Sins of the Ancients

by Tundara

Chapter Twenty: The Dead Masters

Sins of the Ancients
Chapter Twenty: The Dead Masters

The Purple Wizard comes.
She will save us, or doom us all.
-The first and last lines of the Prophecy of the Purple Wizard

With slow deliberate motions, Rarity dipped a cloth into a wash basin scavenged from the town and brought it over to the lavender unicorn beside her. Jasmine winced, but didn't complain, as the cloth was used to wipe a thick pungent smelling ointment onto the burns.

"I can't believe you," Rarity said, clicking her tongue in disapproval. "How would you feel if Twilight treated your body so terribly?"

"Who said I— ah!— don't treat my own body so— Ooh, that's nice. So rough?"

Rarity didn't know how to respond to such a statement. Instead she continued to apply the ointment.

"Oh, but, um, why would you want to hurt yourself?" Fluttershy asked, tilting her head a little so her mane fell away in a cascade of pink.

Shifting a little on the cot she laid on, Jasmine looked with pitying eyes towards the butter toned pegasus.

"Sometimes one must risk themselves to save others," was all Jasmine said before laying her head back down.

The flap of the green tent was brushed aside before Rarity could comment, Applejack's head emerging in the crack of sunlight.

"Howdy gals, how's she holding up?" the farmer nodded towards the prone unicorn.

"As well as can be, all things considered. Another half inch and Jasmine would be far worse off than missing some fur." Rarity scowled again, to which Jasmine just rolled her eyes.

Stepping fully into the tent, Applejack bowed her head.

"Ah can't say enough how bad Ah feel for not being there for you girls. Ah feel like I let everypony down. Ah'm sorry yah got hurt there, sugarcube."

"Nonsense, Applejack," Rarity waved a dismissive hoof as she dipped the cloth back into the basin. "It was all over in a matter of a few minutes. You'd barely have time to get from your orchards before it would have all been over, regardless."

"Ah know, it's just, ah feel like a let you all down, and ah let myself down for not being there for everypony." Applejack slowly shook her head, and Rarity could see the traces of tears in the farmers eyes. "Especially you, Jasmine, and that dragon. Never thought I'd see a big ol' dragon like that willing to risk laying down its life for us ponies."

"That's probably because she isn't native to your lands," Jasmine chuckled, then gasped as the cloth was applied to her flank.

"Say what?" Applejack looked between Rarity and Fluttershy, seeking help or clarification.

"Her name is Ogopologos," Rarity said with a slightly exasperated sigh. The corner of her face twitched into a brief grimace as the memories that were not her own surfaced. "She is old, powerful, and I have no idea how she could have arrived here in Ponyville. But, if she made it here, then there is hope that Twilight will find a way home."

"Indeed, she shall return, and soon."

All four ponies heads snapped towards the back of the tent, and there they saw a tall man in steel armour. A thick crimson cloak was wrapped around his shoulders, a symbol of a scale held in a fist emblazoned on the front of the armour between soft grey folds of fur. Hidden by a helmet, nothing of the man's features could be seen. From behind the slits in the helmet a soft gold light pulsed like a heartbeat. Metal plates clicked with every shifting motion of the man. The spirit Rarity corrected with an internal weary sigh when she noticed that through the man the tent flap behind him could be seen.

"Please, tell me you see him as well," Rarity whispered, the cloth shaking in her magic.

"Sure as sugar, Ah do," Applejack muttered, lowering her body into a fighting posture and pawing at the soft loamy ground.

The specter looked down on the ponies, the golden light behind his helm glowing bright as the sun. When he spoke his voice was like two stars crashing in the night.

"The Purple Wizard comes. She will save us, or doom us all. Regardless of her choice, the First Door will open, and Hell will pour forth into your realm."

"Oh my," Fluttershy whimpered, shrinking back into her own mane.

"What does that mean?" Rarity snapped. She felt like she knew or had heard the spirits words before, like it was all in a dream. It took her only a moment to realize it was Chloe who had heard the words before. Grinding her teeth at the half-memories swirling through her mind, Rarity glared at the spirit.

"He is a Dead Master, Rarity," Jasmine wheezed. "An echo of a slain god. He can't hear or see us."

"I see you just fine, Jasmine Blackcloak," thundered the spirit.

Jasmine's mouth fell open and her eyes became pinpricks.

"Tha-that's impossible!"

"Be silent, I have not the time to bandy words with a creature as low and loathsome as you."

Jasmine shrunk back on the cot as the spirits eyes flashed red with anger. Raising a gauntleted hand, he pointed first to Fluttershy, then to Applejack, and finally to Rarity.

"This worlds Sun is in great danger. Should she parish, this world will be dead and lifeless. None yet remain who could raise the sun until she would be reborn. Take up the remnants of the last Alicorns, and when the Purple Wizard arrives, fly south with all haste. Only with the artefacts of Harmony will the Hydrofellia be laid low. Head my words, heirs of Kindness, Honesty, and Generosity; the Beast will be freed of his prison, and none on this realm has the power to face him in battle. He is cruelty and wickedness incarnate and has consumed the flesh and blood of Alicorns before."

The armoured spirit strode forward and kneeled in front of Fluttershy. The pegasus shrunk back a little, her one visible eye wide as the spirit laid a hand upon her withers.

"But, be warned, whether you succeed or fail, nothing will ever be the same for any of you. Be fearless, little ones. The Final Sin will soon be corrected, or your world will be swallowed and dragged into Tartarus."

"The Final Sin?" Fluttershy asked, eye darting back and forth studying the cold emotionless helmet.

"I must return to the others now. The Purple Wizard comes. She will save us, or doom us all."

Before Rarity could demand any answers to the myriad questions screaming for attention in her head, the spirit stood and faded away.

"What in Tartarus was that all about? Final Sins and did he say that whatever is coming eats Alicorns? Oh, dear Celestia! She's alone down checking on the gate to Tartarus!" Applejack started to run on the spot, her powerful legs churning up and down like train pistons. "And that other monster was already headed her way. We gotta warn the Princess."

Sighing, Rarity laid a calming hoof on her friend's withers.

"Yes, we will. Come on girls, let's go find Princess Cadence and tell her what just happened."

"I'm coming with you," Jasmine said as she rolled off her cot.

"Oh, no, no, no," Fluttershy pushed Jasmine back towards the cot, her voice stern and motherly. "You've hurt yourself and Twilight enough already. You're going to stay in bed and heal."

"Ha! I know you don't know me very well, but I don't 'do' staying in bed. Besides, I could just do this," Jasmine smirked as she waved her horn, the golden ring at its base glowing briefly. The bare and burnt skin on her side seemed to quiver and wriggle, making the three ponies watching her squirm, before settling into an unblemished pink sheen. A moment later short downy lavender fur began to grow.

"Why didn't you do that earlier?" Applejack asked as her two friends stared.

"Honestly, I was actually enjoying the salve being applied," Jasmine blushed, looked away, and then coughed into her hoof.

A furious blush blossoming on her own cheeks, Rarity marched towards the tent's exit. Fluttershy, Applejack and Jasmine followed close behind her as she turned away from the tents set up in the shade of Sweet Apple Acres orchards and towards Fluttershy's cottage.

* * *

The town of Golem's Watch had never seen such a collection of people and creatures. Atop the mountains ringing the village sat the seven dragons that ruled the Protectorates. Among such immense and aged beings, the new Lady in the Lake seemed rather small and diminutive.

Smiling down on the milling about humans, the Lady in the Lake shifted her powder blue scales and yawned, displaying her long teeth. Her eyes fell upon a certain speck amongst the sea of polished armour and fine clothes, narrowing into dangerous slits as they beheld the cause of her mother's disappearance.

Twilight gulped, never having fully gotten over the instinctual fear of dragon-kind.

Letting her gaze fall from the dragons, Twilight instead focused on the village. She'd visited it a few times over the years, always in secret to avoid angering the dragons. In all that time she'd never seen it so colourful and cheerful. It was normally half a military outpost and half a simple way station for the caravans that made their way from the kingdoms of the west into the Protectorates of the north. The Order of the Golden Chalice had relinquished the duties of maintaining vigil in the village some years prior. In their place the new Order of the Moon Ascendant had arrived, as well as a flood of pilgrims and monks.

Now, a third of the way up one of the slate mountain slopes their perched a monastery, only partially completed, but with the skeleton of a grand structure showing. Near the opposite mountain, and overlooking the valley the village was perched above, was a fortress, the building being expanded and improved. To support all this new construction there were hundreds of seasonal workers. Most spent the winter in the south west in the Kingdom of Tyme. During spring, as soon as the pass cleared, they would journey back to the village and create a tent city.

The echo of chisels and hammers rang non-stop during the working season, ending only when the workers made the trip back to less bitter climates. Soon, they would leave again, but before they did there was one last festival to celebrate.

Nightmare Night.

Luna had imported the holiday on the first harvest moon after finding herself in Roxholm upon Tyme. It had been a way to hold onto Equestria and the world she'd been taken from.

It hadn't surprised Twilight when the humans had taken to the celebration like dogs to a bone. In a world that was filled with dangerous monsters and spirits, where a war seemed to loom on every horizon, to have a fun and safe outlet for all those fears and worries came as welcome relief.

The sounds of arguing drew Twilight out of her reflections. Trotting briskly towards her at the head of a small gathering of knights, Princess Luna argued with Sir River.

"I cannot allow it!" the princess groaned, her eyes narrowed into a glare that could freeze the ocean. "You and the other Paladins of the Night Ascendant would be utterly alone in Equestria.

"Our place is at the side of our Lady and Goddess, wherever she may tread. Whether it be the battlefields of Bellingham, the halls of the Cathedral of the Moon, or Equestria, we will follow and serve, as we have always done."

Twilight couldn't help but smile. She'd overheard the same argument a half dozen times in the previous weeks. She even started counting down to when Luna would throw her hooves up in exasperation and relent.

"Fine!" Luna finally growled, giving in with several seconds to spare, "But only if Twilight agrees. She's the one doing most of the work with the spells."

The victorious smirk Luna gave Sir River turned into a frown when Twilight laughed and said, "I don't mind, so long as they are close enough to inside the radius of the spell. It's their choice and they know it's a one way trip. Besides, they're liable to try something foolish if we say no. Better to take them along willingly, I think."

"And what will happen to them when we arrive in Equestria?"

"I imagine you and Celestia will come up with something. At the least they could do what they do now and act as an honour guard."

"Yes, I can just imagine how it will go over with the citizens of Canterlot. A group of foreign knights following me around where ever I go. Besides, I have the Night Guard already." Luna massaged her temple with one hoof, an exasperated sigh and glower rolling off her. Then she perked up an eyebrow. "You know something, don't you, about Equestria."

Twilight cringed. She'd hoped to avoid this conversation until after they were safely home.

"I... suspect trouble is waiting for us in Equestria. When I used the Dynamo by accident in Black Mountain Shelter, I opened at least two Doors between Equestria and Tartarus. They would still be technically open. Which is why we're not going just from here back home, but I'm also going to be trying to get us as close in time to when the doors opened as I can."

Luna's mouth fell open.

"You can do that?"

"Maybe?" Twilight shuffled her feet a little, feeling a bit like she was back in Canterlot Castle and had been caught with her hoof in Celestia's cookie jar. "We'll be travelling through a place where time literally doesn't exist. In theory we could go to any when in Equestria, but causality makes going back to before we left a bit of a tricky proposition."

"Ah, yes, Star Swirls theory of temporal dynamics and cohesive possibility." Luna nodded slowly. "How close to when we left do you think you'll be able to take us?"

"A day or two? Maybe a week? I really can't be sure. It's a bit like aiming a catapult that you've never fired before and hoping to hit a target the size of a fly that's a mile away."

Apprehension crossed Luna's face, mixed with more than a bit of worry and doubt. Twilight was about to try to re-assure Luna that they'd get home, when the arch-mages and a small crowd of well-wishers approached.

"So, this is it then?" Abtuan asked as he clasped his hands on Twilight's shoulders. "You're off once more to save the kingdom, rescue fair damsels, and twist the strands of fate and destiny. Just like a proper wizard."

"I don't think I've ever rescued a 'fair damsel'," Twilight chuckled, the laugh hiding her unease over the coming spell.

"Oh? Really? What do you call saving our fair Goddess of the Moon from the torments of her own mind then?"

"I... That... urgh, okay, fine, I'll grant you that one time," Twilight leveled a dangerous finger towards the older arch-mage. "What are you all doing here, anyways? I would have thought one of you at least would stay behind to make sure the Arcanum didn't implode into insanity.

"We came to say good-bye, of course! You ran out of the Arcanum so fast you had our hats spinning. I don't think you even used the new running hot water we had installed while you were off gallivanting about and in general making us wizards proud." Abtuan returned the dangerous finger with a stern glare. "Besides, if prevent the Arcanum from becoming a nexus of insanity was our job, then we failed ages ago."

Twilight suppressed a smile as much as she could. She was just too happy to finally be going home, in spite of her nervousness about the spells she needed to use.

Vespa came up beside Abtuan, a wide smile of her own parting her beard. In her hands she held a small miniature tower. Holding it out to Twilight, she said, "We all pitched in to make you this."

"Is that a Shrinking Tower?" Twilight raised her brow as she took the tower. She could feel the compressed and intricately woven enchantments needed to allow the tower to be shrunk or grown thrum through her fingers.

"It has everything a proper wizard would need. Bedroom, laboratory, summoning chamber, and a lavatory on every level. We even managed to get your entire library in there, as well as a few other select tomes and items you may find useful living the life of a retired country sage."

"Tobacco?" Twilight looked up trying hard to hold back the tears of joy that were threatening to stream down her cheeks.

"Three barrels of Ol' Toby, of course," Mattemeus crowed.

Tom Jaguarson then added, "as well as all those odds and sods you dug up from the ruins of the Ancients."

"Oh, I can't take those," Twilight said, trying to hand the tower back to Vespa. "Those are heirlooms and treasures of your world. I don't have any right keeping those."

"Pish posh and nonsense," Mattemeus chortled, waving a dismissive hand. "We have copies of the more, ahem, interesting paintings and books. Besides, they'd still be hidden in those sealed vaults underneath the mountains without you. And, as you know very well, Adventurers Code clearly states that he who finds it, keeps it."

Twilight just shook her head as she pocketed the tower, then turned to the remaining arch-mage.

"And what of you, Locke? Any parting gift?" Twilight gave the necromancer a cheeky smile that glistened with quiet tears.

Chuckling softly, he shook his head. Stepping forward, he grabbed Twilight and brought her into a firm embrace. Her eyes widened as his lips sought hers. Time seemed to stand still, Luna laughing and covering her smile with a hoof. Heart fluttering as the kiss broke, Twilight stared into Locke's cold dark eyes.

"I have never loved another as I love you," he whispered into Twilight's ear. "You are everything I aspire to be. Your kindness, wisdom, perseverance, loyalty, honesty, and power are my inspiration and goal."

"I, uh, um, I don't know what to say," Twilight admitted her thoughts still trying to recover.

"Then say nothing," Locke said, releasing Twilight and rejoining his fellow arch-mages.

He was replaced by Sunalinda and her two daughters, the young girls guiding their blind mother. As she approached, the red haired rogue gave Twilight a cheeky smile.

"Don't think I'll be giving you a kiss," she laughed as she wrapped her slender arms around Twilight's shoulders. "You take care, understand? I know your flying off into danger once again, but this time ol' Sun can't be there to pull your backside out of the flames. So, just take care, and don't do anything I wouldn't do."

Laughing at the memories of the insane things Sun had done over the long years, Twilight just shook her head.

"I'm afraid I'm not that kind of crazy."

Twilight gave Sunalinda and the rogue's daughters one last hug before she turned towards the Prometheus Dynamo. Smiling for Luna, the two approached the artefact together. Butterflies and energy twisted in a knot in Twilight as she reached for the ancient device. Even without touching it she could feel the pull on her magic. Standing back with her husband, Kodiak giving a nod and smile, the blind woman waved, her cheeks glistening with tears.

Around Twilight and Luna gathered the Paladins, blocking any further view of the many friends Twilight had made during her travels.

Only one journey remained.

"Last chance to back out," she said to the gathered knights.

It was a futile suggestion. None of the Knights of the Moon Ascendant so much as wavered. Human fanaticism, Twilight thought to herself with a light shake of her head. Taking a deep breath, Twilight reached inside of herself, nodded to Luna, and as their hoof and hand touched the Dynamo, Twilight tore down the wards separating her well of mana from her body.

Purple and midnight blue fire rocketed into the atmosphere combining into a ruby red pillar of energy. Static electricity crackled between the armour of the knights, a few looking around in wonder at the display of lights. Fire burned along both Twilight's and Luna's arms, a primal yell coming from both as they forced their magic into the greedy device. At the same time they grabbed each other's hand or hoof, Twilight closing her eyes as she tried to sense the unique field of magic Luna emitted. It took Twilight a few precious moments to find the threads of magic and then start to follow them.

Sensing the change in Twilight's thoughts, the Prometheus Dynamo began to pulse. Each wave of energy propelled Twilight's senses deeper into the Winterlands. She could feel herself both in the mortal realm and in the grey wastes. Across from her, Luna was like the beacon of a lighthouse, pointing the way back to Equestria.

Gritting her teeth together, eyes clamped shut, Twilight tried to gather the unstable energies of the Dynamo. She'd need every ounce of power for what she was about to do.

"Forgive me, Celestia, for I am about to Sin," she breathed, whispering a modified version of one of the ancient's oldest prayers.

Like a kitten seeing a piece of string, the energy of the dynamo jumped at the small prayer. Across from Twilight, Luna groaned, sinking towards her knees on shaking legs. The beacon began to flicker and fade, making Twilight's stomach twist faster.

"Knights, I need you to pray!" Twilight shouted as loud as she could to be heard over the roaring rush of energy surrounding them.

For a moment she wondered if they could hear her, then they all dropped to their knees, unsheathing their swords and placing them in front of them. Placing their brows to the blades' crosspieces, the knights began the Moon's Prayer. Luna's ears flicked towards the deep chanting. Twilight could feel Luna's strength buoy. Head waving back and forth, the princess of the moon began to sing.

The time for the Night has arrived once more
So take up your arms and masks, no need for fear
The Princess of the Moon calls you to her side
Hear her song and heed her eternal call

Oh...

Fear and terror are past and done
She is your shield and guide till the dawn
Beauty and silvery light flow on Midnight wings
Beneath the Moon be safe and always glad

Oh...
Oh...

Know not sorrow nor doubt on this eve
Lift your heart to the gentle caress of starlight
For the Moon has risen
For the Moon has risen

Oh...

The time for the Night has arrived once more
So take up your arms and masks, fear be no more
The Queen of the Night calls you to her side
Heed her song and hear her eternal call

Nocte!

As the song progressed the light grew stronger and stronger until it was like a sword cutting through the wall the grey mists formed. Through the path created, Twilight could see what appeared to be the ruins of a once glorious city. Black pulsing vines clung to white marble and the remains of a golden gate.

Smiling wider, Twilight released Luna's hoof and grabbed her staff.

What she was about to attempt had never been tried before. She didn't know if the Dynamo could even function in such a manner. But Twilight also knew she couldn't use the Dynamo as it had been originally designed and created. If she did, she would permanently crack the boundaries between Earth and Equestria, just as the ancients had done between Earth and Tartarus. Fissures and secondary cracks would then lance out from Equestria to other realms.

Twilight would rather risk destroying herself and Luna than bring harm to those other realms, not to mention Equestria.

"Here we go!" Twilight yelled, bringing her staff down with a thunderous report on the stones.

Magic pulled from the worlds Ley lines surged through the staff and swirled around the group of knights, Luna, and Twilight, enveloping them in a lavender bubble of energy. The towering inferno of ruby power sputtered as it collided with Twilight's spell, spilling around the curve of the dome. Every joint in Twilight's body ached and her muscles trembled as she forced the completion of her spell. The world beyond the bubble vanished in a clash of magic accompanied by a sound like fabric ripping.

Then they were falling, or perhaps flying, Twilight was unsure which was closer to the truth. Thick grey smoke billowed and rippled around the dome of her spell. Through the smoke they approached the ruins of the golden city, the black vines pulsing hungrily at the approach of the life with the bubble.

"Just a little bit further," Twilight muttered to herself, beads of sweat rolling down her brow and back at the effort of maintaining the spell and her connection to the Dynamo at the same time.

Closer and closer the city grew until they flew past the ruined gate. Empty deserted streets greeted Twilight, Luna, and the knights. Twilight wondered which of the gods had ruled the empty city. She could feel the corruption of the Sins in the black vines still feasting on the divine magic that permeated the crumbling structures. A few of the vines twisted and reached towards the bubble, but quickly fell back to the ground as Twilight's spell moved out of reach.

"So much destruction, and so much power," Luna muttered, her face pinched with determination and a touch of pain as the Dynamo absorbed her magic.

Twilight just nodded, most of her concentration on holding back the Dynamo's hunger, and the rest on maintaining her spell. It was like trying to look left and right at the same time while also dancing a jig and sing 'Luna save the King'. Beads of electric magic tingled around her fingers, snapping and crackling into the Dynamo. Twilight doubted she'd have been able to make the journey without Luna.

The small group was approaching another set of twisted gates. Twilight narrowed her eyes in an attempt to peer beyond the melted metal and mile high walls of marble. She could see something, vague shapes in the fog, but not enough to know what they were. All she knew was the beacon of light from Luna was pointing at the gate, and so Twilight drove the teleportation sphere towards it.

Just as they were about to cross the gate, everything stopped.

The Dynamo froze in its hunger.

The knights ceased singing.

The sphere of magic stopped moving.

Looking around, Luna frowned, pulling her hoof from the Dynamo, the tendrils of magic it had been in the process of pulling from the dark alicorn hovering like miniature stars. Twilight gasped at the sudden release of pressure from maintaining two powerful spells. Luna and Twilight both took a step back as the magic and knights around them began to waver and then vanish along with the ruined city beyond.

"Twilight, what is happening?" Luna asked, a clear note of nervousness in her voice.

"What I was worried would happen," Twilight said. Looking around she could see only herself, Luna, and the Dynamo. Everything else was an endless sheet of pure white.

"You came," a silvery voice said behind the two Equestrians, making Twilight and Luna both quickly turn around.

Before them was the false April Conrad, her golden and scarlet robes shimmering and golden light flowing from her eyes. Upon her back rose two great white wings that shifted and fluttered with what Twilight recognised as hope or excitement, if 'Mood Wings - Observations on Pegasus Body Language by Keen Eye' was able to be applied.

"You!" Luna snapped, her wings flaring as she lowered her horn. "You lied to us, manipulated us, and for what? What is your purpose, spirit?"

"Twilight has a choice to make, one with many possibilities, but only two outcomes. Does she save us, or does she doom us all?"

Around the false April dozens of other winged spirits began to appear in small flashes of coloured light. Dozens became over a hundred in the space of a few seconds. Each wore different clothes or armour, but all had majestic wings and their eyes glowed with light. Twilight could also see they were only pale echoes of who they once had been, mere shadows of their former selves.

"You're the Dead Masters," Twilight stated, turning to around at the crowd gathered around her and Luna.

"We have been known by that name for some time, yes. We have had many names throughout the eons."

"Who are you. Your real name, not that which you hide behind to trick and manipulate," Luna snapped, Twilight wincing at the acid in the princess' voice.

The false April didn't seem to take offense, instead she apologised and said, "The name given to me by my mother was Namyra, and I was the Herald of Dreams."

Luna seemed to relax a little at having her demand so easily met. She gave Twilight a slightly questioning look as if to ask, 'what now?'. Sighing, and knowing everything came down to her, Twilight began to pace around the edge of the ring created by the Dead Masters. She was surprised at how many of them there were. She had expected maybe a half-dozen, a dozen at the most, not well over a hundred, if she had to estimate.

"I want to know more," Twilight finally said, stopping in front of a Dead Master wearing plate armour and a cloak of Grey Fox fur. "You are the remnants of Earth's gods, correct?"

The Dead Masters remained silent, except for one dressed in a flowing gown of leaves. Her hair was the colour of autumn and her wings sparkled like a still pond in the spring. She stepped from the crowd, her bare feet leaving trails of blossoming flowers in her wake.

"I am Geae," she said, her voice like the soft song of Robbins and Meadowlarks. "And yes, we were once this worlds Gods, among many other roles. You wish to hear about the Sins, correct?"

Twilight almost said no, then her inner scholar clubbed her over the head. Aware that time was probably pressing, but still unable to resist the final clues and explanation, Twilight indicated for Geae to proceed.

"To understand the Sins, we must go back further, to before the First Age of the world to when man was young and new, just making his way out of his cradle over a hundred thousand years ago. Guided by our hands, man was beginning to form the first of his civilizations. But not all us of were content in our role. In our disagreement, we fractured and though we could not see it, we had begun down the road that would lead to the creation of Tartarus."

Luna made a faint noise, stamping her hoof, "So, you are responsible for Tartarus?"

"Yes. Tartarus has had many names and is known throughout all the Realms, but was first known as Glimmershire, the most beautiful and pure of all the heavenly domains," Geae sighed, her gaze growing distant as it saw the almost forgotten past. "And like his domain, our brother was the most beautiful and proud of us. It was his pride that was his undoing."

"In his arrogance, our brother challenged the natural order. He sought to usurp all the heavenly domains, and in doing so he brought war to our gates," continued Namyra when Geae's voice faltered. "The war was fierce. Stars were crushed and turned to dust in the crossfire of our battles. The stars of our realm are not like yours. Each is as the Sun, an immense fusion furnace, great in their contained power. For the first time god slew god. Not the half life you see before you, but the true death, where the Devourer consumed and added his fallen brothers and sisters to his own power."

"Eventually he was defeated. He and his domain cast from our realm to drift on the endless void. The usurper himself was shattered, his body becoming one with the elements of what had been his kingdom, and in the process Glimmershire was irrevocably corrupted, along with all the souls that called it home. And thus, Tartarus and the first Demons were corrupted and the Elemental Evils born. Four portions of the essence of a god slayer, each evil and cruelty incarnate; Mephistopheles, Archfiend of Fire; Asmodeus, Archfiend of Water; Beelzebub, Archfiend of Earth; and Avernus, Archfiend of Air."

"For a time Tartarus floated through the void and through history. The tales changing and facts becoming legends and eventually mythology. So it went until even myth faded to nothingness as all the gods were dismissed and forgotten. We were no longer needed, the young race we had once cared for growing beyond the need for our guidance, so we left the Earth and returned to our homes to bask in our past glory."

"Then they Sinned? The Ancients?"

"Yes," Geae said, and the dead goddess actually smiled the smile of a mother seeing the accomplishments of her children. "We never expected them to be able to master or even discover what lay beyond their own senses. First they discovered the existence of the Heavenly Domains, but they didn't know what they had uncovered. All the saw was the greatest source of energy in the universe, and they always hunger for new sources of energy. They cracked open the Doors, and had the misfortune that the first Door they opened was to Tartarus."

Luna shook her head slowly, "And as it had once been a Heavenly Domain, and your Domains had gates leading to the other realms, the Ancients opened Doors throughout all of creation, not just between Earth and Tartarus."

"Correct," a jackal headed god to Twilight's right rumbled. "The Demons were released from their cages and swarmed through all of creation. Some realms were destroyed almost instantly. Others, such as your Equestria, managed to stave off annihilation. A very few held their own and managed to close the Doors. Regardless, the unwitting humans of Earth, not realizing the horror they had unleashed, then committed the Second Sin."

"They stole the Heavens and turned the Winterlands into the endless grey wastes," Twilight sighed.

"You have indeed studied the journal of the Last Ancients."

A wispy smile and chuckle came from Twilight.

"What can I say, a journal like that just begs to be translated and read."

"But wouldn't the Demons have been attacking Earth as well?" Luna tilted her head to one side.

"They were indeed. Hence why the Ancients stole the power of the Heavenly Domains, and by extension, 'slew' us. That was the Second Sin, but it was not their last Sin. They were advanced, in both spirit and science, but they had grown soft over centuries of peace. Their weapons and armies were almost non-existent when the demons swarmed through the Doors. In their desperation, they turned to the one source of power they believed would defeat their enemy. They created many devices to steal and harness our essence."

Geae slipped forward and stood over the Prometheus Dynamo, a dark glare on her face.

"This Dynamo is but one of many devices. Tiamat was another, as are the great dragons, the wizards, and on and on. Not all attempts to harness our power were successful, and the repercussions for the Ancients and the realm were tremendous. That was the Third Sin."

"So, what happens now?" Twilight wondered, her gaze on the dynamo, but looking beyond it. She was seeing a world full of magic and mystery, a place of hardship, struggle, and hope. Yes, the world had its problems, no world was perfect, not even Equestria. She wasn't sure what choice she was supposed to make. Then it hit her. She looked up and around at the gathered echoes of fallen gods, each the equivalent to an Alicorn. "You want me to undo the second Sin, don't you?"

"It is one of many choices, yes." Geae managed to maintain a completely neutral expression as she answered.

"But, I can't do that! I'm just a unicorn stuck in a human body. Yeah, I have a lot of magic, but not enough to force all the magic swirling around an entire planet back through the Ley Lines!"

"You know you are more than a mere unicorn, Twilight Sparkle," Geae said as she rejoined the circle created by her fellow Dead Masters.

Growling to herself, Twilight began to message her temples.

"Okay, so I have a choice to make. I just don't know the options or their consequences. I know one possibility, but it's insane, not to mention suicide. Think, Twilight, think, there has to be another option."

A little noise drew Twilight out of her spiraling thoughts, making her look towards Luna and one of the Dead Masters. In front of Luna stood a short almost child-like Dead Master, one who looked almost identical to Luna's more human form. It was like Luna stood in front of a mirror, but instead of her hair being a shimmering window onto the night sky it was like looking on the gentle rolling obsidian sea beneath a moonless night. Both Luna and the goddess lifted their arms and poked the other, again as if each other's mirror image.

"You're my counterpart," Luna stated, "The true goddess of this world's moon."

A sudden idea sparked through Twilight's mind; a crazy, insane, and very wizardly idea.

Gripping the Prometheus Dynamo, Twilight turned to the two Goddesses of the Moon.

"Luna, I have an idea," Twilight said as she approached.

Behind her, Twilight didn't see Geae or Namyra smile and whisper together, "The choice is made."

* * *

A dreadful hum resonated through the ruins of Ponyville, echoing in the bones of the ponies picking through the debris of their lives. Ears pricked towards the source of the sound, a timid crowd slowly gathering. At the front of the crowd, her wings spread in a defiant gesture towards any new threat that would present itself to the battered townsfolk, stood Princess Cadence.

Penumbra hovered next to her and on either side stood the Elements of Harmony and Captain Shining Armour.

Many ponies showed signs of the battle waged the previous day. Bandages were wrapped around wounds and stances were weary, but fires burned behind heavy eyes.

In the spot where the blue portal that had unleashed Stheno and the Hell Bears flickered a large red-white spark. The flickering light seemed hesitant and unsure.

"Shiny, we best clear the town," Cadence said, receiving a brief nod from the captain in return.

At the same moment a bolt of purple lightning blasted up into the sky. Reaching the top of its arc, secondary bolts began to crackle and course across the sky reaching towards the distant horizon. Cadence gave a grunt as she felt a tug on her mana well. All the nearby unicorns gave similar noises or cries, many falling to the ground to clutch at their horns.

Overhead the sky turned to the colour of blood, and then a sight Cadence hadn't thought possible struck her senses.

The moon was rising in broad daylight.

It peaked above Canterlot and continued its rise, in a matter of moments streaking across the sky and interposing itself in front of the sun.

"That's impossible," Cadence murmured, her mouth falling open at the spectacle.

Both the sun and moon moved until they hovered directly above the column of lightning. The tug on Cadence's horn grew, almost pulling her off her hooves, and then as abruptly as it began it stopped. Still crackling and shooting random bolts of electricity around its core, the column of lightning began to grow and widen.

"Everypony, get back!" Cadence shouted as she jumped into the air.

The ponies of Ponyville didn't need to be told a second time, as one they started to turn and ran. Only the Elements of Harmony and the royal guard didn't flee. They stood their ground, grim expressions on their faces.

Heart hammering in her chest, Cadence watched as the column continued to grow until it was wide enough for three wagons to roll through side by side. In the heart of the lightning Cadence saw movement. Peering deeper into the pillar of pulsing energy, Cadence was startled when the lightning calmed. The red cleared becoming a clear sheet of light that revealed a ring of kneeling figures. Human figures.

Cadence's wings snapped to her side and she fell gently to the ground.

Standing inside the ring was a human woman and Princess Luna.

"It's Princess Luna!" Pinkie Pie shouted, leaping into the air with an overly dramatic gasp.

Eyes wide in disbelief, Cadence was unsure what she was looking at. She watched in fascination as Luna and the woman staggered, clutching a short tube between them. The field was filled with the sound of a million chimes as the column of light faded away and the moon moved out from in front of the sun, the sky once more returning to its natural blue.

"Mother?" Cadence shouted running towards the ring of humans.

A couple of the humans made to stop Cadence, but with a simple stroke of her wings she sailed over top of them and landed beside Princess Luna.

"I believe... that's the first time you've ever called me 'mother'," Luna said with a weary chuckle, then with a groan she collapsed onto her side.

"What happened? Where have you been? The moon hasn't risen for nights, and now it's up during the day?" These were just the first of dozens of questions Cadence wanted to ask. She felt something touch her withers, and turning her head she came face to face with the woman who had been in the middle of the ring with Luna.

"Cadence, you should let your mother rest, she's on the verge of magic exhaustion, and I'm not far off myself. Which, ironically, is lucky or I'd burn up like a moth flying into a torch."

"Wait, Twilight?" Cadence felt her mouth fall open. The woman just nodded with a tired smile in the corner of her eyes. "And who are all these, uh, humans? Rarity told us that was the name of their kind,"

Twilight lifted an eyebrow, obviously curious how Rarity or any pony knew about humans. Then her gaze settled on something behind Cadence, and hardened. Cadence almost took a step back at the flickering anger and promise of dire consequences that filled the eyes of a pony she'd once foalsat. Slowly, Twilight stood and walked out of the ring, her boots grinding on white cobblestone that hadn't been present before the column of light.

Lifting a long staff, she pointed to Jasmine, and said, "You! You and I are going to have a long talk when all this is over!"

Jasmine gave out a little frightened squeak, but didn't retreat. She did, however, slink in between Rarity and Applejack. Before Twilight could reach the lavender unicorn that was her own body she was bowled over by a combination of Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash.

"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh! You're home! And you brought new friends!" Pinkie jabbered while Rainbow buried her head into Twilight's chest and muttered something only she, Pinkie, and Twilight heard.

"Wait, if that's really Twilight, then what about what that Dead Master fellow told us?" Applejack asked as she slowly approached the pile of her friends.

Before anyone present could say anything else the sky was torn asunder by a golden ray of light roaring down from the sun to the distant horizon.

"Sister?" Luna gasped, watching as a second beam followed the first.

* * *

Celestia panted heavily, her breaths coming in quick needy gulps as sweat glistened like morning dew along her coat. Around her the Wastes stretched like an endless bleak field as far as the eye could see, a blighted land untouched by the green of life. Small patches smouldered and cracked, blackened by unimaginable heat until the ground turned into glass. Geysers of green gas occasionally burped and hissed filling the air with a putrid sulphurous smell.

Before the Goddess, her form mangled and grey as ash, laid Stheno.

As she had done during their hours long battle, the gorgon cackled and laughed, even in defeat.

Taking one last steadying breath, Celestia slowly strode towards her opponent.

"You are not like your mother," Stheno said, still laughing. "The Goddess of Fate was too soft, too weak. You have steel in your soul, yes."

One of the snake-like tendrils on the demon's head darted towards Celestia's leg, only to be intercepted by a golden blade. Putrid blood splashed and sprayed from the stump as Stheno howled with mirth.

"You have failed," Celestia growled as she placed one golden shod hoof on the gorgon's battered form. "Tartarus will remain closed."

"I think not, little Alicorn."

Slowly, the gorgon lifted her remaining arm, the other laying a hundred yards away in a spreading pool of acid, to point to the sun high above. Suspecting trickery but also curious, Celestia extended herself towards Sol, the ancient magic that bound the two together connecting happily.

The sun was happy, as it usually was, but more so than normal, Celestia could tell. There was something else happening in the sky, and as she merged more of her senses with the massive orb of fire and energy Celestia saw something that surprised her.

The moon was rising during the day.

Twisting her head around, Celestia peered towards the soft white orb with her terrestrial eyes. Through the magic binding her and Sol together, Celestia could feel something was pulling at the smaller celestial object. Faster and faster the moon flew, the sun growing more and more excited to see its counterpart for itself. Excitement grew to confusion as the moon slowed and then stopped, interposing itself between the earth and the sun.

"Never seen a Solar Eclipse, have you?" cackled the defeated demon.

"It's impossible," Celestia said, her ears pressing backwards for a moment, then she looked down. "Or so I thought. I can feel ancient magic pulling the moon high. What game are you playing at, demon?"

"Ha, this is not my doing, I'd proud be if it was." Trails of blood leaked out of the corners of the demon's mouth. "No, this is the doing of the Stars and Moon. Two more Alicorns for my Lord to feast upon."

"Two more Alicorns? Luna and... Twilight?"

"I care not for their names."

Before Celestia repeat the question more forcefully, dark lurid lightning rippled across the cloudless sky, the air thrumming with energy as blue faded red. So far away, Sol cried out in pain, the sun experience a sensation it had not felt in over two thousand years. Celestia gasped as she felt the pain echo through the connection into her own horn. Grinding her teeth together, the Goddess of the Sun glared down at her vanquished foe.

"I can feel it. Ha, ha, the sundering of the walls between the Void and reality. Soon my lord will walk upon this plain and I shall be rewarded. You have failed, child." Stheno smiled around bloody teeth.

Putting up a partial barrier between herself and her charge, Celestia looked down on the gorgon with dispassionate eyes.

Maybe it was having the sun, her truest and longest companion, threatened. Maybe it was the glee Stheno's voice carried when the gorgon spoke of her master eating Luna and Twilight. Maybe it was many things. Regardless of the reason, Celestia closed her eyes and drove her sword down through the demon's blackened heart and into the ground.

Stheno's eyes grew wide for a moment, and a tear trickled from the corner of an eye.

"Thank you," she whispered, and then her body collapsed into ash to be carried away on the wind.

Opening her eyes, Celestia saw only a blackened outline remaining to show the demon had ever stood on Equestrian soil. Turning swiftly, Celestia faced the massive golden gate that separated her world from Tartarus. Cerberus, the great guardian three-headed hound lay a short ways from the gate, a victim of the battle that had raged between the alicorn and gorgon. Beyond his remains the gate began to tremble.

Chains as thick as the trunk of ancient trees rattled and shook, a great bang issuing from the gate as it shook. A second bang erupted from the gate shaking the chains higher. Cracks began to form on the third bang. Celestia braced herself, casting her eyes along the bars and chains and trying to think of a spell that could reinforce the most powerful barrier ever created. Nothing that wasn't a paltry shadow of the shuddering gate came to mind. If the gate fell, no spell Celestia could cast would have an effect.

Licking her lips, Celestia prepared instead a series of evocations. If she could not prevent the gate to Tartarus from opening, she would destroy whatever came through.

On the forth bang the chains shattered, the great lock falling to the ground as the bars bowed beneath an unimaginable force that threw them aside like they were made of paper. Still licking her lips, Celestia waited.

For a minute nothing happened.

The three hundred hoof tall shimmering blue doorway to the infernal realm stood open and free, but nothing stepped through.

Then her eye caught movement.

At first it was a small little thing. A hairless red monkey Celestia knew as an imp. She had encountered a hoofful during her youth among the great Earth Pony herd. In one claw it held a tattered blue and black banner depicting a serpent consuming its own tail, while in the other was a small tarnished bronze horn. Wetting its lips and taking a deep breath, the imp placed the small horn to its lips. From the horn came a sound like metal tearing combined with the screams of mares being strangled so loud it almost deafened Celestia.

As one, over two dozen tall skeletal abominations emerged from the door, followed by a dozen more, and another dozen after that. Rank after rank of the demons, each holding a rusted spear in long claws, marched out of the blue disk. Above them flew bat-winged monstrosities, their horned heads and beady black eyes sweeping over the scorched wasteland.

Taking a deep breath, Celestia unleashed the power of the sun, a great golden finger of intense light reaching down from the heavens to incinerate the demonic host. More and more came through the Door, their bodies exploding into ash and dust the moment they emerged before they could so much as scream. For several minutes Celestia kept up the assault, her breaths growing more and more ragged, her posture weakening, until the beams of solar energy sputtered and died away. Celestia fell to her knees groaning, a migraine slamming into her horn.

High above Sol churned in anger and concern for his partner. She sent reassurances back to the sun. The effort of directing so much magic continually had taxed her more than Celestia had anticipated. She wasn't low on mana, far from it, with her connection to Sol, Celestia had almost unlimited mana. But neither was she capable of channeling it all at once.

Distracted by the swimming of her vision and pounding in her head, Celestia didn't notice the dozens of lesser demons surround her with spears leveled at her heart.

"Already one alicorn captured, the Master be pleased, perhaps?" cackled one of the skeletal abominations.

"Silence. The Master is never pleased," growled a much larger demon, this one covered in thousands of thorns on his thick green skin. This demon crossed all four of its arms as it approached Celestia. "I will take this one to the Master myself."

"No fair, we Kryl capture alicorn. We Kryl take alicorn to Master for Master's reward. Not Terrexian who—"

The kryl's voice ended in a spray of yellow gore as one of the terrexian's thorny fists smashed down on the unfortunate demon's head. Laughing as the smaller demons backed away, the terrexian grabbed Celestia by her neck.

Seeing the casual disregard the demons held for their comrades sickened her. Baring her teeth, she struggled to pull herself free from the monster's grip, only to find it impossible strong.

"Struggle all you wish, I will drag you before the Master," the terrexian cackled. It stopped as a golden aura encompassed Celestia's horn.

She wasn't exactly sure how she expected the demon to react, as Celestia honestly expected to blast it with a bolt of magic. The beast lunging forward and biting her sensitive horn most certainly wasn't even on the list. Screaming as pain shot directly into her brain, Celestia almost blacked out. She screamed louder as the demon began to twist its head.

It was going to break her horn or rip it from her head, Celestia realised in fear and agony as slight cracking sounds reached her ears.

Celestia had known fear, true fear for her life, twice before. The first time when she and Luna had confronted Discord, the trickster laughing and cackling madly as he toyed with the two young goddesses. The second had been during the final battle against Nightmare Moon that had resulted in the magic around the castle of the Royal Pony Sisters becoming tainted, eventually leading to the birth of the Everfree Forest.

If she didn't escape, Celestia knew she'd loose her horn, and without it to channel her magic, she'd be helpless. It'd take years for it to regrow, and without it the most she'd be able to do would be guiding the sun on its daily journey. Then, through the fear and pain, emerged a soft voice.

"Celestia, my beautiful darling foal, you have to release your other side."

Even through the agony lancing through her, the voice soothed the tempest of fear.

"Mother?" Celestia gasped as she struggled, the cackling of the lesser demons drowning out her voice.

"Too long you've been only the gentle spring warmth, guiding our little ponies through the seasons of their lives. Today you must be the inferno at Sol's heart. Be the mare who took to the heavens to forge a blade on the surface of the sun. Be the mare who faced down her maddened sister. Be the mare our ponies need."

The cracking of her horn grew louder, tears streaming down Celestia's face.

"I can't, mother, not again. I almost became as bad as Nightmare Moon herself. I can't let myself lose control again.

"If you do not, then you will perish. Should you perish, none will remain whom could command Sol. You know this, daughter. Without you, our ponies will wither and fade away in an endless night."

Celestia hiccupped in fear at the cold words echoing through her head. She knew that she couldn't allow her ponies to suffer. But she was also afraid of the darker side of herself. Of the things she'd done during the war of the Sun and Moon. With no time to plan, to strategize and move the necessary pawns, Celestia knew that she had no other choice. She hoped that she wouldn't create a worse monster trying to defeat the demons.

Wispy smoke began to trickle from her mane as Celestia again called on Sol's power. Desperately, the sun gave it to her. Celestia's fur began to darken, fading from pristine white to the purest black. The gentle aurora of her mane vanished, replaced by great billowing blue flames. On her hooves, Celestia's golden shoes melted, pooling on the earth beneath her. Wherever she stamped a hoof small blue flames were left behind. Opening her eyes, the Goddess of the Sun snarled, a jet of blue fire flowing from her snout and knocking the beast holding her back a couple paces.

The terraxian eyed the changed alicorn warily, all four arms in a ready posture, as the lesser demons jumped back.

"You wish to capture the power of the sun?" Celestia roared, the ground cracking beneath the heat rolling from the enraged goddess. "Let me show you the true power of a Nightmare."

Comments

[Tundara]

Great googly moogly, finally! I was starting to think I'd never get this chapter done. I am not happy with it in places, but I'm too stressed with real life events to worry about smoothing out the rough edges. Not much of an author's note this time except me collapsing and waving the metaphorical white flag.

[warpd]

Celestia evolved into Rapidash Prime.
Nothing is more devoted to a cause than a fanatical human, and Luna's got those in spades apparently.
Sounds like the old humans sins were not entirely their fault due to being evil, but just stumbling mistakes and bad luck.
I could see a door being made between Earth and Equestria.

[Tundara]

1647109

Yes, Luna does indeed, much to her chagrin.

[King Sombrony]

I was just thinking about this story yesterday and now its updated?

[warpd]

She might be opposed to the idea, but at least she can rub it in her sister's snout that she has human paladins on her beck and whim. Then teach those guards to rid the pony night guards and she will have a cavalry.

[Tundara]

1648762

Oh, that was a good laugh. I had the sudden image of all these knights riding small bat-winged ponies.

[Tundara]

1787692

There may have been three or four Xanatos Gambits in this story...

[deafmonkey]

i cant wait to see how you decide to end this story, given how good of a job you have done so far

[Tundara]

1822248

I managed to get a start on the next chapter. I'm hoping to finish it while on my Christmas 'vacation' next week. We'll see how successful I am. So far things haven't worked out when it comes to finishing SotA.

[deafmonkey]

1822331 Hopefully youll get a run of it and, barring any writers block, will get another chapter out looking forward to what you write

[Tundara]

2418085

Off the top of my head, yes and no. Moses isn't in the story, but SotA takes place in a fantastical version of Earth set thousands of years in the future.

[Tundara]

2418649

It's not Moses. It's a generic fantasy scorceress taken from the 'net and modified with ponies and a title. I feel a bit bad that I can't recall where I got the base picture or who owns it because I'd like to give credit where credit is due.

Irregardless; Not Moses in the cover art.

[ClericJP32]

Just reread this over the course of a few days. I really hope you get to finishing it up soon, that and MaB.. I need closure!

[Tundara]

3270171

I was just joking around with my editor yesterday about how I let this story die and languish in story-limbo, and how its few readers must hate me.

Its rather sad as there are only 2 chapters of this story left to write, but I got myself into such a corner in the narrative that I couldn't figure a way out.

[tinmanbrony]

next chapter please! why don't you merge the worlds of earth and equestria.

[Tundara]

7620938

People still read this story!?

Sadly, there is very, very little chance of it ever seeing a conclusion. I wrote myself into a corner and got stuck, then lost myself in other projects.

[BonesTheHeretic]

7620980
mind posting/sending a summary of how it was supposed to end/the narrative trouble? I'm also curious how much was made up as you went a long and how much was planned out, and mostly curious why the heckie there's two Erics (unless this was an accident)

anyway I had a lot of fun reading this and there's no point mentioning any criticisms/errors now, so thanks for the ride even though it was never finished!

[Tundara]

7721161

It was meant to have Twilight, Luna, and the rest race off to save Celestia. There was supposed to be a bit of lowering action, realization of what they had to do, and then a final, big action section where the big-bad was stopped from reaching Equestria. Much of the specifics were only ever kept in my head, and sadly I've forgotten much of what I'd planned. What really tripped me up were the interactions between Twilight and her friends, years having passed for her while they'd only experienced a few weeks (or months???). There was this bad section with Twilight growing a portable tower that I bashed my head against for months before giving up.

Things got out of hand with the time-skip Earth side, and it'd been spiralling out of control for a long time. Realistically, the story never had much going for it. I'd stopped writing years earlier and was extremely out of practice. My original intentions was to jump-start my Muse, and work on the setting for an older novel I'd abandoned under rather similar problems.

I hope what you read was at least somewhat enjoyable, but I know its very, very flawed. Every once in a while I debate with myself just removing this story entirely from the site. Make back-ups of the files on my computer and archive them in case I go back to working on the setting again.