Macharius

"Do you think your friends will react well?" The raven-feathered alicorn asked his newest second-in-command.

"I don't know. They already know they can't go back. Their bodies and my Macharius were the only things stopping them from breaking down. Now they're both gone, they will grab on to anything. Or anypony." Voss laughed at this worlds wierd way of speaking. Other than the seemingly hundreds of puns on horses and their variations, he also found himself unable to swear.

Voss was almost unrecognisable as Voss in his new form. A alicorn like Tzeentch but with one horn rather than Tzeentch's three, he had a mouldy yellow-green coat and mane but like all who served Tzeentch had the pink and light blue mismatched eyes. The mark of a scythe resided on his flank.

"May I query why I look like I'm about to fall in a grave?"

"You are my herald of Death. The others have similar responsibilities. Famine, War, Conquest. The four horses and the of the Apocalypse. The vast majority will not know who you are but you will strike fear into those learned about such matters."

"Sounds good." Voss stretched his wings. "I guess we have sorcery as well?"

"You have learned well. The horn acts as a focusing device, increasing the accuracy and lethality."

"Should we wake the others?"

"I will come to that in due time, but first you must track down two beings, a unicorn by the name of 'The Great and Powerful' Trixie and a griffin named Gilda. I believe they might be helpful in our cause."

"And what is that cause?"

"My brother Malal, who these ponies know as Discord, was defeated by powerful artifacts known as the Elements of Harmony. With the power these artifacts provide, Celestia and her sister could beat all of us..." Tzeentch didn't look pleased at the prospect of being trapped in stone.

"Then we must strike before the Elements are assembled!"

Tzeentch chuckled. "Once a soldier, always a soldier. That is what Malal and someone called Nightmare Moon tried. We need to be more subtle. The Elements have one key weakness; they require a bearer which personifies it's quality. If we cannot break the Element, break the Bearer. The Elements only work when all are used at the same time. Remove one and the chain collapses. Or remove the quality and the element cannot be used."

"Then where are these Element Bearers and which should I eliminate first?"

Tzeentch shrugged. "Firstly, I don't know where the Bearers are. Which is why after you have recruited those two, I will unleash Famine, War and Conquest to infiltrate the towns around Canterlot, looking for possible Bearers. As for the second, try to seize Magic. After all, cutting of the flow of magic when you are God of it should be easy..." Tzeentch laughed.

"And after I have recruited those two?" Voss/Death asked.

"You will infiltrate by more subtle means. Death also has control of dreams and the night. Unfortunately for you, a certain princess also claims these as her domain. I can not help you against her, Voss. She is on her own territory and is experienced with these matters. However, suprise must count for somthing and simply sneaking a few dreams in here and there in the right places can do wonders while being virtually undetctable."

"Can you wake the others?" Voss stared at his comrade's pony forms.

"Sure." Tzeentch's three horns began to glow light blue and a thin beam reached out from each horn connecting Tzeentch's mind to the mind of the others.

Liutz awoke first, a massive blood red stallion with the mark of a sword on his flank.

He stared for a while before asking himself: "Why am I a horse?" He looked up to find Tzeentch and a... Alicorn that he presumed to be Voss staring at him.

"And so my herald of War awakens." Tzeentch intoned.

Liutz's gaze shifted to Voss. "You made a deal with him, didn't you?"

Voss cringed slightly. "Immortality, sorcery and the resilience of a Greater Daemon, in exchange so we could serve better. Seems fair?"

Liutz found himself nodding before he rose from his hooves.

Schult woke next, and shrugged like it was no bother. He was a pale white unicorn, with the mark of a bow and arrow on his flank.

Bryzan didn't even notice. He just got up, flexed his wings, and said something about "Showing those damn flyboys." He was a jet-black pegasus with the mark of a pair of scales.

"Now that we're all awake, I will brief you on what you have to do. Schult, you have the callsign and name Conquest, Liutz, yours is War, Bryzan has Famine, and Voss is Death.

Take these." Tzeentch levitated several micro-beads out form somewhere into their ears. "You'll need them later. For now, Death, you're off to the Philydelphia marshes where you will find a certain Trixie. Recruit her to our cause before coming back here where I will then send you to the Outer Hoof Isles, where Gilda is currently hiding out. Bring them both back quickly.

Byrzan, there is a farm to the north of a town on the other side of this forest. Fly a few circles until some Pegasus gives chase. Lead her here.

Liutz, Schult, you'll help me with setting up a few bits of equipment Ahriman has sent me. I might even invite him along, since he's run out of places to break into. Move!"