The group made their way out of the tomb and back towards the familiar part of the crystal castle. None of them was saying anything about what they saw. Everyone was thinking it, but nopony wanted to discuss it out loud. Fluttershy and Starlight especially from all the hanging corpses that were down. Fluttershy being scared of what kind of horrible person would do such a thing to such creatures.

While Starlight Just kept thinking about why there were dead oversize Minotaur's underneath her very hooves all this time. The others don't know this, but Starlight doesn't like being around dead people or dead things in general. The fact that she's been sleeping right over them all this time. After seeing this revelation today, she may not want to sleep in the castle of friendship anymore.

Applejack and Rarity both made a mental note to "not" tell their younger sisters any of this and pay close attention the next time they come to the castle. If any of the CMC fillies found out about the tomb, they would want to see it, and they either beg them to take them down there or try to sneak in to see it. Neither of the older sisters was going to let that happen, not while they had anything to say about it.

Rainbow Dash felt crossed about what she saw down there. I mean it really was like something out of Daring Doo for crying out loud. How often do you see something that awesome? And so close to home either? On the other hand, it also was a little creepy, especially the giant skeletons hanging off of spikes and hooks that were on the wall. Also the fact that this was somepony's resting place and could lead to them getting cursed for disturbing it. Knowing their luck on past events with all the bad guys they fought over the years it was a possibility... Then again, good things did come out of some of those events. Like freeing Princess Luna from Nightmare Moon and have the five best of friends a girl can ask for, Dash smiled slightly at that thought.

Spike was still thinking about the statues they saw down there. He wondered what kind of knights they were? Some secret Knights Templar like in his Ponies creed comics he reads. Maybe some sort of royal guard like the princess have. That would be interesting to read about, maybe that's what's inside that book Twilight has. But what about the one they found a book at the seventh statue's feet. That's another thing that puzzled the dragon. While the ones on the stairs looked like some old knights, the last one looked like a space pony or some future soldier. Knights in space? That's a cool comic to read.

No pony could guess what Pinkie was thinking about. But from the way her hair was slightly going straight, it couldn't be good.

Twilight was in her 'deep thought mood.' Or as Rainbow Dash simply puts it, "egghead mode." How could something like this be under her hooves for so long and just now finding it? Especially with a door like that in a castle like mine. I mean come on, something like that out of place. How hard was it for her to not see it? I mean a rusted, beaten, chip dark iron door at the end of a crystal hallway. How could she not see that? It was as out of place as a college level biology book in the fouls section in a library for Luna's sake! She couldn't be oblivious to things like that! Could she? So many questions that need answering.

Looking down at the book in her hands, her mind went back to the glowing mark that she saw back there on the iron door.
The same one she was looking at now on the cover of the book she was holding. To her, it looked like some pony took a paint brush and painted some random markings. What it's Meaning? Was it someponies cutie mark of some impotent noble of a time long ago before the princess perhaps. Maybe from one of the three pony tribes before the unification. I didn't see any wings or horns on any of the statues now that she thought about it, maybe they were all earth ponies. But still didn't explain how or why was it in her castle, to begin with. On another note, Why the buck was there skeletons hanging from the in her very basement!

As the group finally made it to the map room, another thing came to the alicorn's mind. The old magic she felt down there. An ancient spell was placed down there in that tomb. Something extremely dark at that. She only felt twice before in her life but could never forget it. It was similar to the time Princess Celestia used it to show her about King Sombra and when she used it once herself to locate the crystal heart.

The main six took their respected positions at their chairs around the map. With Spike sat on his own little seat next to Twilight and Starlight Glimmer standing off on the other side.

No pony spoke as they didn't know what to say, everyone was still in thought. So the young Dragon broke the ice instead.

"Soooo are you going to open it Twilight?"

Breaking away from thoughts, she looked towards the little dragon with a confused look. "Wat?"

Rolling his own in return, he simply points at the book still in her hands "Oh" she says blushing in embarrassment. Everypony gave either smile at her silly action or shook their head in amusement.

"Yeah, Twilight set it down, open it up and start reading. If something like this was down there its got to have some wildly cool story behind it" Rainbow Dash proclaimed. Applejack was unsure if she should agree with Rainbow or not.

" I don't know RD, that there book was down there for a reason an we just took it." Applejack didn't know how she felt on this subject.
It kind of made her felt like she was grave robbing to her.

"It could have some magical do' hickey curse on it for ll we know."

"I'm also at a lost as well." Rarity believing it was time to voice her two bits in.

"While I'm also disturbed that we got something out of a tomb" Slightly surprise that she didn't bring out her fainting couch after everything she saw downstairs. "I too am also curious to know the tale of why all those, "things" are below our hooves."

Fluttershy too was interested, if only to know at least know why there was so much death in Twilight's basement. But kept her comment to herself for the time being and just nodded her in agreement.

"Yeah, Twilight show and tell the story already!" Pinkie said while pulling a bag of popcorn from under the table.

Ignoring Pinkies antics aside. Twilight stood up from her chair at the table and sat the book on the table for all to see. When the book was placed, she opened it to the first page. Having now looked on the inside she could see that the cover was made of wood and the sheet of metal had that mark again. Turning to the next 'page' as it were the map of Equestria suddenly went dark and vanished from the site.

"What in tarnation?!" Applejack let out.

Starlight Glimmer looked worried from what she was seeing. The map she saw had reverted back to when she use star swirls time spell to change the past. Seeing the map as it was, sent chills of regret at that thought.

Twilight looked like she was about to have a panic attack. In till the table started lighting up again. Feeling a small wave of relief at the site that map wasn't broken again, but as quickly it came it left when the book glowed with magic. Green sparks of danced along the book and connected with the table. Without warning an orange red light burst out from the map table with a load blare like horn followed by ear-piercing screech. The air swirled around Twilight and her friends like a hurricane lifting them all of the ground.

A fast track of vertigo hit Twilight and soon found herself on the ground. Opening up her eyes not realizing they were closed in the first place, saw that she was on her hands and knees on top of some hot rocks and sand. Lifting her head, she can see that all seven of her friends had made it to, wherever they are. Where did they end up? She tried calling out to her friend but let out a load dried out cough, Leading up to coughing fit. Her mouth was as dry as the sand beneath her! Twilight's tongue felt like sandpaper, and her throat was on fire. Looking back at her friends she wasn't the only one with same reacting. Everyone was trying to steady their breathing and trying not to cough up a lung in the posses.

Getting back up on her shaky hooves. Twilight once again called out to her friends, but know words exited her mouth. With a hand touching her throat tried calling out once more, again with nothing coming out. Twilight had lost her voice and couldn't speak with her friends. Putting her attention back on her friends they to had lost their voices. They all had worried, or panicked looks on their faces trying to figure out what just happen.

In the first age,

A deep voice sounded all around the group. The group looked around to shadow silhouettes appear before the group in front of them. The group huddling up and protecting one another. Rarity, Starlight, and Fluttershy held one anther, while Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Twilight and Spike stood in front of them in various fighting stances. Soon the shadows morphed into what looked like armed soldiers in close ranks preparing to attack.

in the first battle,

A loud screech was heard from behind a creature jumped over there heads and land in front of them. Before the girls could react it dove in the line of soldiers in front of them and ripping them to shreds before their group's very eyes. Suddenly more screeches, roars and growls were heard from behind the group. Creatures of all shapes and sizes came forth and tore apart the soldiers. Then the scenery changed around them looking like a town morphed around them with creatures still present, but instead of fighting soldiers, they were slaughtering ponies. All around Stallions were being pulled apart, Mothers trying to shield their fouls from the creatures and fire blaring all around them.

when the shadows first lengthened,

No one in the group was without fear filling them to the brim. Their eyes were wide, tears flowing freely down all their faces at the madness before them. Their body's stiff, hooves rooted in the ground. None could tear their eyes away from the slaughtering blood fest that laid before them. No words came to their minds, no thoughts of anything could be heard as the only thing they could do.
Was watch.

one stood.

A load roar was echoed, and the scenery changed to where a stallion stood before them. The armor he wore looked dirty, beaten and denied. He looked as tall if not taller then Big Mac and bulkier then Snow Flake with that armor on. The group could only look upon him in wonder. For Twilight thou she felt as time stopped she looked eyes with the being. Her violet eyes met his red with such clarity. Anger, sadness, rage, sorrow had filled her mind when she saw his eyes. But only one emotion above all others flooded her mind at his gaze. Hate.

Burned by the embers of Armageddon, his soul blistered by the fires of Hell and tainted beyond ascension, he chose the path of perpetual torment.

With a loud war cry, the armored soldier charged into a group of creatures. The spectator's who watch thinking the soldier would get killed, ripped and tore through the monsters in front of him with either his sword or his bare hands. There heads twisted from his blows. Rib cages broke from his impacts. Heads rolled and limbs severed from his sword.

In his ravenous hatred he found no peace;

The sound of the monster's screams of pain filled the land, the soldier broke their bones and split their skulls as he worked through them. Monsters that dwarf the soldier by a huge margins cold not stop him from killing them. No matter the size of the monster, or what shape they were in. Sparing none before him. The soldier tore into them destroying all in his path.

and with boiling blood he scoured the Umbral Plains seeking vengeance against the dark lords who had wronged him.

On it went. As he crushed all the monsters that stood against him, the ground blurred crimson beneath him as he walked on. When all the monsters that held against were slain, he moved on to the horde monsters. As he fought, Twilight noticed that the soldier was fighting on the same battlefield they saw earlier. She saw him 'avenging' their deaths. After she saw what he was doing she also got a better view of soldier. His armor at this point looked like he been through Tartarus. It looked more like scrap metal now then armor. After the last monster had fallen, there stood in defiance was the soldier looking over the carnage. While he looked over his work, the mares noted him going down on one leg with his knee touching the ground. Doing so, he picked up something that was resting on the field and did something unexpected to the small watching audience. He removed his helmet. Doing so, was the only one Twilight got a slightly decent look at the side of her face and surprised her. She expected some old torn war veteran like face. Instead, she saw a man's face looking no older than herself. His mane was cut short and black, with red crimson eyes that could pierce inches upon inches of iron. Then melt said iron with the look of hatred that was in it.

He wore the crown of the Night Sentinels, and those that tasted the bite of his sword named him...

The group of seven mares and one dragon watch as the soldier stood back revealing he picked up a different than the one before. Doing the new helmet, it made look closer to six of the statues that are in the tomb.

The Doom Slayer

A sand storm hit the group like a typhoon, and everything went black.