A couple of hours had passed since Nick and Twilight took the chance to examine Erebus’ lab, having quickly gathered the other 6 including Starlight and Spike, they caught the earliest train to Canterlot and hightailed it.

“Nick, darling? Why are we running so fast?!” Rarity asked actively huffing from the intensive run to keep pace with her friends. Nick’s eyes narrowing as he stayed in his human form, “because everyone needs to be here to hear about this! And to make sure I don’t leave out a SINGLE detail, I need to talk about this only once while I have the blueprints on hand!”

Running through the streets of Canterlot, Nick quickly evaded and passed the blue pegasus that attempted to belittle him way back during his initial victory celebration/knighting for pushing back Erebus’ siege of Canterlot.

The pegasus huffed as he watched the group run off, adjusting his clothing and slinking back into his home as a smile forming on his face. The shadow just over his shoulder forming a pair of bright yellow eyes as it watched Nick and the group intently, singling out Nick, the creature taking the form of a shadow grinned widely as it eyed him.

Pushing open the doors to the throne room, Nick and the others entered. “We received your letters Nicholas, what is wrong?” Celestia asked, the others huffing and puffing from the frailty of trying to keep up with Nick, except for Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Twilight. Nick stepped forward, beginning to explain.

“Princesses...just a few hours ago me and Twilight went to investigate and examine Erebus’ lab for a limited time, I came across two things. First off, a Chimera, which was AWESOME, but the other thing was well...” He pulled out the blueprints, showing the sheet to the princesses who hovered it up to view themselves.

“The Annihil..? Annihilaaaaar-“

“The Anihilaarg... Ok, so I have a lot to go over when it comes to this device, so buckle the fuck up, because this actually threw me for a loop when I saw the print...” Nick stated as he took a deep breath, every pony and dragon in the room all ears to him.

“Before the universe was created, it was just a vacant void of black nothing. No matter, no nothing. Up until these fifth dimensional beings called the Contemelia show up, the Anihilaarg in the canon that it comes from in the Ben 10 universe has the power to if a universe is already present, it has the ability to completely annihilate EVERY trace of it.”

Luna, Celestia, and all of the girls eyes widened. “WHAT!?” The group of girls exclaimed as Spike rubbed his hands together, sweat dripping along his forehead, “t-that tiny box, could destroy EVERYTHING!?” The baby dragon exclaimed, Nick raising his hands. “IM NOT DONE!”

Taking another deep breath, Nick then continued. “In the stories I just talked about, the Contemelia would go from universe to universe destroying them, however part of this is false. Yes the Contemelia would destroy universes, however the Anihilaarg isn’t just an intense nuke on the universe, but if there isn’t a universe present in the dimension they travel to-“

Starlight spoke up, “the Anihilaarg won’t destroy the void...it’ll create a new universe!” That was when everyone in the room including Nick glanced to her, the unicorn pressing her hooves together bashfully. “Just a...hunch..?” She said with a sheepish smile. “Well, your hunch was absolutely correct. Princesses, the Anihilaarg requires an intense amount of energy to fuel and power it! Something manageable, in the canon of Ben 10, it’s uncertain what they needed to power or even craft the device...unless I didn’t fully pay attention to Maltruants construction of it, which is very possible, however regardless if forged, this thing would not only wreck havoc on Equestria, but the universe itself!”

Luna then stated, “Sister! We have to interrogate Erebus again! WE NEED TO FIGURE THIS DEVICE OUT!” She stated, Celestia shaking her head and thinking logically.

“Even if we where to interrogate Erebus to get the parts of the Anihilaarg, he’d manage to somehow escape and take them back from us at the tail end of our journey. So the best thing to do at the moment is to leave it alone. Erebus will be sent to Tartarus post hast, and with him fully gone, the device and its parts can be properly destroyed.”

Nick rubbed his chin thinking, Twilight piping up and asking. “But what if this information gets out of this room? What if the civilians learn about something that could potentially- what am I saying...if activated, WOULD wipe out all of the amazing existence Faust created!?”

That was when Applejack piped up, “that’s assuming any of us tell such a thing. And I highly doubt any of you gals would ever tell anypony about this, especially with the eventual chaos that ensues..” The Element of Honesty stated as Pinkie Pie nodded quickly and viciously. “Mhm! My lips are sealed tight!” She said, actually somehow zipping her lips shut LITERALLY.

Nick snorted at it as he looked up, a pair of eyes forming on the shadow just at the back wall, roaming from guard shadow to guard shadow, it finally made its way out of the castle and into the hime of the blue pegasus Nick had bumped into. Returning to the stallion, the shadow of what appeared to be a mare on the wall began to bellow in laughter.

"Poker Chip! We have a new goal!" She exclaimed to the Stallion, narrowing his eyes as he looked at the shadowy mare before he stated. "You know, for a shadowy mare that's only a quarter of the Pony of Shadows, you really bounce between plans to trap Celestia and Luna in nightmare dimension."

"SILENCE FOOL!" She stated as she rubbed her hooves together, "we might not have to anymore...a revelation has come up in the castle with the human you despise and the princes...the other one, Erebus, was assembling a device to either make a new universe, or destroy an existing one!" The glee in her voice was apparent as she giggled.

"And I assume you want one of the two Shadow Mare?" Poker asked as he looked at a schedule of new potential gambling nights.

The Shadow Mare then growled, "of course you bucking dummy! Imagine it, an entire universe...in the image of me and my other half! Where Luna and Celestia could still exist...yet suffer DEARLY, harming them would harm Starswirl assuming he returns from limbo with my other half! And then? The after party slaughter of the Pillars begin.." To which Poker yawned, the Shadow Mare letting out a frustrated yell. "Are you even listening to me!?" In which Poker casually shook his head no.

"You DARE ignore me? I am-"

"The Shadow Mare, part of the Pony of Shadows and eventual ruler of Equestria, yeah I get it. What makes you different from Tirek, or Chrysalis, or hell even Sombra with the Crystal Empire?" Poker asked as he narrowed his eyes.

Using herself which was attached to Poker's shadow, the Shadow Mare pulled him against the wall she was on, her bright eyes looking down looking into his own.

"Because boy, I have the luckiest stallion Equestria has ever seen as my host, and because this will most definitely be the plan I'll stick with~! The ability, the power to wipe this universe clean, or remake it in my vision? Is what I could only dream of! That much power, NEEDS to be in my hooves!" She bellowed, letting go of Poker as he stepped backwards. "And as per my end of the bargain?"

The Shadow Mare rolled her eyes and crossed her hooves over her chest, "you may have your freedom. However... Do not think I don't sense your irrational anger for that Nicholas Taylor."

Poker then narrowed his eyes as he looked up at her, "just drop it yeah? I've got more bits to win tonight, and I don't need you breathing down my neck."

The Shadow Mare giggled softly, "very well." Before slinking and reverting to his normal shadow.

Three hours had passed since the meeting, the group fully returned to the castle of Twilight as Nick paced back and forth in the Map room, rubbing his chin as he thought to himself. "What are we supposed to do if Erebus assembles this...Annihilaarg?" Fluttershy asked, nervously pushing her hooves together as she was currently in her own head.

To which Rarity replied, "darling! I am sure we'll be fine, as Nick stated, the Annihilaarg was PLANNED on being built, but wasn't yet! Which means that dreadful good for nothing Erebus doesn't have the device!"

"Regardless of if the varmint doesn't have the parts, the possibility of being assembled period is still a possibility we have to account for, so when the princesses finally send Erebus down into Tartarus with Tirek, we'll go on the hunt for the parts to this Annihi-doohicky and destroy the parts." Applejack piped in, Rainbow Dash simply hovering in the air in deep thought along with Pinkie who was sitting in her chair eating a cake, which unsurprisingly got the attention of everyone in the room excluding Nick.

Pinkie Pie tilted her head curiously, "what? I always eat cake during these big discussions about the fate of Equestria, just known of you are fast enough to see!" The pink mare stated, Twilight giving her a doubtful expression up until she blinked and the cake was gone. "I-I- Remember Twilight...it's Pinkie Pie..." She mumbled to herself rubbing her face with her hoof, Pinkie Pie pouting.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" The pink mare asked narrowing her eyes in a silly manner, pushing out her lips as she looked at the Element of Magic.

There was a brief silence, that was then followed by the laughter of the girls as Nick approached, grabbing the girls attention as he put his hand on the table.

"The revelation that Erebus could make an Annihilaarg, while unsettling, isn't something we should dwell on. With the princesses having him in custody in the castles dungeons everything thing should be fine, and even better when he gets thrown in Tartarus," Nick stated as he smiled. "And believe you me, as the heroes of Equestria. We won't let that dick weed remake, or destroy this Equestria or universe!" He stated triumphantly as the girls and Spike all began to chuckle and giggle.

"What?" Nick asked as they motioned to his side, showing Eris, Nicks mare/draconequus/girlfriend mocking him and copying his movements. "Aloha sweetie!" She greeted as Nick smiled and chuckled softly, kissing Eris' nose. "Aloha, what brings you here Eris? Usually you don't bother with a group meeting unless you want or need something?" he asked.

"Well! I came by to say hi, how are you doing? See the girls and Starlight, see Spike and such...oh, and say that the Towns Hall is burning down." Eris said as Nicks eyes widened. "Wait, WHAT!?" He exclaimed as he made his way to the window seeing the ponies run off in the direction of a massive cloud of smoke in the air, with the Towns hall indeed smoking. Pushing open the window, Nick shouted. "JETRAY!" Before his body began to change and shift, his skin turning a darkish red with wings forming underneath his arms, a large tail forming out of his backside along with black and yellow patterning as his green eyes opened. The aeropnhibian known as Jetray flying off in the direction of the large clump of smoke.

Author's Notes:

And now? I believe with Erebus on the bench for a while, it's time to finally introduce, GASP, new antagonists!? Huhuhu, Y E S

https://ben10.fandom.com/wiki/Jetray