Silence, pure silence. There wasn’t a sound coming from any direction for Sunset Shimmer, instead, there was just pure silence. Opening her eyes should could see the heads-up-display that was inside of her helmet. That meant she was still Glitch when she blacked out, she still had her suit on. Looking through the visor, she could see nothing but a poorly lit area shrouded in an unnatural darkness.

Her helmet was dirty, and when she went to wipe it, she found her hooves were restrained, unable to move. She growled and pulled trying to free herself, but with no luck. Whatever was holding her down had her tightly gripped. She concentrated and turned on her communication system to Princess Twilight, figuring now would be a great time to call for help.

The communicator flickered on and all Sunset could hear was static. “Princess Twilight, it’s Glitch, do you hear me?”

There was only static followed by more deafening silence.

She tried again. “Princess Twilight, do you copy? It’s Glitch, I’m stuck somewhere...”

Again, Sunset was given only silence as her answer.

Switching channels, she gave Moondancer a ring. “Moondancer? What’s the status of the suit? I need a diagnostic report, and a triangulation of where I am.”

More static greeted Sunset.

“Moondancer? Are you there?” Sunset spoke louder.

There was nothing. She was alone in this dark forsaken place. Focusing, she tried to remember all she could before she arrived. She was liberating Fillydalphia, that much she remembered. The mission was going well when she was-

She remembered! She was pulled in by some kind of demonic tendrils that formed a dome, trapping her and Cinder!

Cinder was here somewhere, Sunset knew it. She wasn’t completely alone, but that also meant that Cinder could need her help. She needed to break free somehow, she needed to find her ally. The odds of escaping this place were far greater with Cinder at her side; Sunset had personally seen what the dragon was capable of after all.

Pulling, she realized she still couldn’t move her body; she would need some assistance from the suit. Checking the HUD, she tried to activate the jet thrusters in the hopes she could pull herself free with the propulsion, but all she got was an error to appear in her visor.

Corruption Error 88: System core compromised. Dark energy levels too high, all secondary functions disabled until dark energy is reduced. Please vent the core.

Sunset cursed under her breath. Moondancer had warned her what happened if the suit’s power core got corrupted with dark magic, and as a result, the bookworm had pre-installed a safety mechanism that would shut off all functions that would be too dangerous to use under corruption. Ideally, it was to keep the suit from being controlled by any dark magic users; Sunset could only imagine how terrible it would be for them if Serenade got her hooves on it after all.

Without the jet thrusters, the thermal heat blades, laser system, and magic amplifier, her options were more or less her own strength and the retractable mounted blades. Without all of its functions, the suit was little more than armor to protect her from damage and nothing more.

Her eyes were drawn down to her hooves which she couldn’t move. It was too dark to see much, but she could feel something around her armored hooves keeping her down.

With a grunt, Sunset used her magic to make the retractable blades in her suit come out. They shot out of their holders on her front hooves with haste as Sunset pulled her hooves with all her strength.

“I’m coming, Cinder! Don’t worry!” Sunset called out.

Her strength was formidable, but whatever held her was not giving in so easily. Determination and adrenaline kept her going as she pulled harder and harder, eventually feeling her hooves start to move just a few inches. Once the momentum had begun though, Sunset wouldn’t stop, she kept pulling and could hear something snapping and the sound of flesh tearing; she prayed it wasn’t her own.

Another step, and another after that and Sunset was able to move her back hooves now, slowly breaking free. “LET GO OF ME!” She shouted before pulling with all her might and breaking the hold on her completely. She toppled forward and landed on her helmet before she came back to a stand.

Tapping her suit, she made her helmet vanish, leaving her head exposed as she observed her environment with her own two eyes. The place she was in was unlike anything she had ever witnessed. It was dark, poorly lit, and almost everything around her oozed black slimy residue. Black wet leathery growths protruded from the ground swaying like grass in the wind and the only light appeared to come from some kind of plant that moved around like it was hungry.

What the hell is this place? Was the only thought in Sunset’s mind as she peered around in awe.

Looking back to where she had been being held, some kind of black tree made up of tough-looking tendrils stood behind her. It appeared as though the tendrils themselves were holding Sunset down. It was some kind of sentient tree that latched onto her and held her there, and its tendrils had been ripped and damaged when she broke free.

Stepping closer to get a look Sunset reached forward to touch a tendril. Her hoof didn’t even reach the appendage before it came to life and whipped around trying to grab Sunset once more. The mare managed to get out of the way quickly and avoid being re-captured.

How had this tree taken her hostage? How did she get within the tree’s grasp in the first place? She had too many questions but no answers. The only thing she knew was she had to find Cinder before it was too late.

Her attention was focused straight ahead as she called out Cinder’s name.

“Cinder!? Where are you, it’s me, Glitch!” Sunset screamed out in hopes of getting an answer.

After a few seconds, she could hear a grumble that had a familiar raspy sounding voice attached to it. She knew that voice anywhere, it was Cinder’s. Sunset peering around and called out once more. “Cinder! Where are you?”

Another groan could be heard, followed by the faint sound of Cinder’s voice spoken in a weak mumble. “Glitch? What’s going on?”

“Help me find you, keep talking!” Sunset called out.

“I think you’re facing me, I can hear your voice coming from my left. Try heading straight ahead,” Cinder instructed.

Following her suggestion, Sunset walked a few feet forward until the low lighting of the strange place she found herself in revealed yet another tree similar to the one that Sunset had woken up in. This one, however, was far more massive, and clearly had the girth necessary to hold its dragon prey in place. The plants reminded her of some kind of Venus flytrap, only with tendrils to catch is prey instead of an open maw.

Cinder groaned as she tried to move her head with no luck. Her eyes were covered by one of the tendrils, so she was unable to even see Sunset standing right in front of her. Coming forward, Sunset drew her blade, but the tree quickly moved a series of its tendrils toward Sunset to protect itself.

She backed off, realizing if she was too hasty, she would end up right back in the tree-like thing's hold like before. She had used a tremendous amount of upper body strength just to escape the first time, so she wasn’t in the mood to take her chances a second time.

There was only one way that Sunset knew to get Cinder out. “Cinder, I’m right in front of you,” Sunset spoke.

“I can hear your voice, did you take your helmet off?” Cinder asked.

Sunset rubbed her neck, forgetting that Cinder and she had spoken before without her Glitch persona. “It was getting in the way in this place, but that’s not important, what is important is that you break free.”

“Break free of what?” Cinder asked before giving her arms a tug, only to find they didn’t move an inch.

“It’s some kind of weird tree, it has you caught pretty tightly in its branches, and it clearly doesn’t want to let go,” Sunset answered her question.

Cinder, wiggling her fingers tried to gesture for Sunset to reach for her swords which were still in their scabbards at her waist. “Sunset, get my swords from my belt, I can’t seem to reach them myself.”

Sunset shook her head sadly, despite Cinder not being able to see the motion. “I can’t there’s some kind of vines preventing me from getting too close, I think you need to pull yourself out. It’s not going to let me do it.”

“Pull myself out? For fuck’s sake, what’s going on? What am I caught on?” Cinder asked.

“Just try and break free, I can’t get any closer, I’m sorry...” Sunset frowned as she stepped back to give the dragon some room to break free.

Cinder let out an annoyed sigh before she took a deep inhale, then an exhale. After another eight breaths, she began to pull with all of her might. Her left arm’s muscles flexed and Sunset could see the veins pop up against her scales as she pulled. She had an impressive set of muscles, which Sunset was certain her left arm would match had she not lost it.

Groaning and making noises of strain, Cinder kept pulling despite not making any progress. It wasn’t until the dragon concentrated even harder on the fact that Sunset Shimmer needed her help if she really began to kick it into high gear. This mare counted on her, and she wasn’t about to let her down.

Her metal arm and claw tugged, but there was nothing.

The real arm on her left side clenched up more and gripped on the side of the tree she was trapped in and pushed with all of her might.

Sunset watched in amazement as the arm flexed and the muscles pulled, eventually making a ripping sound. Sunset’s eyes were drawn to the appendage that held the dragon as it began to snap, eventually, her arm broke free.

“Gah!” Cinder let out as the free claw reached to grab the one wrapped around her eyes. With a powerful tug, the one on her eyes refused to budge even to Cinder’s impressive build.

“Come on!” Sunset commanded.

As if her command was all that was needed to motivate her, Cinder tried again, but this time pulled with all of the strength she had and then some. When her arm refused to pull any harder, she forced it to and a snap was heard from the tendril across her eyes. Cinder tore it off and tossed it aside before grabbing the tendril wrapped around her fake arm and snapping it off while she was still on the adrenaline high.

With a ferocious growl, Cinder leaned forward and pulled her mighty legs with her, loosening the hold on the rest of her. The strange plant was strong, but Cinder Razorclaw was made even stronger by determination and the tendrils started snapping one by one until all eight around her legs gave way.

The dragon grunted as she stumbled forward. She rested for a second down on all fours before coming to a stand to check herself for injuries. Once she was certain she was otherwise unharmed, she looked over at her red-headed ally and nodded, a slight smile on her face.

“Well, Sunset Shimmer, it’s good to see you here, but where exactly is here?” Cinder asked looking around herself at the odd place.

Sunset looked around and shrugged. “Don’t know, all I remember is walking into that trap in Fillydalphia and then waking up in this place...”

“Same, so I guess neither of us remembers getting here.” Cinder sighed.

Peering around, Sunset wondered how anyone could get to a place like this. It felt unnatural, like the kind of place where only those who knew how to get to it could reach. How did they get here? And more importantly, how would they get back?

Sunset’s thoughts were interrupted as she felt her stomach growl at her. “We must have been out for a while because I’m super hungry...” Sunset commented.

Cinder shrugged. “Us dragons can go quite a while without food even though we eat a lot. Water is another story though, while we can last about eight days without it, we will still need to find a source of water here and food for you...”

Sunset looked around once again and chuckled. “This doesn’t exactly look like the kind of place that has a McDonald’s nearby.”

“A what?” Cinder tilted her head. “Is that some kind of pony thing?”

Sighing, Sunset decided now would be a good time to tell Cinder more about her situation since they didn’t have anything else going on at the moment. “No, see I haven’t exactly told you everything about me... While I am a pony and I am from Equestria, I actually have lived in another world for many years.”

“Another world? You mean like another dimension or something, or another planet?” Cinder blinked.

“I know it’s hard to believe, but there is another world beyond this mirror. In that world, the dominant species of the planet are called ‘humans’ and when you go through that mirror you take the shape of creatures from that world,” Sunset explained.

“So you turn into one of those humans?” Cinder asked, trying to keep up.

“More or less, yes. However, it’s not a perfect conversion as I still retain some of my DNA from my pony form when I’m there, but you get the idea.” Sunset nodded.

Cinder placed a claw upon her chin and thought it over. “So you’re really and outsider then?”

Sunset shrugged. “I’ve always been an outsider my entire life. Still, part of why I worry though is that if Serenade ever gets her claws on that mirror...”

“She could rain destruction onto both worlds.” Cinder finished her thought with a talon pointing at Sunset.

The mare nodded. “And she likely wouldn’t stop there. Serenade will just keep getting more and more powerful until she destroys everything; traveling from world to world demolishing everything in her path.”

The both of them were fairly convinced that given the opportunity that is precisely what Serenade would do. She didn’t seem the type to be satisfied with just being the overlord of the new world, she would want new power to attain and creatures to kill to satisfy her amusement. This world wouldn’t be enough for the immortal being in the long run, as her urge to kill would only grow the stronger her demonic presence became. Was there any limit to her power? Sunset wasn’t entirely sure.

“We can’t let that happen. We have to figure out where we are, and how to get out, but first, we may want to locate water and edible food, right?” Cinder pointed out.

Sunset nodded. “Let’s take a look around.”

The flora of the place (if it could even be called that) swayed and moved in an eerie unsettling way as they passed by. Many of the slimy tendrils that stuck out of the gross ground seemed to move away from them when they walked by and examined the place.

Eventually, they came to a small river that looked black in color, much like everything else around them. Cinder held out her claw to make Sunset stand back. Carefully she dipped her metal claw into the water and pulled some up and lapped at it. Nodding she smiled. “Seems safe to drink to me. It seems odd that this place actually has drinkable water...”

Sunset shrugged before leaning down to lap at the water herself. Her thirst seemed to go away fairly quickly before she looked up and wiped her lip as she examined Cinder. “I find it interesting that your real arm seems stronger than that metal one...” Sunset commented.

A grin came to Cinder’s face as she flexed her bicep. “A warrior relies on their own strength, not some fancy tools to enhance their abilities. I train the rest of my body harder so I can pass whatever advantage this arm gives me.”

“You’re an impressive girl, that’s for sure...” Sunset laughed.

“Don’t sell yourself short, Sunset Shimmer, you’ve impressed me quite a bit since we’ve met as well.” Cinder crossed her arms.

Sunset blinked. “Really? You struck me as difficult to impress...”

Cinder let out a hearty laugh as she shook her head. “I suppose that is somewhat accurate, still, your will to fight and your determination is worthy of praise. It’s an honor to serve with you, and I’m proud to be a part of your rebellion. A warrior always admires the grit of another warrior after all.”

A smile came to Sunset as she nodded. “It’s good to hear you say that, let’s just hope my resourcefulness continues and finds us a way out of this place...”

Cinder shrugged. “With determination and strength, we need only to rely on the great fighting spirit to provide.”

"You think the fighting spirit can reach us here?" Sunset asked.

Cinder nodded. "Definitely. I can see it burning within you."

“Let’s look around for a bit and meet back here, okay?” Sunset suggested.

“Works for me.” Cinder nodded.

With those words, the two girls split up to explore the strange dark place they found themselves in. Both of them knew though that escaping would not be as simple as merely locating an exit somewhere and hopping through. In the back of her mind, Sunset had a suspicion that Serenade had placed them in this place with the intention of them never escaping. For their sake though, she prayed that Serenade underestimated them and that Sunset was underestimating herself as well.

The place they were in seemed to stretch on forever, and Sunset was starting to suspect that it was an entire planet that they were now stranded on. How would they escape a whole other world? Was it even possible? Did Serenade really figure out the perfect way to get rid of them?

Making her way back to the river, Sunset could see Cinder standing there with her arms crossed. She frowned the moment she saw that face, which signified that she likely had no luck in finding a way out.

“No luck?” Sunset began.

Cinder shook her head. “This place is basically just an endless void.”

“Seems that way...” Sunset frowned.

The two stood in thought for a few minutes before a low pitched snarling sound could be heard. “Did you hear that?” Cinder asked.

Sunset glanced in the direction of the sound and squinted. “I’ve never heard a sound like that before... What is it?” Sunset asked.

Cinder lowered herself and placed a claw on one of the hilts of her swords and drew it carefully and slowly. When the blade was out of its sheath, Cinder kept low and used her good arm to signal for Sunset to stay out of the way.

“Stay back...” Cinder instructed.

The two watched carefully as over the hill in the distance a black scaly claw placed over the edge that pulled the rest of an emaciated body over the hill and revealed a set of long arms that were bony and sinewy. Its body was covered in small tendrils that seemed to move on their own as the creature groaned in pain while it came more into sight.

The rest of the monster looked like something right out of a horror movie. It moved uncomfortably, similar to that of a spider’s movement and its glowing green eyes locked onto them as it opened his sharp maw, drooling everywhere as it approached.

Sunset couldn’t tell too much about it just by looking, but she knew that the creature clearly lived in never-ending agony. It’s growls sounded like those of a creature in pain; pain mixed with hostility.

“What the fuck is that thing?” Sunset whispered.

“I think he’s thinking the same thing about us...” Cinder responded quietly as she readied her katana.

Without warning the creature leaped forward at incredible speeds. The two stepped out of the way and it landed a few inches from where they previously stood before leaping again. Cinder swung her blade just narrowly missing the monster which moved to avoid the sword.

Cinder stepped with the creature and kept her sword ready before pulling out her other blade, ready to strike again.

The monster leaped at her only to get caught in midair with both blades impaling its tough leathery stomach. With a quick motion, she flipped the creature over onto its back and pressed the swords deeper into it. It screeched and moaned as it writhed in pain and agony trying to get free.

She pulled the swords down, slicing the stomach open watching the disgusting blackened entrails leak out along with a black green-tinted sludge that Sunset imagined took the place of blood for this creature. Cinder took her blades and pierced them through the creature’s thin neck, and with a scissoring motion, she sliced its head clear off.

Sunset blinked and squinted at Cinder for the act of brutality, but the dragon just smiled at her and winked. “A warrior always double taps. Never turn your back on a foe unless they are dead.”

Conceding, Sunset admitted that such a tactic was smart, especially in a place like this.

“What is it though?” Sunset asked as she came forward to examine the corpse.

Cinder tapped the torso with her dripping blade and leaned in herself. “Not sure, I think it’s some kind of demon. Looks like he might have been hungry, hungry for us no doubt.”

“Do you think Serenade would eventually turn into one of these things?” Sunset asked.

“Hard to say, considering we don’t even really know what one of ‘these things’ really is.” Cinder shrugged before coming to a proper stand. The girl kept her blades at the ready. “Either way, we shouldn’t stay here, there’s probably more of these things all over this place, which means finding a way out is more imperative than before.”

“And unfortunately the suit’s systems are all mostly down. No navigation, no life support, no advanced weaponry, nothing.” Sunset frowned.

“That’s a damn shame, all of that stuff could be super useful right about now...” Cinder frowned.

Sunset nodded. “Yeah, it blows, but at least it acts as armor, so that’s one benefit. Regardless, I think you’re right about staying here, we have to keep moving.”

“Let’s find a way out then.” Cinder nodded.

Sunset and Cinder had been exploring for a good few hours, finding no clues that pointed to a way out of their dark prison. They also could not find much in the way of light sources, but they were both at least quite convinced they were not anywhere in Equestria anymore.

Along the way, they had passed at least eight dozen demons that had wanted to turn them into snacks, but with their combined combat prowess, the two girls were more than a match for any small-time underlings. Sunset had quickly adopted Cinder’s double-tap rule and ensured all of them were dead before they moved on.

The two came to a strange jagged hill with tons of the tendril plants they had seen many times hanging off of it, all of them swaying uncomfortably enough for even Sunset to shudder just looking at them. They didn’t feel natural, that was for sure.

Sunset tilted her head in confusion. “I feel like we’re never going to get out of here at this rate! We need to find a way out and fast!”

Cinder didn’t respond as she stood to examine a large flat rock. Sunset turned back to her now that Cinder had fallen behind, much to Sunset’s chagrin; to examine a massive stone.

The dragon ran her claw along with the stone and blinked as text appeared upon it in glowing red light. She was more surprised to see it had appeared in the common tongue of ponies. “Check this out, Sunset...” Cinder pointed to the rock.

Stepping closer, Sunset took a look. “Looks like some kind of log or something, or documentation.”

“What does it say?” Cinder asked.

Sunset found it odd that the language appeared in ponish as they hadn’t seen any evidence that this place spoke the same language as them, but she read it regardless.

‘Twas always pondered if these plains were crafted by deity, or they merely always were. No demon knows the truth, and there is no demon old enough to recall a time when the underworld did not exist. The Underworld is, has and always was. Its creation, a mystery. Its existence, timeless.

“Shit, so this place is the underworld then?” Cinder blinked.

“Looks like it,” Sunset said.

“Fuck... So we’re basically in hell then?” Cinder asked.

Sunset rubbed her neck, not wanting to think about it that way, but she couldn’t deny it. “Yeah... I guess that’s one way to put it...”

Cinder let out a hearty laugh. “Man, this is great!”

“I don’t know if I’d consider the situation we are in would be considered ‘great’ by many...” Sunset answered, surprised by Cinder’s excitement over their predicament.

Cinder shook her head. “Sunset, we get to be put to the ultimate test! This is like a warrior’s dream! We get to escape hell itself! That is going to give us like the permanent badass rank for the rest of our lives!”

“Well, I’m glad you’re thinking positive about it, still we need to really focus here to escape,” Sunset said. Truthfully the mare was a tad bit concerned about Cinder's overzealousness about it all. Then again, Sunset had little clue as to how life in Dragon Scar had affected the girl.

“I’ll bet you anything that if we can find more of these stones then we can learn more about this place and possibly even find a way out.” Cinder pointed out.

It wasn’t a certainty, but it was the only plan they had at the moment. “I suppose that’s what we’ll have to do then.”

The two didn’t know how much time had passed, but they were fighting nearly every other hour, sleeping only for about an hour at a time while they traversed the dark plains of the underworld. Every step they took they were met with a new challenge, hundreds of demons were put to rest by their swords along the way.

They had found another set of stones after what felt like two days of walking, but they were quickly met with resistance in the form of hundreds of demons.

A larger one with hulking arms too a swing at Cinder only for her to block its swing with her mechanical arm. With a grunt, she took one of her katanas and impaled the creature in the gut, the sword got stuck in the process. She released the creature’s arm and ducked as the other arm swung.

With another quick motion, she pulled the sword out of its chest and jumped and slashed at its throat.

Looking over at Sunset who was dealing with a group of three approaching her, Cinder pulled out her other sword and tossed it in Sunset’s direction. “Sunset, catch!”

Reacting quickly, Sunset jumped and caught the sword’s hilt in her mouth and twirled on her way down, slashing one of the three in the face. She levitated the sword in the air with her magic and did a downward slash slicing another clean in half. She blinked as she was impressed by the sharpness of Cinder’s blade; the craftsmanship of the katana was immaculate.

Taking the blade in the air once more, Sunset took down the third demon as she backed herself up to where Cinder and she stood back to back. Cinder peeked over her shoulder and nodded at Sunset as they looked at the remaining demons that approached them.

With quick work, the two sliced down the remaining demons, but one of them knocked Cinder’s blade out of her claw. With a growl, she thrust her mechanical arm into the chest of the creature with her claws extended. The sharp metal talons pierced its chest with ease as she closed her claw and gripped whatever entrails she could find. With a quick jerk, she pulled out what she assumed was some kind of intestines out of the monster.

The creature fell to the ground in time for Sunset to jump and kick the last one on her side in the head, twisting its head until she heard a snap.

The two girls stood still for a moment before they lowered their weapons. Sunset levitated the sword that was knocked out of Cinder’s claw back to her, and she took it and sheathed it before Sunset offered the loaned sword back. The second sword, Cinder kept in her right claw.

Cinder wiped a bit of the black blood from her brow as Sunset did the same. Both were haggard-looking and exhausted, but they were remaining steadfast in their resolve.

Now that the demons were dealt with, Cinder nodded as Sunset approached the first of the two stones. Reaching forward she touched it and watched as the red lettering appeared before them. Sunset had concluded that the stones would appear in the language common to the one who touched it.

The plains of the underworld would occasionally be touched by mortals and those who would seek the power of hell. Most would perish, but a handful would escape these plains via the Hellfiend Gate. Its construction is unknown, but only those who pass the trials of the damned may utilize it to return to the world of mortals.

Many have tried, few have succeeded.

The gate stands at the edge of the Valor region, waiting to test all who would be foolish enough to attempt passing through it.

Sunset blinked and looked back at Cinder. “Well, now we at least know the way out.”

Cinder nodded. “I’m curious what these trials are, but by the sound of it, we’re not getting out so easily. It said that very few have ever made it through the gate.”

“Guess we will have to be at the top of our game then.” Sunset smirked.

The two looked over at the other stone in dread. What information could this other stone hold? Would it be more bad news for them? Neither expected positive prospects to be given.

Touching it, Cinder looked up as the text appeared before them.

The ancient ones wrote of a surface dweller who would conquer the underworld, pass the trials of demons and rise through the ranks to become one with the denizens of hell. One who possessed the resolve necessary to conquer hell itself. A champion unlike any other.

This prophecy became reality when she arrived for the first time in our domain. With unspeakable skill and brutality, she was able to slay hundreds. We bestowed upon her the unspeakable power of hell. She would return to these plains many times to face the trials of hell and each trial she passed with more cruelty and hatred than the last. The power we had given her growing each time; becoming deadlier with each pass.

Her heart was filled with hatred and bitterness, leaving no room for any positive emotion. Her blood filled with immeasurable disdain toward mortals. Hell foretold her arrival and with each trial she passed, she would push toward her final form, her ultimate destiny, to become the lord of all demons.

Her creation was hell’s greatest accomplishment and its greatest weapon. Those among the surface world will cower in fear at her tremendous power and might and would know her only by her mortal name: Serenade Dazzle.

Both Sunset and Cinder were speechless for a good few minutes. This was more to take in than either of them had imagined. Serenade had been to this place multiple times, and each time she apparently was more powerful than the last, but most importantly, hell foresaw her one day being the lord of all demons.

This spoke volumes of how dire their situation was. If Serenade wasn’t stopped soon, she would only get more powerful. Could Sunset even stop her then? Would she be able to kill the lord of all demons? Was such a feat even possible?

“Lord of all demons...” Cinder spoke quietly.

Sunset nodded. “Looks like Serenade is a far bigger threat than we ever imagined...”

“She has to be stopped...” Cinder replied.

“We can both agree there...” Sunset said.

Another stone they had found conveniently gave the two girls a general direction of where to go as it had described the realm of hell in vivid detail. Paying close mind to descriptions they were able to find a few landmarks that helped them figure out where they were in relation to where they wanted to be. The Hellfiend Gate was at least a two-week walk from their current location by their estimation.

For food, they had found that some of the tendrils that grew out of the ground could be eaten if they used Cinder’s fire breath to cook them prior. They were slimy and sinewy, but they were obviously plants and not meat. It barely nourished them, but it had been enough to keep them going for several days at a time.

They were finding themselves more and more formidable every day. Hours of their time was spent fighting demons of increasing power and difficulty, finding themselves less tired after every fight.

Cinder’s respect for Sunset’s fighting prowess seemed to increase as time went on, and the two had become quite a formidable team. Their battle styles began to compliment each other and they soon found that they were a perfect match for combat. Sunset was confident that this symmetry would assist significantly in the fight against Serenade.

If they could conquer the Hellfiend Gate, then Serenade should fear them. They would pass through the same trials that she did after all.

With their resolve, they would make a rest stop in a cave. Their sleep schedule was the same as always, one would stay awake guarding while the other slept an hour and then they would switch. They would repeat for only eight hours, getting a total of four hours of sleep for the both of them.

At this point, they had learned to run on so little sleep that it was nothing to them anymore. Sunset dreamed of the day she could rest in her own bed again, but she put it out of her mind as she laid down, curling up and glancing over at Cinder who stood at the entrance to the cave. Both of them were hoping they wouldn’t be forced to wake up and fight an onslaught of demons as they had in the past.

Before closing her eyes, Sunset heard Cinder’s voice. “Sunset... Do you think this is where creatures can go when they die?”

Springing her eyes back open, Sunset glanced back over at her. Cinder’s back was to Sunset and her eyes focused entirely on the dark ground in front of the cave, keeping a watchful eye for creatures that they came to know as “slashers”, monsters with long narrow bodies and talons that stretched a good two feet. They would swipe at one with great force and vigor but fortunately were fairly slow-witted.

Sunset had not really given much thought to the idea of if ponies would go to this place upon death. Did that mean they were killing the remains of those who had already passed? They hadn’t found anything to support that idea. All the evidence they had found suggested that demons were born in this place with the exception of those from the surface world who became demons such as Serenade, however, it was possible.

That meant that Serenade was atypical for demons, as were any other demons who walked the surface world.

“I doubt it, but some of them might have once been surface dwellers...” Sunset suggested.

Cinder gave a gentle “hmm”, implying there was something on her mind.

Sunset was curious. “Something on your mind?”

“I was just thinking that maybe some that I have known could be these demons, you know?” Cinder spoke.

Sunset could tell there was more to that statement, but she was nervous about asking. Regardless, she found the fortitude to ask anyway.

“Something bothering you?” Sunset said.

Cinder shook her head. “I don’t know...”

Sunset could tell that wasn’t entirely true. “Is there someone you fear has become a demon?”

“Maybe.” Cinder’s answer was plain and without tone. It was clear to Sunset that she wasn’t going to get an answer by probing her any further.

The flow of time was lost on the two misplaced girls who walked the realm of the forgotten and damned. Had it been a few weeks or a few months? They didn’t know. It was becoming increasingly harder to tell time. There was no night or day in the underworld, just never-ending night. Minutes felt like hours and hours felt like weeks.

With their irregular sleep schedule, telling time was completely impossible. Even the onboard computers for Sunset’s combat suit didn’t work to tell her the time or date. She hoped that the suit would all come back online the moment they made it back to the surface world, provided there was still one left.

It had occurred to Sunset that while they were gone, Princess Twilight or someone else would have had to take charge. Serenade would no doubt be bolder and more fierce now that she believed Glitch was out of her way, and that meant trouble. Could the Princess actually defeat Serenade? No, not without the spear, which was now stored in a magical holding system in Sunset’s suit that she currently couldn’t access.

The suit was able to store weapons for later use by placing them inside a magic displacement bubble and calling upon the items when necessary. With the suit offline though, Sunset had no ability to call the spear forward. It was not as though it would be useful in the demon world, however, as Sunset recalled Kiz’ warning of the enchantment she had put upon it. Its ability to repel darkness would wear off if Sunset used it too much and she needed to save that ability for Serenade. At that moment, the spear was the only thing giving any of them a fighting chance, provided they could get back to Equestria to use it in time.

What was happening back in Equestria, she wondered. Was Princess Twilight leading the charge in her stead? Was she getting the best of Serenade, or perhaps the Princess was already dead and Equestria was burning. Perhaps everything was already lost and they would come back to a pile of smoldering ash with Serenade standing atop of it, ready to take them out as well.

Sunset would chew her nails if she had any just thinking about it.

As Cinder and she walked, Sunset looked up at the dragon and frowned. “Say, Cinder.”

“Hm?” Cinder didn’t even turn to face her as the two kept marching together.

“Do you think Equestria is okay without us right now? Like do you think everything is safe?” Sunset asked.

“I could lie and tell you what you want to hear, but I know that would be a disservice to you, Sunset... No, I don’t think it is. I think Serenade is likely emboldened by our being trapped here and she’s probably off somewhere boiling ponies heads somewhere.” Cinder shrugged.

Sunset wanted to protest, but in actuality, she appreciated Cinder’s brutal honesty. While it may have not been what she wished she understood Cinder’s viewpoint. The reality was that Cinder’s voice was far more realistic. What were the actual odds that anyone could actually take her place in leading the rebellion? Not when they were that close to victory.

“We have to get out of this place, and fast” Sunset concluded.

“Agreed, but it’s easier said than done,” Cinder agreed.

The two stopped in their tracks as they gazed upon a landmark that they had recognized from the descriptions in the stones they had come across. It was a tall silvery crystal that had an unnatural sheen to it. Its light color made it stand out in the black mucky environment in which it sat as the two girls approached it.

The crystalline rock sparkled oddly in the poor lighting as Sunset reached toward it.

Cinder saw her reaching and did the same, moving her claw only inches from the rock.

The two knew this strange rock to be called “The Stone of Foresight”; supposedly a relic that allowed those who touched it to see the future that could be. The only drawback was that it often apparently only showed you what you needed to see, and never what you wanted to see.

Cinder and Sunset both glanced at each other once more but nodded as they turned back to face the stone and finally playing claw and hoof upon the rock.

Princess Twilight Sparkle rubbed her tired eyes as she looked over the last of her army taking formation. They had taken hold in Manehatten ready to raise their weapons to the oncoming threat. She was fortunate enough to have so many able-bodied willing ponies ready to serve at a moment’s notice.

Discord slithered in before her and gave a salute which Twilight returned. He frowned as he saw how serious she had become. The Twilight he knew was long gone, and in her place was a mare who was tired from war. Her mane had lost its luster and sheen, though far more grown out than when she cut it years ago. On her cheek was the scar that was now accompanied by another that went down half of her face.

While the marks on her body didn’t mar her beauty, her demeanor certainly did. This Twilight wasn’t the same that Discord had trained, she was instead a fearless leader prepared to die when necessary. She was comfortable meeting death head-on.

Discord coughed and cleared his throat. “So, all the troops are lined up. Rarity should be arriving momentarily.”

“Excellent work. Get yourself down to the frontline to the north so you’re ready to dish out some magic to give our most crucial flank support and backup,” Twilight instructed.

Discord didn’t bother arguing. He saluted her once more and stopped for a second before slithering away. He blinked before staring at her.

“What is it?” Twilight asked.

“Well... This is the last time we’ll see each other...” Discord responded.

Smiling, Twilight’s tough demeanor was broken for just a second as she leaned in and kissed him, touching her forehead to his own. “It’s been an honor serving with you, being trained by you and being with you.”

Petting her cheek gently with his claw, scratching the fur on her face affectionately, Discord nodded. “I’m terrible with goodbyes, but if there is another life after this, I hope we can see each other again in it.”

Twilight smiled. “Go get ready.”

Without lingering any longer, Discord nodded once more and took his exit. From the top of the building that was once a theater, she looked down at all the ponies preparing for the battle down below. The building she stood upon was at the center of Manehatten, giving her a perfect vantage point.

There were barricades surrounding all sides of the city, constructed of old junk and scrap metal to keep as many out as possible. Archers stood atop of these walls, ready to take out all down below who would try and break in. Their ballistas all loaded as they stood ready to fire the devices.

Twilight stood in silence as she looked to the north where she knew their foe would approach. As she stood, the gentle clap of delicate hooves approached, which Twilight instantly recognized as Rarity. She turned and nodded at the mare who now was sporting a short manecut less than two inches in length. She almost had the appearance of an effeminate boy without her long mane and makeup work.

Rarity gave a salute and lowered her hoof. Twilight’s attention was drawn to the small scar upon the girl’s lip which she had acquired in a previous battle.

“Good to see you, Rarity, what’s your status?” Twilight asked.

“The east wall is fortified as you requested,” Rarity answered quickly.

“Very good, see to it that you hold it as long as you can.” Twilight nodded.

Rarity blinked, a bit surprised by Twilight’s lack of input. She bit her tongue and said nothing until Twilight turned away and spoke once more.

“I’m sorry about Applejack, Rarity... I know you two were close...” Twilight nearly whispered.

With her ears twitching, Rarity looked over at Twilight with sad eyes. “It wasn’t your fault, Twilight. You did all you could do. She died trying to protect us all, and that’s the noblest way for her to go if you really think about it. It's how she would have wanted to go too.”

“She was a brave soul...” Twilight nodded in agreement.

“She was, and she’d want you to forgive yourself. We’ve lost so many in this war already, there’s no sense in blaming ourselves for anypony’s loss. Your mind should be on this fight, after all.” Rarity smiled.

Twilight said nothing, instead, she frowned more and closed her eyes.

“So, what’s the plan, Twilight?” Rarity asked.

There was silence. A silence that made concern grow in Rarity.

“Twilight?” Rarity stepped forward.

“There is none,” Twilight spoke so plainly, her voice devoid of any emotion. It was clearly a trick she had learned over the years to try and keep opposing parties at bay during an argument. In her years, Twilight had learned she was fairly easy to read, so she had learned how to mask her thoughts by hiding her emotion.

Rarity squinted, unsure if she even heard the mare correctly. It was rare that Princess Twilight Sparkle didn’t have a plan.

“What do you mean?” Rarity asked.

A sigh escaped Twilight as she closed her eyes and shook her head. “Rarity, we go way back, you were one of the first ponies I met when I began my path to become a princess in the first place...”

Rarity nodded. “Of course, darling. You were quite the ditzy one if I recall correctly.”

Twilight opened her eyes and stared forward, avoiding eye contact with Rarity, unsure if she could deliver the news to the mare with a face devoid of tears. “I have no plan, Rarity.”

“It’s not like you to ‘wing it’ as they say.” Rarity chuckled trying to lighten the mood.

The book-loving mare shook her head. “Rarity, I think you deserve to know the truth after all you’ve been through...”

The fashionista gulped but remained silent.

“We won’t win this fight,” Twilight responded coldly.

“So you mean...” Rarity bit her lip, not daring to finish that sentence, but knowing full well that Twilight would do so for her.

“Serenade will kill everypony here by the end of this battle...” Twilight said.

Rarity blinked and stepped forward. “What are you going to do!?”

“I’m going to die, like everypony else...” Twilight said.

“What!? You’re not thinking clearly, darling! This isn’t what Applejack would have wanted! She’d want you to keep fighting!” Rarity came closer but caught the side of Twilight’s face, seeing a tear stream down her cheek.

Rarity stepped back and placed her hoof upon her own chest with her lips parted slightly in concern.

“We’re going to go down fighting, but I can’t deny the reality of our situation any longer. We all will die, that’s a fact...” Twilight managed to get out.

“B-but we’re the last ponies left in Equestria... We’re the last Equestrians in the world... The last ponies alive, and even the last mortals alive!” Rarity protested.

Nodding, Twilight wiped her tears and focused her attention on the north gate with angry eyes. “Then we face extinction...”

“Y-you’re serious?” Rarity was hoping Twilight would say she was wrong, hoping she would say that she had found the resolve to push to come out on top, but nothing like that happened.

“Death welcomes all of us today, Rarity.” Twilight sighed.

Rarity grew silent as she thought about it. The concept of dying was something she always pushed out of her mind, but Twilight sounded sincere in her words. This mare truly was prepared to die and that meant all of them would follow. The end of the pony race and the end of mortals would come by sunset.

Straightening up, Rarity nodded as she internally accepted what was to come. “Well, regardless it’s been truly an honor to serve with you, Twilight. We never gave up hope, did we?”

Twilight grinned from the corner of her mouth. “Nope, even now, we’re going to fight until none of us are left. We may not win, but we aren’t going to just roll over for Serenade.”

“Celestia would be so proud...” Rarity nodded.

“Thanks, now you best get out there.” Twilight smiled.

Rarity gave a salute and like Discord before her took her leave. Twilight’s expression turned more neutral as she recalled Applejack’s death only a few months ago. When she thought of the mare though, she couldn’t even see the old friend she knew, but instead, she saw her haggard war-torn face. Her golden yellow mane had started to grey so quickly in the last eight years and her eyes had darkened from a lack of sleep.

The Applejack that grew up farming in Ponyville was such a distant memory that Twilight couldn’t even remember what she looked like.

War had changed them all, but with an end in sight, Twilight found herself relaxed. She should have been more concerned than she was, but the truth was: she was tired. She was tired of war, tired of fighting, tired of it all. Death awaited them, she knew she couldn’t escape it forever, and now all she wanted was to meet it head-on.

Sure, she still wanted to win, she still wanted to come out on top, but she recognized the odds were low. It was better to plan for the worst-case scenario instead.

A communication orb she kept on the roof with her began to glow with a black mist. She sighed and touched it to get it online, already knowing who was contacting her.

The orb glowed and whirred before a familiar face appeared. Serenade was almost unrecognizable from when Twilight first laid eyes upon her all those years ago. Almost a decade had passed and the face that was once a vision of pure beauty had been replaced with black skin which emanated a similar black mist.

Her maw had grown fangs, though she didn’t need to open it to speak. Her voice echoed through the air using her demonic power, instead.

The unicorn horn atop of her head had new company as two new curved black horns stuck out of the side of her head as well, much like that of a bull.

Yellow mane with red tips had been replaced with an astral yellow mane that resembled fire as it moved unnaturally with the tendrils that stuck out of her back.

Twilight stared down glowing red soulless eyes. Her pupils did not exist as energy emanated from those same eyes. She truly was a monster now, a face fitting of the title “Lord of the Demons”, surely. She lacked pupils, and instead, her eyes resembled a fire that would burn forever, burn with her hatred for everything around her.

The tendrils on the beast swayed about as she floated in the air, her body weightless as she levitated without the aid of wings or magic. Walking was now an obsolete task for her, her power was too immense.

“Princess Twilight Sparkle... You have eluded me for far too long...” Serenade’s voice was a mixture of the voice Twilight knew and a demonic tone over the top of it that was deep and ominous.

“Eight years, I’d say that’s a good run, right?” Twilight attempted to make light of the situation, even though she knew that the days of being able to taunt Serenade were long behind her. This version of the siren lacked any and all sense of humor.

“Your eluding was pointless, death awaited you from the start and you accomplish nothing by hiding from him, eventually death finds you. Your efforts were futile from the start. Death awaits all mortals,” Serenade lectured.

Twilight sighed as she gritted herself. She knew it was likely impossible, but she felt compelled enough try what she did next.

“Serenade, I don’t really know what it was that mortals did to you to gain your ire, but maybe there’s a way we can find peace? You don’t need to kill anypony else, if you continue this path you’ll be wiping an entire species of creature off of the planet. Please, I ask you to reconsider. Nopony else has to die.” Twilight pleaded.

Not blinking, flinching or even really reacting, Serenade responded curtly. “Peace with savages is not possible.”

“What happened to you to make you like this, Serenade? Whoever hurt you, can you not see that you’re being worse than they are? You’ve murdered millions, most of which have had nothing to do with the pain you evidently went through. What you’re doing is genocide, please consider stopping before it’s too late to go back, don’t take your anger out on the innocent...” Twilight pleaded.

Serenade looked up for a brief second before shaking her head. Her voice pierced Twilight’s ears with sharpness. “No mortal is innocent. Mortals are little more than a disease on this world. I have seen the future and that future is one without mortals and mortal sympathizers. You can either lay down and die quickly, or you can resist your fate and draw it out, it makes no difference to me. I have achieved a form that puts me on par with Goddesses thus making your death a certainty, Twilight Sparkle.”

“So that’s it then? You’re going to wipe out the remainder of our species because of your hatred? I hope you’re prepared to live with that blood on your hooves...” Twilight shook her head.

“I look forward to ripping you apart, Twilight Sparkle.” Serenade ended the communication with those words.

Twilight let out a sigh as she could see the many demons pouring toward the entrances of the city, ready to fight on Serenade’s behalf. Somewhere out there was the siren herself, Twilight was certain of that. All the key players in the resistance, Serenade would want to kill each of them personally as she had in the past.

Her group was down to Rarity, Discord, Sonata, and Rainbow Dash. She missed the guidance of Glitch and Cinder. When they were swallowed up by the demonic energy that Serenade unleashed upon them eight years prior, the hope for their rebellion died with them. The Siren’s Bane and Sunset’s magic went with them, and thus any real chance at winning.

They were likely dead at this point, but even if they weren’t, it wouldn’t matter. Even if Sunset were to return as Glitch with Cinder at her side, the damage was done and Serenade had achieved a power level that made her virtually invincible.

The mare levitated a bottle from inside of a bag that was tucked away behind a vent up upon the roof. Inside the bottle after Twilight popped the cork off, was a fine wine that Rarity had gifted her to celebrate their victory.

No victory awaited them but Twilight was going to be damned if she let Rarity’s present go to waste. She downed the entire bottle in a matter of minutes before tossing it carelessly aside.

Serenade’s demons showed little to no concern for their own well being, and no mercy as well. The first wave coming toward Rarity and her entourage of stallions and mares were weaklings; lesser demons that they had come to refer to as “grunts”. They were a cannon fodder creature sent in small groups often to patrol and take out ponies who were caught pre-occupied. Alone, they weren’t much of a threat, but in a group they were formidable.

Rarity recalled how Applejack used to dispense them and cleave them in half with her impressive strength. Though Applejack was dead, her teachings lived on in the fashionista who picked up a trick or two from her longtime friend. Her passion now that Applejack was dead also aided in fueling her desire to confront Serenade. Defeating the demon siren was likely impossible, but Rarity was keen on meeting her end the same way that Applejack did: bravely, without turning back.

Her group was keeping their area fortified with extreme ease until a familiar war cry was heard. It was both eerie and off-putting, but Rarity recognized it. Many among the rebellion members came to refer to these creatures as “screechers”, identified by their horrifying blood-curling screech they emitted before launching into an attack. Unlike maulers which they had come to know, screechers were full-sized, far faster and capable of feats of agility that maulers were not.

A standard mauler could leap a good distance and grab onto a pony as it tried to dig its teeth into their flesh, but that was about the extent of their abilities.

A screecher, however, was able to bolt long distances, jump far higher than a mauler, and even climb up verticals surfaces much like a spider with ease.

Rarity wasn’t exactly sure what they were prior to becoming such a creature, or if they were born as disgusting piles of vile in the demon world. Either way, they were easily identified by their slender and thin form, and their long sharp claws on all four feet.

Drawing a sword, Rarity readied herself. The first one jumped over the crowd of lesser demons and came directly for the stallion behind her. Jumping into the air, Rarity impaled the creature’s soft stomach and brought it down with her hoof mounted blade.

Another one came at full speed, this time the stallion originally targeted took it out. He looked at Rarity and gave her an approving nod which she returned. Her small team of ponies worked together, taking out a mixture of Screamers and the other lesser demons. They lost a good eight fighters in a short time, but they stood strong.

Once a fresh hoard approached, Rarity stepped back, realizing she would be outnumbered quickly. Her fellow fighters stood their ground, but when the sizable hoard of demons poured in, they all began to fall back with her, realizing that holding the entryway was far less feasible than taking the high ground to pick the enemy off from afar.

Either way, the hoard was proving too much for them all to handle, but Rarity’s focus on them was broken when she noticed the creature backing them up, coming from behind the slew of demons. It floated in the air with black tendrils whipping about, looking for fresh prey to take into its hold.

Its soulless glowing red eyes made Rarity freeze for a moment. They were the same red eyes that Applejack had stared down when she met her end. Rarity wondered what had gone through the mare’s mind when she had only seconds left. This creature had murdered the pony she cared about most, and not it was here to end her as well.

Lowering her blade, Rarity stared as Serenade diced her way through the crowd attempting to have at her with their weapons. She would hack her own demons in half to get to her pony prey even, a true demonstration of her ruthlessness. After hacking and slashing her way through the crowds, Rarity came only a few feet away from the face of madness.

Serenade paused and just floated there, examining Rarity.

Rarity said nothing; she merely stared back.

The silence would be broken by Serenade who spoke up, her distorted voice sending chills down Rarity’s spine. “Aren’t you going to beg me to spare your life? Perhaps offer to join me in a pathetic attempt to get me the let you live? Or maybe you wish to offer the lives of others to spare yourself?”

Brushing a lock of her tattered mane out of her face, Rarity noticed how grimy her mane had become. Years ago, she would have fussed over her mane and cared for it dearly. However, with the war going on, she had changed her priorities. Rarity had grown into a different mare, and that mare was the one who stood before Serenade now, not who she once was.

In the past, she may have feared for her life and tried to find a way to escape Serenade’s threat, but that mare was gone, and now the tired war-torn Rarity stood in her place. If anything, she welcome death, it meant she could be with her friends once more.

She shook her head and smirked. “You won’t get anything out of me. I won’t beg you for anything. You’ve wanted us all to bow before you, and I will never bow. I’ll never see you as better than me, and I’ll never accept you as greater.”

“Are you certain those are the last words you wish to leave this world with?” Serenade asked.

Rarity shook her head, her smirk growing. “No, I’ll take a page from Applejack’s book: do your worst, bitch.”

Serenade laughed as a tendril came closer to Rarity from her back. “I admire your gusto. It’s too bad such a thing is wasted on an inferior being such as yourself. Maybe if you were born correctly you could have made a fine siren.”

“I’d rather be dead than become what you are; a freak.” Rarity laughed.

“Consider your wish granted.”

With that last sentence, Serenade impaled the mare through her ear, the tendril coming out the other side spurting blood from the new opening in her skull. Quickly she dropped the limp body and admired her work. Another one of Twilight’s closest friends dead at Serenade’s hooves. She was only a few small steps away from her prize; Twilight Sparkle and the end of Equestria forever.

Serenade and Discord’s power clashed many times over in several bouts of strength that saw Serenade as the victor. Each bout giving Serenade more dominance over him as she felt his power begin to wane. Discord had tremendous magical abilities, but they were nothing compared to the demonic power that Serenade had acquired in the past eight years.

Her ascended form as the demon lord was proving too much of a match even for the spirit of chaos. She was near invincible, and there were none alive that could match her strength and he knew that. With Twilight’s training and practice her power had surpassed even his own, but it would not be enough and he was certain of that. In a different reality, he might have been able to appreciate his student far more, but given the circumstances, it was a challenge.

Serenade was fresh off of the kill of Rarity and her confidence had soared to unreal levels. Discord would prove a greater challenge for her considerable strength, but still a cakewalk.

The two met each other’s energy blast with Discord barely deflecting the attack, panting as he lowered to the ground, unable to sustain his ability to levitate while exhausting so much magic at once. His reserves were running low and he could feel it. His body screamed to stop, but he knew there was little point in listening to such warnings. Death was already there to claim him, so what difference did it make if he broke his body in the process?

Serenade floated in the air effortlessly as she stared down the draconequus. She giggled as she readied another attack. “Discord, why not roll over and die for me?”

Foreseeing the attack, Discord moved out of the way, narrowly dodging a black energy beam that came from her right hoof. He huffed and panted as he picked himself up, not taking his eyes off of the demon.

“And make it easy for you? Where’s the fun in that?” Discord retorted.

“It’s a shame... Killing an immortal like yourself...” Serenade shook her head, though her voice betrayed her words as it reeked with pleasure.

“I suppose you could let me live then.” Discord joked.

“Cute, but no. You’ve chosen to ally with mortals, you are tainted just as they are.” She shook her head.

“It was worth a try.” Discord shrugged.

“Why do you waste your time helping Twilight Sparkle? She is an inferior mortal. Have you forgotten at one point she imprisoned you? Her mentor did the same before her as well. That is what mortals do; they commit horrible acts of cruelty for the hell of it,” Serenade lectured.

“I suppose what you’re doing is the equivalent of handing out free puppies then?” Discord raised a brow.

Serenade unleashed another blast which Discord moved out of the way for. His tail got scorched in the process, but he was otherwise unscathed.

“Mortals are a problem, I am merely the solution,” Serenade explained.

“Maybe, but I will stand by Twilight on this one...” Discord shook his head.

“Why though?” She asked.

Discord bit his lip but decided there was no point in hiding it anymore. “I love her.”

Serenade let out a throaty laugh as she gripped her stomach. She shook her head in disappointment before responding. “Love... A pointless emotion. Weakness that allows one to make themselves needlessly vulnerable.”

“Maybe that’s how you see it, but it isn’t how I see it...” Discord sighed.

“Nothing good ever comes from loving a mortal.” Serenade growled.

“I can see how you’d think that... No one would ever love you, not if they saw what you were inside. At one point you had a pretty face, but behind that mask... Is the face you wear now which is a better representation of what you really are; a horrible monster. A freak that has no place in the world, and that’s why you have to wipe everything not like you out because it’s the only way that a freak like you will ever be at peace...” Discord spoke.

Serenade hissed, throwing another blast in his direction, this one hitting him in the shoulder, staggering him. The blast didn’t seem to hinder his ability to continue to insult her, however.

“The irony is even when you kill me and everypony else... You’ll never find peace.” He gripped his now bleeding shoulder and smirked.

“You’ll always be alone. You’ll always be miserable, nothing will change that,” Discord mocked.

“And you’ll be dead.” Serenade growled, throwing another blast at him.

It was a direct hit, blowing his other arm clean off. Blood spattered out of the wound which he gripped with his remaining arm. He huffed and groaned in agony but kept eye contact with the demon before him.

“Dead is better than the fate that awaits you...” He panted.

Blood leaked out of the new wound that he gripped as he continued. “You’ll spend the rest of eternity in unspeakable never-ending agony. Nothing will ever make you feel fulfilled. I may have spent a thousand years in a prison created by Celestia, but you’ve already made your own prison. You’ll spend the rest of eternity here longing for a purpose that’ll never come.”

“You sure talk a lot of shit for someone who’s about to die...” Serenade sneered.

“I have my friends, and because of them... It made all of this worth it... What about you? Was it all worth it? Do you feel fulfilled yet? Death is quick, it’ll be over before I know it... But your punishment... It’s forever. I don’t envy you at all...” Discord spat out blood as he slowly felt death take him. He had lost a significant amount of blood, enough to where he knew he could not recover from.

Serenade floated forward, her black tendrils flaring as she came only a few feet from Discord. Her expression became very serious and unimpressed by his words. A tendril reached out and stuck itself into his fresh wound and wiggled into it. He screamed in pain as the burning sensation overtook him. Black smoke came from his body as the demonic appendage seared his insides as it wormed its way in.

Serenade made powerful eye contact as she slowly killed him with the attack. “The opinions of lesser beings are irrelevant to me.”

Between screams, Discord looked her in the eye and cursed. “You’re worthless... Slime... Literal garbage... No use to anyone...”

His words seemed to have no effect on her. “Your Glitch couldn’t save you, nor could Twilight Sparkle, and likewise your words won’t either.”

The tendril after worming through his system popped out through a new opening in his stomach, with intestines wrapped around it. Discord gasped but froze for a few seconds before going limp. Serenade held him there for a few seconds before retracting the appendage, allowing his body to drop to the dirt.

Serenade scoffed and spat on his body.

With demons pouring in, Rainbow Dash had her hooves full. With the advantage of flight, she could survey the city which made it easy to see that Rarity’s formation had been broken, along with Discord’s. That meant only one thing: Serenade had killed them.

She wished she had even a minute to mourn for her lost friends, but there really wasn’t any time. She had to lead the remaining surviving pegasi into battle.

Flying demons came their way, and Rainbow along with her eight remaining pegasi initiated a counter-attack. It wasn’t much, but it was at least enough to keep the demons at bay for a small time longer. On the ground, earth ponies fought with blades against the ground-based demons while Rainbow and her entourage would try to control the sky.

Rising from the distance in the district of the city that Rainbow knew Discord was guarding was a black figure that levitated into the sky with ease. The closer it drew, the more features of it Rainbow could make out, most notably its whipping tendrils on its back. There was no mistaking the creature, it was Serenade.

Bracing for the encounter Rainbow Dash took a deep breath and exhaled. She closed her eyes and then opened them before issuing a command to her fighters. “Everypony, ten o'clock, demon lord incoming!”

Her orders caused all of them to turn their heads and open their mouths in awe as they witnessed the approaching Serenade. The demon was careful and patient in her approach, but she moved with purpose.

Rainbow got a good look at her as she drew closer. It amazed her that the creature which resembled something straight out of a nightmare was once the same siren that she had referred to as attractive. Serenade paused in front of her and smiled.

“Rainbow Dash, if I recall correctly?” Serenade spoke, her distorted voice sending chills up the entire group’s collective spines.

“Did you do something with your hair, baby? I don’t like it.” Rainbow joked.

“I suppose you’re choosing to die with a sense of humor at the very least.” Serenade chuckled lightly.

Turned her head and smirking from the side, Rainbow didn’t dare give Serenade the satisfaction of her fear. That was the one thing that Serenade wanted, and Rainbow knew it, but she’d be damned if she gave it to her. Serenade didn’t deserve her fear.

“I’m just amazed that somepony who was so gorgeous could turn into something as hideous as you. Literally, I’ve stepped in manure better looking than you now,” Rainbow said.

“It’s nothing compared to how all of you will look when I am done with you...” Serenade’s words were strained and deliberate. There was little doubt in Rainbow’s mind that she could deliver on that promise.

The remaining eight flyers began to form a circle around Serenade, hoping that being able to flank her from all sides would at least give them some kind of fighting chance, though it was probably in vein at that point since Serenade’s tendrils appeared to have minds of their own and all began to move and follow each flyer that surrounded her.

She let out a throaty laugh as she eyed each of them. “See, the boys still flock to me, Rainbow Dash. Now, which of you wants it first? Forewarning, my way of rocking your world is incredibly painful.”

They all hesitated, but before any of them could move, all of her tendrils shot out piercing each one of them in the ear, rooting into their skull and grey matter. They wormed through their brain tissue and pulled out just as quickly.

All eight of them stopped flapping their wings and their bodies all fell down to the earth below as Rainbow Dash watched with wide eyes. Serenade giggled as the tendrils came back to her. “I guess they couldn’t handle me.”

Rainbow was silent as the mare stared her down with her glowing red eyes. The lack of pupils and irises only aided in making her look less natural. Her black skin radiated an awful-looking black mist as she levitated there in the sky. Rainbow could hardly believe that the creature that floated before her was once an incredibly pretty mare whom under different circumstances would have been high on her list of mares-to-bang.

Her eyes never leaving Rainbow Dash as they floated, Serenade smiled at the now approaching middle-aged mare. “So, do you want it fast or rough?”

“Normally I’m all about speed, but you know what? Do it rough. Hell, I want to experience your absolute worst.” Rainbow smiled back.

“My worst is often considered unbearable, but have it your way...” Serenade shrugged.

A tendril gripped Rainbow’s front right hoof before another quickly snagged the other one. Rainbow attempted to move out of the way, but the serpent-like tendrils grabbed her before she could even react.

Another quickly wrapped around her stomach and held her in place while a long skinny one quickly pushed its way into her mouth. Rainbow struggled and attempted to bite it off, but it seemed far tougher than it looks. The slimy appendage didn’t even bruise as she attempted to free herself.

She groaned in agony before Serenade made another tendril come out and grip Rainbow’s left wing. The mare choked and spoke through strained words. “I-I’m fine.”

With a sinister smirk, Serenade began to tug at the wing, close to where the rest of her body and her wing met. With a few tugs, Rainbow and Serenade both heard an audible snap before the wing was severed and torn off. Rainbow screamed in agony as blood spurted from the opening.

Serenade smirked. “A pegasus’ wings are the most sensitive part of their body if I recall correctly, so that must have hurt a great deal, didn't it?”

Rainbow gritted her teeth and tried to hold in her cries, not wanting to give Serenade the satisfaction. Serenade giggled and gripped the other wing with one of her long tendrils before snapping it as well. “FUCK!” Rainbow screamed.

“How does it feel to be permanently grounded? To know that the only thing keeping you in the sky now is me holding you here?” Serenade taunted.

Looking the demon in the eyes, Rainbow held back her tears as blood oozed out of the two new holes in her body. She could feel herself losing more and more blood; life was leaving her body and if there was ever a moment in her life where she felt almost at one with death, it was that moment. She was ready to die, she was prepared to meet her end.

As they held a powerful stare at each other Rainbow choked out her next words. “Blow it... out your ass... cunt...”

“Strong words coming from a dead mare.” Serenade’s grip around Rainbow’s waist tightened, causing an audible grunt from the prismatic haired mare.

“You’re... No better than the ponies... you kill...” Rainbow spat.

“I’m a thousand times better than them.” Serenade corrected.

“The only thing you’re better at is being a waste of space. Even if you kill me, your entire existence is garbage. You’ll go down in history as the greatest piece of shit that ever lived...” Rainbow Dash managed to get out.

“History is written by winners, and I am the winner in this contest.” Serenade’s words were sharp as she squeezed tightly, her tendril snapping the mare in half. Her glowing eyes followed the two halves as they fell to the earth below.

As she was looking down, she could see the image of a familiar mare that had aided Twilight Sparkle and Glitch in the past. A siren, just like her, but one who had lost her amulet at the time. Somehow she had acquired a new one, but it was no matter; the girl was no match for Serenade’s “pet”.

With a sinister smirk, Serenade concentrated her thoughts so she could communicate telepathically with her subordinate.

Arax, go kill her.

Upon getting the order, Arax went into motion quickly. He chased the young siren that his master had sent him to kill swiftly until he had backed her into a corner in an alleyway that she had foolishly made a wrong turn into.

The blue maned siren stared him down to get a good look at him. She had only seen the changeling a few times prior, but now he looked far different. Black demonic energy clung to his body tightly looking almost like a disgusting growth on her neck and upper back. It flared and moved ghoulishly as he stood with evil eyes, staring her down.

Sonata stood her ground and prepared herself for not only a fight but perhaps the last fight of her life. She was tired of being a victim, she was tired of others needing to protect her. Today she would stand on her own, even if it was the last time she would stand at all. She would stand up for herself, and she would stand up for Aria who sacrificed herself for Sonata.

With a deep breath, she faced the changeling and gave him a scowl. He just gave her a blank expression as he spoke in a distorted voice with shining red eyes. “A fitting end for a creature that chose to burn with the inferior beings...”

Sonata shook her head. “You don’t scare me. You’re just another slave to Serenade, a weakling that couldn’t stand on their own!”

“Serenade is all there ever will be, you are foolish to not see that. She has transcended beyond mortal comprehension. Her power can not be matched, her might can not be challenged. All who stand in her path will meet certain death. The end of mortals was inevitable, you simply chose the wrong side...” Arax spoke.

Squinting, Sonata spat. “You were mortal once...”

“A past that is long forgotten...” Arax responded.

It was clear to Sonata that his heart had been completely eclipsed by the darkness within him. There was no point in reasoning with such a creature, instead, she stood tall and asked his intentions.

“So you’re going to kill me now?” Sonata asked.

He shook his head. “No, that task shall fall upon my slave...”

She blinked at the irony of his statement. He himself was nothing more than a slave to Serenade and yet he had a slave of his own.

Rising from the shadows a creature began to assemble, their body being formed from black mist before their full form appeared before them. Her eyes like Arax’s glowed with an eerie unnatural glow, though hers were a blue tint. Her long curled mane was recognizable as Sonata had seen photos of this mare before in Twilight’s quarters.

Her name was Starlight Glimmer, the former student of Twilight. She had been captured by Serenade nearly a decade ago and now she stood decorated in gorgeous robes, with perfectly maintained mane.

Upon her neck though was a strange collar that looked as though it was alive, breathing with her, black vines wrapped around her neck like barbed wire but living. She wondered if it always looked like that or like everything else with demonic powers it had grown more gruesome and horrific to look at as time passed.

“Starlight, kill her, my pet...” Arax purred.

Starlight nodded in obedience. “Yes, master...”

Sonata felt a sharp pain in her chest. This mare at one point pledged her loyalty to Twilight’s cause, she stood with Twilight to protect Equestria and she was the one who apparently sacrificed herself so that Twilight could come to the human world and recruit her, Aria and Sunset to save Equestria, and now she stood before her as nothing more than a slave to the very enemy they set out to destroy.

Darkness had corrupted even her, it had taken her and twisted her against all she once loved. Could such a fate have happened to Adagio with enough time too? Sonata didn’t want to know, but just the thought brought pain to her.

“Starlight... I’m working with Twilight, don’t you remember her?” Sonata asked.

Starlight shook her head as a black mist formed a series of spikes that levitated in the air, ready to strike.

“I was blind to the truth about mortals in the past, they are little more than a disease and Serenade will cleanse the world of them... Twilight was wasting her time from the start, I can see that clearly now...” Starlight’s voice like Arax’s was distorted with dark tones, it sounded unreal.

“You don’t mean that...” Sonata could feel tears streaming down her cheeks.

“Irrelevant. All mortals and mortal sympathizers must be destroyed, it’s the only path to true peace on this planet. So long as mortals live, they will continue to destroy, it is their way of life after all...” Starlight spoke solemnly.

Sonata shook her head. “The friendships that I’ve built, to me they are proof that mortals can do more than destroy!”

“Then you are just as blind as they are...” Starlight said.

“I guess you’ll never know...” Sonata closed her eyes.

As she stood there, she contemplated whether she should mount a counter-attack. With the amulet that Kiz had gifted her, she could at the very least put up quite a fight. She might have had enough power to defeat Starlight, and maybe even Arax, but there was no doubt that Serenade would ultimately undo her. Her abilities would run out long before she stood a chance against the demon lord, even with the tremendous power that Kiz had gifted her.

There was no point in fighting back. There was no chance of survival. Death was to find her today, and she was ready for it.

Instead of resisting, Sonata kept her eyes closed and relaxed herself. As the black needle-like blades approached her, Sonata’s mind was at peace. In her mind, she could see the smiling face of Adagio waiting for her, and right there next to her with a cheeky familiar grin was Aria.

She could feel nothing, but the last words she heard in her head were those of her two dearest sirens calling to her.

Now we’ll be together again.

With Arax on the task of hunting down Sonata, Serenade progressed closer to the center of the city where she knew Twilight to be. She could sense the mare, she could taste her power, power not yet claimed by her. It tasted delicious, like the most delectable forbidden treat just looming in the air begging to be tasted.

She had held Twilight’s power once before, but the thrill of holding it again was the greatest high she had ever experienced. Truly, she could have obliterated the city in a quick blast with her oubliette, but where was the fun in that? Where were the thrills in ending it so quickly? Twilight didn’t deserve such a quick death, it needed to be slow, painful, personal.

The feeling of her teeth in Twilight’s neck would be the greatest thrill she had ever experienced. In her entire life, Serenade had never known sexual pleasure, but she assumed it could compare to the thrill she got right before the kill, right before her prey’s last breath. That feeling made her quiver with delight, it made every part of her body tingle with excitement. There was little joy in ending it so quickly. She wanted to draw it out, she wanted to savor it.

She contemplated keeping the mare alive for weeks on end, maybe even as long as eight months or so just to torture her, make her beg for death and only give it to her after she was bored with her. It was the least she could do for the mare causing her such annoyance.

Twilight had eluded her for too long. She had played her for a fool far too many times.

The only thing that would compare to killing Twilight was killing Glitch. Serenade regretted sending him to the demon world to be killed as she had robbed herself the pleasure of doing it herself. She wanted to see his face, she wanted to taste his fear as she killed him. There was little that could be done now though. Glitch was gone, and all that was left now was Twilight Sparkle.

As she levitated toward the entrance to the building where Twilight had taken refuge, in her path two creatures she instantly identified as sirens stood in her path with a third behind them.

Serenade squinted at the three. “So Twilight has fooled more sirens into siding with mortals? No matter, if you choose to stand with mortals, you choose to die with them.”

The black one scowled at the demon lord. “Bite your tongue, we are more than just sirens. We are-“

Her words ended there as a tendril lunged forward and pierced her through the eye, coming out the back of her skull. In the same quick motion, she dropped the mare’s body to the ground before piercing the other standing in the front, shattering her glasses as she did.

All that remained now was the green-haired one who stood with a gentle smile upon her face.

With all that was transpiring before her, she was smiling?

“I am curious... Why would a siren align themselves with these pathetic wastes of life?” Serenade asked the smiling mare.

The mare stepped forward, the sound of her many earrings and accessories rattled as she walked. Serenade took note of her many golden bangles.

“Thou art Serenade Dazzle, surely?” Her voice was so sugary sweet, so soft and elegant.

Right away Serenade could tell this siren was old. Her speech patterns were insanely outdated.

“Who are you?” Serenade demanded.

Gesturing to herself gently, the mare spoke. “Thine name is Kiz of Ectra.”

Serenade’s eyes widened. “Kiz!? That’s not possible...”

“Thou art familiar with thine.” Kiz nodded.

Serenade was in disbelief. It was said that Kiz was the oldest of their kind that still lived, that she was around to even speak with the great siren mother herself.

It doesn’t matter though. Serenade thought to herself. This mare was siding with mortals.

“Why are you helping them? You’re an immortal, just like me!”

Kiz shook her head. “Like thou, thine are not. Immortal, yes, yet we share little beyond such.”

Serenade hissed. “Have you not seen what mortals do!? How they destroy everything they touch!?”

“The like could be quoth for thou...” Kiz raised a brow.

The anger inside of Serenade only grew from that statement. “How dare you compare me to them! I am not destroying, I am cleansing! I am cleaning up the disease that they have left behind, I’m purifying the world to be a better place without them!”

Kiz smirked. “Bid it what thou shall, however, thou still bear the skin of a demon. Demons can only confound, it is all they are capable of. Bloodthirst is ne’r quenched, young Serenade.”

“So what? You’re saying you think I’ll just keep killing forever? Ever after the mortals are gone?” Serenade asked.

“I wot it be true.” Kiz’ words were plain and simple, her tone suggesting there was little doubt in her mind.

She thought that she had Serenade all figured out. She clearly believed she understood everything that went on in the demon’s head, and it pissed her off.

With a hushed tone, Serenade spoke between vicious fangs. “You may be the queen of sirens... You may even be the oldest of us all, but if you should choose to side with mortals...”

She paused but continued. “If you choose to stand in solidarity with the scum of the earth...” Looking up, her glowing eyes began to glow brighter as the tendrils on her back flared. “Then you choose to die with them!”

Kiz only smiled once more, even in the end, she refused to show a weaker side of herself. “Afeard, I am not.”

“Good! Then stand there and die!” Serenade’s tendrils whipped about viciously, ready to capture any prey that got too close.

“Killing me shall not end thy suffering.” Kiz grinned.

“Let’s find out!” Serenade lunged forward with full force.

Twilight sat with the bottle of wine in hoof, drinking directly from it. She had watched down below and peered through a scrying orb to keep a close eye on what was happening in the city. She knew all of her friends were now dead, along with Kiz whom Serenade had just recently slain.

That was it then, all of the ponies in the city were now dead, all of her commanding officers were gone, and now it was merely seconds before Serenade arrived before her to finish her off.

Twilight sat there with the bottle in hoof realizing that at that very moment she was the last living mortal on the face of the planet. The end of all mortal races would come with her death. She truly was witnessing the end of an era. The age of mortals would end and the dark age that Serenade brought forth would be the future and there was nothing she could do about it.

She had fought hard, she had tried her best and she had been determined to go down with vigor and fight with everything she had, but it wasn’t enough.

Her thoughts fell back onto Sunset Shimmer, the mare she had bet everything on. Things really were looking up when she first arrived, it was almost as if they actually stood a fighting chance. This was only bolstered when Kiz appeared before them to deliver the Siren’s bane, a weapon that promised to give them the advantage over Serenade.

Fate was cruel, however, and Sunset along with Cinder were both pulled into a demonic vortex where they never returned eight years ago. They had tried to pick up the pieces, and many rose up to take on the job that Glitch had left behind, such as Applejack, however, nopony had the same abilities as Glitch had. Without the suit and without the spear, all they were able to actually accomplish was biding their time until the inevitable finally arrived.

That inevitable reality was now upon her; Serenade’s ultimate victory. She would win and Twilight would die, that was how it was to be.

The door to the roof burst open and sure enough, the demon lord herself appeared, floating off of the ground with a smug expression. “Well, Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship... Where are your friends now?”

Twilight continued sitting. She took a swig from the bottle and spoke in a monotone voice. “All dead thanks to you.”

“I suppose my handiwork is something to be marveled at, isn’t it?” Serenade grinned as she approached just a few inches closer, stopping as she savored the moment. Twilight Sparkle was powerless to stop her, and she now had the mare cornered. There wasn’t anywhere to run, anywhere to hide, this was it. Twilight Sparkle would die by her hoof in only a few moments; the excitement was unbearable.

“You’ve truly proven that you’re the greatest monster to ever walk the face of this earth, I hope you’re proud of yourself.” Twilight shrugged, not wanting to give her any satisfaction.

“You’re the last of your kind... The end of an entire species... After this, you’ll be extinct, and I will be the cause of that extinction, I wonder what that makes me...” Serenade inched ever closer.

“The worst bitch to ever exist. History books will need to be filled just to document what a horrible waste of life you are.” Twilight snapped back.

Serenade came deathly close to Twilight, staring the mare down. The two were silent for a brief moment before Serenade nearly whispered her threat. “Any last words, Twilight Sparkle?”

“Your mother should have told you not to play with your food, just get it over with.”

Twilight shattered the wine bottle in her hoof and stood tall, ready to meet her end.

It was the end of the mortal race, but the only thing on Twilight’s mind was how she wished she could have saved Glitch, maybe then none of this had to happen.

Wow, it's been a while since I've done this hasn't it? Sorry about the delay, I really needed the time off. I know I wanted to do this story without any pauses in between, but life doesn't always allow that. I've been going through a lot with my personal life and work, so I really just needed that month off. I wanted to make it up to everyone though by putting out a chapter that was detailed and also beefy to apologize for the long wait. I sincerely hope it was worth the wait though!

Applety returns as the artist for this chapter and for the current time it looks like she'll continue to do so.

There's a lot to unpack in this chapter, but it was actually originally going to be a lot longer but it had to be split into two chapters.

Fun fact: this is now the longest chapter in the entire story to date.