//------------------------------//
// It's Time To Take Action 
// Story: Heirs of Grogar 
// by Israel Yabuki 
//------------------------------//

Some time had passed since the incident with the demons occurred. After Eternal and Inferno made their escape, Halo had soon arrived at Luna's house. He knocked on the door, then waited for an answer. The door opens and Twilight reveals herself with a relieved expression. "Halo, thank goodness you made it! Quick, Heat's on the couch resting up, come inside," Twilight said.

"I came as soon as I could. Is Heat pulling through alright?" Halo asked, walking in. Twilight then closed the door and the two walked over to the couch where Heat was sleeping on.

"I-I'm not sure. I heard him mumbling earlier," Twilight said. "He's probably still feeling upset that he couldn't do anything to stop that demon that attacked him. You think you can talk him out of giving up on himself?"

"I'll try, but don't you think we should wait for him to wake up?" Halo asks.

"Yeah, I guess that would be the best thing to do," Twilight said. Halo knows Twilight's feeling uneasy about her friend, Heat, but she's never felt so strongly about him before. In fact, if he recalls, she used to hang out with another certain brainiac, or so to speak.

"Twilight, if you don't mind me asking, what happened to Timber?" Halo asked. Twilight tightened her grip on her skirt at the mention of that name.

She doesn’t want to speak of that coward, not after how he acted when her life had been put in great danger. She was lucky to be alive thanks to Heat. And before that, Timber was surely going to harm Heat, she can’t accept that kind of behavior from him, nor does she want to see him again.

“I… don’t want to talk about it.” She growled.

"Ah, I see. You ended on bad terms. I'm sorry to hear. Well, how about this: how long have you known Heat? Were you two friends at one point before all of this? And what do you find more appealing in him?" Halo asked, trying to understand her from a positive point. This time, Twilight eased her grip on her skirt and looked over at her sleeping friend with a warm smile.

"Heat and I met back in preschool. He liked me because I was so smart and we loved to read. I wanted to be a scientist, he wanted to be an inventor. He and I loved peace and quiet, plus, he loved to sing. But I'm not sure if he still does sing," Twilight said.

"You two must've been really close. They say childhood friendship bonds never sever even when the years pass and we grow up. However, you never seemed to talk about him nowadays, even in high school. Did you accidentally forget about him, or did you still remember him, but rather not mention him?" Halo asked. Sadly, Twilight's smile went away when those painful memories were brought back and started eating away at her happiness.

"During middle school, Heat and I separated because I was able to skip a grade. Heat didn't though, because he wanted to go at his own pace. During high school, I had… unintentionally forgot about him because of Crystal Prep. And I made a stupid mistake of falling for… you know who and his stupid pickup lines," Twilight said, planting her hands against the sides of her head.

“Well, sometimes you make mistakes.” Halo replied. “And then when you do, you eventually learn from them.” he stated.

"I guess you're right. But I feel like dating Timber was my biggest mistake. And… I know this is gonna sound crazy, Halo, but… I love him," Twilight said. She turns to Heat, who's still sleeping from exhaustion and holds his hand. "Even when he gave up hope of being with me, he still cares about me deeply. I owe him my life, too."

"Well, if you feel that way about him, then what's to stop you from telling him? Heat's a good guy I can tell. And when you said you owe his life to him, I'm guessing he puts other people's needs before his own," Halo said.

"Y-Yeah, he--" Twilight then pauses when she hears Heat Blitz stirring, waking up from his nap. Twilight quickly pulled her hand away from his, blushing.

Heat's eyes turn towards Twilight and some other guy he hasn't seen before. "Twilight? Why are you blushing like that? And who's the guy next to you? Is he a friend?" he asked.

"Actually, yeah. I'm Halo Knight. Nice to meet you," Halo said, extending his hand. Heat smiled and shook his hand. "Your aunt and Twilight asked me over because… you were sounding a bit down because you couldn't save Twilight from a demon. She said you… gave up on trying. Is that true?"

Heat felt uneasy about answering his unsettling question, but after remembering his encounter with Harmony and Death, he felt some sense of courage that he had once lost.

"Yes. I made a mistake of trying to stop a demon from hurting Twilight. It was far stronger than me, naturally, it even swatted me away like a rag doll. I slammed against a wall so hard, I felt my bones crack and blood trickling down my forehead," Heat shivered from that feeling. "But, if I hadn't injected those nano bots into my body, I'd be hospitalized for months. I still feel the pain from the impact, the pain of losing… and a sense of failure. In the end, I felt like I failed myself, but most of all… I fail you, Twilight," Heat confessed.

Twilight was moved by Heat's confession. Even Halo was impressed. Now Halo could fully understand why Twilight liked him so much. 

"It's okay to admit defeat. But to give up after experiencing that kind of defeat won't do you any good, especially for you and others. You're stronger than you make yourself out to be and admitting defeat only proves you're getting even stronger. But it's up to you to try and do better. You don't even have to do it alone. You've got your friends, your family and maybe more. So keep fighting the good fight and you can overcome any obstacle. You win some, you lose some, but true victory… is living to fight another day," Halo said.

“Well said, Halo.” Twilight replied with a smile. Heat does the same as well, realizing that it doesn’t matter when you lose a battle, but what really matters is that you always get back up and try again.

"Yeah… you're right. I guess I was so caught up in my own self pity, I didn't realize that I can keep fighting. I may not have the brawn, but I still have…”

“Your clever brain.” Twilight interrupted with a smile on her face.

Heat chuckled. "You're really cute, you know that?" Heat asked before covering his mouth.

Twilight immediately blushed and went silent from what Heat had said. ‘He called me cute?’ She said in her head. ‘Did he call me cute?! HE CALLED ME CUUUUUTE!!!!’ 

"U-Uh… d-d-did I say it wrong, I'm sorry, I… I didn't mean to… make you uncomfortable," Heat said, blushing from what he said.

“N-N-No… N-Nothing at all, it was a-actually… n-nice of you to… call me… c-c-c-cute!” Twilight mumbled loudly while her blushing did not vanish from her face. 'Oh no, now he's being cute!' she thought.

Halo stood quite in the room, smiling as he observed the two as they embarrassed themselves and looked like an adorable couple. ‘I ship it.’ He said in his mind. "Well, since now that you feel better, let me know if you want anymore help. My door is always open," Halo said.

"Thanks, Halo. I'll be sure to remember that. Thanks for everything," Heat said

"It was my pleasure. Now you two play nice, okay?" Halo said before getting up and leaving the house, letting the two be in peace.

"You know, Twi… you've got some amazing friends by your side. And any friend of Twilight is a friend of mine," Heat said. Twilight was happy for Heat and how kind he is towards her. Halo was right. What's to stop her from telling him how she feels?

"Heat… I have to ask you something?" Twilight asked.

"Uh… sure, what is it?" Heat asked.

"Do you… umm… still love me?" Twilight asked.

Heat blushed intensely. His best friend from middle school, the girl he had a crush on since forever; had just asked him if he still loves her. Heat thought that he must have heard it miscorrectedly; but no, he wasn’t.

"I, uh… well… yeah. I can't deny that fact, even after I saw you with… that guy, I still had these undying feelings for you. But I felt like I never had the same qualities as him," Heat said, trying not to look away. "But, why would you want to bring that up, Twilight?" he asked curiously.

"Because, first of all, you're better off not having the same qualities as him. You're amazing just the way you are. You invented those pulsing gloves which saved my life, you treat science with respect and not use it as a way to try and win me over and through all the chaos, you never stopped believing in what was right and never stopped thinking about me. And for that, I just wanna say… I… I love you."

Heat’s whole world stopped cold, all around him. He couldn’t believe – though he wanted to – what he had just heard. Twilight just confessed that she had fallen for him, which he possibly did not see coming. When he heard those three words; he instantly forgot about the demons. Grogar, and everything he had witnessed in the past few weeks. His heart began to pound in a fast rhythm, without stopping.

"Y...You do?" Heat asked, blushing more than ever.

"I mean it, I love you," Twilight said again.

"I… I love you too, Twilight," Heat said. Twilight's eyes shedded tears of joy. Heat and Twilight grabbed each other's hands. Their eyes never turn away from each other. Ever so slowly, the two leaned in, Heat wrapped his arms around Twilight. Finally they connect their lips together, sharing their very first kiss.

'Inferno, if I had some good news for you, I've finally gotten the girl of my dreams," Heat said in these thoughts before separating from Twilight. "Wow… that felt amazing." he said out loud.

"I agree. Perhaps after we've taken care of this whole "demons" incident, we can tell everyone about our current relationship," Twilight said.

"Yeah, I'm gonna agree with you on that," Heat nods before Twilight hugs him.

As their love flourished, Grogar, Death and Harmony all sensed it immediately. The two divine deities were relieved to know Heat had found and earned love. Grogar, however, was far from pleased with this predicament. 

Grogar growled when half of his plan was foiled and slammed his fist against a wall. "Damn!!! I will not allow my plans to go up in smoke because of some stupid lovestruck kids!" said the demon monarch. "Soldiers! It's time to put our backup plan into action: Provoke the target." he said in a deep tone.

"Yes, master," the Fallen Souls reply in unison.

"One question: How do we provoke our future king?" one of the mages asked.

"It's simple, follow my lead," Grogar smirked, flaring his sharp teeth.





Meanwhile, back at the statue outside Canterlot High, Sunset and Starlight both arrived and made a quick dash back to their friends while Sunset got her phone out. She entered a text in the group chat saying, "Girls, bad news! Eternal's in danger. I finally figured out why he has demon powers. Find Inferno and Eternal and meet me at Canterlot Time Square." And then sent the message.

“Do you think there’s enough time to save him?” Starlight asked her friend.

“I hope so,” Sunset replied with worry in her voice; as she and Starlight ran straight for Canterlot Time Square. "I can't believe he never told me he was born with demon powers! But I can understand why he wouldn't tell me."

"Wanting to protect those around him is a definite possibility, but Inferno Blaze also happens to be a demon hunter. If he found out Eternal was part demon, he'd end up ruining his friendship with him. I'm scared he might actually abandon his job and just kill him on the spot!" Starlight said, equally worried.

“You don’t think Inferno would…” Sunset couldn’t finish her question. For she feared what would happen; would come true. And she would lose her best friend and the person that she truly loved since her childhood.

"If things go our way, maybe he won't kill him," Starlight said. The two girls kept running until they arrived in Time Square. Once there, the rest of the girls, save for one of them had all arrived as planned. But for Twilight, she brought along Heat.

"I got your message earlier, Sunset. What's the news?" Twilight asked.

"Hang on, we're still missing Rainbow Dash. Where is she?" Starlight asked.

"She said she had to stay behind and look for the boys. But it's okay, since she can move faster than any of us here," Twilight said.

"Uh, Twilight?" Applejack said.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Don't you think it's a little dangerous to bring Heat Blitz into this? Ya know those demons'll be comin' after him. Also, what's with the getup under his clothes," AJ pointed out, directing the other girls' attention to Twilight's boyfriend. Their eyes all locked on his arms, which are covered by some midnight blue fabric with neon light blue lights surrounding it.

"It's my battle suit. I fixed it up, so now it's fully operational. However, this is just a prototype, so there's no telling what kind of bugs I might've missed during the short time I created this suit," Heat said, lifting up his shirt, showing part of his battle suit.

“Oooooooh, it’s glowy!” Pinkie said in her usual cheerful tone when she sees the neon glow in the suit’s design.

"How long have you been working on that?" Fluttershy asked.

"I've worked on it for weeks since the Drakai pack attacked and came after me. Back then, I only managed to get the gloves done, but the suit in question was far from ready. I spend sleepless days and nights working on it. Big mistake on my part because when I was sleeping, one of the demons came to my house and tried to nab me again," Heat said.

“Speakin’ of Drakai. Fluttershy, where is Daris at anyway?” Applejack asked the animal care-taker.

"He's here, but he's keeping a low profile so no one'll get suspicious. He's on top of one of the buildings here in Time Square. He didn't say which one, though. But if Daris senses demons coming, he'll alert us with his howl," Fluttershy stated.

“Well, that’s… sweet of him.” Rarity hesitantly said, she didn’t expect a demon to be watching over them, especially since the last few weeks she and the girls had a throwdown with a few of his kind.

"I'm still surprised he's hanging around with you. Sometimes, you even impress me, Fluttershy," Heat said.

"All it takes is time, experience and a whole lot of love," Fluttershy said, being humble.

"Girls… are you sure she's not an angel in disguise?" Heat asked, making Fluttershy blush happily and timidly from the compliment.

Soon the group hears Daris’s howls from every direction. They didn’t know where he was, but they did know that his howl wasn’t alarming, more like he's agreeing to something.

“Daris said that “I’m not just an angel in disguise….” Fluttershy then blushes before she finally finishes her translation. “He said ‘I’m a Goddess in disguise’.” She finished, now feeling embarrassed after saying that.

"Well, he ain't wrong, sugarcube," AJ agreed.

"Hey, did I miss anything?" said Rainbow's voice. The girls turned to their tomboy friend and saw that she didn't come alone. Inferno Blaze and Eternal Flames were also with her. Starlight immediately ran to Inferno, latching her arms around him, hugging him tightly as she did.

“Don’t worry me like that, I thought you would get hurt.” Starlight said, with a worried tone in her voice.

Inferno hugged her back, comforting her as he gently held onto her. “As long as I have you, nothing will stop me from getting back to you.” he said softly.

Eternal, however, he was unsure how to react, having been reunited with his friends and his childhood crush. His eyes dart from the ground to his side, ashamed of what Sunset might've found out during the time he was trying to avoid her.

Sunset didn't want him to feel this way. So, she approached him. "Eternal?" she asked, but got no response. "I know about your curse. I know everything about your death at birth and Grogar cursing you with an immortal life as a demon. But you have to listen to me."

“Just hear her out, Eternal. You think you can deal with this alone; well you’re no longer alone in this mess.” Inferno stated. “So it's time to let us help you.”

"How? If things get messy, you might end up as casualties. The last thing I want to is risk the lives of others," Eternal said, shaking.

“Please. I killed 4,000 demons in my time… and counting.” Inferno snarked.

“An’ ah can lift giant boulders with no problem.” Applejack said with a smile.

“And I can run 5 times faster than the Speed of Sound.” Rainbow stated.

“I can create Diamond Shields with my very own hands,” Rarity said.

“I have magic that can rival Princess Twilight Sparkle,” Starlight said.

“And I can make sprinkles explode!” Pinkie cheered.

"I have telekinesis," Twilight said.

"I've finally finished my prototype battle suit. It can produce shock waves more powerful than the ones I made weeks ago. They won't wear out from one shot and they can produce healing pulses more than one time," Heat said.

"I can communicate with animals, demons included," Fluttershy said.

"And I can see into others' memories just by touching them," Sunset said. "But I've also got a hidden power within me that helped me save Twilight when she was pushed into becoming evil. I'm confident that with all of us working together, we can help you. But you have to trust us," Sunset said. "Please… I'm begging you. I don't want to lose my old friend!"

Eternal could hear the desperation in her voice, see the tears in her eyes swell up. He just didn't have it in him to deny Sunset her help. Eternal sighed in defeat and looked directly into her eyes and gave Sunset his answer.

"Very well, but if things get too heated… I'll make the ultimate sacrifice," Eternal said.

“We’re not gonna let that happen.” Starlight claimed.

"Hang on, what's all this about a curse? What's going on here?" Rainbow asked.

"I'll tell you," Eternal said, stepping forth. He sighed before confessing. "I was never meant to live in the first place. I died at birth, but my mother had begged and pleaded for me to come back to her. She got her wish and I was reborn, but at a terrible price. Grogar, the king of the Shadow World, had nabbed me from Death's grasp and gave me his blood after I was brought back to life. For almost 18 years, I've lived with the curse of being a half-demon. My mother has had to live with the guilt and shame of branding me with this cursed life I now live. When my 18th birthday was coming, I had to find Sunset and spend my remaining days with her. And to tell her how much I love her. But when demon powers were awakening, I couldn't tell her without driving her away with the monster that lurks inside me. Sunset… I'm sorry. I never wanted to hurt you. I loved you too much to put all this pressure on you. And as for you, Inferno, I couldn't find the courage to tell you since I know you have a long history of killing demons. Can you ever forgive me?"

Inferno didn’t say a word, but instead walked up towards Eternal. While everyone was fearing for the worse, but to their surprise; Inferno placed his hand on the young prince’s shoulder, in a comforting way. “Eternal… You may have demon blood in your veins and the powers of the very race that took my father away from me.” Inferno said. “But in all my life, there was never a time... in any world. Would I call a client…. My friend… and a brother.” he finished. “So no matter what; I will fight by your side till the end.”

Eternal was relieved. "I am pleased to know you have my back. I was afraid you would hunt me down and make me into one of your victims. But I'm pleased that--" Eternal's interrupted by the sound of a howling sound. The girls look up at the skyscrapers, Fluttershy gasped.

"They're coming!" Fluttershy said.

Inferno immediately pulls out his Winchester rifle and quickly loads it, preparing for an attack. The girls all activate the magic in their amulets and pony-up, readying for action. Starlight grabs a pendant – which Twilight made for her right before she left Equestria – from her pocket, placing it around her neck and then tapping into it’s magic, allowing her to pony-up like the girls.

Heat Blitz bolted towards a dark alley where he changed out of his clothes and stuffed them in his backpack, which he brought along the trip before emerging out of the shadows in his battle suit, ready to defend. Daris then jumps down to the ground next to the group, taking a stance preparing for a fight; which he was created for.

The group watched as multiple dark portals opened up in the air and on land. In the air, multiple other drakai and other winged demons flew out of the portals. The land demons walked out of their portals fully armed to the teeth. But behind these lesser demons were the Fallen Souls, the elite of elite demon soldiers. And finally, one big portal revealed the king of all the demons: Grogar, the Shadow King.

"You mortals have been a thorn in my side for far too long! I can no longer stand by and let you ruin my plans. Eternal Flames, you have your choices: One: You surrender to me and become the next Shadow king and I promise you that your pathetic friends will be spared. Or two: You can fight me and I can take this entire world by force! And you will be out one less love interest. And need I remind you that I know about the secrets of your father's death!" Grogar exclaimed.

"What are you talking about? How dare you mention my father's passing!" Eternal shouted in anger, charging at the king. Grogar smirked and raised his hand, sending his drakai out. The demon hellhounds roared as they soared in his direction. But instead of attacking him, they flew past him and surrounded his friends. "What is the meaning of this?!"

"It's your choice, you can either join me… or your friends pay the price… along with this entire world and Equestria!" Grogar said, keeping a cocky smile.

"Do you forget that they have powers?" Eternal asked, trying to gain the upper hand.

"Oh, I'm well aware of their… feeble-minded abilities," Grogar said.

“Not to mention! I killed way more demons than this!” Inferno called out to the two.

“Oh really, assassin. Then how about 90,000.” Grogar replied as a means to taunt Inferno.

“Well, I like to put that to the test!” Inferno responded. “Don’t listen to him, Eternal! Even if you accept, he’ll never keep his side of the deal!”

"I'm not gonna let this monster control my life! I am gonna obliterate him!" Eternal said, radiating his demon aura like crazy. Grogar laughs like it's no big deal.

"Then, by all means… be my guest!" Grogar replied before snapping his fingers. The drakai all roar in hostility and charge to attack.

"LET'S LIGHT 'EM UP, LADIES!!!" Pinkie shouted. The girls, Inferno, Heat, Daris and Eternal all attack in unison. Daris put up an impressive fight, holding his own against his own kind, biting and clawing at the other packs. Inferno used his experienced battling style, shooting down multiple drakai and cutting them up using his moonstone weaponry. AJ out-muscled 5 to 7 drakai, slamming them to the ground by their heads and tossing them back at the king. Pinkie blinded some of them, using her exploding sprinkles.

Rainbow Dash used her super speed to overwhelm them and slam into them with the force of her speed. Fluttershy was surrounded by all sides, but seemed to know how to get out of this dangerous situation.

"Y-Y-You all seems tense… do you want to talk about it?" Fluttershy asked, putting on her cutest and sweetest smile, confusing the drakai.

Twilight used her telekinesis to throw several drakais flying and slamming some to the ground. Starlight, tapping into her own magic through the pendant Princess Twilight made for her, used teleportation to escape from her cornering foes and sent a magic blast at them. As for Heat, his battle suit produced more powerful shock waves, sending several drakai flying.

And Eternal ran to help his friends, but several other demons blocked his path. Covering his hands in demon aura, he converted his hands into claws and slashed at these demons at blinding speeds, clashing with their weapons and as well as grabbing some of them by their massive sharp fangs. He slashed at their throats, even biting into some of their flesh and tearing it off their bodies.

Grogar watched in amusement, chuckling at their efforts. The might continued on until over 500 of his drakai army was slaughtered. "I believe it is time for me to turn the tide of this battle," he said to himself. He extended his hand, aiming towards the group.

The mages picked up on his signal and aimed their staffs at the group. They conjure up a spell, which pins the group down to the ground and the demons back away by a few inches. The only one who's not affected by the spell is Eternal.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Eternal snapped.

"I'm getting serious, here. You can continue fighting on your own, but I can't guarantee that your friends will live long enough. Or, you can surrender to me. Your friends will be spared, not harmed in any way. Now, I'm only gonna tell you once more: Make your choice," Grogar said.

Eternal clenched his fists, looking back at his trapped friends, then back at the gloating king. He grunted in frustration, seeing no way out of this intense situation. He tried to come up with different plans and scenarios of how to get his friends out of this without giving in. But there was no other alternative. Eternal Flames… has lost.

"You win… I'll go with you," Eternal said in a low tone. Grogar's evil grin grew wider as he laughed out loud, savoring this victory.

"I knew you would see things my way. But first, why don't I let you in on a little secret. Not just about your father… but about the little loophole you should've known about that would've spared your miserable life," Grogar said, walking up to him.

"What are you talking about?" Eternal asked.

"You see, boy, recently a few weeks ago, I was visited by 2 powerful deities that were hellbent on intervening with my plans to find a new heir to my throne. They came to me with a little wager, which I gladly accepted: If you and that weakling little boy in that cyber suit were to find love and earn love in return, I would not only allow you to live peacefully, but also keep my demon powers as a bonus. However, if that doesn't happen, you AND him would entirely belong to me. Of course, the deities known as Death and Harmony intervened first by having your worthless mother hire that mercenary to stop me!" Grogar explained.

"What?" Eternal asked in disbelief.

"Yes. You see, they placed yours and Heat's life into the hands of destiny. And destiny has now favored me to take you with me! Oh! And regarding your father's death, why don't you ask your so-called friend how it happened? He witnessed the whole thing go down and didn't lift a finger to help save him," Grogar pointed out

Inferno growled at Grogar’s statement and tried to get up but was forced down by the intense gravity. “Y-you… a-asshole!” He snarled.

Eternal turned to Inferno, clenching his fist. "Is this true, Inferno? Did you really just let my father die out there years ago?" he asked in a low tone.

Inferno remained silent for a second, grunting from the pressure of the gravity. But he knew that he had to tell him soon. “N-no… I didn’t let your father die…. I was in the Canterlot Library; the same place where he was killed. I-I… wanted to save him… I wanted to stop his murderer… But the guards stopped me and tried to arrest me for his death…. I was a kid back then, Eternal! No one would believe me… Not even your mother! For years on the run, I tried to track the suspect down, but I couldn’t find him. Everytime I thought I got him, but I always hit a dead end.” Inferno explained.

"You're right, how could I have been so foolish to blame this on Inferno when it was your own close-minded, useless mother who didn't trust his judgement. And considering what Harmony and Death waged against you, the question still remains: What are you gonna do about it?" Grogar provoked.

"No! You're wrong!!! His mother had nothing to do with his own father's death! I don't know who did it either, because I wasn't born in his world! But I will say this: his mother is no killer! So stop with these web of lies, already!" Heat yelled out. “Also Harmony and Death didn’t wage against him, they wagered in order to save him! To protect him from your tyranny!”

"And look where that got him now. He's now forced to become the new king in order to save your weak, miserable lives. Besides, if anything, I stopped Eternal from passing! I gave him life and I gave him meaning! If anyone is bad, blame no one else except for those 2 foolish deities," Grogar exclaimed loudly.

"No… you're lying! That can't be!" Eternal said, having doubts he can't come to grips with. 

"That is quite enough, Grogar. You've caused enough damage as it is!" a female voice echoed, stealing everyone's attention. From behind Grogar, the group noticed two figures floating above him, looking crossed.

“Tormenting these young mortals will gain you nothing! Return back to your domain and do not set a foot back in this world. Remember our wager, you will only claim Eternal’s soul till his 18th year of his birth; which is only two nights from here!” Death stated.

"And who was it that told Celestia to send in some backup and attack my minions first?" Grogar rebutted without missing a beat.

“You dared to send your general to this world to observe the young prince! From our view, you are the one who tried to gain an edge; we just decided to even the playing field!” Harmony spoke her counterclaim.

"I gave the order for my general to keep his distance and not engage the target. There was no benefit in provoking you so early, but since you attacked my soldier that only makes you more guilty than I am! Besides, the boy should be thanking me for saving him from your cold dead claws and giving him life!" Grogar provoked. "Plus, why don't you tell it straight to the boy's face that he was never meant to be born in the first place! I double dare you."

“I have no control over his fate! He was poisoned after he had entered into the world, I had no choice but to claim his soul! If he wasn’t and would have been dying under natural causes… I WOULD HAVE DECIDED TO SPARE HIS SOUL!!!” Death shouted in rage, gripping his scythe, tightly.

“Wait! Did you just say “poisoned”?” Inferno barely asked, still feeling the pressure crushing down on him. Soon he barely turns his head towards Eternal, who watched him and the others still suffer. “Eternal, do you know what this means?! You didn’t die after birth, naturally! You were actually murdered!” He claimed.

"Murdered… So that's it… some fool thought they could kill me?" Eternal asked quietly. "Well… whoever that damn fool was… I'LL KILL THEM!!!" he shouted, letting his demon aura. "And there's only one way to ensure that I make the atrocious bastard pay! He will pay dearly for this. One way… or another."

With his undying fury clouding his judgement, he steps forth, approaching Grogar, then stares up at the demonic ram. "Let's go."

"No! Eternal! Don't do this!!!" Heat shouted out.

"QUIET, YOU!!! This doesn't concern you! I have been betrayed not just by my own family… but by my own country! And I will see to it that they all will PAY!!!" Eternal proclaimed.

"Very good choice. Then follow me, young prince. The time for your birthright is at hand," Grogar said, placing a hand on the now corrupt prince's shoulder, his eyes blood red with pupils slit, focused on his new task: To conquer all.

"Eternal! No! Please, don't do this!!! I can't lose you like this! This isn't like you! You're better than this, I know you are!" Sunset called out in vain. 

Inferno grunted from the force of gravity. He used all his might to get himself up, until he was on his knees. He looked up to Grogar and Eternal as they were flying off. Inferno then gathers enough strength to speak his words before he would eventually pass out.

“ETERNAL!!!!!” He screamed loudly for the prince and Grogar to hear him, they turned to the assassin, who was barely on his knees from the intense gravity. “Y-YOU WALK AWAY!!... FROM THIS! I… WILL BE FORCED… TO HUNT YOU DOWN!!! YOU KNOW I WILL! I WON”T ALLOW YOU TO HARM INNOCENT PONIES!!!” He stated with anger and sadness in his voice; anger that the prince would desire to hurt many innocent lives, but also sad, that he’ll be forced to fight his best friend. “So… if you walk away now!... Don’t… EVER… Expect any sort of mercy... from me! When we meet again!”

"I don't ask for mercy from a mere mortal," Eternal's voice became more demonically distorted upon saying that.

"And since you've made your choice," Grogar paused and looked at his mages. They cease their gravity spells and allow the group to move freely. "My minions! Return now! We've got what we came here for!" The demon army all retreated back to their portals to the Shadow Kingdom with their current king. The ram and Eternal turn their backs to the group and walk away, stepping deep… into darkness before the portals all closed.

The entire group watched in shock as their friend had left them. Inferno passes out after exhausting his strength, Starlight rushes to his side after he had lost consciousness. Luckily, he was breathing, which made Starlight relieved. However, for Sunset, she felt heartbroken after the whole ordeal, but she can’t be sure why.

"No… No! No, it's not fair! Why him?! Why couldn't it have been me?!" Sunset asked, tears streaming down her eyes. Harmony landed next to her while placing her hand on the crying girl’s shoulder.

“It’s not his fault, young one. Nor, is it yours. The demon blood coursing in his veins, is affecting his emotions; more importantly, his anger. Once he develops the feeling of rage or vengeance, the demon blood fuels it to the highest degree, forcing him to act upon it rather than with reason. Like a rabid dog biting at anyone that crosses its path.” The goddess explained.

Sunset looks over at Harmony, still crying waterfalls. "How can we stop him? How to we save him from all of this?"

"Death… Harmony… if there's any way we can get him back from Grogar and you might have a solution… then we're all ears. There's no telling how much destruction he could cause," Heat Blitz stated, struggling just to stand on his feet.

“We have none. Love was the only thing that could save Eternal from Grogar’s grasp.” Death replied, with doubt in his voice. “Now with hate burning in his heart, he is beyond reason. Especially with demon blood coursing through his veins.”

"Then… we'll just have to… create our own way… to save him! You tried to save him in… your own way, I don't blame you. But… now it's time… we all pitched in… and brought back Eternal… as a team!" Heat said as he was walking up to the two deities before collapsing at their feet from exhaustion. Death and Harmony were astounded by the boy’s determination and courage, even when he was against all odds. The two deities looked at each other and shook their heads in agreement. They then raise both their arms up and then magic auras appear from their hands and slowly surround the group. Soon, they felt a great boost of energy in their bodies, their bones and muscles instantly healed, and felt their own magic auras increase.

“WHOA!!!! I feel so hyped right now!” Rainbow said in a tone that sounded like she was given tons of sugar.

“OH MY GOSH! OH MY GOSH! I FEEL SO SUPER DUPER POWERED!!!” Pinkie cheered loudly.

The unconscious Inferno instantly wakes up after feeling Harmony and Death’s magic take full effect. He wakes up feeling like he has a lot of stamina and energy in his body. “Oh shit, I feel like I got shot up with a lot of adrenaline.” He said.

"Wha… My body feels like it got some sort of power boost. Was that your doing?" Heat asks after getting back up.

“Indeed,” Harmony replied with a smile.

“We used our magic to boost your energy and regain your strength. Also we placed a spell upon you all so that you’ll be immune to the magic of Grogar’s Elites.” Death explained

"I won't forget this. I promise to pay you back after we've fixed this mess," Heat said.

“Save Eternal and destroy Grogar; and we'll call it even.” Harmony responded with a wink.

“Thank you both... for everything.” Starlight said.

“Our pleasure, Ms.Glimmer.” Death said while bowing in respect.

"In the meantime, let's head back to our homes and rest up. We won't be of much use if we show up into battle without any sleep," Twilight said, getting up.

"Even if we are fully rested, we can't stop all those demons with just 12 of us," Fluttershy said.

“Those 5 elites you saw, aren’t demons… well, they weren’t in the beginning.” Inferno responded. “They’re known as Fallen Souls; ponies, or humans, that were taken from the realm of mortals and placed into torment and their sanity corrupted; turning them into half-demonic elite warriors that would serve Grogar for all eternity. Although they may be powerful, they are still mortal. Except they have powers that could prevent them from even facing death. Which makes them even more dangerous.”

"So yer sayin’ that those 5 varmints… were human?” Applejack asked.

“Yeah, and one of them looked very familiar; I’m sure that he looked exactly like the gun shop owner’s son. He said he lost him 3 years ago, and haven’t heard from him since. But now I know why.” Inferno explained. Soon a thought appeared in his mind. “Hey girls, if I may ask; were there any missing people or disappearances in this town?”

"Not counting the Eternal Flames in our world, Five." Twilight said before realizing what he's trying to say. "Oh no… the five missing teens… they're all under Grogar's control!"

Pinkie gasped. "MY PLUMEY-POO IS UNDER GROGAR'S CONTROL?!?!?!" Pinke shouted, grabbing the sides of her head.

“Who?” Inferno said in confusion.

"Pinkie Pie had a boyfriend during the 1st 2 years of high school named Copper Plume, but he went missing during summer vacation. She always referred to him as "Plumey" or on other occasions "Plumey-Plum" or even "Plumey-Poo." Rarity said.

“You know one of them?” Inferno asked Pinkie, who nodded in reply. He then turned to the rest of the girls. “What about the rest of you? Do you all know the other 4?” he asked again.

"Blazing Waters… we were very close at one point. But he's been so upset because of all the bullying he went through back at Crystal Prep. So before the 3rd year started, he went missing. I thought that he gave into his depression or something or moved away," Rainbow said.

"Frostbite. He went through some serious family issues, as well as dealin' with this dick named Seth Cooper who was always making his life a livin' hell. The fella wound up disappearin' in the middle o' Summer one day," AJ said.

"And there's… Israel Yabuki. He's been so down lately ever since he found out his older brother was sent to prison for murdering 2 muggers. He couldn't bear the shame, so I thought he had moved away. He was never the type to commit suicide, though," Fluttershy said.

"Not to mention… Lightning Burn. The poor darling went through a terrible heartache due to his previous ex-girlfriends cheating on him. I thought the poor deary… really did it, but now I see… he's still alive and… suffering," Rarity said, trying to hold back the tears.

“Then there’s a way we can save them.” Inferno said.

“REALLY!” All 5 girls said with hopefulness in their voices.

“Back when I was in Canterlot, I was learning all I could about demons; so that I can know how to kill them. I came across information about Fallen Souls, even a spell on how to save one. Of course, it won’t revert them back to their human selves; however, it would restore their normal selves, mentally.” Inferno explained. “They may be brainwashed and under Grogar’s control, but their memories are not gone; just under lock. The spell would help unlock their memories; however, it won’t be enough to free them. In order for them to fully remember who they are, they need to be reminded of a memory that they hold to heart; a memory that they would never dare to forget. Of course, that part I thought would be impossible, but since you five know them, maybe you girls can help them remember who they are.”

"So I can have my Plumey-Poo again?” Pinkie asked with hope in her eyes.

“Yes.” Inferno replied.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Pinkie squealed before hugging Inferno tightly in her arms. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! THANK YOU!!!"

“PLEASE!.... Need… air!” Inferno struggled as he felt his body being crushed in the party girl's hug.

"Oop! Sorry. I can't help it! It's been so long since I've seen my Plumey-Poo. Plus, the editor of this story said hugging you tightly was a good idea," Pinkie said.

“You mean the editor I'm gonna kill after this.” Inferno replied in a whisper.

"Hey! Breaking the 4th wall is my job!" Pinkie argued with a happy face, sticking her tongue out and looking damn cute doing it.

"What is she talking about? Where's this "4th wall" she's talking about?" Heat asked, looking around, trying to make sense of it all.

“Nevermind that! Inferno, do you have the means to make the spell?” Sunset asked.

“Yes, in fact I have all the requirements needed. But I’ll need a day to prepare, and quick cause Eternal’s 18th birthday and coronation is in two days. And once he’s the new Shadow King, he’ll lead Grogar’s army in the invasion of the human world, then later… Equestria.” Inferno stated.

"Alright. You get to work on your spell and we'll head home and recuperate. Best of luck to all of you and pray our strength will be enough to stop the demon invasion," Twilight said.

“Well said, Miss Sparkle. Good luck, young ones.” Harmony said, heartly. Soon she and Death began to envelop in a bright glow and then disappeared without a trace. The group then dispersed and headed back to their homes to rest up. They have a lot to prepare in the next two days, 6 friends they need to reclaim from a tyrant, and save two worlds from an invasion from a demonic realm.