My Little After-Dragons

Chapters

Prologue: Darkness Arrives
Chapter 1: The Ebon Blade and the Lich King
Chapter 2: Into the Maw

Prologue: Darkness Arrives

In Canterlot Castle, everypony and everyone were getting ready to celebrate the 2nd anniversary of Equestria's greatest victory in the final battle for the land.

The included were the Pillars of Old Equestria, the Young Six, and every ruler of the creatures of Equestria, which were Thorax, Ember, Novo, Rumford and Grandpa Gruff.

Most of the denizens were simply talking amongst themselves, as well their leaders, feeling enthusiastic about the excitement of the celebration to come.

However, a certain baby dragon was backstage looking amongst the denizens and saw many of them with their families.

Spike was really happy that Twilight's family considered him to be apart of it, but he was always conflicted within himself of who his real family was. The whole ordeal with Sludge really messed got to him, tricking him like that just so he could live in a comfy home with his messy habits? Now that did make Spike guilty for how he treated Twilight during that, but it infuriated him being messed with like that.

But having that aside, that got him thinking who his real family might've been, or if they're even alive anymore.

"Spike, you okay?" A voice asked.

Spike looked up to see Twilight looking at him with concern. "Y-Yeah, I'm fine, just... going through some things that happened with Sludge, it's not that big a deal."

"Your face is telling me otherwise, Spike. If there's something about that whole ordeal that's bugging you, you can tell." Twilight said genuinely.

Spike simply sighed. "Ever since Sludge confessed that he wasn't my father, I've been having dreams about who my real family was, or if they're even still alive. Now don't get me wrong, I'm glad you guys consider me apart of your family, but... I just hope I can meet my real family... one day..." Spike's eyes started welling up with tears, but he only gave out sniffles as to not draw any attention to himself.

Twilight couldn't help but hug Spike caringly and understandingly. "I'm really sorry about that Spike. I'll tell you what, after the celebration, why don't we ask if Dragon Lord Ember knows anything about them, okay?"

Spike wiped his nose and smiled at Twilight. "T-Thanks, Twi... that means a lot."

Twilight smiled back at him and then left to the stage. Once she came onstage, she tapped the mic and cleared her throat.

"Uh, hello everypony, can I please have your attention?" All denizens did as asked and looked upon the ruler of all Equestria. "I'd like to thank each and every one of you for coming to the celebration for the 2nd anniversary of saving Equestria, because of all of you, Equestria has been given a new era, an era of peace and friendship. Because of all of you, Equestria now has a chance to grow and build harmony with one another. And if not for all of you, my friends and I would never have been able to defeat Chrysalis, Tirek and Cozy Glow alone, so thank you all so much for that."

The denizens all clapped for Twilight's speech. Then the princess made way for Pinkie Pie.

"Alright, everypony, let's get this party started!" Then the music started and everyone started dancing as they cheered on and spent their nights away on fun.

Twilight's friends were simply talking with some of the other cultural denizens of Equestria while Twilight and Spike were walking around just enjoying everypony and everyone being here. Then they saw two ponies that they'd least expect to come by.

"Celestia! Luna!" Twilight said as she gave the two a hug, to which they happily returned. "I did not expect you both to be here."

"Well, we couldn't miss the celebration of how you and your friends saved Equestria from its greatest evils." Celestia said, Luna simply nodding in agreement.

"Uh, hi..." Spike said a little sheepishly.

"Why hello, Spike, it's good to see you! My you've grown since we last saw each other." Celestia said as she gave Spike a hug as well.

"Your wings really are quite admirable." Luna said as she gave Spike a hug as well.

"Well, I really am glad I can fly now, I never got a chance to feel the air or visit Cloudsdale on my own." Spike said with a smile.

"And we're really proud of you for standing beside Twilight the whole way, it serves you well to be named her Advisor of Friendship."

"Thank you, Celestia."

Just then, Rainbow Dash come up to Twilight, rubbing her forelegs as if she were trying to warm up. "Uh, Twilight, did you tell any of the Pegasi to bring in snow today? It's the middle of summer."

"No, but now that you mention it... It does feel a little colder than usual..."

Spike all the while was shivering a little due to being a reptile. He looked up and had a great deal of confusion and dread, seeing the skies darkened by very dark clouds.

"W-Why is it c-cloudy today?" Spike asked as he shivered, to which Twilight enveloped into her wings to keep him warm.

"I don't know, Spike." Twilight said.

Then Starswirl came up to the group with suspicious eyes. "Those clouds do not look normal at all." He said.

Then these gloomy grey flashes appeared as thunder rumbled, everyone was getting spooked, even the dragon younglings. Everyone else was just staring up into the sky with confusion.

Celestia and Luna inspected the clouds closely to see if their was anything within.

Then suddenly, these dark winged phantoms came from the clouds and shrieked horridly at the denizens below.

Everyone started panicking and either ran or flew away as there were at least tens of thousands of these monsters hurling towards them like arrows.

Twilight, Celestia, Luna and Starswirl attempted to fire at the monsters, but they fired first with many of these grim energy blasts, and some with chains from their palms, wrapping their horns and wings all together. Then the creatures flew upward again once closer to them and pulled them all right off the ground.

"Twilight!" Spike cried as Twilight was being carried off.

"Spiiiiiiike!" Twilight cried back as she reached out a hoof to him.

"NOOOO!!!" Spike screamed as he reached out a hand to her.

"I got her!" Rainbow said, but more of the phantom-monsters fired chains at her and wrapped her wings and hooves. "N-No I don't- GAAAHHH!!!"

"Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo cried out.

In a flash, Rainbow was also taken, along with Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Rarity, who was just screaming her lungs out.

"Sis!" Sweetie Belle and Applebloom called out.

Then the Young Six and the Pillars were each taken, one by one. It seemed that these creatures knew who the most important beings of Equestria were. But they didn't seem to want to take Spike, as if he wouldn't be much trouble for them at all.

Just then, Shining came up by Spike. "TWILY!!!" He shouted. Just then they all looked back as they heard another shriek and saw many other phantoms coming and blasting at them. They couldn't react and were knocked out.

A Few Hours Later...

After the attack, many of the denizens began to awake and see if anyone was hurt or injured.

In the hospital of Canterlot's Eastern wing, Spike was on a gurney with Celestia stroking his hand and Luna with a hoof over his heart, Shining and Cadence also by his side.

Just then, he started to wake up and saw the two sisters, Shining and Cadence around him. They all smiled at him warmly and with relief that he was alive.

Spike then had a somberly worried look on his face. "Is... Is Twilight...?"

The group's smiles suddenly faded as Celestia simply nodded. "I'm sorry, Spike." She said sorrowfully. Spike's normal response would've been to rush out of the room and go look for Twilight and the others in a flash for his life, but instead, he could only cry as he thought it must've been hours since she was taken and he was out, and he wouldn't even have a clue where those monsters took her.

He came a lot closer to Celestia as he hugged her tightly with his face buried into her soft snowy white coat, but this kind of embrace from him was a little tighter than before. Celestia could recognize this kind of hug in a heartbeat, she only held Spike in her forelegs and stroked his back.

Luna could see where this was going and knew what needed to be done. "I... think it would be best to leave them for a moment." She said to Cadence and Shining, to which they only nodded in understanding and left the room.

Spike and Celestia did nothing but hold each other, the former sun princess comforting the small baby dragon, silently hushing him as she could only give him love and reassurance.

"I'm here, Spike... I'm not going anywhere." She said caringly and gently.

Nighttime...

Celestia was in bed with Spike by her side, a wing gently wrapped over him as she was waiting for somepony. Then the door opened quietly to reveal Luna, who shut the door behind herself and came to the bed.

"Thank you for coming, Luna. I think Spike would really appreciate it that you've come to see him." Celestia said warmly. However, she was a little surprised when Luna decided to lie next to him as she had a wing on her own.

"Spike will need us both, more than ever until we may bring Twilight home. And... I could not bare to see him in such a state. feeling alone and unprotected after seeing his big sister taken from him..." Luna said as she looked at the little drake.

"We will have to take up the mantle of leading the ponies once again, but we will take shifts on watching Spike." Celestia said.

Luna simply nodded in agreement before looking to Spike and nuzzling him with reassurance, to which he replied in his sleep by trying to snuggle deeper between the two.

"Sleep well sister, and I will help Spike through this should he have troubling dreams about it." Luna said before bringing her head over to Spike and sleeping.

Celestia simply smiled at Luna, seeing that she has become a very caring aunt for Spike over the years since their first meeting. Then Celestia looked down to Spike and kissed him on the forehead before bringing her head down to him as well.

"I promise you, Spike, we will find Twilight and bring her home... And we will never let anything happen to you..." She thought to herself before she went to sleep with her sister and baby dragon.

Unknown World...

Upon a strange world, within a familiar land, a youthful man sits upon a vacant throne within the keep, thinking upon the matters of dreadful things that have happened upon his own world. By his side was an elf who had concern for him as he was thinking of what was going to be done.

Just then, a familiar knight of death enters the throne room and stands before the king. The king stands and pays heed to the Death Knight.

"The Lich King... is ready."

The man and elf look at each other and nod in understanding, following the Death Knight as he prepared to take them to his homeland.

Unknown Land...

Within the cold and cruel terrains of Icecrown, Lich King Bolvar Fordragon stands atop the peak of Icecrown Citadel, staring at the sky with a cold expression and intuitive eyes.

The veil of Life and Death... is shattered again.

Author's Note

WARNING: This story is for those who like WoW, but are caught up in the Shadowlands expansion. So new-readers, don't judge too harshly before you're caught up to the recent part that's come out.

Thank you, and I really hope you all decide to enjoy it!

Chapter 1: The Ebon Blade and the Lich King

It has been 3 weeks since Twilight and her friends, and the most important heroes of Equestria were taken away, and Spike still hasn’t gotten over it. When Celestia and Luna stepped in place for Twilight and her friends, they sent many of their subjects and asked for the aid of the other kingdoms to help find the ones who were taken, only for them to return with no success of intel.

Twilight was the closest thing Spike had to a family, aside from Celestia and Luna.

Ever since the day he woke up from his concussion and was informed of Twilight’s vanishing, he’s been a lot closer to Celestia and Luna. Shortly after Twilight had hatched him, Celestia took him back until he would be old enough to be raised by Twilight, which technically made her his actual mother, and ever since Luna returned and was reformed, she and Spike came closer together as she visited him often in his dreams, even when it was just a casual dream where they would talk to each other. This brought the two closer together as aunt and nephew, and they would do many activities together in the night when Spike couldn’t sleep at first.

But with Twilight taken to a place that they could never find in a short amount of time, they had to keep an extra eye on Spike should those monsters ever come back for him, too.

Right now, Spike was helping Luna set up vases of lavender around the spots of Canterlot she chose. Though they smelled nice, they couldn’t help Spike stop worrying about Twilight’s safety, or if she was even still alive.

Luna noticed this of course and could only give sympathy for him. “Spike, why don’t you take a break, I believe you’ve helped well enough with the lavenders.” She said warmly.

“Really? But I only did like 23.” He said.

“I insist, Spike. I really do.” Luna said with a smile.

Spike simply placed his current lavender in the vase and walked over to Luna, crawling up on her back and lying on it with his hands on his stomach.

Luna only smiled and went back to placing lavenders in the vases.

Spike was thinking before he decided to ask Luna something to help get his mind off about Twilight being okay or not. “Hey, Luna?”

“Yes, Spike?”

“When we get Twilight back, can I go to the Moon?” He asked curiously. “I’ve not been there since I wanted to help Twilight and the other’s save Rarity from the Nightmare Energy.”

“I believe we may find a night to do that, many things have changed since the energy was diminished.” Luna said with a smile.

“Thanks, aunt Luna.” Spike said as he went back to pondering his thoughts of the Moon’s changes. Luna couldn’t help but smile a little wider at him calling her ‘aunt’, that was something she’s not called her for a while since she was always busy looking for fillies that needed help to fight against their nightmares.

As soon as she was done with all the lavenders, she decided to turn in and take rest from today, bringing Spike with her to sleep with.

Once she placed him in her bed gently, she lied next to him and gave a small kiss on the forehead before joining him in his slumber.

Midnight…

Spike was sound asleep until he couldn’t feel Luna next to him anymore. He woke up to see that he was alone in Luna’s chamber. Then he looked down and noticed a small note on her mirror, he walked over and read it.

“‘Throne Room.’ Huh?” Spike was curious why Luna went to the throne, nonetheless he left the bedroom and made his way to the throne room.

Once he entered, he saw nopony around, except for what looked like a small, floating blue orb right in the center of the room. He approached it timidly and just gazed at it, wondering what it was. Then once he made contact with it, it suddenly flashed brightly and began to conjure an astral projection of a cold, dark, human knight with large spiky swords across his back. He stood strong and tall.

Spike stood back up and looked at the man nervously.

“Spike the Dragon… I know you may not know me and that I may not be someone you know well enough to trust, but I have knowledge of the horrors that have taken those you love from your homeworld, as well as to where they were taken…”

Spike was shocked upon hearing that this strange man knew where his friends and Twilight were.

Midnight Sky…

Spike was flying as fast as his wings could carry him, up to the moon and following what seemed to be a stream of starry lights, a look of determination and hope in his eyes as he remembered everything the man said before he left.

“Your current rulers of your homeland have already taken a journey to the Moon. The Princess of the Night has constructed a trail of stars for you to follow by the time you find this message, and awaits with her sister for you to arrive, as well as I. Come to the Dreamscape Castle, and I will tell you what I know of the threats your world faces, as well as to who I am. We await you in the throne room, make haste if you wish to save your friends… before it is too late.”

Just then, Spike landed upon a balcony of the Dreamscape Castle before making his way to the throne room of the place. Once he arrived, he saw Celestia, Luna, and the strange man that was projected in the message-spell.

They all turned to him.

“Spike, you’ve arrived.” Luna said with a smile.

“Of course I did, I got the message. So… who are you? And what were those things that took Twilight and her friends?” Spike asked the dark knight.

Suddenly the man conjured a very dark gate of black and purple with a horned skull above it.

“Follow me, Equestrians. I will explain all that I can to you on the way.” Then the man entered the gate. Though this kind of magic was unsettling, the two sisters and baby dragon entered the gate.

Once they did, it closed behind them.

Unknown World - Unknown Area…

Somewhere hidden within the darkened, starless skies of this unknown world, was a flying necropolis soaring across the grim storm clouds towards a specific region of the world.

Inside, the same gate conjured back on Equestria’s Moon, the dark knight, the two sisters and the baby dragon came through.

While the knight walked to the front and looked across the railing of this flying cemetery, the Equestrians looked around at their surroundings and felt a little intimidated by the things that it carried, such as decorative skulls and rotten corpses that were coming to life by these strange beings in dark cloaks with little armor.

After a few more moments of taking everything in, they approached the man at the balcony.

“So… what is this place, and who are you guys?” Spike was the first to ask.

“The world you look over now is Azeroth. This necropolis we stand within is Acherus, the Ebon Hold, it is our base of operations and training where we bring the dead back into mortality to fight for the safety of our world. We are the Ebon Blade, once living soldiers resurrected from the dead by the most powerful necromancer our world has ever known, who gave us a dark purpose to end all that lived upon this world and bring them back into the undead armies known as the Scourge. We were once his mightiest hands, meant to slay all that stood in his way… even those who didn’t.”

The Equestrians had widened eyes at the mention of people being resurrected by an evil necromancer.

“Should we be concerned about our safety then?” Luna asked suspiciously.

“Your fears of my brethren and myself are not necessary. Our resurrector betrayed us as we were only expendable to him, and attempted to leave us for dead in the past. But I am very pleased to say that he is no more, and that the Scourge no longer seek the destruction of Azeroth. Yet we are bound to the curse of undeath, and will never have peace… nor rest. Yet we found another purpose for ourselves, to do the things that the living cannot. They call us monsters for the dark things we do, but had we not been resurrected, Azeroth would never again have the chance to give new life for those who need it most.”

“So who are you, then?” Celestia asked.

“I am Darion Mograine, Champion of the Ebon Blade, I lead my brethren into battle under the command of our recently taken Deathlord, and the one who took the title of our former resurrector: The Lich King.” Darion said.

Spike was a little intimidated just by the sound of the person Darion had mentioned. Celestia placed the baby dragon on her back with her magic and smiled at him with comfort.

“The Lich King? I believe I have heard the term ‘lich’ somewhere before, but I never knew that they had a king.” Luna said.

“As I have mentioned before, the Lich King is this Azeroth’s most powerful necromancer, capable of raising even dragons and giants from the dead, and creating horrid monstrosities with only the bones to be found.” Darion said as he turned his attention to the three.

Even though Darion mentioned giants and other things that could be resurrected, he was surprised that he mentioned Dragons.

“I-I didn’t know there were dragons here.” Spike said with intrigue.

“There are very few realms that would be known to have dragons, but there are many more upon this world than perhaps your own.” Darion said.

Spike was really surprised, other places that had dragons as well? He would be sure to ask more about that, but he had to keep his focus on the threat at hand.

“So, Darion, about any other information about this Lich King?” Celestia asked.

“The former Lich King that raised us was cruel and cynical, taking pride and joy in torturing the living, even as far as taking the lives of women and children. He was unforgiving to those who betrayed him and would slaughter them with his magic blade. But the current Lich King who rules over the Scourge has been keeping them ‘maintained’, if you will. But taking up the mantle of Lich King is not a simple duty to undertake…”

“What do you mean by that?” Celestia asked.

“If the Lich King was slain, and no one took the mantle, the Scourge would continuously destroy all life on Azeroth, without rest and without mercy. For this reason, there must always be a Lich King… Or so it was thought.”

The three looked at each other confusingly.

“What does that mean?” Luna asked.

“It was only thought that if the Lich King raised the dead, only he would command them. But 7 years ago, it was discovered that the Scourge did only obey the Lich King, but the one who could see through the Lich King. Whosoever wore the crown of the Lich King could control the Scourge, but it would take everything their mind could fight against, to prevent the corruption of the one who created the crown. 7 years ago, the veil between our world and the afterlife was sundered when the Lich King’s crown was destroyed. Then it was discovered that it was not the Lich King that controlled the Scourge, but the one who made the crown in the first place: The Jailer. He was the one responsible for the Scourge’s zeal for death, and his ultimate goal was to destroy the one who judged souls when they passed into the afterlife. If our judger was destroyed, everything, including yourselves and those you love would have faded from existence.”

The three looked at each other very worriedly.

“Thankfully though, our champions defeated him, and he was destroyed within the realm he was banished to.”

Spike then got off of Celestia’s back and approached Darion, tapping his shoulder. Darion simply turned his cold, stoic gaze at the young whelp.

“I’m really sorry to get into a rush, but when will you tell us about what happened to Twilight and the others?”

“This will be provided by the Lich King himself. He awaits us in Icecrown in the frozen regions of Northrend.” Darion said.

“Is that where we’re going? How long will it take us to get there?” Luna asked.

“Not any longer, Princess of the Night. For we have already arrived.” Darion pointed up ahead at the spire of a tall, foreboding castle.

Spike was a little intimidated by the look of it, but then his face was horror-struck when he looked up to the sky.

Celestia and Luna also had frightened looks in their eyes when they looked up into the sky, seeing that it was broken like glass, and so much smog and grim thunder clouds that poured from random edges of the hole, the surroundings of it completely colorless and gloomy. But the most terrifying of this was the horrid spire of an immense, macabre, nightmarish tower looming over the castle just above in the other dimension, dark lightning flashes what appeared to be massive chains holding the tower in place.

“W-W-Wh-What’s that-t?” Spike asked, horror clearly visible in his face.

Darion simply looked up at the tower with a determination in his eyes with a cold expression.

“The Afterlife…”

Chapter 2: Into the Maw

As the Ebon Hold approached the docking platform of Deathbringer's Rise just below the spire of the Frozen Throne, the Lich King himself stood tall with a hand to his back and another holding his deathly hammer as it lies on the top of its head, other Death Knights stand by his side with their weapons in hand.

He watched with a cold emotionless expression as the necropolis came closer and docked with a ramp to the platform. Darion and the three Equestrians descended the ramp and approached the Lich King.

Spike was on Celestia's back for a safety precaution, seeing the mighty figure that is the Lich King sent chills down his spine.

The Lich King turns to Darion. "You have done well, Mograine. Your brethren await you upon the Frozen Throne, join them and begin preparations." He said, is voice as cold and dark as ever.

"As you wish... Highlord." Darion said before he made his way to the gates.

Bolvar would only be known as the Lich King to the Scourge, but to the Ebon Blade, the title of Highlord was his only exception. Showing the Ebon Blade that he wasn't under the full influence of the deceased Lich Kings, gave them some form of trust in him, yet he knew that would have to be enough for now. Then he turns to the three Equestrians before he begins to speak.

"Your arrival is of great importance, as I fear your champions will not have much time. Walk with me, and I will inform you what has lead to their abduction." Then the Lich King turned and made his way to the gates.

Celestia, Luna and Spike all looked at each other before they caught up with the King of the Dead. Once they caught up, Celestia was the first to speak.

"So, what has happened? How did the monsters we saw invade our world, and where have they taken Twilight and the others?"

Bolvar took a moment before he looked back up into the sky as he walked. "Not long ago before your champions were taken, I clung to what little humanity of myself I could preserve, to maintain the Scourge from venturing out of Icecrown..."

4 Weeks Ago...

Upon the Frozen Throne of Icecrown Citadel, Bolvar was trying to maintain control of the helm to keep the Scourge from wandering too far to the living lands of Azeroth. Maintaining the entire legions of the dead from destroying all living things upon this world was painfully challenging for Bolvar as he fought off against the dark voices of the helm that tried to corrupt him. One of the things that kept his human side intact was his beloved daughter, Taelia Fordragon. Remembering her and the love she had for him is what helped him fight against the darkness of the helm he wears, and he would not let himself be lost to them and see his daughter killed by his own hand.

"But what came next, I was not prepared for..."

His thoughts were interrupted, however, when he suddenly saw a dark light in the shape of cracks shine upon the ice, having him look upward to see a sight he dreaded to ever see again; the veil between Azeroth and the Shadowlands opening once again.

But once the veil shattered, what the Maw was once described as a horrific place that inspires the nightmares of denizens themselves, was now a more melancholy and gloomy form of itself that gave a more somber influence to those that dwelled within, or even stared into it.

Dark flashes of thunder revealed the prison tower of Torghast, to have been much bigger than Bolvar remembered, maybe bigger than the Eternal Ones themselves would have remembered, and it was much more menacing and horrific as if it was reconstructed into a fortress.

"The veil between life and death, shattered... within itself. The mere presence of the Maw affected all things within Icecrown and beyond, yet the dead remained untainted..."

Bolvar looked below the spire and saw this strange smog and mist from the Maw already upon the icy terrains below the citadel and all other landforms of Northrend. He couldn't see what was happening within the smog, but the helm allowed him to see what the Scourge could, which was the living being burned alive or decaying rapidly within this Maw-shroud. The dead however, didn't seem to be gravely affected by the smog if not deranged from the blinding darkness of it.

"As I looked up to the Maw, I heard the voices of the souls within. I did not doubt that some of those voices belonged to your realm. But they were not the only ones taken..."

Present Day...

"Many other heroes of the mortal realms like your own have been taken deep within the ever-changing halls and torturous prisons of Torghast." The Lich King stated with confirmation.

"But why, what reason could these beasts have for taking Twilight and her friends?" Luna asked.

"Such theory for these actions may be for the prevention of failure, or to harness the power that they carry, for succession."

"If the reason maybe whosoever rules this cruel afterlife fears failure, then entrapping the heroes they take will surely seal their doomed fate." Luna said.

"But if the reason maybe that whosoever rules the Maw and takes the power of every hero they capture, then they could be unstoppable!" Celestia said.

"Whatever the reason for these actions are, your heroes cannot stay within the Maw, or they will succumb to the madness within. For this reason, we must prepare for the fight to come." The Lich King says. Then the group steps onto a pad and are teleported to the spire of the Frozen Throne, where many world leaders of the mortal realms and their champions have been gathered.

"Whoa... I guess this amount of world leaders would be the equal of heroes that were abducted." Spike says in shock. Then the three gather with the other leaders as the Lich King prepares to speak.

"Masters of the Mortal Realms!" All the leaders turn their heads to the one that called them here. "The horrors that have taken your champions, may well be a threat you are all unfamiliar with. The very realm you gaze upon that dwells above may be known as the Shadowlands, but to all mortals... It is the afterlife."

The leaders of their worlds exclaimed in shock and fear as they did not think their heroes would be taken beyond the veil of death, especially to the worst afterlife that would be the Underworld.

"You may notice that only a chosen few have been summoned here..." Darion began. "Had all the leaders of your realms arrived, the horrors of the darkness above would have had your people in a distraught disposition. It is for this reason only few of you were summoned here."

The leaders all nodded in understanding.

"But how would one enter the afterlife? Surely a mere mortal cannot just cross through the veil?" One of them asked.

"A single leader that carries magic or any source of power must stand upon a single rune in the Circle of Runes. Then we may begin the ritual to cross the veil." Darion explained.

As they all nodded, one leader from a realm stood upon a rune with the others following in suit. Celestia stood upon the last rune available, which was the center rune.

Once each leader was on a rune, the Lich King came to the center of them all.

"What you will see in this realm upon entry, will be all that you fear and all that you hide within your sorrows. Those who have taken our champions through the veil, will not surrender them, nor will they see you spared." The Lich King explains. "Your magics and powers make you strong, but they will not afford a suitable length of time. You must be relentless in battle, but use what you have wisely. Darion Mograine will lead the Ebon Blade into battle and aid you in your conquest."

"The Maw has proven more challenging than we presumed the first time. Now we may fair a better chance against them with the experience we have learned from before." Darion stated.

Bolvar rose his hammer high as it began to burn brightly.

"Harness your magic, and set your mind to the realm of which you must go." He said. All the leaders either charged their palms or raised their weapons upward to the Maw.

While Celestia was charging her horn, Spike held onto her tightly to make sure he wouldn't fall off during the journey through the sky.

The other leaders that were staying behind wished their partners luck and to bring their heroes back home.

"Once upon arrival, the Maw will show no hesitation to strike you down, and no mercy to give you a peaceful death. Therefore, you must show them none." The Lich King said.

All the leaders nodded in understanding.

"Prepare yourselves... The Maw awaits!" The Lich King proclaimed as he and everyone upon the runes glowed very brightly and began to fly up to the Maw in the sky.

Spike all the while was simply holding on for dear life. Despite having wings, he probably couldn't pass through with Celestia if he wasn't on her. Spike looked up to see some of the leaders already flashing as they entered through the deathly smog of the underworld. He closed his eyes tightly as they were getting closer.
Once Celestia made contact, the two vanished.

Luna had a look of hope and wishful thoughts as she saw her big sister vanish in a flash of light.

"Keep him safe, Celestia..."

Beyond the Veil...

The flashes of light were plummeting from the shattered sky and onto different planes of the Maw.

The Lich King and Darion landed and already slayed a few warriors that charged them. A few that surrounded them from behind were destroyed when Celestia landed and blasted a few of them away.

Once Spike opened his eyes, they widened beyond belief and filled with horror and dread at what he was seeing.

Ghostly skeleton dragons, horned phantoms with torsos made of skulls, and giant abominations in horrific armor and size. They seemed endless, but the real horror of this place was the tower far in the background. It stood tall and mighty, and it was beyond menacing and morbid.

Nevertheless, he knew where he was the moment he saw the skies of the world he came from.

Spike has come into the Maw...

Author's Note

I use 'Underworld' because I'm LDS, so please don't judge. Thank you! ☺