//------------------------------//
// Threats From Beyond 
// Story: Rise Of The Empress 
// by Mystic Sunrise 
//------------------------------//

Twilight steadied her breathing as she looked around what had become known as the War Room. It was in fact just one of the side chambers of the Crystal Library that had been converted into use as a planning room.

Around her, those she had chosen based on their abilities to help smooth this along, waiting for whatever she had called them down here for. None knew for sure, but several had ideas.

The Legions had by this point grown to count several hundred ponies each. Without the help of Mares though, there was little Twilight and the other could use as armor and weapons.

What little they did have would not work if it came down to full-scale combat. All knew this. One of the standing orders for those who scoured Equus, was to try and find any and all weapons and armor they could.

Even if they had to pry them from the cold dead hooves of enemies. It was a temporary measure at best, and Twilight made no secret of that. But she already had a plan to, hopefully, fix that.

But that was not why they were all here. Neither did it have to do with her daughters who slept below, who at this moment, were just days away from awakening and leaving their gestation capsules.

Those who did know of them were curious as to what and who they would turn out to be. Twilight herself didn't know. She had not made them in any particular way.

Or at least she didn't think she had. But that was all beside the point.

The reason she had gathered everyone here at this moment, was for a danger that, before now, had not been brought up in some form. Most of the group had some experience with it, but none ever spoke of it.

"Forgive me for being blunt Your Highness. But is there a reason why you brought us together?" Ironhoof asked.

Twilight suppressed a grin. It was a well-known fact that Ironhoof wasn't one for stuffy political talks or meetings at all in general. He would rather be out there, training with those who could not be inducted into the Legions.

It was something that Twilight liked about him, even if he could be rather stiff when talking. She blamed that on his past life as a renegade from the Pan Lunaic Empire. It was probably what had saved him from the Unspeakable King's wrath.

She nodded as they returned to the matter at hoof. "There is in fact. While everything is going to plan at the moment, and far better than I had expected, there is still something that needs to be addressed."

"What's that?" Midnight asked. She had no idea what this was all about, and Twilight usually told her everything at this point. But she had not mentioned what this meeting was about.

Twilight steadied her breathing for a moment before responding. "The Aether. We still don't have a defense against it. I won't allow us to be stymied by that."

Everyone shared a look. They all knew what the Aether was. It was the source of all magic, and all ponies to one degree or another tapped into it. Unicorns did most of this, seeing as magic was an essential part of who they were.

Earth ponies and Pegasi did as well, but how they did so was something very few could understand. Not even Twilight knew for sure. And it annoyed the academic part of her brain that she had never really been able to answer that question.

Rose Quartz cleared her throat. "We don't have a defense against it because no one knows of one. Unicorns might have one, but I don't think even they know of how it works."

Twilight and Hard Knocks both nodded. While Twilight had not been a unicorn for millennia, Hard Knocks was, and neither of them knew of how they had done so.

Twilight though had an idea of how they could change that. "Have anyone shown strange markings on their armor, or started carrying around odd pieces of things that don't seem to have any point, but they won't let go of it?"

Crystal Dawn nodded. "A few have. They do seem to work to some degree. Not everyone has some, but those that do say they work."

"Some call it faith," Ironhoof said with a roll of his eyes. "I don't buy it myself."

Twilight scowled as she spat to the side. Even Midnight was shocked at her reaction. "Faith? Religion? Tools used by the weak, the stupid, and the corrupt, to control the masses, to explain things they don't understand."

"You don't believe in a higher power?" Midnight asked.

Twilight shot her a withering look. "No, I don't. There are no gods, no higher power in the universe. Whatever others sell as their god is false, or an elaborate illusion."

That shut the room up. All could feel a boiling rage underneath Twilight's surface. At what nopony could tell. Crystal shrunk in on herself, ashamed she had even brought it up now, and afraid Twilight would take it out on her.

After a moment, Twilight calmed down as she gave Crystal an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry Crystal. But I've seen too much to ever believe in false gods and religions. I've seen what it does to beings. I won't see that again if I can help it."

"You might not have a choice though," Rose added.

Twilight gave her a look. "Why?"

Midnight sighed. "Ponies are already talking about you. Who you are, what you are, and where you came from. Some've already started gathering in like-minded groups. None of them are very big yet."

Ironhoof nodded. "They call themselves the Cult of the Undying Empress. They're already talking about you like you're some sort of god. Or if not that, then the ruler, the empress, Equus needs and deserves."

Crystal nodded. "Even the ones not part of the group are already calling you empress. We can't stop them, and frankly, I don't think we should."

Twilight's mouth dropped in shock. "They're what?! Why?"

Hard Knocks shrugged. "You'd have to ask them that. I honestly don't buy that you are a god of any kind. But you are the ruler Equus needs right now. We all know it."

Midnight nodded as she placed a hoof on Twilight's shoulder. "I hate to say it, but they're right. They're going to give you that title whether you want it or not. Somepony has to lead our world back into something close to normal."

Twilight wanted to argue that, but she couldn't, for a part of her knew that they were right. But that didn't mean she had to like it.

After a moment, Twilight cleared her throat. "We seem to have gotten off track here. While I am glad you brought this all up to me, we still have things we need to discuss."

Midnight subtly motioned to the others that now was not the time to continue on the track they were. All seemed to have gotten the message for they pushed those thoughts aside.

"Getting back to what you asked before, yes someponies are carrying around charms or carving runes and other wards against the worst the Aether can throw at us," Crystal said.

"How much good they'll be against the worst it can throw at us, we don't know. And I honestly hope we don't have to find out sooner rather than later," Ironhoof added.

Twilight nodded. This didn't surprise her. Ponies and other races had known for millennia about the Aether and the dangers it held, or the effects it could have on ponies.

She herself had a theory that was in fact where Discord had come from. There was no way to know for sure though since she hadn't seen him for a very long time.

And as annoying as he always could be, Twilight did miss him. If nothing else just for the fact that he was the last tie to Equestria and the world that was she still had.

But she was getting off track again. "I want you to go around ask any and all who have something like that with them or know somepony who does. We need all the help we can get."

"How is that going to help?" Hard Knocks asked.

Twilight smiled. "Because I want to add it to a little bit of what I know so that, if needed, all would benefit from it. It's a plan I've had for a long time. I'm curious to see what can be added to it."

Everypony shared a look. "So what do you have?" Rose asked.

Twilight smiled. "I'm glad you asked." Igniting her horn, she summoned something that had been in storage ever since she had returned from another universe.

All in the room gave it an odd look. It looked nothing so much like a maul. On a much bigger scale than they had ever seen before, but it still looked like one.

Twilight's smile grew as she remembered how she had taken it. The Sons of Horus legionary had made her work for it that was for sure. "This is a Aether-shock Maul. It uses stored actinic energy to make whatever you hit with it, well safe to say, it isn't pretty."
Ironhoof gave it a once over. He knew weapons like the back of his hoof. It was all he really knew. But even he was impressed with just this one example. "So how did you get it? It seems too big for regular ponies."

Twilight nodded. "It isn't meant for regular ponies. In fact, it wasn't even made for ponies at all. As for how I got it? Let's just say, its former owner didn't want to give it up until I pried it from his cold, dead, fingers."

Everyone shared a look at that. None of them knew what she meant by it, but they could all feel there was quite the tale behind how she had come to have it. Maybe another day they would hear it.

Twilight lay the maul down and summoned her next item. This one didn't make much sense to the group as they looked at it. It didn't seem anything more than a collar that rose to a hood that would cover the top of anypony's head.

Twilight tried not to gulp as she looked at it again. While her battle with the Sons of Horus legionary had been difficult in the extreme, her fight with the one who had this had been far worse if possible.

Not for nothing was the World Eaters known as the most savage of the Legiones Astartes, and that had been without Khorne's blessing. Twilight had nearly lost her head to his frenzied attack.

She shook her head and banished that memory. It did her no good now to think of it. "This is a Null-amp Collar. Whoever wears it stands a much better chance of protecting themselves against the Aether. Very few of these were ever made."

"Why's that?" Midnight asked.

Twilight shook her head. "The project they had been designed to be used in conjunction with was canceled and those a part of it to disband into regular formations. They paid for it in the end as well."

While no one knew what she meant by that, all could see their use if they could replicate the Collar. But they held off their questions for now as Twilight summoned another thing from her personal collection.

This one looked nothing so much as an upscaled flame thrower. But something about it sent shivers up the spines of all who looked at it. Not even Twilight could prevent one from moving up her spine.

How this hadn't been tainted like the rest, she still didn't know, but at least this had come through where so much else of the Death Guard had not. Or at least without Nurgle's blessings at least.

"This is a Toxiferran Flamer. It will burn away any and all magical protection the target may have. And if they don't? It works just as well as the next flame thrower," she explained.

That alone made it worthwhile to look into all could agree on. How that would work, they had no idea at the moment, but they felt it could work given time.

For the moment though, she turned her attention to the last piece she wanted to show the others. She had more, but she would only ever bring those up in the direst of circumstances.

Getting these had been even more difficult than the others for one simple reason. The Raven Guard were very, very, good at never being found if they didn't want to be, let alone getting one of these from them.

To those around her, they looked like nothing more than lances made of what looked like bone. But something told them that it wasn't bone at all, but something else.

Twilight smiled slightly at them. "This is a Empyreal Lance. It will kill any magic-user if it strikes them just right. I've seen them be used. Very few ever survived being hit by one."

Crystal poked the lance. It didn't feel like bone, no matter what it looked like. "Is this bone?" She asked.

Twilight shook her head. "No. I'm, not sure how I can explain what it is. But it is very strong and nearly impossible to break."

Hard Knocks gave everything an odd look. "So what are we supposed to do with these? Use them? There's enough here just for us, not for everyone outside."

Twilight nodded. "I know. I want to know if we can make more of these. Arm as many as we can with them. It doesn't have to be done soon. But I get the feeling we will be needing these before the end."

Nopony could argue with her on that. And all would be lying if they said they weren't interested in all she had shown them.