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// Prologue: Forgotten 
// Story: Death Cometh 
// by Dracthul 
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The giant chasm of fangs closed, sealing the jaws of Death. The final blow had been delivered to the body of the God of Death. With it, the creature that had plagued Azeroth for an untold time had been defeated, or so the warriors who fought him thought.

To understand what had happened, you would have to know of Yogg-Saron. He—or rather it—was an Old God, which was the manifestation of the Void. They were giant fleshy beings that wielded incredible shadow magic, but their true strength was their essence. While they had bodies with great power, their influence was what made them blights to the world. Old Gods could twist a man’s mind until he would slaughter his own family for the beast.

Yogg-Saron was one of the four Old Gods who had infected Azeroth, and he was Death itself. He was also Insanity and Deception. In his imprisonment by the Titans, he had used his watchers to let his influence spread, but the time had come for adventurers to fight him.

And so, when he was finally struck down, his body was destroyed. While the raiders had thought him dead, the essence of his being had left his body to live on.

Instead of returning to the void plane of Azeroth, the God of Death was brought to another world, one of Harmony…



Darkness. That was all the ancient, eldritch being saw as he was hurled across existence. He could tell he was not floating around Azeroth as he should be; no, instead, he was going somewhere else. He felt galaxies and universes flying by. He was guessing that the ones who killed him had done something to cast him away from Azeroth.

He could see a flicker of light in front of him, and as seconds went by, it became brighter. He felt it pulling on him as if it was calling to him. Even in his countless millennia of existence, he was left in confusion. If he were in his physical form, his titanic jaw would have dropped.

The tiny flicker had become a raging fire as he was able to see a landscape coming into view.

An extensive flatland was all he could see, for now, grass covering the entire land. He was quickly able to make out some form of civilization in the distance. Tall towers were jutting into the air in strange ways, and they were made of oddly colored stone. The more he thought about it, the entire world he was looking at had overly vivid colors. He paid no mind to it for now, but he stored it away in his endless memory bank. The edges of the world became visible, and Yogg-Saron felt himself about to slam into the grassland.

Suddenly, a purple wall appeared. He could feel the magical energies of the barrier, and it was surprisingly strong… for mortals.

In his standard form, the barrier would do nothing to him, but in his essence form, he was weak. Sure, he could most likely slaughter a quarter of the entire Alliance before he died, but that was only a fraction of his full strength. He braced himself as best he could before he would hit. He realized the wall appeared to be a massive dome that extended over as far as he could see.

His purple essence slammed into the lighter purple mass, which made him reel in pain. The dome flickered and warped as his being flooded over the wall of energy. He felt himself being ripped away as the wall cracked. His lifeforce was drained as his power seeped into the planet’s defense, it wanting to destroy and devour him.

I will not be defeated by such fleeting magic. Bend to me! he shouted, boring into the barrier. It cracked under the weight of his ancient being, and with one final push, it shattered.

A hole, only a hundred feet in diameter, was opened. The remainder of Yogg-Saron’s being flooded through the entrance, entering the world. As he felt the air of the planet, he sensed its energy.

There was sentient life, and they wielded various forms of magic. He could see them. Or rather, he was able to detect their magical signature, which gave him a sense of the location of very nice strong beings. It was helpful to know where his enemies were. In this world, he sensed many small magic users. He could feel a few strong presences, but not many. This world appeared to be inferior to Azeroth at first glance. All of this information was given to him in a fraction of a second.

The God of Death was flying towards the ground at incredible speed, and he hit the ground hard. He felt his essence shift forms as he crossed into the physical plane. The full extent of his mind was pulled into a brain that had formed in the air. Organs were birthed and covered in muscle tissue as Yogg-Saron’s new body formed. Skin enveloped his form as he stretched his… limbs.

Instead of his normal tentacles and giant mouth, he had legs, four of them. Fur quickly grew around his entire body except for his hooves. It appeared he had the shape of an equine, one less bulky than a horse. My being is almost nonexistent; I am not strong enough to defy the order of this planet. It must have made me into… whatever being this is.

He finally felt the extent of his wounds upon entering the world as his body started to rip open. His skin tore apart, many gashes appearing on his form. The pain was inconsequential to him, but his form was brought to its knees.

His blood splattered onto the grass, and his black blood caused the plants it touched to shrivel. The organic matter died, and the ground was stained black. His tainted blood ensured nothing would grow there for a thousand years. Even the blood of the Old God was corrupted, and it would drive all who touched it to insanity.
He could feel his body waning, and he collapsed onto his side, a pool of blood forming around him. His vision blackened, and his eyes closed just as he saw two things flying towards him in the distance. His blood vanished as it went into the ground, scarring the land.

Princess Celestia had been attending court as she did every weekday when it happened. It had been a typical day, and the nobles had been arguing when all of a sudden, the ground shook with immense force. She was the only one in the room who could sense it, so she suddenly stood from her throne.

“My apologies. Court is excused,” she stated, gaining looks from everyone in the chamber. She swiftly walked to the giant doors that were the exit, and she opened them with her golden magic. Once outside, she extended her wings and took flight, pushing herself through the air as fast as she could. Once a decent distance away from the castle, she saw her sister fly to her side.

The Princess of the Night, Luna, had felt the disturbance as well.

“Our barrier has been broken somehow. Only a being of great power could get through it, so we must be cautious,” Celestia shouted to her sister through the air. Luna nodded in agreement, and they angled themselves down towards the location of the opening. They could see a black area around something… or somepony.

The two monarchs landed about ten feet away from the site and walked towards the edge of the black ground. They trotted slowly towards a body. There was a pony, a simple earth pony, lying on the ground. They both noticed the damage his body had taken. Dozens of cuts and lesions were across its fur, and blood leaked from it, black blood.

“What is he?” Luna asked after getting closer and realizing his manly features. His fur was brown, but it looked unnatural. It seemed almost fleshy in texture, even though it was hair. His eyes were open, but they looked lifeless. His flank had a pair of jaws on it that was his Cutie Mark.

“I don’t know, sister, but something seems wrong about him.”

Suddenly, his eyes widened, and they ignited in a black glow, his tail’s end doing the same. He stood up, his legs somehow ignoring the pain they were in. He mumbled something as he wobbled around, trying to get his footing. He eventually found it and looked around, his gaze settling on the ponies in front of him.

“Who are you?” Celestia questioned, her voice firm. The strange pony only laughed.

“Who are you?” he returned with.

“I am Princess Celestia, and this is my sister, Princess Luna,” she began, pointing to her counterpart. “We are the rulers of Equestria, and you are trespassing in our lands.”

“Fool. You should bow to me, for I am a god,” he stated so calmly, so coldly. He wished to test their emotions. It unsettled the two monarchs greatly.

“H-how dare thou speak to us in such a manner! Apologize,” Luna reprimanded after a short moment of shock.

Yogg-Saron shifted his legs as he studied these “rulers.” They lacked discipline, or at least one of them did. He could sense their unease, as well as their power. They felt untouched by the savagery of life, so he would manipulate them. “My apologies, Princesses. I am confused as to how I got here; I hope you can help me. In my homeland, I am treated in a certain manner, but I am clearly misstepping.” Celestia felt unsure of his words.

“I will take you at your word, but we will remain vigilant. I’m sure you can understand. We will take you to Canterlot, the capital of Equestria, where we will properly question you.” With that, the three went to Canterlot. They healed his major wounds before they departed so that he would be fine until then. When they arrived, the princesses led him to a room to question him. Unknown to him, the room had an enchantment to tell the rulers if someone was lying within its walls. With his power hindered, Yogg-Saron did not detect it.

He sat down in a comfortable wooden chair, and the rulers sat in two similar ones across from him. An awkward silence filled the room before somepony spoke.

“We will ask you some things to determine your credibility. First, I ask—“ Celestia started, being interrupted by him.

“Of course, but first, I wish to learn a little more of this world and its inhabitants. If you allow that is.”

After a moment of reluctance, the solar alicorn spoke. “This world is called Equus. Equestria is the country where you are now. The species that live here are ponies.”

“Ponies?” Yogg-Saron deadpanned.

“Yes. There are three types of ponies: earth ponies, ponies with more muscle like you; pegasi, ponies with wings; and unicorns, ponies with horns that can use magic. My sister and I are alicorns, a combination of them all. Alicorns are considered royalty, and they are very powerful in magic and flight.” She let this sink in for a moment.

“Thank you; you may proceed with your questions.”

“What is thy name?” Princess Luna asked.

“I am Yogg-Saron.”

“Where are you from?” Celestia asked.

“A planet called Azeroth.”

“What is your purpose here?” she continued.

“I did not want to come here.”

“What was thy purpose on thine homeworld, Azeroth?” the dark alicorn asked.

“I was a being that protected my people.” He had answered without hesitation, but the room felt he was lying to some extent.

Noticing this, Celestia asked her primary question. “Are you a being of malicious content?”

“No.” This triggered massive feedback from the enchantment. With a look to her sister, the two had the same thought. They turned to Yogg-Saron, who had shown no signs of deceit with his words or body. He had a slightly smug smile on his face, but it faded as he realized something was off. He sent his body into action, moving out the way as the two ponies’ horns glowed with magical energy. He was too late, though, as a beam of bright yellow and dark blue rammed into his chest, sending him flying to the wall. The heat of the sun and the cold of the moon dug deep into his form, and it was killing him.

He roared in fury as purple energy shot out in every direction from his body, stopping the energy flow into him. He fell to his legs, and he raised his head to find the two alicorns already approaching him. He tried to fire a spell, but his essence was still too weak, and it drained him of energy. He felt his body collapsing again, about to pass out.

“I am Yogg-Saron, the God of Death…” he whispered with a chilling dark voice as his eyes closed, their glow dying off. The alicorns looked at each other in worry, hearing his foreboding words.

When Yogg-Saron awoke, he found each of his limbs chained. His groggy eyes looked over the entire room, noticing the pure size of it. He could feel immense power above him as he spotted a giant white crystal that glowed with pulsing energy. He could also tell he was underground due to the air’s makeup. Darkness enveloped the room, but there was a light shining around him due to the crystal. He heard hoofsteps as Celestia and Luna trotted into view.

He snarled and lunged forward with his head, attempting to break his bonds, finding them unphased.

“These bindings are strong enough to hold even me from using my magic. There is no escaping them unless we release you,” Celestia said calmly. Yogg-Saron quickly realized he was truly trapped. He could tell he was immortal even in this form, but that would only mean he would be jailed forever, or at least until his essence manifested enough for him to break free.

“You foolish creatures! I am Death itself; I cannot be contained!” he bellowed in rage, his voice laced with his emotions. “When I break free from these fleeting shackles, I will bring this world to its knees. Its magic is weak, its rulers impudent, and its people fragile. I will unmake it!” He knew it would be hundreds of thousands of years before he would be at full strength, but he intended to speed up his release.

He bit his lip as hard as he could with his plant-eating teeth as he shot his face forwards, causing his blood to fly through the musty air. A single drop landed on Luna’s face, where it seeped into her fur unnoticed by everyone except the one who caused it.

Yogg-Saron snickered, his chains rattling in response. The two rulers turned around and left the large chamber, the doors slamming shut. The twisted laughter of the Old God echoed throughout the entire castle as he shouted, “You are already mine!”

About a month later, Princess Luna had turned against her sister. Nightmare Moon had taken control of Luna, forcing her body to do the evil being’s will. Yogg-Saron pulled the strings as he sat in his chains, sealed away beneath Canterlot, commanding Nightmare Moon. He would have his revenge in time.

For a thousand years, the God of Death waited. He waited as the hour of his freedom neared ever sooner. Nightmare Moon had returned to Equestria, managing to leave the moon she was stuck on. He had watched as the chosen Twilight Sparkle had gathered the Elements of Harmony and prepared to face the tyrant. He cackled in his forgotten chamber as everything was put in place.

The Elements were lifting into the air as Twilight’s eyes glowed with white energy as a rainbow of Harmony linked between them. The blast shot forward and wrapped around the dark Nightmare Moon. In that moment, Yogg-Saron created a direct pathway through Nightmare Moon to his body. He could do this because his blood had grown and morphed into Nightmare Moon before eventually taking control of Luna. Then, with the last of his available power, he put up a ward that would absorb all magic and expel it whenever he wanted. It was at that moment that his machinations became real.

The magic of Friendship went into Luna’s body, spreading through her entire being. Nightmare Moon was burned away by the sheer might of Harmony, and the rest was sent to Yogg-Saron, and inevitably to his ward. Dark laughter echoed throughout all of Equestria as but a faint whisper as his ward neared its limit. The Elements fell to the ground as the blast ended, a flash of light blinding them all.

When they stood back up, they found their necklaces that reflected their Element. The sun rose, and Celestia appeared before them. The next couple minutes of events were history, but unknown to all, Yogg-Saron’s ward exploded with a force of purple and rainbow energy.

His chains shattered to utter pieces as he fell to the ground. The crystal above him cracked slowly before it fell from the ceiling. It burst into tiny pieces as it hit the ground, its vast power releasing. The Old God absorbed it all, restoring some of his strength. His body healed the broken legs it had received from landing on the ground so suddenly. He could feel his dark energy renewed.

Unfortunately for the world, no one knew of Yogg-Saron’s escape. Even the princesses did not know because they never thought he could break free and did not set up a system to alert them if the bonds somehow broke. They never expected his essence to get stronger during his imprisonment because they did not know how powerful he truly was.

“I must choose a new form if I am to walk this earth, for the ponies will know of me eventually. So, I will change my form.”

At long last, Death itself was free…