Bright Haze: Archmage of Olde

As always the deeper into the Everfree we got, the darker it became. The light equalled almost midnight in normal terms. Our very small army of ponies trotted through the forest toward our goal, it was quiet now. No more Hydra's or Timber Wolves, just peace. Something was wrong. I had taken the front alongside Heart Breaker, Spectra and Nick who rode on the Pegasus's back. The kings armour was getting tight again, it seemed to constantly fight me to take the thing off, like some magic was on it. Something was definitely up with the magic on Equestria. Aeb transforming randomly, armour fighting back, rouge spells coming back to life. This couldn't all be because of the rift. Could it? I wasn't sure anymore what was going on, only I needed to kill this alicorn and go home to Dee. The old castle shouldn't be to far ahead now. I didn't remember. I decided a conversation would quicken our travels and thought of a topic.

"Does Dari remember anything do you think?" Heart Breaker asked suddenly, bastard, I wanted to make idle chatter. I smiled and almost laughed.

"What do you mean?" I replied, confused toward the question.

"I mean like, does she remember how she died, and how painful it could've been?" He asked, clearly talking about whether the explosion hurt her or not, and if so, how much it hurt her.

"Ah." I exclaimed. "I guess. She certainly knew who we were, she hasn't said much to say she is hurt, or was hurt, this rebirth thing has messed with her mind." I added.

"Yeah, but she also 'knew' who Star Burst was." I had to agree there. Maybe she didn't know us, just knew who was good and who was evil. Apparently she had gone with the good side with was always a plus sign.

"I looked into Siren history quickly before you came in and just before we left, what's with this mention of a Dweller/Siren war?" Spectra asked. I was screwed there, I had heard of it and knew some history but not a lot, all i knew was that Siren ponies had awesome powerful arcane magic's and any race of pony could use them. Not just Unicorns or Alicorns.

"That I can say." The Timberpony exclaimed. Diamond Ray cleared his throat. "What would you like to know Spectra Speed?" He asked, I kept looking at the pony in disbelief, he was covered in wooden attachments and one leg kept breaking but repairing. Flesh was hanging lose and some blood dripped down his leg and shoulder. He must have been in so much pain, doing this alone and for some wolves to eat. I was surprised he hasn't died of any contamination or disease.

"Everything really, I am amazed at history, who are the Sky Dwellers, why did they attack the Sirens, what was the wars outcome." Spectra replied, I smiled again, Spectra was certainly one with his Equestrian history. I personally wanted to know more on the Crystal Empire Celestia had said about to Kalmor. What was it and where was it, why was it the Crystal Empire? I must take Dee to see it one day. If that is, she takes me back ever.

"Okay then. For that I must tell you a story thousands of years ago.-" Diamond Ray said, then began his story.

"Thousands of years ago Cloudsdale was a horrible place, it would take in disabled Pegasi or homeless, weak, anything that would ruin their perfect image and turn them into, Rainbows. They got away with it for ages, four generations in fact, however ponies did soon realize what was going on and the factory shut down, everypony who worked there was executed. At one point in the factory's rein the CEO's of the place took in one hundred ponies to make a super rainbow, one with enough power to power all of Equestria. However before this, 'miracle' could be made the hundred ponies escaped and vowed to fight Cloudsdale and everything around it. They began to breed and slowly became their own, unique pony race. The Sky Dwellers. They took the outer badlands to make their cloud cities, unnamed in case anything could be related to the hated kinda of ponies. The Siren race, magic ponies who used very powerful, very unique magic no matter what race they were. They were sent to try to reason with the Dwellers, that the factory had been destroyed, however the hatred the Dwellers had grown for centuries had reached the peak, and the Dwellers went to war. The thing lasted almost two hundred years, but sadly left the Sirens almost extinct. Only a few remain, and as far as any pony knows, Dari is the last of her kind. Sirens were peaceful ponies, but were destroyed by the evil, twisted Dwellers. There reasons for hating everypony was natural, but they nearly wiped out Dari's entire race." Diamond Ray finished his story, a few tears falling down his eyes. Everypony was silent again. Trotting quietly through the forest, not making a sound.

"So, Dari is the last Siren?" Spectra asked, I nodded. I knew it was bad, but after this story, it showed how much hatred the Dwellers once had. I hated them, hated them for what they did and hated myself for going there ever, I was supposedly their king. I felt like screaming out, but held it in.

"Their king now is supposed to be a real dictator. He has more hatred than any king before." Diamond Ray said.

"He is dead." I muttered.

"Oh, I would hate to be the next in line."

"That's me."

"Oh."

"I killed him and they crowned me, I turned the place into a mining kingdom, not one Sky Dweller born has a weapon of any kind anymore, and Princess Luna is ruling them. I was just the one to swing the spearhead down." I muttered. Heart Breaker looked exactly how I felt, angry, full of rage.

"So,how did Dari die again?" Spectra asked. A tear rolling down his check.

"She used all her magic to explode inwards, causing the mana inside and around her to explode into a huge bomb thing. She blasted the gates of Canterlot so we could break in and save Luna, and finish the Changeling army." I replied.

"Ah I see." Spectra replied. We walked for what seemed to be a few more minutes when suddenly I caught sight of something. A ledge, a bridge, a castle.

"The ruined castle, we made it." Nick muttered.

"Incoming!" Somepony shouted as a ball of white fire came bursting out of the huge, still standing tower right at us. We scattered.