My amazement over our location in the universe aside, I too could sense that something was happening all around us. The bubble, or shield that protected this world was now gone, and not only could we see the wider galaxy but it could see us.

All at once it made sense why magic had worked just fine, and psychic powers didn't seem to exist. Equestria had been cut off from the warp, and its presence somehow purified into a force devoid of the cruelty inherent to that hellish place. Now that protection was gone and the warp was crashing down on Equestria, but none felt its bite more acutely than unicorns. Worse still, with us standing at the epicenter of this opening, me, and more importantly, Twilight were being hit hard.

“There's so much mana,” Twilight muttered through grit teeth. “It's all trying to force its way into my horn at once.”

“How kan we help?” I asked, kneeling down next to the unicorn.

“I don't know. I can barely think,” Twilight murmured.

I glanced over to find that Furious Flare was also writhing on the ground, her horn shooting off bright red sparks. Her cries of agony grated on me, but I couldn't worry about her, not while the elements of harmony were in trouble.

“Wowee zowee. I’ve never had a headache this bad before,” Pinkie Pie murmured. “Feels like I got a whole brass band playing between my ears!”

“I don't feel anything,” Rainbow Dash remarked with a shrug.

“My eyes,” Fluttershy whispered, clutching her face in both hooves. “It feels like there's a hundred tiny needles in my eyes.”

“The stare,” I whispered.

I glanced around the area and confirmed that most ponies seemed to be affected, including the hunters. The only ones who seemed unaffected were Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Spike, though the dragon seemed queasy.

“I don't feel so good,” Spike murmured, clutching his stomach in both hands.

The dragon burped, and then suddenly vomited a mass of flaming green magic into the water at his feet.

“Eww gross dude,” Rainbow Dash exclaimed in disgust.

“You sure you’re good there sugarcube? Your wings look like they are on fire,” Applejack pointed out.

“Huh, would you look at that,” Rainbow Dash remarked, flapping her wings and fanning the multi-hued fire that burned on her feathers. “Oh hey, your hooves are on fire too.”

“What the hay does that mean?” Applejack murmured.

“Augh!” Twilight cried, contorting in pain. “It's not slowing down. Why isn't it stopping?”

I noticed that while the effects on the non-unicorns were already begging to fade, with the fire flickering and dying, those with horns were not so lucky.

“Make it stop, make it stop!” Shrieked Rarity, the pony rolling around on a bit of dry ground. “For the love of Celestia, make it stop!”

“What do I do? We used all the medicine we brought and my bags got lost in that bog,” Fluttershy murmured in a frightened, panicked tone.

“I’ll try to expel the magic with a thaumatic purge. Stand back,” Twilight exclaimed.

“I'z not sure if dat’s a smart idea,” I remarked, but unfortunately Twilight had already begun.

For a moment her magic built like normal, but then its color shifted, and the spell mutated into something unintended. The perfectly arranged little magical rune sitting above Twilight's horn became a writhing mass of pulsing, angry energy.

“It's not working. I can't control it,” Twilight muttered through grit teeth. “I have to try and release it before it explodes!”

Before anyone could offer their assistance or do much of anything, the light around Twilight's horn grew blindingly bright. With a cry of shock, the various ponies fell back, with only my orkish endurance keeping me from suffering the same fate. With stars in my eyes, I watched in confused horror as the magical mass started to… coagulate, becoming something close to a flesh-and-blood creature. The thing resembled an imp, only with far too many limbs and way too many eyes.

“Finish it, hurry!” I shouted.

Twilight grunted, and with a cry, expelled the malignant magic in a titanic explosion of sound and light. The half-formed warp entity was sent screaming back into the warp, its body erupting into a multicolored mass of smoky entrails. A small shockwave knocked back the others and even made me stumble for a moment before I was able to recover.

In its wake, I saw that something terrible had happened. Twilight's horn was broken, split straight down the middle into two jagged masses and revealing a strange purple stone in the center. A titanic scream split the air, and Twilight grabbed at her skull only to collapse, falling backward and slipping into merciful unconsciousness.

I swiftly picked her up, dimly aware of the fact that parts of her horn had turned to shrapnel and stuck into my fingers. It was just a little blood, so I ignored it and rolled the pony onto her side so she lay flat on my palm. She looked so incredibly tiny like that, and I couldn't help but feel a protective urge stir within me.

“Jus relax little wun. Yer got a bright future komin,” I whispered.

“Don't use any magic Rarity!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

“Then what am I supposed to do? It won't stop!” Rarity shouted, bloody tears pouring down her face.

I placed Twilight next to Fluttershy, gently laying the injured mare on what little bit of dry land we had available.

“Keep an eye on 'er,” I ordered.

Fluttershy gulped and nodded dutifully, valiantly holding off her urge to panic.

“Hold still. Dis may be a little weird,” I remarked, wrapping my hands around Rarity’s head.

“I trust you darling. Just hurry,” Rarity whined, horn shooting blood red sparks.

I had no idea if this was going to work, but I continued anyway. The warp just kinda slid off an ork like oil on water, so I figured a bubble of oil may be enough. Closing my fingers around the mare’s skull, I created an ork flesh helmet for the mare, and no doubt accidentally bled all over her. She could complain about her ruined mane later, for now, I was just hoping against hope that this silly idea helped.

Thankfully it did, as I could feel Rarity slowly begin to calm down. Her breathing steadied, her sobs ceased and after a long moment of quiet, she reached up and tapped my wrist. I released her immediately and noted that Rarity’s horn was no longer shooting unfocused magic from its tip.

“I’m good now darling,” Rarity whispered. “Though you really must wash your hands after this.”

“If we make it out, I'll even use 'da fancy smelly soap,” I offered, which Rarity smiled at.

“Okay. Let's see if we kant help Furious Flare an 'da otha hunters," I muttered.

Rising back to a stand, I glanced over to find that the hunters were okay. Luckily the opposing unicorns were unconscious at the time of the warp returning, which I assumed helped them. It certainly wasn't a painless experience, as they twitched and groaned, but no warp creatures were trying to use their horns as portals so that was a plus.

I then looked over at the elements and found that they were also doing alright. They weren't exactly back to a hundred percent, and lingering headaches were shared by most but all were up. All save for Twilight that was, with the unicorn remaining inert on the cold, wet ground, her eyes open and rolling absently in their sockets.

“She gonna be alright?” I asked.

“She’s not in any immediate danger,” Fluttershy whispered. “But I don't know if she will be able to use her magic ever again.”

“What if we rush her back to Ponyville? Surely them folk at the hospital could help,” Applejack offered.

“Her horn split clean in half. I don't think that's something they can stitch back up,” Rainbow Dash added grimly.

“Hold on. I think I got some glue around here somewhere,” Pinkie Pie murmured, a hoof stuck deep into her mane.

“Gatha up everyone yer kan. I'll karry ya back ta Ponyville,” I ordered.

I was about to start scooping up as many ponies as I could carry when all of a sudden I heard a whizzing sound. Reacting on instinct, I dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding Furious Flare’s weapon. Somehow, the blade had flown overhead as if of its own volition and was now hovering over the downed Huntmaster’s body.

“What. What's going on,” Furious Flare murmured, blearily rising into a sitting position. “Did I win?”

Her hoof suddenly lurched upward towards the floating blade though Furious Flare stopped herself before she could grab the weapon. And a good instinct too, as the ancestral blade had gone from looking like a rather strange, but ultimately normal weapon into something truly demonic.

The hole in the pummel was now occupied by an angry red eye that bore in its center a black-slitted pupil. From the fanged crossguard spouted the blade itself which looked to be made of calcified souls that were reaching upward in a vain attempt at salvation. Its sleek edge was replaced by a jagged mass of reddish spikes that made it more closely resemble a hacksaw than a sword. And finally, the handle was a bleached mass of bone that sprouted a three-fingered hand holding tight a red orb which served as the weapon’s pommel.

“Whose doing this? What happened to my family’s sword?” Furious Flare asked, her voice quaking and her eyes wide with terror.

“Zogg'n hell. Don't touch 'dat fing. Hold on a tick, I'll help ya," I muttered.

“Oh thank goodness you are still willing to help. Something is terribly wrong and I-” Furious Flare’s relief was cut short when the blade lurched into her hoof, the weapon moving on its own.

The moment it touched the mare’s hoof a red wave of energy flooded out of the blade and cascaded over the entire clearing. Once more the ponies and Spike were knocked flat by a blast, while I remained standing, my large booted feet keeping my body anchored and unmoving. Though I was able to stay upright, I could not move forward, leaving me unable to do anything but watch.

Watch as Furious Flare became horrifically mutated by what imagined was a daemon of Khorne. Whatever entity previously trapped in the blade had entered her body, reshaping it to better suit its desires. Bones cracked, skin stretched and muscles contorted, all while Furious Flare was horribly aware of her situation. Screaming in agony, she tried to throw the weapon away, to run, to do anything but the daemon held her firmly.

Her body lengthened, her limbs extended, growing larger while at the same time losing every single bit of hair. From head to hoof, every last follicle fell from her form, blasted away by the pulsing crimson energy still emanating from the blade. Not only did it remove her hair, but it burnt her armor to nothing, leaving her nude while her form began to undergo even more unpleasant changes.

The mare’s torso shifted and extended, her stance becoming bipedal, while her forehooves erupted to reveal clawed hands. Her hooves remained, though her ligaments snapped and shifted, allowing the former pony to stand upright comfortably. She still had a tail, though it had become a fleshy scale-covered length like that of a great lizard, growing until it was nearly as long as she was tall.

And she was tall, with the former pony rising until she was nearly the same height as me, though stopping just short. At this point her skin started to become charred by the energy, losing all color and turning to an ashy grey that became black at the end of her hands and hooves.

It was at this point that the pulsing magical force suddenly grew more powerful and Furious Flare’s struggles intensified, her unchanged eyes tinged with manic desperation.

I tried to push forward, my hand extended in an offer of help but even my titanic strength could do nothing against the tidal wave of force. It was like I was trying to push against the crashing of a waterfall, and though I struggled valiantly I gained mere inches. Cursing my inability to help, I gripped my mace and waited, knowing full well that soon I would have to fight the daemon that had taken over Furious Flare’s body.

The last of Furious Flare’s equine features were soon burned away while her skull cracked and reformed. Her skin melted, and her cheek muscles were incinerated, leaving her now flat, almost human face little more than bleached bone. Sharp teeth burst from her maw, and her large eyes shrunk until they more easily fit her newly changed features.

Her scalp soon darkened, and a scaly ridge soon grew over her head, two large horns sprouting from her brow. These pointed growths curved backward, creating an almost helmet-like mass of bone before twisting back around like that of a bull’s. At this point only her unicorn horn remained unchanged, the pillar still standing proud at the point above and between her eyes.

The creature formerly known as Furious Flare straightened itself suddenly and gripped its weapon tightly. The blade grew until it fit its new wielder, becoming a large two-handed sword that was probably about six or even seven feet long. It then turned to me, revealing that its large expressive orbs were little more than twin pits of angry crimson that glared at me hatefully.

“Prepare to die, abhorance!” It shouted in a foul, corrupted voice that shook the very earth.

“Zogging ‘ell. Dat’s not good,” I muttered to myself.

“What happened, where am I?” gasped Silent Strike, lurching upward.

“You got knocked out by the elements, remember?” Urged the stallion that had struck him across the face.

“I remember, and I remember-” Silent Strike was cut off by a battle cry and the pounding hooved feet.

The male looked up in horror to find the pony he idolized had been transformed into a monster of truly horrific proportions. The beast lurched across the battlefield, meeting the ork at the midway point in a clash of metal on metal. The two creatures seemed at least evenly matched, though the towering greenskin still held the height and weight advantage.

“We need to run. Someone cut these bindings!” exclaimed a terrified female hunter.

“No! We have to save the huntmaster, she needs us,” Silent Strike proclaimed.

“Help her? Look at her Silent? She's a demon!” Retorted another hunter.

“I…” Silent Strike fell silent, only to gasp. “Wait, the return array!”

Producing the small magical object from his pocket, he held it up.

“If we use this maybe… maybe we can save Flare,” Silent Strike murmured.

“How would that do anything?” Spat another.

“It's this place, that pyramid, it's corrupting her. If we get her away surely it will save her,” Silent Stirke declared, his voice wavering as he struggled to believe his own words.

“Well what are you waiting for, do it,” exclaimed another of the hunters.

With a nod, Silent Strike activated the array. After a moment spent waiting for the small artifact to activate, a bright light flashed from the top of the magical device, and after a tense moment, the small group of hunters disappeared. A strange weightless second later, the uncomfortable feeling followed immediately by the uncomfortable impact of their injured forms against the cold wooden floor of their lodgings in Ponyville.

Silent Strike immediately stood up and looked around, counting out the various other hunters he spotted. All were present, all save for the one pony he had been hoping to find.

“No, it didn't work,” Silent Strike muttered. “Something must have gone wrong.”

“Nothing’s wrong,” whispered a voice, hoof touching his shoulder. “There just ain't nothing left of the huntmaster anymore.”

“I refuse to believe it, I refuse to give up on her!” Silent Strike shouted, throwing the spent artifact across the room. “We need to go back to save her.”

“How?” asked a soft voice.

“I…” Silent Strike fell to his haunches after a moment of confusion. “I don't know.”

“Zogging ‘el. How iz yer breathe worse den mine?” I muttered. “I've been eat'n noth'n but raw meat for weeks.”

“Stop talking and die!” Shrieked the daemon before shoving me away.

My boots slid across the slick ground, and for a moment I almost fell, only to catch myself at the last second. As I got back into a defensive stance I noticed that the hunters had vanished without a trace. A glance back confirmed that although horrified, the ponies (and don't forget Spike) were safe a good distance away on a small hill. Their terrified expressions were difficult to look away from, but I managed to force myself to turn my attention back to the daemon.

“Ya know ya don't look af bad for a daemon. Whose yer patron, slaanesh?" I taunted, grinning widely at the now fuming, and baffled daemon.

“How do you know those names, filth?” growled the creature. “Your kind barely comprehend the true face of your own parasitic god thing.”

“I know lots uv fings, ya angry git,” I began, my mace raised and my stance loose. “Like how such a forceful union ain't komplete an ‘dat ya kould be banished back ta da warp wit' ‘da right spell.”

The volume of my voice was enough to carry to the ponies, who began hastily trying to wake up Twilight.

“You have a mage amongst you,” growled the daemon. “No matter, I will finish them, and then, you.”

The creature became a blur of motion, attempting to sprint past me using its daemonic speed. I, however, was one fast ork, red paint or no, and I met them at the midway point, my right shoulder leading the way. With a crunch, I slammed into their side and sent them tumbling end over end, splashing through the various puddles.

“Yer wanna get ta im? yer gotta get throo me furst," I spat, thumping a fist against my armored chest in challenge.

The daemon sprung back into a stand and glared at me.

“Why do you defend those wretched creatures?” Demanded the daemon, readjusting its grip and stalking toward me. “Your kind barely make an effort to defend their own life.”

“Kus dey kute, fluffy an' 'da pink wun makes me laugh,” I retorted with a healthy chortle.

“You are mad, creature. Be thankful that I will put an end to your insanity,” the daemon spat back.

“Gud luck wit' ‘dat, ya shouty git,” I taunted.

With a wordless growl of rage, the daemonic creature lunged at me, swiping down at my head in a mighty chop. I met it with the haft of my mace and was surprised to see that the demon’s blade eagerly bit into the metal of my weapon. Though my mace was far from destroyed, I knew then and there that I wouldn't be able to stall for long before I was defenseless.

The daemon seemed to know this too, and she grinned at me before wrenching her blade back. The saw-like teeth attempted to cut my weapon in two, but I withdrew before any more damage could be done.

“You see now? You're going to die, abhorrent filth!” shouted the daemon.

“Didn't we jus do dis? Get on wit' it already,” I retorted.

Another scream of wordless anger spilled from the monster’s lips and with a lunge, it threw itself at me. Another overhand swipe was delivered though this time I met it head-on with the mace, bashing the blade aside. Such a maneuver would have normally damaged my weapon but the heavy mass of roughly forged steel was too dense to be bothered by the loud impact.

I could tell that deafening clang bothered the ponies, but I ignored them for the moment. As my foe was already throwing another powerful attack my way, this time sweeping up from the bottom right. Dodging aside, I swiftly shifted my weight just in time to deflect another decapitation strike from the daemon.

Our back and forth continued like that for several minutes after this point.

Whenever I judged I could bat aside the blade effectively, I did so. Whenever I couldn't, I dodged out of the way.

To the eyes of the ponies and Spike, we must have been a blur of constant, shifting violence. The clang of metal on metal was so fast that it nearly became constant, creating a droning noise punctuated by grunts of exertion and the splashing of water.

Her supernaturally enhanced daemonic muscles were matched against the massive bulging masses of a true warboss. Thunderous impacts jarred our bodies, though I took the worst of it given that I was staying purely on the defensive. My arm ached a little from the repeated blocks but it was barely even noticeable and I knew I would be able to continue this pretty much indefinitely.

Together we churned the muddy water into a sludge-like substance that soon coated our lower halves. We were both beyond such minor concerns however, she a daemon of Khorne and me an ork warboss, we were both in our element. The fight would likely be almost unfollowable to my allies but to me, it was a beautiful tableau of feints and swipes.

A thrill rose in my chest and I couldn't help but grin from ear to ear as we battled, me blocking and dodging, she always pressing on. I didn't want it to end, I felt a kind of exhilaration that I had never felt before and a joy that I struggled to put into words. This was the worthiest foe I had faced yet, and I was relishing every second, even while a part of me screamed to fight back.

Things likely would have remained that way had something not abruptly changed.

Twilight awoke suddenly as if the pony had heard the brutal part of me that demanded I bash the daemon’s head in. I saw the unicorn sit up, clearing her eyes and receiving a report from Rainbow Dash on what had happened. It was at this point that I realized why the daemon was grinning, and where I had screwed up.

I should not be able to see my charges directly, I should be standing between the daemon and them but in my battle lust, I had dropped my guard. With each dodge, she had moved me ever so slightly from my original point, corralling me until I was out of her way. Now, with realization dawning, the daemon cackled in triumphant and thrust her blade forward, putting everything she had into the attack.

My brain, now at war with itself, couldn't muster a proper response and I was forced into a hasty decision. Bringing the haft of my mace down in front of me, I used it to block the blow, only for the daemonic blade to cut straight through it and into me. My heavy armor did much to block the attack, but against a chaos-infused blade of such strength, it was like so much tissue paper.

I was knocked back, my body recoiling before the chaotic blade could dig too deep into my flesh. Already it felt like barbed wire was snaking its way through my midsection, ripping apart my insides. With the blade’s removal, the wires recoiled and I sat bleeding in the muddy water, weaponless and stunned.

The creature smirked at me before turning tail and sprinting towards my charges. I tried to get up but stumbled the moment I put weight on my leg, muscles twitching violently. My orkish endurance was kicking in but I knew it would struggle to deal with something warp-born like the effect of the blade.

Thus there was little I could do but struggle. Struggle, and watch.

Rainbow Dash, ever loyal and ever dutiful, saw the daemon coming and though terrified, attacked. Pumping her wings as hard as she could, Rainbow Dash launched herself at the oncoming warp creature, a war cry on her lips.

“Waaaaaaaaaagh!” she shouted.

Though fast, Rainbow Dash was no match for a daemon of Khorne. The mare’s blade was slapped away, and Rainbow Dash, being the stubborn pony she was, held onto the weapon for dear life. Leaving her defenseless as the daemon plucked her from the air, freehand wrapped around Rainbow Dash’s midsection.

“Valiant, but foolish,” it spat. “I will teach you your place.”

“Let me go, you big ugly goat!” Rainbow Dash retorted.

The daemon raised its blade and in a single motion, cut Rainbow Dash’s wings from her back. The pony barely had a moment to scream before she was thrown aside, thankfully being caught by Spike. With her last obstacle removed, the daemon moved to slay Twilight and end the only true threat to its existence.

Or so it thought, as by then my orkish endurance had overpowered her warp-based nonsense. Leading with my shoulder, I bodychecked her away from the ponies, heaving her as far as I could muster. I spared Rainbow Dash a pitying look before stomping past the downed pony, following the daemon as it tumbled into a tree.

“Abhorrent filth. You should have run while you had the chance,” the daemon spat, turning on me and raising its blade.

“Yer really shouldn't have done ‘dat,” I muttered in a low tone.

Before it had a chance to speak I charged it, a warcry on my lips, and rage burning in my heart. Anger as hot as the sun coursed through me, giving my already powerful muscles even more strength to call upon. In a blur, I crossed the distance, sending muddy water flying with every thunderous step.

The possessed former pony raised its blade and aimed it at the open wound on my stomach. I, however, didn't stop my charge and willingly impaled myself upon the daemonic weapon without so much as a second thought. I was probably experiencing pain the likes of which few mortals ever have but I was beyond such concerns at that particular moment.

The look of triumph on the possessed creature’s face quickly morphed into one of confusion. Then, as my hands grabbed her shoulders, she looked on in horror as I lifted her completely off the ground.

“For Rainbow Dash,” I declared before starting to pull.

The daemon screeched and pulled the blade from my gut but it was far too late for that to matter. There were two loud popping sounds followed by the horrific ripping noise of muscles, ligaments, and flesh being torn apart. With a titanic heave, I pulled the creature’s arms from its body and tossed them aside.

As I stumbled to the ground I watched as the connection between daemon and pony was severed. The khornite warrior, weakened from its defeat was pulled back into the blade, leaving the pony to gape in horror at its now warped form. Furious Flare’s terror ended abruptly as blood spouted from her twin stumps and she fell into unconsciousness from the immense shock of it all.

“Ha! Dat’ll learn ya,” I spat.

I tried to stand back up only to fall backwards the moment I got my feet under me. Hitting the water with a loud splash, I stared up in confusion, wondering why I couldn't move. It was at this point that I glanced down and realized that my spine was severed, and my heart was punctured.

“'Dat doesn't look gud," I murmured weakly.

I glanced over at the ponies to find that Rainbow Dash had been stabilized. The brave pegasus was suspended in some kind of stasis field and was being placed on the back of Applejack. Proud that I had at least managed to save them, I looked up, intent on enjoying the view of the stars in my final moment.

Only to be surprised when I saw that a cloud of green spores now blanketed the area, creating a thick haze that obscured the sky from view.

“All it took was me dy'n. Lame," I murmured bitterly before passing out.

“Quick, help Ghuzrod,” Fluttershy urged.

“How? Rarity can't use her stasis spell on both him and Rainbow Dash,” Twilight retorted.

“I don't know. But you have to do something! He saved all our lives,” Fluttershy urged.

“Yeah, there gotta be some kind of spell or something you can do even with your horn like that!” Spike added.

“I can't cast any magic. Heck, I’m lucky to be alive. Like, weirdly lucky,” Twilight exclaimed.

“There has to be something. We’re the elements of harmony. No problem is impossible for us!” Pinkie Pie declared, her voice hovering at the very edge of panic.

“I… I can try,” Twilight murmured.

Walking through the bloody water, Twilight, and her friends made their way over to the downed ork. Standing around the massive body of the unmoving warrior, Twilight was immediately struck by how massive the injury was. The ork had been disemboweled in a brutal fashion, with almost his entire torso being a mass of exposed organs and freshly spilled blood.

Twilight knew that she would never again be able to call upon her magic, yet she reached out with her unicorn senses regardless. Her initial findings were unpleasant, with her body completely unable to feel the ambient mana of the world around her now that she had lost her horn. She was about to give up and declare the ork dead when she felt a wave of… something rise from under her.

It wasn't magic, but it felt similar somehow.

However, where mana was predictable, stable, and quite malleable, this chaotic force felt both incredibly powerful but also stubborn. Touching it with her unique senses, Twilight knew that this force whatever it was, would not be bent nor shaped. Rather it could be pointed, and intention could be placed upon it, as any more than that was completely impossible.

She had no idea how to handle this strange, almost violent energy but she need not be an expert. It needed no mage to form it, nor any scholar to study it, it needed only for someone to serve as its conduit. Giving into the flow of power, Twilight pointed it at Ghuzrod and hoped against hope to save the dying ork.

As bright green crackling energy shot from her horn and slammed into Ghuzrod’s unmoving body, Twilight thought to herself.

Please let this work.

Author's Note

This is the end of book one, but don't worry, book 2 is right around the corner.