The morning sun rose in the sky as it usually did, ending the night and bringing forth the day. To most, it was a day like any other; a standard routine of either working or studying with some rest and entertainment in between. For centuries, ponies lived a peaceful, carefree life under the monarchy of Celestia, thanking her for the stability and harmony she brought. And yet, an ulterior motive was behind this peace, and not of Celestia's design. Peace hid corruption, stability hid stagnation, and harmony hid vulnerability. Ponies grew soft, weak, and although a millennium of peace allowed them to live happy lives, a sinister plot hid beneath, making the very few ponies that managed to find it unsatisfied with their lives.

The return of Princess Luna signalled a beginning of new age; she had many years to think about what led her to where she was, and she learned the truth. Both she and her sister were masterfully manipulated in the game of power, leaving both of them in the dark about the deals of Equestrian nobility and their reach. The lunar alicorn intended to root them out, remove their influence, and allow Equestria to progress once more. And yet, it seemed like the whole country was against her.

Luna spent hours upon hours in her study, rustling through many a book, trying to find the right answers to her quest for justice. Hidden from even her sister, the investigation proceeded slowly, only gaining specks of information here and there. A list of suspects formed, and those ponies could be connected to the conspiracy. However, the alicorn had to tread carefully lest she fall in a trap or accuse the innocent. If she misstepped, would she be any better than those who stood against her?

As the sun rose, she was still in the study; her mane was moving slowly, lethargically, and her ears were drooping. Her aqua eyes were ever so slightly bloodshot, bags under them. She yawned forcefully from time to time, her mind's gears turning slower and slower as tiredness overcame her. And yet, she couldn't allow herself to retire to her bedchambers, for there was work to be done. The sooner she did it, the better, and the possible dangers looming over herself and those loyal to her made her forget sleep.

Andromalius was one of the very few she could trust. Over the course of their training, a semblance of a friendship formed, and he proved to be good-hearted and well-intentioned. Perhaps somewhat naive, inexperienced, but such things could be remedied. Unfortunately, the conspirators saw him as a danger, and Luna suspected they would act against him soon enough. They might not know much about him, but she believed it was fair to assume they saw him as an obstacle between themselves and her. Once the demon was removed, they would continue on to harm Luna directly.

Luna sighed deeply, slumping in her seat. This investigation drained her of strength both physical and mental, making her worry about every little detail. She tried not to overthink, but the lack of information and slow progress left a void in her plans, and every void always begged to be filled. As much as she chased these thoughts away, they wormed their way back into her mind, poisoning her thoughts with far-fetched assumptions and guesses.

The alicorn slammed a hoof on her desk, and the ensuing spike of pain brought her mind clarity. She could always doubt herself or delve deep into the realm of possible conspiracies, but she needed to operate with facts to be efficient. If she didn't act right and act soon, she might just find herself back on the moon for another thousand years. Worse yet, the country would be continued to be ruled by a band of power-hungry nobles who would only struggle for more power. It was not yet obvious who benefited from the current position of Equestria, but many things were ever so subtly wrong with the country.

Luna sighed yet again, suppressing a yawn of tiredness that washed over her as the pain subsided. It would be a long time before she could rest.

Andromalius was readying himself for his second day of work. He decided to put away the money inside a drawer, for he didn't plan on spending it anytime soon. He didn't know what he was saving it up for, but letting it sit there wouldn't hurt him, and it would help him avoid compulsively spending it on things he didn't need. When he was a human, he used to spend at least some money on things he would almost instantly regret buying for one reason or another, so it was time for him to learn financial responsibility. In this foreign world, he might just need that extra money to ensure his survival. He might not need it now, being a guest of the princesses, but he couldn't stay in the castle forever. Thankfully, he had a way of earning income, and all he needed was show up on time and do some simple work.

"You know, if you're gonna be a ruler one day, knowing how to spend money will do good for you," Inanna told him, materializing on his bed as she usually did, "And it's not a couple hundred bits. It's... well, at least a thousand times more. It won't be about spending money on some fancy stuff, it'd be about things like education and healthcare and warfare and... a lot of other things I'm forgetting."

Andromalius nodded silently, having nothing to add to her words. He might not be ready to rule yet, but if he did end up as a king, he'd better be ready for it. When he played strategy games, money and resources had to be used cleverly lest he fail in his task. He always needed to think ahead and plan his spendings in order to succeed; however, the difference between games and reality is the fact that games had rules and restrictions. Even if he wanted, he would be unable to buy a thirty meter tall statue of himself in, say, Heroes of Might and Magic 5. He was unable to hold feasts or spend the resources on anything other than what would benefit his cause. The real world had many more variables and possibilities, making it much more difficult to come to the right decision at the right time.

"I like how you think, Andro," Inanna commented, making him shiver. Could she really listen to all his thoughts? "Maybe you'll make a good ruler after all... But that remains to be seen. I will definitely slap you if you even think about building a statue of yourself."

"You'll slap a king?" the hell stallion replied jokingly.

"Well, you're not a king yet," she blew a raspberry at him, "But seriously, don't build statues."

"Don't worry, I won't," he assured the succubus, "I will do my best to, uh... do my best..." he smiled sheepishly.

"That's better than nothing," she shrugged, "Anyway, onwards to work! It might teach you a thing or two aside from the trajectory of throwing trash in the containers."

Chuckling to her words, Andromalius put on the cape and headed out into the city. The morning air was crisp, and a few clouds hung overhead, some of them pushed by the pegasi to their proper position above the city. The hell stallion stopped and gazed at the clouds, wondering just how good it would be for humans to be able to do such precise weather control. If anything, starvation due to bad harvest would be no more, and the fine-tuning of climate would allow more places to grow their food; maybe even deserts would be turned into sprawling forests and green fields. Using ships for travel would be safe as well if a precise path could be navigated, avoiding the spots where the rain and high winds were; plane travel would be much safer as well.

As he descended the steps to the city, he wondered about just how much magic mattered in this world and what it could accomplish. If he were to be a ruler, he would make sure to explore the possibilities, especially the scientific application of magic. He knew little about this new world at large, but maybe he would be able to contribute to the good of society, be it demons, ponies, or someone else. He could see the potential for a great, developed world, and he might just be able to make it a reality.

But first, the mundane. Ponies that were awake during this time were wary of him as usual, although fewer of them paid much mind to him. The street sweepers did their work without noticing the demon at all, and same went for the early delivery ponies. The hell stallion was able to reach his destination without attracting too much attention, and soon he began his work.

Another meeting was held in the abandoned caves underneath Canterlot; the six conspirators assembled, and one of them had a victorious look on their face, although it was hidden by the mask.

"The plan is ready to be executed," the pony reported in a forced neutral voice, "Preparation are in place, everyone has been notified."

"I have also discovered that this plan may be more successful than we initially thought," the First added, making the Fourth nod in reply, "As it turned out, Princess Celestia is mostly unaware of what Princess Luna and the demon are doing together. I believe we can use it as a leverage against the demon, and we already managed to bring some rumors straight to Princess Celestia."

"Exactly," the Fourth nodded again, trying to hide their excitement, "The secrecy Princess Luna has will undermine her and the demon's position in the castle. I suggest we initiate the plan now for maximum efficiency."

"We shall call for vote," the Third said, turning to look at the Fifth and the Sixth.

"I agree with initiating the secondary plan now," the Fifth nodded.

"I agree with initiating the secondary plan now," the Sixth nodded, echoing the Fifth's words.

"Then it is decided," the Third said, a smirk on his face behind the mask, "Let us proceed."

The work for the day turned out to be almost completely the same as yesterday, but this time Andromalius had to go to the baker right away – his cart was still broken, and the replacement was delayed for some unknown reason. The hell stallion didn't care much, however – it was easy to carry the bags by himself, and it was arguably faster; his stride was at least twice that of a regular pony even when he was walking normally, and it only increased the faster he walked.

"I think I can hire you for delivery," the baker told him when he put the bags on his back, "That'll definitely make things a bit easier for me. If you want to work, come see me tomorrow, I'll discuss the pay and the amount of work to do, alright?"

"No problem," Andromalius nodded with a small smile on his face, "I need money, you need stuff done, and I can do it."

"As simple as that, true," the baker returned the nod, "I'll see you tomorrow after you're done working for miss Still Waters, then."

The hell stallion exchanged goodbyes with the baker and hauled the bags to the Homely Tea house. A smile played on his face – he managed to get a second opportunity at earning money. Despite how alien he was to ponies, they slowly accepted him as just another person; and although it might not go as quickly as he would like, Andromalius was gaining reputation of a good worker and a decent person, and he thought it would help him earn more recognition for his personality and not his strange looks.

He finished the work for the day, received his pay, and headed back to the castle. A certain bounce was present in his step, and relief washed over his body and mind. However, he tensed up when he saw a pair of guards heading straight to him. He didn't think he did anything wrong, but then there was a possibility he broke some obscure and stupid law. Or maybe he wasn't in trouble at all, and hopefully, that was the case.

"Princess Luna is waiting for you to discuss something important," the guard said once he was close enough to the hell stallion, "Please, follow us, it is urgent."

"What did she say?" Andromalius asked slowly.

"We were not told," the guard shook his head, "We were only told to bring you."

With a nod, the hell stallion followed the two guards back to the castle, silently wondering what could be so urgent for Luna to send after him. Did she finally manage to get a solid lead on the conspirators? Or was it something else entirely? He was leaning towards the former, for there wasn't much else to elicit such an urgency from her. He looked at the guards, but they could offer no explanation. Perhaps, what Luna had to say was for his ears only, considering her secrecy surrounding the investigation into the conspiracy.

Andromalius began to worry when the guards led him through different halls into the basement; it was not the way to Luna's office or chambers. However, maybe some extra secrecy was required, and the hell stallion knew little about the castle layout to warrant any real worry. For all he knew, Luna was waiting for him with something he didn't expect, something that had to be kept away from her chambers or office.

"This smells like trouble, don't you think?" Inanna voiced his worries.

"I think it's all fine... Luna told me she has to be secretive to catch the conspirators," he said, trying to convince both himself and the succubus. However, something deep in his mind told him the situation smelled fishy. Something was off, but he couldn't quite point out what it was. The guards had a relaxed gait, their gazes aimed forward, only looking back at him infrequently. Their weapons were sheathed, and nothing indicated of anything foul. And yet, there was something Andromalius couldn't catch. As if he was in his room, and all the furniture was moved slightly by someone else.

"The princess is waiting for you behind this door," one of the guards said, and the two positioned themselves to the sides of an unremarkable wooden door. Andromalius could feel a strange buzz coming from behind it.

Hesitantly, he went to the door and reached out with his hoof to push it; and yet he stopped, feeling that buzz stronger, and his hoof almost touched it. There was something else about it – a sense of want, as if it invited him to open it. And so, he put his hoof on the door.

A screeching sound appeared in his ears, his head exploding in pain as he recoiled from the door, an itch traveling through his whole body, and a weakness appeared in his muscles. The door trembled as if it was made out of water. He shook his head, his vision blurry, and saw guards rushing from either sides of the hall. The two that led him seemingly disappeared.

"Stand right where you are!" one of the guards ordered, unsheathing their weapon and pointing it at the hell stallion, "Drop that cloak!"

Through pain, Andromalius obeyed, although confused; he removed the cloak and put it on the ground along with the pouch of money he was carrying from the Homely Tea House.

"Did you think you could get in the Archives unnoticed?" the same guard spoke, slowly moving towards the hell stallion. Others stood in a spearwall across the hall from both ends, preventing Andromalius from escaping, "You're going to answer to the princesses!"

His head still buzzing with pain, Andromalius was led to the throne room. Three guards in front of him, three behind him, and two by each side escorted him, their weapons at the ready. The hell stallion was confused, although a realization slowly creeped into his mind – someone tricked him into trying to open a forbidden door. The two guards that led him there were nowhere to be found, and now it was his word against the word of the guards. Luna might believe his story, but then... would she? As friendly as the two became, Andromalius was still mostly a stranger to her, an otherworldly one. And even if she believed him, Princess Celestia was unlikely to even listen to him; he still remembered the veiled threat she gave him.

The doors to the throne room opened before him, and his presence was announced to the two princesses. They sat on their respective thrones and looked at him: Celestia's lips were tight and her gaze expressed danger; Luna was more confused, and her posture was slumped. At least six more guards were present, standing near each column of the throne room.

"Andromalius," Celestia spoke, her powerful voice reverberating across the room and making the head of the hell stallion hurt more, "You have attempted to enter the forbidden section of the castle. Explain your actions."

"I had no idea it was forbidden," Andromalius replied honestly, his voice somewhat weak and strained, "I don't even... I don't know what's behind that door."

"Nosense. You couldn't have stumbled there by chance," the princess replied sternly. Luna's expression shifted to a deep frown as her eyes gazed at nothing in particular.

"I was... led there by two guards," he continued, the throbbing pain in his head making it difficult to concentrate.

"For what purpose?" the alicorn pressed, almost glaring at him.

He opened his maw but stopped. Telling Celestia about the investigation would undermine Luna. However, lying about the reason why he was there would most likely not work. He didn't know where the two guards that led him were, and he doubted they would admit to leading him to that door.

His eyes widened as he put two and two together. It was a trap, and he fell for it.

"Honestly, you're fucked," Inanna told him, "In a really bad way. Wish I could help, but..."

"You cannot keep up your lies," Celestia interpreted Andromalius' silence her own way, "Now, reply honestly or suffer the consequences... I heard some rumors about your training with my sister," Luna's eyes immediately shifted to Celestia, "It is said... you're learning battle magic. Is it true?"

"Yes, it is," Andromalius nodded, seeing no sense in lying and no possibility to get out of it any other way.

"Sister, what were you thinking?" Celestia turned to Luna, "Why are you teaching him battle magic? He is not a guard, he is not police, he is a demon from some other world or dimension."

"I asked her to teach me," the hell stallion said and then immediately regretted his words when the solar alicorn turned to him with a shocked expression on her face.

"That is how it is..." she said in a low voice, "I see you're trying to gain our secrets. For what ends, I cannot imagine, but I believe you are intending harm against either my sister or my subjects. I cannot allow this to happen."

Luna opened her maw to say something but no words came out; a defeated expression appeared on her face, and her ears folded against her head.

"I see your plot has failed," Celestia said triumphantly, "A demon, trying to worm his way into our midst... As I suspected, as I have read about. Your kind always brings trouble and disharmony. And like all demons, your place is in Tartarus, not among my little ponies."

Luna's horn glowed slightly, her gaze aimed at Andromalius. He felt like a door opened in his mind; the same feeling he got when Inanna introduced herself.

"Run," Luna's voice spoke inside his head, "I know thou'rt innocent, I know thou wast trapped. There is no escape from Tartarus. Run, don't look back, I'll do everything I can to convince my sister thou wast fooled. And I, too, was fooled..."

"She's right, Andro," Inanna added, and it elicited a wide-eyed look from Luna, whose horn was still glowing, "Princess Celestia isn't going to let it slide."

For a moment, the hell stallion stood in place, only able to hear his heart beating. And from his heart, a burning heat rose, one that pushed him to act. However, he was yet frozen.

"For fuck's sake, run!" Inanna almost screamed at him, breaking him out of his stupor. The burning heat was in his head, and flames rose from his body.

Andromalius exploded in violent hellfire, throwing the surrounding guards away from him in a shockwave. He swiftly turned around and darted, in a few jumps reaching the doors. Celestia fired off a spell, shouting something, but it missed him. He burst through the wooden doors, charring them, one thought in his head.

He must run.

https://youtu.be/Amkok-oJy7g

Like never before, he galloped through the halls of the castle, the guards chasing him and casting spells. They bounced around him, hitting marble and stone, burning the tapestries; one hit him, and he stumbled, crashing on the floor and sliding a good dozen meters before he sprung up and dashed forward again, ignoring the pain and the tingling.

Some guards stood a spearwall in front of him, but he crashed into them like a storm, the spearheads breaking against his armor. The guards yelled in pain as he rammed through them, leaving a fiery trail behind.

Run. He must run. He didn't know where, but he had to run away from Canterlot, away from Celestia. A memory quickly appeared - the whistle of a train in the distance. That was his destination.

He burned through the castle entrance doors, leaving charred remains behind as the hellfire swirled around him. The burn he felt was pleasant, unleashed from its cage, and now it propelled him forward like a rocket. The guards were already far behind, struggling to keep up, wildly casting spells in hopes of hitting the fleeing hell stallion. As if a third eye opened inside him, he dodged, feeling a buzz as the magical energy zipped past him.

The buildings of the city were close now, and ponies scattered, screaming and yelling, as they saw the flaming demon galloping their way. He leaped high in the sky and landed on the roof of a small restaurant; the screams of ponies below followed him. In another leap, he jumped on a taller building.

A train's whistle sounded from afar, and yet Andromalius caught its direction. He jumped from roof to roof like a flaming comet, leaving scorch marks behind. Run, he must run. His heart was pounding, his powerful muscles working like never before, sending him into short flights across the buildings, over the streets, and then onto more roofs.

A train's whistle sounded again, and he dashed towards it. The train was either arriving or leaving, and he must catch it before it left the city or fully stopped. He had no idea how he would proceed next, but that wasn't on his mind right now – he must run.

In the distance, he could see the train station and the smoke rising from the train inside. A thought briefly passed – a steam train. He slightly changed his course and galloped over to the next roofs.

Pegasi guards flew above him, and unicorns appeared on the nearby roofs, trying to catch him. He knew he may regret his actions later, but he could do nothing but cast a Chain Lightning; some guards fell on the roofs, convulsing as electricity passed through them. Hurt, but alive, Andromalius thought, and that was all that mattered about them.

Sooner than he expected, he approached the train station. He crashed through a glass roof, the shards scratching him; the ponies fleed in terror of a fiery beast. But there it was, the train that was just speeding up. Andromalius forced his flames down and galloped to the locomotive. He jumped on the coal cart behind it and blasted the coupling off, melting it into a puddle of metal. The following train carts slowed down, and the locomotive jerked, instantly picking up more speed.

He had no idea how he made it, but he did; now, it was for him to make sure the locomotive continued to run. He jumped to the forward of the coal cart and saw a pony operating the locomotive. He yelled a curse and jumped off, rushing away from the train and the hell stallion.

Andromalius jumped down into the locomotive and looked around; valves and levers surrounded him. He stopped in confusion, trying to figure out what to pull to increase the speed, for he could already hear the guards rushing into the train station. He reached his goal, now what?

"You have fire, coal burns with fire, and that makes steam," Inanna told him rapidly, and he understood her immediately.

He grabbed a bunch of coal and put it straight into the furnace part of the engine; then, he summoned his hellfire. This time, he felt a pressure in his maw, so he opened it, and a roaring flame emerged from the depth of his throat, rushing into the furnace. The locomotive jerked again, picking up speed even faster than before. Andromalius turned around and saw the guards, which stepped back when they saw the fire dancing in his maw. The delay allowed the train to exit the station and continue its way out of the city.

Andromalius let out a deep sigh and slumped near the furnace, feeling its heat spreading through the cab. The fire in his maw disappeared, returning to the depths of his body. The locomotive went faster and faster, and soon the hell stallion was able to feel the chilly mountain winds passing through.

"That was... something," Inanna said, "Stealing a locomotive... I wouldn't think of that. But you escaped, and that's really all that matters. I can't imagine what would've happened to you in Tartarus..."

For around a minute, Andromalius was silent, gazing behind the locomotive. The pegasi chased it but gradually fell behind, leaving them with no option but to return to Canterlot. No matter how good they were at flight, the train was still faster, and it would only pick up more speed.

"Is... Tartarus where you are?" he finally asked the succubus.

"No, that place is a prison," Inanna replied with a shake of her head, materializing among the coal, "Hell... is different. We live here. We can't escape, but we live free, at least. Tartarus... is a much worse place, trust me. You don't want to go there."

"He has escaped on the train, your majesty," the Captain of the Royal Guard reported to Celestia. She and her sister stood atop one of the many towers of the Canterlot Castle; far away from them, they could see the locomotive rounding the mountain and disappearing from the view.

Luna let out a silent sigh. Even if Andromalius was out of the picture and could no longer help her, he was still alive, and he wasn't in Tartarus. In a certain way, she admired him for the bravery he displayed when he dashed through the city faster than anyone without wings could do, and then he even stole a locomotive. Ingenuity was apparent, although Luna swore she heard a second voice inside his head, a female one. Did Andromalius hide something from her or was it just her sleep-deprived brain playing tricks on her?

"I see," the solar alicorn replied, a deep frown on her face, "Very well, he has only one way to travel on that road. Order the second platoon to place explosives around the Everfree Bridge. Proceed."

The Captain nodded and disappeared into the castle, leaving the two sisters alone.

"Sister?" Luna looked at Celestia with barely hidden horror, "Art thou suggesting..."

"Andromalius is dangerous, Luna," the solar alicorn cut her off, "I do not believe in coincidences. The train arrived perfectly for him to escape on. He had a plan all along, I can clearly see it..." her gaze softened when she looked at Luna's expression, "Sister... I'm sorry he tricked you. But he's not your friend. He's a demon, and demons are dangerously deceptive. I'm sorry I couldn't see it, I'm sorry I wasn't there for you to turn you away from it."

"I..." Luna wanted to protest, but this desire quickly deflated. If the conspirators wanted to play this game, then she too could lie, "I... can feel... something going away. Maybe thou'rt right... maybe he tricked me."

"I know it's a lot to take in," Celestia said softly, "But everything is going to be alright, Lu-lu. I'm here now," she hugged her little sister tightly.

Luna shed tears, but those were tears of regret – she has just lied to her sister, manipulated her. She loved her, but she knew telling her the whole truth wouldn't help uncovering the big truth. One day, she would tell her everything as it was, but only when the conspirators are eliminated and the peace restored. Just like Andromalius, Celestia was a victim – a victim of power-hungry nobility that used all they could to maintain their power.

The lunar alicorn must work to uncover the plot; to avenge Andromalius, avenge her sister, and avenge herself. Chased off, manipulated, banished, and all because of a bunch of criminals who thought too much of themselves.

Anger, rage boiled inside her, and she wished nothing more than to find the conspirators and make sure they pay for what they did. She would strangle them, hit them, and let out all the suffering she faced because of their plot to use her sister to rule from the shadows. And once Celestia found out, they would face no mercy. The two sisters would unite in revenge and bring down the biggest threat to their subjects: not a demon, not a spirit, but those of the pony kind, the same people Celestia and Luna were.

This was where Celestia was wrong – she assumed an outside threat was out for ponies when it was coming from the inside all along. Luna would make sure she realized her mistake and saw the truth.

Wiping away the tears, the lunar alicorn almost smiled to herself – the conspirators made a mistake as well. They allowed Luna to know that some guards were on their leash, and this was exactly the lead she could pursue. Andromalius said just enough for her to know exactly where to search for the answers.