Chapter Eight: This Means WAR

Luna and Queen Obsolescence continue to watch the battle unfold between Talon and the ice demon, Luna's demonic form. They sit wide eyed, jaws hanging open in pure wonder and awe as they see hit after incredible hit, disbelieving the sheer carnage and destruction of it all. As the final blow is thrown from the human in alicorn armor, they see the demon fall once and for all.

The pair hold a baited breath in pure silence, completely shocked at the quick and decisive victory, their gaze frozen in pure horror and curious wonder. Obsolescence is the first to speak, her voice shaken and a haunted whisper. "He did it...The crazy son of a whorse did it..." She utters quietly. As she speaks, the rumble of thunder rings throughout the air, droplets of cool, cleansing rain begin to fall upon them. The first rain in Elysium in over seven hundred years.

The black alicorn, the dark queen looks up into the heavens, seeing the clouds darkening overhead, the winds picking up and the clouds rolling in thicker, heavier. No longer were the skies above them a ghostly gray, the color of ash and death, but for once the color of a wondrous and beautiful storm, the rains finally coming to wash away the decay of the ruined world. Tears well up under her eyes, as for the first time in centuries, she feels the refreshing rain falling upon her fur, the droplets heavy and large, each and every splash against her beginning to wash away the centuries of mud, blood and bitterness upon her. She turns her muzzle up and sniffs the air, a long forgotten smile crossing her features as tears fall down, hidden in the rain.

Luna alights her horn, grasping the mirror pool within the gentle glow of her blue magical aura, taking refuge with it under the opened wings of the war machine. She tilts her head and smiles as her soft jade orbs catch the sight of her counterpart doing the unexpected. The dark queen, now thoroughly soaked to the bone, has since discarded her cloak, and is prancing happily and joyfully in the soothing rains, her raspy and dry voice now turned softer, to a melodic symphony of laughter and hope. She watches as the mud streams off of her coat, her cracked and broken hooves finding their strength once more in her euphoric dance of joy. The heavens above, bringing with them the cleansing rain, the life giving liquid needed for restoring the long dead planet. Luna's gaze shifts down back to the mirror pool, watching with trepidation as her flame begins his walk into the depths of the demons keep, the final battle yet to come, the chance to finally return home, after what felt like an eternity.

In truth, it's been nearly two full days, the alicorn completely exhausted, keeping awake and worried about her husbands life, his fight for survival within the hellish nightmare known as the Formors lair. Her ears perk up when she hears the nearby panting of the dark queen, her gaze falling to Obsolescence.

"It's almost over now...if he can defeat the fire demon...my kingdom will be avenged. I can finally restore life to my world. Luna...princess of Equestria. I cannot express to you how grateful I am that you two have by some miracle of my mother come. Nor can I express just how deep my gratitude is to you both." She murmurs, a gentle, weathered smile upon her features. "I pray that he succeeds...The fire demon will be soon...and that is when the real fight begins."

Luna quirks an eyebrow. "What doth thou mean, the real fight? Hath thou not seen mine flames victory? This shalt be over with haste. Have faith, mine friend." She retorts, her gaze focused once again watching her husband through the fog of the mirror pool.

"Baol...the demons keep was merely a test, the ice demon the weaker of the two. The fire one...is by far the strongest and worst of the demonic sisters. I have seen her lay to waste thousands who were considered the strongest of their clans in magic, sweeping even the best and the brightest aside as if they were nothing. Your flame is tired...even I can see the strain in his every step. Call out to him now...let us try and journey through the emptied keep to assist him, so that we may all work together and put an end to this."

* * * * *

Deep inside of the structure now, the pilot cautiously steps through the large chambers of the demons keep, knowing full well what may very well await him. His armor groans and grinds, the resounding sound of metal against metal echoing in the air all around him within the room. Arriving at one final, large door already opened, they come to an even more massive chamber, different than the rest.

The room is dark, only a faint, soft blue light glowing across the other side of the chamber is all that illuminates the room. The pair follow the rays of light within, tracing them high above to be shining faintly from a hole in the roof. The sound of water dripping slowly is their only company, the air feeling stagnant and dank.

"That must be it..." Talon says quietly, seeing an object far against the wall, illuminated by the faint light. A large, circular, ornate shrine; something akin to a sacrificial table or offering place for a deity rests against the back wall. The pilot in alicorn armor creeps closer, getting a better view through the orange haze of Nightmare's vision.

'Those leaf engravings in Equestria would indicate it's a shrine...if these creatures of this realm are anything like our own, then that could be as well...I sense something, a hidden power being suspended within it. A powerful light being repressed.' Nightie's voice echo's in the pilots mind, Talon almost able to imagine the black alicorn resting upon her rump, a hoof held to her maw in thought.

He gets closer, finally reaching the end of the chamber. Floating within the soft ashen blue light of the world above them, was what they came for. A small chunk of crystal in the shape of a wing, embossed with a silver locket the size of the humans palm; the Falasis fragment. The heart of creation.

Talon studies the twin leaf pillars, looking upon them with curiosity. Their shape, almost reminded him of the crown Julius Ceaser once wore on Earth in ancient Rome, but standing on end as if to frame...or guard this prize. With a sigh and convinced this day couldn't possibly get any harder, he looks around, checking for the fire demon. With no sign of her, he nods, reaching for the fragment.

'No wait! Don't tou---' Nightie shrieks out, sensing the field. She's cut off when he contacts it, the magical barrier surrounding the fragment blowing him back and sending him flying half way across the room. He lands hard against the basalt ground, a trail of sparks left in his wake as they skid to a stop. Nightie groans out a low, pain filled hiss. 'Oohhh...ouch.'

"The hell...was that?" The pilot groans out, trying to get back to his feet. He lifts his armored hand to the helmet, wincing in pain from the searing headache caused by the knock back. "What just happened?"

'You really shouldn't have done that.' Nightie hisses within his mind, the sounds of her clicking her tongue echoing in the pilots thoughts following her cold statement. 'I mean really, you couldn't have waited for me to take apart the field first?' She bites out.

"How the hell was I supposed to know it had more space pony magic?!" He responds, getting to his feet finally. He shakes his head and blinks the stars out of his vision, walking slowly and a bit disoriented. His eyes trace the object floating a small distance away, eyeing it carefully. "So now what do we do?" He asks.

"You die." A voice responds from the darkness. The pilot whips around to face the direction of the sound, not seeing anything through the orange haze. His eyes scan feverishly for its source, Talon swallowing hard and balling up his fists. A dark cackle rings throughout the air, the sinister silken voice echoing off of the cavern walls.

'Master! Be careful!' Nightie whispers within his mind, pushing her nearly depleted magic to the limits to sense its location. The black alicorn knows her time is nearly up, her magic too far drained to maintain her form much longer. She digs deep within her soul, desperately trying to hold on so she can shield her mate. The temperature spell within the armor is beginning to waiver more, the internal temperature of the armor rising slightly.

Talon continues to move around and searches, the armor grinding and groaning loudly as metal contacts metal, twisting and screeching. As he turns away, a pair of glowing red and yellow draconic eyes open just behind him, their cat like black slitted pupils focusing on the light emitted by the armor. The demon begins to rise from her nest, her body emitting a faint red glow in parts, the coat cracking and breaching, glowing like the hot basalt earth with the magma channels.

"Where is it? I cant track it!" He whispers in response to Nightie, turning around once more and coming face to face with the demon. It towers over them, this demonic alicorn easily taller than the very tip of their Celestia's horn. A pair of glowing red eyes glare at him a foot above the pilots head, it's muzzle coming into view as it lowers down to meet his gaze.

"To what do I owe the unexpected pleasure of a meal?" She quietly calls out, the light of the hellfire within her maw being exposed as she speaks. A metallic silver forked tongue snaking out between her razor sharp teeth and flicking like a snakes.

The pilot freezes in place, unable to move out of sheer terror. He looks up at the massive beast through the visor, swallowing hard as he tries to find his voice. He didn't expect her to be this big. When he doesn't answer her, the demon lights its horn and encases the pilot in its magical hold, the aura of the demons magic slipping off of him like oil and water.

"It's no wonder you defeated my sister...she couldn't grasp you with her touch." The demon speaks out, a faint hiss hidden in her every whisper and word. The horn dims, the demonic alicorn taking a step forward. As she moves, her blackened basalt fur upon her legs begins to melt, her hooves becoming like a magma flow and melting the ground with her every step. The mane and tail ignights and come to life, a brilliant hot flame billowing out from her in it's deadly chaotic dance.

Nightie wrenches the pilot within her magical grasp, forcing him to back away quickly as she takes control of his limbs. She snarls angrily and flicks out the pilots arms, the scorpion blades deploying with a snap. Nightmare raises the arms of the armor, willing them into a defensive stance.

"Surrender the Falasis piece, and I shall let you live." Nightmare calls out, her voice and the pilots speaking in a dark symphony together, their dual voices speaking as one as she tightens her hold upon the humans mind.

"Confident I see." The demonic Celestia hisses out, circling the pilot in alicorn armor as she steps slowly, every step calculated and precise. "Small words, from an insignificant life form. I've heard them before...many have tried to end my reign of terror, and all have failed. This is my planet now, my kingdom to rule, and my keep. You will bow before me, insect."

Nightie gives off a sardonic grin within the pilots mind, still controlling the armor and human with her magic like a puppet. She wills to speak again, her and the pilots voices together as one. "I bow to no pony."

The fire demon hisses quietly, a sinister guttural laugh echoing from it, the voice darkening and dripping with venom and malice. The glow of her hellfire becomes more intense, the heat increasing exponentially. Without another word, the mane shoots and billows forward, impacting hard against the pilots armored chest. There's no time to react, the pilot in alicorn armor sent sailing across the room and crashing against the far wall.

The pilot hisses in pain, the metal dented in severely and limiting his breathing. Rising back to his feet, he has just enough time to look up, seeing a massive flaming hoof speeding to his face. Before he has any time to react, it connects again hard with his helmet, the force of the blow cracking the visor glass, knocking him into the air and flipping, landing with a sickening crunch against the stony floor some distance away.

'Get up! We're BOTH going to die in here if you don't start fighting her!' Nightie screams out into Talon's mind, her magical hold on him beginning to slip. The bauble flickers brightly, the stars energy becoming unstable. He rises to his feet again slowly, the jet of flame from his chest piece beginning to grow in intensity, He looks up, seeing the demonic Celestia charging in for another assault.

The demon reaches him, rearing up on her hind hooves and kicking out with her molten fore legs. Using this chance, the pilot rushes forward inside of her kill zone, thrusting the scorpion like blades deep into her chest and armpit areas. The demonic Celestia cries out in pain, the pilot twisting and digging the blades in her body, desperately trying to wound the demon enough to force a retreat.

The demon lashes out with it's tail of billowing flame, controlling it with deadly precision and smacking the pilot hard again center of mast, knocking him back and the blades out of her body. She comes crashing down upon her fore hooves, not giving the pilot a chance to land another strike.

Talon turns and rolls on the ground quickly, dodging the charging alicorn just milliseconds before she could trample him under her deadly hooves. Nightie wills the pilots limbs to move again, her magic flickering, the cooling spell now dieing out within the armor. She channels her remaining strength into a plasma bolt of arcing energy, the ball of shadowy magic sparking brightly in the pilot's armored hand. She pours more and more into it, sending the blast right into the exposed belly of the demonic alicorn before them.

The blast tears through the air with a high pitched whine, the arcing ball of plasma penetrating the demons body effortlessly and breaching through, entering through a soft spot just below her ribs and exiting out the top near the withers, blowing a large, gaping hole through. The demon collapses instantly and comes crashing to the ground, still and silent as the grave.

The pilot stands up once more slowly, the armor groaning and screeching with the twisted metal parts scraping against themselves. He looks through the orange haze of Nightmares vision, his eyes scanning the still and lifeless body of the demon. He pants hard, sweat dripping from his skin within the armor. A rush of cool air overtakes the internal pocket within the armor again, Nightie re balancing the power once again. He stands for several moments, looking over the corpse of the flame demon.

"Is it over?" He asks quietly to Nightie, his voice just above a strained whisper. He swallows hard, stepping forward slowly to investigate. His every step thunders within the room, bits of the hot basalt ground kicking up with his movements, his heavy armored boots still digging into the ground and leaving step impressions as his foot falls.

'Lets make sure...' Nightie replies, a sardonic, dark grin upon her muzzle within the pilots mind. She focuses once more, channeling the last remains of her power into a powerful blast of plasma magic to her mates hand. The star within the bauble begins to flicker violently, the Nightmare alicorn quietly wincing in pain as the vital life energy leaves her soul. She pushes past the pain and magical exhaustion, wanting to make this shot count.

They step to the demon, the blast will be point blank range, the magic aimed right at the demon's very core. Talon raises his hand and takes aim, the bolt nearly finished charging within his hand. He can feel Nightmares magic burning through his arm like liquid lightning, the electrical discharges dancing off of his fingertips through the armor and out into his palm. Right when he's about to fire, the demon opens its eyes and lunges up and forward, knocking the arm out of the way.

The demonic alicorn quickly whips her head around, craning her neck and smacks the invader, her gaping maw connecting with the armored shoulder of the creature within her keep. She sinks her teeth into the armor, biting down and through the metal effortlessly, her jaws wrenching closed and clean through, biting into flesh and bone, then closed all together.

Alarms scream within Talon's mind, the arm still holding the magical charge falling away and to the ground, the plasma bolt arcing and discharging electricity off of it still. He screams out in pain, howling loudly inside of the armor. He can hear the nightmares cries of agony within his mind, the sound nearly enough to drive him into madness right then.

The fire demon crunches the metal and flesh bits within her maw, rising quickly to her hooves again and swallowing the tasty morsel. She tackles him against the wall with her hot, magmata fore hooves, kicking and beating against the armored chest with all that she's got, her jaws snapping with a feral lust for more. Her head lowers and the horn upon it aims, stabbing the pilot in the chest and running him through. Arcs of magic discharge and fly out in a shower of sparks, erupting from the open wounds of the missing arm and now through the back. Celestia withdraws her horn and continues beating the pilot savagely, a loud, maniacal laugh being emitted as she torments her prey.

The Nightmare alicorn can take no more, the last scraps of her power drained. She can't hold back any longer the power she has, the remains of her blood magic crashing through the carefully constructed barriers she set up to protect the pilot. Her power begins to spiral out of control, the alicorns everything flowing into him. All that she held back, all of her love, her pain, her power, her poison. It all begins to exchange with him unintentionally, all of it coursing through his broken and bleeding body. Nightmare begins to lose herself in the pain, unable to hold herself together for much longer.

The demonic Celestia bites down once again, her feral jaws digging deep into the pilots collar bone near his neck, the bones and armor snapping like twigs under the stress. His mind is flooded with searing white pain, the world fading to nothing as he loses the ability to process. He can't even scream out, the agony overloading his mind as he begins to feel the nightmare alicorns agony with his own. Another impact, another hit upon his chest, the armor flying away and being ripped apart. He can feel it, as if the armor itself was a second flesh, and each piece was being slowly torn from his body, the pain so great.

Celestia finally knocks him to the ground, the pilot landing in a crumpled heap of twisted metal, blood and flesh. Blood begins to pool under the lifeless body, the demonic alicorn letting out a fierce whinny of victory, echoing deeply within the cavern. She turns her draconic orbs upward to the cave roof and howls out in rage, her wings of basalt and magma snapping open powerfully as she bellows her concussive roar. Pumping them furiously she takes off into the air, roaring louder than before.

* * * * *

Luna and Queen Obsolescence stare wide eyed with horror at the mirror pool, their jaws wide open with utter shock. The breath hitches within the midnight alicorns chest as her heart all but stops completely. "Mine...Mine Flame!" She cries out, blinking back tears. She stares in disbelief, then screams out in anguish.

The black alicorns head lowers, guilt and shame written upon her features. She can't take her eyes off of the mirror pool, in absolute disbelief of what's shown before her. The pilot lays upon the basalt ground within the demons keep, still as the grave within the damaged and war torn armor. His arm missing, his armored chest torn wide open and blood pooling out below him onto the ground.

Beneath their hooves, the barren Earth begins to tremble and shake, quaking as a loud, blood chilling roar is heard, the fire demon breaking through her bonds and tearing through the cavern roof. The two alicorns whip their heads around to face the direction, seeing the demonic Celestia suddenly bolt into the skies above them, just a short distance away.

"No...it's...it's all over." Obsolescence croaks out, not even bothering to stand. She slumps to the ground upon her rump, eyes closed. "There's no use fighting it outsider...that demon will come for us now...if your flame and that devil mare couldn't stop her...we have no hope of survival."

Luna stares at the demon in flight, her draconic jade orbs tracing the demonic creature in the heavens, tears matting her dirtied fur upon her cheeks. She growls in blistering cold rage as darkness begins to overtake her mind, revenge her only thought. Without thinking, Luna stands, galloping to the nose of the war machine and bounding onto the starboard canard. She doesn't care anymore. Nothing else matters.

"Thou shalt pay with thy life...demon." Luna hisses under her breath, climbing into her flames seat within the cockpit. She alights her horn and grasps her own headset, stretching the cord to her as it slides over her ears. "Initiate scram jet sequence!" She yells into the mouthpiece, the warbird beginning to come to life. She wills her magic to work the controls, the canopy closing. She watches as the black alicorn scrambles away from the war machine, the engines beginning to howl and screech loudly.

"Thou shalt pay...thou shalt PERISH!" Luna screams out, her tears flowing freely as her hoof grasps the flight stick. She squeezes it hard, her other fore hoof slamming the throttle control forward as her magic works the other surfaces, the engines screeching loudly and howling as the afterburners ignite. The doors upon the dorsal sections, as well as the ones on the belly open quickly, the afterburners turning downwards and blasting its white hot fires to the ground. The aircraft begins to lift into the air as she channels more power through the engines, her own magic helping drive the powerful machine higher and faster than it could on its own.

The fire demon takes notice of the aircraft lifting to the skies, changing course to intercept. It roars out loudly, the concussive hot breath causing a small shock wave to part some of the overhead clouds around her. Luna can see the hellfire within the demons maw, the alicorn glaring at the demon through the canopy with murderous intentions.

The bay doors begin to close as she changes the exhaust directions, the war machine powering forward to the creature, the midnight alicorn already squeezing the trigger upon the flight stick for the guns. Torrents of golden death ribbons scream forward with the blazing and buzzing of the aircrafts forward weapons, some of the projectiles striking their mark and strafing the enraged demon upon the side. The warbird shoots past the demon, the midnight alicorn pulling into a steep climb to turn around.

Obsolescence watches from the ground, in absolute disbelief that she's seeing this unfold before her. She watches with her jaw agape, seeing the midnight alicorn turn again, chasing the demonic alicorn through the skies quickly, the strange black war machine staying right on the tail of the demonic Celestia, pursuing it through the clouds above and around the area, Luna matching turn for turn and continuing to fire the golden hailstorm of bullets in short bursts.

Her eyes flick down to the mirror pool for a moment, regarding the other off worlder. She stares closely for a brief moment, her sensitive eyes catching but a single twitch of the pilots fingers as he lays upon the ground in a broken heap. Her breath catches within her as she turns and bolts, her threadbare wings deploying open with a snap as she takes off, diving down into the cavern. If there's even a remote chance that he could be still alive, she absolutely must save him.

"Missile Lock. Missile Lock." The war machines computer chirps, the alicorn having already armed the aircrafts waiting supply of missiles. The warning tones blare loudly and ring throughout the cockpit, well over the ambient noise of the aircrafts concussive roaring engines. The midnight alicorn narrows her eyes in rage, pulling the trigger.

The missile rack rolls out from within the warbird's belly, deploying missiles one after another, launching twin side winders after the speeding demonic mare. Celestia hears the screeching of the missiles rockets, turning its head briefly to glance right as the first missile impacts. A large explosion erupts as the warhead tears through the demons flesh, the second missile then impacting powerfully. The warbird blazes past the demon again, whipping around in a sharp turn to follow the creature. The alicorn within it shouting in unbridled rage.

The demon falls, its wing sheared off and smoke trailing from its torn open side, plummeting to the ground, howling out in agony. It opens its eyes to see the warbird powering to her from a distance, launching more and more of the missiles to it. One by one as the rack turns and rolls, the weapons scream forward in rapid succession. The second rack rolls out from the aft bay, launching its compliment. The demon can only stare wide eyed as it impacts hard to the ground, landing with a bone breaking impact.

The missiles scream forward, every single one of the war machines deadly weapons finding their target with absolute needle precision, the detonation casting out a massive plume of fire and smoke. The warbird with the alicorn zips past the explosions, pulling hard and maintaining full afterburner as she whips into the turn with a roll.

Luna works the rudder pedals and aileron controls with unmatched precision, following her flames training exactly as she fly's the war machine. Looking out the canopy, she watches as she's banking, keeping the port wing tipped to the ground as she circles high above the wasteland below her. Her eyes focus intently, watching the smoke clear, seeing only a billowing wall of fire left in the wake of the air strike.

* * * * *

Queen Obsolescence makes her way down to the cavern floor, her hooves gently touching down upon the basalt ground within the demons keep. She had no idea this entire time below her hooves, she could have simply come through this way and stolen the Falasis piece back. She sees the treasure floating a short distance away from her, the wounded off worlder opposite to it, herself in the middle.

She steps with trepidation in place, nervously tittering for a moment trying to decide which to go to first. The sound of the war machines engines echo within the keep above her, her ears swiveling and twitching as she catches the sound. Swallowing hard, the black alicorn turns on her spindly legs and cracked hooves, bolting quickly to the wounded creature upon the floor.

Her horn lights with inky shadow magic, probing the human with it through the breach in the armor. She lets out a nervous nicker, her horn dimming down as she quickly draws a sharp breath. The dark queen rolls the human upon his back with her fore hooves gently, her draconic orbs tracing the damage to his armor and body. Her eyes catch the flickering light of the bauble, the armor then phasing out of existence as the last tendrils of Nightmare's magic fade and vanish. The cloud of miasma wisps off and to the side of the human upon the ground, the shape forming to a ghostly image of an alicorn.

Nightmare's ghostly body is missing a wing, a great deal of her form flickering in patches of black fog, the alicorn unable to keep her form for much longer. The dark queen regards her quietly, tittering silently and nodding her head in short, jerky movements. Nightmare's eyes roll forward, a ghostly hoof reaching out to the pilots broken body. Nightie smiles softly, her eyes closing one last time as she whispers silently, Obsolescence unable to hear the ghostly alicorns final words before her body fades in a shimmer of amethyst light.

Talon opens his eyes, gasping deeply for breath, letting out a grunt of pain. His arm raises and moves, his hand coming to and covering the hole in his torso where his other arm used to be. He lets out a low groan of pain and tries to sit up, Queen Obsolescence's hoof gently resting upon his chest and pinning him down. She lets out a soft nicker, her head lowering to the pilots torn shirt near his still intact arm. Gently grasping the pilots clothing within her maw, she bites down carefully and pulls, backing up with all of her strength and dragging him to the Falasis piece. She grunts and snorts with exertion, every step difficult as she tries to pull against the weight of the human. A trail of blood is left behind in their wake, the still alive human bleeding to death from his injuries.

With one final heave, she makes it, turning her attention to the piece floating within the field. Lighting her horn again, she grasps the pillars within her magical aura, the stones beginning to hum and vibrate as she engulfs the pillars within her will. They instantly shatter to dust, the treasured Falasis piece dropping to the table top with a quiet clatter. The dark Queen smiles widely, grasping the locket within her maw. It begins to glow with an other worldly light, the alicorn's energy resonating with the magical frequency of it. The light intensifies, a massive flash illuminating the entirety of the chamber.

* * * * *

Luna circles around overhead within the warbird, her eyes trained on the billowing flames from the missile impacts. She grinds her teeth within her maw, rage clouding her mind as she stares onward, searching for any movement. There's a small flash of distortion within the billowing smoke, Luna's draconic jade orbs zeroing in on it. She pulls the flight stick hard, turning sharply and nosing the aircraft to come about for another attack. Knowing the missiles are all out, she switches the weapons back to guns within her magic, her hoof grasping tightly and ready to pull the trigger once more.

Out of the billowing plume of smoke, the demonic Celestia rushes out, propelled upon wings of fire forward into the air, the alicorn connecting with the wing of the aircraft. She impacts hard, tearing through the wing tip and port canard, shearing off plates of metal and wire. Luna activates the afterburners once again, rushing forward as the demon begins to chase down the aircraft.

Smoke begins to billow from the wing and engines, the midnight alicorn pushing the war machine to its limits as the fire demon somehow keeps up. The canards close as the aircraft begins to approach super sonic speeds, the demon keeping on her tail effortlessly, a loud concussive roar overtaking the engines and resounding within the cockpit.

Alarms within the war machine begin to screech as blasts of fire bolts shoot forward, the demon spitting balls of magma from within her gullet at the machine. Every shot misses, Luna twisting and rolling the aircraft expertly and pulling into a dive. The midnight alicorn looks back through the canopy glass, fear finally coming to her features as she sees her pursuer gaining on her, the demons feral maw chomping ravenously at the war machines vertical staves. She is completely unaffected by the war machines hot exhaust.

With one final blast of hot fire magic, the glob of magma connects with the port vertical stave, burning through the alloys effortlessly and sending the aircraft into an uncontrolled spiral downward to the barren earth.

Luna looks onward with horror as the view violently changes through the canopy, the ground spiraling wildly before her and filling her vision. Alarms blare within the cockpit as the computer chimes. "WARNING. EJECT. WARNING. EJECT." Luna wails out in terror, her fore hooves quickly flipping switches and fumbling for the ejection handle below the seat. The ground speeds closer to her, only seconds left.

She closes her eyes, squeezing them shut as the cracked and barren earth of the world fills the canopy completely, knowing she doesn't have enough time to escape. As she cries out, the aircraft is sent lurching to a sudden stop inches from the ground, the jolt wracking the alicorns body hard, sending her head first into the consoles and controls. She shakes like a leaf for a moment, one eye opening slowly, then the other with shock. She sees the nose of the war machine floating an inch off of the ground, a gentle white, shimmering field surrounding the black metal of the aircraft. The field flickers violently as impacts of the demons magma are deflected harmlessly off of the shield, the aircraft being set down gently upon the ground. The landing gear comes out on its own violation, the machine set down once again and the engines winding down to a whisper.

Luna looks up, seeing the fire demon hovering high above her though the canopy, the field releasing. She looks around through the glass, searching for the source of her salvation. A high pitched piercing scream cuts through the air with the crackles of thunder, a bright white beam of light shooting from the hole in the cavern roof a short distance away.

The beam of intense white light strikes and impacts the fire demon in the chest with surgical precision, blasting through its body and clean through the other side into the heavens. The clouds of ash and rain burn away, revealing deep blue skies hidden behind them. Another beam fires again, a bright, blazing white light bolting forth from the ground and launching into the heavens above with blinding speed.

A primal equine scream of rage echoes in the air, ripping through it with a ghostly battle cry. Bolts of white light fire off in rapid succession, each and every needle of light piercing the fire demon and sending it to the ground. Luna's eyes focus upon the ball of white light, the glow coming from a pure white alicorn with a billowing blue and silver ethereal mane and tail.

The new alicorn of light darts forward, chasing the fire demon to the ground and impacting with an earth shattering crunch, the force of which sends dirt and debris flying in all directions. The fire demon lets out a loud whinny of pain, before being silenced entirely. The flames go out, the body dimming to a blackened, charred pile of ash and bone.

Minutes pass, rain now pouring down from the heavens and clearing the dust from the air, the loud crack of thunder echoing loudly all around. Luna swallows hard, lighting her horn and opening the canopy of the aircraft. She primes an attack spell, climbing out of the cockpit and slowly stepping to the glowing white light.

Luna's draconic jade orbs trace the carnage, seeing the now dead and broken body of the fire demon, her mind sensing the energy vanishing from creation entirely. She studies it carefully for a moment, then flicks her gaze to the white alicorn standing over it, her own horn still primed with her most powerful attack spell.

The white alicorn lets out a quiet snort, the glow of her body fading, the light dimming down. She turns her soft aqua eyes to the off worlder midnight alicorn, drawing a soft breath as she smiles. "It is done. It is over." Her soft, silken voice calls out, gently coaxing Luna to her. "Attack no more...the demon has been slain, outsider."

Luna narrows her gaze. "Obsolescence." She retorts bitterly, turning her gaze away. "That does not ease mine pain, or bring back mine love. " The midnight alicorn shakes her head solemnly, a look of pain and anguish taking over her features.

"Thou has thy powers returned...but at what cost? Mine flame is dead, mine other half now lost to the abyss with his passing...I am alone, and away from mine children. Please...do me a kindness and end mine life. I hath no reason to continue without him." She whispers, tears forming at the bottom of her eyes, rolling down her cheeks.

The white alicorn only quietly giggles in response, stepping forward and placing a gentle hoof upon the midnight alicorns withers. "You speak as if you have the already preconceived notion that all is lost, off worlder. You forget, you stand before the gift of creation." She responds cryptically. Her horn lights in a silver and white shimmer, the clouds parting overhead and the rain stopping. The storm quells within moments, the heavens clearing as the moons and stars finally come out. The stars above shine with a heavenly glow, twin blue moons shine in the distance with rings of pastels and soft iridescent glows about them.

Luna hears a coughing and wheezing sound behind her, her ears perking up quickly and swiveling. She turns her head, finding her flame, her Talon standing beside the aircraft. The pilot appears worn out and tired, dirty and rough, but alive and whole before her.

Talon lets out a quiet laugh, falling to his knees and arms held out. Luna gallops to him with a wide smile of joy, her wings quickly deploying open as she nuzzles him within her feathered embrace. She coos out quietly, sobs and tears of joy wracking her body as she holds him, squeezing with her wings and fore hooves with all she has. She cries out in joy, "I love you, I love you!" again and again, peppering her flame with kisses and more warm, loving nuzzles.

The queen quirks an eyebrow, a soft smile coming to her muzzle. Letting out a contented sigh, she turns around, her gaze falling upon the wasted and barren earth at her hooves. She closes her eyes and turns her muzzle to the wind, her horn lighting up and glowing bright. The time has come to return life, to restore what was lost. Finally she can achieve her dream, and revive her long dead home to its past splendor. She smiles with a loving glee, and a small, un regal squeal emitting from her throat.

* * * * *

The days have passed quickly, the pilot resting next to the sleeping midnight alicorn in a soft, silken bed of the finest materials he's ever known, far greater luxury than even Canterlot had within the palace. He can hear the sounds of bird song quietly ringing in the still air of the morning breeze from the nearby open windows of the room, the silken white lace drapes swaying lazily in the cool, refreshing breeze.

Luna lets out a quiet moan and snuggles deeper into the pillow, her fore legs squeezing against the pilots bandaged chest. Talon smiles and strokes her mane gently, his fingers running through Luna's fine, soft hair from her normal mane and tail. Since parting with Nightmare, her form has regressed once more to her smaller stature, but her coat seems to be darkening once again as her power continues to recover, the poison of the black alicorns magic slowly purging from her soul.

He looks down at the bauble, held within his free hands fingertips, seeing the star also returning to its former shine, a faint, lavender mist swirling slowly and lazily within the glass orb. He smiles with a contented sigh and lays his head back down against the pillow, his thoughts drifting through his experiences in the demons keep. "Baol..." He whispers to himself, still disbelieving he survived his romp through hell.

A knock at the door gets his attention, his head turning to face the direction. The door slowly opens, the pure white alicorn stepping in gingerly, a soft smile upon her calm, regal features. Her mane and tail sway gently in the unseen breeze as she eyes him with her aqua orbs, a gentle sound of wind chimes echoing with her quiet laughter.

"I'm glad to see you're finally awake." She quietly whispers to him, coming to a rest upon her rump. "I was beginning to worry you were beyond my power of saving."

Talon lets out a quiet snort and smirks at the alicorn Goddess, shaking his head. He draws a breath slowly, then speaks. "That makes two of us. I was cooked for sure until you finally shown up to get your trinket."

"The heart of creation." She gently corrects him. "The everlasting gift and promise of the Goddess to always watch over and protect my kingdom. Without it, none of this would even be possible." She states, motioning her hoof to the room. She stands up upon her hooves again, stepping to the opened window and looking outside.

In her view, she can see the lush, green expanse of her world, beautiful plants, towering trees, and pure, clean air with a crisp scent upon the wind. Soft, fluffy white clouds lazily float in the heavens above, the twin blue moons high in the sky in a celestial dance together just over the horizon, the rings of the nearest moon painting a beautiful, majestic picture. In the distance, she can see the great mountains suspended by the planets natural magic, lush, green vegetation connecting them in a chaotic chain of beauty and wonder, She smiles serenely and turns her gaze down, seeing her subjects far below in the revived city going about their day, most paying no attention to the gleaming and shined war machine resting quietly at the base of the palace steps.

"Thank you...for saving us, off worlder. You kept your promise, and you restored life to my kind. I will forever be in your debt." She speaks softly, turning her attention to the human and sleeping alicorn princess.

"You're welcome." He responds quietly, a soft smile crossing his own features. "But there is no debt to pay. If you could send us home however...I'd be eternally grateful. I miss my kids, and I know angel wants to return home as well." He says, his fingers still gently stroking through Luna's wispy mane.

"Once she awakens and you two are ready, I'll do just that. I've restored your machine, and filled its belly to the brim with the sacred moonlight liquid. With my worlds twin moons, I would imagine the effect would be of great benefit to your machine." The queen quietly breathes out, a smile adorning her features. "I also left a gift for the both of you within it's hold, a thank you of sorts...I hope you treasure them well upon your world."

"I'm sure we will." Talon says, nodding. The white alicorn nods with a gentle smile, turning on her hooves and walking back to the door. She lights her horn and opens it, stepping into the grand halls and exiting the room, the door closing quietly with a soft click behind her as she releases the silver magical aura.

Looking down with a sigh, Talon smiles at his alicorn, gently rocking her awake with his hands. It's time to return home.

* * * * *

Luna smiles serenely, her hooves tracing the control surfaces of the co-pilots position within the cockpit. She looks down upon her fore leg, the still shined and polished wedding band adorning her. She lets out a wistful, contented sigh as her eyes trace it, glad within her heart that her flame is still very much alive, her heart never feeling more free and as light as it is now.

"Ready, angel?" Talon asks, his voice coming over the radio of the war machine and into Luna's headset. She flicks her soft jade orbs to him, a wide, hopeful smile upon her muzzle. She gives a happy, cheerful nod and her eyes closed, signaling she's ready to leave.

Outside and all around the war machine, the area is buzzing with activity as thousands have gathered from all parts of this unknown world, mares, stallions, fillies and colts all waving happily and cheering. A short distance away standing tall and proud, a pure white alicorn adorning a pure silver crown and regalia sits with a regal poise and smile, slowly and gently waving her own fore hoof to say her own goodbye.

"Yes, mine love! Let's go home to our herd." She excitedly responds, her hoof resting upon the button for the war machines radio. Her attention turns as she smiles and waves to the crowd through the canopy, her jubilant features obvious to all who can see her.

The war machines engines whine and power to life, the flaps, ailerons and canards all moving for their preflight checks, before the bays open slowly. The forward fan spins up quickly with a howl, as jets of flame erupt from the aft and belly of the aircraft. It comes to life quickly, the banshees cry ripping through the heavens upon the foreign skies of Elysium. It lifts into the air slowly, the landing gear tucking into its protective bays and the doors closing behind them.

The queen lights her horn brightly, opening a rift of shimmering light far above the grounds, just ahead of the war machine. She gives a curt nod, then watches with a smile as the fires of the machine turn, focusing backward in focused blue jets of flame, rocketing the machine forward and into the rift. It closes with a flash of white light behind their exit, the heavens falling silent, the war machine gone.

"Enjoy your world, you three. You deserve all of the blessings and luck I can give." The queen whispers out with a soft smile. She mulls over the thoughts of them, hopeful that one day, she can visit their world to see their lives, and the splendor that is Equestria. With a quiet sigh, she looks onwards to her own, knowing there is still much rebuilding to do, many more lives to restore. The capital city of Bangor was only the start. The revival of the animals and the plants only the beginning. She would find all of their graves, all of the beloved subjects yet to be returned. She would restore them all one by one, undoing the damage of the Formors wake.

* * * * *

"Chris…I, do you want to-"

"Yes." He interrupted bitterly. "There's another Human and Luna has woken up, that's interesting in itself." He looked at the Alicorn with a blank expression, not wanting to show her just how much hurt he was feeling...even if she could feel it.

"But...we can talk later...about this?" She asked timidly, her expression becoming slightly happier when Chris nodded curtly.

Celestia smiled at him and quickly teleported them back into the throne room. She panted at the exertion she felt from the sheer distance but quickly shook it off as she noticed a rather incredible purple swirl in the center of her throne room.

"Tia!"

Celestia turned around and smiled widely at her sister. She quickly noticed that there was indeed another Human running beside her but all that was quickly stolen as the portal produced a loud snapping sound, before it vanished and left nothing but black smoke billowing where it once was.

Chris had flicked his wrist and immediately donned his armor and sword, holding it warily as he noticed a figured kneeling in the smoke.

"Celestia there's some pony there." He said quietly, getting a nod in return as Celestia saw it too. Suddenly the figure stood up…and it was clear as day to Chris that this wasn't a pony.

"Tia the shadow!" Luna cried fearfully, her body shaking as she pointed at the wall.

Everybody and every pony looked at where she was pointing and had mixed reactions. Chris and the new Human just looked at it in confusion. But Celestia and some of the guards gasped in surprise.

"Impossible…it couldn't be."

The shadow on the wall was one that not many ponies would forget…or could forget. It was the shadow of a svelte, tall pony…with a billowing mane and tail. The smoke cleared and every pony's eyes widened at what they saw. Not a pony. But another Human.

"Oh...we're in so much trouble Moony."

With the crackles of thunder, a sound akin to a banshees cry rips throughout the skies above Canterlot, instantly drawing the attention of the two alicorns and humans away from the third newcomer. Jason takes this chance to bolt, running out of the room and diving out of a window to escape the coming fight for another chance at a preemptive strike.

High above the grounds, the aircraft jets out overhead, going full afterburner and twisting in the air. Talon and Luna both look out of the canopy of the war machine, their eyes scanning the grounds. Luna's heart nearly stops when she notices what's missing...there isn't a runway anywhere in the palace area, the gardens, or even nearby. There are no hangars, no other aircraft, and the war machines radar is completely clear, the sweeping needle showing no results.

"One to control, requesting a status update and clearance to land." Talon breathes out, his fingers on the communication controls of the flight consoles. They both only hear static over the radio, no responses what so ever. "One to control, respond!" Talon calls out, the pilot also noticing the distinct lack of a runway.

Luna swallows hard, her sensitive eyes catching what appears to be yet ANOTHER human like her flame running, the man wearing a black cloak or coat of some kind, rushing away from the palace, then suddenly another armored human giving chase to him, leaping from the window and wielding a solar sword in his grasp.

Mine flame..." Luna whispers into her mouthpiece, her eyes tracing the activity below as the warbird circles overhead. "I...I don't think we're in our Equestria yet..." Talon responds with an annoyed groan, also seeing the other humans running, then of all things, Celestia and Luna far below chasing after them. He shakes his head, turning the warbird slowly in a soft bank, unknowingly getting the attention of every pony below in the city, including the unwanted attention of now two VERY confused regal alicorn sisters.

Author's Notes:

And so ends the Demonic Saga, beginning anew with the LONG awaited Immortal Lovers. This arc will be a single chapter, posted only when Zamairiac pre-reads and approves it in it's entirety. This is HIS show, and only fitting he has complete involvement in it's execution. With any luck, it will give him a good, strong starting point to begin the tale, and finally bring about this coveted story for the world. I'll be sending him the revised and edited copy of the completed chapter soon, so please be patient! As always, R&R! Let me know what you thought of the Demonic saga! I look forward to your comments! XD