Chapter 18: Hunger Never Satisfied
"And despite the unknown problems to the east concerning missing battalions, we have successfully conquered everything one-hundred miles past the Equestrian border." A general informed, pointing to a large map in the middle of the war room.
Death Fire and all those that were left in power, mostly the aristocracy, sat in a large, circular table that overlooked a huge map of Equestria and beyond. The lighting was dim and the mood was grim in this room. In here, there was nothing to be happy about.
"So why have you stopped expanding?" Death Fire asked.
"Because we have reached the borders of other nations nearby." Shining Armor pointed out. "There's nothing left to take around us that isn't claimed."
"And to expand further would mean certain war." The general added.
"So is that a problem?" Death Fire questioned darkly.
"N-n-no, my king...I was going to suggest waiting a few more weeks before advancing."
"Why should I wait! I've been waiting long enough as it is!"
"Because a full blown invasion with our units stretched so thin would not only guarantee an embarrassing loss, but also unite the others against us before we're ready to begin."
"So you doubt our abilities?"
"Certainly not, we are the strongest country in existence."
"And why is that?"
"Our weapons and technology are far beyond the understanding of the common mind. Our army causes the very ground the shake in fear as they march by, and our mastery over magic has never been greater. No empire has come close to our power and nothing can stop us"
"I'm glad you understand this, general...now proceed with the original plan." Death Fire ordered.
"But what about-
"By going off of what you just told me, we can demolish any form of resistance with ease, even if they united as one." Death Fire said, glaring at the general without emotion. "You weren't lying…were you?"
The general froze in place, starting to sweat with nerviness and fear.
"No...my lord."
"Good. We shall continue as planned. We shall dispatch the Diselements to each location of importance."
"The elements are still acting up though, what should we do about them?" Shining asked.
"I will give them them the choice to follow me willingly. If they rebel, I will break their will and shatter their hope. Fortunately for them, I need them alive, but they will serve me one way or another." Death Fire said with malice. "Now...what are the countries we have to deal with?"
"In the west, we have the buffalo herds and remnants of donkeys to deal with. A small resistance but nothing too major."
"Leader?"
"Chief Thunderhooves and Little Strong Heart."
"Capture them and bring them here, their resistance will fall certainly afterwards. What else do we have."
"We have Zebrafrica to the south, a large body of water separates our two nations by about 1,000 miles. Unfortunately, the oceans are nearly impossible to freeze into solid ice, so we will need a navy."
"Then let's start building them. We will force the ponies to work in the iron and steel factories until our ships block out and ocean itself. They will never expect an opposing force from the sea itself. Now, what are the others?"
"There is Germania...but there has been some strange activity there and all throughout the east."
"Why is that?"
"We sent a scouting team there once. A group of ten-thousand stallions. However, we have heard nothing from them. It's like they just...vanished."
"An army that big simply vanishing, what does that remind me of?" Death Fire questioned. "We've had problems with the east before with little to no evidence as to why. Tell the army to simply build a hundred foot wall of pure steel, ten to fifteen feet thick. Stretch that out along the east side of Equestria, in fact, build an entire wall around Equestria. No one comes in and out without clearance or knowledge by us."
"Do we even have the funds to make it?"
"Funds? Who said anything about funds? They will make the steel for free whether they want to or not."
"But what about the food and water they need to-
"That will be their problem. We will use the inhabitants of captured civilization to make our walls and weapons. Simple as that."
"And if they refuse."
"Destroy their hope, beat their loved ones before them, bind their freedom in chains, make them know it is them causing their own suffering. Do what needs to be done. Every body counts
"What about the changelings that surrendered to us, could we use them?"
"I let my anger get to my head when I ordered their extermination. We lost to many valuable hooves. They can either work for us of parish in the cold winter of hatred, their choice. So what is the last nation?"
"The Gryphon Kingdom."
"Ohhhh yes...i've been waiting to get revenge on those stupid bird ever since I served Herus. They will make great pets for our workers."
"Alright sire, that all of the countries in our way so far, but there are other passed that. What will be their fate?" Shining asked.
"They will have two choices...surrender willingly to us...or rise up and fight to lose everything they worked for. If an opposing city proves to be a problem, siege it and starve them into submission. This war will be a long and drawn out process, but it will soon be ours to control...you have you're orders, now carry them out...dismissed."
As everypony was leaving from war room, Death Fire stopped Shining and pulled him aside.
"Tell me, was there anyone else that Celestia imprisoned during her reign?"
"Not that I know of my lord, at least none that I can recall."
"Do you know where I could look to find any records?"
"Celestia's old library, why do you ask?"
"Because...what's a king without his secret service."
Death Fire searched through the remnants of Celestia's and Luna's old castle, searching for the library. The walls were destroyed and there was little to no light in the building.
"This place has changed so much in the past. 1,000 years ago this place was home to royalty…" He said, passing by the destroyed arena where he banished Twilight." Now it's a location of my triumph."
He continued to walk and inspect the area until he eventually came across the entrance of Celestia and Luna's old throne room. He looked to the left, noticing a large portion of the ceiling collapsed on the ground.
"Taken so soon from this world wern't you, Nocturne? I never did intended to kill you, you know. Things just happen."
He jumped through the ceiling and landed on the second floor. He looked around to see lots of
armor statues line up along the walls. Along with this were old paintings of war heros with with eyes that seemed to follow him everywhere he went. Ten minutes went by slowly, but he eventually found the library somewhat intact. Some of the shells were clearly destroyed, but most still remained.
"I'll be sure to either destroy or change these books to prevent future uprisings. The victors are the ones that write history after all." He said to himself. "Now where would Celestia hide information in a library..."
With a quick flash of his horn, he grabbed all the books and torches in the room and pulled them with magic, tipping the items on their sides. With that, a loud click was heard and a bookshelf suddenly opened up, revealing another room.
"Didn't think Celestia would be so predictable."
He walked in the room and got to work with researching. He went through book after book, looking for any historical evidence for anyone or anything that oppose Celestia in the past.
"There's a lot in here about Herus...however, the records end right around the time Nightmare Moon came on the scene. Which makes this worthless like the rest." He said, tossing the book before noticing a dark, gray book with strange letters. "This one seems interesting."
He levitated the book over with his magic, noticing the title was in latin.
"Et ruina magna Sila Camellia, et angelus daemonium in odium amore." He read aloud before reading it again. "Downfall of Iris and Camellia, demon of hatred and angel of love? Well…seems like I found my new servant."
He opened the book and instantly saw a picture of a dark gray pony with long, flowing black and red hair similar to Celestia's.
"Thousands of years ago, during a time of war and sorrow, lived a peaceful city under the rule of Isis, the alicorn of love and lust. Sounds kinky." Death Fire said, continuing to read. "The alicorn was a kind ruler and treated them well, but she demanded the love of her ponies in return. She decreed that only way they could show her their love was by…oh…" He whispered, feeling the room get hotter. "It's unsure how many ponies she raised, but it's presumed that she gave birth to around 1,000...1,000 PONIES! HOLY &#* WOMAN!"
Shaking it off, he continued to read.
"Despite these children, she never had a child to call her own. Eventually, she found two, abandoned ponies in the Blackforest and adopted them into her family. They were both pegasi with pure white coats. The only difference between the two where their manes and eyes. One had light green hair with glowing green eyes. She was later named after the flower Camellia for her white fur and sweet nature. The other had light red hair with bright red eyes. She was named Iris to honor the alicorns name. Together they live happily and-
Death Fire got bored and started to flip through the pages quickly, trying to speed it up.
"Many years passed, and Iris grew jealous, believing her sister was honored and favored more than she was. In an act of rebellion, Iris struck down her sister in sword combat, attempting to prove she was the better and superior. Isis, in turn, banished her from the city until she could accept her sister for who she was. Unfortunately, it ended in despair.
Iris turned to hatred and lust to fuel her power of vengeance against her sister and sought out an army to help her destroy the very ones that saved her. She renounced her name and renamed herself Sila to show the world her true nature, Sadly, this anger would go unnoticed by the very one that brought destruction to a world of peace. The master of shadows himself...Herus. Is there anything this guy wasn't involved with?" Death Fire asked.
He continued to flip the pages until he reached a page that almost made him drop the book in shock. There was a picture of Herus and Sila overlooking the city, but to the side of Herus was Blue Asphyxia and a small, red colt with hair that could only belong to one pony.
"This just got interesting." Death Fire whispered.
He flipped the page and continued reading.
"Together, Herus and Sila sieged the city with an army as massive as the city itself. Herus demanded that they sent out their best swordpony to face him in one on one combat, knowing good and well that no one could defeat him. It was typical of the mysterious mastermind, but it was affective. They waited and waited for days on end until the cities gates opened to reveal Sila's sister herself, ready to duel Herus to the death. The dark master stepped forward along with Camellia and dueled to decide the fate of the city.
Camellia, next to Jack the swordspony, was perhaps the best swordpony ever to step foot on the earth. She even proved to be better than Herus himself, but the dark master was not without his tricks. He allowed Camellia to give it her all before finally attacking the worn out mare. Sila watched as her sister was slashed at and maimed brutally until her coat was covered in her own blood, but yet she continued to fight in pain. The duel lasted for what seemed like a lifetime before Camellia collapsed to the floor, crying out in pain.
Sila felt no emotion or sorrow as she walked to Herus and stared down at her sister in victory, but she soon regretted her decision. With a quick motion of his hand, he commanded the entire army to attack the city and turn it into dust. Sila was now forced to watch the city she grew up in fall to the ground because of her actions, and she could do nothing to stop it. Herus then turned to Sila and struck her down to the ground where her sister laid and cursed them with his dark magic.
Their white coats turned to black chitin and their legs and hair became filled with holes to symbolise their emptiness. They were cursed to walk the earth forever in constant hunger and depravity, never to be filled again. Sila was cursed to feed off of lust and hatred while Camellia was cursed to feed off of love and passion for the rest of eternity. To this day, no one knows of their fate or the fate of the alicorn Isis."
Death Fire closed the book before his horn glowed brightly.
"Not anymore…"
In a flash of magic, the dreaded black book appeared before him, opening up before his eyes.
"With this, I can change anything to my will despite the curse Celestia put onto it. Even if I can't kill with this book, there's nothing stopping me from controlling what is already written in history."
The dark tyrant began to write in the book with his magic, causing the clouds to swirl around outside. Once he closed the book, black vines crashed through the library and grouped together in the center of the room. It formed a large, pony like creature before shattering and disintegrating to the ground, leaving only the form of a black silhouette with red, insect like wings and mane with a jagged horn to co on her head."
"WHO DARES SUMMON ME!" Sila screamed, turning to look at Death Fire.
She froze in place in pure ecstasy, drooling as she felt waves of pure hatred flow through her body. She tried to cover up her desires to simply take this pony and feed off of him until he was nothing but bones, but something held her in place.
"You…you're a changeling?" Death Fire said with surprise. "But the book said you were a demon. I've been lied to!" He shouted.
"A changeling? I AM SILA YOU WORTHLESS DOG!"
Sila once again paused when she looked at Death Fire with more detail.
"Wait...I know you! You're that stupid little colt that lead the assault on my city! You…you decimated my people! I'LL KILL YOU FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE!"
She tried to lash out at the stallion but she couldn't even move.
"Don't bother you weak minded fool. I control your every move until you cooperate."
"WEAK MINDED FOOL?!"
Red fire enveloped her form and shot out from her body, but a large winter wind quickly flew in and snuffed the fire out before it could even spread.
'She's growing in power from the hatred I'm emitting. Then again, her hatred towards me gives me the same result. This can quickly end in a stalemate if i'm not careful, I don't need another changeling running around and causing havoc.' Death Fire thought.
Strangely enough, Sila was thinking about the same thing about Death Fire. If either of them were going to overpower the other, they would have become the opposite of what they were. Even if it meant loving each other in a hateful way just to stab each other in the back when they were finished.
"What do you want from me…" Sila asked in a submissive tone.
"Oh nothing, I just brought you here so I can ask you on a date and WHAT THE &#* DO YOU THINK I SUMMONED YOU FOR!"
Sila instantly started to glow making Death Fire shut his mouth. Sila 1 Death Fire 0.
"I don't know, being asked on a date by you would seem pretty nice." Sila lied, attempting not to herl. "You are kinda...on fire I might add…"
Death Fire's eye twitched as her voice invaded her head with those words.
'Just tell her what you want, no malice or deception in mind. She can't get strength from that.' Death Fire thought. "I need a powerful ally and flattering me will get you nowhere."
"No like literally, you are on fire." Sila said, pointing to his hair with her hoof.
"How the heck are you movi-
Death Fire noticed his hair was indeed on fire but he could care less.
"It tends to do that." Death Fire said unfazed. "Now, as I wa-
"Why does it do that?"
"It does it when I'm frustrated or pissed off. So lets-
"Are you pissed off now?"
"No...but it's getting there." Death Fire said in anger without moving his jaw. 'Don't let her get to you.'
"Oh, I wouldn't want to annoy or anger you though, that would be wrong of me. So seriously, why am I here?"
"I summoned you so-
"So you can ask me out on a date."
Death Fire took a deep breath before breathing out slowly, giving Sila a dark smile.
"Yes...I summoned you so you could be my queen of love." Death Fire said, approaching her calmly. "You see...i've always had feelings for cheese legged love suckers...and I want you to be my wife." Death Fire said, wanting to hang himself.
Sila's eyes widened as the stallion approached her. She couldn't sense any hatred from his body, giving her the impression that he was being serious, but she had to play along.
"I've never had somepony love me before...I accept your request. I will be...your wife." She said, feeling her heart attempt to kill itself.
Death Fire finally reached kissing distance of the changeling and took out his book. He wrote down a command before the book poofed out of existence and leaned in close to Sila, taking her face in his hooves.
"Join me, and we can rule the world together as husband and wife." Death Fire said, looking into her eyes and holding a conjured needle in his hoof.
"And I will be your faithful queen...forever...till death to us part." Sila whispered, lacing her hoof with magic.
Before the two kissed, Death Fire stabbed the needle into Sila's horn while the changeling punched Death Fire in the apples, forcing the two "loved ones" to fall onto each other paralyzed..
"YOU CHEAP F***"
"YOU CHEAP F***" They both cried out together, feeding off of the hatred they had for each other.
It was truly a stalemate. Death Fire might of have superiority in fighting and skill, but Sila was too cunning and tricky. To top it all off, none of them could get stronger then the other, their hatred built up their strength to the point where they could even make each other budge. The only thing stopping Death Fire from blasting Sila with energy was simply because he needed her as much as she needed him. They were like two connected wells full of water. No matter how much one was filled, it would balance the other even if it was against their will...and they hated it.
"This isn't getting anywhere." Death Fire said, laying ontop of Sila's back.
Sila blew air out of her mouth to part Death Fire's tail hair so she could see.
"I agree...but now we're stuck."
"Well, if you would have listened to me then you wouldn't be stuck in this situation now would you?"
"You're the one that summoned me, you really think I would just let you push me around?"
"No, which is why I bound you so you would listen to me. I see now that it did nothing and was a waste of time."
"This whole situation is a waste of time."
"It doesn't have to be. Whether you like it or not, you are a changeling. This means you feed off of love, or hatred in your case. So tell me, if hatred gives you strength, then why not have more of it."
"Ok, I'll bite...where's this going." Sila asked.
"Under my authority, you can have all the hatred you want as long as you stay close to me and fulfill my orders. Together we will use our power to spread our influence and armies throughout the world without any opposition. In exchange, you and your army will never go hungry again, propelling your nation population to the stars. And of course, you will be granted limitless power beyond mortal comprehension. What do you have to lose besides yourself…"
Sila remained silent for over thirty seconds before sighing deeply.
"When do we start…"
The moon was darker than normal and the temperature continued to drop as it did. Any snow that landed and stuck to the ground could remain there for months on end without evaporation or fear of melting. However, the harsh winter wind ceased and the clouds were cleared from the sky. Everything, as usual, was silent until the loud flapping of wings could be heard from a distance. From seemingly nowhere, the large dragon known as Durrarnco crashed into the snow, shaking up the ground as it did.
Desolent soon dismounted the dragon and landed into the snow next to his pet, sinking into the snow until his legs were completely submerged in the cold blanket of white silence. With a quick spell, the snow was evaporated around him.
"Is this the place?" Desolent asked, observing small but bright lights from a distance.
"Yeeeesssss…" The dragon replied slowly. "They come in plethoras...and spread like water across the land…"
"But what is it?"
"Walls...walls that stretch for miles to contain us…"
"They are foolish if they think a wall will hold me back."
"It is not made to keep us in...but to keep us out."
"Fine then, I do not wish to enter those lands anyways. It will work to our advantage as I build up our strength. But first...I will have to introduce myself to them." Desolent said, extending his right hoof out to catch his falcon. "Durrarnco, you have done well. Travel deeper into our land and raise more servants for our cause. I will return shortly."
The dragon extended his wings and launched into the air before vanishing into it's dark night.
"Ravager, observe them from the sky. Warn me if anything goes wrong."
His falcon took flight, leaving the green pony be himself. In the blink of an eye, Desolent propelled forward in a bright green and yellow line, suddenly appearing on top of the unfinished wall with a smerk on his face.
"So after everything I have demonstrated to Dark Fire, this is the best he could come up with to restrain me?" He said, staring down at the workers. "To think, with all that power that he would…"
Desolent noticed that the "workers" were just normal, civilian ponies bound in chains and shackles. They beared grim and hopeless faces as they looked up to him in silence, as if they were begging him to end their lives. The dark necromancer also noticed that ponies weren't the only ones enslaved. Practically every race he could think of was working on this wall, all bearing the same, emotionless expression.
"What is this?!" Desolent asked in anger. "Why do you show no emotion to my presence?! Has Dark Fire not told you who I am?!"
The slaves returned to their work and ignored Desolent completely. It was then he felt something attempting to break through his mind, as if there was a silent whisper in his ear. The voice grew in strength and power, almost forcing Desolent to pick up a pickaxe and work with the slaves, but the miasma overpowered it. The virus already had a firm grasp in his mind and it wasn't about to let something else take it's host. However, as he looked around, the same whisper was being chanted around him as the workers slaved over the wall.
"Here in our land that
We have forsaken
Here do we toil
That we might remember
By work we achieve
What by death has taken
Deep in our hate
He grows in power
Our eyes were once blinded
Now through him we see
Our bodies were once idle
Now through them does he speak
And when the world falls to it's knees
And when the people bow to his feet
And when the nations fear his name
Their world will cease to be."
They repeated this chant over and over again, each time becoming more disturbing and more terrifying. Desolent raised his hoof into the air and glared down at the slaves.
"I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS NONSENSE!" He screamed, summoning a large, green ball and shooting it into the air.
In a flash, the ball shattered and shot out a large wave of green light that looked similar to the northern lights. It rained down onto the slaves and at once, they stopped chanting and looked around in confusion.
"What...just happened."
"My head hurts…"
"What am I doing here?"
"Where we building a wall?"
"SILENCE!" Desolent yelled as his voice boomed over the citizens. "Why do you toil over a wall bound by your will?! Who ordered you to do this?!"
They all looked up to him in horror, recognizing who it was. Some of them shook in fear, but then again, you could just blame the cold. The workers stood around, not wanting to come forward until several guards emerged from nowhere and pointed their guns at the crowd.
"Why have you stopped working?! Death Fire never ordered you to stop! Now work!" The soldiers demanded.
"That's because I ordered them to stop!" Desolent declared, looking at the guards.
"All that oppose our dark lord are traitors to our empire! You must be dealt with!"
The soldiers pointed their guns to Desolent just before the guns disintegrated in their hooves.
"Have you become so blinded that you've forgotten just how powerful your enemies are?" Desolent asked, landing next to the soldiers. "Now tell me-
Before he could finish, all the soldiers dashed at him with daggers or shot at him with their sidearms. Desolent couldn't believe it. He was practically the biggest threat to Equestria and even the world, yet they attack him like he was a rebellious commoner. But then he saw it. He saw the corruption in their eyes, the will sucked right out of their souls, and their minds brainwashed with lies and propaganda.
This wasn't the effects of the hatred wave he was familiar with, but something much more sinister, something much deeper than any spell he had witnessed before. They were mindless bodies that would do anything to destroy their enemy at any cost. Anything that was left of their former selves was completely erased, replaced with heartless animals that would obey their master to the death no matter what it was. Their love for their former princess was gone and in it's place was hatred and corruption. They now lived for blood and violence, and Desolent's presence wasn't about to stop them from getting it.
Despite the soldiers resistance, Desolent beat down every single one without effort. The enemy was still the enemy, but he couldn't help but feel pity for them as he took their lives one by one. As he slayed the last guard, he turned to the slaves as blood dripped down his hooves.
"Tell me where the captain of this project is!"
"Captain, we're having problems in sector seven, eastern territory." A soldier said, sitting in front of a large computerized map of the wall.
"What's the situation?"
"Magic outbursts have been detected and life signs of our soldiers have vanished."
"Do we have eyes on that area?"
"No sir, but the 45th pegasus division happens to be near by."
"Send them a transmission."
The stallion activated the radio and grabbed the intercom.
"Home base to 45th pegasus division, do you copy?"
"What do you want?" Ammisive asked in aggravation.
"Commander Ammisive? What are you doing in that area? And how did you get the divisions signal? "
"Why does it matter to you?"
"You're suppose to be in Cloudsdale keeping the ponies in line. Now put the sergeant on the line."
"You mean forcing them to work in a "rainbow factory"? Do you know what I've found in those barrels your leader sent me? Sulfur mustard...I found sulfur mustard in those barrels and you wanted me to put that in our rainbows! You wanted to test out a chemical agent on our own ponies so you could later mass produce it IN OUR OWN FACTORIES!
"Are you disobeying orders?" The captain asked darkly.
"If disobeying means saving their lives then yes, I am disobeying, and quite frankly I'm a higher rank than you. So you can kiss my flank if you don't like it! As for me, I'm done with this #*$#!"
Ammisive grabbed his mic, tossing it over the cloud he was on and looked to his shadowbolts behind him.
"There's no turning back now...it's been done…"
"Where do we go from here?" One of them asked.
"We go down to that wall and we free as many workers as possible...then we run."
"But where…"
"I don't know...but it's the only thing we can do. I...I just can't believe it's come to this." Ammisive said with remorse. "The others agree with me, we chose the wrong side...but now it's too late and now we suffer for it. Lets make this count."
Meanwhile, at the command center, the captain sat in silence along with the other soldiers in the room.
"Should we inform Lord Fire." One of them asked.
"It would be best if we don't get him involved. He gave us command over this sector and if we don't take care of it we will end up in front of the firing squad by the end of the night. Activate the defense system." The captain ordered.
"But sir...the system isn't ready yet, it still can't tell enemy from friend. If you activate those now they will-
"It's them or us! Now activate them!"
The soldier sighed softly before entering several commands into the computer and put his hoof over a button. He hesitated, knowing that as soon as he pressed this button hundreds of ponies would die. Before he could change his mind, his eyes glowed red and he pressed the button without a second thought.
"Their weakness will be our strength…" The guard whispered in a voice similar to Death Fire's
Desolent dragged the captain out towards the workers and threw him forward. The captain looked up angrily at him before speaking.
"If you really think you will get anything from me then you must be-
Desolent back-hoofed the captain to the ground, breaking his jaw as he hit the snow roughly.
"You will answer my questions without your words of corrupted heroism, or I will break much more than your mouth."
The green pony picked up the captain by his broken jaw before reattaching it with his hoof and dropping him back down to the ground.
"Now tell me who this Death Fire is and why he has enslaved his own people."
The captain started to laugh evilly as he looked up to his aggressor with a smile.
"We are not enslaved, Desolent...no, it's quite the opposite actually. You are the one who is enslaved by your own mind, but we are free from control. Our dark lord has freed us from the immortal tyrants that sought out to weaken our nation. Now, however, we have become the rulers of this world through domination and war. No one can stop us, and it's all because of him."
"Then tell me who he is!" Desolent demanded.
"He came from death itself, conquering it and now uses it to keep order in our nation. It was because of the princesses that our king came to us to free us from their control. His book decides the fate of our people and it's because of his kindness that we are still here."
"Then he has lied to you. His book was suppressed by Celestia herself so that he could never harm anyone with it's power. If what you say is true, he would have exterminated me and everyone that ever opposed him weeks ago. Your king is no better than what the royals have done before, and he uses his magic to hide the truth from you. If he is so great, why must he lie to you through his words and magic?"
"Because we were too weak to see it for ourselves…"
"Insolent wretch! If you refuse to hear my words then I will free your mind with the strength of my hoof!" He yelled, bringing his hoof up over the guard's head.
"Desolent...don't."
The sorcerer turned around to look dead at Ammisive and his shadowbolts from a distance.
"I see Dark Fire has sent one of his personal pets to stop me. What makes you think you can even hurt me if none before you could?"
Ammisive signaled his flight team to vanish into the shadows, leaving him alone with the corrupted magician.
"I'm not here to fight you or even reason with you to change your ways. But killing a pony who can't think for himself will get you nowhere if the real enemy is the one who controls them."
"Ammisive...don't tell me you actually have a heart in that cold and hollowed out body of yours."
"We all have a heart, even you Dust Breaker."
"Haven't I told you to never address me by that name?" Desolent said with anger.
"Consider this the first time. Now let him go." Ammisive ordered.
Desolent gave no response and he put his hoof onto the captains head and slowly applied pressure.
"His soul is already taken, so why should I let him go."
"Because even those under the darkest spell can be saved no matter how long it takes."
"Then I must have been cut out of the deal."
"No...you did that yourself."
Suddenly, a loud siren was heard, startling the nearby ponies. The metal panels on the walls slowly unfolded upwards until cylinder shaped rods slid out from the openings and pointed right at Desolent and the others.
"They wouldn't…" Ammisive whispered.
The second Ammisive heard the guns powering up, he turned to the ponies with a fearful expression.
"RUN BEFORE THEY-
Before he could finish, the guns were already firing into the crowd with high powered beams of magic, massacring large amounts of ponies within seconds. Ammisive tried to save at least one pony with his speed, but it was hopeless. Everywhere he looked, he saw the bolts steal the lives of those around him, ending them before they could even cry for help. Those that could were soon silenced by the raging storm of gunfire and screams of pain. But then it ended in a flash of light...
The pegasus was shot clean through the back of his neck, paralyzing the pony completely.
As he slowly fell in the field of murdered ponies and cold snow, the guns ceased to fire and allowed deathly silence to overtake the area once more. The once prideful pony began to shed tears in silence as his past memories haunted his fading mind, making him wish he could have made a difference. His family shunned him, his sister hated him, and now his friends turned on him. The only thing left to do now as he closed his eyes was to lay in the snow...and quietly pashish to never be remembered again.
Or so he believed…
One day passes…
"We...have been deceived…" Death Fire said, standing at a pew in front of multiple cameras and speaking into a microphone. "Our fellow ponies were attacked yesterday without warning and without mercy...leaving no survivors. Over two-hundred ponies lost their lives to this attack, leaving no answer as to why they did. We have only one culprit...the traitor of the country itself...Celestia."
Camera flashes lit up the room as the deceitful snake continued to speak.
"Even now, she turns our neighboring countries against us in hopes of taking back her land. We, as the Conflagration, will not stand for such actions against our nation. For almost a year, I have strived to protect this great country from oppression and tyranny like her, but I can't do this alone my fellow ponies. I need your help because united we will stand and secure our freedom from those that seek to take it. This is why I have built the wall, to protect us...to secure us...and to ensure our freedom will never be broken again. We have come to far to back down now, so why stand by and watch our struggle? Take action and help our stallions and mares in the Conflagration army. Help them end this conflict so they can come home.
And as far as our enemies go, I hope they hear this message. Celestia...no matter where you hide, how many you deceive or where you go, we will track you down and bring you to justice! And all those that follow you will pay for what you have done to us! Mark my words, you wicked witch, WE WILL FIND YOU, AND WE WILL HAVE OUR FREEDOM!"
Luna quickly blasted the t.v with her magic in rage.
"THAT LYING LITTLE BA-
"Luna! Please calm yourself." Celestia said, looking back to the destroyed t.v. "It does no good to feed him more power."
"Or blow up the t.v!" Lightning Dust added. "Now how am I going to catch up with Daring Doo episodes."
"Yeah, I'm with her on that one." Rainbow joined in.
"HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO US?!" Luna screamed in rage.
"Sister, silence yourself this instant!" Celestia ordered. "Your hate for him only increases his strength. Please sister, don't making the situation worse than it needs to be."
"I just can't deal with this anymore!" Luna yelled in tears. "We did so much and it still wasn't enough! The ponies have forgotten about us like we were just common trash!"
"You have to remember that they're under a spell, Luna. A spell that can be broken through time, but for now you need to have faith and hope that we can still win."
"It's a nice thought, really, it is." Enderpearl remarked. "But hope in something that seems impossible is foolish. We lost Twilight and her element, Night Shadow is nowhere to be found, and Death Fire holds the throne. What could we-
"Hush!" Endershine said, staring daggers and Enderpearl. "With an attitude like that we will definitely fail. The best thing we can do is look at the positives."
"What makes you think there are any?" Blueblood asked, becoming annoyed by Fluttershy constantly brushing his fur. "Will you stop that!" He yelled.
"I'm sorry, but you're so cute." She said, nuzzling him.
"I'm royalty! Not a common house cat!"
"You should be thankful you're on the other side of the room, Blueblood." Rarity informed. "If I were you I would hold your tongue."
"Ok, ok, y'all calm down. Before anything we need to get rid of any tension we have between us. Since we're stuck with each other we might as well get along." Applejack said, trying to prevent anything from breaking out.
"Agreed." Endershine said, looking to her brother. "And so does he."
"Same with us." Rainbow and Lightning added, followed by Fluttershy nodding.
"Good." Applejack said. "Pinkie, what do you say."
She looked around the room, not being able to find her.
"Where did she go?"
"She went outside with Cadence." Blueblood informed. "For what reason, I don't know."
"What the heck would that crazy pony find outside anyways?" Rainbow asked.
"I don't know." Lightning said, walking to the door. "But you guys wait here, i'll go find her."
"Wait…" Celestia said, walking to her. "Don't leave without this."
The moment Celestia's horn glowed, Lightning was enveloped with a dim coat of yellow light.
"That should protect you from the cold for ten minutes at least until you come back."
"Why do you even care about me, princess? I'm just doing what I have to do." Lightning said, looking towards her.
"Even though i'm not Princess of Equestria, I still have to watch over my fellow ponies." Celestia said with a smile. "Now go find them."
The moment Lightning opened the door, she was bombarded with the harsh winds of the outside world. She prepared herself as her wings flared out and launched outside, closing the door behind her.
"I'm glad we found this hotel when we did, the weather out here is just dreadful." She said, blocking the incoming snow with her hoof so she could see.
She gazed forward into what looked like a black void, seeing nothing but darkness as she stood in the dim light illuminating above her.
"Not even Pinkie would be stupid enough to go out into that. She must be nearby."
She looked to her left and saw the lobby of the hotel, watching the ponies inside gather around the chimney fire. She pushed through the strength of the winter wind and eventually reached the door to the lobby, entering the room quickly.
"Crazy weather we're having, don't you think?" A stallion asked, reading a newspaper.
"You act like it's normal."
"You must be new to these parts then." He said, looking up from the paper. "This kind of weather is common. But it doesn't last more than a day. Although...the screams of the windigos are a bit unsettling."
"I don't blame you." She replied, being cautious. "Did you happen to see a pink mare come by here? Probably jumping around and talking loudly to another mare in a dark robe."
"Yeah, I did actually." He recalled. "She's in the break room getting breakfast."
"Wait, what time is it?"
"Four A.M."
"It's too early to be looking for these two…"
As she walked by the stallion, she turned to thank him, but she could have sworn his eyes flashed green for a split second.
"Thanks again." She said, walking off.
When she was out of sight, the stallion closed his eyes and whispered.
"I've found them…"
"My lord...are we ready?" Shining Armor asked
"We are...and there will be no one to stop us now." Death Fire declared.
"Then let here it." Sila practically demanded.
The three of them stepped forward onto the balcony overlooking a massive army of over 500,000 new soldiers. The cameras flashed in his face and the nearby citizens cheered his name as he prepared to give the word.
"Sir...they seem to love you now. It's that a bad thing." Shining asked.
"Hatred is hatred in any form. Whether they hate me or hate the enemy I will still gain power. For now I need the peoples trust and help to win the war, after that I can focus on them."
"What about my situation?" Sila asked. "I need to feed on hatred directly, not scraps of dislike."
"I will teach you to feed on your surrounding. As of now however…"
Death Fire stepped up and took a deep breath.
"Ponies of the New Conflagration Confederacy! This. is. war! We have been at the bottom of the food chain for far too long! Looked down upon by the others long enough! It's time for us to be the top dog and for them to be at our mercy! No more will we bend our knees to their power or presence. No more, my fellow comrades. It's our turn to fight back and take what is rightfully ours! Hear me, nations and countries of the world! There will be none that escape my wrath! Surrender your land to me and your people will be spared! Fight against me, and I promise you and your entire kingdom will suffer to no end! This is war my fellow ponies! And there will be no one that stands in our way! LONG LIVE THE CONFLAGRATION!"
"LONG LIVE DEATH FIRE, THE TRUE KING OF EQUESTRIA!" The ponies shouted in joy, completely overtaken by mind control.
It was clear from the start. All was lost...and war broke out in the land like wildfire. It was the beginning of the end and no one seemed to care. Evil had taken over, and nothing could hold it back any longer…