> The Necromancer's Apprentice
>  by the7Saviors
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Those Left Behind
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The news had spread quickly.

Princess Celestia could no more stop it than she could the inevitable passage of time, for although magic allowed for the slowing of, and even the pausing of time, time itself could not be stopped forever.

And so it was that word of the disaster that had befallen Celestia's very own school—the institute she herself had helped build with her own hooves—had spread rapidly throughout the city of Canterlot.

It was inevitable really.

Many ponies had seen the massive and deadly pillar of magenta light erupt from the school for themselves. The light had spread until it engulfed the entire campus ground, completely obliterating everything and, more devastatingly, everypony it touched... and at the center of it all?

A single lavender filly.

One filly whose tiny frame held a power to match that of the Sun Goddess herself—or so the speculations went at any rate.

Needless to say, the filly's body couldn't contain the full might of such raw magical power and in the end... her own magic vaporized her, along with every single pony in the vicinity.

Including her parents.

The incident would come to be known as one of the worst, and deadliest magic surges in many centuries. There was little speculation as to what had caused such a surge, as many ponies also heard and witnessed something of an anomaly occur mere moments before the event.

A sudden boom had resounded across the land, quickly followed by an ever expanding prismatic ring that could be seen from nearly every town and city in Equestria... including Canterlot.

Celestia herself could feel the magic rolling off of the spreading rainbow in waves. It was meant to be something amazing, something awe inspiring, something truly special. It was an event that was suppose to change lives for the better.

Instead it led to the death of an innocent filly as well as dozens, if not hundreds, of other ponies.

Celestia couldn't blame the event for what had happened however. If anything, she blamed herself for being unable to stop what it had brought about in time.

Indeed, as far as blame went, she had foisted all of it upon herself. As far as she was concerned, she should've been able to prevent this tragedy.

She should've been faster, she should've been stronger, she was Celestia, Princess of Equestria—the Solar Princess, the Goddess of the Sun, Sol Invictus, Lady Amaterasu.

Something of this magnitude shouldn't have been allowed to happen under her watch—in her city... yet it did. The worst had come to pass and there was nothing she could do to fix it. Nothing she could do to atone.

Nothing... save to look after the lone colt that had been left behind in the horrible aftermath.

Shining Armor was the son to the late Twilight Velvet and Night Light, and older brother to the now deceased Twilight Sparkle.

He had been attending a seminar for prospective Royal Guard trainees taking place in Canterlot Castle when the lavender filly's magic went out of control.

Shining Armor alone had been spared from the rest of his family's fate, and now found himself without any family anywhere close to Canterlot.

Celestia had personally taken it upon herself to see that his remaining family had been informed. Unfortunately, the Sparkle family line had dwindled to only a few remaining members, and none of them were in a position to take in a foal.

Refusing to leave the colt as an orphan due to her folly, Celestia did the one thing she could to make up for what she may not have caused, but certainly had failed to stop.

She herself took up the responsibility of raising the colt.

If the Solar Princess was being completely truthful, it wasn't a very hard decision to make. In all honesty, the alicorn had always desired to have a child of her own, but had not been able to find a suitable sire for her foal.

It was only within the last dozen years or so that she had even entertained the thought of adoption, and even then, she had still been hesitant.

How would the public react? What would the nobles say? Would she be a good mother to her foal? Could she? Would she even have time for a foal, being the Princess of an entire nation?

All these questions and more had plagued the mare for years, and over time, she had simply just... held off for an indefinite amount of time—never truly able to make a firm decision.

That is, until now.

Now fate had forced her hoof, and—reluctant as she was—she had chosen the path of the adoptive mother. Certainly there were other foals who had lost one or both parents to the deadly magic surge, of that the Princess had no doubt.

Upon personally checking family records for each and every foal orphaned by that tragic event however, Celestia had found that it was Shining alone who had no other family willing to take him in.

Rare was it in Equestria where one pony refused to help another in such a dire situation as this—especially when it came to family.

Thus, Celestia found herself signing the documents that would officially make Shining Armor her adoptive son... and technical heir to the throne of Equestria should she ever decide to step down or perish during her reign.

This solution was not without its own problems however.

When it came to the general public, Celestia was largely free of blame for the tragedy that occurred. Certainly there were a few who had resented the fact that she hadn't acted more quickly to prevent such a mess, but those voices were of a very small minority.

Many more however, wouldn't dare to blame the Princess for something she had no control over. Unfortunately, the very colt she had opted to call her own in light of the situation, was of that small minority.

Shining Armor didn't have to say anything, and indeed he didn't.

It had only been a few days since the incident, and although preparations had already been made for the colt's stay in the castle, he had refused to leave his family's home.

Even as ponies from the castle staff came to move everything from the Sparkle family residence into the castle itself, he alone remained in the ever emptying house. 

Celestia, wanting to give the colt some time alone, had arranged for meals to be delivered to the house while he remained there, but eventually the Princess decided enough was enough.

On the fourth day, Celestia had decided to intervene, and—while she could have simply forced the colt out of the house—she didn't have the heart to do such a thing.

Instead she, and she alone, made her way to the residence under the guise of a white coated, pinked maned unicorn mare named Cloudy Dawn.

Once she had reached her destination, she dropped her disguise and stepped inside the now completely empty house. 

She took a moment to look around and sighed morosely, her ears flattening as she thought back on the horrible events that had led to all of this. After a minute she straightened up and continued deeper into the house.

"Shining Armor?" she called out somewhat tentatively, "Shining Armor, can you hear me?"

No response.

The Princess frowned and trotted across the living room and up the stairs near the far wall. If Shining Armor was going to be anywhere in here, Celestia assumed it was most likely going to be one of the upstairs bedrooms.

It wasn't too hard to figure out which room the colt was in, as it was the only door that was closed tight in the entire house.

Celestia gingerly stepped forth and made to open the door, finding that it was locked. Unlocking the door would've been a complete nonissue, but rather than go that route, Celestia hesitated.

She instead slowly raised a hoof and quietly knocked on the door a few times.

"Shining Armor?" she called out once more, "it's Your Pr... your..." she paused and let out a deep, but quiet sigh, "...it's Celestia. Please, open the door, I merely wish to talk to you."

For a long moment, there was no response.

Then Celestia's ears perked up as she heard movement from within. There was a soft, muffled hum of magic and Celestia heard a small click as the door unlocked.

She wasted no time in turning the handle and pushing the door open. She peeked inside to see that the room was just as empty as all the others, save for the one occupant that sat leaning against a window on the opposite wall across from the door.

As the Princess entered the room, Shining Armor made no move to greet her. He simply stared out the window and at the streets below, an unreadable expression on his face.

"Shining Armor?" Celestia began, trotting a bit closer before stopping a few hoof-lengths away, "as I said before, I'm only here to talk—"

"You're only here to convince me to move to the castle," Shining Armor interjected bluntly, "I'm not stupid, Princess."

He finally turned towards the shocked alicorn with a scowl as he continued.

"I know I can't stay here forever, I know you've already adopted me, and I know staying here won't... won't change what happened..."

His scowl faltered and he turned away once more before the Princess could see anything. Despite his efforts, Celestia still saw the pain in his eyes. Nevertheless, she remained quiet as he spoke.

"...you don't need to tell me any of that because I already know... but... but I still don't wanna go—not yet."

Celestia's surprised expression softened and she took a step closer.

"I know it hurts, Shining Armor," the Princess began sadly, "and I know this... all of this isn't easy to accept, but—"

"It's impossible," the colt suddenly growled, still looking away from Celestia, "my family's gone, and I wasn't... wasn't there... I c-couldn't protect them... I n-never even got a chance..."

His voice hitched and Celestia's heart sank even further as the colt began to break down.

"I wanted... to be a Royal G-Guard so I could protect my little sister," he sniffed, still adamantly staring out the window even as his voice wavered, "I just wanted to p... p-protect Twily... but now it's too late, and... a-and..."

He finally turned to Celestia, tears streaming down his cheeks and his face was a mask of misery and loss.

"W-Why didn't you save them?"

The question hit Celestia like nothing she'd ever felt—not since the last words she and her own sister had shared more than a thousand years ago.

She turned away from the colt.

What could she say? She had failed in her duty to protect her subjects, and Shining Armor had suffered the consequences of her failure.

There was no excuse to give.

"I... I'm just a colt, Princess," Shining said as he straightened up and trotted over to Celestia, "I thought about it... for a long time. A-And... and I realized there wasn't anything I c-could do... not like you."

His miserable expression became a hard glare as he trotted right up to the guilt riddled, Princess. She took a step back as he moved closer, unable to argue against his accusations.

"You're the Princess of Equestria!" he suddenly snapped, "why didn't you protect my mom? My dad? My sister? Where were you?"

Where was I...

This was the issue that had been at the heart of Celestia's own guilt regarding the incident. She had meant to be present during the entrance exams, as she had wanted to scope out any potential candidates to become her personal protegé.

She had several reasons for why she wanted to be there—some far more important than others—but it all amounted to nothing in the end.

She had been called away on royal business in Manehattan prior to the exams and had been held up in her return to Canterlot, much to her dismay.

She had felt the surge all the way in Manehattan, and the instant she did, she had dropped everything and cast a hasty long distance Teleportation spell, intending to arrive back in Canterlot to put a stop to the whole thing before it happened.

Even with her immediate reaction however, it had already been far too late. She had arrived just in time to see the pillar of destructive magic envelope the last of the school.

In truth, deep down, Celestia knew it wasn't really her fault that she couldn't save anypony. It had all happened far too quickly for her to do anything about it.

Still, the guilt gnawed at her without end and she felt she would never forgive herself regardless. Seeing the look of pure hatred on Shining's face, she was all but convinced the colt would likewise never forgive her either.

As Shining waited for Celestia to make an excuse, the mare sighed and hung her head.

"There will never be a day that goes by where I look back on this incident without sorrow and remorse, Shining Armor," Celestia said quietly, turning to look the colt in the eye, "this has been one of the worst tragedies to befall Equestria in... a long time, and I have nothing but my own apologies to give you."

"I don't care, and I don't want your stupid apologies," Shining replied through grit teeth, "I want my family back. Can you do that, Princess? Can you give me my family back?"

Celestia winced at the vehement tone in Shining Armor's voice and turned away once more, unable to say a word in response. 

The colt glared at her silently for a moment before wiping his eyes and letting out a derisive snort.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," he muttered, pushing past the much larger Princess. All the anger left his voice, leaving only sorrow and bitter resentment, "don't expect me to call you 'mother', Princess... ever."

With that, the colt trotted out of the room, leaving a shaken Celestia to sit there, staring out the window just as Shining himself had only moments ago.

Celestia had expected such a reaction from Shining Armor, but contrary to what she originally thought, she had been far from prepared for it.

She knew the colt was speaking from a place of loss and misery, and that he would most likely come around to the idea of being her son given enough time... but it still hurt to hear those words.

It hurt more than she could've ever imagined. 

She took a deep, shuddering breath and rose to her hooves, before turning to leave the same way Shining had.

It wasn't an ideal situation—far from it—but Shining had finally agreed to leave the house and the two made their way back to the castle, Celestia having once again donned her disguise.

Neither pony spoke a word to each other throughout the entire trip. Celestia had wanted to give Shining his peace, and Shining himself wanted nothing to do with the Princess.

It seemed as though the bond between mother and child that Celestia had longed for was to be nothing more than a dream for now, but if the Princess had learned anything in her long life, it was that patience was a virtue.

For something like this, she would wait as long as she needed to.


As the two reached the castle gates, the alicorn couldn't help but give a small, discreet smile despite her despondent mood.
> A New Perspective
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight wasn't sure how much time had passed as she and Grogar continued to wander the seemingly empty city of Tambelon. It seemed everywhere she went, the filly only ever saw ruin and decay.

This was to say nothing of the ever present darkness and the strange malevolence that hung in the air. During their trek, Grogar had told the filly a tale of a land far more ancient than the one she came from.

He told her of a land once populated by all kinds of creatures the filly had never even heard of before. He told her of the strange pig-like creatures known as troggles, the short and stumpy gnomes, the small furry bushwoolies, the beastly yet friendly grundles, and of course, the ponies of old. 

He also spoke of the creatures known as 'humans'.

At this subject, the demonic ram's visage visibly darkened into some terrible emotion that made the filly whimper and shrink away. Still, as scared as she was, Twilight was no less curious about these 'humans', as well as the other creatures Grogar had mentioned.

Unfortunately, Grogar had opted to move on to other subjects. He told Twilight of a strict but fair king who was betrayed by the very subjects he had sworn his devotion to. 

Cast from his throne and banished to the Shadow World in a violent coup, he became bitter and villainous—seeking revenge upon the subjects who had betrayed him.

He managed to escape once, but in the end, he met defeat once more and was cast back into the Shadow World where he and his kingdom remained to this day.

Over time, the land he once called home came to be known as Ponyland. A few millennia passed and the land began to drastically change once more.

Flutter ponies, seaponies, and many other races of Ponyland either died out or mysteriously vanished from the land. Several of the creatures that remained migrated away from Ponyland and formed new nations of their own.

The peace of the remaining pony tribes became strained and eventually a cataclysmic blizzard scattered what little peace was left to the winds. The rest of the story and how Equestria came to be was something Twilight already knew from the history books.

The rest however, was completely new information to the filly, and she found herself fascinated by what she heard. At the same time however, she couldn't help but feel overwhelming sympathy for Grogar's plight.

The ram had been in this horrid world for thousands of years—never seeing the beauty of the lands beyond, never basking in the warm glow of the sun above, never experiencing the quiet serenity of a starlit night or the majesty of a full moon.

For so many countless years, he had only ever known darkness, decay, and bitter failure. To be betrayed by the citizens he cared for so much... Twilight couldn't even imagine how painful that must've been.

She wondered if she would've reacted the same way Grogar did.

As she thought on the matter, her attention to Grogar's story waned and she gazed out over the many ruined buildings—both standing, and not—that lined the stone pathway they trotted.

The city itself, for all its dilapidation, was massive. She could what were once great theatres that no doubt once held fantastic plays, and large ornate structures that most likely used to be museums, government buildings, schools, and so much more—all reduced to so much debris among a dead land.

It all made Twilight miss Canterlot that much more.

Grogar, for his part, watched the filly as she ruminated on these thoughts, her expression downcast and her ear folding back against her head. The ram suddenly chuckled, catching Twilight's attention and causing her to frown in confusion.

At her look, the ram shook his head and returned his gaze to the path ahead as he spoke.

"You ponies," he said with a hint of amusement, "always so quick to sympathize, so quick to pity the less fortunate—to stick your collective necks out to help those in need."

"Well, yeah," Twilight replied uncertainly, "that's how ponies are. That's what we're all taught to do. My... m-mommy and daddy taught me that kindness and compassion were important facets of Harmony... a-and—"

"Let me tell you something, child," Grogar interjected, his red eyes still looking ahead, "though I've been trapped in this place for countless ages, I've been observing the Land of Light for some time now—watching the time pass and the world change from what it once was."

He finally turned and glanced back at Twilight from over his shoulder.

"I've seen countless nations just like yours rise and fall time and time again, and do you know what causes the downfall of a nation more often than not?"

Twilight opened her mouth to respond, only to realize that she didn't know. She wasn't a dumb filly by any stretch of the imagination, but most of her intelligence rested comfortably within the confines of thaumatology and the sciences.

She was a student of magic, not government or politics.

Reluctantly, she closed her mouth and shook her head. Grogar nodded as if he had expected the answer, and turned away before he began speaking again.

"Stagnation," the ram continued, "the leader's unwillingness to allow their nation to grow and innovate. A lack of conflict can be just as costly as a nation rife with it—if not more so... given enough time, that is."

"But... what does that have to do with—"

"Harmony and Order, without Disharmony and Chaos to balance them, breed stagnation, Twilight Sparkle," he said, cutting the filly off once more, "and that my child, gives way to the decay and eventual death of a nation far more often than any great war."

"But... but wait," Twilight replied, slowing to a stop and furrowing her brow, "Princess Celestia's ruled Equestria for over a thousand years, and nothing like what you said has happened all that time."

"Hasn't it?" Grogar responded, raising a bushy eyebrow at the filly's words, "how far have you traveled outside of Canterlot, Twilight Sparkle?"

Twilight paused and looked away, shuffling her hooves uncomfortably. Truth be told, she had never left the city, and everything she knew about what lie outside Canterlot, she had read about in a book. Feeling that he had made his point, Grogar continued speaking.

"It is true that under Celestia's rule, all has been well among you ponies for the most part," Grogar's frown deepened, "but do not doubt that there are those that suffer despite this, Twilight Sparkle... never doubt that there are always those that suffer, no matter how utopian the society may seem.

"The Sun Princess could rule as she has been for another thousand years, but in the end, if she does not learn to balance the two opposing forces of Order and Chaos, she will eventually fall, as all rulers must someday."

Twilight didn't respond as she thought about Grogar's words. She tried to grasp the gravity of what Grogar was saying... but found she couldn't.

She just couldn't see how Celestia's continued rule was a bad thing. From what she had been taught, Chaos and Disharmony brought nothing but pain and misery.

How could that possibly have been a good thing?

"I still don't understand," Twilight finally said in a quiet tone, "if the Princess can rule for another thousand years, doesn't that mean her way of doing things is working? I mean, one thousand years is a long time."

"Indeed it is, child," Grogar replied with a knowing nod, "and many things can change in a thousand years. Do you think Celestia's rule was all peace and no strife for the last thousand years she ruled so far?"

"Well,there might've been some issues that may have popped up every now and then... but still—"

"You don't even know of her sister's fate, do you?"

Twilight blinked.

"Her... sister?" 

Grogar, who had stopped when Twilight did, turned and began trotting back they way they came. He motioned for the filly to follow, and after a second, she did, listening to Grogar as he explained.

"It appears your Princess had much she neglected to tell you and the rest of her citizens," Grogar said with a grin that had just a hint of maliciousness behind it, "not even owning up to her own mistakes."

"What are you talking about?" Twilight asked, somewhat afraid to hear the answer, "what 'mistakes'?"

"Were you truly not aware that there were not one, but two rulers of Equestria in the past?" Grogar asked, genuinely curious, "did you really not know that Equestria was once ruled by a diarchy? Two sisters, one of the Sun and the other of the Moon?"

When Twilight shook her head, Grogar shook his own in disbelief.

"Astounding," he said, resuming his pace as he trotting along, "that the noble and benevolent Princess of the Sun would wipe away the memory of the sister that once shared her throne. What astounds me even more than that though, is the complete ignorance of her subjects."

"Hey!" Twilight cried indignantly, "there are some really smart ponies in... Canterlot..." she trailed off and took a nervous step back at Grogar's look, "...I'm sorry."

"I speak of willful ignorance, Twilight Sparkle!" Grogar growled, "I speak of complacency, of the damning contentedness that's taken hold of Equestria and its citizens!"

He paused and closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep calming breath before opening his eyes once again and speaking in a more controlled tone.

"They do not desire to learn the cold hard truths of their world, as blinded by Celestia's stagnant rule as they are. They do not know of the terrible trials and tribulations other creatures face just outside their borders—and even within their own nation."

He stopped and turned to look Twilight in the eye, and the filly found she had trouble looking away. Grogar eyed Twilight with a thoughtful expression for a few moments.

"They lack the will to think beyond what they're told outright—what Celestia tells them to think," he finally said in a slow, measured tone, "they lack the spark that drives a creature to seek something greater than what they are given, and that, Twilight Sparkle, is why Equestria will fall one day."

The demonic ram turned a solemn gaze towards his ruined castle in the distance.

"Someday, Equestria will be tested," he continued in a grave voice, "and when that day comes, it will be found wanting. When that day comes, Celestia will be forced to realize her folly all too late, and when that day comes... I will be the one to sit upon that throne."

He turned back to the stunned filly with a dark grin.

"It may not be now, or even in the near future," he intoned, "but know this, child... once we are prepared, and once you have gained the strength and will to do what needs to be done... we will be the ones to test Equestria on that promised day." 

Twilight stood before Grogar, completely speechless at what had been said. She didn't know how to feel right at that moment. Horrified? Awed? Disgusted? Enlightened? Unnerved?

She felt all of those things, and she didn't like it. Still, she couldn't deny many of the ram's words—not when they were spoken with the absolute certainty and wisdom of a being far older than even Celestia.

"Come, Twilight Sparkle," Grogar commanded as he trotted towards the desolate city's exit, "I believe it's time I told you more of what you've become, and what I will expect of you in the days to come."

Twilight stood there for another moment before quickly trotting after the ram. As she trotted up next to Grogar, the ram cast her a side glance.

"Before you truly begin your studies, I want you to keep this in mind, child," Grogar said suddenly. Twilight looked up at him with a nervous frown and he gave her a solemn frown of his own as he spoke, "those tenets of Harmony you cling so dearly to..."

He gave the filly a knowing grin, and Twilight shivered—an unexpected chill running down her spine at his next words.


"You will toss them all away... whether you want to or not."
> The Warmth of a Fire
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

As Grogar and Twilight stepped past the crumbling gates of Tambelon, Twilight took one last look at the ruins—her expression sad and a bit confused. She turned away and resumed trotting after Grogar.

“So…” the filly asked, somewhat hesitant, “where is everypony? You said there were other ponies—er, others here, right?”

Without breaking stride or looking back, Grogar chuckled—a knowing smile crossing his face.

“Rest assured, child, the citizens yet remain,” the ram replied, a hint of amusement in his voice, “and believe me, they would no doubt love to meet you… but I feel it’s best to let them rest for now.”

“Rest?” Twilight asked with a bemused tilt of her head, “they’re all resting? Where? I didn’t see anypony in that city.”

“You needn’t concern yourself about it now,” Grogar replied dismissively, “they will awaken when it is time for them to awaken and not a moment before. Now we must turn your mind to more important matters.”

Before the filly could argue any further, Grogar’s horns lit up with a bright pink glow and Twilight found herself slowly lifted off the ground.

She cried out in alarm as the world shifted around her—the scenery itself seeming to melt away. An instant later, the dark and gloomy landscape just beyond the gates of Tambelon were gone.

The cold and rough grey stone had been replaced with soft red carpet and smoother, warmer stone beneath. The stagnant, malevolent air had been pushed back by dark grey stone walls and ornate windows.

The dark and bitter blackness of the world around Twilight had been brightened by the soft orange glow of the crackling fire blazing within a large hearth.

Twilight's hooves touched back down onto the ground and she whipped her head around in abject confusion—the sudden and jarring changes in her surroundings throwing the filly for a loop.

“Wha… w-when did… how?” she turned to Grogar, who had immediately begun trotting over to a large nearby bookshelf placed against one of the walls opposite the fireplace, “what happened? Where are we?”

"My personal study,” a few books pulled themselves from the shelf and Grogar turned to look over his shoulder at Twilight, his red eyes glowing dimly and a small smirk crossing his face, “every learned mage worth their salt has one, child.”

Twilight blinked in surprise before taking another look around. It certainly was a lot cozier than anything she had seen so far. Her eyes wandered over the wooden door at one end of the room—presumably the entrance to the study.

It passed from the door to the bookshelf Grogar had stepped away from. Distracted, Twilight’s gaze followed the ram over to the desk where he deposited the books he had been holding aloft in his… magic?

“Um… Grogar?”

“Father.”

Twilight’s brow furrow in bemusement and Grogar glanced at the filly a moment before settling into the chair behind the desk and speaking once more.

“You lost any connection you had to your own world when you died, Twilight Sparkle,” Grogar explained, causing the filly to wince and lower her ears, “you belong to me now, in mind, body, and spirit… but that will change in time.

“In time, when I’ve deemed you ready, you will become your own entity—your own being under no one’s power but your own… but until then, you are my responsibility and are bound by my will.”

The ram’s gaze drifted away from Twilight and towards the fireplace. Twilight waited for Grogar to speak again, but it took some time, as Grogar seemed to be lost in thought, a contemplative frown adorning his features.

Eventually however, just as Twilight was about to ask Grogar what he meant, the ram finally spoke again.

“Believe it or not, child, but there was a time in my life where my heart had belonged to another.”

“T-There was?” Twilight replied, her eyes widening in shock, “you had a special somepony?”

“A ‘special somepony’?” Grogar repeated, turning back to Twilight with a raised eyebrow. He hummed in thought at Twilight’s sheepish smile and continued after a moment, “...yes, I suppose you could say that, for it was indeed a pony who had captured my heart.”

His gaze returned back to the fire as he spoke.

“Bella Rosa was her name,” he said, a small smile on his face, “and just as the name implied, she was a rosy red mare of immense beauty… and she had thorns to match.”

He chuckled and shook his head before turning to Twilight with a smirk.

“She was a strong individual with a big heart, and the maid that eventually became my wife,” his smirk fell and he frowned, “it was gradual—a love built up over several years.

“It had taken time, but that just made it all the sweeter, and eventually I began to… desire a child,” at Twilight’s continued shock the ram snorted, “yes, Twilight Sparkle, I—Grogar the Demonic Necromancer—wanted to sire a child with the mare I loved… but...”

Twilight watched Grogar’s expression change from annoyance to… something else—something that made the filly both quake with fear, and ache with sympathy.

She saw a flash of fury and sadness in those burning red eyes. 

“It was not to be, child,” Grogar continued, his voice hardening, “the mare I been ready to give my life for… tried to take that life with a blade.”

“What?!” Twilight gasped, her hooves covering her mouth, “no, that’s… that’s not...  she tried to—”

“I had been slow to trust anyone, as was my nature, Twilight Sparkle,” Grogar interjected, meeting the filly’s horrified stare with a stony look, “but trust I did eventually, and in the end, I was betrayed. Fooled by an assassin I had thought to be the mare I loved, the mare I had wanted to bear my children.”

“W-What,” Twilight swallowed and tried again, “what happened after that?”

Grogar smiled a dark and terrible smile that made Twilight shiver.

“She failed to kill me, and when she had been found out, she tried to flee,” a sinister chuckle escaped his lips and he grinned, “she didn’t make it far before she was captured and brought back to me.”

Twilight didn’t want to ask.

She had a very strong feeling she wouldn’t like what she heard… but something inside her did want to know. Some sick twisted emotion largely alien to the filly rose to the surface and bade her ask the one question she would never dare to ask when she knew what kind of answer awaited her.

“What… did you do to her?”

It came out as nothing more than whisper, but it still made the filly feel sick. She knew by now that Grogar wasn’t like other ponies. He wasn’t a pony at all, but it was that malevolence he seemed to exude from every pore that made him truly different.

She hadn’t known Grogar for very long, but the ram had said quite a lot in the time she’d been in this darkened world, and it had been enough to tell the filly that Grogar most certainly did not follow the guidelines of Harmony.

With this in mind, she knew whatever Grogar’s response would be, was bound to be something awful, something terrible, something no other pony would’ve approved of.

Yet she had wanted to know.

If she had been more self aware, Twilight would’ve realized that deep down, she was actually anticipating the answer… and Grogar obliged, his face darkening as he gave the hearth a significant look.

“There was no forgiveness, there was no trial, there was no mercy, for the mare that had seized the King's heart had betrayed the trust of that King and attempted to commit regicide, the highest of treason.”

His dark scowl was once again replaced by a malicious grin.

“She was burned at the stake in front of every citizen in Tambelon… and I had personally cast the flame that burned the fur, melted the flesh, and charred the bone black… and she screamed… oh how she screamed.”

Something was wrong.

Twilight swore she could feel her heart pounding in her chest as she listened. Her eyes were wide and unblinking as she stared at Grogar.

"It was truly a sight to behold, child," Gorgar said, now completely lost in his own memories, "my heart, torn in two by the terrible betrayal I had suffered, now sang in joy as I watched the mare who had caused me so much pain beg for mercy."

Something was wrong.

Grogar spoke, and Twilight listened—leaning forward ever so slightly and hanging onto the ram’s every cruel word. 

"I laughed then, Twilight Sparkle. I ignored the horror my subjects no doubt felt as they watched the harlot burn. I did not care one whit for what they thought, and though that was my ultimate folly in the end... I could not help but fall to my darker emotions, hurt as I was by what she had done to me."

Something was wrong.

The bell around her neck rang out once, its silver sheen drowned out by the bright magenta glow of the runes. Her eyes were bright and eager, the amethyst irises shining in the dim light of the fire.  

"It was all worth it then, and I loved watching that mare scream and beg and burn. It was a different love than what I had felt for Bella Rosa before. 

"This was something new... something that would set me on the path to ruin... and still I persisted, heedless of the future consequences of my actions that day. Revenge was too sweet a delicacy for me to resist at the time, and that powerful, overwhelming, and absolute satisfaction..."

Something was very wrong.

A small smile had appeared on the filly’s muzzle as she thought about the mare, thought about what she had done, and about the brutal punishment that had been enacted as a result of her foolish actions against the King.

Against Grogar.


Against Father.


"In the end though, I suppose there was still some regret," Grogar mused, his nearly zealous tone settling back down into something more quiet and thoughtful, "the desire for a child never truly left me, but by then, it was too late.

"As cold, dead, and withered as my heart has grown, and with all that I've cast away, it is that one single wish that carries over from my previous life, and so that, my child, is why you will refer to me as Father, even if I cannot love you as one truly would."

He finally glanced over to Twilight, his eyebrows raising slightly and a smirk crossing his face a moment later.   

“Oh? Did this tale of love and betrayal excite you so, child?”

Twilight blinked, the glow in her eyes and the runes fading, and her wide grin giving way to a look of utter bewilderment.

“W-Wha?” she muttered, shaking her head rapidly and trying to clear away the odd haze in her mind, “what happened, what… wait… I… did I… what happened?”

She looked over to Grogar, who was wearing an amused smile.

“I told you a story,” he answered with another small chuckle, “and apparently you took quite a liking to it.”

“I… I did?” Twilight replied, staring at her hooves and frowning in confusion, “but… it was terrible,” she looked back up at Grogar with a lost expression, “that… you burned that mare alive! Why would I enjoy that?”

Grogar stood from the chair and trotted over to the bewildered lavender filly, giving a thoughtful hum before speaking again.

“Perhaps an effect of the binds that tie your soul to me,” he surmised, eyeing the bell around Twilight’s neck, “I believe this is a good time to explain a few things to you, child.”

Twilight didn’t respond right away, her attention drawn to the bell once she realized Grogar was looking at it. Grogar raised an eyebrow, but continued on nevertheless.

“I can only guess that you felt my own strong emotions through the bond we now share, however it is only a guess. Though I have cast the Soul Binding countless times before, never have I done so with such complexity, and never have I bound another’s soul to my own.”

Twilight stood there, unsure what to say to all of this. She didn’t know what was going on, and the ram was speaking of things she had never heard about before.

Soul Binding?

She had no idea what that was or what it entailed, but from what Grogar was saying, it seemed as though that’s what was responsible for saving her. Setting the thoughts aside, she remained silent as Grogar continued to explain.

“As you are now, you technically do not feel emotions—or rather, you should not,” he said, causing Twilight to finally pull her eyes away from the bell, “what you feel now—your fears, worries, and compassion, are are nothing but mere ‘echoes’ from when you were still alive, and will fade with time.”

“When I was still…” Twilight’s eyes slowly widened in horror and she began to shake, “s-so… so I’m not… your saying… s-saying that I’m—”

“I told you you had died during that exam, girl,” Grogar said, looking almost disappointed in the filly for her ignorance, “I may have brought you back from the brink of oblivion, but make no mistake, child... I have not brought you back to life.”

He gave the filly a level stare, and Twilight stared back, neither of them speaking for a few heartbeats. Finally Grogar spoke again in a clear tone that rang with a truth the lavender filly could not deny.



“Though I would hesitate to call you such at the moment, you are—for all intents and purposes—an undead lich, Twilight Sparkle.”
> Of Magic and Undeath
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight Sparkle knew a lot about magic for a filly her age.

It was something she had a passion for—something she strove to constantly improve in, whether it was through knowledge or practice. It was something that practically defined her as a pony.

To those that didn't know her that well, she was simply 'that one filly that likes magic'. That's the reputation she had gained, and she didn't mind being thought of that way... not in the slightest.

Twilight Sparkle may have known a lot about magic for a filly her age... but she didn't know everything. She fell woefully short when it came to magic of a darker nature, and that made sense. Nopony would blame her for this though.

She was just a filly after all.

What use did she have for Dark Magic? In her studies, she had both read, and been told outright time and time again that Dark Magic went against everything Harmony and Order stood for.

It was for this reason that—though it went against her nature and it secretly pained her to do it—she had avoided the subject of Dark Magic entirely.

So when Grogar called Twilight Sparkle an undead lich, all he got in response was a tilt of the head and an incredibly bemused furrow of the brow.

This in turn, caused Grogar to frown.

"Come, child," he said, raising an eyebrow, "surely you know something of the darker Arts? Something of Necromancy? Not even simple passing knowledge?"

"No," Twilight replied, shaking her head, "I know what being undead means, and I know that Necromancy is a Sub Branch of Dark Magic, but I don't know anything other than that."

She lowered her head and looked away, her ears flattening.

"Mommy and..." she winced as an odd compulsion overtook her, "...mommy and Night Light always told me that Dark Magic was unnatural and that if I used it, Celestia would send me to Tartarus, so I didn't—"

"Fools!" Grogar growled, his blazing red eyes causing the filly to squeak in fright and take several steps back, "every last one of them, blind to everything but the words of their lauded Sun Goddess! Too drunk on their own 'Harmony' to see beyond the veil of ruinous complacency!"

In what Twilight was beginning to think would be a common occurrence with the ram, Grogar paused and took a deep breath before addressing the filly once more.

"Dark Magic is indeed a terrible thing to those who do not know how to properly wield it, Twilight Sparkle," Grogar explained in a much calmer tone, "left in the hooves of an amateur who has not had proper guidance or instruction, it becomes the bane of the caster."

Grogar gave Twilight a pointed look and the filly nodded quickly, soaking in as much information as she could. Scared and confused as she was, Twilight couldn't pass up an opportunity to learn—especially when it came to magic.

Even in death she couldn't resist the pull of thamatological knowledge when it was placed before her.

Seeing Twilight's eager and attentive expression, Grogar nodded, satisfied that she was listening, and continued with his explanation.

"To those who study Dark Magic with diligence, caution, and common sense however, it becomes nothing more than a tool to carry out one's will."

As he spoke, Grogar's eyes shone a bright red once more and one of the books floated over to, and in front of him.

"Certainly, it is a dark will more often than not, but that is because many of those who attempt to master the darker Arts are often neophytes who've forgone proper study and precaution in favor of a quick access to power."

Twilight watched in slight confusion as the book flipped open and the pages within began to shuffle of their own accord. Grogar didn't seem to acknowledge this directly and continued to address the filly.

"It is because of those fools and their lust for power that Dark Magic has gained a less than desirable reputation over the many millennia since its original discovery."

As the pages flipped on after another, Twilight noticed that there were small flashes of light that would appear between them every now and then. After a moment, the book snapped shut and floated over to the filly.

She sat up on her haunches and took the book in her hooves.

"Make no mistake, Twilight Sparkle," Grogar continued as Twilight looked over the book she'd been given, "power corrupts, and many spells born of Dark Magic can be very powerful indeed." 

Twilight listened to Grogar's words, even as she turned the book this way and that, eyeing it with a small frown. The book was thick and heavy, no doubt containing at least five thousand or so pages by the filly's estimate.

The cover was made of a black leathery material and, aside from the silvery, indecipherable script that made up the title, there was nothing else of note about it.

"Given what you've become, casting Dark Magic should come much more naturally for you," Grogar explained, "but you must still maintain constant vigilance.

"There are spells—powerful, dangerous spells that can corrupt the minds of their users, and while being a lich provides you immunity to such corruptive effects, it will not protect you from the consequences should the spell go wrong."

Grogar paused his explanation for a moment and just watched as the filly tried to pull the book open to no avail. He frowned slightly and narrowed his eyes.

"I trust you've been listening and have taken my words to heart, child?"

"I have, Father," Twilight replied absently, "it's just that... you gave me this book, but it... won't... open!"

Grogar raised a bushy brow, pleased that she had remembered to address him properly, but annoyed that the filly had not figured out what she was doing wrong.

"You've not attempted to use your magic once since you've arrived here in the Shadow World, have you, child?" Grogar commented, somewhat curious,  "why is that?"

"Huh?" Twilight replied, looking to Grogar and blinking in surprise. She then furrowed her brow and slowly brought a hoof to her horn, "I... don't know. I didn't forget about it, it's just... something's telling me using it would be a bad idea."

"And why is that?" Grogar asked, knowing full well the answer, but wanting to hear it from the filly, "what makes you think using your magic would be a bad idea?"

"I don't know," Twilight replied, shaking her head, "it's just... a feeling. But... I love using magic," she looked back at Grogar with a confused frown, "why would I feel this way?"

"Perhaps you should use it and find out," he suggested before nodding towards the tome in Twilight's hooves, "why don't you try opening it with magic?"

Twilight frowned and turned her attention back to the book. She felt hesitant, like she shouldn't be doing this. Something was telling her that if she used her magic now, there would be no turning back.

But what did that mean? 

No turning back from what? Death? She was apparently already dead, and nothing would change that. Based on everything Grogar had told her, there really wasn't any reason not to use her magic.

So she lit up her horn.

In an instant, Twilight knew something wasn't right. The aura that enveloped the tome was not its normal magenta hue, but a dark violet color. 

That's not what alarmed the filly however. What caused Twilight's eyes to widen was the complete and utter wrongness of the magic coming out of her horn—coming from her own body.

It felt alien and unnatural, like somepony had sucked her own natural magic out of her wellspring and replaced it with something different, and altogether unpleasant.

She was about to ask Grogar just what on Equus had happened to her magic when she began to notice a change. 

The 'magic' flowing from her wellspring to her horn gradually began to feel less alien and more natural the longer she channeled it.

Without even realizing it, she began to relax, and eventually let out a sigh of relief as the strange, unpleasant sensation passed completely.

The dark violet hue remained, but her magic once again felt like her own.

Caught off guard by the event as she was, it took her a moment to notice that the book she held in her magic had opened at some point.

"It seems your magic did not take long to acclimate," Grogar commented with an impressed nod, "that is a good sign. A very good sign indeed."

"I... okay?" Twilight replied, turning from the book to Grogar with an uncertain frown, "what does that mean? Why did my magic feel so... weird?"

"The necrotic nature of this realm interferes with foreign magic," Grogar answered, "it changes it—twists and molds it into something more like itself. It is... ironic in a way, I suppose."

He chuckled and turned to look back into the glow of the fireplace.

"In banishing me to this place, those traitors only made me stronger, for without this realm and its magic, I would not have gained the arcane might I wield now."

"I... think I get it," Twilight replied with a slow, thoughtful nod, "so... this place has a sort of... ambient magic of its own that affects foreign magic, and that's why it felt so weird at first."

"Precisely," Grogar replied with a nod of acknowledgement, "but there is more to it, child, for you see, this land favors the undead, and you, Twilight Sparkle, are now the most powerful of undead creatures."

"You called me a 'lich'," Twilight said, idly flipping through the book for a moment before looking back up at Grogar, "this book talks about different branches of Dark Magic, but it doesn't seem to say anything about what a 'lich' is."

"The Black Compendium," Grogar explained with a chuckle, "within its pages lie a millennia's worth of information on the dark and forbidden. It is something I give to you to better your knowledge of all branches of Dark Magic, but be aware that many of those pages have been magically sealed by me."

"What?" Twilight whined, "but didn't you say we shouldn't—"

"I know what I said, child," Grogar interjected with a glare, "but what you need to understand, is that even a glimpse of some of the information contained within can ruin you if you're not properly prepared, do you understand me?"

"...Yes, Father," Twilight replied quietly, "I understand."

"Good," Grogar responded with a nod, "those pages will reveal themselves to you once you are ready to see them, now... you needn't worry about what the book says regarding the undead. I myself will tell you what means to be a lich."

The ram turned and trotted back around his desk before taking a seat. He took a moment to get comfortable before speaking again.

"By removing one's soul from their body and containing it within what is called a 'phylactery' one gains immortality.

"Normally, this has the unfortunate downside of twisting the body in unnatural and grotesque ways, and a lich only remains immortal so long as their phylactery and the soul held within remain in tact."

Remembering what Grogar had said when they had first met, Twilight's gaze once more was drawn to the silver rune engraved bell around her neck. 

Furrowing her brow, she looked past the bell and finally took note of the color of her fur. She had thought it was the dim lighting at first, but her coat was indeed a darker shade of lavender than it had been originally—now almost violet in color. 

She grimaced and placed a hoof over the bell before looking back to Grogar. Her grimace became a look of trepidation as she thought about the implications of what the ram was saying.

"So... I'm immortal then?" she asked, "does... that mean I can't age either? Am I gonna be stuck as a filly forever?" she turned to look back at her blank flank, "am I never gonna get my cutie mark?"

"So long as your phylactery remains in tact, you will never age, nor will you die by any means," Grogar answered, leaning forward and steepling his cloven hooves atop the desk, "though a significant enough amount of Light Magic will weaken you greatly.

"Oh..." Twilight replied, her entire frame sagging slightly, "okay then."

"As for your... cutie mark," Grogar continued, his last words dripping with distaste, "that is a magic entirely of its own, and from what I've gathered, it is an inherent part of being a pony. You may still receive one in due time, but I am... unsure of how the magic of this realm and your new form will affect it."

Twilight brightened a bit at the news, though not by much. 

"And you need not worry about remaining a filly, child," Grogar continued with a small smirk, "you may not age, but your mind will continue to grow without end, of that, I have made sure."

"How?" Twilight asked, releasing the book held in her magic for the moment, "if I'm dead, then wouldn't my biological clock stop turning as well? And for that matter, didn't you say a lich's body turned all gross and decayed or something? My coat is a bit different now, but other than that, I look fine."

"I did," Grogar replied, "but your circumstances are a bit different, child. Your original body was completely vaporized when your magic went out of control, so I created you a new one."

"What?!" Twilight cried, looking herself over frantically, before turning her wide eyed gaze back to Grogar, "so I'm... I... what does that mean?! What am I?"

"Well... I suppose you could consider yourself something of a flesh golem, though I hate to use that term, as it implies a far more hideous and incomplete creature than what you actually are."

Twilight fell to her haunches and stared at the ram sitting behind his desk, her mouth slightly agape and her expression one of shock and horror.

"I'm... not even a real pony anymore?"

"You're still a pony in every way that counts, Twilight Sparkle," Grogar replied with a hint of anger, "I could've made you into less than what you were before—something far worse, something downright monstrous... but I chose instead to keep you as you were in life," he narrowed his eyes dangerously, "be grateful, child."

"I... I-I'm," Twilight swallowed nervously and gave a jerky nod, "Y-yes... Father," she replied in a near whisper, "thank you."

Grogar eyed the filly for another moment before giving a slow nod of approval.

"Even if you can no longer walk amongst the living," Grogar intoned, "never forget who it was that gave you the means to walk beside them."

Twilight nodded again, this time more stiffly than before.

"Yes, Father."

Grogar smirked and gestured to the book Twilight had set aside.


"Good... now take up your tome, child, I believe it is past time we begin your very first lesson."
> What Fears Lie Within
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The day was bright, sunny, warm... not a cloud in the sky.

Shining sat on a balcony far above the streets of Canterlot, staring up at that beautiful, cloudless blue sky. He watched a few faceless pegasi lazily fly by, his eyes squinted against the blinding brightness of Celestia's sun.

Having had enough of the sun's rays in his vision, he turned his gaze downward, watching as faceless ponies of every tribe wandered about the streets, going about their business. There was nothing of note there, nothing amiss, or terribly interesting to see.

As far as Shining was concerned, today was the same as any other day he'd spent in the castle, yet he couldn't help but frown. How many days had it been since he'd come to live in the castle as Celestia's adopted son?

Shining Armor found he couldn't remember. It felt like years, and yet... he didn't know why. Why had he come to live with the Princess as her son in the first place?

He had his family, he had a home to go back to. In fact, he could just make out his own house sitting just shy of the noble's district in town. He could even see his parents and his little sister coming out to greet him far below, the three of them craning their necks up to wave at him.

They just continued to wave, and Shining found himself waving back. He should've been happy to see them, but something was wrong. He tried to smile as he waved to his family far, far below the balcony, but the smile wouldn't come.

Still, he continued to wave despite his growing unease. He continued to wave even as the distance between him and his slowly waving family began to decrease. He continued to wave as his unease turned to a cold dread that sat like a stone in his gut.

Then his family was right there in front of him. The house had vanished and they stood side by side before him, right on the balcony. His father, his mother, his little sister, all lined up and waving to their son and older brother.

They said nothing as they slowly waved their hooves back and forth like soulless automatons. The father, like the mother, wore no expression on his face—indeed, they had no face with which to emote.

Not like the little sister.

The little sister stared up at her older brother with those large, amethyst eyes and wide, adoring smile... a smile too wide by far. Shining stared back, losing himself in those eyes... eyes that seemed to grow the more he stared.

Shining stopped waving.

The sky had blackened, but the colt took no notice. Far too focused was the colt on his frozen limbs, his rapidly beating heart, and the horribly bottomless gaze of his little sister.

His parents melted into the cement of the balcony, but his little sister continued to wave as though nothing had happened. Shining wanted to scream, but he couldn't. He could only stare at his sister as she stared back, grinning her horrid grin.

Then she opened her mouth, her tone as cheerful and sunny as the afternoon had been only moments ago.


"̸̴̧͠B̷̧́͡y̨̛̕͝͝e̛͢͞,̴̸̸̛͝ ҉̶͟͜Ş̧͘̕h̢̡͢͡͡í̛n͏̡y̸͜͢!̛͠͞"̢̡


She cracked and shattered like glass, and Shining Armor screamed. He screamed for all he was worth. He screamed long, and he screamed loud.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he felt a familiar pull, and all had nearly returned to black, that is, until a cold pair of hooves seized him by the shoulders and twisted him around, grounding him to this twisted nightmare with no chance of escape. 

His scream finally caught in his throat as Celestia looked down at him, her face the very picture of serenity and understanding. Her calm features did nothing to ease Shining's pulsating heart in the slightest.

Not with her icy blue draconic gaze locking him in place.

As they stared at each other, neither spoke for what felt to Shining like an eternity. Then her eyelids lowered slightly and her smile widened just a touch, becoming an amused grin. The petrified colt swore he could see the bright glint of fangs hanging just below her upper lip.

"And just what do we have here, I wonder? A new pet for my sister to mold as she sees fit perhaps?"

The creature that was not Celestia chuckled deeply and placed a hoof below the colt's chin, forcing his head up. Her amused grin widened into a wicked smile, fangs full on display for Shining to see.

"We'll meet again, whelp, and when we do, I want to know more about you. I want to know more about your strengths. I want to know more about your weaknesses, your fears, your triumphs, your failures..."

She turned away from Shining and raised her head towards the blackened sky—drinking in the sight of the cold, pale full moon that had replaced Celestia's warm and inviting sun.

...and above all else, I want to know more about your nightmares.

Shining said nothing in response, having long since been robbed of his voice by fear. Without turning around, the creature that was not Celestia cast the colt a side glance and smirked.


"Until next time... Shiny."





Shining Armor's eyes snapped open as he jerked awake—the echo of a loud, shrill laugh quickly fading from his mind. He pressed his hooves against his eyes with a small groan before sitting up in his bed.

My bed...

He sighed and swept an idle gaze around the room. It was still fairly dark, but a quick glance outside the large curtained window showed the beginnings of dawn—the sun most likely sitting just below the horizon, waiting for its guide.

Celestia's gonna be raising the sun soon...

He stared out at the window, or more specifically, the balcony beyond, and shivered as he recalled what he could of his latest nightmare. He'd had similar dreams on and off since coming to the castle, but that was the first time it had felt so solid, so potent. 

It wasn't the first time Celestia had appeared, but something had been... different. Shining's gaze drifted away from the window and lowered towards his own hooves, his brow furrowing in thought.

He tried to remember what had been off about the Princess, but the harder he thought, the more distant the memory became. Eventually he groaned in frustration and fell back against his too soft pillow—his thoughts turning around in his head as he stared at the off-white ceiling of his bedroom.

His bedroom in Canterlot Castle.

He snorted and closed his eyes, shifting uncomfortably as his smallish frame sunk deeper into the sheets. The bed was far too large, soft, and opulent for his liking, but other than that, Celestia had arranged the room with his somewhat meager and mundane upbringing in mind.

Everything in the room was, of course, of the finest quality—that it seemed, couldn't be avoided when living with royalty—but there wasn't much of it, and for that Shining was secretly grateful.

An ivory armoire sat against one wall next to a small dresser, with the bedroom door on the opposite side. A desk had been placed near the private restroom and a closet Shining had yet to use for anything other than storage for the things he'd neglected to unpack.

Two long bookshelves full of rows of literature both from his, his sister's, and some of Celestia's own collection had been set up on either side of the large window taking up nearly an entire portion of that wall. 

Just outside the window was a rather large balcony overlooking the entire city of Canterlot and the lands beyond. Shining had thought it was a bit much at first, but had since changed his opinion after experiencing the admittedly breathtaking view a few times.

Over the last week or so, he'd gotten the most use out of both the bookshelves and the desk, which was littered with parchment, quills, and inkwells. A miniature desk lamp sat on one side next to a small framed picture of Shining and his family at a small park near their home. 

A few books he'd yet to finish reading were stacked atop one another and a worn and faded brown journal he'd held onto since he was Twilight's age sat at the very top of the pile.

It had been roughly a week and a half since he'd moved into the castle with Celestia, and though he still wouldn't admit it aloud, he was beginning to get used to the change. Most days he spent either reading or watching the hustle and bustle of the city below from his balcony.

Most days he spent trying not to think about what had already come to pass. Most days he tried not to dwell on the fact that he had been completely powerless to do anything about it.

Most days he failed.

A quiet knock on the bedroom door made Shining sigh again before opening his eyes. There was only one pony who would visit him this early in the day. It was the one pony that still sent his emotions into a downward spiral despite knowing deep down that she was blameless.

Just like he knew deep down that he himself was not at fault for what happened to his sister and his parents.

Still, the survivor's guilt weighed heavily on the colt, and he could no more shake it than he could the bitter resentment of the pony on the other side of that door. Whether deserved or not, the feelings would not abate, and Shining idly wondered if they ever would.

"It's open, Celestia," Shining called out wearily, "you're the Princess, you don't have to knock."

At his words, there was a small click and the door opened quietly, revealing the Solar Princess devoid of her normal regal attire. Shining turned to watch with impassive eyes as Celestia stepped into the room, a small smile playing across her muzzle.

The colt flinched as an image suddenly flashed across his mind. Cold predatory eyes the color of frost, and ivory fangs sharp as daggers superimposed themselves over Celestia's features for the briefest of moments and Shining blinked.

Nothing.

The only thing that stood there in the doorway was the same kindhearted ruler that had taken the colt in as her own. Celestia spoke then, not having noticed Shining's stunned confusion just yet.

"I'm fully aware of my position, Shining," the mare replied with an air of good humor, "all the same, I make it a point to respect the privacy of a growing young... Shining? Are you okay?"

Her playful smile turned to a frown of concern as she finally saw the troubled look on Shining's face. She trotted the rest of the way inside the room, enveloping the door in her magic and gently pushing it closed.

"It's alright, I'm fine," Shining Armor replied quickly as he rubbed his head and blinked a few more times, "woke up not that long ago. Just tired is all," he frowned at the approaching alicorn, "anyway, what are you here for this time, Celestia?"

"The same reason as last time, and the time before that," Celestia replied, stopping just short of the bed and sitting down. Her concerned frown didn't leave her face, "I'm here to see how you're adjusting."

"And I told you, I'm getting there," the colt replied, sounding a bit more petulant than he would've liked. He rolled over onto his back and let out another tired sigh, "I get why you're doing this, but do you always have to come in right when I wake up? What if I'd been sleeping?"

Celestia chuckled and Shining winced at the sound.

"This is really the only time I get to spend with you, Shining," she explained, her smile turning a bit sad, "it's either now, during my break from day court, or just before I turn in for the night."

"So why not just visit me during break or before you go to bed?" Shining asked, sitting up, "why now?"

Celestia sighed and turned to look out the window with a small frown.

"Now is when I feel the most at peace," she began, not looking in Shining's direction, "there's no castle staff wandering about like they're forever in a hurry, none of my little ponies' worries to deliberate over for hours on end, no legislation to look over, no self-serving nobles to deal with... just peace and quiet."

She stood up and moved closer to the window, staring out at the dark sky for a moment before finally turning back to Shining with a tired smile.

"You'd think I'd get used to it after so many years, and to an extent, I have, but even as old as I am and with as  much experience as I have, I still need some time to myself every once in awhile," her mouth opened again to say something else, but she suddenly closed it and looked away, "...even when I'm on break, I'm still catching up on my duties, and by the day's end, I'm too exhausted to do anything other than head straight to my chambers for the night."

Shining couldn't see the Princess's face from where he sat, her ever flowing prismatic mane blocking her expression, but he certainly heard the weary tone in her voice. He listened, not really knowing what to make of what Celestia was telling him.

Why tell him at all?

Right, because I was the one that asked in the first place...

Celestia was quiet for another long moment before shaking her head and turning back to Shining Armor with her smile back in place, the expression both warm and apologetic.

"I'm sorry, Shining Armor, I didn't mean to saddle you with my own issues. Those aren't your burdens to bear," her smile fell away, replaced by that same concerned frown from earlier, "I came in here to see how you were doing. 

"And to answer one of your earlier questions, if I had come knocking only to find you asleep even once since I started visiting, I wouldn't visit so early. As it stands however, not once have you ever been asleep when I've come knocking."

Shining couldn't argue with that.

He'd hardly gotten any decent sleep since he started having nightmares, not that he ever told Celestia about them. Sure the resentment had played a part in his continued silence on the matter, but it was much more that he simply didn't want to remember them.

Unfortunately, it seemed the Solar Princess was beginning to catch on to the issue.

"So tell me, Shining Armor," Celestia continued, taking a step toward the bed, "how badly have these nightmares really been affecting you?"

And there it was.

Shining could only grimace in response to Celestia's question. Of course she'd known something was off, she wasn't a stupid mare. A mere foal is forced to witness the tragic and violent loss of his family and ends up having nightmares soon after.

It wasn't a far-fetched conclusion to come to in the slightest, and the dark bags he no doubt had beneath his eyes would only further condemn the colt. With all this in mind, Shining could only give a resigned grimace as he once again stared down at his hooves.

"...They don't happen every night, but it's enough that I don't get a lot of sleep because of it," he shrugged, "not really much to say about it. They're nightmares, they keep me awake, they'll probably go away eventually. I just have to... wait it out or something. It's really not a big deal."

Celestia eyed Shining Armor for a long minute, but the colt said nothing more, and didn't look in her direction. She exhaled a quiet breath through her nose and moved closer to the bed before sitting down.

"Have you ever read the tale of the Mare in the Moon, Shining Armor?"

The question caught Shining Armor off guard and he turned to the Princess with a wary raise of his brow.

"Um... no, not personally," he replied uncertainly, "my sister read the story in a book of pony tales once, and she was the one that told me about it," a familiar pang of sadness at the mention of his sister hit the colt again, but he pushed past it as he spoke, "I don't think she really liked it all that much."

Celestia hummed thoughtfully before lighting up her horn. Shining's brow furrowed in both bemusement and curiosity as a single book was encased in a golden glow and pulled from one of the bookshelves behind Celestia.

"I would have to agree with your sister," Celestia said as she rested the book on the bed between herself and Shining, "I don't much care for the story myself if I'm being completely honest."

Shining frowned at the book, then looked up at Celestia questioningly, wondering where she was going with showing him the same book of pony tales Twilight had. He wondered how the Princess had even known where the book was before remembering that she herself had been the one to stock the bookshelf.

Celestia, seemingly oblivious to Shining's confusion, continued to speak in an oddly low tone as she flipped opened the book. The colt's frown deepened and he turned back to the book of pony tales, watching as Celestia turned more pages.

"What I find rather strange," she said, slowly flipping through page after page, "is how nopony seems to make any direct connection between myself and the alicorn sister that raised the sun."

"Well, they probably do... maybe," Shining mumbled absently, unable to take his eyes away from the book as Celestia continued to turn pages at a snail's pace, "you're the Princess of the Sun, it only makes sense for somepony to... make some kind of... homage..."

As Celestia turned one final page, Shining's sentence slowed to a stop. Celestia herself watched the colt carefully as his brow furrowed. She watched as his jaw tightened and he visibly began to tremble.

She doubted he was even aware he was doing it, but Celestia was fully aware of Shining's reaction to what was displayed on the page. She observed every little detail with a grim look of understanding—a look unseen by Shining as he stared down at the artistic depiction of the black, armored alicorn rearing up on its hind legs.

"Celestia?" Shining nearly whispered in a shaky voice, "you don't think Nightmare Moon... is real... do you?"

He didn't look back up at Celestia as he asked, his gaze still focused on the alicorn, more specifically that single piercing blue eye. He didn't see the new look that came over the Princess's face. He didn't see her sorrowful eyes narrow with sudden anger.

Then, just like that, the moment passed. 

"Don't worry, Shining Armor," Celestia replied, looking down at Shining with a warm smile, "even if Nightmare Moon were to show up at the castle gates, I wouldn't—" 

Celestia quickly retracted the reassuring hoof she'd been about to place on Shining's shoulder as the colt slammed the book shut. Shining glared at the shocked Princess, his mouth set in a thin line.

"I didn't ask if you would protect me," he growled, "I asked if you thought she was real," he fully turned to face the mare, looking her dead in the eye, "does. Nightmare Moon. Really exist?"

Celestia froze, caught on the backhoof and unsure of what to do next. Realizing she'd never tell him otherwise, she'd tried to coax the truth of what she had suspected might be the case out of Shining, and it had worked as she planned, but now she was trapped.

She didn't want to lie to Shining Armor.

She felt bad enough as it was for having resorted to such an underhoofed tactic to get the truth out of her newly adopted son. She had restrained herself from resorting to actual magic to get the reaction she'd wanted—instead using the naturally deep and calming tone of her own voice and deliberate movements to affect Shining's already tired mind.  

It was simple textbook hypnosis, but Celestia felt terrible for having utilized it all the same. Now it had backfired and she was being forced into a corner, though she couldn't say it wasn't appropriate.

There was nothing for it.

If she really was trying to get to Shining through his nightmares, then hiding the fact that Nightmare Moon existed would only cause problems further down the road. It would almost be like...

No, Celestia would not make that mistake again... not this time.

Not with the foal she would call her son.

With a long sigh, Celestia regained her composure, shifted back to a comfortable sitting position, and squared her shoulders before matching Shining's expectant glare with a serious look of her own.

It was clear that beneath all the anger, there was still a heavy dose of fear. Celestia could see the uncertainty in Shining's eyes and the tremble in his hooves, but he'd made his decision to ask, and she'd made her decision to answer.

"Yes, Shining Armor. Nightmare Moon is very real, and she is a very real threat," Celestia winced inwardly as a look of horror broke through Shining's mask of anger, but she didn't relent, "I had planned on telling you about my sister eventually but I had hoped we'd have more time."

She placed both her hooves on Shining's shoulders and the colt flinched again as she searched his eyes.

"If something happened," Celestia continued, "if she made any sort of contact with you through these nightmares, I need you to tell me, Shining Armor."

Shining Armor's eyes widened as the images of his most recent dream flashed through his mind, the memories awoken by the picture of the black alicorn in the book. He realized it hadn't just been his imagination when he'd seen those eyes and fangs appear.

Nightmare Moon was real, and she was after him.

He wanted to cry, he wanted to scream, he wanted to run and hide and never come out again... but then something strange happened. As he stared into Celestia's eyes, he saw something change. They started to moisten, and the urgent, serious look began to give way to something approaching fear.

It was a different fear than the one Shining himself was experiencing, and it was powerful. So strong was the fear that it nearly snuffed out his own, leaving a sensation he hadn't felt in what seemed like forever.

"Please, Shining," Celestia practically begged, "I can't help you if you don't tell me what's happening. You don't have to acknowledge me as your mother if you don't want to, but I still consider you my son, and I'll be damned to Tartarus before I let my own sister take that away from me. Not now, not when I finally..."

Celestia's grip weakened and that feeling inside grew stronger still. The bitter resentment Shining Armor felt toward Celestia began to ebb ever so slightly as something else replaced it. He wasn't sure what it was just yet, but seeing the Princess so vulnerable made something inside ache.

He couldn't stand this feeling.

He wouldn't stand for it.

He needed to do something.

The shaking in his limbs stopped, the fear in his eyes all but vanished, his jaw set, and he pulled away from Celestia. Celestia blinked in surprise as the colt shuffled over to the opposite edge of the bed and hopped off.

"Shining?" Celestia asked, watching the colt trot over to the bookshelves in confusion, "what are you—"

"I don't remember everything from that dream," Shining interrupted, searching the shelves, "but I'll tell you what I do remember. To be honest though, I don't really know what you're gonna do with the knowledge. There isn't much to tell."

Celestia's mouth hung open slightly, but the colt ignored her as he pulled a few of the books he was looking for from the shelves. The Solar Princess snapped out of her stunned state soon enough and chuckled slightly before wiping her eyes and smiling gratefully.

"Don't worry about that," the mare replied mysteriously, "I'll take care of things once you've told me what you can, but..." her smile turned to a quizzical frown as Shining moved his unfinished books aside before dropping the new books onto his desk, flipping on the desk lamp, and hopping into the chair, "...what are you doing?"

"Research," Shining replied simply, "I'm taking a proverbial page out of my sister's book."

"Oh?" Celestia replied, suddenly curious, "and just what are you researching exactly?"

"Don't worry about it," Shining replied, pulling open one of the books. He paused and turned towards the window before looking back over to Celestia with a raised eyebrow, "I get that this conversation is suppose to be really important and all, but don't you have a sun to raise?"

Celestia couldn't help it, she barked out a loud laugh, surprising Shining and causing him to give her a wary look. A moment later what he'd said sunk in and he growled in annoyance before flicking an ear and turning back to his book.

"Just go already so we can get this over with," he grumbled, "I have other things I wanna do."

"Alright, alright, I'm going," Celestia replied with a small smile, "you don't mind if I use your balcony, do you?"

"Sure, fine, go for it," Shining replied without turning around, "it's your castle."

With that, Celestia pulled the window open and stepped out into the cool morning. Once she was out of Shining's sight she let the smile drop from her face. Her expression turned grave as she stared at the slowly lowering moon above, and the pockmarked image of her sister that adorned its surface.

"I want to save you, sister," she muttered as her horn flared to life, "I want to see you returned to me safe, sound, and whole... but I also want the chance to be more than a Princess to my subjects. I want to be a mother to my son."

With that solemn wish, Celestia lowered the moon and brought forth the dawn, the early morning rays of the sun shining over the city of Canterlot and casting a warm light over Celestia's pained grimace.


Please don't take this away from me, Luna... don't make me choose.
> The First Fortnight
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight's studies had begun in earnest.

It hadn't started out like she had thought it would. Really she had no idea what to expect when it came to Dark Magic, but she was still surprised at where Grogar had decided to start with her lessons.

Rather than begin with the basics of Dark Magic, Grogar had instead insisted on focusing all of Twilight's first lessons on something that affected all kinds of magic in different ways.

Emotion, intent, and will.

According to the demonic ram, a firm understanding of how emotions affected magic and vice versa was essential if the filly was to wield any kind of Dark Magic properly, let alone Necromancy.

It wasn't just Dark Magic Twilight would be learning either, much to her own surprise. Necromancy may have been classified as Dark Magic, but Grogar had made it clear to his student that the field of Necromancy actually delved into a few Branches of Magic by today's standards.

During Grogar's time, the mana wielding creatures of old had not yet categorized their spells into any kind of rigid system—not that the system used today was all that rigid.

Back when Grogar ruled Ponyland, there had only ever been Dark Magic... and everything else. While the Black Compendium was not the first tome to contain information on Dark Magic, it was the first to house such vast knowledge on the subject.

Much to Twilight's interest, the author of the Black Compendium had remained completely unknown, even to Grogar himself—though the book was already incredibly ancient when Grogar still trotted about the Land of Light.

Still, by the Branches of Magic that Equestria had set up, Necromancy technically encompassed not just Dark Magic, but Soul, Summoning, and—by extension—Runic Magic as well.

Twilight knew a lot about Soul Magic and the fact that Necromancy drew from a lot of that didn't surprise her given what she knew of that particular Branch of Magic.

She also knew that emotion played a large part in the casting of almost all Soul based spells as well, so there were no surprises there either.

What did catch her attention however, was the mention of Summoning and Runic Magic. Twilight had read a bit about the two rather esoteric Branches of Magic, but couldn't find enough on the subject to really do anything with the knowledge.

For reasons Twilight had never found out, both Branches of Magic had largely fallen out of use sometime during the beginning of Princess Celestia's reign, and not much was recorded regarding the practice of either branch.

The filly had thought to ask Grogar, but another, more pressing question weighed heavily on her mind once the ram had told her of what her first few lessons would consist of.

If she was now technically an emotionless being by nature, how was she suppose to properly cast Dark Magic at all, let alone Soul Magic? What was the point of having a solid grasp of something she'd never be able to do?

If she could not emote, then why learn at all?

Grogar's answer was as simple as it was chilling.

Twilight could still cast Dark Magic and Soul Magic as she was now because of the 'echoes' of the emotions she had while she was alive. Once those 'echoes' inevitably faded however, she would truly become an emotionless husk of a creature.

In order to avoid such a fate, she would have to find another way to 'simulate' emotions, and the only other way for a lich to do such a thing... was to consume the soul of another.

Twilight had not been the only lich to trot or walk the earth in the past, and as Grogar explained, each lich before her had their own method of extracting and consuming souls, with some methods being more widespread than others.

To Twilight's mounting horror, Grogar had explained that there were even some creatures that could extract souls without even being a lich to begin with.

The filly found herself feeling extremely relieved when Grogar had told her that the 'echoes' of her emotions would last a little longer still—though he himself didn't seem all too pleased about that fact.

So it was that the first two weeks of Twilight's studies were spent learning everything there was to know about the roles emotion, will, and intent played in the casting of magic.

More important than emotion simply due to the fact that it affected every type of magic, was the intent and will of the caster. One fact that Grogar tried to instill in Twilight early on was that a good mage knew how to be flexible with their casting.

For example, a simple Telepathy spell was meant to do nothing more than convey a message normally, but with a simple shift of intent and the will to carry it out, mental images could be sent directly to the mind's eye.

Add emotion into that mix and it was possible to change the very nature of the spell. 

Inject a certain amount of negativity into the casting of Telepathy, and it became a Dark Whisper, driving those that heard it mad with fear, rage, hate, greed, and all other manner of negative emotions.

The best way to cast a spell in Grogar's words, was to combine emotion, intent, and will into every single spell invoked—even in the spells where emotion wasn't necessary. 

Practice of all three through repetition may not have necessarily made a spell stronger, but it did eventually allowed for far greater control and stability in the long run. 

Power was important, but it was control that was ultimately the deciding factor in a successful spell. This was especially true when it came to Dark Magic.

Twilight Sparkle took all of this in, absorbing everything she was told by Grogar even as she read through and took notes on the text within the Black Compendium.

Though time existed in the Shadow World, it held no meaning to the beings within it. Twilight had no need to eat, drink, sleep, or pay heed to any of the other bodily functions of the living.

And so she remained awake and attentive, never once even giving a single thought to leaving Grogar's study for any reason. So focused on her lessons was the filly, that she hadn't even noticed the days pass her by.

Grogar for his part, paid very close attention to the filly as she progressed. It wouldn't have been a stretch to say that the demon king was thoroughly impressed with Twilight's efforts. She had been every bit the promising student the ram had hoped she'd be and more.

It helped that Twilight already had a thorough knowledge of how Soul Magic worked, as well she should since Soul Magic was effectively the manipulation of a pony's raw inherent mana in order to affect the world around them.

Soul Magic was the foundation on which all other Magic was based when it came to ponies. A unicorn could change the nature of their magic temporarily to cast different spells, but it was only ever temporary, unless there were extenuating circumstances, such as severe Dark Magic corruption.

Some earth ponies and pegasi even had the rare ability to tap into their own inherent mana to cast spells in a similar fashion to unicorns. 

This however, was done through the mana veins that ran through their bodies rather than the wellspring that all unicorns—and only unicorns—possessed.

That knowledge however, was neither here nor there when it came to the information that Twlight needed to know. What was important, was that Soul Magic was the other Branch of Magic that made heavy use of emotion.

Twilight knew this, and it helped her studies greatly, but there were struggles to overcome, and they only got worse as the days passed.

Twilight's inherent mana had been changed by the ambient mana of the Dark Realm, and this had caused some unexpected problems—well... unexpected for the filly.

Though it had felt like her own magic once she had acclimated to it, and it was hardly an issue when it came to simple spells like Telekinesis, Twilight had found that casting some of the more complex spells she knew had become more difficult.

In some cases, it was almost as though her own spells were rebelling against her—with some outright refusing to work at all. It had been frustrating to say the least, and would have still remained so had that been the only issue.

There were still yet more problems to overcome however.

Grogar had not once let Twilight attempt to use any kind of Dark Magic whatsoever during her beginning lessons. He had kept the filly to simple book study, mental exercises, and the use of her Soul Magic.

He knew of Twilight's issue, but he had wanted the filly to figure out what it was on her own. The problem with that, was that it was nearing the end of the second week, and Twilight had not figured it out yet.

What Twilight hadn't noticed, and what Grogar hadn't told the filly, was that her time was running short. If the filly didn't realize the mistake in the casting of her spells soon, she'd lose the ability to cast both Soul Magic and Dark Magic almost completely.

It was with some reluctance and a large amount of disappointment that he decided that some additional guidance was in order. Twilight Sparkle was a smart filly indeed, and Grogar couldn't fully blame the filly for her lack of insight on this particular matter.

After all, she had not yet learned what it truly meant to cast even basic Soul Magic in a place like the Shadow World. She had not yet learned that Soul Magic worked differently—not yet understood just how much her mana had changed from what it was when she was alive in the Land of Light.

He wanted her to figure out that the emotions she had been using were ill suited to casting Soul Magic in the Shadow World. He wanted her to realize that when it came to invoking Soul Magic and Dark Magic, there was hardly any distinction between the two.

She wasn't using the right emotions, and if she didn't figure that out soon, she wouldn't have any emotions left with which to try. The filly hadn't even noticed her own increasing lack of enthusiasm for what she was doing. and so grew ever more frustrated when her Soul based spells failed time and time again.

Grogar hadn't wanted to go this far so early in the filly's training, but the stumbling block that was her own ignorance had forced his hoof. He would have to inform the filly of her failure, have her rectify it, and when all was said and done...


...he would have the filly consume her first soul.
> Beneath the Mourning Moon
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Grogar told Twilight to cease her studies, she had been loathed to do so... but not nearly as much as she would've thought. 

She stood before the ram who sat behind his desk, eyeing her with no small amount of disappointment. The sight would've normally made the filly cringe and look away with shame... but she found she just couldn't muster the energy to care all that much.

The small pang of fear and shame wasn't enough to warrant any kind of reaction out of her, and she found that incredibly odd to say the least.

As she puzzled over her own reaction—or lack thereof—Grogar narrowed his eyes slightly and leaned forward over the desk, crossing his cloven hooves as he did so.

"Feeling a little off at the moment, are we?" Grogar asked after a minute, "feeling a bit dull and uninspired? Somewhat listless perhaps? Apathetic?"

"I'm mostly.... confused, Father," Twilight replied slowly, "I do feel a little tired, and like something is wrong, but I don't know what the problem is." 

She raised a hoof to her chin and looked up thoughtfully, a contemplative silence falling over her. Grogar didn't speak, instead waiting for the filly to continue, which she did a moment later.

"I've been trying to use Soul Magic, but it hasn't been working like it normally does," she said in a flat tone, "I've been doing exactly as  you taught me, but it's not working for some reason, and I haven't been able to figure out why."

She lowered her hoof and looked back at Grogar expectantly.

"I'm assuming that's the reason you told me to stop my studies?" she asked pointedly, "is it because I'm failing? Was there something obvious I was missing?"

Grogar remained silent for another few moments as he eyed the filly with an unreadable expression. Twilight didn't squirm beneath his scrutiny as she normally would've—another thing the filly noticed and made note of.

Eventually Grogar gave a long suffering sigh and leaned back in his chair before speaking again.

"I cannot say I'm all that surprised," Grogar said in a resigned sort of tone, "though I do confess at being somewhat disappointed given how excellent of a student you've been up to this point."

Twilight blinked.

"So I can assume that means I have overlooked something in my studies?"

"Yes, child," Grogar answered as his red eyes burned brighter, "but I cannot completely fault you for your ignorance... after all..."

The Black Compendium lifted itself off the ground next to Twilight and floated over to the ram. It set itself gently down onto the desk before him and with that done, his eyes dimmed once more.

"...while this tome is extensive when it comes to knowledge of Dark Magic," Grogar explained, placing a hoof on the cover of the book, "it makes no mention of the world we currently inhabit, and thus, does not account for the shift in ambient mana."

"The shift in mana..." Twilight repeated with a thoughtful furrow of her brow, "so... you're saying that my repeated failures have something to do with the change in the mana permeating the air of the Shadow World?"

"To an extent, yes," Grogar replied with a single nod, "I had hoped you would realize the error in your methodology on your own, but it seems that was too much to ask for."

Again, Twilight was struck by the feeling that she should've been offended or indignant, but the only reaction she could muster was confusion.

"What do you mean?" the filly asked, tilting her head with a slight frown of bemusement, "I did everything exactly as you told me to. What was wrong with my methodology?"

Grogar was again silent for a time as he contemplated the lavender filly before him. Another moment passed and he slowly nodded once before his horns lit up with a dull pink glow.

"Come, trot with me, child," he commanded as the world melted around them, "there is a task you must undertake, and while I had hoped to put this task off for awhile yet, I fear that is no longer an option."

As Grogar finished speaking, the world returned to it's normal state. Once Twilight had shaken off the disorientation, she saw that they were once more outside the castle... but something was different.

It took the filly a moment to figure out what it was, but when she did, her eyes widened slightly.

Moonlight.

The land around her had been bathed in the pale glow of the moon. She turned her surprised gaze skyward and, sure enough, the round disk of light sat like a beacon in the darkness, illuminating everything below.

The sudden appearance of the moon did nothing to comfort the filly. If anything, it made her uncomfortable. 

Even in her strange state of apathy, she could feel something cold, malevolent, and powerful about the pale light the moon cast, yet Grogar seemed to pay it no mind as he spoke to Twilight.

"Come, child," came Grogar's somewhat impatient voice, "I will discuss with you the reason why your methods failed to produce the results you desired as we make our way to the city."

"We're going back to the city?" Twilight asked in confusion, "why are we going back? Is this task supposed to take place there?"

"Not quite," Grogar replied with a small knowing smirk, "but this task requires us to run an... errand of sorts within the city of Tambelon."

He glanced down at the frowning filly and chuckled.

"I think it's also time you met the denizens of my once fair city," he continued, "they're ready to awaken now, but we mustn't dawdle lest we miss our opportunity."

Twilight wanted to ask what the demonic ram meant by that, but decided she'd find out soon enough. There was still the more important question of what the appearance of the moon meant.

Although...

"Father," Twilight began, looking up at Grogar as they trotted down the stony path, "that moon obviously wasn't there before, so why did it appear now? And does it have something to do with the townsponies being awake?"

"Not all of my citizens are ponies," Grogar corrected in response, "but yes, the moon acts as a guiding light, coaxing souls out of the darkness of their eternal slumber and into the waking world."

At Twilight's bemused expression, Grogar shook his head.

"In your more modern terms," he offered instead, "you can think of it as an 'alarm clock' of sorts—waking the citizens from their slumber and allowing them to roam the earth once more."

"Roam the... wait," Twilight stopped in her tracks and looked at Grogar in genuine surprise, "Father, when you say 'eternal slumber', do you really mean that the ponies—er... creatures in town are... are they undead like me?"

"Not like you, child," Grogar replied as they made their way closer to the city gates, "they are a cursed type of undead, mere puppets, forced to dance to the tune of the magic that permeates this realm."

"What... does that mean?"

"You'll soon see for yourself, Twilight Sparkle," Grogar said as they stepped past the gates and into the city, "there's still a bit of time left, until they awaken, but let's not speak of this anymore—at least not for the moment."

The ram went silent for a moment as he finally turned his attention to the moon—a slight frown adorning his features.

"The ambient mana of this realm is quite different than that of the realm you came from," Grogar began, not taking his eyes off the moon above as he spoke, "but you've already felt this for yourself."

Twilight nodded uncertainly, not quite sure yet of where Grogar was going with this. Grogar looked back down at the filly with a serious expression before continuing.

"Tell me, child, how did it feel to channel this world's mana through your wellspring for the first time?" he asked, "if the mana itself had emotions, what do you think they would have been?"

Twilight didn't quite understand the question, so rather than answer right away, she sat on her haunches and frowned at her hooves. Her frown became a grimace and she closed her eyes as she thought about both the question and it's answer.

"I... when I first channeled the mana, it felt... wrong," the filly replied slowly, "but that's not all. If I think about it in terms of emotion, then... well... I can't quite put one specific emotion to it... but it all felt... negative."

Her eyes snapped open as the realization dawned on her.

"Like the emotions you'd use when casting Dark Magic," she breathed, "that's why my Soul Magic wasn't working."

Grogar grinned slightly as a small spark of life returned to Twilight's dull amethyst eyes, though it had gone as soon as it came. Still, the filly continued—her feelings muted, but her mind still putting the pieces together.

"I wasn't trying to cast Dark Magic, and while the ambient mana feels... sinister in nature, it isn't specifically Dark Magic. It's more like... more a like a complement to Dark Magic than anything."

"And how does this relate to the mistake you made when trying to cast regular Soul Magic?" Grogar pushed, "what did you do wrong?"

"It wasn't that I had somehow gotten the spellwork wrong," Twilight replied, pacing about the area as Grogar looked on, "it was more that I wasn't in the right frame of mind.

"Of course, the change in ambient mana would have a drastic effect on Soul Magic and how it's invoked. I knew that, but I guess I didn't really register the fact... until now anyway."

"Very good, Twilight Sparkle," Grogar responded with a single nod of acknowledgement, "and how do you propose to fix such an issue?"

Twilight slowed to a stop and lowered her head, frowning in thought. A moment later she raised her head and, rather than answer directly, she lit up her horn and, with what little feeling she could muster, focused her thoughts on her own death and the death of her parents.

As she channeled her altered mana into her horn, she finally realized just what had happened and why she had been so disconnected from her own feelings.

She was losing them, and with that realization came another. In her current emotional state, she was able to remain detached enough to realize the one important fact Grogar had been trying to impress upon her.

Raw negativity was the fuel that powered Soul Magic in this realm.

With that in mind, she aimed her horn at a nearby rock as big as she was, and wrapped it in her dark violet aura. After a second or two, it morphed into a plain wooden stool.

With a simple shift of emotion, the Transmogrification spell took almost no effort.

It wasn't the memories that were important—or even the sadness, despair, and longing specifically. It could be any kind of emotion, as long as it created negativity.

The only real difference between Soul Magic and Dark Magic in the Shadow World was intent, and even then, that line was ill defined at best.

In that moment she realized that the Harmony she had known and lived by for so long wouldn't help her here. Grogar had been more right than the filly knew when he said she'd have to abandon the tenets of Equestria's idea of Harmony.

In this realm, with her mana changed from what it once was, she'd have to more or less embrace Disharmony if she wanted to continue using her natural born Soul Magic.

With what little emotion Twilight had left, she felt... conflicted. 

On one hoof, this environment was perfect for what she was to learn, just as Grogar had implied. She also had no need to completely rework her methods like she feared she would—just a few mental tweaks was all it took.

On the other hoof however, she'd pretty much have to give up who she was as a pony. As young as she still was, even she knew that the constant use of negative emotions to fuel not just Soul and Dark Magic, but all of her spells, would change her drastically over time.

The thought didn't bother her all that much, but that was most likely due to the fading 'echoes' of who she was before. 

Still, somewhere beneath the rising sea of apathy was a spark of panic—a fear of losing all emotion and the ability to cast Soul and Dark Magic.

For the moment, she pushed those thoughts aside as she observed her work. When she was satisfied that the spell had gone as planned she turned back to Grogar and waited for his approval.

Grogar gazed upon the stool with a critical eye. Finding no flaws in the spellwork, he returned the filly's expectant gaze with his own smile of satisfaction.

"I am pleased to see that you've figured it out, though I still wish you had done so sooner," he began before sweeping his eyes over the city, "by now I'm sure you've also realized that you're running out of time."

Twilight nodded once before tilting her head slightly.

"Those 'echoes' you were talking about are fading, aren't they?" she asked tonelessly, "I don't feel like I did before."

"Indeed, child," Grogar replied, still looking out at the empty city, "soon you will become nothing but a hollow shell of your former self... but that is anathema to my desires, and I do not wish such a fate for you."

His gaze suddenly shifted to the moon above as he spoke. Twilight herself began to feel an odd shift of something in the air. Despite her lack of sentiment, she began to feel a strange sort of giddiness.

No... it wasn't giddiness, but restlessness.

"In light of current circumstances," Grogar continued, not having taken his eyes off the moon, "I have decided to push ahead with the next phase of your lessons on what it means to be a lich, Twilight Sparkle."

A sudden surge of energy poured into the filly, causing her to gasp in shock and her horn to spark weakly. The pale light of the moon seemed to intensify and a biting wind suddenly blew across the land.

Twilight swore she could hear a low, keening wail as the gusts became stronger. At first, she couldn't discern where the sound had come from, but she found her gaze being drawn skyward almost against her will.

It was the moon.

The moon was wailing.

"Life fades unto Death, and in Death are we Reborn in an endless cycle... but that cycle is broken and the Moon Mourns anew, for it cannot complete the cycle..."

The wail had become all but deafening and the wind powerful enough to bend even the hardiest trees, but Twilight paid no heed to any of this. 

She also failed to notice the nearly blinding violet glow of her eyes and the bell around her neck... as well as the rumble of the earth beneath her hooves.

She stood transfixed by the sight of the moon above her.

"And so, unable to find true peace in this broken cycle, these Lost Souls rise once more to haunt the Land of the Living. So has it been since the breaking of the cycle, and so shall it be until the cycle is whole once more."

Grogar had never once taken his eyes off the moon as he spoke. Unbeknownst to Twilight, each and every bell around Grogar's neck blazed with the same pale white light of the moon.

As the rumble of the earth grew, the light of Grogar's bells darkened. The light continued to darken until there was nothing left but a darkness as black as the void.

The low, deep clang of a bell rang out once, then twice, then three times. The sound cut through the howl of the wind and the rumble of the earth, shaking Twilight to her very bones with its tone.

When Grogar finally turned his gaze on Twilight, his scarlet eyes blazed with a power she could scarcely believe. When he spoke again, Twilight felt the might of his words in every fiber of her being.

"Bear witness, my child. Watch as the city of Tambelon awakens under the light of the Mourning Moon."

And Twilight watched.

She watched as the ground rumbled and cracked and split throughout the entire city. She listened to the cries of thousands of voices that had remained silent for far too long.

She looked on as the city itself took on the same pale glow as the moon. The streets, the buildings, the walls, the trees, everything within Tambelon began to change.

Trees sprouted bright green leaves—the blackened wood giving way to healthy brown branches. Dry, brittle, and flaked stone became hardy and polished.

It was as though Twilight was watching time flow backwards. Both the structures and nature within the city were all reverting back to their former glory right before the filly's eyes.

Still, as wondrous as the sight was to witness, the thousands of rotted, decaying bodies pulling themselves out of the ground throughout the city created a stark and rather horrifying contrast.

It didn't last long however, as the rotting corpses also seemed to be under the influence of whatever was fixing the city, and their flesh was soon whole and unblemished by death just as the city was.

Had Twilight bothered to look towards Grogar's castle, she would've seen the same effect taking place. The castle itself was restored, though no less oppressive than it had been before.

The sheer impossibility of what she was seeing was enough to bring forth a gasp of awe from the nearly emotionless filly.


Beneath the light of the Mourning Moon, the Kingdom of Tambelon had awakened once more.
> The Dark Harvest
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Looking around her, Twilight could see that it was just as Grogar had said. Everywhere she looked, there were all kinds of creatures she'd never seen before.

From Grogar's description, she surmised many of the creatures were comprised of these 'troggles' he had mentioned, though without confirmation, Twilight could only make guesses.

The filly could also see several ponies, a few smaller creatures she assumed were gnomes, and one or two giant monstrous beasts that might've been grundles.

The ponies in particular caught Twilight's eye.

They looked very different from herself and the rest of the modern day ponies of Equestria. They were larger for one. Their eyes were smaller, and the unicorn's in particular had an odd crystalline look about them.

Their features overall were... for lack of any better words, bulkier and more defined. Twilight idly wondered just what had taken place over the long course of history to cause such a drastic change in the body structure of a pony.

As the lavender filly looked on in muted interest, each and every resurrected citizen had turned towards their King and were kneeling in some manner or another.

None spoke, and despite the thousands of bodies scattered throughout the city, the silence was almost absolute—as though all of them were waiting for Grogar to speak.

And speak Grogar did.

Twilight turned and watched as the ram—looking every bit the King he was—strode forth and stood before the massive crowd of creatures.

He scanned the crowd with an impassive gaze that belied an intense scrutiny of his undead subjects. There were a few more moments of silence before he finally spoke, his voice booming loud enough for all to hear.

"My subjects!" he exclaimed, "with the pale rays of the Mourning Moon, I have once again brought you back from beyond the veil to walk the earth!"

Many in the crowd raised their heads uncertainly, and relaxed a moment later when they were not immediately reprimanded for doing so.

"Like so many times before, you are free to roam the streets of Tambelon while the Moon sits high in the sky," Grogar raised a hoof and gestured to the city before him, "go, spend your precious time as you would have in life while you've the chance, for once the Mourning Moon descends, all will return to the earth."

There were a few murmurs and bellows of  'yes, my King', but otherwise, most wordlessly rose to their feet or hooves and took off in various directions to do just as Grogar instructed.

As Twilight looked on, the once dead and decaying city of Tambelon bustled with life, creatures chatting, milling about, setting up shop, and generally acting as any town would.

It was rather unsettling just how... normal it all was.

The filly gave the moon above another glance, its white surface reflecting brightly in her amethyst eyes. She had so many questions about what had transpired, not to mention the sudden treasure trove of ancient knowledge that were the ponies of old.

Her emotionally atrophied state had not dulled her insatiable thirst for knowledge, and she found herself thinking about how much she could learn just from simply talking to these strange and ancient creatures.

"You have many questions, child, of that I am certain," came Grogar's voice from right next to her, "but it is not yet time to sate that curiosity. Time is short, and we musn't delay any further in reversing your condition... come."

Before Twilight could respond, Grogar turned and trotted off in the direction of the castle. She went to follow, only to stop a moment later, caught slightly off guard by the renewed state of Grogar's castle.

"Do not dawdle, Twilight Sparkle!"

At Grogar's admonishment, the filly jumped slightly and hurried to catch up to the briskly trotting ram. They both made their way back to the castle and through the massive black wrought iron gates, restored as everything else was.

Twilight saw that there were two troggle guards on either side of the large ornate wooden double doors that made up the entrance to the castle.

When they spotted Grogar, they immediately moved to push the doors open before stepping aside and bowing as the ram and filly passed through.

Twilight watched them all the while, though they paid her no mind, save for a quick dismissive glance. Apparently if she wasn't Grogar, she wasn't worth their time or attention.

Once they were inside, the large doors slowly closed shut with an echoing thud. Inside, Twilight could see that the entrance led directly into a grand hallway that stretched out ahead of her, to her left, and to her right. 

The halls were lined with grey, polished stone walls, and the same dark violet carpeting she'd seen in the throne room. Twilight could see a few doors marking the walls here and there, but had no clue where they led.

The combination gave the interior of the castle an overall gloomy feel, not that Twilight minded at the moment.

The grey corridors were adequately lit with a combination of sconces and tall braziers on either sides of the hall, and Twilight was rather surprised to see that they weren't alone.

As they both stood there in front of the door, a few creatures—most likely maids and servants if Twilight had to guess—stopped and bowed before Grogar dismissed them.

"I trust you remember the room I led you to when you first arrived here in the castle, yes?" Grogar asked, raising a bushy eyebrow at the filly, "the one with the altar we used to teleport outside?"

Twilight nodded in response and Grogar nodded in return.

"Good, because that will become a very important place for you and your studies soon," he continued, "as it stands, we must return there to complete the task meant to... sustain you."

"Sustain me?" Twilight asked with a slight frown, "what do you mean, Father?"

"You will see once we reach the Ritual Chamber child," Grogar replied mysteriously, "there, my most loyal servant should be awaiting our arrival with everything needed for the ritual."

Twilight wanted to ask more about this 'ritual' and the loyal servant, but she knew by now not to push an issue if Grogar wasn't willing to speak about it.

Instead she remained silent and followed close behind as the ram took a left and headed down the hall, down a flight of stairs, then two more halls.

Three full flights of stairs down and another darker, older corridor later, Twilight found herself and Grogar standing before the familiar double doors she had seen when she first arrived.

Had the filly been alive, the air around her would have been cold and damp, the chill clinging to her mortal flesh and fur.

As it stood, the chill had no effect, and she paid it no mind.

Twilight had thought the door before to be the exit to the throne room, but it seemed she was mistaken. When she asked Grogar about it, he merely grinned and chuckled in amusement.

"My child," he said as his eyes glowing a bright scarlet, "this is my castle. Do you think I cannot shape its interior as I see fit?"

That was all the answer he gave, and though it was not a satisfactory answer in the filly's opinion, she didn't push the issue any further.

The large metal doors—heavy, black, and engraved with markings Twilight could make no sense of—creaked open and they both stepped inside.

Beyond those doors, what Twilight presumed was the Ritual Room, was much like she remembered it, yet it was also completely different.

The room was circular as before, and the many braziers circling the room still burned with an odd ebony flame, but at the same time, Twilight could've sworn the room was... larger somehow.

Another change was the semi-circular table set against one side of the wall. The table itself was long, and the top had a single large, dark red book with several scrolls and pieces of parchment scattered around it haphazardly.

There was another door across from where they had entered that most definitely wasn't there before, and Twilight idly wondered if that was where Grogar's study was.

She had only ever been warped directly there and back, so she could only guess.

The hole above the altar was once again emitting a light Twilight now recognized as the same pale glow of the Mourning Moon, and its glow bathed everything directly below it in eerie shadow.

The  wide circular stone altar itself was largely the same, gray, wide, and altogether unremarkable looking. Twilight knew better though, and was beginning to suspect that the alter had more to it than she had been led to believe.

What led her to this particular conclusion was the fact that sitting atop this unremarkable stone altar, as rigid and unmoving as the stone beneath her, was a unicorn mare.

She wasn't like the other ponies Twilight had seen in the city of Tambelon however. This particular pony was undoubtedly Equestrian.

Her coat was snow white, and her mane and tail were streaked in black and green. Her eyes were a darker shade of green and glazed over—staring straight ahead and seeing absolutely nothing.

She had a gaunt look about her with a face and stomach so thin as to show the outline of her bones through her fur. Whatever her cutie mare had been, it was long since hidden away under old darkened scars. 

If it weren't for the mare's occasional slow blinking, Twilight would've thought her dead.

"Father," Twilight asked, not looking away from the mare, "who is this? How did she get here? What is she—"

"A moment, my child," Grogar interrupted with a distracted look above him, "I will explain, but first..." he lowered his head towards the mare, "Bray, my faithful and lowly servant! Come and stand before me!"

Twilight winced at the sound of Grogar's booming voice, but was soon distracted by a sudden movement from the mare.

As she watched, the mare shuddered and gave a low, agonized groan. Then she began to sway for a moment before suddenly going rigid once more with a sharp intake of breath.

At first, the filly didn't understand what she was seeing, but as she looked closer, she could see that the mare's shadow was shifting—its movement independent of the mare herself.

Then it stretched along the altar towards herself and Grogar. Twilight took a startled step back, but otherwise made no sound as the shadow tore itself from the mare and rose above the ground.

In a matter of moments the shapeless shadow twisted and morphed into a vaguely equine shape. As the shape of the shadowy silhouette became more defined, Twilight could see that it wasn't equine.

Well... not entirely.

It was about the size of a pony, maybe a little taller, and it's ears were far longer and thinner than a pony's. It had a large rounded muzzle and a thin tail ending in what Twilight guessed was a small tuft of hair.

A donkey.

It was the dark, featureless outline of a donkey. Twilight's brows furrowed in confusion as she looked from the shadow to the mare, who had once again gone still—though she looked a lot more pale beneath her fur.

She finally looked back to Grogar, saying nothing, but begging for an explanation with her eyes. Grogar ignored her for a moment and addressed the donkey.

"I trust everything is in order?" he asked, "you've done as I asked and made sure the proper extraction sigils are in place upon the altar?"

The shadowy donkey nodded slowly and silently.

"Good, good," Grogar replied, nodding in turn and casting an impassive gaze over towards the mare on the circular platform, "and what of the mare?"

I have done all that you asked, master. I have broken her mind and loosened her body's grip on her soul... she will pose no problems during the ritual.

Twilight resisted the urge to shiver at the voice that rose from the shadow. It came out as little more than an echoing whisper, but it carried within it something dark, terrible... and painful.

Just who or what was this creature, and what had happened to it? For that matter who was the mare, and what did the donkey mean by his words?

He mentioned something about loosening the body's grip on the soul...

Twilight's eyes widened slightly as everything finally clicked into place. She mentally kicked herself for not figuring it out sooner.

Her emotions were slipping away from her, and Grogar had said that the only way for a lich to retain themselves and avoid becoming a husk was to consume the soul of another.

This ritual was meant to feed Twilight.

"Excellent," Grogar continued, unmindful of the filly's revelation, "you have done well, Bray. Continue to serve me as you have been, and perhaps I may rescind your punishment. You may go for now."

The shadow bowed low before sinking back into the ground and snaking off towards the exit. It slipped below the door and was gone a moment later.

Twilight watched the door for another moment before Grogar's voice pulled her from her own thoughts. She turned and saw the ram eyeing her with some amusement.

"I take it you've finally realized why we've come here, Twilight Sparkle," he surmised, "an explanation is in order, but it can wait until the ritual is over. Time grows shorter yet, and I'd like to see this task over and done with."

Twilight wanted to argue, but Grogar's tone brooked no argument. She relented, taking some solace in the fact that all would be explained soon enough.

She didn't want end up a husk like the mare on the altar. She gave the mare another look—more curious than horrified. What had the shadow—Bray, according to Grogar—done to her to make her this way?

"The foolish mare," Grogar mused, his own red eyes falling on the whte unicorn, "take heed, Twilight Sparkle, this is the fate that awaits one who cannot pay the price for my... services."

Twilight nodded absently, not quite understanding what the ram was talking about. Grogar took notice and chuckled.

"You may not understand now, child," he said, trotting over to the altar, "but you will in time, and perhaps one day, you too will find 'clients' of your own, willing to offer themselves up for a mere taste of your power... the fools."

He chuckled to himself again before shaking his head and nodding towards the altar.

"Go on then," he commanded, "take your place on the altar and the sigils will do the rest."

Twilight obeyed, tentatively trotting over to the steps that led up to the rounded platform. She paused just as she reached the first step and turned back to Grogar.

In her current state, she wasn't all that bothered by the state of the mare, nor was she bothered by what she was about to do... but she did have her own concerns.

Namely concerns for her own safety.

"...Will it hurt?"

Grogar snorted.

"No, Twilight Sparkle," he replied impatiently, "as I said, there are many ways to extract and consume a soul, and while some methods are indeed very painful, this particular method is one of the more quick and painless variety, now get on with it, child."

Twilight nodded and hurried up the steps.

Just like before, as soon as her hooves touched the altar, the stone beneath her lit up. This time however, the sigils were different. 

For one thing, there were two smaller magic circles rather than one large one. One sigil flared to life beneath Twilight, and another beneath the mare—both flashing a bright white before dimming into pulsing pitch black lines.

Twilight gasped in surprise as she was locked into place above the sigil. She was completely unable to move an inch, and the mare directly across from her was in very much the same position.

Both ponies were forced to look into each other's eyes. In Twilight's there was barely anything left, her amethyst gaze dull and clouded by apathy. The mare's eyes were wide and full of fear and horror, her mouth widening in a silent scream.

The two sigils gave another strong pulse, and Twilight had no idea what it was, but she felt something inside her pull. The mare physically responded, her head snapping upwards towards the light above them both.

The strange and uncomfortable pulling sensation continued and Twilight suddenly felt compelled to mimic the mare. She raised her own head, opened her mouth, and the pulling intensified.

By this point the air within the Ritual Chamber was alive and electrified with the crackle of ambient mana. Grogar looked on in silent satisfaction as the mare shuddered violently. 

Her eyes grew as black as the sigils below, and a bright, almost blinding green light slowly emerged from deep within her throat. 

It continued to rise up and out of the mare's mouth until it was completely free—a luminescent green orb, no larger than the hoof of a full grown pony.

Grogar frowned slightly and narrowed his eyes as he saw the mare's soul. Black mana flickered, crackled, and sparked about the orb like electricity.

"The fool has delved far deeper into the Darker Arts than I had expected," he muttered, shaking his head slightly, "had the child not been what she is, the consumption of such a tainted soul would've surely done irreparable damage."

The orb hung in the air between the two ponies for only a moment, then Twilight's own eyes blackened. With one final pulse from both sigils, the orb floated down towards the filly's open and waiting mouth.

As if by some unspoken instinct, Twilight inhaled, and the orb vanished into her maw before she snapped her jaw shut and swallowed visibly. Like the mare, Twilight shuddered violently and let out a shaky breath.

Taking the mare's soul into herself was an experience unlike the filly had ever felt before. It was surprisingly pleasant—like stepping into a nice warm shower after a hard day's work, or getting a particularly good massage at the spa.

The soul had no taste, but Twilight felt incredibly full all the same—though it wasn't the same kind of full she felt from eating a lot of food, but something else entirely.

At the same time, a dark haze lifted from her mind, and she felt as though she could think clearly for the first time in ages. Despite the fact that she was dead, she felt more alive than she ever had when she was actually alive.

It was a strange feeling to say the least.

The ritual had ended a few moments ago, but Twilight hadn't noticed, completely wrapped up in the experience of her first consumption as she was.

The filly's eyes were closed and she sat there on the altar in silent contemplation. She payed the mare no heed as she slumped over bonelessly, forever dead to the world around her.

The sigils had disappeared and the altar was once again nothing more than simple stone. Even the light of the Moon above seemed to abate slightly as everything returned to the way it had been before.

As Twilight sat there, Grogar made his way over to the stone altar, a pleased grin spread across his face. One of the filly's ears twitched and she finally turned to face the ram.

"It seems the ritual was a success," Grogar observed, "how do you feel, child?"

Twilight opened her mouth to reply, but stopped herself and turned to the semi-lifeless mare crumpled into a heap at the other end of the altar.

Her ears folded back and her shoulders slumped slightly.

"I... I did that," she whispered weakly, "I... ate her soul, didn't I?"

"You did," Grogar replied simply, "to be fair, the sigils did most of the work, but in the end, it was you that took that poor wretch's darkened soul into yourself."

"I..." Twilight swallowed and turned away from the mare to look back at Grogar, "Father, I don't... I don't know how to feel about this."

"How you feel is irrelevant, Twilight Sparkle," Grogar replied with a sniff, "it is that you can feel at all that is what matters."

Twilight's ears perked up slightly at that. She was so shocked by what she'd done, that she hadn't even registered her own emotional response. At the filly's look of realization, Grogar nodded and turned back to the entrance.

"The ritual is complete and the Mourning Moon still sits high in the sky," Grogar exclaimed, "come, my child. I shall explain to you all that has transpired as we trot about my city's streets."

Twilight sat there for a moment, trying to collect herself. She gave the mare another worried look and flinched slightly as the doors opened, not expecting the sudden sound.

"Do not worry about the husk, Twilight Sparkle," came Grogar's voice from just beyond the door, "Bray will take care of it, now follow quickly. The Moon will not wait for us."

Despite Grogar's words, Twilight glanced back at the mare one last time before hopping off the altar and quickly trotting after the ram.
> Celestia's Gift
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It had been three full days since Shining had told Celestia about his encounter with Nightmare Moon, but in that time she'd worked on a solution to the problem regarding his nightmares. 

Shining Armor, much to both his and Celestia's relief, hadn't had anymore run-ins with the dark alicorn—at least, not that he could remember. 

During those three days, Celestia worked tirelessly to finish... something. When Shining asked what she'd been up to, she had merely responded that it was a surprise, and that was that, leaving Shining somewhat annoyed.

She had to push back a few things in her busy schedule to work on it, but when she came to Shining on the morning of that fourth day, she came with a gift.

"So this is what you've been working on, then?" Shining had asked as Celestia placed a small, glowing golden crystal within a rectangular glass case on his desk, "I'm guessing this is supposed to help with my nightmares?"

"Indeed," Celestia replied with a nod, "it's something of my own creation, though I don't really have a name for it," she paused and furrowed her brow before giving a small shrug and smiling at the curious colt, "I suppose you could think of it as a far more potent dreamcatcher of sorts."

Shining raised an eyebrow at the Princess before looking back at the gently glowing crystal. He remembered his sister coming home with a dreamcatcher once a long time ago.

She'd said something about how they were originally created by the buffalo to ward against nightmares, but Shining himself had been somewhat skeptical of its power. To him, it was just some exotic art piece made of yarn, beads, and feathers and nothing more.

He idly wondered if the buffalo had been trying to fight back against Nightmare Moon all those years ago.

"So how does it work?" Shining asked, turning back to Celestia, "how'd you even make it?"

At that, Celestia looked a bit uncomfortable and oddly hesitant to say. Shining furrowed his brow in confusion at her reaction, but didn't say anything, waiting instead for her to answer. After a moment, she did, though reluctantly and with a sigh of resignation.

"Nopony other than my sister knows this, Shining Armor," Celestia began, looking away, "but long ago, even before I took up the throne, I discovered I had... an affinity for Mind Magic."

Shining's eyebrows shot up at the news.

"Wait, seriously?" he responded with an incredulous look, "Mind Magic? You of all ponies? I thought your affinity would be something like... I dunno, Elemental Magic. Pyrokinesis or something, not... Mind Magic! That's..."

"Believe me, Shining Armor, nopony found this more surprising than I," Celestia replied with a somewhat bitter chuckle, "but we can't help what affinity we're born with, not even me..."

Celestia's face remained fixed on Shining Armor, but the colt could see that the alicorn wasn't really looking at him. Her eyes were distant, her mind gone to a completely different time and place.

Shining had gotten the feeling there was something left unsaid, but he didn't push the issue. His own thoughts were preoccupied with the implications of a leader of an entire nation having Mind Magic as a magical affinity. 

"I see you realize the problems I would face if my subjects were to ever know of my affinity," Celestia said suddenly, snapping Shining out of his thoughts. He looked back up at the Princess and saw that she was looking back with a sad smile, "I know full well what's going through your mind, Shining Armor, and I don't blame you in the slightest."

"Well, I mean... I..." Shining fumbled for the words he wanted to say for a moment, "how am I supposed to take something like that? Why did you tell me that? Now I'll always have to wonder if I'm being manipulated or—or if you're controlling somepony else's mind or—"

He paused as he realized what he was saying and sucked in a breath at the look on Celestia's face. The sad smile hadn't changed, but the look in Celestia's eyes...

The hurt was plain enough for even Shining to see.

"Shining," Celestia replied after a long, awkward moment. She leaned down so that she was eye to eye with the colt, "I told you this because I want you to trust me. I know how this must sound to you right now, and I realize how unsettling the implications are, but I've placed heavy regulations on Mind Magic for a reason, and I myself am not above those regulations."

"Sure, that's easy for you to say," Shining replied, unable to look Celestia in the eye, "but the fact that you're the almighty ruler of Equestria completely invalidates that statement. Even if you've written up some kind of law against the criminal use of Mind Magic, who's really gonna be able to stop you if you yourself decide to break that law?"

Celestia couldn't argue against that and she knew it. She had known it ever since she took the throne, and even though she'd vowed never to abuse her gift for the practice, there had been instances in the early years of her reign where she felt she'd had no other choice.

She knew all manner of powerful and dangerous Mind Magic, and were she so inclined, she could very well become the unstoppable tyrant Shining had most likely been picturing in his head, and the truth of it hurt her more than anything.

She thought back to the hypnosis she'd used on Shining only a couple of days ago. It hadn't been any sort of actual Mind Magic, but did that really matter in the end?

She had still tried to manipulate Shining through mental trickery to get what she wanted. At the time, she thought it harmless since she hadn't used Mind Magic, but standing here before Shining, having revealed one of her deepest secrets, hearing the harsh truth of his words... she wasn't so sure anymore.

She began to wonder if she should've said anything at all.

"So what does your affinity have to do with this crystal anyway?"

Celestia blinked and refocused her attention back on Shining Armor, who had turned away to stare at the crystal. She couldn't see his face, but it was clear he was trying to change the subject, and for that, Celestia was actually somewhat grateful, though his words still lingered in her mind, and no doubt would for quite some time.

Nevertheless, she pushed past her sorrow, straightened up, and took the glass case in her magic.

"It's a widely known fact, at least among unicorns, that raw mana can be stored in crystals," Celestia explained, "the purer the crystal, the easier the process. We use this method as an energy source to power things like the lights in the city or the engines of our airships."

"Right, I get that," Shining replied somewhat impatiently, "like you said, it's common knowledge."

"Indeed," Celestia agreed with a nod, "less common outside of the thaumatologist and magi community however, is the knowledge that entire spells can be stored within crystals to prolong their effects."

Shining did, in fact know this much as well thanks in part to his studious sister and her almost compulsive need to explain things to those that never asked for an explanation. Most had found it annoying, but Shining and their parents had always found it rather adorable.

It was another one of those things he tried and failed not to dwell on during the quieter moments of his day.

He gave an inward sigh, but didn't outwardly reply to Celestia's words. When Celestia heard no response from Shining, she opted to continue her explanation.

"It doesn't work with every spell," Celestia began, "in fact, the only real spells that are compatible with the process are spells that already have a passive effect.

"This is why we don't have things like teleport crystals or crystals that can shoot lightning out of them like you'd read about in fiction. Greater minds than I have attempted to remedy this in the past, but none have yet succeeded, but with the advancements we've made in magical research, maybe soon..."

She trailed off and eyed the glass case hovering in her golden aura with a thoughtful frown. Shining said nothing, already trying to piece together what the Princess was getting at. Before he could make any further progress, Celestia shook her head and continued.

"If you're simply pumping raw mana into a crystal, that's one thing," she said, placing the case back down on the table, "but you need a very specific type of crystal if you're trying to store a spell—one with a particularly high level of purity and mana absorption capacity.

"Such crystals are rare, and even with a crystal of that quality, storing a spell can still be a difficult, time consuming, and frustrating task," she tapped the glass case on the table, "if you lose focus for even a moment or if the transfer is suddenly interrupted in any way, the spell could become unstable and the crystal could shatter..."

Her expression turned dark and Shining found himself shivering slightly.

"...and depending on the spell you tried to cast, the amount of mana pumped into said spell, and the size and purity of the crystal itself, the consequences of a failed spell transfer could be quite... catastrophic."

Shining didn't know exactly what would happen, but if Celestia's tone was anything to go by, it wouldn't be good. An image of the explosion of mana he'd seen from one of the castle windows during his sister's exam came to him unbidden and he shivered again.

Celestia, having just noticed the effect her words were having on the colt, cleared her throat and smiled apologetically.

"It seems my explanation has... ah... run a bit longer and gotten a bit more detailed than I had intended," she turned to the crystal, then to the dark sky beyond the window and frowned, "I believe I've taken up enough of your time and I have duties I must attend to as well, so I'll get to the point."

She returned her attention to Shining Armor and nodded towards the crystal.

"In short, I've infused the crystal with a passive Mind Magic spell,"  Celestia explained, "the crystal emits an aura that will suppress your ability to dream while you sleep. It's not exactly like a dreamcatcher, but it will stop the nightmares."

"Okay," Shining replied slowly as he took the case in his own magic and studied it, "so that's good, I guess, but won't that affect everypony else nearby?"

"Not so much," Celestia answered with a single shake of her head, "the aura only extends as far as the walls of this room, so it won't affect anypony else unless they decide to sleep in here. Believe me, Shining, I knew what I was doing when I made this."

"Fair enough," Shining responded after a moment. He set the case back down and turned back to Celestia. He opened his mouth, closed it, frowned, then opened it again, "thanks, and... I'm sorry about what I said earlier."

Celestia furrowed her brow in confusion before a look of realization crossed her face. The sad smile returned and Shining grimaced as the guilt set in.

"It's fine, Shining Armor," Celestia replied softly, "you've only spoken the truth. I can't fault you for that, nor can I do anything to change the facts. It's simply another burden I must bear, but all the same, your apology means a lot."

"W-Well," Shining began, looking down at his hooves as his grimace deepened, "I realized that if you had wanted to, you could've just cast that spell on me directly... but you didn't," he looked up, but instead of facing Celestia, he turned to the crystal, "you didn't even suggest it, you just... made this instead."

When he finally looked at the Solar Princess, he shrugged and gave a small half smile.

"I guess that has to count for something, right?"

Celestia's mouth opened, but no words came out for several seconds. Eventually she closed it and nodded with another grateful smile.

"I suppose it does," she finally replied, "thank you, Shining Armor."

Shining just shrugged again before looking away. He frowned thoughtfully and spoke again just as Celestia had decided to leave him be and return to her own morning tasks.

"Hey... Celestia?"

Celestia, who'd been about to turn and leave with one final goodbye, stopped and looked down at Shining expectantly. Shining was silent for another second before turning to face Celestia, a serious look on his face.

"Can you... tell me more about Nightmare Moon when you get a chance?" he asked, catching Celestia off guard. He straightened up and took a step towards the Princess, "you said she was your sister, right? Well, I was thinking... if I knew more about her—about who she was before, then maybe... maybe... um..."

Shining trailed off and wore that same grimace he seemed to wear whenever he didn't want to admit something. Celestia wanted to be surprised, but somehow she wasn't. The look in Shining's eyes told her everything she needed to know about his motivations and intentions. 

"Maybe you won't be so scared of her if she ever returns?" Celestia guessed with a small smirk, "is that it?"

Shining said nothing, but his grimace sharpened, causing Celestia to chuckle. She turned and began trotting towards the bedroom door, speaking as she made her way over.

"I'd be happy to tell you about my sister, Shining," Celestia replied, stopping just before the door and looking back at Shining Armor. Her smile slipped slightly as she spoke her next words, "though you... may not like everything you hear."

"Doesn't matter," Shining replied, his voice full of conviction, "I still wanna know."

Celestia sighed quietly and gave the colt her signature warm smile.

"Very well," she replied, "then I shall tell you everything tomorrow morning. How does that sound?"

"Perfect," Shining answered, already taking a seat at his desk and flipping open one of the books he'd been reading, "I'll hold you to it then, Princess."

Celestia chuckled again before pulling the bedroom door open and stepping outside. She looked back at Shining one last time, a small frown of worry crossing her face. Shining paid her no mind as he continued reading and the Princess smiled again before quietly closing the door behind her.
> What Remains in the Dark
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now that Twilight had regained her emotions, she could feel the weight of what had just transpired pressing down on her. It was almost enough to make her wish she hadn't recovered her emotions at all.

Almost.

As she followed Grogar out of the Ritual Chamber and back into the corridors of his restored castle, she couldn't help but dwell on the fact that she was an undead, soul sucking monster.

It hadn't really felt that way until now, and she'd been content just to even exist after what had happened to her when her magic went out of control.

Now she felt like things were different.

She was full of energy, more so than she'd ever felt when she was alive, and it all came at the cost of one mare's soul. Smart though she may have been for a filly her age, Twilight was still a filly.

She understood what had transpired, she could make her own conclusions and even try to analyze the process behind the arcane ritual she'd been a part of. What she couldn't do however, was sort out her own feelings about the whole thing.

Thankfully, she had a slew of other questions to keep her mind occupied. Grogar had said he'd explain everything once the ritual was over, and now that it had ended, it was finally time to get the answers she'd been craving since the Mourning Moon had risen.

"This place has held many names, Twilight Sparkle," Grogar began suddenly as he and Twilight trotted past the entrance of the castle and back out into the moonlit night, "the Shadow World, the Dark Realm, the Land of Darkness, and even Purgatory."

Twilight remained silent as Grogar led them, not towards the town, but further up and around towards the steep cliff overlooking the town and everything beyond.

"So what's the actual name?" Twilight asked, her eyes once more drawn to the pale orb in the sky, "or wait, does it even have one?"

"It does," Grogar confirm, stopping just at the edge of the cliff and looking down at the lively town below, "unfortunately, that name has long since been forgotten—lost along with the original inhabitants of this world."

"The original inhabitants?" Twilight parroted, turning back to Grogar with wide eyes, "there were ponies—er, other creatures that lived here?"

"Indeed," Grogar replied with a nod, his red eyes drifting from the town to the barren lands beyond, "this world is a mystery, one I spent a good deal of time trying to unravel during the first few decades of my first imprisonment."

"And what did you find out?" Twilight asked, turning to give the demonic ram her full attention, "wait a minute," she gave the empty landscape a significant glance, "how did you even find anything out? There's nothing out there."

"Oh, there's plenty out there," Grogar replied with a deep chuckle, "you'll find that a bit of stubbornness and luck, a wealth of time and effort, and a healthy thirst for knowledge will get you quite far, child. I merely continued to search until I found what I was looking for."

Twilight mulled this over for a second before coming to a realization.

"Wait, so... did you..." she scanned the empty black horizon before looking over to Grogar with eyes widened in shock, "...did you travel all the way out there?"

"I did," Grogar replied simply, "I wandered that barren wasteland for nigh on forty-five years searching for answers. Not much else to do when you're an immortal and the entire world is an empty prison."

"Forty-five years," Twilight muttered in disbelief. She let that sink in for a moment before speaking again, "how did you find your way back here? How did you not get lost at all?"

"Losing my way is an impossibility, my child," Grogar answered with a dismissive wave of his cloven hoof, "when I and my kingdom were banished to this forsaken place, we became inexorably linked to one another. 

"In many ways, I am Tambelon, and Tambelon is me," for a moment, his gaze lingered on the town, "it does not matter where I go or how far I travel, I will always find my way back to this place, and when I inevitably leave this world once more, Tambelon will follow, as it did in ages past."

Twilight moved closer to Grogar and turned her own gaze towards the town. As the ram's words ran through her mind, Twilight's eyes slowly fell to the bell around her neck, a single question forming as she pressed a hoof to it.

"...Am I a part of Tambelon too?"

The question caught Grogar by surprise, though his only outward indication was a slight raise of his bushy brows as he turned to the filly. He frowned thoughtfully for a moment before turning away with a small, sardonic smile.

"I suppose you are," he finally replied, "you are bound to me, Twilight Sparkle. I have named you as my child, and in the end, all things that belong to me also belong to Tambelon."

Twilight grimaced at that. 

She wasn't so sure she wanted to belong to Tambelon, nor was she comfortable being considered Grogar's child, but despite these sentiments, she couldn't help but feel an odd sort of pride well up within her. 

She decided to push the confusing thoughts to the back of her mind along with the earlier ritual. Instead she focused on what Grogar had been talking about before.

"So what did you find out there?" Twilight asked, getting back on topic, "from the way you were talking, you must've found something, right?"

"Indeed I did, my child," Grogar replied with a somewhat wistful frown, "in all those years of searching this dead, blackened world, I found a story, well, more of a message really."

"A message?" Twilight asked, furrowing her brow in confusion, "you spent forty-five years traveling the world and you only found a message?" at the look Grogar gave her, Twilight shrank back, "I-I mean, with how everything looks now, I guess it would be hard to find even that much... sorry, Father."

Grogar grunted noncommittally before looking up at the moon above.

"Yes, all that searching and my most important discovery, was an old half formed message given by an older spirit," he allowed himself another small smile as he looked back down at the filly, "a spirit I stumbled upon beneath this very moon."

"There are spirits out in the wasteland?" Twilight asked.

"Only one so far as I've seen or sensed, aside from those within Tambelon of course," Grogar replied, taking a seat near the edge of the cliff, "that soul was the only thing I found in the time I spent wandering the wastes, and once it had passed its message onto me, it vanished and I've not seen it since."

"Oh," Twilight tilted her head slightly before taking a seat next to Grogar, "did the spirit at least tell you its name, or the name of this place?"

"Alas, it told me neither, though I did have my suspicions," Grogar answered with a single shake of his head, "no, the only words I could glean from that lost soul were those of a tragic tale, an apology and nothing more," his expression turned thoughtful, "though I could tell the spirit was vaguely equine in form."

"So it was a pony!" Twilight cried excitedly. The glee died rather quickly, as she realized what that meant, "wait... so does that mean this all used to be Equestria?"

"It is possible given the evidence I gathered on my travels," Grogar replied, "still, whether or not this was once a world like your own or a some other such planet of different equines entirely, all that remains now is endless ruin."

Twilight felt a pang of sadness as she took a moment to think on that. She could scarcely wrap her head around the extinction of an entire race let alone a whole planet of sapient creatures.

"And this spirit was the only living thing you found?" she asked uneasily, "you didn't find anypony else, or any other kinds of creatures?"

"Well, it certainly wasn't living," Grogar corrected, "but that was the only encounter I've had outside my displaced kingdom. The rest of the world lies in ruin and thaumic decay so far as I've seen."

"Thaumic decay?" Twilight asked, both intrigued and eager for the change in topic, "I've never heard of thaumic decay before. What is it?"

"Well, a more apt term might be thaumic 'corruption', as the ambient mana doesn't really disappear over time," Grogar explained before pointing to the constantly disappearing and reappearing swirls above, "do you see those colorful eddies constantly swirling about the sky?" 

"Yeah," Twilight nodded, following Grogar's hoof and looking up, "I noticed that when I first arrived. What is all that?"

"Mana," Grogar answered, "to be more precise, it is ambient mana that has become so thick and, for lack of a better word, bloated with negativity over time that it becomes visible to the naked eye and manifests as such. The change is such that it also has a drastic affect on internal mana as well."

"Negativity," Twilight repeated quietly before raising a questioning brow at Grogar, "you mean negative emotions? I know emotions are important in casting a lot of spells, but they can have this kind of effect on ambient mana, too?"

"Indeed, they can," Grogar replied gravely, "it is often the lingering spirits of the dead and their intense emotions that affect mana in such a way. If I remember correctly, your world in the Land of Light doesn't really have much in the way of ambient mana, and I doubt talk of Necromancy and the dead is common practice, so it is little wonder that you are not aware." 

"I know certain 'thaumic anomalies' around Equus have been documented over the years," Twilight replied, staring at the sky with newfound awe, "but I've never seen anything like this."

"I'm sure you haven't," Grogar replied with a knowing nod, "I've watched the Land of Light from my prison for countless ages, and what I've noticed over time is that there are generally two conditions required for those 'thaumic anomalies' to occur, do you know what they are by chance, my child?"

Twilight straightened up and spoke without missing a beat.

"Based on what I've read in the past," she began, raising a hoof, "thaumic anomalies, or pockets of ambient mana, have been found to occur wherever massive amounts of magic had been cast at once," she faltered for a moment, her expression becoming unsure, "I'm... not too sure about the other condition, but another thing I noticed was that many of the 'hotspots' appeared wherever a great battle of some kind was fought."

"And?" Grogar pressed, "go on, why do you think that is, knowing what you do now?"

Twilight grimaced in thought, but it didn't take her long to put the pieces together and she replied with a victorious grin.

"If ambient mana is affected by the intense emotions of the dead, then it must've been a combination of all the mana released by the spells cast, and the lingering emotions of the soldiers that fought and died in battle!"

"Precisely," Grogar responded, much to Twilight's own delight, "though it doesn't necessarily have to be negative emotions that cause the effect you see, oft times that is the case, as those that died peacefully don't leave behind lingering emotions like that."

Twilight turned her attention back to the sky and shuddered slightly.

"What could've happened to cause all of that?" she wondered allowed, before glancing at the moon, "and does the Mourning Moon have anything to do with it?"

"The answers to those questions, child, lie within the message spoken by that lone spirit," the ram replied, sweeping his burning red eyes over the land before him, "unfortunately, much of what the spirit revealed to me was not so clear, but it did speak of a dark horror, and a great catastrophe that wiped out all life on the planet in one fell swoop."

"What kind of dark horror?" Twilight asked, spurred on by her own curiosity despite knowing full well that she'd rather have not known at all, "and what was this 'great catastrophe'?"

"I'm afraid I do not know for certain, child," Grogar replied, almost sounding bitter, "the soul was already fading by the time I found it, and I could only make out a few details here and there. They were important details to be sure, but I'm certain I did not get the whole of the story, and now I fear I never will."

"So now there really is nothing left," Twilight muttered, before her ears perked up and she frowned at a sudden thought, "but what happened to all the other spirits? If there's nopony left, then there has to be more souls somewhere, right?"

"Believe me, Twilight Sparkle, I have searched," Grogar answered, slowly shaking his head, "but even with my considerable knowledge of the arcane and the undead, I could not find another soul, living or otherwise."

He frowned and turned back to Twilight, his expression contemplative.

"This is merely a theory I've concocted based on the spirit's story and a few tests of my own, but I believe that the spirits of the dead were somehow put to rest... all but the one that remained.

"This, unfortunately, was not before their powerful emotions, the mana unleashed by this great catastrophe, and the general ambient mana in the air, all combined and did unspeakable damage to this world's thaumic field, corrupting it beyond repair.

"That corrupted mana gradually warped the thaumic field enough that the world began to stagnate because of its effects. New life would not rise from the ashes of this dead land, and it seems as though all time for this world has ceased to be, impossible as that may sound.

"Flora would not grow from the barren earth, debris left behind from the catastrophe would not rot or rust or otherwise break down as it should've, the air itself remains stale, save for an odd wind that blows about every now and then, carrying the scent of death, decay, and ash."

Twilight was still trying to come to her own conclusions, even through her own disbelief at what had transpired in the past. She still struggled to come to terms with the fact that this might've been another Equus like hers once upon a time. 

The thought was enough to make her head spin, and she somehow found it easier to accept that this place was some kind of higher or lower plane of existence rather than an alternate universe set in a possibly different timeline from her own.

And if that was indeed the case, then why?

Why were Grogar and Tambelon banished here of all places, and how did it happen? She wanted to ask what Grogar thought, but there was another question gnawing at her. It was the one question she'd had since the beginning.

"And what about the moon?" Twilight asked, gesturing towards the orb in the sky, "how does that fit in?"

"Ah, the Mourning Moon," Grogar replied with another small smile, "that perhaps, is the most interesting piece of the puzzle. The spirit mentioned the breaking of the cycle, but did not explain all too well what that meant, so I came to my own conclusions.

"I believe, that 'the breaking of the cycle' refers to the cessation of the actual cycle of life and death," Grogar swept a hoof out in front of him, "and it is a belief I have managed to verify through no small amount of trial and error."

"Much like you, I too wondered at the appearance of that moon and its mysterious power upon my own arrival. Upon that fateful meeting however, I began to see things as they truly were." 

"As they truly were?" Twilight asked, "how do you mean? What did you see?"

"What I mean, child, is that there is no longer an actual moon to brighten the night sky, nor is there a sun to banish the darkness," Grogar answered, "it took time and a great deal of effort to confirm my suspicions, but I've since discover that what you see above you is in fact, the true form of the spirit I met so long ago. 

Twilight's eyes widened in surprise, as she snapped her gaze from Grogar to the moon. Grogar paid her shock no mind as he continued his explanation.

"It is the spirit that forever mourns the death of the planet, the spirit that forsook oblivion and stayed behind to watch over this stagnant and desolate land. Through its power are we made stronger, and only by its light can I awaken my precious kingdom from its slumber.

"So that strange energy I felt before, and that spell you cast was all because of that spirit," Twilight surmised, "but what about those words you spoke? Did you learn them from the spirit when you met it?"

"The spell was a marriage of my own power and that of the Mourning Moon," Grogar explained, "it, and the incantation I spoke were both something I myself created based on my study of how the twisted mana saturating the air and the power of the Mourning Moon affect the dead."

Twilight's young mind had been working nonstop as Grogar spoke, her thoughts whirling with the many revelations she'd heard so far. Assuming that this world had been another Equestria in ages past, and that the Mourning Moon was indeed the spirit Grogar had met, there could only be one explanation for who that spirit was.

"You said Princess Celestia had a sister," Twilight began, her eyes locked on the moon, "you said there was one sister of the sun, and one of the moon. I didn't think about it earlier, but there was an old ponytale I read once. It was the story of the Mare in the Moon."

"Oh?" Grogar responded, raising an eyebrow at the filly, "do tell."

"Well, basically it talks about how the Princess of the Sun banished her sister, the Princess of the Moon, to her namesake for one thousand years when she fell to darkness and became Nightmare Moon. I thought it was just an old ponytale somepony wrote as an homage to Princess Celestia, but..."

"Child, that tale is far more true than you know," Grogar snorted, "and there is quite a bit more to the tale than that, I assure you. That however, is a story for another time. Tell me, what conclusion have you come to?"

"Well," Twilight answered uncertainly as she filed away Grogar's words for later, "if this place really was Equestria like I think it is, then that spirit you talked to—the one that took the shape of the Mourning Moon... could it be that sister? The Princess of the Moon?"

"Ah, who can say for sure, child," the ram answered with distant eyes and a wistful tone, "it may very well be, but I'm afraid we'll never know for certain. Though the moon grants us power, it cannot speak on its own behalf—not as it is now."

"Oh," Twilight replied, somewhat disheartened, "have you tried speaking to the spirit again?"

"I did, once," Grogar answered, "I attempted to commune with the Mourning Moon itself, but nothing came of it," he went quiet for a moment, staring out at the city and seemingly lost in thought before shaking his head and rising to his hooves, "I believe this explanation will have to suffice for the moment. Now come, we've spent enough time in idle conversation, and now I wish to trot amongst my citizens before the Mourning Moon passes."

With that, he turned and began trotting back down the path towards the city. Twilight watched him go for a moment before standing up. She gave the moon one last look before quickly trotting after the ram.

Several of Twilight's questions were answered, but she now found that there were more in their place. Grogar had said something about a 'dark horror' and this 'great catastrophe', but what exactly did that mean? Where were the details, and did Grogar himself know them, or had the spirit not been that clear?

And what of the spirit?

Was this really another Equus, and if so, was that soul really the Princess of the Moon? All these questions and so many more swirled about her mind, but she found it strangely comforting. 

Neither she, nor Grogar might've been able to completely solve the mystery of this world and of the Mourning Moon above, but at the very least, she wasn't thinking about the fact that she was an undead, soul sucking monster.

That was worth a million unanswered questions as far as Twilight was concerned.
> A Kingdom of Lies
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight had been looking forward to going back into the city.

She'd wanted to get to know these creatures and the ponies from the distant past. It was a chance no other pony in Equestria would ever have, and the potential knowledge she could glean from her arguably living ancestors sent pleasant chills down her spine.

More than that, however, the filly was astounded at just how much life had been born from such a desolate land. As she and Grogar trotted through the streets of Tambelon, neither spoke for a good while.

Twilight looked around in wide eyed wonder while Grogar seemed content to simply drink in the lively atmosphere. It may have been a temporary façade—the dead merely playing at being alive for a time, but for both the undead filly and the demonic ram, it was far more than that.

For Twilight, it was ancient history made real and tangible before her very eyes. For Grogar, it was a living memory of better times long since past. In truth, it wasn't all that different from how things were in Canterlot, albeit without many of the conveniences of the modern era of Equestria, and a lot more variety in the citizens.

Creatures of all types worked and lived with one another to create a unique environment not often seen in Equestrian lands. Most of the towns like this were few and far between, and even then, they were all on the edges of Equestria's borders.

Among the crowd there was laughter, shouting, squabbling, and simple conversation both hushed and open. The grown ups worked in the stalls and buildings, seemingly happy to be able to walk or trot around doing their jobs and joking with one another.

Children played in the streets while mothers watched nearby, laughing and gossiping on as though they hadn't been buried in the ground for countless years. 

Musicians and actors took up open air stages, performing for crowds. Artists displayed their works along the road and storytellers regaled the younger townsfolk with tales of wonder and suspense.

It was all truly something to behold.

If Twilight could compare the city of Tambelon to anything, it would've had to have been similar to how the history books described Canterlot during the beginning of Celestia's reign.

History books that failed to mention anything of Celestia's sister, Twilight realized with a small frown. 

The fact that ancient Canterlot was so similar to a city that existed so many millennia before it gave some definite credence to Grogar's claim of stagnation, but Twilight found she enjoyed the aesthetic of the town anyway. Still, there were a few things that bothered the filly, and after a decent amount of time had passed, she decided to give voice to her thoughts. 

"Um... Father?" Twilight asked, her eyes drawing towards the teal coated, wrinkled old storytelling unicorn mare surrounded by children of all kinds, "can I... ask you something?"

"Of course, my child," Grogar replied, casting his own idle gaze over the citizens who would stop what they were doing and give a slight bow every so often as he passed, "does something trouble you?"

"Well, it's just..." she finally pulled her attention away from the mare across the street and turned to look up at the ram, a bemused frown on her face, "where did all the tools everyp... everyone is using come from? Are they part of the spell that brought them all back?"

"Ah, an astute observation, Twilight Sparkle," Grogar replied with a nod, "yes, you are correct. While inorganic objects have no souls to revive, the spell I created is meant for more than simply 'raising the dead'," he cast a side glance at the curious filly, "the spell is meant to ultimately 'bring back that which was lost to time'."

At Twilight's uncomprehending expression Grogar shook his head and gestured to the entirety of the city before them. 

"I've resurrected not only the dead, but the past as well," he continued, "everything you see before you—the stone and metal structures, the fauna, the everyday tools my subjects use, even the seemingly normal appearance of those around you..."

He stopped suddenly, and Twilight fumbled to a stop next to him. The ram looked down and the filly followed his gaze to find a large silver coin that had apparently been dropped on the ground. 

Twilight looked back up at Grogar questioningly, and the ram nodded towards the coin in return. With a quizzical frown, the filly took up the coin in her magic and examined it, turning it this way and that. 

The coin was emblazoned with Grogar's own face on one side, and what Twilight guessed was the image of his castle on the other. It felt solid in her magic, but at the same time, Twilight could feel that something was off about the coin.

She frowned and narrowed her eyes, concentrating on the sensation of the coin within her aura. It was certainly solid, yet at the same time, it felt somehow... ethereal—like it wasn't really there, and the feeling was oddly familiar.

Then Twilight's eyes widened in realization.

"This is mana, isn't it?" she surmised, "I mean, the coin feels real, but it's... it also feels like I'm touching the magic of another unicorn."

"Indeed," Grogar replied, taking the coin in his own hoof, "much like this silver Tambelonan bit, everything you see here is comprised of mana that has been 'hardened' into a somewhat physical form—a grand illusion given tangibility by the sheer potency of the magic that permeates this realm." 

He dropped the coin and watched it clatter to the ground for a moment before slamming a hoof on top of it. There was a sound like a soft sigh, and from beneath Grogar's hoof, a violet wisp of mana rose up and away towards the sky.

Twilight watched it float away for a few seconds before it dissipated another moment later. She looked back over to Grogar just in time to see him remove his hoof from the spot where the coin was... and saw that it was gone.

"That's... amazing," the filly muttered in awe. She swept her eyes over the city and its undead inhabitants, "this whole thing is amazing. I didn't know this was even possible..."

She frowned again as another thought came to her. Turning back around, she spotted Grogar's restored castle in the distance, its many spires cast in a menacing silhouette.

"What about the castle?" she asked, keeping her eyes on the distant structure, "we were able to go inside, and nothing in there felt like it does out here."

"The castle is a... special case," Grogar replied, following the filly's gaze, "while the exterior look of my castle is due in no small part to the same illusion that covers much of the town, the actual restoration of its outer walls and interior are very real."

"How?" Twilight replied, turning back around to face the ram with a bemused tilt of her head, "what makes the castle so different from the town?"

At this, Grogar chuckled and turned to watch the citizens going about their business. He remained silent for another few seconds or so before speaking again, his tone somewhat somber.

"When I spoke of being one with Tambelon, I wasn't merely waxing poetic, child," he explained, "to this day I am... unsure of the reason, but whenever the Mourning Moon appears, I find that my castle is restored to its former glory.

"This is true of the city, but when it comes to my castle, the restoration occurs on its own. Despite that, I feel the castle as if it were a physical part of me, no matter where I may be, and that sensation heightens tenfold when the Mourning Moon rises."

"Wait, so... the castle just... fixes itself?" Twilight asked incredulously, "how is that even possible? Is it the moon?"

"I believe so, but as I said, I have yet to determine the cause," Grogar replied before casting a thoughtful gaze towards the moon in question, "come to think of it, it was only after I'd visited with that spirit that the restoration began... perhaps... it is a blessing of some sort."

He was silent a second, and Twilight was about to speak again when Grogar continued, shaking his head as though dismissing a sudden thought.

"In any case, the castle is mine to mold as I see fit," he smirked slightly as he looked back to Twilight, "I alluded to being able to change my castle at will, and while that has always been true to an extent, never have I held such power over it as I do now."

Twilight wasn't really sure what to say to that. It was certainly impressive, and Grogar in general was perhaps the most powerful mage Twilight had ever seen—most definitely on par with, and maybe even surpassing Celestia herself.

It was hard to say, as the filly had never really seen Celestia perform any particularly jaw dropping magical feats aside from raising and lowering the sun and moon. Not only that, but Twilight was certain Grogar had far more he'd yet to reveal to her.

Despite all of this however, Twilight still found the whole situation with the resurrected town rather unnerving. While the flourishing city was fascinating to witness, and she still wanted to probe the minds of the undead citizens for their ancient knowledge, she couldn't help but notice the odd dullness in their eyes and the somewhat mechanical feel of their movements.

They put on a convincing act of being a normal, thriving society from afar, but up close, even a filly could see that something was wrong. Having them all act like they'd never died, working and playing and laughing, and communicating with each other.

It all seemed rather pointless. In this world full of corrupted mana and nothing else, what did Grogar have to gain by pulling the dead from their slumber? Twilight wanted to enjoy seeing an ancient kingdom come to life, but now that the thought arisen, she couldn't shake it, so she decided to ask.

"That's... really amazing, but I have... another question," Twilight began even more reluctant than the last time, "um... it's about the town and all of this really."

Grogar narrowed his eyes slightly at the hesitation in the filly's tone.

"...Go on."

Twilight swallowed and looked around before staring at her hooves, unable to look the ram in the eye for some reason.

"Why do all of this?" she nearly whispered, unconsciously preparing herself for some kind of backlash for the insolence of her question, "i-it's really impressive—really it is! It's just... it kind of... um..."

She trailed off and clenched her eyes shut, finally losing her nerve. There was a beat of silence, but her eyes snapped open a moment later when she heard the old ram sigh heavily. Looking back at Grogar, she could see that he didn't look angry at her inquiry. 

On the contrary, he looked weary, worn, and every bit as old as he was. It was the first time the filly had seen such an emotion from the sometimes angry, but normally calm, collected, dignified, and imperious demon. 

When he answered, it was with a sort of melancholy that would've made Twilight's heart ache had it the ability to do so. As it stood, she could feel his odd despondency settle over her like a great weight, courtesy of the softly glowing bell around her neck.

"Despite how I may seem to you, child, I still long for my home as it was back then," he explained, his eyes making their way back over to a stage set up in the middle of town. "I still long for the days spent as the king of my land, and to that end I have recreated those halcyon days as best I could with the power available to me."

He watched for a long moment as two troggles and a unicorn mare took to the stage. One troggle began to play a flute while the other pulled a bow across the strings of a violin. Twilight too watched with some interest as the two began to play a rather jaunty tune while the mare who stood in front began to sing.

The composition was masterful, and the mare's voice was beautiful, but strangely enough, Twilight was not moved in the slightest, something that confounded her. In Equestria, music was one of the greatest and most powerful forms of expression, and the three would've no doubt had ponies gathering and cheering in an instant.

Here however, they failed completely and utterly to inspire such emotion. She had regained her emotions, so why didn't the infectious music move her like it would've back in Equestria? 

Twilight couldn't understand it, and wanted to ask Grogar why this was the case, but the ram moved on, turning away from the scene to focus on Twilight herself.

"The restoration of my castle has a far greater purpose where you and I are concerned," he continued, before nodding towards the trio onstage, "but this? Most of this is self-indulgence on my part, like looking through an old photo album and remembering the days gone by."

"So.. you don't have to revive them all," Twilight replied, giving a slow nod of comprehension, "you do it because it reminds you of how things used to be?"

"That is a large part of it, yes," Grogar answered. He frowned a moment later, "though there is yet another reason for all of the effort I put into this," he turned back to Twilight, "you see, the Mourning Moon would stir the souls of the dead from their slumber with or without my guidance.

"Without my hoof to guide them however," Grogar's expression turned grim, "they would awaken as nothing more than feral beasts, mindless rotting creatures aimlessly wandering about. 

"Without my spell, they are merely tortured souls, tearing each other and anything else to pieces in the agony and madness brought about by their undeath. They would destroy each other utterly, only to reform so that they could repeat the process all over again."

Twilight shuddered at the thought.

"R-Really?" she asked in a near whisper, "but... couldn't you just... control them? You're a necromancer, right?"

"I could, certainly," Grogar replied with a nod, "but what would be the point? They cannot destroy me, they cannot destroy each other—not permanently, and there is nothing else in these empty wastes to destroy. No, it would just be a waste of mana." 

"This however," he once more gestured to the city around him, "with this spell, not only can I relive my own past, but the spell also allows these damned souls some semblance of peace. It keeps them focused, and perhaps, most important of all, quells my own eternal boredom in this wretched place."

"Oh," Twilight responded, unsure of what to think. She looked around again before giving Grogar a hopeful look, "can they... do they still have their memories? Would I... be able to ask them things?"

"You could," Grogar replied, knowing full well where the filly was going, "souls are an excellent source of knowledge, child. Many necromancers of old would often reanimate the souls of the dead simply to gain access to the secrets they held within them."

"Really?" Twilight asked, a wide smile adorning her face, "then... then can I go and talk to them? I wanna know more about the past, and maybe learn a few other things!"

"By all means," Grogar replied, pointing a hoof back towards the storyteller they'd left behind, "knowledge is one of the greatest gifts any world has to offer. Go, child, take your fill of it before the Mourning Moon passes, for when it is gone, we will be returning to your lessons."

"YES!" Twilight cried before wrapping one of Grogar's legs in a tight hug, "thank you, Father!"

Grogar merely raised an eyebrow at the emotional display. He didn't respond otherwise, but Twilight was already rushing off towards the old mare surrounded by other children. He watched her go with a small frown adorning his face.

"A brilliant mind, but still a filly through and through," he muttered to himself, "but it matters not. She will learn, she will grow, and when the time is right, she will have all that she needs to become a creature worthy of standing by my side as we take the Land of Light, but I musn't rush things. Patience is a virtue after all."

He allowed himself a small, wicked smile before vanishing into nothingness, the echo of his final words carrying on the ash strewn wind that blew across the city.


I've waited this long, I can wait a little longer...
> The Setting of the Moon
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight wasn't sure how much time had passed  since she'd been asking and listening to the citizens of Tambelon, but she nevertheless felt like her inquiries had ended far too soon.

It was a strange thing, she thought, that the many creatures of the city would look so vacant eyed and mechanical, yet hold so much knowledge and speak so freely. Their words were completely at odds with their looks and actions, and while it was unsettling at first, the filly quickly got used to it.

From a distance, the creatures unnerved her, but over time, she found herself more and more comfortable among the dead. Helping the fact was the vast amount of information she was able to obtain from whomever she chose to ask, and ask she did.

Twilight would jump from one topic to another, spewing out whatever questions came to mind and latching on to whatever subject caught her fancy. She talked to the ponies of old, the troggles, the few grundles she saw, and the miniature gnomes, only slightly bigger than Twilight herself was.

She took in the ancient customs, stories, and history like a sponge, and bemoaned the fact that she hadn't brought some parchment and a quill to record what she'd heard. Still, even in life the filly's memory was impeccable, and it seemed all the better in death somehow.

When she reached for the knowledge she'd gained, Twilight found she had little trouble bringing it up, the memories clear and vivid in her mind's eye. Satisfied, she continued her avid hunt for information for a good while longer, not knowing or particularly caring where Grogar was at the moment.

Twilight most likely would have forgotten all about the ram, had her own soul not been spiritually linked with his. As it stood however, Grogar's presence was always there at the back of her mind, his burning red gaze watching over her even when he wasn't nearby.

It was both terrifying and comforting in a way the filly couldn't describe, and when the demonic ram finally did appear again, she found she wasn't all that surprised to see him, almost expecting him to appear when he did, in fact.

"The time has come, child," Grogar intoned, fading into existence behind the filly, "the Mourning Moon is set to pass, and we must depart the city, lest you be dragged into a long slumber with the rest of my subjects."

"Wait, what!?" Twilight cried, as she whipped around to face Grogar. She'd been prepared to protest and ask for a few more moments, but her unspoken objections died in her throat in favor of this news, "that can happen? Why?"

Grogar opened his mouth to respond, but froze as a cold, biting wind began to blow—the gale blowing not past them, but oddly enough, downward. The wind quickly began to change from a low whistle, to a horrid howl, the pressure pushing down on Twilight's back as if trying to force her into the ground.

A familiar wail could be heard over the gale, and Twilight's eyes widened in terror. She cried out as she was pushed to the ground, feeling as though she was being held down by some kind of intense physical force. 

At the same time, she began to hear angry, agonized screams—their maddening cacophony joining the howling winds and wailing moon. Twilight glanced around and saw that each and every citizen had been forced to their knees the same way she was.

Much to the filly's mounting horror however, they'd lost any semblance of clarity or sanity they once had. Unlike herself, the thousands of creatures around her were reduced to shrieking husks, their pristine appearance once more rotted away, revealing fetid, torn flesh hanging from cracked and yellowed bone.

The mana that held the living memory of the city together was fading fast. The greenery blackened and withered and the structures that'd been restored were once again reduced to debris. Twilight could only watch in equal parts terror and fascination as the citizens themselves slowly sunk back into the earth, screaming and thrashing all the while.

She swept her gaze over the spectacle with wide disbelieving eyes, not realizing for a moment that her own hooves were beginning to sink into the ground. She too was about to share the same fate, and it was only the deep growl of Grogar's voice that snapped her out of her stunned state.

"Take hold of your senses, girl!" the ram bellowed, his horns blazing with a bright pink light, "I shall explain, but now it is time for us to make our exit!"

Twilight looked up at Grogar, but her gaze was almost immediately arrested by the sight of the Mourning Moon as it gave one last ear-splitting wail. A few seconds later it blackened until it was the same color as the sky around it, but the filly didn't get to see what happened next, as Grogar had chosen that moment to escape the city. 

His horns flashed brighter and the world once again melted away around the filly before snapping back into place a second later.  Twilight stumbled a bit, dazed and disoriented from the abrupt and compete change in atmosphere.

She blinked rapidly and shook her head, looking around a moment later to see that she and Grogar were back in his study. She sighed in relief before turning to Grogar, the ram having already taken a seat at his desk.

"That, Twilight Sparkle," Grogar began, as though nothing of note had happened, "is what happens to the dead that walk beneath the gaze of the Mourning Moon. One cry to wake the dead, and another to put them back to rest."

Twilight nodded, swallowing nervously.

"And since I'm dead, the Mourning Moon was gonna... put me to sleep too?" she asked, "just like all the others?"

"Indeed," Grogar replied with a grim nod, "you are not yet a powerful enough undead to resist the call of the Mourning Moon, child, but fear not, for you will be soon enough. You need only continue your studies and wait, your power will grow naturally on its own."

"Oh, alright then," Twilight replied, breathing out another quiet sigh of relief before looking back up at Grogar, "so... the Mourning Moon is gone now?"

"It has vanished for the time being, yes," Grogar replied as he got up from his chair, "it will not appear again for some time, so for now it will be just you and I, unless I decide to call Bray back to my side," he gave a small, malicious grin, "...or another 'guest' perhaps."

"Bray?" Twilight asked, frowning in confusion. Her eyes lit up a moment later in recognition, "oh, that donkey shadow... thing," she shivered slightly as she remembered the dark creature, as well as the other events that transpired then, "who was that anyway? What happened to him?"

"Bray," Grogar replied, dragging out the name as he narrowed his eyes, "he was my bumbling subordinate once—a fool, a failure, useless when it truly counted." 

He trotted around the table and lit up his horns, conjuring a plush and lavish maroon armchair in front of the blazing hearth. Twilight blinked in surprise, but let out a silent 'oh' in realization a moment later. The ram must've pulled the chair from another location, she thought.

Grogar himself gave no explanation or even acknowledgement of the chair as he made his way past it and towards the long row of books on the shelf. 

"After my second banishment, and in my... immense displeasure," the ram paused a moment, chuckling ruefully and shaking his head before moving on, "in my terrible fury I chose to punish the fool for his failure, cursing him to a pitiful existence as the shade you saw back then."

"A shade?" Twilight asked, "what's a... wait a minute..."

She frowned and looked around the room, suddenly aware that she now had access to her own source of information, limited though it may be at the moment. She stood up from where she'd been sitting and scanned the area, puzzled at where the Black Compendium could've gone.

The filly couldn't remember where she'd put the tome, but with how massive the text was, it couldn't have been that hard to spot in the well maintained study. Her expression became puzzled as she failed to locate the book at a glance.

"Something wrong?" Grogar asked, turning away from the bookshelf to raise an eyebrow at Twilight, "missing something, perhaps?"

"Yeah, where's..." Twilight's frown deepened as she looked back at Grogar, "I can't remember where I put the Black Compendium. I didn't put it back on the bookshelf, so I know it has to be around here somewhere, but I can't see it anywhere."

"Why not simply summon it back to your side?" Grogar suggested with a knowing grin, "surely it shouldn't be so hard? I would've though a filly of your prodigious talent would've figure out the means by which to recall lost objects from wherever they may be by now?"

"I... no, I haven't," Twilight admitted almost ashamedly, "I know it's possible to magically 'imprint' an object so you can call it back to you at any time, and if you know exactly where the thing is, you can just teleport it to you if it's within a certain distance, but both methods were too advanced for me."

"My my, that's rather disappointing," Grogar replied, slowly shaking his head disapprovingly, "I would've expected more out of you, child, but I suppose you are still a filly, and in the end, a filly cannot know everything there is to know, nor can they accomplish what is beyond their current skill level, prodigy or otherwise."

Twilight winced and folded her ears against her head, disappointed in herself for not being able to meet Grogar's expectations. Grogar, for his part, dismissed the matter with a lazy wave of his cloven hoof.

"Worry not, Twilight Sparkle," he said, turning back to the shelves, "while I do have high hopes for you, I am by no means unreasonable in what I expect you to accomplish. My words were merely meant to gauge your current ability, nothing more."

"Oh," Twilight replied, still somewhat upset. Then a thought came to her and she perked up, her expression turning hopeful, "wait, so are you gonna teach me how to imprint and recall items, or teleport other objects?"

"Close, child, but no," Grogar answered, nodding to himself as he pulled a thick brown and aged tome from the shelf. Having found what he was looking for, he trotted back over to the armchair with the tome floating beside him, and planted himself onto it, getting comfortable as he spoke, "what I have to teach you is nothing so complicated as that, well, normally not so complicated at any rate."

Grogar took the tome he'd procured from the bookshelf into his hooves and pulled it open, smirking as the eager filly watched his every move, her discomfort with what happened to Bray almost completely forgotten. He silently flipped a few pages, ignoring Twilight as she began to fidget impatiently, and it was only when he found the page he was looking for that he spoke again.

"I'm quite fond of this chair, you know," Grogar said, his words as casual as they were unexpected, "it was my father's favorite chair, and when he passed on, it was bequeathed to me."

Twilight wondered just where Grogar was going with this, but chose to remain silent, figuring he'd make his point when he was ready. She was beginning to understand that the ram took things at his own pace, and that it was far from her place to rush him.

"The entire kingdom became mine to rule of course, but that was a given," Grogar continued, turning another page in his book, "this chair however..." he chuckled quietly, and his crimson eyes grew distant, "I have... fond memories of my father sitting in this very chair as he read me many fables of old, and taught me what it meant to be a king. So many fond memories..."

He paused and looked up from his book, giving the confused filly a significant look.

"Such is my fondness for this chair, that even in this dreary, abominable existence, I make it a point to make sure this particular piece of furniture is properly maintained and cared for," he furrowed his brow and Twilight unconsciously straightened up, sensing he was about to make his point, "in short, this chair holds a great deal of sentimental value to me. My question for you then, is this..."

Twilight jumped slightly as Grogar suddenly snapped the book shut, his eyes boring into her with all the intensity of a teacher expecting and accepting only the correct answer from their student.

"...when it comes to the casting of Soul Magic, why does this matter?"

Twilight struggled with her answer for a moment, too caught off guard by the question to respond right away. She searched her memory for everything she'd learned about Soul Magic. If Grogar was talking about sentimental value, the answer most likely had something to do with the emotions directed towards the object.

No, not the emotions specifically, but the connection formed by those emotions.

The bond.

The link.

"It matters because you're tying strong emotions to that object," Twilight answered carefully, "and... those emotions can form a link between you and the object, a link you can take advantage of when casting Soul Magic... or Dark Magic, I guess."

"Precisely," Grogar replied with a satisfied nod, "now, you can imprint your magic signature upon an item and use that to call it forth, but that method becomes less effective over time as the signature fades, and the imprint must be reapplied often.

"It is also true that you can teleport an object to you if you know exactly where it is, but that only works within a certain range, and both methods are limited by the size and weight of the object in question. There is however, another method that requires neither a magic signature, nor the exact knowledge of the object's location."

Grogar paused for effect and Twilight leaned in, both ears turned towards the ram and an anticipatory grin on her face.

"Though distance and magical power are still prevalent factors," Grogar finally continued, "I speak of a method of summoning an object that is almost wholly based on emotional bond, and has no such restraints involving size or weight. The stronger your feelings towards the item, the easier it is to call to your side."

"How is that even possible?" Twilight asked, astounded at the prospect, "is this some kind of Summoning Magic? It has to be, no other branch of magic is capable of that!"

"On the contrary," Grogar answered with a single shake of his head, "this spell predates the more modern methods by a good deal, and no, this is not Summoning Magic. I cannot fathom why the use of this spell died out in favor of the more restrictive methods, but it remains a useful spell to know, and it will pave the way for another series of spells I plan to teach you."

"And this spell is what you used to make that chair appear?" Twilight surmised, eyeing the plush armchair with renewed fascination, "is this why the Black Compendium is missing?" she turned back to Grogar with a questioning look, "you want me to summon it back using the spell?"

"Sharp as ever I see," Grogar chuckled, "indeed, child. I hid the Black Compendium somewhere in this castle, and I want you to bring it back using this spell. You've spent quite a bit of time with book and I know it fascinates you, so it should be a sufficient enough focus for now."

"So how do I do it?" Twilight asked, mentally preparing herself for what may very well have been some intense casting, "and does the spell have a name?"

"It does, but I have since forgotten it, and have not bothered to remember," Grogar replied dismissively, "more importantly, all you need is to channel a small amount of Soul Magic, or Dark Magic depending on the emotion, think of what it is you want to obtain, and cast that outward."

Grogar stopped and frowned slightly, his head lowered and his eyes narrowed. He hummed to himself a moment later and spoke again, his tone thoughtful.

"I've only just worked out why this method may have died out," he mused, tapping his chin, "the wondrous thing about this spell is that ambient magic does most of the work, and the Land of Light is woefully lacking such an atmosphere. A pity, that."

Twilight 'oh'd' in understand before giving a small thoughtful frown of her own a moment later. Grogar had been from the Land of Light originally, so that would've meant the spell was nearly useless for him as well.

Then she remembered what one of the ponies of old told her about the days when Equestria was still Ponyland. Apparently at one point, the world did have an abundance of ambient mana. There were far more spells available, and they'd been terribly powerful.

For reasons she hadn't been able to glean, the abundance of ambient mana had begun to dwindle over time, leaving Equestria in the state it was in now. With a twinge of worry, Twilight wondered if all the mana would disappear from Equestria one day. She made a mental note to ask Grogar more about the possible issue it later.

"Focus, child," came Grogar's stern growl, jerking Twilight out of her thoughts. Once he had her attention, Grogar grunted and continued his explanation, "as I was saying, the ambient mana will take hold of the the directionless, emotion saturated spell, and guide it towards the object in question.

"Once it makes contact, you'll feel it, and when that happens, you simply pull the object towards you," he paused, "if it helps, think of it like fishing, with Soul Magic as the line, and your emotional link to the object as the bait."

"That... sounds easy enough," Twilight replied uncertainly, "yeah, I think I can do that."

"Simple though it may sound, it is far from it, my child," Grogar intoned, "for a creature so unused to making ambient magic work for them, it will be quite a task, I assure you," he pulled open the book he'd been reading once more as he continued, "if you wish to know more of the pitiable beings known as shades, you will have to successfully cast the spell and pull the book from where I've hidden it."

Twilight grimaced and fell to her haunches, determined to pull this off. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before bathing her horn in a dark violet glow, the light fizzling out mere seconds later. Her eyes snapped open and she frowned up at her own horn in bemusement.

Grogar, whose chair was mostly facing the fireplace, turned slightly to watch in amusement as the filly tried again and again, already growling in frustration with each failure. The spell may not have served her all that well in the Land of Light, but he fully believe she'd find a way to mitigate the issue given time. With one more quiet chuckle he turned back to his book and flipped another page.


Patience, Grogar... always patience.
> In the Halls of Canterlot Castle
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shining Armor snapped the tome he'd been reading shut with a half sigh, half groan of frustration and placed it on top of the growing pile of discarded books on his desk.

It'd been the better part of a month since he'd began his research into the sub branch of Mind Magic known as Oneiromancy. He'd learned a few things here and there, but nothing that would help him with what he really needed. What was worse was that Celestia was starting to get suspicious.

He'd managed to keep his studies discreet well enough so far, but the Solar Princess was no fool, and she most definitely knew the colt was up to something. Shining Armor grimaced at the thought of Celestia finding out, knowing full well that the protective Princess would never allow him to do what he'd intended to do with the knowledge.

As he thought on any possible solutions to his dilemma, he cast an idle glance towards the softly glowing golden crystal encased in glass atop his desk. He found his mind wandering back to Celestia and her secret affinity, as it had every so often during his research. She probably would've been able to help far more than any of the tomes he'd been reading, but he couldn't bring himself to ask.

What Shining Armor had wanted to do was incredibly risky, but at the same time, he felt it was necessary—especially after Celestia had told him more about her sister. It was plain to see that Celestia missed Luna terribly, and the pain, regret, and guilt in her eyes as she went on about the Princess of the Night only convinced him all the more that what he was doing was the right decision.

Unfortunately, his search had hit a wall, and he was running out of resources. He'd taken a few trips down to the Canterlot Public Library in town, and had even gotten permission to peruse the Royal Archives for information, but to no avail.

Shining let out a loud yawn before turning to the window with a grimace. Celestia had already lowered the sun for the night and would no doubt be checking on the colt soon. He didn't know why, but lately Celestia had been coming to visit more often in the evenings just before she turned in, despite what she'd told him before about visiting at night.

While it was unexpected, Shining didn't say anything about it, and had in fact not minded it in the slightest, at least, not once he'd learned to hide the contents of his studies beforehoof. The first couple of times, there'd been some close calls and one particularly embarrassing misunderstanding, but thankfully he'd managed to keep his research a secret.

His research aside, Shining Armor still didn't know how to feel about how drastically his life had changed, or about the Princess and the fact that she'd adopted him as her son... her heir technically. He gave a small disbelieving chuckle at the thought, still unable to wrap his mind around the fact that he was technically next in line for the throne, even if he'd never actually get a chance to take it up.

Celestia was an immortal after all, and he didn't see her abdicating or being forced off of it any time soon. Nightmare Moon may have been a threat, but if it came down to it, he figured Celestia wouldn't let her familial bond with her sister get in the way of protecting 'her little ponies', even if it would kill her inside to fight against Luna.

In any case, he still had several feelings to sort out, and had buried those feelings under constant research and his own drive to do what he thought was necessary. Over the last few weeks, and as Princess Celestia had come by to visit more and more, his bitterness towards the mare had melted away for the most part, leaving him feeling oddly hollow and unsure.

He hadn't been out and about for any reason other than to gather more resources for his research, and still spent most of his time in his room, something he had gotten used to over time. Every so often he'd gaze down at the town from his personal balcony, or even up at the moon at night when he felt he was losing his resolve.

It was far from an ideal way of life, but he couldn't bring himself to focus on anything else with the very real threat of Nightmare Moon looming over him and the rest of Equestria. He had to do something, and right now, this was the only thing he could think of in his position. He was in no way powerful enough to take on the dark mare, but if he could just find a way to protect himself within his own subconscious mind, then maybe...

His thoughts were interrupted by a soft knock on his bedroom door, and he started at the sudden noise. With a practiced flick of his horn, he floated his pile of books back over to their respective places on the shelves, save for one, and called for Celestia to enter. 

He'd been careless, lost in his thoughts as he was, but managed to make it look as though he'd been reading up on crystal enchantment. It wouldn't have been a complete lie, as he really had taken an interest in the practice and had actually done some reading on it.

Celestia entered the room, and Shining was about to greet her, but the look on her face made him pause and furrow his brow in bemusement.The Princess glanced around the room silently, her gaze stopping on the bookshelves for a brief moment before settling on the colt.

"Good evening, Shining Armor," Celestia greeted, her stoic frown not matching her pleasant tone in the slightest, "I trust you're well?"

"Yeah, I'm... fine," Shining replied with a quizzical frown of his own, a bit unsettled by Celestia's professional demeanor, "are you okay? You seem kind of... stiff."

At that, the Princess's mask faltered and she sighed before looking back at Shining, her frown turning apologetic.

"I'm sorry, Shining Armor, but... I'd like to show you something, and it's..." she struggled with her next words for a moment before speaking again, "...it's very personal, and I... well, it's difficult for me, but it's something I feel you should see, given what you now know."

"What is it?" Shining asked with a tilt of his head. Both his curiosity and worry piqued, Shining hopped off his chair and trotted over to the hesitant Princess, "is it about the Elements of Harmony?"

Celestia's eyes widened slightly for a brief second and she gave an amused chuckle another second later.   

"I see your 'research' is going as well as ever," she remarked, wearing a knowing grin that Shining didn't like one bit. She cleared her throat and shook her head, speaking in a more measured tone, "but no, Shining, this isn't about the Elements of Harmony, though we will be having a discussion about that at some point in the near future."

Shining Armor grimaced, but Celestia ignored that and turned to exit the room, shuffling her wings as she stepped out. 

"Come," Celestia commanded, "we don't have far to go, but I'd rather do this quickly and discreetly... in fact..." she stopped just outside the doorway and her horn briefly flash a brilliant golden yellow, "...there we are. Now, let us continue."

After blinking the spots out of his eyes, Shining Armor looked around to see that nothing of note had changed. He frowned in confusion as he followed Celestia out of the room, and a moment later he spoke up, unable to stifle his curiosity at what the Princess had just done.

"So, what was that all about?" Shining whispered as the two of them quietly made their way down the darkened corridor, "what did you do?"

"Just made it a bit easier for us to move around unnoticed is all," Celestia whispered back cryptically, "nothing to worry about. As I said, I'd rather not be seen wandering about, lest there be questions."

"If you wanted discretion, why not just teleport us where we need to go?" Shining continued, "and where are we going anyway? Why all the secrecy?"

Celestia remained quiet for a long moment, long enough that Shining wondered if the Princess had even heard him. She hadn't even turned around to face him, and just as the impatient colt was about to ask again, Celestia gave a sudden, but quiet reply.

"I did not get where I am today by being a daft mare, Shining Armor," Celestia said, her voice taking on a stern edge as she turned a disapproving eye towards the stunned colt, "do not think for a moment that I am unaware of your research into Oneiromancy." 

Shining stumbled to a stop, his heart skipping a beat at both Celestia's words and the look she gave him. Caught off guard, he fumbled for an explanation, but Celestia raised a hoof to forestall him. Once he'd quieted down, she continued down the corridor once more, motioning for the colt to follow.

"I gave that enchanted crystal to you for a reason, Shining Armor," she continued, "I don't know what you intend to do with that kind of knowledge, but I can't allow you to simply dive headfirst into dream related magic on your own." 

Celestia's frown deepened and she slowly shook her head, not taking her eyes off the path ahead as she spoke.

"Such magic is not meant to be self-taught by anypony save my sister, for the realm of dreams is, and remains, hers even now, as you no doubt saw that night."

Shining Armor winced as he thought back to that nightmare and those cold blue eyes. It had taken a few days for the sudden flashes of Nightmare Moon's visage to disappear from his mind after that night, and they didn't completely stop until Celestia had given him that crystal.

He hadn't suffered from the sudden images since, thankfully, but the memory of the dark alicorn's fanged, sinister, and almost mocking grin still haunted him. Rather than cow Shining Armor however, the visions only reminded the colt of why he needed to learn this magic. 

Not only that, but despite himself and his complicated feelings towards the mare that would play at being his new mother, Shining couldn't help but remember the desperation on Celestia's face as she practically begged him to tell her about his dreams.

The raw emotion on her face had pulled at him in a way he hadn't expected, and, if he was being completely honest with himself, he knew exactly who he was doing this for most of all, and it wasn't himself, or even the ponies of Equestria in general.

It was for Celestia.

It was so he wouldn't have to see that heart-wrenching, soul crushing desperation ever again. It made him think about the look his own sister might've given him had he been there when her magic had gone out of control, and he couldn't stand the thought.

"I know how dangerous Oneiromancy is, Celestia," Shining Armor finally replied, turning to look at the Princess with as much determination as he could muster, "I know it's risky... but I can't keep hiding from Nightmare Moon forever. I appreciate what you did for me with the crystal, but..."

Shining Armor trailed off and Celestia watched him for a long moment before giving the colt a sad, understanding smile.

"...You don't like not being in control of your own mind, is that it?" Celestia guessed. Upon receiving only silence in return, Celestia chuckled and shook her head, "it certainly is galling, I'd imagine, and I can understand why you'd want to personally do something about it, but still, Shining—"

"It's more than that!" 

Shining shouted, before wincing at his own volume. He looked around, and his heart leapt into his throat as he saw one of the castle staff pass right by. He furrowed his brow in confusion a few seconds later as the maid kept on trotting as though neither he nor the Princess were even there.

"What—"

"An effect of the Wallflower spell I cast earlier," Celestia replied distractedly, most of her attention focused on Shining's outburst, "Shining Armor, what do you mean? What other reason do you have for undertaking your own studies on the subject of dream magic?"

After some outwardly silent deliberation, and an intense internal struggle, Shining Armor finally relented with a frustrated growl. He turned to fully face the bemused Princess with a determined scowl, but when he spoke, it was with no small amount of hesitance.

"...I wanna talk to Nightmare Moon—without all the creepy nightmare stuff affecting me," Shining responded, "It... it's not that I don't believe you... but I still wanna hear her side of the story—I wanna hear what she went through from her perspective, and if I can just get her to listen and... and open up, then maybe..." 

Celestia's eyes widened for a brief moment, but another second later, she sighed and closed her eyes, a small rueful smile adorning her face. 

"I figured that might be the true reason behind your actions," she muttered before speaking a little louder, her smile growing less rueful and more grateful as she worked out Shining's true intentions, "Shining Armor, I appreciate what you're trying to do, really, but it's just too dangerous an attempt on your own."

"Yeah, but..." Shining grit his teeth and stomped a hoof in frustration, "Princess, I—"

"Which is why I'm going to help you every step of the way."

Shining Armor blinked, his aggravation and conviction giving way to complete bewilderment.

"...What?"

Rather than explain, Celestia came to a stop and turned to face Shining, causing the colt himself to stop. It was only now that he noticed they'd reached the end of the corridor. 

Which corridor he wasn't sure, but they were both standing before a seemingly blank, off-white, nondescript wall—a complete dead-end at the end of the hallway. Shining was about to ask where they'd gone when Celestia lit up her horn, speaking to him as she did so.

"If you'll look behind you, you'll see none other than the door to my own chambers," Celestia explained nodding towards a point just past the colt. As Shining turned to face a large, ornate white door bearing the Solar Monarch's cutie mark on the opposite side of the hall, Celestia spoke again, "and if you look before you, you'll see nothing but a solid wall."

Sure enough, Shining couldn't see anything out of the ordinary about the wall they stood before, save for the fact that the wall existed here at all. The corridor they had apparently traveled through ended in the center of this hallway, and the way it was designed, there should've been a door on either side of the hall, but there was only Celestia's room.

That's when Shining Armor began to get an idea of what might've been going on. At the look of realization on Shining Armor's face, Celestia gave another chuckle and the golden glow of her horn brightened ever so slightly.

"It appears that you've worked out what is wrong with this picture," her smile suddenly fell away, replaced with a somewhat melancholy frown. When she next spoke, her tone was far more subdued, "...allow me to rectify the situation."

Before Shining Armor could process the change in Celestia's demeanor, the entire wall flashed with the same bright golden light as the Princess's own magic. Once the light died down, Celestia stepped forward and placed a hoof in the middle of the wall.

"Oh, and to answer your earlier question of why I didn't teleport us here," Celestia said, almost as an afterthought, "it's because I've put wards in place in certain parts of the castle to prevent teleportation for security reasons, and this happens to be one of those warded areas. Aside from that, I wanted to talk to you on the way here."

To Shining's amazement, a strange scrawl faded into existence on the wall around Celestia's hoof, and spread outwards, the odd script glowing bright gold. A moment later the wall rippled like water and completely vanished a moment later, the structure disintegrating with an audible hiss.

The wall was now completely gone, revealing another ornate door in its place. As far as the shape went, it was a mirror of Celestia's but aside from that, it couldn't have been more different. 

The door itself was a deep, dark blue, and where Celestia's door was adorned with her cutie mark of a sun, this door was marked with what looked to Shining like a large blot of ink with a pure white crescent moon in the middle.

A strange sense of serenity seemed to wash over the colt as he gazed upon the door, and it took him a moment to realize what he was actually looking at. Once he did however, he turned towards a grim faced Celestia with a look of disbelief.

"I want to see my sister... I want to see Luna again, Shining Armor," Celestia said in a near whisper. Her words were aimed at the colt, but her eyes never left the door before her, "I want to see her as she was. I want to apologize, and tell her I was the one in the wrong... but I can't do that as things stand now." 

She paused and let out a deep despondent sigh before finally turning to Shining Armor.

"If you're really that serious about this, then you'll need all the information you can get regarding Luna," Celestia explained, "as you no doubt have guess already, this is my sister's room. I personally made it for her should she... ever return to rule by my side. Nopony save for you and I, know of its existence."

"But how?" Shining replied, still somewhat stunned at what he was seeing, "I mean, two ends of a hallway, and only one has a door? Sure, it's not that strange, but you'd think somepony would get curious and start snooping around? And aside from that, how did even you build an entire room without anypony noticing?"

"Shining, I take it you haven't forgotten what my affinity is, yes?" Celestia replied seriously, "the only reason you got this close to the wall without turning around to see to some other suddenly far more important business, is because I allowed you to."

"What? How does that..." Shining's eyes widened before narrowing as he glared at the Princess, "you didn't..."

"In this case, I felt I had to," Celestia replied, a look of guilt crossing her face, "I want nopony to know of this room until the time is right, and my sister is once more herself."

Shining Armor went to reply, but thought better of it. He didn't like it, but in this case, he could somewhat understand her actions, and it was probably more of a static spell she'd placed on the wall to keep nosy ponies away which, again, he could understand.

Using Mind Magic so that she could build a room on her own without anypony's notice? That one might've been a little less acceptable in Shining's opinion, but once again, as long as she hadn't hurt anypony in the process, it was something he could let slide... but only just.

"Alright, fine, I'll let it go," he answered instead as he turned back to the door, "but... you're really going to help me? Talk to Nightmare Moon, I mean?"

"My sister might have dominion over the Realm of Dreams, but Mind Magic is my affinity," Celestia replied, "which means I can protect you from her influence should the need arise, and it will," she nodded towards the door, "in this room however, is much of what you'll need to prepare yourself, for there are things I cannot help you with when the time comes."

"Such as?" Shining asked with a raised eyebrow.

In lieu of an actual reply, Celestia's horn glowed once more and Shining heard the muffled sound of tumblers shifting somewhere within the door before it slowly and quietly swung open, the doorknob encase in a soft golden glow. As she magically pulled open the door, Celestia smiled down at the colt.


"Why don't we head inside and you can find out for yourself?"
> Into the Depths
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Grogar had been very impressed with Twilight's progress in the last few weeks.

He knew little of cutie marks, but from what little he did know, they had something to do with talent. Grogar was certain that had Twilight been allowed her own mark, she would've received something representing her remarkable aptitude for magic.

It had taken some time for Twilight to retrieve the Black Compendium, but once she'd finally managed to complete the spell successfully, that was all she needed. At Grogar's insistence, the filly repeated the spell a few more times with the same successful result with seemingly no problem.

With that done, Twilight's studies continued forward, overseen as always by the demonic ram. Things however, still hadn't gone as smoothly as Grogar would've liked, even with all of Twilight's progress. She was prodigious when it came to the study and application of magic, but the filly had yet to grasp the proper mindset for a necromancer.

She had her moments to be sure, but as a whole, the remnants of the naïve life she'd lived and her childish tendencies were hindering her true potential and growth. It slowed things down by a considerable amount, and the only time the filly's pace picked up seemed to be when she was on the verge of becoming an emotionless husk.

It had only happened once before, but Grogar had made note of it, and when he sensed that the time was nearing for Twilight to devour yet another soul, the ram was prepared. Over the course of three weeks or so, the filly had once again spent all her time in the study, and the ram had decided it was time for a temporary change of scenery while she finished her studies.

In fact, it would be necessary for a couple of reasons, including the lesson she was to learn next. She'd also be able to find more souls to feed on—the destination he had in mind the only other place aside from his own kingdom rife with them.

So far, aside from the retrieval spell she'd learned initially, Grogar had allowed the filly to learn two of the most fundamental spells for a necromancer to know—that of Soul Projection, and Soul Conjuring. Though both were some of the most basic spells a necromancer could learn, they were still far from easy to master, and proper study could take months for the average mage. 

Twilight however, had managed to learn and fully memorize the process in a little over two weeks, and a few more days after that, she'd managed to pull it off splendidly. Under Grogar's careful observation, the filly proceeded to pull her own soul from its current home within the confines of the silver bell around her neck.

She'd even gone the extra mile and projected an image of her own form in lieu of floating around as an ethereal orb of soulstuff. It wasn't a perfect projection, but the separation was solid and Twilight mantained full control over her own soul.

That was no easy feat, as a slip in concentration could cause one to lose their grip and the soul could float away into the darkness of oblivion. Still, it was highly amusing to see the filly's reaction to becoming a spiritual being, as well as seeing the empty, lifeless shell she'd left behind lying sprawled on the floor.

While it was true that Twilight's soul hadn't resided in the body to begin with, the same wasn't true of her consciousness. Up until she'd cast the Soul Projection spell, her mind and soul had been separate, but now, with neither the mind nor the soul present, the body could not act.

When Twilight had asked about the mare who's soul she'd eaten, Grogar revealed that the mare's mind had already been thoroughly broken and rendered useless to the point that she may as well have not even had one.

With that spell mastered, it was time to move on to Soul Conjuration, and that meant the filly needed the proper environment to practice. When he'd told Twilight as much, she'd asked why she couldn't just use the souls here in Tambelon. The ram had replied that there was a far more suitable place to continue her studies.

And so it was that the two set out into the dark wasteland beyond Tambelon's borders. As they left Grogar's kingdom behind, the ram revealed to Twilight what he'd only recently discovered about the world they were both stuck in.

"You see, child," he began as they moved further away from Tambelon, "while you've been hard at work mastering what I've taught you so far, I myself haven't been idle," he stopped suddenly and swept a thoughtful gaze around him, as though looking for something, "I've been doing a bit more research of my own."

"Really?" Twilight asked, following behind the ram, "what kind of research? Are there still spells even you haven't learned yet?" 

"Indeed there are," Grogar replied honestly, "but that's not the kind of research I was referring to," he shook his head, "no, I've been studying the lay of the land, seeking out anything I may have missed during my past travels."

"You mean you left the city again while I was learning the Soul Projection spell?" Twilight asked with a surprised raise of her brows, "when was that? How long were you gone?"

"You misunderstand, child," Grogar answered, "I myself did not leave Tambelon, but sent Bray out into the wastes in my stead. Through his eyes, I was able to see the lands beyond my borders, and it was during one of these expeditions that I discovered something, or rather someplace I hadn't seen before."

Through the return of the Black Compendium, Twilight had learned more about shades, and was aware that they could be used as an extended pair of eyes and ears. Though it fascinated the filly, she still wasn't sure she wanted to subject anypony to such a cursed existence.

"What did you find?" Twilight asked, "and is that where we're headed now?"

"It is," Grogar confirmed with a nod, "our destination lies near the eastern edge of a rocky desert far to the northeast," he paused in apparent contemplation for a moment before speaking again, "if you'll recall when you first arrived here, I told you that this place was far older than Tartarus."

"I remember that," Twilight said, "you said something about how this world made Tartarus look like some kind of amusement park."

"I did," Grogar nodded, "but after what I've learned about my recent discovery, I may have to revise my earlier statement somewhat," he glanced down towards the little  dark lavender filly who'd trotted up next to him, "it appears that, while this world might be far older than the Land of Light you and I come from originally, it is not older than Tartarus, because in this world, a gate to the realm of Tartarus does in fact, exist."

"Wait," Twilight replied, slowing her pace and furrowing her brow in thought, "so... if the door to Tartarus exists here... then that means..." her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open in disbelief, "that means this place really was Equestria!" her expression, ecstatic at the discovery initally, turned to horror, "a-and that's where we're going?!"

"While it is a strong possibility, the fact that a door to Tartarus exists here in this world is not necessarily indicative of it being an alternate Equestria," Grogar responded, "I'm not sure if you know this child, but while Equestria is tangentially tied to Tartarus, Tartarus itself is not altogether tied to Equestria. It is its own plane of existence, and still seems to teem with life because of it."

"So that's why we're going there," Twilight surmised, "since there's still life, there might still be souls to summon for the other soul based spell I'm trying to learn," she shook her head and returned her fearful gaze back to Grogar, "but what about all the demons and monsters that are supposed to live in Tartarus?"

"Ah, but that's just it, child," Grogar replied, his frown deepening slightly, "from what my underling has observed upon entry, there are no sapient demons left in Tartarus so far as I can tell. It could be that, like this world before it—or perhaps after it—something erased them from existence, leaving only lost souls and wild beasts of that damnable plane to wander about freely." 

"There's still beasts there though!" Twilight argued, her fear not abating in the slightest, "that means its still dangerous, and I don't know any kind of magic to defend myself! If a monster wants to eat me, I wouldn't be able to do anything about it!"

"Calm yourself, Twilight Sparkle," Grogar commanded, his stern tone making the filly flinch, "do not forgot that you are an undead being, and a powerful one at that, despite your small stature. So long as your phylactery remains intact, you will suffer nothing that cannot be shrugged off or mended with ease.

"The only thing you need to be mindful of for now is being eaten, as it would be troublesome if I had to tear you out of some hapless, mindless animal," Grogar huffed and turned away from the filly, focusing his gaze back on the dark and dusty road before them, "that aside, you will learn what you need to defend yourself during your studies."

Twilight didn't respond right away, her thoughts consumed with what she'd find in a place like Tartarus. Images of horrible twisted monstrosities danced about in her mind, and she couldn't help but give a small shudder at the thought. 

The fact that she was already dead and couldn't be permanently harmed was somewhat comforting, but she still didn't want to put her relatively newfound immortality to the test if she could help it. 

"W-What about you, Father?" Twilight asked, trying to take her mind off her thoughts, "what are you gonna do? I mean, I know you're gonna teach me some more things, but..." she paused a moment as another thought came to her, "are you gonna try to find out what happened to the world?"

"An admirable guess, child," Grogar answered, "and yes, you are correct. Unlike the spirits of this world, the lost souls of Tartarus either could not or would not move on, and the beasts were let alone. I want to find out why that is and what wiped out the sapient demon population in the first place.

"Perhaps it was the same thing that destroyed this world. Perhaps it originated from Tartarus and was simply removing all obstacles in its way as it escaped into this realm. I cannot know for certain unless I investigate, so this trip has more than one purpose."

"You seem happy."

Grogar stopped in his tracks and turned to look at the filly, a bushy eyebrow raised in bemusement. Twilight shuffled awkwardly for a moment before placing a hoof on the bell around her neck.

"I... I can feel it, kind of," she explained, "maybe not happy, but... I don't know... eager? Its kind of like how I used to feel whenever my... mom used to get me new books for Hearth's Warming. Well, I don't think you're as excited as that, but it's the best way I can describe it."

Grogar eyed her for another moment, silently working his jaw as he mulled her words over. After a few more moments he gave a thoughtful hum and continued his trot forward, once again acknowledging the filly's insight and remembering to keep the connection they now shared in mind more often.

"That may be the case," Grogar finally conceded, "I admit, I haven't fully rid myself of my curiosity regarding the fate of this place, and Tartarus may hold the key I've been searching for. I also admit that my knowledge of Tartarus itself is somewhat lacking. Oh, I know a few things to be sure, but I have never once set hoof in such a place myself. The prospect is... intriguing."

When put that way, the filly could certainly understand Grogar's point of view, and even share it somewhat. After the conversation they'd had all those days ago about what had become of this place, she had to admit she also found it curious, and if she could learn how to conjure souls, maybe she could even help Grogar find out more.

She found herself smiling at the idea of making herself useful, and despite her initial worry of what she might encounter in Tartarus, there was a slight spring in her step and a happy swish in her tail. Grogar noted the odd display, but didn't comment, opting instead to focus on the road ahead.

He knew the filly would begin to lose her enthusiasm before long, and then the hunger would set in. It wasn't something she'd had to worry about before due to never having eaten a soul, but now that she'd partaken, she would eventually and undoubtedly desire more, and that desire would only get stronger the longer she went without.

Like a vampire that had gone far too long without the taste of blood, Twilight would begin to seek out any souls she could find. At her most starved, she'd relentlessly hunt them down like an emotionless automaton, her one and only purpose to feed. 

The filly had learned of this once she retrieved the Black Compendium, and it had driven her to a panic the likes of which Grogar had yet to see from the filly. It took a fair bit of time for Grogar to convince her that he would teach her how to avoid that situation once the time came.

There was still some time before things got that bad, but once they were actually within the confines of that hellscape, it wouldn't matter. As he'd seen through Bray, the realm of Tartarus—or at least this realm of Tartarus, he wasn't sure if there was more than one—was filled to the brim with demonic souls to sate the filly's hunger should it come to that.

He may not have known the reason behind the current state of this world and Tartarus, but he would soon have his answers. He may not have known why so many souls yet remained in Tartarus, but it was all better for him and his apprentice. He may not have known why the vicious wildlife of that realm were left to roam free, but even they would have their use.

What's more, devouring the strong soul of a demon would only hasten the filly's development into a more powerful lich. Yes, there were all sorts of benefits to this trip, and Grogar couldn't help but crack a small smile of his own at the unexpected treasure trove he'd stumbled across.

He planned on spending quite a bit of time in Tartarus with his protégé, and he fully expected the filly to truly become something to fear by the time they left. The Mourning Moon might rise again in their absence, and with it, the dead of Tambelon, but that didn't matter to Grogar in the face of such an opportunity.

The dead would rage and howl for a time, but eventually they would return to the mud, no worse off than they were before. He'd called Bray back and informed him to watch over the kingdom in his absence, and in the extremely unlikely event that something did decide to invade Tambelon, he would know in an instant.

His connection to his own kingdom would allow him to be there as soon as he sensed something was amiss, but as of now, he had nothing to worry about. As the two continued northeast across the dark and desolate land, Twilight's mind was filled with all kinds of expectations, both great and terrible.

Whatever the case may have been, the undead filly couldn't help but feel she wouldn't come out of Tartarus the same pony she was when she went in. That, more than anything—more than even the monsters she would undoubtedly encounter—scared her the most.

Still, she'd be lying if she said she wasn't at least a little excited to see what awaited her beyond that gate.
> A Warm Welcome
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight wasn't sure just how long she and Grogar had been traveling the dark wastes, but the trip had been quite uneventful for the most part, much to the undead filly's disappointment. 

Maybe it was the path they took, or maybe, despite the stagnant state of the world, time had still somehow managed to bury a bit of the distant past, but there was little evidence of any civilization that Twilight could see. They made their way across dry, open desert, through a sea of dead, blackened tree husks, and even over a slightly crumbling mountain range in order to get to their ultimate destination.

Despite Grogar's insistence that the filly would not find any evidence of civilization on their journey, Twilight had still been on the lookout for anything remotely familiar—anything that would've showed that this land had once been Equestria, but if there was any sign, it was not to be on the path they traveled.

She could tell that much of the land they trekked had been open wilderness, which would've been fine, as Twilight knew of a few landmarks from her own world. The problem was that whatever destroyed the land, had made it impossible to tell what may have been before from what was now.

In the end, the filly had to accept Grogar's assurances that there was evidence to be found elsewhere in the world, and that he'd take her to see it for herself at some point in the future. Now however, there were other matters that needed to be taken care of.

Conversation had been sparse during the trip, and only grew sparser as it wore on and Twilight began to feel the effects of going too long without feasting upon a soul. Thankfully, the two had already nearly reached their destination by the time Twilight started complaining of hunger.

After what felt to Twilight like several ages, they both stood before the mouth of a large cave at the base of a massive mountain. Twilight eyed it dispassionately for several seconds before turning to Grogar, speaking for the first time since they'd reached and traveled across the rocky desert that led here.

"Is this it?" she asked dully, "the gate to Tartarus is in that cave?"

"It is, my child," Grogar replied, not taking his eyes off the cave in question, "we need only pass through here and we'll have reached the gate."

Twilight said nothing in response, merely nodding and trotting forward, past the demonic ram. Grogar watched her go with a furrowed brow, somewhat amused but mostly concerned at how quickly her hunger had progressed in such a short time.

She lasted quite a bit longer than he expected during the journey, but once the hunger had fully set in during the trot across the rocky desert, it had begun to grow with a frightening intensity. It wouldn't be a problem, right now, as they were about to reach the figurative buffet table of souls, but Grogar didn't like the implications.

Once Twilight had gained proper lucidity, he'd have to talk to the filly about the matter. To date, no lich had ever found an alternative to devouring souls for sustenance and sanity, at least, not that Grogar knew of. While it may have made a lich more powerful, it was anything but a boon.

To become a slave to one's hunger was the curse of being a lich, and Grogar believed it was a weakness that held them back from being the truly powerful and unstoppable creatures he knew they could be. Thus, it was his hope that he and Twilight Sparkle, with his wealth of knowledge and her prodigious ingenuity, could find that elusive alternative.

He'd planned on having such a conversation with the filly at some point in the future, but with how powerful her hunger was growing, it would have to be a talk they needed to have sooner rather than later. Twilight had only spoken once of her hunger, just before they had reached the rocky desert.

'I'm hungry.'

That was all she had said in the monotonous tone of the emotionally stunted, but there was much to glean from that incredibly simple statement—much more than Twilight herself knew. Grogar, through their connection, had felt that hunger growing even before she'd said anything.

Once it hit, it was not unlike a snowball picking up mass and momentum as it rolled down a steep mountainside, and though Twilight had said nothing else on the matter, to Grogar, her ravenous appetite had been as plain to see as the pitch black sky above them. 

Even now, she hurried along, practically galloping towards the gate, and Grogar was half convinced the filly would start trying to hammer it down in order to get at the imminent feast that awaited her within. Grogar followed behind the filly at his own pace, taking in the walls of the cave itself.

He'd been a bit surprised by how unremarkable the cave itself was for housing something like the gate to Tartarus, but there was something to catch his interest. Namely, the many deep gashes and gouges he saw in the ground and walls near the gate itself. 

It was impossible to tell how old these marks were, but it was clear something had either tried to break in or had fought its way out of Tartarus. Whatever the case may have been, it had attempted to do one or the other quite violently, not that Twilight noticed.

She only had eyes for the gate itself and, to Grogar's surprise, had sat before it, waiting patiently. Perhaps, Grogar thought, she had more self control than he gave the filly credit for, but then again, perhaps it was something else keeping her at bay.

"The gate won't open," Twilight stated, not taking her eyes off the gate before her, "my magic won't work on it, there's no handle for me to pull, and I can't push the gate open on my own."

Well that explained it.

"I see," Grogar replied, stepping up next to Twilight and eyeing the large gate, "well this is certainly strange. I was able to send Bray through with no trouble at all," he glanced down at the waiting filly, "what makes you so different I wonder?"

He looked back at the gate with a contemplative frown. In actuality, it was less a gate and more a large door—an incredibly large and ornate door to be precise. The entire thing appeared to be made of some kind of black stone adorned with silvery metal lining that snaked its way around the sides in a complex, vine-like pattern.

As Twilight had pointed out, there was no handle, or knocker, or anything indicating a way to open the door, making it, for all intents and purposes, a very fancy black wall meant to impede their progress. Grogar had known this from his observation, and he had circumvented the issue by simply having Bray phase through it.

Once Grogar knew where Bray had wound up, he'd been surprised enough that phasing through the door had worked at all, but now here Twilight was, unable to get through. The ram hadn't yet taught Twilight how to phase through objects, or morph her body into an intangible substance, but that would come soon.

Grogar himself could do such a thing, and wondered if it was necessary to do so. He frowned and stepped up close to the door before raising a cloven hoof and pressing it against the rather warm wall of black stone. He wasn't sure what to expect to happen from the contact, but it hadn't been for the door to simply dissolve at his touch.

Grogar stood there a moment, caught off guard by the ease with which he managed to gain access. Twilight had no such issue and wordlessly marched on ahead through the opening, eager to get to the distant souls she could feel wandering about.

Once more, Grogar watched her go, wondering just how the entrance was meant to work, and why Twilight couldn't enter on her own. Setting the matter aside for the moment, he followed the filly into a large rocky tunnel, the craggy stone walls dimly lit with a soft orange glow.

Further up ahead, he could make out the exit and the vast pool of lava and fire that lined a wide path of dark stone. Twilight could be seen making her way forward, and Grogar made to follow, but a sudden and vicious roar stopped him cold, his eyes growing wide with shock.

Up ahead, Twilight had heard the roar and halted her advance forward. It turned out it wasn't a moment too soon, because something massive, red, and scaly dropped down from seemingly nowhere and slammed itself onto the ground right in front of the filly.

Blocking Twilight's path and brandishing the meanest looking double handed axe Twilight had ever seen, was a minotaur. This creature however, was without a doubt unlike any of the proud minotaurs of the Minos Republic that Twilight had read about in the past.

It had a snarling, bull-like head with large, twisted black horns and beady yellow eyes brimming with murderous intent. Its torso was broad and it had thick, sinewy arms, both bare and covered in crimson scales and ending in fists that alone were twice the size of Twilight herself.

Its bulky digitigrade legs were covered in black fur and ended in white cloven hooves that it stomped against the ground. It bellowed and snorted and stomped as it glared balefully down at the tiny equine creature, but it didn't attack. 

Twilight, unable to muster up any shock or terror at its sudden appearance, simply stared back up at it with dull, calculating eyes, already trying to work out how to rip its soul from its body and feast upon it. Grogar had gotten over his own initial shock quickly and, noticing the beast's hesitation, calmly moved to stand next to the filly.

The minotaur turned his attention towards Grogar for a moment, its meaty fists visibly tightening around the long handle of its axe, but still made no move to attack. It clenched its teeth, and Grogar could've sworn it was eyeing them both with something akin to frustration.

"Interesting," Grogar mused as he and Twilight continued to stare the beast down, "I saw nothing of his ilk when I sent Bray here to investigate.... a rather curious development indeed..."

Twilight didn't respond, but Grogar didn't expect her to in her hunger addled state. As he watched the minotaur watch them, a small, wicked smile crossed his face. This was already turning out to be worth the trip, as an opportunity had already shown itself—practically falling into their laps.

"He is clearly eager to see us split in twain beneath his mighty axe, yet makes no move to do so. He merely blocks our path and nothing more," he turned to Twilight, "what will you do, child? How will you sate your hunger?"

Twilight, for all her desire to feed on the creature's soul, had yet to come up with a way to actually do so. She hadn't yet learned the Soul Conjuration spell that would've made this a non-issue, and had no idea how she would obtain the soul even if she managed to kill the thing.

Yet the gears in her mind continued to turn.

She had her magic, and—more specifically—the Soul Projection spell. She also had the knowledge she'd gained on how the soul worked in general, and how one soul could affect another. An idea began to form, and she decided that if she couldn't bring the meal to her, she'd seek it out instead.

Twilight's horn flared to life and the minotaur tensed, raising his axe a little higher and glaring down at the filly with wary eyes. Grogar merely raised an eyebrow and took a step back, curious to see what the filly would do. 

Both eyebrows raised as he watched Twilight's magic aura wink out and her body suddenly drop to the ground like a sack of bricks. A moment later the bell around Twilight's neck began to glow with a soft violet light.

Another moment after that, a pulsing violet orb of light rose from out of the bell and hovered in place just above the filly's body. Both Grogar and the minotaur watched it carefully—Grogar with growing amusement, and the mintaur with a nasty, suspicious scowl.

For a few tense seconds, no one moved, then, like an arrow shot from a crossbow, the orb suddenly rocketed towards the minotaur. It grunted and roared in surprised outrage, leapt to the side and took a heavy two handed swing at it with the axe. The axe however, passed right through the ball of soulstuff with no effect.

The orb righted its course in an instant, turning sharply and heading straight for the beast's chest. The minotaur raised its axe up to defend itself, but it did little to stop the orb as it phased through the thick steel and forced its way into the beast's body.

The minotaur grunted and staggered backward, its axe dropping to the ground with a loud clang. It grabbed and clawed at its chest, bellowing and snarling in rage—a rage that quickly turned to fear and agony. Its mouth opened wide, its eyes bulged, its body seized and jerked violently.

The titanic creature fell to the ground, jerking and twitching and thrashing and howling in pain. All the while, Twilight mercilessly battered and throttled the beast's soul into submission with her own indomitable will. The minotaur was strong of body and spirit, but even in her young and diminutive form, she was a beast of a completely different caliber.

She was a lich, she was hungry, and she would not be denied. 

As the minotaur's spirit grew weaker, Twilight began to absorb it directly, adding its essence to her own strength and making the task of overtaking and devouring the soul that much easier. In a matter of minutes, the deed was done.

The minotaur gave one last weak mewl of pain, one last twitch of its meaty fingers... and was still. All fell to silence save for the intermittent sloshing and bubbling of the lava surrounding the stone pathway.

Then the beast began to stir.

The light returned to its muddy yellow eyes and it groaned weakly as it tried to sit upright. Its body felt far too heavy and just trying to push itself up was a titanic effort. It gave up after a few tries and grunted in both frustration and confusion.

It turned its bull-like head towards Grogar to ask just what was going on, and frowned in bewilderment as a series of grunts and snarls spewed forth rather than regular speech. Its confusion only heightened further as it heard Grogar begin to chuckle, then laugh outright.

He laughed deep and he laughed loud, nearly sinking to the floor. His shoulders shook with laughter and the minotaur began to feel oddly offended on top of all its confusion, and yet it couldn't help but crack a sharp toothed grin at its Father's mirth. It was the first time the creature had seen Grogar in such good humor and it made the minotaur smile.

That is, until its beady yellow eyes happen to fall on the small, dark lavender filly sprawled out on the floor a few hoof-lengths away, near the laughing ram. The beast's eyes widened, its bewilderment rising to new heights as it looked from the body, to Grogar, then back at the body again.

It wasn't smiling anymore.

It took a moment, but before long, the horrified realization began to set in for the minotaur. It wasn't supposed to be a minotaur, it was supposed to be a pony. It was supposed to be Twilight Sparkle, and now it... she, was afraid—terrified and ashamed of what she'd done.

In her carelessness and insane need to feast, Twilight Sparkle had somehow trapped herself within the body of the monster, and Grogar was laughing at her potentially dire mistake. She would've been hurt if she wasn't in a full on panic.

Her head was swimming.

She tried to call out to Grogar for help, but all she and the ram heard was a lot of wordless bellowing and snarling. Grogar seemed to get the message well enough however, and his laughter soon died down as he trotted over to the poor trapped filly sprawled on her broad, scaly red back.

"You never cease to amaze me, Twilight Sparkle," Grogar exclaimed, an amused smile adorning his face, "I admit, I hadn't expected you to go that far, but again you surprise me with your actions."

Twilight the minotaur merely whimpered in response, unable to share in Grogar's amusement.

"Yes, it was a bold move on your part," Grogar continued, "foolhardy, dangerous, and rather poorly excuted all things considered, but bold nonetheless," his eyes burned with a crimson aura as he spoke, "count yourself lucky that I am here to free you from that prison of flesh, child."

Twilight winced as she suddenly felt an odd and unpleasant tugging sensation somewhere inside the massive body she now inhabited. Another, sharper tug later and her wayward soul was ripped from the minotaur's body altogether. 

"I've no doubt you skimmed some of the basics of what you've accomplished from the Black Compendium," Grogar lectured as he held Twilight's soul aloft, "but it is clear by your inability to make your way back to your own body that you lack any real knowledge of Possession. We will have to work on that."

He released Twilight's spirit and she wasted no time in zooming over to her body and sinking back into the silver bell. The bell glowed briefly and a second later, Twilight's eyes snapped open. She gasped and scrambled back to her hooves, then looked herself over before letting out a relieved sigh.

"Feeling better, are we?"

The filly turned to see Grogar approaching, an inscrutable look upon his face. Twilight hung her head in shame, and when she raised it another moment later to try and explain herself or apologize, Grogar cut her off.

"I do not fault you for your actions here, Twilight Sparkle," Grogar assured, "you were hardly in control, and only made what you thought was the best decision at the time," he turned his gaze back to the soulless minotaur with a concerned frown as he spoke, "this does however, bring up a topic we need to discuss, you and I." 

"About... my hunger, right?" Twilight guessed worriedly, "it's... is it really that bad?"

"It's not the worst I've seen," Grogar nodded towards the felled beast, "you managed to regain lucidity after devouring a single demon's soul, so your hunger isn't as bad as I'd initially believed, but it will only get worse as time goes on," he turned back to Twilight with a grim look, "something needs to be done about this if you are to reach your true potential."


"Indeed... and perhaps I can be of some assistance."


Both Grogar and Twilight whipped around to face the large opening on the farside of the path opposite of where they'd entered. They heard the steady clop of hooves before they saw anything. Grogar opened his mouth to demand whatever creature was in the shadows to show themself, but something made him pause before he'd even begun.

Twilight looked between him and the distant cave ahead of them with a confused and worried expression. The slow and steady hoofsteps grew louder and a moment later, something emerged from the shadows. Grogar's eyes widened in disbelief, his mouth falling open slightly at the sight before him.

"It... it can't be," he muttered, "all these years... you were hiding here, right under my nose for all these years and I hadn't even realized..." 

"Father?" Twilight asked, moving closer to Grogar as she watched the figure casually make its way towards both of them, "who is that? W-What does he want?"

The figure came to a stop next to the minotaur and looked down at it with an unreadable expression. It hummed thoughtfully and shook its head before moving forward once more.

"This is not at all what I had expected, but I suppose it pays to be prepared nonetheless," the new creature spoke, idly scratching at the white beard that adorned his red chin, "in any case, I do hope the offering was... satisfactory, little filly."

His voice was weak and raspy, perfectly matching his thin, withered, and wiry red frame. Twilight had no idea who or what this creature was, nor did she know how he knew about her, but something about the odd, four legged half equine, half baboon looking creature made her uneasy, despite his ancient and gangly appearance.

Maybe it was the broken shackles on his thin wrists, maybe it was the intensity and maliciousness hidden in his black and yellow eyes, or maybe it was the way he carried himself, but Twilight couldn't help but shrink away from the newcomer.

"F-Father, I thought you said there were no more demons in Tartartus," Twilight whimpered, "who... who is this? How does he know me?" she looked up at Grogar, "and how do you know him?"

But Grogar didn't respond, too shocked to do anything other than stare in absolute disbelief. The red, baboon-like creature finally reached Grogar and Twilight, stopping just a few yards away. He looked from the ram to the filly and back to the ram again before smirking at his stupefied expression.

"Surprised to see me alive and well, eh?" he chuckled and looked down at his withered hands, "...as well as I can be given the current circumstances at any rate."

"Tirek," Grogar breathed, "I haven't seen you in... several millennia. I thought you gone—obliterated by that accursed Rainbow of Light," he stepped forward, taking in each and every detail of the black furred centaur, "yet here you are, and you've changed a great deal. Tell me, what's become of you after all these years?"

"Ah, now that is a story worth telling," the creature named Tirek replied with another chuckle, "you see, Grogar, I am in fact, not the Tirek you remember, though I do hold his memories within me."

"Not the..." Grogar muttered before shaking his head and taking another step forward, "then how? By what means have you appeared before me now, in this forsaken pit of all places?"

"It's quite simple really," Tirek lean stepped back and raised his arms as though presenting himself, "I have been... reincarnated in a different time, in a different place, in another era. I am... Tirek reborn!" he lowered his arms and sighed, "though I admit you have... not caught me at my best. Still..."

He straightened up and gave the demonic ram a nod of acknowledgment and a genuine smile. 

"...it is good to see you, Grogar my old friend."
> Dreams of a World Reborn
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight trotted a little ways behind Grogar, watching the demonic ram converse with the newcomer with no small amount of nervousness. She wasn't sure whether or not she liked the strange red creature who called himself Tirek. She certainly didn't trust him, that was for sure, but he and Grogar seemed to know each other, so she held her tongue.

The minotaur whose soul the filly had fed off of had been disposed of by the odd quadrupedal ape like creature, tossed over the small ledge and into the boiling magma. Twilight thought she'd be horrified, and was rather surprised when she felt nothing but some minor disgust as the scales and flesh melted away before her eyes.

She'd flinched, she'd grimaced at the sight, but nothing more.

With that done, Twilight had followed after the two adults, listening intently to their conversation, trying to make some kind of sense of her situation. Evidently, Tirek had known about the filly, and that she and Grogar would make their way to Tartarus. He had sent the minotaur as some kind of peace offering, which only baffled Twilight further as to how he'd known about the hunger.

"I have eyes watching beyond Tartarus's Gate, though my 'vision' is limited to the borders of the desert that surrounds Mount Infernus," Tirek explained to the other two. He turned and gave Twilight a small knowing smirk, "it was how I knew the two of you were coming, and, while I am no necromancer, I know the lich's hunger when I see it, believe me, my little undead pony."

Well, that explained things somewhat, thought Twilight, but not nearly enough. Aside from that, there was something still bothering her—a great many 'somethings' if she was being completely honest. She decided to pose the obvious question, certain Grogar would, but surprised that he hadn't yet.

"I thought there was nothing left here," the filly began, looking around at the narrow cave they were traveling through. The place glowed with a soft amber light that seemed to have no origin, "there's nopony left outside, and I thought there weren't any more demons here in Tartarus either."

"Oh, I think you'll find that we're a little more resilient here in Tartarus," Tirek replied with a chuckle, "while it's true that our numbers had dwindled down to nearly nothing in the wake of the Calamitous Flight that occurred many, many millennia ago, we managed to survive, somehow."

"This Calamitous Flight, whatever it might be," Grogar interjected, turning to Tirek, "am I correct to assume that it was the cause of the barren wasteland that the world beyond Tartarus has become?"

"It was the catalyst, yes," Tirek answered, his face grim, "I am unsure of how it happened, but ages ago, something was released from the deepest pits, the blackest depths of Tartarus—something ancient, something powerful... something that should've never been allowed to roam free. It ravaged and razed this place nearly to the ground, destroying all but a few of the most powerful demons before escaping out into the world beyond the Gate."

Both Twilight and Grogar stared at Tirek, the filly with wide-eyed horror, and Grogar with a troubled grimace, though at the same time, his red eyes seemed to glow with intrigue. Tirek raised a bony red hand and stroked his white beard as he spoke, a thoughtful frown making its way onto his face.

"We, that is to say, many of the strongest demons in Tartarus, fought against the dark beast, and while we failed to stop it, we made sure it was far too weak to do any more damage by the time it escaped," he continued, "unfortunately the battle had left all of us remaining either terribly weak or close to death's door—myself included. 

"We were unable to follow after the thing, and so we retreated deep below to the lower levels of Tartarus to recover. Unfortunately the battle had taken more from us than we realized, and while some of us perished from our injuries, the rest spent far too long in a healing slumber. We lost touch with the world, and by the time we'd awakened, the world beyond had already been laid to waste." 

"What exactly was this monster, Tirek?" Grogar asked, "to reduce the demon population to practically nothing and leave the rest so weak for so long... even now I can feel that you are much less than you once were. And weakened as the thing itself was, it still had the power to destroy the outside world."

"I am much removed from my former glory, yes," Tirek replied bitterly. He raised his hands and clenched them into tight fists, "and in our fragile state, I can't afford to regain my strength the easy way, so I must suffer this weakened form until such time as the demon race can begin to flourish once more."

He grit his teeth in silent frustration for a moment before unclenching his fists and letting his hands drop with a weary sigh. He smiled, then chuckled another moment later, his tone somewhat lighter as he spoke again.

"As for your question on what that abomination is," he paused a moment, frowning, "...there are many names for what that thing was, but the majority of those who lived in Tartarus knew it as the Voracious Nightmare. That which feeds off of and grows stronger from the pain and despair of its victims. I suppose it managed to regain its strength and the result is as you've seen."

Twilight shuddered slightly as she thought about what the monster must've been like. If this version of Equestria had been anything like hers, then the ponies wouldn't have stood a chance against something with that much power. Twilight wasn't even sure Princess Celestia could've stood against this Voracious Nightmare if Tirek was to be believed.

"Unfortunately, I have no idea what became of the beast, but it seems to have been defeated while we slept," Tirek continued, "I don't know who or what had enough power to vanquish such a terror, but I can no longer feel its presence anywhere in Tartarus or past the Gate."

"Yes, whatever this Voracious Nightmare is, it has long since gone," Grogar nodded, "I have been trapped in these dark wastes—this... other Equestria, for many, many years and have seen neither hide nor hair of any such creature."

"All those years... so close by, and yet you have yet to pay any kind of visit to your old friend here in Tartarus," Tirek tutted and shook his head, "I must admit, I am... disappointed—hurt even, Grogar."

"Had I known there was a Gate to Tartarus sooner, I might have made such a visit," Grogar replied easily, "if only for the sheer multitude of souls and useful knowledge this place no doubt holds, if not to visit you. Add to that my belief that you had perished long ago, and it hardly seems a surprise that I'd neglected to drop in, old friend."

"Fair enough, I suppose," Tirek chuckled before frowning seriously a moment later, "still, that the beast is gone has been a great boon to us here, as is the destruction of the rest of the world outside."

"What?!" Twilight exclaimed, unable to keep silent at such a statement, "how is that a good thing? Everypony... everyone is gone! There's..." she winced and hung her head, "there's... nothing left. We traveled for a long time to get here, and we didn't see a single living thing."

Tirek slowed almost to a stop as he stared back at Twilight, a contemplative look on his face. Twilight looked away and the centaur turned to Grogar, raising a quizzical eyebrow.

"I meant to ask you... where did you find a filly such as this, Grogar?" he finally asked, "I would've thought ponies, let alone a filly, would be in rather short supply."

"I was wondering when you'd ask," Grogar replied, giving a small chuckle of his own, "it seems the stars aligned and fate saw fit to grant me a boon of sorts. I pulled this filly from the brink of oblivion and gave her a new purpose. I rebuilt her into the creature you see before you, and I have no doubt that she is the key to my freedom from that accursed world of shadow."

"Ah, so you mean to use her then?" Tirek surmised with a slow, thoughtful look towards the uncomfortable filly, "and just what do you intend to do exactly? Where do you intend to escape to?"

"I managed to escape back to my own world once before, but due to a great amount of foolishness on both my part and that of my lackeys, I was banished once again," his eyes seemed to glow with fury for a moment but quickly settled a moment later, "but I mean to make sure this return is a permanent one," he turned and arch an eyebrow in Tirek's direction, "are you by chance familiar with the Solar Tyrant? The one the ponies call Princess Celestia?"

"Celestia... now that is a name I haven't heard in quite some time," Tirek breathed, almost wistfully, "such a fire that one had, in more ways than one," he laughed a short humorless laugh, "she and her sister both made no end of trouble for me and mine so many years ago. It's almost a shame that they're gone... I enjoyed our little skirmishes," he turned and raised a curious eyebrow at Grogar, "yes I know of Celestia and that Moon nag sister of hers... what of her?"

Grogar frowned in contemplation for a moment, making note of the fact that both Celestia and Luna had existed in that dead world once, only confirming further that he and his kingdom had been left to rot in an alternate timeline most likely several thousands of years ahead of his own. 

"Ever since I, and what remains of my kingdom, had been banished to the Shadow... that alternate Equestria," Grogar explained, "I've been watching my own world over the ages. I've been watching and waiting while it went through drastic changes over many millennia. In this alternate timeline, Equestria is dead and gone, as are the Princesses who ruled over it, but in my world they both live, though only one remains to rule over the ponies at the moment."

"Interesting," Tirek muttered, stroking his beard thoughtfully, "so you not only desire to escape back to your own land, but to rule it once more. Understandable, especially given what I've seen of the world outside," he jabbed a withered thumb at Twilight, "and what of the filly? Where and how does she come into play?"

"I have certain plans I wish to put into motion once the filly has matured to my satisfaction," Grogar nodded at Twilight, who'd been silently hanging onto every word with a mix of emotions, "there are things only she will be able to do when she is ready, and with her help, I will escape, gain a hoofhold in the Land of Light, cast the Sun Princess down, and rule in her place."

Twilight's eyes widened, though whether in horror or simple surprise she herself couldn't say. She'd known in a general sense that Grogar had wanted to escape, and had even been told of his plan to take over Equestria once he was free, but to hear him talk about her and how she'd be instrumental in helping him take down Celestia was still a shock.

Tirek only laughed a hearty, wheezing laugh.

"Excellent!" the centaur guffawed, "I'd expect nothing less from you, my old friend! I wish you nothing but luck," still chuckling, he finally turned his full attention back to Twilight, "and to answer your earlier question, Twilight Sparkle, the death of all sapient races of that world means that we, the demons who remain, can finally emerge from this infernal pit and shape the planet to our own purposes."

"Wait, so now that everyone is gone, you want the demons to replace all the other races?" Twilight asked, frowning, "how are you gonna do that with how everything is? And why haven't you done it yet if you could?"

"Because we can't, not yet at least," Tirek answered with a sigh, "barring certain... circumstances, most demons born of Tartarus cannot survive long beyond the Gate due to how our innate magic interacts with that of the world beyond. Of those who could survive beyond the Gate without some sort of aid, only I remain."

"If that's the case, why not just leave then?" Twilight asked, "you might've found Father's kingdom and he probably could've helped you somehow... maybe."

Both of Tirek's brows raised at the title the filly had spoken and he turned to Grogar for an explanation. The ram simply gave a mysterious smile and inclined his head slightly. Deciding it wasn't worth delving into, Tirek shook his head and continued his explanation.

"I haven't bothered to leave because going out on my own would serve no purpose other than to waste what little energy I have left, and besides that, there is more work to be done here at the moment. It's taken an absurd amount of time, and we are still far from ready, but those of us that still live are trying to rebuild our society while finding a way to survive the outerworld's atmosphere indefinitely. We do have a plan, though we are still far from implementing it."

"If you've been observing Equestria, I assume you've noticed the drastic change in the mana," Grogar said, eyeing Tirek curiously, "I have studied it extensively and am somewhat able to harness its power to my own ends. Do you mean—or rather have you the means to do the same?"

"No... that is one step of the plan we have yet to accomplish," Tirek answered, looking at his friend with surprise and even a hint of awe, "we've surmised that if we can control the mana as it is now, adaption, and even integration, should be easy. We don't have the resources to study the effects of Equus's thaumic field on the average demon. 

"Not many demons have ever bothered to learn until now, and the ones that have, have had little to no success figuring out a way to bring all demons beyond the Gate. That is one of the biggest reasons why Equestria has not been overrun in the past. If what you say is true however, then with your help, I believe we can finally start making some headway."

"So ultimately you wish to bring some life back into that lifeless plane," Grogar mused before giving a slow nod, "yes, I suppose I can share what I know, but I'd like a favor in return," he glanced down at Twilight, who looked back up curiously, "I believe you mentioned you might be able to assist the filly and I in finding an alternative for her hunger?"

"I did say something like that, yes," Tirek answered slowly, "believe it or not, I used to suffer from something similar, and I've long since found a way to overcome such an issue. I make no guarantee that my solution will work for a lich, but I can, at the very least give you the details, and you can try to work out how to adapt the solution for the filly."

"I suppose that's the best we can hope for at the moment," Grogar sighed, "a creature must take such water as they are given in a desert devoid of it, or so I believe the saying goes."

"Of course. You can never simply expect a miracle to fall into your lap. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst," Tirek gave the other two an unpleasant smirk, "you have to be realistic about these things."

"Indeed," Grogar replied with a nod, "it seems we've reached an agreement then. In exchange for my knowledge of the ambient mana permeating the world, you will tell me of this solution of yours. We will see what happens from there."

"Fair enough," Tirek replied with a shrug, "before we can accomplish anything however, we still need to reach the lower levels of Tartarus. There's a few creatures I'd like you to meet," his smirk became a mysterious grin as he looked down at Twilight, "and there's someone in particular who'd be absolutely delighted to meet you, child."

Twilight hesitated a moment, grimacing in discomfort before turning to Grogar questioningly. Grogar returned her look with a stoic nod and the filly relaxed somewhat, though she still gave the centaur a wary glance.

"How much longer is it until we reach these lower levels?" Grogar asked suddenly. He glanced around him. at some point they had emerged from the cave and were now surrounded on either side by impossibly high canyon walls. Ahead of them was a narrow path of gritty red sand that seemed to stretch on for an eternity. The ram narrowed his eyes at the sight, "it seems like it will be quite a journey."

"Oh, the road just seems longer than it is, trust me," Tirek answered, waving a dismissive hand, "it should take no more than two or three hours for us to reach the portal to the lower levels, I'm sure you have nowhere else pressing to be, so I wouldn't worry about it."

Gorgar merely grunted in response and followed briskly behind Tirek. Twilight had taken up the rear and was looking up at the blackened sky above, trying to sort out everything she'd heard so far with mixed results. She had far too many questions to count, but she'd since learned to hold her tongue until the time was right to ask. Aside from that, she had the feeling she'd have all of her questions answered and more once they reached their destination.

Until then, she held her silence and waited in anticipation for what she'd find in the depths of Tartarus.
> Out of the Darkness
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

For the next few days for a certain amount of time each evening, Shining was allowed to peruse Luna's room and make use of the tomes held within. This was done under Celestia's strict supervision, and wasn't without its caveats; conditions regarding what he was and wasn't allowed to learn which Shining wasn't too pleased with, but begrudgingly accepted nonetheless.

The room Celestia had made for her sister was surprisingly bare bones given what Shining had expected. There was a large, if simple looking four poster bed, an empty desk next to the bedside, and a window leading out to a balcony much like his own room. The colt had inquired about the window, but Celestia had assured him there was nothing to worry about as far as the room being exposed to other ponies.

More importantly, the one thing the room did have were bookshelves. There wasn't much else in the way of furniture besides the bed and desk, but there were rows and rows of bookshelves, and they were fully stocked. Shining had what he thought was an impressive collection of books in the room Celestia had given him, but Luna's room was far larger and thus, could—and did—hold many more.

Apparently the Solar Princess had decided to leave most of the furnishing up to her sister should she relinquish her title of Nightmare Moon, and return to rule alongside her.  When asked, Celestia had explained that most of the books sitting upon the shelves were recovered from the ancient Castle of the Two Sisters located deep in the Everfree Forest. Others were collected in secret by the Princess over the years—books from the modern age she thought her sister might enjoy.

Shining Armor was all too eager to pick through the assorted tomes, and the fact that Celestia was on board with his idea and even willing to teach him what he'd know to help was more than he had hoped for. With the Princess watching over him, he'd wasted no time in resuming his research, and after a week or so, he'd already made significant progress on the subjects of oneiromancy and dream manipulation.

The spells he'd come across were entirely beyond his ability to cast, but for what Celestia had planned, that didn't matter. Shining himself didn't care that he couldn't use the spells, only that he learned everything he could about his chosen subject. By the time he confronted Nightmare Moon again, he wanted to make sure he knew as much as the fallen Princess herself about dreams. He wanted to make sure he and Nightmare Moon would be on equal ground when they met, he wanted to—

"An impossibility," came Celestia's blunt response when the colt had expressed his feelings on the matter, "where the knowledge of oneirology and oneiromancy are concerned, my sister outstrips you by several millennia," she shook her head, "no, Shining. You will have to make due with learning what you can in the next few weeks and nothing more than that."

Shining wanted to argue, but he knew Celestia was right. It still galled him and only made him want to try that much harder, but he accepted that his goal may have been a bit too lofty. What the Princess said next however, drew his interest and gave him something else to focus on.

"I know you wish to understand my sister, and there will be opportunities for you to learn more in that regard," she smiled one of her knowing smiles, "but your talent, or rather your affinity lies elsewhere, and it's that affinity that you must focus most of your studies on."

"My affinity?" Shining had asked, dumbfounded at first before remembering what Celestia was talking about, "oh that's right, I completely forgot!"

It had been during the seminar Shining had attended back then, before the school had been destroyed by his sister's deadly magic surge. Each unicorn in attendance had their magical affinity determined by way of an Orb of Insight, a ponymade artifact that revealed—in a rather spectacular fashion, what branch of magic a unicorn had a particular aptitude for.

Shining himself had shown a particularly strong affinity for Light Magic, which would've put his talent in direct opposition of that of Luna's. Luna's affinity, according to Celestia, had been Dark Magic, and it was clear to Shining that the Solar Princess put at least some of the blame regarding her sister's fall at the hooves of her sister's magical affinity.

What mattered more to the colt was that his own affinity might've give him some kind of edge, provided he studied up on it as Celestia had suggested. And so it was that Shining dove into his work, learning as much as he could about dreams during the evening while throwing himself into his studies on Light Magic during the day.

All the while, Celestia was there whenever she had the opportunity to be, which wasn't very often during the day. Still, she found time to teach him a few things about both subjects and had allowed him free reign of the thaumatology section of the Royal Archives in his spare time.

While he'd known of his own affinity, Shining Armor hadn't actually put any real thought into learning much about it until now. He certainly hadn't been lacking for intelligence, but when it came right down to it, study and research had always been his sister's area of expertise and passion. 

He himself had done quite a bit of studying and research lately, and he found he didn't mind. It made him feel closer to Twilight, like he was working enough for the both of them. That said, it wasn't as though he didn't find Light Magic fascinating to study either. On the contrary, he was astonished by the possibilities that one Branch of Magic alone could provide.

"Light Magic and Dark Magic are essentially two sides of the same coin—equal yet opposite," Celestia had explained one night, "one Branch generally brings light, life and hope while the other..." she grimaced in distaste, "...the other tends to bring only darkness, death and despair to both the caster and the victim."

Shining winced at that; Celestia's decision to use the word 'victim' rather than a less morbid alternative not lost on him in the slightest. 

"Light Magic is magic capable of manipulating photon energy in various ways. You can create light, take it away, bend it to your will to make illusions, travel at light-speed and accomplish many other feats," she continued, "at the same time, in many ways, it holds the power to heal, protect and create."

From what the colt had read in the following days, there was no Branch of Magic that compared to Light Magic when it came to Healing Magic and Barriers. There were offensive Light Magic spells to be certain, but Light Magic for the most part was used to help rather than harm. Many of the spells involved were of a supportive nature and Shining for one didn't mind that in the slightest.

On and on Shining went; his muzzle almost always in a book, hardly resting, only eating when Celestia and her aides forced him to, and completely oblivious to the world around him for the most part. It had gotten to the point that Celestia began to worry, and eventually she decided she needed to do something about it.

The Princess understood how important it was for Shining to learn more about Light Magic, Oneirology and Oneiromancy, but in reality, there was no rush. She'd told the colt that if Nightmare Moon were to return, it wouldn't be for several years yet. On top of that, he had the dream banishing crystal she'd made, so there was no fear of nightly visits by the twisted mare.

It had only been roughly a week and Shining was already running himself ragged, as though he were on borrowed time. When she'd asked, Shining had told Celestia that he enjoyed the work, but the ageless alicorn knew better. She knew the real reason Shining had thrown himself into his work, and she'd be damned to Tartarus before she let the colt isolate himself and drown his pain in work any more.

The Princess herself had already been down that road more than once, and knew for a fact that it led nowhere good. If he wanted to study that was all well and good, but Celestia decided that Shining needed something more than research to keep his mind occupied. 

That was when a plan began to form in her mind; something to keep Shining busy while at the same time dragging him out of the shell he'd created around himself. The constant solitude and laser focus on his research was beginning to affect his health and she felt it was high time she said something on the matter.





"No way."

Celestia gave a quiet, weary sigh.

She'd arrived late one night and had once again caught the colt in his room with three different books open and furiously scribbling down notes as he poured over the tomes at his desk. To her dismay there were several more books stacked high around him. Knowing what Celestia already did about Shining's feelings on the matter, there was no real good way of broaching the topic she wanted to discuss.

She'd offered to reinstate Shining into the Junior Reserve Captain's Training Corp program and he'd refused, as she knew he would. Generally the program was meant for students still in school who'd meant to join the Royal Guard, but in this case, Celestia was willing to make an exception for Shining. 

Evidently her efforts were wasted, as Shining hadn't bothered to let her finish speaking or even look up from his work before he rejected the offer. Celestia had expected Shining to show some resistance, but she wasn't going to be dissuaded so easily. 

"Shining Armor—"

"No, Celestia," Shining interjected, finally turning around to face the Princess, his eyes hard and his frown firm and resolute, "there's no way I'm joining the Royal Guard, not after..." his frown faltered and he shook his head before turning back to his notes, "I'm not doing it. I can't... and you know why."

"Shining, please," Celestia pleaded, making her way into the room and over to where the stubborn colt sat, "I know how important this research is—perhaps more than anypony else," she held up one of the textbooks in her golden magic and frowned at it before frowning down at Shining in his chair, "but I've already told you that you need not rush yourself."

"Yes," Shining agreed through gritted teeth, "but you also told me that fortune favors the well prepared. I fully intend on facing up to Nightmare Moon, but I'm still just a colt. I need as much preparation as I can get in the amount of time that I have and that means I can't waste any time."

"I know what I said, Shining Armor," Celestia replied, gently placing the book back down on the desk, "and now I'm saying that if you keep going at this pace without giving your mind a chance to rest or focus on other things, you're going to burn yourself out, and if that happens, I guarantee you won't be of use to anypony."

"I can handle it," Shining argued. He rubbed at his tired, itchy eyes and squinted as he tried to make out the text in one of the tomes, "I'm making a lot of progress here, and if I stop now—"

"If you stop now, nothing horrible will happen," Celestia gently placed a hoof down on the page Shining was reading and pushed the book away, "if you stop now and get a good night's rest for once, I'm fairly certain Highhoof's Fourth Layer Theory will make much more sense in the morning."

Shining blinked slowly and turned to the Princess.

"How did you—"

"Trust me, Shining, I've met Harding Highhoof," Celestia replied with a small chuckle, "that stallion was literally crazy about Barrier Magic, and his work isn't something you can understand with a mind addled by sleep deprivation."

Shining frowned and looked back down at his own work. He hated to admit it, but that particular problem had indeed had him stumped for the last couple of hours or so. With a mountain of reluctance on his part, Shining sighed and marked his page before closing the book.

"Alright fine," he conceded, "so maybe I could use some more sleep, but that doesn't mean I want to enroll in the JRCTC program again," his expression turned quizzical and a bit hurt, "why would you even suggest that?"

"Because, if I remember correctly," Celestia replied, moving to sit beside his bed, "joining the Royal Guard was your passion. It was something you'd worked so hard to accomplish before the incident. You poured your own blood, sweat and tears into making that dream a reality even before the seminar," she gave the colt a soft smile, "you need something other than endless research to keep you occupied and if I'm being honest, I hated seeing you lose that drive."

"What I was passionate about," Shining countered with a grim scowl, "was protecting my sister and the rest of my family. Now that they're gone, there's no reason for me to join the Royal Guard, simple as that."

"Shining Armor, I know for a fact that isn't the entire reason you chose that path," Celestia challenged, "over these last couple of months, short though the time may have been, I've learned quite a bit about you. I know that somewhere beneath all the pain you carry, there's a brave and selfless colt that wants to protect not just his family, but anypony who doesn't have the power to protect themselves."

"I'm not joining the Royal Guard!" Shining suddenly snapped, though Celestia heard the slight waver in his voice, "I don't care what you think you know, I'm not joining the Guard... I can't."

"Yes, you can," Celestia replied, her smile growing all the more understanding as she looked Shining in the eye, "I'm worried about you, Shining Armor, and while working as part of the EUP isn't guaranteed to be the safest job out there, I know you'd be a lot happier than you are now.

"It still hurts, the memory of that explosion, the misplaced survivor's guilt of not being there and being able to protect your sister," Celestia's smile grew more melancholy and she turned away from Shining to look out the window and into the night sky, "I know because I've felt it too," she cast Shining a side glance, "...you're not the only one who lost loved ones that day, Shining Armor."

Shining Armor wanted to argue, but what could he say to that? It was true and they both knew it. To deny the fact or try to justify why his loss was so much greater than anypony else's would've made him sound like a self centered foal. 

"There is a time for mourning, but that time has long since passed for you I think," Celestia continued, trotting back over to Shining. She pulled him off the chair and into a hug as she spoke. Shining's body stiffened slightly, but he resisted the urge to push the mare away, "I know it's hard, and the pain probably won't ever go away completely, but you need to move on with your life."

She pulled away and leaned down to look Shining in the eye, her warm smile gone and replaced with a stern frown.

"You need to find peace and stability in doing something you love—in being with others who will support and care for you, and this..." she nodded towards the messy desk, the amount of books piled up on top seeming suddenly daunting to the colt, "...this might bring you the knowledge needed to do what needs to be done, but it won't bring you peace or stability, and right now, that's far more important."

Shining looked from the desk to Celestia, his mouth slightly open and his mind sifting through the Princess's words. He hated to admit it, but Celestia was right. He knew she'd been right from the beginning but he hadn't allowed himself to accept the fact. She'd been trying to tell him the same thing for days if not weeks now, and he wasn't sure why it was only now sinking in... but it was.

Sure he'd lost his entire family and hadn't any other family who would take him in like many of the others who'd been orphaned by that tragic event. Sure what happened to his family had devastated him on a fundamental level, sure he was bitter that the Princess hadn't saved his family, but when he really stopped to think about it, she'd gone through much the same.

No, Celestia had gone through much worse than he had, and it was only now that he realized it. Celestia cared for her subjects as though they were her own children; Shining had been around her long enough by now to know that, and when the school was destroyed she must've felt the same as he did back then—as he was still feeling even now.

But she'd pushed past her sorrow, unlike him.

She had the wherewithal to set her own grief aside for the sake of Shining Armor. She'd adopted him, despite whatever consequences that may have caused and Shining had returned the favor by pushing her away and drowning in his own grief. 

One could argue that it wasn't really fair to compare a colt just barely into his teenage years to an ageless demigoddess when it came to experiences in dealing with grief, but in the end, that didn't matter. Celestia had been doing her best to try to get Shining to move on, and it wasn't like she wasn't right to, and with those words the Princess had spoken, he understood.

Celestia had mourned and grieved and moved on, and if Shining Armor was going to get anywhere, he needed to do the same. The vast difference in their experience was irrelevant, especially when faced with the threat of Nightmare Moon's return. It wasn't just for his own peace of mind that he needed to change, it was a necessity if he wanted to help Celestia reconcile with her sister.

And if he couldn't convince Luna to change and she returned to Equestria as Nightmare Moon...

"You're right, I'm not the only pony who lost their friends and family back then," Shining finally replied in a quiet tone, "and you were also right about why I wanted to join the Royal Guard in the first place. I thought I'd accepted that what happened wasn't my fault but all I really did was push the blame on you while still blaming myself anyway."

"And I don't fault you one bit for that," Celestia replied, placing a comforting hoof on his shoulder, "we were both distraught and unsure then, but I think we can move past that now, don't you?"

"Maybe," Shining replied with a halfhearted shrug, "I think I still need some time to sort some things out, but..." he gave a great sigh and looked up at Celestia, his jaw set, "at the very least I can enroll in the JRCTC program and see where things go from there."

He didn't mention that it might've actually been a good idea given what he might have to face in the future.

Unaware of his thoughts, Celestia beamed at his words; her smile glowing like the sun itself and Shining found himself looking away as though it was too bright to handle. He gave a half surprised, half irritated grunt as the Princess raised him up into another, tighter hug.

"That's good enough for me," she replied, setting the complaining colt down and smiling gratefully down at him, "as long as you make an honest effort, that's good enough for me, Shining. Now I think it's time you got some actual rest, so come on," she nudged Shining towards the bed, "off to bed with you."

"Alright already," Shining grumbled, hopping up onto the bed and making himself comfortable, "you made your point, I don't need to be treated like some five year old in a daycare center."

Celestia only chuckled as she magically pulled the bedroom door open and began making her way out. Just as she was about to exit out into the hallway, she paused and half turned to look back at Shining.

"Ah, before I forget," she smiled one of those smiles and Shining frowned, not liking that smile one bit, "I know I'm more or less acting as your teacher right now, but I've decided to officially take on another student as well. Arrangements are still being made, but she'll be arriving sometime next week I believe," her smile widened a touch before she turned and slipped the rest of the way out of the room, "that aside, I hope you sleep well, Shining Armor."

And just like that, she was gone.

Shining blinked, then frowned, then groaned in exasperation.



"Seriously?"
> Beyond the Gate
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Together, Tirek, Grogar, and Twilight traveled deeper into the bowels of Tartarus, passing through large caverns, across bridges, some built over great chasms and others over blazing rivers of lava, beyond wide plains of burning red sand and rock, and even a few steep canyons here and there.

Twilight had never been told much about what Tartarus was actually like back when she was alive. The only real explanation she'd gotten was from her mother back when she was even younger than she was now. She'd told her it was some kind of dark prison for monsters and ponies who did bad things. She'd told her the prisons were guarded by all kinds of nasty demons who would devour you or suck out your soul.

While she'd gotten the part about demons right, Twilight now realized how little her mother had really known about Tartarus. Now that Twilight herself was actually here, she was amazed at just how vast a place it truly was.

"It's like a completely different world," Twilight had muttered in awe as the group passed through a dense forest of twisted, leafless white trees, "everything is so... weird looking." 

The soil beneath Twilight's hooves was a deep maroon color, and the air around them all was thick with a mist she could barely see through. Every once in awhile the undead filly thought she spotted large shapes darting in and out of the trees they passed. At this point she'd more or less accepted the fact that she'd probably be fine if she got attacked, but all the same she stuck close to Grogar as they trotted along.

"In many ways, it is a different world," Tirek explained, "it's said that untold eons ago, when the universe was yet young and the True Gods walked among mortals, Tartarus was an infernal prison meant to contain and torture for all eternity the Gods who'd fallen to corruption and attacked their kin. 

"Somewhere along the way, a catastrophic event caused an anomaly that warped time and space. The anomaly somehow twisted and expanded a simple prison into what you see before you now... or so the story goes," he shrugged, "I personally think it's nothing more than a myth myself."

"Wow," Twilight muttered, fascinated by the tale, "what are the 'True Gods'? Who were they?"

"No one really knows for certain," Tirek replied disinterestedly, "supposedly beings of nearly limitless power and boundless wisdom. I doubt they truly existed; I'm sure they'd still be around if they were as almighty as the stories say."

"Who's to say they aren't?" Grogar added with a small smirk, "I am not overly fond of humans, but in taking some time to learn more about them, I stumbled across a saying I rather am fond of."

"Pah... humans," Tirek snorted in disdain before raising an eyebrow at the ram, "and what intriguing little nugget of wisdom did the humans have to offer?"

"Truth is hidden only to the masses who are not inquisitive," Grogar replied, "what you believe to be a myth may in fact be a truth that exists beneath your very nose. You need only search hard enough and in time, you may find not all is as it seems."

"...There is some merit in that statement I suppose," Tirek conceded after a moment's thought, "after all, Tartarus is a world with its own rules and secrets. To those who know and obey those rules, such a place can be merciful," the centaur turned and gave Grogar a challenging look, "but those foolish enough to break those rules and covet those secrets don't tend to last very long."

"So you say," Grogar replied evenly, "but given the current state of Tartarus, I doubt there are very many rules left to break. I see little harm in seeking out the hidden truths of this land so long as one is sufficiently prepared." 

"Grogar my friend, as long as there are demons that roam said land, there will continue to be rules and secrets," Tirek replied easily, though he gave a defeated sigh a moment later, "but you're not entirely wrong either. These days naught but the wildlife wander the infernal planes of Tartarus, and they outnumber us demons by a fair amount," he shook his head sadly, "things most certainly aren't what they used to be."

Listening to the two adults, Twilight once more found herself feeling slightly left out of the loop. She could follow along with the discussion well enough, but felt she had nothing meaningful to contribute. Even if she had, she also felt as though she'd just be intruding like some unwanted guest at a party.

It left a bitter taste in her mouth, but she consoled herself with the fact that Tirek and Grogar seemed to have a lot of history together. That, and she'd gotten to hear a bit more about the 'humans' she'd been so curious about before. Apparently the centaur had also been aware of their existence, but if Tirek had been around as long as Grogar had, then it may not have been that much of a surprise.

"That reminds me," Grogar mused, his red eyes tracking another shadow as it shot out of the trees and zipped past his line of sight before vanishing back into the trees once more, "the creatures of this land, they were all spared from the attack of this Voracious Nightmare?"

"The fauna of Tartarus hold no sapience and have little capacity for the type of complex emotions needed to sate the Nightmare's hunger," Tirek answered, "they are—or rather were—a meal that held no interest for it," a wry smile crossed his face, "...that, and we kept the abomination rather busy. It spent most of its time either feeding on demons, destroying everything in its path, or trying to flee while fending us off."

"I see," Grogar replied, "and without the demon population to keep them in check, the creatures no doubt slowly began to take over the upper levels of Tartarus."

"It seems so," Tirek agreed, "but that hardly poses any real problem, and it's something we can deal with once our own affairs are in order."

"My mom told me once that Tartarus was full of horrible monsters, and I've seen a bunch of them," Twilight said as they finally moved out of the strange misty forest and towards a narrow, twisting pathway with a large drop off on either side a little further ahead. She looked behind her to see several pairs of burning green eyes past the treeline, watching them go and frowned, "but none of them tried to attack us so far."

"Contrary to what you might believe," Tirek replied with a passive look towards the disappearing gazes of the unseen beasts in the forest, "many of the beasts that wander the depths of Tartarus are opportunistic cowards who only attack those that are weaker than they. If they sense someone or something more powerful, they'll keep their distance."

"Oh," Twilight muttered, "I guess that makes sense."

"Count yourself lucky that Grogar is here to keep them at bay, filly," Tirek chuckled, "without his presence, I'm afraid you and I would see no end of trouble from those creatures."

"Wait," Twilight replied, looking up at Tirek with a bemused frown, "so does that mean they attacked you on the way to where we were? How did you—"

"Enough," Grogar exclaimed with a hint of annoyance in his voice, "Tirek, despite what you've told us, this trip has taken well over a few hours. Where is this portal to the lower levels?"

"Oh, not far now," he replied, nodding towards the upward sloping path, "in fact, it's at the end of this path. At the peak of this slope is a ruin. Inside that ruin is the portal we seek," he sighed wistfully, "it was a rather grand structure once, you know. Designed by some of the best architects demonkind had to offer centuries ago."

"Really?" Twilight asked curiously, "what happened to it?"

"The Voracious Nightmare happened," Tirek answered bitterly, "demolished the entire thing in its rampage across Tartarus." 

"Oh," Twilight's ears drooped as she looked from Tirek to the rising path ahead, "I'm sorry about that."

"It doesn't matter," Tirek replied with a dismissive wave of his withered red hand, "what's important is that the portal to the lower levels within is still intact and usable."

For a time, no one spoke after that, each lost in their own thoughts as they made their way up the winding slope. Throughout their trip, Grogar had occasionally sought out potential souls for future harvest. While he'd found plenty scattered about, there were still far less than he'd been expecting or hoping for.

Still, what he did find would suit him well enough. There were plenty of powerful demon's souls amongst the weaker ones, and if he played his cards right and gathered the proper materials, he could use those souls to create equally powerful thralls—loyal undead grunts, shades, and golems just to name a few.

With some time and a great amount of effort, he'd be able to create more undead creatures similar to Twilight, but remaking Twilight into what she was now had been no easy feat. Aside from that, Grogar wasn't sure creating another lich like Twilight would be a good idea. Many ages ago, Grogar had seen firsthoof what came of having too many liches in one place at once.

It was utter madness of the worst kind, and the demonic ram had no desire or intention of bringing that upon himself. No, even if he were to make more creatures similar to the filly, Twilight Sparkle was a special case, and he'd make sure the filly remained his most powerful asset. 

It wasn't until they were all about halfway up the path that Twilight saw their destination. She could see the beginnings of what looked like a small temple surrounded by marble pillars. Tirek hadn't been lying about the state of the structure, much to Twilight's horror and amazement. 

The entire temple—or what remained of it at least—was made of what looked like polished white marble, with many of the pillars surrounding it either broken or missing completely. The roof of the building had been wholly destroyed and lie in pieces around the structure. 

To Twilight, it looked a bit like a citadel rather than a temple, but it wasn't nearly large enough to be called such. Looking at the structure, she reminded of the ruins of ancient Álogoan acropolises she'd seen in photos and sketches of history books. She was no historian, but the filly found her academic curiosity piqued by the ruined temple all the same. She thought about the portal within and wondered what it would look like.

That in turn led her to think about what lie at the other end of the portal. She frowned as she thought about the remaining demons that lived in the lower depths of Tartarus—wondered and worried about what they would be like. Eventually her curiosity and concerned pushed her to ask Tirek a question that had been at the back of her mind for awhile now.

"Hey, um... Tirek?" Twilight began, only speaking again when she saw she had the centaur's attention, "you said there was somepony... someone that wanted to meet me before. Who was it that wanted to see me? It's not someone I know is it?"

"I very much doubt that," Tirek replied with a hint of amusement in his tone, "she's a demon with a particular interest in ponies, and even among the vast variety of demons that exist—well, existed, she's a rather... unique character."

"Oh?" Grogar said, raising an intrigued eyebrow, "how?"

"Well... how to put this..." Tirek paused and hummed in thought. After a moment he chuckled and shook his head, "I think it's best you both see for yourself. Just know that despite her appearance and... mannerisms, she's not at all what she seems."

Twilight looked towards Grogar with a bemused frown, but the ram seemed lost in his own thoughts as he trotted along besides the centaur. Another long moment of silence followed as the group made their way up the rest of the slope. As they neared the temple, Twilight could see that the damage was far more extensive than she realized. 

From the look of it, there'd been a double door attached to the entrance, but that now lay in pieces off to one side, and the wall around the entrance had given way, making a wider hole for the group to enter through. Much of the left wall of the building had crumbled and was nothing more than a pile of rubble. Twilight could see the actual interior through several gaps where the stonework had been destroyed, and all of them had to step over or around the debris of  crushed or fallen marble.

As they passed into the ruins, Tirek grimaced at the sight, but said nothing. Grogar looked around with mild interest, and Twilight simply counted herself lucky she hadn't encountered whatever had done such drastic damage. The inside of the ruin was far more sparse than either Grogar or Twilight was expecting. 

The entire floor was made of what appeared to be the same polished black stone as the strange door blocking the entrance to Tartarus. As Twilight trotted across the room, the stone echoed oddly beneath her hooves. She didn't know how, but Twilight knew this wasn't any ordinary stone—not obsidian or onyx or any other kind of dark stone the filly could think of. There was something otherworldly about it, even here in Tartarus where everything seemed otherworldly.

Though there was no longer any roof covering the interior, the atmosphere inside was horribly different than that of the world outside. Something in the air made Twilight's horn tingle uncomfortably, and she had a sneaking suspicion it was the stone beneath her that was the source of this eerie aura that pervaded her senses.

Aside from some more debris that had fallen inside the temple, there were a few steps leading up to a large raised square altar in the middle of the single room. The whole set up reminded Twilight of the Ritual Chamber in Grogar's castle when it only had the altar placed within it. The biggest difference aside from the setting was the massive rectangular slab of black stone standing upright near the back of the altar.

At first glance there seemed to be nothing atop the platform, but as they neared the altar, the filly could see several runes forming a complex circular sigil carved into both the upright stone slab and the platform below. Though the magic circles looked somewhat crudely etched and the entire altar itself simplistic in design, Twilight could feel the raw power emanating from it.

"So this is it then, is it?" Grogar commented, eyeing the altar with an inquisitive frown, "this is the portal that will take us to our destination?"

"It is," Tirek replied, moving ahead of the other two and making his way up the few steps to the altar, "it may not look like much—especially now given the circumstances, but the portals scattered across Tartarus have been enchanted so heavily that nothing short of the complete annihilation of Tartarus itself would be enough to destroy them, and even then I still have my doubts. It'll still get us where we need to go just fine, no need to worry about that."

"How does it work?" Twilight asked as she and Grogar joined the centaur on the altar. She eyed the carved runes below with a curious eye, then turned her attention to the surrounding floor about her, "does it have something to do with this weird black stone the floor is made of? It doesn't feel... normal," she turned back to Tirek, who stood between her and Grogar, "are you using it as some kind of catalyst or conduit for the magic needed to activate the portal?"

"An astute observation," Tirek answered with an impressed nod, "the entire floor is made of a stone that was once only found in the deeper pits of Tartarus. Though I'm unsure of how the outerworld was exposed to it," he paused, humming in thought, but shook his head and continued on a moment later, "in any case, I'm sure you're familiar with the nullstone you ponies use to use to create the horn rings that cancel out a unicorn's ability to channel their mana?"

Twilight nodded and Tirek swept a hand across the room.

"Here in Tartarus we call it manastone, and it functions quite differently,"  Tirek continued before turning to the large slab of stone, "magically, manastone is similar to demons in that it doesn't take too well to Equus's thaumic field. When it comes into contact with it, its reaction is to reject the field entirely, thus voiding the mana around it within a certain range."

"If that's the case," Grogar asked with a slightly bemused frown, "why not harness the power of this manastone to aid you in traversing the outerworld? If it negates the thaumic field, then it should be no problem."

"We've already tried," Tirek replied, shaking his head slowly, "in theory it's plausible, but the execution has proven difficult. For one thing, the manastones are much less effective as nullstones than they once were in the past, most likely due to the drastic shift in the thaumic field over the ages."

"This is true," Grogar agreed, "the mana has become something else entirely from what it was in the past, so that may very well have caused some problems."

"It has," Tirek explained, "we've tested the effects of sending a demon out into the deadlands with a manastone," his expression turned grim, "whereas a normal demon would dissolve in a near instant from exposure to Equus's thaumic field without a manastone—or nullstone in this case, having one no longer completely prevents that."

"What happens then?" Twilight asked worriedly, "is there some other effect?"

"In essence, with the nullstone in hand, the demon suffers in a manner not dissimilar to dying a slow and painful death from a fatal poison... as the demon we sent out into the deadlands found out," Tirek answered with a disappointed sigh, "my guess is that over the many years we've been asleep, the thaumic field has shifted to something much closer in nature to what is found in Tartarus, but it's not enough to ensure our survival."

"So..." Twilight surmised, "does that mean if you waited long enough the mana would change enough for Equestria to be habitable?"

"Indeed," the centaur replied, "but estimates show that would not happen for another few thousand years or so, and none of us desire to wait that long."

"A pity," Grogar commented idly.

"Indeed," Tirek replied.

He sighed again, trotted forward, observed the slab for a moment with a slight frown, and placed a hand on a small section devoid of any runic carvings in the middle of the stone. As he did so, Twilight felt something in the air shift slightly. One of her ears twitched at the sensation and she looked around in bemusement, but Tirek seemed to pay it no heed—all his attention focused on the stone in front of him.

"And while we're still on the subject of the manastone, I'm guessing it has a more beneficial effect here, correct?" Grogar guessed, watching the centaur's actions with interest, "from the feel of it, it seems as though the stone is absorbing the ambient mana of Tartarus..." he looked over the runes, the carvings on the platform and stone slab now glowing a soft red in color, "...and all these runes are meant to redirect that stored mana to the sigil."

"Partially correct," Tirek replied, speaking a little louder over the growing hum of the activated runes, "the runes below are meant to power the portal, and as you'll witness in a moment, these runes above are meant to activate the 'gate' to the lower levels of Tartarus." 

As he spoke, the circle of runes on the slab flashed bright red and the hum became a roar. Tirek removed his hand and stepped back just the glowing circle of runes on the slab began to spin with gradual rapidity. A moment later the circle began to expand until it stretched past the corners of the slab. After a certain point it stopped expanding, and with another bright flash of light, Twilight found herself looking into another landscape altogether.

The complex runic circle had become a gateway, and beyond that Twilight could see the gate led to another altar made of black stone. Rather than another temple however, the altar stood at the top of a large, steep rocky hill dotted with blackened, withered trees. A bit of the ground past the altar was made of the same black stone, but further ahead the black stone gave way to a dizzyingly long set of winding stone steps. The steps led down to what appeared to be a small village or hamlet of some sort.

Twilight had to squint slightly from the light of the burning red-orange sky above, but she could just make out something odd about the collection of buildings far below. The filly having long been used to the constant pitch blackness of the sky over both the upper levels of Tartarus and the deadlands that had once been Equestria. As if to make up for this, the clouds—something Twilight hadn't expected to see—were black, flat and lifeless.

Like everywhere else Twilight had been, there was no sun, moon, or stars to speak of, only the black clouds and burning sky. Further in the distance was a tall mountain range that cast part of the hamlet in front of it in a somewhat eerie shadow, the origin of which confused the filly, as there was no sun behind the mountains to cast the shadow.

The clouds drifted lazily over the buildings below, and Twilight let out a gasp as she finally noticed what had felt off about the hamlet. Like the now destroyed temple they entered, the structures in the hamlet were made of  stone, though she could see some wood and brick houses as well. As a whole, the design of the buildings were also reminiscent of ancient Álogoan architecture, adding a bit of fascination and curiosity to Twilight's initial shock.

Another thing some of the buildings shared in common with the temple was that more than a few had been utterly leveled by some horrible force of destruction. Upon closer inspection, the undead filly though she could also see a few shapes moving about between the ruined buildings, but couldn't tell for certain from such a far distance.

Without a word, Tirek stepped through the gate and into the world beyond, Grogar quickly following after. Twilight hesitated a moment before following them both out a moment later. The air was noticeably warmer here, and looking above, Twilight wondered why the skies of the lower levels of Tartarus were brighter than that of the levels above.

Looking back down at the hamlet, Twilight was reminded of the view of the ruined city of Tambelon from the cliff near Grogar's castle. Now that she thought about it, there'd been many things in Tartarus that had reminded her of Grogar's fallen kingdom. Before she could read too deeply into that, her thoughts were interrupted as Tirek spoke, the centaur turning slightly to face his two guests and sweeping a hand across the valley below in a grand gesture.

"Welcome the both of you, to Lýkos Valley, our base of operations here in the depths...  for the time being at least."
> Uneasy Introductions
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight wasn't completely sure what to expect when she and Grogar were brought down to the almost empty and mostly ruined little settlement. Maybe a few demons, but that hardly counted for anything seeing as, until she met Grogar, she'd never seen any kind of demon before, nor had she read anything about them in life. If there were books on the subject, she'd never learned where to find them and doubted she would've been allowed to read about the mysterious race anyway.

The fact of the matter was that the undead filly was going in blind, and no matter what she saw, she knew she'd be completely blindsided, so when she found herself facing a pegasus filly with a pink coat, an icy blue mane that fell in bouncy curls, scarlet eyes wide with excitement, and a smile as bright as the sun upon entering the small settlement, she had reacted with the appropriate amount of bewilderment.

"Bwuh?!"

That singular noise of confusion was about as much as Twilight could get out before the other filly spoke, her little hooves pressed against her cheeks and her expression one of wonder and awe.

"Oh wow, is that another pony? In Tartarus of all places?" came the filly's jubilant cry as she flitted around a horribly confused Twilight, "who could've possibly expected such a thing? Not me certainly, no sir! What an exciting development! My name's Cozy Glow, what should I call you, new friend?"

"U-Um... Twilight?" Twilight replied, attempting to take a hesitant step back from the filly who'd called herself Cozy Glow, "my name is... Twilight Sparkle. How did—"

A small gasp escaped Cozy Glow's lips as her eyes fell on the small silver bell around Twilight's neck. Her interest having been piqued yet again, the pegasus filly pushed her way back into Twilight's personal space to get a closer look at the object.

"Golly, that's some bell you have there," the filly continued, cutting Twilight off as she hefting the bell in one hoof, "I've never seen anything like it..." she fell quiet for a moment before retreating a few steps and letting out a childish giggle, "it's like you're a little lamb who wandered too far from home and lost her way," she suddenly turned to address the large ram behind the lavender filly, seemingly unfazed by his appearance and smiling just as innocently as ever, "are you the shepherd who's come to bring her back, Mister?" her eyelids lowered slightly and her smile shifted to a small smirk, "...or is the poor filly more of a pet dragged to this miserable place by her master?"

Grogar eyed the small pink pegasus silently for a moment, his look inscrutable. A glance in Twilight's direction showed the filly was looking back at the demonic ram, unsure of what to make of the situation. Cozy Glow had clearly caught her off guard, and by the look of it, Twilight knew something was off about the other filly. It seemed she didn't quite know how to deal with her, but Grogar, rather than put Twilight's mind at ease, instead pointedly ignored Cozy Glow's question and turned to Tirek.

"It appears this creature has been the victim of quite a powerful hex, and if her demeanor is any indication, it was most likely a well-deserved punishment," he observed with a thoughtful frown, "am I to understand that this cursed demon is the one you spoke of, Tirek?"

"I'm afraid so," Tirek replied with a sigh, also ignoring Cozy Glow's indignant retort and Twilight's surprised exclamation, "I'm not exactly sure how it happened or what her real name is or even what kind of demon she is, as she's refused to tell anyone of her past. All I do know for certain is that she's a sadistic psychopath with a strange fascination for ponies."

"Ugh, no you withered old baboon!" Cozy Glow growled, flying over to the centaur, "what fascinates me is the power they wield! The magic!" she whipped around and jabbed a hoof in Grogar's direction, "and you! I'll have you know that I'm a pony and that I chose to become a pony willingly! There was a plan! There was a purpose!"

"And from your explanation, I can guess at what that purpose may have been," Grogar replied calmly and without missing a beat, "however, it seems that plan did not come to fruition, else I doubt you'd be stuck here, forever cursed to remain a pony due to your own foolishness," the ram gave Cozy Glow a small smirk of his own, "...am I wrong in that assumption, little one?"

Twilight looked from Grogar to Cozy Glow, hopelessly lost and wondering whether she should say something or not. Judging by the furious expression on Cozy Glow's face and the patient, almost expectant look Grogar gave the angry filly in turn, she decided it was best to let Grogar handle things for now. Cozy Glow opened her mouth to retort, but decided against it at the last moment, instead letting out an indignant huff and lowering herself back to the cobbled street before the ram.

"Who are you anyway?" she asked in a far more measured if still somewhat bitter tone, "and what's the deal with the filly? How did you manage to find her in that wasteland? I thought there were no ponies left?"

"The pony is an undead construct, Cozy Glow," came a smooth yet robust feminine voice from further into the settlement, "a flesh puppet given life through Necromantic magic, and a fine specimen to boot."

All eyes turned to see a creature Twilight had only read about in a cultural history book once. Languidly strutting her way over to the small gathering was a tall bipedal molly with a fur coat the color of burnt sienna and a head of bright orange hair swept back in a nearly waist-length bouffant. The feline wore a somewhat extravagant and rather formfitting dark red robe. The robe was trimmed with a generous amount of white fur and adorned with a simple belt of gold plates. All in all the feline, an Abyssinian by Twilight's reckoning, cut a striking figure. 

Cozy Glow had been an unsettling character for reasons Twilight couldn't quite pin down before Grogar pointed it out, but the Abyssinian made Twilight uncomfortable for entirely different reasons. Once she'd reached Twilight, the molly leaned down and looked over her, her pale green eyes flashing with a strange light as she inspected the filly's small frame. Her expression was one Twilight herself might've worn when working on a particularly interesting science experiment. Like Cozy Glow, she reached out and took the bell in one paw, turning it this way and that and letting out a low hum of approval.

"Yes, very fine work indeed," she muttered, "seamless, no imperfections to be found in the body, ample room for magical development, and the soul is... oh? Oh-ho... I see..." the eerie glow in the Abyssinian's eyes faded and she gave a deep chuckle of amusement before rising back to her feet and meeting Grogar's eyes, again in much the same way Cozy Glow had only moments ago, "and I take you must be the creator of this exquisite work of art? I must say, the utter perfection with which you've sculpted this construct speaks highly of your skills as a Necromancer."

"When you've worked to hone the craft as long as I, you tend to pick up quite a few things, certainly," Grogar replied before narrowing his eyes slightly, "though I'd thank you not to belittle my apprentice by referring to her as a mere construct. There is far more at work beneath the surface than you can possibly glean from such simple methods, witch."

Though his voice was calm, there was a hint of warning that Twilight could pick up even if she hadn't been bonded to the ram. Rather than frighten the filly, his words left her feeling a mix of pride, gratitude and even a bit of relief, although she wasn't sure where the latter had come from. The apparent witch for her part simply chuckled and raised a placating paw in response.

"Oh, I've no doubt," the witch replied smoothly, "and I meant no offense, honest. My name is Katrina, and as you were evidently able to guess, I am indeed a witch, a witch who wishes to become more than she is, as all our kind do eventually."

"A... witch?" Twilight asked, turning to Grogar for clarification. The word niggled at her, but she couldn't quite place where she'd heard the word or what it meant, "I think I read about those once, but I can't remember all that well..."

"I don't blame you for your ignorance on the subject, girl," Katrina answered with a remorseful sigh, "witches are a breed rarely seen in ponykind given how oversaturated your species is with magic."

"You see, child," Grogar continued, "of all the magic-wielding creatures known to exist, there are those with an exceptionally small amount of magic in their blood—small enough that it cannot be channeled through conventional means. These creatures—at least those who choose to make use of what they have, found a way to use their meager gifts in different ways—ofttimes through certain runes, potions and brews, incantations or a combination of any of these and maybe more. 

"In some circles, they might be known as alchemists or shamans," at Twilight's look of recognition Grogar nodded, "the methods may differ drastically depending on culture and practice, but the commonality lies in the fact that those different methods are used to manipulate an external thaumic or equivalent energy source outside of the body in light of the severe lack of thaumic energy within the body. It would be simple enough for you or I to use these methods with the proper know-how, but the biggest difference is that, as mages who predominately manipulate internal magic, we have no need to resort to such methods."

"Right, technically unicorns and pegasi rely on our horns and wings as catalysts for our magic, but our magic still comes from within, and I've read that even if we lose our horns or wings, our magic will manifest in... other ways," Twilight muttered with a small grimace. She'd read about such a thing, but it hadn't turned out to be a very pleasant topic, especially where unicorns were concerned. Brushing the thought aside, she turned and eyed Katrina for a moment, a bemused look crossing her face, "so you're a witch... but how did you end up here in Tartarus? You don't look like a demon. Are you like Cozy Glow?"

"Hardly," Katrina scoffed, turning to sneer at the pegasus in question, "this little cretin sacrificed almost everything she was as a demon to harness pony magic. I am no demon, and I will not stoop to such methods to get what I desire. No, when I become a true mage, it will be through due diligence and my own sharp wit."

"Ha!" Cozy Glow snapped back with her own vindictive sneer, "lofty words coming from a pampered little housecat who let her slaves do all the work!"

"Perhaps you'd like to give our new guests a tour of the town, Katrina?" Tirek interjected, glaring at the witch as he cut off her outraged retort, "or what's left of it at any rate."

"Oh, I'll do it!" Cozy Glow cried, sidling up to an increasingly uncomfortable Twilight with a smile almost too wide for her face, "I can show them all sorts of neat things I've found since we came here, and in exchaaaange~" Twilight hadn't thought it possible, but Cozy Glow's smile widened even further, "you can tell me all about life in Equestria! Oh, won't that be fun?"

"U-Um..." came Twilight's uncertain response.

"As much as it pains me to break up such a budding friendship before it begins," Tirek replied, his expression and tone showing he wasn't pained in the slightest at the idea, "your... talents are needed elsewhere, Cozy Glow, and I have things I must also attend to."

"Can't it wait?" Cozy Glow groaned in annoyance, "It's been literal ages since I've talked to an actual pony!"

"No, it can't," Tirek replied seriously, "Moloch will be wondering where the 'general' of his 'army' went, and it won't be long before he comes knocking on our proverbial door. I don't need that headache right now, not when we've potentially gotten a lead on how to get out of here."

"Wait, seriously?" Cozy Glow asked, her irritation all but evaporating as she flew over to Tirek, "does that mean we can finally—"

"No, not yet," the centaur cut in, pushing the demon-turned-filly away, "there's still a lot of work to be done. It will be some time before we can move onto the next phase... but in the meantime..."

He trailed off and glared at Cozy Glow who took the hint and rolled her eyes in exasperation.

"Fine, I'll go deal with the four-armed freak... again," she grumbled before turning to the other filly with a wave and an innocent, friendly smile completely at odds with her prior behavior, "I'll see you again soon, Twilight! Then we can hang out and talk about all kinds of things!"

With that, she flew off towards the portal they'd all come from and was soon out of sight. Twilight and Grogar watched her go each forming their own opinion of the strange demon filly. If Twilight was being honest, she really hoped she wouldn't see Cozy Glow again, despite the many questions she had about her origins. Still, she got the feeling it wouldn't be so easy to avoid her, and though it was less obvious to Twilight, Grogar felt much the same. Something about Cozy Glow didn't sit right with the Necromancer, but he couldn't put his cloven hoof on what it was... at least not yet. It wasn't the poor attempt at a friendly façade or her demonic nature, but something else—something... deeper.

"What are you hiding?" Grogar muttered to himself before shaking his head and addressing Tirek, "so you are not the only demons who roam Tartarus."

It was less a question and more a statement of fact, a statement at which Tirek sighed in response.

"I'm afraid not," he began, "while it is true there are very few demons left in Tartarus, we—that is Cozy Glow, myself, and a few others here—were not the only ones to wake from our long healing slumber. With the aid of another, I was able to cast the spell to put us to sleep, but there are others elsewhere in Tartarus that took similar measures," he nodded towards Katrina, "the witch stumbled upon this place after escaping from another such pocket of survivors."

"You escaped?" Twilight asked, turning to Katrina with a questioning look, "what does he mean? What happened?"

"I'd rather not talk about it if you don't mind," Katrina replied with a grim frown, "suffice it to say that we didn't quite see eye-to-eye on... certain matters."

"And that is a fairly accurate representation of our situation as a whole," Tirek continued, "there aren't many of us and our camps are spread incredibly thin. We've only found two other camps like ours so far and neither group is willing to cooperate with us and would rather rebuild Tartarus into the thriving demonic community it used to be."

"Understandable," Grogar replied with a knowing nod, "for some it is not so easy to abandon their home... and I take it this Moloch is the leader of one of these groups?"

"And a constant thorn in my side," Tirek grumbled, "he's a warmongering fool who thinks he can bring about a new age by ruling through military might alone, and he wants to add my potential power to his own," he shook his head in disgust at the thought, "he's trying to bring as many of the survivors as he can to heel, and unfortunately that isn't the end of it."

"Oh?" Grogar commented, "is he not aware that you lack the strength you once had?"

"He is, but he assures me that won't be an issue," Tirek answered with a dismissive wave, "nevermind the fact that he wants me to become one of his underlings in exchange for the return of my might, nevermind the fact that I don't trust him—it's because of his stupidity that I ultimately refused, and yet he hasn't given up. 

"According to our sources, he has a demon working under him that can produce lesser demons ad infinitum. I'm not sure if that's completely accurate or mere exaggeration, but even if it is true, he doesn't have what it takes to run a camp let alone rule the entirety of Tartarus. He has immense power and numbers at his disposal, yes, but that's all he has. He has no wit whatsoever, nor has he any real charisma or a head for leadership. Any empire he builds will be an empire of glass, destined to shatter beneath him."

"I see... and Cozy Glow?" Grogar asked, deciding to withhold his own thoughts on the matter for the moment, "what of her role?"

"Intel," Tirek replied simply, "somehow she's gained Moloch's trust. Exactly how is beyond me, but it's thanks to her information that we're able to stay one step ahead of him," as if foreseeing his question, Tirek raised a withered hand, "if you're worried about a potential betrayal, don't be. Not only does Cozy Glow hate Moloch as much as I do, but she wants out of Tartarus more than any of us here."

"I'm not sure we should be so complacent," Katrina chimed in with a scowl, "I've seen Cozy Glow work. Moloch may not have any wit or charisma, but as much as I hate to admit it, that filly can produce both in spades if she really puts her mind to it," crossing her arms, the feline witch turned a troubled gaze towards the portal high atop the hill in the distance, "who's to say she won't steal Moloch's 'empire' out from under his nose and come for us?"

"Do you truly think her capable of such a feat?" Grogar asked, "if she truly is as cunning as you say, it is certainly possible, but given her appearance and personality I have my doubts things will be that simple, even if she is planning a future betrayal."

"...Who knows?" Katrina replied after a moment, "all I'm saying is that we should all watch our backs for the time being. It doesn't hurt to be too careful after all."  

"I suppose you're right at that," Tirek conceded, "but enough about that for now. I really do have other duties I need to get back to elsewhere," he gave Grogar a nod, "we will see each again soon, and hopefully, then I will have everything necessary to resolve that issue of yours," he glanced at Twilight, who was staring up at the portal with a thoughtful frown. That caused the centaur to raise an eyebrow, but he decided against commenting and instead turned to Katrina, "show them around, have them meet the others, and when you're done—"

"I understand, I'll get right back to work," Katrina interjected with an airy wave of her paw, "now that I've perfected the mixture I'm guessing you'll want to stock up, right?" she paused and her face fell into an unsure frown, "...it did work this time, right?"

"It did, and yes I will," Tirek confirmed, "I'm sure we can find other uses for it, so I'd rather have more of that potion on hand just in case." His orders given, the centaur turned and clapped his old friend on the shoulder with a sardonic smirk, "well then, it's hardly an ideal vacation spot, but all the same try to enjoy your stay for the moment, eh, Grogar?" 

"Oh don't worry, Tirek," Grogar returning the smirk in kind, "I fully intend to make the trip worthwhile, I can assure you of that."

"Ha! I'd expect nothing less," and with those words and a hearty chuckle, Tirek trotted off up the steps towards the portal, "until next time, old friend."

As with Cozy Glow, Twilight and Grogar watched the centaur go for a moment when Twilight's half-thoughtful, half-worried voice drew the ram's attention.

"I hope he can do something about the hunger," the filly murmured, "I really don't wanna go through that again..." she shuddered at the memory, "it was a lot worse than the last time."

"Tirek is a capable creature, child," Grogar replied, "if whatever method he plans to utilize fails to resolve our predicament, I'm certain it will at the very least provide some useful insight into the matter."

"And hey, if his methods fail to sate the lich's hunger, perhaps I might be able to find a solution with one of my solutions," Katrina cut in, causing both the filly and ram to look her way questioningly. At their expressions, the witch merely smiled a toothy smile, "and now that I've gathered your attention, let's go meet the other poor souls who got stuck down here, shall we?"
> The Demon with Bad Breath
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Katrina's role was to show Twilight and Grogar around the small hamlet of Lýkos Valley, but in truth, there wasn't much to see that Twilight hadn't already seen from atop the hill where the portal was—at least not a first glance. As the feline witch led her two guests deeper into the ravaged little village, the undead filly noticed the complete lack of greenery or any sense of uniformity in the layout of the town. It was clear that just about everything in town had been built haphazardly even before its destruction and much of what Twilight saw seemed fairly primitive even compared to the smaller countryside towns she'd read about in Equestria. She couldn't help but wonder just what kind of demons had lived in such a place. 

"From what I understand, this podunk little town was once home to a hoard of lesser demons who managed to break free of some greater demon's thrall and escape," Katrina had explained when Twilight asked her out of curiosity, "they fled to the valley and built a small community for themselves."

The idea of demons building a community was a strange one to the filly, but that was only because she hardly knew anything about them. She'd always been told they were vicious, bloodthirsty monsters who only knew how to kill and devour and nothing else—or that's what her brother had said once anyway. And yet, as she, Katrina and Grogar traversed the dirty cobbled streets, Twilight could make out several creatures of all shapes and sizes—creatures she assumed were demons—conversing, building, arguing, and generally acting as any normal citizen of a small village would. There weren't many of them around from what she could tell, but the demons she did see—while intimidating in appearance for the most part—didn't particularly seem to give off a sense of mindless brutality, at least not upon first look.

As the group passed, some of the demons scattered about the hamlet stopped what they were doing to give them varying looks ranging from curiosity to suspicion to even outright hostility from a few, but none of them moved to confront the three and went back to whatever they'd been doing before soon enough. After having endured the looks and having observed them for a good while, the filly concluded that these creatures, for the most part, were just like any other sapient being trying to live their life as best they could given their circumstances, and that thought made her smile slightly. Still, the thought of her brother sent a pang of sadness coursing through Twilight and her smile fell just as quickly as it had come. She hadn't thought about Shining Armor since Grogar first told her she'd died during the exam. In fact, she hadn't thought about any of her family in some time, but before she could dwell on that, Katrina continued her explanation.

"Evidently, when the hoard reached the valley, they found that the town was already here," she said with a thoughtful hum, "it had already been abandoned and the portal on that hill was already there. None of us really know who originally inhabited the village or why it was left empty, but this is Tartarus, so anything could've happened and I wouldn't be surprised."

"Oh," Twilight replied, furrowing her brow in thought. A moment later her eyes lit up with an idea and she turned to Grogar, who'd been silently listening along as they walked up until now, "what about lost souls? Can't we ask them about the past with Necromancy?"

"That's one possibility that is unfortunately not available to us at the moment, child," Grogar answered with a slow shake of his head before glancing around the ruined town, "there are no lingering spirits roaming this town. In fact, it is... almost too quiet here, like the voices of the dead are afraid to speak."

"They are, and no one knows why... not even me... and I know just about everything there is to know..."

Before the bemused filly could ask what Grogar meant, the flapping of wings and the sound of a slow and sultry feminine drawl from above stopped them all in their tracks and caused them to look up to see something neither Twilight nor Grogar expected. What looked to Twilight to be a massive serpent held aloft by a pair of feathery jet black wings hovered several feet above the trio, its smooth forest green scales glimmering with a strange light beneath the blazing sky. That was odd enough, but even stranger was the creature lazily reclining on its stomach atop the serpent's back. At first, Twilight thought it was a mare, and one of the most beautiful mares she'd ever seen at that, but as the serpent descended enough for the creature to be seen in its entirely it quickly became apparent that this was not the case—not entirely.

The creature did indeed have the body of a mare with an ashen grey coat and a svelte physique to put even Princess Celestia to shame, but there were noticeable and—to the undead filly—unsettling differences here and there. Where her hooves should've been there were instead deadly looking dragon-like claws. Like the giant snake beneath her, she also had a pair of wings, but hers were more like a bat's and were abnormally large for a pony—large enough to rest on her back like a cape. Twilight actually thought it was a cape at first from a distance. Looking further down, Twilight saw that her tail was more akin to a leathery whip with a barbed tip at the end, but most curious of all, however, was its head. Rather than the slender muzzle the awed filly was expecting—and matching her dragon-like claws—the creature had a dragon-like snout. 

The snout, to be fair, was both slender and feminine, but Twilight could see more than a hint of the gleaming white fangs present within its mouth. Save for the wild curtain of snow-white hair that spilled down the side of its face and back, a pair of tufted equine ears, and thick black horns that jutted from the back of its head and looped up and around in such a way as to make an odd sort of halo, everything above its snout was covered by an ornate black and gold half mask that looked to be made of some kind of ebony porcelain. Behind the mask, a pair of predatory eyes that shined like jade-colored gemstones stared back at the others, the creature sizing them up with a half-lidded and seemingly disinterested gaze. 

For a moment, no one said a word, but then the creature, evidently done with its assessment, let out a loud and drawn-out yawn, stretching its mouth open wide and giving Twilight a full view of its viciously sharp fangs and blackened forked tongue. It was only a brief glance that they all got before the group took a hasty step away from the newcomer, the filly wrinkling her nose in disgust at the sudden smell wafting from its open mouth. The creature's breath settled over them all like a sickening veil, the fetid stench bringing to mind a thousand open graves filled to bursting with rotting corpses.    

"Urgh, your breath stinks!" Twilight blurted out, unable to help herself as she quickly retreated behind a grimacing Grogar. She threw a hoof over her stinging nose and narrowed her watering eyes as she continued, "it smells so bad!"

"Indeed, it is most foul," Grogar agreed, surprising the filly somewhat. Like Twilight, he narrowed his eyes at the creature before him, but for a completely different reason, "but such a stench shouldn't affect a Necromancer or their creations so strongly... who, or rather, what manner of creature are you?"

"To some, I am a curse... to others, a goddess of arcane wisdom and knowledge," the creature replied easily, "I was a commander, a Prince among Princes who ruled a distant land in a plane of existence that lies separate from yours," the creature turned its brilliant green eyes toward Twilight and gave the filly a disarming smile which did little to charm said filly given the fangs, "but here... in this place... I am simply a demon who knows far too much for her own good... you may call me Ash, and you need not worry about me."

"From what Tirek has told me," Katrina explained to Twilight, "Ash arrived here in Tartarus shortly after the attack of the Voracious Nightmare," the witch eyed Ash with a slightly suspicious frown, "the way Tirek and the others tell it, she was the who put everyone into a healing slumber before going into one herself... or so she claims."

"As I've told you... countless times, little witch," Ash replied with another prolonged yawn, "it is no mere claim. What need have I to stay awake with no one to talk to? The danger had already passed and thousands of years alone with no one to pester can be so dreadfully dull," she glanced in Grogar's direction and smirked, "wouldn't you agree, dear? Wouldn't you rather have someone to keep you company when your world leaves you behind?"

Grogar made no move to reply, but his stoic frown deepened just a bit at Ash's words. For a moment they stared each other down, Grogar with a furrowed brow from below and Ash with an innocent smile, looking down on the ram from atop her winged serpent. Twilight looked between the two before nervously turning to Katrina. The witch caught her look and sighed. She shook her head but didn't say anything more. Evidently whatever was being communicated between Ash and Grogar wasn't worth getting involved in. Twilight, uncomfortable with how awkward and tense the situation had become, decided it was better to intervene and took a hesitant step forward. It seemed that was enough to break the tension and the two turned to watch the filly as she approached. It happened so suddenly that Twilight jumped and retreated a step. Suddenly this didn't seem like a good idea, but it was too late to back out now. They were already waiting. 

"Um... s-so... you were a goddess of arcane wisdom?" Twilight tried, turning to Ash. In searching for something to say she latched onto something the demon had said and her nervousness turned to confusion, "wait... but didn't you also say you were a Prince? So... so are you a mare, or... I mean you're not a pony, but... u-um... oh!"

Struck by another idea, Twilight closed her eyes and reached out with the magic she'd been learning how to wield all over again. Hoping against hope that it would work this deep in Tartarus, she cast her senses out across and beyond Tartarus until she found what she was looking for. With a triumphant smile, she gave a mental tug and an instant later her eyes opened to reveal none other than the Black Compendium sitting before her, much to Katrina's shock. The Abyssinian looked from the book to Twilight herself with a mix of bewilderment and curiosity, but after a few seconds, her gaze eventually settled on the book, though neither Twilight nor the rest of those present paid her reaction any mind. 

"Ha! It worked!" Twilight practically squealed, clopping her hooves together in excitement before pulling the gargantuan tome open. She began flipping through the pages, carefully scanning each entry she was permitted to actually read, "I think I read somewhere in here that some demons can change their gender at will, so maybe... wait a minute..." she paused in her search as something else Ash had said clicked. Remembering her previous discussion with Tirek and Grogar as they all made their way to the portal, she looked back up at Ash with a hint of awe in her eyes, "if you were a goddess, does that mean you were one of those 'True Gods' that existed a long time ago?"

For the first time since they'd met, Ash's eyes widened in surprise at the question. The demon had been caught off guard, but recovered quickly and laughed lightly in response before allowing her serpentine companion to alight completely upon the ground. Once grounded, the snake partially coiled its lower half into a seat that Ash sat upon like a throne. The demon's smile widened into a toothy grin and her jade eyes twinkled strangely as she gazed down at Twilight. Her gaze was made all the more unnerving by the large serpent looming over her shoulder and watching the filly with that same strange intensity, its slender green neck slowly waving from side-to-side, but its flat scaly head and piercing eyes never leaving the undead filly. 

Twilight couldn't help but shiver slightly as she looked into the eyes of that snake, eyes that held the same brilliant jade color as its master.  

"Oh, I like this one," Ash cooed. She leaned forward in her 'seat' to get a better look at the object of her interest, "tell me, little golem, what is your name?"

"Um... it's... i-it's Twilight," Twilight replied, looking from Ash to Grogar with no small amount of uncertainty. Grogar, for his part, didn't return her pleading look, instead keeping his crimson eyes on Ash, but did give a slow nod in response, so Twilight swallowed and gave a nervous smile before continuing, "my, uh... my name is Twilight Sparkle," she finished meekly before thrusting a hoof in Grogar's direction and adding hastily, "a-and this is my Father and mentor! He's a really powerful Necromancer!"

Twilight winced at her own foalish tone and the fact that she was putting her mentor on the spot, but it couldn't be helped. The filly felt that this creature, more than anyone—more than Katrina or Cozy Glow or any of the demons she'd seen in the ruined town so far—was dangerous and most definitely not to be trusted. Her instincts were suddenly screaming at her not to draw too much of Ash's attention. She was all but certain nothing good would come of having this demon around. The undead filly was so flustered and nervous in fact, that she didn't notice the dim magenta glow coming from the bell around her neck. 

Ash, however, was quick to pick up on the phenomenon.

"Is that so?" the dragon-like demon replied, her tone quiet as she glanced from the bell to Grogar. Grogar, in turn, only looked back with an expectant raise of his brow and Ash frowned briefly before turning back to Twilight, "well, Twilight Sparkle, you certainly know how to ask the right questions, but I'm afraid you're mistaken. I'm simply a wayward soul who arrived in the wrong place at the right time, and I doubt you'll find anything about me in that oversized tome of yours." 

Her tone was still somewhat playful, but her voice had lost the vitality it suddenly gained. That strange shine in her eyes completely disappeared and her fang-filled smile no longer made Twilight want to flee for her unlife. The filly gave a small and quiet sigh of relief as she watched the giant dark green serpent uncoil itself, give a mighty flap of its wings, and rise once again into the air, Ash once more reclining atop its back. Her half-lidded gaze of disinterest was now wholly and firmly back in place as she gave the three beneath her one last look. Her eyes settled on Twilight and, for the briefest of moments, the filly thought she saw disappointment flash across her face, but if it was there, it quickly vanished behind another jaw cracking yawn. The demon's foul breath once again washed over the group, but Twilight, remembering the nasty stench, was quick to cover her nose and back away. 

"Well, this has been an... interesting distraction," Ash said, addressing all three, "but I think I'll take my leave of you all for now," she turned to Grogar and Twilight with a vague smile, "perhaps we'll meet again, perhaps not if you're unlucky. Ravaged though this land may be, it is far from empty of dire threats. Should you leave this little town, I pray you live long enough to return."

With that, the winged serpent gave another flap of its feathered black wings and flew deeper into the town with Ash in tow, its scaly body practically swimming through the sky with more grace than Twilight thought should've been possible. She and Grogar watched the demon as she disappeared into the distance. It was only when none of them could see Ash anymore that someone spoke, the first being Twilight herself.

"I don't like her," she muttered, "she said she was a goddess of wisdom, but I don't know if I would wanna learn from her," she fell silent for a moment, a thoughtful frown crossing her face. A few seconds went by before she turned to Grogar, "where do you think she came from if not Tartarus?"

"No one knows," Katrina sighed, moving to stand beside the other two. The question was meant for Grogar, but the feline witch answered first, "I asked Tirek, but he's just as clueless as the rest of us. She may have contributed a fair amount in our survival, but no one can bring themselves to trust her completely, and I don't think the two of you should either. Cozy Glow may be a suspicious character, but with her, you would at least know what to expect to some degree. Ash, on the other hand..."

She trailed off meaningfully and shook her head before glancing down at the pensive filly next to her, then to the large black tome still sitting in front of her.

"Er... Twilight, dear, I meant to ask," she began with some hesitation in her voice. Twilight blinked and turned to Katrina curiously, and the witch continued,  "that book, the... Black Compendium you called it? What manner of—" 

"I believe it's time we moved on," came Grogar's brisk tone, startling the other two and catching both their attention. The ram held Katrina's surprised gaze with his own, giving her a look that brooked no argument on the matter, "we've still much to see after all, and I'm sure you have other matters to attend to, yes?"

"Ah... y-yes, I suppose so," Katrina replied after a moment. Taking the hint, she collected herself and moved past the ram, beckoning the others to follow, "very well then, I wasn't expecting Ash to show up, but I do a few more places for you to see and some others I'd like to acquaint you with while you're here. If you'll follow me..."

"Much obliged," Grogar replied with a nod, but didn't move. Instead, he turned to Twilight and motioned toward the book, "go on then, child. Return the Compendium from whence it came and follow along after the witch. I'll be right behind the two of you."

"Um... r-right, yes, Father," Twilight answered with a much meeker nod of her head. 

Her horn flashed dark violet and the Black Compendium vanished an instant later, safely returned to Grogar's study back in Tambelon. Grogar watched her scramble to catch up to Katrina, who'd been silently watching the exchange from up ahead. She turned away at the sight of Grogar watching her and continued down the road with Twilight, the filly already asking the witch about something or other. It wasn't long before the necromancer followed after the two, his grim expression going unnoticed by those in front of him. There'd been quite a few things troubling him since his arrival in Tartarus, but that creature—whatever it truly was—was something to be particularly wary of. He hadn't needed Katrina to tell him Ash was untrustworthy, he'd been able to make that judgment from the very start.  

Though the unintended consequences of the Soul Bond between himself and the filly was a constant source of worry, right then he found himself far more than grateful for it than he thought possible.
> Dialogue within the Darkness
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Suffocating.

He couldn't breathe, he couldn't see. He was falling deeper and deeper into an endless darkness from which there was absolutely no escape. He was being swallowed whole, crushed by a pressure he'd never felt before. Somewhere deep beneath his terror, Shining vaguely wondered if this was what it was like to be dragged to the bottom of the ocean—body impossibly heavy and flailing helplessly as he was pulled beneath the turbulent waves and into the unexplored depths.

That he couldn't breathe or see brought the colt intense panic to be sure, but the true terror came from not knowing if he would ever reach the bottom of this black abyss. If his life wasn't being squeezed out of him by the suffocating darkness, would he just continue to sink forever? Never knowing the warmth of another embrace? Never having accomplished anything? Would he simply die alone and afraid like the little colt that he was? Would he die a failure? Could he look his mother or his father in the eye once he made it to those Elysian Fields? Could he face his sister? Did he even have the right?

And what of Celestia? If he were to fade away now, he'd never the get the chance to—




"And I thought myself the melodramatic one... I didn't peg you as the sort to display such theatrics, little colt..."




The cold voice poured over Shining like a bucket of ice.

The sensation of sinking like a stone vanished and all the air that was crushed out of him seemed to come rushing back into his lungs. The pain of suffocation completely disappeared as if it had never been. Though the all-encompassing darkness remained, it no longer felt like the earth had given way beneath him. Now he simply sat there in that black abyss, dazed and confused and blinking stupidly as he looked around him. 

"H-Hello?"

Shining called out tentatively, simultaneously hoping for and dreading a response. His voice sounded horribly off—distorted and hard to understand in his own ears. For a brief moment, the only answer he received was the absolute silence following his oddly echoing voice, but then—

"Behind you, fool."

The surprised colt started before whipping around to find the source of the exasperated voice staring back at him. Even if he'd only seen simplified artistic renditions, there was no mistaking those icy blue eyes, that ethereal mane that shined like the night sky, and the pale silver-blue armor adorned upon an equine form with a coat so dark as to be almost entirely indistinguishable from the pitch-black void that surrounded them both.

Nightmare Moon.

In complete contrast to Shining's shocked and horrified expression, the mare answered the colt with a look that might've been boredom or perhaps simple disinterest. In fact, she seemed entirely at ease, reclined on her stomach with one foreleg idly placed atop the other as though the empty abyss were her own abode and this was a leisurely meeting between two acquaintances. Shining opened his mouth but found himself quite literally at a loss for words.

The sheer amount of questions tearing through his mind had jammed his thought process and all he could do was stare silently in utter disbelief. Nightmare Moon scoffed at his lack of response.

"Come now, surely you must have realized that Celestia's little trinket would hardly be enough to keep me at bay forever?" she turned away as though lost in thought, a small smirk tugging at her lips, "it would be one thing if she had cast such a spell on you directly, but crystal enchantments are most certainly not her area of expertise."

Desperate to get his mind back under control, the colt latched on to Nightmare's comment like a lifeline. He took a step back, closed his eyes, and took a few breaths to calm himself. With some grueling effort, he wrestled his terror back down and tried to focus on the facts—the first and perhaps most important fact being that this was in all likelihood a dream. 

Once he realized that and taking Nightmare Moon's words into account, everything else quickly fell into place; Nightmare Moon had managed to break through the mental barrier Celestia's enchanted crystal had provided, though the dark mare had implied that there was a flaw in Celestia's enchantments that allowed her to slip through. 

At this thought, Shining opened his eyes and saw that Nightmare Moon was observing him with a passive frown. The colt got the impression that the mare was waiting for something—maybe for him to realize the full extent of what was going on? Whatever her intentions, Shining deduced that as she was now, Nightmare Moon wouldn't suddenly attack, so he focused on his surroundings instead. 

It was too soon—far sooner than he thought it would ever be—but this is more or less what he'd trained for. Despite the tension and underlying unease he still felt at his predicament, he couldn't help but feel a small bit of excitement at the idea that he'd be able to put his research into practice so quickly. Nightmare Moon chuckled lightly, bringing Shining's attention back to the mare. She shook her head gave him a small condescending smirk.

"Oh, don't mind me, whelp. By all means, continue your little investigation."

He frowned at Nightmare's tone and fully turned to face her, the fear from earlier waning as he remembered why he'd decided to confront Nightmare Moon in the first place. It was far earlier than he was expecting and he was hardly prepared, but even so, she was here, and she didn't seem to want to fight or otherwise torment him. Of course, that said—and after some observations of his own—Shining understood that there was most likely a reason for Nightmare Moon's surprising lack of hostility...

"Actually, I think I've more or less figured it out," Shining replied, his voice clearer, but still somewhat warbled, "this is all you can do, right? You've slipped through Celestia's enchantment, but only just."

"Oh?"

"I thought this was a dream, but that's not the case," Shining continued, ignoring Nightmare's mock surprise, "this is my subconscious mind sans the dream. What I felt earlier—that horrible drowning sensation—that was you trying to pull me here, wasn't it?"

Nightmare Moon gave no reply to the question, instead maintaining her silence. Although Shining could've sworn the mare's expression had changed into something resembling amusement. His frown deepened, but he pressed on with his deduction nevertheless.

"You were able to come here and bring me here too, but that's it," he said, gesturing to the emptiness around him, "you say Celestia isn't good at enchanting crystals, but her spell is still enough to stop me from dreaming and stop you from doing any more than keeping me trapped here in my own mind," gathering the courage he'd been building up, he turned and looked Nightmare Moon in the eye, "my biggest question now is why? Why bring me here if you can't do anything to me? Why now?"

"You're making quite a few assumptions, whelp but it seems you really have done your homework, so I will forgive a bit of hubris on your part," she paused and cracked her neck a few times before rising to her hooves in one graceful, fluid motion, "yes, you are right that I hold almost none of the power I normally have at my disposal while that infernal crystal is active, but if you believe I lack the ability to make you suffer, you'd best rid yourself of that notion now, little colt."

Nightmare Moon fixed her frosty blue eyes on Shining and sneered, causing the colt to back away slightly. The unease and uncertainty he'd felt from earlier rose back to the surface and just as he was beginning to second guess himself, the mare spoke again.

"Oneiromancy is my talent and the moon bows to my overwhelming magical prowess," she explained as she leisurely closed the distance between herself and Shining, "but make no mistake, little colt, my true power lies within my affinity for dark magic as a whole. I don't need absolute control over your dreams to make you writhe in agony."

"But... but Celestia sealed you in the moon almost a thousand years ago," Shining pointed out uncertainly, his eyes following Nightmare's every move as she circled around him, "there's only so much you should be able to do... and dark magic shouldn't be—"

"Ah, but that's just it," Nightmare interjected with a small smirk, "as time passes the seal grows weaker. As the seal grows weaker, more of my power becomes available to me," she made one round and stopped in front of the colt, "the day of my return is drawing very near and the seal is weaker now than it's ever been, thus our previous and current meeting." 

Her smirk fell into a serious frown and she lowered her head until she and Shining Armor were at eye level. Her next words were slow and deliberate, carrying a deadly weight and an air of finality. 

"Do you understand, Shining Armor? As things are now, it is well within my ability to cause you harm, with or without Celestia's countermeasure in place."  

Though it was not his real body, the colt could still feel his throat go dry at Nightmare Moon's grim tone. Her voice and the icy stare that pinned him where he was told Shining that Nightmare's words were no mere bluff. Before the pressure became too great to bear, however, Nightmare Moon raised her head and turned away with a dismissive huff.

"That said, I did not force my way into your mind to do or discuss such things," she continued in a somewhat lighter tone. As she spoke, she once again took up the same position in the same spot as before, reclining a short distance away with the same disinterested expression, "rather, I believe you had something to discuss with me, so I've come here to answer your questions."

 Shining blinked in surprise.

"You... w-wait, you did? Really?" he sputtered, completely caught off guard once again, "I mean, y-yeah. I wanted to talk to you about... well... a lot of things, but I didn't think—I didn't expect to... how did you—"

"Oh spare me the confusion, whelp," Nightmare cut in with a roll of her eyes, "though we've not seen each other in some time, I am well aware of your research into oneiromancy and its purpose," another small smirk crossed her face, "even had I no knowledge of yours and my sister's endeavors, your intentions are written clear upon your face. There is much you're dying to know of the time before I was sealed away, no? And besides, I have a few questions of my own, so why not sit and talk awhile?"

Shining was silent for a moment.

Celestia had told him a fair amount about her sister and their life together, there was no mystery there. Still, one thing the colt had noticed about the stories his adoptive mother had told him—one thing that had bothered him about the way they were told—was that they'd all been centered around Celestia's point of view. It stood to reason that if she was the one telling the story she would focus on her own experiences, certainly, but to Shining, that wasn't good enough. 

There were two sides to the story, and though Celestia understood the role she had played in the tragedy that had driven a wedge between the two sisters, he still felt as though there was a lack of deeper understanding where Luna was concerned. Through those stories, Shining had some idea of what Luna had been like before she fell to darkness, and in some ways could see why she had, but it felt like there was something missing—some piece of the puzzle that Celestia simply didn't have.

That was why he wanted to talk to Luna herself—to Nightmare Moon. That she was willing to answer his question here and now was more than he could've ever hoped for, but even so...

"...Why would you bother talking to me about anything?" Shining couldn't help but ask, "don't get me wrong, I do have questions, but what do you get out of this?"

Ignoring the fact that Nightmare Moon had somehow known about him and Celestia, and most likely had for some time—possibly even since their first meeting—he voiced his suspicions.

"Me? I get to pass the time," came Nightmare Moon's simple reply, "there was a time when my consciousness was sealed along with the rest of me, but that time has long since passed and I feel I'm long overdue for some... amusement, don't you think?"

"That can't be all, can it?" Shining pressed, taking a step forward, "you... you have some sort of plan, right?"

"Perhaps, perhaps not," the mare answered, idly examining a shadowy hoof, "either way, this conversation would benefit us both, would it not? Go on, ask your questions, little colt. You may have some understanding of our past, but I'm sure there is much Celestia has yet to tell you," she smiled a mysterious smile, "allow me to fill in the blanks—to give you a... different perspective, as it were."
> A Witch in her Element
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight, Grogar, and Katrina continued further into the ruined hamlet, though there hadn't been much left to see by the time Ash had appeared. Twilight, having asked so many questions, had gained a general understanding of how Tartarus worked more or less, though it was clear to Grogar that Katrina herself hadn't known all there was to know.

She—like Twilight and Grogar—was not a native of this infernal pit, and that showed well enough in that she lacked an explanation for the finer details. She'd mentioned that there were yet lower levels of Tartarus and that they were far more dangerous, but that was the extent of her knowledge on the subject. Any information about exactly what lay beneath this level was beyond her. 

Still, she had traveled the upper levels extensively and knew a good bit about the strange flora and monstrous fauna. Where demons themselves were concerned, Tirek knew far more, but Katrina knew enough to sate the undead filly's curiosity for the moment. Twilight figured she could ask the wrinkled centaur to fill in the missing gaps at some point in the future but Katrina chuckled in response.

"Tirek is very knowledgeable yes, but hardly an authority when it comes to inner workings of Tartarus," she'd replied at the filly's suggestion, "if the knowledge of Tartarus and its many secrets are what you truly seek, my dear, then there is another here in the village who is far more qualified to answer your burning questions."  

"Really?" Twilight asked, eyes wide with foal-like wonder, "where are they? Can we meet them?"

"In time, yes," Katrina purred with a small hint of amusement, "it was my intention for you to meet two other prominent figures here in this abysmal hovel and he was one of them, but before I introduce you, I believe a minor detour is in order."

"A detour?" Twilight asked with a curious frown.

"Just a small one," Katrina assured before addressing the ram trailing slightly behind, "my humble abode sits just around the corner. You don't mind if we stop by for a few moments, do you?"

Grogar raised a bushy white brow.

"You have some prior business to attend to?" he asked.

"Well, yes there's that," Katrina admitted before turning back to the filly, "but I'm also curious about this 'lich's hunger'. About whether or not I can do anything to at least mitigate the situation somewhat if not outright cure the dear of it altogether."

"Oh?" Grogar raised both eyebrows now, "and you believe you have some way to so? You have the means to grant that which even I have not been able to provide?"

"Well I can certainly try to provide that means," Katrina replied somewhat cryptically as she led her guests off the beaten cobbled stone road and headed left to where a large and somewhat dilapidated but still fully intact stone hut stood, "we'll say that I arrived here in Tartarus a little more prepared than most and leave it at that for now."

The run-down hut didn't seem like much on the outside but as they approached, Twilight and Grogar could make out some kind of smoke rising from a small, circular chimney jutting awkwardly out of the roof. The smoke itself was a lighter grey, looking more like a gentle hazy mist than the black or dark grey clouds from an industrial facility or smoke one would see from a busy forge.

"I'm aware it's not much to look at," Katrina continued as they all reached the simple wooden door to the hut, "but sometimes it's not about what's on the outside, but rather..." she turned to give both Twilight and Grogar a small smirk before grabbing the brass door handle and pushing the door open, "...what lies within."

The first thing to assault Twilight's senses was the smell. It was a pungent but not unpleasant smell that reminded her a bit of the homemade potpourri her mother used to put out to make their house smell good. It was a strange, if oddly nostalgic, scent—certainly a far cry from the fetid breath of that masked demon they'd met earlier.

"Well don't just stand there gaping like an undead fish, dear, come in," Katrina teased, encouraging the filly to step inside with a flick of her tail and a flourished wave of a paw, "before we continue our tour, there are a few things I'd like to discuss with you and your..." she cast an uncertain glance in Grogar's direction, "...erm, father regarding your 'cravings'. Given my rather busy schedule, I may not get another opportunity until much later."

Unsure of what to make of the witch's offer, Twilight turned to Grogar. With both Katrina and Twilight's eyes on him, the wizened necromancer finally spoke, his tone and expression somewhat dubious as he addressed the feline directly.

"You stated before that you may have some sort of solution to our plight beyond what Tirek can offer," he said, "my knowledge of witchcraft is admittedly somewhat lacking so I will concede that there may be avenues yet unexplored where it is concerned, but I find myself curious as to how you would know enough of necromancy and the structure of a lich to propose said solution."

There was a flash of something in Katrina's expression—some darker emotion that Grogar managed to catch before it vanished an instant later. She chuckled and gave the ram a wan smile after a moment. 

"I suppose you could say my desire to be more than what I am has led me down some very strange and unexpected paths in the past," she answered cryptically, "somewhere along the way I managed to pick up some useful knowledge."

Grogar eyed Katrina for a few seconds, a thoughtful grimace crossing his face. She hadn't given him the answer he wanted, but the ram could infer much from what she'd chosen not to say. Deciding that was enough for now, he nodded to Twilight.

"Very well then," he exclaimed, "I see no harm in hearing what she has to say. Vexing as it is that I've not been able to find a resolution of my own to this ageless dilemma, I'd be a fool to turn down a possible solution where none was thought to exist."

"Then by all means," Katrina replied with a satisfied smile, "allow me to elucidate and we'll see if we can't work something out, hmm?"

With that, she gestured for her two guests to enter once more. This time Twilight and Grogar took her up on the offer, the former all too eager to see just what a witch's lair looked like. As she stepped through the entrance and into Katrina's abode, Twilight honestly couldn't decide whether her expectations had been met or not. Much of the interior was rather dark, most of the lighting coming from several scented candles dotted throughout the hut.

A small circular stone table and a few simple wooden chairs sat at one end of the room. There was a surprisingly stylish and comfy looking low profile bed in one corner and the rest of the hut seemed to be taken up by all the things Twilight would've expected of a well-read scientist. There were small, compact bookshelves filled to the brim with who knows what types of tomes.  

The filly spotted various beakers and vials and other bottles upon wall mounted shelves—some filled with unknown liquid substances and some completely empty. Another more traditional shelf held all manner of small wood and glass and metal containers, no doubt housing ingredients needed for potions and the like. 

There was also a small unlit kiln situated near one of the bookshelves. The two objects that caught Twilight and even Grogar's eyes the most, however, were the large cast-iron cauldron resting slightly raised atop a makeshift firepit near the wall opposite the stone table, and a positively massive wooden chest sitting up against another wall.

The actual appearance of the chest, save for its rather unorthodox size, wasn't anything special—just a simple wooden chest one would find tucked away in any household. There weren't any unique designs or patterns adorning it—just a seemingly simple chest held shut with a seemingly simple silver lock. That said, its simple design along with its size somehow made it stand out all the more to the two newcomers.

Turning her attention to the cauldron, Twilight could see a bright flame burning beneath and she could hear something bubbling within, but couldn't see what it was from where she was standing. She frowned in bemusement at the sight, something strange niggling at the back of her mind about what she saw. Evidently, Grogar felt the same, as he wasted no time in making his way over to where the cauldron sat.

Katrina, rather than say anything against the act, merely closed the door behind the two and turned to watch with mild amusement as the ram peered inside the cauldron. He frowned in much the same way as Twilight and leaned in a bit to take a whiff. As the filly moved to stand next to him he backed away a step and gave a curious hum.

"Nearly odorless and without color, yet this is no mere pot of water," he deduced before turning to Katrina with a questioning raise of his brow, "what manner of brew is this?"

"Oh, just a little something I'm whipping up at the behest of our mutual centaur friend," Katrina replied, moving over to where the other two stood. She cast an appraising glance into the cauldron and gave a small sniff of her own, "it isn't quite ready just yet, but the end result should make a fine gift for our warmongering neighbor."

Twilight scrunch up her face in thought.

"Warmongering... you mean that demon father and Tirek were talking about? What was his name? Mo... Mol—"

"Moloch," Grogar finished, his tone and expression thoroughly intrigued, "he is a pressing problem that needs taking care of from what I can gather. I take it this 'gift' is meant to provide some solution?"

"You could say that," Katrina absently replied as she moved from the boiling brew and plucked a small cylinder metal container from the large shelf of ingredients, "in fact, if all goes well, then that major problem will doubtless become a major asset."

"How?" Twilight asked, turning a curious eye back to the bubbling mixture, "what's the potion supposed to do?"

Rather than answer right away, the witch unscrewed the cap on the container and gave a quiet purr of satisfaction as she peered inside. With a contented twitch of her tail, she moved back to where the inquisitive filly was standing next to the cauldron. Standing over the cauldron, she carefully pulled the dried root of some dark grey plant from the container and crushed it in her palm. 

The resulting fragrance released made Twilight flinch and shuffle back a bit. Unlike the nostalgic scent of the many candles around the hut, the smell coming from the crushed root was terribly acrid. Katrina didn't seem to mind it, though the witch was no doubt used to all kinds of strange and unpleasant smells given the many ingredients she probably worked with.    

"Hrm... I know of this scent," Grogar muttered, much to the filly's surprise. She looked over to see that Grogar's expression had grown distant—almost wistful, "imperium... a plant whose roots, when dried and powdered, act as a powerful and rather grisly neurotoxin."

"A what?!" Twilight squeaked before whipping around to give Katrina a horrified look, "you're gonna poison Moloch?"

"Oh heavens, no!" Katrina laughed, letting the crushed remains of the plant fall into the cauldron. She picked up a long mixing paddle resting on the wall next to the cauldron and began slowly stirring the contents in the large pot, "Tirek believes Moloch could be far more useful to us alive and I'm inclined to agree... although..." 

She paused and cast a thoughtful glance in Grogar's direction, "perhaps... if a certain powerful and experienced necromancer could lend us a hoof..."

Grogar snorted and fixed the feline with an unamused scowl.

"While it is true that Twilight and I came to this infernal place seeking powerful souls," he began, "and while I am glad to see that my old comrade is alive and well, I will not be roped into his schemes, at least not without knowing what it is he intends of me."

"Hmm... well, that's a shame but it's no business of mine, I suppose," Katrina replied as she continued her methodical stirring, "but to answer the filly's question, no, I'm going to poison Moloch... not in the way you're thinking of at least."

"What do you mean?" Twilight asked, "what are you going to do with something like that then?"

"Grogar is spot on in that imperium root is a deadly neurotoxin when used by itself... in the right quantities," Katrina explained, "however, in smaller doses and when mixed with the right ingredients, it can become a potent compound one can use to control the thoughts and actions of the one who ingests it."

Twilight's brows furrowed in thought for a moment, her mind attempting to parse Katrina's words.

"So... it becomes a drug?" she finally surmised.

Katrina frowned.

"Yes, you could call it a drug if you prefer," she conceded with a hint of irritation, "really, imperium root has all kinds of unique and interesting uses, many of which have yet to be uncovered," she threw the necromancer another intrigued side glance, "that said, I'm surprised someone such as yourself is already aware of it. It's not exactly easy to come by and not many know of its darker properties."

"Believe it or not, there was a time, several lifetimes ago, when I ruled a nation as its king, witch," Grogar replied with a wry grin, "in the latter years of my reign there were many an enemy that would've happily seen my head mounted upon a spike for perceived atrocities committed by my hoof," his grin grew dark, "imperium root just so happened to be a favorite poison of would-be assassins."

"Well... imagine that," Katrina muttered, rather taken aback and moderately disturbed by Grogar's response. She cleared her throat and turned her attention back to her brew, "in any case, my nefarious concoction is crucial to Tirek's plans—or so he claims," she pulled the mixing paddle from the brew and fully turned to face the other two with a secretive smile, "I think, however, that this particular plant may be useful in mitigating your dilemma if not outright resolving it." 

"Wait, what?!" Twilight cried, taking another horrified step back from the smiling feline, "you don't mean you're gonna make me eat that, are you?"

"Hold a moment, child," Grogar interjected, shooting Katrina a look that was equal parts wary and contemplative, "I want to say that your suggestion is a foolhardy one—and it is, certainly—but I admit I am rather curious as to how you intend to turn such a thing into a cure for the lich's hunger."

The response only seemed to make Katrina's smile grow all the more confident.

"I may be a mere witch, but I am very good at what I do, sir," Katrina replied with no small amount of self-assurance, "I already have a plan in mind, and if you'll indulge me a small, if selfish request, I can guarantee that you'll be more than satisfied with the outcome."
> A Deal is Struck
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Grogar and Katrina eyed one another, the latter wearing a patient smile as she waited for the necromancer's response to her proposal.

Her outward confidence belied a nervousness she couldn't shake that perhaps she might've gone too far with her request. Really, it was a nervousness she hadn't been able to fully quell since the very first moment she'd laid eyes on Grogar. Something about the demonic-looking ram both unnerved her and attracted her to him—a strange sort of malevolent charisma that Tirek lacked in comparison.

Oddly and embarrassingly enough, she found herself somewhat envious of the undead filly, not that she would've ever admitted as much.

Twilight, for her part, was watching Grogar as well, her face showing the same sort of nervousness Katrina felt. Resting beneath a tiny lavender hoof on the floor was the Black Compendium, a massive tome bestowed upon the filly by Grogar and a book full of dark eldritch secrets and lost arcane arts. Katrina did her best not to show it, but inwardly she was practically salivating at the thought of obtaining the knowledge held within.

After a long, tense silence, Grogar closed his eyes and let out a deep, rumbling sigh of weary exasperation.

"How have you even come to know about the book?" he finally asked, "I've held the tome in my possession for far longer than hundreds—thousands of your lifetimes. I've kept it hidden away with me during my countless years of exile, so how?"

"Believe me, dear, I was just as surprised as you are," Katrina said, folding her arms and levelling her intrigued gaze at Twilight, "I knew about the book, but never in my life did I ever expect to actually see it in person."

Grogar furrowed his brows impatiently.

"Explain yourself, witch."

"Very well, very well," she raised her hands placatingly, "as I told you before, my desire to transcend the limits of witchcraft led me down very strange paths, some of them darker than others. In my research, I happened upon some old records of a tome said to imbue the reader with untold control over magicks of all kinds."

"Magicks?" Twilight asked, the phrasing of the word sticking in her mind.

"An archaic form of the word 'magic' used long before even I was born," Grogar explained distractedly, "which would mean these records must be impossibly ancient."

"They are," Katrina replied solemnly, "I discovered them deep within the ruins of an ancient library buried beneath the sands of a distant desert to the far east of my homeland."

"And your homeland?" Grogar pressed.

"Well, she's an Abyssinian, right?" Twilight chimed in, causing the two adults to turn their attention to her. She hesitated a moment under their gaze, but continued on a second later, "w-well... if she's an Abyssinian, she would've been from Abyssinia," she looked at Katrina questioningly, "...right?"

"I'm quite sure I have no idea what you're talking about, dear," Katrina replied slowly, "my homeland was known as Et Myewpia. I know nothing of this 'Abyssinia', and am certainly no Abyssinian."

"Really? But..." Twilight looked the witch up and down as if seeing her for the first time, "Abyssinia is the only place I know of that has feline folk... unless you're not—"

"No... I've heard of this Et Myewpia," Grogar interjected thoughtfully. Realization shone in his burning red eyes as he looked at Katrina, "it was a small country that formed during the latter years of my reign, which would mean..."

"Which would mean that we might have existed in a different time and place, but share a common origin," Katrina finished with a nod, "yes, that's more or less the conclusion I came to when I first laid eyes upon that book earlier."

"I see..." Grogar murmured, "if we both exist somewhere on the same timeline, then it would stand to reason that you might've uncovered some knowledge of the Black Compendium..."

"And once I had that knowledge I scoured the world for the book, but never found it," Katrina sighed, "I suppose this explains why. By the time I was born, Et Myewpia was already a large country that had been around for well over a thousand years."

"And what about Ponyland?" Twilight asked tentatively, the gears in her own head turning as she listened to the two, "did you know about that?"

"Of course I knew of Ponyland," Katrina scoffed, "that was where I... well..." she faltered and her expression grew dark, "let's just say the citizens of Ponyland and I have a bit of a history."

"And yet you've not heard of me until now?" Grogar inquired, raising a brow, "if you know of Ponyland, then you should know my name, especially if you've done any kind of research into the darker arts."

"By the time I made my way to Ponyland I'd already put that kind of research behind me," Katrina said with a small shrug. She paused and a thoughtful hum escaped her lips, "actually though, now that I think on it, I might've heard the name 'Grogar' mentioned once or twice... or perhaps there was a passage written somewhere about the ruler of a lost kingdom?" she shook her head, "ah, but the memory escapes me, I'm afraid."

"Hm," was all Grogar said in response.

"But wait," Twilight exclaimed suddenly, "I live... er, I lived in that same timeline. Grogar told me that Ponyland eventually became Equestria, so if that's the case, then maybe at some point, the country of Et Myewpia became Abyssinia?"

Grogar and Katrina looked at Twilight, then at each other.

"Well... I suppose that could be the case," Katrina conceded, "after all, it's been quite some time since I've even thought about my homeland," she turned back to Twilight with an amused smirk, "that little issue was really eating you up, wasn't it?"

"Well, I..." Twilight frowned and turned away, her ears folding back in embarrassment, "something just seemed off, that's all. I just wanted to know what it was."

"Is that so?" Katrina chuckled, "well, I'm glad we were able to shed some light on such a mystery for you."

Twilight went to reply, but Grogar cut her off.

"As... enlightening as this has been, I believe we've strayed far enough from the topic at hoof," he announced, returning his focus to Katrina, "you've answered my question adequately and so I shall give you mine own answer in return."

At that, Katrina's face stiffened and her tail twitched with nervous anticipation as she waited once again for Grogar's response.

"In exchange for your assistance, you wish to know the secrets held within the Black Compendium in order to open avenues of power that are yet closed to one of your kind," he began, "an understandable goal and an admirable ambition—one I can personally sympathize with... however, I can not allow such a thing."

Katrina frowned, her entire body seeming to deflate right before Twilight and Grogar's eyes. Grogar, however, held up a hoof, signaling that he had more to say on the matter.

"Do not be surprised, witch," he continued, "Twilight is under my tutelage, and not even she has access to the majority of what is contained within those pages."

He nodded to Twilight who was looking down at the book with a foalish pout. It was clear to Katrina that the filly wasn't happy about the arrangement, but she found she couldn't exactly sympathize. Not only did Twilight have access to at least some of that knowledge, but she could evidently call the book to her side anywhere at any time on a whim. It was hard to feel sorry for her when she had that kind of privilege, but Katrina kept that thought to herself as Grogar continued speaking.  

"That said, I have thoroughly studied and memorized the contents of the Black Compendium," he raised his gaze from Twilight to look Katrina in the eye, "I am willing to share some of what I know should your solution prove sufficient for our needs."

"And... just how much is 'some'?" the feline witch dared to ask.

"Enough to bring you well beyond the threshold of what a mere witch can accomplish," Grogar replied evenly, "that is if this concoction of yours is as effective as you claim."

"As I said, there's no need to worry about that," Katrina purred happily, "it will take some time, but I'm certain I can at least mitigate the problem."

"Then we have a deal," Grogar said, nodding in satisfaction, "now, if you would show us to this knowledgeable demon you mentioned previously. Twilight and I have much to do in this infernal pit, and some guidance regarding the layout of the lower levels of Tartarus would not go amiss."

"Yes, of course," Katrina replied as she stepped away from her still boiling cauldron, "I'm just about done here for the moment anyway," she brushed off her form-fitting dress and began heading for the front door, "shall we?"

With a thought, Twilight sent the Black Compendium back to the study in Grogar's castle and the three of them left Katrina's home. The trip this time around was relatively silent, with each of the three lost in their own thoughts. It was also relatively short, as the next destination the witch had in mind hadn't been too far from her house. Before Twilight knew it, she was staring up at a large, multistoried building made of slate grey stone.

Like the temple atop the hill that had housed the ancient teleportation device, the building was mostly in ruins. Even as a crumbling ruin, Twilight could tell the building hadn't been anything particularly fancy or ostentatious, but there was one thing about it that caught her eye. The roof was mostly gone and there were several large holes smashed out of the walls. 

Through a few of the holes, the filly caught a glimpse of what looked like rows upon rows of books lined up on ancient, dusty wooden bookshelves. Such a sight could mean only one thing in Twilight's mind.

"A library!" she cried, turning to Katrina with wide hopeful eyes, "that's a library, right?"

"You could call it a library I suppose," Katrina replied cryptically. Her tone was light, but her mouth was turned down in a somewhat unpleasant grimace as she spoke, "but it would be more accurate to call it a Domain."

Grogar frowned at that and Twilight, suddenly feeling the sudden tension in the air, frowned as well, though more in bemusement than anything.

"Domain?" she asked, looking from Katrina to Grogar, "what does she mean? I-Is that bad?"

As far as Twilight knew, there was nothing inherently wrong with the word nor its meaning. To her, it simply meant the library—if that was indeed what it was—belonged to whomever was inside. Grogar's reaction at Katrina's words, however, seemed to suggest that there was more to the situation than Twilight could see. Her suspicions were confirmed a moment later when the witch answered her questions.

"Tartarus is... or rather was full of all manner of demons," she explained, "some were weak, but others... others were powerful enough to claim absolute dominion over a space just by exerting that power within a given area."

Twilight furrowed her brows and her gaze fell to the ground as she thought about the true meaning behind those words. She didn't quite understand, but the description pulled at something in her memory and a few seconds later her ears perked up and she turned to Grogar.

"So... when she says 'absolute dominion', is that like the control you have over your castle, Father?"

"It is," he replied. His tone was grim, but also tinged with a hint of curiosity, "one who has absolute dominion over an area can shape and manifest all within its borders at will... to a certain extent."

"Oh..." Twilight replied, looking back toward the ruined building with a newfound sense of unease, "so... whoever is in there is just as powerful as you?"

"Perhaps... or perhaps even more powerful," Grogar answered with an idle scratch of his prominent goatee, "I know that there are others powerful enough to create Domains, but this will be the first time I'll have seen such a creature other than myself with my own eyes."

"Well, prepare yourselves," Katrina warned as she led them to the darkened hardwood door, "he's quite the character."

She raised a hand to knock but froze when the door suddenly creaked open on its own. Beyond the entrance past the open door, the trio could see only complete, interminable blackness. It was a darkness so deep and impenetrable that not even Grogar could pierce its depths, much to the ram's astonishment. While Grogar merely raised an intrigued brow, Twilight frowned in confusion and stepped back to take another look at the exterior of the building.

She could clearly see the inside of the dilapidated library through the crumbling walls. She moved closer to get a better look and, save for its age and ruined state, it looked like any other library she'd seen or read about. Contrary to what she saw beyond the walls, however, the entrance gave off a feeling of otherworldliness—like it wasn't connected to the rest of the building.

Twilight didn't understand it.

If this was like Grogar's castle, then why did this place feel so different? Is this what it meant to be in the presence of another's Domain? Did she not feel this way in Tambelon because she was already connected to Grogar through their soul bond? Whatever the case may have been, the vibes she got from the doorway made her nervous and wary. The sentiment only grew as her mind was invaded by the sound of someone's voice.

"I'm quite capable of introducing myself, witch," announced the voice in a deep and rather pleasant tone, "you two may enter, but the witch... well, I'm sure she has much to do. Isn't that right, Miss Katrina?"

The telepathic voice rang out not just in Twilight's mind, but in the minds of all present. Katrina clicked her tongue in irritation before stepping away and turning to the other two with a shrug and a sigh.

"It seems I'm not wanted here," she said with mock lament coloring her tone, "ah, but I suppose it's just as well. My other duties aren't terribly pressing, but I imagine it wouldn't hurt to get an early start on that 'solution'."

"Agreed," Grogar nodded, "I believe it would be in all our best interests to have your proposed resolution ready as soon as practicable."

"Well off I go then," the witch gave Grogar and Twilight a lazy wave and, with an elegant swish of her tail, turned to leave, "this is goodbye for now, but you'll see me again before long."

She gave one last smirk and walked away back toward her home. Twilight and Grogar watched her go for a moment before returning their full attention back to the foreboding entryway. It wasn't any less eerie than before and with Katrina gone, Twilight's unease was all the more prominent.

"Come now, no need to be afraid, little one," came the voice in a soothing tone, "I'm but a simple librarian, you've nothing to fear from me—especially given your... traveling companion."

Twilight looked up at Grogar, feeling the voice—though obviously untrustworthy—had a point. Grogar merely shook his head and stepped forward toward the darkened entrance, motioning for Twilight to do the same as he went.

"Come, child," was all he said before disappearing into the inky blackness.

Twilight hesitated only a moment, but the confidence in his command ultimately convinced her to press onward. Trusting that the necromancer knew what was best, she quickly scurried after him and into the Domain of the mysterious being that called itself a librarian.
> The Owl
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Twilight had expected—or at least hoped—to find a library of some kind beyond the impenetrable veil of darkness. The faceless voice that had spoken inside her head had, after all, referred to itself as a librarian, so it would stand to reason that a library was what she'd find. What she and Grogar stumbled into instead all but shattered any and all expectations she could've possibly had about what a library could be. 

It was as if Twilight had stepped into another reality entirely—one where she could breathe in knowledge like oxygen. One where each sound was like the turning of a page. It was an abstract and alien space where words, both arcane and contemporary, fell like rain upon the skin. It was a place where blood became ink and flesh turned to parchment and every feeling, every sense, every emotion was conveyed chapter by chapter. 

Twilight Sparkle was a book with no real end or true beginning, a story that was continuously being written by the world around her. In this place where literature ruled as a fourth immutable law of the universe, there was no architecture in the physical sense. Perception held no one single shape or form and there was no distinction between what could and what could not be read. 

In this place, all are made and unmade through words.  

It all should have been too much to take in—too incomprehensible for her young mind. Such sights and sounds should have driven the undead filly mad... and yet Twilight found that she understood. More than that, she felt as though an impossible weight had been lifted from her back. She felt lighter, more clear-headed than she had in some time. Her mind was alive and positively bursting with secret knowledge both terrible and wonderful. 

She existed in an endless sea of concepts as nothing more than a simple amalgamation of words upon a cosmic page and yet she did not drown. But why? she thought, none of this makes any sense... or it shouldn't, but... 

"Steel your mind, child," came Grogar's wary voice. To Twilight's ears, it sounded so close yet so terribly far away all at once, "I may be yet a stranger to all Domains but mine own, however, I am well versed in how one works on a fundamental level, and this... this is no mere Domain." 

Oh? How very perceptive of you, Your Highness, came a deep, unearthly voice in response, allow me to welcome you to Breostbedern Bocgestreon, a realm where words and erudition reign supreme and where we are all simply subjects under their rule. 

Twilight heard the words—the name of this place—and the information poured into her mind like a warm tonic and she understood. Everything this place was and would ever be had been shaped by the creature at the center of it all. It was a being of boundless wisdom and unknowable strength—a god that took the form of an imposing shadow. The dark silhouette was positively mastodonic in size and vaguely strigiform in its shape.  

Though Twilight could no longer 'see' in the traditional sense, the knowledge of the void-black owl's existence impressed itself upon her and Grogar. Its towering presence was like a keystone, anchoring their mind and body down lest they be washed away by the abstract nature of this 'world of words'. Its eyes, two brilliant golden orbs that shone like miniature suns, watched them with undisguised curiosity and just a hint of amusement. 

Though it may have been her overwhelmed imagination, Twilight got the sense that the creature's gaze had lingered on her in particular. Regardless of where its attention lay, she and Grogar 'watched' in turn as the titanic owl-like creature shuffled its monstrous, stygian wings and let out an odd sort of coughing chirp that was vaguely reminiscent of a laugh. As the sound faded into the roiling sea of words surrounding them all, it spoke again. 

Doubtless, you are wondering who or perhaps what I am, no? 

The two were indeed wondering just that, but as the world around them rushed to fill in the blanks, the knowledge was seized and ripped away from their minds in that same instant. It was as if the creature before them had reached out with its talons and snatched the information away. Twilight and Grogar were left knowing nothing about what the golden-eyed shadow actually was or where it came from. 

Ah, no need to respond, for it is as clear to me as the stink of dark magic etched upon both your souls. Yes, I know the questions you wish to ask, but you'll get no answers from me save for that which you have originally come here to ask... though I suppose I should at the very least provide you a name, shouldn't I? 

The owl-like shadow snapped its 'head' to one side at an almost ninety-degree angle—a very owl-like thing to do, though it unnerved Twilight nevertheless.  

I have taken many shapes and have been given many names by many beings beyond this realm, but for the two of you... Hmm...  

It hummed in thought for a moment before straightening its head once more and letting out that same odd coughing, chirping laugh, as though it had suddenly remembered some amusing joke. 

I suppose... Owlowiscious shall suffice for now. 

Something in Twilight's mind stirred at the name—something warm and familiar, yet horribly cold and alien at the same time. It was like a word on the tip of the tongue or a memory almost, but not quite recalled. The name lingered there just beneath the surface—infinitely close but wholly unattainable. Grogar frowned as the avian shadow introduced itself. 

To the filly who was quite literally connected to Grogar on a spiritual level, the ancient, imperturbable ram seemed concerned. Nervous even. Definitely guarded if nothing else, and that was confirmed for Twilight in the next words he spoke. 

"Owlowiscious then,"  he began after a moment, "you say we are all merely subjects within in this realm, and yet I cannot help but feel it a bit disingenuous to include a being such as yourself in that same position given the kind of... presence you exude." 

The creature chuckled his strange chuckle again. 

Believe me, necromancer, the will I am able to exert within this place is but a trifle—a drop in the bucket compared to the entities that make their home in this place. 

"Entities?" Twilight couldn't help but wonder aloud. 

Almost as soon as she voiced her curiosity, the world seemed to shift and a horrible sense of foreboding passed over the undead filly like a wave. Though she no longer had ears with which to hear, she could feel the distant rumble of something old and terrible.  

On some instinctual level, Twilight and Grogar knew they didn't belong here, but in the wake of that distant, ancient presence—older even than the owl before them—they could sense it down to the very core of their currently abstract beings. 

Before Twilight could begin to internalize the true scope of what was approaching, the sensation and knowledge of what that ancient presence might've been were both plucked from her mind. Just like that, the rumbling ceased and the world stabilized once more.  

Shaken, the filly wanted to ask what had happened, but even young and curious as she was, she truly understood—perhaps for the first time—that certain knowledge was best left in the dark. Owlowiscious gave another caoughing chuckle even as his guests shuddered in relief. 

Careful, little one. In this place, you are, quite literally, an open book. One that any passing denizen may read at their leisure. It would behoove you not to let your mind wander too much. Your tenuous existence can ill afford such a luxury. 

"Your advice is duly noted, "Grogar replied, answering for his unsettled charge, "I believe it best to simply obtain what we came here for so that we may be about our own business." 

The titanic silhouette gave a disappointed sigh and made an obscure movement that might've been a shuffling of his shadowy wings. 

Yes, I suppose you are quite right at that. It wouldn't do to linger here and spoil the child's mind before she's even begun to truly walk her path. 

"Oh?" Grogar asked, giving a mental frown, "and what do you know of her path?" 

At that, Owlowiscious chuckled again. 

No need to be so wary, my dear necromancer. Truth be told, the real reason I brought you both here to this hallowed place was that I was simply curious. 

"Curious?" Grogar pressed. 

For a long moment, the owl-like shadow didn't reply. Instead, he blinked the luminescent golden orbs that were his eyes and leaned down as if to get a better look at Twilight. The filly had no physical form, but was still somehow able to shrink away from his uncomfortably intense gaze. 

Looking into his eyes was like looking past the seemingly endless expanse of the sky above and into the dark void of space beyond. She had no flesh but she still felt her skin crawl at the attention. Ownlowiscious gave a quick ninety-degree tilt of his head before straightening back up, evidently satisfied with what he saw. 

I wanted to see this one with my own eyes... to see how she compares to one who has started down a similar path. I must admit I am quite pleased to see that this one has just as much potential if not more. Very good. Very, very good... 

Both Grogar and Twilight waited for more. Waited for some kind of explanation as to what or who the eldritch owl could possibly be talking about, but he just laughed his strange laugh and spread his impossibly wide wings. His immense wingspan seemed to blot out the rest of the world and his golden eyes suddenly shone like collapsing stars. 

When he next spoke, the world shook with the power of his words. 

Perhaps we will meet again one day, little one. But until that day comes, I bid you both farewell. Go now. Take this knowledge and reach ever greater heights! 

With a blinding flash of otherworldly light and the fading echo of an avian's cackle, Owlowiscious vanished. As the divine creature faded from their sight and mind, so too did the strange and unnerving realm that was Breostbedern Bocgestreon. 

The memory of that place and the being Twilight and Grogar met therein scattered and drifted away like leaves on the wind. With that, they were left to plunge into the depths of an endless black abyss as reality reasserted itself. After what could have been seconds or hours, Twilight finally opened her eyes.

It took a moment for her to collect herself, but eventually, the residual haze in her mind began to fade. Once the fog cleared and she could see again, Twilight found that she and Grogar stood once more within the blasted ruins of the old library. 

A few books lay haphazardly among broken and batter bookshelves. Some had fallen to the ground, both the covers and the pages within rotting away where they lay. More dislodged pages lay scattered about the entire floor, aged and tattered, the ink upon the paper no longer legible.

The sight of it all was almost too much for the bibliophilic filly to bear. The absolutely abysmal state of the library and the few remaining books it held made her want to cry for the injustice. Unable to help herself, she went about the ruined library inspecting and bemoaning the wretched state of the books. 

So distracted by her woes was Twilight that she hadn't stopped to consider her current circumstances. Thankfully Grogar was there to bring the filly's focus back to where it needed to be—namely on their situation and what had just transpired. Calling her over, he fixed Twilight with a pensive scowl, making the undead filly flinch uncomfortably.

"Tell me, child," the ram finally began after a moment, "what do you remember of our trip to this library?"

"Well," Twilight frowned, "I know Katrina brought us here to meet with somepony, and... um..." her face scrunched up in confusion as she gave their surroundings another look, "I feel like we did meet somepony, but I can't remember. And actually, weren't we outside a minute ago?"

"Hm, as I thought," Grogar nodded slowly, "there seems to be a gap in both our memories then. I know that we met someone and I know that meeting did not take place here, but both the creature and location escape me." 

"So... what?" Twilight tilted her head in bemusement, "did they erase our memory or something?"

"I would have to assume so," Grogar raised a cloven hoof to his chest and grimaced in displeasure, "my memory of the encounter may be gone, but the echo of the meeting with that creature still remains. Whoever it was that we met... I am certain it was no ordinary demon. I do believe, in fact, that the creature was no demon at all."

"What makes you say that?" Twilight asked.

"Call it intuition born of experience," Grogar huffed and returned his steady gaze to his undead pupil, "in any case, it appears our little rendezvous was not a complete waste."

"It wasn't?"

"No, it was not," Grogar shook his head and favored Twilight with a rare wry smile, "tell me, child, what is the name of this library?"

Twilight's ears perked up at the question. It was unexpected but she raised a hoof and opened her mouth almost as if she'd been waiting to reply.  

"The Infernal Archives, or Kolasména Archeía in the ancient tongue of demonkind," she replied succinctly, "built and maintained by a few of the lesser demons who managed to escape their master's clutches with pilfered knowledge in tow, it was sadly destroyed and most of the knowledge lost during the rampage of the Voracious Nightmare," she puffed out her chest proudly as she finished, but frowned in confusion after a moment, "wait... why do I know that? Well, I mean, I could've guessed that last part, but how did I know about the name?"

"A gift from our mysterious host I imagine," Grogar replied with a sardonic chuckle, "I'm willing to bet there is yet more to what you know. I too bear knowledge I was not privy to prior to our arrival at this place."

"So we got what we came for then?" Twilight asked uncertainly. She gave the ruined library another  pained look, "does that mean we're done here?"

"I'm afraid it does, child," Grogar nodded before turning towards the entrance, "we've more to do and I'll not be delayed any longer now that we have the information we sought."

"But..." Twilight shuffled from hoof to hoof, "but we can come back, right? M-Maybe I can work with Katrina to fix up the library a little..." she winced as one of the bookshelves she'd been messing with earlier collapsed in on itself, "...or a lot. Maybe if we find some more books we can add them to the library?"

Grogar frowned as he looked from the pleading filly to the dilapidated library. He scoured the ruins with a thoughtful gaze before shaking his head with a sigh.

"In the unlikely event that we find the time and resources, perhaps something can be done," Grogar conceded, "I admit, a repository of knowledge would be a boon if we ever have need to make this valley our base of operations," he nodded to himself, "I will talk to Tirek about it when the opportunity next arises, but for now, we take our leave. I would see the witch's progress regarding our agreed-upon solution. Come."

"Yes, Father!" Twilight cried as she happily trotted out of the library after her mentor. Her smile fell into a worried frown as a sudden thought hit her, "so assuming we did meet with that... whatever or whoever it was. How long do you think it's been since then?"

Grogar's brows furrowed.

"A very good question," he replied after a moment's thought, "I suppose we shall see soon enough."
> The Filly with the Fiery Mane
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It had been roughly two weeks since Shining Armor agreed to resume his military training. The Princess had pulled some strings to get him re-enlisted as soon as possible, but proper lessons had only begun just a couple of days ago. It'd been some time since the colt initially dropped out of the JRCTC program after what happened to his family.

In the beginning, he found himself having to take a short refresher course on what he'd already learned the first time around. Shining hadn't thought he'd need one and had made his irritiation plain to Celestia, but the Princess wouldn't budge on the decision. Thankfully, the petulant colt had only really joined the program about three weeks before the CSGU incident.

Thankfully, even with his relatively long absence, there hadn't been much to relearn other than the role of the Royal Guard and a bit of history on the subject. He'd finished the remedial lessons in short order, much to his relief, and now his general education had begun. The program was primarily focused on military courses, but it also offered a fair few classes outside of Royal Guard training.

Shining Armor hadn't had a choice in taking most of those classes—though he did agree with the Princess that it was necessary. However, in addition to those and his military courses, His adoptive mother had agreed to take him on as her personal student where magic was concerned.

There'd been some reservations on Shining's end at first. After all, the commitment would just add more work to Celestia's already overflowing plate. But the Princess seemed more than happy to commit—and likely more than capable of taking on the extra workload. So Shining Armor let his concerns go and accepted her proposal.

Technically, Princess Celestia had already more or less taken the colt under her wing, but now the lessons were official. Documents had been signed and everything and today marked the first day of his officially sanctioned magical study under the Princess.

That was all well and good of course, but Shining Armor found he couldn't appreciate the occasion as much as he wanted to. As he finished his breakfast and made his way to the Princess' personal study, he couldn't help dragging his hooves. He was reluctant to see Princess Celestia for two reasons.

The first and foremost was the conversation he'd had with Nightmare Moon some time ago. She'd essentially trapped the colt within his own subsconscious mind where the two of them had talked quite a bit about the past, Celestia, and Nightmare Moon herself.

His first—or rather, second—meeting with the banished villain had been far from what he'd expected. That said, it hadn't been all bad and he'd learned a lot, more than he ever thought possible. Given who he was speaking to, he couldn't be sure he was being told the whole truth, but the experience gave him at least some insight into Nightmare Moon's character—or so the colt would've liked to think.

The truth was, he still wasn't sure what to make of the alicorn once known as Luna. He'd expected a cruel tyrant and what he got instead was a mare who was reasonable and level-headed, at least for the most part. Sure she was incredibly arrogant and quick to criticize, but ultimately, she just seemed bored and starved for company after being trapped alone for so long.

The meeting had happened some time ago and Nightmare Moon hadn't visited him since. Shining knew he should've told Celestia about the meeting. He'd meant to, but hesitated at the last moment. With all of his misgivings, Shining Armor had chosen not to bring it up in the end. Not until he'd had time to work through what he and Nightmare Moon had talked about for himself.

The problem now was that he'd had plenty of time to think about it since then and still hadn't said anything. It wasn't like he wanted to keep the matter a secret, but it never felt like the right time to tell the Princess when they were both so busy. If he was being honest with himself, Shining still wasn't sure if he could trust Nightmare Moon at her word.

By her own admittance, the armored alicorn had every reason to lie to him—not that she needed to tell him that. Shining Armor was already wary of her words, and that was the problem. No matter how he tried to think through the issue, he ultimately had no way to know if she was telling the truth. If there was a spell to reveal falsehoods, he certainly didn't know it.

The other issue was that he'd also thought about how things would go if he told Celestia. He would've liked to think Celestia would be able to honestly confirm or deny Nightmare Moon's claims about what happened in the past. After all, she'd been candid with him so far, but that didn't mean bias wouldn't get in the way and cloud the full truth of the matter.

There was just no way to tell. Shining Armor knew he'd have to sit down with Celestia and have a long talk about it, which was why he'd been avoiding it. There was too much to do. He was already trying to get his life back on track. He didn't need the distraction and neither did the Princess.

Still...

I need to tell her at some point. Maybe not right now, but... soon. It has to be soon. No more sitting on my hooves.

The colt made a promise to himself then to bring it up the next time the Princess had room in her schedule. The resolution felt good and would've been enough to lift his spirits normally, but then there was the second issue he'd have to deal with once he arrived to his destination.

The name of that particular issue... was Sunset Shimmer.

Wrapped up in his studies as he'd been, Shining Armor had completely forgotten about the Princess' other would-be protégé. He remembered her mentioning something about introductions, but hadn't bothered to pay it much attention at the time. He'd wound up regretting how he'd brushed the Princess' words off once it actually came time to meet her other student a few days later.

In short, Shining Armor had not been prepared for the filly with the fiery mane.





Shining Armor and the other Royal Guard hopefuls were allowed to use the courtyard near the military barracks for basic physical training, but his actual education took place in a special annex specifically tailored to teaching the future protectors of Equestria.

It was too small a structure and there were too few students to officially call it an academy. Nevertheless, that's what most chose to call it, and for all intents and purposes, that's what it was. It was here that Shining started spending a good chunk of his days since the Princess officially enrolled him in the JRCTC.

Though small, the academic building had its own mess hall where students could chat and eat together during lunchbreak. Unfortunately, by the time Shining started attending classes, most of the other foals had already formed their own groups of friends and acquaintances. Most days, the colt sat alone as he ate, but that was fine with him.

At this point, he still hadn't fully acclimated to being around other foals his age. Shining Armor was aware how strange the aversion was, given he'd been a fairly extroverted colt who'd gotten along with everypony when he'd enrolled initially. Of course, that had been before the death of his parents and sister—and shutting himself away in his room all this time in the castle hadn't exactly helped matters.

Even if he was aware of how drastically he'd changed, he was still content to keep to himself. A few ponies had tried to reach out and talk to him—a lot of them ponies he'd talked to back before he dropped out the first time around—but Shining had simply made excuses and brushed them all off without explaining anything.

Seeing as how the Royal Guard tended to promote brotherhood and comeraderie among soldiers, his loner attitude hadn't gone over well. It wasn't long before his instructors picked up on his behavior and admonished him for it, but he'd just made more excuses and empty promises to do better. It hadn't amounted to much and he continued to eat alone.

This went on for a few days, with the colt taking up his own small table near the back of the mess hall well out of the way of the other students. It was nice. Peaceful even. Then the day came when a unicorn filly with an amber coat and a thick red and yellow striped mane approached.

Her own lunchtray was suspended in an aura of pale blue magic beside her. Without a word or any sort of preamble,the filly plopped herself down in the wooden seat opposite his own. Shining stared at the other unicorn, his brows furrowed as he watched her immediately dig in with no regard for anypony else.

Shining knew right away that something was off with the filly. The first thing he noticed was the filly's lack of a uniform. In the JRCTC, everypony enrolled in the program wore a military style school uniform. This pony didn't have one, so the fact that she wasn't a student was a plain as the horn on Shining's forehead.

And yet, here she sat, eating lunch in the mess hall like she'd been here from the very beginning. Shining was fairly sure, he'd never seen the filly around the academy. Not first time he'd enrolled, nor the second. There was a chance he simply hadn't noticed her wandering about, but somehow the colt doubted it. Looking around, he noticed more than a few students eyeing his table with strange looks.

When they caught Shining's eye, the others either glared or shrugged and returned to their own meals or conversation. That, more than anything, made it clear that the filly's presence here wasn't normal. Sensing a headache coming on, Shining rubbed his face and groaned inwardly before taking the plunge and addressing the pony in front of him.

“Can I... help you with something?” he asked, trying his best to keep the irritation out of his tone.

“Nope.”

Shining Armor blinked, the colt at a loss for words at the dismissive response. It was clear the filly had little interest in a conversation. She hadn't once pulled her attention away from her meal. Normally, that would've suited Shining just fine, but for some reason he couldn't let the strangeness of her being here go, not yet anyway.

“You're... not a student, are you?” he pressed.

“Nope.”

“Okay, yeah, that's what I thought.” The colt frowned, “So if that's the case, then why are you here? How did you even get in here?”

At that, the filly finally stopped gorging herself. She paused, swallowed, and raised her head to glare at Shining in annoyance.

“I'm here because I was hungry and this place is serving food,” she answered, looking at the colt like he was an idiot for even asking, “and what do you care how I got in? I'm not hurting anypony.”

Shining gave an exasperated sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose at her standoffish response. Now that he'd gotten a better look at her face, he could see that the filly was likely around the same age as him. To Shining Armor, that just made her petulant answer all the more aggravating.

“Did nopony tell you on your way here that this whole annex is off limits to all but students, staff, and other castle officials?” he pointed out.

The filly shrugged and went back to stuffing her mouth as she replied, “Funny, 'cause the guard who was with me was happy to let me in. He even told the chef to hook me up with something to eat,” she swallowed again and gave Shining a smug smirk, “guess that makes me one of those 'castle officials', huh?”

“What? Why were you with a guard and why'd they let you into the academy?” Shining paused a second, then asked the question he realized he probably should've asked in the beginning, “And who are you anyway?”

Rather than answer right away, the filly finished off the last of her meal. It wasn't until she polished off the last last apple slice on her tray that she finally gave the colt her full attention. Giving Shining Armor a thoughtful look, she replied, “Forget about that. Let's talk about you instead.”

Shining grimaced at the response. He could feel his patience draining away with each word the other unicorn spoke. Before he could even attempt to redirected the focus back on the filly, she spoke up first, cutting him off.

“I heard about you, y'know,” she continued casually, “you're that colt that got adopted by the Princess, right? The one whose family got blown up in that explosion at Celestia's school?”

A horrible moment of silence followed in the wake of the filly's question. The mess hall wasn't that large and there weren't all that many students in the room—maybe twenty or so at most. With that in mind, it would've been hard not to overhear the conversation, even if most of the other student's hadn't already been listening in.

Many of them had already been aware of Shining Armor's circumstances. That'd been the main reason none of them gave the colt any grief despite his attitude. Even if they didn't like him, the others had the good grace not to bring up the CSGU incident in front of him. That apparently didn't hold true for the filly, who looked as though she'd just asked about the weather.

Shining stared back at the other unicorn with a carefully blank expression. His darker cerulean eyes bore into her brighter cyan orb s for a long, tense moment. Then he pushed himself from the table and stood up. He could see where the conversation was going and what kind of pony the filly was, and he wanted no part of it or her.

“Where you going, big guy?” the filly called out as Shining snatched up his tray and began to storm off, “we were just getting to know each other!”

Shining grit his teeth, but didn't stop as he ground out, “I'm done talking. I'm going to leave now before I do or say something we're both gonna regret.”

The other ponies in the room were now staring at the two of them openly. Some watched with clear apprehension while others looked on with eager smiles, hoping for some kind of conflict to break out. Shining ignored the looks and whispers, his only focus on despositing his tray at the nearby counter and getting out of the mess hall.

“Ah, I see how it is. Hit on a sore subject, did I?” the colt heard the filly say from somewhere behind him. Even if he couldn't see her, Shining Armor could practically feel the smirk in her voice as she spoke. “Well, why don't we talk anyway? Who knows? Maybe you'll feel a bit better about it if you get it all out there.“

“No need. I'm dealing with it.”

Shining Armor kept moving, his eyes deliberately locked on the counter in front of the kitchen at the back of the mess hall. He was so close. He just had to drop the tray and he could leave the brat behind. He didn't know who the filly was or why she was here, but if he was lucky, he'd never have to see her again.

“Are you, though?” came the filly's skeptical reply, “I wouldn't eactly call dropping out of school and cowering alone in your room for months on end 'dealing with it'.”

The dubious unicorn didn't bat an eye as she caught the tray hurled at her from across the room in her magical grip. She instead swapped her skeptical look for a victorious grin as she eyed the colt who'd thrown the tray in his fury.

“Who are you to waltz in here and tell me how to deal with my problems?” Shining hissed. His voice carried across the whole room despite being just barely above a whisper. “Yeah, I dropped out and hid like a coward, but I'm back now and I'm dealing with things at my own pace.”

He took a moment to close his eyes and calm his breathing and straightened up to his full height. When he opened his eyes again, all the rage was gone, replaced by a mix of bemusement and frustration. “Seriously, what's your problem?” he asked, “Why are you trying to call me out like this in front of everypony? This how you get your kicks or something?”

The filly didn't say anything at first. She just looked Shining Armor over as if truly seeing him for the first time. After a long and slightly awkward pause, she spoke, sounding and looking disappointed. “Huh,” she muttered loud enough for everypony to hear, “guess the Princess was right.”

Shining's eyes narrowed. “...What?”

“Ah, don't worry about it,” the filly sighed as she unceremoniously dropped the thrown tray down on the table next to her, “just wanted to get a feel for my future study buddy is all. Heard a bit from Celestia, but I had to see for myself, y'know? Don't take it personally.”

“What?” Shining repeated, his confusion turning into full on bewilderment, “What are you talking about?” He froze as her words registered and his mind finally put the pieces together. “Wait, don't tell me, you're the—”

“Aaaanyway, I got places to be, so I'll, uh, just be on my way now,” the filly interjected before hopping off her seat and making her way to the mess hall's exit.

She stopped just long enough to give a still shocked Shining Armor a mock salute. “Hey, no hard feelings about what I said earlier, right? Cool. See ya.”

She didn't give Shining a chance to retort before stepping through the doorway and disappearing around a distant corner further down the corridor outside the mess hall.





It wouldn't be until Shining Armor talked to the Princess the next day that he found out the filly's name. Princess Celestia confirmed that Sunset was, in fact, the protégé she'd told him about. Apparently, Celestia had meant to introduce the two properly the day after they'd met in the mess hall.

She hadn't been aware at the time that Sunset had somehow talked a guard into giving her a tour of the castle. When Shining told her about what Sunset had said, the Princess had been confused initially. After thinking about it for a second, she came up with an explanation.

According to Celestia's guess, Sunset had been trying to help in her own twisted way. She said it was something akin to a 'tough love' approach. The filly had wanted to get a rise out of Shining—force him to confront his own demons. Once she'd cut to the heart of the matter he'd have no choice but to either get over himself or continue to run away from his problems.

That was Celestia's guess anyway. Personally, Shining Armor had his doubts that things were really that simple. Sunset Shimmer didn't strike Shining as a conscientious or thoughtful pony. When the colt pressed, Celestia admitted that she'd let a few of her worries about Shining Armor slip to Sunset at some point.

That, in turn, likely led to Sunset seeking him out and Celestia's theory about why she'd acted the way she did. The Princess made it a point to mention to Sunset prior to that encounter that Shining Armor had improved quite a bit from how he'd been before. Evidently, Sunset hadn't entirely believed her.

Frankly, the whole thing left a sour taste in Shining Armor's mouth. Sunset Shimmer hadn't made a good impression whatsoever—she hadn't even intended to from what Shining could tell. Shining didn't know what background Sunset was coming from. He didn't know how she'd grown up or what her deal was, but he did know one thing.

If their first meeting was anything to go by, then what should've bene an exciting endeavor was going to be a tiresome chore instead. As he made his way to his first official magic lesson from his adoptive mother, all he could do was groan in disappointment as he lamented his aggravating circumstances.
> Noblesse Craint
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Try as they might, neither Twilight nor Grogar could recall the events that had taken place in that rundown library. They remembered why they had come there. They recalled being invited in and even remembered talking to the one that had invited them in. Unfortunately, anything beyond that regarding the meeting was a complete blank.

The only thing that remained of their mysterious rendezvous—the only that proved they hadn't just woken from some shared dream or illusion—was the knowledge they'd obtained. Even now, as the two left the dilapidated building and began making their way back to Katrina's home, Twilight could recall all the information she'd gained about Tartarus in fine detail. All the knowledge was there, like the undead filly had spent years studying and mapping the whole realm.

While both Twilight and Grogar discovered this knowledge didn't extend to the creatures currently inhabiting the realm, Twilight felt like she knew the layout and history of Tartarus better than she knew her own neighborhood back in Canterlot. Of course, looking back, that wasn't a very high bar to leap, considering the filly didn't really leave her home unless she had to.

Still, the fact remained that this level of Tartarus and many of the levels below were an open book to the two outsiders. It was a good thing, too, because there'd been no discussion of when or how Katrina was meant to take them back to her cozy little abode. That wasn't an issue now, but Twilight couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy without the witch around to guide them. They didn't need her, not anymore, but strangely, the filly was just beginning to warm up to the feline.

She hadn't realized it until now, but Twilight was starting to feel a strange kinship with Katrina. Initially, the feline had made Twilight uneasy, much like Cozy Glow had, but that had begun to change during their earlier conversation. Twilight found that Katrina had an appreciation for magic that resonated with her. She was surprisingly easy to talk to, and Twilight found herself looking forward to their next meeting.

Not to mention, they might be able to purge the lich's hunger from Twilight with the witch's help. They just had to return to Katrina's hut, but both Twilight and Grogar soon realized that might be easier said than done. It didn't often seem like it, given how few demons walked its time-worn roads, but Lýkos Valley was inhabited. As far as Twilight knew, Tirek had gathered a few of the remaining demons that managed to survive the apocalyptic events that had swallowed nearly all of Tartarus and what was once Equestria.

Evidently, quite a few demons had survived and formed small, thinly spread factions all throughout this layer of Tartarus. The faction under Tirek's command sought a way to escape Tartarus and build the demon race anew atop the ashes of the old world beyond its gates. It was an admirable goal, but that didn't mean there weren't problems to contend with. Demons were demons, after all, and never to be trusted entirely—or so that's what Twilight was told when she was alive.

She'd been told all demons had cruel and twisted personalities and that they would attempt to hurt or trick you any chance they got. Twilight hadn't exactly forgotten those words, but neither had she really thought about them, not in a long time. She'd never expected to run into an actual demon after all. She'd been reminded briefly of those words upon meeting Tirek and Cozy Glow, but they hadn't truly registered.

It was only with the sudden appearance of that masked demon with the horrible breath that Twilight fully internalized her mother's word from long ago. Most demons in town were either lazing about or helping to get Lýkos Valley into some sort of habitable shape. Tirek had mentioned there were demons out and about looking for ways to get out of Tartarus, but Twilight hadn't seen any evidence of that so far.

Until now, the few demons Twilight had seen had been content to ignore her and her caprine mentor. Perhaps that was why Twilight had once more forgotten those old warnings. But when the filly really stopped to think about it, they might've only remained unmolested because they'd been with either Tirek or Katrina. Now that the two were alone, evidently they were fair game.

"Well now," Grogar suddenly muttered loud enough for Twilight to hear, "it appears we're being followed."

His tone was both intrigued and wary, but his expression didn't change. He didn't break stride or look around and when Twilight nearly stumbled to a stop, he snapped at the filly in a hushed but firm voice, "Don't say anything. Don't look around. Just follow my lead and keep moving, child."

Twilight desperately wanted to scan the area, but did as she was told and kept walking. If there was trouble following them, she was confident her mentor could handle it if need be. She expected Grogar to leap into action to do something about their stalker, but the necromancer just continued on their path to Katrina's home. Though his destination didn't change, the filly did notice a soft glow to Grogar's red eyes, and she felt something in the air shift slightly.

Twilight recognized that a spell was being cast, but didn't know what kind. And both the casting and shift in mana had been so subtle, she likely would have missed it had she not been spiritually bound to Grogar. Twilight was still trying to puzzle out what spell Grogar just cast when she heard a high-pitched squeal of surprise coming from above one of the few intact structures nearby.

A moment later, from the shadows of a nearby alleyway, a thrashing shape came barreling toward us as if yanked right out of the air. The creature howled and cursed as its trajectory swerved and jerked unnaturally. It wasn't long before the struggling body slowed to a stop in midair before Grogar. Twilight had realized fairly quickly that Grogar had pulled the pursuer from wherever they'd been hiding, and now that they'd been caught, she could get a better look at the creature.

It was a demon, of that, Twilight was certain, but it was unlike any demons Twilight had seen so far. Most demons she'd seen wandering around were the kind of lowly fodder you'd find at the bottom rungs of the proverbial ladders of strength or intelligence, or both. Imps, ogres, goblins, and other lesser demons—lackeys basically. Frankly, Twilight was unsure of how these creatures survived the destruction, even few as they were.

The demon floating before Grogar and tightly bound in ethereal black chains, was different from the rest. Unlike the other workers and layabouts who wore little to no attire at all, this demon was fully robed. Not only that, but Twilight recognized the robes of a scholar when she saw them, even if worn by a bipedal creature like this one. They were brown and simple, but Twilight had seen their like before back in Canterlot, often worn by academics with lots of drive and ambition but very little money for fancier attire.

The demon's form was indiscernible through his loose robes, but Twilight could clearly tell from its face that it was male. He was also tall—nearly two heads taller than Katrina. His skin was a deep, dark crimson and his face was all wrinkles and angles, save for his smooth and shiny bald pate. Setting aside the red skin, pupilless black eyes, pointy ears, long twin horns jutting from the front of his forehead, and overly hooked nose, the demon could've been your typical cantankerous old stallion.

At least, that was Twilight's first impression at a mere glance. His features were, in truth, similar to that of a goblin, but in his angry, pitch-black eyes, both Twilight and Grogar could see fierce intelligence. The demon continued to struggle in vain as the filly and ram took in his appearance, baring his sharp fangs in defiance and indignation. When he finally did speak, it was with a voice Twilight hadn't expected to hear from such a gruff face.

"Unhand me this instant, necromancer!" he snapped. His voice was high-pitched, nasally, and raspy all at once, making it quite grating on the ears in Twilight's opinion.

"And why, pray tell, should I do such a thing?" Grogar replied coolly. He raised one bushy eyebrow at the thrashing demon.

"You've no idea the ramifications of what you do," the demon hissed back before raising his chin to look down on his captor, "I am Lord Ranifaen Avelio Falnus VI, last heir of House Falnus and right hand to Lord Tirek."

"House Falnus?" Twilight replied, her brows raising in shock and confusion, "you're a noble? Demons have an aristocracy?" The question was asked more as a knee-jerk reaction than anything else. The information about demon nobility was already implanted within her mind. Twilight wondered if Tirek was also a noble, but that thought was interrupted by Grogar.

"In some corners of Tartarus, yes, once upon a time," Grogar replied without taking his eyes off the self-professed noble in question, "though I imagine that, assuming this one speaks the truth, his house has long since fallen, just like every other noble house in the wake of the Voracious Nightmare," he tilted his head slightly, a grim smile crossing his face, "or am I wrong, Lord Falnus? Does the nobility yet remain?"

"So long as a single noble lives, so too will the nobility," Ranifaen replied with absolute conviction, then he sneered down at Grogar and continued, "but if you must know, necromancer, we have already confirmed the survival of at least two other members of my house."

"Is that so?" Grogar replied, though he didn't sound too interested anymore and instead changed the subject, "and you say you are Tirek's right hand? We've heard nothing of the sort. The esteemed Lord Ranifaen Alevio Falnus VI of House Falnus never once came up in our discussions."

That gave Ranifaen pause, but only for a moment. He collected himself quickly and shook his head once, "I'm sure he had more important things to discuss than me, but rest assured I am his closest confidant in all matters concerning the exodus of the demon race from Tartarus."

"So..." Twilight began thoughtfully, "you're one of the demons working with Tirek to move all the demons to Equestria?" A sudden thought occurred to the filly, and she turned to Grogar, "Father, could he be one of the demons Tirek wanted us to meet before he left?"

"Hmm..." Grogar hesitated, then gave a slow nod, "it's certainly possible, I will admit. It may very well be that he simply hadn't the time to introduce us before departing on his errand."

"More than possible," Ranifaen replied haughtily, "I'd say it's likely. Lord Tirek is a busy demon, after all. Now, that you understand, would you be so kind as to release me from these infernal chains?"

"Not quite yet," Grogar said, "first I'd like to discuss your actions. Care to tell us why you felt the need to follow us in the shadows rather than make proper introductions?"

"Had you not snatched me up like scalding salmon from the Flaming Lake, I would have!" the demon noble snapped, "I was recently made aware of your arrival while making a report to Lord Tirek and was on my way to make your acquaintance. I didn't expect to be so rudely captured like some common criminal!"

"Really now?" Grogar replied, raising his eyebrows in mock surprise, "and I suppose skulking about in an alleyway while radiating clear hostility shows proper court etiquette where you come from, Lord Falnus? Please, enlighten me, will you?"

"That's... I..." Ranifaen flinched and looked away, his expression sour, "I simply didn't want to catch the wrong kind of attention. Some of the other demons here are brutes that wouldn't give a second thought about harming a highborn such as myself."

“That's complete and utter bunk, Falnus, and you know it.”

At the sound of the familiar voice, all three turned to see none other than Katrina approaching from the direction of where Twilight and Grogar were headed. The feline witch was practically marching toward the trio at a brisk pace, her pale green eyes locked on Ranifaen's bound form and her expression full of annoyance. Twilight even thought she could make out a bit of contempt for the demon.

“Katrina,” Ranifaen groused, “how many times have I told you to address me as—”

“My guess,” Katrina began, cutting the noble off with a sneer that far surpassed anything Ranifaen could muster, “is that you heard about these two from Tirek, got jealous that they were getting such special attention, and thought you'd judge them for yourself, is that it? Thought you'd wait for the right moment to test if they were worthy of Lord Tirek's time and attention?”

“Absurd,” the demon scoffed, “what need have I to stoop to such measures? I am Ranifaen Alevio Falnus VI! Tirek chose me as his right hand because he has faith in my knowledge and expertise. I've no need for such petty tactics, and you would do well not to impugn my honor, witch!”

“Oh, come off it, Falnus! I know your game. I know you have more than enough power to defend yourself from those slobbering idiots wandering about,” Katrina snapped before turning to address Twilight and Grogar. “You want to know how I know he's lying through his teeth? Because this cretin attempted to do the exact same thing to me when Tirek first brought me here.”

“I did nothing of the sort!” the demon cried, his wizened red features the very picture of affronted, “if anything, it was your rash and violent actions that gave me cause to defend myself!”

“Only because you were trying to provoke a response!” Katrina shouted back, “I might not be the mage I long to be just yet, but that doesn't mean I can't hold my own in a battle of the arcane!” the molly snorted and gave Ranifaen her most disdainful glare, “that was far from my first duel with a mage, Falnus. That you underestimated a witch with my experience is not my fault nor is it my problem.”

Ranifaen ground his razor sharp teeth together in frustration, but it seemed the self-proclaimed noble had no response to give. From the sound of it, they'd fought one another and Twilight could only surmise that, for all his pomp and bluster, the demon noble had lost the duel. The filly found herself curious about the methods a witch would use to win a battle against a mage, and lamented the fact that she hadn't been there to see the fight.

“How long do you intend to keep me bound here like an animal?” Ranifaen growled, rounding on Grogar instead, “I've made my introduction and have other business that needs attending to, so if you would kindly release me, I'll be on my way.”

Grogar eyed the demon, his expression inscrutable as he gave the matter some thought. The ram said nothing and his features gave nothing away, but spiritually tied to Grogar as she was, Twilight could feel the roiling irritation beneath the surface. She'd been feeling it for quite some time now, in fact. And it had only been growing with each word the noble spoke.

“Very well,” Grogar finally replied after a long, tense moment, “I believe I've gained sufficient measure of your character, and I've quite had my fill of your presence. However...”

A moaning wail of agony was ripped from Ranifaen's throat as the wispy black chains around his form tightened visibly, pinning his loose robes against his frame. Grogar looked on, his eyes burning red and his expression impassive as the noble's already wrinkled form gradually grew more and more wrinkled. His deep crimson skin grew paler and paler until it shone an unhealthy greyish pink.

His eyes sunk deeper into his skull, and his already raspy voice grew raspier and fainter with each moment that passed. With a start, Twilight realized she was watching Grogar quite literally drain the life out of Lord Ranifaen Alevio Falnus VI. If this went on much longer, the demon would be nothing more than a shriveled, dried out husk. Before it got to that point, however, the black chains around Ranifaen's body suddenly vanished, and he fell to the ground in a wheezing heap.

“...know that if you attempt any such nonsense as a duel with me, I will take that as express permission to tear your soul from your corpse and use it to feed my apprentice.” The ram gave Ranifaen a wicked smile as the demon's withered flesh and sickly grey-pink pallor returned to its former state, “And rest assured, Lord Falnus, whatever your contributions to the cause, I guarantee I have much more to offer to Lord Tirek than you do.”

It took a moment for Ranifaen to recover his full strength, but even then, words failed the noble. Black eyes wide and deep red face pale with terror, all he could do was silently gape at the necromancer like a fish. He seemed to come to his senses a second later and gave each of the three creatures before him one last fearful glance before scrambling to his feet and wordlessly taking off into another nearby alleyway.

He hadn't said anything more, but the look on his face just before he ran gave Twilight the impression she wouldn't be seeing the last of him. The indignation, shame, and humiliation was clear for all to see, even beneath the fear. If the demon noble had any sense at all, he'd stay far, far away from Grogar, but Twilight had to wonder if he truly would.

“Well, that was satisfying,” Katrina exclaimed with a bright smile and a single clap of her paws, “always nice to see fools being put in their place.”

“On that point, I must agree,” Grogar replied with a casual nod.

“Do you think he'll be back?” Twilight asked, “he didn't look too happy at the end.”

“Undoubtedly,” Grogar answered with an annoyed grimace, “he will likely inform Tirek of what transpired here, and when Tirek inevitably fails to do anything to rectify the situation, Lord Falnus will likely try to take matters into his own hand in an effort to restore the honor of House Falnus.”

“And what will you do then?” Katrina asked curiously, “if he tries to come back for revenge against you?”

Grogar grinned as he continued to watch the alley where Ranifaen disappeared, and replied, “I'll do just as promised. Our goal from the beginning in coming to Tartarus was to acquire more souls, after all, and his will do just as well as any.”

“And you're sure Tirek will be okay with that?” Twilight asked somewhat nervously.

“I am almost certain, he won't mind,” Grogar said, not concerned in the least, “what I said regarding my usefulness was no bluff, and even if he does take issue, he won't act on his frustrations.”

“You sound confident of that,” Katrina pointed out skeptically.

“I am,” Grogar replied without pause or further explanation. Instead, he finally turned to face the witch and changed the subject, “now, given that we were on our way to your abode, I'm curious to know why you've chosen to meet with us on the way. Has it been so long since we entered the library?”

“Well, there is that, yes,” Katrina conceded, though her expression grew strange, “by my estimate, it's been well over three hours since I took you to the old library. I tried checking in on you two earlier, but...”

“But what?” Twilight pressed.

“When I came back, the Domain was still there, but,” Katrina paused to collect her thoughts, “but there was no response when I called out, and more than that, it was like if I tried to enter, I'd never come back out again. It was like staring into an endless abyss from which there would be no escape.” She shook her head, “Needless to say, I decided to leave you both to it, whatever 'it' might've been.”

“I see,” Grogar hummed thoughtfully, “tell me, witch, what do you know of the creature that formed this Domain?”

“Not much of anything, really. No one does, not even Tirek,” Katrina replied with a frown, “all we know is that one of the workers tried to enter the library one day, and found that someone had taken over and created a Domain. Tirek tried to investigate, but he barely managed to get anything useful out of the guy, and he wasn't fool enough to push the matter.” She shrugged, “So... we just left it at that.”

“And this creature is someone Tirek wanted us to meet?” Grogar mused aloud, “Well, I suppose we did find what we were searching for, even if both the creature and its methods elude us.”

“Elude you?” Katrina tilted her head, confused, “what do you mean?”

“We don't remember what happened or what the creature we met even looked like,” Twilight added, “we got the knowledge we needed, but the library is empty now and everything that happened after we entered and before we found ourselves in the empty library is a complete blank.”

“Really?” the witch's eyebrows rose in surprise, “so there's no one in there anymore?”

“Nope,” Twilight replied, “just some old books and a library that really, really need to be repaired. Speaking of which—”

“Later, child,” Grogar admonished, “ruminating on our mysterious librarian does us no benefit. Instead, let us discuss your proposed solution. Have you made any progress on that front while we were preoccupied, witch?”

At that, Katrina gave a proud, confident grin, showing each and every one of her sharp teeth.

“As a matter of fact, I have,” she replied, “in fact, that was the other reason I'd come to see you. All testing and preparations are complete. All that's left is for little Twilight here to partake of my latest creation.”
> A Witch's Brew
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The rest of the trip back to Katrina's hut was relatively uneventful. The feline witch spent a good chunk of the journey explaining how she'd come up with her "miracle concoction" to rid Twilight of her macabre hunger. A lot of the little intricacies of the potion crafting process went over the filly's head. She found she even had trouble following the broader strokes of what went into making potions, but Grogar seemed genuinely interested as Katrina explained the various ingredients that went into the mixture.

Still, even if Twilight didn't understand now, she listened carefully, storing as much of the information about potion crafting and alchemy in general to study later. The filly wondered if she would've learned such things had she passed her entrance exam into Celestia's school without incident. The thought brought back some painful memories, but Twilight found that each of those memories had become... muted somehow. She could remember her family and her relatively sort life in Canterlot, but none of it felt real.

Or rather, it felt like it had all happened to somepony else entirely. It also felt like her death and the life proceeding it had happened eons ago, despite only a few weeks passing. Or had it only been a few weeks? Thinking back, the undead filly found she actually wasn't sure. She hadn't paid much attention to the passage of time in Grogar's castle. There wasn't really a need. All that mattered were the lessons her mentor was so graciously imparting to her.

Putting the intrusive thoughts out of her mind, Twilight continued to listen to the conversation between Katrina and Grogar as they approached Katrina's modest abode. From what little she could glean of the discussion, Katrina had brewed a potion that would, if all went well, spiritually graft what was essentially an artificial soul onto Twilight's own undead soul that would replicate itself indefinitely so long as there was a bit of the soul left. 

It acted similarly to a prosthetic limb that could regrow itself if damaged. Granted, calling it an artificial soul wasn't a completely accurate statement. It was more so a blob of formless, artificially concocted spiritual essence. Twilight personal thought it was the same thing, but Katrina insisted there were small but significant differences. True artificial souls did exist, but creating one was no mere feat. It required tremendous sacrifice and a skill in soul magic that had been honed over centuries of practice.

What Katrina had created was far less potent and completely unfit to use as a substitute for any creature's true soul on its own. As a simple spiritual prosthetic, though, it was excellent. That said, it wasn't a perfect solution. Through Grogar's verbal prodding, Katrina eventually confessed that her solution was more or less a stopgap measure. While Katrina was confident the soul graft would hold for several decades, the spiritual essence used to create the graft would deteriorate eventually, and the whole thing would fall apart if not reapplied in time.

At Twilight's horrified expression and Grogar's dark grimace, Katrina was quick to explain that the filly's soul would remain unharmed. The hunger, however, would return with a vengeance. When asked by Twilight if Katrina could fix the graft, Katrina revealed that she could, so long as she had the proper ingredients to recreate the concoction. The problem was that a few of the most important ingredients she'd used to make the potion were exceedingly rare.

Given the current state of things, the witch, for as impressive as the potion was should it work, was in no position to supply Grogar and Twilight with any more of the brew. Some of the ingredients could be found in various parts of Tartarus. In fact, according to the witch, most of what she needed could be found in this very realm. The problem lay not only in the fact that they were still hard to find, but also in the fact that some of the ingredients Katrina had on hand were native only to her homeland and couldn't be replicated in Tartarus.

Once she was out, that was it unless she returned home to collect more, and naturally none of them could do any such thing. Not for a long time at least. Twilight asked Grogar if he could create a true artificial soul, given that he was a powerful necromancer. Grogar, in response, had said that he did indeed have such an ability. The problem was that trying to graft a true artificial soul onto the filly's own would completely overwrite Twilight's own soul. 

Absorbing an artificial soul to sate Twilight's hunger was also out of the question. Not only was it far too resource intensive to be sustainable for very long, but it wouldn't work anyway. Artificial souls were just that—artificial. They functioned like real souls and could be used to animate a corpse or even bring the dead back to life in certain, specific circumstances, but at the end of the day, they weren't real souls. They didn't provide the necessary "nutrients" that a lich soul needed to stave off the hunger.

It was why Katrina's potion was so ingenious, despite its comparative impotence. Spiritual essence on its own was only good as a temporary supplement when applied to one's soul, but it worked because of how it was implemented. Artificial souls also used spiritual essence as a foundation, but the process to create one effectively destroys any usefulness that essence would have as a meal or supplement for the true soul.

Katrina's potion evidently not only left the function of spiritual essence intact, but something in the combination of ingredients allowed the essence to replenish itself. That meant that, weak as its separate components were, the potion itself was greater than the sum of its parts. To brew such a fiendishly complex concoction in so little time was a borderline miraculous achievement that proved that Katrina was, undoubtedly, a master of her craft.

That was, assuming the potion worked as it should.

"So... this is it, then?" Grogar said once they'd all made it back to the hut.

Upon their arrival, Katrina had wasted no time in showing the ancient ram and undead filly her latest and greatest creation. The proud molly had hurried over to a small crafting table next to her cauldron and snatched up a small corked vial before presenting it to her two guests. Rather than the typical rounded potion bottle Twilight would have expected to see, the witch held up a small, flat-bottomed cylindrical vial that was much closer to a test tube than anything else.

More than the glass container itself, Twilight was taking by the substance contained within. At first glance, Twilight thought Katrina had captured a vial of colorless vapor. The only evidence that anything was in the glass tube were the swirls and ripples that disturbed what looked like air as the witch gently shook the container. Twilight had to step closer and squint, but eventually, she could just make out that the diaphanous vapor-like substance was, in fact, a liquid so clear and fine that it was almost invisible.

"This is, indeed, it," Katrina replied proudly to Grogar's intrigued inquiry, "I've yet to settle on a name for the potion, but I'm partial to anima innesto, or the 'soul graft' potion for the layman."

"And you've made this kind of thing before?" Twilight asked, her tone and expression caught somewhere between awe and trepidation, "have you tested it?"

"Yes and yes," Katrina replied, looking somewhat affronted by the questions, "unlike you, little one, I've left my days as an apprentice long behind me. Granted, it's not often I get to make something like this, but I never forget a successfully brewed potion and I keep extensive notes on every part of the process, thank you very much."

As if to punctuate her statement, Katrina pointed a claw toward a smaller dresser near the table where she'd picked up the vial. Following the witch's claw, Twilight saw a grey and black quill, a well-used inkwell, and a black, time-worn journal so thick she'd almost mistaken it for a tome. Seeing this, Twilight gave a slow nod, a measure of respect cutting its way into her mild anxiety about imbibing an unknown potion.

"Now, before we begin, there is one more thing I need to complete the potion," Katrina continued, bringing the filly's attention back to the witch. She balked as Katrina gave her a toothy grin and said, "I'm afraid I'll need to take a piece of you, dear."

"I... wh-what?!"

The molly let out a very unladylike guffaw at Twilight's reaction. Grogar furrowed his thick brows in response, the necromancer not at all amused by her antics. Seeing this, Katrina's mirth faltered and cleared her throat, but her smile remained in place as she addressed the panicking filly.

"Relax, Twilight," she said reassuringly, "it's nothing like what you're imagining. I simply need to put a little bit of you into the potion to complete the brew—something as harmless as a strand of hair from your mane or tail would do just fine."

At that, Twilight visibly relaxed, then nodded and replied, "Yeah, I mean, if that's all you need, then I can—"

"Hold a moment," Grogar interjected, raising a cloven hoof in front of Twilight and giving Katrina a pointed look, "before we proceed, I believe a proper explanation of what this process will entail is in order." He narrowed his crimson eyes slightly, "What exactly is going to happen to Twilight?"

Katrina looked from Grogar to the vial in her claws, her brows furrowing in consternation. She grimaced as if struggling with something internal, then sighed as she returned Grogar's wary frown with a solemn gaze.

"Know that whatever immediate reaction may come, this potion will staunch the lich's hunger—of that, you have my word," the witch began. She paused, a brief flash of reluctance crossing her face before she schooled her features and pressed on, "that said... this is a delicate and incredibly invasive process, almost like surgery in a way." She gave Twilight an apologetic frown, "It'll be fleeting, but there will be pain, and lots of it, I'm afraid."

Twilight swallowed, her face going pale. Grogar merely grunted and gave a small nod, as if he'd expected as much. "Given your expertise, I will defer to your judgement on the matter and ask: Will the pain be enough to break her? And what of potential side effects?"

Katrina did her best to ignore Twilight's terrified flinch at Grogar's question as she responded, "It will essentially be the spiritual equivalent of a particularly nasty toothache—at least, that's how I've heard it described. It'll hurt, and the pain might linger a bit, but you'll live and be all the better for it. This, I guarantee."

Twilight swallowed again and opened her mouth to tentatively press, "A-And... the side effects?"

"It's different for each creature, but the side effects of the potion are almost always minor in scope from what I've observed in the past," the witch replied with a shrug, "I've seen everything from passing out for a time to losing one's voice for a few days... but none have died or been seriously injured."

"That's not exactly reassuring, witch," Grogar replied, his eyes narrowing further. To his slight surprise, Katrina shot the ram a look somewhere between exasperation and annoyance.

"Look, I never said the potion was one hundred percent safe to drink, Grogar," she snapped back, "potion crafting is a dangerous science at the best of times, and most potions will have adverse effects in some shape or form—especially with a potion this complex. There's no world where this potion won't have some kind of downside, but I swear on my life that she will come out of the ordeal much better than before."

For a long, tense moment, no one said anything. Grogar continued to eye the molly with an expression that gave nothing away. Katrina met his stare with cold, hard, confidence and determination. Twilight looked from the necromancer to Katrina, then to the vial of nigh invisible liquid. She bit her lip, but eventually the filly was the one to break the silence. Her face settled into something somewhere between resolute and resigned.

"I'll do it," Twilight said, catching the attention of the two adults. Katrina looked somewhat surprised, but Grogar simply watched the filly, his expression mostly unchanged. Twilight took their reactions in and let out a calming breath before nodding to the vial as she said, "The potion... you're sure it'll help me with that hunger and that I won't die, right?"

Katrina paused a moment, then slowly nodded. "I'd happily stake my life on that fact," she said, no hesitation in her tone whatsoever.

"Alright then," Twilight said, giving her own nod as she magically plucked an indigo-colored strand of hair from her mane and floated it over to the witch, "I... I feel like I can trust you, Katrina," she glanced over to Grogar, "maybe that's not wise... but something tells me you don't want to hurt me, and I want to believe that."

Katrina, completely taken aback by the undead filly's words, gently took hold of the floating strand of hair. Twilight's sinister violet aura vanished as the molly pinched her claws around the hair and pulled it closer, her mouth open and her mind working to give some kind of response. In the end, all she could do was give a helpless smile and chuckle warmly.

"Well, that's a first," she finally said as she uncorked the vial, "most would tell you not to trust a witch, and I'm sure the necromancer there would agree..." 

Katrina carefully dropped the hair into the vial and corked it once more before raising it above her slightly and giving it a quick shake. All three creatures watched as the clear liquid bubbled and frothed before turning a deep, dark shade of purple that radiated a malicious-looking glow. Twilight was keenly aware that the potion was now the same exactly color as her own warped magical aura, and tried to ignore how unsettling the fact was. Katrina, for her part, gave a satisfied smile at the results.

"...I would also agree with the sentiment," the witch continued, bringing the vial closer to her face and peering into its contents as if the potion held the secrets to the universe, "a good chunk of witches are spiteful, mean-spirited harpies that won't hesitate to take advantage of you in every way possible." With a satisfied nod, she held the vial out to Twilight, her smile growing more genuine, "That said, we're not all of us are bitter, cantankerous crones, and I appreciate your faith in me. It won't go unrewarded, you'll see."

Twilight's horn lit up with that dark violet aura, but she hesitated to grab the vial. Instead, she glanced over to Grogar. The necromancer had kept his silence during the exchange, and despite his aloof demeanor, Twilight could sense his wariness. Still, the ram nodded after a moment, giving the filly the okay to take the potion. With that, Twilight took the vial into her aura and brought it to her lips, but paused.

The potion was still frothing and Twilight could even feel some slight heat radiating from the vial. The sight almost reminded her of grape soda, and she found herself suddenly craving the fizzy, fruity drink. She grimaced, but ultimately knew there was no sense in putting it off. Setting any hesitation or distracting thoughts aside, she tipped her head back and downed the frothing, bubbling brew.

At first, nothing happened.

Twilight stood there, her body tense and ready for anything. When a dozen or so seconds passed, she looked at Katrina expectantly. The witch didn't look worried and merely nodded at her as she said, "Give it a moment. Sometimes it takes—"

Twilight gasped in sudden pain, her body shuddering as she felt something settle into her very being. She had no way to describe the sensation other than that it was horribly painful and exceedingly unpleasant, like stepping in fresh dog poop. Twilight didn't know exactly what the sensation was, but she instinctually knew her body was trying to reject whatever the potion was doing to her.

Katrina was saying something, but Twilight didn't hear her. Her mind was entirely focused on what was going on inside her. The mysterious and painful invader—the spirit essence, the filly belatedly realized—shifted suddenly and the pain lessened somewhat. It took a moment for Twilight to understand, but then she felt it. The essence, apparently having found its target, was moving toward it.

Gradually, the pain grew less severe and the sensation grew less uncomfortable. At the same time, the silver bell hanging around Twilight's neck began to glow with increasing intensity, the rune-like markings engraved into the metalwork radiating a brilliant violet glow so bright it was nearly blinding. Twilight opened her mouth and was certain she was screaming, but the sound was completely drowned out by the sound of a raging river roiling between her ears.

Its tumultuous rapids swept up her pain, her fear, the disgusting sensation of the foreign spirit essence, and the last dregs of her consciousness, carrying it all away down into a waterfall of sweet oblivion.