Death Cometh

Chapters

Prologue: Forgotten
Chapter 1: Released
Chapter 2: Lambs
Chapter 3: Formalities Part 1
Chapter 4: Formalities Part 2
Chapter 6: Declarations
Chapter 7: The Gala Part 1
Chapter 8: The Gala Part 2
Chapter 9: Discord
Chapter 10: Harmony
Chapter 11: Bonds
Chapter 12: Eclipsed Part 1
Chapter 13: Eclipsed Part 2
Chapter 14: Sleep
Chapter 15: A Black Wedding Part 1
Chapter 16: A Black Wedding Part 2
Chapter 17: A Black Wedding Part 3
Chapter 18: A Black Wedding Part 4
Chapter 19: Matrimony
Chapter 20: Training
Chapter 21: Duel
Chapter 22: The Equestrian Nightmare
Chapter 23: Cold
Chapter 25: The Betrayer
Chapter 26: The God of Death
Chapter 27: The Hour of Twilight
Chapter 5: Boast-Busters
Chapter 24: The First Piece

Prologue: Forgotten

Author's Note

The intro to Death Cometh. I don’t know if I’ll pursue this story or not, but I think this was worthy of uploading regardless. Enjoy and review! :)

Prologue: Forgotten

The giant chasm of fangs closed, sealing the jaws of Death. The final blow had been delivered to the body of the God of Death. With it, the creature that had plagued Azeroth for an untold time had been defeated, or so the warriors who fought him thought.

To understand what had happened, you would have to know of Yogg-Saron. He—or rather it—was an Old God, which was the manifestation of the Void. They were giant fleshy beings that wielded incredible shadow magic, but their true strength was their essence. While they had bodies with great power, their influence was what made them blights to the world. Old Gods could twist a man’s mind until he would slaughter his own family for the beast.

Yogg-Saron was one of the four Old Gods who had infected Azeroth, and he was Death itself. He was also Insanity and Deception. In his imprisonment by the Titans, he had used his watchers to let his influence spread, but the time had come for adventurers to fight him.

And so, when he was finally struck down, his body was destroyed. While the raiders had thought him dead, the essence of his being had left his body to live on.

Instead of returning to the void plane of Azeroth, the God of Death was brought to another world, one of Harmony…

Darkness. That was all the ancient, eldritch being saw as he was hurled across existence. He could tell he was not floating around Azeroth as he should be; no, instead, he was going somewhere else. He felt galaxies and universes flying by. He was guessing that the ones who killed him had done something to cast him away from Azeroth.

He could see a flicker of light in front of him, and as seconds went by, it became brighter. He felt it pulling on him as if it was calling to him. Even in his countless millennia of existence, he was left in confusion. If he were in his physical form, his titanic jaw would have dropped.

The tiny flicker had become a raging fire as he was able to see a landscape coming into view.

An extensive flatland was all he could see, for now, grass covering the entire land. He was quickly able to make out some form of civilization in the distance. Tall towers were jutting into the air in strange ways, and they were made of oddly colored stone. The more he thought about it, the entire world he was looking at had overly vivid colors. He paid no mind to it for now, but he stored it away in his endless memory bank. The edges of the world became visible, and Yogg-Saron felt himself about to slam into the grassland.

Suddenly, a purple wall appeared. He could feel the magical energies of the barrier, and it was surprisingly strong… for mortals.

In his standard form, the barrier would do nothing to him, but in his essence form, he was weak. Sure, he could most likely slaughter a quarter of the entire Alliance before he died, but that was only a fraction of his full strength. He braced himself as best he could before he would hit. He realized the wall appeared to be a massive dome that extended over as far as he could see.

His purple essence slammed into the lighter purple mass, which made him reel in pain. The dome flickered and warped as his being flooded over the wall of energy. He felt himself being ripped away as the wall cracked. His lifeforce was drained as his power seeped into the planet’s defense, it wanting to destroy and devour him.

I will not be defeated by such fleeting magic. Bend to me! he shouted, boring into the barrier. It cracked under the weight of his ancient being, and with one final push, it shattered.

A hole, only a hundred feet in diameter, was opened. The remainder of Yogg-Saron’s being flooded through the entrance, entering the world. As he felt the air of the planet, he sensed its energy.

There was sentient life, and they wielded various forms of magic. He could see them. Or rather, he was able to detect their magical signature, which gave him a sense of the location of very nice strong beings. It was helpful to know where his enemies were. In this world, he sensed many small magic users. He could feel a few strong presences, but not many. This world appeared to be inferior to Azeroth at first glance. All of this information was given to him in a fraction of a second.

The God of Death was flying towards the ground at incredible speed, and he hit the ground hard. He felt his essence shift forms as he crossed into the physical plane. The full extent of his mind was pulled into a brain that had formed in the air. Organs were birthed and covered in muscle tissue as Yogg-Saron’s new body formed. Skin enveloped his form as he stretched his… limbs.

Instead of his normal tentacles and giant mouth, he had legs, four of them. Fur quickly grew around his entire body except for his hooves. It appeared he had the shape of an equine, one less bulky than a horse. My being is almost nonexistent; I am not strong enough to defy the order of this planet. It must have made me into… whatever being this is.

He finally felt the extent of his wounds upon entering the world as his body started to rip open. His skin tore apart, many gashes appearing on his form. The pain was inconsequential to him, but his form was brought to its knees.

His blood splattered onto the grass, and his black blood caused the plants it touched to shrivel. The organic matter died, and the ground was stained black. His tainted blood ensured nothing would grow there for a thousand years. Even the blood of the Old God was corrupted, and it would drive all who touched it to insanity.
He could feel his body waning, and he collapsed onto his side, a pool of blood forming around him. His vision blackened, and his eyes closed just as he saw two things flying towards him in the distance. His blood vanished as it went into the ground, scarring the land.

Princess Celestia had been attending court as she did every weekday when it happened. It had been a typical day, and the nobles had been arguing when all of a sudden, the ground shook with immense force. She was the only one in the room who could sense it, so she suddenly stood from her throne.

“My apologies. Court is excused,” she stated, gaining looks from everyone in the chamber. She swiftly walked to the giant doors that were the exit, and she opened them with her golden magic. Once outside, she extended her wings and took flight, pushing herself through the air as fast as she could. Once a decent distance away from the castle, she saw her sister fly to her side.

The Princess of the Night, Luna, had felt the disturbance as well.

“Our barrier has been broken somehow. Only a being of great power could get through it, so we must be cautious,” Celestia shouted to her sister through the air. Luna nodded in agreement, and they angled themselves down towards the location of the opening. They could see a black area around something… or somepony.

The two monarchs landed about ten feet away from the site and walked towards the edge of the black ground. They trotted slowly towards a body. There was a pony, a simple earth pony, lying on the ground. They both noticed the damage his body had taken. Dozens of cuts and lesions were across its fur, and blood leaked from it, black blood.

“What is he?” Luna asked after getting closer and realizing his manly features. His fur was brown, but it looked unnatural. It seemed almost fleshy in texture, even though it was hair. His eyes were open, but they looked lifeless. His flank had a pair of jaws on it that was his Cutie Mark.

“I don’t know, sister, but something seems wrong about him.”

Suddenly, his eyes widened, and they ignited in a black glow, his tail’s end doing the same. He stood up, his legs somehow ignoring the pain they were in. He mumbled something as he wobbled around, trying to get his footing. He eventually found it and looked around, his gaze settling on the ponies in front of him.

“Who are you?” Celestia questioned, her voice firm. The strange pony only laughed.

“Who are you?” he returned with.

“I am Princess Celestia, and this is my sister, Princess Luna,” she began, pointing to her counterpart. “We are the rulers of Equestria, and you are trespassing in our lands.”

“Fool. You should bow to me, for I am a god,” he stated so calmly, so coldly. He wished to test their emotions. It unsettled the two monarchs greatly.

“H-how dare thou speak to us in such a manner! Apologize,” Luna reprimanded after a short moment of shock.

Yogg-Saron shifted his legs as he studied these “rulers.” They lacked discipline, or at least one of them did. He could sense their unease, as well as their power. They felt untouched by the savagery of life, so he would manipulate them. “My apologies, Princesses. I am confused as to how I got here; I hope you can help me. In my homeland, I am treated in a certain manner, but I am clearly misstepping.” Celestia felt unsure of his words.

“I will take you at your word, but we will remain vigilant. I’m sure you can understand. We will take you to Canterlot, the capital of Equestria, where we will properly question you.” With that, the three went to Canterlot. They healed his major wounds before they departed so that he would be fine until then. When they arrived, the princesses led him to a room to question him. Unknown to him, the room had an enchantment to tell the rulers if someone was lying within its walls. With his power hindered, Yogg-Saron did not detect it.

He sat down in a comfortable wooden chair, and the rulers sat in two similar ones across from him. An awkward silence filled the room before somepony spoke.

“We will ask you some things to determine your credibility. First, I ask—“ Celestia started, being interrupted by him.

“Of course, but first, I wish to learn a little more of this world and its inhabitants. If you allow that is.”

After a moment of reluctance, the solar alicorn spoke. “This world is called Equus. Equestria is the country where you are now. The species that live here are ponies.”

“Ponies?” Yogg-Saron deadpanned.

“Yes. There are three types of ponies: earth ponies, ponies with more muscle like you; pegasi, ponies with wings; and unicorns, ponies with horns that can use magic. My sister and I are alicorns, a combination of them all. Alicorns are considered royalty, and they are very powerful in magic and flight.” She let this sink in for a moment.

“Thank you; you may proceed with your questions.”

“What is thy name?” Princess Luna asked.

“I am Yogg-Saron.”

“Where are you from?” Celestia asked.

“A planet called Azeroth.”

“What is your purpose here?” she continued.

“I did not want to come here.”

“What was thy purpose on thine homeworld, Azeroth?” the dark alicorn asked.

“I was a being that protected my people.” He had answered without hesitation, but the room felt he was lying to some extent.

Noticing this, Celestia asked her primary question. “Are you a being of malicious content?”

“No.” This triggered massive feedback from the enchantment. With a look to her sister, the two had the same thought. They turned to Yogg-Saron, who had shown no signs of deceit with his words or body. He had a slightly smug smile on his face, but it faded as he realized something was off. He sent his body into action, moving out the way as the two ponies’ horns glowed with magical energy. He was too late, though, as a beam of bright yellow and dark blue rammed into his chest, sending him flying to the wall. The heat of the sun and the cold of the moon dug deep into his form, and it was killing him.

He roared in fury as purple energy shot out in every direction from his body, stopping the energy flow into him. He fell to his legs, and he raised his head to find the two alicorns already approaching him. He tried to fire a spell, but his essence was still too weak, and it drained him of energy. He felt his body collapsing again, about to pass out.

“I am Yogg-Saron, the God of Death…” he whispered with a chilling dark voice as his eyes closed, their glow dying off. The alicorns looked at each other in worry, hearing his foreboding words.

When Yogg-Saron awoke, he found each of his limbs chained. His groggy eyes looked over the entire room, noticing the pure size of it. He could feel immense power above him as he spotted a giant white crystal that glowed with pulsing energy. He could also tell he was underground due to the air’s makeup. Darkness enveloped the room, but there was a light shining around him due to the crystal. He heard hoofsteps as Celestia and Luna trotted into view.

He snarled and lunged forward with his head, attempting to break his bonds, finding them unphased.

“These bindings are strong enough to hold even me from using my magic. There is no escaping them unless we release you,” Celestia said calmly. Yogg-Saron quickly realized he was truly trapped. He could tell he was immortal even in this form, but that would only mean he would be jailed forever, or at least until his essence manifested enough for him to break free.

“You foolish creatures! I am Death itself; I cannot be contained!” he bellowed in rage, his voice laced with his emotions. “When I break free from these fleeting shackles, I will bring this world to its knees. Its magic is weak, its rulers impudent, and its people fragile. I will unmake it!” He knew it would be hundreds of thousands of years before he would be at full strength, but he intended to speed up his release.

He bit his lip as hard as he could with his plant-eating teeth as he shot his face forwards, causing his blood to fly through the musty air. A single drop landed on Luna’s face, where it seeped into her fur unnoticed by everyone except the one who caused it.

Yogg-Saron snickered, his chains rattling in response. The two rulers turned around and left the large chamber, the doors slamming shut. The twisted laughter of the Old God echoed throughout the entire castle as he shouted, “You are already mine!”

About a month later, Princess Luna had turned against her sister. Nightmare Moon had taken control of Luna, forcing her body to do the evil being’s will. Yogg-Saron pulled the strings as he sat in his chains, sealed away beneath Canterlot, commanding Nightmare Moon. He would have his revenge in time.

For a thousand years, the God of Death waited. He waited as the hour of his freedom neared ever sooner. Nightmare Moon had returned to Equestria, managing to leave the moon she was stuck on. He had watched as the chosen Twilight Sparkle had gathered the Elements of Harmony and prepared to face the tyrant. He cackled in his forgotten chamber as everything was put in place.

The Elements were lifting into the air as Twilight’s eyes glowed with white energy as a rainbow of Harmony linked between them. The blast shot forward and wrapped around the dark Nightmare Moon. In that moment, Yogg-Saron created a direct pathway through Nightmare Moon to his body. He could do this because his blood had grown and morphed into Nightmare Moon before eventually taking control of Luna. Then, with the last of his available power, he put up a ward that would absorb all magic and expel it whenever he wanted. It was at that moment that his machinations became real.

The magic of Friendship went into Luna’s body, spreading through her entire being. Nightmare Moon was burned away by the sheer might of Harmony, and the rest was sent to Yogg-Saron, and inevitably to his ward. Dark laughter echoed throughout all of Equestria as but a faint whisper as his ward neared its limit. The Elements fell to the ground as the blast ended, a flash of light blinding them all.

When they stood back up, they found their necklaces that reflected their Element. The sun rose, and Celestia appeared before them. The next couple minutes of events were history, but unknown to all, Yogg-Saron’s ward exploded with a force of purple and rainbow energy.

His chains shattered to utter pieces as he fell to the ground. The crystal above him cracked slowly before it fell from the ceiling. It burst into tiny pieces as it hit the ground, its vast power releasing. The Old God absorbed it all, restoring some of his strength. His body healed the broken legs it had received from landing on the ground so suddenly. He could feel his dark energy renewed.

Unfortunately for the world, no one knew of Yogg-Saron’s escape. Even the princesses did not know because they never thought he could break free and did not set up a system to alert them if the bonds somehow broke. They never expected his essence to get stronger during his imprisonment because they did not know how powerful he truly was.

“I must choose a new form if I am to walk this earth, for the ponies will know of me eventually. So, I will change my form.”

At long last, Death itself was free…

Chapter 1: Released

Author's Note

I guess I decided to continue this, for now at least.
Btw this is the map of Equestria I will be using for the story:

I don't really know what to do with this story. I have plenty of ideas, but mainly I don't know what I want ol' Yoggy to do. In the end of the plot, should he change from his deadly ways and help Celestia and the other alicorns? Should he simply dominate the world? Should he fall in love (ironic, ik)? Should he rule a separate kingdom of suffering but spare Equestria? Whichever choice, there will be still be BOW DOWN BEFORE THE GOD OF DEATH legendary moments of glorious destruction. The corrupted pancake will have his moment...

Your comments for what style/direction of ending I should do would be very helpful and help you, the reader, get the most out of this story. Also, thanks to those who have already commented, liked, and followed :)

Enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 1: Released

Clop.

The ponies of Ponyville looked up when they heard the hoofsteps of something walking into town. All eyes turned or looked up to the strange pony that was in the center of their village. He had a somewhat masculine face, and the dark grey hair on the back of his neck was slicked down smooth. His eyes had a blue color to them that seemed as deep as space itself. His jaw was edged perfectly, and his looks were unrivaled by anypony in the town. A shiny silk cloak covered most of his body, the clothing piece a stunning black. The design of it was immaculate, something a particular seamstress would fawn over for hours. A diamond-shaped purple gem was set into place at the center of a silver necklace wrapped tightly around his neck.

Despite this, it was not his attire and incredible facial features that stunned the ponies who gazed at him, no. It was not the fact that his horn was straight and quite long, its distance almost a foot. It was not the fact that his fur seemed to devour all light that touched it, making him appear like a living shadow during the middle of the day. Although each of those traits made him very… unique, it was the fact that he was massive. Everypony had to look up to see his face because he was incredibly tall. His height seemed to rival that of Celestia herself, but no one would dare think him taller than her. Because of this, every part of his body seemed titanic: his legs were fences, his horn was a spear, and his hooves were rocks.

The strange stallion was casting a glare of intensity over the small town around him. He studied its every stall, inspected its every roof as he took in where he was. Mercantile areas and well-sized homes… It seems Equestria has improved over a millennium. This appears to be a small yet influential village. As his gaze shifted, he noticed the dozens of eyes staring at him. After a moment of consideration, he spoke.

“Hear me, citizens, and know I have been lost. I hope that one of you could assist me if you would be so kind?” His voice was gentle yet displayed his resolve. The pure determination in his voice led the ponies around to believe his words to be true.

Yogg-Saron had changed his body by letting the world remake his flesh. This world wanted to make him a pony, a different one than the husk he arrived as, and so he let it. His body had changed as he transformed into the larger, darker pony he now was. With the addition of a horn, his sense of magic users became stronger, leading him to believe horns were a source of magical power in this realm.

He hoped to draw close to his enemies so he may study them, learning how to inflict such glorious suffering upon them. But that would come later; he needed to first see if the world had changed much since his imprisonment.

“I could help you!” a gentle, curt voice called out from the crowd all too excitedly. The Death God turned his head, noticing a mare approaching. She had all white fur beside her cutie mark, and her mane and tail were a rich purple. Every strand of her hair seemed to be brushed down perfectly. She elegantly trotted over before taking in the actual size of the stallion in front of her. She gulped rather loudly—something she regretted.

“And who may you be?” his stern voice spoke, just loud enough for her to hear.

“My name is Rarity; I own the Carousel Boutique down the street. I have a place you can stay for a short while while I get one of my friends who can find you on your way. How does that sound?” she finished, her voice never faltering from its almost regal tone. He quickly contemplated this before speaking once again.

“Very good. Lead the way, Miss Rarity.”

“So mannered! Follow me, please,” she responded giddily before beginning down the street. The black stallion began to follow as he continued to survey the town. All eyes were on him as he walked, his very presence drawing attention. If he were to rule, he would need this.

Various little buildings and homes passed by as the pair went throughout Ponyville. They finally reached the boutique, where Rarity unlocked the door and let the stallion into the shop. Of course, she forgot to tell him to duck, so he hit the end of his horn on the door, eliciting a slight giggle from her before he made his way in properly. He let such impudence slide since he still needed her alive.

He quickly realized this was a clothing store, mainly because of the numerous mannequins with dresses on them. “I take it you make garments?” he asked, hoping to convey a sense of ease.

She looked back at him before replying with a simple “yes,” and going upstairs, leaving Yogg-Saron alone. He took this time to search for nearby power sources, his horn illuminating with a black mist, and he found a rather large one close by. Even this far away, he could sense the energy of Celestia and her sister, but he also felt a similar yet fainter power. He dispelled his thoughts for now as Rarity returned from upstairs.

“I will go get the friend I told you of, so you may stay here for a little while. I should be back soon.” She walked towards the exit but paused right before she walked out. “Where are my manners? What is your name, dear?” she asked, a slight expression of sadness crossing her face.

He took a deep breath as he closed his eyes and looked at her, flashing a smile. “Sorin.” With that, she closed the door after going through it and out to the street. He waved her off goodbye, finding the mare quite intriguing.

The stallion went over to a nearby mirror and looked at himself. He did not like this form, but it would suffice for now. He would wait for his power to fully return before revealing himself, so he would stay lurking in the shadows.

After a moment of gazing, Sorin lowered his head and touched the mirror with the tip of his horn. As he looked back into the glass, it warped and shifted, showing a grand castle that he knew all too well. Tall towers were shooting to the sky atop a cliff’s edge; Canterlot. His eyes flashed with a black glow as he transferred part of his consciousness through the doorway.

Yogg-Saron found himself floating through the air as a small, dark wisp. In this spiritual state, his hearing and eyesight were improved, and he could hear every sound within the castle of Canterlot. The sound of guards bickering with each other, the clopping of hooves, and the various sounds of clanging metal entered his ethereal ears.

Guards were scattered about, each of them standing at attention at their posts. He flew past them unnoticed before slipping underneath the giant double doors that were the castle’s entrance. His ethereal form allowed him to ride along the walls like a shadow, creeping deeper into the castle. He honed in on the voice of the one he hated most, quickly finding her.

After slipping under another, smaller set of doors, he reached the ceiling. The chamber he found himself in was what he presumed to be a court. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were sitting in their own thrones while they faced a multitude of well-dressed ponies. He heard petty arguments as he observed the meeting of the nobility.

“But Auntie, the cook BURNED my food!” he heard a smug voice almost shout towards the princess. The solar monarch sighed before speaking in her motherly tone.

“I will investigate, but there is no reason to arrest somepony for making a simple mistake, Blueblood.” She looked through one of the two massive paned windows, realizing the time. “I’m afraid Court is over for today; I look forward to seeing you all tomorrow!” she said, the sounds of dispersing suddenly filling the room after. Yogg-Saron left the room the same as he entered, now having witnessed the same debate-style he had seen a millennia ago.

He noticed a large map of the world on one of the nearby walls, flying over to it to examine it. He took form as a bodiless earth pony with a hooded cloak covering their whole body so he could observe the map more keenly. He looked at the map, seeing the Griffin territories, Equestria, and an unexplored area called the Undiscovered West. Large mountains scattered the land, and there were no settlements within it. Based on its location, it should be cold and freezing atop its mountains. It was no wonder ponies had neglected such an area.

He then saw the town he was in now, remembering where he had traveled to after gaining his new body. “Ponyville,” he muttered before reaching down to grab a copy of the map from a drawer. He swiftly put one into his mouth—reluctantly—before turning around. He accidentally bumped into a stallion, who tripped and fell onto the ground. The sound of a gold coin dropping from his levitation echoed throughout the room. As the stallion rose, Yogg-Saron could see it was the same pony who had argued with Celestia. He could also see the stallion still had a smug look, but it was more annoyed than anything right now.

“Watch where you are going, peasant!” Blueblood commanded, unknowingly stirring a being far beyond his comprehension. As the prince turned to walk away, he felt a cold hoof on his shoulder. He spun around, prepared to punish the servant severely, when his eyes met the gaze of said “servant.” There was such infinite cold within the blue eyes that made Blueblood physically start to shiver, despite it being warm inside the castle today. Becoming lost within the orbs of the Old God, the prince began to hear voices.

“Weak… pathetic… insignificant… meaningless. Pointless. Mere DUST. FOOLISH. NOT FIT TO LIVE! VERMIN! SCUM! IMPUDENT FILTH!” the voices cried out, more joining in on the chant of horror. Blueblood felt his hindlegs drop as he cowered before the servant. He could hear Princess Luna now part of the symphony, hearing his aunt only seconds later.

“You are a disappointment, Blueblood. You are a tarnish to my family,” Celestia deadpanned, her voice standing out.

“No,” he whispered in disbelief.

A new voice entered his head, ripping through all the rest, compelling them to scatter. The invader gripped his mind, making the prince gasp for air.

“I show you only the truth…”

“No, it can’t be,” he repeated, this time to try and convince himself.

“It can be… It is…” In that moment, Blueblood could see the wall behind the servant. Large, grotesque shadows of a creature beyond his worst nightmare stood behind the stallion. In pure fear, the prince shut his eyes as hard as he could and covered his head.

“All you touch… turns to me…” Then, without warning, the whispers stopped. His pain was gone, and he opened his eyes. He frantically looked around, only seeing an empty room. The shadows were gone, and so was the servant. A sigh escaped him, a breath he had been holding for almost an entire minute. He felt the warmth of the room—something he had never so desperately wanted before—as he wiped his forehead with a hoof, noticing glistening sweat now on it. He stood up, adjusting his tie as calm reentered him. No pony had seen him, but he quickly left before he could be asked of what had just occurred, retreating to his chambers.

Knowledge of the events that occurred within Canterlot filled Sorin’s head as he became whole again. He heard a light tap as a scroll fell before his hooves. The paper illuminated black as he lifted it into the air with his magic, something he now knew to be considered normal for ponies with horns. Once it reached eye level, he unrolled it with his magic and held it in place.

Using Equestrian magic was almost alien to him. His most potent spells were far beyond the capabilities of his current body, but a lot of his power could be used as a pony. The very fundamentals of Equestrian magic were different from Azerothian, for you had to channel energy through your horn and into a spell. On Azeroth, you simply had to project magic instead of concentrating it and then dispersing it. Because of this, any spell that was not released through a straight beam would require more focus on this world. He had already begun translating his most useful spells into their Equestrian counterpart, a task most annoying but necessary.

Despite being the God of Death, Yogg-Saron had an affinity for the arcane. Magic was raw power to him, and being an Old God granted him all the benefits of its most powerful abilities without the consequences.

As Sorin observed the map in front of him, he could feel a dark power emanating from the west. This, he liked. Whatever was there, he could exploit to his advantage. But first, he needed to learn of the presence he felt in Ponyville and what the other five, weaker ones were. He rolled the map back up and opened a portal into the infinite void. He discarded the map into it and sealed the rift should he need it again.

Just at that moment, the door to the boutique opened, and two mares walked in. Sorin turned his head to the pair, instantly identifying Rarity as one of them. He also sensed something different about her, quickly realizing she was one of the five weaker presences he felt. Then, he glanced at the purple mare, feeling the strength she possessed. It rivaled that of Celestia, but he could tell it was still unused. He cocked his head at this, unknowingly.

“This, Twilight, is Sorin. And Sorin,” Rarity started, pointing now towards the purple mare, “is Twilight Sparkle, the personal student of Princess Celestia.” I see. No wonder she holds such power. As he looked at Twilight, she seemed to welt. He also heard a loud gulp.

“N-no need to be so gracious, Rarity.” She came over to Sorin and extended a hoof. He gladly took it, firmly shaking hers. “Nice to meet you, Sorin,” she said with a genuine smile.

“I’m afraid the pleasure is all mine, Twilight Sparkle,” he said gentlemanly before planting a gentle kiss on her hoof. She blushed before going back to all fours.

“You can call me Twilight. I came here to help you since you were lost, right?”

Sorin nodded. “I seemed to have lost my map on my travels, so I came to the nearest town I could find. I don’t know where I am, but would you be so kind as to help me?” Twilight jumped at the chance to help somepony, obliging to his request and practically dragging him out the door. This drew a laugh from Rarity, and Sorin smiled as well. “Thank you for assisting me, Rarity, and have a nice day.”

Within a few minutes, Twilight had taken him to her home. As the stallion saw the treehouse, he was quite surprised. It was unlike anything else he had seen in Ponyville.

“Here we are, THE LIBRARY!” she practically shouted in her nerdy tone. She opened the door and motioned for him to come in, which he did. Upon entering, the chiseled-out interior of the tree was on full display, a bed on the second story. Countless books lined the walls of the literal treehouse. “As you can see, this is where I live. I love being able to sleep so close to so many books.” She sat down at her desk, where she pulled out a map very similar to the one he had seen in Canterlot. “So, where were you headed?”

“I was on my way to Ponyville before I lost my way,” he said as he came over to Twilight.

“Lucky you, you managed to land yourself in Ponyville. We are in the official Ponyville library right now!” Sorin smiled at her.

“Well then, it seems I know my navigation better than I remember,” he joked. “Since you helped me out, I might as well tell you why I wanted to come here in the first place.” Twilight pulled out a notebook and quill, ready to take notes. “I have always loved magic,” he began, her ears perking up, “so when I heard of a unicorn managing to fight off the infamous Nightmare Moon, I knew I had to meet this pony. I heard they lived in Ponyville, but sadly, I forgot to ask what their name was.

“I wanted to meet this pony and exchange knowledge about magic. I find myself to be quite the scholar,” he finished, noticing how she reacted to his words and guessing she too studied magic based on her section of books labeled “Spells.” Using that, he crafted his story to find common ground with her.

“Well… actually… I…” she stumbled, Sorin nodding for her to continue. “I am the pony who defeated Nightmare Moon. Well, it was actually my five friends and me using the Elements of Harmony to overpower her,” she admitted, feeling proud of the memory.

“Oh? It was a pleasure to meet you before, but now I feel as if I should thank you for what you did, Twilight.” He did genuinely want to learn just how strong a pony could become.

She blushed at this for a second before speaking. “If you want to thank somepony, thank all of my friends. I can bring them all here tomorrow morning if you want. Would you like that?”

“I would love it.”

“Then it’s a date,” she said before scribbling down more in her notebook. “Do you have a place to stay?”

“I’m afraid not,” he said with a slightly sad tone and wearing a similar facial expression.

“Don’t worry; you can stay here as long as you like.”

“Thank you, Twilight Sparkle.”

“I told you, you can just call me Twilight. And really, it’s nothing.” She left her desk and went to the center of the room. “There’s a spare room on the left upstairs,” she said while pointing for emphasis. “Oh, and I would love to discuss magic sometime; it is my passion and talent after all.” Sorin was surprised at how easy it was to convince Twilight to do such things.

“I will be sure to take you up on that, Twilight.”

“One last thing. Make sure to keep your gems in your room, or else—” Twilight started to say, being interrupted by the library door swinging open abruptly. Sorin whipped his head around with incredible speed and launched a small fireball from his horn towards the intruder.

“Look at my—” the small, purple dragon started to say before being blasted by the fireball. The impact sent him a few feet back, and he wasn’t worried about the fire since his scales were fireproof after all.

After hitting his head on the road outside, Spike stood up and wiped his eyes clear of smoke. “—dragon sculpture…” he deadpanned upon realizing the wooden sculpture of himself was now a small pile of ash at the library door.

“SPIKE! Are you okay?!” Twilight screamed as she rushed over to the baby dragon.

“I’m fine, just a little hot, that’s all,” he replied while patting the mare who was now hugging him. After the tender moment, she remembered who was responsible for hurting Spike.

“Sorin! How could you just attack Spike like that?!” she said with rage, her face burning red now. Sorin raised an eyebrow at her sudden anger. The dragon was fine, was he not?

“I thought someone was breaking in, so I retaliated. I did not realize he was welcome, so I apologize,” he said while bending down to the two.

“At least that’s a good excuse. I forgive you—only because he is okay.” She let go of her favorite assistant and stood back up. “Next time, look before you blast. I am impressed by your reflexes, though,” she complimented, attempting to lighten the mood. It worked, as Sorin turned to Spike.

“I do apologize for blasting you with a blazing inferno, but it seems you are unharmed, naturally.” The dragon snorted, blasting a small amount of smoke in the stallion’s face, but he didn’t seem to react in disgust as most ponies did.

“Yea, except my sculpture got all burned up.”

“I think I can fix that,” the stallion said with a grin as his horn lit up. Twilight turned to him with a confused look before she saw the nearby ashes come alive. They spun through the air and into Sorin’s now outstretched hoof. They stacked on top of each other as they shaped into a dragon and gained their brown color back.

“I’m Sorin. Nice to meet you,” he said while presenting the repaired object to the dragon. The awed assistant took the wooden toy from Sorin, suddenly finding this pony far more interesting.

“Nice to meet you too.” With that, Sorin stood back up, and Spike went back inside, studying the wood he was holding. Twilight approached the unicorn who had just changed matter’s state.

“How did you do that?” she asked out of complete shock.

He chuckled as he turned to her with a grin. “You’ll have to wait until that discussion,” he teased as he headed into the library and up to his room.

The wooden door had a heart cut out near its top as a window and a metal knocker near its center. It screamed medieval. He turned the doorknob and went inside the room. A twin bed was along one wall, a nightstand next to it. There was a desk on the other side of the room, a candle resting on it. There was also a giant window on one wall, the last of the sunlight flooding through it and into the bedroom.

He locked the door before trotting to the center of his new quarters. His horn sparked with dark energy as the area around him began to flicker. The furniture warped and shifted as a blue flash overtook Sorin’s vision. Suddenly, the room disappeared as he was sent somewhere else…

Yogg-Saron grinned as he looked ahead.

The moon had risen, and the citizens of Equestria had gone to their beds to rest. The God of Death was standing in front of a massive stretch of dry, grassy land. To the left, there were high-reaching mountains and the same to the right. In front of him, though, there was a mountain with a snowy flat top. He could sense something there as if it was calling out to him.

A cold, wispy like wind nipped at his exposed fur, but to the Old God, it was nothing. His body did not like it, so he used his magic to warm himself. Such a spell did not require his horn to light up. He wore a wicked grin as he stepped forward towards his prize. He had already managed to make his way into the lives of the Elements and secure a place to live. He had also met the student of Celestia herself and formed a relationship.

They did not call him the God of Deception for nothing...

Chapter 2: Lambs

As his cloak slid across the wasteland of the west, the snow turned to ice. As he trotted, he could feel the dark presence drawing closer. The landscape was desolate; a snowy ground with freezing zephyrs cutting across the land. Mountains stretched on both sides of the massive valley, and in the distance was a high mountain that reached to the sky. Its top was flat, and even from afar, he could feel what he searched for.

As he approached, he could make out small structures atop the plateau, appearing to be made by sentient life. The stallion quickly came to the bottom and his horn ignited. A furious black glow covered the area as the wind swept around the black stallion. The torrent began to spin in one direction, creating a furious whirlwind. He slowly lifted into the air as it lifted him, the top of the mountain becoming clearer after a minute.

The flurry calmed as Yogg-Saron extended his forelegs, planting them firmly onto the ice-like stone of the plateau. His back legs fell just behind as he looked around.

To his surprise, dozens of Norse-style houses were scattered in front of him. They had roofs made of straw, and wooden exteriors. It appeared to be a village of some sort, and he could hear the noises of creatures living within. He took another step, and he slammed into something.

Similar to the wall he had hit when first arriving on Equestria, a blue dome lit up around the village. Annoyed at this, he rammed into the wall, and it warped inward to his will. Suddenly, it pushed back with immeasurable force, sending him back a few feet. He then noticed the silence of those who lived atop the mountain, for all he could hear was the bustling wind.

Storming down from the largest building at the center of town, two lines of armored creatures marched towards Yogg-Saron. They had talons for feet, beaks for mouths, wings on their sides, and tails on their back. They were griffons, a sentient animal he had heard of long ago on both Azeroth and Equus. He knew they would occasionally visit Equestria, but he did not expect to see so many in one place.

He could use that to his advantage, though. They were likely separated from their kind, alienated, and their own civilization in the frozen wastes. This also meant no one would come to rescue them…

As the—what he could only assume to be guards—reached the edge of the magical dome, they stared at the giant stallion who wore a menacing grin. They all carried metal-tipped spears, and the two in front put them upright as they took in a breath. Their armor was golden, and covered their whole bodies, unlike the silver-colored chestplates the others wore.

“Who trespasses in the land of The Outcasts?” the guard on the left spoke in a commanding voice. This only triggered a laugh from the pony.

“Who are you to trespass on my world?” he responded, which did little to phase the griffons. He spoke again, raising his voice so more could hear, saying, “You do not know who I am, but you will learn. I have come to be known by a multitude of names, the number of titles just as numerous.” All the inhabitants seemed to gather near the outskirts of town to find out what the disturbance to their normally peaceful area was.

“I give you an offer—a rather simple one,” he said, pausing to let his listeners prepare. “Submit to me and I will spare your bloodlines, your children. Do not,” he looked around the entire group of gathered creatures, “and I will slaughter you.”

The guards laughed out loud at this—a most foolish action. “You are one pony. You cannot possibly face all of us alone,” the one on the left spoke in ignorance.

“Plus, you could never get through the barrier, it was made by Starswirl the Bearded himself. Now, begone!” the one on the right said. The stallion only grinned further.

“So be it.”

With that, his eyes lit up in a blaze of infinite void. The air darkened, and the griffons in the town, including the guards, started to look uneased. Their unease turned to fear as the stallion changed.

Five black, wispy tendrils erupted from the stallion’s back, rising into the air like snakes. They dove towards the guards with lightning speed, but they were stopped by the blue dome. The snakes of shadow seemed to leech the energy from the dome, for it started to flicker. The guards readied themselves, and the citizens started to panic. The tendrils drew back, like the snake about to deliver the final blow to its prey, and then they struck.

The magic barrier shattered as Yogg-Saron’s power crashed into it, causing everyone in the town to shriek in fright. The magic border that had protected them from the cold of the west—as well as intruders—for hundreds of years, had been destroyed by this strange equine.

The stallion still had his grin upon his face as he trotted forward. The two guards collected themselves, returning to their militaristic ways, and went to stab him with their weapons, but they never got the chance.

Yogg-Saron’s grin remained as two of his tendrils stabbed into the armored guards, piercing their armor like nothing and bursting through their spines while they slowly lifted into the air. They dropped their spears to the ground as blood dripped from their chests. Everyone’s eyes were wide with pure terror as the stallion threw the two strongest warriors in the village to the ground like nothing more than insects. And yet, the grin remained.

The crowd of griffons erupted into chaos as they all tried to flee anywhere away from the stallion. Knowing this, Yogg-Saron’s horn called forth a lightning bolt from the heavens. The purple bolt of energy in the sky obeyed, striking the center of the town with a thunderous “clap.” The few griffons too slow to move out of the way were turned to bones, while the others were fatally seared by the heat. This seemed to quicken the pace of the fleeing, for they raced to their homes with all their strength.

“There is nowhere to hide,” Yogg-Saron spoke, now embracing his true voice. They noticed, for their hearts tensed at the sound of it. It was like a symphony of a thousand tortured souls all screaming in pain as the God of Death spoke, the very sound chilling the inhabitants of the mountain to their bones. His voice was terror itself, and it didn’t help that his words could not be more true.

More tendrils came out of him as he began to lay waste to the village. They almost had a mind of their own, tearing through houses and dragging out the bodies of men, women, and children with indifference. The multitudes of screams from the families were carried on the wind of the mountaintop, but they never reached an ear.

The stallion continued to do what he said he would. He ran across the town, breaking down doors and burning everything inside the homes of the villagers with blasts of fire.

Inside one home, a family of three were huddled in the center of their living room as part of their wooden home caught fire from a nearby building. The mother and father had their wings stretched over their daughter, who was only about fifteen years old. They could hear the screams of their next-door neighbors before they instantly fell silent.

“We have to keep quiet,” the father whispered before pushing his daughter upstairs. “Go under your bed upstairs, Jaina. Do not come out, no matter what happens down here until I say ‘mercy.’” The poor child stood motionless, too scared to do anything.

The father knelt down, the mother joining at his side. “Sweetie, things aren’t looking good here. You are our first and only priority. If one of us screams ‘mercy,’ then you come out of the bed and fly out your window. Do you understand?” the mother attempted to explain.

Jaina at least understood what her parents were implying, because she nodded to her mother. The three embraced in a tight hug before Jaina ran off to her room, hearing her mother say, “We love you!” The parents then returned to the main open room, hiding behind a counter in the kitchen in utter silence.

It was then that the hoofsteps of Yogg-Saron echoed through the house as his now metal-wearing hooves approached. There was a pregnant pause, the parents only able to hear their own breathing and their racing hearts.

The front door decayed, the wood rotting, as a spear-like horn stabbed through it. The hinges shattered in the process, and the wood fell away, revealing the stallion responsible for the deaths of dozens of families.

His eyes lost their black glow, revealing the blue, almost lifeless orbs of the pony. He snickered as if to mock the two griffons whom he could hear breathing behind the counter.

“I know you’re there; there’s no point in hiding,” he spoke. The two came out from their shelter, facing him.

“Why are you doing this?!” the mother demanded, tears beginning to fall from her cheeks and onto the planks of the floor.

“I offered you a chance at life, but you refused.” His answer was so simple, so concise, yet so cruel. The mother gawked at his response before her partner spoke up this time.

“The griffons have a treaty with Equestria; you can’t do this; you are disobeying Celestia!”

“Oh? Am I?” Yogg-Saron said with mock confusion. “Is it not true that you are a group of outcasts, forsaken by your people? Is it not true no other souls know of your existence?” he questioned, putting a hoof to his chin for exaggeration. “Either way, I do not serve the sun, and I am not one of her subjects. No, I am something far more.”

“A monster is what you are!” the mother shouted, her tears waterfalling now as she sensed what was coming.

“You’re right, I am a monster. But do you think it wise to call a creature as such a monster?” His grin resurfaced, his eyes igniting. “I am Death itself… now, let me show you my realm…” he said, his voice dropping to a mere whisper at the conclusion.

All the parents managed was a gasp as they were constricted by black magic. They struggled and warred with the tangible force, but to no avail.

“Mercy, mercy! Please, mercy!” the father roared out, begging for life and also sending a message to Jaina.

Upstairs, she carefully got out from under the bed, slowly opened the window in her room, and started to step out. She froze, looking back down the stairs, being able to see her parents suspended by black energy. She knew there was nothing she could do, so she leaped through the window, letting her wings extend.

The stallion could feel her vibrations moving through the air, so his expression turned cold. His magic instantly snapped the necks of his two hostages, letting their bodies fall to the floor. He charged outside, seeing Jaina flying away. His black tentacles revealed themselves again and prepared to attack. Before he could, an armored griffon slammed into his side, forcing him to the ground.

The two grunted as they rolled over each other. “Now!” the guard yelled as he got hold of his spear and stabbed Yogg-Saron through a foreleg. The stallion grunted in pain, seeing about a dozen survivors taking flight.

“Not so fast,” he said, his horn blaring intensely now. He impaled the guard through the neck with it, absorbing the guard’s lifeforce as the spell was woven together.

A shroud of dark mist covered the ground in a ten-foot radius around him. He stood back to his four legs, looking back at the sky. The ground shook as two, five, seven, no, ten thick tentacles of void came out from it. They surged forth, quickly catching up to the fleeing townspeople.

Some of the tentacles simply tore the griffons apart, and others wrapped around the winged beasts, pulling them down. As they fell, they could feel every last ounce of strength in their bodies being sucked from them like a wicked kiss. That was before their carcasses fell to the earth.

Jaina had seen the two flying beside her taken by the murderer, so she tried as hard as she could to escape him. It looked grim, though, for she was one of the only two left in the sky. Luckily for her, another chilling sound erupted over the battlefield. The sound would allow for her to escape, leaving the only place she ever knew.

A blast of ice-cold wind caused Yogg-Saron to falter, making his spell falter as well. The tentacles slipped from their paths, falling out of the sky. One managed to grab the griffon next to Jaina as it fell, dragging the now screaming victim to their death.

Annoyed by this, the stallion snapped his head to the left. A stone building stood where the blast had come from, and so he marched towards it. It was then that five guards who could barely stand came out from near the stone of the building, blocking the way of the pony.

“You fool! Your hatred and malice has awoken the trapped windigo!” one of them shouted. This told the God of Death what it was that drew him here: a windigo. He had heard the legends of the spiritual creatures that feed off negative emotions. The same creatures that had almost wiped out all of ponykind.

With a lowering of his head, a beam spiraled forward from Yogg-Saron’s horn and towards the temple. As it impacted, the stone was broken into a thousand pieces, and a loud “snap” could be heard, followed by a “clank.”

The whinny of a freed creature sounded as the windigo left its prison. Trotting on air, it emerged from the ruins of the building, looking at the guards and the titanic stallion.

It looked like an Azerothian horse, muscles bulging from everywhere. Unlike normal horses, this one looked like a ghost because it was translucent and white with a flowing mane. Being like a traditional equine, the windigo was close to Sorin in size.

“Windigo!” the stallion yelled, drawing the attention of the spirit. “I am the one who allowed you to awaken from your slumber by bringing pain and suffering to this town, and I am the one who ultimately freed you. I am Yogg-Saron, the God of Death.”

The spirit did something that none of those present expected: it bowed. It let gravity take hold by placing its hooves on the ground, and then it bent its front knees and bowed down before the stallion who had freed it. It then did another thing no one expected.

“I serve thee, master. I will follow you to the ends of this realm and for the rest of my days and yours, whichever comes first. This is my price for freedom,” it finished in its croaky and husked voice, still staying down.

“Rise.”

The windigo stood up, collecting—what sounded like—himself before speaking again. “My name is Vultrax, lord Yogg-Saron.”

The stallion smiled this time, a very large smile. “Join me in teaching these lesser beings what pain truly is…” the master commanded, and the windigo obeyed, turning to the baffled guards and pouncing upon them. The stallion who had single-handedly massacred a village then joined into the fray.

Yogg-Saron stood over the bodies of the guards who had been the last living beings in the village. The pool of blood escaping them grew larger as it stained the ground a permanent red. Vultrax stood beside his new master, watching the supposed Death God contemplate.

“If I am to gain dominion over this world, I must first plant a seed of corruption so it may fester over the land.” Yogg-Saron turned around to what was the windigo’s prison. “I am not of this world, therefore none know of my true power. This realm is weak, for its strongest magic is that of something as finite as friendship. Today you will see real power, the power of an Old God…” he finished, his horn and eyes reacting.

Vultrax watched as the ground around the stone building began to turn black like ash, and the infection spread to the stone itself. As the stallion's horn burned brighter, brighter than ever before, the ground quaked. From the pool of darkness, four pitch-black pointed rocks jutted out from the ground in the cardinal directions. They grew taller and taller, slanting towards each other slightly.

The spires became thicker as they rose from the ground, awing the windigo who watched. The spires reached a hundred feet into the air when they touched at the tips, creating a pyramid. The ground ceased its shaking, but the darkness below the pyramid began to slowly spread, covering all that it touched and causing the bodies of the guards to wither to bone.

“What is it?” Yogg-Saron heard from the ghost beside him. He genuinely laughed at this, seeing the windigo looking from the top of the structure to the spreading darkness—something very rare for the Old God.

“As the mortals of my world call it: saronite. Named after me, it is literally my blood. Its mere touch drives mortals and those of weak minds to madness, even the mindless undead. When manipulated, it can be turned into a supernatural metal.”

“Why is it… growing?”

“The saronite on my world was shed tens of thousands of years ago, and so it has dried up. This blood is fresh. Like a parasite, it wants to infect everything it can and continue to consume as it grows,” Yogg-Saron explained, turning to the spirit.

“When my blood fuses with something it wishes to bond with, the product will have strength far beyond what the original had,” he hinted. “When I first came to Equestria, a single drop of my blood merged with Princess Luna. As a result, she spent countless hours hearing maddening whispers and barely being able to sleep. It turned her mad, creating a new creature of rage from her.” He took a minute to let his words saturate before taking a final breath.

“I will call upon you soon. For now, I must return and rest. Sadly, this body requires at least some sleep to function properly. Farewell, Vultrax…”

Chapter 3: Formalities Part 1

Sorin had slept, something he had never truly done before. In his time on Azeroth, he would slumber in a state of consciousness that let him use his powers across the entirety of the planet without physical boundaries, but he never needed sleep, and he never became fatigued. Now in his mortal body, he found these qualities a burden. He needed food, water, and rest to just stay alive. His bones were brittle, and his flesh was soft. Mortals were fragile, just as he had wanted them to be when he and his brothers had made the Curse of Flesh that turned the Titan’s creations back on Azeroth mortal. He despised being one.

As he slept for the first time, he could feel his consciousness being pulled toward something, but he did not know what it was. It perplexed him.

Regardless, he awoke in the early morning, the sun just reaching the horizon. He could tell it was morning, because the rays of the sunlight began to come through his sole window and assault his eyes. After rubbing his slightly sore eyes, he came to his hooves and went to his desk. He collected his cloak from the ornate chair at the desk and draped it over his back, snapping the front into place.

Through the means of magic, he removed all the dirt from his fur and smoothed his mane back down. He conjured up some water, rinsing his mouth out with some and drinking the rest.

Now ready for the endeavors of the day, he went to his door and unlocked it. He slowly pushed the door open so as to not disturb anyone, and exited his room. As the door clicked close, he noticed Spike’s room was already open. Based on this world’s time, it would be the equivalent of six in the morning, so what a baby dragon would be doing awake so early escaped him. He continued down the wide hallway towards the stairs.

Looking down from the balcony, he could hear the sounds of a kitchen: clanging utensils and pots. Curious as to what Spike was doing, he went down the stairs, making sure to announce his steps so the dragon would know of his entrance.

“Oh, hey Sorin,” Spike said while setting his pan back on the stove as he turned towards the rather tall guest. The dragon appeared to be cooking some form of breakfast consisting of pancakes, scrambled eggs, and orange juice. Whatever it was, it was overcooked just a little because everything except the juice had a black tint to it.

“Good morning, Spike. I can see you’re making morning nourishment,” Sorin responded, chipper as ever.

He had hardly spoken with the only intelligent creature that was a parallel between his world and this one, so when Spike said he was making breakfast for everypony, Sorin used the opportunity.

“Let me help you with that,” he said before catching a falling pancake with levitation, smiling.

Spike nervously chuckled before admitting, “I guess I could use the help.” Sorin whisked the cabinets open and pulled three plates from the shelves and placed them on the nearby round stone table. Continuing to use levitation, he quite literally magicked three equal portions of each food item and let them rest on the plates.

Spike collected the necessary silverware and placed them beside the table settings. Just then, a groggy groan could be heard as somepony bumped into a wall upstairs. That pony was Twilight, who was now making her way to the already set table.

“Late night?” the only stallion in the room asked, opting to tease the unicorn. The dragon in the room seemed to find this funny as he chuckled.

“I stayed up for hours trying to find out how you pieced that sculpture back together so precisely,” the exhausted mare explained while sitting in her place. “All I could find is that to do something so intricate based on memory would require at least an hour due to wood’s complex makeup.”

The others joined her, Sorin beginning to pour orange juice into the three glasses. “I’ll tell you how I did it, but you have to promise not to let your jaw hit your plate,” he began, hoping to not see another jaw drop so far like when he first came into town. To him—being made of jaws—it was just a tad bit disturbing and repulsive.

Twilight leaned her head in while eagerly nodding yes. He also noticed her mane was in slight disarray this morning, likely from her lack of sleep. “Instead of rebuilding the thing bit by bit, I reset its flow of time from about twenty seconds earlier.”

Her jaw dropped—not to her plate—leaving her mouth on full display. “But how?!” she practically shouted. “Time spells are some of the most powerful and dangero—” she rambled, being stopped by Sorin’s hoof over her now closed mouth.

“Once again, when we properly discuss magic.” He slowly removed his hoof. She reluctantly began to take a bite of her eggs, letting the matter rest for now.

“Now,” he started, “you mentioned meeting your friends yesterday?”

“Yes. They will be here in about half an hour. That should give us time to eat and get ready before then.”

“Splendid. I do look forward to meeting the other Elements.”

The group had finished their meals, Spike having the treat of a small gemstone. The table was cleared, and another larger table had been set up in the center of the house.

A teapot was at the center, with cups at seven places in an equal arrangement. An assortment of pastries was also laid on the table near the center. Twilight had brought out some chairs from what was likely a closet and set them up for her friends.

“Aaaaand, there we go!” she said giddily as she dimmed the lights just a smudge. She was very excited to introduce her new guest to her friends, more so that she could gain another friend out of all this. Her recent lessons in friendship showed her that you should try to befriend everypony you can because nothing is better than having more friends.

A gentle chime rang out through the treehouse as the doorbell was pushed from outside. Spike rushed over and opened the door, Twilight following just behind. As the creaky door fully opened, she was greeted with the sight of her five best friends in the whole world.

Sorin sat at the table, observing the ponies who stood at the door. In the front was a vanilla cream-colored pegasus who had a pink mane covering half of her face. Next to her was a light blue pony with wings who had the whole color spectrum as the shade of her mane.

Behind the two in the front, the familiar face of Rarity beamed with the glow of Equestrian makeup. In terms of appearance, Sorin found her the most profound of all the ponies he had met so far. Looking to the seamstress’s right, he spotted a peach-colored mare who had a very light blonde mane that was mostly covered by a brown cowboy hat. In this case, it was the hat of a cowmare.

“Hey, Twilight! Is this a surprise party, because you mentioned ‘surprise’ when you talked about today?” the last mare shouted while jumping into the air. Her fur was pink, her mane a very similar but slightly darker shade. This one unmistakably seemed the most excited out of the group.

Another thing he noticed was that every one of the group was a female. He had seen mostly mares when he arrived in Ponyville, leading him to wonder where most of the stallions were.

“Not quite a party, but there is somepony I want you all to meet,” Twilight replied lightly. On cue, Sorin stood up from where he was sitting and trotted towards the group. All eyes were on him, all of them looking up at the towering stallion. The cream pony ducked down for some reason, using her mane to cover even more of her visage after taking a single glance at him.

“This,” Twilight began while turning to him, “is Sorin. He will be staying with me for a while.” Said pony had a welcoming smile on his face, which helped the shiest in the room feel safe to slowly come out from the shelter of her hair. The other four mares at the door began to come forward to greet him. He extended his right hoof to the first to reach him.

“A pleasure, Sorin. I’m Applejack; Ah work the fields at Sweet Apple Acres.”

“A pleasure to me as well,” he said while shaking ‘Applejack’s’ hoof, finding her hoofshake as firm as his.

“Pinkie Pie is the name, epic parties is my game!” the pink one rhymingly said before vehemently shaking his hoof. With a smile, she went to the table, following her hat-wearing friend.

“We already met, dear, but now it’s official. As you know, I’m Rarity.”

“How could I forget?” the stallion kindly said before following up with, “Your name comes as no surprise, considering you are such a rarity yourself.” That comment made the unicorn blush before heading over to her seated friends.

Sorin saw a blue blur come about half a foot from his horn before it seemed to materialize into the rainbow-haired pony he saw earlier. She gently fell to the ground when her wings stopped their flapping.

“Hey there, Sorin. That’s a pretty cool name, by the way,” she started in her normal “cool” voice. “I’m sure you know who I am.”

The pegasus’ smug expression fell when he stood there in silence.

“Ah come on!” She flew in a loop above Sorin, careful to avoid pricking herself on his javelin of a horn. “Rainbow Dash, the greatest flier in Equestria… ring any bells?” she asked hopefully.

“Sadly, I’ve never heard of you, Rainbow Dash. If it’s any consultation, I’m not from here,” the stallion offered, hoping to repair the mare’s pride. It seemed to work because she threw it off with a shrug before shaking his now extended hoof.

After Rainbow Dash left, the last pony became on her own. Her eyes landed on his before bouncing to the floor.

In another effort to calm her, he lowered his head slightly to appear less menacing before trotting over to her. In an instant, she looked up at him, seeing his calming smile. Coming out from her mane, she spoke—or rather whispered—to him.

“I-I’m Fluttershy.”

That explains it, Sorin thought while keeping his composure the same. “As you know, I am Sorin. I hope you will all find me good company,” he replied a little quieter than with the others, using his words of “you all” and “hoping” to convey a message of non-hostility. Being the God of Deception meant he knew his way with words, regardless of their purpose.

“Nice to meet you, Fluttershy,” he finished with before heading to the table alongside her. He took his seat and Spike poured the tea into everypony’s cups, mixing in sugar if they requested.

“Now that that’s out the way,” the hostess began, “let me share some details about us.” Sorin leaned in after taking a small sip of his tea. It had a strong taste, the flavor of cinnamon overtaking it after a second and leaving a pleasant taste in his mouth.

“We are the six Elements of Harmony. Applejack is Honesty, Pinkie Pie is Laughter, Rarity is Generosity, Rainbow Dash is Loyalty, Fluttershy is Kindness, and I am Magic. Together, we make up Harmony, the strongest force in all of Equestria. When we wear the physical Elements, we connect with them to tap into their power.

“In a way, the Elements choose you. If someone tried to use one who was not worthy, I fear what it would do to them.” Those last words hung in the air.

Most enchantments like that will instantly kill those who try to use it and do not possess whatever the spell requires.

“I have encountered similar magic before. They are most akin to binding spells; quite unbreakable. I have heard of the power of friendship, but I have never witnessed it in person before.”

“I agree. In my brief studies of the Elements, they seem to have properties similar to a binding spell, but they also channel the magic of friendship from each of us.”

“Hmm,” Sorin hummed, contemplating the power of the Elements that he would most likely face eventually. “Either way, it would be interesting to one day study them.”

“So,” Rainbow Dash interjected. “You really haven’t heard of me?” Sorin chuckled at that.

“This again?” The mare’s face deflated. “I’m sure you are an excellent flier, and maybe you could show me some tricks some time, but I haven’t heard of you.”

“Sorin,” Fluttershy started, “not to sound rude, but why are you so big?” She started to panic when she saw one of his eyebrows raise. “I-I mean, you are almost the same size as Princess Celestia, and your horn is really long for a unicorn.”

“No offense taken, dear Fluttershy. To be honest, I don’t know. I’ve always been a large pony, but maybe I’ll find out eventually, especially since I predict you all will be interested in me.”

As he finished what he was saying, he felt a particular tinge with his senses. It was the feeling of a powerful being approaching, and to make it weirder, it felt familiar.

“Anyway, I would like to know about you all,” he continued, avoiding suspicion. He then felt the sense more profoundly, recognizing the signature of the being nearby.

“I’ll start first!” a light blue mare said. “As you know, I’m the best flier in all of Equestria. I hope to join the Wonderbolts—the best flying team in Equestria—someday. I grew up in Cloudsdale, which is where I met my first friend, Fluttershy.”

Cloudsdale. Yes, I remember that floating city in the sky from the map.

“You two have known each other since you were both young?” Sorin asked.

“Yes. In fact, Rainbow Dash helped me discover my special talent of caring for animals years ago,” Fluttershy added in her tender voice. “I live in the hillside cottage, close enough to the Everfree Forest to take care of the animals that live there.”

“The Everfree Forest?” he unintentionally deadpanned. He did not know of such a place.

“Oh, yes. The only forest in Equestria that has its own weather. All kinds of scary creatures live there, but there are plenty of kind ones that I help take care of.”

“How interesting…”

“My passion is fashion, as I’m sure you could guess. I own the boutique, and I have occasionally worked outside of Ponyville. My clothing lines are quite the marvel, not to sound too boastful.”

“There is no harm in being proud of your work, Rarity.”

“Why, thank you. I live with my sister, Sweetie Belle, in the boutique,” she finished.

Sorin nodded in understanding.

“Ah,” Applejack began in her country accent, “live on Sweet Apple Acres with meh brother, granny, an’ sister. We tend the orchards there, makin’ all sorts of apple products.”

“A most respectable line of work.”

“Thank you.”

Pinkie Pie took in a long breath before she started to spill her story. “I used to live on a rock farm—which was super boring—before I found out I like planning, throwing, and attending parties. If you didn’t know, my special talent is parties!”

Really? I never guessed.

“So, I came to Ponyville. I work at the Cake’s bakery, making pastries all day.” Her mouth seemed to water at the thought of pastries, her mind filling with images of cupcakes.

“I do like me the occasional frosted cupcake,” Sorin lied, not actually knowing how a cupcake tastes. The mortals he faced in his time on Azeroth surprisingly never offered him a cupcake during battle.

“I already know a little about you, Twilight, but what else can you tell me?”

“Well,” she said while looking upwards in thought. “I always liked magic, but I was not the greatest at it as a foal.

“One day, my class had a test, and the one who passed would become Princess Celestia’s personal student.”

“I can guess who passed.”

“We had to get a dragon egg to hatch. In a burst of magic, I got the egg to open, which was when I first met Spike.

“After that, I moved to Canterlot to start my studies under the princess. Eventually, I warned her about Nightmare Moon returning, but she wanted me to make friends in Ponyville. I did so, which was how we were able to end up stopping Nightmare Moon from casting eternal night over Equestria. And that leads us to now.”

She had the most interesting story by far, according to Sorin. Her whole life revolves around power, which was something he could respect.

Everyone from the group of friends had shared details about their life, so he was the one who appeared unsocial at the moment.

“Since you all shared, I might as well fill you in on some of my past. There is not much to know, simply that I studied the various aspects of the world while I traveled, experiencing the nomadic thrill. Then, I heard about Twilight defeating Nightmare Moon and I came here to find that pony, and I did—as well as her friends.” They seemed satisfied with his answer for now.

“I have some news,” Twilight said with a grin, changing the mood of the conversation. Everyone looked to her in expectation.

What Sorin didn’t know was that Twilight had recently come into possession of two tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala, the most important social event in Equestria that happens only once a year. Each of her friends had valid reasons to go with her, but she only had one spare ticket.

After a whole ordeal, she had decided to forfeit her own ticket as well as her extra since all of her friends could not go to the gala. In response, Princess Celestia had given her eight tickets. She had one extra, and she was unsure of what to do with it. Daring not to throw it away, she left it upstairs.

“I have tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala, one for each of us!” Spike looked sad, so Twilight held a ticket to him. “One for you too, my favorite assistant.” Both of them had beaming smiles.

Sorin didn’t expect to get a ticket, nor did he want one. He did not wish to attend parties unless he had something to gain from it. Frivolous interaction was useless.

The mares all cheered together, some leaping into the air and others letting out lady-like giggles of glee. They were all overjoyed that they would be able to see the wonders of the gala for the first time. Based on their passions, they each had their own reason for wanting to go.

Keeping on the topic of passions, Twilight did not know what Sorin’s was. She had never seen his Cutie Mark since it had been covered by his cloak the entire time, and he never spoke about it either. “If you don’t mind me asking, what’s your special talent?” she asked out of pure curiosity, looking directly at the lone stallion. Luckily, they could not see the menacing set of jaws on his backside.

He was saved from answering that question when the doorbell rang, something the hostess was not expecting. She got up from her seat and went over to the entrance of her home.

Pulling the handle and opening the door, she was greeted with an unexpected pony. Sorin instantly recognized her, her signature telling him who she was minutes ago when she was still flying to Ponyville.

“Princess Celestia,” he said respectfully as he looked at the alicorn standing at the door, his mock smile brimming with hate.

Chapter 4: Formalities Part 2

An interesting turn of events indeed.

There she stood before him, the one for whom he held great malice; the one who had sealed him away for what would have been eternity. Her impudence towards a being she knew had to possess great strength offended him. By breaking through the planet’s barrier, he proved that.

Since his time arriving on this world, he has only heard adoring comments of Equestria’s kind and compassionate leader, and it angered him to his core. But he could sense something within her even when they first met. It was a feeling he had at the very heart of his being. He had felt her natural instincts that day, and they were those of a killer.

The way she looked at him when he first laid on the ground, broken, he could see it in her eyes. Her sister did not have that look, Luna seeming far more innocent than her sister.

So, Celestia stood in front of him. Her golden horseshoes shined in the light and her crown glistened from the sun which she embodied. Part of her chest was covered by the golden piece she wore that was very similar to her other regalia. Her white fur was pristine; not a single speck of dirt tangled into her coat. An invisible wind moved her mane through the air despite the room being completely still, and her tail did the same.

Sorin was broken from his study of Celestia’s form when her student spoke up after getting up from a bow.

“I-I wasn’t expecting you, princess. I’m sorry, maybe I missed a letter, or a notice—maybe I forgot—” she began to rant before being stopped as her teacher chuckled.

“No worries, my faithful student. I came here upon my own accord today without any notice. If anything, I should be apologizing for intruding.”

“There’s no need for that,” Twilight said while shying away.

Figures.

“So,” she started up again, “what brings you to Ponyville?”

A golden glow surrounded the door to the library before it gently closed, Celestia’s horn working its will. She looked around at each of the Elements as she spoke. “I came to see how you and your friends have been doing.” Her eyes rested upon Sorin. “As well as meet your new one.”

She started to trot towards Sorin at a slow pace. “I heard reports that a new—and large—somepony had come to Ponyville recently.” Her eyes met his. “I just didn’t expect you to be quite so tall,” she concluded after glancing at his horn that was slightly closer to the ceiling than her own.

The last thing Sorin wanted was to be near Celestia. While he would eventually face her, he was still considerably weak. Making his spire had drained him of a lot of his newfound energy, and he was still recovering. He could not afford for her to see through his concealment spells and bring half of the Royal Guard to his figurative doorstep.

He assumed she specifically came to meet him since he was new in town. After the Nightmare Moon incident, he could only presume that precautions were at their pinnacle, forcing her to meet such a large stallion for herself just in case.

“A pleasure, Princess Celestia,” he said while bending into a bow, something he did with reluctance. He then rose back to his full height with a smile.

“It’s only fitting I know your name since you already know mine,” she teased before he replied with his name. She found it to be rather exotic for one of her subjects, but she didn’t want to offend him in any way.

Her vision rested on the table that was no doubt being used before her arrival. She motioned a hoof to said table. “Care if I join you?”

“Not at all,” Twilight responded before heading back to her seat. Her friends did the same, Spike getting a beanbag cushion for the princess. Sorin took his place—directly to the right of Celestia—and put a little sugar into his tea. His spoon calmly stirred the drink together.

“I wanted to thank you again for letting me stay in the town library; it’s absolutely wonderful here!”

Clink.

“It really was no problem, Twilight. How have your studies of friendship gone so far?”

“Great! In fact, I was going to write you another letter after our friendly get-together about what I learned today.”

“And what would that be?” Celestia inquired.

“That everypony knows something you don’t,” Twilight eagerly replied.

“Is that so?”

“Yes. I found out today that Sorin here knows how to reset the time flow of an object.”

Clink.

Celestia turned her body towards the stallion in question, fully drawing his attention. He hoped her look of mild concern was not anything to go by for their “first” encounter.

“After many an hour of practice, I learned how,” he quickly explained away. “In truth, it is a simple spell once you understand it.” He knew this to be true based on his translated version of the spell workings.

“I am impressed, Sorin.” A warm smile went across Celestia’s muzzle as she sipped her recently poured tea. “I have only met a few unicorns who can perform such a spell. Even though it is a rather simple spell, it is quite tedious.”

“Well, I have always found the mystic arts very, well… mystifying. I have spent much of my recent time studying its ways.”

The princess seemed satisfied with this because she turned towards Pinkie Pie with a grin.

“I was wondering if I could pick up that vanilla cake early?”

It took a moment for the pink mare to realize what the princess was talking about. “Of course!”

The group giggled for a few moments before silence descended over the room. It was broken again when Celestia cleared her throat in a regal way.

“I must thank you again for protecting Equestria from Nightmare Moon, my little ponies. If it were not for you, I fear what would have happened.” That last remark hung in the air.

“It was nothin’.” Rainbow Dash said in her customary nonchalant tone. “Even if we hadn’t stopped her, you would have shown up and kicked that meanie’s flank!”

Clink.

When everypony looked at her with a somewhat shocked expression, she added, “In a kind way,” with a shrug. This caused the room to break into giggles again.

“What did become of Nightmare Moon?” Sorin asked, curious as to what transpired during his escape.

“Nightmare Moon was purged, but my dear sister survived.”

So, she lives…

Celestia smiled at the memory of seeing her sister for the first time in a millennium, even if it was when she was crying and broken. “I am very thankful I have reunited with her once again.”

Twilight was the first to finish her cup, and that reminded her what they were all discussing before the princess showed up.

“Oh,” she started, “I forgot to ask who this extra ticket to the Gala is for?” The sparkly ticket was in her hoof.

“That,” Celestia’s head turned, “is for Sorin.”

Clink.

“Ooh, ooh, ooh!” Pinkie interjected. “You’ll get to hear the super awesome speech!”

“The what now?” Sorin deadpanned.

“The super awesome speech that Princess Celestia makes every year at the Gala. Not only that, but it always has cool pictures she shows with magic to go with it!” the pink mare stated all too excitedly.

“Why thank you, Pinkie Pie,” Celestia humbly said.

“The speech really is wonderful—or so I’ve heard,” Rarity said.

Clink.

“I’m just glad we all get to go together,” Spike chimed in.

“Yes, thank you so much, princess.” Twilight looked to her friends, who were also smiling in appreciation.

Clink.

“It’s just a speech,” the princess said with the faintest of blushes. Sorin could see through it, though; he could see that she loved the admiration.

“Except that every reporter in Canterlot will be listening to your speech,” Rarity added.

Cling-clang. Sorin dropped his spoon into his cup.

How interesting, he thought while finishing his tea and setting the cup aside. Their unending praise has been most annoying. He pondered this.

If I am to take over Equestria, I must treat it like any other mortal empire. It does not matter how strong an empire is if it is not unified. Without a leader, it will topple with ease. I can not only expose Celestia to her misled and indoctrinated subjects, but I can also send discourse throughout the royal chain in one fell swoop.

“Enough about the Gala, for now, it’s still a ways away,” Celestia interrupted. A maniacal smirk appeared on her face as a folded-up chess board hovered to her side. “Who’s up for a game of chess?” she hummed, practically bursting with excitement.

“I am,” Twilight courageously said.

“Let the games begin!” Pinkie Pie shouted in her party voice, the opposite of the tone Sorin was using inside his head as he said those very same words.

Like always, Twilight was rubbing her horn in frustration as she looked over the battlefield. Her knights had keeled over from the blow of mere pawns, and her queen had been captured by the enemy. Most of her pieces were scattered around the board with no chance of changing the tides. Every time the unicorn had tried to take a valuable unit, her own had been captured within a move or two, crippling her even further. It didn’t help that her opponent was an excellent bluffer either.

Princess Celestia knew every strategy in chess. Being immortal had played a part in that, as well as chess being a staple game of political gatherings. She had seen every opening used by the greats, and more elaborate ones that appeared sporadic but resourceful. From beginners to masters, she had played—and won—countless matches against them all. So, it was no surprise when she finally cornered her student’s king, and calmly said, “Checkmate.”

Baffled, Twilight looked around the board in disbelief. After finally realizing her fate, she grunted in defeat, seeing she had lost. One day, she would win—or so she hoped. One day, she would be able to say “Checkmate!” with confidence, just not today she swore to herself.

Sorin had been keeping to himself and his thoughts until Celestia had audibly cleared her throat after saying something he had missed. Noticing this, he turned towards her with an apologetic look.

“What was that?” he asked.

“Care to play?” she responded, her hooves alluding to the chessboard.

“Why not.”

He sat down on the opposite end of the princess and helped her to reset the board. “I’ll let you take the first move, princess.”

“I warn you now that when it comes to chess, I am not merciful,” she joked, to which Sorin laughed.

“I only predicted as much,” he beamed as he surveyed the board.

“I feel chess is the most effective way to share ideas with somepony.” She moved a pawn without hesitation. “I mean, it is a universal game after all.”

What she said was true, chess being a game of wits and strategy, deception and manipulation, and emotion and composition. He moved his own pawn, directly blocking hers in an effort to reveal her starting plan.

“I agree.”

Her lapse in expression, while invisible to the average pony, was apparent to him as she saw where he had placed his opening pawn. Her hoof went to her chin as she glanced between her queen and his for a moment before she moved one of her knights into the open.

Her tactic has changed.

He answered her move with one that appeared as a counter to hers, but it was actually a bluff. He hoped to force her away so he could move out another piece, which would create a passage to her queen. Not leaping for the bait, Celestia pushed forward.

Aggressive and aware.

In reply, he moved another of his pawns.

“So,” he said, barely above a whisper, “what is it like to run such a large and influential country?”

She swiftly moved another piece before taking a second to reply. “It’s a lot of paperwork,” she said with a chuckle. “But the real work is Court. Every day, I hear out the issues, complaints, and concerns of my little ponies—no matter how insignificant they can sometimes be. I was hoping things would become easier with the release of my sister, but her adjustment to modern society has had some… unforeseen bumps.”

“I see.” Now was the time to test her. To convey a sense of haste, he moved one of his soldiers into an intricate position. He could take out her knight in the next move, so she moved a piece to take the offending piece directly after. “It sounds like a gift to me. You get to influence every decision in your country, even some of the smallest.”

He instead took a pawn with his knight, to which Celestia froze. She moved her knight out of danger, something she had not been expecting to do. This played directly into Sorin’s predictions, for he had never wanted her knight—not yet anyway.

The princess was confused, to say the least. For some reason, her opponent had chosen to take out an insignificant pawn over her very mobile knight, and to her shame, she had tensed up and donned a shocked visage as a result.

Returning to stone, she reevaluated the board and made her next move in a way that reflected what appeared to be Sorin’s conservative strategy.

“A more unique method,” she glossed over.

She is trying to mimic my move in a way to make me think she has seen my strategy before.

To him, chess’s most important element was deception. The first of his two corrupted rules was that strategy was pointless. He had no strategy, he instead devised a plan in every game he played. He would always offer his opponent the first move, and they usually eagerly accept it. As they made their moves, he would dissect their method until he mastered the perfect counter. If they caught on, he would seamlessly transition to a well-known way of playing to throw them off.

The more he thought of it, his strategy was no strategy. His unpredictability left his opponents guessing, which would leave them exposed to him as they tried to counter his facade. It would be then that he would finish them off.

The second of his rules was that every piece on the board was equal. Not only did that further leave people guessing, but it also helped him win. If you held a pawn in the same regard as a queen, you would only sacrifice it if it was completely necessary and in your favor.

Sorin made his move. She made hers, taking one of his pieces.

“I’ve heard the Gala is a prestigious social event, but what is it like for you?”

Another move.

“It’s actually rather enjoyable. Sure, during the event I mainly have light discussions with the nobles, but I like to see my little ponies enjoying themselves after the months of planning for the event.”

A piece fell.

“Organization can be a headache,” he said before turning to Twilight and saying, “for most of us.”

“It’s an essential part of the job.” The princess had taken most of Sorin’s powerful players, while she had lost all of her pawns and only a couple of her stronger warriors. What she did not know was that she had fallen into his hands.

“I hate to say it, princess, but we are reaching the endgame.” He had been studying her every reaction to his moves to further break down her plan. He had learned that she leaped at the chance of aggression, which left him free to make his moves.

“Check.” In a single move, he flipped the board. She looked to her defenses, only to realize she had none that she could easily afford to lose. She sacrificed a bishop to protect herself.

“It has been a pleasure; well played,” Sorin smugly said before taking the bishop.

Move after move, Celestia watched him somehow gain total control of the board. Only moments ago, she had been the one pushing him back. She took one last look at the playing field before he made his final move, sealing her fate.

“Checkmate.”

“I am impressed by you again, Sorin.”

She was more impressed than she wanted to admit. Not only had he beaten her, but he had played on her emotions to make her think she was winning until the very end. She had seen him perfectly counter some of her moves, letting him take a piece, only for him to retract his advance, leaving her guessing. Never in her entire life had she played chess with somepony like him. It was rather enlightening if she was being honest.

“I have not lost a game in decades, and yet you have shown this mare that she still has much to learn.” She clapped her hooves together a few times in applause of his victory.

“How did you do it?” Twilight butted in, amazed that she had seen her mentor beaten for the first time.

With a chortle, the stallion claimed, “It was all in the patterns.” Or lack thereof, he thought to himself.

Celestia looked outside, only to realize that it was getting late, for she would have to lower the sun soon. She collected the board before it disappeared in her magic glow. She stood up from her cushion chair and adjusted her regalia before clearing her throat.

“As much as I’d love to stay, my little ponies, it is getting late and I must return to Canterlot. It was good to see you all again, and it was a pleasure to meet you, Sorin.” She bowed to signal her exit before heading towards the door. “I look forward to seeing each of you at the Gala!” Everypony waved her goodbye as she left the library with a motherly smile and went into the air with one powerful flap of her wings. The group gathered back to the center of the room, noting the time.

“I have to get back to my cottage; I don’t want to leave my animal friends waiting,” Fluttershy whispered sheepishly. “Goodbye, everyone!”

“I gotta go too,” Rainbow Dash said while going towards the exit.

One by one, everypony except Twilight, Spike, and Sorin left after ushering their goodbyes. As the wooden door closed at the back of the last pony to leave, Twilight let out a sigh of relief.

“I was not expecting that.” She and Spike returned the library to how it was before the social gathering. “I also didn’t think we were going to be here so long.”

“No worries, it was great to meet your friends, Twilight Sparkle.”

“It is getting pretty late, so I’m going to head off to bed.” She went to the base of the stairs. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Sorin.”

“Goodnight.”

Halfway up the stairs, she turned back. “You come too, Spike.” With a grunt, he followed her.

Sorin found himself alone in the library as he heard the upper lock click close.

“Hmmph,” he mouthed to himself. He had felt Celestia prodding at him—magically speaking—throughout the day when she thought he was distracted. His concealment spells had managed to hide his true nature from her, which made him more confident in his Equestrian magic. He still needed time to deal with the orbital cannon that was the Elements of Harmony and their embodiments since he was likely not strong enough to stop them yet.

Speaking of, he would have to prepare for the Gala. The princess’s speech would be the perfect time to sow doubt into Equestria’s citizens. The press would work to his advantage by spreading the story to the far reaches of the land. And if he was to expose Celestia’s darker side that he knew to exist, he would have to know what to use as ammunition.

He looked around the treehouse and briefly glanced out the windows to ensure nopony was nearby. He lifted a foreleg into the air and observed it for a moment.

His razor-sharp horn slid across the inside of his leg as it cut through the skin like paper. He grunted in discomfort as his blood was exposed. The black substance squirmed around within his wound, searching for something to latch onto like a leech. He closed his eyes as he concentrated on controlling his blood.

The mysterious liquid cascaded from his cut and into the air, spiraling around itself in a wicked dance. The metallic-like liquid pooled into a sphere that hovered above his hoof. As he opened his eyes, his skin sealed back up and his coat covered up any evidence of his minor injury.

He extended his hoof, and the sphere of blood floated through the air. With a devilish grin that went from ear to ear, he whispered to his black blood, the words reverberating around the room like a chilling echo.

“Find Princess Celestia.”

With that command, the liquid gained its own will, instantly dropping to the ground and flowing over the wooden floorboards like water. It slipped under the threshold of the front door, exiting the treehouse with a schlick sound and leaving no trace of itself behind.

Maybe he would enjoy the Gala after all…

Chapter 6: Declarations

“What can I do for you, Twilight Sparkle?” Princess Celestia asked upon seeing her stout pupil enter.

The princess was in the Canterlot throne room, sitting in Equestria’s literal and figurative seat of power. Today had been a quick Court session, something she was rarely so blessed to have, so she was free to lend any help to her personal student. In fact, she looked forward to it. Assisting her student gave a certain rush that made her feel needed and appreciated.

Twilight saw Celestia wearing the motherly smile she had come to adore as a child. She remembered how it had brought her warmth on many cold nights, how it had cheered her spirits when she was down, and how it had given her will when she was broken. But today, it gave her unease.

She slowly trotted to the foot of the large set of stairs leading to the throne. She wanted to speak, but she felt so afraid that she could not.

Spotting her worried expression, Celestia leaned in.

I wonder what is bothering her? she thought to herself.

“What is it, dear?”

“I-I—” Twilight tried to begin, falling short as she collapsed to the ground. Her ears fell further, and her eyes became moist. “I-I-I can’t fix it.”

Puzzled, Celestia moved her muzzle lower to comfort her student.

“Fix what, my dear Twilight?”

Twilight only looked up and into the eyes of her mentor, all life devoid of her own.

She is starting to worry me.

“Hmm?” she mouthed as kindly as possible, prompting a response.

“M-my spell backfired. I accidentally hurt Spike. The spell was supposed to help him get better food, b-but it wasn’t made for dragons.” Tears began to roll down her cheeks. “H-he…”

Poor Twilight.

“How bad was he hurt?”

“He’s in t-the h-hospital. The doctor said he m-might not be able… t-to walk a-again.” Her words were becoming more fumbled as she tried to explain.

“A-are you m-mad at m-me? Are you going to d-disown me?” she asked, truly worried.

“Of course not. You did not intentionally harm him. It was merely an accident.”

“You’re not mad?” Twilight asked, hope in her eyes.

Celestia lowered her head even further.

“No.”

Twilight sighed in relief—far too early.

“What I am,” Celestia began, “is disappointed.”

What? I didn’t mean to say that, or at least it came out wrong.

Twilight shrunk back down again, beginning to learn her place.

“I am disappointed that my student could be so reckless. How could you not think to research how it would affect dragons? They are completely different in anatomy to ponies.”

She was reckless, but that came off rather harsh.

Celestia stood up from her throne, pacing in the room. The guards in the corners looked at her with apprehension.

“I am disappointed that you HOSPITALIZED the only dragon in Equestria, the only one who can communicate with me directly.”

What am I saying? I can’t be saying this, can I?

“I mean, relations with the dragons have been poor at best. Spike was our future. Having a dragon on our side who can communicate directly with me would be crucial to making a peace treaty after all these years.”

Twilight's tears were in full effect now. The floor was becoming her close friend, as dirt should be accustomed to.

“But now you’re telling me he may never even walk—let alone fly someday?” Celestia asked—or demanded rather—turning her head as to open up her ear canal, the flap of her ear standing.

“T-the d-d-doctor said it w-was l-likely.”

Celestia slammed her hoof onto the floor, cracking the beautiful tile under her hoof into a thousand pieces.

“Do you know what will happen because of this?” She paced in the other direction. “The dragons will find out we have an infant dragon and that he is seriously injured. They will view it as an act of war and send dragons to Equestria.”

I don’t know that for sure.

“Yes, you do. They will come and they will rain fire down upon all of Equestria.”

Did I just speak to myself? What is going on here?

“Do you want everypony in Ponyville to be burned alive, Twilight?” The unicorn in question released a torrent of tears onto the ground as she sobbed.

That is ENOUGH. I am going to apologize.

As she tried to, the only words that came out were, “Do you?”

“N-no!”

“I doubt it because you are a traitor who just doomed your country. You are pathetic, useless, weak, and a failure.” Her voice became laced with venom as she spoke, now shouting her words. The guards shifted their hooves uneasily.

Celestia walked towards Twilight with a scowl on her face. She bent down to her student, who looked up and saw that motherly smile she desperately wanted to see right now.

“Twilight,” she started, “you are useless to me.”

The unicorn’s hopes were shattered with those last five words.

Celestia retracted her head and began to feel her anger. How could Twilight be so impudent? How could she be so foolish?

As Twilight tried to stand, she suddenly felt that she could not. She then felt herself being lifted off the ground.

What am I doing?!

The horror flooded in as she levitated her into the air. With a forceful push, she hurled her across the throne room.

With a loud crack, Twilight slammed into the stone walls, tumbling onto the ground and once again learning her place as a hoofstool.

Celestia came to her student, seeing the blood oozing from her many wounds. One of her forelegs had been twisted the wrong way from the punishment.

Stop.

The princess reached out a hoof to help, only to slam it down on the already broken leg. Twilight wailed in pain and writhed on the floor like the bug she was. She was only learning to act like her kind.

STOP!

Celestia laughed as she heard the screams. She lifted her hoof, seeing blood smeared onto her golden horseshoe.

“W-w-why?” Twilight managed to say in broken breaths. Every part of her body burned, but that felt like nothing compared to what she was feeling.

“I’m punishing you,” Celestia stated without hesitation. “You are a traitor as I said, and do you know how we punish traitors?”

No.

Twilight gulped heavily. Her eyes widened as she remembered the tales of traitors and their fates. “D-d-d-d—” she tried to say.

“DEATH!” Celestia roared, shaking the very foundation of the room. Pieces of rock dropped from the ceiling, clattering onto the ground. She levitated Twilight off the floor with her golden magic, stopping the squirming fiend from moving.

No! Stop! What am I doing?! This isn’t me—Twilight, you have to believe me!

“She cannot hear you, no one can.”

Dear Faust… Celestia began to beg within her mind.

“Come closer—” Celestia whispered, bringing the criminal to just a foot from the end of her horn.

“—and BURN!”

In an instant, her horn was consumed in a raging inferno of fire. The flames flickered, dancing on the insect’s flesh and making it wince in pain.

Good.

The fire shot forth, washing over it and engulfing its entire body in an orange blaze. It began to scream in unparalleled agony as its fur burned away and its skin charred. Worst of all was the heat. The force of the flame made it feel like everything was melting, and therefore further cooking it into a living crisp.

Screams upon screams fell on Celestia’s deaf ears as she continued to scorch.

Please! Anything, just stop hurting her!

There is no her, the voice of a demon spoke within her mind. There is only it, only creature.

The screams were becoming fainter and fainter as what used to be a mare was becoming a thin, black rock. The cries had also become distorted beyond repair, sounding like a thousand buzzing hornets all trying to scream at once.

Stop, you monster! Let it go! Celestia thundered.

It? the voice responded while snickering. You accept it is an it. Therefore it has no life.

No! T-that’s not what…

Accept it. It is not a life, it is only something to be thrown aside.

NO! SHE IS A LIFE!

Really? Look at her.

Celestia had not noticed the screams had ceased. She had not felt her flames stop. She had not felt the lighter weight of what she was still levitating.

When she looked through her eyes once again, she reared back in horror, disgust, and fear all at the same time.

Looking back at her, were two black orbs with no emotion. There was an outline of what was once a pony but was now a black skeleton, lacking life entirely. Frozen on what remained of its face, was a look of betrayal, betrayal by her own mother.

“Twilight!” Celestia screamed as she saw her student. She was so shocked that her magic faltered, releasing the thing in her grasp. She lunged her hooves forward to grab its remains so she could heal it.

Instead, it hit the floor, utterly shattering into millions of shards, each fragment almost invisible in size. The black pieces exploded outward, spreading in every direction from the princess.

NOOOOOO!

The voice laughed as she tried to sob over her dead student, only to find herself smiling the first genuine smile in centuries.

You killed her…

She sucked in an enormous gasp as she was instantly pulled into the waking world. She sat up so fast she felt lightheaded but did not mind, for she was free of the nightmare. She threw the covers aside and stood up, observing it was still nighttime.

“Where is my sister when you need her?” she joked to herself. “Just a nightmare. They can’t hurt you… usually.”

She rubbed her hooves over her fur, warming herself up despite being hot at that moment. The chill of that voice was still stuck in her spine, and she was slowly getting rid of it. The warm feeling of her room was spreading through her again, from the head down.

The wave of heat washed over her, down her chest and to her back. Then, it hit her flank.

She felt herself being pulled into something, almost like a dream, as she opened her eyes in a new landscape. It looked familiar to her, but yet it was so different.

She turned around, seeing Canterlot. There were fewer towers here, so it had to be from roughly… a thousand years ago; the same time she had to banish her sister to the moon.

She looked over the city, seeing her ponies all happy and full of joy. It brought a smile to her face.

But then, the chill returned, making her shiver. Suddenly it seemed very cold, and the air became distorted with fog. She went forward, hoping to get to her probably confused ponies.

As she got closer, she saw them coming out from their houses and gathering in the Canterlot Courtyard, looking for the source of the fog.

The princess and her ponies found it, thick fog seeping out from the mouth of the castle. The metal gates were invisible, completely overtaken by cloudy air.

Celestia readied her horn to dispel the phenomenon, but she stopped as she felt a sudden thump in the earth. The ponies felt it too, for they looked to their left and saw something most frightening.

Rising from the earth, a tentacle that dwarfed even Canterlot’s towers was beginning to flail around. Blue, ice-like crystal chucks were embedded into the fleshy limb in numerous areas, the end of the tentacle being a ball of the same substance. With more scrutiny, Celestia realized it was not a ball, but a spiked mass made of the crystal.

Before she could finish looking at it, another one rose from the ground, this one with a normal tentacle end.

More and more burst from the ground like lesions on the ill, drowning out the sky. From the gates of Canterlot, whispers floated through the air.

As they reached the ears of the nearby ponies, they sunk. They suddenly felt alien feelings such as doubt, fear, hatred, and betrayal. They turned to one another, anger tinting their eyes.

They dove into each other, ramming hoof to fur as they began to brawl.

“Deceit.”

“Betrayal.”

“Lies.”

“Fear.”

The whispers continued to come from the gates, only becoming louder and louder, spurring more ponies to come out and brawl.

Celestia ran to the town center, attempting to break up the fights but to no avail. She settled on the cause, rushing to the gates and being blinded by the thick fog. It was not a normal fog, for she could hardly breathe through it, almost like it was not oxygen.

With her magic, she dispelled the cloud of the strange mist, sending it flying away.

Now standing behind the gates, was a pony she had forgotten.

His brown skin that was somehow fur drew her eyes, and then his glowing eyes stole her gaze. They were like miniature black holes, sucking her soul and yielding to nothing as they stared at her.

The tentacles plunged. They slammed into the crowd of ponies, stabbing some and impaling others together. One maced tentacle crushed a dozen or so ponies, including a few foals.

Her eyesight was still controlled by the orbs looking into her. His mouth moved as he spoke with the voice she remembered most from her encounter. Before she heard it, she saw her bedroom again, the moon not having moved at all. She felt the hot air again, but it did nothing to assuage her chill.

“Hello, princess…”

Celestia remembered herself screaming. Her heart tensed as she realized none of it was just a dream; it was a warning.

Sorin had awoken so early that the sun had not yet risen. In fact, the moon was still a decent distance above the land.

It had been a few weeks since Trixie had come to town, and since then he had shared magical theories and spells with Twilight, learning a useful spell to send a letter directly to the princess. While he could not perform the magic since it was to the princess only, he had begun to dissect the spell's workings to create a version he could use for other purposes. Being able to send a letter almost instantly could be an advantage in the future.

He decided to forgo his morning routine since there was still time before dawn. He could feel that his blood had conjoined with Celestia, and in so doing, alerting the princess to his presence. The moment of truth had arrived; would his new persona of Sorin be suspected?

His efforts to befriend the Elements had gone considerably well, he felt, so he was betting on that. Meeting Celestia also increased his chances of being passed over. Lastly, he had woven her nightmare in such a way that it would lead to her overlooking his current form.

Before he could think further, his concentration was broken. He could feel something reaching out to him through his blood. He called this the bloodline.

The bloodline was a direct link between his blood and his essence, allowing instant contact with him from anywhere his blood was.

Since he has only released his blood in one area so far, he knew the message was coming from the spire he had constructed. The tingling of the network became clearer as words formed, a familiar voice scratching out the sounds.

“Lord Yogg-Saron, it is I, Vultrax. I request your presence at The Spire. I hope you like the name I came up with.”

A devout follower, it seems.

Sorin was pleased that the windigo had managed to master communication through the bloodline in such a short time. Most spirits could only use it after years of practice, and yet Vultrax had done so in a little less than a month.

He threw his cloak on and locked the door before going to the center of his room. He started to form the spell, imagining the cold wasteland where he had created his first monument.

Within seconds, energy swirled around him, beginning to engulf his surroundings. Then, everything disappeared in a flash, and when he opened his eyes, he was standing on a mountain.

The chill of the air hit him hard as he felt the ground slosh beneath his hooves. In front of him was what remained of the griffon settlement he had slaughtered. Burned buildings and piles of bones were all that was left of a once flourishing town.

“I’m glad you came,” a spectral voice called from behind him. Turning around, Sorin was greeted with the partially transparent face of Vultrax.

“I am glad as well; it is good to see you again, Vultrax.”

“While I enjoy the formalities, I called you for two reasons. The first—if I may—” Vultrax began, pointing a hoof back to the center of town. One of them trotted forward while the other walked on air, but they stayed at each other's side.

They reached the base of the rocky structure that seemed to absorb all light it came into contact with.

“—is that The Spire has continued to spread your blood with unmatched speed.” He gestured over the landscape. “It has covered the entire mountain-top and has already climbed halfway down its sides.”

The ground Sorin walked on was covered in the darkness of his blood, and so was the entire village. The ruins were consumed by it, black crystals jutting out in random directions from them. The rocks on the mountain-top had been turned into a very similar material that was growing ever so slightly.

“The Spire. I like it.”

Realizing what Sorin was talking about, Vultrax nodded. “Thank you, master.”

“Yes, it has spread, but not enough to make a stake in the surrounding territories.”

“And that brings me to my second reason for summoning you: expansion. While your blood is spreading on its own, I feel it will grow faster if it connects with a living host. Imagine the power of such a creature as you mentioned before. They would be able to carry out your commands while you are still in Ponyville.” It had taken a while to come to that conclusion, but it seemed to hold weight, according to Vultrax.

“Correct you are. Such a prospect would further my campaign. I should have enough power regenerated to turn mortals to my will. Speaking of, I think I know just who to turn,” Sorin said, walking towards the pile of bones surrounding The Spire. He smiled as he looked down at the remains of his victims.

“What can you tell me about griffons in terms of physical ability?” he asked his servant.

“They are excellent hunters in their natural state—some of the best on Equus. Since relations with Equestria opened, they have become more docile, but I doubt these exiles have turned to such weaknesses. Their bodies should still be accustomed to agility and hunting.

“Their toned wings make them some of the strongest fliers on Equus, and their beaks and talons make them dangerous at close range. What they lack in stealth, they certainly make up for in brute strength and mobility.”

Wonderful.

“Yes, they certainly sound… useful. Their predatory instincts and features mixed with my blood should produce a most vicious result. I am pleased by your observations, Vultrax. You have proven your worth to me so far.”

Sorin’s horn ignited, and with it, the bones strewn across the earth. They rattled in the magical grip and began to lift into the air. Vultrax watched as the fragments moved towards one another, forming the shapes of winged creatures. Tiny pieces of rotted flesh shot towards the bones, latching onto them and connecting the skeletal dots.

What were once skeletons gained tendon and muscle strands as they resembled more of a griffon. Sorin strained as he mentally connected every fiber, tying them together like a web made flesh.

The next stage started as patches of Sorin’s fur darkened, his ichor seeping from his skin. It weaved its way through the air, strands forming into a helix-like formation as it approached the constructs held in the air. The saronite latched onto the flesh, spreading over the tissue and connecting the rest of the skeletons. Another layer formed over the muscles, and then another after that as the creatures were built.

Sweat pooled around Sorin’s forehead as his concentration piqued, the last part commencing.

With a surge of magical might, his blood forced its way into the bones, conjoining with the genetic coding held within the marrow. The two beings mixed as the Old God overpowered the griffons, easily taking control of their host cells. Their bodies fully turned into shadow, their skin becoming darker than any night as their full features came into existence.

What were now fully formed adult griffons breathed their first undead breath as their eyes opened, glowing with the same energy as Sorin’s eyes.

He released his magical grip, letting his new minions fall to the ground. As their instincts activated, they caught their fall, landing on their talons and raising their wings in defense. Their wings seemed to drip shadow, and their mouths had a similar effect. There had to be about fifty of the new creatures in front of him, each of them baring their fangs in rabid hunger.

He smiled at his work.

Her chamber doors burst open as an armored stallion rushed into the room, ready to stave off whatever had tried to attack the princess. He was surprised to find no attacker, just Princess Celestia worriedly shaking.

It took a moment for him to wipe the look of shock from his face, and he quickly looked around to be sure of no intrusions. Everything appeared to be normal, except the princess herself.

“Are you alright, your highness?” the stallion asked with a somewhat deep voice for a pony.

His fur was white, like most of the Royal Guard. It was required that everypony inducted into the Royal Guard underwent a spell to hide their identities for safety reasons. The only way to tell them all apart was their rank, body shape, and voice.

Celestia craned her head to get a look at the stout guard who had charged into her bedroom at the sound of potential danger. Based on his voice and physique, the stallion had to be Steel Bastion, one of her most trusted guards.

He had been selected from the Royal Guard recruits to be one of her personal guardians. She had made sure he was always one of the two guardsponies standing outside her doors.

“I am fine, Bastion.” His wings returned to his sides, his golden armor rattling as he did so. He raised his head and stood at attention.

“While I am fine, I fear for Equestria’s safety,” she said, conveying concern through her words. “Go get my sister; she must meet me at once.”

Suddenly understanding the situation, Bastion snapped around and marched towards the exit.

“Oh, and Bastion,” Celestia said, stopping him in his tracks, “thank you.”

“Of course, princess.” He turned back around and started down the halls. The ancient stone walls flashed by as he sprinted, knowing a sense of urgency in the situation.

He quickly found himself at the door of the Lunar Alicorn. The two guards at the entrance smacked the butt of their spears onto the ground.

“Princess Celestia requests an audience with her highness at once.”

The two guards nodded in unison, and Bastion pushed the two doors. He had to use his hindlegs to get them moving, easily forcing them open after that.

“Princess Luna,” he called.

The alicorn in question stood from her desk, approaching him. “Yes?”

“Your sister requests your presence at once.”

She nodded in understanding, already trotting through the exit. Bastion followed closely behind until they both entered Celestia’s room, closing the doors behind them.

“Dear sister, we have something very important to tell you,” Celestia said in her dire sounding tone.

“What is it?”

“I just had a dream of a day one thousand years ago. I was in Canterlot when something attacked the city and the ponies within. I went to the castle gates, only to find a pony I have long forgotten about.”

Bastion was standing attentive, not entirely sure if he was supposed to be hearing all of this. It seemed to be something above his pay grade. Nevertheless, he would listen as if it was any other briefing.

“Who was it, sister?” Luna asked, beginning to feel uneased by how shaken up Celestia seemed.

She gulped, her mouth suddenly feeling drier than before.

“Yogg-Saron.”

Bastion had never heard such a name before, but he knew it meant something important to the diarchs because Princess Luna seemed to lose all composure at that moment.

“A-are you sure it was not just a dream?” she tried to reason.

“I am afraid not, sister. We must go to his prison and see for ourselves if he has managed to escape.” Celestia went to the entrance, her sister by her side.

“Bastion,” she ordered, “what you have heard is to stay strictly between us for now. Do you understand?”

“Yes, princess.”

“Good, because you will be accompanying us to a place we wished to never see again.”

The three ponies left the bedroom, heading through the Canterlot halls and to the lower floors. They went to the very back of the castle, a place few ponies ever went. Mostly forgotten items were stored at that end of the castle, but the princesses went over to a specific black door.

Celestia aligned her horn with one of the two holes on it, carefully inserting it into the opening. Gears turned as the door clicked open, the princess removing her horn.

With a loud grinding sound, the doors retracted into the walls, fully opened.

“Held within these halls are weapons of great danger and power, but they also hold cells. We are looking for one in particular,” Luna tried to explain as they went through the entrance.

Bastion was met with the smell of mildew. The air seemed moist, almost damp, and had a light stench to it. It reminded him of rotten food left out for too long on the counter. On top of that, there was fog that made the area darker than it should have been.

The rows of torches on the stone walls lit up, illuminating the hallway.

This section of the castle had been built first to ensure that anything stored away would be kept safe for centuries to come. It had done so, safeguarding some of Equestria’s strongest artifacts, weapons, and armor.

The group came across a door marked with the drawing of a crystal on it. Grabbing a set of keys from the wall, Bastion unlocked the door and pushed it open.

Thicker fog spilled from the room as he did, but they entered regardless.

“This room was designed to hold a powerful crystal but was later used to hold the pony in my dreams, the crystal powering the wards placed on his chains,” Celestia spoke.

The two alicorns squinted their eyes as they tried to see through the dark fog. It was then that Luna remembered.

“Is this room not supposed to be lit up by the crystal itself?” she thought out loud.

“Yes, it is.”

The alicorns flapped their wings in a powerful burst, sending the fog flying in every direction.

As Celestia used her horn to cast light over the room, Bastion saw a strange area at the end of the chamber. There was a raised platform engraved with various alien looking runes, and the ceiling had a giant hole in it. The strangest thing though was the broken chains lying discarded on the ground.

The princesses gasped as they spotted these, and then they saw the hole in the rocky ceiling.

“He’s gone,” Luna whispered in realization.

“And so is the crystal,” Celestia whispered back.

She dreaded saying the next three words, but they had to be declared.

“Yogg-Saron is free.”

Bastion—despite his years of training—started to panic. Even though he did not know who or what Yogg-Saron was, the two strongest beings in all of Equestria were beginning to shudder from the very thought of him being free.

Royal Instincts kicking back in, Celestia forced herself to stay calm. She looked to Bastion, knowing what she must do.

“Steel Bastion, I need you to gather all available Royal Guard. Send them to every corner of Equestria in search of an earth pony. This pony has fur that looks like some type of brown skin, and his eyes might be glowing black.

“He could not have been free for long, so tell them he should have arrived about a week or two ago. Lastly, investigate any magical disturbances in Equestria.”

Bastion took a mental note of everything the princess asked, making sure to remember the description of the pony.

“Deliver a report to me on their findings as soon as possible. Tell them only that they are searching for a criminal.”

“It shall be done. And, just how bad is this pony?”

“We know not where he came from, only that he broke through our planetary defenses. We do not know how strong he is, but the very fact he got through our defenses at all means he holds a worrying amount of power.

“To answer your question, the pony held within this cell seemed evil in every sense of the word. While he stood no threat against us at the time, he managed to break free of his prison, a prison strong enough to hold one of us…”

Now fully aware, Bastion left the chamber to do as he was told, leaving the two princesses alone.

Celestia looked shaken to her core. While Luna had not seen her dream, she could tell it was a scarring one.

“Sister,” she said, “I fear darkness may be upon us.”

“I so dearly hope not. We have no idea what he is capable of, so let us hope he used all of his power to escape, but the worst may be yet to come…”

“Minions,” he called out, causing fifty heads to turn towards him. He let his true voice take over as he prepared his next words.

Vultrax sensed this, being able to somehow feel the mass of hatred channeled into the stallion’s body through simply a voice. Being a windigo allowed him to sense emotions like that, making feeding off hate all the easier for his kind.

“Your fate is bound to me,” Sorin stated.

“Iam your destiny.”

“Iam your god.”

“I am all that you are.”

“I have returned your souls from the depths to your shattered and broken bodies, but I have gifted you with my blood. With it, you are reborn in my image, the image of the Void.

“Be thankful, for you will be a monster amongst sheep. Your every move will strike fear in your enemies, and your blows will rival those of titans. This new body comes with a new title for your kind: Shadowstrikers.

“You will serve my will eternal, but you will also answer to your new commander—” he said, turning his body to face the ghostly creature beside him.

“—Vultrax.”

The windigo was caught off guard by his master’s words. He was not expecting to have such trust placed in him so soon. He did not doubt in the slightest that he would rise to the occasion, though. He would show he deserved power in the world.

“I have bestowed you authority over my minions so you may learn to command.”

He will need it if all goes to plan.

“I trust you will do well to alert me of any matters requiring my attention.” Sorin walked past Vultrax, headed into an open area. He gave him a look, signaling for the commander to address his soldiers.

It had not taken long for the first sweep to be completed. The Royal Guard had employed the local guards to search their individual towns, the Royal Guards overseeing the searches. Every one of them had yielded no Yogg-Saron, no information, and no leads. Another search would be conducted shortly to hopefully catch him while he tried to relocate. Until then, it had been fruitless.

Steel Bastion had spoken with every member of the dispatched Royal Guard, writing down failed search after failed search. After a few hours, he had generated a formal report detailing the exact number of houses swept and their findings.

He marched through the Canterlot halls again, this time headed to the throne room. He had received instructions to notify the princesses immediately when he finished his report, so he was going to have to interrupt Night Court—not that there was much going on during that Court.

The guards let him pass, opening the doors in the castle to let him into the chamber. He walked in, attracting the attention of everypony inside.

“Princess Luna, my report is ready.” He pulled out a thick scroll from his side, approaching the grand steps.

Luna stepped down from the throne and went up to him, whispering in his ear, “Meet me and my sister here in half an hour.” She took the report and held it to her chest.

He exited, returning to his duties while he waited.

The half-hour passed, and he returned to the now empty room. His lack of sleep was starting to get to him as he almost bumped into Luna since it was so dark.

Celestia had been discussing with her sister when he came in, and they turned their attention to him.

“Steel Bastion,” Luna began, “thou hast done us a great service today. We wish for thee to continue with most vigilant watch for Yogg-Saron, but for now, rest well. Report to us any information thou receives.”

He bowed in respect and went along his way. He passed on the orders before returning to his post.

Celestia faced her sister again.

“With no information, we will be forced to wait until he makes a move. We can’t even inform the public unless we want to cause mass panic. Who knows what they do if they hear of an alien that managed to elude our guards.”

“So we shall be perched poultry, it seems.”

“Sitting ducks.”

“What?” Luna asked, clearly puzzled.

“We will be sitting ducks, Luna.”

“We see.”

“I am afraid that is the case. I pray we find him before any of our little ponies fall victim to him.”

“We can only hope,” Luna replied. “We can only hope,” she quietly repeated to herself.

“Servants of Yogg-Saron, my first command to you is simple; go out into the west and feed, spreading the influence of your new master.”

The griffons shot into the air, scattering snow everywhere as they launched.

Sorin looked on in delight as they flew over the landscape at incredible speed, releasing cries of predators. Their wings stretched out longer than they previously did, blanketing the skies with their presence.

He was pleased.

Equestria had been upturned in search of the frail pony he was when he arrived on the planet. They would never find him, for he had embraced an entirely new body, and with it, a new personality. He made sure he left no trace of his former self behind.

“They will follow your every command without question and with undying loyalty, Vultrax.”

“I will not disappoint.”

“So I trust,” he replied. “Their abilities are satisfactory. I feel they will make for an excellent first clutch of minions.”

“Indeed, master,” Vultrax answered, looking on in the distance at the fading images of the Shadowstrikers, hearing the last echo of their wicked screeches.

Chapter 7: The Gala Part 1

Ever since Celestia discovered Yogg-Saron’s escape, she has been plagued by his whispers. Throughout her day, she would hear him voicing wicked thoughts into her mind as she tried to ignore him.

“They think you to be weak. Embrace your true nature and strike them down; show them your power!”

“She insults you with her words. Rip out her tongue so you may silence her forever.”

“Show him his place and burn him!”

These were the things she had started to hear during her Court sessions. It started with a few muffled words once during the day, but it has since grown to the point where she hears him every few hours. His words have become clearer, almost driving her to do the terrible things he wants. She has managed to stay strong, holding off his whispers, but she fears how much longer she can withstand them.

She has also been tormented in her dreams. Every night, she relives painful memories of her past, ranging from banishing her sister to the deaths of her students, each of them more hurtful than the last. His voice echoes through her dreams, almost as if he is watching them, searching for something.

It was an ordinary night, despite the late hour Celestia was going to bed at. Court had lasted far longer than she wanted due to a certain prince complaining of having childish nightmares about a “monster.” After a long debate, she told him to go to Night Court and get her sister to help rid him of his night terrors.

So, when she finally plopped into bed, bounding over her floor, she felt sleep taking her within seconds. As she snuggled into her silky pillows, she knew she would feel rejuvenated in the morning.

The downside to this was that she would now have to deal with the anguish of her dreams. She hoped they would be quick since she was not going to be asleep for lo—

As she tried to finish that thought, she entered the dream world.

A dark void filled her distorted vision, but the darkness eventually turned into colors and then into shapes. She could make out the images of a stone arena, the type used long ago to host gladiator tournaments.

The image became clear, and her senses returned as she saw the arena. The large stone stands of the coliseum were filled with ponies. They were all watching as Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were making a speech. Celestia did not know what she was saying because she was fixated on the ponies in front of her.

Three stallions and two mares were locked into wooden stocks, chained to the arena floor. They each had sweat pouring from their bodies, likely due to the searing heat of the sun and their uncomfortable position. Their front hooves were held in the two small holes of the stock, while their necks had wood clamped around them. They knew what was coming, and they knew they had been the ones to put themselves in the bind they found themselves in, but that did not make the fear crawling up their backs go away.

Celestia heard her talking stop, knowing her speech had ended. She remembered this moment well, for it was one of the ones she came to regret the most in her life. That also meant she knew what was about to happen.

“Citizens of Equestria!” Luna shouted, silencing the murmurs of the crowd. “Thou hast come to witness the execution of the bandits who hath pillaged Equestria’s caravans. As thou knowest, they have been responsible for a many robberies on what used to be safe paths. Today, they answer for their transgressions.

“As declared in section four of Equestrian law, anypony whom hast robbed travelers, resulting in the death of a pony will be punished with death. Since the nature of such crimes is so egregious, they face the ultimate retribution by death: The Sun’s Hammer.”

The crowd turned to uproar as Luna laid out the fates of the criminals, most of the onlookers cheering. They had heard the story of the Rich family, learning of their family member who was killed by the five ponies about to be killed. The crowd wanted to see them die.

Luna turned to her sister, signaling for Celestia to begin the ritual.

Celestia felt her legs move forward and then begin down the steps. She tried to stop herself, even though she knew it was pointless. She had walked down from the high platform she had been sitting on and had now lowered onto the platform where a group of Royal Guards was positioned.

Coming from nowhere in the dream, yet sounding like it was coming from everywhere all at once, she heard the voice of her tormentor.

“What’s this?”

Inevitability washed over her as she felt her wings unfurling to her sides, displaying her full form. Her horn lifted so it was pointing directly upwards to the sun that loomed overhead.

Her eyes lit up with the fire of the sun, instantly becoming a glowing inferno of raw power as she began to lift into the air. The ground rumbled, and the crowd started to shout as the air suddenly became far hotter than it was a minute ago. Celestia’s vision became red as her body became one with the sun, connecting to its fury.

The five ponies felt the sweat on their bodies sizzle as it turned into steam. Their eyes widened as the sun became brighter, so bright it almost blinded them. The arena seemed to glow white as the ground burned their raw hooves. They looked at Celestia, trying to plead for their lives with whatever they had left. It was too late, for she had already brought down the hammer.

She felt the instant link of her magic and the celestial body above her as a beam of pure heat shot down from the sky and towards the arena. The last thing she saw of the ponies were their begging faces as everything turned white.

With a thunderous clap, a beam landed around the criminals, engulfing their bodies entirely. The five ponies were exposed to the temperature of the sun’s surface as their whole bodies caught on fire. Their screams never escaped their mouths as their faces were incinerated and their bodies reduced to ash. The ground turned black as the sun’s wrath scorched away all living things caught in its path.

The ponies who were watching had to cover their eyes as the brightness became unbearable to look at. No one was foolish enough to continue to look because they knew they would be permanently blinded.

As quickly as it had started, Celestia’s horn returned to its normal state, and the solar beam dispersed. She floated back onto the ground, her eyes no longer glowing. Her hooves gripped back onto the stone as she looked at what she had done.

Where there were once ponies, there was nothing but scorch marks on the ground. Just like that, they had been erased from history completely. There would be no bones to bury, and there would be no ashes to honor. She had simply unmade them.

If she could cry in a memory, she would. All she could see was the look on the ponies' faces right before they were destroyed. Their eyes that prayed for mercy stared back at her where there was now only darkened rock.

She did not even notice as the dreamscape faded away, being overtaken by the void from before. That meant she was stirring, soon to awake from the light of her sun.

Her sun. The sun that ended five family lines and left nothing for the families to remember of their relatives.

She was torn from her depression as his voice returned.

“I have seen your sins, Celestia. I knew you were a killer—” he spoke.

“—just like me…”

The darkness was taken away by a yellow light. It spread out, banishing the void as she awoke in her bed.

It was then that a tear dripped from her eyelid and rolled down her cheek, staining the pillowcase her head rested on.

Sorin looked at himself in the mirror, examining his appearance. His face was cleanly shaven, and his hair had been trimmed and slicked down. His fur had been thoroughly brushed and shampooed before he dressed himself. His hooves had been cleaned, giving them a pristine shine that made even diamonds jealous. His light blue eyes shined as he clicked his cloak into place.

He shifted his body so he could get a better view of the garment. Rarity had been so kind as to make him a new cloak, made with a very similar fabric to his original one. This one had been adorned with small gems along the edges, the rubies made into a pattern that even he had to stare at. One thing she could do was make clothing.

He flashed his teeth, their sparkling white color satisfying him as he finished his admiration. He walked over to his desk, closing the book he had and putting it back in its pile.

The day had come. The day of the Grand Galloping Gala was here, and he could not be happier. Everything was in place as he wanted. He had further infiltrated Celestia’s consciousness, finding the perfect memory to expose her with, and he knew exactly how to do so. All he had to do now was play along, attending the Gala with the Elements before enacting his plan. Then, Equestria would descend into chaos, and he would rise from the ashes of a fallen empire.

A knock at the door broke him from his thoughts. While he would normally be annoyed, he did not care today.

“Come in.”

The door opened, and Spike peered his head through the opening.

“We should go meet up with the others now, it's gettin’ close to the time we’ll be leaving.”

Sorin followed the dragon down the stairs and out the door after checking to be sure he was ready. They left the library, Spike locking up before heading through Ponyville.

Sorin had his head high as they went through town and came to the Carousel Boutique. He could hear distant chatter from inside, and Spike knocked on the door. Rainbow Dash was coming to open the door, but somepony stopped her.

The two heard arguing as they waited at the door for someone to let them in. After a brief moment, the door opened, and Rarity greeted them.

“I'm sorry. Some of us do have standards,” she said before walking away.

Without missing a beat, Spike went in, followed by Sorin, and started talking. “I still can't believe we're gonna be at Canterlot tonight. Our hometown, Twilight!” He stood in front of two giant hairdryers, Twilight’s head inside one. “And the best part is that we all get to hang out together all night long!”

“I don't know, Spike,” Rainbow Dash said, a towel wrapped around her mane.

“We'll just have to see,” Rarity added.

“We're gonna be a might busy,” Applejack threw out as well.

“Busy having fun!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, but Spike slumped into his chair.

“Don't worry, Spike. We'll all get to spend some time together.” Spike gained his enthusiasm again at Twilight’s words.

Sorin made himself comfortable as the mares continued their rituals to get themselves ready for the big night.

Soon enough, he was being led to an apple-shaped carriage, sitting next to Spike with the stallions pulling the carriage. Spike was listing off places and things for everyone to do, and Sorin was watching out for any threats along the road. While unnecessary, he could not risk being delayed to the Gala.

As he looked into the distance, he could see the outline of Canterlot resting on its mountainside. They were almost there. The rest of the trip was peaceful, and he was able to contain his excitement as they finally pulled into the castle.

Spike and Sorin dismounted from their seats and went over to the door of the carriage. Sorin pulled it open as Spike bowed, the mares inside getting out of the cabin.

One by one, Sorin saw their luxurious dresses—all designed by Rarity, of course. He closed the door, instructing the stallions to park the carriage and head off. He turned around, Spike now looking at the outfits of his friends.

“You all look... amazing!” he exclaimed.

“I agree. Very great work, Rarity,” Sorin added.

The white unicorn blushed before looking back at the castle.

“I can't believe we're finally here. With all that we've imagined, the reality of this night is sure to make this... The Best Night Ever!” Twilight squeaked.

Sorin chuckled.

We will see.

“Yeah! This is gonna be the best night ever,” Spike said, now standing in front of everypony. “You know why? 'Cause we're all gonna spend time at the Gala to—” The six mares all shot off in different directions, off to do what they planned for the night, leaving Spike and Sorin alone. “—gether?”

Sorin stood on the red carpet. Standing in the halls of Canterlot, he was simply considered a guest, nothing more, and that is what he wanted. Since the Elements had run off, he was left alone to do what he pleased.

“Well then, I’ll see you soon, Spike. Enjoy yourself while you’re here,” he told the pouting dragon beside him. With that, Sorin walked away, heading towards the stairs leading to the Gala.

At the top of said stairs were Twilight Sparkle and Princess Celestia. He began the climb to the top, eventually stepping onto the last step.

“It’s great to see you again, Sorin,” Celestia said welcomingly.

Yes, it is.

“The same here, princess.”

“I hope you enjoy the Gala,” she leaned her head next to his ear, “although it is usually rather boring.”

He chuckled and nodded to her with a smile. “I’ll see you later, Twilight.” He bowed before the two and headed off to the ballroom.

Now inside the massive ballroom, he looked around, seeing a couple of hundred ponies chatting with each other. At the other end of the room, a band was playing classical music on various stringed and wind instruments.

He walked forward, making sure to walk in a dignified way. He saw a small group of ponies discussing what he overheard to be politics.

Approaching the group, they looked at the newcomer. A brown pegasus stallion was the first to extend his hoof, Sorin shaking it firmly.

“Hello there, good sir. Who may you be?”

“I am Sorin.”

“A most peculiar name,” another pony chimed in.

“Nevertheless, I was wondering if I could get your opinion on a matter of governmental policy.”

“Oh?” Sorin mouthed.

“Yes. My partner here,” the stallion said, pointing a hoof at a blue mare, “feels that the latest bill should be approved. The bill states that the taxation of ponies who have an income of over a hundred thousand bits should have a discount of ten percent on their taxes if they provide jobs for the community.

“I, on the other hand, feel it should be a twenty percent discount if you provide at least a hundred positions, but she views this as unfair to those who have around ninety jobs.

“What do you think?” the stallion finished.

Sorin put his hoof to his chin for a moment as he thought. “Why not simply create a fixed rate of tax benefits per job you provide to the community. That way, no one will be caught between cutoffs.”

The gathered ponies all had looks of realization on their faces as they saw the compromise of such an idea.

“Well then,” the brown stallion started again, “it seems you are a better politician than all of us.” Everypony around let out a few laughs at that comment, Sorin included.

“I wish you the best, but I must be on my way,” he kindly said before leaving the group. In one of the corners of the room, he spotted a bar. Dozens of bottles of alcohol were set up on the stall’s shelves, creating a display of booze. There was one other stallion sitting at the counter. He came over to the bar, taking a seat on one of the barstools.

“What can I get you?” a white unicorn mare behind the counter asked. Sorin turned his head to her before glancing around at the bottles.

“Uh…” he spotted a bottle of smooth, brown liquid. “I’ll take that,” he said, pointing at the bottle.

“A scotch stallion are you?” she joked, already pouring up a glass of scotch. “Well, you have good taste.”

Sorin caught the glass as she slid it across the counter. He flashed a smile before pulling out a few bits. He handed them to her, thanking her for the drink. He raised the glass to his lips, taking a small sip. The light taste of the concoction of flavors hit his tongue before the warmth of the alcohol washed over his mouth. This had to be the finest scotch he had ever tasted.

On Azeroth, he had been to many bars and restaurants while in a humanoid form, stirring the pot of sin, but no place had such fine drink. Maybe Equestria has superior brewing methods to his home planet, not that he cared too much. Perhaps he would save a few barrels before he took up his rule of chaos.

“So, what brings such a fine stallion as yourself to the Gala? A mare, perhaps?” Sorin lightly chuckled after taking another sip.

“I'm afraid not.” The bartender leaned in. “I came with the Elements and their dragon friend, but it seems I have been left alone to mingle.”

“Mingle you say?” she teased, serving another pony their drink. She gave her full attention back to him, looking deep into his eyes.

“Interested are we?” Sorin teased back, causing her to blush nervously.

“I’m just curious.”

“Since you asked, I’m hoping to meet some of the nobles of Equestria.” She straight out laughed at this, almost dropping what she was holding.

“They can be defined as anything but ‘noble.’”

“So far, the only nobles I have met have been most unpleasant. It seems you may be right.” He downed the last of his drink, placing the glass in front of him. “Either way, I will see if they are all like that or not.”

The mare took his glass, disposing of it as Sorin started to get up. “Want another drink?”

“No, thank you,” he replied, smoothing out his clothes. “But maybe I’ll see you around.”

“I hope so,” she eagerly replied.

“Before I go,” he said, turning back to her. She perked up. “What’s your name?”

“High Spirits.”

“I’m Sorin, and I’ll see you later, High Spirits.”

With that, he left the bar and returned to the center area of the ballroom. It was only then that he saw the massive crystal chandelier hanging above him. It was so large that it connected to other, smaller chandeliers that were hanging across the ceiling. The faint light from outside bounced off the thing, reflecting in a glorious shine over the room. It was quite the sight to see, a show of pony design and vision.

Sorin looked back at the crowd of ponies, spotting a familiar face in the distance. He saw Rarity, clad in her expertly designed dress, and was about to wave to her when he saw the stallion she was next to.

Prince Blueblood was walking with her. They appeared to be chatting, but Sorin could see the look of disgust on his friend’s face. The two stopped at a puddle of a spilled drink, and Sorin watched in disbelief as he made her lay down a piece of her outfit to cover up the puddle, leaving the piece soaking wet.

The prince—if he could be called that—stepped onto where the puddle was and walked past, Rarity collecting her now wet and dirty scarf from the ground.

Did he not learn his lesson? It appears not.

He was about to go “reiterate” when somepony bumped into him. He whipped around, making sure the pony was fine when he saw it was Rainbow Dash. Before he could say anything, she flew away, clearly set on her mission.

Sorin sighed as he looked back, no longer seeing Blueblood and Rarity. If he could feel the effects of alcohol, he would feel angry. Being an Old God did have a few caveats, after all.

Now thoroughly bored, he went over to the checkerboard that was the dance floor. Before he could approach anypony or bust a move, a mare wrapped herself around him and pulled him into a sway. As the blur of the pony slowed down into somepony, he saw it was High Spirits.

“That was fast,” he told her. She let him take the lead, shifting slightly as the two slow danced.

“My shift was almost done when you came to the bar, and I couldn’t help but come over when I saw you on the dance floor.”

Now having physical contact with her, Sorin took in High Spirits's appearance. She was wearing a sleek purple dress that clung to her tightly. The silky finish of the garment accented her body perfectly, he thought. She had shoes of the same color on her hooves, and her green eyes looked into his blue ones. Her mane was a dark blue, creating a wonderful contrast to her outfit. Her horn even had a golden glitter conservatively sprinkled on it. She looked stunning.

A smile crept onto both of their faces as Sorin continued to lead the dance, now adding dips and turns to the sequence. Keeping up the pace, she put on a smug grin as she started to add her own movements to the dance.

Sorin was not one to back down from a challenge, so he upped the game, dropping her and catching her in his strong hooves, causing her to yelp and giggle in surprise. As he pulled her back up, she spun around while holding onto one of his hooves.

How ponies could dance so similar to humans, Sorin wondered. Some things on Equus seemed to just work, almost as if they were willed into existence. It probably had something to do with the laws of nature on this planet.

The ponies around the two caught themselves staring at the duo that dominated the floor. Couples who had been pulling off moves only half as difficult were trying to compete but ended up tripping over themselves—to their embarrassment. Somehow, these two ponies were performing very feats of physical agility and coordination while simply dancing.

Sorin and High Spirits did not notice the stares since they were so caught up in who would outdo the other. As the two continued to raise the stakes, they began to pant from exhaustion. Who knew complex dance moves could be so tiring?

Sorin definitely did not because he eventually had to slow down the dance to a more casual speed.

High Spirits threw her hooves around the back of his neck as she leaned into him. “Slowing down already?” she teased him with a glowing yet complacent smile. She had enjoyed their little game a lot.

“You have superhu—pony—stamina.” She broke into a guffaw at that, barely stopping herself from slipping.

“See,” he chimed, “I almost defeated you with a simple remark.”

“Emphasis on the ‘almost.’”

It was his turn to break into laughter while she chuckled to herself.

Sorin was enjoying himself. Maybe it was the slightest of increases to his emotions he got from the alcohol or his overall excitement for the night, but he was having a good time with High Spirits. It almost made him wince that he would likely deliver pain to her and her family to some extent. Emphasis on the “almost.”

The two continued to gently sway as the band and orchestra started playing another song, this one slower than the others.

He suddenly realized he had been dancing for quite a while as he took a glance at the moon over his partner’s shoulder. He started to pull away, but High Spirits gripped him tighter, holding him in place.

“Stay for one more song?” she asked him, giving him extreme puppy eyes. Even he could not deny the adorableness and gave in by starting the rocking again.

“One more.”

She smiled wide, putting her head beside his as they went into what was almost a hug. His hoof was on her back, and their chests were flush against each other as they simply rocked left to right, enjoying the embrace. She let out a sigh of content into his hair.

“That tickles you know,” he said, feeling warm air lick at his ear.

“Oh, shut up and enjoy this.”

He did as he was told, basking in the warmth of her body. He looked across the ballroom, seeing other ponies doing similar things to what he and High Spirits were doing.

The music died down as Sorin pushed his partner in front of him so they were looking into each other’s eyes.

“I really enjoyed this, Sorin,” she whispered to him.

“The feeling is mutual,” he whispered back, making her blush. “See you around sometime, High Spirits. Have a wonderful night.” He pulled away from her while smiling.

“You too!”

He left the dance floor, now returning to the main area. The doors to the ballroom creaked open as Rarity and Blueblood came through, Rarity having to hold the door. They walked side by side, both of them refusing to look at each other.

Sorin saw something flying through the air out of the corner of his eye, and he realized it was a whole pastry. It was headed straight towards the two ponies, Blueblood spotting the danger. Sorin’s eyes went wide as the prince pulled Rarity in front of himself, making her his shield. The pastry impacted with her, sending frosting and crumbs everywhere, showering her in its contents. She was completely covered in chunks of gooey batter, her outfit and mane ruined.

Sorin started to make his way over to her when he heard her take in a deep breath.

“You, sir, are the most uncharming prince I have ever met!” she raged. Blueblood recoiled from her words. “In fact, the only thing royal about you is that you are a royal pain!” she screamed, tiny bits of pastry falling from her.

He made sounds of disgust as she came closer. “Stay back! I just had myself groomed!”

“Afraid to get dirty?” Rarity retorted, just as Sorin broke through the crowd, now only a few yards from her. She shook her body like a dog, sending pastry all over Blueblood, coating him in the thing he so desperately tried to avoid. In an attempt to escape his fate, he leaped backward, falling on his flank and becoming smeared in frosting.

He wiped his eyes with his hooves and stood up, about to assault the mare who violated his “regal body” so when Sorin blocked his path to her. The cloaked stallion pushed him back, stopping the prince’s advance.

“Let go of me!”

Sorin only began to chuckle. He gripped tightly onto Blueblood, pulling his head to his own.

“All that you touch turns to me…” he whispered.

Blueblood’s eyes widened far too much for a pony as he squirmed from Sorin’s now loosened grasp. Without a second thought, the prince charged through the doors from whence he came, fleeing the Gala.

How quaint.

Sorin turned around, heading over to Rarity’s defeated form. Tears were beginning to form in her eyes as she looked down at her attire. Noticing this, he put a hoof on her shoulder.

“I’d say you dealt with him most effectively.”

“You saw that?”

“I’m afraid half this room did, but they ate it up, don’t worry. I’ve met Prince Blueblood before, and he is most unpleasant.”

She looked back at her outfit. “B-but my dress…” she trailed off in sadness.

“All fixable. For now, you should probably leave before ponies think you’ve gone mad.”

“How funny,” Rarity replied flatly before smirking as she trotted away with as much dignity as she could muster.

At that same moment, all the Elements except Twilight came into the ballroom. Spike and Rarity went over to them, and Sorin turned his head to another opening door.

He saw the two ponies standing in its frame, one being Twilight Sparkle and the other Princess Celestia. The room fell quiet as their princess went to the center of the room. She went to the stage where the band was and ascended the stairs at its side.

The musicians left the scene, headed off to pack up their instruments as Celestia took the stage. Everypony gathered in front of it as they awaited what she was going to say.

Sorin found himself beside the Elements as well as Spike, all of them standing in the front rows of the onlookers.

Celestia cleared her throat as she wet her lips and took a breath.

“My little ponies, it is my pleasure to have put the annual Grand Galloping Gala together for your enjoyment. As I have been recently told, my customary speech is awaited.

“I will delay it no further. Here it goes.” She stepped forward to the edge of the stage, quickly glancing at the Elements and Sorin.

Sorin began to smirk as he stood in anticipation of her words.

“Party’s over then.”

Chapter 8: The Gala Part 2

“I have watched as my little ponies grow more and more, helping each other through kindness. The magic of Friendship has brought all of us closer together, and none have demonstrated this better than my student Twilight Sparkle and her friends.” Celestia smiled at the group as the ponies cheered for Equestria’s saviors.

“They not only discovered the true potential of Friendship, but they also defeated Nightmare Moon, freeing my sister from darkness. We all owe a lot to them, but they are humble enough that they do not ask for praise. These ponies are truly an example of how we should all be. They are Harmony.

“I have spent centuries helping guide my ponies, and it has been my greatest pride to see them evolve to where they are now. We have no war within Equestria, and ponies care greatly for one another.

“In fact, the closest we get to war is a political debate,” Celestia joked, getting a laugh from everypony.

“I cannot say how thankful I am for all of your support and trust over the years. I can only compare it to the vast expanse of the warmth of the sun I embody. Just know that I am forever appreciative of all my little ponies.”

“Now, I would like to take this moment to share an old story of a pony I used to know. This stallion was hurt in every definition of the word. He was starving, barely surviving on what he could find; he was crippled, unable to walk; and most of his family had passed away.” She gave a second for the words to sink in. “He waited outside Canterlot for two days trying to get into my Court. He had no food or water with him, surviving off only the rainwater that fell upon the city.

“Eventually, he made it into my Court. I saw him, barely able to get to me, almost hurting himself further to bow before me. I told him there was no need, but he insisted—that’s how much he cared for me. When he stood up, he told me of his troubles. He told me of how he wanted to talk to me before he died, and so we did. We talked about life, what we do for fun, and told tales of our past.

“Eventually, he left back for his hometown. He scavenged for food along the way, making it home. When he arrived, his entire town was outside in the rain, waiting for him. They gave him all the food and drink he could wish for, and they donated some of their combined wealth to him.

“Because of their gifts, he was able to recover, eventually being able to put weight on all of his hooves. They made sure he was okay for the rest of his days, and he was forever grateful. When he finally died, I got a letter delivered to me.

“The letter was from him, the last thing he ever wrote. It said what happened to him after he left Canterlot.

“It told of his town’s generosity and his happiness in the end. He had felt there was nothing to live for in the world except seeing his princess, but then his eyes were opened. While he could not stand himself, his fellow ponies stood him up when he could not. They bore his pain and gave him all the joy he could wish for.

“He said he could feel his days coming to an end, but that he wanted to let me know he was at peace with his death. He had always felt disabled during his life, but he did no longer when he passed. He also thanked me for telling my hometown of his situation and that he could not express his feelings for such an act.”

Celestia concluded with a warm and motherly smile that the crowd reflected. Her story touched every one of their hearts, and they felt all the better for it.

She cleared her throat again, ready for the last part of her speech.

The moment of truth.

“I want to thank you all for coming again, and I will leave you with the picture of my favorite memory from my days mentoring my little ponies.” Her horn glowed with its golden energy, casting a spell above her.

The air over the stage blurred as it was covered in a magical glow, and what was once air became a gateway into Celestia’s mind. She focused on one memory, the memory of having cake with Twilight when she was a little foal. The image became clear, Twilight’s cute face appearing in front of all the ponies in the room.

They awwed at the beautiful setting Celestia was showing them.

At the front of the crowd, a black stallion wickedly snickered as he tapped into his own power, flashing his eyes unnoticed. He delivered his instructions, commanding his blood to enact his will.

Celestia was still focused on channeling her sweet memory when she felt a sudden sharp pain. The pain was not physical, but it was immeasurable in intensity. All she felt was anger and rage within her body, receiving all the hurt of such negative emotions as they overwhelmed her.

With her concentration now broken, she could not defend against the assault. She gasped as her horn was grabbed hard by an invisible force. Her memory was shattered, and the force invaded her, forcing her magic to channel another memory. Her mind raced as she tried to understand what was happening, but then all was made clear as she heard his thoughts.

The truth shall be revealed…

Her horn defied her as it began building the image of the new memory. Realizing which one it was, she tried to fight it, attempting to resist the power Yogg-Saron had coursing through her spear of a horn.

It was pointless because the force she felt controlling her was inside her. His corrupted blood had collected at the base of her horn, blocking her control over it entirely. He used her own spell against her as he made his vision real.

The ponies looked on in confusion as the memory they were watching faded away, a new one taking its place. They saw a large stadium filled with screaming ponies.

“No,” Celestia could only mutter to herself over and over again. Her struggle was doing nothing but making her feel more defeated as she was made a puppet.

The room suddenly grew silent as a cold chill washed over it. The air was dry, like that of a frozen wasteland untouched by civilization for centuries. Everypony could hear the voice that spoke through the air itself.

“Your ruler deceives you…”

The voice shifted around the room, coming from no clear point. The ponies looked around, trying to find the one who spoke such words. As they looked, they only saw ponies doing the same thing they were, but no one was speaking.

“Her sins shall be revealed to all; her lies torn down. She is not the saint she claims to be; she only forces you to think of her as such.”

The crowd looked to their princess, who was practically quivering, her face looking beyond scared. This only made the onlookers think she was trying to hide something. The words of the voice filled their minds, repeating time after time as they felt influenced to believe them.

“Do not worry, her sinister ways shall be shown to you now. I will set you free…”

With his words, the image above the stage took effect. They saw as Celestia marched towards five ponies bound in stocks, their faces filled with utter fear.

They watched in horror as Celestia became a demon, floating into the air with eyes of fury. They watched as she called on her magic, bringing forth the power of the sun.

Celestia felt tears streaming down her face as she could feel what she was showing her poor ponies. Her most secret of memories was being put on display to the innocent ponies who had not seen somepony kill another their entire lives. The very idea of murder or killing was wicked to them, and they were watching her bring down the hammer.

The ballroom shook as the five ponies were ripped apart by Celestia’s wrath. Her rage devoured their flesh, consuming their very bodies with fire that left nothing of them but a charred area on the ground.

Some ponies broke into cries of disgust, others continued to stare in a form of shock, and others felt fear, fear of their motherly princess. Terror overtook all of them, their hearts seizing and pumping the emotion throughout their bodies as they felt instinct take over.

They saw a predator standing on the stage in front of them, and they knew only to flee. It did not matter that she was crying or looking at them with a look begging for them to let her explain, praying for them to stay.

In one combined scream, everypony broke into sprints. They ran with every ounce of energy they had to the ballroom doors, fleeing into Canterlot’s halls out of pure fear as the doors burst open.

Sorin let out his laughter, the sound of screams covering up his sound. He laughed and laughed, the sound of a wicked joy that was at the expense of Princess Celestia’s heart. His plan had come to fruition, and soon enough, every pony in Equestria would have heard of the murders Celestia committed. They would become a divided nation, and then he would make his move. With such a divided country, he would easily raze town after town, claiming them as his own. He would slaughter all who stood in his way, eventually devouring all of Canterlot as his last conquest before setting his sights on Equus itself…

The Elements were protected against the deception of Yogg-Saron, their connection to the Elements themselves shielding them from the power of his whispers. They saw Celestia punish criminals, not slaughter innocent ponies as everypony else saw.

They saw as chaos descended the Gala, ponies heading in every direction to escape the princess. Twilight, being so close to Celestia, began to sob as she saw her mentor’s expression. She was scared, terrified, and broken, not a murdering monster as she appeared to be.

The broken princess trotted away with her head hung low, leaving before things could possibly get any worse.

Just like that, her world had crumbled.

“Maybe she was being mind-controlled,” Pinkie Pie said without confidence, her mane having lost its balloon-like features while hanging down. She was not smiling now.

“Ah don’t think so, Pinkie,” Applejack responded, feeling her eyes get wet.

“I-it can’t be. S-she can’t be a… murderer,” Rainbow Dash barely got out.

Fluttershy was a trembling mess. She was lying on the floor, her mane covering her whole face as she tried to curl into a ball. No words could describe how she felt seeing those ponies getting killed like that.

They were all in disbelief of what they had just witnessed, but Twilight tried to remain strong, even as a small salty puddle formed beneath her.

“We have to bring everypony back here!”

“What for?” Rarity asked. “They all saw what we saw, and they ran away in fright. They aren’t coming back here willingly.”

Twilight’s face lit up. “Then we won't bring them willingly.”

“Are you alright, Twi?” Spike asked, placing a claw on her side.

“I have a clearer head than ever,” she answered. “Whatever that thing was that was talking to everypony made them run. We were immune to whatever effects it had, but we still heard it. We have to convince everypony that Celestia is still who they think she is.

“We need to make them see her for who she is and always has been.”

The others could see what Twilight was suggesting, but trying to convince the whole crowd would be difficult if not impossible, but they had to try.

“How will we get them back?” Rarity asked, taking the initiative.

“Well,” Twilight started, “I have an idea, but it’s gotta be done right now—before anypony gets too far away.”

The Elements nodded to the unicorn, all agreeing on what to do. Twilight herself didn’t know if she believed what she was saying, but she prayed she did. Otherwise, she would lose her mentor and teacher.

That thought drove her, giving her the will to do what she was about to do. Her horn became encased in its purple aura as she amplified a simple spell into something she had never done before.

She was able to see across all of Canterlot, spotting every pony who was still fleeing the castle. She grasped them with her magic, stopping them in their tracks as she grabbed more and more of them.

Sweat ran down her face as she performed the next part of her plan. She poured all of her mana reserves into one spell: a mass teleport.

Her horn shined like a star as purple light engulfed the room. She clenched her jaw tight, grinding her teeth together as she made the anchor for the teleport.

The Elements stepped back as runes formed on the ground in front of them, creating a circle almost the size of the ballroom. Then, in a blazing flash of white, Twilight brought everypony to the Gala.

Sorin had to cover his eyes as the spell took effect, and when he looked back, there was a massive crowd of ponies again. “How could she perform such magic all of a sudden?!” he sharply said to himself.

Before the confused ponies could escape again, Rarity magically locked all the doors in the room. Twilight went onto the stage where Celestia had just been, the crowd starting to realize what happened.

They saw the Elements, then finding Twilight Sparkle ready to address them.

“Everypony, I teleported you all here so we could talk about… what happened.”

“What’s there to talk about!” a stallion in the crowd shouted.

“Yeah, we saw Celestia murder five ponies!” another called out.

Shifting nervously, Twilight tried to think of what to say, finding her mind blank. All she could come up with was that Celestia could not have killed innocent ponies. She just knew she did not.

“We don’t know the whole story!” Twilight answered.

The crowd responded with roars of outrage, their minds set on what they saw.

“Are you stupid? We saw her burn them to dust.”

Twilight started to shrink, her plan coming apart more every second. How could she change the minds of so many ponies all by herself? She was Celestia’s student, and they would see that, deeming her biased. Her head lowered, and all she could hear were the cries of the ponies below her.

“She is a killer!”

“A scourge!”

“She is a monster!”

“She practically raised you; you can’t see her for what she is!”

“Maybe Nightmare Moon was right.”

“We all saw it; Celestia destroyed them!”

The truth was that she was not by herself because she felt five hooves on her, each of them a different color. She raised her head, looking back at the mares she called her closest friends. Just seeing them made her feel strong.

“Don’t worry, we got you,” Spike said, his voice providing comfort to Twilight as well.

The six mares and one dragon turned to the crowd, forming a line at the edge of the stage and standing tall.

“We stand with Twilight; Celestia isn’t what you think she is,” Rainbow Dash stated, the will of six ponies in her voice.

“How do you know?”

Spike went forward. “She has only shown me kindness. Never has she hurt me or treated me unfairly.”

“She knew you since birth, influencing you your entire life. You can’t speak for her!”

“While she has been there my whole life, I have known her for just as long.”

“It means nothing,”

It was Applejack’s turn to come forward. “Y’all know that Ah represent honesty, so when Ah tell you the princess is good, you gotta believe me.”

“She puts on a facade!”

“Please, calm down,” Rarity tried to reason. “You must see the situation for what it is, not how you feel.”

“Hypocrisy!”

“Princess Celestia was being manipulated to look bad!” Pinkie Pie shouted, somehow having an inkling of knowledge about the situation, but she did not know how the princess was being manipulated.

The crowd scoffed at the facetious pony.

“T-the princess has done nothing but h-help us. Why should we lose faith in her n-now?” Fluttershy managed to stammer out, the ponies barely hearing her. The vast amount of ponies intimidated her, but she had to stay strong for her friends. “J-just consider what we’re saying—if you want to.”

Twilight took the spotlight again, speaking on behalf of her friends.

“Everypony, what has Princess Celestia done to you to make you think she is evil?

“Has she ever hurt you or your family? Has she stolen from you? Has she hurt other ponies?”

The crowd did not say anything for once, none of them having something to say.

“Exactly. We cannot judge her based on this one event. Would you want a chance to explain yourself if you were seen doing something innocent but made you look bad?”

There were murmurs of acknowledgment around the room as it got quieter. The confidence of her words returned as she felt the ponies’ minds changing. She had to continue if she was to save the princess.

“Then why should we deny her the same chance? She has done nothing but help us, and we repay her by labeling her a cold-blooded killer. We have to let her explain.” She realized she was panting from all her shouting.

The room was completely silent as everypony thought about what Twilight had said. As they continued to think, their doubts in Celestia seemed to vanish as if they were never real to begin with. What they had seen did not prove she was ruthless, only that she did kill. They did not know why she did it.

Slowly, they all saw the light, casting aside their anger and feeling regret for treating their princess so horribly.

“What do we do now?” somepony called out from the crowd.

“Now,” Twilight started, “we bring Princess Celestia back.”

The moon lingered in the sky, blanketing the land with faint light. It was a full moon, and its light shone directly onto a weeping princess. Her cheeks were soaked from the tears that had run down them while she sat in solitude under the moonlight.

Her mane no longer flowed in the air as if being blown by an invisible wind. Instead, it hung low, sagging over her face and covering the ground. It had lost its normal color, now faded so much it looked gray all over. Her tail was the same as her mane in its depressing shades. Even her fur seemed to have lost part of its normal pristine shine.

The sound of labored sobbing echoed through the empty garden as Celestia cried. She tried to contain it as much as possible, but it was pointless as her cries only got louder over time.

She was lying on the stone pathway of ground, curled into the closest thing to a ball she could make herself into. Next to her were her horseshoes, chest piece, and crown. They seemed to have lost their constant magical glow now that they had been removed from her body.

At this moment, Celestia did not care she was out in the open and so exposed. She did not care if somepony could see her in her current condition, and she did not care if a mob of her subjects came and burned her at the stake, however unrealistic that sounded.

The sobbing ended for a moment, the princess sniffling a few times and wiping her eyes with her hooves in an attempt to dry them.

“Why?” she called out to no one. “Why?” she called again to the wind, needing someone or something to explain her situation—even Yogg-Saron. She was met with the sounds of birds chirping in the distance. She raised her head, looking up at her sister’s moon in search of answers.

“Maybe it’s just a dream. Yeah, it’s just a dream,” she lied to herself, providing no real solace or comfort.

She was untethered, lost in the storm of her sadness and regret. As she continued to stare at the moon, she remembered what had caused her pain. It was Yogg-Saron who showed her ponies that horrid memory. It was no coincidence he saw that dream last night and today it was being revealed to all.

“Why did you do this to me, monster?” she said between sobs, talking to the voice inside her head.

The one time she wanted him to speak, he stayed silent, taunting her and bringing out her anger. She stood up, looking nowhere in particular as she felt her sudden rage boil over. “Answer me!” she shouted. Answered again with silence, she slammed a hoof into the ground, cracking the stone below her into a thousand pieces.

“Answer me, dammit!” she screamed as loud as she could, her voice like broken thunder.

She looked down to her hoof, feeling a piece of stone stab into it. She saw a small puddle of her blood forming on the ground. It spread out incredibly fast, making a foot-wide circle. It suddenly turned black, causing Celestia to jolt back.

The puddle reflected the moonlight above it, shifting into a shiny liquid. She looked down at the puddle, seeing herself.

It was not her as she was now, though. Instead, there was the grinning version of herself from her dream, standing over Twilight.

She looked away from the mirror, feeling her hoof wet with something. She raised it, seeing blood smeared all over it. It looked exactly how it did in her dream when she broke Twilight’s legs.

She gasped, quickly cleaning her hoof with magic, only to find it still bloody. She put it down on the ground, her eyes drifting to the pool of blood again. She collapsed onto the ground, walls seeming to form around her in every direction. She covered her head, curling back into a ball. She did not know if it was her imagination or his voice, but she swore she heard mocking laughter from somewhere. It was faint, but it pierced her ears.

“I thought I was good.” She squeezed in tighter. “I have denied my want to kill for so long, hoping to look better, be better. I-I thought I was…”

Her anger had been overtaken by her sadness again as she cried. “I haven’t hurt my little ponies for centuries, not intentionally anyway, but they saw me. They saw me kill those ponies.” She broke into uncontrollable sniffles and wails.

“Why?” she muttered one last time.

Just then, she heard the faint sound of hoofsteps in the distance.

As they came closer and closer, they sounded more like a group of ponies. Celestia wondered if they were going to be the ones to put her down, and she was surprised to see the Elements when she looked up.

Coming out in front of them was Sorin.

“Et tu?” Celestia said to them while sniffling.

Sorin came forward, extending a hoof to her. “Princess, you look horrible,” he said warmly. Feeling the daggers his back was receiving from the Elements, he added, “Respectfully.”

When Celestia did not reach for his hoof, he lowered it back to the ground.
He could hear the Elements commenting to each other about the condition of their ruler, all of them worried for her health. He let out a gentle sigh as he unraveled the situation.

“We aren’t here to hurt you,” he said to the literal goddess.

“Maybe so, but you think I'm a killer,” she said, sounding worse than before.

“A killer you may be, but not a murderer.”

Her face lit up for a split second, her mane lifting from the ground before falling again.

“What’s the difference?” she deadpanned.

“The difference is that a soldier is a killer. They kill to protect their loved ones and their country.

“A murderer doesn’t.”

The Elements came to his side, gathered around the fallen princess.

“Besides,” Twilight started, “we don’t know the full story.” She laughed a little. “I remember plenty of times I had to explain to you what I was doing wasn’t actually bad when you thought it was.”

Celestia smiled at that. Her face lifted, looking around at the seven ponies and one dragon smiling kindly to her.

“I don’t understand,” she said, still lost as to why they came to her.

“What they are trying to say,” Sorin began, “what we are trying to say is that we don’t think you’re evil.”

“B-but you saw…”

“Tell us what we saw.”

It dawned on her that she was being given a chance to explain herself, to show that she was trying to be good. Sadly, it did not matter since even the Elements would not be able to hold the country together once news about her got out. At least she would have friends around her before she was forced out of the land she loved.

“But everypony saw. What about them?”

“As I said,” Sorin answered with a smile, “tell us what we saw.” As he finished, the bushes rustled loudly and ponies emerged from them. One by one, all the ponies from the Gala gathered and were standing behind the Elements. They all had encouraging expressions, willing to give Celestia a chance.

“How?” was all she could say.

Twilight beamed as she explained that she convinced everypony to let the princess explain herself.

A massive smile crept onto Celestia’s face as she radiated with gratitude. “Thank you, Twilight.” She stood up, her hair coming alive again in its radiant colors as she regained her stature. “Thank you all,” she said while looking at Twilight and her friends.

They walked backward, mixing in with the group of ponies watching the princess. Everypony began to listen intently to what she was going to say.

“Today you saw the day I regret most in my long life.”

“Those five ponies you saw were guilty of a long string of robberies within Equestria’s borders, and during one of their robberies, an innocent pony died. So, as a princess, it was my duty to punish them. This was a long time ago when my sister and I were more… harsh with wrongdoers.

“Because of their crimes, they were to be put to death.” Everypony took in a large gasp when they heard that. “Not only that, but they were to be put to death by the sun.

“I remember as they looked at me with the most haunting looks. All they wanted was mercy, but I burned them. While it was all within justice and was something I had done before, something seemed wrong. A few months later, my sister and I learned something about the five ponies.

“New evidence came to light that proved they were not the ones who killed that pony. They just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. They were responsible for the robberies and were still criminals, but they were killed for no reason. It’s my fault they never got to have foals…” she trailed off in conclusion, her tears returning.

Since she spilled her guts to them, and likely to every newspaper across the country, she decided to carry on with her story. So, with a quiet sniffle, she continued.

“I know you probably see me as a killer, but know that I fight it. From a young age, I was forced to violence, and it gave me a hunger for blood. I have been resisting it for centuries, trying to be good.

“I just wanted you all to know that. I hope you can forgive me…” She lowered her head again in shame, preparing for the onslaught.

Instead, she heard somepony say, “You are good, princess.” Another answered with, “We never should have doubted you.” More and more, the crowd gave her uplifting comments, her head rising with them.

The Elements came up to her, and they all put a hoof or claw on her.

“We see what you did, but we know that you have tried to be better—and you succeeded,” Twilight said.

The lessons Celestia had tried to teach her ponies had worked. They learned to forgive, to judge fairly, and to offer second chances. She smiled as she saw those lessons firsthoof at this moment. Her careful guidance had worked, and that warmed her heart. She felt herself again, the part of her filled with regret over that day fading away once and for all.

“Thank you so much, my little ponies. I will forever be grateful.”

“No need to thank us!” Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash shouted at the same time, making everypony laugh.

The dark mood lifted, and ponies started to go back inside to enjoy the little amount of the night left. They all headed back with the Elements, Princess Celestia following right behind them.

Alone in the garden, Sorin stood. The Elements had somehow pulled everyone from the sea of deception and convinced them Celestia was “good.” The ponies were more resistant than he predicted, lessons of kindness and forgiveness making them gullible.

He seethed, his anger cascading from him. While Sorin got closer to the princess, he failed to bring her down to nothing. If anything, he helped her forgive herself! His plan was supposed to remove one of his strongest enemies from the playing field, but he instead bolstered her position.

You may have escaped me for now Celestia, but I am still within you. I WILL bring down Equestria…

Chapter 9: Discord

The Canterlot gardens were a wonderful sight to see. The vast expanse of hedges, flowers, and other fauna gave it a colorful beauty that rivaled the castle itself. Within these gardens were all kinds of statues of mythical creatures, ranging from manticores to dragons. There were so many that they had their own dedicated section in the gardens.

The whole class of Ponyville’s only school had been taken on a field trip to the gardens, observing the plants around. They were all tasked with finding their favorite plant to research, but the trip would mainly be listening to their teacher explain the things around the gardens.

The teacher, Cheerilee, took them to the section where the statues resided, her favorite part of the whole trip.

Her class followed behind her in a somewhat organized clump, each foal taking in the splendor of the area. They were already captivated by what they saw, and then they saw the stone statues crafted to near perfection.

“I want to start our field trip here, in the world-famous Canterlot sculpture garden,” Cheerilee told her eager students. She pointed at one statue of a group of ponies that seemed filled to the brim with joy. “That one over there represents Friendship.” She pointed to another with a pony holding a flag in triumph over what were to be their enemies. “Alright, my little ponies. This one represents Victory.”

Each of the sculptures represented a part of the world that made it what it was. Kindness, Love, and everything in between could be found if you had enough time. Every one of them had been made by Equestria’s finest over the years, their work preserved by magical enchantments that kept them intact.

Cheerilee turned around to see three of her students' bickering. “Girls!” she interrupted with. The three fillies in question looked at their teacher with apologetic looks. “Now, this is a really interesting statue. What do you notice about it?”

The one she pointed out was very different from the others. Unlike the others that represented good qualities, this one was unrecognizable.

It was a two-legged creature with two arms, but it also had a tail and horns. Its body was slim and snake-like, but the strangest thing about it was its body parts. One leg appeared to be that of a goat, and the other resembled a dragon’s claw. Instead of normal hands, it had a lion paw as one and a five talon claw for the other. One horn branched out like thin antlers, and the other was a crooked and warped variation of a unicorn horn.

The creature was a mix of different animals that made up its body. Whoever made this statue had no clear design for it, adding in features as they continued to sculpt it.

The statue was locked into a position of disbelief, its body contorted. The stone that made up its body was also perfect. The other statues had little imperfections that would be expected of sculpted stone, but this one seemed immaculate. Its body was smooth, and its horns sharp to the touch. It was almost too perfect.

Cheerilee decided it had been long enough to speak again, her students having taken in the statue. “This creature is called a draconequus. He has the head of a pony and a body made up of all sorts of things.” The foals oohed at the explanation. “What do you suppose that represents?” she asked everypony.

The same three unruly fillies gave their guesses, but they insulted each other by putting down their guess. Petty insult after petty insult and the eruption of a brawl eventually required Cheerilee to intervene.

“Actually, in a way, you're all right.” That caused them to drop back to the ground, suddenly calm as if no scuffle had happened. “This statue represents Discord, which means a lack of harmony between ponies. In fact, you three have demonstrated Discord so well that you're each going to write me an essay explaining it.”

As the school group moved on from the statue, something changed. A powerful thump rocked its stone chest as the discord from the fighting fillies seeped into it. The negative emotions awoke the creature trapped within the rocky prison, his laughter escaping his solidified lips.

Another thump came from the heart, cracking the stone around it. Discord could feel his power returning, his mind entering overdrive as he felt his body once again…

If this world wishes to be so resistant to my will, I will have to force myself upon it. As I wait to strike again, I will assist these ponies, further infiltrating their hierarchy as Sorin. My revenge will be sweet, and the souls I devour will be even sweeter. Soon enough, I will be feasting…

To say Sorin was in a bad mood was quite the understatement.

He lacked his normal charm and instead seemed blunt as of late. He rarely left his room, choosing to research as much as he could over the past week or so. While Twilight avidly supported research, even she knew his new habits were harmful. She summed his behavior up to little more than a personal issue, and she did not want to force him into telling her. So, she tried to keep things simple with him for now, avoiding any sore subjects.

While she did not think he would purposely harm her, a unicorn’s magic is very malleable. If a pony is happy, their magic will reflect that by performing more difficult spells for the better of ponykind. If they are angry like Sorin is, there can be very negative consequences. Powerful spells of destruction have been unleashed from evil ponies in the distant past, and she did not want him to take one step down that dark path.

When he came down the stairs to the kitchen, Twilight offered him a plate of breakfast that Spike had cooked up for all of them. He accepted it with a grumbled “thank you” and sat down at the table. He lifted his fork with his magic, cutting into some of the pancakes he had, stuffing them down his gullet.

With Pinkie Pie speed, he devoured everything on his plate, wiping his mouth off with a napkin. He then reached for the glass of grape juice Spike had poured him, downing that in one large swig.

Twilight cringed as she saw him shove so much stuff down his throat, fearing for his stomach.

“Want any more?” she hesitantly asked with a fake smile.

“No, thank you. I’ll be off to my room again,” he said stonily.

She opened her mouth but watched as he walked away and up the stairs.

“What’s up with him?” Spike asked with a hint of sarcasm. He turned off the stove as he took his plate to the table.

“I’m not sure, but he has been like this for a while now. It can’t be good for his health to be doing so much studying.”

“Says the bookworm.”

Twilight whipped her head to him with a face of disapproval. “What was that?”

“Nothing,” Spike nervously replied, turning away from her as he ate his breakfast with the same speed as Sorin had. They continued to eat in silence while Sorin continued his reading upstairs.

He looked for something he could use against the Elements, hoping to find a weakness. As he continued to search, he found that the Elements themselves were linked to the very balance of the world. That would explain their shielding of Twilight and her friends from his whispers. His power was still too diminished to overpower world-bound energy.

In the meantime, he would have to work around them, manipulating them into forsaking their nature and embracing their darkness.

As he skimmed through one of many pages, there was a thunderous clap from outside. At first, he ignored it, but then he remembered pegasi controlled the weather, and that it was not supposed to rain today. In fact, there was not supposed to be a cloud in the sky, which led him to believe something was amiss.

He closed his book and came back downstairs, finding the library door already open. He trotted through, stepping onto the stone pathway at the mouth of the treehouse.

“What in Celestia?”

Sorin turned to the voice, finding Twilight gazing up at the sky, Spike doing the same. Sorin looked up and saw… pink clouds.

What trickery is this?

Flying above him at incredible speeds were chunks of pink clouds that seemed to pulsate. He squinted his eyes, realizing the clouds were made out of fluffy cotton candy, something he hated to clean from his teeth. Another thunderclap caused the clouds to burst into rain.

Sorin found himself suddenly drenched—to his annoyance. As it continued to rain, some landed on his mouth, and he tasted something sweet. Raising an eyebrow, he stuck out his tongue and caught one of the droplets, instantly recognizing the taste of chocolate milk.

“It’s… chocolate milk,” Spike shouted out, confusion written on his face. Twilight fared no better, baffled by what she was witnessing.

“We better get to Sweet Apple Acres before this rain kills Applejack’s crops,” she said, breaking into a sprint with Spike and Sorin close behind.

As they raced across town, more pink clouds formed, raining down thicker chocolate milk and leaving Sorin’s exposed fur sticky. The sky darkened and lightning bolts danced in the sky, spreading out over the town without striking the ground.

He thought as he ran, questioning what caused these abnormalities. It could be the result of some weather breakdown in Cloudsdale, but he doubted that would create cotton candy clouds infused with chocolate milk. Something also seemed off about the whole situation that made him think it was not an accident.

The three found themselves headed down the long dirt road leading to the Apple family barn. The trees along the road fell over from the weight as their apples grew tenfold, some landing on the road.

Reacting instantly to one of the downed trees, Sorin pushed off the ground with his hooves, vaulting over the tree trunk in a single bound. His hooves slammed back onto the ground, splitting the rocks beneath him.

They carried on, nimbly avoiding the trees as popcorn exploded from the nearby cornfields.

“This is getting excessive,” he shouted ahead.

“I’ve got a plan. I’ll explain once we get to Applejack,” Twilight shouted back, Spike now on her back.

They rounded the fencing of the path’s end, spotting Applejack on a hill, popcorn rising all around her. They also saw mutilated rabbits walking on the fields, their warped legs making them four feet tall.

Twilight held a book in front of her as they all came to a stop, seeing all the other Elements around Applejack. Sorin came up to her, watching as she finished reading through the page and put the book aside.

“Don't worry, everyone,” she said, grabbing everyone’s attention. “I've learned a new spell that will fix everything.” Spike backed away as she started to form the spell, light exploding from her as it charged. With a grunt, the magic took effect, light erupting from her horn and over the area as a purple blast of energy. It washed over the oversized trees, the popcorn, the clouds, and the strange animals.

Sorin opened his eyes, finding that Twilight’s plan did nothing. Everything was the same as it was before, chaos running wild on the farm.

“My fail-safe spell... failed. What do we do?” she said in disbelief. She had practiced that spell countless times before, but it did absolutely nothing. She did not understand what was going on, and neither did anypony else.

“Give up?” Spike asked, getting a sigh from Twilight and Sorin alike.

“Now might be the time for plan B,” the stallion offered. Sadly, there was no other plan, so she was going to have to come up with one. Rarity placed an umbrella on Twilight’s back, letting her think of what to do as the scene continued to unfold.

“Time for ‘plan B.’” Her face perked up with a purpose as she turned to the weathermare in the sky. “Rainbow, can you corral all those clouds in one corner of the sky?” The pegasus shot into the sky, already starting to gather the cotton clouds together. “Applejack, I need you to bring those high-strung storm clouds down to Earth.” The countrymare whipped out her lasso, twirling it towards the collective mass of clouds Rainbow Dash had made.

Twilight whispered into Fluttershy’s ear, explaining her role in the new plan.

“Oh dear, I hope none of the animals see these delicious chocolate-filled cotton candy clouds.” As the cream-colored pony finished, the nearby creatures diverted their attention to her. “I'd hate to have to share them.” They then bolted over to the grounded cotton candy, feasting on the sugary mountain in front of them, shoving a disappointed Pinkie Pie aside.

“And when y'all are done with that, feel free to have some popcorn for dessert,” Applejack finished with, the Elements now in a circle as the chaos was put under control.

“You see, Spike? You should never give up. There's nothing we can't overcome if we all work together.” Twilight smiled at her little assistant, who burped out a jet of green flame. A rolled-up scroll with the Canterlot seal appeared from his breath, dropping to the ground.

Twilight levitated it in front of her, unrolling it at the same time. Her eyes sped across the words on the page.

Sorin looked over her shoulder, seeing the hastily written letter. Whatever it was, it was time-sensitive.

“What is it, Twilight?” he asked.

She gasped as she finished reading the abrupt letter, quickly rolling it back up.

“Come on, Princess Celestia wants to see us all in Canterlot immediately!”

This may prove more interesting than I thought…

The burdensome doors creaked open as the guards let them through and into the great room. The Elements plus Sorin swiftly went through the chamber to the base of the stairs where Celestia stood waiting. She stopped her pacing upon recognizing the seven ponies before her.

“Princess Celestia, we came as fast as we could!” Twilight called to the princess.

“Thank you, Twilight. Thank you, all.”

“Is this about the weather? And the animals' weird behavior? What's happening out there? Why isn't my magic working? Is there—“ she rambled on, being silenced by Celestia’s raised hoof.

“Follow me,” she answered, turning to lead them through the castle.

Sorin followed closely behind the Elements, his eyes wandering to the epic hall they were now in. Great windows with colored panes depicting different significant events and ponies made up most of the walls, and the sunlight shined through them. A long red carpet was rolled down the center of the room where everypony was walking.

“I've called you here for a matter of great importance. It seems an old foe of mine, someone I thought I had defeated long ago, has returned.”

Sorin turned back to the princess, intrigued by her words.

Who is this ‘foe’ she speaks of?

“His name,” she started, stopping to face the group, “is Discord.”

“Discord is the mischievous spirit of disharmony. Before my sister and I stood up to him, he ruled Equestria in an eternal state of unrest and unhappiness. Luna and I saw how miserable life was for earth ponies, pegasi, and unicorns alike, so after discovering the Elements of Harmony, we combined our powers and rose up against him, turning him to stone.”

It was then that they all noticed the stained glass window of an abnormal creature. While stone, its body was a compilation of things that made it look like something from one’s nightmares.

“I thought the spell we cast would keep him contained forever, but since Luna and I are no longer connected to the Elements, the spell has been broken.”

“No longer connected?” Twilight inquired as they continued to walk towards the end of the hall.

“This is Canterlot Tower, where the Elements are kept inside since you six recovered them. I need you to wield the Elements of Harmony once again and stop Discord before he thrusts all of Equestria into eternal chaos.”

“But why us?” she asked.

Pinkie Pie pointed out the window decorated with imagery of the six mares using the Elements to defeat Nightmare Moon.

“You six showed the full potential of the Elements by harnessing the magic of your friendship to beat a mighty foe. Although Luna and I once wielded the Elements, it is you who now control their power, and it is you who must defeat Discord,” Celestia explained. “And your magical ability I have heard of will be useful, Sorin. Alongside the Elements, you will bring an end to Discord’s schemes!”

“Princess Celestia, you can count on—” Twilight replied, showing her readiness for such a task before being interrupted by Pinkie Pie again.

“Hold on a second! Eternal chaos comes with chocolate rain, you guys. Chocolate rain!” Sorin put a hoof to his head in annoyance.

“Don't listen to her, princess. We'd be honored to use the Elements of Harmony again.”

Celestia went over to the mystical doors at the end of the hall, angling her horn with its lock. At the center was a sun-shaped object with a slot shaped perfectly for her horn, which she carefully inserted. With a simple incantation, she unlocked the heavily warded doors, making them open up with blue light.

Inside was a golden chest covered in a darker blue fabric that looked like pure silk. Gemstones were encrusted onto the front of the chest, giving it a lustrous shine.

Sorin had been studying the princess as she unlocked the door. He could sense the massive power put into the enchantments on the doors, but the Elements of Harmony were held in a simple chest upon a stone pedestal.

Celestia lifted the box with her magic, bringing it in front of the ponies. She started to unlock it with her magic. “Have no fear, ponies. I have total confidence that you will be able to defeat Discord,” she opened the chest wide, revealing the Elements, “with these!”

They all gasped as they saw nothing inside the chest. Only the pink lining of the box’s interior was visible, meaning the Elements were gone.

Celestia dropped the container in shock when her magic faltered, staring at the emptiness of it.

“The Elements! They're gone!”

“That chamber is protected by a powerful spell that only I can break. This doesn't make sense!” Celestia stated, beginning to pace around the room again as she furiously thought.

“Something is afoot here,” Sorin said in a cold but strong voice—and he was right.

The echoes of something laughing filled the room, reverberating over and over again off the walls like a warped tune.

“Make sense? Oh, what fun is there in making sense?” the echoes spoke.

Celestia recognized the voice of her old enemy, looking up at the ceiling for the winged creature.

“Discord!” she shouted. “Show yourself!”

He simply tsked at her mockingly before answering with, “Did you miss me, Celestia?”

His last two words become more solid, Sorin looking to where the voice came from and spotting another stained window. This one had the picture of Discord pulling strings attached to ponies.

His body flashed white as the creature on the window came to life, speaking to everypony.

“I missed you.” The image flew off the glass, hopping to a nearby window, walking on decorated orbs.

“It's quite lonely being encased in stone, but you wouldn't know that, would you, because I don't turn ponies into stone!”

“Enough!” Celestia interrupted with a steel shout. “What have you done with the Elements of Harmony?”

“Oh, I just borrowed them for a teensy little while,” he teased, snapping his fingers and making the six Elements on the window disappear.

“You'll never get away with this, Discord.”

“I'd forgotten how grim you can be, Celestia. It's really quite boring,” he answered in ennui, fidgeting with his digits.

“Hey! Nopony insults the Princess!” Rainbow Dash shot towards Discord, who vanished, causing her to slam into the hard glass in a daze.

He reappeared on the window, only this time he was the size of the entire window.

“Oh, you must be Rainbow Dash, famed for her loyalty, the Element of Harmony you represent.”

“That's right. I'll always be loyal to the princess!”

“We'll see about that,” he eluded.

Rarity made motions of disdain as she turned away from the windows. “I can't believe we're wasting our time talking to a tacky window.”

Discord jumped to the pane behind her, leaning down to her level. “The beautiful Rarity, representing the Element of Generosity, if I'm not mistaken?”

“So you know who we are, big deal,” Applejack said with unamusemt at his little tricks.

“Oh, I know much more than that, honest Applejack,” he replied in good stride.

“You seem to know our strengths too,” Twilight pointed out, which everypony acknowledged with apprehension.

“Yes, Twilight Sparkle, and yours is the most powerful and elusive element: magic. Fluttershy's is kindness, and Pinkie Pie's is a personal favorite of mine—” he said, starting to dance on Twilight’s head in the glass. “—laughter.”

The pink mare giggled at his dancing, earning a reprimand from Twilight.

“And you,” Discord started, enlarging his face so his eye could stare directly at the sole stallion in the room, “Sorin. The Elements’ new ‘sidekick.’”

Sorin let out a snort at Discord’s comments. His magic was concealing his true power, so the trickster had no idea who he was dealing with.

He knows the Elements and their strengths. He may very well know their weaknesses, which may be helpful. I can extract the information from this ‘Discord.’

“Stop stalling, Discord!” Celestia demanded, hitting a hoof on the floor. “What have you done with the Elements of Harmony?”

The Lord of Chaos snickered upon Twilight’s head. “Ah, so boring, Celestia. Really?” He sighed. “Fine, I'll tell you, but I'll only tell you my way.”

With another flash, he disappeared from the windows, his voice carrying into a whisper.

“To retrieve your missing Elements, just make sense of this change of events.”

His body darted around the hallway as he revealed his riddle.

“Twists and turns are my master plan. Then find the Elements back where you began.” He ended with a laugh, gone for now.

“What do you reckon he meant? Twists and turns and endin' back where we started?”

“Maybe there is a long road full of bends nearby?” Sorin offered.

Twilight trotted away to one of the clear windows to think. As she repeated the words “twists and turns,” she realized what was in front of her. Outside the window was the castle labyrinth, a huge maze made out of giant hedges.

“That's it! I bet Discord hid the Elements in the palace labyrinth!” she exclaimed to her friends.

“Good luck, my little ponies. The fate of Equestria is in your hooves.” Princess Celestia bowed her horn, giving her blessing to the seven ponies whom she entrusted to defeat Discord.

“Thanks, Princess. We won't let you down.”

The seven ponies turned to the exit, already making their way outside. Celestia was left alone, only hoping that her ponies could stop the Lord of Chaos.

“W-We have to go in there?” Fluttershy said in fright of the labyrinth entrance.

Despite being a part of Canterlot, the labyrinth was not something many ponies visited. Going through the labyrinth could take hours if you got lost, and there was no other way out unless you could teleport or fly away. The hedge maze was also not a pleasant place to walk through.

The entrance loomed over the ponies in the shape of an arch, large flags blowing in the wind next to it. The walls were small towers of leaves with crude thorns weaved into them, spikes jutting out in random spots.

The seven ponies stood before said entrance, reluctant to enter. Luckily for the group, they had a future Wonderbolt in their ranks.

“Nope! Dopey Discord forgot about these babies,” she said, flapping her wings for emphasis. “I’ll just do a quick flyover, and we’ll have the Elements in no time.”

With a flap, she rose above the labyrinth, about to zoom over it, when she dropped to the ground. As she tried to catch herself, she found her wings did not respond. Looking back, she saw her wings were gone, somehow removed from her back—much to her horror.

“My wings!” she screamed.

With a flash, Fluttershy looked back and saw her own wings gone, causing her to scream as well. Twilight and Rarity saw each other’s horns disappear with the flash, then seeing their own missing.

Sorin felt the sudden block on his magic, feeling his horn vanish. As he tried to cast a spell, it did nothing.

A green ball formed underneath the arch, growing in size until morphing into Discord himself, who was laughing maniacally. He threw up his claw and paw, lightning striking the background as he revealed himself.

“You—You should see the looks on your faces. Priceless!” he mocked, floating into a ball while continuing to laugh.

“Give us our wings and horns back!” Twilight commanded, stamping her hoof in defiance.

“You’ll get them back in good time. I simply took them to ensure there’s no cheating.” He teleported back to the ground, waving a single talon around.

“You see, this is the first rule of our game: no flying and no magic.”

“The first rule?” Rainbow asked with hesitation.

“The second rule is everypony has to play or the game is over, and I win.” He clicked his fingers together at the thought of his victory before flying into the air.

“Good luck, everypony!” he said while disappearing in a bright white flash, leaving behind the sound of his laughter.

Sorin narrowed his eyes as he stared where Discord had just been, intrigued as to what the Lord of Chaos’s true plan was.

While the stallion now lacked Equestrian magic, he still held his true power, but that made using it more suspicious. He did not know what Discord would think if he saw him using Void magic without a horn, but he could imagine.

“Never fear; we have each other!”

“Yeah! Like Twilight said, there’s nothing we can’t overcome if we all stick together,” Rainbow Dash added, the ponies now lining up next to each other.

“Alright, ponies, let’s do this!”

As Twilight finished, they all put a hoof down, chanting, “Together!” as one.

The ground rumbled as another hedge sprung out of the ground, closing Sorin off from the others. More walls came from the earth, separating everypony and putting them on their own path.

“Stay calm!” Twilight shouted over her friends’ screams. “Everypony head to the middle as fast as you can, and we’ll regroup there.”

They all agreed except for Fluttershy, who was shaking since she was now by herself in the twisting maze.

“Divide and conquer!” Sorin yelled, beginning to move out.

“At least being by myself means I will be able to do as I please without prying eyes.”

He trotted forward, checking his surroundings for threats as he walked.

“So this is Discord’s plan: split us up and take us on one by one?” He let out a snide huff. “We will see. He does not know what he is dealing with.”

Now sure that no one was nearby, he closed his eyes and concentrated with all his will. Without his horn, he resorted back to connecting to his blood and giving it instructions.

His body came apart as his black blood lurched out of him, pulling away from its fleshy boundaries. His eyes bled as the final part of his essence released with a sick schloching sound.

His eyes turned a dull blue, his pony body still functioning. He had split himself into his essence and his physical body, allowing him to control both. It also meant Sorin would be near defenseless, so he needed to be careful.

His legs moved forward after a second of adjusting, starting to head to the center autonomously. Yogg-Saron’s shapeless form drifted into the air, peaking over the walls.

Looking through his spectral sight, he could see just how large the labyrinth truly was. It stretched across the many nearby hills, blanketing everything he could see in front of him green.

He felt a tinge at his arcane senses, this form letting him feel it more acutely. He looked to its location, finding Discord floating across the sky.

His black mass of a body weaved over the walls, following its target.

Sorin continued along the path, already growing tired of the trek. Fork after fork in the road he went, using his other half to guide him along the way. He wondered how long it would take for the others to make their way there since the maze was so easy to get lost in.

He had to admit, whoever made the labyrinth did well. He had never seen one so big, let alone so difficult to navigate. He discovered there was a pattern in how the hedges were placed, but the pattern did not help with finding a way out.

He heard voices of other ponies occasionally, opting to remain hidden for now by not responding. He knew the others were nearby, but that meant nothing in a maze. Turn after turn, he felt more and more lost, despite getting closer to the center.

His essence had finally caught up to Discord and hid in part of the walls to watch what would unfold. He saw Discord talking to Rainbow Dash, holding a cloud that resembled the mare’s Cutie Mark in his claw.

The loyal pony looked at the cloud, starting to see something else within it. It transformed into the floating city of Cloudsdale.

Yogg-Saron continued to watch, seeing the city break apart, ponies running away screaming. The structures collapsed, and the cloud the city rested on started to fall to the ground, ripping apart. Huge chunks of city tumbled from the sky.

Rainbow Dash was mesmerized by the image. She had to save Cloudsdale, which meant she needed the wings Discord offered her.

She reached for the cloud, and when she touched it her wings sprouted from her back, in their place once again.

The Old God watched as Discord’s eyes turned into a mind-bending illusion, Rainbow Dash’s becoming the same.

What’s this?

The Element of Loyalty lost her color, turning grey all over as she flapped her wings. Her visage turned cold as she shot into the air, headed to save Cloudsdale and abandoning her friends.

He had felt the power Discord projected into Rainbow Dash: Void magic. He was shocked by this because Void was almost unwieldable. Most mortals could barely make it take physical shape on Azeroth after years of study, but Discord was using it freely.

The Lord of Chaos instantly became a real threat to Yogg-Saron. If he could wield Void magic, his capabilities grew a thousandfold, making him a formidable opponent. Through manipulation, he turned a pony against their nature, something similar to what Yogg-Saron could do. While he would likely defeat Discord if they battled, he did not want to risk losing all his progress so far. One wrong move could put him back in chains, and he would never let that happen again.

He floated away, crawling over the ground as he watched Discord like a hawk. The creature laughed, relishing his glorious defeat of the Elements.

Return.

Sorin made one last left turn, spotting movement at the end of the path. He sped up, jogging over to the source and quickly finding it. As he leaned his head around the corner, he saw five mares, four of them colored grey and almost looking like stone.

He pulled his head back, feeling his essence nearby. The wispy sludge climbed over the wall in front of him, seeping towards his body. He lowered his horn as the blood raised into a tendril.

As the two touched, Sorin’s eyes ignited, and his blood poured back into his veins. His body shook from the force of the two entities becoming one, but his muscles became firmer by the second. The shaking stopped, and the last of his blood seeped into his horn, connecting with the rest.

“Now then,” he said to himself, turning the corner. He broke into a sprint, eager to catch up to the Elements.

They turned to him, seeing his charging form. He slowed down in front of them, sending dirt to his sides as he abruptly stopped.

“Sorin, I’m glad you ma—” Twilight greeted him, having to find her footing as the ground shifted beneath her hooves. Like quicksand, she sank into the ground as the labyrinth around her came undone. She screamed as a crater appeared beneath her, making everypony fall into it.

Sorin slammed into his shoulder upon landing, dislocating it with a pained grunt. He gasped for air, finding the wind knocked from his lungs and dirt in his mouth.

He slowly took in the fresh air, spitting out the earthy substance in his mouth as he caught his breath. No pony fared any better because they were all getting up carefully, their groans filling the air as they tried to stand.

Sorin’s shoulder popped and twisted on its own, bending back into the socket. With a loud snapping sound, his shoulder connected properly, and his movement was restored—another benefit of supernatural blood coursing through your body.

Everypony was now standing on all four hooves, their pain starting to subside. The large dust cloud around them faded as they were able to breathe again, their alertness returning instantly.

“Well, well, well,” Discord repeated, making himself known. His wings were flapping at a steady pace as he floated in front of everypony. “Somepony broke the ‘no wings; no magic’ rule.”

He snapped his talons. Sorin’s horn reappeared, the same as it was before, and so did Rarity and Twilight’s. Fluttershy’s wings were also returned to her.

“Game's over, my little ponies. You didn't find your precious elements.” He snickered at the helpless ponies who were the ones supposed to defeat him. He made an inverted umbrella appear in his hands, its pink color reflecting the color Pinkie Pie once was.

He opened the umbrella, slinging it over his shoulders as a smug grin was drawn onto his face. The ground rumbled once again as lightning struck all across the desolate area behind Discord, covering him in purple and blue light while he continued to grin.

“Looks like we might be due for a big old storm of chaos.”

Chapter 10: Harmony

Discord broke into laughter from the sight. He curled up as he did so, not being able to contain his joy.

“And what are you laughing at?!” Pinkie Pie yelled at him, only further adding to his throes.

“Oh, you ponies are just the most fun I've had in eons!” he said out loud, completely ignoring the aggravated pink pony. He had to wipe a large tear from his eye because of how much he was laughing.

“Well, quit it! You'd better think before you laugh at the Pink—” she screamed back, getting in his unique face, “—ie Pie!”

“Oh, yeah?” Fluttershy mocked. “Well, ha, ha.”

“Quit it!”

“No. Ha, ha.”

“Quit it!” Pinkie Pie all but bellowed to the cruel pegasus.

“No. Ha, ha-ha haha,” the cream-colored mare mocked.

Applejack went up to the massive “diamond” Rarity was carefully guarding. She stroked it with a hoof, admiring it.

“Rarity?” The seamstress came over. “This here diamond of yours? Twilight said we should split it seven ways since we, uh, found it together.” Applejack’s eyes avoided Rarity’s as she lied.

The unicorn initiated a flying kick, sending her country friend tumbling back after slamming a hoof into her barrel.

“Try it, punk. He's mine. All mine!” she said insanely, her voice sounding savage on the last word.

Twilight did not know what was happening. Her friends were acting like completely different ponies.

“Girls, why are you all acting like this?”
Pinkie Pie kept screaming at Fluttershy, who was continuing to laugh at her with more ichor. “We need to stick together!”

She ran to her friends, trying to calm them down, but they just continued torturing each other. Sorin went over to her side, looking equally confused about the situation.

“It's just too entertaining,” Discord commented from behind them. He was sitting on a plush red couch, tossing popcorn into his mouth as he watched the “show” in front of him.

“Stop it, Discord,” she said, stomping her hoof on the ground. “You're not playing fair.”

“I'm not playing fair?” he laughed. “Perhaps we haven't met. I'm Discord, Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony. Hello?” He threw some more popcorn in his mouth, spitting a kernel at Twilight.

“How are we supposed to find the Elements of Harmony when you took away the labyrinth before we could get to the end?” she angrily said as another kernel bounced off of her head.

“Oh, wait, did you…” he started, pointing a talon at her before breaking into guffaws. “How funny! You thought the Elements were in the labyrinth?”

He waved his paw, creating a distorted image in front of him. There was Celestia, standing next to the Elements as Discord’s glass figure spoke.

“Twists and turns are my master plan. Then find the Elements back where you began.”

With another wave, the memory was gone. He was now standing in between Twilight and Sorin, one of whom was freaking out.

“I never said they were in the labyrinth.”

“Keep trying, Twilight Sparkle.” He put up his arms, jesting as he told her, “Maybe the magic of Friendship can help you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some chaos to wreak.”

With that, he started his teleportation spell. Sorin flung a fireball at the draconequus, but he vanished before it hit. Rocks were scattered everywhere as the projectile landed on the ground instead.

Twilight let out a defeated sigh, completely lost as to where Discord had hidden the Elements. She walked away, going off to think.

“This may work to my advantage,” Sorin told himself. “If Discord was strong enough to do this, he can also serve me. While I cannot destroy the Elements—yet—if we combine our powers, we can defeat them, once and for all.”

He smiled at his new plan, pacing back and forth. “After that, only the royal sisters will stand in our way. We will conquer them, Death and Chaos, leaving only him to stop me from domination. By then, I should have enough power to destroy him, leaving all of Equestria to me.”

He stopped his pacing, looking down at the rocks around him. He lifted a hoof and slammed it onto one of the shattered rocks, cutting deep into his hoof as blood ran from it.

The small pool of his essence swam away from him, headed towards the edge of the crater before crawling up the dirt walls.

“Yes, this may work to my advantage.”

Discord was admiring his work. Standing on a hill near Ponyville, he looked down upon the village. Giant sections of it were floating in the air, suspended by nothing but air, with houses on top of them. Abominations ran through the streets, terrifying the ponies bold enough to be outside.

He put his claw to his face as he thought about what to do next when he heard something nearby. He stopped stroking his chin, listening to every sound. The bushes rattled, and he whipped his head around, finding nothing there.

Another bush rustled, and he launched a bolt of Chaos energy towards it, but it never hit. The floating black mass divided its body, opening a space where the bolt would have landed and let it pass through before shifting back into one body.

“What are you?” Discord demanded of the creature. It only chuckled creepily.

“A friend,” it simply replied, darting around his body. His head followed it, twisting his neck several times over.

“Why are you here?” he questioned in a bored manner after letting his neck unscrew like a twisted rubber band.

“I’ve come to offer you a deal.”

The cloud formed in front of him, taking a shape identical to Discord.

“It is a simple one that will benefit us both.” It walked around, putting its hands behind its back as it did. “Do you truly think the Elements are defeated?”

Discord laughed at the audacity of whatever was talking to him. “Of course they are. Soon enough, dear Twilight won’t know what to do now that her precious friends are gone.” He waved a paw dismissively, turning away.

The mass walked in Discord’s way, looking straight at him.

“Who is to say Celestia won’t bring them back to their true selves, or that over time your spell will wear off? Sure, you’ll rule for a few years, but then you will be imprisoned—again.”

He had never thought about what would happen after he turned them against each other. He would rule, but what would happen? Had this entity seen something the Lord of Chaos had not?

Noticing his lack of response, the shadowy figure continued.

“Here is my offer,” he raised a hand. “You continue with your plan, likely being stopped by the magic of Friendship, or,” it said, raising the other, “we work together.

“On our own, we cannot destroy the Elements, and I doubt that anyone can, but what if we combine our powers?” That got Discord thinking. “I’m sure you can see the strength I hold, which should help you realize we can render them useless.

“If you keep the Elements in their negative forms and make sure they bring the actual Elements to us when we are ready, we can perform the spell together and unbind them from their bearers, rendering them useless gems. Only then will they be out of the way.”

Yogg-Saron returned to his shapeless shape as he awaited a response. The draconequus was pensive, imagining what would happen if he agreed. The Elements would be gone, and then he would rule alongside this being or destroy it, whichever he wanted once he was king. The princesses would not be able to stop them simply because they were only two ponies.

“Do we have a deal, Lord of Chaos?”

“Yes, we do.” Discord chuckled to himself. “Twilight Sparkle and her friends are about to find the Elements, only to realize they don’t work because they are no longer friends.

“I will keep them busy, and soon enough, they will be out of the picture.”

“See you soon,” the wisp said evilly before sinking into the ground and disappearing.

As it sunk into the ground, it sensed something from Discord it had not felt before, something he had not expected to feel.

It can’t be.

Twilight put her head on a hoof, smacking the two together as she tried to make sense of the riddle. What did it mean?

“Think, Twilight, think!” She paced around. “‘Find the Elements back where you began.’ Back where you began…”

The sounds of her friends going at each other’s throats only made concentrating harder, making her let an annoyed snort escape her mouth.

“I just want to go home,” she whispered to herself at the sight of her friends. As she said that, her revelation started to form. “Wait a minute… home!” The riddle never said the Elements were in the labyrinth, just like Discord said.

“‘Back where you began!’ The Elements must be in Ponyville.” She turned to her friends, who were still fighting, knowing what to do. “Girls!” she shouted. They stopped, looking at her with malice and making her shrink back just a little.

“I think we have to get to Ponyville. That’s where Discord hid the Elements!”

The faintest spark of who they once were showed as they heard this. Even though they had been turned into their opposites, they still had a link to the Elements that would outlast any spell of Discord’s.

So, they went to her, Rarity carrying her boulder still, and followed.

“Come on, girls. I'm certain this is what Discord's riddle really meant. If we get back to the library, I have a book that I just know can give us a clue,” Twilight said, leading five mares down the road, almost back to Ponyville.

Sorin jumped to the side as a stampede of bunnies charged at him and her. Narrowly avoiding them, he rolled on the ground, but she was too caught up to do the same. They slammed into her, forcing her into the ground as they walked all over her.

With many groans, she stood up. She winced at the dozens of small bruises she now had, but she had to push forward for Equestria, and so she did. She could hear Fluttershy snickering from behind as she thanked the bunnies who trampled her “friend.”

They reached the top of the hill they were going up, now being able to see Ponyville. The ground was purple with a checkerboard-like pattern on it, and parts of the town were floating. Crazy animals were running rampant through the town, some breaking into houses while others danced wildly outside. The roadways were turned into soap, making it rather annoying to walk on them.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Twilight found Discord skating past her, reaching out a hoof over the hill. “This is the new and improved Ponyville, and these are only my first of changes,” he said like a child on Christmas day.

Sorin growled at him, baring his teeth. It would have been more effective if he had sharp teeth instead of flat ones.

Discord booped him on the nose like a dog, making the pony release a blast of energy which Discord let phase through his body, leaving him unharmed.

“Picture it, the chaos capital of the world,” he said, picking up Twilight so she could look at the new Ponyville. Just then, the sun fell from the sky, the moon taking its place.

Sorin froze in place, caught off guard by that. Somehow, Discord was able to affect the sun and moon that the royal sisters controlled.

“I can’t picture anything; it’s too dark,” Twilight flatly said.

With a huff, the Lord of Chaos dropped her, walking away. “Well, wait a few minutes and you’ll see it in the beautiful light of day. Or not.”

He made his exit with a snap of his talons, vanishing into the air.

“Ponyville, the chaos capital of the world? Not if I have anything to say about it,” she said with determination, focused on finding the Elements so Discord could be stopped.

The seven ponies finally reached the treehouse, Sorin coming up to Twilight and staring at the library. He slowly rotated his head to look at her.

“Let’s hope this goes well.”

“We can only hope,” she deadpanned.

“Okay, we're here. Everyone please, please, please just go inside, please?”

He went inside, trotting to the center of the room. The others came in after a while, Twilight being the last one while carrying Rarity’s boulder. Water splashed over his face as Spike was pelted with a bucketful of water. The poor dragon screamed as he awoke from his slumber, confused as to who poured water over him.

Sorin walked around the library, inspecting the various books along the walls.

“Twilight, what's going on? Why does everybody look so… grey?” Spike asked.

“Don't ask.” She needed to get looking. “I need you to help me find something.”

He nodded, ready to help her out.

“Hey, Twilight, what's soaking wet and clueless?” Fluttershy asked condescendingly, holding another pale in her hands.

“Fluttershy, I've had just about enough—” she tried to answer before being drenched, making her face contort in anger.

“Your face!” the pegasus shot back.

Spike went back over to her, worried for his friends. “What's happened to everypony?”

“No time to explain. We've got to find the reference guide to the Elements of Harmony before somepony does something she'll regret.”

“The Elements of Harmony? Oh, I know exactly where that book is,” he said before rushing over to the wall and climbing up the ladder. He pulled the book from its shelf, getting her attention as he waved it around.

Fluttershy swooped in and took the book straight out of his claws.

Sorin sat in boredom as the Elements started to fight over the book, tossing it to one another to stop Twilight from getting it. Just when she thought she would get it, they stole it from her grasp and continued the game.

“GIVE ME THAT BOOK!” she bellowed, charging at the one holding her prize. After slamming into the boulder, she shook her head and jumped onto the nearest pony.

Growing tired of the quarrel, Sorin grabbed the book with his magic, pulling it away from everypony and into his hooves. Twilight emerged from the brawl, coming over to him and scooping up the book while Spike stood guard around them with a scroll.

“Get back. All of you! This is my book, and I'm going to READ IT!” she shouted, clutching onto the cover and opening it, only to see the Elements of Harmony.

“The Elements!” she gasped in surprise. “The Elements! They were here all along!”

“This is great! Now you guys can defeat Discord and put everything back to normal,” Spike eagerly said.

“See, girls? We did it! We found the Elements of Harmony; together!”

Sorin huffed at that.

“You don't even care, do you?” she asked, devoid of emotion again. Her friends all screamed out, “No!”

“I never thought it would happen. My friends… have turned into complete jerks!”

She grabbed the Elements, putting each necklace around her friends’ necks before lowering her crown onto her head. She started to make her way out the door when Spike stopped her.

“But Twilight, aren't you missing somepony?”

“Nope,” she replied. “We've got the liar, the grump, the hoarder, and the brute. That just about covers it.”

“But what about Rainbow Dash?”

“Congratulations, Spike, you're the new Rainbow Dash.” She put the Element of Loyalty around his neck, much to his displeasure. “Now let's go!”

The dragon rambled on to her about impersonating Rainbow Dash and the horrors of doing such a thing.

“Now let's go defeat Discord so we don't ever have to talk to each other again,” she finished with, leaving the house. Sorin followed the other Elements, making sure they actually left. She had to come back and push “Tom” through the window, breaking part of the tree.

All seven ponies and the one dragon were standing in the street when Discord made his presence known.

“Well, well, well, I see you've found the Elements of Harmony. How terrifying,” he rambled, throwing a paw to his head in feigned terror.

“Discord! I've figured out your lame riddle. You're in for it now!” Twilight snapped back.

This will be interesting.

“I certainly am. You've clearly out-dueled me, and now it's time to meet my fate.” He threw on a pair of awkward sunglasses. “I'm prepared to be defeated now, ladies. Fire when ready,” he chimed, making a large target appear on his midsection, his boasting unhindered.

“Formation, now!” All five of the Elements came over to Twilight, forming a small group. She had to call “Rainbow Dash” over from the boulder he was hiding behind. As he got into position, Sorin stood slightly behind her.

“Alright, let's get this over with.” Once she finished, she closed her eyes as she let Magic flow through her. She raised into the air, her crown glowing with divine light as the other Elements floated around her.

She opened her eyes, more light spewing from them than anywhere else, making them giant balls of energy. Her crown released a wave, connecting to the other Elements of Harmony as light surrounded them, only for the connection to fail.

The ponies who wore the Elements were not true, so the ritual ceased, causing everypony to fall to the ground.

“What's going on?” Twilight mouthed in shock.

Discord was busy chuckling to himself, now sure that he had put down Equestria’s heroes for the time being. All he had to do was wait for Twilight to break, and then he would be able to proceed with his end of the bargain.

Sorin was thinking the same thing, silently chuckling to himself as well.

“Bravo, ponies, bravo!” Discord applauded out of pure jest. “Harmony in Equestria is officially dead. Discord rules, Celestia drools.” He booped Twilight on the nose as he finished, letting out a few spiteful laughs. He jumped onto the soapy road, skating away while continuing to laugh.

Sorin watched as each of his friends abandoned each other. They despised one another, and Twilight was the only one left who still cared. But seeing her closest friends forsake her drew out her anger.

“Fine. Leave. See if I care! I don't need you guys either!” Her words came apart the moment she uttered them, her anger disappearing at the same time. “With friends like you, who needs—” She realized she had only helped to drive her friends away when they needed her most, and now she was without them.

“—enemies…”

That last word was filled with pure regret. Her head fell, and her hope followed as the colors of her tail faded to grey. Like a disease, the lack of color spread, washing over her entire body until the end of her nose was covered. A tear fell from her eye, splashing the ground and making the shape of a broken heart.

“He was right; Harmony is dead,” Sorin said as he watched the former Twilight Sparkle walk away with her head down in defeat.

He turned around, slowly trotting back to the library. He opened the door, closing it as he went in. He went up the stairs, going into his room like any other day and plopping onto his bed. He smiled, relaxing for a few moments.

At long last, the Eleme—

Just then, the front door creaked back open. It quickly closed as hoofsteps echoed through the house. He stood back up, hearing the pony reach the top of the stairs and go into the room opposite of his.

He could hear muffled words coming from inside as he strained his ears to listen. He went into the hall, now hearing the voice much better to the point where he knew exactly who it was.

“These are all the letters I've written to the princess since I've lived in Ponyville. But why would she send them back?”

What.

He nudged the door, poking his head inside to confirm his suspicions. Twilight held a scroll in front of her, reading through it aloud. He went all the way inside, spotting Spike lying in his bed and looking sickly. There was a large pile of scrolls like the one she was holding, each of them sealed with red wax. His attention returned to her as she finished.

“…maybe even before she's met them."

He watched as her true colors were revealed, forcing the grey of her fur away for good. As the top of her horn returned to its purple shade, her eyes went wide with enlightenment.

“Spike! Spike, it's all so clear!” She levitated him into her arms. “Can't you see? Discord's trying to distract us from what's important. He knows how powerful our friendships are, and he's trying to keep us from seeing it.”

No.

She hugged him tightly. “Do you remember what I said the first day we arrived in Ponyville? I told you that the future of Equestria didn't rest on me making friends. But the opposite is true! The friendships I've made since I've been here are what saved Equestria from Nightmare Moon. And now they need to save it from Discord!”

Sorin ground his teeth into each other.

“You're right, Spike. I've got to fight for my friendships. For them. For me. For Equestria!” Twilight finished, her confidence restored.

Fools.

She headed for the exit, only to find Sorin looking… puzzled.

“We have to go find the others; we can still stop Discord, but we must do it together!” He nodded in understanding, following closely behind as she left her room, Spike resting in his bed.

One by one, Sorin aided her in finding her friends and showing them who they are, freeing them from their current state. Remembering what they stood for, they all put their Element around their necks again.

The only one who had not been found was Rainbow Dash. After she flew off to save Cloudsdale, no pony had seen her.

“Now, to stop Discord!” Twilight said.

“But Twilight,” Sorin interjected while coming up to her, “we must find Rainbow Dash.”

“Of course,” she said, folding her ears against her head to hide the fact she may have forgotten about her.

“If we are to stop him, we need every one of us.”

If my plan is to still work, I need every Element in one place.

The first place to look was her home: a small mansion made of clouds that rested in the air over Ponyville. Fluttershy flew up to it, searching through the house.

“She’s not here.” She went back down to her friends, who were starting to get worried.

“Without Rainbow Dash, we can’t use the Elements.”

“She could be anywhere by now. We’re never going to find her,” Applejack added dejectedly.

“Yeah we will, ‘cause she’s right there,” Pinkie Pie pointed out, her hoof aimed at a small cloud nearby. Laying on the cloud, stretched out with her head on her arms, was a grey Rainbow Dash.

“Rainbow Dash!” Twilight said out of reflex.

“Hey, guys,” the pegasus called back.

“We’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

“That’s nice.”

“Discord’s still on the loose; we need you to help us defeat him with your Element: Loyalty!”

She scoffed, too blinded to see what she was doing. “Loyalty, schmoyalty. Have you guys seen Ponyville?” She pointed at the chaotic town. “It’s a disaster! I’m staying here in Cloudsdale, where everything’s awesome.”

“She is too stubborn and selfish right now to listen. We are going to have to force her back to normal, I’m afraid,” Sorin said.

“Time for plan B.”

They had gotten a hot air balloon and prepped it for flight so they could fly up to Rainbow Dash. As they all boarded, Sorin untied the rope with his magic, the balloon lifting off the ground. Moving at a steady pace, they eventually made it over to the cloud she was calling home.

Sorin watched as Fluttershy rushed down to the sleeping mare, supposed to hold her down while Twilight gave her her memories back. Instead, the shy pegasus gently tapped on her. As Rainbow Dash stirred, she looked up to her former friend.

“I’m just wondering if it’s okay if I hold you down against your will for a little bit?”

Everypony in the balloon facehoofed.

“Nice try. Ponyville’s your problem, not mine,” she answered, gripping her cloud and shooting away with her powerful wings.

“Come on, Fluttershy,” Twilight shouted down to her while lowering a rope, “we’ve got to catch her!”

She quickly put the rope in her mouth, chasing after Rainbow Dash. They were barely making ground since their whole balloon was being pulled by one Fluttershy.

Looking over her shoulder, Rainbow Dash saw them following her.

“Catch me if you can,” she said to herself, suddenly changing momentum.

Sorin saw her zooming around the balloon, barely a blur as she moved.

“We have to get her to stay still,” Applejack shouted from the top of the vehicle.

“Throw up the rope,” Sorin told Twilight, “I’ll handle this.”

He spotted the mare in the air, watching her flight path intently. He recognized the pattern she was using to avoid them after a few cycles around the hot air balloon.

He powered his horn, aiming his spell at where Rainbow Dash would be in a few seconds. “Here goes nothin’,” he said, releasing the spell.

The air in front of her warped like a collapsing star, falling in upon itself in an instant. A thunderous clap rang out from the spot, blasting her ears and causing them to ring loudly as everything else was drowned out. Then, the shockwave came.

She had been flying toward the hot air balloon with incredible speed, but the sheer force of the shockwave sent her hurdling backward just as fast as she had been flying forward.

She struggled to right herself, quickly dropping to the same level as the balloon. Her wings finally kicked into action as she caught the wind, and with a final flap, she started going directly away from the pursuing balloon.

Before she could rush away, a rope wrapped around her barrel, pulling tightly against her. She went against it, now being slowed down by the weight of two ponies beneath her.

“What did you do?!” Twilight shouted to Sorin after seeing how he “handled” the situation.

“I had to slow her down, or else we would never have caught her.”

“But you could have hurt her!” she snapped back over the blowing air while glaring at him.

“Don’t worry, I knew where she would be and how close I needed to land the blast to throw her off without harming her,” Sorin explained. “She is fine.”

She could not argue against him, so she resorted to defiant pouting. She also had to deal with two of her friends dangling hundreds of feet above the ground by only a rope.

“I can’t!” Fluttershy shouted to the two asking her to fly faster. She was already pushing her wings to the limit, and it was starting to hurt.

“If you can’t catch her, Discord wins!” Twilight yelled down to her. That was the perfect motivator.

“That big.”

“Dumb.”

“MEANIE!” Fluttershy roared, propelling through the air with a surge of might, her aching wings suddenly healed. Sorin had to grab onto the sides of the carriage to stop himself from falling over the edge.

They were gaining on Rainbow Dash rapidly since she was weighed down so much. Applejack held the last rope in her mouth, sizing up the distance from the runaway mare.

They inched the last of the way to throwing range, Applejack hurling the rope with all the strength she had. Rainbow Dash looked back to see her captors too late, for the rope tightly gripped the same area as the other.

The hot air balloon lowered to the ground as she struggled against her bonds, finally touching down in a forest clearing. Rarity and Pinkie Pie were able to crawl out of their ropes, holding their friend with them. The friend in question was kicking and bucking, trying to escape.

“Lemme go! I don’t need you guys! Leave me alone!”

Sorin came forward to her, but she kicked him in the center of his chest. That was what he wanted because Twilight came out from behind him, putting her horn onto Rainbow Dash’s head.

The memories of her past flooded through her as she gained her vibrant colors back.

“Chaos is a wonderful thing,” Discord said out loud, sitting in his throne comfortably. It was a strange one, weirdly shaped horns extending from the top like his own. Two gemstones were next to his ears, each of them blood red.

He was about to sip his glass of chocolate milk when a lavender unicorn interrupted him.

“Not as wonderful as Friendship!”

“Oh, this again?” he deadpanned, drinking the glass itself and tossing it behind him, resulting in an explosion nearby. His face rested in an unamused way as he looked at the seven ponies in front of him again.

“That’s right,” Applejack sternly said to him. “You couldn’t break apart our friendship for long.”

He snorted, annoyed by them. He constricted his talons, gripping onto her necklace with yellow energy and pulling her towards him. She resisted, but she was eventually lifted to him.

“Oh, Applejack. Don’t lie to me; I’m the one who made you a liar.” He tightened his grip, latching onto five other ponies by the neck, pulling them next to Applejack.

Twilight teleported from the ground to her friends in the air, casting a bubble around them and breaking Discord’s hold. She lowered them to the ground, green grass on their hooves again.

“I’ll tell you what we learned, Discord,” Twilight told him. He made a face of mock interest. “We’ve learned that friendship isn’t always easy, but there’s no doubt it’s worth fighting for.”

Discord was about to make a comment when he saw something behind the seven ponies. Shifting around trees, the black mass he saw earlier crept towards Sorin and the Elements.

The Lord of Chaos knew that now was the time to enact their plan to remove the Elements, and so he continued on, prompting them to use their power.

“Ugh, gag. Fine, go ahead, try and use your little Elements. Friend me.” He had to fight back the smirk that was trying to come over his face. “Just make it quick. I’m missing some excellent chaos here.”

“Alright, ladies, let’s show him what friendship can do!” Twilight boldly said, her friends getting into stance. After taking a final drink of chocolate milk, Pinkie Pie joined them with a carnivalistic growl.

Twilight’s crown began to glow as it had done before, but this time it was powered by true Friendship, not simply magical enchantments. Furious light spread out over the land, the other Elements starting to glow as well.

Magic lifted into the air, opening her eyes with a blaze of holy light. Her friends raised into the air, closing their eyes as they tapped into their Element.

Discord saw the mass of blood reach out a thick tendril of its constantly shifting blood to the floating Elements. As it neared them, a wall of pure energy burned its tendril, causing it to reel back in pain and release a harrowing screech.

Discord raised an eyebrow in concern at this. It was then that the Elements started to release their energy as shapes of the Elements of Harmony. A lightning bolt flew past his face, making him move his head in panic.

“I don’t understand, somehow they broke free!” he yelled out, now feeling the pure Friendship magic they were emitting.

“You failed to keep them in their weakened state?!” the black mass thundered within his head. “Now they are too connected to the Elements to break them apart!

“You failed.”

Discord watched the black mass flee from the expanding ball of magic around the Elements. Scurrying over a hill, it darted away with great haste to avoid the blast that was soon to come.

He knew that he could not stop them from unleashing the full power of Friendship upon him, which would turn him to stone again. So, he quickly flapped his wings, lifting himself up so he could fly away before it was too late.

As his body raised from his throne, he was yanked hard, not moving. Confused, he looked down to see thick chains connected to him. They were black, made of the same substance as the black mass was. They were bound around his wrists and his ankles, completely shackling him.

Seeing the white light become blinding, he hurriedly pulled on the chains, only for them to rattle. He snapped his talons, teleporting away, but found himself in the exact same spot.

“What?” he said in shock.

He heard quiet laughter in his ears as he continued to pull. Then, he heard the echoing voice of the black mass in his mind.

“There is no escape.”

Discord knew this to be true in the depths of his heart, so he stopped resisting, simply sitting there as his fate unraveled.

“You are no longer of use to me, Discord,” Yogg-Sorin told him, solidifying the draconequus’s fears.

The Elements all opened their eyes with white light, and a blazing rainbow erupted from them, shooting into the air. He could not look away from it.

“No.”

He saw the rainbow peak in the air, his eyes burning from the brightness.

“NO!” he yelled as it came towards him. He pulled one last time on his bonds, but it only further doomed him.

The rainbow rammed into him, cascading over him with power. The black links on his body dissolved into nothing, but it was already too late for Discord.

His hoof turned to stone, and the stone climbed up his body. He squirmed, feeling his legs turn to rock again. Like a plague, it spread further and further over his body, engulfing his entire torso and leaving only his neck and head untouched.

“NOOOO—” he screamed at the top of his lungs as his neck transformed, finally cut off as his head contorted, being encased in his all too familiar prison.

The rainbow split, falling around Ponyville in a dome. With a final surge, it burst, spreading over the countryside and purging it of Discord's corruption.

As the light faded, the Elements lowered to the ground, plopping onto their hooves as their eyes returned to normal. Sorin stood beside them, pointing to the statue ahead of them. It fell over, Discord’s immortally horrified face staring at them.

At last, Equestria had been rid of his chaotic rule.

Blaring trumpets rang out through Canterlot’s streets, coming from the royal castle. The sound marked the defeat of an old foe, as well as the age of new heroes. Thousands of ponies gathered at the castle gates to watch the parade honoring the saviors of Equestria. Cheers rang out from the crowd, the entire city hearing the cries of gratitude.

If you were to stand on the balcony of the castle that overlooked the street, you would see a blend of vivid fur stretching as far as the eye could see. Every one of those ponies owed a great debt to the heroes who had returned the world to order and Harmony.

Inside the castle, Princess Celestia sat on her throne, looking down the red carpet at the opening doors.

All the ponies on both sides of the room looked to the doors, watching with anticipation as seven ponies came through. Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy walked down the carpet, all smiling at the onlookers.

Twilight was naturally in the front since she was who most considered the leader of the group, but all eyes were on the stallion that walked with the six mares.

No pony had seen him before, but his stature told them a lot. Everything about him screamed authority. His body dwarfed every Royal Guard in the room, and they were some of the bulkiest ponies around. His height was akin to that of the solar princess herself, and his cloak made him look like he belonged alongside her as a royal.

There was no doubt that this stallion was important. His posture stated it, and his walking with the Element bearers themselves said it. Everypony wanted to know who he was.

The princess looked at the seven ponies with beaming eyes, watching as they came to the base of the throne. She cleared her throat to address everypony with her powerful voice.

“We are gathered here today to once again honor the heroism of these six friends who stood up to the villain Discord and saved Equestria from eternal chaos,” she said with pride.

The crowd burst into a symphony of cheers, clapping their hooves together and making whistling noises for their heroes. Eventually, the room died down, and the princess elegantly cleared her throat again.

“We have also gathered to honor a new hero amongst the group. His willingness to stand alongside these six as they faced great danger is a show of true courage. That pony—” She pointed to the stallion she spoke of with a warm smile as he faced the crowd.

“—is Sorin.”

Sorin looked around, seeing the crowd erupt into cheers once again. They all applauded the stallion they knew little about, but they deemed him the same level as the Elements. They only knew that he had faced off against Discord with the others, and that was honorable enough.

His mask was a smile of reassurance, and they could not see the plethora of emotions that lay beneath it. If they had, they would have seen a being who had only furthered his own goals.

Not only had he become further entwined with the Elements, but he had also become a “hero.” To Equestria, he was now someone to be revered. They looked up to him, seeing the best of their own qualities reflected through him.

His plan had also worked. He had tricked Discord, bringing the Lord of Chaos directly to the one thing that could imprison him. He never planned on helping him, so he left himself a way out. That way was betrayal.

With the Lord of Chaos out the way, he now had only the Elements of Harmony to deal with.

He smiled at the ponies with a look that conveyed trustworthiness. If only they knew what was to come of that pony.

Chapter 11: Bonds

“Sister?”

The recently freed Princess Luna knocked on her sister’s golden bedroom doors. When she was answered with silence, she sighed. This was becoming too common of an occurrence.

There were days where Celestia would either cancel Court or cut it short so she could spend the entire day in her room, doing absolutely nothing. That left all the extra paperwork to Luna, which she found most annoying. At least five times this month, her sister had done this, and she was willing to respect her boundaries.

But that no longer stood, mainly because her sister had run out of an important political meeting with griffon ambassadors, leaving Luna alone to try and negotiate while explaining that her sister had something pressing to attend to.

Lying to her allies was the last straw, so she was going to find out what was going on before it got any worse. She was supposed to be the emotionally distressed sister who needs solace right now, not the other way around.

She knocked again on the doors, getting the same response as before. She pressed an ear to one of the doors, straining to hear anything from inside. She was expecting her sister to be fooling around, eating cake, or something of the sort, but instead, she heard silence. The one familiar thing she heard was the crackling of a burning fireplace.

“We know you’re in there,” she shouted through the door. Being met once again with silence, she had to resort to teasing. “We hope thou is not engaging in scandalous acts,” she sing-songed. It surprised her to not get a chuckle out of Celestia, let alone nothing.

“I can wait,” she said, sitting down and clopping her hooves on the floor to make her point. Still pressing her ear on the door, she heard quiet sniffling from her sister, something very unexpected.

“I’m coming in.”

Luna reached for the handles, twisting them so she could throw them open, but the handles did not turn. Lifting an eyebrow, she turned them again, finding them locked. She jiggled them loudly.

“G-go away,” Celestia said from her bedroom, trying to sound like her normally collected self. It failed miserably, as Luna could hear the effects hours of crying had on her sister’s voice. To any other pony, she would sound the same, just tired, but her sister noticed it instantly.

Luna walked away from the bedroom, going down the halls to her own room and going up to the highest floor of her tower. As she went inside, she headed for the large windows that overlooked the land. With a click, she unlatched them, letting them swing open. The chilly nighttime breeze swept in, making the fur on her back stand up.

Ignoring it, she jumped out the window. The sheer wind brushed over her face as she fell from the top of the tower in a graceful manner. The ground got closer and closer, but she smiled. She pushed her wings open, letting them unfurl to their full length.

With a downward thrust, she shot upwards, soaring over the land below.

Besides her sister and control of her own body, flying was the thing Luna missed most during her banishment. She loved everything about it, the precise movements you make, the relaxing wind that hits your body with a slight tinge, the speed, the view—everything. It was also the only thing that had not changed since she was sent to the moon.

She found herself having quick getaways from the castle before bed a few times a week. It was a nice way to clear her head and calm down before sleeping—something she desperately needed.

As she flew around her personal tower, she started towards the one next to hers. She angled herself down as she spiraled around the spire, getting closer to the bottom.

She slowed herself as she came in for a landing outside her sister’s window. Making sure to stay quiet, her hooves gently hit the ground. She went over to the large windows, unlocking them with her magic.

With a light push, they swung open, revealing the scene inside.

The room was completely dark except for the fireplace that offered flickers of illumination. Her eyes adjusted, letting her see the paperwork scattered across the floor. Bedsheets were also here and there, some ripped apart and some with scorch marks on them. It looked like a brawl had occurred in the room.

She then shifted her gaze to the bed, seeing her sister lying there in a wrapped-up position that resembled a ball. Celestia was whimpering to herself, but she swiftly turned to look at who entered her window. She was surprised to see her sister.

Luna saw the redness of her sister’s eyes, the dampness of her cheeks, and the sad way she sat in her bed, all of them making Luna’s heart sink.

“What is it, sister?” she asked, going over to the edge of the giant bed and sitting down on it. “We are sisters again, so please,” she continued after seeing her sister shy away, “tell us what plagues you so.”

“I-I don’t feel like myself anymore. As simple as that sounds, it’s horrifying. Ever since the Gala, I have been questioning myself.” She hesitated for a second before speaking again. “Someone or something is torturing me.”

“What do you mean?” Luna asked, confused and worried at the same time.

“It makes me feel like a monster, makes me want to hurt and kill again. It makes me feel like I’m being watched when I’m alone, hated when I’m loved—and it’s getting worse.

“That’s why I have been hiding out in my room recently: because I can’t handle all the doubt I feel.” Luna listened intently, trying to understand what her sister was telling her. “I feel like I’m the captain of a ship that just got capsized, and the crew is trying to drown me in a sea of crimson.”

“Hast thou been around our tongue too much?” Luna said, trying to lighten the mood some.

“No,” Celestia softly said, chuckling briefly, “I’m just trapped in my thoughts right now.” She sighed, sinking deeper into the bed as her tears welled up.

“What is doing this to you?”

She simply shifted, looking away and out the window. “I-I—” she tried to start, suddenly not able to continue.

“Sister?”

Celestia continued to stare into the distance as her tormentor stirred, his voice permeating her thoughts.

All she wants is to find your weakness and use it against you, rising once again as the tyrant of the night. She will betray you. Do not let her know…

Luna crawled over, pulling her sister’s face towards her. Celestia let out a breath she did not know she was holding. “I can’t say.”

“What does thou mean?”

“I can’t.” Her head sank. “I know you may not understand, but I just can’t.” She braced for her sister’s anger, but it never came. Instead, a tender hoof touched her shoulder.

“I may not understand that, but I understand you,” Luna kindly said. “Just know that we’ll be here whenever you need us, and when thou is ready to tell us, then we will be there.”

“Thank you, i-it means a lot,” Celestia said, pulling her sister into a tight hug. “I’m sorry about all this, by the way. I hope you haven’t been overloaded with my paperwork.”

“Not at all.”

“So you won’t mind doing it again tomorrow?” she asked, shooting puppy eyes at her sister.

“We suppose not,” Luna said with an eye roll, “but be sure this fails to become a habit.”

“No promises,” Celestia replied, tightening the hug. A smile crept onto both of their faces.

“Uggghhhh,” Luna groaned out. “We’ve been at this all day.”

The lunar alicorn trotted down the hall with one of Celestia’s advisors. The entire day had been spent doing Celestia’s daily tasks, each of them equally boring and exhausting.

“If it isn’t a royal farewell or greeting, it’s a committee meeting,” Luna ranted. “How can our sister endure this all day, every day, nonstop?”

“She says it’s easier when it comes from the heart,” the mare answered, looking over her clipboard. “In fact, she added some of these things on here just because she wanted to do them.”

Luna scowled, abruptly stopping and shoving her head into the advisor’s face.

“Is thou insinuating that we do not care about our sister’s ponies?” she questioned, making the advisor shake nervously.

“N-no, your highness.”

“Good.” She saw the look on the mare’s face that meant she had more to say. “Yes?”

“Nothing,” the mare gulped nervously.

Luna proceeded to push into her face harder.

“I-It’s just that you called them your ‘sister’s ponies.’”

“And?”

“Aren’t they your ponies too?”

Luna paused at that, pursing her lips. The mare was right; they were her ponies, as well as Celestia’s. Ever since her return, she has felt out of place, but maybe that was because she felt out of place. If given the chance, maybe her ponies would accept her.

“We suppose,” she finally answered, pulling her face away from the startled mare. She started up her trot as she went through the castle, the advisor walking with her again.

“So,” she began, “what remains on our list of tasks?”

“Uh,” the mare said, flipping through the clipboard, “only two things, actually.”

Luna perked up, relieved to be near done with the drudge work for today. She intently waited for the last two.

“The first one is simple: close the castle for the day and say goodnight, and the second is changing the sun and moon.

“Luckily, we are right next to the front gate so we can get task number one out the way.”

Luna broke into a sprint towards the castle entrance, wanting the day to end as soon as possible. The guards in the halls looked at her in confusion, while some tried to hold in their laughter. Once she reached it, she told the two guards there to get ready to seal the gate.

Marching just outside the castle, she looked around at the small number of ponies who had gathered around the castle. She took a deep breath as she prepared the Royal Canterlot Voice.

“Citizens of Canterlot,” she shouted, getting everypony’s attention, “the royal castle is closed for the night. We wish thee a goodnight and a good rest.”

Upon finishing, she turned around and headed back inside to the warmth of the castle. The giant metal gate closed behind her, closing off the capital of Equestria.

She went up to the advisor, this time with a smile. “We thank thee for thy assistance, but we can take it from here.”

“All right then, have a goodnight, Princess Luna.” The advisor walked away and down a set of stairs, undoubtedly headed to her room. Luna did the same, starting towards the royal bedrooms.

The walk to them was enjoyable for once as she looked around, seeing the daily maintenance of the castle that nearly no pony got to see. She had to admit that there was never a speck of dirt on the wall or an unpolished stone the entire time she had lived in the majestic building. Everything was pristine under her sister’s guidance, and that’s how it has always been.

At last, she stood in the hall that contained all of the royal rooms. Her sister and Prince Blueblood had their own rooms, each of them as equally large and lavish as her own.

Deciding to visit her sister a final time for the night, she went to the golden doors, opening them quietly. She closed them behind her as she went over to her sister’s bed, sitting on it.

“Ready to lower the moon?” Celestia asked.

Luna nodded, and the two closed their eyes as they concentrated on moving their celestial body. She grabbed onto the moon, tugging it through the air and into the starry sky. Celestia did the same with the sun, just moving it below the horizon instead.

Like a game of tug of war, they had to battle for control over the movement of the bodies, meaning they had to pull harder than the bodies did to move them. Over the many years, they had mastered this practice.

The two orbs swapped places, night overtaking the city. The sisters took in a breath of fresh air, recovering from the slight strain of their daily charge.

“We have been thinking lately, and we wish to get… closer to our subjects.”

“Oh?”

“Yes,” Luna answered, “we are going to take a trip down to Ponyville within the next few days.”

Celestia swallowed nervously. “Do you know what tomorrow is?”

“No?”

“Tomorrow is Nightmare Night.”

“Nightmare Night?” Luna repeated.

Her sister shifted. “It’s when ponies go out to get candy from each other and play festive games of the holiday’s spooky theme. It’s popular with the foals, but the only thing is that the holiday revolves around Nightmare Moon.”

“What?!” Luna retorted.

“To stop ‘Nightmare Moon’ from eating them all up, they give part of their candy stash to a statue of her.”

“That is preposterous! Why would there be a holiday dedicated to the evil that inhabited our body?!”

“I don’t know how the tradition started, but it’s one of our most popular holidays,” Celestia offered.

“That makes us feel so much better,” Luna deadpanned. She let out a sigh. “At least we can amend this transgression by visiting our little ponies and showing them the real us so as to get rid of this offensive festival.”

Celestia tried to smile.

“Thank you for this information, sister, and we will see you tomorrow morning.” With that, Luna made for the exit. She clicked the doors closed and went down the hall to her bedroom.

“We shall see thee later!” Luna told the ponies who had come to see her off. She draped a dark cloak over her back and climbed into the chariot. She pulled up her hood, waving farewell as the chariot went into motion.

Chapter 12: Eclipsed Part 1

“This is frivolous.”

“Yes, dear. Now, be quiet so I can add the last touch,” Rarity sarcastically told the surprisingly stubborn Sorin. All day, he had complained about wearing the costume she made for him to wear on Nightmare Night.

Despite his displeasure at having to dress up in a costume and attend a party like a child, he thought the outfit was comfortable. It had an almost silk-like texture that made it breathable and smooth on his fur. It fit snugly around his entire body, excluding his eyes, nose, mouth, horn base, and ears in a way that would make some models jealous. Contouring to his physique, it outlined his features perfectly. He would have liked it if it was not blank white.

Sorin grumbled under his breath, deciding to let the seamstress work.

“What did you say this was again?” he asked her as she made sure everything was lined up on him correctly.

“The costume was originally supposed to be a ghost, but I decided I’d try something new.” She went back in front of him, now sure everything was ready for the big finish. “If you’ll let me concentrate for a moment, you can see the revolutionary costume I have designed for you!” she exclaimed while gently teasing him.

She took a step back, focusing on the spell she had been practicing for her other, more professional designs. Letting out a deep breath and closing her eyes, she let the magic flow through her. Shooting from her horn, a white beam washed over his body, coating him like a web.

As he was about to protest, the spell ended, and the web faded. He looked down, seeing himself still in one piece for now.

“Now,” she said, “say ‘trigger.’”

“Trigger?” he repeated, raising an eyebrow. She nodded. “Trigger.”

Once he finished, his body became alive, the white of the costume shifting. He looked down in surprise, seeing a swirling pattern of what looked like a white fog where the simple outfit had once been. The whole silky piece had undergone the same change, making him look almost transparent.

“Do you like?” Rarity asked with a slightly smug smile.

“Yes, but… what is it?”

“You’re a windigo.” She saw him chuckle a little at that for some reason before telling her it looked stunning.

He added, “As always, Rarity,” making her blush from the recognition.

“And you, kind as ever,” she complimented in return. “Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. If you ever want to turn off the effect, say ‘deactivate,’” she told him.

“‘Trigger?’ ‘Deactivate?’”

“When I was making the spell, I put in those two commands. I was going to go back and change them when it was ready for my design lines, so I didn’t get around to it yet.”

“I see. Nonetheless, I’m sure your creation will be the super spectacular special spectral spectacle of the night.” She broke into a guffaw from his remark.

After a few moments of laughter, the two calmed down. Sorin thanked Rarity again for the costume, feeling some dignity in participating in the holiday Twilight had insisted he attend.

The sound of hoofsteps came from the stairs, a small white unicorn filly appearing.

“Cool!” she exclaimed upon seeing Sorin’s appearance. She ran up to him, about to hug him when she saw how tall he was.

“Who are you?” she asked.

He chuckled, glancing at Rarity with a smile. “I’m Sorin,” he leaned down to her, “and you must be Sweetie Belle.”

“I sure am!”

“Nice to meet you. I would offer you a hoof, but…” The young pony laughed at that.

He realized she was wearing a costume like him. She had a golden crown on her head, a golden chest piece with a purple gem at its center, and pastel highlights in her hair. On her normally-blank flank, she had a painted-on sun.

He dipped his head in the form of a bow. “I did not know I was in the presence of royalty, Princess Celestia.”

“Why yes, it is I,” Sweetie Belle answered, trying to sound posh.

Rising with some added effort from the costume, Sorin returned to his full height.

“Well, that should be everything,” Rarity said. “Sweetie Belle and I really should be going now for the celebration.”

“Okay. Thanks again for the quality work.” He looked back at her sister. “And have a great night.”

He opened the door with his magic, going through it and letting Rarity lock up. The three went off, Sorin headed towards the only library in town.

He quickly got inside since the boutique was not too far from the treehouse. It appeared he was right on time since Spike and Twilight were both in their desired costumes.

“I’m Starswirl the Bearded!” Twilight announced. “Father of the amniomorphic spell?” Spike was still lost. “Did you even read the book I gave you about obscure unicorn history?”

It was then that Sorin made his presence known. The two hosts greeted him as he made his way over to them.

“I like your costume,” Twilight said with a smile.

“And I, you, Twilight.”

She struck a little pose to show off what she was wearing. “Who am I?”

He put a hoof to his chin in mock pondering. “Well, I overheard your little chat with Spike, so you’re Starswirl the Bearded.” She seemed just as annoyed about her costume as before.

“Anyways, we should get going before we’re late,” she said, going for the door. There was a knock at the said door, so she opened it wide, finding a group of foals in outfits.

“Nightmare Night! What a fright! Give us something sweet to bite!” they all sang in unison.

“Hi, everypony! Great costumes. Happy Nightmare Night Granny Smith.”

“I should have been asleep five hours ago,” the older mare answered, clearly exhausted.

“Pipsqueak the pirate at your service,” a small, brown and white colt said while waving a rubber sword around. He tripped, landing on the ground. “It’s my very first Nightmare Night!”

“Since you moved here from Trottingham?” Twilight asked, in love with the adorable colt.

“No,” he answered, “my very first Nightmare Night ever!”

A blur of white swept through the group of foals, one Pinkie Pie in a chicken costume appearing in front of them.

“Enough chitchat,” she said. “Time is candy!”

“Pinkie Pie, aren’t you a little old for this?”

“Too old for free candy?” the party mare replied, almost offended. “Never.”

“Okay…” Sorin said, putting a candy bag out for the group. They jumped on it like vultures, Pinkie Pie gnawing at it like an actual chicken.

Twilight tried to strike a pose again. “Do you like it?” she asked her friend.

“Yeah, great costume, Twilight. You make a fantastic weirdo clown,” Pinkie Pie responded as chipper as ever. That got a chuckle out of the stallion putting the candy bag away. The group of candy hunters turned away.

“A clown?” Twilight pulled over some of her star-speckled cape. “Look at the borders on these robes. These are hoof-stitched!”

“It’s a great costume.” Spike lowered his voice just low enough where Twilight could hear him say, “Huh. Grandpa.”

“Even if you didn’t know Starswirl,” Sorin started while the group walked, “you look like a great astronomer, wizard, or philosopher, Twilight. Plus, the outfit itself is of the highest quality.”

“And you,” he turned towards the tiny dragon, pointing at him with a hoof, “you're dressed as a dragon. I have to say that I have never seen such originality before.” The stallion’s snickers only made the dragon grit his teeth.

“That’s enough, you two,” Twilight said as if she was talking to two foals.

They continued their stroll through the street, the moon shining over the small town as it did every full moon. The only difference was that this Nightmare Night, the night sky was more vibrant than ever before. The stars themselves seemed to be pulsing with excitement, likely due to the approaching pony.

“Starswirl the Bearded is only the most important conjurer of the pre-classical era,” Twilight said matter-of-factly as they walked. There were cheers in the background of happy ponies since they had gotten a lot closer to the town center.

“He created more than two hundred spells. He even has a shelf in the Canterlot Library of Magic named after him!”

Sorin had been tuning out until that last part of her mini-rant. “There’s a Canterlot Library of Magic?”

“Oh yes,” she adamantly replied, “it has at least a thousand unicorn spells. Ranging from perfectly cooking toast to time spells, they are all held within the library.”

“I see,” he said.

“Maybe I should start up a pony group to teach ponies about history. I bet everypony would love it. Don’t you, Spike?”

The dragon in question mumbled something as he continued to stuff candy from his giant-sized bag.

“I for one would like that,” Sorin said.

Twilight smiled briefly before she realized they were in the town square.

“Hey, look, we’re here already! Should we get something to eat?” she said before looking to her two companions.

Spike looked like he was about to slip into a coma from the amount of candy he had eaten. Clearly, he did not need any food. Sorin shook his head, already having eaten while at Rarity’s. She had been kind enough to provide him with a nice meal.

Pinkie Pie, in chicken form, darted up to them, a group of foals following closely behind. She was holding a bag of candy similar to Spike’s in amount, smaller pieces falling from the top.

“Twilight, Twilight, look at our haul! Can you believe it?”

She continued to talk of her candy quest, but Sorin noticed the small dark cloud inching closer above then. As he looked up to it, he saw Rainbow Dash dressed in a tight black flight suit with goggles on. The mare reared her hooves up, slamming them down into the cloud. When she did, the sound of thunder broke out as a small lightning bolt hit the ground. The noise startled the foals and Pinkie Pie started to flee from the area, the foals going with her after a few steps.

Atop the storm cloud, Rainbow Dash rolled over from the intense throes of laughter. She had managed to scare a large group of ponies, a feat for her.

“Rainbow Dash, that wasn’t very nice,” Twilight called out to the pegasus.

The weathermare waved a hoof in dismissal. “Lighten up, old-timer. This is the best night of the year for pranks.”

“Look what you did to Spike!” the unicorn clapped back, turning to her twitching and motionless assistant. He was trying to recuperate from the near heart attack he had just suffered from.

“It’s all in good fun.” Rainbow Dash saw five stallions trotting with each other in the distance as she already started gripping her cloud.

“There’s another group over there!” she said, shooting off towards them.

As Twilight and Sorin walked, Spike on her back, they could hear the distant sound of thunder and screams. Sorin cracked a smile from it, but Twilight quickly shot him a glare.

“Happy Nightmare Night, Applejack!” Twilight joyfully said. They had come up to a wooden pool filled with a green liquid and with apples near the bottom. Applejack was dressed as a scarecrow, her cowmare hat replaced by a hay one.

“Howdy, Spike. Hey, Twilight.” She saw the long fluffy beard Twilight had, as well as her starry robe. “Nice costume.”

“Thanks. I’m a dragon,” Spike quickly answered.

“She means me, Spike.” At last, somepony recognized who she was.

“With that beard, I reckon you’re some sorta country music singer,” the country mare confidently said, getting a giggle from Spike and Sorin. Twilight simply grimaced.

“While y’all are here,” Applejack started, “ya’ feel like bobbin’ for an apple?”

A grey mare with blonde hair popped up from the pool, holding a stopper in her mouth. The water in the pool swirled around as it drained away, leaving the derpy mare with an embarrassed look.

Applejack went over to deal with the situation, leaving Twilight, Spike, and Sorin to go to the growing crowd of ponies around the stage at the center of town. When the three fell into the group, the curtains opened, Mayor Mare coming out and up to the wooden podium. She had a bright red clown nose on, and she had a giant rainbow afro on her head.

She cleared her throat, silencing the ponies in front of her.

“Thank you, everypony, and welcome to the Nightmare Night festival!” The crowd cheered, excited ponies getting ready for the events of the night. “Now, all the little ponies who have been out collecting sweets should follow our friend Zecora to hear the legend of Nightmare Moon,” she said, trying to sound creepy on the last two words.

Spike put a hand over his mouth, angling his voice to his two friends. “Spooky voice might work better if she wasn’t dressed like that.”

Twilight giggled, and Sorin cracked a smile. The mayor, having heard a small part of the dragon’s mumbling, turned back to the crowd before stepping down from the podium.

Emerging from the curtain, the supposed Zecora appeared in a cloud of green mist. Sorin let out a small gasp when he saw her. She had white fur that was striped through with black like ink spilled onto a blank canvas. She was similar to a pony, just a little bulkier with a more unique head shape.

Wrapping around different parts of her body, gold bands gripped her. Two large ring earrings were hanging from her ears, and her mohawk had been straightened out like a human female’s hair.

“A zebra,” Sorin said out of surprise. Hearing him, Twilight leaned towards him.

“Yes, she is. She came here not too long ago, but she lives off in the Everfree Forest.” She chuckled to herself as she remembered a particular memory. “It was funny actually, we all thought she was a monster because she was different and lived in such a weird place, but she ended up helping us get rid of a strange side effect of a plant in the forest.”

“I never expected to see one here.”

Twilight scrunched her face up from his comment. What did that mean? Equestria, especially Ponyville, was a very accepting place. She looked back to the stage.

“Follow me, and very soon, you'll hear the tale of Nightmare Moon,” Zecora said, beckoning everypony to follow her.

Follow her they did, most of the town coming with her into the shrubbery of the forest. Sorin found himself looking up at the stone statue before him. It was the image of Nightmare Moon, her crude regalia on. Instead of slick and elegant, the armor-like pieces looked menacing. Her pose made her look like she was towering over her enemies, glaring at them with the fury of a god.

Sorin snickered, realizing how tyrannical the ponies had made her out to be. Nightmare Moon was weak, mostly because she was made from very little of his blood, as well as the fact that Luna resisted with great will. If she had not held back the monster, Nightmare Moon may have unleashed destruction upon all of Equestria.

He took a moment to gaze at the statue. To everyone else, the figure was a monument to the evil Nightmare Moon, but to him, it was a sign of his influence, proof of his power etched forever into stone. He had caused a thousand years of unrest in the world, all in his plan to escape. If only the ponies knew what Nightmare Moon truly was.

Zecora turned around, now looking at the group of ponies around her while standing at the bottom of the statue.

“Listen close, my little dears, I'll tell you where you got your fears of Nightmare Night, so dark and scary.” She pulled a bit of green dust from her coat, the substance glowing brightly in the moonlight. She sent it scattering with a quick blow. “Of Nightmare Moon, who makes you wary.”

The cloud rose into the air before consolidating and shifting into the shape of Nightmare Moon herself. Complete with eyes, the illusion of dust grinned with wicked sharp teeth as it flew down, crashing into the scared ponies below. Dust blew everywhere as it did, making the ponies shake.

“Every year, we put on a disguise, to save ourselves from her searching eyes.”

Sorin coughed a little from the foul taste of the magic powder in his mouth. He heard a few fillies scream, Zecora emerging from the creature they thought they had seen in the cloud.

“But Nightmare Moon wants just one thing: to gobble up ponies in one quick swing!” she shouted, ponies looking up at the depiction of the monster. She blew more dust into the air, taking the form of Nightmare Moon once again.

It darted around, looking for ponies in a state of frenzy.

“Hungrily, she soars the sky. If she sees nopony, she passes by. So if she comes and all is clear, Equestria is safe another year!”

The cloud rose high into the sky, bursting into a thousand shimmers of glowing dust.

“Uh, Miss Zecora,” Pipsqueak said beneath Zecora, “if we wear costumes to hide from Nightmare Moon so she won't gobble us up, how come we still need to give her some of our candy?”

“A perfect question, my little friend. For Nightmare Moon, you must not offend.” She blew one last bit of dust from her hoof, it taking form once again.

“Fill up her belly with a treat or two,” she said, the illusion coming closer to the ponies, “so she won't return to come eat you!” The thing pounced on them, shattering into a cloud as it did so.

They shrieked all the same, Pinkie Pie being the loudest. “Everypony!” she nearly screamed, getting everypony’s attention. She shot up to the statue with her bag of candy. “Just dump some candy and get out of here!”

All the foals poured a large part of their treasured candy into a pile at the foot of the stone out of fear. Sorin chuckled, in part because of how hilarious it was to watch the events unfold, and partially because the ponies were scared so easily.

He was about to calm everypony down with a comment when the wind picked up rapidly. Frigid air nipped at his fur as storm conditions set in. To his surprise, the clouds above him formed a circle, growing darker by the second. He cocked his head in confusion, wondering what was happening. Everypony looked up with him.

With a powerful flash of light from the moon, something came from the clouds. Sorin had to shield his eyes and let them recover before he snapped his gaze back up.

Descending from the night sky was a shadowy chariot led by two ponies with wings. Chains linked them to the body of the chariot, and a cloaked figure sat in the carriage. The thing whipped through the air with speed, turning up in time to sweep over the ponies' heads with a whoosh.

The floating chariot slowed a small distance away from the ponies, hovering in the air. Sorin saw the outline of the winged ponies who pulled it. He started to draw up spells as he prepared for an attack.

“It's Nightmare Moon! Run!” Pinkie Pie hollered, getting every foal to run with her into the distance.

Lightning struck behind the chariot, casting light over its entirety. The pony who sat in it had white eyes and an evil grin plastered on their face for a fleeting moment, the lightning providing this look.

Before Sorin could release a spell, the winged ponies flew toward the center of Ponyville. Twilight and Sorin chased after them.

Screams of rampant ponies rang out through the streets as Pinkie Pie and her group ran through town. Everypony looked at them in confusion until Twilight and Sorin appeared in the middle of town. The sky darkened, the chariot stopping above the gathered ponies.

The hooded figure jumped from atop it, falling slowly and landing on four hooves without any sign of pain. They whipped their head back, lightning ripping through the air as their face was revealed.

Everypony was surprised to see Princess Luna before them—Sorin especially. The ponies around him all bowed down in an instant out of fear of the ruler, except for Twilight. He saw them shake with fear of the pony they thought to still be Nightmare Moon.

It seems she has returned. She must have overcome her self-loathing—for the time being at least—and come to Ponyville.

“Princess Luna!” Twilight cheerily said, about to greet the royal sister when Spike pulled both her and Sorin to the ground. He put fingers over their mouths, shushing them as best he could.

Sorin grunted in annoyance, reluctantly deciding to play along.

What is she up to? Why is she here? he thought to himself as he watched her intently. Her wings extended as she walked down a line of ponies. She came up to one quivering mare, cracking a smile at her. The mare simply shuddered.

The princess then spoke with a voice so loud it made Sorin internally roar with rage. The very chords of her throat vibrated the ground itself as she expelled air from her lungs in such a manner that produced shattering volume.

“Citizens of Ponyville!” Her voice echoed loudly as she finished. “We have graced your tiny village with our presence so that you might behold the real Princess of the Night!” She waved her hooves as she spoke, smiling warmly to her subjects. The effort was sadly lost on them.

“A creature of nightmares no longer, but instead a pony who desires your love and admiration,” she said while pacing around, eyes closed. She continued with the speech she had practiced. “Together we shall change this dreadful celebration into a bright and glorious feast!”

Unseen by her, the ponies had backed away from her. Pinkie Pie stood up, still stuck on the last few words the princess had said.

“Did you hear that, everypony? Nightmare Moon says she's gonna feast on us all!” she said with wide eyes before screaming. The ponies in the town joined in, stampeding away again.

Luna’s face dropped as she saw her subjects run from her.

“What? No, children, no,” she said out of shock in her normal voice. “You no longer have reason to fear us. Screams of delight is what your princess desires, not screams of terror!” she tried to explain, but her horseshoe slamming into the ground made the few ponies left around her cower.

She whipped her head to the mayor, hoping to save this visit.

“Madame Mayor, thy Princess of the Night hath arrived.” She put a hoof forward, but the mayor only covered her head with her hooves and shook.

Luna looked around, seeing more ponies showing. She tried to extend her hoof to another, but they gasped and covered their head as well.

“What is the matter with you?” she said, finding the same result every time she tried to offer a greeting.

“Very well, then,” she said with grit teeth. “Be that way. We won't even bother with the traditional royal farewell.” Although she said it with dignity and sass, her heart scraped along the ground. Was she truly irredeemable? Would her subjects ever trust her again? She started to walk away, feeling as if she had failed.

“I'm gonna go talk to her,” Twilight announced, standing up and heading towards the princess when Spike pulled on her coat. She looked back at him with a raised eyebrow.

“You can't talk to her; she's Nightmare Moon!” he said with the slightest of quakes in his voice.

“No, she's not. I saw the Elements of Harmony change her back to good, but it seems like she's having some trouble adjusting after being gone for a thousand years.”

“I agree,” Sorin stated. “If she has truly been gone for so long and has rarely interacted with other ponies, I doubt she will be able to fit in, let alone be loved.”

Twilight nodded to him, giving Spike a look that said she would be okay. She trotted away, Sorin walking alongside her.

Sorin had carefully watched how the ponies had responded to Luna’s arrival, and he could smell their fear. If they were that afraid of a princess who was no longer even the boogeyman they thought she was, what would they think of him? He smiled as they walked, savoring that thought. They went back the way they had come into town, retracing their steps to the open, dirt expanse where the statue of Nightmare Moon loomed.

Chapter 13: Eclipsed Part 2

The shadow the statue of Nightmare Moon cast was massive, and in that shadow was Princess Luna. She was lying on the ground, looking down at a small rock.

Her mystical mane drifted in the night air, and her tail did the same. Regalia coated her body, from her horseshoes to her chest piece. To call them black would be an understatement because they looked like shadows themselves. Her large and sleek body was curled into the shape of a depressed pony. She let out a sigh in thought.

The statue above her was a mockery of what she had once been. Ruling alongside her sister, she was adored by her people as the fierce defender of justice who protected the night. She could walk into the streets, and ponies would line up to simply thank her for her great service to them. Those days were long gone. Now, she is only remembered as Nightmare Moon. Would she ever be able to escape the shadow that monster had wrapped around her? She wished for nothing more.

“Princess Luna?” Twilight called out upon seeing the princess, drawing the attention of the ruler. “Hi, my name is—”

“Starswirl the Bearded,” Luna interrupted upon seeing the costume Twilight was wearing. “Commendable costume. Thou even got the bells right.”

“Thank you! Finally! Somepony who gets my costume,” she shouted in glee. Then, she saw the look of sadness on the princess’s face, realizing she was being a little rude. “Uh, I just came to welcome you to our celebration. My actual name is—”

“Twilight Sparkle.”

Before the unicorn could finish, the Princess of the Night lifted into the air, the winds stirring with her. Embracing the Royal Canterlot Voice, she spoke over the storm above her.

“It was thou who unleashed the powers of harmony upon us and took away our dark powers,” she explained in a booming and powerful voice, pushing Twilight and Sorin back in the process.

The purple unicorn hesitantly asked, “And that was a good thing, right?”

“But of course. We could not be happier. Is that not clear?” Luna answered while shouting into her face.

“Well, you kinda sound like you're yelling at me.”

“But this is the traditional Royal Canterlot Voice. It is tradition to speak using the royal ‘we,’ and to use,” she started to explain, taking in a breath for the voice, “this much volume when addressing our subjects.”

“You know, that might explain why your appearance was met with… mixed results. I think if you just changed your approach a bit, you might be met with a warmer reception.”

“Change our approach?” Luna repeated, still using her forceful voice.

“You could try to sound more connected to your subjects,” Sorin offered. “If they feel you are a level above them, they will not treat you like one of them.”

“But I am a level above them.” She did not intend to be rude, but it was true. She was a princess, and they were her subjects.

“While you may be royalty, you do want to earn their admiration, right?” She nodded to him. “Well, they need to see that you are like them. That way, they will understand you and see you for who you are. Then, they will come to show their appreciation.”

“And you can start by lowering the volume,” Twilight added in. The two came up to the princess, giving her comforting smiles.

“Oh. We have been locked away for a thousand years. We are… not sure we can,” Luna said in her naturally soft and beautiful voice.

“Do not fret; even if you can’t speak like us, the ponies will see your efforts and be thankful,” Sorin said.

“Oh!” Twilight chimed, giddy again, “and I know just the pony who can help you, princess!”

The three then found themselves walking down a small stone path to a cottage built on a hill. The difference between this house and any other was that the house was almost a part of the hill. It was rounded to look like a mound, and green moss coated its roof. It blended into its surroundings perfectly, and it was the place Fluttershy called her earthen home.

“Don't worry, Princess. Fluttershy can give you some great pointers. She's delicate and demure with the sweetest little voice,” Twilight said while walking up to the front door. She gave three light taps on the wood door.

Sorin was taken aback as he heard someone shout from inside, “Go away! No candy here! Visitors not welcome on Nightmare Night!”

“She’s just a little anxious to meet you,” Sorin lied as Twilight nervously giggled. Luna did not look convinced.

“Fluttershy, it's me, Twilight.”

The door opened, a pink mane and yellow head popping out from behind it. She saw Twilight, her face relaxing completely. “It is you. Oh, and Nightmare Moon.” She gasped upon realizing whom she had just seen. “Nightmare Moon?” Her eyes went to pinpricks before she screamed, slamming her door as fast as she could.

“Wait right here,” Twilight said, sounding nervous again. She went inside the cottage.

Luna turned her head to Sorin, looking at him with a serious expression. He raised an eyebrow in response, prompting her to speak.

“We think that we are only something to be feared in this new time,” she said, her face dropping. “This ‘Fluttershy’ cannot even look at us.”

Ignoring the banging sounds from nearby, Sorin tried to comfort her. “Give them a chance to warm up to you, princess. If there is one thing I have learned about ponies, it’s that they can be very forgiving and very accepting—sometimes a little too much,” he said, the memory of the Gala stinging him.

“We suppose thou may be right, we—” Luna started saying before the door burst open. Twilight was pushing Fluttershy outside, making her approach the princess.

“Fluttershy, you remember Princess Luna.”

Said pegasus looked like she was going to bolt to the next town, maybe even the next country.

“Charmed,” Luna said with a cold face, putting out a hoof. Fluttershy shot back into her house, but Twilight dragged her back out with magic and forced her to look at the princess.

“Likewise,” Fluttershy whispered.

“Twilight Sparkle hath spoken of the sweetness of thy voice. We ask thou teachest to us to speak as thou speakest.”

“Okay,” she weakly replied.

“Shall our lessons begin?”

“Okay.”

“Shall we mimic thy voice?”

“Okay.”

“How is this?” Luna asked, sounding the same.

“Perfect, lesson over,” Fluttershy said before darting towards her door. It was closed before she made it, so she slammed flat into it.

“A little quieter, princess,” Twilight instructed.

“How is…” Luna began. “This?” she said in a loud voice.

“Better. Right, Fluttershy?”

“Yes,” the pegasus answered before falling from her door.

Speaking a little quieter, Luna said, “How about now?”

“Now you're getting it,” Twilight said with a smile.

“And how about now?” the princess asked in a normal voice.

“Yes! Well done,” Twilight exclaimed as Sorin clapped his hooves.

Fluttershy was pulled by blue magic over to the princess, getting wrapped up in a large hug that took her breath away.

“Thank thee, dear Fluttershy! Our normal speaking voice shall surely win us the hearts of thy fellow villagers.”

“You might want to put her down before ponies get the wrong i—” Sorin tried to warn the princess before the voice of a certain chicken interrupted.

“Fluttershy, you've gotta hide us! Nightmare Moon is here and…” She trailed off at the end, seeing the scene before her. Her friend was held in Nightmare Moon's grasp. “Ah! She stole Fluttershy's voice so she can't scream when she gobbles her up!” The foals around her broke into terrified screams before running away in a scatter.

“Nay, children, wait!” Luna boomed, trying to get them to come back before remembering her lesson. “I mean,” she started at normal volume, “nay, children, no, wait.”

It was no use; the children had already gone off into the distance. She turned to Twilight and Sorin, her lower lip quivering as her eyes widened.

“They just… ran,” she said with a sigh.

“We need to find a way for them to see you without instantly feeling afraid. Then, they will see how you really are,” Sorin said.

“Come on, princess. Time for plan B.”

Sorin had gone ahead of the group, surveying the town square. Large catapults were firing pumpkins at faraway targets, and ponies were dancing. Everything was calm.

He turned around, putting up a hoof as a signal. Twilight and Luna came out from a building and into the street. As three pumpkins smashed directly on their targets, the crowd grew silent upon seeing the princess. The ponies began to shriek and cower like before.

Sorin came over to the two, rejoining them.

“It is of no use,” Luna deadpanned. “They have never liked us, and they never shall.”

“Don’t give up on us yet,” Sorin teased. “They may just need a little time to adjust to your presence.”

“My friend Applejack is one of the most likable ponies around. I'm sure she'll have some ideas.”

Applejack started to unknowingly trot towards them. Her head turned to her front, letting her see the towering alicorn in front of her. She all but collapsed to the ground, covering her eyes with her hooves.

Luna glanced at Twilight and Sorin, feeling as if her suspicions were confirmed. Twilight leaned down to her friend, saying, “Applejack, the princess is looking for a little advice on how to fit in around here.”

“‘Fit in?’ Really?” Applejack flatly said to her friend. Upon getting a huff from the unicorn, the country mare stood up, looking at the princess. “I mean, that's easy! All you gotta do is have the right attitude.”

She went to one side of Luna, saying, “Loosen up a bit,” before darting to another side and saying, “be positive, play a few games, have some fun.”

“Fun?” Luna questioned. “What is this ‘fun’ thou speakest of?”

Twilight pointed at a bowl of stuffed spiders. Going over to them, the princess stared at them with a puzzled look. “Pray tell, what purpose do these serve?”

“Try to land the sp-sp-spiders on the web,” a scared mare called from nearby.

Not being one to turn down a challenge, Luna grabbed a spider and tossed it, only for it to land short of the web entirely. She looked back at the three ponies.

“You can do it, princess!” Applejack said.

Sorin trotted over, picking up a spider in his hooves. “Let me show you.” With his tongue poking out, he threw the spider, landing it just to the right of the center of the web. He returned it with his magic, dropping it into Luna’s awaiting hooves.

Readying herself, she bent her hindlegs and lurched forward while releasing the plush. It flew through the air, landing directly on the center of the web. She was shocked that she had managed to make it.

“Ha! Your princess enjoys this ‘fun!’” Other ponies gathered around the three. “In what other ways may we experience it?”

Luna found herself putting a pumpkin into an aimed catapult. “Fire away, princess!” Twilight shouted to her. She let the pumpkin fly, watching as it arced through the air before smashing into a distant target.

“Ha ha! The fun has been doubled!” she happily exclaimed. The ponies around her actually cheered in response.

“Why don't you try bobbin' for apples. We got the best apples in Equestria here, princess,” Applejack suggested.

“I ask that thou call us… me… Luna, fair Applejack.” The princess smiled, turning to the ponies around her. “Hear me, villagers. All of you, call me Luna!”

“Show me to these bobbing apples.” Sorin walked alongside the three ponies as they headed towards the large pool of green liquid Applejack had been tending to earlier. Before they got there, though, Luna spotted Pipsqueak about to fall into the water. Flying over to him with speed, she grabbed him by the shirt to stop him from falling in.

“Hey, gals,” Pinkie Pie said. “Anypony seen Pip? We lost him the last time we had to run—” There Luna was, holding the colt by her mouth. “Nightmare Moon is gobbling Pipsqueak! Everypony run!” Pinkie Pie screamed. The foals with her ran off screaming.

“Help! My backside has been gobbled!” little Pipsqueak said while scattering off.

Luna, looking as if she had been thoroughly backhanded, whipped her head up. “‘Tis a lie! Thy backside is whole and ungobbled, thou ungrateful whelp!” She slammed her hoof into the ground while scowling. She instantly realized her mistake upon seeing the ponies she had been having fun with start to back away.

“Fair villagers, please do not back away. Let us join together in… fun.” She tried to remedy the situation by throwing a plush spider from the ground over to a group of ponies, but it did nothing. Starting to panic, she thought of how to make something more entertaining for them. Sadly, she was out of touch with modern pony society.

Sorin felt the tinge of Chaos magic radiating from the princess as she shot a beam of light at the toy spider, something he was surprised by. What was once a squeak toy became a living spider from the spell.

The ponies began to scream as Luna turned a whole bowl of toys into a pack of living, red-eyed spiders. They descended on the ponies, climbing over them to get to the web from before. They all circled around the middle.

“Huzzah!” she shouted. “How many points do I receive?”

After the loud scream of one pony, everypony around started to run in random directions, panic setting into the town. Luna tried to call for them to stop, but they did not even hear her over the screams of their neighbors.

“Like cattle,” Sorin sighed under his breath in disappointment. These ponies were so easily frightened; it was pathetic.

Luna looked around, taking in the carnage she had unleashed. Stalls were being knocked over, ponies were ramming into each other, and the streets were littered with heavy bags rolling down the roads. With a pained breath, she began to vibrate her throat to use the Royal Canterlot Voice.

“Be still!” she bellowed, lightning crackling in the background. The ponies instantly stopped their fleeing, bowing before the ruler. Twilight went to the ground out of instinct, and Sorin’s knees buckled as he fell to the ground with a grunt, following everypony's lead. Storm clouds swirled overhead as the wind whipped around.

“Princess, remember! Watch the screaming,” Twilight said, but Luna turned to her with huge white eyes.

“No, Twilight Sparkle. We must use the traditional Royal Canterlot Voice for what we are about to say.” She turned back to the crowd, going into the air with a flap of her wings. “Since you choose to fear your princess rather than love her, and dishonor her with this insulting celebration, we decree that Nightmare Night shall be canceled!

“Forever!”

With that, she was covered in a bright light before a loud “pop” cracked from her. When everypony opened their eyes again, the princess was nowhere to be seen. Sorin, however, sensed where she went. Her emotions had bolstered her teleportation spell to the point where he could faintly detect where she had gone. So, he started to walk in that direction, leaving Twilight behind as he went after Princess Luna.

Head hung low, the Princess of the Night felt like no princess at all. She sniffled as she walked, the occasional tear falling from her eyelids. Her vision was blurry from the pool currently held within her large emerald eyes. Her back was slumped over, and she walked slowly through the outskirts of Ponyville, hoping to avoid everypony.

“We cannot even converse with them without hearing their screams as they flee in terror. This hath been a failure on our part. We should hath known they shall never accept us—accept me,” she whispered to herself. She continued her slow trot as her mind wandered.

The quiet sound of hooves on grass came from behind her. Before she could turn and see who had been so bold as to come up to “Nightmare Moon,” Sorin appeared in front of her with a comforting smile.

“Leave us, fair villager; we do not wish to hear thy beratement,” Luna commanded with a heavy voice.

Fully ignoring her command, he cautiously lifted her head with a hoof. She looked up into his blue eyes and saw the smile covering his face. Her face changed as she saw how he was acting.

“You’re not afraid?”

“Why, of course not,” he answered. “Why would I be afraid of one of the royal sisters?”

“Prithee, do not deceive us.”

“I am not. If anything, I admire you.”

She looked at him with a look of confusion before he elaborated.

“I admire your work,” he explained. “I admire the night sky that you have created for everypony to enjoy. While most may overlook it or take it for granted, I see the truth in it.”

Her eyes lit up for a brief moment as she lifted her head straight up.

“I know that you are the one who sets the scene of the stars—and it is beautiful. Every one of them is a beacon of light, of hope, in a sea of darkness. On their own, they are but a speck of light, but together they create a whole landscape of stellar light.

“You are an artist, princess. The sky is your canvas, the glowing stars are your brush, and the constellations you have created are your paintings. The craftsponyship is flawless, and each individual star has a story of its own.

“Now, if you don’t call that magnificent, I must not know what it means, princess.”

“Dost thou… truly mean thy words?” Luna asked as barely a whisper.

“I do.” That part he was not lying about. He did admire the night sky, and he would be sure to keep it intact if he could.

“I came here to try and return your spirits and ask you one genuine question,” he said. “Why did you cancel Nightmare Night forever?”

She let out a deep sigh, her head dropping a little. “We could not bear to witness our subjects in such pain and disorder that we hath brought upon them. It is better that they see us as something to be fearful of than for them to be in that pain. For this, we hath decided to end the festival.”

“You have to give them the chance to accept you. Things were going great until the misunderstanding made them revert to fear. If you don’t try again, I’m afraid they may only remember you for bringing down lightning and ending one of their treasured holidays.”

“It is pointless,” Luna said. “We shan't let them suffer for our failures a thousand years ago. And even if we so wished to regain their trust, there is no way we can return to the town and make peace.”

“I—” Sorin began before stopping himself. “I respect your decision, Princess Luna.”

“We thank thee. Thine words have not gone without consequence. We do feel much better now.” She smiled deeply at him, one of the first real smiles she had had recently, and started to walk away. His words had uplifted her and awoken something within her that she had not felt in a long time.

“And please,” she said, looking back at him, “call us… call me… Luna.”

“Well, Luna, I am Sorin.” He put out a hoof, which she gladly took.

“Oh, you are the one we hath heard so much about from our sister dearest.” He chuckled at that.

Applejack sighed. “Shoot. We had everything goin' our way. Luna was happy, everypony in town was happy—now look at 'em.”

Twilight looked around, seeing crying foals who wished to dress up as something special next year. Barrels were knocked over. Bushes were trampled. Ponies had cuts. This was the aftermath of the princess’s time in the town.

“It’s not over yet,” Twilight said with an idea forming.

“What are you gonna do?”

“I'm going to do what I do best.” She began to walk away. “Lecture her!”

She began searching Ponyville’s limits, hoping to catch the princess before she left. She did eventually find her, but the royal sister was crossing a bridge with her head stooping.

“Princess?” Twilight called out to her.

“Leave me be, Twilight Sparkle,” she said back in a heavy tone.

Twilight walked up next to her, hoping to assuage the insufferable night.

“Princess, I'm sorry it hasn't worked out how we wanted, but you have to believe me when I tell you that Nightmare Night is one of the most popular celebrations we have.”

“Yes. I can tell by all the adoring shrieks of the children as they run away,” Luna countered before continuing to walk.

Seeing her walk away, Twilight came up with another plan to make peace between the princess and the townsponies.

Sorin had gotten back to town, but Twilight quickly found him before he could head back to the library and relax. Pulling him behind a building, she started to explain her plan.

“It should work,” he said.

“Now, you go do your part while I get everything ready for when you arrive. Okay?”

“Alright. Let’s do this.”

The two went separate ways to prepare things. If all went well, Princess Luna would be able to reconcile with her subjects.

He looked through the crowds in search of a single pony—or zebra rather. He quickly found her, spotting the striped pattern of her body and the chokers on her neck. Walking up to her, he put an arm around her neck to pull her into a huddle.

“Miss Zecora,” he said, “I was hoping you could do something for me, and more so for the princess.”

“Tell me your plan, and I will do what I can.”

“Okay,” he began, going through what he needed her to do. At the end, she nodded in understanding before heading off to gather the foals. He had one mayor he needed to go visit now.

“Gosh. I never thought my very first Nightmare Night would be my very last,” Pipsqueak said in a downtrodden voice. It was then that Zecora showed up by him.

“Come, little Pip. Now, don't you fret. Nightmare Night's not over yet. We still have candy left to give, so Nightmare Moon might let us live.”

Mayor Mare came over, hoping to raise the spirits of her citizens. “Yes. Come on, little ponies. What's Nightmare Night without the annual candy offering? You don't want Nightmare Moon to gobble you up, do you?”

Applejack appeared too, telling the foals, “Come on, kids. Doesn't that sound like fun?”

Hoping to enjoy the last part of Nightmare Night that they would ever experience, they went along, finding themselves in front of the statue of the mare of the holiday. One by one, they dumped some of their candy stash at the foot of the statue. The pile was surprisingly large, and Pipsqueak was the last to add his candy to the pile.

“Goodbye, Nightmare Night.” He let out a heavy sigh. “Forever.”

The wind whistled loudly as the air pressure changed drastically. Blowing from behind the statue, it started to push some of the ponies back. They looked up to the statue, no longer finding it to be a statue. Where there was once a mare made of stone, a mere memory, stood Nightmare Moon herself. Her voice thundered out as she spoke to the ponies.

“Citizens of Ponyville! You were wise to bring this candy to me. I am pleased with your offering. So pleased that I may just eat it… instead of eating you!” She dove towards them, landing on the ground and baring her fangs. The foals ran off in fear, disappearing into the bushes nearby.

The visage of Nightmare Moon fell away as her body shifted down to that of Princess Luna. She spat out a pair of fake fangs from her mouth, finding the unicorn responsible for this insane idea.

“I am not certain that did what you meant for it to do, Twilight Sparkle.”

“Just wait,” she simply answered.

“For what? For—for them to scream some more?” Luna questioned, anger rising through her for a brief moment. She suddenly felt part of her mane get yanked low to the ground. She looked down, seeing Pipsqueak.

“Um… Princess Luna. I know there's not gonna be any more Nightmare Night, but do you suppose maybe you could come back next year and scare us again anyway?”

Luna’s face went through a rainbow of emotions. She settled on a mix of confusion and hope, wondering if what she heard was true.

“Child. Art thou saying that thou… likest me to scare you?” she asked the colt.

“It's really fun! Scary, but fun.”

“It,” she started, realizing how wrong she had been, “is?”

“Yeah! Nightmare Night is my favorite night of the year,” he exclaimed.

“Well then. We shall have to bring—” she answered, then embracing her powerful voice, “—Nightmare Night back!”

“Whoa!” he shouted after being pushed back from just her voice. “You're my favorite princess ever!” He ran over to a group of foals, a smile wide on his face. “She said yes, guys!” They all cheered, going back to where they came from.

Sorin came over to Twilight, who was standing next to the princess.

“See? They really do like you, princess,” Twilight said. Sorin nodded in agreement.

“Can it be true?” Luna asked, still in shock. A smile swept across her muzzle. Instinctively using her Royal Canterlot Voice, she shouted, “Oh, most wonderful of—” before gently saying in her sweet voice, “Oh, most wonderful of nights.”

Twilight and Sorin giggled, Luna joining in shortly after. Their cheerful laughter lightened the mood, making the princess feel more comfortable around her subjects.

“Come on, Luna, let’s go have some of that trademarked ‘fun!’” Sorin exclaimed. “Your night is still young after all.”

“Is thou sure?” she asked, still a little nervous.

“Of course. I’m sure your ponies will be delighted to see their ‘favorite princess ever,’ as I recall.”

“We suppose, kind Sorin. Let us join together in fun.”

With that, the group left the area, heading back to the townscape. Upon walking into town, the ponies smiled at their two residents and did the same for the princess, getting them the warmest of smiles back. The three friends went over to the fair-like section of Ponyville that was dedicated to the night’s festivities. Lanterns were strung from building to building, candles were slowly burning away as their fires flickered on the windowsills and railings of houses, and the smell of cinnamon and pumpkin wafted through the air. Tables were set up with different activities for ponies to try, and ponies went to each of these tables, experiencing the cultures and customs of others.

Twilight, Luna, and Sorin made their way to the area, looking around for something to try. There was a small sign that said to talk about your costume, and Twilight, seeing this as a good idea, looked at her two friends with a smile.

“I am Starswirl the Bearded, one of the most renowned spellcasters in Equestrian history. His magical feats are unrivaled by any other unicorn to date!” She returned to her friends, letting Luna step forward.

“While we may not have a costume, per se, we are adorned in the garments of a time long past. The regalia we wear was made before we were banished and represents many things, such as our accomplishments and trials through the years.”

It was now Sorin’s turn. He stepped in front of the two mares, showing off his ghost costume. “Rather simple, a ghost as you would think. But—” he said, whispering under his breath as he paused.

“—behold the windigo!” His costume came to life, becoming a vortex of shifting mist that made him look beyond animated. Twilight and Luna clapped for his display, watching as he rotated around. After showing off his costume for long enough, he whispered the second command, turning his disguise back into a ghost. Satisfied with their first activity, the three ponies went looking for another.

They all stopped when they found a table with a glowing orb on it and a mare sitting behind it in a small chair. They approached the stand, scanning the cryptic messages written over the wood surface of the table. Pictures of what appeared to be Cutie Marks had small messages below them, most of them describing how the mark meant somepony would base their life around one talent. The stand was a fortune teller’s.

The mare behind the table greeted the three ponies who had come to her stand. After the basic formalities were exchanged, she began to explain what she did.

“Let me see your Cutie Mark, and I will explain what it is, what it means, and what your future holds.”

Intrigued, Twilight let the teller see the star with sparkles that was her Cutie Mark. The teller leaned in, getting a good look at what she was dealing with. Her eyes scrunched a few times, and after a moment, she sat back in her chair and cleared her throat.

“Well, your mark is of a twinkling star that shines brighter than all others, representing your kind attitude and stellar personality. Seeing the shape of your mark, I would guess you have a talent for the mystic arts. Am I right so far?”

A little dumbfounded, Twilight slowly nodded.

“I believe your future will be an intense one. You will stand against adversity, but you overcome what is thrown at you. Your determination is what keeps you going, and you will fend off doubts through this logic. You, my dear, have a great destiny ahead of you.”

“Rather insightful, mage. Do us!” Luna said, letting her Cutie Mark be revealed. The crescent moon with dark splotches on it was more difficult than most to interpret, but the teller seemed to do so in good stride.

“Your mark is of the moon and the night that surrounds it. This represents your love of the night, as well as your power over it. I already know that you can raise and lower the moon, princess, but I detect a control of the stars themselves. In your future, I see a great many things. Recovery, injury, fear, but most of all, love.”

“Love?” Luna asked.

“Of what kind, I am not sure, but you are empowered by it. I see greatness in your future, and I am sure you will lead your people through many a storm.”

The princess took a moment to think about all that she had heard. If the teller had any truth to her, then it seemed things may be looking up for Luna.

Twilight pulled Sorin’s costume up, revealing his backside for the mare at the table to read. What she saw was confusing.

Where there should have been a Cutie Mark, a pair of jaws sat. They were open, ready to devour whatever awaited them with their sharp and spear-like fangs ready to pounce. Normal Cutie Marks were almost like a tattoo in how they look like they were painted onto a pony’s flank, but Sorin’s was different. His mark seemed like it was engraved into him as if someone took a large brand and marked him with it. The truth was that his mark was etched into him as a sign of what he was, something the laws of Equus apparently required, but no pony knew what it meant.

So, as the fortune-telling mare stared at the strange mark in front of her, she tried to understand it. Everything about it was alien to her, and it made her feel uneasy. She had never seen something like it in all of her time as a Cutie Mark reader.

“Oh, Celestia,” she let out under her breath. “I think your mark is a set of sharp teeth. Maybe you will be a dentist or an orthodontist as your special talent.” She tried to sense his future, but everything she saw was dark. She could only feel pain; in all senses of the word.

“Your future is… a mystery. I sense pain, the pain of death and ruin, but I also sense pride. Your will is strong, near unmatched in fortitude, but you have death all around you. I’m sorry, but I cannot tell what your future holds.”

Sorin breathed a sigh of relief after hearing her lack of understanding. Twilight had caught him off guard by revealing his wicked Cutie Mark for the teller. Luckily, she could not figure out that death was not just around him—but that he was Death.

He quickly draped his cloak over his mark, breaking the teller from her trance over it. She shook her head as she cleared her thoughts, returning to reality.

“It’s no problem at all, miss,” Sorin said. He flashed a hollow smile at her, which she did not see through.

“Thank you. I hope you enjoy the rest of your night!”

The three ponies waved the mare off, deciding that it was time for them to eat. They all sat down at a wooden picnic table outside a pizza parlor.

“What is the cuisine here again?” Luna asked, seeming confused by the menu and its various pictures of strange foods.

“It’s something we call ‘pizza.’ It’s a doughy flatbread that has tomato sauce, cheese, and other things on it. It gets baked in an oven until it turns into a cheesy, scrumptious meal,” Twilight explained.

“It sounds,” Luna started, searching for the right word, “messy.”

“That’s what napkins are for,” Sorin poked, earning a light, playful snort from her.

A waiter quickly appeared, handing out silverware, glasses, and napkins. She then pulled out a notepad, clicking her pen as she looked at Twilight.

“I think we will take one large garden pizza. That should be all,” she told the waiter, giving her a smile. After writing the order down, she went inside the restaurant, shouting the order to the cooks.

“I have seen places like this in many ponies’ dreams,” Luna said.

“What do you mean?” Sorin asked.

“As the Princess of the Night, one of our duties is to safeguard the dreams of ponies, so every night, we go from dream to dream, making sure everything is alright.”

“You can do that?”

“Of course. It is something I have done for centuries.”

Sorin tuned out whatever Twilight was talking about because he was too focused on thinking. If Luna could visit another’s dream, that would explain why the dreamworld felt so different compared to Azeroth's. Such tangibility did not exist on his homeworld. The Emerald Dream was the closest thing, but even that was separate from the dreams of average people.

He realized the potential risks of this as well. If Luna could visit anypony’s dreams, she could likely visit his own. Should she see the horrors of his conscience, he could be revealed—and that was not an option.

“So,” Sorin began, “how do you think your visit went?”

Luna put a hoof to her chin as she thought for a moment, sipping from the glass of water the waiter had provided. “I think it 'twas better than expected, but we do not just want to be accepted by our subjects, but loved. They seem to only feel the former.” Her face lost its cheery look, much to Twilight’s dismay.

“Don’t worry. I’m sure ponies didn’t love Celestia after one night, so why should you feel like you have to?”

“We hath been locked away for so many fortnights that we do not know how to be loved. We can’t even talk ordinarily.”

“These things take time,” Sorin said. “Over time, you will adjust to speaking more normally and less archaically, as well as getting accustomed to modern society. A thousand years is a lot of time to make up, so take it slow. Give the ponies time to warm up to you, as I said.” He put a hoof onto her shoulder, making Twilight gasp. “Trust me.”

“Thank you, Sorin.”

The waiter came back, holding a pizza in a tray. She set the pizza down in the center of the table, putting the plates down for the three patrons.

“I hope you enjoy your food. I’ll check on you guys later.” With that, she went back to the building. Sorin finally took his hoof from Luna, getting a slice of pizza for himself. As he looked down at it, he was surprised by the toppings. There were spinach leaves, tomato slices, onion slices, black olives, carrots, and some hay on top of the pizza. It was unlike traditional human pizza but still shared some similarities. Shrugging, he lifted a slice to his mouth and was about to bite in when Luna shrieked.

“This is the greatest culinary creation in all history!” she shouted, everypony outside the restaurant hearing her say this. “How hath we been ignorant of its existence for all these months? 'Tis a conspiracy against us!”

“Luna,” Sorin quietly said to her.

Not seeming to notice him, she continued. “The flavor, the blends—it is divine. We are very pleased!”

“Luna,” he said louder.

“What other types of this glorious food item are there?”

“Luna,” he half-shouted.

“The possibilities seem endless!”

“LUNA!”

She finally paused, looking at him with an embarrassed blush. She sat back down in her seat, her cheeks reddening. She looked around at the displeased customers. “Sorry?”

They all turned back to their meals with an annoyed grunt. Sorin laughed, but Twilight smacked the back of his neck, making him turn to her with a confused look.

“Don’t speak to the princess like that!” she sternly said.

“It’s all in good fun, Twilight.” He turned to Luna. “Right?”

“Yes,” the princess whispered slightly under her breath.

“Don’t worry; I’m sure I can get Twilight to agree to keep your outburst a secret from your sister. Besides, there are plenty of state secrets that I’m sure you could let slip about Celestia and her pastry eating habits.”

The three laughed at his jesting, covering their mouths ineffectively with their hooves.

“You have no idea,” Luna replied, genuinely smiling out of joy for the first time in too long. Twilight had helped her reunite with her subjects, and Sorin had eased her mind greatly. His warm smile and keen jokes made her feel understood—not as a princess, but as a pony.

Sorin’s cloak slid over the stone pathway as he walked through the threshold into the Canterlot Royal Library of Magic. Two guards nodded their heads in greeting as he walked past them, his sole mission to find knowledge. After going through a few hallways, he made it to the large chamber that housed all the publicly known spells for unicorns. The room was very wide, with bookshelves next to one another in uniform. The ceiling was simply flat, but the floor had depictions of great mages using their power to do amazing feats of magic. There were long sections in the room with signs that labeled how difficult the spells were to complete, and Sorin went towards the back—where the most difficult ones were.

He ran his hoof over the spell tomes, reading the title of each one as he did so. Most of them were things he already knew, like illusion spells and fire magic, but there was one section that stood out to him.

“Starswirl the Bearded,” he whispered to himself as he approached the shelf. There were at least a dozen books in the section, each of them seeming untouched for years. The material the tomes were made of seemed older than any of the others he had seen.

“Incineration, thunder, blizzard, restoration,” Sorin said to himself as he read the spell names. “And—oh, this is interesting.”

He lifted a book from the shelf, reading the cover that was adorned with emeralds. He opened it, pulling pages back as he skimmed through. The first page he laid eyes on was a warning that told him the spell was incredibly strenuous and would take years to master. He simply continued, memorizing the text as he read.

He snapped the book closed, putting it back in its place. He continued to look through the shelf, hoping to find something. His hoof stopped on a scroll that looked absolutely ancient. Its paper was so worn that he guessed it was at least a few centuries old and somewhat preserved with magic.

He unraveled it, reading the description of the spell. He grinned, seeing the words, “Dream Hopping Spell.” His guess in age was correct because it said it was written with the help of Princess Luna, which meant it was a thousand years old at minimum.

He began to read through the scroll, studying every detail of the spell. His magical power enabled him to memorize the spell within minutes, committing it to his spellbank. It said that it would take years of practice to enter the dreams of someone very close to you, and only the strongest wizards could go into two ponies’ dreams, but he was no ordinary magician after all. His mastery over the spell would be no issue. As he continued to read, he started to see how to adjust his own dreams. Evidently, you could alter your dreams to those who viewed them. The pattern of the two spells was almost identical.

Perfect. He would simply create a dreamscape for himself that projected innocent dreams to Luna while his true dreams would be hidden. Pleased, he rolled the scroll back up and placed it on the shelf, finished with the library.

Now that he knew the princess could visit dreams and that he could as well, his new plan formed. With a physical dreamworld, he could corrupt it as he did with the Emerald Dream, turning Equestria into a living nightmare. This way, he would not have to amass an army large enough to storm Canterlot; he would only need to overtake the dreams of the ponies. His strife may have failed to break the order of Equestria, but the seeds of doubt were already there, should he need them. If the royal sisters were to go insane from their nightmares turned real, their subjects would doubt them. In this doubt, he would claim the throne. In the meantime, he would build his forces and consolidate his power. Yes, this was good.

Sorin turned around and was about to walk to the exit when he spotted a certain pony around the corner. Peering from behind a bookshelf, he could see Princess Celestia entering the library. Luckily, she did not see him hiding. Her majestic hoofsteps echoed through the room as she went down the center pathway of the library.

He waited for her to go past his shelf, hearing her pass. He leaned out to look at what she was doing, and he saw her rummaging through a shelf of books.

“It’s got to be here somewhere,” she impatiently said. Her hoof rubbed over one book, and she paused before plucking it from its place. She read the title out loud to herself.

“Hallucinations and How to Cure Them.”

We can’t have that now, can we?

She opened the cover, skimming through the table of contents until finding a section that would give her the answer she sought. If it was what she thought it was, it would block her mind from entering a hallucinative state, allowing her relief from the torturous whispers she had felt recently. She hastily turned chunks of pages after seeing the section she wanted. She finally reached the part she so desperately desired.

As she looked at the words on the page, they warped and twisted, becoming a mass of unreadable characters. She turned the page once more, hoping to read some of what she needed, but that too was a scramble.

Anger flooded through her as she realized what was likely behind this. Her mane turned yellow for a second as she threw the book at the wall, it bursting into flames as she did. It never even touched the wall before becoming a pile of ashes.

Her body returned to normal as she collapsed right there. At this point, she was too defeated to cry. She simply sat there, sighing as she felt dread sink in. Would she be cursed with the maddening whispers forever? And if so, would she eventually fail to stave off their attacks?

Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard laughter, the laughter of the beast in her mind. Oddly, she swore the sound came from behind her. She stood up and whipped her neck around in an instant, but she saw no pony. She could hear the faintest of hoofsteps near the exit, so she ran over to it. She saw the outline of a bulky pony who was completely cloaked. The light from her sun blasted her eyes, blinding her for a split second. It was long enough for the source of the laughter to disappear entirely. She looked around the courtyard, unable to find him.

Chapter 14: Sleep

“At last, a nice, long slumber,” Princess Luna said as she reached the gates of the Canterlot castle. After a long night of partying and tomfoolery, the princess just wanted to rest. Her hooves ached, and her eyes were strained to the point where she had to squint to see anything. So, she greeted the guards at the gate with a wave, and they opened the gate for her. Its mechanical rolling could not go any slower for Luna. Eventually, the gate opened, and she swiftly went through. She passed a few guards, waving them goodnight as she did. They saluted back before returning to their original stance.

Very quickly, she made it to the doors of her room. Pushing them open and slipping inside, she magicked her regalia off. She plopped onto her bed, fully spent for the day.

A serene sigh left her lips as she snuggled into the comfort of her bed, sleep already beginning to take her. Before falling asleep, she thought of her night. At first, she thought she would return to Canterlot worse off than before, but she ended up returning as an equal to her subjects. They had warmed up to her, just as Sorin said.

Sorin. He was the one who pulled her from her depression and got her back on her hooves. He was the one who made her feel like herself again. She smiled as she thought of him, sleep overtaking her.

Nightmare Moon simply sat. She knew who was coming, and she awaited them. There was no point in delaying their encounter because waiting would only bolster them. No, she had to finish this now. Once she squashed those bugs, she would assume her place as the sole monarch of Equestria, bringing a new era to the land.

She sat on her old throne, the throne of Princess Luna. That was who she once was, but now she was something entirely different. Luna was weak, fragile, and submissive, but Nightmare Moon was somepony to be feared. Her presence made ponies cower, and her fury brought them to their knees. No one dared to oppose her iron rule.

The walls of the ancient castle were filthy from how long they had sat. Overtaken by the Everfree Forest, it was abandoned and left to rot. It was a shame; it had once been a sign of power to all the other nations on Equus. Now, it was a relic of a time past, but Nightmare Moon would change that.

The doors to the throne room burst open, six mares charging in. They were the six Elements, their intent to destroy Nightmare Moon. The Elements of Harmony were on their necks, and scowls were on their faces. They spotted their target atop her throne.

“Nightmare Moon!” Twilight shouted. “We are here to end the tyranny you have put onto Equestria!”

The Mare of Nightmares laughed in her wicked and sharp voice. “End? Me?” She laughed again. “I am Nightmare Moon; I cannot be defeated. Celestia fell before me, and now so will you!” She leaped from the throne, falling towards the Elements.

She bared her teeth and readied her hooves, but she was blasted in the side by magic. It had not come from Twilight, and she was not expecting it, so she went flying sideways. She slammed into the wall, a loud groan coming from her. Her eyes were spinning as she tried to look up. Her legs gave out as she tried to stand, forcing her to fall back down. She could hear the hoofsteps of somepony heavy. At first, she thought it was somehow her sister, but she realized her sister never walked so forcefully.

Her eyes finally cleared, and she was able to see the pony who had wounded her. It was a pony Nightmare Moon had never seen before who somehow seemed so familiar. His black fur and silky cloak felt like a memory, but she could not place it. She quickly cast the thought aside, remembering that this mysterious pony had dared to strike her. She had to hide the pain of the landing to intimidate her attacker.

“Who dares assault Nightmare Moon?!” she thundered, snorting as she did. It was then that she saw how big he was. His features dwarfed the six other ponies in the room, and he seemed the same size, if not larger, than her.

“I, Sorin. I have come to ensure your downfall.”

To this point, Luna had allowed everything in the dream. In fact, she was the one who created this dream for herself. She had to pay for what she did as Nightmare Moon, and this was the only way she could. So, every night she dreamed of being Nightmare Moon, only to get blasted by the Elements. This time, Sorin was in her dream, probably because she thought of him so much. It was only fitting that her mind would use a depiction of him to bring her pain in a twisted sense of irony. She tensed up, though, as she felt her body twitch. Something was different this time.

She screamed as a sharp pain shot through her. Her wings snapped to their sides by instinct, and her lips curled back. Sorin only seemed to smile while the other Elements backed up with uncertainty. She felt her bones cracking as her body transformed. Her wings stretched out, pulling her nerves in the process. The bones in her knees erupted from her kneecaps, creating crude spikes at the joints. Her horn splintered, warping into a longer and more spiraled version.

Her screams continued as the worst part of her transformation began. Parts of her back started to burn with pain as she felt things trying to poke out of her. She writhed on the floor as her screams became more feral and deeper, sounding as if there was another voice layered upon her own. Finally, her back ripped open in multiple spots, purple tentacles rising from them. They waved around wildly, their disgustingly pulpy flesh seeming to ooze.

The Elements barely stopped themselves from throwing up, but Sorin continued to look on. Nightmare Moon stood, her pain replaced with rage. She snarled, stomping her hooves.

“BOW BEFORE YOUR QUEEN!”

Unhindered by all the pain she had just endured, the mare beat her wings, jutting into the air and flying over Sorin. She soared over the Elements while they looked up in shock, fearing this new version of her. Finding the easiest target, she dove towards Fluttershy with a grin. Before the pegasus could react, she was thrown to the ground with Nightmare Moon sprawled on top of her, fangs outstretched. She bit into the pony’s face, but Fluttershy just moved out of her bite in time. She started to scream, partly in fear of the situation she was in and partly in terror of the monster on top of her. A tentacle wrapped around her neck, squeezing the air from her lungs as it did. The mare began to squirm, trying to get much-needed oxygen back into her body.

Twilight charged a spell through her horn, aiming it at the wicked creature she thought was once a princess. Just as she fired it, Nightmare Moon looked back with wide eyes. One of her tentacles desperately rose as a bolt of energy charged at her. The tentacle exploded in a fit of purple pulp as the bolt impacted it. Her head reared back as a demonic roar of pain erupted from her jaws.

Rainbow Dash flew at her, slamming into her side while she was weakened. The two went tumbling as more blood spilled everywhere. Nightmare Moon was the first to her hooves, catching Rainbow Dash a second early. With a grin, two tentacles flew at the pegasus, wrapping around her wings and effortlessly lifting her into the air.

“Surrender yourself to me.”

“Never!” Rainbow Dash shouted in defiance.

“I should only expect as much from Loyalty,” she spat. “No worries, I’ll pluck this trinket from your lifeless throat.”

One more tentacle extended towards the pegasus’s neck. It wiggled towards the golden band around her, but mainly the gemstone at its center. Rainbow Dash grinned as the two touched, much to Nightmare Moon’s regret. A searing pain shot through her as a blast of red energy released from the Element of Harmony. Its harmonious nature purged the foul growths inside of her, making her writhe in pain. She could feel the tentacles being rendered to a red slush as her blood began to boil. She collapsed to the ground, defeated. Slow hoofsteps neared her, and she lifted her head just enough to see Sorin walking toward her, a frown on his face.

“I expected more from the legendary Nightmare Moon.” He chuckled. “You can’t even stop these Elements.”

“I… a-am a… queen…” Nightmare Moon said through taxing breaths.

“Oh, really?” he mocked, pacing around her. “You cannot even stand before me. The mythic slayer of many, conqueror of the night, laid low by these pathetic ponies.” She felt a rage building within her that was only amplified by her injury, much like a cornered animal. “Without me, you are nothing. Let me prove it by giving you a taste of my power.”

A black tendril came from his chest towards her, forcing its way through her mouth. Luna felt all emotions slip away as she felt nothing but hatred. Nightmare Moon had always felt great anger towards her sister, but she also felt power. This was different. Now she felt only rage, and it worried Luna.

As the rage swept through her body, her wounds stopped bleeding. Her muscles swelled up, making her grow in size. Her head that was shaped like a panther’s began to warp more towards that of a tiger’s. Her eyes became even more slit, her vision sharpening. Her ears twisted upwards like a bat’s. She could hear rapid thumping coming from the Elements’ chests. Oddly, nothing was coming from Sorin. She paid it no mind because she was too overwhelmed with power. Never before had she felt this way.

Where there was once a tentacle on her body, two took its place. Dozens of them lifted from her like serpents. This time, they pulsed with purple energy and had spikes along them. She finally stood, her legs pushing her up effortlessly. As she pulled her lips back, a guttural growl came from her. She towered over the Elements, and Sorin was at least half a foot below her. As she stepped forward, the ground cracked beneath her.

“That was a mistake,” she said. She charged at the Elements, lowering her head like a rhino. They were fast enough to dodge her, but Twilight’s shoulder was sliced by the razor that was Nightmare Moon’s horn. She spun around with unnatural speed, a tentacle lunging at the unicorn. Before she could react, Twilight was punched in the side hard enough to send her flying. Her friends gasped as she slammed onto the ground, rolling over with a pained groan. Her Element clattered on the ground.

“You’ll pay for that!” Applejack shouted, racing towards Nightmare Moon.

“How bold,” she slyly said, maneuvering out the way of a kick. Another kick came, but she was quick enough to move towards it with her head. Applejack’s eyes lit up as her hoof came straight down on a jagged horn. The hard shell of her hoof cracked as the spear cut through it and into her leg. She screamed, instantly falling over to get the horn out. Nightmare Moon laughed.

Pinkie Pie jumped high into the air. She put out her hindlegs as she rammed into the top of Nightmare Moon’s back. The pink pony held on tight while dishing out a volley of surprisingly painful punches. Her assault was cut short as a tendril slapped across her face. She fell onto the ground, but she hastily regained her stance.

Using her almost physics-breaking powers, she sprung through the air at lightning speed, appearing on the other side of Nightmare Moon before delivering a punch straight to her jaw. The wicked mare let out an annoyed grunt as her tentacles wrapped around Pinkie Pie, but she was already gone. A kick came to Nightmare Moon’s side, knocking the wind from her. She whipped her head around, seeing only a pink trail. Another blow landed on her back legs, causing her to stumble. Another to her head came before another to her gut.

She struggled to find the assailant, her legs weakening. After another kick, she fell flat onto the ground. Her control over the tentacles was broken, and they began to operate on their own. Like one collective mind, they saw the pattern Pinkie Pie was using, and all converged at one point in order to trap her.

“That’s right, meanie! No one messes with my frie—” Pinkie Pie was saying, about to deliver a punch, before a pair of slimy masses gripped her waist. They threw her to the ground, causing rocks to rip through some of the fur on her back. Her scream came out as a wheeze, only costing her more air.

Nightmare Moon felt her legs again and stood, rising to her full height. Her eyes narrowed on Pinkie Pie, and she leaped in front of the mare. She lifted a single tentacle up, cackling as she did. The mass propelled at Pinkie Pie, pushing its way into the mare’s mouth. She bucked as it did, attempting to get the thing out of her. It forced its way past the entrance of her throat as it stole her breath. Its goal was to go deep enough to rip out her organs as one bloody mass.

Before Nightmare Moon could enact this command, she was blasted in the back. Her tentacles released their grip on Pinkie Pie, who darted away as fast as she could.

“This has been entertaining, but this ends now!” Sorin shouted, his horn glowing brightly. Nightmare Moon quickly prepared a spell and sent it from her horn before he could. She smiled as she saw it weave its way towards his head. Her face changed to one of fear as his spell came from his horn and slammed through hers like nothing. She tried to move out of the way, but the bolt was far faster than she was.

It wracked through her chest in a violent turmoil that sent her flying backward. As she fluttered through the air, her vision clouded with a blazing blue light. She could feel her nerves burning as the spell made its way deeper into her form, desecrating everything it came into contact with. When she finally crashed into her old throne, she let out a single grunt. Rocks fell atop her as she dropped to the ground below. Her breathing became ragged as she felt her body failing. Sorin came towards her in a slow, ominous trot.

“I should have known you were never worthy of my gift.” He put out a hoof, calling his blood home. Nightmare Moon’s body contorted as her power was taken from her in an excruciating draining. Black sludge leaked from her every orifice, crawling towards Sorin. She could feel all the strength she had disappear in a matter of seconds. Her body shrank as she reverted back into Luna.

He knelt down to her, smirking. “Luna, the weak, pathetic princess.”

“No…”

He tsked. “You can barely even talk. You hurt your subjects, you exploited them, and you scarred them forever. How can you call yourself a princess?”

“Because we… will never stop… fighting to p-protect… them.”

“If I remember correctly, it was you who became Nightmare Moon. It was you who banished your sister to the moon. It was you who plunged Equestria into eternal night. And it was you who brought death upon the ponies who trusted you.”

“No…”

“You cannot deny it, princess. You know deep down that you wanted to do those things. Your sister put you on the sidelines, so you struck back. You simply gave in to your true desires.”

“I-I didn’t… want this…”

“And yet you were the one to do it.”

Sorin could feel the negative emotions coming from the princess, and he fed upon them. He could feel his very being growing stronger as he did.

“We only wanted… to make our sister see… how good… we could be.”

“LIES!” Sorin shouted, making her yelp. He slammed a hoof onto her horn, shattering it into a thousand pieces.

“AHH!” she screamed, her head burning with an incredible splintering pain as her body went numb.

“You betrayed her! You took her kingdom, but even then, you were too weak to keep what you stole. You are weak. You are nothing.” His fur darkened as he feasted on her guilt. “You did not even put up a fight against your emotions; you instead embraced them when you became Nightmare Moon.”

Luna remembered how her anger had taken shape and battled her mind for dominance. She remembered a part of her wanting to give in, wanting to be stronger than her sister. That was her biggest regret, and Sorin knew it the second he felt her guilt spike after hearing his words. His fur turned to shadows, morphing him into Nightmare Moon herself. The pure amount of regret she kept in her heart allowed him control over the dream for a moment.

“Give in to your fear…” a dark voice whispered from Nightmare Moon.

Luna shivered, finding the air suddenly cold. She struggled against the rocks on top of her, trying to escape, but it was pointless. She was trapped. Nightmare Moon came towards her. Luna could see the Elements getting back onto their hooves.

“You are a failure.”

Nightmare Moon’s body started to melt, bubbling and oozing as it shrank into a puddle. Luna was aghast as the pile of black sludge moved towards her. She tried to move her head out the way, but she was spared only a few inches. The black liquid climbed her chest before slipping into her mouth.

The Elements marched towards the fallen princess, eager to end Nightmare Moon once and for all. They lined up alongside Twilight, who started to lift into the air. Her eyes became white as her Element linked to the others.

“Wait!” Luna called out. “It’s me, Luna! Nightmare Moon is escaping! We have to find her!” She felt her eyes snap over to a pile of broken glass. As she looked into one of the pieces, she saw her reflection—but where she should have been was Nightmare Moon.

“Don’t you see?” the voice whispered inside her head. “I am you…”

The Elements shot beams into one converged point as they all floated in the air. Luna turned back to them, trying to plead once more for her life. Instead, her lips remained closed, and a rainbow beam enveloped her body. She screamed as fire raged through every part of her body. She could feel her flesh peeling away as she was erased from history.

Luna suddenly gasped, her eyes white from the blast. As her vision returned, she found herself sitting atop her old throne in her old castle. Her memory of what had just happened was gone, and the door to the room burst open. All she could remember was that she had to pay for her crimes and that this would help chip away at what she owed.

What she had not known was that Sorin was not just some placeholder her mind conjured up to help torture herself, but it was instead him visiting her dreams. He could feel how fragile she was in her mind, and he used it to feed off of her emotions. He would continue to partake in her dreams as she felt more and more pain over what she did as Nightmare Moon. This pain would only make his manifestation in the dreamworld stronger, bolstering his influence on the dream.

Luna was his key.

Chapter 15: A Black Wedding Part 1

Canterlot is known for many things, such as its extravagant designs, its noble ponies, and being the heart of Equestria’s government. The thing that the city is most known for, though, is its talk. Whether it’s gossip, news, or debates, everypony in Canterlot gets caught up on the latest happenings, usually within hours. The nobles are particularly snobby and condescending, always searching for ways to one-up their peers. They get the latest stories in Canterlot before anypony else. While no pony would admit it, the nobles were some of the most disliked ponies around. Sure, there were some who were loved, but most were just power-hungry.

As of late, all the talk in the city was about three ponies. Firstly, Princess Celestia had been acting a little strangely recently, and ponies had noticed. She would sometimes leave court abruptly or head off to secret meetings only her closest staff knew about. Her demeanor was off in some way. It was hard to tell what it was exactly, but the nobles could see something was wrong.

Secondly, Princess Luna had been trying to integrate into modern society since her return from banishment. She would sometimes make a mistake with her language, causing obnoxious arguments that would end with her apologizing profusely. She still had to adjust to the social norms of the time, something she was finding difficult.

Lastly, at the center of all these talks was Sorin. Claimed by many to be the mysterious stallion who helped bring the princesses back to good spirits, he had quite the reputation. He helped Princess Celestia overcome her doubts at the Gala, and he convinced Princess Luna to keep trying to connect with her subjects. He was also recognized by Princess Celestia herself for aiding the Element bearers when they took down Discord and returned Equestria to peace—his biggest accomplishment yet.

While hardly anypony actually knew him, everypony had their own view of him. Some thought of him as a kind, gentle stallion, while others viewed him as a pompous brute. The nobles, on the other hand, saw him as a threat. This stallion had risen to a position close to the princesses themselves in a short time, and he lived with Twilight Sparkle. He had managed to snake his way next to the most powerful ponies in the nation, and hardly anypony knew his intentions. When the leading noble families went to Prince Blueblood to get his opinion on the stallion, he offered nothing. He seemed almost afraid to speak ill of Sorin, which only made them more worried.

This new hero was a threat to the stability the nobles had. They did not need a newcomer disrupting the order of things. Equestria was a fragile place right now. There were concerns about leadership, untrust in the nobility, and too much attention on one pony. While most of these things were minor, one large push could turn society against them.

Hoping to learn more about Sorin, the nobles came up with a plan to see him up close. It would be easy to do so, considering he was a pony of importance nowadays. A very important event was also happening within a few days at the Canterlot Castle…

“It’s been a while,” Sorin said, his breath turning to frost in the air. He continued his trot into the forsaken village atop his mountain. In the time he had been gone, the entire mountain had turned black, and his blood had spread into the surrounding areas for at least a mile around. The buildings had been turned into crystalline huts, and The Spire had grown even larger. Still, it was not enough for him to use as a proper base of operations.

He came to the center of town, finding Vultrax awaiting him. All fifty Shadowstrikers landed around the two equines as he approached the windigo. They stood at attention with their chests puffed out and their wings at their sides.

“It is good to see you again, master,” Vultrax said with a grin.

“It is mutual, Vultrax. I received your call to return to The Spire. What is it you wish to tell me?”

“First of all,” the spirit began, “we have claimed a large amount of territory around The Spire and are assimilating any creatures we can find in these barren wastes into our army. Second, although we are growing in strength, I believe I have a way for us to bring a large force under our wing.”

“Go on,” Sorin said, fully intrigued.

“As you know, I am a windigo: a creature that feeds off negative emotions. My brothers number in the hundreds, and they are all located in the Frozen North, specifically Mount Everhoof. I am an outcast there, but ever since Equestria was taken over by alicorns, they have been starving, barely able to survive off of the few lost creatures around our home. I can take you to them. They will be eager to follow you if you can show them your strength. The promise of all the food they desire will ensure they come to your side since they can be stubborn. With the windigos’ sheer power and numbers, our army will truly be a formidable force.”

A grin slid across Sorin’s face. “I’m glad you brought this to me; I think your plan will work out perfectly. Before we leave, I must make the necessary arrangements in Ponyville. I shall return soon, and we can begin.”

“I will be waiting.”

“Your loyalty has been outstanding so far. As long as your words hold true, you will be receiving the ultimate gift soon.” He started to prepare for his teleport. “Well done, Vultrax.”

The windigo stood taller as blue light swept his master away. He turned to his underlings. “Half of you, stay and protect The Spire. The rest of you, prepare yourselves to follow me and your master to the north. We have work to do.”

With a “pop,” Sorin found himself back in his room. The sun was making its way over the horizon, and everypony was starting their day. He performed his daily routine before making his way downstairs. Twilight soon joined him, and they left the library together. She and her friends were going to be having a picnic outside Sweet Apple Acres, and she wanted him to join them. He obliged, promising to leave with her in the morning.

They went through town and to the entrance of Sweet Apple Acres, finding the rest of their friends there. They all had little bags with supplies for the picnic, and after a quick chat, they went looking for a nice spot to set up. Before getting too hungry, they laid down the checkered towel on a nice patch of grass open to the sun. It was nice and warm outside, making the spot perfect.

They laid out the food and drinks before taking their places on the ground. Sorin took a nice, long sip of his cool and refreshing water.

“It is gorgeous out,” Rarity said while looking around at the scenery. “Just gorgeous!”

“It is quite delightful,” he answered, taking a moment to take a bite of a tiny sandwich slider. “I’m glad we could find such a spot out here. It’s a shame no pony ever uses these beautiful areas.”

She smiled at him before Twilight dropped her apple after hearing someone shout her name. Spike ran onto the picnic blanket while trying to fully get her name out again, taking heavy breaths as he did. He grabbed his throat as his cheeks puffed up, a burst of green flames coming out of his mouth a second later. A paper scroll dropped in front of Twilight.

Confused, she unrolled the letter and started to read it aloud. “‘Dear Twilight, I am sure you are as excited as I am about the upcoming wedding in Canterlot.’” She paused for a moment. “Wedding?” She shook her head before continuing. “‘I will be presiding over the ceremony but would very much like you and your friends to help with the preparations for this wonderful occasion. Fluttershy, I would like you and your songbird choir to provide the music.’”

“Oh my goodness! What an honor,” the mare answered tenderly.

“‘Pinkie Pie, I can think of no one more qualified than you to host the reception.’” The energetic pony bounded over the items on the blanket, accidentally stepping on a cake.

“‘Applejack, you will be in charge of the catering for the reception.’”

“Well, color me pleased as punch!”

“‘Rainbow Dash, I would very much appreciate it if you could perform a sonic rainboom as the bride and groom complete their ‘I do’s.’”

The bored mare turned into a cheerful spirit upon hearing that she would get to perform such a trick for the wedding.

“‘Rarity, you will be responsible for designing the dresses for the bride and her bridesmaids.’”

“Princess Celestia wants me to,” the designer started to say before clamming up in ecstasy. “For a Canterlot wedding?” She then fell over after a few blissful wobbles, getting a chuckle from everypony.

“‘Sorin, I trust you with one of the most important tasks for making sure the wedding goes as planned. When you arrive with your friends at Canterlot, I will tell you in person what your role will be.’” Sorin raised an eyebrow.

How vague, he thought to himself, thinking of what he could possibly do to contribute to a wedding, of all things.

“‘And as for you, Twilight, you will be playing the most important role of all: making sure that everything goes as planned. See you all very soon. Yours, Princess Celestia.’”

Finally finished reading, Twilight was still lost. “But, I don’t understand. Who’s getting married?”

“Oh, wait! Uh, I was probably supposed to give you this one first,” Spike said, handing her another scroll. She started to scan through it.

“‘Princess Celestia cordially invites you to the wedding of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and—” she saw the name of the groom, making her take in a huge gasp before saying in shock, “—my brother?”

WHAT?!

Sorin’s smile almost cracked into a million pieces as his mind erupted into a volcano of anger. Another princess?! And one I did not know of, at that! He started to lose focus of what everypony around him was saying, too overtaken by his fury. Somehow she avoided my detection spells, meaning she may be more powerful than the other two alicorns!

He took a deep breath, attempting to keep his disguise up. It is simply an obstacle, one that will be overcome. Her name, Amore, suggests her powers are somehow related to love, so she could be less powerful in the traditional sense than Luna and Celestia. They control celestial bodies while she controls an emotion. It is also possible they tried to hide her since they knew I was free.

He adjusted his smile as he returned to reality. Twilight’s brother was the groom, meaning he would naturally support her friends, including Sorin. This would give him an opening to get to know this new princess quickly.

“As one of your P.F.F.’s—” Applejack started, pointing at her other friends, “Pony Friends Forever—I wanna tell you that I think your brother sounds like a real good guy.”

“He is pretty special. I mean, they don’t let just anypony be captain of the Royal Guard.”

Rarity gawked at the comment. “So let me get this straight.” She took a deep breath. “We’re helping out with the wedding of not only a princess, but a captain of the Royal Guard?”

“I guess we are,” Twilight answered, a little downtrodden. Her friends broke into excited conversation about how wonderful the wedding would be, all while she continued to think about her brother. Sorin continued to sit there, his composure barely intact.

It would be wise to spend time with these two ponies. The royal sisters will not know that I know of their existence yet, giving me the advantage for the time being. Understanding the captain of the Royal Guard will be beneficial as well.

He also realized that Canterlot would be infested with guards since such a political marriage was happening there. A princess would typically require an entourage of protection, and a guard captain would also need one. He would need to operate more carefully while in Canterlot to make sure he stayed hidden. In the meantime, he would inform Vultrax to meet him near the city.

During the long train ride, Sorin had been thinking. He needed to be in Canterlot to attend the wedding and whatever else the sisters wanted him to help with, but he also needed to get to the north. To do this, he would split his conscience in two. Considering that he would be in the highly protected capital of Equestria, he would not need much power to maintain his form there. Instead, he could use most of his essence to travel to the Crystal Mountains. The wedding’s guards would provide him with an excellent cover for this while protecting him at the same time, so it worked out rather favorably.

The train was riding over crazy mountain formations, Canterlot now within sight, when Sorin felt something: a tremendous magical presence nearby. He rushed to the window of his cabin, looking outside. The train rapidly approached a massive purple bubble that surrounded the entire city. He sensed that it would try to repel him from the city, but as he got closer, he could feel the strength of the barrier. It could nearly hold an alicorn back, but it was waning. The spell was slowly deteriorating upon itself.

After cocking his head for a second, he quickly began the process, separating himself into two entities. His blood poured from him, trying to escape the upcoming barrier. A pool formed around him as he felt his mind splintering. If he was correct, the barrier’s weakened state would allow his significantly weaker portion to slip through unnoticed, appearing as just an average unicorn.

The barrier was only a short distance away now, and his blood rocketed from him as it coagulated into a separate mass. It swam through the cart, racing to escape the train. Breaking through a window, it fell onto the ground. Sorin felt his physical form pass through the wall, unfazed. He breathed a sigh of relief, looking back through his window to see his blood already disappearing.

At last, the train slowed to a steady stop, its engine winding down after the long trip. The passengers gathered their things and prepared to exit as the train finally halted at the station. Sorin made his way with the Elements towards the front, going between the carts. They all looked outside at the Canterlot border as they neared the front.

Dozens of guards were lined up on the ground with armed pegasi hovering in the air. More of the Royal Guard were on building balconies overlooking the station. They were all set up as a checkpoint for the train.

Sorin followed behind his friends as they exited.

“Whoa, what’s with all the guards?”

“I’m sure they’re just taking the necessary precautions. Royal weddings do bring out the strangest ponies,” Rarity answered Rainbow Dash. “Now, let’s get going. We’ve got work to do!”

“And you’ve got a big brother to go congratulate,” Applejack told Twilight.

“Yeah. Congratulate. And then give him a piece of my mind,” Twilight answered, trotting away.

Sorin sighed. “She must be upset that he didn't tell her about his wedding, which is understandable.”

“Yes, she is. Ah don’t know what to tell ‘er. It’s best left to family,” Applejack replied.

“Agreed.”

Twilight went past everypony else, headed for her brother. Sorin trotted alongside his friends, but two guards came up to him. One of them was part of the Solar Guard, the other, the Lunar Guard.

“Are you Sorin?” the Lunar Guard asked in an authoritative voice.

“Yes,” he answered with apprehension. “May I ask what this is about?”

“The royal sisters have requested your presence immediately upon your arrival in Canterlot. Come with us, please.”

He hesitated for a moment. He was weak right now and could not afford to have a conflict with the princesses. On the other hand, it would be suspicious for him to not see them.

Best to play the game for now.

He nodded and walked with them, letting them lead him past the other guards helping his friends. He went through the city, passing by market stalls and small homes. Everywhere he went, there were guards lined along the streets. He had never seen so many guards in one place before.

The buildings became more luxurious as he was brought deeper into the city. The houses looked more like mansions, and governmental offices were around him. The Royal Castle came into view, and so did a bastion of Royal Guards. Rows upon rows of them were lined up in front of the castle’s entrance. He passed them by as he was escorted in.

Down winding hallways he went, eventually being dropped off in a courtyard. The two princesses turned in his direction as the guards saluted. They left him alone with the sisters, disappearing back into the castle.

Celestia was the first to move, making her way over to him, Luna in tow. She gave him a motherly smile, dipping her head in greeting.

“It is good to see you again, Sorin.”

“And I, you, princess.” He turned to Luna, who looked exhausted for some reason. She must have slept badly or something. “I saw all the guards in the city. I hope everything’s alright.”

Celestia sighed. “That’s what we called you here for. As you know, there is a big wedding happening—which would normally require increased security—but an anonymous threat has been made against Canterlot. We do not know who made this threat, only that our sources believe it is serious. Because of this, we have raised security to the max.”

“Whatever the mysterious threat may be, Canterlot will be prepared for it,” Luna added.

Hmm. What potential enemy or rival may I now have?

“That is unfortunate. Hopefully, the wedding will go without a hitch,” he said.

“That’s where you come in,” Celestia started, “your role in the wedding is to stay with the Elements and ensure their safety. You helped them defeat Discord, and I know you have powerful magic, so you are well-equipped for this. I also trust you most of all to do this.”

Luna stepped forward, looking up at him. “Thou shall also be near the couple during the ceremony. We—I—have faith in you, Sorin. We would not ask this of you if we did not know you could handle it.” She put a hoof to his chest. “Thou art one of the greatest ponies I have ever met.”

“Okay. I understand.” She removed her hoof. “I will try to be with them at all times during our stay here. I will make sure they stay protected, princesses.”

“Thank you,” Celestia said. “I knew we could count on you. Whenever you’re ready, a guard outside will take you to them.” She trotted away, giving him one last smile before disappearing behind a hedge.

“So, I guess I’ll see you at the wedding then,” Sorin said to Luna. She nodded.

“It is a busy week for us, but yes. We look forward to being in your company again.” She warmly smiled at him. He smiled back, and she turned around. “We think thou will enjoy thy new privileges.” He watched her sleek form trot away, going wherever her sister had gone.

He let out a quiet sigh, turning to where he came in. He left the courtyard, going up to one of the guards.

“Are you ready to go to the Element bearers, sir?”

“Sir?” Sorin asked.

“Yes, sir. Under the order of the princesses, you will be addressed as ‘sir’ until the wedding is over. You will also be able to act as an officer during that time. Guards of my rank will be at your command, sir.”

“Well then,” he began, “take me to them.”

The blood of Yogg-Saron weaved through the air as it traveled away from Canterlot. The luscious grass below seemed to stretch on for an infinite distance, mountains nowhere in sight. He remembered the map he had studied, meaning the Crystal Mountains were off to the north. His blood slowed down as it approached the meeting place. Diving at the ground, it splashed onto a flat area, blood spreading out before pulling back and forming a pony.

Vultrax trotted towards Sorin, the Shadowstrikers descending from the air to land around them. As their talons found purchase, Vultrax cleared his throat.

“Currently, we are in what I like to call the Northern Plains. Beyond are the Crystal Mountains, and past that, Mount Everhoof. Reaching them would normally take a day at minimum, but I am windigo, meaning I can get there much faster. Follow me.”

The ghostly stallion started to run in circles, rising into the air in a spiral pattern as he did. The Shadowstrikers took flight in pursuit of their commander, and Yogg-Saron’s blood streamed into the air. Vultrax sped up, rising quickly now.

He finally stopped ascending when he looked down, the ground seeming so far away. The thin air made him feel like he was home again.

Home. He took that memory and focused on what it was like. The cold air, the powerful winds, and the flow of energy throughout the mountaintop helped him tap into his connection with his brothers. In doing so, the air around him warped, the winds going crazy directions as a white, ghostly light started to flicker around him.

Yogg-Saron looked on in confusion as he felt a surge of magic around him. He could feel all the pure energy flowing through the skies, traces of powerful magic creating a number of branching paths coming from Vultrax. The memory of his home became physical as he finally tapped into his abilities, linking himself to the other windigos. As he opened his eyes, he could see white paths extending in various directions around him.

“What are these?” Yogg-Saron asked.

“These are the pathways windigos use to travel. These roads were laid millennia ago and have been used ever since to help us move around the planet. We are spirits, but we can only move so fast on our own. With these, we can appear almost anywhere in Equus in a matter of minutes.”

“I can feel how well made these are; the layers of energy are flawless,” Yogg-Saron said, genuinely impressed.

“The paths are kept together by a constant flow of energy into them that is gathered from every windigo. Our mana pools form one collective energy bank that powers these. Since I am a windigo, I should be able to ferry us to Mount Everhoof.”

“Well then, let us begin.”

Yogg-Saron’s essence went slightly behind Vultrax in a way where he could stay in his wake. The Shadowstrikers formed a line behind Vultrax to make sure they could follow him.

The air seemed to become more volatile as Vultrax readied himself. An insanely loud “crack” echoed from him as he shot north, the others right behind him. He flew at incredible speed as he traveled over miles upon miles of pony territory. His comrades were being pulled along the way as he hoped for.

The world became a blur as they rapidly approached the Crystal Mountains, still accelerating. Everything became white as they felt the gravitational force from how fast they were now moving.

Just as quickly as it began, they felt their bodies slow to a stop, their eyes trying to adjust to the new surroundings.

The wind howled as it whipped over dozens of mountaintops, making a whistling sound. Large snowflakes poured from the sky, coating everything in a bright white. A freezing chill drifted across the terrain, cold enough to freeze a pony within an hour. The dark clouds were closer than ever, casting a light fog everywhere. Occasional lightning bolts would crash from the sky, sending out a thundering boom that shook the very stone of the mountains. These were the Crystal Mountains, and before Yogg-Saron was Mount Everhoof.

The tallest mountain around, its peak extended above the cloud line. The body of the landform dwarfed all the others around it. Many smaller peaks were a part of the mountain, each of them widening the whole. It was truly a sight to see.

“Come; my brothers await,” Vultrax said, snapping Yogg-Saron back to the matter at hand. The windigo continued through the air, rising parallel with the mountain. The others followed, scaling the side of Mount Everhoof.

Had the Shadowstrikers not been resurrected, they would have died from the cold by now. Their current forms were impervious to many things that held mortals from their true potential. Bonding with the blood of an Old God makes one push past those boundaries and become something new.

The group neared the peak, passing through the clouds with ease. As they came out on the other side, the air stilled. The howling had ceased, and the wind did not blow. Everything appeared still. There was nothing but a stone peak that looked untouched by time.

The only movement was the blue glow forming at the very top of the peak. They approached it, Vultrax extending a hoof and touching it. As he did, the wind spurred to life again. All around them, a solid ground formed. In front of them was a large door. At its center was a metal disk engraved with images of windigos.

Yogg-Saron’s essence took the form of Sorin, giving him a body again. He watched as Vultrax touched the disk, causing it to light up with the blue glow from before. It connected with him, knowing he was a windigo. The glow faded, and the door split down the middle, opening outward to reveal a hidden civilization.

Past the door was a large frozen plateau. Large structures made from ice that resembled igloos and huts were everywhere. Torches with blue flames burned away, somehow working in the wind. At the center of the area was a massive building that looked similar to ancient strongholds. It had towers like a castle, but it was large enough to house a small army.

Suddenly, a piercing whinny came from somewhere in the kingdom. Almost instantly, dozens of windigos came flying out of the massive building, all of them headed towards Vultrax and his company. More and more came from the building, forming a swarm that was quickly descending upon Yogg-Saron’s forces. He readied himself.

The ghosts in front landed a few yards in front of Vultrax, lining up in long rows. The others did the same, creating a large formation in front of the intruders. At least a hundred of them had shown up.

“Welcome to my home, the Kingdom of Frost,” Vultrax said.

“This is not your home!” shouted a windigo with a deep voice. He flew down in front of the others, landing a couple feet from Vultrax. He was larger than the rest of his kind and had an ethereal crown made of blue fire floating over his head.

“It’s been so long—” Vultrax tittered before donning a serious expression.

“—brother.”

Chapter 16: A Black Wedding Part 2

The guard brought Sorin back through the city to a small bakery. While simple on the outside, it had all the new and modern baking technologies held inside. From electric mixers to ice cream makers, the bakery had it all. Currently, Applejack was running around, whipping up her treats for the ceremony.

“I will leave you to it, sir,” the guard told Sorin. “Twilight Sparkle and Applejack are in the bakery, but the others are in their own locations, performing their tasks. Good day, sir.” The guard turned about and walked off, returning to his post.

Sorin spun around, looking at the open bakery entrance. There was an enormous cake, a beautiful heart-shaped ice sculpture, and trays of tiny apple fritters. He trotted inside, finding Twilight slouched against a pillar with her forelegs crossed. Her face was cross as she checked things off of her list. Applejack gave her a fritter, which lightened her mood as she checked them off the list.

“I hope all is well, Twilight Sparkle.”

She craned her head to look back at Sorin. “Oh, it’s nothing.” He raised an eyebrow.

“Well, it’s possible that I think Cadance has changed so much over the years that she is practically a different pony. She’s mundane, mean, and just not the same.” It felt good to get that off her chest.

“Who’s Cadance?”

“She’s my old foalsitter. Back then, she was amazing. Kind, caring, loving—she was one of the best ponies around. She’s the pony my brother’s marrying.”

“So, your brother is marrying your old foalsitter; who happens to be a princess?”

“I mean, if you put it that way…” she answered.

“I’m sure it’s just nerves. She is probably just as concerned about giving you the wrong impression as you are about her. Plus, she is getting married during a time when Canterlot is under a potential threat.”

“How do you know about that?” Twilight asked.

“Oh, the princesses told me before I came over here. My job is to watch over you and your friends and make sure you are safe during our stay,” he answered.

“I look forward to having you around,” she warmly replied.

Just then, a back door opened into the bakery. “Hiya, princess!” Applejack greeted who could only be a princess.

Sorin looked over at the door, seeing her for the first time. Her cotton-candy-like fur matched her yellow, pink, and purple mane perfectly. The locks ran down to her knees, styled to perfection. Her body was slim and sleek, giving her a curvy look. There was a crystal heart on her flank, and right in front of it were her wings. They were small, but they were still there.

She was an alicorn, and she wore a crown like the other princesses. Her golden horseshoes clicked on the ground as she strolled in. Her face was one of the finest he had seen amongst ponies, but it was ruined by the look of pure indifference she wore.

“Please, call me ‘Princess Mi Amore Cadenza,’” she said in a snobby voice. It sounded unnatural, almost forced in a way to Sorin.

“Hiya, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza,” Applejack greeted again before lifting her head. The princess put on a large smile. “You come to check out what’s on the menu for your big day?

“I have,” she answered before following with a scowl. Twilight and Sorin both studied her as she tried a fritter.

“Delicious! I love-love-love them,” she awkwardly said.

“Aw, shucks. Why don’t you take a few to go?” Applejack offered her the bag. “I know how you brides can be. So busy, you forget to get a little somethin’ in your belly.”

The princess walked towards the exit, holding the bag of treats with her… green magic. Sorin blinked to make sure he was seeing correctly. He was; she had a green magical glow. He had never seen something like that from a pony. Usually, the color was similar to the coat of fur. She threw the bag straight into the trash can, leaving and closing the doors behind her.

“Did you see what she…” Twilight tried to say after seeing what happened, glancing at Sorin and Applejack.

Something here is amiss; I just don’t know what yet.

She had already finished her tasks for the bakery, and she wanted to see more, so she left without another word. Sorin caught up to her after wishing Applejack farewell.

“Where to now?”

“I’m going to Rarity’s suite.”

He followed her, finding himself in the room at the top of a tower. Inside, Rarity was working away on her dresses and gowns. Twilight started talking about how mean Cadance was.

“Oh, you should have seen how she acted back there. I don’t know when she changed, but she changed.” She tried to mimic her voice, saying, “‘Please, call me Princess Mi Amore Cadenza.’”

Sorin was by the door, listening to the conversation. The door next to him shot open, the princess coming through.

“Did I hear someone say my name?” she asked.

“Your highness!” Rarity exclaimed while racing over to bow. “Let me just start by saying what an honor it is to play a role in such a momentous occasion.”

“Uh-huh,” the princess deadpanned. “Is my dress ready?”

“Yes, of course. I’ve been working on it ever since I was given the assignment, and I think you’ll be pleased with the results!” The seamstress hummed in excitement as she showed the princess her dress. Her look of glee fell apart as the princess listed her demands.

“I was hoping for something with more beading and a longer train.”

“Oh, yes, of course,” she said, writing everything on a notepad.

“And those should be a different color,” the princess said while looking at the three bridesmaid dresses.

“I think they’re lovely!” one of the bridesmaids said.

“Me too!” another said.

“I love them,” the last one added.

Princess Cadance shot daggers behind her at them, silencing them instantly. “Make them a different color.”

“Gee, maybe her name should be ‘Princess Demandy-pants,’” Twilight mouthed to Sorin as the princess left. He lightly chuckled, but on the inside, he could almost feel something different about this princess. Was she a friend or a foe, and if an enemy, an Equestrian or something else?

If he had not split himself apart, he would have sensed her magic by now. Calming himself, he realized he would have to find out for himself another way.

He went with Twilight to check on the reception for the wedding. She led him into the Canterlot Castle and one of its spacious halls. Pinkie Pie was on the other side of the room, talking with the princess. Twilight pulled him behind a pillar, jumping from one to another as she watched Cadance.

“Okay, let me see. We’ve been over the games,” Pinkie Pie said by a board game, “the dances.” She stopped flailing around wildly. “I think this reception is gonna be perfect! Don’t you?”

“Perfect!” Cadance answered. She started walking away, another grimace on her face. “If we were celebrating a six-year-old’s birthday party,” she whispered under her breath just loud enough for Pinkie Pie to hear.

“Thank you!”

Twilight gasped. “Poor Pinkie Pie,” she whispered to Sorin after the doors closed.

“Yes, she doesn’t quite understand the insult,” he replied.

“It’s getting late; we need to go eat. Luckily, we have that reservation at that local restaurant for the evening.”

Sorin followed her out, letting her lead him to the restaurant in another part of the city. When they showed up, their friends had already been seated. Twilight and Sorin took their seats.

The moon had come out, and the sun had gone down, casting a pleasant mood over the city.

“We ordered what you put down for your drink earlier to speed things up. I hope you don’t mind,” Rarity said.

“Not at all,” Sorin responded. Twilight nodded her head in agreement. The waiters brought out their two drinks, placing them on the table.

After taking a few large sips of her drink, Twilight cleared her throat. “Bet I can guess what you’re all thinking.” Her friends looked at her, slightly lost. “Cadance is the absolute worst bride-to-be ever.”

“Twilight, whatever are you talking about? Cadance is an absolute gem.”

“Rarity, she was so demanding!” Twilight shot back.

“Well, of course she is! Why shouldn’t she expect the very best on her wedding day?” Rarity pointed out.

Trying again, Twilight turned to her country friend. “Applejack, did you know that after she told you how much she just ‘love-love-loved’ your hors d’oeuvres, she threw them in the trash?”

“Aw, she was probably just trying to spare my feelin’s,” she dismissed it as.

“No, she was just being fake and totally insincere.”

“She did raise her voice at one of my birds during rehearsal,” Fluttershy said.

Thinking her friends finally saw the light, Twilight exclaimed, “See? Rude!”

“But he was singing really off-key.” The same bird burst into a discordant song note. Her friends cringed.

“Pinkie Pie, you had to have noticed how Cadance treated—” she saw Pinkie Pie too caught up in the cake decorations to care. “Nevermind. Rainbow Dash, you’re with me, right?”

The pegasus snapped to attention. “Sorry, Twi. Been too busy prepping for my sonic rainboom to pay much attention to the bride’s bad attitude.”

Twilight let out an agitated groan.

“The princess is about to get married,” Rarity interjected. “I’m sure any negative behavior she might be displaying is simply the result of nerves.”

Twilight put two of her hooves on the table. “And I’m sure it’s the result of being an awful pony who doesn’t deserve to even know Shining Armor, let alone marry him!”

“Think maybe you’re bein’ just a tiny bit possessive of your brother?” Applejack said, only adding fuel to the fire. Her friends mouthed their agreement.

“I am not being possessive, and I am not taking it out on Cadance. You’re all just too caught up in your wedding planning to notice that maybe there shouldn’t even be a wedding!” She knocked over a couple glasses as she slammed her hooves down before storming off.

Her friends all shrugged, cleaning up the mess she made. They did not believe her and thought she was still upset about her brother not telling her about the wedding. They also felt she was simply being protective of her brother.

“I do not entirely agree with her, but I think she is onto something,” Sorin said.

“Are ya sure?” Applejack asked in a flat tone. “She seemed mighty heated over her brother gettin’ married.”

“The mare her brother is supposed to be marrying is not the lovely, kind mare from years ago. She has been rude to the ponies helping her this whole time. Whether or not that is due to stress or pressure, I do not know. Her pretty exterior may be a mask for her true self.”

“I can’t see it,” Rarity added. “She seems absolutely splendid.”

If they cannot see something is off with her, they will never discover me.

“For now, I will continue to observe. I need more information to come to a real conclusion.” The waiters brought out their dishes, gently laying them on the table. “Now, let’s enjoy this meal.”

They did just that, discussing the city’s sights and the day’s work. They felt terrible about how their friend had stormed off, but they all agreed some space would do her some good.

Eventually, they finished their meals and left to return to their rooms, but mailponies brought them new instructions. The mares would be the new bridesmaids. They went to a changing building to get ready for the wedding rehearsal.

Twilight burst into the room, shouting, “Shining Armor’s in real trouble! You have to help—” she gasped. “Dresses? What are you—”

“Can you believe it?” Fluttershy said after flying up to her. “We’re gonna be Princess Mi Amore Cadenza’s new bridesmaids!”

“New bridesmaids? What happened to her old bridesmaids?” Twilight shot back.

“She didn’t say. But she did tell us that she would love-love-love it if we’d fill in for them,” Applejack said.

“Seeing as we’ve been working so hard and everything,” Rarity added.

“And you had your doubts about her.”

“Told you she was an absolute gem!”

Twilight was taken aback by her friends’ enthusiasm. She looked to Sorin, who shrugged. He was as surprised as she was.

“You sure this is what I should wear?” Rainbow Dash asked, wiggling around. “Doesn’t seem all that aerodynamic.”

“Hmm. I’ll see what I can do,” Rarity replied before trotting to get her trade tools.

Sorin watched Twilight trotting away with her head down. He wanted to support her, but he needed to play the fence for now. He simply needed to observe and stay low.

The Shadowstrikers narrowed their eyes as they prepared to strike at their master’s command. Their talons gripped the ground hard, cutting into the ice. Both sides stood in silence, waiting for their windigo to speak. Instead, the spirits stared at each other as if they were having a staring contest. Growing tired, Yogg-Saron broke the silence, maintaining Sorin’s voice.

“You two are brothers?”

“Yes,” the larger one said, tearing his eyes away. “Unlike our brethren, we are direct descendants of the first windigo. Our family line has always ruled, but he betrayed us. Instead of joining the pack, he decided to leave in search of friendship. It was pathetic.”

“And I have paid for that,” Vultrax answered with grit teeth, “dearly.”

“Really? You betrayed your kind—your family—to make friends with ponies. You turned your back, leaving the weight of a starving kingdom to me. Have you truly paid, brother?”

“I was foolish to think they could care for anyone but themselves, but you left me to rot away in that damnable cage!”

“You dare to criticize me?” The ruler’s eyes burned blue as he stomped his hoof. “You return to my kingdom with a pony, one that has likely revealed our location!”

He rammed into Vultrax, punching him in the jaw. Vultrax whipped his head around, slamming it into his brother’s, causing them both to stumble back. His brother charged at him, yelling out.

A powerful blast in between them caused them both to slide back, cutting into the icy ground as they went sliding.

“Enough!” Sorin shouted. “Your petty quarrels annoy me. Vultrax, I did not know you harbor such anger towards the Equestrians. I can now see why you want to ensure their downfall.”

Vultrax stilled, returning to his soldiers, his brother doing the same. Sorin stood next to Vultrax, slightly annoyed.

“I am Sorin. Who are you?” he asked the ruler.

“I am Draxil, the fifth ruler of this kingdom. Who are you to speak for a windigo—even an exiled one?” the ruler demanded.

“I am the one who freed your brother, and I am the one to give your people a true kingdom once again.”

“Bold claims from a pony. Did Celestia send you?”

Sorin laughed out loud. Why did ponies always think he was one of her minions? “She is my most hated enemy.” His laughs slowly came to an end. “No. If I get what I want, her rule shall end, and the windigos will be able to feed upon ponies for eternity.”

“You would betray your kind?”

“The Equestrians are not my kind. They have no idea how powerful I truly am.”

“Yes, I have heard, Sorin. Were you not the one who helped them defeat Discord when he controlled their nation?”

“A means to an end,” Sorin plainly stated. “My endgame can include the windigos—if you join me.”

Draxil snorted. “Join you? Who do you think you are? We are windigos, the mythic monsters of old who almost devoured the ponies permanently. We would never serve a pony.”

“What if I defeat you? Will you serve then?” Sorin asked genuinely.

“You could not defeat me.”

“No, if I defeat all of you,” he said, pointing at all the windigos.

Draxil laughed, barely able to stand straight. “How laughable.” He tried to contain himself. “I’ll give you this: if you can somehow defeat us, we will join you.”

Sorin grinned. “It is unwise to bargain your fates with one you know nothing of. Alas, your fates are sealed.” He raised a hoof, the Shadowstrikers going into the air. They flew backward, leaving their master plenty of space. He looked at Vultrax, nodding to him. He joined the Shadowstrikers.

“We will see, Sorin.”

“I may have lied,” Sorin began, his eyes lighting up, “Sorin is the name of my current form. In truth, I am Yogg-Saron.”

“Sadly, a name will not save you, pony.” Draxil went into the air, climbing directly upward. The windigos followed him. Sorin narrowed his eyes as he prepared himself. They slowed down, hundreds of feet above him, and began to dive. They all raced towards Sorin’s tiny form, spiraling down at him.

Their forms darkened the sky, and a storm took hold over the kingdom. As lightning crashed, Sorin’s black tendrils sprouted from his back.

“I am Yogg-Saron, the God of Death, and you charge towards your end!” He grinned.

The sun was out once again, and the sound of chimes was in the air. Inside the castle, the wedding rehearsal was taking place. The giant hall looked as elegant as ever, with beautiful decorations everywhere. Sorin stood alongside Shining Armor as he waited for his bride to enter. The five new bridesmaids walked down the aisle, barely containing their excitement.

Sorin was bored with such trivial affairs and wondered where Twilight was. He did not see her the rest of last night, and she had not been seen this morning. He hoped she was alright.

“Perfect, girls. No need to rush. Then, of course, Cadance will enter,” Celestia kindly said. He perked up, now fully focused on seeing the princess.

The door opened with a yellow and blue glow, revealing Cadance in all her beauty. Even though she had no dress on, she was stunning. Her fur was brushed down, and her mane was smoothed out. She started her slow trot down the red carpet, her eyes on Shining Armor.

“I’ll say a few words, and then we’ll begin with the vows,” Celestia said, Cadance coming up to Shining Armor and Sorin.

“Good morning, princess,” he greeted her with just enough venom on the last word for her to notice. She took a quick glance at him, hoping to silence him with a deadly glare. To her surprise, it did nothing.

“Shining Armor, you’ll get the ring from your best mare.” The groom looked to his right, finding no best mare.

“Hey, has anypony seen Twilight?”

His question was interrupted by the entrance door reopening. Everypony snapped their head to see the mare in question, a worryingly bold expression on her face.

“I’m here! I’m not gonna stand next to her, and neither should you!”

Shining Armor tried to apologize for his sister’s behavior, but she seemed bent on getting her point across.

“Maybe we should just ignore her,” Princess Cadance said, annoyed.

“You have to listen to me!”

Fluttershy rushed up to Twilight, and so did Applejack. The country mare tried to stop her friend, but she pulled her hat down.

“I’ve got something to say,” she announced, walking closer to the altar. She put out a hoof, pointing it directly at Cadance. “She’s evil!”

It seems she is doing the work for me…

Everypony broke into chatter, Shining Armor standing in front of his bride.

“She’s been horrible to my friends,” she teleported right behind Cadance, “she’s obviously done something to her bridesmaids, and if that wasn’t enough, I saw her put a spell on my brother that made his eyes go all—” She made her eyes roll around.

Now backed into a literal and figurative corner, the princess started to cry. “Why are you doing this to me?” She bolted towards the door, tears streaming from her face.

“Because you’re evil!” Twilight yelled, appearing in the doorway. “Evil, and if I don’t stop you, you’re gonna ruin my brother’s life!” Satisfied, she turned around and started to walk back. Instead, she bumped into her brother.

“You want to know why my eyes went all—” he asked, his eyes spinning. He cringed from the pain of doing so. “Because ever since I started having to perform my protection spell, I’ve been getting terrible migraines. Cadance hasn’t been casting spells on me. She’s been using her magic to heal me.”

Twilight could hear the venom in his voice. She took a breath to respond, but he spoke before she could.

“And she decided to replace her bridesmaids because she found out the only reason they wanted to be in the wedding was so that they could meet Canterlot royalty. And if she hasn’t been on her best behavior with your friends, it’s because with me being so busy, she’s had to make all the decisions about the wedding!”

“I was just trying to—”

“She’s been completely stressed out because it’s really important to her that our big day be perfect!” he continued, further berating her. “Something that obviously wasn’t important to you.” His head twitched in pain again. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go and comfort my bride.” He trotted away. “And you can forget about being my best mare. In fact, if I were you, I wouldn’t show up to the wedding at all.”

Twilight slumped to the ground. Her closest friends went past her without so much as a glance. They exited, going to go check on the princess. Sorin stepped down from the mantle, Celestia walking by.

“I was—” Twilight tried to explain, never getting the chance.

“You have a lot to think about,” Celestia said with a level of disappointment that shook Twilight to her core.

Sorin followed the princess as she closed the large doors. He caught up to her, putting a hoof on her shoulder to get her attention.

“You don’t think that was maybe a little harsh. The poor mare was just trying to watch out for her brother,” he said to her.

“No. She came into the castle and disgraced us all with that declaration. A few stiff words will teach her to think before she acts.” With that, Celestia trotted away. Sighing, Sorin slowly turned back to the double doors. He went towards them, pausing as he heard a voice.

“I’m sorry!” he could hear Twilight groveling.

As he leaned in closer, he heard Princess Mi Amore Cadenza as a faint whisper, saying, “You will be.”

Even in this form, he could feel the activation of magic from inside the room. He quickly teleported to the center of the room. The waves of magic washed over him, and he could tell that it was not Equestrian. It was something alien.

As he looked up, he saw Princess Cadance with her horn glowing green, standing above Twilight, who was surrounded by green flames. The princess’s wicked grin shifted to one of concern as she spotted Sorin. She fired the same spell at him as she had used on Twilight.

He tried to put up a magical shield, but the teleport spell had used a lot of his energy. His weaker form could not hold the shield, and it fell apart before him—leaving him vulnerable. The green fireball slammed into him, encasing his body in green fire and forcing him to his knees.

“You’ll pay for that!” he bellowed through the pain. He struggled against the magic as he felt himself sinking into the ground, fire forming a dome around his head. He could see Cadance grinning once again.

“We’ll see,” she smugly stated.

His head was slipping under the floor, Twilight about to disappear as well.

“The words of a dead man walking…”

“Man?” was the last thing he heard as darkness overtook him…

Chapter 17: A Black Wedding Part 3

A massive breath of musty air forced its way into Sorin’s dried-out lungs. He coughed violently, almost choking on his own saliva as he suddenly snapped into consciousness. His eyes stung, and his body was incredibly weak. He felt his heart racing as his breaths sharpened. Pain coursed through his nerves, his broken legs leaving him immobilized. Lying on his side, he tried to keep breathing.

Damn it all! He knew that he was dying. Twilight had only been surrounded by the emerald fire, but he had been blasted by it. His arrival brought with it a list of injuries. In this feeble version of himself, he did not have enough strength to prevent this from happening. He was not prepared to deal with a rival enemy, and it cost him dearly. He could feel himself quickly slipping away.

He lifted his head, trying to look around. He could see Twilight lying next to him on the floor, still knocked out from what happened. Her body was intact, unlike his.

The weight of his own head became too much to bear, and it dropped to the stone floor. His blood seeped from his wounds, spreading all around him. His miscalculations would be his downfall, it seemed. Yes, he would not really die, but all of his efforts would be for naught. Once Twilight awoke and saw his body, it would be too late. His cover would be lost, and he would no longer be able to infiltrate Equestria from the inside. Whoever had sent him to his demise would likely overtake Canterlot before he could return. Between two warring powers, he would not be able to take his prize. He would fail.

He would have, but he saw his blood bubbling. It formed small strands that returned to his body, caressing his injuries. It sunk in, healing his battered form. He closed his eyes, letting his blood do the work.

His legs were straightened and set, not without pain, and his gashes sealed up. The sensation of life returned to him as he was healed. The last of his power was poured into him, fully restoring him. He went to his hooves, stretching them out without grimacing.

He would have to play it far more carefully now. Without the small amount of power he had left, he had only Equestrian magic to sustain him. He needed to stay alive long enough to connect to his other part, but that might prove difficult considering the situation he was now in.

He was truly vulnerable.

Sorin used his horn to illuminate the room with a white glow. As he looked around, he found himself in a large cave. The many surfaces of the walls reflected off each other, creating a maze of reflections that he could not make out. They were made of crystal, as was the entirety of the cave besides its floor. It was a chilling cold wherever he was, and he started to feel it.

Twilight finally stirred, shifting to get onto her hooves. Her eyes fluttered open, and she took in the surroundings. Her eyes landed on Sorin, making her let out a relieved gasp as she ran over to hug him.

Wrapping her forelegs around him, she squeezed him tight. “I’m so glad you’re okay!”

He patted her on the back with a hoof. “I’m glad to be alive.” She pulled away, looking at him. Her face fell as she realized they were trapped in a cave.

“I’m afraid I have no idea where we are. I’ve never seen a place like this before,” Sorin said, taking in the cave again.

“Hello?” Twilight shouted. She started to walk towards what looked like a path. “Is anyone there?”

She slammed her head into a solid wall that reflected her face to her. She realized the whole cave was like that. She could not tell what was crystal and what was actual rock.

Sorin’s ears perked up as he heard a distant laugh. The sound bounced around the chamber, making him spin around wildly. Twilight went next to him, worry starting to take her.

“Where are we?” she whimpered.

“The caves beneath Canterlot,” Princess Mi Amore Cadenza stated. They whipped around to find a picture of the princess glaring all over the walls, fragmented a dozen times. “Once home to greedy unicorns who wanted to claim the gems that could be found inside,” the image of her on the walls spoke, jumping around the room, “and now: your prison.”

“Help! Help!” Twilight yelled, running back to the center of the room.

“It’s no use. No one can hear you. And no one will ever think to look for you, either.” Sorin’s eyes followed the princess’s movement. “Most ponies have forgotten that these caves even exist, which is why they are the ideal place to keep the ones who try to interfere with my plans.” She broke into wicked laughter.

“Plans? What plans?”

Cadance put a hoof up as if shocked. “The plans I have for your brother, of course.”

Twilight’s horn sparked with energy. “Don’t you dare do anything to my brother, you, you monster!”

“Only way to stop me is to catch me,” the image teased, vanishing. “Over here!”

Twilight fired a spell at the source of the sound, but the bolt bounced off the rock and ricocheted around the room. It landed just in front of her hooves.

“Nope. Over here.”

Twilight fired again at a different spot, shattering the crystal piece she hit. Sorin sent a bolt of his own at a stalagmite, breaking it into pieces. She charged one large blast for where she heard maniacal laughter from the loudest. She released it, causing chunks of rock to go flying everywhere.

Sorin scowled as he saw the princess hiding in the newly revealed section of the cave. Twilight wore a face of rage as she stared down her captor. She got ready to charge.

Sorin bellowed, “From dusk to shadow!” as he and Twilight sprinted toward their enemy.

The windigos were rapidly approaching, their leader firm in the charge. The others saw what they believed simply to be a pony transform into a vile creature. He was still the same size, but they could feel the hatred radiating from him. It was almost overwhelming. His rage was different from what they could feed on. He was a being of hate, its purity too strong for them to devour.

Draxil sped up as he neared the ground. His subjects did as well, none of them bold enough to break from the ranks. The land around the stallion turned black, causing the kingdom to shake.

“I am Yogg-Saron, the God of Death, and you charge towards your end…”

What had their king done?

The swarm crashed into Sorin, but the ground exploded in a violent eruption of ice and magic. The dark energy around him ripped through them, causing the front lines to whinny in pain. They pulled up, trying to steer upwards again, but Sorin would not allow that. One by one, he plucked them from the sky with his tentacles.

Some were able to fly away and regroup before preparing to blast him with frost breath. They swooped down, taking in one giant breath before unleashing the torrent.

Sorin shifted into his essence form, darting out the way of the incoming blizzard. He reformed behind the group, sending a spell through his horn. A black sphere formed in front of him, swirling with his blood. He released the attack, and the ball shot hundreds of blood daggers outward. They ripped through the windigos caught in the way. Their ethereal bodies could not protect them from the volatile substance, and they fell to the ground.

Downed windigos nearby got back onto their hooves, looking for their enemy. They found him, his horn sparking with electricity. They heard a deep rumbling from the sky, and they looked up, only to see a lightning bolt descending from the heavens.

It crashed into the largest group of windigos, sending them flying. The ground was scorched, and at its center stood Sorin. He closed his eyes and dipped his head, channeling his power. His blood formed into dozens of strands that came out of his body. Like a web, they spread out and connected to one another before latching onto the windigos left standing. Once they were all connected, he opened his eyes, a furious light coming from them.

The windigos broke into screams of pain as their bodies were racked with Void energy.

“BOW BEFORE YOUR GOD!” Sorin yelled, amplifying the spell. The windigos keeled over, collapsing to their knees. The level of emotions coursing through them rendered them useless, and only Draxil stood untouched.

The king looked around, seeing his brethren reeling in agony. This sole pony had managed to bring down an army—but he was vulnerable. Sorin’s eyes were closed, and his concentration was on his spell. Draxil sprinted towards him. He lowered his head into a charge, racing towards the stallion.

Sorin’s eyes opened, Draxil only a few yards away, and he grinned. He pulled his blood back to his body, leaving the windigos to watch what was unfolding. As their king reached him, he unleashed the full force of the web upon him.

With a thunderous clap, Draxil went tumbling backward. His ethereal bones snapped as he rammed onto the ground, and his crown was knocked from his head. Every windigo watched as it hit the ice, shattering into small pieces of flame. Sorin’s hooves crushed them, extinguishing their fire forever.

“Your reign has ended.”

Draxil tried to move, but his body was too weak to do so. Sorin turned around, looking at the ghostly horde. They were all in shock; their jaws hung open in disbelief of what had just happened.

“Now you see my power firsthand.”

“No! Wait!” Cadance exclaimed, putting her hooves out and trying to scurry away. Twilight jumped at her, pushing her to the ground. Cadance yelped as she slid across the stone floor. Her body was shaking as she looked up at the murderous mare standing atop her. “Please, don’t hurt me! Twilight, it’s me!”

Twilight lowered her horn, its searing heat making Cadance squirm. “Please, you have to believe me! I’ve been imprisoned like you. The Cadance who brought you down here was an imposter,” she pleaded.

“Likely story,” Twilight answered, her horn calming down despite her words.

“The Cadance in Canterlot did seem off. You said it yourself, Twilight. Maybe she is telling the truth,” Sorin said. Cadance crawled out from under the mare standing over her. “Princess,” she looked at him, “can you light your horn up?”

“W-why?” she stuttered.

“I need to see your magic.” Reluctantly, she did as she was asked, her horn glowing blue for a second. “The imposter had green magic, which I found odd. Her story would explain that.”

Cadance made her last effort by trying to help Twilight remember when she used to foalsit her, and they would sing a short greeting together. “Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake,” she said, stamping her hindlegs and then covering her head. She put out a hoof to Twilight. “Clap your hooves—”

“—and do a little shake,” they both said while wiggling their rumps. Twilight suddenly realized that she found the real Cadance. The princess looked back at her with a gleaming smile. She beamed with a beautiful radiance despite her mane being in shambles and dirt covering her pristine fur.

Twilight smiled back and pulled her into a massive hug. “You remember me!”

“Of course I do. How could I forget the filly I love to sit for the most?” They embraced each other, tightening their grips. Neither of them wanted to end the hug and leave the warmth. At this moment, they both felt at peace.

“I hate to break up the tender moment,” Sorin interrupted, “but your imposter is still on the loose.” They split apart, standing back up to their hooves.

“We have to get out of here,” Twilight said, climbing on top of a rock. Cadance nodded. “We have to stop her!”

The two took off into the winding caverns of the caves, Sorin running alongside them. The path they went down had twists and turns, and it kept going on for what felt like an eternity.

“How long have you been down here?” Sorin asked Cadance.

She glanced at him as she ran, trying to remember just how long it had been. “I don’t know anymore. I can’t even remember. I know it had to be at least a week because of how hungry I have been. I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve slept down here.” She laughed at herself. “That imposter could have been ruining my life for two weeks, two months, or two years—I can’t even remember! Every day is just a blur.” More tears rolled down her barely dried face. If she did not need to escape, she would have curled up right then and there.

“How can you blame yourself for what happened?” he asked.

“I-I don’t bla—”

“Don’t lie to me,” he interrupted. “I can tell that you do blame yourself. And I tell you now, it is not your fault.” She sniffled, wiping tears with a leg. “Did you try to stop it?”

The memories of when she was kidnapped came flooding back into her mind. She swallowed dryly as she felt that powerless pain again.

“Y-yes. I was in my room, looking out at the sunset, when I saw something in the distance. I went over to my window to see what it was, and then,” she hesitated, “I heard a crash.” Sorin nodded for her to go on. “Next thing I remember was being on the ground with four bug-like creatures holding me down. Their queen came in from the shattered window and landed in front of me. Her disgusting body slowly snaked its way over to me. I could do nothing as she mimicked my appearance down to every detail. She had the same color fur as me, she had that one chip in her front left hoof, and she had that small tuft of fur on her underbelly. Even her eyes looked the same.

“She took my tiara from the floor and put it on her head. I barely remember her covering me in flames and sending me to the caves beneath Canterlot. W-what I remember is that fear I had the entire time.” She started to choke up, Sorin noticing the blank stare she had.

“T-that way she grinned at me, k-knowing she would get away with it…” She wiped her face again. “I begged her to spare me, but she must have expected that. S-she acted like she had mercy on me, but it was a lie.

“Instead of killing me, she sent me to these caves. Some strange magic kept me alive for as long as I have been down here, but I still feel the pain of starvation and thirst. There was a mirror in my cell that would show me what my imposter was doing.” She stopped again. “I-I-I had to watch as that m-monster lied to my love, s-slept in our bed, and stole my life.

“The worst part was that I couldn’t stop her. I am supposed to be a princess, and I can’t even protect my ponies. I am supposed to be love itself, and I can’t even keep my loved ones safe! I failed them…” Her head lowered as she continued to sob, running through the tears.

Love itself?

Sorin jumped over a chasm along the path. He landed on all four hooves, his company doing the same. They stopped for a moment, needing a moment before going on.

Sorin lifted Cadance’s head so he could look into her eyes. He smiled. “You did not fail. How can you expect yourself to hold off a group of creatures that ambushed you? A princess you may be, but you are still only one pony. The very fact that you feel you are at fault shows that you are worthy of being a princess. Responsibility is important, yes, but it must be taken in moderation. A princess cares for their people—and you do.” He pulled his hoof back. She looked at him with watering eyes. He whispered, “It was not your fault.”

She let out a choked breath. “T-thank you. It means a lot.”

After a moment, he got up, stretching his limbs. “We should probably get moving again.” Twilight and Cadance got up as well.

“You said all this, and I don’t even know your name,” the princess joked.

“It’s no worry at all. I’m Sorin.”

She gasped. “No wonder you’re so good with words. I remember hearing how you helped both of my aunts at the Gala and Ponyville.”

“Your aunts?” Sorin asked. He connected that one of her aunts was Celestia. “Oh, the princesses. Yes, I seem to have a reputation now because of that.”

“That and you helping stop Discord. Don’t worry, it’s only been good things I’ve heard about you.” She gave him a smile.

“Alright, let’s go!” Twilight said, pulling everypony back to reality. She and her friends spurred into action, racing through the caves again with unmatched determination.

They had to stop at an intersection, four paths forking from the one they were on. Each one looked like it went on for a good way.

“Which way do we go?”

“I don’t know,” Twilight answered Cadance.

“Do any of you know where exactly we are under the city?” Sorin asked. They both shook their heads no. “If we can figure out where we are, we may be able to find a way out.”

“How?” Cadance asked.

“Based on the texture of the air, we are deep underground. Only a few places in the castle go this deep below the surface. If we can find out where we are, we can head towards those places.”

“I didn’t even know the castle went underground,” Twilight said, surprised that he knew more about the place than she did, considering she practically lived there for a while.

“There is a whole floor underground. It’s small, but it houses some of the more guarded items. Other wings go down, but there are only three that I know of that go this far.”

“It’s settled then,” she said, “we need to find some kind of map.”

“Let’s hope it’s in one of these tunnels.”

He walked towards one, taking a nice, long sniff of the air. He went to another, doing the same. After smelling each one, he could tell which one had the fresher air.

“I think we should go this way,” he said, pointing towards the path on his right. “It seems closest to the surface.”

“We’ll go that way then. I trust you,” Cadance replied, hoping he was right.

They started down the way, feeling the temperature rise ever so slightly. The walls changed from deep purple to a more vibrant light blue color that looked similar to the sky. They ran through, jumping over chasms in the path. They finally found themselves in a giant chamber with a ceiling hundreds of feet tall. They stood on a high ledge, but railroad tracks were leading to the other side. There were two wooden minecarts on the rails, but rocks were all around their wheels.

Cadance rushed over to the first one, pushing against it with her body to try and move it. She strained herself against it, but it did not budge. Twilight lifted the two rocks stuck on the wheels, and Sorin lifted the rocks from the other cart. The two carts started to crawl down the track, Sorin jumping into the front one while Cadance got in the rear one. Twilight was barely able to grab onto Cadance’s cart as it started to fly down the rails.

They went down a large spiral as they descended into the chamber, darkness overtaking them. They felt the ricketiness of the path as they were jerked up and down, trying to hold on. Sorin barely dodged a wooden beam that was inches from hitting his horn. They then felt themselves rising, the room getting light again.

Sorin saw the end of the minecart rails coming up rapidly, just in time for him to react. He pushed his hooves down firmly and pushed off hard. He flew into the air as his cart barreled through the stop, falling to its end.

Cadance flew overhead, Twilight barely holding onto her barrel. Sorin desperately flailed through the air, trying to grab onto something. Cadance landed on the ledge that he was flying towards, Twilight getting off of her. She looked around for Sorin but was instead terrified to see him about to miss the ledge.

“No!” Cadance screamed, diving towards the cliff to catch him. Her hoof missed his, and her heart went to her throat as his head went below the ledge. She felt the rocks below her shake as a powerful blast came from below the cliff.

Sorin bounced into the air, his hoof grabbing onto the ledge. Cadance quickly pulled him up and onto the stone. He breathed hard as he dusted himself off.

“I thought we lost you there,” she told him. “I’m glad we didn’t.”

“It’ll take more than a cliff to take me down.”

They walked onward, but a pile of boulders blocked the way. There was no other way to go.

“Oh, we’re never going to save him,” Cadance deadpanned. “This whole place is a labyrinth.”

“We will,” Twilight said, going back to the edge and looking around, “we just need to find…” She saw a faint light coming from a hole near the ceiling. It was large enough for them to fit through. “There!” she shouted, pointing at the hole. Cadance and Sorin looked at the small area.

“We’re gonna have to teleport,” Twilight said. “Ready?” They nodded. She started to charge her horn. “One. Two. Three!”

Three flashes of light lit up the chamber as they vanished, reappearing in a stone area with a large cutout leading to stairs.

“We made it!” Twilight exclaimed.

“It looks like we won’t have to figure out where we are after all,” Sorin said. “This has to be one of the three wings in the castle.”

Out of the shadows, three voices said in unison, “You’re not going anywhere.”

Sorin, Twilight, and Cadance spun around to see the three bridesmaids approaching, their eyes green. Twilight and Cadance were gripped with fear, and so was Sorin. He could tell they were not ponies, but he had no idea what they were.

He was too vulnerable. He almost died by falling to his death only a few moments ago, and now he was faced with three creatures whose job was to stop them from escaping.

The bridesmaids approached each of them, pushing them into three corners. Sorin gulped, as he had never felt so close to death.

“Your king has failed; your kingdom has been toppled, but I offer you a choice.” Sorin gestured to Vultrax, who came to his side. “Be destroyed by me and my forces, or serve me and help bring about the end of Equestria.”

He looked to Vultrax. “The time has come for you to receive my gift.” He extended a hoof, a ball of his blood forming above it. “Take my blood, and ascend. Lead my armies to victory.” Vultrax put out his hoof, inching towards the blood. Sorin nodded, and with that, Vultrax touched it.

It wrapped around his leg, climbing towards his chest. It spread over his entire body, turning him black like shadow. He grit his teeth as he felt Yogg-Saron’s blood bonding with his own.

“Witness the strength of my blood. Join me, and you too will have power.”

Vultrax’s breath turned ice cold. His form turned more ghostlike, shifting in and out of the physical plane. His eyes lit with a purple glow as he was transformed. He embraced the Void, letting it reshape him into a weapon.

“Take your first true breath, Vultrax.”

He did, feeling everything within the air. He could taste the snowy chill, the berry hint, the smoky flavor, and the savory specks of blood in the air.

He smiled, brimming with power. He shot forward, zooming at incredible speed. He zipped past his brothers, shooting into the air like a rocket. He let out a joyous whinny as he dove towards a building. Shifting his form, he passed through it unhindered, reforming on the other side. He returned to Sorin’s side, landing on his hooves. A shockwave spread out from where he landed, cracking the ice around him.

Sorin smiled. “Take my blood and become one with The Void,” he said, floating another ball of his blood in front of him. This one branched into dozens of individual threads, looking for hosts. They connected to each windigo, injecting his blood into their bodies. He could feel it bonding with them already.

Their power went to him, making him stronger. He could feel as more and more of it was added to his arsenal, and it came faster and faster. The hundreds of windigos restored him, bringing him ever closer to his level when he was on Azeroth.

The power spilled over, spreading through him in waves. He lifted his head back, releasing a feral roar as the transfer completed. The windigos turned black as they became one with him, and Sorin’s form changed. As he embraced his newfound power, wings extended from his back. As dark as night, they dripped wispy mist. They snapped to their full length, spanning the distance of four ponies.

Dark energy overtook his body, crackling around him. His eyes flickered as he gripped the ground with his magic. Mount Everhoof trembled as a titanic dark crystal rose from the ground. It grew and grew, becoming larger than Canterlot itself. It branched on its ends, forming slightly smaller bastions that stretched across nearby mountains. Ramparts formed around them, creating a massive crystal wall that seemed to absorb all light from the sun. Unlike The Spire, these structures were large enough to contain entire armies.

The windigos looked in awe as their master created a fortress fit for an empire. Vultrax was slack-jawed from what he saw. Sorin broke into maniacal laughter as he felt his newfound power stabilizing, his new stronghold complete. He finally embraced his true voice, speaking within the minds of his servants.

“Behold, The Citadel…”

“Spread my influence across this land, not close enough to draw the attention of anyone or anything, but claim everything else in my name. When the time comes for you all to feast, I will call upon you.”

“Until then, I have work to do…”

With that, Sorin flew into the air with one forceful beat of his wings, shifting into his essence form as he rose. He shot through the air as a massive cloud of darkness, hurling towards Canterlot.

Yogg-Saron’s blood soared over the land at lightning speeds, his whispers permeating the air. He rapidly approached the city and its massive barrier, eager to rejoin with his weaker form. As fate would have it, he did not have to go through the border. He only needed to phase through the nearby mountain to reach the caves below the city. Untouched, he passed through chunks of rock, going deeper underground before reaching the caves. Maneuvering through the winding tunnels, his blood found his body atop the ledge.

The bridesmaids were the perfect diversion for him to rejoin with his blood. His friends were distracted, and the bridesmaids were currently focused on Cadance. Slowly, his blood crept over the ledge and up Sorin’s leg unnoticed, seeping back into his pony form.

He noticed how fainter the signature of the barrier had become now that his essence was returning. It was close to failing—but that no longer mattered. As the last of his blood became one with him again, he felt wings grow at his sides, hidden by his cloak.

He grinned and then laughed. The bridesmaids looked at him with a confused expression.

“Silence!” one of them shouted at him.

“You think you can defeat an alicorn princess and two of the most powerful unicorns all by yourself?” He stepped forward. “You cannot possibly think you compete with the princess, let alone all three of us. You were fools to reveal yourselves.” He took another step, and the bridesmaids stepped back.

Cadance formed a bouquet out of magic and wiggled it in her levitational grasp. She threw it past them, and they darted off to grab it, fleeing from Sorin.

“Phew, that was close,” she said in relief.

“Too close,” Sorin added. “Anyway, we made it.” He put out a hoof to the stairs. He and his friends made their way up the stairs, reaching a long hallway lit with torches. A light fog covered the area, and the air was musty.

“Do you know this place?” Twilight asked, a little scared.

“All too well,” he answered, looking back at the door to his old prison, the same prison he spent a thousand years in.

They continued through the hall, passing strange room after strange room. They finally made it to the other end, going up another flight of stairs that would lead to the central part of the castle. As they ascended the steps, they each had their own equally contrasting thoughts.

We’re coming, Celestia. We won’t let this imposter fool everypony. Whoever tricked my brother is going to pay!

I can’t wait to see my Shining Armor again. Soon enough, he will be in my arms again. I’ll tell him how much I love him and how sorry I am for what happened. I will love him forever.

Soon, my laughter will be all that remains of this miserable little seedling. My influence over the mountains grows more by the second, and now that I have taken control of the windigos, I am even stronger. Soon, my empire will be made reality.

Chapter 18: A Black Wedding Part 4

The Canterlot bells had rung, and everypony knew the wedding had begun. They began to swarm the castle, hoping to overhear some of the ceremony. The guards outside had to keep them under control, too many ponies trying to force their way inside to watch.

Princess Celestia had already started the introduction. Everything was going well, except the groom’s sister was not there. But to everypony in the room, that did not matter. Princess Mi Amore Cadenza looked Shining Armor in the eyes as they listened to Princess Celestia. The rings had been brought out, and everypony leaned in as the big moment started.

“Princess Cadance and Shining Armor,”
Princess Celestia proudly said, “it is my great pleasure to pronounce you—”

“STOP!”

Everypony froze as they heard the pony shout. They all turned around to look at the entrance, finding one lavender unicorn standing in it. The crowd gasped as they realized it was Twilight Sparkle. Her friends were ashamed that she would show up after what she had caused earlier. Rarity facehoofed, and the others quickly got irritated.

“Ugh,” Princess Mi Amore Cadenza ground out angrily. “Why does she have to be so possessive of her brother?” When Celestia looked at her, she quickly made her voice sound broken. “Why does she have to ruin my special day?” She covered her face with a hoof.

“Because it’s not your special day—”

The crowd looked back to Twilight again to find two ponies next to her. One was Sorin, who wore a scowl on his face, and the other was a battered Cadance. Her body was bruised, her mane was rustled, and dirt covered her entire coat. She stepped forward.

“—it’s mine!”

The ponies gawked. How could there be two Princess Mi Amore Cadenzas?

“What?” the one on the altar said out of instinct. “But how did you escape my bridesmaids?”

“All it took was a simple bouquet toss,” Cadance smugly answered.

“Foiled your evil plan, did we?” Twilight mocked.

“Hmph. Clever,” the imposter hummed. “But you’re still too late.”

“Ah-ah don’t understand. How can there be two of ’em?” Applejack asked what everypony wanted to ask.

“She’s a changeling,” Cadance shouted, addressing the entire room. She moved in front of her friends. “She takes the form of somepony you love and gains power by feeding off your love for them.”

Princess Mi Amore Cadenza clenched her jaw, infuriated by this puny princess. Her horn glowed with its twisted green color, her eyes doing the same. A flaming circle of the same color surrounded her, her dress starting to melt away. A torrent of fire came from the ring, creating a pillar that encased her body in a furious light that forced everypony to shield their eyes.

As they tried to look, they saw the princess unravel. A pink and purple wing wilted away from the purging inferno, revealing the insectoid one in its place. It was silky and sticky and translucent with large holes in it. The other wing did the same, melting away before the one underneath could be seen. Where there was once a pink leg, flesh fell off, and a black, holed shell took its place.

The princess’s face burned away, a dark one beneath the mask. Long locks of flowing green hair drifted in the wind, and a wicked horn jutted from the top of her head. A wire crown sat atop her scalp, and the flames started to fade before her bug-like eyes opened. They were green like emeralds, almost slit down the middle.

She cackled, her pair of sharp fangs being displayed to the audience. As her wings fluttered, a rattling sound filled the silent room. All eyes were on her towering form that stood as tall as Celestia. Her jittery and chilling voice drowned out the sound of her wings.

“Right you are, princess. And as queen of the changelings, it is up to me to find food for my subjects.” She walked down the steps, coming towards Cadance. “Equestria has more Love than any place I’ve ever encountered. My fellow changelings will be able to devour so much of it that we will gain more power than we have ever dreamed of!”

“They’ll never get the chance!” the princess shot back. “Shining Armor’s protection spell will keep them from ever even reaching us.”

The queen only chuckled. “Oh, I doubt that. Isn’t that right, dear?” Shining Armor was nodding without hesitation after a quick flash of her horn. Cadance tried to run towards him, horrified by what she witnessed.

“Ah, ah, ah,” the changeling tittered, stomping her hoof in the way. “Don’t want to go back to the caves now, do you?” As her horn lit in warning, Cadance backed up. The queen paced over to her groom. “Ever since I took your place, I’ve been feeding off Shining Armor’s love for you. Every moment he grows weaker—and so does his spell. Even now, my minions are chipping away at it.”

Sorin followed the queen’s gaze, looking up through the windows. He could barely make out at least a hundred creatures flying just above the purple barrier, waiting to get in. A changeling indeed, he thought to himself.

She laughed again, gently stroking Shining Armor’s chin. “He may not be my husband, but he is under my total control now. And, I’m sorry to say, unable to perform his duties as captain of the Royal Guard.”

“Not my Shining Armor,” Cadance whimpered.

“Soon, my changeling army will break through.” The mad queen lifted into the air. “First, we take Canterlot, and then, all of Equestria!”

“No,” a voice firmly stated from behind her. She turned her head, staring at Princess Celestia, the Solar Diarch. “You won’t.” The queen lowered back to the ground. “You may have made it impossible for Shining Armor to perform his spell, but now that you have so foolishly revealed your true self—” Celestia clashed her horn into the queen’s. The alicorn flew back, opening her wings wide and embracing the sunlight. “—I can protect my subjects from you!”

A yellow and white surge of energy formed around Celestia’s horn, flying towards the queen, who also fired a beam of green energy. As the two hit, the changeling yelped, feeling the searing heat of the sun. Celestia poured more power into the beam, driving it lower to the changeling’s head. The queen opened her eyes and pushed back with all she had. Her spell slammed through Celestia’s, climbing up to the alicorn and her horn. An explosion of jade light covered everything.

Cling. Cling.

The sound of Princess Celestia’s crown hitting the floor echoed through the room. It was so incredibly silent that everyone could hear a pin drop. The ringing sound of the crown’s last bounce chilled everypony to their core, the sound repeating in their heads a thousand times. They looked to the ground, seeing their princess skid across it. Sprawled out with her mouth open, she lay motionless. The tip of her horn was black, and smoke rose into the air from it.

The collective gasp in the room showed only a fraction of the fear that seized the heart of every pony in the room. The princess had been struck down within her own kingdom.

“Princess Celestia!” Twilight screamed, her and her friends rushing to the princess’s side. Sorin kneeled down beside his enemy, almost feeling sympathy for her.

This changeling must be stopped. She is stronger than Celestia herself. Friend or foe, she is too powerful to be left on the playing field.

The Changeling Queen realized what she had just done. “Shining Armor’s love for you is even stronger than I thought. Consuming it has made me even more powerful than Celestia!”

“The Elements of Harmony,” Celestia managed to whisper to Twilight and her friends. “You must get to them and use their power to defeat the queen.”

They all nodded to each other, the mares throwing off their clunky dresses. Sorin kept his cloak partly because it would not hinder him, partly because it could even help in battle, and largely in part because it covered his new anatomy. He also realized the Elements could stop his enemy without him having to, just like with Discord.

All seven of them rushed through the hall, passing through the two golden doors leading into the room. They left, reaching the courtyard outside as the distant laughter of the queen hit their ears.

“You can run, but you can’t hide!”

Sorin looked up, spotting the changelings hovering above the magical barrier. They slammed into it, slowly chipping away at it. He could feel the spell beginning to come undone at rapid speed—the barrier would fall.

The changelings all lifted up and then rammed into the shield, finally ripping through it with a sound akin to glass shattering. The dome broke apart into countless pieces of sputtering magic, the wall shielding Canterlot utterly collapsing as the ground quaked. Sorin could now see the massive swarm of changelings surrounding the city.

They started to dive towards it, their horns forming a green fire that made them look like they were reentering the atmosphere as they dove. Sorin saw them, noticing how similar they were to the Infernals the Burning Legion used against him so long ago.

“Go, go!” Twilight shouted to her friends, racing through the street. A changeling landed right next to her, forming a small crater as it did. She dodged another as it landed by her. As they continued on, changeling after changeling crashed around them. They were able to avoid most of them, but one landed right in front of them.

It bared its fangs, snarling at Twilight. She slammed her hooves onto its head, stomping over it and continuing on. She noticed Sorin still standing there.

“Come on!” she yelled to him.

“No. You go,” he said. “I’ll hold them off.”

“What? No!”

“Trust me, Twilight. Get the Elements, and I will meet up with you. Now, go!”

With apprehension, she turned back around, going with the rest of her friends and leaving him behind.

He heard a whistle as a changeling crashed only a few feet from him. He saw the creature climbing from its impact site, growling. He swiftly blasted it with fire, causing it to screech in pain. Another landed where he was standing, but he rolled out the way just in time.

He spun around, now face-to-face with it. He ran forward, lowering his head and stabbing his horn through the changeling’s chest. It tried to pull itself off of him to fly away, but his horn sparked and electrocuted it before it could escape.

A group of ten touched down around him, each of them staring him down. He grinned, readying himself. He looked around, making sure no pony was nearby.

His eyes turned black as he let wispy wings form at his sides. He stretched them out, spanning far larger than his physical ones, making the changelings falter. He clapped them together, jumping into the air. He looked down at his enemies, charging a spell.

“Die, insects!” he shouted, hurling a ball of Void energy at them. They tried to move out of the way, but the spell hit the ground first. It spread out, sweeping over their bodies like water. It burned away at their shells, cooking the soft insides held within. They screeched as the blood engulfed them and their bodies collapsed, further cooking them.

As more landed, Sorin dove at the ground. He slammed into it, causing it to shake. He swept one of his wings, sending a few changelings onto their backs. Black tendrils shot from him, stabbing through the hearts of the fallen. The tentacles latched onto anything they could, whether it was the ground or a building. As he jumped, the web he made carried him like a spider. He unleashed a torrent of Void upon his enemies, tearing through them with the force of a catapult.

More changelings showed up in front of him and jumped at him, but he upended the ground below them. Sharp, jagged rocks came up and impaled them through their midsections. Their green blood dripped onto the dirt as he laughed.

Sorin returned to the ground, running after Twilight and the others. As he came to the top of a hill in the road, he could see them in the distance, but there was a cloud of changelings following them. The insects were gaining on the ponies, and they would never make it before getting caught.

“You would dare attack us at the heart of our kingdom?” Sorin shouted, drawing the attention of the changelings. “You are doomed!”

He went into the air as a wisp, sifting towards the changelings. He went through one of them, causing their body to decay within seconds. After seeing that, the others tried to avoid his ghostly form. He went through another, reaching the middle of his enemies. He rose up, forming a pillar.

His two wings opened, sweeping over the ground. Any changeling caught in the way was turned to bones as their flesh rotted away. The others charged at him, only bringing about their end sooner.

His essence took the shape of a pony, but he never fully became physical. The changelings charged at him, and he punched one in the face. As they clashed, he shifted in and out of the physical plane. Like Vultrax, he could phase through anything at will.

He passed through one, appearing next to it and stabbing his horn through its neck. He lifted the twitching corpse and tossed it to the ground as another charged him. He let it come, waiting for it to get close. When it did, he fell back, becoming mist again. The changeling had his horn down and could not react fast enough to stop from ramming into another changeling head-on. The two impaled each other, falling to the ground.

Sorin reformed, reaching out with a hoof and wrapping it around the neck of a changeling who was flying over him. He twisted his foreleg, snapping the bug’s cervical vertebrae. He let the body drop.

With the force of a titan, he punched a changeling who was lunging at him. The poor creature went rocketing through the others, knocking them to the dirt. Sorin looked around at the creatures surrounding him. He clapped his wings, knocking everything around him over.

He put his wings back, opening them to their full length. The changelings writhed on the ground as their bodies were overwhelmed by the Void, their bodies breaking down. Their wings withered away, their horns fell off, and their legs snapped apart as they came undone. Their buzzing screams were music to his ears as he watched them decay.

He sucked the last of their lifeforce away, flapping his wings once more. The wind from the flap sent the dusty remains of the changelings everywhere. There was nothing left of them but dust in the wind.

“Accursed insects,” Sorin muttered, running after his friends. He raced through the streets, obliterating any changelings in his way. He stopped as he came around a bend. He looked out from the balcony he was standing on, seeing an entire legion of changelings lined up, waiting for the Elements.

“Looks like we’re gonna have to do this the hard way.” Rainbow Dash hit her hooves together. She shot forward, freezing when she saw a copy of herself in front of her. It mimicked her actions as she moved until it threw her back to the ground. “How did you?” she muttered.

Suddenly, a whole group became copies of Rainbow Dash. Groups of changelings turned into one of the Elements, taking on their form. Countless copies of each Element appeared, all of them ready to tear the ponies apart.

“They’re changelings, remember?” A bunch of Twilight changelings repeated what she said. “Don’t let them distract you. We have to get to the Elements of Harmony. They’re our only hope!”

The real ponies leaped into the air, clashing with their copies. The dirt on the ground stirred, clouding the air where the fight took place. Sorin jumped down from the balcony, entering the fray.

He demolished any in his way, ripping them apart as he fought his way through the horde. They did not stand a chance against him and were instantly struck down, each of them falling faster than the last.

He and the Elements took down the changelings around them, the pile of injured on the ground as proof. As the wind settled, Sorin joined up with his friends.

“I told you I would be fine,” he said with a smile. His friends smiled back, then continued onward toward the building where the vault holding the Elements of Harmony was. As they came to the top of the road and forced the door open, they could see an even larger force of changelings waiting for them. They quickly turned around to retreat, but a swarm of changelings descended from the sky. They landed, blocking the Elements off from escaping.

They were trapped, pinned between the two sides, and more changelings were coming. Sorin growled. These ponies could barely hold their own. Were it not for the changeling queen, he would use this opportunity to overthrow the princesses, but alas, he had to deal with her first. She was too big of a threat to let roam free.

“Fine, I’ll deal with this myself,” he whispered under his breath. The changelings approached, capturing the seven ponies.

Celestia…

The princess snapped awake, feeling the evil presence within her mind again. It had been relatively quiet early that day, but she guessed that was over now. She groggily awoke, opening her eyes to look where she was. She was horrified when she found herself hanging upside down from the ceiling in a green cocoon. The sticky substance stopped her from moving at all, and she could feel it sapping her magic away. It was transparent enough for her to see through, but she was utterly trapped.

Did you fail them, princess? Did you let the tyranny of the false princess win? The voice enjoyed taunting her, stirring her emotions, and then letting her boil in her own anguish.

“I will never stop fighting you,” she said back. It only chuckled.

So rash, Celestia. You have not even an inkling of what the future will hold; how do you know you will not aid me in time?

“I would never.”

Do not play coy, my Celly. I can taste the hatred in your heart. Its sweetness is what keeps us so close, after all. To deny it would be to deny your true self.

“Any hatred I have would be for you,” she spat.

I doubt that. Your subjects think you to be weak, and you know it. Embrace your power and strike them down. Become the ruler of your kingdom.

“My sister succumbed to the same feelings, and I will not follow in her hoofsteps.”

I do not want you to. She failed. She did not fully accept what she was. She locked part of herself away in an effort to appear strong.

You, Celestia, can be great—but only if you acknowledge your whole self. You ruled without your sister, so do it again, only this time, you will be complete.

You know that if you had thrown away the shackles you limit yourself to, you would have defeated the changeling queen. You also know you could escape this prison and destroy her now…

Celestia tried to dispel its thoughts from her mind, but it was a losing battle. She was forced to endure the whispers and the tortures that came with them. She would have to remain firm against them, no matter the cost. She would not give in. She would not give in.

Her thoughts were interrupted by her niece. Cadance’s hooves were stuck in green goo, keeping her stuck in place at the altar. Her husband was beside her, unable to do anything at this point. Spike was there too, but he was nothing more than a bystander.

She cried out, “You won’t get away with this! Twilight and her friends will—” She was silenced by the doors opening. In walked Twilight and her friends, surrounded by a group of changelings.

Sorin snarled at the changeling pushing him along the way. It took a lot of his willpower not to blast the insect into dust.

“You were saying?” the queen smugly replied to Cadance. She looked around at her minions. “You do realize the reception’s been canceled, don’t you? Go. Feed!” They flew away at her command, going out the doors and out to hunt. The doors closed behind them from their queen’s magic.

Yes, leave yourself alone and vulnerable.

“It’s funny, really.” She lifted up Twilight’s head. “Twilight here was suspicious of my behavior all along.” The mare in question shoved the bony hoof away. The queen buzzed away. “Too bad the rest of you were too caught up in your wedding planning to realize those suspicions were correct.” She continued to laugh.

“Sorry, Twi. We should’ve listened to you,” Applejack said to her friend.

“It’s not your fault. She fooled everypony.”

“Hmm, I did, didn’t I?” the queen taunted, trotting away and overseeing her work.

Twilight went over to Cadance, whispering, “Quick. Go to him while you still have the chance,” before blasting away the goo on her hooves.

Sorin went over to a nearby window, looking out at the chaos. Ponies were running through the streets, changelings chasing after them. More ran rampant around the city, a swarm of them surrounding the entire border. Any guard in sight was captured and bound by sickly gel. Small buildings collapsed as groups of changelings crashed into them. He could feel the fear emanating from the ponies.

He was supposed to be the one who brought Equestria to its knees. He was supposed to rule—not some pathetic insect queen! He grit his teeth, letting his rage flow through him once again.

Why should I wait? Celestia has been subdued, and so have the Elements. All that stands in my way are the changelings. Once I eliminate their queen, they will fall. The time for my revenge has come, and then I will take all of Eque—

What’s this?

He turned around, having sensed a surge of power that he had never felt before close by. He saw Cadance hugging Shining Armor, who was motionless. Tears fell from her eyes as she held him tight. He saw her horn sparking, a heart forming at its tip. It drifted into Shining Armor, tearing through the spell on him. His eyes turned back to their normal blue, and he shook his head.

He babbled incoherently for a second as he came to reality. “Is-is the wedding over?”

“It’s all over,” the Changeling Queen stated, landing in front of the two ponies.

“Your spell. Perform your spell!” Twilight desperately shouted to her brother.

“What good would that do? My changelings already roam free,” the queen shot back with a laugh.

“No!” he exclaimed, attempting to power up the barrier again. Only a tiny flicker appeared on his horn. “My power is useless now. I don’t have the strength to repel them.”

“My love will give you strength,” Cadance said, wrapping him up in another embrace.

“What a lovely but absolutely ridiculous sentiment,” the queen dismissed, barely able to keep from laughing. She returned to her balcony, looking out over the city.

Shining Armor tried to power his spell again, his whole horn lighting this time. Cadance looked into his eyes with a look that told him everything would be alright. Her horn lit, and they touched them to each other.

Sorin felt a shockwave that made him twitch. He could sense a great power rising from their forms. A purple glow formed at the end of their connected horns, sending blinding light around the room. A wind stirred, slowly lifting them into the air. That wind turned into a torrent of light.

“It can’t be,” Sorin said. He could feel their love radiating from them, and it grew more intense every second. The magical plane began to warp as a mass of energy engulfed them. Waves of Love crashed into him, burning at his essence. He sensed what was coming: a blast powerful enough to force all traces of evil from Canterlot—including him.

There was no doubt he would survive, but it would let everypony know he was evil. It would also weaken him far more than he could afford right now. As the light grew even brighter, a plan began to formulate within his mind.

Realizing no pony could see him over the glow coming from Cadance and Shining Armor, he wove together the other spell he had learned while in the Canterlot library. Just as their eyes turned purple and the blast of energy started to erupt, he let the spell free.

“Noooo!” the Changeling Queen screamed as the blast came towards her. Sound itself contorted as his magic took effect. The wave slowed to a stop, and everything around him froze in place—everything except for the queen.

A look of fear still plastered on her face, she slowly opened her eyes to realize she was unscathed. She checked her forelegs to be sure, seeing no damage at all. Before she could ask what had saved her, she spotted Sorin trotting up to her.

“Hello,” he whispered from behind her ear, making her tense up. He was no longer in front of her but standing right behind her. She tripped as she tried to move, falling forward. She quickly righted herself with her wings, her heart still racing.

“What did you do?” she demanded in a voice that was not expressive of her real emotions at the moment.

“Why, I saved you,” he answered nonchalantly, pacing a few yards from her. “You should thank me.”

“For what, fool? For trapping us in this… this—whatever it is!” She had no idea what had happened. The Elements were completely still, the blast had ceased, and even Celestia remained inanimate.

“This is a form of pocket dimension, if you will.” He turned to her. “Time does not flow here. As long as I hold the spell, we are stuck here.”

She huffed. “Are you threatening me?”

He laughed. “Of course not, my dear. I am simply telling you where we are.”

“Then why did you bring us here?” She tried to remain authoritative, but she was wavering in his presence.

“To offer you a deal.” He came over to her, hearing her breath hitch as he did. He put a hoof over her shoulder, feeling her cold chitin. “Serve me, and we can rule this world.” She laughed, making him scowl. “Do not be so quick to dismiss my offer.”

“What can you do to help me?” she asked in a condescending tone. He could see through it and sense her hesitation.

“Join me, and your kind will have more food than they could ever dream of. They will rule over these inferior ponies, knowing nothing but strength. With my help, you can get all that you have ever wanted.”

“You cannot help me,” she spat back. “You are only a pony. You are nothing. I,” she teleported away from him, “am Chrysalis, queen of the changelings!”

Sorin had grown tired of her impudence. He knew she was afraid, only putting on an act that made her think she had the power in the situation. She was wrong. He embraced his true voice as he took a deep breath.

“I AM A GOD!” he bellowed, shaking the very foundation of the castle. Her breathing stopped at the sound of his voice. Her eyes turned to pinpricks as she saw the shadow of a horrid beast behind him on the wall. She gulped hard, her throat suddenly drier than ever before. Her terror set in as she realized what she had done.

A black tendril weaved towards her from his chest, twisting in the air around her. It hovered in front of her face, two wispy blue eyes at its end.

“If you refuse, you simply die here.” It moved to her side, making her look left to see it. “Either way, I grow only closer to my goal. Or—” It went to her right side. “—you could join me.”

It spiraled around her, unwinding itself before finally deciding to stop in front of her again. “My blood will let you and your kind survive the blast. You will be able to enact your revenge upon the ponies—only if you accept my blood.”

The tendril’s eyes vanished, the end turning into a needle-like point.

“The choice is up to you,” Sorin said.

She truly realized the predicament she was in. She was forced to choose between dying and serving a wicked master. If she joined him, the changelings would live—she would live. They would someday overthrow him and take over Equestria for themselves. There was only one option.

After a moment of apprehension, she slowly extended her warped hoof towards the black liquid. She felt a sudden sense of calm as his blood invited her. Her fear was replaced with tranquility as she got closer to its tip. As she was about to touch, the tendril suddenly reared back and stabbed into her chest before she could react. She screamed as she was forcibly lifted into the air, the action causing more pain to shoot through her body. Sorin laughed as he approached her from the ground.

“I told you you would pay for sending me to those accursed caves, and now you will, insect!” More tendrils came from him, all of them rearing back, pointing directly at the queen.

“What… are… y-you?” she managed to say through the pain in her chest. He snickered.

“I am a being of pure malice from another world.” Why he said “man” instead of pony made deadly sense now. “You never should have crossed me…”

“Wai—” she cried, being cut off as a dozen black spears stabbed into her body, ripping through her hard shell and into her flesh. Her green, glowing blood dripped onto the ground as she felt every limb get ravaged.

“You are the queen of a tattered race,” Sorin shouted, turning back to his natural voice, “but I will make you into a weapon…”

She felt as his blood began to spread through her. A burning pain more intense than anything she had ever felt in her life shot through her, her every nerve igniting. She could not even scream in agony, instead staying dead silent as his blood coursed through her. Hundreds of tiny threads shot from her body, shattering the giant window behind her.

His blood used her body as a way to spread, pumping through her and across the city. It was excruciating for Chrysalis. Her every sense became mute as her body was overwhelmed with harrowing fire. Even her mind was racked with unimaginable anguish as her body was used as a host.

“Feel my power flowing through you, queen of insects. It will save you and your people; be thankful that is all I use it for…”

The threads latched onto every changeling within the city, forcing their way inside their bodies and causing them to unfreeze. They all howled in unison, the sound sending shivers through Chrysalis’s numb body. It brought joy to Yogg-Saron as he finished weaving the web between the changelings.

He instantly reversed the flow, extracting any form of power from the changelings and drawing it to him. He embraced the overload of magic, using it to create a shield around himself strong enough to bend the blast of Love around him. He then sent it out through his blood, encasing every single changeling in a similar shield.

Chrysalis felt release as his blood retracted from the changelings and ultimately from her body. She dropped to the floor, landing hard as a black shield formed around her body. She slowly got to her hooves, watching as time began to resume.

Sound warped back into her ears, the wind returned, and the heat of the blast washed over her. Her eyes snapped to Cadance and Shining Armor, the blast wave coming directly towards her. She covered her eyes as it hit, catapulting her through the window behind her, flying through the already broken glass. She could still feel the burning of the discharge, but she remained unharmed, thanks to the shield around her.

As she flailed over the city, she could see her subjects flying as well. They were alive, and for the moment, that was all she cared about. Everything quickly became purple as the wave overtook the entire city, removing all traces of the changeling invasion.

Chapter 19: Matrimony

With the defeat of Queen Chrysalis and her army of changelings, Canterlot had been saved. The city was repaired faster than expected due to there only being minimal structural damage, and things were moving along. Twilight and her friends started to organize the real wedding of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and Shining Armor. Things moved quickly with that as well, and everything had been put in place. The city, as well as the nation, was ready to rejoice in the joining of two ponies in matrimony. The security presence had even lowered, and the shield around the city was brought down.

Sorin continued to watch over the Elements, just to be sure nothing else interrupted the wedding. He also wanted to keep them in his sights. Luckily, he had been able to do just that, staying with them almost the entire time they got everything ready for the ceremony. He had avoided almost everypony except for those six. He had to alter his plans now that he had two new allies in his cause. It would take some time to gather his forces, so he would have to distract Equestria until then.

Overall, the nation was elated that they had been saved from the changelings. The Princess of Love had defeated them with the power of her love for another pony, giving the media plenty to write about. Sorin was also in the newspapers again, proving his courage in helping put an end to Chrysalis. His reputation grew more extensive, and he was now known amongst all of the nation. Everypony was happy to hear their new hero continued to fight for them—everypony but the nobles. They were furious.

They wanted to learn more about Sorin, but he instead gained more political bargaining power. They learned nothing about him, and he was now going to be standing next to the two princesses at the wedding. His motives were still unclear, but he was more dangerous to them than before. The recent invasion got him closer to the princesses, which meant they could no longer have him “disappear.” Not without extensive planning, at least.

They would now have to simply observe him from afar and use their influence to get more information on him. Their castle staff on payroll would prove crucial in getting dirt on him. Until they knew more, they had to leave him be. They could no longer touch him.

Sorin put on his tuxedo, buttoning up his jacket as the last step in getting ready. The wedding had finally come, and he was to stand beside Princess Celestia, right behind the bride and groom. This was partly to ensure their safety, but he was also good for promotion. Celestia described it as “political mumbo jumbo” that looked good on paper. She also explained that she did want him there by her side, despite the political gains. He obliged, of course.

With a final lookover, he draped his cloak over his back. He had taken the time to add some black diamonds on the lining, giving it some flare. He snapped the neckpiece into place, finally ready. He made sure his wings were still hidden, and then he opened the door with his magic. He went through it, gently closing it as he walked into the hallway. The distant sound of cheering ponies could be heard, and it grew louder as he went towards a small door.

The sun blasted his eyes from all the glass windows as he entered. Hundreds of ponies were crammed into the room, looking towards the front of the room. Sorin trotted over to the front, coming up beside Princess Celestia. As he approached, the princess gave him a smile.

“There you are,” she said. “The ceremony is about to start.”

“Don’t worry; I wouldn’t miss this. Hopefully, I don’t look bad in the paper.” He pointed a hoof at the row of reporters and their cameras in the back.

Celestia giggled. “It’ll be fine. I’m glad you’re here, Sorin.”

“Glad to be here, princess,” he kindly said.

He leaned down to Twilight, whispering to her, “You put together something special here.”

“Thank you,” she sheepishly replied.

“Oh, and Shining Armor, I wanted to thank you for helping stop that dastardly queen. Who knows what would have happened if she had her way.”

The stallion looked back at him. “I should be thanking you for keeping my little sister here safe. From what I’ve heard, you are one trustworthy pony.”

“I would like to think so,” Sorin answered. “Thank you, sir.”

“Oh, it’s starting,” Celestia exclaimed, a drumroll starting. The choir birds broke into a harmony of chirps as they began the music. The doors at the back of the room opened wide, revealing Cadance in all her glory. Three fillies went ahead of her, tossing rose petals along the way. She elegantly made her way down the aisle, birds holding the long train of her white dress up. Golden lining made it look stunning, and her hair was pulled back into a majestic type of bun. All eyes were on the beautiful mare as she went up the stairs and next to the groom. They both looked to Princess Celestia, who had her wings outstretched.

“Mares and gentlecolts, we are gathered here today to celebrate the union of the real Princess Mi Amore Cadenza—”

“Princess Cadance is fine,” the princess in question said.

Nodding, Celestia took another breath. “The union of Princess Cadance and Shining Armor. The strength of their commitment is clear. The power of their love, undeniable. May we have the rings please?” Spike, dressed in a tuxedo and tophat of his own, presented the rings. Celestia levitated them onto Cadance and Shining Armor’s horns.

“I now pronounce you mare and colt!”

Sorin turned as the newlyweds went past him and out to a balcony that overlooked Canterlot. Thousands of ponies were gathered in the courtyard and surrounding streets, all of them breaking into cheers as they saw the two ponies. They waved to the onlookers, smiling wide.

Celestia and the Elements came up to him, enjoying the scene. The princess looked at Twilight. “This is your victory as much as theirs. You persisted in the face of doubt, and your actions led to your being able to bring the real Princess Cadance back to us. Learning to trust your instincts is a valuable lesson to learn.” She then turned to him. “You helped get the real Cadance back to us, and for that, I am thankful once again.”

The bride and groom kissed, finalizing the marriage. Celestia leaned down to Rainbow Dash, whispering into her ear. The mare threw her outfit off and shot into the sky, soaring above the ponies below. She sped up, creating an explosion of rainbow colors over the city. She then arced down, creating an actual rainbow in the sky. It was truly a sight.

The ceremony winded down after that, and the city returned to normal. On the castle grounds, however, the wedding reception began. Only some of the most prominent ponies in the nation were there. The Elements, Sorin, and Princess Celestia were there, of course, and so was the close family of the bride and groom. The nobles were invited as well. Cadance and Shining Armor slowly danced, taking the first of the night. Everypony watched them as soft music played in the background. A few were brought to tears from the tender moment.

Sorin stood next to Twilight, making small talk as the music came to an end. He looked up as he heard wings beating, finding Princess Luna landing next to her sister.

“Hello, everypony. Did I miss anything?”

“The first dance was just coming to an end,” Sorin answered her. “It’s a pleasure to see you again.” She lightly blushed at his words, trying, and failing, to hide it with a hoof.

Twilight nodded to Pinkie Pie, who shouted, “Let’s get this party started!” More modern music started to blast as the area came alive. All the ponies who had been watching took to the center, dancing with each other.

“I’m afraid I must be going,” he said, trotting backward. His friends waved him off as he went to the crowd of ponies, eager to speak with the Princess of Love. He made his way through the mass, getting closer to her. He carefully avoided bumping into anypony, just to be sure his wings stayed covered. He finally got to her, and she just so happened to be alone at the time.

Grabbing a glass of champagne from a butler walking by, he swept over to her, handing her the glass. She graciously took it, taking a rather large sip.

“Careful there,” he teased, “wouldn’t want to make too big of a scene on the wedding night.”

She laughed, taking another sip and finding the glass almost empty. “I need this after all we went through to get here.”

“Agreed,” he said. “I want to congratulate you on getting married—even if it was under some extreme circumstances.”

“Thank you.”

“I know you’re the Princess of Love, but I’ve been meaning to ask why. I know the other princesses control celestial objects, but can you control love?”

“I wondered that same question for quite a while.” She finished the drink. “From what I understand, I represent Love itself. That lets me spread Love wherever I go, but only if I feel the same way. That’s how I was able to stop Chrysalis. My love for Shining Armor and his love for me was strong enough to spread it through all of Canterlot.”

“So you don’t necessarily control emotion per se, but you can siphon it in a way.”

“When you put it that way, then yes.”

He nodded his head. “Very interesting indeed. I’m sure that you’ll end up becoming a great leader, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza.”

“Like I tell all my friends: Cadance is fine.”

He chuckled. “Alright then, Cadance. I’ll see you around.” With that, he left her to her own enjoyment. As he made his way back through the crowd again, an older stallion bumped into him.

“I’m so sorry,” Sorin said to the pony, making sure he did not fall over.

“Almost lost my footin’ there. Wouldn’t want to go fallin’ now, would I?”

“No, sir.”

“As a token of my gratitude,” the stallion handed him a glass with an amber spirit in it, “have this fine drink.”

“Thank you,” Sorin said, lifting the glass to his mouth. The stallion, the head of one of the most influential noble families of Canterlot, eagerly waited as the large pony was about to drink. Suddenly, Sorin paused. He slowly lowered the glass, handing it back to the stallion. “I wouldn’t drink that if I were you,” he shot a glare that could kill towards the noble, “it might be… to die for.”

The pony’s eyes widened to tennis balls. He quickly scurried away, vanishing in the crowd. He dumped the drink into a nearby bush unnoticed, disposing of the evidence. He had poisoned the drink, hoping to get rid of Sorin. Somehow, the hero could tell it was poisoned. That alone confirmed that he was dangerous.

Watching the strange stallion flee, Sorin turned around, heading towards Celestia. She talked with her sister, but they both turned to him as he trotted up.

“What is it?” Celestia asked, noticing the look on his face.

“There’s something I need to tell you two. I-it’s better if we go somewhere private.”

“Of course,” she nervously said. Glancing at her sister, she went over to a small area, hidden to any prying eyes. He let out a heavy sigh.

“Sometime during the changeling invasion, something happened to me.” Sorin paused for a moment. Luna stepped towards him, looking him over.

“Whatever it is, please tell us,” she said.

“It’s better if I show you.” He undid the front of his cloak, letting it sag on his neck. He took a breath before opening his wings. Celestia and Luna gasped as they saw his majestic black wings extend to their full length. They were the same size as Celestia’s, maybe even longer.

“You’re… you’re—” Luna tried to say, almost speechless.

“—an alicorn,” her sister finished.

“What does this mean?” Sorin asked.

“It means you’re one of us now,” she started, “and you have been deemed worthy of holding this power.”

I doubt that.

“But how did this happen? I am—was—a unicorn.”

“Something must have triggered his ascension,” she whispered to Luna.

The Lunar Princess nodded. “Much like the young Cadance, thou must have had some significant event that activated something within thee.”

“The invasion,” he said under his breath.

She nodded. “Those who are not born alicorns become them when they display a trait related to their purpose as an alicorn. Cadance became one by showing love. A similar event happened to you.” He took a moment to process everything. They could see how conflicted he was inside.

“I am ready to take on such a role if it means helping Equestria; I just don’t know where to start.”

“Do not worry,” Celestia said, draping a wing over him, “we will help guide you in your purpose. For now, keep this a secret. We will reveal this development soon, but give us a few hours after the reception to come up with a plan.”

“Okay. I’ll try to keep everything under control until then. I haven’t accidentally started flying yet, so that’s good.” They both laughed.

“You won’t notice any hiccups until tomorrow at the earliest. Just be careful, okay?”

“Alright. I trust you both.”

They smiled at him. He smiled back, putting his cloak back on. All three of them left the small area, heading over to the reception. They stopped just short of the group of ponies.

“We will see you soon, sister. We have a few things to attend to first,” Luna said, flying off into the night sky.

“I look forward to having you alongside us. You have proven yourself time and time again to be a true hero. I’m sure you will do the same as a prince.”

“I hope so,” he answered. “I’ll have a lot to live up to. Your sister keeps nightmares at bay every night and raises the moon. You raise the sun, for starters. You also help ponies through their issues every day and make sure the country runs smoothly. This is all not to mention the stuff you do behind the scenes. I know there is lots of paperwork, and regulations, and laws, and meetings, and—”

A new alicorn?

Celestia zoned out of the conversation as she felt that creature prodding at her brain.

Strike him down now; before he rises against you!

She shifted her hooves nervously. An all too familiar chill swept over her.

He will betray you…

“Are you okay?” Sorin asked, noticing her lifeless eyes.

“I-I’m fine,” she said all too quickly. “I should probably be going now. I have some things waiting for my approval that I must get done. I’ll see you soon, Sorin.” After finishing her statement, she flew away. She needed to get somewhere to calm down and get the wicked thoughts out of her head.

Watching Celestia fly away, Sorin grinned.

I will show you the way…

Those were the words echoing through every changeling’s thoughts.

After they had regrouped, their new master, Yogg-Saron, had guided them through the barren terrain of the Frozen North. At first, they protested against serving something they had never even seen, but their queen commanded them to obey him. She promised that they would get all they wanted—if only they served him.

It took them a couple weeks to make it all the way to Mount Everhoof. The journey was treacherous, and they had to stop to find any food they could along the way. While traveling, they felt their bodies changing as the blood of their master bonded with them.

As promised, he led them to the mountain, where they found the windigos. The ghostly creatures explained how they, too, served Yogg-Saron. They gave the changelings food and water, taking them the last bit of the way to Mount Everhoof.

When Queen Chrysalis and her subjects got to the top of a nearby mountain, they saw something strange. A group of windigos was building something. As they got closer, they discovered that it was a statue, a statue of a terrible, horrid being that froze the blood in their veins. It was then that they looked past the statue and saw the titanic structure behind it. Made entirely of black crystal, The Citadel dwarfed the mountains it stretched across.

Welcome to your new home.

Chapter 20: Training

“No, sister. We cannot free that monster.”

“Under ordinary circumstances, yes, but these are desperate times.” Princess Luna went over to her sister. “He may be wicked, but is he as bad as our new foe?”

That made Celestia pause.

Luna pressed on. “He may have spread chaos and put Equestria into a state of anarchy, but he is not as dangerous as Yogg-Saron. The Elements of Harmony were able to lay him low, and they can do so again if needed.”

“How can we be so sure he won’t have a new plan to stop us?”

“That is a risk we will have to accept. However, we feel he will want to help us.”

“What makes you think that?” Celestia questioned.

“Yogg-Saron is a threat to his rule. With him in the way, he cannot have Equestria. The Elements will keep him in check, and I trust that Twilight Sparkle and her friends will be able to reform him. We need all the help we can get in finding our enemy, and he will be a valuable ally in this fight. His Chaos magic gives him an advantage that we lack. He may even be strong enough to defeat him.”

Celestia shook her head. She hated the idea, but she knew it could help. The chances of him running rampant were small, and he would be able to help search for Yogg-Saron. Still, she did not like the plan.

“Alright,” she acquiesced, letting out a sigh, “we will free Discord so he may help us—but we have to keep him away from Sorin. We cannot let Discord work his way on the new prince. They must not meet each other until we have shown him what we need to. Agreed?”

“Agreed, sister.”

They both looked out the window, hoping that they were not making a mistake.

“Send our letter to his room. It is time.”

Luna nodded, trotting away to find a servant. Celestia sat there, continuing to look out at the city. She would do whatever it took to protect her ponies. If she had to give her life to stop evil from touching them, she would do so without hesitation.

I would rather you stay alive. You have such potential, Celestia.

She grit her teeth. “We’re searching for you, Yogg-Saron.”

Yes, with Discord, the Lord of Chaos. You would be pleased to know that I helped turn him to stone. Maybe you should crown me as a “hero” like your little plaything, Sorin.

“Leave him out of this!”

A new alicorn who is struggling to get used to his newfound power? He will be so easy to taint.

“I won’t let you hurt him,” she ground out.

We’ll see.

“We’re coming for you, monster.”

Oh, I know. In fact, I’m counting on it…

An abrupt knock came at the door. Sorin paused what he was doing and went over, quickly opening it. A blue mare dressed in a mailmare’s outfit stood there holding a small envelope in her hooves. She handed it to him before checking it off her list.

“I have one letter addressed to Sorin. The sender chose to keep their name hidden on the postage. Have a nice day, sir.”

Just as quickly as she came, she scurried down the hall, rushing to make her next delivery. Sorin closed the door, sitting down in a chair and ripping the top of the envelope away. He pulled out a thin folded piece of paper with a fancy design on its back. He found the royal seal at the top of the page as he opened it. He looked at the bottom to find that the letter was from the royal sisters.

Dear Sorin,

We would like to show you a few things relating to your new development as an alicorn. These things will help you understand what being an alicorn really means and how your body works. It is more than just magic, after all.

We hope you will take us up on this offer and come by the castle at any time today. Any of the castle guards or staff will be able to take you to us.

“I guess I’ll have to attend,” he said to himself after reading the letter. He did not really have a choice.

He finished up what he was doing before he got the message and then put the letter on top of the room’s desk. He went out into the hallway, locking the door on the way out. He was still staying in one of the suites right next to the castle. The rooms were more like whole apartments, and everything could be defined as luxury. Twilight and her friends had already gone back to Ponyville, but he was going to be staying for another day.

He went down the hall past a few other rooms, heading down to the ground floor. Going past the reception desk and then outside, he felt the warmth of the sun on his face. The streets were busy again, most ponies taking lunch at this hour. Luckily, he did not have to go very far. The castle was only a block away.

As he headed there, the activity of the city died down. Canterlot Castle had a very defined schedule that left little time for its staff on shift to do anything, so the area was pretty bare in terms of activity. He walked past a few statues before coming up to one of the multiple entrances to the castle.

“State your business, please,” one of the ever stoic guards ordered.

“My name is Sorin, and I am expecting an audience with the princesses.”

“Of course, sir.” The guard gave a signal to one of his comrades, and the gate behind him raised up. “Right this way.”

Sorin followed the unicorn into the castle, going deep into its interior. They eventually stopped in a large room with no windows, something rare in the castle.

“The princesses will be with you in a moment.” Before the guard left, Sorin thanked him, leaving him alone in the room. It took only a few seconds for a pair of doors to open, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna coming through them.

“You sure didn’t waste any time getting here,” Celestia said as they came up to him.

“I didn’t have much else to do, so I came right after I got your letter. I hope I didn’t come too soon.”

“Not at all,” she said, waving her hoof. “I’m happy you made it here so early, actually.”

“Why so?”

“Day Court is about to start, meaning you can make your presence known to the public.”

“And,” Luna added, “thou will see how some duties as an alicorn can be so normal.”

“Alright. Hopefully, this won’t be too boring. It is a bunch of issues and complaints after all.”

“These things always can be, but I’m sure it shall be interesting with thee there,” she said with a smile.

Celestia nodded. “Court is how things get done in this nation. Big and small problems alike are resolved to benefit Equestria as a whole. While it may seem… mundane at times, it is a critical part of everyday decision making here.”

“So, how will this all work?”

“You will enter alongside us. You will take off your cloak, and I will announce you as the newest prince. After that, Court will continue as normal, but you will be by my side to help make decisions.”

“So this is my chance to make a good first impression. Got it.”

“Make sure you are heard, not just seen. Politics can be a dangerous game, but you are new to the field. This is your chance to say ‘this is how I am.’”

“No pressure. No pressure at all…”

“Don’t worry,” she said, putting a hoof on his shoulder, “you’ll do fine.” She turned to her sister, nodding. The other princess went along her way, leaving the two. A bell rang through the castle, drawing Sorin’s attention.

“Time for Court.” He followed Celestia through a few halls before they paused at a small door with four guards stationed around it.

Turning to him, she asked, “Ready?” He nodded, and then she opened the door with her magic. He could instantly hear the quiet arguments between dozens of ponies in the room. As they went through, everything went silent. All eyes were on the princess as she went over to one of the two golden chairs on a platform. Sorin took his place beside her, looking over the chamber.

There were lots of windows, and two long tables were on each side of the room. Older stallions and mares with expensive-looking clothing sat at these tables, a large aisle between the two. These were the ponies with power in the nation. Wealthy families, merchants, businessponies, nobles, and everything in between had a place in the court. They all had their own agendas, each of them seeking to better their standing on the vicious political ladder.

A red carpet led from the doors at the other end of the room to the platform he and Celestia were. Guards were lined up only a few yards from each other along the entire room. Clearing her throat, the princess addressed the chamber.

“Attention, everypony. Before we begin Court today, I would like to introduce you to Sorin. Some of you may already know of him as the hero who helped defeat Discord alongside the six Elements and then aided in finding the real Princess Cadance. You may have also heard that he helped me and my sister through some issues, and that is also true.”

Murmurs were in the crowd as they wondered why she held up the day’s session. The nobles especially held their tongues.

“He is a stallion of great stature and nobility—” The nobles scoffed. “—and he has helped this great country stay free. During the Canterlot invasion of the changelings, his true role was revealed. It is no wonder this pony can be defined only as a hero.” She turned to Sorin, nodding. He stood, and after a moment of pause that seemed like an eternity to the room, he removed his cloak with his magic and opened his wings.

“I introduce you to Prince Sorin.”

The room broke into an uproar of emotions. Some were dumbfounded, such as the guards. The wealthy remained indifferent, besides their surprise. Those who supported Sorin were cheering as loud as they could. Some merchants were eager to see what the prince would open up for trade. Others were afraid he would be more strict than Princess Celestia in policy. Lawmakers present were a mixed bag. They had a whole new channel to pitch ideas to, but they also had one more royal who could shut them down. Hit the hardest, though, were the nobles.

Those of them who were respected were ready to accept him with open arms, viewing him as another to pledge their loyal support to. The majority of the nobles were aghast. The leading families had no leverage or say in his decisions, and now he was one of the four most powerful ponies in Equestria.

Sorin gauged the reactions as best he could. Despite those who opposed him and his sudden rise to power, the room mostly cheered for him. As he held his wings wide for all to see, he felt a sense of power he had not felt for a long time. He had managed to not only hide as a mere commoner, but he had turned Equestria to his side. To them, he was a hero who now held more influence than even the most respected of ponies could have. He had deceived them all.

Yes, gaze upon me in admiration. Show your appreciation for your new prince.

He chuckled to himself as he realized he had one-upped his brother. N’Zoth used Deathwing to gain a foothold in Stormwind’s politics, but Yogg-Saron became one of the deciding factors in this world. Everything was coming together as he planned. All that was left was to assume total control of the world.

Celestia allowed a few minutes of shock before she silenced the room. “Now that his introduction is out the way, I want you to welcome him to the Court as an equal to me.”

Snapping his wings to his sides, Sorin sat back down in his seat and looked to Celestia.

“Court is in session.” She looked to the guards at the end of the room. “Send in the first case.”

Sorin was rather bored. Through most of the session, he had nothing to do. The matters at hand were outside his expertise or explicitly related to Celestia’s duties. He said a few basic things, but he had done nothing overall. He did not give it much thought because he appeared firm. He did not look like he was out of place but instead chose when to make his opinion known.

“The last case scheduled for today,” one of the guards announced, “is sir Iron Stonesplitter and house Stonesplitter.”

The scruffy stallion stood up from the left table, his two brothers doing the same. Sorin instantly recognized them from the newspaper. The Stonesplitters were arguably the most well-known family in all of Equestria. They built the nation from the ground up with their skill in masonry and construction. Their influence spanned across all of urban Equestria. They were also one of the most notorious families in the nation. From what he had gathered, the Stonesplintters had their hooves in every illegal business in the country.

Iron cleared his throat after skimming through his notes again. “Princess Celestia, my family and I—” He stopped himself. “Sorry, Princess Celestia and Prince Sorin,” he corrected. “My family and I have been in contract with the government for as long as can be remembered. Just recently, we helped rebuild some of the more damaged areas of Canterlot due to the unfortunate tragedies that befell us all recently.” Celestia nodded. “It is in this trust that the Stonesplitters would like to request a loan from the Equestrian government. We ask for twenty-five million bits to be allocated into our project.”

“Twenty-five million bits?” Celestia repeated. “That is a large sum of money, Iron.”

“We understand that, but this money will go directly back into the country. With these funds, we will be able to improve the quality of materials used in our structures to better protect from any future attacks like that of little over a week ago.” She still seemed unconvinced.

“Princess Celestia,” one of his brothers said, “we want to make sure that all ponies are safe. Our military can only be in so many places at once, and these improved buildings will keep our loved ones protected. How would you price the secur—”

Sorin let out a small laugh. The stallion speaking turned to him, appalled. “Is there something funny?” he asked as respectfully as he could.

“Yes, in fact, there is.” Sorin had a hearty laugh as he regained his posture. “Your request is laughable—quite literally.”

“And why,” Iron began, “is that?”

“Because you expect the ponies in this room to believe that those bits will actually go to improving safety.”

“Excuse me?” Iron shot back after seeing the looks of uncertainty in the room.

“If I may, Princess Celestia?”

“Proceed,” she cooly said.

Sorin stood up. “Your request for the twenty-five million bits is denied.” The Stonesplitters broke into a barely restrained rage.

“The Stonesplitter Infrastructure Company has requested smaller loans in the past for less important projects, and they have always been approved,” the other brother began, anger laced in his voice.

There is a new order here, puny pony. Learn your place.

After a noble, as he came to learn, tried to poison him, Sorin did extensive research on the prominent families in the country, trying to find whatever dirt he could on them. Almost every one of them had some skeletons they wanted to keep hidden, and he could care less, but he just so happened to find something crippling on the Stonesplitters.

“This project is necessary for the safety of—”

“Those funds will not be put into the community as you say, will they?”

“Of course they will be.”

Sorin stared him straight in the eyes, asking, “So they won’t be spent on advancing your pony trafficking network?”

The collective gasp from everypony in the room brought a grin to Sorin’s face. Even Celestia spat out some of the tea she was sipping. Murmurs in the chamber grew into all-out yelling matches. Celestia raised a hoof to stop it, but everypony ignored it.

“Order!” she shouted, bringing about a sudden silence. She snapped her head to Iron. “Is what Prince Sorin said true?”

“O-of course not, your highness,” he stammered, laughing nervously.

“I would hope not. As you can understand, I will conduct an investigation into it.” She put on a smile. “Is that alright?” she said, not asking a question.

“Of course.”

“Now,” she began, drinking the last sip of tea in her cup, “that will be all for today. Court is adjourned.”

Everypony rose from their seats. Chaos broke out as they began to talk. Celestia rose from her own seat and headed for the door she entered in. Sorin followed her into the hallway.

“That was rather climactic,” she said as he came to her side, sounding annoyed.

“In my defense—” She stopped, whipping around to face him. “—he was not going to use that money for good. I apologize if I overstepped.”

Her hard expression melted away, a smile forming at the ends of her lips. “You didn’t overstep at all.”

“I… didn’t?”

“Not at all. While you may have been assertive, I wanted your opinion to be heard.”

“You didn’t mind the bold claim I made?”

“I suspected his family was into some illegal activity, and you gave me a reason to look into it. I had no idea they were that evil, though.” She looked off into the distance for a second before turning back to him. “Overall, you did great.”

“Thank you,” he said, touched.

“Now,” she said, starting to trot, “let’s go eat.”

Sorin sat down at the table the royal sisters used. It was a long table with a golden chair at each end and an added chair in the middle for him. Luna entered the room, going to her seat in a slow trot.

“What have you been doing, Luna?” She perked up.

“Oh, nothing much. I attended to some boring business matters, but that’s about it. How has thy morning been so far?”

“Good,” he started, “I went to Day Court as you wanted, and that went… as well as could be expected. It was boring at first, but I think I made my points known.”

“He sure did,” Celestia said, heading towards the table with three plates in her levitation. She placed them down at each spot, taking her seat as she did so. A full stack of pancakes was on each of the plates. Unrolling her silverware, she continued.

“You know Mr. Iron Stonesplitter?”

“Possibly the most powerful pony—besides us—in politics? Yes,” Luna responded.

“Well, he requested twenty-five million bits for a project to increase safety in structures around the country. Sorin denied the request.”

“What? Why?”

“Go on. Tell her.”

Realizing he was being addressed, Sorin swallowed his bite of food and cleared his throat. “I found out that his family has ties to illegal activities—one of them being pony trafficking.”

Luna stopped mid-bite. She lowered her fork back down and looked at him with a look of sadness. “Trafficking?”

“I’m afraid so. I didn’t want them to use that money to further their exploits, so I denied their request. Celestia ordered an investigation, but I doubt it will uncover anything. A family that powerful will be able to move the operation before they are found out.”

“Chilling secrets aside, you’re leaving out the best part of your first impression,” Celestia said. Luna leaned toward him, stuffing a chunk of pancakes into her mouth.

“I may have said all of these things in front of the court.”

“We see,” Luna calmly replied. She was trying to hold in her laughter. Cracks in her mask started to show before her face contorted. Then, she burst into a guffaw, her sister following suit.

“You should have seen Iron’s face, sister.” Celestia tried to keep her food in her mouth. “Priceless!”

“I’m sure it was! Why didn’t we join thee?”

Sorin rolled his eyes, trying to keep a smirk from his face. “Laugh it up, you two silly mares.”

“We’re sorry,” Celestia said through swallows, “but we rarely get to see anything like it. It is…” she waved a hoof, looking for the word, “therapeutic.”

The Lunar Princess finished off her food. “I would say you have a skill for politics, Sorin.”

“I agree,” her sister added. She stood from her chair, also done with her plate. “I hope you enjoyed the food.”

“I did,” Sorin answered, lifting his plate into the air. Celestia took it in her grip, floating all three dishes to a counter for the staff to deal with. “Now, we would like to help you with your wing situation.”

“Oh?” he mouthed, intrigued.

“An obstacle course,” they both said with a deceiving smile.

“AHH!” Sorin screamed after hitting a metal hoop, flailing wildly as he tumbled from the sky. He tried to right himself with his wings, but he continued to fall. It did not help that Celestia was openly laughing at his struggle.

“I could use some help Luna!” he shouted, hoping for a savior. The Princess of the Night shot into the air, rushing to his falling form. She flared her wings and stretched out her hooves. He fell into her awaiting forelegs, but she was not prepared for his weight.

With an “oof,” she too fell from the sky. She was able to catch herself with her wings, landing perfectly. Sorin, on the other hand, slammed into the ground, a groan rising from his unmoving form.

“That. Hurt.” He tried to get up, blood rushing to his head. His vision blurry, he saw two Lunas trot up to him. The two became one as his eyes returned to normal.

“Thanks for the save,” he managed to say.

“I am so sorry for that. We should have waited to put you through the course.” She extended a hoof which he took, pulling him up to his hooves. “Maybe if our sister had actually helped,” she shot the white alicorn a glare, “she could have caught you.”

“And what makes you think that?” the alicorn in question asked, coming over to the two.

“You are a lot bigger than me, sister. You would have been able to handle his weight.”

She raised a hoof to her chest, starting to fake cry. “Are you calling me… f-fat?”

“Yes. All those confections must go somewhere.”

Celestia was taken aback. How could her sister betray her like that?

“Adorable banter later, helping me fly now, please,” Sorin interrupted. The two sisters turned to him, dropping their amused expressions.

Celestia came over to him, making sure his wings were okay. “I’m sorry. I should have tried to stop your fall.” She came to his front. “Will you let me help you?”

Looking away from her puppy eyes, he sighed. “Fine.”

She squeed, motioning him over to a more open course section. “Here. Try opening your wings.” He did as he was told. “Slowly flap them until you start to rise.”

He started beating his wings, feeling himself lift off the ground. The wind ran through his fur, stabilizing him some.

“Now try leveling your wings out and hovering.”

He leaned forward, making his wings parallel to the ground. Expecting to go forward, he stayed in the same spot. He carefully raised his body, making sure to keep his wings level, and looked at Celestia.

“Good,” she said, smiling. “Now try angling them forward, making sure to flap enough to keep the same height.”

Here goes nothin’, he thought, following her instructions. Once again, he was surprised to find himself moving correctly. Working his wings in such a way was foreign to him. Ponies were not designed to fly, he concluded.

“Wonderful!” Luna shouted to him. “Try some of the hoops!”

He arced right, aiming for the metal ring he hit before. Leaning down and tucking his head, he flew through it perfectly. Making a slight adjustment, he zipped through the next.

Luna swiveled her head as she watched Sorin fly through hoop after hoop, each one easier than the last. Eventually, having had enough practice for the day, he broke off, flying towards the two princesses. He pulled his wings back, coming down onto his four hooves in a flashy landing.

“I’d say you’re getting the hang of it,” Celestia beamed.

“I think so,” he replied, studying one of his wingtips. He snapped them to his sides, panting from the flight. “Thanks for the lesson.”

“No problem at all. It’s the least we could do, considering you’re one of us now.”

“Before your training ends,” Luna began, “there is one last thing we want you to attend: a diplomatic meeting.”

Sorin’s face fell. Another meeting?

Chapter 21: Duel

“So what you’re telling me is that diplomats from Yakyakistan are threatening us with war?”

“Mmhm,” Celestia hummed.

“And you want me to help how?”

“Since you were so stern with the Stonesplitters, I’m hoping you can convey a sense of strength to them. Equestria cannot handle a war right now, and tensions are high.”

“Okay. Convince them that they don’t want to fight us. Got it.”

“Thou dost ‘got it,’ Sorin,” Luna said. “The Yaks shall be expecting a stance from thee. It’s time for you to show it.”

“Alright. Let’s do this,” he confidently said. Nodding, Celestia opened the doors with her magic.

He and Luna followed her into the chamber, taking their three seats at the large, circular table that took up most of the spacious room. Things like maps and documents were laid out on the fine table. As soon as the three took their seats, one of the two Yak diplomats started talking.

“Us Yaks have been neglected in your trade. You promised us fifty-thousand pounds of food, but you shipped us only half that. We gave you our goods, but you withheld yours!”

The other butted in, saying, “Yaks have been struggling to get food because of it. The young ones are going hungry, and you are responsible for it!”

“I’m sure it was a simple shipping error. We can fix it ri—” Celestia tried to reason.

“No!” one of the diplomats shouted, slamming their hooves down on the table and startling her. “Yaks want war with Equestria!”

“Surely we can come to an agreement,” Luna began, “something that will remedy the affair. Perhaps we could ship you the rest immediately and raise the amount of food for the next five years to make up for our mistake?” She gave them a smile, hoping to win them over.

The two diplomats turned to each other, whispering to one another. After a moment of deliberation, they turned back around.

“Yaks will not be bribed into submission, pony,” one of them harshly said. “As we said before, we declare war upon—”

“You dare come to our domain and threaten us with fleeting declarations of war?!” a stern voice yelled, overpowering the Yak who was talking.

Everypony looked to Prince Sorin, who leaned forward in his chair with a scowl. “We offered you an incredibly generous offer to make up for a simple mistake, and you throw it in our faces with the threat of war?” He scoffed. “You may think of ponies as weak, fragile creatures—and we are to an extent—but I tell you this: you have never seen a male alicorn before. You have no idea what I am capable of.” He rose from his seat, shooting daggers at the suddenly quiet Yaks.

“I will shape this nation into a machine of war, bringing about an army like you have never seen and crush your pathetic uprising if I must. You do not want war with a nation with access to a vast array of resources, production, and money. You do not want war with Equestria!” Huffing loudly, he slowly lowered into his seat, taking a breath. He calmly said, “I suggest you think this matter over and accept our reparations.”

Utterly shocked by the intimidating presence of the new alicorn, the Yaks turned to one another. After a tense moment, they turned back to the princesses.

“We accept your offer.”

“Thank you,” Celestia said with a warm smile as if nothing had happened. “Now, let’s get to this paperwork, shall we?”

“Thank you for your help convincing the Yaks to stop pursuing war.”

“I couldn’t let them declare war over something so simple,” Sorin responded to Celestia.

“I feel thou did wonderfully,” Luna said. “You made Equestria appear strong—which we needed. My sister and I acted as the understanding counter to your stern stance, making our offer appeal to them.”

“Well done,” Celestia summarized. “That’s everything we planned for your introduction to being an alicorn. I look forward to having you by our side.”

“Thank you both.”

The white alicorn nodded before flying off into the distance, leaving Sorin alone with Luna.

“Thank you once again. As a token of my gratitude, I want to give you something I came up with before you came to the castle. It’s in my quarters.”

“Okay.” Her horn glowed as she prepared to teleport them both to the living quarters within Canterlot Castle. A blue flash brought them to a pair of black doors. Luna opened them inward with her magic, waving a hoof at her room.

“Please, go in.”

Sorin went inside, looking around the bedroom. It was similar to Celestia’s, but she had vastly different decorations. The ceiling had glowing stars that resembled the night sky, each one of them twinkling. Opposite of the queen-sized bed shaped like a crescent moon, there was a fireplace that came to life, orange flickers dancing on the wood logs and lighting up the room. He saw a long bookshelf with all kinds of tomes on it. A small desk was in the corner with ink and quills on it, a brown piece of paper with black scribbles at its center. By her bed were four adorable black slippers with moons on them.

“This room is awesome.”

“Thank you. I tried to make it comforting, but there aren’t any couches, I’m afraid.”

“No worries.”

She went over to a wall, leaning the tip of her horn on it. Before he could ask what she was doing, a blue glow formed a door-shaped outline on the wall. The shape materialized, and she opened the hidden closet.

“We hope you will find this most satisfactory.” She pulled a suit of armor out from the compartment and held it in front of her for him to see.

Saying he found it satisfactory was an understatement. In front of him was armor fitting of a god. Made of the darkest obsidian plating, it had a flawless shine. It had metal spikes in all the right places, and it would cover everything below his neck. There was a blue flaming orb implanted in the front part of the chest to top it all off. It matched his eyes perfectly. There were even horseshoes that went with the suit. They looked similar to the horseshoes of every royal, but his were made of steel.

“It’s perfect, Luna.”

“Truly?”

“Of course! I love it.”

Her face lit up as she saw the genuine smile on his face. He took the armor from her grasp and tossed his cloak aside. With a simple spell, the armor appeared on his body, fitting him snuggly. He lifted a foreleg, the plating bending to match his movement. He grinned, feeling ever closer to a king.

“How did you get the measurements so exact?” he asked.

“I may have bribed Rarity to get them,” she sheepishly replied.

“I was going to tease you, but this is too incredible for me to even comment. Thank you, Luna.”

She felt warm and fuzzy inside as he gave her a million-dollar smile. The armor made him look even better than he did before, and he trotted around the room to see how he looked. The horseshoes made a distinct “clang” as he moved, making him sound heavy.

As he stopped prancing around, she went over to him. “We must admit that we have an ulterior motive as to why we gave you the armor.”

“Oh?”

“Yes. We were hoping you could test it out by training some of our thestrals.”

“Thestrals?” he asked, unfamiliar with the term.

“They are the ‘batponies’ that make up the Lunar Guard. They carried my carriage to Ponyville on Nightmare Night.”

“Oh, those chaps! Yes, I remember.”

“So, will you help train them?”

“What would you need me to do?”

“W-well,” she stammered, looking down at the ground, “we were hoping you could fight them.”

“That sounds kind of dangerous, Luna.”

She looked up at him with wide eyes that resembled a puppy’s. “Please? We’ll make sure you aren’t seriously hurt.”

Not being able to deny her look, he gave in. “Alright, I’ll do it.”

“Thank you!”

She wrapped him into a hug, careful to avoid his spikes. He patted her back with a foreleg, slightly confused by her outburst. She pulled away with an awkward expression. “We are sorry for that.”

“Would this duel happen now?” Sorin asked, changing the subject.

“Yes. I’ll be back soon to get you. Make yourself at home.” With a flash, she was gone. Sorin shrugged, sitting down on the edge of her bed. He did not have to wait long because she appeared moments later. “Ready?”

“Ready,” he answered, preparing for the teleport. A second later, and he was standing in an open space. The ground was considerably dusty, and the air was strange. He could tell he was still in Canterlot; he just did not know where.

“My loyal soldiers,” Luna yelled, drawing the attention of the twenty thestrals nearby. They all stepped towards her, lining up and bowing. “You make up the best of the Lunar Guard, but there is always room to improve thy skills. Prince Sorin here will teach you a lesson or two.”

Realizing that each of the guards was large, had a complete set of armor, and had a spear, Sorin suddenly felt nervous.

“The only rule is that you shall not seriously harm him. Understand?” They all nodded. She trotted over to the sidelines, taking a seat. “You may begin!”

The twenty thestrals spurred into action instantly, charging towards him. They opened their wings and took flight, preparing to dive. Rolling out of the way, Sorin narrowly avoided twenty stab wounds.

“I wasn’t expecting this!” he shouted to Luna while deflecting a spear with an armored hoof.

“You’ll do fine!”

I should never have agreed to this. I have to make it look like I am still a normal pony.

He flipped backward with his wings, firing a beam of energy at one of his opponents. Not expecting the blast, the guard was sent flying. Another spear came at his head, but he met it with his horn, shattering the weapon’s handle. Sorin then jumped up and kicked the guard to the ground. Quickly getting back up, the batpony charged.

Sorin stirred a cloud of dust with his wings, moving to the side of his enemy and ramming into him hard. He then shot into the air, aiming at another with his horn. Instead of using an energy beam, he caused the ground to explode, knocking two thestrals out cold. Feeling confident again, he dove into the dust cloud he made and took a sharp turn. He flew into a surprised guard, forcing them both to the ground.

Sorin grabbed the spear that almost hit his chest, snapping it in half. He used his other hoof to punch the guard on the helmet, knocking him out with a “pang.” Seeing somepony out the corner of his eye, he jumped to his hooves. The end of a spear shattered as it hit his armored side. Grinning, he pummelled the pony to the ground with a kinetic spell.

He leaped at another, using his magic to throw the pony’s spear away. He teleported, appearing behind the guard. He used a quick spell to power his legs, and then he reared back and kicked his foe as hard as he could. The quiet thump on the ground was confirmation of his hit.

Five more thestrals were closing in on him, but he let them come. His horn burned bright as he charged a spell. Not realizing what he was doing, the guards sped up and raised their weapons. He released the torrent of energy, creating a shockwave strong enough to flip them onto their backs. He then leaped into the air.

Eight.

Sorin was knocked from the sky, causing him to roll across the ground. He quickly stood up, just in time to see a guard rushing him. No weapon. The two clashed, and he ducked under and pushed upward on his adversary. The pony was forced onto his hindlegs, and Sorin took advantage of the opportunity. He swept the two legs, causing the pony to fall. All he saw was a hoof coming down on the side of his face.

Seven.

Luna realized that her guards were falling faster than she thought they would. Even though Sorin was an alicorn, he was making her Lunar Guard seem like a joke. She decided to join the fray, flying towards him. He barely noticed her as she rushed him, rolling on the ground to avoid her. He then uppercut another guard.

“Joining the fight, are you, princess?” he taunted in a lighthearted manner. She did not see the humor, scowling as she turned around. He prepared to dodge her attack, but she teleported forward, punching him before he could avoid the blow. His head whipped around, making a sickening “crack” as it did.

Sorin shook his jaw, thoroughly annoyed. Without thinking, he fired a magic blast from his horn at her speeding form. Before he could redirect the spell, it clipped her barrel, bursting on impact. Luna went tumbling out of the air, crashing onto the ground hard.

“Oops.”

“YOU’LL PAY FOR THAT!” she screamed, already on her hooves. Thinking he was distracted, a thestral threw his spear at Sorin. The alicorn disappeared as the spear hit, causing it to just barely bounce off his armor. The guard looked up to see a bright light coming towards him from Luna’s horn. He raised his hooves in defense but was blasted away.

Five.

Sorin snickered, finding humor in the guard’s foolishness. He was repaid by a similar blast exploding right next to him, causing him to go rolling across the ground, rocks slicing his face. His black blood spilled, but he quickly forced it back into his body, sealing his wounds. He was angry now.

As he whipped around, he narrowly dodged a beam. He shot two guards before avoiding another blast. He teleported out the way of another, firing a shot of his own to impact one of hers. The two collided, blinding him for a second. Luna came at him, pulling up before she could hit him, and turned the ground below him to ice. He tried to move, suddenly finding his legs stuck. He looked down to see ice covering his hooves. He melted it away with his horn, seeing a bright blue flash above him.

He put up a shield around himself just in time to deflect what she had fired at him. Most of the projectiles bounced off of him, exploding randomly and happening to take out two ponies. After hitting the magical barrier, the last bolt shot back to where it came, almost shooting Luna out of the sky. Luckily, she was able to roll in the air, but that left her vulnerable. She looked in front of her with wide eyes to see Sorin only a few feet away. He jumped up, grabbing onto her midsection.

Feeling his full weight and finding the breath knocked from her, her wings tensed up. She then started to fall towards the ground. Sorin took the brunt of the impact, his back impacting on a rock and cracking it. He held her tightly as he bounced on the ground. They flipped, causing him to come down on something soft.

Sorin slowly got onto his forelegs, feeling the pain of the fall. He wiped his eyes of the dust and refocused them. He looked down to see Luna directly under him with a goofy smile plastered on her face.

“Are you alri—” he started to say before she forced her lips into his. He quickly caught himself with both of his front legs, utterly confused.

Why is she doing this to me?! He pulled his head back slightly, finding her with an even goofier smile that changed into an intense blush as she lowered down. He got off of her, letting her stand up before he did the same.

“W-we do not know what came over us,” she babbled, looking down. “We apologize for that.”

This could prove to my advantage…

“No need to apologize, Luna,” Sorin said while dusting himself off. He gave her a reassuring smile as she looked up. Before she could speak, the sound of hoofsteps drew their attention.

“Are you alright?” the last guard standing asked both of them as he came running through the cloud of dust.

“We are. Thank you.”

Sorin went over to the guard, patting him on the shoulder. “You did well. Consider yourself honored.” He then walked past the thestral, who saluted them both.

“I think a promotion is in order,” Luna hinted to the guard. Lowering his hoof, he smiled.

After the impromptu battle, Sorin was exhausted. His body needed to relax, so he met with the sisters one last time, thanking them for their help and wishing them farewell. He then hopped onto the next train to Ponyville, eager to return home. He eventually made it to the station, getting off with nothing to carry. He got a few strange looks as he walked into the small town. He did not know whether it was because he had wings or armor.

As he walked into the town square, he was met with a strange sight. Next to the six Elements was Discord, free from his stone prison. Sorin charged towards the Lord of Chaos, not noticing Princess Celestia nearby. He charged his horn and ripped a spell towards the draconequus. A yellow shield appeared around him, causing the spell to fizzle away on impact.

“Stop!” Fluttershy shouted, which made Sorin pause. “Discord’s reformed!”

Slowing down to a stop, he looked at her in disbelief. “He is?”

“Yes,” Celestia answered, trotting over to him. “Fluttershy, with the help of her friends, was able to convince Discord that friendship was something he valued. He promised to use his magic for good.”

How did she actually manage to reform him! He is Discord, the Lord of Chaos, yet turned to Harmony so quickly?

“Which brings me to why I need his help,” she continued. She looked at all seven ponies and Discord. “As you may have noticed, Sorin here has changed.” They all looked at the stallion, seeing his wings and armor.

“You’re an alicorn!” Twilight shouted.

“He is. The changeling invasion awakened him, and my sister and I helped show him some things. Equestria now knows of Prince Sorin.”

The Lord of Chaos walked over to him, extending a lion paw. “Discord, Lord of Chaos. Nice to meet you, Prince Sorin.”

Sorin took his paw, shaking it, when he felt a sudden spark. He could sense that the Void magic within Discord was pure, which confirmed his previous suspicion of the draconequus. It almost brought a tear to his eye. Luckily, the other party could not feel the spark.

Discord cleared his throat rudely. “I sense that you’re about to tell us something big, aren’t you, princess?”

“I’m afraid so,” she replied with a sigh. She looked back at everypony. “I need to tell you all something that you can tell no pony else. Do you understand?”

“Of course. What is it?” Twilight asked, a little worried at her mentor’s serious tone.

“With the help of a new alicorn and Discord’s magic, I hope we can find our new enemy.”

“Enemy?” Twilight repeated.

“My sister and I have been looking for him, but it has been useless. We need all the help we can get in searching for this monster. He is not from this world, and he managed to escape a prison strong enough to contain an alicorn.” Everypony gasped. “We only know that he is a creature far more evil than anything Equestria has faced before. His title alone tells us that.”

“You sound scared, Celestia,” Discord said. “Who is this monster you speak of?”

The princess gulped. “His name is Yogg-Saron, the God of Death.”

Sorin ground his teeth as he heard the princess finish talking. Despite Discord and the Elements now knowing of his existence, Yogg-Saron was delighted. After all, the time had come for him to seize control of the dreamworld.

Chapter 22: The Equestrian Nightmare

Sorin locked the door to his room, making sure no one was around. He conjured up a link to The Citadel, an image of Vultrax appearing before him.

“What is it, master?”

“With the power of the windigos and changelings combined, I now have the strength needed to assault the dreamworld. When I gain a strong enough foothold, I will summon you into the realm with me. If all goes well, I will be able to infest the real world, turning it into a manifestation of my will.”

“I will be awaiting the call, master.”

Sorin magicked the image away as he waved his hoof. He looked outside his window, seeing the moon in the sky. The time had finally come.

He laid down in his bed, tucking himself in. He let his body drift off as he poured himself into the dreamworld, directing himself to a certain princess.

“Nightmare Moon!” Twilight shouted. “We are here to end the tyranny you have put onto Equestria!”

She felt her body tense up, causing her to crash onto the ground. She screamed as she felt something coming out of her. A black liquid pooled in front of her, jumping at the Elements. It crawled over each of them, seeping into their minds before rushing to a window in the room. Their eyes lit up, turning black as night.

“Wait! What is it doing?” Nightmare Moon shouted. She got to her hooves, trying to chase after it. She shot at it with her horn, but it crawled through a window, disappearing from the dream. “No! It’s gone!”

Luna awoke panting, sweat running down her entire body. “What? My dream ended… differently?”

The memory of the mysterious black creature came into her head, making her eyes widen in panic. “That thing escaped…”

Yogg-Saron’s minuscule form weaved its way through the dream web, grabbing hold of the six dreams he could taint. He flooded his conscience into each of them, beginning to feed off the corruption he spread within them from the comfort of the shadows.

After having received a letter detailing a black smoke monster that plagued each of the Element’s dreams, Luna instantly teleported to Ponyville. It took only a few ponies to direct her to them, and she burst into the Carousel Boutique.

“Which of you saw the creature of black smoke in your nightmare?” she demanded.

“Wow. That was fast,” Fluttershy pointed out.

“We all did,” Twilight answered.

“Not me!” Spike said with a grin.

Groaning, his friends said, “We know!”

“So you’ve encountered the smoke monster too?” Twilight asked.

Luna nodded. “That thing is a creature of my nightmares. It escaped from my slumbers yesterday.”

“But how did it get into ours?” Fluttershy asked in her mellow voice.

“I think it is like a parasite from how it used my dreams to get stronger, but my dreams must no longer be enough for it. Now it seeks others to infect and corrupt. It must have learned of you six from seeing you in my dream.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Spike interrupted, walking over to her. “So what you’re saying is you dreamt about all of them, and not me?” A frown worked its way onto his face.

“Uh, so Smokey gave us bad dreams,” Rainbow Dash dismissed. “No biggie.”

Luna shook her head. “I saw that it had grown more powerful in my dream last night, but I did not realize that power was enough to enable it to escape my dreams. If its power grows, it could very well find a way to escape into the real world. It could turn all of Equestria into a living nightmare!”

She had no idea how right she was.

“Okay, okay, okay, I take it back! That does sound bad. Really bad!”

“If I am to stop it, we must get started right away.” The Elements nodded in agreement.

“We’ve prepared everything exactly as you requested.”

“Good. As you six slumber here, I will pursue the creature into whichever of your dreams it infests,” Luna said.

“Ooh! It’ll be like a princess sleepover!” Pinkie Pie squealed, plopping into one of the beds.

“Speaking of princesses, aren’t you gonna ask Celestia for her help as well?” Twilight asked.

“There is nothing my sister can do. She has no power in the realm of sleep. Only I can move from dream to dream. I am afraid nopony can help me tonight.” In her ignorance, Luna decided to leave her sister out of it.

“Even us?”

“Especially you,” she replied. “You have all suffered so much because of me. You need only slumber while I hunt the creature in your dreams.”

Feeling her hair get tugged, she looked down to see Spike holding a bunch of her mane. “I know you said nopony can help, but I’m no pony. I’m gonna stay up and watch over you guys just in case.”

“Aw, thank you, Spike,” Twilight said after seeing him sit down on a bed with his eyes wide open.

“One good thing about not sleepin’ well last night: shouldn’t be too hard to fall asleep now,” Applejack said while rolling into the blankets.

“Are you kidding?” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, appearing right next to Applejack. “This is so exciting, I don’t know how I’m ever going to—” Her head fell back, and she started snoring.

Everypony did the same, falling asleep within seconds due to how tired they were. Luna flew into the air, forming a white ball around herself as she concentrated. The spirals of her horn turned white, and six tethers came from it, connecting to the heads of the six Elements. She sent her conscience into Rarity.

“Oh, my!” Rarity said in her dream. She was in a strangely shaped room with a dozen windows placed randomly around. Flying pink dresses were moving around above her, each of them perfect in their design. Never had she seen such a quality of apparel. “This is simply divine. How avant-garde!”

Unnoticed, Yogg-Saron moved around the room, flying through one of the dresses and causing it to grow a crude mouth and two snake-like strips of cloth. The creature charged at her with a harrowing screech.

“Forget avant-garde; I should have said en garde!” She blasted the outfit with her horn, but another raced towards her. She managed to shoot that one as well, causing it to drop to the floor smoking. The dress inflated like a balloon and then popped, revealing Princess Luna in all her stoic glory.

“It is here,” she announced, feeling the wicked presence in the dream.

Nice of you to join us, Luna, Yogg-Saron thought as he flew through three more dresses, turning them into beasts. They leaped onto another dress, ripping it to shreds with their claws.

Rarity looked on in horror as the remains of the fashion piece floated down to her. She picked up one of the strips, staring at it. “It was such a pretty little chiffon.” She collapsed to the floor, crying into the cloth in her hooves. “What kind of monster would do this?!”

“The evil kind,” Luna firmly answered.

“Then let’s stop it!”

“No, please!” Luna pleaded, putting out a wing to stop Rarity. “I don’t want you to suffer anymore because of me.”

Yogg-Saron went over to Luna, hovering above her and feeding off of her guilt. She batted him away with her wings, and he raced towards the dresses in the room.

“I will catch it.” She shot towards him, but he already had a wall of creatures in the way. She fired lightning at one, frying it to dust, and hit another before it could attack her. She flipped around, ending the last one in her way, but it was already too late.

Yogg-Saron went through a window, forming bricks behind him to slow her down. He pushed through the boundaries of Rarity’s mind, exiting it and jumping dreams.

“It has jumped into another dream. I am sorry, but if I am to stop it, I must follow it where you cannot.”

“Go,” Rarity told the princess. Luna blasted through the bricks, flying through the window in chase of Yogg-Saron.

“I should be able to handle things here.” Looking around, Rarity saw a small army of bestial dresses ready to pounce upon her. She gulped. “I hope…”

Pinkie Pie was trotting through a green forest, singing as she did. There were flowers around her, and she was at peace. She sprung into the air, causing the world around her to warp away. As she came back onto the ground, she was in a small cave. She jumped again, laughing. This time, she appeared in a large crater. There was a dragon right in front of her, but she was not worried.

A spring later, and she was standing in Cloudsdale. Princess Luna appeared as well, looking around at the floating city.

“I followed the creature here. Now I need only find—” She was cut off as Pinkie Pie jumped again, appearing in front of an ancient temple.

“Sorry, can’t help it.” She did another jump, causing the scenery to shift again. “An idea pops into my head, and—” She stopped, realizing she was in a bakery with a giant frosted cake in front of her.

“Ooh, cake!” she squeed after seeing the multitudes of cakes in the room. There were party streamers and balloons everywhere, making her feel at home.

Yogg-Saron did not waste time in tainting her dream. Floating over to the cake in front of her, he let some of his blood sleep into it. It spat out a chunk of frosting onto Pinkie Pie, making her look at the cake in shock.

Two eyes opened on each of the three layers, two arms growing at its sides. Three grotesque mouths snarled as it looked at the tasty mare.

“Ew, cake!” she screamed while backing up, only now noticing the other corrupted confections all around the room. A cake flew towards her, but it exploded, Princess Luna coming out of it. Without a second thought, she threw up a shield around her and Pinkie Pie. As the monsters came closer, she pushed the barrier outward, purging the infection from the dream.

After the flash, she looked around for the creature, seeing it crawl into a small box. She dove after it, but everything around her disappeared, causing her to slam into a statue instead.

“No!”

“Sorry,” Pinkie Pie apologized, realizing she had just jumped again.

Yogg-Saron entered Fluttershy’s dream, looking around. He was back in Ponyville near her cottage, a place he knew well. Below him, her pet bunny, Angel, was brushing her hair. The only thing odd about the scene was that Angel was giant compared to her.

“Mmm,” Fluttershy hummed, “it’s so nice to be the pet for once.”

His dark form made its way over to the oversized bunny, reaching a tendril out to the animal. He stabbed the bunny, infecting it with his twisted energy. It grew long, sharp nails, blue horns, and a flaming tail as it transformed into something evil.

Fluttershy paused as she felt a drop of saliva land on her mane. Looking up, she saw the titanic bunny who roared into her face. Cowering before it, she whimpered, “N-n-n-nice, giant, evil Angel…”

She screamed as it tried to grab her with its claws, but Luna swept in, grabbing Fluttershy and flying her up to the top of the nearby tree.

Growling, Yogg-Saron looked around for a way to jump to another dream. Finding his exit in a birdhouse opening, he squirmed his way through it. Luna formed a door above her, flying through it in pursuit.

He appeared in the sky, instantly recognizing where he was. He was in Sweet Apple Acres, specifically the vast apple orchard there. Applejack was busy polishing a giant apple only a short distance away from him. Knowing Luna was right behind him, he went from tree to tree, making them rot away as he did, stealing their energy. Killing three more, he flew towards the giant apple, spoiling it as he passed through a hole in its core, Luna following closely behind.

This time, he appeared in a totally different area: a large cave with jagged rock formations. There was a swarm of changelings charging towards Rainbow Dash, but she was beating them easily. She took down a large group with only a few punches and kicks, but more replaced them.

The Lunar Princess appeared, blasting one of the changelings away. Taking advantage of the opportunity, he started transforming the cave into something that would make Rainbow Dash scream in anguish.

Kicking the last changeling into oblivion, Rainbow Dash suddenly found herself in a large pasture. Horrified, she whipped around as she heard a voice singing.

We are such happy flowers
We will now sing for hours
Aren’t we unbearably cute?
Watch me solo on jazz flute

As the melodic notes of the instrument filled her ears, she screamed. The cute sunflowers swaying from side to side only added to the torture of the scene.

Yogg-Saron laughed as he zoomed past Luna, headed straight for the clouds, only getting stronger by tainting the dream. She quickly started to chase after him, but he hopped dreams first.

He materialized out of the stone floor tiles of a massive library. There were bookshelves lined up everywhere that had to be at least a story tall. Books were floating around, some of them going towards the desk at the center of the aisle.

He spotted Twilight sitting at the desk, reading peacefully. His essence went over to one of the bookshelves, turning the entire thing. Three books launched from the shelf with a flap of their bat wings, their fangs bared as they went for Twilight.

She jumped from her seat in time to dodge one, and she narrowly avoided the other two. Getting off the desk, she started running down the aisle as fast as she could. As she looked back, she could see the books behind her gaining.

Come closer to my trap. Coming around a bend, Yogg-Saron rushed towards Twilight. She tried to slow down, but he was already upon her. He put out his tendrils as he prepared to strike.

Luna jumped in his way, firing a spell that would stop him. Before he could move out the way, crystal started to grow on his form, spreading across him. Inch by inch, it overtook him, entombing him in crystal chunks. She thought him to be trapped, but he was already tearing through his confines.

She looked to Twilight, who was surrounded by a swarm of frenzied books, and was about to assist her when Yogg-Saron exploded from his prison, catching the princess off guard. He wrapped around her, covering her entire body in his blood. He pulled her magic away, causing her to convulse in his grip, expelling her from the dream and causing the Elements to wake up.

He was about to be pushed out of the dreamworld since his link was gone, but he felt tethers all around him. He could feel that the tethers were the dreams of every pony in Ponyville. Cackling madly, he grabbed onto one of the threads, entering into a pony’s mind.

He formed in a mirror on the wall, dropping out of the now shattered glass. He was in a foal’s bedroom. He could tell by the childish decorations all over the walls. Nearby was a set of stairs that he slowly crawled down. Peering through its spindles, he saw three ponies sitting at a dinner table.

A happy-looking stallion was eating a hayburger, his wife and daughter eating alongside him. This was the old pony’s favorite dream. He could enjoy a wonderful meal with his beautiful family while having a pleasant conversation with them. It brought only joy to his heart.

Yogg-Saron carefully moved down the steps and went over to one of the chairs. He climbed up the legs and went inside the body of the mare. Taking control of the host, he stopped eating. His head snapped to the stallion, drawing his attention.

“What is it, honey?”

The only response was his wife’s jaw falling from her face and into her food. He almost fell out of his chair in horror, dropping his utensils onto the floor. She stood up, her fur starting to fall off. She came closer to him, blood beginning to run out of her eyes.

Petrified in fear, he watched as his wife picked up a knife and ran at him. His instincts kicked into action, making him pick up his own knife from the table and stab it into his wife’s chest. She fell to the floor with him on top of her.

“Stop hurting mommy!” the foal yelled, trying to pry her father off her mother. He did not relent, pulling out the knife and stabbing it into his wife’s forehead.

Now crying, his daughter collapsed to the floor. Her father went over to her and hugged her, holding her close as he tried to calm down. The adrenaline pumping through him started to wear off as he felt the soothing warmth of his child.

Yogg-Saron stood up in his body, silently trotting towards the stallion. Black tentacles rose from his back, inching towards his victim.

“Boo,” he whispered, causing the stallion to jump back in fear. The tentacles wrapped around his daughter, prying her from his grip.

“No!” the stallion shouted, watching as the monster in front of him turned his daughter around so he could look at her face. The tentacles gripped onto each limb, stretching her out like a star.

His eyes lit up as he realized what was happening. He stumbled to his hooves, desperately running towards his daughter. She screamed as the monster pulled hard, making a sick cracking sound. Just as he reached her, she ripped apart.

Her arms snapped apart as her chest split open. Her head rolled back as her legs tore away from the rest of her body, her crimson blood splattering everywhere.

The stallion caught the mutilated body of his daughter, utterly horrified. He stared in shock at the corpse in his hooves. From its chest, a black sludge jumped at him. It wrapped around his neck and lifted him into the air. His wife trotted beneath him, looking up at his choking form. Her tendrils wrapped around his entire body.

Yogg-Saron started to consume the lifeforce of the stallion, making him grow stronger. The fear of the pony combined with the corruption of the dream made him surge with power. After he finished with this dream, he would go to the next and feed off of that one.

“My feast begins,” the mare whispered, turning black and pulling her husband into her.

The Elements all awoke with a hard gasp. Spike rushed over, asking if they were alright.

Shaking, Fluttershy was the first to speak. “That, that was terrible. I-I never want to have that nightmare again.”

Shivering, Rainbow Dash said, “Me either!”

“But Luna caught it, didn’t she?” Spike asked, a little concerned.

“I am so sorry, my friends.” She descended from the air, landing in the center of the room. “I failed. It will be back to infect your dreams the next time you sleep.”

“Yeah. I reckon I could live without seeing that thing ever again.”

“But you will,” she told Applejack. “Again and again—every night—until it grows powerful enough to infect the waking world.” She walked over to a window, too ashamed at the moment to look at anypony. “After what I did as Nightmare Moon, the fact that I am once again responsible for harming others is more than I can bear.”

“It’ll be okay. Everypony makes mistakes!” Pinkie Pie said.

“As long as none of you dreamt about another pony, it remains confined to your dreams. I still have a chance to catch it before it’s too late.”

Pinkie Pie let out a breath. “Phew, that’s good to hear. Although after you left, I did happen to dream that I was eating a giant ice-cream cone with all of Ponyville while taking a test we hadn’t studied for. See, what’d I tell ya? Everypony makes mistakes!”

Everypony in the room realized the gravity of what she had just said.

“But that means it could be turning every dream in Ponyville into a nightmare!” Twilight exclaimed.

“It is far worse than that,” Luna started. “Infecting all those dreams gives it more and more power. Soon it will be able to escape into the real world and infect Equestria with its nightmare plague.”

“Then you must let us help you stop it before that happens!” Rarity announced.

“But how?” Fluttershy asked. “That thing was able to escape Luna when it only had six dreams it could get to.”

“It is true. With so many dreams to hide in, I do not know how I can catch it,” Luna grimly answered.

“What if everypony in Ponyville were having one dream?” Twilight offered.

“I can create shared dreams, yes, but for so many ponies at once?” The princess looked down. “I have never done anything like that. The amount of power it would take…”

“Well, it is worth a try, isn’t it?” Fluttershy asked.

“Of course. I will do anything to end this, including accept your help. I cannot allow that creature to escape into the real world. All of you must now go back to sleep and hope that I can create such a dream.”

Everypony did as Luna said, quickly drifting off into sleep again. She went into the air again, her horn turning white along the ridges. Countless white threads extended from her horn, spreading all over the town and connecting with each pony and their mind.

The Elements found themselves in the streets of Ponyville, all of their neighbors outside as well. Some were big and small, and some were in flying boats. All kinds of odd things only a dream could produce were happening in the town.

Seeing all of Ponyville’s citizens, Twilight realized the plan worked. “Princess Luna did it!”

“Ponies!” Luna shouted, getting everypony to come to her. She was in a glowing sphere, holding each thread of the collective dream together.

“Princess Luna,” they all said together, bowing.

“There is no time for bowing, my friends. There is something coming, something terrible! No, it is already here!” She pointed toward the edge of town, where a large black mass was rearing its head.

Yogg-Saron rose over the streets, looking down upon the scared ponies. Inside, he was smiling at their terror.

“I am so sorry! I brought this upon you!” Luna said, straining as she continued the flow of magic. “But I will end it now!”

Her horn sparked as lightning formed at its tip before firing forward towards him. It struck part of his form, making him roar out as electricity burned through him. After only a few seconds, the stream fizzled away, and he darted away, chasing down the ponies.

Twilight ran over to Luna. “Princess, what’s wrong?”

Sweat was running down her face as she fought to keep the tethers linked. “It... is taking all my strength just to hold this massive dream together! You will have to stop it. I truly wish I did not have to ask this of you!”

“Then you’re in luck.”

“Yeah! We’re already on it!” Rainbow Dash said before shooting off to help, her friends doing the same.

Realizing the princess was too weak to stop him, Yogg-Saron went on the prowl. He chased down a group of ponies, but they split up, somehow escaping him. He flew over to a house, going through it and spreading his plague at the same time. It grew wicked teeth and limbs, attacking nearby ponies. He flew towards another, passing through that one as well.

The screams of his prey only bolstered him, making him strong enough to rip through the dream barrier and escape into the real world. He flew towards the edge of the town, forming a sword out of his body. He cut through the fabric of reality, starting to go through it when Twilight’s magic seared him. He recoiled, and Luna sealed the tear back up.

Growling, he sped over Ponyville, hoping to get out of Twilight’s range. Rainbow Dash flew up to his side and kicked him, but he shifted himself into a ring, causing her to fly right between him. He made a smaller hole in his body, a magic bolt flying straight through him.

With his enemies deterred, he flew upwards. He quickly reached the barrier, a sharp talon sticking out of his form. He shredded through it, a glowing gash appearing in front of him. He let his essence pour through it when he felt a sharp pain.

A muscular-looking Spike riding atop a derpy pegasus used a lance to slice through him. He let out a feral roar, only for a pony flying on a trail of gold coins to blast him with gold. He reeled in pain, gouging another hole for him to go through. A small pony with giant wings flapped hard enough for the wind to force him away from the barrier.

Rainbow Dash flew around him, forming a tornado beneath him. Trying to resist, he was sucked into the harsh winds of the twister, but it was not enough to hold him. With a mighty surge, he exploded from the tornado, rising into the air.

Yogg-Saron channeled his power into one spell, the space around him bending as he wove it together. His dark voice carried through the dream and its destination in the real world.

“Come, Vultrax, and put down this puny resistance!”

Blue crackles formed around him as the entire realm shook. A crack in space formed in front of him, growing in size until it exploded in a fit of blue light. A high-pitched whinny echoed through Ponyville as Vultrax appeared, answering his master’s call. His ghostly body took shape as he descended to the ground.

“Distract these mortals as I tear through this realm.” Yogg-Saron began his ascent.

Vultrax nodded, looking at all the ponies around him. A few charged at him, not knowing of his power. As they reached him, he phased through them, reforming behind them. He slammed his hoof into the ground, Void energy backing his punch. The ground around him uprooted, sending the ponies flying. He took to the air, only to get blasted by magic. He scanned the area for his attacker, unable to find them.

Filthy Rich flew towards the windigo from around a building, firing a stream of bits at him. They ripped through his body, sending blinding pain throughout his nerves. He whipped around, breathing frost onto the impudent pony. Instead, his attack only hit a wall of gold, rendering it useless. Filthy Rich flew upward, shooting down at Vultrax.

The two fought, Yogg-Saron heading towards one of the tears he made. Before he could reach it, a swarm of books flew around him, battering his body. He swatted some away but even more took their place. He went to go around them, but a lasso pulled him down. He watched the tear get stitched back together.

Vultrax finally landed a punch, sending Filthy Rich to the ground. Vultrax landed, lumbering towards the downed pony, about to strike him down, when he froze. Spike had driven his lance straight through the windigo’s malleable body. He went to his knees, pain coursing through him. Filthy Rich got back to his hooves, and Spile pulled his lance out of Vultrax. He collapsed onto the ground, his new blood trying to heal his wound. Looking up, he saw his master faring no better.

Yogg-Saron roared as the evil Angel dug his teeth into him. He was then burned by more gold, his whole body being pushed down by the downbeat of giant pegasus wings. He kept lashing out at his enemies, but he could not hit them. He was losing.

Such impudence! I will be your end!

Luna looked from her bubble at the scene. The creature was held back now, but her control over the collective dream was slipping. The strain of holding it together was wearing away at her resolve, and she knew she was close to letting it unravel.

“I cannot hold this dream together much longer!” Once that happened, the creature would be free to feed off all the other dreams in Ponyville, and she would not be able to stop it. “Equestria will fall because of me!”

Yogg-Saron felt the sudden outburst of guilt radiating from Luna, and he drank in as much of it as he could. His form buckled, forcing the ponies around him back. They fell to the ground, and he swelled in size. Vultrax’s chest healed back up, and he got to his hooves.

Yes…

Spike managed to catch himself in the air, still riding his mount. He saw Yogg-Saron grow even larger. “Am I crazy, or did it just get even bigger after Luna said that?”

Twilight shouted, “I think it’s feeding off your guilt, Princess Luna!”

“If that is so, then perhaps that is how it grew strong enough to escape in the first place!” Luna said.

“Say what now?” Applejack yelled from a rooftop.

“I have been giving myself the same nightmare every night… to punish myself for the evil I caused as Nightmare Moon.”

“But why would you do that?” Fluttershy questioned.

Tears welled up in Luna’s eyes as she felt herself getting weaker. “To make sure I never forgave myself for how much Equestria suffered because of me.” She felt herself start to cry. “But it seems I have not learned my lesson, for now I have only made you suffer more!”

Yogg-Saron neared the barrier, about to tear through reality one more time.

Twilight went over to the princess’s bubble. “But that means you might just be the key to stopping all this!”

“Yeah,” Rainbow Dash shouted from the air. “If it gets strong because you feel bad about what you did as Nightmare Moon, then you just gotta stop feeling bad for what you did!”

“How can I forgive myself?” Luna cried. “I am no better now than I was then. I should have realized something was corrupting my dreams. Instead, I failed, just as I failed to stop myself from becoming Nightmare Moon! And now my failure is about to turn the world into a living nightmare!”

Yogg-Saron stabbed his talons through the wall, pulling away the veil between the dreamworld and Equestria. His essence started to flow through it, his laughter cascading. Vultrax was by his side as well, fighting off the ponies still trying to stop him.

“But look at what you’re doing!” Twilight pleaded. “Nightmare Moon would’ve wanted to turn Equestria into a nightmare. You’re doing everything you can to stop it! Don’t you see? That proves you’re not the same pony you were then. Everypony who knows you knows that Nightmare Moon is in the past. We all trust you, Luna. Do you trust us enough to believe we’re right?”

The words sank in as she saw the creature about to escape. She did fail to stop herself from becoming Nightmare Moon, but now she was trying to stop herself from destroying Equestria. She did change. One last tear rolled down her cheek as she looked to the ponies she could call her true friends.

She smiled. “I do.”

Yogg-Saron let out an immense demonic roar that made everypony turn to him. His form contorted as he shrank down, his essence returning to the dreamworld.

No! Pathetic ponies!

Vultrax also felt his power drain, causing his chest to reopen. He fell from the sky, crashing into a house with a loud grunt.

Yogg-Saron watched his power disappear as a few sparks. He let his rage loose as he fought to hold on to all that he could. His voice boomed out as he brought one more spell together.

“If it is a dream you want, then let me show you…”

The buildings melted away, all traces of Ponyville eradicated as he fought for dominion. Obelisks rose from the now barren ground as the realm quaked. Spikes shot out of the earth, stabbing through the ponies unfortunate enough to be in their way. The top of a pyramid erupted from the center of town, the rest of it rising out of the dirt. Everypony backed up as they saw the massive structure grow until its peak poked the very edge of the dream.

There was a massive orb in the pyramid, and it ignited in blue light as the shaking stopped. An opening on each side of the pyramid formed, rows of repulsive creatures standing inside the temple. They had no faces, and their bodies were made of pulpy flesh and tentacles.

“Ny’alotha!”

At their master’s conclusion, the Faceless Ones marched forward. Yogg-Saron went to the top of his temple, resting his essence on it. His minions towered over the ponies, and started to charge towards their foes.

Luna, with newfound strength, kept the dream together. “Hold off these monsters!”

Twilight and her friends formed a line to meet the Faceless Ones, but Vultrax swooped down in front of them.

“My master will end your little village, and with it, all of Equestria!” He ran at Twilight.

Spike’s mount dove towards the windigo, and he readied his weapon. Prepared this time, Vultrax let Spike phase through him, causing the dragon to slam into the ground. Vultrax reappeared, still charging toward the Elements. He snarled, the Faceless Ones coming to his side.

Spotting his forces, Luna charged up a lightning bolt, aiming it at Vultrax. She let the blast run free, watching as thunder clapped over him. He was hurled back as his vision turned white. He felt a tremendous heat wash over him, the screams of the Faceless Ones echoing around him.

His body slammed into the side of the temple, shaking the very structure. His sight returned, and he stared at the ponies who still stood firm. He got to his hooves, stamping them in the dirt before charging again.

Yogg-Saron watched the rest of his minions wreak havoc upon the interlopers. Vultrax may have been injured, but that would not stop him.

“Your attempt at resistance is futile. You cannot escape…”

“We’re not trying to escape!” Luna shot back. He chuckled.

“Really? Was it not you who tried to run from the pain of knowing you were a far second to your sister.” He could feel the doubt stirring already.

“It was me, but I see now that I have changed. No longer am I running from my pain!”

“You lie to yourself, Luna. I know you better than you know yourself.” His form rolled down the temple, crawling over to the princess. “Your sister thinks you are nothing.”

Yogg-Saron wrapped around the ball Luna was in, trying to seep his essence through it.

“Luna!” Twilight shouted, too busy fighting to help her.

“She uses you. You became Nightmare Moon to even the score, but now you reduce yourself to this pathetic form!” He tightened his grip on the sphere, feeling it buckle. His blood oozed in, clouding her thoughts.

She betrayed you…

She banished you for trying to defend yourself.

Take back the throne. Overthrow her!

“No! Celestia is my rock. She has always been there for me!”

Then why did she leave you to rot for a thousand years?

The Faceless Ones pushed the ponies back, Vultrax managing to fight off the Elements.

“Because I tried to destroy Equestria!” She felt her resilience waning as the dream became even harder to maintain.

Why do you deceive yourself, Luna? You can be great if you get past this lie you tell yourself…

He felt the sphere crack.

Meanwhile, the ponies were regrouping, the horde of Faceless Ones coming with their commander leading the charge.

Let me show you…

The landscape around Luna changed to that of Canterlot. The city was burning, dragons soaring over the desecrated area. The screams of ponies brought her to tears, the chilling sound shaking her.

This is what will happen if Equestria continues to follow this path of Friendship. To survive, somepony must overthrow her and prepare for the coming storm.

The city changed again, repairing itself, the castle turning a beautiful midnight black. Ponies in the streets were safe and happy. Dragons flew at the city, but they were met with a volley of magic. They fell like flies, unable to get close to Canterlot.

This is what you can do. You can protect your people from ruin—but you must accept that you cannot stay weak to do so. Your sister will lead you all to destruction.

He felt the ball cracking further, almost at the point of shattering.

You, Luna, can save them all…

She looked out at the landscape. It really did look incredible. Ponies were thriving, they were safe, and they were happy. There was no hunger, no war they could not win, and they dictated their own fates. Equestria was the great nation it was meant to be.

Luna considered the offer—only for a second. She could feel her shield wearing down. She knew the monster was only trying to turn her against her friends.

“You’re wrong.”

He laughed. And why is that, princess?

“Because my sister is kind, benevolent, and caring. She believes in the magic of Friendship, and she is right to.”

Do you hear how weak you sound? The magic of Friendship? Laughable!

“We are stronger together, and Friendship and Love link us. It stopped Nightmare Moon, it stopped Discord, it stopped the changelings—and now it will stop you!”

Yogg-Saron’s essence was forced from her mind, returning her to reality. He could feel the shield repair itself.

What? No.

“I won’t let you harm my friends.” Her eyes sparked with electricity. “I won’t let you corrupt the dreamworld any further!”

The shield exploded, sending him flying. The ponies fell back, running to Luna. She floated down to the ground, her eyes glowing white.

Finish this, minions!

Vultrax and the Faceless Ones sprinted towards the last line of defense. Twilight and her friends stood ready with the princess.

Yogg-Saron steadied himself, rising above his forces.

“This realm is mine!”

“We won’t let you have it,” Luna stated, opening her wings. Lightning spewed from her body, eviscerating everything in her path. Vultrax warped above the blast, but his front line of troops was destroyed.

“We are kind.”

Yogg-Saron’s form shrank, the obelisks cracking apart.

“We are loving.”

His body began to spasm. The obelisks collapsed, and the pyramid shook.

“We are strong!”

He roared out as his minions began to be purged from the dream.

“We are Equestria!”

A white stream crashed into him from the princess, his essence melting beneath it.

“I will not fall to your weak ma—”

“Enough!” Luna looked to her friends, all of them laying their trust in her. She turned back to Yogg-Saron, a scowl on her muzzle.

“I BANISH YOU!”

The white stream engulfed him, blasting all around him. The temple was burned away under its purifying power, and Vultrax was forced out of the dream. Yogg-Saron felt himself being torn from the realm, his essence starting to splinter.

He let out a bellow as he felt the last of his form get expelled, his foothold in the dreamworld lost.

His last words were, “I release you, Luna…”

The white light washed over everything, returning the dreamworld to its normal state and removing all traces of evil within it. Yogg-Saron was hurled back through the veil, and everypony was returned to their dreams.

All Luna saw was white as she felt tranquility. The tethers slipped away, and she let her body rest. As the light cleared, she found herself lying in a mythical forest, a look of peace on her face as she slept happily for the first time since her return.

Chapter 23: Cold

Sorin was pulled back into the realm of the waking, a stiff gasp coming from deep within his barrel. He threw off the blanketing around him, sitting up. Looking at his bed, he saw that the mattress was soaked in sweat, his fur slick with it all over as well. As he pumped oxygen back into his lungs, a nagging, dull throb came from his forehead and horn. He put a hoof to his horn, cringing as he felt a sharp pain shoot through his head.

“Those damnable ponies,” he muttered to no one. “Their little Elements gave her courage, enough to deny me. Once again, I am defeated by Friendship.” He laughed at himself. “The God of Death, stopped by pathetic puny morsels!” His eyes ignited, the windows growing frosty.

“If it were not for them, she would have given in—or at least failed to expel me from the dream. I would have already started infecting the waking world—but no. Instead, they exiled me from the dreamworld. Now, Luna is confident again, meaning she will only be that much more difficult to defeat!”

He was seething. He had come so far, only to be stopped by a race of horses. “Twilight and her friends will pay for what they did. But it is their teacher that carries the burden.” He stood up, darkness swirling around him. “I swear that Celestia will SUFFER FOR HER INSOLENCE!”

A wave of energy exploded from him, shaking the treehouse. The books on his nightstand went flying, slamming into his desk. He keeled over in pain, his horn burning.

“They even cost me my magic.” He let out a short sigh. “But that is temporary. My power will return quickly, and then I will lay waste to this miserable little seedling.”

He endured a slight pain as he formed an image of Vultrax. The windigo saw his master’s distress.

“Are you okay, master?”

“Yes, I’ll be fine, Vultrax. I just need time to recover from being forced out of the dreamworld.”

“How long do you think that will take?” Vultrax asked.

“I suspect a few weeks. Until then, I will lay low here in Ponyville.”

“Our armies should be gathered by then.”

“Good.” Sorin stood up. “When I recover, we will get ready to make our move. I have a few leads, but I need a new plan to ensure I am not thwarted again. I doubt we’ll be able to stay hidden for much longer.”

Vultrax smiled. “It won’t matter. By then, we will be strong enough to overtake Equestria.”

“I suspect this to be true—but it is better to wait and plan. Be sure to alert me of any pressing developments, and warn me of any nearby forces of any kind.”

Bowing, he uttered, “It will be done.”

The image faded from the room, Sorin getting a hold of his emotions again. He was so close—he could not let his rage erase his progress. He walked over to his somehow intact window, peering outside at the night sky. Not too long from now, the sun would peek over the horizon.

“Luna has developed feelings for Sorin, which I can exploit. My armies are preparing for war, and my corruption spreads. All I must do is wait.” He smiled. “Wait to recover and get to full strength,” he formed an image of Canterlot in his hoof, “and then I will CRUSH all who oppose me.” The city in his grasp crumbled away.

Twilight was sitting in her room, Spike lying on her bed. She was reading a book, but she found herself having to reread almost every sentence. Noticing this, Spike hopped off the bed and went over to her.

“What is it, Twilight?”

She put down the book, turning to her assistant. “It’s Sorin. He’s been acting so distant lately—cold even. I know he has a lot he’s going through between becoming an alicorn and dealing with this ‘Yogg-Saron,’ but I hope everything is alright. He’s been wonderful to us so far.”

“I like him too, but bugging him about his issues might just push him away.”

Looking at him with a look of pleased surprise, Twilight smiled. “How insightful, Spike.” She turned away, sighing. “You’re probably right, but it can’t hurt to let him know that we’re there, even if we don’t say it.”

“You sure? He doesn’t seem like the kind of pony to open up about his feelings too easily. Kinda reminds me of you not too long ago.”

Lightly hitting him on the back of the head, Twilight tried to hold in her giggles. “Maybe so, but knowing you have a friend—or seven—who is there for you can help.”

“So, how do you plan to do all this?” Spike asked her.

“Since he lives here, it won’t be that hard. I’ll just lightly suggest that he can talk to any of us at breakfast tomorrow.”

Twilight had a bowl of cereal in front of her, taking small spoonfuls of the delicious morning food. Spike was next to her, eating a few gems from a bowl. They looked up at the stairs as they heard a slow clip-clop coming down.

Sorin went to the kitchen, scouring the pantry for something to eat. Settling on pancakes, he started cooking them up.

Spike leaned over to Twilight, whispering in her ear, “What are you gonna do?”

“I’m just gonna talk like normal.”

Flipping his food onto his plate, the stallion turned off the stove and got his meal ready. After a minute, he carried his plate over to the table. Setting it down, he took his seat across from Twilight. He lifted his fork and started digging in. Spike gave her a look, to which she grunted, clearing her throat.

“Sooo,” she started, making him pause to look at her, “what is it like to be equal to the princesses?”

“It’s nice.” He looked back down at his pancakes, continuing to eat.

Twilight threw up her hooves when he was not looking, Spike shrugging in response.

“Furthering that, what is being an alicorn like?”

“It’s pretty stressful. Lots of political messes to deal with mainly.”

“Do you know what your role is yet?”

He paused, raising an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“Celestia controls the sun and day, Luna controls the moon and night, and Cadance represents Love. What about you?”

“I’m not quite sure yet,” he dully said. “I’m sure I’ll know sometime soon.”

Twilight saw that he had gone through a large portion of the pancakes already, meaning she had to hurry.

“I know you like magic, so how has becoming an alicorn affected that?”

“I haven’t tested it out much.”

“If you want, I can help you test out some of the more difficult spells to see if you can do them now. I know Starswirl has some pretty cool ones you could try.” She was smiling, the thought of experimenting giving her little jolts of joy.

He briefly smiled. “Thanks, but another time maybe.”

Twilight felt like she had just been slapped across the face. Sorin finished the last of his pancakes, stuffing them down his throat. He wiped off his face and stood up from his chair. He sent his plate to the sink and started for the stairs.

Now annoyed, Twilight pushed her chair back. “Hey!” He froze, slowly turning around to face her. “You can’t just come here, eat, barely talk, and then go.” Spike facepalmed.

“Forgive me, Twilight. I just have a lot on my mind.” His deadpan tone only seemed to make her angrier.

“I know. You’ve been acting distant lately, and I’m worried. With all that you’re going through, that is understandable, but you don’t want to talk about it.”

He did not say anything, only seeming to frown. He started to turn again when she teleported in his way.

“You know, my friends are here to help with whatever you need—and so am I. With all the responsibility you have now, we can help ease the load.”

“That’s just it,” he spat, his tone making her shrink back a little. “I don’t know what to do. All I have done so far is get some training. Other than that, I have no purpose as a prince. Celestia mentioned this Yogg-Saron, but she didn’t say how to find him. I’ve been aimlessly researching, coming up with nothing.”

“I just wanted to—”

“Help?” He went around her, going up the stairs and looking back at her. “I know—and I’m thankful for all you’ve done for me, truly—but I need some time to myself. I need… I need to think about what my life means now.”

With that, he left to go to his room. Twilight sank to the floor, letting out a sad sigh. Spike came over to her.

“You were right,” she said to him, “I should have left him alone.”

He rubbed her back. “You were just tryin’ to help; it’s what you do.”

“Thanks, Spike.” She pulled him into a hug, which he gladly accepted. “I just hope he’s okay.”

The following week or so had been strange. Sorin stayed in his room most of the time, only coming out when necessary. The few times he came out for any other reason was to help Twilight and her friends.

One day, he helped with gathering apples at Sweet Apple Acres. He spent another being Rarity’s assistant. He brought her all the fabrics she requested, he picked things up for her at stores, and he even did a little basic sewing. While she was grateful for the help, she thought he was acting weird, as if he was trying to distract himself.

He helped Rainbow Dash hone her flying skills another day. Their races were not even close, mainly because Sorin was still getting used to his wings. He helped her practice some new stunt routines, which she appreciated. Still, even she thought he was trying to throw himself into work.

It was later in the day, and all seven of them were eating in Applejack’s home. They were at a large table, all kinds of delicious food laid out in front of them. They were chatting, enjoying each other’s company for the evening. Sorin was quiet, as usual, when Rarity asked if everything was alright.

“Being the first male alicorn is alright, yea,” he responded.

Raising an eyebrow, she carefully thought out what to say next. “Dear… I didn’t mention that.” Everypony looked at him.

“Oh, I just have a lot on my mind.”

“That’s what you said when you didn’t move out of my way when I was crashing,” Rainbow Dash butted in.

“And that’s what you said when you let one of the sewing machines get stuck on one of my dresses.”

“It’s true. I have had a lot to think about recently.” He sighed, putting down his silverware. “Why is everypony talking about it recently?”

“I just want to be sure you’re fine, dear. You seem… distracted lately.”

Sorin shot a look at Twilight, who had remained silent for this part of the conversation. She quickly swallowed her food, taking a drink of water.

“He’s just dealing with some stuff right now. I wouldn’t worry,” she nervously said. Her friends could tell she was hiding something.

“If there’s anything you wish to talk about,” Rarity began, laying a hoof on his, “we’re here.”

He snatched his hoof away, a cold stare forming on his face. “As much as I appreciate it, I’m good.” He stood up. “Thank you for this meal, Applejack,” he bowed, “but I’m afraid I must be going.”

“Aren’t you going to wait for cobbler?” she asked him, watching as he trotted away without another word.

“Well, that went… not the best,” Rarity muttered.

“He’s been like this these last couple of weeks. I don’t know what to do.”

“He said he had a lot to think about, so maybe it’s best to leave him be Twilight.”

“That’s what I’ve been doing, and he’s just gotten colder!” She traced a hoof over her glass, staring into it. “I guess we’ll just have to let him deal with it.”

Her friends nodded in agreement. While they all cared about Sorin and wanted to help him, they had to respect him. If he wanted to deal with things on his own, they would let him—as much as it pained them.

Chapter 25: The Betrayer

Sorin saw some of his friends waiting for him beneath the crystal castle. He went over to them, hoping they had information.

With a sigh, Rainbow Dash said, “I got nothing so far.”

“Oh, me neither,” Rarity added.

Fluttershy walked over to them, Sorin about to greet her, when she pulled off her fur, revealing Pinkie Pie.

“My cover has been blown. I repeat, my cover has been blown!” She darted away, leaving everypony confused.

“Oookay…” Twilight muttered.

Applejack approached, a sad look on her face. “Sorry, Twilight. These crystal ponies seem to have some kinda collective amnesia or somethin’. Only thing I was able to get out of ’em was somethin’ about a library.”

Twilight perked up, her ears raising high. “A library? Well, why didn’t you say so?”

“Uh… thought I just did.”

They all followed Applejack, who led them through the streets to a large building with statues of griffons standing watch over it. Going up the steps, they opened the doors, revealing an expansive hall with books lined against every wall the whole way. There had to be thousands of them within the library.

“I just… I don’t even know what to…” Twilight babbled after seeing the sheer number of books. “There are no words.”

“Ahem. May I help you?” an older mare asked from their side.

“Yes,” Twilight answered, trotting over to her. “We’re looking for a book.”

“We have plenty of those.”

Looking out in awe, Twilight spun around in a trance. “You do. You really do.”

“We’re lookin’ for a history book,” Applejack said, taking over for her friend. “Somethin’ that might tell us how the empire might’ve protected itself from danger back in the day.”

“Yes. Of course. History, history…” the mare rambled, thinking to herself. “Ah, yes.”

There was a pregnant pause as they waited for her to say where the book was. “Which is where, exactly?” Twilight carefully asked.

“I... I can’t seem to remember. I’m not sure I actually work here.”

“We’ll just take a look around. I’m sure we can find it on our own.”

As the ponies started heading down the steps to the bookshelves, the mare called to them, “Let me know if you find anything.”

Sorin and the Elements started looking through the vast number of books in search of something that could help them protect the empire. Some of them jumped from book to book randomly, hoping to find it by chance, while some of the others had a system. Sorin simply scanned the aisles, hoping to find some sort of direction.

He found one shelf with a label, but it was so worn out that he could not even read it. There was a thick layer of dust on it that he wiped away, but some of the shelf came off as well. He looked around, realizing the others were the same. Sighing, he picked the first book off the shelf and read the title.

“‘The Evolution of Dance Choreography in the Empire,’” he spoke out loud. He put the book back, moving on to the next. His boredom was at its height as he continued to go down the row, one by one, in search of something history-related. It seemed his friends fared no better.

“Uh, anyone else startin’ to think this is a lost cause?” Applejack called out.

Meanwhile, Twilight was rapidly going through titles. She had a pile that she knew was not helpful, and she had an assembly line of books headed towards her. She skimmed each title as it went by before sending it to the pile.

“No, no, no, no, no,” she deadpanned, each one passing her by. As she read one, she stopped, letting the rest of the books in her magic drop. “Yes!” she shouted. All her friends came over, looking at the large book she put on the ground. The cover had a picture of crystal shards on it. “‘History of the Crystal Empire.’ I just hope it has the answers we need.”

They started reading through it, Sorin listening intently. Any information on the empire he could find would be crucial to his advance. He needed to know everything he could about King Sombra and how the empire protected itself. Time was also of the essence, so when they found the answer they were looking for, he teleported with Twilight to the castle’s throne room where Shining Armor and his wife were.

Cadance stirred. “Did… did you find anything useful?”

“We did,” he answered, looking to Twilight as she pulled out the book. She turned to the page she marked.

“A ‘Crystal Faire.’ According to this book, it was established by their first queen and became their most important tradition. The faire was held every year to ‘renew the spirit of love and unity in the empire so they could protect it from harm.’” She looked up at the couple. “My friends and I could put it together. Everything we need to know is in the book!”

“That sounds pretty promising,” her brother said. He looked to Cadance, seeing her looking worse than ever before.

“We’ll get started right away.” Twilight handed the heavy book to her assistant, who struggled to carry it. “C’mon, Spike, we’ve got a Crystal Faire to put together!”

Sorin waited for them to leave, turning to the royal couple. “Let’s hope she can pull this off. I have faith in her, but time is running out.” He pulled out a small bottle, giving it to Cadance. “Here, take this. It should give you some energy—something you desperately need.”

“T-thank you, Sorin,” she said, quickly taking the lid off the bottle. She threw her head back, downing the whole thing in a matter of seconds. She instantly felt better than she did, but it only slightly boosted her awareness.

“I’ll check up on the faire soon.” They nodded. He turned, trotting down the carpet leading to the doors.

In the confines of an obscure room in the castle, Sorin placed a magical lock over the entrance, also putting a sound barrier. He charged a teleport, a bright flash taking him to Mount Everhoof.

The wind nipped at his neck as he looked out at his stronghold. He went forward, ascending the massive set of stairs that led to the daunting gate of his citadel. The sound of clanging chains signaled the raising of the bars. He went through them, entering the main hall. The gates closed behind him, blue torches igniting all along the walls of the vast chamber he was now in. In front of him stood a few ranks of changelings and windigos.

Vultrax was at the front, stepping forward and bowing to greet his master. “We have all gathered here, as you requested.”

“Perfect.” Sorin looked at the ranks of soldiers. “You are the strongest of my legions, and you shall be rewarded for your skills.” He turned to Chrysalis. “You will be leading your subjects, of course. These changelings here will command under you, ensuring order within the ranks.” He turned to Vultrax. “You are the general of all my armies, but you also command your brethren. As with her, the windigos here shall be the extension of your authority.”

He walked down the front row, observing the determined looks of his underlings. “You will lead my forces into battle. You will bring about the undoing of Equestria by my hand. You shall taste the glory of battle.

“Gather your troops, for the time has come to prepare for battle. Soon, I will call upon you, for this Crystal Empire stands almost undefended. We will swoop down from the mountains, vanquishing all in our way as we claim it. King Sombra will not be able to stand in your way. The princesses will not be able to stand in your way. Nothing will be able to stand in your way.”

He trotted back to the front of the room. “Now, prepare for war. When you are ready, bring your forces down the mountain and to the outskirts of the Crystal Empire. Make sure you stay undetected by King Sombra and the ponies.” He started his teleport. “I will call you soon…”

Upon returning, Sorin found the empire in an entirely festive mood. The Crystal Ponies were out in the streets, going around the different carnival-looking stands to their enjoyment. Some were getting what looked like corn on the cob, others got funnel cakes, and some had strange-looking hats. They appeared happy, and he noticed the shine that they lacked earlier. Their very fur seemed to be radiating in the sunlight.

He went further through the streets, coming across two ponies who still looked miserable. He then watched them perk up, their bodies turning to that of the others as they mumbled something about a “Crystal Heart.”

“It seems Twilight and her friends put quite the faire together. It’s already lifting the spirits of these ponies,” Sorin said to himself. “Now I just have to understand how this whole thing works.”

He saw Rainbow Dash shoot to the bottom of the castle, draping a flag over what looked like a crudely shaped heart made of crystal rock. Based on the look on her face, he was sure something was very wrong. He started rushing over there.

Twilight was heading back into the castle through one of its doors, Sorin making up the distance between them and going through the closing door. He went to her side, noticing her expression.

“I saw Rainbow Dash rush over here, is something wrong?”

She gulped. “Yeah, you could say that.”

“How so?” he cautiously asked.

“The book said that there was a crystal heart that was used in the faire, so I cut one out of a crystal block with my magic. But there is just one issue with that…”

They went into the throne room, heading over to the balcony Cadance and Shining Armor were on.

“I have some bad news.” They both looked at her with a face of dread. “The ‘crystal heart’ the book asked for was the Crystal Heart, a relic that was used to power the empire and keep it protected. By lifting the ponies’ spirits, it would power the Heart, and then that would protect the empire—but King Sombra hid the Heart away.”

She pulled out the history book as she felt more and more like she had missed something. “I didn’t know it was an actual relic! The book didn’t mention anything about the Crystal Ponies powering the Heart.” She stopped looking through the book as she saw the remains of a torn-out page at the end. “There was a page missing? How did I not notice?”

“It’s alright, Twilight,” Cadance said as barely a whisper, her eyes blurring as her voice wavered. Her head swayed as her exhaustion set in, leaving her weak. She fell back as she gave out, her husband catching her. As the last of her concentration fell away, her horn sputtered, her protection spell failing.

“Twily…”

The sound of King Sombra’s howl reached the ears of everypony. Billowing dark clouds spilled into the outskirts of the empire, the dark king snarling as he looked upon the place he had waited so long to retake. He raised his head and its crimson horn, rushing forward.

“The empire is under attack,” Shining Armor said after seeing the clouds. He helped his wife up, trying to wake her so she could raise the barrier again.

Sorin looked out in the distance, seeing the king already getting close to the empire. Why must I do everything myself? He opened his wings. “You get her to raise the shield; I’ll handle this.” He shot into the air, flying with speeds that rivaled Rainbow Dash herself. Soaring above the kingdom, he saw the guards he helped save mobilizing.

He flew directly to the front line, sending a bullet of magic that exploded on the cloud, making King Sombra roar. Seeing the same alicorn as before, he was consumed by anger and raced towards him, his only goal to end the prince once and for all.

Yes, come to me.

Sorin flew directly at King Sombra, the two about to collide when he whipped to the left. Blowing past the king, he dove, narrowly avoiding the oncoming jaws. Flipping around, he then burned him with a beam of fire. King Sombra reformed right below the alicorn with his jaws parted, about to devour Sorin.

The guards saw the battle between their prince and the wicked tyrant, watching nervously. Sorin was able to weave out the way of King Sombra’s strikes, but how long would that last?

The guards finally grouped together, running towards the two. They fired random shots as they sprinted, most of them missing entirely. One shot managed to hit the cloud, but it exploded right next to Sorin.

His armor took most of the force, but he was sent tumbling from the sky. Spinning around rapidly, he found himself unable to right himself. He also could not aim a teleport, and King Sombra was nearing. Finding himself out of all ideas but one, he let some of his blood come from his chest and wrap around the only solid part of the king: his horn. Grabbing the tether with his hooves, he pulled down with the weight of a mountain, flying upwards while pulling the king down into the ground.

Sorin flapped his wings hard, flying away from his adversary. It did not take long for the cloud to get back to its senses. Looking back at the Crystal Empire, King Sombra saw the barrier was reforming. He surged towards the kingdom, the guards nearby releasing volleys of attacks. He shifted his form, avoiding the powerful blasts easily. The guards started to fire in a wide spread, but he stooped to the ground, billowing over the snow and rising just before the barrier. He leaned his head down, charging.

Sorin and the guards slowed him down just enough because the raising shield sliced off the end of King Sombra’s horn. He roared out as he was denied entrance into the empire. The dome fully formed, sealing it off.

The fractured piece of horn flickered with purple energy, dissolving into the ground within the Crystal Empire and beginning to spread.

“I have to find the Crystal Heart,” Shining Armor declared.

“No, you stay here with Cadance,” Twilight said. “She needs you, Shining Armor. I’ll retrieve the Heart.” She whipped her tail, setting off in search of the ancient relic.

“Let’s do this!” Rainbow Dash said while flying alongside her.

“I’ve been trying to figure out how I’m meant to pass Celestia’s test. Retrieving the Crystal Heart must be it.” She looked at her friend. “But there is something else you can do.”

“Name it.”

“You and the rest of our friends have to keep the faire going.”

“What?” her friend said back. “With that thing moving into the Empire?”

Twilight nodded. “The whole purpose of the Crystal Faire is to lift the spirits of the Crystal Ponies, so they can activate the Crystal Heart.”

“Yeah, and?”

“If the Crystal Ponies find out that King Sombra is trying to take over the empire again, their spirits are gonna be anything but lifted. It won’t matter if I find the Crystal Heart; they won’t be able to make it work. You have to keep them happy here at the faire.”

“Keep the faire going and the Crystal Ponies’ spirits high. Done and done!”

Looking out from the balcony and down at Twilight, Shining Armor told her, “Twily, be careful.”

“I will,” she answered, running off to find the Crystal Heart.

Sorin let his body rest for a few moments after the taxing maneuvers during his battle with King Sombra. He sat down for a moment, processing everything about the Crystal Heart.

So, this ‘Heart’ is a powerful artifact linked to the happiness of the Crystal Ponies. And when filled with happiness, the empire is protected. He had one nagging question. If it was supposed to protect the empire, then how did Sombra rise to power?

Celestia said the empire had powerful magic that could be corrupted by negative emotions. What if that power was the Heart? It would make sense. Sombra lived in the empire and made them change, stopping the protection spell.

That means that if the empire is returned to Equestria, Harmony will spread throughout the land—but if I were to somehow infect it with my blood… A slow grin slid across his face.

The opposite would occur, spreading my essence throughout the planet itself. I could inject myself into the planet, permanently bonding with this world. In doing so, I would become unstoppable. The power I would gain would be immeasurable, and I would be as much a part of the planet’s heart as magic is.

Sorin stood from his resting place, a new goal in his mind. It seems I now have more to do than just take the Crystal Empire…

It was then that he felt a magical disturbance, a bending of nature. It was oddly coming from the empire’s border, and it was only growing stronger. Sensing where the anomaly was coming from, he started towards it.

He trotted past the guards, who cheered for him as he went by, and felt the presence growing closer. All forms of civilization dwindled as he came to the outskirts of the empire, only crystal pillars now around him. He went over a green hill, looking down at a spot of grass that had turned black. He cocked his head, wondering what he was looking at.

He moved towards it, pausing when he saw the ground spark. A black crystal rose from the spot, one that radiated of King Sombra’s magical signature.

The piece of horn…

Sorin trotted up to it, seeing the slow spread of the darkness. He could sense the connection it had to the rest of its body. It was strange really, the piece wanted to rejoin with the rest of its form, and it was trying to do so by spreading. The connection was a direct link to the rest of the dark cloud that hovered around the empire.

Time to wage a deal.

Sorin slowly put his hoof out, inching towards the crystal. He could feel King Sombra’s presence getting stronger every inch he came closer to it. When the two touched, the tyrant’s energy flooded into him.

Sorin and King Sombra had a direct link to one another, the shadow powers encasing Sorin.

“You were foolish to touch my dark power,” the darkness whispered within Sorin’s head. “Now, your end will come!”

It tried to choke his mind, but he screamed out, “Wait! I’ll let you into the Crystal Empire!”

It paused, just about to grapple his conscience. “It seems you are not stupid after all.” It retracted, letting him breathe easy. “How could you bring down the barrier?”

Best to let him think he is in control here.

“I-I’m an alicorn. I can find a way to bring it down. Just be ready when I do.”

“You better,” it said, threatening Sorin with a mental knife, “or I will end you.” It dispersed, letting him pull his hoof away from the crystal. The king’s presence still lingered within him, but it was dormant for now.

“Well, that went well,” Sorin plainly said. He went to check up on the faire.

Twilight was panting from the exhaustion of looking through the castle for the Heart. So far, she had been unable to find anything. She hoped King Sombra had hidden it there, thinking no pony would go looking for it in his castle, but she was unable to find it still.

Spike saw a carpet with a noticeable bulge in it, reaching out a claw and slowly lifting it up.

“Not a claw, Spike,” Twilight reiterated after seeing him. He nervously laughed, pulling his talons away. “Celestia’s orders.”

She went through a pair of open doors, which led her to the throne room. She stared at the crystalline mantle for a while, noticing the familiarity of it with something she had seen only hours ago. She thought and thought, the words of her mentor eventually replaying through her mind.

Twilight’s eyes lit up in realization as she remembered the shard Celestia turned black, seeing one just like it at the top of the throne.

“Of course!” she shouted out of instinct.

A panting Spike asked, “What? Did you find it?”

“No, because this isn’t King Sombra’s castle.”

Confused, he asked, “Well, isn’t this where he lived when he was in power?

“It is,” she answered. “But it didn’t look like this.”

Her face scrunched up as she concentrated hard on the spell Celestia used to show the negative empire. Her horn sparked to life, its glow turning black and then shifting to purple with a green outline. A beam of the same color shot from her horn, turning the crystal at the top of the throne black. Everything in its shadow darkened, a lengthy staircase that went down being revealed.

“Whoa. When did you learn to do that?”

Looking down proudly at the staircase, she said, “That was a little trick Celestia taught me.”

Looking down at the ominous set of spiraling steps, Spike gulped. Twilight went down them, using her horn to light the way.

“You stay here.”

“Huh, if you insist.” She started going down the many layers, slowly making her way to the bottom. Seeing her getting smaller and smaller, Spike called out, “Can you see what’s down there yet?”

“Not yet. I can’t even tell how far down this goes!” She pulled a small rock from the wall, dropping it down the shaft of the hole she was in. She opened her ear as she waited for it to hit the ground. After a few seconds of silence, she rubbed her ear, making sure she was hearing right. She looked down just to be sure when she heard the clanging of the rock hitting the bottom. It was a long way down.

“Spike?” she called.

“Yeah?”

“Can you see outside?” He rushed over to one of the windows, seeing the clear skies flicker, dark clouds appearing in the distance.

King Sombra sat patiently as he saw the crystals at the border turning black from his severed piece of horn.

“It’s not good! Cadance’s magic must be fading faster than before!”

Twilight started running down the stairs, tripping on a rock only a few seconds later. She fell down stair after stair, finally catching herself with her magic and finding herself at the bottom.

“Twilight? Are you okay?”

“Yes,” she said, flipping herself upside down so she was in the normal direction. She turned around, seeing a simple black wooden door on the wall. She gripped the handle, about to open it, but the door slid to the right. She tried to open it again, but it went all the way to the other side of the chasm.

She jumped at it, crashing into the wall as the door started to run away, eventually landing in front of her. She charged her horn with dark energy and blasted the crystal at its top. The door opened, a bright light emanating from it.

“Spike, I think it’s here!”

Going through the door, she was confused to find herself in the hall she was in at the beginning of the day.

“What are you doing here?” Celestia asked with a condescending tone that was unlike her.

“I don’t know,” Twilight said, trying to figure out what happened. “I opened the door and—”

“And now you must go.”

“Go where?”

“It doesn’t matter to me.” The princess kept signing off her papers, looking back at her with a cold stare. “You failed the test, Twilight!”

Her eyes widened as the words of her mentor sank in. “I don’t understand! The test?”

“Not only will you not move on to the next level of your studies, you won’t continue your studies at all.”

“I…” Tearing up, Twilight muttered, “You didn’t say anything about no longer being your student if I failed.”

Celestia wrapped a wing around her former student. “Didn’t I?” She shoved her aside, trotting away.

“But... what do I do now?” Twilight laid down beneath a windowpane that showed King Sombra taking over the Crystal Empire. There she cried, a distant voice ringing through the illusion.

“Twilight? Twilight!”

Shaking her head, she found herself back at the bottom of the stairs, staring into the solid rock that was the inside of the door.

Coming down the stairs, Spike rapped, “I know you told me to stay up there, but you were down here for such a long time, and you weren’t answering, and I got worried, so I came down here, and you were just staring at that wall, and I was calling your name, but I couldn’t seem to get your attention, and…” He took a moment to think, realizing she was staring at nothing. “What were you looking at?” He went over to where he had seen her. “I mean, it’s just a wall.”

The crystal at the top of the door activated, making the dragon’s eyes turn green.

“Ponyville?” he muttered. “Well, how did I get…” He backed away. “No! I don’t wanna go. Please, Twilight, don’t make me!”

Feeling his eyes suddenly wet, he returned to the chasm.

“King Sombra’s dark magic. A doorway that leads to your worst fear.”

“We were home,” he told her. “You told me you didn’t need me anymore. You were sending me away.”

“A fear that will never come to pass,” she said while pulling him into a hug. “I’m never gonna send you away. And I’m not gonna fail my test!” She fired the sense of Harmony at the crystal, rainbows flying from the door. She went through it, finding herself atop a crystal tower.

“What’s in there?” Spike nervously asked.

“Stairs,” she flatly replied after seeing them. As she looked up, she saw that they went on and on. “Lots and lots of stairs.”

Sighing, she started up them, stopping to look back at Spike. “Maybe you should come with me this time.” Beaming, he skipped up a few steps to get to her.

After only a little while, they were both panting hard. Pulling himself up a step, Spike asked, “What if this is just more of his magic? He makes a door that leads to your worst nightmare. Why not a staircase that goes on forever?”

Thinking for a moment and looking at the countless levels above her, Twilight realized they needed to move faster. She suddenly got an idea, putting Spike on her back. “Hold on to me!”

She lifted them into the air, reversing the flow of gravity and inverting themselves in the process. Her hooves hit the underside of the staircase, causing them to slide up them quickly. The wind brushed past them as they went higher and higher up, feeling as if they were on a long slide.

“I actually studied gravity spells, thinking it might be on my test! Turns out I was prepared for this! Wooo-hooo!” she screamed, flying over a platform. She reversed gravity, returning it to normal as they dropped to the floor.

They both looked to see the Crystal Heart in all its glory. It was floating over a polished floor, shining as it let out a quiet hum. Spike motioned for her to grab it. Mesmerized, she trotted towards it.

As she stepped onto the circle around the Heart, the circle turned black. Sensing a disturbance in his spire, King Sombra quickly cast a spell. Twilight jumped to get the Heart, knocking it away as black spikes appeared all along the circle’s edge. She slammed into them, falling to the ground.

“The Heart, where’s the Crystal—”

“Here!” Spike said, inching closer to the relic that had skidded over to him. “It rolled over to me when you dropped it.”

“Don’t move!” she shouted, seeing tiny spikes forming around the areas he stepped. Seeing this, he froze.

“You can move, just not toward me.” He raced back, finding the Heart right in front of him.

Twilight teleported outside the ring—only to be pulled back into it, making her slam into the side again. “How could I have been so foolish? I was just so eager to get it! Then when I saw what was going on outside, I…”

“You have to get out of there, Twilight!” Spike yelled to her. “You have to be the one who brings the Heart to Princess Cadance. If you don’t, you’ll fail Celestia’s test!”

As she looked through the cracks in her prison, she saw a wave of darkness washing over the empire, turning everything in its wake to a desolate hell. The barrier was flickering almost constantly now.

“King Sombra is already attacking the empire. He could reach the Crystal Ponies at any moment… reach Princess Cadance, my brother, my friends. There may not be enough time for me to find a way to escape.” She looked to Spike, who was stepping away from the approaching shards. “You have to be the one to bring the Crystal Heart to the faire.”

“Me? But Twilight—”

“Go.”

“But—” he protested.

“Go!” she screamed.

Rising to the occasion, he quickly grabbed the Heart, diving from the edge of the tower as a spike rose where his claws were. The whole top of the tower was engulfed in crystal as he walked along its edge.

“Now, don’t y’all worry your pretty little Crystal heads!” Applejack shouted from the top of the castle’s balcony. “The real Crystal Heart will be here any second!”

Waving her hoof with a fake smile, Rarity whispered to her friend, “I don’t know if they believe you.”

“Don’t know if I believe me…”

Sorin stood by them, looking down at the panicking ponies. King Sombra’s corruption was starting to overwhelm the empire. Dark crystals formed through the streets, part of the castle getting covered in it. Sorin snapped around as he heard Cadance gasp.

Looking back, he saw her horn flicker, the last of her protection spell sputtering away. The wall around the empire collapsed, revealing the clouds all around it.

“He’s back! I can’t take it!” one of the Crystal Ponies screamed. Sorin looked down at her, watching as she sprinted away and slammed into a spike. Just above her, a smaller version of King Sombra’s head looked over her.

Falling to the ground, she whimpered, “King Sombra…”

His head reformed in one of the clouds nearby, whispering, “My crystal slaves,” as he looked upon them.

The empire is falling, and soon Sombra will reign free…

When all seemed lost, someone yelled out, “Hey! Up here!” Looking up at the source, Sorin saw Spike holding the Heart in his claws atop a jagged formation of rock. “I got the Crystal Heart!”

King Sombra’s eyes burned as he saw the dragon holding his prize. “That is mine!” He rammed into the ground, flying through it and leaving a trail of crystal in his path. With a growl, he erupted from the street, rising upon a massive spike that grew longer as he climbed higher, closing the distance to the dragon.

Spike tripped from where he was standing, dropping the Heart and starting to fall.

“Spikey-wikey!” Rarity shrieked, covering her eyes. Shining Armor saw the flailing dragon, lifting his wife onto his back. Through blurred eyes, Cadance saw the Heart falling towards the king. She instantly opened her wings.

King Sombra saw it coming towards him. His shadowy form melted away, giving him a physical body once again. Smiling, he licked his lips as he saw the Heart only a few meters away. Spike desperately tried to grab it, but it was out of his reach.

“Get the Heart, Cadance!” Sorin shouted, her husband throwing her through the air. Spike, Cadance, and King Sombra all raced towards the relic. Just as it was about to be devoured, Cadance grabbed it, catching Spike as well. She soared through the air, holding it in her magic.

“Behold! The Crystal Princess!” a pony exclaimed.

Cadance came to the bottom of the castle, crushing the cutout heart on the ground. “The Crystal Heart has returned.” She looked around at the Crystal Ponies, darkness getting ever closer. “Use the Light and Love within you to ensure that King Sombra does not.”

She threw the Heart at the center of the empire, the snowflake on the ground turning blue as it stopped it in its tracks. Two blue crystals appeared, holding the Heart in a magnetic-like field beneath the castle.

The ponies gathered around her smiled, their bodies glowing as they turned to crystal. One by one, they bowed before Princess Cadance and the Heart. The streets shone as a blue light flooded across them, the snowflake shape that ran through the entire empire lighting up.

“What? No…” King Sombra uttered in shock from his spike. “No! Stop!” he bellowed.

Sorin cringed as he felt a blade start to cut into his mind, catching him off guard.

“The last thing I do as king shall be ending you!”

“Wait,” Sorin whispered through choked breaths. “Do not worry. In one action, you will be free…” The blade retracted as he gave the alicorn one last chance. Shining Armor gave a concerned look as he saw the prince suddenly grow cold.

He jumped from the balcony, diving towards the ground. He flared his wings as he landed, his hooves finding purchase. He scanned the area, seeing the Heart spin, a furious light coming from it. It sent out a wave of sparkling light, causing everypony to glow with a crystal coat.

He felt waves of power wash over him, but he was oddly left unphased. He did not shine like the others—if anything, he seemed to grow darker. He then felt Harmony and Love spread out from the Heart.

Wait… Love?

He looked to Cadance, who was standing heroically with her glorious shine. Tapping into his magical senses, he could see the emotions coming from the Crystal Ponies feed into her, which she channeled directly into the Crystal Heart, magnifying its power.

She is what sends the emotions to the Heart. She channels them to it. Sorin trotted forward towards Cadance, a sinister grin forming on his face, his eyes beginning to come to life with blue flames.

She is the key…

Another wave of energy exploded across the empire, burning away all the corrupted crystals. As it hit King Sombra, he roared in agony. He put up his hooves as he felt his body he had only just regained start to melt away.

Twilight covered her eyes as a sapphire glow engulfed the tower. With a crackling sound, her prison crumbled away, reduced to nothing but a pile of black dust. She looked over her hooves, seeing their sparkly texture that matched her name.

She raced over to the edge of the tower, looking down at what was happening. She was somehow able to see everything at the bottom of the castle with perfect clarity. She realized whatever made her turn crystalline must have given her perfect vision as well.

She saw the Crystal Ponies all bowing, King Sombra rearing in pain as his body began to fall apart. She smiled, looking at Cadance. She stood there, staring directly at the wicked king. Twilight noticed a shadow inching towards Cadance, squinting to see what it was.

At first, she thought it was some part of King Sombra, but her heart fell as she saw the wings, horn, and armor it had.

“Sorin?” she whispered, seeing the dark stallion approach Cadance. He lowered his head, his spear of a horn pointing directly at the princess.

“No…” Twilight uttered, her eyes widening in realization. Everything faded away as she stared at him, watching as he pulled back his head with a grin.

All kingdoms must fall…

He stabbed his horn deep into Cadance’s shoulder socket. She screamed out in pain, looking to Sorin with eyes that conveyed a sense of sadness, horror, and fear—but most of all, betrayal.

He then pulled out his horn with a sickening sound, splattering her crimson blood onto his face. The blue glow trickled away, the crystal shine that engulfed the empire fading. With a cry that shook everypony to their core, Princess Cadance fell to the ground.

Chapter 26: The God of Death

The cry of the princess brought a deathly chill over everypony who heard it. Their breaths hitched, and their bodies tensed as they saw Cadance fall to the ground.

“At last,” King Sombra yelled, “freedom!” With a surge of power, he sent his dark energy forward. The Crystal Ponies broke into terrified flees as some of them were consumed by his magic. The empire broke into utter chaos as fear took hold.

Celestia stood by her sister, who was speaking with Steel Bastion. While her sister talked, she felt something was wrong. She did not know what it was, but something was nagging at her heart.

“That poor griffon,” Steel Bastion said, true sadness in his voice. “Her family, her village, was killed—and then she was consumed by that same evil.” He took off his helmet, his eyes watering. “We must stop Yogg-Saron.”

You have failed, Celestia. I am already within the heart of your subjects…

The princess cringed, putting a hoof to her head as she felt the overpowering voice.

“What is it, your highness?” the general asked, rushing over and helping her up.

“It… i-is Yogg-Saron. He says that we have failed.” She took a slow breath. “He is overwhelming my mind like never before.”

She screamed as she felt something bursting from her chest. Luna shrieked as she saw a small pool of black sludge drop from her sister’s body onto the floor. The liquid formed the shape of Prince Sorin.

“You fools,” he calmly said, “you failed to realize that I am Yogg-Saron.”

“You lie!” Luna shouted. “You’re just trying to make us think he is evil, but we won’t fall for your trick!”

He chuckled. “What I tell you is the truth. The kiss I gave you was a lie…”

She shrank back and her ears flattened. “H-how… How do you know about that?” Even though she was asking him, she knew the answer deep down inside. Tears came to her eyes as she stared at the warm face that had comforted her.

“Because, as I said, I am Yogg-Saron. Or rather, Sorin is me.” He walked around the room. “Did you never notice how strange the name ‘Sorin’ was? Is it not unlike any other name of a pony you have heard?” He got into Luna’s face, making her shrink to the floor. “Didn't you find it odd that he suddenly became an alicorn with no purpose? That he was able to find the perfect words to play your heart like a string?”

Now sobbing, Luna whispered, “N-no…”

Sorin stepped back, raising his head as he laughed. “You placed me in the heart of an empire, and now it will fall into my hands.” He turned to Celestia, giving off a smile that made her feel sick. “Thank you, my dear Celestia.”

Steel Bastion stabbed his spear into Sorin, but the prince had already turned back into liquid. It crawled across the ground, seeping out a window before he could catch it.

“It can’t be,” Luna muttered in shock. The one pony she cared for was all just a lie? A means to an end?

“There will be time to cry later, sister. We must gather our army and race to the Crystal Empire!”

“Your highness, only a small part of our army is in Canterlot,” Steel Bastion said, watching the princess pull Luna to her hooves.

“Then get them ready immediately, and get every flying chariot we have for them. You will lead the army, Bastion.”

“Me?”

“You are a general, are you not?”

“I am.” He put his helmet back on, saluting. “It will be done.” He raced off to gather his soldiers for battle.

Luna cried on Celestia’s shoulder, barely able to stand. “W-why?”

“I don’t know, little sister. But we must hurry. It is no coincidence that he revealed himself, meaning he wants us to waste time to get to him. If we do not do as he wants, we may yet catch him when he is unprepared.”

Luna lowered back to all fours, wiping the streaming tears from her face. She nodded, a look of courage appearing on her face.

Celestia placed a hoof on her sister’s chest. “Do not let him control your emotions. We have lost too much to him already.”

The royal sisters ran out of the room. Yogg-Saron snickered as he listened to them leave from just outside the window. They were playing right into his hands. His wispy essence sped away in the direction of the rest of his body.

Sorin stood over Cadance’s bleeding body, laughing. He could feel the fear of the ponies seeping into the Crystal Heart, beginning to taint it. All the negative emotions were turning it into a twisted vessel, one that he could use to inject his blood into the planet’s heart. All he had to do was wait for it to fully transform.

Sorin grunted as he was blasted by magic from the back. Sliding across the ground, he saw Shining Armor race over to his injured wife. His horn no longer had tiny shards on it, and he started to heal his fading Cadance.

Sorin got to his hooves, about to punish the puny prince, when King Sombra appeared beneath the castle. The king strutted forward, looking to the scene of the fallen princess, her blood still on Sorin’s horn.

“Well done, my servant,” he said. “You have delivered the Crystal Heart to me.” He slowly trotted towards the artifact.

“No.”

The king paused, snapping his head to look at the prince. “‘No?’ You serve me and will bring me the Heart.”

Sorin said with a grin, “I’m afraid I’ll be taking it for myself, wretch.”

“Who are you to defy me, little alicorn?”

He broke into an outright laugh, drawing a strange look from the king. “I am not a pony, nor am I some mere prince. I am Yogg-Saron, the God of Death.” Black smoke formed around his eyes, his body darkening further. He charged his horn with his blood, mixing it with the drops of Cadance’s conductive blood and launching it at the Crystal Heart. As it hit, the Heart turned black, his corruption beginning to saturate it. He could feel it start to swell with power. In only a few moments, it would collapse in on itself, achieving his goal.

“What is a king,” Sorin stepped towards Sombra, “to a god?”

Growling, Sombra charged at the alicorn, ready to rip him limb from limb. He fired a bolt of shadow, but the prince easily dodged it. He threw up a hoof, prepared to strike, when his enemy then teleported.

Sorin appeared behind Sombra, striking him with a blow of immense strength. Surprisingly, he took it with minimal damage.

This may prove more annoying than I thought.

Sorin ducked, avoiding a quick punch. He backed up as a flurry of blows came towards him. One landed on his armor, forcing him back and bending the metal. He fixed the plating with his magic, snarling at his adversary.

He lunged forward with speed unseen by Sombra, quickly whipping him across the jaw. Sorin hit the ground, causing it to buckle. His foe tripped, falling to the ground. He leaped at the downed unicorn, ready to finish him.

Sorin tensed as he felt Sombra’s horn drive itself into a small cavity between his armor and his neck. The pony below him had a look that said he had won—but he was wrong.

Sorin’s body melted away, turning to liquid and wrapping around Sombra’s neck. He grappled with the volatile liquid, trying to pry it from his throat. He sent out a wave with his horn, causing the fluid to fly back. He stood to his hooves, the Crystal Heart only a short distance away.

Twilight went over to her friends, who were just as baffled as she was. They watched as the black pool coagulated, forming Sorin’s body again. That sent a chill down their spines.

“He is fighting Sombra. Maybe he isn’t that bad?” Applejack offered, knowing that she was lying. She just hoped that there was some explanation for their friend’s actions.

“No,” Twilight said to her. “Whatever he is doing is for him alone. He already hurt Cadance. What is he going to do now?”

Sombra was only a few feet from the Heart, but Sorin sent out a tendril of his blood. It raised into the air like a serpent, striking at the unicorn. It hooked into his back, pulling him away from the Heart.

“No!” he shouted, getting pulled to his hindlegs. The tendril flung him away, throwing him to the side and returning to the rest of its body.

Sorin got to his hooves with a huff and looked over at Sombra, who was lying on the ground. He went to the very center of the empire, feeling the Heart reach the point of no return. It was too late, his blood too far etched into the relic for it to stay stable any longer. It spun faster, black energy spewing as the crystals holding it turned black.

Sorin opened his wings, embracing his blood and giving it one command. “Foolish mutt.”

“N-no,” Sombra managed to say, the Heart cracking apart. A high-pitched shrill rang out as it collapsed upon itself, everything around it caving in as well.

A wave of purple light washed over the empire, blinding everypony as the Crystal Heart released a torrent of dark energy. Everything faded as Yogg-Saron’s blood was sent straight down, tearing through rock as it surged towards the planet’s core. Everything and everyone was forced back as the shockwave went over the land.

As the light faded, everypony looked where the Heart once was. Now, there was a large chasm that went deep into the ground. Hovering above the abyss, a look of triumph on his face, was Sorin.

“You are too late, Sombra. You are all too late!” The mad alicorn cackled maniacally. “My blood has touched the heart of this world, and now my power is unfathomable!”

“Why are you doing this?!” a lavender unicorn shouted to him. He looked at her with a cold stare.

“So I may bring about the downfall of Equestria.” She gawked after hearing his calm statement. “So I may bring about the end of this pitiful kingdom and rebuild my empire.” He flew forward, landing at the edge of the chasm, more crystal chunks falling into it as black smoke rose from within.

“Now that my blood has infected the heart of the very planet, this world shall be mine!”

“No.” The gathered army marched behind Celestia. They were standing in front of the crystal castle, the pony who used to be their prince looking at all of them with a look of pure malice.

“Princess!” Twilight shouted after seeing her mentor.

“How kind of you to join us, Celestia,” Sorin yelled to her while giving her a glare. “Even in this form, I can send fear into the hearts of your soldiers, so I suggest you leave while you still can. However, I would enjoy making them suffer.”

“March forward,” she commanded while trotting towards him, her ponies doing the same.

“So be it.” Sorin opened his wings, his eyes glowing brighter than before. He floated into the air, massive ethereal wings of shadow extending from his sides. The sky itself seemed to darken as everything around him lost its color, fading away.

“You shall see my unbridled fury firsthand!” The soldiers charged forward. From Sorin’s wings came countless wispy streams. They weaved through the air, racing towards the small army in their path. As they came closer, the ponies could see the faces at the end of the wisps.

The captive souls tore through the army, consuming all living flesh they came into contact with. The heavily armored guards only received deep burns, but the others were literally eaten alive.

Celestia and Luna watched in horror as the wisps rived their subjects, pulling their flesh apart and devouring all senses of life that they could find. The front lines fell before they could even come close to the prince. The others kept charging, their determination waning as the fury of lost souls grew closer.

Celestia shivered as she felt fear, fear of his power. She had sent her ponies to their deaths, but if they could stop Yogg-Sorin now, it would be worth it in the end.

Sorin continued to hover, watching the lines fall before him. They were barely gaining ground, and yet they ran to their deaths willingly.

“I have always been pulling the strings,” he shouted over the battlefield. He bore his gaze into the princesses, forcing them to heed his words. “I created Nightmare Moon a thousand years ago. I broke free of my prison with the help of the Elements. I slaughtered the innocent. I made Celestia look like a murderer. I assaulted the dreamworld. I made Discord turn to stone. I saved the changelings.” He closed his wings, landing on the ground. “I betrayed you all!”

Luna lost all sense of composure as his words rang within her head. He had been responsible for Nightmare Moon all along. He was the reason she had lost so much precious time with her loved ones, why she had so much difficulty adjusting to modern times. All she had gone through was because of him. For the entire time he had been on the planet, he had been manipulating her.

“Please, sister, you must not wane now,” Celestia told her, trying to comfort her. It had no effect. Celestia turned to her army after realizing the wisps had faded. “He is vulnerable! Get to him!”

Sorin looked at Sombra’s injured form. The former king tried to stand, still trying to resist. Sorin only laughed.

“You were nothing but a stepping stone to my ascension.”

“W-were?” Sombra whispered, his fate seeming all too clear. A tendril shot from the prince, driving deep into Sombra’s chest and lifting him into the air. His mind was blasted by overwhelming power, his very conscience cracking beneath it. His body began to wither, his flesh peeling away as it did. More tendrils ripped through him, absorbing his magic. He thrashed around in their grasp, only making his pain worse as he tried to break free. His senses began to fail as he felt his mind and body being consumed.

With a final roar, his mind was torn asunder, his body coming undone as a result. His broken form continued to decay, limbs falling off as he turned into nothing but a skeleton. The tendrils threw his remains into the air, scattering the bones through the streets.

“Is this the king you feared for so long?” Sorin turned back to the approaching army. They were close now, and soon they would be upon him—just as he wanted. He sent a message through his blood that his battalions would receive. “He is but dust compared to me; a frail boy lost in the realm of savages.”

He raised his hoof, a pillar of rock erupting in front of the castle. He teleported to its tip, overlooking the army that continued to sprint toward him. He could feel his own army was close. He tapped into his blood, ensuring that his voice was heard throughout the empire and all the land surrounding it.

“Arise, Armies of Death!” he bellowed. He looked back, seeing his forces begin to sweep over the empire. He raised a hoof, looking at the Shadowstrikers that flew ahead of the rest of his forces. He thrust his hoof forward, pointing at the ponies beneath him.

“CONQUER MY REALM!”

An ear-shattering screech got everypony’s attention, making them scan the skies. There was a line of shadowy birds swooping towards them, only meters away.

“Incom—” one of the commanders yelled, only to be silenced as a Shadowstriker ripped out his throat with its razor-like talons. His lifeless body fell, the creature jumping to another. The front lines were sent into disarray as the crazed griffons ravaged them. Those who could started to retreat, too afraid to face Yogg-Saron and his corrupted legions. The windigos closed in from above, attacking at the middle of the pony army. There was no escape.

“What have we done…” Celestia spoke as she saw the carnage unleashed upon them. Her sister looked on, too.

“I-it is lost,” she said, making Celestia pause. “The empire has fallen.”

“Are you suggesting we retreat, Luna?”

She nodded. “Yes. We must try and stop him by luring him into a trap.” Snapping back into her old ways, she collected herself and got ready to command.

Sorin saw the ponies begin to retreat, all of them fleeing to escape the creatures that slaughtered them. They ran over a hill, almost making it outside the Crystal Empire. His forces finished off the rest of the Equestrians who could not flee with their comrades.

“Not so fast,” he tittered, launching forward with a beat of his wings. He flew across his new conquest, observing the citizens still stuck inside. They would serve as excellent slaves, just as they did before.

He flew low to the ground, angling up to land at the top of the hill the ponies had raced down moments earlier. He instantly saw Celestia, Luna, Cadance, Shining Armor, the Elements, and even Spike at the border. Caught off guard, he felt a blue and yellow beam crash into him, burning at his flesh. He let out a feral roar as he felt the royal sisters’ magic work deep into him, singing his essence.

He gathered his might, firing a beam of his own out of his chest. It pushed their combined one back, slowly leeching towards the princesses.

“He’s too strong!” Luna shouted. “He’s pushing… our power… back!”

His dark ichor surged forth, crashing into the two princesses with a final push. They tried to react in time, but they mistakenly unleashed a torrent of arcane desolation as a result. The ground trembled as a shockwave spread over it, cracking apart and shifting uncontrollably. The tremors continued, the Equestrian forces trying to get to their hooves and run.

“I will break you sisters,” Sorin yelled, flying into the air and looking down upon them. “I will make you mine!”

“You will be defeated, Yogg-Saron!” Celestia spat back, finding her stance.

He scoffed. “Do you truly believe that? Do you not see your army quivering before me, even in this feeble form?” His armies were closing in now. “Besides, you know you are a killer, one who wishes to return to their true nature. You cannot deny it for long, Celestia.”

“I may be a killer,” she said so calmly that it made him pause, “but I now know that there are things far worse than me that threaten my ponies—such as you!”

Giving a frown, he turned his attention to Luna, knowing she was weaker than her sister. “Nightmare Moon was one of my finest physical machinations.” The name made her shiver. “I took your emotions and twistedthem, making a being just like you that was warped to perfection.”

“Y-you know nothing about me!”

“That’s where you’re wrong, my nightingale. I was a part of you; I know your wants. I know you enjoy spending time gazing at your own sky. I know you enjoy reading your diary from years ago at night. I know you secretly enjoy banana ice cream. I know you get joy from watching other ponies’ dreams.” He smiled at her, the smile she loved to see on Sorin’s face. “You will join me, Luna.”

“No!” Celestia thundered, firing a beam towards him. He caught it in his hoof, tugging on its power and making her cringe. He threw her to the ground, leaving him alone with Luna for a moment. He turned to her, that warm smile gone.

“It seems Nightmare Moon has yet to fulfill her purpose: ending her sister.” He lifted her with his magic, bringing her to his level. He raised a hoof, a ball of his blood swirling in it.

She started to panic as she saw the smirk on his face. “N-no, stop. What are you doing?!”

“Isn’t it obvious?” he tsked. “I’m bringing back Nightmare Moon.”

“No!” she shrieked, eyes turning to dots.

He put out his hoof, his blood squirming towards her. She thrashed in his grip as it grew closer, but he did not budge. Every motion she made only made her feel more trapped than before.

Memories of being held within her own mind began to flood into her head, all the fear of those times coming back. Nightmare Moon had attacked her conscience, literally prying her from control of her own body, forcing her into a cage. There she was held, getting whipped and beaten every day until she was finally set free by the Elements. She was forced to watch everything she did as Nightmare Moon, which only worsened the pain.

“Please, no!” His blood was mere feet away. “Please,” she pleaded, her fear taking complete control, “I-I’ll do anything not to be trapped within her again!”

His blood stopped moving. Sorin cocked his head. “Anything?” She did not object. She simply sat there, too ashamed to say anything else. He had already broken her. “Don’t you see, Celestia?” The alicorn looked with her mouth agape, horrified at how easily he made a toy out of her sister. “You will break as well. It may just be your sister that breaks you.”

“Release her from your curse!” she demanded.

“I did nothing to her. She is willing to serve. I could instead exploit Nightmare Moon, but she would only want my throne. So instead, I have a willing servant.”

Sorin projected his voice across the entire world, already able to use his blood in the planet to do so. Like thunder, he spoke.

“Hear me Equestria, and know that your end comes soon, for I am Death itself, and your world shall be mine. Your two princesses proved useless against me, and one of them has already broken. I will break the other, and then your rulers will both be at my feet.

“Gather your forces and face me at the Crystal Empire, for I shall take this world by force. Come. Come! Face your DOOM!”

Behind him, his armies swept over the hill, pouncing upon the ponies who were still stuck or dragging behind. The crystal castle turned black as it was transformed into another of his citadels. The streets turned to shadow as all hope inside the Crystal Ponies was lost, the skies darkening with them.

“My empire… is reborn…”

Sorin watched his enemies flee, screaming, as his minions ravaged their bodies. Celestia got to her hooves, rushing to get to her ponies. She ran up to Steel Bastion, who was trying to fend off the dark armies. Slicing through a changeling’s head, he turned to her.

“We must regroup! Without order, we will all die here!”

She blasted a windigo, causing it to fall from the sky. “I will hold them off; just get out of here!”

Realizing she was not going to be coming back with him, he tried to object, “But princess—”

“No.” She charged her horn. “This is my fault to begin with. I brought us here, and I must be the one to stop it. Tell Twilight and her friends to get the Elements and gather all of Equestria’s forces to fight him at the border.”

Nodding with sadness, he saluted. “Yes, your highness.”

She shot into the air, releasing her spell. A golden wall formed behind her ponies, blocking any incoming creatures from getting to them. Those stuck in the wall were melted alive, the others slamming hard into the immovable wall.

Growling, Sorin flew towards her. She saw him coming, teleporting a short distance away and shooting him in the back. He dropped from the sky, crashing into the ground. Some windigos helped him to his hooves, but he shook off their help.

Celestia opened her wings, her eyes becoming balls of pure light as she called upon the sun once again. Yellow rays washed over the battlefield as she was engulfed in a beam of sunlight.

“You’ll pay for that,” Sorin whispered, unleashing his blood. A thick tentacle exploded from the ground, rising to reach her before she could use the sun to destroy his forces. Before she could even react, it wrapped around her. She screamed as she was ripped from the sky, the beam sputtering out as a small fire on the ground.

Looking down at Celestia, who was desperately trying to hold his soldiers off, Sorin decided to toy with his prey. His forces continued onward as the wall fell, but the ponies had a fair distance between them.

“Let them go,” he thundered. His forces instantly stopped, watching as the ponies made their escape. “Let them think they still have hope.”

He walked over to Celestia, who was somehow still fighting. He raised a hoof, the earth around her attaching to her body and binding her in place. He put an anti-magic field over her horn, interrupting the spell she was trying to release. Her head dropped with a defeated sigh. Trotting up to her, he gently lifted her face, making her look into his eyes.

“You tried, Celestia. In the end, you shall be remembered for that at least.” He pulled away, Vultrax appearing at his side.

“Lock her within our new castle. Make sure she is constantly guarded, and have a field put over her horn every hour.”

“Why not just kill her?” the windigo asked.

Smiling, Sorin said, “I have unfinished business with her.” She was swept away by a few changelings, being taken to the dungeon. He followed close behind, ensuring her handling went smoothly. After she was chained and thrown into a magically enhanced cell—not without resistance, however—he went to his new throne in the castle, sitting atop it in waiting.

Chapter 27: The Hour of Twilight

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Chapter 5: Boast-Busters

The ground quaked beneath the furor of his armies. Dust stirred, rising high over the horde of creatures that marched, watching as they drew ever closer to their destination. The green hills of Elwynn Forest were on both sides of his minions, trapping those inside the city.

The tintinnabulation of the majestic bronze bells of Stormwind’s cathedral rang throughout the capital city. The citizens were rushing through their homes, desperate to gather their family and valued belongings so they could flee. The harbor was overflowing with a mass of people as they practically stormed onto the few ships leaving the city. Everyone prayed that another ship would reach them before the army that was coming.

At the other end of Stormwind, ranks of Alliance soldiers stood in position, preparing to clash with the oncoming forces. While their military training made them hold firm, they felt fear gripping their hearts.

“Warriors of the Alliance!” their king cried out. “Stand with me as we allow time for our citizens to escape!”

This king was none other than Anduin Wrynn, son of Varian Wrynn. His father had gone to the frozen continent of Northrend to fight against the restless Scourge and their dark master, but they had stumbled across something far more sinister. While on Northrend, they had found the prison of Yogg-Saron, something they would all come to regret.

The Old God had laid waste to the champions that dared to disturb him, only using them to break free of the prison the Titans had left him in. The Scourge became his servants, even The Lich King himself siding with The God of Death to conquer Northrend—and that was what they did. The time had come to claim all of Azeroth.

Anduin Wrynn strode between the lines of his loyal guards as he looked out at the enemy. It was a sight he had hoped to never see in his homeland.

The horrid offspring of Yogg-Saron, the Faceless Ones, were only a dozen yards away. They were beings of diseased flesh with a mass of flailing tentacles for a face. Their limbs were also tentacles, and their height made them tower over the humans they were about to battle. Rows upon rows of them all moved in unison, their army stretching as far as the eye could see. Every step they took was synchronized as if one mind controlled them all.

Suddenly, the Faceless Ones stopped. The sudden halt was mirrored down the ranks as they all stood in silence, awaiting commands. Anduin and his men tensed as they expected them to charge at any second.

A black substance formed on the ground in front of the Faceless, and it twisted and morphed into a… pony. It was about the size of a horse, but with far less muscle and thickness. Oddly, a horn protruded from its forehead.

“The Boy King sits at his father’s table,” the pony spoke in a voice too unnatural for even a talking equine. The pony stepped forward. “You see now my minions marching on your front gates, and yet you resist.” He snickered. “Serve me, and I will spare you all of a horrible death.”

“We will never serve you… whatever you are!” an armored soldier shouted from somewhere in the crowd.

“Do you not know who I am?” His eyes began to pool with black, wispy fire. “I am Yogg-Saron, murderer of Varian Wrynn, Tormentor of the Living, The God of Death!”

“You killed my father, monster, and I will strike you down,” Anduin screamed at the stallion. “Ready yourselves men, we must buy time.” His fist raised into the air as he unsheathed the sword of his father.

“Have it your way…”

The Faceless Ones moved forward, this time in a sprint. They avoided the stallion who commanded them, making sure to stay far away from him. They raised their disgusting limbs and threw them down like hammers upon the armor of the knights.

The two sides clashed, the humans slicing through corrupted flesh and blocking blows in every direction. Bodies of Alliance soldiers were thrown into the air as the Faceless rammed into them in rage. Anduin rode on his horse, lashing at anything he could as he charged through the battlefield towards the stallion.

“Come to me, whelpling,” Sorin whispered to himself.

The king let out a warcry as he raised his sword. He swiftly brought it down upon the head of the pony, only for him to roll out the way just in time. Anduin jumped off his horse and swung his sword, tearing into Sorin’s bosom.

The pony grunted in pain, but his eyes seemed to burn brighter as blood gushed from his chest. He fired a purple beam at the king, barely hitting his shoulder.

“I will not go down so easy, Yogg-Saron.”

“Are you sure of that?”

Anduin felt his shoulder tense. Every muscle froze and his sword dropped to the ground with a loud clang. With a gasp, he felt his arm go limp. The stallion slowly trotted towards him, but he suddenly could not run. Panic flooded through him as the stallion sat there, only looking at the king.

“You are nothing, and neither was your father. I will enjoy watching you die, for I will strip all that you love from you and watch as that last bit of life seeps from your body and into my jaws as you perish.” Sorin grabbed the king’s head in his hoof, forcing him to look back at his city.

“Look, boy. Your men are falling, and they cannot stop me from breaching Stormwind.” The Faceless Ones began to slam into the metal gates, denting them ever so little. “Soon, my minions will break through and feast upon the flesh of your people. The only trace of humanity left in the city will be the smell of their rotting corpses.”

“Some will… escape,” Anduin said, feeling his whole body was now stiff. “They will defeat you.”

“You can’t truly believe that, can you? It does not matter, though, none will escape me. The Scourge dragons are flying towards the harbor now to destroy any ship that makes it out to sea.” His horn began to glow again, this time black energy came from every Faceless and into his horn, creating a swirling vortex.

On the harbor, creatures made of shadows formed from nothing and began to attack the people. Their bodies were formless, constantly shifting as they tore through human flesh. Some leaped onto the ships that were beginning to sail, ravaging the people onboard. Within seconds, the evacuation had become a bloodbath.

“There is no escape.”

The Faceless Ones ripped through the gates and poured into the city, the screams of the families within rising into the air. Yogg-Saron smiled at the decimation, and the king looked on in dread.

Sorin stabbed his horn into the king’s back, piercing through his armor and deep into his body. He lifted the human into the air, further impaling him, while his sardonic laughter boomed.

A scream of torment came from Anduin as his spine was completely severed by the pony.

“Pathetic.” He threw the man from his spear, tossing him to the ground like nothing more than a plaything.

“Now,” he began, “I am king…”

With a loud gasp, Sorin awoke. He felt sweat covering every inch of his fur coat, so he threw the covers off of his body. He stood up and looked outside to see the sun just clipping over the horizon.

“How interesting,” he whispered to himself. “Equus has a very… tangible dreamworld. Azeroth’s was not nearly as concrete. This may serve me in spreading strife through Equestria when the time comes. For now, I must keep up my charade.”

He went through his morning routine to make himself presentable before putting on his usual silk cloak. He would need to talk with Twilight soon about magic to keep her happy, but he would also like to learn some potentially useful spells in the process. A simple exchange of knowledge just as he liked.

One of his ears perked up as he heard something from downstairs. He exited his room and leaned over the wooden railing of the balcony, watching the comedy going on below.

“Come on, Twilight. You can do it!” a draconic assistant said with wide eyes.

“Okay. Here it goes,” the unicorn said as her horn lit up in a bright purple glow. She closed her eyes in concentration, sparks flying from it. The area around Spike’s mouth had the same effect, and a black mustache appeared that drooped from his chin.

“What in the Void?” Sorin mumbled to himself in puzzlement.

Spike went over to a propped-up clipboard and grabbed a red marker, making a big red checkmark. “Growing magic; that’s number twenty-five.” He turned back to Twilight with a proud expression on his face. “Twenty-five different types of tricks and counting. And I think this is the best trick so far.” He faced the elegant mirror set up next to him and straightened his body into a pose. He began to stroke his new facial hair and spoke in a failed posh accent.

“Hello, Rarity. What's that? Aw, it's nothin', just my awesome mustache.”

“Sorry, Romeo,” she started, her magic flaring again. “As attractive and enticing as you look, it's just for practice, and it's gotta go.”

Spike tried to raise his hands in protest, gripping onto his mustache in an attempt to save it, but it disappeared in a blaze of glory, so to speak. His face turned defeated as Twilight lightly chuckled.

“I find the mustache overbearing,” Sorin spoke from atop the stairs, now making his way down them. “It covers too much of your face, and it hangs to your stomach.”

Twilight tried—and failed—to stifle a laugh from his comments.

“And good morning to you too,” Spike flatly said. He took one last look in the mirror before heading over to Twilight.

“Good morning, Twilight. I hope you slept well.”

“Thank you, and I did! We were just writing down the different types of magic I could do—just to prepare for our meeting that I’m looking forward to. Spike and I were going to head into town, do you wanna join us?”

Sorin did not have much to do for now, and learning the culture of modern-day Equestria would no doubt be invaluable.

“Sure, why not.” The three finished up their things and left the library.

They quickly found themselves walking through Ponyville’s streets, greeting the occasional pony they passed. The simplistic houses of the ponies that called the small town home reminded Sorin of the dwellings of the humans on Azeroth. The walls were mostly made of wood, as were most of the houses. The cheaper ones had thatched roofs, while the others had wood, stone, or tile making up the roof. The main difference was that these houses were considerably smaller, and had much smaller doors than the ones humans would use. That was because only Sorin and Celestia were equal in height to humans, but the average pony was about the size of a medium dog.

The group was nearing the center of town when Spike addressed them again.

“Twenty-five, Twilight! Twenty-five different kinds of tricks and counting.” He scrunched up in thought for a second before adding, “ I thought unicorns were only supposed to have a little magic that matches their special talent.”

“True,” Twilight countered, “for ponies whose talents are for things like cooking or singing or math, but what if a unicorn's special talent is magic?”

“Like you, Twilight, and you know a ton of magic.”

“Oh, Spike, stop,” she humbly said. “ I'm sure there are lots of ponies right here in Ponyville that know just as much magic as me. I mean, look at Sorin.”

“Are you kiddin'? I don't think there's another unicorn in all of Equestria with your kind of ability, Twilight.”

“I think,” Sorin inserted, “a pony whose talent is magic will be able to do spells far beyond the average unicorn. And, I must say that you have quite the bit of talent for the arcane from what I have seen.” He saw Twilight blush from his kind words. “I see great potential in you, Twilight Spa—” he tried to say, being cut off by two sharp and rapidly approaching voices.

As he turned to look what it was, two ponies slammed into the group, causing Sorin to stumble just a little.

“What is the meaning of this?” he demanded of the two odd, young colts in front of him.

“Yeah, Snips, Snails! What's goin' on?” Spike added.

“What, haven't you heard?” the orangy-brown pony he guessed to be Snails said to the dragon. “There's a new unicorn in town!”

The other pony, Snips, joined in, saying “Yeah! They say that she's got more magical powers than any other unicorn ever!”

If so, I would like to meet this pony.

“Really?” Twilight asked in an almost depressed way. Sorin noticed her visibly deflate from their previous comments, which he found odd.

“Aw, no way, that honor goes to Twilight here.” Sorin would unquestionably say Spike was loyal to the unicorn that cared for him, apparent by his near-constant admiration.

“Where is this unicorn?”

“She's in the town square. Come on!” Snails said, already starting to head off. His partner followed him, to which Sorin raised an eyebrow to his two friends. Spike shrugged, and they all went after the two.

It took less than a minute to reach the large, open area that was the town square. At least a hundred ponies had gathered around a raised stage to see this new unicorn in action. Sorin, Twilight, and Spike spotted the other Elements and went over to them at the front of the crowd. The set stage was accompanied by bulging trumpets, celestial cutouts, a blue curtain, and a banner with a crescent moon and a star on it. The strangest part was that the stage looked like it folded into a small cabin.

As the group settled in next to their friends, a booming feminine voice came from the stage.

“Come one, come all! Come and witness the amazing magic of the Great and Powerful Trixie!”

A giant flash of smoke appeared at the center of the stage, and sparks bounced around as the figure of a mare was outlined. The smoke parted, revealing a light blue mare clad in a traditional wizard’s hat and cloak with a stoic pose and expression. Her clothing had various stars scattered on it like the banner of her stage. The crowd gasped in awe at the pony’s entrance.

“Watch in awe as the Great and Powerful Trixie performs the most spectacular feats of magic ever witnessed by pony eyes!” she boldly stated, waving her hooves around to add emphasis. As she finished, fireworks burst into wild explosions of color, something Sorin and the Elements found unamusing.

“My, my, my. What boasting,” Rarity said, clearly not impressed.

“I agree,” Sorin replied to her.

“Come on, nopony's as magical as Twi—” Spike tried to say before stammering the last part. “H-hey, Rarity.” His cheeks became flushed as he continued to trip over his words, and then he called out, “Mustache!” before bolting away.

Odd.

Rarity looked at where the dragon had once stood as Twilight came up to her.

“There's nothing wrong with being talented, is there?”

“Nothin' at all, ‘cept when someone goes around showin' it off like a school filly with fancy new ribbons,” the country mare answered. The symbolism was mostly lost on Sorin, but he was able to get the message.

“Just because one has the ability to perform lots of magic does not make one better than the rest of us.”

Rainbow Dash perked up at the mention of ponies being better than others. In fashion, she said, “Especially when ya got me around being better than the rest of us.” When everypony looked at her in annoyance, she quickly added, “I-I mean, yeah, uh… magic shmagic. Boo!”

Apparently the Great and Powerful had heard the comments about her because she turned to them with a look of disapproval.

“Well, well, well, it seems we have some naysayers in the audience,” she snapped back, literally neighing on “nay.” “Who is so ignorant as to challenge the magical ability of the Great and Powerful Trixie? Do they not know that they're in the presence of the most magical unicorn in all of Equestria?”

Sorin and his friends clearly did not know.

He was beyond surprised to see Rarity trill her lips and stick out her tongue and tell Twilight, “Just who does she think she is?”

“Yeah! Since we all know that Twilight here is—” Spike said after appearing out of nowhere, being cut off by the unicorn in question. She pushed him away from the others and said something to him that Sorin could not hear.

He turned back to Trixie, still questioning if she was all talk or if she held true power. He entertained himself by imagining magicking a spear that was headed towards her heart to see if she would stop it with magic. If she did, he would know she had magical reflexes, if she did not, well, he would have to explain why he so casually murdered somepony.

It made him happy to see Rainbow Dash bolt up to her in an attempt to challenge her. He sat down and put his hooves together as he waited in anticipation.

“So, ‘Great and Powerful Trixie,’ what makes you think you're so awesome, anyway?” Trixie only chuckled.

“Why, only the Great and Powerful Trixie has magic strong enough to vanquish the dreaded Ursa Major!” The horns on the cart fired a blast of neon dust into the air that took the form of an animated bear. “When all hope was lost, the ponies of Hoofington had no one to turn to, but the Great and Powerful Trixie stepped in, and with her awesome magic, vanquished the Ursa Major and sent it back to its cave deep within the Everfree Forest.”

“That settles it,” Snips commented.

“Trixie truly is the most talented, the most magical, the most awesome unicorn in Ponyville,” his partner added.

“No, in all of Equestria!”

“How do you know?” Spike angrily said. “You didn't see it! And besides, Twi—“ His words were cut off as his mouth literally zipped shut from Twilight’s magic.

Trixie laughed. “It's true, my enthusiastic little admirers. Trixie is most certainly the best in Ponyville.”

Silence.

“Don't believe the Great and Powerful Trixie? Well then, I hereby challenge you, Ponyvillians. Anything you can do, I can do better.”

I doubt that.

“Any takers? Anyone?” She looked around the crowd, no one challenging her. “Hmm? Or is Trixie destined to be the greatest equine who has ever lived?” More fireworks shot into the air as she concluded.

Spike went to Twilight, getting onto the ground and begging her to do something. He pleaded for her to show up the showmare.

“How about you?” Trixie pointed directly at the lavender unicorn, who shrunk at the attention. She stammered on, trying to come up with something to say. “Well, little hayseed?”

“That's it. I can't stand for no more of this!” That had triggered Applejack, greatly. She trotted forward and went onto the stage, taking the spotlight. “Can your magical powers do this?”

She then began to spin a rope around herself in a display of countless hours of practice. She then upped the act, raising the rope and turning it before walking through it. This evoked cheers from the crowd, one of them being from Sorin.

To finish the show, she let the rope fly, the end wrapping around a red apple on a nearby tree. With a strong tug, she pulled the apple towards her, opening her mouth and crunching down on the sweet treat. The crowd cheered even louder this time. “Top that, missy.”

“Oh ye of little talent. Watch and be amazed at the magic of Trixie,” the blue mare fired back. Her hat went into the air, revealing her blue horn. The purple glow around it spread to the rope Applejack had been using, the thread coming to life in an instant.

Like a serpent, one end of the rope swayed in the air, drawing in the attention of everypony. Another end came to life, encasing another apple from the same tree and plucking it from its branch. The first end wrapped around Applejack’s legs, trapping her and flipping her, the second head shoving the apple into her mouth.

“Once again,” Trixie taunted, “the Great and Powerful Trixie prevails.”

Rainbow Dash appeared in front of her in a fraction of a second, upset spread all over her face. “There's no need to go struttin' around and showin' off like that.”

“Oh?”

“That's my job!” With the speed of lightning, she shot into the sky, spinning around a windmill before ascending. She burst through a cloud, tearing a hole directly through it, before hitting another, then another, and then another until she had gone through six clouds. Basking in the sun, she then shot back down, going through the passages in the clouds, siphoning the rain held within them.

As she got closer to the ground, more water trailed her. She spun around the windmill again, in the opposite direction this time. With a glorious skidding stop, she returned to the stage, the water quickly reaching her.

She flapped her wings, causing a small rainbow to appear over her posing body.

“They don't call me ‘Rainbow’ and ‘Dash’ for nothin'.”

The crowd burst into approving cheers, as did Sorin. He could see Trixie whispering something to herself as her horn activated.

A beam hit Rainbow Dash, mid-pose, and engulfed her in energy. She began to be wrapped up by a cyclonic force, causing her to spin around rapidly. The sheer force caused her to lift into the air in a rainbow of color.

After flailing randomly in the air, she landed on the ground, on the verge of vomiting.

“Seems like anypony with a dash of good sense would think twice before tussling with the Great Trixie.” After her play on words, she summoned a small dark cloud above the pegasus, and blasted her with a violent shock.

“What we need is another unicorn to challenge her. Someone with some magic of her own,” Spike said, clearly meaning Twilight by nudging her.

Finally back to normal, Rainbow Dash added, “Yeah! A unicorn to show this unicorn who's boss.”

“A real unicorn to unicorn tussle,” Applejack contributed.

Before Twilight could reply, Rarity butted in with, “Enough.” She drew everypony’s eyes. “Enough, all of you. I take your hint, but Rarity is above such nonsense. Rainbow Dash and Applejack may behave like ruffians, but Rarity conducts herself with beauty and grace.”

Trixie took the opportunity to poke the bear.

“What's the matter? Afraid you'll get a hair out of place in that rat's nest you call a mane?”

Rarity’s face turned to stone, and a deadly cold glare shot toward her enemy.

“Oh, it. Is. On.”

She took the stage, prancing around her opponent. “You may think you're tough with all of your so-called powers, but there's more to magic than your brutish ways.

“A unicorn needs to be more than just muscle. A unicorn needs to have style.” Part of the curtain flew from its hanger and wrapped around her, somehow turning into an elegant gown. Her mane had also been raised and stiffened. “A unicorn is not a unicorn without grace and beauty.”

Sorin watched as the showmare once again used her magic to counter Rarity's display. With a flash, the purple-maned unicorn had been vandalized.

Even I detest such a hair color.

Rarity knew something had changed. She could feel it in her hair.

“Quick! I need a mirror! Get me a mirror! What did she do to my hair? I know she did something terrible to my hair!” She nervously shifted her hooves, knowing that she had been wronged.

Her friends tried to usher her assurances that her hair was fine, but Spike decided to be truthful.

“It’s green.”

She gasped in horror.

“Green hair?!” Tears welled in her eyes, causing makeup to smear. “Not green hair! Such an awful, awful color!” she shouted, racing down the street to hide herself.

Attention fell on Twilight as her assistant nudged her.

“Well Twilight, guess it's up to you. Come on, show her what you're made of.”

“What do you mean?” she asked too humbly. “I’m nothing special.”

“Yes, you are. You're better than her!”

“I'm not better than anyone.” Her ears dropped, for she did not want to appear as if she thought she was superior.

An Azerothian would have killed for a chance to prove themselves.

“Hah!” Trixie audibly mocked. “You think you're better than the Great and Powerful Trixie? You think you have more magical talent? Well, come on, show Trixie what you've got.” She gestured to the crowd. “Show us all.”

Twilight shrunk. She didn’t want to be seen like Trixie, so she acted as if she was nothing.

“Who, me? I'm just your run-of-the-mill citizen of Ponyville. No powerful magic here. I, uh,” she said, coming up with an excuse to leave. “I think I hear my laundry calling. Sorry, gotta go!” With that, she bolted away, headed towards her library.

The pompous unicorn on stage chuckled to herself. She turned to the last pony standing, Sorin.

“And what about you? I suppose you think yourself to be better than me as well?”

He only snickered at that. A small grin spread across his muzzle.

“I know I’m better than you. But, I cannot be bothered to engage in such pointless shows of parlor tricks.”

Trixie held a hoof to her chest in feigned hurt. “Clearly you are just jealous. If you had any real magical power, you would do something.”

He had not been impressed by her “feats.” They were nothing but entertainment, not actual prowess. She did not deserve to witness his strength.

I could crush you like the bug you are if I so wished, he thought to himself.

“Once again, the Great and Powerful Trixie has proven herself to be the most amazing unicorn in all of Equestria.” She turned and started to trot towards the curtains. “Was there ever any doubt?” she muttered to herself. She went behind the curtains and started to fold the stage into her cabin home.

The gathered ponies began to disperse, heading back to their homes, jobs, or friends. Sorin headed back to the library to check on Twilight. He also needed to unwind from witnessing such disgraces to magic.

The front door sealed shut, Sorin turning towards Twilight. She was sitting at her desk, an open book in front of her. Her head whipped in his direction as she had heard him come in.

“So,” he started the conversation, “why’d you come back here?” She sighed.

“To be honest, I don’t want to seem like a show off to my friends and all of Ponyville.”

“I’d find that hard to do when the ‘Great and Powerful’ makes up for ten show-offs,” he teased, throwing up air quotes for added humor.

With a laugh, she replied, “True, but I can’t risk losing them as friends.”

Sorin opened his mouth to reply but stopped himself before he did.

Why should I assist in keeping them friends?

He closed his mouth for a moment before speaking again.

“Anyways, what are you up to?” he asked, going up to her desk.

“Trixie said she vanquished an Ursa Major, so I’m trying to research how that’s even possible.” She closed the book in front of her, that one proving unhelpful. “Wanna help?”

With a nod, he went to the rows of bookshelves in the room. He quickly found a section on mythical creatures, seeing a couple of already empty places. He skimmed through the titles, grabbing one called On Mythic Creatures.

He opened to the first page, spotting the table of contents. Turning a lot of pages, he found himself in a section with the Ursa Major. A drawing of one was on the page, and the creature was disgusting.

Made of translucent material, the Ursa Major looked like a bear but was many times larger. The measurements in the description made it sound like it would be as large as all of Ponyville.

He was surprised to hear of something quite that large in Equus.

“I found something,” he called to Twilight. She came over to him, taking the book from his grasp with her magic.

“Interesting and horrifying.”

They both read how they tended to stay in their dens, but the cubs would sometimes venture out on their own. Twilight wondered just how powerful Trixie was if she defeated an Ursa Major as she claimed.

Sorin thought the same thing, but he doubted she had done such a thing. He could only fathom one of the royal sisters doing something like that. But still, he left his mind open.

It was then that the door opened, and the other resident of the treehouse came in.

“Twilight, you’ve gotta show Trixie that she isn’t so high and mighty, because I can’t handle hearing more about her ‘greatness.’”

She only sighed at his demand.

“Didn't you see how they hated Trixie's bragging, Spike? If I go out there and show off my magic, I run the risk of losing them as friends.”

Sorin digressed, moving away from the two and deciding to stay out of the argument.

“It's not the same thing, Twilight. You'll be using your magic to stand up for your friends.”

“No, Spike, it's exactly the same.”

Spike went over to the clipboard from earlier in the day. “Come on, Twilight, any one of these tricks—even the teeniest—would be enough to show up Trixie.”

“I don't want to be seen as a bragger like Trixie,” Twilight said, forming a door in front of Spike, blocking him.

He opened the door and stepped through. “But you're the best!” he argued.

Now thoroughly annoyed, Twilight turned to him with an impatient sigh. “Please, Spike, I said no!”

“If that's the way you want to be,” Spike started, backing into the door, “then fine.”

The door slammed shut. Realizing his mistake, Spike opened it and walked away. He left the library, heading off to contemplate and calm down.

Sorin returned to Twilight, and they continued their research.

“Twilight!” Spike screamed as he burst through the door. “You've gotta come! Quick!”

Ready to scold, Twilight’s head rotated so that she was shooting daggers at him. Sorin had also raised an eyebrow at the imposing dragon.

“I already told you, Spike, I don't wanna show up Trixie!”

“No, you don't understand, it's—”

A loud, bestial roar rang through the town, startling Twilight and Sorin alike.

“Uh, is that what I think it is?” she sheepishly asked, hoping she was wrong.

“Majorly.”

Sorin discarded his book and steeled himself for battle. Twilight did the same, instantaneously getting on her hooves and racing out the door.

Just as they exited, another deep roar sounded from the nearby beast. The ground vibrated in a rhythm of what Sorin identified as footsteps.

They looked around, but they did not see the creature. Then, it emerged from behind a building, its jaws closing on an entire roof of a house. Screams rose into the air as ponies began to panic in the streets.

It was like a bear, but this one was blue and far larger. Upon its head was a star, and its body almost seemed like a constellation.

The three spotted Snips and Snails, going over to them and hoping for answers.

“What's going on?”

“We brought an Ursa to town,” Snips proudly said.

“You fools!” Sorin bore down.

“Don't worry, the Great and Powerful Trixie will vanquish it,” Snails said.

The Great and Powerful Trixie looked back at them with a nervous look on her face before looking away. She let out a deep and pitiful sigh.

“I can’t.”

Just as I predicted.

“I can't, I never have. No one can vanquish an Ursa Major. I just made the whole story up to make me look better,” she confessed, lowering her head in shame.

Just then, a throaty sound came from behind all of them. Whipping around, they all saw the Ursa Major raising onto its hindlegs and taking a large breath above a building.

The loudest roar yet came raging from its mouth, this one filled with anger. Saliva flew from its mouth as it continued its cry. More screams erupted from the town as it showed its massive claws that were the size of chariots. The crowd began to run in every direction.

Twilight slowly stepped forward, still cowering before the beast.

“Must I do everything myself?” Sorin muttered to himself in annoyance. Making sure to keep his magic only visible to the Ursa, he lit up his horn as he concentrated on a type of spell he had used once before on an arrogant stallion he had seen in Canterlot’s halls.

The Ursa Major stared directly into Sorin’s eyes, letting the pony know he was about to be devoured. Instead, the creature’s eyes widened at the sight before it.

An abomination of flesh rose from the ground around the stallion, encasing him in what appeared to be fangs—rows upon rows of them. A thick, brown fluid dripped from the multitudes of jaws gazing at the Ursa Major.

The creature grew in size until it was as tall as the Ursa, but this creature was far more terrifying. Without having eyes, the Ursa could feel it boring into its soul.

The Ursa Major lowered back onto its feet as it tried to avoid the attention of the demon in front of it. Feeling unable to move, it simply cowered before the beast.

Twilight grunted in exhaustion as her magic began to take effect. A gentle tune was carried on the wind, coming from the very grass of Ponyville. The notes of the song entered the Ursa’s ears, calming its heart to a still rapid pace. Its eyes became heavy as the image of the creature became blurry.

A giant water tower top floated next to the bear, filled up with warm milk. The Ursa collapsed, and Twilight's magic suspended it in the air, putting the bottle of milk into its mouth. It quietly sucked on it, drinking the milk that lulled it to sleep.

Sorin was impressed by Twilight's unorthodox methods of dealing with the Ursa Major. Musical magic combined with some levitation was effective in quelling the creature.

The ponies all looked in amazement as Twilight moved the creature through the air and off into the distance, where she returned it to its cave. As her horn dimmed, she collapsed to the ground, panting heavily.

The ponies burst into applause at what Twilight had done, and they bounced in the air they knew was safe again. Words of astonishment came from them as she started to stand up.

“Heavens to Betsy!” Applejack exclaimed. “We knew you had ability, but not that much.”

Looking ashamed, Twilight's posture dropped. “I'm sorry. Please, please don't hate me,” she tried to beg from her friends.

“Hate you?” all of her friends asked at once, clearly seeing their friend’s sadness.

“Why, whatever do you mean, darling?” Rarity asked out of concern.

“Well, I know how much you all hated Trixie's showing off with her magic tricks, and I just thought—“

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Rainbow Dash had to interrupt. “Magic's got nothing to do with it. Trixie's just a loudmouth,” she pointed out.

“Most unpleasant.”

“All hat and no cattle.”

“A fraud,” Sorin added, now returned to the group of friends.

“So, you don't mind my magic tricks?” Twilight asked, feeling as if things were going for the better.

“Your magic is a part of who you are, sugarcube, and we like who you are. We're proud to have such a powerful, talented unicorn as our friend,” the country mare replied.

“And after whippin’ that Ursa’s hindquarters,” the pegasus started, “we're even prouder.”

“You are?”

They all hummed in an approving response, cementing Twilight’s joy.

Twilight's frown shot upside down and into a smile as she felt said joy again.

“Wow, Twilight, how'd you know what to do with that Ursa Major?” Spike wondered out loud.

“That's what I was doing when you came looking for me. I was so intrigued by Trixie's bragging that I was compelled to do a little reading up on them, and Sorin helped me.”

“So it is possible to vanquish an Ursa Major all by yourself?”

“That wasn't an Ursa Major,” she stated, drawing looks from everypony. “It was a baby, an Ursa Minor.” This shocked everypony, even Sorin. His questions about the size of the Ursa were answered, though.

“That was just a baby?” Trixie blurted out in part fear and part bewilderment.

“And it wasn't rampaging. It was just cranky because someone woke it up.” Twilight's glare shot directly at Snips and Snails.

“Well, if that was an Ursa Minor,” Spike asked, “then what's an Ursa Major like?”

“You don't wanna know.” It was best left at that.

Trixie snorted in displeasure. “You may have vanquished an Ursa Minor, but you will never have the amazing, show-stopping ability of the Great and Powerful Trixie!” she practically shouted as a flash of smoke consumed her. As it faded, she could be seen running into the distance.

Sorin began to zone out as he returned to the sanctum of his thoughts.

This was a waste of my precious time. I learned little of pony culture except that they care for their friends—which I expected. Trixie was nothing but a charlatan, not worthy of my attention. At least Twilight trusts me more.

Upon entering reality again, he saw Twilight and her friends going their separate ways, and so he joined her. The walk to the library was short, but it had gotten awfully late. This was something he did not like; days were shorter than those on Azeroth.

He found himself inside the treehouse once again, only this time he was upstairs and in Twilight’s study. She had begun writing a note to Princess Celestia about how she was afraid of appearing as a show-off.

“You should be proud of your talents, Twilight Sparkle,” Sorin told her, to which she wrote almost the exact same words in her letter.

Reading the last line aloud, she let out a breath of content. Sorin had been listening along the way, suggesting any improvements he thought could further her message. His advice had been helpful, according to Twilight.

Spike came into the room, a mustache on his face again.

“So, you finally admit that you're the most talented unicorn in all of Ponyville?”

She turned to him with a happy look. “Well, yeah, but it's nothing to brag about.” She remembered where her little assistant had been before asking, “So, how did it go with Rarity?”

“Eh, she didn't go for the mustache,” he dejectedly said.

“You know, Spike, that mustache has nothing to do with who you really are. Maybe you should just try being yourself,” she reassured him.

“Or,” he started, clearly missing the message, “maybe the mustache wasn't enough. Maybe if I had a mustache and a beard?”

Sorin laughed out loud as Twilight commented.

“Okay, imagine me with a nice, long, Fu Manchu-type beard. Or maybe a goatee. Oh, no, a soul patch right on my chin!”

The list of facial hair would continue for a while, but Twilight would do anything to ease Spike’s worries. Sorin had continued to chuckle from the requests, earning the occasional “What?” from the baby dragon.

It slithered across the ground, searching for its prey. Its sole purpose was that, and it would accomplish its purpose.

Without ears, it listened to the sound of hooves striking the ground over and over again as guards marched through the halls of Canterlot.

Clip-clop. Clip-clop. Clip-clop.

It had managed to make it into the royal living quarters of the castle without being seen. It had adapted to the patterns of the wardens, sometimes scaling the walls to avoid them entirely. Obstacles had become child’s play to it.

It would have wondered what a child was, if it was a child, or what the phrase even meant if it could question. Like instinct, it knew only one thing, one commandment.

As it slipped under another door, it found itself in a promising area. A long hallway extended to the left and right of it, and it spotted two similar yet opposite pairs of doors.

The first was black, likely obsidian, and had stars painted onto it. It realized the stars formed groups called constellations in perfect detail, but it did not know what a constellation was. At the center of the doors was a moon. Half of it was on one door, and the other half was on the other door, the two connecting into the orb that seemed to glow in the dark of the hall.

The second was the whitest white on the spectrum, designs of ponies, flowers, and other things it did not understand were covering most of the two doors. Like the other, a large celestial body was etched into the center, half on one door and half on the other. This one was a yellow sun that had flares radiating off of it.

It had never seen the doors before, yet it knew which one to go to. Its movements were unnatural as it crawled to the base of the two, giant, heavy doors that blocked its way. The feeling of an intense barrier washed over it as it encountered the warding placed on the entrance.

It spotted the tiniest of spaces below the stone doors, something only a fly could logically fit through. That did not stop it, for it knew it could fit in virtually any sized space due to it being a liquid.

Flushing against the cold floor, it squeezed itself under the gates, slowly seeping into the chamber.

Now fully through, it heard the rising and falling of breathing. Its nonexistent eyes shot towards the source of the sound, spotting its prey.

There, laying atop a lavish bed and wrapped in blankets, was its target. Her white fur mirrored the color of her doors, and it knew she was its prey.

It quickly came to her bedside, climbing the posts of her nightstand and spilling onto her bed. It went under the covers, carefully avoiding her fur. With some form of night vision, it could clearly see her Cutie Mark.

A yellow sun.

Instantly, its instincts kicked in, and it knew what to do. A blob rose from its main mass, almost like a head, and hovered above her Cutie Mark.

It latched onto the sun, feeling inner peace as it seeped into her fur and then into her body. More and more of its body went into hers until the last drop had gone into her coat.

A second later, the darkness on her flank had disappeared, now having gotten into her muscles and quickly reaching her bloodstream.

It felt complete. Its one job had been finished. Its purpose, fulfilled. The words repeated in its body as it nestled into its new home.

Find Princess Celestia.

Chapter 24: The First Piece

Sorin was sitting at his desk, searching for anything he could use to his advantage, when he felt Vultrax calling him. He waved a hoof, opening a channel through to him.

“Urgent news from The Citadel, my lord!”

Sorin turned, looking back at the windigo. “Proceed.”

“The Shadowstrikers were on patrol of the lands they had claimed as their territory when they came across something. In the lowlands of the Frozen North, there is a new kingdom.”

“I thought you said they had already claimed that territory?”

“They did,” Vultrax muttered. “But the kingdom just… appeared. It was not there a week ago.”

Sorin paused, his thoughts spinning. “That is alarming. I have not detected any magical bursts recently, and it would take a tremendous amount of magic to hide a whole kingdom. Just how large is it?”

“It is at least the size of Canterlot. At its center is a giant castle made of crystal. There appear to be homes around the castle, but we have no idea what is there. The houses are close to pony size, but I have never seen ponies this far north.”

“Plus, there was no settlement in the Frozen North, according to their maps,” Sorin added.

“We have little information on it, but getting any will be difficult.”

Sorin slowly asked, “Why?”

“Something else appeared in the north. There is a giant creature of shadow that seems to be making its way towards the kingdom. Our forces are on high alert, awaiting your command.”

He put a hoof to his chin for a moment as he thought. He had never heard of a creature like that, nor had he heard of any crystal kingdom. “For now, keep a steady eye on both the creature and the kingdom. Keep the forces on alert. In the meantime, I will look into this new place. I want you to gather any information you can about it as well.”

“Yes, sir. I’ll ask my brothers if they know anything about either of them.”

“Thank you for bringing this to me. These appearances are worrying. Halt the territorial advancements and notify me of any change.”

Vultrax nodded, closing the channel and fading away.

Sorin turned back to his desk, flipping through his books for any information on the new development. If this place has just appeared, I’m sure mainland Equestria will learn of it soon. I may be able to extract information from them since I am already aware of its return. Celestia may be able to help me here. He continued his research.

Celestia sat on her throne, working on a stack of paperwork that had been piling up. As she signed a paper, putting it to the back of the pile, the doors to the room burst open. One of the Royal Guards rushed to the throne, shouting, “News from Northern Equestria!” She put the stack down, looking at the guard. “Uh... your highness.”

“Yes?” she spoke, seeing the shaken look on the guard’s face.

He took off his golden helmet. “I am simply to tell you that it has returned.”

Celestia gasped, realizing what he was talking about. She turned to one of the throne guards, telling him to “Find Princess Cadance and Shining Armor.”

“Yes, your highness,” he simply responded, racing off with the other two guards in the room.

Whipping out a blank paper, she started scribbling a letter to her student. “My dearest Twilight, you must come to Canterlot at once.” After finishing the letter, she sent it off immediately. She sat back in her seat, taking a deep breath.

How interesting, Yogg-Saron whispered with a chuckle. The sudden appearance of a kingdom made of crystal is most intriguing.

“How do you know about the Crystal Empire?”

He smiled inwardly, plucking the name of the empire from her.

I am a part of you now. I see what you see, he answered back. Plus, my sources notified me of its appearance in the north.

“Your sources?” she nervously asked.

Of course. You didn’t expect me to be without a network of information, did you?

“What is that incessant noise?” Sorin kept hearing the sound of running hooves coming from downstairs. Every few seconds, he would hear stuff falling onto the ground or clanging together. He closed the book he was reading, carefully making his way down the stairs when he felt a sudden explosion of magic. Grabbing onto the railing on the stairs, he held himself from falling. As he went down the last of the stairs, he saw Twilight standing in front of Spike, seething. All of her friends were in the room as well, spotting Sorin.

“What is going on here?” he demanded.

“Princess Celestia wants to give her a test. She didn’t say what it was about, though,” Applejack informed him.

“But it’s just—” She rushed over to him, covering his mouth with a hoof.

“That’s what Spike said, and she went ballistic.” She slowly lowered her hoof.

“Do you want me to keep an eye on her?”

“Yes, please.”

He sighed, going over to Twilight. “I’ll help carry this mountain of supplies for you.”

Spike choked up as he felt another letter coming. In a burst of flames, a scroll dropped in front of him. Picking it up, he started to unroll it, reading aloud.

“‘Dear Sorin, I know you may be busy, but your presence is needed in Canterlot right away. Go with Twilight on the train arranged for your transport. I will explain more when you arrive.’ That was from the princess.” Sorin was expecting to get a message like that soon enough.

“I guess I’ll get ready then.” When he came back downstairs, he had his armor on. He lifted Twilight’s bags, carefully placing them on his back. Everypony followed her out of the library. She took them to the train station, where they boarded a train just for them.

Sorin borrowed her books on the ride, skimming through each of them for any information on the Crystal Empire.

He found absolutely nothing. The rest of the way to the capital was uneventful. Twilight was freaking out, and he was getting more irritated. He tried to keep a clear head. He would have to talk to the princesses soon.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to go as well?” Luna asked her sister, both of them looking at the new window pane depicting Cadance and Shining Armor’s love that saved Canterlot.

“Yes. Princess Cadance and Shining Armor are already there. The others will be joining them soon.”

“The Empire’s magic is powerful. It cannot fall again, my sister.”

“She will succeed at her task. Besides, we need to stay here and continue the search for Yogg-Saron.”

“Alright,” Luna acquiesced. “Our search has been fruitless thus far, but we are bound to find something soon.”

“Ahem,” Twilight uttered, drawing the attention of the two princesses. Sorin was beside her, a determined look on his face. He handed the bags to her.

“Trust me, little sister,” Celestia concluded. Luna left her side, walking down the hall and passing Twilight, shooting Sorin a smile.

“You wanted to see me? To give me a test? I brought my own quills and plenty of paper to show my work.” She set her overly stuffed bags down, a roll of parchment rolling down the carpet. Celestia watched the paper unroll itself all the way to her hooves. “Sorry, sorry!”

Celestia rolled it back up with her magic. “This is a different kind of test.” She put everything back into the bags. “The Crystal Empire has returned.”

“The Crystal Empire?” Twilight repeated, her worry setting in. “I’m sorry, I-I thought I’d studied. Ooh. I don’t think there’s anything in any of my books th—”

“There wouldn’t be. Few remember it ever existed at all.” The princess lifted a glass cover from a crystal shard. She set the fragment down in front of Twilight and Sorin. “Even my knowledge of the Empire is limited.” Shooting a beam of light onto the crystal, the image of the Crystal Empire appeared on the floor. The two ponies watching took in the sight of the entire civilization before them. A blue pillar of light at the center of the empire revealed a giant castle of crystal.

Just as Vultrax said, Sorin thought to himself. The castle is the center point of the empire. The streets form a snowflake-like design that converges on it.

“But what I do know is that it contains a powerful magic. One thousand years ago, King Sombra—a unicorn whose heart was black as night—took over the Crystal Empire.”

Black crystals formed over the kingdom’s landscape, the castle becoming a crude version of what it once was. Standing on the balcony overlooking the empire was a shadowy unicorn who wore a crown. His horn was curved and red, and he looked down at all of his chained subjects.

“He was ultimately overthrown, turned to shadow, and banished to the ice of the arctic north—but not before he was able to put a curse upon the empire. A curse that caused it to vanish into thin air.” The image washed away, leaving only the crystal shard. Celestia lifted it into the air.

“If the Empire is filled with hope and love,” she graced the shard with her magic, casting a rainbow glow throughout the room, “those things are reflected across all of Equestria. If hatred and fear take hold…” She opened her wings, her eyes turning green with purple energy floating around them. Black lightning flew from her horn to the crystal, turning it black. A dark shadow stretched on the ground toward Twilight and Sorin, jagged crystal erupting from the floor.

Celestia went into the air, extending her wings and showering the wicked spikes in sunlight. They cracked apart, turning to dust. She floated down to the floor, putting her wings back.

“Which is why I need your help finding a way to protect it.”

“You want me to help protect an entire empire?” Twilight whispered, looking beyond nervous.

“It is, as I said, a different kind of test—but one I’m certain you will pass. Sorin will be there to help you if needed, but I need him to help keep the empire protected.”

Nodding, Sorin said, “I will do whatever I can to help.”

“How do I begin?” Twilight asked with a confidence she lacked only seconds ago.

Celestia trotted down the carpet towards the exit. “By both of you joining Princess Cadance and Shining Armor in the Crystal Empire,” she replied.

“My brother is there?”

“He is.” Twilight ran up to her. “And your Ponyville friends will join you there as well. I have every confidence you will succeed. And when you do, I’ll know you are ready to move on to the next level of your studies.”

Sorin and Twilight stood at the entrance to the chamber, Princess Luna waiting for them and looking stern.

“But what if I fail?”

“You won’t.”

“But what if—” Celestia tapped her student’s side.

“You won’t.” Twilight started to trot past her. “But Twilight, in the end, it must be you and you alone who ultimately assists Princess Cadance and Shining Armor in doing what needs to be done to protect the empire. Do you understand?”

Twilight raised her head, letting the princesses know she was ready.

“Then go. There is no time to lose. Sorin, I’ll keep you updated.” Celestia closed the doors, leaving Twilight and Sorin alone.

Seeing her face, Sorin laid a wing on her back. “Don’t worry. Everything will be okay.” His reassuring smile was a lie, one she did not look past.

The two went back to the train station, Spike joining them along the way. They came to the boarding station, her friends waiting for her.

“Twilight!” Applejack shouted, jumping over to hug her. “Uh, did you pass?”

Wheeling a large cannon out of nowhere, Pinkie Pie asked, “Are we gonna celebrate your awesomeness with Princess Celestia?” She fired confetti upwards, jumping with it.

“Not quite.” Twilight turned to the rest of her friends. “We’re going to the Crystal Empire!” They all looked at her in confusion.

“Crystal what?” Rainbow Dash muttered

“I’ll let you tell them,” Sorin said while leaning over to Twilight. She looked at him with a frown.

The train they were all on slowed to a stop. The snowy arctic was incredibly frigid, something they all felt when the cart doors opened.

“Ha! And you all made fun of me for packing so many scarves,” Rarity teased as they stepped into the cold, her pink scarf keeping her warm.

“I didn’t say a word,” Spike grumbled, carrying all the luggage for his friends.

Sorin felt warm from his heavy armor, not that he needed it. It’s incredible what climates the pony body can handle. It was still cold enough to cause a pony to freeze to death, but it would take some time.

“Twilight!”

“Shining Armor?” she called after hearing her brother’s voice. Coming up to them through the blistering chill, Shining Armor lifted his black goggles and lowered his scarf.

“Twily! You made it!” He ran over to her, taking her in for a hug. “We’d better get moving. There are things out here we really don’t want to run into after dark.”

Fluttershy gulped. “What kind of things?”

“Let’s just say the empire isn’t the only thing that’s returned.”

The Elements looked at each other nervously before they all started their trek through the shear winds to the Crystal Empire.

Sorin tried to scan the area as they went for any sign of the shadow monster Vultrax told him of. So far, the coast had been clear. As much as he wanted to see this creature, he did not want to risk having to use his true powers yet.

“Something keeps trying to get in! We think it’s the unicorn king who originally cursed the place,” Shining Armor shouted back at the ponies behind him.

“But Princess Celestia said I was being sent here to find a way to protect the empire. If King Sombra can’t get in, then it must already be protected.”

Everypony paused as a horn-like howl echoed over the barren flatland. Sorin whipped around, trying to pinpoint where the sound was coming from.

“Th-that’s one of the things, isn’t it?” Fluttershy shakingly asked with fear in her voice.

It’s coming from such a large area. I can’t tell where it is… unless…

“We have to get to the Crystal Empire! Now!” Shining Armor yelled.

Sorin’s eyes widened in realization as a pillar of shadow erupted from behind everypony. A massive, dark cloud swept over the frozen wastes, two large green eyes with purple smoke spilling out of them looking down at the ponies.

This must be the creature. This must be King Sombra…

The king bestially snarled, shooting forward towards the now sprinting group. Sorin ran hard, looking back to see the cloud gaining on them. His eyes flickered as he put a little extra force in his stride, suddenly thundering through the snow. He sped up, passing up some of the ponies in front of him.

“Go, go!” Twilight screamed, throwing Spike onto her back.

“Almost there,” Shining Armor said. A blue dome came into view, but it was still a decent distance away. He knew they would not all make it, so he slid around in the snow, standing to face King Sombra. Sorin looked back, seeing Shining Armor stop. This was his opportunity to see the king in action and better understand what he was dealing with. With a beat of his wings, he flipped over, racing after the stallion.

The dark cloud approached, and Shining Armor fired a magic shot towards it, but it simply split its form, the beam missing its target. Shining Armor saw the creature lunge towards him, so he readied a spell.

Sorin saw a bright purple flash that blasted the darkness back, but not before it struck its enemy. He raced over to the downed stallion, seeing tiny chunks of black crystal on his horn.

He closed his eyes as he tried to pick up on the passive signature of the substance. He sensed shadow magic, but also the slightest touch of Void energy. It was faint but still there. That likely meant that King Sombra was partially made of Void. Whether or not he could wield it was still unknown.

The cloud came back, ready to finish Shining Armor and his companion. One of them opened their wings, making King Sombra realize he was an alicorn. Undeterred, he struck.

Time to tap into some of Celestia’s energy. Channeling the powers of Harmony, which harmed him as well, Sorin let out a wave of burning heat that caused the cloud to recoil in pain. He then threw up a wall of magic that would hold the creature back for a few moments.

Helping the stallion up, he told him, “We must hurry! That shield won’t last long!”

They started running as fast as they could, the wall already beginning to fade. Sorin flapped his wings, flying low enough to the ground to keep from being slowed by the winds. He looked back to see the creature rear back before slamming into the wall. It shattered, the monster surging toward them now. He looked forward, the blue dome close again.

“We’re almost there, Prince Sorin!”

They were so close, but King Sombra was even closer. Sorin flew behind Shining Armor, kicking him hard enough to get him through the barrier. Slowed down from the kick, Sorin found the darkness about to strike him. He quickly charged a teleport, warping himself through the shield just as the cloud reached him. It let out an enraged roar as the alicorn slipped through its talons.

Sorin appeared inside the Crystal Empire, the winds still. The air was warm, and the ground had grass growing instead of frost.

“Oh, no! Shining Armor, your horn,” Twilight cried, rushing over to her brother. He tried to cast a spell, but the magic could not get past the crystal pieces, causing his horn to flicker out. Shaking his head, he got up.

Sorin went over to two pillars that acted as a gate to the kingdom. Looking out, he saw that almost everything was made of crystal. The castle stretched high over the land, sparkling majestically.

“Sparkleriffic!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

They went down the hill they were on and headed towards the center. They went past large crystal shards and buildings made of the same material. Once they got close enough, they could see that the castle shone from the sunlight.

“It’s gorgeous! Absolutely gorgeous!” Rarity expressed. “There are no words!” she babbled as they went underneath the castle and its four legs.

“Eh, I don’t see what the big deal is. Just looks like another old castle to me,” Rainbow Dash commented, trying to keep a straight face.

Sputtering incoherently, Rarity went over to her friend and got in her face. “Have you lost your mind? Look at the magni—” She stopped as she saw her friend laughing. Applejack joined in.

“Very funny.”

They all went into one of the doors at the bottom of the castle, heading through the empty structure and quickly getting to the throne room. Walking through the door, Sorin spotted Cadance sitting on the throne of crystals, looking like she was about to pass out.

“Cadance!” Twilight shouted, getting the princess to perk up, a smile appearing on her face. She went down from the majestic throne and went over to her friend.

“Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake! Clap your hooves and do a little shake!” they sang together, performing their meeting ritual and ending it with some giggles.

Cadance cringed, causing the spell she was holding to flicker. Sorin noticed the barrier surrounding the empire flicker as well. Looking back at her, he only now saw the bags under her eyes, the wrinkles on her skin, and her glossy eyes.

“One of these days, we need to get together when the fate of Equestria isn’t hanging in the balance.” She let out a tired sigh, resting her eyes.

“Are you okay?” Twilight asked in concern.

Shining Armor came over. “Cadance has been able to use her magic to spread love and light. That seems to be what is protecting it. But she hasn’t slept, barely eats. I want to help her, but my protection spell has been countered by King Sombra.”

“It’s alright Shining Armor; I’m fine.”

“She’s not fine,” he countered. “She can’t go on like this forever, and if her magic were to fade... Well, you saw what’s out there waiting for that to happen.”

“That’s why we’re here,” Twilight offered.

“Why we’re all here,” Applejack added. Her friends hummed in support.

“Well, with Cadance putting all her strength into keeping her spell going and me trying to keep an eye on signs of trouble in the arctic, we haven’t been able to gather much information from the Crystal Ponies.”

Zoning out of Rarity’s reaction to “Crystal Ponies,” Sorin thought. The entire Crystal Empire was being protected by one alicorn who could barely stay awake, and her husband had already been disabled? He grinned. Taking the empire after the shield fell would be child’s play, but there was one thing in his way: Sombra. He could not risk losing such a position to the king.

With the Crystal Empire under his control, Yogg-Saron would control almost all of the entire north. The ponies’ lack of protection left it ripe for the taking, and he capitalized on it. Now that the empire returned, Equestria would be on his doorstep soon. He had to move fast to take the empire, or else The Citadel would be found, or worse, King Sombra would be a timely enemy to defeat with it in his hooves again.

How to take the empire and deal with King Sombra at the same was the question.

Sorin listened back in as Shining Armor continued.

“But we have to believe one of them knows how we can protect the Empire without having to use Cadance’s magic.”

“A research paper!” Twilight randomly said.

“Huh?”

“That must be part of my test: to gather information from the Crystal Ponies and deliver it to you! This is gonna be great! I love research papers!”

Oh dear. Sorin facehoofed. But she does have a point. Gathering information from the denizens may prove crucial in putting an end to Sombra and finding a way to circumvent the empire’s protection.

“Don’t worry, big brother. I am really good at this sort of thing.”

“Yes, you do that,” Sorin said. “In the meantime, I’ll have your brother here catch me up on what’s going on with King Sombra. We’ll meet beneath the castle in about an hour. Sound good?”

“Sure thing. We’ll get on it right away!” With that, Twilight left with her friends to see if the Crystal Ponies could tell them anything.

“It’s good to see you both again. It’s a shame that it’s under such dire pretenses, but your company is a fortune either way.”

“Thanks,” Cadance replied to Sorin. “It’s great to know you’re an alicorn now, which kinda makes us family.”

“It’s an honor, Mi Amore,” he responded, making her blush.

“You know you can call me Cadance.”

Turning to Shining Armor, he dropped his smile. “As a prince, I presume that I have access to any information you have about this King Sombra.”

“Of course.” The stallion said goodbye to his wife and led Sorin to a window. “From what we can tell, he moves with great speed and can hear almost everything. The shield is the only thing keeping him out.”

“There’s no backup plan?”

“Currently, no. But there is a small group of guards on the way here now. Once they get here, they’ll be able to help hold him back if needed. Let’s hope we won’t need them.”

“Agreed. Do you have any idea when they’ll get here?”

“They didn’t say,” Shining Armor responded, realizing something. “But they are close. Since we drew Sombra’s attention, they should have rushed to get here. That means they could be here any minute!”

“Then let’s get ready to help them get in.”

Nodding, they both started towards the doors. “Wait,” Sorin said. “I’ll teleport us.” A flash later and they were near the edge of the kingdom. They sprinted the rest of the way, stopping as they got to the barrier.

“We have to be ready when we go out there. I’ll go first just in case.”

“No, sir!” Shining Armor got in front of him. “You are a prince now, meaning I serve you. I’ll go.”

“You are injured. Maybe not physically, but I have the best chance of fending that monster off. If you wish, we can both go at the same time.”

“We’ll do that then. Ready?”

Sorin nodded, and they both jumped through, instantly getting blasted by the cold. Looking around, they did not see King Sombra. Letting out a relieved sigh, they both trotted forward.

“They should be here any minute!” Shining Armor shouted over the wind.

“Let’s hope Sombra didn’t get them.”

Suddenly, they heard a yell.

“RUN!”

They looked to where the voice came from, seeing fifty armored guards running towards them. A howl reached their ears, and they could see a dark shadow in the distance.

Sorin took flight, pushing against the wind to get to the guards. The cloud came into full view, chasing them down. The guards were still a ways away from the wall, and they would never make it in time. He fired an explosive blast at the cloud, slowing it down for only a second.

“What do you need us to do?” Sorin asked the guards when he reached them.

“If you slow that thing down, sir, we can all hit it with our magic. That should buy us enough time to get to the Crystal Empire.”

“I’ll handle it. Just get ready to attack.”

Sorin landed, the guards running past him. He dug his hooves into the ground, making his stand.

King Sombra snarled as he approached. He would end the alicorn this time. Sorin tapped into his blood, getting ready. He grinned as the creature came within range.

“NOW!” He slammed his hoof into the ground, sending cracks forward. His eyes ignited in a blaze of shadow as he lifted his hoof straight up.

King Sombra lunged at the alicorn, sure to consume him, when the ground in front of him burst open. A massive spike of ice erupted from it, stabbing into King Sombra’s form before he could react. He let out an annoyed growl as he felt pain.

Sorin grinned, turning around to see the guards behind him, all of them aiming.

“Fire!” their commander shouted.

King Sombra’s eyes widened as he saw the glow of a frenzy of magic hurling toward him. Still recovering from his injury, he was pelted by the blasts. He roared out in agony as his wispy form burned.

“Let’s go!” Sorin yelled. The guards sprinted as fast as they could, Shining Armor leading them in the right direction. They gained a lead before the shadow started to move again. They were all able to cross through the magical barrier with ease.

“That was close,” their commander said in relief. Sorin and Shining Armor came over to him. He saluted the captain and the prince.

“What’s your division, soldier?”

“We are the 50th Unicorn Division, charged with assisting in the defense of the Crystal Empire, captain.”

“So you know what we’re up against?” Sorin asked.

“Yes, my prince.”

“Good. The barrier we went through is sure to fail soon, and when it does, we need an immediate defense against Sombra. We want your division to stay at the border to act as the first line of defense. Your magic gives you an advantage the regular guards won’t have.”

“Yes, sir!”

Sorin turned to Shining Armor. “I better go check up on your sister and her friends.” He started trotting, turning to look back at the captain. “Good job out there. Your wife would be pleased to know of your courage.”

“Thanks, and you too.”

Sorin smiled, heading off to return to the castle.

Jaina’s whole body ached. Her wings were stiff to the point where every flap of her wings stung horribly, and her eyes felt like they had been showered in dirt. She was so hungry, and she barely had enough water to keep going, yet she persisted. She kept flying as fast as she could push herself to go. While her body hurt, it was nothing compared to the emotional pain.

Her whole village and everyone she knew—including her parents—had been killed by that monster. Her eyes were too dry to cry anymore, but she felt as if she had been crying the whole time she was flying. She finally slowed down as Canterlot Castle came into view. She aimed down, soaring over the capital of Equestria as she tried to prepare for a landing.

Her wings gave out before she could, causing her to fall through the air with the grace of a rock. She slid across the grass in front of the castle, the guards startled by a random griffon falling from the sky. They ran up to her, pointing their spears at her.

“State your business, griffon.”

“He… h-he killed them all…” Her head dropped as she passed out, too worn out to continue for another second.

Looking at his partner, one of the guards said, “We better get the general.”

Celestia was talking with her sister when the doors to the small room burst open, Steel Bastion coming through them with a griffon at his side. She looked beaten down—and more than just physically.

“What is it, Bastion?” Luna asked.

“Your highness, this griffon crashed outside the castle limits, claiming to have seen a wicked creature. It’s the best thing we’ve found that could relate to Yogg-Saron.”

Celestia approached the shaken griffon, who stepped back in response. The princess stepped back herself.

“What’s your name?” she soothingly asked.

“J-Jaina.”

“Okay, Jaina,” she took a step forward. “Can you tell me what happened?”

The griffon gulped. “It was a n-normal day—we live in a small village in the Frozen North to live freely—when he showed up.”

“He?” Celestia repeated.

“He was a pony, but he was no normal pony. Our village had a magical barrier around it that protected us, but he broke through it like nothing. He had these black things that came out of his back, and he used them to kill—” Jaina tensed up as she remembered the horrid creature. Steeling herself, she continued. “H-he killed them.”

“Who did he kill?”

“Everyone in my village. He killed my parents; he killed my friends—he killed them all!” She went to the ground, tears finally rolling down her face.

Celestia leaned over to her sister. “This is worrying. It sounds like he still has a considerable amount of strength—enough to take down a whole town full of griffons.”

“He is living up to the title of ‘the God of Death’ and ‘Death itself’ in the most horrible way,” Luna responded.

“W-w-what… did you… s-say?” Jaina said through many shaky breaths after barely hearing what the princess said.

“What do you mean, dear?” Celestia asked, taking note of the griffon’s sudden fear.

“‘Death itself.’ That’s what h-he called himself.” She stared into nothing, the memory of his dark voice filling her head.

“Oh no,” Luna uttered.

“Where is this mountain you said you lived on?” her sister asked.

“I can take you there. If it helps kill that demon, then I’ll take you there.”

Princess Celestia and Princess Luna stared at the crystalline structure overtaking the mountain. They looked down at the corrupted blood on the ground that had spread absolutely everywhere.

“I-I don’t understand,” Jaina whispered, “what is that?” She flew into the air, racing towards what remained of her home.

“It seems he is far more powerful than we thought,” Luna said while looking at The Spire.

“It seems so,” Celestia simply replied.

The first piece of the puzzle…

She stiffened at his voice. She stared into nothing as she tried to drown him out.

He snickered. I enjoyed slaughtering all those weak, defenseless griffons. The screams of the females and their children were most pleasing.

“You monster!” Celestia spat, instantly realizing her mistake.

“Are you alright, sister?”

“I’m fi—”

“Don’t lie to me,” Luna sternly said.

“How did you…”

“I know when you’re lying. I’ve known you since birth; I know your little signs.”

“Very well then.” Celestia took a deep breath. “I-I have been hearing Yogg-Saron’s voice inside my head for a while now. He nags at my every thought, plaguing my mind every day. It is torture.”

Her anger quickly rising, Luna demanded, “How could you not tell me something like this? We have been hunting him, and you neglected to tell me that you have been hearing him talk to you?!”

“I’m sorry,” Celestia groveled, tears in her eyes. “But I’ve been too afraid to mention it until now.”

Luna paced around, rubbing her head as she did. “Anger will get us nowhere. While you should have told me, I have been known to do the same thing in the past—but you must tell me everything else if we are to stop him.”

“Of course. T-thank you, Luna.”

“It’s his voice that haunts me all the time. It’s so… wrong. It’s dark and wicked, and when he speaks, it makes you feel like you are fading into oblivion. It gives you doubts you never had before.” Luna perked up, the feeling sounding all too familiar. “The worst part is—”

“—the chill,” Luna finished.

Confused, Celestia raised an eyebrow. “How… how did you know?”

“Because I have seen him too.”

“What?” Celestia exclaimed.

“Not too long ago, there was a creature that invaded the dreamworld. It fed off my guilt for becoming Nightmare Moon and used it to get stronger. With the help of Ponyville, I was able to defeat it in a single shared dream—but if we had failed, it would have turned the real Equestria into a living nightmare. I thought it destroyed at the time, but its voice was that of Yogg-Saron—or at least how you described his voice.”

Celestia let out a shaky breath. “We have been played for fools. This whole time, he has been scheming behind our backs, and we have been too ignorant to see it.”

“Can it be true?”

“Yes, it can.” The princesses froze as they heard his voice.

“It’s him,” Celestia barely whispered.

“It came from the mountain.”

Suddenly, they heard a shrill scream from the mountaintop. Looking up at the crystal structure, they saw Jaina suspended in the air by black tendrils.

“This one managed to escape from her village, only to come running back to me.” Another tendril rose from beneath her. “Time to fix my mistake…”

“NO!” Celestia screamed, only able to watch as Jaina was stabbed in the chest by his blood. She cried, thrashing from the agonizing pain. His blood hardened, turning into crystal and impaling the griffon atop the mountain.

The tendrils ripped through the four beams of The Spire, causing it to come crashing down. It turned to liquid, gushing down the mountain.

“I have no need for this old fortress, but I do have a need for her…”

The dark tendrils converged into one, rising over Jaina’s body. It seeped into her, bonding with her lifeless form. With a sickening sound, Jaina’s body took in a harrowing undead breath. Pulling herself from the spike, she dropped to the ground at the top of the mountain. She ran to the edge, jumping.

“He turned her into some kind of zombie!” Luna screamed.

“Whatever it is, it’s no longer Jaina,” Celestia coldly said, readying herself.

As she fell, Jaina’s body turned black, her wings getting longer and her every feature becoming more twisted. She opened her wings, soaring only a few feet above the ground towards the alicorns as her transformation into a Shadowstriker completed.

Letting out a discordant screech, she flew at Luna. Her blade-like wings sliced the princess across her legs and caused her to fall to the ground. Jaina swooped around, narrowly avoiding a blast from Celestia. Rearing back and extending her talons, she dove at Luna.

The alicorn was ready, though, kicking upwards and sending Jaina tumbling to the ground. Celestia rushed over to the creature, blasting one of its wings into ash before it could escape. Screeching, it snapped at her, just barely missing.

Luna came over, lifting the creature into the air in a ball of magic. It struggled to break free, finding itself unable to. Celestia went into the air, opening her wings. Her eyes turned white as the sun spilled into her.

A beam of the sun’s infernal heat shot through her body, melting everything around the ball. Luna released her spell, leaving the creature to burn. They heard its harrowing screams as it was reduced to ash.

Shaking themselves off, the princesses turned to each other.

“We need to find him,” Celestia stated.

“Starting with what we know. He must have some other place he is resting if he no longer needs this one. He just told me today that he has sources that told him about the Crystal Empire’s return.”

“He just told you that?”

“I don’t think he knew about Jaina, meaning we have an advantage right now.”

“And what is that?”

“We know he has some group or army that follows him, which requires a place to house them. He isn’t just moving around anymore. He is hiding.” Celestia grinned. “We just have to find him.”

“You’re right, sister. In the meantime, we have to make sure the Crystal Empire does not fall to Sombra, or they might join together. Sombra will be nigh unstoppable with Yogg-Saron as his servant.”

They had no idea just how powerful Yogg-Saron truly was. He did not plan on serving King Sombra. He planned on destroying him or recruiting him to his cause, not the other way around. They also had no idea that he had a large enough army to overtake King Sombra and take the Crystal Empire.

While they thought they had the advantage, Yogg-Saron was already ten steps ahead of them…