Nightmare Moon returned to the crypt through the portal, her cronies in tow. She took a seat on a nearby coffin and rested her chin on her hands. It was the tell tale sign that she was deep in thought trying to figure out a plan.
"Flim," she ordered "Assemble the team. We have much to discuss."
Both Flim and Flam had reverted to their form and were exhausted. Being in such an intense battle had put them into a blood rage that was hard to quell. During a blood rage they would become more animal than human, attacking anything in sight. But regardless of their energy, they'd not refuse to serve their lady.
"Yes m'am."
Flim went throughout the crypt, rousing the members of the cult, few in number though they were. It only consisted of Flim and Flam, the three half-siren sisters Adagio Dazzle, Sonata Dusk, and Aria Blaze, Tempest Shadow, and of course, Nightmare's second in command and love interest, Discord. Discord had held the cult together through thick and thin and was the one responsible for Nightmare Moon's resurrection. Despite all this, he remained quite tight lipped about the past and his feelings for her.
Each member of the cult was outcast from society. Flim and Flam for being monsters. The half-siren sisters for the crime of having a siren mother and a human father. Tempest, an especially odd case, had magic so strong it destroyed her magic circuits entirely at age 5. Discord for delving into magic long considered taboo and forbidden. Everyone described Nightmare Moon as some great evil, a calamity that would engulf the world. Yet she was the only one who took these poor and down trodden under her care. She trained Flim and Flam how to control their blood rage and become human. She equipped Tempest with technology that allowed her to use magic again without circuits. And she gave the sisters a home when they had no where else to turn. To them she was someone who would change the world for the better.
"My friends. We are in the final stages. I am nearing full power once again."
Nightmare Moon stood up and began to pace
"A great battle is coming. It will test all of us, including me. I won't mince my words. Some of us my not even come out the other end. But the world we are fighting for is one without an oppressive monarchy. Without those who would scorn us for inheriting powers we had no business in choosing. Be brave. Stand with me."
Adagio raised her hand
"If I may ask, my lady." She said rather timidly "What is our plan?"
"To obtain the power of the Greater Magic."
The monsters piled on against the side of the door, clawing, scratching and howling.
"How do we get home?" Anon asked
"There's an exit just a little ways past the tower. We can use that." Redheart said
The sound of glass breaking was heard throughout the Tower. Demons began to pour in. Anon reached into the satchel and pulled out the white statue, smashing it against the ground. They'd need all the help they could get. A majestic white unicorn appeared. It began firing bolts of holy magic at the monsters.
Anon began his own counter attack, excited to try out his new found power. He pushed forward with his enhanced speed, dodging the claws and snapping teeth with ease, lopping off heads and limbs with Excalibur as if he'd been wielding it since birth. As he neared the door of the tower something felt off. His hearing was fading and his strength draining rapidly. Before he knew it, his eyes closed and he was out.
"Anon!" Rarity yelled, sprinting too him
A large dinosaur like creature with a hundred eyes or more began to clamp its jaws around him. Rarity activated her corna form and scooped both him and the sword up with record speed. With a large leap she flung herself back to the rest of the group.
"Redheart!"
"On it!" she said
"Flitter!" Lyra yelled "Get a barrier up. We'll give you cover!"
Lyra began to shot large balls of light from her wand while Cloud Chaser summoned storm clouds from thin air. They began to chase the demons, zapping them with large bolts of lighting. Flitter summoned a barrier while Redheart scanned him with her wand.
"He'll be fine. Just over exertion. But he'll be out of commission for at least a day or more. We have to get out of here now."
"Follow me." Rarity said "Lyra you take left, Cloud you take right."
Redheart pulled Anon onto her back in a piggy back position and they began to mover forward. Luckily, Anon gave them just enough room to escape to the entrance. But their problems were just beginning. The vultures they saw coming in began to swoop down at breakneck speed. The third one to fly down scooped Lyra up in it's jaws and began to fly to it's nest.
"Lyra!" Cloud Chaser yelled
"Get Anon back! I'll be fine!"
"Cloud Chaser can you handle this?"
"Yes. You go get Lyra."
Rarity took a deep breath as long wings made of light emerged from her back. She bolted into the sky and gave chase the vulture. Lyra lay in its jaw between two teeth, her wand hand incapacitated. She hit the beak with her free hand.
"Lyra! I'm on my way!" Rarity shouted
Rarity extended her wand and shot a beam of white light at the vulture, grazing its wing. In its pain, the beast opened its mouth for a mighty caw. It was just enough for Lyra to free herself. She shot a flaming ball of mana into the roof its mouth and jumped out into a free fall. Rarity flew right alongside her, catching her in her arms.
"Thanks, Rarity. I would've been done for for sure."
"Are you hurt?"
"No. I got lucky enough not to land on its teeth."
The vulture turned around and began to gave chase. It appeared it wasn't going to let its meal off so easy.
"You keep flying," Lyra said, moving to her back "I'll play offense."
Lyra aimed her wand and began rapid firing a volley of energy balls. Now that the vulture had a clear view, it was much more agile. It swooped and dived around all of Lyra's attacks and was rapidly closing in.
"This isn't good. That thing's too quick for me to land a blow. Can you go any faster?"
"To be honest I'm about to drop. We'll have to ground soon or we're going to take a long fall."
"Shit." Lyra cursed "Ok. I've got an idea."
Lyra pointed her wand and began to summon all the mana she possibly could
"Ok. Here it goes."
Lyra fired a great blue ball of raw mana into their air. It lasted only a few seconds, but in that time every beast in the area raced toward it like their life depended on it. Lyra slumped down on Rarity, panting hard.
"Well," she gasped "That's about all I got in me."
Rarity caught sight of the rest of the group waving them down and quickly made a landing.
"Come on," Flitter said "Lets get out of here!"
The darkness faded, giving way to a new memory.
"Clover... I'm sorry." a voice said
He blinked his eyes open to see the bearded man. His head turned to see an entire town engulfed in flames.
"Why?" Clover sobbed "Why did she do this? I thought I had everything right!"
Clover yelled in anguish while the man simply stood and watched, a stern, serious look on his face. Clover held up her hand.
"Please. Starswirl. Take this from me. You have too. Take my crest and kill me after. I don't deserve this power."
"You know I can't do that."
"First Celestia... now Luna... I destroyed my best friends lives. I can't take it any longer."
"Clover." he said "You have to live. You are the only one who can put their souls to rest. Without you and your magic they will be forever tormented."
Clover wiped the tears from her eyes, having a Eureka moment.
"I get it now." she said "I know what I have to do. Why didn't I think of it before? The World Tree!"
Anon woke up with a jolt in his own bed and a screaming headache. His entire body was aching now that he thought of it. He sat up only to hear
"You idiot!"
Anon rubbed his eyes and got a picture of his scolder. It was Sunset.
"What did I do?" he asked, followed by a long groan. It was difficult to even speak.
"You pushed it too far and nearly got yourself is eaten is what you did."
"What do you mean?"
"I heard you learned Life Magic finally. But you can't just use it willy nilly, especially without proper stamina training. You nearly gave yourself a heart attack from the strain."
"The strain?"
"Right. Mana puts strain on the body, the same way things like lifting weights and marathon running does. And you did the equivalent of a couch potato doing a triathlon at full sprint in 90 degree heat."
He certainly felt it. Every cell in his body was humming with a dull pain. Just the act of seeing was painful to his eyes.
"I'm..." he strained "Sorry."
"It's ok. I was just sick with worry is all. Get your rest."
"The World Tree." he said
"What about it?"
"I had... another memory." he said "Clover said the key too... all of this was... the World Tree."
"We'll sort it out later." Sunset reassured him "Please just conserve your energy. If you push yourself too much you could go into cardiac arrest."
Anon was out again before he ever heard the end of first sentence. Sunset just sat beside him, holding his hand.
Meanwhile, back in the High King's Domain, Wallflower was being subjected to all sorts of deals and brown nosing. Shinning Armor had ordered the chefs to prepare some of the finest food they were capable of making. Tenderhoof, Shinning's younger brother, had the tailors fit her with fine silk robes and had a bed fit for a queen installed in the cell. The other royal children visited her regularly. All except for the youngest daughter. That was, until that day.
"Having fun getting the royal brown nosing treatment?" Valencia giggled
"If you've come to offer me some grand scheme of how we would rule just so perfectly together I'm not interested."
"Oh quite the contrary. I want to break you out of here. You see, our goals at this moment converge. I want you out of this cell as much as you."
"And it'll only come at a large price won't it? Who do you want me to betray? What backstabbing character assassination should I carry out your grace?"
Valencia just chuckled
"Touchy aren't we?" she said "No. You see the act of you being out of this cell is all the compensation I require. You're putting my plans into chaos with your presence. All I ask is that you let me break you out and go into hiding. Do that and you can consider you debt to me payed in full."
"I can't help but assume your plans spell doom for us all. Was it you who put the king up to marrying Nightmare Moon? I always heard the king was obsessed with power but this is ridiculous."
"Not at all. He made that choice of his own will."
"I don't trust a word out of your mouth."
"That's your choice I suppose. But I would think carefully on that offer. You only have so many days before the king removes the crest by force. And that would be bad news for both of us."