Andromalius was in his personal study at the Royal Keep. With the recent influx of refugees, laws needed to be written to define their status as well as their rights. Such laws hadn't existed prior to demons' return and thus needed to be written and enacted to bring everything under control. The hell stallion was given information about crime rates in Trottingham prior to the war. He was pleased to find that it was rather low even for a city of that size. It mostly consisted of vandalism and petty thievery, both of which connected to the fact that a part of the population was poor. The city was far away from the capital of Equestria and the watchful eyes of the royal sisters, and so corruption was present as well.

Andromalius frowned slightly. He would have to deal with it pretty soon. He must be cautious about appointing previous city administration on the same positions. Not all of them might be fit for the work and he needed to find out.

He also needed to do a lot of work for the governmental system, including making laws. They were still a mess even after he spent a big chunk of his time working on them to bring them into order. Everything must be clear and in no way vague to be misinterpreted and avoided by using loopholes.

But first of all, he needed to make the main document, a constitution which can't ever be broken. Corruption back on Earth made it possible to pass laws that violated the constitution of whatever country had it, but Andromalius could make sure nothing like that could be done in his own country. He had complete control over everything that happened in it, his words were law quite literally. He knew how it was to be subjected to unfair laws and regulations, and he didn't want others to suffer from it.

"A blade can't be longer than six hooves..." Andromalius read in one of the documents, his voice quiet and trailed off at the end of the sentence. He tapped his chin. "Hmm... Polearms are legal, and therefore this law makes no sense..." he removed it. "Also, I need to implement a decimal measurement system. Makes more sense than these... hooves."

He huffed in annoyance, not understanding why such a mess was made in the first place. Fear? Ignorance? What emotion drove those laws forward? They couldn't be created by logic or reason.

"Maybe I should invent guns?" he mused, biting on the pen slightly. After a few moments of thinking, he said: "No, the budget isn't made out of rubber. Unless I find a new source of income... Well, it might change as soon as all the nonsensical laws are removed and everything brought into order..." he trailed off. "Yes, this would work nicely," he concluded and then returned to writing. "Need to make sure..."

To create the new constitution, Andromalius talker with various demons throughout the country and saw what they valued most. First and foremost, bearing weapons. Because of nearly constant wars, all demons who were able to carry weapons did so regularly. Taking away their right to defend themselves would be catastrophic for Andromalius' rule and might result in a large-scale civil war. He wasn't planning to do it since he understood that the best way to prevent crimes was to give people the right to protect themselves and not be dependent on law enforcement. While having a monopoly on violence can be good in many cases, it still had its flaws.

"No wonder our governments took so long to do anything," he muttered to himself, scratching the bridge of his muzzle with the pen. "So many useless things... Bureaucracy at its worst."

Police or any other similar structure can never be omnipresent, and thus taking away the ability to defend oneself would endanger citizens more than help them. However, the absence of violence monopoly mustn't endanger fair citizens. They must be educated when violence may be used and when it's prohibited.

But the law can't rely on all citizens, and thus needed enforcement and those who would do it for a substantial and material reward. Andromalius formed the first police-like structure in the Union: Civil Protection. Many demons volunteered to become a part of law enforcement in the name of their ruler once he announced the creation of the structure. Many units of the Civil Protection were dispatched across the Union and Equestria alike, securing cities, towns, and villages. Special uniforms, as well as weapons, were designed and made from new materials of Equestrian origins.

"Should be reasonably effective," Andromalius told himself as he ran through the new document again. "If not... Things aren't stiff, they can be changed. Development, progress is what we need..."

"You should really stop talking to yourself." a familiar voice sounded from the doorway. "I don't mind you working, but it's already evening. Why not come and sleep together?"

"There's a lot of work to do, Inanna." the hell stallion said, turning to her. "I'm sorry, but you'll have to wait a bit. I know you want sex, but there's a great load of work for me to do before I can allow myself to relax."

"Well, you better be pumping a great load into me after that, then." Inanna winked and flicked her tail. "I'll be waiting."

A trade agreement was established between Union and Equestria. The former was to produce weapons, armor and different war machines while the latter was to send good materials suitable for building and creating different equipment. A lot of Trottingham's factory machinery was transported to the Union as well, allowing to create modern quality products from materials previously unavailable to the demons.

The Civil Protection armor was made to be light and yet durable, featuring both composite materials and fabric, as well as steel plates to protect vital organs from damage. The members of the CP weren't professional soldiers but they were trained well enough for their purpose — enforcing the law. They were given weapons that included semi-automatic crossbows and electric stun batons as well as simple swords. They became versatile units that could engage enemies at short to middle ranges, making them perfect for patrolling cities and their outskirts alike. Most units were either succubi or incubi to make ponies more accustomed to demon presence by introducing more equine members of demon society first.

Andromalius sighed wearily as he put down the pen, finally. He stood up from the chair he was sitting on and went to the bedroom, wanting nothing more but to rest for a bit. While he didn't need sleep, he realized he wanted it more than anything at that moment. Such long writing sessions reminded him of school, and the habit of sleeping after such session didn't leave him completely. Also, his head was aching slightly, different words flashing before his eyes as if they were stamped into them.

He hadn't gotten much rest since he was declared a ruler, the Lord of Demons. He knew that ruling would require much effort but he had never expected everything to be a total mess. The war made thing even worse — he had to quickly figure out how to protect citizens of both Union and Equestria until it was too late. Gladly, he had support from yet unrevealed necromancer Arantir, who agreed to send his troops to fight griffons. Undead troops were expendable and allowed lives to be saved and directed into a safer and more productive route.

The hell stallion glanced out the window as he entered his bedroom. The sun was rising, signaling him that he was working for the whole night, not. He didn't even have much time to dedicate to Inanna, his lover. The succubus was sleeping on the bed she shared with Andromalius while he worked on the laws.

He walked to the bed and lay on it, closing his eyes. He realized he needed a good rest if he wanted to be efficient. Besides, he would have to apologize to Inanna later for neglecting her.

Natura Stella was walking through Canterlot to the train station, a pair of saddlebags on her sides. They were mostly filled with food and water. Frankly, the unicorn didn't need anything else — she lived in the wild for as long as she could remember, getting food and water, and even getting shelter wasn't hard for her in the slightest. Sometimes, animals helped her when she was in need. All unicorns had a connection with nature, allowing them to coexist with many of animals peacefully. Most predators didn't dare to attack them, and so they lived in balance and harmony with nature.

She remembered a pony was waiting for her at the train station. She didn't know who they were yet. She was slightly nervous about meeting him or her since she didn't know if that pony would be suitable for what she had in mind. A city dweller might not do well out in the wild and could hurt themselves while trying to survive. Natura would give as much help as she could but she was uncertain if it would enough. She hadn't spent much of her life by herself, unfortunately.

Sometime later, she reached the train station. She looked around, trying to find that pony who was assigned to her. The sooner she found them the better. She needed to work on how to end the war as soon as possible and even seconds mustn't be wasted. She felt how nature reacted to it, and it brought a frown on her face. Nature can adapt but something as sudden, as ravenous and hateful as wars left deep scars that healed very slowly.

Natura noticed a pony walking towards her. It was a pegasus stallion of light-blue fur and much darker blue mane. His orange eyes were focused on the unicorn, and a mark on his flank depicted a musical note. A pair of big saddlebags were on his sides and a repeating crossbow slung on his back.

"Good day, ma'am," he said as he approached her. "I am Nota. I was tasked to assist you in your endeavors."

"Um, hello." Natura nodded as she looked at the stallion. He was well-toned and seemed fit for survival in the wild, and it was what the unicorn needed. "You know what you're going into, right?"

"Yes, I do." Nota nodded. "I have all skills I might need to survive in the wild. So, what are you planning to do?"

"Well... I need to gather information first, I suppose." the unicorn replied. "I... don't really have much of a plan... But, um, getting to know different things will certainly help me."

"That's reasonable." the stallion agreed. "Where do we go first?"

Natura thought for some time. Nature was everywhere: the earth, the sky, the water, everything was nature. Even cities were nature in one way or another — they took from it and used it. While it was artificial, nature was always the source of anything in the world.

The two could travel anywhere but it would be more reasonable to be close to the frontline.

"I think we need to get close to where the war's going," Natura concluded. "I... don't really have a map or anything..."

"It's not a problem," Nota assured her. "I have it. Follow me, I'll get the tickets we need."

High Lord Arantir was walking through the Frozen North, a big chunk of his army following him. Bones were creaking, armor clanking, ghostly moans mixing with the sound of the wind. A banner of a black background and a teal-colored spider was carried by a Death Knight. Behind the army, Hornguard stood, looking completely abandoned. However, a menacing green glow could be seen in its depths, different kinds of undead patrolling the city.

An old map was levitating in front of Arantir as he inspected it thoroughly, handling the relic of the past carefully. It was something he had found inside the Hornguard Castle, and it was something actually very useful to him. He couldn't pass the chance to have something like that.

"There are more towns throughout this forgotten land." he mused as his eyes went over the settlements marked on the map. "Chances are, there are more dead, just waiting for someone to come and collect them. I can greatly enhance my armies and bring this war to an end sooner if I have more troops..."

Arantir stopped and gazed forward. Everything was covered by a white blanket of snow, harsh winds were blowing, raising clouds of snowflakes and obstructing the view. Necromancer's cold eyes glistened in the light of the rising sun as he observed the surroundings. He breathed deeply, his mind working.

He could feel it, he could hear it. There was no doubt he would find what he needed.

The dead were calling.

Author's Notes:

Finally, a new release. I'm very sorry for not updating this story in almost two months. I've been having problems with motivation and other things in my life, including personal issues.

I hope you're liking this story since there is even more to tell.