Source of all Evils

by Igris Crow

Chapter 3 : Return of a King

“Alright! Looks like we’ll have to go into the Everfree Forest!” Exclaimed Twilight as she walked out of the library, followed by unsure mares.

“A-are you sure? The Everfree Forest is s-scary.” Said a shy yellow pegasus named Fluttershy.

“Don’t worry Fluttershy!” A loud rainbow maned pegasus shouted next to the shy mare, making her squeak in fear. It was Rainbow Dash

The 3 others quietly followed the purple unicorn, except one who joyfully and literally bounced behind.

The trip to the Everfree Forest was quiet with the occasional small talks between the mares, and as they got close to the edge of the forest…

BOOM

ROOAAAAARR

An unbelievably loud and powerful roar made its way to their eardrums, nearly destroying them from the sheer force of the sound, so powerful in fact that it shook the ground.

The 6 mares covered their ears, trying in vain to block the painful roar. Even when it stopped, the echo of the roar rang in their heads.

They were paralyzed in place for nearly ten minutes afterwards, and the one who broke out of the paralysis was Rainbow Dash.

“What in the heck was THAT!” She yelled in a mix of terror and anger while flying around in panic.

The others snapped back thanks to her yelling, but weren’t doing better than her as they all either tried to find somewhere to hide, or panic.

“T-Twilight… I don’t think we neeta’ go into the forest anymore…” The orange mare wearing a cow-stallion hat, Applejack, said in fear.

“No, we have to, we need to save Princess Celestia!” Twilight answered with conviction, yet it was clear to everypony present that she herself was filled with fear.

Even so, they pushed forward by a sense of duty, even if reluctantly.

As they walked through the dark forest, they all noticed how the surroundings were eerily silent. They even met with the paralyzed bodies of a family of bunnies. Fluttershy, who herself owned a bunny, became heartbroken at the sight.

“O-oh… the poor little bunnies….” She said, sobbing as she desperately tried to shake the family out of their terror, going as far as shaking them around in hopes of receiving a response. But when all her attempts failed, she cried as she felt powerless in front of the frozen bodies of the bunnies.

They continued after Fluttershy calmed down, at least enough to be able to move again.

Aside from the frozen animals they met on their way, which further broke the heart of the butter colored pegasus, nothing else in particular happened to the courageous mares.

They then came in front of a ruined Castle, they instantly felt a chill run down their spine and they could practically see an ominous and dark aura coming from it. They all gulped at the same time and marched forward to the dark castle. But as soon as they made the first step…

ROAAAAR

Another ear piercing roar shook the earth, this time on a much larger scale as the trees next to the castle nearly fell over with the force of the sound.

Ponies would call these six mares crazy, foolish or even suicidal. But even faced against an invisible and seemingly invincible enemy, they would continue forward as it is how they are.

“T-Twilight…” They all looked towards the only mare that might know what’s happening.

“L-let’s go… we need to save the princess…” She said but with less confidence than when she first said it.

They all continued with difficulty. The pink pony, Pinkie Pie, no longer bounced and for the first time in a while, she walked without really smiling. AppleJack and Rainbow Dash no longer walked or flew forward with pride but with hidden fear that was uncharacteristic of them both. Rarity, the white posh pony, had to help Fluttershy walk forward as she was struck with both despair and terror.

“T-thank you, Rarity” The traumatized yellow pony said, holding tightly the generous pony.

“Oh don’t worry Fluttershy, but I do hope we find the Princess so we can get out of this ghastly forest.” The fashionista said.

They all could feel a sickly and ominous aura as they walked through the ruined castle’s hallways. Then, from one of the cracks in the castle walls, they could see light coming from one of the towers with a dark aura behind it, an aura so big it dwarfed over the tower. Rainbow Dash, one of the ponies who had the best eyesight in the group, could swear she saw a monster inside that thick black aura.

Seeing that something was happening at the top of the tower, the six ponies rushed to it. But once they arrived at the top,they were met with a confusing scene.

There, on the floor, was an unconscious little blue mare who, by the horn and wings was an alicorn. Right in front of the unconscious blue mare was another pony, this one being taller and bigger than any pony they ever saw, even Princess Celestia herself.

Twilight, being in front of the group, inspected the humongous pony in question. First, the most obvious traits this pony had were its mane and tail, which seemed like an ever burning flame. Also, it seems like the pony didn’t have fur but black scales covering its body. The pony looked like a male judging from the muscles he had, she couldn’t see his face due to him facing towards the window.

She slowly walked closer to the intimidating pony, trying to see his face, and once she got close enough to see it, she gasped. The tall pony had scars across its entire face, one in particular practically glowed on his forehead, but this was not the only thing that shocked her, no. It was his eyes, his eyes were, much like his mane and tail, burning with hatred for the world.

She was too shocked to realize that the sun was rising, and from it came Princess Celestia, who appeared right in front of the window.

Celestia, expecting to see her dearest student in front of her, was startled to see a tall and muscular pony covered in black scales instead. She nearly fainted at the sight, not because of how tall or muscular the pony was, not even how he glared in front of him, so at her, with intense hatred. No, it was because of the overwhelming aura the pony had, it felt so much like dark energy, but infinitely more potent, and as a ruler who lived over a thousand years, she grew sensitive to these energies.

But she had to keep her composure, and the pony in front of her didn’t seem hostile, aside from those eyes but she guessed it was just how he looked. Talking about looks, now that she looked at his face, she was quite surprised to see scars on it, especially one that glowed on his forehead.

“You, you are the same as her.” The tall pony suddenly said in a deep and intimidating voice while pointing at the unconscious body of her little sister, widening her eyes.

“Luna!” Celestia shouted as she ran towards the unconscious form of her little sister. She searched for a pulse and thankfully, there was still one. She turned back and glared at the dark pony.

“What did you do to her?!” She yelled, not even noticing her scared student standing right next to her.

“I took back what was once mine” The pony answered mysteriously. Celestia looked back at her sister and tried to find what was missing. Then she sensed something, or more like the lack of there being something. It was Nightmare Moon. She stared back at the tall pony.

‘How?’ She wondered, and as if the pony could read her mind, he responded.

“Soul Drain. You, whose lifeforce spans over a millenia, must surely know of this.” The giant pony said with dignity so characteristic of great rulers.

What he just told her shocked her. Of course she knows of that cursed art, an art she swore to destroy all traces from the world, meaning that whoever, or whatever stood in front of her was either as old as her to know of Soul Drain’s existence, or even older. Not only that but another thing he mentioned confused her.

”What do you mean I’m the same as her?” She warily asked, still holding onto her little sister.

“You share the same blood, the same fates, the same curse. You possess in your soul a parasite similar to what that little one had inside hers.” The intimidating pony said.

With this, her jaw dropped as she took in the fact that her darkest secret was so easily discovered. Indeed, much like Luna had Nightmare Moon, she had Day Breaker. Even she, who was revered to be the kindest and most benevolent ruler Equestria ever had, was not immune to dark desires. Dark desires that first manifested into disembodied voices, to the demon known as Day Breaker. But before she could say anything, the pony talked.

“Do you wish for it to be removed?” He asked, bewildering her even more as she stared wide-eyed at him. The answer should be obvious, yet many things came with that answer, things she wasn’t sure she’d be ready to accept.

First of all, she would be indebted to this individual who reeked of malicious energy. Secondly, that debt she would owe would decide the fate of her little ponies. Of course, she could refuse to be indebted, but she wasn’t so sure she could fight against him, even with the Elements of Harmony.

But that is what is expected of those with the role of rulers, so she took the responsibility with her hooves and…

“Can you really do it?” She asked, still unsure whether the cursed art truly worked against Nightmare Moon, a being she was forced to use the Elements of Harmony against.

“Childsplay.” He simply answered while showing his arcane might with his right hoof, a swirling purple aura covering an ancient and eldritch magic circle appearing on it. Celestia was now certain of it, that being’s magical mastery surpassed even her own teacher’s, Starswirl the Bearded, who could not even control the power of the ancient spell Soul Drain, a spell that required more than 10 unicorns to cast in the past, a spell she is currently seeing being played with right in the hooves of a giant pony covered in scales.

Honestly, now that she looked at it, it’s quite the crazy predicament she found herself in. She sighed, normally, she’d never trust anypony to access something as sensitive as her own soul, much less using an ancient and forbidden spell on it. But the facts remain that her sister, albeit unconscious, had no major injuries and her soul remained intact even after the supposed use of Soul Drain. But she still had one last question.

“What will you do afterwards?” She asked, not with caution but with curiosity this time.

“I wish to remain with you, as you seem to be the ruler of this present world, I am quite curious as to what changed after my… absence.” The being said as he continued to play with the dangerous spell on his right hoof.

Celestia was taken aback by the request, she certainly expected something much more… drastic, but it’s still better than anything she expected. Not only that but she might be able to know more about the entity in front of her, and know why he feels so familiar to her.

“Is that so?” She said.

“Yes. Now, are you ready?” He asked and she could practically feel the spell on his hoof screaming for something to eat.

After hesitantly looking at the terrifying spell, she nodded.

---

She didn’t know what to think, she didn’t even know what she was looking at. One moment a dangerous and gigantic pony stood there, then her mentor suddenly appeared and now she just learned that her mentor had something akin to Nightmare Moon inside her? Not only that but… that gigantic earth pony was able to use magic without a horn?! And it looked like he could wield unknown and impossibly powerful magic at that?!

Honestly, all she expected after coming here was for her to use the Elements of Harmony, if she ever found them, against Nightmare Moon and then save the Princess, that’s all. Not to suddenly have her mind played around with piles and piles of world shattering information. And her scholar mind barely kept itself together at the sight of unknown magic being displayed in front of her.

But that also made her cautious around this… entity. Whatever it was could take the form of a pony, wield magic like unicorns without horns and exuded the authority and pressure of a ruler as well as being an extremely dangerous individual.

Even now as she stared at the workings of that unknown spell, which was apparently named Soul Drain judging from the interaction this being had with her mentor, she couldn’t help but watch in wonder and awe at the amazing display of magic.

At first, the Princess looked to be in pain as a dark and purple aura covered her body, she was even ready to jump at the titan of a pony the moment she saw her mentor’s body suddenly burn. Until she found out it was her mane and tail that turned into fire. Then, something confusing happened, the Princess Celestia that stood in front of her was not her mentor, that much she could tell from those evil eyes. But this wasn’t what confused her, no, it was the fact that this ‘burning Celestia’ was kneeling in front of the giant pony.

And then, her mentor came back, as if nothing happened. Not only that but she noticed that the giant pony seemed to munch on something before swallowing whatever he was eating.

Afterwards, she nearly collapsed as a spike of power suddenly appeared from within the giant pony, as if he didn’t already wield enough power, it seemed he became even more powerful. This power that radiated from him nearly crushed her, pressuring her mind and body onto the ground.

The noises from behind her reminded her that she was accompanied by five other mares she barely knew, and she could see after looking behind her that they all collapsed on the cold broken floor, barely keeping their consciousness.

The only reason she was still standing was due to her proficiency in magic, something she pride herself in very much. And as fast as it came, the pressure was gone.

---

It wasn’t much but it was enough for him to regain at least half of his powers. From what he understood, the two demons he just absorbed were two of the most powerful beings this world currently had and their knowledge helped a lot to understand this world.

But it doesn’t change what he said about staying with the two Princesses. Though his pride may be hurt from laying low, he was not foolish enough to overthrow a kingdom he didn’t even know or understand yet. His last battle was proof enough of his past foolishness, if it wasn’t for it he wouldn’t be imprisoned for so long.

Even if, from what he gained of the two most powerful entities this world currently has, the world had no way of stopping him. There is no doubt that going head on on unknown battles may bring him down once again. So, staying close to the rulers may be the most appropriate way of getting accustomed to this world and see its overall ability to resist him.

Time was on his side after all, he could wait all he wanted for these seeds of trust he planted by helping this alicorn to grow to the point of her handing her Kingdom to him by her own free will. He could wait as his immeasurable power was enough to sustain him for eternity.

But for now, he’ll have to build his reputation once again as his existence seems to be forgotten to the world. This time, he will surely have the world kneel before him, but it will do it on its own free will.

He smiled as he thought of the future, a smile that didn’t go unnoticed by the purple unicorn who shivered at the sight.

He looked at the unconscious forms of the two alicorns, then the five little ponies and finally at the only one beside him to be conscious.

“Girl” He spoke with authority. Twilight stood straight as if she was spoken to by her own mentor.

“Y-yes?” She answered weakly, still under the shock of the pressure exuded by his display of power.

“Do you know the location of your ruler’s Castle? I don’t believe this one to be hers.” He asked in a polite tone that was so unlike his usual murderous threats.

“I-I do!” She responded, sweating a little as she realized that she was speaking to someone who may as well be a King.

“Guide me to it, those two and your comrades need a place to rest, and these ruins are inappropriate for this.” He said while levitating the unconscious mares and alicorns, enveloping them in a purple and ominous aura.

”U-um…” Twilight tried to say something but was too shy and tired to say it. But this didn’t go unnoticed by the Demon King.

“Speak your mind, child.” He said as he slowly walked towards her. She couldn’t help but take a step back, yet she still had enough courage to answer.

”C-Canterlot Castle may be too far…. B-but we can stop at the closest town, Ponyville” She managed to say, stopping the giant pony in his tracks.

“Hm… I see. Then I trust you to guide me to this… Ponyville.” He said as he carefully levitated the 6 unconscious ponies around him. Twilight stared in awe at the display, she could barely levitate 3 ponies, much less the double of that since she’d have to be extremely focused. But this tall peculiar pony was able to do it effortlessly and without even having a horn!

“Well?” The Demon King said, bringing her back to reality and making her blush at the embarrassing display.

“O-oh, sorry! This way.” She said sheepishly while turning back and descending down the ruined stairs of the tower.

The Demon King smiled, showing his sharp fangs as he looked at the exposed back of the small unicorn, amused at her inexperience to turn her back at a demonic being like him. But he let it pass as her being too young, or as her living in a world rid of the horrors of war judging by the millenia long peace this world went through.

Although he was still curious as to how much this world changed in his absence.

Author's Note:

Another chapter done. I don’t have much to say this time but you can still ask me questions in the comments, I’ll try my best to answer them and as I said in the previous chapter, I’ll try to refrain from editing the already published chapters.

See ya later.