> The Rise of an Arch-Nemesis: Hail the Tambelon Empire
>  by Lord Shadow Eclipse
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prologue
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It was a cold day in the wild parts of the Crystal Empire. Dammit, every day was a cold day this far north! The cold air was biting the nerves in the scales of the young dragon that sat outside his temporary base of operations. This was cave in the mountains around the land of the Crystal Empire's Citadel.

The young dragon was of a slim, yet muscular build. His pronounced wings were long and thin, allowing for speedy flights through the sky. His scales were mostly dark gray, but his head and back spikes were a bright red. His sharp, reptilian amber-colored eyes surveyed the Citadel from the vantage point he currently occupied. He stared at the Crystal Citadel with disgust.

"What a Goddess-forsaken place to build an empire! Why couldn't these pathetic creatures build it further south?! Sure, the weather is dry and hot as Tartarus, but at least it's warm!" the dragon spoke to himself.

He knew better than to complain, though. His master had given him orders that made him come to this horrid place. Since the master saved him, he would always follow any order he gave him. Even if the master told him to kill himself, he would do so with a smile on his face. The master's orders were absolute. He could bring himself to ignore the cold air of this frigid environment if it meant making the master happy.

Besides, the master said that now was the perfect time to put his great plan into motion. According to him, he has everything ready to bring their shared dreams and desires into fruition. Together, they will reshape not just the Crystal Empire, but all of Equestria into an age of TRUE harmony. Not that toxic nonsense they always heard coming from the mouths of Princesses Celestia and Luna. However, the dragon had noticed that his master seemed to take a special interest in Equestria's current ruler: Twilight Sparkle.

Ever since she took the throne and claimed dominion over Equestria, she had established friendly relations with the Dragonlands, the Griffon Empire, Yakyakistan, the Hippogriffs (Seaponies), and even the Changeling Hive, and they were mortal enemies of Equestria! The master was taken by this development within the kingdom they both despised so much. He was watching the goings-on in Equestria for centuries, but he was especially interested in this group called "the Mane Six". The dragon remembered how angry the master was when he saw the Bugbear get defeated by this hooful of pony garbage, but he was furious when, during the Cozy Glow debacle, he received word that the monsters imprisoned in Tartarus remained imprisoned even when they helped these ungrateful wretches escape from that realm of misery!

However, the one thing that made the master the most angry was the fact that the Mane Six actually returned Starswirl and his pack of lap-dogs back from Limbo! The master appeared to know these individuals quite well. The dragon had never seen such hatred and rage on the master's face before. And it terrified him more than anything else. He had heard stories of the Pillars from his master. His stories about them were always the same: stories of how the Pillars were responsible for some of the greatest massacres in history. Well, not in Pony history. The history of his people: monsters. He compared their strength to that of a small army. He spoke of an incident where the Pillars destroyed a goblin colony just because they established a home a little too close to a Pony farming village. There was great sadness on his face when he spoke of how Starswirl had banished the Sirens to another world, altogether. He was watching as they destroyed three separate nests of vampires in one night! He was furious when the Pillars heard that he had driven the Rakshasa species to extinction. He had heard all of these stories of how the Pillars had destroyed countless monsters just because they existed. The dragon was more than happy to help the master make them pay for their crimes in blood! 

The dragon returned to the cave to warm up by his Flame Crystal, an essential winter-environment survival tool. Unlike a regular fire, the Flame Crystal fed on its own infinite stores of magic energy, thus always producing a fire like heat no matter what the outside temperature. He took out a few amethyst's and started eating them when he heard a distinct ringing noise coming from his backpack.

He reached into his backpack and pulled out a small object that gave off a red, pulsating glow. The object itself was a small pyramid-shaped object carved out of a solid piece of obsidian. There were two runes craved into opposite sides of the pyramid: one to call someone from far away and another one to end calls. He gently tapped the pyramid with his claw to answer the message. He then set the pyramid on the stone floor of the cave as a dark mist rose above him, coming from the pyramid itself.

Suddenly, two bright red lights shone from the cloud of dark mist, and the dragon bowed respectfully and reverently in front of the unusual sight. He had to bow because he knew exactly who was talking to him: his master!

"Hello, master. Hail the Tambelon Empire!" the dragon cried out with no small amount of patriotism.

"Hail the Tambelon Empire" the mist replied.

"Have you got everything ready to accomplish the task I have given you, Spine?", a dark, yet smooth voice asked, calling his subordinate by name.

"I do, my lord. Everything is ready for me to carry out your orders without fail.", the dragon said, whose name apparently was Spine.

"Excellent. Just to be sure, I must ask, You know why we're doing this, right?"

"Of course: to right the wrongs of history and create a world where ALL are happy", Spine responded.

The mist seemed to smile at his subordinate's passionate tone as he responded to his question. Well, as much of a smile as mist could give.

"That is a perfect response. Do you remember who your target is?" the mist asked.

"Of course I do. I have to assassinate the current ruler of the Dragonlands: Dragon Lord Ember"
> Chapter 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was a lovely day in the grand capital city of Equestria: Canterlot. The sun was shining. The birds were singing up a storm. Princess Twilight and her ever-faithful dragon assistant Spike were getting ready to welcome their friends, the other members of the Mane Six (as well as being members of the newly established Friendship Council), and the Pillars to the palace to get ready for the Equestria Games.

"Spike, did you remember to check to see if everyone's going get their own rooms?", Twilight asked the dutiful dragon.

"For the 23rd time, yes, Twilight. I made sure. Fluttershy has the small shed by the Zoological Gardens. Applejack has the room overlooking the Palace Orchard. Rarity has the room with the sapphire chandelier. Rainbow has the highest tower overlooking the city. She always did love high, commanding views. Pinkie, per her own request, has the palace kitchen pantry of all places to room in. I don't think I'll ever understand how her mind works the way it does. Starlight and Trixie opted to room together in the second bedroom of the north wing. Starswirl is bedding in the Observatory. Stygian is sharing a room with Flash Magnus and Rockhoof. And lastly, Mage Meadowbrook, Mistmane, and Somnambula are rooming together.", Spike recounted to his adoptive mother.

Twilight let out a sigh of relief. "Sorry, Spike. I just want everything to go smoothly so everyone can get enough rest to travel to the Crystal Empire for the Equestria Games." 

"Twilight, everything is going to be fine. Look, everypony's got their own accommodations. The old and new gang's going to get together again since defeating the villains. Everything is just fine. Now, as your number-one assistant, how about i assist you to the main gate to greet our friends?", Spike suggested with a loving smile.

Twilight smiled and kissed Spike on the cheek, showing that she really appreciated Spike looking out for her the way he does and for putting up with her... issues.

"Yes, let's go greet our friends, Spike."

- At the main gate-

Twilight and Spike made their way to the main castle gate, where a large platoon of Royal Guards and royal attendants were eagerly awaiting their beloved Princess. Some of the attendants sounded trumpets in response to the Alicorn's approach, signaling the Guards to stand at attention and salute the very Princess they've sworn to protect at all cost. Spike was particularly impressed with the dutifulness of the Guards before him.

Twilight knew that Spike often dreamed about becoming a great warrior, so she gave him the title of a Royal Knight to help him achieve this dream. He was fitted for armor and had the Royal blacksmith forge a weapon for him. Spike chose a longsword, which he was currently wearing in a back scabbard. His armor was designed in a way so that he could still use his wings if he had to. The downside to that is that the gap in the armor left his back vulnerable to attack. But he quickly developed a fighting style to compensate for that gap. He had grown into a fine young male dragon.

As they approached the gate, Twilight spoke to Spike. "So, how are you and Rarity getting along? I've noticed that you've been sending her a lot of letters.", Twilight said with a singsong voice. Spike smiled meekly and blushed redder than even Big Mac.

"Well, things are actually going quite well. Her fashion empire is still going strong. In fact, it's going so strong that she's had to hire more help to keep up with the increasing demand for her creations.", Spike responded.

"Not that. I mean your 'relationship'."

"W-well, just before we invited everyone to the castle, I asked Rarity if she wanted to have dinner together sometime before we leave for the Crystal Empire. At a restaurant. By ourselves."

Twilight was smirking. "Oooooooooh! I knew you'd gather up the guts to do it one day! Spike, you sly wolf."

Spike was burning up from embarrassment. "Okay, can we just change the subject?! How is Applejack holding up? I remember that she was quite upset when Granny Smith died."

"Well, fortunately she's doing a lot better now. Sweet Apple Acres is running as smoothly as ever, the crops are as healthy as always, and the whole family is pitching in to help. And great news: Big Mac and Sugar Belle are having a baby!"

Spike's eyes widened. "No way! That's amazing! I'll have to get Applejack to congratulate them both for me."

"Our other friends are doing pretty good, too.", Twilight continued. "Pinkie's so excited to help with the catering for the other nations' leaders when we meet them for the Games.".

"What about Cheese or Lil' Cheese? Aren't they coming, too?", Spike asked.

"No, I'm afraid. Cheese Sandwich got a contract to plan a big town holiday in Trottingham and Lil' Cheese wanted to go with him."

"And what about Rainbow Dash? Is she going to compete in the Games this year?".

"Oh, Rainbow's doing quite fine. And no, she's not going to be competing this year. In fact, she's leading her own squad within the Wonderbolts to fly the Equestrian flag across the arena.", Twilight said.

"And Fluttershy?"

"Well, aside from looking after her animals, Fluttershy has been doing amazing work in promoting conservation efforts for endangered species all over Equestria. Discord's been helping out a lot with her endeavors, as well."

Spike let out a small chuckle. "Yeah. Those two are inseparable. What of Starlight and Trixie?"

"Starlight's really been great as the new Headmistress of the School of Friendship. Trixie's stage tricks have become so popular that she's started to gain the attention of even the highest of Canterlot nobility. That's not an easy feat for a stage magician to pull off".

Spike then asked, "What about the Pillars? I assume that they're doing well after returning to a modern Equestria. Starswirl in particular seems to be the most impressed about your accomplishments as the new sole reigning Princess of Equestria".

Twilight let out a tiny squeal. "I'm so happy that my childhood hero is so proud of me, Spike! Especially with how I screwed up our first meeting."

Spike gave her a sly smirk. "Oh, you mean how you summoned not only him and the other Pillars from Limbo, but also the Pony of Shadows who could've plunged the entire land into darkness and evil? That about cover it?"

"Yes, Spike. That just about covers all of it.", Twilight responded flatly. "Let's just focus on welcoming our friends, yeah?"

"Yeah. Let's do this."

The Guards up at the gate towers looked down to see Princess Twilight signal them to let down the gate. They quickly lowered the gate to let Twilight's closest friends into the castle. Twilight and Spike were greeted with nothing but happy faces, a bunch of "hellos", and warm hugs.

Twilight spoke up, "It's truly amazing to see all of you again after such a long time!"

"We're all so happy to see you, too, Twilight! And you, too, Spike!", Pinkie exclaimed.

"Damn right, we are. I brought some good apple fritters for you. I bet you're sick and tired of that high-and-mighty royal kitchen food and need some good ol' down-home country cooking.", Applejack said, producing a plate of said fritters from her saddlebag. Twilight looked at them with an almost predatory gaze.

"You have no idea, Applejack. I always missed your Apple Family cooking.", Twilight responded.

"Hey, Twi! Haven't seen you in forever. I bet you missed racing, and losing to, me in the skies.", Rainbow Dash said with no small amount of friendly bravado.

Twilight wrapped the blue Pegasus in a hug. "I missed you, too, Dash". Twilight then went to greet Fluttershy.

"Hey Fluttershy. How are your animals?", Twilight asked the shy Pegasus before her. Fluttershy gave a smile that could melt icecaps.

"Oh, they're doing very well, Twilight. Just last week, me and Tree Hugger rescued a little wolf pup from some poachers. We nursed the poor thing back to health and reunited her with her mother and the rest of the pack.", Fluttershy relayed with a bit of pride that was most unusual for the normally timid mare.

The Pillars all bowed respectfully before Twilight. Starswirl and the other Pillars have barely aged a day since coming back from Limbo. Both Twilight and Starswirl hypothesized that them being in Limbo for so long has affected their aging process. It was the most logical conclusion that they could come to, since they hadn't aged while in Limbo. Starswirl spoke first out of all of them.

"Your Royal Highness! Princess Twilight, Princess of Friendship, Element of Magic, and Sovereign Ruler of Equestria! We humbly thank you for inviting us to stay in your castle!", Starswirl said with all the one would normally show a ruler. Twilight giggled.

"Thank you for your show of respect, dear mage. May you enjoy all the comforts my castle has to offer.", she said with a playful tone in her voice. She and the bearded wizard stared at each other for a good bit before they both started giggling. Then the giggling turned into a great burst of laughter. The Pillars all stood up and laughed along with everyone else. 

"So Rockhoof, how are you enjoying being a Royal Storyteller?", Twilight asked the mound of pure muscle standing before her.

"Oh, it's great. Stygian's been helping me write stories as well as telling them", Rockhoof said, nudging his skinny buddy. Stygian gave a simple smile.

"It's the least I could do for you, after all you've done for me. Remember when a Saurian almost sliced me in half with his warsword?", Stygian asked, recounting the experience. Rockhoof gave a hearty laugh that only warriors of high caliber can give.

"Hahaha! Of course I remember. You almost lost your head until I gave that two-legged handbag a deadly whack with my trusty shovel!", Rockhoof said while twirling his shovel in the air like he was part of a marching band color-guard.

Twilight spoke up, noticing that it was quickly becoming dark. "Okay, we're all happy to see each other, but why don't we do so INSIDE the castle?", she suggested. And with that, everyone went inside the castle to catch up. Twilight smiled to herself.

Yes, this is perfect. The kingdom is happy, everyone's got a smile on their faces, and there are no more villains to worry about. Yes, sir, this is a paradise.





The gate retracted upwards and the group of friends walked inside, unaware of the pair of beady eyes watching them. A rat had been watching the friends and had heard their conversations. The rat scampered off and made it past the gate before it closed completely. Now that it was outside the castle wall, it made it's way to a wall surrounding the backyard of some stuffy noble. Once it arrived, it heard a high-pitched raspy voice call out from the growing shadows.

"Come here, child.", one of the shadows spoke. Out of the darkness, a tall figure cloaked in black reached out to the rodent with a clawed, four-fingered hand. The figure wore a large hood, obscuring its face. The rat climbed into the hand, which lifted it up to it's concealed face.

"Now, tell me everything.", the figure ordered of its tiny servant. The rat began to squeak in its own language. These sounds would sound like regular rat sounds, but they were words to this mysterious figure. From underneath the hood, two beady, glowing white eyeballs widened. The figure gave a horrific smile, showing jagged teeth.

"Oh, the master is going to be so happy to hear that! He'll probably congratulate us on doing such a fine job!", the figure said to its servant. The figure gently put the rat down on the ground and spoke to it again.

"Go. Return to the castle and tell the others to keep close eyes and ears on them. The more information we collect, the more praise we will get from the master!", the figure ordered, pointing in the direction of the castle. The rat nodded once and returned to its mission.

The figure spoke softly. "Yes, the master will be most pleased. Most pleased, indeed. After all, we all exist to carry out his vision. Hail the Tambelon Empire!".
> Chapter 2
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Over 1,000 Years Ago

Stygian was walking through the forest around the recently built Castle of the Two Sisters. The rest of the Pillars were inside the Castle having dinner with the new Princesses of the land. His friends were all laughing and having a great time speaking of their accomplishments. They were so distracted by their own merriment that they never saw him leave the room and the Castle.

All they spoke of were their great accomplishments during the war. This war, which had been over for around ten years now, was with the surviving remnants of an ancient evil. An evil that had been initially fought against by the Unicorn Gusty the Great, one of the greatest Unicorns that ever lived.

This great evil was the Tambelon Empire, an empire ruled by the tyrannical Grogar, the Father of Monsters. His creations helped Grogar rule over the Empire with an iron hoof. They had ruled over Equestria for a full millennia until the Great Gusty Rebellion formed to fight back against Grogar's hordes. After several years of fighting, Gusty had managed to defeat Grogar and finally free ponykind. The Dark Citadel of Tambelon had been destroyed. What remained of Grogar's armies were either killed in battle, fled into the wilderness, or were hunted down later. What bothered most about the war was the rumor that Grogar had selected a prince to take over in the event that he himself was defeated. But he was dead.

Stygian and the Pillars, and later the Sisters, worked tirelessly to hunt down the monsters that still terrorized the ponies of Equestria. He had devoted himself to learning about the creatures they fought to defeat them. Despite him doing have of the work, his "friends" took all the credit. He wasn't a fighter. His strength was his mind. But it seemed that no one cared about the brains behind the brawn.

"Would you like more raw power, dear Stygian?" a dark voice called to Stygian from the shadows.

Stygian looked around the forest. He couldn't tell where the voice was coming from. It seemed to be coming from nowhere and everywhere. Everywhere he looked, he saw nothing but trees and the shadows cast by the canopy. But he still had this feeling that he was being watched.

"Who's there?!" he demanded loudly.

The mysterious voice clicked its tongue. "Is that any way for a war hero to speak to one who's making you an offer?"

"'War hero'? 'An offer'?" Stygian asked. "How can I trust the word of someone I can't see?"

"Fair enough" the voice said.

As Stygian watched, the shadows around him seemed to move. They seemed to slither like serpents. All of the shadows around him congregated to a single point a few feet in front of Stygian. Before his very eyes, the shadows actually formed a solid mass that began to rise from the ground. In a few seconds, the shadows took the form of what looked like a pony wearing a black hooded cloak. A snow-white muzzle jutted out from the hood. Stygian couldn't make out any other features aside from the obvious fact that this wasn't a Unicorn. That alone was odd since he obviously used some form of magic. He was also even taller than Rockhoof. The stranger looked down at Stygian with hidden eyes.

"Who are you, stranger?" Stygian asked.

The hooded smiled at Stygian and gave him a respectful bow. "I am simply a sorcerer wishing to help out a fellow scholar".

"A scholar? You speak as though you know me as well as my comrades" Stygian said.

"Oh I you very well. You were the one who conducted extensive research on the creatures you fought. You were the who thought of the best strategies to fight monsters. You are nothing short of heroic".

Stygian looked at the ground away from the hooded pony. "Too bad no one else seems to think so. I just want a chance to earn some respect from my friends"

"Your friends don't respect you?"

"If they did, they've shown no indication of it. I do half of the work and yet I get no credit. Whenever I walk through the Castle halls or through the town, all I hear is the townsfolk praising the others, but they don't even know my name"

"But you're a Unicorn, aren't you? You should be plenty powerful on your own"

Stygian let out a cynical chuckle. There must've been something about that he found amusing.

"I don't have strong magic. I've tried but I can't seem to grasp the usage of higher spells"

"It is quite a shame that your peers seem to prefer raw power over intelligence. You deserve far better"

Stygian seemed to remember something. He looked at the hooded pony with a mix of curiosity and suspicion.

"You said earlier that you wanted to make me an offer. What exactly can you offer me?"

A smile spread across the hooded pony's muzzle. Something about that smile was unnerving.

"I have the ability to grant great power to others. What I'm offering you is the pure power to balance out your great intellect"

From within his cloak, the mysterious stranger pulled out a small glass container filled with something black and seemingly gooey. The substance seemed to be looking right at Stygian. The hooded pony held the container out to him.

"This is your key to the power to even surpass Starswirl himself. All you need to do is open this jar, and you will feel your own magic rise a thousand-fold"

Stygian studied the jar with a healthy dose of scrutiny. He didn't get the feeling that this substance was harmful, but he wasn't sure if he would get stronger if he opened the jar. Besides, what did this stranger want from him?

"Even if I agreed to this, what would you get out of this?" Stygian asked.

"You would be misunderstanding me if you think I'm doing this for material gain. I have a bigger purpose than that" the stranger replied.

"Which is?"

"I wish to see a rise in one who is the prefect balance of brain and brawn. I want to see a greater legend than even Starswirl"

The stranger said the wizard's name with a lot of venom. This stranger seemed to really hate him. Stygian looked at the jar and pointed at it.

"If I use the contents of that jar, I will become stronger?" he asked.

"You'll be the one to pass into even greater legends than the other Pillars".

Stygian put a hoof to his chin in thought. If he used it, he could become a hero that could be even more powerful than Starswirl. He'd really love to be able to fight alongside his friends. But if he didn't use it, he'd more than likely fade from memory after he was gone. He would never be acknowledged for helping his comrades. He held out his hoof in front of the stranger.

"Deal. I'll use it."

The hooded stranger smiled and put the jar into Stygian's hoof. 

"You've just made a very wise decision. Just open the jar. The entity inside will handle the rest".

"I would like to know your name, sir. I should know the name of the one I have to thank for this power"

"Just call me a dark friend. That's all you need to know for now."

Stygian used his magic to open the jar. The strange tar-like substance suddenly slithered up his foreleg and seemed to fade into his skin. After a few seconds, Stygian fell to the ground and started convulsing. The hooded figure just stood there and watched with a large smile on his face. Stygian stopped shaking after a few minutes and slowly opened his eyes. His eyes had become deep black orbs with streaks of darkness coming out form the outer corners. He stood back up and looked at the stranger with an excited smile on his face.

"You were right!" he said with a distorted voice. "I can feel the power coursing through my body"

The stranger smiled at Stygian. "You should show off your newfound power. Make your mark on the history of Equestria. In fact, here's an idea to test your new strength: challenge the other Pillars. Impress them with the strength of legions"

"What will you do?"

"I will be close by, don't worry. I'll see to it that you succeed".

"Very well. Thank you, my Dark Friend"

And with that, Stygian took off, making a beeline to the Castle of the Two Sisters. He would become the strongest being in Equestria. The hooded stranger watched with a smile.

"I hope you like my present, Starswirl. Your pain will be most delicious"





In Canterlot Castle- Modern Day

Stygian awoke from his slumber with sweat pouring down his muzzle and neck. He wiped the sweat away from his brow and saw that it was morning. He sighed and leaned back in his cot.

"Was that simply a dream? But why did it feel so... familiar?" he asked himself.

He got out of bed and made his way to the dining room to eat with the Princess, her friends, and the rest of the Pillars. He walked through the double doors and sat down next to Starswirl. Princess Twilight sat at the head of the table and Pinkie was passing out the food.

"Uh, Stygian?" a voice asked.

Stygian shook his head to snap himself out of his thoughts. He looked to his left to see Starswirl looking at him with a hit of concern.

"Sorry, old friend. I've been thinking about an unusual dream I had last night" Stygian said.

"What was your dream about, lad?" Rockhoof asked.

"It was about something about how I become the Pony of Shadows" Stygian replied.

The mood in the room suddenly become much more dark and somber. Everyone looked at Stygian with a look of concern.

"Buddy, if you want to talk about it, we're here to listen" Flash Magnus said.

Stygian looked at the friends gathered around him and chose to speak.

"It was a scene about the short while before the Darkness spoke to me. I was walking through what eventually became the Everfree Forest. Then, a voice called out to me from the shadows. The voice offered me great power and recognition. When I demanded that the voice reveal itself, the darkness manifested itself into the form of a white pony wearing a black cloak. The pony wasn't a Unicorn, but he was obviously using some bizarre form of magic. He produced a jar from his cloak containing the Darkness that corrupted me. He said that he wanted me to be a 'legend that would surpass all the other Pillars'. I opened the jar and became the Pony of Shadows. But after I left for the Castle of the Two Sisters, I heard the hooded pony say 'I hope you enjoy my present to you, Starswirl'" Stygian replied.

Everyone at the table looked at Starswirl. Even he seemed disturbed about Stygian's dream. He seemed to recall something awful based on the look on his face.

"Starswirl? What's wrong?" Twilight asked.

"I too had an unsettling dream last night" Starswirl replied.

"What happened?" Starlight asked.

"I was leading an army against a horde of monsters. We were in the midst of battle when suddenly, my whole army turned to dust and blew away. All that was left was a smoking battlefield and a monster hordes glaring at me. Then, the creatures all started laughing at me. Twisted and maniacal laughter. The monstrous army before me parted to reveal... a white pony in a black cloak" Starswirl replied.

The others in the room, especially Stygian, latched onto the mention of a white pony wearing a black cloak. It seemed too convenient to be a coincidence.

"It doesn't end there, though" Starswirl continued. "The Cloaked Pony walked right up to me, looked down at me, and said 'I'm coming for you, Starry'"

Flash Magnus looked even more concerned. "I saw the same figure in me dream last night."

"I was leading a squadron of Pegasus soldiers through some mountains. Suddenly, a solar eclipse blocked out the sun. I tried to get my troops to the ground but they weren't there anymore. I suddenly found myself standing on a cliff looking at the eclipse. A sound came from behind me, like wings flapping. I turn around and the same Cloaked Pony was smiling at me. He looked right at me and said 'Your days are numbered'"

"I also had a dream of this cloaked stallion!" Rockhoof exclaimed. "I was shoveling a defensive moat for a battle-worn fortress when a large Bugbear came out of the surrounding forest. I was about to fight the beast when a voice commanded it to stop. The beast looked back toward the forest and the Cloaked Pony started walking towards us. As he walked toward me, the day was rapidly turning to night. Soon, it was completely dark, without even the light of the stars. The Cloaked One leaned his head towards me and said 'The light can't keep you safe forever'"

"The dream I had was quite a fright, as well" Mage Meadowbrook said. "I was in my clinic preparing medicine for a patient when suddenly my home tree started to rot. I went outside to see what was wrong. My whole swamp was rotting. The trees were dying and the water was turning into stagnant slime. The Cloaked Pony appeared from behind a tree. He smiled at and touched his hoof to the tree. The tree started to rot even faster. Then he walked toward me and said 'Your world will burn'. Scared me half to death"

Mistmane spoke next. "I dreamt that I was tending to a lush garden of night-blooming flowers when the flowers all suddenly began to rot and decay quickly. I looked around and saw the Cloaked Pony simply tap his hoof against one of the flowers. The flower began to wilt and die in a matter of seconds. Then he simply whispered 'I will devour the light'."

Finally, everyone looked to Somnambula. She nodded in understanding.

"I too experienced a dream with the same Cloaked Pony. I was walking through the temple where the Sphinx used to live. I was attempting to fill in the trap she had there when the Sphinx suddenly returned to the temple with the Cloaked Pony riding on her back. He gazed at me, smiled, and said 'Let me devour you'."

These dreams about the Cloaked Pony were becoming quite disturbing. The Pillars were all looking to Starswirl, who had the gravest look on his face. Twilight decided to speak.

"Do you know this Cloaked Pony?" she asked.

"Well, the fact that we all dreamt about a mysterious Cloaked Pony who appears to know who we are seems too convenient to be coincidence. Besides, in all our years of fighting monsters, there's only one I can think of that vaguely fits the Cloaked Pony's profile" he replied.

"Who is it?" Rainbow asked.

The Pillars looked to each other with haunted looks on their faces. The Bearers knew that something about this Cloaked One spooked them to their cores.

Flash Magnus cleared his throat. "You see, a little over a thousand years ago, we fought against a very powerful monster. A creature that was very old, but very powerful. He was so feared that historians refused to write about him. They were trying to forget that ancient horror".

"Who was this 'ancient horror'?" Fluttershy asked in a trembling voice.

"Its name was Shadow Eclipse" Starswirl replied.

When Starswirl didn't elaborate further, Twilight decided to probe the other Pillars. Surely they knew something about this "Shadow Eclipse" creature.

"What kind of creature was he?" Twilight asked.

"Shadow Eclipse, according to the existing records of him at the time, was a vampire" Stygian said.

The girls all collectively gasped. 

"Wait, this creature was a vampire?! I thought vampires were only myths!" Rarity exclaimed.

"Well, Shadow Eclipse was a vampire. But not just any vampire, but the First Vampire. He created the entire vampire species" Flash said.

"Vampires actually existed! Who knew?!" Pinkie said loudly.

"They did exist. And we hunted them to extinction. That's why you grew up thinking them to be legends. There hasn't been a single reported case of a vampire infestation for a thousand years" Mistmane said.

"Were they just like the legends say they are?" Rainbow asked.

"Yes. They possessed many supernatural talents. They also fed on the blood of ponies" Somnambula said.

"And this Shadow Eclipse guy is the First Vampire?" Applejack asked.

"Indeed he was. Being the First, he has many powers and abilities his children didn't" Rockhoof said.

"There was a creature that old and powerful and you fought him?" Twilight asked.

"Fought him and won" Starswirl said.

"If this First Vampire is in your dreams, does that mean he's still around?" Pinkie asked.

Starswirl shook his head vigorously. "It's not possible. He died centuries ago"

Twilight squinted at her hero. "Are you sure?"

"We were all there, Twilight. I watched him die myself" he replied.

"If he's dead, why are you all having dreams about him?" Fluttershy asked.

"Not sure. Maybe we're experiencing traumatic past memories through dreams?" Rockhoof suggested.

"Either way, if he was still alive, we'd kick his butt easily!" Rainbow said proudly.

"You don't want to fight him, Rainbow!" Starswirl yelled.

Everyone in the room fell silent. They had never heard Starswirl yell like that before. The subject of Shadow Eclipse must be quite raw for him. After calming himself, Starswirl spoke softly.

"I'm sorry for yelling, Rainbow Dash" he apologized. "But Lord Eclipse was nothing you or your friends have ever faced before. And for your sake, I hope you never do".

And with that, the conversation was truly over. Wishing to get off the grim subject of this Shadow Eclipse creature, Twilight spoke.

"Why don't we all get ready to leave for the Crystal Empire? They're hosting the Equestria Games again this year. This time, all the world's leaders will be having their athletes participating" Twilight said with a smile.

At least the mood in the room brightened somewhat. After breakfast, they all left to get ready for the long journey ahead.





In the Forests Outside Trottingham- Sunset

Two young children, a filly and a colt, were playing hide and go seek in the vast forests around Trottingham. The filly ran out ahead of them as it was her turn to hide.

After waiting for the sun to go down, she found the perfect hiding spot: a hollow tree trunk. She climbed inside and waited for her friend to find her. Or attempt to find her. She held a hoof to her mouth to keep from laughing.

A collection of sounds snapped the young filly out of her revelry. There was a small hole in the hollowed trunk for her to look out in the forest. 

To her horror, a large horde of armored monsters burst forth from the brush. There were monsters of various species making up this horde. There were goblins, trolls, Saurians, gnolls, Lamias, ogres, and Lycans to name a few. All of them were wearing black armor and carried vicious-looking weapons. All of them carried a small flag on their backs with a foreign crest. 

The flag was dark blue with a white crest in solid white. It appeared to be a waning crescent moon with a bat's wing flaring out from the inner bend. 

The monster horde all seemed to be moving in a singular direction with a clear sense of purpose. Monsters normally didn't gather in groups like this to begin with. Unless a darker power was leading them. 

The filly concluded that something was calling these monsters somewhere.

"Hurry up, troops!" an Orc called to them. "Remember, the Master wants us to meet him in Undertown in two days!"

Master? Undertown? What's going on here?, the filly thought.

She was keeping quiet as a plant to make sure the monsters couldn't find her. She waited until the entire horde had passed by and even stayed in the trunk for a few more minutes to be safe. The filly climbed out of the trunk and hurried back to the direction she came from.

She ran into her friend along the way.

"You were supposed to hide!" her friend chastised.

"That doesn't matter! We have to go!" the filly cried.

Seeing the fear and panic on his friend's face, the colt grabbed her shoulders.

"What's wrong?" he asked calmly.

"I saw monsters. Armored monsters. We have to let the Princess know about this!" the filly replied.

The colt took stock in what she was saying she witnessed. At least he believed her.

"Alright, let's go tell the adults about this. If we can get them to not yell at us for playing in the forest after dark" the colt said.

The two foals made their way back to town to tell the adults. Something was gathering monsters to it. Something sinister. Something... evil.
> Chapter 3
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

At the Crystal Empire

The train to the Crystal Empire's main citadel was pretty uneventful. But while the others were looking forward to the Equestria Games, Starswirl could help but be drawn back to that dream he and the rest of his friends had about the Cloaked Pony that may or may not have been a dreadful enemy from his past. He walked through the city to the palace in a distracted daze. 

Why are we dreaming about that monster? What could those dreams possibly mean? Does this mean that... ?, Starswirl thought.

No. There's no way he could still be alive. I watched him die myself

"Earth to Starswirl" Applejack suddenly said in his ear.

Starswirl was snapped out of his daze by the honest farmer, who gave him a worried look.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

Not wanting to disrespect the Element of Honesty with a lie, he told the unbridled truth.

"I was thinking about our dreams about the Cloaked Pony that may have been Shadow Eclipse" Starswirl replied.

The two were far enough away from the rest of the group that they could talk in private. Applejack leaned in.

"You still thinking about those dreams?" she asked.

"Yes. The fact that we had dreams about our old foe is too much to be mere coincidence" Starswirl replied.

"Are trying to say that part of you thinks he could still be alive out there somewhere?"

"Truthfully, yes. I wonder if he somehow survived our last battle"

"Hey, you two!" Rainbow called. "We're about to meet Twilight's brother and sister-in-law! Come on!"

Applejack looked to Starswirl. "Look, don't focus on your old enemy right now. We gotta watch the Games. That might distract you from thinking about that varmint"

"You may be right, Applejack. And thank you for talking to me"

And with that, the two went off to join the others. Due to this being the first time non-pony races were taking part in the Games ever, the city was full of dragons, griffons, Changelings, and Hippogriffs either watching or participating in the events.

The group stopped at the front gates of the palace. The Pillars marveled at the grandiose palace carved out of pure magic crystal quartz. The gates opened to reveal the Prince and Princess of the Crystal Empire.

"Twily!" Shining called out to his little sister.

"Shining!" Twilight shouted back.

The two siblings embraced each other warmly. Twilight then moved on to greet Cadence with their "sunshine-ladybugs" thing. Twilight looked around but Flurry Heart wasn't with them.

"Where's Flurry Heart?" Twilight asked.

"She's taking an early nap. I see that you've brought even more friends with you, this time" Cadence said.

The Pillars all bowed before the Imperial couple with all due respect.

"Thank you both for accepting us into your city" the Pillars said in unison.

Cadence and Shining Armor both laughed. 

"It's okay. There's no need to bow before us. You've been saving Equestria long before we were even born" Shining said.

"Are you as excited for this year's Games as we are?" Cadence asked.

"Yeah!!" the entire group shouted.

As the group left, Spike tapped Twilight on the shoulder. "I'm going to go hang out with some of my dragon friends. I'll be back before dark"

"Okay. Have fun, Spike!" Twilight replied.





With Spike

As the armored dragon flew to hang out with his dragon friends, he caught sight of one dragon staring at the crystal palace in keen observation while apparently writing something down in a notebook he carried. Spike flew down to speak to him.

"Yeah, every time I come here, I can't help but marvel at the palace too" Spike said.

The other dragon turned to face Spike. This dragon was slate gray with amber eyes and red spines running down his head and back. He was pretty slim, yet had ample amounts of muscle on him. The other dragon gave a small smile.

"Yep. This palace is pretty impressive. Kind of makes you wonder how they carved it out of pure crystal" the other dragon replied before turning to fully face Spike.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Spine" Spine said.

"I'm Spike" Spike replied.

Spine's face took on a look of bewilderment. "You mean this 'Spike the Brave and Glorious' I keep hearing this Crystal Ponies raving about?"

"Yeah. I'm that Spike"

Spine looked Spike up and down, with his eyes resting on his sword and armor. He seemed genuinely impressed with how well-trained Spike looked.

"So, you're a warrior, too" Spine noted.

"Are you a warrior?" Spike asked.

"Yep. I've trained ever since I molted"

"Awesome! I've had Spitfire train me as a fighter. She may be captain of the Wonderbolts, but she used to be part of the military"

Spine seemed to be suppressing a laugh.

"What's so funny?" Spike asked.

"It's just that... I can't picture ponies being that strong without magic. They look like they shouldn't be fighters" Spine replied.

"Well, Spitfire's tougher than she looks" Spike said. "Anyway, who trained you?"

Spine gave a happy smile. "Someone very old, but very powerful. You could say he's like my father figure. He took me in, raised me, trained me. He gave me strength and purpose".

"Sounds like he's a great guy"

"Yeah. My master is great"

"So he took you in?"

"Yeah. After my parents died, I wandered the wild lands of Equestria until I nearly died of starvation. He found me and nursed me back to health. He asked me if I wanted to become strong. I said 'Yes'".

"What was you're training like?"

"He'd have me lift heavy rocks, adding more weight to them until my muscles tore and my bones cracked. He'd have me fight beasts until I was bloody, but victorious. And he'd have me spar against him, matches I always lost"

"That sounds... hard"

"It was. But look at me! I'm now one of the strongest there is"

Spine flexed his arms and legs to drive his point home. Now that Spike looked for it, Spine's body did show the benefits of this extreme training regimen. Spine stopped flexing and went back to observing the palace.

"So, are you here to participate in the Games?" Spike asked.

"No, I'm here to act as one of Dragon Lord Ember's bodyguards" Spine replied.

"Somehow, I get the feeling that Ember doesn't need protecting" 

"This is just a formality. Can't be too careful"

"Well, alright then. Hey, want to hang out and watch the first set of events tomorrow?"

Spine gave Spike a friendly smile. "Trust me, I wouldn't miss this for the world. I'll be watching the Games tomorrow"

Spike left to reunite with his friends in the crystal palace. After making sure that no one was looking, Spine flew up alongside the wall of the palace until he reached one of the windows overlooking the stadium in which the Games were taking place. Using a claw, he traced a lie in the air from the window to the stadium.

Flying and hovering directly under the window, Spine looked out into the stadium to see the box where the other leaders would be sitting to watch the Games. Spine smiled darkly.

"Perfect spot. Ember won't know what hit her" Spine said to himself. "The master's game board is set. The game is about to begin"

Spine pulled out a small dark blue cloth with a white waning crescent moon and an attached bat's wing and gently stroked it with his thumb. Then he gave the stadium and the surrounding city a hard look. Spine whispered two simple phrases.

"Hail the Tambelon Empire. Ultra Evil Plus Chaos!"





The Canterlot Gardens- 12:00 AM

The Gardens were filled with the songs of the whip-or-wills and crickets. A gentle breeze blew through the various shrubs and flower patches that made up the Garden's lush scenery.

The guards, even the Night Guard, never patrolled the Gardens as it became too easy to get lost in the labyrinthine bushes, especially after dark. So most of the important items were virtually unprotected.

The most important of these items were the three statues of Equestria's most diabolical villains. Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow were the ones imprisoned in stone and left in the Gardens for a thousand-year sentence. Now they all knew how Discord felt when this happened to him.

A figure emerged from the darkness with an entourage of large rats. This figure was tall and possessed spindly claws and a long hairless tail dragging behind it. It wore a dark robe with a hood. The figure pulled back its hood to reveal a hideously deformed rat-like face, with beady red eyes, two prominent teeth jutting from his upper jaw, and large ears. He walked towards the villainous statues with an ugly smile.

"Finally!" the figure whispered in a raspy voice. "I've found you. The Prince is going to be most pleased to see you"

The rodent-like creature produced a small black ring from his robe and threw it in the air over the three statues. The ring stopped in midair and expanded in diameter. A red portal formed in the space between the ring and moved downwards, sending the villains to Goddess-knows-where.

The figure then turned to his gathered rats. "The enemy may have left the castle premises, but we must continue monitoring the city. Now then, we must inform our contact of his future duties to the Empire"

The rat creature disappeared with his rats without the guards even knowing they were there. Those idiots probably wouldn't even notice the villains were missing for weeks maybe.





The imprisoned villains found themselves looking at a large cavern chamber. Given how hard it was for them to breathe, they must be pretty deep underground. The whole chamber was lit by candles emitting dark orange light. In the center of the chamber was a large throne that looked to be carved out of the natural formations in the cave.

There was an entity sitting upon the throne. He was tall, just as tall as Chrysalis. He wore a dark cloak with a hood obscuring his face. All the villains could see was a chalk-white muzzle and two glowing red eyes. The white muzzle smiled, revealing sharp needle-like teeth. The cloaked being stood and walked to them.

"Welcome to the caverns beneath my palace. I have waited quite a while to get you here. My spymaster did his job well" the creature said in an accent the villains couldn't recognize.

That rat thing was his spymaster?! One would think his unfortunate appearance would make him too noticeable, Chrysalis thought to her cellmates.

Even though they couldn't physically speak, the villains could talk to each other through thought.

Well, we didn't notice his presence until after he revealed himself, Tirek thought back.

The Cloaked One walked towards the statues. "I'd much rather talk to you with our outer voices"

Red streams of light seemed to flow into the Cloaked One's right hoof. He pressed his hoof to the statues before him. The light traveled all over the stone and shattered it in seconds, freeing the criminals from their prison.

Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow were shocked. This creature had just freed them from their stone imprisonment. They all stretched their cramped bodies with vigor.

"Thank you for freeing us, Mister. But who are you?" Cozy Glow asked.

"And what do you want with us?" Tirek asked.

"Pardon my manners" the Cloaked One said. "My name is Shadow Eclipse, Prince of Monsters and rightful Emperor of the Tambelon Empire"

Tirek did a double take. "Shadow Eclipse? The War Demon? Eclipse the Conqueror? The First Vampire? Grogar's Chosen Prince?"

"I am he. I am Father's Chosen Prince" the Dark Lord replied.

Chrysalis and Cozy Glow didn't know what to make of this information. They had rudimentary knowledge of the evil Emperor Grogar. How he was the very Father of Monsters and used his monstrous hordes to rule Equestria with an iron hoof. But they didn't know he had chosen a prince.

"Wait. Grogar chose you as his prince?" Chrysalis asked.

"Father did indeed. I was chosen because I was the most capable. The most worthy of his throne" Shadow replied.

"You're a vampire? And the very first one?" Cozy Glow asked next.

"I could prove it by drinking your blood" Shadow said with a toothy smile.

Cozy Glow hid behind Tirek.

"Why have you brought us here?" Tirek reiterrated.

Lord Eclipse simply looked at him. "Well, I summoned you here and freed you for two reasons. One, I want my Father's Bewitching Bell. Two, I need some notable pieces for my great plan"

The three villains looked to each other and then to the First Vampire. 

"How do you know we're notable?" Chrysalis asked.

"I have been watching Equestria for centuries now. There is nothing that happens in this land without me knowing about it. I have seen Equestria grow lazy and complacent in my absence. Now is the perfect time for me to set my master plan into motion"

"I'm not so sure about that, Lord Eclipse" Cozy Glow said. "If you've been watching Equestria for centuries up until this point, then you should know that the Pillars have returned".

"And knowing them, they have the experience to fight monsters" Chrysalis pointed out.

Shadow simply smiled. "I'm not worried about Starswirl and his sycophants. I have fought them before"

"You have?" Tirek asked.

"Indeed. But when we had last fought, I was caught off-guard. But now, I'm gathering all the resources I need to begin"

"Would those resources include the Bewitching Bell?" Cozy Glow asked.

"Indeed. My father's bell is vital for my plans. I need you three to help me get it"

The villains looked at Shadow Eclipse with distrust. As powerful as he appears, they didn't like the idea of doing someone's bidding. 

"Why should we help you?" Tirek asked.

"Because I can offer you power and revenge on the ones who imprisoned you. Even that idiot Discord" Shadow replied.

The trio still looked unconvinced. 

"Perhaps a demonstration of the power I can lend you will change your mind" Shadow said.

Shadow channeled his dark magic into a small orb and threw it to Tirek, who caught it in his hands. Tirek ate the morsel with only a moment's hesitation. He instantly towered over everyone in the chamber. He marveled at the result of his boost.

"This power! It's incredible!" Tirek bellowed.

Chrysalis and Cozy Glow were amazed. Tirek became like that after taking a small portion of Shadow's magic? They had to get some of that!

"Don't worry, you two. You're next" Shadow said before imbuing the two females with his magic.

Chrysalis's eyes, shell, and wings became dark red while Cozy Glow's horn curled and her wings became bat-like.

"You were right, Tirek! This power is awesome!" Cozy shouted.

"Yes! We have all the power we need to exact our revenge! But first... " Chrysalis said before looking at Shadow.

"We thank you for freeing us and for giving us this power, but we don't take orders from anyone!" Tirek shouted.

Tirek threw a fist to crush the ancient vampire, but his fist suddenly stopped a few inches away from him. Shadow hadn't even flinched. Tirek couldn't move his fist. In fact, he couldn't move at all. Something was keeping him frozen there. He looked down to see Shadow's hooded face.

Streaks of red light were flowing out of Shadow's eyes. Magic! Shadow had used magic to stop Tirek completely!

"I knew this would happen. Remember when I said that I had been watching Equestria for centuries? One of those times was when you were with Discord when he masqueraded as my father. I knew you would attempt to double-cross me. So it looks like I'll have to teach you how to behave!!" Shadow said darkly.

Tirek was lifted high into the air. As he was looking for a way to break the vampire's grip, his right arm was somehow twisting and breaking itself. Tirek shrieked in pain and agony. Blood spurted from where the bone broke through the skin. Next was the left arm, which received the same treatment as the right. His four legs were all broken at the femur, which sent Tirek in a fit of howls. He suddenly found himself flying into the walls and ceiling of the cave, breaking several ribs and puncturing a lung. After a few more thrashes, he was lifted back up into the air.

Chrysalis and Cozy Glow were all watching in horror. They had never seen such brutality or vile displays of torture before. This Shadow Eclipse was something to be feared after all.

With Tirek suspended in the air, he walked to Chrysalis and Cozy Glow with a smile. Before they could do anything, Shadow rushed towards them with nearly-impossible speed.

First to be struck was Chrysalis. She was struck in the chest, which sent her sprawling to the ground. As she tried to get up, Shadow grabbed her by the horn and started punching her in the face repeatedly. It was only after she put her hooves up in surrender did he stop.

Last was Cozy Glow. He simply slapped her with the back of his hoof over and over again until she was on the ground with a swollen face.

After the brutal beatings were done, Shadow faced them. 

"You're probably wondering how I did that to Tirek. Well, I may have given you all a portion of my power, but I can still control it even from within your bodies. That means that if you step out of line, I will make death look like a beach holiday".

Shadow then used his magic to heal all of their injuries. They cowered in fear before the prince.

"Will you serve me and carry out my will?" he asked them calmly.

"W-we promise!" Chrysalis said.

"We are at your command, my lord!" Tirek shouted.

"Your will is our will, master!" Cozy Glow said.

Shadow smiled in satisfaction at their fidelity. "Good. Now go topside. I'll inform you on your assignments shortly. As of this moment, you serve the Tambelon Empire"

His new pawns all smiled sheepishly. No way in Tartarus would they even think of betraying him.
> Chapter 4
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

During the Age of Tambelon

A small and remote village sat nestled in a valley surrounded by seemingly endless forest next to a fast-moving river. The ponies that lived in the village weren't rich, but life there was relatively peaceful. No one died of starvation or unnatural causes. Crime was virtually nonexistent. And it was all thanks to Emperor Grogar.

Besides the ponies of the village, there was also a small garrison of Grogar's Imperial soldiers. Armed monsters of different shapes and sizes guarded the village and maintained order among the population. Sure, the ponies of the village were afraid of them, but there was no trouble as long as they followed the Emperor's rules.

Among the ponies of the village was a small Earth Pony colt with a bright green mane and blue fur. His amber eyes shone with the life, love, and innocence of youth. He ran through the village with reckless abandon as he made his way towards the house he shared with his mother. His father died soon after he was born, so he never knew who his father was. He ran to the house and threw open the door with all his might.

The throwing open of the door startled the poor adult Earth Pony mare on the other side. She spilled a large pot of what looked like a form of vegetable stew. Broth, carrots, potatoes, and celery bits spilled all over the floor. The colt's mother turned to her son with a terse look on her face.

"Son! Don't scare me like that! You made me spill dinner! I spent all afternoon preparing it, too!" she said crossly.

The young colt flattened his ears and lowered his head. "I'm sorry, Mother. I was just so excited to see you".

Mother softened a bit at that. "I know, son. But you've got to make sure you won't startle me so much again".

Her son nuzzled his mother's chest. "I promise, Mother. I'll help you make more stew, if you want".

"That would be very helpful, dear. It would be nice to have some help around here", Mother said.

The door to the house once again shot open to reveal three Earth Pony stallions with menacing looks on their faces. The one in the middle was a stallion botht the colt and his mother knew all too well.

It was Brickbit, a local bully of the village and two of his thugs. Brickbit was well-hated by everyone in the village, especially by the young colt. He was known for using violence and intimidation to get what he wanted. Every other night or so, Brickbit and his thugs would barge into he and his mother's house and cause trouble. They'd sometimes beat the colt and then hurt his mother. Brickbit stood there with a wicked smile.

"Hello, dear dove," Brickbit said with a deep voice.

Mother tensed up and looked down. "Evening, Brickbit. Can I help you with something?"

Brickbit and his thugs walked into the house as if they owned the place. Brickbit walked over to Mother and started to stroke her right shoulder. The sight of this bastard touching his mother made the colt feel sick to his stomach. 

"I wants to have a little... chat with you. May we talk privately in your room?" he asked with a sinister tone.

Mother stood and calmly followed Brickbit to her room. The colt sat at the table with Brickbit's thugs and glared at them with as much hatred as he could muster. After a few minutes of sitting and glaring, he heard hurtful sobbing coming from his mother from behind the bedroom door.

He tried to go to the bedroom door to help his mother, but the thugs stopped him before he could even touch the door. One of them knocked him to the ground and the two of them started beating and kicking him. The thugs repeatedly hit his face, chest, and back. Some of his teeth came out whenever he was struck in the face. Blood began to splatter from lacerations he got from the beatings. He could feel some of his bones begin to crack.

Once what felt like an eternity had passed, the two thugs stopped beating the poor colt and left him in a small pool of his own blood. He was left to lie just outside his mother's bedroom door, hearing nothing but the sounds of his mother crying, a bastard laughing, and what sounded like loud creaking.

He hated hearing his mother being hurt like this. He hated getting beaten up by those bigger than him for no reason at all. But most of all, he hated not being able to do anything for his mother at all.





At the Crystal Empire - Stadium

All of the different leaders of the different species sat in their respective box, eager to watch their nations' athletes give it their all. Twilight sat on her throne with Spike standing next to her.

"Ooooh! These Games are going to be just amazing, Spike. Our united kingdoms competing together in the Equestria Games is giving me tingles of excitement!" Twilight exclaimed.

"I'm excited to see the Changelings compete in these events!" Thorax said with eagerness.

"Yaks will prove that Yaks are the best at Games!" Prince Rutherford gloated.

"I think the Dragons will pull out on top!  Or at the very least, earn more gold medals," Ember said.

Twilight was happy to see everyone so excited to see the Games begin. Spike looked over at Ember's throne. There were two bodyguards there with Ember, but not his new friend Spine. That struck Spike as a bit odd. Twilight must have noticed Spike's expression.

"Spike? Are you alright?" Twilight asked in concern.

"I was just wondering where my new friend was off to. He said he didn't want to miss the Games," Spike said.

"Maybe he got sick," Twilight said.

"I think I'll go look for him and check on his health," Spike said before flying off.

"Okay, Spike! Just make sure you'll be back before the first event!" Twilight called after him.

...

Within the Crytsal Palace - Top Floors

Spine was getting everything ready. He was lucky there were very few guards in the palace apart from the ones that guarded Flurry Heart. Spine snuck into the palace with no issue.

Though he did have to wait a while for the majority of the city to be away from the palace in order to sneak in. He held a long leather case next to him and removed several items.

Spine began to fit the items together to form one long cylindrical object. Once he was done, it formed a form of deadly weapon. It was wide in the back and ended with a long metal tube, with a grip and trigger in the middle. He pulled out a small scope and held it up to his eye.

It worked beautifully. Spine was able to see everyone in the leaders' box and singled out Ember. He smiled in anticipation for his dark task. He pulled out a black ring and slipped it on his finger. Spine reached into the case again and fished out a small box. Opening the box, Dusk pulled out the weapon's ammo.

The ammo was long cylindrical objects with a pointed top. They had metal casings surrounding obsidian points. The obsidian points held carefully carved runes in them which gave off a red glow. He loaded the ammo into the tubular weapon, attached the scope, and pointed it out of the window towards the stadium. He moved the scoped weapon until he could line up Ember with the barrel. Spine was about to pull the trigger when he heard the sound of a sword being drawn next to him.

"Excuse me?! Spine, what are you doing?!" a familiar voice demanded.

Spine looked to his right and saw Spike glaring at him with a drawn sword. Spine tried his best to keep his composure.

"Spike, my friend! I thought you'd be down there in the stadium enjoying the Games," Spine said with fake sincerity.

"I was concerned when you weren't there. I thought you were sick so I came to check on you," Spike replied. "That's when I saw you sneak into the palace with that case. I followed you here and watched you assemble that weapon there".

"You know, Spike, you sound like you're disappointed," Spine said, dropping the act.

"What are you trying to do, Spine?" Spike asked seriously.

Spine, sensing that the jig was up, stood up and looked at Spike. He gave Spike a glare. But not a normal glare. It was intense psychotic glare of a determined fanatic. That look sent a shiver down Spike's spine.

"All you really need to know is that I'm helping this world change for the better. I intend to see a new world rise from this one," Spine said. 

"What are you talking about?" Spike asked.

"My master. He has a great plan. Plans to bring about harmony for this world," Spine replied.

"But the world is already in harmony. All species are united in friendship!"

"Are you sure about that? Me and others like me were cast out because of your idea of harmony!" 

"What?"

"What if there was a Dragon? A Dragon that had a Pony friend? And what if the Dragon Lord and the other Dragons hated and bullied you for it? What if the Dragon Lord wanted to set an example?! What if he kills your Pony friend and your parents and banishes you from your homeland?! What if every Pony and creature turned you away when you needed help?! What if you were without hope and on the verge of starvation?!"

"That... all happened to you?"

Spine wiped away the tears of pain and anger. He stood facing Spike, but was backing towards his weapon.

"I was starting to like you. Really, I was. But I've made my decision," Spine said.

Spine grabbed the weapon and pointed it out the window. Spike rushed towards him, but Spine had already pulled the trigger and fired. A loud bang sounded from the weapon, causing Spike to clench his ears in pain.

Spine looked through the scope and smiled at his completed task. Ember was sitting in her throne with the top portion of her head missing. Her blood, skull parts, and brains splattered on the back of the throne and her body was slowly falling to the floor. The leaders and several bodyguards were swarming the body while everyone in the stadium descended into utter chaos.

Once Spike's ears stopped ringing, he looked out the window to only see the stadium in bedlam. He glared at Spine with fury.

"What have you done?!" he yelled.

"For the Tambelon Empire," Spine said before using his fire to completely destroy the weapon and other evidence.

Spine then jumped out the window to fly away. Spike followed suit. The two Dragons flew away from the palace with great speed.

Spike tried his best to keep up with Spine, but he was faster and more maneuverable. He definitely did some intense training if his flying ability was this good. Rainbow Dash joined him.

"Spike! Did you see what just happened?! Ember's dead!" Rainbow said.

"I know! And I'm currently chasing the guy who killed her!" Spike replied.

"What?!" Rainbow asked.

The two looked over at Spine, who was getting further and further away from them. Rainbow, with a spout of determination, began to increase her own speed to catch up to Spine. Soon, she tackled Spine in mid-air, holding him in place. Spike joined Rainbow in tackling Spine, sending the three of them spiraling to the ground below.

"You'll pay for this!" Spike yelled over the rushing wind.

Spine managed to wrestle his arms free before they all hit the snowy ground. The three of them stood up and glared at each other. Spine smiled at the two.

"Are you sure you want to continue chasing me?" Spine asked.

"You murdered Dragon Lord Ember! You have to answer for that!" Rainbow cried.

"But what about the Crystal Palace? Remember when I used my fire to destroy the evidence, Spike?" Spine asked Spike.

Spike's blood ran cold. He and Rainbow Dash both looked behind them to see thick pillars of black smoke rising in the direction of the palace.

"You bastard!" Spike shouted.

"I also made sure to use a room near the room dear Flurry Heart was sleeping in. It would be a great tragedy if you abandoned her to die a painful death just to chase me," Spine said coldly.

"Rainbow! You're faster than me! Go back to the palace and get Flurry Heart out of there!" Spike cried.

Rainbow Dash took off without a second thought. Spine tilted his head in mock confusion.

"But aren't our species fireproof? You could go back there and get her out safely," Spine said with fake sincerity.

Spike grit his teeth in anger. This guy was willing to put an innocent child in danger to further his goals. Or, his master's goals from what he said.

"Your master. What exactly is he after?" Spike demanded.

"You'll find out. All I can really say is that corpses are going to pile up once he's done with this land," Spine said with a sadistic grin.

Spike ran towards Spine to stop him. But his opponent dodged and countered every punch and kick he threw. No doubt about it, Spine was indeed a well-trained fighter. Spine pushed Spike away with a disappointed look.

"That is the extent of your training? How boring," Spine said.

Spine rushed forward and buried his clenched fist into Spike's stomach, making Spike cough and nearly vomit. Spine followed up with a flurry of punches. Not only were his blows as strong as a ton of bricks, but his fists moved too fast for Spike to see. Spine delivered a roundhouse kick to Spike's jaw, sending him flying back several feet. Spine slowly walked up to Spike, drawing an obsidian dagger.

"Now, you will die along with your pathetic Dragon Lord back in the stadium," Spine said coldly.

Spike lunged forward and scratched Spine across his face with his claws. Spine recoiled in pain, covering one of his eyes with his claw. Blood was pouring down his claw and face. He looked at Spike with a newfound fury.

"You're going to pay for that!" he shouted.

But before they could continue to fight, Shining Armor, Cadence, and the Imperial Guard all gathered at the scene. Flurry Heart was safe in Cadence's forelegs. Spine found himself injured and outnumbered.

"Looks like I have to go," Spine said before glaring at Spike. "The next time we meet each other, I'll be the one who kills you".

Spine removed the black ring and threw it in the air above his head. The ring grew in size and formed a red portal. The ring moved downwards, engulfing him until he and the ring disappeared completely. The Imperial couple and Guards all ran to the injured Spike, who collapsed on the ground after Spine left.

Spike was being carried away to the Imperial hospital by the Guards. But while he was being transported, Spike had the uneasy feeling that this was only the beginning.





In Canterlot - Blueblood's Estate

Prince Blueblood was sitting in his lounge chair overlooking the entire city. It always amazed him how the lights of the city made him think of fields of fireflies. A maid stood behind him, ready to serve her master should he request anything.

A squeaking sound came from Blueblood's left. He looked and saw a black rat with glowing crimson eyes looking up at him. He turned to his maid.

"You are relieved for the evening, my dear. I require nothing else, tonight," Blueblood said.

"Have a good evening, my lord," the maid said before leaving.

Once the maid was completely gone, Blueblood continued to look out over the city.

"You may as well show yourself, Spymaster. I know you're here," Blueblood said.

The cloaked Spymaster climbed over the balcony railing and stood by Blueblood's side. He joined Blueblood in looking out over the city. 

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Blueblood asked the rat-like creature next to him.

"It will be even more beautiful when His Majesty destroys this city," the Spymaster replied.

"Well, we all have our tastes," Blueblood said.

"Have you gotten any new information?" the Spymaster asked.

"I have recently found out that Twilight is keeping the Bewitching Bell safely locked away in a vault hidden in the palace's upper levels," Blueblood replied.

"So when changes within the city occur, I'm going to need you to make sure there is no one in the palace at all when the time comes to claim the Bell. Besides, you have access to places to places that not even my rats can enter," the Spymaster said.

"But I already told you where exactly to find the villains and I gave you residence in my basement and I gave you all the information I have in my possession," Blueblood argued.

"And you've been more than helpful for the Prince's goals, but we still require your unique services. You are to continue to act as the Prince's mole until we no longer need a mole," the Spymaster rebutted.

"Alright. So when do I meet our master?" Blueblood asked.

"Once he arrive in Canterlot with your new coworkers," the Spymaster replied.

"Wait... he's coming to Canterlot?" he asked with slight dread.

"Yes, he is. And once he does, he's going to make some drastic changes in this town," the Spymaster replied.

"Will the Prince keep our bargain?" Blueblood asked.

"His Majesty does as he pleases. He either does or he doesn't. But he never breaks a promise," the Spymaster replied.

And with that, the Spymaster left with his rats in tow. Blueblood took one last look over the city.

"I wonder how much more beautiful the city will be stained with blood?" Blueblood wondered.
> Chapter 5
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the Age of Tambelon

After the night had made its way for the day, the colt walked down the stairs to the kitchen where his mother was preparing breakfast for herself and her son. The colt had a look of sadness and concern on his face as he gazed at his mother's back as she worked on breakfast.

"Mother... are you okay?" he asked.

His mother turned to face him with a bruised cheek and a black left eye so swollen that her eye swelled shut. She was dressed in her usual attire, but it looked more torn and stretched than usual. She tried to smile through cracked teeth.

"I'm fine, dear. Mother's just feeling a bit tired," his mother lied.

That lie was so obvious, even for a seven-year old. He slammed his hooves on the table in anger. Not for his mother, but for the one who hurt her whenever he felt like it. He looked at his mother with the fires of hatred in his amber eyes.

"Why, Mother?! Why do you lie for him?! Why do you let that smug bastard hurt you so much?!" he cried.

His mother stood there with a shocked and hurt expression on her face. She had seen her son and tended to him after Brickbit's thugs beat him up from time to time, but this was the first time her son had voiced any protest about it. The weight of her son's pain and concern for her made her legs shake and her eyes tear up. She sped to her son and wrapped him in a hug.

"I'm so sorry, son. I'm so sorry. I promise, this won't continue forever. Someday, you and me will leave this place and move to a new village. Once I earn enough money, we can go," Mother said.

The colt held his mother closely while she stroked his hair. He cried into her shoulder. A combination of pain and anger swirled in his chest in a tornado of emotion. His mother let go of him and looked at him with a stern expression.

"I love you, son, but I can't look over the fact that you said 'bastard'. You're grounded for one day. You can't go play with your friends, today after school. You come straight home," Mother said.

The colt was so happy to see his mother acting like a mother that he couldn't bring himself to protest. Instead, he ate breakfast with his mother and finally left for school. As he left, he saw Brickbit talking with one of his thugs.

It would have been an understatement to say that the colt deeply despised Brickbit. It wasn't just his mother and himself he hurt, but others in their village. Not bothering to look at the brute, the colt walked away from him as fast as he could. 

As the colt walked through the village to get to school, he came across a meat shop that supplied the Imperial garrison with food. He noticed one of the butchers walking out of the shop and placed one of the larger knives on the counter to tend to something else. The colt stared at the large knife for a minute before an idea entered his mind. A dark idea. A dark and hopefully good idea.

Making sure the butcher didn't see him, the colt ran to the knife and grabbed it. He put it in his school bag as fast as he could before running off in the direction of the schoolhouse.

"Don't worry, Mother. If that bastard tries to hurt you again, I'll make sure he never does again," the colt promised to his mother.

He'll do everything to protect his mother. And anything.





The Crystal Empire

Things in the Crystal Empire had descended into chaos very quickly. Not even an hour had passed and things seemed to get worse and worse. But things were also becoming extremely mysterious. Twilight and the other world leaders had been taken to another location near the stadium to try to figure out what was going on while the Pillars and the rest of her friends tried to calm everybody down.

"Okay, what the Tartarus is going on around here?!" Prince Rutherford asked.

"Your guess is as good as mine, Prince Rutherford," Twilight replied. "All I know is that Dragon Lord Ember has been assassinated, the Crystal Palace was set on fire, and Spike was incredibly injured in pursuit of the perpetrator".

"Wait a minute! Your Dragon warrior was unable to apprehend the criminal that killed the Dragon Lord?!" Queen Novo demanded.

"Hold on, Queen Novo! From what Rainbow Dash said, the Dragon that did this was well-trained in combat. He was able to land a blow on the criminal before he was magically teleported away. It wasn't Spike's fault," Thorax said.

Suddenly, the doors opened to reveal Thorax's brother Pharynx walking in with a clipboard in his hoof. He was placed in charge of the investigation into the recent events. Thorax gave his older brother a weary smile.

"Welcome, Pharynx. What were able to find?" Thorax asked.

"Well, Ember's body was immediately taken to the medical examiner to determine what exactly killed her. It may take a while to find out what," Pharynx said.

"What about the Palace being set on fire?" Grandpa Gruff asked.

"The fire was caused by Dragon fire, but it was fused with some bizarre magical energy. It was unlike anything we've ever seen before," Pharynx said. "But, Rainbow and the Dragons were able to save Princess Flurry Heart and the other staff before the fire got too out of control. No casualties".

Everyone in the room breathed a sigh of relief at the news. Next, Queen Novo spoke up.

"And what of Spike and the Dragon that murdered Ember?" she asked.

"Spike suffered many broken bones, a bad concussion, massive internal bleeding, and a punctured lung during the confrontation with the perpetrator," Pharynx replied. "Sadly, the criminal was able to teleport away from the scene using a magic artifact. But we were able to get a description of the criminal before Spike was put under for emergency surgery".

"Well, that gives us something to go on, at least," Grandpa said.

"Do we have any idea or evidence to indicate a motive?" Twilight asked.

"Any evidence that could've been taken was destroyed in the fire. As for an idea, I couldn't begin to guess. I personally doubt it was a power move, though," Pharynx said.

"Did Spike say anything?" Queen Novo asked.

"We weren't able to ask him before he was put under. We'll have to ask him when he wakes up," Pharynx replied.

This was so limiting. They didn't have much information to go on, the assassin got away, and their primary witness was undergoing surgery. Hopefully, her friends and the Pillars were having an easier time than her.

...

In the Streets of the Citadel

The Pillars and the Elements were busy escorting the citizens to safe places due to the fire. Thankfully, the fire was under control thanks to the Pegasi, Griffons, Hippogriffs, Changelings, and Dragons. While they were helping the citizens, Starswirl walked away from the scene to think.

Once he was far enough away, he sat down on a barrel in an alleyway. He cast his mind to thoughts about the recent assassination. He tried to think about who could've done this.

How could this have happened? Who could've been able to do this? he thought to himself.

This assassination wasn't random, though. The killer knew exactly what they were doing and who they were targeting. Sadly, the evidence was destroyed in the fire that consumed the Palace. 

The killer fled the scene, evaded capture, and managed to defeat a trained warrior like Spike. The killer also used a strange weapon to kill someone from a long distance with great precision and effectiveness. Nothing about this made any sense.

It doesn't seem like the killer was trying to become Dragon Lord through killing Ember. If he did, he would've used poison and tried to take the Bloodstone Scepter, Starswirl thought. Besides, Ember left the Scepter back in the Dragonlands under heavy guard. This feels more like this assassin was tasked with killing Ember.

Without meaning to, his mind cast back to the Cloaked Pony from his dreams. The visage of the ancient beast he and his friends killed centuries ago. But there's no way he could still be alive. But... even if he somehow was, this assassination didn't fit his MO. He needed more information. 

I'll have to do some investigating before I do anything else, Starswirl thought.

He stood back up and walked back to rejoin his friends with the task at hoof.





Canterlot- Later that Night

Prince Blueblood grunted with effort in order to navigate the sewers beneath the city. These sewers were connected to the ancient caverns beneath the Castle. It was in one large chamber that he was told by the Spymaster to meet with him. He stood alone in the dark chamber with only the light of his horn to see.

"I'm happy to see that you were able to find your way here, Prince Blueblood," the voice of the Spymaster said from behind the prince.

Sure enough, the Spymaster's rodent face was there to greet his vision when the prince turned around. The creature stood there smiling through his cloaked face. Prince Blueblood sighed.

"Well, I followed your instructions and came down to these dour catacombs. Where is the Dark Lord we serve?" Blueblood demanded.

"You are about to see," the Spymaster said.

The Spymaster pulled off his black ring and created a red portal with it. From the portal came three figures. Blueblood's eyes widened as he recognized the figures.

It was Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow. It was the very criminals he helped free. But there was something different about them. Something... darker. It was as if they were mutated by some dark and terrible power. They all looked at Blueblood with either hatred or boredom.

"This is our contact? He looks weak," Cozy Glow said.

"Regardless, our master ordered us to remain with him until he's ready to fully enact his plan," Chrysalis said.

"You now serve the Dark Prince? Forgive me, but I thought you lot weren't the types to submit to anyone," Blueblood said.

The three villains all cringed in fear and hugged themselves. It was like a natural reaction to pain. Even Tirek was shaking in his boots. If the tank of a Centaur could be driven to follow someone out of fear, then the master was a terrifying creature indeed. Still, the Dark Lord was nowhere to be seen.

"Where is our master?" Blueblood asked.

"Behind us," Cozy Glow replied.

From the portal shot out a large dark shape. It clung to the walls and ceiling, slithering around the nooks and crannies like a giant black snake. Finally, Blueblood sensed the shape landing behind him. The air temperature around Blueblood began to rapidly drop until Blueblood could see his own breath. Apart from the cold, a wave of fear washed over Blueblood so intensely that he dropped to his knees and struggled to breath.

"W-w-welcome t-to Canterlot, m-my lord," Blueblood stammered.

A cold and dark voice echoed behind him. "Thank you for your diligent commitment to the Tambelon Empire, Herr Blueblood. Aren't you going to look at your master?"

Slowly, Blueblood looked behind him to see the glowing red orbs that were his master's eyes. Those eyes filled him with even more fear. After gazing into Lord Eclipse's eyes for a few seconds, he fainted in fear. Lord Eclipse turned his hooded head towards his subordinate's, who all bowed in his presence.

"You three carry him back to his mansion. Spymaster, continue your monitoring of the city. I want to know anything and everything that will help us," Lord Shadow ordered. "I will tour the city by myself. I have work to do".

This city will never be the same again once Lord Shadow Eclipse was finished with the inhabitants.