The Unknown History and The Magical Future

by JenkinsRevenge

Rating: teen
Tags: Tragedy, Dark, Romance, Adventure
Length: 21810

An ancient race of pony soldiers. The creation of the draconequus. The first rulers of the Known Land. The survival of the strong. The return of evil. The story of the ancient race of Malhornesi.

A pony species bred for war, the creation of the draconequus, the first rulers of all known land, the Struggle for Control. Story of loss, love, life, death, good, evil, and complexity.
These ponies were born to die for Equestria.
They were raised without care. Trained to be stone cold killers.
They were taught not to care, not to feel. Brought up to fight to the death.
They were put through hell and back. But they survived.
They are the Malhornesi, and they have returned…

Post Script/Author's note: This was my first MLP fanfic and it turned out to be much worse than I expected. So later, much later, I'm going to be coming back to rewrite it. Just FYI.

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2013-03-05 20:20:59 UTC

Preamble

“Everything you can imagine is real.”

― Pablo Picasso

The Struggle for Control was the war in which Princess Luna, and Princess Celestia fought with Discord for control of all of the Known Land. The war takes place only a decade or two after Equestria is founded, with the banishment of the windegos, and the peace made between earth ponies, unicorns, and pegasi. The two princesses realized that as long as Discord ruled there would be unrest and unhappiness.

Though before the war the princesses tried peaceful resolves, they proved to be of no avail. Thus, the alicorn princesses declared a war on Discord and all those who fought against them for chaos. Some of these creatures were dragons, diamond dogs, hydras, parasprites, windegos, mantacores, ect. Before the ponies moved to Equestria they lived in an area for centuries that was rich and fertile until the windigos froze over the entire area, thus gaining the name the Arctic North. Neighboring this land was a lifeless wasteland known as the Barren Lands.

In the Barren Lands lived an ancient race of ponies that had evolved over time into strong magicians. After announcing the war the two princesses fought their way back through the cold of the Arctic North, to reach the Barren Lands. It was there that they convinced four of the ancient Malhornesi to come back with them and assist them in the their struggle for control over chaos. The first generation of Malhornesi were unicorns with secondary horns, stripes, and extremely daunting magical gifts (That rivaled, if not surpassed the power of an alicorn's magic). They had a life span that mirrored that of the alicorns, nearly immortal. Also, these Malhornesi could only breed once in their life and only after they reached the age of one thousand. These four volunteers were to breed the two alicorn sisters an army worthy of the new Equestria.

Yet still during the war the Malhornesi continued to move along the evolutionary chain. The second generation of Malhornesi were ponies, but with stripes, wings, spiral horns, supreme magical abilities, no secondary horns, and advanced physiology. They had life spans of only several hundred years, but they possessed paramount strength, rivaling that of a dragon's.The second generation of Malhornesi was able to breed three times throughout their lives, and the breeding could only take place once every 500 years. Yet the advanced breeding continued to create more soldiers for the Army of the Alicorn Sisters throughout the war.

Towards the end of The Struggle for Control the third generation of Malhornesi were created. The third generation of Malhornesi had life spans that USUALLY last as long as an Earth pony's, and their strength, speed, and mind sets were similar but slightly more advanced that of an Earth pony's. Also, they all had a pair of secondary horns, wings, and distinct skin textures. In addition to this, the third and final generation of Malhornesi could breed at any time throughout their lives, and as many times as they wanted, similar to the Earth ponies' reproductive system. Plus, their cutie marks and destinies were colossally amplified (So much so that they sometimes can affect their lifespans, strength, speed, or mind set). For example: if one such (third generation) Malhornesi's representation was of happiness, then they would remain in a state of joy no matter what happened. Or if one possessed the ability to craft, then their products would be magnificently effective, and unbreakable.

Starting out only as four ponies, the numbers grew, near the end of the war there were around 100 first generation Malhornesi, around several thousand second generation Malhornesi, and tens of thousands of third generation Malhornesi. In the ancient army of the Alicorn Sisters the second generation Malhornesi were commanders of large groups of third generation Malhornesi. The first generation Malhornesi were not required to join the armed services but they were permitted to volunteer. One or two second generation Malhornesi would be assigned large numbers of third generation Malhornesi to lead. But if a Malhornesi commander died in combat then a previously chosen third generation Malhornesi would fill their place until their regiment returned home and received a new commander or if they came in contact with another regiment with a second generation leader, in which case their regiment would join the one under the command of the second generation leader. The first generation Malhornesi who volunteered in the service would be placed with the regiments that went into battle the most to aid by using their magical abilities. Also, high ranking officers in the Army of the Alicorn Sisters would be given sacred warrior names, such as: Padme, Priscilla, and Pandora.

Very early in the war Discord having discovered the homeland of the Malhornesi, went to the Barren Lands and committed genocide upon nearly their entire race. He kept one alive though, the one whom he could not overcome, the oldest of the race of Malhornesi, Metus.  By the end of the war all of the once great Malhornesi race were dead, all except for Metus and about five others.

The five others only survived because during one of their battles with the Lord of Chaos he grew angry and blasted the fifth and seventh regiments deep into the unexplored parts of the Barren Lands, where they would search for thousands of years for a way out.

Metus and Amora

Metus (Meh-two-s) was one of first two Malhornesi to ever have lived, and he is the "father" of fear, malice, cruelty, obscenity, dishonesty, hate, lust, temptation, doom, greed, war, jealousy, immorality, rage, revenge, hostility, and rancor. The evil pony possessed a Malhornesi mark of a red, satanic trident. Amora (Ah-more-ah) was the other first Malhornesi to ever have lived, and she is the "mother" of love, sharing, hope, joy, kindness, generosity, honesty, loyalty, laughter, and innocence.

As Metus walked on the black clouds above the Barren Lands, he looked down at the once great land that had home to his kind for centuries. Like the Arctic North, their home was once a place of beauty and balance, until tainted and ravaged with chaos. He thought of the time before Discord when he and his sister ruled...she kept the balance of all things good and kind while he balanced the forces of evil. Then came the creation of the Draconequus, the creatures born from both the love and from the hate of both the siblings, all emboding one trait: chaos.

They grew great in numbers and attacked. They fought off Metus at both the East and the South boundaries of the Known Land. While they concentrated their forces on the Northern and Western fronts attacking his sister, Amora. For when they reached her, their leader stole her soul and power installing it in his son, and future ruler of Equestria, Discord.

But with the two great forces split the species could not reproduce and while almost all of them died to bring Discord to power, there were still few left. As Discord fought with Metus the great land beyond the now Arctic North was destroyed by ancient magic and dark curses. Eventually after millenniums of war Metus grieved the loss of his sister and his land. At a summit between the two forces, Metus finally peacefully handed over the rule of the world. He then went home to crudely recreate a race of ponies similar to he and his sister.

They were the Malhornesi, while they were almost exactly the same as he and his sister they all were significantly less powerful. So in the Barren Lands he raised this species until the day when the alicorn sister came and took four to start an army. Next, Discord came back and annihilated all those that lived there.

Very early in the Struggle for Control Discord having discovered the homeland of the Malhornesi, went to the Barren Lands and committed genocide upon nearly their entire race. He kept one alive though, the one whom he could not overcome, the oldest of the race of Malhornesi, Metus. Having met Metus again he appointed him as general of his armies and allowed him to command his troops. Metus then realized something, his sister had be taken, not killed, for he joined with Discord, while secretly planning to free his sister from the prison that was Discord.

With the memory ending he was returned to the harsh reality, he served Discord, and he had murdered many of his own creations that were now led by the Alicorn Sisters. But it would all be worth it the one day when he could be reunited with his long lost sister, and they then could once again rise to rule to world...

Sometime later...Metus walked down the long hallways of his black castle. Red curtains were draped over stained glass with demonic scenes, and obscene images. The ceiling was several hundred feet high but it sharply declined at every doorway. The large room was lit with torches, fueled by blood. The Malhornesi strolled through the confusing maze of pathways without thought, and eventually he stopped at a golden door whose frame was made of a black stone magically carved to look like flame. His horn became covered in a cloud of darkness as the door opened revealing his library. Metus moved alongside the endless shelves of books. His eyes scanned the spines of the novels until he laid eyes on his target. The heavy black book glided towards him. As it levitated in front of him, he generated a heavy crimson table with a black cushion. The book gently landed on the table and opened to the paper mark that hadn't moved in the past several hundred years. On the left page were handsomely written words, that flowed without error all the way to the bottom of the page. On the right was a quill and an empty page, and with a sigh the age-old pony used his magic to pick up the writing utensil and begin formulating words on the parchment.

Life and Death

Very early in the war Discord having discovered the homeland of the Malhornesi, went to the Barren Lands and committed genocide upon nearly their entire race. He kept one alive though, the one whom he could not overcome, the oldest of the race of Malhornesi, Metus. Having met Metus again he appointed him as general of his armies and allowed him to command his troops. Metus then realized something, his sister had be taken, not killed, for he joined with Discord, while secretly planning to free his sister from the prison that was Discord.

Though unaware of Metus's plan, Discord learned over time that Metus must be controlled, being of equal power to the Lord of Chaos himself he posed somewhat of a threat. Discord also learned to hate and despise Metus over time for his cruelty and malice.

The War

The fifty-fifth regiment: The fifty-fifth regiment of the Army of the Alicorn Sisters charged the enemy. On the opposing side stood dragons, diamond dogs, changelings, windegos, draconequus, hydras, mantacores, and many other creatures of Chaos. As the Malhornesi charged, several of them were sucked into the ground by roots, and live stones, others, were smashed by launched boulders, and fireballs, yet others still ran heads aimed towards the enemy. The first of the Malhornesi to reach the opposing force's lines either ran their horns through and tore flesh, or they halted launching waves of magic towards their foes. The waves poured over the creatures and while the diamond dogs all fell melting away into puddles, the dragons stood halted as their insides froze, coated in ice, and they choked. The few draconequus in the battle in retaliation began to hack, slash, and slaughter the first line of the offense.

Meanwhile, fueled with the havoc and disagreement caused by the battle, the windegos began storm clouds and great hurricanes. The serpentine hydras reared their heads as they began to pick and strike at their pony prey. Parasprites began to erupt from the hard dirt ground, engulfing several ponies at a time. Now, the rest of the regiment had begun to arrive. The slaughter had begun. As the sacred soldiers forced onward the dark forces of chaos began to diminish, and crumble. Their ranks broke, some fell out of line and randomly attacked in every direction, while others who had seen the battle was lost tried to flee, some in success. The battle slowly ceased, losses decreasing on the side of Order, with massacres appearing on the side of Chaos. Eventually the last changeling faded into the ground becoming a sapling of a rose with black thorns.

Hours after the battle there was a great fire while the bodies of the enemies burned and blackened. Officers mourned the death of their soldiers, and in turn the soldiers mourned the loss of their comrades, and friends. The black clouds of smoke billowed up into the night sky, and a bolt of red lightning pierced the smog and struck the ground in front of the grand flame. The bright light was gone and standing on the scorched earth was a unicorn with skin as red as blood; his stripes were of the color of a black corruption, his eyes were the color of fear itself, he was crowned with not one but three black spears atop his head, and the flowing mane he possessed was as bright and hot as fire. One of the greatest creatures in history stood before the warriors, shining with an aura of shadow and danger. He was spoken of in legends and curses, and was said to have a tongue of manipulation and temptation like no other. His booming voice was said to have shook mountains, and toppled cities, and his hooves made earthquakes with every step. They said that he feasted on dreams, and turned them to darkness and all things obscene. The legends told of his ability to bend your mind and crush your soul. He was infamous; he would kill without mercy, act without conscience, and thrive off greed itself. Some would argue that his heart was of a cold, black stone, but others knew better, for they knew this pony was legendary not only for his power, and malice, but also for his lack of heart. He was Metus: the embodiment of evil.

All these stories, legends, and prophecies, were true, and as he stepped forward the land shook with a terrible force, and he scanned his subjects. He could sense their fear, their need to run and never look back, he loved it! He thrived in their fears, and temptation, and he eventually found his target, a unicorn whose beauty, and awe was unmistakable. Her caramel coat laid on the perfect curves of her body, which were only complimented by the toned muscles. Her mane was a light brown shade and tied in a long ponytail that ran down her neck. For like he, she was an ancient one, one of the first generation Malhornesi. He approached her. He stood before her waiting for the inevitable, for he stood over Lionheart, the pony of bravery and courage. She began to stand up and soon looked into the eyes of the overjoyed pony. He was merry with the idea he would once again receive a chance to demonstrate his dominance and power. Lionheart's body grew marvelously bright with the all too familiar aura and the smell of brimstone filled Metus's nostrils. The golden lashes of magic exploded outward creating a circle of golden sparkles and light around the two Malhornesi. The long ropes recoiled wrapping themselves around Lionheart's horn and with a small step forward the strings of light wrapped themselves around another target: Metus. The ropes coiled around his joints, neck, and horn.

The ropes began to sink into Metus's skin; realizing her mistake Lionheart tried to step backwards and rip her magical ropes free. But she was met with another force she was pulled back and brought muzzle to muzzle with Metus and for the first time in her life she felt...scared. Metus leaned forward and placed his lips on Lionheart's. And it was over.

The light faded and the remaining warriors looked up to see the Malhornesi of darkness standing alone with the last bit of light disappearing into his mouth. He raised his forelegs and as he brought them down every living creature that had been within a hundred mile radius of him was obliterated.

The forty-fourth regiment: The fiery maned Malhornesi led the assault on the forty-fourth regiment's campsite. Screams and cries could be heard all round him as he ran through the tents leading wave after wave of troops past waking, dying ponies. For every surface that grazed his searing mane burst into bright flames, and plumes of smoke. He raced, slamming his hooves against the ground causing deafening clops and terrible tremors, to the larger black tent at the far end of the sleeping quarters. The satanic pony halted before the large black tent, and the horns atop his head became clouded with a shadowy aura. The tent flaked into pieces and they drifted off in the night wind. Standing in front of the sovereign ruler of darkness, was not one but eight second generation Malhornesi. The horses stood in a horizontal line facing their enemy. From left to right each pony lowered their spiral horn towards their foe.

Each horn glowed a different neon colored hue, and eight streams of magical energy flew towards Metus. As the beams closed in on the malicious pony they all forged together, becoming one long, shining force. The magic engulfed the dark general and his eyes glared with a yellow power; Metus's forelegs slowly began to rise while still being bombarded with the waves of magical energy. The grand pony was now standing solely only his hind legs, the stunned Malhornesi's waves of magic slowly disappeared while they looked up into the night sky. Above them were two massive hooves shaped from fire, smoke, and dark magic. Only half a second behind, the monstrous hooves followed the exact same movements as Metus's hooves. As he brought his hooves down to the ground the gigantic hooves hovering in space came down as well, crushing the eight Malhornesi.

The forty-fourth regiment fell. They were attacked in the dead of night; they were unsuspecting, half asleep, and greatly outnumbered. They were lucky still; other divisions and squads were captured alive and collected by Metus. He would them take the ponies back to his home where he would then torture and manipulate them for years to gain his own pleasure.

The twenty-second, fifty-first, and ninety-eighth regiments: The four first generation Malhornesi stood across from the lord of shadow and each had tears rolling down their face. The bodies of all the ponies in their regiments were scattered around in pools of blood and flesh.

"DEMON!" The first yelled before charging Metus. He lowered his head and as he ran his horn glowed with a blinding, lime light. When he had reached the red creature of hate he launched himself into the air flying straight at him. Metus lifted his right foreleg and with a swing to the right his hoof collided with the speeding pony's face. The backhand blow smashed the Malhornesi off course and he spiraled off in the other direction. As he sped off to the side, the place where the malicious pony’s hoof had met his face started to burn. His entire body turned red and hot. The first generation Malhornesi began to flake away into smoldering ashes as he fell. Instead of his body hitting the ground, piles of ash scattered across the battlefield in the wind. The second first generation pony followed by the third first generation Malhornesi charged.

The first pony arrived in front of Metus and raised his front left hoof to punch him. His hoof hit Metus with all the force he could muster. Instead of stumbling back or showing any signs of fatigue he remained still and laughed in his handsomely sinister tone. The first generation Malhornesi withdrew taking several steps backwards. His hoof felt as though it had hit a block of hard, searing hot steel. The pony that charged a couple second behind him drove himself directly at the pony of rancor. Metus lowered his head until his nose touched the ground. Then, will a fast upward thrust he shoved his three horns into the charging pony’s chest, and he continued to raise his head bringing the stabbed Malhornesi with it. He then brought his head back in a circular motion and brought his head back down.  He stopped halfway through this motion and the pony that had been stuck on his horns was shot free. As he hit the ground his body and soul were crushed and exploded into black smoke. The pony of darkness walked through the smoke and raised both his forelegs. He extended them forward with full force and they connected with the Malhornesi still shocked from the pain in his hoof and the sight of seeing his friend be demolished. What looked like a sonic rainboom of black, surged outward with the collision. The wave of dark magic shot out into the sky as well as leaving a large gash in the ground beneath them.

The lone opponent of the lord of temptation stood stock still in fear and panic. Her heart raced in her chest as he approached her. He stopped be for and his horn became shrouded in darkness. He brought his horn toward and touched hers, sucking her magic and soul from her body.

Which is worse: Imprisonment or Survival?

Imprisonment

Metus survived to present day because at the end of the war the Alicorn Sisters used their magic, Discord's magic, the elements of harmony, and an army of actual unicorns to bind him in an inescapable prison deep in the caverns under what would later become Canterlot Castle. Metus was locked in a large, hollow crystal. The magically enhanced stone glowed with a flame red light that came from the "soul" trapped inside. He could do nothing; he was wrapped in chains of celestial light that gave off ruby sparkles. He could only think for thousands of years, he encased himself in his mind and slept. He was in a state not of unconsciousness but of meditation.

As time passed all the unicorns of the army that imprisoned him died. From in his crystal prison Metus could sense it; he could feel the magic flicker with every loss of one of its creators. Yet still hundreds of years passed before Metus felt anything physical again. The second tremor shook his entire body as the spell faltered and shook violently as the physical elements of harmony were shattered by Nightmare Moon. The next effect the spell sustained was from Celestia. For the first time in several thousand years she didn't use any magic at all, (she had always had a small bit of her consciousnesses concentrated to support his imprisonment spell) for she was literally knocked unconscious by the force of Queen Chrysalis's magical assault on her horn. Metus's spell was now only sustained by one magic: Discord's. While the spell was cast long ago, as long as Discord was alive it would be sustained, for he unconsciously used Amora's power to support the enchantment.

Survival

During one of the battles with the Lord of Chaos, Discord, the draconequus became aggravated and blasted the fifth and seventh regiments deep into the uncharted area of the Barren Lands, where for thousands of years they would look for a way out...

The fifth and seventh regiments had in all one first generation Malhornesi, twenty second generation Malhornesi, and 400 third generation Malhornesi. Most of the ponies died within a few months of being teleported due to previous battle wounds, sickness, and few by starvation. Yet very, very few others were affected psychologically by the endless abyss of land and seemingly impossible odds of survival. These were Penthea, and Somnus. Penthea cracked under the harsh mental stress of the situation and murdered Somnus, requiring an immediate execution.

PENTHEA

Penthea was a third generation soldier during the Struggle for Control with Discord. Penthea's cutie mark is skull with two crossed bones behind it, and she represents sickness, plague, and starvation. Penthea was from the same regiment as Leech and was under the temporary leadership of the third generation Malhornesi, Princeton. She would often cause members of her own regiment to become sick, and come up with excuses for the illness's sudden appearance. Also, she would claim that since it was "naturally contracted" that it was the pony's duty to become healthy again without her absorbing the aliment. Only several weeks after being teleported into the Barren Lands by Discord, Penthea realized she was nearing her age limit. Though she tried to fight the thoughts, she could never stop herself from wondering what would happen when her last breath came, what would she do in her last few moments...

One night she couldn't seem to think of anything else, she lay awake for hours thinking, unraveling. Early the next day Penthea acted on her madness, she had begun to rot and absorb one of the other sleeping Malhornesi. The sleeping pony, Somnus, jolted awake in pain feeling his skin rot, burning slowly away piece by piece, and standing over him pinning him to the ground was a soldier he had served with for years, now attempting to kill him. As he cries pierced the early morning some ponies woke others, and those ponies woke others, until the all the Malhornesi were awake and following the screams far into the distance. Sometime later they found a blackened skeleton and Penthea. Penthea attacked.

And it was over in an instant as she tossed, kicked, and fought the others she turned to see the leader of the lost Malhornesi and with her newly obtained strength she charged. The purple and gold unicorn was surrounded by an aura of crimson, and as she lowered her head a beam of red erupted from her horn engulfing the crazed Malhornesi. Her eyes burned to dust, her horns cracked, and her very own skin disintegrated. The aura faded and all that was left was a small puff of dust that was blown away in a slight breeze...

After the first several thousand years, great losses and heartaches were sustained. Only the ponies whose marks had something to do with immortality, or prolonged life survived. Priscilla because of her unusually high amount of magical skills and wisdom, and Pandora because of her ability to hunt and seek out scarce amounts of plants and small animals. Ambrose lived, though in constant pain of lack of food and water, survived due to the fact he was the son of the second generation Malhornesi, Anticuus, who was without age. And the third generation Malhornesi, Leech, prolonged his life by leeching off the magical aura that remained on the land from the ancient spells cast by Metus and Discord.

About three hundred years before the Malhornesi found the path that led back to the Known Land, there were only six ponies left: Priscilla, Pandora, Padme, Princeton, Ambrose, and Leech. The team had advanced on the cracked, dirt land all day until they met the face of a massive plateau. Ambrose was sent up first, and as he peeked his head above the edge of the top of the structure to a wondrous site: a long, flat, dirt plane covered in rainbow flowers, with a black stone cave at the far end. After coming back down the from the high ledge, he informed the team of the momentous discovery in his thick Soviet Stallion accent. Pandora, Padme, Leech, and Ambrose flew up to the beautiful field atop the plateau, while Princeton, with Priscilla upon his back followed. Upon seeing the brightly colored floral patches, Priscilla recalled a memory of studying these strange weeds.

The weed had twelve petals and each had an obsidian seed at its center, but when the plant would die the seeds would fall and magically sink into the ground. The weed could only grow in an area of concentrated magic for they used it to grow and feed itself. The seed would sprout a stem and in minutes it would become a flower of wondrous hues. It would stay in this same state for several years at which time it would wither and its seeds would fall, sinking back into the ground.

After each tired, weary pony had their fill of the delicious flowers they began to set up their tents in the nearby cave. Priscilla then ordered Pandora to come with her for her daily attempt to reconnect with their princesses. She would concentrate for hours on end reaching out with her magic to try to communicate with her long, lost leaders. Sometime after the two left Ambrose, Princeton, and Kismet lay asleep. But Leech laid wake thinking. His thoughts were interrupted by a soft cough next to him. As he turned he noticed staring at him was a small, green, baby dragon. Leech's mind raced with ideas but he finally settled upon one: This dragon was all his.

Leech leaped on the helpless young one, pinning him to the ground. Leech began to feel the familiar energy filling his veins; he started sucking out the dragon's life force. When finished the Malhornesi stood several inches taller, but he then harvested his newly found energy and shrunk back to his normal height. For instead he used the energy to restore years of his life. The magic he was able to harvest from the broken land would sustain his life but it would be like a human living off tofu, leaving him ever hungry and weak, but this dragon's life was a feast. But then everypony was jolted awake by a loud roar echoing through the cave. The sleeping Malhornesi were now wide awake and they instantly knew what happened as they looked over to the younger Leech and the dead dragon body. The large father dragon was the first to appear, he was much larger than average, about the size of two dragons. The mother was the second emerging behind him, standing at the same height. Ambrose, being the fastest, took the initiative to go get Priscilla and Pandora; the horrified Leech followed out of fear, leaving Princeton and Kismet to protect their supplies and fight off the dragons. Ambrose headed to the hot pink spear piercing the sky far off in the distance, with Leech at his heels.

Meanwhile, back at the cave...the huge male dragon swung his tail at Princeton who leaped onto the dragon's back to dodge the blow. To Princeton's right was Kismet brawling the enraged female. The second generation Malhornesi would block the psychical assaults with her hooves, and retaliate with magical blasts. Princeton was thrown from the dragon's back as he thrashed about. Kismet turned to see Princeton slam into the wall of the cave, but this was a mistake, for the mother dragon stooped down and grabbed hold of the distracted pony. The second generation Malhornesi looked up only to have her head ripped from her body by the female dragon's jaw. Her blood drenched body when then thrown into the air and it fell directly into the open mouth of the angry, mother dragon. Princeton turned on his forelegs and used his hind ones to land a massive blow on the male dragon's snout. It roared back in pain, and its partner moved up next to it. Both dragons then opened their enormous mouths and vengeful streams of flame cycled around the third generation Malhornesi, incinerating him. Only seconds later Leech, Ambrose, Pandora, and Priscilla appeared in the cave entrance. Ambrose was a blur as he flew straight through the dragon's scales and flesh, leaving gaping holes in their bodies, while Leech formed a twister, with his newly refreshed wings, that trapped the two dragons. Pandora the ancient then stepped forward and her horn glowed with a blinding light. She was then joined by Priscilla, who stood behind her. Priscilla's horn sapped some of Pandora's magic and began to float into the air. Then, duel forces emerged from her horn: two streams of stars and magic elongated from her horn. Simultaneously, each long string of stars went to their own dragon, and melted into their chests. The wild creatures were soon surrounded by an aura of light and stars that began at the tops of their heads and ended at their tails. The next instant they imploded, being sucked into themselves, and then blasted outward in a surge of harsh, white light. The team was now reduced to the only ponies that would escape the endless abyss of broken land; for three hundred years later they would find themselves back, back at the Crystal Empire.

Homecoming

The four Malhornesi sat in silence on the train to Canterlot. Only a few days ago they were found at entrance to the Crystal Empire. They were fed and their scars tended to. The ponies of the Empire seemed strangely kind and trusting towards the new arrivals. When Princess Cadence and Shining Armour had written to their alicorn relatives in Canterlot, they had received a response only seconds later. The ancient ponies were requested in Canterlot. That day they would put on a train with several other guards, and they tried to accept the fact that they were gone for several thousand years, that they had won the war, and that now the alicorn sisters ruled over a beautiful empire of their own, Equestria.

The aged warriors were given strange looks, and curious stares as they were escorted to Canterlot Castle by the royal guards. When they reached the regal building at the city's edge, they were brought to the chambers of the regal sisters. The escorts left the room and the tall wooden doors closed behind them. Out from another came Princess Celestia followed by her sibling, Luna. The sight of their rulers brought back painful and horrific memories for the two third generation ponies.

They recalled their brutal training and terrible losses. Ambrose without a tip to his left ear, and a deep scar traveled down the right side of his face. Leech's heart grew heavy with memories of his lost lover, rivals during training and throughout the war, and deep within himself, he realized with regret that the world he knew was no more.The two towering alicorns sat on cushions opposite of their ancient warriors. Following their elders, the four soldiers of old sat upon their own soft seats. The eldest sister's horned glowed with a yellow aura and a soundproof spell was cast on the room. It was also she who spoke first.

"My faithful subjects, my sister and I would like to begin by stating that we are deeply sorry. We have realized our mistakes of the past, and we hope you can find it in your hearts to forgive us. However if such mistakes were made public then there would there be great unrest, and confusion, so we must require of you to remain silent as to those details." It was then that Luna spoke.

"And as compensation for your loss and mistreatment, we have not only decided to give you full royalty status, wealth, and homes but he have agreed to allow you to come forth with your own reasonable requests as further compensation."

Priscilla in a spoke a calm, indifferent voice to the alicorns, "As always I will do as you request my princesses." Pandora was next to reply.

"I will as well, but not only for myself but for the betterment of the people and their lives."

The next to respond was the pony who possessed the Soviet Stallion accent: Ambrose. "I, too, agree to your terms, but my conditions are a little more...extensive. My first demand is to be placed at the head of your royal guard. My second order of business is to be given a mansion in Canterlot. My third is to be introduced to the public as a honorable veteran of the princesses'. And my final request is to be given a dinner with the beautiful Princess Luna." And at his last remark Luna shot a quick glance towards her older sister.

After hearing his conditions both Luna and Celestia turned to the last pony, waiting for a response. Leech's thoughts had been festering since the moment the princesses had voiced their request. Now all his thoughts turned to words. "You’re…sorry. You’re... SORRY?!? Sorry doesn't bring back the dead! Keep your homes and your bribes, but know that you were always wrong. I'll keep quiet but you will leave me alone till the end of my days." He then rose and stormed out of the room in a rush.

As Priscilla and Pandora left the room, Ambrose was stopped at the doorway by Princess Celestia, who desired to go more in depth with Ambrose about his...requests.

Hours later Leech was lying on his bed, in a deep slumber. His mind had drifted off to a place of dreams, that soon turned to nightmares. Images of his long lost lover clouded his thoughts, and memories of her played through his mind on their own. He couldn't stop the onslaught of joyful recollections mixed the horrible realization: she was gone forever. All the images and replays stopped fading into darkness, and instead his vision was filled with a dark cave filled with crystals. At its center he could see what looked like a cocoon made of crystals that shined with a overwhelming scarlet. A voice rang from it, and every time it did the light flickered and faded, restoring itself with the conclusion of every sound.

"Leech," it said "I can give you her back..." His vision was filled with the image of his love one last time and as he sat up in bed he saw her. Standing over him was the love of his life, Rosetta. He could feel her hooves press against his chest, and the pressure slowly disappeared and though he reached up and grabbed her, she slipped out of existence as her whole body became transparent and his hands filled with air.

Leech burst through Priscilla's door, scaring her half to death. She looked up from her book to see his wings outstretched and breathing heavily. Leech then asked her something, something she wished nopony would every ask her. He asked her about an old myth he had heard of. He asked: "Priscilla, what do you about the one they call Metus?"

As Leech walked back to his room his mind raced with something he hadn't felt for who knows how long. He felt hope. For days after his first encounter his dreams were haunted with images of his lover and constant taunts. Priscilla had told Leech everything she knew. He now knew who was tormenting him so, and every time he woke up he would get one more moment to spend with Rosetta, making saying goodbye all the more difficult. For a week the harassment continued, by the week's end he become obsessed with the time he could spend with his lost companion. But Priscilla then realized Metus's plan, his plan to escape. Without Leech's permission she cast a spell upon him to block out the Malhornesi of doom.

Leech was going crazy, he couldn't stand it, she had stopped coming and his dreams had left as quickly as they had appeared. Though soon Metus realized the Priscilla's spell's counter-effect and he changed targets. He directed his magic towards Priscilla, filling her dreams with scenes of torture, rape, and death. The horrific portrayals would haunt her for the rest of her life. She began to see the effect he was having on her and cast yet another spell to expel the visions from her dreams. But without her knowing the spell around Leech was broken with Metus's constant assaults, leaving her protected but him vulnerable.

Last Friday Night...

Leech's sleep was yet again invaded by images of his love and her death, and his moments with her restored, which he long for most of all. One night, in the midst of his pleasant dreams, his vision was yet again taken over by the image of the glowing, red crystal. The stone then talked to Leech, saying:

"Leech, I can give you her back. I can restore her life, you know my power. But for myself to be able to conduct such a spell I will need your help....."

Meanwhile in the past week, Pandora had built her house in the Everfree Forest. There she had complete silence and protection from the outer world. She could now just sit down and read books, studying for days on end. But if she ever encountered trouble while reading she would only have a minute long flight to reach the house of her intelligent neighbor: Zecora.

Priscilla spend most of her days at Princess Celestia's side helping her with her letters, and royal orders, as well as helping her schedule things, which was obviously was not one of the princess's good points. But whatever time Priscilla didn't spend with Celestia she spend outside trying to get to know the people of Canterlot. She was relearning how to act in society, since it had been several thousand years since she had been with anyone who was not a member of the military. She, like Princess Luna, had much trouble when it came to using the correct grammar and attitude when talking to other people and trying to have fun.

Ambrose and Princess Celestia had come to a sort of agreement on his terms. She introduced him the day after his arrival in Canterlot to the public as a well revered soldier and honorable gentleman. She informed him that he would have to wait sometime though, before becoming the leader of the royal guard. She stated that it would be suspicious if a strange pony came from almost out of nowhere and became the leader of her soldiers; he reluctantly agreed. Even joining the royal guard almost immediately after arrival gained Shining Armour's attention, he began to keep a close eye on his newest recruit. But Ambrose's dinner with Princess Luna was scheduled to take place exactly one week after his joining the royal guard.

One week later on a Friday night...The door to their chamber opened and Luna stumbled into the room. Celestia looked up from her book to see her sister try to remove her crown only to drop it to the ground. She watched as her sister wobbled into the bathroom and in a few minutes she came out and tripped on her own feet. "My dear Luna, are you drunk?" She asked.

"I swears to drunk I'm not God. Wait, that's not right." Responded her sister. Celestia watched her sister walk over to the tall mirror hanging on the wall, she stood there poking her hand in and out of her flowing hair.

"Luna, look at me." Celestia said. Her clearly intoxicated sister turned about and looked at her.

"Which one?" She giggled and returned to the mirror. She made a pouting face. She then said: "Sister this alicorn is mocking me, make her stop!" She then returned her attention to the mirror. She made several faces and said, "Oh that's it! Put up yer dukes!" She then reared up on her hind legs and made little swinging motions at the mirror. Celestia levitated her sister over the bed and laid her down under the sheets. Luna tried to wiggle out of the covers but Celestia just looked at her and laughed.

"Luna, your going to need all the sleep you can get, it's going to be rough dealing with the massive hangover you'll have in the morning."

"Hangover? You only get those when you're frunk. Silly sis." Luna said before reaching up with a hoof and tapping her sister on the snout.

"Well it seems as though you're frunk as duck little sis." Said Celestia before leaving the chamber to go watch the night for her sister.

While on the other side of Canterlot Castle the tipsy, intoxicated Luna just fell asleep, Leech raced from shelf to shelf in Princess Celestia's secret library. He had to break the spell surrounding it to get in, so it was only a matter of time before the princess arrived. He scanned the shelf looking for the book mentioned in the codex he found in RESTRICTED section in Canterlot's Library. Finally he laid eyes on his target, the heavy black book glided towards him. He ran from the library hidden by the fireplace and raced back to his room. Once back behind a locked door the book dropped on the table across from Leech. As he opened the book he could feel the magic in the manuscript give off an aura of dark magic. He looked at the context page of the book and as he spoke the spell from the codex, now on his bed, the letters on the page shifted to the common language of today rather than the black tongue this book was written in. After only seconds of being legible writing, the letters shifted and distorted back to the evil text it had been moments ago. Unfortunately, the Malhornesi knew the legend of this book, and so he brought forth a knife and made a gash in the flesh of his right hoof and as the drops of blood his the pages they shifted a final time back to the common language of today.

While still longing for his love he found the patience to take the time to read the beginning chapters of the book and continue to read it until he found the spell he was looking for. The very beginning of the novel spoke of the time before Discord and of how he and his sister ruled the Known Land before him. It continued speaking next of the draconequus and how Discord's father, Interitum, captured his sister's soul and installed it in his son. The next few chapters spoke of the Malhornesi and their history, the Struggle for Control, and why Metus joined forces with Discord. The next few chapters were filled with accounts and stories of all the ponies Metus had tortured, raped, manipulated, and killed in vivid detail. The following chapters were blank but gave off a magical aura that was far more powerful than anything Leech had ever felt. These pages were also hot to the touch, the first time Leech touched one his hoof acquired a serious magical burn. He then magically lifted a feather quill to turn the pages, but as the feather touched the page it erupted in black flame and were a quill was moments ago now stood a cockatrice that ran out the open window and climbed down from the castle tower. He was eventually forced to turn the pages with his hooves contracting serious burns. But finally these pages ended revealing what he desired: pages and pages of outlawed or long lost spells.

Beginning of the End

Leech leafed through the endless pages of ancient, scared spells. There were malicious curses, powerful blessings, spells on the art of manipulation, incantations of age, and words that bent reality. Some of the spells interested Leech, while others disgusted him. As he flipped the pages more and more appeared. He only desired one though: one to summon the lord of darkness himself, Metus.

The groggy Princess Luna sat up in bed, feeling a slight pounding in the back of her head. Her normally, long flowing hair was tangled and messy. She looked up and saw her sister sitting on the edge of the bed with a golden tray that had upon it a mug filled with hot tea, and a bowl full of soup. The two sisters looked into one another's eyes, and Celestia was the first to speak.

"So, how was the dinner?" Celestia questioned curiously.

"It was actually a lot of fun." Luna responded surprising herself. Celestia then levitated the mug filled with caramel colored liquid towards her sister, who then used her own magic to support it.

"Well then you can tell me all about it at breakfast." She stated before getting up and strolling out of the room.

Leech lifted his face off the cold black pages of the heavy book. He blinked several times before he was fully awake. He then stumbled back in surprise almost falling over. He was turned and looked in the mirror hanging on the wall in his chamber. He stood nearly five feet taller than he had last night, he also realized he felt full of power and energy. He looked back at the book and realized he must have subconsciously adsorbed some of the book's magic. He then used the magic to add many more years to his life and shrink back to his normal height. He had spent most of the night scanning the book for the spell he so desperate wanted. He was now filled with anger, Metus told him it would be here, Leech walked to the table and slammed the book closed. His eyes filled with tears of anger and confusion, one single droplet of rage fell landing on the  hard cover of the foul book. The opus shook vigorously and the cover swung open with the pages flipping wildly, thousands of pages flying by. The motions ceased and the book now laid open with two blank pages. Words written with his tear began to construct themselves on the left page until a single incantation could be seen. Leech spoke the words aloud in a strong, hopeful voice.

"O' great ruler of shadow and darkness, come now before me, I am but a humble servant to you and the crown of malice. Lord of sorrow and sin, gift me with your presence, and show me the evil within." With the closure of his magical speech Metus, deep in the Crystal Cavern, could feel his body being tugged by the Malhornesi's summons. The ancient spell stood strong though, holding the lord of rage. But now Metus was filled with the magic of the young creature's spell and in return he pulled the short pony through time and space until he emerged from shadows in front of the great crimson crystal.

"And that's when he dropped me off here." Luna concluded the story of her adventurous night. Celestia had a broad smile upon her face, she was glad that her sister had had a night to just relax and have fun. Luna seemed to have really enjoyed herself. "He even asked he if I was available anytime next week!" Luna continued. Seeing her sister so filled with joy Celestia hugged her and lifted her up in the air spinning her around.

"That's wonderful Luna! I'm so happy you enjoyed yourself." She said before placing her sister back on the ground.

"I haven't given him an answer though..." Luna said before returning to her waffles. "I don't want to feel as though I'm rushing into a relationship." She explained, poking the waffles with the levitating fork.

"Oh that's fine Luna, I'm sure he will understand." Celestia encouraged her sister, before returning to her own food.

Priscilla walked down the long hallways to Leech's chamber. She realized that morning how Leech must have felt after being tormented by Metus, and sought to go comfort him. She tapped on his door lightly with her hoof and said, "Leech, open the door, it's Priscilla." But there was no answer. Instead she saw smoke rising from under the tall, wooden door. Confused and concerned, Priscilla raised both her front hooves and smashed the doors open. As she brought her hooves down she could see the room was filled with black smoke. Her horn glowed with the familiar while light and the smoke collected itself into a small cloud and puffed out of existence. She then turned to see a black black book laying on a nearby table. She ran to it confirming her suspicions, the book was the magical journal of Metus the lord of shadow. Being one of the first generation Malhornesi, she could read the black tongue the novel was written in and as she read the single incantation one the left page she realized where Leech had gone and how the dark clouds of smoke appeared in his chambers. She then ran from the room only thinking of one thing: she must inform the princesses.

The crimson stone's light flickered and faltered as Metus spoke. "If you want to free your love from her deadly fate, then place your fore hooves on the crystal." The prison that held Metus was supported from the magic of his sister, Amora, and the lord of chaos Discord. Amora's magic was as strong as Metus's, but having Discord's magic also create the prison, the cage just barely holding the lord of darkness, allowing him to commit small feats such as: entering the dreams of nearby ponies, speaking to those close ponies, and conducting small spells on them. All Metus needed was some assistance, Leech  was now fueled with the power of his own malicious book, and held great power. The small, third generation Malhornesi brought both his front hooves up and rested them on the blood red crystal. Leech then felt the powerful energy leaving him, being absorbed by the one trapped in the crystal enchantment. After several minutes he felt the suction cease and he lowered his fore-legs to the ground. Where his hooves had been a moments ago were now large holes with black clouds of smoke leaking out of them. From the two holes cracks spread out all across the magical prison. Then, without warning the bits and pieces fell to the floor revealing a mass of darkness with long tentacles of dark magic expanding from it. At the center of the great shadow loomed two golden eyes. A red hoof with black stripes emerged from the shadows and stepped forward bringing with it the rest of the lord of malice, Metus.

He inhaled deeply taking in the first breathe he had felt in eons. With his exhalation black clouds of darkness and sin left his nostrils, and he turned to the frightened Leech. He laughed, not his usual handsome chuckle that had entranced many, but instead a deep, booming laughter of power. It shook the entire cave and several crystal stalactites fell crashing to the floor. He eventually ceased and the three long horns atop his head each glowed with the darkest black in history and beside Leech now stood his love: Rosetta. He leaned forward and caressed her lips with his. After what seemed like hours the two broke apart, and as Leech looked deeply into the eyes of his love, they flickered. It was an instantaneous, but unmistakable change her normally sky blue eyes blinked to the same golden color as Metus's. She then erupted into black flames. The confused Leech looked to Metus again to see him burst out yet again into the deep, powerful laugh. After several moments he stopped and spoke to the black and white pony. "You foal! You believed me!" He entered yet another fit of dark, horrible laughter, he then paused to speak again. "I'm free! And now I may reek my well ripened revenge. I thank you my dear pony, it couldn't have been done without you, but alas it is now time for me to inform you of my plan. I have no intention to reunite you with your beloved, I'd far rather watch you fill with sorrow and despair at the realization of how foolish you were."  He then left the broken Malhornesi with a earth shaking crack and an explosion of dark magic.

Deal with the Devil

The following day after the freeing of Metus, havoc surfaced all across the Known Land. The first place to fall was Sadle-Arabia. Each grain of sand was filled with dark magic and burst into never ending flame. The entire country was set ablaze with fire and smoke. The cities surrounded by tall walls and guards rotted from the inside. Plagues and sickness spread from pony to pony until each and every living creature within the walls was dead. The great pyramids were bombarded with blasts of blackness and hate, leaving gaping holes and chunks of the great structures missing. And the home of their emperor was riddled with blood as each one of the servants and masters went insane murdering one another for the smallest desires, and with the nastiest determination.

The next victim was Manehattan. The buildings toppled, crime took over, and corruption filled its leaders. Ponies' darkest temptations and fantasies came true as society fell leaving pure anarchy. The entire city became a battlefield as Discord was set against Metus by the princesses. Their voices shook the ground and their incantations ruined the land. After Metus fled the city, Discord, the alicorn sisters, and the now alicorn Twilight Sparkle spent countless days finally restoring the city to an inhabitable area.

The next target was Trottingham. Its honorable leaders were murdered by Metus and the people abandoned all reason and kindness, turning to lying and deceit. The rich enslaved the poor, the powerful dominated the small, and the once rich, fertile land was owned by dragons, diamond dogs, parasprites, and dark magic. Discord and the princesses followed in the dark immortal's wake, until the losses became too great. The regal leaders of Equestria called for a summit between them and the king of malice.

The princesses had set up a small campsite in the mountaintops of a mountain range nearby Foal Mountain. The three alicorn princesses, Discord, and Priscilla sat upon wooden chairs along a large, wood table stretching about ten meters in length. A dark cyclone of dark magic appeared in the sky, beyond its top was a shining red light. A single bolt of crimson lightning cut through the sky, shaking the mountain top as they collided leaving a small patch of land in front of the long table scorched and coated in black. From the smoke that lingered there rose Metus, striding towards the alicorns and Discord. Every place where his hooves touched the ground, any plants, animals, or snow nearby melted away into clouds of black smoke that added to the massive cyclone. He sat across from the forces of good, waiting for their proposal. Princess Celestia was the first to address the age old Malhornesi. "Metus, we ask for you to cease your assault on the Known Land, and to disappear into the unknown territory beyond its borders."

"I agree." Stated the immoral pony. Luna looked at Twilight, then Celestia. They knew what would come next. Discord then spoke up, which had been a major mistake.

"What is it you want?" Discord questioned. The pony of greed glared at the draconequus and snapped at him.

"Keep your forked tongue behind your teeth, you abomination of nature." He then turned back to Celestia and Luna. "As I was about to state, I only require one thing. The one thing you young, childish alicorns refused to give me before encasing me in that infernal prison: The key to the gate of Tartarus." Twilight interjected at his demand.

"What? That's real?" She said turning to the two alicorns next to her.

"Not now Twilight." Celestia responded before turning back to Metus. "We have since...reconsidered your request. My sister and I have agreed to comply with your conditions on one notion."

"WHAT?!?" Both Discord and Twilight exclaimed in unison. Celestia quickly continued seeing Metus grin at the disruption he had caused. She knew he had demanded that both Twilight and Discord be here for the summit for some reason.

"On the notion, that he leave the Known Land, and never return." Everypony sat in silence as they awaited Metus's response. A smile spread across his face as he gave his final answer.

Eighteen Months Later...

Priscilla was now a revered, honored pony, and professor at Canterlot's School for Unicorns. Pandora had finally moved from Everfree Forest into Sadle-Arabia to not only help the new leaders rise and restore order, but to study the ancient magic and spells that the ancient land held. Leech had long since been exiled. Some of the land that had been ravaged by Metus had been restored, and Luna and Ambrose had been together for twelve months.

Ambrose lay next to Luna on the open balcony looking up at the stars. He always loved the constellations and beautiful nights she brought forth. She had her head rested on his chest as they both marveled at the wondrous night. He stroked her flowing, navy blue mane and his eyes traveled from star to star admiring each one's magical hue. He pried his eyes away from them and looked at his relaxed lover. She ran her right front hoof across his toned body, tracing the well defined muscles. She sat up raising her left hind leg and placing it on the other side of his body, so she was now sitting on him. She leaned forward and kissed him, then rose turning about. She playfully swatted him on the nose with her tail and walked towards the door. Once in the doorway she turned her head back and said, "See you in bed." Before disappearing into their chambers.

Pandora sat across from the new leaders of Sadle-Arabia. Each of the ponies at the table had just sat down for the feast, and the king and queen used their magic to raise their glasses. "To Pandora, to whom we owe this new home and to restored land to!" The leaders toasted before bringing their glasses to their lips and sampling the sweet wine. Pandora blushed and thanked them for their generosity and hospitality, before raising her own glass to her mouth and tasting the luxurious beverage.

The brown unicorn's horn glowed with a yellow aura and a small string of stars began to extend from the tip of his horn. The long line of stars finally reached its length and left his horn circling around becoming an outline if a sphere spinning on an axis. A smile broke across his face and the stars disappeared as he turned to Priscilla. "I did it! I really did it!" The unicorn jumped up and down with glee. "Thank you Ms. Priscilla!" He shouted as he hurried out the door galloping for home to show his family that the tutoring helped, and that he could now conduct the dazzling spell. She giggled to herself and returned to her desk. Her horn became shrouded in a white light as the pile of nearby papers floated towards her and a quill raised into the air ready and poised to write.

Leech pushed onward, through the bitter cold and powerful icy winds. He held the map in his fore hooves and his wings were tired from flying all through the day and the night. He stopped in an icy cave to rest and plot his course for tomorrow. He would reach the edge of the map by the day's end tomorrow and then he would be in the Unknown Land, where he could search for Metus. Metus still had something Leech desired, and Leech had realized only a week ago he had something Metus desired. Something that he could trade for the life of his love, something that had been locked away for eons of time, and Leech was one of the only two people still alive that could get it for him.

All's Fair in Love and War

Luna finished putting on her crown and necklace. She turned around to see Ambrose readjusting his cape and frowning. Luna walked over to him and her horn illuminated with the light blue aura as Ambrose's cape became perfectly balanced on his back with the strap around his waist tightening. He turned around, leaned forward and gave Luna a deep kiss. He opened his eyes and saw the rustled sheets, and messy bed behind Luna. Luna broke the kiss and looked into Ambrose's eyes.

"I love you." She whispered before cracking a smile and laughing. She turned about and saw the messy bed too. "Don't worry, I'll get the maid to take care of it." She said before walking out of the room. Ambrose stood there for a minute, thinking. He had such a wonderful life, but if the war had taught him anything it's that everything, everything, can be taken away. Ambrose then dashed down the hall, catching up with Luna. She saw him. "I thought you had a busy day today," she said.

He simply smiled back and replied, "I'm taking the day off." They both beamed at each other and walked together to through the castle.

Pandora strolled through the royal library, one of the only places not demolished by Metus. Her horn was glowing and behind her was a levitating stack of books that followed her; each time she saw a book that interested her she would add it to the pile and continue down the rows of shelves. In Zecora's stead the queen of Sadle-Arabia would assist Pandora when she found reading the modern text difficult or if the language was that of Sadle-Arabia, which Pandora still hadn't quite mastered yet. She had already read about 30% of the books in the massive library in the past several months. Though Pandora noted she enjoyed reading stories based from history books that stated what had happened since her time in the Barren Lands. Pandora found it entertaining to educate herself about what had happened in those thousands of years. It was fascinating to learn about others decisions and how they affected history. She often pondered whether or not any of her choices had changed the course of history.

Sometime ago Priscilla had stopped helping Princess Celestia with her duties and began to pursue things she would enjoy and be interested in. Not only had she become a professor but she studied and took many courses on psychology, and the study of the pony mind. She also found it very fun to go and have meetings with Discord. He was fascinating not only in the conflict constantly going on in his mind but also how he acted socially towards others. Since Discord had reformed he had been helping Ambrose deal with his everlasting addiction to cause others ill-will. Priscilla was happy to see that Discord was helping spread friendship the way Fluttershy had shown him, but being kind and forgiving, while also standing strong when Ambrose needed to stay in check. Priscilla also studied Discord and his actions socially. He would be met with looks of confusion and be avoided most of the time for his "unusual" appearance. Discord would become shy and quiet, but once you got to know him he was actually a funny, likable guy to hang out with.

Later that night...Luna looked at the letter again. It was from Ambrose. It told her to come to the Canterlot Gardens that night at nine o'clock. She jumped when she heard the deep voice whisper in her ear. "Luna, close your eyes." She immediately complied. Luna could feel herself being lifted off the ground and carried off somewhere. She squinted her eyes to get a glimpse of where she was going. "Ah, ah, ah. No peaking." Her lover's voice rang in her ear. After several minutes of feeling a slight breeze against her mane, she was set down on a cold, smooth surface. "Open your eyes." Ambrose said. Luna opened her eyes and gasped.

She was on a cloud. The shiny white surface stretched out into the distance in front of her, but as she turned in a circle she saw only a few feet behind her was the end of it. Clouds aren't cold and smooth, she looked down and saw underneath a thin layer of puff and whiteness was a white, grey dotted marble stone. As the mist cleared under her she saw her reflection. Her flowing blue mane blended perfected with the night stars above her. Luna's eyes were like two soft emeralds against the night sky. Tears started to blur her vision, and she turned and wrapped herself around Ambrose, speechless. "And that's not the best part." He said smugly before carrying her over to the edge of the marble filled cloud. He sat down and held Luna close, there was a light pop and Luna turned around to face the open sky. It was filled with a blue L shrouded in stars and moonlight. The firework slowly faded away. But to the princess's astonishment, hundreds of brightly colored explosions filled the sky. Flying through the lighter blues were the Wonderbolts, dressed in a different attire. Their normal blue and yellow suits were replaced with glistening, sparkly cloth that shimmered and complimented the still stars far above them. The skilled pegasi then flew symmetrically side by side forming a gigantic heart with their smoke trail. And with a loud crack a magnificent explosion went off in the middle of it forming a short message: A+L Forever.

Luna's eyes were now filled to the brim with tears of joy and love. She looked back at Ambrose who leaned forward pressing Luna onto her back on the smooth marble floor.

"Why?" Was all she could say. Ambrose stared into her persian green eyes, as she looked back into his rose red ones.

"Princess Luna," he paused dramatically, "Will you marry me?" Overwhelmed with joy she planted kiss after kiss, after kiss on his face. He chuckled and said "I was kind of expecting an answer." Luna stopped her waves of kisses, and giggled.

"Oh, yes, yes, of course yes!" She said with a wide smile before they both were joined in a deep, loving kiss.

"And after we come down from the cloud we went to a reservation at The Grand Royal." Luna told Twilight, Celestia, Cadence, and Derpy. "After the romantic dinner and carriage ride through the Equestian skies lead to the top of a mountain, where together we watched the sun rise."

Derpy smiled broadly. "Ooooo! When da wedding?"

"May 17th." Luna responded happily. She crossed her eyes and looked up trying to get a glimpse of her engagement ring that rested almost at the base of her horn.

"Why that's only six months!" Celestia exclaimed. "I guess you and Ambrose will have a lot of planning to do."

"Oh of course, sis." Luna replied. "I can't wait! There's just so much to do." She said before getting up and rushing out the door.

Eventually the wedding day arrived. As the singing began the large doors swung open and Luna began walking down the isle. When she reached start of the few steps she looked up into Ambrose's smiling face. She stepped up and stopped beside him.

"Mares and gentlecolts, we are gathered here today to celebrate the union of  my sister, Princess Luna Nightrix, and her beloved, Noble Ambrose. The strength of their commitment clear, and the power of their love undeniable. May we have the rings please." Celestia paused her speech and turned to Priscilla who was standing to her left, with the cushion on which the rings lay on her back. Priscilla bowed, holding the cushion open for the Princess. Luna's ring was a small diamond circle crested with emeralds. Ambrose's ring was two round circles linked together made of obsidian marble, and it was outfitted with a gold outline. But both were surrounded by a golden aura as they were lifted from the cushion and placed on the ponies' horns. The diamond ring slid onto Luna's and the duel rings found their place on Ambrose's twin horns. And Celestia's voice once rang out in the great hall. "I now pronounce you mare and colt!" The two ponies then walked the night blue carpet laced with woven stars, until they reached the edge of the balcony that overlooked their subjects. Luna and Ambrose then turned and held each other in a grand kiss as shouts of joy and cries of celebration filled the air. Celestia then rose into the sky bringing both the moon and sun with her and as her figure disappeared into the clouds a great eclipse formed. And straight through the middle of it was a sonic rainboom, followed by a series of fireworks and dancing stars. The two broke their kiss and entered the carriage drawn by the royal guard that would bring them to their honeymoon. Luna then poked her upper body out the side window and chucked her bouquet at Celestia's face. And with a smile and a wave she and her new husband disappeared high up into the clouds.

Deafening bangs and loud cries rang out all around Ezra. She held her commander in her hooves, his glossy, lifeless eyes looking up at her. Next to her a pony cried out as she was cut to ribbons by a raging dragon with sharp, shining claws. Letting the heavy body drop from her arms as she ran from the battle, tears pouring down her face. Her hooves burned, she looked down to see the ground beneath her open up revealing hot springs of lava. The pain was an obstacle, one she desperately needed to overcome, for if she let it get the best of her, if she let it slow her down, she would never live to see the light of day again. The sky was blacked out with a thick layer of dark magic and curses. Behind her, snapping at her heels was a mantacore, using his full wing power just to keep up with the frightened pony. The fear was another obstacle, she was told in training anything that distracted you from defeated the enemy was an obstacle. Now she was running, her hooves seared and bleeding, her joints ached, her head had a large bump on it from where she was slammed against the ground by a vengeful hydra, and her extensive, braided tail made been uprooted from her flank by a swarm of ravenous parasprites. Uncontrollably, her head turned to the right to see the face of the enemy a blood red unicorn, with stripes as dark as nightmares. His sharp teeth revealed with a wide grin, and his horrible yellow eyes seemed to tug at her inner most fears. His head was visible, topped with two tall, black, curving horns, while in between these stood one shorter vermilion shaded horn. The rest of his body was black smoke gliding along next to her. She seemed fixed on his eyes, like they bore straight into her soul, they were golden pearls of-No!She thought as she teared her stare away from the transfixing face that belonged to Metus. This is what he does! He's evil! Somehow she found the strength to gallop faster, leaving behind the mantacore, and just barely keeping ahead of the demonic unicorn. Out of shock Metus stopped, thinking, nopony had ever resisted him before. He had cast the spell in his mind as the golden pony looked at him, it wasn't possible. Snapped out of his trance he began to pour power into his flight, he needed to stop the unicorn. She was too far away. NO! Metus shouted in his head as she exited from under the black clouds into the clean, free air and with a pop she teleported.

The Gates of Tartarus

Luna and Ambrose had just returned from their two month honeymoon about two weeks ago. Celestia sat on her throne reading letters from foreign diplomats and local mayors confessing their problems. She always found these letters boring, how the people always ranted on and on about their troubles and misfortunes waiting for the rulers of Equestria to come save them. Celestia had finished writing her last letter and rose from her throne. There was a loud bang and a unicorn with a sparkling yellow mane materialized before her. Her hooves were raw and bloody, her tail was missing and in its place was a large patch of blood that covered her flank. The female's back of her hind legs had deep gashes and claw marks, and her head had a large blood stained bump on it. The normally white armor she wore was burnt, and stained with red liquid, and the cape that had once been attached to the back of her outfit was torn and ravaged. The sides of Ezra's face were damp with tears. The princess rushed to her side, and her horn illuminated with a sun glow shade of light, magically healing some of her wounds. She then looked up into her eyes, the pupils were small, and jittery as they darted from surface to surface. The soldier's eyes finally focused on the princess's and with her last breathe she spoke.

"He's back: Metus, and he opened the Gates of Tartarus."

Three days prior

Metus stood before the ball of swirling stars, planets, and magic. His search was concluded, he had found her, the guardian of life, death, and everything in between. Metus knew what was at the center of the hollow sphere of magic and destiny: Omnia. She was the creator of Metus, Amora, Celestia and Luna's parents, and all the races of the universe. Here she slept in a deep slumber, a cocoon of magic. The situation was extremely delicate, the slightest tremor would wake the sleeping ruler from her sleep that had began at the beginning of time. He ran as fast as he could through the massive bubble of power and fate. He slipped into the hollow circle, his body burning. He looked down and all his skin had been burned and removed by the magic, and his nerves sent his signals of pain as they came in contact with the air. His three horns became surrounded by his aura of evil magic and new skin stretched across his body connecting and resuming the place of his earlier skin. The pain ceased. He was levitating in the magical atmosphere her aura created. He looked up, and stared into the open eyes of the creator. He stumbled backwards in astonishment. He then realized her black eyes were open, but stared off into space. Her long, flowing black mane was streaked with gold, and her dark skin was stripped with glowing, blue stripes. Her wings were outfitted with purple glowing braces, and on her long legs were four bronze rings, with golden gems at their center. She was in the same position Celestia had displayed when rising the sun at the Summer Sun Festival: her wings spread wide, her fore legs extended, and her head raised high. Metus once again returned to his objective more cautious then ever. He moved up until her long pointed horn rested between his three. His mind pushed its way into hers, ever so slowly. He accessed her subconscious careful not to awaken her or her magic. After what seemed like hours he found what he was looking for: a spell. He left her mind, and ran as fast as he could to get away from the powerful ruler. To find the creator who could not be found, you needed to be lost. Metus stopped galloping once several hundred miles were between him and the pony. He then smiled, relieved. The dark unicorn became shrouded in darkness and with an eruption of flame he appeared before the gates of Tartarus.

In the same black tongue his journal had been written in, Metus spoke the spell of Tartarus. It is roughly translated to "I accept the duty. I will bear the burden. Give me reign of all darkness, my heart can take it, it will hold the universe's sins and abominations. I will share its cruelty, its malice, and its corruption. I will open the gate, I will govern the power it holds. I shall become evil and evil shall become me." Metus concluded the incantation he stole from Omnia, and the black, metal gates opened, pushing the skeleton of Cerberus off the cliff into the deep crevice of stone. Metus's voice then rang out loud and clear into the now open entrance as he spoke to the corrupt souls inside. BREAK YOUR CURSED BONDS, SHATTER YOUR MAGICAL IMPRISONMENTS, AND SHED THE CHAINS THAT SHACKLE YOU! YOUR REVENGE IS AT HAD! WE WILL RISE NOW, WE WILL RISE TO RULE THE WORLD! A long stream of magic burst from the doorway circling around Metus; it then found his horn and touched the tip of it being sucked into his body. The swirling magic disappeared, and Metus rose from the ground filled with the ancient magic that the underworld possessed. Roars of rage and vengeance erupted from the heat and darkness that the doorway shown.

Luna's dreams were of the time before she and her sister grew up. Images of her parents faded in and out, and replays of Celestia and herself playing were displayed. Suddenly they vanished. Her subconsciousness was now filled with the thoughts she had had while on the moon and under the control of Nightmare Moon. She once again saw the white, rock like surface of the moon. But also she saw a blue figure, an alicorn crying, laying on her stomach. A handsome, seductive voice then spoke, "Was it fair? Was it her choice to make?" Celestia's image flashed across Luna's nightmare, and the scene changed. Now there was a training camp. From the sky view the watcher seemed to zoom in the small figures that soon became as clear as day. Ponies with distinctive skin tones were whipped and beaten when they slowed down. They were being marched by a scar faced sergeant. He shouted crude, humiliating statements at the ponies. The soldiers' bare hooves were cracked, bloody, and bruised. One of the third generation Malhornesi in back fell over, unconscious from the heat and exhaustion. The sergeant commanded the trainees to stop. He then walked over to the resting pony and with his magic he raised the nine ended whip high. It came down time and time again on the hide of the laying pony. He just laid there. The whip continued to fall prying flesh from bone with every swing. The life in the small pony's eyes flickered and went out. The sergeant then turned to the rest and commanded them to resume the marching, reminding them of the consequences. The voice rang out again, "Was it fair? Was it just?" The image faded, and the voice continued. "We could change it. No longer would all choices and responsibilities fall on one pony's shoulders. We could reforge your society where everypony was equal. We could create a new republic, a new government: A New Lunar Republic."

Luna jolted upright in bed, hoof at her chest. She was sweating and she breathed heavily. She slowly laid back down and stared up at the ceiling, the only sound was the breathing that her sleeping husband emitted.

After wandering the Barren Lands for more than a year, Leech grew angry. He searched vigorously, going deeper and deeper into the Unknown Territory. He woke, in darkness. Darkness. Ever since the land had been destroyed in the wake of Discord and Metus, it had never fell to shadow. It was not possible for cloud to be created. The land was always filled with light, and heat of that of a desert. The only water there was was several meters underground, and even that was scarce. Leech now looked up seeing one massive cloud of black blocking out all light. It rumbled and red lightning could be seen crackling all across its underside. He stood on all fours and shouted out into the black. "Metus! It is I, Leech and I have returned to claim my reward!"

There was spectacular, dark laughter. It raged on and on, and the black could above Leech was now live with red electricity. The ground shook, and the thunder rolled. A gap opened in the large thunderous cloud, and the night sky beyond it shown through. A black, flaming carriage began to descend towards Leech. It was drawn by two pegesi skeletons. And as the carriage landed the two skeletons looked in Leech's eyes and each one transformed into an image of Rosetta. The two dead changeling's skeletons's still possessed their magic. Metus gently exited the vehicle, smiling at Leech as he approached him. Upon his back were two yellow wings of flame and smoke, forged from dark magic.

"You Malhornesi, so strong willed, sometimes I wonder why I created you so." Metus spoke in his usual handsome, seductive tone. "I thought we had already discussed this: you have nothing of value to me. In fact I'm contemplating whether or not to kill you right now for wasting my time." The short pony stepped forward with confidence.

"That's where you are wrong O' Great Metus. Not only do you possess something I require, but I too have something you desire. The thing that has been locked away from you for thousands of years..."

"Alas you are too late my young friend, I already possess the key to Tartarus. Now, if you are done wasting my time I have more important matters to attend to." And as Metus turned his back on the Malhornesi, and began to walk away, he was then rooted to the spot by what the pony said next.

"It is not the key I speak of Metus, it is your sister, Amora."

"So we have an agreement?" Asked Metus.

"Yes, now bind it." Leech said turning to the changeling queen. Her hole covered horn glowed green and a chunk of magic surged through both Leech, and Metus binding their hooves together for a moment before the spell faded and their hooves were released.

"Perfect." Exclaimed Metus before he faded into darkness and flames, dragging Chrysalis with him. Leech was then teleported to the front lines of Metus's troops. The creatures of hate, and sin who had been trapped in Tartarus for eons were free and they all turned about to face their new leader: Metus. He used his wings of yellow magic to fly far above his minions, but his booming voice could be her for miles around. His speech of vengeance and return to power went on for hours. With the conclusion of his speech, roars, flames, and eruptions of dark magic sprung forth from the army.

The Fire Bleeds Into the Sky

Present Day

Luna flew towards the shadowy cloud on the horizon.

Discord could hear a pony crying for help far beneath him.

Celestia looked high and low but couldn't find her alicorn sister.

Ambrose followed his wife from a distance, being sure not to be seen.

Metus approached the blue alicorn at the edge of his dark cloud. And Luna saw him coming, she silently cast the summoning spell and her sister popped into existence next to her. Ambrose lowered himself revealing his presence to his spouse and her sister. Luna smiled at him and looked at Metus. He looked between Luna and Ambrose seeing the rings resting upon their horns. He laughed in his handsome, luring tone. "Oh that is precious! The Princess Luna has lowered herself and married one of her slaves!" He turned to Ambrose, "Have you already forgotten your past? You were bred for war, born to die for them." He wiped away the tears of laughter from his eyes. "The training, the pain, the loss, all forgotten in those lying pools of emerald liquid. Has she really made you that blind?"

"We had an agreement Metus. We bound it. Please do tell, how did you break it? And how on Equestria did you open the Gate?" Questioned the curious Celestia.

"Well you see Celestia, when one is in the presence of Omnia, all the enchantments and spells cast on them are peeled away." Responded Metus looking at his hoof that once again melted and disappeared, revealing the burnt, ugly flesh underneath. He then looked up again and his hoof returned to normal.

"HELP!" The voice cried as Discord drew nearer. A small, pink pony was under a boulder that crushed her two hind legs. The draconequus came to her side and looked into her tear filled eyes. She seemed indifferent to his appearance and her eyes pleaded for help. He used his lion arm and eagle claw to shift the boulder off the helpless pony. He turned to face her and her small grimace and tears disappeared, now replaced by an evil grin and her blue eyes flashed yellow. Discord slowly backed away as the pony advanced on him, slowly changing. Her skin blackened and became stained with white spots, two tall horns began to push their way out of her skull, and two white, leather wings extended from her back. The pony's teeth sharpened, and her mane turned shaggy and disheveled. She grew taller and grew a small bit of hair on her chin. It wasn't a she it was a he. Leech was pleased, the power that Metus gave him worked, could could now change into anypony he wanted.

Metus turned his attention to Luna. "Well? Have you considered my proposition?"

"What is he talking about Luna?" Celestia asked her sister.

"So you haven't told her yet? You smart cookie, you." Metus added. "Think about it Luna, you were so close. If she had not used the elements you would have spread fairness and equality. Equestria would be wise and just under the rule of the people. With my help you could create the ultimate Utopia." He used his magic and pushed the images of her trapped on the moon back into her consciousnesses. He brought back memories of her, as Nightmare Moon, leading troops against her sister in the fight for democracy. He dove deeper and deeper into her mind bringing forth more and more memories and images. Luna's body began to shake, her eyes started to turn pale, and she started sweating bullets.

Discord about faced and began flapping his wings furiously. At his heels was Leech, who was slowly closing the distance between them. His years of training and manual labor gave his wings strong muscles, and great agility. His hooves wrapped around Discord's tail. The draconequus felt his energy drain, he grew increasingly tired and sleepy. His wings gave out and they both plummeted towards the ground. There was a shout of unbearable pain as the Amora's magic was ripped from Discord's body and soul. And the moment before they both hit the ground, Discord used his own magic to stretch time and space and blast the two creatures next to the alicorn sisters, Metus, and Ambrose.

The loud explosion of magic, sound, and light shocked Metus, distracting him from his spell. The words "I'll join you," were on the tip of Luna's tongue as she was in the deep trance. Metus's loss of concentration broke the spell and the color returned to alicorn's eyes and she reared back in rage and realization. "NEVER!" She roared and her horn glowed with a spectacular light. A blade of magical energy sliced at the surprised Metus. A deep gash appeared on his chest, and blood sprung forth soaking his fur. As the crimson droplets landed on his fiery mane they sizzled and evaporated. Metus's eyes clenched shut and he roared, stumbling backwards. His wings of flame and darkness snapped open, expanding to three times their normal size.  The land quaked, and the sky shook with the mighty eruption of sound. The bellow filled everyponies' ears, rattled their bones, and curdled their blood. His holler ceased and his eyes opened. His usually golden eyes, were now black with red flames dancing across them.

"HOW DARE YOU!!!" His voice rang louder than ever. A mountain in the distance crumbled and fell. Deep, dark crevices opened in the ground. And the black cloud of dark magic above turned completely red with electricity. The power of his voice pushed Luna, Celestia, Ambrose, Leech, and Discord back several meters. A holographic image of Metus's horns was made of black magic. It floated into the air and a long, golden rode attached itself to the three sharp ends creating a trident of evil. The three headed spear shot towards Luna, but Ambrose leaped in front of the deadly weapon blocking the assault, and saving his love.

"NOOO!" Luna screamed. The third generation Malhornesi fell to the ground, skewered. Luna rushed to his side. She looked down, tears in her eyes, and Ambrose rose his right front hoof and stroked her cheek. He stared into her tear filled eyes, and spoke.

"Luna, I'll always love you." And with his final statement his body went limp in Luna's arms. She looked up at the pony of darkness, and hate and shouted in her own royal Canterlot voice.

"YOU BASTARD!" And with that she charged. All of Leech's mistakes flashed before him and he heard a voice as smooth as silk and as delicate as love itself. She has lost her love too. Rosetta's gone Leech, but what would she want you to do? Leech grew with the light of a thousand suns. His body disintegrated into a stream of pink magic that trailed into Luna's horn. Celestia then added her own magic to the mix, giving Luna strength.

Luna slammed into the malicious unicorn and driving her horn all the way into his chest. And as her wedding ring touched him it glowed with a light like no other. His body shined with a white light, his eyes became too bright to look at, and his three horns turned pink. An impossible force could be felt all across the Known and Unknown Lands as the lord of Tartarus's shell burst, and his mind, magic, and "soul" were forced deep into the fiery pits of the underworld. All the creatures that he had set free from Tartarus were sucked back through the large black doorway, and the great gates slammed shut. The magical shroud of black and red far above them faded from existence, letting the sun pour back in over the land.

Reformation

Several days after the banishment of Metus and the realization of the damage of his assault, Princesses Celestia and Twilight Sparkle began to plan for Ambrose's funeral. Since his return he had conquered a great deal of the southern part of the world. During his assault he would swiftly destroy the southern empires and impersonate their leaders, sending messages back to the alicorn sisters stating that everything was fine. Metus's forces were also extremely powerful. He had enslaved every dark, hideous soul in history that had been banished to the underworld. Even one of his undead generals was Luna's alter ego: Nightmare Moon. Another general was the Crystal Empire's tormentor: King Sombra. The long list of demonic creatures and black spots on history raged on and on, but all returned to their spots in Tartarus as Metus was defeated. The key was then placed deep in the unexplored region of the Barren Lands, and had heavy enchantments placed upon it. In the few days since the banishment Luna had been distracted by the duties of taking care of and repairing the land that Metus had conquered, but as the funeral arrived and more and more of the land was being taken care of by Celestia, Luna was brought back to reality. Ambrose was dead.

The day of the funeral arrived. People from all over the Known Land gathered to the funeral of the pony who sacrificed himself for them. In the crowded hall people paid their respects and laid flowers around his coffin. All the commotion stopped as Luna entered the room. Every head turned to the queen draped in black silk with a dark veil that hid her face. She slowly approached the open coffin, and stopped at its side. A single flower then gently landed on his breathless body. It was a weed with twelve pedals, of rainbow hues and each with an obsidian seed at its center. It would remain beautiful and healthy forever living off Luna's love for the dead Malhornesi. She then turned, and although nopony could see the tears in her eyes, left.

Later that night...Celestia roamed the castle in its silence and darkness. She looked out of one of the tall blank windows. The night sky was stripped blank with only a single rock hanging almost sadly in the sky. It had a dim light that gave everything a gloomy, depressing look. Celestia lowered her head and continued walking. She heard a small sound from down the hall. She followed it and as she came to the entrance of the great hall she saw what was emitting the sound. Her sister, Luna, wore the dress she had on her wedding day. She was draped over the side of the coffin, sobbing. All the stars of the night sky colored the air in the room, and high above them the ceiling was covered in the light clouds of the night. Luna's eyes were shut tight with a constant stream of longing tears running down her face. Celestia stood and watched paralyzed by the sight. She had never seen her sister in such a state. She was about to walk in to comfort her sorrowful sister. Celestia stopped and thought for a minute, Luna needed to be alone. Celestia turned and continued down the long maze of twists and turns, her own eyes filled with tears and pity.

In Saddle-Arabia...Pandora flipped through the pages of the book with the King of the land standing behind her. "You can't do this, even with your great wisdom and skills, you cannot complete such a feat." The King begged his friend.

"I've learned every spell and incantation in this kingdom, everyone expect for this one. I'm ready." Pandora responded. "I have to do this not only for myself but for Luna." The King sighed and left the room knowing his argument was an act of futility. Pandora finally found the page she had marked since her first appearance at the desert empire. The incantation to resurrect the dead. She spoke loud and clearly summoning the spirit from the dark abyss of time and space. The room shook and the alicorn amulet that rested around Pandora's neck glowed with the rose hue. Her horn shined brightly and the two auras forged together. The Malhornesi's teal irises darkened with red and blended to become two purple pools of magic.  The smell of brimstone filled the air and the King who was secretly watching from the doorway gasped. A holographic image of Ambrose appeared, all except the eyes which were pale white. The design of the third generation Malhornesi slowly turned darker becoming flesh and bone.

Halfway through the transformation, the amulet around Pandora's neck flickered and returned to an inactive state, having no more power to give. The ongoing spell now was feeding off of Pandora's life force. She stumbled back concentrating trying to break the spell. The King rushed to her side and brought his horn to hers in an attempt to shatter the incantation. As his horn grazed hers there was an explosion of magic and he was tossed into the air and was slammed into a nearby bookcase. He looked up to see the force of the endless hole of death act on Pandora. The spell couldn't be stopped, he had warned her. The half constructed body of Ambrose melted and turned to a puddle of lava on the floor. The hole to death remained open sucking Pandora into it.  The hole in reality shut and the library remained silent and in darkness, all except for the red glow of the alicorn amulet.

"And with the right concentration you can..." Priscilla said as her horn glowed and the desk came to life in the front of the class. It lifted one leg at a time walking across the floor and nudging Priscilla with its corner. She and her class laughed but her laugh turned to a cough. She had had the cough for a week now and it was getting progressively worse. Her horn shined brightly again and the object became inanimate again. The class tried hard to copy her and bring their desks to life. One of them succeeded and everypony gathered around admiring the skill. Priscilla patted the chartreuse unicorn on the back and congratulated him. The bell rang and the students all hurried to their next class. All except one, the small female unicorn approached her teacher.

"Umm, Ms. Priscilla, I have a question about today's lesson." She said a bit quietly.

"Yes, what's your questio--" Priscilla began before she broke into a fit of coughing. The student waited patiently for the cough to cease, but it didn't. Priscilla's normally purple face, slowly turned red as she became short of breath.

"Ms. Priscilla?" The student asked. Priscilla looked at her, eyes wide. They rolled to the back of her head and she fell over. The student rushed out into the hallway, shouting for help.

A medical team loaded the unconscious Malhornesi into the back of a carriage and the two pegasi drawing it took off. Celestia met the carriage at the front of Canterlot Castle. She helped bring Priscilla into her bed, and dismissed the medical ponies. Celestia had seen this only a few times before and was gripped with pity, and despair. First Ambrose and Leech, then Pandora, and now Priscilla. She felt that neither Luna or herself could withstand another death. Priscilla had an incurable ailment: expiration.

The Time has Come

Two months later...

Priscilla's condition grew worse and worse. For the first few weeks after waking she could still gallop, eat, drink, and do magic. As time passed everything changed. She could no longer stand, her magic was feeble at best, and she needed assistance when trying to eat or drink. Priscilla was bedridden and coughing constantly; she would cough up bits of glistening magic and blood. The slightest sounds would cause her ears and head feelings of discomfort. Her life was draining from her with every minute, and she had Princess Celestia write her will. The smallest movements would cause her pain, and when she cried the muscles in her face clenched and seared in agony.

Luna had fallen into a great depression and spent over 90% of her time in her chamber. Celestia had assumed the responsibility of raising the moon again. Luna would barely eat or sleep. She would stay awake for days crying, just wallowing in sorrow and loss.

Celestia's horn shined with a yellow aura and the tray lifted off the table and floated beside her. She lightly knocked on Priscilla's door. "Come in." Celestia heard Priscilla say in a whisper. The princess opened the door, and entered the room. The once beautiful, elegant Priscilla was now gaunt, bony, and pale. Celestia put the food on Priscilla's dresser. She sat down next to the Malhornesi on the bed, magically bringing a spoon full of soup to the sick pony's lips. When she had finished the spoon returned to the bowl. Priscilla smiled and spoke. "To think, after all the battles, all the fighting, that I would be killed by old age." She chuckled to herself. The chuckle changed into a raspy, deep cough and blood spewed from her lips onto the already blood stained cloth that sat on her lap.

"Shhh, shhh, shhh." Celestia said as a napkin wiped the saliva and blood from the Malhornesi's lips. "I'll have this washed." She said, rising from the bed bring the bloody cloth with her.

"Celestia," Priscilla stopped the princess at the doorway, with her words. "Thank you."

Luna's eyes were red and sore. They hurt and were blurry. She couldn't stop the endless flow of tears, that streamed down her cheeks. The salt tasting liquid ran across her lips, and onto the balcony. She had her face towards the ground as her vision was filled with images of Ambrose, Pandora, and Priscilla. She couldn't help feel guilty. She had put them through so much. The training, the war. Luna remembered asking Ambrose about the scars that riddled the right side of his face. He had told her that most of them were from training, and the rest from his battles. She remembered what Pandora looked like the day the princesses had the Malhornesi brought over from the Crystal Empire. She was recovering but Luna could still see the cuts and bruises that covered her body. She remembered Ambrose's words: a dinner with the beautiful Princess Luna. At this she resumed her sobbing as memories of her true lover overthrew her thoughts.

Priscilla stared blankly at the wooden doors across the room from her. She was deep in thought, in recollection. Scenes of battles and death dropped in and out of her conscious. She remembered being covered in blood that wasn't her own, tearing through the enemy's flesh, and cursing the name of chaos. She remembered all the Malhornesi of the seventh and fifth regiments that died, in the barren wasteland. She remembered coming home to the princesses who told them of their victory and how the enemy Priscilla would've given anything to kill was reformed and lived under the same roof as the alicorns. Leech's betrayal, Metus's return, Ambrose's last words, Pandora's death. The past had shaped the present into a sick, twisted story. The world seemed to be a sick joke formed by a malicious ruler. Her thoughts were interrupted by a fit of painful, uncomfortable choking and hacking.

Celestia laid in front of the broken shrine of her parents. It was one of the many artifacts that was annihilated in Metus's wake. All that remained of the great stone work was a base plate, and eight hooves. Her eyes were the ones now filled with liquid sadness. The droplets fell from her face onto the snow. She spoke in a voice cracked, and filled with hopelessness. "What do I do? I'm losing my sister again, my family, and friends are fading...it's all falling apart." She had had many friends and pupils over the centuries, each and everyone of them died; but this was different, these ponies had become a part of her family, and part of who she was.

Celestia entered Priscilla's chamber and walked over to the side of the sick Malhornesi. The pony struggled to sit up, and Celestia laid one hoof on her chest. "Priscilla-"

"Don't." Said the smaller pony. "Celestia, my time has come." Taking in the meaning of her words Celestia's eyes filled with tears, and her lips quivered. "I need you to promise me something."

"Anything." Celestia managed to choke out.

"Please. Please, please, please, don't let them forget. Don't let them forget about us, not again." Now both the pony's eyes filled with tears. Priscilla slowly sat up and used her legs to support herself. She now standing at full height, and she raised her head high. Her horn shined with a bright light one last time, and she transformed. Her sickly, bony figure grew strong and healthy, and the color returned to her body. A single tear drop rolled down her cheek, and fell onto the mattress below. Priscilla's time had come and her body grew gray and hard as she transformed into stone. Where Priscilla had once stood was now a statue of a magnificent, strong Malhornesi who had her head raised high in honor. The last of the great race of Malhornesi was dead. With the sight Celestia pulled a pillow close and cried into it. The sobbing went on and on, and everypony in the castle knew what had happened.

Remember: The End

The following months passed until the new holiday had arrived. The three alicorns stood next to each other at the two large wooden doors. Each raised their head high and the dual doors opened wide allowing the sunlight to pour over them. The three alicorns stepped forward and began to walk down the silk carpet laid down outside. To the rulers' right and left all the citizens of Equestria had gathered in and around Canterlot for the momentous occasion. They walked until they reached a large object concealed under an over sized golden cloth. Celestia then turned to the ponies and spoke.

"We are gathered here today in memorial of the great race of ponies who not once, but twice sacrificed their lives for the survival of Equestria. I hereby dub this day a day of remembrance of those who gave up everything they had for good to prevail. FOR THE MALHORNESI!" She said as her horn glowed yellow and the long tarp covering the artwork was pulled away. Underneath it was a diamond base. On top of it were three statues carved from a clear, shinning crystal. To the left was Pandora, to the right was Ambrose, and in the middle stood a great statue of Priscilla. Princess Celestia, Princess Twilight Sparkle, and Queen Luna bowed bringing their muzzles close to the ground. They were followed by all the ponies who could see the statue, the others rested their right hooves on their hearts.

Thousands of miles away Celestia's words could be heard. The voice rang out far beyond the Known Land. It traveled deep into the unknown regions of the world, until it came to the ever spinning, glowing sphere of magic, and matter. Omnia had watched the world grow and blossom. It fought through times of famine, plague, death, and despair. It had thrived in times of peace, happiness, life, and health. Through thick and thin it always came back alive. She had seen the world deal with loss, and sorrow. Somehow the ponies far, far away from her had found a way to remain joyous, and respect the dead that had sacrificed themselves for the world. For the first time since in what seemed like ages, the creator of all felt pity. Omnia felt for the beings that grieved their lost ones. She then made a decision; she broke her timeless promise and woke. Her black, pointed horn glowed with every color known to the sentient beings of the universe, and many, many more.

The three rulers of Equestria that had rose from their low positions, now shielded their eyes. The statue before them was alive with blinding lights, and colors. There was an explosion of sound, fire, water, air, earth, magic, and power. The ponies in the audience were all frozen in place, and Celestia, Luna, and Twilight lowered their hooves and set eyes upon the goddess of the universe: Omnia. She spoke in each of their minds simultaneously. It was a voice of unmistakable beauty and power. The ponies had never experienced anything like it.

Treasure them like everyday was their last. Love them with all your heart. Never forget the pain of having lost them.

The alicorn before them was gone. The world was released from her spell and time and space returned. The audience rose and gasped, before them under each one of their statues were each one of the lost. Priscilla stepped forward and shot a stream of stars and light into the sky that erupted into brilliant lights, and wondrous colors, announcing their return. Pandora and Ambrose stepped forward. Pandora was greeted by her subjects and friends of Sadle-Arabia and Ambrose looked into Luna's eyes. Both of them beamed. Luna's eyes filled once more with tears, but no longer were they tears of sadness, she was completely overwhelmed with joy. The two ran towards each other and wrapped each other in their arms. The were locked in a kiss beyond love; it was indescribable. Their feelings for each other couldn't be put into words. Writers and poets could spend years trying- it would be pointless. The two broke the kiss but remained in one another's arms. Each stared into the other's eyes. Broad smiles shone on their faces as they turned to everypony else. Luna raised her left front hoof as Ambrose raised his right. The ponies burst into cries of happiness and celebration.

Malhornesi Life: Informative

Training

The training for the Malhornesi of the Army of the Alicorn Sisters was crude, rigorous, cruel, and brutal. Malhornesi would be bred in large groups and taken care of until age three, at which time they would be placed in a training regiment. These regiments would have Sergeants who were chosen for their lack of caring and brutality. All the sergeants were second generation Malhornesi in case their paramount strength was needed to get control of some of the trainees. The Malhornesi would be trained until they reached age fifteen, at which time they would be sent to the war. The ponies would run all day, fly or do upper body exercises at night, and only sleep for five hours every week. The tests would become harder as they aged, forcing them to work together, and become a team. As they aged they would grow close to their fellow soldiers, becoming prepared for the final test. The sergeants were permitted to be extremely cruel and violent due to the fact that the third generation ponies reproduced very fast. The punishments for minuscule infractions became severe, and not often but sometimes entire regiments would hate their sergeants so much that they would rise against them and murder them. This may help some people understand just how cruel these officers could be. At the end of their training when the ponies became age fourteen there would be a tournament. Two Malhornesi would face off to the death, each Malhornesi would fight at least once. The Malhornesi were forced to kill the only people they had known their whole life, to prove they were ready for the war.

The three third generation Malhornesi, Somnus, Princeton, and Leech, were all in the same regiment. Since birth they all knew each other. Leech was the trusting, caring one. Somnus was the quiet, and intelligent one. And Princeton was the arrogant, prideful one. In the beginning of the training the three were inseparable. They would work together, share their food, and comfort one another. As the years passed they began to drift away from one another, Princeton became a prideful, rude soldier, the strongest in the regiment, and Somnus grew into a below average soldier, smaller and weaker than the rest. Leech was shorter than the others but was just as strong as Princeton. As they grew apart Somnus became an outcast. He was blind since birth and seen as a freak. For the chance of a Malhornesi becoming blind was below one percent. Princeton became the dominate Malhornesi of the regiment and grew into a prideful bully. He would beat up other ponies that annoyed him, secretly of course, but everyone knew who it was. Leech was just an average soldier, but he grew close to another Malhornesi warrior in their regiment: Rosetta.

As time went by Leech and Rosetta became normal soldiers neither special nor outcasts. They eventually began to feel for one another. One faithful night Leech confessed his deep feelings for the female Malhornesi, who responded by telling him she felt the same way. They would share their ideas and passions, and their gifts. Rosetta learned that she had a passion for writing and had been paying the sergeant with her weekly food amounts to teach her how to read and write. Leech on the other hand told her of his love for artwork. She would write magnificent narratives and Leech would turn her imagination to visual realities. But as time passed the Malhornesi couple fought together, grew together, and comforted one another when their seemed to be no hope. The beautiful Rosetta would sings sweet songs of their love while her love would create beautiful portraits of her. The only people who cared who these soldiers were, were each other; to the outside world they were noble volunteers who joined the cause, but they were really Malhornesi raised to fight and die for the new Equestria.

The Malhornesi had marched for hours, their hooves raw, bloody, and blistered. As they marched Princeton boasted loudly with another one of the regiment's larger soldiers. One of the smaller, exhausted ponies in back fell over out of dehydration. The squad was told to stop, and the second generation Malhornesi approached the unconscious pony. He raised his head and with it a whip rose magically levitating. For several minutes the sergeant relentlessly beat the laying pony. After sometime he commanded the soldiers to continue their march leaving the Malhornesi who had just been beaten to death before their eyes. As they moved along Princeton purposely lagged a second behind pushing the pony behind him to the ground. The sergeant brought his whip upon the pony that slowly raised until he stood at full height and began marching. For the next few hours Princeton laughed with another larger Malhornesi about the malicious trick he played.

The ponies ran through barbed wire, leaped over tall wooden walls, and dodged swinging axes and blades. The obstacle course stretched on for a mile. Leech lifted Rosetta above the inch deep pool of lava and flew her to the other side. Leech walked on the single wire that ran above a pool of water and electric eels. Rosetta waited for her turn to cross it. Behind her stood a tall, green, muscular Malhornesi. Princeton shoved Rosetta out of the way and lowered his head biting and snapping the thin cord Leech was balanced on. Leech fell straight into the still water and a nearby eel swam by him and bit on his left ear. As it electrocuted him it pulled back its head taking the tip of Leech's ear with it. The cold, pained Leech leaped out of the pool and flapped his way back to the beginning of the course. Princeton laughed and hoof bumped a nearby soldier. Rosetta filled with raged used her hind legs to buck Princeton head first into the cold, waiting water. As he emerged and passed by her he cursed her name and whispered profound things to her.

All the Malhornesi of one regiment were given the same birthday: the day their regiment was formed. It was on the ponies' fourteenth birthday when they were given the dreadful news: only half of them would go on to be soldiers. Each Malhornesi was given a rival, then they were then sent to a fighting arena. Leech was to fight with a massive Malhornesi twice his size, Aborior. Aborior was on Leech as soon as the bell rang, the massive pony crushing the smaller Malhornesi under his hooves. Aborior had his hooves crushing Leech's neck, but Leech reached up and tried, with futility, to throw the huge Malhornesi off him. He clenched the larger pony's sides while he lost he last breathe...then with a surge of energy Leech's legs extended a foot longer, and bulged with great muscles the now smaller pony was threw into the air and slammed against a nearby wall. The now taller Malhornesi swung his enormous hoof at Aborior. As the hoof met his snout, there was a loud series of cracks as the Malhornesi crushed his rival's skull. Leech then shrunk back to his previous size and an image of a black hole appeared on his flank. A endless energy sucking abyss. The victors were eventually called from their arenas and lined up, the sergeant then walked by each pony stating their rival and the victor.

Leech vs. Aborior Victor: Leech

Somnus vs. Baceolus Victor: Somnus

Decipiat vs. Potens Victor: Decipiat

Princeton vs. Rosetta Victor: Princeton

Leech just stood there, taking in what his sergeant had just said: The love of his life was gone forever. At first he denied it, looking down the line of Malhornesi to see Princeton, smiling covered in Rosetta's blood. Leech looked at the arrogant, cruel pony who had not only dominated the entire regiment but who had mercilessly assaulted a blind, helpless, pony (Somnus) and murdered Leech's love. Leech charged down the line and laid a heavy hoof across Princeton's face. He head snapped sideways with a loud thump. Princeton then looked at the shorter Malhornesi with hate, and quickly brought his forelegs up knocking Leech back with the sudden blow to the chin. He then brought his hooves down on the smaller creature's head shoving him into the dirt. He then turned 360 degrees hitting Leech in the face with his back left hoof; as Leech got up he was grabbed by the back of his neck and lifted up into the air by magic. The sergeant then walked Leech over to a warehouse neighboring the training arenas. Once they were inside the sergeant strapped Leech to a chair and got out his punishment tools. Nopony had ever dared to start a fight with a sergeant present. Leech's cries rang throughout the training camp and as he walked out of the warehouse, all the other Malhornesi could see the metal boots nailed to his feet. He was walked past all the other ponies by the sergeant, and when he reached the end he returned to his spot in line, only two ponies between him and the smiling Princeton.

Somnus

The fifty seventh regiment followed the magical trail left behind by the creatures of chaos. They had fled the battle that took place the day before. The Malhornesi followed the chaotic forces into the Barren Lands. The creatures of insanity had left death and destruction in their wake and were lead by draconequus. It was organized chaos as Discord had put it at the beginning of the war. Somnus chuckled to himself. "Organized Chaos," what a joke. The blind pony could fall in line and follow orders even without his sight. His lack of vision had forced him to rely on his other senses. His hearing was extraordinarily acute, his sense of smell was keen, and his ability to feel the slightest tremors was uncanny.  He did not fear dying for the cause of bringing order and prosperity to the world. He was brought up to understand he was created to fight the fight, to kill the unjust, and die for what was worth dying for. But he did fear one thing, a legend that had grown completely out of hand and spread like a wildfire to every pony in the army. The myth of the lord of darkness: Metus. He was said to be the bearer of all things malicious and evil. The legends spoke of his nameless power, completely unstoppable. It made sense, the only thing to fear: fear itself.

The Malhornesi all stood before their leader who informed them of the statistics. "...and by tomorrow we will be upon the enemy and they will be brought to justice, and order!" The warriors returned to their already set up tents. Somnus could hear the breathing of the two other ponies next to him. The tents were to be shared by three Malhornesi. He laid there while thinking he brushed his hooves across the scars that masked his body. He had a collection of terrible memories that went along with them. Training, battles, punishments. His body shook lightly as he pushed the memories away. Somnus ever so slowly began to slip into unconsciousness as his mind was concentrating, preparing him for the assault that was about to come.

The Malhornesi were up before the dawn. Their things were all packed away and at the commander's order they marched onward. After only two hours the ponies came to the base of a tall plateau. Their leader used her magic to teleport the thirty soldiers and herself atop the massive surface of the structure. The ponies set eyes upon a true sight to behold. The first beautiful scene of their lives was a long meadow with a blanket of rainbow colored flowers. Beyond the luscious colors of the weeds was a large, shadowy cave. The commander gave the signal and the warriors silently advanced on it. Several minutes later the squad was marching down into the dark tunnel system that made up the plateau's interior. The commander leading the troops turn to face the ponies, "Looks like there's nothi-" She was cut off by a blast of magic that smashed into her back. She fell forward dead. Her back was covered in large gashes, and deep cuts. Out of the darkness emerged a draconequus. He laughed as behind him the forces that fled their previous battle appeared. Then, they lunged.

Blood splattered against the cave walls and shrieks of pain and death filled everypony's ears. Though the Malhornesi were strong, they were now leaderless and taken by surprise. Most of them couldn't fight in the dark. Most of them. Somnus was used to complete darkness. He faded into the shadows. The blind Malhornesi would pop in and out of combat breaking necks and committing deadly strikes. But he emerged from the shadows to end the life of a distracted mantacore. A massive changeling in the form of a hell hound tackled him to the ground. It opened its jaw wide and was about to chomp down on Somnus's head, when another Malhornesi rammed into his side, jamming his twin horns into its side. He smiled down at Somnus and held out a hoof to help him up. Somnus could tell there was a outstretched hoof in his face, he reached up but only heard a loud cry as the pony was ripped off of Somnus and pulled into the darkness by a ravenous swarm of parasprites that feasted on his flesh. Somnus raised his head, which was slammed back down onto the cave floor by a burst of magic. He could feel the warm liquid pour down his face from a large hole that appeared in between his eyes. The Malhornesi collected himself again and stood tall. His senses were overwhelmed by the smell and taste of blood, the sharp cries of pain that came from his fellow Malhornesi, and the sticky wet floor that rested beneath his hooves.

Little did he know the battle was lost, he was one of the last four soldiers still standing. His instincts took over and his flared open his eyes. Instead of a pale white they were now golden as he could see. For the first (and the last) time in his life, he saw the ground. It was far below him as he floated into the air. His entire body glowed as the magic that had been stored in his body his whole life erupted. The magic exploded outwards in a transparent wave, putting every creature in the vicinity into an endless sleep of death, all except two newly laid dragon eggs that rested at the heart of the tunnel system. He fell to the ground exhausted, his sight fading away once again. His eyelids closed only a moment after he saw a cutie mark appear on his flank: golden sparkles of sleeping dust that showed he was the caretaker of dreams and sleep.

Malhornesi Soldiers: Informative

First Generation Malhornesi

Priscilla was one of the first Malhornesi to volunteer for the Army of the Alicorn Princesses and she not only shows a ability to strongly unite others, but she is also known for her amazing ability of fore site. Nopony alive besides the princesses knows her birth name, which she holds with the utmost secrecy. She was accepted into the army because of her natural talents which made up for her lack of physical strength. And for her ability to unify people helped encourage others, even other species, to join the princesses in their struggle. Also, her ability of fore site would become useful in battle strategies, and troop movements. Her cutie mark is a diamond heart with a matrix of crystals inside it.

Lionheart was one of the first Malhornesi to volunteer for the Army of Alicorn Princesses and she is the enbodiment of courage and self respect.  She refused a warrior's name staying known as Lionheart. She would inspire teams of Malhornesi with courage and hope, and she too gave other species confidence that the rule of chaos could be overthrown. She was a very well build pony and soldier, for she possessed enormous strength, speed, and perseverance. Her cutie mark was a steel shield with the face of a lion crested upon it.

Second Generation Malhornesi

Another commander's given military name is Pandora. Her birth name is Cometspot; she is the second generation Malhornesi that is embodiment of enlightenment and battle strategy.

Another commander's given military name was Padmé. Her birth name was Kismet; she was the second generation Malhornesi that is the embodiment of fate, or destiny. Kismet would never do anything she believed went against the natural order of fate, or that wasn't supposed to happen. She also believed that there was an unknown force that governed all things, and had a great plan. She would also get a strange feeling in her horn when a nearby pony was about to fulfill their destiny.

Third Generation Malhornesi

Ambrose was a third generation soldier during the Struggle for Control with Discord. Ambrose's cutie mark is a flaming dragon insignia, and he represents the desire to cause others ill will.

Leech was a third generation soldier during the Struggle for Control with Discord. Leech is a third generation Malhornesi who has the ability to live off magical energy and electricity, a parasite; and his cutie mark is an endless abyss: a black hole.

Princeton was a third generation soldier during the Struggle for Control with Discord. Princeton's cutie mark was a top hat and a monocle, and he represented great pride, and arrogance.

Penthea was a third generation soldier during the Struggle for Control with Discord. Penthea's cutie mark was skull with two crossed bones behind it, and she represents sickness, plague, and starvation.

Somnus was a third generation soldier during the Struggle for Control with Discord. Somnus's cutie mark was of sleeping dust, and he was the Malhornesi who represented dreams, and sleep.

During a battle with the lord of chaos, Discord, he became aggravated and blasted the enemy Malhornesi deep into the unexplored parts of the Barren Lands, where they would search for thousands of years for a way out...