43 Days until Ascension
Twilight couldn't sleep. Tossing and turning side to side in constant thought. Not even the ultra-fluffy mattress she had in her room would help. She had so many questions, all running through her head like a stampede of angry Yaks. In fact, that's what she was dreaming about. As she was carried by the angry stampede she could hear the questions in her mind get louder and louder.
"What happened? What did Sheol take from Luna? Bloodshed and war? There's nothing in the history books, not even the most ancient records I could dig up. Everything just begins with the Windigos being defeated and then Celestia and Luna come to Equestria. Why is there nothing about Sol, Stella, the Primordials, and other stuff like that? I guess it could have been forgotten if it was that long ago, but even still, someone must have some knowledge about what happened. By the Sun this makes my head hurt."
"Having trouble sleeping?" Stella asked as she stepped into Twilight's dream, swooping her up and landing on a soft and fluffy cloud with her.
"Queen Stella! Thanks for the assist."
"No problem. Honestly, I haven't done this in ages." She let out a little giggle before sighing, remembering when she managed dreams before Luna was born. "Anyways, you want answers, correct?"
Twilight nodded.
"Very well. It all happened ten billion years ago, a very long time before the Windigos came. Sheol had plans to conquer Equus and beyond. But first, he needed to rally an army and to do so he needed a massive victory to inspire demons to join him. Some lesser demons such as imps are easily persuaded by charisma, with promises of ascending to greater ranks and power. However, most demons, want a deed that proves that this is a leader they should follow."
"So, what did Sheol do?"
"First let me tell you a story, about how two races were united under one banner. During the Divine-Primordial war, there were two who were arch-enemies. Azur'rath, god of the Void, and Asgorath, Creator of Dragons. Near the end of this war, Azur'rath had managed to capture Asgorath and imprison him in a dimension known as the Astral Plane."
"The source of all magic and the space between the planes of existence!" Twilight blurted out. She covered her mouth with her hooves. "Forgive me, Queen Stella. I did not mean to-"
"It's alright Twilight. With your intellect and knowledge, I would expect you to know a little bit about what I'm describing."
Twilight blushed in embarrassment.
"Anyways." Stella resumed. "Asgorath was imprisoned in the Astral Plane. He became its guardian, making sure the fabric of reality was stable, and that no one tried to tamper with it. It was here that he created the first dragons, the Astral dragons. They have no wings but instead move with their minds, for the Astral Plane is a place of knowledge and willpower."
"Sounds lovely, although I would probably never leave if I went there." Twilight was fascinated that one had to use their minds to move instead of motion.
"Oh, trust me, I wouldn't either. It's quite beautiful, but back to the story. Among these first dragons, Asgorath created his children who would guide the dragon race in his stead. Bahamut, the Platinum Dragon of Order, and Tiamat, the Five-Headed Dragon of Chaos. However, things didn't go so well between them."
"Oh yeah! There was a massive civil war between the chromatic dragons and the metallic dragons. Ember mentioned this a few times, but I didn't think it was as bad as she described."
"Nope, it was worse, a LOT worse," Stella emphasized.
"Oh..." Twilight sheepishly looked at the ground.
"But let us not dwell on it. During the same time, Azur'rath tried to create a world for his species of mortals, but it collapsed in on itself and the debris shot off at the speed of light. To prevent any damage to others, Azur'rath created the Void, and he locked his failed creation in it. He was very sad to see this happen. It was after that he didn't try creating anything again for a time. He thought to himself that he would always fail at creating. Keep in mind, Azur'rath is a god of darkness, he's not evil, he's more attuned to destruction than he is to creation. He was a warrior, not a builder. He was created to fight in the Divine-Primordial war."
"I feel so bad for him. He could use a hug. I bet I could give him some confidence back."
"I bet you could." Stella chuckled. "Fortunately, you don't have to. It was one day a certain goddess was wandering through the Astral Plane when she came upon the gate to the Void. She is known as the Pale Mother by the Azur. She entered and found nothing, but large asteroids of pale rock scattered everywhere. It was here she found a lonely Azur'rath, sitting in the center of it all. She recognized that he was lonely and tried to cheer him up. Azur'rath turned her away, but she didn't give up so easily. Day after day she visited him, and eventually he started to have feelings for her. I think you know where this is going Twilight."
"Did they get married?" Twilight asked, although she already knew the answer.
"Yep, they got married. It was after their marriage that the Azur were created. Immortal beings who live in the Void. They also had direct children who are known as the 'Four Patrons'. They also had a fifth child known as Arwen. Now, the four patrons did not like to share power, they wanted to be the favorite child and have power over the others. This started what is now known as 'The Great Game' in which tribes devoted to one of the four patrons fought in a civil war with each other. A four-way civil war between the Azur."
"So, we have two civil wars going on, one with the dragons, and one with the Azur. I don't see how this adds up."
"Trust me," Stella assured Twilight, "This is where it gets good. Arwen was walking through the mortal plane, wanting to stay out of her brothers' conflicts. She had a preferred spot where she liked to rest and relax. A planet is known as Veldor. Most of the world was a giant forest with mountains that cut through it. Upon these mountains lived blood-thirsty trolls, however, Arwen didn't know of this. All she knew about the planet is that there was a young, yet strong monk who was followed by seven golden canaries with who she had a bit of a romantic relationship. One day Arwen was walking to meet him when she was attacked by the trolls!"
Twilight let out a small yelp. She was scared for Arwen. Something about Stella telling this to her made it feel like she was a filly all over again and her brother was reading her bedtime stories about heroes, princesses, and evil monsters.
"Fortunately, the monk heard the screams and came to save her, it was here the identity of the monk was finally made known to Arwen. It was Bahamut, and the seven golden canaries were his gold dragon bodyguards! They finished off the trolls within seconds. Arwen was truly thankful and now she finally knew who her lover was. Bahamut never wanted to disturb anyone with his true appearance, so he took on the form of a human with eyes as blue as sapphire and glorious platinum hair. Then they got married in secret, for they knew that if their fathers found out, there would be bloodshed."
"Did Asgorath and Azur'rath find out?" Twilight was eager, she wanted to hear the rest of the story. She was scared for these two lovers, who had parents who hated one another. Just like that one book she read. However, she couldn't recall the title.
"Well, a few months later, Arwen got pregnant, and then she disappeared for a while. She was in the Astral Plane fearing for her life and her father's. Azur'rath sent out his minions or 'Void-spawn' to find her. One of these Void-spawn saw Arwen and Bahamut with Asgorath! She was in labor, about to give birth. Asgorath had already spoken on the matter of the marriage. He was okay with it, but when Azur'rath heard the news from his minions, he let out a screech of rage that echoes in the Astral Plane to this day. Arwen knew the jig was up. Bahamut and Azur'rath took up defensive positions to guard Arwen and the baby. Azur'rath charged through the Astral Plane, with the intent of killing both Asgorath and Bahamut. Azur'rath finally made it to Asgorath's cave"
"Please don't say they died!" Twilight was on the verge of tears.
"No, no creature died." Twilight breathed a sigh of relief at Stella's words. "Instead, the first Emperor was born! Azur'rath was about attack Azgorath and Bahamut when he heard the cries of his grandson. And then, he saw him. An Azur with four platinum horns and four wings. His scales were of black obsidian, and his eyes were purple He morphed in-between hybrid and full dragon form erratically, finally settling upon a hybrid form. Azur'rath saw potential in the child, and he saw the salvation of both species. Asgorath and Azur'rath put aside their differences and blessed their grandson, who Arwen and Bahamut had named 'Imperator'. Azur'rath allowed Arwen to stay with Asgorath until her child was fully grown, for he knew exactly what this child would do. A hundred years later, this child had become a mighty warrior. He had already brought down Tiamat, winning the civil war of the dragons and forcing them to reconcile their differences. And then, with an army of unified dragons at his back, he proceeded to conquer the four brothers and beat them at their own game! Thus, he was declared: God-Emperor of the Azur and Dragon-King. He soon took a wife for himself and had a daughter, who was his heir to the throne, and nineteen sons, who were to serve as his generals and closest advisors. All was well, but then, disaster struck..."
Twilight shivered as a chill ran down her spine.
"Sheol somehow entered the Void, killed Imperator, killed his wife, killed his daughter and one of his sons, and burnt the Obsidian City to the ground. That's how he gained the reputation required to raise an army."
Twilight was shocked. How? How could some creature bring themselves to kill a great hero?
"But all was not lost, for you see, Imperator had become good friends with Sol and I. When his sons escaped to us and told us what had happened, we were truly distraught. They also told us that Equus was Sheol's next target and that we should prepare for war. But what was truly shocking, was that they said, that in the Emperor's dying moments, he gave his soul and his power, to his youngest son. His name is Vindicatus. This child became the next Emperor, and he swore vengeance against Sheol. The war that followed was long and bloody, but, in the end, we won. But not without great sacrifice. Void sacrificed himself to banish Sheol to Limbo."
A sudden realization dawned on Twilight. "Wait, are you saying that Sheol is the Pony of Shadows?!"
"Yes, he is when he is not in his true form. He merely used Stygian as a conduit to wreak havoc once more. Possessing Stygian at his weakest, promising revenge against the Pillars for banishing him."
"I knew there was something more to it than just hatred and anger. No pony could grow that powerful on anger and hatred alone."
"Indeed." Stella sighed. "That is where the story ends."
"But what about Luna?"
Stella froze. A grim expression came over her face. "I am not at liberty to discuss it without her permission."
"But-" Twilight was cut off by Stella.
"No more questions. Besides, it's quite late, you better get some sleep. Oh, and before I go, tell no one of the knowledge I have granted you. It must remain a secret." Stella then disappeared without warning.
Twilight was confused but she didn't want to defy Stella's orders. Stella was gone however, she sensed another presence, but she shrugged it off as her mind laid tricks on her. Little did she know that someone was watching. A massive bipedal creature about eight feet tall, adorned in a golden breastplate decorated with numerous runes and symbols from which two horns protruded from both sides of the front of the breastplate, blue leg pieces with what seemed to be adorned with golden scarabs, and a belt with a buckle in the shape of an eye. He held a staff, powerful and ancient. His skin was as black as night, the feathers of his wings were colored red but blue near the bottom which gave off to completely blue the farther you went down his wings, and his hair was like a lion's mane, scarlet red. Two horns protruded from his head, and upon his forehead sat a crown adorned with a ruby in the shape of an eye in the center. He only had one eye, for his right had been lost long ago.
"So, this is the one the prophecy speaks of. Very well, bother. I trust your judgment on this one."