The Librarian, a unicorn named Daisy Pages, slowly crept towards the giant currently residing in her library, fear causing her every step to tremble as she carried a dozen books in her dark blue magic, a similar haze coating her yellow horn that sprouted from beneath the orange bangs of her mane. She took in the sight of him once again, disbelief and fear emanating from her like waves amidst an ocean. She had been alive for almost thirty years, and yet had never seen anything like him. He was utterly massive, his lower half covered in luxurious velvet robes, while his upper half was completely hidden in bright blue and gold armor. His left pauldron bore what looked like a large jewel shaped like an eye, while his right pauldron bore a goat skull. Daisy hoped that it wasn’t a real one.

The giant bore some kind of backpack behind him, with four gold extensions sprouting from it and ending in silver orbs that hissed every so often. His helmet was completely gold, four horns creating its regal surface while another two extended downwards, as if they were tusks. The center of the helmet bore a glowing blue gem, and the helmet twitched up as she approached, green lenses locked with terrified blue eyes.

“Is this all you have on your nation’s history?” The giant asked, his staff tapping the floor of the library. The neck of the staff was entirely black, though to Daisy it almost looked like it was burned black. The bottom of the staff ended in a razor sharp spearhead that dug itself into the wooden floor, while the top of the staff was gold, with two massive horns jutting from it. A small skull dangled from it, as did a black sack that was clearly filled with something.

“Ah… y-y-yes, Mister… th-this is everything….” She glanced outside, hoping for someone to save her from this situation. She felt a sudden chill up her spine as the books were forcefully, yet pathetically easily taken out of the grip of her magic, and floated around the armored giant, who briefly glanced at each one, using magic to turn all their pages at a speed that should have been impossible to read from. Once he was done with the books, they were set gently, and almost reverently, onto the empty shelf behind him, and he turned his terrifying gaze upon her again.

“And what about the most recent developments?” He asked. “Do you have any books detailing recent history?”

Daisy briefly shook her head, and that sudden chill down her spine returned, before she realized that the temperature of the entire room had suddenly dropped. “N-n-no… th-those w-were the most recent ones…” She pointed her hoof at the books he had just finished, and he sighed, the sound grating her ears as he began walking towards her, the floorboards bending under his weight.

“Then I suppose I shall have to make do.” He growled, and Daisy began to scream as a sudden agony overtook her. It felt like something had entered her mind through her horn, and was greedily and carelessly ripping through memories like a robber in an empty home. Her cries of agony went unheard by all save the giant as blood began to weep from her eyes and ears, and time felt like it had slowed to a crawl, each second taking a century of pure agony as her mind was ripped apart.

Half a minute later the unicorn fell to the ground, dead, as Ahzek Ahriman walked past her corpse, having already learned all he needed to know from it. “So this country is currently facing a civil war… I need more information.” He quickly left the library, skipping the stairs entirely as he walked. “If only I had left one of those military xenos alive… a shame they tried to kill me.” The Sorcerer stepped past a trio of charred corpses, green flames licking up the residential home behind the former family. Similar corpses littered the ground, some in blackened armor, and others looking like they had tried to run. Green Warpflame tore through the village, turning wood to ash and ash to nothing by Ahriman’s will alone.

“However, it would be a good idea to keep information about my existence to these xenos to a minimum until I am ready to act…” Ahriman said as he left the burning village, intent on finding more information.

Several days later, a squadron of soldiers would come across the destroyed village, finding the only untouched building to be the library. There had been no survivors.

"I said back… off!" The equine snapped, baring her fangs in a predatory fashion.

"Wait, Wanderlust, he's okay!" Little Apple Snatcher pleaded from behind Gordon as his crested helmet turned to look down at the spear piercing his arm, thick red blood leaking from the wound. A splitting headache erupted in the marine’s mind, and he heard an odd ticking noise from somewhere in his helmet. The pain of the headache angered him, the fact that he had been stabbed pissed him off, and his vision started to turn red as he got the urge to kill, kill, KILL! KILL-

A throaty yet unnatural roar ripped through the night and snapped him out of his trance, though the headache only seemed to grow more intensely. It sounded to Gordon as if someone had started a chainsaw, except it was louder and almost sounded… hungry. He glanced down and realized he had started up his chainaxe, the sharp teeth of the weapon tearing through air, ready to carve into flesh and spill blood. The horses all around him flinched at the noise, and Gordon sighed as he deactivated the axe, and holstered his pistol.

“Look, I’m not here to pick a fight…” Gordon grunted as he grabbed the small spear in his arm and pulled it out, forcing it out from under the horse’s foreleg. He held it out for a moment, before crushing the wood in his grip, shattering it into splinters as it fell to the ground. “It will take a lot more than a spear to scratch my armor, let alone kill me…” His voice sounded strained as he spoke through gritted teeth, the headache intensifying, as if it wanted him to kill, to rip this insolent horse apart for even attempting to fight him. He could see it so clearly. One swing of his axe, and her head would go flying as he pounced upon her fellow horses. They’d be dead before her head hit the ground.

But he resisted the urge with all his willpower, his hands curling into fists as he stared down the winged horse.

The bat-horse flinched, somehow sensing his bloodlust. “G-go on, knave! Get!”

“No. You will stand down, small horse.” Gordon said, his voice coming out as a growl and only made worse as it went through his armor’s vox grill.

“That’s bat-pony, beast!” Wanderlust’s nostrils flared.

“And that’s…” Gordon paused. He wasn’t exactly human anymore. “I am no beast. I am Astartes.” He turned his body towards the bat-pony, towering over her. “You have no chance of killing me. I will… forgive you for your attack, but I will not be so kind for long if you keep this up.” The headache intensified again at his threat of violence, and he barely kept himself from grabbing his head in pain. The bat pony looked to her compatiates, seeking their opinions.

The other two glanced at each other, before nodding to Wanderlust, lowering their weapons, but still ready to spring into action. Wanderlust let their response sink in, before raising her bloodied spear into the air.

“I’ll listen to you after you get out of my house- and neither of you complain!” Wanderlust glared at her two family members, the youngest of which looked down at her hooves as she kicked at the floor. “I have enough on my plate without you two inviting an outsider into our home.”

“Y-you’re right, dear.” The mother nodded, glancing down at Apple.

“Very well.” Gordon nodded. “I will leave, miss Wanderlust.” He checked his arm, surprised to find that the wound had already been healed, leaving only a scar. He backed out of the doorway, before turning and walking a few feet away and turning back to the house, the other two bat-ponies keeping their distance. “There, I am out of your house.” He briefly considered the incredulity of this scenario. A giant superhuman soldier, being ordered around by tiny ponies. It would almost have made him laugh if his headache wasn’t still pressing at the back of his mind.

The ponies stood there, silently watching the Astartes, unsure what to even say to someone that shrugged off a spear to his arm.

“The name is Gordon.” He grumbled, deciding to break the silence. “Is it customary of this place to greet newcomers by stabbing them with a spear?” He tried to make it sound a bit jovial, but in the end it sounded accusatory and hostile.

“It is when they’re an outsider during wartime!” Wanderlust replied suspiciously.

“Oh, so you guys are at war?” Gordon asked. “I am… not exactly from around here.” He let out a sigh, though it sounded almost like a growl. “Actually I have no idea where I am.”

“You’re in the Lunar Territories of Equestria, safeguarded by the Matron of the Night, Princess Luna!” One of the others cut in.

“Never heard of it, or of this ‘Luna’ chick.” Gordon shrugged, finding a particularly large stone nearby and using it as a chair. “So who’s your enemy then?” He decided against asking them if they had heard of America. He was already talking to bat-ponies, as incredulous as the concept was, so he figured he was either dreaming, or not on Earth. Especially since he was now in the body of Khârn the Betrayer. It would be a better use of his time to learn what he can about this place. And who he can kill- no, not that. How to survive.

“The tyrannical Celestia! She rules most of Equestria with an iron hoof-” Gordon chuckled to himself. “What’s so funny…?”

“Sorry, sorry, it’s nothing.” Gordon let go of his axe and waved his hand dismissively, the chains rattling against each other. “Please, continue.”

Wanderlust took it from there, “The Equestrian Civil War has been going on for a few years. Our Princess seeks to liberate us from the rest of Equestria’s tyranny. I hope you can understand the… ‘state’ we’re in.” She gestured with her off hoof to the surrounding buildings, but made note to linger on the section with the more hut like structures. “Other than that, what’s left of the Crystal Empire and them no good yaks are to the north, while the border to the day lovin’ Equestrians is a couple hundred kilometers south.”

“Well, sounds like you all have some serious stuff to work through.” Gordon nodded, flinching as his headache intensified. That damn clicking was getting annoying. “I can see now why you would rather attack on sight…”

“Wander~! I just got through telling him how amazing you are! You’re proving me wrong!” Apple Snatcher shouted from on top of her mother’s back.

Wanderlust blushed, hiding her face behind her wings. “W-what did you tell him, Apple!? I swear to the Nyx, if you said anything embarrassing I’ll feed you nightmares myself!”

“She didn’t say anything too insane.” Gordon chuckled. “Just something about you killing a Hydra with a toothpick.”

The obviously young pony shrank at that, and her fellow guardsmen gave her a look. One Gordon knew all too well. There was something to the story that they must’ve found amusing, since they had the biggest shit eating grins the Astarte had ever seen. “Apple Snatcher, you’re so dead…” Through gritted teeth, Wanderlust huffed. She then gave Gordon her full attention. “We’ll need you to come with us. N-nothing serious, but all new arrivals need to be processed by the township.”

“I suppose that’s alright.” Gordon nodded, before blinking. “Hm. One moment, I’d like to try something.” He stood up, raising his hands to his helmet and taking hold of it, before twisting. A soft hiss echoed from the suit, and he lifted the helmet free from his head, and attached it to his hip. He looked down at the ponies with a completely expressionless face, looking almost regal. A mess of metal tubes and wires dug into the back of his bald head, making it almost look like he had silver hair. “Ahh, much better. Now, let’s go. I’ll follow your lead.” He said as he picked up his axe. He had a very heavy accent that they couldn’t identify.

Wanderlust nodded to that, and began leading Gordon deeper into the town, with one of the others at either side of him. On their trek, Gordon noticed that a few elderly or cripplied bat ponies had begun exiting their houses, which were getting better and better in quality the further they went. They weren’t amazing, but they were less crumbly. After half a minute of walking, they all arrived at a pristine looking manor that Gordon could see becoming a haunted house if it wasn’t maintained, as it was one of the most gothic buildings he’d ever actually been to. Wanderlust fluttered her wings, lifting herself off the ground and hovered towards the door and rapped her hoof against it a few times.

“Compared to where you live, this is a rather… impressive mansion. I can see where all the money flows to…” Gordon grumbled, hands clenching around his axe.

“The Bloodwing Estate’s been here for ages, as has the Mayor… ugh, she’s probably out. Figures a unicorn like her would be bucking galavanting around somewhere else when we need-” Wanderlust stiffened when the front door creaked open, just enough for a singular red eye to stare at the bat pony.

“I don’t like it when ponies gossip about me, Wonderbust. Especially on my front porch.” The mare on the other side spoke softly. Gordon thought he heard a bit of British in her voice, too. The door widened, and on the other side of it stood a feminine pony, but unlike the others Gordon had met, this one had a horn atop her head. Her coat was a faded pink, and her mane a muted black. Her eyes were far more sunken in than the others, and her teeth were like that of a human with snake like canines, far longer than the bat ponies he’d met. She also wore a black dress that covered everything except her hind legs where a spider web was neatly displayed. “Oh my, you’ve brought me a guest. I hope these fine ponies didn’t bother you too much. They get antsy with new faces.”

“Not too much.” Gordon replied, his face twitching with a smile for a split second. “The most they did was poke me a little. Barely hurt at all.” He glanced down at Wanderlust, who was fuming already.

“Please, come in. I’d love to have you for dinner, if you wouldn’t mind. I’ve never seen a creature quite like you, and I’m more than a little bit curious. Oh! Where are my manners? My name is Wisteria Wilt.” The unicorn stepped to the side, allowing entrance to her house. “Please, come in. I don’t bite~”

Gordon glanced at her, then at Wanderlust, before grunting as he stepped inside the mansion, ducking through the doorway. “My name is Gordon. It is a pleasure.”

“The pleasure is mine~! We’ll have everything figured out soon.” Wisteria said, leaving the guards outside, unsure as to what happened.

“I can’t wait to go home… this is so boring…” Swift Striker groaned as he leaned against the wall of the guard post. The pegasus adjusted his golden armor so his white wings wouldn’t chafe against it. “Hey, Blood Rusher! You don’t suppose the guys in the next shift will get here early, do ya?”

“Fat chance of that, Swifty. They are all way too lazy to do that.” A female red unicorn in similar armor stepped out of the guard post. At all times there were at least ten soldiers in the building, and two outside. “You’d be better off trying to find gold in the dirt.”

Swift groaned as Rusher went to stand on the other side of the road. Thirty minutes swept by in silence, the two holding their spears at their sides.

“You know, maybe after our shift, you’d want to go out for a bite? I’d be willing to pay.” Swift broke the silence, glancing over at Rusher. She seemed to ponder the offer for a bit, her green eyes giving him a mischievous look.

“Oh, really~? Seems someone doesn’t remember just how much I could eat in the academy.” Blood smirked. “I’d love to go for a nice meal!”

Swift’s eyes widened at that, and he turned away. “A-Actually, I think I had some plans for tonight, s-so maybe next… time?” He suggested, recalling those days at the academy.

“Oh, is someone scared I’ll devour all his bits~?” She giggled, before blinking. “Hey, what’s that?” She gestured with her spear further down the road, where a bipedal creature was just coming into view.

“Looks like… a minotaur?” Swift suggested, noticing that it had horns poking out from its head. “It’s got some gigantic horns though… and some weird walking cane. Maybe it’s an old one?”

“Could be… go get the others, just in case.” Blood Rusher said. “I’m getting some bad vibes off of him.” Swift nodded and went towards the guard station, opening the door and peering in.

Inside were roughly ten other soldiers, who had all removed their armor and were currently either gambling at the table or resting in the beds. Some of the stallions and mares at the table glanced up, but for the most part the others weren’t paying attention.

“Hey, everypony get your gear on. We got a creepy Minotaur or something, and he’s giving Bloody some bad vibes.” This got a few of the other unicorns to glance warily at him. Blood Rusher was well known amongst the regional guard for her ‘bad vibes’. They quickly began to gear up while Swift stepped back out and took up his position with Blood.

“Wow… that’s some intricate armor.” Swift noted. The minotaur had gotten much closer, and the pegasus could now see that he was completely covered in bright blue and gold armor, and guessed that it was the same case under the velvet robes. As the towering minotaur approached, Swift tensed up. “Hey! What business do you have out here?!”

The minotaur stopped a few feet away, and he was massive. Swift had seen one or two Minotaurs in his life, and none were as tall as this one. His gold helmet turned to regard the pegasus.

“I come seeking your commanding officer, soldier.” The giant grumbled, his voice seeming to wrap around Swift like a snake. For some odd reason, it was rather comforting, and Swift began to relax.

“Oh… well, that’d be the lord of the land, Duchess-“ He was cut off as Blood Rusher jumped between him and the giant.

“Whatever Magic you’re using on him, stop right now! You are attempting to manipulate a soldier of Celestia’s Royal Military!” She growled, pointing her spear at the blue armored minotaur. By now the rest of the guards had gotten out of the guard post, and were taking up positions around him. ‘Manipulating…? But he seems like a nice guy.’ Swift thought to himself.

“Fine… there are other ways to gain the knowledge that I seek.” He growled, energy crackling around him. Blood Rusher leapt back as lightning flew from his hand, striking Swift Striker in the chest and melting through his armor, killing him instantly.

The other guards reacted instantly to Ahriman’s attack, the four winged ponies trying to attack him from above while the three earth ponies tried to rush him. The unicorn that he had tried to kill backed up, and Ahriman could feel the power of the Immaterium growing around her horn. He focused on the spears around him first. He tapped into the Great Ocean once again, the power coming much more easily than what he was used to. The energies coalesced into a ball of fire above his outstretched hand, and he threw it out around him, the flames reaching out to the ponies, who tried in vain to stop their forward momentum.

Ahriman switched targets as the flames began eating away at the earth ponies, devouring their armor and flesh in equal measures. Not even their souls would survive the flames. He raised his hand again, and this time black lightning shot out of his fingertips, slamming into the hearts of each of the pegasi before they fell to the ground. As Ahriman turned to the unicorn, he was blasted backwards, a magical spear managing to cut into his armor and only barely missed digging into the skin underneath. He landed on the ground with a grunt, surprised at the power behind the spell as the spear dissipated.

Blood Rusher was in the middle of preparing another spell as Ahriman seemingly appeared in front of her, his hand grabbing her by the throat and lifting her off the ground.

“Impressive… such power despite being so young…” Ahriman grumbled. “But it will do you no good now.” He began the process of taking her memories, his psychic powers reaching into her mind like tendrils and dragging what he needed out of her. He ignored her screaming and wild thrashing against his armored gauntlet as he processed what he was taking. “The Duchess of this territory… I see. Her name is… Opulent Magnifico?” Ahriman shook his head. “These xenos have such strange names.” He tossed Blood Rusher to the side once he got a location from her. He wiped her memories of this encounter, while also leaving a small spell within her mind. It would alert the Sorcerer to her presence if he ever came across her again.

“You may turn out to be useful to me, little Rusher, should our paths cross again.” Ahriman said as he turned from the massacre he had caused, and began walking towards the Duchess’ estate. “Such power should not be wasted.”

Gordon was led into a large dining room with a comically long table that didn’t even reach his knees, but worked for Wisteria as she sat down at one of the heads. An elderly stallion quickly trotted in, giving the Astarte no mind as he set a teacup and poured what Gordon assumed was tea. Gordon decided to remain standing, at least so he didn’t break her chairs and end up looking like a fool.

“So you’re not from Equestria I presume?” The unicorn inquired. She gave the stallion a quick gesture, and he took it as him having poured enough, and went about his business.

“No, I’m not.” Gordon nodded. “I was very surprised to find myself here… in fact, I have never heard of Equestria until just now.”

“We’ve been a nation for nearly two hundred years, so that’s not too surprising.” Wisteria remarked with a thin smile. “So how did you get here then?”

“Uh…” Gordon decided not to lie, as ridiculous as it sounded. The headache kept him from coming up with anything plausible, so it was a win-win for him. “I woke up at the bottom of the lake nearby? And then I just sorta got led to the town by a kid.”

“Hmm… Well, thank you for not causing too much trouble in our little hovel. Do you intend on staying here?”

“I’m not sure to be honest.” Gordon replied. “I mean, I have no idea how I got here, nor how to go home, so I might. But I heard there was some kind of war going on?”

“True. I don’t make it a point to involve myself with violence, but I do make it a point to keep up to date with both sides.” Wisteria’s teacup began levitating in a red aura, moving its way up to her lips where she took a slurp of its contents. “The Sisters’ feud is the most heated it’s ever been. Though, maybe this is a bit above your head.”

“Yep. I have no idea who the ‘sisters’ are.” Gordon nodded. ‘This place has magic? Weird. And why does that really make me angry?’ “I’m sure I’ll learn in due time, though.”

“They’re immortal Princesses with control over the sun and moon respectively. Nopony knows where they came from, but they helped establish Equestria with the Pillars- heroes of the past. They’re both heroes themselves, so when the younger sibling- Luna- split from Equestria and formed a ‘rebellion’. At first, things were peaceful, until a Duke of Celestia’s court was killed, and blah, blah, blah outright war.” Wisteria progressively got more and more bored the longer she explained, until she became incoherent and mumbly.

“I see… and how long has this war been on for?” Gordon asked, slightly surprised by her tone regarding such a topic.

“It’s been going on for about three years or so. I think… time stopped having meaning when half the town up and left.”

“Why did they leave?” Gordon asked, slightly concerned.

“They wanted to serve the ‘Rightful Queen’. They left the children to defend their families, but most of them left as well.” Wisteria rolled her eyes, “The three you met are half of the guards. The other half are the dayshift.”

“Quite the small number, though I’m guessing there is no one else left?” Gordon frowned.

“Most of the remaining townsponies either have health issues, aren’t capable of fighting or senile. We even lost two citizens yesterday on account of a bear of all things.” Wisteria took another sip.

“I see… my condolences.” Gordon said. “And what about you? What do you do for the village?”

“I run the day to day. I’m a Mayor, but I fulfil whatever government is required of me. I run the bank, I’m a judge, I collect taxes, I make announcements, I run the mail department. And everypony seems happy enough despite my circumstances.”

“Your circumstances?” Gordon asked, raising an eyebrow. “What kind of circumstances?”

“Well, I don’t exactly fit in with the others. Unicorns are mostly in support of Celestia rather then their Princess.” Wisteria closed her eyes, “Not to mention my disease. I have something of an appetite for blood unlike other equines. Some call it vampirism, others call it Grogar’s Kiss… I was once called a heretic, too, which was somewhat amusing.”

‘More amusing than you think.’ This caused Gordon to smile. “A heretic, eh? That reminds me of some stuff back home.” He gave a soft chuckle. “And honestly, I’ve seen enough weird stuff here that I’m not even phased by you being a vampire. So don’t expect me to freak out about it.”

“I wasn’t exactly expecting tact from you, though I do appreciate it.” Wisteria’s smile faded. “Something’s… wrong.”

“Hm? What is it?” Gordon asked, gripping his chainaxe tighter. “If it’s something about me, then feel free to ask.” He then heard the sound of something flying through the air just outside the window, and leapt forward, grabbing his helmet and pulling it over his head as a small cylindrical object flew through the window, carrying a lit string. An explosive. Gordon processed this in half a second, and dove towards Wisteria, tackling her to the ground and protecting her with his body as the explosive detonated.

“Take that, bat brains!” A unicorn stallion wearing gold armor cackled as he chucked dynamite into the windows of the nearby houses. Perched atop a further building and laying on her stomach was a female pegasi wearing similar gold armor, having a burgundy coat, blue eyes and a white mane that spilled into her helmet’s crest giving it its own personality.

“Hey Willhelmet! Be careful or you’ll get discharged on accounts of friendly fire!” She shouted from her safe spot. Another pony sat with her, spear in hoof to guard her.

“He really does love explosives, doesn't he…” the stallion groaned. He was a earth pony, with a dark blue coat and blonde mane tucked underneath his helmet. “How did we get stuck with him again, Roost?”

“I mean, if you paid attention to the briefing, his unit were ambushed by a bunch of leather wings. This whole mission was ‘retribution’ or whatever, as Captain so eloquently put it. Willhelmet’s just venting over his comrades’ deaths.” Roost replied with a tone of understandment. “But I swear, if he thinks he can pull a war crime while I’m on watch, he’ll have another thing com-” She was cut off as a angered roar erupted from the mansion, accompanied by a screeching noise that Roost had never heard before, but still managed to send shivers down her spine.

A flaming giant burst from the mansion, glowing green eyes turning this way and that as the beast bellowed out another roar. It was gigantic, clad in dark red and bronze armor of a like the two ponies had never seen before, completely covering the thing from head to toe aside from its left arm, which was covered in chains and gripped a large axe, which was the source of the unnatural screeching. It’s helmet was created by two large horn-like appendages, pointing straight up as its eyes locked on to Willhelmet.

The pony began to scream as the giant was upon him in an instant, the axe roaring louder as it descended upon him and eviscerated the poor fool, it’s whirling teeth cutting through armor and bone as if it wasn’t even there. He cut the pony in two, straight down the middle as the red armored creature gave out another roar, almost deafening Willhelmet’s screams as he began to die.

“Kill! Kill! KILL!” It bellowed, turning away from the mansion and moving towards where the sounds of combat were coming from.

“What the buck!?” Roost squeaked, eyes as wide as saucer plates. “What did that thing do to Willhelmet!?”

“What in Celestia’s name is that?!” Silver shell whispered, hoping it couldn’t hear them as it rushed off into the town, moving far faster than a thing of that size should be able to move.

“I don’t know! We need to warn the Captain!”

“Right. Let’s get going then!” The two got up from the roof of the building and dropped down, before heading in the direction where their Captain was. As they flew past the rampaging monster, they saw him tear into a unit of their comrades.

They eventually arrived at the outskirts of the village, where they landed next to a unicorn with a blue coat and fiery red mane. His golden armor was different from the others, with etching depicting their ruler, Celestia, surrounded by the halo of the sun, and he had a bright blue plume sticking out from the top of his helmet.

“Report, Rooster. I know you wouldn’t be wasting my time unless you had something to tell me.” The Captain grumbled, looking over to them.

“Sir, there’s some monster killing our assaulting forces! It killed Willhelmet and a few others!” She’d probably name them if she’d seen their faces while flying to the backlines. “It looked like a Minotaur, fully decked out in armor, and had a really freaky weapon I’ve never seen! I think we should pull back, sir!”

“Oh? Are those feathers I see behind your ears, Rooster? Perhaps we should put you with your real family… in the chicken coop! Silvershell, did you happen to see any eggs trailing behind her as you came here?” The Captain laughed at his own joke.

Roost balked at that, flinching at the complete dismissal of her statement.

“N-no, sir. All we saw was the bloodied corpses that used to be our fellow ponies.” Silvershell said.

The Captain continued regardless, though he frowned at Silvershell, “We are Celestia’s Chosen! We do not run from monsters! Monsters run from us! And I, Glamorous Ego, will not cower away from one of Nightmare Moon’s puppets!”

“Fine, but I feel that somepony should inform General Quake.” Roost didn’t want to stick around when that thing got closer, even if the Captain was right.

“Oh fine, you can go.” Captain Ego rolled his eyes. “Run along with your tail between your legs like your ancestors. I’ll be sure to collect the eggs and use them for our victory breakfast!”

Roost’s face turned pink with embarrassment and fury as her wings popped away from her sides. She gave him one final glare, before taking off in the opposite direction from the village.

“And what will we do, sir?” Silvershell asked as he watched her leave.

“Why, we’ll deal with this so-called ‘monster’ ourselves!” The Captain grinned as he drew his sword using magic. “Destroying Nightmare Moon’s monster will surely make us heroes!” Ego began to trot into the burning village, beckoning his guards and Silvershell to follow him.

After about five minutes of walking through the destroyed village, they could hear it. Silvershell shuddered as he heard the familiar sound of the beasts’ weapon, a raging screech of metal cutting through metal.

“What is that unholy sound?” Ego grumbled, his ears flattening against his head.

“That’s the… sound of the monster’s weapon, my lord.” Silvershell whimpered, deciding to slow down until he was behind the rest of the guards.

“Then we are close. Follow-“ Ego was cut off as they turned a corner, and the captain got his first look at the monster. It’s back was to them, and it was currently busy using its axe to cleave through a corpse’s neck, decapitating it and dropping the bloodied head into a sack. “By Celestia, how vile! You utter barbarian!”

The monster’s head perked up and it turned around, dropping its sack at its feet. “Hrrrngh...more skulls for Khorne…” It growled, it’s axe purring in its hand.

“You will claim no more heads today, monster!” Ego retorted, before firing off a fireball spell at the armored giant. “I am Captain Glamorous Ego, and I am your… death…” He trailed off as the fireball hit the creature right in the helmet, but did absolutely nothing. It almost seemed to dissipate around him.

“Hrrrnnngh! Sorcerous scum!” It roared, and its axe screamed with it. “Your skull will join those of your soldiers!” It began to charge forward, and Ego showed the first signs of panic.

“S-Stallions! Charge!” He decreed, and his guards rushed to obey, their spears and floating swords lashing out towards the beast. To their horror, the spears broke against its chest, and their swords cut apart by the screaming axe as the armored warrior barreled through them, crushing heads and bodies underfoot. They were the lucky ones. Those who had the common sense to get out of the way soon found their heads flying through the air, or finding a large gash through their chests as blood spilled from their ruined hearts.

Silvershell did the sensible thing as he saw such easy slaughter: He turned and ran, dropping his weapon and running past a horrified Captain Ego. When he glanced back, he saw the monster towering over the unicorn, who had fallen backwards in terror as the thing spoke its final words to the captain.

“Hrnnngh… Now you will… pay… for killing these innocents!” It raised its axe and began viciously cutting the captain apart slowly, cutting only deep enough to draw blood, and never a killing blow as Ego’s screams pierced the night. Though Silvershell wasn’t there to see it, it took ten minutes for him to die, and the blood-crazed monster roared over his desecrated corpse.

“Blood for the Blood God!”

Opulent Magnifico was a simple mare with an easy life. Well, probably one of the easiest lives one could have during war time, but it was leagues better than what a lot of others had. So she was quite visibly shook when the Captain in charge of her security force barged into her study.

“D-Duchess Magnifico!” The Captain panted, his brown coat matted with sweat. “W-we need to evacuate you, r-right now!” His normally clean and kept purple mane was shuffled all around his face, and he looked terrified. He never looked terrified.

“What’s the meaning of this, Captain Leadbelly?” Opulent was a busy as was mare, and had the misfortune of having an important legislation that needed to be voted on by the end of the week that was over fifty pages long. She was a unicorn, her gentle grey coat was as pristine as any noble’s, and her mane a brilliant cyan mixed with grey done up in a series of drills. Her eyes were an uncommon gold that gave her a ‘soul of gold’ as many nobles put it. Of course, she knew they were just kissing her flank for political reasons, usually. “I’m in the middle of some importance. Just deal with the rabble for once…”

“I-it’s not the rabble, Duchess!” He gasped for breath, collapsing to the ground. “A… a magic using m-minotaur, my lady… he’s marching through the town, and… c-coming straight here! W-we tried to stop him, but h-his magic… it’s unnatural!”

Now she’d heard everything. “Right… did you make a bet with one of your subordinates or something? Because I really don’t find this funny. Minotaur aren’t even in Equestria.” She was sure a vein was showing. She really needed to learn how to do those subtle breathing techniques the other Nobles did. They had to do something if their help was anywhere near as incompetent as hers.

“N-no, Duchess!” Leadbelly said, starting to collect himself. “We believe it to be a Minotaur, but it’s covered in strange armor! It’s tearing our soldiers apart and burning them to ash! You must evacuate!”

“So this is where that rat scurried off to.” A deep and menacingly calm voice echoed through the room, yet sounded as if it was only a few feet away. Leadbelly began to whimper, before making choking noises, and to Opulent’s surprise even began floating off the ground. “Is this coward your servant?” The voice asked, and she blinked.

And then she saw him.

She felt as if he had always been there, a towering giant of gold and blue standing just behind the floating stallion. He wore dark red robes around his waist, and his pure gold helmet was crested with six large horns. His left pauldron bore the likeness of a goat’s skull, while his right a golden eye. In his hand was a large staff topped with two horns, and bore several odd artifacts.

“Greetings, Duchess. I apologize for the loss of your soldiers, but they should know better than attacking a traveler on sight.” His helmet had glowing green lenses, and a green jewel embedded in its forehead.

“A-and you are…?” She struggled to compose herself in front of the stranger, ignoring the struggling Captain behind her. “To what… do I owe the pleasure?”

‘Buck, did I do something he didn’t like?' She immediately thought, before dashing that treacherous thought. She really considered it though, she knew that there were many a folk who had their gripes with the way the nobles ran things, and she apparently was an easy target.

“I come seeking knowledge about the current events of the civil war.” He said, lessening his psychic grip on the captain so he didn’t kill him.

“That’s… it?” Opulent asked, a little surprised. “What specifically are you looking to learn?” She didn’t want to admit it, but Opulent was really into storytelling and history.

“Everything regarding the current state of the war, and the war in general.” The Magic user explained, then paused. “Normally I’d simply tear the information from your mind, but… you may have a use…”

Opulent had a bad feeling about that, but was focused on not getting anything torn from her mind. “Equestria had been ruled by two Princesses for as long as our country’s been around. They’re what we call ‘alicorns’, and are the strongest ponies alive. The youngest of the two splintered the state and tried to reform Equestria under only one Princess.” She paused, slightly afraid that she’d begun rambling in fear. “I heard a few rumors that she was jealous of the love her sister got for bringing the day, while everypony ‘shunned’ her night. She gathered up most of the nocturnal races and fled to the north before the rest of Equestria could give chase.”

The giant paused as he took this all in. “I see… and how is the war currently faring?” He asked, finally dropping Leadbelly to the ground, and let him gasp for air. “For your cooperation thus far, I shall spare your cowardly servant.”

“Lead, g-go tell the others that the intruder was slain.” Opulent ordered. “I’d rather not hire an entirely new guard, or Celestia forbid Canterlot appoint me a division...”

“I… I understand, Duchess.” Leadbelly nodded quickly, eyeing the giant warily before turning to leave.

“Wait, worm.” The giant growled, and Lead practically jumped. “Know this. If you attempt to betray your Duchess, or send for more forces to this place… I will end you the moment you try to speak the words. It won’t matter how far away you are.” With that, he used levitation to throw the captain out the door, and shut it. “There. Now we will have no more useless interruptions.”

“Good.” Very good. Now she felt a lot more confident that she wouldn’t die right away. It was a plus. “As for the war… Princess Celestia is faring far better than her little sister Luna. Progress is slow, due to the griffons support, but we’ve already reduced them to a third of their territory.”

“I see…” The giant nodded. “I heard that your nation previously suffered from an invasion of forces under the command of Chaos?”

“One of many dangers Equestria’s faced that barely lasted longer than a year. Like Discord, Sombra and the Sirens before.” Opulent shrugged. “I don’t know a lot about that event, since only Archmage Flashfreeze is allowed the majority of that restricted history.”

“I see… very well then.” The giant looked down on her. “I now give you a choice. Since you were very cooperative, you have two options. In the first path, I shall leave this place, while wiping the memories regarding my existence to all those who saw me… or…” he rapped his staff against the ground. “You may choose to serve me. There are many uses that I would have for a mare in your position, and you would be well rewarded for your loyalty. Serve me well enough, and perhaps even… immortality could be within your reach…”

Opulent Magnifico, Duchess of the Sleeping Valley, Mistress of Dream Castle, and one of the twelve Equestrian Dukes and Duchesses, began to think. To really consider her options.

“I wouldn’t be turned into a mindless monster, would I? I’ve heard stories where wishes like that would be cruelly ironic.” She cynically asked.

“Unlikely. Most of those kinds of creatures don’t last long enough to be considered immortal.” He said with a shrug. “I will be capable of turning you into one, however, should you betray me…”

“No need to continue, I can imagine. I think you’ve left me no choice, mister…”

“The name is Ahriman.” The giant said, leaning against his staff. “Do forgive my manners, Duchess. I apologize for not introducing myself sooner.”

“Well, Ahriman. I think I’ll take you up on your offer.” Opulent grinned, “I look forward to our future endeavors~”

“As do I, Duchess…” Ahriman nodded, already planning his next step. “I shall take my leave for now, but I will contact you soon enough. For now, I must make some… acquaintances.” He turned to leave, searching through the web of fates to find the best course of action for his plans to reach fruition.

Author's Notes:

Aaaaand chapter two is done! Me and BP are attempting to get these out on a weekly basis, but we might be late a few times due to working on other projects. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed!