the stars to rain holy fire upon the demons, sending them shrieking in confusion and terror.

And then, the ground erupted. Chunks of earth flew into the air and stayed in place. Some flew higher than others. A column of lava and earth was now in the center of the battlefield. The biggest one flew above the clouds, with two figures on it, Void and Sheol. Twilight flew up to see what would happen.

It was quiet above the clouds. A disturbing, yet peaceful quiet. She couldn't hear the battle below, yet she felt that it still raged on.

Void stood on one side, sword in hand. He was wounded badly. One of his wings had been torn off. Cuts and wounds adorned his body. His armor was beaten up and sliced open in some areas. Yet even through all the pain, he was still determined. In fact, Void's wounds seemed to heal right there and then. His body had stopped bleeding profusely, but his armor was still damaged, and his upper-left wing was still gone.

Across from Void, Sheol stood. His wounds also healing up in a matter of seconds. And it was now that Twilight beheld Sheol's true form. It was similar to the Pony of Shadows, but more physical, and darker. His mane and tail were that of hellfire, and his armor was made of brimstone. And his eyes, his eyes were of pure light, but the light they emanated was a pale and sickly white.

"So, it's just you and me now. Just like you wanted." Void said with a smile.

"No tricks or aid shall save you this time Void. I've made sure of that."

"Oh don't worry. I know this fight is ours alone to fight."

"You foresaw it, didn't you? I am not blind to your gift of foresight. Well then, perhaps you'll be able to foresee THIS" Sheol charged and swung his scythe at Void, who was able to block the blow with his sword. The two were now locked together in fierce combat. Seeing who would be able to land the first blow.

"Why do you point out my gifts? Is it because you're afraid of me? I've made quite a reputation for myself in Hell."

"The names they give you have fallen on my ears. Doomslayer, Hellsbane, Anathema, but these names do not trouble me. I know I am above you. It is me that they should fear." Sheol kicked away and landed a few feet away from Void. Void raised his sword in anticipation for Sheol's next attack. Twilight could tell that Void was playing defensively. She knew Void was waiting for an opportunity to take advantage of Sheol's aggressiveness and end the fight with one single blow.

What happened next, was not what Twilight was expecting.

Sheol charged at Void, scythe raised in anticipation. A dark grin spread across Sheol's face. Void simply smiled and charged. Twilight closed her eyes. She couldn't take seeing anymore death and gore than she already had.

SCHKK

Twilight opened her eyes. She saw Void impaled by Sheol's scythe, but Sheol was also impaled by Void's sword, it's flame dying out. Sheol had an expression of shock on his face. Void was simply smiling through the pain.

"You... knew... this... would happen *cough* didn't you?"

"Yes I did."

The ground around the two crumbled and they started to fall. Twilight caught herself from falling with her own wings. The pillar of lava collapsed back into the earth, along with the chunks of earth. The cataclysm opened a g The battle below had stopped entirely. Both sides looked up in horror as their leaders were falling right into hell with massive wounds through their chests. At that moment, demon, Pony, and Azur knew that the war was over. The demons fled through the pit/portal that was now emerging in a desperate attempt to flee. Now that their leader was dead, they knew that they would all be slaughtered if they didn't run back to Hell. One shriek sounded above the rest. Luna. She was emotionally destroyed by this, and she would be for years to come.

Twilight flew next to Void as he fell. Sol and Celestia were holding Luna back as she desperately tried to fly after Void. The tears in her eyes were unbearable to watch.

"NO! I WILL NOT LET HIM GO! PLEASE LET ME GO AFTER HIM!" Luna shrieked.

"LUNA ENOUGH! THE ENTIRE VALLEY IS COLLAPSING! WE NEED TO GET EVERYONE OUT, NOW!" Sol yelled.

As Void fell through the portal it closed up entirely. Luna collapsed wailing and shrieking. Celestia and Sol were shedding tears as they tried to control their emotions. Star cried, but not as much as Luna. Nocturne, just stood there, paralyzed by pure shock and grief.

As Twilight looked upon the scene of sorrow, she saw a peculiar figure out of the corner of her eye. He was hooded and robed in black, and he seemed to absorb the vision as it collapsed. There was no orb now, for the figure now stood in its place.

"...Twilight..." the figure whispered. It started to approach her. She stepped back a little, now seeing that the figure was much taller than she was.

"Do not be afraid, Twilight." The figure said in a calming tone. "I am not here to harm you."

"Who are you?" Twilight asked nervously.

The figure took off his hood. Twilight couldn't believe it when she saw him.

"I am the one who you saw falling. The one who sacrificed his life for this world." Void said.

"But I thought you-"

"Regeneration."

"Of your entire body?!"

"Yes."

"That shouldn't be possible!"

"Twilight," Void said with a stern look on his face, "You have no idea what's possible, but you will soon come to learn. Even gods may die."

"Wha-"

"And that is what will happen to Sheol. Twilight, the hour draws near where you must lead your people, as I must lead mine. The hour of truth draws near."

Twilight didn't speak. Rather she pondered. Everything was now coming to light. All the rumors, all the stories, they were all true. The Void Master was real, the Azur were real. Equus wasn't the only planet in the Universe that could support life, it was barely a blip on the Universal radar of life.

"You begin to understand." Void said.

"I just want to know one thing," Twilight said with tears in her eyes. "How many will die?"

Void paused. He spoke no words but gave a slight nod towards Twilight, indicating that there would be death on a scale never seen before. Twilight started to cry.

Void put his hand on Twilight's shoulder. "Twilight, you must not dwell on this. Sacrifices must be made, and casualties in a war like this, can not be avoided."

Void stood up, he now faced away from Twilight. "I apologize but I do not have much time. We will meet again soon and in person. I will answer as many questions as I can when we do."

Twilight nodded in understanding.

"Then awaken, Twilight Sparkle, for the time of your Ascension has come."

And then, she woke up.

12 HOURS

"How long have we been in here again?" Starlight asked.

"Two days." Magnus responded.

"Wait, isn't it the day of Twilight's ascension?" Sunburst followed up.

Angron sighed. "Yes. It is, but until Void awakens from the dream realm, we can't do anything. It is very boring here."

It was then that Void entered the room.

"THE TIME HAS COME!" Void roared.

A few minutes later, Void was leading Sunburst and Starlight down a hallway.

"So, it's beginning?" Sunburst asked.

"Yes, it is. And we shall witness it together." Void answered quickly.

Void stopped at a door and knocked.

"Just a minute brother!" A voice came from within.

The door opened and Vulkan appeared. "Hello, brother!" Vulkan stretched out his arms.

"Sorry, Vulkan, but we don't have time for hugs. We must make haste."

Vulkan lowered his arms. "Yes, sorry. It is a force of habit."

"It's alright." Void reassured Vulkan, patting him on the back. "Did you make the armor I requested?"

"Yes! The armor for our new Pony-friends is over there." Vulkan pointed at two suits of armor. Both of them were made to fit a Pony. Both of them had their own symbols on the shoulder plates. "I customized it to the colors of their coats while still maintaining the fierceness of the power armor. I have also given them a shoulder mounted bolter, albeit downsized, and with the help of Magnus, implemented custom Thousand Son's modules that will amplify their magic. Also they have power swords on their belts. Their suits are marked with their cutie marks on the right shoulder, and an image of the Elements of Harmony on the left."

Starlight and Sunburst stared at their new suits of armor. They had never seen armor like this before. They put the suits on. It took a minute to adjust into but they eventually got the hang of it.

"Hey, what does the button in the left gauntlet do?" Starlight asked.

"NO!" Vulkan yelled.

*BANG* The shoulder bolter fired one of its rounds and ricochet off the wall. Void was able to catch it with his bear hands, stopping it completely in its tracks.

"Oh, that's what it does." Starlight said with a nervous smile.

The legions were now assembled in the meeting hall. The table was gone. Void and Abbadon stood on at the head of the room. Sunburst and Starlight watched from where the Salamanders stood.

"Brothers and Sisters, today we stand, ready to face the dark foe as we once did ten-billion years ago. I know of the concern of the return of the Azur to the Universal stage of politics and the troubles we will have reasserting our role as a great power, but let us not think of that now! We must think of our lives, our homes, our families. We must think of those who died all those years ago, selflessly sacrificing their lives so that the Universe may live, and they did it on the very planet we now orbit. Equus, the planet on which the war was ended, and now where it will begin again. I still hear you sing the songs of long ago, but now, let us make new songs! Let us write a new chapter of Azur history! And we shall do it side by side with our old allies, though they may not remember us, they shall come to know us once again!"

"MU ALOK NOL FIN ZEIM LINGRAH VODAHMIN!" The legions shouted.

Void looked over at Abbadon. "Warmaster Abbadon, would you like to give today's briefing?"

Abbadon took a long breath and he spoke.

"BATTLE BROTHERS AND BATTLE SISTERS, TODAY THE ENEMY IS AT OUR DOOR! WE KNOW OUR DUTY AND WE WILL DO IT! WE FIGHT FOR OUR HONOR, AS AZUR KNIGHTS, AS SPACE MARINES! AS YOU KNOW, SOME OF OUR FORCES ARE STATIONED ON EQUUS, AT AN OUTPOST IN THE EVERFREE FOREST! SOME OF YOU ARE TO JOIN THEM THERE BUT WE ALSO NEED BOOTS UP HERE, PREPARED TO DEEP STRIKE. WHEN THE FOE DECIDES TO REVEAL HIMSELF, WE DESCEND UPON THE FOE! WE WILL OVERWHELM HIM! CODEX ASTARDES NAMES THIS MANEUVER STEEL RAIN! AND IF WE DIE THIS DAY WE DIE HEROES DEATHS, BUT WE SHALL NOT DIE, NO! FOR WE ARE THE EMPEROR'S FURY, WE ARE THE SPACE MARINES, AND WE FIGHT IN THE NAME OF THE EMPEROR!"

"DEATH TO THE ENEMY! FOR THE EMPEROR!" The legions yelled.

Twilight awoke with a jolt. She sat up and looked around, wondering why she was sweating so much, and why there were tears in her eyes. The memories of the dream, or vision, of the night before came flooding back to her. She shivered in fright. To think what she saw actually happened, was too much to bear. She needed to tell someone, but who?

She got up nervously, her legs feeling weak and wobbly. Standing up, she realized that she was a lot taller than she was before. She spread her wings, seeing that they were much larger. She felt her horn, its length had obviously grown by a few inches. And her face, well, let’s just say it felt a lot different than it had before. She trotted out of her bedroom and into the hallway. The guards outside her room couldn’t help but stare at her as she trotted by. They held their tongues, not wanting to say anything that might offend the new Goddess of Friendship.

Twilight began to get used to her new form. As much as she preferred her smaller and previous form, she knew that the change was permanent. At one point she did stumble over her newly elongated legs.

"Milady!" A guard rushed over to Twilight's side, obviously concerned that she might have hit her head or something. "Are you alright?"

"Yes," Twilight answered. "I'm alright. Just getting used to this new form. That's all."

Twilight stood up and continued along the hallway. As she got closer to the cutie map room, she started to hear voices on the other side of the door. She ignored them, not wanting to listen in on private matters. But she did pick up some of the conversation.

"...this is unbelievable. If he is truly who he says he is then maybe, just maybe, Void is..."

"Twilight!" Celestia yelled in shock. Everyone turned and looked at Twilight. Star and Sol instantly smiled with joy. Nocturne gave a slight grin. Luna was... well, to put it lightly, she looked like she had a rough night. "We didn't expect you to be awake for a few hours!"

"And even better, it looks like nothing went wrong!" Star said eagerly. "Truly this is a joyous day for Equus!"

It was then that Twilight's stomach made a loud groan. She blushed in embarrassment.

"Oh, that's right, you must be starving! Trust me, I was when I completed my ascension process. Would you like some pancakes?" Celestia levitated a massive stack of pancakes towards Twilight. They were decorated with blueberries, strawberries, and whipped cream. Twilight's mouth watered at the sight of them. She yanked the pancakes out of the air, sat down, and immediately started eating in a frenzy. She went through the entire stack of pancakes within ten seconds. She looked up from her empty plate, embarrassed that she had not remembered her manners.

"Oh, it's alright," Sol said to Twilight. "Celestia and Luna were the same way. And Nocturne especially."

They all shared a good laugh.

Void walked across the lava burnt lands. The smell of sulfur and smoke was all to familiar to him. He was completely alone. He knew the sacred tradition of the Dragon duels, and before he departed for the Dragon-Lands, he made damn sure that no one followed him.

He stepped into an arena of sorts. Carved out by the Dragons themselves long ago when they first settled on Equus. In the center of the arena was a large plateau, obviously reserved for the Dragon-Lord. All of the other curved rectangular plateaus were reserved for the rest of the Dragons.

A loud roar sounded from the heavens. "Ah, so it appears they have been watching me. I wondered why it was more barren than usual." Void thought to himself.

Torch descended from the clouds. He landed on the central plateau. Ember was on his head, holding her staff.

"Who dares to enter the Dragon-Lands unannounced? You are not counted among us, yet you are a Dragon." Ember said with a commanding voice.

"I am the one which is spoken of in the Dragon lore. I am he who returns from death. I am he who has come to reclaim his crown." Void responded.

"You are but a stranger in these lands, yet you seek power."

"You know the ancient customs as well as I do. The Dragon-King has the right to seize direct control."

Surprisingly, none of the Dragons laughed at Void's remark. This was a good sign for Void.

"Then prove to me that you are him. Show us your true form as a Dragon." Ember commanded.

Void's form started to change. He grew higher and higher, larger and larger. He now walked on all fours. His platinum talons and platinum horns grew immensely larger. Soon enough, he was fully Dragon. Easily taller than Torch. Ember, for the first time in her life, was intimidated.

Void spoke no words. He could tell that this was enough to convince the Dragons. Torch bowed immediately, then Ember bowed as well. Soon enough the entirety of the Dragon-Lands bowed before him.

Void roared and shot a pillar of purple fire into the sky. All preparations were now complete.

He was ready to march...

...It is time...

Twilight had her own reservations of where the event should be held. She suggested that it should be moved to the bottom of the mountain on which the palace was situated in order to let more creatures see the raising of the Sun, since the palace courtyard was too small to fit everyone. Sol and Star agreed to the change. Within a few hours, everything was prepared. Ponies and other creatures were socializing and dancing with one another. The rulers of each individual species had also shown up. Changelings, Hippogriffs, Dragons, Griffons, Yaks, Crystal Ponies, Saddle Arabians, and others.

And then, a loud, Scottish voice rang out from the heavens, as two white Alacorns clad in steel armor descended from the heavens. Both had mane and and tail as red as a sunset. Their manes were tied back with rings of gold and silver. One of them had a beard the same color of his mane.

"AYE, GUESS WHO!" The bearded one shouted.

"HAMMER!" Sol shouted in joy.

Hammer landed and the two brothers embraced.

"I am so sorry I'm late to the party. I got caught up with a few things." Hammer said apologetically.

"Ah, it's alright. I'm glad you could still join us here today." Sol reassured Hammer.

"Aye, SO LETS HAVE SOME MJOD!"

Everyone looked at Hammer in confusion with eyebrows raised. Hammer blushed in embarrassment once he realized what Equus usually had to drink these days.

"Oh, right, alcohol hasn't really been a thing for a while. My bad."

"This is going to be a loooong night." Anvi said.

"Agreed." Hammer said as he summoned a mug of ale.

The night's celebrations went on. Hammer just socialized with his brother, and he seemed to get along very well with the Yaks and the Dragons. Anvi told stories to the young around a campfire she had made. Some parents found the tales a bit disturbing when it came to how she described combat, but nonetheless, they let their children listen.

Anvi actually got up and told the story of the Azur and Sheol, but she didn't mention that it was actually real. She was speaking to children after all, but adults too were fascinated by the tale of this so called "Dragon-King". As she did, the stars themselves to life, constellations of the characters moved around and interacted with one another. They showed the gory of the Azur, the fierce battles between the demons and the dragons, the images of famous Ponies who were long gone, and those that were still here. The stars were being manipulated by Star of course. She loved bringing stories to life. Children stared up to the sky in amazement as they listened to the tale. When Anvi was finished, they all applauded her for the story. No one actually believed it was real, except those who already knew. But then, something peculiar happened. The constellations formed into images of Void and Sheol, and played out their last battle, word for word. Everyone saw that this was not Star's doing, nor was it Luna's, or any other royal. As the scene finished, a terrible laughter sounded out, one that Sol knew all to well.

"Sheol..."

"Ah, so you finally come to realize the truth."

"Show yourself, demon."

""As you wish." A shadow of Sheol made of pure darkness manifested in the center of the crowd. Creatures ran in terror and screams rang out. Guards immediately surrounded the Princesses, and Sol, Star, Nocturne, Hammer, and Anvi immediately summoned their weapons. Celestia surprisingly didn't summon hers. She was paralyzed out of fear and shock. Everything she had heard, everything she was warned about, was now all coming to fruition. The truth was finally dawning. The nobility found themselves bound with chains of darkness, not allowing for even the slightest bit of movement.

Twilight spoke up, she had faced villains before, and she knew how to deal with them. "You have no authority or right to be here. I know who you are, Sheol. You do not scare me. I have faced

"Ah, so you DO know of me. To be honest, I would have expected Celestia and the rest of the 'nobility' to keep it a secret from you."

"Honesty is one of the Elements of Harmony. Then again, no one is perfect, not even the gods themselves." Twilight knew that what Celestia did was wrong, but she had been taught to forgive mistakes, even the mistakes of her own mentor.

"Moving on, I have other business to attend to. The shadow of Sheol moved towards Luna with malicious intent. Four guards jumped in front of her, forming a phalanx wall to protect their princess. It was to no avail. In the blink of an eye, the shadow summoned a scythe and cut through the guards like tissue paper.

"YOU BASTARD!" Luna yelled.

"Since when did you start caring for your own people? Where is the nightmare I once knew? The one that Ponies feared for a thousand years? I know she is still in there somewhere. In time, you'll come right back, just like you once did. You were so broken, so sad. You tried to hold off the Darkness for so long... but you eventually gave in to it. You eventually embraced the true nature of the NIGHT."

Luna said nothing. Tears were welling up in her eyes. The shadow grabbed Luna by the throat and started to strangle her. The people looked on in horror. Demons manifested all around and in the crowd, cackling as they did so. They were hungry for flesh and souls, and they knew that this would be a banquet.

Suddenly, a sword was thrust through the shadow's chest. It gave an agonizing cry as the sword was driven deeper and deeper, and as it was lifted into the air. The chains dissipated and the shadow let go of Luna. The details of the sword started to manifest. A black sword, with decorations fit for a king, with a blade encircled in purple flame. Its wielder was all to familiar to Twilight as she gazed on.

"Get your hooves off of my wife, demon scum." Void grabbed the shadow by the throat, cleaving it in half from the heart up with his sword. The shadow dissipated into nonexistence. "Coward doesn't even have the balls to fight openly. But now, he feels pain. He feels fear." Void thought to himself. Void roared loudly, and a massive column of purple fire descended from the heavens. It landed fifty yards away from the outskirts of the crowd. The fire dissipated, and in its place was a massive army. The legions of the Azur had come. Abbadon and the Primarchs were at the head of the army. Void looked at Abbadon, their gazes meeting, and they smiled to each other.

All Guns Blazing - Sabaton

"HEAR ME MY SOLDIERS! LET US DRIVE THESE FOUL DEMONS BACK TO THE PITS FROM WHENCE THEY CAME! LET US SHOW THEM THAT THE AZUR HAVE RETURNED, AND THE DRAGONS HAVE BEEN UNITED ONCE MORE! TODAY A NEW AGE DAWNS! CHARGE!"

The legions charged with the cry of battle, smashing headfirst into the demons. Fully armored Dragons descended from the skies. They immediately started to mow down the demon lines, one by one. Twilight was both amazed and terrified at their ferocity. Bolter fire whizzed through the lines, blasting holes in demons who were unlucky enough to be in the bullets' path.

A few legions stood out in particular to Twilight, based on their tactics and how they fought.

Looking at the Salamanders, see saw their unique use of fire. She also saw the Salamanders protecting civilians, sheltering them against the demon hordes. A demon had actually cornered a group of children, its jaws open wide, ready to devour them. Twilight would have rushed over to help, had Vulkan not been there first. He picked the demon up by its head. "Hey, demon, are you Elon Musk?" Vulkan threw the demon up into the air and readied his massive war-hammer, "Because I'm about to send you..." The demon started to fall, screaming and hollering as it did, Vulkan tightened his grip on his hammer. "...into outer SPACE!" Vulkan swung his war-hammer, hit the demon like it was a baseball, and sent it flying out of the atmosphere. Vulkan made a big, booming laugh at his own joke. The demons who saw this tried to flee, but were mowed down by other marines.

"That... was... AWESOME!" A young filly said. Twilight recognized her. Her small wings, magenta mane, and orange coat were all to familiar. "Where did you learn to do that?" Scootaloo asked with wonder in her eyes.

"I was born with this strength. But it took me a long time to master it. Practice makes perfect my small friend." Vulkan answered while patting Scootaloo on the head. Scootaloo would have been insulted for being called "small" but she was too awestruck at the sight of the massive giant that had just saved her and her friends. "Remember kids: Stay in school! Don't do Drugs!" Vulkan then lept back into the fray. Pulverizing demons with his war-hammer.

Twilight was relieved that the children were safe. Then she heard the whirring of some sort of device. She looked over and saw the World Eaters. They were completely covered in blood and gore. She noticed that they found immense joy in combat.

Angron was hacking away with his twin chain axes. He smashed them down into a larger demon, the blades slicing its head open and carving down the middle. The joy he felt was overwhelming to him. He had not experienced true combat in ages, and now he was at the front lines. Twilight was terrified what would have happened if this beast of an Azur was one of the demons of Sheol. A massive red demon with green eyes and goat-like legs charged at Angron. Angron simply laughed.

"HAHAHAHAHA! YOUR SKULL WILL MAKE A FINE ADDITION TO MY THRONE!"

Angron charged into the demon. He gutted it with his chain-axes, pulverizing its insides immediately. He hoisted the demon into the air, and tore the demon in two with his bear hands, showering himself in the demon's blood and guts, laughing as he did so. He then took the upper half of its body, and ripped its head clean off. He raised the head and yelled:

"BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD! SKULLS FOR THE SKULL THRONE!"

Twilight nearly vomited at the sight of all this. She decided to move as far away from Angron as possible. As she galloped away, she noticed the Emperor's Children, and their color scheme. "Huh, they actually kind of look like me. Color-scheme wise." She saw that they were a lot more sophisticated in their slaughter. Quick and painless deaths were what they were good at. Twilight caught a glimpse of Fulgrim strangling a demon with his tail. Usually, she would be horrified at such a display. But in this case she found it... beautiful in a way. Almost... romantic, and pleasurable. After Fulgrim was done strangling the demon, he noticed Twilight looking at him with lust in her eyes. He slithered over to her, graceful and alluring as he went, his platinum hair flowing in the wind.

"Why hello there." Fulgrim said as he slithered around Twilight.

"H-hi." Twilight stammered. She was entranced by Fulgrim.

"You must be the new Goddess of Friendship, aren't you?"

"Yes... my name is Twilight Sparkle."

"Well, Twilight, you truly do sparkle in more ways than one."

Twilight blushed at Fulgrim. He was so hypnotizing to her. She could almost just kiss him right there and then.

"How about we, I don't know, have a drink after this whole ordeal is over?" Fulgrim asked flirtingly.

"S-sure." Twilight's senses were completely gone at this point. Fulgrim basically could have just kissed Twilight right there and then, if it weren't for Magnus casting a spell that nullified Fulgrim's effect on Twilight.

"Wait what the-" Twilight now realized that a literal snake-man was flirting with her.

"FULGRIM!" Magnus shouted. "WE DO NOT HAVE TIME FOR THIS!"

"You're no fun!" Fulgrim hissed back. He gave Magnus the middle finger and slithered away. Twilight puked a little at realizing that she had been successfully charmed.

Magnus landed next to Twilight. "I'm sorry for my brother's behavior. He tends to have that effect on people. Trust me, it's very annoying. Especially when he's flirting with someone mid-battle." A demon tried to pounce on Magnus, but he beheaded it before it even laid a finger on him.

Twilight recognized this magic. "Precognition?"

"Yep." Magnus responded as he beheaded another demon. "I was born with it as a result of my patron's gifts. Four Primarchs have specific patron gods. Me, Mortarion, Fulgrim, and Angron. You can probably tell what kind of gods they are based on their champions."

"Actually, I don't think I've seen the fourth."

"Oh, you haven't seen Mortarion? Well he's-"

The explosion of a plague-grenade a few yards away cut off Magnus mid sentence. The gas completely eating away at the demons' flesh.

"Ah, it seems he's using the death eater virus this time around." Magnus said.

"It smells." Twilight said while holding her nose.

"That's the smell of rapidly decomposing demon flesh, not the gas." Twilight vomited at Magnus's remark. "And I saw that coming from a mile away." Magnus remarked.

"You're not helping." Twilight grumbled.

"By the way, you might want to move to the right a bit."

"What do you mea- HOLY SHIT!" Twilight jumped out of the way of a drop-pod that was coming straight down on top of her. It landed with a massive thud. The door opened and a squad of the Thousand Sons stepped out, jumping into the fray immediately. And two Ponies that Twilight did not expect.

"STARLIGHT?! SUNBURST?! WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING HERE?! WHERE DID YOU GET THAT ARMOR?! WHAT IS GOING ON?!"

"It's a long story, Twilight." Starlight responded. "We'll tell you about it later."

Sunburst did not hesitate to jump into the fray. Cutting down demons with his new power-sword, and using his shoulder-mounted bolter to punch holes through the demon lines. It was obvious that he was having the time of his life.

"Sweet Celestia have mercy..." Twilight said to herself.

"I wouldn't be surprised if they actually wanted to join the Thousand Sons." Magnus remarked.

Twilight continued to observe the legions of the Azur. The Blood Angels and their ferocity. The White Scars and their speed. The Ultramarines and their chivalry. The Word Bearers and their zealotry. Each legion all had something unique to them. But there was one Azur who stood above his entire army.

Void was slicing through demons like there was no tomorrow. What surprised Twilight the most is that he showed no emotion when doing so. But Twilight could feel his anger, his joy, his intellect, his raw determination. All overwhelming, yet masked behind his cool complexion. That was, until his power-armor started to malfunction. Somehow the servos locked up, and he was stuck.

"Really?! Of all times this had to happen! Right now?! I'm going to kill the tech-priests responsible for maintaining this thing. Welp, there's only one thing to do now..."

Void triggered a mechanism and was enveloped by smoke. The smoke dissipated and Void stood where it had once been. Only this time, there was no armor, there was only a purple loincloth.

Ay yay yay yaa.....

Everyone now beheld the glory of the Void Master's muscular physique. His obsidian scales glistening in the moonlight. His chiseled abs on full display for everyone to see. Void had an eight pack, AN EIGHT PACK! No creature on Eqqus could ever have achieved that. Not even the strongest of the Azur were able to either. (Not even Vulkan, even though he was taller and larger than Void.) The moonlight reflected off of his chest, blinding demons as he strode forward. Mares fainted and stallions' jaws dropped. If there were any doubts that Void was an actual god before, those doubts were quickly crushed under the immense weight of Void's glorious physique. Void looked at Celestia. Celestia bushed in embarrassment as she was caught staring. Luna didn't even need to look one second before her nose just started gushing out a fountain of blood as she fainted.

"OH SHIT!" Void yelled. He immediately rushed over to Luna as she fell limp. "I knew I shouldn't have done this! Shitshitshitshit-"

Suddenly, a golden drop pod descended from the sky. When it landed, five Azur, smaller than a Primarch, but larger than the average marine, rushed towards Void. They were clad in golden helmets, no breastplate but with gold plated leggings, decorated in red cloth.

"My fabulous overlord! The awakening of your chiseled abs summoned us here. What do you require of us?" One of them asked.

"Kill any demon that comes near me, while I try to revive my wife." Void responded.

"She couldn't handle the absolute fabulousness of your commanding presence?"

"Yes, Wamuudes, she fainted when I got out of my damn armor."

"Is this a bad time to try and say hi to mom?" A voice asked from behind.

"ENDER?! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" Void shouted.

"Killing demons." Ender responded.

Void facepalmed himself. "Just... don't get yourself killed. It looks like things are just about wrapping up anyways."

"YAY!" Ender shouted. He immediately ran off, his braided pony tail in his mane flowing in the wind. The three curls in the front of his hair bouncing as he went. Twilight observed the whole scene. Her jaw dropped to the floor. "A PARENT LETTING THEIR CHILD FIGHT IN A WAR? WHAT IN CELESTIA'S NAME IS THIS IRRESPONSIBILITY?! AND HE'S A PONY?! THIS MAKES NO SENSE!" Twilight thought to herself. She was so caught up in thinking, that a demon tried to pounce at her. Ender stopped the demon with a flurry of punches.

"MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA!" Ender yelled as he rained a flurry of punches on the demon. It died immediately, for its skull was completely pulverized.

"T-thank you..." Twilight stammered.

"Oh, so you're my new aunt! Or would it be cousin because Celestia is almost like an adoptive mother. Then again, you're now her equal and technically that would make you Sol's adopted daughter in a way... I guess I'll just call you auntie Twilight!"

"And you must be my new... sorta nephew?" Twilight asked with a nervous smile.

"Yep!" Ender responded.

They both shared a good laugh. In time, the battle started to wrap up, with the remainder of the demons being slaughtered by the Azur. Those demons who tried to flee were intercepted and destroyed. The Azur set up a perimeter just in case the demons would try anything, but they were doubtful. They mostly just relaxed, some even interacted with the creatures of Equus. Void himself took some time to meditate on the events that had just taken place, and to get some clothes on.

"ENDER! STAR RIFT!" Luna cried in joy.

"MOM!" They cried back. The three embraced, tears of joy flowing from each of them. Luna had not felt this happy in ages. The two children released their grip once they saw their father coming over. He was dressed in ceremonial robes of black and purple. A platinum amulet hung around his neck, engraved with obsidian and that strange purple jewel. A halo of purple flame surrounded the back of his head. The Azur knelled has he passed by them. Dragons tried to gently touch his outstretched wings. Sol gave Void a nod of respect. Void returned the gesture. Luna morphed into an anthropomorphic form, with a blue dress and she still had her mane. Void decided to do the same, although he still retained the horns, wings and tail, he now had the face of the average Azur. He even had hair which echoed the magic of the Void. Luna started to approach Void to meet him.

"Oh, you're approaching me? Instead of just staying there, you're coming straight at me." Void said with a smile on his face.

"I can't cuddle the shit out of you without getting closer." Luna said.

"Oh ho! Then come as close as you like." Void said with outstretched arms.

The two embraced each other. Tears were visibly streaming down their eyes. The Azur started to chant:

"Holy! Holy! Holy! The Emperor has been reunited with our Queen! A happy day! A joyous day! The flower of love blooms once again! For that flower shall be eternal from now until the end of time! Praise be to Azur'rath for this holy union of love!"

And then, Luna and Void started kissing. It went on for a few minutes, and then it started to get weird, REALLY WEIRD.

"Oh my..." Fulgrim said with an aroused snicker. He was immediately punched by Angron for this remark.

"Oh gods, please no." Magnus said.

"Shield your eyes!" Mortarion shouted.

"MOM! DAD! GET A ROOM!" Ender shouted. That got Void and Luna to stop.

"Sorry, I got carried away." Luna said as she blushed in embarrassment.

"It's fine. I did too." Void sighed.

After a moment of silence, they both laughed together. The Azur and Sol laughed with them.

Twilight, was still confused. Starlight galloped up to her.

"Do you want me to explain now?" Starlight whispered to Twilight.

"Yes. Please tell me what the fuck is going on." Twilight responded.