The large undead dragon whose scales are a deep blue with pale grey underbelly scales and spines along its back lands in front of us making Fluttershy faint on top of Angel.

She glares at us lingering for but a moment on Luna and Selene, before looking directly at me. "How did a demonlord such as you get out of Tartarus!?" she demands.

I frown at her and summon my scythe just in case she decides to attack me. "I didn't willingly. I was pulled out into Equestria by a colt's surge of magic," I reply as her eyes narrow onto my scythe.

"I recognise that weapon..." she says and goes wide eyed. "That's Thanatos' scythe!" she then yells and snarls at me. "Where did you get that weapon!?" she then demands again.

"He came to me when my power first manifested itself decades ago, my power fluctuating at the time was his only chance to be free from his prison which was weakened deep beneath Tartarus, he then attuned himself to my energy signature and has served me since then," I reply calmly.

I feel my scythe pulse in my hand after I finished explaining. 'Master, this dragon is named Olestra, and was once my friend and ally in the battle with the alicorns who imprisoned me,' Thanatos tells me. 'Would you allow me to burn some souls so I may speak to her?' he asks for the first time ever since he came to me.

I mull it over and look back to the dragon who looks like she's becoming impatient. 'Very well,' I reply and hold my scythe out in front of me.

I can feel Thanatos burning souls and a few seconds later, a transparent grey figure appears in front of us wearing a long cloak like robe with a hood covering all but the bony pony muzzle barely sticking out.

"Hello, Olestra," Thanatos greets the dragon who goes wide eyed at the sight of him. Even the others seem shocked to see the skeletal pony.

"Thanatos?" she asks in confusion and leans down to him.

"Yes, it's me. It's been a few thousand years hasn't it... what happened to you?" he replies and asks her sadly.

Olestra sighs and lays down on her belly. I look back to the others who look confused at her sudden shift in behaviour.

"After you were defeated, I thought you were killed and your weapon destroyed... so I attacked the alicorns in my anger, though I never stood a chance. But instead of giving me an honourable death, they cursed my soul and bound me to this gate to forever prevent other demons coming through. My body has been deteriorating over the millennia I have been here, and I've had to resort to hunting the living who wonder in these lands to repair my body," she explains to him and leans her head forward to nuzzle Thanatos, but her head just phases through him.

I carefully watch the two just talking while Desire walks over to me. "I've heard of this Olestra before, she was the general to Overlord Agosh back then... she was known for her savage tactics and unrelenting power," she tells me in awe.

I look back to the dragon who looks like she would be crying in happiness, but it would seem being undead has destroyed her ability to do so.

"My master needs to return to Tartarus, Olestra. Would you let us through?" Thanatos asks her.

"Your master?" she asks and looks at me again.

"Yes, he is the current Overlord of Tartarus, and he wishes to go back home to prevent Tirek from getting free again," he tells her making her eyes widen.

"Him? The Overlord?" she says and looks me over.

I frown at her, I know she just insulted me with that comment.

Thanatos laughs getting her attention again. "If only you knew what he has done in the last sixty years," he tells her getting a confused frown from her. He then starts to flicker and I feel him losing power. "I can't stay for much longer... It was good seeing you again, despite your current condition," he tells her before fading away.

Olestra stands back up and frowns in thought for a few seconds before looking back at me. "I am bound by the alicorns magic to prevent demons from escaping and to prevent me from wandering too far and forcing me back here. They didn't say anything about letting them back in," she tells me with a smirk. "Thank you, for letting me see Thanatos again..." she then says with a faint smile.

I smile back at her and nodded. "I'll see if there's anyway to remove the curse on you, maybe Luna and Selene here will know how to," I reply.

Olestra eyes the two alicorn demons distrustfully before nodding back to me. "Very well. If Thanatos trusts you, then so shall I... It's not like I'll be going anywhere soon."

She then turns to the gate and effortlessly pushes one door open.

"Now go, before the curse decides you're trying to get out instead," she warns me with a slight grimace.

My eyes widen as I realise she's been resisting her curse as best she can for a while now. "You heard her! MOVE INSIDE NOW!" I tell the others. But before Gilda could go in, I stop her. "Just be warned, if you go in there, there is a high probability you'll turn into a harpy. So you have three choices, go in and risk becoming a harpy, I turn you into one myself, or you turn back and start a new life somewhere else," I tell her.

She looks at the gate with worry and then to Shining Armour who is standing by the gate watching with his own expression of worry. Gilda then looks back towards Gryphonia before returning her gaze to me with a determined frown and nodding. "Just make it quick..." she mutters and tilts her head to the side.

Not wasting anymore time, I bite into her neck making her hiss in pain and pour my demonic energy into her, enough to make her a deamon at least.

She gasps with a grimace as her front legs start to move down her torso from the shoulders and fuse into her hind legs where the paws are replaced with her talons, she only remains standing due to my grip on her, her wings then move up to her shoulders and grow larger as well. Although something new happens as small four clawed talons grow out from the middle joint on each wing like hands. Next, her torso changes into a more human shape as her multiple teats move up her belly and merge together, forming breasts that grow from her chest.

Her fur then changes colour from light brown to the same purple on the tips of the feathers on her head and around her eyes. Her beak looks longer and sharper than the average harpy as well. Once the change finishes, she wobbles up onto her new legs with my help and yelps as she leans back too far. I catch her and quickly carry her to the gate where Olestra is now snarling and her eyes are dilating rapidly.

I get to the gate just in time to avoid a blast of darkfire from Olestra who roars out like a wild beast. Both Ironhoof and Thunderhorn quickly push the gate shut which sounds like it's locked behind us before just fading away. I walk over to where it was and hold my hand out, I can't feel it there anymore but I sense the gate is still here. Maybe it's in another plane of existence like the Shadow Realm?

"Why did she try to barbecue us after letting us in!?" Rainbow Dash yells angrily as I turn back to the group.

"It was her curse," I tell the thestral as I pass a wide eyed Gilda to a blushing Shining Armour who happily does so and hugs her. Gilda returns the hug using her wings like she would with her old forelegs. "She was resisting it the whole time, and I think opening the gate made it worse... but in the end we made it in." I then turn to the others and spread my arms. "Welcome to Tartarus!" I tell them with a grin.

"Sweet mother of Celestia... Ah still can't believe we're ere'," Applejack comments with a grim expression as she looks around. Fluttershy is hugging into Angel's back tightly with a terrified expression while Harry, Yin, and Yang gather around her to comfort her.

Pinkie Pie is frowning at the ash covered landscape and rubbing her chin in thought. She then tries to open a tear in the air but gasps when nothing happens. "I can't open a hole to Ponyville!" she announces.

Well, there goes our supply line and connection to Equestria.

Twilight quickly jots down a note on some parchment and walks over to Spike. "Spike! Try sending this to Celestia!" she tells him.

He takes the rolled up parchment and blows his darkfire flames over it, only to reduce it to ash which falls to the ground.

"Guess that's out of the picture as well," I comment and look around myself.

After squinting I recognise those mountains in the distance. They're the Thunderfury Mountains, which means the city of Felfire is nearby!

"Come on! We're near one of my cities, if we leave now we'll arrive there in a couple of days time," I tell them all and start walking towards the Mountain.

"Goodness, is it always so hot here?" Rarity asks and pulls out a fan from her bag to cool herself down.

"I dunno, feels kinda nice," Spike comments and wiggles his clawed feet into the ground.

"Most of the time, though there are some cold areas deep underground," Desire says and holds my left hand. "Been awhile since we were last in Felfire. I wonder how Mo'gra is coping with running the city? When we left her in charge, she was a nervous wreck," she then tells me with a giggle.

I can't help but chuckle as well. Mo'gra is a female ogre who is as smart as a goblin, but just as shy as Fluttershy can be. She was found in the wastes nearly dead from multiple wounds seventeen years ago, she escaped from a demonlord named Imotem, who abused her to vent his anger. After we took her into Felfire, we nursed her back to health and as thanks she joined our city as a secretary in training. Then after the defeat of Val'Hades, we made her the Mayor of Felfire.

Funny how Felfire was first ruled by a cruel ogre only to be run by a nicer one later.

"I'm sure she's fine. But we need to get an airship to Fel Haven and see what has changed since our absence," I reply.

The others trudge along behind us, for the first four hours nothing of note happens, but then a large waste worm bursts out from the ground and attacks us getting Fluttershy and Rarity to shriek. Spike growls and flaps his wings, launching himself at the beast.

"SPIKE!" Twilight and Rarity yell fearfully as the dragon lands on top of the worm, just above its mouth.

It tries to throw him off but Spike digs his claws into the worm making it screech loudly, he then inhales a large amount of air before spraying the worm in a large plume of darkfire.

The screeching gets louder as the worm starts to turn to ash. "SPIKE!" I yell getting his attention. "DON'T BURN THE WHOLE THING!" I tell him and he quickly jumps off the flailing worm and glides over to us.

"Why?" he asks as Twilight walks over angrily.

"What were you thinking!" she asks him with a slap to his left arm but she then yelps as the worm crashes down onto the ground.

"What? It attacked so I stopped it," he replies and then looks at me. "And why did you want me to stop?" he asks me.

"That there is dinner!" I reply and everyone apart from Desire looks ill.

"What!? You can't expect me to eat that... that... disgusting thing!" Rarity asks aghast.

"I had the same reaction the first time but it's actually pretty damn tasty," I tell her and walk over to the corpse."Desire, help me cut up some steaks from it," I tell my wife.

"Sure, I can't wait to taste something familiar again," she replies and takes Shining's sabre from him, who looks unamused.

It takes us a good ten or so minutes to carve up the worm but now we have twenty-four large steaks ready to cook. I also reduce the remains of the corpse to ash as to not attract unwanted attention.

Using the last of our firewood, we set up a campfire and with Pinkie Pie's power, she creates a barbecue grill over it. Desire and I start to cook them up and I notice the harpies and lycans start to drool from the smell, Gilda included.

Pinkie then creates a massive table with chairs along with plates and cutlery. Everyone awkwardly takes a spot and the ex-herbivores who've only tried fish so far look green in the cheeks as Desire serves up the steaks when they're done. Once all cooked, Desire and I sit down as well and dig in.

Twilight winces as she picks up her fork and pokes at the steak. "I know I've tried fish... but this is just, too much..." she says and then picks up her knife.

"No one's going to force you to eat it, but out here in the wastes, meat is the main stay here, as fruit and vegetables can only grow if tended. They usually dry up or are very brittle," Desire tells her and takes a bite of her steak. "Damn that'sh good," she says around her mouthful.

The purple succupony then gulps and she cuts off a piece and gingerly eats it. After a few seconds she nodded to herself and cuts off another.

Fluttershy looks like she's about to cry as she stares at her steak, but Applejack gives her a few apples from the cart to which she gratefully accepts.

Rainbow Dash glares at the steak before looking at me and then back at the steak. She quickly grabs her knife and fork and cuts off a nice chunk. She hesitates for a second before closing her eyes and stuffing the meat into her mouth.

After pulling the fork out and chewing for a couple of seconds her eyes slowly open with a surprised expression on her face.

"That's not half bad..." she comments before cutting off another piece and eagerly eating it.

Spike is tearing into his steak making Rarity wince. Pinkie is lightly shaking a salt shaker on hers before cutting off a piece eloquently and eats it, then she wipes her mouth with a napkin before repeating.

"You gonna eat that?" Spike asks Fluttershy who just meekly shakes her head.

"N-No, you can have it..." she replies. She then gawks at Angel who is eating a steak of his own happily with Harry, Yin, and Yang. "Angel!?" she then says getting the large helhare's attention.

"What?" he replies confused with a piece of meat hanging from his mouth.

I ignore them and finish up my steak. The lycans and harpies dig into theirs with gusto while the pony demons are unsure but eventually eat theirs as well. But the wraiths don't need to eat as they absorb the energy in the air, be it magic or demonic to sustain themselves. They can eat, it's just the food they do eat is dissolved into energy, and we can see it happen through their stomachs.

Luna and Selene are eating theirs with no problem, whether they've eaten meat like this before becoming demons or not I'm not sure, but they also help Dusk eat his as he looks a little put off from his food.

Once everyone has finished and is ready to go, the table, chairs, and barbecue grill all disappear.

"Right then, let's get moving," I tell them and with that, we trudge towards the Thunderfury Mountains again.

---

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We've past the mountains where Rainbow Dash has collected a few thunder crystals as she thought they were cool and had nothing like them in Equestria. They seem to not affect her as the electricity in them seems to just dance over her skin and fur. Although when Applejack tried to pick it up, it zapped her and left her fingers all fluffy.

We were attacked by a few more of the beasts of the wastes, where Fluttershy even managed to tame a wild hell hound pup she found alone and scared, she's now following the yellow thestral as if she were its mother. Fluttershy named her Blaze due to the small tufts of flame like fur around her paws, tail, and neck.

Now we can see the large city and I can't help but grin as we get closer and closer. I'm back to where it all began, memories of my arrival, meeting Desire, my first kill, and everything after flood my mind. I take a deep breath and sigh.

"I'm, home again," I mutter to myself getting a faint giggle from Desire.

Next Chapter: Chapter 41: To Fel Haven Estimated time remaining: 4 Hours, 41 Minutes