Author's Notes:

As someone requested, here are Andromalius's new stats. I'm not doing Inanna this time as nothing really important changed.

And here are artifact stats. Text only, with images of said artifacts.

Potentia Daemonis, translated as "Demonic Force" from one of the First Languages, is an ancient bladed weapon of the demons. Made from strong and durable materials, it will remain as sharp as when it was first sharpened. Having three blades, the weapon is extremely deadly if wielded with skill. Adds 12 points to Attack of the wielder.

The Alicorn Amulet is a very powerful magical artifact. It was made by the sacrifice of Caelinus, the first male alicorn. Thus, the artifact can think by itself, defining who is worthy to wear it and who is not. The unworthy ones fall under the curse that drives them more insane the longer they wear the artifact. Adds 20 points to Spellpower and 30 points to Knowledge of the wearer.

Andromalius's mind was in disarray as he walked through the castle of Hornguard to the portal that will take him back to the Canterlot Castle.

Arantir was leading the hell stallion, and noticed how the latter was quiet and thoughtful, but decided not to talk about it. After all, the necromancer had something else to take care of.

After Andromalius was teleported back to the Canterlot Castle, he walked to his room. As he entered it, he was greeted by Inanna.

"Hello there, Andro!" she said, smiling. "It's been kinda dull here without you..." she noticed the expression on his face. "What happened?"

Andromalius took a seat on his bed and sighed and said: "A lot."

"I... see." Inanna nervously shifted in place, scared by his emotionless voice. "Can you tell me?"

"Well, a lot was dumped on me in one go, just like when I just appeared in Equestria." Andromalius replied. "It turned out that I was never human in the first place. I was a demon all this time. What you see is my true form, my real self.

"And... I found out who my real parents are." he nervously cleared his throat. "My father is the most powerful demon back on Earth, and he was considered fictional. At least, I didn't know he was real... no, I didn't know he is something more than a human, more than a politician... He is the king of Hell."

Inanna listened to him, not interrupting.

"And about my mother... My father told me once that she is very far away and that I may never see her... I never knew who she is before, but now I know. She is... Luna." he sighed. "I am still learning to accept it. It is very hard.

"I've learned many things. What happened to me, me being "turned" into a demon, it's not a coincidence nor an accident. It never was. My father had to do this, to save me from the one that would kill me just because of an old prophecy. The reason of my appearance in this world is simple — I am hunted by a God, who wants to destroy me before I even try to destroy him. If he didn't find out who I am, I might be still living on the Earth, not knowing of anything that happens between worlds and dimensions and living a simple life.

"And here I come... Dimensions and worlds. There were many things that I considered fictional. Demons, magic, unicorns... They all were a product of human minds, myths... But it seems that either ideas just don't come up randomly or maybe the humans themselves create worlds from their minds. That is a discovery that shocked me most.

"I... I never knew my life would take such a turn. I never expected it, I didn't even think of it before coming here! But as I found out, nothing is as it seems. Fictional worlds become reality, I am turned into a being from a computer game, I meet fictional characters... That is insane, but I'm trying to hold myself together. I still have so much to do, even if I am not ready for it."

Suddenly, Inanna jumped on him and hugged him tightly, surprising the hell stallion. But he was happy she did it, he hugged her back.

"It'll all be alright, Andromalius." Inanna spoke quietly and gently into his ear. "I can see how hard it is for you. Remember, I am always here to help you in your time of need. Let it all out."

"I know you do all you can to support me." he replied. "And I thank you for it. I don't know what would happen if you weren't here. So, I am happy to be here with you, Inanna. You are the support I'm the most grateful for."

***

Some time later.

"So," Inanna spoke to Andromalius when he calmed down. "You mentioned that your mother is Luna. I guess there is a problem..."

"A problem?" the hell stallion raised a brow. "I know that someday I'll have to talk to her about the relationship between her and me, but... Is there anything else I'm not aware of?"

"Yes, it is." Inanna nervously rubbed the back of her head. "You see, um... Celestia told me that she has some kind of feelings towards you. She wanted to find out what they are, and I, well, I suggested her to, y'know, have sex with you. But as it turns out, she's your aunt."

"Oh." Andromalius blinked. "If I and her had sex, that would be... very, very awkward."

"It would be." the succubus nodded. "And she still feels shame about treating you bad. She wants to make it up to you, in any possible way. Sex is, well, one of those."

"I suppose I should go talk to her before anything stupid is done." Andromalius stood up from his bed. "There isn't anything else you would like to tell me, is it?"

"Well, there is one thing... Natura Stella is interested in you. But I don't think she's your relative, so don't worry about that." Inanna chuckled.

"I see... I'll talk to her later as well."

Celestia was sitting in the throne room. A court has finally ended, and the princess could have some rest before having to deal with anything else.

Suddenly for her, she was told by a guard that Andromalius wishes to see her. Surprised by this, yet knowing that it may be something important, Celestia told the guard that the demon is allowed entrance.

"Hello, princess." Andromalius said as he entered the throne room. "May we talk in private?"

Celestia was worried as his tone was rather eerily strange for her, so she said: "Guards, I request you to leave the room."

After all guards exited, Celestia asked: "What is it, Andromalius?"

"There is something I must tell you." he took a step towards her. "As I found out, here is some truth uncovered that concerns both you and I, as well as your sister. It is really important that you know what I'm going to say."

Celestia nodded.

"Alright, do you want a short story or the long one?" the demon asked.

"The short one." the princess replied.

"Well," Andromalius cleared his throat. "You, I, Luna, we all share the same blood... We are relatives."

Celestia got into stupor for a few moments, processing the information. "How is that possible?" she finally asked rather nervously. "As far as I know, we were born in completely different worlds."

"It is complicated." he replied. "Our worlds seem to have some kind of connection... It seems my world, this one, and Ashan, all these worlds are connected somehow, in a very strange ways. So, traveling through dimensions, worlds, is possible. Also, I wasn't born in the other world.

"As I found out, my father is not the one man I knew all my life... He has a secret life he kept away from me. That is life of a very powerful being. He is the king of Hell. About eighteen years ago, he discovered that there are multiple worlds he can travel to, including the one we are currently in. So, that was time when he found Luna in the form of Nightmare Moon, all alone, imprisoned on the Moon. My father and your sister were lonely, and, well, that is how I was made. Your sister is my mother."

Celestia was very shocked by what Andromalius said.

"But... But how don't I know this?" she asked in a shaking voice. "Why didn't Luna tell me?"

"As my father told me, Luna is forgetting the years of her imprisonment for her sanity's sake, and all memories were mixed together, making a blur, something like that... Luna doesn't remember she is my mother, she doesn't remember my father."

"Were those times she had with you father happy?" Celestia warily and suddenly asked.

"I don't know." Andromalius admitted, not surprised by the sudden question. "But knowing my father, they were. I could've asked him but we didn't have much time. Besides, there are still a lot of questions I want to ask him other than that."

"It must be very hard for you to accept all of this." Celestia said.

"It is." he nodded. "But I cope with that, at least try to. I don't know what waits for me in the future... I am unsure about my past as well. I don't know what is true and what is false..." he sighed wearily. "I am tired but I must keep going."

Celesti stepped down, walked to the demon, and hugged him tightly.

"Andromalius," she spoke gently, stroking the back of his neck. "I need you to now that you can always rely on me and Luna... Maybe I and you didn't have a good relationship back then, but now I trust you completely and I want bygones be bygones. You are my nephew... Even if you weren't, I would care for you nevertheless."

"I care for you too..." Andromalius smiled, then hugged her back. "Aunt."

"You go have some rest, Andromalius." Celestia said, letting him go. "I'll talk to Luna."

Andromalius returned to his room where Inanna was already waiting for him.

"How did it go?" she asked as he closed the door after he entered the room.

"You don't know?" Andromalius looked surprised. "Aren't our minds connected?"

"It seems that spell Arantir cast on you really messed something up." Inanna replied. "I'm sure everything will return to normal soon, but it seems we're disconnected for a while."

"Well, that is alright then." the hell stallion nodded. "So, everything went rather fine. Celestia was shocked by the revelation but accepted it nevertheless. She also went to talk to her sister about the relation between me and them."

"Everything turned out fine in the end, right?"

"More or less so." Andromalius took a seat on the bed. "But it doesn't make anything less shocking. Anyway, I have more to do than that."

"What is it?"

"I am going to become the Demon Lord." Andromalius stated matter-of-factly. "I know a lot, but I still have some questions, and most of them are about the political system. Can you tell me?"

"Hmmm," Inanna scratched her chin. "I'm not into politics in any way, but I know the one who is. You still have your amulet that can summon us, remember?"

"Yes, but this is not the place for this." Andromalius nodded. "So, I'll have to teleport us elsewhere. But better leave a note first, in case anyone needs us."

Andromalius and Inanna appeared in the abandoned castle in the Everfree Forest. The succubus stumbled and fell, her eyes literally rolling in their sockets.

"I hate teleportation..." she muttered. "Did we have to?"

"No one saw us." Andromalius replied, picking the dizzy succubus up and placing her on his back. "Ponies will react badly if they see us, remember? We kinda out of ordinary here. Anyway, just rest until I find a perfect place for us."

With that said, Andromalius headed into the old castle.

"As far as I know, this place is still abandoned." he told Inanna as he walked through the halls. "No pony will dare to go here. Creepy ruins, they say. A perfect place for us to arrange a meeting. But I have to be careful, this place is sure filled with traps."

The hell stallion walked warily, looking out for the traps that may wait for him anywhere. He lit his horn to see better in the dark, lighting his way. The old stone halls were silent save for occasional wind, rats, and spiders. The stone under the stallion's hooves made no sounds whatsoever, so silently he stepped. None can be too careful, especially in such old castles as this one.

***

Some time later.

Finally, Andromalius found the perfect place for the meeting. It was a small round hall, about ten meters in diameter, with no windows and only one exit. Old papers filled the place, but otherwise it was absolutely empty, save for the chandelier in the center of the ceiling.

The hell stallion closed the door behind him, using his magic to lock it so no one could enter. Then, he lighted the chandelier, filling the room with soft orange light. He cleaned the paper, putting it in one pile and teleporting it somewhere outside. Then, he summoned three old chairs and a round table.

"Where did you get these from?" Inanna asked, standing on her legs, no longer supported by Andromalius.

"Saw them on our way here." he replied. "Thought it may be useful. So, whom do I summon this time?"

"It is one of my friends. He is a Pit Lord by the name Beledal." Inanna said. "As far as I know, only about a hundred of his kind survived through the years. I know that most of them are elite scouts, while five of them are actual Lords. Anyway, you can ask him any other questions you have."

"How do you know him?" Andromalius asked.

"Well, he's been a friend of our family for as long as I can remember." Inanna replied. "I remember how he played with me when I was just a filly..." she smiled at the memories. "I don't know how he got himself to become a leader of our clan, but that is what you can ask him."

Andromalius nodded, then closed his eyes, concentrating. His horn and the amulet glowed red, and in a few seconds a being appeared in a flash of red light.

Beledal turned to Andromalius, holding a broken sword in his armored hand. Then, his expression turned to one of surprise.

"It is an honor to finally meet you, my lord." Beledal bowed, relaxing. "However, I was rather surprised when you teleported me here. All I could do is to grab what's left of my sword. I thought I was being attacked!

"It seems there are serious matters at hand. Why did you summon me, my lord?"

"Well..." Andromalius nervously cleared his throat. He was shocked to see the exact "replica" of what he saw in the game. Even the wings Inanna told must have membranes didn't have ones, and the shape of the sword was too familiar. Even the armor that protected the hands looked the same, including the image of skull in the shoulder pads. But Beledal wasn't much bigger than Andromalius himself, much to the latter's surprise. "I want to know the political system better, and as Inanna said, you know a lot about it. But first, tell me about yourself. And take a seat, please"

"As you wish, my lord." Beledal replied, nodding, then sat on one of the chairs. Andromalius and Inanna took their places, and Beledal started: "Well, my name is Beledal, and I am the one called a Pit Lord.

"So, my kind was known as hippogriffs. Well, until the Sphere turned us into what you see before yourself... Anyway, I must tell you more of our system before I talk about myself.

"The system we had not too long ago was rather simple. There were five clans. Pit Lords were heads of those clans. Each clan had two generals, which were minotaurs only, now known as devils. As we mostly fought during the past, there's nothing more to the system as nothing more was needed. I cannot say for other clans, though, as they might have some kind of lower system before.

"So, as most of my kind, I was a scout. Fast, agile, and fierce in battle, I carried knives, shortswords and this sword you see, though it was whole. Through many battles, cracks appeared on it, eventually breaking the sword in half. On that day, I lost my wing membranes." he moved his wings a bit, then winced in pain. "It was after that moment I decided to go into politics."

"In my opinion, you're too big to be a scout, Beledal." Andromalius replied.

"Wings gave me a lot, and they've taken the biggest part in my success as a scout." Beledal explained. "However, after I decided to go into politics, I haven't taken part in any battles or scouting missions at all, as I was mostly dealing with all sorts of information and trying to solve many problems that my clan had.

"But then you came into our world, and all Pit Lords decided to create the Council, trying to do everything together so that our nation becomes better in the future. And... If I may ask, when are you coming? The tales of the Surface Inanna have told us are breathtaking. We are waiting for you, my lord."

"I haven't found the last artifact yet." Andromalius replied. "But be sure, I'll be there for everyone."

"Thank you, Andromalius." Beledal bowed. "I am happy to hear it from you. I've never seen the surface before... Can you show me?"

"I can, but we must stay hidden." Andromalius replied. "I don't know what ponies may think if they see us."

"I understand you, my lord." the Pit Lord replied. "But I'm simply dying to see the surface for the first time in my life!"

***

"That is..." Beledal's jaw dropped when he saw the green of the grass and the blue of the sky. "That is... I cannot even describe it!" he inhaled deeply. "It is so much different from what I'm used to see... to hear and smell... Thank you, my lord, for this is wonderful!"

"Indeed it is." Andromalius nodded. "Don't worry, Beledal, it isn't much time before everyone can taste this air and see what you now see. For as long as they can, as much as they can.

"And I need a lot of information to be a good ruler. I need to know how much people will I rule, amount of resources, what problems we have, what solutions are suggested to them. Beledal, I ask you to collect as much information as you can, and feel free to add anything you see as important."

"As soon as I return, I will start doing what you asked of me, my lord." Beledal nodded. "Everything will be perfect, you'll see!"