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Princess Celestia smiled as she saw the approaching walls of her home. The hike through the mountains had taken far longer then anticipated. With the destruction of several hundreds of enchanted armours, her own included, was there no way to keep up the intense tempo they had managed to keep going when they first marched out to battle. The soldiers' now far more limited stamina and the pulling of the wagons of the injured lead to a long amount of rest for her ponies to handle the march home.

"It doest feel good to be home." She said with a smile as the large gates to her city opened, welcoming the defeated armies back. While there was no loud cheering was there no solemn despair either, the feeling of the soldiers, a mixture of determination, fear, hope and defeat.

The armies of Equestria had been beaten, but they were far from defeated. They had grown stronger and they knew they could grow even stronger. No matter what others might tell them, they knew. Equestria had a chance to defeat Maleficus.

They only needed to improve.

But that time had yet to come.

The ponies of Equestria would have to recover their strength before they could learn from their mistakes and improve themselves.

Celestia looked straight ahead, not even glancing at Solid Pink as she gave her, her new orders. "Hath all officers gather information from Our soldiers who fought the Ancient Ones. Also tell them to report their own experiences from the battle. We must gather more information from what happened. This time, We were but a heartbeat from overpowering Maleficus. Hath he not had his enslaved army, We may hath won this time."

"As you command you Highness." Solid Pink said with a salute before she disappeared into the marching troops to spread the orders given by the Princess.

The armies marched into the city, a rain of flowers greeted them as the ponies, while knowing of their defeat, saw the not yet defeated soldiers, and could not help but cheer them on. Showering them with praises, not for winning, but for not giving in to defeat.

While the praises were appreciated, were several ponies not concerned about praises, or were down right infuriated by them. But others, were solemn and confused, seeking answers to questions they could not solve themselves.

And so, when the forces split up by the Castle Gates, they left to assemble at their local headquarters and barracks. While a certain pair of Knights, left for a more personal visit, for a far more grave matter.

Of course, 'grave matter' could also mean 'run home to mother' in some fashion, well in this case at least.

Outside of Grand Feast's Eatery, and home, the two knights fidgetted for a bit, trying to work out how to tell their mother about what they had learned about Golden Cross.

They had not needed to bother as Grand Feast burst out of the doorway and engufed her two startled children in a bear like hug, pressing the two heavily armoured ponies to her like a pair of plate covered teddy bears. "Oh! My darling little foals! Welcome home!"

"Gah! Good to see you mother!" Squeaked out Grand Music as he felt his armour and bones groan from the powerful hug from the mare who took him in.

Happy Meal was eagerly returning the hug and praising her mother's warm hug of doom like it was just a wonderful and warm hug. "Hehehe! Ye give de best hugs mama!"

Smiling she let go of her two children and motioned for them to get inside. "Well don't just stand there! Come in! We hath just finished making a fresh load of pies and bread loafs!"

And so the pair entered the eatery and found themselves gorging on a vast amount of pies, bread, cheese and fruits. The entire ordeal was spent in utter silence except for the two ponies eating like they had not eaten for weeks. This caused a frown to slowly appear on Grand Feast's muzzle as she slowly began to realize that something was wrong.

So she decided to end the silence and gently tapped her hoof against the table to get the attention of her two children, at the sound of her hoof hitting the table they both paused in their eating and looked up, pieces of food smeared over their faces. Normally she would have laughed at the sight, but she was too concerned to feel amused and gently spoke to them while looking them in the eyes. "Now tell Us what is bothering thee."

Startled the two averted their gazes from her eyes, almost making her smirk as she knew how those two could not lie to her without looking away. *Heh We still got it.*

"Wha-what do you-" She raised a hoof and gave Grand Music a stern look and he silenced up instantly.

Grand Feast then got off her seat and walked over to her fidgeting children before pushing a chair between them and sat down. Then she warped er forelegs around them and gently hugged them to her and spoke to them. "Thou hath been quiet for more then ten minutes, both thou and thy sister would both be speaking about thy adventures ten minutes ago. What hath happened?"

The two ponies, even though they were battle hardened knights and survivors of horrifying events, could not help but feel like little helpless foals when their caring mother acted like this to them. They were hesitant for a moment, but then Happy Meal and Grand Music, began to talk. "Well Mama... Ye know..." "It's kind of like this..."

And so the two ponies told their mother about their fight with Maleficus and his Ancient Ones, about their duel with him. About how he dragged out the fight into an almost lesson like manner before giving them both a final blow, a blow that only one pony should have known. And they had even heard him speak in the voice of said pony.

They spoke about how he fought and defeated Celestia, decimating an entire coastline in the process, before leaving. Almost like an afterthought, as it had not been as important as how the pony who had saved them and given them so much those ten years ago, had been a lie, made up by an alicorn who was the highest enemy of the government.

And as Grand Feast had listened to it all, she had made several reactions from aghast, sad, happy, angry and accepting. But in the end, she could only smile at her two children, and gently rubbed their heads and said to them in a warm voice what she thought about it all. "Doest it matter?"

"Wh-what do you mean?" Grand Music asked with a slight stutter, no matter what he had accomplished, no matter how strong he had grown, he would always be that shy little colt when facing his adoptive mother. But what she had just said was making his head spin.

Happy Meal was not saying anything, bur she felt just as confused as him. Grand Feast may be her mother and she could understand her mother better then most, but that did not mean she did not confuse her sometimes.

Said mare just smiled kindly, her eyes shining with a look of understanding. "Doest it matter who Sir Cross really was?"

"Of course it does!" "Of course it does!" They shouted out together, then blinked a they realized they had spoke up at the same time like that ,and felt embarrassed about it for some reason.

Their mother just giggled and booped them on their noses, making them sneeze and glare at her as they rubbed their noses. "Why though? Why should it matter?"

"B-but! H-he lied!" Happy Meal cried out, her eyes teary as she felt so sad that all she had known about her honourary grandfather had been nothing but lies.

Grand Feast just smiled "Oh honey, ponies lie all the time. What is important is the reason why he lied. We cannot speak for Cross, nor for Maleficus, but We know one thing about him that thou may hath overlooked."

"...What?"

"Golden Cross, was a good pony. Maleficus, who could hath killed the both of thee, spared thee. Even told thee the truth about himself. That makes him a decent pony to Us."

"Whom art We to say Maleficus did not love Us? Even though his name and history as Golden Cross was false, he saved Us, all of us. And rather then leaving after saving us, he supported us, he protected us and he endured... horribly pains for us. He even endured having to fight thee, the two little ones he grew so found of, and had to restrain himself enough to only deal light injuries. That shows Us, that no matter who he may be in the eyes of others, Maleficus is a good pony."

There was a brief moment of silence as the two ponies digested what their mother had just told them. And slowly they started to realize the truth of her words. That did not mean they would forgive Maleficus for lying, but... they could not fault him for it either. No matter the lies, he had acted in good faith, he had done good deeds and he had been a good pony. In the end... that was what truly mattered to them. That their adopted grandfather, no matter his true origin, was still that kind and good pony who saved them.

Grand Feast smiled in pride as she saw Grand Music and Happy Meal slowly draw their own conclusions about Golden Cross. To her, no matter whom he may truly be, would Maleficus still be that knight in armour, who saved her and her little ones, and became like a second father to her. No matter who he might truly be, she knew he was still that kind pony who saved her and her family.

The mare then got a mock angry look on her face and crossed her forelegs while speaking in a clearly false angry voice, looking at her two eldest with a twinkle in her eyes. "Doest not mean that We shalt not give him a thorough shouting, for hurting my poor little foals in his stupid fight with Princess Celestia."

"Mama!" "Mother!" The two embarrassed knights shouted out together, their faces flustered red in embarrassment. Grand Feast then started laughing and soon, the two flustered ponies felt their lips twitch before they joined her in laughing.

The pain of the heart was stronger then the pain of the body. But the guiding hooves of a loving and understanding mother is worth more then any band aid or healing magic. The two ponies would recover, and grow even stronger then they had been before.

"I don't get it!" Maleficus shouted out in frustration, slamming down his hoof on the wooden surface of his table. The large table he had carved a few days before was covered with notes, diagrams and sketches. He had been spending so much time trying to figure out the way to transform, at least partly, into a griffin. A total of three days!

With what he had learned from analyzing the petrified remains of the griffin statue he had managed to learn so much about its biological structure, the bone marrows, the veins, almost everything. He had even attempted to create a griffin flesh golem with this knowledge. But that attempt only ended up with a mass of misshapen meat, bones and claws.

The alicorn had no idea why. But for some reason he could not figure out the most important part about the entire thing! It was as if there was only that final grain of knowledge needed to learn to even conjure up a flesh golem griffin. But it was such an important grain that it might as well have been the equivalence of a nuclear power plant!

"Why can I not figure out how to transform my body!? It should not be so difficult! I know just about everything about the structure of the claws and the flesh, the vessels! what else is there-!" Then he went silent, and contemplating look came upon his face before he buried his face in his hooves and groaned.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid... No matter how much information I can gather from a piece of petrified flesh, can I not use that to learn a proper transformation as a living being! I need a blood and flesh example! One that is actually biological! And not a fucking piece of lifeless rock!" The Alicorn shouted out his frustration and flipped the table, scattering all of his work across the floor of the lab. He then took a deep breathe and tried to think of what to do.

"But how do I get one? I mean... I am quite certain there is some way to reverse the petrification. But... I do not even know where to-" He stopped and went into a thoughtful look, pressing his right hoof against his chin, rubbing his beard, thinking. Then, slowly, a wicked grin began to grow on his lips.

"No wait... I DO know where to begin. At the source." He walked over to one of his self made windows and looked out at the forest, specifically, in the direction of where he had seen the Cockatrice. The strange mythical chicken must have caused the petrification somehow, even if not biologically, there was still a chance he could study the creature's body and find a a way to duplicate, and then hopefully reverse, the petrification.

The alicorn walked down the stairs, leaving his lab behind, there was still daylight so he had plenty of time to hunt for the little cretins. But to hunt for a creature that turns others into stone, he would need... some gear. A short while later he had made a pair of sunglasses with a reflexive surface, a set of rope, a bird cage and of course, a hunting hat. Maybe not the most complex of gears, but sometimes was simple the best option to pick. "I believe it is time for some good old fashioned... hunting. I was getting hungry anyway. Wonder what a lizard chicken tastes like."

He left the tower, closing and locking his door with a telekinetic grip, before marching out into the woods. Smirking in a wicked fashion as his dark shape was absorbed by the green foliage of the forest.

Every cockatrice within the woodlands felt a chill run down their spines that day.

In the dark chamber beneath the surface of the city of Canterlot, was a new meeting being held by those who sought to usurp Celestia.

Upon the black table were several piles of papers and notes, with each of the members, along with their sixth and final member, arguing about how to proceed. They had been trying to figure out a proper plan for the last three days, although the sixth member had not come until this day with the return of the defeated armies of Equestria. But the mare had been working up on some ideas of her own.

After a few hours of arguing, appeals and explanations had they decided to take a break from the planning stage and just speak about other matters. There was plenty of economical talks, the cost of the repairs to the East Coast by Maleficus' earthquake, the damages on the gear and siege engines of the Equestrian Armies.

Then another subject came up, from the elderly stallion sitting on the chair with the white kite shield with the red drop on it. "We hath news to speak of, important news. We art too old to handle the hectic skulduggery of these meetings and Our duties at the same time. Thus, we shalt have Our grandnephew take Our place in this secret society. For he hath awoken a flame of hatred for his defeat in battle by Maleficus' army of enslaved horses."

"We shalt test the young colt before making a decision. But with the influence of a General in Our order, We shalt be able to reach far more then We can now."

"...Just how art we to test him?" One of the other members stated in a moment of curiosity.

There was a brief silence as the order tried to figure out just how to test the young General. When the pony with the mallet just slammed it into the table. "We shalt hath him prove his loyalty, by... supplying the order with at least one suggested manner of plan to take over Equestria from Princess Celestia."

"...Agreed!" The rest of the members said, eager to have somepony else give them suggestions.

The moon rose up and shone its bright glory upon the lands. Night had fallen upon the world, and yet there were those who were active during these dark hours.

A lone cockatrice strode through the forest, its stomach was grumbling and it was eager to get some food in it. The reptilian tailed bird moved out through a bush when a strange cent caught its attention. Turning its head to the left it spotted a strange looking thing, a pile of seeds, located on top of a crimson looking mark painted onto the grass.

There was a sign on it that, even thought the monster could not read it, said 'Free Bird Seeds' in big bold red letters.

Tilting its head it looked at the sight in confusion before trotting forward and looked down at the pile of delicious looking seeds. Sure it enjoyed meat far more then seeds but it could still eat them.

As its beak started pecking at the seeds, there was a moment of peaceful feeding, before suddenly a loud snap was heard, followed by a loud squawk and a dull crack. As the oversized mousetrap hidden beneath the pile of bird seeds, snapped its metal strap down on the cockatrice's neck, breaking it when it slammed the neck against its wooden surface.

Out from behind a tree came Maleficus, levitating a cage holding the carcasses of six cockatrices, grinning like a loon. Using tricks from one of his favorite childhood cartoons had not failed to take out any foolish Cockatrice that was willing to try it out. "Hehehe. Wile E. Coyote. No matter your failed attempts as a hunter, know that your traps are still genius."
'
That Road Runner would be dead had it not been so quick, although, he had to quit using the boulder and catapult traps since they just ended up destroying his targets, or send them flying out of sight.

Whistling in a cheerful tone he levitated the latest catch into his cage and rearmed the trap and added some more seeds before trotting off to check on his other traps.

Upon a plate of stone, laid a whole roasted bird with a serpentine tail, its golden skin crispy and smelling of earthly herbs. Slices of fruits laid along it and a single cup filled with some kind of warm sauce stood next to it, steaming.

A black muzzle hovered above the roasted animal, drooling in eager anticipation, while a pair of eyes were staring in hunger at the roasted meat. Maleficus Victoria was more then eager to try out the latest addition to his culinary experiences on Equestria.

He had spent a lot of time,, from the early afternoon to late evening, yesterday hunting. All for the opportunity to eat this morsel. And it had been worth it. Oh, and totally restoring petrified beings, yeah.

With his recently constructed oven he had spent over three hours cooking it, going through old memories to make it taste as close to what he had eaten while human. It had not been easy but in the end, as the sun started to rise, he was blessed with this perfectly cooked fowl.

"Mmmmhmmmm! Delicious! Gods I have missed the taste of roasted bird meat." He was practically moaning deliriously as his sense of taste was overwhelmed by the rich taste of roasted bird in his mouth, he felt like there was an orgy going on in his mouth. Something he had never thought possible before. The juices of the meat, the sweet, spicy and crisp roasted skin, the sweet fat, the firmness of the texture and the fresh fruits combined with the thick sauce.

It was heaven!

As he ate he looked over his bounty from his hunting. Several dozens sealed glass jars were sitting on top of one of his work benches, filled with various parts of the cockatrices he had killed. He even had a blackboard with a diagram of cockatrice's body, as well as the cut up cockatrice, which he had dissected, strapped down to a small stone table

*I got several eyeballs, but what I have found out already is that there is a magical energy in them that petrifies others through a connection of sight. But... There is nothing in the eyeballs that speaks of how it can remove the petrification.* Reaching out with his telekinesis he grabbed one of the jars and floated it in front of him, chewing on his food even as he brought out his Interface Screen and started to scan its content. In the jar was a pair of eyeballs were floating within a slimy green liquid, the veins and nerves still connected to them.

The data his screen gave him was still the same. While the cockatrice was alive could it control the magic of its eyes to petrify living beings, with sight, by connecting their eyes and channeling the petrification into their bodies through sight connection. They could remove the petrification, but for that they had to do it all together, they could not partly remove or petrify someone, it had to be done all at once or the petrification would disappear after a while.

So how did it eat its petrified prey? There had been bite marks on several parts of the statues, yet the cockatrice's beak and teeth were not strong enough to pierce through such a hard surface. And the stomach did not contain any sign of rocks or pebbles.

As he thought about this, and ate, he tapped his chin and tried to figure out the puzzle, when he licked up the meat juice dripping out the edge of his mouth. And he froze for a few seconds before he slowly slid his tongue back into his mouth again, and looked at the dissected cockatrice with critical eyes. "Wait... The eyes petrifies someone entirely, or remove the petrification, entirely. But for the cockatrice to be able to eat the prey, it needs to be able to remove the petrification in part, not all at once. So that means... I have to check the insides of its beak."

Levitating a turkey leg sized drumstick to his mouth he took a big bite of meat as he reached out with his hooves and physically opened the beak, there were six sharp teeth on the inside of the beak, nothing supernatural about them. The throat had nothing out of order. but the tongue, it had a gall of some kind, at its base. Pulling out the tongue he scanned the tongue with his scanner and swallowed his mouthful of meat before smirking in victory.

He then took a single piece of petrified hoof, and dragged the tongue over it, and his smirk grew, almost deranged like, as the piece of stone hoof, turned into an organic piece of a hoof.

"Eureka."

Taking another bite out of his floating drum stick he walked over to a bowl and put the tongue it in. Then he spread out the Interface screen over the bowl and left it there, letting it scan the tongue's properties. It would take a while, the Interface could only receive so much information at once. He would need to load up the data into the Main Interface on the moon through the satellite spells in orbit that helped him maintain a connection with it.

So for the moment, he would return to his meal and work out what to do with his remaining days on the planet. It might have been silent and calm since he fought Celestia. But he knew that things would get intense soon, they always did. So he would take a short break and develop further on what facts, appearances and backgrounds to make of his new fake persona. That said. He would not take on said persona until he had completed his work with the cockatrice's magical abilities.

So for now, he had to take his time and make sure he could get the results he needed. But there was another reason for him to take his time. There were three special ponies out there, he did not feel ready to speak to yet.

Taking a glance out towards one of the windows of his tower he looked out towards the mountain peaks of the Foal Mountains, and he sighed before returning to his meal.

Night was falling upon Equestria. The Moon rising from beyond the horizon as the magical power of Princess Celestia lowered the Sun before raising its counter part. Twinkling stars and bright moon light began to shine upon the land, while the cooling winds blew in and soothed the heat from the warm summer day.

Within the woods of the Foal Mountains were there plenty of activity even at this dark hour. Upon the main road was a large caravan of twenty wagons moving towards the east coast. At the front of the line of wagons was a family of pegasi, dressed up in a strange clothing that looked like a mixture between scholar robes and leather armour.

These were the Lore Seeker Family, and they lead this Nomadic Clan ever since its foundation. They had founded the Clan to aid them in one specific purpose. To gather and sell objects and knowledge from before the Age of Chaos.

The Clan was called the Wind Striders, they sought out the lands for all manners of items and resources to sell at local markets. While also recording lost historical facts and knowledge to sell to scholars and schools all over the lands. In short, they were a clan of scavengers and scribes who sought to earn a living by selling whatever trinkets they could find, a well as whatever lost knowledge they could recover. And knowledge, could be sold at any village for a decent price since no one had a way to properly spread it out yet.

And the Lore Seekers had managed to build up a powerful reputation not only as reliable traders but as spreaders of lost lore and knowledge. But this also meant that they had many enemies, for there were more then a few who would be more then willing to claim said knowledge for themselves. Not to mention the many trinkets, riches and artifacts they had collected over the last one hundred years.

Thus were all of the clan's members taught to fight, not a single pony in their group did not know how to wield a weapon or to break rock with their bare hooves.

A chilling wind blew out over the nomads as they reached a large clearing, the moon was bright and there was a small spring in the middle of the clearing. But even with its tranquil nature, were several of the older members of the clan nervous, for there was an uneasy feeling in the air.

And for good reasons. For this region of the Foal Mountains, was very dangerous, especially at night.

Pulling on the leading wagon was four ponies, all of the pegasi, one was an old stallion with a pale green fur with a dark brown mane and tail with white streaks. He had the cutie mark of a rune carved out in a stone surface.

"Ey. Pa. There be a tense mood in the air." A young mare, located just behind him, stated with a nervous glance around her. Her pelt was brown with a mane and tail of black with green streaks. She had the cutie mark of a castle ruin.

"Aye Ancient Ruin. There be a strange sensation in the air. Better have more guards out tonight."

"Ma! Grandpa Rune Wall!" A small brown pelted and orange maned pegasus colt came running from the rear of the caravan, bouncing around like he was on a sugar rush, grinning widely. "Ey find something!"

"Not right now Truth Seeker. We need to prepare camp fer the night." The old stallion said as he started to unclasp himself from the wagon, the mare just giggled and scooped up the giggling like ball of energy and hugged him.

"Now, now, what did ye find my little treasure?" She said with a smile as she nuzzled his head.

The colt had a wide grin on his muzzle as he pointed with one of his hooves towards the eastern edge of the clearing. "There be a big stone house that way! Ey saw it when Ey flew up in the trees! It looked like a not destroyed pole building! All big, tall and not broken down!"

"Ye mean a tower my little treasure, and, just how far away would it be?" The mare asked kindly, while she felt a bit of uneasy build up in her heart at what her son was saying.

The little foal tried to think and clenched his eyes shut and tapped on his forehead, trying to figure out just how long it would take to fly to the Tower. Soon enough he managed to come up with an answer, although it was mostly guessing. He was not all that good at math. "Uuuuuh... maybe a few min'tes of flight?"

"That be great little treasure. If possible, we will go there tomorrow. But we be a bit too busy setting camp, and it soon be bed time." She said with a kind smile while she rubbed his head, the little foal giggled at the patting on hi head, not noticing how his mother's eyes were filled with dread by his words.

After putting the little colt to bed she walked out of the wagon and walked over to her father as he was hammering wooden poles into the ground for a simple wooden fence. She felt nervous and awkward, she did not want to worry her father over nothing, but she needed to voice her worries if whatever her child had found could harm the clan.

"Pa... Truth Seeker spoke about a tower in the woods. It be just a few minutes flight to the east. Ey... feel uneasy. There had not been a tower thee a year ago. What could it have come from?"

The old stallion looked towards the woods and hummed deeply as he thought about just what to do. But he could not come up with a decision, it was late, the clan was tired form their long journey. And those who would be guarding the camp site at night would have it far more rough then the rest.

"Ey do not know. But we shall inspect that place tomorrow. For now, we all be needing rest."

With unease in their hearts the nomads settled down for the night. Even with ten guards watching the camp, they knew it would be folly to feel safe. For these were the woodlands of the Foal Mountains, they have never been safe.

Even as the guards kept watch, even as their magical lights shone upon the trees, were hidden figures watching them with eyes glistering with madness and greed. For what lay within these woodlands, were not just the common bandits, crazed cultist or flesh tearing monsters.

Something far more wicked had risen up among the darkness of the woodlands. And it was already far too late to evade their notice.

The woodlands of the western region of the Foal Mountains had no real name. Some areas or landmarks might have received their own names or designations by the ponies living there, but there were no real and proper name for the woodlands.

But even then. It had a nickname. Not an official name. Nor a common name. It was not even a name that recognized the woodlands itself, but something that was apart of it. Something sinister. The Woods of Blood.

The forest was infamous for the massive quantity of bandits, wild beasts and dangerous cultists lurking within its foilage. It had a bloody history older then the Fall of the Green Star. But when the star fell, things grew... dangerous within the woods. In the olden times the woods were still relatively safe to pass through.

But when the Green Star fell and isolated the ponies from their rulers for over a century, the cultists within the woods, grew more powerful. So powerful, that they started recruiting various groups of bandits and even sending out spies and kidnappers to obtain fresh victims.

This made travelling the western region of the Foal Mountain extremely dangerous, even by day. But in recent years, with the arrival of the Equestrian Knights from the Order of the Golden Cross, came a source of danger to the bandits and their cultist leaders. Then the knights started patrolling the main road, making it hazardous for those who sought to claim lives.

Sure the knights could not protect the entire region 24/7 but they lowered the amount of bandit attacks by more then half in the last ten years.

But now. There was a window open for the bandits. The Second Crusade and the massive earthquake that struck the east coast had ravaged the lands and weakened the hold the Order of the Golden Cross had over the woodlands. Sinxw they were too busy aiding the ruined towns and villages along the east coast. And with the withdrawal of the Three Armies, there had been a big supply of something none of the bandits had ever had before.

Deserters.

Hundreds of experienced soldiers, abandoning their Princess for allowing their Armies to be defeated by the Ancient Ones brought to life by Maleficus. And with them, they brought knowledge of war, knowledge of gear and knowledge of the patrols of the region.

And while that was bad beyond measures, were even worse things coming. And that would be the one thing that had affected the region the most. And that was Maleficus himself.

The Cults in the region worshiped a various amount of beings, from Discord the God of Chaos, or Tirek the Magic Thief, to forgotten horrors of the twisted and insane. But now, a new cult had arisen. One that worshiped the latest 'evil' being to rise upon the world.

Maleficus Victoria. The Alicorn of War. No one knew just what his governance as an Alicorn was, but for his fighting capacity, his skill at war and superior military tactics, had many come to the conclusion that his special talent was War. And for the Cultist within the Woods of Blood, such an alicorn, one who brought war with an army of the long forgotten horses of old. Was more then worthy of worship.

And this gave birth to a whole new range of trouble for the region, as Cultists calling themselves the Warfoals began to act within the region. Not just as blood sacrificing zealots, but as rampaging war lords hunting down sacrifices in the name of their new Lord and God. Maleficus, the God of War.

They swarmed over the region like deranged wolves, tearing anything apart in their sight.

Within the last couple of days has the entire region gone from a dangerous but controlled region, into a blood crazed pit of madness where there was little difference between ponies and monsters.

One of these warbands of the Warfoals were controlled by a specially ruthless and fanatic individual by the name of Blood Lust, an earth pony with an orange pelt, red mane and tail, with the cutie mark of a mouth drooling blood. He was a big and powerful fighter, and a merciless leader who killed anyone who spoke back against him or the Priests of the Warfoal Cultists.

He had once been a common bandit, but when the news of the battling alicorns reached his ears, as well as the very, not, subtle propaganda and whispers of the Warfoal Cultists, he was turned into a zealot for bloodshed, murder and rape. And he did not mind doing it in different orders.

It had just been a few days since he was made into this twisted monster, but he had always been gullible and easily manipulated even before he was turned into a zealot. And for a bandit already used to murdering innocents for a living, if it was turned into a glorious faith, he was more then willing to embrace it. He was a clear example of what had become of the region, from a common bandit, to a blood crazed zealot of a war lord.

Today's morning would mark the third battle of his warband. They had raided a small town, razed it to the ground, ravaging its people, pillaging its valuables, and sacrificing the living and the still bleeding corpses of the villagers, and their own dead, to Maleficus in a cruel ritualistic murder ceremony. They tied the sacrifices to wooden poles, raised them into the air, and then disemboweled them, letting their innards spill out and hang down the pole, while chanting Maleficus' name.

The second battle had been with another warband from another cult, a cult of ponies worshiping Discord, and sought to bring chaos to all. They got plenty of chaos, and death, when Blood Lust charged into their flank as they were making some weird ritual involving sultry dressed mares, and stallions, foals covered in chicken feathers, all ponies wearing jester hats, as well as several various types of pies and several make up wearing pigs, one even had a blond wig. The weirdness was a bit of a turn off and none of his warband wanted to do much more then kill the crazed chaos cultists and their warriors, there was just something really freaky about it, even for them.

And now the third target had been marked.

His scouts had reported a camp of nomadic scavengers in one of the many camp site clearings along the main road. it was a golden opportunity for blood, rape and gold. He spun his great war axe in the air and pointed it in the direction of the camp and screamed out in utter glee, drool and spit flying from his mouth. "As the God of War has decreed! "In the fires of war! No one is innocent! In the rage of battle! All are equal! To die in battle! Is to die a Saint!" Let Us Burn! Let Us Pillage! Let Us Ravage! Let Us Kill! Let Us Bless! Let Us Die! Amen! Hahahahaha!"

Their movement was not silent nor was it strategic, they were just a rushing horde, rushing through the trees and bushes towards their objective. Those that tripped or fell during the stampede were trampled by their comerades, nobody cared to stop and aid them, they just rushed over their fallen shapes. And the few who did not die from their own allies running them over, joined the rush, mad with frenzy.

There was no reason for their behavior, just an unnatural craving for battle, murder, plunder and rape. Even should they die, they did not care, far too lost in their disillusioned faith in their new God of War, to care about such trivial matters.

But this wild rush of gleeful screams and stomping hooves had alerted the nomads. They knew they would not be able to escape the deranged bandits, but they had time to muster a defense. Now it was just a matter if they could stem the tide of crazed zealots charging towards them. Or if they would be one of the many clans to be wiped out and forgotten, like dust in the wind.

Elder Rune Wall of the Wind Strider Clan stared out at the woods with a frown. The bloody maniacs were charging towards, had for the last five minutes, and were not even stopping. These were more then mere bandits, they were more like crazed animals then ponies.

He had hoped to sleep a good night's sleep after a long day's of pulling a big heavy wagon. But after only a few hours were the warning bells being rung and woke him up, as well as the others of the clan.

The old pegasus had instinctively jumped out of his bed and rushed out of his portable home on wheels, snagging his leather coat and bullwhip on the way out. He was one of the first to come out of their wagons. And as he Elder and Leader of the clan he had to act to keep them alive.

His leather coat was made from the tanned hide of a chimera from one of his clan's investigation into an ancient tomb. It bore both his clan and family colours, the blue and green stripes of the Wind Striders as well as the brown and black diagonal lines of the Lore Seekers. Over this background was a single white cloud with a green hoof mark on its surface, the symbol of the Wind Strider Clan.

Rune Wall walked towards one of their supply wagons and climbed up onto it. Once on top of it he stood there and grasped his whip with his left, hoof, before whipping it in the air, causing a loud crack to get their attention. And then ,he began to shout out orders at them. "Grab yer weapons! Get all foals, old, sick an' expect'n mothers to da armoured wagons! Set up ambush points! Get yer flanks into position ta keep us all safe! Prepare fer combat!"

It was a mad scramble from there. The Clan rushed to assemble a solid defense against the approaching raiders. They used logs to make improvised walls and palisades. Clouds were summoned or gathered from the sky and gathered above and around the camp, with the more skilled weather mages preparing to unleash Tartarus upon their approaching foes.

Their foals, elderly, sick and pregnant members were all moved into a trio of large heavily armored wagons, covered from top to bottom in layers of rune engraved metals of various kinds. Of course, not every one of them could fit into the wagons, so a few of them were being kept safe in one of the sturdier wagons.

Rune Wall frowned as he looked out at the dark woods, they had done what they could to prepare, but the rumbling of the ground and the screams approaching from the woods, made it clear to him that this would not be an easy endeavor.

The branches and the ground were shaking, the light of torches could be seen up ahead on the main path towards the camp and through the narrow glimpses between the trees. And with their keen eyes could all of the Wind Striders see the horde of crazed ponies charging towards them like a stampede of madness.

Some were foaming like rabid beasts, some were coldly silent, some were giggling like crazy jesters, and some, some were hollering out praises towards their god or screaming their intentions for the clan and its members.

"Kill them all!"

"Die for the War God!"

"Let us feast upon the banquet of war!"

"Wahahahahahahaaa!"

It was clear, these ponies, they were not going to give anyone the chance to surrender, nor would they escape. It was do or die.

The Wind Striders prepared themselves for the signal, and as the horde breached into the torch lights they had put up a hundred meters ahead of the camp, it came. The old pegasus Rune Wall raised his right hoof and as he saw the front of the horde reach the third set of torches, he swiped his hoof in a down motion.

And there was a rumble, before all hell broke loose.

Nasty Reaver grinned nastily as he rushed alongside his brothers, his chin ripping with drool as he imagined the glorious murder, rape and carnage they would be committing for their new god tonight. A loud rumbling filled his ear and his grin grew louder as he raised his head to smile with pride towards the heavens.

His smile instantly disappeared when black clouds sparkling with electricity blocked his view and before he could as much as scream out a warning, was his vision blocked by the sudden, bright and intense light of lightning streaking down towards him and his fellow acolytes. The raider had no time to even feel pain as dense electricity surged through his body and fried him inside out.

It lasted only for a few seconds, but that was enough, to melt his eyes, char his flesh, fry his organs and set his pelt, mane and tail aflame. The corpse of the raider fell to the ground a smoldering heap, alongside several others.

But those who survived did not bother to halt in their charge and their hooves crushed the burning corpses of their fallen comrades into lumps of burning ash.

The Wind Striders watched as their cloud defenses streaked across the large horde, frying more then a dozen strong ponies. But they were not able to keep their spirits up as the horde did not even halt or stumble in its rush, it just flowed over the burning corpses, crushing them as they ran them over.

"They be utterly crazy da lot of them." Rune Wall said with a frown at the utter lack of care for themselves and their own members. He spat to the side and waved at his clan members.

Various ranged weapons were fired at once and a shower of projectiles slammed into the front line of the charging horde, more collapsed as arrows pierced their flesh, rocks bruised hide or broke bones, and spears struck at them. But the horde did not stop and Rune Wall knew that they had killed at least fifty bandits already.

Another signal was given and lightning once more flashed across the sky and more bandits were struck by the arching bolts of plasma from the heavens. Again and again the clouds delivered their deadly load. But this could not be kept up, there was a limit to the amount of lightning one could produce in a cloud, and there was not many available this evening. Nor did they have time to create more clouds.

"Get ready ta fight! For da Wind Striders!" Rune Wall unfurled his whip prepared to lash out with it, as the horde breached the outer line of wagons and the chaos of battle filled the camp site.

Ancient Ruin shivered as she clutched her son close as they heard the carnage outside. She was regretting volunteering to stay inside the sturdy wooden wagon as she heard the screams and the fighting. The wagon was tough and had runic enhancements, but it would not hold against an assault like the armoured wagons could. She and the other five mares and their children in there were like wheat being protected from farmers by being put in a plain wooden box.

This wagon would not hold, she was certain of it.

And she was proven right, when a large metal axe head split open the upper portion of the barricaded door, the bronze weapon was shape enough to cleave through the wood and sink into the wooden frame of the desk they had used to block it. Ancient Ruin could not tell who was screaming in terror as the blade was jerked out of the wood and back into the darkness of the night. Then heavy breaths, choked with insane laughter, could be heard as slowly the crazy face of a blood soaked pony stallion emerged in the crack in the door, staring through the gap. Straight at them.

A far too wide smile spread across the stallion's muzzle ad he spoke up in a crazed fashion to the ponies hiding in the wagon. "Heeeeeeeere is Blood Lust!"

As the face withdrew to slam the axe into the door again spoke one of the mares in the group to the rest. "Get out through da escape hatch."

Ancient Ruin looked at the one who had spoken, it was Gold Digger, a yellow pelted pegasus with red mane and tail. On her rump was a cutie mark in the shape of a shovel on a bed, with a pile of gold coins and gold nuggets beneath the bed. She was the official... comfort mare in the clan. There for any free stallion or mare to enjoy for a short fee. Her true passion laid in digging for gold or treasures but she made the courtesan business more like a hobby to sate her needs.

Most of the married mares did not like her, feeling like she was offering herself to all the male ponies, even if she always told them she only wanted, no attachment sex and no married stallions. Ancient Ruin had to admit that she had always been uncertain if her own husband, who had gone missing four years ago, had ever visited the comfort mare while they were married.

"But what about ye auntie Gold?" One of the foals asked with big teary eyes. One thing many could agree on was that while Gold Digger was an uncomfortable element for some of them, was she an excellent caretaker for the foals of the clan when the families could not care for them. The fact that Gold Digger had two foals of her own, none of which she knew the father of, also helped.

The mare just petted the little filly on the head and winked. "No worries sweetie, no dumb bandits can handle this mare. Now go."

The mares and the foals exited through the hatch, some offering thanks, some too frightened to speak. When the hatch was closed Ancient Ruin began to lead the others to a safer location. Clutching her little foal as she did so.

Blood Lust smiled wickedly at the sight of the cute mares in the wagon, here were the treasures who would be sharing the glory of war before being offered to Makleficus Victoria!

"Heeeeeeeere is Blood Lust!"

With that declaration the pony began to cackle as he pulled back his head and began to chop at the doorway, the screams of the mares and foals inside causing shivers to run through his body as drool began to pour down his chin. He cackled in glee ad he felt his dick harden and grow out of his sheath. Behind him were a dozen of his raiders and acolytes cheering him on to break open their 'treasure box'.

Finally, as the hinges on the door was halfway torn off and the door was almost broken in half, he took a few steps back before running forward to tackle the door. He slammed into the doorway and crashed through it in a shower of wooden shards. Blood Lust collapsed to the floor, covered in saw dust and piece of wood, but he soon sprung up and stared around for his new victims, leaking all over the floor as his arousal grew.

But the mares and the foals were not in the hut, they had exited through a hatch at the floor. Snarling in anger he turned ot leave, when suddenly a pair of slender forelegs warped around his neck, and a husky hot voice spoke into his ear. "Oooooh? Are ye colts leavin' already? Why do ye not stay an' entertain poor little sweet Gold Digger."

As the hot warm voice spoke into his ear, he, and the rest of the stallions who were staring with gaping jaws at what they were seeing, could only swallow as one of those slender forelegs got lower and started to rub his balls. And the hot voice spoke out to the rest of the raiders by the doorway. "Come in. Ey hope ye colts can handle one. needy. little. mare."

At each word spoken in the final entrance, the mare who called herself gold Digger, nibbled on Blood Lust's ear and began to rub him even more extravagantly. There was a scramble as the raiders rushed into the wagon, and what was heard from it was the sound of roughhouse sexual deviancy,at the least. And through it all was the entire thing shaking back and forth like some kind of rocking cradle of love.

Ancient Ruin ran through the chaos that was her clan's campsite. Her son was following her closely, trying to be brave, but she knew he was afraid, she was too.

There were fighting ponies everywhere, corpses of strangers and friends laid across the ground like a mocking artwork of horror and sorrow. She was almost halfway to one of the armoured wagons when a raving earth pony wielding a large sword came screaming towards her in a mad frenzy.

She barely heard her son scream out her name as the madpony charged at her. But then the raider was intercepted by the cracking shape of a whip, the strike slice up part of his face and dislodged one of his eyeballs. The deep gash in his face sprayed out blood into the air before the stallion clutch his face and scream in agony, blood pouring down from beneath his hooves.

Her father's voice cried out a distance away and she saw him retract his whip after the strike heh ad just done. He was bleeding from various wounds but he stood tall and strong even then. "Run Ruin! Take Truth Seeker an' run fer da woods! Get ta safety!"

Ancient Ruin could not speak, she was too much in shock to do so, all she could do, was reach for her terrified foal, lift him up with one of her forelegs, and began to run out of the campsite.

A brown pelted and blond maned pegasus wielding a pair of daggers leaped off from a roof and landed in front of her, making her halt in fear. The pegasus grinned at her and licked his bloody daggers while he looked at her with twisted eyes. "Hahahaha! Yet another mare ready to receive the pleasure of-GAH!"

The stallion was interrupted when a whip lashed out and warped around his neck, and her father's voice spoke out again in a loud angry tone. "Stay away from me family ye sick fuck!"

With a strangled glurg the pegasus was flung off his hooves and slammed into the side of one of the wagons, there was a loud crack as his head struck the side of the reinforced metal, and he fell down, neck broken. Ancient Ruin took off running once more, in the distance she could hear more raiders coming, several of them screaming in anger.

"He killed Bloody Death!" A blue pelted and red maned earth pony screamed out in anger as he rushed forward with a sword held by one hoof.

"Thy bastard!" A green maned and orange pelted unicorn wielding a staff shouted out.

A fat red pelted and blond maned pegasus wielding a warhammer rushed past his two friends and jumped at the elderly pegasus. "Kill the buckhole!"

No matter how much it pained her she did not turn back, she ran into the woods and never turned back. Not even as the pained cry of her own father was heard ,as well as the despairing cry of her son crying out for his grandfather. "Granpa!"

She ran into the woods, never stopping, for she could hear them following her.

Maleficus stood outside of his tower and was levitating an open book, reading through several notes he had recorded from the data recorded by the Interface. For the last two days had the alicorn been working on the data he had managed to retrieve with his Interface Screen from the magical energies of the cockatrice's tongue.

So far was all he had managed to do not all that impressive or complex in itself. With the energy readings from the tongues and the eyes of the cockatrices he had killed he had managed to copy the energy signature of the cockatrice's petrifying stare and the restorative effects of the magical residue in its tongue.

With this energy signature Malefivus could artificially create the transformation from flesh to stone and stone to flesh, having experimented on a few plants and insects. And about a day back, he had started petrifying much bigger things, and in greater numbers.

"Alright then, once more." His horn lit up in crimson and he raised his head and looked forward, his eyes narrowed and the energy became more dense, before it ignited into a bright glow that flowed out of his horn and out into the empty air in front of him. The light seemed to gather together into a solid form before it slowly began to fade, revealing a large armour bearing horse that had seemingly been conjured out of nothing. The horse stood tall, unmoving and at full attention of his summoner's future commands.

"Strike a pose, acting as if you are in the middle of battle." Reacting without questions or hesitation, the artificial equine stood up on his hind legs, grasped his spear and shield, and hefted the shield up, as if blocking a strike from above, while hefting his spear back as if preparing to stab at something in front of him.

"I apologies in advance, but I am preparing something for my next interaction with the ponies. Do not worry, you will not be stone for long. "Maleficus' horn was once more engulfed with crimson energy for a few seconds, then the colour of the energy shifted into a bright green and there was a bright flare that brightened the large glade were the master of the stone tower was working on his latest scheme.

Once the bright light dimmed, what stood there, was a statue of a horse soldier, made of solid stone. Maleficus slowly walked around the statue, examining it carefully, before nodding. He then levitated the petrified horse to a spot in the glade. There among the grass, the bushes and the trees, stood thousands of horse statues, each one a petrified soldier created by Maleficus.

They were spread out across the field as if they were in frozen in time during a great conflict. He had made plants, moss and dirt gather on them through magical means, to add authenticity to the age he would base his new persona's backstory on.

It was all part of his plan, he was hoping to create a decent excuse as for why his army was so different from the modern day ponies. He could not just wanted forth like he did with Golden Cross, the ponies were more spread out, more learned. he would not get lucky so often.

So now he had to work out a way for him to disguise himself easier in pony society. Thus he came up with the idea to create an ancient army of horses petrified for unknown ages. And his persona would be part of these newly restored horses. It was a decent attempt for a backstory. Now he just needed to create the final piece, his own alternative self's body.

But it had to be something special, a form unique to even to the horses, or it would not work out, since he still had to give the horses orders. He had some ideas, one of them he was currently working on, but there was another issue. Since he needed to be one of those trapped in stone could he not be the one to activate the process to curing the petrification, luckily he had a solution for that.

That's when he heard it, clash of metal, cries of battle, fire burning and ponies screaming. He looked towards the woods and saw the burning light ahead. Cursing he wondered what he could do. Though he may be an alicorn was he not ready for intervening in pony affairs. There were still so many issues to solve, and if he just rushed into the...

The crying of a child filled the air and seemed to make his body jerk in pain at the sound.

A twitch grew on his left eyebrow until he just tossed up his head and forelegs into the air and shouted out in frustration as his guilt and conscience would not stop bothering him. He had to do something to help whoever was in trouble or he would feel like shit! "FUCK IT! I am just going to do it! Better to give it a try before I end up chased by Celestia's troops. Plus, I can give help to those ponies with the tower's capabilities."

He rushed into the tower and made his final preparations, this was a gamble, but he would just have to work with what he had for the moment. Until then would his tower's protective functions deter anyone of wicked intent from being able to act upon those wicked desire. Well not much deter as much as it would force them back from whoever they were trying to harm, it would keep most of the ponies safe, hopefully.

Plus, there was another feature of the tower that he would be giving a test, one that would hopefully work or his work would have been down right wasted.

Ancient Ruin rushed through the woods, her legs moved in a blur as she clutched her child to her front with her left foreleg, leaving her to run with three legs rather then four. Her child was crying into her fur as she carried him as she ran.

Behind her she could hear the brutish voices of those horrible ponies who had killed her father and was ravaging her clan. *No, not ponies. Those... things are no ponies. They be monsters.*

"This way! We can smell them!" "Hunt them down!" "Yaahahhaaa!" It was like a swarm of mad cackling bees following her, pony sized bees. That train of thought made her suddenly think of one of the many nightmares she had, had as a filly. A swarm of giant wasps hunting her, capturing her before taking her to their hive to be eaten, or worse. She had a scary imagination even as a foal, still did apparently.

The darkness of the night made it hard to see much but she had run through the wilderness at night many times and knew how to move through it. While the light was almost gone was her eyes able to make out the silhouettes of trees, bushes and roots. And for every passing second everything became even clearer to her.

Grunting she leaped over a fallen log and scurried through a line of bushes. The leaves and branches dug into her pelt and she had to close her eyes to not get anything in them as she pushed through them. But then as she pushed past the last of the foliage, her vision was suddenly blocked by the moss covered grey form of a big boulder.

It was pure luck she managed to react. She spread her wings and reared her body upwards, bent her hind legs, and then jumped over the big rock. Her left hind hoof scrapped against the surface of the stone, making her stumble a little as she landed on the root covered ground on the other side.

Ancient Ruin had to make a short leap to regain her balance, and to not trip on the crooked and gnarled roots of the trees in front of her. Her breath was ragged and her brow was dripping of sweat as she started to jump and skip over the thick growth of roots. She was deep inside the woods now, the trees were growing larger, denser and so were their roots, with the grass disappearing, leaving only dark brown soil with small patches of moss or grass.

It was getting more difficult for the mare to keep her legs moving, not to mention how much her right fore leg was starting to feel like it was being prickled by needles and daggers while being burned by acid. The effort to carry her little foal was far greater then she had anticipated. But as she heard her little colt cry into her fur, she bit through the pain and strain and just kept running. Not letting her legs rest for a moment.

Then she saw it, the sight her son had told her about earlier. Past the lines of the trees, a large stone structure could be seen, towering up, slightly higher then the trees around it. And around the massive structure of stone, was a wide open field of grass, filled with... hundreds of stone statues?

Spread out, in various poses, stood hundreds of statues of large ponies. Each of them were depicted wearing an armour that Ancient Ruin had only seen in old scrolls and on ancient hieroglyphs in ancient ruins. Had the situation been different, she may have stopped to investigate the various stone shapes in the large clearing.

But she did not do that.

Instead the young mare only spared a glance at the statues as she moved past them at rapid speed, the lights of the windows gave her hope and even though the door knocker was in the shape of a scary looking helmet, did she not hesitate. She grasped the heavy ring of iron, and knocked hard on the solid wood door.

A heavy clang erupted from the solid iron ring as it struck the wooden surface of the door. It resounded like something one would heard from a temple bell. The deep resounding sound echoed through the glade like a ghostly foreboding signal of the dead.

But she did not care one bit about that. Her child was in danger, she too was in danger, they needed to get to safety. And if that meant knocking the ever living manure out of a door with a scary sounding doorknocker? There were not even a reason to hesitate.

Maleficus raised his head as he heard the heavy clang of the enchanted doorknocker. It had taken a lot more time then he had thought, but it had given him plenty of time to prepare the tower's defences. Not to mention. His stand in.

Turning towards a robed figure standing in front of him, the alicorn spoke out a series of commands for the newly created Horse to follow. "Engage Personality and History Portfolio: Old Hermit Horse Mage. Alignment: Good. Flaws: Senile and Old. Strength: Knowledge and Magic."

The robed figure twitched and spasmed for a few seconds, making it look like the robe was being worn by a vibrating furniture, before an old male voice spoke out to him. "As you command my creator."

He got shivers from just how that voice reminded him of a certain wizard headmaster, and from how the voice was no longer blank or plain, it was emotional and with a tone only an elderly person could develop. Quite frankly, it frightened him how alive his golems looked and acted like after he installed their mental coding. "I still get shivers whenever I think about how much more alive you guys appear to be. Not to mention how much easier it has become to create fake personalities for you guys in such a short time."

Maleficus felt the anxiety as he pondered just what he had create with his golems. Could the magical programming he had designed turned out to be more advanced then he thought? Could his creations actually have gained some manners of self consciousness as a side effect? Perhaps wills of their own, or maybe eve... souls?

*Okay this is getting way too complicated. Better not think about it for now. I have enough problems already and do not need to get overly anxious or nervous over something that might just be nothing.* Shaking his head he walked over to large object covered by a large blanket and focused his magic across his body's exterior.

Slowly his body began to shift in mass as smoky wisps of shadows began to flow from its form. It took less then five seconds for him to lose his solid shape and turn into a mass of darkness. The mass began to collapse into a shadowy miasma which flowed down on the floor, taking the form of a smoky shadow. He spoke one final time as he moved across the stone floor towards the covered shape. "Prepare the final step of the Anti Petrification Ritual. Aid the ponies who come here before engaging the Ritual by activating the Anti-Aggression Ward."

"It will be done my creator." The old horse said with a slight smile on his muzzle, making the wrinkly old face look severily creepy with how blank and emotionless it had been a few moments ago. Good thing Maleficus was not looking at him or he might have been feeling even more uneasy about it.

The black mass of shadowy smoke flowed forward and slipped beneath the white blanket, and disappeared into the shadows beneath the white cloth. There was no movement beneath the cloth and the shape looked the same. Whatever the alicorn had done was a mystery for now.

As his master disappeared beneath the cloth moved the recently created horse down the stairs towards the main door, once blank and empty eyes now held an old and wizened soul that seemed to twinkle with mirth.

The elderly horse reached the doorway and reached out, unlocked the hatch, and pushed the door open.

Ancient Ruin reared back the knocked for another strike at the door. Her heart beating even harder as she had been standing there for a good minute and nothing had happened. And no doubt the constant ringing would be alerting the bandits were she was.

As she contemplated running away from the glade, there was a loud crack, and not from the knocker. With a series of mechanical sounds the door shook a little, before, with a low crumbling of wood scraping against stone, it was pushed open from the inside.

What stood in the doorway almost startled her. It was the biggest pony she had ever seen, and he was an old one too. A fur of dull grey with a mane and tail of ghostly pale white with grey tints. With a pair of twinkling blue eyes on a wrinkled old kind face with a well combed and short cut beard.

Before the old pony could so much as speak she stepped forward ,still holding her sniffling son, and cried out to him, tears starting to leak from her eyes as she felt desperation beat through her entire body and soul. "Please 'elp us! There be bandits comin' fer me and my son!"

The old pony blinked before he nodded and pushed the door open entirely and motioned for her to enter. "No need to scream, please enter. Do mind your step though, there might be some shards of glass on the floor. Been meaning to clean that up."

Ancient Ruin rushed inside and almost instantly collapsed onto her flank as she entered the torch lit chamber within the base floor of the tower, her exhausted legs collapsing beneath her. She gasped for breath while hugging her, no longer crying, son to her breast, nuzzling his mane as she just tried to recover from her exhaustion.

The elderly pony raised a hoof and traced it in the air in a circular motion. His hoof glowed a pale green and as it did took a glowing orb of light form in the air in front of the hoof. As he put down his hoof to the floor once more began the orb of light to float above his head. He then nodded at the pair and began to walk towards a set of stairs. "Please, come with me. You must be tired, I have food and water in my kitchen. Plus some warm blankets and some spare piles of hay if you need. Sorry for not offering my bed but I do need it for myself, I am not as young as I used to be."

Ancient Ruin gathered herself and staggered upright, her legs were sore and so were her lungs, but she was no longer in danger and could take it easy. Truth Seeker seemed to have recovered from the ordeal, the little colt was looking around with big and curious eyes at the mural covered walls of the tower and the strange collection of statues on the base floor.

They followed the elderly pony to the next floor and Truth Seeker gasped in awe at the sight of the advanced contraptions, diagrams, piles of scrolls, parchments and books, and not to mention the various jars filled with parts of beasts. It was like the little foal was having a dream come to reality.

Ancient Ruin felt more insecure among the workshop, it looked partly like some kind of alchemy lb with the floating parts of animals, but the diagrams and the various stone parts she could see, hinted on something else.

Meanwhile was the elderly pony laughed at the little pony child's bright expression and patted him on the head. "I see you like my workshop little one. Well you are in luck, for tonight is something quite special going to happen. I am going to break an ancient curse. We can have some food later if you wish to see the event yourself."

Gasping in awe the little colt put his hooves in front of his gaping mouth, muffling his loud voice as he said his opinion about the old pony's plans. "That be aw'some!"

"Superb. Well then, let me introduce myself. My name is Cursed Blessing, well that is my pony name I use when speaking to ponies like yourself. In private I prefer my other name. Asclepius." As he said this the old pony walked over to a jar containing a green ooze that was filled with small red and black meaty looking things the size of a worm.

Both mother and son looked completely confused when the old pony refereed to himself by two names, and one of the being what he called a pony name. As if he was not a pony.

The old equine noticed their confusion and as he took the jar he eased their confusion by explaining why he had two names. "Yes I have two names. As tradition since ancient time by my kind. We are given a pony name, and a birth name. As you may have figure out, though I may look like a pony. Am I in fact not a pony. I am an older species. A horse. One of the few hundreds remaining to this day. I, specifically, am part of a clan of scholars who has sought for unknown ages to restore our once proud race."

"Woah! Ye be one of da Ancient Ones!?" The foal gasped out in awe while his mother just tried to register what she just had heard. To find out that the Ancient Ones, the horses, were not a fairy tail or extinct like so many believed, was a bit too much to swallow at once.

"Well that is the name of our ancestors before we ended up so few. Let me tell you how it went." Chuckling the elderly horse patted the foal on the head before he strode through his workshop and towards a large stone door, upon it was the carving of a helmet in front of a round shield with a spear behind the shield. Only someone of earth would recognize the design, if they knew their history, it was the design of a Spartan helmet, slightly altered to fit upon the head of an equine being.

The elder motioned for the two to follow, the foal eagerly skipped after the old horse while his mother followed at more... awkward phase, she was still feeling completely out of it because of the recent events combined with what she had just been told. But her attention was once more focused on the now, when the old horse raised up his light orb, and revealed the long spiraling stair case, and the mural covered walls on its sides.

As they walked up the stairs, the old horse began to tell the tale of his people. While they passed by each mural, depicting the events he spoke of. "Once upon a time. The horses were a strong an powerful race, we held none of the talents of the ponies, nor did we have cutie marks. Instead we had adaptability and the capacity to learn anything."

Images of ponies working their talents with magical affinity, earth affinity and sky affinity, each bearing a cutiemark marking that affinity. But then came an image of the horses, with no affinity. Instead, it showed the horses working on different things, be it magical or non magical, and though not all of them found something they excelled at, were all of them able to master the basics of whatever they tried to learn. No horse had any cutiemarks, depicting their unsure but adaptable lives.

"This of course lead to a lot of folly on our part and our culture grew... arrogant to say the least." Then the horses went their separate ways from the ponies, seeing themselves as superior with how they could use all manners of things, while the ponies were limited to being specialized in one thing. The horses began to build houses, then towns, then cities. And while they did so, they developed weapons, armour and warfare. Several clashes were depicted, each with ponies, horses or other creatures fighting the horses.

"War was waged several times between ourselves and even the ponies or other races. But none were as warlike as the Spartans. And they became partly the reason for our race's fall. But that fault laid with all of our ancestors in truth. Although the blame could also be put on the hooves of the gods themselves." The images went to show a group of horses wielding spear and shield, bearing the symbol of the spartan helmet upon their shields, while also wearing them.

"There was once a beautiful mare named Helen, or Sacred Beauty, as was her pony given name. She was the daughter of an unknown Lord of Sparta, and according to some version of the legend, a god. She was considered the most beautiful of all mortal beings back in the day." A scene depicting a white pelted and golden maned filly appeared, with a spartan horse by her left and a white glowing mare on her right.

"She was betrothed to powerful stallion by the name of Menelaos, or Endless Ambition. He was to become the new Lord through this marriage. But. Something disrupted this union, although many say that it could have turned out the same even if the event of the Golden Ball had not come to pass." The white filly with golden mane and tail grew into a graceul mare, a pony bearing not the armour of the Spartans, only the helm, stood by her left side.

"In the realm of the gods, well those the legends around Helen speaks of. There were three Goddesses, Hera, the Goddess of Relationships and Fertility, Athena the Goddess of War and Wisdom, and Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love and Passion. There was a party happening within the realm of the gods, and another goddess, Eris, was making a prank on the three Goddesses." The murals showed the cloudy realm of the gods, depicting the three goddesses as ponies glowing with a strong auras of light, one blue, one pink and one green. Next came an image of a purple glowing figure holding out their hooves above their head, where a golden sphere was floating.

"She created a beautiful Golden Ball, engraved with the words 'A Gift to the most Beautiful of Goddesses', and then, she tossed the ball and let it roll into the gathered trio. And they instantly began to argue, who is the most beautiful." The shadowy mare pushes the sphere to the three goddesses, the words upon its form being read by them. And then it turned into a strange looking fight of mane and tail pulling began between the three goddesses as they argued about who it was meant for. While the prankster goddess stood giggling behind them.

The little foal named Truth Seeker stared at the wall depicting the fight between the three goddesses and looked at the elder with a deadpan face. "...That be stupid. Ah real mess is what that soun' like."

With a mirth filled voice the old horse laughed and nodded at his guest's assessment of the behaviour of the three goddesses. "Yes it became a mess as you said lad. And it was something stupid to argue over. But these legends are by no means perfect, things may have been completely different. Alas, arrogance and pride is something even deities can be afflicted with. But there is little chance of knowing the real truth of what happened. But one thing that we do know is that there was some kind of conflict among the gods back then."

Clapping his hooves together the elder resumed his walk up the stairs, his floating orb of light illuminating the murals ahead, revealing the images of a young handsome stallion with golden pelt and white mane and tail, bearing a blue and green bejeweled silver crown. The three goddesses then appeared, offering him different things. "Anyway back to the story! The three goddesses asked a young stallion Lord by the name of Paris, or Prancing Heart, the chance to judge which Goddess was the most beautiful. And in accordance with the gods giving a mortal a request, they offered a boon for his efforts. As to say, they bribed him with various tempting blessings and gifts."

"Athena offered him wisdom and knowledge. Hera offered him riches beyond his dreams. But Aphrodite. She offered him something special. She offered him, the love and compassion, of the most beautiful mare in the world. You can see where this is going, correct?" By the looks of the horrified look on the mare, and the nodding head of the colt, Cursed Blessing knew that they understood what he meant. The horses' downfall was not just the fault of the horses themselves, but the gods as well.

With a shimmer the glowing sphere floated forward, and revealed the image of Aphrodite being given the golden ball by Paris. And the image of Helen of Sparta appeared next to paris, their bodies surrounded by the outline of a heart. While in the next image, the armed forces of several different clans of horses lead the new Lord of Sparta, Menelaos. They are seen sailing across the sea towards an island with a city surrounded by a massive wall. Helen and Paris both were standing on top of the city. "Paris was given the love of Helen, the goddess stole her from her homeland from beneath the eyes of her future husband, and delivered her to Paris, completely smitten by him and him by her. Helen's fiancee, Menelaos, reacted by declaring war on Paris' homeland of Troy. And from there a decades long war broke out between several of the Horse Lords."

As they kept walking the stairs would light of the levitating sphere reveal more images of the various battles made between the horses. In the end, the murals revealed an image of soldiers hidden within a wooden statue of an alicorn, which was pulled inside a city, and then the city was once more shown. Only this time it was burning. "Heroes rose and fell within this war. All wrought by the vanity of the gods themselves. In the end, Troy was sacked, Paris and his entire family killed. But Helen's fate after this tragic war was unknown. That is, until a few years later."

A large door came at the end of the stairs, engraved with the image of a spartan helmet with a shield and gladius behind it. The elderly pony pushed it open and what was revealed on the other side, was a massive collection of statues. Two of which, was covered by cloth, the second of the cloth covered statues was larger then any other in the room.

The elderly pony walked over to the largest of the two cloth covered objects, and started to pull on a rope tied to the top of the cover with a hoof. Speaking as he did so. "Helen returned, having sworn vengeance upon not just the horses who destroyed her life, but the gods for causing it all. She had indulged herself in various magical rituals, essentially transforming herself into an unnatural being. A gorgon. She no longer answered to the names Helen, nor Sacred Beauty. Instead she gave herself new names, names that would grow to become the source of many nightmarish horrors in the ancient times."

Ancient Ruin let out a gasp of horror as the cloth was pulled off, revealing the monstrous being beneath it. It had the lower body of a snake, the front body of a pony, a mane of snakes, a head twisted into a mixture between saurian and pony. And yet, there was a bewitching beauty about the creature's face, even with its disturbing features. "Medusa, or Stone Gaze. That was whom she had become. She waged war against all horses, and their allies. With her she brought armies of gorgons, cockatrices and basilisks. And they all shared the same terrifying ability that she did. The ability to turn anyone who looked in their eyes, into stone."

With a sigh the old horse walked over to the smaller cloth covered statue and gripped the cloth on it and began to tug. "It took decades and the death of hundreds of heroes. But in the end, it was Achilles brought down Medusa. A veteran of the Troyan War, he was a horse who sought only to prove his worth. A rather selfish person at first glance, but many tales say that he was an honourable person, and one who never killed civilians. Of course some stories say that he died during the war, but his petrified body is proof enough that he did not die. He managed to turn Medusa's own cursed gaze against her, petrifying her just as she petrified him."

The old horse struggled a bit as the cloth got caught on something but soon enough was the large piece cloth was pulled off, revealing a statue that was... well patchwork repaired. A large stallion, dressed in broken fragments of armour with a badly damaged helmet. He was holding a shield in front of his head, as if trying to protect himself from the monster's gaze. The statue was still symmetrical and in the decent shape of a horse. But. The various parts that made up its cracked body were not all parts of a horse. There were two wings of a pegasus, the horn and left side forehead of a unicorn. And his right foreleg from the lower joint to the hoof had been replaced with a four fingered talon of a griffin.

Looking at the statue of the ancestral hero of his people the old horse sighed as he patted the statue on the left hind leg's hoof. "But, by the time he had defeated her, had it become too late for us. The numbers of killed and petrified horses were so many that we were starting to degrade in numbers, rapidly. We survived in our ravaged homelands for centuries, growing less and less in number by each passing year. Then came the final blow. The Windigos came and drew nourishment from the conflict between the ponies. We barely able to survive the Great Winter when it was brought about. And to this day is there less then five hundred of us left."

"Of course when we first recovered his petrified body was it in pieces. So we had to assemble whatever parts we could find and hopefully put them back together properly. Of course with so many pieces missing. We had to... improvise a bit. Around half of his original parts remain. I am not even sure if the wings we pasted onto him are even from the same petrified pegasus." The elderly pony said with a shrug as he walked past the revealed statue and over to a strangely shaped block of stone at the end of the room. Behind him were both the eager child, and his terrified mother, following.

"Y-you used p-pegasus parts?" The mother muttered in shock as she looked at the two wings on the two top halves pasted to the horse's destroyed frame, unconsciously hugging her wings tightly to her sides.

He nodded and pointed towards a section of the room where a wide array of intact parts of various petrified beings was located. "Aye young lady. There are not only thousands of petrified horses but also hundreds of petrified ponies, and some non-equines, in these woods because of the cockatrices here. Making it an ideal ground for researching the petrification cure as well as repairing Achilles."

"Several of them were broken beyond repair and we used those parts to repair Achilles to the best of our abilities. Took us a good two hundred years to just to find Achilles' main parts and assemble all the parts needed to repair him, originals included. Putting them together took another three centuries of work. Putting together a petrified body with other parts is not exactly easy. We never managed to find a proper hoof for one of his forelegs and had to give him a griffin talon instead." The old pony pushed down a circular shaped rock on the stone altar and a loud groaning sound began to fill the tower as the sound of grinding stone could be heard from the floor above them.

"I am the last one remaining of those who wished to attempt the restoration of our long petrified ancestors. I had almost given up hope of ever breaking Medusa's curse upon my people. But just a few days ago I got a boon." With a grin the old horse tapped on the jar of tongues he was holding.

"A black alicorn came to me, by the name of Maleficus Victoria. He offered me aid in curing my people, in return for his own copy of the petrification magic and its cure. He showed to me how the cockatrice removed the petrification from its victim, by the magic enchanted into its tongue, to be able to eat its victims. I never would have imagined that the cockatrice's tongue held the vital clue to how to cure my people." A rumbling was heard from the stone altar and a circular shaped hole emerged from the once solid middle of it. Cursed Blessing put the jar holding the tongue filled green fluid into the hole. And pressed a square button on the other side of the hole, the hole closed itself.

"Woah! That be so cool! A real life alicorn help'd ya!?" The little colt said in awe, making the elderly horse laugh at the youngster awestruck face, it look so cute and funny at the same time. The once sad and gloomy air around them had turned a bit brighter.

Calming down Cursed Blessing coughed a little as he stopped laughing.With a grin on his face the old horse patted the colt on the head and motioned with his hoof towards the staircase leading to the top of the tower. "Indeed child, a glorious moment that aided me in the final discovery needed to cure my ancestors. And now, it is time. Come. Let me show you, just how I shall awaken the Ancient Ones."

With almost skipping steps Cursed Blessing began to walk up the stairs, the eager foal and his nervous mother followed closely. The top of the staircase had no door, only an open doorway leading to a wide open space on the top of the tower. As the old stallion moved towards the center of the wide open space, the two ponies looked around in confusion as of why the tower no longer had a roof.

"What happen'd to da roof?" Young Truth Seeker wondered as he tried to spot where the roof had disappeared to, his mother noticed, being taller, the sections of the roof, folded out from the top of the tower. Held in place by glowing rune engraved gears.

Smirking Cursed Blessing stood up and held out his hooves as if to praise the world, as dark thunder clouds began to emerge above the tower. As he did this he shouted out to his guests to be heard over the rumbling thunder that started to emerge from the clouds above the tower. "It has been opened lad! The roof has been folded open and the parts are now hanging out like external balconies from the sides of the tower! But that's not what is important! Now I shall end this curse! The Horses shall return!"

Runes began to shimmer into existence across the floor from where the stallion was standing. They appeared at such a speed that it was like they were being painted by glowing light as they emerged upon the floors and unfolded sections of the roof.

Sparkles of lightning were erupting from the mass of storm clouds above the tower. Its dark shape was expanding ever so more across the sky like a blanket above the moon lit night. But as the lightning began to grow with intensity, it began to alter in colouration, turning from its normal bluish white, into a toxic green.

"Awesomel!" The little foal's eyes were sparkling in awe and wonder. The scene before him was like nothing he had ever seen before, it was so amazing and awesome that he was feeling a rush of adrenaline in his tiny body he had never experienced before! He wanted to feel like this forever and ever!

Ancient Ruin warped her forelegs around her eager foal as the wind began to pick up, she did not want to risk her child being thrown off the tower by the whipping wind. "Truth Seeker! Do not get too close!"

The foal pouted as his mother clutched him and made a little struggle before eventually he just relaxed into his mother's forelegs and whined a little as he looked at the cool stuff happening around him. "Awww mama!"

Cursed Blessing was standing upright on his hind legs, the storm above him was cracking ominous thunder and spitting green lightning. As he stood there, the glowing runes on the surface of the tower shone in a bright light, it was like the light itself was being drawn towards the old horse mage.

As lightning arced across the cloudy, began tense sound of music to fill the air. As if flowing with the energies building up in the atmosphere above the tower. And as the music began to intensify, the old horse started to chant.

His voice cut through the thunder and the wind, it echoed across the woods around the tower. It was like his voice was being enforced by the winds themselves, rather then being hindered. As he chanted, his eyes began to shone with green light and sparks began to emit from his now glowing body.

The glow from the runes grew in strength, and you could no longer see them. Yet as the light covered up the runes, a pattern began to emerge as the light from the runes began to link together. Rapidly the lines began to emerge across the floor and even over the five extended pieces of the roof, until a massive network of lines, curves and circles had emerged into a pentagram with several smaller lines within its structure making up even smaller arrays.

As those words were spoken, lines of light began to emerge above the roof, forming into an even larger matrix. Within seconds had a second massive array been shaped. And as soon as the final lines had been connected, a new one ,even larger began to emerge above that one.

With eyes wide with awe and wonder, young Truth Seeker and his mother, Ancient Ruin, stared in wonder as another matrix took shape above the third, then a fourth, then a fifth. By the time the pillar of runic array had ended, had a pillar of over one hundred such been shaped, covering the forest ,and the surrounding mountain, in a deep intense glow of green light. and from those who stood beneath the massive pillar of arrays, it took on the shape, of single massive matrix of arrays and pentagrams within one another.

The pillar rose up through the clouds and pushed them apart, a massive vortex of lightning sparking clouds took form around the rising pillar of pentagrams. Within moments, was the pillar rising out through the clouds, revealing the full moon in the sky above. And a beam of moon light, struck the tower and the land around it, intensifying the glow even more.

No one who lived upon the East coast or even the central regions of Equestria, could miss to see the massive light show emitting from the swirling pillar of green light. Not to mention the vortex of black thunder clouds surrounding the lower half of the pillar like a black swirling mass of snakes, which were emitting green lightning.

It was especially difficult not to notice, as the pillar rose higher and higher, lighting up the night like a mountain sized glow stick. And as it rose, it stretched upwards, until its very tip, touched the surface of the moon herself. And the light gree even more intense.

Princess Celestia had been sleeping soundly in her bed when suddenly there was a loud and repeative knocking on her door. She struggled out from beneath her warm covers with a loud yawn and let out a burst of energy to make her tangled mane assume its flowing cloud state.

As she opened the doorway she saw the frantic and panicked face of one of her maids. "What be the reason for-"

"To the East! Pillar of Light! Piercing Clouds! Touching the Moon! Loud Rumbling!"

Blinking slowly at the barely understandable rambling of her panicking made she slowly walked towards her balcony, pushed it open, stepped out, looked towards the east. And her eyes slowly widened at the sight of a green pillar of light sticking up from beyond the mountains, reaching high enough to touching the surface of the moon. Of. The. Moon. With its lower half surrounded by a swirling tornadoes and tendrils of black clouds spitting out green lightning.

All the while loud thunder and music was echoing through the air. She slapped her face to wake up, and after feeling the stingy sensations on her cheek she slowly turned towards the panicking maid and spoke in a, slightly strained, voice.

"Tell Solid Pink to send out words to Blackstone Keep, and to send out Scouts to the East Coast. We hath to know what hath happened."

The massive arrays of light began to shift and rotate, slowly creating the illusion of a swirling vortex. But then, a loud humming sound began to emerge as the center of the pillar began to fold into itself, until the moon and the night sky could be seen. As the moon became visible, there was a stream of clear white light through the now hollow pillar of green light.

It shone like a beacon upon the tower and the aged horse mage raised both of his forelegs, as if to catch something from the sky. And something did happen, the once green lines upon the surface of the tower, turned from toxic green, into a solid white. And that light grew intense, in a rapid manner, and soon it shone out as if a small star had been born on top of the tower, covering the entire woodlands in a shining glow.

The hollow pillar of green light, suddenly collapsed into itself, taking on the shape of a solid beam, and rapidly shoot down into the glowing white light. With crackling thunder and rumble the storm clouds detonated into sparkles of green and white, showering sparks all over the woodlands, while the once white glow, turned into a pale green.

Then as the light grew to an eye blinding shine, it stopped, and after a few seconds, started to rapidly shrink. Growing smaller and smaller until it imploded into the air above Cursed Blessing. As the light collapsed into itself there was a loud crack and the once brightly lit woodlands, turned dark once more. With only the moon as a light source. But as it collapsed, a final wave of light emitted from its point of implosion, and spread out through the region.

And something, happened.

A petrified horse warrior stood tall in the moon light, his moss covered shape looked like a dedication to the ancient times. A warrior lost to history, with only his stony shape within the woodlands that had once been his battlefield. That is, until tonight.

As the ritual enacted by Cursed Blessing reached its end, the small barely tangible wave of green light struck out through the wood lands, rustling leaves and branches as if shaken by an invisible force.

It passed through the petrified horse warrior, making the statue tremble for a short instance. Then, after mere seconds, a cracking sound was heard as the outer layer of moss covered stone that covered the warrior's left foreleg's hoof, grew cobweb like cracks. Then after another short moment, there was an even louder crack, and another and another.

And as the sound grew louder and louder, the cracks on the statue grew as well. They split out over the surface of the warrior's muscles, armour and weapon. Something began to shift and push against the cracked stone, flakes began to drop off, revealing a beige coloured fur moving beneath the cracks. Legs with black fur from the knees down began to split free.

A mane of dark brown shifted out of the layer. And then, a clear blue eye was revealed blinking from beneath the crackled face of the statue. Then, with a loud wordless shout, the armoured horse kept sealed beneath the stone, broke free. His body flexed out against the fractured stones and in a shower of dust and shrapnel, he tore himself free from his confinement.

Stumbling forward, the horse looked around, and he spotted, more and more of his fellow horses, once petrified in stone, breaking free. And he raised himself upright on his hind legs, and raised up his spear towards the moonlit night sky, and with a deep breath he roared out, breaking the silence!

"Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

And soon, more of his brethren did the same, raising their weapons towards the night sky, crying out a wordless call. A call of primal relief and joy. A scream that could only be described by one word.

Free.

For Maleficus had the last hour had been nothing but darkness and silence, well that an an annoying itch that never seemed to go away. And it was felt all over his, entire, body. Yeah he was not too happy about the situation.

But he could deal with it. His work had been prepared with what best options he had. Sure he had only made small experiments before making his current body. He had been conjuring things, then petrifying them. Followed by breaking then apart and then with him putting them together, in an artistic manner.

Like that medusa statue. It was easier to create something, less so transforming yourself into something. Why? Fuck is he knew. All he got out of those tests was that petrified things that were broken ,and then put together, could still retain life and even use the new boy parts. But that chances were less then two in tenth of a chance.

And he sure as fuck was not going to test if it was more efficient using non-created beings. He was sticking to his own artificial creations rather then innocent bystanders or suicidal volunteers, thank you very much!

But back to the present. He had created this body using this method, creating various living beings, petrifying them ,then breaking them apart ,and putting them together into this body. The rest of the parts were left on the various tables to act as props for the lab. This would be the first time he took control over one of these bodies, and he was not certain how things would turn out.

*Sometimes I really want to step back in time and punch myself in the face for doing reckless and stupid shit like this.* The currently petrified alicorn thought to himself. Then he felt the sensation of magic filling the air around him, the first thing he had sensed since the ponies and his newly made horse mage had left for the roof.

*Ah good, won't be long now.* Smirking mentally the transformed demigod felt the magic hit its crescendo. And then, the anti-petrification ritual went into effect. Sure the whole thing was overly exaggerated but it was made that way as to make a show of how complex it is supposed to be. Not everybody could have a magical pony princess for a training aid.

*...I would say that that sounded better in my head. But I''d be lying, since it still sounded awful.*

Finally Maleficus felt the petrification curse that once held sway over his new form dissipate. The shell of stone that covered his body broke apart as he flexed his body through it. There was a moment of clarity, the sound of shattered stone, the sensation of air and the brightness of light.

Then he felt great intense pain as the sections connecting different parts he had made and put onto the new body erupted into sprays of blood and flesh. He collapsed on the floor and screamed incoherently. As he did so, he ignited his horn in magic, a blue aura from the horn, and made his some rapid first aid to regenerate his damage flesh and connect his apparently, disconnecting, body parts. In a bright flare of light his body was covered in a thick aura of blue light, which was almost slime like.

As the aura engulfed him. Its regenerative properties, went into high wire when it tried to restore his body parts together. The process was successful, but as a side effect it, instead of just removing his injuries through a mystical healing light. Healed him in another fashion. HIs magic made the blood his wounds had spewing out from his attached body parts, turn into blue fire, and in a rapidly, burning yet healing manner, brutally heal themselves into fleshy matter.

As the searing hot blue flames died down, his body was covered in bulbous, red lines, that looked like freshly grown veins the size of small snakes, scattered over his body like a network of crimson scars. He looked like a Frankenstein monster made from parts of mystical creatures glue together by raw flesh, instead of sewed up human body parts. As the pain receded Maleficus took deep breaths and leaned against the side of the podium he had been standing on.

When he looked around he noticed the various statues of his horse warriors recovering from their own recent restoration. He sat there for a moment, recovering from the agony he had been in a few seconds ago and slowly regained his senses. As he did he remembered the importance of what he had been preparing for.

"Just det, jag måste rädda ponierna... Vänta... Vad sa jag just nu?" (Translation: That's right, I need to save the ponies... Wait... What did I just say?) He reached out and felt his throat, he tried to speak in the language of the ponies, which he had been able to speak since arriving at this planet. But for some reason. He could not. All he could speak. Was his original human language, his native tongue, Swedish.

And no pony would ever be able to understand that.

he knew exactly how to handle this new turn of events like the mature and calm person he always was....... not.

So when Cursed Blessing and his two guest came scrambling down the stairs, they were meet by an interesting sight.

Cursed Blessing had been prepared for a lot of events... well that's a lie. He was winging it ever since his creator's ritual had been completed. But he could admit that he was floored with a moment of... surprise. When he saw the zigzag like shape of his creature, slam his newly unpetrified forehead, with horn, into the side of the stone podium that had been holding his new body a few moments ago.

He did this head butting therapy session with a frantic fervor worthy of a zealot. And he did so all the while swearing... a lot... and loudly.

"Auuuugh! Jävla skit magi! Haaaaa! Av alla jävla sido effekter som kan hända, så är detta den minst passande!" (Translation: Auuuugh! Fucking shit magic! Haaaaa! Of all the fucking side effects that can happen, so is this, one of the least appropriate!)

Making a slow motion blink the old horse stared at his creator and tried to figure out just what had gone wrong. And then he realized that his creatore was not speaking the common tongue of the ponies. It was like he had reverted to his old vocal limits as a non-magical being. "Oh. Oh dear. That was not supposed to happen."

Truth Seeker was perplexed, the cool looking warrior was alive, as was the rest of the Ancient Ones. And yet he was acting like his grandpa did when he made a stupid mistake. It was rather dismaying really. At least he still looked cool. But he did not understand a word he was saying. "What is he sayin mistah Blessing?" When in doubt, ask questions.

Cursed Blessing rubbed his forehead and sighed as he tried to come up with a proper answer. At least his fellow horses were regaining their wits and balance, all of them were starting to stand up once more after having fallen to the floor after their bodies stopped being petrified. Then he figured out how to exlpain things, without breaking his creator's cover. "Oh he's mostly cursing and swearing, probably because of the intense pain he is in right now because of his body getting used to the foreign body parts we attached to him. Amazing how well his body is holding together actually."

"Oh... So Ey should not ask what he be sayin?" As he asked that, the living and talking patchwork horse stopped slamming his head into stone. Instead he was now punching the floor with his hoof, screaming out in his incomprehensible language. And the foal realized that the question might have been redundant.

"Om jag någonsin kommer på ett sätt att resa bakåt i tiden ska jag slå mig själv i ansiktet och tala om vilket jävla idiot jag är!" (Translation: If I ever figure out a way to travel back in time, shall I punch myself in the face and tell how much of a fucking idiot I am!)

Cursed Blessing flt a it embarrassed at his creator's behavior an coughed awkwardly into his left hoof before nodding. "Indeed. I doubt your mother would approve."

"Darn right Ey would not!" Said mare said with a glare at her son who let out a squeak and hid behind Cursed Blessing's left foreleg with a nervous smile on his muzzle as he looked out from behind the leg at his mother who was giving him the look only a stern mother could.

Sighing Cursed Blessing decided to try and calm down his creator. "Well I am going try to calm him down. Sorry if you do not understand what I am saying in a few moments. The tongue of the Ancient Ones is not really easy to understand unless you have heard it spoken before."

The foal and mother both watched as the elderly horse walked forward to the cursing chimera like horse, and began to try and talk to him. And ass he had mentioned, the words he spoke were almost alien to their ears, strange and unrecognizable

"Min Skapare. Jag får be dig att lugna ner dig. Du har-" (Translation: My Creator. I have to ask you to calm down. You have-) His words were interrupted however, when his currently disguised maker, grabbed him by the heck with his talon foreleg and hoof foreleg, lifted him up two feet above the floor. And started shaking him like crazy while screaming into his face.

Both Truth Seeker and Ancient Wall were horrified by the disrespectful and brutish behaviour of the ancient warrior. But considering what he had woken up as, they could tell he was upset.

But unknown for them, he was not upset because of his, deliberately, patchwork made body. No it was something more... surprising from his perspective. Of what his creation had just said to him. Especially in what language he had just spoken with.

"HUR FAN KAN DU TALA SVENSKA!? Jag installerade aldrig någon form av information från mitt förra liv på Jorden!" (Translations: HOW THE FUCK CAN YOU SPEAK SWEDISH!? I never installed any form of information from my past life on earth!)

The shakes were making it hard for Cursed Blessing to inform his creator, but he tried his best to respond to his inquiry, even as he was being shaken around like a sack of potatoes. "Ja-ja-jag lä-lä-lärd-de mi-mi-mig frå-från di-dina mi-minnen Skap-Skapare!" (Translation: I-I-I le-le-learned fr-from yo-your me-memories Cre-Creator!)

"Samma här Skapare." (Translation: Same here Creator.) One of the other horses mentioned, waving at his creator.

Maleficus went dead silent and turned his head to give the horse who just spoke a dead, cold, blank stare, while holding the slightly dizzy Cursed Blessing in the air. There was a few more seconds of silence. Then the disguised alicorn broke out into more screaming and swearing as he realized something stupidly wrong had happened once again with his attempt at using magic. All the while jerking the old horse he was holding by the neck around like a rag doll.

"Oh för in i helevete! Jag skapade er Hästar med magi via hjälp från Luna! Jag vet hur processen funkar, jag vet hur er mentalitets installtion fungerar, jag skapade båda! Det borde inte ha installerat något mer förutom det jag skickade in i era hjärnor!" (Translation: Oh for fuck's sake! I created you Horses with magic through aid from Luna! I know how the process works, I know how your mentality installation works, I created both! There should not have been anything else installed except for that which I sent into your brains!)

Cursed Blessing raised a hoof to speak as his creator ranted, and gulped as he was glared at, before coughing and speaking up his own personal theory. As small as it might be. "Erm tja, du kanske... omedvetet gjorde det?" (Translation: Erm well, maybe you... unconsciously did it?)

A dull crack could be heard in the background as the big patchwork chimera horse went dead silence, again. Cursed Blessing swore mentally that he should perhaps have remained silent, and not uttered another word that could have made his creator even more upset.

Sadly enough, this was what he had done. And the consequences were to be expected.

"...HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!! AV ALL JÄVLA SKIT! VARFÖR KAN INGENTING JAG GÖR FUNGERA SOM DET SKA!?!?!?!?!?!?" (Translation: ...HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!! OF ALL THE FUCKING SHIT! WHY CAN NOTHING I DO WORK AS IT SHOULD!?!?!?!?!?!?)

More screaming and swearing. However, said screaming and swearing were about to be brought to a halt. By a certain mare.

By now had Ancient Wall had enough, she strode forward to the screaming horse and reared back her left hoof, before she swung it forward. Her hoof slammed into the left cheek of the horse and his head reared back, he dropped Cursed blessing to the ground, and he ended up landing on his side, on his right wing. Making his open his mouth to swear and scream even more.

That's when a glaring mother slammed down her hoof next to his head and lowered her head, and gave him a stern mother's glare, making him shut his trap. As she spoke out to him i na no nonsense voice. "Ye better stop swearin'! Mah foal shall not pick up bad habits! An' quit bein so loud! Yer frightenin' mah child!"

With a toss of her mane Ancient Wall straightened herself and walked over to her quiet son, who was staring with gaping mouth at how much of a badass his mother had just been, something no son ever expects from their parent.

Meanwhile was a certain downed chimera pony staggering up on his hooves again, rubbing his cheek as the pain fro mthe blow he had just taken subsided. After a few moments of contemplating having been struc kdown by an angry mother, and feeling slightly shameful for his bad behaviour. Maleficus, or rather, Achilles as his disguise was called, decided to just stay silent.

After a few minutes the disguised alicorn ,slowly turned around and started to walk out of the room, the elderly Horse rubbed his neck in an awkward manner as he looked at the manner who had just slapped his Creator in the face. Said creator spoke up in an emotionless and hollow voice, as if he had lost all motivation and purpose, and just wanted to find an end to the madness. "Okej. Det var dropped. Jag går nu och dödar några banditer. Världen kanske blir mindre galen när jag kommer tillbaka. Men jag tror knappast på det." (Translation: Okay. That's the last straw. I am going to go now and kill some bandits. The world might turn less insane when I come back. But I doubt it.)

"Jag föreslår banditerna som håller på att plundra deras klan." (Translation: I suggest the bandits who are currently plundering their clan.) But Cursed Blessing's helpful suggestion went ignored, or at least, Maleficus did not bother to turn around or stop when his creation spoke u phis suggestion, and just left the room. The rest of the horses, except for Cursed Blessing, following him.

Truth looked as the horses left the room and walked over to the elderly horse as he slowly stood up from where he had been dropped on the floor. "Where are they goin?"

Stretching his sore neck the old hose responded to the little colt's inquiry, his body a bit pained after his creator's treatment of his poor joints. "Apparently to violently beat something up to release his frustration and anger in a productive manner I suggested the bandits in the woods you mentioned."

The little colt pondered something for a few seconds. Then he looked up at the elder again and asked, with big curious eyes, something rather obvious. "But how da glue does he know where ta go or who da buck them varmints are? Ey mean, our clan are all pegasus but... how by da balls of Discord will he know who be who?"

A smack on his flank made the little cold let out a loud yip in surprise as his mother stood behind him, glaring at him for swearing. She was in no mood for such manners. "Watch yer words young colt or yer in fer a much harsher spankin! Where have ye picked up those words!?"

"Ah! Sorry mama! " Truth Seeker cried out as he turned his rear away from his mother, afraid she might give him another ass whooping should he say bad things again.

Meanwhile had Cursed Bleesing been staring blankly for the last few seconds, realizing, slowly, how the young foal's words were correct. His creator had no clue where to even look, or what his foes looked like! "Oh fuck you're right. We need to hurry up after him or they might not make it to your clan!"

He then let out a yip as Ancient Wall struck him on the flank as well, much harder then she did her son. The elderly horse felt awkward being scolded like a child, but being only a few hours old, well not counting mentally, made him not realize just how degrading something like that should be.

The mother glared at him as he started to run towards the stairs, she followed, with her soon following her, glaring at him for speaking such foul words. "Ye better watch yer words as well ya old goat! Or Ey will smack her face too!"

"Sorry madame! But please let us focus on saving your clan for now! Tell me what distinguishes your clan members from the bandits!" Cursed Blessing shouted out as he ran down the stairs, totally not willing to let the young mare get within foreleg's reach in case she intended to hit him again.

Snorting the mare rushed after the older equine and shouted out at him as she tried to keep up with the surprisingly spry elder. "Mah clan wears cloths and wields weapons made from ancient techniques! We all also wear our clan's colours and symbol on our cloths! Da bandits all wield metal weapons, many dirty, an' they wear armour pieces an' rags!"

As they came out of the tower, an incredible sight greeted them. There in the center of the glade, surrounded by an army of recently unpetrified horses, stood the chimera like body of Achilles on a boulder. His body was still bare of armour, but now he had a shield strapped to his back ,with a pair of short swords sheathed on a belt.

The elderly horse spent no time waiting to be acknowleged and qucikly sent a flare up, making all the attention turn toards him. He then started shouting out at his creator. "Skapare! Ponierna av Klanen som håller på att bli plundrar bär en heraldik symbol som hard gröna och vita ränder som backgrund, med ett vit moln med en grön hästsko på dess yta! Alla andra är antingen banditer eller fångar!" (Translation: Creator! The Ponies of the Clan that is being pillaged all bear a Heraldry in with a green and white as a background, with a white cloud bearing a green horseshoe on its surface! All the others are either bandits or prisoners!)

Cursed Blessing panted and tried to regain his breath, his body was newly made but he was still an elderly horse in physical capacity. So after having rushed down several winding stairs he was a bit out of breath.

As the old horse recovered was Achilles standing there, his eyes unfocused for a few seconds as his brain registered the words he had been told. Then he turned his head towards his army. All of the horses slowly turned to face him as he slowly stood up on his hind legs, gathering the attention of his army.

He raised his head and looked up towards the moonlit sky and a small nostalgic smile spread across his muzzle, before he closed his eyes.

"Hör mig nu. Vi ska göra oss till en legend. Vi ska slåss och vi ska segra. Så som Spartanerna en gång slogs till det sista. Så ska ni. Så hör mig nu." (Translation: Hear me now. We shall make ourselves to a legend. We shall fight and we shall win. Just like the Spartans once fought to the end. So shall you. So hear me now.) Then he opened them and he punched his talon into the sky and he cried out to his soldiers.

"För det är tid! För strid!" (Translation: For it is time! For battle!)

And as one, the horses raised their hooves into the air, and cried out to his declaration with a loud cheer. The horse were going to battle.

Truth Seeker may be a young colt, but he was a smart colt, even his mother agreed on it. And he knew that what was happening was something very big and important.

The flashy magical ritual that had restored the petrified horses was kind of a big give away. But the way the horses' leader, the Hero known as Achilles had overcome his situation and taken command of the armies made it clear that he was more then a common soldier.

After having declared something, probably a cry for battle, that much the little foal could tell, the horses had been pulling themselves together and started to march through the woods. The young foal, together with his mother, and Cursed Blessing, were being carried on an improvised wagon thingy with only two wheels through the woods.

The horses were marching through the woos like an endless tide. Hooves leaped over roots, bladed weapons cut down trees, strong bodies tore up stumps and roots to clear the way for the wagons. All in a matter of seconds, while on the move like a mixture between soldier and craftpony.

He was looking awe at the marching horses while his mother was speaking to their leader about their camp, the number of raiders she had seen, which was around two hundred, and her clan's capabilities in a fight.

With Cursed Blessing there to translate were less then reassured when she described her clan's normal weaponry, training and gear. One of them even commented on how it was be difficult for their clan to hold out for a long time, thus making it crucial for the horses to speed up their march.

But even if he was only a foal could Truth Seeker see another problem. The horses were still new to the land, they could not speak the native tongue, though some were apparently starting to speak in the common language. But it was taking too long for them to properly communicate without the aid of Cursed Blessing.

Heck the only reason he knew what they were saying was because Cursed Blessing was translating everything they were saying out loud.

Thus the little colt felt sad and worried, even if they arrived what had happened to his clan and family? What had happened to his grandpa? Thee thoughts plagued the young foal even as he looked at the marching horses with awe.

Then something strange happened. A set of horses pulling a larger wagon, with two more horses on them, were give a signal from somewhere. Because they cried out something to the two horses on the wagon, a word that sounded a bit like music but Truth Seeker was not sure.

That's when the two horses pulled out a pair of stick s each, and began to drum on the two big barrel shaped drums held on the front of the wagon. Soon another group pulled out some sort of string instruments, while another duo pulled out some sort of... he had no idea what those tubes were, they were not flutes, but they made a neat sound.

Soon the various sounds of the musicians on wagons began to form a pattern, a rhythm, a song. And as the horses approached the clearing where Truth Seeker's clan was fighting. they began, to sing. And not in their foreign language. But in the common tongue of the ponies, speaking, as if they had been born ponies.

And that song. Was something he had never heard before in his entire life.

The camp of the Wind Striders had been enduring a lot of pain and blood for the last hour or so. While their families were mostly safe within the reinforced wagons or with some of the weather mages, had they thus far lost more then half of their clan's fighters to these raiders.

Sure they had taken down more then a dozen bandits each. But with the seemingly endless tide of raiders it made it painfully clear that unless a miracle happened, would the Wind Striders be destroyed like so many others who had traversed these woods and mountains.

They had received a moment of freedom when a strange magical effect covered the woods, a powerful spell was being weaved and it had protected the Wind Striders, as well as their opponents, locking them in a staring contest. Whenever somepony tried to strike another pony, their bodies would be frozen, as if paralyzed.

It had kept the bandits at bay for a while, with their mad and frenzied troops losing not only their berserker liek strength, but gaining fatigue from trying to break out of their paralyzed state. Everypony had been forced to wait, and watched as a massive amount of large scale mythical circles filled with runes and arrays, rose like a pillar of light to the night sky. It had been a magnificent, if terrifying, sight and it had distracted the bandits from attacking.

When the magical surge had come down from the pillar, and causing it to break apart into pretty sparkles, had the power that held the bandits and the Wind Striders in place was removed. It had taken a few minutes but soon the melee was on once more as the bandits regained their wits and remembered why they were there.

And while the Wind Striders had managed to recover their wounded, and frozen, clan members and put up defenses, were the raiders starting to overwhelm them.

A young colt, barely adult, wielding his dead father's axe, blocked the downward strike from a frenzied raider, making him tumble back. The young pegasus rolled with the blow, his clan garments getting dirty on the ground, but allowed him to regain his stance and let him strike the raider in the chest.

The stone axe with its runic engraving split through the golden plate of the stallion and through his front, making him collapse into a bleeding heap. With an exhausted body the young colt tried to look around, half of his face covered with blood from a recent head wound, when, a sound was heard.

It was subtle at first, only a light tremble of the ground. But soon, the entire camp was shaking as the sound of stamping hooves and rumbling drums were heard from the woodlands. At first the young colt felt fear and terror. Had the bandits received reinforcements!? Was an army of cultist arriving!?

Then he got hope that it might be the Order of the Golden Cross and its knights.

As smoke and fire rose from the various burning wagons and barricades around him, the young colt tried to look through the smoke. And his eyes widened, as massive shapes marched out of the trees, dressed in a strange bronze armours he had never seen before. Their voices, striking like thunder through the air.

A wave of spear wielding warriors strode forward towards the camp site. Their bronze coloured armour hiding their features, but not their size. These ponies were massive, larger then any pony anyone, be them raider or Wind Strider, had ever seen.

With a heavy stomp the soldiers stood up on their hind legs and drew shields and spears. They then marched forward, their weapons held forward and their shields linked together. Towards the fighting ponies.

The bandits thought at first they were allies, fellow cultists to the God of War, and cheered. But as the Wind Striders felt hope dwindle into nothing, the bronze covered warriors reared back their spears. And with thrusts faster then the quickest pegasus could follow, they stabbed the bandits.

Bronze tipped long shafts of metal were pushed forward. As they were greeted by metal plates of various metals, they were for a short instance, stopped. But then, in just as short a moment, they split through the metal, as if it was nothing, and out through the other side of the raider they had stabbed.

Sprays of blood filled the air as over twenty bandits fell, their bodies riddled with holes, their armours sundered and split apart where the spears had struck them. There was a moment of silence, until one of the raiders raised an axe and rushed towards the shield wall with a mad frenzied cry.

"Kill da bastards!"

There was low whoosh through the air, and then a loud thunk was heard. The frenzied raider stopped cold, as from his side, a throwing axe of black metal, struck him in the skull. The edge of the curved blade of the axe splitting his skull apart from the ear to the bottom of his jaw. A spray of blood filled the air as the body tried to pump blood through the massive head wound, and the raider collapsed to the ground. A corpse.

As one the bandits turned towards the direction the axe came from and they saw another group of massive ponies. These however, were not dressed like the ones with the shields and spears. Many had little to no armour, revealing their tattooed muscular bodies, some had chain mail, but all wore pelts and leather, they all had horned helmets that made them look monstrous. These were bearing large round shields as well, but with a different design, and their main weapon were beard bladed axes and strong looking swords rather then spears.

And from all around them, voices began to sing.

There was a sound of tense strings being released and something flying through the air, several bandits ended up with arrows through the back of their heads or other vitals. Out from the opposite side of the axe wielding warriors, came another group, these ones bearing strange armours, monstrous helmets and long curved swords and large strangely shaped bows.

And from the final edge of the camp, into the light of the fire, strode several massive ponies, dressed in thick metal plate, wielding large swords, maces and crossbows. And as the final group arrived, the large warriors strode forward, their voices ringing through the camp like thunder.

A high ranking raider saw the situation, and it was bad. He raised his sword and gained the attention of the other raiders and pointed towards the warriors with the least armour, those with the shields and axes. "Open a path! Cha- argh!"

An axe rolled through the campfire light and struck his throat, the iron blade slicing through hide, flesh, veins and muscles until it finally it got stuck at the base of the spine, at the back of his neck. Nearly decapitated, the corpse collapsed onto the ground, with its head dangling backwards.

There was a wordless command and the four groups charged forward. A group of raiders made their own shield wall and rushed to face the axe wielding ponies. But one of them, even larger then the rest, strode forward with his shield, he slammed into the middle of the raiders. There was a struggled as the raiders tried to push their shields against his own, it might have succeeded had he not pushed his shield upwards, and flung the raiders' shield wall apart.

With a roar the big pony swung his axe down. It shattered a shield like it was made out of rotten wood, before splitting up the nose, jaw and throat of the pony who was holding it.

A raider tried desperately to stab at one of the big warriors with his spear, it shattered against the large round shield and he got his forelegs and neck shattered when the shield was used like a battering ram and slammed into his front.

Several unicorn raiders bearing dirty, but still whole, golden plate, charged towards the warriors with the curved blades, seeking to push through them. The rear line of the strange looking warriors grasped their bows , pulled back, and fired. Five ponies died, each with one arrow in each eye, straight through the slit that was supposed to protect their eyes.

As the armoured unicorns reached the strange looking sword wielders, they charged their horns with magic and fired blasts of magic towards them. The large sword wielding ponies spun around the arcane blasts in an impossibly agile manner, their heavy looking armour not even bothering them in the slightest.

Then they swung their blades, the curved glistering edges disappearing in a blur, like they had never been real to begin with. And then, as the golden armoured ponies passed them by, they slowly sheathed their blades. And as their blades hit the end of the sheath with a soft click, a loud splat was heard as the heads of all thirty unicorns knights that had passed them by flew off their own necks, spraying blood into the air. Their bodies kept running for about five seconds, before simply falling down into a heap.

The large heavy plate armoured ponies charged forward, their thick plate mail armours making many of the deserters of the Equestrian armies feel traumatizing memories reemerge as they realized just what it was they were facing.

"It's da Horses! Da Ancient Ones! Da Forces of da God of War be upon u-rrgh..." His voice was silenced as a horse wielding a large two handed sword sliced his throat open. The knight rushed past the collapsing body before slamming the pointy end of his cross guard into the eye socket of another raider and straight into her brain. There was a second of pause as he jerked out his weapon's cross guard out of the raider's eye socket, it was not long before he was on the move once more. Starting with cutting off the limbs of a third trying to stab him in the side.

A slender looking knight wielding a pair of daggers suddenly darted out from the group of armoured horses and started to weave and dance through the disarray of the battle. She weaved past a raider and gracefully traced her blade across his throat before he knew she was there. With a spin she stabbed another in the throat, while then she lashed out with a one hoofed buck kick and crushed the skull of a third against the wall of a wagon.

As this was going on the Wind Striders had pulled themselves to cover or into their wagons to keep a safe distance from the bloody carnage playing out before their very eyes. Whatever these so called Ancient Ones were, they were far too dangerous for the clan to handle. Not to mention far too many.

A large crash was heard and each group of horses split up, creating a path towards the woodlands around the camp. Several bandits took the chance to rush into the gaps. They did not get far.

Wagons, war chariots to be precise, crudely made but still equipped with a metal reinforced frame, rushed to meet those who were fleeing. Two large horses pulled each chariot, with another pair in the chariot itself, wielding spears and javelins. As the chariots came out of the woodlands, were a pair of blades, which were folded up like fins, folded out now that the trees were no longer in the way.

The bandits had barely time to scream as large metal covered horses trampled over them, with large wooden wheels crushing parts of their bodies. Those were the lucky ones who died quickly, some were not so lucky as the blades attached to the sides of the chariot sliced off body parts without mercy as they passed by.

The eight chariots meet at the center of the camp and instantly passed by one another, riding out of the camp to avoid being cramped up by the enclosed space. As soon as the chariot came out of the camp, the soldiers closed the gap.

As the chariot disappeared there was a second wave of attacks, the raiders were down to a hundred by now and were close to breaking entirely.

That's when it happened. A signal they had been hoping to hear, the sound of a war horn. A war horn from one of the Cultists of the War God. Another raider band was approaching.

But they had no time to consider themselves safe as the warriors finally closed the distance, and in a brutal manner of blood and gore, cut down the remaining raiders. The horses then turned to face the direction the war horn signal had come from and their archers pulled out strangely shaped arrows, and fired them in the direction the horn had been heard. As the arrows were fired, they let out a shrill whistling screech that filled the woodlands.

The Wind Striders looked out from their wagons as the warriors began to take up formations, facing the direction the horn had come from. A line of shields and spears was formed by the bronze armoured warriors between two large wagons and the front of the road leading towards the camp. The knights bearing large swords stood behind them with their swords held ready.

The archers began to take up a formation of a square in the center of the camp, drawing back their large bows, aiming towards the black road. As they did so took the warriors with their axes and shields and moved out of the camp and disappeared into the woodlands. While the warriors with the long curved swords took defensive positions around the archer's square formation with a two line layered circle formation.

A loud rumble was heard in the distance and soon enough could the light of hundreds of torches be seen in the distane among the woods and the road, charging towards the large warriors. Within mere moments was a frenzied horde of raiders charging into the light, their froathing mouths screaming out profanities and battle cries.

A wave of arrows greeted them, killing dozens with a single arrows hitting through their eyeballs, even with visors or face guard equipped helmets to protect them. The tip flew straight through the white orbs and straight into their brains, before exiting the skull and either being stopped by the helmet, or splitting through it.

The first wave collapsed as several of their members died, making them tumble into their corpses and lose balance. But the collapsed raiders were given no chance to regain their balance when they were trampled down by their comrades of the second wave. Their fellow raiders did not give a second thought about them, be them dead or alive, and just rushed over their broken bodies.

At first all hope seemed lost as the wave approached the camp, they were just so many, and their saviors so few. But then, as the second wave rushed into the shield bearing warriors in front of them, they dug their hooves into the ground, pressed up against the large round shields. And even as hundred of soldiers crashed together, putting more pressure against their bronze shields, were none of the pushed back.

In the end, it was the raiders whose entire charge was grounded to a halt by a line of shields. There was a cry from the large warriors and they raised up their shields, bashing back the frontliners, making them lose balance, and then with a savage thrust they impaled the first two ranks of raiders through chest, throat, head or side. Sprays of blood scattered into the air as the spears split through their bodies.

Then with a powerful jerk they pulled their weapons free, and entered into a shield wall before the raiders to push forward and attack them. Another group crashed against the shield wall, they were halted once more. But this time there were no spears, instead, the shield bears made gaps in their shields were large two handed swords were swung down from behind the shield bearers. The massive blades cut through metal, flesh and bones with ease, decapitating off limbs, split heads and sliced open chests as the knights behind the shield bearers, slashed their massive two handed swords.

The horde was halted yet again, their frustration clear they tried to disperse to the sides, attacking the camp from the flanks rather then the front. But as they moved to go left and right to by pass the shield wall, there was a loud battle cry heard from the woods as two large groups of heavily armed axe wielding warriors rushed out of the woods and straight into the backs of the raiders.

A curved axe blade split through the helmet of a raider, the black iron blade splitting apart the enchanted gold helmet without any effort. The axe split open his cranium from the top of his forehead to the base of his neck, leaving the raider with his head split open from forehead to neck. A spray of blood, spinal fluids and brain matter erupted as the raider collapsed to the ground.

Suddenly there was a burst of light from the tree lines and a wedge formation of five chariots charged out of the woods, four more, carrying music playing horses, and drove straight into the scattered murderers. The swaying blades upon the wheels sliced into unprotected flesh or broke armoured limbs.

Javelins flew as the chariots plowed through the crowd of panicking raiders as the two horses upon the back of each wagon reared back their forelegs and threw their shafted weapons into the air. The iron tipped weapon streaked through the air like lying teeth and fangs, as they meet flesh and metal they split through either and impaled the weak flesh beneath.

As the chariots drove straight through the once mighty horde of raiders, there was a second flare of light and a single large warrior rushed out of the woods and started hacking at the troops with two blades. The warrior was wearing nothing but a tribal tunic while carrying a large round shield upon his back, which did nothing to hide even a little of his monstrously zigzagged body.

In a burst of movement the warrior drove forward through the bandits, he sliced with both his swords, one gripped by a hoof, the other by a four clawed bird like talon. With incredible precision and skill he spun around the approaching spear of a raider, ducked beneath the swing of another's sword, before he traced his left sword upright, stabbed it straight into the spear wielder's throat. Before he made a slicing swing with the right sword, and sliced the jugular of the second raider as he stepped past him.

As the warrior rove himself further and further through the panicking bandits his body features became more and more clear. He was a horse, made up by parts of other equine beings,. There were two sets of wings, each a different colouration. Parts of his head was that of a unicorn, which included a horn. One of his forelegs was a talon. And all of these macabre discoloured parts, were linked together by a sickly red looking pattern of red vein like lines.

But while some of the raiders, and plenty of the Wind Striders felt sick at the sight, were the horses undisturbed. It even seemed that he was a leader or somepony of great importance to the horses. Since when he raised one of his weapons and cried out something as he made a downward swing forward, a group of various manners of warriors charged out of the woods in said direction.

The horses charged into the thinned horde of raiders, lead by the patchwork horse who apparently went by the name of Achilles. Said leader leaped up onto a particular big earth pony wielding a hammer, and stabbed one of his blades into his neck as he stood on top of the brute's back. There was a spray of blood as he jerked out his weapon from the raider's throat and jumped off the corpse as it fell towards the ground.

There was the sound of pulled back strings once more, and then another volley of arrows streaked across the sky and impacted the heads of the raiders, never hitting even one of their own troops. As the raiders tried to regroup and get some counter attack going, the shield wall they had been blocked by moved forward and a wave of spears and swords cleaved through their bodies.

The ground of the campsite had by now been turned red with gore. With each dead raider there was more of the crimson colour added to the site. Achilles sheathed one of his swords and ran forward to some of the tougher looking raiders. A group of five raiders tried to tackle him to the ground, but he reached out with his talon and with the curved claws on it.

With a clench of his griffin talon's clawed fingers he gripped his foe's head and dug his claws into any weak spot he could reach, including the eyes. With a bloody scream and a splat of body fluids, two of his claws dug through and past the eyeballs and into the brain. Then he heaved the screaming raider by the bloody holes he had dug into his head and used him like an improvised club to slam into the other four raiders.

The pile of groaning and screaming raiders were used like a stepping stone for the warrior and he pushed his hind legs to their limits and jumped into the air. With a somersault in the air he landed right before one of the larger raiders on his hind legs. The big brute tried to swing his big weapon, a two handed warmace, into the horse's face. But Achilles leaned to the side, stepped forward ,and stabbed his sword into the big raider's face.

With a pained grunt the raider tried to grab Achilles but he let go of the sword and ran past the brute, before reaching back and grabbed the handle of his sword. He then jerked his sword through half of the big stallion's head, leaving half of the left side of his skull cut open. Blood and brain matter erupted from the brutal wound as the big brute collapsed to the ground.

One of the axe wielding horses rushed past his leader and towards the line of bandits before him. With brutal strength beyond his size he swung his weapon, the curved blade singing through the wind before it slammed into the wooden shield one of them tried to block his strike with. The shield shattered, the pony's foreleg snapped and then the bearded axe blade beheaded him and the two other raiders next to him.

As the warrior raised his axe into the air he let out a loud wordless battle cry. As he did so Achilles rushed forward and jumped up on the handle of the warrior, who just moved with his momentum and let him jump five meters into the air. With one sword drawn and his shield held by his other foreleg, Achilles held the shield downwards as he descended upon the panicking bandits. He slammed down like a boulder ,crushing three ponies beneath his shield.

Behind him a wave of axes and swords sliced apart more and more bandits, clearing a path to his spot in the chaos. But even before his allies reached him, he stood up on his hind legs, let go of his shield, since he was standing on it. With his talon free he reached out and grasped a spear about to stab him, slammed it back into the face of its wielder, and stepped off the shield, before making a brutal stab into another pony's throat. Blood sprayed out of the wound as he pulled his weapon free from the flesh.

He stomped down on the edge of his shield, which flipped up into the a air, it would have landed on his front ,had it not impacted the skull of a raider pegasus who tried to make a fly by attack with a claymore strike at his head. As the pegasus crashed into his fellows Achilles just jerked back the spear he was still holding. And thus pulled it out of the grip of the pony he had hit in the head with the spear's pommel.

With a spear and sword held by his forelegs he rushed forward once more as the rest of his warriors joined him. He jumped and slammed his left knee into the side of the groggy pony's head with enough force to break his neck. As the patchwork pony landed behind the falling corpse he used his remaining momentum to slam his recently acquired spear towards a pair of bandits trying to attack him from the front.

The spear split through the first one's throat, went through the neck, and into the face of the second, before entering the brain. Letting go of the spear he reached down and took a long sword from one of the fallen raiders and rushed past the two dead bodies.

A shield wielding horse slammed the edge of his mighty shield into a foe's neck, breaking it. The sword of a knight split another in half by the waist. One horse warrior wielding a small shield and a one handed sword, slammed his shield into the face of one foes, breaking his face, before slicing the leg off another. The curved blade of a strangely intimidating horse warrior blurred like silver in the moon light and the raider who had been trying to attack with an axe, saw his axe split apart at the length, before his own body did as well.

One graceful looking tribal warrior bearing leather armour, small shield and spear, let out a shrill cry before suddenly charging forward, stabbing the spear at such speed and precision, that no blood seemed to remain on the spearhead. A light armoured knight wielding a pair of daggers erupted from behind a raider and slit his throat, before dancing around, slicing the tendons of another foe's legs, before stabbing a third in the head through the gap of his visor.

A pair of warriors, one wielding a curve bladed polearm and another wielding a big club, worked together to take out several raiders. The one wielding the massive club rushed forward, and used his club as an improvised battering ram to knock his foes to the ground, while the light and quick polearm wielding horse stabbed and sliced their fallen bodies.

All of these various types of warriors, knights, tribals, bronze and demonic looking warriors cut through the raiders, their voices crying out the lyrics of the final chant of their song. By now had the once mighty horde been reduced to just a mere hoofful of raiders remaining.

And even as Achilels sliced the throat of another big foe, he stood there, graceful and strong, even though he looked like he had been made from the shattered bodies of a dozen poor souls. But as the final wicked foe fell to the blades of these unknown ancient beings, the horses raised their weapons and cried out the final part of their song, marking the end of the battle.

Maleficus Victoriea, in the form of Achilles, let out a sigh and stretched his left foreleg's shoulder and then his right. Looking down at his talon he flexed the four clawed fingers and with each flex a grin slowly spread across his face. The disguised alicorn clenched his talon and a look of determination spread across his gruesome face.

*It works! It's just a beginning. But it works! I can feel this talon and move its parts it like I did my old hand. Sure its one less finger, but it still feels so good to have fingers again!* Closing his eyes Achilles smiled contently as the thoughts of once again having fingers made him feel such relief.

It had been decades since he could even remember the sensation of fingers, palm and thumb. It was such a relief to have it once more. And soon, he would break down how to transform his new alicorn body, and alter its true shape. That was his goal. To transform his original body into an alternative state to regain his human body.

His eyes opened as he heard his soldiers going quiet and he looked to see what was causing them to go silent, that's when he saw the forms of Truth Seeker and Ancient Wall, clutching at the corpse of an elderly pegasus, crying in sorrow. He no longer felt good or content, now he just felt shame and sorrow, that he could have prevented the needless killings.

Rubbing his forehead with his talon he sighed before he looked at his silent troops and the corpses littering the ground. He needed to clear out the dead before disease and beats were attracted to the area.

"Ta liken av banditerna och släng dem på hög. Bränn dem sen till aska." (Translation: Take the corpses of the bandits and toss them into piles. Then burn them to ashes.) The horses saluted and began to gather the corpses of the dead corpses of their foes and dragged them off to the glade by the tower to throw them into piles to prevent forest fires.

As the horses worked on their gruesome task, Achilles walked over to one of the chariots and sat down on it. He could not walk on all four with one of his forelegs as a talon, it was far too unbalanced for him to move without risking a fall, so he had to walk on his hind legs.

Sitting there the patchwork horse warrior let the gentle summer breeze flow across his face and he just tried to relax, even as the despair and cries of the Wind Striders filled the night a they mourned their fallen. He was tired, not physically, but mentally he felt utterly drained.

*Aaaah... Some days I just want to silence the world and not feel anything at all. Just silent and emotionless peace. That way, I would not feel like such a shitty person.*

The elderly looking horse Cursed Blessing looked at his creator and then at another of his fellow horses, and the two shared looks of concern before going their separate ways. Cursed Blessing went over to the two mourning ponies and offered a comforting presence, while the other horse resumed its duties in gathering and burning the corpses of their fallen enemies.

The pegasus stallion Wild Whip was a young adult pony, recently of age by the law of his clan. He was a single child, an orphan really, but many of the Wind Striders were like that, it was not easy being nomads. And this terrifying night had only proven how bad things could turn out.

He had been one of the defenders, he had fought and killed to protect the clan. Elder Rune Wall had died protecting his family, it made Wild Whip both happy and sad. Sad that the kind Elder had died, but happy that he protected his family. But as the battle progressed, young Wild Whip grew more and more nervous as the enemies never seemed to stop coming.

Even with the short respite of the strange magical phenomena only gave them a bit of a breather to recover.

But then as the situations seemed to be at its worst, came a group of big and strong warriors of various manners and slaughtered the bandits.

Wild Whip had been in awe of their fighting styles, so many different types of weapons and armour, wielded with such finesse, strength and efficiency. It was both enlightening and terrifying.

When the raiders proclaimed these big and scary looking warriors to be the Ancient Ones had the young pony felt a shiver of shock course through his spine. The only Ancient Ones he knew of were the long lost race of Horses, the ancient fore bearers of the ponies who went missing before the Great Winter.

And Wild Whip was more then willing to accept this new information. They looked so much like the ancient scripts and wall paintings described them. Big, strong, warlike, brutal and disciplined.

His awe was broken when he took note of how the rest of his clan had moved to safety while he had remained out in the open, staring in shock at the battle. That's when he thought to look around to spot any of those who had been in the wagon with Elder Rune Wall's daughter and grandson. Especially, he was trying to spot Gold Digger.

While the mare was more commonly known as the 'comfort mare', or whore as some less the pleasant mares liked to call them, was young Wild Whip ensnared not just by her sheer beauty and sensual passion. The mare had protected him while he was a foal from a bandit. While she was no fighter, was she more then skilled enough to warp her legs around a stallions neck and breaking it.

She had jumped on the back of the large stallion, warped her hind legs around his neck, and essentially crushed his windpipe and neck with nothing more then the muscle strength of her thighs. All to protect a young colt of ten summers age. And she asked him in a kind voice while hugging his shaken form if he was okay.

That had been eight years ago and ever since, had young Wild Whip been ensnared by Gold Digger, not just as a beautiful mare, but as a kind protector. He felt a crush at first, and a need to become stronger, someone who could protect her just like she had protected him. For years he trained and grew stronger, he also spent time with her, talking with her about the various things they had seen and experienced.

Of course Gold Digger would almost always start going into dirty erotic tales of her sexual endeavors with other clan members or attractive strangers. But young Wild Whip did not mind that, he actually was rather intrigued by her life as a comfort mare and never belittled her for it. He never saw the issue, she was not just an intelligent and beautiful mare, but she was also one who used her desire for comfort and pleasure to give the same to others.

It came as a realization to him as of two years ago, that his crush had grown into genuine affection. But he did not have the courage to confess. Plus he did not feel like she would be willing to even consider him as a possible partner, being so much younger and inexperienced. So he kept himself from confessing, and just kept with the friendship he had with the older mare.

Back at the present the young stallion had searched the camp he became increasingly worried. There was no sign of Gold Digger and none of the others had seen her either, and those who had been with her last were unwilling to say where she was. Which only made him even more worried. That's when he heard a faint voice coming from one of the wagons. And it did not

"Gold Digger! Are ye alright... Woah..." The young stallion's words were slowly brought to a halt as he stopped just after the doorway of the wagon. And stood there, staring with wide eyes at the incredible erotic, and yet terrifying, sight before his eyes.

All over the floor of the wagon laid the dehydrated bodies of over a dozen raiders, their bodies so drained of body fluids they looked like they had been mummified in a desert. The entire floor and their bodies were covered in white smelly fluid, as well as clear transparent fluid as well that made his body feel oddly warm at the smell of it.

"Oh! Ah! Ah! Ah need ta cum!" A sweet erotic, and almost melodic, voice cried out in frustration from the middle of the pile of not breathing raiders.

There, riding cowpony style on top of a large, not breathing, raider, like a dominant golden pelted and red maned goddess of beauty and mating, was Gold Digger. She was bouncing her drooling pussy up and down a limp pony cock that was so drained it was more like a noddle then a penis.

The limp member was dripping with clear sweet smelling love fluids, the two sacks beneath it had been so utterly drained that they had become like drained baloons. Even the white semen that covered the loins of the big stallion had been ashed off by the mare's constant riding.

"Oh! Ah! Come on ya lousy limp dicked brute! Did ye not say ye be da badd'st fuck'r around!?" Even as her erotically large and firm flank slammed down against the unresponsive groin beneath it, she did not receive any response. Since her partner had expired from sheer exhaustion and dehydration. The sheer frustration and need in Gold Diggers voice and eyes were like burning infernos, she was clearly not satisfied by the raiders' attempt at 'handling her'.

"Ye an' ya fr'ends only made me cum ten times! Ah! Come on! Get dat bloody cock hard again! Ah need some release of mah own!" Even as she cried out these frustrating words, she kept trying to pull out a final orgasm from the corpse beneath her. She was so into it that she never noticed the young stallion, until he tried to get her attention.

Young Wild Whip nervously stepped forward, unable to look away from Gold Digger's watering entrance trying to find release on the limp member of the dead raider. The lips of the hole were suckling the meat like a mouth suckling an icicle or stick with syrup. "Ah... ehm... miss Gold Digger? Ah don' think he be alive... nor the others."

A little startled Gold Digger paused in her attempts to relieve herself and looked back to see the young colt staring at her. She felt a rush of shame course through her body, as she had never wanted Wild Whip to see her like this. She had wanted at least one friend who did not make wild assumptions about her, even if some of them were true. "Ah ah... oh? Hello there youn' Wild Whip. Ah may be a bit pent up ye see. These brutes had no clue how da please a mare good an' proper."

"Nnnngh... Ah!" She let out a gasp as she pulled the limp member free of her loins. She slowly staggered off the corpse of the dead raider and almost immediately began to try and rub her drooling pussy like crazy to find relief. Going so far as to try and push her hoof into her cunt and almost fist herself to get an orgasm.

*...Ah cannot look away...* The young Wind Strider pegasus thought as he watched the incredible erotic sight in front of him, feeling his own little warrior starting to stand up in attention.

The young stallion was also worried and confused, Gold Digger may be a tough mare, but he knew she was probably still hurt emotionally, even if she used herself to distract and defeat all these raiders. He knew she would not be emotionally stable after going through something like this.

And he was confused, since he felt a sudden rush of courage, something he had not felt in a long time. And he just knew. He just knew, that if he did not do something now. He would never get another chance.

Wild Whip decided to act upon his new rush of bravery and stepped up to the trembling shape of Gold Digger as she was rubbing her marehood with a hoof, and hugged her from behind.

The yellow pelted mare went tense as the young stallion's forelegs warped around her sexually frustrated body. Her eyes were blinking in confusion, even as unshed tears seemed to be gathering in them. She never realized how much her heart was beating as the younger pony hugged her sexually stained body to his leather covered body. "Oh my! Wild Whip!? What are ye doin'? Ah am dirty!"

"Ye are not dirty Gold Digger! And Ah got ta tell ya somethin'!" The young stallion shouted out to her, the mare felt flustered at the sudden change in the young stallion she had known since he was a little colt. He had such a look of determination on his face that she could feel her heart skip a beat as he looked her straight in the eyes, even as her hot and needy hole was drooling against one of his hind legs.

Her body went tense as the young colt hugged her tighter and she felt the strong muscles of his hind leg rub against her loins and she tried to push back as her body wanted to arch in pleasure. "No wait! Ooooh! Ah! Wild Whip! This may not be da best! Oooooh! Time!"

But the grown up colt was without mercy to her sexually frustrations and just hugged her tighter, her trembling forelegs were soon pushed up against her breast and she found herself nose to nose with the young stallion. And she could not help but notice how big and handsome he had become, she had always seen him as that cute little colt she saved all those years ago. But he was grown up now, and she probably only realized it now how much he had grown. "No! Ah must tell ya! Or Ah may never have da courage ta do it again!"

"Wild Whip! Please not now! Ah! Mah loins are burning! Ah need a bit of-Humph!?" The mare's eyes widened as the lips of the young colt captured hers and she found herself being kissed by the passionate youngster. Her loins felt like they were on fire as the unskilled but passionate stallion hugged her close and kissed her, while looking her in the eyes with such warmth. It was making her feel like a young innocent virgin.

"Mmmmphaa! Ah love ya Gold Digger!" Releasing her lips the young stallion released out his secret, his love for her, there was no going back. He was going to show her how much he loved her no matter how much it took.

Said mare was gasping, her cheeks flustered, a trail of drool connecting her tongue with the young stallion's mouth. Even as her cheeks were burning crimson she tried to regain her composure and respond to his feelings, to tell him she was not the mare for him, when eh claimed her lips again. "Whu-whu-what are ya sayin Wild Whip!? Ah am too old fer ye an'-hmmm!"

This time the kiss went on for much longer, and the young stallion let his tongue slide into her own mouth and her eyes almost went gloss eyed as she felt his tongue enter her mouth and her own rising up to rub against his. Then, as the kiss ended, young Wild Whip denied her words and just let out his hearts. Not caring in the least of how the older mare was trying, and failing, to make him see reason. "Mmmmph! Ye are not! Ah don' care if ye are a comfort mare! Ah don' care if ye are older! Ah love ye Gold Digger!"

Gold Digger was not a mare often flustered, but for the first time in years she felt like a love struck little filly, her gaping and drooling pussy rubbing against the strong and muscular thigh of a much younger stallion who was declaring his love to her. Even after having seen her raping the corpse of a raider, a group of over a dozen she had essentially fucked to death. She tried to make him see reason, to make him stop, before he actually made her fall for him. "Stop it Wild Shape! We may end up doin somethin we both may-hmmmmmmm!"

He silenced her by kissing her again, and the mare found herself welcoming the kiss. She no longer resisted his advances and her forelegs were starting to stroke his leather covered chest, her eyes fluttered s she felt herself become ensnared in the passion. Even as something hot and throbbing started to rub against her left thigh, she could not find it in herself to care, not any more. "Mmmmm!"

She slowly pulled back, her tongue hanging out from her mouth as she panted, the air between their panting mouths almost looked foggy. With a husky voice she spoke to him, trying to make him see reason, even as she had already lost to him. Even as she shifted her hind legs and started to rub her hot and needy pussy against the thick and vein covered length of his young stallion hood. She tried, but utterly failed, to not take it too far. "Pah! Oh ye stupid colt. Nah. Ye stupid stallion. Ah am not a good mare fer ye. Ye deserve betteeeeer! Ah! Ah!"

He responded to her halfhearted denials by embracing her and pushing his member against her dripping entrance. It felt so warm, so inviting. Even as he slowly probed her warm and wet tunnel, her spoke to her, letting out all of his passion and desires, all of his love and care, even as she pushed against his trusts, slowly pushing the head of his member into her hot entrance. "Ah don' want anypony else! Ah want Gold Digger! Ah want da mare Ah love! And I shall show ye how much Ah love ye! Haaaaa!"

Gold Digger let out a gasp of pleasure as the thick head of his member spread apart the lips of her neither regions and began to push inside. Even as she verbally protested, she pushed against his thrusts, pushing him deeper and deeper. and then, as she felt he was pushing too much at once, he grabbed her by the flanks, lifted her up, and sank his length straight into her. Balls deep in one thrust. "Aaaah! Oooh! No! Stop! Too much! Ah! Ah! Ah am not readiiiiiiiiiiiiii! Oooooaaaaaah!"

The warm and wet flesh was clenching around the member like a vice, even if Gold Digger had laid with the raiders, had none of them been as thick and long as Wild Whip had been. Heck she could not remember a stallion that had filled her up so good before.

Even as he began to thrust and pump his length in and out of her body, pushing into her womb with each thrust, she was let out passionate screams of pleasure while hugging his neck. The sound of flesh hitting flesh began to fill the wagon as the passionate duo began to release their restraints. "Aaaah! Sooo warm! Mmmpha! Ye feel soooo good Gold Digger! Ah am never lettin' ye go! Mmmm!"

She moaned out, kissing him as he kept thrusting into her older body with his younger and virile cock. Between kisses she berated him, even as she hugged him and kissed him, she berated him like a foal who had taken a cookie out of the cookie jar. She could feel his body tense up, and she knew she would end up pregnant.

An ironic twist of faith considering she had managed to make the raiders cum outside of her womb for several hours, and yet here this young colt of a pony was breeding her like a true stud. "Ye stupid colt! Ooooh! Stupid silly. Ooooh! Oh ye better. Ah! Be prepared fer da. Oooooh! Consequences!"

"Ah am coming! Ooooooooh!" Young Wild Whip screamed out this as he rapidly began to pump Gold Digger up and down his cock before he suddenly arched his spine and slammed himself balls deep, and erupted into her womb. The sensation of gushing sperms flooding her inner core was enough to make Gold Digger cry out as her entire body sparked out into an intense orgasm together with the young stallion.

"Aiiiiiiiiiiiih! Yesssss! It feels soooooo gooooood!" Drool was leaking out her mouth as her tongue was hanging out, her eyes rolling up, showing only whiteness, as her boy released all of its pent up tensions and frustrations from.

The two pegasi then collapsed onto the already stained flood, with Gold Digger lying on top of a panting Wild Whip who looked like he had gone and come back from heaven. They laid there for a while, recovering from their short but intense love making.

"Ah am stuffed... ha... feel sooo good..." Gold Digger softly moaned out as she waited for her legs and waist to recover. Her muzzle buried into the neck of her new found lover.

"Ah... ah... oooh... Ah am in trouble aren't Ah?" Wild Whip panted out softly as he laid there. His body felt sore and yet relaxed, and even though he had just come, was his member starting to harden as the wet warmth of Gold Digger's clenching insides were pleasuring him.

Said mare pushed her foreleg hooves against his leather covered chest and smiled down at him, flicking a lock of hair behind her left hear before grinding her hips against his. The sensation was making his member harden even faster and soon she was slowly and sensually pushing her wet and hot hole, up and down his member. "Ye better believe it. No stud of mine is goin' ta leave me unsatisfied!"

The young stallion moaned out as the mature mare began to ride his cock with the professionalism only an experienced and talented comfort mare could. And then he blinked in realization at what she had just said and looked up at her with a growing smile. "Ooooh! Wait. Yer stud? Ye mean?"

"Consider this mah answer ye silly colt." She said with a grin, before raising up her hips, pulling her sperm filled womb free of his thick member, releasing a thick splatter of white hot batter over the floor and his groin. Before suddenly slamming it back down, and arched her back moaning out in bliss as she did so.

"Ooooooooooh! Gold Digger!" Wild Whip began to try and thrust back against her bouncing flank and the sound of flesh hitting flesh filled the wagon once more. Gold Digger leaned down and kissed Wild Whip passionately as she rode his thick member.

"Mmmmmmmmmm! Good boy! Ah! Fill mah body with that big dick! Ooooh yeeeeesssss!" The mare declared as she moaned. With increasing fervor and desire she raised her flank into the air before pushing it down, repeatedly, and with rapid speed. The recent orgasm had made her even more sensitive and the young stallion beneath her had good stamina to keep up with her needs.

"Ooooooh! Yer a keeper alrig't!" She declare while licking her lips sensually. The mare was going to be enjoying her new partner in bed. And she was not going to stop anytime soon.

It would be a good while before the two lovers would stop mating in the wagon. Which goes to show that even the most tragic of events, can bring happiness and love to those who survive.

Life finds a ways.

The sun rose and brought light upon the nation of Equestria. And as it rose it also brought light to the vast ocean next to the Eastern Coast. There an island stood, a volcano to be precise. Located just outside of the coast of the western continent, it was an island of no life except for the fire spewing mountain of which it had been made from.

There deep within a dark cavern, a pair of large green glowing orbs appeared within the shadows as the sun light reached the entrance of the cavern. As the orbs enlarged, a black orb appeared within the center, before narrowing into a slit like shape. A soft rumbling filled the cavern as the, now identified, eyes narrowed and the large creature who they belonged to, stepped out into the sunlight.

A massive reptilian talon covered by black scales slammed into the brittle volcanic soil outside of the cavern. The large dark shape stepped out of the cavern and stretched its long serpentine neck and a large pair of bat like wings. Slowly it curled back its wings and neck before turnings its large serpentine head to look towards the west.

"Hrrrrmmmm!" A deep rumbling growl erupted from its throat as its large nostrils flared and its eyes grew narrow as its caught something new in the wind since it had last been awake. A smell that contained not just the scent of woods, manure and ponies. But it also the smells of metal, blood, death and... something unknown.

It was clearly not really concerned about the unknown scent, but the rest made it agitated. And as it grew more agitated, its large stomach made out a loud rumbling, and it discarded its concerns for something far more important. Hunger.

With a big frown it glared towards the west and began to stomp down the side of the volcanic island. Its massive wings slowly spread out once more as its large limbs began to move more and more rapidly. Until it reached the edge of the shoe, and with a powerful leap, jumped several meters into the air, before flapping its massive wings, taking flight.

As it rose through the air and towards the sky, the large shape let out a loud and sky shattering roar that echoed across the ocean around the volcanic island, and towards the main lands.

The sound vibrated across the sandy shores, into the rocky valleys and across the volcanic mountains. There, within dark caverns, deep valleys and cores of volcanoes, the sound vibrated down into the deepest crevice. And for a moment, there was sense of silence and peace, but that silence was soon broken, as beings who heard the cry of the beast, responded with roars of their own.

Across the western coastline close to the island rose winged shapes from the wastelands. One after another, they rose to the sky. Perhaps over one hundred of their massive bulks rose into the sky, their scale covered bodies held by massive bat like wings, all of various colours, shapes and sizes.

The flock of massive beings followed the large black one as it flew at incredible speeds through the skies, the sunlight not even reflecting upon its blackened scales, making it look like a black silhouette upon the blue morning sky as it head west. And so they followed, towards the region now known as Equestria.

For soon the world would once more know, that the Grand Feast of the Dragons, had begun.

Princess Celestia walked down the halls of a large incomplete structure she had ordered to be made a few years ago. With the appearance of the Ancient Ones, the Lost Tribe of the Horses, she knew that Equestria needed to improve even further.

Thus she started by taking some ideas from the chronicles written by Golden Cross. The first thing she ordered when she and her forces returned home to Canterlot was to let her forces recover before sending them off to non-combatant missions.

She had scouts map out the areas of her nation, there were far too many blank spots in the kingdom for her liking. Even with the increased infrastructure and population had her subjects only managed to map around one fifth of the lands. And most of that was open terrain or close to the roads and settlements.

Her next decree was for the construction of the Magical Academy, the new school for all magical capable ponies, not only including the unicorns. It would be the home of the new Battle Mage Training Grounds and act as the nominal school for all unicorns of ages of eleven and up in Canterlot and its nearby settlements. This would give the future generations of unicorns a proper education on how to use their magic efficiently. Although that was mostly just an excuse to get more proficient magic wielding unicorns into her armies.

The lack of magical support had hit her forces hard. And unicorns were more lazy then most other kinds of ponies, so hopefully would this Academy give them some motivations involving the army as well. Even if only supporting the military would that still be an improvement.

Thus the construction of the Academy had become the main focus for her city, the architecture was almost completed with the extra labour she had received. Then after it was done, it would just be a matter of equipping it with the proper tool, teachers and lore to teach the future generations of unicorns.

Celestia's third and perhaps most daring project was to create a school, for all ponies. Something she noted from Golden Cross' chronicles was that young foals who learned things early, either through play or study, depending on the pony, could become somepony of great talent in the future if given a chance. The return for creating not only school buildings but a school system, for all foals the age of five to ten would be time consuming. But it was a long term goal and the payback she would get for giving all her subjects a proper education, would improve not only her military, but her entire nation.

She had been offered aid from the Order of the Golden Cross in developing the Schooling System. Thus giving her free room and time to develop proper plans for the constructions of foalhood schools, the naming was still a work in progress, in not only Canterlot but all the settlements.

This had made her rather busy however and even though she still received reports from Blackstone Keep about the restoration of the East Coast were there no news about Maleficus. And there had been no news about the large glowing pillar of light that was spotted last night. But it had only been half a day since the event so she could realize it would take more time to get news.

Speaking of news, she intended to have the Communication Orbs developed into a better model and spread out across the kingdom. This would not only speed up the transferring of information, it would also make certain that if something wrong happened, the information would reach Celestia, no matter the distance.

Celestia's recollection of the past few days had made her lose track of time and she almost felt like rubbing her head in annoyance when Solid Pink appeared, carrying a tray with scrolls and a quill pen with an inkwell. Even when she was outside and surveying her projects she could not evade the eternal torment that was paperwork.

Ancient Ruins rubbed her son's tear stained cheeks as they watched the fire burn. It had been a harsh night, a bloody night. But the sun was rising and they were alive. Though the same could not be said for her father or twenty other members of the clan. But even with the deaths that had occurred, was she still comforted that her son was alive and that the horses had come to their aid.

The mutilated hero Achilles personally lead the forces, setting up the ambush points and preparing the main force to handle the reinforcements arriving. Even though she had been safe among the main force on a chariot had she felt anxiety and fear, but when Achilles charged with his troops and started to cut down the raiders like wheat, she felt no more fear.

With skill and strength that had to be built from years of training and battle, she witness him and his fellow Ancient Ones break the raiders like wheat in a field yielding to the edge of a scythe. Even though his appearance was monstrous and tragic, was she still glad that he remained the hero as the story Cursed Blessing had told her.

But even with Achilles' forces had blood and lives been lost long before the horses even were cured of their petrification. One of these victims was her own father, Rune Wall.

The old pegasus had used his whip and long sword to cut down at least five more raiders before being stabbed in the back of the skull and through the throat by four other raiders. When she had seen the shape of her father lying down on the group next to his cherished weapons, she leaped off the chariot and flew over the skirmish, her son clinging to her neck.

She had cradled his long cold body against her and cried alongside her son. His strong forelegs that used to comfort her, carry her and play with her. A father who gave her all the love she could ask for, one who comforted her when her husband died all those years ago and helped her raise her son alongside the rest of her family.

All gone now. Only the memories left.

The bodies of the raiders had been dragged away by the horses to be burned to ashes, as to prevent diseases from spreading. At least according to what Cursed Blessing translated from Achilles' explanations when some of her clan members asked why they were gathering the corpses of the raiders.

The Wind Striders had a similar tradition, when someone of the clan died they would put the body on a pile of stacked logs, and then the closest relative or friend would ignite it with lightning from a cloud. It had been her duty to ignite her own father's pyre this night. It had hurt more then anything to be the one to have to ignite the pyre meant to burn her own father's body, but she had done it, and felt... relieved.

Sparks and flames filled the campsite as the pyres of the fallen clan members burned. The horses had aided them in gathering the wooden logs and clearing out spots for the pyres, they kept a respectful distance away as they lit them up, one by one, and watched their fallen friends, brothers, fathers, sons and husbands turn to ash and cinder.

As she watched her father's fire burning she hugged her sleeping son close, the little colt had fallen asleep, the events of the night too much for his young body to keep awake. The sparks and smoke almost seemed to dance in the wind as she watched them.

She heard hoofsteps and glanced to the left to see the old horse Cursed Blessing, carrying a blanket which he held out to her with a kind smile. Ancient Ruin silently accepted the blanket and warped it around herself. The old stallion sat down next to her and pulled out a pipe from... his beard... and ignited the herbs within it with a spark of lightning from his left hoof.

Puffing on the pipe the old horse inhaled some smoke before he exhaled it. Out of his lips came not a simple cloud of smoke, but a smoky figure in the shape of a pony, or horse, moving across the empty sky. The silence of the solemn air of the camp was only broken by the choked sobs of the mourning and the cracks of the flames.

Cursed Blessing looked out over the camp and watched as the various ponies huddled close or stood alone ,watching the fires burning. His 'ancient' kindred were watching from the wagons and beyond, having settled down outside of the Wind Striders' camp for some rest. His creator, masquerading as Achilles the Hero, was still sitting on a chariot. His tormented creator had not moved an inch since he sat down on that chariot last night.

The old looking horse of a sage inhaled once more smoke from his pipe, and slowly released it, this time, the shape of a pegasus appeared. And it joined the still prancing smoky earth pony slash horse, which was still moving across the air. Then, old Cursed Blessing began to hum softly into the morning air.

At first none of the pegasis or hoses took note of his humming. But a twitched came from the ears of one of his kindred and slowly the horse looked towards the campsite were the strangely familiar tune was coming from. And slowly, he began to walk past the wagons, to listen closer.

The ponies also took note of this strange melody the old horse was humming, it broke the silence of the solemn moment, and yet, the soft and slow tunes of the humming felt... fitting.

Then a horse dressed in armour made from elather and fur, with his beige coloured pelt tattooed with blue tribal markings, horned helm covering most of his red mane, and with an axe strapped to his back, came to the circle of ponies. The large stallion was following the sound of the humming old horse and followed it, slowly walking over to the spot were Cursed Blessing was sitting. And then he sat down on a log, listening to the humming melody of the old horse.

Another horse, this one dressed in cloth and bronze came, carrying no weapons. With its red mantle and bronze armour was it hard to discern much of the horse's appearance, but there was a pelt of brown and a mane of black. This horse too walked over to the humming old sage, and sat down on a log on the other side of the one the barbarian had sat down on.

Slowly the ponies began to take note as more and more horses began to appear, most of them stayed by the wagons, but it was clear, that the strange humming of Cursed Blessing was attracting them. Some walked forward and sat down close to the old horse as he hummed. The sound of strings being tuned could be heard as a horse mare dressed in tribal leather armour with a winged helm strapped to her side, sat down on a rock with a strange looking lute.

She was soon joined by another mare, this one dressed in strange armour with wide and flat shoulder guards, her demon faced helmet strapped to her side. In her grip, was another strange looking lute like instrument. Flicking the strings with a wooden spatula of some kind as she tuned them.

Then a third mare sat down next to them, this one dressed in cloth and chain mail, with her plate helmet strapped to her side. She too had a string instrument, only this one, had something additional to it, a piece of wood with a string attached between both ends of the stick. Next came another mare, this one dressed in bronze armour, her red combed helemt strapped to her side as well, with a golden harp she put down on her lap.

Soon the humming of Cursed Blessing grew, as some of the horses began to hum alongside him. A plate covered horse sat down next to a tribal barbarian, and offered him a bowl shaped drum, which the axe wielding warrior accepted.

The ponies watched with confusion as the horses hummed and gathered around the pyres, but then they saw how one of the groups parted ways, and some let out gasps as the gruesome shape of Achilles stepped forward. The patchwork like horse hero walked over to an empty spot by the two warriors with drums sitting next to Cursed Blessing.

Achilles, or rather Maleficus, did not know how the horses had gained so much memories from his information transfusion, but he knew that he needed to keep u phis act and join in the moment, even if he did not really want to. But this song, was made by a fan to the movies of the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings, and the quality and emotion within those songs. Was amazing. And he could not deny that he felt proud, to even being partly the reason why it was coming to life within this new world.

And as Achilles sat there, the two drummers raised their hooves, and lightly began to tap them against the drums, while those with string instruments, began to play on them. With the rising music began some of the horses in the crowd to pull out various instruments of their own, although only thirty of them had instruments, and began to play a well.

And as the music found its harmony, Cursed Blessing blew out another mouthful of smoke, this time it grew into the shape of a unicorn. And then a second gust of smoke came after a soft inhaling, and an earth pony joined the trio, making it a quartet. And as the four smoky figures ran around in the air, the horses raised their heads to look towards the morning sky. As the old sage began to sing.

His voice rang out across the campsite, his voice carried with the wind and the melody being played. The song was simple, the music too, and yet it held so much emotion that it was being heard by everyone in the camp, even those asleep. "Where now the horse and the monster?"

As he sang the horses hummed to it, their humming becoming a backstage choir to the melody as the instruments gently played along. Old Cursed Blessing blew out another puff of smoke, making more figures of dancing horses and ponies. "Where is the horn that was blowing?"

The smoky figures began to danced around in the air, moving around the burning pyres, dancing with graceful and playful movements. Their smoky shapes shifted and twisted as the wind blew through them. For some reason, it felt like they were dancing to the slow and solemn song as it was being sung. "Where is the helm and the hauberk?"

Sparks flew out from the burning pyres, and flowed along with the smoky figures, some of the sparks even got stuck in the smoky shapes and made them appear like small moving constellations of ponies and horses. As the old horse sang, the smoke from the pyres themselves, seemed to flow out and join the dancing smoke figures, shaping landscapes of fields and hills for them to dance upon. "And the bright banners flowing?"

The ponies watched the spectacle, at first they did not know how to feel. But then, one of the young foals who was still awake, listened to the song and began to feel something. The little filly did not understand much of what was happening, but the gentle and solemn melody made her feel sad and yet happy at the same time, and rather sleepy. So she leaned against her mother, and began to hum along with the song. "Where is the hoof on the bowstring?"

With the humming of a little filly joining the choir of the fully adult horses, some of the larger equines glanced at the little foal, some of them even smiled, before resuming to listening or humming to the song. And slowly, but surely, began another pony to hum along with the melody. "And the enemies' eyes glowing?"

The lyrics felt alien, the ponies did not understand what they were about. Well not at first. But as they listened, and as they watched the dancing figures of smoke, some of them glanced at the humming horses and noticed something. Within the eyes of the horses were looks of nostalgia, a look of longing, a desire, a wish, that could never be fulfilled."Where is the cities and the towers?"

A young mare noticed how one of the horses playing the strings, her large body made her look amazonian but she had a graceful appearance if you looked beyond her size. And there was a sad look on her face, with her eyes half open, as if to hold back tears. Soon more and more these small signs told the ponies of the Wind Strider Clan just what they were witnessing."And the tall grass growing?"

It was a song of lament, for a people who had been forgotten to history, and now returns, to find they had lost everything. A song for mourning those they had lost while turned into stone.

Then something happened Cursed Blessing returned his pipe to his mouth and stopped singing. Instead began one of the warrior sitting close to him, the one dressing in the strangely folded armour with demonic helmet, to sing instead. And as he did, all of the horses bearing the same attire as he, looked up towards the heavens more then before. "They have passed like rain on the mountain."

After he finished his part of the lyrics, he lowered his head, and so did his fellows.

Next was the night knight seated next to the demon masked warrior. And as the knight raised his voice, did his fellow knights and plate armed warriors, raise their heads to the heavens. With a gust of wind flowing across the campsite, stirring the flames. "Like a wind in the meadow."

He too stopped at only one part, and he and his fellow knights, all lowered their heads just like those before them had done.

Next sang the bronze covered warrior. His voice echoed over the wind and his fellows raised their heads like those before them had done a his voice rang out. The dancing smoke horses and ponies were by now moving within the flames of the pyres themselves, making it appear like dark silhouettes dancing together within the flames. "Those days have gone by in the East."

As the bronze armoured horse went silent, he and his fellows lowered their heads as well.

Finally it was the tribal barbarians turn, and he sang out his part of the song with a deep tremor, a voice much deeper and rough then the others. But even with the deeper tune and bass, was his singing just as good at the other three. And as he sang, would all of his kindred raised their heads and look towards the bright heavens above. "Beyond age and years."

He too fell silent and lowered his head after just one line, and as with the others, his fellows lowered their heads as well.

Then the warrior with the frightening helm began to sing again, but he did not raise his head, nor did his fellows. All kept their heads lowered, as if bowing to something. "And into shadow."

The knight sang next and just like his other fellow, he too did not raise his head, and just sat there, with his head lowered, singing to the melody. "Who shall gather the smoke of the dead wood burning?"

Without a show of movement the bronze warrior too began to sing, his red mantle fluttering in the wind as his voice echoed over the campsite. And by now, were all of the ponies, humming along with the horses. "Or behold the coming years?"

Once more the tribal looking warrior sang out, without raising his head either. His voice almost seemed to be part of the final ending of the song as he fell silent after finishing the lyrics. None of the horses had raised their heads, heck some of the Wind Striders had even lowered their own heads. And by then had the smoky figures that had been dancing within the pyres, disappeared. "Of the Lost returning?"

But the song kept on play, the trickling of strings, the beat of drums and the humming of throats. And at first the ponies wondered if the song was over and it would just be music and humming. But then Achilles the hero, the one who had been silent, not even humming, raised his head and looked into the fire. And as he did the rest of the horses raised all of their heads as well and looked straight ahead, into the flames.

There was a moment of tranquility ,as the music rose to a new kind of depth. As if the very emotions of those around, were bleeding into the song itself. And then, as the fires grew from their normal orange glow, into an intense yellow, the horses opened their mouths, and they all began, to sing together. Their voices working together with the intense power of emotion, only a choir could bring to life.

It was like thunder had been struck across the campsite, the flames seemed to gain life from the music itself. The yellow flames rising upwards, taking on the shape of pillars, as the vocal cords of the Ancient Ones, woke the spirits of the flames to life. Though all this the ponies were staring in wonder. Their eyes unable to look away as the light and flames of pyres almost seemed to glow brighter and grow larger, in tact with the voices of the once forgotten tribe.

Ancient Ruin did not know when she had joined in the song, but she just did. She had no reason to sing with these strangers, but she did. It was like the song itself was speaking through her, like music itself, was helping not only her, but the horses and her clan, to heal from their ordeal.

With small flares the flames beat upwards into the sky, making it look like they were trying to reach out and tear themselves free of the wood they were being produced from. More and more ponies, were joining in the song, and soon, were the entire clan of the Wind Striders, singing with the horses.

Achilles, or rather, Maleficus, sang the song with his creations. He had no real idea why the horses wished to sing this song. But he could feel his body and mind being rejuvenated by it. It was like the music itself was mending something within his soul, like a crack he had never noticed until now. Even though he knew he would still mourn and cry for what he had lost, was this song making him feel a moment of pure relief from his mental demons. It felt... wonderful.

The joint voices of the horses and the ponies echoed over the woodlands, the morning sun shining warmly upon their forms as their song almost seemed to bring life back to the once dreary and dark woods. Animals peaked out of their nests, birds began to sing and the trees began to whistle.

Even though the music was solemn and sad, it held such warmth that even though it felt ill fitting, it felt right. Even if it was meant to be a song for the tired, the mourning or the sad, was it bringing warmth to the soul. It was like the song itself was removing the mourning and depressing feelings within you, and filled the hollowness with warm relief.

Cursed Blessing sang along with his creator and fellow creations. He had been certain singing such a song like this would aid not only his master, but the ponies as well. And by the creator, it felt amazing to be part of such a grand moment. The music was bringing relief to the mourning and helping them recover. It was truly, magnificent.

By now was the entire camp singing together. Their solemn voices echoing over the forest, the music and the lyrics playing forth across the once quiet and depressing air, bringing a comforting presence.

The burning pyres seemed to pulse and shift even further, their intense flames almost seemed to take on the shape of those burning. All of the Wild Striders stared in wonders, yet did not stop singing, as the faces of those who had perished, appeared within the flames, and smiled upon them.

A mare cried as she saw her husband and son smile at her from the burning pillar of fire that was coming from their pyre. The comforting smiles and grateful eyes, they were at peace, she could not ask for a more reassuring vision.

A young colt, barely old enough to speak, was sleeping soundly in the arms of his grandmother, who was smiling at his father and mother, who were smiling down at them, with forelegs warped around each other. The old mare was glad to know her children would be at peace, she would be there for her grandson and other children.

Two ponies, a mare and a stallion, both hugged their smiling daughter between them, as they saw their son's face in the flame. The same cocky and arrogant look on his face, the same confident but happy smile, the bright and cheerful eyes.

One by one the mourning ponies saw the faces of their lost loved ones, smiling at them. Giving them comfort that they were at peace. And through it all, both horses and ponies, sang together, not breaking out of the rhythm of the song.

A certain mare with her sleeping son, smiled with a tear stained face, as her grandfather, with his old hat on his head, kind old smile and gentle eyes, tilted his hat to her. Telling her that everything would be okay. She barely felt the forelegs of her older brother and his own two soon adult daughters hug her from the sides as she clutched her son softly to her breast.

As the lyrics finally grew silent, the fires started to go out, the melody kept playing for a while. And as it did, the fires disappeared, one by one, leaving black ashes behind. Ashes and smoke. And among the rising smoke, coudl the shape of rising pegasis and horses be seen, a swarm of black shapes, galloping and flying to the heavens. Before disappearing into the winds above the forest.

Achilles looked up at the heavens for a while, his eyes were still sad, but not as burdened as they had once been. He slowly stood up from the log he had been sitting on and walked out of the camp, leaving the horses and ponies to look at the trailing smoke together.

He felt exhausted and needed rest. And so he laid down on the chariot he had been sitting on earlier, resting his head between his mismatching forelegs, and fell asleep.

"We part ways now my dear lady Ruin." Cursed Blessing said with a smile to the young mother, who gave him a soft smile in return while her son was hugging a large book to his frame, looking up with teary eyes. He had received the book as a gift from Cursed Blessing, a copy of a history book, detailing the history of the various Horse Lords and their ways.

"Aye so it would seem. We are all grateful fer ye and yer ancestors' aid Cursed Blessin'." She said with a polite voice as she gently patted her son on the head.

They were standing on a Y split in the road, the Wind Striders would be heading down the northeastern road, towards Blackstone Keep. There they would be trying to sell their services as scholars, treasure hunters, scouts, craftsponies and weather mages to the Order of the Golden Cross, maybe even join the Kingdom of Equestria as official citizens and no longer wandering nomads.

Cursed Blessing was leading his lost, now recovered, ancestors to the west, towards the Foal Mountains, to gather up the rest of his people. To restart the horse civilization, they needed to gather together, possibly find and restore more petrified horses, and find a new home for their kind. Even with Achilles as a good General and Warrior, were no one of the horses knowledgable of the areas of Equestria, and thus, needed the old horse's aid.

His tower had been sealed up, its content gathered in newly made wagons, with some of the inbuilt defenses left active, just in case someone tried to start trouble from his tower. And now was the force of over a thousand horse warriors on the road. They had traveled with the Wind Striders for a day, before deciding to go to the designated spot Cursed Blessing would find the rest of his modern age born people. And thus it was time to leave.

"Take care of yourself and your clan now Chief Ruin." The elderly stallion said with a smile, patting the mare on the left shoulder. While Achilles, who stood behind him, dressed in a black robe, just gave her a soft nod.

The mare looked a little bashful before she shook her head and poked the old horse's beard. "Yesh. No need fer titles friend. Just call me Ancient Ruin. Ah am sure Ah will get da chance ta meet ye again someday. Both ye and yer crazy ancestors."

Achilles gave the elderly looking horse a raised eyebrow, and snorted out a chuckle as the mare's words were translated to him. He reached inside his new robe, and unstrapped one of his sheaths, and pulled it free. He pulled out one of his bronze short swords, and held it out to the mare who looked surprised at the sudden gift.

"Ah cannot accept-" She wanted to protest, but the ancient warrior just pressed the sheathed blade into her front and let go, making her catch it out of instinct. Realizing she had been tricked to picking up the blade she gave the ancient hero a glare, only to receive a chuckle and a large hoof rubbing her head gently before the owner of the hoof turned around and began to walk towards the rest of his kin.

The mare grew a little flustered, and turned to glare at her clan members when she heard giggles and chuckles from them. Cursed Blessing just smiled and gave the little colt by her a pat on the head before he too left to join his ancient kindred.

Their large shapes marched down the road towards the Foal Mountain and the main road. Thousands of the once thought lost tribe, was now wandering the world once more. The Wind Striders watched them disappear down the road, until the final straggler disappeared from sight.

The nomads then resumed their own journey towards Blackstone Keep. They had a path they wished to attempt to seek out. But none of them would forget the night and morning they spent in the company of the Ancient Ones. Nor would their new Chief and her son ever forget the strange tower and the miracle of magic that had been performed to free them.

Princess Celestia's orders had been carried out with the swiftest of manners. Scouts and flyers had been sent out, their numbers small but fast. For two days had they been flying and running towards the location of the strange magical phenomena that had occurred.

One of the first to arrive was a young pegasus of the Silver Army who had been in the Blackstone Keep as a messenger. Her name was Splendid Flight and her pelt was white, her mane blue and her cutie mark was a sword with wings. Her main weapon, surprise, surprise, was a long sword and she was dressed in the regular silver armour of the Silver Army.

She had flown for days, catching a decent wind to speed her flight up without risking too much of her health. The mare could still feel the wind biting in her face even after she had landed on the ground and not moved for an hour.

When she reached the area she found a large stone tower with a large wooden door with no lock or handle. It only had one big knocker. She reached out to knock on the door, but the metal ring was so heavy she had to struggle with both of her forelegs to even lift it. And even as the loud and heavy clong from the door knocker was heard, was there no response from the tower, even after she repeated the effort.

Looking up at the tower she tried to fly up into a window, only to discover that the tower had no windows, at least none visible from the outside. Feeling frustrated she tried to land on top of the roof to find a way inside. The roof was just as well sealed, covered in solid stone that had to have been magically produced to make such a seamless finish.

She finally decided to try the hard on approach and reached out for her sword and stabbed it into the roof of the tower, trying to force her way through. There was a flash of light and Splendid Flight suddenly found herself thrown off the tower. She barely had time to blink, let alone take flight, as she landed face first in a big patch of mud and grime in the glade.

Pushing herself out of the dirt she glared at the tower and slowly whipped the mud off her face before stretching her neck, raised her sword, and charged. Then Splendid Flight let out a wordless cry as she rushed towards the door frame, intend on breaking down the wooden door to proceed with her mission.

But as soon as she swung down her sword and struck the surface of the door, there was the sound of a loud clang. There was a moment of silence as she once again felt a lack of gravity, before suddenly feeling herself impacting something wet and sticky.

The second scout to arrive, arrived to see the first one fly through the air and land face first in mud. And as the earth pony tried to register what had just happened, the mare had stomped out of the mud, and with an angry shout, tried to strike the door again. And with another loud clang, was sent flying into the mud, again. And then once more. And again. And so on.

It took over thirty tries and thirty in-volunteering mud baths for Splendid Flight to stop in her furious attempt at assaulting the tower. Though it became more of an inside joke later, had Splendid Flight forever sworn off mud baths ever since that day.

She was the first but she would not be the last to try and force her way through the magically sealed tower. The scouts of the various forces of Equestria tried to force, trick or talk their way in. Of course none of them worked, but only the talking option did not result in a mud bath. Well except for the one time one of them insulted the tower rather harshly, so none did that again.

By the end of a week had all of the scouts given up and reported a failure of investigating the tower to their superiors, who just labeled it as, unimportant. With the occurring Dragon Invasion. But that's for later.

Maleficus, in the shape of Achilles, was standing in a tent watching a map produced by his horses. They had settled down a camp upon a large plateau on top of a mountain a day ago. With his magic he had managed to discern a proper camping site that would give his creations free space and privacy, plus plenty of resources.

The mountain top was covered with trees and even had a large lake, it was rather impressive really. But unimportant at the moment since something he had been planning for a few months now on the moon was starting to turn out right. Even Luna had not had any idea how to do what he was going to do.

A fairly large piece of parchment laid upon the side of the world map he was looking at. And upon the surface of the sheet was a complex design of some manner of apparatus. Its structure was a bit based upon the old steam engines of his home world from the industrial revolution. But no coal was used to drive this thing. No, what would fuel it was instead the gathered magical energies of the world itself.

It used a Conversion principle. It used the natural flow of magic to create movement within its vents, and thus rotate the arms that would empower something. Sure creating it required a bit of imagination and the need to investigate a lot of various kinds of metals and crystals. But he had spent a decent amount of time gathering the lore while on the moon.

Now he just needed to find a way to make the thing absorb residue magical energies from the air to create movement, or rather, power. It would probably not be the safest of constructions, at least not at first, since creating something that could absorb and harness magical energies.

And magical energies were not often known for being a reliable source of power. But while it would more likely then not be rather unstable during the prototype stages, would it still be a preferable goal to find a way to harmlessly harness residue magical energy, then to create some kind of technological revolution by creating real steam engines or, gods forbid, nuclear power plants.

And while Maleficus was certain he did not know ho to make a Nuclear Power Plant, did he know he could make a steam engine. Which could lead to the discovery of nuclear power. And that was something he was not willing to risk. He was not even sure if uranium and plutonium was a thing in this world, but he was not going to take any chances.

Tracing a hoof over he plans for his Mana Engine, not very original but it did not sound stupid at least, Achilles pondered how to best utilize it once it got past the alpha and beta stages. He already had some ideas on what to use it on. But just what would he first decide to use it on?

*Let's see... I cannot use it to create tanks, nor super soldiers for that matter. I could create some manner of train or car. But that's not really going to be of any use since ponies are able to pull their own carriages. And I doubt it would be safe to even create or use them.*

The disguised alicorn pondered his options and contemplated what to do with his creation in progress. Normally one would just assume he should wait until the invention was completed. But he could not help to prepare for the future possibilities of what his invention could accomplish.

So deep in his thoughts was he that he never noticed how one of his horses stepped into his tent and coughed to get his attention. As the messenger noticed that his creator was too busy muttering to himself while looking upon a map and some manner of blueprint, he decided to take actions into his own hooves.

Stepping up behind his lord he reached out, and patted his creator on the shoulder. The response was swift and merciful. The hoof of Achilles struck his face hard and the messenger found himself knocked prone with several teeth broken and his face half ruined.

"Oh Gods I am so sorry!" Realizing his mistake Achilles reached out for the wounded messenger and instantly began to channel energy through his forelegs and into the messenger's face. It was a sort of magical healing, and therapy, that would recover the damage of the wound, and aid the mind in handling the rapid recovery.

"No need to be sorry my Creator, I should not have startled you." The messenger said with a grin as he was helped to stand up by Achilles. Once on his hooves the horse then coughed deeply to clear out his throat before he began to explain to his leader just what was going on.

"My creator, we have identified several veins of metal and gems in the mountains. The wood of the peak and the sides of he mountain are being fathered as we speak. And as you instructed have we added support on the ground to prevent sudden rain from washing us or the camp down the mountain side with a mudslide." Nodding Achilles pulled out a parchment and began to write down the various metals notified by the horses digging for the metal.

It was a fascinating list of metals. Not much iron, but plenty of gold, silver, copper and other valuable metals, including several veins of unidentified metal that he was going to have to take a closer look at. For now he needed to use the information from the horses about the gemstones, also located within the mountain.

But for now he had no real metal to work with. He needed to identify the materials the miners had discovered, he would also need to know how to maintain or properly use it. But until then would he have to be satisfied with knowing that his forces had found a lot of potentially useful things.

Maleficus, or rather Achilles, knew he needed something to work with the newly designed plans of Mana Engine. It would not work with just making up some random doohickey and then call it a day. What he needed was a comprehensible device or transport that he could power with the Mana Engine.

That's when his messenger, again, tapped him on the shoulder. This time the disguised demi god did not punch him in the face however, so progress. He had gone off into his own little world again and missed a message. Again.

Blinking rapidly Achilles tried to regain his composure and coughed into his hoof before speaking to the messenger. "Again sorry, was it anything else you needed me for?"

"Yes. We have discovered something among the few natural caverns in the area. Normally we would just consider it worthless. But we would like to offer you the suggestion to examine it and decide on what to do with it." As the messenger completed his final part of the message tapped Achilles his forehead with his talon, and he soon decided that it would not do to just stand in his tent and try to figure something out without proper tools or materials.

"Alright, please take me to what you have discovered." The messenger bowed and guided his creator and opened the exit of the tent wide, offering him courtesy.

Achilles exited the tent, the campsite was in full activity a he and the messenger strode through the crowds an tents. Horses stopped and bowed softly to Achilles as he walked past them and towards the area with the caverns and mines. Which was just to say that they had blasted holes into the mountains to retrieve the metal veins and crystals by mining.

Blasting holes in a mountain took some efforts and courage, but it had to be done even if it may frighten those around you. For it would be otherwise impossible to reach the resources within the mountain rock. Well unless you decided to use unicorn magic. But that would be stupid since a campsite made by ancient warriors could not become too advanced or magical just days after they had started their so called 'Gathering'.

Stepping past a wagon filled with rocks Achilles soon caught sight of the mines. It was a small hill on the plateau which was rather wide and tall and had room to allow three mine entrances to be made. By blasting holes in the wall with internal magical energy or weapons.

And there in front of one of he few natural caves a few meters to the left of the leftmost mine tunnel entrance, stood a group of horses, muttering together as they looked at something on the ground in front of the mine entrance. They spread apart as Achilles came closer, or that might have been because the messenger spoke out to them. "Alright people ,spread apart, let the Creator see just what you have found."

Achilles sighed and rubbed his forehead before he let out a deep breathe and stepped forward to the item that had been causing such a stir.

And what he was, was rather confusing at first. But then his lips twitched ,before he reared his head back and started laughing like crazy.

"Hahahahahaha! Oh my gods! This is just ridiculous! A freaking egg! A Dragon's Egg!"

There before the baffled faces of the horses, laid an egg the size of an ostrich egg, with a scale like pattern across its surface. The egg had been within the cave for a long time, but for some reason could Achilles, or rather, Maleficus, still sense life from the egg. What ever laid inside it, was still alive after having been left there for so long.

"Take the egg to my personal tent, be sure to put it in something warm and safe. We do not want it to come to harm." Achilles said to some of his horses. Said creations bowed to him and began to lift the large and heavy egg up together, it took four horses to lift that one egg together.

As the group began to travel back towards his tent, Achilles turned towards the messenger with a grin. "Anything else you might have found?"

Within a dark chamber strode General Bloody Courage, he was bearing a thick looking scroll. Before him was a levitating candlestick. He had received the mission to create a plan to take over the power from the alicorns and return it to the proper care of the ponies themselves. OR rather, the chosen rules of pony kind, not pony kind in its entirety, let's not go overboard.

Passing through a secret tunnel beneath the surface of Canterlot he moved to the designated meeting spot. It had not been easy but he had come up with a plan. A long timed plan. But it was the most efficient and reward giving then most of the other plots he had been considering.

A doorway soon greeted him to the left, and he went past it. Instead he entered a doorway a hundred meters past the other one. Pushing open the door he looked inside and saw the decorated chairs and the large round table. The members were already gathered and he knew that now was the time to prove his worth and give them the plan they had wanted.

Well he was certain ti was not THE plan they all had wanted. But considering their options, resources and time, it was the safest bet that would give them the chance to retake control over Equestria from Princess Celestia and her mad family.

"Ah young General Bloody Courage. We hath been waiting for thee. Please hath a seat." One of the members said as they saw the young military officer enter the secret chamber. The young lord walked over to the absent seat his Grand Uncle, who had passed away a few days ago, leaving the Lordship of the Blood Clan to him. The kite shield with the blood drop decorating his seat would have to be altered to fit with his own cutie mark later.

"Let this meeting of ours begin. Praise be the Society of Heraldry, Independence and Trade!" The pony by the sea with the hammer said before slamming a mallet into the table, marking the start of the meeting. And as he did, the others by the table recited the words he had said as well.

"Praise be the Society of Heraldry, Independence and Trade!"

"We shall start with the most important of matters, since it is the sole reason for our meeting this time around. Young Lord Bloody Courage, please, what manner of plan hath thou come up with?" All eyes turned towards the young general who grimly pulled out his scroll and unfurled it. It would take some time to properly describe his plan. But he would go through with it in every detail. And hopefully would his work not have been a complete waste of time.

"Very well. As thou all know art Princess Celestia the sole heir to the Royal Family left upon Our world. All other relatives art too distant or too dead to be made into proper replacements. Or to even hath the chance to make a claim on the throne." The rest of the conspirators nodded at this, it was rather common information not just for them but for the entire upper class, even many of the middle class, of Equestria's political and noble circles.

"Well there art a loophole in this here situation We can make use of. But. It shalt not be easy. We need to obtain the trust of Princess Celestia herself. And in doing so. We shalt hath the perfect way to claim the throne from her foolish rule." Now things were getting interesting. And the secret society leaned forward to properly hear every detail of the young lord's plan.

The explanation of the plan went on for almost an hour. Sometimes a lord, or lady, would want to scream out in shock or outrage, but stop to save face. But as the explanation of the plan went further and further, the conspirators began to see the pattern that General Bloody Courage had developed.

And they, in turn, were very, very intrigued and eager, to put this plan into action. Though it may be a plan that may take far longer then your average conspiracy, would it by no means be any less effective. In fact, considering how well things may play out if they go through with it, they may not even be considered traitors when the plan went into action.

After all, history was written by the victors. And the Society of Heraldry, Independence and Trade, intended to be just that.

Upon a beach on an island was a red crab wandering over the sand. Its beady eyes were looking for something, a scent that had caught its attention. The scent of food. It scuttled over the sand, its search taking it close to what was commonly refereed to as the 'village' by the strange talking beings on the southern shore of the island.

The inhabitant of the wooden rocks and floating trees were often willing to share food with the wilderness, especially fish since they did not eat it. They were a strange sort. But kind. The animals of the islands had known them for generations and knew they were more willing then not to offer aid in case an animal needed it.

But as the crab scuttled past the final creek of the beach to reach the village of the kind talkers, it was sent reeling with fright at what it saw. The once flourishing village of wooden huts and boats, were nothing but burning ruins, with the burnt skeletons of four legged creatures scattered across the ground, many of them in pieces, as if eaten and then spat out.

Black smoke rose from the ruins, but they did little to hide the massive black head of a winged dragon. It stood at least ten times taller then the tallest tree on the island. A massive black beast who was sniffing through the wreckage of the village.

With claws digging through the death and decay, it pulled up claws full of fish and pony corpses. And with a gleeful look in its eyes, put it all in its jaws. The crab promptly hid behind a rock and stared at the monstrous being as it devoured the dead ponies who had once lived in the village. One of its victims was a small filly the crab had known to offer it small fishes, a sweet and kind little thing. With a red pelt and white mane.

Barely five summers old. The filly was still alive from the looks of her hooves trying to push her wounded body out of the pile of fish and corpses. Her frightened eyes looked into the eyes of the crab as she desperately tried to escape the creature's open mouth. But then her head and body was crushed, along with others, with a terrifying crunch, as the beast closed its mouth.

And the small red crab eye's grew even more frightened, as it saw more columns of smoke rising from the other islands in the area, with several large flying creatures, looking much like the one in front of it, flying over the islands.

The massive black beast swallowed its mouthful of fish and meat and a deep rumbling chuckle filled its throat as it turned its red eyes towards the west, and a deep voice spoke out from its blood dripping maw. "Huhuhuhuhu. An excellent appetizer. Soon though, we will reach the main course."

Drool flourished from its chin as it looked towards the place it knew was filled with more delicious little ponies.

The feast had begun in the scattered islands across the sea. Here the dragons would feast and devour what they cam across, but hopefully leave enough alive for their numbers to grow large for the next feast.

And it would only be a few more days before they reached their main goal, the continent of the ponies.

Author's Notes:

Staadnauthursil: Okay, this one took a long time. But that's mostly because of the intense scenes and the intense heat of summer making me feel like a baked potato.

Pinkie: Mmmm! Baked potato are delicious with frosting!

Staadnauthursil: Uuuuurgh! Anyway. It is not a 50k chapter but a 40k chapter. So I hope you are still glad to read it. I apologize for the 3 month wait but I have had a lot of work, in both real life and on this story itself, that took far more then I intended to. I had to cut this chapter off to not let it grow too big.

Pinkie: Oooh darn! I wanted to see a 60k chapter!

Staadnauthursil: Not yet, maybe when I get a good inspiration. Now I am just tired and I may have made some hasty errors. But the chapter is up, andn ow I am going to drop dead on my bed and sleep for twenty hours. I have not slept for two days. G'night-ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!!

Pinkie: Good night!