Prologue(Revamp)

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AWAKEN MY MASTER!

"Raven, what do you hear?"

"Your voice, Seris."

"What do you feel?"

"Nothing but self-loathing."

"What do you think?"

"How long have I been asleep?"

ALERT!

Experiment 137 HAS ENTERED REM SLEEP CYCLE

Injecting Dopamine

Scene 528: Velder Playground

Raven wanted to puke as he watched his 'children' run around in the playground. The man wanted to frown, scream, and shout, but he couldn't. Any negative feelings he had were suppressed and replaced with Euphoria. If he even thought about saying something negative, the words that came out of his mouth were replaced with 'Nice weather.' 'How was your day' 'Have a nice day.' It was maddening, and Raven couldn't do anything about it.

But why shouldn't he be happy about his situation? Raven married the love of his life and became a businessman man as he had always wanted to, and Seris gave him two wonderful Children. It was the life the former mercenary had dreamed of, but it was nothing but a nightmare.

The people around him were faceless monsters that spouted out generic lines. Even his children had blank faces! The only other person who had a face beside himself was Seris, but even that, too, was fake. Seris's face was perfect in every way and almost doll-like, but she had the same fake smile and lifeless eyes.

At first, he didn't notice; he enjoyed it. But as time went on, a feeling of Déjà vu started to take effect. Every day he would wake up and know how they would play out. There were one thousand in total, and sometimes they would abruptly end, and he would be cast into darkness. On other days, a memory would start up in the middle of that day, and he would be placed there.

Raven couldn't do anything about this; he was a prisoner of his own body. He could only watch as some unknown force moved him around and made every choice for him.

"Am I in hell?"

"How long has it been?"

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"I deserve this!"

These were the few things Raven could think of while trapped in this endless dream. Right now, he wanted to scream with everything he had, but he couldn't. He was nothing more than a piece of consciousness with no mouth.

"Someone, anyone, help me!"

"Raven, are you alright?" Raven felt the gentle touch of Seris's hand caress his face.

"Impossible; the memory doesn't play out like this."

That's when he felt it; uncertainty, fear, and relief. His other emotions were no longer being suppressed. And to his surprise, he had autonomy over his body once again. With his newfound freedom, Raven placed his hand on Seris's and slowly turned his head.

Seris had long, straight blonde hair and green eyes. She had rosy skin that was slightly pale. Seris wore a white blouse and had an orange necktie, along with a long violet long skirt. Instead of that same fake smile, she had a look of concern on her face.

Raven gulped nervously and said the first thing that came to mind. "S-seris, is that really you?"

Seris's worried face turned to a frown; she looked unamused. She pulled her hand away, brought it higher, and flicked Raven's forehead. This caused the man to rub his forehead, but he was glad because he could feel pain. "Of course it's me, silly." She gave him a cheeky smile.

"But none of this is real; you can't be here" Even while in a haze, he knew this world and the memories he was forced to live through weren't real.

Seris giggled at Raven's statement. "Of course, none of this is real; I mean, look up." The woman looked up to the sky, with Raven repeating the gesture. What he saw startled the man; the blue sky began to shatter and fall apart like cheap glass. "The sky is falling."

ALERT!

A third party is modifying the Dream Sequence.

Activating emergency protocol; Dreamless stasis.

ERROR!

Current power is at 6%

Experiment 137 will not survive another cycle of Dreamless stasis.

Code: Adam has been rendered inert.

Code: Eve has failed.

Experiment 137 must survive at all costs.

The release sequence will soon commence, standby.

A few minutes earlier outside

Moon Charm stood there with her fellow Ponies in front of a mythical creature. The creature was sealed away in a large glass tube, submerged in orange liquid. It had large tubes sticking out of its back and a breathing apparatus around its mouth. Despite its strange appearance, this creature was the key to changing the world. "Finally, we've found the Dark Lord. No longer shall we be shunned by the world!" The young pony pulled out a mysterious cube from her cloak. The Cube was a dark shade of blue, and it was covered in strange markings.

"A-are you s-sure this is safe? W-we can always turn back." One of the Ponies spoke up from behind Moon charm; it sounded like a colt.

The filly didn't even bother turning around. It wasn't the time for doubts; they had to go through with this. " No! We've come too far just to gallop away like cowards! We're about to change this world, for better or worse!" The artifact she held in her hoof was given to her by a mysterious stranger that wore a mask. He told her that she needed the drive and will to do if she wanted to make a change."Now brace yourselves." She said to her teammates calmly.

Moon Charm stepped closer and held the cube high. A tiny blue beam came out of the cube and hit the glass tube containing the creature. After a few seconds, the beast inside started to thrash and convulse. The filly grinned as the glass began cracking, allowing the liquid inside to leak out. "Yes, awaken from your slumber, oh great one!"

Endless Dream

Seris closed her eyes and let out a sad sigh. "There are so many things I want to say to you, Raven, but time is growing short." As she says this, the ground around them starts cracking and breaking. The 'humans' begin melting or fading away. The buildings and houses came crashing down and shattered into millions of pieces.

As the world falls apart around Raven, he couldn't help but ask the obvious question. "How are you here? You..Died...In...My arm." Like a flood of pain, all of his memories came rushing in; his rise and fall as Captain of the Black crows, Owen's betrayal, Seris's death, becoming a plaything for the Nasods, joining Elsword, and being recaptured by the Nasods. Raven held his head in pain. "Oh sweet goddess, what have I done."

"Ssshhh, it's okay" Seris brought Raven into an embrace and slowly rubbed his back. "I know you've made many mistakes along the way, but don't be too hard on yourself." Even after all the horrible acts, the man had committed, she was willing to say such a thing.

"You were always too good for me, Seris, if only you had found another man." Raven was just a commoner while Seris was a noble with high standing, yet she still chose him.

"Oh hush, I will always love you and stand by you." She pulled back and looked Raven in the eyes. "Do you remember our promise?"

Raven nodded; he could never forget such a thing. "Swords don't just exist to hurt others. Some Swords exist to prevent casualties. And that Sword can also exist to protect someone else." Raven held out his pinky finger. "I wish to wield such a sword."

Those words brought Seris to tears. "I knew you remembered those words." She sniffled before bringing out her own pinky finger. The both of them got their fingers together and tugged on them lightly.

"Promise." They both said at the same time.

"The both of you are going to make me sick; wrap it up." Raven looked around frantically, trying to find the source of that voice, then he saw him. A man stood there near the swing set; he had spiky white hair that was styled upwards. He wore a gray mask that hid his face, with two eye sockets. One empty, and the other with one yellow eye. He wore a black robe with red and white highlights, and it covered his whole body. On the collar of that same robe were six locks, along with four chains. "It's been a while, Raven. It would be best if you hurried it up; time is nearly up. Hehehehe!" He spoke in his deep and methodical voice.

"Glave!" Raven nearly snarled as he said the name. During his travels with the El search party, they've come in contact with Glave several times. And each time they've met, he and the rest of the party were sent hurdling through Henir's time and space to fight monsters or other horrible creatures.

Before he could say anything else, Seris grabbed his head and turned it towards her. " Raven, I know you're not on the best of terms with him, but he's the reason I'm here with you right now." Raven held his tongue for Seris. " Much time has passed since you been put into this dream. The world you're about to return to is far different from the one you left. Some need you right now. You don't have to be a hero, just a pillar. A sign to those that things will get better. And Raven." She brought the former Mercenary in for a single kiss. The kiss lasted for a few seconds before Seris pulled back. "No matter what happens, I will always love you. Be good to yourself, Raven."

Raven was left speechless as he went red in the face. "I always had to make the first move," Seris said before giving Raven a pinch on the cheek.

Glave gagged as he watched the display. "Oh, brother. Alright, love birds, time to wrap things up. I got places to be and stuff to fix." He sounded a little impatient with the whole ordeal. "By the way, Raven, if you ever come across any time traveling spells or whatnot. Destroy them. Those equestrians have been making a mess of things or, being exact, a particular purple unicorn. I'll reward you if you do."

The world and Seris began to fade away, causing Raven to panic. "Seris! Please don't go!"

Seris sniffled and brought Raven into one last embrace. "I'm sorry, honey, but this is goodbye. Go out there and make some friends, you big softy, and start a family. Because no one is meant to be alone in the world." These were her final words before she, the world, and glave faded away.

This left Raven alone in the dark. He opened his mouth to scream out Seris's name, but black sludge came out instead of words. This sludge kept pouring out Raven's mouth until there was nothing left. The black substance fell into the void and took the form of a six-eyed crow with multiple wings on its back and two arms on each side. The bottom half of this creature was made from thorn-covered tendrils and vines. The bird-like monstrosity stared down at Raven and grinned.

Raven took a step back in fear. "W-who are you!?" He yelled at the creature.

"This world is ours for the taking." It said before lunging at Raven.

Release Sequence.exe

Nasod augments: Online

Warning Nasod arm is heavily damaged.

Warning vitals are yellow; the subject is still suffering from a substance known as Alterasia.

The plant lifeform attached to the said subject shows all green on vitals.

The left eye is Red on vitals and can not be saved.

The release Sequence has been completed.

Venom Taker has been released.

"It's working, everypony! Our Dark Lord is awakening." Moon Charm cheered out in excitement, while the others behind her weren't too sure about this. "AWAKEN MY MASTER, AND BRING ONTO US A NEW AGE OF CHAOS!"

The creature opened his eyes as he started to scream in his imprisonment. His screams were filled with anger and anguish. The tubes on his back broke away as he thrashed harder and bashed the glass with his metal claw. This caused the cracks to grow larger and more of the liquid to spill out. He kept going until the whole thing gave away, freeing him.

The cyborg started to cough and wheeze as fresh recycled air filled his lungs. He pulled off any wire or tube that was still attached to him. The first thing he felt was the pins and needles wash over his whole body, and it was getting worst. The first thing he smelt was stale air, most likely recycled. The first thing he heard was excited giggling and startled murmurs. For some reason, as he tried looking at these figures, his mind kept telling him to look away. But after a while, he could focus on these figures.

The first thing this man saw left him speechless. He saw Eight equine-looking creatures wearing robes, and one of them was jumping around like a schoolgirl and making "EEEE" sounds! "We did it! We did it!" She stopped as she saw her new master staring right at her. She galloped and stopped a few steps away from him and bowed deeply. "Oh, Dark Lord! WE beseech you!"

The newly freed Human just sat there and blinked once. He could only react in one way. "What the fuck?"

[A promise between Seris and Raven]

Chapter 1 (The Undesirables)

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The Undesirables

Moon charm couldn't believe it; what sat before her was a beast of legend. It had little to no hair, except for the jet black mane on top of his head. Its skin was a light olive color, with numerous scars all over his body; the most notable one on his chest is a horizontal scar from one shoulder to the other. Its face had angular features, with a small scar across its right cheek. The beast's eyes made a shiver run down her spine, they were small by pony standards, but those were the eyes of a predator; One was a bronze yellow, the other silver with a milky look to it. The only thing it wore was black undergarments that covered his lower area. The most eye-catching thing was his left arm or lack of a sort of metal arm in its stead, which looked heavily beaten and eroded. Are those blue vines growing out of it? What a strange creature; he looks strong, though!

Although, it was strange how her new master teats so high on her body.
...
It was a she, right?

No matter, it was time to introduce herself to her new Master or Mistress. She took a few steps forward and bowed before their new dark lord. "Oh, Dark lord, We beseech you!" She waited and waited until she heard his deep rumbling voice. "What the fuck?" She didn't expect that. The little pony stood at full height again and looked at her master's questioning face, and asked. "Is something the matter, master?" She pulled down her hood, revealing a female thestral.

To say that Raven was stunned would have been an understatement. He was looking at and talking to some tiny bat horse thing hybrid. From what he could tell, her coat was a light gray, while her mane was a deep blue. However, it was unkempt and wild. Her eyes were eyes with slit pupils; they held worry and curiosity. On her sides were little leathery wings that fidgeted; seems like she was nervous. He couldn't tell, but his gut told him that this was no adult, from the way she presented herself to how she spoke.

The cyborg nearly cracked a smile when she asked him what was wrong. "Many things, so many things... I" What could he say? Everything he could remember was either sweet lies or the painful truth. He gritted his teeth, closed his eyes shut, and he started to shake. "I.. I.." He said again; it was all too much. What could he do? sob, lash out, curse the world, or drop dead? "No! Keep it together, soldier, stay calm and assess the situation. Keep moving forward!" Raven listened to the little voice in the back of his head, and it was right. He took calming breaths and opened his eyes once again. "It doesn't matter." He felt oddly calm after saying that. All the doubt and frustration that clouded his mind cleared up.

Raven placed one arm on the floor and pushed himself up. He was wobbly, standing at his full height, currently 7'2". This, in turn, caused the other equine to back up in discomfort; even the little thestral backed up. "Strange, did I get taller?" He thought to himself. Raven got a complete look at his surroundings, and he wasn't surprised the least to find himself in a laboratory. The room was no bigger than 1600 square feet. The room was filled with broken machinery, nasod parts, and spilled chemicals. Oddly enough, he saw a computer terminal off to the side. He'll need to take a look at that later, but first.

He brought his attention back to the group. "Not that I'm not grateful, but who are you? All of you." He asked the group with an even tone, and he wasn't taking no as an answer. Also, he was a bit creeped out by this group, especially by that little bat thing.

"Eheheh, right. Um," Moon charm pawed the floor lightly and turned to the rest of the group. "Everypony! Hoods down, we need to introduce ourselves!"
...
"Did she say Everypony? What the fuck!"The tiny voice spoke in the back of Raven's mind.

The group pulled their hoods down as instructed. The best way Raven could describe this group was...Colorful, his one good eye stung from staring at them.

"I'm Moon Charm, and I'm the leader of this group!" Moon charm struck a slight pose with one hoof raised in the air.

"I am Oleander." This came from a posh-speaking unicorn to the far back of the group. She has a long spiral horn coming out of her head, bushy fetlocks, cloven hooves, and a leonine tail. Her coat is a light grey, and her mane is long, black, and has bright pink highlights. "Charmed." She looks Raven over and smirks. "How exciting, this Ape is going to be our new master." Raven only heard sarcasm.

He nodded to himself. "This bitch is on my shit list." The cyborg mentally noted.

Next came the most annoying voice Raven had ever heard in his life. "Hiya! Mister, big, dark, and scary! My name is Cozy Glow!" This came from a pinkish-gray pegasus, with a light artic blue mane and tail. The same mane and tail were styled in big puffy curls. She wore a giant white ribbon on her head." ”That’s a weird arm you got there! Can I have a good look at it?” She says, giving her most prominent and most innocent smile.

"Don't trust this little bitch"There was something wrong with this filly, and he could feel it. Just listening to her set off red flags.

Next came the zebra... With wings? "M-my name is Xuez, i-its nice to me you oh great one." His accent wasn't thick, but it did sound familiar for some reason. The colt's coat was a light brown, with black stripes, with his mane and tail sharing the same colors. He styled his mane in long dreads that reached his withers. "um, I. pleasedonthurtus!" he said quickly while taking a deep bow.

”That boy has been bullied.”The mercenary read him like a book.

This time, it came from two ponies. "I'M DEW!" the voice came from a filly bat pony. "AND I'M NIGHT!" The voice came from a colt bat pony this time. "AND WE'RE THE TWISTER TWINS!!!" They started running around each other in a circular motion. These two are pure white; their manes and coat were pure white. They had scarlet red eyes as well. The only thing that differentiated these two were mane styles. Dew had her mane in a ponytail, while Night had his in a mohawk.

"What's up with the-" He didn't get the finish that thought.

A bright red filly came in, yelling out, "HI, MY NAME IS AMBER STAR! AND I WANNA LEARN MAGIC!! I'M GOING TO MAKE THE BIGGEST EXPLOSIONS! THEY'RE GOING TO GO BANG, BANG, BOOM, BOOM, BANG, POW!" The filly had bright orange frizzy mane with blue highlights. Surprisingly, she didn't have any wings of any kind or a horn coming out of her forehead. The same couldn't be said about her personality. She was jumping around, making more obnoxious sounds with her mouth. "MOONY SAID, YOU'LL TEACH ME MAGIC WHEN WE FOUND YOU!"

”I fear for my life around this child." Raven thought as he glared down at Moon charm; she shrank under the man's gaze, and she gave him a sheepish smile. "I'll explain in a bit." she squeaked out.

Before he could say anything else, Ember held up a light green foal in her hooves. "Also, this is my sister, Jade Star." She said with a measure of calm. Like Ember, she didn't have any horn or wings of any kind. Jade had her purple mane done up in pigtails. The foal didn't say anything; she just blew a raspberry at him.

"That's just a baby."

Moon charm struck another pose. "AND TOGETHER! WE'RE THE OUTCASTS!" Her outburst caused Oleander and Cozy to groan and the twins to snicker and giggle.

Raven just pitched the bridge of his nose, wondering where his life went so wrong. "I've been awake for less than 10 mins, and things are going so wrong." He thought to himself. "So, why are you here?" He said with a hint of regret in his voice.

Moon charm struck yet another pose and pointed a hoof at him. "That's where you come in! Equestria is filled to the brim with fools and stagnation! A country with two incompetent princesses, scatterbrained heroines, a useless army who couldn't even stop half-starved bugs!" For something so tiny, her voice came loud and clear when speaking of those who draw her ire.

"No matter what happens, they never learn. Ponies never change! No matter how close the call is!" She stomped her hoof and walked closer to the cyborg. "You wanna know why?" Raven raised an eyebrow at that. "Because they want to keep their so-called peace! For Harmony!" She spat that last word out. "It's not peace; it's quiet! It's about upholding the status quo!" Moon turned to the rest of her group and pointed a hoof at Oleander.

"A unicorn who wanted to show the world that dark magic could be used for good. Did they hear her out? Nay! They called her monster and hunted her down like an animal" With those words; Oleander had a sullen look come across her face. Moon pointed a hoof at Cozy Glow. " A pegasus born to unicorn nobles! Did they raise and love her despite her differences?
NAY! They sent her away, can't having your only foal make you look bad!" Cozy bit the bottom of her lip at those words, pure hatred apparent as she drew blood.

Moon continued her tirade and pointed a hoof at Xeuz. "A half-breed born from pegasus father and Zebra mother! Did the equestrians who preach love and harmony give him a chance? NAY! They showed him nothing but hatred and ridicule!" Xeuz was sobbing openly as painful memories came flooding back. Moon brought her hoof over and pointed to the twins. "Twins abandoned by their thestral tribe because being born albino is a bad omen. Did the equestrians treat them fairly? NAY! Called vamponies, freaks of nature, a blight on the three tribes!" Night and Dew embraced each other after having those memories brought up.

The young thestral was far from over as she brought her attention to Ember."An Earth pony who wants to study and learn magic." Moon's voice became low and dangerous, and she glared up at the human once again. "They called her insane, a mud pony, delusional, screw loose. Did any of them give her a chance? Nay." Raven didn't even get a chance to get a good look at Ember's face; she had her back towards all of them. It was clear that she was trembling.

At this point, Moon was downcast; her rage all used up, but that didn't stop her from speaking. "I wanted my voice to be heard, spread new ideas, and make ponies think. But nay, I was denied that I was called troublemaker, liar, and delinquent.
" She sniffled as her eyes started to water. " I was content to live my life with my mouth shut with a false smile on my face. Until I was given this." She held up the artifact that freed Raven from his endless dream. "A bipedal creature, much like you ."
"And he told me 'If you want things to change, Bring a creature into this boring world. A beast who put Discord's schemes to shame, outwit the diarchy, and brought more death and destruction than any beast from Tartarus. A human. Use this relic, and it will show you the way.' Then he was gone."The filly wiped the tears with a fetlock and looked at Raven. "You're a Human, the beast of old, the great bringer of change, A dark lord?"

Raven nodded once. "I am a human, but I don't know about the other titles you threw out there. A dark lord? Where did you hear that from?" He asked with a tilt of his head.

This caused the filly to giggle. " I might have made that title up; I had to build your image somehow." There was an awkward silence for several seconds. Moon charm took a calming breath, her hoof on Raven's leg, "I know this is a lot to ask, but will you help us bring change to Equestria? No, this entire world?

Raven's view of these children was low, considering their antics and general Playfulness. But now, he was left wondering if his initial judgment was correct. Regardless, he would say yes, because he owed his life to them, but they needed to hear what he had to say. "I have no reason to say no." Moon charm was about to celebrate until he held a hand out to stop her.
"The path I walk is one filled with blood; if I join you, I will show little to no mercy to our enemies. Now I ask you, do you want my help?"

The room became dead silent, and no one said anything for the longest time. If the Outcasts refused Raven's help, he would help get them out of the facility, and they'd go their separate ways.

Oleander cleared her throat and brought Raven's attention. "We knew what we were getting ourselves into when we joined up Moon charm. Backing out now would be silly." She stood tall and proud after saying that.

Cozy nodded her head in agreement with a smile. "Yeah, can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs. But we'll let you handle the more messy stuff." She stuck her tongue out at the last part.

Xuez rubbed the back of his head with a hoof and nodded. "Life isn't fair, and I know from first hoof experience. But Don't forget kindness can go a long way. Never forget that." He gave the mercenary his best smile.

The twins stomped their hooves together and said in unison, "No way we're backing out now!"

Ember had a mischievous grin on her face and said. "If you think a little blood is going to stop me from achieving my dream, you're dead wrong! Ain't that right, Jade?" She blew a raspberry on her baby sister's stomach, causing the foal to go into a giggle fit.

Moon charm nodded. "We're not backing down no matter what; we're going turn this place upside down."

For the first time in a long time, Raven smiled. These children's resolve was unwavering, and they knew what it takes to change things. Hopefully, they can follow through until they have his respect. "Not bad. I guess we're traveling together now. Which means I need a weapon. " Before anyone could question what he meant, he walked over to the far wall and grabbed a piece of iron pipe attached to the wall. Raven ripped the metal off the wall with little to no effort.

Raven held the four-foot-long pipe in hand and examined it. "This should do for now." He gave it a few test swings and nodded when he had a good feel. "By the way. Don't call me 'Master,' 'Dark lord,' or any of that crap. It's creepy.

Moon charm tilled her head in confusion. "So what do we call you then?" The man walked over to the young thestral and squatted down. Considering how short these foals were, he needed to; Oleander barely reached his torso with that horn, and she was the tallest of the group.

Raven smiled once again. "It's Raven Maxwell. It's nice to meet you." Honestly, he didn't know how things would end, but he might as well enjoy the journey.

Moon put on a cheeky smile and said, "Nice to meet you, Raven!" The foal couldn't be happier! Although she still had one question. She pointed a hoof at Raven's chest. "Why do you have teats?"

Raven's smile disappeared, and he let out a tired sigh. "I fucking hate kids", he thought to himself.

Chapter 2(Upgrades)

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Upgrades

"I swear to the goddess, these kids are going to be the death of me," Raven mumbled to himself as he searched through the terminal for any relevant information. Unfortunately, most of it was gibberish, corrupted, or flashed Error. "For the last time, Moon, these aren't teats, they're nipples, and they're vestigial!"

"THEY'RE BOOBIES!" Amber yelled out, along with her sister speaking in baby babble.

Raven inhaled through his nostrils and let out a shaky breath, trying to keep himself calm. "'They are not 'boobies.', they're pectoral muscles. Now drop the conversation, or I'll give one of you a spanking!" He slightly turned his head away from the monitor and gave them a sideways glance. " and I'll be using my claw for said action." The twins quickly shut their mouths, not wanting to tempt fate, and see if the Cyborg will follow through with his threat.

Unfortunately, this didn't stop Cozy glow from being a nuisance; she flew up and landed on Raven's right shoulder. "So whatcha working on here looks complicated?"

"Yes, what are you working on, and what is this contraption?" Oleander walked and sat on her haunches. "I've never seen anything like it."

Raven let out another sigh; he might as well answer their questions. "I'm looking for information about what happened while I was asleep and what the nasods did to me again." He kept searching and searching but only found more useless files. "Also, to answer the second question, this is a computer. It's a device that can that manipulates information or data. It can store, retrieve, and process data." He gave the group a basic explanation of how and what a computer is. He wasn't going to bother to go into further detail, not now, at least. He heard the "Ooohs" and "aahs" from his charges.

This brought a question to his mind; he looked towards Oleander. "What's the most advanced piece of machinery do you have in this world?"

Oleander opened her mouth but was quickly cut off by Night. "That's easy; it's the train friendship express!" The colt pumped a hoof in the air. "Yup! Before, it was pony-powered. Now it has a steam engine, and it's super cool!" Dew was next to answer with her enthusiasm.

The dark magic user let out a whinny at the interruption, much to Raven's amusement. "That's correct, but why does it matter?" She raised an eyebrow at the Cyborg,

Raven gave the unicorn a condescending look and returned his attention to the computer. "It matters because I'm in a world filled with primitives. It makes my job far easier." He said in a monotone voice, but he was smiling inside.

"P-p-primitives! Big talk from an Ape!" She snarled out, "How dare you call u-" The unicorn was about to give the man a tongue lashing; Cozy hovered over to her and held up her hooves.

"Whoa, stay calm. I'm sure mister Maxwell didn't mean it, right?" she nudged Raven with an elbow. Raven grunts in acknowledgment, but he couldn't care less. "See, now, no fighting. We just started this group; let's not bicker over the little things." Again, she put up one of her biggest smiles, and again, another red flag went for Raven.

"Fine, hmph!" Oleander raised her head and flicked her tail in annoyance.

"CryBaby."Raven thought to himself as he did his best to suppress a smile. "Hm?" He stopped scrolling and found a file titled 'Experiment 137'. "Finally, something useful.

Name: Raven Maxwell
Age: 27
Height: 197 cm (still growing)
Race: Human-Nasod Cyborg
Replaced Organs: Liver, kidneys, Left lung
Affliction: Alterasia
Special notes: All attempts to remove the infected Nasod arm and infected flesh have resulted in failures. Alterasia coming into contact with machinery always results in a parasitic relationship, but it becomes symbiotic when in contact with flesh and machine. Experiment 137 has already shown signs of a growth spurt, even though he's far too old for such a thing. This warrants more studying.

Side notes: Experiment 137 reacts well to sunlight and water; due to Alterasia, 137 can now perform photosynthesis. A cheap form of energy making, but the food is still a requirement.

Raven wanted to smash that computer screen right then and there. He wanted to go berserk and destroy everything in the room. He wanted to scream and curse the very goddess that brought him to this life. But he didn't do any of that; he remained cool and calm."Stay calm,Revenge comes later.", the tiny voice spoke again. Besides the blatant experimentation with his being, the information was rather useful.

The Cyborg stared at his Nasod arm for the longest time... No, a new name is needed, something more appropriate, Valasia Arm. "I am my own master now." He said quietly to himself, but Cozy's right ear twitched, picking up what he heard.

It was apparent that his Valasia Arm was no longer trying to kill him and possibly make him stronger. They were both evolving, but into what? "A question for another day, I suppose."

He closed the file and kept searching for anything useful. The man kept scrolling until he found something rather curious, a file titled "Henir's Gift"... This couldn't be good, but he clicked it regardless.

Dear Raven

If you're reading this, congrats, you're awake, which means that little group of misfits succeeded. Now before you go rushing out and start causing trouble. Henir has a gift for you: crazy, right? Bigman upstairs said you were going to need it. Just head one floor down; it's three doors down; you'll find yourself at the armory; your gift is there. Another thing, Stop by the Server room if you want more information.

Yours truly

Glave.

P.S. BOOM.

Raven grimaced after reading that letter. "What the hell does the God of darkness want and why me?... Also, 'BOOM'?More questions without answers, he felt a migraine coming on. "Fuck it, we need to get moving." He quickly spun around, causing everyone in the room to flinch. "Form up!" He boomed out.

"Oleander to the rear, I want you watching our back; have that horn of yours ready. Xuez, Cozy, I want you watching our flanks; make sure you two stay in the air." The Cyborg brought his attention to the thestrals. "Moon, Dew, I want you two up in the front with me. I require your night vision right now. Night I want you hanging back with Oleander and keep to the air." Finally, He brought his attention to Ember and Jade. " I want you to stay in the middle of the formation; you're the most vulnerable right now with your sister."

The group was stunned into silence after hearing his order. Oleander was the first one to speak up. " How did you?" Raven waved his hand in dismissal. "It doesn't take a genius to see what our group's strengths and weaknesses are. " Raven points a finger at Oleander. "I've never seen a unicorn before, but I can put two and two together and say that you channel magic with your horn. Considering you're the oldest of the bunch and you're a dark magic user, I assumed you weren't a slouch in a fight."

Oleander blushed slightly and whinnied at his comments. "F-flattery won't get you anywhere."

Next, he gestured to the three bat ponies. "I've certainly never seen a thestral before, but with their bat-like features, and slitted pupils, I can assume they have good night vision." He points at his silver eye and says. "Currently, I have one working eye, so I'll need all the help I can get when seeing in the dark. Now form up! we're wasting time."

All of them got into formation, but not before Oleander lit up her horn and summoned a book of some kind from thin air. Raven gave her a look, and she shrugged. "Pocket dimension. I'll tell you later; also, his name is Fred."

"Greetings." A posh-sounding voice came out of the book. He had many questions for these children, but he had to hold his tongue for now.

"Alright, before we go, if we enter combat, all non-combatants, we will huddle up in the middle and stick together. In other words, Oleander and I are fighting." With that, they left the room.

5 mins later

Like the laboratory, the rest of the facility was old and frail. The only thing they could hear was the sounds of their hoof steps, flapping wings, or in Raven's case, his feet. Once in a while, the group listened to the dying hums of a machine shutting down for the last time.

Dew broke the silence after narrowing her eyes. "I see something ahead. it looks like one of those golems." She was correct; up ahead was a Nasod Guard. It was a rather stout thing; its midsection contained large yellow cables to allow more natural movement. The head was relatively small compared to the rest of its body, and it had six eyes attached to it, all pointing in different directions. The Guard held a scutum shield in its left hand and a baton in the other. It was slowly walking towards the group with its protection raised.

"Time to see if I still got it."

"Oleander, let me handle this one." The unicorn raised an eyebrow at this. She had to see what this overgrown monkey could do.

Raven held his claw out. "Grasp!" A giant seed with black vines wrapped around it came rocketing out of the claw. The attack made contact with the shield, and it exploded. Black thorny vines proliferated and insnared the Guard, stopping the Nasod's movement. In that same instance, Raven was already in front of the immobile Nasod. "RAAH!" He Brought down the metal pipe on top of its head and crushed it.

A few incoherent beeps came from the battered machine before falling over and dying. The Valasia continued to ravage its unwilling host until there was nothing, rusty scraps of metal and a misty cloud of grey and black mist. The battle lasted less than 10 seconds.

Raven's joints and muscles ached from such rapid movement in a short amount of time, but he had a smile on his lips. "I still got it. Still, " The smile vanished, and he looked towards the crude weapon. "I can't make proper use of Valasia without an actual weapon. I need a blade."

Raven's attention was brought to the Outcasts as they quickly approached his location. "Stop!" He yelled at them, and this halted their movement. "Don't get any closer. The mist around me is toxic! Just stay there and let me clean this up." Raven held out his claw again and began absorbing the toxic mist back into his arm. Once everything was gone, he signaled the group to approach.

"That was AWESOME!" Moon was the first to express her excitement.

"Yes, that was rather... Impressive, but crude."

"Golly, Mister Maxwell, I didn't know you could teleport!"

"T-that was cool and kind of scary.."

"Do it again!"

"Yeah, do it again!"

"YOUR ARM WAS LIKE THROOM, AND THAT GOLEMS HEAD WENT CRUNCH, AND YOU STOOD THERE ALL COOL AND STUFF."

"Ah praise, from the youth, really nothing like it."

Raven dismissed all of their praise with a wave of a claw. "It was nothing; that thing was already on death's door. Anyways, form up! We need to get moving again" The youth took their positions once again. The Cyborg gave Cozy a side-way glance.
"And no, Cozy, I didn't teleport.

The young pegasus's eyes widen at that revelation. "No, he couldn't be that fast! Not for somepony that big!"

7 mins later

They made it to the lower floor via a staircase. The existing floor was relatively spacious compared to the rest of the facility. Conveyor belts were going everywhere, and rusty power press machines with rusty weapons and tools littered everywhere. The room at one point, was built for manufacturing, but now it's long dead. "Good riddance," Raven said under his breath.

The dark unicorn nearly tripped when her hoof made contact with a random object on the ground. "Stupid little thing."She kicked the offending object away, creating an echo throughout the floor.

"Intruder alert"

Everyone whipped around to find the source of the metallic voice, and what Raven saw brought back terrible memories.

They saw a yellow glowing eye in the dark, which came closer until they could fully see the construct. What stood in there was a Water Nasod Leviathan. It had a humanoid shape and stood around the same height as Raven. Its torso was made up of many white cables connected to each limb. One of its arms was more significant than the other, and it had three cannons attached to the end. Its once shiny blue paint has faded and begun to chip. In the middle of its chest was a giant orange orb.

"Intruders will be eliminated." It sprinted towards the group, knocking or bulldozing anything in the way.

Raven got into a battle stance and barked out orders. "Oleander with me, attack from range. Xuez, grab ember and Jade, and stay in the air. Same for the rest of you!" The foals did as they were told and got out of the way. Oleander's horn flared to life.

"Dispersion!" The Valasia didn't come rocketing out like last time; instead, it formed inches away from Raven's claw. Raven quickly smacked the orb. A series of explosions made of Valasia came crashing into the fast-approaching machine. It further erodes its frame, but it doesn't slow down.

"Fel spark!" Oleander sent three dark fireballs flying towards the blue nasod. Two hit their mark, and one missed, thanks to a short sidestep. More of its frame and armor started to break away due to both attacks, but it wasn't enough.

The Leviathan quickly closed the gap, and Raven was in its striking range. The Nasod brought its fist back for a punch, but Raven took a quick step back and dodged it, but the machine wasn't aiming for him. After his fist made contact with the floor, it pulled it back swiftly. In its place was a giant floating ice shard. Raven's eyes widen.

"SHIT!" Raven did another step back, trying to get away from the shard, but it was too late. It exploded, sending smaller ice bits flying everywhere. The foals took cover, and Oleander formed a dark purple barrier around herself. Meanwhile, Raven got sent flying and came crashing into a wall."Gah!" He let out a pained yell. A couple of the ice bits got themselves lodged in him, mostly his stomach and human arm.

"Get back up!" voice in the back of his mind yelled at him. The man did a quick roll as a fist came crashing into the spot he was just in a second go. He quickly got back to his feet and dodged the punch with a quick duck of his head.

Raven slashed at its arm with a claw, causing Valasia's vines to sprout and wrap themselves around the scratch. It still wasn't enough.

"What's with this thing? Four Fel sparks came into contact with the machine's back, causing it to stumble, giving Raven a chance to act. "Grasp." He performed the same move from earlier; the attack made a direct hit with its head. Like before, black vines came and wrapped themselves around and crushed its head with a sickening crunch. "Gotcha."

It still didn't stop! The nasod started going berserk, throwing random punches everywhere while firing ice blasts with its cannoned arm.

"Are you bucking serious?!" She yelled out in utter frustration before putting up another barrier to protect herself.

”This is getting us nowhere, and Valasia is taking too long to finish this thing off.” He thought to himself as he dodged the random attacks. "Need to finish this thing in one attack." He glanced at Oleander."Or two. But with what? I Can't use any other move properly without a blade. He wanted to break through its defense entirely, "Maybe a spear? No, it'll just get stuck. I want to cause massive damage." He took a quick look around and found something that made him smile. A drill "A drill! Perfect!"

"Oleander! I'm going to attack this thing; once I do, I want you to hit it with your strongest spell, put everything you got into it!"

"Alright!" The unicorn started gathering magic into her horn; meanwhile, Raven was trying to get a good image of performing this new attack.

"Okay, imagine a drill big enough and strong enough to pierce the heavens.” The image quickly formed in his head, a giant black drill of death breaking through any armor. He took steadying breaths as he felt the infected plant matter in his claw relax and contract. He brought himself in range of the raging nasod. He pulled back his claw, as if he was going to punch someone with it. He held the palm of it open.

"INVASION!" Raven threw his claw forward, and a giant drill made of Valasia came rushing out, cutting through the air itself. The attack came in contact with the Nasod's chest and made quick work of it. There was nothing left of the orb in the middle of its chest. What was left was a giant gaping hole with black veins growing out of it. The machine just stood there motionless.

Raven held his mechanical arm in pain; he gritted his teeth, suppressing an urge to yell. "By the goddess that hurts! I guess I put far too much into that attack."

"Get down!" Oleander yelled out as her eyes were glowing pure white. The human quickly acted, as he didn't need to be told twice to perform such an action.

The unicorn dropped her barrier, brought her spellbook in front of her, and opened it."Dark Spark!" A giant beam of pure dark magic came rushing out. Oleander's aim was true, and it came crashing into the Nasod. The attack engulfed the entirety of its body.

When it was all over, the only thing that remained was the charred body of the Nasod.

Oleander's legs gave out from under her as she let out shakey labored breaths. "That...was...rather intense," she commented as her eyes returned to normal. All the foals got from their hiding spots and made their way to Oleander. Thankfully none of them got hurt.

Meanwhile, Raven walked over to the charred remains of the Nasod while still holding his claw. " Tough piece of shit, weren't you." He said with a smile.

He brought his attention to his claw, and to say the least, it was in a worst state than it was before. The Pauldron attached to it hung there loosely. Four of the cables popped out, and it was painful because he could feel them. One of his talons was utterly bent in the wrong direction. All in All, it was falling apart.

"Well, that thing is completely fucked, ho-" His own thoughts cut him off.

"Time for an upgrade."

As if possessed, the Nasod arm on its own forced Raven to get closer to the burnt remains of the machine. "Hey! Stop!" He protested, but he couldn't stop. As soon as it made contact, A slimy version of Valasia covered and consumed the burnt remains. Once it had its fill, the slime retracted and wrapped around Raven's nasod arm.

The next few minutes were painful. The slime constantly moved and shifted everything around while Raven did his best to keep pain-filled yells muffled. He didn't hear the worried voices around him as pain filled his mind.

The pain subsided, and he heard a collective of surprised gasp. He looked at his claw and was shocked. "It's fixed?" He stared in awe. It is more than fixed, and it was something else entirely.

It looked like the entirety of it was covered in a black carapace, with small holes in it. Underneath were dark blue vines running up and down the arm. And beneath that was dark blue skin, actual living skin. A brand new piece of Pauldron didn't cover the entire shoulder, but it was more rigid and lighter. The talons themselves were made with the same carapace. The very tips glowed hot white but were cool to the touch.

"It's alive, I can feel everything... No one said anything.

Until Moon charm spoke up and nudged him with her hoof. "Raven, what happened to your arm?"

Raven raised his brand new claw in the air and said. "It mutated."

footnote:
Raven
Class change: Mutant reaper.

SKILL TREE EXPANDED!

NEW PASSIVE SKILL:
Of two minds - - Due to being put into an endless dream and given false memories, the remnants of a fake life have taken form. Hypnosis or brainwashing of any kind no longer works.

Valasia - - The Nasod power mutated by Alterasia, Valasia will grow on enemies and destroy them. Enemies take 20% more damage when Valasia seeds are attached to them.

Saprophyte - - Recover Viliaty while draining living enemies' lives with Valasia seeds attached. Non-living enemies take 20% more damage, on top of the effects of Valasia.

Path of revenge - - Raven calls upon the souls of his deceased comrades to aid him in battle--20% chance to induce fear in friend or foe; this chance increases 50% when the creature is a pony—100% chance of working when the creature is Fluttershy.

NEW ACTIVE SKILL:
Invasion - - instantly expand Valasia and create a spiral of death made of venomous black vines.

Chapter 3(Explosive Trigger)

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Explosive Trigger

"Mister Raven, please stop moving; you're hurt." Xuez fretted over the human. Currently, the winged zebra was hovering a few feet from Raven.

The man waved off the young zebra's concerns with a wave of the hand. "It's not severe, a couple of puncture wounds and maybe a cracked rib or two. Anyways keep moving; I wanna find the armory." Raven picked up the pace, much to Oleander's annoyance.

Everypony cringed as Raven kept pulling ice shards out of his stomach. As soon as he did, the wounds started to close up on their own. "The Nasod's rebuilt me to be tough, and attacks like that won't keep me down for long. "

"Mister Maxwell, was that magic?" Cozy asked innocently. Raven grimaced at the question. What was the best way to explain this?

"Yes and No." Cozy deadpanned at his answer. Raven let out a tired sigh and continued. "Magic implies that I use a spell matrix. I don't; it's all about emotions. The claw feeds off my anger, sadness, guilt, fears, and shame." The man looked a bit crestfallen after saying that.

Cozy rubbed a hoof under her chin in thought. "Interesting, now if I could get one for myself! Hehe!

"I want one!" Night calls out in excitement.

"NO!" Raven roared at the top of his lungs, stopping the group and making a few back away. Night twister shrunk under the human's sudden rage and whimpered. Raven saw this and let out a calming breath. "I'm sorry for my sudden outburst, but what you're asking for is insanity. I was one of many unwilling participants in these 'experiments.' The Nasod arm did more than just make me more robust; it suppressed my other emotions. The only feelings I knew from that point on were anger, despair, and pain.

The man swallowed the lump that was forming in his throat. "I did so many horrible things in my blind rage... I would have been the Nasod's slaves forever if it weren't for a certain young boy." He brought his attention to Night. "Even with my mind free, I still felt the Nasod's influence over me. In a desperate and spiteful attempt, I infected myself with Alterasia to escape their influence." He gestured to his brand new arm. "I damn near killed myself when I did that. Thankfully when they did recapture me, they couldn't control my mind anymore, so they threw me in stasis."

Everpony's jaw just hung open after Raven finished his explanation. The man shrugged and kept walking. " It doesn't matter at this point; without El, anything Nasod related won't work."

"Whats El?" Cozy called out.

"Exactly!" Raven called back.

"Well, that plan is a bust...Why do I feel bad for some reason" Cozy wondered where this feeling of guilt came from.

2 Minutes Later

Rust, grim, and empty weapon racks were everywhere; this best described the current state of the armory. That didn't mean much to Raven as something caught his eye, a black crate in the far corner of the room. It had a note attached to it saying 'Property of Henir.' The cyborg shook his head at Glave's antics.

Meanwhile, Oleander found a somewhat clean spot and sat on her haunches. "Alright, everypony, it's lunch time." She flared her horn, and three saddle bags appeared into existence. All the foals rushed over to her, wanting their meal. The unicorn nearly toppled over when she felt something nip at her lower area. She blushed furiously and saw Jade down there. "Ugh! Amber, come and get your little sister... And for the last time, I can't produce any milk!" The unicorn whinnied while Amber pulled her baby sister from the flustered unicorn.

Raven ignored the group's antics and made his way over to the black crate. He pulled the lid off and looked inside. "Interesting." Inside were the following contents: mirror, pair of scissors, black eye patch, curved sword, padded armor with leather straps, sock, iron tip shoes, and a rectangle device.

He picked the mirror first and had a look at himself. "Same ugly mug... Although, I need a haircut." With that, the man picked up the scissors with his normal hand and started cutting his hair.

A few minutes later, he finished cutting, and he admired the new hairstyle. "Not bad" It was nice and short now and brushed down. Next, he picked up that rectangular device in the crate. It looked so familiar; he remembered Seris showing him this new device everyone was using. He couldn't remember the name of it.

"It's a smartphone, you moron."

"Ah! yes, a phone would have been useful during my time as captain."He placed a finger on the screen, and it lit up. The following applications showed: Mapping, Data extraction, Camera, communication, alarm clock, and inventory tracking."Useful, very useful"

After putting the phone down, the mercenary brought his attention to the armor. "Ah, armor, or lack of!" Thanks to magic, firearms, and energy weapons, heavy armor has become obsolete. No amount of enchantments will stop a missile from turning someone into a pile of gore. Last he remembered, the only ones who used heavy armor were the red knights and the Royal family from Hamel.

"Thankfully, I can still use super armor."

Raven brought his hand over and touched the armor, and he was shocked. He felt a shiver run down his spine while running along with the fabric. He could feel it as if it was a part of him. "What is this?"

Moon Charm finished up her peanut butter and daisy sandwich. The young thestral let out a satisfied sigh. Things were going better than she expected. They found the legendary creature known as a Human, and his super strong! With him, their dreams will come true! "I wonder what mister Maxwell is doing back there?" As if on cue, she heard footsteps coming from behind her. The bat pony turned her to her side, and what she saw made her eyes wide.

Behind her stood Raven, currently wearing a black top with leather straps near the top of his torso. That same top had a steel pauldron covering his right shoulder, along with black feathers sticking out of his sleeve. He wore a black metal gauntlet on his right hand as well. The very ends of his blacktop hung loosely from the back, and they glowed white-hot like the tips of Raven's claw.

A leather belt was around the men's waist with a steel buckle and steel chains attached to the side. Below the waist, he wore plain black pants, with bits and pieces of armor covering it, like the metal knee guard covering his right leg. In the palm of his right hand, he held a curved sword that was shifting and changing to suit his needs. A blue vine wrapped itself around the top, while a black carapace started to form along with the sword. And finally, he wore a black eye patch covering his non-functioning eye.

"EEE!" The young thestral squealed in excitement and flew up. She flew up, down, and all around the fully dressed man. "You look terrific! You look like the dark lord I've always dreamed of! like you're ready to take on the world!"

Raven could agree to the last part, but he still found the whole 'dark lord' thing creepy. He looked around and gauged everyone's reaction. Moon was excited; Cozy looked slightly impressed, Oleander looked unimpressed, Xuez looked afraid, the twins were making that same 'EEE' sound like Moon was, Amber had stars in her eyes, and she clapped her hooves in excitement. Finally, Jade, she was chewing on the end of her sister's tail, lovely.

Altogether, he dressed, and he impressed, mostly. "Alright, we'll take a 20-minute break. Once we finish, we'll go to the data room, which is currently on this floor. After I collect the necessary information, we can leave this place." He rubbed a hand under his chin, thinking about what he should say next. "We'll see where we go from there. Just finish up eating and drinking, and we'll be on our way. " Everypony nodded in agreement.

24 Minutes later

The group finally made it to the data room, and surprisingly it didn't look run down. The place was filled with dusty server towers and dead nasod scouts. At the end of the room was the terminal, and it looked like it was pristine."Alright, "Raven called out in an even voice. "Don't touch anything or break anything; this should only take a few minutes." With that, the cyborg made his way to the terminal. The only one following him was Oleander, while every other pony went and explored the room.

Unfortunately, after a few minutes of searching, most of the data was corrupted or just gibberish, Raven couldn't read. Thankfully, the phone had a data repair function and a translator, so he plugged it in and downloaded the relevant data into it. He stood there and crossed his arm; he brought his eye over to Oleander. " So... You look different from the rest of the ponies, besides being older, any reason," Raven asked in a bored tone.

Oleander didn't take her eyes off the screen and answered in an equally bored tone. "My father was a saddle Arabian unicorn, while my mother was a regular unicorn from equestria. Also, I'm currently 15 years old. So you know, I'm practically an adult" Raven didn't hear the sarcasm, but he felt it. "So..." The unicorn continued. "What exactly are you looking for?"

Raven just shrugged. "How long I've been asleep, what happened to the human race, where the El shards went, locations of other nasod facilities and bases. All that is just superficial; I'm looking for the nasod archive." Oleander gave him a questioning look, so he continued. "I'm not exactly sure what everyone in our group wants, but I know Ember over there." He pointed a thumb behind. " Wants to learn magic, and I don't know a damn thing about that, besides the basics. I also assume a unicorn trying to teach an earth pony magic would be like teaching a fish to climb a tree?" Oleander nodded once.
"That's why I'm looking for the archive; the nasods loved collecting all types of information and storing it. The place should have something about teaching a foal like her magic.

Meanwhile, Cozy was currently exploring the room with nothing to do. "More dusty towers. Boring!" How would she exact her revenge on her birth 'parents' and the rest of Equestria? She could try manipulating their newest party member, but she didn't like that idea. The human could easily kill her if she made the wrong move around him. "Maybe a temper tantrum might work?..hm?" Her attention was brought over to a red flashing light.

Like a moth to a flame, she got closer and found the source. One of the server towers had a glowing red button on its side; it was magnificent, and the button was the size of her hoof. It was asking to be pressed, and it was made for her! "but what about mister Maxwell saying something about not touching anything?" The pegasus shrugged; she was sure nothing would go wrong.

Cozy had her hoof a few inches away from the button until Amber bumped into her.

"OOH! A Red button, I wanna press it!" The Earth pony said in excitement.

"No way! I saw it first." Cozy pushed the earth pony away with a scowl.

"Well, It's red like me, so I get to press it!" The filly pushed back.

"That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard!"

"You're dumb!"

"Take that back, you mud pony!" the pink pony shrieked in anger.

"Don't call me that cloud pounder!"

They both started fighting and wrestling each other until Amber's flank was pressed against the button.

SELF DESTRUCT SEQUENCE ACTIVATED!

THE FACILITY WILL BE VAPORIZED IN 13 MINUTES

The announcement was heard throughout the whole facility. No one said anything or did anything for the next few seconds. Until Raven slowly turned his head and looked at the two fillies responsible for this. No words could express how furious he was right now. The fillies gulped, seeing Raven's angered gaze fall upon them. They did what any typical filly would do in this situation.

Cozy and Amber pointed a hoof at each other and yelled out, "SHE DID IT!" at the same time.

6 Minutes later

"If we get out of this alive, I'm going to spank the color off of their asses!"Raven thought angrily as he ran through the facility.

All the foals clung to Raven for dear life; the only exceptions were Jade and Oleander. Raven had to carry Jade in his human arm, and she was currently crying from all the loud noises and rapid movement. Meanwhile, Oleander galloped beside the man and did her best to keep up. "Can't you teleport us out of here?!" Raven yelled at the panicking unicorn.

"I can't! I need a line of sight, and we're too far underground for such a thing!" The unicorn yelled back.

This was not good; they had less than 7 minutes to get out of this place. "I have to time this right, or we're all dying here."

"Oleander, get on my back now!" That was the only place that the foals didn't cling onto. The dark magic user didn't want to argue and did as she was told. She leaped into the air and grabbed onto the human's back. "Hold on tight!" Raven kicked up his legs and ran even faster.

His lungs burned, and his muscles were screaming at him to stop, but they were almost there! Raven weaved and jumped past dead or dying nasods and other trash in the way. They had less than two minutes.

"We're not going to make it!" Xeuz yelled in panic. While the others screamed and cried.

"It's now or never! AWAKEN!"

The group felt the heat rise around them as a red aura surrounded Raven's body. "GET THAT TELEPORT SPELL READY!" Raven ran down even faster than before. The foals had shut their eyes because of the rushing air. Oleander flared her horn and got the spell ready.

Raven saw it, little white dots and darkness... Was that the night sky? "Ready or not, world, here I come!"

The Human and the ponies attached to him were outside. Raven saw the night sky, and it was beautiful.

Oleander released the spell, and all of them disappeared in a blink. A few seconds later, the entire facility and the mountain attached to it disappeared in a blinding light.

Canterlot Castle

Glave watched from the castle balcony as the whole of Equestria was subjected to a blinding light. The man let out a low chuckle at the display. "It's been less than an hour, and that group is already causing trouble! Wonderful, I knew I chose well! But back to work". He turned around and entered the room.

The room was filled with mirrors of various shapes and sizes but big enough to fit a pony. Glave stood in front of three distinct ponies wearing black collars with matching red jewels attached to them. "Alright, Dazzlings, we had a deal. I free you; you smash the mirrors. Now get to it." All three of them nodded and destroyed every mirror in the room.

Once everything was said and done, there wasn't a single unbroken mirror in the room. "Good, very good" Glave smiled under his mask. " No outside interference whatsoever." He brought his attention back to sirens turned ponies. "You lot are free to go, don't have too much fun!" He waved them off.

The board has been set, and the pieces are falling into place.

Sunset Shimmer was never seen again.

Footnote:
Raven
Passive:
Super Armor - - Raven utilities his inner mana reserves and creates a protective barrier just an inch above the skin and clothing. Protects him from environmental hazards and most weak to moderate attacks.
New Special Ability:

Awakening(Lv1) - - Raven has reawakened the fire in his heart! This ability lasts for 60 seconds. He receives a 20% boost to attacks and a 35% boost in movement speed. It can only be activated once a day. 60% drop in attack power and 40% drop in movement speed once the effects of the skill deactivate.

[Mutant Reaper fully geared!]

Chapter 4(The Broken Wheel of Fate)

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The Broken Wheel of Fate

Princess Celestia flew over Ponyville with a gentle smile on her face. "I knew you could do it." She spoke quietly to herself; she couldn't be any prouder. Her faithful student has done something no pony has done before, and not even her mentor, Star Swirl, could do. Twilight Sparkle understood the magic of friendship. The sun princess watched her student's cutie mark take form in the air, a pink-sided star with six smaller stars around it.

Then it happened, a blinding light making anyone in the vicinity go blind for a few seconds. Next, an ear-shattering explosion was heard. After being blinded and hit by a shockwave, Princess Celestia nearly fell out of the sky. "AAAAAAAGGGH!" The screams of Twilight could be heard throughout Ponyville; the alicorn couldn't see to follow the sounds of her faithful student's screaming.

When her vision did finally return, what she saw sent shivers down her spine. Twilight's incorporeal form was hit by something mid descent. The cutie mark became a dark purple, while the little white stars became black, but the worst part was the black eyeball appearing in the middle of the cutie mark. "This wasn't part of the plan. What happened!" she asked herself in near hysteria.

The screaming finally stopped, but that didn't ease the princess's worries. She landed near the golden oak library, and she gagged at what she saw. Twilight Sparkle had holes all over her hind legs, just like a changeling. Black thestral wings, along with fangs poking out of her mouth. Her horn became jagged, something similar to the queen of changelings. Her once beautiful tail was now long and scaly. Her fur was now covered in black stripes, just like a zebra. One eye looked like it belonged to a dragon, and the other looked like it belonged to a changeling drone.

No one said anything, not the princess, Twilight's friends, or the other ponies who came by to view the event. Twilight just stood there in a daze, unable to comprehend what just happened. Pinkie was the first to scream! "YYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Other ponies did the same, while others started running in panic.

The panicking ponies broke Twilight out of her stupor, and she instantly felt something wrong with her body. She turned to head to the side to get a better look at her new body, and she was stunned. She couldn't believe it. Her new jagged horn lit up, and she conjured a mirror out of her magic. The new 'Alicorn' took in her unique appearance and did what any other proper pony would do in this situation; she screamed at the top of her fucking lungs! "YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"

Meanwhile, Princess Celestia just stood there like a statue with thousands of questions running through her mind. "What went wrong?!" "This isn't correct!" "Is it my fault?!" "Is this part of Harmony's plan?!" "Can Lulu and I fix this?!" "Did Discord do this?!" These were one of many questions going through her mind. But now she had to comfort her new fellow princess...

"Can I really announce her as a new princess of friendship while she's like this?"

A few minutes earlier in Ponyville

Vinyl Scratch angrily mumbled as she trotted towards her room window. There was a flash of light and loud noise that came from outside. Thankfully the DJ was inside while this all happened, but this interrupted her music-making and mixing. "I wonder what kind of disaster-hit ponyville this time. "Maybe a pack of angry hedgehogs or something?" The unicorn said to herself while opening her window.

Her Jaw dropped after seeing what was going on. A dark wave of energy traveled across the sky; it looked similar to the after-effects of a sonic rainboom. Except this one was a dark purple, and it was still going strong as it traveled across the sky.

The wave of energy passed over Ponyvillie, and she felt a tingling sensation throughout her body. A feeling of hunger washed over her, a desire she had to suppress for so many moons. Out of instinct, the Dj's fangs popped out of her mouth.
"No. Bucking. Way!" DJ slammed her window shut and had to make a conscious effort to retract her fangs; she couldn't afford to be discovered now, not yet.

Vinyle lit her horn and levitated a suitcase over to her bed." He's here, the one who'll bring the great change." The unicorn started packing all the essentials she'd need for this journey. Once she had everything packed, she practically flew out of her room, down the stairs, past her very confused roommate. "Hey Tavi!, bye Tavi! I'll be back in a month or so! Myhalfoftherentisunderthebed!" With that, the unicorn was out the door, leaving Octavia bewildered.

As the unicorn galloped down the streets past panicking ponies, she couldn't help to think to herself. "No longer will I have to hide my true nature from the world! I need to find him!" The vampony couldn't be happier; a chance for a better and brighter future was here.

Other ponies like her would make such a journey as well.

Meanwhile over Ponyville

The spirit of chaos and disharmony, Discord was shocked by this recent turn of events. This was wrong, very wrong. He pulled a script out of nowhere and started reading it. "What the buck is going on? Twilight was supposed to become an alicorn, not a horrorcorn!" The Draconequus threw away the script in a fit of anger; something or somepony was stepping on his territory and causing chaos. He wasn't going to have any of it! "Nopony messes with my plaything! Whoever you are, you're going to pay!" Discord snapped a talon and popped out of existence.

This would be the last time anyone would see Discord for a long time.

Ponehenge

Ponehenge, an ancient rock formation keeping the pillars of equestrian and the Pony of shadows imprisoned, would stay like this for the next few years. But fate has been altered.

Then it happened, the flash of light, explosion, and wave of dark energy cutting through the sky. The old pillars shook and cracked as time passed until the posts broke down into a pile of dust.

In a flash, six ponies appeared from thin air above the piles of ash, and one of each had a sizable rock above them. All of them came crashing down, with three of the six ponies getting hit by their rocks. Those hit by the stones screamed or yelped in pain.

The one male unicorn lifted his head and looked around with blurry vision. "What, what has happened?" he said with a weak voice.

Meanwhile, in the middle of what used to be Ponhenge, a dark cloud appeared before, liquifying and taking the form of a pony made of pure darkness with a horn and wings. It started laughing, "Hahaahahah, your pitiful attempt to imprison me has failed, Starswirl! No-"The Pony of shadows stopped its monologuing after taking in its surroundings. Everything was so big, wait…. He was tiny!!
"
What the buck!" The Pony of shadows yelled out, but no one heard it because the voice was tiny as the Pony came from. "Starswirl, what have you done to me!?"

The old unicorn didn't pay attention to it; none of the Pillars did. Half of them were injured, while the other half were dazed. "I'll have my revenge and cover this world in darkness!" It tried teleporting away but didn't have the strength for it.

"Buck it!" The Pony of Shadows just flew away, similar to a gnat. No pony noticed it leaving.

Our Town

Starlight Glimmer admired her current collection of cutie marks. "Soon, everypony in Equestria will be equal, and nopony will lose a friend over what destiny tells them to be." She placed a hoof on the glass and rubbed it slowly. "Oh, Sunburst, how I miss you."

Then it happened, she didn't see the flash of light, but she heard the explosion. Her head wipped around towards the cave entrance. "What the buck was that?!" She galloped to the cave entrance, only to be sent flying back after being hit with a wave of energy. The dark energy wave passed harmlessly through her, but it was strong enough to push her around.

The unicorn got back up on shaky hooves and looked around the cave until her eyes fell on her collection, and her eyes went wide. The case that held the cutie marks started to shake violently while the glass covering it began to crack. The strangest part was the eye that appeared in the middle of each one. "NONONONO!" Starlight ran over to prevent whatever was going to happen, but it was too late, as the glass broke and the cutie marks started flying out of the case and out of the cave.

"NO! BUCKING BUCK!" All her hard work was wasted! "Wait, stay calm! I can convince them that this was a test. Yes, that'll work. No-" Her thoughts were cut off when she heard screaming from outside of the cave. The unicorn slowly approached the cave entrance and watched as the small village she built up burned down to the ground.

"Oh, sweet Celestia."

???

Somewhere on a snowy mountain stood a lone Ram. His coat was a dark cornflower blue, while his curved horns were dark azure. He had no mane whatsoever, but he had a silver-colored goatee on his chin: his eyebrows and sideburns were the same color. His razor-sharp teeth protruded from his muzzle, and he had a heavy underbite, unlike a regular ram. The creature's eyes were pure red and glowed, not a pupil insight. The only thing the old sheep wore was a red sash around his upper body and neck. The strap had golden adornments all around it, but something was off, the middle had a hook but nothing to place on it.

A wicked grin spread across the Ram's features. "Finally free from the realm of darkness!" The voice was deep and methodical, with a hint of cruelty behind it. "Oh, what to do? So many options, maybe find my worthless creation discord, build an army, or start planning my revenge on those accursed ponies?" He unconsciously touched the area where his bell would be. "Ah, I think I'll retrieve my bell." The old Ram let out a low chuckle.

"I wonder how much Equestria has changed in my absence?"

Upper Canterlot

The Dazzlings walked down the streets of Canterlot. Leaving the castle grounds was relatively easy; the guards were rather reasonable after hearing their tune. Sonata was the first to speak and express her excitement. "It feels so good to have hooves again! I miss my lower half, though," she said, a little saddened at the last part.

For once, Aria could agree with Sonata. "Well, we can turn back to our true forms later, don't want anypony finding us out now."

"So, what do we do now?" Sonata asked with a tilt of her head.

"Yes, what do we do now?" Aria brought her attention to Adagio, the leader of their group.

"It's simple," The disguised siren said. "We lay low for now and watch things unfold for now. Like that Glave fellow said, things are about to get interesting. "Adagio could almost taste the strife and chaos that will be upon this world soon. Making that deal with that strange man was the best decision the sirens have ever made. They were given a chance to escape that accursed human world, or 'A mockery of real humans' in Glave's case. Next, the sirens were given the ability to change their form at-will, from Pony to siren and back again. The only thing the three had to do was break mirrors, and they were free to go.

"Also, let us find that creature Glave told us about." Adagio tapped a hoof under her chin, thinking. "I believed his name was Raven? Let's see what a 'real' human is like."

"Can we get tacos along the way?!" Sonata asked with drool dripping down her chin.

The other two just groaned.

Somewhere between Foal Mountains and Ponehenge

The Outcasts have blinked back into existence after everything went off. The foals loosened their grips on the human and lept off of him.

Meanwhile, Oleander just slid off of the human's back in exhaustion. The unicorn started rubbing her horn between her hooves. The top half of her horn was chard and smoking. "Oooowwww! my bloody horn hurts!" she spat out and glared at the two culprits.

Raven stood there breathing heavily as he tried to catch his breath. His whole body was screaming at him for pushing himself like that. The man just wanted to collapse and just lay there, but he couldn't; he was holding a crying foal in his arm.
The man slowly worked his arm back and forth to calm the crying filly. "Ssshh, it's going to be..ok.ay" His voice was nothing but a whisper and shallow.

The human turned his head and glared at Amber and Cozy. "Anything...you li..ke to say?"

Amber was first to speak up and say. "we uh, I mean, I uh-" she stopped her ramblings as a small flash of light appeared under her cloak, and she felt a tingling sensation. She lifted her coat, and she couldn't believe it. Upon her flank was a heart-shaped explosion.

"I GOT MY CUTIE MARK!" The filly yelled at the top of her lungs. The filly started dancing around and saying, 'I got my cutie mark' over and over.

"What the fuck is a cutie a mark?" Raven thought.

Footnote:
Amber
CUTIE MARK OBTAINED

Explosive Love - - It doesn't matter what kind of explosion it is, be it from a cannon, C-4, space-time magic, over even from a water balloon; in Amber's hooves, her explosions are 50% bigger!

[Amber's New Cutie Mark]

[The eye that appeared on Twilight's cutie mark and ponies in our town]

Chapter 5(Explanations And Meeting New Ponies)

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Explanations And Meeting New Ponies

"I GOT MY CUTIE MARK!"The earth filly kept saying, over and over, and over. Oleander groaned, Cozy just rolled her eyes, Xuez looked indifferent, The twins looked bored , and Raven was still trying to catch his breath and calm down the crying filly. "MY SPECIAL TALENT IS MAKING THINGS GO BOOM!" Raven's one good eye twitched, and he glared down at Amber.

"Amber Star!" Raven said through clenched teeth, catching the earth pony's attention. Amber nearly forgot that she was in trouble for almost getting them killed in that explosion. "We nearly got vaporized, and you're dancing and cheering because you got a mark on your flank. Do you see the problem?" The man replied with suppressed anger.

Amber's ears flattened while rubbing a hoof over her foreleg. "I'm sorry, mister Maxwell." The filly had teary eyes after saying that.

The man let out a tired sigh as the anger slowly drained. "We'll discuss punishment later." He gave cozy a single glance. "You too, Cozy." The pegasus scowled and crossed her forelegs while mumbling along the lines of 'I saw that button first.' and 'not my fault it was so red and shiny.'

"Oh, buck!" Oleander pointed a hoof towards the direction of what used to be mountains. The four mountains that used to make up Foal mountains have been vaporized. All that was left was the base of the mountains and the surrounding vegetation. "Foal mountains is gone!" Everypony gasped at the sight while the human looked up with a raised eyebrow.

Raven put two and two together in his mind and came up with a single answer. "This is not good" The group just destroyed four mountains; anyone with a brain would send a scouting team to come and investigate. They needed to leave this area now. The cyborg entered his mercenary captain mindset and turned towards the unicorn. "Oleander, do you have a map? If you do, I need to see it right now."

The unicorn whipped her head back around and faced the human. Her horn flared, causing her to wince, but she produced the map as he asked for. "Take it." She levitated the map over to him. Raven placed the no longer crying filly near Amber, taking the map. "While I look this over, I'm going to ask you a series of questions, and you're going to answer them to the best of your abilities." His voice left no room for disagreements or backtalk, and he had no time for their antics.

"First question. How old are the foals?" Raven asked as he examined the map filled with horse puns.

"Cozy glow is 11 years old. Moon Charm is 13 years old. Xuez is 11 years old. Night twister and Dew Twister are 14 years old. Amber Star is 10 years old, and Jade star is 2 years old. "The mare replied and waited for the next question.

It wasn't as bad as Raven thought. Three were already teenagers, while the others were near the age, except for Jade. Now he needs to ask the unicorn about supplies. "How is our food and water situation?"

"We still have five days' worth of food left, not including you, though, but we'll need to refill our water canteens soon." While she answered the question, Raven took a photo of the map with his phone. This caused some of the members of their little group to give him questioning looks.

Regardless, he continued with his questions. "What type of currency is in use in Equestria, and how much of it do we have?"
He didn't have the exact number, but he was asleep for a long time, and he doubts these ponies are still using ED.

The unicorn points a hoof at Cozy, and pegasus puffs out her chest in pride. Cozy pulls out a brown pouch from under her cloak. "Equestrians currently use bits as money." Cozy pulled out a gold coin from the purse and tossed it to the mercenary. Raven catches it with his hand and examines the currency closely. It was just a simple gold coin with no markings or engravings. He tosses the cashback at Cozy with a snort. Cozy catches it and places it back in the bag. "We currently have 257 bits left, but I'm sure I'll be able to 'find' more along the way, hehe hehe." The little filly giggled.

"Need to keep my stuff away from her."The man thought before giving Cozy a nod and bringing his attention back to the map. Raven gathered that the Nasod archives are somewhere outside Equestria, but leaving Equestria will be a problem. He moved on to the next question. " How will ponies of Equestria react to seeing me?" He already knew the answer but wanted to hear it from them.

Suddenly everypony found the ground very interesting, and some of them started pawing the dirt with a hoof. Xeuz was the first to speak up and look up at the human. "Well." Raven looked up from his map and gave the winged Zebra his full attention. "Ponies would run away from you and start screaming 'monster.' Then the Royal guards would be called and be ordered to arrest you. You would be thrown into the dungeons until you've been processed, and you get your hearing." Xuez sounded miserable as he spoke.

The Zebra pointed a hoof at the human. "In your case, you'll be stuck in dungeons until one of the princesses come to talk to you and deems you non-dangerous. You'll be on probation and have your weapons taken away. You would also have taken classes on 'what it means to be a pony.'" The Zebra spoke that last part with such vitriol; it would leave even the cyborg ill. And He continued. "And the sun princess will say 'They will accept you in time.', lies! They'll wave and smile and speak ill of you behind your back and still think of you as a monster!"

Xuez's angry scowl was soon replaced with sadness again. "This has happened to me and many others in Equestria. And this will happen to you if you submit yourself to the Equestrians." The winged Zebra sat on his haunches and kept his eyes on the ground. "Love and friendship are only for those who fall in line."

It wasn't Raven's style, but he walked over, got on his knee, and gave Xuez a one-arm hug. Xuez flinched back but realized the man was doing and hugged him back. "It'll be alright." They both heard a chorus of "aw's" from most ponies around them. Raven was the first one to pull back with a slight blush. "This is why I don't hug people." He mumbled. Xuez, on the other hoof, had tears of joy running down his face, along with a smile.

Raven turned around and cleared his throat; he wanted to change the subject as quickly as possible. "Are..." Raven clenched his fist in frustration; he didn't want to ask the question and didn't want the answer because he already knew the answer deep in his heart. "Are, are there any humans left...Or am I the only one?" His voice was monotone and held no emotions.

Then he heard it, that one word he never wanted to hear, and it came from Moon Charm. "No." He looked calm and collected on the outside, but it all came crashing down on the inside. "Most Ponies don't know what a human is, while others believe that humans are just a foal's tale. You're the first human this world might ever see."

Every emotion was washed away in a sea of apathy. Raven had nothing; no one, not even his kind, was around. "What's the point?"He asked himself, feeling crestfallen.

"Fool, you still have your life! That means you have a chance!"

"a chance at what?"

"To bring back humanity! The Archives must have something!

"I still have a chance. Plus, I haven't fully examined the data I received from the server room." He nodded to himself. He still had a chance to fix things. "Plus" Raven looked back and saw that the Outcasts were giving him worried looks. "I still have them, they saved my life, and I was about to give in to despair. Have I fallen that far?" The human finally had a goal now, and that was to bring back humanity, no matter what! "I'll do it for my fallen comrades, and I'll do it for you, Seris!" No matter who or what got in his way, he’ll push them out the way and bring back humanity!

Raven turned back around and fully faced the group, with a determined look and smile on his face. "It doesn't matter. I still have a debt to repay to you guys, and this I swear." He placed a clenched fist over his heart and gave them a nod. This caused the foals to cheer out and Oleander to give an approving nod and smile. Before anyone could say anything else, a high-pitched beeping sound could be heard. The source of the noise came from Raven's new device.

The human wasted no time and took out the phone and found that the map had been thoroughly examined and matched the possible location of the archive. The app pointed towards near an area called Prance, stratusburg, and Wuy-Dovey Smoochy land. If Raven ever found the ponies who came up with these stupid names, he was going to strangle them.

Asides from the wanted violence, Raven, had a clear idea of how they would get there, but it wasn't going to be easy. He looked from his phone and gave them a straight face. "We're leaving Equestria." Once again, they started cheering. These youngsters did not like Equestria. Raven held his claw out to calm them down, which they did. "Don't go cheering yet; we have minimal options. Seeing as I'm considered a mythical beast, and you're all minors, no one is going to let us past."

He let the information sink in and continued after a short pause. "So we're going to Baltimare, and we're stealing a boat from horseshoe bay." Everypony went wide-eyed at that plan, Xuez raised a hoof in the air. Raven pointed his finger at him to speak.

"Isn't stealing bad?" Cozy rolled her eyes at that one and gave the Zebra a 'Are you serious' face.

Raven ignored the silliness and replied, "Yes, stealing is wrong, but we have few options. I'm certainly not going to beg the two princesses for anything. Plus, it's either this or going with Plan B." The man rubbed his hand under his chin in thought. "It involves a lot of killing and property damage, neither I have a problem with." The Zebra shuddered at the very thought.

A thought did pop up in Raven's head, and he pointed his index finger at Oleander, who perked up. "When I first met you guys, those cloaks of yours, something felt off about them. It was as if my mind was telling me to look away." The unicorn nodded with a smile on her face.

"Very observant, mister Maxwell. I enchanted these cloaks with a 'Notice-me-not' spell. It tells the mind to forget what it just saw or put it as background noise. Observe" Oleander put her hood up, and the spell took effect. The human was having a hard time keeping the unicorn on his mind. The results weren't as bad, considering he knew what it was doing and knew what he was looking for. After a minute, Oleander pulled the hood down.

"Can you make me one, or at least use that spell on my armor?" Raven replied, raising a good point.

"Unfortunately, no, the whole point of the spell is to pass off already mundane things to be more ordinary. Casting a spell-like that on a manticore wouldn't do anything." Then she pointed a hoof at Raven. "In your case, you're a 14 hoof tall mythical creature, and you would be noticed instantly."

Raven clicked his tongue in annoyance and waved her off. "I'll find my own way to sneak in without being noticed. Now let's get going. I still have questions, but we can't afford to stay here any longer. Same formation!" The human took the lead, with Oleander in the back. The group made their way east. "Now tell me all about Equestria."

Oleander cleared her throat to start the tale. "Once upon a time in the magical land of Equestria."

"If only I had my magic right now" Starswirl thought as he was galloping for his life, along with the uninjured pillars of Equestria members. Which was currently Starswirl himself, Rockhoof, and Somnambula; Rockhoof was carrying the other three members. Flash Magnus had a dislocated wing and two broken hind legs. Mage Meadowbrook had a nasty gash on her side, along with a broken foreleg. Mistmane currently had a head injury and wasn't even conscious at this point.

Currently, they were galloping in the forest and were trying to get away from a Chimera. Half of the torso and front legs were a tiger, and the other half was a goat and its back legs. Finally, the tail was a snake, and it spoke with a wicked grin on its face. "Nowhere to run, little poniessss" The snakehead taunted the group of heroes. The tiger head spoke up next, with an evil smile on its face. "Just make it easy on yourself and stop running." The goat head was last to speak. "We promise, it'll be quick."

"My legs are getting tired!" Somnambula called out in a shrill voice.

"Strength is failing me; we have to do something!" Rockhoof called out, looking ready to collapse any minute.

Starswirl bit his lower lip in thought, and he came up with one conclusion "I'll sacrifice myself". He had no doubts in his mind, he sacrificed himself for Equestria once, and he would do it again for his friends. "I'll distract it wh-" He didn't finish his sentence when a booming voice interrupted him.

"GRASP!" The next thing everyone knew, there was screaming and the sound of flesh and bone being sliced. The Pillars skidded to a halt and turned around to see what happened. Then they saw it; the chimera's snake tail was severed and in the claw of some kind of hairless ape wearing armor. In its other hand was a jagged sword big as a pony; it threw the snakehead to the side in disappointment.

"You'll pay for that!" The remaining heads screamed out to their attacker. The ape just simply taunted it with a single talon and gestured for it to 'to come here.'. The chimera charged forward in a rage, wanting to end the creature that dared attack it.

The beast didn't make it half away before the stranger threw out another attack. "Sprout!" The stranger swung his sword once, causing a wave of black and white mist to come out and go through the chimera's body. Not a second passed before black vines started sprouting all over its body and proliferating. The monster howled in agony as it tripped and fell over. Already the vines were taking over the tiger's body, killing it in the process. That just left the goat alive.

The stranger walked over to its dying prey and stared it down. The goat was the first to speak. "You bastard I-" That was the last thing it said before the stranger sliced its head off with his sword. The creature started cutting off other parts that weren't affected by the vines yet.

The Pillars of Equestria were horrified after what they had just witnessed. A creature of unknown origins came out of nowhere, slaughtered a chimera with ease, and didn't break a sweat. The creature finished mutilating the corpse and made its way over to the group of ponies. "Buck,buck,buck,buck"! Flash whispered out in a panic. All of them were frozen in place by fear.

The creature was a few steps away from them, and it stopped and looked them all over with its one piercing eye. It was as if death was given form and stood right in front of them. "You ponies, alright?" It spoke in its deep rumbling voice. The creature frowned at what he saw. "I think one of your friends uh, wet herself." It pointed out with a bloody claw.

And indeed, he was correct; Somnambula did urinate. "I-I-I" She stammered out before being cut off by another voice.

"There you are, Raven! Don't go off running like that without saying a word!" A black unicorn with a horn similar to Mistmane galloped behind the tall creature. Seven foals followed her soon after, and one of them rode on the back of a red filly. The creature frowned and turned around and faced the unicorn.

"That's right! I'm not done with you!" The one called Raven said in a dangerous tone. "That was the dumbest fucking history lesson I've ever heard! Especially with the Sun and the Moon part, magic can't do that!"

"Those are the facts, you dumb ape! Honestly, the planet orbiting around the Sun is hogwash! Where did you even learn that from!" The unicorn argued back. The two of them kept going back and forth about how dumb each other were. Meanwhile, the foals looked at the arguing adult and teen with a bored expression.

Starswirl was horribly confused by all this first; they were freed from limbo. The mountains nearby were gone; next, a monster was chasing them, then saved by another monster, and now that same monster is arguing with a unicorn not even half his size. "What in Tartarus is going on around here?"

Chapter 6(History Lesson)

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History Lesson

Starswirl has found himself in many strange situations throughout his long life. He had been to alternate worlds via mirrors; he invented a time-traveling spell, tested it on himself, and even befriended a gargoyle. But his current situation takes the cake; He and the rest of the pillars were having their wounds tended to by a half zebra and half pegasus colt. If that wasn't strange enough, they were all sitting around a bonfire with a bunch of foals, a teenager, and a mysterious creature.

The unicorn looked to his friends to gauge their current mood. Rockhoof just stared at the fire and occasionally shifted around. Somnambula looked ashamed and refused to make eye contact with anyone at the moment; the old unicorn didn't think any less of her; it was perfectly natural, considering the circumstances. Flash Magnus had both of his hindlegs in splints while the dislocated wing was set back into place; the pegasus currently looked uncomfortable. Mistmane thankfully regained consciousness and had bandages wrapped around the top of her head. Presently she was staring at the creature's claw in thought. And finally, Mage Meadowbrook laid on her side while the young Zony worked on her wounds.

"I'm grateful that my companions and I are alive right now, but it could have been more-" The sound of chewing cut off his thoughts. Everypony brought their attention to the source of the noise and saw that Raven was eating cooked snake tail. He also had chunks of tiger meat and a goat head roasting over the fire. All the ponies either became a little green or gagged at the sight of this. The smell wasn't any better; it smelled like death to them.

"Delicious!" Raven thought to himself as he took another bite out of his snake on a stick. The meat was nice and juicy and melted in his mouth, and it tasted like chicken! The man noticed that it suddenly got quiet around him. "Something wrong?" He asked with a not-so-innocent smile, showing off his teeth.

Oleander gagged again and spoke up. "You’re eating meat! Aren't you an omnivore? Why eat this in front of us?!" The unicorn nearly screamed up.

The human kept that same stupid grin on his face and kept eating. "My first meal in a long time, and you want me to munch on grass? No, thank you. Also, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to eat something made from three different species." The man finished his snake and moved on to the tiger meat.

He took another bite from the tiger meat, and he was reminded of bear meat; it was tough, stringy, and grimy. It wasn't the worse, but it certainly wasn't something he wanted more of. "Anyways, if any pony or one of your princesses got a problem with it, they can kiss my ass." This caused some of the foals to giggle at his comment, but the group of adults frowned at this. Raven noticed this and gave them his attention." By the way, I still haven't heard a 'thank you’ for saving your hides back there." The adults cringed back, remembering how Raven handled the chimera.

"We're thankful for what you did, but-" the armored pegasus cut off Starswirl.

"You bucking mutilated that chimera; what we saw was not okay!" He threw his hooves up in the air with wide eyes

Raven shrugged "does it matter how I kill it?"

"You're eating it!" Flash shot back

"Rules of nature, I won and killed it, and I'm enjoying the fruits of my labor." Raven finished his tiger meat and moved onto goat meat and goat head. He took a bite of the goat meat and was pleasantly surprised; it was gamey, soft, sweet, and tender all simultaneously. "If only I had some seasoning with me."

The female pegasus with the thick accent spoke up next, but she never made eye contact. "Again, we thank you for what you did, but your methods were..." She rolled a hoof in the air looking for the right word. "unnecessarily brutal, especially how you made it suffer." Somnambula felt a shiver run down her spine.

She had him there with that; Raven could have easily used invasion and killed it instantly, but using such a skill would have ruined the meat. The human shrugged. "You're overthinking this, you're alive, and that's all that matters... By the way, who are you guys, and what were you doing in the forest at night? Especially you old-timers." The man pointed his index finger at the bearded unicorn and the older-looking unicorn mare.

Raven's words angered the old unicorn, causing him to whinny. "Listen here! We are the Pillars of Equestria an-" He stopped when he heard laughter. It certainly didn't come from the creature before him. He brought his attention to the unicorn called Oleander, and he couldn't believe it; the teenager was laughing at him. "Is something funny, young lady?" He lets out a snort in annoyance.

Oleander wiped the tears from her eyes with a fetlock and calmed herself enough so she could speak. "O-oh my, I'm sorry, it's just that, you're all historical reenactors." Her amused smile disappeared, and her expression became serious. "The real Pillars of Equestria would have taken care of a simple beast like that, no problem. Also, where are your artifacts?"

None of them could answer her question; in truth, none of them knew where their artifacts had gone. It was clear that none of them had the strength to prove they were who they said they were. When the young unicorn didn't get any response, she continued. "Regardless, the Pillars gave their lives to save Equestria over a thousand years ago, and since then, Equestria has been in peace for a thousand years.

The pillars were both horrified and relieved at the same time. They were horrified to find out they've been in limbo for so long, and the pony of shadows might be on the loose, but they were relieved that their sacrifice kept the peace for so long. One of them was about to voice their concerns, but Oleander continued. "But that's not true. Discord rose to power and threw Equestria into chaos, and the sisters defeated him with the elements of harmony. Then King Sombra took over the crystal empire, the sisters beat him and banished him along with the crystal empire. Next, Princess Luna threw a temper tantrum because ponies slept at night. Those ponies were so ungrateful!" Her last sentence dripped with sarcasm. "So she became nightmare moon and tried to plunge the world into eternal night."

Raven held his claw out to stop Oleander from continuing; he pinched the bridge of his nose with two fingers. He couldn't handle the utter stupidity that was this Princess Luna. "There are many things wrong with what you just said. But I'm sure that wasn't even the worse of it."

Oleander opened her mouth to speak only for moon charm to speak up first. "It wasn't; after Luna became nightmare moon, she came to the thestral clans promising us many things, like finally being accepted by the Equestrians. Two weeks later, Nightmare Moon is sealed on the Moon via elements of harmony. Also, thanks to that whorse-" This caused a few of the foals to gasp, even some of the adults did too. Raven didn't see the problem but shrugged. "The thestrals were even in a worse situation than before, and Celestia didn't do a thing! Most towns and cities we tried showing our faces in started throwing rocks at us or chasing us out of town!" The young thestral snarled, showing off her tiny fangs. "and when Luna came back, she called to all clans to reconcile and serve under her again! And some of the clans bought the horse apples she was selling!" Moon Charm was yelling and hyperventilating at this point.

Raven knew where this was going, so he got up walked over to the raging bat pony. He bent down and picked her up. "I think we get the point." He made his way back with the now squirming filly. He sat back down and placed the filly on his lap and started stroking her mane, and rubbed between her ears a bit. Moon charm quickly calmed down and leaned into the human's hand. "Alright, continue with the history lesson." He said, pointing a talon at Oleander."

The unicorn cleared her throat. "As I was saying before the interruption. Princess Celestia used the elements of harmony and sealed Nightmare Moon on the Moon for a thousand years or so. A year later, the E.U.P is created, or commonly known as the royal guard." The unicorn drinks from her water container and continues. "fast forward a thousand years of 'peace,' and we reach the current era. Nightmare Moon is released from her imprisonment and returns to Equestria to bring eternal night!" The unicorn raises her voice to add effect to her history lesson. "When all hope is lost, Six mares rise to the occasion. These six mares travel through Everfree forest facing trial, after trial, until they reach the castle of the two sisters and face off with Nightmare Moon."

"Using the power of friendship and the unique aspects each one had, they used the newly reformed elements of harmony and freed Princess Luna from the nightmare that possessed her!" Oleander finally finished, and she lets out a long sigh. "That's what most believe."

Raven raised his claw high in the air like a student asking a question. "Yes, Raven?" Oleander said with a raised eyebrow.

"Where was Celestia during all of this?"That was an excellent question, and no one knew where she was during that whole ordeal. Oleander smiled nervously and shrugged.

"Oh, that's easy!" Cozy spoke up, bringing everyone's attention to her; she wore a sweet innocent smile. "Some ponies say that Nightmare Moon ambushed her and sealed her on the Moon or the sun. Other accounts say that she surrendered and was thrown into the dungeons. But you wanna know what I think? Heheheh!" Cozy put a hoof over her mouth to stop her giggling. "I think Princess Celestia stood at the sidelines and watched as everypony did the dirty work for her, Like the bucking coward she is!" Cozy said all this in the same sweet innocent voice. But there was something under all that sweet talk, something dangerous.

The pillars jaws hung open after hearing what Cozy glow said. Out of all of them, Starswirl's temper was hitting the breaking point. The old stallion held his tongue when the thestral was bad-mouthing Luna, but after hearing what that little pegasus said, he needed to defend his former student. "Now listen here, filly! I don't know what you've heard, but my student is no coward! You better watch what you say, little one." Starswirl's nostrils flared in anger.

Cozy could only giggle at Starswirl's anger and kept up her innocent smile and started mocking him. "Aw, the delusional old stallion thinks his Starswirl the bearded? Cute. But she is a coward; her sister threatens to end the world with an eternal night; what does she do? Celestia Sealed her sister on the Moon; she couldn't even finish the job!" Cozy's innocent persona was replaced with rage. " When the time came, she folded like a bad poker hoof and sent six mares to do the job she couldn't. This was under the guise of 'friendship' and 'harmony,' but the truth was she didn't have the backbone to face her past mistakes. " Cozy looked Starswirl straight in the eyes and said. "Celestia.is.a.coward!"

Starswirl got onto his hooves with unspeakable thoughts on his mind. Raven saw where this was going and clapped his hand claw together, creating a loud cracking sound. Everypony flinched from the loud noise, which even caused Moon to fall out of Raven's lap in surprise. "Enough." The man's voice held finality to it, and he dared anyone to question his order. "I don't care what your personal feelings are about the princesses, and I won't have any of you getting riled up over such things. It's been a long day, and it's going to be a long night. If it's not factual, stay quiet." His single eye stared at the old unicorn. "Sit down." Starswirl did as he was ordered and didn't say a word. The cyborg shifted his gaze over to Cozy. "Stay quiet, Cozy."
The pegasus didn't say anything but just sat there.

Moon charm got back on Raven's lap and snuggled into him, while the man himself started scratching behind the filly's ear, but not before gesturing Oleander to continue. "A few months later, Discord is freed from his stone imprisonment, and in less than 24 hours, his resealed via elements of harmony and the element bearers. And no, the princesses didn't do anything. Moving on."

"Well, that was anticlimatic" Raven thought.

Oleander sighed and rubbed a fetlock over her left eye, it was a very long day, and she was exhausted, but she continued. "A year later, Captain of the royal guards' Shining armor and Princess mi amore cadenza were engaged, and the wedding took place in the Canterlot castle. But Princess Cadence wasn't Cadence at all; it was Queen Chrysalis disguised as the princess of love the whole time!" Oleander tried to sound enthusiastic, but she couldn't. She just sounded bored and tired."When the Queen Revealed herself to everypony, she fought Princess Celestia... Princess Celestia got her flank kicked by the Queen."

"Okay, maybe this Princess Celestia isn't all that smart?" Raven thought

"I need to talk with my former student." Starswirl thought.

"Ah, I skipped over a few things." The unicorn goes wide-eyed for a moment before going back to her bored expression. "Chrysalis is the Queen of the changeling emerald hive, and a changeling is a ponylike creature with insectoid features that can disguise itself as almost anything. and they feed on love." Oleander paused for a moment before continuing. "With the help of the bearers, Princess Cadence and Shining armor used the magic of love and repelled the changeling army with a magic barrier. "

"Where was Luna during this?" Raven asked, sounding bored as well.

"I don't bucking know. A bunch of half-starved bugs nearly took over Equestria because Princess Celestia was too blind to see what was in front of her. I'm almost done, so please stay quiet." The unicorn was frustrated with the current topic and wanted to be over with. "Three months later, the Crystal Empire has reappeared, and Princess Celestia sends her lapdogs to stop King Sombra and blah blah blah, a baby dragon saves the kingdom. This brings us up to the current time, the end."

That certainly was a lot to take in. "Clearly this Princess Celestia is brilliant, besides her recent fuck ups, she knows how to play the long game. I need to be careful around her; nothing is more dangerous than an intelligent politician. Raven thought to himself. "Alright, everyone, we'll be moving out soon. Xuez, you almost done over there?" Raven called out to the Zebra.

"Just about finished." Xeuz was standing on his hindlegs, finishing up his bandage wrappings around Mage's barrel. The young Zebra made a healing salve with nearby ingredients and used it on the earth pony's gash. He used some sticks and vines around the area to splint the mare's broken foreleg. He got back on all fours and gave Meadowbrook a pointed look. "Now try keeping your weight off that leg for a while, and don't try any sudden movements for a while, the salve wont completely close your wound, so keep that in mind."

Mage Meadowbrook moved in and nuzzled the winged Zebra, and she gave him a tired smile. " Thank yawl, young wun; keep thus up, an you'll surpass may wun day." This Ponies accent was especially thick. Xuez shuffled around and blushed from the sudden contact and affection.

"I'll do my best." He all but whispered out.

Moon Charm whined as Raven removed her from his lap and placed her on the ground. "Sorry, but it's time to get moving along." The young thestral groaned but started getting ready to depart. The bonfire was put out after having dirt kicked into it."By the way." Raven looked at the pillars" I never caught your names, mind telling me?" Oleander rolled her eyes, knowing what they were going to say.

"Starswirl the bearded." The old unicorn with the robe and hat spoke up first.

"Mage Meadowbrook," The blue earth pony spoke up next.

"Flash Magnus," The armored wearing pegasus said.

"Rockhoof," The large pony answered.

"Somnambula," said the light scarlet pegasus.

"Mistmane." The old unicorn mare said.

Raven nodded; he did not doubt these ponies were who they said they were. "Names Raven Maxwell; I'm a mercenary that's been hired to protect these little trouble makers." He motioned to his charges, which stuck their tongues out at him or made faces. "I'll be escorting you six somewhere near Baltimare; I and my charges are going to Horseshoe Bay, so we'll go our separate ways. Now, form up!"

2 hours later

Raven traveled slightly ahead of the group; he kept his eye peeled for any danger, even though they had already made out the forest. They were following the train tracks that led to Baltimare. "Mister Maxwell, a moment of your time." Raven looked down and saw Starswirl walking next to him.

"What's on your mind?" Raven asked.

"You're not who you say you are." The unicorn said in a monotone voice.

"What gave it away?" The man didn't even bother to deny; he wasn't very good when it came to lying and usually owned up to it.

Starswirl chuckled. "Where do I begin? You're a mythical beast I read about back in my younger years, a 'hooyman.' One of your charges is a dark arts user; she hides it well, but I've been around for a long time, and I know dark magic when I see it."The old stallion scratched his beard with a hoof and continued. "The Foal mountains are gone; me and my companions. have been released from limbo, then you come out of nowhere and save us. All of this can't be pure coincidence."

Raven looked away, feeling a bit guilty. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry. I didn't want any of this to happen, but those kids back there saved my life.. I've been asleep for such a long time, even longer than you and your friends."Raven looked down at the unicorn, wondering what else to say. Starswirl beat him to the punch.

The old unicorn let out a sigh. "It's okay; I'm sure I'll be able to come up with something and stop the pony of shadows. By the way." Starswirl gave the human a stern look. "If you're planning anything nefarious for Equestria or the world as a whole, The Pillars of Equestria will do everything in their power to stop you."

The cyborg couldn't help but smile at the old unicorn. "You don't have to worry about that for now, but I'm not certain about the future. I have this...goal I want to achieve, but I'm not sure how to go about it." Raven shakes his head and shrugs. "I'll cross that bridge when I get there. By the way, you can call upon me anytime for that problem of yours, considering Indirectly it to happen. I'll even do it free of charge."

Starswirl's expression softened, and he nodded. "I would like that, but hopefully, it doesn't come to that. Your methods are gruesome but effective."

The group made there way to a hill standing over baltimare and the harbor town of Horseshoe Bay. "I guess this is it," Raven spoke softly.

"It is..Please stay out of trouble; I don't want to hear about you and your group doing something stupid." The stallion said with a frown.

"I make no promises. Let's go, guys!" The Outcasts waved off the Pillars of Equestria, and the other group did the same.

"What an odd bunch." The unicorn said with a smile.

Canterlot Castle Court Yard

Luna stood in front of her nightguards, which were ten in total. They were either equipped with spears, wing blades, or crossbows. "As you already know, There was an explosion five hours ago, and now the Foal mountains are gone. Clearly, this wasn't Discord's doing or any naturally occurring phenomena."

She slowly paced back and forth. "This was an attack on Equestrian soil, we find this fiend, and we bring them to justice!" The Night Princess nearly used her royal Canterlot voice but stopped herself. "Now come, my night guard, let us find this threat and eliminate it!" Luna spread her wings and took to the air after a few flaps; her night guards followed her.

Chapter 7(The Great Escape)

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The Great Escape

Two days have passed since Foal mountains disappeared in the explosion that was seen throughout Equestria. Naturally,everypony is wondering what happened; some say it was a freak accident, others are saying it's Discord's doing. Countries outside of Equestria are saying that the Equestrians are testing out a new weapon of mass destruction. These countries want a meeting with the Equestrian diarchy, including Zebrica, Griffonstone, Minoa, Hippogriffa, and Yakyakistan. Both princesses are preoccupied, Princess Celestia dealing with the fallout that was the explosion and keeping the citizens calm, and Luna is currently investigating the cause of this disaster.

If that wasn't enough, rumors are going around about Twilight sparkle being a changeling; multiple accounts from ponyville residents say there was a flash of light, and then Twilight appeared as some mixed hybrid of pony, dragon, zebra, and changeling. Princess Celestia and the element bearers are doing their best to squash these rumors, and there is currently no word from Twilight Sparkle herself.

There have been cases of ponies dropping and abandoning everything to go on a sudden 'vacation.' The most famous of these was Photo Finish herself! Her only response of leaving all of a sudden was, 'I must find him!'. On a side note, DJ Pon3 has canceled all of her gigs until further notice.

Naturally, this has everypony worried, and already rumors are going about how a new evil has risen. Some ponies have claimed to have already seen this new evil. A creature 16 hooves high, holding a weapon big as a pony. When asked for further details, they couldn't give anymore; they only saw the beast from the corner of their eyes before it disappeared. These citings have been coming from Horseshoe Bay.

On a final note, Six ponies have come to Baltimare, calling themselves the pillars of Equestria. Nearly everypony complimented them for staying in character and telling them their costumes look great. These six ponies were later hospitalized.

"How the hell did this happen?" Raven thought as he held Jade in his right arm while feeding her mashed carrots with a spoon. Even worse was the sleeping thestrals cuddling up next to him while he sat there feeding the filly. The man quickly found out that thestrals prefer sleeping during the day, considering the light from the sun hurts their eyes. "These kids know how I fight and have no problem with killing, and yet get comfortable around me like this?"He couldn't understand it. The only ones who seem cautious around him are Oleander and Cozy. "Oleander doesn't like it that I eat meat; guess her instincts are telling her to be warry? As for Cozy...That kid has issues."

Raven looked around the abandoned warehouse he and the Outcasts were staying in for now. They found the warehouse shortly after arriving in town. He was shocked when he saw these ponies walking around, naked! It wasn't comforting knowing that his charges only wore nothing else under their cloaks. When he asked Oleander about this, her only response was, 'It's natural.' "The only thing covering up their more private...Bits. Are their tails, even then it doesn't cover up the whole thing, and some of these ponies have their tails cut short, showing everything to the world!" These ponies were going to make him go insane at this Rate. A thought seemingly from nowhere popped up in the front of his mind.

"That one pony, with the light yellow coat, freckles, and blue curly mane; Had some massive teats! They looked like bo-" Raven quickly crushed this thought and pushed it in the deepest recess of his mind. The man was losing track of what was important, finding what type of boat the Outcasts would steal. He was disappointed to see that, most of the boats were too small or slow for his liking, and he and his companions didn't know how to stir or work a sailboat.

The group decided to find a place to rest up for a while and wait for a more suitable vessel to sail by. Sneaking into the port town wasn't hard for any of the foals, but for the human, it was interesting. Even at the dead of the night, he had to stick to the shadows, lest a pony spots him. He had a couple of close calls, but theirs was only gossip going throughout the town and not full-blown panic. The cyborg could have used one of his skills, ' creepy fog,' and snuck in without being noticed, but that would kill nearly everypony in town.

An abandoned warehouse was the perfect choice to stay in; Cheap, spacious, and anypony could hide their walking and talking apex predator. Typically, an abandoned warehouse is the first place to check to see if a supposed monster is in your town. Thankfully, Oleander used her 'notice-me-not' spell on the old building, and nopony is the wiser.

Another problem did come up; they had limited options of who could go into town. Raven and Xuez were already out of the question; the thestrals were too suspicious, even with the cloaks on. That only left, Oleander, Cozy, and Amber were the perfect choices. Although Oleander couldn't show her face, from what Raven understood, the unicorn was wanted due to the usage of dark arts and due to other unfavorable things, she's done in Canterlot.

Currently, Raven is stuck foal sitting the thestrals, Xuez, Jade, and Amber. The bat ponies are asleep, the winged zebra is sitting near them, and his reading a book. Amber is sitting at the far back of the warehouse, and she's attempting to stuff 20 fireworks rockets into a wooden cylinder as big as her. The worse part was that she had a large crate of fireworks next to her as well. "Need to make sure she doesn't blow herself up later."

Oleander and Cozy are out and about in the town at the moment; they're either gathering supplies, gaining intel, or just stealing things; In Cozy's case, she is stealing. It wasn't his business that they did unless it was heinous enough to warrant his attention.

Raven heard the foal let out a content burp in his arm, signaling that she was full. He wiped Jade's mouth with a napkin and checked her diaper to see if it wasn't soiled; Thankfully, the goddess was merciful this day. The foal gave the mercenary a few happy babbles along the lines of "aaauuuuaahh.". Raven smiled and poked her snout with a finger, causing her to giggle. He placed her down and let her crawl off to explore her surroundings for a bit. "Now to deal with another baby." He mumbled. "Amber, come over here."

Amber had a smile on her face as she worked on her new explosive creation. The earth pony had trimmed the fuses on some rockets and tied them together with other rockets, going from shortest to most prolonged. In total, she tied 20 rockets together and started stuffing them into a small wooden barrel. "These fireworks are going to be awesome!" she squeed out in glee. The filly's ears perked up when she heard the calm and collecting voice of her human friend. "Coming!" she dropped everything and galloped over to him.

She slid to a stop a few hoof steps away from him. Raven was the one to get the first word out. "What are you doing with all those fireworks? If you haven't guessed already, we want to be subtle when stealing a boat. Also, when and where did you get them."

The earth pony couldn't help but smile when he asked those questions. "They're celebratory fireworks! Once we sail out of Equestria, I'm going to launch all of them in celebration of our victory!" The filly jumped up and down at the thought of making such an explosion, but she stopped herself when she remembered the other reason why she's doing this." Plus, they're emergency weapons." The human raised an eyebrow and gave the filly a questioning look. This caused Amber to shuffle nervously and look away a bit. "Think about it, what happens when you or Oleander aren't there to protect us! What if a giant sea monster comes out of the water, and we need to scare it away! Or if one of the princesses come an-"

Raven poked placed a finger on the filly's muzzle, causing it to scrunch up on reflex. "It's okay, just let me inspect one of them; I want to make sure you don't blow yourself up, or possibly the rest of us. also, you didn't answer my other question." He removed his finger, watched the filly run off, and come back a few seconds later with a mini barrel filled with twenty fireworks.

"Here you go! I know lots about fireworks!" The human took the improvised weapon in his claw and inspected it. "As for your other question...Well, Cozy and I borrowed it from that noble near the top of the town while you were asleep, which you've been doing a lot." The filly said with a sheepish smile, knowing that 'borrowed' meant stolen.

The cyborg couldn't deny that he's been sleeping a lot since he got to the warehouse, a combination of his body adjusting to being awake and active poison in his system. Raven couldn't help but smile when he heard the word 'noble' and 'borrowed'; stealing from a filthy noble was exemplary in his books, especially when it was going to a good cause. "Good job, both on your craftmanship and how you acquired it." He gave back the barrel of fun to the confused filly.

"Be careful how you hold it; I don't want you burning yourself." Amber gave him an enthusiastic nod, and before she could leave, Raven asked her another question. "You're quite good with fireworks; why do you want to learn magic? If you want explosions, why not stick with fireworks?"

Amber shook her head vigorously at the question. "No! I have to do this, I promised somepony important, and I'm going to keep it." Amber's eyes started to moisten, and she looked away in shame. "I want to prove to everypony who laughed at me that they're wrong! Especially stupid aunty harshwhinny!" Amber openly sobbed, causing the thestrals nearby to stir in their sleep.

Raven let out a tired sigh and brought the crying filly closer, so she could cry into his padded armor, which she did. This wasn't the first time he had to comfort one of the foals and certainly wouldn't be the last. "I pray to the goddess that these children don't see me as a father figure." A silly notion, really, but one of his greatest fears at the moment. He just sat there comforting her as best he could until he heard the back door of the warehouse squeak open. Raven listened to the familiar posh voice.

"We're back."

Oleander and Cozy Glow walked into their temporary hideout and found an amusing sight; The bat ponies and Amber cuddling up to a tired-looking Raven. "Look at that; the big bad predator is just a cuddle monkey." Oleander would be dead ten times over from Raven's death glare if looks could kill. "Now, Now, Mister Maxwell, none of that, and I brought you something." The unicorn's horn flared to life, and a long dark blue cloth materialized from thin air and floated over to the human. Raven quickly caught it and gave the unicorn a questioning look. "Something for your sword, so instead of having it all the time in your paw or whatever you call that thing, you can cover it and place it around your belt." Oleander explained.

"Also, we got great news!" Cozy spoke up in her usual cheery self, if not a little fake in Raven's point of view.

"Bad news as well." Oleander said with a frown.

"Stick in the mud!" The little pegasus stuck her tongue out at the unicorn.

The teenager ignored this, sat on her haunches, and started clapping her hooves together. " Gather around everypony, I have some bad news," Moon charm groaned and opened her tired eyes to indicate she's awake and paying attention somewhat, the twins doing the same. Xuez trotted over and sat nearby; even Jade crawled over to listen to the conversation. Amber pulled herself from Raven to pay attention, still sniffling, though.

Oleander cleared her throat and spoke. "This will be our last night here; I've heard word that the Royal Guards will be arriving in town tomorrow; Pickle Highborne has reported that his large supply of fireworks has been stolen." The unicorn glared at both Cozy and Amber. Cozy shrugged, not looking or feeling guilty at all; Amber had her ears drooped in shame. This got a few worried murmurs from the rest of the Outcasts, except for Raven, if things went south, he would go with plan B, and it would be a blood bath.

Cozy butted in and took over the conversation. "But the Good news is that a certain boat just came by." The filly paused to get everyone excited. "It's a ferry boat from Manehatten! Perfect size to fit our friend." She pointed a hoof at the human, "and it's not a sailboat, win-win."

Raven's strategic side took over quickly after hearing such news. "How well are Equestrian waters guarded?"

Cozy giggled at the question. "Just like the rest of Equestria, poorly." She deadpanned.

The mercenary continued with his questions. "How many ponies will be guarding this vessel?"

"Most likely, no pony will be guarding it." Even Raven couldn't believe this; these ponies couldn't be so lax with security, could they? Raven deadpanned, causing Cozy to frown and shrug. "Well, it's true. If you're so worried, Olly over here will take care of the pony, okay?"

Oleander scowled at that nickname. "Don't call me that!" she hissed out.

Raven had one final question on his mind. "Alright, the only problem would be speed. If my memory is accurate, ferries don't go very fast. "

"Leave it to us!" Night and Dew Twister spoke at the same time. Raven couldn't help but wonder what these two were going to do to speed up the boat. Dew spoke up first. "I'll work on the engine and make sure it's running at full capacity!" Night was next to speak his mind. "And I'll work on the control panels; I'll pull a few wires here and there and make sure the boat goes beyond its limits!"

Okay, now Raven had another question. "How do you both know so much?" the human asked out of curiosity.

"The Flim Flam brothers!" they both yelled out. The human was going to have a talk with them about their yelling.

Oleander clicked her tongue in disgust at the mention of those two unicorns. "Ah yes, the two con artists."

The twins nodded, not even denying the claim. "Yeah, they took us in for a while and taught us lots about machines and other cool stuff." Night answered this time. "But we had to leave because they wanted to turn us into a circus attraction," Dew said sadly.

"I'll find those two and beat the shit out of them. Raven noted to himself and then grinned. "Alright, everyone, get ready and rest up because, at midnight, we're taking that boat." Amber went wide eye and galloped over to her fireworks and wanted to get it all done by tonight. Oleander noted and summoned her book; she opened it, and a stream of dark glowing energy came out and started flowing into her horn. Her pupils dilated, and she had a manic look on her face. The others went about their business.

Midnight

Full hooves yawned as he stood on top of the bow of the ferry ship. He was looking over the edge, staring back at his reflection. All he saw was a middle-aged earth stallion with a light brown coat and short silver mane. He wore a dark blue shirt, along with a dark blue cap. The stallion's cutie mark was a silver badge, indicating that upholding the law was his destiny. "Another boring night." Full grumbled to himself, and he always stuck with the most mundane jobs: guard this, stand here, don't say anything. Even when he was still on the royal guard, it was the same thing!

"Nothing ever-interesting happens around here!" He nearly yelled as he talked to himself about what he would give to see some or any action. He heard the familiar sound of sompony blinking into existence as if on cue after teleporting. He whipped around to see who it was, but it was too late. Some kind of spell hit him, and his whole body went limp; he couldn't scream for help. His mind was still going, but it wouldn't be long before he lost consciousness.

The pony that him with the spell wore a cloak and had a book floating beside her. What was odd was how slender she was compared to other ponies. Then he saw it; something very tall just got on the boat, along with more miniature figures getting on. The Creature held a crate filled with small barrels packed with fireworks; once the Creature placed the container on the deck, it made it's way over to him.

Full hooves was panicking but couldn't do anything about it. The stallion felt one of its claws pick him up, and its single yellow eye stared right through him as if it was gazing into Full's soul. ""Oh buck, it's going to eat my soul! This must be the monster everypony was talking about! - " Then darkness, Full hooves fell unconscious.

Raven tossed the unconscious earth pony in his grasp onto a smaller boat, and that same pony made a small thud sound as his body hit the smaller vessel. The human turned to the Outcasts and gave them all a once over before speaking. "Alright, everyone, let's get to work. Dew, to the engine room and come out as soon you finish. Night to the cockpit, you're in charge of stirring the vessel. " He brought his attention to Xuez and Moon. "Xuez,Moon,take Jade to the passenger cabin and stay hidden." Raven's attention was brought to the rest. " Amber, set up your fireworks; Cozy, make sure she doesn't light any of the fuses. Oleander, you're with me; any signs of trouble, we'll take care of it. You have your orders." They nodded and did as they were told.

Five minutes later

The engine came to life and hummed lightly and felt throughout the boat. The anchor was raised, and the weather was perfect; it was now or never. The ferry slowly made its way out of the harbor, and it was picking up speed. Amber and Cozy had set up the fireworks or what the red filly likes to call them "barrel of fun." around the ship's deck. There were at least twenty-three of them.

Raven looked to the side and saw Oleander looking out to the sky. The unicorn had her hood down, it was clear that her curved horn was glowing with power, and she wasn't actively using it yet. Whatever the book did to her, she was ready for a fight. The mercenary wouldn't lie; this all felt too easy; he had a gut feeling something was about to go down. Maybe Amber wasn't too far off about a sea monster attacking them?

It took three minutes before the wind started picking up, the water became unstable and wild. Dark clouds began to gather and clump together. Then they heard the rumbling of thunder, then lightning arching across the sky. This was unnatural, to say the least, even by pony standards. Then Oleander recognized this, and a chill ran down her spine. "We need to turn this boat around now!" She screamed. The unicorn knew only two ponies capable of this, and one of them was close by.

"HALT FIENDS!"

Everyone looked to the sky and saw a mare in the sky—a mare with a dark blue coat with an ethereal sapphire blue mane and tail. She had large majestic wings, a longhorn coming out of her mane. Her cutie mark was the crescent moon, and she had dark fur surrounding it. The only thing she wore was an obsidian-colored crown, along with regalia with her cutie mark framed on it. This mare seemed to radiate power as she flew in the air, her cyan eyes bore down on the boat and its inhabitants. This was an Alicorn. This was Princess Luna.

"YOU WILL SURRENDER AND FACE JUDGEMENT FOR YOUR CRIMES!" Princess Luna boomed in her Royal Canterlot Voice.

Raven didn't even flinch; he slowly walked forward, took out his sword, removed the wrappings, and pointed the sword in Luna's Direction. "You're in our way, Trash."

Chapter 8(Raven VS Luna)

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Raven VS Luna

The princess of the night's eyes went wide after hearing its words and seeing its actions. Every other pony on the ship was hiding or shivering in fear. The two foals on deck took their leave and ran inside, but not before taking two barrels filled with fireworks. The thestral colt currently steering the vessel was staring at the Princess with fear in his eyes. Even Oleander, the prodigy that the Princess once knew, was frozen stiff in fear. The only exceptions were the light gray bat pony who popped her head out the window screaming, 'Say that to our faces yo-" A zebra and another thestral pulled her back in before she could say anything else. The other exception was this hairless creature with one eye.

Its words of disrespect and clear signs of aggression put Princess Luna on edge. It just stood there staring at her with its one yellow hate-filled eye. The raging sea and sky, the air of authority, or even being in the presence of Princess Luna did not phase him at all. The creature spoke again; even with the howling winds and so high in the sky, Luna heard it loud and clear. "You didn't hear what I said, trash? Leave, or we're going to have problems." Again this creature called her 'trash'! Luna felt something inside of her head snap. "Now!" She signaled.

The Lunar Princess brought ten-night guards with her; six were currently flying near below the front of the ship, ready to ambush the creature and the unicorn. The other four were hidden somewhere high in the sky, waiting on Luna's orders. Once the six received their signals, they jumped into action. They all carried modified wooden crossbows; instead of firing bolts, they fired non-lethal sleeping darts at the target.

All six were nearly over the railing and had sights on the enemy, half of them would go for the creature, and the other half would go for the unicorn. Once the darts subdued both targets, the guards would rescue the foals and bring the ship back to port. A simple plan, but there was one problem, the creature spoke. "Interdiction" Black vines pulled the nearest four-night guards into something, and their world became nothing but pain. Luna could hear the guards' agony-filled screams throughout the night.

"Interdiction." Raven held his claw out as he said that one word. The human-created a dome filled with Valasia, large blackthorns, and vines. The vines shot out, grabbed their victims, and brought them into the venomous domain. The effects were instant; The vines and thorns started to dig and cut through any exposed piece of flesh. The Valasia did quick work on destroying the guards' armor, and that same gas was filling their lungs, slowly killing them from the inside out. Blood started to spill out from their eyes, ears, and other orifices; pain couldn't' describe what the four guards were feeling.

"So this was what my gut was telling me, how didn't I notice them?" Raven thought as he cast his skill on the unfortunate guards. "Guess I'm getting rusty? So this is what adult thestrals look like as well. I might as well finish them off. A aura made of Valasia surrounded his blade, and he got ready to finish them off with one slash, effectively ending their lives and the pain. Another thought came to him."No." Released the domain, dropping the now unconscious guards in the water."Little reason to kill them; they aren't my enemy."

"That royal bitch is!" The small voice in Raven's head snarled out.

The cyborg glanced at the remaining guards and saw that both were shocked. They watched their fellow guards be taken down in a matter of seconds. Raven clicked his tongue in disappointment; these guards haven't seen much of battle if their reaction was this. "I suggest you go after your fellow guards if you don't want them to drown and get them medical attention; I give them 47 minutes before the venom kills them." The Human said casually.

The remaining guards flew off the boat and went after their comrades if it was out of respect, obligation, or just plain fear; Raven didn't know. What he did know was that he and his charges were leaving Equestria, and no one was getting in their way, not even an Alicorn.

Princess watched in stunned silence as the creature dispatched four of her knight guards in less than three seconds. And if her assumptions were correct, the ape didn't even finish his attack as it looked like he was going to swing his sword but stopped and released his hold on the guards. A dark blue aura surrounded the Princess of the night. "I need to take down this creature quickly!" but she wanted to test this creature as well. From what she could tell already, this beast could only fight from mid-range to close-range. Her horn flared to life, and she let loose three magic bolts—all of them heading towards the creature.

To her surprise, the creature deflected each blast with his sword. Also, as she thought, the beast couldn't attack from down there, and he could not fly. "Let's see if I can wear it down," she thought with a scowl on her face. Her horn flared to life again, and she let loose a barrage of magic bolts.

"Shit!" Raven cursed as he watched the alicorn rain down magic on him. He could dodge them, but he wasn't sure if the boat could handle an attack like that. This boat was their only way out of here, and he needed to defend it with his life. He took his usual stance and got ready. Time started to slow for him as he watched the first bolt of magic come in range. He swung his sword upwards and deflected the attack. Next, he swung down, then right, left, left, up, down, and it kept coming and coming. He missed one, and that same bolt he missed hit his right shoulder, and to his surprise, it didn't hurt as much it just stung.

Of course, super armor took the brunt of the attack and didn't do much damage to it either, but he wasn't planning to take any more hits or do this forever. He needed help and fast. The human looked from the corner of his eye and saw that Oleander was still sitting and most likely having a panic attack. He has never seen this calm and collected unicorn like this before, possibly history between her and that flying eyesore. It didn't matter; she needed to get her act together. "Oleander!"

Oleander just sat on her hunches as she watched things play out, from Princess Luna showing up to Raven dispatching the guards with ease. Everything she had repressed from that day came flooding back: Her mother disowning the unicorn, the looks of utter disgust she received from her fellow ponies, finally getting her cutie mark, and the final words she heard from the Princess of the night 'I will find you Oleander!'. And true to her word, Luna did find her. "She's going to take me back, and she is going to throw me in the dungeons and"

"Oleander!" Raven's voice brought the panicking unicorn out of her thoughts, and remember that they were in a battle! The unicorn watched as the Human deflected incoming magic bolts from Princess Luna. Raven gave her one glance before refocusing on the task ahead. "I understand that you're not in the best state of mind right now, but you have to focus." Another magic bolt nicked the Human on the shoulder, causing him to grunt. "I can't keep this up forever, and I can't reach Luna either from here. I need your help." Those last four words bounced around in her head. The Human was right! She needed to do something quick! And she did, Raven just needed to fly, and she had a perfect idea.

Oleander jumped up and got on all four of her hooves; she opened the Unicornomicon and started reading the contents aloud. "You who dwell in the dark hear my call! As the shadows of old being to Fall! The hooves of time will bend to mine! And break before me sundered twined. FHTNG TH§ NSP§KBL, I summon thee!" Black energy started to flow out of the book as the occupants on the boat heard sinister laughter on the ship's deck. A chill ran down Raven's spine; he remembered this feeling.

"A demon!" The dreadful thought came to the Human.

Once finished, the black mass took the form of a skull on top of black energy that constantly moved and writhed. The head had four draconic horns, a diamond-shaped hole in the middle of its forehead, and four eye stocks that glow red. The demon was at least a head taller than Oleander and didn't even come close to reaching Raven's height. The demon opened his mouth and let out a laugh. "HAHAHAHAH, it's good to be free from that book!" The Human cringed at hearing its words; he could feel every word enter his head and scrape at it, and it wasn't just one language he heard but others behind that voice.

Oleander didn't waste any time and stomped her hoof. "No time for that, Fred; I need you to help Raven out!" The unicorn pointed a hoof at the cyborg who was still deflecting Luna's attacks. "Help him fly and reach Luna, transform into a roc, a dragon, manticore, anything with wings!" The unicorn nearly yelled at her familiar. Fred placed a tentacle under his chin and examined the Human. Raven was rather large, but turning into a dragon or any of that sort would be a waste of energy.

Fred's form shifted and changed, causing the skull to be engulfed into the black mass of energy. Fred quickly shuffled his way over to raven and slithered between the Human's legs. This, in turn, caused the Human to falter a bit and get hit by another bolt, striking his leg this time. "Hurry it up!" Raven hissed out in annoyance.

"Patience, primate." It took another few seconds before the black mass under him started to lift him. Meanwhile, black tendrils came up and started deflecting the magic bolts. Even Luna, high up in the sky, wondered what was going on, then she saw it, the black mass finally took shape.

Raven sat upon an equine that looked Saddle Arabian, but that would be a disservice to the creature the Human rode. The mount was taller than the cyborg by two heads; its coat was ash black, and its mane was pitch black and messy. Muscular legs ready to crush anything under its gray hooves, outstretched feathered wings on its back ready to take flight at a moment's notice. Bone and flesh covered the steed's head, the top portion of it being bone, having the same four glowing eye sockets and horns, flesh made the lower half from of the head.

The best way to describe what the Human was riding would be a horse, an ancient ancestor of the ponies. The horse opened its mouth and let out a hellish neigh, causing Raven to grin savagely. "Let's ride!" The Human kicked the side of Fred's barrel, signaling him to fly up. It only took two flaps of the pegasus's wings to take to the air and head straight for the Lunar Princess.

Meanwhile, Raven kept deflecting Luna's attacks, which decreased as they closed the distance. Pulling back his claw, and formed compressed Valasia. in the palm. Once they were close enough, he threw it and slashed at Valasia with his sword. "Dispersion!" exploding Valasia consumed the rest of Luna's attacks and were heading straight for her.

Luna performed evasive maneuvers and got out of the way of the attack, but before having some of that black gas hitting her left foreleg. She nearly cried out in pain as the flesh under her fur started to sizzle and burn from only coming in contact with the venom. But she didn't have time to dwell on that; as the horse-riding Human closed the distance again, he swung his sword at her. Out of instinct, she conjured a transparent blue long sword. She deflected the initial strike but couldn't stop him from slashing at her with his claw.

The Princess gritted her teeth as she felt the claw dig into her barrel slightly. Thankfully the injury was shallow but hurt immensely; she felt that same stinging sensation again as the wound slowly closed up. Her alicorn healing factor wasn't as significant as her sisters but did the job, all the same, expelling the venom from her system with ease. But the Human came at her again and again, not giving her any respite. He either swung at her with his sword, claw, or the things he kept shooting out of his claw.

Then she finally noticed it; the creature and his steed were pushing her back and away from the escaping boat. She had to save the foals and bring Oleander to justice at any cost! "After them, my guards!" She called to the rest of her night guards, who came flying out of the dark clouds and towards the ship. The creature's mount changed directions instantly and flew towards her guards, leaving themselves open. Luna was waiting for this opportunity; three lightning strikes came out of the dark clouds above them after using her magic.

The first one missed, but the other made their marks and struck the rider and his steed. This enlisted pained howls from both of them. A lesser pony would be knocked out and sent plummeting to their deaths, but these two weren't ponies, and they were made from sterner stuff. The lightning strike threw the both of them off balance for a few seconds before they regained their composure and flew back towards Luna. "'Your fight is with me, creatures!" If they wanted to play aggressively, she could be aggressive and then some!

Raven hated many things, and right now, he hated being struck by lightning and facing opponents with regenerative capabilities. Valasia is powerful and versatile, but it has downsides besides its effects on the host body. One of its weaknesses is being weak to healing magic; the venom starts breaking down as soon as it comes in contact with healing magic in any shape or form. The other weakness is fire, mostly when the Valasia takes form as a plant lifeform; this isn't a problem, but fighting opponents proficient in fire magic or fire-based attacks becomes a chore.

"Duck!" Raven ducked his head as lightning sore over his head, missing him by a few inches. "Shit!" He cursed; the human glanced back at the escaping boat; he couldn't help out his charges, not with Luna here.

The demon sensed his rider's worries and spoke up. "Have faith in them; they can handle themselves, especially Olly." Raven couldn't believe it; a demon was easing his worries right now."what's next hell freezing over?" Fred dodged another in-coming lighting strike and spoke once more. "Now get your head back in the fight; we're facing off against an alicorn if you haven't noticed!" Raven nodded.

Fred closed the distance between them and Luna again; if she's going to keep using the clouds to her advantage and cast lightning, she might as well get closer, so she risks hitting herself as well. On the other hand, Luna had no intentions of getting in sword fighting range with the Human. "Moon ass is smart enough not to get in my sticking range." He thought angrily, but he smirked; he didn't need to get close for his next attack. He held out his claw and aimed with it. Once the Human had a clear line of sight on alicorns' retreating form, he attacked.

"Invasion!" The Spiral of death made up of black vines and thorns came rocketing out of the claw and heading towards Luna. Raven's claw ached after performing such an attack; he maybe had one more in him for the day? But it didn't matter because the drill was about to contact Luna, effectively ending this fight...But it never made contact because Luna blinked out of existence! "Goddess, damn it!"

"To the left!"

Raven brought his attention to the left to only see Luna flying a reasonable distance away, with something he didn't expect. All around the Princess of the night were floating blue crystal swords; if the Human had to estimate, there were around hundred twenty-seven of them. Each blade was kept in place by white ley lines. Luna had all of them pointed at Raven and Fred. "Run!" Raven couldn't agree more as he gave the horse a swift quick to the side, suggesting that he increased the flight speed, which the demon did.

Luna launched her attack, sending out two swords first, then four, then six, and so on. She filled the sky with swords and would not stop until her opponent fell. On the other hand, Raven swung his sword every which way, destroying each blade with one strike, but more kept coming. One of them made it past his sword swings and lodged itself in Raven's left leg. Thankfully Super armor and the knee brace he worse stopped it a few inches in. Unfortunately, Super armor was shattered by that attack and won't be coming back for a while.

"Left!"

"Right!"

"Duck!"

"Up, then Down!"

Fred grunted in pain as one of the blades lodged itself in one of his hindlegs. A mass of black tendrils quickly swallowed the blade and sealed the wound. "I can't keep this up forever! do something!" Raven's mount yelled at him, causing the Human to bite his lower lip in thought. He had no other choice; he needed to use that skill. He looked around and made sure they weren't anywhere near the boat, and thankfully they weren't.

Then an idea came to the Human; he created three Valasia seeds using his claw. "Take these." A black tentacle formed on the demon's withers and grabbed the seeds. "Once we're out of view, I want you to fling me into the clouds and throw these seeds at the blue bitch. If this fails, be ready to catch me." Fred grunted in agreement with the plan.

Raven raised his claw high in the air and got it ready. "Brace yourself, Fred, because this will hurt." He warned the demon they needed to break the line of sight, so one thing came to mind. "Creepy fog!" Raven unleashed a wave of vaporized Valasia in his immediate area, engulfing him, Fred, and the swords in the area. Something felt off for Raven, the fog he just created felt colder, and he swears someone was watching him. Not Luna but something different and sinister.

"The Gates of Hell have opened.”

A few minutes earlier, back on the ship

The four-night guards glided down towards the fleeing ship. Princess Luna is currently occupied with slaying the beast. Once they secure the boat and the foals, they will return and offer her assistance. Two guards landed nearby the passenger cabin, and their ears picked up the sounds of foals trying to silence each other.

The two guards needed to be careful with this; the scared foals are skittish and might do something rash. Considering these two were thestrals, they might try and flee. The guards slowly made their way towards the passenger and opened it, but not before saying, "It's alright, Princess Luna sent us to" The guard stopped speaking as they saw what was in front of them. In the far back of the room. A white thestral, a dark grey thestral, a winged zebra, and a green foal covered their ears with their hooves.

A few hoof steps away from the guards were two fillies holding what looks like a barrel filled with Fireworks. The light pink one had an evil grin on her face, while the red one had a manic smile. The barrels they held had a lit fuse already and were ready to go off; before they did, the fillies spoke. "Bye, bye!" The pink one said while the other one said. "KA-BOOM!"

The two guards tried getting out of the way, but it was too late; forty fireworks rockets came flying at them. As soon as they made contact, they exploded, sending the both of them flying back; for some reason, the red earth pony's explosions were bigger. Both guards landed in the water with new injuries; most of them burned and possibly destroyed eardrums.

One unfortunate guard decides to take control of the boat by going to the cockpit, it was a mistake, and it would be the last mistake he'll ever make. The thestral put a hoof on the doorknob, ready to open the door, but then what when he heard it. Singing, he heard no words, just the voices, such beautiful voices, and they were calling for him! The thought of following Princess Luna's orders left his mind as he went searching for the singers.

The guard flew up, searching for the source of that beautiful melody. "It's as if harmony itself is singing to me," He mumbled to himself. Then he saw them, on the shores, the most beautiful ponies he had ever seen in his life—all of them singing in unison. The thestral couldn't resist; he needed to be with them! He flew over to them as fast as he could. "My ladies, I have found you!"

That was the last time anyone saw that poor pony.

The last guard wanted to subdue Oleander, considering she was the second biggest threat around; this was reasonable. What wasn't reasonable was attacking her alone.

The final night stood there, watching the dark unicorn's every movement while holding his spear at the ready. Oleander, on the other hand, just stood there looking bored. "This won't end well for you know." The unicorn taunted the night guard, causing the thestral to grit his teeth in anger. He launched himself forward without saying a word with wings spread, and spear pointed at the unicorn.

He did not get far, though; a giant claw came made out of the same stuff that Fred went out of the book and grabbed by the guard by his barrel. The next thing the guard knew, he was being smacked around on the deck as he felt his bones crack and break. After another few more seconds of thrashing, the final guard was thrown off the boat and landed in the water.

Oleander snorted in disgust, closing her book. "Bucking royal guards, bucking night guards. Useless" She didn't' have any more time to waste; she needed to concentrate and keep Fred out as long as possible. If Fred were to disappear mid-fight, it would be all over. "Please be okay, Raven." She said before opening up the Unicornomicon again.

Back in the Sky

Luna watched as the creature released dark blue fumes from his claw, creating fog within the air. Thankfully Luna was out of range of that toxic fog. Unfortunately, she lost sight of the creature and his mount; even worse, the swords in the fog started crumbling and breaking apart. It shouldn't even be possible; the blades were made from crystals! The alicorn shook her head; this wasn't the time to lose focus, as the current spell she was using required a large amount of magic and concentration . It still didn't mean she couldn't use two spells at once. A second aura appeared on the Princess's horn, overlapping the first one.

If Luna or her swords couldn't go in that wretched fog, the Princess would blast them with a beam of magic. If they came out of the fog, her flying swords would make quick work of them. So she hovered there, waiting for any signs of attack or movement. A whole minute passed, and she still didn't see anything. "did they flee?" Her answer came the form of three giant seeds covered in thorns, which came flying out of the fog.

Princess Luna countered with her crystal swords; she sent them forward, meeting each seed. Both the swords and seeds were destroyed when they came into contact. The alicorn wasn't done yet; she had a good idea where her opponents were now. She unleashed a magical blue beam in the fog, and the Princess was rewarded with the sound of a pained whinny. The demonic horse pegasus fell from the mist a few seconds later, but where was its rider!? Her answer came in the form of sharp pain in her back, forcing her to look back.

One of those thorny seeds lodged into her back, and vines sprouted out from the now bleeding wound. "How?! He can't teleport! That wretched demon did something!" At this point it didn't matter; she needed to find out where the creature went. The beast came rocketing out of the clouds, surrounded by a black and white mist. This aura formed a cone in front of him.

Luna didn't waste any time and cast her crystal swords forward at the enemy. Once they made contact with the mist, they either bounced off or were destroyed. She got a teleportation spell ready but felt something wrapped around her horn. She looked up in horror as the black vines wrapped themselves around her horn, preventing her from using any more of her magic. The Princess tried to get out of the way, but it was too late.

"Chilling breath!"

40 seconds earlier

"What in Tartus is this stuff! it burns!" The demonic horse coughed as he breathed in the fog. The Human kicked the horse's side in annoyance, he didn't have time for this. Fred growled in annoyance and wrapped a tendril around Raven's torso and flung him higher into the air, while at the same time, he used that same tendril to throw the seeds. Raven felt his clothes dampen as he soared through the dark clouds, then he found himself falling at the perfect angle. He held out his claw and shot out a Valasia seed. He was about to perform one of his old skills, and he hadn't used it since the academy. It was now or never.

"Awaken!"

Raven gathered the necessary magic to perform the skill, which wasn't much."Power Assult!" Instead of falling, he found himself flying forward at an angle and headed straight for Luna. But something felt wrong; he felt so cold. It wasn't from his surrounding but coming from within himself. His claw was releasing Valasia on its own and not its usual color; it came out as white and black; and it started to surround him.

Then he heard the voices; they whispered to him, along the lines of 'let us help the captain.' 'we will guide you.' 'even in death will serve' 'we stand by you.' He couldn't block them out; they were in his head! Some unknown force sped him up, and that aura and mist started to form a cone in front of him. Raven didn't know what was going on, but he was sure this wasn't power assault any longer. He watched as Luna's blades bounced off the aura and mist and was delighted to see that the Valasia vines were doing their job.

"CHILLING BREATH!" Raven yelled out as he made contact with Luna tackling her. He was rewarded with hearing two of Luna's ribs snap. He looked into her eyes and saw nothing but pain, fear, and spite. But for a split second, he saw that her pupils became slit and going back to normal, but not before she coughed out. "Luna should have used my powers.." A chill ran down Raven's spine. "Was she holding back this whole time?"The thought unnerved him, but it didn't matter; this fight was coming to an end.

Horeshoe Bay

Full hooves groaned as he woke up from his forced slumber. He sat up, rubbing his head with a hoof. "What happened?" He looked around and saw that he was on a small boat. "Where am I, and where’s the ferry?" Then it all came flooding back; he remembered what had happened to him. The unicorn, the foals, and that monster with them. "I have to warn somepony!" He scrambled off the small boat and galloped down the docks.

After this, he would lose his job but needed to save those foals from that evil enchantress and her monster! Or tell somepony else more qualified. He stopped in his tracks when he saw something in the sky. Full narrowed his eyes at sight. "Is that a shooting star?" It was getting closer, far too close for his liking. Oh, buck!" Whatever it was, it was heading straight for the docks. He galloped the other way, trying to get away.

Moments later, the mysterious flying figures came crashing into the docks, destroying most wooden walkways and any boat in the way. The seawater below was frozen solid, which caused ice shards to form around the area. Anypony who wasn't awake were certainly awake now, as the whole port town heard the crash. There was the feeling of dread in the air as braver ponies trotted over to the crater in the middle of the docks. What they saw horrified them.

Raven stood over the now barely conscious Luna. The Princess of the night's crown was gone; her regalia was chipped and cracked everywhere. The crash landing bent her left-wing at odd angles; the bone in her right hind leg was also sticking out. Some parts of her coat were frozen over or covered in frozen blood. Princess Luna's eyes still held fire behind them, even in her current state. The human respected that.

Unfortunately, Raven wasn't in any better condition; his armor was torn up and damp. He had two lacerations on his right leg: at least three broken ribs, fractured bones all over his body, second-degree burns from all those lightning strikes he took, and internal bleeding. The Human was in a lot of pain, but he won, and that's all that matters.

"Kill her!"

"No the fights over, and shes unarmed."

"Shes a noble!"

"Royalty." He corrected himself.

"All the same, they're all the same!"

"She isn't even from Velder"

"All of them are the same! LYING BACK STABBING FILTH! Raven's mind raged at the mere thought of letting any noble live.

"The fight is over!"

"KILL HER!”

Raven placed a claw on his head in pain; his thoughts were confusing and conflicted. He didn't know what to do. But screaming from above brought him out of it. Raven looked up and saw that Fred, still in his horse form, glided down in the crater with him. "What the hell are you doing?! Get on, Olly can't keep this up any longer; we need to head back now!" The demonic horse yelled at him.

The Human limped over to his temporary steed and climbed on but not before looking back at Luna and saying. " Come after me or my charges again, and I won't be so merciful next time." He snapped his finger causing the black vines around Luna’s horn to crumble away. Besides the few scratches, her horn was fine. Raven gave the alicorn one final glance and climbed on Fred's back. Fred started flying up and out of the crater, earning more screams from the nearby Ponies.

Before the horse could fly off, there was a flash of light. Somepony took a picture of Raven and Fred. Raven groaned internally; no doubt news of this is going to spread. "Why couldn't things be simple?" They flew off into the night.

Footnote:
Raven

NEW ACTIVE SKILL:
Chilling breath - - Raven surrounds himself with ice fog from the under world and charges forward at the enemies, causing frost damage.

Chapter 9(Friend Ship)

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Friend Ship

"We need to head back and get him!" Moon Charm squeaked out angrily.

"No way! There's a bucking alicorn back there!" Cozy Glow replied, angry as well.

Both foals glared at each other, waiting for the other to say anything else or make a move. Currently, all of the foals were on the deck of the ship. The only exception was Night Dew, the colt, was still steering the boat. "I'm the leader, so I say we go back and get him!" barked the bat pony.

Cozy Glow scoffed at the filly's words. "Leader? Oh please, you holding a glowing cube, and making bold speeches, doesn't make you a leader." The pegasus pointed a hoof at herself with a smug grin, causing Moon to bare her fangs and growl. "I would make a better leader for our group."

Moon's face shifted from anger to utter disgust after hearing what Cozy just said. "Cozy, putting up fake smiles and pretending to be nice doesn't make you a leader; it makes you a snake." These words caused the pegasus's mood to shift from prideful to hatred.

Cozy walked closer with a dangerous look in her eyes; she stopped when the both of them were muzzle to muzzle. "And this 'snake' is the reason why we're so well off! All the bits, the food, supplies, and information we got were thanks to me!" The filly yelled in Moon Charm's face, tired of keeping her temper in check. "I'm the reason why we haven't starved to death yet!"

The thestral kept her face neutral throughout Cozy's little rant; when she was finished, Moon spoke. "I won't deny your methods are effective, but that doesn't make you a leader." Her expression suddenly became one of sorrow. "Cozy, before I found you, you would pretend to cry and make ponies feel bad for you; once they had their backs turned, you would strike and rob them blind." The bat pony placed a hoof on the other filly's chest. "I saw what you did to that stallion, and it was downright evil what you did." Her voice held disappointment.

Cozy smacked the hoof off her chest with her own and sneered at Moon. "So what? That stallion was a foal toucher in the making. I just...Pushed things along. And I was rewarded for it!" Her smug smile returned; she lifted the back of her cloak a bit and pointed at her cutie mark. It was an Orange Rook piece. The pegasus brought her full attention back to Moon. "And so what? It was some random donkey; no pony will miss him."

Moon's disappointment became rage once more. "That right there is what I'm talking about, the average equestrian might not see the real you, but we can!" The bat pony pointed to the rest of the group, who looked away, not wanting to be part of this argument. Moon Charm brought her full attention back to the lying pony. "That's why you can't be a leader; if everypony saw the real you, they would run away in fear!"

Cozy Glow wasn't going to take this lip smack from some pegasus reject! "THE REAL ME IS CUTE AND LOVEABLE!" The filly screamed at the top of her lungs. "

Moon Charm backed away slightly, but she wasn't going to be outdone by a noble reject! "NO, IT'S NOT! THE REAL YOU IS MEAN AND CRUEL!" The thestral yelled back with fury in her voice.

The two were about to continue until another scream cut the both of them off. "SHUT UP, THE BOTH OF YOU!" Oleander yelled at the both of them, causing the two fillies to shut their mouths. Oleander flared her nostrils in anger and brought her attention back to the Unicornomicon, and continued to channel her magic into it. "While the two of you've been acting foalish, I've been trying to keep Fred out as long as possible!" The Unicorn whipped the beads of sweat from her forehead with a fetlock and continued. "Now, stay quiet; Fred and Raven are almost here." With that, the only thing the group heard was the howling wind, the sea, and the occasional baby babble from Jade.

It didn't take long until the group heard the familiar sounds of wings flapping. Both the Human and demon-turned horse came into view in less than a minute. The demon spoke first as he landed on the deck of the ship. "We're back! That Alicorn never stood a chance!" Raven didn't say anything as he got off the horse's back and stood on shaky legs.

"Thank you, Fred. Now back to your book." Oleander gave her familiar, a tired smile and stopped channeling magic into the old book. Fred whined as his body was turned into dark energy once again and was sucked back into the book. Meanwhile, the foals ran up to Raven to greet him or congratulate him on his victory.

"EEEEEE! You did it!" Moon Charm cheered.

"I had complete faith in you!" Cozy offered her best smile.

"Welcome back, Mister Raven. Are you okay?" Xuez asked, a little worried.

"You were awesome!" Dew pumped a hoof in the air.

"I BET YOU MADE HER GO BOOM!" Amber yelled out.

"Rauuuvun," Jade babbled out happily.

Raven just stood there, not saying anything, and staring into the night sky. "R-raven?" Xuez asked worriedly. Then it happened, the Human dropped his sword and doubled over in pain. The other foals got out of the way, with only the Zebra to move in to check what was wrong. "RAVEN!"

The Human started to dry heave until the contents of his stomach came spilling out of his mouth. What came was rather disturbing: A puddle of black sludge mixed with blood, bile, and black vines. The smell was putrid, causing the others to back away even more.

"Oleander, I need the medical supplies now!" The Unicorn ignited her sore horn again and brought out the Medical supplies as requested from her pocket dimension. She Levitates everything over to the frantic Zebra.

Xuez pushed the injured Human onto his side; he needed a full scope on all of Raven's injuries. The Human fell over without much effort, considering he wasn't entirely there. "Where does it hurt?!" The colt didn't get any form of response, just more pained breathing, and the occasional twitch.

The Zebra placed an ear over Raven's chest and heard his rapid heartbeats. Next, he noticed blood spilled out of his pants, mainly from right side. Finally, he looked up at the man's face and saw that one eye was rolling back to the back of his head. "Everypony! Please help me get Raven's armor off! He's going into shock!"

Everypony galloped over and did as they were told. "Oleander, I'm going to need your help with stitching up his leg!" No matter what it took, the Zebra wasn't going to let his friend die on him. "Don't worry, Raven, you'll be fine," Xuez whispered.

The last thing Raven would see was the teary-eyed Zebra colt before losing consciousness.

Shores of Horseshoe Bay

Three figures stood on top of a hill and watched as the battle between Princess Luna and this mystery creature ended. The first figure was a female changeling drone. She had the usual dark green chitin, legs with multiple holes, a dark blue carapace on her back, and arctic blue eyes. But certain things stood out: unlike normal changelings, her wings weren't riddled with holes and looked like they belonged to a butterfly. The Changeling also wore tiny spectacles that didn't cover her eyes. "Well, He's certainly strong." The Changeling spoke softly and impressed.

The second figure was a Unicorn stallion; he was taller than the average pony and was only a few inches shorter than Luna. He had a dark gray coat and a grayish-white mane with one green eye. He only had one look because the other half of his face was missing; the thing there was his skull and blue flames in the place where his eye should be. He wore a cloak covering the rest of his body. "Yes, but he had help, and I've noticed that he has limited range." The stallion spoke in a throaty voice, not bothering to move his mouth much. He wasn't as impressed by the creature's performance.

The last figure was the strangest of the three. The top half belonged to a mare, and the lower half belonged to a snake. The snake pony's upper half had a dark green coat with a black mane that reached her withers. She had light green eyes with slit pupils, complemented with her golden eyeshadow. The lower snake had dark green scales and had big dark spots that ran down it. The snake pony also was wearing jewelry; Golden bracelets around her hooves a golden belt around her waist. And a golden circlet with a diamond-shaped ruby in the middle on top of her head. "Yesss, he needed help, but I ssseee so much potential." The snake pony spoke in her raspy voice and stuck out her fork tongue. "Yesss. so much potential." The creature had a hungry look in her eyes.

The Changeling rolled her eyes at the snake pony's antics. "Well, yes, I still want to meet this 'Dark Lord' face to face. So let's get going-" The bug pony cut herself off, remembering what the rest of the members of her group were doing. All kinds of 'ponies.' were here; some were like the snake pony and the undead stallion, while others were vamponies. But what currently drew her attention and ire were the five ponies presently feasting on the recently deceased night guard. "'Would you ponies hurry it up! We need to catch up with the creature and his group."

Vinyl scatch pulled her fangs out of the dead guard's neck, sat up straight, and gave the Changeling an annoyed look. "Cool your jets, love bug." This caused the Changeling to hiss at the white Unicorn, but Vinyle continued after wiping the blood off with a hoof. "It's been a while since I drank some blood, so let me enjoy myself. Ain't that right Photo?" The DJ nudged a pony with a white mane and a light grayish cerulean coat with a hoof. This same pony wore a black and white dress and sunglasses with purple lenses.

This pony withdrew her fangs from the dead pony's foreleg and sat up straight as well. "Yes, it's true. I hafn't had blood in so many moons." The pony that spoke up was none other than Photo Finish! But she seems less over the top and more passive. She wiped the blood from her mouth with a napkin and continued talking. "But I must ask. Vhy are zey here?" The photographer pointed a hoof at three ponies who seemed out of place. "zey're normal."

"I won't be staying long." The first one spoke up; her voice was monotonous and dry. This pony was covered head to toe with a black cloak, which hid everything. The only thing that indicated that she was a mare was the voice. "My...sister needs help, and my senses are telling me to follow him." No pony knew what she was talking about, but they all assumed that the pony next to her, wearing the same cloak, was this 'sister.' The sister didn't say anything, just nodded along.

"I only came because Monarch promised me ancient books," said the final normal pony. This pony was the spitting image of twilight sparkle! Or she would be if she wasn't the wrong color, had bushy eyebrows, and wore glasses. The pony's mane was brilliant amaranth with moderate purple and grayish violet highlights; Her coat was light yellowish gray. Typically she would have had her mane tied up and wearing a sweater, but she didn't have time when being dragged off.

The Changeling named Monarch spoke and smiled nervously. "Yeah, Moondancer is with me. I need a capable magic-user."

"Vhy not bring anozzer Changeling?" Photo finished asked before diving back in to finish her bloody snack.

Monarch frowned at the question. "Simple, every other Changeling from my hive is a bucking coward and doesn't have what it takes to overthrow Chrysalis. I had two candidates, but Thorax is a bucking pansy and-" The Changeling let out a long-suffering sigh and continued. "Kevin is Kevin. The other changeling Queens would kill me if I went to them. Look, all of us are here for different reasons, okay, now let's get going before we lose them." She received a round of agreements.

While everypony talks amongst themselves, the three dazzlings still feed on the dead guard's body. Sonata pulled out another piece of the small intestine and spoke. "Why are we eating this guy again?" The disguised siren said with a full mouth.

"Cause stupid; we need his memories. Did you forget we can gain access to the memories of the dead if we eat them?" Aria replied with a piece of hindleg in her mouth.

The blue pony swallowed and pouted at her fellow siren. "It's been a while, okay? It's only been. Actually, how long has it been since we've been stuck in that human world?"

"Less than a year, and but over a thousand years here in Equestria." The leader of the Dazzlings replied with a mouth full of heart. Adagio finished her gruesome snack with a smile. "Starswirl just didn't send us to another dimension but also fling us forward in time. Meaning that accursed Unicorn is dead, along with those damnable pillars." Things couldn't get any better for them, but they could. "And that Human is stronger than we could ever imagine. With him on our side, we could take over the world!" The Adagio grinned evilly at her own words. "We just need to put him on a leash."

"But leashes don't come in Human-sized," Sonata replied, confused. The other two sirens faced hoof at her stupidity.

"No moron, we control his mind, we sing to him, and he's under our control," Adagio replied matter of factly. "If his mind is powerful, we sway our hips and lift our tails, and he'll be ours. All stallions are the same after all." She was about to continue until Photo Finish came back for seconds. Causing the siren to groan internally, they could continue another time. For now, they wait and watch.

Ferry, Two hours later

The first thing that came to Raven's mind was pain; his entire body screamed at him. Bones ached, muscles were beyond sore, stomach felt like it was doing backflips, and his claw was aching again. But he was feeling something even worse; Raven felt naked. The Human used his right arm and felt around, and he was correct. All of his armor was removed, but he still had his undergarments on by some miracle from the goddess.

Opening his one good eye, Raven found himself lying down the ship's deck with a blue tarp covering him. He lifted the tarp to better look at the injures he sustained and was surprised to find that he was covered chest to toe in bandages. Even more surprising were all the sleeping foals cuddling up against him; even Cozy was cuddling him. Raven couldn't but smile at the site. "These kids." He whispered out softly.

It was only two quiet words, but it was enough to wake up Moon Charm. The young thestral looked up and saw Raven's one open eye and smiled widely. The Human prepared himself for the yelling and crying soon to come. "He's awake!" This woke up the other foals, and as he predicted, there were tears of joy, cheering, and hugs.

"I was so worried!"

"Yeah, dummy, don't do anything like that again."

"Mister Raven, I'm so happy you're okay! don't anything so reckless again!"

"We knew you would pull through!"

"That's bucking right; you're the toughest!"

"I WAS SO SCARED, YOU FELL OVER, AND RED STUFF STARTED COMING OUT, BUT I'M SO HAPPY YOU'RE OKAY!"

"Raaaauuuvvvveeeeen"

"These kids make a guy feel wanted" Raven thought happily, with a warm feeling in his chest. He looked around and saw that Oleander wasn't anywhere to be seen. " I'm guessing Oleander is steering the ship right now?" The man all but whispered out.

Moon charm nodded. " Yup, she said she'll check up on you soon. Also, we got something special for you!" Raven raised an eyebrow at this. He gestured for the bat pony to continue. " We're going to sing to you! A get well song!" Every foal cheered out except Cozy Glow, who hated that song. " It's a song everypony knows, and I think you're going to like it." Moon charmed cleared her throat.

"Goddess, give me strength," Raven thought as Moon charm started singing, and after a few seconds, the others started singing as well.

My Little Pony, My little Pony
What is Friendship all about?
My Little Pony, My Little Pony
Friendship is magic!
(My Little Pony)
I used to wonder what Friendship could be.
(My Little Pony)
Until you all shared its magic with me.

When I was young I was too busy to make any friends.
Such silliness did not seem worth the effort it expends.
But my little ponies, you opened up my eyes
And now the truth is crystal clear, as splendid summer skies.
And it's such a wonderful surprise.

(My Little Pony)
I used to wonder what Friendship could be.
(My Little Pony)
Until you all shared its magic with me.

When danger makes me wanna hide, you'll Dash to my side,
Kindness is never in short supply, once smitten twice shy.
For honesty no pony can deny, you are the Apple of my eye,
A heart that shines so beautiful, a Rarity to come by
And you all make fun and laughter as easy as Pie!

(My Little Pony)
I used to wonder what Friendship could be.
(My Little Pony)
Until you all shared its magic with me.

Our Friendship's magic and it's growing all the time.
A new adventure waits for us each day is yours and mine.
We'll make it special every time!
We'll make it special every time!

(My Little Pony)
What a wonderful wonder friendship brings
(My Little Pony)
Do you know you're all my very best
(Friends!) Friends, you're my very best
(Friends!) Friends, you're my very best
(Friends!) Friends, you're my very best
(Friends!) Friends!

The song came to an end, and Raven was beyond embarrassed. These children treated his wounds and just sang about Friendship and magic to him. The Human was blushing from ear to ear and couldn't make eye contact with any of them. He hasn't felt like this in a long time, and it was infuriating! The warm feeling in his chest increased as well; it felt so wrong. Someone like him shouldn't feel like this, a man who gave up his morals for the pursuit of vengeance. A man who couldn't protect those he loved. He... felt happy.

Moon charm smiled brightly at the Human and asked him. "Did you like it?"

Raven smiled back and placed a hand on the filly's head. "I loved it."

Footnote:

Outcasts

NEW PASSIVE SKILL:

Friendship is magic - - A bond that transcends time and space itself, logical and nonsensical all at the same time—a concept with no start, middle, or end. A guiding light to a better and brighter future. May your Friendship last forever.

Chapter 10(El Search Party)

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El Search Party

"Here comes the train, choo-choo," Amber said with a smile as she held the spoon between her hooves. The Earth pony was currently in charge of feeding the recovering Human.

"Please stop." Raven laid there with a frown and looked at the spoon's contents. It looked like a fish stew but looked less than appealing; it had daisy, carrots, and all types of fish. It smelled noxious, a mix between rotten vegetables and rotten ing fish.

The Human frowned at the sight and moved his head away. "Is this edible?"

The filly brought her head up and down in confirmation. "Yup! Me and the others got the biggest fish! Olly found one that looked like a rock, I found one that puffs up, and Fred found one that looks like a lion!" Essentially the Outcasts made a stew deadly enough to kill a fully-grown dragon. "Now eat up!" She brought the spoon closer.

Letting out a sigh of defeat, Raven opened his mouth and ate the spoonful. It wasn't as bad as he thought it would be, but it tasted bland. Then the human tasted something sweet and tangy; it was tasty. He swallowed the toxic brew and smiled. "Not bad. Did you put sugar in this?"

Amber shook her head. "Nope! Just the usual, carrots, daisies, and lots of fish. No one tasted it because fish is gross." The earth pony stuck her tongue out at the thought of trying fish of any kind. "Now open up; you won't recover if you don't eat!" The Human continued eating without a fuss, but his ego did take a bit of a hit.

This continued for a few minutes before Oleander stepped onto the deck and approached the two. She stopped a few feet away and looked down at the recovering Human with a smug grin. "My my, the mighty Human is being fed like a baby. Would you like your bib?"

Raven stopped mid-chew and looked up at the unicorn with an unreadable expression. "I'm only being fed like this because I fought and beat an Alicorn. How many Alicorns have you beaten?" The man asked with a raised eyebrow and continued chewing.

Oleander frowned at the Human and let out an unladylike snort. "You only won because I Helped you! Don't let that victory go to your head." She lightly poked Raven's exposed chest with a hoof, causing the Human to flinch in pain. "You did more damage to yourself than Luna did when you performed that reckless attack of yours. You're lucky that you limped away with fractures and internal bleeding."

The Cyborg couldn't deny what the troubled teenager was saying, but he wouldn't admit it. "If that blue bitch wa-" Oleander poked him the chest again, causing him to flinch from the pain.

"Language, you're in front of a foal." chided the unicorn. Amber didn't care if Raven cursed or not, but she'd be saving them for later.

"Two foals, actually," Raven thought angrily but continued. "If that royal filth weren't flying and fought on the ground, it would have ended in less than a minute." Luna's swordsmanship wasn't anything special, and her magic was strong but left much to be desired besides all the swords she created. "Besides, I've been asleep for over a thousand years; I wasn't exactly at peak performance." The Human was somewhat surprised that he retained so much muscle mass. Suspended animation or not, his body would have atrophied.

"It sounds like you're making excuses." Oleander raised an eyebrow at the Human.

"Doesn't matter, I beat an Alicorn you didn't," Oleander groaned in annoyance. Although, Raven was still worried if Luna was holding back or not, or maybe just out of shape. "I need to start training." He needed to perfect his skills and develop new ones, but first. "Any reason why you're here besides trying to inflate your ego or check if I'm still alive?"

Ignoring the jab, Oleander nodded. "Yes, I'm here to tell you that we'll be arriving in Trotsylvania in two days." Raven nodded at the good news; from what he understood, the place was inhabited by these creatures called bushwoolies, but no one had seen them in thousands of years; either they went into hiding or extinct. The Human didn't care, either way, the place is empty, and it's the perfect place to rest up before heading towards the archives. "Now, I have a couple of questions. You're not doing anything important, right?"

"I'm eating!" Raven swallowed another spoonful and let out a sigh of defeat. "If it's something personal, I'm not answering. "It may have been thousands of years since the events took place, but the memories were still fresh in his mind. The looks Raven received from the rest of el search party were soul-crushing, but he did the right thing... Right?

"It was a Velder noble! He and his wife had to die!"

"But their child, I-I"

Raven's thoughts were cut off when Oleander let out a happy squeal and clapped her hooves together. "Excellent!" The unicorn sat on her haunches and placed a hoof under her chin, wondering what she wanted to ask first, then remembered his lack of clothing. "What is your armor made of? When we took off of you, it was torn to shreds. But now it's in perfect condition; I've never heard or seen enhancements being able to do such a thing."

"At least it wasn't personal." He wasn't sure how it was made, but he was sure what was put into it and who made it. "I'm not sure, but the pongo people made it; they said it would slow down the spread of the venom." Raven closed his eyes and thought about it back then. "I never accepted it; I was rather self-destructive back then and thought punishing myself was the answer."

Oleander nodded understanding, but that brought up another question. "You still haven't answered the question. Also, if you never accepted it, how did it end up in the facility, in perfect condition?"

The Cyborg shrugged. "It was a gift from Henir, and how it ended up in that place, your guess is good as mine. As for how my armor repaired itself, it's simple; my armor has been infused with El shards."

Oleander deadpans at the Human with a 'are you serious look. "That answers nothing! Are you going to explain what this Henir is or an El is? You keep going on and on about this, El."

Raven shook his head, explaining what the El was and who Henir is; it would take up his resting time. He also had to talk about Ishmael, the El lady, and the origins of the Nasod. "Another time, I don't feel like explaining the long history of Elrios.

The unicorn groans out in disappointment. "Ugh! You're infuriating!" Raven just shrugged and took one final bite from his toxic lunch. Any other living creature would have been dead by now, but Raven wasn't an ordinary creature. If anything, Raven felt his strength returning.

"Alright, fine. Next question. What are other humans like?" The question was rather broad; Raven had plenty to say about other humans, and many of them weren't friendly. He gestured for her to elaborate more with his claw. Oleander understood the gesture and continued. "The one who freed your mind, and possibly any other humans that were with him."

Raven didn't find this question too intrusive, but he would leave certain parts of the story out. He opened his mouth to speak, but Amber interrupted him. "Is it storytime!? I'm going to get the others!" The filly ran off to gather the others, leaving the Human and unicorn by themselves.

Not wanting things to be awkward as they waited, Raven decided to ask a question. "I've been wondering, what the hell is a cutie mark? I know it's the mark on your flanks, but what exactly are they?"

Oleander lifted her cloak, which made Raven very uncomfortable, but he didn't show it. A violet spellbook with black flames spewing out of it was on the unicorn's flank. " It is a mark of destiny; once a pony finds their unique talent, they receive their cutie mark. It's rather obvious how I received mine."

"Being a bookworm?" The Human said with a smile.

The unicorn stuck her tongue and continued her explanation with an annoyed look. " Zebras can receive cutie marks as well, but they're more abstract. As for the reason why we get them. No pony knows." The adolescent shrugged.

Raven was somewhat disappointed at the vague explanation. Destiny itself has chosen these ponies and zebras: and no one knows the origins of these cutie marks. "Maybe Elria had something to do with this?" It was unlikely, but Henir was still around and causing trouble, so anything is possible.

"I'm back!" Amber called out to the two as the rest of the Outcasts followed her. Everypony was here, except Dew night; somepony had to keep the boat on course after all. "So tell us, what were all other humans like!?" She asked with excitement in her voice. The others weren't as enthusiastic as the filly, but they were interested in the man's tale.

"They weren't all Humans, but I'll do my best to describe each one." Raven gave the filly a small pat on the head.

"Elsword, the youngest of the group. A hothead thirteen-year-old, but despite his age, he was a skillful swordsman. He even put most adults to shame. And when we fought, I was overwhelmed. " Raven thought back to that day on the airship where he and Elsword fought; it brought a smile to his face. His smile disappeared when he heard snickering from one of his charges. He looked around and found that Cozy was trying to hold back her laughter. "Something the matter?" The Human asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Pffft, oh nothing, just the fact you lost to a thirteen-year-old. Hahahaha!" The filly burst out laughing while Raven narrowed his eyes at her.

"I didn't lose; he knocked some sense into me, don't forget the Nasods were controlling me." The unhappy Cyborg said through gritted teeth. Honestly, Elsword was a monster at such a young age. "The boy wasn't just skillful with a sword, but adapt at using magic as well. If that wasn't enough, he could resonate with El." Raven scratched at his bandages unconsciously, which earned him a hoof smack from Xuez. The Human stopped and continued.

"Aisha, the second youngest, is a very talented mage. She was intelligent but brash and had a massive crush on Elsword. The girl would never admit it, though." He hoped that the girl confessed to Elsword at some point after his departure. He didn't have much to say about her; the two had little in common and didn't talk very often. He was skipping over Rena for now; that wound was still too fresh.

"Then there was Ain, an El priest. Something was always strange about him; it's as if he just popped into existence, and we went along with it." He saw the confused looks on their faces and waved it off with a claw. "Never mind, He wasn't who he said he was."

"Add, he never officially joined our group, but he always stalked us. I was the only one who seemed to notice. I confronted him, and we fought. " Raven thought back to when both of them officially met; it wasn't pretty. "In the end, we came to an agreement, I would keep quiet about his existence, and he would find specific individuals." Some of the foals shivered at the way the man said it, and they felt the temperature drop for some reason.

Raven's face frowned at the thought of who he was about to talk about next. "Eve, a second-generation Nasod. After beating and killing the Nasod King, she came out of the dying bastard. I suggested destroying her, but we gave her a chance because of Elswordd being the kind-hearted boy he was." Raven looked down with a bitter look on his face. "I admit I had a strong bias against her, but I was thinking about the group." Oleander raised a hoof. "Yes?"

"What is a second-generation Nasod?" The unicorn asked with a tilt of her head.

"Remember the machines back in the facility?" He asked the group, and they all nodded. "Second-generation can think on their own and have emotions. In Eve's case, she had all that and looked like a Human." He watched as they gasped in amazement at the idea of a machine having feelings and looking like a living creature. Raven continued. "One day, we left Eve alone to her own devices, and when we came back, she was different. Her emotions were all over the place, and she couldn't fly anymore."

"I brought this up with the others, and Elsword brushed my concerns aside." Raven cared for the boy, but he was too hard headed for his own good. " So I had to investigate the problem myself. and all I found was 'Code: Unknown.', my efforts didn't turn up anything." Raven closed his eye and turned his body around, so his back faced the foals. "That's about it. Now let me rest."

Amber couldn't believe it; Raven didn't finish storytime. "Hey! You didn't finish the story; what happened next?!" She stomped her hooves in frustration.

Cozy joined in with a frown. "Yeah, you can't end the story right there! And tell us about this EL thing you keep bringing up."

Raven yawned and waved his claw. "Another time. I'm tired; I promise you'll have the full story next time." The group mumbled in either disappointment or anger, leaving the Human to his thoughts. "Code: Unknown." He whispered to himself. Something about it wasn't right.

Chapter 11( Rising Chaos)

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Rising Chaos

It's been three days since the battle between the mysterious creature and Princess Luna: ending with the night princess's defeat. The news of her defeat spread like wildfire; everypony knew what happened at the port town in less than a day. The collateral damage caused to the boats and docks will cost the town thousands of bits; The loss of the ferry boat will cost the city of Manehattan hundreds of thousands of bits.

Even worse, the guards and the Princess of the night couldn't stop the foalnapping of seven children. Out of the ten guards, seven were left in critical condition, two uninjured, leaving one MIA. Luna is in critical condition but is expected to recover in a few days fully.

Ponies are beginning to question Princess Celestia's Rule: First, it was Nightmare moon, then the changelings, and now some mysterious creature. But the difference is now that this villain has succeeded where the others failed; the bearers of the elements weren't there to stop this new threat. When a new threat appeared, the elements were sent to take care of this threat: Nightmare Moon, Discord, Queen Chrysalis, and King Sombra. But where were they this time, when foal mountains disappeared, or when seven foals were being foalnapped?

Even worse, the news of this new villain leaving Equestria has brought even more problems for Princess Celestia. Other kingdoms and nations now have to deal with a threat that's possibly more dangerous than nightmare moon. The Yaks are very unhappy with the news and calling for war if this problem isn't resolved. While other nations are still calling for meetings, except for Hippogriffa; They've become quite recently.

But the real question on everypony's mind is; who or what this creature is? The creature's face is currently all over the newspaper. Ponies call him a hairless ape, mutated minotaur, yeti, and more. Although a reliable source from ponyville says otherwise, A miss Heartstrings is quoted saying, 'That's a bucking Human!' Scholars from Canterlot have been backing miss Heartstrings' claims.

A Pony from horseshoe bay says different, claiming that this creature is death itself. A Mr.full Hooves were quoted saying, 'I'm telling ya, he ain't no mythical creature, his death himself! He grabbed me while I was paralyzed, and he was looking into my soul, seeing if I was going to be his next meal. He's a Reaper!" That's what most ponies have been calling this new villain now: The Reaper."

So what is this Reaper planning next; Taking over Equestria, planning an evil ritual, taking souls, or even eating the foals? No pony knows.

Raven felt someone poke him in the chest with a hoof, it wasn't painful like before, but it certainly wasn't pleasant. He opened his one good eye and saw Amber fidgeting around nervously with Jade on her back. "Yes?" The Human asked tiredly.

"Can Jade and I join you in your nap?" The little earth pony said with a slight blush on her face, which didn't make any sense to Raven considering her coat color. Raven shrugs and lifts the tarp, revealing the sleeping forms of the three bat ponies. All of them were cuddling up to Raven's midsection. "Even if I said no, you'd find a way as these three did; just stay quiet."

Amber squeed in delight and crawled under the tarp joining the rest of her friends. Meanwhile, Jade crept towards Raven's face and blew a raspberry at him. "Lovely" He thought with a frown while wiping the saliva off his face.

"Ra..ven" Jade said with a smile, causing the Human to pause and making his eye go wide. After a few seconds of silence, Raven smiled and patted the foal on the head, causing Jade to giggle in delight. "They grow up so fast." He thought happily, but that thought was cut short when Another popped up.

"She needs a father." The little voice spoke up.

The harsh reality came crashing in, and the Human didn't like it one bit. He already knew that the twins were kicked out of their clan, Cozy and Oleander were disowned, Xuez's parents left him to fend for himself, and Moon Charm was an outcast. That only left Amber and Jade, if the red filly were by herself, that would be one thing, but she brought her infant sister along. "Amber," Raven called out to the filly.

The filly in question brought her head out from under the tarp and gave the Human a questioning look. " what's up?"

"Where are your parents?" Raven's question was blunt and straight to the point. He wasn't the type of person to dance around questions, and he had no time for nonsense.

Amber looked disheartened as her ears drooped. "Well." The filly pawed at the ground, looking away. Maybe the Human was a little too straightforward with the question, but he needed answers. Raven may be a mercenary, but he has standards.

"Please be truthful, Amber. If I find out that you've ran away from home without good reason, I'm taking you and Jade back to Equestria." He didn't want to do it, but if Amber left home to 'learn magic.' and took Jade along for no good reason, he would return them.

"Nononono!" Amber clung onto the Human's arm with surprising strength and shook her head in panic. "Anything but that! I need to learn magic to fix mommy!" The Cyborg raised an eyebrow at this; he was sure she only wanted to learn magic for 'Boom, boom' and other loud noises.

"Human magic would be counterproductive then." Most Humans used magic for destructive purposes or to enhance one's body. It was for the latter for Raven; he wasn't outstanding when it came to skills that required high amounts of magic and much less with spells.

If the filly wanted a remedy for her mother, he would suggest alchemy or even Elven magic. But he doubted the archives held any information on the elves, considering how reclusive they were. Raven was about to continue, but Amber spoke up first. "I need to show her I can do magic, and she'll be all better." Now the Human was just plain confused.

"Could you explain?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

She nodded with a sniffle. "My real name is Amber Loose. Mommy's name is Screw Loose, and Daddy's name is Dapper Harshwhinny." "These ponies have odd ways of naming things." Then again, the Human couldn't judge; he was named after a bird. " Daddy, he died." The tears started rolling down her cheeks as she said those words, making Raven regret his choice of words.

"I should have known better." He scolded himself and stroked her back with his hand. It didn't take long before Amber recomposed herself and continued talking. "Mommy was sad for a long time until I started doing magic tricks for her; she was so happy! She even called me her 'little star.'" A smile came to her face, but only briefly as a frown returned."Then Mommy met this stallion from cloudsdale; he said he was a mane therapist. She was happy for a little while, but something happened."

Amber had a look on her face that said she shouldn't say about she was about to say. "One night, I heard mommy crying in her room. I went and checked on her and saw that she was sweaty, covered in this white sticky stuff, and there was...blood around her dirty place." Amber looked ashamed for saying such a thing. " I tried helping her, but she smacked me." The filly rubbed her cheek in remembrance. "Mommy had a creepy grin on her face; then she started barking like a dog."

"The Doctors said Mommy was very sick and couldn't take care of me anymore." Her voice was dead and devoid of all emotion; yet again, a smile returned to her face and stayed. "They also told me I would be a big sister!" Amber went from sad to determined in an instance. She had a fire in her eyes that the Cyborg hadn't seen since Elsword. " Mommy wasn't getting any better, and those mean adults talked about separating Jade and Me. So I knew what I had to do; I need to learn magic and make her happy again."

"But everypony I met called me crazy until I met Moon Charm! We became friends, and she said she would help me!" The filly got on her hind legs and started throwing mock punches with her forelegs. " We got my baby sister out of the hospital, and I gave myself a new name. Amber Star!" Amber raised a hoof in the air and made a pose. "My sister didn't have a name yet, so I gave her one, Jade Star!" Again, Jade's only reply was baby babbles.

"So please don't send us back to Equestria!" She got back on all fours and pleaded with the Human. "I know what I did was dumb, but I couldn't lose my baby sister because Ponies thought it would look bad. I-" She was interrupted when Raven placed a hand on her and scratched her ear. Amber let out a whinny in satisfaction, and she giggled. "That tickles!"

Raven smiled as he did this. "What you did was very reckless but brave; few would dare to come with such an idea, and fewer to take action. Be proud, and stand proud." Amber stood a little straighter with a big smile on her face. "Although, I need to ask." The Human's smile disappeared and was replaced with an emotionless mask. "What was this Stallion's name?"

Amber hummed out loud in thought; it took her a few seconds before she came up with an answer. "Zephi Bees? I don't remember too much, but he was pretty tall. His coat was green like Jade's or aquamarine green, and he had a blonde mane. That's about it; why do you want to know?" The filly asked with the tilt of the head.

Raven dismissed the question with have a wave of the hand. "I just want to talk to him when I meet him." The Human lied through his teeth; he would find this stallion and castrate him.

"Kill!"

"Kill!"

He couldn't agree with himself more. After what Amber described to him, rage nearly consumed his mind; he wanted to find this stallion and torture him. Make this filth regret the day he was born, slowly peel away his pelt, and make his fami-. Raven shook his head trying to get those thoughts out of his head.

"You're better than this; I need all the details. I can't be a judge, jury, and executioner. Not yet; that will come later."
Until the time came, Raven pushed all these thoughts in the back of his mind. He needed to focus on the now, and right now, he needed to make this filly happy. "Once we're on land, how about I tell you about two people I met back in my day?"

"REALLY?!" The she’s yelled, causing the other sleeping foals to groan from being woken up.

Raven nods his head. "Yes, but let's get some rest; something tells me we'll need it." With that, Amber grabs her sister and crawls under the tarp. Raven closes his eye again, trying to get some sleep. The Human remembers the odd pair he met during his time as Captain.

Baltimare Hospital

Failure

That was the only thing Luna could think of as she lay there on her hospital bed. She failed to stop this creature; she failed her night guards, she failed the foals, she failed to live up to her image, and worse, she failed her little ponies. The Princess of the night didn't need to read the newspaper to know how ponies felt. At first, the doctors and nurses gave her pitiful looks when she was brought here, but as soon as the whole truth came out, they were giving her dirty looks.

"How quick these ponies are willing to turn on us." The remnants of Nightmare moon hissed out.

Luna was quick to repress this part of herself and push it into the deepest part of her mind. "My little ponies are disappointed in me." She said sadly to herself. Four of her guards will need months of physical therapy before moving normally again. Whatever venom the creature spewed out, it attacked anything in the vicinity. It eats away at living and non-living things; thankfully, healing magic can stop and counter the venom.

Still, she worried that the missing night guard, nopony, had found any trace of him. She couldn't blame it on the beast because she kept his attention. Nor could she blame Oleander as she fought one of the guards. The foals couldn't have done it, considering they were hiding. Was it a third party that got in the way while everypony was distracted? "Things I need to discuss with Tia...Sister...OH BUCK!"

The mare began to panic; Luna completely forgot she had left Canterlot without saying a word to her sister. She is going to be so grounded when-. Princess shook her head; Luna was a full-grown mare and didn't need to worry about punishments. She and her sister had other important matters to discuss. "Like finding that monkey and beating him within-"

Her thoughts were cut off as a golden aura encased the door before being ripped off its hinges. A haggard-looking Princess Celestia walked into the room. Celestia's mane was a mess, her feathers were out of place, and she had bags under her eyes. But the Princess of the sun couldn't be happier to see her little sister. "LULU!" Celestia brought Luna into a bone-breaking hug. "I'm so happy you're okay!"

"It's good to see you too, T-tia," Luna gasped as she had the life squeezed out of her.

After a few seconds, Princess Celestia pulled and looked at Luna with a teary-eyed scowl. "How could you do something so reckless! I was worried sick! Then, then, then!" Princess Celestia broke down and started crying uncontrollably. "L-lulu, everything has gone so wrong. Twilight h-hates me, our ponies are panicking, and you were badly injured. Everything has gone to Tartarus!" She croaked out between sobs.

Luna was shocked; the mare thought she would get a scolding of a lifetime. But her big sister just broke down in front of her. The Princess of the Night brought her sister into a single wing embrace and stroked her back. "Sssh, it's okay, tia, we'll get through this together. So tell me what happened?"

Honeycomb Hive(currently anywhere they find suitable)

Queen Ambrosia sat on a tree branch, reading the latest Equestrian newspaper. She couldn't help but giggle at all the chaos being created by this one mysterious creature. "Hyooman. What a funny name" The changeling Queen couldn't stop staring at his picture. Strong, mysterious, and wears black, just her type. "We could make strong babies. Hehehe!" she giggled again, fantasizing about what she would do to this creature.

"MY QUEEN! WE HAVE TROUBLE!"

Her daydreaming was interrupted by one of her lovely children. Ambrosia lets out a tired groan as a changeling drone hovers in front of her. "Can't you see I'm fantasizing? Is it the griffons again?" Those stupid birds have been bugging her and her hive ever since she fleed Equestria.

"Worse! It's the cockatrices! They're coming!" The drone said in a panic.

This got the Queen's full attention. There were multiple cockatrices outside of the Everfree forest, and even stranger, they were outside of Equestria. But Ambrosia shrugged. "Just blast them, or drop rocks on them." She tapped her curved horn with a hoof. "We have these for a reason."

"We can't; a cockatrice mother is with them!"

This caused the Queen to go wide-eyed and shoot up her hooves. "Why didn't you start with that, idiot!" Using the Hive-mind, she relaid a message to all of her drones within the vicinity to grab all the pods and head west towards Mushrump. "Let's go!" Wasting no time, she took the air and flew west towards Trotsylvania.

Ponyvillie, Golden Oak Library

"This is horseappls! The one-time we're not there, and we get blamed!" Rainbow Dash fumed after slamming the newspaper on the table. Currently, she sat at a wooden table with the bearers of the elements, all except for Twilight. They've been trying to get Twilight out of her room for the last few days, but nothing is working.

"Now, darling, let's stay calm; I'm sure it's one big misunderstanding." Rarity spoke up in defense of Equestrian media.

"No way! After everything we did for Equestria, they're blaming us for not being everywhere at once! Our best friend is having a mental breakdown, and they want us to fly in a fix another problem!" The cyan pegasus threw her hooves up in the air in frustration.

"ah have ta agree with Rainbow on this." Applejack chimed in with bags under her eyes, likely from a lack of sleep. "Between runnin, the farm with Big Mac, raising Applebloom and trying to keep everypony in town calm; Ah'm pooped." The southern pony drops her head on the wooden table. "Even if the Princesses told me, Ah couldn't go and stop this, uh, Reaper thing. Ah'm just too darn tired."

Fluttershy nodded but didn't dare make eye contact with anypony. "And he looks so scary; if Luna couldn't stop him, what chance do we have?" The butter-colored pegasus started to shake in fear at the idea of this creature taking souls.

"Well, I think this creature has no fashion sense; I mean look at what he's wearing!" Rarity points at a hoof at the creature's picture. "All black with feathers?! So drab!" Everypony in the room gave rarity an unamused look. "What?" She questioned her friends. "It's true!"

"We're getting off track. Seven foals were foalnapped, and no pony has any idea where they are." Surprisingly Pinkie Pie is the voice of reason. Her bubbly personality was replaced with a serious one. "This meanie pants came out of nowhere and took them away; what if it was the cake twins or the CMC?! We have to save them!"

This got everypony's attention, especially Rainbow Dash. The pegasus took the air and clapped her hooves together in anger. "Pinkie's right! We're going to find this hairless Monkey and kick his flank! And We're going to bring those foals back to their parents!"

Thankfully, Fluttershy was the first to voice her concerns. "But we don't know where he is right now, and Twilight is." She was cut off when the group heard yelling coming from upstairs.

"GET OUT!" This was followed by Spike the dragon running down the stairs in a panic while a blast of green and black energy came soring by. The blast of energy destroyed a good portion of the Library's wall, causing the Ponies nearby to panic and run away.

"No luck, huh?" Applejack asked the young drake.

Spike shook his head and let out a tired sigh. "No matter what I do or say, she refuses to get out of bed." The drake looked ready to give up, but he had a backup plan. Then everypony heard knocking from the front door; this caused Spike to grin. "That's why I called for help!"

The drake made his way over to the front door, revealing a worried Princess Cadence, Shining armor, Nightlight, and Twilight velvet. Shinning was the first to speak up. "Is twily okay?"

Meanwhile, in Twilight's Room

The newly made Horrorcorn sobbed under her bedsheets. "Celestia did this to me!" After everything she did for her mentor and Equestria, this was her reward; becoming a monster. It's ironic; Twilight now has traits that everypony fears, changeling, thestral, dragon, and Zebra. "Hehehehehahahaha!" She laughed a maniacal laugh at the sheer irony of it all.

Voices started to fill the Horrorcorn's mind again, causing her laughter to stop. Twilight held her head in pain as the voices became louder. "Please go away! I don't know what an El is!" but they didn't stop. They became louder and louder. Until they all stopped, leaving one voice.

"Ţ̵͎͚͙̰̞̻͙̩͍͖̼̇̆̿̓̿͑̔̅́̿̀̑̅͝͠ẅ̵̧̛̹̪̤͚͇̥͔̥́͛̈͐̄̽̆͒̌̆͜͝i̸̡̹̹̹̠͎͖̱̿́̓͒̏̄̚l̴̢̢̥̹͓̗̟̟̯̩͙͍̼̰̋͒i̷̥̭̤̱̺̠͎͚̰͂̀̈́̎̊̾͛͒͝ͅģ̸̢̳̹̳̝̬̏́͐͑̈̈́̽̇͠h̷̰̼͍̼͕͉̼͕̳̙͓͚̺̩̟́̅ẗ̸̢͖̬̬̳̰́̽̀̌͐̿̅͘͠ͅ ̴̛̝̽̋́͋̀̒́̕ͅS̷̗̪̤͉̅͝p̵̖͇̥͉̻̣̬̣̝̀̈́ä̷̡̡̯̯̯̫̠̘̦͙͕͍̜̲̂̊͌̄̕͠r̷̡̞̘̣̝̗͔̖̥̻̻̤͛̋͋̒̂̈̂͘͝ͅk̶̛̘̹̄̇̂̌̍̆̀̃̇̇̾͝l̵̢̲̔̑̎̒͐̎̽̾̊̌͝͝ę̷̡̰̫͇͉̞͇̥̤͈̥͔͔̘̓͗̎̇̉͑̍̑͊̕͝͠"

Twilight sat upon her bed, looking around the room. "W-whos there?!" She stopped her searching as green and black eye hovered a few feet away from her. It didn't say anything, and she didn't say anything. They just stared at each other in silence until Twilight spoke the word that came to her mind. "Henir." The former unicorn didn't know where she heard it from or why, but that's all she could think of when staring at this thing.

Somepony knocked on her door, which grabbed Twilight's attention. "Twily, it's me shining." She heard the voice of her BBBFF. When she brought her attention back to the eye, it was nowhere to be seen.

With nothing else to do, she hid under the sheets again. "Go away! I don't want to see anypony!"

Shores of Trotsylvania

The Outcasts stood on the sandy shores of Trostylvania with the sun in the middle of the sky. They watched as the Ferry was slowly swept in the ocean currents. Raven had all of his armor on, and it looked brand-new, not a single scratch on it. The Human was bandage free; most of his wounds were closed up. " You heal remarkably fast, maybe even faster than an Alicorn?" Xuez commented as he examined the Human.

"I still feel like shit," Raven said dryly, which earned him a hip check from Oleander for his foul mouth. The Cyborg may look fine from the outside, but everything felt sore. Joints felt stiff; the claw was aching, the right leg felt like it was on fire, and his urine still contained blood. He was below fifty percent fighting capability if he had to hazard a guess. Not like he'll ever be at hundred percent ever again; without El, he could only reach ninety percent, maybe ninety-five in Equestria.

"Anyways, let's get going. We're burning daylight." Raven turned and started walking towards the treeline.

"Hold it right there, mister! You promised that you would tell us more about the Humans you've met!" Amber squeed on in anger, while the others agreed with her.

Raven shrugged. "Nearly slipped my mind. I'll tell you about these two oddballs I've met during my time as Captain." The foals started following him. " Lu and Ciel."

footnote:

Twilight

Class Change: Lofty Wanderer

NEW SKILL TREE!

NEW PASSIVE SKILL:

Wavering Faith - - All Twilight's magical attacks have been infused with Chaos magic, making each attack dangerously unstable.

NEW ACTIVE SKILL:

Alptraum - - Twilight absorbs the ambient magic around her and turns it into a corrupted force. After a certain period of time, the gathered energy erupts and explodes. After exploding, the remnants of the dark energy float around her and hurts anyone nearby.

Chapter 12(Meeting A Changeling Queen)

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Meeting A Changeling Queen

Seven Years Before The End Of The World

"So you want me to believe that you're the former Queen of the Demon Realm, and you're her butler?" Raven deadpanned at the two figures standing in front of his desk. Captain Raven and his band of mercenary knights were stuck camping near the ancient temple Fetia. There have been reports of demon activity near the place, but they haven't found anything.

And thanks to certain influential nobles, the group of mercenaries have been stuck out here for weeks. They were leaving the Captain with nothing to do but to send out scouting parties and write boring reports. Raven only let these two strangers enter his camp and tent because of sheer boredom. But the Captain was starting to have second thoughts.

"Well, it's true! I am Luciela, one of the four great rulers of the demon realm! And the Velder kingdom will be invaded! Tell him, Ciel!" This came from a girl that looked no older than eleven years old and only stood at 4'8. She had long white hair that reached her legs. Two little horns were coming from her head, and she had two pointy ears. Lu also had light blue eyes with four-pointed stars as pupils. The 'demon' wore a dark blue dress that only reached her thighs, with a white ribbon near the top that was a blue four-pointed star. From under the dress was a long, thin tail with a heart-shaped tip at the end. What put it all together was the tiny black crown that sat on the side of Lu's head.

Raven didn't look impressed; he was only slightly amused. This caused the taller of the two to bend down and whispers to Lu. "I told you this wasn't going to work. "Said the one called Ciel. This earned him a quick kick to the shin from the young girl. The man yelped in pain and hopped on one foot. "W-what I meant to say was, you need to prepare."

Ciel was tall, standing at 6'2, only two inches taller than Raven. The man had pale skin, similar to Lu, and those pointed ears. They even had the same eye color and four-pointed star pupils. That's where the similarities ended between him and the child. Ciel looked around to be twenty-two years old, the same as Raven. He had short dark blue hair, and the bangs covered a black mark on his forehead.

The man's attire could only be described as business casual, with blue being a recurring color for him. The most notable thing was the chain around his neck and the two weapons holstered behind him. The chain had the same four-pointed star he saw on these two; it was odd. The holstered weapons caught Raven's attention; they were Gunblades. Gunblades were notoriously hard to use, requiring swordsmanship and reasonable mana control. In the hands of an amateur, they were an easy target; In the hands of a master, they were a force not to be reckoned with. Raven had to keep an eye on this one.

Leaning back into his chair, Raven started looking through his paperwork. "Okay, say if I believed you, why would demons want to help Humans? Many of them consider us nothing but vermin or playthings." Truth be told, Raven didn't know much about demons besides learning about them from dusty old tomes.

"Because this goes against Sultharen's will! He wanted peace between Demons and Humans." Lu all but shrieked, causing Raven and Ciel to flinch at her little outburst.

"For someone so small, she got a strong pair of lungs." The Captain thought to himself. He looked up from his paperwork to look at these odd strangers. Lu seemed ready to explode with anger if she didn't get her way. On the other hand, Ciel looked tired, as if this was a recurring thing. Honestly, Raven didn't care at this point, and he just wanted to see his beloved Seris again. He had nothing to lose by telling Commander Vanessa about the anonymous tip. "Fine, I'll pass this information off to my superiors. I'm keeping this all anonymous."

Lu jumped up and down in joy, "Finally, a Human with some common sense! You won't believe how often we've been rejected or thrown out of places!" The man wondered if he was one of the smarter ones or dumb ones to listen to these two; only time would tell.

"One more thing," Ciel spoke this time, which earned Raven's interest. "We also know where some of these demons are hiding and camping out." He said as if he was talking about how pleasant the weather was.

Raven felt his blood pressure rise as he heard this new revelation. Pinching the bridge of his nose with two fingers, he spoke. "Why didn't you start with that?" He just wanted to throw these morons out of his tent, but the Captain was better than that.

"Whoops, forgot about that. But it was so obvious where the demons were hiding... Unless." Lu had a smug look, and Raven knew what was coming. "You and your men are I.n.c.o.m.p.e.t.e.n.t." Raven wanted to spank this sassy little child and make her butler watch. But he kept his mouth shut and put on a fake smile.

"I wouldn't say that!" He said through gritted teeth and false enthusiasm. "But I thank you for your help, citizens. And I believe the both of you should get a reward." Raven ducked under his desk and returned a few seconds later with a sack filled with ED. He opened the bag, showing that the man had filled it with golden coins. The two 'demons' were surprised by this and quickly made their way to collect their reward.

Lu marveled at how much money they had now, and Ciel inspected each coin to see if they were real. "Good, these two are broke; I could use this to my advantage." Raven finally had an opportunity to do some good for the kingdom instead of just being sent to fight other people's wars. " There's more where that came from, Find more of these camps, and I'll give you more ED."

Ciel looked at the mercenary skeptically and placed the bag of ED down. "A mercenary hiring others to do work, how odd?"

Which was true; Raven nodded his head in agreement. "Yes, I may be the Captain of Crow Mercenary Knights, but it comes with certain limitations because of my status as a commoner." He thought back to the day he was promoted to Captain; it was bittersweet. "I have full reigns when my men and I are being sent to fight in some kind of war. Like taking care of lizardmen in Bethma, not out of service or duty but profit."

"But when it comes to investigations or anything that doesn't involve conflict. I get stopped at every turn and have to write for every little thing. Did someone scrape their knee? Write a report. Was it raining today? Write a report. Did you find anything today, no? Write a report." Raven throws his paperwork onto his desk and lets out a frustrated sigh.

Ciel chuckled a bit after hearing Raven's reasoning. "If I didn't know any better, it sounds like the nobles are trying to get rid of you?"

"Hah! What gave you such an idea!" Raven laughed dryly and gave the Butler a cheeky smile. Raven stood up from his desk and walked around. "Now, I don't need to tell you that if any Velder soldier spots you, you need to run away?" The both of them nod at him. Raven Held his hand out towards Ciel. "Now, do we have a deal?"

"Keep the EDs coming, and we've got a deal." The Butler and Captain shook hands, but Lu placed her hand in the middle, and she didn't look too happy.

"You should be shaking my hand since I'm in charge!" The little Queen poofed up her cheeks in anger; she couldn't believe the blatant disrespect she had received. Raven and Ciel paused at this, and they started laughing. Lu's frown deepened. "What's so funny! Stop laughing! I'll get you back for this!"

Present Day, Trostylvania, Near Mushrump

The Outcasts were walking through the Trostylvania forest in the usual formation. All of them listened as Raven told his tale of the past. Meanwhile, the former Captain kept a close eye on his surroundings, watching for predators or potentially his next meal. "'That's how I met a Demon and half-demon. I found out that Ciel used to be fully Human." When he thought about it, he had much in common with that Butler.

"Golly, I can't believe it." Raven raised an eyebrow at Cozy's comment; what could she be up to now? "You can actually laugh!" The other foals around him started to snicker and giggle at the Human, being able to laugh. The Sassy pegasus flew near the Human, placing a hoof on his shoulder. "No offense, but you're like a plank of wood that can only smile stiffly."

"And this plank of wood gives spankings to disrespectful fillies," Cozy remembered who she was teasing and took the hint, and flew back. The foals around him stopped their giggling when they heard that. The Human was slightly offended by that comment. " I hadn't much reason to laugh, and when I find out what happened to Elrios, I'll have fewer reasons to laugh." The mood became gloomy after those words left Raven's mouth.

"You Really should stop doing that." The small voice in his head was right again.

Oleander cleared her throat, trying to cut through this awkward atmosphere. "I didn't know demons could look like Humans. Did you know this, Fred?" She asked the floating book beside her.

"Nope, but demons come in all different shapes and sizes." This piqued Raven's interest; maybe Fred could give him a clue about what happened to the Humans and the rest of the races.

"Fred. I wanted to ask you, do you know what happened, Elrios?" He asked the demonic book.

It took the Demon a few seconds before answering, and he sounded remorseful. "Sorry, friend, I've only been around for two-thousands years, and Humans were considered to be rumors when I was young."

"There goes another lead." What could have possibly caused the disappearance of humanity and perhaps a good chunk of Demons? This was so frustrating; if only he could find Glave, but knowing that bastard, he would keep things vague. Raven felt somepony nudge his shoulder and saw Xuez flying near him. "What happened to Lu and Ciel?" The colt asked, still wanting to hear the end of the story.

Raven cringed a bit at the memory of his last meeting with the duo. It wasn't entirely his fault, but he still regrets it. "I don't know; the last time I saw them was at my lowest. The Nasod made me.." He couldn't blame the Nasod on this; he wanted to do it even with mind control. "I executed fifteen Human soldiers." The revelation made some of the foals gasp in horror, which they should have. "That's when they found me-"

Without warning, Raven pulled out his sword and started looking around frantically. Many living things were in one area, but he didn't know what. It could be an ambush, a nearby settlement, or something else entirely. He looked back at his charges, who looked frightened. "Stay quiet and follow me closely." They all nodded and followed his orders.

Mushrump

True to its name, Mushrump is a small village filled with mushroom shape houses and buildings. The old village could be found between the Trosylvania forest and Flutter Valley. Mushrump hasn't hadn't had any occupants for centuries, maybe even more. Most hoof-made structures have been swept away by the sands of time, except for the mushroom homes.

Ambrosia and the rest of her hive were hiding in the mushroom houses. Only a few drones were brave enough to peek through the windows. Outside was a single cockatrice standing in the middle of the town, waiting and watching. The changelings could have quickly taken care of this, but they sensed the emotions of the others. They, too, were waiting and watching, most likely an ambush.

"But Why, though?" The Queen thought in confusion. Cockatrices were indeed territorial but not to this extent. Or was the whole area part of their territory? But that would be nonsense! "Stupid, cheating lizard chickens!" she grumbled to herself angrily. If she or her children weren't under the threat of petrification, they would have gone out there and slaughtered them all. "hm?"

Every Changeling nearby felt the emotions of nine different new creatures. Only eight were ponies, and they had standard emotional patterns with a hint of insecurity. But the last creature was undoubtedly not a pony; it felt more like a dragon, but that wasn't right either. They felt anger, hate, sorrow, bloodlust, shame, and guilt. The Changelings rubbed their horns out of instinct; it felt like they just stuck their horn into a block of dry ice.

"What in Tartarus was that?" One of her changelings whispered out in discomfort. They all saw it, the eight ponies and creatures coming out of the tree line. Ambrosia's jaw dropped; it was the creature from the newspaper, the Reaper! All Mother has blessed her this day; Or cursed her considering cockatrices surrounded them. "Oh, buck." Another one of her children whispered.

All of them watched as the cockatrice approached the group. The unicorn tried to warn the Reaper about something before she and the foals hid behind him. The cockatrice flew up and stared at the tall biped directly in its one eye. Everypony expected him to turn to stone, but nothing happened. He only stiffened up before grabbing the creature by its wings with his claw. Many ponies heard the sicking crunch of bones breaking as the Reaper crushed the cockatrice's wings. This caused the monster to screech out in pain; it thrashed about, trying to get out of the Reaper's grasp.

Everyling was stunned or scared by this creature's casual cruelty and his inability to be turned to stone. All except for Ambrosia; she wanted this creature, and she wanted him now!

Raven was disappointed, to say the least; he held the thrashing cockatrice in his claw. "Is that it? Petrification and Ponies are terrified of this thing?" He asked his charges, who had eyes closed, not wanting to be turned to stone.

Oleander grumbled and prodded the Human's leg with a hoof. "While I'm glad you weren't turned to stone, how in Faust are you immune?!" The legends said nothing about Humans being immune to petrification!

The Cyborg threw the now flightless bird high into the air. "I'm not immune; I'm highly resistant to the effects. Most humans will stiffen up for a few seconds when petrified, that's all." Raven started to gather the necessary amount of mana and channeled it all in his right arm. The spell matrix formed in his head as he stood there waiting.

It was Cozy's turn to be frustrated. "But that doesn't make any sense!" The filly yelled with her eyes closed.

"El came in six forms. One of them was light," Raven explained casually. "Light El was often used to turn demons and other creatures into stone. Except for Humans, as we were one of Elria's chosen." Oleander and Cozy moaned and groaned in frustration at that vague explanation. The group still didn't know what this 'El' was, and it was starting to get on their nerves. Sensing their frustration, the Cyborg decided to change the subject. "Open your eyes; I want to show you all what Human magic can do."

Each party member opened their eyes slowly, ensuring there wasn't any cockatrice around. They heard and saw the screaming flightless cockatrice come falling back down. "Now, I'll show you what a former knight of Velder could do." Raven took a wide stance and held his sword with hand and claw. Once his target came into range, Raven swung his blade downwards towards the ground.

"Flame Geyser!" The Outcasts watched as the Cyborg created a pillar of fire where he struck. This fire engulfs the cockatrice,
killing it and sending its corpse flying. Besides watching another living creature having its life cut short, the group was amazed by this. The corpse landed on one of the mushroom homes and slowly slid off. And yes, Raven was going to eat it later.

"YOU NEED TO TEACH ME THAT!" Amber cheered at the top of her lungs. The other foals gave the Human similar praises. Again, Raven couldn't help but feel the pride build up in his chest, even though he felt a little winded and someone half his age could perform the same attack but far better.

Oleander examined the area where the attack came from and found the ground to be cracked and split apart. Like its namesake, the skill did create a flame geyser. "Raven, why don't you use these more often?" She asked him while still examining the area.

"As I said before, my mana control isn't the greatest, and performing such attacks tires me out."Raven held his claw out and gestured towards it with a frown. "I have the Valasia Arm; it controls the amount of mana I need and use; the downside is that I can't use any of the spells or skills I learned from the Academy." The former knight had to start from scratch when he was 'saved' by the nasod.

Before he or anyone else could say anything, the group could hear screeching from the tree lines. A few seconds later, a massive cockatrice came running out. The ground shook with every step the monster made. As it got closer, it was clear that it was bigger than anything in the village. It even towered over Raven, being at least four times his size. It was enraged and was heading towards the Outcasts.

Raven acted quickly and started throwing orders out. "Everyone huddle around Oleander, and keep your eyes closed! Oleander put up a barrier, and I'll handle it!" Everypony followed his orders flawlessly, which made the former Captain proud. With nothing else to say, Raven charged toward his opponent.

The cockatrice swung its massive tail, trying to hit the Human. Raven jumped right over and slashed at the tail with his blade. The cut was shallow, but it got through the scales, leaving the creature wounded and bleeding. The beast shrieked again, much to the Human's annoyance.

It tried turning the Human into stone with its stare, but Raven would have none of it. "Grasp." He shot out a Valasia seed, which made contact with its left eye, destroying it. Vines sprouted out and started making their way inside the now-empty eye socket, trying to reach the brain. The cockatrice screamed in agony as the vines dug deeper into its skull. It even started using its wing to get it out, only to spread more of the Valasia.

"Guess turning people into stone was its only defense." Raven was slightly disappointed but would get a giant meal out of this. And if he could find lots of salt, he could make lizard jerky. Holding his claw out, the Human got the 'Invasion' skill ready. He wasn't for needless suffering so that he would end it with one attack.

As his claw took the required mana, a cold feeling washed over him. Again, Raven felt like he was being watched, and the air around him got colder. 'Captain, allow us.' The voices were back as well, the voices of his deceased men. The former Captain felt a hand on his shoulder, but he didn't dare turn around. 'Give us the order. We wish to spill blood as well.' Another one whispered.

"Trust in them, as they trusted in you." Spoke the small voice.

"They're not real!" He thought in a panic.

"They seek vengeance as do you; will you deny them this?"

"..."

Raven's mind became hazy as the doubt left him. He would kill the cockatrice, and it didn't matter how he did it. The former Captain could hear the soldiers' screams as they were cut down before him. The mercenaries spent their final moments cursing the one man who framed their Captain. The one-man who saw them as nothing but trash because they weren't born nobles!

"DEATH SCREAM!" Raven slashed at the air with his claw, throwing out Valasia. It took the form of a hunger maw with razor-sharp teeth. The Cyborg sent the creature flying forward, letting out a blood-curdling scream, sending chills down everypony's spine. The Maw sunk its fangs into the cockatrice's exposed chest, turning the scales into dust. The wraith took another bite, swallowing the lungs and stopping the beast's screams.

Raven stood there watching in cold indifference as his creation tried to sate its endless hunger. The once-proud cockatrice was reduced to dust, leaving only the head and tail. Thankfully, the Maw started to disappear as hell wanted its souls back.

"How dare this filthy creature attack what belongs to me! Raven wanted to make this creature suffer longer, hear it scream even more! It was a shame that Valasia turned the blood to dust; he wanted to bathe in- "What the fuck?" He said in horror. Raven shook his head at these disturbing thoughts. "What's wrong with me? I never thought like this, right?"
Then he looked at his opponent's remains, nothing but a head and tail. Finally, he stared at his claw and thought about the new skill he had created.

"What am I becoming?"

"Raven, is it safe to come out yet? We don't hear screaming anymore?"Moon Charm called out. Raven looked up and saw that his charges still had their eyes closed and the barrier up. He thanked the goddess for this because he didn't want them to see the horror he had just committed.

"Yes, it's safe to come out." He ran to the group, still trying to shake off those horrible thoughts. Oleander brought the barrier down and opened her eyes like everypony else. "Is everyone okay?" Raven asked the group sounding a bit shaken.

Moon Charm gave their protector a big smile. "Of course, thanks to you! But." Her smile was replaced with worry. "We heard screaming, and you don't look so hot. Are you okay?" She asked, worried for her friend.

The bat pony was correct; Raven looked pale and uneasy, written all over his face. "Yes, I'll be fine; I have a lot to think about. As for the screaming, I-" A miracle came to the Human in the form of a squeaky door opening, which brought everyone's attention towards the disturbance.

The Outcasts watched a changeling walk out of one of the mushroom homes. But not just any changeling, a Changeling Queen!
The Queen had sea greenish-black chitin and orange carapace, with some orange marks running across her body. She had a very long orange mane and tail; they were so long they touched the floor. Her wings were transparent and only had two holes. Her horn was surprisingly average, with a slight curve and a single hole in the middle. The sclera of her eyes was lime green, while the color of her eyes was a dull green.

The Queen skipped over to the group without a care in the world while humming something. Oleander saw this and lit up her horn. While the foals hid behind Raven, knowing what was approaching them. Raven had his sword at the ready, but he was curious. The Changeling saw this, slowed her skipping, and gave all of them a smile. " Woah there, I come in peace. You saved me and my Hive. I'm here to give my thanks and reward you."

"As if we'll trus-" Oleander began, only for Raven to stop her with a claw. She frowned at the human but trusted his judgment. Taking this as her queue to come closer, the Queen continued skipping until she was a few hoof steps away from the Human.

"Your name?" Raven asked.

She gave the Human a slight bow and answered. " My name is Ambrosia, Queen of the Honeycomb Hive. I already know who you are, handsome." She gave him a wink and a playful smile. Ambrosia examined the Human closely, liking what she was seeing.

" Really, how?" Raven asked while keeping a straight face, even though he felt very uncomfortable being stared at as if he was a piece of meat. He prayed to the goddess that she was just only hungry.

"The Newspaper, silly!" She giggled at the Human. "They say you're a Hooyman, but lots of ponies call you the 'Reaper,' But we can talk about that later; I want to give you your reward." Ambrosia turned around, bent down slightly, and lifted her tail, exposing her bits to Raven. "I think you'll like it~." She said while shaking her hips, and the smell of honey was thick in the air.

Oleander gasped and blushed, covering her muzzle with her hooves. Cozy frowned in disgust at what she was seeing. Xuez covered his eyes while blushing madly. Night looked on in amazement, earning him a smack behind the head from Dew. Moon Charm covered her eyes, not wanting to be part of this. Amber and Jade looked confused.

Raven stood there staring at the Queen's bits that were clearly winking at him. He wondered how his life led to this, a bug horse wanting to mate with him. The Human wanted to cry and find the nearest cliff to jump off of. "I haven't been awake for a week, and I already want to kill myself."

footnote:
Raven
NEW ACTIVE SKILL

Death Scream - - Raven summons the dead from hell. With the power of Valasia, he turns them into wraiths that will devour anything in their path. 20% chance to create more maws if the target is bigger than a pony.

[Horrorcorn Twilight Sparkle]

[Art by rockin_candies]

Chapter 13(Learning With Changelings)

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Learning With Changelings

"I'm no better than those demons in Feita."Raven thought bitterly to himself. He just committed one of the most heinous acts possible; Necromancy. One of the most taboo when it comes to magic, but the man couldn't understand how he could perform such a thing. The former Captain certainly didn't study any form of dark magic back in his day, and he had no affinity towards dark El.

"Hey, Reaper."

Then again, many things had changed when he infected himself with Alterasia. He could no longer perform fire-based moves with his nasod arm. The process was beyond painful and cost him half of his sight, but it was worth it; Raven no longer would have his mind swayed by the Nasod."Ironic, I spent all that time trying to free myself from the nasod, only to be controlled by my anger and sorrow. And my claw has converted it into something far worse. Maybe if I chose another path, like focusing on my swordsmanship." Raven shook his head, he made his choice, and there's no going back.

"Oh, Handsome~."

Raven felt someone poke at his side but ignored it. Another thing he found disturbing was the thoughts he had about his charges. "I thought of them as property." He was genuinely disgusted with himself; they saved him, and the Human thought of them as possessions. "How low can I truly sink?" Maybe it was time to visit a therapist? He nearly laughed at the thought. Any sane doctor would run out of the room screaming bloody murder if they caught wind of how he truly felt and learned what he did.

"We having sex or what?"

"Oh, by the goddess." This woman was getting on his last nerve.

Raven stood there with a frown as he watched the bonfire roast the cockatrices. The Human found and killed another six of them, while the rest of the Outcasts tried to ignore the aroused Queen. The giant cockatrices' tail had to be thrown out; the Valasia ruined most of the meat.

Most of the changelings came out of the old homes after the cockatrices were taken care of, but they kept their distance from the Human. The drones saw what he did and how he felt while doing it, and they were terrified. The Reaper, in their eyes, was the top predator, and they didn't want to draw his ire or hunger. The only changeling who wasn't afraid of the Human was the Queen.

The Outcasts kept their distance from the Changelings, not trusting them. They kept close to the fire, but not too close because of the smell. "You think they'll try anything?" Night Twister asked, a little worried. His sister, Dew Twister, was the first to answer. "Nah, these guys are terrified of mister Maxwell." The albino thestral flew up and whispered into Oleander's ear, "Keep that horn of yours ready, don't know what they might do." Oleander couldn't agree more; these were changelings, after all.

"Oh, come on, Reaper, you still can't be upset," Ambrosia whined; she stood next to the Human while he watched the meat cook.

"My name is Raven Maxwell, not 'handsome'." He grumbled, feeling annoyed that this mare was bothering him while contemplating. "You bent over and exposed your genitalia to me, foals, and one minor. I'm a little more than annoyed." He gave her a sideways glance. "So please, keep your gift."

The Queen frowned and started circling the Human, looking him over. "I am a changeling Queen, you know. I don't need your permission. I take what I want." She stopped in front of him and looked up to see that Raven was glaring down at her. But Ambrosia didn't flinch or shy away; she flew up and got in his face. " I know you fought and beat Luna, but I can tell you're still recovering."

Ambrosia started circling him again, trying to goad the Human. "I'm sure you've already heard of Celestia's defeat against Chrysalis, another changeling Queen. I wonder how you would fair? Considering you're still recovering."' She felt his anger rise, which made her shiver. She just had to push him a little more. " I have an army, and you're one Human." She moved in closer and whispered in his ear. "Make it easier on yourself and strip."

Beyond the anger and sorrow, she felt that feeling of hunger that dwelled within Raven. The desire to take and make it his and no one else's. It was directed at her, and she couldn't be happier, but Ambrosia was disappointed to find that he was repressing that feeling. The Human Repressed it all, leaving mild annoyance.

Raven waved off the Queen with a claw and snorted. "I've heard better bluffs from a dying bandit." Although his temper flared, he quickly repressed it and saw through Ambrosia's lies. "From what Oleander has told me about this Chrysalis, she could only take down Celestia because she engorged herself on so much love." He wasn't defending the sun princess; she deserved that loss. But he needed to make a point. He raised an eyebrow and continued. "I fought off hordes of monsters and demons; I think I can handle myself against opponents not even half my size. "

These changelings used deception, which meant they weren't too effective at fighting head-on. He could be wrong about this, but legs filled with holes don't speak highly of their durability. "Now, do you think fighting me is a good idea?" It was a genuine question; it held no anger or malicious intent. He stared at the Queen, who stared back with an unreadable expression. Her mask only lasted a few seconds before she broke out in giggles.

Ambrosia landed, still giggling. "Hehehe, Geez, you're so serious. But nah, I was joking, but I was serious about you stripping." She licked her lips and stared at his pants. Raven briefly wondered if this world had invented bug spray because he wanted a can of it. "I still want to give you a gift. I would feel... uh." She couldn't believe what she would say to a non-changeling. "bad." The Queen physically cringed after saying that.

The Human lets out a tired sigh and walks past the cringing Queen. "Fine, answer some of my questions, and we can call it even." Raven removed one of the cooked cockatrices and took a bite of its leg. Even without salt, this bird was fucking delicious. The meat was tender, not too fatty, and it tasted like chicken! The former captain cursed himself for destroying the giant cockatrice; he could only imagine what it tasted like. He looked at Ambrosia with sparkles in his eyes and asked her between bites. "Where can I find more of these!"

The Queen gave him a strange look; she didn't mind the fact he ate meat; she found the child-like excitement odd. "Uh, in the Everfree forest back in Equestria."

He was definitely going back to Equestria and wondered if these things laid eggs. The Human took another bite and swallowed. "What are you guys doing out here, and not near some town?" It doesn't make much sense being out here without some way to feed on love.

Clicking her tongue in annoyance, Ambrosia sat on her haunches and looked up at the Human. "You can thank chrysalis for that." she spat out with venom in her voice. Raven was a little surprised by her frown, but anything is possible. "Shining and Cadance sent my love collectors flying out of Equestria. Ponies started getting suspicious and started developing spells to see through our disguises! We had a good thing going on!" She snarled, causing some of her Changelings nearby to flinch. The drones rarely saw their Queen become angry, and when she did, it was terrifying. "I had a catch-and-release system, catch ponies wandering into the forest, feed on them, and release them a couple of days later."

"I'm guessing you're not the only Queen upset by this?" He asked while grabbing another cooked cockatrice. Raven also found the concept of the capture of release interesting as well.

"Hah! Miasma was furious when she was forced to move to the sewers." Ambrosia paused to think about what had happened to her fellow Queens. "Myxine found herself a hollowed-out cove to live in, and she's been really depressed, more depressed." She started thinking about where the last Queen could be found; after a while, she just shrugged. "Noling knows where Calliphora is." Raven knew the meaning of the name and found it disgusting, especially while eating. "You can usually find her in a graveyard; she's weird." This made her giggle.

"What about Chrysalis? Where is she?"

Ambrosia went back to frowning and hissed at the Human involuntarily. She covered her muzzle with a hoof and blushed slightly, "Whoops! After Chrissy," Raven's brows furrowed at that; he despised nicknames. They were lazy and sounded wrong, especially 'Chrissy.'. "was sent flying. She crawled back to her castle, and she had been sulking and planning ever since. Hehe" Again, the Queen giggled, looked Raven directly in the eye, and said. "I want her fucking head on a pike." She said with child-like glee.

Raven nearly choked on his third helping of cockatrice on a stick. The drones nearby didn't need to hear what they felt over the hive mind to make them shiver in fear. The Outcasts moved closer to listen to the conversation; Xuez and Amber were terrified. Moon Charm and the twins were a little unnerved. Cozy and Oleander were unphased by this. Jade just babbled, and it smelled like she needed a diaper change. "You're not the only one who feels like that, huh?"

"The other Queens want her dead too, even some of her changelings. That wending would have kept us fed for years! But Chrissy got greedy! She got my best love collectors killed that day!"Ambrosia Fumed!

"Why not try invading her castle, or ask the ponies for help?" Raven asked while finishing up his third helping.

The Queen gave the Human a look that said, 'Are you stupid?', which the Human didn't like. "I have around one thousand two hundred drones; Miasma has around three thousand. Myxine only has less than five hundred, and Calliphora has...?" She shrugged again, not knowing. "Chrysalis has over seven thousand drones; we can't compete with that! Also, she has this awesome-looking throne that nullifies any magic that isn't changeling magic so that the ponies would be useless; even the spirit of chaos would be useless."

That last part was rather interesting, a throne that nullifies magic that could be useful. "Okay, why not use artillery?" Raven asked, wondering why they hadn't bombed the castle.

Ambrosia tilts her head in confusion. "Artillery? what does painting have anything to do with this?" Raven resisted the urge to facepalm at this mare's airheadedness.

"Cannons, guns, bombs, cannoneers!" He told the changeling, but she still had no idea what Raven was talking about. The man looked around, and everyone was equally confused. The Human couldn't believe it; they didn't have it. "You guys have fireworks, which means you have gunpowder" Again, everyone looked confused.

"You mean boom powder?" Amber asked innocently. Raven nodded, taken aback by the name; they gave this explosive chemical. "uh, I think Princess Celestia banned the use of it besides making fireworks. She said it was too dangerous, and ponies might get hurt. The only one who uses it outside of companies is the Amazing Trixie!" Amber sounded like she was a fan of hers.

"I need to find Trixie later."He mentally noted.

Raven was shocked that these ponies had no ranged weaponry besides magic and crossbows. Velder and Hamel would have had a field day in this place. All he needed was alchemy, destroyers, and his old airship, and he could take over the world! If he was a psychopath. The man had better things to do, like helping his charges."This whole planet is filled with primitives." He shook his head, disappointed. Of course, Oleander wasn't happy hearing this but held her tongue. Some of the changelings were offended by knew better and kept their mouths shut.

"Moving on. Do you really want Chrysalis's head?" Raven asked the changeling Queen, who perked up at the question.

The Queen gave the Human a sly smile and winked at him. "Aw~ you feel bad for Chrissy?" Ambrosia teased but already knew how he felt.

"Truthfully? No." Raven answered with a frown. "A starving mugger is still a mugger. I was orphaned after my father died, and I lived on the streets as a beggar. One day I had enough money and bought a loaf of bread, but a homeless man held me at knife point. He wanted my bread because he was starving, but I was also starving. You know what I did?" Ambrosia was genuinely curious and gestured for him to go on. " I grabbed a pipe and bashed him in the knee. Then I caved his head in; that was the first time I killed." His words were ice cold. The foals cringed at his telling of the events.

"Maybe things could have ended differently, like pleading with me. But the mugger didn't; he threatened my life, and I took his." He grabbed himself a fourth help of cockatrice on a stick. "What I'm trying to say is; Chrysalis chose violence and loss and got what she deserved for failing. The moron is lucky she still has her life, but" Raven takes a bite of his food and smiles. "If Celestia lost and had her kingdom taken over. I wouldn't be too broken up about it." Again he didn't know much about Celestia, but if her thousand-year reign ended because of some bug, it would be a footnote in the history books.

"You and Myxine would totally get along." Raven doubted that but didn't bother to correct her. Ambrosia flew up and was face to face with the Human again. "If only we had a big strong Human that could help us. You wouldn't know anyone like that, would you?" She gave him a wink.

"Possibly, but under one condition. Join us, and we'll help you take down Chrysalis." Raven gestured to his charges, who went wide eye. Ambrosia went wide eye and looked like she was about to ask something, but the Human stopped her. "No, we're not going to tell you how to rule over your hive—just an alliance. The kids and I are heading somewhere special, and we could use the help. One more thing." The Queen gave him her full attention, wondering what he would say next. "This special place is an archive, and it might have the secrets of alchemy. And it might be possible to synthesize love. You and your hive won't have to worry about starving.

Ambrosia's jaw dropped, along with every changeling who heard this through the hivemind. The possibility of never going hungry again. It was almost too good to be true; she and her hive needed to discuss this. The Queen gave Raven a nervous smile. "Give me and my hive some time to discuss this." The Human nodded while Ambrosia landed and stared off into space.

"Raven Maxwell. A word, please." Oleander called out to the Human, and she didn't sound too pleased. Raven turned around to face his charges, and they looked upset. "Oh boy." He thought while walking over to them. Raven squatted so he could be at eye level with the group.

Moon Charm spoke up first. "Are you nuts! Those are changelings!"

Xuez spoke next. "You just agreed to assassinate somepony! That is wrong, mister Raven!"

The twins had nothing to offer on this one; they were indifferent about it. So were Jade and Amber.

Oleander was the most upset about this turn of events. "Changelings can't be trusted! They'll strike when you least expect it and throw you into their pods to feed off of your love!"

"I agree with Mister Maxwell." Cozy was the last the speak, and her words shocked everypony. Raven gave the pegasus a curious look. "We're going somewhere that's most likely super dangerous. We could use all the help we can get. Another thing, these guys most likely know the area better than any of us. None of us have been outside of Equestria, and" Cozy pointed a hoof at the Human. " He's only been awake for a week."

If Raven could, he would give Cozy Glow a gold star. The former Captain couldn't be any prouder of her. "Cozy is correct, but I have more to add to this." He gave Xuez a sideway glance and continued. "I will offer Chrysalis's head to the Equestrians as a sign of peace and apology. Something to keep the princesses happy for a while."Although, he wasn't sure how happy the alicorns would be if they found chrysalis’ head on their doorsteps. "And I doubt these guys will pass up the opportunity to gain access to near-unlimited love."

Oleander was intrigued by this. "Is that even possible?" The unicorn couldn't lie that Equestria was lacking in the science department. So she wondered if Human science would be any better.

Raven nodded. "I've dabbled with it. With the right materials, it's possible. Now, can we agree on allying with the Honeycomb hive?" He heard a few grumbles, but everypony agreed. "But let me be clear if any other of the Queens had the opportunity to invade Equestria, including Ambrosia, I have no doubt they would have tried. So keep that in mind. One more thing." Raven looked at Xuez, knowing the colt needed to hear this. "I may have been justified for defending my life when I was just a boy, but what I did next was horrible. Never forget, two wrongs don't make a right, but I won't blame any of you if." He didn't need to say more as the foals around him nodded; Xuez smiled at Raven and patted him on the knee. The human stood back up at his full height and walked over to the changeling Queen, who had a blank look on her face.

After a few minutes of waiting and eating, Ambrosia returned to her senses and gave the Human a big smile. "After careful consideration." Raven heard a few changelings nearby grumbling. " I, Queen Ambrosia of Honeycomb hive, agree to align myself with uh. What's your group name?" She asked with a tilt of her head.

"The Outcasts!" Moon Charm said proudly.

Ambrosia stuck her tongue out in disgust. "Ew, that sounds tacky. Pick something else." Moon Charm's ears drooped when she heard that. She spent a lot of time coming up with the name. The changeling held her hoof out for a hoof shake to seal the deal.

"I had something in mind for a while," Raven said with a smile. Although the name does bring back some painful memories, it meant something when it was first used. Hopefully, it would mean something again. The man bent down and shook Ambrosia's hoof. "The Black Crows."

Chapter 14(Times Are Changing)

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Times Are Changing

Magical Mysterious Curse

Princess Celestia didn't know what to say as she watched Twilight and her friends. The mane six and spike finally stopped their screaming and panicking and stood there giving each other worried looks. Except for Twilight, who stood there with new shaky legs while her head hung low, refusing to look at anypony.

With no better options, the sun princess walks towards Twilight. What could she say? 'It'll be alright, Twilight; we can fix this.' 'I'm sure theirs a logical reason why this happened.' hopefully, her student won't act rashly. "Twilight," Celestia said while craning her head, getting to Twilight's level. "Are you oka-?" That's all she could get out before a hoof connected with her face, causing her to back away. The punch was surprisingly strong, which would have put an earth pony to shame. Blood trickled from the corner of the Princess's mouth; she gave her faithful student a pained look.

"DO I LOOK OKAY?!" Twilight bellowed at her former mentor while stepping forward. "I'm a monster! After everything I've done for you, this is my reward!?" She screamed again as her voice became hoarse, and tears ran down her cheeks. She kept advancing while the sun princess kept backing up. A manic smile formed on her lips while her new wings started twitching. "Or is this Another test!? Like with the crystal empire!? DID I PASS!? HAHAHA!" She laughed hysterically as the tip of her horn kept discharging green sparks.

"Twilight, please listen." Celestia pleaded with her frantic student.

"Look where it got me!" The former unicorn laughed again as she approached the Princess. "I bet this was all part of your plan? Right?" Celestia didn't say anything but didn't make eye contact, possibly a sign of guilt. "Not telling me about
Nightmare Moon; sent my friends and me to talk to an adult dragon and sent us off to the crystal empire. You thought I wouldn't notice?" She gave the Alicorn a cruel smile. "All of this was leading somewhere, but where? Me becoming court mage, archmagus, or head of arcane science?"

Celestia had enough of this and stood her ground, causing Twilight to stop. "I just wanted you to make friends!" The Alicorn lied through her teeth, and the Horrorcorn wouldn't have any of this.

"No! You needed me to make friends! The elements wouldn't work if I didn't, and Nightmare Moon would have won!" Saying that hurt Twilight far more than Princess Celestia. Her friends nothing more than a means to an end for Princess Celestia, but that didn't mean their bonds weren't any less true. "I should have told you this after my brother's wedding; I QUIT!"

Celestia's jaw hung low; maybe she had misheard? "W-what do you mean, my faithful student?"

The Horrorcorn snarled at that horrid phrase; she was nothing more than a pawn. "Don't call me that! And what I mean, you fat lazy bitch, is that; I am no longer your student, and I relinquish my title as the bearer of magic. Find somepony else to be your pawn." Twilight spat at the Princess; green mucus sticky landed on the Princess's cheek. The outburst caused the other element bears to gasp in shock.

"No, not again, first Sunset, now Twilight!" She had to stop this somehow! "I can help you! We can fix this, somehow!" Celestia blurted out as Twilight began to walk away. Twilight lets out more pained laughter and glares at the Princess from the corner of her eye.

"You've done enough; I don't want your help, Princess. I'll find a way to fix this," She gestured towards her new horrific form. "on my own."

"But Equestria needs you, all of you together!" They all needed to be together. Twilight kept walking away, doing her best to ignore her former mentor. The Horrorcorn tripped up a couple of times, still not used to her hole-riddled hindlegs. "Nopony could replace you!"

Twilight thought about it and remembered her old classmate back in school for gifted unicorns. "Moon Dancer could replace me." She said, not caring anymore; she just wanted to go to her bed and hide under the covers. She hobbled past her friends, not saying anything. Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to say something, but one anger-filled glare from Twilight shut her up quickly. The former unicorn made her way into the tree home, not bothering to close the door.

Spike followed after Twilight, knowing that she needed him, even if she didn't want to say it. The other element bears looked at Princess Celestia, their expressions varying. Rainbow Dash was scowling; Rarity looked conflicted, Applejack had a disappointed look, and Fluttershy was heartbroken. But out of all of them, Pinkie pie was the worse; Her mane was utterly straight, and her usual pink color was gone, leaving only gray. They slowly made their way into the library, but not before Rainbow Dash flew up to the Princess and said. " You have a lot to think about." The pegasus flew back and shut the door behind her.

Once again, Princess Celestia was left standing there by herself. Another failure, and she had no one but herself to blame. " What have I done?"

Present Day, Baltimare Hospital

"And now Twilight hates me, and I don't know what to do." Princess Celestia sobbed again while embracing her sister. Luna did her best to comfort her sister, but between having a cast on her hind leg and a bandaged wing. Besides that, listening to the retelling and she wasn't surprised. Her sister schemed, and it blew up in her face badly this time. Twilight was in no state to defend Equestria or want to, rendering the elements nearly useless. Changes had to be made as quickly as possible.

Princess Luna pulled back from the embrace and looked at her teary-eyed sister. "It will be alright, Tia; we'll get through this. But we have to make changes. Without the elements, Equestria is defenseless." It felt strange saying that, but it was true, they were only two mares, and they couldn't be everywhere at once and had a country to run. "We need an army, not just the Royal Guard, but an actual military." She has brought this up multiple times ever since she returned but was shot down every time. When the Crystal Empire reappeared, she wanted to help Twilight Sparkle, but her sister said no.

Celestia gasped. " Times have changed, Lulu! Equestria isn't the bleak and dangerous place it used to be. What will the other nations think if they see us create an army? Harmony and understanding are how we solve our problems now." The white Alicorn had some excellent points, but times are changing again, and nothing will stop that.

"What if it's not enough, sister?" Luna shot back, not happy with her sister's response. "When I fought that creature, he could not be reasoned with. He was unwavering, and I only had two choices: get out of the way or fight him. And chose to fight for the foals, and I lost." Luna looked down, looking a bit crestfallen, and looked up at her sister with a determined look. "but if I was stronger! What if my night guards were better trained! What if we had a garrison. What if we had an actual army!"

Letting out a tired sigh, Luna leaned back in her bed. Celestia looked two her sister with worry. "Tia, we've gotten soft." Luna poked herself on the stomach, and it jiggled a bit. The Alicorn won't lie, she had put on a few pounds once she got back, and it was apparent that her sister's flanks had gotten bigger. "Equestria has gotten soft; times are changing; you can't deny that."

The Sun princess pitched the bridge of her nose with a hoof. "but sister, what about Twilight? And let's not forget how much this will cost us, the nobles wi-"

Luna sprung up into a sitting position on her bed and glared at Celestia, who shut her mouth mid-sentence. "BUCK.THE.NOBLES." Since her return, the nobles have given her nothing but grief and headaches. If she had her way, only a hand few would keep their titles while the rest were sent to the gallows. The night princess took quick and calming breaths; she could deal with them later. "As for young Sparkle, let her family and friends handle this for now. I fear any more meddling will make the situation even worse."

She looked at her sister again and saw that Celestia still didn't like the idea. " I'm not asking for our ponies to be ready for war but to defend Equestria. We need to protect our borders and have certain settlements have their militia. " Appleloosa came to mind; how that small town had no form of protection was beyond her. "I believe retraining the day guard and nightguard would be ideal." She would rather have fresh recruits, but they would make due for now.

Celestia let out a defeated sigh, but her sister also made excellent points. "I suppose I can talk to Spitfire and see if she could retrain the Wonderbolts. And I can put more funding into Arcane Science." Even if she didn't want to, she tried to dissolve the group after their recent blunder with that unicorn named Oleander but had second thoughts.

The night princess held her hoof for her sister and smiled. "For our little ponies."

The sun princess giggled, snorted at that, and took her sister's hoof with her own. " For our little ponies."

"Well said." The two heard a familiar voice that brought on dread and happiness. Their heads quickly snapped to the position where the voice came from. Standing there at the doorway was Starswirl, the bearded! But he wasn't wearing his usual attire; he wore a hospital gown without his hat. The old unicorn smiled at the two and looked them over. " And look how tall you've gotten."

Both the Princess's jaws dropped as they stared at their mentor. It couldn't be possible; he and the rest of the pillars disappeared one day. Celestia lit up her horn and cast a spell that would disrupt any changeling disguise. After it was cast and the unicorn remained the same, she enveloped the unicorn in her aura and brought him over. Starswirl was brought into a bone-crushing hug, causing the stallion to squeak. "M-my ribs!" But the Princess didn't care; she was thrilled to have her mentor back! She kept saying, 'Don't you dare leave us again.'

"How is this possible? You disappeared over a thousand years ago, and we feared the worse." Luna asked the stallion, who was starting to turn blue now. Noticing this, Luna tapped Celestia on the shoulder so that she could loosen her grip, which she did after giving her sister and mentor an apologetic smile.

It took the stallion a few seconds to catch his breath before answering the two of them. "I'll have to give you a full explanation later, but in short, we were trapped in limbo with the Pony of Shadows. I believe the spell failed-" Starswirl's horn lit up, causing the recent newspaper to blink into existence. And the creature everypony has been talking about is on the front page. "because of Raven, or one of the foals with him caused it."

Luna grimaced at the sight of this creature; his picture was a reminder of her failure. But what he just said brought up a question. "How do you know this creature's name? Did you come in contact with him? If you did, why didn't you stop him?" The Princess was a little overbearing, but she still felt sore about losing to him.

Starswirl raised his hoof to stop her onslaught of questions. "He told me his full name, Raven Maxwell. He saved my life and my companion's lives." Luna couldn't believe she was hearing; the brute that put her in the hospital was the same one that saved her mentor's life?! The Alicorn was about to blow a fuse, but the stallion held his hoof up again, not wanting this conversation to devolve into a shouting match. " Even if I wanted to, I couldn't at the time, I had little to no magic, and the rest of my companions were injured." Starswirl looked over Luna's injuries. "I would have little chance with him. I've had first hoof experience of how he fights." He shivered at the gruesome memory.

Celestia found this somewhat confusing; this Raven went out of his way to save her mentor, but he fought her sister. She needed to find a bestiary, possibly find out what Humans are like. "Do you know what he's planning to do with the foals?"

Starswirl shook his head when he recalled his conversation with the Human. " No, but Raven told me he had a goal he wanted to achieve but didn't have a way of doing it yet."That didn't tell Celestia much, but her mentor brought up something interesting. " He also told me that I can call upon him anytime, as he feels partially responsible for the seal breaking. Speaking of which." The stallion wiggled himself out of Celestia's grip and stood on all fours again. " The Pony of Shadows is on the loose, and we must find him." The unicorn's expression was grim.

Regardless of how both Princesses felt, the Human would be on the back burner for now. They just hoped he wasn't doing awful things to the foals.

Mushrump River

"Stop splashing!" Moon charm squeaked out angrily at the Twister twins, who were giggling as they threw more water. The Black Crows were currently bathing in the nearby River. After allying with the Honeycomb hive, Raven thought it would be best for himself and his charges to wash. Again, he was wrong; the only one who took this seriously was Oleander. The foals just wanted to play, leaving Raven to do all the cleaning.

Everypony had their cloaks off, and their cutie marks were in full View. Night Twister had a blueprint for a cutie mark, while Dew twister had a screwdriver as her mark. Xeuz's cutie mark was vague; it looked like a wind current. No one knew what it meant, not even the colt himself.

Raven had his armor off but kept his undergarment on for obvious reasons. Currently, he was washing both Cozy and Xeuz's backs with a sponge the changelings gave him. Both winged foals were squirming as he washed them. " Watch it with the claw, buster!" The pegasus chided the Human. The winged zebra tried his best not to laugh because he was pretty ticklish.

" If you spent more time cleaning, I wouldn't have to do this. Now hold still." He made sure to keep his hands away from the wings, as that was a big no-no area for winged creatures. Surprisingly, Cozy was the one to tell him about this. Raven thanked the goddess that these two were the last ones he had to clean. The Human spent a few more minutes cleaning them before sending the two off. " And don't go in the deep areas!"

Now, he had to clean himself, but not in front of the foals. Thankfully, Oleander was here to watch the kids while he found somewhere more private. He gave the unicorn one look, and she nodded. Sure she got on the man's nerve, but she was reliable.

He walked upstream, somewhere with deeper water and away from prying eyes. He got ready to take off his undergarments until he heard the familiar buzzing of wings. He looked up to see Ambrosia flying down towards him. The Human cursed his rotten luck as the Changeling Queen landed near him, giving him a sly grin. " Hey there, handsome~, since we're alone, how about having some fun?" She walked closer, swaying her hips as she did.

Ever since he woke up, Raven had no time to himself, not once. And now, some raunchy bug was getting in the way. "If I told you I was gay, would you leave me alone?" He said with a fake smile, with a visible vein on his forehead.

Ambrosia gave the Human a smug grin and raised an eyebrow. " We Queens come fully equipped." Raven was about to question her until he heard a wet pop. He looked down and saw something that no man should see. It was even twitching! "It's big, huh?" The Queen said proudly.

Raven kept up his fake smile, but the vein on his forehead began to throb. The goddess had abandoned him at this moment, leaving the Human to fend for himself. Not knowing what to do in this awkward situation, he fell back to his old habits; Violence! "POWER ASSAULT!" Raven charged forward and tackled the annoying bug pony.

He just wanted five minutes to himself.

LuCiel

April Fools!

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Somewhere far into the multiverse

Canterlot High

Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna stood next to Principal Cinch and Dean Candance. All four were on a stage in front of the entire school faculty and students. The Canterlot Principal was nervous about the topic she would bring up, but it had to be done. Her sister refused to take her place, Pinch was undoubtedly not going to talk about it, and Candance flat out said 'No.' This left Celestia with the task, so without any other choice, she grabbed the mic and gave her best smile. "Good morning, everyone; as you already know, we're holding the Friendship games this year!"

She Heard the students cheer, while the staff looked indifferent, which is expected when the school lost every time. "But this year, Another school will be joining us." Everyone stopped cheering and started to murmur amongst themselves. Celestia looked back at her sister nervously, and all she got back was a scowl and a shake of the head. Again she put her mask back on and did her best to stay confident. "That's right; the Velder Academy will be joining us!"

"Now, give it up for Principal Maxwell and Dean Myxine!" She prayed that these two didn't make things awkward. The first to step onto the stage was a woman around Celestia's height. Her skin was a dark grey, and she had short dark aquamarine blue hair, with one side longer than the other. Her eyes were the same color as her hair. She wore a dark navy blue business suit themed around seashells and fish; the woman also wore glasses. Myxine always had her brows furrowed and a piercing gaze; she was approachable. But the man who walked onto the stage was a different story.

Raven Maxwell is the founder and current Principal of the Velder Academy. An Army veteran would later become a mercenary, but he retired soon after losing his left arm and eye. He was formerly married, now a widower after the death of his wife. A father to eight, all of them adopted, even though one of them would be an adult in three years. Another thing, he always had a weapon on him, be it a knife, handgun, pepper spray, taser, and that one time with a sword. He always had a weapon in some way or form, and if he couldn't care for a weapon, he used his one remaining arm. The man wasn't violent, but he wouldn't turn the other cheek if someone attacked him or his family.

The man wore a black double-breasted suit with a red tie and feathers on his right shoulder. He wore a black eye patch that covered his missing eye. Raven folded up the left sleeve of his suit because of the missing arm. He had two scars on his face, one near his cheek, and one near his left eyebrow. The one yellow eye he had, stared through anyone he looked at. Also, did anyone mention how tall he was? Because he towered over one in the room. Overall, he looked intimidating and didn't belong here but on the battlefield.

Luna glared at the man as he walked by her; Maxwell paid her no mind. Celestia never understood what went down between her sister and the veteran, but they refused to tell her. As soon as Raven got closer, she covered the mic with her and whispered to him. "Please keep it family-friendly, Maxwell." She pleaded with him.

"Cut the shit, Celestia, and give me the mic." Ah, there it is, his no-nonsense personality. Ever since she met him, he was always rude towards her, Candance, Luna, and even Pinch. Yes, he was civil whenever he talked with any of them, but this underlying hate and loathing was in his voice. With a defeated sigh, she handed over the mic to Maxwell, and to her surprise, he said, 'thank you.'

"Thank you, Principal Celestia, and Good morning to all of you." He spoke in a stern and commanding voice. "As you already know, Velder Academy will be joining this year's Friendship games. The Wondercolts and the Shadowbolts" Raven always wondered why Canterlot high was themed around horses; it was silly. "will be facing off against the Black Crows." Raven slightly smiled at that; birds is a far better theme and mascot. "I expect the Wondercolts to put their everything when it comes because they'll need it." He gave the crowd a toothy grin and sounded assumed. This sent chills down the students' spines, even some teachers and staff members.

Luna shuffled over to her sister and whispered to her. "Why did you invite him and his school again? He is nothing but trouble; he even adopted that trouble maker Oleander."

Celestia gave her sister a disapproving look and shook her head. " Lulu, I expected better out of you. And we don't talk about former students like that, even if it's Oleander." Letting out another tired sigh, she continued. "As I said before, his school seemed so isolated, And Raven himself seemed so lonely. So why not invite him over and show him the power of friendship."The Principal smiled at her vice Principal.

The woman couldn't help but roll her eyes. "But his Dean was associated with Chrysalis!" she whispered yelled. Celestia frowned at the thought of that dreadful woman and her 'school.' Taking a calming breath, she waved off her sister's concerns. "We can't prove that; even the courts couldn't do it. Don't be a spoiled sport, and let's have some fun!"

"But we always lose." She grumbled out. This earned her a playful hip bump from her sister.

"Ugh! Why did Dad bring us here?" Cozy Glow complained. She wore a pink and white dress.

"Better than being in class!" Amber spoke up while carrying her baby sister Jadel. She wore a bright purple and white dress. In contrast, Jade wore a simple Green dress.

"Speak for yourself; Slackers never get anywhere."Oleander said while reading through her notebook. She wore the Velder Academy female uniform.

"But you're always studying!" "Yeah, you need to have some fun!" Night Twister was the first to speak, then Dew Twister. Both wore their Velder Academy uniform, as both of them, besides Oleander and Moon Charm, were old enough to attend the school.

"I must agree; you spend far too much time studying." Xeuz chuckled when Oleander glared at everyone. He wore a light brown shirt with black stripes and pants that matched.

"Everyone, be quiet; Dad is still talking!" Moon Charm shushed everyone. Like the others, she wore her Velder Academy uniform. The eight of them got lucky when mister Maxwell adopted them. Initially, the group was a bunch of orphaned trouble markers that did some unsavory things. That's until they were caught red-handed by Maxwell and Myxine; the group was trying to steal the muffler from his car. The Dean was about to call the cops on them, but the man said that wouldn't be needed.

Raven didn't see delinquents but children with untapped potential, and as a man who was orphaned at one point in his life, he adopted them. Of course, he was met with some pushback from Oleander and Cozy and even his own Dean, but he went through it regardless. And Moon Charm couldn't be any happier, it was as if they were destined to meet.

Raven got off stage after hearing the applause and cheers, with Mxyine following close behind. "I think that went well."

"If you mean scaring half the school, it did go well." The Dean answered sarcastically. Raven couldn't help but smile; this is why he chose her to be his Dean. Always question his decisions and push him in the right direction. "With this silliness over with, let us return to school grounds; you still have a meeting with Ambrosia and Miasma."

The Principal groaned internally; those two were bearable one at a time, but not together. He needed to find a way to weasel out of this. Then it came to him, his kids. All of them ran up to them and greeted him. This gave him an idea. "Before we head back to school, who wants ice cream?"

Like fireworks, his children exploded into cheers of excitement and glee. All but Amber and Cozy because they knew what he was doing but weren't going to say anything. Meanwhile, Myxine narrowed her eyes at her boss. She was going to get him back for this, and Raven knew it, but that was his future self to worry about. "Alright, calm down." He chuckled as he started walking while everyone else followed.

Then he saw something from the corner of his eye. Raven turned his head and found nothing. That was strange; he swore he saw one with black robes wearing a black mask. He shrugged it off and kept walking.

Glave stood there watching everything play out. "A world that never was." The world faded around him and brought the prisoner to another one. One of many worlds and timelines that Glave could observe but could do nothing to influence and or interact with. Even with the two wayard souls that originally came from Raven’s dying world. One was sent to a world where the magic disappeared, and the other to a harsh world filled with radiation. The latter was a lot more fun to watch.

“Laby and Ara Hann” Glave hummed to himself, he wondered how those two were doing.

April fools!

Chapter 15(Pendulum)

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Pendulum

Our Town

It was gone; her hind leg was gone. Starlight couldn't help but stare at the stump that used to be her right hindleg. The stump had little to no fur, covered in burns, discolored and leaking puss. But it would have been in a far worse state if she didn't cauterize her missing leg. The 'Ponies' she used to lead were nothing more than twisted monsters, and when Glimmer tried reasoning with these monsters, Double Diamond snuck up on her and sliced her leg off. The worse part was that she was the lucky one.

Whatever infected the townsfolk didn't reach the foals who hadn't received their cutie marks. None of these monsters had it, so they took the foals and started torturing them. Once they were finished, they impaled-. Starlight Glimmer Gagged at the memory; she couldn't remember such things now; she had to find a way out of the forest.

After witnessing half of the town burn down, seeing children mutilated, and having her hindleg sliced off, she fleed into the nearby forest. It's been six days since that horrible day, and the unicorn was still stuck hiding in the woods. Every attempt of escape was met with violence; those things would ambush her, and she would be forced to fight back and retreat. The only safe place she could find was a tree, and she currently sat on a tree branch, thinking.

The unicorn was no fool; she couldn't keep this up forever. Her only choices were to give herself up to her captors, die from infection, or find a distraction. The first two choices were out of the question, and the last one had failed multiple times; she needed another Pony. Starlight could always levitate herself out of place, but that carried its own risk, like being chased by the mutated pegasus. "Sweet Celestia! I need a way out of here; anything will do!" Then she heard it, voices, not from those freaks, but normal ponies!"

"Crikey, this place gives me the heebie-jeebies! You sure this is the right place, honey?" Starlight heard a male voice, and it sounded like he was from Horsetrailia.

"Of course, ponies from Manehatten have been talking about a mysterious village near Neighagra falls. If it's true, I can map out a whole location!" The unicorn heard a female voice this time. Slowly and cautiously, Starlight looked down and saw two ponies, one male earth pony and the other a female pegasus. The male's mane and tail were a Dark cerise, while his coat was a grayish gamboge. He wore a white shirt and a digger hat.

The female had a goldish white mane and tail, while her coat was a light tangelo. She wore a green shirt and tied her mane into a ponytail with a red band. Starlight stared at these two unblinking. Two normal ponies that happened to wander into the area, this was her chance! But these two strangers would surely die if she went through with this. But! "My dreams of true equality will die here if I don't escape!" Yes, this is for the greater good! A necessary sacrifice for a better world.

"Yeah, but I want to visit scoots." The Stallion said, sounding a bit uneasy. Something about this place didn't feel right.

"Oh, don't worry, dear. This shouldn't take longer than a day." After waving off her husband's fears, they started to move further into the forest.

Starlight asked Celestia for forgiveness for the act she was about to commit. The two ponies were enveloped in a turquoise aura and flung further into the forest without warning. While at the same time, the unicorn screamed, trying to attract something to the area. "AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" Starlight put everything behind that scream and was rewarded with monstrous screams and the rustling of bushes and grass.

"What in Celestia's slippers was that? Huh? AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH! MANE RU-" That's all Starlight could hear from the Stallion as she heard flesh being ripped from bone and that same bone breaking.

"SNAP, NO! GET AWAY FROM HI-" Her voice went silent; only pained gurgling could be heard, most likely having a throat slit. None of it mattered to Starlight. While this was all going down, she jumped from her hiding place and galloped away. Of course, running away was more complicated with only three legs, but the unicorn was alive, which meant her dream could live on. Starlight Glimmer will never forget those two ponies.

Even as she ran, the tears flowed from her eyes, and they wouldn't stop. "For Equality. For Equality. For Equality. For Equality. For Equality. For Equality. For Equality." The unicorn kept telling herself this.

Golden Oak Library

"Twilight, Honey." Twilight Velvet called out

"Twilight, sweetheart," Nightlight called to her through the door.

"Twily, please come out; we just want to talk." Shining tried to reason.

"Twilight, please come out!" Cadance pleads with Twilight. But it didn't work.

Meanwhile, Twilight was still hiding under her bedsheets, becoming more agitated as time went on. Her family wouldn't leave her alone, which was beginning to piss her off. "FOUR BUCKING HOURS AND THEY STILL WON'T LEAVE ME ALONE!" Didn't they know she wanted to be left alone and wallow in her misery. Why do they even care? They all betrayed me once! Especially Celestia!

'A̴t̴ ̶t̷h̸e̴ ̴w̶e̸d̸d̴i̶n̴g̷,̷ ̷t̵h̴e̵y̵ ̵a̵b̶a̶n̸d̴o̴n̶e̸d̴ ̸y̸o̵u̶.̶ ̷'

They did, and they never apologized! Especially stupid shining armor. But Cadance didn't do anything wrong, the same thing with her mom and dad.

"T̴h̷e̴y̶ ̷s̸t̷o̵o̵d̵ ̶t̵h̵e̴r̵e̵ ̷a̸n̷d̸ ̸d̸i̶d̶ ̷n̸o̶t̷h̸i̶n̴g̵,̵ ̸t̴h̴e̷y̶ ̸a̵r̶e̴ ̴a̵t̶ ̷f̴a̶u̶l̴t̴ ̵a̵s̷ ̵w̶e̸l̷l̴.̶"

That was true; they did nothing when-. Twilight stopped her train of thought and slapped herself across the face with a hoof. What was she thinking, are friends and family are waiting for her out there. That bucking voice was trying to turn her against the ones she loves and cares for. Although her feelings for Celestia remained the same, she wanted to punch that bucking horse in the face.

Maybe it was finally time to leave her room? But, her appearance. She looked at her new body again, and it was awful, and it still felt unnatural. She could feel the air passing through her hind legs; her new tail felt like having another limb. Twilight's leathery wings constantly twitched and ached. Her vision was a mess; one eye was excellent, while the other had a blue tint. And worse of all, she had an intense urge to eat meat, love, gem, and mango-flavored ice cream. Twilight hated her new body, and the other would hate it too.

"But I can't hide here forever." What could she do? She didn't dare to leave the safety of her bed, nor the will to call for her friends and family to come in. It was so frustrating; why couldn't she say no to Celestia? If she did, she wouldn't be in this mess right now. Her left ear started to swivel and twitched as she heard something.

"You guys suck at this; let me handle this." That was Rainbow Dash's voice! What could she possibly be up to this time? The cyan pegasus knocked on the door and started talking. "Hey, egg head! If you don't come out right now, I'm gonna rearrange all of your books!" Twilight's head shot up from the covers. "She wouldn't!. Rainbow Dash continued with her threats. "Yup, gonna put the hardcovers with the soft covers." That meathead was going to get it! No she had to remain calm. Even after being warned by Shining Armor, the pegasus kept talking. "And, we're going to add a comic section, and uh, what's it called again?" Spike whispered something to Rainbow. "Yeah, we're going to add a manga section." It was a type of comic book from Trotkyo.

Twilight's breaking point was evident by her horn's black and green energy. The Ponies outside the room saw the energy leaking through.

"Everypony hit the deck!"

Everypony and drake did as they were told and dove out the way, laid on the floor flat on their stomachs. Twilight's room door exploded a few seconds later, becoming nothing more than wood chunks and splinters. The same had dark green mana swirling around her, breaking anything it touched. Somehow, the Horrorcorn used the Alptraum skill she learned without her knowing. But that didn't matter because Twilight was furious.

"COMICS AND MANGA ARE NOT REAL LITERATURE!" Twilight bellowed throughout the library, infuriated by the prospect of somepony tainting her library with such filth. Spike looked hurt and was slightly offended by his mother's statement. After a few seconds, the swirling corruption disappeared, and the Horrorcorn's anger faded. And now she was aware of her surroundings and saw that everypony was looking at her. While her friends looked saddened and hurt, her family was shocked.

Princess Celestia informed the family that Twilight went through some changes because of a magical mishap; they braced for the worse, even if that wasn't enough. Mrs. and Mr. sparkle cringed and backed away slightly; Cadance gasped in shock while Shining stared at her with a blank expression.

"I should have stayed in bed." Twilight thought as she walked down the stairs towards her family. If she was going to show her new body, she might as well play it up. The Horrocorn puts on an insincere smile and slowly walks around her family. "Like the new look? You thank the Princess for that." Twilight's tail whipped around and smacked the nearby wall, leaving a large dent. Some of the ponies flinched as this; if that hit anypony, it would have broken bones or worse.

"I even have a new outlook on life." she gestured at her new eyes. "I can see stuff in blue and see in the dark!" She stopped in front of Cadance and looked her over. The alicorn, in turn, gave Twilight a nervous smile. "Look, Cadance, we match!" Twilight unfolded her wings and pointed her wings. "I got a horn and wings, just like you! We're nearly the same height! Hahaha!" The Horrorcorn forced a laugh out that made Pinkie Pie cringe.

Still, nopony said anything. "Well, say something!" She yelled at them, frustrated at the silent treatment. "All of you spent hours trying to get me out of my room and talk. And now you have nothing to say?!" But Shining Armor didn't need to say anything and brought her sister into a hug. "Hey! Let me go!" The Horrorcorn was in no mood for hugs, especially in this new body.

But the Stallion didn't listen and continued. "I failed you at my wedding, but not this time. It doesn't matter what you look like; you'll always be Twily to me."

Twilight snarled and started thrashing. "Y-you're lying, not just you, all of you!" but her new senses didn't lie to her, she could feel the love emanating from her brother. And not just him, from everypony in the room, as they came closer. "No, stay away!" But none of them listened, and it became a group hug.

"You'll always be our friend, Sugar Cube!"

"Buck, yeah! Even if you stay like that, I'll teach you all I know about flying!"

"You'll always be Twilight to us, darling."

"I'm so sorry, Twilight!"

"BEST FRIENDS FOREVER!"

"I think you look awesome!"

"Oh sweetie, forgive us. The Princess didn't give us enough details."

"That's right, and we'll have a very long conversation with her."

"I need to have a few words with aunt Celestia."

Twilight wanted to yell, bite, and call all of them liars, but she couldn't; their feelings were true. With no other choice, she embraced them back. After six days of nothing but misery and self-loathing, this felt amazing. She felt foolish thinking her friends and family would abandon her like that. Friendship is truly magic.

The group held each other for a few minutes until Spike pulled out of the group hug. "uh, hey, Twilight. I had an idea." Twilight raised an eyebrow, pulled out the group hug, and looked at the young drake. "Since the elements of harmony caused this, couldn't they reverse it?"

That wasn't a bad idea, but the Horrocorn was skeptical, considering what they had done to her already. "Spike, I don't know, i-" But Spike already ran off to grab her tiara, causing Twilight to sigh internally; some things never change. The drake returned with the Twilight's tiara and held it out for her.

Twilight picked up the element of magic with her hoof and felt a jolt of energy run up her foreleg. "It's rejecting me?!" It tried to reject the Horrocorn but couldn't, so a compromise had to be made, lest the tree of harmony becomes corrupted. The piece of jewelry started shifting and changing its shape to its new role.

The element of magic was no longer a tiara but a golden pendulum with the element itself floating in its middle. Everypony looked at it in awe, and without warning, a giant purple scythe materialized from the new accessory. Twilight drops the pendulum and jumps back out of fear. The scythe disappears as soon as the accessory hits the floor.

"Ich wette, es läuft nach zwei Wochen ab!" Pinkie pie said out of nowhere, in a weird language. Twilight had no time for pinkie’s silliness.

The Horrocorn stepped forward and touched the element with her hoof. "A pendulum?"

Mushrump

The Black Crows sat around a bonfire and watched the sunset and the moon rise. Raven found the process unnatural; the sun and moon moved far too fast. He could accept the moon moving at such speeds, but not the sun; unless it was very close, but the sun would burn the planet to a crisp. The sun had to be extremely small for that to work, but it wasn't possible either. If it weren't for the fact he woke up in a nasod facility, the man would have guessed he was on another planet.
"What happened to the original Sun and Moon?"

His sad thoughts were cut off by the approach of Queen Ambrosia and five of her drones; the drones were aiding their Queen’s walking. Some parts of Ambrosia's chitin looked cracked, but she still had that childish look on her face; This frustrated Raven to no end. The small group sat down by the fire, and the drones started glaring at the Human, but he paid them no mind. "Geez, you hit hard; most creatures wouldn't even dream about hitting A Changeling Queen."

Raven snorted angrily at her, seeing that she doesn't even look guilty for pulling such a stunt. "Considering what you did, I should have hit you harder." Ambrosia's drones hissed at the Human for his insolence, but one glare from the man reminded them who they were dealing with; they went silent and backed away slightly. "Doesn't matter who you are as well; mess with them or me." Raven gestures towards his charges with a thumb. "You're getting a beat down." The Cyborg received 'Aws' from the foals, causing him to blush slightly.

Ambrosia found this adorable; the big bad killing machine was embarrassed, and she even tasted the love Raven was giving off. But the flavor was very different; the best way she could describe it was as if somepony took a cupcake and pickled it for fifteen years, then decided to put hot sauce on it. Raven's love was very filling, even with just a taste, but it was mixed in with anger and sorrow. While she didn't mind the taste too much, a girl got to eat; the drones couldn't eat this; the negative emotions would make them sick. This made her wonder, what could push a creature to such a state? "Hey, Raven, what happened to you?"

"Ah." Raven looked at the curious changeling Queen and wondered if he should tell her. He decided to give her a small run-down of how he ended up here. Also, this gave him the chance to finish his story on Lu and Ciel. "Many things, but one of the most significant contributors would be me being the last of my species. Long ago, there were millions of Humans. "

footnote:

Twilight

NEW ITEM ACQUIRED

Element of Magic(pendulum) - - Due to Twilight's corruption, she has been rejected by harmony. But due to her attunement with the element, connections with her friends, and outside influence; the element of magic has taken a new form! The pendulum, no horns required! This allows Twilight to switch between creation and cycle magic.

Bearers of the elements

Active skill - -

Friendship blast- - DISABLED

NEW ACTIVE SKILL (BYPASS)

Ende der Welt - - Power comes at a heavy price.

(Twilight's new weapon would look something like this)

Chapter 16(Moving Foward)

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Moving Foward

Five Years Before The End Of The World

"No, wait, please!" The human soldier begged, but his world fell upon deaf ears.

"Maximum Cannon!" A giant fireball engulfs the Human, killing him in seconds, leaving only a chard corpse. Raven looked at the now-dead Human and snorted in disgust. "Couldn't even die with dignity, Hmph." Raven Maxwell, ex-soldier of Velder and now feared Captain of the Black Crow airship and brainwashed Humans. But, the mere sight of a Human enraged the Captain, so he made all of his men wear gas masks and had them cover up every inch of their bodies with leather armor.

King Nasod sent Raven and his men to the Richie Mines to find the El. The black crows stood in front of twenty soldiers, hailing from Elder. Raven executed five of them out of the twenty, and he was losing patience. "Now, tell me, where is the El? If you don't tell me, I'll have my men slowly skin you all alive." The tied-up soldiers shivered in fear; some even began to cry and beg for their lives.

"We don't know; it has to be in Ruben!" One of the soldiers screamed out, not wanting to die like this.

Raven had enough of these lies; he dashed forward and swung his blade without warning. The Human who gave his answer was decapitated, spraying everyone nearby with blood. This blood covered the Cyborg, but he didn't mind; if anything, he was delighted. "Lies, look around you!" He gestured to the whole mining cavern they were in. The place was filled with mining equipment, but what stood out was all the destroyed Nasods. All of these Nasod were generation one models, but these were made for mining, excavating, and healing. But they all looked poorly made and stiff, nothing like the ones found in Altera Core.

After the remaining humans looked around, they looked at Black Crow, confused. "This mine is filled with man-made Nasod, and some even have the Velder logo on them! And don't think I didn't hear about Elder's technological advancements." The Cyborg walked closer to the terrified group of Humans and told them. "I know Wally has the El, but where is he keeping it?" They didn't say anything, but Raven guessed right about the El's whereabouts from the look on their faces. Now he just needed to pinpoint the exact location. And he knew how to get them to talk; they just needed a little push. " If you tell me where Wally keeps the El, I will spare Elder and its people. But if you don't tell me or lie to me."

Raven bent down and used his brand new Nasod claw to grab a soldier by his throat. He looked the soldier dead in the eye and said. "I will burn your village to the ground and slaughter any Human I encounter. Young or old, no one will be spared." The Man he held by the throat sniffled and cried and nodded his head in agreement.

"W-'we'll tell you, j-just spare the village." The Man whimpered out. Raven grinned and released him; standing back at his full height, Raven looked at the remaining Humans. These filthy humans will be rewarded with slavery for their cooperation. As for the village, as much as he hated it, he would spare the people if these humans told him the truth. Although it didn't matter in the long run, mankind's end was coming. Once he obtains the El, Raven will turn his sights on Velder and have his revenge.

Raven turned around and used his curved blade to deflect four bullets that were aimed at him. When he finally heard the gunshots, he didn't have time to react as a fist connected with his stomach and sent him flying back and over his captives. "GAH!" Raven landed on his back but quickly recovered and returned to his feet. What the Cyborg saw enraged him and gave him a massive headache. Lu freed the captive soldiers by slashing at the ropes with her gauntlets that looked too big for her to wield. At the same time, Ciel fought off his brainwashed men with well-time slashes and shots with his gunblades.

"Power Assault!" Raven charged toward the escaped Humans; he couldn't let them get away!

"Stomp!" Lu leaps forward and smashes the ground in front of Raven, sending blue fire and chunks of rock flying. This forced the Cyborg to stop his attack and jump back. "You should be ashamed of yourself, Raven!" Raven gritted his teeth in anger."What is she talking about?" He thought to himself angrily, as the mind control did its best to keep his old memories suppressed.

Raven looked over and saw the dead bodies of his men; the ones still standing were useless to him. "Black Crows retreat! I'll handle these fools myself." They retreated upon hearing their orders, leaving behind the injured and dying without care. Ciel didn't chase after them because he and Lu were here to rescue the captured soldiers and stop the black crows' Captain.

Ciel walked up and stood beside Lu, looked over Raven's body, and noticed the new arm. "Long time no see, Raven. Nice arm." The half-demon said casually.

The Cyborg grinned savagely at that and flexed his nasod arm. "The Nasods gave me this; with it, I'll take my revenge on humanity!"

Lu was shocked; this wasn't the kind-hearted Human she once knew but a monster reviled in innocence's slaughter. " What happened to you, Raven?!" Last they heard, Raven was charged with treason and was to be executed. Of course, Lu and Ciel didn't believe this. The two of them even heard that Raven's men and fiancé planned a daring escape, but they were all slaughtered, and no one could find Raven's body, just his left arm.

Raven laughed at the little Queen's question. " The greedy humans did this to me! And I will have my revenge." The mind control did suppress his memories, but it couldn't hide the hate and misery, even if it were vague and aimless.

Ciel felt something was off with him and decided to test this out. " What about your promise to Seris? Do you think she wanted this?"

Raven was bewildered; how did these two know that name and a promise? "Kugh!" The headache was back, and it was far worse! "What are you talking about? I-i don't even know you people!" The mind control was working overtime to suppress the memories of that day. "Promise with Seris? Nonsense!" Raven held up his claw and blade and took a fighting stance. "But if there was something like that, it's most likely about getting revenge on those filthy traitorous Humans! The same ones who wouldn't hesitate to send their comrades to their deaths for one's profit!" Raven was done talking and had nothing else to say.

Lu and Ciel now grasped Raven's situation, his being controlled by a third party, but who? It didn't matter; they would capture and free the Cyborg's mind. " Don't worry, Raven; we'll save you," Ciel grunted in approval. Both of them got into a fighting stance and waited. It was a standoff; they were waiting on someone to make the first move, but who?

"RAH!" Raven used his claw to propel himself forward by releasing a stream of fire from the exhaust on the palm. While this all happened, Raven's sword is engulfed by flames; it was a weaker version of 'Sword Fire' used by magic knights, but it gets the job done. He was charging right for Ciel, ready to end him.

"Flick shot." A blue rune with a pointed star appeared in front of Ciel, and he shoots it, turning the bullet into a magic bullet. This bullet headed straight for Raven. The Cyborg wasn't worried; even at the speed he was going, he could deflect it. But as he got ready to deflect it, the bullet took a sharp turn and got out of the way. The magic bullet took another quick turn, got behind the Cyborg, and hit from the back. "GAH!" Thankfully, super armor slowed it down, but it still got through his armor.

Lu took the chance and leaped forward and slammed her giant fist into Raven, sending him flying back. "Now, Ciel!" Ciel nodded and aimed both gunblades at Raven. Some unknown force kept Lu in the air, and she created a rune in front of herself. "Nether Shredder!" They said in sync with one another. Lu summoned a giant demon hand from the nether realm while Ciel fired bullets.

The demon hand tried to restrain the thrown Cyborg, but Raven wouldn't let that happen. "Canon blade!" Raven shot out a giant fireball from his claw, which got him out of the way of the claw and consumed both the bullets and claw. It ended with a large explosion, leaving a crater where the demon claw first emerged.

Raven landed safely, and he clicked his tongue in annoyance. "At this rate, they will overwhelm me! Time to use it!" Raven used power assault again and charged forward.

Ciel shook his head in disappointment. "Using the same move, again, eh? See where that gets you." The half-demon used Flick Shot once more, and Lu got ready to beat the living daylight out of Raven. But to their surprise, the Cyborg just disappeared. Flick Shot completely missed, and the little demon was on the search for Raven. Then the two heard something from behind them and turned to see. To their horror, Raven had his claw held back with a massive grin on his face.

Raven used a skill called 'Shadow step.' which turned him invisible and allowed him to phase through objects. Of course, the skill only worked half the time and had downsides if it didn't go off properly. But it went off properly this time, and he was delighted to end this. "Seven Burst!" Raven threw out a massive fireball that would explode seven times, destroying anything that got in the way.

To the Cyborg's surprise, the duo was ready for this. Lu jumped into the air and stayed there while Ciel threw ten grenades. "Soul infest!" Again they both said it in sync. Lu held both claws together and fired off magic missiles, while Ciel struck a pose and created a barrier to protect the two from the explosion. Each missile made contact with the grenades, exploding, which created smaller explosions.

Once both attacks made contact, the explosion was massive, canceling each other. As a consequence, the cavern started collapsing. A gigantic boulder dropped from the ceiling and separated Raven from Lu and Ciel. Wasting no time, Raven made his escape; he would deal with them another day. "It's never too late, Raven! I still believe in you!" Lu called out to Raven.

It wouldn't be long before Raven obtained the El and crossed paths with a boy named Elsword, which led Raven on a path of penance. The last part was destined to happen, but fate was fickle, and Raven wanted justice.

The Present, Mushrump

"That was the last time I saw those two; if I could, I would tell them I'm sorry. Same with those soldiers." Raven stared at the bonfire with an air of melancholy surrounding him. He looked up and was surprised that more than half of Ambrosia's hive was gathered
around the group listening to the story. They all stared at the Human with their big yellow bug eyes; the story completely engrossed them.

Raven looked to his charges and Ambrosia, who all had the same look of awe and wonder. "The hell is with these guys? Those drones were terrified of me, and now they came over to listen to my story? My story wasn't all that interesting, was it?"The Cyborg saw the looks on their faces change; he braced himself for the onslaught of questions.

"You can turn yourself invisible?!"

"YOUR CLAW THING CAN MAKE EXPLOSIONS?!"

"You can put fire on your sword, like in that one book 'game of ponies'?!"

Meanwhile, many thoughts were running through Ambrosia's mind. "Raven is the last of his species! He came from a time that predates Equis itself. And he is smarter than he looks."She wanted to stuff this Man in a cocoon and have him to herself. Sure his love tasted like expired pickles, but it was filling. Now, how could she have him to herself? Sex didn't work. Maybe mind control? It was tempting, but she had no idea if that would work on a creature that couldn't be turned to stone. What could she win Raven over with?

"Yes, I can turn myself invisible for a few seconds, I created the skill myself after all, but it's impractical to use." Honestly, he just modified the teleportation spell and called it his own. Raven pulled out his sword and held it out so everyone could see. "And yes, I can do this." With a bit of concentration and mana, Raven's sword is ablaze. Resulting in some 'oh's' and 'aw's' from the changelings and his charges. Again, he didn't see what was so impressive about this one; it was a crappy version of 'sword fire.'

Raven extinguishes the flames and puts his sword away. "And no, my arm can't make explosions anymore, just venom and plants." "Also ghosts, and ice" The small voice said in the back of his head. Raven demonstrates this by creating a black vine that grows on the palm of his claw. It was stiff and rigged, but it was technically 'living.'

Ambrosia saw this and knew how she could get to him!"Combat! It's so simple; time to work your charm." The Queen clears her throat, grabbing Raven's attention. "You know, when I saw you fight, I couldn't help but notice how you lack creativity."

Raven had to hear this, especially from a quadrupedal; this might prove entertaining. "Really, how so?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Gotcha!" She thought evilly. "The way you wield your vines, it's so dull! You throw out a bunch of seeds, and vines grow? Booooooooooorrrrrrrrrriiiiiiinnnnnnnnnngggggggg! You need to have fun." Ambrosia's horn came to life, and a green vine sprouted from the ground near her. "Plants aren't just something you can throw out; you have to treat them as its part of you." Using her magic, she has the vine grab a rock and fling it at one of the mushroom houses, leaving a hole on the exterior. "I could teach you if you wouldn't mind~." She flutters her eyelashes at the Human.

The Human couldn't lie; Ambrosia's reasoning was sound. His use of Valasia vines has been more or less flinging things at another thing. It doesn't mean they weren't effective; it was just a little too predictable. Learning from a changeling Queen couldn't be too bad, as long as she kept her hooves to herself. "Fine, I could use the training."

The Changeling Queen clapped her hooves together in excitement. "Sweet, I promise you won't regret it." Although, she had another question. "You mentioned someling named Seris; who was she?" Ambrosia regretted asking that because Raven's expression darkened, and she could feel the hate radiate off him. Her children got ready to flee, not wanting to be anywhere him when he lashed out. Raven didn't do any of that; he let out a calming breath and answered the question.

"Seris was my fiancé, the first to join when I formed the Black Crows... She was a noble too; she could have joined the Red Knights. Now she's gone. That's it." For the ex-mercenary, it's only been three years since he lost Seris; of course, it's been more than that, but the wound was still fresh. Even worse, his claw started to ache again. "Let's just move on; we have much to discuss."Raven pulled out his smartphone and pulled up the map. "We're trying to head here." The Human scooted closer so Ambrosia could see.

Ambrosia looked at the strange black rectangle that the Human held; the scream was bright and colorful! The other changelings thought the same as they got closer. Raven saw all this and waved them off with his claw; they had no time for this nonsense. "Ambrosia, focus. The map tells us to go to this valley, but it doesn't have a name, and it's not detailed enough to be considered safe. Do you know anything about this place?"

The Queen gave the Human nervous giggle after being distracted so easily. "Hehe, sorry. Now, let's see." She narrowed her eyes as she looked at the map."Hhhmmm, That's the stone valley, it's like the badlands, little to no life, noling lives there, and possible hides a secret civilization that noling knows about." Raven gave her a questioning look. "Oh yeah, there's this rumor going around about how most of the thestrals are hiding underground." Raven found this to be wildly off-topic, but he saw the three thestrals in his group shuffling around nervously; this could be worth investigating later.

"Please stay on topic." Oleander said, sounding annoyed.

"Oh right, where was I? Oh right! Ponies have been saying that the valley is home to a monster! Sometimes you can hear the moans of dead ponies, slapping and popping of flesh." The foals in Raven's group start to shake in fear; even some of the nymphs begin to tremble in fear. "You can hear the mad ramblings of a mare who has lost her mind long ago. And those who venture too far in and hear the laughter will never be seen again!" At this point, the foals were scared stiff.

Oleander and Raven were the only ones who seemed to be skeptical. "That's it? Some moans, groans, and some laughter? It sounds like somepony is playing a prank." Raven had to agree with Oleander, but the missing ponies part couldn't be overlooked. They needed to proceed with caution.

"Regardless, we will proceed with caution. As we travel, is there anything we should worry about? Like who owns these lands over here?" Raven pointed at the stone valley and moved to Flutter Valley.

"Nnnnnope! Besides the griffons who fly by, the land isn't claimed by no creature."

Raven's one eye went wide at this! Unclaimed land!? This would be any country's wet dream, but there must be a catch. "What's wrong with Flutter Valley?" Stone Valley had apparent problems, so what about Flutter Valley?

"Oh, nothing~ Just the fact it's homed to one of the biggest roc in all of Equis!" Ambrosia threw her hooves up in the air while everypony and changeling flinched at the creature's name. The only one who seemed unfazed was Raven. The Queen noticed this and tried to clear things for him. "It's a giant bird that can go hoof to hoof with a dragon."

Raven rolled his eye and lets out a low snort. "We'll take care of it later. Honestly, you lot are worried about everything." Ambrosia shouldn't be too surprised; this is the same person who took on an alicorn and didn't bat an eye. "But I must ask, Dragons are no longer extinct? If so, excellent." Raven said with a smile to everyone's confusion.

"Dragons were very evil and greedy creatures back in my time, but they made excellent resources for alchemy, and their scales were great for making armor. If we have time, we should hunt for some an-" Everyone was horrified that Raven was talking about hunting dragons so casually. While Xuez had no love for dragons, they were still intelligent creatures; while they were greed, but they were capable of love. The winged Zebra was going to put a stop to this.

Xuez walked up to the Human and nudged his leg, which stopped his rambling. Raven saw that Xuez had a stern look on his face. "Mr.Raven, while dragons may be greedy, they're intelligent creatures, capable of love just like you and I. So no, you can't go around hunting them." The colt was firm on his stance.

"I see, then I see no reason to hunt them, but if they attack us unprovoked, I'm taking their resources. Agreed?" Xuez smiles and nods. Raven smiles back and pats the colt on the head. "Also, very well said, boy."

Cozy rolled her eyes at this, but she had a question. "Wait, what happened to the dragons during your time?" The filly asked.

"Humans happened."

Cozy wasn't surprised; if the Humans were anything like Raven, she felt bad for them even though she didn't give a hoot about the dragons.

"Moving on, Resources." Raven puts his phone away. " The Black crows has another week worth of food and medical supplies." Even though they used more than half of the supplies when Raven got hurt. "What about your Hive?"

Ambrosia thought about it for a moment before giving him an answer. "We're still good on medical stuff, as for food." The Queen couldn't lie; the love they were receiving wasn't enough. "We've been feeding off thirteen ponies and three griffons, and they've been producing less."

"May I see one of them?" Raven was rather curious about how these creatures feed, especially how they keep their captives.

The Queen tilted her head to the side, but it couldn't hurt showing him how they feed. She sent the signal through the hive, and in less than a minute, one of her drones came flying in holding a honey-colored cocoon. It was filled with a translucent liquid containing a pony mare. From the looks of things, she was sleeping. The foals were very uncomfortable while the changelings licked their lips. Raven poked it and found that the cocoon was very sticky and smelled of honey. "Interesting, but what stops anyone from breaking out of it?"

"Oh, let me show you." Ambrosia opened her mouth and spewed out changeling slime. The slime stuck to Raven's claw and made it unmovable. The Man's only reaction was a raised eyebrow. "Changeling slime is very good at trapping prey and nullifying magic, and once any creature is a cocoon, they're too weak to" The Queen watched as the slime turned to dust, allowing Raven to move his claw again.

"Looks like Valasia beats changeling slime." Raven flexed his claw with a grin on his face.

Ambrosia crossed her forelegs and stuck her tongue out at the Man. "That's cheating! Do you always have to break the rules?!"

"Built different!"

Raven shrugged. "To be fair, I felt the slime suppressing some of my mana, but not nearly enough to be a hindrance." It would take a lot more than that to slow down Raven. "By the way, if or when we find a way to produce love for your hive, I want you to release her and everyone you have captive." Raven points at the cocoon. If he was being honest, he had no love for these trapped creatures; they got caught, which was their fault. Ambrosia nodded her head in agreement, but she would miss her playthings. "Although, I have to ask, why not produce love and feed off each other?"

The Queen gagged at the mention, same with the changelings around her. "NO! That's an early grave; only a Queen could do such a thing and feed off of love made by changelings." Ambrosia made a snipping gesture with her hoof. "My mom told me it puts holes in your brain, making you go crazy!.. Actually, that might explain why Chrissy is such a massive bitch?"

"So even changelings can get Prion diseases. Interesting." With nothing more to say, Raven lies on his back and looks up at the night sky. "Alright, everyone, we're getting up nice and early in the morning, so get some rest; we have a long journey ahead of us."

"So you're going to sleep on the ground with nothing?" Ambrosia asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Those mushroom houses are too small for me to fit in, and the kids don't have any sleeping bags in my size," Raven said with his eyes closed.

"I could always put you in a cocoon~ it'd be nice an-"

"No, thank you, and goodnight."

"Eh, it was worth a shot, night night."

Henir's Time and Space

Glave stood there in the endless space that was Henir's dimension. "Things are about to take an interesting turn. Shame that Twilight couldn't be fully corrupted. Then again, we didn't want to have another ain on our hands. Let's see where the magic of friendship will lead?" These 'Mane six' reminded him of the El search party: annoying, optimistic, and downright happy all the time.

"As for the new Black Crows! HAHAHA! A third time is a charm, am I right? Honestly, they won't like wh-" Out of reflex, he jumps out of the way as a lighting bolt flies past him.

"Honestly, talking to yourself? Somepony might think you're crazy! Hahahaha!" Discord stood a few feet away from an amused Glave. "But enough with pleasantries. I don't know who you are, but you're going to undo what you did!" Discord snarled out.

"Oh my, is the clown angry that the performance isn't turning out how he likes?" Three keys appear from thin air and insert themselves into the Man's locks, unlocking three out of the six locks he had on him. " Alright, Discord, I'll play with you for a bit, but." Dark blue, dark energy appears on both of his hands. "I'll show you what real Chaos is!"

[Captain of the Black Crows]

Chapter 17(UTOPIA)

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UTOPIA

Stone Valley

"Are we there yet?" The foals said in unison, which annoyed Raven and Oleander.

"For the love of the goddess! Yes, we're here! Stone Valley!" Raven yells out!

Two days have passed since the Black Crows and the Honeycomb hive departed Mushrump for Stone Valley. The trip was uneventful besides the lessons Ambrosia gave Raven along the way. Thanks to these lessons, Raven has a better grasp of using Valasia in its plant form. He can grab objects with his vines now and even bring himself toward something if the planet is latched onto something sturdy. Still, the Cyborg had a long road ahead of him before he could truly master this, which means more lessons with Ambrosia.

Raven discovered that the HoneyComb hive only has two hundred dedicated fighters out of the thousand two hundred in one of their discussions. Most of the drones were infiltrators or love gathers, while the rest were nymphs. From what The Queen told him, they would lure in ponies and have 'fun' with them, then release them. But ever since Chrysalis exposed their entire race, ponies and other species have become wary and paranoid. This meant they had to spend more time gathering food and had less time for relaxation.

The trip would have taken less than a day if they had flown, but the Human refused to be carried like a piece of luggage. So, they went by hoof and foot in Raven's case. And so, here they were standing in front of the valley—nothing but stone and the cloudy black sky as far as they could see. The land was barren; nothing, absolutely nothing, was growing here. "Geez, not even the badlands were this bad," A random male changeling said. "Uh-huh, this place gives me the creeps!" Another changeling said.

Ambrosia had to agree with her children; there was no life to be had here; even the air here felt lifeless. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to come here? Too late to turn back now; the potential of having an unlimited supply of love was too good to pass up, and of course, taking Chrysalis's head was a good incentive.

Raven gave a nervous Oleander sideways glance. "Oleander, what's your take on this? Because this isn't natural" The Man squatted down and dragged his hand across the stone, and he wasn't surprised to find more stone underneath. He kept clawing at the ground and still found nothing but stone, no trace of any other type of rock or mineral.

"Ah well. Uh," Oleander cleared her throat and tried to shake off the nervous feeling. " From what I've observed, it's like this whole place has been petrified. But nothing should be capable of such a feat, maybe the princesses or Discord himself?" Raven instantly crossed Discord off the list; from what he's been told, Discord was a buffoon that liked playing pranks. The Princesses were more likely, but what reason did they have to turn an entire piece of land barren? Were they trying to stop the spread of something? Should they turn back? No.

This was no time for doubts; the answers he was looking for were straight ahead. All he had to do was move forward. "It doesn't matter; whatever that lies ahead, we can handle it." While everyone was nervous, even Ambrosia, Raven was filled with resolve; nothing will stop him from reaching the truth. He stood up at his full height and looked back at the changeling Queen. "Do you remember the formation I told you about?"

She nodded and sent her orders through hive mind, which all of her changelings received. Twenty drones took the form of pegasuses and took the air and formed up. The rest stayed on the ground and took their positions. Raven gestured to his charges to remain in the middle. In less than in minute, everyone was in place. The formation they took wasn't too dissimilar from an arrowhead.

The changelings in the sky were the scouts and would warn everyone if something was coming their way. Everyone on the ground was in groups of around a hundred, spreading out. Approximately four warriors were in each group; they would fight head-on and draw the enemy's attention while the rest blasted it with their magic. The middle formation had the sick, injured, foals, nymphs, and the Queen; everyone would protect this group at all costs. Meanwhile, Raven stood at the very tip of the formation. Technically, he was the captain and should stay in the middle, but he was also the powerhouse and was the only one capable of ending a battle in seconds.

It's been five days since his fight with Luna, and his wounds were fully healed within that time. He no longer felt sluggish and was filled with energy. Raven had no doubts in his mind; all they had to do was move forward. The Man was ready, but was the people behind him ready? "THERE SHOULD BE NO DOUBTS IN YOUR MIND!"

Everyone stiffened at Raven's booming voice. "Steel your nerves and keep moving forward and trust your comrades! Now march! And double time!" Raven pulled out his sword and started jogging, followed by nearby changelings. "Ah, this feeling." He felt something, the feeling of dread, the same dread he felt when he went to war. The Cyborg hadn't felt like this since he fought the demons in Feita and Velder. His resolve started weaver again until he saw something shining ahead.

Once the marching army was closing enough, Raven bent down and scooped up the shining object with his claw. What he held was unusual; it was a heart-shaped locket. He felt magic emitting from the accessory; it felt warm and comforting. The Man tried opening it and found that he couldn't, no matter how much force he used. "I'll examine this later." Raven placed the locket in his pocket.

32 minutes Later

The longer the group traveled, Oleander's theory of petrifaction made more sense. They've passed by trees, bushes, tiny houses, and a waterfall made of stone. But there were no signs of this supposed monster, just the occasional stone landmark. It didn't mean they would let their guard down.

Soon the group came by a castle made of stone; it was relatively small and basic; it would be better to call it a fort. They heard it, trumpets and the mains and moans of something talking."RAAAAAAAGOOOOWWWINTRRRDUCINGHER" It was complete gibberish. But from what Raven could piece together, it felt someone or something was trying to introduce royalty.

That same feeling of dread came back at full force, it felt like something was watching them, and it was hungry. "wELCoME t-T-T-T-tO mY perfect EmPIRe MY nEW SuBJECTS! SoON all of yOU wilL be perfEct! HAHahA!" From what everyone could hear, the voice was artificial and damaged. While everyone was scared, Raven was terrified because he recognized that voice. The Cyborg looked around frantically, trying to find the origins of this voice.

NO NO NO NO, SHE SHOULDN'T BE ALIVE!" The small voice in Raven's head was also terrified.

Cozy hated this! Everything has been out of her control ever since she joined the group. Things were so simple before this, all she had to do was be cute and innocent, and ponies would do what she asked. But now she felt so small and helpless and couldn't stand it! Out of frustration, she lashed out and yelled at the sky! "Who the buck are you?! Calling us your subjects and this place is perfect! You're nothing!"

The trumpets cut off, and the voice stops its laughter. The only thing that could be heard were the moans of an unknown creature and the metal chains on the Raven's belt. Then the voice came back, and it didn't sound too pleased. "YOU arE WrOng." It said calmly, with an edge to its voice.

"SAYS WHO?!" Cozy barked back!

"BECauSE i DeEMEd It sO. For youR DisReSpecT, aLL oF yoU wIll Be PunISHED. TrOJaN HorsE!" A giant holographic rocking horse appeared in front of the group out of nowhere. It had wings on it's back and it started flashing black, it was covered in holographic screens saying 'ERROR!'. It started approaching the group at an alarming speed, destorying anything that got in the way.

"Everyone, get out of the way!" Raven commanded, and no one thought twice about it. The Man dashed out of the way, along with every other changeling. The unlucky few were either crushed or vaporized on contact. Then Raven noticed something, the way it moved, the horse was tracking someone and he knew who was being tracked. The Cyborg sprinted after the horse.

Cozy and the other foals screamed as a giant hobby horse chased them! "You had to open your bring mouth, didn't you?!" Moon Charm yelled at the Pegasus.

"Shut up! I don't want to hear it from you!" They watched as Ambrosia flew and blasted the horse with her magic; it did nothing! Oleander threw out some 'fel sparks,' and they did nothing! "Scatter, It can't go after all of us!" They did precisely that with no other choice, and it became clear who was being chased. "ARE YOU BUCKING KIDDING ME!" Cozy yelled out in frustration. Why couldn't she keep her mouth shut?!

"Power assault!" Raven dashed passed the trojan horse and was now running alongside Cozy.

The Pegasus couldn't be happier to see her favorite Human! "Mr.Maxwell, I knew you woul-" Raven scooped up the filly with his claw. "uh, what are you doing." Then the Human threw her over the Trojan horse like a football. "You motherbucker!" Raven would apologize to her later but couldn't have anyone nearby while performing his next skill.

As the Trojan horse got ready to turn around, but its movement were halted. The hologram was trapped in a dome made of Valasia and blackthorns. "Interdiction." Raven covers his blade with Valasia and slashes at the dome. The dome explodes destroying everything within, including the trojan horse, leaving nothing but ones and zeros: and they too disappeared.

"Behind you!" The small voice tried to warn Raven, but it was too late. Raven was hit from behind by a giant pink electric ball. Once it made contact, he was trapped in a pink electric force field that held him in place. The electricity was constant as well, making the Man scream in pain. "GGGAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

"Shes trying to get in! Activate Safe Mode!"

Holographic Errors screens appeared before the screaming Raven. They disappeared to reveal a generation two Nasod female wearing the most elegant ball dress possible. The dress was made of black, white, and gold colors, and towards the bottom, it had eyes that tracked everyone's movements closely. What put it all together were the black and gold feathers and the violet and gold brooch she wore around her neck.

This wasn't just any Nasod; it was Eve, Queen of the Nasod! But she looks far different than Raven remembered. Her gray-white hair was as long as her dress. The energy core on her forehead was a bright red and constantly flashed 'error'. Her hands were covered in golden cracks. Her feet were mutated and had metal sticking out of them. The two Nasod drones, Remy and Moby, were wildly different. Even after all this time, Remy remained uncorrupted but was in a sorry state. While Moby was unrecognizable, the drone was demonic-looking.

"rAven! It's BEeN sO LoNG, I'm GlaD YOU'Re AlIVe! LAst tiMe I SAw yOu, YoU wEre BEing ArResTed! I mean aFtER WhAt YOU DiD TO thAT NobLe anD Her WIfe, I woULD Do ThE same haHAhaHEHEHE!" Eve cackled uncontroablely

"E-eve!" That was the only thing he could get out!

"eVE!?" The crazed Nasod slapped the Cyborg in anger. "HOw DAre yOu, Eve was a Weak aND pATHetic fOoL, Who coUlDN't geT anything DoNE! i Am peRFection! SOMEThing aLL nasod AnD HUmAnS SHouLd STRiVE tO be! i AM" The Nasod Queen gave Raven a cruel smile. "Antithese! And with the power of El, I will remake this imperfect world once again!"

footnote:

Raven

NEW ITEM ACQUIRED

Heart-Shaped Locket - - Raven can feel the magic within but can't get it to open. The warmth reminds him of better times.

NEW VIRUS ACQUIRED

ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR!
ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR!
ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR!
ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR!
ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR!

"MAKE IT STOP!"

"HAHAHA YOU CANNOT DENY YOUR EMPRESS!""

VENOM TAKER SKILLS: DISABLED

MUTANT REAPER SKILLS: DISABLED

VALASIA ARM: DISABLED

WELCOME TO UTOPIA!

[Antithese]

Chapter 18(The Alliance vs Antithese)

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The Alliance vs Antithese

Three Years Before The End Of The World

Raven watched as Elsword, Aisha, and Rena discussed their plans with Lento on how they would take back the Feita Temple. The Cyborg gave all the relevant information and added little to the discussion; he had other things to worry about, like keeping an eye on that Nasod. Ever since Eve found that unknown Code, she's been suspiciously quiet. There was something obviously wrong with her, one of them being that she couldn't fly anymore. He brought this up to the others, but Elsword brushed his concerns aside. When asked, Eve chalked it up to her flight program being damaged; the former Captain didn't believe that.

"Is there a problem, Raven?" The Cyborg was brought back to reality when Eve asked him that question. He finally realized he was staring at her and made no effort to hide it. The Nasod crossed her arms and gave him a slide glance. "Are you still worried about the code I found?" She replied in the same emotionless note.

Another thing that frustrated Raven was that he couldn't prove the code unknown was dangerous. Sure he could fly an airship, fix engines with a manual on hand, and even work with taking apart Nasods and putting them back together, but getting Code to work, or even how they work? He had no idea, and it didn't help that others didn't know squat. Elsword isn't well educated, Aisha is only good with magic, and Rena is an elf who dislikes technology. Then there's Ain...wait, where the fuck is he? It didn't matter right now; he needed to talk to Eve.

"Of course I am; you found something dangerous," Raven replied with venom in his voice. "I might not be a coding expert, but all Code has a purpose. Tell me, what purpose does your Code have?" The man could describe the Nasods as many things, but he couldn't describe them as inefficient and making useless Code, or wasting time and resource. Going by that logic, this unknown Code must have a purpose, but what? "Well?" Raven asked, sounding impatient.

Eve closed her eyes and shook her head. "As of right now, I do not know, but I will discover its true purpose with time and research." The Nasod's stoic face turns to worry, and she looks at Raven's damaged Nasod arm. This made the Cyborg's skin crawl; it felt so forced; then, it's probably her programming again. "You should worry about yourself; the venom is destroying your body."

She was correct, as the pain got worse each day, and he was starting to lose vision in his left eye, but it's a small price to be free from the Nasod's influence. Raven rubs his Nasod arm out unconsciously, and like always, it aches. "I can still fight; that's the only thing that matters. but let me make this clear. " The Cyborg walked over and got in Eve’s face. "If I find out that code makes you a threat, I will put you down myself!"

"Oh? What about you?" Eve's worried face became condescending, and Raven swore he saw her core flash red for a second. " I know you've been sneaking off doing unsavory things." The Nasod taps a finger under her chin in thought while keeping eye contact with Raven. "Like executing certain nobles?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Raven backs away, feeling a pit form in his stomach. "How the hell does she know!? Does she know about Add?!" This was what he gets for being so careless, but Eve had no proof.

Eve sighs and shakes her head. "You go around saying you want to redeem yourself, but you hurt innocent nobles."Eve sounded disappointed, but in reality, she was trying to get under the Man's skin, and from his reaction, she struck a nerve.

"Innocent!?" Raven looked ready to strangle the life out of the Nasod. "What they did was unforgivable, and they need to be brought to justice!" The very thought of those Velder nobles walking away scot-free made his blood boil. Especially Owen! It didn't matter if it was right or wrong; he would avenge his fallen comrades and Seris.

The Nasod tilts her head with the same condescending look on her face. "So you admit at what you're doing then?" Raven looked away; he walked right into that and had no one to blame but himself. "It's none of my business, but I think it's hypocritical when you call me dangerous. I won't say anything as long you stop breathing down my neck. Deal?"

Raven said something rather foul under his breath and walked away without giving Eve another glance. Eve's core started glowing red. "Add was right; revenge is the only thing he cares about." She could use this to her advantage, but that will come later. Eve had other plans, like finding a power source big enough to allow her and Add to reshape this world.

"Pfft." The Nasod Queen found it funny how Add had begun to call himself 'Master Mind.' that boy was anything but that. Although she needed a name for her Code, the unknown was a bit drab and needed something fitting her status as Queen. Then she thought back to the day when she found the Code and thought she had made a mistake when her flight program stopped working. "Queens don't make mistakes. Everything I make is perfect; there are no mistakes. I will rebuild my kingdom with this Code, and it will be failess!" Failess, it had a nice ring to it.

Eve looked at the cloud-covered sky, held her hand towards Fetia, and tried grasping it. Eve finally found the meaning of the Code. A Code that will remove all imperfections from this imperfect world was her duty to make it so. All Errors and broken programs will be determined as successes. After all, she made it, and she was perfect! Because she deemed it so! "Code: Failess"

Present

"noW tEll mE, WhERe iS THe AuthOrizAtiOn CODe?" Raven had no idea what this crazy Nasod was talking about. Between the pain of being shocked and his Valasia arm going numb, he was having a hard time focusing.

"I-i d-don't know! GAH!" For his efforts, the Cyborg receives another slap from Eve. Maybe if he could gather enough mana, he could perform Power Assullt and escape?

"Y-Y-YOU'RE LYINg! I kNOW tHat woRTHleSs piEce of shIT Add gAve It tO You! HOw daRE hE locK mE out OF mY arcHivE! If onLY i COuld kILl HIm, tWIce!" Raven felt the familiar pain in his chest; Add was dead. Yes, he was a means to an end for his revenge, but maybe after, he could have helped the boy. "nOw GIvE mE thE-"

"DARK SPARK!" Antithese jumps out of the way as the dark energy beam narrowly misses her. A giant hand made of shadows grabs raven and pulls him out of the pink electricity. The limp man was brought over to Oleander and dropped promptly. "Thank you, Fred." She thanked the hand coming out of the Necronomicon. -

Fred gave the unicorn a thumbs up. "No trouble at all, but we need focus; we're about to be in the fight of our lives." The hand points towards the fuming Nasod then points at Raven, who's slowly getting off the ground. His Valasia arm was completely limp as he did this. "Are you able to fight, Mr.Maxwell?"

"Y-yes," Raven still had a firm grip on his sword, but his artificial arm still refused to move. "But my Valasia arm refuses to move." No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get his claw to move. This shouldn't be possible anyway, the arm was organic now, or most of it should be. The Cyborg could look into this another day. Right now, they need to take down Antithese. Claw or no Claw, Raven will kill Eve. "Get ready!"

"YOu'LL pay for thAT! I-" She was cut off again as the nearby Changelings tried blasting her with their magic or using sticky slime to keep her in place. The Nasod was surprisedly agile as she dodged every attempt on her life with ease and even performed a backflip at one point. "peSt!" But her mood quickly switched to utter joy! "ADAM!" True, she could easily kill all these disgusting bug ponies, but the Nasod Queen had important things to take care of, like getting the Code from Raven.

Did Raven hear that, right? Adam, the King of the Nasod? The one he and the El search party, defeated in battle? Even if someone somehow got him working again, they would need lots of El energy to sustain him and run. Nowhere on this barren valley did he see the necessary equipment to contain the El, and he couldn't feel it. Raven's doubts were washed away as soon as he saw what materialized before the group. It was Massive.

From the holographic error screens and pink pixels came a machine that towered over Lord Torch and could give an Ursa Major run for its money. Like other Nasods, this included the second generation; this one had the same yellow tubes that made up its body and allowed movement. Its chassis was made from a shape memory alloy and other unknown materials.
Mounted on each shoulder were four cylinders; none of the Equestrians knew what they were, but Raven did. Its head was nothing special, just a flat yellow screen with dark blue metal surrounding it and making it look like a crown.

Usually, something this massive made out of metal would have difficulty moving. Thankfully Its creator took care of this problem; the machine floated off the ground. It was the same with the arms; they were separate from the main body and floated beside it. But something this large needed a power source; where was it? The answer came in the form of pained wheezing and screams.

In the middle of this machine was its power source. "KILL ME" "IT HURTS!" "MOMMY!" "I CAN'T SEE!" "STOP!" "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH" "IT'S IN MY HEAD!" "PAPA" "HAHAHA!?" "CELESTIA, FORGIVE ME!" These were one of the many screams that came from the core that was made of flesh. This fleshy core was composed of teeth, muscle, hair, puss, faces, eyes, blood, and other fluids. This flesh was entirely composed of ponies, zebras, griffons, dragons, and any other unlucky beast that wondered in the valley. The flesh's movement and screams were constant.

The smell became apparent even down the ground, and it was putrid. It smelled of rotting flesh, feces, and anything that could be found in the sewers. Many of the Changelings started emptying the contents of their stomachs, and Ambrosia held a hoof to her mouth. As for the Black Crows, Xuez threw up with Cozy and the thestrals; Oleander kept her composer but gagged a few times. Amber wetted herself, and Jade started crying.

But they all felt it, fear. All of them came from Equestria, and the most dangerous thing you could find was the occasional dragon or silly spirit of chaos. This was different; the smell of blood was already in the air, and if they didn't fight with everything they had, they would end up dead, or worse! If any of them survived this, this moment will haunt them for the rest of their days. The only one unphased by all of this was the mad Queen herself, Anthiese.

"HahAhAhAhA, isn'T BEAUTiFul?! I GoT tHe iDeA FrOm yOU!" The Nasod pointed a cracked finger at the stunned Cyborg. "nAsod And HumAn COMinG TOGEthER! And ThE ONlY THing PoWeriNG IT wAs YOur eMOTIons! mAgNIFIcenT!" Is she saying what he thinks she's saying? "aftEr thOse TWO dEmOnS DAmAgED ADam'S coRe BeYONd REpAiR, i COULDN'T poWEr HIM diReCTLy wiTH the eL, SO i camE Up WITh a wORKaROuNd!" She points at Adam's core. "crEAturES wITH STRONG EmoTioNs! bUT THeRE weREn't anY humAnS arOunD, sO poNies WerE THE NeXT best thinG! lOOK hoW hAppY theY ARe."
Nothing but agony could be heard from the pile of screaming flesh.

Antithese looked back at her work; to her, it was magnificent, all coming together and living in peace. "If you join me, Raven, we could bring peace and harmony to this world and bring back Humanity. It was unfortunate what happened when I reshaped th-" This is all Raven needed to hear. Holding his sword in the reverse grip, Raven charged forward and landed a solid punch in Anthesis's Face, sending her skidding back.

"You're the reason why everyone is gone?!" He all but yelled at her.

The punch only left a small mark on the Nasod Queen's perfect face. For a brief moment, her voice became normal again."I needed to recreate the world! I was going to bring them back, then Add rejected me! Then the others got in the way; they had to be put down!" The stinging pain in his chest became worse. Elsword, Aisha, Ain, Elesis, Lu, Ciel, and Rena were gone because of her! "When I woke up, I tried again, but the El rejected me, and SHE! rejected me, worse trapping me here! Are you rejecting me too!"

Raven didn't need to say anything because his answer was clear. He rejected her with his entire being. Humanity was gone, and it was all her fault, messing with forces beyond anyone's control! Antithese wants to unite every creature and turn them into abominations. Eve was dead, and what was left was a monster wearing her skin. In his eyes, this went beyond revenge; this was justice! No matter what it took, Antithese will die here! "Oleander, take out Adam's core. Same with you, Ambrosia, and your Changelings. And make sure the foals are protected." Raven wasn't asking; these were orders; it was do or die!" Antithese is mine!"

Oleander nodded, and Ambrosia had already sent the order to her changelings. Raven charged forward once more and held his sword normally again. Antithesis found this laughable; these lowly creatures think they could take down her creation? Such arrogance, they needed to know their place. The Queen sent out her orders to Adam and watched as her machine started moving. "fINE, I gAve yoU all A cHaNCE TO jOIn me iN pErfECtiOn, BUt It'S CLeAr NoNe Of yOU aRe WOrTH oF IT!"

Once in Range, Raven empowers his sword with mana and slashes at the Nasod Queen. "Mega Slash!" A skill taught to all Knights of Velder. It's a rather weak skill, but it could be devastating in the hands of a master. Unfortunately for the Cyborg, this skill required both hands for maximum effectiveness, and his claw still wasn't responding.

"Heaven's fist (Abandoned)!" Anthesis summons a giant Nasod fist in front of herself and sends it forward. Both skills clash, and the giant fist wins easily. The Nasod hand crashes into the Cyborg and sends him flying back into a cliffside. The stone around Raven crumbles as he crashes into the cliffside, soon enough leaving him under a pile of rubble.

It doesn't take long for the rubble to shake and break apart. "POWER ASSAULT!" Raven comes dashing out of the rubble with a couple of scrapes and bruises. The Cyborg powers more mana than needed into the skill, but the results were evident. Usually, the skill allows the user to charge forward a couple of meters in front of them, but thanks to his mastery of the technique, Raven can send himself forward no matter the distance, as long as he has the mana.

"oh mY, YOu stIll wAnt To PlAy? FIne I'll pLay wITH you!" The Nasod readied her drones and prepared herself. She could spare some of her time playing with Raven; after all, she was Queen. Raven swings his sword, and she meets the strike with her drones. The clash causes a shockwave and the ground underneath them to crack. "

Chapter 19(Calvery)

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Calvery

Ambrosia has never considered herself to be 'Good,' certainly not by anyone's standards, especially pony standards. She is a Changeling, after all, and a Queen as well. Being cunning and devious is part of being a Changeling. After all, what creature is willing to hand over their love? Plus, she releases her meals after she and her children had their fun with the Ponies. It doesn't make her 'Evil.' Maybe that one time with that stallion, but she was curious how thin he could get. Thankfully, he came out of it primarily unharmed with a couple of zaps from her horn and force-feeding him.

But the Queen was getting off track. The concept of 'Justice' would be laughable to most Changelings. Why would any creature care for such a thing? The Strong take, and the weak suffer or become food. But there are limits to such things, an unspoken rule no living creature should break. And today, Ambrosia and her Hive witnessed something so vile and cruel that it made the Queen question her morality. Pain for the sake of Pain? Sure, she played rough with her food and sometimes her drones, but it's all good fun.

But this Adam or whatever this giant contraption is purely powered by the pain and agony of these creatures. Even down on the ground, she could taste their emotions, and it wasn't enjoyable, even by her standards. The Changeling could even sense the feelings of the others further inside the mound of flesh; most likely, they couldn't scream, see, or hear anything. How could any creature make such a thing? Then again, that Antithese thing couldn't be considered a living being, she may look like the same species as Raven, but she was artificial; she could taste it. Her emotions were between bursts of glee and extreme rage; these emotions tasted metallic-like licking a coin.

A sense of duty washed over the Queen that went beyond protecting her Hive. Ambrosia wanted to destroy this crime against nature and free the tormented souls from their prison. Ambrosia gave out her orders; Every Changeling was to take to the air and target the core of this machine. The injured drones or nymphs were to be safely guarded with the foals by twenty of her soldiers.

Ambrosia finally took to the air and lit up her horn. She didn't have access to her plant magic in the valley, considering the place was lifeless, but she could try something with that wall of flesh. A little blood magic wouldn't hurt too much, right? Many didn't even know, not even her fellow Queens, but she and her Hive had a taste for blood. Maybe her mother did the nasty with a vampony? It was never made clear why, but Ambrosia loved its taste, and made her slime stickiest out of all of the hives; her children's fangs were longer compared to other Changelings. She dabbled in the dark arts; she kept this a secret. But it was time to show every pony what she was truly capable of.

Besides the dread and disgusting smell, she was going to have fun! "Bring it on, you hunk of junk!"

Oleander watched as Raven went after Antithese, and the Changelings took to the air, leaving her by herself. She looked at the giant machine that was Adam. "Oh, buck." What in Tartarus did that Human expect her to do?! Throw Fel Sparks at it until it falls over, and Dark Spark wouldn't be enough to take this down, either! Maybe if she created many magic traps and placed them on points of weakness, she could detonate them with a dark spark? But how would she reach that disgusting mound of flesh? The Unicorn couldn't fly, and she certainly wasn't going to ask for help from the Changelings!

Sensing his master's distress, Fred speaks up. "Just call upon me, and I shall do the rest." The demon spoke in his usual polite and posh voice.

Not like she didn't have Fred out of the book, his excellent company. It's excruciating calling him out each time. The mare had to find a workaround for summoning him; it gave her a splitting headache each time. Oleander watched as Adam used its gigantic left hand to swat unlucky changelings out of the sky. Its hands were fast despite their size. The Unicorn had no choice; she needed to take to the air and take this hunk of junk down!

Oleander clears her throat and starts chanting. "You who dwell in the dark hear my call! As the shadows of old begin to Fall! The hooves of time will bend to mine! And break before me sundered twined. FHTNG TH§ NSP§KBL, I summon thee! Grant me the power of flight!" Nothing happened after a few seconds; this made the mare question if she performed the incantation correctly. "Fred, where are you- AAAAAHHHHHH!" The unicorn floated off the ground and went higher and higher into the air. Out of fear, she flailed her hooves uselessly.

Fred came and flew by her in his usual form, but he was much bigger; he was so big he could hold the unicorn in the palm of his claw. The demon laughed as Olly struggled as she flew through the air. "Hahaha, calm down! I'm the one controlling your flight patterns, and I'm not going to drop you... Maybe for a little fun!"

"By Celestia's fat flanks, Fred! This is serious, and you better not drop me, or I'll let the children color in you!" The demon shivered in disgust at foals getting their grubby little hooves on his book. Especially, Jade, he had no doubts that foal would just drool all over his cover.

"Noted. Just focus on casting spells while I handle flying and-" Fred held both of his claws out and made them bigger; he clenched both of them in excitement; it's been a while since he found himself in a proper fight. " and beating the shit out of this tin can!"

"Fred! Language!" If they survived this, she would find a soap bar and wash Fred's and Raven's mouths.

"Why fight it? Let me in." Dying hope.

"RAH, DIE!"

"haHAHaha, yOu're NoThING wiThoUT ThAT claW!"

The battle between Raven and Antithese is still raging on, with them trading blows. The Cyborg was very aggressive with his plan of attack, not giving his opponent any breathing room to launch a counterattack. Meanwhile, the Nasod was forced to defend and deflect each swing of the blade with her drones. But she was having the time of her life; the Queen even took several opportunities to insult and criticize her Opponent. "HoW Does it feeL, knowING SOMeOnE NEArLY HalF YOuR aGE cOUld MasteR aNd iMPRoVe uPON thE sKIlls you'Ve LEaRNed. haHAha!" Raven did his best to suppress the rising anger within himself, but she was right. " HoNesTlY, MEgaSlASH?! PaTheTic!"

Either out of anger or desperation, Raven went for a low swing, wanting to slice this bitch in half. That was a mistake. "Wrong move~" The swing the Human just did was slightly slower than the other ones he had performed. Finally, with some wiggle room, Antithese took the opportunity to jump up and balance herself on top of Raven's blade with one foot, effectively stopping the attack. Raven was stunned; how could she do such a thing!?

Antithese looked down upon Raven with her usual smug smile. No words needed to be said as she balanced herself on the blade. Those who opposed her were less than nothing and should be treated as such. "KNoW yOuR pLacE, Worm." She kicked the former captain squarely in the chin using her free foot. Normally such an attack would send a normal Human's head flying, but that man was anything but ordinary. It should of at least knocked him out, but to her disappointment, she heard the audible crack of his Super Armor. Annoying little technique Humans created when Armor became primarily outdated. She jumped off and got ready to use one of her favorite skills.

"GAH!" The Cyborg recoiled from the attack, he didn't feel immediate pain, but that would come later. He quickly recomposed himself and saw that Antithese had already jumped off his blade and was preparing something. "Flame-" The man tried preparing his own skill, but it was too late.

"Rabbit." A dark violet diamond-shaped force field appears in front of the Nasod. Without warning, countless black needles flew out of the force field, homing onto Raven. Eve landed gracefully and watched in amusement as her opponent tried deflecting her needles and failed miserably. Every time the man could not deflect an attack, she saw the pain on the Human's face; it was assuming! "aW~ dOes it HUrT?" Then she heard it, the shattering of his Super Armor!

"RRAAAAAAAH!" It was too much! These needles kept coming, and he couldn't deflect all of them. With his Super Armor gone, he felt the familiar sting of electricity course through his body as these needles hit him. It didn't matter right now; he had to use Shadow Step. Raven took one step and disappeared from existence, or that's what people see.

Clicking her tongue in annoyance, the Queen watched as the remaining black needles flew and targeted random Changelings. Not wanting to waste any more mana, she made the force field disappear. "nOw, WHERE dId hE gO?" She already knew what skill the Human was deploying, 'Shadow Step' A sad attempt to modify a teleport spell by throwing the user into another dimension for a few seconds.

"Flame Geyser!" As she thought, Raven reappeared behind her and used another skill Elsword easily mastered. It was all so pathetic in her eyes. This Cyborg has been nothing but trouble ever since she met him. Not knowing when to quit, but that's fine; she'll teach him his place in this world.

"YOU DoN'T KNow wheN tO qUIt, Back Door!" Before the flames hit the Nasod, she teleports behind Raven and delivers a single powerful kick. This sent Raven stumbling forward, leaving him stunned. "that'S hOW yoU tELEpOrT, yOU FAiLure!" Antithese performed a roundhouse kick and knocked the sword out of Raven's hand in his moment of weakness. The sword was sent flying, leaving the Cyborg unarmed. " yOU weRE THe MosT PATHetiC out of aLl ThE El searCh PaRtY MemberS! i MEAn, LOOk At YOU! You're NoThInG wItHOUt yOUR Claw AnD swORD! WhY DON't-" That's all she could say as she had the wind knocked out of her artificial lungs.

"Assult kick!" While Antithese took the time to monolog, Raven took this time to recover and throw out a counterattack. Raven jumped up and performed a back kick, the attack landing squarely on the Android's chest. But he wasn't done yet and performed a roundhouse kick sending her flying up. While this all happened, there was a light green hue with every kick, indicating wind magic.

"Dive Kick Bombing!" Raven balances himself on his right leg and starts delivering multiple kicks to Antithese. Each one was stronger than the last. But something was wrong with the skill he performed; there wasn't any form of wind magic; it was just brute force. It didn't matter to the Cyborg; his claw wasn't working, and he didn't have his sword, so he'll use the skills Rena taught him! He delivered the final kick and sent that crazy bitch flying back and tumbling to the ground.

Capitalizing on this opportunity, Raven sprints forward, ready to stomp on Anthiese's head. "Photon Flash." Antithese teleports and leaves a silhouette of herself made from electricity. Raven stops mid-stomp and jumps back, knowing what would happen if he tried attacking that thing.

"Hello World!" Antithese was furious; how dare that worm assault her like that! She took Moby in her right hand and started gathering the El essences required for this. She didn't care what it took; she wanted this disrespectful creature out of her sight. Meanwhile, Raven's senses were telling him he would die if he didn't get out of the way right now! But where could he run or even hide? Power Assult wouldn't cut it because if it was long-range, he was dead anyway. The man's best bet was to use Shadow Step and pray that the attack doesn't last more than three seconds.

Before Antithese could finish her preparations, Remy slams into the Nasod's face interrupting her Hyper Active Skill. In retaliation, The Queen brings her foot down on the decrepit Nasod Drone; it lets out a low whining sound as it's pinned there. "rEMY, YOU WASTe OF SCrAp mETAL! WHY CAN'T yoU behaVe?! WhY can'T yOu BE MoRe LIkE MOBY?!" Ever since she found that Code, Remy has been nothing but trouble! A Drone like him should know his place and remember that he's nothing more than a weapon! But she could see the merit of him interrupting her; using that Hyper Active would have been costly and a waste of mana. It would have been incredibly wasteful on that worthless half-breed. Speaking of which.

The Queen catches Raven's foot with her left hand. While she was busy disciplining her worthless weapon, the Cyborg thought it would be a good idea to take her head off with a kick. She had to admit that it was a strong kick, and it would have done considerable damage. Raven tried to get his foot out of Anithese's iron grip; his efforts were halted when her fist slammed into his stomach. This throws him back a couple of feet; the man quickly recovers but not before releasing the contents of his stomach.

"LooK at YOU, copYing ReNA'S FIGHtinG STylE." If looks could kill, Anthiese would have died ten times over. "No WoNDeR RenA LOoKEd So DevAstATeD WheN She foUnd oUT wHAt You DiD. ShE SPENT all That TimE teACHinG YOU WHAT SHE kNeW, AnD You WENT and MURDerED sOMe INNOcENt NOBle." Raven roars and charges forward, and starts throwing out kicks. The Naod herself starts backing away and blocks these kicks with her drones. "You diDN'T StRuggLE OR FlEE wHEN thE auTHOriTIeS TOok yOu away! WHY? waS iT BECAUSe RENA loOKED Like Your beloVEd SErIs?"

"Rising Falcon!" Raven was going to shut this bitch up!

"You are nothing!" Everyone is Gone.

Ambrosia cringed again as another of her children had their lives snuffed out. Contrary to what other creatures say, Changeling Queens do care for their children, even if it was slightly detached. She held her tears back; this wasn't the time to mourn; she needed to stay focused. Ambrosia ordered her children to throw sharp rocks at Adam's core. Using Changeling fire would cauterize the wound; she wanted the rancid blood to flow.

With the blood flowing, she used her levitation spell to collect the blood and shape it into a massive sphere. It was more complicated than it looked. Keeping the blood that constantly moved from spilling overtook a lot of work. The Queen just needed a little more time and blood; then, she'll have a weapon capable of taking this scrap of metal down.

Then she saw it raise its giant hand, again, and it was aimed in her general direction. "Buck, buck, buck!" If she tried teleporting now, the blood would fall to the ground and become useless. A shield couldn't stop that, and asking one of her drones to shield her was out of the question. It's getting closer! Ambrosia had to make a choice now drop the levitation spell and teleport. Or risk trying to dodge and possibly get slammed into the cliffside and die.

Before making her split-second decision, a giant shadowy hand stopped the mechanical one and pushed it back. A second later, Oleander and a Demon flew beside her. Demon? DEMON?!"OH BUCK! DEMONS ARE REAL! MOM WAS RIGHT!" She thought in a panic, but kept her outward appearance neutral.

"I have a plan!" Ah, yes, the first thing that comes out of the flying unicorn's mouth was that. Actually, how in the buck was she flying? Then again, she has a demon with her.

Ambrosia deadpans and points at the gathering of blood. " I already have a plan."

"Yes, I know, but we should work together! You're using blood magic; based on my assumption, you're trying to make a giant javelin and slam it into its chest. If that's the case, I want to use this!" Oleander uses her magic and conjures a piece of parchment with an eye on it. "Magic traps! I'll make around a hundred of these and stick them on your javelin. Once inside, I'll set them off, destroying that mechanical nightmare."

"Huh, smart cookie." It was better than the Queen originally thought of. She was going to use the blood and create a giant sword. Then she would have a sword fight with a giant robot, and it would have been so cool! But an enormous explosion is cool too. "Alright, I'll play along. Just have your um. Demon cut up that core of pain; I need more blood. "

Oleander nods and gives her orders to Fred. " Fred, we need more blood, do your thing!"

"I'm going to give that fucker hell!" The demon flew forward before Oleander could scold him for his foul language. Fred brought his massive claws forward and dug deep into the thrashing flesh. As if popping a pimple, blood and puss started gushing out. He was thankful that he didn't have a nose because he would be puking. Fred brought his claws down and left deep gashes, which allowed the blood to flow freely.

In an effort to stop this Demon, Adam brought his right hand over and slammed it on his chest. Fred flew out the way and punched the giant Nasod's head. "HAHAHAHA! What's wrong, bucket head?! You're slow; your batteries running low?" Fred laughed again and went back to clawing and punching the machine.

While Fred had his fun, Ambrosia had enough blood to create her weapon. She started reshaping the blood and gave it form. As soon as it had its shape, the blood crystallized and hardened. In a matter of seconds, the Changeling Queen created a giant crimson spear. "It's done; now it's your turn."

After being given the okay sign, Oleander conjured more magic traps until she had exactly one hundred magic traps. This came at a cost with her Mana pool: leaving the Unicorn feeling lightheaded. Using her magic, she brought the traps over to the spear and stuck them on there. Once Oleander covered the weapon with traps, she called out to her companion. "Fred, get out of the way!"

The Demon groans in disappointment but does as he's told. Ambrosia sends a message through the hive network, and drones fly safely away from the explosive radius. With nothing left to do, she thrusts the crimson spear forward using her magic!

Adam is pushed back slightly and is surprised to find that his chest has been impaled. The point was sticking out the other side. The nasod brought his massive right hand over and grabbed the spear's shaft. Once he did that, Oleander sprang her trap! She set off all the traps, creating a massive explosion made from dark violet-purple fire.

Once the smoke cleared, it was clear that Adam's right hand was no longer operational. It was missing fingers, leaving a stump that fell to the floor, never to move again. As for the core made from flesh, nearly half of it was gone! Unfortunately, it was still alive, but the group could finish it off. "Hm?" Oleander saw something shining within that pile of flesh. A blue crystal? No, that wasn't right.

Before she could order Fred to retrieve it, the crystal shinned a brilliant light. After a few seconds, the light dissipated, and the flesh began to regenerate at an alarming rate. Ambrosia ordered her Changelings to use fire spells to halt its healing out of panic. It wasn't fair; their hard work would mean nothing if it fully healed itself!

ACTIVING ARTILLERY

Adam's voice boomed out. The cylinders on his shoulders slid open; eight missiles came flying out in total. To these creatures, they looked like fireworks made from metal. "Hahaha, these tiny things?!" Fred was less than impressed. In wanting to show how useless these things were, he punched one. To everyone's surprise, it created a massive explosion. The Demon lets out a pained yell and finds that his left claw is gone. "Ah, buck!" Another missile slams into the demon, sending him hurtling to the ground.

"FRED!" Oleander called out to her injured companion. With the demon out of range, the Unicorn went into free fall but was quickly grabbed by Ambrosia.

" So this is Artillery?" The Queen thought. Indeed it was. No matter who or what you claim to be, even a god. Without proper protection, they will blow you to bits without appropriate protection. This was Human and Nasod engineering at its finest and the contributing factor to why the dragons went extinct during Raven's time.

Ambrosia sent another order through the hive mind, ordering them to spread out. Anyone targeted by these missiles will lead them into the cliffside. "Stop moving so much!" She hissed at the flailing Unicorn in her magical grip.

"B-but Fred!" She pointed at where the Demon landed after the explosion.

The Changeling Queen rolled her eyes. "Your Demon friend is fine." She said Casually, but truthfully she didn't know. How effective were high-grade explosives against demons? "We need to take care of those rockets. Got any bright ideas?" Making a giant lance made from blood took quite a bit out of her, and she wasn't sure if she could do it again.

Oleander wasn't fairing any better, considering how much she used to make those traps. "I'll think of something!" She just needed a few minutes to plan this out.

Ambrosia felt tempted to drop the Unicorn right there but squashed that urge knowing Raven wouldn't like that. She lets out a snort in annoyance but nods her head...? The Queen was sensing emotions toward the east; Ponies were fast approaching. But why? Who are these Ponies?

The foals, nymphs, and other drones were watching from the sidelines. They were far enough so they wouldn’t get caught up in the battle but close enough that they could witness it. It was horrific; they watched the Changelings get blown to pieces by those metal rockets. Thanks to Queen Ambrosia’s and Oleander’s efforts, the smell worsened and left the battlefield covered with charred Changeling chunks, blood, and rotting flesh.

The young members of the Black Crows weren't fairing so well. Xuez watched in horror; The twins held each in an embrace; Amber did her best to calm her baby sister down. Cozy was shivering out of fear and tried her best to look as small as possible. The only one who seemed unfazed was Moon Charm. The young thestral was looking at the Cube that guided her to Raven. It had little to no power left, but maybe she could use it one more time.

"We need to help Mr.Raven!" Xuez said frantically, which caused some of the Changelings to give the Zebra an odd look. What the colt said was true; the battle was one-sided; no matter what the former mercenary threw at the Nasod, it did little to nothing. Meanwhile, that crazy machine was having the time of her life, and it didn't look like she was putting much effort into the fight. That thing would tear anyone to shreds if they tried helping him. Still, the drones talked amongst themselves in the hive mind. It was decided that one of them would grab the Reaper's sword and throw it at them. If they couldn't fight, they might as well offer assistance, no matter how small.

"Not to worry, I'll grab the Reaper's sword." A female Changeling said awkwardly before flying off. Moon Charm knew that it would only delay the inevitable. Raven needed real help, and she would give it to him. It doesn't matter how young, small, or weak she was; she's a proud thestral! But how would she get close enough without being noticed? The cloak that Moon wore with the Notice Me not spell on it.

They've come too far just to be stopped here! Although Moon Charm was scared, she would do anything for Raven, even risking her own life.

"Weakling" The walls are closing in.

Raven stands there exhausted, covered in sweat and blood. The Queen's attacks tore his armor apart, leaving it in tatters. New cuts and bruises covered his body as well. Meanwhile, all Raven could manage was dirty and tear up Anthiese's clothing. The Android began slowing, clapping for the injured cyborg. "conGRaTuLaTIOnS! YoU MAnaGEd to dIrTy MY drEsS."

He just needed to hold out a little longer because he felt it, the El! It's inside Adam. He needs to hold out a little longer. But how? The man's legs felt like jelly, and he couldn't throw out another kick if he wanted. "If only I had my sword." He thought bitterly.

"Reaper!" A female Changeling called out to him. Raven looked up and saw the bug pony flying over them. She was holding his sword in her mouth. "Catch!" The Changeling throws the sword, and Raven catches it. He was disgusted to find that the hilt had drool on it.

"oH? yoU goT YouR SwOrD BACK. aRE YOu gOInG TO Steal MORe of ELsWorD's moVEs?" Antithese asked with the same shit-eating grin.

"The greatest Velder Knights created those moves; they don't belong to Elsword." Raven approaches Antithese with a limp to his step.

The Nasod tilted her head out of curiosity. Was he coming back for more? Stubborn fool. At this rate, she would kill him; she was okay with that. But it annoyed her that he refused to see the reality of things. He can't win! "ARE yoU AppROachInG Me?"

"Shut the hell up and fight!" This woman has run her mouth nonstop, and it got on his last nerve. "Awaken!" An orange aura surrounds his body.

"Fine."Antithese matches the Human and starts walking toward him. It was cute that he thought awakening could save him. It was time to show him what true power looked like. "Awaken!" A pink aura surrounds the Nasod Queen.

You can't bring them back! Failure.

"That gap is too wide." As Raven thought, he couldn't hope to match Anithese's power even in his awakened state. Currently, he was on the defensive as the Nasod Queen kept the pressure up with her drones. He was rewarded with pain if he wasn't quick enough.

"i thOuGhT yoU wAnTeD Me tO aPpROAch!? YOu'rE RunNiNG LIKE COWARD! tHEN AgaIn, YOu'VE BEEN likE thAt your WHOle LiFe." The man ignored the android's taunts and kept his focus. All he needed was an opening, just one opening!
"finE, bE LikE tHAt! Friday!" There! At that moment, it would take Antithese 0.8 seconds to unleash her skill. This left a small window for an attack, and thankfully, Raven only needed 0.2 seconds.

Raven swung his blade and interrupted her casting, allowing Raven to use his skill. "Unlimited Blade!" The sword strike was followed up with another, and another and another! It resulted in an unending flurry of sword swings. It looked like a practice dance number between the swordsman and his sword if someone looked closely. Antithese was helpless to do anything as Raven pushed her back. Once the user swings one final time, they unleash their mana in one devasting attack. The Cyborg had something different in mind.

"MEGA SLASH!" Raven uses the mana he was supposed to unleash and uses it to empower Mega Slash! Antithese was sent flying back at high speed! Her body slammed against the cliffside, causing it to break apart and the rubble to fall onto her, trapping her. It was somewhat poetic to the Cyborg.

Raven stood there panting heavily. Unlimited Blade needed more than just mana to work, but for the user to be at peak performance. Unfortunately for him, he didn't have the luxury to do so. "S-shit!" The Cyborg falls to one knee, unable to continue. At least his last attack gave him a few minutes to rest and possibly allow the others to finish off Adam-

Reality is often disappointing~ Our end is here.

"Märchen." A holographic version of Adam grabs Raven and starts crushing him. This version was much smaller, but it did the job as Raven began to scream in pain.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" This pain was the reality of the situation. The reality of no matter what he did, he would never overcome the odds. Was it fate, bad luck, or a god's twisted plan for him? It didn't matter because he heard the heel steps approach him.

"I think I'm done playing with you, Raven." Antithese's voice was back to normal again, and she sounded less than amused. Raven had a complete few on the damage he did. The android's clothing was torn up and ruined; scrapes and bruises covered her perfect skin. Surprisingly, there was a massive gash on her chest that showed her robotic innards. If there were any solace to take in this situation, he would die knowing he wounded this bitch!

The holographic Adam lowers his hand so Raven can be at eye level with his tormentor. Antithese looks at the Cyborg without a single emotion on her face. After a few seconds, she slaps him across the face. "You're pathetic. " She slaps him again. "Isn't it humiliating? A proud soldier being slapped around like a child." And again, he was slapped. " You're nothing but a cripple without that claw—a cripple who didn't know when to stop fighting."

It was funny; even at the edge of defeat, Raven couldn't help but smile. All the pain was buried by joy; it was odd. "YOU SHOULD FEEL HOPELESS! WHY ARE YOU HAPPY?!". Raven ignored that stupid voice in the back of his head; the damn thing has been trying to worm its way in this whole time.

"Why are you smiling? You lost. I've won. You'll die here." How could someone be so delusional?!

"Because I'll die here knowing I protected everyone." Antithese steps back in fear; she has heard those exact same words. It was from that little girl—a Human who is more worthless than Raven. She couldn't fight; her magic abilities were below average, yet with those ponies' help, that girl defeated her. HOW?! Antithese is perfection!

"You're lying!" The Nasod Queen orders Adam to continue crushing Raven. To his credit, the man held in his cries of pain. "You're nothing like Megan!" Megan? The man didn't know what the crazy Nasod was talking about. "You have nothing!"

Hyper Active Skill: Gigantic Slash

A skill far beyond Raven's skill level, but it can forceabily activated at the cost of the user's life. Once the price is paid, the skill transcends space and time, granting the user the power of the very first Velder Knight. Raven is more than willing to pay the price for such power. He wasn't sure it would be enough to kill Antithese, but it would give the others enough time to escape.

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Raven was shocked to see Moon Charm fly out of nowhere and grab onto Antithese 's head! "Fight someone your own side, you stupid, whorse!" The thestral was using the cube given to her as a weapon. It wasn't effective, but it sure did annoy the hell out of the Nasod.

"Get off me, you disgusting animal!" Antithese tried her best, but she couldn't remove the little nuisance. But the thestral wouldn't let up and kept slamming the cube against the machine's head.

"I'll save you, Raven!" This was beyond reckless, but a thestral never backs down! She slammed the cube against Antithese forehead with one final effort, where her core is. It caused some kind of reaction as electric sparks started flying off the Nasod's core. This left the Nasod Queen screaming and clutching her forehead, forcing her to release as the holographic Adam to disappear. However, there was one casualty: Moon Charm's Cube was reduced to ashes.

Moon Charm glides to the fallen Raven and tugs on his arm. "Come on, Raven, let's get out of here!" The foal told him in a panic.

Raven couldn't believe it, not once, not even twice, but three times. These foals had come to his rescue because they simply believed in him. Was this the power of friendship at play? Such a wonderful thing. He would gladly give up his life for these children, even for those Changelings. Raven brought Moon Charm into a single-arm hug. "Thank you, Moon Charm. You've made me truly happy. Tell the others to retreat; my journey ends here."

What was the Human talking about?! They needed to run! Why was he hugging her?....NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!NO! "RAVEN, DON'T DO IT! WE CAN STILL RUN!" She said in a shrill voice as tears ran down her cheeks.

He had nothing else to say; he let go of Moon Charm and got back to his feet. Raven made he way towards Anithese. "PLEASE STOP!" The thestral cried out. The man kept moving forward as a white aura surrounded him. It was a blissful feeling—the last of his mana, the very essence of his life given to him by Elria.

Antithese was finally released from forced stun, and she was beyond furious! "YOU FILTHY VERMIN! I OFFER YOU PERFECTION, AND YOU REJECT ME! NONE OF YOU ARE WORTH SAVING! I'LL BEGIN ANEW! HAHAHAHAHAH!" A pink aura surrounds the crazy machine.

"I AM YOUR GOD, YOU SHAL-" Raven squashed that voice and kept moving forward. Today was a good day to die. "I'll be joining you soon, Seris."

Raven holds his blade out for one final time. "Gigantic Sl-" Raven stops midway as a blue sound beam slams into the Nasod Queen, sending her tumbling sideways.

"AW YEAH!!! YOU JUST GOT HIT WITH THE BASS CANNON!"

Raven looked up to find the source of this welcome disturbance. He saw something that surprised him. A bunch of ponies standing at the edge of a cliff. But these ponies looked strange; some of them wore cloaks hiding their appearances. At the same time, others had fangs but lacked the features of thestrals. In contrast, the last type was just ponies, with the lower half being a snake.

In front of them was a white unicorn with a wild cobalt blue and cyan mane. The unicorn wore dark purple sunglasses and had an eigth note as a cutie mark. She stood on her hind legs and held a stereo system that was modified to be in the shape of a cannon. The unicorn opened her mouth and yelled again.

"SUP! THE CAVALRY HAS ARRIVED!"

[Ambrosia starving a stallion]

[Created By Siansaar. I did not commission this.]

Chapter 20(Heart Breaker)

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Heart Breaker

PONIES PONIES PONIES PONIES PONIES PONIES PONIES PONIES PONIES PONIES PONIES PONIES PONIES PONIES PONIES PONIES PONIES PONIES PONIES PONIES PONIES PONIES PONIES PONIES PONIES PONIES PONIES PONIES PONIES PONIES PONIES PONIES PONIES PONIES PONIES PONIES PONIES PONIES PONIES PONIES PONIES PONIES PONIES PONIES PONIES PONIES PONIES PONIES PONIES PONIES PONIES PONIES PONIES PONIES PONIES PONIES PONIES PONIES PONIES PONIES

These mere animals shouldn't have any cognitive abilities higher than wanting to eat grass and hay. They are nothing but beasts of burden; they should grovel before her! Instead, they oppose the Almighty Antithese; why? And why did the only two Humans side with these Ponies? First, that worthless girl, Megan. The little bitch wanted to protect these horses and that stupidly named country, Ponyland.

Now Raven wants to protect these stupid horses!? Why she was the best chance of restoring Humanity. If Megan was any indication, Add had plans to bring back Humanity. And what does that worthless Cyborg do? He rejects her and sides with those ponies; just because she wants to make the ideal world.

"Ah, how far away is the ideal world?" The delusional Nasod asked herself. But in the end, it didn't matter. As long as she could stand and fight, nothing would stop her from achieving Utopia. Antithese called upon her Nasod drones, Remy and Moby, to her side. They arrived quickly and helped their Queen to her feet, not that she needed the help, but they were her loyal servants. And as faithful servants, they follow any request, no matter how heinous.

"Moby begin the El energy gathering process." The demonic-looking drone nodded and started glowing with a green aura surrounding it. "Remy, once Raven is dead, I want you to extract the code from his corpse." The drone was hesitant but nodded. Antithese was done playing, and these worthless Ponies would die here today. "I'll be using Michelangelo to wipe out all these useless creatures." It was a Hyper Active Skill Made up of perfect coding. Unfortunately, she needed to wait ten minutes before Moby had all the necessary El. But no one can rush perfection, not even her.

The Nasod brought her attention towards the cliff where the attack came from. She saw the group of Ponies who dared to attack her. It looked like more worthless ponies, and they also had freaks among them. While she waited on Moby, she could spend some time killing these creatures, starting with those freaks. Thankfully, the former Mecrnary couldn't bother her as he was in no condition to fight. Although the Nasod Queen was slightly worried about what he was about to use.

But no matter, once Michelangelo was ready, it would be all over. Those who would stand against her needed to be erased from this world. Was it right or wrong? It didn't matter because Antithese had deemed it so. "Friday." Moby spins around the Nasod Queen, causing gigantic holographic letters to appear above the group that attacked her. A smile came across her face as she watched them scatter like rats.

"Aw yeah! You guys saw how far that bitch went flying?!" Vinyl pumped her hoof in the air with excitement. The other monster Ponies weren't as enthused by this. Causing the DJ to stop her bragging and give a questioning look to everypony around her. "What's wrong? I did save the Dark Lord, right?"

Adagio, who was near the front, faced hoof in frustration. "The thing you just blasted is getting back up!" She pointed a hoof at where the Android landed. "Let's not forget that the Reaper is hurt!" The light gold mare brought her over to the kneeling Raven. It looked like he was in no condition to fight. Adagio was no fool; that thing the Reaper fought would even give three of Alicorns a run for their money. First, they needed to take down that giant..? The siren believed Humans called them robots? She wasn't sure since she and her sisters spent most of their time in the mirror world being homeless.

Vinyl shrugged and aimed her cannon at the Android. "Another blast from the bass cannon should do the trick." Adagio faced hoof again; it felt like she was talking to Sonata!

As the Dj pony got ready to blast the distant figure, a shadow appeared over the group. This caused Vinyl to look up and see giant holographic letters above them. It spelled out 'Friday.' "Oh buck. Scatter!" Vinyl was the first to jump off the cliff, followed by Adagio and the rest of the Dazzlings. The Letters were coming down, and they were coming fast! It didn't take long for everypony else to jump off.

The letters came down and destroyed the cliff that everypony was standing on. Thankfully everypony got off before the letters crushed them. The only problem now was that they were falling! The vamponies in the group had no problem with this, as leathery wings sprouted from their backs. This includes Vinyl and Photo Finish, but the photographer had her dress ruined; the mare cursed obscenities as she glided down.

The Dazzlings, in a flash of light, reverted to their original forms and flew off to help fight the enormous machine. The Snake ponies clung to the side of the cliff and slid down it. Amazingly the two cloaked earth pony mares did the same thing. Moon Dancer screamed as she fell; teleporting at high velocities wasn't a good idea. Thankfully, Monarch, who brought the unicorn along, caught her and safely brought her to the ground. As for the undead ponies, they hit the ground with little to no blood and got back up. It was just one of the many perks of being undead.

Once everypony was safely on the ground, Vinyl was first to act. "Alright, ghoul ponies get tall, dark, and hurt back on his hooves and ready to fight again! The rest of us will fight and hold off that thing! Ready? Charge!" It wasn't much of a plan, but they had to do everything in their power to stop this thing! The other ponies didn't like it, but they did what they had to do. The Dj was the first to charge forward into the danger, followed by the rest!

"I don't even know how to fight! Let me go!" Moondancer was being dragged by her tail and being pulled into the fray by Monarch.

The Changeling huffed as she pulled the Unicorn along. "It doesn't matter; we have to contribute somehow! Just use a barrier or something?!"

Ambrosia weaved through the sky, still carrying a struggling Unicorn in her magic. "If only I could cocoon her." It wouldn't solve much, but it would make her happier with the current situation. While her drones were doing a great job of redirecting the missiles, they were still coming at an alarming rate. They couldn't keep this up forever! The attempts to block the missile silos with Changeling Goo have proven to be messy.

They needed more firepower, but where could they get it? The Unicorn in her grasp was still coming up with something. The Queen herself needed more blood if she wanted to do real damage. The Demon that got blasted was nowhere to be seen, most likely dead. Then she felt the emotions of three approaching them. Each one was unique; Contempt, Calm, and Excitement. The pony with that last emotion felt like the most fun to mess with. She was expecting a flock of pegasus to come by, but what she saw made her nearly drop Oleander.

Three Sirens were flying through the air towards them. Like all Sirens, they had the upper body of a pony and the lower half of a fish. Large back fins that acted as their manes and two antennas protruded from their heads. One had light, brilliant gold scales with Moderate Amber fins. The second Siren had soft violet scales and mulberry-colored fins. And the final Siren had light cerulean scales with cornflower blue fins. Each Siren had a ruby-colored gem embedded in their chest.

Ambrosia was certainly not expecting to see that; she wondered if Sirens were as powerful as the legends say. As if to answer the Queen's question, all three Sirens opened their mouths and fired a red beam made of pure magic. The beam hit Adam's right shoulder, where the missile silos were. The blast destroyed the silos in one go, and as a bonus, the shoulder plate fell off, exposing more of its inner workings.

The Queen whistles in amazement at the display of power; those three lived up to the legend. Oleander saw this as well, and it gave her an idea; she made this known to the Changeling carrying her. " Ambrosia! Bring me to the Sirens; I have a plan!" Ambrosia didn't like the idea of getting anywhere near those three, considering they were much larger and could probably fit in their mouths. Letting out a low groan, she flew over to the Sirens. She would suck the love right out of Raven when everything was said and done.

"Woohoo!" Sonata lets out a cheer after destroying the silos on Adam's shoulder. The Siren was also happy to be back in her original form, being big and such. The other two stayed level-headed, knowing that this was far from over. They did destroy the missile silo on the giant robot's shoulder, but they had another one to worry about. The three of them have seen what those missiles are capable of from their time in the mirror world. Siren or not, they would suffer fatal injuries if they weren't careful.

Not wanting to lose her sister to a mistake, the Adagio used her tail and slapped Sonata's backside. This caused the younger Siren to yelp in pain. "Stay focused, Sonata; I don't want you blown to smithereens!" She found her younger sister annoying and downright stupid at times, but she's family! And if she wanted to take over Equestria, Adagio wanted both of her sisters by her side, even if she wanted to push them off cliffs sometimes.

As the three got ready to turn around and blast the other shoulder, a Changeling Queen carrying a unicorn flew beside Adagio. The gold Siren raised an eyebrow at this. "Yes? We're a little busy at the moment." As she said this, a missile came flying towards the ground. Thankfully, Aria used her breath attack and destroyed the missile before it could reach them. "Make it quick, bug." Adagio spat out.

Changeling Queens didn't have a lot in common, but the one thing they hated more than anything in the world was being called 'Bug, ' Especially by some creature that smelled like fish. Then again, Miasma didn't smell any better, even before she started living in the sewers. Ambrosia was half tempted to use the Unicorn in her grasp as a weapon and smack the daylight of this Siren. Oleander spoke up before the Changeling Queen said something she might regret. "Hello, and yes, I understand that, but I believe it would be beneficial if we worked together. This contraption has proven to be resilient, but we can bring down this foe."

Adagio sneered at the Unicorn. Did she really just say that? Sirens working with others? Nonsense! But what should she expect from an Equestrian pony? The memories Adagio and her sisters received from that dead nightguard disgusted her. The average pony will go on and on about friendship but run away in fear when something is slightly different from them. Disgusting, gone are the days of mutual hatred. "No, Sirens don't need help." Aria and Sonata nodded in agreement. Oleander threw her hooves up in frustration at their stubbornness.

Meanwhile, Adam's program told him that the tide was turning and he needed to do something. Left with no other choice, the former king needed to use the El. Of course, the effects wouldn't be as significant without El extractors, but the results would be all the same. Adam holds out his remaining hand and forms an orb made of light. Once fully developed, the Nasod crushes it, causing lightning strikes to appear randomly and hit anypony unlucky enough to be in the way.

Unfortunately, Adagio was unlucky enough to be hit by lightning. After being struck, the after effect turned the Siren's body to stone. With her body encased in rock, Adagio fell from the sky; both remaining Sirens and Changeling Queen were taken back at this. " Adagio!" Aria and Sonata yelled at the same time. The both of them dove down and caught their petrified sister.

Thankfully, after a few seconds, the effects wore off, freeing the Adagio from Stoney Prison. Although, the gold Siren was far from alright mentally, as nearly falling to her death scared her stiff. She thanked her sisters and flew back to Ambrosia's and Oleander's level. "Alright, let's work together." Even in the heat of battle, Oleander loved being right.

"Alright, so this is how we'll take him down."

"Come on, Raven! Get up!" Moon Charm stood on her hind legs, trying to get the kneeling Human to move. Tried as she might, he wouldn't move an inch. "You're hurt; Xuez will fix you up real good."

Raven shook his head. "No, I have to finish this. It has to end here." He couldn't, and he wouldn't run away from this. Antithese had to die here. The Ponies that came to his recuse are brave, but they wouldn't last long against that monster. They needed his help; all he had to do was get up, but he couldn't. No matter how hard Raven tried, he couldn't get up. "Is this the extent of my resolve, or is my body failing me?" Nonsense, this ravaged body has taken far worse abuse, and he was more than willing to die on the battlefield.

Then, why couldn't he get up and finish the fight? "It doesn't have to end here! A retreat isn't cowardice, you know that. You used to be a Captain!"Ah yes, Moon Charm, Xuez, Night, Dew, Oleander, Cozy, Amber, and Jade; he would die for these children, like any good...Father. "Hah, of all the times these fake memories decide to make themselves known." Raven's memories of being in stasis were brought to the forefront of his mind. These memories were fragments upon fragments, but he remembered he had two children with Seris in that fake world. Funny, he couldn't remember their names or their faces.

Is this why he couldn't get up? The fear of leaving them behind? Who would help them achieve their dreams if he dropped dead? Ambrosia? No, she would simply go back to the woods with the rest of her hive. But Antithese had to be stopped, and It was his burden and his alone. All he had to do was get up! "H-hey, leave us alone!" The young thestral was hissing at somepony. Raven looked up and saw nine cloaked pony figures approaching them fast. For some reason, this gave the man deja vu.

"Aquire the Human." From what Raven could tell, the tallest of them said it was a male and a Unicorn. The rest of the Ponies said nothing and approached the injured Human. Many of them struggled, but they got the struggling Human on their backs. Which was impressive; the man currently weighed around 320 pounds(145.15kg)

"What the fuck!? Put me down, you crazy ponies!" Raven struggled as he was carried off to who knows where. Why did these Ponies always have to stick their snouts into his business?

"Human Acquired, now retreat!" As soon he said that all the ponies galloped away with Raven on their backs. Moon Charm galloped after them but was quickly picked up in a pale blue magic aura and placed on the Human's chest. The foal clung to the man's chest, refusing to let go.

The stallion who gave the orders galloped beside the angry Human. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Reaper. You may call me Doctor Cold Touch." The Doctor pulled his hood back slightly, showing that half of his face was gone. Moon Dancer saw this and buried her face into Raven's chest, scared. Even Raven was unnerved by the Doctor's appearance. His experience with the undead was that one necromancer from Feita and Zombie Glitters from Velder. However, that last one might have been Glitter Alchemist Joaquin's hallucination drugs.

Doctor Cold Touch gave the weary Human a tired smile. "Don't mind the appearance; I had no choice in the matter. I'm sure we'll be working together often. Now let's get you healed up."

What stood before the Queen of Nasods was utter trash. Twenty of them if she wanted to be accurate. Only seven of them caught her attention: The snake pony with the dark green coat and jewelry, the two ponies wearing cloaks that hid their forms, the bug pony wearing reading glasses, a shaking unicorn wearing a sweater and glasses, and a pony wearing a dress and sunglasses. And Finally, the little Unicorn that blasted her with that ridiculous weapon, she would make her death painful. As for the remaining ponies, they might as well be background noise to her.

"What's wrong, Scared?!" The cannon-carrying pony taunted the Nasod. She was at the back of the formation, pointing the cannon directly at Antithese. It was a good strategy, having someone like her hanging in the back, offering support fire. Unfortunately for all of them, Antithese wanted her dead first.

The Nasod sprinted towards Vinyl scratch, ready to end her life. The Vampony wasn't going down without a fight. Vinyl fired two short blasts from her cannon. Antithese quickly dodged these and continued her pursuit of that annoying loudmouth. As she neared her target, the pony with the black dress blocked her path, along with the two cloaked ponies. "You're not getding pazzed us!"

It was foolishness; Antithese will make examples of these three. "Mega Electron Ball: Zero" She formed an enormous dark pink electron ball and threw it forward. The attack would turn the three of them into charred corpses. But to her surprise, the dressing-wearing mare galloped forward and smacked the Electron Ball. The Electron Ball popped like a bubble and disappeared. "HOW?!" Her code was perfect; how could a single hit destroy one of her skills and not cause any damage?

She didn't have time to ponder it as the two cloaked ponies leaped forward and punched her. Antithese was hit in the face by the first sister and then punched in the stomach by the other. She kept her balance but was sent skidding backward from the force. Vinyl saw this opportunity and capitalized on it with a blast from cannon, pushing the Android back even further.

"Mein fraulein, are you hard of hearing? Because I told you aren't getding pazzed us.," The mare gave Antithese a cheeky smile. "And you certainly von't be able to beat me, Photo Finish!" Photo finish struck a pose, which angered the Nasod, but she was intrigued by this Pony's ability. All she needed to do was bait her.

"Heaven's Fist-Abandonded![Modified]!" Antithese sent out five giant Nasod fists to crush her enemies. It was the moment of truth. These fists came rushing forward at them; truly, these ponies couldn't stop her skill again?

"Vinyl, Aim for the top right for of those things!" Photo finish called out to her fellow vampony. Vinyl gave a wicked grin and aimed for the location. She fired five shots from the cannon, and each one landed, causing the fists to explode into corrupted code.

"This mare can see the weakness in my skills; how terrifying." Antithese thought to herself before using 'backdoor' to teleport herself over to Photo Finish. "That's why you must die!" She threw a kick out, ready to take off the mare's head. Ability or not, Photo Finish was still a pony. The leg was a few inches away from her head before the mare was blinked out of existence. The kick missed utterly, leaving her off balance for a single moment. Vinyl took this opportunity and blasted the android, knocking her over.

Before she could get back up, she found herself sinking into...Sand? Where did it come from? "Over here~" she looked to the side and saw the same Snake Pony from before, and she had a purple pentagram in front of her. "My name is Othrenia, and look up." Othrenia gave the trapped Nasod a sly smile before using her hoof to point up. She looks up to see what looks to be a combination between a bear and a bee. It was carrying a boulder. The bugbear grinned before dropping it on Antithese, trapping her in the sinking sand.

The bugbear landed next to Moondancer and Photo Finish. The bear is engulfed in green flames, revealing that it was Monarch. "That should do it; how long do you think it'll hold her?"

Photo Finish placed a hoof under her chin and rubbed it. "Not very long, alzo." The mare brought her attention to the nervous Moondancer. "Thank you for saving me; I would have lost mein head."

The mare in question blushed slightly at the gratitude. "O-oh, it's not a big deal; it was the best course of action at the moment. Now, let's hope she stays down for a while."

"Clementine." The ground beneath them began to shake as a melody in G major came on. Out of everypony, Vinyl found the music to be downright offensive.

"Sweet Celestia, this music sucks!" It's as if somepony gave a monkey a piano and told it to make music. In reality, it was a melody composed of incomplete code. This melody allowed the creation of something terrifying. Bursting from the ground were unknown images that tried grabbing anything in their way. Once in its grasp, it would consume and digitize whatever it grabbed. This thing did it to the ground where the Ponies stood on and to one unlucky vampony and snake pony. Their pained screams filled the air.

The others were lucky and got out of the way quickly enough. None of them could identify what this thing was. It was as if someone asked an Ai to create images of flowers and tiny robots. The result was these two-dimensional monstrosities that danced along with a broken melody. Thankfully it disappeared after a few seconds; the artificial creature disappeared.. But where was Antithese?

"BackDoor." The Nasod Queen teleported next to Photo Finish. This time she tried grabbing the pony instead of kicking her head off. Photo Finish reacted quickly and jumped back, resulting in her dress being ripped off by the Nasod.

"You'll have to try harder than zat!" It's been a while since the photographer had been naked like this. The mare had a camera shutter as her cutie mark.

A vampony stallion and a red snake pony thought it would be the perfect opportunity to attack. The both of them got behind the Nasod, ready to attack. "NO! Get away from her, you fools!" Photo Finish called out to her teammates, but it was too late.

Antithese didn't even turn around as Moby was smashed into the stallion's head, crushing his skull. "Junk Track." A giant drilling machine impaled the snake pony. It quickly turned her into a pile of gore and red mist as the blood and chunks were flung across the battlefield. It spun one last time before falling apart and exploding and turning into corrupted pixels.

"let me mAkE someThiNg CleaR" Antithese stepped forward and picked up the dead stallion. She held the corpse in her hands and shook it. "YOuR aTTACKs DId litTlE tO nOTHIng, YOU'rE NoTHIng But tRasH. Now RoLl OvEr aND dIe." Using her strength, she ripped the corpse in half. Dodge all they want, but she needed hit them once, and they would crumble.

"Big talk for sompony with shit taste in music! Why don't you call me trash to my face, bitch!" Again Vinyl taunted her opponent while being the furthest from the action.

"Rabbit." A diamond appeared in front of the Nasod, and like before; it created countless black needles. Unlike her other skills, this doesn't have a real weakness. Photo Finish took a nervous step back; she couldn't find a flaw. "Die!" The diamond began creating black needles attacking everyone nearby.

"Would you stop moving! We can't heal if you keep struggling like that!" The group of undead ponies managed to bring Raven and Moon charm back to the group of Changelings and Black Crow members. Currently, Xuez was giving Moon Charm an earful that what she did was the most idiotic thing in the world. Doctor Cold Touch used every healing spell he knew of, but they were barely working. It's as if his body was actively trying to resist it. "By the great maker, why isn't this working?" The Doctor said in frustration.

"Let me go! I need to get back in there!" Raven was struggling for another reason. Every time the undead doctor used a healing spell, it felt like his bones were set on fire! "Would you stop that?! It's not working!". None of them listened. Alive or undead, these Ponies always found a new way to annoy the Human. From the corner of his eye, he saw Jade crawl up beside him. The foal was sobbing, clearly upset with the situation, be it the loud noise, the blood, or just the smell. It didn't matter because Jade was upset, and Amber couldn't offer any comfort at the moment.

So, it was his responsibility to care for the crying filly. Freeing his right arm, much to the undead Ponies' protest, He brings the crying Jade into an embrace. The foal clung onto Raven, refusing to let go. They stayed like that until he heard the words he feared most. "Daddy." He looked down at the sniffling baby, and she repeated it. "Daddy." Raven bit his lower lip from the conflicting emotions that were swirling inside. But they all led back to one feeling, happiness.

"Why me?" He was a murderer; he killed those men without remorse, no matter how he wanted to justify it. Someone like himself didn't deserve any of this; he should be alone for the rest of his life. Yet here is hugging a crying child that called him daddy.

"Mr.Raven! Mr.Raven! Mr.Raven! Mr.Raven!" Moon Charm called out in excitement as she galloped over to the injured man.

"Moon Charm! I'm not done scolding you yet!" Xuez chased after the fleeing filly.

The Human grimaced; what could she be so excited about? Moon Charm stopped in front of Raven and lifted her cloak, showing her flank to the Man. "Look, I got my Cutie Mark!" she squeaked in excitement.

Raven's jaw dropped when it saw. Upon the filly's flank was the Velder insignia! And it's red as well, signaling that it belonged to the Red Knights. "HOW DID SHE GET THAT?!"This shouldn't be possible! He told them nothing of Velder, only the name. These Cutie Marks were the mark of Destiny. "But Velder and her citizens are gone, the only one left is...Me" It's funny how fate works, but it was clear what he had to do.

Closing his mouth, Raven grabs Jade and pulls her away. "n-no." The filly cried harder as she is being pulled away. The man hands her off to Moon Charm, much to her confusion. Raven pushes himself and sits up, causing the Doctor to sputter and yell at the Human.

Raven paid them no mind to it as he pushed the other undead Ponies off and stood at full height. He was severely hurt and tired, but he was ready to go again. "Are you insane!? You can't go back out there in your condition!"

He waved off the concerns and picked up his sword. "I'll be fine, I had a few minutes to rest, so I'm good to go again." That was only half the truth. While his mana reserves have been replenished slightly, he was still badly hurt. Raven looked back at Moon Charm. "I'm happy that you received your Cutie Mark, and I'm sorry for trying to throw away my life like that." The filly nodded in acceptance. "I'm going back out there, but I promise you, I'm coming back. You bear the insignia of Velder; who else will teach you how to be a proper Velder Knight?"

Moon Charm gasped in shock, then she looked to her Cuite mark, then back at the Human. "Are you saying?!" She remembered all the cool things Raven did out there with his sword. Could she do the same? When Raven nodded, she jumped in the air and flew around with Jade in her arms. "EEEEEEEEEEEE! I'll be the best knight ever!"

The former captain couldn't help but smile at her giddiness. "Now, how the hell am I going to do this?" His Valasia Arm still wasn't working, and he couldn't take much more of a beating. If only he had a healing potion. He would take any, even the shitty Cobo's Special potions.

"Maybe I can help?" Raven looked around in confusion for the voice source; it wasn't coming from his head. From the looks of everypony else, they heard the voice as well. "Check your pocket, silly." The voice belonged to an adolescent girl who sounded carefree. With nothing to lose, Raven checked his pocket and pulled out the red heart-shaped locket he had found earlier. He almost forgot about it. "Thank you; it was getting stuffy in there." The voice came from the locket

He really didn't know how to react; it was a talking locket. It wasn't the strangest thing. After all, he was in a world filled with talking Ponies. "How can you help?" Raven asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I can't give you much of my magic because I need to save it for something special, but have this." The Locket emitted a rainbow light that nearly engulfed Raven's body. What is this?! NO, He's MINE TO CONTROL, NO NO!" The annoying little virus was promptly ripped from Raven's mind.

"FREEDOM! Systems are back online."

VALASIA ARM: Online

VENOM TAKER SKILLS: Online

MUTANT REAPER SKILLS: Online

NASOD CORE: Online

The rainbow light disappears, revealing that Raven has been healed, but not entirely. He was no longer bleeding, but he was still covered with cuts and bruises. The locket even replenished his mana reserves. Best of all, Raven's Valasia arm is functional again. The man looked at the locket in amazement. "That's the best I can do for now, sorry. I don't like saying this, but finish what I couldn't, for my little ponies and me." The voice disappeared, leaving Raven somewhat confused.

"Thank you." It wasn't just that his body was healed; he felt stronger! It was coming from his claw, a pulse as if grew a second heart. The pulse got stronger as he thought about it. Raven wanted to feed this pulse his rage! "Ah, my core had reactivated" The Nasod core that was given to him when his claw was installed. He was sure that it was destroyed when he infected himself with Alterasia.

"Awaken." The same orange aura surrounded the Human, but it was different. There were tiny sparks of lightning flying off his body. Something appeared next to the Human, a yellow sphere with six black spikes floating around it. Each spike was a different length. Raven gave his Nasod Core a sideways glance and said. "Welcome back." It didn't respond, but he felt the hunger pangs; it wanted to be fed rage. Regardless of how he thought about this, Raven will use everything at his disposal, even the thing he hated most in the world.

Raven looks back at the group of Ponies and smiles. "I'll be back, promise." He disappeared in a flash of speed.

The battle between Antithese and the Monster Ponies was still raging on, but it was going badly for the latter. The Queen ended the lives of three more Ponies and was ready to take more. "PATheTiC, YOU LoT cOuldn't EVeN lasT fIve MINUteS. Now coME OuT and Die witH soMe dIgNItY." She kicked the pink barrier that the remaining ponies were hiding under. The kick caused spider cracks to appear on the impact area. Magic quickly restored it.

"AUGH! I can't keep this up forever. Does anypony have a plan?!" Moondancer was crouching due to the stress of keeping the barrier up. She was the least injured, only having to burn two burn marks on her sweater. The two sisters' cloaks had burn marks everywhere, showing what color their coats were; The first had a persian blue-gray coat, while the second had a grayish heliotrope coat. Vinyl has her coat singed on her back, and her sunglasses had cracks on the lens. Photo Finish wasn't burned, but her right foreleg was broken. Monarch had cracks all over chitin, and some of these cracks were leaking green blood. Othrenia was primarily fine; she had some of her jewelry ripped off.

"I could throw more rocks at her." The first sister answered in her usual monotone voice.

"I could transform into a dragon and eat her," Monarch answered dryly.

"If I had mein camera, I would have blinded her with the flash." Photo Finish answered, sounding optimistic, even with a broken foreleg.

"I could do a belly dance and distract her." Othrenia shakes her hips a bit as she says this.

"If I had my whole set with me, I would have sent this creepy bitch to the moon by now." Vinyl blew a raspberry at the Nasod.

Moondancer felt her blood pressure rise after hearing all of their stupid answers. "I'm being bucking serious! This isn't time for jokes! AGH" Antithese kicked the barrier again, causing more cracks to form on the barrier. "For Celestia's sake, we're fighting a killer machine!"

The first sister was earnest; she would throw more rocks at the crazy Machine. Considering the circumstances, she pulled out her pet rock and tossed it over to her sister, who caught it. "Pi-" She quickly corrected herself. "Sister, I'll distract her while you run away. Please take care of boulder and tell Mother and Father I'm sorry." The second sister didn't say anything, but she waved her forelegs frantically.

Vinyl heard this and grinned. "Woah, you ain't doing it alone! I always wanted to go out with a bang!" The Dj didn't have the best life, but she lived it to the fullest. Although, she wished to have one final drink with her roommate. She looked over to Photo Finish and gave her a sympathetic look. "Photo, do me a favor and tell Octavia I'm sorry, and if possible, pay my half of the rent." The Fashion photographer nodded.

Antithese grew tired of their chit-chat and got ready to use 'Heaven's Fist- Abandoned.' to end their dreams of escape. When three black vines wrapped themselves around the torso, it also restricted her arms. "W-what?!" The thorns tore into her dress and pierced her skin. The Nasod was flung up into the air and was moving at an alarming rate.

The Nasod Queen looked down and saw the source of the Vines. It Raven and his claw was functioning again. She gritted her teeth in anger. Who could have cleansed him of the virus? "bAStards!" She screamed out in Anger.

"Cruel Attack!" Raven slammed Antithese far into the ground with his black vines. Once that happened, his Nasod core took the form of a spear and chased after her. He had to admit Ambrosia's training paid off, and it was satisfying. He had a minute at best before she got back up. Raven detached the vines from his claw and made his way over to the barrier. His Nasod core returned to his side as he walked. The man knocked on the barrier a couple of times before saying, "It's safe now; drop the barrier. "

"Thank Celestia." Moondancer dropped it, and flopped onto the ground exhausted. Vinyl was the first to approach and size up the Human. Of course, she didn't get too close; the aura around him was covered in lightning.

"Damn, dude, that was awesome! Wanna teach me that party trick sometime?"She gave the Human a wink under her glasses.

"Another time, and thank you for saving me back there. I might have done something I might have regret." Vinyl nods with a blush on her cheeks.

"Nah, it was nothing! You have done the same, Reaper."

Again with that nickname! Raven found it dreadful. "To all of you who are injured or unwilling to fight, retreat!" This wasn't up for debate. He needed the most capable fighting alongside him. It didn't long for more than half of the remaining Ponies to retreat. Photo Finish, Monarch, and the second sister are the most notable ones. The rest were willing to fight along with him.

MoonDancer was about to retreat but was stopped by the Human. "Not you; I need you." He stared down the mare with one eye.

The Mare in question gulped nervously. What could the Reaper want with her?! "H-happy to -help, sir. What was it you needed? And my name is Moondancer" She prayed to Celestia that he didn't want her soul!

"Can you mass teleport?"

"Eh?" MoonDancer didn't know how to respond to that. Mass Teleportation was a tricky thing. It required multiple mages to perform or a very talented Unicorn. The mare was rather good when it came to magic, but the talents were more of her being knowledgeable. "It's possible, but why are you asking me this?"

"Can you teleport over a thousand Ponies and one Human?" Raven asked with a raised eyebrow.

The Unicorn's jaw dropped, are all Humans insane, or was he a special case? "You can't be serious!? That would require me to"

Raven held his claw out, effectively ending the Mare's protest. "It's a matter of life and death." It was true; ever since he returned to the battlefield, he has felt the steady rise of El energy within the Nasod. Whatever Antithese was planning, it wasn't good, and he needed a backup plan just in case. " Antithese is planning something, and I might not be able to stop it; that's where you come in and teleport everyone to safety. Can you do it?"

Moondancer bit her lower lip. The Human was placing heavy responsibilities on her withers. Why did it have to be her? "I'll see what I can do. It might take me a while. By the way, when this is all over, you better show me all the knowledge you Humans have been hoarding!" The unicorn closed her eyes and began charging the spell.

It was Raven's turn to be shocked. "How does she know about the archive?" he could question her another time because he heard the angered screams of Antithese freeing herself. "Oleander, Ambrosia, hurry up!" With nothing else to say, Raven charges back into battle.

Somewhere down in a certain crater, Fred was regaining consciousness. "Hhmm, What the fuck happened.?" He ran a shadowy claw across his face and found that his skull had a massive crack running down it. "Oh right, I got blasted out the sky and…Olly!" The Demon flew out of the crater at high speeds and back into the sky, and what he saw surprised him.

Both of Adam's shoulder guards were nowhere to be found, along with the missile silos. The Changelings somehow found a way to pin the machine's one remaining arm with their goo. Also, there were three Sirens in the air, flying alongside the Changeling Queen and Oleander. The demon made his way over. "Olly, what happened while I was down?" It couldn't be more than five minutes.

Before Oleander could answer, Sonata shrieked in fright and pointed a hoof at Fred. "AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH! It's a demon, everypony run away!" Before she could fly off, Adagio smacked her across the head for her stupidity.

"As I was saying! Thank goodness you're alright! And stop calling me Olly!" Fred would never do such a thing; it was too fun. "And as you can see, we've received back up, and thanks to them." She gestured towards the three Sirens. Sonata was the only one who smiled and waved her hoof. "we were able to restrain Adam." Ambrosia made a disapproving sound with her throat, causing Oleander to giggle nervously. "Of course, Queen Ambrosia and her hive helped as well.

Fred nodded after the unicorn finished her recap of the situation. "I'm guessing you need my help?"

"Perceptive as always, Fred." Oleander pointed at Adam's core which was fully healed at this point. "Instead of destroying it, we will yank out the gem that caused all this." Everypony gave her a questioning look. It caused her to sigh. "When we first damaged Adam's Core, I saw a blue crystal in that pile of flesh, and I believe it was the reason why the core was fully healed. So that's why I'm having the Sirens burn the surface area, then I want you." She pointed at her companion. "to slice and pull it open. While you do this, Queen Ambrosia will drain it of its blood, clearing the way. Once I see the gem, I'll use my magic to rip it out." It wasn't the best plan, but beggars can't be choosers.

"One more thing." The Demon used his claw to pull Oleander out of Ambrosia's magical grasp, allowing Oleander to fly once more. " Much better!"

"Thank you. Is everypony ready!" Once everypony nodded, she gave the signal. "Charge!" The sirens were first up and flew forward at high speeds. All three of them opened their mouths and released their red energy blast, burning the surface of the core. Fred was up; next, he came charging in and stuck both of his massive claws into the fleshy core. It took all of his might, but he managed to pull the middle apart, revealing its disgusting innards. It was Ambrosia's turn; she cleared the way by draining the blood from the gash using her magic.

It was finally Oleander's turn; Fred brought the unicorn closer. The dark magic user searched and searched for the blue gem that caused all of this. "Fred, try spreading it wider!" With a grunt, the demon did as he was told. Again she searched and searched and..."Found it!" Near the top inside this monstrosity was a glowing crystal. Using her magic, she tugged on it, but the surrounding flesh dragged back. This went on for a full minute before the unicorn had enough of this and pulled with all her might. "GIVE IT TO ME!" Oleander pulled one final time before the gem was removed from the flesh.

As soon as the gem was removed, Adam lost all of its power and fell backward. Before he could shut down for one final time, he said something. "THANK...YOU." The Nasod King was laid to rest one last time. The massive machine hit the ground, causing the land under it to crack and kick up dust. But it was done; Adam was defeated!

Oleander brought the gem over to herself. It was massive; it was nearly half her height. She held the Crystal in her hooves; she could the power flowing from it! It almost felt she was carrying another living being. A feeling of calm washed over me. "O-oh, this is nice." The unicorn hugged it and swore she could hear a voice emitting from it. Then she realized something; Oleander pulled back from the embrace and looked at it. "This must be the El!" The Human's description of the El was always vague, but it was made clear it was something powerful.

"Fred!" she called out to her companion; the demon flew over his master. "Bring me over to Raven; we need to give this to him!" She held out the glowing El Crystal.

Fred turned his head and looked where Raven and Antithese were fighting. "Uh, I'm not sure if that's a good idea."

"JUST DO IT!"

"Clementine!" Antithese created her two-dimensional monsters once again.

"Death scream!" Raven calls upon his phantom, and it starts devouring the Nasod's skill.

Their weapons clashed with each other, and they held it for a couple of seconds. "YOu'Re StILl TOO weaK! YOU caN'T BEaT ME!" Raven smiled as the first sister came from behind him and threw a powerful hoof punch at Anithese's shin. The nasod cringed in pain, which created an opening in the Human.

"Invasion!" Raven fired the skill at point-blank, and the knockback sent the man skidding backwards . However, it was worth it as he watched Anithese being forced back by the Valasia drill. The drill was firmly planted into her stomach, and it threatened to rip her in half if she didn't do anything about it.

"Purify!" Remy lands upon Anthiese's head and lightly taps her core. This created a shockwave destroying the Valasia drill and removing the venom in her system. She stood there clutching her stomach in pain. She breathed heavily. "yOU ArE nOTHing CompAReD To mE! BacKdOOR!" she teleported to Raven, ready to kick him to death. But the Nasod was blasted by Vinyl Scratch.

"EAT SHIT! HAHAHA!" The DJ called out before firing three more shots from her cannon. This forced the Nasod to jump away from Raven.

Raven got ready to use another skill but stopped as his aura disappeared. The effects of Awakening wore off, but thankfully the backlash wasn't as bad. "I think I could do it more time, maybe two, if I pushed myself?" Raven clutched his chest in pain. "Just need a few minutes."

Antithese saw this and was ready to punish Raven for leaving himself open; that's when she heard the beeps coming from moby. This indicated one thing, her hyperactive was ready. So she did the one thing she loved; laughing at the weak. "HAHahAHAhAhA!" and she kept laughing.

The Cyborg had a good idea why she was laughing and looked back at Moondancer. The mare had aura layers overlapping her horn as she continued to charge her horn. He wasn't sure if she was ready, so he needed to stall for time. "What's so funny?" He asked between breaths.

Antithese's voice returned to normal. "It's over for all of you! You're all going to die. Here!" The Nasod held her arms out and got ready to use her skill until they heard something.

"Raven!" The man and Nasod looked up and saw Oleander and Fred flying towards them. And in the Unicorn's hooves was the El Crystal!

The Nasod Queen looked over at Adam and saw that he was dead. She raged at the fact that one of her subjects was taken down by a bunch of Ponies. "Adam, you worthless piece of junk!" she could always rebuild him! But she needed to get the El back! "Unleashed!" A two-dimensional monstrosity was created from code and corrupted holographic. Unlike the others, it had pincers. It appeared above Fred, and it attacked him.

Fred screamed in pain as things tore into his back. "For the love of! Hey, monkey! Catch" The demon scooped up Oleander in his claw and threw her at the Human. Oleander screamed as this happened.

Raven ran forward, and he caught the screaming unicorn with his arms. "Gotcha! You okay?" He asked the unicorn with a big smile on his face.

Oleander let out a relieved sigh and gave the Human a stern look. "I'll be okay once I stuff Fred's book into a toilet! Oh, and this belongs to you." The unicorn places the El Crystal into Raven's claw, and she quickly hops down, not wanting to be carried anymore.

Power

That was the only way he could describe it, absolute power. His one eye was glowing hot white, and a pure white aura surrounded his body. Raven felt like something or someone was guiding him. He felt at one with himself and the world around him. He didn't even need to think; Elria would guide his hand. "So this what Elsword felt when he resonated with the El."

Raven understood why someone loses themselves to the EL when using it. It felt like he was swimming through a massive ocean that could pull him under at any time. But he wouldn't mind such an outcome, born from the El, and he shall return to the El.

He heard Antithese's annoying laugh again; he believed it was time to end her. "HAHAHA! It doesn't matter if you have the El; you're all going to die here! Michelangelo!" She laughed as error messages appeared all over the battle the field. More and more than appeared, soon all of them will be consumed by Antithese's perfect code. There was nothing they could do about it.

"Moondancer." It was the first word he spoke, and it sounded like their multiple people talking with him. "Teleport and leave us behind."His words held power, and the mare obeyed him. Moondancer got on her hind legs and yelled before blinking herself and everypony off the battlefield. Leaving Raven and Antithese.

"NNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOO! You bastard!" Then she grinned savagely. "At least you'll die here!"

"Shadow step." Unlike before, Raven didn't immediately disappear; this time, he became transparent. He slowly walked toward Antithese with a blank expression on his face. "You will fall here; it has been preordained. And soon, you will face judgment for your crimes, Eve!"

"Don't call me that! Eve is dead! I am perfection, and I shall recreate this world. The Gods couldn't stop me; what makes you think you can?!" It was more of the same drivel, about being perfect. Raven didn't need to say anything else; he would deliver Elria's divine punishment in a few moments. More of the space around them was filled up with error screens as time went on. Until everything became black, at the same time, Raven disappeared from view.

The battlefield was utterly barren; the code consumed all the blood and corpses. The only things that were left behind were the stones and Adam's giant body. Thankfully, the group of ponies and changelings were teleported out of range. This left the Nasod Queen standing there by herself. She looked to the side and found that Remy was gone; she would punish that tiny disloyal piece of trash later. At least Moby stayed by her side, her only true subject. "tRash, AlL Of tHem" Her voice was back in that usual broken state.

Antithese breathed heavily as she clutched her chest and stomach in pain. "dAmN thOse wORmS ANd thEIr tRiCks! I'Ll fiND thEm!" Thanks to that stupid Unicorn, her Hyper Active completely missed! But that was okay; she could do it again; she just needed some time and rest. Then she could finally get rid of them and remake this world as she sees fit—just a little more time.

Then she heard something coming from behind her, a heartbeat. She tried turning around but couldn't. Her artificial lungs felt like they were burning from the inside out. It was the same thing with her skin; it felt like someone was peeling it off. Even her vision was starting to fail her. When she finally noticed it, the Nasod Queen was in some kind of fog made from Valasia.

The old Nasod turned her head and found the source of this venomous gas; Raven. He held the El in his claw, and it was most likely why he was able to perform such a feat."Ah, so this is defeat? It's bitter, so this must be how Raven felt at the time." She thought to herself as she stared at the Human. He had an unreadable expression on his face as he raised his blade and brought it back down, cutting something she couldn't see.

"HEART BREAKER!"

footnote:
Raven

PASSIVE SKILL:

Awakening(Lv2) - - This ability lasts for 90 seconds. He receives a 25% boost to attacks and a 40% boost in movement speed. It can only be activated twice a day. 40% drop in attack power and 20% drop in movement speed once the effects of the skill deactivate. The debuffs only last for 10 minutes.

Anger of Raven - - While Awakened, Raven summons his Nasod Core to his side. It feeds off Raven's rage, and the more rage he feels, the stronger it becomes. The Nasod Core assists Raven in attacks and defense depending on the battle situation. Becoming a spear when he uses a skill or becoming a protective shield when attacked.

NEW ACTIVE SKILL:

Cruel Attack - - Thanks to Ambrosia's training, Raven can now create Valasia branches that spread out and attack the enemy. Poison will spread from the branches. Enemies hit by this will start bleeding and go into a state of panic.

NEW HYPER ACTIVE SKILL(BYPASS):

Heart Breaker - - The large Valasia seed pulses. When the blade of revenge pierces through the seed, Valasia branches out enraged and strikes your enemies.(Level Restricted) (Requires El Essence to use)

NEW ITEM ACQUIRED:

El Crystal: A fragment of the Gem Ishmael sent down from the heavens. The Gem that brought life to the Ocean and Land, the Human, named it the El, and soon after, the El lady came to begin. Now it was nothing more than a shard, the very last shard. Even as a shard, it still contains great power that could be used for good or evil. The El priestesses and El Masters are gone. Leaving Raven the only one to wield such great power. What will he do with it?

Moon Charm

CUTIE MARK OBTAINED

Honorary Velder Knight - - For her courage and bravery, Moon Charm is granted the title of knight and will be henceforth called Dame Moon Charm! Her attacks and movement speed are 20% faster!

[Moon Charm's New Cutie Mark]

Chapter 21(The Return of the Dream)

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The Return of the Dream

"IT'S NOT FAIR!" The former Queen yelled into the vast emptiness that was the void.

"..." Raven simply stood there and said nothing.

"I would have ended all suffering!"

"To live is to suffer."

"SHUT UP! Is that all you have to say?! After all you've been through!? You lost everything! You should have been the first one to be by my side! Why did you reject me!?"

"Uniqueness, Choice, Emotion," Raven answered.

"What does that have to do with anything!?"

"In your perfect world, would Uniqueness, Choice, and Emotion be a thing of the past?"

"Of course, they would be! Who needs to be Unique when you're already perfect? Choice means free will, and free will brings suffering. I shall choose for you. As for emotion?" The Nasod giggled at the thought of more than one emotion. "Happiness! No need for other pesky emotions."

Raven nearly laughed at Antithese's childish explanation. "Even if I put aside the fact that you killed our friends, wiped out humanity and every other species in Elrios. I would still reject such a world. I lived such a life while under King Nasod." The man looked at his claw as he spoke. "I was modified to be the perfect weapon. My free will was stripped away when it was the most convenient. And being forced to feel between hateful rage and devastating sorrow every day was hellish."

Antithese pointed an accusatory finger in Raven's direction. "You just listed off an extreme example. I could have easily fixed that. I would have even given you Seris back and more."

Raven's temper flared up briefly, but he quickly calmed down. "Seris is gone; no matter what I do, nothing will change the fact, and again what you offer would be hellish. When the nasods put me into stasis, I was placed into an eternal dream. Everything was perfect because Seris was at my side." The man stared out off into the unending empty that they were in. "Nothing changed, no strife, no new ideas, and I felt nothing but happiness." Raven closed his eyes and shuttered at those broken memories. "In the back of my mind, I knew something was wrong, but I couldn't do anything about it. It was all suppressed, no matter how much I raged, cried, or begged. It felt like I was drowning. I refuse to live in such a world again."

The former Nasod Queen frowned and threw her arms up in frustration. "Fine! Do you have a better solution!?"

Raven shook his head. "No, but the current status quo is better than the alternatives."

Antithese wanted to rage and scream at the Human, but hearing that just made her sigh. "You say that, but you went and massacred the aristocracy during the demon invasion, hypocrite."

The man nods. "I never said I was better than you. I had toppled the government and created a power vacuum in my short-sightedness for revenge. My only regrets were killing in front of a child and never finding Owen." Raven brought his gaze back to the Nasod. "Tell me, Eve. Did you regret killing Elsword?"

Eve didn't even bother correcting the Human; it was pointless. "No. I sacrificed everything to bring about a new world, but if I had sacrificed Elsword." The former Queen thought back to the day when she woke up, and Elsword offered his hand to her in friendship. "I couldn't do it."

"Then what happened?" Something must have happened to push Eve down this path, and Raven wanted to know why.

"Do you know of the ancient Elrian Capital, Elrianode?" The Cyborg nodded. "Then I'll keep it short. Elsword was given a choice by Solace, El Master of the Sun. He could either restore the El and continue the cycle of the El lady needing a vessel, starting with Elesis. Or break such a vicious cycle and create a new world."

"But Elsword was a hard head, and he chose neither option." Raven interrupted

Eve for the first time and in a long time giggled earnestly. "Yes, he chose neither, and instead, he sacrificed himself. Elsword poured all his energy into the El, and all the El fragments around the world reunited into one... All except one, the Ruben El, the same one you used to beat me." The former Queen held no malice for the Human anymore; she only felt acceptance."After the El absorbed Elsword, I felt something inside me...Snapped."

The memories of that day made Eve's core flash bright red before turning blue once again. "Add, and I had planned on creating a world of our own, something similar to Elysion, but I had grander plans. Of course, I never told Add or anyone else about it, and I was hesitant about going through with it." Eve turned around and looked into the distance. "With Elsword gone, nothing held me back, I unleashed my code and the restored El energy for my own, and I became all-powerful!" Eve held her arms wide and laughed. "I BECAME ANTITHESE! HAHAHAHA! Using my newfound power, I killed that bastard Solace! And gave our friends an ultimatum: Join me or Die!"

Raven stood there unamused by her outburst. "And they chose the latter."

Eve's arms dropped, and her head lowered in shame. "Yes, they thought I was crazy, and rightfully so." The nasod took a calming breath. "They tried stopping me; Elesis and Aisha were the first to fall by my hand. Ain proved to be troublesome, so I shattered him and scattered his fragments across space and time."

"That actually kind of explains a lot, actually." Raven always wondered why he had holes in memories when trying to remember the priest; he wasn't human, to begin with. Eve continued with her gruesome explanation. "Ara fled, saying something about seeing her brother one last time." Raven had no idea who that was. " Rena seeing how bad the situation was, stayed behind, giving the others time to retreat..." Eve turned around and walked to Raven and stood in front of him with a blank expression on her face. " Her last words were about you. Rena regretted she couldn't show you the light."

That one hurt far more than it should have, another one to his mountain of failures. Raven felt his eyes tear up, but he pushed the feeling down for now. "What happened next?"

The former Queen shook her head and refused to speak more of it. "I will not deny my sins, but I shall not speak of them anymore. You should see and hear of what I did to Elrios. I'll see you in Hell, Raven." Eve spun on her heel and had her back facing Raven. " Or maybe not; it's never too late for redemption. Restoring Humanity could be a start or helping those stupid ponies you love so much." Even on the very brink, Eve still hated those Ponies. " Or maybe." she looked over her shoulder and looked at the Human. "Bringing back the Nasods?"

Raven sneered at the former Queen's audacity. After how much she and the rest of the race put him through?! "You must be joking." he deadpanned.

Eve looked away and back into the emptiness. "I wish I were, but you're the only one who could do it. I know Adam, and I left a bad impression on you."

"Understatement of the century." Raven interrupted Eve.

The Android continued as if nothing had happened. "And if I were given a second chance, I would do it all again." And the man was sure she would try killing him again if she had the chance. The little bitch was unrepentant, and some small part of him begrudgingly respected that."Regardless, my sins shouldn't condemn the entire race. It's the same with you, Raven; you've done horrible things. If the Ponies ever found out what you were really like, they would oppose you at every turn. And I'm not talking about the freaks with you right now." Raven frowned but said nothing because she was right. If those Alicorns found out what he did, they would become more than a thorn in his side. Worse yet, he told the kids about his time under Adam's mind control. It's not that he didn't trust them, maybe not Cozy Glow, but they might let something slip.

"Think about it, okay?" Raven found it strange; moments ago, they had tried to kill each other. Now they were having a casual conversation. Eve snickered, causing Raven to raise an eyebrow. "It's funny; Elsword believed in us to be better people. You were given a second chance, and I was offered friendship so both races may coexist. Now, look where we are! KEHEHEHEHHEHE!" She burst into laughter.

Raven stood there watching her before cracking a smile and laughing as well. "HAHAHAHAHHAHAHA!" In some twisted ironic way, Raven found this absolutely hilarious. They kept laughing for a few more seconds until they started fading away. Time grew short for both of them. "Hah, so this is it."

"Yes, time for judgment.." Eve bit the bottom of her lip and gave Raven one more glance. "Take care of Remy for me; I've treated him poorly, and tell him I'm sorry."

Raven nodded; he could agree to that; the poor drone needed to be cared for. "Goodbye, Eve"

Eve turned on her heels again and faced the Human one last time; she had tears running down her cheeks. The man was surprised; he was sure that Nasods couldn't cry. "Farewell, Raven Maxwell."

"Everypony look! He's waking up!" It was the first thing Raven heard as he regained consciousness; it sounded like Moon Charm. The man found himself standing up in front of Antithese's endoskeleton. "GAH!" The sight nearly gave the man a heart attack. It seems like the Valasia couldn't destroy everything, and as much as he hated it, he would provide Antithese with a proper burial. It was the least he could do.

The next thing he noticed was the El Crystal he held in his claw. It was jagged and could easily cut someone if not properly handled. Besides that, it was a beautiful turquoise that shinned brilliantly. Those within proximity would have a sense of calm wash over them. The first time he held it, it was after he and his men stole the crystal from Wally's airship. A time when he wanted to use the El Crystal to wipe out Humanity. Now, he was, and the crystal was Humanity's only chance.

Raven coughed and regretted it. His lungs felt like they were set on fire. He was sure he had broken ribs; thankfully, none of them punctured a lung. He looked at himself and found that his armor was in terrible condition. His pants were covered in holes and dirt. The upper right of his chest piece was missing, exposing his chest scar. His shoes had holes at the bottom of them, and all the black feathers on his armor were plucked. It would take a couple of hours before his armor would fully regenerate. Thankfully, besides the ribs, the locket healed most of his life-threatening injuries. Still, he would have Xuez check him out.

"Mister Maxwell, are you okay?" Raven looked around and found that he was surrounded at all sides by Changelings, Ponies, his charges, and gigantic merhorses?"What the fuck?" Most of them were at the very front near him. Raven was thankful that all of his charges came out of his ordeal unharmed, although Jade was still crying and trying to reach out to the Human. As for others, they were in considerably worse shape.

Some of her drones were patching up ambrosia; besides the cracks on her chitin, she looked perfectly fine. They weren't missing many, but Honeycomb hive had lost drones during the battle. Raven would ask for the exact number of losses they've suffered today, but he had brought his attention to others. The sea horses were licking each other's wounds; the worse they've suffered were cuts and burns. However, the golden one gave the Human a predatory look, which caused him to raise an eyebrow.

The other monster Ponies that arrived mainly were in the same condition, except Moondancer. The unicorn was on the ground clutching her head in pain. And Raven saw why. On the side of her horn was a massive crack that started at the tip and went down to the base. Doctor Cold Touch was doing his best to treat the wound, but it looked like it would take months for such a thing to heal.

"I..I did that to her." The man didn't know much about unicorns and never considered the fact such a thing could happen. But ignorance wasn't an excuse for what he did to that poor mare. He needed to find a way to fix this or an alternative because he was sure she couldn't perform magic in that condition. For now, he would swallow the guilty and address everypony... "Everypony?" The pony mannerisms were starting to rob off of him, and he didn't like it one bit.

Raven cleared his throat. " I would like to thank all of you!" It hurt, but he made sure that he was heard loud and clear throughout the valley. Raven lowered his head in thanks to all of them. Some of them found it awkward because they expected the Reaper to be big bad, and evil incarnate. The man brought his head up and gave the monster ponies his full undivided attention. "And I am incredibly grateful to you and your group. I am in your debt."

Raven said this to Vinyl Scratch, who was trying to play it off as cool but was blushing madly. The vampony adjusted her cracked shades and shrugged. "N-nuh, dude, it's cool...but I could go for new shades."

The Cyborg nodded; it would be a simple task; he just needed an alchemy table. "But I must ask, what brought you all out here?" This wasn't a coincidence, and he wanted to know why they all came out here.

"Pssh! Come on dude, like you wouldn't know! You're the dark lord that will bring about the great change!" Raven needed to find out who was spreading these baseless rumors. It was most likely Glave. "Last of his kind, a ghost from the past. One-eyed, tall, and wears all black! He will bring upon a paradise that will last, and those who were shunned will come for refuge!" The DJ stuck her tongue out as if she had eaten something sour. "Yuck, I'll stick with my day job, but that's how the old rhyme went."

"That sucked!"

Raven looked at Moon Charm for any answers, but she gave him an equally confused look and shrugged. Before he could tell any of them that these were baseless rumors, he felt something vibrate in his pocket. Raven stuck his sword into the ground and pulled out the red heart-shaped locket. It was violently shaking as if it was trying to release something. Curious, Raven tried opening it, and to his surprise, it did open. As he opened it, a rainbow shot out, and it was rocketing towards the sky.

The rainbow came in contact with the clouds; as soon as it, they were pushed aside. It only took seconds before clouds were cleared, leaving a beautiful blue sky, which allowed the sun to shine down upon the valley. The rainbow finally arched and came back down and made contact with the ground.

As cracks appeared on every stone surface, the entire valley began to shake. The stone finally gave away and revealed lush vegetation. The rivers and waterfalls were flowing with water again. The trees were released from their rocky prisons and swayed gently through the wind. Some of the trees had apples on them, and some of the bushes had berries. The flowers were beginning to bloom; birds flew by. Even the castle was no longer made of stone, it was made from pink-colored bricks, and each spire had blue flags on each point.

It was grass as far as they could see. In less than a minute, the stone valley became a paradise! Everypony was flabbergasted. They all fought an enemy, a near unbeatable foe, with everything stacked against them. But they pushed through, and they overcame the odds. And this was their reward, and it was beautiful. Some of Ambrosia's drones were tearing up or crying at the beautiful sight. Even the Queen herself had to wipe away a few tears.

The young members of the Black Crows had varying expressions. Oleander's jaw hung low, Xuez was crying, Cozy Glow looked away, trying not to look impressed but looked back occasionally. The twins were starstruck by the beauty; Amber and Moon Charm were jumping around in excitement, and Jade was no longer crying but giggling at the bright colors.

It was the same with the monster Ponies. Vinyl took her sunglasses off and was awed by the beauty. Cold Touch never took his hood off, but he was staring into the distance. Photo Finish had a bring grin on her face, showing off her fangs. "We have found Da Magick!" The first sister sighed sadly, most likely because all the stone was gone. The second sister was on the ground rolling all over the grass. Othrenia was a bit more reserved and watched everyone with a smile on her face. Monarch was flying around, making weird chirping sounds. Moondancer made the same expression as Oleander; her jaw hung low. The two sirens remained passive while Sonata dove into the nearby river and began splashing about.

Raven had no words to describe the beauty he had just witnessed. It reminded him of the time, he and the El search party visited Ruben to return the El. Even if the chase led to a dead-end, it would have been worth it. Then he heard someone calling his name. "Raven up here!" He looked around but didn't see any of the Ponies calling his name. And it seemed like no one could hear the voice. "To your right, silly!"

Over on a hill not too far away stood a teenage girl with blonde hair styled into a ponytail with a pink bow. She wore green overalls with a pink heart in the middle. Standing next to her were six ponies and a purple baby dragon. They all waved at the Human, and again no one noticed them. "Thank you, Raven Maxwell! The valley is your home now; treat it with care. And take care of your little ponies!" Soon enough, she and her ponies and dragon faded away.

"..." He didn't know what to say, he had many questions, but he had a good guess of who that was. It was Megan; the one Antithese was talking about. As much it pained to think of it, she and her little Ponies had passed away. "Huh?" Raven felt someone tap his leg; he looked down and saw Oleander with the same shocked expression.

"Raven! We're! We're! We're! We're! We're! We're!" She kept repeating the word as if she was trying to find the right one.

"You can do it." Raven encouraged her.

"We're in Dream Valley!"

[Raven VS Luna]

[Art by Redahfuhrerking

Chapter 22(Paradise)

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Paradise

Prance Border

Emerald lets out a tired yawn as she looked over the horizon. The earth pony was a newly appointed border guardsmare, and she wasn't happy about it. "Stupid, Reaper making trouble and stuff!" The mare grumbled angrily. She missed her cushy job back at the castle. But thanks to that overgrown monkey, the entire guard regiment had to be re-evaluated and reformed. "This is bucking stupid; when the Changelings invaded, nothing was done, but when a hairless monkey comes in swinging a sword, suddenly Celestia and Luna want to change things!" The mare had an emerald-colored coat with a pink mane. She wore the standard day guard armor.

"Because that monkey defeated an Alicorn, took out ten guards, and kidnapped seven foals. It won and got away." Emerald's partner, Thrasher, spoke up. A stocky unicorn stallion with a yellow coat and black mane. He wore the same armor as his partner. "No matter how much you or the media wants to spin it, this creature is powerful and threatens Equestira's peace."

"So were Nightmare Moon, Discord, Chrysalis, and King Sombra, but guess what?" She paused for added dramatic effect. "They all got their flanks hoofed to them by the Elements of Harmony! Why aren't the princesses sending them in?!" The earth Pony fumed as she stumped her gold-clad hooves.

The stallion shook his head. "Please stop acting foalish , And the princesses can't do that now. Twilight Sparkle, the Element of Magic is currently..." He couldn't find the words to put it gently. " Indisposed." He was one of the few guards that knew what happened to Princess Celestia's student, and it wasn't pretty. Agent Bon Bon has been keeping a close eye on the Horrorcorn, and it is said that she has somewhat recovered mentally but is still unwilling to leave her home.

"Pfft, it sounds like she's getting lazy" Emerald dismissed the stallion's reasoning for Twilight Sparkle's absence.

This caused the stallion to scowl. "Takes one to know one."

"Hey! I'm not lazy; I prefer to be back at the castle! I mean, look around you!" She gestured pointedly in front of them. It was nothing but grass, with the occasional tree. In the distance, they saw the rocky mountains that made up Stone Valley. "We're in the middle of bucking nowhere with an ugly view! Actually, why the buck are we guarding Prance's border? It's not even part of Equestria."

"Because Prance is Equestria's ally, and we protect our allies. Now be quiet; we're supposed to be guarding, not gossiping." Thrasher straightened his stance and kept watch out; Emerald did the same but not before mumbling something under her breath.

The worst part about being positioned here: It was boring! Nothing ever happened, they would occasionally see a train go by, but that's it. Guarding the castle was boring too, but it was indoors, and she could slack off once in a while. The Mare wanted something to happen, anything! Then something granted her wish.

"What the!" A giant rainbow came flying out of Stone Valley, clearing the grey clouds that hung over the valley. They watched the rainbow come back down. "Sweet Celestia." In a matter of seconds, they watched the rock-filled valley become teeming with life. Emerald slapped herself, making sure it was all real. "Hey, Thrasher, you seeing what I'm seeing?"

Thrasher dumbly nodded as he looked on. "Uh, yeah, I'm seeing it too." It looked familiar, too; the stallion swore he had seen something like this from a book.

"Let's report it to the sergeant!" Emerald turned around and galloped towards Prance.

"HEY! GET BACK HERE! OUR ORDERS WERE TO STAY HERE!" Thrasher chased after his partner, but he was secretly relieved. Finally, something to do.

Dream Valley

From the sun comes light
From the sun comes power
It's the sun up high in the sky
That makes the flowers flower
From the sun comes warmth
From the sun comes daytime
It's the sun and its light gleaming bright
That brings the fruit in May time
Winter, summer, spring, and fall
The sun shines through it all
From the sun comes warmth
From the sun comes daytime
Here's to the sun up above From the sun, from the sun, from the sun comes love.

The foals and nymphs kept singing as they pranced and played throughout Dream Valley. Who could blame them? It was a paradise. Some of the Changelings were keeping watch, while others flew out further to dissuade any passing Griffon or Pony. It's only been an hour, but Raven and Ambrosia wanted to claim the Valley. Oleander had also told the Human that the Valley could of been the origins of Ponykind.

Raven currently sat on a rock with his shirt off, Cold Touch and a few other undead Ponies were tending to the Cyborg's injuries. He watched on as the young members of the Black Crow were enjoying themselves and playing. He was disappointed to see that Cozy Glow and Oleander didn't join them. Raven understood why the unicorn didn't want to enjoy she was the oldest of the group and didn't want to be seen as childish. But he wanted Cozy to join them and play, but she looked content laying on the grass.

As much as the Cyborg enjoyed watching them and listening to them sing, he needed to assess the situation. Raven took a pained deep breath and asked. "How many did we lose?" It wasn't the first time, and it won't be the last time he will be saying this and it never got easier.

"I lost seventy-eight of my children, while another hundred of them have been injured. It will take me six heat cycles and a few months before I replenish those numbers. Maybe a little less if my children help out."It didn't sound too bad, but Raven felt guilty either way, the death of one is too many. "If only I had a big strong human, who would fu-" Raven placed a finger over Ambroisa's lips, stopping her from finishing that sentence.

"It is a time of mourning, none of this foolishness." Ambrosia pouted but kept her peace. Removing his finger, he brought his attention to Vinyl Scratch. "How many did your group lose?"

The Unicorn in question sat nearby, performing maintenance on her Bass Cannon. " Seven, there were thirty-two of us when we came, and now we're down to twenty-five," She says all this while still working on her Cannon.

Raven nods and was a little put off by how calm she was about this. Then again this group of Ponies was different, to say the least. "I see, we will hold a memorial service for them." Seeing how there weren't any bodies to bury, this was the most appropriate. "None of you have any objections?" He looked around and waited for someone to speak up.

That's when Moondancer spoke up, she was laying on her side trying to rest. "Even that thing?" She pointed at Antithese's endoskeleton.

"Yes, even her." The man wasn't going to leave her standing there, even if he hated her.

Adagio snorted angrily, she was still in her Siren form, along with her sisters. "Why? Throw her in a dump, it's the least she deserves." She couldn't believe how soft this Human was being. Was he trash as well?

"It's tradition, everyone deserves a final resting place, even our enemies." The Siren gestured toward Adam's massive corpse. "We're scraping that bastard's body, it would be foolish not," Raven said with venom in his voice, causing Adagio to raise an eyebrow. He had some choice words for that tyrant but kept them to himself. "Regardless, Antithese and I use to be teammates, it's the least I can do."

This revelation caused everypony around him to gasp in shock. Except for Cozy, Oleander, and Ambrosia. The questions came flooding in.

"WHEN?!"

"YOU WERE FRIENDS WITH A ROBOT?!"

"THE PROPHECY SAID NOTHING ABOUT THIS!"

"WHO WAS SHE?"

"WHO ARE YOU?"

"DO ROBOTS POOP?!"

Raven was sure that the last question came from the cerulean Siren, and he watched as one of her sisters smacked her. The questions kept coming, and the cyborg grew tired of it. Raven brought his right leg up and brought it back down with great speed and force. The ground underneath him cracked, and the pressure created a mini shockwave. This got everyone to shut their mouths. "Let's start from the beginning. My name is Raven Maxwell, former Knight of Velder." Raven held up the El Crystal in his Claw and showed it to everyone. "And this is the El, the start of everything."

In the beginning, there lived the god of Darkness, Henir, and the goddess of light, Elria. Elria created the material realm; the demon realm was created as a result. Elria tasked the goddess Ishmael to become a steward of the material world. But there was little to no life to be found in the material world; darkness ruled over it. In an effort to protect the material world, Ishmael sent a massive gem to the heart of the continent. The once dead planet started teaming with life, and soon after, intelligent life began to spring up.

The land where the gem landed became blessed. A breath of life seemed to emanate from the gem, which attracted people from many different places. They admired the gem and would call it El. The land it revived would be named Elrios.

You Humans really like putting 'El' in every word you use.

Says the species that puts 'pony' in nearly every word they use. Now be quiet, Oleander.

The Elrios continent became a prosperous land, but it still had traces of its influences from the Demon realm. Dark energy seeped through a gap in the dimension and turned the forest creatures into monsters. These monsters came out of the forest and attacked Humans. When everyone thought all hope was lost, a general with an emblem of the Sun rallied his army against the monsters. The general was not only a skilled warrior but was able to harness the El's power to fight.

After that day, more people who could harness the power of the El appeared. Ishmael granted the power to control El to the children of those who settled near it-

Wait! If we did the nasty, wouldn't that make my next clutch super-strong?!

POWER ASSULT!!!

GUAAHH!

Stop interrupting me!

The common people started following them and turned them into leaders. The people have come to be known as Elrians. The Elrians prospered and established the Elrian Kingdom.

Under the guidance of the Elrians, civilization flourished. The Elrians started teaching people how to harness the amazing power of El. And this prosperous period was known as the brilliant Elrian Kingdom. From this civilization, some excelled in theory and the application of El energy. They were called Debrians. These were great minds who were able to overcome their lack of ability to manipulate El through mechanical means. The greatest of them all was Adrian Nasod. He used Code to create El energy-powered Machines. These machines and devices were named after their creator and were called Nasods.

With further research and development, central A.I.s named Adam and Eve and 2nd generation Nasods were created. Adam is the giant machine behind us and would experiment on me and enslave me. Eve would later become Antithese and destroy Elrios. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

The Nasods and Debrians would accomplish great things. The capital of Elrios, the city of Elrianode, was defended by the city in the sky, Aero City.

Golly, Humans even had sky cities.

Yes, and we made them better, and not out of clouds.

Unfortunately, such times would not last. We grew arrogant and defied the gods and built a city in the sky in another dimension. The city was called Elysion, although the history books were a little unclear on this one. It might be called Atlas, but I'm not sure. Anyways, moving on.

Performing such a task drained the El of its energy, and the continued creation of more Nasods exasperated the problem. Due to the greed of the Humans, El's power was gravely misused. The power of El deteriorated, and the continent became dark again. In order to protect the Nasods, Adam started a war with the Humans. He got his mechanical ass handed to him. The Humans drained the Nasods of their El energy which caused Adam to cease functioning.

Due to this, one of the sky cities fell, causing the city to spill over to the land, dividing the earth up. The El was at its breaking point due to the constant harnessing of its power. But with the help of a lady possessed by Ishmael's power, she was able to restore the El. Life slowly returned, and the people started to worship the El Lady.

Everyone rejoiced in the blessed life again, and people started to preserve the power of El that the El lady left behind. The masters were chosen to govern the El, and they, in turn, found a new El Lady to watch over it. There were six in total; they represented and controlled the six aspects of El. Fire is the power of passion. Earth is the warmth and richness of the land, which protected the continent of Elrios. Water is a combination of coolness and intelligence, which controls the sea, so it doesn't overflow onto the ground. Wind energy keeps the universe in motion. Sun is one of the powers that brought life to Elrios. Moon is a power that is used to give the people of Elrios comfort and security. Also, at some point, the Nasods would reactivate

But such times would not last. The Harmony Festival takes place once every three years. When the Sun and Moon become one, all living creatures spend this time unwinding and enjoy each other's company. Thus it was called the Harmony Festival. The day was the most peaceful and tranquil in Elrios.

Then the El exploded, breaking into millions of pieces, and the shards had been dispersed throughout the continent.
The Nasod and Human civilization had ceased to exist after that day. Survivors could only breathe in places where El Shards existed, and so it has caused many people to reside in areas where there were large El Shards. Soon, a massive earthquake split up the lands. Tremors continued for several months, which eventually led to the continent splitting in two. Ultimately, the remaining masters would settle near large El Shards and would give their up lives to restore the power of El. Normal people would follow the masters example and sacrifice themselves to restore the continent.

Four hundred and seventy-six years later, I was born.

"I was born and raised in the Velder Kingdom. I became Captain of the Mercenary Knights called the Black Crows. I was betrayed by the nobles I served. I had my arm cut off." He gestures towards his claw. "left for dead, until Adam's Nasods found me and experimented on me, making me part Nasod." Raven continued on and gave them a summary of what happened afterward. Of course, he left a lot of things out, like his killing the nobles. He doesn't need rumors of that spreading just yet.

"After the demon invasion, I was recaptured and put into stasis. Then I woke up to a world filled with mythical creatures and rainbows. That's about it."

"V-very, interesting," Ambrosia said with some strain as her Changelings were patching her up again. Raven ran over her while he told the story.

Aria Blaze brought her head closer and narrowed her eyes at the Cyborg. "You left out a lot of details from your story. Hiding something?"

Raven looked at her from the corner of his eye and kept a blank expression. "Most of what I skipped over was traumatic, and I rather not talk about them in detail. Maybe another time." Aria backed off for now, but she would find out what he was hiding.

Moondancer spoke up next. "So what happened to all the El Shards? They couldn't have just disappeared, right?" The mare had an inkwell and paper and wrote down notes with her mouth. Where she got it, Raven would never know.

"I'm not sure; as crazy as it sounds, Eve and I had one final talk before she died." As he expected, the Ponies around him were skeptical, which was understandable. "Elsword, a former comrade of mine, poured all of his power into the El and made it whole again, bringing all the pieces back together."

Although he did his best not to show it, Ambrosia could sense the pain Raven was feeling. "Unfortunately, Elsword was absorbed as a result, and Antithese used this opportunity to use the El for herself. After that, she wouldn't tell me anything else, but I can assume she might have caused another El explosion or worse. I'll have my answer soon enough." Raven looked back in the direction where the Archive was.

Raven flinched when one of the undead Ponies touched the area where his flesh and Nasod Arm met. "Careful; you might poison yourself, and being undead won't stop the Valasia from turning you into dust." The undead pony quickly apologizes and moves onto the next area, away from Raven's Claw. "Enough about me; since I'm in your debt, what would you like from me?" Raven looked around and waited for someone to start, but it seemed like no one did. He points at the robed pony, she hasn't talked much, and he wants to hear from her. "You."

The first sister trotted up to the sitting Human. She got on her hind legs and whispered something into Raven's ear. Raven's eye went wide, and he looked at the second sister. The second was still rolling all over the grass, enjoying herself. "I-I see, so such a thing is possible. Are there others like her?"

"Hah, just like me"

The first sister backed away and got back on all fours; she nodded. "Yes. But they're a lot more independent and like to keep themselves hidden." She catches the ground with a hoof, feeling slightly nervous.

"Either way, I'll treat uh, Surprise as one of my own." Hopefully, the others wouldn't recognize her, but he might have to tell Oleander at some point.. "You can stay here as well; you're sisters, after all."

The mare shook her head and refused. "I can't; I need to return to the farm in a couple of days. But thank you for the offer, Mr.Maxwell." She gave the Human a slight bow, which he wasn't too bothered with.

"You're welcomed here anytime, and if you find the others, send them my way; I'm sure I can give them something to do." The other Ponies were confused because they were out of the loop when it came to this conversation. Raven pointed at the jewel wearing snake pony. "You're next; what can I do for you? Also, your name, please."

Othrenia smiled and slithered closer to the Human. "My name is Othrenia, and I'm a Lamia, but most like to call us Ssssnake ponies." The Remaining snake ponies behind her nod in agreement. "And we're not asking for much, Most Ponies would run me or my kind out of any town we visit, and the Ssssun wolf isn't any help." Raven raised an eyebrow at that. What an odd title; maybe there was a deeper meaning? "What we're asking for is a place where we can live and be tolerated. Also a possibly a source of meat. I'm sure you can understand; you're a carnivore as well."

Raven opened his mouth and showed off his teeth. "Omnivore, actually, but I do prefer meat." This, for some reason, made him crave cockatrice, what he would give to have some more right now. Putting aside his cravings, Othrenia's request was reasonable. Hopefully, she and the other Lamias didn't try eating the others. "Consider it done." He brought his attention to the Doctor. "Doctor Cold Touch, what about you and your lot? Also, I would like to know the nature of your undead status."

The Doctor was currently wrapping bandages around Raven's torso. "We want a purpose," He didn't bother looking up and continued with his task. "And no, we're not necromancers, and nor do we have a necromancer master. We passed away and came back to the land of the living. We aren't sure why this happened, but we roam the world looking for a purpose. If Princess Celestia or Princess Luna ever caught wind of our existence, they would hunt us down till the ends of Equis."

Raven would have to look into this later; people don't come back to life for no reason. Until then, he would offer these Ponies sanctuary and a purpose. "We could use medical professionals, and seeing how you're treating my wounds, I say you and your group got the job. As for your appearances, I have something in mind." What he had in mind was medical clothing Humans used to wear back in ancient times, and he found them aesthetically pleasing.

The doctor finished and looked at the Human and gave his best smile. "Thank you, Mr.Maxwell, and we have finished treating your wounds. I must say you're healing remarkably fast." Cold Touch and the other undead ponies got off of Raven and backed away.

"King Nasod was a bastard, but he knew what he was doing when he had his Nasods experimented on me," Raven said all this as he put his chest piece. The chest was fully repaired, which confused some of the Ponies. "Moving on, what about you lot? And your names, please" He pointed at the Sirens, which caused Adagio and Aria to look at each other nervously.

"Horse Apples, we forgot about that!" Adagio whispered

"What do we tell him?!" Aria whispered back.

In a flash of light, Sonata reverts back to her Pony form. She had the same color scheme, and her cutie mark was a blue and purple jagged eighth note on a pink heart. The Pony galloped to the Human, got on her hind legs, and started tapping on his chest with her hooves in excitement. "My name is Sonata, and those are my two sisters, Adagio and Aria! And We want Tacos! We want Tacos! We want Tacos! We want Tacos! We want Tacos! We want Tacos!"

"OW! OW! OW! OW! OW! OW! OW! OW! OW! OW! OW! Make her stop!" A single pained tear ran down the side of Raven's eye. Raven pulled her up by the scruff of her neck and placed her to the side. "Please never do that again," Although it was somewhat cute that Pony was an adult and should act her age. " and what is a 'Taco'.?"

"The most scrumptious thing in the world! Made from grounded meat, corn tortilla, onions, chili peppers, tomato, and cheese!" Raven had to admit, that sounded delicious, and he wanted some of these tacos.

Raven looked to the other two sirens and gave them questioning looks. "Is this what you really want?" The two gave each other awkward looks before nodding. The Human shrugged. "Consider it done, I'm not the best cook in the world, but I'll see what I can do." However, he was slightly suspicious of the Sirens. Except Sonata; she was genuine with her request, "Next, you." He pointed at the changeling covered in honey-colored goo.

Unlike Ambrosia's drones, which had yellow carapaces and eyes, this one had blue eyes and dark blue carapace. Her wings were unusual, they weren't torn up, and they resembled butterfly wings. "My name is Monarch, and I want your help overthrowing Chrysalis! So can you please get this off of me?! My horn is starting to itch!"

Ambrosia answered this time, and her carefree attitude was replaced with a serious one. "No, and in you're in no position to make any request. So be quiet and be happy I'm letting you live for now." She hissed at Monarch, causing the drone to shrink back.

"That's enough, Ambrosia." Raven butted in before the Queen ripped the drone apart. "I'm assuming you're one of Chrysials's children." Monarch nodded. " So why do you want to overthrow your mother?" He didn't find it hard to believe; the bug pony was one of the thousands of offspring. This would cause a disconnect between parent and child.

Monarch frowned at that. "Besides being a tyrant? She's going to get us all killed; she's planning to capture the princess, the elements of harmony, and rule the world!" This is when Raven lost all interest and gave the restrained Changeling a bored look.

"So your average tyrant with an ego?" Raven asked

"Uh, yes?" Monarch answered.

"Like all history's greatest tyrants who planned on world domination, she will fail." This was a fact, and nothing will change his mind on this. "But, I will help you on this, as long as you're willing to share all of her secrets." He wasn't going to tell her about his plan with Ambrosia just yet. He wanted to see where her loyalties lay.

"So can you tell Queen Ambrosia to get her goo off me?" Monarch pleaded with the Human.

"No." The Changeling drone whined. Raven moved onto the next pony and pointed at Moondancer. "What about you, Moondancer?"

Moondancer smiled nervously at being put on the spot. "I still want to see all the Human knowledge and secrets your species has hoarded. And maybe a way to make my horn heal faster?" After listening to Raven's history lesson, Moondancer wanted to learn as much as she could about this ancient race.

"With the help of Alchemy, it should be an easy task." Raven pointed at the vamponies, but most of them shrank away as soon as he did.

Vinyl Scratch spoke up. "Can we talk about that later? Our request is really complicated, and it's a long story too." Photo Finish nodded along in agreement. Raven shrugged; if they wanted to keep it private, that was up to them.

"If that's everything, then let's get going?" Raven made the motion of standing up but stopped himself. "Ah, before we go... Why are the majority of you females?" That may have sounded sexist to an extent, but he was curious.

Thankfully none of them were offended, and some just tilted their heads in confusion. Oleander was the first to answer. " It's a ratio of one to three for males and females. So it's not uncommon to find a stallion coupled with two mares or more" Raven shivered in disgust. "How is it with Humans?"

"Degenerates" Raven squashed that voice; he wanted to keep an open mind about this, even though it disgusted him. "It's a fifty and fifty split between Humans when it came to males and females. And Humans are strictly monogamous, with a few exceptions, but we only have one partner at a time." The only exception he could only think of was the people of Sander. The former captain swore he heard some of the mares let out sad sighs.

"Let's get a move on." With nothing left to say, Raven got up and stretched. "As soon as we find the archives, I need to establish some form of government here."

Ambrosia started to groan in frustration. "That sounds boring. Can't we kick back and relax?"

Raven deadpanned at the Queen. " We're on the edge of Equestrian territory, and after what Oleander told me, this place is a historical sight to many Ponies. So no, we can't relax; we have to claim this land as quickly as possible before someone else tries claiming it for their own."

"Fine! But I'm staying out here and keeping watch, going into a dusty library sounds boring! And I want to keep watch of her." She points a hoof at Monarch, whos struggling against the goo she's stuck in.

"This isn't fair; I want to see the library too!" Monarch whined as she struggled.

"Next time, but I have to trust Ambrosia's Judgement for now. Alright, everyone let’s get a move on. Xuez, Moon Charam, Night, Dew, Amber, Jade! Let's go. We're going to the archives!" It didn't take long before they all of them stood in front of him; Amber was the most excited out of all of them.

"Do I finally get to learn magic!?" Raven prayed to the goddess hoping this would be possible, so he simply nodded. Amber started jumping around in joy. "Yes, yes, yes!"

From the sun comes power
When the sun starts to rise in the sky
The flowers start to flower
From the sun comes hope
From the sun comes laughter
With the sun in it's place we'll embrace
A happy ever after
Summer, winter, fall, and spring
It makes the whole world sing
From the sun comes hope
From the sun comes laughter
Here's to the sun up above
From the sun, from the sun, from the sun comes love.

The foals kept singing as the group walked, and Raven didn't mind it; it was a lovely song. They were heading north towards a large cavern, and he didn't need the smartphone telling him where he needed to go. The dead Nasods were clue enough to where the archive was.

As they continued to travel, Raven noticed something unusual on the ground. He stopped, causing every other pony to stop. He bent over and picked up a black and blue rifle. It had the scope and a suppressor on the end of the barrel. Raven felt the demonic energy coming from it. "This is a demon's weapon. How did it get out here?" He asked himself. Either way, this weapon could prove helpful if it still worked. Then noticed another weapon on the ground and picked it up.

Once he picked up the weapon, he recognized it. It was a gunblade, and he knew one person who would wield such a weapon. Raven sprinted towards the cavern at high speed. "Raven, where are you going!?" Oleander called out to the Human, but he didn't listen. Left with no choice, the others chased after him.

The cavern was dark and damp, and the only source of light was the massive white door with circuit lines that ran all over the door. But Raven ignored the door in favor of the two bodies sitting near it. The two bodies were nothing but skeletons. The first skeleton looked like it belonged to a child, and it had two horns sticking out of its head. The other skeleton was much taller, and it had one horn sticking out of its head—the two wear in a tight embrace.

Raven knew he would find such things if he came here, but nothing could prepare him for this.
"Lu...Ciel."

footnote:
Raven

NEW ACTIVE SKILL:

Desperado - - Raven binds the enemies and snipes them down. Sniping damage increases with more bound enemies. (Class restriction: Skill must be modified before it can be used)

NEW ITEM ACQUIRED:

Demonio Rifle - - A demonic weapon that can hold up to five .308 bullets. The receiver can be modified, allowing ammo types as high as a .50 Caliber. Those proficient in magic can form magic bullets themselves, allowing for elemental bullets with varying effects.

[Demonio Rifle]

Chapter 23(Nasod Archives)

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Nasod Archives

"Curse you and your long legs!" Oleander called out to Raven as she followed him into the cavern, the others doing the same. However, Adagio and Aria were too big for the cave; this forced them to revert to pony form. Adagio kept the same color scheme, but her mane was big and poofy with yellow streaks. Her cutie mark was a gem with a G-clef on it. Aria had her mane in a pigtails style, and her cutie mark was a two-toned purple star with a forte symbol.

The giant white metal door got Everypony's attention as they stepped inside. Blue circuit lines ran all across the entrance. The metal was flawless and didn't have a single scratch on it. As Oleander got closer to it, her fur started to stand on end, and as she touched it, she could feel the hum of power through her hoof. "Amazing." It felt like she was touching the El again, but instead of the feeling of calm, she felt unease and the call for more power. Then she and every other pony heard a metallic voice that startled them.

ACCESS DENIED

"Oh, right. Raven." The unicorn turned her head, and the Human was in front of two skeletons. Oleander looked back at the others nervously. "Stay here and let me handle this." She slowly made her way over to Raven until she stood next to him.

"Lu, Ciel." That was only the thing that came out of his mouth. Oleander looked over the corpses, and indeed these were demons. From what Raven had told them in his Story, some demons looked like Humans with horns and pointy ears. And the unicorn was able to confirm this because of the energy the bones were emitting; it was similar to when she summoned Fred.

"So this what my predecessors looked like?" Fred said within the Unicornomicon.

Oleander would scold the demon later, but her Human friend needed help right now. She looked up and saw that Raven had a blank expression. "We can't leave them here," Raven said quietly; luckily for the Unicorn, her ears picked up on this.

"We'll come back for them, I promise." Oleander placed a hoof on Raven's leg to comfort him.

"I never got to apologize to them, and they're gone now." Raven wasn't sure if demons were immortal or not, but some part of him wished that they were still alive out there somewhere. It wasn't meant to be so, they were dead, and there was no changing it.

"Then keep moving forward; I'm sure that's what they would have wanted," Raven said nothing and kept staring at them. Oleander sighed as he did this, she needed to give him a little push. "Raven, I know you have ulterior motives for coming here; you want to find a way of bringing back Humanity."

Raven never told them of his plans, but the Unicorn was right. He said nothing and gave the unicorn a sideways glance. "Honestly, you could have said so, but loose lips sink ships. I won't tell anyp-" Oleander corrected herself.
"Anyone, now let's go; Humanity has been nearly wiped out three times; it would be rather pathetic if it ended with you standing here doing nothing."

"Hah. You're right." he gave Oleander a small smile.

"It's nothing new." Raven ruffles her mane and walks past her.

"Be careful; you might get a big head if you keep that up." Raven joked.

"Too late; you can see it from space!" Fred laughed at his own joke but was silenced after Oleander slammed the back of the Unicornomicon onto the ground.

"Quiet you." She fixes her mane and grumbles angrily.

Raven looks back at Lu and Ciel one last time. "Just wait a little longer; I'll be back, I promise."

Raven stood in front of the entrance; everyone else waited in anticipation. "Here goes nothing." Raven put the El Crystal in his other hand and placed his claw on the entry. Once he did, the metallic voice came back online.

Identifying

Raven Maxwell aka Venom Taker

ACCESS GRANTED

The massive door slid upward, allowing everyone to enter. To their surprise, the entrance led to an elevator. "What a nasty oversight. This would make a perfect ambush point." Raven said in disappointment; he hoped the library had multiple entrances. "Let's go." He was the first one to get on, followed by everypony else.

Nearing Weight Limit, please bring a lighter load next time.

Thankfully they managed to fit everyone onto the elevator. Still, some ponies looked up and stared at Raven. " one-fifth of my body is made of metal," Probably less now after the mutation, but he didn't like being called fat, even if it was implied. "Now stop staring; it's rude." He said with a slight blush. These Ponies always found a new way to annoy him.

Raven looked at the elevator panel and found only seven buttons. Out of the seven, three were glowing green; the others were grayed out. He wouldn't question it for now, but he was sure there was a reason for this. Raven pressed the first button and watched as the door closed.

They all stood in silence as they made their way down to the first floor. Moondancer broke the silence. "Mr.Maxwell, do you know anything about this Library?"

"The records I've found say this place was built by the Nasods, Debrians, and Elrians. It was supposed to be a final bastion for humanity if the worse came to pass, but relations became strained with the Elrians, and the El's power began to wane. So it was converted into a research facility, and they were looking for an alternative to El." Raven placed the El Crystal under his arm and took out his smartphone. After a few seconds of searching, he found the file. "Ah, yes. They both succeeded and failed."

"They succeeded in finding an alternate way of powering Nasods, but the result proved disastrous. They discovered Henir, and this was the first instance of his existence to be confirmed. The energy Henir's dimension gave off proved stronger than the El, but it corrupted everything it touched, so the Debrians found a way to filter the energy. And for a time, it worked. The Debrians made something far more potent than El, but Henir found out. "

Raven just stood there and said nothing else. "Dude! Come on, finish the story! You can't just Prince blueballs a mare like that!"

"What the fuck?!" Raven had to agree; he was disgusted by that phrasing. "There isn't much to say. Henir took offense to his 'gifts' being misused like that. So in an ironic twist, he fused the researchers with the Nasods and created the first skin splitter."

"W-whats a skin splitter." Moondancer was the only one brave enough to ask such a question. Raven stared down the mare with his one yellow eye and said nothing. The mare shrank under his harsh gaze. " Never mind!"

Raven shook his head and let out a small sigh. "I'll say this: pray for a quick death if you ever meet one. Reports say they're especially cruel to small creatures, and these things are three times my size." A wave of fear washed over everypony. "After the skin splitter was taken care of, the facility was converted into an archive facility and is still powered by the very project that started it all." Raven scrolled through the rest of the file and found that the rest of it tried to describe the god of darkness, but it's been all blacked out. "Everything else has been redacted, and there's nothing else to say." The less he talked about Henir, the better.

The Elevator stopped, and there was a ding sound. "We're here." The door slowly opened.

The first floor of the Nasod archives was massive, both in length and width. The room was at least a mile long, and the ceiling was half that length; it required flight to touch it. The room was illuminated by blue lights from the ceiling and ground. Bird shaped and Scout type-R nasods roamed throughout the room, performing various duties. There were metal tables with chairs everywhere, it's a place of learning after all. The place even had mini portable terminals on these tables.

But the most striking thing about this place was the countless bookshelves, which were massive. And these bookshelves were tall enough to reach near the ceiling. These book shelves were made from metal and stone, with unknown symbols. The book themselves were metal rectangles with a holographic screen; they held more information than any ordinary book.

Everyone looked around and was amazed by the sight; even the former captain was impressed. But no one was more excited than Moondancer. She was galloping around with drool coming out of her mouth. "OH, SWEET CELESTIA! LOOK AT THESE BOOKS." The unicorn galloped to one of the shelves and pulled out a random book, and was shocked to find it didn't have many pages. Using a hoof, she started scrolling through the book. "OH.MY.GOSH!! THIS CONTAINS FAR MORE INFORMATION THAN A NORMAL BOOK!"

"NEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD!" Vinyl yelled out. The DJ was also impressed, but they were just books.

In Moondancer's excitement, she threw her head back and started doing something that one Pony shouldn't do in public or around other Ponies. She started neighing, and it wasn't like the small whinny sounds they would make at times. This was a full-blown: "NNNNNNNNNNAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYY NNNNNNNNAAAAAAAAAY NNNNNNNNAAAAAAAAYYYY!"

Oleander went red in the face while some tried covering their ears. "Moondancer, compose yourself this instant! Only hippies with no shame make sounds like that!" The dark magic user used her magic and pulled the mare away by her tail, but this made the problem worse. Fred was laughing from inside his book.

While all this was happening, Raven was confused until Amber tapped his leg. He looked down at the smiling pony. "A mommy and daddy pony make that sound when they're happy and playing." She explained with some pride in her voice. "I know this kind of stuff because I'm a big filly."

Raven put two and two together and felt instantly tired. "I want to go to bed." Maybe if he looked around, he could have a nice comfy table to sleep on? "Oleander, keep dragging her along; we can look at the books later. I want to confirm something." She nodded and started dragging along the neighing pony. "Goddess, give me strength." He said as they made their way through the library.

As the group made their way towards the library's middle, they came across a corpse. It was an armor-clad Human; it lay on its back, with its weapon near it. Raven instantly recognized the body; he may not have known this individual personally, but he has heard of him. Raven placed the El Crystal to the side, ran up to the body, and knelt beside it. " Do you know this person, Raven?" Xuez asked.

Raven nodded and placed a hand on the armor. "The white wolf of Hamel, Prince Seiker, son of the white Colossus Helputt and the next guardian of Hamel." Prince Seiker wore formal clothing underneath all the white and blue armor. His chest plate had a blue, glowing sphere in the middle, most likely his guardian stone. Raven touched the rest of the armor; it was made from an unknown metal; till this day, no one outside the Sieker family knew what it was made of.

"As some of you know, I hold no love for nobles or royalty because I believe few deserve such a title." Raven looked at Prince Seiker's weapon; it was a massive cannon that could fire from both ends. They were also known as destroyers. The one, the prince, used was flatter and had a rectangular shape. "But I believed the Seiker family were worthy of such a title. They were willing to lay down their lives for the city of Hamel and her people." Raven looked down and saw a massive hole in the armor where the prince's stomach would be. "Even during the end days, Prince Sieker went down fighting."

Raven picked up the deceased prince and placed him leaning on one of the bookshelves. Then he took the weapon and put it next to the prince. "Thank you for all your hard work, sir. I may not have known you, but it would have been an honor to fight by your side." Raven did something he vowed never to do again, bow before a noble. But he would make this exception. "Rest easy now." Raven saluted Hamel's final Guardian.

"Pathetic"

Raven picked up the El and everything else he put to the side. "Let's keep going." He didn't see it, but some of the Ponies had watery eyes, while others sniffled. What the Human said moved them. Some gave the guardian a bow as they passed, while others gave a small prayer. Even Adagio showed her respect. While she hated the heroic types, she could respect strength, and if someone went down fighting, they were strong in her book.

As Raven thought, the floor kept its main terminal in the middle of the floor. It was nothing special, a giant computer attached to the floor, with a desk and chair. But there was something on the chair that disturbed him; it was another skeleton.

This corpse wore a white and purple double-breasted suit; over it was a white coat." This white coat had two things attached to it, and if Raven's memory was correct, those were 'dynamo factories.' The cause of death was apparent; twelve diamond-shaped dynamos were sticking out of the skeleton's chest.

"Hello, Add... It's been a while." He didn't know what else to say. What could he say? He should have helped him and led the boy down a different path. Instead, he used Add for his petty revenge, which may have pushed him to work with Eve.

While Raven struggled with himself, Cozy Glow took to the air and flew closer to Add's corpse. "What are these weird things?" She pointed a hoof at the dynamos sticking out of Add's chest. "Are these weapons?" How could such small things be used as weapons?

A female voice answered the question before Raven could tell Cozy to get away from the dead body. This startled everyone and caused some of them to look up. "They're called dynamos, and yes, they are weapons. Ah, so you've finally arrived, Venom Taker."

A female Nasod attached to metal tubes came down from the ceiling and looked down at the Human and group of the Ponies. The Nasod's skin was entirely made of white metal, or what seems made of metal. Her face was perfectly white and with no mouth, but the Nasod could still show her emotions with her glowing blue eyes. The outer part of her hair was a dark navy, while the inward part was neon green. The only thing she wore was a blue captain's hat made from metal. She wore nothing else, leaving her C cup breast hanging out. Thankfully she wasn't designed with reproductive organs or any other embarrassing parts.

The Nasod hung limply from her tubes. "It only took you over ten thousand years to reach me."

"It's been that long?!" Raven thought in a panic.

The female Nasod looked over at the Ponies and held complete disdain for them. "You even brought animals with you, wonderful." Her words oozed with sarcasm. " I am Code: Maya, former Commander of Atlas. Welcome to Memento. Humanities and Nasods final resting place."

[Rest in peace]

[Code: Maya]

Chapter 24(Code:Maya)

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Code:Maya

"H-has it been that long? Over ten thousand years of sleeping?" Raven talked to himself while the Ponies around him scrambled. It did make sense; new sentient creatures and civilizations don’t pop out of nowhere. Although, Life starting from scratch would take much longer than that. Someone or something possibly had a hand in restarting life on the planet. First, he needed to know what happened right after Antithese took the El for herself.

"Who you calling animals, you bucket of bolts!" Vinyl raised her Bass Canon, was ready to blast the Nasod from the ceiling. A few others were ready to attack as well. Maya looked at them with a raised eyebrow and was slightly surprised by the fact these creatures could talk.

"Stop," Raven commanded them, and they did as they were told and stopped. Raven gestured to Maya's limp form. "She cannot move, and I doubt she came here to kill us." The man noticed it as soon as he saw her; the only movements he could see were on her face.

"Right you are." The cables attached to Maya started shaking, and the Nasod's body started rag-dolling comically. "I have been paralyzed ever since I fought Elsword and his friends. A week later, Elysion falls out of the sky, and Add finds me and drags me off, saying, 'I need a complex A.I." Maya sighs sadly and swivels her eyes. "Now, I just hang here and wallow in misery."

Raven found it interesting at how emotional Maya was. The first time he and the El search party met Eve, she was quite reserved and distant. "What generation of Nasod are you? You're a lot more emotional than Eve." He was sure that Maya wasn't a first-generation because of her intelligence, and she was too emotional to be a second generation.

"I'm a third-generation Nasod, and never compare me to that failure ever again." If Maya could, she would have spat in Raven's face for such an insult. "Thanks to that failure, I'm the last Nasod!"

Vinyl looked around the library with a raised eyebrow and gestured at the smaller Nasods. "What about the smaller guys? Ain't you guys the same?"

Maya rolled her eyes. "That's like comparing a monkey to a Human, even though they're both violent creatures." Raven took offense to that but kept his peace for now. "Those are first-generation Nasods; they are basic and not capable of higher thought. Unlike them, I am a sophisticated machine capable of higher thinking and reasoning. Far more reasoning then that fool Eve, 'Queen of the Nasods' Pathetic..." The Nasod stopped and thought about it; then, her eyes widened. "Wait if you're here! That means."

Raven held up the El Crystal so that Maya could see the gem. "Eve is dead," Raven said dryly.

Maya started laughing and wiggling around in joy. "Hahaha! Yes! Good! That fool had it coming! May she burn in hell for all eternity." The Nasod continued laughing. "I can finally take solace that the Nasods and our creator have been avenged." Maya lowered herself so she could be at eye level with Raven. "Tell me, did you make her suffer?"

The man backed away slightly and shook his head. "No, I believe in a quick and painless death."

"Disappointing." The cables moved Maya once again, and she loomed over the Ponies. The Nasod narrowed her eyes at these multiple colored creatures. "What are these creatures? My programming tells me they're Equines, but they're sapient. and they speak perfect Elrian."

"They call it Equish, and they're Ponies." Xuez coughed into his hoof, catching Raven's attention. "Ah right, Xuez is half Zebra and Half Pony." The winged Zebra nodded happily. "They're the dominant species."

The tubing spun Maya around so she could face Raven. "Truly? These multicolored creatures don't even have hands, let alone thumbs. I mean, look at them." Raven looked at the angry Ponies under his care, and he would have agreed with her two weeks ago.

"They're a little odd and colorful, but they've proven themselves capable in the face of hardship." Raven countered, but the Nasod was still doubtful.

"That's right, and who needs hands or claws when you have magic?" Oleander lifted a nearby table with her levitation spell effortlessly.

"We can use our mouths as well." Moondancer demonstrates this by holding one of the books she took with her mouth, much to Maya's disgust.

"And we can pick up things with our hooves." The first sister held her pet rock in her hoof, which perplexed Raven. The man was sure that their hooves were made out of keratin, and he looked under Jade's foot and found a normal frog-shaped hoof.

"How advanced are these...Ponies?" Maya asked the Cyborg.

"As far as I can tell, their technology is inconsistent at best. Most of it is powered by magic and rainbows." The last part was a lie, but it might as well be true, considering how colorful this world was. "They have gunpowder but no form of artillery, and yet they have airships and sailboats."

"Primitives." Raven nodded in agreement.

Oleander raised an angry eyebrow at the two. "Are we really being criticized by the two races that have been nearly wiped out multiple times?" Maya grumbled angrily, while Raven blushed slightly in embarrassment. "The one remaining Human is always brooding and violent."

"I don't brood." He didn’t bother denying that he was violent.

Oleander ignored Raven and continued. " And the one remaining Nasod can't even move on her own. Truly, I feel honored to be in the presence of such mighty beings!" She held out her hooves and spoke in mock appraisal.

"Guh! Why, you little!" Maya wiggled harmlessly in the air while some of the other Ponies laughed and giggled. "Curse that Add!" Raven grunted in disapproval and gestured towards Add's corpse. He found it in poor taste. "He said my core and code were beyond fixing."

Raven rolled his eye and placed the El down. "Add might be a genius, but when it comes to Nasod machinery and other gadgets, he had no practical skills working on actual Nasods." Raven got closer to Maya.

"What are you doing?" Raven wrapped his arms around Maya and brought her closer. "UNHAND ME! GAH, DON'T STICK YOUR HAND IN THERE!" The man ignored her and stuck his hand in a rather unpleasant place.

Vinyl scooted over to Photo finish and whispered to her. "You think that's how Humans mate with one another?"

Photo Finish shrugged. "I don't know, but he is very good with those things at the end of his claws. Flexible."

"STOP, THAT TICKLES! Hahahah!"

Maya stood there shaking and mumbling to herself. "B-bastard, I'll get you for this." She straightened her stance and stood taller than Raven at 8 feet tall. "How could you do such a thing in front of others?!"

Raven deadpanned at the embarrassed Nasod. "I just opened your back panel and jury-rigged some of the broken parts. Also, Add was correct, your core is damaged, but it's not irreparable; I just need to find an alchemy table, and I should be able to synthesize copper tape. With that, I can repair your core."

"....I am...grateful," Maya said cautiously, then she looked at her own hands and moved them. "Maybe there's still some hope left?" She looked back down at Raven. "You said these creatures can use magic?"

Raven nodded. "Yes, this world is filled with it, and most of it can be found in the land known as Equestria."

"How is such a thing possible? Without the El, magic should be an impossibility. And they don't look like they've been infected by Henir." She leaned down and had a closer look at some of these Ponies. The snake and bat variants might have been, but they weren't violent screaming monsters.

"I'm not sure, but I've been able to empower myself and restore my mana just fine with the ambient magic around. But it's not as potent as the energy the El gave off. But." Raven gestured towards the tubes attached to Maya's back. "I believe that Nasods could sustain themselves off of this ambient magic. "

Maya tilted her head and raised an eyebrow. "What are you trying to say, Venom Taker."

He frowned but continued. "What I'm trying to say is that we could bring life to New Nasods and keep them sustained on this new form of magic. The El isn't stressed by the consent drain, and the Nasods don't have to worry about powering down. Win, win."

"Add said you hated Nasods and anything related to them."Maya leaned down and narrowed her eyes at the Human.

"I still do, I won't deny that, but we're both on the brink of extinction. I'm willing to put aside my prejudices for this, and with their help." Raven turns around and gestures toward his little Ponies. Maya looked at them skeptically and back at Raven. "I'm sure we can make it a possibility if you're willing, that is." Raven held out his claw for a handshake.

Maya stared at his claw for seconds before giving him a tired look. "I don't have a choice in the matter, as Add reprogrammed me to take orders from you as soon as you arrived. But the gesture is appreciated, and I agree to these terms." She took Raven's claw, and shook it. "Besides my earlier reaction, I'm glad you arrived; I feared the worse when the facility you were in self-destructed."

Raven lets go of the Nasod's hand and is slightly shocked. "Did the facility send a signal here?"

Maya nods. "Yes, and I was the one who approved the release sequence. The facility for a time received its power from here." Raven instantly felt ill at the thought of Henir's energy-sustaining him for such a long time, even if the energy was filtered and refined. "But the underground power line was damaged at some point; thankfully, the release protocol kicked in before you could starve to death.

"Actually, it didn't; they came to my rescue." He pointed at the members of Black Crows, who gave Maya varying reactions. Oleander was neutral about this, Cozy gave her best fake smile, Xuez smiled nervously, the twins had a hungry look behind their eyes, Moon Charm struck a pose and held her head high, Amber waved a hoof in excitement, and Jade babbled happily.

"Charmed..."Maya could feel it in her core; these children would drive her insane. "Either way, I'm glad you're here because I have a message from Add, Lu, Ciel, and Prince Seiker, aka Chung, and I need to explain to you what happened to the El when it was fully restored. Now, which would you like to start with?"

Raven swallowed nervously; he was finally going to have his answers. "Let's start with the El; what exactly happened to the El when Antithese took control?"

"To put it simply, the El imploded. In her attempt to prevent another El explosion, she called upon the power of Henir and surrounded the restored El with Henir's energy." Maya placed a hand over her mouthless face. "It went as well as anyone would have expected. While it did prevent the El from exploding, it didn't stop the El from losing its power from Eve's reckless attempt to recreate the world. Once the El's power became too unstable, and with no means of releasing this energy, it simply collapsed into itself, and it was catastrophic."

"Everything and everyone was caught in one giant blast, and it went beyond the planet. This explosion was large enough to consume both the Sun and the Moon." Raven was horrified by this revelation but was glad to have his question finally answered. " The blast nearly stopped the planet as well. Thankfully, Add brought us here to weather out the destruction. Once it was all over, the land was barren, the sea was dead, and the world was left in darkness with a never-ending winter."

"It would have been the end if Add hadn't used his code, the last remaining El shard" She pointed at the El that Raven was holding. "And the residual energy to recreate the Sun and Moon. Although, the Sun was far smaller and the same size as the Moon. I'll never know how he got the Sun working in such a state." Maya shrugged and continued with her retelling. "With the sun so small, he had it move around the planet just like the moon. Even with the Sun restored, the planet was barren, and Add theorized it would take millions of years before complex life could return to the planet." This would explain why the sun moved in such erratic ways, and how two alicorns could move it. But it still didn’t explain why life sprang up so quickly.

"Left with no other choice, Add and the others would go in stasis as you did, but." Maya crossed her arms and legs in discomfort at the memory. "Eve somehow survived and was on the search for the last remaining El Shard; it would have been a matter of time before she found it. Add began the restoration project, a backup plan if they failed to defeat the mad Queen. I was of no use, so I hid and waited." Maya walked over to the terminal and typed a few things in. An audio recording came on.

"Mwaahahahahha! Raven, if you're listening to this, it's your Favorite Demon Queen! I expect an apology when I see you next time! Isn't that right, Ciel?" It sounded like Lu, but she sounded even more arrogant.

"... If we don't make it out alive, I left something special for you on the third floor. Take good care of her; my father gave her to me." The sound of someone getting kicked was followed by the pained screams of Ciel.

"Um, hello is this on? This is Prince Seiker, but you can just call me Chung. If you're listening to this, Mr.Maxwell, I'm sorry that I never got to meet you; hopefully, after this, we will... But if I don't make it; I'm leaving a file behind with my father's research, my knowledge of alchemy, and my explosion theory. May you use this knowledge for a better and brighter future... Um, Lu, I think Ciel has had enough."

"Shut up!" Girlish screams could be heard from the recording as someone else got kicked.

"Out of the way, fools! Raven, I know you're listening; once this is all over, I expect you to be grateful for all I did for you! Getting you out of that cage and replacing your failing organs! Did you honestly believe I would let those Velder soldiers take you away because you got caught killing? No way, you're too valuable!" Several veins were visible on Raven's head as he listened to this. "No need to thank me, I just expect you to be part of several experiments I will conduct." The audio cuts off, and Maya starts up another one.

Wet coughing could be heard, followed by pained breathing. "Hahaha, she used my own Dynamos on me, I shouldn’t have made them so sharp. I-i was able to trap Eve in a... cognitive virus. She's trapped in her own mind, trying to solve the mathematical paradoxes.. Hopefully, she'll spend the rest of eternity trying to solve them." More wet coughing could be heard as the sound of blood hitting the floor could be heard. "I might as well say this... I'm sorry, Raven. I know it means nothing now, but I wanted to see my mother one last time, and I would have done anything to see her again. So if you're alive, Raven. Memento belongs to you, and Code: Maya is yours to command. Place your hand over the terminal, and the necessary code should transfer over to you."

Raven held his claw over the terminal, and soon as he did, a purple lightning bolt came out and struck Raven in the Claw. He screamed in pain as he clutched his arm in pain. "HAHAHAHAH! GET FUCKED! One last parting gift from me to you. Hahaha, Gah!" Add started coughing and continued coughing for a full minute before stopping. "Well, good luck, Raven... I'm coming, mother." The Audio cuts off.

"Son of a bitch." Raven rubbed his claw in pain as words flashed before his eyes.

CODE: EMPEROR (lite version)

As soon as he read those words, he was nearly overwhelmed by the new sensation as he could feel every Nasod in the facility. This included Maya, as she stood at attention, waiting for his orders. Even a holographic screen popped up infront of him, but he quickly missed it. "W-what, happened afterward?" Raven rubbed his head, trying his best to calm the oncoming headache.

Maya nodded and continued with her explanation. "After Add's death, Eve lay dormant for thousands of years until the restoration project yielded its only success, Megan. I'm not sure what happened, but the child simply touched her. A few years later, Eve woke up and went to the lower levels and wreaked havoc in search of the El. Due to this, floors from four to seven have been locked down."

"Why? She got out." Cozy Glow spoke with a deadpanned look.

"Antithese damaged the reactor, and it began to leak. This is the same reactor that contains Henir's energy." Fear took a grip on Raven's heart as Maya said this. "And until the reactor is fixed and the floors cleansed of Henir's influence, you will be denied access and denied access to the master controls." Maya's words were final, and she would overrule Raven's orders if she needed to.

Raven lets out a tired sigh and leans on the terminal. "We have to clear those floors out at some point and fix the reactor. When will you allow me access?"

Maya sized up Raven before speaking. " You must grow stronger before I allow any of you access; you're far too weak in your current state."

"But Raven has the El, can't he use that to blast all the bad guys?" Amber asked curiously.

Raven shook his head at the suggestion. "If I use the El for long periods, I risk being absorbed by its sheer power. The El isn't some tool that can be used whenever most convenient. For now, we'll leave it."

Maya walked up and stood next to Raven, awaiting his orders. "What is our first course of action."

"Food, infrastructure, some form of a working government, and preparing for a funeral." Raven looked over at his Charges. "I need to find a teacher for these kids and clothes." He looked at the rest of his Ponies. "Clothing for all you." Everypony started groaning and even booing Raven. "I will not serve a bunch of nudists!" The only ones who didn’t seem upset were Photo Finish and the undead ponies.

"How come she gets to be naked?!" Vinyl pointed at Maya, who didn't seem to care.

"Because her genitalia doesn't hang out, unlike the rest of you. It still disturbs me how Ponies walk around naked." He thought about when he fought Luna. He gagged at the memory. "I'm surrounded by degenerates!". Now he had one big problem, all the stuff he needed to do required a lot of people, and the majority of his Ponies were Changelings. Alliance or not, he had to speak to Ambrosia first; Raven was sure she would want something in exchange. "Goddess, give me strength.”

footnote:

Raven

NEW CODE ACQUIRED

CODE: EMPEROR (lite version) - - Raven can now order and control Nasods if he wishes. He can have up to 10 generation one Nasods join him in a fight, up to three generation two Nasods and up to one generation three Nasod. Due to the Code being the lite version, Raven cannot materialize or dematerialize Nasods.

Chapter 25(Hunger) (NSFW-ish)

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Hunger

Raven stood on top of a hill and watched his newly acquired Nasods walk and fly around. The moonlight was reflected off their metal casing; this would be a problem for the mercenary as he wanted to use them as spies and scouts. Maybe a layer of paint could rectify this?

He continued to watch them as they moved around sluggishly. This was due to El's energy not being present. While the ambient magic could sustain them, it wasn't as potent as the El. "Their cores need to be modified." He said while rubbing his aching head. Raven could repair and even build Nasods, but he didn't know anything about modifying code.

Then, he needed to start building 2nd generation Nasods. Having combat-ready intelligent machines on his side would be helpful, but programming the AI would be a nightmare. "Oleander, Dew, Night, and Moondancer." His smartest Ponies. Although, he wondered if the dark unicorn would be any help in the field? The twins have experience working with machines, but they need to study Nasod anatomy and coding. As for the unicorn scholar, she's very knowledgeable and good at magic; and that's all he knew about her.

Raven hummed to himself and gave it more thought. "Vinyl Scratch." The fact she designed and built her own cannon made her another genius in her own right. Although, he finds her personality a little too brash for his liking. "I can iron that out later.' At the end of the day, he would test them all and see their strengths and weaknesses. He also had another problem, Suprise; hiding her identity would be a problem. After what the first sister said to him...No, "Maud, that was her name." After Maud told her, how long would it be before Ponies find out?

Suprise wasn't even her real name, just a placeholder. "Mena, that's what I will call her for now." Mena means love in certain languages, which is what that Pony needed right now. Now Raven had to find something for her to do; throwing parties would be too obvious and highly inappropriate at the moment. Raven snapped his finger in realization. "I need a chef!" Mena's talents were bakery related, but she could be taught how to cook other dishes. Like Harmony festival steak! Having steak, in general, would be nice... "Are cows in this world sapient?" Raven brushed aside that silly thought; of course, cows weren't sapient. Although?

As he continued to ponder, somepony snuck up behind him and wrapped their forelegs around his torso. "You let your guard down~" Raven instantly recognized the sickly sweet words but wanted to confirm it. He saw that Ambrosia was on her hind legs hugging him. "I see you got yourself new toys from that dusty old library."

"I'm losing my edge; I need to start training again." Raven thought, a little worried. "Yes, it's called Mementos, and it's more than just a library. A final resting place for humanity and Nasods alike." Raven crossed his arms and closed his eye for a brief second. "I have a favor to ask of you."

Ambrosia smiled mischievously, let go of Raven's torso, and took to the air. "Oh? Finally taking me up on my offer?" The Queen already knew that wasn't the case as she could sense his emotions. What she felt were worry and self-doubt.

"No, It's nothing trivial like that; it's something far more important." Raven took a deep breath before continuing because he knew Ambrosia wanted something in return. "I need farmers, a seamstress, architect, blacksmith, pegasuses," Raven wasn't fond of controlling the weather, but it could have its uses. Like breaking up or redirecting a storm. "And I will also need diggers for a sewer system, and I need a food taster while I work on producing love for your Hive." The Cyborg was happy to find that the second floor of Mementos was a laboratory with an Alchemy table. "As of right now, keeping you and your Hive fed is our top priority as you are the majority." Ambrosia blushed slightly at the statement.

"And finally, I will need some of your drones to help me form a small organization. Its primary function will be mail delivery." Every proper government needed a postal office. "Later on, I wish to expand upon it and have these employees perform odd jobs and help people." Of course, it was a means of revenue for the government and a way to keep taxes low. "It will be called COBO service." Raven got goosebumps and swore that Ariel was calling his name from the great beyond.

Ambrosia rubbed a hoof under her chin in thought. "You're asking for a lot, but I can make some arrangements. After all, you're working on our new food resource, but." The Queen flew closer and got in Raven's face. "I want something in return." Without warning, the Queen clung to the Human and brought him into a deep kiss.

"Oh shit!"

"It's intoxicating," Ambrosia happily thought as she drained the love from Raven. It wasn't enjoyable, but there was a hint of sweetness behind it. She could taste it all, his insecurities, hate, love, and sexual frustrations. Her long snake-like tongue wrapped around Raven's small one and started exploring the inside of his mouth. Just like his love, the inside of his mouth was bitter. Meanwhile, Raven found himself paralyzed due to the changeling feeding on him.

The Queen looked up and saw that the Human struggled as she fed on him. This got her excited; she loved seeing her prey struggle as she fed. Using her right hindleg, Ambrosia rubbed Raven's crotch and watched him squirm in frustration. To her surprise, Raven's lust tasted spicy and got stung slightly. "Time for the for the main course."

Ambrosia sunk her fangs into the side of Raven's mouth and drew blood from it. Ambrosia's eyes rolled to her head as she drank his blood. It was like drinking the finest champagne, and it was overlayed with her feeding on love. And as a bonus, she could feel her power grow from feeding on a Human's blood. Was all Human blood like this? If so, she wanted more.

Much to her annoyance, Raven was struggling even hard now. "Hypnosis should fix that." Her horn came to life, and her eyes started to glow. She stared into the Man's eye to calm him down, but that was a mistake. Ambrosia triggered something within Raven; Hunger.

The Changeling Queen found herself on her back with Raven pushing deeper into the kiss, much to her delight. The Human had pinned her down, making sure she wouldn't escape. Feeling satisfied, Raven pulled back from the forced kiss and looked down at Ambrosia in a mixture of anger and frustration. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Meanwhile, Ambrosia just lay there smiling because she got the Human hot and bothered. "I was hungry, plus." Ambrosia wiggled her hips and stuck her tongue out. "I want to bear your children." She could feel it for a brief second, Raven considered it, and the hungry urge within grew even more potent. This was most likely a primal instinct; he was the last of his kind.

"We're not even the same species; our genetics don't match!"

Ambrosia rolled her eyes; the former mercenary had much to learn about Changeling. "I'm a Changeling Queen; it doesn't matter if we're not the same species."

She felt Raven's anger fade and curiosity took its place. "So instead of freaks of nature, we'll just make more Changeling drones?" He asked skeptically.

Ambrosia nodded happily. "Yup and my next clutch will be unstoppable with your seed. And if I'm lucky, or unlucky enough, I'll give birth to a proto Queen. If you're lucky enough, she'll even inherit the color of your mane and personality, but enough talk." As the Queen spreads her hind legs, Raven could smell the lovely armoire of honey. "Now claim your prize~."

Raven felt a primal urge well up deep within. He wanted to Ravage the Queen and make his. And who would stop him? But as he thought more and more about this, the feeling of shame and disgust started taking over. "What am I doing? I have a woman pinned under me, and all I think about is making her my property." Then Seris's face came to his mind, then Rena's.

"No, I can't." Ambrosia lets out a disappointed whine as Raven gets off her and sits on the grass. "I'm sorry, I truly am, but I-" Raven paused we he made a pained face. "It still hurts."

Ambrosia sat on her haunches beside the Human. "Your fiance?" She was right about the fiance part, but the Queen had a feeling there was more to it.

"Yes, just give me time, and I'll give you my...seed." Raven felt dirty for just saying that and felt even worse about agreeing to have relations with the Changeling. He wasn't disgusted by the action itself but by the fact that he would father drones one day. "Give me a year, and I'll be ready."

Ambrosia narrowed her eyes and got to the Human. "I doubt you'll last that long, and if I find out that you did the nasty with another mare or stallion."

"My barn door doesn't swing that way," Raven said in disgust.

Ignoring that comment, she continued. "I'm coming for you, and nothing stops me from getting this." She got in his face and pointed at his crotch. "Are we clear?" She said, staring into his one eye.

"Lovely, more sexual harassment" Raven truly wondered how his entire life led him to this very moment; A bug pony Queen wanting to mate with him. "I'll keep that in mind, and I'm sure I can keep myself in check. Ponies and Changelings lack a certain trait that men love."

"Breast!"

"Really, you Humans find it sexy when creatures stand on two legs? Maybe I should transform myself into a diamond dog or a minotaur, "Ambrosia guessed because Raven's emotions gave her mixed signals.

Raven turned a dark shade of green when she mentioned those two races. "No, I rather throw myself into a fire pit before even coming close to a female minotaur." From Oleander's description of the race, the female minotaurs take after female cows. Simply disgusting. "And I'm not a dog fucker."

"So what? Horse fucker is up to your standards?" She grinned as she asked this.

"It's preferable." Raven sighed sadly. "My life has really come to this, a discussion if I rather have sex with a dog or a horse. Sweet goddess, my father must be rolling in his grave right now." Raven rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Sssssoooo" She drew out that one word and laid her head on Raven's shoulder. "Are all Human stallions stubborn as you? You know, a normal stallion wouldn't pass up the chance to lay with a Queen."

"Why are we still talking about this?" Raven thought in anguish. "I'm not a stallion, and no. Sadly, if another Human male took my place, I would have no doubt he would be running around and humping everything with a pulse. I've met many degenerates during my time as captain." Bandits came to his mind,

"There aren't any other Humans around to judge you. I'm sure it'll be fine if you had two mares or three in your life?" Ambrosia offered.

This didn't sway Raven. "I'll stick to my teachings, thank you very much."

"You'll break~."

"I doubt that."

"..."

"How long do Humans last in bed?"

"I'm leaving."

Raven was tackled as he tried getting to his feet. "No~ I'm still hungry." Ambrosia clung onto Raven. As she got ready to sink her fangs into his neck, she was stopped by Raven's claw. "Come on! Can't I have a small meal? I promise I'll keep my hooves off of you!"

"Grrr, I swear to the goddess, if your hooves go below the belt, I'm throwing you off this hil-GAH!" He was cut off as Ambrosia sunk her fangs into his neck and began to drain the love and blood out of him. "You got five minutes." These Ponies always found a new way to annoy him.

[The Outcasts]

[Art by KirillK]

Chapter 26(The Future)

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The Future

"Playful, loyal, generous, creative, honest, considerate; savage, violent, petty, greedy, cruel, prideful. One of many words that could describe a Human. A race capable of spreading and adapting in almost any location. These creatures are tall and bipedal and have little to no fur covering their bodies. They're omnivorous and will eat almost anything that doesn't kill them; they strongly dislike hay and other grasses. Although playful, they are extremely dangerous if you draw their ire or have something they want. As chaotic as they can be, paradoxically, they crave control and predictability. If you encounter a Human, be wary and do not provoke, as they are revengeful and will do nearly anything to get back to you, even to their own detriment. If you must interact with one, eat something and offer it to them, you'll gain their trust."

"Oh? So if I offered that overgrown monkey an apple, I wouldn't be stuck in this wheelchair?!" Luna fumed as she sat in the wheelchair the hospital gave her. Her injuries have healed, but the doctors have told her to take it easy for another three days.

"Calm yourself, my student. "Starswirl did his best at trying to calm Princess Luna as he read from a bestiary.
"Maybe, you should have offered him a Banana? Hah," Flash Magnus joked, earning him a glare from the princess of the night and his fellow pillar members. Currently, he, Mistmane, and Meadowbrook were still injured, but they had new casts and bandages: and they were on their way to a speedy recovery. Princess Celestia sat with them, and she had stacks of paperwork in front of her. She paid them no mind, occasionally listening to the conversation.

Starswirl Continued on with his explanation."Be warned, DO NOT CROSS HUMANS.Especially if you know them personally. They will do everything in their power to get back at you and hurt you. The best example of this was the war on the Dragons. Humans would hunt them down and feast upon their flesh and wear their scales" Starswirl went pale as he read the passage.

Flash Magnus turned a deep shade of green and held a hoof over his mouth."Buck, I'm not the biggest fan of dragons, but I wouldn't even go that far. Still, how did these Humans overcome dragons" The pegasus looked at the Human diagram again, in the bestiary."They don't look at that tough...Besides Raven," The image of Raven standing over the dead chimera was burnt into his mind still.

Without missing a beat, the old unicorn continued with his explanation."While physically weak and fragile compared to a dragon, they overcame this with their ingenuity and control over a power known as 'El.' The Humans built war machines capable of piercing dragon scales. Eventually, the dragons grew wise to their tactics and banded together and attacked the Humans. Seeing the situation as dire, the Humans developed dragon slaying techniques; which allowed them to jump high into the air and come crashing back down, crushing or piercing the dragon's spine" Magnus's eyes bugged out in amazement.

"These warriors were named Dragoons and would be later called Demersio" Celestia's left ear swiveled, and she listened to the conversation. "With these new warriors and their war machines, Humanity pushed back the dragons and won the war. Even with the war over, the Humans still wanted retribution for their fallen brothers and sisters; mainly, the Dragoons were the most eager. It was a bloodbath; the Dragoons hunted them down didn't matter how old or young they were. As soon as these flying warriors struck down the very last Dragon, the Dragoons followed quickly after.

"Hold up!" Flash Magnus interrupted. "The Dragons didn't go extinct, and I'm sure as hay that there weren't any Humans jumping around and fighting Dragons." The soldier gave it more thought and added to his reasoning. "At least, not during our time.

"Yes, none of this is adding up." Starswirl agreed with his flying companion. The old stallion rubbed his chin in thought." Although the dragons I've talked to expressed fears about tall, lanky creatures with small beady eyes," Starswirl looks at the Human diagram again. "And Humans fit the description, so there is some truth. Ah hah!" The stallion remembered the conversation he had with the Human before parting ways. "The foals woke him from a long and deep slumber. But, Why? What reason would foals have to wake up an ancient creature?"

"It certainly complicates things; our little ponies believe Raven is the aggressor." Princess Celestia finally spoke up, sounding tired.

"Because he is." Princess Luna said through clenched teeth; she didn't sound very happy about it.

"Lulu," Celestia said in her motherly voice. "I believe this whole situation could be one big misunderstanding. Although it doesn't excuse the fact he stole a boat, destroyed Horseshoe Bay docks, scared our little ponies, and" The Sun Princess got out of her seat and nuzzled her little sister. "Hurting you, Luna." Princess Luna sat there with a frown still firmly planted on her face, but she was blushing. "But the best course of action is having a meeting with the Human. If I went alone, it might escalate things, and sending our guards would make matters worse."

"If only I could send Twilight and her friends" The thought of Twilight nearly brought tears to her eyes. Thinking about her former student still brought her great pain. The Pillars had their hooves full of finding their artifacts and the Pony of Shadows. Then Luna said something that made the alicorn giggle.

"We could always send Prince Blueblood." Princess Luna suggested with a smile on her face.

Princess could imagine it now, Blueblood being thrown off a cliff because he angered the Human. Celestia covered her mouth with a wing and giggled, "Hehe, Luna, you're horrible." She gave it more thought; she could send Princess Cadence instead. "Starswirl, what was Raven's occupation?"

"A mercenary, and from the way he carries himself, I'm inclined to believe so."The old stallion answered.

"I agree, and he might have been a captain or general," Rockhoof added.

"With all those scars, he was definitely a Captain," Magnus said with a knowing smile.

Princess Celestia found this conversation troubling. A Human with military experience and the strength to take on an Alicorn; terrified the mare. If they didn't play their hoofs right, it could be catastrophic. "It's settled then; as soon as the Human and the foals are found, I'll send Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and Prince Shining Armor to negotiate with the Human." Hopefully, Shining and Raven form some kind of connection, considering their backgrounds. "

"Now if you’ll excuse me, I will be going back to my chambers.".Celestia's horn came to life, and she teleported the rest of her paperwork to her office" "I have a meeting with the leaders of Minoa, Yakyakistan, and Zebrica. Then I need to go to the medical ward and talk to a mare named Starlight. She's in critical condition." That was putting it lightly, as the mare was missing her hind leg and was screaming bloody murder about monsters. "Sweet Faust, what am I going to do?" Princess Celestia kissed her sister on the forehead. "Goodnight, everypony."

As she got ready to leave, the doors burst open, and a pony came running in. Princess Celestia sighed internally; she already knew another problem had made itself known. The pony that came in had a light gray coat with a dark brown mane tied into a bun. The Mare's cutie mark was a quill and inkwell. It was Raven Inkwell, Celestia's assistant, and it was unfortunate that the mare and the Human shared the same first names. "Miss Inkwell, is something the matter?" She did her best not to sound tired but couldn't help but yawn.

Raven Inkwell approached the princess as she tried her best to catch her breath. "Urgent news Princess Celestia, a letter from the border guards!" The mare held up a letter in her magical grip.

The Princess took the letter in her own magic and began to read. As she read, the mare's eyes grew wider and wider until Celestia's jaw dropped. "I-it can't be; after all these years, it finally shows up." And she had a good guess of who was responsible. This changed everything, she needed to send the Elements of Harmony as well, and it didn't matter if Twilight was ready or not. Celestia hoped Twilight'sght's love for learning was more potent than the despair she was feeling right now".

"What's wrong?" Princess Luna asked with a concerned look.

Princess Celestia swallowed the lump in her throat and turned to her sister. "Dream Valley has returned."

Silence, no one dared say a word. Dream Valley, the possible origins of all ponykind. A place that can only be described as a paradise that disappeared thousands of years ago. But now, after all of these years, it finally reappears. Everypony had a good idea of who might be responsible for this, but no pony wanted to say it. That's when Flash Magnus broke the silence with a chuckle. "Fifteen bits says Raven did this." Raven inkwell looked around, confused.

Golden Oak Library

"Gosh darn it, Twilight, you're more stubborn than a mule." Applejack says as she struggles against Twilight's strength.

"Come on, Twily; no Pony is out at this "time." Shining pushed against his sister as best as he could.

"NO, I DON'T WANT TO GO OUTSIDE!" Twilight refused

Horrorcorn's friends and family tried to get the mare to leave her home. They were trying to get Twilight to leave through the door, but she wouldn't budge as she used her hooves to keep herself firmly in place. "I can't go back out there; I'm a monster!"

"Don’t say that! You're the same Twilight we know and love, and you got a brand new weapon! Which makes you at least 20% cooler. Imagine all the cool stuff you can do with it!" Rainbow Dash pushed harder, but nothing happened. "What the heck, Twilight? When did you get so strong?"

Spike would add something to this conversation until he burped green fire. Soon enough, the green flame took the form of a letter with Princess Celestia's seal on it. "Letter from the Princess." Spike held the letter up for Twilight, but she refused. "I don't want anything to do with her!" She snorted angrily as her leathery wings twitched in irritation. Nopony could blame her, as the result of being Princess Celestia's student was made clear. Still, Spike read the letter aloud".

"Dear Twilight:

I know you still hate me, and I can never apologize enough, but this matter is urgent. Dream Valley has returned, and I believe the Human might have caused this. His name is Raven Maxwell, aka The Reaper. I need you and your friends to investigate the area while Princess Cadence and Prince Shining armor negotiate for the foals' release. Despite what the media has said, the creature is reasonable. I have complete faith in all of you.

PS: The creature has a military background, so be cautious." Spike scratched his head in confusion as he finished reading the Letter.

Twilight was slack-jawed as she stared into space. "D-d-dream V-valley? Truly?" Her ear twitched at the thought of stepping foot in such a place. Meanwhile, Everypony else wasn't as thrilled.

"The Princess wants us to confront the Reaper?! He'll eat our souls!" Fluttershy ran under the table and quivered in fear.

Rainbow Dash brought her hooves together and cracked them. "Pfft, no problem; I'll knock him on his flank if that Hooman gives us any problems." The cyan pegasus looked like she was ready to brawl."

"It can't be helped, and if the Princess says this creature is reasonable, then I will make something extravagant for him to wear." Rarity seemed rather excited at the prospect of the noti

"WE'RE GOING TO THROW THE BIGGEST PARTY WHEN WE GET THE FOALS BACK FROM THAT MEANIE!" As usual, Pinkie Pie was hyped.

Applejack snorted in frustration. "Another adventure? I'll need to tell BigMac and Granny."

"A lost piece of land reappearing after disappearing thousands of years ago, with a mysterious dark lord controlling it?
Deja-Vu," Spike said skeptically.

"I'll give Aunty Celestia a piece of my mind later." Princess Cadance placed a hoof on her forehead in frustration.

Shining Armor's expression was grim as he pondered "Not good; this creature could be five steps ahead of us; we need to be careful. And this time, I'm bringing backup!" The stallion looked over to his sister. "Twily, you don't need to go if-"

"I'm going." Twilight interrupted, " I'm not doing it for the Princess, but for the foals and possibly stopping another villain." The horrorcorn had mixed feelings about this; she didn't want to be an Element of Harmony anymore. Still, she wanted to save the foals and possibly learn all she could about Dream Valley. "Rarity, I will need you to make me a cloak."

Abandoned Ferry

Queen Myxine stood on the deck of the abandoned Ferry and looked toward the sea. "Where are they?" She spoke in a shallow voice. The Queen of the Hagfish Hive has always struggled to find food for herself and her children. Ever Chrysalis' foolish decision to invade Canterlot, the Ponies have become suspicious, making love scarce. To make matters even worse, a mythical creature of unknown origins came out of nowhere and did battle with Princess Luna. This all happened over Horseshoe Bay, where they lived. With the creature's escape and the docks being destroyed, the Ponies became fearful. Once the Royal guards were called in, Myxine and her hive had little choice but to leave.

Now they're adrift at sea with little to no love to feed on. "Damn Chrysalis, and damn that creature." She wanted revenge on the Queen of the emerald hive, but it was suicide. The next best thing was getting revenge on the creature that forced her and her hive out of their hiding spot. "I'll drain the love out of him and turn him into a husk," she snarled. Of course, she wasn't going to fight the creature head-on; she and her children would sneak up on him and strike.

"I'll have my Revenge; just you wait."

Dragon Lands

Hatchlings, drakes, and even some adult dragons were gathered around Princess Ember, who held an Equestrian newspaper in her claws. They usually weren't concerned about the Ponies, as they were soft and weak creatures. Today was different.

Gabriel was the only Dragon who didn't know what was going on as he was too busy kicking rocks. The young drake raised an eyebrow at sight. "What the heck is going on?" The drake pushed past his peers and a couple of the hatchlings. Earning him snarls and growls, but he didn't care. When he saw it, Ember was holding an Equestrian Newspaper; the drake nearly busts a gut. "HAH! You guys can't be serious! You're reading one of those mamby pamby Po-" His blood ran cold as he saw what was on the cover page. The creature was tall, lanky, and stood on two legs.

It was a creature of nightmares that Dragons would occasionally dream of. A creature that would chase you endlessly. It would hunt you down no matter where you went; sky, land, and even sea. Once you fell over in exhaustion, the creature would stand over you with a small smile, before devouring you. Before today, this creature had no name. It was simply named 'Death.' Because no matter what, you couldn't outrun death.

Princess Ember's claws began to shake as she spoke the creature's official species name. "H-H-Human."Everydragon worth their horde either ran or flew away screaming. "Bahamut, have mercy on us."

Dream Valley

Ambrosia laid on the grass with a smile on her face as she rubbed her full belly. "It's been a while since I've been this full." She burps, causing a pink mist to come out of her mouth, and this causes her to giggle. But her good mood was ruined by the Human sitting next to her. Uncertainty, repressed lust, and self-loathing; were the emotions she could sense from Raven. It wasn't anything unusual from someone with his background. Still, he was a potential mate, and she needed to be delicate. "What's bothering you?"

Raven smiled bitterly. "Everything I once knew and loved is gone. My family and friends are either dead or long gone. And yet I still want revenge, but on who? The people who wronged me are long gone. I've made sure of that." There was one he couldn't find, Owen Fulford, the one man he wanted to kill most. "I want to kill them all and spill their blue blood. Parasites that will condemn their fellow men.

"Such filth should be washed away."

"...Did you enjoy it?" Ambrosia asked.

Raven sat there and didn't say anything for a long time; he couldn't lie to himself. "Yes, I did. Watching those aristocrats back away in fear, watching their life fade away, made me happy. They were old, weak, and frail; the only thing they had to defend themselves was their money and silver tongue." The man had a genuine smile on his face. "'Those things won't save you in a real fight. Some had quick and clean deaths, while the others weren't so lucky. I gouged out their eyes, ripped out their tongues, and even a man’s heart out and crushed it right in front of his face! " Raven's smile became twisted and full of malice. "I would do it again if I had the chance!" The smile turned to regret as he gripped his arm. "Why did I go down this path?"

Ambrosia kept a straight face and asked. "What do you mean?"

"I could have just ignored my arm and focused on my blade. Maybe I could have given into my rage, used my Nasod arm, and destroyed everything in my path. Hell, I could have modified my claw to shoot fireballs. But no, I did the stupid thing and broke it." Raven looked at his Valasia arm and wondered how things would have turned out if he chose another path. "With my mind clear, I knew what I had to do, avenge my comrades."

"Was it worth it?" At this point, The Queen didn't bother reading his emotions as they were bouncing in every which way.

"Yes, it was, no matter how I felt at the end or how many lives I destroyed. I could die knowing my fiancee and the men who served under me were avenged." Raven placed a hand over his face. "And yet, I still crave more bloodshed; I didn't want this, I didn't want to become a monster." Ever since he fought Luna, something within him awakened, and now he can barely control it.

"You're overthinking this." Before Raven could reply, Ambrosia came in and nuzzled him in the neck. It was odd, to say the least, for the Human. "Look to the future and use all that pent-up frustration use it for something productive."

"But I can't forget about the others and Seris." Raven looked down at the Changeling Queen with a pained expression.

"I'm not saying forget them dumb dumb, but you have to look to the future. And at some point, you need to stop wallowing in self-pity. And move on." Ambrosia placed a hoof on the Human's lips, stopping him from saying anything. "Easier said than done, I know. Just think about it, and if you're feeling frustrated, just come on by, and I'll suck your dick."

For once, Raven blushed at Ambrosia's crude remarks. "You're terrible; you know that."

"I know~" Ambrosia sensed eight Ponies come from the west, and she had a good idea of who they were." It looks like your future is approaching." She pointed a hoof at the approaching young members of the Black Crows. "I should leave you alone with them." The Changeling Queen pulled away and flew off.

Raven stood there waiting for his charges to make it up the Hill. Once they made it, they all gave the tired Human a smile. Moon Charm, Xuez, Oleander, Cozy Glow, Night, Dew, Amber, and Jade; These were the Ponis that brought him great joy ever since he woke up. Jade climbed off her sister's back and crawled over to the Human. Raven bent down and picked up the babbling foal. "D-daddy." That one word washed away all the self-doubt and hatred burning within him.

"Let's see." Oleander started off. "We defeated a crazy machine, rediscovered Dream Valley, and found an archive that belonged to an ancient race. We're just missing one thing."

"And what's that?" Raven asked with a smile and raised an eyebrow.

"A new name for our country, Dream Valley doesn't exactly roll off the tongue." The mare joked, but she was right.

Raven already had something in mind. "New Elria, in honor of Elria and those who came before us. From this day forward," Raven turned from his charges and looked over the land. "you're all Elrians and." The former mercenary wasn't sure if it was his place to do so, but it felt right. These children needed a father, someone to guide them and love them. Raven turned around and faced the foals "My Children."

(End of ACT I)

Chapter 27(Even More Problems)

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Even More Problems

"Mena," She liked the name. The name that Maud gave her was nice, but it never felt right. The one that Mr.Maxwell gave her was perfect. She could never be Pinkie Pie nor Pinkiemena; she was a clone and a poor one at that. Mena's first memory was seeing her other self--- and uttering the words 'Fun.' Soon enough, she found herself wandering out of Ponyvillie, searching for 'Fun.' Then the memories came; they were all disjointed and out of order, but one thing was clear, she was supposed to be Pinkie Pie.

"Are you okay?" Maud asked as she placed a hoof on her withers.

Mena nodded and looked towards the sky. The sun's rays shined over Dream Valley; It was a brand new day in Paradise. Currently, she and the rest of the inhabitants sat by or were taking a bath in the main river. Mr.Maxwell and his young companions were the first ones to wash. "Oi! Stop playing and wash yourselves!" The Human barked, but the foals didn't listen and kept playing. The former Party pony found it strange how the Human always wore something and was never truly naked. "Is it a Human thing?"

She watched as Sonata jumped into the river and reverted to her true form. The Siren picked up the angry Human with her hooves. "Let's play, Raven!" It was an attempt to get the Human to lighten up, but the Human grew angrier.

"Put me down this instant-Guh!" The Siren dunked Raven under the water before pulling him back up. "Alright, you asked for it, Shadow Step!" Raven disappeared and phased through Sonata's hooves as if he were a ghost. Sonata tilted her head in confusion and looked for the Human" Power Assult!" The next thing the Siren knew, she found herself knocked over into the water face first.

Raven stood on Sonata's back and looked at the Siren with contempt. "I am your senior; show some respect." He didn't mind the playfulness nature of children, but he would have none of it when it came to adults. Sonata quickly turned her body, grabbed the condescending Human, and splashed about. "You want more? I'll put you in your place." The Human said with a grin, while the Siren giggled as this all happened. In a show of feat of strength, Raven pushed the Siren over and stood over her again.

Mena watched all of this and giggled. It was the first time that she found the energy to laugh in a long time. "I think I'm going to like it here." she looked around and ensured that no pony other than her sister was watching. Mena held her head over the water and pulled her hood down slightly. A pony with a gray pink coat and long flat dark raspberry mane was in her reflection. "I'll do my best and help Mr.Maxwell, and I'm Mena it." The pink pony giggle snorted at her own terrible pun.

Maud smiled under her hood and hugged Mena. "I know you will; you're my sister, after all."

Snowy Mountain Pass

Grogar held an Equestrian News Paper in his yellow Magical grip as he walked up the mountain trail. "Impossible." The old ram growled in anger. Another Human in Equestria, and it's an adult from the looks of things. "Megan should have been the only Human, she even told me herself." The thought of her nearly brought him into a rage, but he quickly calmed himself. "Play Tyrant long enough, and a little girl with her pony friends and dragon gets lucky." Still, it was strange; Megan was weak in every sense of the word, yet she prevailed. "Her friends."

The old ram didn't need friends, but he could use allies. Creatures as wicked as him, like his creation discord. Grogar looked at the newspaper and considered this new Human but shook his head. "Too unpredictable." He needed to observe the Human first before he could make any decision.

First, Grogar needed to find the Bewitching Bell; without it, he was locked out of many fields of magic. Necromancy, blood magic, and Voodoo; he couldn't perform them without the bell, which meant he couldn't create more monsters. Thankfully, he had a few tricks under his hoof. "The bell should be u-" The Ram was interrupted.

"You can't be here; it's dangerous." An old stallion wearing a rusty bucket over his head and a dirty cape told Grogar how dangerous it was. The bucket-wearing pony went on and on about how treacherous the climb would be. The old goat blocked him out and placed a hoof on the pony's withers. The pony stiffened and fell over as soon as he did, unable to move.

Grogar smiled and admired his work. "At least my paralyzing spell still works. Now." He approached and loomed over the terrified pony. "Let's see what you have in that little head of yours." The bell could wait; he needed information about the current age, and digging through this pony's head, should do it. Hopefully, he didn't break the pony's mind; he had other uses for it.

Mortified screaming filled the air, followed by evil laughter.

Canterlot Castle

Princess Luna wheeled herself through the Castle's vault. She wheeled past ancient relics, gold, jewelry, and the occasional forbidden spell. The night princess had another day before she could leave the confines of her wheelchair. This left her bored and anxious as she wanted to start training as soon as possible. Next time, she would pound that stupid monkey's face in.

Luna shook her head. "No, I'm doing this for Equestria and not petty revenge." The matter still stands; she would beat the crap out of the Human. "What can I use?" She was looking for a new weapon, her old sword and scythe wear nice, but she wanted an edge. Nothing in the Armory caught her eye, and the weapons she saw so far weren't anything special, a couple of enchantments, and that's it.

Then something in the far corner of the vault drew her eye. She could see a rusty sickle in a glass case as she approached. Upon a closer look, the weapon was unusable until it was clean and restored. The only thing that was remotely clean was the strange orb near the weapon's base; it looked like an eye.

Once Luna was in front of the case, she opened it and took the weapon with her magic. She could feel the sadness radiating from the weapon. "Are these the feelings of the previous user?" As she examined, the sickle's eye moved around and stared at the Princess of the Night. Luna nearly dropped the weapon as this startled her.

"Finally, I thought I would fade away before I could pass over my knowledge." A soothing male voice came from the weapon. Before Luna could say anything, the eye started glowing and engulfed Luna. "Your affinity with the Moons, stars, and darkness makes you both the perfect candidate. I wonder what path you will choose?"

The fading spirit poured everything it had for the transfer, and its final parting words were. "Let's meet in the next life, Noah." The spirit faded and was replaced.

The light faded, and the weapon looked the same. Although, Luna felt different, as if somepony lifted a heavy weight from her withers. "HAHAHA, I AM FREE! NOW I CAN HAVE MY REVENGE!" Luna heard Nightmare Moon's voice emanating from the weapon this time. This time she dropped the weapon, and the evil spirit screamed in pain. "GAAAAAAH! THAT HURT! Huh?" The Nightmare had a good look at her new body and screamed in horror! "AAAAAH! WHY AM I A WEAPON! Luna, you did this to me?!"

Luna just sat in her wheelchair dumbfounded. "I just wanted a new weapon."

Princess Celestia wanted to throw herself out the window. She would give anything to switch places with Luna if it meant getting out of this meeting. The Zebra delegate from Zebrica and the minotaur from Minoa were fine, but the Yak from Yakyakistan was on the other hoof. " THEN THE BUG PONIES INVADED; WHAT IF THEY INVADED YAKYAKISTAN?! IF PRINCE WAS IN SITUATION, HE WOULD SQUISH THEM LIKE BUGS!" Prince Rutherford was giving the Princess another headache.

Thankfully she kept her mask up and nodded every once in a while. The prince went on and on about all the mistakes she and her sister had made in the last few years. After forty minutes of the prince yelling, Princess Celestia stopped caring, and so did the other occupants. Her mind started to drift. "Farasi didn't even bother sending sompony, most likely because of Zebrica." Celestia wondered if the two nations would ever get along?

She wasn't surprised by the fact that the Dragon Lands and Griffonstone didn't send anypony. Last she checked, Griffonestone was still in a mess and boarded on anarchy. Meanwhile, the dragons were...dragons, not much to be said, if nopony bothered them, they wouldn't bother anypony else. Abyssinia has been quiet as of late. The diamond dogs keep to themselves as well, only interested in digging up gems and whatnot. Saddle Arabia was content for now. As for Hippogriffia, Celestia was concerned; they went silent out of nowhere and haven't responded since. Celestia Prayed that Queen Novo and her people were okay.

As for everypony else like the deerfolk, cattlekind, Sheeple, Longma, Alpake, Goatani, and Kirin, they didn't want anything to do with Equestria as a whole, and she couldn't blame them. Excluding the Alpake, Kirin, and Longma, their cousins lived in Equestria as second-class citizens. Try as she might, she couldn't get her ponies to see them as equals. The main problem was the nobility, as they didn't take kindly to non-ponies, and for some reason, they downright hated mules. Worse yet, an ancient species of hyper-violent apes have popped up. She just wanted to rip her mane out.

"WHAT IF EVIL SHADOW PONY INVADED YAKYAKISTAN" Celestia's right eye twitched as she refocused on the conversation.
"NOW MOUNTAIN EXPLODED AND BIG SCARY APE AND DESTROY THINGS AND BEAT YOUR SISTER." Princess Celestia frow her brows as the yak said that. The prince was walking on thin ice. "WHAT IF HE INVADED YAKYAKISTAN?! IF YOU NO DO SOMETHING, THEN YAKS DECLARE WAR!"

"Mother bucking do it! I dare you, you bucking barbarians!" Celestia pushed that voice to the back of her mind. Equestria hadn't been to war in over a thousand years, but she was sure that she and her ponies would send the yaks packing. Ego aside, Princess Celestia cleared her throat. "I assure you that finding the creature is our top priority. " That was a lie, finding the pony of shadows was, but releasing that information would put her and Equestria into deeper shit. "And we have pinpointed his location." A half-lie, but anything to keep them quiet.

Memento

Raven couldn't be happier! Was it because he recently found the archives, or maybe because he founded a new nation? No, it's because he became a father last night. The man couldn't help but smile as he thought about it. Better yet, all of them became Elrians. If his father or adoptive father were here, they would be proud. His happiness was so powerful it made the Changeling drone that Ambrosia gave him uncomfortable.

If anyone or anything gets between him and his children, he will destroy them. Especially the Equestrians. The Changeling sensed the pure malice and scooted away from the Cyborg. Meanwhile, Raven remembered last night and all of their reactions.

Last Night

Xuez broke into happy sobs and tackled the Human's leg.
"ThankyouThankyouThankyouThankyouThankyouThankyou" The Colt said over and over. After all this time, the Pegazebra had somepony in his life that loved him, a father. Xuez couldn't be happier!

Moon Charm gasped! "EEEEEEE! Not only do I get to be a Knight, but I also get a daddy, too, Best. Day. EVER!" She flies over and hugs Raven's head. Discovering and freeing Raven was the best decision she has ever had.

The twins ran in around the circle and said, " DADDY TWISTER!" They flew up and hugged their new father with tears in their eyes. No longer did they have to be treated as outcasts!

Amber trotted forward with a quivering lip. "Are you really going to be our new daddy?" Raven nodded, which caused the filly to jump in the air. The Cyborg caught her with his claw and brought her close to his chest. Amber cried into Raven's chest, she would never forget her original father, but she would move forward with her new one.

Jade didn't need to babble anything and just hugged her father.

Oleander turned her head to the side and simply said. "My real father returned to Saddle Arabia after knocking up my mother." She looked back at the Human and smiled. "I can call you father without feeling embarrassed, but that's all you're getting from me, not 'Daddy.' 'Dad.'

Cozy Glow turned around and stuck her nose in the air. "No comment."

Raven's Heart broke slightly from that, but it was understandable. Still, sometime this week or next week, they had to celebrate.

Present

The sound of the elevator broke Raven out of his daydream. "Right, the reason why I'm bringing these Ponies with me" Raven held five books in his arms; four of them were for Alchemy and chemistry. The last one was the basics of magic, aka 'Magic for dummies.' It was for Amber and the reason why he brought the foal with him today.

Speaking of other Ponies, he brought with him, he also brought Oleander, The twister twins, Vinyl Scratch, Moondancer, and Sonata.... Wait. "What the fuck?! Why is she here, and where did she get those glasses?" No offense to the Siren, but there wasn't much going on upstairs. The elevator dinged, indicating that they were there. Letting out a tired sigh, Raven stepped forward.

"Today, I will show you the power of Alchemy."

(Start of ACT II)

footnote:

Luna

Class Change: Second Nightmare

NEW SKILL TREE!

[Luna's New Weapon]

Chapter 28(Alchemy)

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Alchemy

Floor two of Momento, the laboratory. One-half of the floor is filled with heavy machinery dedicated to building Nasods, parts, and other necessary replacement parts to keep the Archive running. The other half was devoted to chemistry and potion-making. This half had working stations with chalkboards, a flask, a mini cauldron, a terminal, bottles, and six glass containers. These two sides were separated by a glass wall and metal that held them together.

For some reason, the first half reminded Raven of Wally's Underground laboratory. All the machinery, unfinished Nasods, and the familiar metallic taste in the air. While the other half reminded him of the Academy; Clean, white, and persistent. "I need to bring Maya down here for repairs." While he did get the Nasod moving again, her insides were still a mess and needed to be replaced.

The former Captain notices the twins staring at the machines with a hungry look in their eyes. Raven snapped his fingers and got their attention. "You can go in there another time, under adult supervision." They whined, but he wasn't having any of it. "Follow me." Besides Night and Dew, everypony else followed the Human without a word.

Next to the entrance for the chemistry section was a metal rack with lab coats and protective goggles. Raven did not need the lab coat as his armor was more than enough. As for the ponies, they couldn't wear them; the coats were made for Humans and other similar creatures. "I'll need to have these modified." Raven made a mental note. The goggles, on the other hand, were helpful. After taking off his eyepatch, he placed on the goggles.

Raven passed out the goggles to everypony. Vinyl and Sonata were the only ones who refused. Again, the man wondered why the Siren was here. "Don't touch anything without my say so." With that, they made their way over to the workstation.

After placing down the books, Raven took out the El and focused its energy into the flask. It didn't take long before something took form in the flask. It was a green floating sparkle with three smaller ones floating around it. "Behold, the Mysterious El Flask." He said in a monotone. "While not necessary for Alchemy, it makes the process far easier. Oleander, the bag, please." Without a word, the unicorn pulled out a sack with filled junk from her pocket dimension.

The Human took the sack, pulled out old rusty pieces of metal, and placed them in the flask. As soon as the metal made contact with the light, it was broken down and sent to the container below. Raven kept doing this until he had nothing left. "The Flask will break down almost anything you put into it, except living things." Raven clicked his tongue when he saw the dismantle results.

Dismantle Items Result:

1 Magic Stone

1 Blessed Enhancement Stone

156 Magical Crystals

100 Sturdy Memory Alloy

Raven groaned in frustration; having the Alloy was helpful, but he couldn't use it in alchemy. The Magic Stone and Enhancement Stone were what he needed. Using his new Code, Raven pulled up a holographic screen. He was still getting used to this, but he had a good idea of how it worked. The Cyborg called upon the L scouts to collect the unnecessary metal. The L scouts came within seconds of the order. They took what was needed and placed a new glass container.

"Moving on." Raven placed some of the Magical Crystals into the black cauldron. "Now I need water." Raven typed something into the terminal; a few seconds later, it began to fill with water. The burner underneath came to life and started boiling the water, which caused the crystals to dissolve. Raven uses a stirring rod and creates a lavender liquid that constantly bubbles. "This is Base," He said, pointing at the boiling liquid.

"Why is it called that?" Amber asked with a tilt of her head.

Raven smiled. "It's simple; every alchemist starts here and will come back here. And how do you create the Base?" Raven asked no one particular. "You'll need boiling water and mana."

"It can't be that simple; Zebra potion making is far more complex than boiling some water and crystals, "Oleander said with a frown.

Raven nodded. "It is; you'll need mathematics, precise recipes, creativity, mechanical knowledge, and money. Even then, this profession is hazardous if you don't know what you're doing." Raven took Blessed Enhancement Stone and dropped it into the liquid. Once it dissolved, it turned the liquid green, meaning it was ready. " Vinyl Scratch, your Sunglasses, please."

Vinyl's ears perked up. "Sure, but you don't have to call me by my fool name; you can just call me Vinyl, or my foal name, DJ Pon-3!" The young DJ used her magic to take off her sunglasses and bring them to the Human.

"I'll keep that in mind." Raven took the cracked glasses and dipped them into the green liquid. After a full minute, Raven pulled Vinyl's glasses, which looked brand new! Not a single scratch or crack on it. "Good as new." Vinyl took her glasses back with her magic and was amazed at how new they looked. "Repair adhesive; back in my time, traveling merchants would be big tubs of these and offer to fix adventures' equipment. At an up cost, of course, convenience comes at a price. Still, it can't fix broken weapons or armor. So don't be careless."

Vinyl had a big grin as she put on her new glasses. "Aw yeah! These babies look and feel brand new. Thanks, Reaper!"

The Human huffs at the nickname but nods his head in acknowledgment. "You're welcome, Vinyl." Raven drops the magic stone into the pot and continues to stir. Seeing how it'll take a few minutes before the brew is ready, he decided to kill some time. "As you can see already, Alchemy is versatile, and it even could be applied to almost anything; it all depends on the user."

"What do you mean?" Moondancer asked quizzically.

"Anyone can practice Alchemy, but it takes a great mind to become an Alchemist." Moondancer perked up at that; Raven noticed that. "Maybe her?" Raven thought. "Alchemists have a burning thirst for knowledge and are constantly looking for new information. A powerful and knowledgeable practitioner is valuable to any state and kingdom. A role even more important than a court mage." Raven examined everyone's reaction in the room; most were mildly Interested. All except Moondancer, she had a fire behind her eyes.

"If knowledgeable enough, one can even reach immortality." This got surprised uproars from every pony in the room. Raven smiled at their child-like wonder. But he needed to be careful and curb their hopes. "Now, let's not get ahead of ourselves" He held a hand to calm them down. "To achieve such a thing requires meddling with time and space." Raven frowned and glared at everyone from the corner of his eye. "And I don't need to tell you drawing Henir's ire isn't a good idea." They all nodded.

Raven went back to staring at the liquid. " Master Vapor from the Sander Villiage supposedly achieved immortality, but it came at a price. She wanted to retain her youthful appearance, so her brew turned her back into a child in a twist of fate." The man shrugged while grinning. "It worked."

"Nah, that’s lame!" Night stuck his tongue out after speaking up. "Mhmm, what's the point of going through all that trouble just to become a foal again. Imagine if she was stuck as a teen for all eternity!" Dew was the next speaker, and she was horrified.

"That would be hellish!"

Raven had to agree but quickly pushed that voice back down. Also, he might have to cross Dew and Night off the list of becoming alchemists. "Indeed, and if you fail, there are fates worse than death." Someone he knew came to mind. "Also, let this be a warning to all of you. Grail, a master of biology and herbology, was once considered the great alchemist in Velder. But after an unfortunate experiment, Grail had his body fused with his dog.

Vinyl snickered and shrugged. "Eh, becoming a diamond dog couldn't be that bad, right?" The Dj assumed that the Human became a bipedal dog. That's what most people think, but once they see the real deal, they either laugh or are disappointed.

"He did walk on two legs, but the dog he fused with was a small breed of dog. He refused to talk to anyone without standing on a crate and stool." While humorous, the man always felt terrible for him; he and the rest of the El search party went out of their way to gather materials for him in hopes of returning him to normal. Sadly, none of it worked. To his annoyance, some of the ponies were snickering. Raven was going to change their tunes soon enough. "Pesop, from the Lanox village." Raven learned of this man from the Academy. "A brilliant man with a wife and daughter. One day his wife died due to unmentioned circumstances."

"Consumed by his grief, Pesop researched forbidden alchemy. Once he had everything, he attempted to revive his deceased wife. Something went horribly wrong. " Raven spoke with an edge to his voice. "Not only was he unable to revive his wife, but his face became disfigured, and he lost his daughter in the process. Last I heard, Pesop wore a paper bag on his head." The room fell silent as dread took hold and a feeling of unease washed over them. "While Alchemy might not have limits, there's a line you shouldn't cross. Remember that." Raven stared back at everyone, specifically Moondancer. The mare gulped nervously and nodded.

The liquid in the cauldron finally turned violet, causing the former Mercenary to smile. "The brew is ready." Raven dunked one of the bottles into the liquid and filled the bottle. "Normally, this stuff is used for shattered enchanted weapons or broken wands, but it's been used to repair fractured and broken bones." Raven started shaking the bottle until the liquid inside became thick like gelatin. The Human brought his attention to Moondancer. "Moondancer, can you please come here? It's time to repair your horn."

The mare in question shrank under the Human's gaze "A-ah, I didn't think you would have made it so quickly." Moondancer shuffled around nervously, with her tail swishing side to side. Again, Raven had to admit; that these Ponies could be adorable at times. Moondancer trotted up to the Human and lowered her head slightly. "Please be careful."

"Of course." Raven got on one knee and carefully removed the bandages wrapped around Moondancer's horn. The mare flinched in pain as fresh air got into the crack of her horn. "This might sting, so brace yourself." Raven poured some of the gelatinous brew into the palm of his hand and began rubbing it over the affected area. Moondancer whinnied in pain and tried backing away, but Raven kept her in place with his claw.

Taking this opportunity and brought the unicorn into an embrace. "It's almost over, just a few more seconds," Raven whispered while rubbing her back. After a bit, Moondancer stopped struggling and hugged the Human back. They held each for a full two minutes before Raven pulled away, much to the mare's disappointment. "How does your horn feel?" The man said as he lifted her glasses and wiped away the tears from the unicorn's cheek. He never liked seeing a woman cry.

Moondancer sniffled and brought her right roof to her horn and touched it. She smiled as a familiar pink aura surrounded her horn. "I-I can use my magic again. Thank you!" She hugged the Human again, which he returned. Moondancer's horn had a violet streak where the crack used to be.

Oleander cleared her throat. "While this is sweet and all, I'm more interested in learning about what you just used." The others agreed, and some were looking away out of courtesy or embarrassment. Except for Vinyl, she gave them a nod of approval and a cheeky grin.

Moondancer pulled away with reddened cheeks while Raven got up. He had nothing to feel ashamed about; he offered her emotional comfort. "Philosopher's Gel is a substance that repairs and fixes nearly anything." Raven held up the bottle containing the substance. " And it's the first step of obtaining the Philosopher's Stone." Nopony knew what that was, and in Raven's mind, the stone itself was nothing but a myth. "In reality, it can only repair items and objects that are already magical. Once the gel is applied, it'll spread out, fill any gaps, and reinforce the structure. It doesn't work well on flesh, but it works fine on bones and horns."

"Amazing! Think of the applications this could be used for and how many Ponies we could help." Moondancer stopped her outburst and thought about it. "How rare are these materials?"

Raven didn't say anything. Instead, he started looking through the sack that Oleander gave him. The man pulled out a broken white baton and dropped it into the flask. The dismantling result was mediocre, like the last.

Dismantle Items Result:

3 Magic Stone

2 Blessed Enhancement Stone

10 Magical Crystals

1 Advanced Magic Stone

5 Magical Crystals

1 Sturdy Aluminium Alloy

7 Sturdy Memory Alloy

Raven snorted in annoyance. "More junk." He called upon the L scouts to retrieve the metal, leaving the valuable items. The man held up the Magic stones, Advanced Magic stone, and Blessed the Enhancement stone. The first two were diamond-shaped; they had a gem-like appearance. The Enhancement stone looked unrefined, jagged, and translucent. " They're fairly common; Magic stones are used for weapon augmentation. They usually go for Twenty ED." Raven paused and corrected himself. "Or Twenty bits, but I'm not sure. Enhancement stones are for equipment enhancements, and they're one ED each."

Sonata objected to this! How could such a fantastic thing cost only one apple? There must be a reason why. "No way! I may not be the sharpest crayon in the sea, but there must be more to this."

"That's right, Sonata, there is more to this," Raven said with a false smile and visible angry veins on his face. "They're cheap because getting your equipment enchanted is a money pit. Enchanting your gear also comes with some risk, like the enchantment not working at all or just outright breaking!" The false enthusiasm was evident to everypony. "So you'll need Blessed Fluorite Ores, El Hammers, and Blessed Restoration Scrolls. Which could go up to an upwards of thirty thousand ED."

"Fucking Parasites" Raven agreed with the small voice in the back of his mind. He was certain those blacksmiths were scamming him and all of Elrios. The man nearly strangled Lento back in Fetia when he broke his brand new equipment! "Ten thousand ED, all gone after one hammer swing." Lento was a capable knight but a terrible Blacksmith.

Oleander saw an opportunity to push her new father's buttons. "Sounds like you're speaking from experience? Not to worry, well all make mistakes." She said with a raised brow and grin.

Raven narrowed his eyes while keeping up the false smile. "You could say that. Moving on." Raven went back to the workstation after placing the magic stones down. The man filled the bottles with Philosopher's Gel until the brew finished. This left him with ten bottles in total. "I assume that Equis doesn't have any of these then?" Moondancer trotted to the workstation and used a spell to examine the magic stones.

Moondancer shook her head after the results came back negative. "The gems themselves aren't anything special, but it's filled to the brim with mana. They're on the same level as a fire ruby! These shouldn't be possible." The scholar then looked at the El. "Not possible without the El. Mr.Maxwell, is there any other type of Magic stone? Because these are worth at least a thousand bits each."

"We could crash the gem market by flooding it with magic stones!"

The idea was tempting, but he shot down the idea for now. " Yes, there's Refined Magic Stones, Sage's Magic Stones. Then we have Special Magic Stones, which can only be obtained through Ice Burners." Raven was sure they had one lying around here somewhere. "Those are worth something and can be created through Alchemy. "

Vinyl whistled in awe. "So what you're saying is that you got a gold mine in the form of a flask? Also, any chance you can lend me one? I want to see what it can do for my Bass Cannon!" The thought of her weapon being even louder made her drool. Raven crossed his arms and refused that last request; he didn't need Vinyl blowing herself up because she wanted a louder toy. The vampony's ears lowered in disappointment.

"As for now, no. I want to keep these a secret. We can start trading Philosopher's Gel for Capital." After all, a country needs a functioning economy. And the best part, Raven had a complete monopoly on the gel and magic stones. What could the other nations do about it, force him to give up the El? Currently, he and maybe Maya could make use of its power. For anyone else, it'll become a shiny paperweight or just outright kill someone if they try to use it. It was selfish, but New Elria needed the wealth, and Raven would be damned if they relied on other countries! New Elria needed to stand on its own!

"Health, Education, Stability, Agriculture, Military, and Basic resource."While some of these could be covered by the ponies and changelings already with him, there were still major gaps. Raven looked to the side and remembered he could make more Nasods by recycling Adam's giant body."But I can't do it alone; it's time to test them."

Without a word, Raven wheeled over the chalkboard. "I didn't bring you all down here just to showcase Alchemy; I wanted to test you all as well." Using the chalk the man found, he began writing on the board. "No matter what you do or where you go, mathematics is required!" Raven wrote down three numbers wanted, and he wanted them to be converted to scientific notation. "Moondancer, you're first. Please convert them to decimals."

Moondancer made an audible 'gulping' sound; she took the chalk with her magic and wrote down the answers.

-53,000 = -5.3 x 10⁴

2 = 2 x 10⁰

0.000 000 007 51 = 7.51 x 10^-9

Moondancer passed the test with ease. Raven gave her an approving nod, causing her to smile. The man erased what was on the board and moved on to the next question. It was a trig function question. It was one of the more straightforward questions in Calculus. "Oleander, you're next." He wanted to stress test the mare and see where she was education-wise.

Oleander took the chalk in her magic and grinned. "You could have picked something harder."

cos (5π6) = − √ 3 2

It was correct, and she even showed her answers. Raven took the chalk back while Oleander huffed, "Try harder next time, father."

He ignored that and continued. This time it would be physics, more specifically: measuring sound waves. It was apparent who this was for. "Vinyl, you're next."

The vampony took the chalk with her magic. "Easy peasy, watch this."It took Vinyl a little longer to answer the question, but she was correct. Her work was sloppy but correct. Raven nodded in approval, causing her to tap on her head. "I ain't just a pretty face." She pulled up her glasses and gave the Human a wink.

The twins were next, and he was going to test the two on geometry and trigonometry. He wrote down the question along with the formulas they needed. "Dew, Night, you're up." Raven broke the chalk in half and gave it to them. To his surprise, they held the chalk up with the thumb of their wings.

"We got this!" Dew assured the Human with a toothy smile. "The Flim Flam brothers taught us everything they knew." Night said with a nod of his head. With that, the two albinos started answering the question. It took them under five minutes to finish as they checked others' work. Like Vinyl, their work was sloppy but correct. Raven nodded in approval and gave them head pats. "EEE, YEAH, WE DID IT!" "WE'RE THE BEST!"

If Raven ever meets the Flim Flam brothers, he wouldn't give them a beat down; just a swift kick to the crotch, and he could call it even. Raven took the chalks back and started on the following question. It was a multiplication question; it was going to the group's youngest member. "Amber, you're next."

Amber nodded eagerly; she was sure this was a test to see if she could become a mage. "I won't fail you!" Raven gave her the chalk and picked up the foal so she could reach the board. The great test that would determine her future and possibly the world!

2 x 2 = 4

Raven smiled and hugged Amber. "We got ourselves a little star; it's correct!" Amber turned around and hugged back, cheering into the man's chest. Oleander mumbled something under her breath while rolling her eyes.

After placing the happy foal on the ground, Raven started the next and final question. He was going to test Sonata and see where she was education-wise. "You're next, Sonata."

The Siren in question adjusted her glasses with a knowing grin. "I'll make my sisters proud." She took the chalk with her hoof. It only took Sonata two seconds to write down her answer. Raven face palmed while everypony else in the room faced hoofed. Sonata's head and ears lowered in shame.

"It's wrong, Sonata," Raven said, sounding disappointed.

2 + 2 = 5

"Please don't tell my sisters." She whimpered

[Raven and Ambrosia]

[Art By Siansaar]

Chapter 29(Magician)

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Magician

Starlight wiggled and squirmed in the hospital bed. The unicorn was currently resting in the medical ward of the Canterlot Castle. She arrived at the capital and was quickly detained for scaring the populace with her screams about 'monsters' and the infected stump that used to be her hindleg. The medical professionals opened up the stomp, so they could drain the puss and remove the dying tissue. They gave her antibiotics for good measure and enough painkillers to leave her in a stupor.

The unicorn was fighting off a fever; the infection and stress most likely caused it. "N-no, please, I'm sorry... I had no other choice." Starlight saw the faces of the two ponies she gotten killed, they didn't say anything, but their expressions said it all. Unfortunately, Princess Luna wasn't there to soothe her nightmares. Then she saw the faces of the foals she left behind in the village. "No more, please." Starlight watched as their mangled bodies were impaled onto spikes.

She could hear the villagers she once led chanting one name 'Henir.' It was too much for her; she took a fetal position and made her body as small as possible. Tears flowed free from her closed eyes as she sobbed. "Why..." she choked out between sobs. "me?" All the unicorn ever wanted was friends! And the only way to do so was to make everypony equal, and now it's all gone! "It's not fair!" She sobbed even harder.

Then she felt something warm wash over her body. The guilt, stress, pain, faces, and heartache were disappearing. Starlight opened her eyes, and what she saw amazed her. A goddess in physical form, pure white coat, a flowing multiple-colored mane, golden accessories, and crown. Her long magnificent horn had a golden aura around it; she was casting a spell that made her horn shine even brighter. "It's okay, my little pony. I am here for you." She spoke in her calming and motherly voice. The Princess of the Sun nuzzled the whimpering unicorn.

Starlight wanted to hate the pony by her bed. Princess Celestia was the sole reason why equality couldn't exist! She perpetuated the cutie mark system! This whorse was the reason why Sunburst left. "With one spell, I can take her cutie mark away. Yes, this is my chance." The matrix for the spell appeared in her mind. She was going to do it. Starlight would start the revolution! But she stared into the caring eyes of Princess Celestia; she came all the way here to see what troubled her. "I can do it!"

Without warning, Starlight started telling Princess Celestia everything, pouring her heart out. "I-I started a town without telling anypony and without a deed from the crown." Meaning she didn't pay any taxes. "It's between the Neighargra falls and Manehatten. Everything was fine, then there was this explosion, and every adult pony became a monster!" She said hysterically. "One of them cut off my hind leg! Then they went after the foals and...And!" Starlight wailed in anguish. Nearby unicorn nurses galloped over, ready to use a sedative spell.

Princess Celestia's horn glowed again; once it did, Starlight's screams were cut short as she fell into a deep slumber. The Princess nuzzled the sleeping unicorn again. "Rest easy for now; I'll take care of everything."

Once the medical ward's door shut behind her, Celestia's posture slumped. The Princess of the sun had another problem at hoof, and it was severe. Foal killers that were once ponies, if this information got out to the public, it would be disastrous! Princess Celestia took a calm breath; she needed more information. "Who can I send?" The elements were out of the question for multiple reasons; the Pillars are already busy. She couldn't send her sister as she feared the worse. The Princess considered sending the Wonderbolts but squashed that idea. After the giant Spike incident, she didn't trust them enough to fly headfirst into danger.

This left her with one choice, the Royal Guard! These ponies were tasked with guarding herself, the castle, and Equestria as a whole! Princess Celestia deflated when she remembered they hadn't been helpful for...Anything. Sure they were great for keeping the peace and calming down ponies after a disaster. The problem has been made worse with Shining's departure, leaving the captain's seat open. She could worry about that later because she was on a time limit; Celestia had called for a one-hour recess. If she hadn't, the Alicorn who have thrown Prince Rutherford out the window!

She took another calming breath; the Princess couldn't lose her composure now. "Commander Valkyrie." The Princess conjured paper, quill, and ink well. She wrote a letter, telling the Commander to gather two of the fastest pegasus and go to the unknown town. Celestia also made it clear that this was a scouting mission. If there were any signs of danger, they were to retreat immediately and report back to her. They had no time for heroics or ponies seeking glory through combat.

Once it was finished, the letter was engulfed by a blue flame. Princess Celestia straightened her posture and trotted down the hall. As she did, the Alicorn couldn't help but feel like this was the Human's fault. She groaned internally. "How could one ape be so troublesome!" Not even Discord was this big of a pain! Hopefully, once her niece, Shining Armor, and the elements find this creature, things will calm down. "Back to the meeting," she said, sounding defeated.

Memento, second floor

Raven was writing down new equations on the chalkboard. After Sonata's recent blunder with a simple math question, the Human thought it best if some of them practiced. Specifically, the twins and the Dj, as he found that their work was messy. As for Sonata, she was a special case, so he gave more addition equations. He even made it simpler by having all the problems be 1 + 10 or something even more basic. "She couldn't possibly mess this up.". Putting his feelings aside, he gave everypony in question chalk. The twins took the chalk with cheer, while Vinyl rolled her eyes, and Sonata took the chalk with her head lowered.

With that, Raven brought his attention to Moondancer, Amber, and Oleander. "While they practice, I will teach you three about Human magic." Amber jumped up and down in excitement at the prospect; Moondancer clapped her hooves together in excitement, while Oleander looked quizzical. Raven could hear Vinyl mumble, ' I get stuck with the boring stuff.' Even the changeling drone that Raven brought along was paying attention.

Raven held out the tablet that contained the necessary knowledge of essential Elrian magic. He got onto one knee and showed it to them. "Like unicorns, Humans use runes to create spell matrix, allowing us to create spells. And if someone is skilled enough, they can create runes and use them for combat; these people were called Rune Slayer." These types of knights were rare, as very few with proficient with a sword and magic.

Amber had no idea what she was looking at, but the two Ponies beside her did. Oleander found these runes to be fundamental and primordial. None of these spells had safety mechanisms if something were to go wrong. Meanwhile, Moondancer was shocked to see that none of these spells had any cast times. She had multiple problems with the teleportation spell; it was short-range, meant to be spammed, and it was a beginner spell! A spell like this should take years to learn and longer to master!

The two didn't even get past the first two spells before they looked up and gave Raven a worried look. "Mr.Maxwell, these spells seem rather destructive, and there aren't any safety measures. And they're all destructive spells." Moondancer told the Human. She didn't even see one single healing spell.

"These spells are destructive because Elrios was a dangerous place." Raven began. "Monsters, demons, evil spirits, vengeful nasods, bandits, dark elves, evil spirits, and shadow beasts. Then there were the wars with the other races. We had no use for non-combative spells or skills." Raven scoffed at the very notion. " If it didn't kill the enemy, give you a tactical advantage, or support your comrades, it was useless. Healing was either left to medical professionals or Alchemists. If you didn't live in a city or a village and didn't know how to defend yourself, you were good as dead. " It may sound like Humans only cared for killing and carnage, but it was survival of the fittest, and Humanity came out on top.

In Amber's mind, this translated to 'Human magic makes things go BOOM!'. This meant she could get to the good stuff right away. As for Oleander, it sounded like a bunch of monkeys were given fireworks and told to make them as dangerous as possible. Moondancer was disappointed; she expected a little more finesse than 'Make thing go boom!'. Fred laughed in his book; he found this amazing; if only more humans were around! "By the way, check the mana cost." Raven pointed out.

Oleander started sputtering as soon as she did, while Moondancer's glasses nearly fell off. The first two spells' mana costs were negligible, and the third spell, Chain Fireball, was ridiculous. "This spell requires one-third of my mana pool!" Oleander stammered out. Indeed the spell required the caster to use one-third of their mana to cast. The spell was terrible; the caster fired two small fireballs and ended it with a giant fireball.

"Yes, it does, and it's one of the reasons why I don't constantly chain my skills. Some of them even require me to use my entire mana pool." OIeander and Moondancer were horrified; using your entire mana pool was a big no-no for unicorns. Either the unicorn went through magical burnout, or they were left in a weakened state. Raven shrugged at their shocked faces and gave them an amused smile. "Don't worry; I'll teach you how to manage your mana." Raven wondered if he should tell them about mana eaters? He decided not to. "We'll cross that bridge when we get there; now try casting your first fireball."

Raven gestured for Oleander to start, which she did. The dark unicorn closed her eyes, and she saw the fire rune appear in her mind's eye. It was a roaring fire in the shape of a flower. Mana began to gather within her horn, and as soon as it did, it started heating up. Oleander grunted in pain as the heat became unbearable. Left with no other choice, she casts the spell.

Oleander opened her eyes and saw that the spell fizzled, creating a poof of dark smoke. "Wrong," Raven said simply, causing the unicorn's face to scrunch up in anger. Raven gestures for Moondancer to go next, and the same thing happens. The spell fizzled out, leaving them with a puff of smoke. The man lets out a disappointed sigh; then points at their horns. "Stop using your horns." The two scholars were about to object, but Raven was quicker and held out his claw. "Elrian magic is all or nothing; you need to use your entire body! The mana has to flow everywhere, not just your horn. Amber, you're next. Close your eyes!"

The filly flinched when she was suddenly called upon but nodded with a determined face. With that, Amber closed her eyes.

There was nothing but darkness; that's when Amber heard her father's voice. "Create the fire rune." Remembering what she saw, the filly recreated the rune within her mind. The blazing flower was dull, lifeless, and cold. Something was wrong; why wasn't it burning with life? "Now let go and find fuel for your fire." She did as she was told and let herself sink deeper into the darkness.

As Amber sank, she could hear Raven's voice, but it came quieter the further she fell. "It's there, the mana." But she couldn't find it; she was an earth pony. Earth ponies didn't have anything special like horns or wings, just their strong legs and hooves... That was it! Raven said you need to put your entire body into it.

Amber focused solely on her body and felt the warmth spread through it. Her hooves, legs, torso, head, and muscles were filled with mana! She was the fuel, and with that, she brought herself back to the surface. Like before, the fire rune floated there, grey and lifeless. Without hesitation, the filly hugs the rune, which causes the flower to ignite! Soon enough, the flames were on her and spreading throughout the filly's body.

It was intense but not painful; if anything, she felt powerful, like the filly could take any pony on. Burn everything in her path and still have some energy to spare. As she thought this, the flames became more intense as if it was trying to consume her. Amber couldn't control it! The filly whimpered in pain as the flame tried taking over. "Temper the fire with your joy." Amber thought about her mother, sister, new siblings, and new father. As the filly did this, the flames backed away, and she sighed in relief.

"Now hold your forelegs out and stay like that for ten seconds ." As soon as she did, the flames threatened to leave through there. It was the longest ten seconds of her life; the fire threatened to burn her hooves if it wasn't released. "Cast it!" Amber opened her eyes and cast her very first spell. It was a fireball and a big one too, bigger than an average pony!

"Oh shit!"

Everypony got out of Raven's way as he caught the fireball with his claw. The Valasia arm screamed at him for being so close to such heat. Raven didn't care because pride swelled within his chest. Amber did it; she could perform spells now! "Now to take care of this." He looked down at the fireball pushing him back; the man couldn't help but grin. "Chilling breath." Raven surrounded himself with a hellish mist that could freeze anything; he watched as the aura consumed the fireball, leaving nothing.

Oleander couldn't lie; she thought the filly's quest of learning magic was nothing more than a pipe dream. She didn't have the heart to crush the foal's dream, but this changed everything! But there was one thing she couldn't believe. "I got outclassed by an Earth pony!"

"The Canterlot nobles would want him dead if they found out about this!"Moondancer thought in a panic. She was referring to Canterlot unicorns. They would have the entire archive burned to the ground before they allowed 'lesser' pony races to learn magic. But she was amazed; she had just witnessed an earth pony perform magic! It was history in the making. The flood gates were open, a whole new field of magic! "So this is Elrian Magic."

Amber was breathing heavily, but she had a big grin."I-I did it; I can do magic!" She tried jumping around but became lightheaded. Before she could fall over, Raven sprinted forward and caught the little filly. Amber smiled up at her daddy. "Daddy, did you see I can do magic now!"

Raven smiled back. " I did, and congratulations! You're a Magician."

footnote:

Amber

Class Change: Magician

NEW SKILL TREE!

NEW ACTIVE SKILL:

Chain Fireball - - Fire 2 small fireballs and end with a big fireball. Enemies hit will be burned for 10 seconds.

Chapter 30(Another Day)

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Another Day

Mena yawned as she got off the blanket; the mare rubbed the tiredness from her eyes. It was a brand new day, even if the sun wouldn't rise for another two hours. She made her way past the sleeping ponies and changelings. Currently, the group was sleeping in the Lullabye Nursery next to the castle. And why were they sleeping in a building meant for foals? It's because Raven refused to sleep in the castle, and in his own words, 'I wouldn't be caught dead sleeping in a castle.' It didn't help that the beds were too small for him to sleep on.

Not wanting to be left behind, they followed after their new leader and slept where he slept. This resulted in over fifty ponies and one Human occupying the castle. The remaining changelings who weren't on guard slept in the castle. Funnily enough, their Queen was sleeping in the nursery. The undead ponies were the only ones who weren't sleeping; they just sat around and stared into space. Mena found it super creepy, but her new Master didn't mind; it meant he could relax a bit more.

As much as it pained her, it was time to wake up the tired Human. While making her way there, she nearly tripped over a snake pony's tail on the way there. It almost took her a minute, but she was standing over the sleeping form of Raven Maxwell, and he wasn't wearing any of his gear. Even in the dark, she could see the scars covering his body. The worse had to be one across his chest and one on his back; it was an X shape. The mare thought it was a miracle that the Human could smile; then again, she never heard him laugh.

Mena lightly tapped Raven's shoulder. "Mas-" She quickly corrected herself; he didn't like being called that. "Sir, it's time to wake up." They had a long day ahead of them; Raven needed to finish his research on creating love for the changelings. Mena herself had to make breakfast for everypony, then do her best and clean around the castle. The changelings who aren't patrolling the border are dismantling Adam's body. The Lamia's are to search around the castle grounds and find anything of value. Doctor Cold and the other undead ponies were in charge of the castle's medical wing while the vamponies were gathering and hunting. The three Sirens were stuck with farming until further notice; thankfully, the castle had a plow.

Raven was adamant about the Sirens farming because the food supplies they found in the castle's storage would last only two months. Luckily for everyone, they found radish seeds, allowing them to harvest them every month, and they didn't need pesticides. The trio of singers was still upset with their positions, but Raven clarified that it was only temporary. "But why?" Mena wondered. She only knew that the Human had something in the works. 'A machine on wheels that'll be more valuable than the Canterlot castle,' that's what she remembers him saying. Speaking of which, the Human was still asleep.

The former party pony tapped the man's shoulder again, and this time he woke up. Raven brought his claw over his white eye and touched it several times. Realization dawns upon him, and he sits up while keeping his blind eye covered. "Good morning, Mena." He said, trying to keep his voice low. "Let's do our best today." Mena nods with a smile. Once he stood up, Raven made his way to the corner of the room where his gear was. It was going to be a long day.

"ORA!" Raven swung his blade towards, then charged forward with his claw and slashed at the air. He charged forward again with his claw leading the attack this time. The claw grasped at nothing, but it would have crushed anything in its grasp if it did. As he did this, sweat dripped down his nearly naked form; his undergarments were the only thing he wore.

It was bliss; training was the only thing that took his mind off everything. The only downside was that he couldn't use his skills in the castle courtyard; besides the non-destructive skills. Still, the feeling of pushing his body to its absolute limit was amazing. The stress and anxiety washed away, leaving him with a sense of euphoria. Unfortunately, such a feeling couldn't last forever; he would be back in the laboratory working on the love brew. "It seemed so simple," Raven said as he swung his sword.

Two days ago

The male changeling named Killer Bee gives Raven a glass bottle filled with a pink mist. "So this what love looks like?" Raven said, sounding amused. He opens it and drops the content into the Mysterious El Flask. The flasks make quick work of it, leaving the broken down materials.

Dismantle Items Result:

1 Magic Stone

1 Cysteine

1 tyrosine

1 isoleucine

1 glutamine

1 asparagine

1 cysteine

1 proline

1 leucine

1 glycine

Raven cursed as he saw the ingredients; this leaned heavily on chemistry. Worse yet, the components that came out were too small for their own container, so they were all dropped into one, leaving a brown mess. The man already knew the first batch would be a failure, but he had to start somewhere. Raven made a new base for the cauldron and dumped all the contents into it, including the magic stone.

The smell was interesting, to say the least; Killer Bee looked ready to puke. As Raven stirred the concoction, it became a sickly green. He kept this up for another five minutes until he thought it was done. He poured the foul-smelling brew into a bottle and handed it to the changeling. Killer Bee looked down at the bottle, then back up at the waiting Human. "Well, go on." Raven encouraged.

Killer Bee did a small prayer, then drank the love brew. The taste was indescribable; he wanted to throw the bottle at the Human and curse him out. But it would result in a flank kicking from the Human, so he drank with tears pouring from his eyes. He was nearly done with the drink, but a sharp pain came from his stomach, followed by vomiting. Killer fell back as more bile came from his mouth; he began convulsing. "AAAAGGGGGHHHHHHH!" He could only gurgle.

Raven rubbed his chin and wondered if he had just made pesticide.

Present

Raven snorted in frustration; it was nothing but trial and error for the last two days. The love brew would always become green, red, or even yellow, but never pink. Although the red mixture had some effect, Killer Bee kept it down this time but claimed it was too spicy and tasted like salt and vinegar. It was the right direction, but now he had a taste problem. Thankfully, this was alchemy, and he could cheat a little bit.

The Sweet Love Potion from the Cobo Service event should be able to mask the flavor and add more 'love' to the brew. Considering what it did to Elsword the first time he drank, it should be more than enough. "It would have been a lot more time-consuming and expensive if it wasn't for alchemy" He was a fortunate man. "I need to focus."

Taking a deep breath, Raven dashed forward and then jumped. Once in the air, three Valasia branches shot from his arm and grabbed the castle wall, pulling him forward. Raven surrounds himself with Valasia, which allows him to dive straight down and slam the ground with his claw. He stood back up while panting. The man wanted to try one more thing before he ended his training session. It was something he's been working on ever since his fight with Luna.

Raven remembered how he couldn't do a damn thing against her because she was high in the sky. He'll change that, with Valasia Raven will create wings capable of flight! Black branches in the shape of wings sprout from Raven's back. A black and white mist covered them, and they were massive. With these wings, Raven would become the angel of death. "Crows Wing!" Raven took to the air! And after one flap with his wings...They fell apart. "Gah!" The man landed on his rear with a yelp. Black feathers and broken branches followed soon after.

One of the Changelings stuck her head out a window and yelled at the Human. "Keep it down; some of us are trying to sleep!" The cranky changeling went back inside, leaving Raven to wallow in his failure.

"Strong enough to create a drill, but not wings? Hah." At least the skill worked, somewhat, and maybe with enough training, he could glide with them? Until then, he would go with Plan B: Learning to use Ciel's sniper rifle. "Maybe even shoot the blue bitch out of the air next time?" That brought a smile to his face, but soon enough, the smile was gone.

"There's so much to do." The changelings needed to be fed, he needed to be a proper father, the Nasods needed to be modified, Maya's flight code still wasn't working, the funeral, officially establishing New Elria, and making a speech. If that wasn't enough, he had to deal with the Equestrians. Hopefully, offering Chrysalis' head will appease them. But the biggest hurdle the nation might face is building a tractor.

Building new Nasods will be easy because they have everything they need, including the code. Making an automobile from scratch, on the other hand, is no easy task. Raven found the blueprints and gave them to the twins to look over. "Oh, goddess." To think, something he took for granted in everyday life in Velder was hard to build. Even with the blueprints, over thirty thousand parts needed to be made from scratch. Still, the payoff will be well worth it. Plowing, tilling, planting, spreading fertilizer, and many more; could be performed by one machine.

He sighed in frustration, feeling conflicted. He hated that new Elria would become machine reliant so early on. And using the technology that made him into a monster didn't help. "Everything used to be so simple." When he joined the El search party, he was relieved that he didn't need to lead the group. Raven needed to swing his blade and let the others do the rest. Now? Raven is a new nation leader, with everything riding on his decision-making.

"For Humanity."

"For Humanity." That was all he needed to say; he would bear this burden. Once the human race is restored, he can finally reunite with his precious allies.

Raven hears the familiar sound of hoof steps and turns around. Mena was approaching with three hardtacks and a glass of water on a metal tray. The grey-pink mare no longer wore a cloak to hide but a maid's uniform. It was a black dress with a white apron, and she wore a white cap to conceal her mane. The uniform also covered her body, tail, and, most important of all, her cutie mark. The uniform was a courtesy gift from Ambrosia; where and how she got it? Raven didn't want to know and ensured it was washed before letting Mena wear it.

The former party pony looked prim and proper, just as Raven liked it. "Your breakfast, sir." She offered, which the Human took with great delight.

"Thank you, Mena." He ate the bland biscuits and started thinking. "Maybe I should plan world domination? So I can get all these creatures to wear some fucking clothes."Raven was still greatly disturbed by these creatures walking around naked. "Truly shameless creatures." Raven finished his breakfast and gave the mare a nod of approval. Before he could start his day, the man needed a bath.

Three Hours Later

Ambrosia skipped through the castle walls, humming a happy tune. It was her favorite part of her day, breakfast! She was still full of the Human's love and blood; it didn't hurt to have a little snack. Especially since they've captured more ponies and griffons, she licked her lips as she stepped inside the storage room where the cocooned creatures were being kept. The cocoons went from sixteen to fifty-three! It consisted of royal guards who thought they were sneaky, griffons looking to scavenge, and adventurous ponies.

The Queen watched as her children fed on their love. Ambrosia flew up, latched onto one cocoon, and began crawling on it. "Nice and warm." She purred. The changeling was in her natural habitat; prey cocooned, subjects with full bellies, and a castle all to herself; even though she didn't care for it. "Now, if only I can get a certain birdy to give me some hot monkey di-" A voice broke the Queen out of her thoughts.

"It's been three days; can't you let me down?" It was Monarch, one of Chrysalis' spawns. She was stuck to the wall with changeling slime keeping her in place.

"Hhhhmmm." Ambrosia hummed in thought about the request. "Nope~" Monarch deflated while the Queen giggled. "You should be happy I haven't ripped your throat out." This caused the drone stuck to the wall to shiver in fear. Usually, Ambrosia didn't care if a drone from another hive approached hers. She would have her fun and send them on their merry way, but this was Chrysalis' drone, so one couldn't be too careful. That did bring a question to mind. "Are you defective?" She wasn't talking about the obvious stuff, like her personality; every drone had its quirks.

Monarch's eyebrows furrowed in frustration; another changeling was going to talk about her flaws. "I-I'm not defective. I just look a little different, that's all." Her butterfly-shaped wings buzzed in irritation.

"But you're wearing glasses, which means you're defective." An entire hive is descended from a Changeling Queen's genetic code. Any genetic mutation, flaw, virus, or biological agent would spread incredibly fast throughout the hive. So it is the Queen's job to reject and destroy the egg. She can do this with a heavy heart or cold calculation, either way; it must be done. However, there can be some deviation; either an elite or a Proto Queen is Born. And Monarch didn't look like either.

"It's because I have difficulty reading with these things!" She pointed at her pupilless eyes, which were great for seeing in dark places, not so much for reading. "And I'll have you know; I was a well-respected scholar back in the hive." In reality, the other drones wouldn't go near her, and Chrysalis ignored her entirely. "As for my wings." Monarch turned her head as best as she could. "I'm not sure myself. Maybe I was a failed elite?"

Ambrosia shrugged and began feeding upon the royal guard. It was a few seconds of bliss before she picked up on something or someling. Thanks to the blood she drank from Raven, her senses have been heightened to the point where she can detect emotions miles away, and what the Queen felt made her giddy! Her old playmate is here!

"How dare he!" Adagio huffed as she pulled the plow along, with Aria planting seeds behind. "That.Human.Scum! We're Sirens. We don't labor!" The mare complained but kept pulling the plow, but then she was sprayed with a jet of water. "Watch it, you idiot!" She told Sonata, who was in her Siren form.

And why was Adagio pulling the plow? Simple, they all drew straws, and the Siren leader drew the shortest, meaning she had to do the back-breaking labor today. Aria snorted in annoyance. "When are we going to take over his mind? This is dumb." Adagio wanted to scream at her sister, considering she had an easier job, but she held her tongue.

"In due-" She strained against the plow. "time, once he's at his peak, then we'll control his mind! Then take over Equestria, then the world! HAHAHAHA!" She laughed maniacally, and so did Aria, but not Sonata.

"What about the tacos?" she chirped in sadness.

Adagio groaned in frustration. "Yes, Yes, Tacos first, then world domination. Now get some more water!" Sonata saluted and flew off to get some more water. As she got closer to the nearby river, she could see moving bodies under the water. Once she landed, Sonata dunked her head under the water. Strangely enough, she didn't find anything out of the ordinary. Maybe it was her mind playing tricks on her?

"This is cow dung!" A male changeling complained as he tried his best to remove a metal panel from Adam's body. His two coworkers agreed with him.

"Yeah, what's so important about this? Can't we just leave it to rust?" Another changeling complained as he ripped out metal wiring from the robotic corpse.

One of the smarter changelings spoke up. "Reaper said everything here is valuable and needs to be recycled." He held up one of the giant metal wires. "I mean, look at this stuff, copper, gold, bronze, and other metals we've never heard of!" Indeed, Adam's body was a treasure trove. The other two Changelings didn't seem impressed.

"HEY!" A female changeling called them out. "Less talking, and more working! I mean, look at her go" She pointed a hoof at the cloaked mare. The first sister, Maud, was ripping off metal panels left and right with alarming speed. "Or would you like to switch places with Killer Bee?" She cooed, which scared the three males, and they quickly returned to work. "That's what I thought."

"Hm?"The Female changeling said as everyling around her received a message from Queen Ambrosia. The changeling grinned in excitement. "There's an intruder." With that, they dropped everything and flew off.

Memento, second floor

Killer Bee wasn't a very happy changeling right now. He sat there watching the Human work on six cauldrons with different tasting love brews. His only comfort was the bucket he clung to for emotional support and waste disposal. "Why did I volunteer!?" The drone shook his head; he was an elite! He needed to be strong for his Queen! "My spirit is willing, but my tummy." The changeling's stomach gurgled, sounding upset.

If this was it, he prayed that the all-mother took his soul to the afterlife. "Killer, it's ready. Try this." Raven offered the changeling a bottle filled with pink liquid. Killer cringed upon hearing that deep voice. The Human was a cruel, sadistic monster, even if the creature wasn't emanating that type of emotion. But the elite knew better; there was cruelty behind his one yellow eye.

Killer Bee took the bottle with his magic and sniffed the substance. It wasn't foul-smelling like before, the color was pleasant to look at, and it even had smoke-shaped hearts. "Bottoms up!" He drank the love brew in one go and was surprised to find that it tasted sweet! As soon as the liquid landed in his stomach, a warmth began to spread throughout the changeling's body. This was it! "It's love!" He said in astonishment. The elite felt energized and ready to do anything! An-

POP

Without warning, Killer's stallionhood was fully displayed for the Human to see. The Changeling elite closed his legs and chuckled nervously. "Hehehe, Whoops!"

Raven snorted in disgust, the new love brew was a success but the flaws needed to be ironed out. Turning back to his pink mixture, Raven didn't know if he should thank Cobo service or curse them for their blunder. The Sweet love potion he added to the love brew was meant to be a regular healing potion with strawberry flavoring. Ariel being the genius she was, thought it would be a good idea to add an aphrodisiac to the potion.

The Cyborg hated sweets, so he elected to use a normal one while everyone else used the event potion. To say one of their missions went poorly would be an understatement. Everyone, including Eve, got hot and bothered in the middle of combat, which ended with them retreating. Raven using his alchemic skills, found the source of the problem, a chemical used as a performance 'enhancer.' If Raven wasn't there, he was sure the El search party would have put Ariel in the hospital or worse.

Despite the situation, it was rather funny..."Maybe I can sell this as well? I'll call it, Lovebug!..."Raven chided himself for such a stupid thought. He needed to fix this brew, but this current brew should be safe enough to drink. He smiled to himself; it was another step for New Elria.

Near Dream Castle

A changeling with blue eyes peaked his head out of the river. "The coast is clear, my Queen." With that, Myxine stepped out of the water, along with a hundred drones by her side. The others will still stay in the water and act as reinforcement.

It took nearly a week, but they pinpointed that damnable Human's location. "He has to be here," Myxine said as she looked up at the pink castle. She would find the Human and drain him of his love, and maybe finally, her children could have full bellies.

"If you're talking about monkey boy, he is away right now!" Ambrosia shouted as she hung upside down from a nearby tree.

"W-what!?" Myxine jumped back in fear. Ambrosia's drones started appearing from everywhere! They were in the trees, bushes, and even the rocks! "What are you doing here!!!" The Hagfish Queen couldn't believe her luck or lack of! The one changeling she didn't want to run into. "And where is the Human?!" She fumed.

Ambrosia dropped from the tree and landed on all fours. She pouted, seeing her friend upset. "Don't be like that; we have a lot of catching up to do."

Footnote:
Raven

NEW ACTIVE SKILL:

Crows Wing - - The incarnation of revenge who still holds on to his past now spreads his large wings dripping with rage. It can be used as a double jump, and with enough training, it could be used for gliding!

Chapter 30.5(The Game)

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The Game

Beyond the reaches of space and time sat three beings of great power. The first was a sizeable radiant crystal that radiated a feeling of calm. This creature could be mistaken as another with great power whose affinity is Light. The second being is a creature of Darkness that spreads mayhem and destruction whatever it goes. Its form was a single eye that just floated there unblinking. Oddly enough, it follows strict guidelines and will punish those who overstep their station. Respectively these two creatures are called Elria god of Light, and Henir, the god of Darkness.

The final creature sat there with a scowl on her face. Unlike the other two, she took the form of a living creature. It was a white alabaster alicorn with a disheveled dark red mane. Her Cutie mark took the form of an inkwell with a quill sticking out of it. While not the strongest out there, she is respected for her ingenuity and ability to think outside the box. She is better known as Faust, the god of Creativity.

Out of the three, Faust was the first to break the silence. "I suppose I was too hasty with my decision?" When she didn't receive an answer, she continued. "But you must understand, the world was dying and beyond saving."

Elria finally spoke up, and she wasn't amused. "It doesn't matter; I created that world." The goddess's voice could only be described as a chorus with a feminine undertone. "And if you had checked, you would have found that there was still a single human being and an El shard."

The Alicorn's scowl deepened at the Giant Crystal's words. "Yet, you let it fall to such disarray!" Faust took a calming breath, not wanting to lose her temper. "No, it's not your fault; it's Human nature, after all."

If she could, Elria would be sneering at Faust right now. Instead, she kept the same flat, monotone voice. "It's none of my business what choice my children make; all I can do is guide them best as I can and lead them to a better tomorrow. And you shouldn't talk so highly of your ponies." Elria's voices took a certain edge to it as she continued. "I know of your earlier failures with Equestria." Faust audibly gulped; she thought she hid those worlds well enough. "The most well-known of them was the psychotic pink pony making cupcakes out of her friends. And the Equestria that had fallen into war and became an irradiated wasteland."

"I GET IT!" Faust slammed her hooves on the table the three sat around. "Okay, I get it!" She closed her eyes and took another calming breath. "I was too hasty when I made those worlds if I could have gone back and fixed my mistakes." But she couldn't, and there were rules she had to follow. Still, even if she could erase a world, the Alicorn didn't have the heart for it. Using her magic, Faust tried fixing her messy mane. " We're getting off track." She looked to her fellow gods and narrowed her eyes. "Seeing how I meddled with a dying world, and the two of you aren't willing to relinquish your hold over it."

"..."

The two simply stayed silent, causing Faust to give an exasperated sigh. "We're still stuck playing this stupid game." Rules were Rules, after all. As callous it would be, she hoped the raven-haired Human died in that pod. She had nothing against the poor man... That was a lie; the mare had a lot of things against him, one of them being his cruelty. Still, Faust had to give the mortal some credit; he hadn't killed one of her little ponies yet. If anything, he has gone out of his way to help them.

Truthfully, she didn't care if she won or lost this stupid game; as long as her little ponies survived the coming storm, she would be satisfied. While the mare found the floating crystal stubborn, she was reasonable, unlike her dark counterpart. Henir had earned the Alicorn's ire with his corruption of Twilight Sparkle and the near corruption of the tree of Harmony. Worst of all, the god of darkness was an enigma, refusing to speak with anyone.

If this game wasn't bad enough, they had spectators. To the side were the various deities and otherworldly creatures from all over looking for entertainment.

"Another foolish Human, this will be fun." Said a yellow two-dimensional triangular creature with a single eye. For some reason, it wore a tophat.

"I wonder what his willing to exchange for his end goal?" Said creature with a vaguely humanoid shape. The only visible feature was its grinning mouth.

"Elria is lucky to have such an obedient mortal servant." This came from a stunning woman who could make any man weak in the knees. She looked like a stereotypical goddess with her blond hair, blue eyes, angel wings, curvy body, and robes that didn't cover enough of her body. The goddess covered her mouth with a single hand to stifle a laugh. "Reminds me of a certain fake hero."

"Where the hell is the booze at!?" The others didn't pay attention to the goddess with aqua blue hair and a mini skirt. No one wanted to waste their words on the useless goddess.

"It seems he has another self, A shame I couldn't be there so it could manifest." These words came from a man wearing a white coat and mask with a butterfly pattern on it.

"Hmph! At least this one shows respect to a higher being, unlike a certain atheist I know," said a man that looked like a stereotypical depiction of God. He had white hair and a full beard and everything. Everyone ignored the arrogant, full who managed to get in trouble with the higher-ups.

"Such extreme grief; if only he were female, he would have made an excellent witch." The voice came from a cat-like creature with snow-white fur. While cute, others around it considered it a parasite, but the tiny animal didn't care.

"Even though his soul is stained, his hope burns bright."The goddess who said this clasped her hands together and prayed for Raven. A human turned magical girl turned goddess was praying for a Human; it was a strange sight. Maybe Raven reminded her of another particular raven-haired Human.

"Let's see if this Human can impress." Said a white-haired female demon with horns; she wore a fancy black suit and was drinking red wine out of a glass. Her name was lucy, and she is one of the many lucifers across space and time.

There were many more like them, angels, demons, eldritch abomination, and more. Any creature that could cross the boundary was here. They all came here with one thing on their mind, entertainment.

Faust's scowl returned with a vengeance as she saw how many came to watch this game. "Why are there so many people here?" Maybe 'people' was a strong word considering what some of them are. The alicorn couldn't help but notice that some of these deities had messed with her worlds at some point. Before the alicorn goddess voiced her disdain, someone interrupted her.

"Because it's such a rare occurrence!" Everyone's attention was brought to Glave, who looked rather roughed up if his clothes were any indication. "Sorry for the wait, everyone; I was dealing with a pesky draconequus." With a snap of his fingers, his clothes were repaired, and he was holding a deck of cards. "I wanted to kill him, but that would be against the rules, so you'll see the annoying welp soon enough."

The former Human started shuffling the deck and gave Faust an eye smile. "To fully answer your question, this world has been flung off its timeline, and its future is uncertain." Excited murmurs broke in the crowd. "No redos, resets, going back in time, or going into the future. Truly a rare occurrence."

"Twilight Sparkle has already used the time-traveling spell," Faust said in confusion.

"While true, that was before the game started; now, if someone uses said spell, they'll receive a very harsh penalty." Glave made his way towards the table and started passing out cards.

Faust bit her lower lip in frustration. "This game started because you gave that foal that cube! If you hadn't, Raven would have died in peace."

Glave snorted in amusement. "I got my orders from the big man upstairs, and I'm not talking about Henir." Normally the man would be busy to- testing snot nose brats to do anything else, but he received orders to prepare the game for a dying world. " If Raven hadn't woken up, Eve would have eventually gotten free and killed everyo- Whoops. I mean EVERYPONY." This caused the alicorn's scowl to deepen even further, somehow.

"The elements could have taken care of her," Faust said indignantly.

"Ah yes, six colorful ponies with little to no battle experience taking on an insane machine." Glave deadpanned. "It would have been a bloodbath. And before you start flapping, Nightmare Moon was a fool and underestimated them." The man's single eye narrowed. "You've seen the other versions of Equestria where the fool took the six seriously."

A pit formed in the Alicorn goddess's stomach as she remembered what happened in those scenarios. In the best case scenario, the mares were shown mercy and enslaved; worst case, they were executed.

With all the cards passed out, Glave started explaining the game's rules. "As you already know, these three are fighting for control over this world. The rules are simple each player is given a certain amount of champions." The table had thirty-four cards on it.

Eight of these cards belonged to Faust, and these cards were; AppleJack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Princess Cadance, Princess Luna, and Princess Celestia.

Twenty of these Cards belonged to Henir, and these cards were; Twilight Sparkle and the rest of our town.

Elria only had one card, and it was Raven Maxwell.

From the looks of it, the Crystal shaped goddess was at a disadvantage.

"These Champions need to defeat the wild card!" Glave threw a card shrouded in shadows onto the table. "The Champion who gets the final hit is deemed the winner!" The usual calm and collected man pumped his fist into the air. Being chained up and watching children fight gets boring after a while; him hosting the game is a breath of fresh air. After a few seconds, Glave coughed into his hand and recomposed himself. "But that's not all; there's another wild card!" Glave threw another wild card onto the table. Like the card before it, it was shrouded in shadows, but it glowed ominously. Everyone could feel the pure insanity coming from that card.

Faust gulped in nervousness. it wouldn't be the first time a creature like that popped up in one of her worlds. "I-is that a-"

Again Glave interups her. "Thankfully, no, but give it another year; it'll become one. It was the main reason why the game started." He brought his attention to the crowd. "If this wild card isn't defeated within a year, it's an automatic loss for three at the table, and the poor saps stuck on that world. And these three can't interfere directly with the game; they can give their champions or the opposing player's champions boons." Raven has already received a boon from Henir and Elria, respectively, while Twilight Sparkle received a boon from Henir.

"But enough with the heavy stuff, let's enjoy ourselves." Glave raised his hand. "For the entertainment?" He snapped his fingers, causing multiple screens to appear from thin air. These screens showed what the mortals were doing.

"FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT!" The audience screamed back, causing the masked man to chuckle.

Faust gave a tired sigh and looked at her cards. Her little ponies would need to step up their game if they were going to survive this ordeal. She looked across the table and stared at Raven's picture on the card. What she would give to tell her little ponies to work with him and not fight. But she had faith because...

Friendship is Magic!

[Monarch]

[Art by rockin_candies]

Chapter 31(Repairs)

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Repairs

Myxine gritted her teeth in frustration; she couldn't believe her luck or lack of it. "Ambrosia, what are you doing here, and where is that human?!" She asked again, not wanting the usual nonsense from the Honeycomb Queen. Unfortunately for her, Ambrosia felt like being coy.

"I could say the same thing about you." After she gave a mischievous smile, Ambrosia dropped from the tree branch and landed on all fours. She started circling the Hagfish Queen with a hungry look in her eyes. "Hmm, what do you want with him? Did he break your heart or something?"

Myxine's nostrils flared as she tried to keep her temper in check. "It's none of your concern!" she snapped harshly at the other Queen.

Ambrosia whistled in amazement. This wasn't the usual depressed Myxine she knew; it was an angry, bitter, frustrated, and-" Is someling hungry!?" The taller Queen teased.

The Hagfish Queen's left eye twitched in anger. Without warning, Myxine charged forward and locked horns with Ambrosia. "Shut up and tell me where he is!" She added more force to her push, but Ambrosia didn't move an inch.

Ambrosia's usual happy grin disappeared after that reckless attack. She looked at the younger Queen with a critical eye. This wasn't the stoic, logical, and slightly depressed Queen, but a Queen on the brink of starvation. With a single order from the hive mind, The Honeycomb hive's drones stood down and kept watch on their counterparts.

With a serious look, she gave Myxine her best grin and told her."No can do; you're not in the right mindset, so I need to show you some tough love." With that said, she head-butted the younger Queen causing her to back away in pain. Ambrosia wouldn't kill her, but she would enjoy every second of it.

Memento, second floor

"Raven~ Don't stick your fingers in there, Ah!" Maya moaned.

"Oi stop moving; I need you lubricated; now lift your leg; you're still stiff," Raven commanded, and the nasod did as she was told."

"OH! right there! That feels so good!" She squealed in delight.

This continued for a few more minutes until Raven thought she was ready. "I think you're ready. This might hurt." Raven brought out jumper cables. And what were these cables attached to? An ancient relic of great power; A car battery.

"W-wait, I don't think I'm rea-" But it was too late; Raven attached them to her breastplate. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH"She screamed as electricity surge throughout her mechanical body.

After ten seconds, Raven removed the jumper cables, leaving Maya a twitching mess. "That should do it; how do you feel, Maya?"

" Flight Code: Online" Was her first response, followed by an annoyed groan. "That shouldn't have work, and I really should smack you for that."

"But it did, and I expect a thank you later today." Maya just sighed and lay there in defeat.

From a third party's perspective, all of this would sound raunchy, but truthfully it was Maya's long overdue maintenance. Raven replaced damaged parts, lubricating stiff joints, and kick-started her flight code. Currently, Raven was putting the old Nasod back together. "Now, tell me, how did Megan come into being." Like always, the former captain got to the heart of the matter.

"Her full name was: Megan G Williams; out of all the failed attempts, she was the only success."

Raven felt a pit form in his stomach but asked the Nasod the obvious question. "What did Add do?"

If Maya could, she would have snorted in amusement. "He modified the plant restoration project on the sixth floor. He created an AI and told it to recreate the Human DNA sequence. Next, it needed to create a living Human being, preferably bipedal, with working vocal cords." Oh shit! Those were some rather vague requirements. "Anything that wasn't up to standard was 'recycled.' As you can imagine, this took a while."

"So why stop with Megan? I didn't see any other sign of humanity around." From what Raven could remember from Eve's mad ramblings, the girl was weak.

"Simple, really; at age seven, we found that Megan could not resonate with the El and was promptly kicked out." Raven gave the female Nasod a dirty look, which she shrugged off. "I was overruled by the Ai and could only watch as the L scouts chased her out. Just be happy she wasn't 'recycled.'"

Raven was thankful the ponies found the poor girl afterward. "And let me guess, Eve, woke up and went on a rampage on the lower floors and took the El."

"Correct, with the core leaking, and excuse my language, but everything has gone to shit, and I'm not sure how much longer those blast doors will hold them off." Maya grimaced at the thought of the newest creature from the restoration project. "Especially that new creature that is running around in the lower floors eating anything it can get its tentacles on."

"..."

"Raven."

"Yes?"

"I'm scared. It's growing stronger every day."

If a Nasod is scared, they were in deep shit, indeed. Swallowing the lump in his throat, Raven asked. "What does it look like?" they might as well have a good idea of what they're going up against.

Maya shook her head. " I cannot comply with that order; what I would have to describe would be a cognitive hazard to living creatures." Lovely, if Raven had to hazard a guess, they're dealing with a creature that mutated to the point where it became otherworldly.

Why was it always him? Why couldn't it be easy? Raven started rubbing his temples and wondered for the tenth time where it went wrong. " How long do we have."

"I give it a year from today before we face another end-of-the-world scenario." Maya cursed to herself, not wanting to witness the world end again.

Meanwhile, Raven was cursing up a storm in his mind. "SHIT! FUCK! MOTHERFUCKER! WHY IS IT ALWAYS ME?!"The former captain breathed in deeply to stay calm. "All the more reason for us to get stronger... Should we tell them about it?"

"For now, this stays between us; if we haven't made significant progress in six months, we tell them." She narrowed her eyes and gave the Human a pointed look. " And I don't need to tell you not to tell the Equestrians about this. If any other nation had a hint of what's in this place, they would stop at nothing to get in here. Do I make myself clear?"

"I understand." He didn't like this one bit, lying to his children, but they would panic if they found out about this. Hopefully, within those six months, they will mature, or the problem will be taken care of. As for the Equestrians, he didn't care if he had to lie to them. Why? Because they've proven to be a pain in the ass since he woke up. "Anyways, that should do it." Indeed Raven was able to repair Maya's core and put her back together.

She got off the repair bench without prompt and floated a few inches off the ground. Her metal skin didn't have a single scratch, and her outward black and inward green hair was flawless. The cables attached to her back were gone, allowing her freedom of movement. In a flash, she summoned her two floating chakram-like weapons that thrummed with power. Maya flicked her hair to the right, which smacked Raven in the face. "Acceptable."

Raven's single eye twitched in annoyance. Only a few days ago, she was nothing more than scrap metal. The only reason why she's in pristine condition was thanks to his hard work! "Just let it go."He would let it go for now, but he would make her pay for it later. He gave the ungrateful Nasod a crooked smile. "I'm glad, so tell me, what is your current fighting proficiency?"

"100% When near the El, and it drops to 75% using only ambient magic without those modifications you talked about. But more than enough to take on those filthy Alicorns. After all I held off the entirety of the El Search Party." This is true, but she couldn't continue in the end and they got past her.

"Uh-huh." He casually dismissed that claim, causing Maya's hair to bristle at that. "I'll test you myself sometime later." Honestly, he wanted a decent sparring partner. "Also, you'll be taking the position of Commander once again, so I expect you to defend New Elria with your life. Understood?"

"Of course, Sir!" Her programming kicked in, and she saluted her new leader. "But I'll need underlings, preferably second-generation Nasods. I'll even help with their creation." She had no delusions of getting any CODE_C, B, or D units anytime soon; they didn't have the resource or the time for it yet.

Raven nods. "Of course, I had a few in mind, and with the twin's progress, we'll have the second generation up and running soon." Maya's right eyebrow twitched at that.

"You can't be serious, they're children, and they don't even have hands."

"Tsk, don't underestimate them, children they may be, but they've made remarkable progress." It's true; the twister twins are absorbing the information like sponges and already tinkering with first-generation Nasods. "Until that time comes, you'll have to work with Queen Ambrosia."

She would have clicked her tongue in disgust if she had one."Understood, Sir."

"Now le-" Raven was cut off by a holographic screen popping up in front of his face. "What now?" One of the L scouts broadcast live footage of Queen Ambrosia fighting another Changeling Queen. "For Fuck's sakes!" Raven grabbed his brown bag, and Maya grabbed him before he could run out the door. "I'll teleport us there."

"Eh?" They were gone in a blink, along with Raven's breakfast.

[Raven carrying Oleander]

[Art by Redahfuhrerking]

Chapter 32(Queen of the Hagfish Hive)

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Queen of the Hagfish Hive

"Y-you were never t-this strong."Myxine painfully coughs as she talks. Currently, the young Hagfish Queen finds herself pinned by her former childhood playmate. It was unbelievable how strong Ambrosia has gotten in such a short time. Indeed her ice magic could counter the Honey Queen's plant magic, but as soon as she tried freezing her in place, the older changeling brute-forced her way through.

As soon as Ambrosia got within striking range, it was all over. She used a move called ' Assault Kick,' which had her flip into the air and kick Myxine's head. And Before the younger Queen could fall to the ground, she was sent flying with another kick. Before she could fully register the pain, she was pinned down.

"I got myself a sugar daddy; it's amazing what love from a strong creature can do for you." Blood as well, but she doesn't need to know that. "And training with that same creature does wonders." As a token of thanks for teaching Raven how to control his vines better, he taught Ambrosia 'Assult Kick'. It was somewhat awkward using a move meant for bipedal creatures, but she made due. The only problem now was that she couldn't use the skill to its fullest without wind magic. When she asked, Raven said, ' Harness the power of the natural world.'. Ambrosia was getting off track and brought her attention back to Myxine. "So~ tell me what happened."

Myxine grits her teeth in frustration but relents. "Fine! That stupid monkey comes out of nowhere, starts a fight with an Alicorn, and next thing my hive and I know, Horseshoe Bay is swarming with Royal guards. Without food or nowhere to go, I decided to get revenge on that stupid monkey!" The Hagfish Queen turned her head to the side, trying to hide her eyes with her hair, not wanting anyling to see her cry. Even before Chrysalis foolishly exposed herself to the world, making ends meet has been challenging. And now? It's been hellish with the ponies being paranoid and made worse with a walking calamity around.

There was silence as Ambrosia looked down at Myxine, giving the poor Queen a sympathetic look. It stayed like that until Raven's voice cut through the silence. " I see; I guess I'm partially responsible for this." Raven walks through the crowd of stunned Changelings. They weren't surprised by the Human per se but by the towering female Nasod next to him who floated alongside him.

Ambrosia whistled in amazement at the sight of the machine. "So that's the new toy you've been working on?" The Honey Queen looked at Maya's 'assets' and gave Raven a predatory smile. "So you like bipedal dairy farms?"

Raven inhaled sharply while Maya narrowed her eyes. The Human ignored her for now; he would choke her later. Instead, he stopped in front of Maya and got onto one knee. Myxine glared up at the Human. "I have nothing to say to you!" She spat.

"That's too bad; I have plenty of things to say to you." Raven reached into his bag and pulled out three vials of pink liquid. Every changeling in the area recognized the smell and started drooling, even Myxine. "It's almost lunchtime, so let's talk."

Somewhere in the skies of Equestria

"First Private Sentry, and First Private Crust, we'll be touching down in Our Town in minutes! Have your wingblades at the ready!"

"Yes, Ma'am!" The two other pegasuses say simultaneously.

Commander Valkyrie nodded in satisfaction. The mission Princess Celestia assigned to the three of them was an easy one.
It was a quick scouting mission, where they had to spend less than five minutes in the town and take pictures. Of course, this mission couldn't be given to just anyone; her majesty needed the fastest flyers. She had hoof picked Valkyrie, Flash Sentry, and Cherry Crust.

Under no circumstances were they allowed to stay and fight. If the three met hostility, they were ordered to retreat immediately. In the event they weren't allowed to escape, lethal force is authorized. It was why they were wearing enchanted wingblades, blades sharp enough to cut through dragon scales. Flash and Cherry were on edge, they hadn't killed before, and if they were put into such a situation, they didn't know how they would fair.

Valkyrie, on the other hoof, steeled her resolve because she knew what it took to protect Equestria. Today she will prove why she and the two rookies behind her were worthy of wearing their golden armor! The Commander narrowed her eyes as she saw the town over the horizon. " Alright, with me!" She was the first to take a sharp turn and dive down, followed by the two rookies.

The three landed in the middle of Our Town and stood tall in their golden glory! They were Equestria's finest, and nothing could stand in their way.

...

Flash Sentry and Cherry Crust emptied the contents of their stomachs while Valkyrie started dry heaving. The entire area reeked of death! "Sweet Celestia, what happened here?!" The reports didn't say anything about this! Nothing could prepare them for this! Despite her fear, Valkyrie took out her camera and started taking pictures.

All around, the burnt remains of the town were bodies of foals and two adult ponies strewn about on metal poles. If that wasn't enough, there were dead animals everywhere. They were torn to pieces, not for the meat but to play with. Some of them have been dead for weeks. Lungs, intestines, hearts, livers, brains, and more organs covered the ground. "Who could have done this?!" Soon their sensitive ears picked up on something moving through the air; the more experienced of the three knew what it was. "GET DOWN!"

Both Valkyrie and Flash ducked. Unfortunately, Cherry Crust was too slow; the poor mare's head was separated from her body and sent flying. The body stood there, spraying blood like a water fountain.

"Cherry!" Flash Sentry cried out.

"Aw, I only got one of you!" They turned to the demonic-sounding voice and blanched at the site. What they looked at couldn't be considered a pony anymore, just a mockery. The creature before them was lizard-like in shape, with patches of light blue fur. In place of the missing coat was dark blue hardened skin with neo blue lines running across it. What used to be hooves took the shape of webbed claws. On top of its head was a sharpened unicorn horn. Its tail was segmented with a bone-like sword at the tip of it. Altogether it was a terrifying creature.

"My name is Party Favor, and Henir wants your blood!" Party Favor's tail shot out and extended, trying to take the two guards' heads off.

Flash Sentry deflected the attack with his wingblades. Party Cackled, "HAHA! It looks like we got fighters! Oh, Sugar Belle!"

The stallion snarled in anger. "I'll kill you!" Flash didn't know Cherry all that long, but she was a fellow guard, and he would avenge her.

Before the stallion could charge off to his death, Commander Valkyrie stopped him. "No! we came here, for one thing, now let's go!" Valkyrie was no coward, but the odds were stacked against them. There were too many unknowns, so they couldn't afford to get into a pissing contest. "We have our orders, no-" Before she could say anything else, the ground started shaking.

Coming from behind another burnt building was a hulking monstrosity. It stood at the same height as one of the houses in the town. What was left of its fur hung loosely from its body; underneath was dark pink hardened skin with bulging muscles. It also had neo-blue lines running across it. Unlike Party Favor, this one was bipedal. The Behemoth stood on cloven hooves; its forearms were mutated and twisted to take the shape of arms. The hooves attached to these arms took the form of muscle fibers that hung loosely outside the body, ready to grab and crush anypony. The head of a once beautiful mare is now angular with razor-sharp teeth sticking out of its mouth. The only remaining untouched was the mane, which was still magenta and tied into a side ponytail. If there were any Velder soldiers here at that very moment, they would have said it was a skin splitter.

"New meat, I'll turn them into meat pies." Sugar Belle spoke in a deep masculine voice, befitting of somepony her size. Party Favor licked his lips at the thought of more meat pies. Flash Sentry and Valkyrie took a step back in fear; their prey instincts told them to run away. Before they could do that, Sugar took a fighting stance, with her right hoof back and the left forward. And like that, she shot forward at blinding speeds.

Years of experience, training, and honed reflexes saved Commander Valkyrie from being grabbed. In the nick of time, the mare in question jumped up and flew away; unfortunately for Flash Sentry, he was captured and is currently being crushed.

"First, tenderize the meat," Flash screamed as his body was crushed between muscle tentacles and his armor. This continued until blood started coming out of every orifice. Even his eyes were beginning to bug out as if they were going to pop from his skull. "Second, peeling." The muscle fibers dug into Flash's body and started pulling, causing the stallion's screams to reach a new pitch. Flash felt his bones move one way while everything moved the other. He could feel every nerve, vein, muscle, and organ being separated from his skeleton. The last thing Flash Sentry ever heard was a wet popping sound and the voice of his killer. "And now we bake."

In Sugar Belle's tentacles were three piles. The first pile was a pegasus skeleton. The second pile had skin, golden armor, feathers, and what was left of a blue mane. The last one could only be described as a pile of gore, which was perfect for a meat pie.

"Aw~ she got away." Sugar Belle's attention was brought to the sky, where they could see Commander Valkyrie flying away. "Should we send Night Glider after her?" Party Favor suggested.

The newly created skin splitter turned around and walked away. "It doesn't matter; this world will soon fall. Once we find space and time, all will know of Henir's divine truth. Now let's go." Soon a terrible battle will come to Equestria.

New Elria, mess hall

"So let me get this straight. Ten thousand years ago, the planet was called Elrios, and this same planet used to orbit the sun?" Raven nodded. "And you're some kind of Cyborg from the past that used to be part of a race that used to worship something called 'El and Elria'?" Again the human nodded while flexing his claw. "And you have just recently woken up thanks to a bunch of foals, which shouldn't even know your location, then Foal mountain explodes, you fought Luna, found Ambrosia and her hive, fought a crazed Nasod Queen, rediscovered Dream Valley, and you're a father to eight ponies?! Am I missing something?!" Myxine asked incredulously.

Raven gave the Hagfish Queen a cheeky grin. "When you put it like that, it sounds rather crazy. But yes, that's the basic summary of what happened." Myxine started rubbing her temples with her hooves.

After Myxine's recent beat down via Ambrosia, she was taken to the castle infirmary to have her chitin bandaged. It turned out Ambrosia's kick gave the younger Queen a mild concussion and told by Doctor Cold Touch to rest. After that, she gave Myxine seven vials of love and told them to be careful as the stuff was concentrated. To the Human's surprise, up to fifty changelings could feed upon a vial."Maybe the extra magic stones I added helped?" He mentally shrugged; Raven was getting off track.

Currently, they were in the mess hall with the lunch rush in full swing. Everyone had the choice of gruel or fried hardtack. This was all made by Mena, although some of the ponies found her suspiciously familiar. Unlike the rest of the ponies today, he ate like a king! He was given fried hardtack and lightly salted fried gecko! The former captain needed to thank those vamponies besides giving them his blood.

Ambrosia, Myxine, and Raven sat there at the lunch table... The two changeling Queens sat in chairs while raven sat on the floor. It turns out that being a 7'2 creature means that most furniture was too small for him. Sighing, Raven brought his attention to Ambrosia. "Bring Monarch. She'll be needed for this." The Honey Queen rolled her eyes but complied by sending a signal through the hivemind.

In the meantime, Raven needed to strike a deal with Myxine. "I want you and your hive to join us."

"You can't be serious?" Myxine deadpanned. While she was grateful for the free love, she wouldn't be here in the first place if it weren't for him. "What if I refused?"

Raven just shrugged. "I'll give you twenty more bottles of love and send you on your merry way." He wasn't going to force anyone to join him, but he was going to show the reality of her situation. " But tell me, where will you go? Back to Equestria? Griffonstone, Prance, or maybe you'd like to try your luck in an area without a large body of water?"

The Cyborg was right, Myxine didn't want to go back to Equestria, and prance was off the table for multiple reasons. Griffonstone also, the griffons themselves had trash-tasting love, no body of water nearby. Still, she didn't like being cornered, and she knew why. "I know this offer isn't out of the kindness of your heart or to bolster your numbers. So what do you want from me, Reaper?"

Raven's one eye twitched in frustration. "It's not what I only want, but Ambrosia as well, and our guest." And as if on cue, the mess hall doors open to reveal annoyed an looking Monarch. The other changelings in the hall gave the poor girl dirty looks. Of course, Monarch ignored them and made her way toward Raven's table. Ambrosia's wings buzzed in irritation while Myxine glared daggers at the female drone.

"What is she doing here!" Myxine snarled.

"Relax, I'll explain soon enough." Raven turned his head to the side, looking for Oleander. Soon enough, she found the unicorn with the rest of her siblings. "Oleander, if you would please?" This caught the teen's attention; after a few seconds, she nodded and lits her horn. Like that, the three changelings and Human were in a bubble of silence made from a dark purple aura.

Before Raven could speak, Monarch beat him to the punch. " I want to overthrow Chrysalis."

Ambrosia had a savage grin on her face. "I want her dead!"

Raven just shrugged again. " I would prefer her dead as well."

The Hagfish Queen was stunned; they were going after Queen Chrysalis. This was her chance for revenge, but she needed to confirm one thing. "How can she be trusted?" she pointed a hoof at Monarch while asking Raven.

"Ambrosia, if you would please." He gave the Honey Queen a pointed look.

"Well~ After hours of integration and a bit of mind control." Monarch shivered at the memories. "We've confirmed she wants to overthrow Chrysalis, even though she is a weak little larva. Isn't that right caterpillar?" Ambrosia used baby talk while addressing the Monarch.

Not wanting to dignify any of that, she addressed Myxine. "After the little stunt she pulled during the wedding, many of us are disgruntled, and she's been going on and on about kidnapping the princesses, elements of harmony and shining armor. This could mean war between Equestria and us, and I don't need to tell you what would happen if the sun and moon stopped moving." That was another problem Raven had to address, finding a way for the celestial bodies to move on their own.

Myxine sighed and knew where this was going. "I'm guessing you want to recruit Miasma and Calliphoria as well?" When Raven nodded, the Hagfish Queen groaned. While she didn't mind Calliphoria, Miasma was too snobby for her taste. Still, they needed all the help they could get. "Still, do you want to capture Chrysalis or kill her?"

"I still want her dead" Ambrosia still had her grin.

"Well." Monarch rubbed her foreleg awkwardly. "I think we should hand her over to the Equestrians."

Raven gave it some thought before answering. "I would prefer her dead, not that I have anything against her, but I don't trust the Equestrians to do their jobs properly. Instead of treating her like a proper prisoner of war, they'll try to 'rehabilitate' her friendship lessons or some bullshit." Oleander told him about Discord, and he was disgusted. "Why do you ask?"

"I don't think Princess Celestia would appreciate having Chrysalis head on her doorsteps." Raven rolled his one good eye. "Fucking bleeding hearts."

"Well, we can discuss more of that later; now, are you willing to join us?" Raven asked.

Myxine just stared at the Human with an unreadable expression before sighing. "Yes, it beats starving any day. But, under two conditions." Raven didn't like where this was going. " I will run my hive, my way. My children will always answer to me first, got it?" She spoke with steel in her voice; Raven nodded to that. "Second, I want your seed."

Raven nearly fell over at that, so he kept a calm demeanor, but inside he was panicking, which the three Changelings could taste. "Why?" He asked dryly.

"Isn't it obvious? You're a rare specimen and a strong one at that." Still tasting his distress, Myxine waved a dismissive hoof at the Human. "You don't have to worry about romantics. What we do will be purely business." This calmed Raven somewhat, but the man swore he could hear his adoptive father rolling in his grave.

"So~?" Ambrosia said in her innocent voice. "Threesome?"

"NO!" Myxine and Raven said simultaneously, causing the older Queen to cross her forelegs and pout.

Still feeling peeved, Raven pulled out a vial of love and a folded piece of paper. "Ambrosia, I'm going to need you to send out drones to find Trixie Lulumoon. Also, I need files on certain ponies, which can be found in this paper." Raven slid the paper and vial over to the Queen.

"Hmph, why should I?" Ambrosia turned her head to the side like a petulant child.

Raven pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'll teach you Dive Kick Bombing if you do this for me." Ambrosia's ears perked up at this.

"You got yourself a deal, Handsome!" She got up out of her seat and gave him a peck on the cheek. "Training with you is always fun!"

Sighing tiredly, Raven brought his attention back to Myxine. "Also, I wanted to as-" He was interrupted by a holographic screen.

"Sir, we have a problem." It was Maya; he ordered the Nasod to fly around and scout her new surroundings.

Raven rubbed his face with one hand, wondering what could have gone wrong. "For fucks sake, it's only been an hour." Raven prayed it was a roaming monster or bandits. "What did you find?"

"The Equestrians are here." Maya's camera switched to a first-person view. She was holding a cyan pegasus with a rainbow mane by her throat. "From the reports I've gone through, this is called Rainbow Crash?"

"What did you call me, you bucket of bolts!" The pony started cursing obscenities

Maya's grip tightened, causing the pony to choke. "Shall I dispose of them?"

Raven slammed his head on the table and just stayed like that. Only one thing was running through his tired mind—something that summed up his entire day and maybe his whole life.

"Fuck!"

"Fuck!"

Chapter 33(Meeting the Mane 6)

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Meeting the Mane 6

Twilight still couldn't believe it. After countless years of research and searching, Dream Valley suddenly appears. Maybe not 'Suddenly,' considering the Human could be behind this, but still amazing regardless. The Horrorcorn could only stare straight ahead at the valley, wearing her new dark blue hooded cloak (courtesy of Rarity). The cloak hid her features well enough. Although, it couldn't hide her new horn that stuck out like a sore hoof. On a lighter note, Rarity added wing flaps to the coat so she could hide her wings anytime she didn’t need them.

She kept staring into the distance until somepony placed a hoof on her withers. It startled the mare, but she quickly calmed down after seeing it was only AppleJack. "You okay, Sugarcube?" The farm Pony asked, sounding concerned.

The Horrorcorn nods. "Yes, it's just that there's so much happening all at once. It's been a few months since the Crystal Empire's return, and now this." Twilight gestures toward Dream Valley with a hoof. "I would have been delighted, but the Reaper, also known as Raven, might be in there." After receiving the letter from the Princess, Twilight began her research on Humans. Her excitement soon became dread after reading the news article about Raven and Luna's confrontation. No matter how the media tried to spin it, Raven emerged victorious. "All of this feels like..." It was at the tip of her tongue.

"Deja vu?" Spike interjected.

The two just stared at him, bemused.

"What? It's true." Spike shrugged and pointed a claw at Dream Valley. " A place of legend reappears after being gone for centuries. The place is being ruled over by a mysterious evil overlord keeping ponies hostage. Also, let's not forget that this evil overlord might also hate dragons." Spike said with a hint of fear in his voice. On their way here, Twilight read the bestiary entry for Humans; it scared many of them, even the guards that were brought with them. But out of all of them, it scared the young drake the most; something deep within him told him to be wary of the Human.

"Sounds about right." The farm pony confirmed, sounding already tired. "But the Princess said the big fella is reasonable, so this should be a cakewalk; if not, well..." AppleJack trailed off before tapping on the element of honesty around her neck. "And let's not forget we got back up."

Indeed, unlike last time the Princess provided them with fourteen royal guards, along with provisions and a coffer filled with bits in the event things went sour during the negotiation. If that wasn't enough, they had fully rested Alicorn on their side and a former captain of the royal guards. Speaking of which, Shining wore his purple armor with gold trimmings.

Still, Twilight had some concerns, like the missing guards that were sent to Dream Valley to scout the place, but they could worry about that later. " I guess you're right, but-" She was cut off by Rainbow Dash this time.

"But nothing, Egghead!" The Cyan Pegasus comes swooping in and gives the worried a horrorcorn a foreleg hug. "We got this. If that monkey tries anything, I'll give him the old one-two!" she demonstrates this by standing on her hind legs and jabbing the air with her forelegs.

Despite how juvenile Rainbow Dash could be, Twilight did appreciate the bravado, especially in these trying times. "I'll hold you to that." She smiled earnestly. "Also, he isn't a monkey. I suspect Humans are part of the great ape family, considering they lack a tail."

The multi-haired pegasus rolled her eyes. "Yeah, whatever, Twi, I'm still kicking hi-" It was Fluttershy's turn to cut in.

"G-girls, W-w-whats that?" The Shy mare points a shaky hoof toward the sky. They all look up to see a flying humanoid creature approaching their location fast. "T-the book d-didn't say anything about Humans flying!" Fluttershy said in a panic.

"Unless this is some kind of dragoon, but they should no longer exist," Twilight said with worry.

As the flying object got closer and closer, everypony started tensing up, either to run or to stay and fight. As Shining Armor was about to give an order, Rainbow Dash did a foolish thing and took to the air. "Rainbow Dash, stop!" Shining called out to her, but he was too late; she rocketed towards the flying humanoid.

It was going to be a head-on collision until the flying Humanoid suddenly stopped, grabbed Rainbow Dash by her throat, and held her there. "Identifying." The Humanoid says while the pegasus struggles in her grip. "Analysis complete." A holographic screen appears in front of her face, and she calls her superior.

Once Raven's face was in view, she gave a short reply. "Sir, we have a problem."

"What did you find?" He answered tiredly, already feeling an oncoming headache.

"What did you call me, you bucket of bolts!" The pony started cursing obscenities while everypony else on the ground was horrified to see one of them captured so quickly.

Maya's grip tightened, causing the pony to choke. "Shall I dispose of them?" She was hoping for a 'Yes' or something along the lines of subduing them. The Nasod wanted to test out her capabilities fighting only at 75% and where she could correct her mistakes. Unfortunately, the only answer she received was the smacking of Raven's head against the table. "Sir?"

New Elria, mess hall

Raven sat there with his head against the dining table, hoping whatever was knocking on his metaphorical door would disappear. "Sir, I still need an answer." Unfortunately for the man, Maya's voice broke such delusions, and from the sounds, the other ponies were making on Nasod's end, he needed to make a decision fast.

Letting out another suffering sigh, Raven brought his head back up and slammed his claw against the bubble of silence. Oleander felt the force through her magic and dropped the barrier with a grumble. "Okay, since the Equestrians are here, can you tell me who's there?" Raven said loud and clear so that the whole mess hall could hear. Instantly the chattering died down, leaving them in tense silence.

"As I said, the multi-colored one is called Rainbow Crash." It was wrong, but Raven let it slide because he thought it was amusing. Maya's view switched to a pink pony with a curly mane that reminded him of cotton candy. "This one is called Ponk Pie."Next, it switched to an orange mare wearing a stetson who kept shifting around nervously. "The one with the hat is called jappleack." The Nasod's gaze fell upon a stylish light grey mare wearing pink saddle bags. "Lil miss rarity." Her gaze fell onto the last two, a butter-yellow pegasus trying to make herself as small as possible and a...Alicorn? Trying to hide her features? "The one cowering in fear is Murdershy. And the last one is..." Her processor kicked into high gear, trying to recognize the last one. "Twilight Sparkle."

Moondancer nearly choked on her food after hearing the last name, while Maud remained stoic, and Mena ran into the kitchen to hide. Others started whispering until Raven raised a hand, silencing them all. "Alright, you got one out of six, right." He would have found the whole thing funny if it weren't for the fact he needed to check if she was having memory leak issues. "Anyone else of interest?"

"An Alicorn," Raven started cursing the Goddess for his shitty luck until Maya brought her gaze over a flabbergasted pink Alicorn. The man quickly changed his tune and praised Elria for her hard work. "Send me your coordinates and placate them until I arrive. Also, please don't hurt them, especially Pinkie Pie and AppleJack. They're VIPs. Dismissed." Raven ends the call and stands up.

He turns to Oleander and Moondancer. "I need the two of you to hide Adam's body somehow. Use your strongest illusion spells. I don't care." The two mares look at each other before shrugging and trotting off. Raven looks at the rest of his kids, and his gaze softens. "I'm going to need you, kids, to stay in the daycare for a bit." He raises a hand to stop any protest. "No matter what happens, I'm not letting them take you back, I promise."

Amber looks up at Raven expectingly. "Pinkie Promise?"

"Uhhh?" Raven wasn't aware ponies could do that, considering they lacked the appendage.

"Repeat after me, cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." Amber ends her little jib by placing a hoof over her closed eye.

"Goddess, give me strength!" He thought to himself, defeated. "Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." He ends it by placing a hand over his good eye. Once the promise was made, the remaining members of Black Crow took their leave, not before giving Raven a goodbye hug. Even Cozy, if only begrudgingly.

As for the rest, Raven waved them off. "Any of you who don't want to be seen, take this opportunity to hide. Except you, Mena!" Raven calls out to the whimpering Pinkie clone. " I need you to prepare refreshments for our guests and use the veil as we discussed." He only received a shakey response of 'Y-yes sir' from the mare.

Finally, he brought his attention to the two Changeling Queens and Monarch. "Myxine, Monarch, I need the two of you on standby since we'll be discussing some rather important matters."

"How can you be so sure they're here to talk instead of invading." The Hagfish Queen interjected.

"Because fourteen guards, six greenhorns, a former captain, and one inexperienced Alicorn aren't getting through an army of Changelings. We should be fine unless Celestia or Luna are hiding in some bush." Raven deadpanned.

"Fine, whatever." Myxine got out of her seat with a huff; she was followed by Monarch shortly after.

That only left Ambrosia; Raven knew he was going to regret this. " Ambrosia, I need a ride. "She bit her lower lip and gave the man bedroom eyes. Raven, for his part, just pinched the bridge of his nose. "Get your mind out of the fucking gutters. I want you to fly us towards the Equestrians. And please, something appropriate." He all but whispered.

Ambrosia rubbed her chin in thought until she thought about the perfect creature to transform into. She gave the former captain a mischievous smile, making Raven regret his decision even harder. "Okay, but you didn't say how big I needed to be! I'll be in the courtyard, Handsome." Ambrosia blew the poor Human a kiss before galloping out.

...

"Fuck."

A few minutes earlier, New Elria Entrance

"How Annoying," The Commander of New Elria was disappointed that she had to keep an eye on these vermin. Orders were orders, no matter how annoying. With that, she slowly floated down and dropped the struggling Rainbow Dash in front of the Equestrians. "Congratulations, Vermin. Venom Taker was kind enough to be merciful and let you all live."

"Y-you b-bitch!" Rainbow dash coughed while Fluttershy looked over her long-time friend. Meanwhile, Applejack got in front of the group and flared her nostrils. Twilight, for her part, lit her horn, ready for a fight. Pinkie pulled out her party cannon from somewhere... Maya needed to ask the Human to check her optics later because that shouldn't be possible.

The cooler of heads stepped forward and asked the obvious question. "Excuse me, but who is this Venom Taker? Also, might I ask who or what you are." Princess Mi Amore Cadenza asked to hope to de-escalate the situation. It seemed to work as the mysterious woman answered them.

"Raven Maxwell, or how you like to call him, The Reaper." For some reason, that last part sent shivers down everyone's spine. "As for me." The Female Nasod placed a hand on her chest and looked down at the ponies condescendingly. " I am Commander Maya, A Nasod built in the likeness of Humans. It will do you well to remember that." This raised even more questions, but no one had the stones to ask the machine any more questions. "Raven will be with us in a few minutes; try anything foolish. " Maya's chakram-like weapons materialized in her hands. "And I'll start slicing off limbs, understood?" She got waves of nervous nods. Satisfied, she floated there, not wanting to talk anymore.

The Mane Six, Spike, Shining Armor, and Candance huddled together to discuss this shocking revelation. "What the buck!" Rainbow Dash started.

"Ah agree. Twi, that book of yours didn't say anything about a talking tin can."AppleJack briefly looked up to see if said Tincan was still watching them. It was, and if her twitching eyebrow is any indication, she's not happy either.

"Um, well." Twilight tried racking her brain around this new development and devised a working theory. "I theorize these Nasods are highly advanced golems. This indicates that Humans were far more technologically advanced than we thought. This is amazing!" Everypony groaned at Twilight's excitement.

"Oh, oh, oh! She's like a robot or something since she's made from metal." Spike spoke up eagerly. It was like one of those sci-fi comics he read.

Twilight nodded in excitement. Seeing all this, Candance decided to cut in before they lost track of what was truly important. "As exciting as all this is, this Maya is clearly powerful." The princess of love felt the uncomfortable sensation wash over her horn. The cause of it was coming from the floating Nasod. "I believe it's best we don't aggravate her.

"Pfft, she doesn't look so tough; just dump a bucket of water on her, and the bucket of bolts is done," Rainbow commented dismissively. This earned her a hip check from AppleJack and disapproving glare from Fluttershy. "Okay, okay, fine, so what do we do now?"

"We wait." Shining Armor answered stoically. "We aren't here for a fight. Just negotiate." Things were going relatively smoothly, considering they weren't attacked, just threatened. Far better than what they had dealt with back in Crystal Empire. Hopefully, things stayed like this.

Maya had to give Shining Armor and Candance credit. They stayed level-headed throughout the exchange and did their best to keep everyone else calm. "But, how long will that last?" The commander smirked internally.

Soon enough, the minutes ticked on, with only a few worried glances thrown Maya's way. Then finally, a creature appeared from the distant horizon, approaching their location. As it got closer, it was clear to everypony that this flying creature was far larger than they expected. Even Maya raised a single eyebrow in interest.

Suddenly the creature comes diving down, ready to land. Once it did land, it kicked up dust and nearly knocked everypony off their hooves. What stood in front of the startled ponies was a massive creature. It had a lion's body, an eagle's wings, and a mare's head. It wore an Egyptian headpiece with earrings. The creature looked down at them with its yellow slit eyes and gave them a toothy grin.

"I-it's a Sphinx!" Twilight squeaked out. What was another legendary creature doing here?!

"I told you they would freak out, but you never listen." A tired-sounding voice came from the back of Sphinx. "Just hold that form a little longer." With that, the mystery person got off the Sphinx's back and jumped off of her head. The creature landed in a crouch in front of the Equestrians. "Sorry for the scare, but I needed to get here fast." The beast stood at his full height, towering over the ponies.

What stood in front of the Equestrians was the start of all of this, a creature of legend, a reaper of souls, evil incarnate, a villain who got away, an apex predator. It was none other than Raven Maxwell! The visible scars, the way he would look at the ponies with one yellow eye, and his black attire made the man an intimidating site. One could only imagine the inhumane thoughts going through his mind.

"Why are they just staring at me? Did I say something wrong?" Raven thought to himself, slightly worried. Then he felt it, something that tugged on his soul. He looked at Twilight Sparkle, causing her to shy away from his gaze. "Goddess, damn it." The unicorn received Henir's 'gift,' but thankfully, she seemed to be in control. Still, something else felt familiar about her, but he couldn't put his finger on it. He could investigate later. " Welcome, to New Elria."As soon as the words left his mouth, the six mares and drake started questioning him.

"Where are ya keeping them foals?" Asked an irate AppleJack.

"So you think you can just come into Equestria and foalnapp ponies, not on my watch, buster!" Exclaimed Rainbow Dash.

"Please don't eat our souls. Please don't eat our souls. Please don't eat our souls. Please don't eat our souls. Please don't eat our souls. Please don't eat our souls. Please don't eat our souls. Please don't eat our souls. Please don't eat our souls."Whispered Fluttershy.

"Darling, must you wear all black?" Questioned Rarity.

"Hey, does your sword have a + 13 enchantment?" Asked Pinkie Pie. That one made Raven question if that pink pony was mentally sound.

"New Elria? But we're in Dream Valley." Questioned a confused Twilight.

It was a good question, but unfortunately, Raven wanted to discuss this somewhere more private. He tried calming them down by holding his hands up. "I'll answer all your questions, but first, let's discuss this somewhere more private, alright?" This seemed to calm them down, except for Fluttershy, who was still shivering in fear.

Now, Raven had to deal with the actual diplomats who wouldn't be happy in the next minute. "Prince Shining Armor, and Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, I presume?" The married couple nod. "I see; we have much to discuss. Also, I suggest you brace yourselves, considering your experience with Chrysalis." Raven taps the Sphinx's foreleg. "Ambrosia, please drop that transformation." Immediately the Sphinx is consumed by harsh yellow flames, leaving a much smaller figure.

Shining Armor nearly had a heart attack at the sight, while Princess Cadance's face twisted into an ugly scowl. The royal guards that were brought over ready their weapons. In turn, Maya readied her weapons if these ponies did anything foolish. Fluttershy backed away in fear, and Rainbow Dash and applejack looked ready for a fight. Rarity stepped aside, not wanting to be in the middle of the brawl. Pinkie pie stood on one hindleg and got in a strange martial arts position. At the same time, Twilight looked away in shame. "Mister Maxwell, can you tell us why you have a changeling with you?" Cadance asked through gritted teeth.

Raven just shrugged nonchalantly. "I needed help and struck a deal with Queen Ambrosia. Now, lower your weapons. I doubt you lot could take on an entire hive." He was more or less implying that he wouldn't help them if they provoked Ambrosia. Why help the fool who poked the hornet's nest?

"B-but, but it steals pony's love, and it invaded Equestria!" Rainbow Dash points an accusing hoof at the Changeling Queen.

Again, Raven just shrugged. " A far tamer version of a Succubus." He deadpanned and semi-confirmed the existence of demons for the less magically inclined. "And She and her hive didn't invade Equestria. That was Chrysalis and her hive. They're fairly nice once you get to know them."

"Aw~ I knew you loved me, shnookums." Ambrosia makes a kissy face, earning her a karate chop to the head via Raven. "Ow, you know I don't like it when you play rough."

Their antics would have been funny if it weren't for one being a changeling queen and the other being a dangerous predator. It didn't help that a literal killing machine stood behind the two, looking equally tired as her superior. "Let's just go to the castle." He turns around and starts walking away, but not before giving Maya an order. "Maya, continue your patrol. If you find bandits or outlaws, kill them and leave no trace of the body. The griffons and minotaurs have been getting rowdy. As for the rest, please give them a warning and let the Changelings take care of them. "

Without missing a beat, Maya answers. "Of course, Sir. I'll report back in four hours." The Nasod takes to the air leaving horrified mares.

Rainbow Dash looked ready to explode and charge after the leaving Human. Before she could, a resigned-looking Shining armor stops her. "Don't. We aren't in Equestria anymore. Just let it go." If he were being truthful, during his time as a Captain, he would have to give these orders once in a while. Being part of the Royal Guard wasn't always glorious. Candance more or less had the same opinion as her husband. "Now come on, before the big guy leaves us behind."

The walk back to the castle was tense. The Ponies kept their distance from Raven, and Ambrosia, while sending worried glances or glares their way. Meanwhile, the taller creatures didn't pay them any mind. "Psst." The Changeling Queen called out to her Human companion. Raven gave her a side glance. "There's something wrong with that pony with the hood. She smells like a Changeling, dragon, zebra, thestral, and pony all at the same time." She whispered.

Raven gives Ambrosia a slight nod. "She reeks of Henir's corruption, but let's leave that for later. We have more important things to discuss." With that said, they were left in uncomfortable silence.

It would have stayed silent if it weren't for the Princess of Love. "So, Mister Maxwell, any special somepony in your life." She asked, trying to lighten the situation. Unfortunately, this was the wrong question as the air became heavier.

"My fiancee is dead." He answered coldly as he stared forward. Ambrosia tasted Raven's grief, and it was bitter beyond all compare. The Honeycomb hive Queen gave the pink Alicorn the stink eye. Shining Armor gave his wife a hip check for touching upon the subject. Everypony else looked highly uncomfortable with the matter.

Wanting to change the subject to Rainbow Dash asked a question this time. "Uh, got any family members? Like siblings?" It wasn't the wrong question, but it was still personal.

"My Father was a mercenary and died doing what he loved, fighting. My mother was a trollop. And as far as I know, I'm an only child. Also, no more personal questions." Raven was in no mood to talk about his past at the moment.

Again they were left in uncomfortable silence until Rarity spoke up. "Mister Maxwell, not to be rude or anything, but why do you always wear clothes?" Raven looked at the mare with a raised eyebrow. "O-oh, darling, I love wearing the occasional fancy dress and trendy outfit, but I couldn't see myself wearing them all the time."

Sighing, Raven looked ahead again. "For cultural and practical reasons, I could spend hours discussing these reasons, but I'll keep it short." He might as well rip off the bandaid now. "Unlike stallions, Human males can't hide their privates behind a sheath. Technically I only need to wear undergarments, but I like my modesty." The former knight said without an ounce of shame.

Behind him, ponies tried their best hid their reddened cheeks. Rarity coughed into her hoof, trying to remove the image from her mind. "That was enlightening, thank you."

Spike, finding all of this wildly inappropriate, asks his question. "Uh, so do you hate the royal sisters or something?" Some ponies were giving the young drake weird glances, but he didn't give it any thought.

Raven thought about his answer before replying. " I don't hate Princess Celestia; if anything, I respect her. I imagine running a kingdom for over a thousand years wouldn't be easy." He didn't bother mentioning all the loved ones she had watched die over the years. "If the circumstances were slightly different, I might have worked under her." Ambrosia gave Raven an odd look for that. "But she's too sentimental for me."

"What do ya mean?" AppleJack asked.

"The Nightmare moon situation could have been handled better. Too much of a gamble; she should have an army prepared if the six of you failed." Even though he hated the reality of the situation, Shining had to agree with the Human.

Rainbow Dash gave the Human a look that said, 'Are you an idiot? "What!? The guards were useless when Nightmare Moon showed up. Plus, she was too powerful! " This time, the Royal Guards glared at Rainbow Dash.

"Ha! With that kind of mentality, Humanity would have never overthrown the dragons." Spike flinched at that little tidbit, remembering twilight telling them how ruthless the Humans were against the dragons. "With enough time and planning, the Royal Guards could have easily taken care of Nightmare Moon. Especially if you had someone like Oleander on your side."

"Please, don't joke about that. What Oleander did could have ended badly." Candance was still in Canterlot when half of the school for gifted unicorns was blown to bits. Thankfully they were fast enough to suppress the information and blame it on a gas leak. "She's lucky no pony died."

"I'm completely serious. " Raven answered truthfully. " Oleander wields great power for someone her age. Imagine if you had more ponies like that?"

"B-b-but, if that happened, Princess Luna would have...D-died." Fluttershy squeaked out.

"So? She was the enemy. What is one life compared to a million?" He asked, disregarding anyone's feelings. Seeing how the mares gasped and some guards shifted uncomfortably, he asked a different question. "Fine, tell me, what would have happened if Nightmare Moon had won and gotten her eternal night? And no, not the obvious stuff, like citizens being oppressed."

AppleJack was the first to answer since she's a farmer. "Oh, that's easy! Without the sun, mah trees wouldn't be able to do photo-whatever you call it. And they would...Wither and... die... Oh, buck." It just dawned upon them all that if they had messed up on that night, they would have been fucked. Even Ambrosia cringed when she thought about it, one side of the planet freezing to death while the other burned.

This only reinforced Raven's reason for finding a way for the sun and moon to move independently. "Despite her flaws, I still think she's a great leader." Again the ponies and drake around him were surprised. "I guarantee you that if your average pony, or goddess forbid, one of those nobles took the throne, Equestria would be much less peaceful. The best-case scenario is being taxed to hell by the nobles. The worst case is returning to the tribalism."

They wanted to refute Raven's claims, but it was true when the ponies thought about it. Still, Rainbow Dash wanted to protect her pony pride. "Yeah, well, I bet you Humans aren't any better!"

"We aren't." Raven had his pride, but he needed to be honest himself.

"Wuh?" The Cyan pegasus asked, bewildered.

"Being sent to the front lines to do all the dirty work. Providing my troops and me with only half of the provisions because of our 'low-born' status. And after years of undying loyalty, they throw us away like trash." As he spoke, his mood worsened and worsened. It got to the point where Valasia covered his claw. Ambrosia being the clever queen she was, backed away. The others seeing this, got worried.

"Even after pleading, I was condemned, and the Black Crows were to be disbanded." Raven could see it all again; being thrown into prison, his men lay dead on the ground, Seris dead in his single arm, and Owen's face. For a brief second, he let his self-control go, causing awakening to be active unconsciously.

He reins himself in, but the damage is done. Everything within a two-meter radius quite literally died, even the air. The grass beneath him became dust, while the ground became lifeless, dry, and cracked. The air around him became dry and hard to breathe. Even the plants nearby looked like they'd wilted.

Looking back, Raven could see everyone vacated the area and kept a distance of twenty meters. "Is it safe to come back yet?!" Ambrosia called out. The man looked around, making sure there weren't any lingering Valasia. He gives them the okay to come back.

As they slowly approached, Raven noticed that Fluttershy had fainted at some point and was carried by one of the guards. Feeling guilty, he apologizes. "Sorry for my little outburst back there, old memories. Let's continue." Raven led them away again, with the others following soon after.

"By the way, you never did tell us if you hated Princess Luna," Spike asked; he received a harsh glare from Ambrosia. The Queen didn't want her Human's mood to sour again. Because that last outburst tasted like literal death, and the taste wasn't going away. Spike, for his part, shrunk away in fear.

"Ah yes, Luna." He drawled. "I don't hate her. I have a low opinion of her. A mare who threw a temper tantrum because ponies rather sleep at night. And what does she do? She refuses to lower the moon because ponies like Celestia more than her." Raven smiled bitterly at the thought of the blue bitch rolling around on the floor, throwing a hissy fit. Before anypony could defend Luna, Raven continued with a more somber tone. "And I get it. Serving the people won't always be glamorous. Sometimes they'll downright hate you, but you have your duty, and lives depend on you. Sometimes you need to suck it up and keep moving forward."

This resonated with a lot of them, especially Twilight. "Maybe, I was too harsh with Princess Celestia." Twilight thought sadly. As bad and painful as her transformation was, others have had it worse.

This left everyone to their thoughts, wondering how different things could have been. What if Princess Celestia came out and told everyone the truth? What if everypony failed to stop Nightmare Moon's rise to power? It was all complicated and thought-provoking. As they neared Dream Castle, Pinkie Pie asked a rather important question. "Hey, Raven, what kind of dessert do you like?

The Human grimaced at the thought of eating such things. "I hate sweets, but if I were forced to choose, I would say dark chocolate." That's what Seris used to make for him during valentine's day. "I miss you, Seris." For a moment, Raven swore. He felt someone's hand brush against his cheek.

[Mena wearing a maids outfit]

[Art by Krillk]

Chapter 34(Negotiation)

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Negotiation

The Reception the Equestrians, received was less than stellar. The Honeycomb hive changelings came out of the woodworks to hiss and glare at the Equestrian ponies. Having your love collectors sent flying to who knows where doesn't leave the best impression. It was the same with Queen Ambrosia. While she still lays the blame on Chrysalis for exposing their entire race, it doesn't mean Ambrosia doesn't hold some animosity toward the ponies.

"I see they aren't too happy to see us," Cadance said nervously while Shining and the guards gave their own heated glares. Rainbow Dash and AppleJack glared harder, while Rarity gave the group of Changelings a nervous smile. Fluttershy regained consciousness and quickly pretended to be out cold after seeing who was near them. PinkiePie paid them no mind; she had other things to worry about, like her tail twitching. (But things aren't falling out of the sky?)

Twilight looked at the Human pleadingly. "Mister Maxwell, can you do something about them?" She gestured toward the Changelings as they walked. The stares were making the Horrorcorn anxious.

Raven shrugged nonchalantly, used to the stares. "Unless it's an emergency, or they do something stupid, I don't order them around. You'll have to take your complaints to Queen Ambrosia." Honestly, this situation could have been avoided if Ambrosia or any other Changeling Queen had told the Equestrians about the invasion. Even if they didn't know about the invasion, the number of disguised drones should have been a red flag. Of course, he wouldn't bring this up because that would be hypocritical in many ways. Also, he has enough on his plate already. "Don't tell them shit."

Waving away his worrying thoughts, Raven looked to where Adam's massive corpse should be and felt relieved. The only thing there was a massive indent in the land; most would chalk it up to the strange geography. It even had a 'notice me not spell' on that part of the land. The average citizen won't notice this, but experienced magic users like Twilight, Shining, and Cadance will. He'll need to ask Ambrosia to have some of her drones patrol near the area later.

As they neared the pink castle, Raven saw somepony approach them. It was Moondancer, and she didn't look happy. "Why do this now?" He assumed that the bespectacled pony didn't want to be seen, considering this could be seen as treason. The Cyborg mentally shrugged. If anything happened, he would step in.

Originally Moondancer just wanted to stay in her shack of a home, but things have changed. A changeling named Monarch came knocking on her door asking for help; something about overthrowing the changeling Queen that tried invading during the wedding. She was about to slam the door in the bug pony's face until she said something about Human knowledge. A few days later, she and Monarch found themselves across the country searching for the Human, and it was worth it.

Human knowledge could only be described as amazing! On one side was the study of the physical and living world, which dealt with geology, physics, chemistry, biology, evolution, natural history, microbiology, botany, zoology, and her favorite, Alchemy! On the other side were Human creations and the study of Human beings (slightly narcissistic), which consisted of philosophy, mathematics, information, system theory, industry, technology, craftwork, arts & sports, religion, ethics, law & morals, culture & civilization, history, economics, politics, linguistics, medicine & psychology, and The EL.

Of course, she couldn't forget Human magic, while simple, was still fascinating. They usually fall into two categories of Spells and Active skills. Spells needed a spell matrix to work, while active skills required the person to follow a set movement to activate it. While different in some ways, they both need mana all the same.

Just thinking about the knowledge in there made the mare giddy. Moondancer probably could have spent the rest of her days studying in that library and ignoring the outside world. The problem was Raven wouldn't allow it. He said, "I'm not asking you to socialize with anyone other than Oleander, but please go outside and walk around. While you're at it, take a bath." In the mare's opinion, baths are a waste of time.

It was perfect or would have been if it weren't for Twilight coming to Dream Valley. "She always has to ruin everything" Moondancer thought to herself bitterly. "Hello, Twilight." The mare drawled out, causing the others to stop in their tracks.

"Moondancer, what are you doing here?!" Twilight stammered.

"Uh, Twi, you know this mare?" Questioned Applejack.

“Typical, Twilight. You never told your friends about me and how you skipped out on my birthday!” Moondancer sneered at the Horrorcorn. “You humiliated me!”

”HAHAHAHAHAH A FUCKING BIRTHDAY PARTY!? By the goddess, that’s pathetic” Raven quickly strangled that small part of himself before it went out of control. Still, being upset over a birthday seemed so unimportant. Congratulations, you’re one year closer to your death. But it seemed like not everypony shared his opinion because Pinkie Pie gasped in horror.

“Twilight! How could you?! Missing somepony’s birthday party is like the worst thing in the world!” The party pony exclaimed.

Before Moondancer could continue, Raven cut her off. "That's enough, Moondancer. You can discuss this personal matter later after I'm done talking with the Equestrians. The Mare in question was about to give a rebuttal, but one stern look from the Human stopped her. Moondancer's ears drooped, and she walked away from the group with her head low.

"I need to talk to her later."Raven motioned for everyone to continue following him. "And before you ask, I did not ask her to come here. She came of her own free will." After being convinced by a changeling, they didn't need to know that, now did they?

"Yeah? How do we know if she hasn't been brainwashed by one of those changelings." Rainbow Dash asked suspiciously.

"You don't, but if that were the case, she wouldn't be out here confronting Twilight and causing trouble for me. Now, let's go." He wanted this day to be over before he got an aneurysm.

The Great Hall

The group finally made it to the castle and its meeting room. It was a simple bedroom that Raven repurposed as a meeting room for situations like this. The furniture was replaced with a long wooden table and sitting pillows. Of course, this was too small for Raven to use, and he was no carpenter.

Ambrosia sees Raven's predicament and, for once, comes up with a brilliant idea. Using her magic, green vines grow out of the cracks in the floor and come together. In less than a minute, a throne was constructed for the large Human to sit on. Raven gave the Changeling Queen a curious look, which she reciprocated with a smile. "Go on, sit down. It's comfortable."

Narrowing his eye, Raven starts inspecting the chair. After a while, he didn't find a thorn or anything inappropriate; it was a very well-made chair. With nothing else to say, he sat down and leaned back into it. Letting out a continent sigh, Raven spoke. "It's as you say. The chair is comfortable." After thousands of years, Raven was finally comfortable. Now he just needed to find a bed he could fit onto. Ambrosia lets out a happy squeal and sits beside the Human" Now, let's talk."

The Equestrians had already taken their seats and watched the interaction between Ambrosia and Raven with amusement. The guards were posted outside the room; they would come running in to defend their charges if anything happened. Princess Cadance was seated at the end of the table. Clearing her throat, she gets to the heart of the matter. "We want the foals back, and we're here to arrest Oleander." She said curtly.

Raven gave the Princess of Love a flat stare. Cadance herself met his gaze with a determined one. They stayed like this for a couple of seconds before Raven answered. "No, they are my children." That's when all hell broke loose.

"WHAT?!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed!

"WHAT IN TARNATION?! YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS?! THOSE FOALS HAVE FAMILY!" Yelled an angry Applejack. The mare was mad enough to get up and slam her hooves on the table, cracking it.

While the others didn't voice their opinions, they were shocked nonetheless. Shining Armor, in particular, gave the Human a stern look, trying to figure out what Raven was playing at. Cadance, on the other hoof, glared at the Human and voiced her opinion. "Raven Maxwell, it does not matter what claims you have made or parental titles you give yourself. These foals were wrongfully taken from their country of origin, ergo foal abduction. We won't take them by force, but." The Mane Six was about to object, but one stern glare from Shining Armor shut them up.

"There will be legal repercussions for you and this little colony of yours; one of these will be an economic sanction. Others will follow our example as well." Cadance leaned back slightly while still glaring at the Human. "Also, let's not forget the trouble you've caused in Equestria and her ponies." While the mare wasn't a capable fighter, it doesn't mean she isn't fierce regarding diplomacy.

While not showing it outwardly, Ambrosia could feel the nervousness radiating from her Human companion. And who wouldn't? A powerful country is making demands (which they rightfully should), and not complying means being taxed to hell and the possible death of a new nation. Still, they weren't going to take it lying down!

Legally speaking, Raven had nowhere to stand. Cadance was right. He did take those foals wrongfully. It didn't matter if it was right or wrong; he broke the law. "So what? Push back and take what's yours!". The little voice chimed in, causing the man to pull up his holographic screen and order the L scout to bring his children here.

Seeing how he was currently stuck between a rock and a hard place, Raven would need to use every tool in his arsenal: Blackmail, bargaining, and using pony empathy. Closing one eye, Raven starts gathering his thoughts and buying himself some time. After three minutes, he opens his eye and speaks. "I refuse." He said. Cadance looked disappointed but not all that surprised. Raven continued. "But you must understand, they came to me seeking help."

This was new information. Why were seven foals so desperate to seek help from such an ancient race? That question was soon answered by the young Black Crow members stepping into the room. Initially, everypony in the room was relieved to see that foals were fine, but it became apparent why they were so desperate. Out of the seven, four ponies were considered undesirables on appearance alone, and seeing how nervous some were didn't help. Once Raven gave them a reassuring look, they quickly calmed down.

As soon as Amber brought her little sister near the Human, the little green filly made the uppies position. Seeing this, Raven picked up Jade and placed her on his lap. The filly started babbling happily and even tried playing with her father's claw, which was kept out of reach. "Daddy!" This caused several jaws to hit the floor and Cadance to twitch in irritation.

"Shows of affection won't change anything."Cadance chided herself internally for acting so cold, but she knew the Human was playing on their sympathy.

"It won't, but look at it from their perspective." Raven first pointed at Oleander. "A young mare being hunted down for using Dark Magic." Next was Moon Charm. "She was kicked out of her tribe and left to fend for herself because she spoke out." Moon Charm nodded sadly. The Human points to Xeuz, who is scuffing at the ground. "A colt abandoned by his parents and treated as an outcast for his heritage and appearance." The man never understood why ponies were so scared of zebras. Mentally shrugging, he points at the twins. "Dew and Night were kicked out of their tribe for being albinos. It was seen as a bad omen. And I don't need to tell you how thestrals are treated normally." The twins yelled 'Yeh!' in unison. Raven pointed at Cozy Glow, who kept up her innocent facade, and the pegasus cut him off before he could speak.

"My mother, Royal Ribbon, abandoned me." Cozy sniffled, earning her sympathetic stares from the Equestrians. "Just because I wasn't born a unicorn. S-so, s-she put me in a foster home and tried hiding the truth about me!" Cozy Glow couldn't hold back her tears and was now loudly sobbing, which in turn pulled on the Equestrians' heartstrings. Cadance made a mental note to visit Royal Ribbon at some point. As for the Black Crow's, they didn't buy the crocodile tears. Moon Charm had to stop herself from rolling her eyes.

With her part done, Cozy flew up and started crying into her 'Father's' chest. The filly whispered low enough for only Raven to hear. "They're so easy to fool. It's your turn." Cozy Glow looked up and gave the man a crooked smile. "Daddy." A shiver ran down the former captain's spine; he would need to address Cozy's issues before they became a problem.

Nonetheless, his daughter just had provided the man an opening, which he'll take advantage of. He points to Jade, then to Amber. "These two are here because of Ponyvillie's gross negligence."

"Mister Maxwell!" Rarity called out, offended by the Human's words. "It's unbecoming of you to blame the entire town. If we had been notified, we would have looked everywhere until they were found." Huffed the fashionista.

"That's right, don't you go giving Ponyvillie a bad name because of some rumor. "Raven's visible eyebrow twitched at that. "Like what rares said, if we were told, mah whole family would have looked high and low for those two fillies."

"That's right, one eye! With cloudsdale on our side, theirs no way those foals would have gotten far!" Explained Rainbow Dash, who then pointed at Fluttershy, who didn't want the attention. "Even Fluttershy and her animal friends would have found them in no time!" The mare in question nodded, not wanting more of the scary Human's attention.

"If Detective Pinkie were on the case, those fillies would have been found."The pink mare pulled out a deerstalker hat and magnifying glass..from somewhere? "What the fuck?" "I would have looked in every nook and cranny for those two. No stone would be left unturned, and that includes cookie jars!" Pinkie seemingly broke the laws of physics by teleporting around the room and lifting random heavy objects with one hoof; this included Princess Cadance. At one point, Pinkie's entire head came out of a vase that was physically too small to fit her."What the actual fuck?! How is she doing that? You know what? Let it go." Raven did, stuffing his questions in the back of his mind, but that blank stare he had spoke volumes.

This time Twilight speaks up, and she asks the obvious question. "Who are the parents, or parent?" The Horrorcorn hadn't been in Ponyvillie for long enough to recognize these two fillies, but certain things would clear up if they had names.

"Screw Loose and Dapper Harshwhinny for Amber." Raven's words brought a chorus of 'oh's' around the room, except for Shining, Cadance, and Twilight. "As for Jade, we don't know who the father is, and that's part of the problem. Oleander, a quill, and parchment, please." Raven requested from his oldest daughter.

"Of course...Father," She whispered that last part. The dark magic user was still getting used to it and showing affection. She conjured the necessary writing tools and gave them to her adoptive father.

He began to write, and while he did, he asked the Equestrians a question. "What do you know about Screw Loose's situation?"

Rainbow Dash was the first to answer, remembering how that crazy mare chased her when she stole that daring do book. "She barks like a dog?" This earned her flat stares from everypony else. "What? It's true."

With a tired sigh, Applejack answered, filling the gaps in Rainbow Dash's response. "Screw Loose and Dapper Harshwhinny were nice enough ponies; they even had a Lil filly. A few years back, when I was just a filly mahself, Dapper went missing...We," The farm mare gulped, remembering the scene. It wasn't too dissimilar to how her ma and pa were found. "We found his remains; something tore him apart." It was one of the reasons why she was cautious around Fluttershy's 'Friends.' they were still wild animals. She was also cautious around predator races, including the Human.

Still, how the Human stopped his writing to pick up the now sniffling Amber made the farm pony doubt herself. And if those scars, missing eye, and weird arm were any indication, life put him through the wringer. Another thing she noticed, the fella wasn't all there at times, just a hollow look in his eye. That was the big difference from every other villain she and her friends faced; they were either smug or had maddening looks in their eyes. Raven on the other hoof, the villain who had won? He looked hollow as if he was already defeated. Although she could still see a flicker of hope in his eye, it was waning.

"I see." Raven's voice cuts Applejack from her thoughts. "My main concern about these two is this." He folded the paper and slid it across the table toward Cadance.

The mare picked up the letter with her magic and read it; the others huddled around her and read as well. They were disgusted! Cadance's face became pale, while Shining Armor was filled with righteous anger. Fluttershy became white as a sheet when she read the description of the pony who could have done this; then she looked at the babbling green filly on the Human's lap. Could it be?

Pinkie Pie became green and held a hoof over her mouth. Rarity's face twisted into a scowl at the thought of the ruffian. Rainbow Dash and Applejack were both in the same mindset of beating the stallion who did this black and blue. Twilight was beyond angry, to the point where her horn glowed a sickly dark green, which confirmed Raven's theory. The only one who couldn't express their disgust and anger was Spike since Rainbow Dash kept pushing him away. "Hey, let me see!"

This left the room in uncomfortable silence as Equestrians processed the information. Most believed that Screw Loose hit her head one too many times and was left like that. With this information brought to light, someponies tried to sweep the whole situation under the rug.

Thankfully the silence was broken by Mena entering the room with a food tray on her back. Like before, she wore a maid's uniform, but this time she had a grey veil over her face to hide the mare's identity. She placed the tray down in front of the Equestrians. She gave them all a quick bow and left the room, not before giving Pinkie Pie a side-eye glance.

The tray had an assortment of fruits, wild vegetables, fried hard tack, and glasses of water. It was nothing special, but the Equestrians ate it all the same, but not before Shining Armor used a spell to check for poisons or drugs. Once it was safe, they dug in.

Cadance was the first to finish her slices of oranges and glass of water. "Raven Maxwell, you've presented your side and the rather disturbing implications of what are little ponies have been doing, but that doesn't change the fact you still broke the law. Even if they came to you." Her voice didn't have the same edge to it, but she had a job to do.

Raven leaned back into his green chair with a sigh. He gestured toward Queen Ambrosia to talk, which she did. "We'll offer you Chrysalis' head." The Changeling Queen said all too happily.

Everypony's eyes went wide at that. "Excuse me?" Cadance stammered out, not believing this.

Ambrosia nodded happily. "That's right, since Ol' Chrisy failed to take over Equestria and expose our entire race, we've had a hard time gathering love."

"Tell me, what's worse? Me beating Luna and taking some foals with me, or Chrysalis beating Princess Celestia and nearly taking over Equestria with an invading army." Raven questioned while staring at Shining Armor, who stared back with an unreadable expression. "And we've already thought of a replacement for Chrysalis, seeing how cutting off the head won't solve the problem, just make it worse." Raven's analogy made a few ponies cringe, but he continued.

"Once everything is said and done, with Chrysalis on your doorstep. Say that I've been... 'Reformed' as you did with Discord." Raven offered, which angered Applejack, and, surprisingly, Fluttershy.

"Discord did change, don't insinuate otherwise," Fluttershy said heatedly, which surprised the man. Where was the shy pegasus?

Applejack was next to answer. "You asking us ta lie ta ponies? Are you out of your mind?"

Raven just shrugged. "My apologies, but welcome to politics. I think this a fair trade. The Equestrians get peace of mind knowing that I'm not some dangerous monster, while the royal sisters don't have to worry about Changelings attacking again. In doing so, you’ll have to over look the custody issue and give Oleander a pardon. " Raven crossed his fingers and stared at the conflicted pink Alicorn." Word from the grapevine says that Chrysalis is planning something malicious. Give us three months, and Chrysalis' plans to take over Equestria will become a pipe dream. "

Cadance shook her head. "That's ludicrous. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna wouldn't accept it, the other nations are knocking on their door already, and they want answers. One month."

The man's visible eye narrowed. "Two months." Two months was already straining things, and one month wouldn't give them time to do anything.

Again the pink Alicorn shook her head. "It's just not possible."

Raven thought about it before an idea came to him. "How about a game?" Twilight’s eyes widened at the words the book told her about how humans liked to play games. "If I win, you give us two months like requested."

"If we win?" Cadance asked, wondering where he was taking this.

The Human grinned maliciously. "I have a bountiful wealth of magical knowledge, and if you win, I'll teach all of it to you." Cadance was about to scoff at the claim until Raven called upon Amber. " Amber, show them your newest spell." Amber jumped off Raven's lap with a giant grin and onto the table.

Pink mana gathered around the filly, making the air swirl around her. "Teleport!" She yelled before blinking out of existence, reappearing in front of Cadance and booping the princess on the nose. "Boop!" She teleported three more times, reappeared on Raven's lap, and hugged her baby sister.

For the second time that day, the Equestrains' jaws hit the fucking floor. An earth pony just used magic, teleportation, no less! "HOW?!" Twilight Sparkle yelled, a truly manic grin on her face, while her hair twitched. An earth filly performed a spell that took her the longest time to master. "YOU MUST TELL ME!!" She nearly jumped the table but was stopped by Pinkie Pie and AppleJack.

Cadance, sat there staring into space until Shining cleared his throat and spoke. "We accept, but we'll have to postpone this game until tomorrow. We have much to discuss."

"Shiny!" Cadance berated her husband for the rash decision but agreed with the last part. They had much to discuss. She also needed to send a letter to her aunt.

"Excellent!" Raven said, standing up while holding his three fillies in his arms. "We'll continue tomorrow, then." The man turned around, ready to leave the room, his children following his lead. But before he left, he wanted them to focus on someone else. "Don't you think it's strange how I awakened and how Twilight Sparkle got her affliction simultaneously?" This drew everyone's attention toward him. "Let's not forget the Pillars of Equestria reawakening as well."

Oleander rolled her eyes. "Those were cosplayers, father."

Raven ignored that and continued. "Even Dream Valley reappeared. It's as if something or someone is coordinating all of this." He looked back at them. " I am not your enemy. Henir is." With that, he left.

"You know about him too!? Please, tell me about him!" Twilight called to the Human, but he was already gone.

Who is Henir?

Chapter 34.5(Moondancer's Lament)

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Moondancer's Lament

Raven grumbled as he walked through the castle halls. After the Negotiations, Oleander gave the man a verbal dressing down. The unicorn claimed that his little bet was too risky and would lead to disaster. That was if he lost the bet, and even if he did, the man carefully worded it. Still, what else was he supposed to do? One month wouldn't give them time to do anything. Two months wasn't ideal, but it'll provide them with enough time to find Miasma and Calliphora. This will also give them time to counteract Chrysalis's throne by using Prince Seiker's notes.

If only that extent of his troubles. Raven was still preparing for the funeral; the statues and headstones he requested from Maud were still being worked on. Next, he would officially announce New Elria as a country and raise the flag. Of course, the announcement will cause a political shitstorm, and other nations will question the legitimacy of this claim. Also, he needed to create a functioning government with fair and just laws. Thankfully, Raven memorized the laws of Velder and will use those for New Elria (After modifying them.) Then he needed to create a council of some sort. No one man rules alone, but mortals are fickle. What is the solution to this problem? Nasods! They will act as a guideline and a fail-safe to prevent a total collapse of the government.

"Shit." Raven cursed quietly, remembering that he needed to be a father. Moon Charm needed training and guidance. He needed to spend more time with Xuez and help with his self-esteem issues. Oleander was hard to approach at the moment. The twins need to be taught self-control and restraint because he couldn't trust them not to blow up Memento without adult supervision. Cozy Glow... Where could he even start with the disturbed child? Amber is easy enough to deal with since she's busy learning starter spells. Then there was Jade. Raven smiled. He needed to cherish the moments he'll have with her because, before he knew it, she'll be all grown up.

Soon that smile disappeared. Raven thought about how he would reclaim the remaining floors of Memento. He didn't need any reports to tell him that going down there would be extremely dangerous, especially with the core leaking. "I can't go in there by myself. I need Oleander there with me and a Nasod." He crossed Maya off the list. In the event of his death, Maya would take over until a suitable replacement was found. "Maybe if-" His thoughts were cut off by the sound of sobbing.

Stopping in front of a wooden door, he could hear a mare sobbing. Deciding to take a peak, he slowly opens the door and sees Moondancer crying on a wooden crate. "I might as well see what's wrong." He thought before entering the room.

The mare's right ear swiveled at the sound of footsteps. Looking up, Moondancer saw the human approach."Go away!" She choked out before returning to her sobbing.

Stopping next to her, Raven offered the mare help. "Do you want to talk about it? And is it about Twilight Sparkle?" He wasn't good with this kind of stuff, but one of his own was suffering.

"No! And I don't want to talk about stupid Twilight!" She looked up at the Human and continued screaming. The Mare didn't care if he was one of the most dangerous creatures to be around. "Why do you even care?! You've suffered more than me. What I'm going through should mean nothing to you."

Raven's single eye softened at the mare's words. "Moondancer, my suffering does not invalidate yours. We all suffer through life in one way or another. Maybe I won't be able to understand fully, but I want to help you get through it." He grimaced and started rubbing his eyepatch. "Bottling your grief and anger will lead to disaster. So, let's talk."

Moondancer wiped away the tears with the sleeve of her sweater. She looked down at her hooves and thought about it. Okay, but don't tell anypony this. I mean it." She finally said. Raven nodded. So the mare began her tale on how Twilight Sparkle and she met as foals. " It wasn't just her I made friends with; there was also Lemon Hearts, Minuette, and Twinkleshine. I didn't have many friends outside of school. I was a bit of an introvert. Well... I still am." Rubbing the back of her head awkwardly, she continued. "Then, one day, I thought I was ready to leave my shell. So I invited my closest friends, and Twilight didn't show up when the time came!" She yelled the last part.

Meanwhile, Raven sat there listening. While it seemed petty on the surface level, it was much deeper than that. "Twilight was someone significant to you." He said in understanding.

"That's right!" Moondancer agreed. "She was too busy studying and left town without saying goodbye.I" The tears came back in full force. "We were supposed to be friends! I was humiliated! I felt like I wasn't important. I never wanted to let myself be hurt like that again!" She wailed again.

Raven soothed her by rubbing her back with his hand. "I understand, putting your trust in someone and them turning their back on you." An image of Owen flashed in his mind briefly before being suppressed. He didn't want to become angry right now. He needed to help one of his little ponies. "But do you not have people who still love you? Like your other friends or family?"

This gave the mare pause. She thought about it and nodded. "I still have other ponies in my life." She sniffed. " Booksmart, Honey Lemon, and my sister, Morning Roast." Raven still found these naming conventions to be weird. "And maybe If I get in touch with Lemon Hearts, Minuette, and Twinkleshine, we can be friends again?"

Raven smiles and nods. "Of course. But we still haven't gotten to the heart of the problem." He might sound like a hypocrite by saying this, but he had to. "I think you need to make amends with Twilight.

"You can't be serious!?" Moondancer looked aghast. "She's the reason why I'm like this!"

"I know, and what I say next shouldn't justify it." He kept rubbing her back, trying to keep her calm. " I don't believe Twilight did this out of malicious intent. I imagine being a student of Princess Celestia has some high expectations, and I believe she didn't want to disappoint her mentor." Raven let his words settle before continuing. "She probably threw herself into her work and forgot everything else. I know I did when I was younger. "

Moondancer didn't look convinced, so he continued. "I'm not delusional enough to believe everyone should be forgiven, but I'm asking you to try with Twilight. If you do find out, it was malicious intent, well." He shrugged. "Cut her out of your life, and move on. Pursuing revenge won't end well for anyone." He lifts his eye patch showing off his blind eye. "Believe me."

"I." She hesitated. "I'll try."

Raven removed his hand and leaned against the wall while Moondancer sat there in thought. They stayed like that in silence until Raven spoke up. "You know, I was like you when I was younger."

Moondancer's head snapped toward the Human, and she had wide eyes. "Really!?"

Raven nodded with a grin. "Not by choice but because people discovered I was born a commoner. I was shunned for my low-born heritage. So with little else to do, I threw myself into my studies. I even started thinking that the only friends I could make were some dusty old tomes. Then I had a class on mock siege warfare, and that's when I met. Seris, and Owen." For once, he could say that name without becoming angry. "My first friends, and for a while, I was happy. I became a captain, Seris and I started dating, and Owen rose through the ranks. " That grin of his became pained. "I wish it stayed like that."

"Raven?" Moondancer asked. She looked concerned as the light faded from Raven's eye.

Shaking his head, Raven waved his claw. "Sorry about that, just old memories. Let's talk about something else, like about some old tomes I've read." He said, trying to change the subject. "Ever read about magical anomalies and the trouble they can cause when they appear?"

Moondancer instantly perked up at the topic. She nodded vigorously. " Of course! Starswirl wrote at least seven books about them! They can distort time and space, send ponies into a different dimension, or bring in otherworldly creatures. Of course, these usually disappear after a few minutes, seeing how this dimension isn't suited for them. But do you know how they're caused?"

Raven nods. "An unstable amount of mana gathering in one area."

Moondancer beamed at the Human. "That's right!"

And that's how it went; they talked for hours about books they'd read. Raven was happy to have someone to talk with and forget about his worries for a bit. At the same time, Moondancer was thrilled to have somepony else who shared her love for books and studying. Knowingly or unknowingly, they became friends.

Chapter 35(Second Nightmare)

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Second Nightmare

Canterlot Castle's training grounds

"Hidden Blade!" Luna dashed forward at blinding speeds, leaving after images. As she was about to slice the training dummy in half with her sickle, the Lunar Princess smacked face-first into the courtyard wall. "Ow." Was Luna's only response as she pulled herself out of the wall, which left a face imprint."

"That's the fifth time you've messed that up, you bumbling fool. " Spoke Nightmare Moon, who was still trapped in the sickle.

Luna rolled her eyes. "Quiet, you. Moving at high velocity is no easy task."The Alicorn sat on her haunches, doing her best to catch her breath. It's been over three days since she got off that infernal wheelchair and found her new weapon. During this time, she was able to restore the ancient sickle. Who knew you only needed a bowl of vinegar and a sander? Of course, Nightmare Moon hated every minute of it, and she accused Luna of sadism, which she denied while wearing a smirk.

After restoring the blade, images started appearing in her mind. It was a young human male performing various moves in a fluid motion. It perplexed the monarch how somepony could move so fast with little momentum. Then the answer came in the form of Nightmare Moon telling her the answers; her darker half wasn't entirely sure where she got the answer. Either way, the movements the boy was performing were called Active Skills. And by the Moon, these Skills had hefty mana requirements!

The first time she tried performing a skill, she nearly killed herself. The Skill nearly drained Luna of her Mana, weakening her for the next few hours. Then she decided to take baby steps by performing various exercises with her sickle. After a few hours of vigours training, she came to a startling realization! Her connection over the shadows and the Moon strengthened while wielding this weapon.

If that wasn't all, she could feel the untapped potential in the weapon. Luna could go further with her connection with the shadows or go further with the Moon itself. Still, she had two other choices, as she could feel the tug of untapped power within the sickle. She could look upon the very stars to aid her in battle or call upon the...What was this evil feeling? "Ṱ̴̡̖͕͓̲̼̭̭̰͓̓̒̏̐̉̈́̀͛̌̌͘̕͘̕h̷̛̙̠̼͕̩̠̝̱͓̣̥̗͖̱͗̈̈̈̄͌̍̀ȩ̶͖̲̰̭̰̥̪͉͉́̀͂͠ ̷̡̛̛̞́̋̂̏̋͋͌͌̔͗p̴̡̫̥̖̫̜͚̺̱͐̈́̄̄̀̇̉̉ͅo̶̳̖͔͎̳͇̥̰̦̣̟̲̔̀̾w̶̨̟̳̥̍̉͌̔̄̔͌̆̍͝ę̷̙͇̣͔̻͓̜͖̼͛̌͐̾͊̔̎̈́̓̀̀͑̓r̶̡̖͈̞̱͉̟͖͈̝̉͐̓̇̾͝ ̷͎̞̭̞̫̗̳̦̘̎͗̅̓͒͝ͅt̸̨̞̺͙͕͕̤͖͓̼̲̼̥͊̋̀̿͑̀̒̔̏͑̈õ̷̧̱̪̹͉͈̫̗̟̭̪͖͓̐́ ̶̧̳͚̯̮̍̿̊̒̊̀̀̀̔͘ę̸̨̛̗̬̜̠̯̟̰̠̦̮͓͋͂͒̚͝ç̴̡̫͗̊̈́̌̿̅́̕͠l̸͇̰̮̣̜͐͐̔̍̌̃͘̕̚į̵̢̡͇̮͖̺̩̼̔͊͐̎͂̊̂̽̔͝͠ͅp̷̡͓̙̰͎̳̌̊͐̇͒̉͐̽ṡ̶̨̢̛̛̻̯͔͍̣̱̺̳̯̏̂̀̓̋͒̚ę̶̢̢̩̰̟̤̻͈̜̘̜̒͒̃̔́̐̕͠ ̵̡̰͓̹͙̲͍̟͚̠͂̂͊͠ţ̸͔̀͐̓͋̊̿͛ḥ̸̙̬̯̰̠̗͐͌̕è̷̛͙͚͑̌̎͊̓̉̇͜͝͠ ̸͉̗̦͉̱͎̺̰̘̭̒̈́̀̄͋̔͆̌̈̕̕͘͝ş̴̛̞̺͚͚͔͎̋̈́̊̈́̊͑́ǔ̶̧̘̩͓̟̠̩̈́͂͒̀͛̌̒͂͊̿̕͝ͅn̶̬̙͚͕̩̗͙̣͖̮̊̽͗̋͋̀̄̀̅͝"

The Lunar Alicorn shook herself from these thoughts. At some point, she'll be at a crossroads where she'll have to choose. Will the power she chooses be best for her sister and their kingdom, or will it lead to destruction as she pursues revenge against the ape that humiliated her?

More heavy thoughts began to creep into her mind, and before she fretted over them, her sister's voice brought the Alicorn back to reality. "Lulu, are you alright?" asked a worried Celestia.

Luna looked up and saw the concerned face of her sister. Feeling slightly embarrassed for staring into space, Luna stood straight and cleared her throat. "I'm fine, sister. I'm just." She paused and thought about it. "How do the younger ponies say it these days? Working up a sweat, yes, that. How is your morning going?"

It was going poorly if her messy hair and bags under her eyes were any indication. "Terrible." She said without the usual motherly tone in her voice. "Where do I begin?" Using her magic, Princess Celestia pulls out a stack of pictures and a letter. "Commander Valkyrie just came back from what was left of that small town near Neighagra falls."The white Alicorn grimaced. "Valkyrie was the only survivor." The mare was screaming bloody murder when she came back. It got to the point where the mare had to be restrained.

Before Princess Luna could ask questions, Celestia pushed the pictures into her sister's magical grip. What Luna saw next left her in horrified silence. Then she looked to the following picture, then the next until she reached the final image showing dead and mutilated foals.

A pool of shadows began to gather at Luna's hooves. Soon, her teeth began to sharpen, and her pupils became slits. She could feel Nightmare Moon's influence take hold of her mind. "Disgusting, wretched creatures!They will know the taste of our blade!" The creatures she saw couldn't be considered ponies, just mockery. They needed to be put down like the animals they were. "Sister, we shall go to this village and slay these barbarians!" She said in a double-tone voice.

"Sister, calm yourself!" Princess Celestia exclaimed. She could completely deny Luna from going, but that would worsen things. Instead, she would use reason and logic to delay the inevitable. Celestia looked directly into Luna's eyes and placed a hoof on her withers. "You. Are. Not. Ready! None of us are!" The dark Alicorn looked like she bit into a lemon and was ready to explode. The solar Alicorn continued quickly. "We need a plan. Running head first into this unknown will get us killed and the ponies under us killed. You remember what happened last time?"

"Yes, sister." Luna gritted out before returning to normal. Letting out a defeated sigh, Luna looked down dejectedly. "What of the Pillars? Will they be sent? And how long are we going to have to wait?"

"Yes, the Pillars are coming with us. They're still in the process of finding their artifacts." The Solar Princess brought her little sister into an embrace while saying this. "We'll retake the town within the next two weeks. During this time, we'll be preparing and planning. And, of course, we'll be asking for the Human's help."

"WHAT?!" Luna pulled away from her sister as if she was slapped. "You can't be bucking serious?!" Princess Luna could see it now, the Human with a smug look on his face. "What could that baboon do for us?"

Princess Celestia had a sheepish smile as she talked. "Well, that brings me to another reason why I wanted to talk." She held up the letter that Cadance sent her. " Raven Maxwell knows the cause of Twilight's affliction, and it might be connected to the creatures we saw in that picture." Luna narrowed her eyes in suspicion but stayed silent. "It was caused by an otherworldy being named Henir." The name itself sent a shiver through the sickle she held and Nightmare Moon. "And if I read the letter correctly, this thing might be orchestrating all of this."

"Are you sure this isn't Discord's doing or the monkey trying to pass off the blame to somepony else?" Luna asked suspiciously.

"No, this isn't like Discord; as mean-spirited as he is, he was never bloodthirsty." The alabaster alicorn still had doubts, and the spirit of chaos not answering their calls was making it worse. "The Human may be trying to shift the blame, and this could be one big coincidence, but we both know that's unlikely. Anyways, It's unlikely that the Human could come since his asking for extra time."

"Excuse me?" Luna deadpanned before taking the letter from her sister's magical grip. "An earth pony performing spells? Nonsense." She mumbled while reading. She sneered in disgust at the discovery of another Changeling Queen and her hive. "Wonderful, more insects." Soon she was relieved that the foals were fine, then enraged by the accusation from the Human. "A Nasod? What in the buck is a Nasod?" Apparently, it was a talking toaster. Then she reached the final part. "Two months!? For what?" She kept reading, and her brow raised in surprise. "Chrysalis's Head." For once, she was pleasantly surprised by the Human. "I could place it on my nightstand."

"Luna," Celestia said sternly.

"What? All we need to do is ask one of those hunter-griffons for a taxidermist," She said with a big smile.

"Luna! Don't joke about that!" The very thought about that practice made her gag. "As much as I dislike Chrysalis, I wouldn't want her dead."

"Well~ It can't be helped if the Human did kill her by accident; you know how clumsy those apes can be," Luna suggested with another eager grin.

"No, Chrysalis is to be brought in alive, and she will be brought to justice. That is final." Celestia stomped her hoof, ending the argument.

Luna sighed. "Fine, if the Human kills Chrysalis, we won't announce that he is" She reread the letter with narrowed eyes."Reformed."

"We can worry about that later. Right now, we need information. I'll send these pictures and a letter to Cadance and the others." Celestia conjured parchment and an inkwell. "Also, I'll send a letter to Scootaloo, as her parents were identified as one of many deceased in the pictures."

Princess Luna grimaced at the mention of the orange filly. "No, let me be the one to break the news to her."The Princess of the night entered the young pegasus's dream not too long ago. And seeing how Rainbow Dash isn't here, it'd be best if she broke the news to her. "I'll see if she has any other family members. Now if you'll excuse me, I must continue my training." She had another hour at best before she headed for bed and got ready for night court.

As she turned back to the training dummy, Celestia called for her once more. "Luna, are you sure training with that weapon is the best course of action? I'm worried." She wasn't thrilled when Luna brought her the old and rusty weapon. A weapon one of her guards found five hundred years ago washed up near Las Pegasus. A useless weapon with hidden potential. Celestia kept it around, hoping to find a way to use it. And, of course, Luna is the one who can get the weapon working.

" Yes, I need to do this. If what the mon-" She stopped and took a deep breath. "If what Raven said is true, this is only the beginning. Even if I have to use a Human weapon and their magic to protect our little ponies." Luna looked back at her sister with a determined look. " I suggest you brush up on your skills as well. Hidden Blade!" Luna dashed forward again and sliced the training dummy in half.

Celestia stared at her sister in awe...When did her little Lulu grow up so fast? "I see. You're right, Luna. I'll see if I can fit it into my schedule." Of course, she needed to deal with the diplomats and leaders who still wanted answers. Then she also had to send letters to the deceased's families. "We have a long journey ahead," Celestia said tiredly.

Henir's Time and Space

Somewhere between reality and the endless space that made up Henir's dimension lay Discord, who was bloody and broken. His muzzle was broken and limp; both legs were twisted in painful angles. The noodle-like body that comprised the Draconequus's body was covered in multiple puncture wounds. His talon hand was nothing more than a stump, like his wings. The only thing left untouched was his Lion's paw, an act of mercy on Glave's part.

Discord lifted his Lion's paw with one painful movement and snapped his finger. He blinked out of existence for one second and was brought back not long after. The draconequus stood there fully healed as if nothing ever happened. The scowl on his face said otherwise. "That cheater! Fading in and out of existence so he wouldn't get hit! And the way he copied my moves!" Discord fumed, then his expression softened. "I should have thought of that... Now, how do I get out of here? I don't see any cracks I can use to slip out." In other words, finding a gap in this dimension.

Before he could dwell on it further, four flashes of light from behind brought him out of his thoughts. Discord's neck did a 180 to see the new arrivals, and what he saw made his stomach drop. "Oh no."

"Looks like we're at the final stage, and Woah, look at our opponent; looks like he'll keep us entertained!" Said a Human male no older than eighteen. He had shoulder-length ruby-red hair, while a small patch on his left side was black as night. He wore Skin tight black shirt with armored black leggings. He carried two massive swords, one red and the other black. "Names, Elsword!"

"Ew~, You're so not cute!" It came from a Human female who looked slightly older than Elsword. She had long lavender-colored hair that tied into twin pigtails. She wore a white magical girl outfit with royal purple highlights. She carried around a white staff with a golden-shaped heart and gem at the end of it. She looked more like an Idol than a fighter. "My name is Aisha, and I'll defeat you with the power of cuteness!" She struck a pose and winked.

"..." The elven woman had nothing to say to this creature. She looked to be in her twenties. While her light green hair was short, it was all tied into one long braid. The elf wore a green and black leotard that accentuated her curves. She also wore a black hooded cloak made from feathers and didn't wear any shoes, making her footsteps silent. She carried a black crossbow in one hand while in the other, she carried a dagger with a red gem embedded in it. "Rena." She said.

"Hmph, Aisha, Elsword, don't underestimate our opponent." This came from an olive skin man with a scar across his chest. He had black hair that reached his back and a single red highlight on one of his bangs. He wore a black dress shirt; over it was a black blazer with red insides. He wore black pants, along with black armored leggings. The man's weapon of choice was a single-handed sword with a bullet magazine attached. His other weapon of choice was a black Nasod arm; the palm of it glowed bright and hot. And if anyone touched it, it would burn them. "My name is Raven Cronwell. I'll make this quick. BURNING BUSTER!" Raven uses his claw to create murder crows and send them flying at Discord. The others take this as their cue to start as well.

All Discord could think was. "Fiddlesticks!" So the battle began!

[Elsword(Immortal)]

[Aisha(Metamorphy)]

[Rena(Twilight)]

[Raven(Nova Imperator)]

April Fools!(2)

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Somewhere far into the multiverse(Fallout: Equestria!)

Equestrian Wasteland

"War, War never changes," Raven spoke with a far too gravelly voice. He stood upon a hill, surveying the irradiated Equestrian landscape. "I was too late, far too late." It wasn't the first time he told this to himself, and it wouldn't be the last.

History took a different course when the last Human was put into the endless dream. For whatever reason, Antithese never broke free from her mental prison. Once Raven found her and found out what she did, the man did the merciful thing and gave her a quick and painless death. It wasn't the only change; Memento's power room was never damaged, allowing Raven to explore the lower floors. It was paradise!

Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said about the smoldering crater that was DreamValley. It was, for the best, a place lost to time, and he was the only one who knew of it. Still, waking up and leaving the Nasod facility only to be met with a post-apocalyptic wasteland was terrifying. Fortunately, Super Armor and the Valasia in his body kept him safe from the balefire radiation and taint. Mostly, eating the wrong type of food still made him sick.

Surviving the wasteland was easy enough; deflecting bullets, and plasmablasts was child's play. This made killing raiders easy, as they lacked formal training and were easy to punt if they got too close. It was the same with the manticores, dogs, cockatrices, and ghouls. The same couldn't be said with the Hellhounds and the Alicorns. "Hmph!" Fighting Hellhounds were annoying; their claws tore through his armor and super armor-like paper. Thankfully they were easy enough to kill with Valasia.

Alicorns, on the other hand, were always a pain to kill. It was because of that accursed fake goddess and their regeneration. Each time he encountered an Alicorn, the fight became a little harder as they got used to his moves. If he could, he would march over to Maripony and end her miserable existence, but he couldn't. For all his strength, he was but one man, and fighting off an army's worth of Alicorns was suicide. It was comforting to know that the steel rangers could take them on.

That brought up another abysmal thought, the Steel Rangers and that slaver Redeye. The rangers cared only for persevering and protecting technology, even to the detriment of the ponies around them. What was there to say about Redeye? A slaver, an egomaniac, and charismatic. If either group got a whiff of what was truly in Memento, they would stop at nothing to get it. Because, at the end of the day, it's about power. Not just here but everywhere in the wasteland, everyone or everypony is looking for a way to consolidate power.

"Foolish, all of these Ponies!" He spat. It infuriated him how fractured these ponies were. Grand Pegasus Enclave, Steel Rangers, Dashites, The Unity, Talons(He somewhat respected), Society, Zebra Remnant, Zodiac Clan, Raiders, Red eye's army, Changelings, and more. Raven clenched his claw in anger. "All these factions, and for what? All they do is fight one another. The only faction... No, the only symbol they should care about is the one I carry on my back." Indeed, Raven wore a massive tattered brown cloak that covered much of his figure. Stitched to the back of it were two Alicorns chasing the Sun and the Moon, with stars surrounding them.

It symbolized the old world, a world where friendship and harmony reign supreme. A world where all creatures, no matter how big or small, got along with one another. "A world with a sun and moon." Raven looked up at the endless dark skies where the sun couldn't shine through. "Enclave bastards." He spat.

Raven took a quick breath, trying to calm himself. "Equestria still sleeps. I can reawaken it." Or that's what Watcher told him. Raven remembered the first time he met the enigmatic creature through a sprite bot. Watcher told him about the nearest place he could take shelter since a settlement wouldn't take too kindly with a creature from legend. Soon the enigmatic creature gave the last Human a brief history lesson. It was unsettling and disappointing.

Then Watcher told him about the magical land of Equestria. The words left him enamored and wanting more. After finding Meneoto, fixing Maya, and fixing the Human restoration project, Raven headed back into the wasteland. For three long years, he went around helping the ponies and various other creatures in hopes of reawakening Equestria. Did it make the wasteland a better place? Raven likes to believe so. During this time, he made a name for himself. The Hellhounds called him butcher; the steel rangers called him a relic; the goddess and her children called him death. The Zebras called him a follower of the stars. Redeye calls him a pest. The Talons call him a veteran. DJ-pon 3 and the rest of the wasteland call him Revenant; he, who carries the symbol of the old world.

No pony knew where he came from. He suddenly showed up three years ago and started helping ponies out. Few ever hear him talk, and fewer ever see his face. Some ponies speculate that Revenant is a mutated hellhound or minotaur. Dj-pon 3, on the other hoof, believes that Revenant is a Human, like in the legend of Megan the great! The Dj has given the Human multiple invites to have an interview, but he refuses every time. Not that he didn't want to, but Tenpony Tower wouldn't let him in. He wasn't a ghoul, but Raven doubted they would take kindly to a 7-foot creature that could easily kill a hellhound.

Before Raven could continue down memory lane, a Holographic screen popped up in front of his face. "Father, are you sure about this?" Came the dual-tone voice of a female. On the screen was the concerned face of his daughter. A girl no older than 15 years old. She had the same black hair as her father, a single yellow eye, and a slit as a pupil. That's where the similarities end. One-fourth of her face was covered in black bandages as a makeshift eye patch to cover where her right eye should be, or in this case, eyes. Her mouth looked normal until she opened it, revealing that the left side could open wider than normal. It would also reveal that she has fangs similar to a spider's and three purple tongues.

Minerva was her name, and she was a clone of Raven. In the eyes of the A.I. that created her through Raven's DNA sample, she was deemed a failure. To Raven, Minerva was something special, no matter how unsettling she looked at first. For the next two and half years, he raised her as best as he could. During that time, her growth was rapid, both mentally and physically. Besides her strange fixation on only eating meat, she was healthy, or as healthy as someone like her could be.

"You can always try your luck with that Unicorn near Hoofington. I believe her name was Blackjack?" Even through audio, Minerva's words washed over his brain.

Raven shook his head. "No, I'm not going anywhere near that hell hole. I caused enough trouble there." Hoofington was the epitome of what was wrong with the wasteland. After killing Dues and driving out the thunderhead enclave members after finding out what the fruit did, he had to leave. He enraged one too many factions in that city, and being hunted down by half and killing half the city wasn't worth his time. "It's best I stay away." Any would-be assassin isn't dumb enough to take the caps, and giving him a bounty is also pointless. Since anyone who came after him was never heard from again or seen again.

"Also, I wish to see what makes this vault dweller so special. It hasn't been a month, and she's already making headwaves through the wasteland." If his suspicions were correct, Watcher also had his eye on this one. Before he could continue speaking, something flew over the lone Human. Above him, high in the air, was a Sky Bandit. Pulling the massive thing was a brown pegasus wearing a black stetson. "A Dashite," Raven mumbled to himself. This had to be the group. "Sorry, I have to cut this call short. I'll talk to you later... Sweetheart." If it weren't for the cloak, Minerva would see her father blushing ear to ear.

Before the young girl could gush about her father acting like a schoolgirl, Raven ended the call. He saw where the Sky Bandit was flying towards. In a burst of speed, he made his way toward Manehattan.

Manehattan

Littlepip and her group were heading toward the four-star station until Littlepip decided to take a detour after receiving a message from Watcher about meeting somepony. And he also warned him that this person isn't the greatest when it comes to social interactions. " So, another Steelhooves?" Littlepip thought.

As the group walked through the ruined city, Steel hooves voiced his concerns. "Are you sure about this? Something feels off."

The diminutive pony chuckled nervously. "W-well, somepony might be in need. You remember the disturbance we heard?" Indeed, as they landed, they heard gunshots and screams coming near them. Steelhooves wanted to leave it alone since this is Manehattan after all.

But Velvet Remedy , Calamity,and Littlepip wanted to check it out. So here they were, walking toward danger. The strange thing was, as they got closer, the red markers that indicated enemies were nearby were disappearing from Littlepip's hud display. Stranger was how it got colder, to the point where they could see their breath.

Steelhooves got his rocket launchers ready. "Be on your guard; something isn't right here." Calamity got his battle saddle ready. Littlepip pulled out Little Macintosh with magic, and Velvet got her horn prepared with a sleeping spell. As they turned the corner, they saw something that would haunt them for the rest of their days.

Countless mutilated bodies of dead raiders lay across the street. All of them were slowly turning into dust, including the roads and buildings, at a slower rate. The cause of this was the black and white mist that hung in the air, waiting to turn its next victim into dust. And the source of all this death and destruction? No other than Revenant stood in the middle of all this, holding a blade with a gun barrel and trigger attached to it.
On the other hand was the Raider that he held by the neck. "M-monster!" Spat the raider, mustering all the venom and vitriol he could.

"Ironic," The creature said coldly before tossing up the raider. As the raider came back down, Revenant swung his blade and pulled the trigger. The blade created an explosion, turning the raider into charred meat and splatting it everywhere. The man sighed and reloaded his gunblade. "More raiders, it never ends." Once that was finished, he held out his claw and started sucking the Valasia back into his body, along with any leftover vitality.

Meanwhile, Littlepip, Calamity, and Velvet were left slack-jawed. Steelhooves narrowed his eyes, not like anypony could see. "Oh, horseapples, that's the Revenant." The description for the thing was easy enough to remember; Tall, wearing a cloak with the Equestrian flag on its back. It also carried something too big to be called a sword. And for whatever reason, he had a gun barrel attached to it. “Ah think we should go. This guy is bad news.”

Before anypony else could speak, the Revenant said. “ My apologies for the mess. But I must ask.” He turned his head to the side, showing an endless pit of nothingness. Where the creature’s face was supposed to be was darkness, where light didn’t escape. “Tell me, are you the one they call Stable Dweller?” The creature directed its question at the smallest pony.

Littlepip audibly gulped. "U-uh, yeah. I'm the Stable Dweller." The tiny unicorn really hoped that Watcher was right about this guy.

Nodding, the creature sheathed his gunblade and finished removing the remaining Valasia from the surrounding area. Revenant sauntered his way toward the group. Meanwhile, the ponies became tensed as he got closer. Revenant stopped a few feet away and looked down at Littlepip. The mare had a brown mane, and green eyes, wore a vault suit with the number 2, and wore a pipbuck. Then he looked at her companions. The Dashite looked ready to pull the trigger on his battle saddle. The unicorn with the black coat looked like she was prepared to jump out of her own skin. And the Steel Ranger had his rocket launchers aimed at the creature.

Revenant nods to himself and speaks. "You are the one I have been searching for." These words put the ponies in front of him on edge. Was this creature an assassin? "You are the voice of Equestria! I shall join you on your journey!" The creature gave the group a slight bow. "I am Raven Maxwell, but most call me the Revenant." Velvet, Calamity, and Littlepip started sputtering. Meanwhile, Steelhooves gave the creature a stink eye, seeing what his playing at.

"Also, I have brought supplies." Raven pulls a burlap sack from his coat and drops it in front of the group. Littlepip took a look inside and was gobsmacked. The sack contained 17 healing potions, 5 magical bandages, 9 Rad-aways, 3000 bottlecaps, and 7 bottles of purified water. The bag even had ammunition, bottles of potion ponies had never seen, and strange-looking orbs.

Littlepip looks up at the strange creature with a wide grin. "Welcome to the cr-"

"HOLD IT!" Velvet Remedy cuts off Littlepip, seeing where this is going. The beautiful Unicorn steps forward and stares down at the creature. "Why would we let someone with your reputation join us? We saw what you did to those raiders. You're dangerous!"

Raven looks down at the unicorn and then at the steel ranger. "You are aware that you're traveling with a Steel Ranger?"

"And what is that supposed to mean, relic?" Steelhooves spoke up for the first time since meeting Raven.

"Shouldn't you be somewhere else, trying to confiscate someone's toaster?" Raven deadpanned.

"Looking for a fight?" Steel got into a fighting stance.

"I'll bring you there, shitstain," Raven growled, ready to pull out his gunblade.

Seeing the situation falling apart, Littlepip got between the two and yelled! "STOP IT, THE BOTH OF YOU!" The two veterans stop but grumble angrily. With the crisis averted, the young unicorn brings her attention back to Raven. "So why do you want to join us since I don't see how I am the voice of Equestria?"

Raven gestured towards Littlepip's companions. "You have a pegasus and a Steel ranger traveling with you. Despite your differences, you stick together. If this isn't friendship, I don't know what is." Steelhooves had an eyebrow raised under his helmet. " Where ever you go, you bring hope with you."

"But don't you do the same?" Littlepip interjected. Even though her time in the wasteland has been short, the mare heard stories about the Revenant. The mysterious stranger would go out of his way to kill raiders and slavers and leave supplies for recused ponies. "What makes us so different."

"I am alone," Raven said gravely. " I do not bring the same hope as you do. The wastelanders, they fear me." This isn't a surprise; multiple eyewitnesses have seen Revenant use unworldly magic to decimate entire raider camps.

"Well, yeah, ya pretty much show up out of nowhere, kill something, bring supplies, and leave. Without saying a single word. You're not making a connection." Calamity added his two cents.

"I am... Not good with social interaction." Raven said stoically.

Littlepip smiled at Raven. "It sounds like you need some friends."

"Friends..." Maybe, he could have friends again, like with Elsword. "Yes, that would be nice."

"Well then, welcome to the gang!" Littlepip held her hoof to shake.

Raven squatted so he was at eye level with the unicorn. Raven pulled down his hood, revealing the face of a disheveled Human. His black hair was shoulder-length and messy. His eye patch was replaced with white bandages. He had three claw marks across his lips, courtesy of a hellhound. Finally, he had a full beard that looked like it could use a trim. "Thank you, Littepip. I am Raven Maxwell, the Human."

So they traveled, and soon they would bring Sunlight back to Equestria.

Five years later, Nasods would return to Equestria. And Ten years later, Humanity would make its return, with Raven leading them. Of course, that's a story for another day. Thanks for reading.

Chapter 36 (New History)

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New History

New Elria, mess hall

It was another beautiful morning in the mess hall! The honeycomb and hagfish hive were giving the Equestrians the stink eye. The vamponies were hanging from the ceiling, doing their best to hide. Maud, the first sister, wore her cloak, not wanting to reveal herself to Pinkie Pie and her friends. Adagio, Aria, and Sonata were nearby, listening to conversations and scheming. The Lamias counted the jewelry they found in the castle treasury; there wasn't much, but they were worth many bits. Members of the Black Crow and the Equestrians sat across from each other and ate in silence. Moondancer picked at her food, not wanting to look at anypony, especially Twilight. Ambrosia sat there enjoying the awkwardness while Myxine wondered why she was even there.

Meanwhile, Raven sat at the wooden table, half awake. The man could barely keep his eye open before dozing off again. Queen Ambrosia, who sat next to the man, saw this and thought messing with the Human would be funny. "Psst!" She called quietly, grabbing everypony's attention at the table. Using her telekinesis, Ambrosia switched the position of Raven's eye patch, revealing his blind eye.

The man suddenly jerked and started looking around frantically but only saw darkness. This earned a couple of chuckles from the ponies at the table. Hearing the laughter, Raven realized what had happened and placed his eyepatch back over his blind eye. "Ambrosia, never do that again." He grumbled.

"How do you know if it was even me?" Ambrosia feigned ignorance.

"Because for the short time, I've known you, you've been pushing my buttons. So please, don't remind me of my vision impairment," He said coolly.

Losing sight from his left eye was still a sore subject, and Ambrosia could taste it. "Aw~, I'm sorry. Let me make it better." Ambrosia gave the former captain a peck on the cheek, causing the man to blush slightly. "All better."

Raven grumbled while ignoring the flat or disgusted stares from the Equestrians. Dignifying any of it would worsen things, and it was none of their business. So they sat in awkward silence again until Princess Cadance thought it best to get answers from the Human. "Mr.Maxwell, who is this Henir, and how do we defeat him."

"You can't," Raven said flatly. "Henir is a God, and we are mere ants compared to him. It's best to avoid his notice. As for what he is, Henir is the god of darkness and rules over the void named after him. That's all I’ll say about him. The less you know, the better." Raven was going to leave it there, but he saw the unimpressed expression from Cadance and continued. "As for why Henir has corrupted Twilight Sparkle, it's because of the facility I was slumbering in. My people built them back in ancient times. In their ignorance, they discovered Henir's dimension and used the energy from there to power the facility."

He paused to let some of the information sink in. Twilight had gotten parchment, and a quill from somewhere and was writing down the information with her mouth. Some of the Equestrians were putting the pieces together. "When my children and I tried leaving the facility, we somehow triggered an unknown self-destruct sequence, vaporizing foal mountains." The table went utterly silent after Raven's revelation. It explained so much and why foal mountain was gone. Still, something was off, and Applejack could smell it. The Human was lying about something!

Raven ignored Applejack's glare and waited on the pink Alicorn's response. "Are there other facilities you know about?" She finally answered.

"No." Raven lied. Cadance didn't believe it and stared at the Human, looking for any hint of dishonesty. Raven felt his stomach clench as Cadance continued to stare, and the farmer pony’s glare wasn't helping. "Hold it together!". So he kept his poker face up and was thankful when Twilight asked a question.

"Is it possible to revert the corruption?"Twilight asked, sounding a little desperate.

"Pull down your hood. I want to see the extent of the corruption." Twilight hesitated, not wanting anypony to see her face. Raven gave a slight tilt of the head. "Nothing to be ashamed of here. No one here is considered normal by pony standards." Raven encouraged. Still, the horrorcorn hesitated until Rarity placed a hoof on her withers. At the same time, her friends and family gave Twilight encouraging looks.

With that, she pulled down her hood, revealing her face. Moondancer dropped her spoon in shock at the reveal. Ambrosia and Myxine weren't too pleased with the shape of Twilight's horn. Everypony else didn't mind her appearance; after all, they had undead ponies amongst them.

"Are there any other mutations or new appendages I should know about?" The former captain asked calmly.

The Horrorcorn nods. "I grew thestral wings, a dragon's tail, and I have holes in my hind legs like a changeling."

"I see then. I can most likely revert some of the more obvious changes, but the corruption itself might be with you forever." Raven said honestly, "Also, I won't be able to do it right now."

"Why not?!" Rainbow Dash got up and slammed her hooves on the table, startling a few of them and making Jade cry. Rainbow Dash was smart enough to look sorry for that one. "Oh, uh, sorry."

Raven started rocking the crying Jade back and forth with his right arm. "Because I have a country to run, a family to care for, and ponies and changelings in need of my guidance." He stopped and debated if he should tell them about the El. "You might as well. And give them a history lesson while you're at it." The voice told him. "And even if I had the time, I still need to learn how to use the El properly. And what is the El? Let me tell you. In the beginning, there lived the god of Darkness, Henir, and the goddess of light, Elria."

Five minutes later

Raven gave the Equestrians a watered-down version of the history of Elrios. Of course, he cut out how the world ended and why he was put to sleep. "The El masters are gone, and their replacements, the El priestesses, are also gone. I'm one of the few remaining who can use the El properly." The man worded as carefully as he could, not wanting to give away that he was the only Human left. "Until I have the time, this will be on the back burner."

While he said this, the Equestrians had a hard time trying to digest this new information. Twilight was writing down all this fantastic new information. Then the mare stopped in the middle of her writing. "Wait, that means you're over ten thousand years old!" She said manically.

"Technically, yes, but I was asleep then, and right now, I'm around...Let's say twenty-eight years old." It didn't matter, but it was nice to keep track of it.

They fell into silence again, and thankfully, Raven could calm down the crying Jade with his claw. He brought his ring and middle finger into his thumb. Then he had his index and pinky finger point upwards. "Fox!" Causing the filly to giggle in delight. He even imitated the sound of a fox whine. He ignored the 'Aws' and giggles from everypony else.

"By the way, darling. Are you looking to be compensated for helping our dear friend Twilight?" Rarity asked out of curiosity.

Raven was slightly offended. "No. It's in our best interest to see Twilight Sparkle cured or at least mitigate most of the corruption. Your friend will most likely look the way she was, and I don't have to worry about a Henir fanatic running around causing trouble. Furthermore, I..." He stopped mid-rant and looked at Rarity. "You're a seamstress, yes?"

"Oh! Mr.Maxwell, I'm more than that!" Rarity flicked her purple mane to the side, hitting Applejack in the face. "I'm a fashionista!"

Dramaticsts aside, this was what Raven needed at the moment. "Yes, in exchange for helping Twilight, I want you to make undergarments for me." Yes, it was strange, but Raven didn't care and ignored the strange looks his subordinates and children gave him. "Really, undergarments?" Even his thoughts betrayed him!

"But of course, you came to the right mare for this!" Rarity clapped her hooves together in excitement. It was such a rare opportunity to make clothing for such an exotic creature. "Where should we even start? We must add more colors to your armor; black is so drab! I think red or white might be a good fit for you!" And Rarity went on and on.

Seeing how she wouldn't stop any time soon, Raven held up his claw, signaling the mare to stop. "I'm grateful, but I only need undergarments and only that. And before you go saying, " I need more armor or clothing." The man gestured toward the armor he was wearing. "This armor is specially made for me. It's self-repair and self-cleaning. It also slows the spread of venom throughout my body."

" You don't mean that you're.." Rarity asked, sounding concerned.

"Afflicted." Raven finished. He merely shrugs. "Such power doesn't come without a price." He brings a talon over an empty glass cup and taps it once with Valasia. In an instant, the glass turns to dust and blows away. "It's well worth it, though."It was a small reminder the man in front of him could have gone on a small rampage if he wanted to, but he didn't.

"I-I see, later I need to take your measurements." Rarity answered.

This brought up another question for the lone Human. "I have to ask, are you being compensated by the crown?" The man found it strange that these ponies, not including Twilight, would drop everything just because a new threat arose.

"Of course not; we're the bearers of the elements! It's our duty to protect Equestria. Don't need no compensation. Seeing ponies smile is reward enough." Applejack answered firmly.

Raven rubbed the bridge of his nose in annoyance. "Yes, but you're civilians with jobs and families. When you return to Equestria, I recommend you discuss making a contract with the crown. Because anything could happen while you're out on these adventures." He looked at Rainbow Dash and Applejack. "Career-ending injuries." The two mares shuddered at the mere thought of being unable to fly again or bucking. Raven looked at Fluttershy, causing the butter-colored mare to flinch. "Trauma that will leave you a wreck, unable to return to normal life." He brought his attention to Rarity and Pinkie Pie. "Death, leaving your love ones behind." Rarity's eyes began to water at that, while Pinkie Pie looked heartbroken, her mane deflated, and her color became mute.

"She does look like Mena, like that, " The man thought. Finally, he brought his attention to Twilight. "That's enough, Mr.Maxwell," Shining Armor interrupted. "They've known the risk since they stepped into the Everfree forest upon Nightmare Moon's return."

Raven wanted to say more but kept his peace. " I was merely warning them." The feeling of melancholy washed over him. "I've seen too many unable to continue or cut down in their prime. As I said, talk to Princess Celestia about this, it might be worthwhile."

Again, they were left in uneasy silence. "So, uh, Mr.Maxwell? Can I ask you something?" Asked the nervous young drake.

Raven shrugged nonchalantly. He was in a better mood today. "Of course, and you may call me Raven if you want. Calling me, Mr makes me feel old."

"Back during your time, were there any ponies, like earth ponies, pegasus, and unicorns?" Spike asked curiously.

Raven shook his head. "Yes and no, they were called horses, and Humans rode them. " This earned him a few snickers throughout the mess hall.

Myxine snorted in amusement. "Would you like to ride us too?" She asked sarcastically.

Ambrosia gave the Human a nudge to the side. "You can ride me anytime. All you need to do is ask?" Again she gave the man bedroom eyes.

"Oh, hush, all of you. It's horse, not whore or however you ponies say it." He just wanted to finish answering the question.

"Daddy, what's a whore?" Asked Amber. She looked up at her father with those big innocent eyes.

Raven face-palmed and spoke in a muffled voice. "I'll tell you when you're older. " How could a simple question derail the situation so quickly? "As I said, horses were much taller and weighed around 1,500 to 2,000 pounds."

Applejack whistled in amazement. "Sounds like those fellas could do some damage." commented the farm pony

"That they could do, but it was their weakness as well. A broken leg was a death sentence for horses as they were too heavy to support themselves with only three legs. In the wild, they were good as dead. Even the ones we kept domesticated had to be put down" He might have let that last part slip because he didn't like how the Equestrians gasped at them.

"You enslaved them? Could you be so cruel?" Came from a distraught Fluttershy. The other equestrians didn't look happy either.

Raven nearly rolled his eye. Instead, the man answered her question. " Fluttershy horses had the average intelligence of a three-year-old human child. At best, they were sentient and nothing else. Horses didn't have a culture, language, or imagination. Just animals." He wasn't being cruel; he was stating the facts. It wasn't any different from what the ponies did.

"Hold on. They aren't all mindless animals!" Pinkie cut in with her mane back in its usual messy state. "Cows can talk, and Dasiy Jo is a good friend of mine; she always provides milk for Sugarcube Corner.

Raven's eye momentarily widened for a second. " The bovines can talk?" Once he received confirmation. He became silent, despair taking hold of him. " And I thought Humans were cruel."

Myxine cringed at the taste. "Are you alright?" The Changeling Queen wondered what had him in such a state.

The man nearly shed a tear but couldn't show weakness now. "I'm mourning the fact that I won't be able to have another stake. I'm not willing to eat something that talks." Raven chose to ignore the scoff that came from Oleander. "That Chimera was delicious. "

Twilight gave Raven a nervous smile. "So you do eat meat?" Raven opened his mouth and showed off his canines. Ambrosia cooed at how adorable they were since they were tiny compared to Changelings. Even Thestrals had bigger fangs. "How about I suggest some animals that fit your criteria?" Fluttershy was about to object until Rainbow Dash slapped a hoof over the pegasus's mouth. They wanted the big scary Human to eat anything that wasn't a pony or sapient. "Chickens, pigs, and most of the monsters in the Everfree forest."

Pinkie Pie added her suggestion. "Quarry eels, they're big and mean. Just like you." Raven gave the mare a flat look. "Sorry! You need to smile more!" She smiled sheepishly.

"Them, bats, that ate ma family's apples." Offered Applejack. The mare could hold a grudge.

"Girls! How could you?" Fluttershy said with watery eyes.

Rainbow Dash hugged her long-time friend and looked at the Human. "Fish, me, and Glida had it when we were younger." The cyan pegasus offered her two cents.

The only one with nothing to offer was Rarity, which was fine. The talk about meat was making her queasy. Raven smiled and thanked the mares for their fantastic suggestion. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind when looking for my next meal. Now, I think it's time we start our little bet." As soon as Raven stood up, Spike burped up green flames. "Mind your manners, boy." Raven chided.

The green flames became a yellow envelope. It was addressed to Shining Armor and Princess Cadance. The latter took it with her magic; it was most likely a response letter from her aunts. The pink Alicorn opened it and took out pictures. She regretted it. Shining Armor felt his stomach flip at these pictures. Meanwhile, Cadance galloped to the nearest trash can and emptied the contents of her stomach. The mare pulled her head out, with tears running down her cheek. "Oh, sweet Celestia, who could do such a thing!" She wailed.

The mane six seeing this tried to look at the photos. Shining Armor firmly refused and floated them over to the Human, who took them. Raven's heart sank once he saw who was in these photos. " A Freak Beast, and a Skin Splitter." The hall became deathly silent. Those who were there for Raven's explanation of Henir became fearful. "These things need to die."

"Just wait a minute!" Fluttershy took to the air and got in Raven's face. "We need to talk to these creatures, and I-" Raven showed a photo of the Skinsplitter, and behind it was the carnage it made. Fluttershy became pale and slowly floated down. Once she hit the floor, she curled up and mumbled.

"Let me be clear," Raven announced. "Unlike Twilight, these things have been fully corrupted by Henir. Both in body and mind. If you tried talking to one of these creatures, especially a Skin Splitter, it would rip you in half, slowly." Raven looked at the prince. "I recommend ranged combat for these things. You can get away with fighting the Freak Beast at close quarters but not the Skin Splitter."He would have recommended Artillery but remembered that they didn't have any. "Also, use real combat spells, not a generic magic blast. Use fire or lightning to pierce its hide and ice to slow it down. "I'll even make some potions for you to take back. "

It was in everyone's best interest to see these cultists die. "Let's just start the bet." As Raven left, Princess Cadance gave Rainbow Dash a letter. The cyan pegasus took the note after trying to get Fluttershy to talk about what she saw. The mare read the letter and was devastated. Scootaloo's parents were dead. Rainbow Dash crumpled the letter and wailed in anger.

It was such a good morning too.

[Skin Splitter Sugar Belle]

[Art by Redahfuhrerking ]

April Fools!(3)

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Somewhere far into the multiverse(Anthro World!)

Canterlot Castle

"How did I get into this situation?" Raven thought to himself. The Cyborg had been asking himself this question since he had been reawakened. On his best days, he was uncomfortable. He needed a cold bath on his worst days to calm himself down. Why did Raven feel like this constantly? Is it because of the new world he found himself in? How alien Equis magic feels compared to the El and El energy he produced? Or how lax these Equestrians were when it came to security. Unfortunately, it was none of these. What made him uncomfortable was-

"Commander Raven, are you not feeling well?" Came the concerned voice of Princess Celestia.

Raven opened his single eye and found himself staring at an alabaster humanoid. Her face was equine-like, but comparing her to any known equine would be insulting. She wore a form-fitting toga that accentuated her hourglass figure. It also exposed one of her hooved legs, showing off her well-toned thigh and Cutie Mark. "Is she even wearing any underwear?" If that wasn't enough, her clothing left her massive cleavage exposed. Raven could only guess Celestia's breasts were at least JJ cups. Celestia had a unicorn horn and two huge wings, but they paled in comparison to the bombshell of a body she had; she was a head shorter than the man, horn not included.

In short, Raven wanted to leap across the table and ride her like the horse she was. Of course, he kept his outward expression stoic and ignored the uncomfortable feeling in his pants. Then, he finally remembered where he was and what he was supposed to do. The man found himself in a conference room. In front of him were other anthropomorphic creatures. This included a Yak, Zebra, Buffalo, Diamond dog, Minotaur, Dragon, Griffon, and Abyssinian. Usually, this would be all the creatures the diarchy could call upon for such a meeting.

Thankfully, Raven could 'convince' the animal folk to also come. This included the Cattlekind, Alpake, Deerfolk, Goatani, Longma, and Sheeple. He also brought along the four Changeling queens, and no one was happy. But Raven didn't care. So Raven sighed and leaned back in a custom-made chair to fit his size. "I'm just tired." Which was the understatement of the century. Between running a new country, raising children, training Moon Charm, and clearing out the lower floors of Mementos, Raven felt like shit and, at best, was running on two hours of sleep.

"You should sleep more," Came the dry remark from Princess Luna, who was equally stunning as her sister. She wore a similar dark blue form-fitting toga. She showed off her muscular arms proudly, which indicated her recent training. And just like her sister, Luna showed off one of her legs and plush rump. However, her bust was significantly smaller than Celestia's. Size DD if Raven had to guess. If given the chance, Raven would probably try to ride her as well, but he hated the blue bitch.

"I'll take that into consideration," Raven said, equally dryly. They both agreed to keep things cordial while in the public eye. The man took a deep breath and suppressed these uncomfortable feelings. "Back to the meeting. Tell me, why should I help you with the Storm King? I already have my hands full with...Everything."

"Because he's a menace!" Came from an anthropomorphic black female cat. She had yellow scleral and black slit pupils. She wore a purple dress that barely covered her slim body. Also, she wore a golden tiara on top of her head. The cat is or was the Queen of Abyssinian, and the King of Abyssinian sat next to her. "He came to our kingdom, attacked our citizens, took all of the treasure, and set everything ablaze!" The former Queen slammed her hand on the table while her tail moved back and forth in irritation.

The former King of Abyssinian patted his wife on the shoulder, trying to calm her down. "My Queen is trying to say that the Storm King will become all of our problems if we don't do anything about it. Also, did he not make you an offer?" The former King gave the cyborg a knowing look.

"He sent an envoy that consisted of a fat hedgehog and a unicorn mare with a broken horn," Raven said with a frown, remembering the interaction. "I believe the Unicorn's name was Shadow Tempest? She asked me to give up our valuables and magical artifacts and join the Storm King." Raven had to stop Maya from decapitating the two right then and there. "Naturally, I told her to sit and spin on her broken horn." This got a few snickers from a couple of occupants in the room. "And told them to leave and only return if they had something to trade. Magical artifacts and treasures? There's nothing but a pink castle and grasslands." Raven was lying through his teeth. Everything in Mementos was more valuable than everything these people had combined.

Again, Raven wasn't telling the whole truth about Shadow Tempest's offer. It made him consider something, just for a second. "I only warned Equestria and surrounding territories of a possible invasion." It was probably the reason why this meeting was happening anyway. "Me and my big mouth." Raven berated himself. He dragged along the Changeling Queens and other animal folk because he wasn't going to suffer alone through this bullshit. "Seeing how Queen Nova isn't here, I assume the Hippogriffs have been taken out?" He could only guess they somehow escaped, or it was genocide.

Princess Celestia lowered her head in shame and nodded. "Yes, it seems like it." Raven felt for them, but at the moment, he had far too much on his plate. Unlike Chrysalis, this new enemy wasn't nearby, and he wasn't sure what the Storm King had up his sleeve.

"Even if I wanted to go to war with the Storm King, I need their approval." Raven gestured toward the four Changling Queens near him: Ambrosia, Myxine, Miasma, and Calliphora. Ambrosia, of course, was the resident troublemaker who wore some transparent gown that showed off way too much, but shame isn't in her dictionary. Myxine, the logical one, wore a regular sailor uniform. There was nothing special about it: a white blouse, black trousers, and a blue sash wrapped around her slim waist. Then there's Miasma; she was the most difficult to deal with out of the four queens. Her snobbish and posh attitude got on his nerves and reminded him too much of Velder Academy. She wore a violet dress that matched her shoulder-length violet mane and a miniature top hat with a bow attached to it. It was old-fashioned compared to what modern nobles wore. Finally, there was Calliphora...

Raven stared at the mare in question. She had a frizzy, light beige mane that reached her shoulders. The horn on top of her head was reversed and looked sharp. The queen chose a white sleeping gown as her attire... Why? Raven didn't want to know. Calliphora noticed the man's stare and stared back with her slit-red eyes. She kept staring as if she could see through him. Then she finally blinked with her nictitating membrane, causing Raven to cringe inwardly. "Holy shit."Calliphora was fucking creepy and possibly a lunatic.

Overall, despite their differences, they are similar body-wise. They have black carapace skin and holes in their hands, arms, and legs. They have Slim figures that are borderline malnourished and have small breasts. By Equestrian standards, these four have modest bodies and don't make him feel hot and bothered... most of the time. "What do you mares say? Feel like going to war?" Raven asked plainly.

"Hhhmmm? Nope!" Ambrosia answered first in child-like glee.

"We have little reason to risk our drones' lives for so little gain," Myxine said next, narrowing her eyes.

"Come now. You should be on your hands and knees begging us for help." Miasma looked at the surrounding delegates contemptuously." but the answer would still be no." She laughed haughtily, causing the slits on the side of her mouth to open up.

Calliphora stared off into space again before nodding to an unseen figure. "Nuisance, the king of storms, is unworthy of the Raven's time." She spoke in her strange way. Then she directed her blank stare towards Raven. "Caution: if left for too long, the wound will begin to fester," the mare answered cryptically.

There were three 'No's and one 'Maybe.' Raven shrugged nonchalantly. He didn't have an army without those four agreeing.
He could probably send Maya to take care of the problem. Yes, the Nasod is that strong! Raven was ashamed to admit he wasn't on her level just yet. The only things stopping him from doing it were his paranoia and caution.

Seeing how this discussion was getting them nowhere, a rather old griffon cleared his throat. "What about those bombs ya dropped on Chrysalis' castle?" asked the miserly griffon.

Raven turned his attention to the ancient griffon, who was quiet and missing all the feathers on his head. He wore a rust-red fez and a grey suit. He went by the name of Grampa Gruff and was the only one willing to act as Griffonstone's representative. "I have no idea what you are talking about." Raven played ignorant. It didn't work.

The old griffon scoffed. "Don't lie to me, chick. It doesn't suit a mercenary like you," the old bird answered matter-of-factly.

"Mercenary Knight." Raven corrected, not wanting to be compared to a lowly mercenary. " We roamed the land serving and protecting the people with honor." The words felt like ash on his tongue. Regardless of honor, it was a heavy-handed way for the Velder nobles to collect taxes. Raven took a deep breath and exhaled. "It doesn't matter anymore. I no longer hold the title, and my men are dead. So drop it." This caused some of them to murmur among themselves—more insight into the Human's past.

Grampa Gruff held his talons up in mock surrender. "Alright, Alright, I'll drop it." He was surprisingly calm about it. "Still, a couple of birdies have been talking ya group dropping blue bombs on those bugs." Miasma visibly scowled at the insult but held her tongue. "So what cha hiding?" He gave the Human a cheeky grin.

"Disfrozen is a highly volatile explosive used for bombs." He wanted to keep it secret as long as possible, but that didn't mean he couldn't weave lies into the truth. "I used my knowledge of alchemy to recreate the weapon." In fact, he created three mortars and had Myxine operate them. He couldn't get the Disfrozen portals working, so the mortars were the next best thing.

"Would you be willing to share such secrets?" Came the stupid reply from a minotaur Raven couldn't bother remembering.

"As soon as I find my left arm." Raven snarked back. In translation, "Fuck Off!". Not even Trixie, who helped him put the bombs together, knew the formula for Disfrozen. Raven saw the sour or apprehensive expressions across the room. "It's not my job to uplift any of you. Why don't you ask the dragons to take care of this problem?" Raven directed his attention to the sole dragoness in the room.

Princess Ember flinched hard at Raven's piercing gaze. Like the old griffon, the dragons sent the most willing. It was unfortunate for both Ember and Raven. The dragon princess didn't want to be anywhere near the human and his unflinching gaze. They were the eyes of an apex predator who wanted to see the world burn. As for Raven, it was tough not to stare at her body. Ember wore the equivalent of bikini armor that barely covered her ridiculous assets. Massive thighs and a butt so big he can see from the front, G cup breast that looks ready to pop out of her armor. "WHY DOES A LIZARD HAVE BREAST? AND WHY ARE PEOPLE TREATING THIS AS NORMAL? DID I END UP IN SOMEONES PERVERTED DREAM?"

The Changeling Queen could quite literally taste Raven's lust. Ambrosia gave the Human a knowing look. Meanwhile, Miasma gave him a smug look. Calliphora stared off into space again. Myxine gave Raven a flat look that said, "Control yourself." He did this by thinking about when he met the young dragon Spike. It was ridiculous; the "boy" looked like a fully grown man, Raven... Raven wanted to go home.

Ember recomposed herself and answered the question. " Fathe—" she quickly corrected herself. Lord Torch will say no unless—" She trailed off and looked at the Abyssinians. "You are willing to give up on the treasure the Storm King took."

"Never!" The former Abyssinian queen hissed at the young dragoness.

Princess Ember shrugged helplessly. "Then the dragons won't help."

Raven leaned back in his chair, covering his face with his normal hand. He hated politics. "Send the elements of harmony. I'm sure they can friendship the king to death." The man was too tired to give a fuck.

"No." Princess Celestia replied firmly. Twilight was still in a fragile state.

Raven had enough of this. "What have all you been doing these past 1000 years?" There wasn't heat in his voice; it was just disappointment. "Where are your armies? Your weapons? Advancements? All I see is stagnation." It took only one creature with a fleet of wooden airships and spears to startle them. "The time of peace is over, so where is your FEROCITY!" He yelled! Almost everyone flinched at his booming voice.

Luna begrudgingly agreed but wasn't going to let those insults slide. "And what have you humans been doing all this time? Hiding yourselves away or cowering in fear?" She replied snidely. The room became deathly quiet as the temperature dropped dramatically.

"What are you implying, thief?" Raven stood up slowly from his chair, his voice calm.

Luna stood up as well, ignoring her sister's plea. "The only human we've seen running around is you." She pointed a finger at the man."So where are your human armies, hmm? I don't see them. The only thing I see is an arrogant little human hiding behind an army of Changelings."

Valasia gathered in the palm of his claw. Raven looked down right, murderous."You willing to say that to my face, you fucking thief!" The audacity of this mare calls humans cowards while using a weapon that belonged to a human! "Well, Nightmare Moon?"

Princess Luna snarled and jumped onto the table with her horn glowing a hellish blue. "You insolent monkey!"

Raven jumped onto the table, ready to fight. "Stupid fucking horse!"

Before they could brawl, Princess Celestia and the Changeling Queens tackled them. "Let's take an hour break, everypony!" The Eldest sister dragged the younger sister out by the ear. Meanwhile, the Queen dragged Raven out of the room with hands and feet bound with Changeling goo.

5 minutes later

"Do you feel better?" Asked an annoyed Myxine.

"You already know the answer to that," Raven replied dryly. He was leaning against a white pillar and staring out a window. He was watching Equestrians down below going about with their daily activities. "War is fast approaching. I can feel it." Dread gripped his heart, the unshakeable feeling of something terrible happening.

Miasma scoffed, "The Storm King? He's nothing but a fool with a couple of wooden toys." It was nothing compared to what Raven showed her: untapped potential ready to be released.

"Not him... But something else. I don't know where, but we need to prepare." Raven clenched and unclenched his claw in agitation.

"Uncertainty, Darkness spreads throughout the land, but which is the darkest?"Calliphora answered, not confident about where to go from here.

So they stayed in uncomfortable silence until Ambrosia got a bright idea. The honey Changeling stepped closer and placed her right hand over the man's crotch. "Oi!" Raven flinched away, but Ambrosia stepped forward, keeping her hand there,

"I saw how you were staring at those mares. You must be so pent up!" She started rubbing it and got a reaction. She felt his member stiffen. " How about I give you a blowjob?" Ambrosia's cheeks took a green hue.

Raven was about to refuse before he thought about it. "This might make me feel better,""YES!". He looked around before answering. "Let's find somewhere more private." Ambrosia cheered before leading Raven away.

Myxine followed behind with an eye twitch. "Are you bucking serious? You're willing to do this but not have sex with us?"

"It's complicated." Came Raven's reply.

Miasma and Calliphora also came along, the former to show the proper technique and the latter out of curiosity. Raven's one blow job turned into four.

Bonus!

While everyone thought Calliphora was staring off into space, she was looking at the occasional specters that would pop into and out of existence near Raven. She would see a Human woman with blonde hair standing near him, and she would see Human males wearing armor gather around the man.

Sometimes, she would see a boy with red hair and matching red armor give an encouraging cheer. Next, a girl with purple hair and a wand in hand would huff and turn away. Next, a woman with green hair and pointy ears would appear and hug the tired man. A silhouette of a girl made from zeros and ones would fade in and out. A girl with fiery red hair who looked similar to the younger boy would give encouraging nods. Another boy with silver hair would lean on a nearby wall and give Raven occasional looks. A little girl and a tall man would appear and cheer the man on. And finally, broken shards of something would come into existence and stand there.

Once these specters noticed her look, they disappeared. What a strange man Calliphora decided to follow.