Chapter 1: The Fallen Archgod's Return
/
Late at night in the basement of Golden Oak's Library, Twilight sighed in defeat as she stared at her board of unsolved mysteries. A week has passed since that fateful day and still things have yet to go back to normal. A few days after returning home, strange thorn vines and plants began to overgrow Ponyville while the sibling rulers of Equestria went missing. Twilight seeing no choice in the matter needed help to investigate and with the aid of Zecora she found out that the plants were originally created by Discord in his first battle with Celestia and Luna in an attempt to block the Element's of Harmony power before they can be used on him. Needless to say this plan failed or rather was delayed thanks to the Tree of Harmony's power but this power grew weaker the longer the elements were separated from the tree. So as a result Twilight and her friends traveled into the Everfree forest to return the elements back to the tree.
It was a treacherous quest as the wild plants attacked them but thanks to their new found powers and the help of Midnight they managed to get passed the hazards much more easily. Once they finally reach the tree and returned the elements the plants withered away and they saved the day, however, the tree produced a mysterious box that required six keys to open; keys they didn't have. Regardless, things cooled down since then and even though Midnight hasn't done anything evil in a while, Twilight was outfitted with a ring on her horn that will weaken Midnight should she take over, something that the second soul detests yet understands. As the days tick by Twilight became more sociable again but at the same time she noticed that the orb left behind from Fredrick's death began to regain color and starting to pulse. This both confused and brought hope to the mare as she began to look into it along with the mysterious box.
Which leads back to her current situation. Twilight since has been a busy mare since she was now dividing her time between studying the new magic, trying to find any new leads with the artifacts, and spending time with her friends. It got to a point where she needed a schedule so she doesn't overwhelm herself.
"Argh…I still don't understand!" Twilight yelled in frustration as she stared at the drawings she made of the two mystical artifacts. "All I know is that the box created from the Tree of Harmony needs six keys which we don't know how to obtain. However, I think I have a few solid theories on the crimson orb, one on it being the container to Fredrick's soul, another it being some mystical artifact that was inside Fredrick this entire time, or lastly some kind heart since it always seems to beat like a one. Hmm…I think it might be the former."
A few footsteps down the stair broke her attention away from the board as she turned to see Spike descending the stairs with tired eyes, "Twilight…can you give it a rest? Its ten thirty already!"
"Sorry Spike, I kinda lost track of time but I think I made a new break through with the orb!"
"Yeah? And what would that be?"
"It's just a theory but I think this orb may house Fredrick's soul! Like some kind of container or something." Twilight took another look at the orb and like before nothing really changed in its behavior other then the odd pulsing light that it started to emit.
Spike sighed, "Look Twilight I know you miss Fredrick but thinking that some orb is holding his soul isn't rational. Even if his soul is in there what would you do then?" The young dragon brought up a good point but the mare knew that her theory holds some water as she remembers what her friends told her about the Nightmare Brothers after their death; they disappeared into nothing and what remained of them is a shard belonging to the orb.
"Spike…I know it sounds crazy but how else would this orb start regaining color again? Something is happening to the orb and I think its Fredrick's soul trying to communicate with us. Considering that his orb has started pulsing with a crimson glow which I admit is kinda unsettling but it's a sign that something is alive in there!" She said with excitement as Spike continues to look at her with a somewhat sleepy expression before it gradually changed into widen eyes of terror. Twilight noticed this and followed where he was looking at to the main topic of their conversation; the orb. However, when she laid her eyes on the protected treasure she couldn't see anything wrong as it continue to pulse like a beating heart, "Are you okay Spike? It looked like something scared you."
The young dragon was in the middle of rubbing his eyes when the mare asked the question so he managed to get another look at the orb and saw that it was normal again, "I'm fine…I think…look, just call it a night. Celestia and Luna have asked us and the rest of our friends to check out their old castle to see if it can still be renovated, so we need to sleep in order to work at our best."
Twilight nearly jumped in surprise, "I completely forgot! Thanks for reminding me Spike, I'll put my research on hold for now. C'mon let's get ready for tomorrow."
"It's about time…" Spike yawned as he left the basement while not forgetting the strange thing he saw.
Twilight was about to follow him out but stopped to take one last look at the orb, "Twilight…you can feel it can you?"
"Yeah…some kind of large power is coming from the orb. I don't know why I'm hoping but I feel that the power is coming from Fredrick's soul. Call it desperation or pure delusion but what else could it be?"
"I am not certain as I do not wish to get my and your hopes up. However, I can agree that the power is familiar but something is off about it. I suggest exercising caution on your next research session."
"Okay, I'll be careful from now on."
"You better be! I may be in a prison of my own design but it doesn't mean I want something horrible to befall you. If you perish, so do I."
"As long as we're sharing this body we both have the job to look out for each other okay?"
"That we can both agree on."
Midnight's presence in Twilight's mind faded as she left the basement, taking one more look at the orb before turning off the lights and closing the door behind her. She went to her room and laid on her bed with a troubled mind before actually pulling the covers on herself and trying to get some sleep. Unbeknownst to the mare, back in the basement the orb grew bright once again as what looks to be an eye appeared on the glass like surface of the orb. The eye began to dart in various directions in order to get a picture of its entire surroundings before closing and disappearing as the orb returned back to its normal pulsing glow.
/
Elsewhere, on the outskirts of Ponyville, a lone serpentine figure lurked in the shadows of the night in order to hide from the light of the moon. The serpent figure smiled as it spotted Twilight's house in the distance, "It's almost time…" the snake said in a low voice in order to not be heard by the night's guardian Princess Luna.
"Indeed…our Lord, our great Archgod is close to being with us again." Spoke a hidden male figure deep in the shadows.
"Our liberator…the man who brought us together as a family and freed us from the tormentors of our former lives," Spoke a female voice from the trees.
"The one who saw how special we are from our peers, and chosen us to be the superior's of our own races. To be the rulers…" A gruff voice said while adjusting his weapon.
"He who blessed us with new powerful forms to aid our power." Spoke a mature female voice.
"He who wish to take his father's throne…his awakening is nigh," Spoke the serpent again as he looked back at his allies, "We shall reclaim his soul orb and resurrect him so he may lead us again."
"Then why don't we? There is nothing that alicorn princess can do to stop us should we break into her house together," Spoke the first male voice.
"No, it would bring too much attention to our presence. Our Archgod's father cannot see us here but the royalty here no doubt will set off some kind of alarm that will reach him and cause him to send his dogs after us."
"Right…how foolish of me for suggesting such a brash action."
"Then when should we break in?" Asked the first female voice.
"I overheard that the alicorn is taking her small dragon on a mission of some kind. That's our opening and with our skills it should be simply child's play to reclaim the orb. Once we have it, we shall return to camp and bring about his resurrection. However, be warn my brothers and sisters, when he is reborn he will not remember who he is so we must do our best to remind him who he is."
"W-Wait…does this also mean that he won't remember Tia?" The first female voice said with unknown hope.
"The less said about that traitor the better…she corrupted his vision and in turn compromised the great battle against his father. I can care less about your feelings for him unless it jeopardizes our shared goal."
"It won't I swear!"
"It better not…anyway we strike when the pony leaves her home. But this will be a mission of stealth so those of us who are able to be silent can join me on this mission; you know who you are so do not sleep in."
*Roger* the rest said in unison as they melted into the night and away from prying eyes.
/
One busy morning and gathering later, Twilight and her friends steadily made their way through the normally treacherous woods of the Everfree Forest in order to find and examine the remains of the old castle of Princess Celestia and Luna. The mares didn't know what was different but the forest have since become calmer and less dangerous to travel through ever since they return the elements back to the tree. However, this didn't lower their guard as they recalled the path they took to locate it the first time on their first adventure together. Twilight smiled as her friends conversed with each other while also bringing her into the conversation.
"Doesn't this bring back memories?"
"You mean a constant reminder of my first failure? Yes seeing the entire path through your eyes constantly reminds me of my methods to try to lead you astray. Only now I realize my mistake in doing so as it only brought you closer together and help you discover which one of you is best suited to be the bearer of a certain element."
"Huh, I never thought of that. I guess we should be thanking you for helping us become closer as friends." Twilight said as she gave a small giggle that didn't go unnoticed by her friends.
"Hey Twilight, you still talking to Midnight?" Applejack asked as she glanced back to mare to see her talking to herself.
"Yes, we have since became…um…what's the word? Partners? Acquaintances? Anyway, she has since mellowed out after the whole nightmare fiasco and since we're technically stuck with each other we decided to get to know each other." Twilight responded with a slight sheepish smile as the reputation Midnight has left behind made it hard for anyone who doesn't know her to even have some trust in her. Twilight still remembers the conversation they had together, where she expressed an interest in reformation or atonement in her words. While the mare believes that this was brought on after Fredrick's death, her friends think that this was brought on after losing to them a third time and decided to give up being evil because of it.
"Ooo…really?! Can you tell us her favorite color?" Pinkie asked excitedly as the chance to make friends is always good news to her.
Twilight said okay to her friend and mentally asked the second soul. It took her a minute to respond but she eventually got an answer, "She said its brilliant dark shade of blue that appears in a well moonlit sky."
"Well that seemed obvious…" Rainbow Dash said with mild disappointment as she was kinda expecting that answer from a being whose whole shtick is going about creating an everlasting night.
"I suppose it's only fitting but I must admit that I am curious about her since she used to be our enemy but now…" Rarity trailed off as she tried to find the right word to describe the now friendlier being.
"A new friend in the making?" Pinkie suggested.
"I suppose that would have to suffice if we were to describe her…"
"Does she have a favorite animal?" Fluttershy asked, having since gotten used to the new presence inside her friend.
Twilight went silent for another minute before responding, "Bats, and if you are wondering why it's because she likes how they fly around and hang in caves…there is one more reason but I am obligated not to reveal said reason." A few of her friends groaned in disappointment as they wanted to hear said detail but Fluttershy herself was satisfied with the answer.
Spike was next in the group to speak but rather a question he wished to touch on the group's current relationship with Midnight, "Huh, its funny how someone who tried to take over Equestria in the past is already fitting in our group of friends. Though I can think of one other…" the young dragon trailed off as everyone's thoughts drifted towards Discord.
"Anyway, ah heard that you been studying the orb quite a lot lately Twilight. Do you mind sharing with us what you found?" Applejack said, changing the subject.
"Yeah, I remember there were days that you spent hours just looking at that thing. You're not going crazy on us again are you Twilight?" Rainbow Dash asked with a tad bit of worry as it wouldn't be the first time the purple mare gone crazy and caused some trouble.
"Relax; I'm not going crazy again. Unlike the box, I'm actually getting results from the orb Fredrick left behind."
"Really? What did you discover Twilight?" Fluttershy asked curiously as the orb was a shared mystery among them and right next to the box; its secrets are the main topic of small talk.
"Well for one thing, its gaining power, as it already regained its color and seemed to be pulsing like a heart."
"Like a heart? Uh that's…unsettling." Applejack said as she gave a small glance forward in order to not stumble over her feet.
"Not to mention weird." Spike added as he scratched himself behind the ear for a bit, "Twilight thinks that the orb is some kind of container for Fredrick's soul. Honestly, I don't know what to think of it."
Suddenly the mood shifted as Rarity and Rainbow Dash looked at their friend with odd looks much to Twilight's embarrassment, however, the only ones that didn't give her such odd ball glares were Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Applejack. "Well…I know it sounds like the delusions of a desperate heartbroken mare, but I'm serious girls. There's no way an orb like that would suddenly start to gain power over time. Also what about the fact it started pulsing like a heart? Sure I made other theories surrounding these behaviors but the only one that makes sense is that something is alive in there. I…I honestly hoped that's its Fredrick soul or a piece of him and with it I can find a way to bring him back." The mare's tone grew sorrowful which had some of mares regretting that they explored that topic.
Rarity and Rainbow Dash looked at each other with a mix of concern and worry as they felt that the mare may have been hiding her emotional pain from them. However, before they could say anything Fluttershy and the others already started comforting her, "It's okay Twilight…we all miss Fredrick and his brothers, and who knows? Maybe you're right about the orb, but remember that we're here and we are willing to support you okay?" Fluttershy said with a very soothing voice.
"T-Thanks…sorry I-I didn't mean to get emotional. It's still a healing wound for me…"
"It's alright sugar cube…just take your time. We don't need you breaking down on us alright?" Applejack said with a warm smile to which Twilight reciprocated with a small smile of her own.
"You're right…let's not dwell on the pain of the past. Let's get this mission done and let's do it right."
"Now that's the Twilight we know and love! C'mon! The ruins are just up ahead!" Pinkie shouted excitingly as she bounced ahead leaving the others behind.
"H-Hey! Pinkie don't run off ahead! We need to do this together!" Shouted Applejack as she chased the mare into the ruins.
"Heh, do those two think that they can find something cool before I do? Ha! Fat chance!" Rainbow said in a prideful voice as she zoomed into the ruins after them.
"I might as well go after them if I'm going preserve any of the tapestry or get a good idea of the environment if I'm going to help renovate the place." Rarity said as she simply walked ahead and into the castle.
"Oh! That reminds me! There suppose to be a library in there in well! I wonder how many books are still intact after all these years?" Twilight then squee in glee at the thought of finding old books that she can bring back home.
Spike groaned, "Twilight…is there anything you like that isn't book related?" the dragon complained.
"Well there are a few things…but I don't feel like discussing them right now. Quickly! History awaits us!" Twilight shouted with reinvigorated excitement as she took off like the friends before her while Spike held on to dear life.
Fluttershy could only giggle to herself at their energy and enthusiasm as she made her way to the entrance. Before she entered the old building a solid caw stopped her in her tracks, her ears flicked and turned in the direction of the sound before turning her head to the source of the noise. In the shadows of the trees, Fluttershy saw a dark crimson crow with piercing green eyes as it cawed again. "You…" was all she could say as she noticed the bird turned away from her and pointed in a different direction away from the castle, "Is there something over there?"
*Caw, caw, caw*
"I see…well I can't leave my friends, so can I trouble you to watch over the situation?"
*Caw*
"Thank you, if those people you saw start heading towards us please let me know." Fluttershy asked politely and much to her delight the crow gave a solid caw to let her know that it agreed before flying off into the darkness of the trees. The shy mare gave a small warm smile before turning back to the entrance of the castle and entering it while quietly saying to herself, "So it wasn't a dream…"
/
Further down and through the forest, the crimson crow quickly darted between the trees with maneuverability not seen in any other of its kind as it traveled deeper into the forest to the last known location of the suspicious people it saw earlier. Swiftly and flying fast the bird zipped past Zecora's hut which did not go unnoticed by the zebra mare as she raised brow in suspicion before carrying on with her daily routine. Diving even deeper into the forest, the bird noticed that the light of the sun was having a hard time breaking through the dense leaves thus making it seems like night time has arrived early.
Thankfully, the bird found the tracks it was looking for and immediately changed its direction to follow the trail. Footprints of various sizes including a long curving line trail told the crow all it needed to know about what it's dealing with. As the darkness of the forest grew darker the bird picked up on a campsite up ahead and immediately perched itself on a nearby tree that overlooked the camp. Once there, the creature finally found the people who left the tracks and it was surprised by what it's found. There are three males and two females, each from races not native to this world. One is a snake like creature with a few draconic features but overall looked to be a snake man with pale grey scales of different shades while wearing platinum colored armor on his torso.
The other male appears to be a very tall orc with whitish skin that seemed to be marked with strange tattoos that glow with power. He also wore a mix of natural and metal armor, with a large metal gauntlet on his weapon arm and some metal greaves made of an unknown solid material. The rest of his outfit was outfitted with tribal armor that shows his superiority if the large sword and decorative shield wasn't a good hint enough.
The last male was indescribable as the man kept shifting through various physical appearances as if they were clothes. The crow couldn't identify the man properly as he had no true face or if he did have a face that was his own the bird couldn't tell from all the shifting. The being eventually settled on the form of a dark grey human being with no hair in rather simple clothing you can find on a person if they lived in a barn.
The first female of the group appeared to be a Drow wearing a somewhat revealing outfit made of both a comfortable cloth and bony carapace that showed off her figure. Her hair was short enough to drape behind neck and the color was white as snow. Her skin was the only one among the group that has not grayed but instead appeared to be faded dark brown, but the odd line tattoos that travel through certain parts of her body emit some kind of magical power. Her ears twitched at the slight rustling of the leaves of the trees the crow was hiding in but she ignored it much to the bird's relief.
Finally, the last member of the group and the only other female appears to be made of nothing but grey slime. She looked to be mature in appearance and had a small yellow orb in the middle of her body. Like the others she too had a couple of glowing marks on her body that emit power and superiority.
The crow watched carefully as the group laughed in unison as the serpent man pulled out a large crimson orb. The mysterious orb radiated immense power as the group celebrated in jolly cheer as one of them pull out a stand to place the orb on. The bird felt a nervous twitch it hasn't felt before as the group placed the orb on the stand and started chanting.
*Oh great one, return to us! We your chosen need you once again! We desire your guidance, your leadership, your love, and your kindness so we can thrive once again! Great one! Born of dust and nothingness we dream the same dream you do and give our loyalty to you and you alone. We surrender our bodies and spirits to you as you gifted us with a piece of yourself. Please great one! Return to us so we can continue your grand plan!*
The crow watched in awe and horror as each member of the group fired a light blue beam of light into the orb which in turn caused an eye to appear in the orb. Having seen enough the crow did the only thing it can do, *CAW, CAW, CAW!*
The loud noise grabbed the attention of the group as they immediately looked up into the trees in alarm, "No! They found us!" Immediately after recognizing the bird's presence one large portal opened up in the sky as two figures descended menacingly from the air. One was dress in a hooded red white robe not too different from priests with a golden sash draped around its neck as a skull like visage peered from underneath the hood. The second figure was less hidden as it was made of pure energy held together by pieces of decorated armor that gave it a human like appearance. The first figure wordlessly pulled out a strange rifle like weapon from its robes and aimed at the group as a reddish ball of energy began to form at the end of the barrel.
"Take the orb and run!" The serpent shouted as the Drow quickly grabbed the orb as the rest of the team scattered. The moment she blinked out of sight a large blast of magical energy was expelled into their camp; completely erasing it from the world. The first being made a small 'tch' noise as the second being pulled out a book before aiming at the ground and firing into the crater a holy blue light. Slowly out of the dust and fire numerous beings human like beings slowly stood up while brandishing weapons of various kinds.
"Sxolxox, kxaxtx!" The second being shouted as the newly created creatures nodded and scattered into the forest at alarming speeds.
"M'x gxixg ox exaxc ext exo hxix ext bxo." The first being said as he looked over to the crow in the tree; he beckoned it to come to him to which it did. The crow flew over to the being and perched on the robed figure's metal hand awaiting further orders. "Uxy dxd dxox, wxn dxex ext yxw." The crow nodded in understanding as it took off in the direction of where the Drow woman ran with the robed being flying not too far behind it.
The second being crossed its arms as it took in the surroundings before spotting Canterlot castle in the distance. The strange being only sighed to itself as it opened the book again and started reading in silence.
/
The Drow girl was quickly blinking through the forest as fast as she could while holding the sacred orb. After teleporting some distance away from the initial blast zone she stopped to take in her surroundings while checking to see if she was followed. It didn't take her long to notice that she was next to a strange hut which confused her for a bit until she looked at the large orb in her arms. Its pulsing heartbeat told the Drow that they gave enough power to revive him but she needed to find a safe place to for her master to reform. She was about to consider hiding in the hut until a zebra mare walked out the front door whistling to herself. The zebra spotted the girl and gave a confused look.
"What's this? A stranger at my doorstep?" The zebra said in rhyme until a loud caw rang through the air. The Drow broke into a panic as she tightly held the orb against her body and began blinking again in her original path. The zebra looked on dumbfounded as the same crow she saw from before flew by at fast speeds as the robed figure followed at a similar velocity, "I knew the bird was an omen, but for it to bring death itself I did not see coming."
The girl continued to her desperate attempt to evade her pursuers but as long as the crow can see her the much more dangerous robed being wouldn't be too far behind, "My beloved lord, do not worry. I will make sure history won't repeat again." She said to the orb as she continued her sporadic teleporting until stopping in front of a ruined castle. "Perfect!" She said to herself as she knew she could use the ruins as cover and perhaps buy enough time for her lord to reform. With no other option she blinked into the ruins just as the crow and the robed figure caught up to her last position.
"Hxrx…exs gxixix nx exext…" The being grumbled lowly as the crow realized that these are the same ruins the mane six are exploring.
*Caw, caw, caw!*
"Txhx exa uxy gxixd?" The being asked as the crow continued its loud cawing before flying into the ruins with the robed figure following closely by.
/
As this cat and mouse game was going on the ponies have since reconvene at the library and shared laughs at their experiences in the ruined castle. Twilight has since told them of the diary kept by the Princesses that recounted the numerous traps that was made for fun and entertainment. It was indeed an interesting find and no doubt will help them avoid those same traps in the future, "Well…what do you girls think; mission accomplished?" Twilight asked her friends to whom they responded in agreement, "Alright then, let's record our findings and send them to princesses so they can start on rebuilding the place."
*Caw, Caw, Caw!*
"Huh? A crow?" the purple mare said with confusion as she and her friends looked around for the source of the noise until Fluttershy stopped and remembered the crimson crow she talked too.
"We need to get out of here now!" The normally shy mare said with urgency which surprised her friends.
"Fluttershy what's wrong?" Twilight asked with concern as the 'caws' grew louder.
"Yeah, I've never seen you act this way before." Rainbow Dash added as her closest friend continued to become more frantic.
"Something bad is heading our way! A crimson crow I met earlier is giving us a warning and we need to move now!" Fluttershy said in panic as she attempted to hurry her friends out of the room but it was too late as a flash of white light appeared in the room as the drow girl tumbled into the room panting for breath. She spotted the mares with wide eyes while holding the orb tightly. At first the girls was both surprised and confused at the appearance of this new being, but the awe was cut short when Twilight recognized the orb in the girl's arms.
"Wait…that's Fredrick's orb!" she shouted as she took an aggressive stance while charging her magic, "Why do you have it?!" The mare exclaimed threateningly as her friends took battle ready poses.
"Our lord doesn't belong to you equine! He belongs with his chosen and not a bunch of small horses!" the Drow shouted in anger as she turned to blink away again only to be stopped by Twilight when the mare blinked first and appeared in front of her. "What?!"
"Just a heads up, I can lock onto your Mana signature from a mile away." The princess explained briefly, "Now I'm not a firm believer of using violence to solve my problems, but if you don't return that orb to me then there will be consequences."
"I'll admit that's impressive, but there is no way I'm letting you take him away from us again!"
"Us?"
Before Twilight could ask the Drow further on the topic a crow flew into the room cawing like crazy. Everybody stopped to look at the oddly colored bird as a large hooded figure phase into the room like a ghost much to the shock of mane six as they never seen such an imposing figure before. Upon making eye contact with the hooded figure the drow quickly blinked away but Twilight quickly made chase as she didn't want the thief to get away with her prized treasure. The crow gave a quick glance to Fluttershy before following the two girls down the halls, the hooded figure looked at the remaining ponies before speaking, "Yxrox…" was all it said as it followed the crow down the halls.
The girls stood in silence before Spike spoke out, "What just happened?!"
/
Down the castle halls Twilight was clashing with the mysterious thief as they continuously blinked as much as their magic can allow them. The mare did her best to steal back the orb but the girl seemed to be more experienced in blinking than she was as her reaction time to Twilight's attempts to snatch back was unreal as the moment Twilight try to reach for it she has already blinked ahead of her and dodged her completely. Seeing that a direct approach won't work the mare decided to get creative. Firing off a small magic shot, the drow quickly dodged the projectile with another blink but instead of following her example, Twilight quickly fired another one but at the floor ahead of her first projectile. The small magical blast destroys a small bit of the stone floor just as the drow girl reappeared causing her to trip over and fall forward.
"No!" she shouted as her landing caused her to drop the orb. Twilight saw her chance and immediately used her magic based telekinesis to grab the fumbling orb; however, to her surprise the drow immediately leapt and tackled her to the ground. "You are not taking him away from me again!" the girl screamed as the two tumbled for a few inches; unaware that the orb was released from Twilight's magic and was rolling across the ground.
"Taking him away from you?! You're trying to take Fredrick away from me!" Twilight shouted back in anger before aiming her horn at the girl and firing a concussive beam into her body and knocking the drow off her body.
"Quit calling him by a dead man's name! My lord, my god doesn't need such mortal names!" The drow then pulled out a strange dagger that looked of be made of grey flesh and bone, "It was bad enough Tia stole his heart first, but damned I must be to allow a mere horse take his heart as well!"
Twilight looked at the obviously unstable girl with confusion, "What are you talking about and who's Tia?!"
The drow looked at the mare with a near insane smile before breaking out into laughter, "Of course you wouldn't know! You fell in love with a mere aspect of our lord, but not the whole man. This 'Fredrick' no longer exists equine; he is dead and all that remains is my lord!"
The girl went back to laughing as Twilight growled at her words, "This woman has clearly lost her mind Twilight; this makes her unpredictable so choose your next actions carefully." The mare mentally agreed and was about to start the attack until the orb suddenly burst into a bright array of colors that shifted from one spectrum to another, "What?! What's going on?!" Twilight shouted as she tried to recover her vision quickly but it was too late as the drow girl tackled the mare once again; however, this time she brought the dagger up to Twilight's throat while forcing her horn to point away from the girl.
"It's time! It's time! Our lord is returning to us once again! With him we shall take over the Empyrean and take our place as the superior gods of our world! Unfortunately, you won't live long enough to see our lord's holy form…" The girl said sinisterly as she brought the blade closer to the mare's flesh, but before she could administer the lethal cut she was attacked by the crimson crow as it landed on her head and started pecking her head like crazy. "ARGH! GET OFF! GET OFF!" she screamed as she got off of Twilight in order to shoo away the bird.
Finally free from the crazed girl's grasp, Twilight rolled back onto her feet and got ready to retaliate, but before she could fire an arcane beam at the drow the girl was suddenly blasted with a large blast of crimson electricity. The girl screamed in pain before falling to the ground unmoving; she was out cold. The mare was surprised by this until she saw the robed figure standing a few feet behind the girl holding a smoking rifle in hand showing that it was him that did it.
"Uxy Yxkx?" The being asked in a language that sounds completely like gibberish. However, Twilight remembered hearing the language before and recognized as the same dialect Omi spoke in. But before she could answer the question another blast of light came from the orb that nearly knocked Twilight to the ground. Look back to the orb Twilight was struck with both awe and fear as a humanoid shape was forming out of the orb.
"Fredrick?" was all she could say as she slowly stepped closer to the forming being as if hypnotized. The forming being took notice of her and reached out its glowing arm in order to touch her. Twilight did the same by extending her hoof, "Fredrick, is that you?"
The being said nothing as it tilted its head while trying to touch the mare's hoof with its shifting spectrum limb, "Kxixdxrx…" the being finally said, surprising Twilight and nearly causing her to back pedal on her decision to touch the forming being but she held strong.
"Ox t'xox hxuxt mxh!" Shouted the robed being but Twilight ignored him as her hoof came in close contact with the forming being in front of her. Just as the two limbs were about to touch suddenly the robed being threw an orb at the shifting being. The orb landed directly on the chest of the creature much to the surprise of both him and Twilight. The creature look over to the robe figure and began to growl angrily until the orb exploded and began wrapping the being layers upon layers of dark cloth like bands that covered his entire body. Soon the light it was creating was snuffed out as it fell to the ground thrashing as two extra cloths were used to bind his arms together and his feet close enough to prevent it from running.
"Fredrick!" She shouted in panic and worry as she ran up to the mummified being, but before she got close the creature began to growl and snarl at her like an animal. This stopped the mare as the creature slowly got up and shifted from looking at the robed being and her. It was breathing heavily and appears to be trying to calm itself down before stopping his blinded gaze on the mare. Disturbingly the creature reared his head back and started adjusting muscles in his throat before returning his head back to normal position.
"Who are you?" The being finally asked in a voice more threatening than the mare imagined.
"You…you don't remember?"
"No…but you act like you know me. You called me Fredrick…is that my name?"
"Um…well…yes and no…it's actually really complicated and…"
*Chk-chck* the sound of a cocked gun stop the conversation cold as both Twilight and 'Fredrick' looked at the source and saw the robed figure pointing it's rifle at the bound being. Small noises came from its throat before speaking, "Brother…how much do you remember?"
"Now this is indeed a strange turns of events. I have two people claiming to know who I am, one a mortal equine who shows concern for my well being. While another is an immortal being who seems to hold some form of contempt against me; not to mention bound me in all these bindings." 'Fredrick' said sardonically, earning a shot from the rifle that quickly knocked him to the ground. "Argh! Is this how you treat your own brother?!"
"Answer the question or I'll return you to your soul orb!"
"Ergh…fine! If you must know I can't remember anything since I woke up. This entire situation is proving one big hassle if you ask me."
"I don't believe you…" the robed being said, never taking his aim off 'Fredrick'.
"Stop! He said he can't remember anything! Why are you hurting him?!" Twilight shouted, finally finding her voice among these imposing beings.
"You wouldn't understand young one…if you knew the things he has done then you wouldn't be defending him."
"Gee…I would love to apologize if I knew what I done!" 'Fredrick' shouted, earning another magical shot from the robed figure's rifle, "Ow! That's starting to hurt! "
Twilight in response to this immediately got between the two, "Stop it! How can he be held responsible for anything if he can't even remember it?!"
"…*sigh* fair point." The robed figure said as he lowered his rifle, "All of this is just precaution anyway, the last thing we need is for people like her reaching him first before we do." He said as he looked over to the unconscious body of the female drow.
"Right, she stole Fredrick's soul orb from my house in order to revive him but why I don't understand." Twilight said as she rolled over the possibilities in her mind.
"It's probably best for now not to dwell on it. All you need to know is that they are bad people, me and Alpha are hunting them down."
"Alpha? Wait…I heard that name before."
"You have? When?" The robed figure questioned.
"I read it in a book of spells back in the Nightmare Realm. Alpha, the Archgod of the beginning and the sculptor of life; he's one of the greater gods along with…" Twilight's eyes widen as she realized the identity of the robed figure, "Omega…you're Omega!"
"And you know my name as well…fascinating. What's your name youngling?"
"My name is Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship. It's an honor to meet you, Archdemon god of the end."
"Heh, the honor is all mine your highness." The imposing god said respectfully as he bowed. Shortly, after doing this, Twilight's friends finally caught up to the two and quickly noticed the current situation.
"Whoa…what happened here?" Spike said as he got off of Rarity's back.
"And who's the guy wrapped up like a mummy?" Rainbow Dash noted as the figure looked at them as raised it tied up hands and waved at them.
Twilight smiled at her friends, "Everypony, I would like to reintroduce you to Fredrick!" she shouted in excitement as the bound man looked at the new group with intrigue. The group in return ran up to the restrained man and gave him a heartwarming group hug that Twilight was all too happy to join in. 'Fredrick' at first tensed up at the multiple contacts to his body but slowly loosed up as he realized it wasn't hurting him.
Omega could only look at the sight with mere disbelief as only he and Alpha knew the true identity of the bound man. Walking over to the sadly ignored drow girl, he slung her over his shoulder before returning his rifle to his robes. Now with a free hand, he tapped an interface on the side of his head and started talking to his brother, "Alpha, it's me."
…
"Yes I managed to stop the girl from running away with the soul orb. As a matter of fact I now have her in custody."
…
Omega sighed as he looked back at the bound man sitting down with ponies of various colors and a baby sized dragon, "No I couldn't stop his revival, but he doesn't remember who he is either. To make things more complicated he seemed to have some history with these colorful ponies under a different alias."
…
"Just let the ponies take care of him? I don't know…they're not ready to deal with a being like him."
…
"Did I bind him? Yes I did, why do ask?"
…
"True, but these ponies don't know the danger they are putting themselves in if we let them take care of him."
…
"What do you mean you already have it covered?"
…
"You talked to their monarchs?"
…
"And they want to discuss it in person…*sigh* I suppose this will make the explanation part easier. Fine we'll do it your way. By the way, did any of your hollows managed to catch any of the other members?"
…
"I thought so…they're a slippery bunch that's for sure. No doubt they'll go into hiding again and cook up another plan to get their lord back."
…
"Yeah…he may have been an asshole but he we still loved him as a brother."
…
"Right, well hopefully we don't ruin anything with this meeting."
…
"Alright, bye." Omega tapped the interface again as he turned to the ponies with a hidden expression on his face, "Girls, and…small dragon. A meeting has been set up with your monarchs to discuss this…situation." The girls looked the robed man with surprise and confusion along with the usual questions that went along with the sudden announcement. "I'll explain the details later, but first…" Omega then began tapping a few spots in the air in front of him with his free hand as glowing green dots are left floating in the air. With one last tap the dots stretched open and created a glowing blue portal, "There, step through the portal. We have much to discuss." The robed man said before shortly stepping through the portal and disappearing with the unconscious drow girl and the crimson crow.
The group looked at each other with uncertainty but after some minor conversation they agreed to follow the robed man into the portal. One by one they went through the portal leaving Twilight and 'Fredrick' the only ones left to go through the portal, "So…you were alive in there this entire time. There so much I want to ask but…" Twilight started to say before pointing back to his current situation.
"Heh, I should be saying that. Apparently, I was dead before and was recently brought back to life just now. The next thing I knew I have two people saying that they knew me, one of which was blasting me and interrogating me for something I cannot remember. You wouldn't believe the amount of questions I have for you and Omega."
"Well…let's sort things out first with Omega and the Princesses first. Truthfully, I want to know what's going on since that strange girl kept calling you her lord. Not mention Omega calling you his brother."
"I guess that means I'm an Archgod or Archdemon God as well. But…the questions that entails just compile on top of each other…."
"Yeah…um…let's get going." She said with a slight nervous tone in her voice. The mare wanted to say something else but didn't want to keep her friends waiting nor was she mentally prepared to ask the bound man the personal question she was thinking.
"Indeed, the others are waiting for us. Let's not keep them waiting." Together the two stepped through the portal side by side with an air of uncertainty hovering between them. She didn't know it but this man has already begun to recall minor memories just from the conversation before. 'Fredrick' has already remembered his true name, furthermore he has already recalled Twilight's name as well and the warm feeling it brought to him. Another journey is about to start, and it's going to change Equestria forever.
"Yx exax sx…Yx exax sx…Yx exax sx Axgxa…"