War, Entry №3, 13th of Autumn, year 3001.

Silence, the smell of death, intangible tension. That's how I met the other side of the war. Ponies aren't how I remember them. Instead, they are focused on the task, their faces hidden behind the visors of their helmets, their marks no longer visible behind the banner of Equestria on their armor. They abandoned their individuality for the sake of protecting their homeland.

However, there is something off... something I cannot explain but only sense. Everything about those soldiers feels out of place. The way they move, the sounds they make, everything seems like it's... I cannot explain this. I fear to think about it, but... are they even alive? Such a thought sends shivers down my spine, making my feathers stand up. I feel a certain chill that has nothing to do with the weather.

Thankfully, we are departing from the army camp soon. The air feels heavy here, and I would like to move out as soon as I possibly can, and I'm sure Mark shares my thoughts. I can see it on his face and his movements. He is young and inexperienced in warfare, so his desire to stay away from it is understandable.

And now, Ornella... As I write this, I notice her glancing at me with curiosity. She isn't moving towards me, so it seems she allows me some degree of privacy.

She is a beautiful mare if I say so myself. However, her beauty is overshadowed by the strange feeling I got from her. She is a pony but an odd one: taller, slimmer, and that look in her eyes... It is not just foreign, it is completely alien as if she came from another world entirely. I don't know if such a thing is possible, but I have my own theories regarding the matter of multiverse. Even then, it leaves many more questions than answers.

The armor she wears now is foreign in design, too. It is dark, a contrast to the usual armor of the ponies. I see the same style of armor on a few other soldiers but it is for the most part foreign. I wonder where did this Knight of the Pale Moon come from...

And when I touched her hoof, I felt something strange. As if she was cold... deathly cold. I don't dare think about it more, and I feel like I'm very mistaken, horribly mistaken, and yet I can't forget how unnatural it felt. And... now I noticed that her eyes are slitted. It is strange for someone who doesn't look like a lunar pegasus. Now, I also noticed that her ears are pointed... She's an interesting pony indeed, for I can't understand what race she even is despite being a unicorn of sorts. And the horn, I see that it is slightly curved. Very interesting.

I have more questions to her than I would dare ask. Perhaps, it is not in my best interests to pry where I obviously shouldn't.

In any case, it is time for us to move. Hopefully, we will find the answers to the war.

After he let the ink dry for a few moments, Erich closed the journal and put it in the bag. He glanced at Ornella one again, curiosity evident on his face. She was calm and collected, as well as silent. Something was in her head, something she would rather keep to herself until the time came. The griffon knight wondered what it could be but decided to keep such thoughts to himself. After all, he might not want to discover the truth.

Arantir was back in the Hornguard, spending his time in the library, studying what was left there by the previous owners of the castle. It was a usual sort of past time for the necromancer, but this time it was interrupted by a strange feeling. His ears twitched as they caught a silent sound. He paused his reading and looked up, curiosity on his face. He looked around the ancient library and soon sensed the source of the disturbance. It was one of the corners, covered in cobweb almost entirely. He stood up from the chair, which creaked once his weight was off of it. He walked to the corner, inspecting it with his eyes, sensing a very familiar presence. His ears twitched again, and this time, it was coming from behind one of the doors.

Obeying the strange call, he followed it and opened the door. It revealed a small room with an altar in its center. The altar in itself was a large bowl full of ice and dust. One of the torches in the room lit, allowing Arantir to see his reflection in the ice. His eyes sparked a green fire, and the ice melted in an instant, turning into a puddle of crystal clear water.

"One who left, has returned," a female voice spoke to him as an image appeared in the puddle. It was a military tent, guarded by two ponies clad in armor. "An old ally in deeds of past, she will help you once more," the voice continued, and the vision shifted to inside the tent. Arantir's eyes widened in genuine surprise as he took in what he was seeing.

"Ornella..." he whispered in disbelief, seeing a form of his once student and devoted follower of Asha. He blinked slowly, and then a small smile appeared on his face, replacing the look of surprise. "Asha indeed uses all..." he added as the image faded, leaving only the reflection of his own expression.

Swiftly, he turned around and left the room, his steps quick and his mind fixated on one thing and one thing only. Wherever Ornella was, he must find her, for it was their destiny to serve Asha until they are no longer useful to Her, for she was the Order, and Her will was eternal. Life or unlife, it all stemmed from Her, and one must prove their worth to Her to become Her tool, Her instrument of balance. And soon, two of Her most devout servants will reunite again to spread Her influence and aid Her allies in the quest to bring the ensuing chaos to an end.

Arantir hurried to one of the bigger halls in the castle, in which he built a one-way portal to Equestria. Filled with determination, he was certain it was time for him to find Ornella and bring her under his wing, for she had much to learn even after all this time and what they did together, fighting chaos.

Once a fair knight of the Griffin Empire of men, Ornella was a high-ranking member of the Bull Duchy, controlling the southeastern regions of the vast empire. During the Queen Isabel's War, the war against Demons, the necromancer-to-be came into frequent contact with the wizards of the Silver Cities and the necromancers of Heresh, particularly the Vampire Lord Giovanni. Even after the short-lived alliance between Heresh and Griffon Empire fell, Ornella maintained contact with Giovanni, and with his help, she assaulted the wizards, which granted her the lessons in dark arts from the Vampire Lord.

Ornella's curious flirtation with the Necromancers had resulted in a great change. Delving deeper into the dark magic, she soon became a worshipper of Asha. Once a lively woman, she crossed the line of existence, becoming a vampire herself, serving under Arantir for a great time, aiding in his war against the Demons. Ultimately, she had to sacrifice her life to help the High Lord bring down a powerful demon and discover the underlying plot of the war.

For quite some time, Arantir thought she had met her final death and would not return. However, his thoughts were proven wrong, and now he was on his way to reunite with his former student. They had another task, another mission, and fate itself brought them together once again. Deep in his mind, Arantir hoped he would not have to sacrifice her again, for she was a valuable asset both to him and Asha, and maybe even something more. For now, he had no time to think about it, for his only task was to find Ornella.

Traveling deeper into Equestria, Erich wondered how he would be received. Would it be suspicion? Anger, hate? Luna promised a safe passage under her terms, and yet the griffon was unsure. The populace might not be as accepting of him as the princess was, after all. Even with three Royal Guards near him at all times, he doubted it would improve anything by much. On the contrary, ponies might think that he was a criminal being escorted to prison. And yet, he could do nothing about it and he understood the terms Princess Luna proposed. In the light of the most recent events, it was the best choice she could make, especially considering that her very son was attacked.

Andromalius was a mysterious figure for the former knight. The first he heard of him, Erich was surprised and mildly confused. It was unknown if Princess Luna had any foals in her lifetime, and a demon no less... It was a shock to everyone who learned of the fact. In truth, the griffon didn't know much about demons or personal lives of Equestrian princesses, but such events were not to be overlooked, especially considering how sudden they were. A return of a whole country? It was unheard of until now. Demons? They were a legend, one of a dark kind. The princesses having foals? It was gossiped and talked about to no end every single year, and yet they were alone, and no suitors ever seemed to penetrate their defenses, much less the princesses themselves. And considering that the Princess of the Night spent the past millennium walking the Moon, it would be impossible for her to bear children at all. It was hard to believe in but even Erich could see certain similarities between Andromalius and Luna, no matter how different they seemed to look at first.

He shook his head slightly. Such thoughts should be reserved for a simpler time, one where gossips and rumors were the entertainment during various meetups with other knights and nobles of the Griffon Empire. Such times had passed, however, and now a war separated Equestria and the Empire. Many questions arose asking for a reason, and yet no one was willing to voice them in the face of Empress Ironfeather. She was a strong leader, and questioning her actions could and did result in death. Griffons did well to remember that.

Erich returned to reality and looked around. By now, Mark and he left the Grittish Isles and were moving towards Equestria, following the railroad. Unfortunately, it ceased to function due to the war and the proximity to the Empire, so the group would have to travel to the nearest non-military settlement first and work from there. There was no apparent direction, no actual goal aside from the vague 'understand the reasons behind the war from another side'. Erich had thought much through when it came to entering Equestria, but now? He was all but lost in where to go and what to do. He was in a foreign territory now, one that might not be kind to him because of the war.

The most obvious destination would be Canterlot. It was the center of Equestria, the residence of political power, but for some reason, Erich seriously doubted that he would find anything of value there. He was also sure that griffon population of the capital would be watched closely, which would limit his search, no matter how legal it would be. Besides, traveling to the very heart of the enemy would be not the wisest decision, especially in the light of the recent events. No matter the intention, the best Erich would probably get was a jail cell and then escort to one of the outlying settlements or being deported straight to the Griffon Empire, where he wouldn't get much more than another jail cell and possible execution if his deeds were found out.

He sighed silently, knowing the perilous situation he was in. No matter where he stepped, he could meet his demise. And yet, the truth must be found. No matter what, it must be uncovered for the sake of everyone, no matter if they were griffons or ponies or anyone else. The conflict hadn't turned into a bloodshed yet, and the losses were minimal. However, a war is like a snowball — the longer it rolled, the bigger it got, taking everything in. First, the economy would start to fail, then the soldiers. In a few months, both griffons and ponies would be already tired of war, wishing nothing but peace. However, by that time, the losses would be too great to be brushed off and easily accepted. Many families would have acts of revenge to fulfill and deaths to mourn. In such an unstable position, igniting hate would be one of the easiest things to accomplish, and then the war would spiral out of control. Erich was an educated person, having read many books, including historical ones, which taught him valuable lessons. Unfortunately, he was just one griffon, and he would be unable to change the outcome of the war by himself.

With those dark thoughts in his head, he continued moving forward, for there was nothing else he could do. At the very least, he managed to save Mark from conscription. He was too young to die, he had years and years to live, and wasting someone like him was unacceptable in the eyes of the older griffon. And perhaps, Mark would provide insight which Erich couldn't achieve by himself. He only had to wait and see.

The silence was making him nervous. He was used to flight, and yet he was stuck on the ground. Perhaps, it was one of the preventative measures Princess Luna put to ensure that he would indeed remain non-hostile. Maybe it was just an oversight, considering how quickly Erich would be able to travel by flight, and yet his guards were unicorns. In any case, there was nothing he could change, traveling all the way back would be a waste of time, and it was not guaranteed that she would fulfill his request. It would be best that he would not try his luck this time.

Suddenly, one of the guards accompanying him stopped. Following the guards, Erich stopped as well, waiting patiently for them to allow movement again, asking no questions just yet.

Ornella stood still as if frozen, looking at her necklace. The teal-colored gem in it was glowing slightly, sending pulsating warmth through her body and into her mind. An image of the spider started to show itself inside the gem. A small smile appeared on her face as she mouthed the name of her mentor, the teal light reflecting in her wide eyes, making them glow brighter as well.

Arantir.