//------------------------------//
// Chap. 14 The Prodigal Son pt.1 
// Story: How Death Lived 
// by Crimson Wisp 
//------------------------------//

////////Azazel/////////

I had just finished etching my sigil over the plate of my gauntlet's hand with what remained of an old and rusted spear head when Avalon came back with what smelled to be food. 

"I found a rabbit's den a small ways away from the castle. It took me a bit to get them out, and a lot longer to skin them just how you like them, but I was able to make it happen with what we had."

Avalon explained, his voice coming from behind me. I turned around from the table I had been working on to look at the onyx skeleton standing behind me with eyes that shimmered with red and green wisps of helfire. 

He was holding a large plate with rabbit meat and sliced apples and what seemed to be a glass of... HE EVEN GOT ME A GLASS OF BLOOD!

"Avalon, you are a godsend."

I acknowledged with a smile gracing my lips, but it faded away as soon as I took the dishes. Avalon noticed my change in mood and placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Sir?.."

He asked in a gentle and concerned tone. I took a deep breath and looked him in the eye.

"I will eat when Saros is secured under my control. I feel uneasy having him unrestrained. We should place him under the spell now while he is unconscious."

I explained, setting the dishes on the table. Avalon tilted his head before speaking.

"But sir... He's unconscious, and you said he was weakened. Why are you uneasy?"

Avalon calmly contested.

"I did say that, but while he may not have the power he once had in the real world, his telepathic abilities have me concerned."

I began with a sigh escaping through my nostrils. I took the gauntlet from the table and put it on my right arm, securing the straps on my forearm as I continued to talk.

"I do not know the full extent of his power, but if he can reach Princess Luna through the dreamscape; any hope of me freeing Celestia's disgusting head from her miserable shoulders will vanish along with any chance of us surviving."

I finished, securing the straps and looking over the roughly etched rune that read "Sacrifice" or "Ah-zay-zel" in abyssal. 

Content with the result, I began to make the small walk towards the slumbering human with Avalon and a hovering necronomicon close behind. I stood by Saros and looked him over. I took in every detail on his body and soul and braced myself mentally for the spell I was about to perform. I turned to Avalon, who stood by my right before I gave him his task.

"Keep him from waking up, the spell will cause him pain and I need to be completely focused on what I'm doing."

I ordered, gaining a nod from Avalon. My most loyal knelt down over Saros and placed his skeletal hands on Saros' temples. Avalon's eyes became red lines no thicker than a strand of hair as his eyes "shut" to focus. 

Seeing this as my cue to begin, I waved my hand before the tome of spells gifted to me by my parents, causing it to opened. The pages flipped and fluttered until stopping over the spell that dominates the heart of it's victims. At the foot of the page, I noticed my mother's written signature at the bottom. The sight of her sigil strengthened my resolve and my eyes narrowed as I turned to look at Saros. 

I could see his eyes were shut through the eye holes in his mask, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Avalon's closed eyes turn yellow. That's not good...

"Sir, there's a foreign presence in his mind. It doesn't seem malignant, but I can't separate it from Saros' mind!"

Avalon exclaimed, his voice strained. My eyes went wide at the implication Avalon was making, and one name rushed to the forefront of my mind.

"Luna... How long has she been in his head!?"

I asked, heavy amounts of trepidation dripped from my every word.

"She appeared just now, sir. Whatever you're going to do, you need to do it now while I distract her!"

Avalon warned. I took a shaky breath before outstretching my right hand and placing it over Saros' heart. I shut my eyes and began channeling magic first into the gauntlet. My mother made the spell to ensnare mortals and seduce them into doing what she wanted. It was her Magnum Opus, the flagship of her demonic arsenal. 

A spell that robbed the victim of his or her ability to act of their own volition, while retaining full consciousness. Making them a prisoner in their own body. I would not fail to cast it on my first attempt, I couldn't. The price of failure would mean the destruction of what little I had left. I would not lose Avalon or Anvari, I SWEAR IT!!!

"Indominus..."

I began the first half of the spell, and it began it's brutal manifestation. My mother was known by many names, the right hand of Mephistopheles, the demon with a thousand faces, and more relevant to the spell I was casting, The blood queen of hell. My mother was the inventor of blood magics, and by the time she met my father, she was like a goddess in her own right. 

Because of the spell's nature, I kept the majority of the way it would manifest from Avalon to keep from him from worrying. Fortunately, he was too focused on whatever he was doing in Saros' mind to see that I had made a deep cut in my bicep by tearing at the scale covered flesh with my left hand. 

My blood flowed from the wound, and upon uttering the spell, the deep red liquid rapidly snaked it's way over my forearm and onto the plate where my name had been engraved. My eyes rolled to the back of my head as I was linked to the gauntlet.

"...'Kor..."

I uttered the second word of the spell, and the rune was then filled by my blood, which boiled and sizzled as it was fused with the metal. Regaining control of my eyes, I looked down at the now glowing rune that burned with the same crimson hue of my aura. I shut my eyes and uttered the final word through gritted teeth.

"...Meum!"

The area where my hand met Saros' shirt felt hot, and I could hear Saros' grunting and breathing heavily as the final phase of the spell took hold. My name was being carved into his flesh by tendrils of boiling blood, leaving him marked as mine to control. 

All I had to do was overpower his will long enough for the spell to literally take root in his heart. Once his body was under my control, I would be one step closer to not only avenging the deaths of my friends; but I would also be one step closer to ending the one who would sooner have me killed than to live by her own code of "Harmony."

///////////The dreamscape/////////////

Luna had forced herself asleep to enter the dream realm. She was a mare fueled by the fire of maternal love to protect her foal. 

In the void of the dreamscape, very few ponies were asleep at noon, making the task of finding the mind of her target a lot easier than it would be otherwise. Eons before Celestia had lied to her sister and declared her adopted son dead, Luna had come to learn by heart her son's magical resonance born from their bond. It was this magical resonance that allowed Luna to find her son's mind. 

As she hovered towards an orb of light larger than the rest, scattered about like distant stars, she peered into the dreams of the human child that she saved so many centuries ago. 

Saros was in what seemed to be the side of a large mountain overlooking a vast expanse of dark green pastures with odd trees dotting the landscape. Her boy was chained and suspended in the air with black chains that brandished small cracks and crevices that expelled a dark red mucilage she was somewhat familiar with.

Saros' restrains were tethered to two large pillars of ancient marble, covered in dirt and moss. Luna's resolve granted her the ability to act, letting her fear dissolve and transform into a stoic determination that manifestef in her face. 

She angled her horn and with it's tip, tapped the orb, which then expanded outward with lightning fast speed, a flash of light, and a low magical hum. Once she was inside the mind of her son, she looked up at him. 

Concern for the human overwhelmed Luna and she flew up to him and examined him more closely. The human did not have his mask, exposing his tired and wounded face. The same wounds he obtained the day she thought she had lost him forever. 

His cloak and shirt were ripped to shreds and the chains that coiled around his arms like a snake were releasing a dark and viscous liquid that was snaking its way towards Saros' chest. Luna tried to extend a hoof towards his chest, but was quickly stopped by a translucent red barrier that kept her hoof away. When her hoof tapped the shield, it let out a sound similar to striking a metal cauldron. The sound caused the human to jerk and weakly raise his head.

"M-mother?.."

He asked, his breathing strained and shaking.

"Saros! Are you alright?!"

Luna asked, her hooves pressed against the unseen barrier. The human looked at his restraints and began to struggle, doing his best to see if his bonds were in anyway slack. The only sound heard was the wind blowing by for the brief moment Saros struggled with his restraints. 

Then, as the wind suddenly stopped and the clear azure sky that gave color to the land bellow it was obscured by grey thunder clouds. Luna was too focused on her son to see that a large bipedal figure was standing a small distance away.

"Fear not Saros, my master does not wish to kill you. But those chains must stay on for the time being."

A baritone male spoke from behind Luna. As Saros stopped struggling, the mistress of the night turned to see who was speaking to her boy. A small distance away, stood a tall male human much like Saros. 

Unlike Saros' milk chocolate coloured skin, this human had pale, creamy flesh and had freckles all over his face. He had a well maintained short box beard of an orange color. His hair was short and of the same color as his facial hair. 

He was wearing loose trousers that covered his thick, and  muscular legs. He had a dirty under shirt and a chestplate that seemed battle worn. In his right hand he held a spear made completely of a dull black metal. 

The spear head seemed to be split down the middle, and from the two beam, a helix that sharpened into a fused blade that adorned the strange weapon. His spear was aimed at the ground, and although he did not seem hostile, his stance indicated he was tense.

"Please step away from him your majesty, there is no need for violence."

The man ordered with a calm and collected, yet firm tone. 

"What are you doing to him!?"

Luna asked, worry and anger lacing her voice. 

"Azazel is ensuring he doesn't try anything once he is awake. Be at peace Princess, your son is not in danger."

The man explained, the blunt end of his metallic weapon hitting the ground as he switch his grasp to hold it like a walking staff.

"Yet..."

She seethed, mistrust in her voice. The man's red eyes burned with indignation as he drew closer to the mistress of the night.

"Not once have any of us lied to you. Why start now?"

He challenged, before taking a breath to steady himself.

"Princess, I swear to you that I speak true. All my master wants, is to be left alone."

The man stated. Luna's grimace softened, and she turned to look at her son. The human seemed relatively unharmed, save for a few cuts around his arms and the obvious black liquid flowing from the chain, over his arms, and under his shirt towards his neck. 

Saros seemed frightened and out of breath, but otherwise untouched. Luna turned back towards the imposing human, and slowly descended to ground level; never taking her eyes off of him.

"Avalon, we presume?"

She asked in a calm, yet stern manner. Avalon's stern gaze softened as he visibly relaxed. He gave her a warm smile and a small bow, leaning heavily on his spear.

"At your behest Princess."

The action seemed to make Luna's nerves die down enough to relax herself. There was an odd silence between the two of us that endured for about a minute before Saros spoke up. 

"Our chest... It hurts to breathe..."

He stated, only now we're his small grunts being picked by his mother's and his "captor's" ears. Both Avalon and Luna looked up at the bound human with indifference and concern respectively.

"The pain won't last for much longer, don't resist the spell and let it take hold."

Avalon calmly ordered. This gained a look of shock and fright from Luna.

"What is Azazel doing him!? Make him stop!"

She demanded, the anger that had been quenched a few moments ago was rekindled by the now living Avalon's command. Avalon barely flinched, simply turning to look at her with a face that screamed, "please stop looking at me like that, You scare me."

"As I mentioned before, Azazel is making sure Saros won't try anything once he is awake. Your son will be left unharmed by the end of this, but I cannot interfere with my master's spell casting."

Avalon reassured Luna, who was fixated the now panicking stormcaller. He was hyperventilating and struggling against his chains.

"Wh-... Wha-.. I can't... breathe..."

He managed to say between panicked breaths. Luna was now terrified for her son. While the sight of him desperately trying to wriggle out of the chains around his arms was enough to frighten Luna, what truly worried her was the look on Saros' face. His normally muddy brown skin had become pale and dull, and he was sweating profusely.

"Saros!"

Luna exclaimed as her wings flexed outwards and she began moving towards him. Avalon looked at the display and quickly noticed that the pillar was starting to sprout new chain links up and down it's length. Getting a vague idea of what was about to happen, Avalon's stoic expression turned to one of concern for the young human.

"Saros! You need to relax and stop fighting Azazel! If you keep resisting it will only hurt more!"

Avalon shouted at a delirious Saros. The chains that had sprouted from the pillar shot out and wrapped themselves around Saros' legs and torso respectively. Like snakes, they coiled themselves around his form and constricted him further. 

While her maternal instinct sending a flood of adrenaline through her whole body, Luna fired a volley of magical bolts of azure magic at her son's restraints. 

The bolts hit their mark and four of the seven chains that were strangling Saros fell off of his body in a broken and smoldering mess of black chain links. The clouds around us began to rumble with the sound of distant thunder as more chains sprouted from the pillars and the surrounding ground. 

Luna began to open fire on the growing chains, but for every one she would destroy, two more would rise in its place. Avalon sprinted over to Luna and harshly turned her around.

"LUNA STOP!"

Avalon shouted as he tried to keep her from getting a clear shot at Saros' restraints. Luna kicked and struggled against the human as he grabbed her by her barrel, wrapping his arms around her waist and keeping his chest firmly placed against her back, pinning her wings.

"NOOO!!! SAROOOOS!!!"

She screamed in terror, struggling to free herself from Avalon's fierce grip. Just as Saros was completely cocooned in a thick mass of onyx metal and dripping black goo, his eyes shined like stars and the clouds in the sky above began to surge and rumble with power. 

In a violent blast of ionic power, lightning came down from the sky and struck the cocoon of chains with sustained arcs of teal lightning. The metal shell exploded to reveal Saros floating in the air, his body glowing and shining with ethereal lightning, giving him the appearance of a thunder god. 

His shirt vaporized and his upper half now exposed to the elements. His odd sandals were gone, and bolts of electrical magic arched down to the floor bellow him. His snow white hair waved about in the wind that blew across the mountainside they were all on. 

As lightning struck around the mountain, shattering stone and ionizing the air, Saros levitated toward the now terrified Avalon. Luna could only watch in awe as her son showed the true power he had been bestowed by Discord, the power of an angered sorcerer. 

"Let. Her. Go."

Saros ordered in a stern and imposing voice that rumbled like thunder. Avalon, now finding himself utterly mortified, braced himself for the wrath of the human turned thunder god; for he knew that his compliance would be his master's damnation. 

Saros extended an open hand with his palm forward and began to charge his magic. Just as Avalon thought he would either die or endure an obscene amount of pain from Saros, a massive vortex of hellfire erupted from where the pillars once stood. 

The swirling mass of black and red miasma roiled and churned with a malevolent roar that caused everyone to stop what they were doing and look in it's direction. It finally stopped spinning and opened like a parody of a blossoming flower, sprouting inverted wings of demonic proportions. 

The silouhette of darkness formed Azazel's body with his wings outstretched. The only other distinguishing feature on the apparition's shadowy form was it's eyes, snow white orbs that were lit ablaze with the crimson fires of hell itself. 

Saros immediately redirected his outstretched hand and fired a deafening lightning bolt on the horned menace hovering a few feet off the ground. The demon outstretched it's hand and caught the bolt, reducing it to a blue orb that hovered harmlessly over his hand before being crushed in it's fist. 

Saros was taken aback by this, but did not waste time in charging up another volley of magic in both his arms.

"I AGREED TO HELP YOU, DEMON! NOT TO BE YOUR SLAVE!"

Saros shouted, firing even more concentrated discharges of thunder magic.  Avalon, who had been watching the spectacle from a distance with Luna in his arms, set the lunar princess on the ground. They watched in awe and horror respectively as the two beings clashed for control over Saros' soul. 

Azazel outstretched his hands and caught the bolts of magic as they were being drawn to two spheres of darkness that hovered over his palms.

"Your will is strong..."

Azazel commented, his voice indicating that the act of challenging Saros' elemental might head on was placing a strain on him.

"...but you..."

He grunted, as his flaming aura grew in size, and the air around the group grew warmer and warmer.

".̸.̵.̷W̸I̵L̸L̶ ̵N̴O̸T̶ ̵B̸E̷ ̸T̶H̷E̴ ̵E̴N̶D̵ ̷O̵F̴ ̵M̷E̴!̷!̶!̸"

Azazel roared, as he unleashed a powerful shockwave that forced Saros to break his concentration. This window was what Azazel needed to be shot forward in a blast of wind, tackling his opponent. The two flew out and over the clearing in the large expanse surrounding the mountain they were on.

"SAROOOS!!!"

Luna shouted as she spread her wings and leapt into the air with a running start, leaving Avalon to simply watch the madness unfold from a distance. She flew in their general direction, but they had seemingly vanished from sight. 

The lunar diarch looked around for her son and was surprised by the sound of a thunderclap a small distance above her. Looking up, even the magically enhanced eyes of an Alicorn could not keep up with the blurs of red and blue as they collided with each other at breakneck speeds before disappearing and reappearing a short distance away. 

The sounds of strikes and impacts of ludicrous strength and speed could be heard all for miles within the mind of the stormcaller as he and the demon fought. Punches, kicks, blasts of hellfire and lightning respectively were the weapons these two beings used against each other with speed and precision that could only be achieved within dreams. 

As the duel continued, rain began to fall, and despite Luna wanting to stay in the air, she was aware that Saros' mind was prone to creating hyper realistic constructs. If she was too high up and her wings got wet, she would fall to her death. 

She flew back down and landed in a patch of moist grass, never taking her eyes off of the general area where her son and the demon that had perplexed her, in a duel that would determine the fates of not just themselves, but potentially... all of Equestria. 

The skirmish dragged on for ten more minutes, neither side being able to land a decisive blow to the other. That is, until the two exchanged a blow that knocked both Saros and Azazel apart. 

The two orbs of light, cyan and crimson hovered in the rain filled sky several hundred meters away from each other. They had both expended a lot of power in their duel, and exhaustion was beginning to take a toll on both of them. 

As lightning crashed down in the distance, the two warriors centered themselves, and with a warcry from both sides, they charged towards each other with every last ounce of power they had. A bolt of blue cut through droplets of water at breakneck speeds towards an unstoppable meteor of black and red fury. 

For the briefest second, just before the moment of impact, there was silence; and that silence was then replaced by the deafening roar of winds that put hurricanes to shame. Luna and Avalon, who had been watching the skirmish, stood frozen and unfazed by a blast of air so powerful that pushed all the water droplets over a mile away. 

At the point of collision, a sphere the size of a modest house of smoke and lightning remained, obscuring the end result of the collision. Luna, who was now shedding tears born from fear and impotence, shuddered with every deafening second there was no sound other than the wind in the distance rushing back from where it was pulled from. 

Then, something fell through the dense cloud of ash and crashed down with a sickening crunch. The figure was obscured by smoke, but the revelation of who had lost came as the victor emerged from the sky. Azazel flew down, his powerful wings flapping slowly to allow a gentle descent. When he landed, the rain that had been blasted away finally began to trickle down little by little until a sudden torrent of water drenched the entire area. 

When she brushed her mane off of her face, Luna saw Azazel looming over her defeated son. Saros lay on the ground with his eyes closed, seemingly dead, while the demon he fought mere moments ago was pouring crimson magic into Saros with a clawed hand pressed against Saros' chest.

Luna ran to her son, not noticing that his right arm, which was bent and broken at an unnatural angle, was being restored. When the last of his phalanges popped back into place, and the bleeding had stopped Azazel felt a sharp pain in his side, along with something bulldozing him a few yards away from the human he was healing. 

As Azazel was sent flying, the dark aura that obscured his features was dispelled as he drove his talons and claws into the earth bellow him to find some traction. When he finally stopped, he looked down to the area where the pain was and saw he was bleeding profusely. He covered it with one hand, and began to pour magic into it.

"Sanitatem..."

Azazel muttered the incantation, causing the spell to begin and work on his wound. He felt the wound heal and his pain fade, eliciting a sigh of relief. Looking towards his attacker, he found a drenched and distraught Luna helping a very dazed Saros' from the ground. 

The two exchanged a look of odd realization and wrapped each other in a bear hug. The reunited mother and son cried tears of joy over them being together again. From a short distance away, Azazel watched the show of affection; and within him, a sickening sensation was tying his entrails into knots. 

He felt rage, sadness, longing, and all of these emotions were felt all at once. time and time again, the deaths of his parents would haunt him. He couldn't stop seeing them in everything he did or experienced. He saw them in their gifts, in their teachings, and he even saw them in his enemies and it was driving him mad. 

In that moment, the night his parents died flashed before him and a cacophony of their screams and the roar of holy fire made him lose his focus, severing his connection.

//////////Luna///////////

For the first time in a very long time, I felt joy; pure and unadulterated bliss. Holding my baby once again in my hooves, and him holding me close to his chest where I could hear his heart beating... To even try and describe it would do my son a disservice. 

The sky had cleared and a cool setting sun illuminated the sky. Those few minutes I spent with my eyes closed and my son close to me was soothing me to no end and healing my broken heart. The peaceful silence was replaced by the sounds of pained screaming from our left. 

Saros and I turned to look in the direction of the sound to find that the monster that had been trying to hurt my boy was on his knees, his hands firmly clasped over his head in what could only be described as agony. Azazel continued to wail and groan before letting out a loud shriek and vanishing in an unstable burst of dark red magic. 

We were left alone in the field, looking out towards the now empty space where Azazel once was. It didn't last however, and as our eyes met once again, Saros gave me a tired smile.

"...I've waited for so long... ...Is this real?..."

He admitted between quieted sobs. Tears ran down his cheeks and fell on my forehoof. And that alone gave me an inkling of just how much my son had suffered. With a kiss on his forehead, I answered his question.

"M-Mother?.."

He asked, hesitation in his voice. This made me stop and look into his eyes. Those blue, loving eyes that I never thought I'd see again stared back at me with longing.

"Where are you?..."

His question made a smile and tears to form again on my face.

"There is a town by the name of Ponyville. It is on the northern edge of the Everfree, there you will find a castle made of crystals. Once there, the bearers of the Elements of Harmony will take you to us."

I ordered, foalish glee seeping into my tone even as I tried to keep some semblance of formality. He nodded happily before planting a kiss on my forehead, just under my horn.

"Be ready mother, I'm coming home."

He said to me before rousing from his sleep. As I was ejected from his dream, I woke up in a room completely different to the one I had fallen asleep in. I was taken aback, not by the change in scenery, but rather, by the teeth grinding sound of Discord filing away at one of his claws with an oversized file that looked like a beaver tail. 

I simply looked at him while he sat idly in a chair filing away on the opposite side of the room facing me. A minute of this passed and then he raised his claw towards his face to inspect it. Only when this happened did he notice me looking at him. His expression wasn't that of being startled, more so of surprise.

"I'm sorry, did I wake you up?"

He asked, sounding rather guilty. This confused me even more. The anarchical trickster was never this serious for so much time in row.

"No, we are fine. We are actually concerned for you. You're never this serious."

I asked, genuinely worried. This prompted Discord to let out a sigh of annoyance and to facehoof, stretching his face like a balloon before snapping back to its original shape.

"Ughhhhhh, I know. Normally I'd let the girls handle this like they handle everything, letting me be the chaotic mess I am. But a giant rainbow beam of magic won't fix this, and my chaos magic is useless here. That's why I'm trying to think of a way to convince our demonic guest to lend us a hand."

He said looking downcast and pensive. This got me thinking, and I decided to voice my query.

"There's something we don't understand. Why must Azazel be the one to save Tia? What exactly is it that's plaguing our sister's soul that the Elements of Harmony can't fix?"

I asked, my tone raising slightly with Discord's insistence. Discord took a deep breath before standing up and walking over to the bed I was on.

"Luna, you've been in Azazel's mind. You know what he is, right?"

Discord asked, sitting at the foot of the bed. 

"We have seen pieces of his past, his memories reflected in his dreams. He is troubled-

I started, reminiscing on the things that I had seen; only for Discord to cut me off.

"No no no! I'm not talking about his psyche. I'm referring to WHAT he is. Do you know?"

He asked, his tone vehement and denoting his lack of patience. With a mild glare I let him know I am not fond of interruptions; but I nodded to answer his question, making him continue.

"Azazel is the son of a runaway queen of a realm known as hell. The place is run by demons of all kinds, from small and insignificant up to abominations that would make me, ME of all creatures, sick."

He began, placing a paw over the bridge of his snout while he explained.

"The thing inside Celestia is not only from that realm, but is feeding on all the pain she's kept to herself over the many years she's ruled. Azazel might be our only hope of getting Celestia back to normal because he's the only one with enough knowledge of hell and it's denizens to help get rid of the problem."

He stated solemnly. I stayed quiet for a bit, mulling over his words. Then, a question I had never bothered to consider came to mind. Something very odd that I had brushed off as an oddity that didn't matter, and only now, for some reason, it bugged me with the mention of Tia.

"Discord?"

I asked.

"Yes?"

He asked, his eyes now fixed on mine.

"Sometime after Tia set you free, and the bearer of kindness befriended you; you asked us to stay out of your dreams. Why?"

I asked, my curiosity overriding my weariness of Discord's sour mood. The God of Chaos was a very easy going creature, however, I knew all too well from an encounter millennia ago with him the true power he wielded and the destruction that ensued when Discord reached his limit. 

"Because I've been having visions."

He began with a sigh of resignation.

"Me cooperating with order to create the balance of Harmony that keeps Equestria safe, has granted me a crude form of foresight. The visions are not one hundred percent accurate, but their enough to get a pretty consistent view of chaos that I don't directly cause. I can't control when they appear and I was afraid that if you found out, you'd tell Celestia and that would get me stuck in stone again."

He said, turning away from me.

"What could possibly be so foreboding that to tell Tia would mean you could lose your freedom?"

I asked, now questioning what my sister was truly capable of. Discord stayed silent, never meeting my gaze.

"Discord, please. I've had enough secrets be kept from me. I can't help you if I don't know what's going on."

I urged. We stayed in silence for a few more moments before he looked at me, and I saw fear and... sadness...?

"Luna... I... I saw Canterlot burning... Ponies screaming for mercy as they were butchered by something...  You and Celestia were on the ground in a pool of your own blood... and standing over you was a being of darkness... It would bring an end to everything I love about this world... and I am powerless to stop it..."

He began, tears beginning to flow from his eyes. This revelation left my mouth agape and wide-eyed, understandably, of course. 

"Celestia has a noble heart... but sometimes... she tries to control things that won't be... and innocents suffer because of it..."

Discord confessed. My shock was immediately made meaningless in the face of a friend in need. I got out from under the covers and scootched over to Discord. Wrapping a wing around his back, I gave him a gentle hug, which he happily reciprocated with a smile and hug of his own.

"We will do this together. All of us."

I assured, making Discord hum in agreement and gratitude. That is of course, before his face reflected that of a sudden realization.

"I almost forgot, how's Saros?"

He asked, his usual spunkiness returning. A smile creeped onto my face and spread across my cheeks as I spoke.

"He's on his way to Ponyville as we speak!"

I answered giddily. To my surprise, Discord's eyes went wide and he looked like a colt realizing he was about to be scolded for some unspoken shenanigan.

"What?"

He asked in a calm tone that was betrayed by his facial expression.

"I told him where we were. He should be on his way here and will arrive at any mo... ment..."

I was derailed from my train of thought as the room got noticeably darker. I looked to the side and noticed that the once beautiful midday sun had been obscured by an odd storm cloud in the distance. Discord noticed this and turned to see what I was looking at. 

"Oh dear..."

He said, wincing as the sound of distant thunder rumbled reached his ears. Hearing the sound, I clambered onto the floor and began making my way out of the room. However, before I could make it to the door, Discord teleported infront of the bedroom's exit; using his body to block my path.

"Before you leave to see him, can you do me a really big favor?"

He asked nervously. I stopped in my tracks amd tilted my head in confusion.

"And that favor would be?"

I inquired. 

"I'm not very confident in Saros playing nice around me, seeing as how... uh... y'know."

He began, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Can you tell him that I'm reformed? I don't want our reunion to end in me getting struck by lightning. Keeping Celestia in check has left me rather defenseless."

He confessed with a nervous chuckle. This made a fit of laughter come over me as I remembered how Saros could get when he got mad. 

"All will be well Discord. Stay in this room, I'll speak with him when he gets here so he won't do anything."

I said through a chuckle, causing Discord to sigh in relief.

"Thank you."

He said, moving out of my way and opening the door for me to leave. With a nod, I exited the room and made my way towards the room where the cutie map lay. 

I knew not where it was, but considering the Castle's relatively small size, I was bound to find it eventually. As I trotted down the long corridors of crystal, I heard a voice from a room nearby.

"...if I had it in... my power..."

The feminine voice sang quietly, the harmonious sound coming from a room to my left where the door was cracked open.

"...I would arrange... for every guy... to have your charms..."

I recognized the voice to be Azazel's flower spangled skeleton, Mia. I approached the door slowly, as to not startle her.

"...Then... every minute... of every hour... every girl could find what I found... in your arms.."

As she sang, I could hear the strain in her voice. She was holding back her tears. When I closed the distance between the door and myself, I took a deep breath before peaking inside. 

The room itself was nothing out of the ordinary. In it, there was a bed on the far left side of the room, a closet on the opposite end, a small desk and chair against the wall opposite to me under a window, and a nightstand near the bed. 

On the bed proper, was the source of the beautiful song I had heard. Mia was sitting on the bed next to the inert body of her beloved. Trephor's body was lying on the bed under the covers while Mia caressed Trephor's skull.

"...everybody... loves somebody... sometime..."

With blue and pink embers falling from her eyes, Mia continued to sing. I backed away from the door, the giddy excitement I once had to see my son had been replaced with a deep concern for Mia and a tinge of guilt for being intrusive. 

With a huff of determination, I refused to allow Mia to grieve alone. I knocked on the door, causing Mia to go deathly quiet. After a bit of silence I spoke up.

"Mia? May we come in?"

I asked, to no avail. I knocked again, refusing to give up.

"Mia, please, we need to speak with you."

I said, my tone as kind as possible. Silence reigned again for a solid minute. Before I could raise my hoof to knock again, I heard the unmistakeable sound of a gentle kiss and the sound of bones hitting the ground. 

As the footsteps got closer, I prepared myself to speak with the grief stricken undead. The door before me was opened just enough to allow Mia to poke her head out.

"Yes?"

She asked in a quiet and timid tonality, her dark blue eyes locked with my own

"Mia, we are terribly sorry for intruding... but we wish to inform you that we are here for you."

I offered humbly with a small reassuring smile on my face. Mia's head seemed to get heavier as we broke eye contact and she looked down.

"Thank you Princess... I appreciate it..."

She stated sadly as she began to retreat back into the room. My eyes widened at the realization that she was about to shut me out, and just as her head was clear of the door she slowly closed it. I quickly jammed my hoof between the door and it's frame while speaking up.

"Mia wait! please."

I pleaded, my hoof being gently squished by the door. When I asked Mia to wait, I felt the pressure on my hoof slacken and the door was reopened. Mia looked at me, the azure embers now threatening to start "flowing" again. 

With a heavy sigh, I bought myself time to think on what else to say. In an instant, the memory of what had happened just a few hours ago came to mind, and the realization of something made my eyes water.

"We are sorry..."

I said, lowering my head in shame. There was a few seconds of silence before Mia spoke up. 

"For what?"

She spoke, her tone denoting genuine confusion. At the time, I didn't realize this, but I answered her question anyway, despite me thinking it was sarcasm. 

"We stood idly by as you were forced to watch our sister take Trephor away from you... We should've stopped Tia... We sh-"

Tears had begun flowing freely as I confessed my sins towards her. However, because I had my eyes closed, I didn't see her come up to me and while kneeling down to my level, she embraced me like a long lost friend.

"Princess, you don't have to apologise."

She began, and for the first time since the tragic event that had seemingly broken her, I heard... hope. 

"What happened to Trephor wasn't your fault. Sometimes things that are our beyond our control happen. While some make you happy, others break your heart... Celestia's actions are her own, not yours. Trephor wouldn't have held you responsible for it, and neither will I."

She said to me, pulling away from the hug and looking into my eyes. The once blue pinprick sized orbs she had for eyes had grown and become a green-ish blue.

"Azazel's mother once told me, that all hardship is temporary. Most of it is inevitable, but it's always temporary. I'll be with Trephor again... sooner or later... dead... or undead."

She explained, her eyes turning to fuschia at the mention of Trephor's name. I was left speechless as all I could do was gawk in awe with tears of sadness now turned to tears joy. 

As I wrestled with my mind to produce something to say to this wise creature, I decided to say nothing and nod; a small smile donning on my lips. With a nod, Mia got up and walked back inside the room; quietly shutting the door as she went in. 

Now left sitting on my haunches in the middle of an empty hallway, I silently admired Mia for her wisdom. My contemplation was cut short, as then heard the unmistakeable sound that heralded my son's return. Thunder was rumbling over the castle far too frequently for it to be normal. 

I got up and sprinted as fast as my hooves could carry me before leaping into air and taking flight. As I flew down the halls like a crazed dragon, I reached the stair case the led to the castle's lobby. There I found the girls calmly heading towards the door. 

As I swooped down the stairs, Rainbow Dash saw me coming towards them and in the blink of an eye, realized my trajectory and what she needed to do. She zoomed towards the large twin doors of Twilight's castle and hurriedly opened them both. 


Just in the nick of time, I flew over a group of five stunned mares and past one very startled pegasi. As I rushed through the doors, I immediately noticed the sky over the castle was over cast with grey storm clouds. 

I slowed down and skidded to a halt on my hooves as I looked up at the clouds from a good thirty meters away from the castle. I only noticed the girls had come running after me because I heard the voice of my sister's protege.

"Princes Luna! Wait! What's going on!?"

She asked, now much closer. Panting slightly, I stayed fixated on the dark clouds looming over the castle for a whole before looking down at the mane six. All of them bore expressions of worry and confusion on their faces with varying degrees of intensity. 

"He's here"

It was all I could say before the clouds over the castle began to swirl and converge a few feet away from the castle of friendship's entrance. The rising hum of thunder magic began to drown out every other sound that resonated around us. When it reached it's peak, lightning struck the ground in a blinding flash of power. 

The brightness of the lightning bolt striking forced me to cover my eyes with a hoof. It took a few seconds for my eyes to readjust back to normal daylight, but the sight before me was worth more than gold. Standing with his back turned to us, Saros was facing the castle of friendship and looking about, presumably for somepony he could ask for directions. 

Just then, the dark clouds that shaded the crystal castle from the sun's rays dissipated, returning the monolithic monument to it's radiant beauty.

"SAROS!!!"

I screamed, no longer able to contain myself. My shout was registered, but I wouldn't give him the chance to do anything other than turn around and see me charging at him at full speed. 

"MOM!!!"

He shouted, opening his arms as tackled him to the ground. We held each other on the dirt, not caring who saw us. This moment meant too much for what other ponies thought of me to matter. My son was back in my arms again, and that's all that mattered.