Away from the frontlines, a sense of elation flowed through the floating tower of Dis. There had been some doubt within the capitol when the Dark Lord resurrected his army but those were put to rest now that a bonafide Shaggoth was on the field. The monstrous masters of Ixion were reputed to be unstoppable juggernauts of power that could lay waste to entire nations by themselves. It was unknown how they compared to a Theoi but the forces of the Grand Exodus placed the odds in Tirek's favor. Time would tell whether that was prudent or just wishful thinking. The Hierarch herself had gone out on a balcony to bear witness to her champion's ascension with her own eyes along with the zebra bard.

“Hahaha! Yes, yes! Perfect!” The fiery Alicorn cackled with fiendish glee. “The Doom of Harmony made manifest! Now grind that pallid tyrant to gristle already!”

"If anyone can, it's him." Zeb said as he adjusted his sunglasses in awe. "Things are moving so fast now I can barely keep up."

“Your highness?” One of Corona's hulking bodyguards poked his horned head into her room. “More news from the front.”

“I know. I can see it from here.” The Infernal Queen said without turning around. “Have the Undying quit the field at the sight of such monumental magnificence?”

“No, they have not.” The brute shrunk back a bit, wary of arousing the wrath of his mistress. “Returning troops are reporting they have redoubled their efforts.”

"Really?" The zebra looked back at the bruiser in disbelief. "With that thing stomping toward them?"

“Of course they have. Damn dustbins are too dumb to quit…” Corona grumbled darkly before she finally faced her bodyguard. “Anything else?”

“The dragon has been slain.” The other bruiser answered from the safety of the doorway. “The mortal sorceress hit him with some type of death curse and a reaper did the rest.”

“Hmm. Pity. I was hoping he would do more but I guess none of his books taught him how to be a warrior.” The Infernal Queen’s disinterested tone suggested that no tears would be shed for the deceased dragon on her part. “At least I got my use out of him before he got himself killed.”

"Brr. Someone turn up the heat." Zeb muttered under his breath. "Just got cold in here."

“Uh…right.” The two demons shared a concerned look with each other before moving on to another topic. “The demons coming up from below also want to know how things are going before they head out. Are they marching to victory or a meat grinder?”

“Wha-? We go to victory of course!” Corona answered incredulously. “Why, in all the Nine Hells, would I tell them otherwise?”

“Well…” One of them seemed ready to extol the benefits of honesty but a pointed glare from his Queen told him that he should hold his tongue lest he lose it. “You wouldn’t.”

“Damn right.” The Archfiend huffed. "If that is all, you two are dismissed."

“As you command.” The bruisers gave a quick bow before they returned to their posts.

"I wouldn't be too worried about our moral." The bard said helpfully as the bodyguards departed. "Tirek should be plenty inspiring now."

The Alicorn just muttered something that sounded agreeable as she focused her attention back on the devastating duel between Tirek and the Dark Lord. With little more to say, Zeb went back inside and resumed work on his ballad. He was up to the point where they entered Wrath but decided recent events would take priority.

"♪Tirek and Nagash were duking it out/ but neither side could get a leg up in their bout.♫" The bard sang as he alternating between finding the right tune and jotting down what he liked. "♫Then the centaur called down the lightning/and now he's really something frightening!♪"

Out in the hall just outside Corona's chambers, the two bodyguards nearly bumped into the demons that had brought them the news. The fiends quickly backed off and acted like they had not been eavesdropping. The bruisers shot them disapproving glares but said nothing as they stood on either side of the door. The four stared at each other for a few awkward moments before the smaller hellions realized they were not wanted and departed. Once they were sure they were alone and out of earshot of anything, the two conversed in hushed chitters.

“And I thought the thestrals were heartless monsters.” One hissed as its eyes shifted from yellow to sapphire. “What a bitch.”

“Language, sweetie.” The other chastized with a gleam of insectoid emerald in its eyes. “But I suppose it was presumptuous of me to assume the Queen of Tartarus would care about the deaths of her lieutenants."

“Still, I think she was starting to crack.” The disguised Elytra added. “I could taste her hope giving way to despair before Tirek went super-centaur. It was nothing but joy after that.”

“A microcosm of this whole accursed Exodus.” The incognito Chrysalis mused aloud. “More food for us but it makes breaking their spirits that much harder.”

Indeed, the infiltrated changelings had feasted well over the course of the battle. Draining the hope and joy from demons, along with some of their pain and horror for seasoning, had made up for months of scrounging for emotional scraps. Unfortunately, there was only so much the small swarm could consume before they would have to return to the hive to properly digest and store any excess. With Tirek's ascension serving up yet another course of hope, many of the drones were telepathically reporting to their Matron that they were full.

"We should focus more on physically sabotaging the fiends." The Swarm Queen told her children. "Take out officers, destroy equipment and misdirect reinforcements when the chance presents itself."

“Does that mean we should take a crack at Corona?” The Swarm Princess asked with trepidation. “She only has a couple of bodyguards and that zebra-“

"Shh! Quiet!” Swarm Queen Matron hushed her daughter as a fresh cohort of hellions marched by on their way to the front lines.

The demons gave quick and respectful nods of acknowledgment to their 'kin' as they passed with the exception of one. The winged demon looked at the two fiends with a knowing and devious smile. Elytra returned the smile while her mother motioned for the incognito drone to keep his cover. Once the hellions and their spy had moved on, the shapeshifters resumed their covert conversation.

"The last time I was running on full, I was able to defeat Celestia." Chrysalis said with no small amount of pride. "We might be able to take down Corona but I'm hesitant to confront something that literally burns with hate and anger."

“Plus we would have to deal with every demon in Dis and Pandemonium the moment we attack her.” The Swarm Princess said before her face lit up with an idea. “Forget about the hothead. What about that Hellevator thingy? We could turn it off or something.”

“Cut off their reinforcements entirely.” The Swarm Queen smiled in approval. “You take more after your father than I thought.”

"It just makes sense." Elytra shrugged. "I think it's near the bottom of the tower. Probably guarded and all that."

"We shall see." The disguised Matron agreed.

Remaining in the guise of demonic warriors, the parent and child made their way to the base of the floating tower. Already, they could see signs of their kin at work as imps puzzled over mysteriously broken weapons that had been pristine moments before and demons marched off to battle with an extra fiend slipping into their ranks unnoticed. The pair arrived at the bottom of the tower and the set of doors leading to the Hellevator's terminus. As Elytra had anticipated, it was guarded by armored demons who immediately focused on the two once they came into view.

“If your thinking about going back down, forget about it.” A hellion said bluntly. “This thing is only set one way.”

"I know but her Highness sent us to check on it." Chrysalis said just as curtly. "With the dragon dead, she wants to make sure his work doesn't run on a dead-drake switch or something."

"Pretty sure it still works." Another chimed in. "We've been hearing kin coming up for hours now."

"Better to come down here and waste our time than be fried by the Queen." Elytra pointed out. "Don't worry, we'll be quick."

"Hrrm, fine." The guards finally relented. "Look but don't touch."

They opened the doors and allowed the two in. The disguised Swarm Queen made a show of inspecting the room while the doors slowly closed behind them. The moment they banged shut, Chrysalis dropped the act and rushed back to them. The changeling braced against them and began dry heaving. Elytra shuddered in disgust as it became not so dry and her mother sealed them in with the same viscous substance used for their hives.

"I know that's natural for us but I still think it's nasty." The nymph turned away and tried to block out the sound.

"You get *cough* used to it. Joy helps with the flavor." The Matron said as she wiped some excess from her mouth. "Now let's see about this Hellevator thing."

With their privacy guaranteed for some time, the changelings approached the fiery column that reached into the depths of Tartarus. They knew they only had a small window to act before the guards became suspicious. Chrysalis knelt down and inspected the etched runes surrounding the Hellevator, each aglow with infernal power.

“I think these things keep the beam from going haywire.” The Swarm Queen mused aloud. “What do you think, sweetie?”

“Grey's pet unicorn mentioned that runes could be used to facilitate ritual spells like this so I’d say yes.” The nymph nodded as she picked at one of the glyphs in question. “If we tamper with them, it’s bound to do something dramatic.”

The two set about sabotaging the ring of runes, scratching them out with their horns or burning them out with their magic. With each one that failed, the Hellevator sparked and trembled as if it were alive and wounded. The fiends down in Pandemonium wisely took a few steps away from the conflagration as it no longer appeared stable.

"What's the plan after we shut this thing off?" Elytra asked as she crossed out another rune. "Regroup with dad?"

"That's plan B if it becomes too great a risk to stay here." Chrysalis answered. "In the confusion, we might just be able to- whoa!"

As one too many glyphs failed, the Hellevator buckled and violently thrashed against its containment. Dis listed dramatically to one side as its balance shifted. Taking to the air, the two changelings quickly equalized the number of inert runes around the terminus. The Hellevator continued to spark and spasm but stabilized enough for the tower to correct itself. The muffled sounds of furniture shifting and demons rushing about told the saboteurs their window of opportunity just got a lot smaller.

"You know, we are kind of bad at this sneaking business." Elytra grimaced as the guards began banging on the doors.

The Lord of Shades was no stranger to battling foes lager than him. Granted, the last time he had was eons ago during the Titanomachy alongside his kin. The inexorable march of time had dulled his skills somewhat but the ancient Theoi Anax found the current battle to be an excellent whetstone. However, as the empowered centaur Shaggoth bore down on him with murder in his burning eyes, the pale equine was beginning to question his ability to harm the colossal champion.

“I doubt I can do anything to him at this time.” The Necroarch thought as he looked from the ascended warlock to his bident. “I may have to get a bit creative.”

“STAND STILL!” The Titanic Tirek shouted as he brought down a huge hoof on the pale horse only for him to disappear in the resulting cloud of ash.

The centaur took a step back and scanned the ground for any sign of his foe, a ball of hellfire at the ready. After a few moments of finding neither the King nor a black smear, the centaur felt a pinprick of pain in his leg. He looked over to see his ever-persistent foe attempting to scale his leg with his two-pronged staff acting as an anchor. Tirek could not help but smirk at his tiny enemy.

“What exactly are you planning there, little pony?” The champion asked derisively.

“I was planning on reaching your neck.” The Theoi responded from his hold just below the centaur’s knee. “Now, I am reevaluating that plan.”

“Hmm, smart thinking.” Tirek nodded as the miniature sun between his horns flashed. “Not that it will do you any good.”

A sphere of infernal energy enveloped the Dark Lord and lifted him into the air. The bubble flickered against the anti-magical nature of its passenger but managed to maintain its integrity. The pale horse, upon discovering this development, was less than thrilled.

“Not often that this happens.” He thought as he attempted to burst his prison with his bident to no avail. “The amount of magic it takes to overcome Khthonic anti-magic is insane.”

The sphere halted before the humongous Shaggoth's leering face. Before the Theoi could act, the champion formed a flaming fist and sent the hapless horse rocketed upward with a mighty uppercut. The King's entire being cried out in pain as he shot through the raging hellstorm and into the comparatively clear air above.

“Oh no.” The Lord of Shades said simply as the stalactite covered ceiling of Tartarus quickly emerged from the sunless sky.

It was the monochrome monarch could do to brace himself as he slammed into the unforgiving bedrock. In the Overworld above, acres of wilderness were upheaved as localized earthquakes ravaged the land. The ground buckled and split in the epicenter as fissures, abyssal in depth yet no thicker than a hair, breached the barriers between the worlds of the living and the dead. A rare and unwelcomed feeling of dread came over the Dark Lord as he saw the faint but unmistakable glint of sunlight through the infernal rocks.

"This is not good." He thought as he remained stuck to the rocky vault for a few moments before he slowly peeled off and entered free fall. "The breach is small but if the demons can bypass the Brass Gates entirely, this battle is lost.

As the pallid pony tumbled back through the burning cloud layer, he saw Tirek tracking his descent with his fingers flexing expectantly.

“Now what?” The monochrome stallion thought with a wince.

As he dropped past the Shaggoth's torso, Tirek snatched the pale equine out of the air in one of his mighty hands. With only his head exposed, the warlock held his pale foe up to his face again. The centaur grinned in sadistic delight as the pallid pony struggle in his grasp.

"Fight all you want, little pony." He said mockingly. "As powerful as you are, surely you can see it is pointless now."

"Not yet, it isn't." The Theoi grunted as he fought against the warlock's Titanic grip.

"Hmm, it would be a shame for all that power to go to waste..." Tirek mused aloud as he licked his lips hungrily.

He stuck his thumb under the Theoi’s neck and craned it upward. The pale horse was treated to the sight of the Shaggoth's gaping maw and gullet as some vile power began tugging at the very essence of his being. Having witnessed what had befallen the crystal unicorns during their banishment all those years ago, the Theoi knew exactly what the centaur was about to do.

"Trying to suck me dry?" The Necroarch shout defiantly as he managed to free his bident and hurled it like a javelin at the centaur's uvula. "Suck on this!"

The anti-magic staff intermingled with the natural leeching power of the Ixionian and exploded in the back of his throat. Tirek's hands immediately went to his neck as he began choking on smoke and null magic. The pallid pony fell past his foe's waist but had little time to enjoy his freedom as one of the warlock's forelegs came up to meet him. Purposefully or as a result of his pained flailing, the Shaggoth punted the Theoi across the Fields like a ball. After breaking both the sound barrier and through a low mountain, his flight eventually came to an abrupt end atop a prison tower amongst a tangle of chains.

"Damn *COUGH* freak is *HACK* full of tricks!" Tirek thumped his chest and spat out bits and pieces of the now shattered bident. "Note to self; forget draining him. Not worth it."

The warlock scanned the area for his foe. He was about to search himself in case he was attempting another colossus climb when he noticed the conspicuous hole in a nearby mountain. The warlock chuckled as he rounded the landmark in pursuit of the Dark Lord.

“No magic bubble to cushion to blow this time.” The Shaggoth mused aloud as he recalled the last time he sent a foe through solid rock. “I bet that hurt even the likes of him.”

“Nine Hells, that hurt.” The pale horse thought as he laid on his back waiting for the crippling pain racking his form to pass. “I really don’t want to stress test my immortality against him. I need a new plan, now.”

The King barely had time to formulate a stratagem when the tower he had landed in began to shake. Tirek’s hoof falls threatened to collapse the prison as his long shadow fell over it. Once again, the Theoi found himself under the burning gaze of the empowered Shaggoth.

“Hello there.” The warlock greeted in a tone that was anything but friendly.

“Lord Tirek.” The Theoi returned the greeting in kind. “I know its polite to swallow but I really don't want to root around in your innards for that staff.”

"I coughed up what was left of it." The centaur said roughly. "A small amount but fairly potent."

"Just add it to my growing list of things to fix." The monochrome monarch sighed. "You're in a good mood all of a sudden."

“Of course I am, despite your best efforts.” The Infernal Champion smirked evilly. “It’s one thing to hear about the power to topple gods but it’s another to actually feel it.”

“Trust me, I can feel it just fine.” The Dread Lord said with a grunt as he carefully got back to all fours.

“Yeah, I would really hate to be you right now.” Tirek gave a nod of false sympathy.

A pointed silence fell between the two as they stared at each other. In a blink, the pallid horse made to rush his enemy only for the crimson champion to open his mouth and unleash an inferno of hellfire in a manner that would make a dragon envious. The tower and everything within collapsed as the intense flames melted the very stones and irons down into glowing slag. The surrounding area cracked and smoldered as the unholy heat threatened to burn a second Hellmouth straight down into the First Circle. Above him, the hellstorm began to swirl like a whirlpool in a tub as the raw power of Tartarus began to seep into the Overworld. In the world of the living, trees began to blacken and contort into gnarled shapes while the wildlife entered a primal frenzy the likes of which they had never known before. Storm clouds gathered of their own volition where the hellish power clashed with the harmonic magic. All across Equestria, the wards set up to warn the populace of demonic invasion all went off at once like a thousand voices crying out in terror. By the time word reached the Princesses, the area immediately around the breach had transformed into Hell on Equus. Back down in Tartarus proper, Tirek eventually ceased his infernal assault and stood over the fresh pool of roiling magma with a triumphant pose and a toothy smile to match.

“Hahaha! You talk a big game, your highness, but in the end you are just-?!” The centaur did a double-take as the Theoi pull himself out of the molten pit sans his heavy robes. “STILL ALIVE?! HOW?! THAT WAS LIKE TEN SUNS EXPLODING IN YOUR FACE!!”

“I would not know.” The Dark Lord thought as he shook white-hot rubble out of his ears.“I’ve only had the moon explode in my face.”

The warlock's shock morphed into frustration as he raised his fists to pulverize his infuriatingly durable foe. Just before the blow fell, the pale horse noticed something in the burning orb between the champion's horns. The Lord of Shades had learned many things from the turncoat bell ringer, one of which was the nature and composition of the infamous Rainbow of Darkness. According to Grogar, thousands of damned crystal pony souls had been stolen by the Archfiend and twisted by the hellish engineering of the Soul Smith into a potent artifact of destruction. The Theoi had initially written the souls off as a loss but now that the Rainbow had merged with the champion, he could catch glimpses of leering faces within the miniature sun. At the very least, there was something left of the crystal souls and that gave the monochrome monarch an idea.

“Cursed and damned shades of the mortal dead, heed the command of your King.” The Necroarch called out to the sphere of power in Khthonic. "Return to me."

“What did you call-!” The centaur was about to crush his enemy when coursing pain like something trying to rip out his horns shot through his skull. “Ah, Gragh!, ARGHHH!!!”

The fiery sphere shimmered and contorted as the infernal binding magic was contested by the absolute authority of the Lord of Shades. Tirek wavered and stumbled as agony blurred his vision and a discordant chorus of snarling and vengeful whispers filled his ears, all swearing untold suffering upon everything and everyone. Out of reflex, he backhanded the pallid pony away from him as he tried to reign in the now unstable dark power. The Theoi skidded across the Fields like a worn stone across a pond until he came to an abrupt stop against an oddly shaped mountain.

“What is this?” The monochrome monarch wondered as he righted himself and tapped a hoof against the formation only for it to give with a fleshy squelch. “A flesh wall? Outside the Third Circle?”

The Dark Lord looked up to behold a lifeless face streaked with blood oozing from sightless eyes. What was thought to be yet another of the Fields many rocky features were revealed to be the cooling corpse of the Hekatonkheires. The Necroarch looked from the stricken abomination to Tirek, who had managed to recover and was trying to figure out where he had sent him. His attempt to seize control of the Rainbow of Darkness had only bought him a few fleeting moments.

“I assume he did this to you, warden.” The King mused as he formulated a new plan. “I may be able to rectify that but it will take a lot of power on my part.”

“THERE YOU ARE!” The champion roared as his gaze fell upon the Theoi.

“Well, nothing ventured, nothing gained.” The pallid equine made his decision and began to climb up the mountainous corpse.

As Tirek galloped toward his foe, he hurled a few balls of hellfire at him. The Dark Lord did his best to evade the barrage and continue his ascent even as the fleshy cliff face exploded around him. He used the blast from a bomb that impacted below him to knock him up onto the prone multi-armed giant somewhere near the waist.

“Right, there are the feet.” The Theoi looked down the Hekatonkheires legs to the distant mountain peaks that were its toes. “So I need to go... this way.”

The monochrome stallion about-faced and galloped through the macabre forest of hands and faces locked in rigor mortis, avoiding or leaping over pitfalls in the form of gaping mouths or weeping wounds. The Infernal Champion reached the cadaver of his bested opponent just as the Theoi reached the upper torso of the abomination.

“That chanting thing was a neat trick, I’ll admit, but it won’t work twice!” Tirek taunted as he hunted for his pale foe. “Only I can command this power!”

“Not so much command as direct.” The Lord of Shades thought as he emerged from the tangle of limbs below the primary head’s plated chin. “That type of hate can't be controlled, only given a target.”

The determined stallion climbed up onto the Hekatonkheires’ face and jumped across the cavernous maw. As he skirted around the mansion-sized nose, the colossal centaur noticed his movements out of the corner of his blazing eyes. He was about the hurl another fireball but deigned that it would be more effective to pursue his elusive foe and crush him beneath his hooves. With the rumbling hoof falls of the warlock behind him, the King scaled the bridge of the nose and came to a stop between the fallen warden’s lifeless eyes. Reaching to the giant’s forehead before him was a bleeding fissure of a wound acting as a testament to the power that had delivered the deathblow. With Tirek almost upon him once more, the Theoi did not have time to reevaluate his plan.

“Looks like this is it.” The Necroarch thought as he jumped into the gory depths of the Hekatonkheires’ skull and disappeared from sight. “Necromancy don't fail me now.”

“Poor choice of a hiding place, your mute majesty.” The Shaggoth said maliciously as he reared back on his hooves to reduce the head of the warden to paste. “But it will make a fine tomb!”

The colossal centaur channeled infernal power into his hooves until they glowed like hot iron ready to strike. He brought them down with the force of a falling star, far too close to his target to miss. Instead of the blood-curdling sound of flesh and bone being pulped, the strident clang of hooves striking metal rang out across the Fields followed by a faint but no less insidious Khthonic mantra.

“Wha-?!” The ascended champion could not believe his eyes when a pair of the dead Hekatonkheires’ iron-palmed hands reached up and caught his hooves.

In a feat of unnatural might, the once-thought-dead warden pitched its slayer off of it and onto his back, the impact sending shockwaves through the Circles all while the necromantic chanting continued. For the first time since it broke over the battle between the Exodus and Undying, the raging hellstorm wavered and dissipated as a far darker power asserted itself. A chill he had thought he would never feel again crept down the champion’s spine as a hollow groan reverberated within the corpse of the giant and a few of its limbs began to twitch in false life. A tenebrous miasma billowed out from the abomination’s many wounds, empty eyes and gaping mouths with a ghostly moan. With a horrid grind of tortured metal followed by the sharp crack of ancient bones snapping back into place, the beast sat up as its spine was restored. With Tirek looking on in a mix of awe and fear, the Hekatonkheires got back on its feet and drew itself up to its sky-scraping height. With the exception of its world-shaking legs and a pair of its largest arms, the hundreds of hands and heads hung listlessly like macabre accouterments among the stygian mists that clung to the resurrected warden like the heavy robes of its master. Twin pinpricks of piercing baleful light flickered into existence within the black voids that served as the Abyssal Dreadnought’s eyes.

“So this is the god-tier necromancy Rubric spoke of.” Tirek sneered as he cracked his knuckles. “Ready for round two?”

“Hold that thought.” The Lord of Shades thought from within the skull of the Hekatonkheires. “Let me stop this leak first.”

To the Shaggoth's confusion, the resurrected Hekatonkheires reached up and slammed an open palm against the crack in the ceiling. The hellions swarming the breach scattered while those that had squirmed inside were obliterated by the rush of Khthonic power. In the hapless Overworld, anti-magic erupted from the fissure like a geyser. The corrupted land around the breach was exorcised instantly, twisted flora and warped fauna reduced to sterile dust. The few demons that had managed to reach the surface scattered in a blind panic as they were cut off from their fellows. The wailing warning wards of Equestria were suddenly silenced in an instant as an unnatural sense of dread swept across the map.

"That should do for now." The Dark Lord thought as he returned his attention to Tirek and raised his host's colossal fists. "Now, where were we?"

While the Champion of the Infernal Exodus and the Overlord of the Underworld shook the very bones of the earth, the demons and revenants continued to wage their brutal war. Despite the best efforts of officers on both sides, the order of battle had once again broken down into a chaotic melee. Lines had devolved into individual duels and skirmishes much like the aerial front of the battle. Grand Marshal Armor was only somewhat aware of this fact as his focus was on the formidable Major-general Gordon. The griffon was currently leaning against one of the cages that surrounded their arena as he took a moment to catch his breath. The late captain let him have it as he used the reprive to mend his own wounds. Broken and even dismembered limbs were easy to repair as his ashen flesh possessed a limited form of malleability, much to the tiger-hawk's clear displeasure.

"Hmph! I see that Darzalas built you blighters to last." He grumbled bitterly. "Not all of us can undo crippling injuries you know."

"Not all of us can fly either." Armor retorted. "Nor grow to titanic proportions with enough power to level a country."

"Nothing wrong with bringing overwhelming firepower to the field." Gordon glanced behind his foe to see the crimson Shaggoth in the distance. "Ideally, you can force your foe into a *CRACK* surrender!"

The Major-general forced a dislocated shoulder back into place and rushed the unicorn. The Marshal conjured up a black blade and swung at the officer’s head. The griffon ducked just in time to save his neck but not a few feathers off his head. Before Armor could follow-through, the tiger-hawk swung his talons low and cut the unicorn's legs out from under him. Gordon pounced on the stallion and managed to land a few blows onto Armor’s head before the former Equestrian rolled the two of them over. The revenant got a hoof against the griffon's throat while the griffon's talons wrapped around his neck. While the two grappled atop a prison tower, the acrid air around them gained a soul-piercing chill. The two looked up to witness a second colossus rise above the burning horizon to challenge the crimson champion.

“Gor blimey!” The Major-general gasped in awe at the imposing sight.

“I really hope that thing is on our side.” The Grand Marshall said aloud as the Abyssal Dreadnought attacked the Titanic Shaggoth. “Ah good, it is.”

In the late captain’s moment of distraction, the tiger-hawk found purchase for his paws on his foe’s armor and kicked him off. Gordon righted himself and looked from Armor to the dueling giants in the distance. For the first time since he learned of it, his commitment to the Grand Exodus wavered. It might have been the preternatural dread emanating from the resurrected Hekatonkhieries but it felt as if the Undying had matched the Grand Exodus step for step and had finally gotten one over them. His thoughts drifted toward abandoning a seemingly hopeless cause and making a break for the Brass Gates to save himself.

"Like you said, overwhelming power." Armor said as he read the expression of doubt on the tiger-hawk's face. "If you surrender now, we might go easy on you."

"Would you?" For a brief moment, Gordon seemed to consider this option before his characteristic stiff upper beak returned. "Bah! Hogwash! This war isn't over yet!"

"Well, I tried." The revenant unicorn shrugged as he fired a black bolt at the griffon.

The Major-general rolled out of the way and into open air. Armor rushed to the edge to see his foe take flight and circle the tower. The ashen stallion backed away from the ledge and readied his horn for what he suspected would be blindside assaults. His foresight proved accurate as Gordon came at him from behind. The tiger-hawk's talons raked across his armor and knocked him to the floor. The Marshal sent a flurry of bolts at the griffon but could not score a hit as he disappeared back outside.

"Might have to try that minefield trick again." Armor muttered to himself as he charged up his horn to do just that.

Just as he built up enough power to set up the first bomb, the griffon dove on him from above. The revenant only had enough time to turn around before Gordon slammed into him like a thunderbolt. His talons finally pierced the Marshal's plates and found purchase in the ashen hide beneath. The Major-general took his foe to the ground, bashing his head against the floor and inadvertently cracking the charged horn off near the base. Without the focusing element, the built-up Khthonic power detonated and destroyed the floor beneath them. Both the unicorn and griffon fell into the tangled web of chains, pullies and counter-weights that controlled the hanging cages of the prison tower.

"Ow." Armor groaned as a dull pain pulsed through his head. "That's gonna leave a mark."

"I say, for a bloke known for his barrier magic, you blow up a lot." Gordon said groggily a short distance away. "I suppose the change in allegiance brought a change in tactics."

"Among other things." The Marshal had to wait for his eyes to refocus before he glared at the Major-general.

The griffon was lying prone on a 'hammock' of taught chains while the now nearly-hornless unicorn was daggling by a set like a swing. While both could still move, any shift in weight set off a chain reaction of links tightening or loosening and sending cages crashing to the ground or flying up into the tower. The revenant had to pause and consider every movement less he upset the once precisely balanced mechanisms. The winged Gordon, however, was not so fettered. After a few careful moments of spreading his wings, he took to the air once more. His sudden loss of weight caused several chains to go slack and effectively left Armor backed against a wall with few solid hoofholds.

"End of the line, old chap." The griffon sneered as he flexed his talons and rushed his cornered foe.

More out of desperation than any planning, the revenant reached down and kicked up one of the loose chains. The links wrapped around Gordon's foreleg and went taught just as his talons grazed Armor's nose. The posh tiger-hawk could only squawk in surprise as the equine repeated the trick with his hind paws. In a feat of lassoing that would have made Applejack raise an eyebrow, the unicorn bucked a key weight loose and sent a cascade of chains over his Griffish foe. While the Marshal was left with no room to maneuver, Gordon was ensnared in a tangle of chains that gave the impression of a suspended puppet. Armor gave him a coy smile and received a murderous glare in response. With an intelligible snarl, the tiger-hawk brought one of his forelegs as close as he can and pecked at the links with his beak. With a snap, the links broke and allowed the Major-general to begin wildly slashing through his binds.

"Uh oh." Armor backed away as much as he could as Gordon occasionally took a swipe at him.

Knowing he only had a few moments before the griffon got free, the unicorn looked for an out. A plan came to the late prince as he traced the system of a certain chain that ran to a suspended weight, a cage outside and looped loosely around the unsuspecting tiger-hawk's neck. Armor waited until his foe cut through a few more links before he launched himself at the griffon and wrapped his forelegs around his torso, pinning his wings.

"What the-?!" Gordon gasped as the unicorn slammed into his midsection and sent them swinging back.

The Major-general drove his talons into the revenant's back in an attempt to pry him off. The Marshal ignored it as they swung close to the key counter-weight. Armor kicked out with his hindlegs as hard as he could and shattered the stone block. The two combatants dropped a short distance as the anchoring weight shifted to them and made Gordon acutely aware of the chain that had tightened around his windpipe.

"Bugger me!" The tiger-hawk cried out in a panic as his talons flew to his neck. "NO!"

"Tally-ho." The unicorn said with an anticipative wince as something broke free above them and sent them both into freefall.

"ARGHAAAAAAAAA-*CRACK*" Griffish Major-general Gordon's screams were cut short as their long drop came to a sudden stop by the chain going taught.

Armor fell the rest of the way to the ground as his foe was torn out of his grip. He landed with a hard thud amongst a scattering of debris. Battered and certain a visit to an armorer was in order, the Marshal got to all fours and looked up. The griffon hung limply above him, listlessly swaying to and fro with his neck bent at a sickening angle. The ex-captain just snorted dismissively as he rolled his own neck.

"I think the rest of Griffondom would have thanked me for that." The revenant muttered as he headed for the exit.

Along the way, he came across his own horn still sparking with nether magic amongst the rubble. It had not broken off cleanly and had done so dangerously close to his scalp; beyond the point it would have regrown naturally. This was normally a grave disfigurement for unicorns but given he was already in the grave and had seen his fellow revenants reattach limbs without issue, Armor was confident this would not be an exception.

"If not, the King can probably fashion me a new one." He mused aloud as he picked up his horn and jabbed it against his forehead. "Just need to fit it like a puzzle... there we go."

With a soft click and a sharp snap of Khthonic discharge, the horn reconnected and the Marshal felt nether magic flow through him once more. Confident that he was now back in fighting shape, Armor made to break into a gallop back to the frontlines only for his way to be barred by a trio of demons. The fiends advanced on the lone revenant with well-used weapons at the ready, anticipating an easy kill.

"Three against one?" The unicorn adopted a combat stance and stared down his new foes. "Should I break my horn back off to even things out?"

"No need." One of them said smartly as both its eyes and horns flashed a familar emerald green.

The first demon did not know what hit it as it fell forward with a smoldering hole where its sternum used to be. The second only had time to whirl around before it received the same. It clawed pitifully at the traitor demon who simply stood aside and let it collapse in a heap. A now slightly perplexed Armor was about to question this sudden change in allegiance when the hellion was enveloped in sickly green magic that melted off the demonic flesh and exposed the smooth chitin beneath.

"Surprise!" The changeling greeted with a wide smile.

“Huh, I had almost forgotten you all were out there.” Armor relaxed his guard a bit. "Thanks for the save.”

"Of course." The infiltrator said as it shifted into a revenant pegasus. "The Queen would not be pleased if her favorite was lost."

"Favorite?" The ex-captain's eyes widened in surprise. "As in a delicacy or... nevermind. Can you get us back to the fight in that form?"

"Easily." The changeling said as it demonstrated as much by latching onto the unicorn's back and taking to the air. "By the way, nice job taking out that griffon. He was in charge of the hellions and they are already feeling his absence."

"I thought he was important." The late prince-regent allowed a smug smile. "So how fares the shadow front of this war?"

“Fairly well. We are scattered throughout the demons' ranks and undermining their efforts.” The shapeshifter reported as the main lines came into sight. “The Queen and Princess remain within the enemy stronghold.”

“Heh, I can only imagine what sort of trouble Chrysalis is cooking up for them.” The Marshal said with a short laugh.

"What in the Nine Hells just happened?!" Corona shouted as she picked herself up off the floor.

If she could not see it currently grappling with her champion, she would have thought that the Abyssal Dreadnought had smacked the floating tower. The entire edifice had leaned precariously to one side before it eventually righted itself. What had caused this was unknown but judging from the sound of demons rushing about throughout the tower, the Hierarch thought she would find out soon enough.

"Did a stray blast hit us?" Zeb asked after extracting himself from an upturned chair.

"Your majesty!" A fiend burst into the room before Corona could say anything. "Forgive the intrusion but its the Hellevator!"

"Explain!" The fiery Alicorn demanded.

"I don't know exactly but some guards are messing with it." The demon did so as it remembered to kneel before its queen. "They barricaded themselves inside. They could be traitors or revenants in disguise or... I don't know."

"It doesn't matter what they are, they die!" The Infernal Queen fumed. "Zeb! Take the bruiser brothers with you and deal with this!"

"Me?" The sharp-dressed bard looked around to see if there was another Zeb in the room. "Why are-"

"Because with Rubric dead, you are the only one who can fix those harmonic runes." Corona explained with rapidly thinning patience. "The Hellevator hasn't shut off completely so my magic should still be in effect which means the saboteurs must be tampering with said runes."

"But I..." The zebra tried to protest further but thought better of it once the Alicorn transfixed him with a murderous glare. "...will be right back. Let's go you two."

The pair of bury bodyguards glanced at their charge who nodded for them to go with the guitar toting bard. The three exited her chambers following after the messenger demon. Now alone, the Archfiend returned the balcony affording her a vista of the dueling giants. As Tirek broke out of a headlock, her gaze was drawn upward toward the black vault of a sky. The resurrection of the Hekatonkheires had cleared most of the hellstorm allowing her to just barely discern a fault in the otherwise impenetrable bedrock.

"Could it be?" The Alicorn whispered hopefully to herself before something shook her tower and derailed her thoughts. "Damn it! Zeb had better get a move on!"

The zebra bard was doing just that as he and his new partners galloped and ran down the halls toward the Hellevator's terminus. Panic had spread throughout the capitol as demons thought that the Undying had moved seige weapons into range and were firing at them. Zeb did not have time to tell them otherwise nor did he feel the inclination to do so as a quick peek outside would prove that the threat came from within.

"Just so you two know, I am not much of a fighter." The stripped equine warned the bruisers. "I can handle one creep- maybe two -but I do better from the sidelines."

"That's where we come in." One of the brutes said shortly. "You just stay back and play your little fiddle."

Zeb bristled at the comment but did not say anything as they came upon the entrance to the Hellevator. A mob of demons had gathered and were trying to break down the sealed doors. The brothers shouldered past them to test their considerable strength against the barricade. Within, the changelings had nearly finished shutting down the fiery transport when the doors began to buckle inward.

"Here they come." Chrysalis warned as the restrictive resin cracked and crumbled. "Get ready, Elytra."

"Are we going to fight our way out?" The Swarm Princess asked with a grimace.

"That or hold them back long enough for one of us to shut this thing down." The Matron answered. "That will give us a way out that doesn't lead down into the heart of demon country."

The nymph nodded in understanding as the barricade finally failed and exploded inward. Rather than a mob of demon guards, the Swarm Queen was surprised when the pair of hulking brutes stomped in first. They did not even act surprised upon sighting the changelings. Rather they conjured crackling balls of plasma in their claws while they advanced with murderous intent. The other fiends were not about to let Corona's bodyguards have all the fun as they fanned out to surround the interlopers and cut off the only apparent avenue of escape. Despite being outnumbered and out of their stealth element, Chrysalis and Elytra were still changeling royals running on a full course of hope and joy. They would not be easy prey and intended to prove as much to the demons.

"Bring it!" The younger changeling challenged as her horn blazed with magic.

Plasma, hellfire and emerald magic intermix with the infernal glow of the Hellevator as the demons battled the changelings. Tortured flesh and burning claws met tested chitin and gnarled horns as they went back and forth around the column of fire. As they fought, the beam grew more unstable as the few remaining runes containing it were damaged in the melee. Soon it was writhing like a snake as the ill contained magic threatened to break free. This mattered little to the combatants as they were focused more on killing each other.

“I’ll squash you like the bug you are!” A bruiser shouted as he jumped into the air and brought both glowing fists down in a hammer blow aimed at Chrysalis’ skull.

“Oh, please. Like I haven’t heard that before!” The matriarch rolled her eyes and herself out of range as the brute cracked the floor beneath them.

Elytra fared about as well as her mother as she sidestepped a charging demon and blasted it in the back. The standard guard fiends, she quickly learned, were fairly easy for the two of them to dispatch. The hulking brutes were another matter as they seemed able to shrug off whatever the changelings threw at them. Their musclebound forms also belied a low cunning such as having one bruiser hold a foe's attention while the other attacked from behind as Chrysalis was about to discover. Before she could be tag-teamed by the brutes, the nymph jumped onto the flanking brother's back. The Swarm Princess tried to get her forelegs around his neck but it was far too thick for her to do anything more than annoy him. He groped behind him and managed to get a fistful of her tail. With a sharp tug, he yanked her off his back and held her upside down in front of him.

“Annoying little gnat!” He growled at her as he gathered a ball of fire in his free hand and aimed it at her face.

Seeing her daughter in danger, Chrysalis fended off the bruiser focused on her with a swift kick to the gut and then fired an angry bolt of emerald magic at the brute menacing her child. The blast caught the demon square in the face, stunning him and forcing him to drop the nymph as he tried to force the stars out of his eyes. Elytra returned the favor by sending a lash of her own magic to entangle the legs of the recovered other bodyguard as he tried to rush her mother. He stumbled and slid across the floor, missing the matriarch and coming to a stop just shy of the writhing Hellevator.

“Are you alright, mom?” The nymph rushed to the Queen’s side.

“I’m fine, just- behind you!” Chrysalis’s warning came too late.

Elytra only had enough time to turn around before the previously stunned bruiser recovered and slammed a meaty fist into the side of her head with a crack. The Swarm Princess was sent flying into the far wall then collapsed to the floor where she laid still. The changeling matriarch rounded on the brute with murder in her eyes. She lunged at him, fully intent on ripping out his throat with her fangs only for the second bruiser to catch her in a bear hug. The chitin around her perforated forelegs and barrel strained and cracked as the beast trapped her wings against his broad chest.

“Hold it tight, brother.” The first demon said as he pulled back and drove his fist into the changeling matron’s lithe abdomen.

Chrysalis hacked up blood and spittle as another blow knocked the air out of her lungs. Over and over, the bruiser pulverized her torso while the other threatened to crush her in his vice-like grip. Against the wall, Elytra struggled to get back to all fours. Her vision swam as raw pain pulsated through one side of her face but she could discern the remaining guard demons surrounding her looking for an easy kill. The nymph ignited her horn to fend them off when the ringing in her ears morphed into music. A strange sense of calm came over the Swarm Princess as the warm notes filled her ears. The demons parted to reveal the source of the siren song in the form of a sharply dressed zebra strumming a guitar. The bard regarded the young changeling with a wide smile and a glint in his eye visible behind his shades. Elytra returned the smile despite herself.

"Well now, what are you doing down here, little lady?" Zeb asked smoothly as he continued to pick at his strings. "Looking for trouble?"

"Maybe~" The nymph slurred with a silly grin. "Have I found it?"

"Ha! I'd say you have." The striped equine said with a laugh. "You know... I bet we could get into all sorts of trouble together. What do you say?"

"Hehehe~" Elytra giggled like a starstruck filly.

"Okay, charmer, quit flirting with the enemy and finish her off already." One of the guards growled as he produced a knife and gestured for the zebra to take it.

"You may not think much about this but it has been a very long time since I've played for my preferred audience." Zeb dropped the act to glare at the fiend over the top of his sunglasses. "She's young, spry and a shapeshifter to boot; I've hit the jackpot with her."

"Ka-ching!" The enchanted nymph pantomimed a slot machine as her wings flittered excitedly.

"There is still the matter of mommy dearest." Another guard hooked a claw at Chrysalis still doing her best impression of a punching bag.

One of the bruisers raised his fist for the killing blow only for a sharp whistle to catch his attention. The two brutes looked to see the bard and lesser demons approaching them. In front of them trotted the smaller changeling with a glazed look in her eyes and a knife suspended in her magic.

"Really?" The brother holding the matron asked incredulously.

"We'll get the same result." Zeb assured him. "I just want to make sure my newest groupie is a true fan. Now hold that she-freak down."

The bruisers rolled their eyes but complied. The bruised and bleeding Chrysalis was thrown to the ground and held in place by a massive hoof on her back. The other brute grabbed her by the top of her head and held it high, aiming her horn away from anything important and exposing her neck.

"Elytra?" The Swarm Queen said weakly as she saw her daughter surrounded by demons and an out-of-place looking zebra.

"Elytra, eh? A pretty name for a pretty girl." Zeb crooned as he ruffled the nymphs mane. "Now, just give her a second smile and you and I can make some really sweet music."

"She's just a nymph!" The elder shapeshifter's eyes shrank to pinpricks as what he was implying sank in. "Barely the equivalent of a filly!"

"What can I say? I'm a cradle robber." The zebra shrugged as he gave the nymph an encouraging smack on the rear. "Go on, love-bug. Put this ragged nag out of her misery."

The charmed Swarm Princess only smiled as she approached her now struggling mother with the knife held at the ready. At that moment, something stirred within the small-hearted matron: fear. Not for her own life but that of her daughter if she were to be left to the predilections and appetites of these fiends. As it so often does, that fear turned to anger befitting a mother when her child is threatened. That anger gave the changeling Queen enough strength to fight against the brute holding her head. While she could not break free entirely, she was able to angle her crooked horn at the bruiser's face. The emotion-draining magic of her kind shot from her and linked with the wrathful demon. Within she found nothing but an eternity's worth of rage and hatred; more than enough for what she saw as her only option. She seized what she could and drank it in. Her last clear thoughts were that it had a spicy taste to it before everything caught fire.

"GET AWAY FROM HER!!" Chrysalis shrieked as her green eyes shifted into burning orange.

Elytra froze with the knife a hairsbreadth from her mother's neck as her voice cut through her addled mind. The Swarm Queen's chitin splintered and cracked as broiling cysts and swelling muscle pushed through. Scorching flame erupted from a fissure running from her horn to the dock connecting her tail, knocking both brutes off of her and sending a petrified nymph to the ground.

"Oh shit!" Zeb shoved a demon in front of him as the enraged matriarch lunged at him with a scream no mortal should produce.

Chrysalis tore through the hapless guard demons in a fury of fire and fangs. With the bard preoccupied with putting as much distance between himself and the changeling, his charm over Elytra was broken. The young nymph returned to reality just in time to see the bruiser brothers recover and rejoin the fray. She caught one in the back with a blast of magic only for the brute to ignore it in favor of focusing on the clearly bigger threat.

"Mom! Look out!" The Swarm Princess called out as her mother eviscerated the last of the guards.

The matron turned just in time to catch a ham sized fist to the side of the head. To the brute's surprise, rather than be sent flying, the rabid changeling stood her ground and growled at her new target with his fist still in her face. The Queen retaliated with a lash of rage-corrupted magic that cut the legs out from under her foe and began raining blows upon his head. The other brother, sensing another opportunity to end the fight, tore a slab of masonry off the wall and held it aloft.
Just as he was about to crush Chrysalis between the rock and his presumably harder brother, a sharp crack followed by a sapphire flash out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. The demon froze as a beam of magic streaked between his legs, narrowly avoiding his groin. He looked over to see the changeling nymph panting heavily from the exertion.

“You missed.” The bruiser sneered as he prepared to hurl the chunk of rock at her instead.

“Did I?” The Swarm Princess asked coyly.

"No, the little bitch didn't!" Zeb said aghast.

The brute checked behind him to see that bard had attempted to restore the harmonic runes during the melee. Such a thing was now impossible as Elytra had just snapped the fretboard of his guitar. The zebra tried to produce the keynotes needed to sustain the Hellevator but all he got were pitiful discordant twangs.

"Well, fuck." The sharp-dressed bard grimaced as the last of the binding runes fizzled and went out.

The Hellevator began to twist and contort with angry bolts of infernal energy leaping off at random as the power sustaining it began to bleed off. Dis swayed to and fro again as the infernal beam buckled against the physical restraints of the tower. The bruiser holding the slab clumsily tossed it at the nymph as he struggled to maintain his balance. Elytra ducked under the rock and retaliated with a flurry of magical bolts. The barrage, while lacking the strength to pierce his hide, was enough to knock the brute off his unsteady hooves and send him rolling into the unstable Hellevator.

"Brother!" The demon pinned beneath Chrysalis shouted as his sibling was sent rocketing down to Pandemonium where he splattered against the ground like an overripe melon. "RAGH! DAMN YOU, BUG!"

Fuelled by an infernal rage of his own, the brute got his legs under the Swarm Queen and kicked her off. She smacked against the wall hard enough to crack it but it did not seem to even stun her as she landed on all fours with a maddened snarl. The demon matched her stance as he stopped himself at the very edge of the Hellevator and snorted like a bull.

"Mom! Forget him! We need to-!" Elytra tried to warn her mother of the peril of remaining near the failing transport only to be swatted aside.

"Die!" Chrysalis shrieked as liquid hatred oozed from her cracked chitin like blood. "DIE!!"

The two combatants charged at each other like runaway trains, fully intent on crushing the other. Just before they clashed, the Hellevator finally failed with a cacophonous boom. A wave of hellish power rushed through the room and beyond, knocking Elytra and Zeb to the ground and forcing the bruiser to stumble. The maddened changeling barely slowed as its foe took the brunt of the blast and shot forward like a blazing comet. The brute's eye bulged as the changeling slammed into his chest and kept going, rending flesh and bone until it erupted out his scorched back in a shower of gore.

"Right behind you... bro..." The bodyguard gurgled as he collapsed in a heap.

Looking every bit a true denizen of Tartarus, the Swarm Queen's wrathful eyes fell upon its original target. Zeb visibly paled as he realized he had no one to hide behind now. The rage-infected husk stalked toward him with fangs bared and dripping with concentrated malice.

"Hold up now! I wasn't going to hurt your little grub." The bard explained shakily as he backed away. "You feed on love, yeah? I would have given her plenty! Wait, that did not come out right."

His pleas fell on deaf ears as the Matriarch lunged at him with an unholy roar. The zebra desperately swung his ruined guitar at the feral beast like a flail only for it to splinter harmlessly against its blazing carapace. Zeb cried out in terror as he was knocked on his back and found himself staring into the shapeshifter's demonic visage. Bright orange ichor dribbled onto his melting sunglasses as the changeling's jaw cracked and unhinged like a snake's, revealing serrated fangs and a gullet illuminated by the fires of anger. The lecherous bard's screams were muffled by the Matron's maw closing around his head, its teeth tearing into his face as he struggled in vain to free himself. Blinded, deafened and maimed by a mother's fury, Zeb was finally silenced when the beast tore the ragged remains of his head free from his shoulders. With a disgusted spat, the Swarm Queen flung the nearly flayed skull to the ground and crushed it to pulp beneath its hooves.

"Mom?" A thoroughly horrified Elytra said pleadingly. "Mom, it's over."

The enraged changeling did not respond as it continued to thrash and snarl like a rabid animal. The nymph quickly realized that while the matron had used it to brutal effect, the anger and hatred it had consumed would have turned inward without an outlet or target. She had been told the myth of Husk enough times to know that she could not let such a fate befall her mother. Throwing her own safety to the wind, the young Queen-To-Be flew over to her ailing parent and dropped down onto its back. The Matriarch immediately began bucking wildly in an effort to throw her off but Elytra wrapped her forelegs around its neck and held on.

"Mom, it's okay. You did it. You won." The nymph said gently even as she felt the rage and frustration threaten to seep into her. "Please come back to us. The drones need you. I need you. Please, mom. I love you."

Elytra closed her eyes and nuzzled against the monster's neck, hoping that her mother was still somewhere inside. Unconsciously, a small spark of magic leaped off her horn in the form of a tiny blue heart. It passed through the blaze that was the feral matron's mane and connected with it's gnarled horn. The Swarm Queen froze as the simple but potent magic shot through her skull and flooded her body. The hellish hate and burning rage were quelched by the pure, unconditional love between a child and a parent. The matriarch sank to her knees and panted heavily as the power of anger left her body. The nymph maintained her hold on her mother until she felt something pull her off. She opened her eyes to see Chrysalis holding her in her magic and looking back at her as the last bit of orange faded from her green-blue eyes.

"Elytra." The supposedly small-hearted changeling said softly as she pulled her daughter into a protective hug. "My sweet, little nymph."

"Momma." The Swarm Princess felt tears well up in her eyes as she nuzzled against her mother's chest.

The two spent the next few quiet moments tending to each other's wounds with as much of their remaining magic as they dared use. Between being brutalized by demons and Chrysalis nearly burning herself out, both could feel that they would have a few new scars to show for their trouble. Once she had treated the worst of the nymph’s injuries, the Swarm Queen looked over the results of their efforts.

“Well, we bought Shining and friends some breathing room.” Chrysalis chittered approvingly.

“And without the dragon or her, bleh, bard, it will take Corona some time to make another.” Elytra concurred with a disgusted glance at the headless zebra. "If she can at all."

"Then the hothead is our next problem." The matron decided.

The two looked from where the Hellevator used to burn to the cooling corpse of one of the brutish bodyguard. The changelings stared at it for a moment before they looked to each other, the same idea forming in their heads.

“They were twins, right?” The nymph asked as she studied the details of the brute.

“I think so, yes.” The Swarm Matriarch recalled. “To be honest, everything between eating anger from this demon to now is just... fire.”

"Heh, you tore through everything in here!" Elytra said with a nervous laugh. "But please don't do that again."

"I doubt I could even if I wanted to." Chrysalis assured her with a glance at her still cracked carapace.

With their analyst complete, insectoid green fire enveloped the two changelings as they plied their talents. Out of the flames emerged Corona’s bodyguards, whole and alive with a few minor wounds for effect. The incognito royals took a moment to adjust to being bipedal again before they kicked the demon corpses down the Hellevator shaft to dispose of evidence of their new disguises. Elytra gave the body of Zeb a long look before she wordlessly tossed it down the hole and punted the gibs that were his head soon after. Chrysalis gave her daughter an approving pat on the back which she returned with a smile.

“Do we need a cover story?” The disguised Swarm Princess asked as she tried to get the deep demonic inflection right.

Before Chrysalis could answer, a group of hellions charged into the room with weapons at the ready. They looked from the smoldering ruins to the burly bodyguards then searched the room for any signs of an enemy. When they found none, one of them turned to the brutes.

“So, how fucked are we?” It asked.

“Royally.” One of the bruisers grunted with a nod toward the smoldering remains of the transport. “Spies got into the tower somehow. We dealt with them but they managed to take out the Hellevator.”

A wave of concerned and dejected mutterings rippled through the guards. They gave one last look around before they lowered their weapons. A few went to look for imps to repair the superficial damage to the room while the rest began to search the tower for any more intruders.

“I guess you two should report to her Infernal Majesty.” A fiend said warily to the brutes before he departed. “Try not to get burned when she erupts.”

The two just grunted in affirmation as they exited the room and made their way back to Corona’s sanctum. One of them could not help but smile at the other, a sapphire gleam in his eyes. His compatriot returned the smile but motioned that they should stay in character while the tower was on high alert for infiltrators.

The acrid air around the ascended shaggoth and necromantic hekatonkheires crackled with infernal and nether energy as the colossi went back and forth across the blasted Fields of Punishment. Every step shook Tartarus to its foundations and every blow echoed across the Underworld like rolls of thunder. The burning blood and stygian ichor of the combatants stained the wastes red and black.

“I killed you once before and I will do it again!” The Titanic Tirek roared as he and the resurrected warden locked together in a clash.

“Save your breath, warlock.” The Theoi Anax within the Abyssal Dreadnought thought. “I’m not going to bother animating his mouth.”

The undead warden leaned back and slammed its primary skull against the bridge of the empowered centaur’s nose, earning a sickening crunch and a shout of pain. The many-limbed giant did not have time to capitalize on the created opening as Tirek wracked its body with lashes of malevolent energy from the blazing sun between his horns as he stumbled back. Lifeless arms and a few heads fell free from the ancient monster, severed from the main body by the sudden barrage.

“For all his fire and strength, that damn relic still the most dangerous part of him.” The Dark Lord mused as he looked at the manifestation of the Rainbow of Darkness’ power. “Yet it can be a weakness if only I could-!“

His train of thought was derailed by Tirek dropping a shoulder and charging him. The centaur bullied him through towers and craggy mountains before he tossed the abomination to the ground. He tried his earlier tactic of crushing the primary head with his forehooves before his foe could raise its arms. He reared back and channeled power into his hooves only for the warden to drive a foot into one of his hind legs. The colossal centaur lost his balance and fell hard onto his side. The Dreadnought rolled onto the warlock’s back and wrapped an arm around his neck and grabbed his shoulder. It was when the other hand seized ahold of his jaw that the warlock realized that the Necroarch intended to break his neck rather than choke him out. Tirek clawed at the iron-shod limb to little effect as he felt his neck begin to strain painfully. Thinking quickly, the champion repaid his earlier indignity by leaning forward then snapping his head back, driving the miniature sun and the top of his horned skull into the abomination’s face. While the stygian colossus could no longer feel pain, the Dark Lord controlling it certainly could. The shock of the blow severed his hold on the Dreadnought for a split second but it was all Tirek needed. As soon as he felt the arm ease off his throat, the centaur pitched his foe off his equine half and bucked his hind hooves into its spine as it rolled off for good measure. Tirek took a moment to take in a few needed lungfuls of air while the Theoi got his host back under control and fixed its backbone again where it lay near a small volcanic mountain range.

“You don't give up, do you?” Tirek said roughly as he popped his neck. “Even when faced with certain destruction you still fight.”

“Last time I sat back and played the wait-and-see game ended poorly.”The Khthonic Theoi thought as he got his host up in a kneeling position. “I am not about to make those mistakes again, especially when Tartarus is involved.”

“In another life, we may very well have been allies.” The Infernal Champion continued as he fixed his enemy with a cold glare. “But not here. Instead, you side with those who would fear and revile you.”

The crimson centaur conjured malevolent power in his hands and advanced on the still silent abomination.

“Why?” The warlock demanded angrily. “Why do you serve the Alicorns and their mewling minions?!”

“I do not serve.” The Overlord of the Underworld thought indignantly as he had the Hekatonkheires grab the peaks of the closest mountains. “I rule.”

The Infernal Champion reached the seemingly injured Abyssal Dreadnought without a word. Just as he raised his fists to beat it into the ground, the giant uprooted the mountains with the ease of ripping up weeds. In one smooth motion, the colossus stood up and clapped the magma veined rocks over Tirek’s ears in an explosion of fire, rock and blood.

“ARGH!” The centaur roared in agony as he was forced into a painful world of silence.

With its foe stunned, the resurrected warden followed up with a flurry of titanic blows to the warlock’s head and torso. The champion tried to fend off the assault but in his discombobulated state, the majority of strikes connected. While he had his infernal foe on the defensive, the Dark Lord knew that it was only a matter of time before Tirek got a second wind and struck back hard.

“I just cannot do enough damage with the Rainbow of Darkness sustaining him.” The Theoi thought. “The damned souls within are the key but I can’t reach them from here…”

The gears in the void escapee’s dark mind began to turn as he looked at the infernal sun. The solution suddenly seemed so obvious but the monochrome monarch knew it was not without risks. Still, he could see no other option with the fate of his realm at stake.

“So I will go to them.” The Dark Lord decided as he channeled enough power into his host to do what needed to be done. "If this doesn't work, then I may well be out of luck."

The Abyssal Dreadnought grabbed the semi-dazed centaur by the neck and held him upright. It pulled back its other fist in a rather exaggerated fashion and swung it forward in what would be a brutal hook to the warlock’s face. As the colossal fist broke the sound barrier on the way to its target, the pale horse emerged from a lesion near its wrist and held on. Tirek, his senses returning in the lull between blows, saw the attack coming and caught the warden’s fist in his hand with a meaty thwack. The momentum of the intercepted blow catapulted the Theoi through the air between the colossal champion’s fingers toward the malignant sphere of power.

“I have no idea what awaits me within.” The Lord of Shades thought grimly as he entered the infernal sun and vanished into the malevolent conflagration with a splash of fire.

Unaware of the pallid pony’s ploy, Tirek countered the warden’s attack by building up as much power in his free hand as he could. His red skin blistered and cracked until hellfire engulfed his entire forearm. With a savage roar, the centaur drove his fist low into the gut of the Hekatonkheires. The stygian mists burned away and necrotic flesh was torn apart as the uppercut shredded the cold innards of the abomination. The blow traveled up the torso of the giant, shattering its ribs and solar plexus until Tirek’s fist emerged covered in ichor and gore from the beast’s collarbone. Like a burning comet, the centaur connected with the warden’s jaw, resulting in a burst of flesh and teeth as the bone split neatly in two. The grand climax of the deathblow came when the Abyssal Dreadnought’s skull exploded in a shower of bone, ichor, and giblets. As the warlock’s fist came free, the eviscerated and decapitated giant fell back with a rumbling groan as the last of the necromantic energy sustaining it dissipated. For a second time, the Hekatonkheires of the Fields of Punishment collapsed to the ground in an avalanche of flesh and metal. Tirek stared down at his vanquished foe, scanning for any signs that it might rise again or the pale horse that would make it so. For what felt like an eternity, the champion loomed over the ruined corpse, not quite ready to accept that he had finally bested the Dread Lord of the Sunless Lands.

“Not even a god could have survived that.” The crimson centaur said to himself in dawning realization. “I did it. He’s dead!”

Tirek began to laugh; a cruel chuckle that built into full bellows of triumph. At long last, he had defeated the Dark Lord of the Dead and opened the way for the Grand Exodus. His laughter rang across the Fields and was audible in parts of the world above. With a toothy grin that stretched ear to ear, the Infernal Champion turned to the awestruck demons and revenants who had halted their battle to behold such a sight. He spread his arms wide as he addressed them.

“WHERE IS YOUR GOD NOW?!” He roared, daring anyone to answer him.

Pain. A scorching, ceaseless agony that gnawed at one's being. That was the only way the Dark Lord could describe the world he entered when he passed through the dead sun. His mane, beard and fur had burned away almost immediately, leaving the malevolent energies to work on the pale gray flesh beneath. Despite the ongoing torment, the Theoi ventured deeper into the sphere of power, swimming through tangible malice in search of the accursed souls that produced it.

“I can feel them.” It took all of the monarch’s mental strength to prevent the torture he was feeling from overriding his faculties. “Just a bit closer…”

With one last surge of his rapidly waning strength, the pale horse reached the literal and metaphorical heart of Tirek’s power. The infernal torment suddenly ceased and he found himself suspended in a formless limbo not too dissimilar from the Void he had escaped so long ago. All around him were the thousands upon thousands of souls of crystal ponies, stolen, twisted and tainted by the foul powers of Tartarus. If they noticed his intrusion, they did not on it as they continued to fill the otherwise silent expanse with a discordant chorus of voices.

“Kill them.” The hateful shades seethed with the purest form malice. “Kill them all.”

“Their anger and hated is unfocused; no target until Tirek gives them one.” The interloper inferred."A familiar state of affairs and that gives me an idea.”

“Shades of the mortal dead, heed your true master.” The Lord of Shades called for their attention in Khthonic, sending a ripple through the sea of souls.

Every shade transfixed the lone and nude stallion with their piercing gaze. The Theoi could tell he had their attention but not their obedience. The hellish power binding them would not be so easily undone.

“The Dark Lord is among Us!” The voices hissed in recognition. “The one who would deny Us our vengeance!!!”

The void lit up with flashes of baleful lightning as the souls intensified their collective power. With a deafening crack, the energy split the expanse and wracked the pale horse with fresh waves of agony. Even as his immortal flesh being pushed to its limits, the Theoi held fast to his plan.

“You have been wronged, shades!” He managed to say past gritted teeth. "And in your rage, you have been used. I mean to correct this heresy!"

The pain relented but did not cease completely. Out of the mass of souls, one emerged and approached the Theoi. Even in its corrupted state, the Dark Lord was able to recognize who the shade used to be.

“Diamond Cutter.” He mused as one of Sombra's former Blackguards stood before him. "Service to the tyrant has cost you dearly."

“Explain, Silent King.” The late jailer spoke on behalf of the deathly masses.

“Your anger is just but aimless.” The stygian stallion began evenly. “You lash out at everything blindly. This only serves the will of demons and heretics, not you.”

The souls whispered amongst themselves as they considered this. The King took the fact that they had not descended upon him to rip him apart as a good sign. The shade of Diamond appeared to listen to their internal debate before he addressed the pale horse again.

“Then who would you direct our fury towards?” He asked curtly. "So many have wronged us."

“Those responsible for your destruction should be the objects of your wrath.” The Theoi stated. "Rather than-!"

“The Alicorns!” The mass cut him off as a hellish glow entered the eyes of the souls. “Snuff out the sun! Tear the stars from the skies!!”

“Not what I meant.” The interloper thought as the shades cursed the names of Equestria’s Princesses. “But going from everyone alive to just four is a step in the right direction.”

“The Princesses may be responsible for your deaths.” He conceded that rather apparent truth. “Hate them if you wish but they are not to blame for your damnation. Not completely.”

The burning hatred of the crystal ponies was tempered by curiosity and a bit of confusion. Cadenza had enslaved them, Luna had destroyed them, and Celestia and her pupil were complacent in the former’s actions. Yet they should be spared their wrath? The pointed silence from Cutter told the Khthonic Theoi he had best continue.

“Rather than fault the sword that fell your nation, look to those who forced their actions.” The pale horse spoke with all the conviction of a priest addressing his congregation. “The Tyrant and-“

“Sombra!” At the mention of the mad slaver, the former slaves began to burn with malice while his former Blackguards shrunk back in guilt and shame. “He did not survive the end of the Empire! WHERE IS HE?!”

"Damn it, not this again." The pale horse grimaced as the lightning started up again.

The Theoi was subjected to another round of torment as the shades all but tortured him for the whereabouts of the soul of their late oppressor. Fresh wounds opened up across his body, adding runlets of inky black to his otherwise pale skin. In time, the souls realized that he could not tell them anything if he could not speak without biting off his tongue.

“The slaver has been utterly destroyed.” The King informed them once they relented enough for him to speak coherently again. “His body is ash and his mind has been shattered by the vengeful souls of the crystal unicorns: the victims of genocide conceived by the Tyrant and carried out by you.”

The accusation quelled the wrath of the souls like a bucket of ice water dumped on a fire. Their corrupted states could not conceal the terrible guilt that each and every one of them felt even if they could not remember why. The Dark Lord could feel the binds of the Rainbow of Darkness waver, if only slightly. He had to press his advantage if he had any hope of reestablishing his absolute authority over them.

“Yes, you are not in Tartarus by some cruel trick or twist of fate but by your own sins.” The Overlord of the Underworld said firmly. “Yet there may be some small form of redemption available to you.”

Redemption in Tartarus was a rare thing indeed but not completely unheard of. According to the memories gleaned from Grogar, the crystal souls had been stolen by the Infernal Queen from Judge Minos before he had a chance to sentence them. While there was no hope of them escaping the Pits, this last act could mean the difference between wandering the monster-infested forests of the First Circle and marching in the endless deserts of the Seventh Circle or worse.

“Please, if it is in your power, forgive us.” Diamond begged pitifully on behalf of his fellows. "What must we do to redeem ourselves?"

“Sombra may have orchestrated the genocide that damned your souls but he did not do it without purpose.” The Theoi said knowingly. “They were sacrificed to a devil that promised egress from Hell much like Corona does now.”

A round of whispers resonated within the core as the shades began to recall what had transpired over a millennium ago. While Sombra's memory block was still in place, it could not hold up against everything the shades had been subjected to and was crumbling with every reminder presented to them. The souls were now hanging off the Dark Lord's every word, a more focused and justified fury building within them.

“How long must you harbor these mysteries?” Diamond pleaded with the Theoi Anax, his corrupted features beginning to correct themselves. “Who was this wretch that poisoned Sombra already twisted mind?”

“Just a bit more…” The pale horse could feel the last of the Rainbow’s hold begin to erode.

“The Ixionian warlock, Tirek.” He pronounced the name like a curse. “The same centaur who now wields your wrath as a tool to further his own wicked ends.”

The smoldering embers of indignation ignited into a veritable inferno of righteous fury. There was only one thing on the crystal souls’ restored minds. After some many years, a great wrong was about to finally be put right.

“SLAY THE CENTAUR!” They all cried with one strident voice that made the Theoi’s ears ring. “AVENGE THE FALL OF THE EMPIRE!”

“You desire revenge?” The Lord of Shades spoke a simple phrase that undid the last of the Rainbow of Darkness’ power. “Then take it.”

The Infernal Champion loomed over the ranks of the Undying. Even with the apparent death of their patron Lord, the armored defenders stood their ground against the revitalized demons. While part of Tirek respected their commitment to a cause, he nevertheless saw them as another obstacle to be removed; one that would be far easier. He raised his hands to immolate them in hellfire only for a gravely chill to run down his spine rather than the expected heat of Wrath. It was when the ethereal whispers started up again that he knew something was very wrong.

“Oh no, not this again!” The warlock looked around for the source of the anti-magical presence but found nothing. "No way that pale punk is still alive!"

The miniature sun between his horns suddenly contorted as if something within was trying to break out. The shock of his power rebelling against him forced Tirek to stumble, head clutched in his hands as a splitting ache shot through his skull. He almost doubled over as the sphere began to cool and crack. A negative light shone out of the orb of malice along with a tenebrous miasma suffused with snarling faces as the souls trapped within clawed their way out. The whispers crescendoed into a deafening roar of rage as the infernal sun went supernova. The force of the blast snapped off Tirek’s horns and singed his silvery hair down to his scalp. Countless crystal pony souls swarmed around the centaur, bodies cloaked in the stygian mists of their Khthonic patron and eyes ablaze with the fires of vengeance.

“Oh no.” Memories of knocking back crystal unicorn magic like shots came to the forefront of his mind. "Oh fuck!"

With a baleful wail, the shades were upon him. The champion tried to fend them off with all the Titanic power he had but it was all for naught. The shades tore into him, shredding flesh and sinew, putting out his eyes and consuming his Titanic blood. All Tirek could do was scream in agony as his flesh fell away like boiled meat, revealing the stained bone beneath. With the last of his strength, the centaur reached for the breach in the ceiling and roared one last spiteful curse at the living world above.

“DAMN YOu…all…” His malediction bled into a ghastly death rattle that echoed across all of Tartarus.

Tirek, warlock of Ixion and Infernal Champion of the Grand Exodus, was reduced to a colossal skeleton held together by rapidly fading Titanic power standing in defiance of his fate. Within his ribcage, the Rainbow of Darkness twisted and convulsed in its death throes without souls to sustain it. The cardiac relic suddenly froze and gave one last evil beat. A series of miniature explosions tore the malevolent heart apart before the last of the fell magic failed catastrophically in a burst of manifest evil. Without the heinous artifact keeping it intact, the skeleton succumbed to gravity and collapsed in an osseous shower of bone and ash. The leering skull of the centaur crashed to the stricken ground with a definitive thud, signaling the effective end of the battle of Tartarus. The vindicated souls of the crystal ponies surrounded the smoldering skull of their hated foe and waited. A thin, spectral hand appeared in one of the vacant eye sockets. Slowly and tentatively, the shade of Tirek climbed out of his own remains and ungracefully tumbled to the ground before the host of souls. The once-mighty champion had been stripped of his power and reduced back to his weak and impotent hermit form. The wretched soul looked around at the impassive horde, fear written across his spectral features.

“What more do you want?” He demanded in a voice barely above a whisper.

The hapless shade got his answer in the form of something dropping down behind him. With the chill of dread that could only be brought on by one being, Tirek turned around to face the Dread Lord. The sight that greeted him made him recoil in shock. His time spent in the Rainbow of Darkness had taken its toll on the monochrome Necroarch. Stygian ichor stained deathly pale flesh stretched far too tight over a bony, emaciated frame. An aura of Khthonic power surrounded the Theoi as his void-touched animus seeped out of his battered vessel. The Dark Lord pointed a split hoof at his vanquished foe, the baleful pinpricks of light in his hollow eyes as cold as the grave.

“Kneel.” The Lord of Shades commanded his new subject.

Tirek sank to his knees as the last inkling of defiance departed his mind. Slowly and purposefully, he bent over and placed his ectoplasmic palms on the ground with his head bowed in supplication to the Overlord of the Underworld. He knew he was beat and there was no point in continuing a now hopeless fight.

“I yield.” The late warlock said quietly in defeat. “Victory... is yours.”

Far from the battlefield, in the towering spires of Dis, Corona watched as her champion met his gruesome end. With Tirek’s death, the Infernal Queen knew it would not take long for the demons to be slaughtered by the revenants or routed. The balcony beneath her hooves began to melt as her fiery mane erupted into an inferno of white-hot flame. A knock on the door to her sanctum cut into her toxic thoughts of ripping apart the Banished still alive for failing her.

“Uh, your highness?” One of her bodyguards said from the relative safety of the other side. “I'm afraid we have some-“

“Let me guess...” Corona seethed. “They took out the Hellevator, didn't they?”

"Yes, majesty." The brute answered simply. "The imps are working on an alternative but they don't think it will work."

"And Zeb?" The Hierarch asked.

"Dead." The other bruiser said bluntly.

"Of course he is." The Archfiend sneered. "Useless! All of them!"

“What would you have us do?” The first brother asked as he took cover from the sudden wave of heat.

The Infernal Queen did not answer immediately. She considered launching a last-ditch assault on the Brass Gates or retreating back to Pandemonium to regroup. Then her gaze turned skyward. Barely discernible against the dark rock was a fissure that seemed to run deep into the bedrock. She had seen the Abyssal Dreadnought slap the ceiling before its duel with her Champion and now she knew why.

“He wasn't taunting Tirek.” Corona murmured to herself as her mane returned to its normal hue. "He was plugging a breach. He couldn't have fixed it completely yet so I might be able to force it back open. I just need to get past an army of revenants and daemons..."

“Your majesty?” A bruiser dared to poke his head in.

“Lockdown the tower and meet me in the throne room.” The Hierarch of Hell ordered with a wicked smile. “We will be entertaining visitors soon.”