The Shadow of a King
Weapons and Warriors (Part 1)
Author: Draconis187

The Thunderhawk’s engines roared as they propelled the craft into the upper atmosphere. The ride for Spitfire was uncomfortable to say the least as the craft was buffeted by turbulence and let down by old, poor-quality parts. The Thunderhawk was in desperate need for a Techpriest and repair rites.

Angelos gazed at Spitfire with a stoic expression, his hands resting on the head of his hammer as the Thunderhawk continued to shake about. The rest of the men around her kept their weapons ready with their fingers near the triggers. The tension was palpable and the near silence made the scene even more harrowing as they all gazed at her with those green, soulless eyes.

As the Thunderhawk left the atmosphere and reached space, the ride became more comfortable. At the far end of the compartment she and the men were in was a large grey chest with a golden, eagle-like symbol on the top. Martellus had placed the six strange items inside it for safe keeping, as per Angelos’ orders.

“When we get back to the Litany of Fury,” Angelos began to say, looking directly at Spitfire. “You are going to talk.”

Spitfire shrank back in fear and said nothing. Martellus looked at her and back at his captain. “Sir, it may be more beneficial if we were to reduce our hostilities. This creature clearly poses no threat.”

“That may be, Martellus but my experience has taught me to never lower my guard when encountering the unknown.” Angelos replied curtly.

The Thunderhawk shook violently as it landed in a hanger within the Litany of Fury’s roughly an hour later. A contingent of Space Marines awaited Angelos as the doors opened, saluting as he walked past with their new prisoner following behind him carefully.

The inside of the battle barge was nothing short of a maze of steel, noise and discipline. Marines saluted as she was escorted by the Captain to her new home, a cold cell near what she was sure to be the lowest possible level of the ship. The facilities were less than satisfactory but Spitfire could call herself lucky as Angelos could have easily just killed her.

As she was forced into the cell, Angelos closed the door and relaxed his grip on his hammer for the first time. A few moments passed in total silence as the two stared at each other: one with fear, the other with mistrust and uncertainty.

“Name,” Angelos commanded flatly.

“S-Spitfire,” The mare replied.

“I am going to ask you a series of questions, Spitfire. If you do not answer truthfully, I shall see no further use for me to keep you around and I shall put you out of your misery.” Angelos warned.

Spitfire nodded her head, “I sh-shall answer to the best o-of my knowledge.”

Angelos nodded his head, “Where do you hail from?”

“Equestria. I come from a land known as Equestria,” Spitfire responded, easing up and sitting on her rump.

“Where is it?” Angelos asked.

“If I knew, I would’ve gone back.” Spitfire responded. “I have no knowledge of how to return.”

“Stuck… Isolated…” Angelos said slowly. Spitfire nodded at each word. “Are you certain you can not return?”

“All I know is that I do not know if I can,” Spitfire responded.

“You shall remain confined to these accommodations for the time being,” Angelos said. “When you require sustenance, ask one of your cell guards. I shall return when I have more questions. For now, I have matters regarding those Orks that needs tending to.”

**** **** **** ****

Luna was laid down on the floor as Dr. Holiday continued to question her. While the Lunar Princess silently commended the disembodied voice’s curiosity, she was getting anxious to being confined to a room. It felt like a prison cell and she began to despise it greatly.

“How are you able to manipulate gravity?” Dr. Holiday asked with curiosity. The more she found out about Luna’s home and her abilities, the more intrigued she became.

Luna raised an eyebrow, “Manipulate gravity? That’s a complex spell with various applications.” She recalled the report Twilight gave her sister and herself when she and the group returned from the Crystal Empire.

“Is that what you used to pick up the plate and the food?” Holiday asked once again.

Luna shook her head, “No. That is basic telekinesis. All unicorns learn this basic spell before any other.”

“Dr. Holiday, have you been here all night?” Holiday turned around with a small gasp but sighed when she saw it was Six. He showed no reaction. “I’ll take that as a ‘yes.’”

“Sorry, Six. It’s just that this creature is so… unique,” Holiday apologised. “A being that supposedly has control over the very stars is unbelievable and yet I find myself thinking she’s telling the truth. I… want to believe…”

Six merely raised an eyebrow. “Regardless, you should get some rest.”

Holiday nodded her head and said farewell to Luna as she left the monitoring room. Rex came in as she left, yawning and stretching his arms.

“So what did I miss?” He asked as his shoulders popped from his stretching exercises.

“Nothing,” Six said. “I suggest we leave this creature alone for the time being and focus on our current objective.”

“Riight… which was what exactly?” Rex asked, smiling sheepishly.

“Finding Van Kleiss,” Six deadpanned.

“Oh… him,” Rex was visibly irritated by the mention of the man he had very mixed feelings about but most of them bordered on distrust to borderline hate. “Are we going to search Abysus?”

“Not yet,” Six replied. “First we need to make sure Van Kleiss is in Abysus before we can begin preparations.”

“So till then?” Rex asked, dreading the answer.

“We train,” Six said coolly.

Rex groaned as he and Six left the room, leaving Luna in hers without anyone to talk to. She gazed at her surroundings once more, still coming to terms with the fact that if she left and got exposed for too long to the outside world, she could end up a monster.

What they didn’t know is that she had been a monster once, though it was nothing like the ones Holiday described to her. As Luna laid down on the cold, white floor, a small chime came from behind her. It was her ‘meal bell’ to be accurate. Luna shook her head as she gazed at her rather lacklustre meal.

“A princess eating food of this quality?” She mumbled as she chewed on a carrot. “If I was not starving, I’d have sent the chef to the sun. As my sister would say: ‘where’s the cake?’”

A few hours passed in silence, Luna thanked her stars they had the decency to supply her with a toilet and some semblance of a bed for the duration of her stay. More like confinement. She thought bitterly.

Luna felt something… odd as she laid on the bed. She felt something invigorating her and it took her a few seconds for her subconscious to inform her conscious that it was currently the night cycle outside her room. She could feel a connection with the world beyond her room, attaching itself to the stars and the glowing orb hovering in the far distance.

“They have a moon as well…” She said softly, smiling as her body and mind calmed down immensely, leaving her at peace.

She knew she was worlds apart, severed from her true moon and her sister but the moon of this world gave her some comfort, as if silently telling her that everything will work its way to balance once again.

Her musing was abruptly interrupted as a larger panel opened itself up. She gazed at the empty addition to her room with confusion and curiosity.

“Your Majesty,” White’s voice said over Luna’s intercom system in her room. “I do believe it is about time you and I spoke face to face.”

**** **** **** ****

It was several hours until Angelos returned to Spitfire’s cell. The guards he had posted to watch over her were enormous, metal clad men carrying a shield and hammer. Their armour was mostly red with white and gold. They had large, white helmets with the same disturbing green eyes as the others. They were stoic and spoke little, if at all as they ignored her for the most part.

Angelos acknowledged the Terminators and they left to take up a position near the entrance so Angelos would not be interrupted, at least, not without sufficient warning and permission. He still had his hammer but he placed a large, metal chest on the ground between him and Spitfire’s cell bars.

The chest was identical to the one she spotted inside the Thunderhawk but for all intents and purposes, there could have been a number of such chests. Angelos regarded Spitfire with his usual glare.

“Now, Spitfire. In this chest are the items we recovered with you,” He said, slowly and clearly. “You are going to tell me what they are.”

The chest hissed as the locks were disengaged, small gouts of smoke came out from the locks as the pressure inside the chest and the ship normalised with each other. Angelos reached in and pulled out a pair of gauntlets.

“Tell me: what are these?” He asked.

Spitfire looked at them strangely. How could they think she knew about them? They didn’t even look like they were made for a pony, they had fingers for Celestia’s sake! Spitfire shook her head vehemently.

“I am sorry but I do not know what those are. I haven’t seen them before in my life,” She answered honestly and sincerely.

Angelos frowned and placed them back in the chest to pull out a pair of boots. Again he was disappointed when Spitfire didn’t know what they were. This process repeated as the last two items were brought out, much to Angelos’ chagrin.

“I see…” He said, sealing the chest back up as all the items were returned to their current home. “There is nothing left to discuss other than what the Orks wanted with you.”

“I do not know. After I tried to search around the area to get a grip with my surroundings, I was shot at and… there he was. All angry, foul-smelling and ugly,” Spitfire replied. Then a fear-filled thought entered her mind as a realisation made itself known. “Y-you’re not going to k-kill me now, are you?”

“Why do you think that?” He asked, his face unmoving like a professional poker player.

“You said if I am of no use, you’d kill me,” She said, backing away.

Angelos sighed, “You misunderstand. I said if you did not answer truthfully, I would end you. You showed no signs of deception when I asked you and I do not perceive that there is a need to end you just yet.”

Spitfire gulped, “‘Y-yet?’”

Angelos nodded, “We are currently leaving Typhon to assist a skirmish with Orks on one of the planets in Sub-Sector Aurelia. Planet Calderis to be exact, we have received some… rather disturbing reports regarding an old friend of mine.”

Spitfire just looked at him, “What are you going to do with me?”

Angelos thought for a moment, “Tell me… what size are you?”

**** **** **** ****

The ride up to White Knight’s White Room was uneventful and Luna received a sense of vertigo from her trip. As the doors opened up, she stepped into the room from the side. To her left was another door, presumably the exit/entrance to this White Room. On her right was a white desk with a middle aged, white haired man in a white suit, sitting behind it with an odd set of devices nearby.

Little did she know that that was how he knew what was going on inside Providence at any given moment. At his desk he could see everything within the colossal building with a simple press of a button. In front of his desk was a low bench, presumably for her to lay on so they could be at eye level.

He looked at Luna with a neutral expression but Luna spoke first, “What is your name?”

“I am White Knight. You are Princess Luna or so you keep telling everyone,” He said. Luna could hear the distrust and borderline dislike for her in his voice. She could tell she and he were not going to get along.

“Your words ring true, Mr. Knight,” Luna said, slowly moving towards him. She sat down on the bench and stared into his eyes.

“Forgive me if I do not leap off my seat and start bowing,” White said callously.

“I do not expect you to. What you will do is stop talking to me as if you are beneath me,” Luna said with mild irritation.

“E.V.O.s are always beneath me. You may not have nanites but that doesn’t mean you weren’t some experiment performed by radicals,” He deadpanned.

“I am not some experiment. Why did you call me up here? I do not believe it was for us to develop the animosity we are currently building between us,” Luna said, derailing the current topic before she did something White would regret.

“I brought you up here so I could see you for myself. Rex claims that you have no nanites but you are still an abomination. I am trying to figure out why I shouldn’t let you take your chances with the world and see what monster you turn into,” White said callously.

“I am no monster!” Luna said angrily. If there was one thing she despised, it was talking about anything that reminded her of her past sins.

Her hoof made contact with the desk, cracking it from the force. White didn’t even flinch nor move a muscle. He simply sat and looked at her with the same cold expression.

“I see you have emotional issues… not entirely unlike someone else I do not care much about,” White said, his hands clasped together in front of his mouth.

“You are the leader here, I presume?” Luna asked, calming herself down with an old breathing exercise she was taught as a filly.

White nodded, “I am but I am the one asking the questions. I will tell you what you need to know when the situation dictates it.”

Luna smirked, “That may be but I will get all of my answers from you, willing or not.”

In a moment, her horn lit up brightly, making White avert his eyes from Luna. A few tendrils of energy came from the tip and latched onto White’s skull, holding it in place while one pressed against his forehead.

“Do not struggle,” Luna comforted. “This doesn’t hurt a bit.”

White struggled in her magical grasp but in the end it was useless as the one tendril against his forehead phased through his skull, making his body go limp as it turned off his nerves. There was only Luna and her probing magic since the meeting appeared to be unofficial.

Her eyes glowed pure white as she sifted through White’s recent memories, going backwards as she was not interested in his life-story but rather his knowledge of the world she was in. Being the Alicorn of the Night granted her a few abilities Celestia regarded as intrusive or unethical, probing the minds of others with ease and entering the dreams of others being two of them.

White’s mind was nothing more than an open book and she a knowledge-hungry student. All the events for the course of six years flooded her mind, sorted and stored away for her to mull over later. Drained of what knowledge he had to offer, she gently placed him down.

White was sweating profusely from the violation of his mind. He looked at Luna with a mixture of shock, disgust and pure hate. Luna on the other hoof didn’t care at all, as she had gotten enough information to pass the time in her room.

“You… monster…” White said, breathing heavily. “How… dare you…”

Luna scoffed, “You are not a patron saint yourself, Mr. White. You are rather ruthless and uncaring. It is of no surprise to me that you have no friends.”

Luna simply turned around and walked back to where the elevator was, “Our discussion is over. When you are in a better mood, we can talk properly.”

Luna’s magic seeped into the doorway and overrode the mechanisms inside, forcing it to open. White’s knowledge of Providence, its layout and how all the technology in his room and hers worked would prove highly advantageous for her.

**** **** **** ****

The basement of Twilight’s library lit up as Spike pressed the light switch. He was unsure of whether it would work but it was all he had. He may not have his Twilight but there was another one he could talk to, even if it was not the same.

Spike walked up to the false wall Twilight had cast the illusion spell and walked through it. The moment the spell felt the disturbance, it dispelled entirely. Spike merely had to step back again as the circuit closed and energy began to pour into the Celestial Archway behind him.

The tarp covering it began to billow from a wind originating from underneath it, soon making it fly off with speed and collide with a nearby wall before slumping into a heap. Spike had hoped that would happen since his small body lacked the strength to pull it off on his own.

The sound of the hissing gas brought Spike’s attention as an image began to form. In the image was the other laboratory that Nyx’s Twilight had but it was empty. Empty in the sense that neither Spike’s counterpart nor Twilight were to be seen, usually whenever his Twilight activated the Archway, one of them was nearby.

“Hello?!” Spike shouted into the portal.

At first there was no response so Spike continued to shout into it. Again and again the young dragon shouted into the image, clinging desperately to his only hope only to find it slipping away with each passing cry.

Spike’s eyes began to well up as his hope died out once again. He pinned all he had on this gamble and yet it didn’t work. As he turned around to open the Archway’s circuit, an orange hit him in the back of the head.

“Ow! What the!?” Spike looked at the orange with utter confusion as he turned his gaze to the portal. Again there was nothing there other than the empty room on the other end.

He began to look around the room and found he was still alone. Owlowiscious was still up on the second floor, reading a book to keep his mind off Twilight’s disappearance while Peewee was fast asleep in his nest near Spike’s bed.

“This isn't funny!” Spike shouted to the unknown thrower.

“Are you kidding?! That was hilarious!” A familiar sound said from within the room.

“Rainbow Dash, is that you?!” He asked to the air.

“Hey! Eyes here!” The voice said, drawing Spike’s attention to the cyan mare laughing at him from the other side of the portal. “Twi’s got some interesting things down here. Wish she told us about this thing. How’d you get there anyway?”

At that point Spike’s heart crashed and burned completely. That wasn’t his Rainbow Dash: she had no Nevan bat hair clip in her mane. He knew she never left her home without it.

“Why the long face?” Dash asked.

“Can you get Twilight, Dash?” Spike asked slowly.

Rainbow nodded her head slowly in confusion and flew out of sight in the blink of an eye. Spike was on his own again until Nyx’s Dash found her Twilight. “At least it works…”

**** **** **** ****

“It’s freezing,” Train complained as Sven drove the group to their new target: Igor Planter.

“It’s winter,” Twilight replied with slight annoyance.

“Yeah? Well why does winter have to be so damn cold?” Train shot back.

“Twilight’s not the one who sold their only coat, Train. And what are those things on your chest? Emergency meat rations?” Sven asked incredulously.

“He said they were ‘meat patties,’” Eve said flatly as she read a book.

“Pretty cool, huh?” Train asked with pride.

“I wouldn’t go that far but I will say that your style is rather unique,” Twilight replied.

Train had gotten rid of his old attire, fully severing his ties to Chronos. He had a blue half-jacket over a white shirt and kept the black pants. The holster for Hades was now completely visible to any who looked his way. The ‘meat patties’ were stitched to the chest area of his half-jacket in four places.

At that moment Sven sneezed on Train, “Oh jeez! What was that?! And you call yourself a gentleman?!”

Sven ignored his insult, “You know what? It is kinda cold.”

“You could at least get the heater fixed,” Train reminded.

“We don’t have the money,” Sven stressed.

“Well what happened to all the money we’ve gotten on all the jobs I’ve been helping on?” Train asked.

Twilight and Nyx tuned out the argument between the two men as Sven began to shout. The pair didn’t need anything warm thanks to their coats, it was a lot colder in Equestria by comparison. Eve had also failed to care about the argument before her, fully engrossed in her book.

Several hours later the group arrived in a place called Desburg after pushing Sven’s car since it ran out of fuel three miles prior to their arrival. A small town near a river seemed to be the perfect place for a convicted felon to call home. The group walked into a diner and sat down, with Twilight and Nyx sitting with them as well. If anyone was going to kick up a stink, they could just talk and scare people into serving them.

The Desburg Café was rather desolate as Sven and Train’s heads met the table in exhaustion. Twilight refused to have Nyx push and Eve was a young girl so she was out. Twilight had exhausted herself as she helped them with her magic until the exertion of moving a metal contraption weighing over a ton took its toll.

“We should hurry up to catch this man,” Eve said flatly. Nyx nodded her head in agreement at the bounty poster they had taken with them.

“Igor Planter the forest ranger?” Train asked. “He sounds like a really boring guy living a really boring life so why should we rush ourselves?”

“We don’t even know where he’s hiding,” Sven said.

“I’m too tired,” Twilight complained as her head finally met the table.

“Fine, I’ll go,” Eve said, reaching for the bounty poster.

Train took it out of Eve’s reach quickly, “I don’t think so, Princess. You’re crazy to think about going after him on your own.”

Nyx’s insides immediately turned from the name as she looked at Eve. It was still a sour point in her life and yet someone she didn’t even know managed to dredge it up in an instant. She knew that he didn’t know any better but it didn’t help her from feeling a little down.

“You think I’m a princess?” Eve asked with a small confused look on her face.

Sven chuckled, “‘Princess.’ Good one Train.”

Eve’s confused look quickly turned to an annoyed one as the waitress arrived. After a very awkward reunion with her and Sven, their drinks and food came soon after. Train gorged himself on a very substandard – in his eyes – meal as it was all hey could afford at the moment.

The hanging bell above the door rang as a young, lavender haired woman entered the room. Sven nearly popped a blood vessel as he recognised the woman as Rinslet Walker. She had a red, heart-shaped pendant around her neck, attached to a golden chain. She had a dark green overcoat with a yellow vest underneath and a pair of brown shorts.

As Sven and Rinslet began to catch up with each other, Train continued to devour the food that lay before him like a warmonger cleaving their way through a battlefield. It wasn’t until the waitress recognised Igor on the poster did they all realise that Nyx and Eve had vanished. Twilight immediately let them have it when she came to.

**** **** **** ****

Joystick, Rarity and Siegfried were eventually saved by a passing merchant vessel. They didn’t ask too many questions and kept their distance as the group managed to keep a hold on their weapons. The captain was quite friendly but since Cervantes a.k.a. Stern Cave was just as friendly, they were a little paranoid.

As they sat in the quarters they were given, Siegfried looked at Rarity with interest. During his battle with Cervantes, he noticed the small transformation the mare went through and was curious.

“Care to tell me what happened?” He asked as Requiem was placed on the floor within arm’s reach.

“Care to tell us about that man and what he wanted, darling?” Rarity countered with a mischievous grin on her face.

Siegfried sighed, “It’s personal.”

“It’s personal and yet whenever someone attacks, they call you ‘Nightmare’ or ask for some Soul Edge,” Joystick said. “We need to know since we are journeying together.”

“I didn’t ask for you to come with me,” Siegfried replied.

“Maybe, but you’re the only person we know and trust… despite the trouble you appear to attract,” Rarity said as she jumped onto one of the beds. “Much better…”

Joystick chuckled softly, “Happy now, Rarity?”

“I will be when I’ve groomed myself properly but now I’m too tired,” Rarity said softly.

“Who are you and what have you done with Rarity? The Rarity I know would have jumped at the chance to groom herself from the get-go,” Joystick said.

“That Trigger is taxing and we’ve been in an absolutely freezing ocean for Celestia knows how long so forgive me if I pride my beauty sleep over my fashion habits,” Rarity replied before closing her eyes.

“Alright then,” Joystick said as Rarity soon fell asleep. He turned his attention to Siegfried as the package he carried was carefully placed on his bed and pressed up against the wall. “Is that what he wanted?”

Siegfried didn’t look at him, “Leave it alone.”

“Bu-”

“I said ‘leave it alone,’” Siegfried’s tone told Joystick the topic was not up for discussion.

“Alright then. Where is the ship making dock?” Joystick asked, changing the subject.

“Egypt,” He replied flatly.

“Where’s that?” Joystick asked again.

“Africa,” Siegfried responded.

“Not up for an actual talk?” Joystick asked, finally getting on Siegfried’s nerves.

“No, and if I wanted to talk to someone it would not be with a creature that should not even exist!” Siegfried hissed softly to not wake up Rarity. He was face to face with Joystick, his rage pouring out from his eyes and making the unicorn stallion take a few steps back, his ears pressed against his head.

“Alright… I just wanted to know. You’re our friend after all… Friends stick together,” Joystick said weakly as he backed off towards his bed.

“I do not desire… a false salvation,” Siegfried said softly as he laid back on his bed, looking up at the ceiling. “Damned Soul Edge…”

**** **** **** ****

The botanical gardens was dark as the sun had almost finished setting in the horizon, bathing the giant conservatory in an orange glow. Eve and Nyx had been asking around for the gardens – mostly Eve since the moment Nyx spoke, people ran as quickly as they could – and they soon found it.

Tending to his plants was a man in a straw hat and denim overalls with straps over his shoulders. He was humming a small tune as he transplanted some beautiful flowers into the bed and stood back, admiring his work.

The pair walked down some stairs towards him as the man sat down by a table where a strange nearly white bottle with black markings and a small book were placed on. Alastor arced a few times, despising the tranquil scene he had been brought into.

“I’m sorry but the garden is closed for today,” The man said with a sincere smile.

“Who are you?” Eve asked flatly.

“I forgot my name a long time ago. No need for one when you have plants for friends,” The man responded, not missing a beat as if he had rehearsed the line several times.

Nyx had walked towards the table with Eve and leapt up onto the table. As Eve spoke to the man, Nyx’s eyes caught the man’s signature next to a line drawing of some flowers: Igor Planter.

“Eve! It’s him!” Nyx shouted happily. Alastor sighed with relief, praying that the man would put up a fight.

Igor turned around in shock, “Did that thing just speak?!”

Eve ignored his outburst entirely, “We found you.”

“Are you playing a game with me?” Igor asked incredulously, keeping his eyes on Nyx.

Eve pulled out the poster she took from Train earlier before the pair left and presented it to Igor. “We are what you would call ‘Sweepers.’”

“‘Sweepers?’ Both of you?” He asked, reaching for the bottle. “Why?”

“You killed two hikers,” Nyx said sadly as she recounted what Sven told them what he was convicted for.

“They were killing the plants what was I supposed to do!?” He exclaimed, his personality shifting on its head.

“Not kill them,” Eve responded with no hint of emotion in her voice.

“Tell me… would you kill an innocent flower?” He said, walking up to Eve, making her retreat a little. She stepped back and her foot landed into the flowerbed, crushing a magnolia. “Don’t step on the flowers!!”

He swung at Eve with a hoe, aiming to bash her head in. As it neared her head, she got tackled to the ground by Nyx, sparing her from Igor’s attack.

“Thanks,” Eve said as she got up, finding they had wound up in the flowers, crushing them with their bodies.

Igor bellowed with rage as he popped the cork of the strange bottle and drank. He picked up some form of fertiliser and threw it, the lip of the bag open, allowing the contents to spill out into the ground. Thick, green vines burst from the ground, wrapping Eve and Nyx’s bodies up.

“You think you have the world fooled but I can see you for the monster you truly are,” Igor said, his voice deepened from the drink for some odd reason. “You look all sweet and innocent on the outside and yet that’s all a façade for the demon within you.”

Nyx was unable to tell if he was referring to her or Eve. But his intent became clearer as he walked up to the Alicorn. “You… you will never escape the sins of your past. They will always be there, haunting you to the end of your days!”

Nyx felt on the verge of tears at his outburst. She was still just a filly in body and - in some regards - so were her thoughts. Her past was always there to remind her of what she had done in both worlds. She may be a hero in one but she still carries the guilt of her past sins in the other.

“Ah!” Igor shouted, clutching his body in pain. Nyx turned around to see Eve had severed one of the vines holding her, with a blade that came from the end of her arm.

Eve’s true nature as a bio-weapon reared its head as the blade continued to slice through the rest of the vines, making them fall to the floor to rot. Igor shouted in pain and left Nyx alone long enough for her to collect herself and grab Alastor in her magic.

Igor’s pain intensified as the lightning blade tore straight through her binds with nary a care. She fell to the ground and stumbled, having forgotten she had been pulled into the air and that she had wings that could have softened the fall.

“Damn you!” Igor shouted as Eve and Nyx stood side by side, blade-hand raised and Alastor in hoof.

He took another draught of the bottle, finishing it off as his body warped from the contents of the bottle. His muscles grew in mass and definition, it made him look like a professional bodybuilder. Several vines similar to the ones he had sprout from the ground came out of his back as well and his complexion became green.

Eve’s eyes showed the expression of shock, making Igor chuckle. “Like it?”

More vines burst from the ground, wrapping them up and gripping Nyx by her horn, cutting off her concentration as her horn felt like it was on fire from the pain coming from the vine’s vice-like grip. The vines had also wrapped around the barrel of her body, pressing her wings uncomfortably against her sides.

A massive flower burst from the ground with razor-sharp teeth and ready to eat both Eve and Nyx in one go. Igor chuckled as the head opened up. “You two will make excellent feed for my garden.”

In an instant the chaos came to a standstill as a gunshot rang out, coming from the entrance, “Sorry to keep you waiting, Princess.”

“Train!” Eve said happily as she landed on the ground, thanks to Train’s bullet severing the vine, allowing her to cut the rest.

Another shot from Hades rang out, allowing Nyx to cut herself free. She fell to the ground where Eve caught her, carefully putting her on the ground before the blade she had turned her hand into reappeared.

“I’ll make… you all pay!!” Igor shouted as more vines burst from the ground and came at the group.

Train deftly dodged the vines with grace and incredible speed. Eve sliced the vines as they came for her while Nyx did the same. Igor began to look smug as the group continued to dance around.

“Do you like flowers?” Igor asked maliciously.

Before train could answer, a very thin vine flew past Train’s eyes, spewing a pink mist. Sadly for Train, Nyx intercepted it by sheer reflex and they both got sprayed in the eyes, blinding them. Distracted, Eve got tied up again by the one trick pony Igor Planter.

Gunshots and a highly ticked off Twilight in Rage Mode burst through into the gardens. Magenta blades tore through the stem of the giant flower, sending its head to the ground. Sven and Rinslet had pulled out conventional handguns and pelted Igor with bullets to no effect.

Nyx flailed about as her eyes stung harshly, Use me.

“Wha-?” Nyx said aloud.

There is a reason you are not a mare! Alastor bellowed in Nyx’s mind, Use me!

Nyx felt about her body for the blade and gripped the handle tightly. She concentrated as the blade began to arc with increasing intensity. Air began to blow about as the sky above darkened. A blast of lightning blew a giant hole through the conservatory, travelling towards her, using Alastor like a lightning rod as Nyx Devil Triggered. The action distracted Igor’s focus long enough for Train to aim Hades at the pendant Igor had hanging around his neck.

A single gunshot ran out as Hades pierced the pendant and tore into Igor’s shoulder. At first Igor didn’t so much as flinch until the wound burst out with green blood akin to sap from a tree.

“What’s happening?” Igor said with confusion and fear as his body began to contort horribly.

Two minutes later, Sven lit a cigarette while Nyx fell out of her DAT state but idly enough remained a fully grown mare. Twilight explained that it was most likely due to Alastor tricked Nyx into Triggering and pouring demonic energy into her body and making her a full grown mare once more. It was how she explained the last time she had a ‘growth spurt.’

Igor Planter stood in the botanical gardens, a common tree and making their bounty worthless. The group had no choice but to turn around and give up on getting any money for the time being.

**** **** **** ****

The trip into Egypt was uneventful as the group parted ways with the captain, thanking him for rescuing them. Egypt was a desolate, barren desert, save for the odd pyramid and a little flora dotting the landscape sporadically.

“So, where are we off to next, darling?” Rarity asked.

“We head for the Far East but by foot this time. I’ve had enough boat travel to last me a lifetime,” Siegfried said callously as he walked off into the desert, showing contempt for the heat and sand.

The three trekked into the landscape once Siegfried paid for some provisions that Joystick offered to carry. Rarity refused profusely to carry anything heavy and so carried their food and drink. To her chagrin, the food and water were actually heavy but Siegfried’s expression told her there was no take backs.

The good thing about the boundless desert was the fact that it was impossible to get ambushed as there was almost nothing to hide behind. Despite this comforting thought, Siegfried maintained constant vigilance, especially when the package on his back began to react to something.

In the distance stood a temple, a form of worshiping grounds to a deity long since forgotten. The walls were weathered, eroded from the sand as it acted like sandpaper, slowly scuffing the sandstone down. It stood several stories high and would provide excellent shelter from the sun.

“We stay here till nightfall. Easier to walk when the heat is gone,” Siegfried stated.

The unicorns nodded their heads as they placed their provisions down. It wasn’t much but Siegfried had some money with him, quite a bit actually. It made Rarity question his background somewhat but given the fact he put up a proverbial wall whenever they wanted to learn about him, she decided to ignore her curiosity.

As they waited for the sun to set, Siegfried found an empty hall to train himself. It kept his combat skills and his senses in top form, lest the unexpected occurred and he was unprepared. Requiem swung in the air as Siegfried trained. Rarity and Joystick decided to leave him alone to his musings and weapon.

“What is his damage?” Joystick asked.

“He’s scarred,” Rarity said with a hint of sorrow in her voice, “He may not say it but I can see it in his eyes. He did something he wished to take back but can’t… he needs a friend even if he won’t admit it just yet.”

Joystick nodded his head in understanding, “Alright. He’ll open up when he’s ready…”

“Yes he will. And he will find the both of us there when he does,” Rarity said with a smile.

**** **** **** ****

“Dragons!” A griffon shouted as a massive number of dragons were identified and began to swoop down on them.

“They want a piece of us?!” Bloodwing cried out. “Tell the fleet to come about and let’s give them a show!”

The ships, including the Arbiter groaned as they were forcibly turned around hard, bringing the dragons within in sight of a full broadside attack. The 54th Fleet all floated in a line, weapons ready as the dragons flew closer.

“Wait for it… wait for it…” Bloodwing said slowly, the gunners in the airships were hanging on his every word, claws by the firing controls, ready to press at a moment’s notice. “Fire!”

The Fleet fired in unison, a massive deafening shockwave echoed through the sky and made trees below lose their foliage instantly as the shockwave alone tore them off. Dragons fell to the ground in droves from the attack, making Bloodwing smile.

“Reload and ready to fire again!” Bloodwing ordered.

The sounds of cannons reloading on the firing decks rang through the ships as new targets were allocated to each ship. The dragons were either stupid or brave but Bloodwing did not care in the slightest, they would all line the ground at the end of the day.

“Fire!” Bloodwing shouted. “Bring us about and ready the main gun!”

The helmsgriffon responded and the Arbiter’s bow faced the dragons and the blast doors concealing the Revengeance opened up to allow the massive gun to fire.

“Fire!” Bloodwing shouted once again.

The shockwave of the improved Revengeance rang through the landscape, the shockwave visible for a mile before dissipating. The Arbiter rocked violently from the shockwave as the recoil was greatly increased due to the new firing mechanisms in the base of the gun.

Griffons shouted, holding onto the most stable thing they could find and found only one Griffon to be laughing. Bloodwing picked himself off the floor with a smile on his face. “Now that was fun!”

**** **** **** ****

Trixie and Applejack were beaming, proud of their achievement once the horror they had faced was far away from them. The Rogues were going to sweep the Monastery to get rid of any remaining creatures while the pair went with Deckard Cain and Warriv to Lut Gholein.

The pair had finally noticed they were covered in blood, sweat and dust surprisingly. On their way they did encounter a spring before the grassy, forest-ridden lands gave way to rolling hills of sand. The heat was nigh unbearable due to the ponies’ warm coats. Applejack was used to working in the heat but this was unprecedented levels of heat and zero humidity.

“How much longer is it until we reach Lut Gholein?” Trixie asked as she drank from her third flask of water, lapping up the precious liquid as if it were the only thing that mattered.

“I apologise,” Warriv replied. “Lut Gholein is still another couple of days from here.”

“Another couple of days?!” Trixie shouted incredulously. “How can this be?!”

“Lut Gholein is not only in the desert, it is also on the coast.” Deckard Cain responded, “No doubt the Dark Wanderer has made his way here after bringing Andariel to thwart our attempt to pursue him.”

“‘Pursue?’ We don’t even know ‘im!” Applejack said as the wind howled, making the mares grip their hats tightly. “Confound this wind!”

That was the end of their conversation as the group carried on, trekking through the seemingly boundless desert as each sand dune gave way to even more without any sign of letting up.

To make matters worse for the mares, the wind was kicking up sand and the particles eventually got through their coats and struck their skin. It was painful and made them realise the humans were more than likely worse off.

The hours rolled on, the mares lost count but the heat was beginning to let up and – thankfully – so was the wind. The blue empty sky made way for the dark, black sky as the stars began to appear slowly.

The group made camp soon after the sun had finally set and the night had set in. Warriv’s caravan had set up a few tents, one for Warriv, one for Cain and one for the mares since they did not take up as much room as the humans individually.

Warriv removed a little firewood to make a small firepit, which Trixie set alight once it was ready. The camels Warriv had carrying the luggage were fast asleep once the group had begun to eat. The mares had a few leaves of lettuce, carrots and an apple or two. Trixie had one while Applejack had the rest.

“Apple hick,” Trixie teased.

“Now that’s mighty rude,” Applejack replied, offended.

“Let us not partake in any arguments,” Cain said rather forcefully. “You two killed a Lesser Evil and that is no small feat.”

“Trixie does not know the meaning of the word ‘small,’” Trixie replied with pride in her voice.

“Is that why yer with Thunderlane?” Applejack replied quickly.

Trixie’s cheeks went crimson, “W-wha-I-I… Applejack!” she spluttered, almost choking on her food. “This is not the time to talk about our personal lives!”

“Ye seemed happy ta call me a ‘hick,’” Applejack deadpanned.

“…Fine…” Trixie replied. Note to self: watch words with Applejack. Tends to know more than she lets on.

Author's Notes:

Yay another Part 1! Critiques, misspellings and the like do inform me and I shall address them. I seemed to make White a bit more of a douche here and Luna is rather... dark... Oh well.