Gatekeeper: Prince of Darkness

Chapters

Sending a Message
A Meeting of Kings
Call of Allgiance
Realm of Titans
Divine Intervention
Angered Allience
Preperations

Sending a Message

The sun had sunk below the horizon, and the moon taken its place and the stars appearing in the sky in great sweeping swaths, as if painted onto the velvet darkness of the night sky with the brush of some great celestial artist, though I noticed none of this. As was usual of the darkening hour, I was lost in my own mind as I meditated and consulted with my other half from across the Dimensional Divide.

A lot had changed in the many years since that spring day, when the dreams started. At first I was simply floating in a great expanse, an endless Void, and it was there that I first came into contact with that amorphous amalgamation of shadows and hatred. In the beginning he was little more than a seething cloud of pain and rage and hate, nearly devoid of anything even remotely resembling cognizance or complex thought. But, over the course of many laborious weeks, I was able to search through him and find the many shattered pieces of his mind, and the use of my rational mind as an anchor, he and I were finally able to put him together once again. It was then that I learned that because of what we had now been through together, we were Bonded, connected at a level that was soul-deep, and we could hear one another’s thoughts in our minds, and even send physical objects to each other with a snap of our fingers. Then, I learned his name: Sombra.

And that’s when I discovered just how little I truly knew about the universe I lived in. My entire notions of reality came crashing down around me, as he told me of a whole new world, his world, of all its impossibilities and all its wonders. At first I was, naturally, rather reluctant to believe him. After all, a voice in my head that I had met in my dreams ranting and raving about magic and unicorns? I was skeptical, and more than once I seriously considered having myself examined and checked into the nearest institution for the mentally deranged. That was, until the Changes started.

At first, I didn’t know what was going on, and for a while, I panicked. After a while though, I came to realize that I wasn’t the only one who was Changeing: Sombra was as well. It was then we realized just how far our bond went. The first thing to change had been my skin. It had faded from a healthy tan indicative of my southern upbringing and into a sickly, ashen gray pallor. My finger nails had grown longer, stronger, sharper, extending well past my fingertips and darkening greatly, until they became what could only be described as scarlet talons. My hair, though still long as usual, darkened from its deep brown to a sleek and smooth black, slick and dark as oil, sprouting from my head and trailing almost like smoke down to my shoulders, and my thick goatee became darker and shot through with thin lines of silver, resembling nothing more than a dark storm cloud permanently affixed to my face. I had always been a little short, but now, at just over seven feet tall I stood a full head and shoulders over most everyone I met. My teeth changed too, becoming stronger, my canines becoming sharper and more pronounced. Perhaps most startling of all though were my eyes; they had changed from my chocolaty brown to a deep, glaring red, even the sclera changing into poisonous green, and in times of extreme emotion they would weep and seethe with baleful purple mist.

The Changes weren’t strictly physical either. My temper, which had previously been glacial and all but nonexistent had flared, suddenly becoming quick and fiery, and I found myself more prone to rage and hate, though as with anything else that had troubled me in my life before, I quickly learned to master and control my emotions, though not without a few mishaps, and no matter how hard I tried I could never seem to rid myself of the vague sense of anger that plagued me every waking moment in the back of my mind.

As soon as my body had adjusted to its new shape, my sense of ambition had practically exploded, finally giving me all the motivation I needed to finally begin creating my own personal empire and someday bring the world under my thumb as I had dreamed of since I was young. In less than year, I went from the Don of a rather small Family, to the head and founder, of a rather exclusive, extensive and secret organization. I had eyes and ears everywhere, with hands in both sides of the law, and people loyal to me in most organizations in the western world, with several in the east as well. I had political, social and economic ties all around the world, and even played a small part in the world’s current happenings. I even had contacts within more than one multinational para-military organization, all of whom were only a phone call away. I had land-holdings and estates across the world. I had influence, wealth and power, and was beholden to none save myself. I couldn’t help but smile at the thought, it was every man’s dream, even if it wasn’t quite enough for my newfound insatiable sense of ambition.

Pulling away from my own thoughts, I focused on the thought-presence of my cross-dimensional companion. [Sombra,] I Thought, [are you there?]

There was a displeased and unintelligible grumbling, along with a sense of irritation filtering down through the link, as if the dark once-Sorcerer-King had been roused from slumber before there was a coherent reply. [Aye, Victor,] Sombra grumbled, his thoughts and mind dark and filled with visions of conquests and ambitions as usual. [I am here. I was beginning to wonder when you would contact me. It seems there have been many interesting developments lately. Before we discuss the happenings of Equestria however, tell me what has happened on Earth. Were we successful in our latest endeavor?]

I couldn’t stop the smug smile I felt tugging at the corners of my lips. [Yes, indeed we were. Councilman Bujyerbub now sits on seventh seat of the council of the African Federation of Nations. Our world influence grows yet still. Perhaps one day all the nations of this world shall be as one, united under a single banner, with an end to pointless wars and wasted bloodshed, and nothing left but the stars themselves to conquer, and Man’s destiny at last be fulfilled. Let us hope that the banner that flies above the nation of Earth will be ours, Crystal King.]

I could feel the deep sense of satisfaction and almost palpable desire at the image I evoked in his mind. With an almost hungry shudder, Sombra forcefully turned his thoughts away from the delectable thought. [As enticing as such a thing is, it is to be a long time in coming. Meanwhile though, things move apace. There is talk among the nobles and foreign dignitaries of Canterlot, specifically those from the Gryphon Aeries. They whisper in the shadows, and I hear it all; they grow weary. They have heard whispers, and tales of a new nation, one Equestria has already signed treaties with. They have heard of the Earth Hive, and in the dark parts of their hearts they fear and dread it, and the frightening images and similarities of their most hated enemies its name conjures. It seems like it will not be too long now, before King Rex garners a reputation of his own, one that precedes him.]

Unconsciously, my physical body nodded. Things were moving apace indeed.

In truth, we had been keeping an eye on the King of the Earth Hive as he called himself for quite a while now. Because of the fragmented and tenuous nature of the Connection Sombra and I shared in the beginning, it took a long while before our link finalized. Because of that, Alvarium Rex was the oldest know Gatekeeper, and definitely someone worth watching. It had taken us a while to locate him, but once one knew what to look for, he wasn’t that hard to find. After all, one couldn’t simply abscond with this world’s manifestation of the night itself and hope to go completely unnoticed, and so many changelings living in one place was not exactly discreet.

Of course, I doubted he knew about me in return though. Perhaps his greatest weakness at the moment was that he operated under the assumption that for the most part, he was alone; this was proved case and point with the recent Human Gryphon Gatekeeper incident.

[So the King of the Earth Hive is becoming known.] I Thought to Sombra, [Then it seems it is finally time for us to make a move of our own. He realizes his tenuous position in the world, and is fishing for allies. Let us finally make our presence known to him, and extend an offer of alliance. We would make for powerful allies both, and he should accept readily, such a thing should be beneficial to the both of our respective interests. This world is rapidly heading to a new world order, just as it has been ever since the Gatekeeper Phenomena began, and I can tell he shall have a role to play. He won’t be the only one.] I was not my partner, and I had learned from his mistakes. Brutal conquest and enslavement was not the way, especially when gentle diplomacy works so much better. All that was needed was strength and the threat of strength, not the exercise of strength. In essence; Peace, but with a really big stick. And my knowledge, connections and resources could work better than any stick ever would.

The other end of the connection was silent for a moment, but I could feel the vaguest impressions of thoughts and images as Sombra mulled over everything in his mind. After a moment, he Thought to me, [Hmm… very well, I agree. Though, you should go to him in person, so that he does not undervalue the significance of this allegiance. We cannot allow an opportunity like this to--]

The transmission of Sombra’s thoughts were interrupted by the door to my private meditation room violently bursting open, a large heavy built man rushing through the doorway screaming, “Sir, we—“

The man was interrupted in turn by a thick spire of jagged obsidian crystal erupting from the floor in an explosion of splinters. The crystal’s wicked point rested against his throat just enough to draw a single bead of blood, which quickly ran down the cruel edges of the dark edifice. The man just stared straight ahead, utterly paralyzed with sudden fear, his eyes wide as dinner plates. Too scared to even start shaking in his boots at the closeness of his sudden near-demise, he swallowed thickly, causing a few more beads of blood to run from his neck down the black crystal.

“What did I say,” I asked clippedly, keeping a tight rein on my anger, as dark miasma spilled from my eyes, “about interrupting me while I am meditating?” The man tried to speak, but all that came out of his mouth was a fearful squawk. With a creak and a groan, the dark crystal pulled away from his neck just a little as I compressed it ever so slightly with my magic. “Speak, and you better have a damn good excuse for interrupting me.” This was why I didn’t like using Vanilla Humans in my personal entourage – they never seemed to listen.

Gulping, the man rubbed his neck gingerly with a trembling hand as he spoke quickly and in a rush, hesitant to risk my ire again, “S-sir, w-we found him, t-that guy you were looking for, Mr. Rodrigo Ramerez.”

Immediately, my entire mood did a one-eighty, as my eyes twinkled gleefully with baleful intent, leaking purple smoke all the more thickly and a wide grin split my face. [It seems we’ll have to continue this at the witching hour, Sombra. We’ve found Mr. Ramerez.] As we both stopped focusing on our connection and allowed it to fade into the background I could have sworn I heard a chuckle and a vague, wordless thought that seemed to mean something along the lines of “Have fun”.

Standing up quickly, I dusted off my custom designer Giorgeo Armani suit, allowing the black crystal threatening the man to fade away into smoke, mist and shadows. Putting on my Ray-Ban sunglasses and black fedora, my magic and my perfect mastery of shadows allowed me to enshroud my eyes in a veil of darkness impenetrable to senses both mundane and magical. Adjusting my various bejeweled golden rings and Onyx necklace, I grabbed my silver capped, gem topped black cane, turned to the man and said, “Take me to him.”

The man wasted no time in complying, leading me the many windowless corridors of my complex and up and down several flights of stairs, before stopping front of a simple steel door in the middle of a rough-hewn stone hallway. I couldn’t help but smile a little wider. This was the room my Enforcers had oh-so-lovingly dubbed, “The Interrogation Room”, because whenever someone went in there, they had always confessed by the time they left – which was usually in several pieces. Without turning to the man beside me, I dismissed him with a simple gesture of my head, and he left as quickly as he could without looking back. Standing there a moment longer, I inhaled deeply, savoring the sweet scent of pain and fear that lingered and permeated the air down here. Without further ado, I flung open the door open and strode boldly in.

The stretching rack, Spanish Donkeys, Iron Maidens and various other instruments of torture both modern and medieval had all been removed and relocated temporarily, leaving only a bare stone room with a drain in the floor’s center, a single dim light bulb hanging from the ceiling and countless stains of red on the walls, floor and even some on the ceiling. In the center of the room hung a rather scrawny shirtless man with a small silver crucifix around his neck, who was blindfolded and suspended above the floor by his wrists, which were attached to the ceiling with thick chains. His head jerked towards me as he heard the door open, and he tentatively called out, “H-hello? Is anyone there?” I was silent a moment, content to let him stew while I savored his fear.

Eventually though, I spoke. “Señor Rodrigo Ramerez,” I said, carefully and slowly enunciated each word. “You sure are a piece of work, you know that?”

My words only frightened him more as he began thrashing about and calling out, “Who is that? Who are you? S-show yourself” In response, I ripped off his blindfold, causing him to blink owlishly in the dim light. Quickly, his eyes found me blending in the gloom. “W-who are you?” he asked.

Ignoring him, I continued. “Do you know why you are here, Mr. Ramerez?” I asked.

He blinked several times in confusion before hesitantly answering, “N-No…”

“You are here, Mr. Ramerez, because of justice. Because of you, several people whom I cared for are dead, and dead by your hand Mr. Ramerez. And now justice has brought you before me.”

At this, he began to panic, thrashing violently and struggling against his bonds, screaming, “No, no, no! That’s not true, I’ve done no such thing! I’ve done only as the Lord bade me, laying wicked souls to rest! I sought out those few agents of Evil, those who had made pacts with beasts from beyond Heaven’s light, whose minds were warped and twisted like the devils they consorted with! I did all I could to exorcise the demons within them, blooding them with silver blades as they slept and burning away their flesh to expose the evil within, but they never repented! They only screamed and shrieked and clung to their pagan and heathen ways with their dying breaths!”

I had been angry since the moment I saw him, but to hear him justify the brutal murder of over thirteen different Subjects, the youngest of which was no more than eight years old, as some sort of holy religious vendetta made my blood boil.

“Enough!” I shouted, causing him to all but freeze in place. Though my volume wasn’t that great, the room still shook enough to loose several layers of dust from the ceiling and I saw a sliver of black crystal grow from the drain in the floor’s center as my magic flared in response to my growing hate before I managed to wrangle down my emotions. “People I cared about are dead, and there must be justice,” I said as I removed my hat and glasses, revealing eyes, the dark purple miasma thick and cloying as it swirled around my head like dark clouds promising an impending storm. “And I am here to see that justice is done.”

As Rodrigo Ramerez saw my more shocking features come to light he grew silent as the grave, and his whole body trembled with fear as he struggled to choke out a single word, “D-d-diablo…”

A grim smile grew across my face at his choice of words. “Diablo? No, not quite, but close enough. After all, I am the Lord of Terror,” I said as I gripped his face firmly with one hand, turning his head and forcing him to look at me. “Now, look into my eyes…” I said as I maintained eye contact with him, and pushed. Slowly, his eyes faded to green and began to emit a purple smoke much like mine.

It took only a second before the screams began.

His head jerked side to side as he thrashed about violently, foaming at the mouth. I turned away from him and walked out the door, the sounds of his shrill terror following me out into the hallway. Without looking back, I used my magic to snap his bonds, break the light, and close the steel door, shutting him away in darkness and fear induced madness. I’d have to remember to tell my staff to come back and clean up a mess in a few days, after the screaming had stopped.

As I walked down the corridor, I pulled out my phone and hit speed-dial. It was answered on the second ring by Rosaline, my personal assistant. She was a rather leggy platinum blonde Scandinavian woman whose skin shone like diamonds and eyes glittered like gems; the gift of my “Crystal Curse”, something I offered almost all of my closest followers, though few accepted. In exchange for accepting a soul-bound Geas that made them undyingly loyal and obedient to me and only me, I bestowed on them several aspects of the ancient Dark Crystal Guard that once served Sombra during his dark reign, things like diamond hard skin, unending beauty, enhanced strength and stamina, and low-level emotion magics. “Yes, Your Highness?” she answered the phone, her voice warm as honey and smooth as crystal.

“Get the private jet fueled and ready for take-off,” I instructed. “And when that’s done get on board and get some sleep. It’s a long flight to Atlanta. Make sure the Guard board as well.”

“I understand, Your Highness. Is there anything else?”

After considering it for a moment I said, “Yes. I want you to send a message ahead for me.”

“What message would that be, your Highness?”“Alvarium Rex,

I am coming. You are not alone.

~Signed, King Umbra”

Author's Note

Hey there everybrony. This is a new story I cooked up one night and it ended up taking off on its own before my better judgement had any real say so in the matter. It's a collabrative effort between myself, Alternate Madness, and wille179. It takes place in the Gatekeeperverse of wille179's most popular story, Black Queen, Red King, and is cannon to the events therein. Needless to say, if you haven't read that story already, there's a good chance you'll be rather lost reading this one. This is my first time writing collaboratively, and I hope it turned out well. I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

~Signed, InfiniteBrony

A Meeting of Kings

The air smelled strongly of smog and smoke and many bodies pressed too close together - a scent I had come to associate with large cities - as Rosaline, myself and my four Crystal Guards step off the private jet and onto the Atlanta tarmac. Just in front of the small stair leading from the plane’s exit is a large stretch limo, the door already open and the chauffeur standing beside it waiting for us. We wasted no time in climbing into the vehicle, which drove off as soon as the chauffeur sat behind the wheel, not wanting to linger overlong on the runway and possibly disturb air traffic. As we drove down the Atlanta streets, I couldn’t help but look out the darkened windows and frown.

My messenger was already dead. The Geas I placed on him alerted me the very instant King Rex used his magic to touch his soul. While I didn’t know the specifics of his fate, it was very clear that he was no longer of this earth. I knew this was a possibility, which was why I sent a dispensable prototype of my Crystal Cursed servants, but I was still rather disappointed with his lack of manners and civility at the very least. Didn’t kids today know not to shoot the messenger? I couldn’t help but wonder if it’s going to set a precedent for just how the next few hours will go. I sincerely hoped not, there was too much riding on this for things to go south. He may not know it yet, but King Rex needed me just as much as I needed him.

I’m pulled out of my musings as the car slows, and looking out the window I see that we’ve stopped in front of a large apartment building. Now that I’ve begun looking for it, I can taste the metallic tang of dark emotions in the air, conspicuous only because of the absence of their more positive counterparts; a sure sign of a changeling occupation. “Well, it seems we’re here,” I mutter to myself as I make my way to the car’s door. The chauffeur has gotten out by now, and once he opens the door my entourage and myself all step out, standing on the sidewalk in front of the building complex. Looking around I notice several sets of eyes on us, and even more hiding just out of sight. Clearing my throat, I loudly announced, “I’ve come to see Alvarium Rex.”

I don’t have to wait very long. Only a few second later, a young man walked out of the front door of the building, flanked on either side by a pair of slightly imposing characters, and I feel a brief surge of magic as several more, just out of my sight, use magic to conceal themselves, and I smell their hostility in the air. “Hello, Prince of Shadows,” the young man in the center greets me.

I nod my head towards the man in the center, obviously King Rex, and can’t help but smirk slightly. I feel a small drop of pride towards him for being capable enough to already know that name. “It seems that you are just as resourceful as I had taken you for. If there’s no need for introductions then lets please be on our way, we have much to discuss,” I said, stepping to the side and motioning to the open door of the car. His eyes flickered wearily between myself and the open car. I can’t help but smile a little wider as I said, “You may bring you guardians along if you wish.” I get into the car myself, my entourage following me, Rosaline sitting on my left and the guards sitting on either side of us.

Rex narrows his eyes, which flash a bright green from amidst his otherwise human face. “You are a Gatekeeper,” he said, his tone indicating it was not a question. I could feel his thoughts darkening, and even though I couldn’t see it directly I could smell the increase of hostile intent in the air, and I felt several out-of-sight weapons being trained on me as Rex draws a gun of his own and levels it at me. “Tell me, how do you know me? I’ve ever only told my name to but one human. She and her group are all dead now. Why should I not kill you now that you so brazenly waltz into my territory while shouting my name for the world to hear?”

Contrary to what he probably expected, I begin to laugh loudly and boisterously. My laughter lasted for a moment, and even though he didn’t show it I could tell I’d caught Rex slightly off-guard. “Gatekeeper? I figured it was obvious enough,” I said, removing my sunglasses to reveal my own abnormal eyes, a smile still on my face. “And I know you because I made it my business to know you, and I take business very seriously. As for killing me however, well,” for a moment, my smile became malicious, drawing attention to my unnaturally prominent canine teeth, and I released the careful lid I always keep on my anger. In that brief moment, my rage subconsciously lashes out in a bright flare, and with it comes my magic, causing gravity to suddenly triple for about a dozen yards in every direction all around me, and I could hear at least one out of sight changeling fall to its knees. It lasted only a moment though, and as quickly as it happened it’s done, gravity lifting and my rage dimming, though I could see the changelings in front of me panting ever so slightly. “You can try to kill me if you like, but you won’t. You’re too smart for that. Besides, you don’t even know why I’m here yet.”

Rex just narrowed his eyes further as they began to glow more brightly. “Does it matter?” he asked rhetorically. “You are here, and not on my terms. You know my secrets. And that little stunt makes the wrong impression of your motives. You are a threat, plain and simple.”

Inwardly, I sighed. It seemed he didn’t understand strength or his position here, and my words weren’t getting to him. Perhaps a gentler approach then. “Ah, ah, ah,” I said, shaking my finger and scolding him like the unruly child he was acting like. “I am only a threat if you make one of me, and that is something I trust you have no intention of doing. Besides, I am here to be an asset. As a gesture of good faith…” I broke off my sentence and turned to the unnaturally beautiful blonde woman beside me. “Rosaline, if you would be so kind?” I asked her.

“Yes, of course Your Highness,” she said immediately, her and my guards all joining hand and going still, turning their focus inward. Nothing happened for several moments, and I feel the vague sense of cautious apprehension coming from the changelings, but then, quite suddenly, the air in the center of the car stirred. It began to swirl and tremble and shake, slowly filling with magic. It grew and grew, slowly filling the car with a pink mist that smelt of cherries until it split out onto the street. As soon as it left the threshold of the car door I could see the eyes of the changelings go wide as they realized what it was: Love, so pure and thick and sweet that it filled and choked the air with a vague invisible mist. I saw their shoulders slump as they relaxed ever so slightly, and I knew that more than one of the changelings around here must be gorging themselves on the air-borne feast. After a few moments, Rosaline and the guards opened their eyes and unclasped their hands, the love mist abating as they did so.

“I assure you, my intentions are pure. Do not make animosity where there need be none, and we will get along just fine, much to our mutual benefit,” I said, smiling at their reaction. “Now, are you coming, or should we talk of international politics out in the open?”

Rex and his guards seemed to relax even further. “Fine, but remember this: hostility and lies have a particular odor. I smell it, and I’m out,” he said, holstering his firearm and walking back towards the apartment buildings behind him. “You drive; I’ll fly. Forgive me, but I don’t trust you enough to get in the same car as you, dark one.”

I can’t help but smile even wider. ‘This kid isn’t as dumb as he looks,’ I thought to myself. With a wave of my hand, I shut the door and open the sun-roof. “Very well, follow me,“ I said, gesturing for the driver to get going. “I know of a place not far from here.”

*~-/^-~*

After nearly half an hour of driving, we arrived at our destination, a specific warehouse in Atlanta’s industrial district. I had chosen this particular warehouse because of a very specific reason: word on the street was that countless homeless and destitute people of Atlanta were disappearing in this specific area of downtown, and knowing what I did, it wasn’t too difficult to draw a connection from the disappearances to Rex and his hive. If I had to guess, this area was a feeding ground of his, and more likely than not, one of these very warehouses were housing several entombed meals. It was my hope that if he was in a more familiar environment and felt a little more in control he might be a bit more open to negotiation and the very place where he made small triumphs over the people of the city day after day seemed like a good place.

It wasn’t long after the limo stopped and my entourage and myself stepped out that Rex and his guards landed, dropping the spells they were using to make the eyes of anyone passing by simply slid over them and not take notice, dropping their disguises as well, and revealing their true forms. The first thing one would notice about them, were their insectile appearance, their bodies covered in dark chitin and limbs disjointed and bent at odd angles, and their eyes like massive compound eyes, large monochrome and faceted, all except for Rex himself, whose eyes were a brilliant green and predatory. The guard changelings stood about the height of a man, slightly hunched over with their knees facing backwards and a finned crest atop their head, Rex in contrast towered like giant at nearly eight and a half feet tall, with a full head of dirty green hair and several antennae growing from the top of his head in a crown-like formation. He briefly looks around as he landed, and asked, “Why did you choose this location?”

I simply smiled, and said, “I thought talks might go a little more smoothly around here.” Turning away from him, I reached towards the warehouse door with my hand and my magic gripping it by the handle and hinges, and with a gesture of my hand I swing it open silently. “Let’s go inside,” I said, walking ahead of him and purposely showing him my back as my entourage and I make our way inside.

Once we all made our way inside, I walked to the center of the warehouse, where I faced the door and held out my arms to either side. With my palms facing upward, I made a jabbing motion with my claws towards the ground to my left and right, and with a great heaving motion a twin pair of thrones made of dark crystal burst from the ground. Sitting in the slightly more ornate of the two, I slammed my left fist against the arm of the throne, causing thin wall of the same crystal set emerge between the seats, and with a sweeping motion of my left hand it extended, making a flat topped table. With a gesture of my right hand, several crystal stools rose up on either side of the thrones as well, enough for my entourage as well as Rex’s guards to sit. Looking to him, I gestured for him to take the seat across from me.

Rex eyed the offered throne apprehensively for a moment, before reaching behind his back and magicing up a bottle of water. “I’d rather not touch it,” he explained as he put the bottle to his lips and took a large mouthful and spit it out, but not before imbuing it with his magic. The magically imbued spray of water quickly condensed into a small cloud, which Rex promptly sat on. “Now,” he said, “what’s so important you had to interrupt my lunch?”

I couldn’t help but feel my smile fall a bit at his mention of lunch; I knew full well he was most likely referring to the messenger I sent. I was still rather upset by his actions with that, but heeding my better judgment, I decided to downplay it. “Yes, well, I do hope you’re willing to reimburse me for his life insurance, at the very least. Good employees are so very hard to find these days,” I said, making light of my displeasure. “No matter, on to business. As I’m sure you’ve surmised by this point, I’ve had my eye on you for a long while now, and I thought it time we finally met, King of the Earth Hive,” I spoke, carefully eyeing Rex. When I was sure I had his attention, I continued.

“We are a lot alike, you and I, and in more ways than just the obvious,” I said, gesturing vaguely towards his grotesque form and my own smoking eyes. “We’re both Kings without a Kingdom, lost amidst the sea of humanity, despite having left such trappings behind long ago. The world goes on with or without us, blissfully unaware of just what happens all around them, just beneath the surface of their small, ephemeral little lives,” I said, and couldn’t help but give a small wistful sigh. “It won’t last forever. Things have changed, and changed drastically, you and I are living proof of that. This whole world is changing around us, and we are the instruments of its evolution. Things are rapidly moving to a new world order, and I fully intend to be at the top.” I felt my eyes flash, and my gaze bored into Rex’s. “And I want you there with me. It gets lonely at the top, and you have more than proven yourself capable to lead, whether it be a hive or humanity. That’s why I have come here today, that’s why I have sought you out. I came to make an offer of allegiance, fully and completely. I have waited as long as I could, but things move apace, and the walls are closing in. I know you have felt it too, Keeper of Chrysalis, and neither of us will be enough on our own. Let us join together, and become so much more than we would be apart,” I said, holding out my hand in a welcoming gesture.

Rex simply eyed me throughout my little speech. “I know there are more to your motives than just that,” he said, scoffing, “you are a snake, I can smell it. I know of your partner’s tyranny; my partner lived it personally. Oh, don’t be so surprised,” he barked, although truthfully it really wasn’t that surprising. “Changeling royalty is very long lived and very hard to kill.” He glared at me for a moment before going on, saying, “But back to the topic at hand. If I were anyone else, I would be split between admiring your courage or criticizing your stupidity for coming into my nest. But I’m not anyone else, and you are an intruder into my kingdom. Yet here I am, listening to you spout hot air and empty words. You talk of an alliance; what do you have that I cannot obtain on my own? You talk of being on top; why would I ever want to be there when I can infest the foundations of society, rotting it from the bottom up, and make the world dependent on my control? And you talk of the walls closing in. Whatever do you mean? I have eyes and ears in both worlds and I only see the boundless horizon. Things are moving, yes, but when have they never not been?”

I couldn’t help but frown a bit at his response. The kid really didn’t get it, did he? “Perhaps I overestimated you. I thought you at least of all people would know that we are not our partners. The Darkness has changed, long ago. Being trapped in a prison of ice for a thousand years tends to do that. Thankfully, after many trails and long nights he and I were finally able to see eye to eye.” My eyebrows curled downward, and my face better mirrored my inner anger as I answered his insinuation, “And I’ve never had much love for Tyrants or Dictators and I’ll have no such thing ever bound to me if I can help it.” I closed my eyes a moment and sighed, and when I opened them again my gaze was sharp and piercing, boring directly into Rex and the dark smoke flowing from my eyes a little more freely. “And you are fooling no-one but yourself. You know it’s coming,” I said, taking a deep whiff of the air, the scent of Ending and Hunger and Beyond hanging thickly in the air around Rex. “I can smell its stench all over you,” I said, holding my gaze a little longer, before sighing and calming down.

“You didn’t lie,” he replied after a moment, “meaning you believe your own words to be true. Whether or not you actually act on those beliefs remains to be seen.” I could both feel and see the magic gathering in his eyes as he seemed to reflexively cast a spell of soul seeing, and gazed at the expanse of Dark Void where my soul should have been. “Forgive my blindness to my own stench. I cannot smell much over the odor of your anger and the distinct lack of the vast majority of your soul. Correct me if I am wrong, but I doubt that spells impending doom. Unless, of course, there is something that you are not telling me?” he asked, scratching the back of his head as he spoke.

I was silent for a long moment, and only my many years of practice prevented my face from showing my disbelief. ‘He really hasn’t noticed,’ I thought to myself, flabbergasted. “You really don’t know, do you?” I asked disbelievingly, my composure broken a bit as my tone becomes both sad and wistful. Sighing deeply, I continued, “Be glad in your ignorance then, I wish I did not know what I know now.”

For a brief moment, I allow the slightest bit of my control to slip, and I feel my physical form trying to break apart. The edges of my body blur, wavering and becoming indistinct, as if viewed through a thick fog or pale smoke, and the temperature of the room drops several degrees. When I spoke again, my voice had changed slightly, taking on an ethereal echoing quality that seemed to come from many different directions at once. “I know what I know because I must. It is my burden to bear, and I will foster it on no-one else. I hear its call, deep within the whispers of the Void. Live well, King of the Earth Hive, Keeper of the Shifting Gate, for when the time comes we will all have a role to play.”

Just fast as it came the moment is gone, and I slump in my chair, slightly more weary and a vague hint of exhaustion settling in. “It is no matter I suppose. For now, let us deal with the more immediately pressing matters. You aren’t going to remain anonymous much longer. Already they talk of you in Equestria, and the Gryphons sharpen their claws in fear of the images your name invokes. I myself can feel the troubles of this world closing in. You’ll find I am not one for wasted words.”

Now, my lips curl into a razor-thin smile. “If you really feel that you would have nothing to gain from our partnership, how about I offer you the one thing you will always desire: Love, bountiful and unending,” I said as I reached forward and began to sculpt the crystal table between us like wet clay. When I was done, the previously flat surface of the table was replaced with a perfect scale replica of an unknown and beautiful city, the architecture utterly alien and the streets arranged radially like a snowflake around a massive spired citadel in the models center. “In a few months’ time, far from here in the frozen north, my kingdom shall at last appear in this world. It will be a place of glorious majesty, unrivaled beauty and love enough to coat the very air we breathe. When it comes, I will seize my throne, and from my seat atop the world I shall do all within my power to see the earth itself united under a single banner, our banner, the banner of the Gatekeepers.”

I grew silent for a moment and a grin split my face as thoughts of the future ran through my head, delicious and tantalizing. Slowly though, my smile fell. “But I can’t do it alone,” I said, not looking up from the vision of my future home, “The Equestrians will oppose me, as they have my counterpart those many years ago. I doubt the leaders of earth shall stand idly by either, and for that I will need to be ready.”

I looked up from the model of the Crystal Empire and looked into Rex’s eyes. “The point I’m trying to make is simply this: I need you, and whether you know it or not yet, you need me. As I said, I’d like to make an allegiance between our two empires. For the moment, a mutual partnership between Greenfyre and SpyreShades, our two front companies.”

As I spoke, I leaned back into my throne, crossing my legs and steepling my fingers. “For now let’s start small. Perhaps a trade agreement? I’m sure you have something you’d be willing to part with... some gems perhaps? In return, I will be rather generous, and offer you a small Caribbean Island, on which to found Greenfyre Incorporated’s corporate headquarters in international waters, free from Man’s laws and away from prying eyes.” I said, watching Rex’s face a he mulled it over for a moment. “Do we have a deal?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

Though I could see the conflict in his eyes, Rex seemed to sprout his first genuine smile since the conversation began. “Perhaps. Or perhaps not. It seems that you do not know me as well as you think you do. I still have my secrets. I do not need an island of my own; I have more than enough personal space,” he said, putting a strange emphasis on the last two words. “If you want my gems, buy them on the market like everyone else. That said, I’m not completely unwilling to trade. I know that SpyreShades deals with drugs. I’ve bought and sold to them before through some of my own underground workers. I also know that my venom is one hell of a drug after you process it a bit. Will you buy? Of course, I have other things that are about to hit the market after the patents go through. Your para-military should love them. And I want hard cash, nothing traceable.”

Rex paused for a moment, contemplating. “When you first mentioned your messenger, you did not seem to have much of a reaction to his apparent demise. Yes, I never said that I had killed him nor was it him that I was feeding upon. He is very much alive.” My expression never faltered, but I could tell he knew I didn’t believe him. He shrugged, and said, “I’m getting off topic. My point is I feel that you would be willing, I offer my hive as “stress relief” for your employees. Or, if you need someone gone for good or their loyalties “swayed”, well, I’m always looking for a good snack. Is that agreeable, crime lord Victor DiVinci?”

My expression remained forcefully neutral as the wall behind me slowly frosted over with dark crystal, and several different kinds of gemstone began to grow throughout the thin sheet, growing quickly and blossoming like a myriad of flowers. “It’s not the gems I need, but your willingness to trade. Don’t bother offering to make someone ‘disappear’ either; I have many ways of taking care of my own business.” I snorted softly, my lips falling a little. “As for my messenger, don’t even bother trying. I knew it the moment you touched him. He is lost to me now. I thought that might be a possibility, and that’s why I sent a disposable prototype of one of my early Crystal Cursed. You can keep whatever you gleaned from him; consider it a gift.” My face carefully shifted back into its typical neutral state. “But if you are still willing to trade in small amounts, then it is a start I suppose. I will accept this, ‘Venom’ of yours. Will there be anything else, William?”

Contrary to what I expected, Rex smiles widely at my use of his real name. “You’re too damn all-knowing for your own good. It’s like changeling chess, where both sides know way too much about the other. So, do you see too much to get the big picture? Who knows,” Rex said, rocking back and forth on his could seat. . “As for your so-called ‘prototype’ — genius, if a bit outdated. I have you pegged, you know. That’s far too polished to be anything but a nearly finished product. The thing is, you’re missing nearly a thousand years of magical development. Your work is flawless... for the relative time it was created. Actually, I think Celestia wrote an unpublished manuscript on the relevant theory about sixty years ago. I only happened to stumble upon it by accident due to a quirk of a spell of my own invention,” Rex mused. “Though it’s unlikely that you will ever see that information. Ah well. But seriously, I know you have ways of ending your enemies’ lives, but I see a good meal there, or a potential replacement target. I have nothing against helping and trading with your company, for the right price - people included. Mmmm, yes, we’ll trade. Your card, please? For later, you see. I assume that you do not wish to fly out here every time we need to talk. If we keep this relationship strictly business for now and you keep that nasty temper I smell on you under control, well, we’ll see where this goes.” Rex passed to me two business cards of his own, explaining as he did, “Elizabeth Grace and Michael Brook. She is the head of Greenfyre’s sales department; he is just an average Joe. I personally quite like wearing those two; they have very nice voices. Give them a call.”

I can’t help but smirk a bit at Rex’s reaction to my usage of his real name. “I find that knowledge is power, and power is something I greatly desire,” I said, though I felt my face fall as I go on. “As for the big picture...” I said, my eyes flashing. “I see more than I ever wanted to.” For a moment I’m silent as my mind ran dark with heavy thoughts. Shaking my head to rid myself of them, I continued. “Anyways, it seems we’ve reached an agreement for now. If you want me to connect you to my Human Resources Department however, you’re going to need to offer me more than simple illicit substances,” I said, handing Rex a business card in return, “Here is the contact information for my Atlanta Regional Manager. If you ever want to talk business, the easiest way to contact me would be through him.”

“But… if you ever find yourself in a situation in which you are in dire need of assistance, use this,” I said, as I reached out into the space beside my throne, and laid my claws against the air. With a downwards scratching motion, like nails on a chalkboard, oily smoke-like darkness trails from my fingertips, hanging in the air like a rent of darkness in space. Without missing a beat, I plunged my arm into the hole of darkness elbow-deep, fishing around for a moment before my hand closed around what I was looking for. Grasping it firmly I pulled it out, and the small cloud of darkness dissipated like smoke on the wind. Opening my hand, a large crystal sits in my palm, the whole thing a mess of swirling colors, of black, acid green, purple, light blue and bright pink, and on its surface was transcribed an intricate and beautiful pattern of ancient runes, many of which had long since been lost to the ages. It was something of my own design, a special Beacon Crystal, filled to the brim and almost bursting with a perfectly balanced mixture of both Hate and Love, each measured just so to cancel out the other. “When you ever find yourself truly in danger, from within or without, use this. Drain it of all its love, and it shall become brittle; break it then, and I shall be there to assist you in your darkest hour,” I explained as I handed the crystal to him, my eyes boring into Rex’s own as I tried to convey the true meaning behind this gift without words. Whether or not we were on tense but amicable terms now, the fact remained, we were still both Gatekeepers, part of an incredibly rare breed, and call it an old father’s instinct, but I felt the need to look out for this kid, whether he wanted it or not.

Rex looked at me oddly for a moment, before taking the offered crystal from my hand and pocketing it. “Thanks… I’ll be in touch.” As he stood up, he said, “Remember, waste disposal isn’t the only service we offer, nor is our venom the only product. I won’t say much now, it’s all very hush-hush, but I assure you, it will be a blast.” Rex stopped as he was about to pass through the warehouse doorway. With a rush of green flames, he resumed a human shape, and in his hand he held a small emerald. “Oh, by the way, here’s your messenger, very much alive. Golems work wonders as prosthetic limbs. And, sixteen,” he said, tossing me the gem.

“Sixteen?” I couldn’t help but ask as I snatched it out of the air.

“Why,” Rex replied, “the number of assassins you had aiming at me, of course. The basic notice-me-not has two flaws. Your enemy lies in the spaces you don’t look, and emotions drift in the breeze. There are sixteen holes where my senses don’t look and there is too much emotion here for you, Rosaline, and your four guards. I can point out their locations, if you want. Now, how many did you count?”

I only smiled, calling his bluff. “I’m aware of and rather intimately familiar with the notice-me-not and its limitations. It’s rather hard to hide from the shadows themselves after all,” I said, waving my hand towards the shadows at the far end of the room where I could Feel Rex has hidden his own assassins. “And I have no need of such things,” I said, the light in the room dimming further, despite the fact that it was almost noon outside. “If I truly wanted a high-value target such as you dead, I would do it myself. I’m sure any assassin I sent would be dead themselves long before they got anywhere near you, and would just end up being wasted.” Reaching into my coat’s pocket, I pulled out a small globule of glass, inside of which was a small caliber bullet that had a faint caustic green glow to it. I was a personal invention of mine, something I prepared specifically for dangerous situations like this when my staff might be forced to interact with members of Rex’s hive: special bullets, laced and infused with pure Hate energy. The effect of its use was rather akin to that of silver bullets and werewolves. Tossing the neutralized ammunition to Rex, I explained, “This is what you’re most likely feeling. I’m not exactly one to come unprepared.” Quirking an eyebrow, I gave a small chuckle. “I find myself rather thankful we are not enemies; we’d most likely end up destroying each other.” I smiled again. “Is there anything else?”

“You say you have no need, and yet there they are anyway. As you said, you’re not exactly one to come unprepared. And I just wanted a number, because you most certainly didn’t point to them all with that vague little hand wave. Hint hint, they’re not all aiming for you,” Rex replied. “Come on, take a guess before I go.”

For the first time since the meeting started, my face fell into true and genuine frown, and my anger struggles against the careful mental bonds I keep on it at all time, the smoke of my eyes flowing a little more freely in response. I like to think of myself as a calm and collected individual, but if ever there was something that truly angered me, it was threats against those I cared about. “I see what matters, and I do not take kindly to threats against my Subjects, Boy. Your seven little guards don’t intimidate me.” The various crystals around the room reacted to my worsening mood, and the stools that my guards sat on grew upwards slightly, curling around them protectively, and around Rosaline in particular. After a moment, I managed to get myself under control again, and the crystal returned to normal, though the bits around Rosaline lingered. With a deep, calming breath and a sigh, I said, “I see what matters. You have guards, many with their sights trained on me, but not nearly enough to be a real threat. Of them there are only seven that are worth worrying about.” My eyes flashed caustically. “But if anyone of them were to try and take from me what was mine, they’d be dead before they hit the floor. Now, would you like to continue this pissing match, or are we in accordance?”

“Good, good. There are seven living guards here, two of which are hidden underground. Six others are astral projections that feel real, but couldn’t actually shoot. None of them were aiming at her; that little repressed crush she has on you is too cute. But no, you missed number eight.” As Rex spoke, a hidden changeling stepped out from behind one of my guards, despite the fact that there was no room for him to have conceivably hidden there. “Goodbye!” Rex shouted, and with a sudden flash, all nine changelings vanished into thin air.

I smirked as he left. Pulling out a cigar from my coat pocket, I put it to my lips where the end spontaneously combusted. “Like I said kid, I see only what matters. Until next we meet, King Alvarium Rex. Arrivederci.” Taking a long puff of the cigar, I blew the smoke out my nose. Turning to my right and looking at Rosaline, I asked her, “Did you get all of that?”

“Yes, Your Highness,” she responded, pulling out the recording device she had hidden on her person. “I got all of it.”

“Good, good. That should be enough for now.” Taking another long drag of the cigar, I sighed. “You know, in a way I both pity and envy him. I just hope he’s strong enough to make it.” After a moment, I shook my head free from such thoughts. Climbing to my feet, my entourage did the same, and all the crystals around us faded to dust, ash and shadows. “Come along now, there is still much work to be done,” I said, leaving the site of my first interaction with the King of the Earth Hive behind.

*~-/^-~*

No more than a few hours later, I stood surrounded by swirling Darkness. By now, my plane had touched down at my Houston offices, and my guards and assistant disembarked, though I had not joined them. Instead, I had elected to stay behind as they left Atlanta, and was to find my own way back. That could wait however, for as soon as the sun had set, I Stepped from the realm of this earth, and into the Place of Shadows.

I stood as a mere spectre of my physical self, my body wavering an indistinct like a dark cloud, fading to a wisp from my waist down and my hair flickered like a black flame. My eyes were the only thing that remained completely visible and unchanged here. I wondered this not-place, my senses on alert and taking in everything there was to see around me as I walked the spaces between the towering monolithic shades of real world constructs, mirroring their counterparts in the actual city of Atlanta. All around were the bright Soul-Sparks of the city’s residents, going about their daily lives, blissfully unaware of the Shadow-walker in their midst until the occasional unfortunate soul came into contact with my spectral form, then they would tremble and flicker as the ghost of death briefly gripped their souls. The only reason I didn’t simply fly above them was my unfamiliarity with the Realm of Shades where it overlapped with Atlanta, and I didn’t trust myself with whatever other creatures patrolled the skies of this city’s Darkness. Back home at least, the denizens of the Dark and I had an understanding: I was king and all that title entailed, and so long as they remembered that, and stayed out of my way, they were permitted to continue their existence. I was here on a simple scouting mission, and I felt no need to find and conquer whatever ruled this place.

Thankfully, my mission wouldn’t take very long, for mine were not the only pair of eyes searching the Darkness. Beside me was an apparition of my partner from across the Dimensional Divide, his consciousness brought here with my own magics. His own body was like mine, wavering and indistinct, his mane flowing like fire and his body trailing off into the darkness from the mid-riff back. When he had first seen himself he chuckled, commenting that he looked like an evil spirit of hatred that had once haunted his home long ago, a beast called a Windigo. I laughed in turn, remarking that he wasn’t alone, and that I myself looked rather like a genie.

As we walked the Shades of these foreign streets, we kept our eyes and ears open, and it wasn’t long before we were rewarded for our diligence. We stopped in the city’s center as the stench wafted on the ghostly wind, and all around we could feel Its sickening presence. It lingered here, in this city, just like my home town. We could see it disgusting tendrils just at the corners of our vision, disappearing as soon as we turned our head to look and even the foul taste of the thing choked the air. Most of all though, Its dark call rang almost deafeningly throughout this place, and even the Darkness itself seemed to writhe agonizingly in response. “It seems that you were right, Victor,” Sombra grumbled in his deep voice, making no effort to hide the disgust on his face.

“Indeed,” I said, nodding my head. “Though I wish I wasn’t. The Walls of the Veil are weaker here than anywhere else I’ve ever seen, even weaker than at home. At least two different Gatekeepers were Bonded in this city, and so it seems that my theory that the Gatekeeper Phenomena and That Which Hungers are intrinsically linked only gains more and more credibility. We will have to examine the place where Selene’s Connection first began to be sure, but right now it looks like our fears are becoming more and more confirmed.”

Sombra nodded, agreeing. “Yes, we will look there as well, but that will have to wait until a later date. I’ve been on your side long enough now, and my body calls my spirit home. It is becoming too difficult to maintain this form. You have what you need and the Keeper of the Shifting Gate has been warned, you should return and begin preparations for what is to come,” he said, his form beginning to fade. “We shall speak again at the witching hour, to discuss our plans.”

“Aye Sombra, we shall speak more later,” I said, as my companion faded away, his eyes lingering and the last to disappear. Looking down at the object in my hand, I gripped it tightly, as if I were afraid if I let go it would be gone without a trace, never to be seen again. “I have what I need, I just hope it will be enough.”

I turned to go, but as I was leaving, I looked back, my eyes searching the expanse of Darkness until they alighted upon the heaving, writhing mass of Alvarium Rex’s soul. “Good luck, kid. You’re going to need it,” I whispered, and in the next moment, I was gone.

Call of Allgiance

The hour was late, and I was tired. I’d forgone sleep entirely for the last several days in order to see to it that all the needed preparations for the near future were completed, and even with my supernatural stamina, my exhaustion was beginning to catch up with me. With a weary sigh I stretched my arms above my head and twisted sharply to the side, my vertebrae giving a series of rippling pops, and groaned with relief. Reaching for my now stale coffee I took a large drink, grimacing at the temperature, and once again read over the documents sitting on my desk in front of me. Ever since my meeting with the changelings last week, my workload had skyrocketed, and internal security had become paramount, at least within my inner circles. The papers currently on my desk where only the latest draft of some of the recent changes, outlining some of the new security protocols to prevent any sort of changeling infiltration into a secure area.

This latest document referenced some of the new tests administered to all personal as they handled sensitive information, scanners to detect changeling magic, a method of lacing an area with highly concentrated caustic negative emotions to prevent any sort of changeling from entering or sensing beyond a certain point, and even a new method of storing data in enchanted crystals keyed to specific individuals with a combination of mental and even soul magic. Skimming over it one final time, I signed it with a flourishing script and placed it upon the towering stack of the ‘Out’ tray on my desk. Reaching to the other end of my desk, I took the final piece of paper from my ‘In’ tray and began reading it over, the corners of my mouth curling into a tired grin as my eyes slipped over the page. It seemed that my architects in Research and Development had finally come through.

The document outlined the revised plans and blueprints for the proprietary SpyreShades Towers, currently undergoing construction around the world in various places. The revision hadn’t changed much, leaving most of the skyscraper untouched, but towards the top several floors, the building began to curve inwards, and extended upwards several dozen feet more than previous. At the top of the building, just below the roof but above the tower’s top floor, there was a new room, only about twenty feet long by twelve feet wide and ten feet high, completely closed off from the rest of the building. None of the power lines ran to it, and none of the utility lines went through it, there were no windows and didn’t even touch any of the structural supports. It didn’t even show up on any of the official blueprints, save the one I held in my hands. There was no way into the room and now way out. Officially, the room did not exist. It was perfect. With a small grin, I wrote a note stating that I wanted the new blueprint design to be implemented in the ongoing construction projects in Seattle, Dubai and Hong Kong effective immediately, and signed my name before placing it into the outgoing pile of paperwork as well. Leaning back in my chair, I let out a small yawn and a tired grin, happy that for the moment at least, my work was done.

My reprieve was broken by a knock at my office door, and Rosaline sticking her blonde head inside. “Sire, you’ve received a personal message from a mister Vincent Forgazzio,” she said, holding up a small sheet of paper. “He said that you had requested some pertinent information.”

I felt myself perk up and my grin spread a little wider. Vincent Forgazzio, or “Vinnie the Peach” as he was known was in charge of working the streets and was one of the head members of The Family, having served loyally for decades now, having even helped my own father back when he was still The Don. When I had taken my old man’s place he and I had become fast friends, and to this day we still occasionally went out to drinks together and had an active betting pool on which corrupt politician would be next to miss their third protection payment in a row and would meet with an unfortunate “accident”. I quickly waved Rosaline inside and took the paper from her as she approached my desk. My eyes rapidly scanned the words on the page, taking the facts and figures, well as the many personal asides, and my grin only seemed to cement itself all the more firmly on my face.

It seemed the Venom I had received from the king of the changelings a week ago had been met with a huge and resounding success. Over the course of the last week the product had taken off and sales were sky-high. In just a few days, it had already turned in a profit of over half a million dollars on just word of mouth alone. Even better, nearly everyone who had tried it had come back for more and more, easily becoming addicted, but best of all, there had been not a single overdose. With just a little bit more tweaking to the formula, I should be able to use my contacts in the FDA to push it through and begin marketing it with my pharmaceutical department as a wonder drug, and a cure to impotency everywhere. If the masses accepted it as readily as the page in front of me said they did, then stocks could double and I stood to make more money than Viagra and Cialis combined.

I chuckled as I set down the paper on my desk and set about writing my reply, telling Vinnie to keep pushing the Venom as well as start giving out the first hit for free in order to hook more people and draw in more repeat buyers. As I was finishing though, I was interrupted by my desk phone ringing. Wondering who could have been calling me directly at this hour, I looked over at it, only to see that the number was registered simply as ‘Unknown’. I turned to Rosaline beside me with a sidelong glance, raising a questioning eyebrow. She only looked back at me with a shrug and a shake of her head. With a sigh, I set down my pen, hit the answer button on the phone, turned it to speaker, and wearily said, “Speak.”

The voice that came out the other end of the line was husky and rich, deeply feminine and sounded strangely like Rosaline’s. “Hello, big man. How are you, hmmm? I’m sure you remember me; you gave me such a big jewel. I wonder... no, you’d never let me suck your royal jewels. Still, a queen can dream, can’t she?”

I let out a deep sigh and rubbed the space between my eyes, a large frown on my face. My previous good mood was gone and I found myself growing quickly irritated. I was too tired to deal with some vulgar trollop. “Stop playing games; why have you called me?” I asked, my tone belying my lack of patience.

“Straight to business, mmmmm? Very well. Roxanne the 'ling queen, at your service.” The voice said, losing its seductive edge and becoming a bit more playful. “I want to discuss that alliance we talked about,” it continued, shifting into a serious demeanor.

Unseen, my frown lifted slightly, shifting from a grimace of irritation to a look of curiosity as I quickly caught on to just who was on the other end of the line. “I’m listening, Shifting One,” I said, my voice changing to a more neutral tone.

“We of the hive have come to an agreement regarding your proposition of a full alliance beyond our previously established trade agreement. For a few small, and I do emphasize small, conditions, we would be willing to establish a full alliance with you,” King Rex said over the phone, his voiced still disguised and feminine.

If he had piqued my curiosity already then he had my full attention now. “What are your terms?” I asked, thankful that this wasn’t a face to face meeting as my emotions were harder to control under the weight of my exhaustion. Had Rex been here in person, he would have felt just how eager I was.

“First and foremost, you must promise never to use your dark magic on one of my changelings, even for the most innocent of purposes. I cannot stress enough how catastrophic your wrath, the very core of your magic, is to our bodies; it is a toxin like no other. Second, do not even think of touching Selene; she is my daughter, under my protection, and is an adoptive royal in my hive.” He said, his voice becoming harsher and even though I wasn’t there I could tell there was a hint of defensive anger to his tone. “The third is more of a request than a true condition. I propose a pair of... friendly games, let’s say, to help us get to know one another. What do you say?”

“I know full well just how my magic would affect you; I know more of changelings than you seem to think,” I replied, once more thankful that Rex was not here in person to sense the deeper truth behind my words. “I also consider myself a man of justice, a man with laws - laws I strictly enforce, no matter the perpetrator. However, if you should so wish, even if one of your changelings should break these laws I shall leave its punishment to you, so long as I feel it fits the crime. I also have no problem with leaving Selene out of this, she was never part of my plans to begin with. I have full confidence in your ability to keep her safe. As for the games... what kind of games do you have in mind?”

Rex replied quickly, and I could almost hear him nodding over the phone. “That is acceptable. For the games, they are each a one-on-one game of wits. Every single move you can think of, every person, spell, and item you possess, you are free to use, no restrictions. I do advise not killing; it’s not that type of game. No, simply, I have two objectives I wish to complete by a finite date; let’s say... the day the Crystal Empire emerges.” Rex paused for a brief moment and seemed to consider his words before going on. “In the first game, if I fail, you will not be affected at all. If I win... well, that would be telling. It’s nothing bad for either of us, I assure you. In fact, you may even like what comes of my plan. I just know that you will resist the whole time; that’s just the way the board is set up, I’m afraid.” I frowned as he spoke, not quite likening the scenario he was implying but keeping my slight misgivings to myself. Unaware of my vague perturbence, he went on, “The second game is much simpler. I have exactly three moves to set up a situation to which you must counter. All three moves will be made at some time within the next month. You have unlimited moves afterwards. The result of this game will become clear as the Empire appears. Is that acceptable?”

Swallowing any misgivings I might have had, I answered, “I see nothing wrong with that. I accept. When would you like to get together to finalize this in writing?”

Immediately Rex switched back into a playfully seductive tone as he/she responded, “Ohhh, I would like that very much, big man. Shall I fly to you, or you to me?”

Ignoring Rex’s weak attempt at teasing, I replied, “If this is to be an alliance of equals, then let that set the precedence. Let’s meet on neutral ground this time. Cuba, perhaps?” Cuba would be a good location, it was roughly equidistant from the both of us and fell outside either of our jurisdictions.

Though I couldn’t see him, I for some reason got the distinct impression that Rex was pursing his lips and furrowing his brows with a hint of disappointment as he said, “I had thought of Las Vegas; I have external affairs with my human contacts to attend to there in a few days, as well as my hopes of spending a few days at play. Though anywhere out of the state of Georgia is beyond my territory, so Cuba definitely works. It’s your choice. Though I have to wonder, what would poker be like empath versus empath? No true poker face, after all.”

“I suggested Cuba, because it is in neither of our countries. Afterwards, perhaps we could fly to Las Vegas together to celebrate our newfound status as allies. I’ve always rather been weak to my vices, and the strip is so lovely this time of year.” I had to admit, I would be interesting to see just how a game of cards between Rex and myself would play out.

“Cuba it is then. I shall be in touch. You know, I’ve always been a bit of a gamer; play well, sir,” he said.

“Myself as well, though I play to win. I’ll be seeing you soon,” I replied, smirking and ending the call, hanging up with a loud click. Sighing deeply, I leaned back in my chair. I had been wondering when that call would come. Frankly, Rex held out a bit longer then I had expected, I had to give him props for that. If all of this was any indication, then the coming days were going to be increasingly interesting. With a groan, I twisted my head to the side, rubbing my neck. ‘I’m not as young as I used to be, all this excitement can’t be good for my health,’ I thought with a laugh.

Standing up to my full height and giving a quick stretch to loosen my stiff muscles, I picked up the almost forgotten paper on my desk and gave it to Rosaline. “Here, make sure this gets to Vinnie. Also, see to it that the changeling security measures are expedited and instituted as soon as possible. When you’re done here, feel free to go home,” I ordered.

Rosaline took the paper and gave a small bow, saying, “As you say, my king.” She quickly left to go do as I had instructed.

With a weary yawn, I made my way to the window and looked outside. Noting the hour and the position of the moon in the sky, I decided that it was about time that I left – I still had preparations to take care of elsewhere. Briefly, the room darkened, filling thickly with shadows until no light shone, and when the darkness receded, the room was vacant.

Author's Note

Hey there everyone, sorry it took so long to publish such a short chapter. RL has been kicking me in the balls pretty hard lately, and after writing half a chapter, deleting it all and starting a completely different chapter, then deleting it again about four times in a row, I decided to just pop out this little diddy and be done with it. Hopefully, the next chapter should be longer, more exciting, and released in a more timely manner, but I wouldn't count on it.

Realm of Titans

Luna scanned the World of Dreams, straining her senses to their limit and uttering a groan of exasperation. Already now she had been searching for hours, and still she was hardly any closer to what she sought. It was beginning to seem a hopeless venture, but she wouldn’t give up, she couldn’t, not with what might be at stake.

As she looked around, she wasn’t quite sure what she was looking for even existed. She didn’t even want to believe that it existed, but she didn’t have the luxury of such a choice. Though, if there was even a chance what King Rex spoke was true, even a small one, then things had gotten very bad indeed. If he spoke true, then the Dark King himself had returned.

She grimaced as she thought of him. When last they had met she had underestimated him and his ruthlessness; that had ended up being one of her greatest mistakes, and she paid dearly for it. One grave mistake she had no intention of making again. Her passionate fury and the fact that she began to sense an unknown Gatekeeper were the only reasons she still continued her search, after several continued hours of failure.

Eventually though, just as she was about to declare the cause lost and return home, she found it. The dream was faint, half hidden away, and near where the waking world met the one of dreams. Drifting near, she examined it more closely. It was large, massive by the regular standards of dreams, even compared to the dreams of herself, and the changeling queen. The sphere of the dreamscape was dark as night and misty as morning, obscured to her vision as it trembled and heaved violently like a twisting storm and beat like the pounding of drum. It was a strange thing, its very existence unusual and alien, almost seeming to emanate a sense of foreboding like it was consciously trying drive her away, almost like it wasn’t even a dream at all. There was little doubt in Luna’s mind, there was nothing else this could be, but the sleeping mind of her query. With several deep breathes, she readied herself, reigning in her emotions in the face of Sombra’s return.

After finishing the brief moment to steel her nerves, she heaved and strained and dove into the dreamscape.

*~-/^-~*

Luna came to with a deep groan, shakily rising to her hooves and gently rubbing her aching head. The transition into the dreamscape had been considerably rougher than any she’d been through before, and left her with a resounding headache. That wasn’t the worst of it though. Without even opening her eyes, she could tell immediately that something was wrong. Everything felt different than it should; the world was abnormally clear, and she could feel the air against her coat and the grass and stones beneath her hooves. There was the spicy-sweet scent of juniper in the air and all around her the world trembled with regular tremors the like the beating of some great unseen cosmic heart. As Luna worked of the courage to actually open her eyes and take in the dreamscape around her she was almost disappointed in a way.

For the most part, everything around her seemed normal and mundane, almost unnaturally so. Instead of the strange, alien, nonsensical worlds she had often experienced and indeed even come to expect within the sleeping minds she patrolled, the place she found herself seemed almost a perfect mirror to some unknown locale within the real world, recreated with a level of detail that was absolutely astonishing. The world seemed to be some sort of badlands, arid and inhospitable, the land flat and filled with stones. All around her all that grew were some sparse and hardy shrubs as well as the occasional twisted and warped tree, bleached and bent, growing from the ground and reaching for the sky like some sort of large skeletal claw. All around her the flatland stretched into the far distance, seemingly for miles, but to her left she could see a small range of tiny rocky mountains and strange rock formations. All about the world though was strange smoke like substance, hanging thickly in the air like mist, and obstructing most everything unless she looked at something directly. Suppressing a shiver as the smoke-mist pressed coolly against her coat and leached her warmth, Luna slowly began making her way towards the mountains in the distance, there being no other landmarks for miles in any direction by which to navigate. As she walked though, she could help but feel that something was off, that there was something fundamentally wrong with the world around her. As she felt a shiver travel down her spine, she reflexively turned her gaze skyward, only to gasp and stop dead in her tracks at what she saw.

The sky was empty. There was nothing above her, nothing at all, no stars or moon, no comets or nebulae, not even some clouds. Just… nothing. Only a blank and empty void of pure absence, deep and unending, overpowering in its oppression and seeming to draw her further into the featureless abyss the longer she looked at it. After several moments of staring, she managed to pick up her jaw and turn away, closing her eyes tightly and doing her best to fight back the sudden feeling of nausea and vertigo. After getting herself under control and forcing the image of the dark sky out of her mind she continued onwards, eager to seek out Sombra and finish her business with him so she could leave the disturbing place with all due haste. So involved with her thoughts and the sky above was she that Luna didn’t notice for a time that the continual pounding beats and tremors that rocked the world since she had arrived had stopped. She only had the briefest of moments to wonder about it before the world seemed to upend itself.

The wind suddenly became violent, whipping and clawing at her, stealing the breath from her lungs. It tried to drive her to her knees as she both heard and felt something moving through the sky, something so great in size that its very passing was enough to incite hurricane gales. A split second after Luna realized that there was something flying through the air high above her head, it came crashing to earth.

And the whole world exploded.

The noise created by its landing was absolutely deafening, overwhelming her ears so quickly that she felt more than she heard the sound. The ground upheaved itself from beneath her hooves; massive stones the size of her head launched themselves into the sky and fell in an earthen rain. Luna’s hooves were ripped out from under her, violently dropping her and painfully dashing her head against the stones. Instinctively, she lit her horn, surrounding herself in a protective shield of pale blue magic that lit up the darkness around herself for miles in every direction while her head reeled from the impact.

After taking a moment to come to her senses, Luna immediately came to a startling and disturbing realization. That had hurt. She had felt pain. Carefully and disbelievingly, she raised her hoof to the side of her head where it had impacted the rocks, quickly withdrawing it and sucking a hissing breath in through her teeth at the lance of pain when it made contact. Gingerly, she moved her hoof in front of herself and examined it in the light of her horn. The sole of her hoof was coated in red.

Luna began hyperventilating. This wasn’t right. This couldn’t be happening. She couldn’t be injured, since this was only a dream, right? Right? Swiftly beginning to panic, Luna quickly decided then and there that the whole mission was a bust and that she was going to tell everyone that she hadn’t ever even found Sombra’s dream, and immediately dream-walked out of the dreamscape.

Only, she didn’t move. In fact, now that she focused on it, she couldn’t feel any of her dream-walking abilities at all. And her head was still hurting. Suddenly, the vague sense of wrongness she’d felt since coming here made a whole lot more sense. Somehow, someway, in some manner, this was all real. Which meant she could get hurt. And she couldn’t get away. Luna began to descend further into her panic, staring at the red-coated hoof in front of her face even as it began to shake. Unnoticed by the princess in her panic, the light of her shield and horn had illuminated the very thing that had crashed to earth and knocked her from her hooves in the first place.

And it was enormous, utterly so. It was easily several stories tall, its form indistinct, made, from what Luna could see, of constantly roiling and shifting smoke and mist and stormy clouds given solid form and substance. The only constants of it form were its vaguely equine shape, massive spire of crimson bone-like substance emerging from the top of its head and the balefully glowing green eyes leaking violet plumes of smoke.

Stilling reeling from its own crash landing, the massive creature slowly rose to its own hooves, taking a moment to come to its senses. When it did however, the first thing it noticed was the disturbance in the darkness of the world around it. Almost magnetically, its gaze was drawn to the pale blue light of Luna’s magic. At first it displayed only confusion at the strange little thing that had disturbed it wonderful darkness, but its expression quickly shifted to one of comprehension and realization, and soon thereafter, its eyes narrowed into a look of pure malice and rage. Opening its maw — an enormous cavern large enough to consume an entire homestead and lined with fangs like stone spires — it sucked in a deep gale-like breath and loosened a terrible roar, loud enough to rattle the stones upon the ground.

Snapped out of her stupor by the earth shaking cry of anger, Luna looked up, only to freeze in place, her fear paralyzing her as she beheld what lay before her. The massive beast hatefully bore down upon her, its fury almost palpable and its size comparable to that of the elder star beasts. Eyes impossibly wide, she looked upwards just in time to see a massive hoof larger than a town square falling towards her, tearing through the sky like a meteor from on high, ready to crush her into a small pink mess upon the rocks…

… Only to be stopped mid-strike as it was wrapped in an even larger fist of a similar substance bedecked with crimson claws. Following the fist and attached arm with her eyes, Luna looked behind herself to see an even more massive creature towering above the landscape and holding the descending hoof within its claws.

The second of the two titanic creatures was almost massive beyond scale. If the first was at least as big as an Ursa Major, then this one was no less than twice the magnitude of the first and at least as large as Canterlot Castle, if not Canterlot itself. Like the other one, the second being was comprised of the same, strange, solid-smoke like substance; its form constantly roiled like a huge storm cloud, though its only constants were its crimson claws, the same acidic green eyes, and its almost human shape.

Squeezing the hoof held in its grip even tighter, the titanic humanoid lifted with all its might. With an enormous show of effort and strain of muscles so great that Luna could physically hear them flex, the being heaved mightily. So great was the force that for a brief moment the first beast was lifted from the earth once more, propelled through the sky and flipped backwards through the air. Landing on its back some ways it the distance, the dark equine completely flattened one of the foothills leading to the mountains in the distance. Even though its face was smooth and it had no discernable mouth, the bipedal titan behind Luna bellowed a single word, so deep and loud that it shook her very bones and caused the earth beneath her hooves to tremble. “NO!” it roared, crouching defensively overtop of her while glaring at the other creature.

Reeling from its impromptu forced flight, the first beast struggled to its hooves, flattening the landscape around with its flailing. Once its footing was stable, the equine behemoth turned to Luna and the titan behind her. Its face twisted into a look of pure malice. Rearing up on its hind legs and flailing its upraised limbs about, the behemoth opened its cavernous maw and bellowed out an inarticulate roar of rage, loud enough to force Luna to cover her ears. After a moment, its hooves crashed down with enough force to trigger an earthquake, knocking Luna once more to the ground. It began charging towards her with an utterly horrifying speed, each stride at least half a mile long and where every hoof-fall caused an aftershock, never letting Luna regain her footing.

Seeing the hostile actions of the enormous beast, the titan acted immediately and ferociously. “STOP!” it thundered loud enough to shake the earth. Rushing forward in a manner that seemed impossible and to almost defy logic, its form blurred incredibly until it lost its shape completely, becoming almost like an entire storm front moving across the barren landscape. It moved with such speed and force, reminding Luna of the ‘rockets’ that Selene had told her about. Both of the massive creatures were on an intercept course with each other; Luna only had the briefest moment to brace herself before they collided.

And collide they did. The sound alone was practically incomprehensible so impossibly loud and overwhelming that the whole world itself was utterly silent in comparison; the noise was felt deep within her bones more than heard. The soundwaves pressed against her lidded eyes until it quieted enough that her ears could actually perceive it. In the same instant, the shock wave assaulted her body, popping her shield like a soap bubble and violently ripping her from the ground and flinging her into the air where she flipped end over end and flailed about bonelessly like a ragdoll. Eventually, she came down painfully at least a hundred yards away and tumbled about in the dirt for at least another dozen yards.

After a moment, Luna managed to come to her senses, still extraordinarily dizzy, disoriented, and aching all over. Carefully, she tried to rise to her hooves only to fail repeatedly as constant tremors and rumbling of the earth knocked her down again. Falling down on her side, she sucked in a gasp and instinctively curled into a ball, breathing shallowly and doing her best not to upset the lances of sharp agony in her chest. Allowing the pain to calm for a time, she eventually lifted her head and looked around for the enormous creatures. They weren’t hard to find, her horn was still brightly lit and illuminated the surrounding landscape for leagues in every direction.

They lay upon the ground at least a few miles away; the greater momentum of the bipedal had won when they collided, carrying them into the distance. The two goliaths grappled and fought, their massive movements heaving and violent, the very earth trembling with each strike. The larger one sat astride the other, its form having solidified again as it rained fist after fist upon the one beneath it. Conversely, the equine shaped creature lay on its back and struggled in vain to extract itself from underneath its oppressor, baring its enormous fangs and flailing its hooves wildly as it did so. The equine beast’s head rocked violently side to side under the force of each blow from the titanic fists, until with a defiant howl it managed to land a crippling blow of its own, its giant hoof smashing powerfully into the face of the being above it, rocking the assailant to the side and distracting it just enough for the equine to finally slip from underneath with one more surge of effort.

The four legged creature didn’t even bother rising to its hooves, and instead rolled onto its stomach and immediately turned its head to face Luna where she lay. Bellowing an enraged roar, it lowered its head until the crimson spire upon its brow was pointed directly at her, and began to glow and shine with a maleficent and baleful light. Even from such a large distance away, Luna could feel the incredible amount of sheer power gathering, blisteringly hot and radiant, alighting on her skin painfully and burning like a small sun. With a shriek, the Colossus fired.

The titan behind reacted just in time however, and it reached out just as the gathering power reached it crescendo and harshly jerking the beast’s head to the side as it released. A beam of pure heat and incomprehensible amounts of energy lanced out from the crimson horn, gouging into the earth less than a hundred yards from where Luna lay terrified and unmoving. The heat was enough to char her feathers and burn the side of her body facing it even at this distance. The beam continued onwards, ripping through the earth and leaving an immensely deep canyon of smoking, molten glass as it tore its way through the landscape until it finally it collided full force with one of the distant mountains. The side of the rocky mountain facing the beam vaporized almost instantly; the sheer power and energy was enough to reduce the rock to dust and ash. And the rest of the mountain did not fare much better; the layers upon layers of stone were swiftly shredded and blown away like clouds before a gale wind. After an instant, all that was left of the once mighty mountain was a large mound of rubble and stone, and the energy of the beam began to dissipate and become unstable.

Then, it detonated.

The blast was incredible, awe-inspiring and utterly horrifying all at once. There was a great flash of light brighter than the sun, completely filling the landscape for hundreds of miles in every direction with a pure whiteness; as the light faded around the site of the former mountain, a massive cloud of smoke and ash and rock rose high, reaching towards the heavens like a colossal mushroom. A full several seconds later, the noise and shock of the blast hit her, loud enough to be almost deafening and forcing her to cringe once more and lay her ears against her skull. The force of it was more than strong enough to ruffle her feathers and mane; it swiftly tossed her on her back.

The noise died down after a moment. As Luna struggled to orient herself while mindful of the sharp pain in her chest, she glanced back towards the two titanic creatures where they struggled in the distance. The larger one once again sat astride the smaller of the two, though this time on its back. The humanoid had its arms wrapped tightly around the four legged beast’s neck, lifting its head high in the air and slowly choking it. “CALM YOURSELF,” the faceless titan commanded. The titan’s prey struggled futilely beneath it; the smaller behemoth batted its hooves at the titanic arms that constricted its airway. Eventually, the seemingly inexhaustible rage and malice that had driven the quadrupedal colossus faded away and its exhaustion caught up with it. A weary heaviness settled into its limbs as it grew limp in the titan’s grip; the behemoth’s struggles finally ceased. After several second of silence in which the equine shaped beast lay still, it raised a single fore-hoof, and tapped it lightly (lightly that is for its size at least) against the ground three times. As if it were some kind of signal, the titan quickly released the beast beneath it from its grip, rising to its feet and stepping away as the four legged creature drew in several deep breathes.

After several minutes of inaction, the beast eventually recovered and rose to its hooves, looking upwards at its opponent. The titan stared levelly at the behemoth, and they each held the other’s gaze for a moment before the four legged one seemed to be cowed, cringing in on itself and lowering its head submissively as it sighed deeply. It nodded its head, not able to meet its opponent’s gaze. Raising its head a little higher, the larger of the two nodded back.

And then Luna felt her breath catch in her throat and every bone in her body turn to rubber as the titan turned to look directly at her and casually began to stroll towards her; its every footfall shook the earth. The defeated Colossus headed in the opposite direction and quickly disappeared over the horizon. With its enormous mile spanning stride, the biped managed to cross the great distance between them in just a few steps. After only a matter of a few seconds, it reached her and lowered itself until it sat on the ground before her. The titan’s arms and legs folded against its body as it still stood utterly towering over her like an eldritch monolith. It stared at her, boring into her soul with those all-too-terrible eyes that she recognized all too well. Luna started to shake and tremble in terror; her breath came in rapid and shallow gasps as she stared horrified and unblinking. Her heart beat hard and fast enough that it pained her aching chest. Unnoticed in her terrified trance, the smoke-mist surrounding her began to move, undulating and flowing like liquid, swirling about and crawling up the immense form before her while simultaneously thickening around her own body.

Eventually the smoke-mist grew thick enough to be almost solid, and Luna could swear that the creature was somehow impossibly getting even bigger. Becoming aware of a strange downward breeze against her entire body, Luna snapped out of her panic briefly. Looking around herself and eventually turning to look backwards, Luna gasped at the revelation her eyes brought. What she saw caused her caused her breath to catch in her throat and her heart to skip a beat in horrid realization.

Behind her and to her side, in the near distance, were five terrifyingly familiar crimson spires. All around her were the titan’s claws. She was lying on its hand.

Looking upwards once again, she realized that the titan wasn’t getting bigger, she was getting closer. After a moment, the breeze stopped and she sat level in the air with its face, staring into its horrid eyes, each larger than the Canterlot Throne Room doors. For several minutes, she simply lay there in silence while slowly getting herself under control and stopping her shaking. As she stared at the terrifying titan before her, it simply sat there impossibly still, as if it were a living mountain. Eventually, Luna calmed herself enough to find her voice, and, after using her magic to amplify her sound, she began to speak, “I-“

“LUNA OF EQUESTRIA,” It interrupted, its voice, loud and deep enough to shake her bones, came from everywhere at once. Tinged with the faintest amount of anger, the voice seemed to emanate from the very world around her. “KEEPER OF THE NOCTIS GATE. WHY HAVE YOU COME HERE? HOW HAVE YOU COME TO THIS PLACE?”

Luna gulped thickly, doing her best to quell the shaking in her limbs that began anew the moment the titan’s voice resonated around her. “I-I don’t know where I am exactly. I was patrolling the dream world like I do every night when I came across a strange one that reeked of an old foe. I grew concerned, and so I dream-walked into it and-“

“DO NOT LIE TO ME!” The titan raged, its eyes narrowing and the hand she sat on beginning to curl into a fist. The whole world seemed to shake and the smoke-mist trembled as if in response to its anger. “THIS WORLD IS NO MERE DREAM! TELL ME HOW YOU CAME HERE!”

A fear like none she had ever known before took hold of Luna’s soul as the titan before her howled and raged. Hot, frightened tears sprung from her eyes and her heart tried to beat its way out of her chest. “I-I s-swear it’s t-true, I saw a w-weird d-dream a-and I-I-I-“ she managed to eke out with a trembling and cracking voice before her fear overwhelmed her. She began to blubber like an infant and curled into a ball like a frightened foal; a wing folded over her head to hide herself and her tears.

The titan stared at her for a few moments, before its rage abated and it heaved a loud sigh. Reaching up with its other hand, it waved a single crimson talon above her, which soon began to glow. In response, a thin layer of the smoke-mist peeled off and began to settle over her cowering form in a small cocoon, which quickly seeped into her flesh.

Luna felt the coolness of the smoke-mist against her skin, and soon thereafter an odd and novel sensation. A gentle coldness settled over her bones and muscles, traveling through her body like a cool autumn wind from the inside, blowing away her constant aches and pains like so many leaves in the breeze. And all of a sudden, she wasn’t afraid any more. Or, at least, not entirely. She felt that there was fear, and that she should be afraid, but it was dull, and muted. Like something had reached inside of her and locked the fear away behind a thick wall.

After a moment, Luna managed to stop her crying and reduce her sniffling. Carefully wiping her hoof across her face, she dried her tears and gingerly rose to her hooves, quietly delighted to feel that her injuries no longer bothered her. Turning around, she faced the titan again and sat on her haunches. Clearing her throat, she spoke calmly, her composure shot but under control again, “I’m terribly sorry about that, it wasn’t very princess like behavior. I know not what came over me.”

“DO NOT FRET OVERMUCH, YOUR FEAR IS UNDERSTANDABLE,” The titan said, the look in its eyes a little more gentle. “NOW, I SHALL ASK AGAIN: HOW DID YOU COME TO THIS PLACE?”

Luna breathed deeply in and out before she responded. “I did not lie, I indeed dream-walked here. Now that I’m here though, I can’t seem to leave,” she said, a hind leg twitching as she did her best to ignore the small, deeply instinctive voice that screamed at her to start running as fast as she could and never look back. Thankfully she was able to hold her gaze unblinkingly, albeit while swallowing thickly past the lump in her throat.

The world was silent for a moment as they two stared at each other, and shortly after Luna spoke she felt a strange sort of pressure, like her head was in a vice and a constricting band of rubber traveled from her neck down the length of her body. The titan let out a deep grumble and a sigh before responding. “IT SEEMS YOU ARE INDEED BEING TRUTHFUL. THE ESSENCE OF THE DREAM WORLD STILL LINGERS UPON YOUR FLESH AND I CAN HEAR THE HONESTY IN YOUR WORDS,” It said, looking past her to stare far into the distance thoughtfully, the deep nature of its ponderings written clearly across its face. “THIS IS A MOST TROUBLING TURN OF EVENTS, AND WHAT IT IMPLIES IS DISTURBING INDEED…” It seemed to muse aloud. After a moment, it snapped out of its thoughtful stupor and turned its gaze back to Luna, saying, “SPEAK, LITTLE ONE. I KNOW YOU HAVE MUCH TO ASK. I CAN HEAR YOUR QUESTRIONS WHISPERING AT THE FRONT OF YOUR THOUGHTS.”

As soon as the titan gave the go-ahead, Luna couldn’t hold back anymore; her curiosity burst forth in the absence of her fear, questions pouring rapidly from her like a cascade. “Who are you? What are you? Are you male or female? Where are we? What is this place? Who is that other giant creature? Why were you fighting? Why did it attack me? What was that power it used? What’s going on around here?” Luna asked, the words tumbling forth quickly and without pause until she was forced to take a breath. She sucked in a deep lungful of air to go on, only to hesitate when she noticed the massive hand she stood on shaking and the air trembling with a deep, rhythmic bellowing. Luna looked around curiously for a moment before it dawned on her. With a blush, she realized what it was: the titan was laughing.

It took several moments for its mirth to calm, but soon it did, and it looked at Luna, its twinkling in a jovial light and crinkled at the edges in a mouthless smile. “SO MANY QUESTIONS, SUCH YOUTHFUL EXUBERANCE! IT WARMS MY COLD, DARK HEART,” the behemoth said warmly, an almost paternal gleam adorning its eye. Luna could have sworn that if it could have done so without crushing her, the giant would have tousled her mane. The alicorn’s blush only deepened as she hid bashfully behind her mane in embarrassment. The titan laughed even harder at her reaction, which in turn caused her blush to darken yet still. “OH, HOW INNOCENT AND SWEET; I SO DEARLY WISH I COULD HAVE KNOWN YOU WHEN YOU WERE YOUNG.”

The titan remained silent a moment more, and Luna’s embarrassment subsided enough for her to meet its gaze again before it continued speaking, the strange eyes-only smile still plastered on its face. “I AM MANY THINGS, BUT HERE, NOW, IN THIS PLACE AND IN THIS FORM I AM ARHKIS, LORD OF DARKNESS. MORE IMPORTANTLY, I AM LIKE YOU – BOUND SOUL DEEP TO ANOTHER, ONE FROM ANOTHER WORLD. MUCH LIKE YOU KEEP THE NOCTIS GATE, I HOLD DOMINION OVER THE GATE OF SHADOWS. THE ONE FROM EARLIER IS MY PARTNER. HE ONCE WAS A UNICORN OF SOME RENOWN, KNOWN AS KING SOMBRA.”

“Sombra!” Luna shrieked. Her anger flared hotly as she reared on her hind legs and snorted steam. Her wings flared out behind her. “The Dark Tyrant is your partner?! How can this be?!” she screamed, upset and honestly confused. How could the being before her, who looked at her with a patronizing gaze and had fought tooth and nail to protect her when she arrived be bound at his soul with such a dark and maniacal despot? Arhkis seemed kind, if not a bit terrifying, and had even healed her wounds. How could he be bound to an evil beast like Sombra?

“How is he still alive? He should be dead by now! How could he have possibly survived all this time?” she asked hotly, pacing back and forth restlessly, unable to quell the angry energy seeping into her limbs.

Arhkis sighed once again and paused, pondering his words before speaking. “SOMBRA IS INDEED MY PARTNER. HE HAS SURVIVED ALL THIS TIME FOR MANY REASONS THAT I WILL NOT GO INTO NOW, FOR MOST OF THEM SHOULD REMAIN UNSPOKEN AND FORGOTTEN TO TIME. SUFFICE IT TO SAY THAT HE STILL EXISTS BECAUSE HE NOT REALLY ALIVE, NOR IS HE TRULY DEAD. HIS SOUL, AND BY EXTENSION MY OWN, IS UNIQUE AND UNLIKE ANY OTHER I KNOW OF ACROSS THE WORLDS, CAUGHT IN AN EQUILIBRIUM BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH. THE CORES STILL LIVE, CONNECTED TO THE LIVING WORLD, YET THE REST OF THEM, OUR VERY LIFE-FORCE, IS GONE. THAT ENERGY HAS ALL BEEN REPLACED BY DEATH AND DARKNESS, THE VERY ESSENCE OF THE VOID ITSELF,” he said, speaking slowly and choosing each word carefully.

Luna was silent as she took his words in, digesting them and committing them to memory. She continued to pace back and forth with a scowl on her face. As much as she wanted to deny outright everything Arhkis had just said as ludicrous and impossible, she had to admit, it made for a horrifying possibility. There was still so little known about the nature of life and death, and it would go a long way towards explaining many of the other seemingly impossible things Sombra had done during his reign before Luna and her sister had confronted him all those years ago. With a deep sigh, she stopped pacing and sat back down on her haunches. The night princess, with a scowl still adorning her face, stared into Arhkis’s eye. “Well, what of you then?” she asked, her voice touched with a hint of venom. “If you are bound to the very being by which we still measure evil to this day, then what sort of ill deeds have you committed?”

“GOOD AND EVIL ARE JUST WORDS,” Arhkis began, “CONCEPTS AND IDEAS CREATED BY MORTAL MINDS TOO LIMITED TO COMPREHEND THE GREATER SCOPE OF THINGS. I LIKE TO CONSIDER MYSELF ABOVE SUCH NOTIONS. THEN AGAIN, I AM ARROGANT, AND I CONSIDER MYSELF ABOVE A GREAT MANY THINGS.”

“AS FOR SOMBRA, HOWEVER,” Arhkis continued, leaning slightly closer to glare levelly at Luna, “YOU, BETTER THAN ANY OTHER, SHOULD KNOW THAT THE SINS OF A THOUSAND YEARS PAST ARE OFTEN THE BITTEREST REGRETS OF THE PRESENT,” he chastised her. Luna at least had the decency to look ashamed. “HOW MUCH DO YOU TRULY KNOW OF SOMBRA? WHEN LAST YOU MET HIM, YOU WERE STILL YOUNG AND FOOLISH; YOU SAW ONLY A MONSTER, GUILTY OF UNSPEAKABLE CRIMES AND THAT NEEDED TO BE PUT DOWN.”

He paused for a moment and sighed, leaning back again and his eyes falling, beginning to take on an almost sad glint. “SOMBRA USED TO BE VERY DIFFERENT FROM THE STALLION YOU KNEW. I HAVE SEEN IT FOR MYSELF, BORNE WITNESS THROUGH HIS VERY EYES AS OUR BOND DEEPENED AND I CAME TO KNOW HIS MEMORIES. SOMBRA WAS ONCE A KIND AND JUST LEADER, A FAIR AND WISE KING. UNDER HIM THE EMPIRE THRIVED AND PROSPERED, IT WAS A CENTRAL LEADING POWER THE WORLD OVER, KNOWN FAR AND WIDE FOR ITS WEALTH AND POWER; YOU SHOULD KNOW THIS. IT WOULD HAVE BEEN NO SMALL STRETCH TO SAY THAT THE EMPIRE WAS THE TOP OF THE WORLD, RENOWNED FOR ITS RICH CULTURE, ADVANCE TECHNOLOGY AND ARCHITECTURE, AND ITS UNIQUE AND AMAZING MAGIC. THE PEOPLE WANTED FOR VERY LITTLE, AND LIVED IN A GOLDEN AGE. SOMBRA ALWAYS DID WHATEVER HE COULD TO INSURE THAT HIS PEOPLE WERE HAPPY AND SAFE, AND THAT HE WAS MUCH BELOVED. ALL WAS NOT WELL THOUGH, FOR BACK THEN THE CRYSTAL EMPIRE WAS OFTEN A KINGDOM UNDER SIEGE. MANY WERE ENVIOUS OF ITS PROSPERITY OR COVETED ITS RESOURCES, AND SO IT WAS BESET BY ENEMIES ON ALL SIDES. EVENTUALLY, THE CONSTANT ONSLAUGHT BY SO MANY ADVERSARIES WORE DOWN THE KINGDOM’S DEFENSES, AND SOMBRA BECAME DESPERATE TO SAVE HIS SUBJECTS. FOR MANY MOONS HE SEARCHED DAY AND NIGHT FOR SOMETHING TO HELP SAVE THEM, THOUGH FOR THE MOST PART IT WAS ALL IN VAIN. EVENTUALLY THOUGH, HE CAME ACROSS SOMETHING THAT SHOULD HAVE NEVER FALLEN INTO MORTAL HANDS, AND JUST WHEN HE WAS DESPERATE ENOUGH TO DO ANYTHING AT ALL. SO HE SACRIFICED HIS SANITY, HIS HUMANITY AND EVEN HIS SOUL ITSELF TO GIVE HIMSELF THE POWER HE NEEDED TO SAVE HIS PEOPLE. AFTER THAT, THE EMPIRE’S FOES WERE SWIFTLY DEFEATED, BUT AT A GRAVE COST. NOT LONG AFTER, SOMBRA FELL INTO MADNESS -YOU YOURSELF KNOW ONLY ALL TOO WELL WHAT HAPPEN NOT LONG AFTER THAT.”

Arhkis fell silent and as he sat with his gaze cast downward Luna almost see the ghosts of the past haunted the soul behind those enormous eyes. She could have sworn that if they had been capable of such they would have teared up by now. After almost a full minute, he heaved another great shuddering sigh and continued speaking. “WHEN I FIRST FOUND HIM THERE WASN’T MUCH OF HIM LEFT. JUST HATE AND RAGE AND DARKNESS. HE WAS BEASTIAL, ANIMALISTIC; HIS MIND WAS COMPLETELY SHATTERED AND THE PIECES CAST ADRIFT LIKE GRAINS OF SAND IN THE WIND. IT TOOK ME WEEKS OF HARD LABOR TO PUT HIM BACK TOGETHER AGAIN, THOUGH ONCE HE BECAME AWARE ENOUGH TO HELP, THINGS PROCEDED SIGNIFICANTLY FASTER. EVEN THEN THOUGH, HE WAS STILL SO ANGRY. BUT MORE THAN THAT, I THINK HE WAS AFRAID. WITH THE NEWFOUND CLARITY MY MIND GAVE HIM, HE BEGAN TO REALIZE EXACTLY THE EXTENT OF THE HORRIBLE ATROCITIES HE HAD COMMITTED, AND THAT REALIZATION HURT HIM. IT CUT HIM BONE DEEP. I HONESTLY THINK THAT IF SUCH WERE STILL POSSIBLE, HE WOULD HAVE TAKEN HIS OWN LIFE IN THOSE TUMULTUOUS FEW DAYS. THANKFULLY, BY THEN OUR CONNECTION WAS FULLY FORMED, AND I WAS ABLE TO HELP HEAL HIM, OFFERING MY OWN MIND AND SOUL AS A SAFE HAVEN, AND HELPING HIM TO DEAL WITH THE CRUSHING GRIEF. HOWEVER, ONCE SOMETHING IS BROKEN, IT CAN NEVER TRULY BE WHOLE AGAIN. NOW WE BOTH BARE OUR SCARS, THOUGH HE MORE SO THAN I. THAT’S WHY HE REACTED SO VIOLENTLY WHEN HE SAW YOU; YOU DRUG UP SOME VERY PAINFUL MEMORIES QUITE QUICKLY AND UNEXPECTEDLY. HE WASN’T PREPARED FOR IT, AND IT CAUGHT HIM OFF GUARD. MY PARTNER’S CONSTANT RAGE GOT THE BETTER OF HIM. BESIDES THAT, I DON’T THINK HE’S TRULY FORGIVEN YOU FOR LOCKING HIM AWAY, OR IF HE EVEN CAN. DEEP DOWN THOUGH, HE’S THANKFUL THAT YOU AND YOUR SISTER STOPPED HIM.”

For several minutes, all was quiet. Luna sat still, contemplating what she heard, vaguely surprised at the lump of emotion in her throat. The Arhkis’s words stung her; she had indeed been younger and more naïve when she had banished King Sombra. All she had seen back then was an inequine monster, capable of terrible things and needing to be put down for the good of others. The parallels between his story and her own were staggering and disturbing. Luna honestly didn’t know what to make of it. It would take some time to reconcile what she had heard with the insane tyrant she had known. Doing her best to distract herself and stop her thoughts from taking a dark turn, she cast her mind back and voiced again one of her questions from earlier, “If he is your partner, then why do you fight each other? Shouldn’t you be working together?”

Arhkis sighed again as he responded. “AS I SAID, EVEN NOW, WE BARE OUR SCARS. ONE OF THEM IS THAT WE ARE PERPETUALLY ENRAGED AT LEAST SLIGHTLY AT ALL TIMES; AS SUCH, WE FEEL A CONSTANT THIRST FOR VIOLENCE. WE FIGHT BECAUSE WE MUST. WE FIGHT EACH OTHER BECAUSE THE ONLY THINGS STRONG ENOUGH TO FIGHT US ARE OURSELVES. THAT IS WHY WE MADE THIS PLACE,” the giant said, gesturing towards the dark, barren landscape all around them.

“THIS PLACE EXISTS BETWEEN WORLDS, NOT CONNECTED TO EITHER MY WORLD OR YOURS, YET IS MORE CLOSELY RELATED TO THE REALM OF SHADES THEN EITHER WORLD. IT TOOK MANY LONG MOONS AND ALL OF OUR POWER, OUR COMBINED SKILL, AND OUR KNOWLEDGE. THOUGH, ONCE WE REALIZED WE COULD NO LONGER TRULY SLEEP, THERE WAS LITTLE ELSE TO DO BUT WORK ON CREATING OUR OWN LITTLE DEMESNE. EVENTUALLY, WE MANAGED TO CRAFT A PLACE THAT WAS OURS, AND OURS ALONE. HERE, IN A PLACE THAT IS NOT QUITE DREAM, NOR SHADOW, NOR REALITY, WE ARE AS GODS - LORDS AND MASTERS OF ALL CREATION - FOR IT IS OUR CREATION. WE THOUGHT IT COMPLETELY FREE, IMPENETRABLE, AND UNKNOWN TO ANY BUT US. APPARENTLY, WE FORGOT TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT JUST HOW CLOSELY THE REALM OF SHADES AND THE DREAM WORLD OVERLAP. IN THE FUTURE, NEITHER YOU NOR YOUR PARTNER SHOULD EVER COME HERE AGAIN, IF YOU ARE EVEN ABLE TO DO SO. IT IS HERE IN THIS PLACE THAT WE GIVE UP RESTRAINT AND GIVE IT OUR ALL, WHERE OUR POWER RUNS FREE, AMPLIFIED AND UNFETTERED, UNLEASHED WITHOUT CONSEQUENCE. AT NIGHT, WHEN OUR BODIES ENTER THEIR DEATHLY STATES AND OUR MIND AND SOULS ARE CAST ADRIFT, THIS IS WHERE WE COME, TO FIGHT, TRAIN, AND TES OUR LIMITS. IT IS HOW WE GROW STRONGER, TO MASTER THE POWERS WE HAVE, AND QUENCH OUR THIRST FOR BLOOD.”

Luna sat there silently, doing her best to school her reaction to what Arhkis had told, but failing rather badly as her jaw hung agape. If what he was saying was true - and she saw little reason to doubt it - then the implications were absolutely staggering, and not the least bit horrifying. Sombra, along with his Gatekeeper partner, had created his own world! Such a thing was almost inconceivable! Casting her gaze about, Luna looked around at the barren and stony landscape, and the empty night above, trying and failing to suppress a shiver. If they could do something like that, then what else could they do? Looking towards the remains of what was once a mountain in the distance, she saw only a great amount of slag and glass. Gulping, she realized she knew exactly what else they could do. Knowing that her curiosity would get the best of her sooner or later and that she might as well ask now, she raised a shaking hoof to point towards the rubble in the distance and asked, “What exactly was it that Sombra did when he destroyed that mountain?”

Arhkis turned his gaze towards where Luna indicated, and for a moment was silent, and enigmatic expression on his face. After a while he spoke, “HE DID SOMETHING I WASN’T SURE WAS EVEN POSSIBLE, AND SOMETHING I TRULY HOPE REALLY IS IMPOSSIBLE OUTSIDE OF THIS PLACE, WHERE OUR POWERS ARE BOOSTED. IT WAS JUST THEORETICAL UNTIL NOW, AN IDEA I HAD COME UP WITH IN MY MUSINGS AND TALKED TO HIM ABOUT. HE LIKE THE IDEA SO MUCH THAT WE HAD WORKED TOGETHER ON PERFECTING A MAGICAL FORMULA TO USE IT, ONE WE HAD MADE OURSELVES USING MY OWN INGENUITY AND THE DARK ELDRITCH KNOWLEDGE SOMBRA GAINED WHEN HE SACRIFICED HIS SANITY. I WON’T TELL YOU TOO MUCH ABOUT IT, BUT IN ESSENCE, WE MADE A TINY SUN USING A COMBINATION OF MAGIC AND SCIENCE, THEN WITH THE POWER WE WIELD OVER THE ENERGIES OF DEATH, WE KILLED IT. I AM CERTAIN THAT YOU OF ALL BEINGS SHOULD KNOW WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A STAR DIES A VIOLENT DEATH.” Arhkis looked back to her, and seeing her eyes grow wide and a terrified shiver go down her spine he knew that she understood. “WHEN IT DIES, WE CHANNEL ITS CATASTROPHIC DEATH THROES INTO A THIN LANCE, AND THEN, WELL, YOU SAW FOR YOURSELF. IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A LAST RESORT, AN ACE-IN-THE-HOLE SUPERWEAPON SHOULD WE EVER NEED ONE. I AM BOTH EXCEEDINGLY DISAPPOINTED IN SOMBRA FOR USING IT, AND, IN ALMOST EQUAL AMOUNTS, AMAZED THAT IT EVEN WORKED IN THE FIRST PLACE.”

Luna just trembled where she stood. Such a thing was horrific, abominable. What sort of wretched mind could even conceive of such an atrocious act of destruction? Suddenly, she felt herself growing even more cautious of Arhkis then she already was. Eventually, she managed to ask, “Why would you ever need such a thing? What would drive you to such danger, to create such horrid power?”

Slowly, Arhkis’s gaze fell even further, and his eyes twinkled sadly as he answered. “I SINCERELY WISH YOU NEVER HAVE TO FIND OUT, THOUGH I FEAR MY HOPES ARE IN VAIN. WHEN THE TIME COMES, YOU WILL HAVE YOUR OWN ROLE TO PLAY, AND YOU WILL UNDERSTAND. FOR NOW, SUFFICE IT TO SAY SIMPLY THAT I DO WHAT I DO SO THAT NO ONE ELSE HAS TO.”

Once again, Luna just stared ahead blankly, doing her best to solve the enigma that towered before her. Just who was Arhkis? What sort of being was he? What was his character? So far he seemed kind, yet arrogant; protective, yet bloodthirsty; jovial, yet horrifying; wounded and sick-minded; selfless; angry; and even rather mysterious. Luna could, with all honesty, admit that she was utterly perplexed by him. After several minutes of sitting in silence in which her thoughts ran in circles, she came to realize something. It wasn’t just that she didn’t understand him, it was that she couldn’t understand him. He was simply just far too different from what she had faced before, his way of thinking too alien. With that realization, she slumped where she sat, her limbs giving out under her mental exhaustion, and she lied down again. Raising her head, she looked to him and asked the one question that was bothering her more than any other, “Why? Why are you sharing all of this with me? You don’t even know me.”

Arhkis stared at her for several moments, contemplating her words and trying to think of how to respond. When he finally did speak, his head tilted almost quizzically, as if he himself were confused by his answer. “I HAVE MY REASONS, BUT PERHAPS CHIEF AMONG THEM IF SUPPOSE IS BECAUSE I FEEL A SORT OF KINSHIP BETWEEN US. WE ARE BOTH GATEKEEPERS, WHICH IS SOMETHING OF AN EXCEEDINGLY RARE BREED. BUT IT’S MORE THAN THAT, I THINK. WE ARE BOTH CONNECTED IN AN ODD WAY. I AM A BEING OF DARKNESS, AND YOU ARE A CREATURE OF THE NIGHT. SUCH THINGS GO HAND IN HAND, AS THEY HAVE SINCE THE DAWN OF TIME. WE MAY NOT KNOW EACH OTHER PERSONALLY, BUT IN SOME WAYS, I DON’T THINK WE ARE REALLY ALL THAT DIFFERENT FROM EACH OTHER.”

Luna sighed deeply at his words, closing her eyes and laying her face against the ground, not even surprised that his words only made her more confused about him. Groaning, she wearily rubbed her head with her hooves, trying to alleviate her growing headache.

Arhkis noticed her downcast demeanor, and asked, “IS THAT ENOUGH QUESTIONS?”

Luna lifted her head to face him again, sighing wearily and nodding. “Yes, I… I just… I just want to go home now,” she said quietly, feeling mentally and emotionally drained.

Arhkis nodded in response. “VERY WELL,” he said, and the shadows and smoke-mist once more began to move, flowing like rivers and curling over her body.

“I, ARHKIS, LORD OF DARKNESS, CAST YOU OUT. LEAVE MY WORLD, LUNA OF EQUESTRIA, KEEPER OF THE NOCTIS GATE, AND DO NOT RETURN.”

At his words, the shadows from all around curled tightly around her, and for a brief moment, Luna felt at peace.

Then, she knew only darkness.

Divine Intervention

James Everet was not what one would call a fearless person. In fact, most people would consider him down right cowardly. This became all the more obvious, at least to himself, as he struggled to keep his limbs from shaking as he was escorted by the four thugs surrounding him through the massive cemetery. While James may have been rather cowardly, he wasn’t exactly dim-witted, a fact that had severed him quite well over his almost two decades of life; he knew that if he tried to run then he would simply be shot in the back. So he continued walking, no matter how badly he wished to be elsewhere, hoping against hope that he might be able to find a way out of his current predicament.

And what a rather dire predicament it was. James recognized the red and gray colors of the bandana the leader of the small group of thugs wore, and it filled him with dread. These people were part of El Diablo Muerte, the local street that had been on the rise in the Houston area. They were notorious for their brutality, and their fondness for killing. A fact that James knew only all too well.

If there was one thing James felt towards them more strongly than fear, it was hate. A deep festering, burning, seething hate that had been smoldering for many months now, filling his mind and raging unrequited. Such a feeling was rather justified, James felt, considering the fact that El Diablo Muerte had killed his little brother.

Joshua Everet was only six years old when he died. He had been in James’s care for quite some time, ever since their mother died of an overdose some years earlier, and neither of their fathers had ever been in the picture in the first place. They’d been walking home from Joshua’s school not long after it had let out, James’s having arrived to escort him. They were on their own street, not even a hundred yards from their house when the car drove by and the gunshots rang out. The police reports afterward state that they had simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time, the shooter not aiming for them but instead the house they had been standing in front of, a known location for producing meth. That didn’t stop the two of them from getting caught in the crossfire though. James had been shot through the leg, the bullet going clean through and clipping his knee on the way out, which caused a faint but noticeable limp that persisted to this day.

Joshua hadn’t been so lucky. A stray bullet had gone straight his chest, puncturing his lung and nicking one of his Aorta. A frightened neighbor had called 911, but the neighborhood being where it was, the authorities took their sweet time getting there. By the time they arrived it was already too late. Official county record stated that it took the first responders four minutes and twenty-three seconds to arrive. Joshua lasted four minutes and nineteen seconds, drawing his last weak, gurgling breath and dying in his brother’s arms even as the ambulance arrived.

Ever since that day, James never left his house without a glance over his shoulder, a picture of Joshua in his wallet, and a knife in his pocket. He knew it was just a matter of time until he had a run in of his own with the damnable street gang, especially with all the questions he’d been asking. Now that it had finally happened though, he couldn’t help but feel frightened. He’d learned some things with all the digging he did, and it did not bode well. El Diablo Muerte didn’t typical escort people to secluded locations for a nice friendly chat.

Looking around, James couldn’t help but feel that his surroundings reflected the somber mood rather well. All around were edifices of stone, towering statues and mausoleums, even grave markers of all kinds standing a full head and shoulders over any visitors, staring down eternally at passerby with cold expressionless eyes that seemed judge all and find them wanting. Overhead the sky was dark and black, a ceiling of dark storm clouds stretching as far as the eye could see, thick and swollen with the promise of rain. Already in the distance the rumble of thunder could be heard, a brief flash of distant lightning precursor to each hollow boom.

James was snapped out of his observation by a rather rough shove at his lower back, causing him to stumble forward. Each of the thugs was facing him, their hands on their hips, no doubt within quick reach of their concealed weapons. Looking about, James noticed that they had stopped in a secluded section of the cemetery, in between two rows of mausoleums and out of sight of anyone who might be passing by. With a shiver, he realized that they were just far away enough from anyone else that nobody would be able to hear any screams, or gunshots.

It started pretty much how James expected. As his head was turned to the side to look down the row of tombs the leader of the small group of thugs swiftly stepped forward punched him hard in the gut, driving the air from his lungs and causing him to bend over and clutch his stomach. Without missing a beat, the thug kneed him in the face as he bent over, causing James to taste iron as he felt the large pop in his skull and his vision flashed white. As he fell to his knees and started trying to blink away the tears in his eyes the thug struck him violently across the side of the head, laying James across the ground and setting his ears ringing as all the other gangbangers started to laugh. They all kicked him while he was down, their steel toed boots digging into his body as the blows continued to rain down and the thugs howled with even more laughter.

Eventually though, they let up, allowing James to uncurl from the tight ball he had rolled into and cough out the blood in his mouth. Reaching down, the lead thug grabbed a handful of James’s hair and yanked him forcefully to his feet. “Maybe this will teach you to stop asking so many damn questions, huh?” he said condescendingly, his breath stinking of alcohol and cigarettes. With a sneer, he smashed his forehead into James’s face, causing him to briefly see stars as a bolt of pain lanced through his skull.

Perhaps it was the lightheadedness, or maybe the ringing in his ears, but for some reason James found that his fear was all but forgotten. Instead only his anger and hate was left as he stared at the pitiful waste of a human being in front of him. While attempting to reach for the knife hidden in his pocket, James spat in the thug’s face.

In a knee-jerk reaction the gangbanger quickly tossed him forcefully backwards, causing James to trip and land flat on his back, even as the thug wiped away the saliva, a look of disbelief on his face. The disbelief lasted only a moment though, and his expression quickly morphed into one of pure rage. Before James had a chance to regain his bearings or manage to pull out his knife, the thug jumped on him and proceeded to beat him mercilessly, raining fist after fist down on his face, neck, and shoulders.

The beating lasted longer than James could recall, stretching on and on until one moment blurred into the next in a haze of pain. Eventually though, the thug ceased his beating and rose to his feet, allowing James to roll onto his side and hacked out the blood and loose tooth from his mouth. The thug only looked at him with a sneer, spitting on him. Turning to his cohorts, he said, “Pick him up and hold him still.”

The other gangbangers did just that, grabbing James and roughly hauling him to his feet, before kicking him in the back of his legs and shoving him to his knees and restraining his arms. Still reeling from the many blows to the head, it took a moment for James to come to his senses, and he only realized what was happening as the leader of the group of gangbangers reached behind himself and drew his gun. Upon seeing the weapon, James’s eyes grew wide and his struggles began anew. They were were swiftly stopped by a fist to the back of the skull from one of the men holding him by the arms however. Reaching forward with his free hand the leader of the group grabbed James painfully by the jaw and forced him to look him in the eyes. “You know, I was going to let you go with just a warning and maybe take your money, but in the face of such disrespect, I’m suddenly feeling a lot less generous,” he said as he ground the barrel of the gun into James’s forehead. Leaning back, the thug lifted up the gun and violently struck him across the side of the head with the butt of it, causing James’s head to harshly twist to the side and his vision to flash white as ringing in his ears briefly drowned out all sound. Spitting out some more blood, James turned to face the thug and did his best to level a hate filled glare at him. The thug only chuckled, calmly level the gun at his face and said with a smirk, “You got last words?”

Looking down the barrel of the gun, James came to a startling realization: he wasn’t afraid. All his fear it seemed, had run out a while ago. Instead, all he felt at that moment was hate, pure and unbridled, burning like a flame in his gut. He felt his face contort in an angry grimace and a growl rise in his throat. He opened his mouth to retort with something to the effect that he knew exactly where he should stick that gun, only to be interrupted by a new voice from somewhere behind them all.

“Oh? Well, well, well, what do we have here?” said the new voice in a deep and sonorous baritone that sent a cold shiver down his spine. Twisting his head around to look, James couldn’t help but gape at the man walking casually towards them, his hands in his pockets.

The first thing he noticed was that the man was utterly massive, taller than anyone James had ever seen and towering over all of them, easily over seven feet tall. The second thing he noticed was just how oddly the man was dressed. He was either from a funeral service that had recently finished or was quite overdressed, decked out to the nines in an expensive designer suit and sporting an expensive gold watch and gold necklace, all of which was accented by a wide grin, a pair of expensive sunglasses and a fedora. Hanging on his arm was an expensive looking black cane that seemed to be topped with a large gem. All in all, he rather reminded James of a Mafia gangster from those old 90’s movies about the American prohibition. As he continued to approach, James could have sworn that his skin was somehow a shade of gray, though he quickly dismissed that as a trick of the light under the overcast sky.

With his massive strides, the man was already within a few feet of them all before one of the gangbangers reacted. The final thug, the only one not currently holding James down or aiming a gun at his head, stepped in between him and the giant man and drew a gun of his own and leveled it at the stranger. There was a noticeable tremble in the thugs hand as he stared up at the man that was easily two feet taller than him. With a gulp, the thug steeled his courage and said, “Unless you want trouble hombre, then you best just keep steppin’.”

For some reason, this only made the stranger smile even wider, revealing canines that seemed unnaturally sharp. ”And what would happen if I were to say ‘no’, eh amigo?” he asked, leaning down until his face was level with the thug’s own.

Eyeing the stranger up and down the thug came to the realization that the stranger seemed to be unarmed, or else he would have drawn his own weapon already, and that served to give him some confidence and he narrowed his eyes “I said that you should leave,” He repeated, brandishing the firearm in his grip.

The man stood up to his full height and began to chuckle, though his laughter was devoid of all warmth and served to send another chilly shiver down James’s spine, and looking at the thug that was the center of the stranger’s attention it seemed that he wasn’t the only one. “Tell you what,” the man said, “why don’t you leave? If you go now I’ll forget this whole thing and the fact that you pointed a gun at me. I’ll even let you keep all of your limbs intact. What do you say?”

By now the initial intimidation of the stranger’s appearance had begun to wear off, and the gangbanger was beginning to become angry. “You must not know who we are, puta, because nobody disrespects El Diablo Muerte like that and gets away with it!” he said angrily, raising his voice and bringing up his gun to aim at the stranger’s face.

The stranger didn’t move or flinch, even with the barrel of the gun only a few inches away from his eye. He only let out an almost disappointed sigh, his smile falling for the first time. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” he warned.

The thug only sneered and spat at the stranger’s expensive designer shoes. “Do you have any last words?” he asked.

The stranger just quirked an eyebrow from behind his sunglasses and retorted, “Do you?”

The thug didn’t even bother justifying his words with a response. Instead, the world was filled with light and noise as the weapon discharged; the slug violently ripped through the stranger’s skull and tearing away flesh and bone in a great plume of viscera. His head snapped roughly backwards at the impact, the neck breaking with a sickening crack as his body stumbled backwards several steps. The thug only smiled as he watched. Slowly though, his smile began to fall and his face morphed to an expression of pure horror as they all came to a terrifying realization.

The stranger wasn’t falling. Even as the bits of bone and brain began to seep into the grass at their feet, the stranger’s body stood tall and proud, and even as they watched it slowly began to move. His arms withdrew from his jacket pockets, revealing long fingers bejeweled with several rings of gold and various gems and tipped with massive crimson claws. Reaching up, the hand gripped the back of his head, and with a harsh jerk and another sickening crack, snapped it back into place. His fedora and broken sunglasses fell from his head and face, revealing a disgusting sight that caused the bile to rise in James’s throat and he could hear one of the thugs holding his arm lean over and vomit.

A massive portion of his head was missing, just gone. Everything from his right eye socket to his ear had been torn away leaving a gaping hole in his head and revealing the dark empty hole where the insides of his cranium should have been. Belatedly, they all noticed a rather important fact: he wasn’t bleeding. All that leaked from the horrid wound was a sort of vaporous black ooze, and even as they watch the bone began to grow back before their eyes, the flesh, muscles and veins knitting back together like a time-lapse video of vegetation growing back and reclaiming an abandoned structure. They all watched in disgusted awe, unable to tear their eyes away from the horrifying sight until the process finished and his green and red eye grew back with a wet squelch and began to trail violet vapor.

They all stood in stunned silence for several moments after the stranger finished healing, utterly captivated and confused and wondering what would happen next. The stranger only sported a deep frown, and broke the silence with an almost disappointed sigh and said, “I told you, you shouldn’t have done that.” Swiftly, the stranger somehow closed the small distance between himself and the gunman without moving, even as unnoticed to all but James, the world around them seemed to darken even further, far more than what could be explained by simple overcast weather. Slowly, the stranger bent down until his face was level with the gunman and they were only inches apart, and his eyes began to glow a caustic acid green. “Now,” he said, his voice taking on an odd reverberating quality and his words not seeming to match up to the movements of his lips, “get on your knees.”

Slowly, with halting and jerky movements as if he were a puppet whose strings were being held by an unskilled handler, the gunman did as instructed, and fell to the ground with a quiet thud, his body moving without his consent. “Put the gun in your mouth,” the stranger instructed. The gunman’s eyes went wide, frightened tears beginning to fall as his arm rose up, shaking like a weather vane in a hurricane, and shoved the firearm into his mouth against his will. He looked up at the stranger with wet eyes begging for mercy, his voice not responding to his commands as he sobbed from around the cold metal in his mouth. The stranger just looked at him dispassionately, giving him no more mind than one would a stray animal begging for food. “Pull the trigger,” he commanded, his tone like that of an adult explaining a set of instructions to a young child.

James quickly turned away, not wanting to see what would happen next, though he couldn’t ignore the loudness of the gunshot or the spray of wet warmth on the back of his neck.

As the thug’s lifeless corpse fell on its side, the stranger rose to his full height, and turned to level a glare at the leader of the small group of gangbangers. The thug immediately panicked, screaming at a pitch reminiscent of a young school girl, and proceeded to empty the entire clip of his weapon at the stranger. The other two thug’s began to panic as well, roughly dropping James and pulling out their own weapons and doing the same. James watched as the stranger just stood there, an almost bored expression on his face as each bullet passed harmlessly through his body, each kicking up a small plume of dark misty smoke.

After several seconds that seemed to stretch for hours, the guns eventually ran out of ammo as each clicked empty as their handlers repeatedly squeezed their triggers in fear. Once again, unnoticed to all but James, the world had continued to darken until it was blacker than midnight, their surrounds hidden by a deep abyssal darkness, even as they all stood out like beacons against the blackness surrounding them. Eventually, the gangbangers realized that their guns were empty, and shifted weary glances between their useless weapons and the strange being before them. He simply eyed each of them dispassionately, before raising his hand towards one of the thugs that had been holding James by the arm. Curling most of his fingers into a fist, he stuck out his thumb and index finger, imitating a gun, and a small violet flame formed in the air before his fingertip as his crimson claws began to glow. “My turn,” he said as the small flame leaped from his finger and alighted upon the gangbanger.

He was engulfed entirely in less than a second. The flames were so fast that by the time he opened his mouth to scream the fire was already working its way down his esophagus, forcing him to bellow hoarsely as he writhed on the ground in an unfathomable amount of agony, the sizzling sound of cooking flesh playing soundtrack to the final moments of his life.

And just like that it was over. He stopped squirming and lay still as the flames guttered out, revealing a burnt and unrecognizable corpse, all in less than ten seconds. For several seconds everyone just stared at the burnt carcass that was once a human being, almost in a state of shock. After a moment though, the air was filled with the scent of urine and the sound of whimpering as the two thugs left proceeded to wet themselves. Turning tail, they tried to escape, only to fall flat on their faces as the grass and roots at their feet had grown up and curled around their ankles. With shaking fingers they reached down and frantically tried to claw at the vegetation, only to cut up their hands on the thorny and steel hard plant life. The sound of whimpering was soon accompanied by sickening crack and rustling leather, and the sobbing of the thugs grew in volume and pitch and were joined with repeated blubbering of the words ‘no’ and ‘Diablo’ as they looked behind themselves and saw the stranger as his form twisted and shifted and grew.

James, all but paralyzed with fear, obstinately refused to turn around, even as the ground began to shake with gigantic footsteps that must have belonged to something the size of an elephant. As he lay curled in the fetal position, shaking like a leaf, James saw two enormous skeletal claws, each easily bigger than his own torso and capped with scarlet talons, reach down on either side of him and grab the two thugs around the middle, and lifting them into the air. He clenched his eyes tightly closed, but that didn’t drown out the noise of their terrified screaming. Even worse, the noise was soon joined by an oddly familiar sound of crunching and gnashing and the popping and snapping of bone, along wet squelches, and the screams morphed from one of terror to ones of unbridled agony. James briefly wondered what could possibly be happening, but the mystery was quickly solved as he felt a warm rain and he realized where he recognized sound from: his dogs would make the same sound as they fought over the carcass of a rabbit, ripping it to shreds and consuming it whole.

James was snapped out of his thoughts as the noises quieted down by a loud thump near his left. Startled, his quickly opened his eyes and looked about and spotted what landed near him. Within an arm’s reach was the leader of the small group of thugs, his bloodied bandana still wrapped around his neck. He lie writhing in agony, not quite aware of his surroundings as tightly clutched the ragged stump where his left hand used to be, still trying to get away, having evidently not noticed yet that his legs were missing from the knee down.

And suddenly, James didn’t feel quite so scared anymore. Seeing the man who not even a few minutes ago held his life in his hands and had even intention of ending it, laying there, his own pain finally matching what he had no doubt inflicted himself over the years, filled James with an odd sense of relief. For some reason, he couldn’t help but take a certain sick joy in seeing him battered and broken, left in pieces as lay bleeding in the grass. But slowly, the grin James didn’t even notice grow across his face fell. He was trying to get away. He was trying to escape his just desserts. That would not do, James thought to himself, drawing his knife and rising to his knees, a look of pure hate on his features. That would not do at all.

Before James even realized he was moving, the knife came down, burying itself into the flesh of the thug’s back up to the hilt. He loosened yet another scream, turning around to see James bearing down on him, an expression of pure rage and hate twisting his features as he pulled out the knife, raising it up again as he flipped him over. The thug tried feebly to fight him off with his one good arm, but in his condition he never really had a chance. The knife came down hard again, once again burying itself to the hilt in his guts. With a grunt and a heave, James ripped the knife from its fleshy sheath and hilted it once more. Again and again he repeated the motion, rip, lift, plunge, rip, lift, plunge, not even aware of the feral scream that tore from his own throat as he did so, or when his victim finally stopped struggling.

James didn’t stop for several minutes, and when his anger finally ran it course, the thug’s abdomen looked like so much ground beef and the whole world felt oddly silent in the wake of his screams, only his labored breathing filling the void. After a moment, his breath caught as he remembered he wasn’t alone. Slowly, with his heart beating rapidly, he turned around.

He fell flat on his back as he saw the stranger standing not two feet behind him, licking leftover blood from his chin, a strange look in his eye. They were both silent for several moment, the only sound that of James’s rapid breathing, until the stranger broke the silence. “Are you afraid?” he asked, his voice oddly calm and almost paternal.

“Y-yes,” James stammered in answer.

The stranger sighed lightly but nodded his head, seemingly not surprised or upset by the answer. Nodding his head toward the mangled body beside them he asked, “Do you hate him?”

“Yes, with all my heart,” James answered much quicker, his voice firming up a bit and gaining a bit of conviction.

For some reason the conviction in his voice almost seemed to surprise the stranger, and he began to look him over more carefully, his glowing green and red eyes trailing up and down James’s body. James’s felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end and several cold shivers go down his body, feeling naked before the gaze of the obviously more than human man before him as it seemed to almost look straight through him and at his very soul. Imperceptibly, the corner of the stranger’s mouth curled into a tiny smirk. “Why do you hate him?” he asked.

Instead of answering right away, James turned to look at the bloody bandana around the gangbanger’s neck, and the glance was not missed by the stranger’s watchful eyes. “They killed my little brother. He was only six. All we had was each other,” James answered succinctly, a lump of emotion briefly forming in his throat as he spoke of his pain out loud.

The stranger’s face fell into a gentle frown, and he nodded absent mindedly. “A better reason than most, I suppose,” he said, a strange inflection in his tone. After a moment, his eyes grew wide and his eyebrow rose, as if a sudden thought occurred to him. Eyeing James up and down critically once again, he motioned towards the body and asked, “Are you satisfied?”

James was silent for a moment as he thought about the question. After barely more than a second of intro section, the answer was obvious, even as much as it hurt to admit. “No,” he responded, his tone almost dejected, “no I’m not.”

The stranger only nodded, accepting his answer and not seeming surprised by it. Instead of responding though, he only closed his eyes and cocked his head, as if he were having an internal dialogue or listening to a voice only he could hear. After almost a full minute of thought, the stranger opened his eyes again, revealing a strange gleam in them and an unreadable expression on his face. “What would you be willing to give for your revenge?” he asked.

James’s answer was immediate and given without hesitation. “Anything. Everything.”

The stranger’s face burst into a grin “Perfect,” he said. Holding out his hand as if offering a handshake he asked, “Do we have a deal?”

James was not a fool, he was fairly certain he knew just what was going on. The phrase, ‘deal with the devil’ came came to mind. But more important than that, he had made peace with his fate long ago, on the day he set out for revenge against those that had taken his brother from him.

Without even a moment’s hesitation, he took the man’s hand.

And then his veins lit on fire. His entire body lit up with white hot pain as he was roughly lifted to his feet, and he could feel something alien, something other, something Powerful worming its way inside of him and rooting around, traveling up and down, in and out of his entire being. Dimly through the haze of pain, he saw the massive grin on the stranger’s face, lit from beneath by the maleficent purple glow emanating from between their clasped hands.

And then just as fast as it came, it was over. The stranger let go of his hand as it stopped glowing and James collapsed to his knees panting like he had just run a marathon. The stranger gently reached down and lifted up his chin, before thrusting two claws into the center of his forehead. James did his best to suppress his flinch, succeeding just barely, but instead of pain he only felt a gentle cool sensation seeping into his flesh. After a moment, the claws pulled away, and James reached up to feel where they had touched, but instead of coming into contact with warm flesh, James felt only cool smooth crystal, about the size of a quarter and situated in the center of his forehead.

Gingerly, James rose to his feet, a sudden rush a vigor filling his limbs. The stranger gave him a quick glance and smiled, clasping him on the shoulders as he returned the smile. Reaching up with a glowing claw, he gently lay it against James’s new crystal and in a voice that had a sort of ethereal echoing quality spoke several words he didn’t understand, before saying in English, “May blood find blood, and death find death; may the shadows forever hide you, until your prey draws its final breath.”

Taking a few steps back, the stranger looked him over with a critical eye, before reaching forward and snatching the all but forgotten bloody knife from James’s hand. Similar to what he had done to James, he pushed two claws into the blade, both somehow sinking into and disappearing inside of it. James watched as the weapon warped and twisted, rippling like the surface of a lake as the whole thing morphed in shape and grew in size. The blade grew longer, lengthening to a full ten inches and becoming curved and serrated as it changed from steel to a dark crystal, strange shapes etching themselves into its surface and beginning to glow as they leaked a black vapor. The hilt changed as well, shifting from simple metal to an elegant dark wood, images of claws and fangs carved in relief to provide grip, the end capped with an ornate silver counter-weight.

The stranger withdrew his claws as the transfiguration finished, and after giving it a once over to ensure its quality, casually tossed it to James, who caught it out of the air, surprising himself with his dexterity. James opened his mouth and turned to the stranger to ask a question, only to freeze as he saw the serious glare that was being leveled at him. “Take this gifts I have given you, and enact your revenge. Do not fail, or else the consequences will be grave.”

Without another word, the stranger turned around and began to walk away. All of this was happening too fast for James, and before he could think about it, he called out, “Wait!”

The stranger stopped in place, glancing over his shoulder and raising a questioning eyebrow.

James sputtered for a moment, trying to think of what to ask in the face of everything that had happened, before blurting out the first thing that crossed his mind. “Who are you?”

At this, the stranger only smiled. “The Prince of Darkness. The Lord of Terror. The Shadow Man. King Umbra. I have many names, and many faces,” he said, waving an almost dismissive hand, “take your pick.”

He turned to walk away once more, put only walked a few steps before a pensive frown came over his features, as if an odd thought had struck him. Turning back, he asked, “Tell me, do you believe in God?”

Though James was a little confused by the question, he answered honestly. “No, I don't believe in him and he doesn't believe in me; he abandoned me a long time ago.”

The stranger nodded and gave a small, murmuring, “Yes, I thought as much.” Turning away, he continued walking, speaking over his shoulder, “Know that I still believe in you, James Everet. Go now, and accomplish your dark deeds with my blessing. I’ll be watching.”

And then he was gone, disappearing into the many shadows of the surrounding mausoleums, even as the unnatural darkness lifted. James just stared after him for several minutes, his thoughts in such a maelstrom he didn’t know what to do next. It took him several moments to realize the strange man had known his name without James ever having introduced himself.

Looking around, James took note of the mangled corpses and massive puddles of blood that still surrounded him, and slowly, it all sank in. That had all just actually happened, he had really just made a deal with some sort of devil to take revenge for his lost little brother.

And he laughed. He laughed and laughed, he laughed at the craziness of it, he laughed at the joy he felt when he murdered the man who almost did the same to him, he laughed at the impossible nature of his mysterious savior, and laughed because he was alive, and he laughed just to laugh. Eventually, his mirth subsided, and as his laughter calmed to mere chuckles, James realized something.

He was happy. For the first time he could remember since his brother died, he was happy. It was like a miracle. With another laugh, he realized that everything that had just happened was like some sort of dark twisted miracle. Slowly, he felt another emotion, and he realized why he felt so happy. He felt hope. For the first time in a long time, there was hope for the future. His hate still raged, buried and smoldering within, but now he could finally do something about it.

Raising his head, James turned to the overcast sky, and felt the first drop of rain on the center of the small piece of crystal in his forehead, and he let the cleansing waters wash away who he once was, wash away everything but his hate and his hope and his happiness, so that he could embrace his new destiny, and become one with the Darkness.

Angered Allience

The shadows were long and the Darkness all-encompassing as I sat upon my Hidden Throne, surveying my dominion within the realm of Shades. Dark apparitions traveled to and fro within my sight, unheeded and unimpeded by the vast multitude of souls on the streets far below us and within the shadowed constructs that mimicked the great, towering Houston skyline. Few of the beasts paid me much mind, but those that did invariably gave a brief bow before hurrying away as quickly as their various mean of propulsion could take them. I could feel the Presence of this world beginning to wane as dawn approached, and the first rays of sunlight slipped over the horizon, though this place remained as dark as ever. No light ever shone here. Looking about, I gazed out at the thousands upon thousands of souls of my people, but instead of the peace of mind I had hoped to find by now, I still could not shake my uneasy weariness and apprehension.

I had sat here, in the Dark, simply observing the ebb and flow of the worlds around me, acutely aware of the strange Shifting for some time now. It had happened several days past, and had been enough to violently rouse me from my slumber, my consciousness being ripped from the sub-dimension I spent my sleeping hours in and forcibly cast back into my own body. I had hardly been able to sleep since, finding myself constantly drawn to this Place Between Worlds, feeling a strong compulsion to watch over and protect it. Breathing deeply, I couldn’t suppress the shiver that went down my spine as I caught the metaphysical scent left by the traces of That Which Hungers. Its influence was growing, and even here, in my sacred bastion and my current seat of power the foul rot of its touch seemed to linger on the horizon. As deeply as I loathed personal weakness, I had to admit that just the thought of such well and truly scared me.

Hopefully though, I would soon be able to put my mind at ease. Mere hours ago, the labor of myself, my top scientists, Arcanologists, engineers, Runesmiths and a host of others over the past year had finally borne fruit. I had already carved out a small piece of my own soul and infused it into the device, and once the sun set again and it reached full power its range of several hundred miles would cover an appreciable chunk of the entire country and several million souls. I couldn’t help but allow a self-satisfied grin to creep across my features as I thought about it, my greatest creation, my magnum opus. Death, Hate, Greed, Anger, Fear, Pain and so much more, so long darkness lived in the hearts of men my Shadow Drive would endure and thrive, existing in the physical world, the Realm of Shades and as a part of myself all at once.

I was snapped out of my thoughts by the sound of great wing beats stirring the air in a deep and reverberating staccato. Tearing my gaze away from the horizon, I looked to the to the stretch of the floating island of dark crystal that lay before my throne, my face returning to a more neutral state just as one of my most favored subjects landed before me. The first thing that had come to my find when I had lain eyes on him for the first time was that he must have been some sort of dragon. For the most part I was right, but he was so much more. No less than seventy-five feet long from snout to tail, he stood a good dozen feet or more at the shoulder. His body appeared sickly and emaciated, as if it had long since all but rotted away, leaving only the bones left on the vast majority of his form. His ribs from the waist up, his spine, his wings, his tail, his forelimbs, and even most of his skull was all blackened and blighted bone. All of his body was coated and perpetually soaked with an oily, tar-like blackness that hissed and sizzled and dripped from him constantly like a toxic rain. He bowed low to me, and even from the distance of several dozen yards the sheer, thick presence of Pestilence and death that choked the air around him was almost tangible and seemed to roll off of him in nearly palpable waves. It was easy to see why he was the ruler of this place before I came along. “Rise, Scythirraax,” I bid him.

“My king,” he rumbled as he rose to his full height, his voice carrying a deeper weight than simple sound, “I have done as you have tasked me.”

“And?” I queried, my voice even.

He gave a small nod as he responded, saying, “It is as I assured you. All is clear and silent, and yours is the only Will to be found.”

I couldn’t help but feel a small weight lift off my back at his words, and my shoulders slumped imperceptibly. “Good, good,” I muttered, relief evident in my voice. After a brief moment and a small sigh of relief, I looked Scythirraax in the eyes and spoke, “I have another task for you.”

“Anything,” he said, meeting my gaze.

I couldn’t help but smirk slightly at his devotion. “I am afraid I shall have to take my leave soon, I have matters that I must attend to within the physical world. I would have you watch over this place in my absence, and see to it that all remains as it should be and that my will is done.”

“It shall be as you say, Sire,” Scythirraax responded, bowing deeply before turning around and taking wing into the dark skies, his every movement causing another small deluge of hissing, spitting black droplets.

I watched him disappear into the distance, and couldn’t help but give a small sigh, still unable to completely rid myself of that lingering sense of unease. It couldn’t be helped though I suppose, and I rose up from my throne, making my way to the edge of the small floating island of dark crystal and looked out upon my domain one more time before deciding that everything was well enough in order.

Carefully, I Stepped from the Realm of Shades back into the physical world, my pace quick and my stride long; I had a plane to catch.

*~-/^-~*

The Cuban sunlight shone harshly, and even though I was inside and well out of its direct rays I couldn’t but feel as if the shafts of golden light glancing in through the wall of the restaurant’s windows were clawing at me with flaming fingers, playing across my exposed skin with burning needles. Stifling a groan, I leaned back in my chair and took another sip from my wine glass, silently thankful I could no longer sweat and therefore sully my expensive suit as I was constantly reminded why I so despised the tropics in the summer. I may be from the south, but that didn’t change the fact that I was made to deal with a much more frigid climate.

Beside me, Rosaline seemed to be dealing with the sun much better than myself, despite her pale complexion and conservative black dress. Catching the annoyed glare I sent her way and noting my miserable state, she let out a light and trilling giggle and playfully stuck her tongue out at me. Giving an irritated snort, I flicked one of my fingers and sharply pinched her tongue with my magic, causing her to let out a startled and high pitched squeak, and I felt my own spirits raise slightly at her blush and the cross glare she sent my way.

Turning away, I returned my gaze to the restaurant’s front door, my mind beginning to drift once again. Despite the fact that all seemed well and nothing ill-fated had happened yet, I couldn’t shake the apprehension and unease that had followed me like a dark cloud for the last several days. I had been on constant high alert for days now, and it was beginning to catch up with me, a deep seated weariness settling in my bones. My thoughts ran wild and my body was lethargic and sluggish, my mind slowly becoming clouded as my razor intellect dulled from overuse as I devoted my time and considerable energy into consolidating my power and protecting my interests in preparation for whatever threats may be just around the corner. I didn’t know for sure what was coming, but I needed to be ready. My plans were reaching a critical point, and I would not be deterred now. Even now, from this far away and in the middle of the day I could feel my Shadow Drive in Houston, its range having already spread enough to cover everything from Galveston to College Station and all the countless souls therein. So far, Phase One of The Darkness Project seemed to be a resounding success, and I’d already given the go ahead to proceed to Phase Two. Hopefully after today’s meeting with the King of the Changelings I would be that much closer to my ultimate goal and have that much less to worry about with a powerful ally at my back. At the rate things were going it was only a matter of time, it wouldn’t be long at all before Sombra–

I was snapped out of my thoughts by the tinkling sound of the small brass bell above the doorways as three figures stepped inside, and I knew immediately that the other party to this diplomatic meeting had arrived. A odd spicy heaviness filled the air as the changelings entered the establishment, and it wasn’t hard to guess where Rex got the inspiration for his current skin as he strolled in like he owned the place, his form-fitting red dress clinging tightly to him – to an outside observer he probably appeared as to be the fraternal twin sister of the woman sitting beside me. Beside him was a pair of his stony faced guards, wearing dark olive skin clothed in green polo shirts and black slacks. I set my wine down as they took the seats across the table from us and I couldn’t help but raise a questioning eyebrow at Rex’s particular tastes.

“An idea is an interesting little creature, isn't it? Good afternoon, Mr. DiVinci,” Rex said, his voice all but a perfect match to that of my assistant. Reaching out, he offered a hand to shake as he asked, “I trust that you are feeling well?”

I reached out myself and shook his offered hand, felling a slight tingle as something passed between us. Deciding to pay it no mind, I responded, “Very. King Rex, I am quite pleased with your acceptance to negotiate an alliance between our two factions. Although, I must ask about your... current apparel.”

Rex gave a small smirk as he answered. “Well, the familiar is comfortable, and you know this face intimately. Rosaline,” he said, turning to look at my assistant beside me, “take it as a compliment. You have a beautiful complexion, and it's my way of praising you by copying what comes naturally to you. I mean, have you seen my real face? And besides, you look nice in a tiny red dress.”

Rosaline’s posture and expression remained stern and professional, even as the tell-tale mischievous twinkle shone in her eyes as she took the bait. “I look good in anything. And sometimes even nothing at all,” she said playfully.

“We know,” Rex retorted with a wink.

It was all I could do not to roll my eyes at Rosaline’s typical mischievousness, and allowed myself as cursory glance at Rex’s two guards, have to force my expression to remain neutral instead of slipping into a scowl at the sight of them – I was raised in the south, and there was no love lost between me and blacks. Looking back to Rex I said, “I’m afraid I’m not much one for wasted words and banal pleasantries, so let us get right to the point, shall we? Since I was the one who proposed the alliance in the first place I will defer the opening negotiations to you. Though we have discussed them in short before, please state your terms now.” As I spoke, Rosaline took the hint, slipping into a more professional composure and pulling out of her purse a small recording device to set on the table between us.

“Spoilsport,” Rex responded, giving a false pout for a moment before becoming more serious. “Hmmm... Well, for starters, I think we should establish our absolute boundaries. As long as neither crosses these limits, I feel as if we could work amicably together indefinitely, provided that nothing else changes. I'll start. You know this one already, but for the record, I insist that you avoid dark magic around my changelings. Harmony style is fine, as long as you do nothing to harm them. Second, due to the contagion of emotion, I ask you to avoid changeling territory to prevent your influence from... damaging our crops.” He must have noticed my slight twinge of irritation at being restricted from traveling in such a way, because he held up his hands in a defensive gesture and backtracked, saying, “Hey, a day or two is fine; just don't move to Atlanta or the likes.”

We were briefly interrupted when the waiter came up to our table, turning to Rex and in a chokingly thick accent asked, “For you, señora?”

With an apologetic glance towards me and a simple ‘excuse me’, Rex turned to the waiter and said in fluent Spanish, “Surprise the three of us. I am sure that a man like you has excellent taste.” The waiter, pleased with her words and at being addressed in his native language, responded with a wide grin and verbal confirmation before walking back to the kitchens.

“Sorry,” Rex apologized, turning back to me. “I couldn't keep him waiting. Hmmm... And three, most importantly, do not reveal us to the humans. The day you say 'changeling' to the public is the day we declare war on you. But you're a smart man, and keeping the status quo means that the rules of the game don't change,” He said, his face spreading in a changeling grin. “Now it's your turn to build walls and make testosterone-fueled death threats. Be dominant.” Pretending to speak under his breath, he added just loudly enough to be heard, “I like my men that way.”

I ignored the irritatingly flirtatious remarked, nodding as I responded. “That shouldn’t be a problem. My boundaries are rather simple, and while I understand that your kind thrives upon deception, there must be honesty on both sides for this alliance of ours to work. First and foremost: no hiding. I’ll have no changelings or thralls infiltrating any of my various organizations for any reason. Any inquiries you may have will simply have to go through the proper channels. On that note, I’ll need you to identify each and every individual changeling already working for me and any attempting to do so in the future, and don’t even consider skipping a few because I have ways of sniffing them out. Rest assured, I won’t strip them of their employment, simply keep an eye on them.” My gaze turned sharp, and I peered directly into his eyes, driving home my final point. “Finally, do not meddle in the affairs of myself, my senior staff or my inner circle. I ask this not only out of a need for privacy but for your hive’s safety. Many of our dealings could tend to prove rather... counter-productive to a continued changeling livelihood.”

Pausing, I took a sip of my wine, taking note of the vague air of dissatisfaction emanating from Rex. “I trust this is agreeable to you,” I continued. “If you’ve nothing to add, then let us move on to the next order of business. What do you hope to gain from this venture?”

For a moment he was deeply contemplative, carefully considering my words for several seconds before finally responding. “That... Is agreeable, on one condition,” he said, meeting my gaze. “Your Crystal Curse ensures loyalty to you, yes? It will be to them and only them to which my changelings reveal themselves, and only when prompted. The question will be, 'Have you ever wished to see a world of pure imagination?' The answer will be, 'I already have seen it,' followed by a swift change in eye color.”

Leaning back in his chair slightly, he continued, expounding on my points of concern. “As for infiltrators, well, I run my hive a bit differently than Chrysalis does. We royals can influence the degree free will in our hive. Chrysalis grants about 90% free will! which is like having a voice in your head that gives advice from time to time; I keep it at about 95%, which is merely a whisper. My point is if a changeling has a job that so happens to be under your employment, it's theirs for their own reasons, not mine. About 60% of my hive is composed of love collectors, a staggering percentage due to the low energy yield of human emotions. Of that, maybe 25% are deep plants that hold permanent identities, which are what would cause you the most trouble. Trimming down further, we have one, maybe two dozen who even have a chance of interacting with your businesses. Off the top of my head, only Leonardo Ludwig, Carter Long, and Gregory Daniels have had any business with you. Oh, and the latter happens to be the father of my head love collector, Jak. I'm rambling...” he said, his head turning away briefly as he compounded his thoughts.

“Now, what do I want?” he stated rhetorically, his eyes steeling with a faint conviction began stating his desires. “Food, defense, and power, in that order. For food... Rosaline, if you would?”

Rosaline looked to me in askance, and I nodded my consent. “Gladly,” she responded, my approval given as she tapped her innate empathy magic and the rooms slowly filled with love energy, invisible to the humans around us. The three changelings across from us immediately donned expressions of pure bliss as they felt it, gorging themselves upon the proffered meal. After a moment however, the looks on their faces slowly slipped towards darker emotions, and I could feel the pangs of anger and defeat as Rex’s smile slipped and he slumped in his seat, his two guards furrowing their brows in anger and irritation.

“I fuckin' hate being scammed...” the older appearing of the two guards grumbled, a simultaneous assent of concurrence escaping the other changelings.

Angered at having my honor and integrity called into question, I responded in the clipped and measured tone. “Scammed. You believe I would scam you?”

No doubt sensing the increasing flickers of heat either in my tone or in my emotions, Rex sent me a placating glance, before reaching for an empty bread plate and answering. “Not willingly. Though crude, my guard has a point.” Placing his two index fingers gingerly against the plate, he began concentrating, and after a moment two small drops of pink appeared. One was clear and translucent, the other cloudy and murky, both catching the fading afternoon light and glistening like gossamer drops of honey and morning dew. “Perhaps a demonstration is needed. Rosaline's artificial love is, upon tasting, virtually identical to the real stuff, with the exception of a slight metallic aftertaste. But once it's in...” he explained, leaving the end of his sentence to hang and trail off into silence, lifting up the edge of the plate as he spoke. The translucent droplet ran down the incline of the dishware cleanly, leaving behind not even a hint of residue or moisture, while the more clouded drop flowed much more slowly, slipping down the plate at a much more sedate pace more akin to the honey it resembled. “Jak described it best. It's like sugar-free candy; it's a tasty treat, but almost nutritionally useless. I could get more directly from Rosaline the old-fashioned way. And now I'm really hungry. Where is the waiter with our food?” he expounded further, turning his gaze to study my form, licking his lips and crossing his arms, accentuating his generous bust. “At least you, Victor, would make one hell of a meal, or at least better company, if you would just relax and have fun. Unlike humans, you could give indefinitely, if not all at once.”

By now it had become obvious that the changelings had been up to something as we spoke, the odd sort of spicy heaviness that pervaded the air as they entered only having gotten more prominent as time passed, and I could feel emotions and desires of a most lascivious nature beginning to fill the patrons of the eatery, and even myself to an extent, though it was a rather trivial matter to suppress such base urges in the face of the current situation. I considered his words and thought back to prior dealings with and knowledge of changelings, both Sombra's and my own, before I spoke. "I see, though for your own sake I would advise against attempting to feed on me. If past events are any indicator, I’m afraid I’d prove a rather... caustic meal. Now, I believe you had two other requests. Defense and power, if I am not mistaken?"

Rex gave a small dismissive wave as he spoke, a more serious expression finding its way onto his face as he looked into my eyes. “Power comes later; I do not need your help yet on that front. Defense, though, I do need your cooperation. I do not care what you do, but our greatest defense is our non-existence in the eyes of the humans. Do your best to keep it that way. However, I could imagine that, with the arrival of new Gatekeepers, magic and eventually changelings might be exposed. When that happens, I'll need your help in the form of two favors.” His tone turned to a more somber edge, and he held up a hand, counting off his points on his fingers. “First, help me pass a set of laws to help 'regulate' magic use; note the ironic emphasis. Second, and this is an idea that I encourage you to use too, help me spread a rumor. I want people to think that we are related to the fair folk of European Mythology, if not literally Fae. I especially want emphasis on the 'burnt by iron' part; we act along and ta-da, a fake weakness to give the illusion of control. You could play up the devil act, cringing in fear of religious symbols.” Flashing a winning smile, he winked at me. “You know, just in case.”

I felt the corners of my lips curl at the ideas he put forth, and a quiet chuckle escaped my throat as my more playful and mischievous side bubbled to the surface, reveling in the thought. “I always was rather partial to theatrics, and It’d be no small stretch of the truth to play the part of the Dæmon of Shadows,” I said, taking no small delight in entertaining the thought. Oh what fun such a thing would be! Speaking from the shadows, haunting mortal nightmares, consorting for power with those of a dark heart, and pursuing my own unknowable dark purpose. I was ever the lead actor in my own life’s story, and all the world was to be my stage. After several moments though, my eager expression began to fall as I more deeply considered it. To be truthful, such a thing was not much of an exaggeration at all, and I had many needed elements in place already. My thoughts cast back, and my mind recalled a young soul, burning bright with new purpose and darkened by my touch, and aloud I thought, “Yes, that sounds reasonable. I may already have the gears set in motion...”

After a moment of contemplation, my thoughts returned to the present, and I returned my gaze to the changeling king sitting across from me. “Yes, that all sounds agreeable, and should be easy enough to achieve. As for myself…” I said, pausing for a brief moment as I carefully considered how to phrase the wording of my request. Satisfied with my mental script, I spoke, “I suppose, in the end, what it all boils down to is rather simple. I want what any man with power wants: more power. I want you to help me achieve this end in various ways.”

As I continued, I held up a single finger, emphasizing my first and foremost desire. “I’m fully aware of just how much Equestria has advanced in the thousand years since Sombra’s banishment, and that you access to the Canterlot Archives. I’d like whatever knowledge you’ve managed to glean from them, and I do mean all of it. Magic, history, sciences, culture, everything. Knowledge is something I covet very highly.” As I spoke, my eyes drifted towards the bread plate and the two glistening drops of condensed emotion still upon it, my thoughts expanding. “On that note, I’d also appreciate it if you could ‘lend’ me one of your changeling scientists. I could much benefit from such a particular perspective, and it would go a long way in helping to create a viable solution for your food problem.”

Holding up another finger, I kept talking. “Also, as I’ve stated before, I want your political backing. Equestria has officially acknowledged you as your own sovereign state, and as per this alliance I expect your support for my claiming of the Crystal Throne when it is no doubt inevitably disputed. The same applies to this world, though I expect that I will require a far different method of assistance on our side of The Divide.”

Pausing, I lowered my fingers and lifted my wine glass to my lips, finishing it off as I allowed my words to sink in. Once I was sure Rex had sufficiently mulled them over, I went on, “Moving on. The next order of business I’d like to address, while not directly part of our particular alliance per se, I feel bears attention; you mentioned them already.” As I spoke, the waiter returned with the changelings’ meal, a well done platter of fish, and they immediately dug in with gusto, eating as if half-starved and slowing only enough to still be considered civil.

Paying it no heed, I continued on, making a point that I had been considering at length for the last several months now. “Gatekeepers. They could rapidly become a major problem if proactive steps are not taken. I say we create a new, underground organization, a sort of Council of the Fae in keeping with the proposed rumors. Its purpose would be to seek out, monitor, control, organize and if need be support and protect anything ‘supernatural’ around the world. Most notably would be other Gatekeepers, all of whom must join, without exception. It will act as a sort of shadow government, writing laws for, such as you mentioned, the use of magic. It will serve as a way to unify us all, no matter how many more Gatekeepers appear or how they affect the world, and will help keep both us and the humans safe from each other. Should it be needed, it will offer safe haven to any of our ilk who need it, especially when the Crystal Empire appears. And though it goes without saying, you and I will be its founders and leading members, if for no other reason than the right of experience and the means to make it a reality.”

I watched Rex closely as I spoke, my hawkish gaze seeing all as I did my best to convey the seriousness of the situation and monitored his reaction. “Have you anything else to add?” I asked as I finished my proposal, wanting to hear his unique input towards the situation.

Rex paused in his eating as he considered, and I could all but see the wheels turning in his mind, his expression becoming thoughtful and pensive. Propping his elbows on the table and interlacing his fingers, he rested his chin on the backs of his hands and stared into the middle distance as thought deeply contemplated his own response. After a while, he answered, “I have mixed emotions. On the good side, I agree with your proposal on creating magic regulation, but I have an alternate proposal. What if my company publicly 'discovered' a way to cross to the other side and, for a maintenance fee, allowed anyone or anypony to cross? This would be a controlled global introduction to the other universe and give you legal access to a whole new market. Your customers won't be worrying about where their magic potions came from then. While your partner is... indisposed, I have the manpower to create a shipping and tourism empire the likes the world has never seen, and you have goods to sell.”

I considered his words, and I felt my expression slowly sour as I thought of the details of such an arrangement. While what he said had some merit and was true for now, such a notion I felt was rather unseemly. The world – neither world really – was ready for interdimensional travel on a commercial scale, and I doubted it would be any time soon, the appearance of additional Gatekeepers be damned. The thought of such power in the sole hands a single company and by extension a peoples such as the changelings as well sent a shiver up my spine, and images of a mercantile based world government filled my head. Needless to say, I found such thoughts… deeply disturbing. Keeping my tone and emotions carefully controlled, I responded, “I’m... not quite so sure. Such a thing could lead to disastrous results, especially once new Gatekeepers begin cropping up. As much as things have changed recently, I don’t think the world is quite ready for it, and neither is Equestria for that matter. Maybe once ‘The Fae’ become known and the supernatural is accepted as truth we could begin a careful and controlled introduction to the world, but...” I allowed my sentence to trail off into silence, doing my best to convey my stance on the subject.

Rex though, despite no doubt sensing my reluctance, pushed the subject, albeit a little less forcefully. “I think it could speed that acceptance up, and it doesn't mean that we have to expose ourselves. Food for thought...” he said, returning to his food.

I felt my frown slip further down my face as I realized that I wasn’t going to be able to deter him from such a course of action so easily. For a moment, I considered if there were another way to change his mind, before coming up blank, grimacing in distaste of the situation as I realized there was nothing further I could say without tipping my hand too early. “Let’s just table this discussion for now. We could further discuss this once we can see what the immediate future holds,” I said, hoping that if I could not immediately dissuade him then I could delay such a thing until the circumstances became more agreeable at least.

“Yes,” Rex agreed, allowing for a subtle pause for a natural segue into the next topic of conversation. “Well, I planned to share some magic knowledge with any magic-using Gatekeepers. But on the neutral-bad side of things, I'm going to have to limit your access to the archives. You will get most if it, I assure you, but not all. I will not be letting you have any time spells - physics works differently here, so they don't work. At all. Instant death. You will not be getting most of the black archive; some of that stuff makes Nazi death camps look like good family fun by comparison,” he said, and I subconsciously nodded in agreement. That all sounded reasonable enough, and I doubted I’d really need the Black Archive anyways – I’d probably be able to all but recreate it on my own anyways. No offense to the Nazis, but in the end they were rather sloppy. “And, although I'm sure that you would love the spell that makes you orgasm for hours on end, you will not be getting any spells from the changeling private collection,” he continued, oblivious to my thoughts and all but purring in a husky and teasing tone. “Although, I could demonstrate some of the more fun ones if either of you are interested.”

Leaning back in his chair, Rex donned a superior smug smirk that I immediately found insufferable and had to suppress the urge to wipe from his face. Haughtily, he continued, “Lastly, the question has always been, do you see too much to get the big picture? I now have my answer, and it is yes. Game two, move two, though I never expected this to be how I use it. We are already on opposite sides of this. If you had asked me to help you conquer the griffins, I would have leapt at the chance. Anyone else, and I would have given a token effort to aid you. But your reputation, merely by association, is to your detriment. No, I will not help you or Sombra take or maintain power in the Crystal Empire; quite the opposite, I intend to obstruct you. All Sombra has to do is walk away, and we can be the best of buddies. But for as long as a dark king sits on the Crystal Throne, you deny two nations, and more importantly, my nation's counterparts, food and safety. And I'm sure that, if angry Equestrians and Changelings are not enough, the Americans would be quite interested in an artifact that can boost the morale of an entire planet. You claim Sombra is sane now? Show me. Even a sociopath knows when to cut his losses.”

As he spoke, I felt my anger mounting and mounting until it was a great, massive burning rage, barely held back by a thin veneer of self-control, all of it ready to burst and consume everything in the vicinity like an erupting volcano. Even though the sun had hardly moved in the sky, all the shadows around the room had visible lengthened and even begun stretching towards me, though it seemed that none but Rosaline had noticed if her widening eyes were any indication. How dare he! Just who did this impudent little whelp think he was to deny me so! Even the sick satisfaction I took in watching the highly sensitive empath writhe under the assault of my anger did nothing to abate it.

Doing his best to ignore my barely restrained rage, he continued on regardless. “So I present to you the only three choices you have. One, if for any reason Sombra vacates the throne, you have my full cooperation. Two, if by your inaction, Sombra retains his position, and you provide no aid or hindrance to him, then I will uphold our alliance to the letter and no more; Sombra, not you, will be my enemy. Three, if you aid Sombra in any manner, you will have violated a portion of this alliance you have already agreed upon; A small branch of my hive has taken up permanent residence in Canterlot and Sombra threatens their food supply. Act, and we reciprocate in kind.” As he spoke, all three of the changelings across the table from me stabbed their plates of fish and took a bite in a level of synchronization only possible to such beings, the older of the two guards licking his lips with an unnaturally long tongue while Rex and the other guard flashed a predatory smile, showing off hidden fangs.

“Food stylists are one of the highest paying freelance jobs in the advertising industry. I'd think you'd do well in that business, Mr. DiVinci,” the elder guard spoke up.

“I know that Nick had an apple shaped ball-gag at one point... Oh beautiful Rosaline, whatever will your boss do? Decisions, decisions... So many good choices. How do you like the odds?” Rex continued, his tone light and teasing as he flaunted the situation.

The subtle threat directed towards my assistant was enough to cause a hair-thin crack within the mantle of my restraint. “ENOUGH!” I roared, my voice reverberating oddly in the suddenly still air, its volume enough to silence all the other restaurant patrons and rattle the glassware. If anyone had bothered to look under our table, they would have noticed the myriad of razor sharp shards of black crystal that briefly pushed their way through the floor, shattering the tiles.

“Fine…” Rex drawled petulantly like a child, frowning at being denied his fun as he realized he was beginning to go too far, his fangs retracting back into his lip. “That is then. This is now. Make your decision when the time comes and stick with it. And for crying out loud, tell the poor girl you love her,” he said, pointing towards Rosaline, who I could tell was feeling rather mixed emotions at this point, joy at my defense and perturbation at the situation. “Let her know that we bed bugs won't bite so long as you have any say about it.”

“Now, are we allies, big man? Friends don't attack friends,” Rex finished, extending his hand to seal the deal.

Doing my best to choke down my pride and anger at being talked down to by the insolent pup, I took his hand. “Yes, bug, we are allies. But know that if you hurt me or what's mine, I will squash you, in ways more painful than you’ve ever known. Mayhaps you should remember, but Chrysalis was not always the last changeling monarch,” I all but spat, drawing on bloody memories of a thousand years past for solace – and mostly failing at that.

“Is there a crystal fly-swatter with my name on it? Kinky,” Rex retorted, that insufferable smirk making its way back onto his face. Giggling, he reached into the small purse he carried with him and palmed something from inside of it as he stood up. “Well, I'll have my people draft up and send you a more formal document that you can read at your leisure. The flight to Las Vegas is a long one, if you are still interested in playing me, which will give you plenty of time. Now, one last thing before I go...” As he spoke, he swiftly made his way around the table, discreetly placing the object between Rosaline and I, before grabbing my head.

And then he kissed me.

So focused was I on containing my anger, on stymieing the blood-lust that roared in my veins, I had lowered my guard and mental defenses. Rex wasted no time taking advantage of that, and with a potent cocktail of magic and chemicals, he was able to reach inside of me, and like flicking a switch, all of my hot, burning rage became another passionate emotion of a decidedly more lascivious nature. So great and sudden was the change that my senses momentarily took leave of me, and all I knew was passion.

When I came to, my breath was short and I tasted copper. Panting, I blinked several times owlishly, my thoughts still rather muddled and flowing slowly through my head like a thick molasses as I stared ahead confusedly. Not noticing my oblivious state, Rex impishly commented, “Thank for lunch, big man. Remember, choose wisely.” Walking away, the changeling monarch strode over to the waiter who had served us and slipped a stack of bills into his hand, before impulsively kissing him on the cheek, causing him to fluster and stumble backwards a few steps. “Thank you very much for the food. It was delicious. Keep the change, sir,” Rex said to him, once more in fluent Spanish. Giving one last glance over his shoulder and a haughty smirk, the changeling and his guards stepped through the door and swiftly disappeared down the street.

As if the tinkling of the small bell above the doorframe were some sort of catalyst, all of my thoughts snapped back into place in an instant as soon as Rex left, and I was suddenly very much aware of what occurred. Carefully, slowly, I lowered myself back into my seat, and with a trembling hand, I reached for Rosaline’s still mostly full wine glass before downing it all in a single gulp. The moment I had come to grips with what had just transpired, all of my rage returned to me – in spades. For the first time in years, I was actually losing the constant and ever-present struggle against my emotions to keep my all-consuming anger in check.

Carefully, with controlled movements, I reached out to set the empty wine glass on the table, but an errant twitch caused to pulverize to dust, and with a grating screech every piece of glassware in the room responded in kind, shattering into numerous pieces, a large branching spider web of cracks ripped through the front wall of windows, and even the large wad of cash Rex had pulled out of his purse and set on the table igniting and instantly burning away to ash like flash paper. All the loud noise and flying glass did well to snap the restaurant patrons and serving staff out of the lustful stupor they’d been under since Rex’s display, and with my leaking magical influence in the air they all without exception immediately descended into panic as an unnatural fear gripped them.

Ignoring the frantic screams and pressing rush of bodies as they all struggled to escape whatever strange terror had gripped them, I spoke to my assistant without turning to face her. “Rosaline,” I said, my clipped and tightly controlled tone easily cutting through the clamor all around us. “I want you to leave. Make your way to our plane and take leave for home with all possible haste. I will be there soon enough, I will find my own traveling arrangements. There is something I must take care of first.”

She nodded to me, swallowing thickly as she clasped her hands to prevent them from shaking. “Y-yes, my king,” she stuttered, her trembling voice and wide eyes betraying the fact of her fear, though she felt such for entirely different reasons than those around her. In all the time that she had known me, she had never seen me in such a state, and even with her brand of limited Empathy Magic, her skin was beginning to visibly redden as my rage and hate washed over her like a hot wind and burning tide. She wasted no time in following my orders and quickly vacated the premises along with all the humans around us.

After several moments I was alone, sitting amidst a scene of chaos, upturned tables and chairs and broken glass littering the room around me. I struggled against my rage, but I continued to fail, my hands subconsciously clench and unclenching, my claws digging great grooves into the stone top of the table I sat at. Grunting, I suddenly wished to be elsewhere, anywhere but here, and with a loud rush of air and a muffled boom, my body imploded into a large cloud of dark smoke as I Stepped into the realm of shadows, fleeing as quickly as I could northward, out to the ocean so I would be out at sea when my rage inevitable consumed my in a matter of minutes.

And consume me it did. With a great howl and a roar like the splitting of the earth, I lost myself, knowing only darkness and the burn of my hate.

*~-/^-~*

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to all, a lost princess dreamed restlessly, her slumbering thoughts filled with vast and empty vistas and shadowy images of beasts astride two legs.

Preperations

The sun rose slowly as I gazed to the eastern horizon from my perch, standing behind the wall of windows on the eastern wall of my office on one of the top floors of SpyreShade Tower. I heaved a heavy sigh, rubbing my dark, bloodshot eyes. I take in a deep whiff of the pleasant aromatic scent of the fine Colombian dark roast held in my hand. The rising sun painted the sky in various shades of pink and gold, shining through the clouds in sharp angular slants and alighting upon the numerous glass and steel skyscrapers the composed the city, lighting them up in glistening shimmers like a myriad of vertical oceans. The sight was beautiful, and the everyday miracle of its existence served to inspire within me a small amount of awe and some much needed hope. Something of which I’d been in short supply as of late. My ever-present feeling of dread that had hung about like a shroud had yet to abate, and the recent reports had done nothing to help.

1,152. That was the estimated death toll. 1,152 people simply dropped dead due the strain my rage and my wraith inadvertently caused on their souls from within the Realm of Shadows. That’s not even counting the mounting death toll of hundreds from the freak storm and earthquake caused by my interrupting of the world’s flow of energy. All over the gulf and the Caribbean. People stopped breathing and their hearts stopped beating, dying in their homes, in their beds, in hospitals, in clinics and even in the streets. Hundreds and hundreds of widows, orphans, brothers losing brothers, parents forced to bury their children, and families torn apart. All because one bug didn’t know when enough was enough.

It had been years since something like this had happened, not since I had first Bonded with Sombra, before I had learned to control myself, and even then it had been nothing like this. For years I had maintained careful control, for years I had kept everyone safe, protected them from what lurked in the dark, from the things that could hurt them, including myself. All of that had gone out the window in mere minutes, because of the meddling of a young upstart that it would be a good idea to push one of the currently most powerful singular beings in the world past his limit. I hated him for that, almost as much as I hated myself.

With another deep sigh, I took a drink from the steaming mug in my hand, not for the first time wishing my coffee was Irish. And that I could still get drunk. Turning away from my windows, I walked back to my desk, noticing my dear assistant Rosaline standing silently in front of it. I must have been even more out of it than I thought if I hadn’t noticed her come in.

“Sir?” she queried tentatively, taking note of my haggard appearance and having heard of the events that transpired not long after her swift fleeing of the Cuban meeting. “Are you well?”

Breathing deeply, I rubbed my tired eyes before responding. “I’m as well as I can be, Rosaline. What is it?”

“You’ve got a meeting in fifteen minutes with the heads of Engineering, Arcanics, Logistics and R&D about Phase Two of The Darkness Project,” she said, her eyes showing genuine concern.

I couldn’t help but give a sharp, dark, and empty, chuckle at the reminder, causing Rosaline to flinch at the almost painful cynicism in my dark mirth. If there was anything good to come out of this painful debacle, it was that there was irrefutable proof on just how effective the Alpha Shadow Drive was. If estimates were correct, barring any more unforeseen variables, my long term plans could be set forward by several years. With a deep swig I downed the rest of my coffee, ignoring the burn as it went down my throat.

It was going to be a long day,and it was best to get it started.

*~-/^-~*

Thank the gods today was finally over. Ever since it had started it seemed to drag on and on, one issue being addressed after another, but at the very least, much had been done today. Phase Two was all but completed, now that the Alpha Shadow Drive had already been completed and been proven successful, all that remained on that front was to move the other twelve into place and activate them. The various SpyreShade subsidiaries around the world in New York, Hong Kong, Tokyo, and many other major world cities, had already activated their beacons. The entire Shadow Drive Network should be up and running in the next forty-eight hours. All that was left was my part in the setting it all in motion and then Phase Three could begin. Of course, magic on that level would leave me completely drained for no less than a full day, so there were quite a few things I needed to take care of beforehand.

Not the least of which was keep an eye on my city. Alvarium Rex had been here for a full day already, and had done little more than observe. I wasn’t quite sure why he was here in the first place, but he didn’t seem to be doing any harm, so I wasn’t about to move against him. Something that did interest me was a rather peculiar run in he had with some of the undesirables of my city, El Diablo Muerte, and one of my employee’s, the sister of one my best underground black market contacts, a man that called himself “Leo”. After using some of his magic to save little Amelia from a group of thugs, he took her to a small coffee shop not far from SpyreShade Tower itself to talk, before leading her into yet another ambush and allowing her to be gunned down. As upset as that made me, it didn’t take much digging to find the price on her head, and Rex’s reason became obvious to me, as much as the consequences of her having survived this night. Given Rex’s proactive disciplinary approach to the thugs who committed the deed I was willing to waive any direct repercussions in lieu of reparations already made.

On the thought of El Diablo Muerte and death, there was something else that caught my attention happening around town. It seemed that the young man I had saved from certain death when I flexed my magical muscle had taken it all to heart. Having taken up the born again name of Penumbra – the shadow’s shadow – he was all but a living nightmare for anyone in the city wearing a red and gray bandana. Thugs were disappearing from the streets, many of them simply never getting home. Many of them were afraid to leave their various homes or crack houses, hiding away and cowering in the shadows. Some of them even hanging up their bandanas permanently, doing what they could to make a new living on the straight and narrow.

Penumbra himself had taken it even further than I expected. Every night, just as the clock struck midnight and every time he killed another one of the scum of the earth, he would actually pray to me, giving thanks for the new life and all the dark gifts I bestowed upon him. What interested me most of all though, was the fact that lately I could actually hear his prayers. Every pious word he spoke into the darkness I heard, every drop of blood he spilt with the dagger I gave to him I could feel, every life he took in my name I felt. It was definitely an… interesting occurrence to say the least, and I couldn’t help but see no end of potential with the situation. At the latest it seemed he had actually begun attempting to inspire others to join him in his pagan worship. Needless to say I would continue to keep an eye on him, and see just how this interesting situation would turn out.

At least all of that was done and over with for now. The sun had long since set, the moon was high in the sky and there was something of vital importance to attend to. Breathing deeply, I exhaled, releasing tension as I closed my eyes. The lack of light, gently swirling smoke and runes carved into the floor created the perfect atmosphere as I meditated deeply. [Sombra,] I Thought, sending a mental ping across the Link. [Are you there?]

The response was long in coming, and it was almost several minutes before he Thought back. [Aye, Victor, I am here. Is it time?] His mental voice was slowly and serene, a far cry from his usual gravelly growl.

[Yes, it’s time.] I responded, my own mental voice somber in light of the situation. [We both know it must be done. We’re out of options, and we always knew that this was the last resort.] I was met with silence for a time after I Thought, and continued. [We both know that you can’t force this. We must win them over first. It is a new age, and diplomacy is the key. No matter what happens, we must sit upon the crystal throne. You know this as well as I.]

[I know,] he said, sending a wave of resignation in the mental equivalent of a sigh. [It must be done.]

I swallowed thickly before Thinking back, [Remember, after this I cannot directly assist you any further. You will face them by yourself, and when the time comes I will have retreated to the Demesne as we agreed. You will be alone.] I could feel Sombra’s emotional response to my words much more easily than any actual word retort, and the usual anger and pride that all but defined him was all but absent, replaced with a turbulent maelstrom of apprehension. Solemnly, I Thought, [Venne Yvne Acculs.]

[Kaiin Ea Weight.] he whispered in turn.

[Sanctum Nihlumbrae.] I finished. As we spoke the prayer, I began the ritual; the various runes etched into the floor all around me lighting up and several points around the room igniting with ethereal violet flames. The gently wafting smoke from the various burning candles and incense began to swirl and congeal, encircling a hollow globe two feet wide directly in front of me, the sight reminiscent of a satellite image of the earth’s weather systems. After several moments, I felt the moment of truth arrive. With a deep breath, I reached inside of myself, digging deep, perhaps deeper than I ever have before, and pulled. I felt the cold shivers travel down my spine, a strange and foreign emptiness briefly filling me, my breath being sucked from my lungs in a fine, glowing silver mist. I plucked at the Strands that connected all, and the world trembled around me, the Darkness writhing in response. The empty globe slowly filled, with a dark liquid, a plasmid miasma which grew, shifted, burned, flared, and writhed. I could hear the pained shrieks of those lesser Shades that were unlucky enough to be nearby at the time as they were violently reduced to their most base form and converted to pure energy and quickly absorbed. I could feel it there, as if it were a part of me, an extension of myself. The orb of Dark Power grew for several minutes before tapering off, stabilizing at two feet across, spinning slowly in place, flaring in several places and drinking in what little light there was like a dark star.

Panting heavily and satisfied that it was complete, I contacted Sombra. [Are you ready now, my friend?]

For a moment, there was only silence between us, stretching on for what seemed like hours before Sombra swallowed his trepidation and answered simply, [I am ready.]

I swallowed thickly past the emotion in my throat, nodding despite him not being able to see me. Carefully, I reached out to either side of myself, holding out my hands as I Focused, and they began to glow with an unearthly energy. With a deep breath, I braced myself, tensing and…

[I am… afraid.]

[Me too.]

…brought them together.

Immediately, the portal opened. Like a rent in space itself, it screamed and howled, violently swallowing everything nearby, the wind rushing in harsh gales as it was vacuumed up by the dark abyss. With a nudge, I sent the Orb hurtling into its depths, where it was swallowed whole as the gate slammed shut behind it.

And then all I knew was darkness.

*~-/^-~*

Somewhere far away, an ancient princess, much beloved by her people, awoke in the dead of night with a shrill scream, her thoughts filled with visions of glowing green eyes and baleful purple mist.