Andromalius and his group were looking around the strange crater they found themselves in. To their great surprise, it was polished almost perfectly. Nothing stood out, nothing showed that there was a city once. One could almost see their own reflection while looking at the ground — it was like a mirror.

The skies were completely clear, and yet the temperature was fairly comfortable. The group figured out that they appeared deep in the north, far away from their last point. However, the weather here was fine without a hint of cold. The Windigos didn't reach these parts of the land.

"What will we do now? There's nothing here." Twilight asked. "Well, besides a lot of leftover magic. Whatever happened here, it was very powerful."

"I'm trying to figure it out." Andromalius replied, scratching the ground with his hoof. "If there was something, it disappeared. But where? It couldn't turn into nothing. If there was an action, it can be reversed, however hard that might be." his horn ignited. "Hm... It seems we're not alone here." his eyebrows raised. "There is someone else... Someone is watching us." he looked around, and saw nothing but the polished bottom of the crater. "And they are hiding. We must stay close in case they attacks."

The group stood together, looking around to see if the danger comes. Everyone was at the edge, ready to fight. And yet there was nothing.

"Come out." Andromalius said, knowing it will be heard. "If you don't harm us, we won't harm you."

Suddenly, rustling was heard, and a stallion appeared ten meters before the group, seemingly coming out of nowhere. He was a skinny stallion of gray fur and long white mane and tail. His eyes were gray with blindness, looking at something far away, and not focused on the group. He was completely unarmed and unarmored.

"Don't be... alarmed." he said, and his voice seemed rather young, and yet very quiet as if it took great strength to speak. He took a step forward. "I... I... I haven't spoken to anyone in a very long time." he sighed. "I see you're a group. Ponies of all tribes and demons... Haven't seen either in many a year."

"Who are you?" Andromalius asked.

"Why art thou using 'you' instead of 'thee'? Hath language changed?" the pegasus asked. "I figured it would... Alright, my name is Windwing. I don't think it tell'th anything, though. I would like to know one thing... How many years have passed since this—" he gestured at the surroundings "—happened?

"About five thousand, if I'm not mistaken." the hell stallion replied.

"Five... thousand?" Windwing sat on the ground. "Oh... I thought it was merely a couple of hundred at most. Alright..." he scratched the back of his neck. "Alright... How is it now between ponies?"

"We united three thousand years ago." Twilight replied. "We were enemies once, but we understood how wrong we were, and how much stronger we are together."

"That is good." the stallion nodded. "I had a lot of time to think about everything... And I came to a conclusion that the rivalry, that hatred between us... It didn't make sense. We are still one, and we can't live without one another.

"We drove away those who understood the wrong of our ways, and, eventually, banished them from the face of this world. We were so wrong..."

"Why are you here?" Andromalius asked.

"I guard this place in case someone tampers with it, trying to bring back the demons." Windwing replied. "I was given the finest armour and weapons I could ever ask for. But... there was one foe that no one expected. It was time. Armour and weapons rusted and rotted, eventually turning into dust. I was forgotten, this place was forgotten... Nothing remained as the years passed. The spell that keeps me alive took my vision. An unfortunate side effect, I guess..." he chuckled darkly. "I couldn't leave this place either. There are only two of us: me and this crater. And I guard it. Why? I'm unsure anymore... When left to my own thoughts, I, well... I don't think I can put it in words. The feeling was... strange." he stopped, deep in his thoughts.

"I thought unicorns were the ones who banished the demons." Inanna spoke. "You're a pegasus. How did that happen?"

"Unicorns kept some of us as... hounds." Windwing replied. "I was an infiltrator into their tribe. I thought that I will be replaced once the time comes. I never was, obviously... Though, it gave me a lot of time to think about myself, my tribe, and the world as a whole."

"If you're blind, how do you see us?" Twilight asked.

"All creatures have a certain pattern of steps, a way of moving." the pegasus replied. "I didn't notice until I became blind, though. However, I immediately recognized who you all are. Some of you walk lightly, you are the pegasi. Some of you walk heavier, you are the earth ponies. Unicorns are in the middle. And the demons... well, there is certain... power behind their steps. How to describe it... They are like a lightning that pierces the sky. I don't think it says anything to you but, trust me, I can feel the difference."

An awkward pause in the dialogue ensued.

"So... what are we going to do now?" Andromalius asked.

"I could fight you." Windwing replied. "But I won't. I have neither weapons nor armour, you outnumber me, and... I don't want to. However, there is one thing I want...

"I always thought that I was some kind of a guardian. Like in the adventure books for children, I suppose. Heroes overcome obstacles to reach a certain place they need, and when they do — there is someone waiting for them to fight. Fight with swords... or words. There could be a manticore, a dragon, an evil army of the undead... or a sphinx. A creature of ancient lore that giveth thee a riddle to solve. If thou dost not, it eateth thee.

"However, I am not a carnivore to eat meat." he chuckled. "Thus, all of you shall be able to guess indefinitely. Until you do it or until you're tired of it. I shall give you a riddle, and you shall try to solve it. I thought about it for a very long time... It will be a perfect end of my existence." he sighed. "I have lived for far too long, and it is time for me to go. When I am defeated, the spell that preserves my life will fall, killing me. Also, it was said that when I am defeated, the demon prison will open. And yet no one stated how I shall be defeated. Since I don't want to physically fight any of you, I just want to know just how smart you are." he exhaled, and then inhaled. "Do you agree or do you want to murder me to end it quickly?"

Without much hesitation, Andromalius said: "We will solve your riddle." he would never take murder as a choice. Even a thought of murdering someone who poses no threat sickened the hell stallion.

"You must listen closely, then." Windwing said, visibly relaxing. "Hear me now... What it is that a poor one has, a rich one needs, a content heart wants, and empty heart bleeds; a miser spends, a fool saves, and all take with them to their graves?"

Andromalius furrowed his brows. He sat on the ground and started thinking.

"This is your moment, son." Lucifer said, tapping Andromalius on the back. "The rest of the journey is up to you to finish. Now, I suppose I should spend some quality time with your mother. Good luck, son." and with that said, the devil disappeared.

***

Luna has returned to Canterlot recently. She had a good sleep and was beaming with a smile on her cheerful face. She was sure that Lucifer would visit her soon, and she was anticipating it.

She strode into the dining hall and took her place alongside her sister. Celestia raised an eyebrow at her sister's cheerful, happy attitude. However, she decided not to pry until Luna herself decides if it needs to be talked about.

So, the two princesses were content with eating in silence, each to her own thoughts. Celestia wasn't happy at all, considering what she has had to do recently. A lot of time was spent in organizing everything properly, especially considering that she didn't want the public to know about any of these arrangements yet. Equestrian Army was reformed in a complete secrecy, and even Luna didn't know anything about it yet. However, the elder sister knew she had to talk to her to get everything right. It was not the time, though.

After the two finished their meals, they went their separate ways. Luna decided to visit her room first before going to the office for her routine work. As she reached her chamber, she noticed that the door was slightly opened. Curious and wary, she opened the door. The windows were covered, not letting the light come in, and no other source of light was lit, leaving the room in almost total darkness.

"Good to see you again, Luna." a familiar voice spoke, and Lucifer stepped closer to the exit where his love could see him. He was in his human form. "Andromalius has almost completed his task. That means we'll have time for ourselves."

"I hoped it was you, and it came to be true." Luna sighed in relief, walking into the room and closing the door behind her. "But why cover the light?"

"No prying eyes should see us, you know." he spoke softly, walking to the night alicorn. "Now, let's take a seat. We sure need to talk. Have an honest talk, actually. I really want to know you better. It has been quite some time after our first talk, and you were pretty secretive of yourself." he said as Luna moved closer to him. "I know so little... And yet you caught my eye."

"As cheesy as it sounds, you caught mine, too." Luna giggled as Lucifer put his hand behind her head to scratch her ears. "Oh, I like that..." she pressed her head into his palm.

The two of them walked to the bed together and sat, Lucifer never ceasing the scratching.

"You know, I sometimes wonder how we fell in love, Luna." the devil spoke. "You, a pony... Me, a human... What an unlikely couple." he laughed softly. "Love conquers all, I suppose."

"Yes, it does." Luna sweetly murmured. "And about my past... It doesn't matter much. It isn't as interesting as you might think. Really, it was just growing up into being a princess. The only truly wonderful and interesting thing that happened to me was me becoming an alicorn. Do you want to hear that?"

"I'd love to." he nodded.

"So," Luna began. "It happened about... one and a half, maybe two thousand years ago. I'm not really sure..." she giggled sheepishly. "My perseption of time is a bit off..." she cleared her throat. "So, it was the reign of Discord. It was terrible... Our lands twisted, our ponies in constant unrest and unhappiness... And, most importantly, our parents disappeared. Discord... turned them into cactuses and..." a tear fell from her eyes.

"Shh, it's okay." Lucifer planted a soft kiss on her cheek, and then used his finger to wipe the tear away. "If you don't want to talk about that..."

"No, that's not that..." Luna replied, calming a little. "I... I accepted that we may not find them again... But the story isn't about them. It's about how we managed to fight Discord, bringing back harmony and peace. After we encased him in stone, it was discovered that neither the sun nor the moon could be controlled by the unicorns anymore. Not by those who had the royal duty to do it, at least.

"My sister and I were devastated. Knowing well that we couldn't just run to our parents and ask for guidance, we took matters into our own hooves. There were they, the sun and the moon, right above us. I must mention that my sister was a unicorn while I was a pegasus. Thus, only one of us could possibly move the two celestial bodies.

"We joined together to restart the day-night cycle. I wrapped my wings around my sister, and we channeled our inner energy into one powerful spell. Through Tia's horn, we released that energy. We struggled to move the sun first, and eventually, it moved. Tia was already collapsing, and I had to support her with my energy. I almost took full control of my sister, and I felt the magic going through my body. Then, the moon moved. We both fell unconscious the moment we saw that.

"Some time later, we woke up and discovered that we not only got our special marks, we became alicorns as well. It was a huge surprise for both of us, and we struggled hard to accept this gift. Our nation declared us princesses, they bowed to us. There were thousands of them... And thus, our rule was established."

"That is a very interesting story!" Lucifer commented. "And, I dare say, your... fall was predicted there."

"I know..." Luna sighed sadly. "Most thought it was my sister who did everything. And I... Well..." she hung her head.

"Hey," Lucifer softly raised her head back up. "Don't be sad, Luna. The past is the past, and we learn valuable lessons from it. Others might not see the things as they truly are. I understand it was hard for you to cope with, and that is why you turned against your sister. In truth, both of you were wrong in one way or another. But now, don't you stand together alongside your sister?"

"I do." Luna nodded.

"Then, you have a chance at creating something new together. You can use your experience to make things better. Your sister learned that she should spend more time with you, and you learned that it's alright to talk to your family about your problems. Your past made who you are today. If we never made mistakes, would we be the same?"

"I guess you're right." Luna agreed, and the smile returned to her face.

"Then, it's alright." Lucifer slightly patted her on the back. "Enough about the sad things. Since we are together, we might as well spend some time in each other's embrace." he smiled.

"And that is something I want, too." the alicorn laughed softly, and then relaxed, lying on the bed. "Why won't you show some affection to me?"

"As you wish, my love..." Lucifer lied by her side, wrapping an arm around her. The two turned their heads and kissed. After the two parted for a breath, he said: "I love you, Luna."

"I love you too. Tell me, how is our son?" she asked all of sudden.

"He is doing great, Luna. While we couldn't spend too much time with him, he still grew up a man with a good heart. And I believe in him, I believe he can make his own decisions. After all, he has grown up."

"But we should still give him guidance from time to time, should we not?" Luna asked.

"He can always turn to us if he has any problems. For now, let's stop worrying about that and relax, Luna. Both of us," he sighed heavily. "Need it."

Ten minutes have passed since the riddle was spoken.

"I do remember the riddle from somewhere..." Andromalius muttered to himself, tilting from side to side. "Where? And what is the answer? Hm... A poor one has only themselves... A rich one needs even more money... A content heart wants? Hmm... This is rather hard... Empty heart bleeds... A miser spends? Very little money. A fool saves? Little as well... And all take to their graves..." he mused.

Others were sitting on the ground, thinking about the riddle, trying to find an answer that will be one to all the questions. However, the group found it hard to do so. Windwing silently watched them, sitting not too far away.

No one has found an answer yet. The tension grew.

"Hm..." the hell stallion continued to muse over the riddle. "A poor one has nothing besides themselves..." his eyes went wide. "Nothing..." he rose from the ground and turned to the Windwing. "I know the answer. It is nothing."

"How didst thou find out?" Windwing asked with curiosity.

"A poor one has nothing because they're poor." Andromalius started explaining. "A rich man needs nothing because they have already bought it. A content heart wants nothing because it is content. Empty heart bleeds nothing because there isn't a drop of blood in it. A miser spends nothing because of who they are. A fool saves nothing because they aren't smart enough to do that. And nothing is taken to the graves because we cease existing."

"And that is... the right answer." Windwing smiled, and his words turned into faint whispers as he faded away. "Good luck, and thank you all..."

The ground violently shook, making everyone but Andromalius fall. He stood tall, looking at the cracks that divided the ground. The energy that kept everything at bay was released at once, and thunderclouds appeared in the skies, and the harsh wind started blowing. A lightning struck one of the mountain peaks, melting it completely, and that violent explosion of energy came crashing upon the group, shaking them to the bones.

The ground divided, large chunks of rocks falling into the abyss that formed quickly, and spread. Even the mountains shifted, and the air filled with thunderous sounds of the earth moving. A beam of red energy shot to the sky from the very bottom, and the black clouds started circling around it.

"It is happening..." Inanna said , struck with awe as everything crumbled before her eyes. Her legs couldn't support her, and she collapsed.

Soon, there was nothing left but a small platform on which the group stood. Just a few steps away the ground turned into a bright abyss. Andromalius looked inside and saw rivers of lavas that hungrily devoured the rocks that fell into them.

There were thousands of eyes, looking from down below. As rocks stopped moving, the deafening silence fell upon the ears. Distant rumbles echoed across the new-formed valley. The demons were expecting their future ruler to speak.

"Demons," Andromalius spoke, his voice traveling far and wide. "I have come to you, finally. And now... your prison is destroyed, and you are free to return to the surface."

Thousands of demons listened to him, not daring to interrupt.

"You have heard of me, I have heard about you." he continued. "The demons, banished from the surface of our great world because they found peace... Me, not so simple guy who thought he was one. And this destiny... This destiny that was bestowed upon me.

"It is a great honor! I never thought so many people would follow me. I... I accept my fate to be your ruler. I will be fair to all of you. Justice will be served rightly, and all of us shall rebuild the once great country! Together, we can make it flourish, bloom, shine its brightest!" he stomped. "But to do that, we must stand together. We must put much effort into building our future. It is ours to make, and no one else will do that. We shall live to see ourselves becoming better, becoming stronger, becoming wiser... In time, the once proud union of nations will stand tall in the faces of any dangers! We shall unite the lands, and peace will be brought upon them! Together, we shall live in harmony. Together, we shall create our dreams. We shall make them come true!

"I'm not going to sugar-coat this... We must work hard if we want to achieve that ultimate goal. And to do that, we must never stop the progress! We must march onwards into the new! We must remember that the future is made by us, we define it!

"And, as your new ruler, I shall do whatever possible and impossible to accomplish that! Forget the mindless tyrants, forget the lazy, fat kings. If they stand against me, against the progress, they will be crushed. No matter who opposes us, we shall either turn them to us or destroy them.

"Today, the Demon Alliance is restored!" he finished his speech, his last word booming across the fields, echoing from the mountains.

The demons erupted into wild, deafening applause. and a heavy rain came upon the land, released from the clouds above. Unrestrained, it rained as hard as ever, washing the stone, cleaning the dust, bringing life to the barren lands.

Andromalius knew it was only the beginning. And he wasn't going to stop there.

The new era has begun.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIeKIfyCDaQ&feature=youtu.be

Author's Notes:

Oh my, even I can't believe this story is over!

I thank you all for being with me throughout this story. It started as something rather simple and, sometimes, even silly. By now, it has grown into something big, into something I can proudly call one of my best works. I have a lot of room to improve, yes, but this story started when I didn't consider writing too serious. Now, however, I am content with saying that it is my first story to be finished.

Stay tuned for the sequel where Andromalius will have to deal with being a ruler. He is only eighteen, and he has much to learn and see about the world. With so heavy duty on his shoulders, will he be able to overcome the difficulties and obstacles in his way of creating a new country, a country he always wanted to live in? Now, he has a chance of building one. The question is, will he succeed?

Answers to those and other questions you shall find in the sequel! I am going on a little break from this story, and you'll have to wait some time until I start writing the sequel. Oh boy is it gonna be grand!