Mind vs Matter

Chapters

Prologue [Rewrite]
Chapter 1: A True Nightmare Returns
Chapter 2: Preparations
Chapter 3: Unbound

Prologue [Rewrite]

Only three entities existed, in the beginning: The Darkness, The Void, and an Alicorn. Eventually, the first two became indistinguishable from one another and just became Nothing, a state that was not simply the absence of something. It actually cannot be described with language, for to do so would give it substance and it would no longer be the Nothing. A name is all that we have.

The Alicorn did not have feelings on the matter. But she did have a purpose. While she did not know, nor care, how she came to be, she knew what her purpose was: to create. And so, she did. From knowledge locked deep within her, she created our universe and everything in it. It had no form, it just existed. She began the process of time and took to shaping her creation. After what we would consider an incomprehensible amount of years, the universe was stable enough to sustain itself, and the Alicorn was content.

It soon came to her attention that something great was happening: the formation of other life. Fascinated, she watched its progress from afar, never interfering. When that life came to be able to think for itself, essentially gaining sapience, she made a choice. She would not involve or reveal herself to the creatures and watch how they behaved. What she observed over still many years appalled her. She began to think of how the creatures she watched seemed to suffer, going through endless war and strife. So, having developed emotions just as the life she observed had, she gave action to her feelings, and using her power, destroyed all life present at the time by restarting the universe. She thought of it as an act of kindness, for truly, every being wished for some ultimate end to their pain when she granted them that very fate.

But this was not enough. The Alicorn felt like life could be better than what she observed. So, she took it upon herself to resume her purpose of creation and created new life. This left her weaker than before, however. Fearing that her form would not be able to handle all of her power any longer, she split it up into other forms, made in her likeness. This was the birth of the Alicorns of Life.

Mimicking the life she observed before, she gave herself and the others names and titles. She was Terra Omnes Vivat, Alicorn of Nature, Structure & Existence. She created eight other alicorns: The Alicorn of Fate, Destiny & Choice; The Alicorn of Luck & Random Outcome; The Alicorn of Death, War & the Afterlife; The Alicorn of Health, Nourishment & Disease; The Alicorn of Time, Age & History; The Alicorn of Change, Evolution, Technology & Innovation; The Alicorn of the Sun, Day & Light; and The Alicorn of the Moon, Night, Stars & Darkness.

But, like with most seemingly good things, there is always a darker side. As a result of her creation, the Nothing that existed before also took form and called itself Chaos. Terra saw the dangerous potential in him, but let him be, hypothesizing that for there to be true balance in the universe, Chaos must always exist. This was the first of Terra’s rules.

As the creator, Terra also governed the way things worked in the world and existence. Thus, she also created and established the rules of the universe. Those that broke these rules, or were a threat, would be dealt with by her personally. She made this her duty. For a time, the world she had created functioned properly. But, soon the Chaos began to spread and gain more power than he should have or Terra had ever predicted. Fearing for her creation, Terra used her absolute power one last time to give rise to the final alicorn: the Alicorn of Harmony & Order.

This new alicorn and the Chaos waged a war of sorts at that point. It went on for some years, but it was eventually settled. The result was that Chaos had lost his powers that represented evil and the bad in life. He was reduced, in a manner of speaking, to a being known as Discord. This being would keep up the balance that existed, but no longer influenced or exuded negativity. That part of Chaos became just a part of nature. But the Alicorn of Harmony & Order did not escape unscathed. She was broken and unstable, no longer able to remain in her form. As a result, she was transformed into what is now known as the Tree of Harmony, the same tree from which the Elements of Harmony came.

The world continued on. Terra had lost even more of her ultimate power. The Alicorns of the Sun and Moon were soon reincarnated after their "death" so to speak, and two new ones took their places. The same happened for every other alicorn save for Terra and the Alicorn of Time. The latter had gained Terra's absolute immortality during the first split. Terra was due to suffer the same "death" as the others soon; her power was affording her some prolonged existence after ten thousand years or so of weakened living.

Seeing the world she had created, Terra wanted to ensure that her rules would always be followed. Instead of her reincarnation coming into the world blindly, he or she would have all of her knowledge and memories. This reincarnation would not be born naturally, but would instead be chosen among the children of the ponies, the now apparent dominant species in contention with the Griffons. This would be the same for all following reincarnations. And with that last deed, Terra Omnes Vivat II came into being.

While the first Terra, who will be referred to as The Creator from now on, had done a splendid job defining the rules of the universe, the rules of magic proved to be more cumbersome. As a result of all of The Creator's magic creating existence, excess magic that was used as a failsafe in case she had not put enough energy into her work leaked from all around.

This extra magic came to coalesce and form another alicorn. It was not an extra Alicorn of Life, however. This was raw magic from the time before Chaos lost his power over evil. And so, the entity born of this event was imbalanced. He gained a sickening power as a result and chose to be known as the Alicorn of the Mind, Consciousness & Psyche.

He only saw the world as evil. He was only capable of seeing the evil in any being's mind or heart. The good that was still present in him wanted to fix this. But, the only way he knew how to do that on such a large scale was to take control of every mind in existence. This was not a natural solution, and it fell upon Terra Vivat II to do something about it.

Assembling the other alicorns, Terra led an attack on this threat that called himself Infinite Dreamer. He had gravely underestimated his opponent, however. The result of the battle was as expected, but at great cost. The Alicorns of Time, Health, Fate, Luck, and Change were all sealed away. Only the several magic artifacts that resulted from the defeat of Chaos could be used to unseal them, but they had been scattered to parts unknown with no easy way of detecting their whereabouts. The Alicorns of the Sun and Moon were weakened, and would die relatively soon. Fortunately, they had two daughters to take their place, instead of relying on reincarnations, before this could happen. The Alicorn of Death was exiled to Tartaros, and made unable to return to the world of the living. He would no longer gain power from war and prayer for victory in battle either. With this revelation, he too passed on the torch to another to take his place some time later. Terra was left weakened as well. He soon came to the conclusion that instead of fighting to stay alive he would allow his reincarnation to handle things in his stead. Thus, Terra Omnes Vivat III was chosen.

She quickly grew tired of the name and chose a more simple one for herself: Soil Work. The world seemed to be back in order and any remnants of Dreamer's magic were dealt with accordingly. The two daughters of the Sun and Moon now rule a relatively peaceful kingdom. Nature carries on as it is intended to do so as well. The Alicorn that governs Death is still cursed and cannot freely walk the realm of the living willingly. He maintains his job of ferrying the dead and deciding the fate of their afterlife, however, and he does it well. There is also another alicorn that has been born relatively recently. She shows promise to one day be included with the Alicorns of Life. Power over Love and Emotions has become an important part of life, and The Creator's residual failsafe magic took notice, giving rise to one Princess Mi Amore Cadenza.

The most recent event of note, the Element of Magic ascending to alicorndom, may bring with it unprecedented results as well. It would not be surprising if a new Alicorn of Life came about in the form of the Alicorn of Magic & Relations. But for now, these newest princesses hold limited power. It would take nothing short of the greatest events of their lives to give them the power to control an aspect of life.

Author's Note

This is the final version of the rewritten prologue I've been working on for some time now. I hope to be able to finish this story, although complete revival is but a thought of the past. Now, it's more about finish what I started so I can move on from it.

Chapter 1: A True Nightmare Returns

It was just before the dawn of a late summer day when it all started. Equestria hadn't had any major threats to it in years and everypony was able to live their completely peaceful lives once more. Princess Celestia was walking through the palace halls on her way to the even more vast throne room. She would be able to briefly see her sister there and perhaps hold a bit of conversation before she raised the Sun and Luna would retire for the morning. She took note of the Night Guard standing at attention for her entire trek.

I do hope Luna is in a more lively mood today. The stresses of ruling a kingdom seem to have settled back in. She laughed a bit at that thought. It was true that in the few years since her return from that unfortunate exile, Luna had quickly reestablished her presence in the government and had even been responsible for a fair share of new legislation and reform. However, this did not make politics any easier.

I believe she’s having to deal with opposition of legislation that would send more guardsponies to the Equestrian border towns to crack down on corruption and illegal trade. It’s a pity anything involving her Night Guard gets a measure of disdain from some political ponies.

The Princess continued on her way to the throne room eager to raise the Sun and begin her day. The pristine stone flooring amplified the sound of her hoofsteps as the final corner approached. She came to the large ornate wooden doors and halted her short journey as the guards changed shifts. The two Night Guards that were present took their leave and were swiftly replaced with her personal guard. These two new ponies promptly opened the doors for their princess allowing her to enter.

Celestia was greeted with the sight of her sister at the head of the grand room in which much of their royal business was conducted. The sound of her hoofsteps continued once more as she made her way in, the doors closing behind her with a resounding thud.

As she made her way through the open space, Celestia took some time to truly appreciate the splendor that surrounded her. The fine red carpet embroidered with intricate patterns of golden thread from some time in the far past softened the harsh clacking noise that accompanied her hoofsteps just moments before. Looking to her sides, she smiled at the evident skill in the weaving and crafting of the ceiling-high scarlet silk tapestries. Woven into the design - which matched the carpet she walked on - was the almost standard depiction of her and her sister seemingly revolving around one another in an infinite circle of balance and harmony. Celestia could not have been more appreciative of everything she had.

The Princess of the Sun reached the end of the room and ascended the steps to the raised platform where Luna was waiting near one of the many windows. Taking her position beside her, Celestia was met with a quick glance from her sister. She was pleased to see Luna’s smile.It was one of those few things that could really bring happiness to her heart. Celestia responded in kind with a smile of her own and prepared her magic for performing the most important task she had, regardless of being a ruler of Equestria.

Summoning the near primal magic and energies from within, the Sisters of the Day and Night began their ritual of beginning the dawn of a new day. An observer to this performance would likely be struck with awe as a pale-gold, ethereal aura enveloped the two. The serenity of their faces would lead one to believe the task effortless on their part only to realize the stoic expressions are the result of the strongest display of concentration possible. It is quite the spectacle to behold.

But, interestingly enough, as fate would have it, there was an observer present during the magical ritual. The light of the morning sun shone with a splendid brilliance over the beautiful landscape of Equestria. Its rays reached the palace and breached the windows casting a holy, golden glow upon the two princesses. It was at this moment the unwanted and unnoticed guest chose to speak.

“A more stunning sight I've never seen.” His voice was smooth and intoned with a healthily deep tenor. Despite, or perhaps in spite of, this, the voice could send chills or needles of pain up your spine and through your body with ease. The Princesses experienced this then and, with great shock in their eyes, quickly turned to face this mysterious voice-wielding pony.

The surprise that darkened their demeanor at that moment of not only seeing the foe before them, but of recognition obliterated the shock that was present just milliseconds earlier. for the briefest of these time intervals, one might even say their faces contorted into an expression utter terror.

Before the rulers of Equestria stood, just as tall as Celestia, another alicorn they long thought to have been cleansed from the world and, hopefully, existence. There, standing with the utmost smugness, was the ancient Alicorn of the Mind, Dreams & Psyche, Mentem Infinita Somnium, also known as Infinite Dreamer.

Were he just another alicorn known by the public that handled, say, all affairs of the Guard and militia, you might not actually believe he was evil at first glance. His coat shone softly in the light and emphasized its incredibly pale blue color. From afar, anypony could easily mistake it to be as white as Celestia’s coat.

His mane, however, was an almost translucent white. Slicked back in the front to show off his horn, it fell more naturally on his back and shoulders. His tail was of the same color and looked rather messy, but it somehow defied gravity and never touched the ground. But perhaps the most menacing aspect of his appearance was a tie between his crimson red eyes and the armor that adorned his bodice.

It was an eerily beautiful set of armor. Ivory white in color, the vambraces and protective metal shoes akin to what the Princesses wore stood out against the pale blue of his forelegs. Their design was sharp and jagged, made as much to wound as to protect. A similarly designed breast plate with deep sky-blue accents covered the majority of his vital spots. Matching armor adorned his hind legs and flanks to prevent lacerations that would severely wound or disable him if made deep enough. On his right forehoof, he held a menacingly crafted helm up to his face, a smirk that would incite anger from any passerby upon it.

The last noticeable part of his appearance would have been the weapons he carried. A long, gnarled wooden staff sat across his back, positioned just right to avoid blocking his wings. The top of the staff accommodated two floating orbs of differing size whose purpose was for channeling and storing magical energy. A beautiful sheathed sword sat at his side as well, accompanied by a matching short sword. A concealed dagger could also be seen from just the right angle.

Before either Luna or Celestia could begin to formulate a response to Dreamer’s earlier statement, he continued his strange monologue.

“It is a true shame, however, that so many ponies misunderstand the depth of your power and its connection with the heavenly bodies of the Sun and Moon. It is your duty to raise and lower them to mark the beginning and end of the day. You are not responsible for their paths through the sky or, in the case of the sun, its brightness, heat or solar radiation. In the case of the moon, you do not control its positioning in relation to this planet and the sun to determine its phase and you certainly do not position the stars, but simply summon their light to reach this world.

“In this way, you are not as powerful as those feats would suggest. You are powerful, yes, but certainly nowhere near powerful enough. Now that I have returned I can finally resume my goal from all those years ago. You two weren't even born yet if I recall correctly. Shame you’re not reincarnations. Then you would actually have an idea of my power. But you need not worry. I do not plan on disposing of you, yet. I need time to come to my full power, and then, all will be mine.”

During his speech, Dreamer had placed the helm he previously held on his hoof upon his head, completing his intimidating look. He now looked to the sisters awaiting a response. Just when it appeared one was not forthcoming, Celestia spoke up.

“While we may not know the extent of your power, do not make the mistake of underestimating what exactly we do know and are capable of. if you think for a second that we would allow you to tamper with this land in any way let alone leave here of your own free will, then you are sorely mistaken and grossly overconfident.” Celestia’s voice had remained relatively calm but all parties present could pick up the ire in her tone and words.

“But of course, Princess. I do not assume to know the extent of your knowledge and power. I do know your limits. It’s all there, in your mind. The weaknesses of you and your sister, your plans for dealing with me, it’s all right there for the taking.”

Rather than reacting with shock, the Princesses immediately took up battle stances. Magical energies began to permeate the air as defenses and wards were erected to protected physical, magical and mental attacks. They actually managed to get a small expression of surprise out of Dreamer.

“You will not be invading our minds on this day, Dreamer,” Luna stated. The Princess of the Night had always shown a penchant for battle and her personality would often reflect that when in conflict. In contrast, Celestia seemed to go abnormally quiet following her battle preparations.

“So you say, Luna, so you say,” Dreamer responded.

Not a single movement could be visibly detected for the next few seconds. It was as if no one was even trying to breathe. None of them blinked. The Princesses merely shot their cold determination at Dreamer through their eyes and he glared at them with his full evil intent to match the intensity of his opposing party. They all continued on like this for what must have felt like centuries, millennia even, when in reality it was but a paltry seventeen seconds. And once these seconds had passed completely, the battle began.

Luna started things off quickly. spreading her wings, she launched ferociously at the enemy before her. Her horn took on its characteristic glow and a basic spell that encased her body in a hard shell of magic formed. The added magical mass would act with her speed and velocity to increase her momentum significantly. The force of the impact would have been enough to leave sizable and numerous cracks in the mountain Canterlot sat upon.

Dreamer, having seen through such an easy charge, teleported with a flash of light a mere instant before impact and reappeared behind the lunar princess. He prepared a crippling transmutation spell that would render Luna incapable of further flight, but quickly ceased his efforts after sensing a stronger build-up of magic behind him. Dreamer instead turned his gathered magical energy toward another teleportation to the top of the high ceiling overhead. When he popped back into the plane of tangible existence, he looked below in enough time to see he had barely escaped a blast of focused light rays made to disintegrate whatever it hit. Fortunately for him, that happened to be a large portion of the wall on the other side of the expansive room. “Fighting two on one is going to be incredibly difficult without being at my full power. But, that can all change if I get some…additional intel,” he thought.

Dreamer flew back down to the floor of the throne-room-turned-battlefield and landed between his two opponents, a plan forming in his head. Tentatively at first, he extended the magical presence of his mind toward his opponents, intending to rip any vital information he could from their minds, or at least to listen in on any telepathic communications. When his mind reached its targets, however, it was met with a nigh impenetrable defense that he didn't need to be a master of the mind to know was unbreakable.

A look of sharp rage flashed across his features for the briefest of moments, but it was enough for Luna to notice and call him out on.

“Having difficulty are we?” she said with slight smirk and a bit of mirth in her voice. “I imagine you have just run into our little defense preparation. Our parents actually had the foresight to teach it to us before moving on. How they knew you would return we’ll probably never know but at least they made sure we would have a way to defeat you. I said before you would not be invading our minds this day, and I meant that.”

“If you think this will be enough to stop me, especially when I've regained my full power, then you are not just sorely mistaken, but have made grave error in calculation.”

Each princess kept the same stoic expression as they had before. “Their determination may know no bounds,” he thought, “but it is nothing compared to what I can do. That wall may protect them from me reading their minds or sensing their intentions, but with enough brute force and dark energy, it will easily shatter. But at what cost to me?”

Dreamer decided he would try to lower or weaken their defenses with some banter first. Lulling them into a state of near relaxation and striking when they wouldn't expect it would help with what he was about to do.

“Such simple tactics from such seemingly formidable opponents, though. I must say, I am rather disappointed. Is this how you plan on defeating me?” he quipped.

Perhaps it was her combative nature or the heat of the moment but Dreamer’s plan worked to an extent in the form of angering Luna.

“We will see how well you talk as dust!” she shouted. A deep purple and black magic circle appeared beneath her hooves. The ancient script was comprehensible only to those present. Purple lightning began to spark from the edges of the circle and at the same time small spires of dark smoke began to emanate from it as well. Then as quickly as it came, it disappeared. One second went by. Two seconds. Three even. But upon the fourth, a ball of dark energy appeared at Luna’s horn and with white, glowing eyes, she launched the stream of black magic at Dreamer.

The sound of the attack being fired was deafening. A horrendous roar bellowed through the room accompanied by sharp, piercing, high-pitched squeals. The very air seemed to distort in a dark and terrifying way. Even Celestia was surprised by her sister’s outburst and subsequent use of black magic.

Having no time to dodge, Dreamer erected the strongest magical shield he could, formed not just of his energy, but his thoughts. The assault continued and the stalemate raged on for a little longer. Cracks began to appear in his dome of protection. It would be failing soon. But just when it seemed he could hold no longer, the dark torrent ceased. Luna now stood, not exhausted, but considerably depleted, where she was before.

Several more seconds of silence passed by. The cracked dome still stood, the Princesses unable to see through it.

“ENOUGH!” The shout came with the force a normal pony would expect from the Royal Canterlot Voice. The shield erupted into its many fragmented pieces flying in every direction at once. The projectiles melted away at Celestia and Luna’s wards.

Dreamer hovered above the ground, a look of fury plastered across his visage. With an evil glare at Luna he regained his composure just enough to give a frighteningly toothy smile. The next wards he spoke sent Celestia into immediate action to protect her sister from the oncoming attack.

“Illusory Torture,” Dreamer uttered, drawing it out to sound as threatening as possible, hissing some of the syllables as well. Celestia knew what Illusory Torture was. What it was capable of. A devastating move that forcefully invades another mind, it captures the victim’s psyche and traps it in his or her most ultimate fear, their worst nightmare, and makes it worse by a factor of two to the power of thirty-two. You will physically feel every single detail as it happens in your head. Everything that happens in your mind to your body has the potential to be physically manifested in the real world. It is the absolute illusion of torture. Those that must endure it, will more likely than not end up ending their own lives in an attempt to escape. Should Dreamer put enough power into this attack, the very same illusion may even follow them into death.

However, the move is not unable to be blocked, but one must be quick to act on it. Celestia was able to encase herself and her sister in large ball of pure light as the shock wave that burst forth from Dreamer hit. They were safe as long they were inside.

“Luna, are you unhurt? Please, tell me you’re alright,” Celestia pleaded.

“I am fine sister. Just, almost out of energy. I escaped his attack though.”

“Thank goodness. I’m glad you’re feeling fine, but why did you go and use an attack like that so recklessly? It’s one thing to gather the energy and fire it, but to sustain it is very nearly insane.”

“Well that matters little now. What we do need to focus on is destroying that smug bastard of an alicorn.”

“Is the foul language really necessary, Luna?”

“Sorry.”

“Anyway, you are correct about our goal. Dreamer must be dealt with now while he’s weakened. He wasn't at full strength to begin with and that attack, like yours, has more likely than not left him fatigued. If we can combine our magic, with myself supplying the power and form and you the speed and binding properties, we might be able to catch him off guard once more and finish this battle.”

“Then let’s get this over with already.”

Back on the outside of Celestia’s orb of light, Dreamer was fuming that his attack was blocked so easily. His rage was a silent one, at first, but in place of the fatigue that should have been evident in every fiber of his being, was a rigid fury in the form of heavy breathing, a heaving chest, a ferocious snarl, wide eyes, bared teeth, dilated pupils, and violent tremors shaking his body to the core.

Dreamer remained like this for a full minute before loosing a blood-thinning, fetal position-inducing howl of a scream to the high ceilings and the sky above. The palace had long ago seen that its larger rooms were enchanted to reduce noise by a significant margin to get rid of annoying echoes. But the magical invocation of anything comparable to the Royal Canterlot Voice easily overrides such charms. As a result, the Royal Guard that had been standing just outside the entrance rushed to the source of the offending sound prepared to face the worst. What they found instead was far more than just "the worst".

“Halt!” one of them shouted at the intruder, “Who goes there? Speak thy name so we may–”

“My name!? Fear incarnate shall do for now! For this is the last feeling you will suffer before I end your pathetic lives! Mind Destruction!”

He thrust his hoof toward the two offending guards and an invisible wave of magic sped through the air at his intended targets. Mind Destruction, while more simple than Illusory Torture, is an equally devastating attack. It causes the most painful and disturbing stroke in the targets’ minds and it goes on until they are, quite literally, incapable of doing anything, even involuntary muscle functions such as a beating heart. Being weaker than normal, the attack did not cause this level of damage however. That is to say, though, the guards did not fare well in the slightest.

The clang of metal against polished stone rang out as Dreamer momentarily collapsed from his exertions. The guards lay upon the floor just in front of him, no longer moving. "Nothing more than casualties for a greater cause," he lamented in his head. Dreamer then gathered what strength he had left and stood once more, facing the light from Celestia's protection.

But there was no orb there any longer. Panic welled inside him as he prepared to take a brutal attack. But it never came. At least, not how he expected.

“Monster,” was the whisper Dreamer heard behind him. He turned around slowly, almost dreading whatever awaited him. Celestia stood by her two fallen guards, a dark shadow cast across her face as the angle obscured her eyes from view. “I could understand disabling them, even paralysis.” Her voice was shaky with bottled rage that was not likely to stay capped for much longer. “But this is going too far, Dreamer!”

“Come now, my dear, what are two meager gua–”

“SILENCE! You will not speak anymore. In fact, you won’t be living for much longer either! Now, Luna!”

Dreamer began to quickly scan the room for the younger sister’s presence, but, too late for him, she made herself painfully known almost instantly. A large amount of pure telekinetic force smashed Dreamer into the floor, leaving a crater nearly ten meters in diameter. He struggled to get back to his hooves as another wave hit, this time simulating artificially increased gravity. Dreamer could tell what they were doing though. He needed only to look at the Princesses at that moment to confirm his suspicions.

At the tip of Celestia’s horn was a large ball of energy, much like the one Luna had fired earlier, but comprised of pure light. At the same time he could see Luna’s mouth moving frantically, forming a plethora of spells, enchantments, and curses and binding them to the attack Celestia was charging.

Dreamer fully understood that this combination of light and dark magics would be more than enough to finish him off in this weakened state. Putting all of his energy against his gravitational restraint, Dreamer began to ever so slightly regain control. His muscles were tensed in the extreme. Veins could be seen throbbing in his face and neck as desperation sank in.

The orb of death was changing, now pure white with black lightning and the size of a fully grown alicorn. The stone floor beneath it was cracked and even melting. The very ground trembled as if an earthquake decided to take place at this very moment in time. And if that wasn't enough, purple flames erupted in a ring around the sisters and began to funnel into the attack. It was but a few seconds away from firing.

There was not enough time. Dreamer knew, he could not dodge in enough time. What was he to do? Was this the end of the road for him? “No,” was his simple answer. “I will not be defeated again!”

The world went quiet; the noises emanating from the attack had ceased. The constant shaking came to an end and all felt incredibly still. And then it fired. It flew inexplicably fast at its target and Celestia and Luna could only watch and hope the castle’s numerous spells of protection would contain an attack of this magnitude. It was only inches away from impact, and it stopped.

The royal sisters could not believe their eyes, nay, their cursed fates and horrific luck, for those were much more fitting given the situation. The attack was just sitting still. And then they heard it. A low chuckle. A mocking chuckle mixed with a bit of relief. It rose in volume, gaining depth to its mirth. And so he spoke.

“Yes. Yes! This is the power I expect of two alicorns! But it is not enough. It was never enough. I am the most powerful being in existence now. You will not stop my plan from coming to fruition! You have miscalculated! My telekinesis is stronger than any other unicorn or alicorn. I control the mind, so controlling gathered, structured, manifested magic is nothing to me! And you know what else I can do? Absorb this attack as pure magical energy!”

The second the words left his mouth, the grand ball of magic began to shrink. A funnel of energy was seen flowing into Dreamer’s horn. As the process continued, Dreamer’s power and confidence grew as well. He was visibly regaining his strength as his breathing evened out and the tremors wracking his body ceased. It didn't take long to finish and when it did, Celestia and Luna could do nothing but stare into his now glowing red eyes.

“I really don’t want to dispose of you,” he said with a toothy grin, “but there isn't any reason to keep you around any longer.”

As Dreamer slowly made his way over to the Princesses, they shared one last telepathic conversation with each other.

“Luna,” Celestia began, “I know that over these past few years I've said it a hundred times, but I just need you to know, I’m sorry, for everything."

“And I have told you a hundred times, sister, I do not blame you. You have nothing to apologize for. It is I who should be asking for your forgiveness.”

“Thank you, Luna.”

“How touching. Are you two done saying your last words?”

“Do your worst, Dreamer,” was Celestia’s retort.

“I would, but you're not even worth it. Goodbye Princesses of the Sun and Moon. May the Alicorn of Death show you the way to paradise. Mind Destruction.”

Chapter 2: Preparations

"Divine Rejection, Level 2: Basic denial of a powerful spell.”

The voice, and its accompanying command, came from the entrance to the throne-room-turned-battlefield. Dreamer was held in place briefly while his spell's effects were blocked and prevented, his hoof hovering the air where it pointed directly at the Princesses. They, too, were beyond any emotion that could be described as shocked, stunned or surprised.

When Dreamer had full control of his body once more, he slowly lowered the protruding limb back to the floor and calmly stared at the newcomer. The two sisters that had just escaped a less than appealing fate stood to face the unknown pony as well. They trotted off to the side and watched, expressionless, as they took a good look at their savior.

Before the gathered party stood yet another alicorn. He was young, as far as alicorns go, but was actually exactly the same size as Luna, if only having a slightly bulkier build as a male. The older alicorns present could tell that he would grow to at least Celestia's size given another thousand years or so. He had a light rust orange coat color and simple black mane. Really, the most defining features he possessed - besides his intricate cutie mark - were his vibrant but piercing grass green eyes and the single stripe of the same color that ran through his tail.

But it was the cutie mark that Dreamer had recognized first and foremost. It was what appeared to be the planet as it would be viewed from the stars, half lit up, half in darkness. The ice caps, the land, and the water were all perfectly placed and shaped in what one could only assume was Equis. Around the half that was day what appeared to be the corona of the sun acted as a halo of flames and the night portion was surrounded by a more purple, and softer, hue as one could find on a clear summer evening. Lastly, as if to tie it all together, was a background symbol in the shape of the sign for infinity.

"You. Of all the possible ways these two could have been saved, it had to be you, Terra. Or should I say, Terra's reincarnation? No matter. It seems that I am being given a chance to know when I have been bested. I would hazard a guess that you could not use your divine power again, but why chance it? I am nearly at my full power once more, and after a bit of searching, I will be able to implement my plans with ease. So I bid you all a good day, for soon enough, every day will be a good day."

With that last statement, Dreamer vanished with an audible pop as he teleported to some place far away from the palace. The tension in the room vanished but was replaced with foreboding as they all realized that the most powerful threat the world of Terras had encountered in millennia was free to do as he pleased.

Heavy panting could be heard throughout the room as the Princesses all but collapsed on the floor. Terra made his way over to the exhausted rulers of Equestria. As he looked around he assessed the damage that had been done. There was a large, still molten hot, hole in one wall, a shallow crater riddled with large and minute cracks in the center of the hall, each window had been shattered gloriously, tapestry was set on fire, and to top it off, dark magic was still lingering in the air and attempting to coalesce into a portal to another dimension. “This has to be taken care of quickly,” Terra noted. He came to a stop before the Princesses and did the one thing an alicorn would never expect of another alicorn: he bowed.

“Your Highnesses, I ask that you allow me to quickly heal your injuries. There is little time and much to do.”

“Yes, that does seem to be the proper course of action. We can discuss things in detail shortly thereafter,” Celestia responded, still gasping for air and sweating almost profusely.

“Then I shall begin at once. Divine Rejection, Level 1: Rejection of Injury and Fatigue, Advanced Stage.”

Once more a circle of magic was drawn, this one below the Princesses and a light green color. A transparent white light shot up from it and began to heal any wounds that covered the Princesses’ bodies while simultaneously replenishing their strength. The process took no more than thirty seconds and soon the two celestial sisters were standing again.

They now turned to face Terra, intending to deal with the situation at hand before the one at large. Celestia made her way over to him, Luna close behind, and set her expression as one of neutrality, preparing to deal with anything this stranger threw at her.

“We thank you for your assistance...”

“Terra. My name is Terra Omnes Vivat IV. I take it you’ve heard this name before, but truthfully, I hate it like the predecessor just before me. She liked to call herself Soil Work. I like the name Soil Born. But it is up to you what you decide to call me.”

Terra had said all of this as if he hadn’t just saved the lives of the rulers of Equestria, and was introducing himself to some ponies he met at a sporting event. Not once did he look at either of the sisters while speaking. Instead, he elected to stare out a window, watching the progression of the sun in the sky.

“Well then, Terra, I know we are pressed for time, but would you please enlighten us as to the reason you are here? I mean, never before has the Alicorn of Nature made an attempt to contact us or get involved with anything having to do with Equestria. At one point early in our rule, I commissioned a search team to find her, but gave up after a decade of empty results. Why have you now, and as a reincarnation to top it off, decided to reveal yourself?”

Terra merely looked at the solar princess with a stoic visage to match the sternness she was giving him. A few more seconds passed before he answered.

“We are pressed for time, so I’ll try to keep this short. I understand that you have a right to these answers and I will not deny them to you.”

“Thank you.”

“As you know, there are other alicorns besides just us three and Dreamer. It was his first defeat that resulted in our diminished numbers. After he was sent to who-knows-where, the Alicorns of Time, Innovation, Health, Fate, and Luck were sealed away in stone. Nature, Day, Night, and Death escaped the same fate, but at a price. Day and Night, your parents, were allowed to remain alive only long enough to see your births and first century of life. Death was resigned to be locked away as King of Tartaros and guide to the afterlife, and some time after that, he lost his influence over war. Terra II was to be reincarnated.

"You strove to create a great nation and unite the ponies of the lands under one banner. Soil Work saw your efforts and wished to assist in them. However, it wasn't long before she found out that, albeit during your time as an unrelenting tactician, you were planning on using her and her power to win certain war efforts quickly. Knowing her place in the world, she took affront to this and avoided all contact with you or your sister, and continued to do the duty set forth by The Creator.

"Then things began going south from there. The belief that she had abandoned the only other alicorns left in this world and let thousands of ponies die in a war she could have ended ate away at her mentality for as long as she lived. When events began to spiral out of control little more than a thousand years ago, she convinced herself it was all her fault; the Crystal Empire, Discord’s Terror, and even Nightmare Moon were included.

"And so, about 250 years ago, she developed a way to force the reincarnation using her power, to escape the guilt and pain. That is when I was ‘born’. I spent the first century or so learning to control my powers and what my duty was through the memories of my predecessors. After that, I contemplated revealing my existence to you, but thought it best to keep it hidden. You two are busy running what can only be described as an empire. I did not want to burden you further.

"However, around two days ago, the foresight granted to me by my power to prevent unnatural occurrences, warned me about a dimensional rift appearing here. Over these two days, more supernatural and unnatural phenomena have occurred than in the past three months, and so I only had enough Divine spell power left to use when I arrived for three Level 2's, or one Level 1 and one Level 2. I can no longer use that power for another month while it recharges.”

Terra watched as the larger Princess turned to look out the window as well, as if she was making a tough decision. The solid silence continued uninterrupted for some minutes more before a reply was given. With a measured tone and steel resolve, Celestia made her thoughts known.

“Your explanation will have to suffice for now. We must prepare to give chase to Dreamer. If what you say is true, and you cannot use your ultimate power for a month, then our only hope is to venture out and gather the Alicorns of Life once more. Though there is a problem: neither I nor my sister have knowledge of the locations of the shrines where they are sealed, and I believe this is because I erased the information from my memory. My only guess as to where we should start is by going to the King of Tartaros, the Alicorn of Death & the Afterlife.

"Luna, I need you to send out a summons for Shining Armor and Princess Cadence. It would be best if you send for Twilight too. As for you, Terra, I have a few more things I need to discuss with you.”

“I’ll see to it that they all arrive swiftly. It will be fastest if I retrieve them all myself. I will return shortly.” At her last word, Luna teleported from the presence of the other alicorns to fulfill her charge. An awkward silence settled in for several seconds before Celestia started up the conversation once more.

“Thank you, for saving us earlier,” she began in a more sincere tone. “I know it must have been difficult for you to use so much of your power in one instance to get here and fend off Dreamer.”

“Your thanks is appreciated, Princess.” Terra kept his gaze affixed on the scenery out the nearby window. He loved to watch nature, in all of its glory and unpredictability, knowing he was the only one that brought order to it. Celestia couldn’t help but wonder what went through his mind when he zoned out like that, so she decided to pick at it by changing the topic to something more friendly.

“I think I’d rather you just call my sister and I by our names. It feels, weird, for another alicorn as powerful as us to address us so formally.” Terra’s expression immediately lit up as if he had been waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. Feigning surprise, he accepted Celestia’s little jab.

“Oh? In that case would you prefer to be called by your true name? Although, Sol Ignis Die Caelum is a bit of a mouthful, wouldn’t you agree?.” Celestia seemed to get a kick out of Terra’s sudden jovial manner. She even giggled a bit. So Terra continued his display of wit to keep the discussion from straying too far into depressing territory.

“If that’s all it takes to get a laugh out of you I have no idea how you keep a straight face with politicians around you all the time. If there’s one good thing that’ll come from this development, it’s that you’ll be able to get away from it all for a while.” His last words seemed to have hit upon something that didn’t sit well with the Bringer of the Day. Her face morphed from one of slight joy to the look of dread that had been present earlier.

“This is no vacation, Terra. You above all other beings should realize what’s at stake. For my sister and I, we do what we must to protect our country and the ponies that inhabit it above even that. For you, though, it is much more than that. You alone have the responsibility of protecting all of existence with what limited power you have. This is why I thank you for your aid, for using that power to protect us.”

“All the more reason to keep a good mood,” he said in good stride, not missing a beat as he quickly responded to her statement. “I’ve only been at this for a quarter century. If it weren’t for the memories of the previous Alicorns of Nature, I wouldn’t even know the true feeling of having the weight of the universe on my back. And now we have this problem to deal with. I can only use that power fifteen times in a month, which I’ve accomplished over just these past few days, and it’s the middle of this one. You know what his plan is, right?”

“Yes, I do. I also know that we have time before he can implement it. We need to use that time to gather the other alicorns and prepare to fight him off. But it will not be easy or smooth sailing. While I cannot recall the locations of the shrines, I do know that before purging the information from my mind, I set up and commissioned numerous defenses to keep others from finding whatever was hidden within and using the power… unwisely. Those defenses were designed to keep even the strongest of alicorns away. But I believe our friend down in Tartaros may be able to help us in that regard.”

“Then we should be heading out soon. Luckily, it seems Luna is back from her task.”

As he just predicted due to a bit of sensory magic, Luna teleported into the room mere seconds after the statement was made. With her now were Shining Armor, Princess Cadance, and Twilight Sparkle. Each seemed mildly confused as to the nature of their summons but knew there had to be a good reason for the short notice.

After a short bow to get pleasantries out of the way, Twilight led off the conversation with the question the three newcomers wanted an answer to.

“Princess Celestia, it’s so good to see you. It must be months since we last met. But I have to admit this is a little unexpected. Why have you brought all three of us here, and why did Princess Luna come to get us herself, and who is that pony standing next to you?”

Her questions were each straightforward, but when she noticed a slate gray unicorn stallion with a white mane and tail standing nearby, she couldn’t stop herself from asking who he was even if she wanted to.

“Twilight, this is – Terra, why are you in disguise?” she questioned upon seeing his current appearance as well.

“Oh, sorry Celestia. I guess this is just force of habit from having to hide my presence for so many years. Give me a sec and I’ll be back to normal.”

“Please, do.”

With that Terra began his transformation back into his true alicorn form. There was no fancy light show accompanying it, but the shock on the faces of the extra ponies present was more than enough to make up for it.

“B-But, who, h-how, where, when, why!?” was all Twilight managed to get out before her brother stepped in to take the lead of the conversation.

“I think what she’s trying to say is, who are you?”

“Formally: my name is Terra Omnes Vivat IV. I am the Alicorn of Nature, Structure & Existence, upholder of all things natural and right in the world; suppressor of anything supernatural and within the natural bounds of universal law but too powerful for mortals to know of at the current moment in time; and Exterminator of everything deemed unnatural and wrong that comes into existence of this world. But you can call me Terra or Soil Born.”

Everyone in attendance, including the Princesses, stood slack-jawed at the title he had just spewed out. Terra stayed where he was with nothing but a small smile across his face as the silence continued. Finally Celestia spoke up to explain why everyone was here and what was going on.

“So let me get this straight. An ancient evil alicorn that controls the mind has returned after his uncertain defeat at the hooves of a previous generation of alicorns that the three of you are descended from and now you have to go and find these alicorns, unseal them, and unite to defeat this evil or else many horrible things that will lead to the end of all existence as we know it will happen. Also, I am the product of residual magic from the first alicorn whom you all refer to as The Creator. Great.”

After explaining the situation to Shining, Cadance and Twilight, Celestia felt obliged to tell Cadance why she exists separately from the Alicorns of Life. She did not take to it kindly.

“And now you want Cadance and I to run the affairs of Equestria while you’re away saving the universe?” Shining added in equal disdain and disbelief. They looked to Twilight to hear her reaction to the news as well. She quickly glanced at all of the faces around her before replying.

“Well, it all sounds about right to me considering everything I’ve had to go through. It is a little unsettling knowing the Elements of Harmony are actual pieces of a previous living being, but that explains why they inhabit other living beings well enough. As for my take on this, can I get that history of how the universe was created in writing? It would make a great book or creation myth.”

Once more the room went silent with only the metaphorical sound of rusty hinges creaking as jaws fell open briefly. Terra was quick to recover the situation though.

“Um, sure, I guess. I don’t see any harm in that once this is all over.”

“Great! I can’t wait. But one last thing. Princess, what’s my purpose in being here? If you only wanted to inform Shining and Cadance of having to take care of things for a while, why did you summon me?” Celestia grinned a warm smile before leaning down to the unicorn to give her answer.

“If there is any other pony in all of Equestria that knows more about Equestrian politics than any current politician in office just because she reads history and law books for fun, then may we fail this mission miserably and never return. You will be assisting Shining and Cadance in keeping the country running while making sure news of Dreamer stays in this room, during this conversation, right now.”

“Oh, right. You can count on us, Princess Celestia,” Twilight replied with confidence.

“Great! Now that that’s settled, can we please get going to the gates of Tartaros? Every second wasted is another one gained for Dreamer,” Terra said chastely.

“Yes, we should be on our way, sister,” Luna added. “Time is of the essence.”

“Alright, you two have a point. We leave everything to you three. Oh, and one last thing,” she began as she trotted over to where Luna and Terra were standing readying a teleportation spell, “Luna and I have found a way to choose our reincarnations if they are still alive. Twilight, if you become an alicorn then know we truly have failed. But have faith, it should not come to that.”

One bright flash of light later and only three ponies were left in the throne room with minutes before open court. Two of them headed up to the thrones to ready themselves for the onslaught of questions headed their way. The third, however,…

“What?”

Chapter 3: Unbound

CRACK!!

A swift rush of air swept over the dying grass in the area as the previously unoccupied space was suddenly filled with the forms of three alicorns. Having just teleported to their first destination in a long journey ahead of them, they took a bit of time to observe their surroundings.

The large mouth of a cave stood ominously before them. Its pitch black orifice seemed to radiate the foulest of stenches and the most evil of magics. Flanking this cave opening on both sides were clusters of dead or dying trees and other shrubbery. The branches were intertwined and knotted, and when looked at in full, the sheer scale of lifelessness in this dead forest was realized.

The cave led into what looked to be small mountain. The sky was cloudy and appeared to swirl and coalesce around its peak, as if it signaled the entrance to another world or dimension. And that assumption was entirely true, for this was the entrance to Tartaros.

“How do you plan on convincing him to help us?” Terra asked Celestia solemnly.

“By giving him an offer he can’t refuse,” was her reply, a darker tone than most would come to expect from the Princess accompanying the words.

“Well I hope it’s a good one. By the way, isn’t there supposed to be a cerberus guarding these gates?” he inquired in a slightly accusatory manner.

“I too am wondering where the creature is. It is his job to keep anypony from leaving this place, and it is strangely quiet,” Luna added.

“Well there’s no use in complaining about it now. Let’s go, we’re wasting time,” Celestia said, effectively ending the conversation.

The three began their walk toward the cave. As they got closer though, a dense fog began to collect at their hooves. It rolled in from all directions and profusely poured out of the mouth of the cave. They stopped their gait and waited for something to happen, all of their senses on high alert.

Then they heard it: the deep growl of Cerberus. They immediately shifted into battle formation, ready for an attack. The growling continued, increasing in volume and echoing all around them. Then it stopped. Silence reigned for a terse seven seconds until a peculiar sound caught Terra’s ear. It was like whistling, but a bit different; almost like something falling. Looking up, his eyes widened in disbelief. There, falling through the sky as if he had jumped off of the summit of the mountain, was Cerberus.

“Up above!” Terra shouted as he bolted out of the way. Taking his queue, the other two quickly avoided the impact zone of the beast. They each turned to face the new threat that had literally come from the skies above.

“I’ll bind him and you two attack!” Terra shouted as he gathered the necessary energy to restrain the three headed dog. He focused the reach of his magic into the ground and found the roots of the nearby trees. Rather than telekinetically lifting them out of the ground and wrapping them around his target, Terra coaxed the roots into assisting him, which would provide a more stable and stronger restraint.

The roots grew up from the ground and began their attempt at binding the large guard dog. Surprisingly light on his feet, Cerberus nimbly dodged the first few swipes, but the advantage of numbers soon overwhelmed him. Wrapping around his legs, they forced him to the ground. Then, starting from the legs, the roots began to twist around his body, tightening with each pass around his body as they worked to restrain the slightest of movements and then anchoring themselves in the ground on either side.

It wasn’t long before Cerberus was rendered completely immobile. Taking their chance, Celestia and Luna fired their attacks at him. Hoping to subdue the beast, they weren’t trying to kill or destroy, merely incapacitate. When the spells hit Cerberus, his body fell limp and he was rendered unconscious. The three waited just a moment or two more before relaxing slightly while Terra released the bonds, mentally thanking the roots for their help.

They resumed their walk back to the entrance when they felt a sudden drop in the surrounding temperature. Looking back behind them, they were shocked to find that Cerberus was disappearing. Well, more like melting into a black goo that proceeded to spread out across the ground and split into smaller puddles of goo.

Each puddle began to writhe and transform into something new, before long seventy-two large hellhounds, all the size of an earth pony stallion, stood in a circle around the party of alicorns. Some of the most hellish looking eyes covered their bodies in varying sizes. Rows of sharp teeth dripping with some vile ooze could be seen as plain as the day Celestia brought as they opened their maws to let out a collective howl.

“Well, this should be interesting,” Terra stated with a bit of a smirk as the dogs circled and prepared to strike.

“Quite,” was Celestia’s curt reply.

“I hope one of you two has a good plan considering hellhounds are impervious to most magic,” Luna asked in an unamused tone.

“I do, but you two will have to fight it out on your own while I set it up,” Terra replied.

“Do what you must, but do it quickly,” Celestia said, already formulating strategies of her own.

“As you wish.”

The rust orange alicorn began to slowly back into the center of their formation. For each step he took, the combatants came forth just as much. When he stopped in the center, so too did the hellhounds stop their advance. Looking to both Luna and Celestia one last time, he put his plan into motion.

Terra began to sink into the ground beneath his hooves. He was in effect converting his physical form to something that was able to move through and with the earth. He could even meld himself with trees. In this way, he could hide indefinitely and never be detected, making for the perfect technique to set up a complicated trap.

Celestia and Luna knew very well that it would take too long and use up more power than they'd like to dispose of the many creatures before them. Hellhounds were known for their resistance to most magics. The only spells that would affect them were those that utilized fire and lightning.

The former was weak against them, but at least it had an effect. The latter was stronger, but they possessed an ability that made it next to impossible to hit them with it. But the time for action was now. The hounds were starting to close in and would soon attack.

“It has been a long time since we have had to fight together like this, sister,” mused Luna as she got into a more battle ready stance.

“I’m certain we can still hold our own here. It’s like learning to fly: you never forget the basics and can improvise when needed.”

“Well then, we better start remembering. Here they come.”

The hounds did indeed begin their assault as Luna indicated. The soft pat of paws on the ground grew to a small roar as they charged at the alicorns standing rear to rear. Growling and barking accompanied their concentric blitz and the distance was quickly covered.

However, the Princesses were ready for this and at the last moment they launched themselves into the air causing a pile up of the first thirty combatants. The rest of them, though, noticed the move in time to use their speed to jump into the air after them.

A loud pop resounding through the air marked the successful teleportation of the Princesses to outside of the surround attempt that was meant to smother them. Luna and Celestia now stood on opposite sides of the mass of writhing hounds and prepared to launch their initial attack.

With horns aglow, a wide spread of artificial lightning sped toward the immobile pile. There were only two types of arcane magic that could affect hellhounds: fire and lightning. That is to say though, they are the only ones that can do any sort of damage. Unfortunately, the hounds have a nasty ability to deal with the latter, and stronger, of the two.

It was now that this ability was invoked, and as the magic reached its destination, the pile quickly turned into a large cloud of what looked to be shadowy fog. The lightning merely passed through this gaseous mass and met in the middle.

The sisters quickly cut off the supply of energy for the spell as they had expected as much. The cloud of shadow was now spreading across the landscape like a thin mist. The Princesses knew what to expect next, but didn’t know when. What seemed a few tense minutes passed before anything else happened.

From the shadows of the forest’s trees a hound sprung forth at the Lunar Princess and sunk its teeth into the joint at which her wing connected to her body. For the pain that went shooting through her though, Luna didn’t so much as grunt at it. The hound was quickly flung to ground, but before a counter attack could be made, it disappeared back into the mist.

The battle raged on for another seven minutes in similar fashion. One or a few hounds would spring from the shadows or the mist covered ground and attack one or both of the Princesses. Bolts of lightning or waves of fire were launched in quick succession each time, but no contact was ever made.

When they thought the assault had lulled to something tolerable, forty-two hounds sprung from the ground at once. As the hellish dogs flew through the air, Celestia grimaced as she noted how separated she and Luna had become during the fight. There was no time for her to teleport and still save her sister. They would just have to endure the assault and retaliate quickly.

Twenty-four hounds fell on top of each Princess, each clawing and biting their way to doing harm to the alicorns. But the brief triumph lasted no longer than ten seconds as a blinding flash of orange and yellow light burst from the pile Celestia was held under. She emerged with her mane and tail aflame and the hounds immediately around her writhing in agony from the fire that burned their bodies.

Those hounds quickly put out the flames and returned to the mist. Celestia then turned her attentions toward the pile her sister was still under sent her flames to disperse the threat. Sensing what was coming, though, the hounds let their target be and returned to the ground as well.

A ball of white light the size of a foal in its adolescence was all that was present in the vacated spot. Though it didn’t take long for Luna to emerge from her protection without having sustained too much injury.

“We have to end this more quickly. When will Terra’s trap be ready?” Luna said while walking over to her sister.

“Hopefully it will be ready soon. The hounds are planning something.”

“Planning? What could they possibly be trying to organize?”

The answer was quick to reveal itself as all seventy-two hellhounds rose from the ground. The mist at their paws faded into nonexistence, but the ground didn't return to its normal state. On it was a large circle connected by the four outermost hounds at the cardinal positions. More and more lines began to be drawn inside this circle, forming a square, a four pointed star and other shapes.

Not having had any time to react, Celestia and Luna were beholden to whatever force was about to be placed against them. They expected to be bound, to be rendered incapable of resistance. But even when the magic circle was complete, nothing seemed to happen. Instead, each hound’s mouth opened wide, wider than they should have, and from them spewed insect-like creatures that either crawled or flew toward the Princesses.

The bodies of the the Princesses tensed up as they prepared for the attack. But as they tried to summon their energy, nothing but horror and confusion crossed their faces.

“Sister, I cannot use magic anymore! And from the looks of it, neither can you.”

“What do you mean by that, Luna?”

“Your mane and tail; they’re no longer flowing with your energy. And it seems mine have suffered a similar fate,” Luna noted having looked at her own mane and tail as she spoke.

“We don’t have time to be lamenting that we can’t use magic, we need to–”

Her order was cut short as her body was thrown to the ground. A second thump signaled that Luna had fallen as well. No amount of grunting or struggling seemed to do much and the insects swarmed above and around them.

“A gravity well,” Celestia managed to grunt out. “Well, we were wondering if we were going to be bound.”

“And now we’ll be devoured by some spawn of a Cerberus. Great.”

“We’ll think of some–”

For the second time, Celestia had been silenced unexpectedly, but this time, she could breathe a sigh of relief.

Massive roots of the trees that surrounded them burst from the ground beneath the hounds and disrupted the magic field they had created. The collective barks, yelps and snarls rang out in an oddly harmonic chorus as the roots wrapped around each hound individually. The ground cracked and groaned as they were all hoisted high into the air and brought back to the ground. As a result, another choral display came in the form of a multitude of sickening crunches from the bodies of the hounds.

Though they all appeared limp and defeated, the roots continued to squeeze their captured prey until yet more bones could be heard breaking. Celestia and Luna had just gotten back on their hooves when Terra returned from the ground directly in front of them.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. The Everfree Forest isn't very easy to talk to."

"Talk to?" Celestia inquired.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah. The way my normal power over nature works is actually not power over it at all. I talk to the life of the planet and ask for its assistance. If it decides to help, great, if not, I'm still not anyone special enough to force it into helping. This is why it's not very practical as a means of attack. It could take a few minutes or a few hours for me to convince nature to help."

"So you left us not knowing when you'd be able to help? We could have been seriously injured!" Luna brushed her way past her sister and stood right in front the orange alicorn, her unpleasant gaze directed squarely into his eyes.

Terra merely smirked at her outburst and mockingly replied, "So, how's that bitten wing treating you?"

The question seemed to catch Luna off guard for a moment as she took a second or two to remember her injury. "Oh, it's healing up just fin—wait, no! That's not the point!"

"If you two are finished bickering, I believe we have someplace to be," Celestia stated with a deadpan voice. She turned to face the cave and begin walking but stopped when Terra still had something to say.

"Fine, just let me finish up here," Terra replied walking to the center of the tangle of roots. His horn lit with a signature forest green glow while he sat in the same spot for a full minute. When the time was up, he stood and walked back to where Luna and Celestia were. From their vantage point, though, the Princesses witnessed a bit of complex magic that actually managed to impress them.

A singularity of light hovered in the spot that Terra left. It began to expand, slowly at first, but growing in speed, both linear and angular. When it had grown to the size of a nearby tree, all light emanating from it ceased and spinning before them was what looked to be some sort of wormhole.

And indeed, that was exactly what it was. Dust and leaves and twigs and other debris slowly made their way toward the maw of the rotating disk, the suction increasing in power until the three alicorns had to put effort into not being pulled in too.

When Terra felt that things had progressed enough, the roots that held the apparently lifeless hellhounds uncoiled and sank back into the ground. Scraping noises were still clearly audible from the limp corpses sliding on the ground to be devoured by the anomaly. One-by-one they entered and it wasn’t very long before all seventy-two had been disposed of. The wormhole began to weaken and when it had died out, the Princesses were once again addressed by Terra.

“It’s always good to clean up your messes before you leave an area,” he chuckled as he walked past the two rulers into the cave. A brief look of confusion and amusement passed between them as they followed Terra’s lead.

The moment that they entered the mouth of the cave, a chill was sent through their bodies that forced a violent shudder to run through each of them, completely involuntary of their feelings or resolve. Everything echoed, from the dripping of condensed water to the soft pat of their hoofsteps. As they walked, they took note of the grotesque images that adorned the walls of the cave. They depicted ponies fighting off demons and other beings that couldn’t be properly described. One painting even showed a group of unicorns using unknown, astral magic to seal some beast long forgotten.

The further they went, the more descriptive the images became. As they neared their destination, they stopped before what seemed to be the largest mural of them all. It was unlike the others in that it had nothing to do with fighting off demons and other creatures. To a normal pony, it would have been nothing more than a picture of a black alicorn sitting atop a pile of skeletons as if it were his throne. To the three alicorns present, though, it marked the hidden entrance to a place mortals could not enter.

“Looks like we’re here,” Celestia remarked while surveying the wall in its entirety.

“Now, how do we get in?” Terra had moved to sit next to Celestia as he spoke and Luna was quick to stand by her sister’s side as well.

“Oh, that’s the easy part,” she replied while still staring directly at the wall in front of them.

“Alrighty then, I’ll leave it to you.” Terra then stood and walked to a safe distance behind the Princesses. They had both bowed their heads and closed their eyes in concentration, though it didn’t seem like they were channeling magic. In fact, they were releasing their magic.

Watching in slight shock and awe, Terra saw how the wall before him began to sink into the ground and revealed the goal of the first leg of their journey. The Gates of Tartaros, set into the stone as if the mountain itself was only raised to fit its shape.

Contrary to his expectations, Terra was surprised, and a bit relieved, that the gates were merely two large, black stone slabs with ivory rings hanging from where handles would be. Thick, wrought iron chains were draped in front of the doors, secured into the mountain on either side, ensuring the gates could not open completely.

“Terra, when we open the gates, we’ll need you to seal off the cave so nothing escapes. Can you do that?”

“Yes. I’ll even put up a barrier,” Terra replied with a smirk gracing his lips from the near absurdity of the question. “I’m ready, open the gates.”

The horns of the Princesses began to glow and the handles followed suit. One bathed in the pure, golden aura of the Solar Goddess, the other awash in the cool, midnight blue aura of the Lunar Mistress. They rose outward, and with a sound that could only be described as grating stone on stone, they slowly began to open.

With barely a crack having been made with which to walk through, all manner of ethereal being flew into the cave, swirling with a violent fervor expected of someone with claustrophobia being trapped in a sturdy box. Shrieks equally varied as the spirits that made them rang out in a cacophonous din. The gates continued to open until the doors were stopped by the chains at thirty degree angles, at which point the three alicorns, unphased by the chaos around them, resumed their trek.

When they entered the gates nothing but a wasteland of gray rock and sand was before them. It was flat as far as the eye could see, and certainly even beyond that. The ground crunched beneath their hooves, their ears were laid flat against their heads to lessen the sound of the howling wind. Most of all, it was cold, below freezing even. All those that thought Tartaros a pit of fire raging with the souls of the damned were absolute wrong.

With an unfurling of his wings, Terra took off in the heavy winds, wobbling greatly as tried to keep steady. He eventually reached a height where the wind was weaker and he look around, but it didn’t take long for him to find something.

In what looked to be but a mile or two ahead of the entrance, was an abyss as black as Sombra’s shadow, and then darker still. It was not a natural darkness, that much he was sure off. Terra’s best guess was that it was in this trench that they would find who they were looking for.

Terra angled downward into a dive to bring himself back to the gates where Luna and Celestia still stood. After landing and explaining what he found, the three set off for the abyss, preparing to fend off whatever got in their way.

Luckily, nothing got in their way. The terrain was still as barren as before, but now they stood at the edge of an abyss which seemed far larger than it had any right to be.

“How deep do you think it is?” Luna asked while peering over the side.

“There’s no telling, but I believe we’ll have to go down there,” Celestia replied.

“That doesn’t seem like a very pleasant experience,” Terra remarked.

“It certainly wouldn’t be, even for immortals such as yourselves,” a fourth voice added to which the three quickly turned their heads towards only to be shocked at who was now in their presence.

Standing just beside the three alicorns was the target of this first leg of their journey: the King of Tartaros, Mors Ascendo Sanguis. A black alicorn with a short, flowing mane of bone white. His tail would match as well were it not for the single stripe of what looked to be burgundy that ran through it. Other than his cutie mark, there wasn’t anything that particularly stood out. An artistic interpretation of a flame with a white, feathered wing on the right of it, and a leathery, black wing like those of bats to the left.

Terra and company had expected that much from his appearance, but it was the chains that draped him that caught their eyes. Thick and heavy-looking metal chains were wrapped around his neck, chest, barrel and withers. They dangled off the sides and fell to the ground to be joined by four other chains, each attached to his hooves. Each alicorn followed the trail the chains made behind the newcomer only to see that they went off into what seemed to be an eternity, attached to who-knows-what.

"Now, why have you come here? And why should I let you leave?" the alicorn stated with all the authority afforded to him as the King of the Underworld.

Now it was Celestia's turn to speak. Terra knew that whatever she planned on offering him had better be worth his while, or they could very well end up trapped in Tartaros with no hope of ever getting back out.

"I'll get straight to the point then. We are here because we need your help. The world is in grave danger of being taken over by Infinite Dreamer and our only hope is to reunite the alicorns of old to defeat him permanently. However, I realize that I was responsible for the protection of the shrines of the sealed alicorns, and one of those measures was to erase any memory I had of the locations and specific protections pertaining to each shrine.

"I know that I wouldn't take this measure without first telling some other equally immortal soul this information beforehand. I believe that being was you, Reaper Grimoire. We now need you to–"

"Enough,” he interrupted. “I'm well aware of the threat. But I cannot help you. For one, I am not Reaper Grimoire. I am Reaper Sanguine, his successor."

"What? When, and how?" Celestia asked with her usual sense of authority.

"Some two hundred and fifty years ago, thanks to a certain Alicorn of Nature, Grimoire underwent the regeneration process. When your predecessor, Terra, figured out a way to force the regenerative process, she ran into one very important complication. In order for her spell to work, she would need the permission of the Alicorn of Death & the Afterlife.

"So, she came to him with a proposal in order to persuade him into allowing her to use the spell. It initially failed, until she used her cunning to get at his emotions. Grimoire had been imprisoned here for millennia and had lost his connection to power from war. He was tired of living the same day over and over with no hope of anything changing. The one time anything different ever happened was when you, Celestia, came to give him the very information you now seek. However, on that day you refused to release him from his bonds, and in a way, he held that against you.

"And so, Terra III offered to teach him her new spell in exchange for his permission to use it. In his moment of depression, he gave in. Terra went off and some days later used her spell, resulting in the birth of her successor one year later. It was still several years before Grimoire used the spell, but the fact is that he did, and I was created soon after."

"And now you have been forced to bear his curse without any say in the matter,” Luna finished for him.

"That is correct."

"Please, Sanguine. We must know what it was I told Grimoire. Will you help us?" Celestia asked with not so much of a hint of pleading in her voice. It almost wasn’t a question.

"The obvious question is 'what will I get in return'?"

"If you give us the information, we will relieve you of your curse," she offered.

"Do you take me for a fool, Celestia? I do have all of the memories of Grimoire, and they tell me that under no circumstances am I to trust what you promise me."

"Be reasonable, Sanguine. This is much larger than some dispute had thousands of years ago. I am offering you freedom, in exchange for nothing more than information."

"I'm sorry, Celestia. In this case, I have to trust my instincts."

Growing weary of the back-and-forth that didn’t seem to be leading anywhere, Luna jumped in with an attempt to speak to whatever morals Sanguine might have. "You would sentence the world to devastation? On a whim influenced by a grudge? How could you be so selfish? How can you–"

"Luna, that's enough. There's no need to get upset," Terra said, intervening before the situation got out of hoof. Turning his attention to Sanguine, Terra proceeded to take over the negotiations. "Sanguine, I understand your concern and it is undoubtedly justified. What could we do to get you to help us?"

"Release me first, then I will give you what you need."

"How can we be sure you will keep your word?"

"You cannot, just as I cannot be sure you will keep yours."

"Then I have another proposal for you. Together, you and I will undergo an oath that will bind our beings together, and in this way we will have to trust each other to keep our promises."

Sanguine seemed to pause at that, giving actual consideration to what Terra was suggesting. "What did you have in mind?"

Terra turned his attention to the solar princess as she would be an integral part of his plan. "Celestia, I want you to perform the Solar Vow you used to make your soldiers swear in times of old."

"What!?" Celestia exclaimed, not meaning to be so loud and invariably dropping her regal demeanor. "Terra, you cannot possibly be insisting on putting your life on the line for him?"

For Terra, there was no question of what his duty to the world entailed. He wasted no time in answering, "I am. I'm one hundred percent certain about this. Will you perform it?"

"Sister, what is he talking about? I do not recall you having the Guard swear any oath to you?"

Hanging her head in a rare show of shame and guilt, Celestia took her time in answering her sister’s inquiry. She had never really wanted to reveal how vulnerable she became after having to seal away her sister for a thousand years. After a minute and a half of silence, she spoke.

"It was after you were sealed away as Nightmare Moon. As traumatic an experience it was, I still had a nation to run, and I was admittedly paranoid about being betrayed. So I created an oath that when broken, had very serious consequences. Should any soldier break their vow, they would… violently explode with a fraction of the power of the sun."

Luna could only look on with a face that belied her sadness at having been the cause of such misfortune. Though the sisters made amends long ago, the pain still hung in her mind and heart. It outweighed the shock she just experienced from finding out her normally understanding and benevolent sister once forced her guards not into swearing an oath to her, but to accept a curse that resulted in such a horrible end. Her slight melancholy was quickly broken as the negotiations continued.

"And it is this oath which Terra is suggesting I perform between him and Sanguine."

"Actually, I want you to put a variation on it. Instead of the one who breaks the oath suffering the consequences, I want you to make it so that in either event—the event that I break my part of the oath or the event where Sanguine breaks the oath—I will be the one to take full responsibility."

“Terra, do you realize what it is you are saying?” Celestia said now with a more accusatory tone than anything else. “Why would you trust him to not break his word and leave you for dead?”

“I have my reasons Celestia, and even in this situation, you should be more trusting. It looks rather unbecoming when a ruler that sent her student away to learn about friendship seems to be ignoring a key component of it.”

The princess had no response to that. She only stood there, staring at Terra and contemplating what to do. In the end, she wasn’t left with very many options, the best of which was going along with his plan.

“Fine. I’ll go along with this but, I hope you know what you’re doing.” Celestia took a deep breath and began channeling her magic. “Alright, Terra and Sanguine, position yourselves here in front of me, if you please. When you are ready Terra, speak the oath, and I shall bind the consequences to you alone.”

“What do you say, Sanguine? Will you accept this offer?”

“Though I still feel uneasy about trusting you, a chance to be free of this place is worth it. I accept.”

“Excellent,” Terra said as he moved to the designated area. Sanguine followed quickly, positioning himself just beside Terra as they both stood before Celestia. “Do you, Mors Ascendo Sanguis, King of Tartaros and Alicorn of Death & the Afterlife, swear to assist us in the quest of permanently stopping the plans of Infinite Dreamer in any way you can in exchange for freedom from your curse?”

“I do.”

“And I, Terra Omnes Vivat IV, Alicorn of Nature, Structure & Existence, do swear to uphold my oath of releasing you from your prison in exchange for your help. Celestia, make it so.”

“By the power of the sun that is under my influence and subject to my will, I make this contract into a Solar Oath, where Terra Omnes Vivat shall receive punishment in any event of this oath being broken.”

At that, two rays of light shot into the bodies of the alicorns making their promises. The process was quick and painless. Though Terra and Sanguine could now feel the power of the sun deep inside them, ready to explode at a moment’s notice.

Terra turned to Sanguine then and began to gather magic in his horn, preparing a spell he had been composing since he saw the chains that bound the alicorn to this world. He would need the knowledge and experience of his predecessors to perform the spell, but he was confident that it work without any problems.

Rather than some brilliant display of power with flashy lights and the ground shaking, the chains simply began to melt and dissolve around Sanguine. Within minutes, he was free.

“Thank you, Terra. You have no idea what this means to me.” Sanguine allowed a little bow of his head to accompany his words as the group turned around to leave Tartaros and begin their search anew.

Celestia and Luna ushered the raging spirits still in the cave back to where they came from and closed the doors once more. Terra then lifted his barrier and unsealed the cave so they could leave.

Once outside, Terra turned to the three-headed dog that had been defeated earlier and released him from his imprisonment. But once he turned back to his compatriots, he was met with nothing more than a look of pure disdain and anger from the Princess of the Day, and the sight of the Princess of the Night staring at the spot where Sanguine had just teleported away.

Author's Note

So, here's the image of what the magic nullification circle the hellhounds formed looks like:

I made this really quick using AutoCAD, so nothing special. Draw sketch on paper, make sure I counted 72 intersections correctly, draw in CAD, export to PDF, open in Photoshop, save as JPEG, resize, upload to imgur, done.

I consider this the chapter where everything is about to kick into gear. I'm really gonna try and earn that adventure tag. We'll be visiting five other races in this story: Griffins, Dragons, Zebras, Wolves and Deer. Though the characters express an urgency of time, it's because they are missing a key piece of information about Dreamer's plan that they will be getting soon. I originally planned for the story to span two weeks time, but that's not gonna happen.

I hope you enjoy the journey I'm creating here, because even though writing can feel like a chore at times, I really am enjoying it. Be sure to leave a comment as I don't get enough of those. They really do make the story worth writing.

Emoredoma wid dorn sylon,

~Lupo