The Spectre of Phalanxia

Shortly after the shocking revelation, everyone had went back to the Rainbow Bridge when they wanted answers. Near the bridge of the Rainbow Bridge, after Caldor had handed them an artifact that would help them travel to Adularia, thanks to his eyes, Invictus stood near them whilst he stood on his one knee, trying to look stern. ‘All of you have done well on your journey,’ said Invictus when he looked at them with pride ‘Once this is over, all of you will know what to do with your lives.’

His sons were nearly teary eyed, leaving some of the creatures wondering what they were talking about. ‘I just wish…there had been another way.’ said Merlin, trying to swallow his tears.

‘You know my decision,’ said Invictus ‘Let your hearts continue to be your guide.’

He handed them over the large bag containing their mother’s ashes, with Merlin accepting it. In a split second, all of them hugged their father tightly, with them shedding a few tears, leaving some to worry. ‘Come on,’ said Thunder when he guided them ‘We’ve got a long day ahead of us.’

Invictus watched them leave as they were heading to the Rainbow Bridge. He sighed and partially looked at them ‘I suppose all of you want an explanation?’

‘Heck yeah we do.’ said Rainbow Dash when she couldn’t believe that he is the one from their stories ‘The Spectre of Phalanxia, the slayer of gods.’

‘Before I answer you, answer me this.’ said Invictus as he turned around and looked at them ‘How do all of you know me?’

‘Who doesn’t know you?’ said Prince Rutherford when he first answered ‘Many have heard stories of you.’

‘Your feats are legendary,’ said Ember when she confirmed it ‘Even among the Dragon Lands.’

‘All of them have heard of him because I told the stories about you’ said Starswirl when he took a step forward, ‘Whereas I learnt it from Scorpan.’

‘Scorpan the Wandering Knowledge Seeker?’ said Invictus when he looked away when he thought about him.

‘Wait,’ said Twilight when she was surprised he knew about Scorpan ‘How do you know Scorpan?’

Invictus answered ‘Because I tried to kill him,’, whilst within that split second, he thought back of the time he cornered Scorpan on the ground many years ago, begging for mercy, with Invictus looking at him with rage and holding a spear, but he now focused on the present instead of the past ‘But I spared him that day.’

They were surprised that he knew Scorpan, but were shocked when he told them that he wanted to kill him in the past.

Fluttershy was the first one to ask by saying ‘What happened to you?’

Invictus sighed, knowing that the time had come for him to reveal his full past to them. ‘It’s a long story.’ he replied.

‘Well clearly we have time.’ said Luna when she was just as anxious and curious about how much they wanted to know.
Invictus walked over and stared at the lake, collected his thoughts. After that, he told them the truth. ‘To tell of you of how it all happened, is to tell you of how I came to this path.’ he said, whilst he looked up and thought of his past ‘It was long ago…so long ago now.’

He took a large piece of wood and drew what appeared to be a land, and from each part of it he poked, showed cities all around, whilst they watched and he explained ‘I once came from a land, much like Equestria’s, but much larger. From each kingdom, were warriors who thrived unlike any had ever seen before. Many of us had prayed for many gods. There were those of wisdom, of the ocean, of the skies, of nature, of fire, of the sun, of the moon, and so on. Many kingdoms had prayed and worship each god all around them.’

‘Which one did you pray?’ said Sunburst when he was curious about what Invictus had tried to teach them.

‘War,’ he replied, which they were surprised by what he said ‘But I wasn’t given a choice. I was stolen from my home when I was only an infant.’

The last part shocked them the most. ‘Stolen?’ said Fluttershy when she was surprised that someone would be taken from their family on that age.

He took out a stone as he was about to show them. ‘It would be better if I showed you.’

He placed the stone onto the ground, allowing it to create a simulated past, where he showed them what happened. They saw a kingdom that were busy training warriors, muscular soldiers that looked scary whilst he explained. ‘I was taken to be trained as a soldier. I was taken to the city of Phalanxia, to be trained as a Phalanx. The Phalanx were all great warriors, all of them fighting those who would wish harm on their kingdom. Discipline, Balance, Battle, Death, the four rules we were forced to obey, for life was grim, and we greeted it grimly. War, had always been our way.’

They saw Invictus as a teenager, struggling to stand up, until the ones around him ended up giving him a beating, which surprised them. ‘Why are they doing this?’ said Thorax when he saw all that transpired.

‘In battle like this,’ said Invictus when he started ‘We are trained to fight stronger enemies around us, giving our all, and harden ourselves in battle.’

‘To train for what?’ said Luna when she looked at them fighting.

‘You’re resolve.’

And in that instant, they saw young Invictus enraged, grabbed a piece of sand and a rock, tossed the sand against one’s face, and struck another by the head. He grabbed the third one and snapped his neck, whilst he punched the lights out of the fourth, until he grabbed a rock and smashed his head with it. They saw young Invictus enraged with blood on his face, shocking them of what they had seen.

‘They hardened me into a killing machine.’ he said afterwards ‘But the real test would soon come.’

They saw him, a thirteen year old boy, out in the icy wilderness, carrying his spear and wearing what appeared to be a tunic. The snow fell as the wind blew, whilst they all saw him walking down the path. ‘After that,’ said Invictus as he began ‘They sent me out into the wilderness to prove my worth. Every warrior who was tested before me failed, but they would find that I would not go down without a fight so easy.’

They saw him slowing his paces, treading carefully whilst holding his wooden spear. But from right behind him, was a mighty wolf, whose eyes were as yellow as a diamond, its teeth were as sharp as a saw, and its fur was as black as coal.

They saw how terrifying the wolf was, whilst young Invictus quickly turned around, standing prepared to fight. ‘During my trial, a great wolf hunted me through the wilderness. I thought I was done for, but I simply followed my instincts and knew there was a small opening from the back.’

Young Invictus slowly moved backwards when he noticed the small opening from within the mountain. And with another step, the wolf attacked. Young Invictus ran towards the opening and jumped through it, but not before he had wounded the wolf by the beak, whilst it ended up being stuck in between. They saw him stand up, holding his spear again, walking towards the terrifying wolf. Holding it tightly, and with great thrust, he jabbed the spear through the wolf’s face. ‘I had passed my test that day when I had slain the mighty wolf that killed many of our young before.’

‘And after that?’ said Ember when she was curious.

They then saw that the moment Young Invictus had returned with the wolf’s pelt covering his body as a trophy. And before they realized anything, the Phalanxians bowed to Young Invictus as their heads were lowered and a sword of Phalanxia had been given to him. ‘It turned out the wolf was of a greater test. That if any warrior were to have slain the mighty wolf, they would be granted the title of king.’

They looked at him surprised again. ‘Whoa,’ said Smolder when she was surprised ‘So you became King?’

‘Yes,’ said Invictus when he thought about the past whilst it continued to show them ‘Afterwards, I found my family and brought them back to my new kingdom. I ruled with honor and just, but I also made sure that the Phalanxians were warriors not to be crossed with. But fifteen years later, our peace would not last long.’

‘Why, what happened?’ said Starlight when she got curious.

Invictus showed them that at least a thousand yards away, were a shore, and upon the shore, were hundreds of boats approaching, carrying warriors with armour that they have never seen before (For those that don’t know, they almost resemble to the Mongols’ armour). Their warriors began to unload supplies and other materials to wage war. ‘Upon my kingdom’s shores, a Barbarian army, led by a Barbarian King, who grew annoyed of our country’s sense of freedom, had sent a large army to bring all of us to heel.’

However, they heard a noise up on the hill, and from atop, was young Invictus, attacking with what only appears to be a hundred soldiers, carrying swords, shields, spears, axes, hammers and maces. ‘I heard they were coming to invade the kingdoms, so I gathered a hundred of the most elite Phalanxians my kingdom has ever known.’. They saw Invictus attacking, leaving the Barbarian army surprised when they were unprepared, causing them to try to launch a counter attack. ‘When we engaged in combat, I showed them the true meaning of Phalanxian shock combat.’

They saw Young Invictus and his Phalanxian forces plough through them. One Phalanxian tackled a Barbarian over, then stabbed him onto the ground, the other tackling them over, with another bashing their shields against the Barbarians’ heads. Another striking them down with their axe, then another using his hammer. They saw how fluent young Invictus were with his sword and shield. He blocked one, then stabbed another, he dodged and cut them from their backs, he jabbed another, lifted it up, and smashed it onto the ground. They continued to press on the attack, showing them that they no longer fear the likes of them. They saw Invictus engaged in combat, until he stopped and saw the Barbarian King from afar, with his estranged son standing right beside him.

‘The Barbarian King wanted to take everything from us,’ said Invictus when they saw his younger self staring at the enemy king, slowly approaching from the ocean using his ship. ‘Like hell I was going to let that happen. So I did what I had to do.’

Young Invictus saw a bow and an arrow on the ground, giving him the perfect opportunity to strike back. He picked it up, and felt the wind blowing towards the king’s direction. He placed the bow next to his arrow and pulled it whilst attached to the bow’s string. He pulled the string until it could no longer be pulled. He aimed it at the king, and when he saw the mark, he released the arrow, allowing him to shoot.

The arrow flew straight and true thanks to the wind. And with great accuracy, the arrow struck through the heart of the Barbarian King, killing him in an instant, making his son hold his dead father in his arms. The two looked at one another, with rage in the son’s eyes, but to the eyes of Young Invictus, showing no fear, showing them that no enemy will force Phalanxia to submit no matter who would be threatening them.

‘I know what you are thinking,’ said Invictus ‘How could I have done such a thing. As king, it is my responsibility to ensure that our people would be protected. I did what I felt was right. For the needs of my people came first, and they wanted protection from threats like this.’

‘It’s alright,’ said Dragon Lord Ember when she could relate ‘It’s a feeling…we all know too well.’
‘So,’ said Thorax when she was just as curious ‘What happened afterwards.’

‘After we drove off the Barbarian army, the prince became the new king and he swore vengeance to avenge his father. He was able to convince the other Barbarian tribes to join him to wage war against not just Phalanxia, but the rest of the neighboring kingdoms as well. As many of the other kingdoms prepared for war, I went to gather my armies as well, but the cowardly council had other ideas.’

From within the government building, they saw Young Invictus arguing with the Phalanxian government because of a woman that was claimed to be their prophet. They saw him arguing when he said ‘All this talk about the Delphi, the Delphi, I do not care what she says!!’

‘Enough!!’ shouted one of the councilman ‘Time and again you try our patience. Phalanxia will not go to war. The Delphi has spoken.’

‘The Delphi says, what you want her to say.’ said Young Invictus to the lead councilman ‘When you know very well, the price of what would happen, if we asked the gods for help.’

‘Price?’ said Starlight Glimmer when she looked at Invictus.

‘It was forbidden by ancient law to call upon the gods for aid.’ said Invictus when he explained the country’s customs ‘If we were to gain the aids of the gods, it would gain a terrible price.’

‘Like,’ said Spike when he realized something when he remembered what he told them ‘Your soul?’

‘Yes.’ he replied, not wanting to think about the hardships of the past.

‘Oh mighty Invictus,’ said the councilman when he tried to talk him down ‘The age of heroes have already passed. Your actions have nearly written our doom, so what will happen, if we open you up so that your blood might spill on the ground, before it disappears through the cracks.’

Young Invictus pulled out his spear whilst he pointed it at the council ‘You’re more than willing to find out.’

Suddenly, the Delphi came to Young Invictus and stroked at his spear. ‘Do not fight Invictus, the Barbarian Prince will bring eternal peace. Through him we can…’

And just like that, Young Invictus grabbed the Delphi and stabbed her with his spear, surprising and shocking most of those who witnessed it. The Delphi collapsed on the ground, now dead and lifeless. ‘What have you…’ said the councilman when he was horrified to see what he had done ‘Do you have any idea what you have just done?! You’ve doomed us all!!’
‘My brother then came and showed them.’ said Invictus when they saw his brother walking in, which they were surprised to see that he had a brother.

‘Was that before or after you were bribed with their gold?’ said Young Invictus’ brother when he tossed the gold at their feet, which shocked the council when they were discovered ‘Arrest them.’

At the same time, the guards arrested the council, with Young Invictus talking to them one last time ‘As long as I am king, Phalanxia will not answer to you or anyone else.’

Twilight and the others were surprised to see how he commanded respect, which she never realized that was possible. ‘Wow.’ said Spike when he was surprised.

Young Invictus then stormed out in anger, with his trusted Lieutenant at his side as he said ‘Gather the men.’

‘My king?’ said the Lieutenant when he was curious of what Young Invictus had planned.

‘If the Barbarian bastard thinks he can have our kingdom, he’ll have to go through me.’

The crystal then showed them both Young Invictus and his brother, watching over the walls of Phalanxia, and sees a massive army, over ten thousand Barbarians, ready to the attack. ‘Have you ever thought about spending time with your son?’ said Young Invictus to his brother, but in a more gentler tone, which surprised them, when they had no idea he was so gentle, especially when he was talking about family.

‘More times than I can count,’ he replied ‘But we both knew that life as a Phalanx would come at a price. But maybe someday, we’ll make it right.’

‘I would’ve liked to spend some time with my family.’ said Young Invictus whilst looking out on the field.

Young Invictus’ brother placed his hand on his older brother’s shoulders ‘There will be time for that once the Barbarian threat is removed. Until then, your men need you down there.’

‘Very well,’ said Young Invictus whilst he placed his helmet on ‘Then you know the plan?’

‘Of course,’ said his brother ‘You hold back the ones trying to breach the gates, whilst I command the archers and catapults to dwindle their numbers.’

The two brothers looked at one another, then grabbed each other’s wrist as a way of showing brotherhood kinship, whilst they said at the same time ‘May the glory of Phalanxia guide us through our path.’, then went their separate ways to their assigned duties.

The Barbarian armies approached the city of Phalanxia. But as they stopped, they were only two miles, with the Colonel of the army shouting ‘Phalanxia!! Lay down your weapons!!!’

There was not a single respond, until Young Invictus’ brother armed himself with a massive crossbow weapon, and fired at the Colonel, allowing the arrow to strike him down, causing him to collapse on the ground. ‘Barbarian dogs!!’ shouted Young Invictus’ brother when he showed them ‘Come and get them!!!’

They saw Young Invictus walking among the Phalanx, whilst also trying to make way for their king. As the Barbarian army charged from a large distance, Young Invictus said to his fellow Phalanx ‘Phalanx!! Every breath you have taken, has brought you here. Every drop of blood, sweat and tear, has led you all to this moment. The Barbarians, came to make slaves of us all. I have a better idea. I say, we shall drown them all, in their own blood!!’. Twilight and the others were shocked by the last part of what he had said. ‘What say you my fellow Phalanx?!!’

‘Ah-Oh!!’ grunted the three hundred Phalanx when they shook their spear, which surprised Twilight and the others when they saw how much discipline the Phalanx were, even Dragon Lord Ember and the leaders of other creatures were impressed by their commitment.

‘For our sons!!’

‘Ah-Oh!!’

‘For our Daughters!!’

‘Ah-Oh!!’

‘For our families!!’

‘Ah-Oh!!’

‘For our comrades!!’

‘Ah-Oh!!’

‘For all of Phalanxia!!’

‘Ah-Oh!! Ah-Oh!! Ah-Oh!!’

Young Invictus turned around to face the endless army coming. The Barbarian army were at least five hundred yards away. At the same time, Young Invictus’ brother had signaled the catapults to fire, which they did, allowing either rock or explosive barrel, decimate portions of Barbarians attacking. But at the same time, Young Invictus’ brother signaled the archers to fire, which they did by releasing their arrows and killing most of the Barbarians coming. But those who survived kept attacking, whilst the Lieutenant shouted ‘Phalanx formation!!’, causing them to plant their feet when they made their stance, held their shields in front of them, and held their spears tightly, whilst they were ready to jab the Barbarians with their spears.

‘Give them nothing!!’ shouted Young Invictus when they saw the ever growing Barbarians were nearing them ‘But take form them, everything!!!’

They saw the Barbarian army clashing with them as the Phalanx engaged in combat. They ploughed their way through the Barbarian armies trying to do him in. As they saw the battle raged on, with the Phalanx meeting little resistance, but for Young Invictus, he continued to fight as if the enemy is nothing to him. He jabbed to his left, blocked to his right, then tossed his shield against another, then jabbed the one nearby, then grabbed the nearest one’s neck and snapped it, he jabbed another with his spear, grabbed another’s hand to block it, then used his sword to kill him. The battle continued to rage on, as he kept on fighting, which surprised the leaders when they saw how fierce he was in battle. After a long hard battle that lasted half a day, the remaining Barbarian forces were defeated and retreated. Young Invictus saw that it was far from over, whilst his brother rejoined him.

‘Invictus, what now?’ said his brother when he stood next to him.

‘Now Atreus,’ said Young Invictus, which surprised Twilight and the others when he realized that he named one of his sons after him ‘We go over that hill and finish them.’

‘But Invictus, we can still…’

‘As long as that Barbarian bastard and his allies still live, they’ll keep coming back at us until there’s nothing left. Plus the neighboring kingdoms will be in danger if we don’t try.’

Having no other choice, seeing that Young Invictus was right, he called out to a handful of guards ‘Gather the horses!!’, allowing the guards to run back. He looked at Young Invictus, saying ‘At least take a hundred of the elite guards with you. You’ll stand a much better chance when you do.’

‘Very well.’ said Young Invictus when he picked up his shield.

An hour later, his three hundred Phalanx, along with the elite guards, were now mounted on horses, which surprised Twilight and the others when they saw that the horses were still in their primitive states and not like them. Young Invictus mounted his horse and spoke to his brother before he rode to the center ‘Atreus, I’m leaving you in charge of this city and its defenses until I get back.’

‘Yes brother, I’ll wait for you here.’

‘Forward my brothers!!’ shouted Young Invictus as he led his three hundred Phalanx.

All of them rode towards the hill where they had been originating. When they got over the hill, they saw the Barbarian Prince and his elite guardsman waiting for them. They led the attack towards the Barbarian army. ‘We rode straight towards them, to finish them once and for all. But we never expected what happened next.’

‘What happened?’ asked dog Spike when he looked at Invictus.

They saw that the three hundred Phalanx fought against the Barbarian Elite guardsman, however, they saw many of the Phalanx being slaughtered. ‘Though we had discipline, the training, even the bravery and courage to overcome great enemies, we were no match against their brutality. Even I barely survived, with the Barbarian Prince having me cornered on the ground.’

They saw Young Invictus being cornered, as the Barbarian Prince was about to raise his axe. ‘But what happened?’ said Sunset when she was curious.

‘When I was pinned on the ground, and my life nearly an end, my thoughts kept racing about my family at Phalanxia. All I ever wanted was to protect them, to keep them safe. So for their sake, I did the one thing I never thought I would.’

‘What?’ said Celestia when she looked at Young Invictus.

Invictus sighed as he told them ‘I broke our ancient law.’

And in that split second, Young Invictus called out to the god of war by saying ‘Terra!! Destroy my enemies, and my life is yours!!’

All of them heard loud rumbling, which caused the Barbarian Prince to look up, even Twilight and the others when they looked. To their surprise, the skies began to lit up red, as did the clouds. And ascending from the heavens, a giant taller than a skyscraper, appeared, wearing sandals, a kilt that appeared to be roman made, titanium chest with three lions up front, metallic shoulders, wrist gauntlets and a red cape. It landed in the midst of the battlefield and looked at Young Invictus. But he had flaming red eyes, and orange hair and beard, with a look of rage on his face. Twilight and the others were shocked and scared when they saw what Terra looked like. ‘That would be Terra, the god of war from Mount Gaia. When humans are at war with one another, he feeds on their misery and rage, fueling him with power beyond imagine.’
As the Barbarian Prince was too distracted to look behind himself, Young Invictus bowed to the god of war in respect, then stood on his knees as he said ‘As I told you lord Terra. My life is yours.’

And in response, they saw how Terra unleashed his rage on the battlefield. He used his powers to burn, impale, decapitate and destroy the Barbarian armies trying to destroy the remaining Phalanx soldiers, horrifying them when they saw how terrifying the gods’ powers can be. Afterwards, Terra then sent down what appeared to be a harpy, carrying what appeared to be flaming chains. And from below the chains, were two twin swords, which shocked them when they saw the same swords that Invictus now carries. ‘Those swords.’ said Twilight when she looked at them ‘So Terra gave those to you?’

‘Yes,’ he replied ‘He forged those swords deep from within the core of the Multiverse, but none knew where he found the materials to forge or create them, only to know that the moment when he grants them weapons, it is a sign that they would be more powerful than any he would choose to serve him. And…you will know the rest.’

They saw that the chains automatically wrapped around Young Invictus’ wrists, causing them to burn whilst they seared his skin, making Young Invictus scream in pain. Afterwards, Terra disappeared, whilst the Barbarian Prince realizes that his army has been destroyed. But when he looked at Young Invictus, he saw him holding those swords, then slowly looked at him in rage, which shocked the Barbarian Prince. And with great strike, Young Invictus unleashed the blade’s power, slaying the Prince and freeing his lands from the Barbarian horde.

‘After he was slain,’ said Invictus whilst he continued the story ‘I knew the Barbarian army still had their generals and all of them were still terrorizing the neighboring kingdoms, so I told my brother to watch over our family and Phalanxia, whilst I took most of the Phalanx with me. From kingdom to kingdom, with the power of the blades, I fought, freed and liberated the kingdoms whilst I slew the generals and the soldiers protecting him, following the god Terra’s will. That was when I realized too late that I had made a grave mistake.’

He showed them of his younger self, leading the Phalanx to a small fortress town ‘We went to a small town fortress, where the last of the Barbarian supporters were hiding, knowing full well I would come.’

‘This place is an atrocity to our lord Terra!!’ shouted Young Invictus ‘The Barbarian horde now hides here like the cowards they are, too afraid to fight against real warriors.’. Invictus pulled out his swords as he commanded them ‘Slaughter the Barbarian forces!! Burn them all!!’.

Using his twin blades, he destroyed the gates that allowed them to enter as they charged. As the Phalanx continued to fight and slaughter the remaining Barbarian forces, Young Invictus walked towards a temple where the Barbarian general was still hiding, until he was stopped by an elder, holding onto her staff as she told him ‘If you enter this temple you will end up sealing your doom.’

‘I fear none.’ said Young Invictus. But before he could pass, the elder ended up blinding him with a type of potion, making him grunt, but could still sense anything around him just fine. He broke the door opened and pulled out his swords as he yelled ‘Barbarian dogs, your end has come!!’

They saw Young Invictus slaughtering the Barbarians inside, but even they couldn’t see what he was fighting. The last of them were eventually slaughtered, with Invictus revealing a horrific fate ‘When they were defeated, I thought I ended the Barbarian threat. But instead…’

They saw the moment when Young Invictus’ eyes had finally been cleared, he could see, but ended up being horrified. For it turned out the ones he had slaughtered, were his entire family, including his wife and daughter, shocking them in the process. He saw his brother was breathing, causing Invictus to hold him as Atreus spoke his final words by saying ‘Brother…the god of war…he teleported us here, blinded us, making you think you were the Barbarian Prince, poisoned your eyes and made you think you were killing Barbarians. The gods…have betrayed us. The gods…used us.’

And after his last breath, Atreus died from his injuries, which horrified the ponies and the other creatures, for Terra, the god of war, had used Invictus. When Young Invictus walked out, the elder woman laughed at him when she had seen what he had done.

‘Now you see what your anger has caused?’ said the elder whilst she spoke to him ‘Because of your actions, without thinking of the consequences, you shall forever be cursed, and be a ghost to those around you when they see you. From this day forward, you will forever be known as, “The Spectre of Phalanxia”.’

They then saw Young Invictus’ entire family get turned to ash and dust as all it flew straight towards Young Invictus. And afterwards, the ash and dust merged with his skin, turning it pure white like snow. He ended up standing there, alone, with nothing in the world.

The others looked at Invictus horrified, with Twilight saying ‘So, your skin isn’t actually this color? It’s that way because…’

‘Because they are the remains of my dead family,’ said Invictus when he looked at his skin again whilst placing his left hand on his right wrist ‘To remind me of my shame and what I have done.’

And out of nowhere, Caldor arrived and said to them ‘Now you see why he hates the gods more than anything?’

‘Caldor?’ said Starlight when she was surprised to see him ‘What are you doing here? I thought you went and helped…’

‘I opened the gateway for them,’ said Caldor when he reassured them ‘The rest will be up to them, no need to worry.’

Invictus continued from where he left off ‘After what happened, I sought vengeance on the god of war for what he made me do. So I set on my journey, finding old temples and relics that would help me on my future missions. When I faced him, I could not defeat him, so I went to find the Casket of the Ancients.’

‘Casket of the ancients?’ asked human Twilight when she was confused by the name.

‘The Casket is a relic of ancient power,’ said Caldor when he filled in the blanks ‘They contain the power of the gods from within. Unfortunately it was the same box that a woman named Euphoria had unleashed.’

‘Really,’ said Cadance when she looked at Caldor ‘Why?’

‘The gods there gave her the box as a gift, but was told never to open it. Unfortunately her own curiosity got the better of her, so she opened it. And as a result, the sins of that world, such as greed, sorrow, suffering and so on were released, plaguing most of their kind there.’

‘But why would they give her a box if they knew it was going to be dangerous?’ said Applejack when she was confused.

‘In a twisted way, they were testing the human will, to see if they can resist temptation and curiosity. You lot can imagine how idiotic that sounds.’

Invictus showed them that how he opened the box, granting him the power of the gods, making him the same size as Terra. ‘When I opened the box, it gave me unlimited power as it coursed through me. In turn, it made me into a giant as I grew the same size as him.’

They saw Young Invictus fighting Terra using a powerful sword he had obtained. After a much hardened battle, Young Invictus stabbed the god of war with that sword, killing Terra in the process as he collapsed onto the ground.

‘After I killed Terra,’ said Invictus as he showed them of what he did in the past ‘I wanted to end my own life so that I could be with my family, to be free of my torment and pain. So I went to the highest mountain of my land, and jumped from there. Only for me to be saved by the gods, as they told me that because of my actions, I would be commended. Before I knew it, they made me the new god of war.’

They were surprised to see what they have given him. ‘Aye, they did,’ said Caldor when he told them the rest ‘But even after that, the images and memory of his past continued to haunt him. He asked them to remove that memory from him, but they didn’t, so he went on his own quest to find what he was trying to do. But the more he did the more frustrated the rest of the gods were of his actions. But eventually…that time had soon come.’

‘Like what?’ said Luna when she was curious.

‘When I continued my duties as the god of war,’ said Invictus whilst he showed them what happened in his past ‘I heard the cry of my people at Phalanxia. Apparently, the rest of the Barbarian armies attacked and nearly overran the city, so they kept pleading me to help. I went there to answer their call, but one of the gods, Aya, the goddess of wisdom, told me not to go, but I refused to let my kingdom suffer, so I left. In turn, whilst I helped them, it angered the gods, and they stole part of my power and reduced me to normal size. I fought my way, and I saved whom I could. But when I got at the center, my father Zion, before I knew he was my father, arrived. to straighten me out.’

They saw Zion arriving, standing with authority as he appeared and stood next to the sword of Mount Gaia, whilst Young Invictus was still wounded in battle after fighting the invaders of his kingdom.

‘You.’ he replied whilst standing there, staring at Zion in anger.

‘Yes,’ replied Zion when he stood next to the sword ‘ I am forced to attend to the matter myself. Aya refused to undo her mistake. Imagine caring for a creature such as yourself.’

‘Why?’ said Young Invictus when he stood before him ‘Why would you betray me? I only fulfilled my task as what the gods demanded me to do.’

‘It is you who betrayed me.’ said the boastful Zion ‘Am I to just stand idly by whilst Mount Gaia is threatened?’. Zion grabbed the sword of Mount Gaia and held its hilt tightly, whilst preparing for combat. ‘Your hands are already stained by the blood of a god. I will not let Terra’s fate be my own.’

‘The gods are petty and pathetic,’ replied Young Invictus when he pointed at Zion ‘And your rule is weak.’

They saw how Invictus stood up to the king of the gods of Mount Gaia, with Zion continuing to display his authority ‘I grow tired of this insolence. I am the god of Mount Gaia.’ said Zion whilst he pointed the sword at Young Invictus’ neck ‘And it is my way that is the way of the gods. You must vow to forever serve me.’

But instead of obeying, Young Invictus pushed the sword away as he said ‘I serve no one.’

‘Then you leave me no choice.’ said Zion as he held the sword’s hilt tightly, preparing to attack.

Young Invictus tried to strike, but Zion struck first, wounding him more, then ended up being grabbed by the throat and tossed him onto the ground. Zion then walked up to Invictus whilst he struggled to get back up, and with great strength, Zion had plunged the sword of Mount Gaia through Invictus’ chest, shocking the others in the process when they witnessed what had happened.

‘It did not have to be this way my son.’ said Zion whilst holding his sword tightly with both his hands ‘This path, is of your own choosing.’

They saw Invictus’ younger self gasping, trying to breathe, but spoke back to him in anger ‘A choice…from the gods…is as useless…as the gods themselves.’

‘Even now, as you draw your last breath,’ said Zion as he plunged his sword deeper, which shocked Twilight and the others ‘You continue to defy me?!!’. They saw Zion whispering to Invictus, but thankfully could hear ‘Everything you had ever known Invictus, will now suffer, because of your own sacrilege. You will never rule Mount Gaia, the cycle ends here.’

They saw Zion pulling out his sword, but ended up charging his sword and plunging it into the ground, causing a massive shockwave to appear, turning every building in the city to rubble, whilst the people themselves were turned to skeletons as all of them collapsed onto the ground. Every creature were shocked when they saw what Zion had done to his people.

Invictus’ younger self was just as shocked from what he saw. He slowly looked at Zion whilst he was bleeding out, swearing vengeance upon him as he said ‘You will pay for this Zion. Be certain of that.’

Invictus’ younger self ended up coughing blood, and as Zion left him for dead, Young Invictus ended up collapsing onto the ground, dead, and no longer filled with life. Many were surprised to see that Zion had killed his own son, until Spike remembered something. He remembered back when Invictus killed Eros, he said the exact same words like he did. Spike looked at Invictus and asked ‘What did he mean by Cycle?’

‘He thought I was going to kill him.’ he responded.

‘What? Why?’ said Twilight when she was surprised to hear about this.

Caldor then explained to them ‘Because a long time ago, before the gods of Mount Gaia took over, Zion’s father was the king of the Titans, until his father betrayed them, and Zeus killed him. And Zion’s father did the same thing with his father as well.’

‘Then why did he tried to kill Invictus?’ said Starlight when she too was curious.

‘Because of the box that Invictus opened to give him the powers of a god, the one I told you that female once opened, turned out there were still some left over paranoia energy inside. When he opened it, the other gods were affected by it. And because of that box, they were paranoid of him as well.’

Sunset then changed the subject when she spoke to Invictus ‘Then how did you ended up coming back?’

Invictus showed them of how his younger self was pulled inside a black pit that led straight to the underworld ‘After I supposedly died, I was dragged down to the realm of the dead. I heard a voice calling out. Turned out it was the Mother Earth, an original Titan that was banished to the cold depths of a land of no return when she and the other Titans were defeated. She told me that my vengeance was far from over, so she granted me the power to escape.’

They saw his wounds were healed. And within a split second, Young Invictus yelled in rage as he pulled himself free from the arms of the dead, whilst he used his swords to cut them, and climb up the walls of the underworld. He climbed and climbed and climbed until he had reached the surface. climbed up and stood upon solid ground whilst gripping his fists in anger.

‘After I escaped.’ said Invictus when he showed them ‘My vengeance, grew greater than before.’

Young Invictus yelled in rage, and created a fire so bad, it ended up destroying half of Phalanxia. For the kingdom and family he was sworn to protect, was gone forever, because the gods took all of that away from him. And after the flames died down, only he remained. This time, his body was engulfed with flame, the same flames he had used before when he fought Eros and his sons. Invictus looked out onto the horizon and remembered what she told him, so he ventured towards the large spire mountain.

‘So uh…’ said human Rainbow Dash when she looked at Invictus ‘Where were you going?’

‘The spire of Fates.’ he responded.

‘Fates?’ said the others when they were surprised to hear what he had to say.

‘The fates,’ said Caldor when he filled them in ‘Are ancient beings that decide the fate of current and future generations of those who would become either a forgotten memory, an influential scholar, or a legend. They were the ones who thought they could control his fate. And they thought wrong.’

The imagery showed them how Young Invictus entered the mountain temple and ended up meeting the fates, large creatures who would have the ability to see the future of others. But they were wearing hoods and armour that some don’t recognize.

‘Hold intruder,’ said one of the fates as she raised her hand ‘This is sacred grounds of the gods, who are you to…?’

But she was immediately cut off when Young Invictus swung his sword, killing her in the process. The other two fates looked at Young Invictus shocked as he only replied ‘To hell with the gods.’, then Young Invictus killed the two of them without any second thoughts.

‘After I killed the fates,’ said Invictus when he told them the story further ‘I used their special hourglass to turn the sands of time, taking be back to the day that Zion betrayed me.’

They saw him use the sands of time, revealing past events that were no longer of any concern. After turning the hourglass the fifteenth time, the hourglass itself opened a portal, leading back to the moment Zion killed him. Young Invictus pulled out his swords and walked through the portal, readying himself for a second match. When he walked through the portal, he stood there whilst he watched Zion stabbed the sword into Young Invictus’ chest.

‘It did not have to be this way my son. This path, is of your own choosing.’ said Zion, until he saw Young Invictus stand there, holding his swords, whilst his past self disappeared without a trace, whilst he replied by saying ‘What?’

‘The only one who put me on this path, is you!!’ shouted Young Invictus whilst he struck his blades at Zion, launching him up towards a mountain. Young Invictus used ancient wings, which surprised Twilight, to launch himself after Zion.

Zion crashed on the top of a mountain, whilst Young Invictus landed across him. Zion stood up, holding the sword of Mount Gaia ‘I do not know how you survived, but rest assured, I will make sure you are buried beneath this mountain.’

‘You are more than welcome to try.’ said Young Invictus, before he screamed in rage and attacked like a madman.

They saw how Young Invictus fought against Zion as they fought with blades and fists, fire and lightning. Both sides kept on clashing at one another, trying to overpower one with the other. Young Invictus knocked the sword of Mount Gaia out of Zion’s hand, allowing him to catch it and attacked him head on. But instead of jabbing the sword through Zion, he jabbed it through Aya instead, who tried to stop the fight. ‘Run.’ she replied to Zion, allowing him to do so. Young Invictus placed her on the ground.

‘Why?’ he responded when he held onto her.
‘I couldn’t let you kill your father.’

‘My father?’ he responded in shock.

‘Yes, but his own fear began to consume him, and if you continued to resist. You will not survive.’

In that instant, Aya died as she was now dead on the ground and slowly turned to ashes, with him looking at the heavens as Young Invictus said ‘If all of Mount Gaia dare to resist and deny me my vengeance. Then they will all die.’

‘After I killed Aya,’ said Invictus when he continued to tell the story, with the others having a hard time bearing and believing of what happened right in front of them ‘I went back to the temple and used the hourglass to travel back to the age of the titans, before Zion destroyed them. I brought all of them to the present so that they could help me destroy him.’
The next bit of the past showed them the Titans were busy climbing the mountain as they attempted to reach Mount Gaia. Many of the gods were present, as each were using their powers to drive them back, even though many of them struggled to make them move. They were almost in awe when they saw the Titans fighting against the gods, which they had no idea such a war was waged, whilst Pinkie Pie and her human counterpart took out some popcorn to watch the show.

They saw one of the gods attack with the full might of the oceans, but Twilight was curious about something and decided to ask Caldor. ‘Excuse me Caldor? Cloud you please tell me of the other gods? I know Zion is the king of the gods as well as the god of the sky, but what of the others?’

‘Glad you asked.’ said Caldor as he told her. ‘The full pantheon of gods there were also rulers of the gods, each with an important role and such. Alongside him are his brothers, namely Aqua, the god of the sea, as well as Therum, the god of the Underworld. But there were also other gods present as well. Such as Illos, the god of fire and blacksmith of the gods. Glomar, the messenger of the gods as well as the god of speed and commerce. Nepheron, the god of the sun. Mateo, the queen of the gods, as well as the god of nature, even Zion’s other son and Invictus’ half brother, Rostock, a demigod.’

‘There were that many?’

‘As I said, each god plays a vital role of the worlds they create. Just as Celestia and Luna have responsibilities throughout Equestria, as do you and Cadance.’

They saw Aqua attack the titans with his power whilst taking a massive water form. He even tried to wipe Young Invictus from one of the Titans’ backs. But he used his swords to go from rock to rock, and eventually reached a height he could face the god of water head on, then eventually launched himself towards Aqua, then was able to pull him out of his water like body, before it dissolved, and collapsed from the mountain, whilst Aqua was tossed against a wall and collapsed onto the ground. Young Invictus stood halfway from Aqua, staring at the fallen god of the oceans.

‘To think,’ said Aqua when he tried to stand up ‘You were our most promising ally. You betrayed us all.’

‘Like you betrayed me when I tried to save my family and home.’ said Young Invictus, not caring for the god of the oceans.

‘No matter how many of us falls,’ said Aqua as he was able to stand on one knee and his right foot ‘There will always be another to stand against you.’

‘Then they will fall as well.’ Young Invictus replied whilst he moved forward towards the god of the sea.

‘The death of Mount Gaia, is the death of us all.’

‘Then prepare for your death then, king of the sea.’

Young Invictus grabbed Aqua and head butted him in the head hard, cracking his skull, whilst Young Invictus pinned him against the wall and punched him a handful of times against his face until he collapsed onto the ground. Young Invictus kneed Aqua’s head against the wall, then kicked it again. Young Invictus grabbed him by the throat, and jabbed his head against solid rock, only for him to grab Aqua again and banged his head against the solid rock, then head butted him a couple of times, then tossed him aside against a boulder as he collapsed. Aqua watched with blurry eyes as Young Invictus was approaching him. Young Invictus picked up Aqua’s triton as he continued. He grabbed Aqua as he picked him up, punched him as he turned around, and pierced the triton against his back, ending Aqua’s life. They were shocked to see what Young Invictus had done, whilst he pushed Aqua off the cliff. However, they saw that while he was falling, he was suddenly encased in his own water bubble. They were surprised to see what was happening to him.

‘What’s wrong with him?’ said Sunburst when he saw what was happening to Aqua.

‘Watch.’ said Caldor when he showed them.

The moment they all saw Aqua fell into the ocean, something happened. He exploded, causing the ocean levels to raise as many of the lands were wiped out by tsunamis and floods, drowning most of life in the process. ‘What was that?’ said Fluttershy scared.

‘You see young ones,’ said Caldor when he showed them ‘When the gods came to be, they were the ones who created and controlled everything around them. But if you were able to kill one of them, it comes at a very high price. When Invictus killed Aqua, the oceans rose out of control, leaving nothing behind as a result.'

After the oceans had rose and turned the mountains into islands, Young Invictus continued with his journey towards Mount Gaia. Instantly, the moment he had reached up top, with the help of one of the Titans, his father had been waiting for them at the top of the summit.

They saw Invictus climbing off one of the Titans’ hands and stood across Zion face to face. ‘What will you do now father?’ said young Invictus when he looked at his father with rage ‘You can no longer hide behind the skirts of Aya.’

‘Aya is dead,’ said Zion when he lectured him ‘Because of the rage you carry in you Invictus. What more will you destroy?’

‘The hands of death could not hold me. The fates could not control me. And you won’t live, to see the end of this day.’. Within a split second, he pulled out his swords and yelled ‘I will have my revenge!!!’

‘Insolent child!!’ shouted Zion, as his rage had now intensified ‘I will tolerate your Insolence no more!!!’

Zion flew in the air and unleashed his full power, releasing the lightning as a result, which blew Young Invictus off the mountain, but was able to survive whilst he landed close to a cavern. ‘Wow, ego much?’ said Rainbow Dash when she saw how Zion reacted.

‘Sounds familiar.’ said Applejack with a smirk smile.

‘After I survived the fall,’ said Invictus when he continued his story ‘I later encountered Therum. He nearly took my soul, but I was able to beat him by draining his soul from his body, killing him.’

‘And ended up releasing all of the souls that were dead for years.’ said Caldor when they saw what happened when he killed the god of the Underworld.

Later on, after that, they saw that Young Invictus killed Illos, causing all of the fires to die out as a result. Young Invictus continued with his journey as he made his way towards part of the summit, where he had kept being under attack by Nepheron, until Young Invictus used the Bow of Aya and shot him down, causing him to crash whilst he landed nearby.

Young Invictus approached Nepheron as the two of them were head to head with one another.

‘Wait, Invictus,’ said Nepheron, trying to bargain with Young Invictus ‘I have not forgotten of how you helped me long ago. Spare me, and I will repay the debt in full.’

Young Invictus spoke in anger ‘No amount of debt can ever be repaid for what your kind had done.’

‘Like what?’ replied Nepheron ‘Protecting our people and our future?’

‘Of what the gods betrayed me and my family, even when I offered my soul, you had betrayed me. You shall feel no mercy for me, for I had received none from the likes of you.’

Nepheron then got angry as he yelled ‘Feel the power, of the sun!!’

Nepheron then used his power to engulf their surrounding with a blinding light, with some wanting to cover their eyes, but were not affected. They saw Young Invictus resisted the light and walked towards him as if this was nothing. They were shocked to see what happened next. Young Invictus kicked Nepheron in the face, leaving him flat on his back. Young Invictus ended up standing over Nepheron and stomped on his head over and over and over and over again and again and again.

Nepheron stopped glowing, but to his shock, he saw Young Invictus pulling out the sword of Mount Gaia as he pleaded ‘No, wait!!’

But it was too late, Young Invictus ended up beheading him and picked up his head, whilst it automatically screamed as if it were a harpy, causing Young Invictus to crush it to pieces. He suddenly saw the sun had begun to change. The sun began to glow unnaturally, whilst it was slowly covered by raging thunder clouds, leaving nothing but darkness in the air. Caldor then looked at Celestia as he said to her ‘That, your highness, is what would’ve happened if you had perished.’
Even Celestia was shocked to see what would’ve happened if both she and Luna were to perish by the hands of evil.

‘After his demise, and after I had killed Rostock,’ said Invictus when he showed them ‘I ended up being taunted by Glomar, the messenger of the gods.’

‘Hmph,’ said Invictus when he thought about him ‘He always was a nuisance.’

They saw he was at a different part of Mount Gaia whilst he looked around. He was suddenly attacked at top speed. They then saw Glomar, taunting him as he said ‘So the high and mighty Spectre of Phalanxia arrives on Mount Gaia. Tell me “great warrior”, do you enjoy being a brute to the so called “mortals”?’

‘Do not try and test my patience messenger,’ said Young Invictus to the messenger ‘Or do you wish to perish like your son before he met his demise?’

‘You should not have harm my son Invictus, he was only a child trying to prove his worth to the gods.’

‘Then you and your ilk should not have lied to me and made me kill the only family I had. We were loyal to the gods, and you betrayed our trust.’

‘Funny,’ said Glomar when he stood up ‘I don’t recall us trusting you ever since that stupid whore opened the box that doomed your kind in the first place. But you, you have your own sense of honor now, don’t you? Well what has that so called honour brought you? Nothing but nightmares of your own failure.’

Glomar automatically collapsed onto the ground and stood on his hands again ‘You may kill me with all of your might, Invictus, but in the end…in the end you will end up betraying only yourself.’

Instead of letting him talk like that, Young Invictus walked up to him and pulled out his sword. He lifted Glomar up using his leg, and ended up cutting it off, which shocked them in the process. Young Invictus did the same with the other leg, and later on, Invictus killed him at last. However, instead of just laying down, his body ended up exploding, releasing a plague onto the earth, causing plague and famine to spread all around. Young Invictus looked at the boots that were left behind, the ones that helped him gain his speed. He ended up placing the boots on, granting him speed beyond measure.
They saw him destroying Mateo next, which resulted nature dying all around them.

Afterwards, he walked towards the large doors and kicked it opened, revealing to be Zion, standing out in the open with his arms crossed. ‘Such chaos and destruction,’ said Zion as he looked at the ruined kingdoms that young Invictus had just battled ‘I will have much to do after I kill you.’

They remembered that what he said was the exact words he said, for it really felt familiar when they had said all of that. ‘Face me father,’ said young Invictus back to his father ‘It is time to end this.’

‘Yes, replied Zion with a wicked smile as he looked at his former son ‘It is time my son.’

They saw that the two of them attacked one another head on. Fists were thrown, kicks were launched, powers were unleashed. Yet no matter how hard they tried, they were still evenly matched. However, the two of them were stopped by one of the Titans, who swallowed them whole. But when they were inside, they were close to the heart. Zion was the first to stand up, now holding the sword of Mount Gaia.

‘Time and time again Invictus,’ said Zion as he stood over his son, whilst he also tried to stand up ‘I have given you every single chance to repent, to join my side, yet no matter how many times we’ve spoken, you dared to refuse me and you dared not bowing to me.’

‘Because I wanted nothing to do with you,’ said Young Invictus to Zion angrily ‘I was happy where I was, I never knew your existence. I only called for Terra’s help because I was trying to protect my family. And you took that away from me.’

‘I only took them away to keep mortals like you from rising up against us.’

‘But you had me!!!’ yelled young Invictus when he was able to stand up ‘Was I not enough?!!! Did I not try to please you after everything I had done?!!’

‘Until you have outlived your usefulness.’ said Zion. The others were shocked when they saw how easily Zion discarded his own family. ‘I will finish you like I should have twenty years ago.’

Young Invictus yelled in rage as he attacked head on, tackling his father against the heart. He noticed his father had dropped the sword, so he used it to pierce through him, but in doing so, he also pierced the titan’s heart, causing it to turn to dust as it collapsed on the remaining pedestal of Mount Gaia. From the ashes, young Invictus stood up and dusted himself, whilst he saw the dead body of Zion. However, as he walked away, Zion used his spirit to depart from his body, and attacked young Invictus whilst he electrocuted him. Young Invictus blacked out whilst he also said ‘I’m so sorry.’
He suddenly had a vision of his wife and daughter. The others were surprised when they saw how they appeared in front of him. ‘It’s alright Invictus,’ said Invictus’ wife with a smile ‘We forgive you, but please try to forgive yourself.’
‘You’ll never be alone,’ said the daughter with a smile too ‘And we’ll always be there for you.’

He saw many of his family members all around him, feeling the same way, whilst he also said aloud ‘I forgive myself.’

And in that moment, Young Invictus woke up, whilst his hands were aflame with blue, allowing him to break free of the spirit. He looked at his hands and saw that his hands and wrists were on fire, but with blue and it didn’t hurt. He looked at Zion, who wanted to fight back, but young Invictus used his swords to fight the spirit, weakening him, causing him to retreat back to his body. His body stood up and he was disoriented. Then they had a complete déjà vu from what they saw back at Tartarus.

Zion stood there, wobbly and doozy, whilst young Invictus stood there in rage, looked at his blades and tossed them away. He attacked Zion head on and pinned him against the boulder. He savagely began to beat up Zion. Punches thrown left, right, uppercut, below, head butted, kneed him, and the punches continued to go on and on and on. They saw how savagely he beat up his father, for there was now no end to his brutality.

In the end, Invictus ended up wiping the sweat from his face, looking at the dead Zion, no longer drawing breath, as he now had succumbed to his wounds. However, something else happened. Zion ended up sparkling with electricity whilst he floated in the air. It began to grow so violent, he ended up exploding into a bright light. When young Invictus looked around, he saw everything was destroyed all around him. Many were shocked to see not just the state of Mount Gaia, but also the kingdom that Invictus had come from.

They saw the ghost of Aya appearing in front of him, which surprised them as he explained. ‘After I killed Zion,’ said Invictus when he showed them ‘Aya demanded that I returned the power within the box I opened, for she refused it was empty. Until she realized that the moment I opened the box, the evil began to infect the rest of the gods whilst I was embedded with the power of hope. She claimed that she knew how to fix everything, if I returned the power to her.’

‘And what did you do?’ said Spike when he was frightened.

‘The only way I know how.’ said Invictus as he showed them.

They saw young Invictus holding the sword of Mount Gaia, as he said to Aya ‘My vengeance…has come to an end.’

They saw him charge up the sword with full power. But to their shock, he used the sword to jab the sword through him, causing the power of hope to scatter all over the kingdoms, so that they would repair themselves. Disgusted, Aya left as she told him that he has disappointed her whilst she pulled the sword of Mount Gaia out of his chest, causing her to disappear. That said, young Invictus suddenly stood up and left, disappearing without a trace, as all was left was destruction.

Afterwards, the stone ended the simulated past, allowing him to pick it up. Many looked at him shocked when they saw what had happened in his past. He turned around, not facing them, whilst he only replied ‘I haven’t been there since.’

Many could hardly come over of what he was and what he had done in the past, but given the fact the gods betrayed him, even when he swore to serve them, he ended up losing everything. Gallus took a step forward and asked ‘But…how did you end up here anyway?’

‘After the fall of Mount Gaia,’ said Invictus when he filled in the last gap ‘I left my realm, wandering for so very long. Eventually I arrived in Equestria, only to discover there weren't humans like me, only ponies. I continued to wander until I eventually met Alloy, the boys’ mother. She knew of my nature, and somehow were able to temper my heart after I chose to settle down. We chose to live in the wilderness, and we ended up raising my sons. But a month ago, she had fallen ill. Before she died, she asked that my sons would take and scatter her ashes. But I chose to accompany them, to ensure they would know how to make it through their journey. Thus, we met all of you.’

‘Aye he did.’ said Caldor when he looked at them as he gained their attention ‘Now you see why he hates the gods more than anything on this world?’

‘And I thought my time as Nightmare Moon was horrific.’ said Luna when she had a hard time grasping over what happened.

‘But Invictus,’ said Sunset when she wondered something ‘What will you do now that…?’

She was immediately cut off, for all of them saw Invictus taking out what appeared to be a blade. It was the very same blade he took with him from the temple. He charged it up with energy, and slowly looked at it, knowing what he would do, they couldn’t handle what was about to happen.

‘My journey,’ said Invictus as he looked at the special blade ‘And my life…has come to an end.’

Some were surprised by what he had said, ‘End?’ said Fluttershy when she wondered what he had meant ‘What do you mean by…?’

That’s when he did the unthinkable. Invictus took the blade and stabbed himself through the gut, horrifying many when they saw what he did. When all of a sudden, the aura, the power, and everything he had began to depower whilst he no longer had the strength to stand, and ended up standing on his knees. As he panted and barely could breathe, the Mane 7 and their human counterparts ran over to help him, with Twilight standing in front of him as she replied ‘Why?’

He slowly looked at them as he had his one eye opened. ‘It was the only way.’ he replied. He slowly handed his weapons over to them as each of them accepted it ‘Take my weapons, use them to disperse their power throughout this world. With their power, you no longer will need magic to control the sun, moon, stars and nature. For they will be restored as they will run their course, as life intended.’

‘But, you didn’t had to do this.’ said Sunset when she tried to reason with him.

‘She’s right,’ said Starlight next ‘You could’ve…’

‘No.’ said Invictus as he looked at them and revealed his final truth. ‘I had lived with this torment for over ten thousand years,’ he said again, which shockened them when they realized how long he had lived ‘And I can no longer live in it anymore. I have tried my best to give my sons the life they deserved. They still have a life ahead of them. It’s far too late for me.’

Many were slowly distraught, even some creatures as they witnessed it, ‘But…’ replied Twilight when she tried to reason with him.

‘Twilight,’ said Invictus as he held onto her shoulders ‘This is why Celestia’s mother had forbidden anyone else from becoming like her, because she didn’t want them to outlive them like she did. You still have so much to do.’ Invictus ended up using a rune he had learnt from Caldor and casted on her, as well as Celestia, Luna, Cadance, Spike and Flurry Heart, making them glow whilst it eventually faded away.

‘There,’ replied Invictus as he looked at her ‘You’re still an Alicorn, but your immortality has been removed, as is Celestia, Luna, Cadance, Spike and Flurry Heart’s.’. Twilight was shocked by what he had said, with him continuing ‘You deserve to live a normal life, live your life rather than outlive it. Otherwise you would learn, that death is far more better, than bondage.’ He held onto her shoulders as he made her promise ‘Promise me, you will live life to the fullest with your friends. Promise me.’

Twilight didn’t know how to respond. But she just ended up holding his hands ‘I…I promise.’
He slowly smiled, as that was all what he wanted to hear ‘Thank you.’

And slowly, Invictus ended up rigid when he faced head up, as the energy from within ended up shooting out of his eyes and mouth, casting it in the air whilst they dispersed around their world. Just when he was about to fall over, Twilight grabbed him whilst trying to make sure he was alright, with the others gathering near him. But when they looked at him, they saw he was pale, he was old, and he could hardly see whilst they had grown blind. But in his final moments, he muttered ‘Earth. Mother of all…I welcome thee.’

And in that final moment, he closed his eyes as his life had left him, leaving his body behind and is no longer shackled to the world of the living. Caldor ended up sighing as he muttered ‘Rest in peace, brother.’

Slowly in tears, Twilight slowly began to weep whilst she rested her head on his shoulder. The others soon joined in as all of them stood around Invictus, the Spectre of Phalanxia. The EG Mane 7, Sunburst, Spike, the EG Mane 7, dog Spike, the Pillars, Celestia, Luna, Shining Armour, Cadance and all the leaders of every creature beyond Equestria’s borders, all were saddened of his own self made demise.

The next day, everypony and every creature came together as all of them began to bury Invictus on the tallest mountain, where anyone could see the view of all of Equestria. The Unicorn guard carried the coffin containing Invictus straight towards what appears to be a statue of him, with the Mane 7 and many others attending there as all of them chose to be there for him. They all watched as Invictus was now being buried deep beneath the planet’s surface.

But sure enough, they fulfilled Invictus’ wish. They took his Axe and dual chain swords and placed them on a large magical burial site. After casting a powerful spell, the axe and the chain swords were dissolved and the magic combined, began to disperse itself towards the skies, thus engulfing their world with the magic. And sure enough, to their surprise, the sun and the moon began to move on their own as it followed time itself, with the clouds forming on their own accord and nature didn’t outgrow, but merely made sure that they would grow normally like any other tree. Invictus had been right, for his weapons truly did restore balance to the world, as he predicted.