When The Dazzlings and The Rainbooms returned to Lyrica, it seemed like they had lost some of their morale. The fight with Pandemonium had damaged them by a significant amount, and the same thought ran through their minds once the fleets arrived with them.

"Girls, follow me." Adagio said, taking charge of the group as quickly as she could.

"Where are we going, out of curiosity?" Twilight asked as soon as everyone began walking.

"The Lyrican War Room," Adagio explained. "After that chaotic battle with Pandemonium, we need to assess the destructive capabilities of these new Signs of the End that Cataclysm put out on the front lines..." she then put a hand to her chin. That was no ordinary Malefic... it's something much stronger than anything we've ever thought before. And if there are five more of them protecting him, then who knows how much stronger he's become?

"There's too much to lose here, girls," Aria told The Rainbooms as she stayed close to Adagio. "Cataclysm is a brutal warmonger who won't stop until he reaches his goal. He will continuously send out his Malefics to kill and destroy everything in their path. The only way to end this madness is if we find Cataclysm and kill him."

"Can't we just capture him and try to expel the darkness from his heart?" Twilight asked. "Most of the villains we've had to fight were tainted by their own selfish desires, not to mention when The Blasters corrupted you..."

"Yes, but Cataclysm has stooped himself so deep in darkness that it has completely destroyed his true self," Adagio said as she hung her head. "The Lyrican underneath Cataclysm is dead, and all that remains is a monstrous demon who only cares about destruction, murder, and the extinction of all of our species..."

"He was so determined to become both Furen and Blissen at the same time, that darkness wormed it's way into his heart," Sonata explained. "He shouldn't have been such a jerk about it, though... I mean, fighting the king, demanding both Furen and Blissen roles? He was asking for it if you ask me..."

As The Dazzlings and The Rainbooms arrived at the War Room, they saw that two armoured Lyricans were standing in front of the doors. They were dressed in armour, and seemed determined to do their duty and prevent anyone from entering. However, Adagio, Aria, and Sonata walked up to attempt to reason with them.

"Stand aside, soldiers," Adagio addressed the guards. "Her Majesty's vessels require entrance to the War Room."

"Very well, Dazzlings. However, your friends will have to wait outside," one of the guards told her back. "Symphonia wants to speak with you three in private. The Rainbooms will be unable to grasp this matter, due to the fact that they are only temporary Lyricans."

"Don't worry, Adagio. We'll wait," Sunset said as she and her friends walked away from The Dazzlings. "You can tell us better when you get out."

Adagio, Aria, and Sonata nodded, and watched the guards move aside. Once they were away from the doors, the three of them walked inside.

Inside the War Room, Lyricans were keeping close eyes on Equestria, Lyrica, and Earth to detect another Malefic assault. Meanwhile, Cataclysm stood atop the viewing platform, looking solely at The Dazzlings as they approached him.

"Ahh, Adagio Dazzle, Aria Blaze, and Sonata Dusk," he said as he jumped off of the platform and landed in front of them. "I trust that you've had time to reacquaint yourself with Lyrica after that fight?"

"Yes, Symphonia," Adagio spoke. "It has come to my attention that there is a new division of Malefics known as the Signs of the End," she explained. "Pandemonium was only the first of them, as it seems that he mentioned that there were six of them."

"We're not entirely sure what purpose they serve other than becoming colossal titans who plan on wiping whole countries off of the maps, but we can ascertain that Cataclysm's commanding them, sir." Aria stated.

"Hmm, from the combat analysis we managed to perceive, Pandemonium's life force was unlike that of any other Malefic..." Symphonia created a holographic screen with a simple wave of his hand. The images showed Pandemonium, along with a series of other projections revealing his life readings. "He seemed to be the least enveloped by the darkness, but could still order Malefics around perfectly. What's more is that he was once a human who went by the name of Sure Shot."

"What?!" The Dazzlings were taken aback with the information.

"It seemed that he was a 100% perfect shot with every weapon he was given," Symphonia explained as the images changed to format the story. "He was an expert at soccer, but enlisted for the army when he grew into a young man. From there, he boasted tirelessly about the victories his platoon had, and that it was all thanks to his work..."

"Strange. With that sort of attitude, he should have been found and consumed by Hierarxe; not transformed into a Malefic super-weapon..." Adagio put her finger to her chin and analysed Sure Shot.

"It seems that during his last excursion, he was captured and brainwashed by a terrorist organization known as the C.F.H. AKA, Changelings For Hire," Symphonia continued. "They subjected him to every propaganda imaginable, and had to have a surgeon operate on his brain to have him obey commands," the projection frame then turned pitch-black as the story progressed. "From there, he was a C.F.H. agent; a merciless killer, who only knew how to hunt and destroy."

"No..." Sonata looked at what Sure Shot had become. She looked at his evil smile and turned her head in shame.

"His evil intentions grew until his squadron blew up a hospital. They did it to prove that there was no-one to help the injured," Symphonia's voice now turned mournful. "And the second he hit that button, the darkness in his heart consumed him..." the projection showed Sure Shot hitting the button, and then being consumed by a black bio-mass that sprung out from the floor around him. "When he came to, he was part of Cataclysm's new armada. Seeing as he was still brainwashed, he only knew that he was to take orders from evil forces. And with that in mind, he became our enemy's new soldier..."

"So the Signs of the End were once humans?" Aria's pupils widened as she looked at Sure Shot's new form.

"Correct, and I assume that there are five other souls who were tainted by their evil..." Symphonia began to speak again. "If Pandemonium said that there were six Signs of the End, then that must mean that Cataclysm is going to release each one one at a time in an attempt to cripple our worlds and pave the way for a full-scale invasion..."

"Those poor souls..." Sonata shed a tear when the projections returned to the map of the trinity.

"Symphonia... we were almost killed trying to defeat Pandemonium," Adagio said as calm as she could. "Given the situation, I recommend approving the use of Spiritual Transfusion."

Those words were enough to throw Symphonia off-guard. "Adagio, I know these are dire times, but Spiritual Transfusion is not for the faint hearted. Overuse of such a power can cause significant damage to you three, and extending your reach to too many ponies and humans can ultimately lead to the possible chance where they could never regain their true selves..."

"Listen, Symphonia. There are five other Titans of the End out there, and each one of them looks to be the absolute end of us all," Adagio pleaded. "If you do not enable us to utilize Spiritual Transfusion, then we might as well just surrender to Cataclysm right here and now..."

"It's a grave risk, Dazzlings," Symphonia warned them. "Would you be willing to push yourselves so far that you might not be able to withstand such an almighty power?"

"If it means saving the world from Cataclysm's horrific army, then yes." Adagio firmly said.

"Hmm... you have courage," Symphonia said as he walked Adagio and The Dazzlings over to the door. "Right now, we need courage to stand up to these Malefics..."

"What kind of courage?" Sonata asked as she raised an eyebrow.

"Well, the forces in both Euphoria and Dystopia are too frightened to preserve the Balance of Lyrica right now," Symphonia generated more projections, but they came solely from his power and showed the realms of Euphoria and Dystopia. The denizens were all cowering behind structures and other parts of the landscape, including the once-violent Dystopian forces. "They are mighty beings, but even they are beginning to fear what the Malefics are capable of. The only ones who are still roaming free without fear are the Six Euphorian Deities."

"So, why exactly are these Malefics so big, bad, and frightening anyways?" Sonata asked as she watched the projections vanish with another swift wave of Symphonia's hand. "Malefics are unlike other beings. They are born entirely of evil intent, and flourish around areas that are held in the tight grip of an Equestrian or Earth warlord and their forces. But just the slightest evil in a part of the trinity will send them running to spread death and destruction."

"Then as long as evil exists, so do the Malefics..." Adagio processed it all in her mind. "That means that they're never going to stop attacking unless evil is completely non-existant and Cataclysm is dead and buried..."

"And knowing these Malefics, they'll only get stronger and stronger the longer we leave them to rest..." Aria began to think. "Hmm, for once, I might actually get a challenge..."

"How do we break this to The Rainbooms?" Sonata asked Symphonia as they all walked back towards the doors.

"Simple, we tell them the utmost truth," Adagio said as she put her hands on the door. "This is a war that'll be tempered because of the evil intent of humans and ponies..."

The door was opened, and The Dazzlings walked through with Symphonia behind them. The first thing they saw were The Rainbooms, who were awaiting the results of what Adagio, Aria, and Sonata had been told.

"Girls, this just became much more serious," Adagio struggled to solidify her sentence. "The Signs of the End... were once..." she turned her head and said, "Human."

"What?" Twilight walked forward. Her face looked like it had been drained of all colour. "Are you sure about that?"

"Yes. Pandemonium was once a human, much like you and Sunset were on Earth," Adagio began to recap the whole story. "He had 100% accuracy with every weapon he was given, but he was captured and brainwashed into working for a terrorist organization. He blew up a hospital, and was consumed by his own evil. When he came to, he was a part of Cataclysm's new troops..."

"The Signs of the End..." Sunset's heart sank.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa... You mean to tell me that that thug was a human?!" Rainbow Dash was unable to fathom her emotions.

"Unfortunately, yes. His evil intent was what caused Cataclysm to recreate him and have him serve under his reign," Aria returned the focus to the story at hand. "If there are five other Signs of the End, then that means that there are five other humans, ponies, or a mixture of the two species who met their untimely ends when evil consumed them..."

"Where are they now?" Rarity asked.

"Away, probably at Cataclysm's stronghold, preparing another assault plan," Sonata told her. She was unaware on where Cataclysm was hiding, but she believed that he was heavily fortified. "For a group of terrorist monsters, they really have to plan things out, don't you agree?"

"But that's exactly the point, Sonata. Something's not right..." Adagio turned her head skyward. "Malefics usually attack as frequently as they can. If that's the case, then why hasn't another attack been staged yet?"

"The Dazzlings believe that by defeating one of the Signs of the End, they have found a way to cripple my forces," Cataclysm spoke as he examined three black cocoons. The cocoons pulsated slowly, sending repeated purple streams across the patterns. "What they do not know is that Apocalypse, Armageddon, and Carnage are wholly and fully complete. All that remains is to awaken them and have them aid the second Sign of the End."

Cataclysm spawned black tendrils from his back and rooted himself into the three cocoons. As soon as he did so, he spread his wings and flexed his muscles, sending dark pulses of energy through the lines and into his creations. Each one glowed violently after all of the dark pulses of energy had been absorbed into them, and three figures were visible in the bright dark purple light.

"At long last, the time has come to awaken a new type of Malefic," Cataclysm smiled as the cocoons began to earn massive cracks, allowing the darkness to stream out of them. The figures inside opened their eyes, revealing soulless purple orbs. "While the Signs of the End are indeed powerful, I now have a new force that will be able to finish what Pandemonium could not!" he smiled. "Awaken! Apocalypse, Armageddon, and Carnage!"

The cocoons shone so bright that they exploded with terratons of force. The remnants splattered all over the walls, and slowly fell to the floor. What had hatched from each of the cocoons was a black figure with two swords. There were three cocoons, meaning three new warriors under Cataclysm's command.

"My new warriors. Long have I waited to create you," Cataclysm spoke as he retracted his tendrils and flew up. "I have created evil out of the hearts of ponies, humans, and now my former kind. You three were once Lyricans, but they betrayed you, deceived you, tricked you into believing that you were a warrior of peace," his words made the three humanoid Malefics comply. "After all that transpired in the three worlds I now know what you were truly meant to be; harbingers of death and destruction, who care only about the end of the Lyrican species, and the worlds they inhabit and leech off of.

"Listen to me now, and heed my words," Cataclysm watched his soldiers perform a Malefic salute. The Second Sign of the End is preparing to strike an Earth city known as Yemane. You will aid their attempts to reduce it to rubble, whilst also going for a fight with The Dazzlings first-hand," his words made the warriors he had created nod slowly. "Oh, and if you see The Rainbooms, you have my permission to kill them. At least one will suffice, but more would make me happier. Now go!"

"As you wish, Overlord Cataclysm..." the figures all said in unison as the purple orbs flashed in their pupils. The only visible features now were their hairs; spiky black for one, crimson and magenta mohican for another, and a swirl of silver and aquamarine for the third.

Author's Notes:

Yay, Cliffhangers!

But anyways, I'm so sorry that I've been failing to update my stories recently. But you see there was this whole Arkham Knight with a thuggish Militia, there were epic battles with the Batmobile, and one thing just lead to another...

Oh, and also, I've now got myself a Patreon account. So if you feel like donating to me to help support me, you can do so here. Or you could leave me some comments down below telling me what you think of the story.

Hades: Yes, it seems our little writer here feeds off of comments these days.

Pit: Well, comments are a great way to hear other people's opinions without having to go up and talk to them.

Hades: Yes, but there's also delivery services, E-Mail, and two massive gaming communities known as Playstation Network and Xbox Live...

Me: E-Maiw's kinda fwustwating, I usuawwy wive in Engwand, and I weawwy onwy use da Pwaystation dese days...

Palutena: Well, different strokes for different folks, right?

Viridi: Some like chocolate, some like vanilla...