“Luna’s gone over to the darkside again, Celestia has a target on her back and Twilight is dead.” Grand Marshall Shining Armor thought as he paced back and forth impatiently before the still forms of his only sister and her friends. “If any villain wanted to take a crack at Equestria, now is the time to do it.”

The bodies of the heroines had been arranged by his steadfast knights to fit within a large runic hexagram Archmage Trixie Lulamoon had carved into the pale stone in the shadow of her ensorcelled tower. The Great and Powerful mage herself was carefully reviewing the steps of the delicate ritual she was about to perform surrounded by a veritable fort of tomes, scrolls and grimoires to aid in her study.

“Twily used to do the same.” The late prince-regent mused as he approached. “Although the books were less evil looking.”

“I once thought necromancy was the just stuff of myth.” The Undying unicorn said aloud as he stole a glance at the azure lich’s eclectic research.

“It’s a lost art.” She responded without looking up. “In its infancy, it only allowed mortals to communicate with the departed for knowledge or closure. The whole raising the dead shtick came later.”

“How did they go from talking to the dead to raising them?” Armor asked in genuine curiosity.

“Well, a group of less scrupulous wizards thought that if magic could affect the souls of the dead why not their corpses.” Lulamoon levitated over a dark tome and summarized. “They animated a body with magic and thus the first zombie was raised and undeath became a reality for a time. Everything else spun off from there until necromancy was outlawed and its practitioners burned at the stake. ”

“So this has been done before.” The Marshall said hopefully. “What we are doing, I mean.”

“Not exactly.” The Archmage shook her head. “Trixie has to replicate what his Excellency did to save her in Tartarus; where he used his godly will, she has to use magic.”

“No small feat.” Armor thought sympathetically.

“Only one necromancer, whose notes the Learned and Scholarly Trixie is studying now, came close to this feat but…” Lulamoon trailed off with a grimace.

She turned a tome around to show Armor where the pages had been burned, most likely from the torches of an angry mob. Her task now was to fill in the blanks and hopefully complete the ritual. Hardly comforted by this fact, the Undying unicorn decided it was best to not distract the former magician any further and went back to his pacing.

“So what are you going to do when the Archmage brings your sibling back, sir?” An earth pony knight ventured respectfully, trying to get his Marshall’s attention away from the admittedly uncomfortable sight.

“I don’t really know.” The head of his order admitted. “I will have a lot to explain, that’s for sure.”

“Maybe this is a question for Lulamoon but won’t the Equestrian’s be liches like her if she succeeds?” Another knight inquired.

“Fires below, I hope not.” Armor shivered.

“When she succeeds.” The greyscale unicorn corrected bluntly. “And I doubt it. Trixie was exposed to Tartarus when she ‘died’ while Twilight and her friends were executed within the protected walls of Barathrum.”

“You are correct, Grand Marshall.” The Hand of Death affirmed dryly from above. “These heroic souls are untouched by the sepulchral air of the Sunless Lands. It is almost a shame to let them go.”

The Grim Reaper alighted atop a rock as he spectated what would essentially be a blasphemy against him and his sacred work. Armor initially feared that the raven-winged daemon would refuse to turn over the souls of the Equestrian’s but based on what he witnessed in the Pits, he knew the harvester would comply albeit begrudgingly.

“He puts on this mask of inevitability but he is not so rigid beneath.” Armor thought as the gloomy creature absently twirled his scythe. “Granted, he hates going against his nature but we all have to do things we don’t want to.”

A sudden explosion caught everyone’s attention. Rather than Lulamoon suffering from magical backlash like they suspected, the blast came from the pile of bags and satchels the mortals had brought with them. The benthic Telkhine had been rummaging through the Equestrian’s possessions ostensibly to search for items that could potentially spoil the ritual. His looting had been spoiled by one of the Element of Laughter’s party essentials.

“How in all the Nine Hells did the pink one manage to fit a cannon in here?” The toady croaked as he picked himself up and dusted off the multi-colored confetti.

“I doubt even she knew.” The Marshall suppressed a laugh as he glanced at the bundle that contained Pinkie’s corpse, tuffs of her untamed mane poking out. “Sometimes I wonder if she shared ancestry with a draconequus at some point.”

“That would explain a bit, actually.” A new voice chittered.

The Undying unicorn glanced up to see Hive Queen Chrysalis touch down in the site with a very wide smile. She trotted up beside her lover and nuzzled against him affectionately.

“What are you doing here?” He asked as he returned the gesture.

“My children and I nearly starved out in the barren wastes because of these six.” The parasite hissed maliciously. “You think I would pass up the chance to see them so utterly beaten?”

“Does everything down here hate them except me?” The former captain of the guard thought.

“No, I suppose not.” Armor said with a resigned sigh.

“Archmage?” The Telkhine spoke up. “Gaze upon this.”

The amphibious alchemist held up a weighty tome filled with bookmarks and stamped with an arcane sigil. After marking her place in her review, Lulamoon grasped the book in her magic and levitated it over to her. The azure unicorn skimmed through its contents for a time before came upon a certain section involving the Black Dragon.

“Well, well. Sparkle came prepared.” The azure lich said with a devious smirk. “This book contains the spell Starswirl used to trap Suneater beneath Canterlot but in its current state, she would have to sacrifice two of her friends.”

“Yeah, that sounds like old Starswirl.” One of the older knights commented. “Brilliant wizard, shit friend.”

“I refuse to believe Twilight would go through with that.” The Marshall said flatly. “She’s more likely to sacrifice herself than any of her friends.”

“Are you sure about that?” The Hive Queen arched an eyebrow. “Didn’t she leave you to die in the Empire?”

“No! She…” Armor trailed off as he realized he did not know if his sister went looking for him or not. “I don’t know that side of the story.”

“She may have considered it an option.” Lulamoon said as she continued to read. “There are several calculations and alterations in the margins here. Hmm…”

The former showmare looked over Sparkle’s notes before she retrieve a Khthonic tome from her own archives and compared the two. With a self-satisfied smirk, the unicorn added her own little contribution to the late Element of Magic’s research and closed the book. She then passed it back to the dutiful Telkhine with her magic.

“Well, that was intriguing but Trixie is ready to begin.” The Archmage announced as she exited her bookfort. “Did you find anything else?”

“Nothing we need to worry about.” The minion answered as he hid a few of Pinkie’s travel sweets beneath his robes. “We may proceed.”

“Well then, mares, gentlestallions and daemons alike!” Lulamoon slipped back into her old stage habits as she stood before the hexagram while the Telkhine retrieved a crystal decanter of some tenebrous substance. “Watch in awe as the Great and Powerful Trixie performs the most spectacular feat of necromancy ever witnessed by unliving eyes!

“Hmph.” The Hand of Death huffed grumpily.

Armor and Chrysalis took a few steps back as the Khthonic mage gathered necromantic power in her horn until it was ablaze with negative light while her assistant poured the unknown liquid over the carvings, giving them a glossy shine. The unicorn slowly lowered her head and touched the tip of her horn with a point on the intricate rune. The dark power traveled across the fluid way lines and bathed the wrapped bodies in its dark glow. Lulamoon paused for a moment to check for any sign of impending failure but found none.

“So far, so good.” She muttered before turning to the reaper. “Hand, if you would be so kind?”

The grim daemon made a show of begrudgingly drawing the Kingslayer and holding it aloft. The pommel of the black blade flashed six times, each time releasing an ethereal shade into the air. His part of the ritual complete, the Hand of Death sheathed his sword and excused himself to return to his duties, leaving the once reaped souls to drift aimlessly above their bodies.

“Hang in there, Twilight.” Armor thought. “You’ll be back soon.”

“Shades of the mortal dead, take heed.” The Archmage invoked in Khthonic, the strange syllables sending chills down her spine despite her experience with the dark tongue. “While you have peeked beyond the veil of life, this is not your time to cross it.”

The floating souls stiffened as they heard the words of power as if spoken by the Silent King himself. Lulamoon smirked as she held the lives of her hated hecklers in her hooves. She made them dance a bit just to demonstrate how helpless they were but a grunt of disapproval from Armor put an end to her fun.

“By the powers vested in me by our Dark Lord, return to your blessed vessels…” She continued as the negative light reached out and enveloped the nebulous shades. “…and arise!”

The souls separated and hovered over each of the wrapped bodies. Slowly, they sank back into their respective vessels and disappeared from sight. The bundles began to twitch and convulse as the necromantic power reversed death itself; mending mortal wounds and anchoring their vital essence to their bodies. The oily substance was absorbed into the runic cloth, causing it to darken and then burn away in a silvery fire revealing the pastel colored equines within. The hexagram flashed as the ritual reached its climax and then faded to nothing, the magic spent.

“Did it work?” Armor asked testily as he looked over the aftermath of the ritual.

“They should be sleeping.” Lulamoon answered as she approached one of the Element Bearers and kicked her. “Wake up, dumbass!”

“zzz…Five more minutes, mom…zzz” Dash mumbled sleepily as she turned over.

“Thank the Throne.” The Grand Marshall let out a breath, relived that he would not have to re-kill his undead sister. “Alright troops, help them up. Chrysalis, you might want to shift into something.”

“Aww, are you embarrassed by me?” The Hive Queen teased with a coy smile only for her lover to give her a hard look. “Fine, fine. It would be too much of a hassle to explain us on top of everything else.”

The changeling shifted into a nondescript equine Undying in a flash of emerald magic. They waited as the knights carefully roused the revived Equestrians. The Element Bearers yawned and stretched as if awakening from a deep slumber while the Undying gave them some space less they suddenly become violent.

“Ugh…wha…what happened?” Applejack asked groggily. “Ah feel like Big Mac kicked me in the head.”

“I feel like I got mauled by a tornado.” Dash unconsciously rubbed her barrel where she had been impaled. “Wait a minute… I remember looking at Grey’s stupid face and then-!”

“He killed us!” Pinkie jumped onto all fours, instantly awake. “That is the ultimate party foul!”

“We were dead.” Sparkle said quietly as she looked over her once perforated body. “I felt the darkness closing in and then nothing. How are we…”

The Alicorn looked up to find they were surrounded by Undying Knights including the Grand Marshall. Without his helm, the scholarly mare noticed that he bore an uncanny resemblance to her late brother. The greyscale unicorn trotted forward and regarded her with a familiar smile.

“Okay. Here we go.” He mentally braced himself for what was to come.

“Welcome back, Twily.” Shining Armor said gladly.

“Shiny?” Sparkle’s cautious recognition quickly morphed into absolute joy. “Shiny!”

She quickly scrambled to her hooves and galloped to her brother. He met her halfway and the two siblings embraced tightly. Tears welled up in the Princess of Magic’s eyes as she held her dear departed brother close.

“Shining.” She said past sniffles. “I thought I would never see you again.”

“I missed you too, Twilight.” Armor said gently as he held her close.

“Get back, Twi! It might be a trick!” The cyan speedster grabbed her friend by the tail and pulled her away. “Look at what it’s wearing!”

Sparkle noticed that her departed brother was indeed wearing the same armor as the Grand Marshall of the knights who had slain them. With those same knights all around them along with a mildly bemused Lulamoon, the Princess began to share her friend’s suspicion.

“I guess that is to be expected.” The Undying unicorn thought.

“Calm down, Dash, it’s me.” The ashen stallion held his hooves up in placation.

“Prove it!” The Bearer of Loyalty fixed the Marshall with an untrusting glare.

“I used to sneak you into Wonderbolt shows.” Armor reminded her. “Pretty sure I had to stop you from jumping Spitfire or Sorin’ a few times.”

“Oh my gosh.” Dash’s mouth fell open in shock. “It really is you!”

“Shining, what’s going on?” His resurrected sister asked once it was confirmed he was genuine.

“After your…encounter with the Silent King, I had my knights bring you here.” Armor explained carefully. “Trixie there brought you back to life.”

“You’re welcome.” The Archmage said with a confident smirk. “The Astute and Innovative Trixie had to more or less invent a higher form of necromancy so when does she get her wings? Or does she need the approval of an Alicorn to-ack!”

The former magician did not get to finish her attempted one-upmareship as Pinkie wrapped her in a grateful but constricting hug.

“Oh, thank you Trixie!” The party pony cheered even as her victim struggled to free herself. “I knew you couldn’t have gone completely to the dark side!”

“Ah think ah know what’s going on now.” Applejack said keenly. “That two-faced snake Grey forced y’all to work for him and now yer fightin’ back.”

“Ha! Not even close.” The knight closest to Armor scoffed.

“Then pray tell.” Rarity insisted as she absently fixed her ruffled mane. “Because I’m as lost as Rainbow Dash in a hurricane.”

“Hey!” The pegasus shot her friend a look.

“I can explain.” Armor aimed this more at Sparkle than anypony else. “But you will have to bear with me as it is a bit convoluted. You see…”

The Grand Marshall explained how he gained his position starting just after he arrived in the Sunless Lands. He made it as far as the Silent King recruiting him into the Knights of the Undying Order when the inevitable interruptions came.

“Why did you take his offer?” The academic Alicorn asked. “If anypony was deserving of eternal rest, it was you.”

“A sense of purpose.” Her late brother answered after a moment of consideration. “When his Excellency offered to serve the Sunless Lands as I had Equestria, it was like a second calling to duty.”

“And just in the nick of time.” The knight beside him concurred.

Armor used that to segue to his first task as the new Grand Marshall; the quelling of the demonic Grand Exodus. The equines listened with rapt attention as he abridged his battle against the worst the Underworld had to offer.

“You stopped a breakout from Tartarus- the Tartarus?” Dash asked wide-eyed. “Awesome!”

“We all did.” The late prince-regent gestured to his fellow knights and Lulamoon. “Honestly, it made the siege of the Crystal Empire seem like a mere bandit raid.”

“So the Shock Waves…” Sparkle trailed off as she put together what had long vexed the Princesses. “We were feeling the aftershocks of your battle.”

“Things got a bit crazy down there.” The Archmage admitted with a gasp after Pinkie finally released her. “Your old friend Tirek nearly blazed a trail from here to Equestria, Sparkle.”

“The centaur?” The Alicorn of Magic’s wings twitched at the memory of her battle with the sorcerous Ixionian. “He’s back in his cell, right?”

“Better. His Excellency sundered his magic and destroyed his body.” A minotaur knight answered in a way that suggested he was smiling under his helm. “He won’t be bothering either of us anytime soon.”

“That seems a little harsh.” Fluttershy said quietly.

"Anything less and he would remain a threat." A more keen-eared knight argued.

“So what happened after you stomped those freaks?” The prismatic pegasus asked.

“I was getting to that.” Armor continued.

The Undying unicorn skipped ahead to more or less confirmed the Silent King’s version of events at the Gala in Canterlot and his reason for being there. This earned a few suspicious looks from the Element Bearers of Honesty and Loyalty but they did not interrupt. He finished with their last meal and subsequent resurrection.

“…where Archmage Lulamoon revive you afterwards.” The ashen stallion concluded. “And here we are.”

“So all that about getting us out of the way to take over the world was…” Dash trailed off as a look of guilt crossed her face.

“Just talk to provoke one of you into attacking him, giving him an excuse to execute you.” The azure lich answered. “Trixie had thought it would have been the day laborer but you were a close second.”

“Oh.” The weather mare’s expression fell. “Girls, I am so sorry.”

“It’s alright, darling. He knew just the right buttons to push.” Rarity reassured. “Besides, I barely felt a thing; his brutes skewered you.”

“But why would Grey go through with all this?” Fluttershy asked.

“Sorry to interrupt but where is Princess Luna?” Applejack noticed that their little party was a member short. “Y’all didn’t kill her?”

“His Excellency needed to separate Luna from the rest of you.” Armor answered all three questions. “Or rather Nightmare Moon.”

“Luna is Nightmare Moon again?” Pinkie cocked her head to the side. “She didn’t look it.”

“The Usurper has learned from your last encounter.” The awfully sardonic knight flanking the Marshall interjected. “She revealed her true colors once she was certain you were dead.”

“That’s right.” Sparkle said grimly. “I saw her eyes right before I died; teal and predatory. That was not Luna.”

“So His Majesty may have done you a favor in this grand scheme of ours.” The Khthonic mage could not resist getting one over them. “You were spared whatever fate Moon had in store for you. Again, you are welcome.”

“Then we are in your debt, Trixie.” The lavender Princess said as she offered her rival a genuine look of gratitude. “Where is Nightmare Moon now?”

“Last I saw, she had departed along with Suneater and the Silent King to retrieve the missing Primordial he mentioned.” Armor answered. “They are long gone by now.”

“Why does he need a fiend like her to do that?” Rarity asked.

“I know why: ‘the Stars shall aid in her escape’.” The scholarly mare quoted. “That wasn’t figurative, it was literal. Moon had help from a Primordial and now Grey- the Silent King -is using her to get it back.”

“Bravo, you figured it out after we spelled it out for you.” Lulamoon clopped her hooves together in spectacular condescension. “Truly you are Equestria’s greatest heroines.”

“So Grey does plan to reunite the Pantheon he mentioned but only to keep them under his watch.” The cyan pegasus pieced together all they had been told. “Does that mean he brought us back as a backup plan?”

“If I have learned anything from serving his Excellency is that he is a clever one; plans within plans and schemes within schemes.” The Grand Marshall said plainly. “He ordered your resurrection because it was not your time but it would not surprise me if he had an ulterior motive or two.”

“Maybe he wants you in place to stop Moon if she betrays him.” The knight beside him ventured. “Or maybe he just likes you. Only he knows.”

“Aww.” Fluttershy blushed slightly.

“And ah thought Discord was hard to figure out.” Applejack huffed. “So ah guess our next step is to warn Princess Celestia that Moon might be comin’ back.”

“That’s not the only problem she will be facing.” The Archmage spoke up after sharing a knowing look with Armor. “The Stealthy and Observant Trixie learned at the Gala that Canterlot’s nobles are planning a coup against her along with some of the guards.”

“What?!” Sparkle rounded on Lulamoon. “Are you serious?”

“One of the ringleaders, Blueblood, tried to rope ‘Patricia’ and the ‘Merchant Prince’ into his scheme.” The azure unicorn explained as she air-quoted with her hooves. “It was cute how he thought we would go along like the rest of his stooges.”

“Celestia is going to have Nightmare Moon knocking down her gates and traitors waiting in the grass.” The Princess of Magic set her face in determination. “We have to get back to Canterlot, now!”

“But what about Trixie and Suneater?” Dash asked, pointed a hoof at the Archmage. “They’re the whole reason we’re down here in the first place.”

“Trixie has told you before she is content to live down here in peace and the dragon is loyal to his Majesty.” The former traveling magician said disdainfully. “You have bigger problems.”

“She’s right.” Sparkle agreed. “Shining, can you help us?”

“I cannot leave my station but I can arrange transport to the surface.” Armor said as he signaled one of his troops to summon said transport.

While they waited for the knight to return, the sound of beating wings caught their attention. Armor looked up expecting the Hand of Death but instead saw the sisters Erinyes. The eldest met his eye and flew down toward him while her sisters followed behind with something between them. The Equestrians took a step back from the daemons as they landed.

“What the hay are those things?” Applejack asked as she placed herself between the winged horrors and her less combative friends.

“Furies. The Silent King’s enforcers and oath keepers.” Armor explained briskly as the head daemon approached. “Don’t worry, they won’t harm you.”

“We have been looking for you, Grand Marshall.” The eldest said, ignoring the surface dwellers. “A matter has arisen that requires your attention.”

“Nine Hells, what now?” The Undying unicorn braced himself for the worse.

“A new arrival has been causing trouble.” The Fury gestured toward the soul in question as her kin landed. “We would normally torment it for a few hours until it fell back in line but this is a special case.”

Armor trotted toward the shade while his sister and her friends looked on. It was hard to tell from his spectral form, but the soul looked familiar.

“Release me you vile fiends!” The arrogant tone of Prince Blueblood was unmistakable. “I demand to speak with this mute majesty I keep hearing about!”

“He’s down here already?” The Undying unicorn thought as he recognized one of his least favorite nobles of Canterlot. “Good on you, Celestia.”

“Blueblood?!” Rarity’s fur stood on end in ill-contained rage. “Just give me five minutes alone with him!”

“Oi, not so fast.” A diamond dog knight put himself between her and the shade. “Dis iz Underworld biz’. Let da boss ‘andle it.”

“Thanks, Fleabag.” Said boss thought. “Don’t need her attacking new citizens, no matter how repugnant they are.”

“The Silent King is away on business.” Armor said flatly. “I am the ranking official so you may speak to me.”

“Ah, good. At least I can speak with a fellow unicorn.” The late prince composed himself. “You see, I have suffered a great injustice.”

“Really?” The Marshall asked. “How so?”

“The Solar Alicorn swore an oath to this one’s forebears that she would safeguard their bloodline.” The middle Erinyes explained plainly. “She has broken that oath.”

“She killed me!” Blueblood added indignantly. “So I can’t be down here with these peons!”

“We did not say that.” The youngest Erinyes growled. “An oath may have been broken but that does not change that fact you are dead.”

“This is an outrage!” The noble, to his credit, shot back to the daemon. “Do you not know who I am? I own half of Equestria! I am far too important!”

“One would think death would be a humbling experience.” It was a testament to Armor’s patience that he did not silence the impudent shade with a backhoof.

“Wealth and titles mean little this side of the grass, Blueblood.” The ashen stallion responded knowingly. “Everyone who ends up down here starts on equal terms.”

“Equal terms? Bah! You must not…” The deceased noble trailed off as he finally recognized who he was speaking to. “Captain Armor?”

“It’s Grand Marshall now.” The former Captain of the Guard corrected. “Much like how yours is traitor.”

“Traitor? Preposterous!” Blueblood snorted as best he could as a shade. “What I did was for the good of our nation! Which is more than I can say for you trading the proud gold of Equestria for the black of...whatever this pit is.”

“Bullshit!” Dash called out from behind a line of knights attempting to keep the Equestrian’s from interfering. “You wouldn’t know good if it punched you in the nose!”

“Miss Dash?” The elite brushed passed Armor toward the heroines. “What are you doing down here?”

“Nine Hells.” Armor rolled his eyes as he signaled for his troops to let the encounter happen.

The moment the guards let them by, the weather mare charged the traitorous noble. He raised his hooves to defend himself only for the Element of Loyalty to pass harmlessly through his spectral body. She landed in a heap before the Furies, earning a round of chuckles from the knights and Lulamoon. The other five Equestrians surrounded the shade with varying levels of contempt.

“It’s good to see I have allies even in this dismal place.” The tactless unicorn smiled. “Listen, we need to-“

“Shut up, Blueblood.” Sparkle said sharply. “We know you tried to usurp Princess Celestia.”

“Yer little better than Nightmare Moon at this point.” Applejack sneered.

“Ladies, please!” Blueblood appeared honestly hurt by their accusations. “What I did was no mere power grab; I was trying to save Equestria like you have countless times!”

“Don’t you dare put us in the same league as you!” Dash rejoined the group after getting to all fours.

“Yeah!” Pinkie concurred. “How does bucking Princess Celestia off the throne solve anything?”

“She was losing control!” The noble unicorn tried to defend himself. “Of both herself and the country!”

“Meaning what exactly?” Rarity asked with a frown.

“He arrived along with a large group of elites and guards.” The eldest Fury answered for him. “They all perished to the Alicorn’s wrath.”

To illustrate, the middle Erinyes seized the shade of Blueblood by his head and sunk her claws into his spectral form. His eyes glowed as his last moments were projected into the air above them. The mortals and immortals watched as the nobles of Canterlot’s coup unfolded before them. All seemed to be going in the elites favor until Celestia began to smolder. The Equestrians gasped when one of the guards tried to apprehend her only for his hoof to burst into flame. The last thing Blueblood saw before he perished in a supernova was the Alicorn’s visage; not the regal features of Celestia but something cruel and wicked. While the heroines were no strangers to violence, they balked at the sight of the nobles and guards being immolated in the same light that once brought such comfort.

“Oh no.” The Princess of Magic said quietly as she witnessed her former teacher’s fall. “I’ve seen her like this before…at the Crystal Empire.”

“Then you know what must be done.” Blueblood shook his head as the Erinyes released him. “Think what you want of me but Equestria is in danger.”

“Then we have no time to lose!” Dash said urgently.

At that moment, the knight returned along with a carriage being driven by a cloaked figure and a team of black wendigoes. The mares were stunned by the evil looking mode of transportation but in light of everything they just learned, collectively decided to just go with it. Quickly, they gathered their things and loaded up with the aid of some of the guards. Before long, the carriage was set and the heroines were ready to return to the world of the living.

“This will take you as far as Hollow Shades but after that you’ll be on your own.” Armor explained as he helped the mares aboard. “The driver is worried about getting spotted by patrols.”

“We have a balloon so we’ll be fine.” Dash said as she found a seat between Applejack and Pinkie.

“Are you sure you can’t come with us?” Sparkle asked as she passed her bags to Rarity to take inside.

“My place is here now.” Armor said plainly. “Don’t worry, Twily. If anypony can put this right, it’s you and your friends.”

The youngest Alicorn smiled and embraced her brother one last time.

“The life of the dead is paced in the memory of the living.” She whispered quietly. “I will never forget that or you.”

“Nor will I.” The late captain of the guard whispered back. “Now go save the world again.”

The two siblings parted. Sparkle climbed into the carriage and shut the door behind her. The passengers waved goodbye from the windows as the driver cracked his whip over the heads of the wendigoes. The vehicle rumbled across the uneven ground before it took to the air and disappeared into the sunless sky.

“She is a good mare, sir.” A minotaur knight said thoughtfully. “The world is in good hands, er, hooves.”

“I know.” Armor nodded. “Well, let’s get back to our duties.”

“Marshall Armor, what about me?” Blueblood interjected. “You saw what happened.”

“Yes, I did.” The Undying unicorn glared at the spectral one. “The broken oath will be resolved but your part in this is over. Your judgement awaits.”

“What does that mean?” The noble asked as the Erinyes seized him by his legs.

“You betrayed your benefactor and nation on top of all manner of sins born from avarice, pride, lust and gluttony.” The youngest daemon smiled maliciously. “What do you think it means?”

The shade’s protests were lost in the beating of wings as he was carried off to face his doom. A few of the equines knights familiar with the former noble actually cheered. Armor let them for a bit before he ordered them back to their posts. As he trotted back toward Barathrum, he was joined by Lulamoon and an undisguised Chrysalis.

“I have a feeling that the Underworld will be busy soon.” The changeling chittered.

“It is a veritable second civil war.” The Archmage commented. “The Great and Powerful Trixie wonders which side will win this time.”

“The harmony that protected Equestria has been compromised.” Armor thought. “Knowing Twilight, she will do everything she can to fix it. I just hope it is enough.”

---

“Is that a bronchial thing?” The Silent King asked the resurgent Nightmare Moon as she laughed maniacally.

“Hahaha! What? Oh, this is just an expression of triumph!” The dark Alicorn said gleefully. “You should try it sometime.”

“I’ll reserve my laughter after we are back in Barathrum.” The Khthonic Theoi thought as he looked down at his hooves. “Things have a habit of going awry before the final act.”

Resting against one of his greyscale hooves was Princess Luna’s tiara. As he bent down to retrieve it, he noticed something else amongst the pale moondust. Tiny slivers of crystal shimmered in his long shadow, evidence of some microscopic measure of power within.

“Fragments of the dream stone.” The Dark Lord mused. “Interesting.”

He glanced upward to see Moon was occupied with admiring her new form. The stygian stallion quietly swept the tiny pieces into his robes.

“Mmhmm, my stature is not the only thing that has grown.” The Usurper said coyly as she wiggled her more salacious assets. “I know you are dying to make a full moon pun, Hidden One.”

“New moon would be more appropriate.” The Silent King said neutrally. “I do not recall you having cloven hooves and hybrid wings when we last met.”

“Ah yes, these.” Moon inspected the sharp edge of one of her hooves while her wings flapped experimentally. “I suspect some remnant of poor little Luna was holding me back before but no longer.”

“Speaking of your other half…” The Lord of Shades asked as he straightened up with the Lunar Alicorn’s tiara. “…is she still in there somewhere?”

“For once, I am alone in here.” The night mare answered as she tapped her head knowingly. “I left the foolish foal with her demons in a nightmare of her own creation.”

“I see.” The Theoi nodded in understanding. “Pity.”

“Bah, save your attention for somepony who deserves it.” The corrupted Alicorn gave him a sly smile. “Like me.”

Moon trotted off the alter toward her partner, her teal eyes glowing with deviously. As she drew closer, she noticed he had her old tiara. He looked from her to the trinket and held it out for her.

“Keep it.” The fallen Princess pushed it back with a toothy smile. “I have something better.”

Her horn ignited in a teal glow as she summoned her characteristic armor from the ether. The shin and chest guards closed over their respective limbs as her iconic helm slid over her head. After pulling her billowing mane through to allow it to flow freely, Moon struck a pose for her single onlooker.

“And I thought Sombra was vain.” The former Lurker thought.

“A vision of beauty if I ever saw one.” He said plainly. “Now, shall we return to Suneater and your benefactor?”

“You tease.” The corrupted Princess said playfully but dropped it once she noticed that her paramour was serious. “Fine, if we must.”

The two exited Moon’s inner sanctum and began the lengthy trot back to ground level. Along the way, the Theoi mulled over what to do once the Primordials were reunited. He wanted to return home with his old and new friends and resume where they had left off but he suspected it would not be that simple.

“Shifting Darkness seems to have given up world conquering after being stuffed down a hole but I am not certain about Night Sky.” The Silent King thought. “She plays the long game more than most.”

“Bit for your thoughts, Hidden One?” Moon suddenly cut into his thoughts. “You introspect a lot.”

“It’s a habit I picked up during my exile.” The Lord of Shades said coolly. “I was liable to go mad if I did not.”

“Hmm, I did something similar during my time here.” The Mare in the Moon said sympathetically. “Building this bastion, carving the statues, plotting Celestia’s demise... anything to stave off tedium.”

The two fell silent as they both reminisced about their lonely exiles. Before long, they reached the nexus of the bastion and the many stairs and passages. Moon took a moment to get her bearings before she identified the passage Suneater had taken and followed after him. As they approached the Orrery at the top of the bastion, voices could be heard conversing in Khthonic.

“…has not changed much over the eons.” The Lord of Darkness’ deep rumble reverberated through the passageway. “The well-being of the Underworld comes first, as always.”

“I have noticed.” The regal voice of the Lady of the Stars responded. “That may prove troublesome.”

“Not sure I like that.” The monochrome stallion thought.

The Primodials must have heard their hoof steps as they fell silent. The two equines reached another moonstone door, this one depicting Nightmare Moon in all her majesty. The real version shot a spark of magic into the door and it slid open easily, allowing them to trot inside the Orrery.

“Now this is something.” The Silent King thought as he looked around the cavernous space.

The room was a massive dome supported by a circle of pillars that offered a panoramic view of the moonscape and beyond. A large and imposing throne of stone sat on the far side of the room opposite a spectacular view of Equis. The sound of hooves stepping on metal drew the Theoi’s attention to the floor where he discovered metal set in an intricate design in the otherwise stone floor.

“Impressive.” He said aloud.

“Yes, my apostle has a mind for architecture.” The Lady of the Star’s voice echoed from above. “It has been too long, Hidden One.”

“Likewise, Night Sky.” The Lord of Shades said respectfully. “Where exactly are you?”

“We were just discussing that.” The Lord of Darkness said from the center of the room, his size accommodated by the voluminous space. “We have to find her before we can free her from her stellar prison.”

“Stellar?” The Dark Lord looked up. “You are imprisoned amongst your creations?”

“A crueler irony I cannot fathom.” The entity said bitterly.

“No wonder we had to come here.” Moon said knowingly as she trotted toward her throne. “If you are trapped amongst the stars then the Orrery is the only thing that can find you.”

“Precisely.” The night mare’s benefactor confirmed. "And now that your true form has been restored, you can release me from this thrice-damned prison."

The Usurper sat upon her lunar seat of power and began to channel a spell. The glowing stones illuminating the room dimmed, leaving the chamber in near darkness save for the arcane light emanating from the fallen Alicorn. With a sharp snap, her magic shot into floor where the metal sections began to glow. Spheres of various sizes rose out of the floor as pinpricks of starlight shone through the dome.

“There are some aspects of my domain that cannot be appreciated with the naked eye.” The Princess of the Eternal Night said proudly. “With this, even the most distant star is within reach.”

“So this must be the space relative to Equis.” The Dread Lord inferred as he tapped one of the spheres marked with the horseshoe symbol of equines orbited by what he assumed was the moon and sun. “Where did you get the metal?”

“Meteors.” Moon answered simply. “Unlike the cold iron you work with, this takes to magic quite well.”

“That is all well and good but where is she?” Suneater asked impatiently as he scanned the heavens.

“Far from there, my love.” The Lady of the Stars said regretfully. “I wish I could say more.”

“How did you come to be imprisoned?” The Silent King asked. “Perhaps that could offer a clue.”

“Very well, Hidden One.” The Primordial said with an edge of disdain as unpleasant memories surfaced.“I have your loathsome nephew, the Lord of Lights, to thank for this indignity.”

The stellar Lady told, with some embellishment the King was sure, of how the radiant Lord challenged her not long after the Downfall. With the world descending into chaos, the Primordial had set in motion her plans to claim stewardship of the cosmos only to be opposed by the bright Lord. He was beaten and bloodied from the war with his kin but was determined not to let what was left of the world fall into her brand of darkness.

“Where was that bravery before the Downfall?” The Dark Lord thought. “He always used to just write poetry and play music for his concubines.”

Their battle took them far across the heavens into the reaches of the void of space. After years of battle, the Lord appeared to be an inch from death. The Lady struck at his heart which would have certainly been a fatal blow had it not been a feint on the part of the Lord of Lights. Instead of her hands piercing immortal flesh, they were caught in binds that held her fast. She could only struggle in vain as the nature of her bounds was revealed: They were but one piece of a larger construct that formed around her.

“Sounds like one of the Lord of the Forge’s creations.” The Silent King thought. “He was a bit of an outside the box thinker.”

“I remember he defiled the surrounding stars; stole their power to fuel this infernal machine.” The Primordial recalled with utter contempt in her otherwise regal voice. “I was lost for some time until I managed to make contact with certain individuals in the world of the living.”

“She must mean Sombra and Luna.” The Khthonic Theoi mused. “Whatever she is sealed in must be failing if it has a few leaks. We are fortunate to have found her before that happened.”

“I should have been there.” The Black Dragon lamented. “You were fighting for your life while I was biding my time gathering followers.”

“I understand, my love.” His consort reassured him. “I only regret not joining you in your burning crusade across the world.”

“So it appears we should look for a place without stars.” Moon ventured.

“That may be our best lead.” The pallid pony agreed. “Let’s get started.”

Slowly and methodically, the three dark entities began their search for the forth. Suneater and the King scanned the stars above while Moon periodically shifted their focus to different areas of space. They passed over many nebula, constellations and even distant nameless planets with no success other than comprehending just how vast the void of space was. They were about to move on to another area of the galaxy when the Lord of Darkness suddenly called out.

“Wait!” He shouted. “Look there.”

He pointed a claw toward a spot above them. Sure enough, there was a rather large expanse of blackness in the shape of a circle with a single point of light in the center. Moon cast another spell to reconfigure the Orrery. The point of interest zoomed in closer until it disappeared. In the middle of the room, the iron spheres returned to the floor save for one. The orb glowed as it reshaped itself into a strange geometric shape of concentric rings revolving around a single point of brilliant light.

“That has to be her.” Suneater insisted. “I can feel it in my scales.”

“What fresh madness is that?” Moon asked from her throne.

“A Sphere of Dyson.” The Silent King answered. “A device created by the Lord of the Forge to contain and harvest the raw power of the stars themselves. My nephew must have repurposed one to imprison our mutual friend.”

“So that is what I am in.” The Lady of the Stars grumbled. “No wonder I cannot free myself: it is using my own power to keep me here.”

“Now that we found her, how do we release her?” The dragon asked. “Do we have to fly out there?”

“Not quite.” Moon said as she slid off the throne. “With this, we should be able to hit it from here.”

“You will have to hit a specific point on this thing.” The Theoi said as he indicated one of the spinning inner rings. “Do you think you and Shifting Darkness are up to it?”

“We have to try but what about you?” Suneater asked only to receive a hard look from his friend. “Apologies, I forgot you lack the ability to conjure projectiles.”

“I make do.” The stygian stallion thought.

The Silent King stood clear as the Equestrian Usurper and Black Dragon Prince gathered power in their horn and maw respectively. They would have to hit a single point on a moving target nearly an infinite distance away. It was nigh impossible but they had the advantage of multiple tries. The moment the Alicorn and dragon were ready, they unleased their stored up power. A lance of pure moonlight intermixed with a stream of baleful fire and struck the metal construct. As Moon had said, the Orrery redirected the combined blast and launched it into space. They repeated this twice over just to be sure.

“There.” The midnight Princess panted slightly in exertion. “Now what?”

“Now we wait until those blasts reach their target.” The Dread Lord answered. “It might take a while.”

“My anticipation is almost palpable.” The Lady of the Stars said expectantly.

The three wandered about the room as they waited. The Theoi eventually settled on watching the Sphere. Moon, preferring his company, joined him.

“Are you sure a few blasts is enough to destroy this thing?” She asked.

“From what I know of the design, they were built so that any force from within would only strengthen it.” He answered. “Therein lies to flaw: indestructible from within but not without.”

“I see.” The Usurper nodded.” So I guess I won’t be trapping Celestia in one.”

The King shook his head. He was about to suggest another means of disposing the Solar Alicorn for small talk when movement caught his eye. From the outer circumference of the room, the blasts appeared represented by points of light like miniature comets.

“We lost one.” The Suneater noticed. “It must have collided with something in transit.”

“We will see how the others do.” Moon said as she focused on the lights. “Stars willing, we don’t have to do this for the next thousand years.”

“You know I am willing.” The stellar Primordial commented coyly.

A tense silence fell between the three as they watched the trajectory of the lances/dragon fire. The first reached the sphere only to bounce off an outer ring and dissipate, earning muttered curses from the dragon and Alicorn. They stood on the tips of their hooves and claws as the third and final light sailed past the ring that had defeated its predecessor.

“Come on!” Suneater encouraged as the light drew closer to its target.

A single *blink* was the only confirmation they received that the blast had struck home. The dark entities watched with baited breath as the ring came to a shuddering stop as it was knocked out of alinement. The dragon and Alicorn smiled gleefully as the sudden imbalance caused a chain reaction that slowly tore the monstrous construct apart.

“Rrahaha! We would never be able to make that shot again.” Suneater laughed in relief. “Can you see it, Night Sky? You will be free soon.”

“Not soon.” The Lady of the Stars said resolutely. “Now!”

Through the model, they were able to see something stir within the Sphere before it tore itself free and rocketed away, leaving the machine to collapse in on itself. The three tried to catch sight of the entity but it had already moved beyond their field of view.

“She’s coming here and quickly.” The Theoi realized. “We should stand back.”

Suneater and Moon wisely complied and cleared some space for the inbound Primordial. The Alicorn realigned the Orrery back to Equis so that they could see her benefactor coming. After a few moments of anticipation, the keen-eyed dragon spotted a new point of light among the stars.

“Here she comes!” The Lord of Darkness said excitedly as the light grew brighter.

The light grew larger and brighter still as it drew closer. The very ground began to tremble as the entity rocketed toward the moon, overpowering the nearby stars with its brilliance. With a thunderous boom that shook the celestial body to its core, the Primordial landed in the Orrery amongst an inferno of blinding white flame. The fires cooled and died as the malevolent presence came into being. A feminine figure of divine grace comprised of an ever-shifting canvas of the night sky rose to her statuesque height. Long strands of pure white hair cascaded down from a crown of starlight atop her head. Her only visible features where a pair of deep red lips against a flawless mask of porcelain.

"Muh huh huh huh huh." The Primordial Lady of the Stars laughed regally as her stars twinkled in the presence of their mistress.

Next Chapter: Cross the Line Estimated time remaining: 3 Hours, 25 Minutes