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Tension bled through the air as we floated above the open oceans. Nearly every able-bodied gryphon had been loaded unto the warships in preparation for the upcoming battle. After our preparations and several days of chilling silence from our scouts, word had come that the Imperium's fleet had made its final preparations and was headed towards The Nest.

In an effort to keep them away from the city, which harbored countless refugees and citizens, the Nestking had elected to take the fight to the enemy.

Zandria had even elected to accept the gryphon kingdom's banner to adorn the mast of every pirate ship, nearly doubling the size of the fleet.

The odds wouldn't seem so bad if these were normal enemies, but I knew better. As much as I hated to admit it, magic would play a large part of this fight and the gryphons were lacking in that department.

"What's wrong?" Xane asked from the helm of the Haast, the flying ship surveying the entire ocean bound fleet below.

"I have a bad feeling that we aren't prepared for this battle. Zandria has a few unicorns, but overall the gryphon forces lack the means to deal with the Imperium mages." I had even freed the horn of Zandria's servant, who I had dubbed the green dushicorn in lieu of actually learning his name.

"We are a resourceful people," Xane tapped a claw on the metal plating he was adorned in for battle, oddly reminiscent of an armored knight. "We may not have mages, but our smiths can work miracles. This armor can stop or at least prevent most spells from being fatal. All of our front line and strike troops have a set, but we don't have enough to equip the infantry with. There is a set that should fit you in the hold." Xane offered.

"Thanks, but no. I'm no knight in shining armor," I joked. "Besides it looks a little too heavy and restricting compared to the Equestrian guard armor. It would go against the fighting style Kira taught me. Otherwise, what's the plan for this fight?" I asked Xane.

"The Haast will serve as forward command, our eye in the sky to overview how the battle is going. The fight will inevitably become drawn out, and if their leader shows you know your duty. Otherwise help wherever you deem necessary."

"Xane, you seem different. More confident."

"Having Zandria here, and all the support from you and Sentry helped me come to terms with things. I am my own gryphon, no matter my origin."

"That's good to hear, where is Sentry by the way?" I questioned, not seeing him on board.

"He joined up with one of the strike forces. Dangerous, but I think he can handle. We all have to do our part."

"Yeah..."

~~~ The beginning of the end.

"I'm headed down," I shouted to Xane over the noise, diving off the side of the airship Haast.

The battle had begun, the sun high and sweltering over the calm seas. It was almost like nature refused to accept the turmoil that us gryphons and ponies were causing on its pristine palate.

It had all started fairly well, the superior might of the combined Gryphon fleet sinking more than a few Imperium vessels before any retaliation was possible. In the distance though a massive fleet could be seen, each ship filled to the brim with freshly culled troops.

The problems had started when the demon spawn refused to die, clambering out of the wreckage and aboard gryphon vessels. In the confusion the real battle began, converted Gryphon and Pegasi flooding into the air while the Imperium ships docked alongside our pirate vessels to board.

If they were boarding that meant they wanted more ships and prisoners, it also meant that the Imperium forces felt so secure in the outcome of this battle that they would take the risk over just sinking the gryphon ships.

The Nestking fought alongside his men in the air, and Zandria's aura drove her crew to a berserk frenzy, but it was evident that the ferocity of the Imperium assault was hurting the morale of those outside of commanding influence.

I made my decision of where our line and morale was the weakest, two transports pulled up alongside a single gryphon ship right in the center of he fight. Heading down I prepared myself mentally. It was kill or be killed, none of the Imperium soldiers would think twice about ending a life so I had to be just as cold.

My escort of gryphon flyers broke away to intercept some attackers as I drastically slowed down, landing on one of the transport's decks with a blast of wind magic to break my fall.

Every head turned to me, the boarding of the gryphon ship forgotten. I could hear the snarls and grunts of the twisted and possessed creatures all around me as my magic flared to life, cloaking me in silver and blue flame.

"Master says the Alicorn is free game, bleed him dry!" One of the creatures shouted, causing the others to surge forward.

I immediately regretted my location of entry, finding that being entirely surrounded was a shit plan. Dodging the violent swing of a blade I rolled to the side, swiping my enemies away with wind to clear a path. Weaving a stronger spell I caught the next attacker's arm, freeing a cutlass for my use. Moments later I let the torrent of energy go, a wave of flames shooting outwards from around me.

I could hear cries of agony as flesh and fur burned away; good these ones still felt pain. Unfortunately that didn't mean they couldn't overcome it...

Several of the severely burned victims returned to their hooves, pressing towards me once more. I backed off to the edge of the ship, deflecting countless blows from the horde.

My earlier attack had started some nearby rigging alight, causing flames to start creeping along the ropes. I cut down an imperium pony who had come too close, grimacing as the spray of his blood hit me in the face.

Feeling confident I let out another explosion of magic, blasting back more of my attackers. Remembering my training I diverted a little energy, letting a current of wind flow around me, moving a blade that would have hit me just off course.

As I fought off the flightless imperium soldiers the corrupted Gryphon and Pegasi fought above. I just wondered where all the mages were as I had only spotted one or two in all the ships I had passed over.

My question was answered with a hail of fireballs flying overhead. Their origin was from a new fleet that had just arrived at the battle, fifteen ships at least. The fireballs swiftly crashed into of one of Zandria's ships, the hull splintering. The ponies quickly abandoned the flaming ship, their situation dire.

I leapt from the deck of the Imperium ship, their flaming mast crashing down onto the adjacent enemy ship. It seemed like a good enough chance to leave, and the newly arrived artillery ships full of mages were a bigger problem.

I flew up, spotting a formation of Gryphons heading towards the ships. They meant well, knowing that taking out the artillery would help, but they would be obliterated if they tried to fight so many imperium mages alone.

Gathering the wind around me as I flew I created a magical gale, focusing the energy all towards one ship.

Sensing the power behind the spell I was crafting the Imperium unicorns let loose another salvo of fireballs, this time aimed towards me.

Tapping deep into the shackle's power my eyes began to glow. Their magic was extinguished as water from the ocean below swirled up to join my rapidly growing storm.

The gryphons banked away as they began to feel the air pressure change, a small hurricane forming in my wake as I rocketed past the first vessel.

There was nothing the mages aboard could do to match the power of my magic, and as the storm crashed into them their flimsy wooden vessel was enveloped by the waves. Wooden planks swirled thorough my storm as it gorged itself, continuing on its course through the entire line of artillery ships as it ramped up in both speed and force.

I broke away and shielded myself with magic, the storm tossing me aside like a rag doll. Trembling in exhaustion I watched my storm obscure the enemy vessels. After a minute I released the colossal amount of energy, allowing the storm to slowly die out. As the air cleared enough for sight the number of survivors drifting amongst the wreckage was less than the ships I had just destroyed.

Locking into a slow glide, too tired from the massive power I had just unleashed, I let the armored gryphon strike team swoop in to finish off the few survivors. This was an eradication mission, the Imperium needed to go extinct once again.

The troops had seen what just happened, and those that hadn't could instantly tell it was something good. There were a few sparse cheers from those able to do so, shouted words of encouragement from captains, and a redoubled effort from every fighter.

Something none of them wanted to see lurked in the distance though, the fight they thought was going well hadn't even truly begun. I shuddered to think how quickly my doppelgänger had grown his forces; with that growth he must not be the only one able to cause possession.

An Imperium fleet the same size as the one we were currently in combat with was swiftly closing distance. The battle had been possible if everything went well before... But now it would take a miracle.

Still it was strange that their forces were so unorganized. At first I had thought it was some strange strategy but I began to realize as things dragged on that the Imperium forces had no clear command structure in this battle. That was the only thing keeping us alive, but that meant I had no clue where my dark copy was.

Could he be off depopulating another island, just planning to send armies at us until we couldn't fight any more? Or was he somewhere near, waiting for his time to strike?

I recovered enough to fly back up to the Haast, relaying what I had discovered for the messengers to spread to our commanders. Maybe we would be able to use their lack of strategy to our advantage. Taking a break to overview the battle I worked on regaining my strength and calming my nerves.

~

Our battle with the Imperium forces had become spread out and messy, ships from both sides littered around the ocean with no noticeable order. It had proven difficult but worthwhile to take advantage of their lack of command early on, but now the fighting was entirely out of control.

I had been down to the fight two more times, unleashing as much carnage upon the enemy as I could muster, but each time I flew down there was less and less force behind my attacks. At this point I would soon be only as helpful as a normal unicorn, an exhausted unicorn.

About to fly down once more I was stopped in my tracks. A piercing white light flashed all around, covering the whole breath of the battlefield and as far as the eye could see before fading away.

The light was followed by reverberating hum in the distance that caused me to cringe, covering my ears to try and keep the pervasive noise out. As the ringing died away it left me with the strangest feeling of despair.

It was nowhere in sight, leagues away actually, but somehow I knew the noise and light had come from The Nest. More specifically from the hollow mountain containing the Pillar of Fate

The ocean suddenly began roiling beneath me, an unnatural breeze overhead. The fighting has come to a temporary standstill and in the silence that followed a terrifying roar echoed out, an eldritch force behind it powerful enough to be heard and felt around the world. My blood felt chilled, as I stood paralyzed, my limbs refusing the commands of my mind.

"Raeleth..." Echelon gasped. "If he has woken so soon that can only mean one thing. Our agreement has been annulled; we have failed to protect the Pillar. Sound the retreat."

~

Another distant roar shook the air like thunder as our fleet fled battle. The Imperium let us go, content in their victory. My doppelgänger hadn't been in this battle for a reason, and he had achieved his dark task. Somehow he had found the secret cavern and done the unspeakable, destroyed the Pillar of Fate.

Echelon spoke to me, his tone assuring me that the situation was as bad as I thought. "Raeleth swore to wipe clean all the inhabitants of this world if a second site of power was tainted, and from his evident rage I can safely assume the Pillar has been more than tainted. Ike, you hold a portion of the Pillar's power, what do you feel?"

"I don't feel that the Shackle or its power has changed... But I feel an empty hole deep in my chest, like a part of me was torn out. My dark copy will pay for this, I need to deal with him before I can even begin to worry about some dragon."

"That is an acceptable course of action. It will still take Raeleth some time to fully shake off his slumber, even in his enraged state. His life runs on a much slower pace than ours. But if we want a solitary chance at convincing him not to cull the world the Imperium must be defeated."

~

The Imperium fleet skulked along behind us, out of combat range, slowly corralling us towards what would be our final stand. We might have stood a chance earlier, but everyone had been hit hard by the loss of the Pillar. Even the few ponies who had no clue what had happened seemed lacking in purpose.

It was a struggle keeping my mind clear of the uncertainties that plagued it. But I had enough purpose left to know what had to be done, even if it was just vengeance for everything my malefic copy had done so far. As if my thoughts had summoned him I sensed the magic of the shackle, but not coming from within myself. I looked to the clouds, seeing his tainted form rocketing towards the Haast on black wings that bled with magic.

I had almost forgotten I could do that, not that I needed to anymore with the real wings that came from my transformation. We were basically the same, but instead of fighting the demon he gave in, so the Luna and Celestia of his world-

Wait, I was transformed to prevent the shackle's power from destroying me... Did that mean? The power had overtaken me the day I fought with the demon, but only because he forced it upon me. But maybe it had been so long a time since then that even the fell power couldn't hold back the self-destructive might of the shackle?

My dark copy crashed to the deck with a sickening thud, his body smoking as if an inferno raged inside just beneath his skin.

I was right... The shackle was rejecting him. The cost of body and life to hold it's endless flow for a even a short while.

My doppelgänger shrugged off the impact, grimacing as he took to his hooves. His eyes locked unto me and he took a staggering step forward.

"Fly!" I commanded the crew of the Haast to leave as I let power from the shackle flow through me in preparation for a fight. I had a little time to rest, it would just have to be enough.

"Oh Ike, you really aren't saving anypony this way." He smirked, " There is a reason other than anger Raeleth is going to purge the world, want to know what?"

I advanced on my dark copy ready for anything, but he made no attempt to use magic or defend himself as I lashed out, my hoof striking out in a jab right to his face.

The blow connected and my copy staggered back, beginning to laugh.

"Mercy, hahhaah. Raeleth feels pity for your kind. He would rather cause death than sit idly and watch every living creature in existence suffer. With the Pillar of fate gone this world will die, it is only a matter of time."

I swung out again, this blow causing my doppelgänger to tumble to the deck, a bit of blood drooling from his mouth.

He stood to his hooves once again and wiped his chin, chuckling to himself. "This place is the focal point, the only world in the great cosmos where space, time, reality, and so much more converge. One small push was all it took begin the unraveling of all of creation. Do you see now why such a weak and pathetic existence should not be allowed? We will return to the nothingness from which we were born, no gods, no creatures, no man; the limitless void."

"You twisted fuck!" I lashed out again, but this time my blow was deflected. My copy shoved me back with a blast of magic that I barely shielded myself from in time due to the surprise

"I only wish I had more time to finish the task, I wanted things to go out with a bang. If the other sites of power are left intact it will take a thousand years before my work sees its fruition. That's why I'm here; help me finish what I started... No, what we started."

"Return to hell, and take my pathetic excuse of a doppelgänger with you!" I drew deep within the stores of magic, unleashing a torrent of energy directed at my copy. I continued to hold the energy, focusing the power down upon him. I threw my anger and hatred in to the inferno, wishing this bastard to feel the agony he caused me. He had unleashed hell upon this world, the darkness of the Imperium to snuff out the light. He killed Xane in front of my very eyes and tried to convert Kira in an attempt to break me, luckily in the end both had failed, and I could only hope his Imperium would do the same without him to lead it. I drained every ounce of the loathing and hatred I had for this monster into the magic, I needed every ounce of power. I held the magic for what felt like an eternity, at least it felt longer than I had ever dared use the power from the shackle of dawn without rest.

Sweat dripped from my brow as the energy cut down to a trickle, my body unable to carry on in supporting the magic. I let the power drop away, certain that my view would fall upon a charred corpse.

Instead I was met with bold laughter before the smoke even cleared, my copy stepping away from the charred portion of hull. He looked in even worse shape than before, his mane burned mostly away and coat charred entirely black.

"That barely hurt compared to the pain the shackle brings. You forget that it's power is meant to come with a price. Without a life to eat away as its kindling the band of power just doesn't burn quite as bright. It really is the perfect tool for destruction, taking both the lives of its bearer and everything he manages to kill is his allowed time."

"I can only hope it takes yours soon. I don't want to hear another fucking word of your end the universe shit."

The charred unicorn snorted, shaking his head at me like I was a child who didn't know any better "No matter how much you run from it Alicorn you will eventually become me. No, greater than I. The darkness inside of you will chip away until one day you see the truth.

Be it when Raeleth slaughters your loved ones, or those who survive his wrath die while you live for eternity, or even when this world slowly begins to crumble and the faces and names you don't even know look to you to ease their suffering.

You will take my place and mission given time. Best yet you will do it of your own free will. Creation was born from nothingness, and in the end nothing shall remain." A surge of energy rippled from my demonic copy, causing it to cringe and hold back a cry of pain.

"Do you even pretend to be in control of your own thoughts or have you just become a monster? It doesn't matter, soon the band of power will fully reject you, and I'll wait to make certain it does."

"You will never escape your true purpose." My copy taunted with the last words he could form past the pain.

" I could never become you. You might think you and I are essentially the same, but we are not. How you could ever give into a demon's will I don't know, and how you could ever hurt the ones you love I cannot fathom. There is nothing in common between us other than a name. Time to burn, you bastard."

I left him on the deck as he collapsed, the power from the shackle of dawn beginning to tear its way through his very being. Despite the agony he must have felt, he only continued his twisted chuckle.

I dropped like a stone towards the water, trying to get as far away from the coming magical onslaught as possible. The sound of the ocean seemed to die away in the instant before I sensed a massive surge. The volatile power of the shackle hadn't been lessened by the Pillar's destruction, and it was surprising how long he had held out before it consumed him.

My power was nothing compared to his, Alicorn magic stabilizing the destructive force of the shackle, so my last bit of magic before my tired body slipped into unconsciousness went into a shield as my fall was rocked by the blast.

Debris from the Haast rained down from the sky, the flying ship utterly destroyed. I lay in the water oblivious as Aeolus flew down and plucked me from the water, his keen eyes spotting me amongst the wreckage. He gently lowered me down unto the nearest boat.

"Aeolus," Echelon brought hopeful news. " Our scouts say there are Crystal Kingdom and Equestrian forces just minutes from here. If we turn about now we can act as a both a distraction and fixing force as the ponies flank the enemy."

Looking back to me and seeing that I appeared physically fine he flew off, busy with trying to re organize the fleet for one final stand.

Author's Note:

~Thanks for Reading!

So Microsoft auto update decided to steal my spell check, again. This has happened once before and I will just have to wait until they realize the error and fix it in the next update. In the meantime, forgive any heinous spelling/grammatical blunders.

This was going to be two shitty short chapters so I mashed them together (poorly) and posted them here. The remaining chapter estimate is now a solid two.