A plain of ice and snow, devoid of life or any signs of civilization. Empty and white, it was no place for a living being. The sun was shining bright, its light reflected off of the snow, making it sparkle with a variety of vibrant colors. The sky was devoid of clouds, the wind was soft, raising the snowflakes and throwing them around without any clear pattern.

Snow crunched under the armored and skeletal hooves of hundreds and hundreds of undead warriors as they marched through the Frozen North, High Lord Arantir leading them on their quest to raise more dead. Armor clanked as the army moved like an unstoppable and unyielding force, ready to take down anything in their path, be it living or not. The weapons were ready, armor secured, and a banner was floating above them: a teal spider on black fabric.

The army stopped. The necromancer levitated a map to himself and looked at it closely, his face turning into a frown. He looked at the snowy plain and then back at the map. His frown deepened as he rolled up the map and packed it.

He closed his eyes. He could feel the energy, the living energy encased in darkness. A powerful spell had been cast a long time ago, imprisoning living beings in blackness. It was familiar for Arantir, for he had already fought it.

"This is mine." a deep voice rolled across the snowy plain, reverberating, amplifying in power and leaving a fading trail. "Thou shalt go away from what is rightfully mine."

Arantir looked around. A smoke of black began to surround his army, and he knew what it meant. A pair of red eyes glared at him from the smoke, but the necromancer was unfazed by them as he stared into them fearlessly. He had known darkness for a long time. He was encased in it, flowing through it freely, and it coursed through him like blood through living beings.

"This land belongs to neither one of us." Arantir spoke. "You don't support this land. It was filled with darkness long before you were born. The Crystal Empire must be standing there but it's not. If you were its emperor, why did you fail to protect your subjects?"

"They had it coming to them." Sombra replied. "They deserved it, andnthey are mine now."

"Ah, I understand now. You are no king." the necromancer said. "You are but a vengeful, bodiless spirit. They wronged you, and you wronged them in turn."

"Thou knowest nothing!" the fallen king snarled. "If thou only knewest what they did to me, how much I suffered because of them... Thou wouldst understand."

"Perhaps it would be so indeed." Arantir agreed. "As I see it, you are a threat to this world's balance. You hold too much power, dark power. It corrupted you. You were too weak to embrace it."

A growl came like thunder, a harsh wind blew into necromancer's face, but he stood still.

"However, I will leave you... for now." the High Lord said. "This empire doesn't have what I need, and I sense that its time will come again soon."

"What maketh thou think that I shall let thee go after hearing what thou hast said?" Sombra asked, threatening notes in his voice.

"You may try." Arantir replied simply, and waited.

Moments passed, the smoke keeping its distance from necromancer's army. Everything was still and silent. A quarter of a minute passed. Then a half. Then three quarters.

The smoke began to disappear, leaving not a trace behind.

Arantir rerouted his army and went the opposite direction. Glancing at where the empire once stood, he went away from it, knowing that he should get a bigger army before engaging in battle with someone like Sombra. Heavy losses or even medium losses couldn't be afforded at that moment.

Twilight Sparkle and her friends were exploring the capital of the Union, looking around.

"Everyone seems nice." Fluttershy commented, seeing how friendly the demons were towards the newcomers. "I... didn't expect the demons to be like that." she blushed in embarrassment.

"They're decent, hardworking folk." Applejack added, looking at the new construction site the six were passing by. "From what Ah can see, at least."

"Can't wait to see what kind of parties they have!" Pinkie Pie said, bouncing along the street as she usually did. "Are they like ours? Are they completely different? Do they involve a lot of salt or sweets?"

"I think we need to find a place to stay first." Twilight chimed in. "Princess Celestia said there'll be a carriage for us... I guess everyone's too busy for us six."

"I wouldn't mind some rest indeed." Rarity said. "This streets are quite dusty."

"Ah, here you all are!" they heard a familiar voice from behind as a creaking of wood and clop of hooves reached them.

"Seran?" Rainbow Dash said after turning around.

"Yeah, that's me!" he smiled at her. "I guess your princess knew whom to pick. Anyway, hop in! I'm going to deliver you straight to the Royal Keep!"

"We're going to live in a castle? Oh my!" Rarity said, giggling.

"Well, everything else is full and Lord Andromalius decided that the castle would be a suitable place for the Elements of Harmony, right?"

Soon, everyone got inside a carriage, and it slowly began to drive towards the mentioned castle.

"Say, why are you pulling by yourself?" Rainbow Dash asked, looking at how Seran's toned muscles shifted under his skin. "It's not like you can't pull it, but it's usually at least two."

"We have a shortage of staff for pretty much everything." he explained. "You ponies came in and, well, we're having some problems right now. It's not that I mind, you are welcome. Not to mention that it's good to see new faces around here. Also, your mares — they're much more gorgeous in person!"

"What do you mean by saying 'in person'?" the pegasus asked.

"Well..." Seran trailed off for a second as he made a turn. "You see... Succubi and incubi can enter the dreamscape. That is, see your dreams." he paused for a second. "So, we basically feed on your wet dreams." he said bluntly, making everyone blush. "Sometimes, we participate in those dreams. We feed on lust, we get stronger by consuming it. Maybe I've already visited your dreams, I don't really know or remember everyone I, uh, entered." he winked.

An awkward silence fell on the whole seven. Seran cleared his throat and returned to pulling the carriage towards its intended destination.

"Um... Can you eat normal food?" Twilight was the first to break the silence.

"Yeah." the incubus nodded. "Though, it doesn't give us as much as lust does. Besides, lust is much more tasty, in my opinion." he fought the urge to lick his lips as he remembered some of his experiences. "I guess it's strange by your standards. By ours, not so much." he shrugged. "If anyone of you is interested in culture and traditions, feel free to use the Royal Library. I know you're all quite literate, but as for me... I don't know much."

"Wait... You didn't have education?" Twilight asked.

"I can do some basics, but reading and writing is kind of weak." Seran explained. "Yeah, I know my level isn't really good compared to what you ponies have."

"We'll try to help demons get education. It's the most important thing there is!" the unicorn stated firmly. "Schools, colleges, universities... You really need our help with those, don't you?"

"I think Lord Andromalius will give a better answer." the incubus replied. "I'm just a simple blacksmith. I don't know much about how schools and such work, I was taught by my father. That's how most demons get by."

Twilight huffed, displeased with the state of educational system in the Union. She made a mental note to remember to speak with Andromalius about it. What the unicorn couldn't stand was lack of knowledge, and she wanted to make sure everyone could experience the joy of studying.

Andromalius was working with papers yet again, trying to simplify the most important things and put them together.

"Could've used a constitution or two for reference..." he muttered, blaming himself for his lack of knowledge. He sighed tiredly but continued doing what he needed to do. Laws can't write themselves, and nothing could ever be done without outside influence. He couldn't just sit and wait for everything to be delivered on a silver plate to him.

He scratched his chin with the pen, trying to figure out how to put every important bit together in a comprehensive, easily understood way. Even the least educated person must be able to understand the basis of law, even though Andromalius planned to make the education better and much more affordable for everyone.

His ears swiveled, catching a sound coming from the door to his study.

"Enter." he responded, turning his head towards the entrance.

"Good day, Sir." Nebet said, entering the room. "The Elements have arrived and are being introduced to their new quarters. One of them is very interested in meeting you. Her name is Twilight Sparkle."

"Oh? Well..." Andromalius paused for a few moments. "Let her in. We've met before, but I suppose she has something important to say to me." he glanced at the paper stacks on his table. "Frankly, I could use some help with this. Maybe she knows something that'll help me."

"Very well, she'll be here in a few moments." Nebet bowed and left, not forgetting to close the door behind him.

The Demon Lord sighed deeply, feeling tiredness. Not a physical one, however. He knew he must work to make his country better but he didn't expect it to be that much. He began to understand why having a council or democracy could be beneficial. Lifts a lot of responsibilities off of a lone ruler's shoulders.

Andromalius knew he mustn't be lazy, and he accepted his destiny. His childhood he didn't remember much, his adolescence, all the easy parts were long gone, and only a hard reality remained.

In a few seconds, a soft knocking sounded.

"Please, enter." the hell stallion said, turning his attention towards the entrance.

"Um, good day, Lord Andromalius." Twilight Sparkle bowed, entering.

"You don't need to call me a lord." Andromalius waved his hoof. "I am one, but it's not some formal meeting. I prefer simpler talk, really."

"A-alright." the unicorn replied nervously, her eyes shifting from the hell stallion's eyes to his golden, translucent wings, back to his head where his crown was, and then at the table he was working at. "I didn't interrupt anything, did I?"

"This interruption is welcome." the hell stallion replied, glancing at the papers and then returning back to his guest. "Ruling a country is harder than it may look at the first glance."

"There are a lot of responsibilities, I know." Twilight nodded, looking around awkwardly.

"Have a seat, Twilight." Andromalius suggested, moving an armchair to her.

"Thank you." the unicorn replied and took her place. "So, um... I was talking with a demon, and he has said that education is a problem. I think I can help with that."

"Are you sure?" the Demon Lord asked. "This is no easy task. I knew a lot of teachers, and rarely anyone was satisfied with their job." he shifted on his own armchair, getting into a more comfortable position. "I intend to change the whole educational system, actually. In my own country, that is where I studied, education isn't that great. It mostly gives useless knowledge and in no way prepares children for the real life and its challenges." he paused, gathering his thoughts. "Usually, people say that school is important. I disagree — education is important. School gives mostly social interactions, and it teaches how to fear authority." he leaned forward a bit. "I believe it is wrong. Many times in my life I didn't want to study because it was very poorly presented to me. The educational system in my country hasn't changed since... Well, I don't remember, but it's a lot of time.

"Education must keep up with the modern day. Most systems aren't that flexible or easy to change." he explained. "If you have good ideas about how to implement education that the students will enjoy, I will listen to you. By the way, where did you receive your education?"

"In Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns." Twilght proudly replied, puffing her chest slightly.

"The best of the best, then..." Andromalius tapped his chin. "Under the tutelage of Celestia, then... Well, I believe you're the best candidate I have." he looked her in the eyes. "But the question is — are you ready to take the responsibility for the future of entire generations?"

Twilight opened her mouth to reply but the hell stallion raised a hoof, stopping her.

"Don't act impulsively." he said. "Spend a day or two thinking about it. Weigh different options. Find what works with you." he relaxed in his armchair again. "And then answer me. I don't know if you are ready to accept such a big responsibility, and so you must know if you are."

"I'll definitely give it a thought." Twilight nodded, standing up. "Well... I'll return as soon as I'm ready."

"Good luck." Andromalius replied. "It's no easy task. But you must take it easy." he turned back to the table. "As for me, I must work. I'll see you soon, Twilight Sparkle."