Dimension: My Little Pony

Planet: Equestria Earth

Specific Location: Canterlot Castle

Time: A couple of days after the arrival of Flaming Star

Twilight's eyes dimmed slightly at Flaming Star's request, and it was obvious that she was saddened, but she nodded and quietly closed the door. Flaming Star turned his back to it and stared at his hoofs. Was Twilight right? Had he changed like Twilight said? Did he have friends? He sighed, he couldn't tell. It had gotten to the point where he couldn't even tell if he was lying to himself or not. What he really needed was a challenge... but what if he failed to prove that he had changed in the light of a chaotic event?

Flaming Star got up and slowly moved to look out the window of his room. The sky was bright, birds were singing... Then an explosion blasted through the courtyard below.

Flaming Star's jaw literally dropped. Was Canterlot under attack? Undoubtedly.

As the smoke cleared, Flaming Star nearly fell over when he saw the creatures marching through the flames: Demons, at least five of them, led by Xaphan.

Flaming Star took a shaking breath as his mind scrambled to collect his falculties. They were under attack by demons, the head demon was Xaphan the despoiler. Excellent hand-to-hand combatant, dead-eye with demonic energy bolts, answered only to Legion. Legion? How was this possible? Flaming Star was almost tempted to back away and even hide under his bed, but his warrior instincts took over as a plan too place. Already a mare and a stallion guard was dead, and the demons were advancing on the front gates, the royal cavalry was not mobilizing quick enough to protect the halls of Canterlot castle, he had to act.

Slowly, he walked up to his porch that was overhanging the large doors the demons were approaching. With a deep breath, he slowly stepped off and fell straight off and landed, hoofs-first, squarely in front of the approaching monsters, kicking up debris and shrapnel. Xaphan hissed deep and low as he saw the alicorn in front of him.

"Who dares oppose us?" he said with a laugh, quickly signaling two demons to begin to flank him.

"I do," said Flaming Star simply, not giving the slightest inclination in any form that he was building up a massive blast of pure energy within his front hoofs.

Xaphan looked him up and down and said, "It would be such a shame to tear such fair flesh as yours, creature," he hissed through twisted teeth, "Take us to your ruler, and we will spare you."

Flaming Star cocked his head to one side, pretending to deeply consider the offer. "What will you do when I take you to her?" he said.

Xaphan grinned as he forced out, "We wish to discuss incredibly important matters with... her."

Flaming Star eyed the two dead guards and the smoking hole in the castle wall as he said slowly, "You could have just knocked."

Xaphan narrowed his eyes and replied, "They attempted to stop us. Our mission is too important for us to be slowed. You are stalling! What is your answer?! NOW!"

Flaming Star shrugged, "No." he said simply. The two flanking demons rushed him from opposite sides. Flaming Star stood on his hinds legs as he released the twin bolts of energy, the blasts incinerated the demons' heads. Xaphan immediately recognized what was going on.

"It's the firstborn!" he shrieked, "recover, retreat, and retaliate!"

The other three demons did as he bade and scrambled backwards as they fired a wave of demonic energy to buy them time. Flaming Star simply wove between the blasts and decreased their lead, giving them no room to maneuver. Soon he had cut a neat hole through one demon with a conjured blade, and relieved the head of another demon with a bolt of black matter. Xaphan, seeing that they couldn't add any more ground between himself and the firstborn by retreating, nodded quickly to the last demon, which, with a shriek, jumped on top of Flaming Star. Flaming Star dodged backwards and froze the lurching monster into an ice block. Nevertheless, this was enough for Xaphan to scramble backwards, conjure up a demonic blade, and get into a ready stance. Flaming Star strolled up to Xaphan, conjuring up a blade of his own, and levitating it in front of him.

"Firstborn," snarled Xaphan, "why are you here?"

Flaming Star grinned, "I have friends here."

With a scream, Xaphan lunged at Flaming Star. He quickly blocked the attack and followed up with a sweeping cut of his own. Xaphan twirled out of the way, but was off balance for a split-second, all that Flaming Star needed to ram the butt of the blade's handle into Xaphan's chest. Xaphan toppled over, did a backwards somersault, and returned the blow with a massive sweeping slash diagonally. Flaming Star simply side-stepped it, strode in close, and slashed Xaphan's face. Xaphan leapt backwards, but the tip of the blade cut a slim line across the right cheek, right above the jaw.

"You are quick," hissed Xaphan as he ran a long, slithering tongue across the wound, "But you will never prevail."

Flaming Star didn't reply, he was in the phase, nothing could distract him.

Quickly Flaming Star moved in, struck, dodged, parried, and struck again. Xaphan barely managed to move out of the way of the last attack, but stumbled slightly across an askew path stone. This was all Flaming Star needed and, once again, he leapt upon Xaphan with a slicing blow. It caught the demon across the chest, cutting a deep slash. Xaphan fell over, and Flaming Star prepared to leap forward and kill the demon when he realized something... Xaphan never worked in fives... he always worked in twenties. Where were the other fifteen? Then he realized something else, there were sounds of battle going inside the castle, something that should not have happened if he had stopped them at the front door. No one but travelers could really stop demons, and Twilight never ran away from a fight. Twilight was in trouble.

Despite the fact that it went against every nerve in his body, Flaming Star turned straight around and galloped towards the front door at full speed. As he burst in, his eyes met total disaster. At least twelve guards lay dead on the floor of the entry hall as twenty others battled four demons. Immediately Flaming Star moved forward and immediately burnt two demons to a crisp. The other two turned to face him, but a hail of magic blasts from the royal guard took one down, and a bolt of magic from princess Luna cut the other one down. Flaming Star ran to the unicorn that looked like the leader. He was on the ground with gash in his side, but he was still conscious.

"There should be more," said Flaming Star briskly as he held up the head of the gold-clad unicorn, "did you see anymore?"

The leader gritted his teeth but nodded, "one got by us. He's upstairs!"

Flaming Star felt his heart start with an icy fear.

Luna immediately spread her wings to leave, but Flaming Star shook his head. "No," he said, "Let me go, I can get there faster."

Gently laying down the wounded unicorn's head, he teleported himself up to Twilight's room. As the room blurred into view, Flaming Star saw another nightmare: Spike was unconscious, and Twilight was on the floor with her back right leg badly broken, and a demon was standing over her with a flaming spear, ready to strike. Flaming Star moved faster than he had ever moved in his life. In literally a single microsecond, he had whipped up a hoof and released a blast of pure power. It caught the demon full in the face, incinerating it immediately. Flaming Star was by Twilight's side before the dead body even hit the ground.

Tears were shimmering in her eyes as Twilight gasped in pain, "You came..."

Flaming Star quickly looked out the window and saw Xaphan get up and teleport away. He had failed to kill them all, but it mattered not. What mattered was that everypony here was safe.

He slowly lay down next to Twilight's downed form and placed a hoof gently on her left haunch. He felt the muscles hot and tense with pain, so much so that he felt the pain as his own. He looked at Twilight and said, "You will be fine... everything will be fine."

Tears continued to seep out of the corners of her eyes as she said, "You saved my life."

Flaming Star smiled, "You saved MY life."

Breathing in another shaky breath, Twilight gasped as she grabbed onto Flaming Star's other hoof and squeezed it very tight, "It burns…"

Flaming Star nodded and gently pressed his hoof into her haunch, releasing a soothing aura of energy to surround her leg, lessening the pain. Twilight sighed, and her eyes fluttered. Soon she passed out, with her hoof clutching at his. Flaming Star too sighed, the worst was over… He closed his eyes, laid his head down next to the unconscious form of Twilight, and went to sleep.

Dimension: My Little Pony

Planet: Equestria Earth

Specific Location: Ponyville Town Square

Time: 1004 years after the defeat of Nightmare Moon

Sunset and Fluttershy were trotting side-by-side down town square to visit Rarity when they were joined by Applejack.

"How y'all doin'?" she said cheerily as she slowed to their pace, "It's a beautiful day ain't it?"

Fluttershy nodded, "Oh yes, it is. I really enjoy the weather."

Sunset just nodded.

"Where y'all off to?" continued Applejack.

Sunset replied, "Oh, we're off to see Rarity. She was making something for our baby, and we wanted to check how the design was progressing."

Applejack rolled her eyes, "A dress ALREADY? Ain't you still six months away, Fluttershy?"

Fluttershy blushed and mumbled, "Yes… but Rarity asked so nicely."

Sunset laughed, "More like insisted. But if Rarity wants something, she rarely doesn't get it. How about you, Applejack? Where are you off to?"

Applejack grinned, "I'm off to Pinkie's! Gotta work on some apple cupcakes with her for a party!"

Fluttershy smiled, "That sounds delicious."

"Woo-eeh!" exclaimed Applejack, "It sure does, I suppose you two don't want to come along and help. Helpers get free samples!"

Sunset grinned, but looked at Fluttershy.

Fluttershy thought about it for a moment, "We were intending to drop in unannounced on Rarity, so she won't be missing us, I suppose we could spend a little time helping."

Sunset looked up at the sun's position and said, "I suppose we could. But not too much time…"

Suddenly, the chariot of princess Celestia crossed the sun, casting a large shadow, circled around, and landed in town square. The three turned to see Celestia exiting her chariot regally to talk momentarily with Mayor Mare. The two quietly talked urgently in a corner of the center gazebo.

Rainbow Dash landed behind Applejack, Fluttershy, and Sunset and trotted up.

Sunset greeted Rainbow with a nod. "Hey Rainbow," he said, "How are you doing?"

Rainbow nodded and squinted at the two, still whispering urgently. "I'm fine… what do you think they're talking about?"

Sunset shrugged, "I haven't seen Celestia that nervous since the attack of Abbadon… but I'm sure nothing is wrong. Princess Celestia probably forgot something important pertaining to Ponyville, and Mayor Mare is alerting her of the mistake."

Then screaming started. It first started as a single shout, then it intensified, and finally was compounded by an explosion. Sunset's ears flattened with horror as he realized they were under attack by somepony… or something.

Grabbing Fluttershy, he dove to the ground and shouted, "EVERYPONY DOWN! NOW!"

An explosion ripped through the square as a bolt of energy slammed into the gazebo, rocketing Mayor Mare and princess Celestia in different directions. Mayor Mare crashed through a window, and Celestia slammed into a wall and slid to the ground. Immediately Sunset leapt up, breathing heavily as he looked around for the source of the attack… nothing, too much smoke, debris, and dust. He looked at Rainbow Dash.

"Rainbow! Get in the air! Identify the attackers! Applejack! See my wife safely home! I'll deal with this!"

Rainbow saluted, and Applejack shouldered Fluttershy, who had feinted. Sunset ran to Celestia and helped her up; blood was oozing from a gash on her head, just above the left eyebrow.

"Celestia," Sunset briskly, "How are you?"

Celestia staggered to her feet, wiping away the blood with a hoof. "I am fine, Sunset," she said, he voice full of shock, "What is going on?"

Rainbow, at that moment, landed next to them and shouted, "There are ten of them! Weird monster thingys! They shoot energy out of their claws!"

Sunset groaned. "Demons," he said, "They are demons. Rainbow Dash, Celestia, we need to contain them. Are there guards anywhere near?"

Celestia shook her head, but signaled to her two Pegasus guards from her chariot. "We only have two."

Sunset nodded, racking his mind for solutions. Could he really bring himself to kill again? Where was Flaming Star and Twilight?

After a short pause, he sighed and said, "Rainbow Dash, take the two guards and circle around, use the element of surprise and your air advantage to drive the forward, we need to keep them from splitting up. Drive them towards the town square, Celestia and I have the firepower, we will deal with them."

Rainbow Dash nodded with a determined look on her face. "Gotcha Sunset," she said, "Operation kick-demon-rump is a go!"

With that, she sped off with the guards. Sunset turned to Celestia, who still had shock etched on her face, but with determination emanating from her eyes.

"Celestia, are you sure you're okay?" said Sunset.

Celestia replied, "I am fine, Sunset, just a little shaken up. What do I need to know to battle against these demons?"

Sunset nodded decisively. "They have the ability to fire bolts, streams, and waves of demonic energy, which is like dark magic, except specifically lacerating. They also can conjure up demonic hand-to-hand weaponry. They are fast, ruthless, insane, and hard to kill, but we possess the firepower… but…"

Sunset paused and looked down at his hoofs, feeling a wave of intense nausea sweeping over him. Celestia moved her head down to look into his eyes and said quietly, "But what? Sunset?"

Sunset sighed again, but deeper. "Well… I… I don't know if I can bring myself to end another being's life… even a demon's life."

"I understand," replied princess Celestia, "perhaps there is a way to prevent their deaths."

Sunset looked forward as he saw the progress Rainbow Dash and Sunset were making through the town. There were fewer explosions now, as the range of the attacks focused in on the three Pegasus. Sunset's throat clenched as a bolt took off the head of one of the Pegasus guards. Another bolt followed up quickly and cut the other guard clean in half. Rainbow Dash was visibly shaken, but she kept at her job diligently.

Sunset shook his head, his eyes mournful, "I… I don't know. By killing innocent beings, do the demons give up their right to exist? Even if they do, when did we earn the right to end them?"

There was no more time to talk, the ten demons burst into the time square, and were met with a massive blast of magic from princess Celestia. Six dodged the blast, but the other four were caught in it, frozen, as it seems, in time. The six rushed Celestia and Sunset, splitting up into threes. Sunset rushed his three and froze two of the immediately. He then conjured up a sword and he clashed it with the demonic broadsword of the demon. The two immediately began to engage in hand-to-hand combat.

Celestia too was caught up in her own battle. She immediately used her magic to drop a large block of debris onto one, and then caught another in the face with a bolt of magic. The third rammed her and bowled her over. Suddenly, Rainbow Dash rammed it from behind and slammed it into a wall at top speed. Rainbow then grabbed a large block of stone and hurled it at the demon Sunset was fighting. The demon stumbled from the blow, and then collapsed as Sunset struck it across the face with his sword's handle. There was a short pause. Then Xaphan teleported into their midst. He looked around slowly at the battlefield with a confused look on his face, suddenly Rainbow Dash had knocked him off his feet, and Sunset was pressing his blade against his throat. Xaphan looked at Sunset, and then recognized him.

"Joseph Torrus… the madman of the multiverse, what are you doing here? Do you know that the firstborn is here?" Xaphan hissed through his yellow, gnarled teeth.

Sunset narrowed his eyes as he pressed the blade harder against the demons throat, a trickle of blood began to seep from around the blade. "I do… Xaphan. I am no longer the 'madman of the multiverse,' and I would appreciate it if you abstained from calling me that. Why are you here? There is no Legion to command you; did you finally have the guts to launch an attack of your own against a harmony unit? Did you not think it would be guarded?"

Xaphan gave a gurgling laugh as he replied, "You fools! Legion has returned! The plan is in motion! Kill me, and another will rise in my place, and then another, and then another, and then another. There is no stopping us!"

Sunset smiled coldly as he said, "Well, then it is lucky that I'm not killing you. Go back to Legion and tell him that the most powerful travelers of the ages of dimensional travelers have this place under guard, and that no demon will survive the next time they attack. If he doesn't believe me, ask Legion to hold a conversation with Abbadon in the seventh circle, I am sure he will be more than happy to verify the information I just gave you. Now get the hell out of here before I accidentally slip and cut your throat. Go, and take whatever living demons you have with you."

Xaphan looked curiously at Sunset, but then nodded. With a vicious grin, he teleported away; the ten unconscious demons around him dissolved into nothing.

Sunset straightened up and looked at Rainbow Dash, who was shaking slightly.

"Are you okay?" Celestia asked kindly.

Rainbow nodded her head vigorously, but continued to shake, "Y-y-yeah… I mean, why wouldn't I? Heh…"

Rainbow slowly turned around, and then threw up onto the ground. Sunset winced but turned to Celestia, who had great sadness in her eyes as she looked around.

"Minimal structural damage, two confirmed deaths, probably a score wounded by the sound of it," said Sunset to Celestia, patting Rainbow on the back, "See if you can revive Mayor Mare and begin rescue operation. Rainbow? Are you okay? We need to begin heading whoever you can find into rescue teams."

Rainbow gagged, and then straightened up, a look of determination on her face. "I'm on it, Sunset," Rainbow said, and she blasted off.

Sunset nodded to Celestia and immediately teleported himself to Canterlot castle. As the surrounding environment melted away and was replaced with the scenery of the castle, he was suddenly surrounded by a large group of unicorn guards, all pointing their horns at him.

Sunset immediately noticed the broken wall and front gate; he turned to the guard nearest to him and said, "Back down, guards. It is I, Sunset. Where is Princess Luna? And where are Flaming Star and Twilight Sparkle?"

The unicorns backed up and put their heads up. "Sunset Shadow," the leader of the group said, "we were attacked by monsters, but Flaming Star defeated them. Luna right now is flying to Ponyville at top speed, I believe Twilight Sparkle and Flaming Star are upstairs in the guest rooms."

Sunset nodded and was about to teleport away when Discord flashed into view. He looked around with genuine surprise as he said, "My, my… what happened here? Did you let Pinkie Pie host a birthday here again?"

Sunset shook his head vigorously. "Discord! Where the hell have you been?!"

Discord put a clawed hand on his chest as he said, "Me? I've been here and there. Today, in fact, I was traveling about Baltimare, looking for Princess Celestia. I heard she was at a formal of some sort, and I wanted to… er, pay it a visit. Why? What happened here?"

"There's been a demon attack. One at Ponyville, and apparently one here as well. I need you to sweep the countryside to ensure there are not any other attacks anywhere else!"

Discord saluted and disappeared without another word. With that, Sunset teleported to the guest rooms.

The hall was absolutely silent as Sunset shimmered into view, and he looked around. One door was ajar slightly, so Sunset slowly pushed it open. He found Spike completely out still, with Twilight Sparkle and Flaming Star sleeping quietly side-by-side. Sunset smiled as he sat down in the doorway, quietly waiting for one of the three to wake.

Dimension: The Inferno

Planet: The Inferno

Specific Location: The Inferno

Time: Eternity

Legion was staring across the seven circles of the infernal real, contemplating his plans for the future of eternity when Xaphan teleported behind him.

"You returned alive; I can only assume you return with glad tidings of your gloriously bloody victory," rumbled Legion without turning around.

Xaphan placed his face at the feet of Legion as he hissed, "My lord, we were defeated. But one of the creature that resided there said to give you a message-"

That was as far as he got. Legion stepped on Xaphan's head and crushed it to a pulp. Legion returned to his original position of viewing the seven circles.

"It seems I have underestimated you… James and Joseph," breathed Legion, "You killed my incompetent servants. But perhaps… perhaps…"

An idea formed in Legion's head and his sentence trailed off. Raising an armored fist, he snapped his fingers once. Again, a ripple spread through the air, and the arch-demon Astaroth materialized from nowhere to place herself at his feet.

"My lord?" she rasped.

Legion motioned her to rise, and she did.

"Stand before me," he commanded, and she complied. With one swift movement, Legion plunged an armored fist into her chest and ripped out her heart. Astaroth gave a gurgle of surprise and tumbled to the ground. Legion looked the bloody mass over and chuckled.

"The heart of a female arch-demon… one of the rarest commodities in the multiverse black market… A dimensional traveler will probably do anything for one of these…"

Note: Hey everypony! I just wanted you guys to know that there might be a chance that I will stop posting as frequently as I have been. I'm thinking of instead of doing it every 24 hours, I might post a new chapter every other day. Remember, it is only a chance, it's not a certainty! Thanks!