It was dark in Canterlot. The brilliant light of Luna’s moon as well as the tapestry of the night sky was shrouded behind a curtain of black storm clouds. Rain pattered softly against the window of the darkened tower; other than that, there was silence. Shadows painted every corner of the room, the glow emanating from the beryl crystal being the only source of light. And Atlas Ire held it in his hoof.
The hooded stallion watched the glowing crystal dance about his hoof, perfectly balanced on its culet as it spun gracefully like a top. Magical streams flowed freely from the crystal and coiled around his foreleg. He allowed for it to snake up the entirety of his leg before he opened his mouth and inhaled the magical threads; his eyes began to glow bright orange as he drained the crystal of its magic. It began to tilt slowly, unable to sustain its balanced position, until finally falling to the floor. Atlas Ire disregarded the now dry crystal and returned his attention to the files on his desk. He sifted through the papers, pulling up reports of Griffon army movements and records of crystal growths in Equestria; all of these were notably affairs that hadn't existed four years ago.
The world had indeed changed. When the Crystal Empire returned to its place in Northern Equestria, it did as the Princess Celestia predicted, and began to reflect hope and love across the entire world. But it did far more than that. As the Empire's power grew, so did its magical influence, soon large clusters of crystals began to form all over Equestria, as well as in neighboring countries such as the Griffon Kingdoms. These crystals, being magical in nature, sparked a technological revolution in Equestria as ponies began to discover that metal and magic could be fused together.
Atlas shifted through his files, bringing up articles on Griffon political activities. The Griffons were also aware of the industrial potential that lied within the enchanted crystals, and soon enough they were put to use, feeding the Griffons militaristic ideals. It was no secret that the Griffons coveted the abundance of crystals that had spread throughout Equestria, and now that the greedy birds had refashioned their entire army the Princesses were forced to do the same. For two years now Equestria and the Griffon Kingdoms have been locked in a magical Arms Race, in preparation for the day when the two nations collide.
Knock knock knock
Atlas Ire peered up from his notes to the door, after a brief pause the door opened and a robed earth pony appeared from the other side.
"Pardon the intrusion, my Lord." He said timidly, staring into Atlas' orange eyes that glowed from beneath his dark hood.
"Enter." Atlas commanded, motioning him in with his hoof.
The pony stepped into the room, clearing his throat before speaking. "My Lord, the council has been adjourned, and your call is awaiting you now."
With a groan, Atlas Ire began to clear his files from the center of his desk, revealing the head of a large crystal which had been installed into the top of the table. As he mentally readied himself for what was going to be an irritating conversation he noticed the robed pony attempting to leave his office.
"Status," he called to the other pony's surprise, "I wish for you to remain here."
Status' body began to jitter nervously. "As you wish, my Lord." He closed the office door and stood dutifully, awaiting his master's next command.
Atlas Ire returned to the crystal top before him, he tapped it gently with a hoof and it began to glow with sickly green light. The crystals energizes fluctuated briefly before expelling a brilliant flash of light, a moment later the flash was replaced by the image of a white unicorn mare with a short blonde mane adorned in golden armor. The image stared at Atlas, and then nodded in acknowledgment.
Atlas nodded in return. "Greetings, Executor."
"Greetings to you, Judicator." she replied formally.
Atlas Ire shifted in his seat, "I congratulate you on your promotion, albeit an unlawful promotion at that." The mare only glared at him, but she never allowed it to falter her stance, Atlas continued, "I'm sure you are aware that Celestia positioned you as Executor in defiance of the Council's will."
"The laws of Equestria are governed by the Princesses," she replied "not the council."
"But she forgets that the nomination of elected officials is no longer under her jurisdiction!" Atlas countered. "So I come to you with a warning. Even though Celestia holds you in her good graces, should you fail even once, the Princess will not be able to protect you from the Council."
The Executor said nothing, but Ire could tell that she was stiffened by his words.
"Have I made myself clear?"
"Perfectly, sir." The Executor replied.
"Good," the Judicator said darkly, he pulled a file from his desk. "I shall have an assignment for you tomorrow morning. You will be commanding four Royal Guards, as well as the former Captain, Shining Armor. The Princesses shall be watching you, as will I."
The mare nodded, "I won't fail you."
Atlas Ire simply glared, he waited for her to present a salute, after which he tapped the crystal and her image faded away.
"We shall see." He said to the now dark crystal. He returned his gaze to the pony in his office, whose discomfort hadn't faded in the slightest. "Come, Status." he said, returning his files to the center of his desk. Status approached nervously.
"What is it, my Lord?"
Atlas eyed him menacingly. "The Griffon invasion is coming soon, their armies are prepped and ready to be mobilized."
Status bowed his head, "A-and we shall be ready for them, my Lord."
Atlas Ire stepped out from behind his desk. "A Griffon incursion would require a massive amount of preparation." he said as he began to circle around Status, "It would require training, scouting, and most importantly good intelligence."
Status tried to make sense of the Judicators words.
"The Griffons would go to great lengths to place spies inside Equestria." Atlas continued, "Preferably ones close to key political figures." He placed a hoof on Status' shoulder.
"S-spies, my Lord?"
Atlas didn't hesitate, he pushed down on his shoulder with a terrific amount of force, Status was thrown to the ground, his face hitting hard against floor. He looked up at the Judicator with horror in his eyes, Atlas continued to hold him down.
"This morning a file went missing from my desk, a very important article regarding the Princess, Twilight Sparkle."
The pony trembled beneath his hooves. "I didn't take it! I swear!" He said frantically.
The weight of Atlas' hoof was crushing, causing Status to writhe with fear and pain. "Leaking information to the Griffons is treason!" Status could see Atlas pull a dagger out from under his cloak. "The penalty is death!"
"No! Please, NO!"
The Judicator brought the knife down, piercing through the back of the pony's neck. Status' body jerked one last time, and then became still as his existence faded. Atlas pulled the dagger out of the lifeless body. His attention turned to the blood on the blade, it was green. Suddenly Status' body erupted in a dazzling display of green fire. It lasted only a moment, and once it passed Status was replaced by a large, black insect.
Atlas stared at the changeling corpse for a while, inspecting it curiously. After his brief examination, Atlas drew a handkerchief from his cloak; he removed the blood from his dagger, a dark smile forming across his face.
"Interesting."
