A Bhaalspawn in Equestriaby Thadius0ChaptersChapter 2 - A trip down memory (forest) laneChapter 3 - Bre- I mean, observe the tar- I mean, populace.Chapter 4 - A midnight jauntChapter 5 - Erectin' a dis- I mean, constructing a base.Chapter 6 - A pesky pink pony's problemsChapter 7 - A day in the townChapter 8 - Wait for it...Chapter 9 - Did he just do that?!Chapter 10 - Chaos shall be sown...Chapter 11 - ...from their passing.Chapter 12 - A mind is a terrible thing to lay waste toChapter 13 - The guild begins...Chapter 14 - *Insert training montage here*Chapter 15 - Well now, this is getting ridiculous.Chapter 16 - Generally speakingChapter 17 - No greater bondsChapter 18 - Complete the setChapter 20 - Worst. Family reunion. Ever.Chapter 21 - Murder RebornChapter 22 - Giggling not recommendedChapter 23 - Memory pend-D̢́̕̕̕Á̶̸̢͡T̶̴̸͜͟A̷͘͘͘͢ ̢͘C̡̀̕͟O̷̢Ŕ̀͏̕ŖŲ̵͢P̶͠͏̀T̶̢̨̕͡È̛D̸͢͝͞Chapter 24 - Congratulations, it's a swarm!Chapter 25 - Pull yourself together!Chapter 26 - Like a chihuahua threatening a bulldog.Chapter 27 - I don't know who thought it, but yes, it can get worse!Chapter 28 - *Insert Portal song title here*Chapter 29 - Helluva spin cycleChapter 30 - EpilogueChapter 1 - ...And scene!Chapter 19 - Bring the threads together...Chapter 2 - A trip down memory (forest) laneAaah, the Everfree. One of the few places I feel truly at ease. And I'm never quite certain as to why. Perhaps it's because I appeared here first in this world. Maybe it's due to my half-elf nature, putting me a bit more at ease in wooded areas. But maybe, just maybe, it's because no pony ever comes here willingly. ...Of course, I never like to dwell on the second reason. Mainly because of what the other half is. Most people like to claim that they're good, or if not wholly good, then mostly well-intentioned. As did I! ...But after so long of listening to that little voice, of staring into the hole in my mind and soul...One that I'm certain didn't exist before I came to Equestria... ...I'm able to drown it out by doing minor evil things. Like setting up thieves guilds. And it silences itself fully when I commit to doing good things, like actually looking out for those under me, or giving money back to worthy organizations. ...Or stopping something terrible from happening to a town, like a diamond dog raiding party. Hundred years ago, that was...useful. Silenced that little voice for seventy-five years. Could have been more if some of them hadn't managed to flee. Nobody said being transformed into a son of Murder would be fun or easy, and if anyone did, I'll punch their lights out. I have to shut the voice out, either by being too 'good' for it to break through, or by doing enough 'evil' that it'll be sated. ...I know what'll happen if I don't. ...And look at that, just as I get lost in my melancholy thoughts, the forest obliges me and gives me some targets. Or at least, some rustling that promises targets. Fortunately, I can blend into the shadows very well, and it allows me to get the drop on most any foe I face. I wonder what it'll be? Maticore? Cockatrice? Basilisk? Chimera? Hydra? I smile and draw my short blades, one in each hand. This...is gonna be fun. (POV - Shining Armor) Shining groaned and thumped his head into his desk. Reading the report from the investigators had turned up nothing new or useful. Whatever manner of creature the grandmaster of the thieves guild was, it completely defied all known understanding. A knocking at the door drew Shining's attention and he raised his head to see one of the many couriers of the palace nearby with a scroll in his grasp. "Missive for you, sir, from the Princess." Shining grabbed a hold of it with his magic and nodded to the courier. "Thank you." As the pony left, Shining broke the wax seal and read. To Shining Armor- I believe I may know where the grandmaster of the thief guild you disbanded will show up next. Over the years, I have made it a hobby to disband thief guilds, and have noticed a curious pattern emerge as of late. Any guild in which the guildmaster is talented enough to run before being caught sets up shop in any town once...and only once. It is therefor unlikely that the guildmaster will return to its den in Manehatten. However, there are a few cities that have never been beset by such intense crime. One is this very city of Canterlot. The second is Appleloosa. And the final, most likely one, is Ponyville. Sincerely, Princess Celestia As Shining Armor read the note, his fur bristled more and more until, finally, he let out a yell that caused all nearby guardsmen to drop what they had been doing and run to his office. Upon seeing an angry Shining, the guards moved to escape before one opened his mouth and began to ask a question. This drew the Guard-Captain's attention and he refocused on the new arrivals. Which had been exactly what they had been trying to avoid. "Get a contingent together! Discreet, silent, powerful! We're going to find this guildmaster if it's the last thing I do!" One of the guards raised a hoof. Clearly, he'd not been through survival training yet. "Sir, where are they to go?" "PONYVILLE!" (Marketh POV - 995 years ago) The moment the world stopped spinning around me, I bent double and vomited out my lunch. Gah...That 'brunch wrap' had been a better idea going down. Once I'd voided the contents of my stomach, I wiped off my mouth, only to pause as I felt my clothes shift. Clothes that I had been quite certain I had not been wearing a moment ago. I held my arm up to see that I was clad in dark grey, form-fitting clothing. These are not my clothes. What... I clapped my hands to my head in an effort to try and keep myself stable, to make the world stop spinning. That was when I felt the slightly-pointed nature of my ears. Those aren't my ears. How... I looked up and around to notice I was in the middle of a forest, not just in my backyard or something of the sort. A forest that seemed to exhude an aura of...wrongness, it being twisted somehow. This is not my home. This isn't even anywhere I know of. Where... And then a growl sounded from behind me. I stiffened and slowly turned around to see... Manticore. Body of a lion, tail of a scorpion, wings of a bat slash dragon. Though some of the proportions are all wrong, its murderous intent is clear. I slowly drew myself up and started to back away from the beast before me, and it matched me, step for step. I would have to deal with it in some fashion or another. And as it roared in a typical threat display, my mind suddenly shifted gears. Paws are dangerous laceration weapons, due to his reach. As are his teeth, though those would cause puncture wounds first. Both are somewhat limited to his front. Side and back would be an angle of attack, were it not for the tail. Plan is, dodge or parry the claws, slip around the side, deal with the tail, and go in for the kill. Before I could even process the last bit, I had drawn two swords and held one in each hand. I...flowed, is the only way I can put it. It wasn't just moving, it was like I knew where those claws were going to be, where the teeth would snap, and moved just enough to put myself out of reach. The tail came down, but a blade dealt with it by knocking it off to the side, leaving me behind the temporarily defenseless manticore. I moved in for the kill when my brain kicked back down a notch. Wait, kill?! No! I altered the trajectory of my blades and, instead of plunging them through his heart, I aimed for his shoulders instead, pinning him to the ground via the steel. The beast yowled and withdrew his tail, but another blade drawn from my back saw to holding that appendage off. I then leaned in to his ears and whispered. "Consider this, beast. I could have killed you now. I could have ended you. It goes against my morals to kill mere animals, because they don't know better. I am not to be trifled with. I give you this one chance. Prove me wrong. Show me you know better, and walk away. Otherwise, I won't restrain myself next time." The tail lifted, I sheathed my long sword and withdrew the shorter blades from the manticore's body, and we looked at each other for a moment. Then he snorted once at me and turned around, walking weakly off, clearly feeling his injuries. What...was that? It was like I knew what to do, like I had been in combat a thousand times before, like I'd fought more foes and drowned myself in blood... And then my mind pieced it together. I looked the way I did for a reason. I had been doing something before appearing in this wacky forest. And it was looking awfully like... I'm...I'm my character? I'm Marketh Shadeblade? But...how?! Why?! Then I heard two different things. One was from my self. It was a growling noise, but it wasn't from my stomach. It was as though someone had put an angry dog in my head. I had a sneaking suspicion as to what it was. The second thing I heard drifted through the forest, and caused me to weep at what it said. "The Lord of Murder shall perish, but in his doom he shall spawn a score of mortal progeny. Chaos shall be sown from their passing. So sayeth the wise Alaundo." So...my doom is sealed. If I truly am Marketh now, then my fate is to either survive and make a terrible choice, or die to one of my half-brothers or sisters. I blinked the burning tears from my eyes. I'd never believed in fate or destiny back home, and I wasn't going to start now. No. No! My doom is not sealed! All I have to do is be well-informed! I just have to watch to see if there are any other Bhaalspawn in this world, and avoid them for as long as possible! But... My mind turned over the various possibilities. Who dealt in information? Who stayed out of the way? Who knew more about his foes than his foes did? ...A thief guild's master, especially if what they deal in... Is information... Chapter 3 - Bre- I mean, observe the tar- I mean, populace.Whew. Three cockatrices, a trio of hydra hatchlings, and a very angry bear. That is what I call a workout. I'm still not sure how I got past the bear. ...What? No, it's a legitimate obstacle, an angry bear. Especially when I'm on my own. I have to... ...I have to fight my instincts. Giving in...it turns me from something decent into a monster. I learned that a hundred years ago. It wasn't as bad as I feared, but...I didn't even recognize myself. I still don't, when I look back at it. Hopefully there's nobody that's into soul magics and a mad scientist in this world. Otherwise, we might have a problem. Especially if I stumble onto their radar. Huh, so that's Ponyville? Nice. A little cutesy for my taste, but still, a nice little town. I don't think I can get in during the day, though...talented as I am at being unnoticed, that usually only works in public when other bipeds are known to walk through it. Otherwise, the ponies pick me out real fast. And I haven't seen anything other than a quadruped yet. Setting up shop in the town isn't an option. Recruiting will also be both interesting and annoying. I'll only be able to move around the town during the moonlit hours. ...So, standard operation is to make a house in the forest, skulk through the town at night, look for other night-time ponies, and try to find information at all costs. Especially about any unusual ponies. Taking no chances, after all. I had only just begun to form my plan properly when there was a trio of shrill screams from somewhere in the nearby forest. Someone, please explain to me why any pony would set hoof in here?! Oh well. Time to go see the situation and be a hero. It'll be good for about a month's worth of silence. Maybe. (POV shift - CMC) The trio of fillies huddled together and looked up at the pack of timberwolves that had herded them to this large tree. They were so scared that they had lost control of their voices except to whimper. The only sound that filled their ears was that of the wolves growling. And then there was another voice from above. "Leave, agents of the forest, lest you feel the sting of the Shadeblade." At this, all the timberwolves stiffened and stopped growling, save for the largest one. He turned around and pointed a paw directly at the fillies, who cowered back even as he barked at them. "Well, yes, but would you like it if one of your pups wandered into one of their towns and was put down for merely being curious?" At this, the wolf grumbled a bit, but lowered his paw. The rest of the wolves left, but the lead wolf barked three times. "Yes yes, I'll help you in a week's time, if not sooner. It would have been better if this situation had not happened, on either side, but I'll be there." The wolf looked ashamed for a moment, but nodded and walked off. The Crusaders slowly untangled themselves from each other and looked around. Sweetie actually looked up, because she realized that the strange voice had been talking from above them. "Uh, mister?" There was silence for a moment, and then..."Yes, young ones?" "Did you say something to the timberwolves to make them leave?" "After a fashion, yes. I have an...understanding with the forest and its guardians. Such is it that so long as we abide by each other's rules, we listen when the other has something to say." The trio looked at each other before turning back to look at whatever the tree's top hid from them. "So...what now?" "Now you leave the forest. It does not take well to trespassers. It took me ages for it and I to forge our understanding. Perhaps, in time, I will be able to change its attitude towards ponies. But until that day, it will always give you the stink-eye, at best." The Crusaders picked themselves up and looked around. "Uh, mister? Which way should we go to leave?" At this, there was an amused chuckling noise. "Just follow the way the yellow one is facing, you'll end up at the nearby village soon. I hope. I'll keep watch until you're near the treeline in any case." The trio of terror nodded and headed off through the forest. (Marketh POV - 750 years ago) Damn, damn, double damn, damn it all to the fiery planes of Pandemonium itself! I should have been better informed about the Guard coming! One of mine was a lousy snitch, and now I had to run from Trottingham! None of my so called 'safehouses' could be counted on, and I had only just gotten some good intel! I mean, yeah, when I started up the guild, I'd managed to get bribery and blackmail material on every pony in a position of power. And I kept it up to date...or archived, if need be. But I was finally learning something about ponies that exhibited...odd talents. Talents that I had vaguely come to recognize. The main character from Baldur's Gate had always been a Greater Bhaalspawn, meaning he heard the Voice, felt the urges. Seeing as that was me now, I knew I had to keep my actions...and morals and justifications and lines of thought and all of it under strict control. Lesser Bhaalspawn would be harder to pick out at any point in time. It usually only manifested as a quirk, a thing that they did, either voluntarily or involuntarily, because of the blood they shared with Bhaal. Teleporting when in a panic. Being able to unlock things with a touch. Sensing danger. Greater Bhaalspawn...those would be evident to me, if not themselves. If only by the fact that they wouldn't know how to resist the Voice. And I had just gotten a lead on what seemed like a Lesser when the damn Guard comes crashing down around my ears! So here I was in the damn Everfree forest again, and if I wasn't mistaken, that was a pack of timberwolves. I sighed and drew my blades, staring at the eyes surrounding me. "Why is it that every time I come in here, I become accosted?" One of the timberwolves stepped forward then and...spoke. Not with words, but with gestures, mannerisms, intentions. A language of body language that I could easily interpret. That fact took second place in my mind compared to what he said. "The forest knows you are here the moment you enter, and we are its agents to keep it free of meddling." I blinked at that, then smiled. "And why would you need to keep it free of my meddling? I intend to travel through it, not meddle in what it does. It is, after all, a forest. Thinking that I could interfere with it is like saying an ant could alter what a pony does." The wolf blinked a few times at my words. "You understand me?" I nodded at that. "Half-elf. Elves have a connection with nature. I can understand what you 'say' when you choose to actually talk to me and not attack on first sight." "Be that as it may. The forest wishes you to leave. You carry a smell, a taint, something unnatural in you. The Heart will not suffer it to remain." My smile only widened. "Why don't you escort me to the Heart, then? We should have words with each other, seeing as how it has an issue with my very existence. Perhaps we'd finally be able to talk like rational beings." There was silence for a moment before the wolf nodded. "It agrees, for now. One wrong move, and our mercy shall vanish. Follow us." I sheathed one of my blades and followed the wolves deeper into the forest... Chapter 4 - A midnight jauntPonyville at night is both beautiful and creepy. I'm just putting that out there. It's beautiful because it's still a nice little town, and what with most of the ponies actually going to sleep at night, unlike Manehatten, which never truly slept if you knew where to look (and boy did I ever), you could actually look up and see the stars. Granted, I recognize none of them, but the splendor thus represented is something I will always admire. Especially now that there's a princess in proper charge of the night and all it holds dear again. And it's creepy because, like most pony towns, everyone goes to sleep at night. I grew up on a world with highways and lights on everywhere at night. It wasn't a major city by any means, but typically you could still go out and find nightlife. Seeing the entire town go silent at night? When I walk around after dark, it makes me feel like I've walked into a damn slasher movie. I always hold my breath when turning corners, thinking I'll finally find the missing townsfolk... ...Probably doesn't help that the Voice is the one who'd make them go missing... Anyways! My midnight trip through the town showed me that there was no pony active at the same time I was. Pity, really. Recruiting will be a bitch and a half if there's none that share my...unique view on sleep cycles and how they can sometimes be an optional thing. Still, it would be nice to know more about the locals. Where's the town- Ah! There it is! Beautiful! Town hall always has information! Usually of the legal sort, which is no fun, because that means everyone knows about it already. Still, if you're talented at reading between the lines, then you can find where to go digging for the illegal information. The sort ponies pay to keep silent, or pay to find out. I never played favorites when it came to the information game: whoever had more coin got their wishes fulfilled. Though I always did the gentlemanly thing and give the loser one day's head start, along with their bits back. I pulled out my scroll case from my pack and took out my pencil, preparing to take notes on what I found, thankful for the newspapers that someone hadn't gotten to recycling or tossing yet. It was mostly cut and dry boring stuff, but there were a few ponies of note that I marked down on my list. This mare, Fluttershy, and her Stare...I should look into it. And reports of this Pinkie Sense, predicting all manner of futures. They sound like Lesser talents to me. I had just left when I realized I'd not visited my local library in some time, so decided to do so. And upon finding it, I regretted my decision, because I nearly broke the silence of the night. A library in a tree. I...I think my brain needs to reboot. This is either hilarious or just plain wrong. After two minutes to recompose myself, I carefully tested the front door and found it unlocked. Perfect, guess they haven't heard of me here. I had just begun to peruse the shelves when I heard a pair of voices drifting down from upstairs. "Twi? Twi, I think there's someone downstairs." "Don't be silly, it's nearly midnight! What pony would come to the library at this hour?" "Still, could you check?" The sound of a sigh and hooves impacting wood that got louder as time went on clued me in to what was going on. My thoughts at the time? Of course someone's living in the damn library, can never make anything easy on me, can you?! (POV shift - Shining) "Sir?" Shining looked up from his latest form, blinking the sleep from his eyes. One of his guards had poked his head in and was trying to get his attention. Perhaps I should get some sleep. "Ye-" Shining paused to yawn before trying again. "Yes?" The guard looked at his superior with an air of curiosity before shaking his head and refocusing. "One of the master thieves has agreed to talk. I think you're going to want to talk to him in pony. Perhaps after a good night's rest?" Instantly, sleep was the furthest thing from Shining's mind. "No, I'll go now. Take me to him." A five minute walk had him seated in an interrogation room, with a white-coated, blue-maned pegasus pony opposite him. "So, you wish to talk?" The pegasus nodded. "Name's Storm Front. And I'm willing to negotiate with you. I'll tell you about the guild and everything, and you can make as big a fuss about it as you want. Hay, I'd like it if you did, especially seeing as how I'm related to some of these fuddy-duddies in this place. Give the bird cage a good rattle, y'know?" Shining nodded absently, already making mental notes to keep Storm's name out of the proceedings. "And your price for doing this?" Storm sighed and looked off to the side before returning his glare to Shining. "I can't tell you much about the Guildmaster. I only ever really saw him once. And what little I know about him isn't going to be much of a help. Still, he'd make sure I ask one thing of you before I say anything." Storm's eyes were suddenly filled with a steel that hadn't been there before. "Swear to me on whatever you hold dear that you will keep any and everything about the Guildmaster that I may or may not tell you to yourself. Keep it away from the public eye. Tell as few of your guard as you possibly can. I'm taking a big risk by telling you anything." Shining's eyebrows raised before he nodded. "I swear to you by Celestia and Luna themselves that any information pertaining to the Guildmaster will remain between us. May they strike me down if I don't." Elsewhere, a set of sisters suddenly felt their ears burning before they sneezed in synch. Storm nodded once, and Shining's eyebrows remained raised. "What did you mean when you said that you were taking a big risk?" Storm sighed. "He trained us, y'know? Found us on the streets, took us in, and we perpetuated the cycle. He taught us how to steal, how to listen, how to lie, and how to find things. Be it information that others didn't want us to know, trinkets hidden behind locked drawers, or a bit-bag on their person, he showed us how to perfect our arts. His natural skill at hiding in plain sight was something hard to teach, but quite a few of us learned it. But he never - never - showed us how to set traps. Those were his domain. If we needed a trap, he would come by our safehouses later and then tell us that it had been done to specification." Shining frowned a bit. "And yet, you've only really seen him once?" Storm rubbed the back of his head with a hoof. "Around us, it was like...some sort of natural illusion magic. We saw him, but couldn't really see him. Like it was a costume of light and shadow he wore at all times. He told us it was a skill unique to him, and that if he were in any other city without a regular bipedal visitor, that it wouldn't work." Bipedal, Shining noted automatically, even as Storm continued his tale. "I don't think he ever expected me outside his office that night. He was arguing with...well, himself. Something about never giving in to dark desires like he had a hundred years ago. And when I opened the room, I saw him for a brief moment. Bipedal is a start, but there's no real describing him. I've never seen anything like him in Equestria before. But more than that, I saw something in his eyes. Something dark. Something violent." Shining shuddered at the implications, even as Stom finished his tale with a question. "So I looked into it. And I found something dark all right. Something that most ponies aren't aware ever happened. Did you know Manehatten had a near miss with Diamond Dogs a hundred years ago?" (Marketh POV - 100 years ago) The Diamond Dogs had come to Manehatten. The city was small, barely worthy of its name yet. I had found it and lurked in the shadows. It was all too obvious to me that the Diamond Dogs would come here. First, there had been failures in the crops. Small ones, but ones not plausible when Earth Pony magic was involved. Then, trading caravans had been waylaid. And finally, a few ponies had gone missing a day ago. The Dogs were making their move. And while I may prey on the ponies... I only do so in the non-literal and non-terrible fashion. I walked to the west of the town, towards a distant clearing, seeing the Dogs in front of me nearing the same one. Once I and they had arrived, I stopped in front of them and drew my blades, already hearing the Voice. One of them stepped forward. "You not pony. You not Dog. What are you?" I opened my eyes, seeing not Diamond Dogs anymore, but targets. I could almost hear their blood pumping through their veins. "A monster. Your worst nightmare. A demon from the depths of Pandemonium. Your choice, really. But most importantly, I defend these ponies. I offer you this one chance. Turn back now, and you will live. Continue, and you will die." The Dogs jeered at me and the lead Dog even made a demand. One that he would get fulfilled. "Who you to order Diamond Dogs? We take what we want when we want it! And today, we want pony!" I breathed deep, closed my eyes, and gave in to the Voice. When I opened them again, they'd turned black. Not that I knew that right away. I figured it out later. But I knew something was wrong when my voice sounded...odd. Layered. "I am the greatest of Bhaal's spawn, He who commands the Aspect of Murder. Life and Death are mine to deal or withhold as I see fit, and you have ignored my mercy. I am Marketh Shadeblade, and you shall taste my sting. Say hello to the lords of Pandemonium when you arrive, screaming, in its depths. It has been so long since they were fed, after all." And with that, the Slaughter of Manehatten began and ended on the same day. Chapter 5 - Erectin' a dis- I mean, constructing a base.Okay, note to self: exercise more caution and stealth in future endeavors. Or just use agents, when I acquire them! I barely managed to get in the stairwell to the basement before a bright light swept the ground floor. Fortunately, the owner of the light failed to find me, and after a few seconds of the light sweeping back and forth, it faded as quickly as it came. Voices drifted down from above again. "See? I told you, nopony was there." "If...If you're sure." "I'm sure, Spike. Now get some rest." I waited five minutes for the noises to turn from silence to snoring and carefully made my way over to the shelves again. I perused quickly, finding two tomes of interest. Magical Artifacts of the Strange, Weird, and Famous caught my eye, along with Unexplained Magical Phenomena. I carefully plucked the two books off the shelves and made my way out of the library, closing the door with a soft clicking noise. I made my way out of the town and headed to the Whitetail Woods. I liked it more than the Everfree, I used it whenever I could. It was less...antagonistic to pony life - and by extension, me - than the Everfree. Oh, it still had its guardian spirits and the like, but we hit it off much faster. Though by now, it would have reclaimed the last camp I used. So I'd have to make a new one, a more permanent one. Not that bad, all things considered. Could've been worse. But it's been long enough since I last slept. I should change that. ...I don't like sleeping anymore. I relive my memories, wrestling with the Voice constantly whenever it is not sated or quiet. I never lose, but I don't like having to fight either. I found an isolated glade in the forest and fell into slumber. Tonight was...different. More often than not, I go through all sorts of memories, but tonight was focused on just one. The one I hated the most. The time I'd given in. I was watching myself talk to the Dogs, close my eyes...open them, and then the blades began their work. As I observed the slaughter, the Voice spoke up again. "Do you regret your actions of that day, little one?" I turned and saw...him. The Slayer, the avatar of Murder Itself. Previously it had just been a red mist with black eyes. But now it was formed, as demonic as I remembered him being. Horns, claws, skin as red as the blood it shed. Huge, massive! The thing towered over me! Spikes trailed down its spine, down the the tip of its tail. It...it was the owner of the Voice. I turned back towards the memory and sighed. "There is much I regret. I regret living this long, however it happened. I regret having become what I am," and here my eyes flicked over to the Slayer, "Because it means I have to put with you as a head-mate and regulate my actions. And...there are things I regret about that day." I walked forward as the memory paused during one particular dismemberment, that of the lead Dog, even as he begged for mercy. I gathered my thoughts and began again. "I regret that the Dogs did not listen to reason. I regret that so many had to die before they realized they could not stop me. I regret that it came to blows. I offered them mercy, and they ignored me. I offered them their lives, but then had to take them. I regret many things about that day, but none of them my own actions. I regret that the day was one soaked in blood, for the Dogs had so many options to avoid it. But I will never regret defending the ponies." The Slayer laughed, and my skin crawled as he did. "A Bhaalspawn attempting to walk the path of the righteous. It would be easier for fire to not consume wood. Still, I suppose the important part is that you try." I shuddered at the implications, then my mind hit upon something. "Why now? Why do you take a form now? I have walked this world for near a thousand years, and any night where you torment me in my dreams has been one where you are formless. Why change that now?" He laughed again. "The time has come, child, for your blood to awaken to its heritage. Otherwise, the coming days shall be far more torturous than what I have done to you. You will falter, fall, fail without its gifts, be they good or ill." I blinked and realized what he said. "You mean-" "It is nearly time for Chaos." I actually snarled at the Slayer then. "I will NOT bring the sort of chaos the Sword Coast experienced to this land! The ponies do not DESERVE a war where blood rains from the heavens as the Bhaalspawn fight amongst themselves! I WILL find a way to painlessly, HARMLESSLY remove the 'divine' taint of Bhaal's blood, his spark of power, from any Bhaalspawn I find! I will NOT make the mistakes of Irenicus when I do! I WILL AVERT THE DAMN ALAUNDO'S PROPHECY!" "Oh child...you talk like you have a CHOICE." I jolted awake after a good rest, but my heart was nearly pounding out of my chest. The details of the dream flooded into my mind, and I gulped. Could he be right? Could the prophecy come true, no matter the steps I took to prevent it? ...I would only know once I tried, sadly. Better to have tried and failed, after all. I looked around the clearing and decided that this would be a good place to begin to set up my base. I began to draw up the plans in my mind, and absently, I hummed an old tune while I worked. "Mahna mahna, doo do de doo do, mahna mahna, do doo de do, mahna mahna, do doo de doo doo, de doo do, de doo do..." So into my singing and working was I that I had barely noticed until I started dancing and singing in tandem with another voice that there was another voice. Once my brain caught on to what was going on, I went as stiff as a board and turned my head slowly to my impromptu showtunes partner. "Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie! I've never seen anything like you before, but I'm here to welcome you to Ponyville all the same!" Brain has performed an illegal operation (watdafuk.exe) and will now shut down. Please restart your brain. (POV shift - Celestia) "Sister dear?" Celestia looked up from the latest bill placed before her to look at Luna entering the room. Immediately she noticed that Luna looked a bit more shaken than usual. The last time she was like this was when she had been exposed to some of the citizen's nightmares that portrayed her as a monster. The bill fell to the desk as the solar alicorn got up and embraced her sister. "Does this help, Luna?" There were a few shaky breaths drawn before Celestia felt her sister nod a few times. "It does indeed." Celestia drew herself back and looked Luna in the face. "Now, what happened?" Luna drew a deep breath to steady herself before beginning her tale. "We were patrolling the realm of dreams, seeking nightmares to destroy, when We came across a dream most dark and foul. Upon attempting to enter, We did find that all was dark around Us. Yet We could still hear and feel the sensations of the nightmare. It was a dream reliving a memory most foul, one of darkness and death, of a pony talking with his darker self. It was far darker than Our time as the Nightmare, dear sister. We fear that this pony could be a danger to others and his own self should he be unchecked." Celestia blanched at the very thought. Someone with darker intentions than that terrible time? She was thankful it was not an alicorn, but were it a unicorn of any power... "Sister, did you get any idea of identity from the dream? Or the location of the dreamer?" Luna shook her head. "By the time We were able to fight back against the darkness within the dream, it had ended. There was no time to discern anything about the dreamer. All We know is that he is, and he is close to Canterlot. Close enough that Our recovering powers sensed him." Celestia held up a hoof and hummed to herself. "How far away can you sense dreams these days?" Luna held up a hoof and waved it side to side. "It varies with the phase of the moon and time of the night, but Our greatest range is a bit beyond Pony-" The sisters sucked in a breath as the implications hit them, and began drawing up new guidelines for the Guard. Hopefully they were wrong, but if the Grandmaster and this dark dreamer were one and the same, it did not bode well for any involved. Author's Note Link to what the Slayer looks like: link. (Please ignore the fact that it is apparently from some version of Yu-Gi-Oh. That damn demon came from Baldur's Gate and we all know it.) Chapter 6 - A pesky pink pony's problemsThe processes involved in recovering from a complete mind-fuckery are nothing to sneeze at. I liken them to carefully reconstructing a LEGO building. Only in this case, the 'bricks' are my thoughts and ideals, the completed 'building' is my sanity, and occasionally, the bricks fight back from being put where I want them to be. ...Oh, and it's also built over my version of an Indian burial ground. Which in this case is actually a 'dungeon' containing the taint of my blood. Without a building on top, well...It wouldn't be pretty. The taint would have nothing to fight through to get to the surface of my mind, and it would quite easily become...messy. For everyone. Given five peaceful minutes, I'm pretty sure I could have rebuilt my mind exactly the way it was! It was not to be. "So hey, what are you? I've never seen something like you before, are you new to Ponyville, you have to be, if you weren't I'd have seen something like you before, and since I haven't, that means you're new, which means you need a welcome to Ponyville PARTY!" ...Did I mention this pony was on some sort of coffee that man hadn't had time to discover? Or engineer? Cause no way that five words a second is her normal talking speed! She had just reared back and placed her hooves on me when I felt it. A jolt. A tingle. A warning siren in my mind. The temperature of my blood rose a few degrees at her touch, and I'm almost certain all my instinctive panic responses went off at the same time. Instinctively I knew, even as the Slayer raged in the depths, that this mare, this 'Pinkie Pie'... We were related. Probably, hopefully, distant relations, but our blood knew. We were related on my father's side. I saw her eyes dilate, her breath catch, and she backed up and dropped into a sitting position as the fur on her spine stood up straight. "I've...I've never gotten a Pinkie Sense like that before...But I'm getting the idea that it's a dangerous one..." I carefully started to rebuild my mind, even as I took a knee to make myself appear less threatening. I had an idea as to how to deal with this, but it would require both of us to cooperate. Meaning she would need a reason to cooperate. Meaning I would need to build some trust with her, the one thing I tended to use and abuse. "Probably because you've never met anyone like me before. Why don't we play a game, Pinkie?" Her eyes returned to normal and she nodded her head at that slowly. "What sorta game?" "Well, why don't we make it an information exchange game? You ask a question, then I ask one. And you already asked a whole lot, but I think I'll answer this one. My name is Marketh. Marketh Shadeblade. What's the Pinkie Sense, Pinkie?" At this, Pinkie smiled a little. "Oooh, the Pinkie Sense is when I get all sorts of twitches and tingles running through my body, and they mean all sorts of things! If my tail's twitching, it means something is going to fall! If I get an itchy nose, that means there's a swarm of bees on the way! And sometimes I get combos, when more than one twitch happens!" I smiled at that. Future prediction. A typical trait. She then held a hoof up to her chin. "So...I know your name...How about I ask...what sort of creature you are?" I winced at that. "Well, I'm a half-elf. Mother was an elf. Father...wasn't." Pinkie opened her mouth again, but I held up a hand. "Ah ah, my turn." She pouted a bit at that, which looked adorable. I chuckled a bit, having finally rebuilt my mind and sanity to the point where it felt stable again. "Pinkie, I'm going to ask a question, and I want you to be completely honest with me. Is there something about the Pinkie Sense you've not told your friends or family or anyone about? Something that scares you about it?" She sucked in a huge breath and looked from side to side quickly, as though she were expecting said friends or family to appear. Then she looked me in the eye and hissed in a low voice. "How do you know?" I smiled sadly at that. "Because there's something about me that scares me too. You know it, don't you?" She looked to the ground and choked out a sob. "Ye-yeah. So...sometimes I get a twitch. A not-nice twitch. My ears twitch. I hear something. Something nopony else can hear. It tells me to do...not-nice things. Things that would make ponies cry instead of be happy. Things that would make them scream, not be surprised pleasantly. I...I don't like that voice, but I ignore it. I keep throwing parties, keep smiling, but every night I hear it...it makes me go to bed crying." I pulled out a short sword and looked at my reflection in it. My eyes briefly flickered to black, and I heard him. You rang? If I provide the medium, will you aid me? Aid you in doing what? My eyes rested on the mare before me, who was on the verge of tears. Something monumentally stupid, but if it works, you'll meet up with another of your 'siblings'. I 'felt' the Slayer go over my half-baked mental plans and begin laughing. And this is why I like mortals. They are so innovative! It will be done! I nodded and scooted closer to Pinkie. "Pinkie, do you trust me?" She considered for a moment. "Should I?" I smiled again and took her left hoof in my left hand. "Let me tell you a story, then." She looked up to me with a head cocked to the side in confusion. "Is it gonna be a good story?" I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know. It's the first time I've told it to a pony before." She 'oooh'ed at that and looked at me with rapt fascination. I chuckled and cleared my throat before beginning. "Once, long ago, in a land known as the Forgotten Realms, there were gods and goddesses, and mortals of all races and types. The land soldiered on through peace and war, through times prosperous and of famine. And then one man made a prediction. "He predicted that there would come a time, a Time of Troubles. When all gods and goddesses would be forced from their ethereal thrones above and down into mortal shells. And one of the not-nice gods heard about it. His name was Bhaal, and he was the Lord of Murder." Pinkie gasped at that, and I nodded my head at her. "Yes, he's a terrible being. Because when he heard that he would be forced to walk among mortals, and that more importantly, the Time of Troubles would end with the deaths of the former gods and goddesses, he concocted a plan. A plan any decent being would balk at." I paused for a moment to emphasize how bad a plan it was, and naturally Pinkie asked. "How bad a plan?" "He decided to have as many children as possible, with as many females as possible, before he died. So that after he died, their deaths...would fuel his rebirth." Pinkie cocked her head to the side. "How would that work?" I sighed. "Being made mortal didn't cancel out the fact that he had been a god, Pinkie. His blood still carried a portion of his power. And when the children who carried his blood died, the power, the divine spark within them, went to his ethereal throne. All it would need is one of his priests to invoke the proper rites when enough of his essence had gathered, and Bhaal would return." Pinkie slowly nodded. "So...what happened to his kids?" I looked to the skies then. "The same one who prophesied the Time of Troubles made another prophecy. The Lord of Murder shall perish, but in his doom he shall spawn a score of mortal progeny. Chaos shall be sown from their passing. The Bhaalspawn...tore the Sword Coast apart. In one of the greatest wars in history. All because they thought their half-brothers and sisters were out to get them, they all struck at each other. Self-fulfilling prophecies suck." I looked down at Pinkie, who had tears in her eyes, and smiled at her. "Hey, easy there. It's not all over." Pinkie sniffed once. "It's not?" I shook my head. "Sure isn't. See, I'm one too. And this place is still standing, isn't it?" Pinkie nodded at that. "True..." Here I booped her on the nose with my left hand. "And thanks to that little reaction from earlier, I'm gonna guess that waaaaay back in your family tree, if you looked, you could find a time when one of your ancestors met my dad." She grimaced at that. "What does that make us? Half-brother and sister to the nth degree?" I laughed a bit at that, then brought the blade of the sword to rest in my left hand. "I actually wanna talk to you about that, Pinkie. If I told you that I could deal with that little voice in your head...but it would require both a small cut on your part and for you to trust me, would you?" She thought about it for a minute and slowly nodded. "I...I think if you can get rid of that voice...then yes, I should trust you." I let go of my sword, took a hold of her right hoof, and made a quick, shallow slash across her foreleg. She winced, and I quickly slashed open my left hand. "Think, Pinkie. Focus. Concentrate on your Pinkie Sense. Listen for that voice. Think about hearing it. Let it dominate your mind." And with those words, I grabbed a hold of her wound with my own, and the world faded from my perception. I came to in a dark plane. Black was the order for the sky, and the ground was red that flaked whenever I took a step. "Pinkie!" "Over here! Please hurry!" I homed in on the voice of the panicked mare, finding her...and her? Pinkie was struggling with a set of iron chains that were wrapped around her, chains that connected her to another version of herself. Only this version wasn't a happy-go-lucky mare. This version had a straight mane and tail, a disturbing look in her eyes...and a very, VERY large knife in her hooves. "You know, Pinkie, ignoring me all that time isn't something a friend would do. Maybe, if you're not going to use your ears, I could take them." I snarled at that and jumped, coming down right next to Pinkie's other half. She tensed and turned to look at me, not liking what she saw. "Who and what the buck are YOU?" "Your worst nightmare." With that, the Slayer came from nowhere and bowled the mare over, causing the chains to...lengthen. Somehow. While our two demons fought it out, I took a knee next to Pinkie, who was shaking. "What is this place? What was that?" I sighed and put my hand on the chains. "When our blood mingled, it created a Bridge of Blood. This is a psuedo-realm, a mindscape between your mind and mine. This is something I looked into a while ago, quite intensively, and I've only had the chance to try it now. I figured if I brought my demon to fight yours...I might have a shot at helping you." "That thing is yours?! What's it doing to..." Pinkie couldn't finish her question, but I knew what she was about to ask. "Nothing nice, but don't worry. She can probably take it. They're made of the same sort of stuff, after all. Now hold still. This might sting." I focused my mind on understanding what the chains meant, and found them to be more disturbing than I thought possible. The spark within Pinkie was feeding off of her life energy, her abilities, her talent itself, growing stronger. With time, it would break free, take over...and heaven help us. I reached out, grasped my longsword, and brought it down on half of the chains, snapping them clean off. From far off, there was a howling noise, and then heavy footfalls. The Slayer returned, holding up the chained Pinkie Demon in one of his hands. "Excellent work. Cut the rest of the ties, and this Spark shall be powerless, mine to...dispose of." I thought quickly and the shattered chains rose up from the ground, grabbing a hold of the Slayer's legs and dragging him a fair ways away from the Pinkie Demon. He howled even as the chains grew and crisscrossed, binding him in great excess. "I don't think so. You're manageable the way you are, I don't need you consuming any of your relations. I just need them removed from their hosts and cast into the Abyss." Even as both demons howled, I brought my sword down again, cutting the chains. Without a host, the Pinkie Demon became a formless ball of green, and I thrust a hand at it. "Begone, taint of Bhaal. You have no more purpose here." It faded slowly from the landscape, and I smiled at Pinkie. "Mission accomplished." And with that, I thrust my sword into the ground between us. I focused on the reality around us and warped it, causing the floor to vanish as my blade pierced it. Pinkie and I fell, screaming, into the bottomless void beneath us... I woke up with a gasp, recalling the time spent in the mindscape perfectly. Just then, there was another gasp from beside me, and then a rapid-fire voice filled the air. "Oh my gosh, this has got to be the bestest thing ever! I meet a new friend, I help a new friend with a song and building a house for him-" At this, my eyes flicked over and confirmed that yes, sometime during the singing and working, but before I became aware that there was a pink pony in the glade singing with me, we had built my imagined base of operations together. Pinkie continued with her speech, naturally. "And then we learn things together and he helps me get rid of that super creepy meany voice in my head!" A pink face suddenly invaded my vision and I blinked as she continued. "Even if you have a meaner, creepier voice in your head, you're in better control of him than I was of mine, so I think that makes you a nice half-elf! I'm gonna throw a 'welcome to Ponyville' party for you, but it's gonna also be a 'thanks for getting rid of the creepy voice in my head party'! I just won't tell anypony about that bit." I smiled politely at her. "Well, Pinkie, I don't think you have to go through all that trouble..." She clearly wasn't listening. "And I'm gonna introduce you to all my friends too! That way you'll have lots of friends as well!" My main thought as the pink pony dragged me along? How do I get out of this without bloodshed? (Shining POV) Shining Armor went over the letter the Princesses had just sent him. He was uneasy with it. Previously, he had intended to find the Grandmaster, maybe rough him up a little bit, and drag him in for a nice, long stint in the dungeons. Now he was being told to not provoke the creature, whatever he was, at any cost, and discreetly bring it in to Canterlot so that the Princesses could interrogate him. All because Luna had trouble finding his nightmares and dealing with them. If this creature was so dark that Luna couldn't deal with his troubles, then he wasn't sure he wanted him anywhere near the Princesses. Orders were orders though... And with that thought, he carefully rolled the scroll up and shoved it under his seat, leaving it behind as he disembarked. He'd try to follow them, sure. But if the creature resisted or showed any hint of its dark nature, he could always say he lost them. After all... The Guard didn't coddle monsters. It dealt with them. Chapter 7 - A day in the townPop quiz: A pink party pony is parading you through a populated area near high noon like you're the greatest thing since sliced bread. Your craft is one that goes well in the dark of the night, meaning you don't like the situation at all. Your previous ability of making ponies not notice you is not an option because of the fact that you're a biped and this is a pony-dominated town, meaning they'd notice and break the illusion instantly. You also have a wide variety of skills with your armaments, but said skills are being hampered by the desire to do no harm to the ponies, seeing as how they're mostly staring in shock at you. Your last resort option is also laughing his goddamn head off in your head. What do you do? If you answered the question with 'Violence!' then congrats, you're one of the more violent Bhaalspawn, and I'd have to hurt you on principle. Repeatedly. I chose to do the other thing I'm quite good at. I've only had so long to work on them, after all. I put a smile on my face and responded eagerly and questioned quite a bit of what Pinkie said, with a voice that was a touch too loud and with emphasis that made me sound just a bit too silly to be a real threat. In short, I used the power of dramatics and acting against the village's current shock and awe. One of us would break, and I was reasonably certain it would not be me. Especially not with Pinkie catching on and helping me. "And this is Sugarcube Corner, where the Cakes and I work on making the best sweets and treats in Ponyville!" I put a hand to my chin and hummed a bit. "The best, you say?" "Yeah!" Pinkie looked around and motioned for me to move a bit closer as she put a hoof to the side of her mouth. "Don't believe what Bon-Bon says, I could totally outdo her in a sweets contest. Applejack may have apples, and as a professional courtesy and the fact that she's my friend, I don't touch them without her permission, but everypony else is fair game." "Hey!" an indignant voice said from nearby. "I could so totallllll..." I'd been getting that reaction a lot. Ponies tended to have their words trail off as they caught sight of me walking through the town with Pinkie. Jaws and belongings dropped and heads rotated to follow me. I swear, it was almost like I had an area-of-effect Silence spell cast on me that spread wherever I went and only affected ponies besides Pinkie. I turned to face where the voice had come from, seeing a cream-colored earth pony mare with a blue-and-pink mane and tail. It was her companion that interested me, however. A mint-green unicorn with a cyan-and-white mane and tail, and a smile that threatened to pop her head clean off. Said unicorn pointed a hoof at me and sucked in a huge breath. "A HU-" Instantly, Pinkie and I were there, standing next to her. I put a hand around her muzzle to silence her. This only seemed to make her smile grow larger. "Shh! Do you want everyone to hear?" Her ears flicked a bit at that, and she looked at me. I continued with my impromptu serious speech. "If the wrong ponies knew about me, who knows what would happen? There's a reason you haven't seen me around before." All technically true, and I didn't have to elaborate at all, merely let her come to her own conclusions. The fact that she even knew the right way to begin that word meant that either I'd not been as discreet as I thought over the years, or at some point in time, I'd had some manner of contact with her family. Let's hope it was the second, it'd be easier to explain that way. I looked over to Pinkie, who had somehow procured sunglasses for myself and her. Without questioning it, I slipped them on. "Agent Pie, what does the book say about this situation?" ...From her mane, Pinkie pulled a blank pamphlet and began leafing through it. "Uh huh...uh huh....oh. Interesting." She closed it and stuck it back in, then looked at me while lowering the glasses a little. "She knows too much. You know what to do." There was panic for a moment as I nodded. "Understood." I picked the unicorn up and stuck her on my shoulders. "You're coming with me, little miss. Until we figure out what you know, how you know it, and what it'll take to keep you quiet, I have a new hat." Silence reigned for a second, then the unicorn laughed a bit. "That's it? That's my fate? To be your hat until we sit down and talk? I thought it would be worse than that." I rolled my eyes, not that she could see it from her position. "It could be worse. I could tickle you to make you talk." I actually felt her snort at that. "Pfft, like that scares me." I grinned evilly at that. "You've never been tickled by someone with fingers, then." I could almost feel her excitement as I said that. "True!" Our silly procession continued to a tree. No, I kid you not, it was a tree, a pretty large oak tree. The difference between this one and the ones I saw in the forest sometimes were that this one had been hollowed out and turned into a home while still alive. The doors and windows kinda gave it away. "And this is the Golden Oaks library! It's also where my bestest friend Twilight lives! Let me introduce you to her!" Pinkie bounced up to the door and knocked rapidly. After a moment, the door swung open in a pink aura and a lavender unicorn poked her head out. "Yes Pinkie? I'm in the middle of an experiment, and..." Here her eyes caught sight of me standing a ways back with the unicorn on my shoulders and head. Seeing as how this was a chance to make a perfectly wrong first impression, I went for it. I smiled, waved, and talked in a voice that was just a touch too bright. "Well hi there! Pinkie's been showing me around town, and I must say, it's quite the place! Then she said she was going to introduce me to her friend Twilight! I don't suppose you know the pony?" There was silence for a few seconds, and Pinkie giggled a little. The unicorn cleared her throat before responding to my question. "Why yes, I do know the pony, seeing as how I am the pony. Twilight Sparkle is my name. Would you mind if I asked, not only who you are, but what you are and why you're here in the first place, besides Pinkie?" I let my expression shift into one of shock, and after a moment, I replaced it with my trademark smile. "Well. I was almost afraid none of the ponies would ask those sorts of questions." I stood up and took in a deep breath before going into over-the-top dramatics. "Behold, Ponyville! The most intelligent mare-" Here I cut out for a moment and looked to Twilight. "You are a mare, right? I forgot to ask." Twilight sputtered a bit at that as she tried to force some words out. I shrugged as she failed to form a proper thought. "Fine." I put my voice back into the dramatic tone. "The most intelligent stallion-" "NO!" "Well which is it?" My grin could not be any bigger, especially when I actually looked at Twilight, whose face was now red. Pinkie, on the other hand, was rolling around laughing at my antics. "YOU HAD IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME!" "Ah, fine. The most intelligent mare in Ponyville! For upon seeing me, not only did she retain her intellect, but she immediately set about asking me the right questions!" There was silence for a moment, after which Twilight sighed and looked at me with just a hint of exasperation. "Did you really have to grandstand that much?" I scoffed a bit. "Of course! What with Pinkie dragging me into town in broad daylight and denying me a chance to run or hide from the situation, grandstanding and dramatics are all I have left to deal with the situation! So of course I shall use them to their fullest extent!" Lest I go mad, I mentally tacked on, with a slight twitch of my left eye. Twilight noticed this, apparently, and the sheathed swords at my hips, before nodding slightly. "Riiiiiight. Well, why don't you come in, and we can talk about it?" I looked upwards to my hat's position. "What say you, hat? Should I?" "I have a name, you know. It's Lyra Heartstrings." "Interesting. Well, what say you, Lyra Hatstrings? Should we?" There was a slight giggle from atop me before I got a response. "Sure thing! Onwards, noble beast!" I ducked far more than I normally would going in, mostly to make sure that Lyra didn't get knocked off of my head. Twilight turned to Pinkie and said something about gathering the rest of their friends while I made myself comfortable. Once I found a seat, I plucked Lyra from my head and laid her down in my lap like a cat, stroking her mane. It was a remarkable form of stress relief. I heard Twilight clear her throat, and turned to look at her. She had an inkwell, a feather quill, a huge stack of parchment, and a wide grin on her face to match Lyra's. "I have so many things I want to ask you!" I swear I felt the Slayer cringe just as much as I did at those words. (Shining POV) Okay, wait. That shouldn't have happened. None of it should have happened. This weird...creature. Had just strolled into town while being accompanied by the Bearer of Laughter. It had quickly gotten a tour, slightly abducted a mare, and walked right up to his sister, and nopony said anything. In fact, the creature had done most of the talking. Most of it grandstanding, but somepony should have screamed. Yelled. Panicked. Something! Maybe it was an effect of the Bearer of Laughter accompanying the creature? Or perhaps it was the creature itself? And now the Bearer had bounced off, and was that blood on her leg? Had she been wounded by that thing?! And now it was alone with his sister?! The pink mare had hummed something about gathering the rest of her friends, also known as the other Bearers. Not good. Very not good! This was no longer the time to plan. This was the time to act. Sadly, getting all of his undercover guards together would take time. Time he wasn't sure they had. Shining sent the message anyways and kept an eye on the library. If there was even a hint of a scream or the inkling of violence from within, orders be damned. He would not fail to protect his baby sister from that creature. Chapter 8 - Wait for it...Fortunately, I had the one weapon that could possibly dissuade Twilight from asking a thousand questions at once: Lyra. Oh, not as she was originally. But after ten seconds of being petted and scratched behind the ear, she was enjoying my stress-relief treatment more than I had and actually started to whine when I stopped for any length of time. The sight was so adorable that Twilight actually paused before asking any questions to let out an 'aww' at the scene. Which let me quickly sneak in a question of my own. "So, if I heard you properly, Pinkie is going to gather the rest of your friends to meet me here, correct?" Not quite paying full attention, Twilight merely nodded at my statement. I grinned and managed to get another question out, one that would snap her back to the land of the living. "Well then, why don't we wait on the questioning until they get here? I'd like it if I only had to explain things once." At this point, it was Twilight's turn to whine. "But- science!" "No." "It would be a great boon to-" "Nuh-uh." "And there are so many things you could answer-" "Lyra, give her the cute face," I said, pulling my hands away from Lyra's head. I didn't actually look, but Lyra turned towards Twilight and let out a sniff. "Why are you stopping him from giving me attention?" Twilight actually cringed at the look Lyra was broadcasting, which I refused to look at. I know my limits. "I...I....I...Oh fine! You win! But once they're here, I expect your full cooperation!" I nodded at that. "Can do! But until then..." I resumed petting and scratching Lyra, to her approval and Twilight's bemusement. It was barely half an hour later when Pinkie bounced into the library, trailing four unfamiliar ponies behind her. "Heya Marky! I'm back, and these are my other friends I was talking about!" I nodded at Pinkie and poked Lyra in the ribs. "C'mon, off you. I need to go greet the ponies Pinkie picked for my perusal." Lyra giggled a bit and hopped off my lap. "Try saying that three times fast." I stood up and stretched, cracking quite a few joints in the process. "Ooooh, that never gets old." All the ponies winced as I rolled my neck and cracked my knuckles. All of them save the cyan pegasus that is. She flew into my face and gave me a quick once over. "Sheesh. You look like you're ready for just about anything." She looked from me to Pinkie with a slight frown. "Are you the one that injured Pinkie?" Injured? Oh CRAP! "Pinkie, c'mere! I wanna try something." Pinkie bounced over and I knelt down, clasping her injured leg in my hands. I focused my thoughts...and found what I was looking for. Since I'd acted in a 'good' manner when dealing with another Spawn, or perhaps in my conversation with the Slayer earlier, it had been reflected back at me. My powers...had begun to awaken. The basics were now mine. Which is good, they were all I needed right now. "Blood calls to blood, Kith calls to kin, I call to you, Be whole once again." My hands glowed light blue, and the wound on Pinkie's leg also glowed. The glow receded quickly, and when it vanished, all the ponies in the room were astounded at what I had done. Pinkie's wound was no more. Fitting, really. I'd given it to her, it was only right I take it from her as well. I nodded once and stood up. "Now that that matter has been taken care of, let us proceed with this meet 'n greet. Pinkie, will you do the honors?" The pink party pony flexed her leg with a wide smile. "Sure thing Marky! And thanks, I wasn't really looking forward to another hospital visit. Lemme just wash the dried stuff out of my coat and I'll get right on that!" After a minute of looking at the new ponies' shocked faces, Pinkie bounced back out of the bathroom with a freshly-washed and dried leg. You wouldn't be able to tell that she'd been injured now unless you really looked for it. She wandered over to the four ponies she'd brought with her and put a hoof to her chin in contemplation. Evidently she was having trouble deciding who to introduce first, and eventually one of the ponies got fed up with it. "Aw, the hay with it!" The cyan pegasus with a rainbow for a mane and tail was back in my immediate line of sight. "The name's Rainbow Dash, and I am only the fastest flier in all of Equestria!" She extended a hoof, which I met with a fist. I'd seen this greeting before and had a way to mimic it. "Interesting. I'll have to see your claims to determine if they're true." "You sayin' I'm not?" She got real close then. I merely chuckled and pushed her back with a hand. "More like...I'm saying I'm well-traveled, and seen a lot of pegasi in my time. I'd be able to determine where you fall as compared to them if I see you flying." "Ah." Comprehension flitted across her face before she nodded and landed next to the other ponies. The next one to come up to me was an orange earth pony with a blonde mane and tail. "Th' name's Applejack. I run Sweet Apple Acres with mah brother Big Macintosh and my sister Applebloom. Granny helps with all the bakin'." I blinked at that: some fruit markets had claimed to sell Sweet Apple Acres merchandise, either the apples themselves or things made with them, across Equestria, and it had always been worth the bits. Here was an opportunity to get at some of these goods from the source. "My dear, your farm is well-known. I do believe your food has been one of the bigger investments of bits I've made lately." At this, she chuckled a bit. "Does a pony good to hear that. Thanks fer that." Applejack stepped back, and the white unicorn with a rich violet mane and tail stepped forward. "I am Rarity, owner and proprietor of Carousel Boutique, Ponyville's leading fashion hub. Now, correct me if I am in error, but you did say you were well-traveled, yes?" I nodded at Rarity, taking note of her accent as well. "I am indeed. You would be hard-pressed to find a corner of Equestria I have not explored in some fashion or another. And if I haven't, then I have plans to do so at some point in time." Rarity merely smiled at me. "Fantastic! Have your journeys ever brought you to Canterlot?" I sighed at that. "Alas, no. My travel plans dictate that shall be the last stop on my wanderings." I winked at her then. "Save the best for last, am I right? Besides, there's still a bit of Equestria I've not seen out there still. I'll get to the center of Ponykind's civilization soon. Perhaps in a few years, when I've finalized my journey." Rarity nodded at that. "Still, all that culture you must have seen, first-hoof! The art, the music, the clothes!" Here, her eyes flitted over my clothing, which had remained surprisingly intact. "Speaking of..." I held up a hand to forestall her. "We can go over what I know and what I'm wearing at a later date. I believe there is still one more I have to meet?" Rarity nodded, and the ponies parted to show me a canary yellow pegasus with a bubblegum-pink mane and tail. Upon seeing that there was nothing between her and me anymore, she squeaked and curled into a ball. "This is Fluttershy, dear. She's quite shy, but has a way with animals, and is in fact the local caretaker of them. Fluttershy, this is..." Rarity trailed off as all the ponies realized that I hadn't quite given them my name. I smiled as they came to the same realization at the same time. Sure, Pinky had called me Marky, but that wasn't my real name. Time for a bit of grandstanding. "My name is Marketh Shadeblade, and I have a long and shadowed history. My heritage is nothing to sneeze at, but it is for that reason that I walk these lands. If you ladies would be so kind? Pinkie's already undergone my treatment, so she's exempt, but I would like to shake hooves with you three." Here I pointed at Twilight, Rarity, and Applejack. Rainbow caught on that I'd already hoof-bumped her, so she wasn't left out of whatever I'd planned. "Treatment? What are you planning?" Rainbow was up in my face again, and I carefully pushed her back. "A test. A quick, non-invasive test to determine if a crucial fact is true or not. They need to undergo it, but I don't need to test Fluttershy." At this, said mare poked her head up, and I continued. "I already know the reaction I'd provoke, and it's likely the reason she's hiding now." At this, I got a shaky nod, and I kept going. "However, the other mares in this room should make contact with me so I can determine this fact." At this, Lyra stepped forward and placed a hoof on me, probably to show that there was nothing wrong with what I was suggesting. "See? Nothing happened. And he's been doing this amazing thing with his..." She shot me a questioning look, one that was directed to my hands, as though she didn't know what to call them. "Hands," I filled in. Lyra let out a little hum at that and smiled. The mares exchanged a quick glance before Twilight stepped up and gulped. "Here goes, then..." Twilight touched me, and there was no reaction. I smiled and shook my head. "You're clean." I looked to Applejack and Rarity. "Next?" The apple mare strode forward at the same time as the unicorn and both touched me together. This provoked a reaction, and I studied it, frowning. "Not you...but your lines...at some point in time, they met someone of great power...someone evil...it's skipped a few generations here and there, but it's slightly manifesting now...in those close to you." The two backed off at that about to protest my accusations, when I held up a hand to them. "Don't bother. The blood knows. It's manifesting in your family, probably in your generation, just not in you." I drew closer to Fluttershy and knelt in front of her, and she merely squeaked and curled up into a ball again. Rarity finally found her voice. "Why of all the nerve! Who do you think you are, telling us about our family lines?" I drew a short blade with my right hand and cradled the tip with my left. "I am Marketh Shadeblade. Doom of the Diamond Dogs, Forestwalker, Ageless. But most importantly, I am a Greater Spawn of Bhaal, Lord of Murder. It is his blood that flows in my veins, and I am determined to not give in to its corruptive allure of power. However, his blood does carry a few gifts, and one allows me to find any of my half-brothers or sisters, no matter how removed from me they may be." Fluttershy had looked up at those words, and I reached behind her ear and scratched it, earning a soft coo from her and an instant reaction from the Slayer. A Spawn had been in her family line at some point, and a spark of his 'divinity' now rested within her. I continued with my explanation even as I took a hold of one of her forelegs. "My goal for most of my very long life has been simple: gather information and see if I can find any of my distant relations before they manifest their powers, then remove it from them. I got a chance to try it with Pinkie, and it works wonderfully. The taint of Bhaal's blood is not meant for mortal kind. Much less pony-kind. The only issue is, of course, the initial wounds I must make, but I am perfectly capable of handling that matter. That is, as long as the pony in question trusts me." Fluttershy looked me in the eyes with those words, and I returned it, before she gave the tiniest of nods. I gave a similarly small smile and made the smallest of wounds on her leg, just enough to get the blood flowing. I clasped my still-wounded hand over her leg and talked to her in a low voice. "Focus, miss Fluttershy. Concentrate. Think about your Stare, about that voice you sometimes hear, about those sensations you sometimes get when you're truly upset with a misbehaving animal..." Just as the world around us faded, I heard a shout and a door opening... (Twilight POV) She didn't know what to think anymore. First, Pinkie drags a new creature into her library, after she shows it around the entire town. At least, knowing her, she probably showed it around the town. Twice. Then it manages to dominate and divert the conversation in such a way that she can't ask any questions of it at all. And she had so many! And for a topping on this sundae, it spouts off some crazy talk about how it's ageless and has been seeking some sort of spawn of a Lord of Murder. Whatever he meant, it couldn't be good. Now he's involved in some sort of freaky blood ritual with Fluttershy, because he thinks she might be related to him? Could this day get any worse?! "ROYAL GUARD! FREEZE!" ...Apparently, it could. Twenty-odd guards in armor showed up, followed by a stallion in gold and purple armor. The stallion took one look at Marketh and Fluttershy and tried to separate them, only to be thwarted by their grasped appendages. They just could not be forced into letting go. ...It probably didn't help that Flutter's and Marketh's eyes had turned to a solid black and their mouths were locked open in a silent scream. The stallion snorted and motioned for some of his guards to surround the scene. "The moment they come out of this, whatever it is, take this creature into custody. It's done enough for one day." "But Shi-" "Not now, civilian," Shining Armor cut her off with. "I have a mission to do, and I will not be stopped by anyone. Even you." ...Yes, this day could get worse. But surely that was the extent of it, right? (Marketh POV) Once again, black was the order of the sky, and blood was the order for the ground. The surroundings weren't empty, however. A forest populated this place, and I could hear weeping from somewhere nearby. I followed it to find a house that would not be remiss if it were in the Shire. But something was wrong. It felt...wrong for a forest like this to be so quiet. I walked up to the door and opened it, finding an interesting, yet immaculate house beyond. At least, until I got to the kitchen. ...Even I balk at what seemed to have taken place in the kitchen. The sobbing came from upstairs, and I found a bedroom with Fluttershy in it. She was weeping on her bed, and nearby was a large, circular mirror. It was criss-crossed with cracks, distorting the image of the room it was supposed to reflect... ...And from that reflection came a voice. "Oh yes, Fluttershy. Take care of the animals. Especially the meat-eaters. What's that? Not enough fish? Not enough meat for them? That's fine, we can always find some. All you have to do is get one of your friends alone and Stare at them, then your carnivore friends won't be hungry anymore. It might even be painless." The voice grated on my nerves and I held a hand out, placing it on the mirror. I felt the Spark recoil at my touch. "You...no! You can't be a Greater Spawn! That just doesn't happen in Equestria!" I snarled at the mirror, willing it to mend itself from the outside in. "Believe it, I am. And you've tortured this poor soul LONG ENOUGH." The cracks melted as the mirror began to fill itself in, and the voice on the other side started screaming at me. "You think this changes anything, Spawn? Chaos is meant to come, whether you act to prevent it or not! Even if you hunt down all your distant relations and remove their taint, CHAOS SHALL STILL RETURN!" With that, the mirror was mended, and the link was cut. No longer did it reflect a distorted world, and as such, the Spark had no more hold in her mind. The world around us came to life in a big way, and the mirror dissolved into a ball of green power. I whisked it away with a thought, and then I heard the two most important words in the universe. "Thank you." I turned to look at Fluttershy and smiled at her. "My dear, I would do this for anyone, because they do not deserve this curse, no matter who they are." And then she looked up at me and asked the most damning question of all in the most innocent of ways. "Then who will help you when the rest are gone?" The shock of the unexpected question knocked me out of the mindscape... I gasped and blinked a few times, making sure everything was in working order, before noticing the contingent of guards that had appeared in the library. I slowly looked around, making sure that what I was seeing was in fact reality, when a large unicorn stallion (well, for a unicorn anyways) cleared his throat. Judging by the armor and attitude, I'ma say that's the Guard-Captain. He pointed a hoof at me and said a simple phrase that nearly caused me to laugh. "Come with me if you want to live." Author's Note Bhaalspawn powers unlocked: Cure minor wounds - may use once per day. Chapter 9 - Did he just do that?!I stared at the quite obvious leader of these guards in front of me and slowly turned my head back and forth to take in how many I was facing. Besides him, ten unicorns and ten pegasi. Nothing I couldn't deal with in my own way. This was hardly the first time I'd encountered law enforcement, though it was contending for one of the more even encounters I'd fought through. Don't get me wrong, I was still going to win. But only because of a last resort I'd saved. I began to talk while reaching between my pack and my back with my right hand. "Well. This is rather interesting. All this trouble, for me?" The stallion in charge snorted. "Apparently this isn't the first time you've run from the law, so yes. Along with the fact that you're holed up in here with the Bearers. So I reiterate: Come with me if you want to live. Fail to do so, and I will have no other options save force." I chuckled at that and gestured at Pinkie and Fluttershy with my left hand. My right had found the glass bottle I'd sought. "These two can tell you, quite clearly, that I am not to be messed with. Pinkie moreso, I would think, seeing as how she actually saw the beastie in question. They also know more about me than any other living being in this age, including the ones you arrested in Manehatten." At this, Rarity spoke up. "You mean the den of thievery that the Guard dealt...with..." Her voice trailed off as she connected the dots. I smiled and gave a showman's bow, giving me the chance to move the bottle from my back to in front of me. "Indeed. Marketh Shadeblade, runner of every major thievery guild in Equestria...up until they were forced to disband, anyways." I stood up and looked the stallion in the eyes. "And now that I've said that, what makes you think, sir, that I would come with you of my own volition?" He blinked a few times as he looked at me, then shook his head and glared. "You're going to wish you did." He raised a hoof to signal his guards. He never got a chance to finish that signal. The moment his hoof raised, I popped the cork on the bottle and downed its contents. After just a second, I'd vanished from the visible light spectrum. Or in other words, I'd turned invisible. (Marketh POV - 250 years ago) "Well, you're an interesting one." The cloaked figure in the bar looked up at me, chuckling as he did. "I could say the same of you. That's not your normal self, is it? Some sort of illusion to deceive others into thinking you're just an ordinary biped." I let out a small laugh of my own as well. "Fair enough, and up until it met you, it was working. I'm rather proud of that. Then again, your more natural camouflage serves you well...zebra." At this, the figure stiffened and looked at me with what can only be termed a death glare. "You got a problem with me?" I laughed again. "Oh no! No, see, I've heard tell that you and your kin are quite adept at potion-making, something I've been meaning to both learn...and make use of. I've quite the laundry list of potions that I could use, and if you know a way to create similar kinds, or tell me how to, then I'd be much appreciative." There was silence for a few seconds as the cloaked figure contemplated my words. He spoke up eventually, though. "Huh. Never thought I'd see someone who'd see past the stripes and look at the skills beneath." I shrugged at that. "What can I say? Being weird has its advantages. You stop seeing other people for what they are and instead look at who they are." The zebra across from me slowly nodded. "Yes...by chance, would you happen to know anything about the strange being that is sometimes said to visit the Everfree...and come back alive? Multiple times?" I grinned widely at that. "You're looking at 'im." The zebra chuckled at my quick response. "Well, I'm not here alone. If you're willing to lead a small party of my fellow zebras into the forest so they can study it, perhaps gather some samples, and defend them while they do, then I'd be willing to lend my alchemical knowledge to you." I nodded at him. "Deal." (Present time) That crazy zebra had pulled through back then, and I was ever so glad for the preservation spell laid into the glass. Invisibility seemed to run by different rules here than the Forgotten Realm's version. I took note that the unicorns were charging spells and the pegasi were blocking exits. I grinned. They stood no chance. I carefully aimed my first knife and nicked the horn of the unicorn closest to the lead stallion. Then I grabbed two more and aimed to slice up a peagsi's flight muscles. Both guards fell, the pegasus due to the sheer pain, and the unicorn because he had lost control of his spell, which turned on him and knocked him out instead. On and on and on this went, me crippling one guard or another, the rest getting more and more paranoid, and the leader getting more and more agitated, lashing out with blasts of magic in an effort hit me. It was futile, but a nice try nonetheless. He didn't even seem to notice that I'd been recovering my knives from where they'd ended up. Very soon we had twenty groaning guards on the floor, in various stages of pain and incapacitation, while the leader was the only one left standing. I aimed to fix that. I jumped and landed on his back, causing him to fall to the ground at the unexpected weight. With a slight ringing noise, I drew both my short blades and rested them at the base of his horn, ceasing his struggles instantly. I faded back into view, causing the girls to gasp slightly. "Know you this, O Captain. I have shown remarkable restraint and mercy to you and yours. Attempt to find or track me down again, and you will find it lacking. The Diamond Dogs ignored my warning. Don't make that mistake." The leader nodded once, jerkily, and I removed my blades from his horn and walked to the door. Just as I got there, I heard a familiar enough voice, though it was no longer bubbly. "Marky? Where will you go?" I turned my head slightly and waved at Pinkie as I left. "Home, Pinks. You should know where that is. Just don't tell anyone here where that is yet, okay?" "O-okay." I smiled at her and the other mares and decided to toss in one last line. "Don't worry, I'll be back." And with that, I took my leave of Ponyville, went to my new home, crashed from all the adrenaline, and decided to sleep. The dream realm is nothing to sneeze at. No, literally, I tried, some dude got up in my face about it. Apparently that's one of his 'dream rules,' can't sneeze in a dream. I've no idea if it would be true without him or not, but there we have it. Tonight's featured film was a scene from today's action-packed adventure at the library. I felt another presence behind me, and responded automatically without checking it. "I know what you're going to say. Or ask, rather. Do I regret doing what I did?' The presence was silent as I held a hand up to the memory and slowly rotated it. "The answer is no. I don't regret doing what I did. In fact, I'm proud. I managed to resolve the situation in more or less a perfect manner. Granted, the ideal solution would be one where it didn't happen, but failing that, I did rather well, don't you think?" Silence for a moment more, and then I heard a response. "Thou think'st that We art proud of what thou hast done to Our loyal guards?" I turned around rapidly to see a blue alicorn with a mane like the night sky standing behind me. I smiled and gave her a showman's bow. "Princess Luna, I presume. It is an honor to meet you, though really, you shouldn't have come here." She tilted her head to the side in confusion. "Whyever not? The realm of dreams is Our domain." I smiled and nodded at her. "True, but you're in MY mind. MY domain. And frankly..." Another voice pitched in then. "We don't share all that well." Luna turned around to see the Slayer standing behind her, and one could almost hear her mind stopping as she contemplated the being before her. "Luna, Slayer. Slayer, Luna. Play nice, you two..." Chapter 10 - Chaos shall be sown...I looked up from my mock complex alchemical equation to see Luna land near me, torn and bloody. With not even a flash, she was whole again and growled almost like a predator. "Foul beast...." "You know," I pitched in, "That's fifteen straight wins to him. You should just give up and ask the question that's sitting in your head." She turned to me and glared quite impressively. If looks could kill, that one would have at least seriously wounded me. "Fine. Pray tell, how doth this beast keep defeating Us in Our own realm?" I waved my hands and dismissed the floating equation, conjuring up a chair to recline in at the same time. "It's quite simple," I said, sipping on a glass of wine that had appeared from nowhere. "One of the things I took to heart when I was younger was a simple saying. Know Thyself. And I do. I know not only my Self, but my Mind. My control over my own dreams is something I've honed...when I've gotten a chance to sleep, that is." "And I have helped him hone it, by being a foe he had to WORK to defeat. I am, after all, only the dark little voice in his head that tells him, constantly, that 'all this trouble could be avoided with a swift slice to the jugular.'" The Slayer had walked up to my side during my explanation, and Luna immediately stiffened, preparing herself for a strike that didn't come. "Slayer, play nice." As he growled I turned back to Luna and smiled. "Wanna know something fun, Luna?" She nodded once, jerkily, not quite paying attention. I jerked a thumb at the Slayer, and my next words caught her attention. "Even though I've resisted him for nigh a thousand years, that's not even his final form." Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. "But...a thousand years...not his true form...if that be true, then...what manner of monster ART thou?!" I grinned wildly, this had all the makings of an exceptional set-up, she just needed a bit of bait. "Mine mother was an elf," I started, mimicking a bit of her tone, "While father was a shape-changer, a skin-walker, one who could be many. When he met mine mother, he was in the form of an ordinary man, though that did not diminish his nature...or the nature of the curse he passed on to me, like he passed on to so many of my half-siblings." Luna considered for a moment, and then opened her mouth to ask a question. "Elf...man? What is a...man?" It could not be more perfect. I smashed the wineglass on the imaginary floor of the dream realm and bellowed at her. "A MISERABLE LITTLE PILE OF SECRETS!" The Slayer pitched in then. "But enough talk...HAVE AT YOU!" And with that, round sixteen started, but did not end before I woke up... (Let's quickly look at Canterlot Gardens...) "Girls! Now this is a really interesting statue. What do you notice about it?" "It's got an eagle claw!" Capable of rending asunder any rules or laws... "And a lion paw!" That which brings all things to heel under its weight... "And a snake tail!" To show that even in his honor, he is dishonorable... "This creature is called a draconequus. He has the head of a pony and a body made up of all sorts of things. What do you suppose that represents?" "Confusion!" He DOES leave it in his wake... "Evil!" Nay, merely...misunderstood... "Chaos!" He IS its Lord and Master... "It's not chaos, you dodo!" Oooh, such infighting already? Brother Mayhem, how very nice... "Don't call me things I don't know the meaning of! And it is too chaos!" Why thank you, Sister Anarchy... "Is not!" What say you, Brother Madness? Is this enough yet? "You're both wrong!" It should be, by now. He should have enough to draw on to break his prison, what with the re-alignment of the Elements... "Actually, in a way, you're all right. This statue represents 'Discord,' which means a lack of harmony between ponies. In fact, you three have demonstrated discord so well that you're each going to write me an essay explaining it." The class laughed, oblivious to the looming doom... "Now let's go, and I don't want anymore fighting." (Wuh-oh...) I knew the day was going to be interesting when I walked out the door to see a pink cloud zoom by. Even moreso when I saw it dribble some sort of brown fluid behind it. I raised an eyebrow as nearby forest animals started to mutate and head into town, to do...I dunno. Probably monstrous things. I looked again at the insanity that was encompassing the area around me and pulled out one of the books I'd snagged from the library during my late-night visit. I flipped through the pages until I reached 'D' and stopped. "Huh. Brought chaos to the landscape, caused strife and disharmony amongst pony kind, nothing made any sense from one day to the next..." I looked up from the book to see that things had only gotten worse, looked back down, sighed, and snapped it shut. Then I softly sang the prophecy that had been seared into my memory upon my first arriving in Equestria. "The Lord of Murder shall perish, but in his doom he shall spawn a score of mortal progeny." I paused for effect, to make sure the spirit in question was listening. "Chaos shall be sown from their passing." "Well," said a disembodied voice, "I'm not certain how related you are to those three fillies, but I did break out after they passed me by, so I suppose your little statement is correct." I shook my head and responded to the voice. "It is not just a statement. It was a prophecy. The Sword Coast was embroiled in a war like no other when the Bhaalspawn there learned of it. Afraid of his fellow man, each one attempted to strike first. At times, it seemed that the sky rained blood." There was a flash and a popping noise from behind me, and I refused to look. "How gruesome. What does that have to do with the here and now?" I looked up to the sky, which had begun to take on an interesting hue. "I heard it again when I first came here, nigh a thousand years ago. I suppose, if the three fillies that passed in front of you are related to me by father's blood, then the prophecy can technically be fulfilled here, without the need for bloodshed." I turned to regard the chimera that stood before me and smiled. "Of course, that does leave the problem of you..." Discord raised his claw and smirked at me. "And who do you think you are that you can stop ME, the Lord of Chaos and Disharmony?" "Stop you?" I quirked an eyebrow. "Heavens no. If there's one thing this place needs, it's a dose of Chaos." Discord paused mid-snap, his mouth agape as he heard my words. "You...what?" I shrugged my shoulders and explained myself. "I've always seen it like this: four physical, four metaphysical, two divine. All are required in balance, in harmony, for each and every world, lest it stagnate and wither." The spirit of chaos held his lion paw up to his beard and stroked it. "I think I can guess some of it, but you're doing such a good job of explaining it. Do continue." I nodded and gathered my thoughts. "Four physical. Air, Water, Earth, Fire. They form the base. Four metaphysical. Creation, Destruction, Order, Chaos. Properly moderated, they motivate the life that arises. Two divine. Heaven, Hell. They safeguard the souls of they that pass on. A world without a proper dose of all ten such planes...is not a true world at all." I waved a hand at the scenery around us. "Before you came about, there was hardly any Chaos here at all. Perhaps residue from your last jaunt, or maybe some leakage from your prison. Just enough to keep the world limping on, but not enough for a true world at all. I've yet to find any avatars of Creation or Destruction, but methinks the sisters Celestial would do well for avatars of Order. And they've done too good a job these past eons." Discord summoned up an armchair and drank a glass of chocolate milk as he heard my explanation. "So you think I'm necessary?" I nodded. "In moderation, yes. Just as too much Order would end with ponies marching through the streets in perfect order, curfews being in effect, Big Celestia watching you, and us always being at war with Griffonia...or is it Zanzebra? Or perhaps the Dragons? Too much Chaos will result in something nobody wants to deal with." I shook my head as the scenery around us began to turn worse and worse. "Chaos may be change, the creation of new ideas, but Order is needed to incorporate those ideas into already existing systems. Destruction may help break things down, but Creation can remake the useful portions. Disharmony is always needed, because without a differing viewpoint, how would you know where you went wrong in making a Harmonious empire?" I glared at the spirit and stated, quite firmly, "You need to be stopped and shown the values in moderating your power." He glared back. "And who are you to think, no, demand, that I do so?" I moved to answer him, but he tapped me on the head before I could. "Never mind, don't bother. Let's see who you aren't instead. I'm sure it'll be more entertaining than your doom and gloom personality." I began to twitch as I felt his magic go to work, rearranging my mind...cracking seals...hearing the Slayer exalt in the depths as all the doors were flung open... I had time for one phrase, and I looked the spirit in the eyes as he began to notice my shift. "You shouldn't have done that." Then I felt it. My skin began to crawl, my bones began to shift, my muscles quivered with anticipation, and my blood began to boil and sing. The Slayer was about to truly be unleashed... Chapter 11 - ...from their passing.(Slayer POV) I opened my eyes and looked at the Chaos Spirit before me. "Thank you ever so much for releasing me. Just give me one moment..." The spirit's eyes widened as Marketh's body began to shift and change into the one I was more familiar with. Bones cracked and shifted, muscle grew, skin darkened, and overall I just frightened the poor spirit. His eyes widened as he realized that he was the one responsible for this. "H-H-How?!" "It's quite simple. The boy's father was Bhaal, Lord of Murder. When he walked the mortal realm, he fathered many children. The boy is one of his greater creations. Should he have ever, oh, lost control of himself, he would have become a monster. And now that you've put me in control..." The spirit made to cast another spell, but I caught a familiar scent and moved close, sniffing and huffing like an animal. Undignified, really, but the boy was never one for magic, and frankly, neither was I. Why bother memorizing a long line of ancient words to kill someone when a sword through the ribs does the same with not even half the effort? The spirit was unnerved by my actions. "What are you...doing?" I responded halfheartedly. "Three familiar scents cling to you..." I finally placed them and growled. "Those fillies you mentioned to the boy. Where are they?" The spirit looked at me warily. "And why do you want to know?" "Mayhem, Madness, Anarchy. Three imps from Pandemonium cling to them and nurture their nature, their heritage. I will find the imps, devour them, and cut the young ones from their heritage and take it for mine own. The boy refuses to allow me to grow, this is an opportune moment." The sprit's jaw dropped off, he hastily picked it up and reattached it. "Grow? You mean you can get worse?" I smiled, it seemed to unnerve him even more. "But of course. This form is known as The Slayer, the taint that lies within all of Bhaal's spawn. And once I find and take enough of Bhaal's legacy from this world, I will grow to become His avatar again. I will become The Ravager, and all of Equestria shall be bathed in blood as I murder freely once again. None will be capable of stopping me!" Here I stopped and looked the spirit in the eyes and smiled wider. "And I have you to thank for the chance, O Spirit of Chaos." And with that, I stalked off, with the smell of the imps fresh in my mind. They had to be somewhere... (Let's...check in with the CMC, shall we?) The crusaders huddled in their clubhouse, the one place that it seemed the chaos outside had yet to notice. "What d'ya think is causin' all this ruckus?" Sweetie looked outside and briefly caught a glimpse of Canterlot Castle. Memories flashed across her mind of the field trip the class had taken not too long ago and she gasped before replying to Applebloom. "Girls, remember that statue Miss Cheerilee made us write about?" "Y'mean Discord? What about it?" Sweetie gathered her friends closer. "Remember what we said it was before she told us it was a lack of harmony between ponies?" "Yeah..." Applebloom trailed off, starting to see where Sweetie was going with this. "We said something about confusion and evil..." "AND chaos! And if the stuff outside isn't chaos, then I don't know what is!" Three distinct shadows that had no object to cast them laughed to each other at the filly stumbling upon an answer. It would likely be wrong, or she might stumble again, but they had to admire her ability to put two and two together. And then everything in the clubhouse stopped as a voice outside rumbled like an avalanche. "Well well well. Three little morsels in a tree, all nice and sedate, just for me." While the fillies didn't know that voice, the imps did, and it terrified them. That was the voice of an Avatar of a master of one of Pandemonium's layers. Even if he were in his...lesser form, he could and most likely would find and destroy them. He preferred to work alone, after all. There wasn't even a second between the voice uttering its terrifying rhyme and the next thing occurring, which in this case happened to be the Slayer materializing in the clubhouse. There was no other verb for it: he was there as though he was always there and meant to be there. Naturally, the three fillies panicked and ran to the far corner of their clubhouse, while the Slayer grabbed on to the camouflaged imps, who had unsuccessfully tried to flee. "Oh no you three don't. I'm here for a reason. The fillies can wait, you're being dealt with now." There was almost a sound as the three imps faded rapidly into, then out of view. The Slayer sighed in satisfaction and let out a small burp. "'Scuse me, but absorbing imps tends to make me gassy." The fillies just stared, but started scooting backwards as the creature advanced on them. "Now...you three have something I need. So let's just see if I can find it." With that, the creature grabbed their forelegs, made a quick pass with his free hand to shallowly cut their legs open, made a similar pass on himself, and tore into their minds, seeking the taint of Bhaal. Between the fillies and the Slayer stood Marketh, his arms crossed and his face screwed up in a scowl. "I think you've done enough for one day. Give me back my mind, and I'll go easier on the locks when I rebuild your cage." The Slayer laughed. "Not a chance, boy! I'm free for the first time in ages, and I will capitalize on it! Now get out of my way, I have taint to find and take for my own!" "Oh, you mean this?" And with that, Marketh held up a hand, and from the darkness around them, three green orbs coalesced into one, which hovered over his hand. The Slayer stiffened as he realized he'd been bested. "How did you do this so quickly?" "Well, I was here while you were forcing your way in, mainly because I asked politely. That resistance you encountered? Yeah, that wasn't them. That was me. This taint wasn't even formed into an alternate self yet, either. Pretty easy to take out of these fillies. And now you get to choose. You either fight me for control, and win or lose, the taint goes to the Void, or you give my body back, and in return, I feed you this. Your move." The Slayer growled again, having to make a choice between the two things he wanted most. Unfortunately, that was when a burst of rainbow light echoed throughout the mindscape, shattering it nigh instantly... (Marketh POV) I gasped and looked down around myself, noticing the fillies second to the main thing: I was back in control of my body, and it had returned to its normal form. Silently cheering on the inside, I looked over to the girls to see they were out cold. Not surprising, it isn't every day a demon and his better half force their way into your collective minds. But what separated us like that so suddenly? I shrugged and put it on the list of mysteries to solve. There was something a wee bit more important to worry about. Namely, my shattered mindscape. The Slayer was being delayed, true, but I would need time either in a meditative pose or asleep to truly work on my mind. And I needed to do it fast, the taint I'd taken from the girls had followed me back. This wasn't good. I didn't know how much the Slayer needed to grow into the Ravager, and I couldn't get rid of the stuff I'd taken now that I'd taken it. My one chance to get rid of it was when I cut it free from the girls, and I'd lost that chance. So now I had to deal with a demon in my head who wanted the demon-chow I'd taken back with me. Fun! I mulled over my options, then smiled. Assuming Luna paid me another visit when I fell asleep, this situation could still be salvaged... And with that, I quietly, silently, made my way out of the clubouse of the fillies, across Sweet Apple Acres, and headed for my home in the Whitetail Woods by skirting the rest of Ponyville. The locals seemed to be focused on the town and...was everything normal again? That meant that they had something that could not only defeat Discord, a spirit of chaos, but something that could undo all of his magic? The very thought of such a weapon not only existing, but my odds should I ever have to go up against it, made me shudder. After a moment, I shook my head and continued on my way. I had a mindscape to work on, and I preferred to be in relative safety while I did so. Chapter 12 - A mind is a terrible thing to lay waste toIt is almost always never a dull night at Casa de Marketh. Especially not if you can dream-walk. Like a certain cerulean alicorn. "Foul biped, We hath returned to...what in the name of Our Sister hath happened here?" Especially not after yesterday. The place was a damn war zone. Partially due to Discord's meddling, mostly due to the Slayer hunting for the Taint. I was looking at the ruins of his former prison, sighing sadly. "Hello again Luna. Turns out yesterday was interesting. Had a run-in with a certain Spirit, and he ended up wanting to see 'who I'm not'." The Slayer chose that moment to roar in the distance. I waved a hand afterwards to punctuate my next statement. "As you're no doubt aware, that's not the best of ideas. Plus the Slayer found a source of...call it demon-chow while he was out. So now I not only have to rebuild this, but keep the Slayer-food away from him. Fun times." I could almost hear her blink incredulously behind me. "We do believe thou hath spouted enough of this 'sar-chasm' for one eve, half-elf. Dost thou..." Her voice trailed off before she finished her sentence, and I grinned and turned to face her. "Begging your pardon, I didn't quite catch that." She sucked in a breath and steeled herself. "Were We to offer Our aid in this, wouldst thou accept it?" I smiled and nodded. "Of course! So long as you either are the bait to keep Mr Slayer running, or are willing to follow my every direction to the letter." Luna pouted and stuck her tongue out at the choice I had presented to her. "We hath had enough of thine 'friend' to last Us even Our lifetime. We shalt suffer thine directions." ----- Rebuilding a mindscape with the help of the Princess of the Night, Moon, Stars, and Dreams? One of a kind experience. As in, I hope that was the only time I experience it. At least this time it was far more relateable. We'd ended up making it in the image of my new base. Two visible stories, the bottom one is a perfectly legitimate shopfront, the top holds the housing for the regular and apprentice thieves... It was the basement that I had yet to build that I was interested in. Seeing as how I had nothing else ready to draw on, I drew from the last guild I'd founded, and made the basement a betrapped maze. Only, these traps were quite deadly, thank you. Perhaps they'd even slow the damn thing down when we got him in there. And of course, at the end, where my office and room would be, we have instead a prison worthy of Bhaal, much less the Slayer. "So, how shall thee lure thine eternal foe within?" I smiled and 'ported us back to the surface, found the approximate location of the room while on the surface, and held up a hand. A green ball zoomed down from the skies and zipped inside the building. It was rapidly followed by two more, all three seeking the downstairs. They'd just begun to run the obstacle course to the room when a bellowing yell sounded out and the Slayer ripped into the mock base. It roared again as he had lost sight of them, but a quick sniff showed him to go to the basement. The balls had proven to exceed in the course and would likely excel in evading him for some time. Every so often he would come tantalizingly close to grabbing a hold of one, only for it to slip away and put on a burst of speed. The creature kept going, seeking the food he'd dragged into this mindscape. Finally, though, he'd cornered them in the final room of this place... Only to see the door close, a tunnel briefly connecting the room to the world above that was sealed, and for him to come to a sinking realization. He'd been led here for a single purpose. To be trapped. He screamed his rage to the world around him in vain... I sighed and pulled out a glass of wine from nowhere while looking at Luna. "It's been fun Luna, it really has. But I would like to get some actual sleep now, if you don't mind." The blue alicorn nodded, and I continued. "However, as a way of saying thanks, I invite you to come back again some other time when I'm not under siege from the demon in my mind. We can have a lovely conversation, where we each answer each others questions." Luna considered the offer and slowly nodded. "Thine proposal sounds fair." She turned and began walking out of the dreamscape. "We shall return another night." I waved, not that she could see it, and replied in an upbeat tone. "Byeeee! Don't be a stranger!" And with that, the dreamscape faded around us... (So, how is everyone's favorite Guard-Captain doing?) Shining Armor groaned and hit his head on his desk. He couldn't come up with any plans to find the creature that wouldn't result in it standing over him, threatening his horn again. Just how had he done any of that? The precision throwing! The turning invisible! That combat prowess! He could be a damn fine guard, if he wasn't dead-set on being on the other side of the law. Now there was a thought. Perhaps he could be pressed into service to make him pay for his crimes? He might even like it! ...Assuming he could be found. Once he'd left the library, he was gone from Ponyville in less than a minute. And the Bearer of Laughter wasn't saying where his home was. Something about breaking promises being the fastest way to lose friends. Shining's thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. He jerked his head up and opened it with a burst of magic. "Yes?" And that was when all of his thoughts fled, because standing there was his marefriend, the Princess of Love, Mi Amore Cadenza. Or Cadence. She really preferred Cadence. "Captain, I'm noticing that while the amount of guards on patrol is certainly adequate, there is still one slight problem." Shining straightened himself automatically. "And what would that be, Princess?" She gave what can only be described as a mischevious smile towards her coltfriend. "There is no guard on the inside of my room to help guard me." Shining coughed and looked away. This was another way of saying she wanted him to take the next step and just sleep with her. Hopefully not in that sense. "Princess, there are plenty of guards on the outside of your room in case something were to happen." Cadence pouted. "But my room, like many of the personal rooms in the castle, has been heavily soundproofed. Who knows what might happen inside that the guards outside wouldn't be able to hear?" ...Okay maybe she was inviting him to her bed in that way. She continued after noticing the way he squirmed. "And goodness knows there could be any manner of security breeches on the inside that I could be...unaware of..." She'd drawn closer and whispered in his ear then. "The monster will keep for another day, Shining. I'd like it if you came back with me now." ...Mares. What can you do? Chapter 13 - The guild begins...A normal day. For once. Is that too much to fucking ask for?! I'd just walked out the front door of my new home to get a griffon landing on me. Or quite nearly so. I heard the wingbeats at the last second and dodged out of the way of what would have either been a landing or a pounce. I rolled across the ground, stood up, swiftly drew steel, and confronted the griffon. I noticed a few things about it even as I was sizing it up. Female. Small. Young adult, or a runt. It always hurt me a bit to hurt the younger generation...but then again, with my age, nigh everyone was the younger generation. She was more shocked to see me than I was to see her, clearly. "What the buck are you and how did you dodge that blow?" I merely smiled and started circling. The girl didn't disappoint when she started to circle as well. "The only answer I could give you that your might respect is one that I'm not sure you've heard of. Marketh Shadeblade. Forestwalker, Ageless." I paused for a moment before saying the final one. "Doom of the Diamond Dogs." Huh, apparently the griffins have heard of me. Or rather, my exploits. Her beak dropped and her eyes widened. "No way. That was you?" I smiled and nodded, but didn't drop my guard at all. "Took out a good portion of them before the rest finally realized that I wasn't anyone to mess with." The griffoness's eyes couldn't get any wider. "Dude! You're, like, a legend!" I blinked. "Really?" Then I crossed my arms and pouted. "And I try so hard to stay out of the limelight." She waved a talon around. "Not quite like that! Once the Diamond Dogs ran back with their tails between their legs, a griffon trader came back with the story. It spread like wildfire back in Gryphus." I uncrossed my arms and quirked an eyebrow; this was getting interesting. "Really?" The gryphoness nodded. "Yeah, griffon culture is all about military exploits and honor, things like that. To hear that one being stood against a war party of Diamond Dogs for ponies...we're sorta split about the story. A third of us disbelieve that it actually happened. A third of us use it as motivation, to try and match what happened in the story. And a third of us wonder just why in Tartarus anyone would bother defending the ponies." I sheathed my blades then and looked at her with the same intrigued expression. "And where do you fall?" She looked askance for a moment. "Bit of the second, lot of the third." And then she focused on me. "Just...one question? If you're the one who stood against them, and that was a hundred years ago...just how old are you?" I laughed then. "Didn't you hear the 'ageless' bit? To me, age is but a mile marker, telling me how far I've come in this thing called Life and Time. I don't know when, if ever, I'll get off this ride, but I intend to enjoy it." Her eyes narrowed then. "Alright, so that's my plan set then." I tilted my head to the side. "Oh?" She nodded once, firmly. "Yeah. If I can bring you to Gryphus, everyone'll forget about what I did and focus on you instead." I waved my hand at my new house. "Sorry, just got settled. Ask again in a few decades." Her claws unsheathed with a disturbing schnick noise. "Who said you were being given a choice?" I raised my eyebrows and held my arms to my side. "You really think that's a good idea? Considering what I've told you about myself?" She smirked at me with the cockiness of a thousand young recruits. "Hey, I don't need to beat you. Just knock you out and drag you there." I sighed and motioned for her to try. "Fine. Let's get this farce over with." She was good, I'll give her that. The problem with being good is that it's merely the starting point for my recruits. I saw every blow of hers as being telegraphed and flowed around them. I didn't even touch her, I just let her tire herself out trying to hit me. She progressively got more angry as more blows missed, and eventually she just lay on the ground, panting, swearing with what little rational thought and breath she could muster. "Not bad, kid. You have potential." She glared at me and snarled. I was undeterred. "Y'see, I'm not just someone who can whip a whole lot of behind when needed. I can also avoid confrontations, or solve them before they even start. Combat is but one facet to me, skilled at it I may be." I carefully placed a hand on the underside of her beak and guided her to look at me, despite her feeble clawing motions. "I was the Grandmaster of every competent thievery guild in Equestria for the past...millennium or so. The only reason I disbanded them was because the Guard came closing in on us. I know tricks to combat that you've likely never even thought of. Want to know where you rank?" Warily and wearily she nodded, and I smiled. "You're one of the more talented apprentices I've seen. The only reason I'm rating you like that, is because I wasn't trying against you. I don't know if you're better than that yet. However, your endurance is to be commended, and perhaps, once I show you some tricks, I can see if you can actually hold your own." She'd finally gotten her breathing under control. "Are you...offering to train me?" I shook my head. "Not quite. I'm offering you a spot here, at this house, as one of mine. An apprentice in the next guild. Do you accept?" She considered for a good, long while. "Wouldn't that make me a criminal?" I smiled wickedly at her. "Heavens no! Criminals are the ones that get caught." And for the first time since our little bout, she smiled as well. "Can I have your name, miss?" She shrugged. "Call me Gilda." Dash was upset. This was not quite a normal mood for her. Yeah, things upset her from time to time. But either she dealt with it by being her, or she figured out why they upset her and solved the problem. Occasionally by talking, but more often than not, with a hoof to a face. This problem, however, was quite bothersome, in that the reason for her mood was too far away to talk to/punch. Gilda had proven to be a horrible, terrible friend. By all rights, if she wanted to be a griffon that couldn't get along with ponies, she was free to be that sort of griffon...far away from Dash. However, she was still a once-loyal friend to her. Maybe it was something she had against ponies other than her? Maybe Gilda just couldn't deal with the idea that Dash could have more than one friend? Their time in flight camp together had formed a nice foundation. One she wasn't willing to throw away. She couldn't betray her friends either, though. Was there any way to get everything she wanted? Any advice Rarity would give would so not apply. To Gilda or her. Flutters wouldn't be happy about the mere idea of confrontation. Pinkie...yeah, she wouldn't be happy with the mere mention of the name. Applejack might have some good advice, but once again, Gilda was too far away to punch. And Twilight...She'd probably suggest researching her, gack, feelings, figure out why she felt this way, and send a letter to the prin- Dash's eyes widened and her breath caught. That was the answer. She raced home from the cloud she'd been sulking on. She had a letter to write. Chapter 14 - *Insert training montage here*Chapter 14 - *Insert training montage here* There are three tests. Three, simple tests in any guild I run, to determine where you rank. The first test is, of course, getting my interest. It's not easy, I've lived for a while, and I have remarkably high standards. Those that pass that test and accept my offer become apprentices. The next test is the one apprentices take every time I train them. They have to spar with me for five minutes and not get hit. Once they've shown they understand that the first step to dominating combat is to read their foes and be exactly where the blow won't be, they pass and become full-fledged members. The final test is the one that only so many members can claim to have passed. When they desire it, we spar again, and this time, the time limit is, again, five minutes. They have that long to land a single blow on me, and of course I'm fighting back as well. They that pass are dubbed Masters of the craft. I've gotten lucky in my last few attempts in running a guild, I found quite a few worthy of the title of Master. The training facilities are also easy enough to understand. Doors with incremental lock difficulties, safes from every major manufacturer, ponyquines with saddlebags and fancy get up...laced in tiny, tiny bells. So much as one goes off, you've failed to pick that pocket. Digging out a basement is gonna take a while, as is rigging up target practice and a dexterity course. Along with a couple of abject lessons in 'if it looks too good to be true...' Gilda was doing well at the training. For an apprentice, anyways. She'd managed to make it so I only hit her five times in our latest session today. Better than yesterday's low of ten. "How are you...so good at this?" I smiled and tapped my head. "Killer instinct. My kind took kill-or-be-killed to an artform. Several, actually." She glared at me a bit. "Is that what you're teaching me? What you've taught all the others?" I shook my head. "Goodness, no. I'm teaching you to try and read your opponent. Try to see where the blows are coming from, and then be where they aren't. Barely dodging the blow is seen as foolhardy by some, but you would not believe the amount of startled looks I get when I do it myself. It's almost like the ponies don't believe anyone could dodge so easily." In the immortal words of Piccolo: DODGE! That is the first lesson. If you can dodge, you won't be hit. If you're not hit, they will be. Gilda seemed to get it a bit and got up again, breathing deeply. She closed her eyes, focusing on the rhythm of her breathing, before snapping them open and nodding at me once, sharply. And then the combat was on again, and I have to say... It was amazing. She dodged and flowed around near every blow I threw at her. I would aim a punch at her wing, it would dip just enough that I could see the feathers ruffle. A kick aimed at her talons ended up in her leaning away just the right amount. It was like I was water, and she was oil. We flowed around each other in a dance of limbs, wind, and fury. And then, just as I finished counting five minutes, her wing didn't quite dip far enough, and I landed a hit. A feather came off with it, and she squawked at me. I twirled it in my fingers and sighed. "So close. Not bad, for someone I've only begun to train." She ruffled her wings, trying to get the sensation of having a feather plucked worked out most likely. "Yeah, just messed up on that last one. If I wasn't so tired, I'd have made it." I nodded and let the feather fall to the ground. "Most likely. Want another, or are you done for the day?" She shook her head. "Nah, I think I'll go try the doors and the pick-pocketing tests." As she turned around, I felt the sudden urge to ask, and gave in to it. "By the way, who trained you?" She halted for a moment, then turned a baleful eye back at me. "What?" I shrugged. "I can recognize when someone's had training, from martial artists, to self-taught, to military. You had all the markings of someone who was trained to do combat a certain way, and only when I told you what I was aiming for did you let go. Who trained you, and in what?" She sighed. "I told you that griffon culture values military exploits, right? There's a branch of our military that's dedicated to trying to bring up a crop of griffons that can do even half of what you're said to have done. My dad...he's pretty involved in that, and that's all I'm saying." I nodded, piecing the story together. "I think I can guess from there, thanks, though if you ever want to talk about it, my door's always open...or will be, when you pass your training." She smirked at that. "Eh, no real reason to hurry just yet. But I might take you up on that offer one day." All in all, a nice day. And that was when the damn Diamond Dogs showed up. I swear I felt my eyes go black as the three mounds of earth were pushed up from below. Three scruffy-looking dogs popped out of the holes, and I glared at them. They went from full of indignant anger to pants-pissingly terrified in seconds, and I would be lying if I didn't get a thrill from that. "You have to the count of three to explain why you're here." The smallest one squeaked then, after which he cleared his throat and spoke up. "We were just coming up to complain about noise..." I blinked at that. "Really?" They all nodded, and the thinnest, tallest one spoke up next. "Us Dogs can feel vibrations in earth. All your running around is like if you went in pony town and started screaming 'look at me.'" I blinked again and started laughing at that. "Well, that's interesting. Learn something new every day." I made a shooing motion with my right hand. "I'm just training my next apprentice. Go on, off with you." They looked from me to each other, then back to me. "You...not going to harm us?" Middle asked, beefy as all get-out. I shook my head. "Nope. You know who I am, and I have no problem with you...yet. Keep it up, though..." They gulped at that and the small one called for a huddle. After a moment passed, they broke it up and the small one came forward. "You were training your next minion?" I blinked and waved a hand around. "Minion's a little harsh. They've always been free to do as they will, even leave. I make suggestions and requests, and provide training and facilities. The fact that they stick it out with me is just a happy coincidence." The other two dogs tilt their heads at that, but the small one smiles and nods. "We'd like to sign up." ...Jaw, meet ground. Ground, meet jaw. Here's a ball, play nice. After my moment of confusion, I looked at the three with what had to be a glare, because they flinched back. "Why?" The smallest one cleared his throat; he was either the spokesdog or the smartest one. "Because living with you promises to be better than living with the colony. You at least care about the ones under you." I blinked at that, then smiled a cruel smile. "You sure? Cause it's been at least a hundred years since I had any Dog recruits." I jerked my head over to my house and continued. "Something similar for the griffons. And we both know why." The three winced and nodded, and I held up a hand to my chin and hummed. "We'll do it like this. On any given day, I spar with one of you. Another one will recover from the sparring of the previous day, and the third will spend a few hours digging out my basement, seeing as how I know how good you are at that. Once the basement is done, we'll work on a series of quick access...and escape tunnels from here to the nearest settlement." They nodded as the schedule sunk in, and I continued. "I have a few gems on me right now that you all can have to munch on, and three-quarters of what you dig up during excavation is yours. With the last quarter being mine, naturally. Don't fret, all I'll do is save it for later, in case of a dry spell. All I ask for is a fair share." The three looked to each other, nodded, and then the small one nodded as well. "Sounds good." I smiled at them. "Can I get your names then, my new apprentices?" "Rover," the lanky one said. "Fido," the muscled one replied. "And Spot," the small one finished. Twilight Sparkle was not a happy pony. Ever since the whole Smarty Pants incident, she found herself with a lot more free time on her hooves. Seeing as how the schedule for writing letters to the Princess had never actually existed, she had more time to study the mysteries of magic and friendship. Her latest subject, however, was the one known as Marketh Shadeblade and his various titles. Forestwalker? Nopony knew much of anything about the Everfree. It could very well be true. Ageless? More than likely, considering his previous claims, but nopony knew how it was possible. Runner of every major den of thievery? Far too many of those in her history books to count. It only made sense when combined with the Ageless one. Doom of the Diamond Dogs? Nopony knew anything about that, there hadn't been any recorded major skirmishes with the Dogs in a good long while! She'd inquired about what her friends thought about the titles, and they'd all put in their two bits. She had yet to ask Dash, but all her other friends had agreed that her previous conclusions sounded right. "Dash!" The blue pegasus landed in front of her and swept her mane back with a hoof. "Oh hey Twi, how's it going?" Twilight sighed. "I just have a question to ask you, Dash." Dash nodded. "Sure, lay it on me." "Marketh Shadeblade. Any of his titles ring a bell with you?" And then Rainbow Dash actually winced and looked aside. "Eh...kinda?" Twilight narrowed her eyes. "Dash..." Dash sighed, breathed deep, and looked Twilight in the eyes. "Okay. When I was in flight camp, and friends with Gilda, she shared all sorts of stories about griffon culture with me. I responded with some of pony culture. But one of the major ones was about the Doom of the Diamond Dogs." Twilight blinked, but motioned for Dash to continue. After a second to mull over her next words, she did. "They have this old legend. About a hundred years ago, the Diamond Dogs began to attack Manehatten as sneakily as they could. Most ponies didn't notice, but one being did. He didn't take the crop failure, the town being cut off, or the ponies disappearing all too well." Twilight blinked at that. She could certainly look up those statistics. "And what happened next?" Dash grimaced at that question. "Well, the Diamond Dogs got this huuuuge war party. And then they showed up about a mile away from Manehatten, to find one being standing against them. It offered them one chance to turn away and live, and they laughed at it." Twilight waited. "And theeeeen?" Dash looked around and noticed that despite being in the middle of the day, nopony was close enough to hear if she whispered, so she got close to Twi's ear and did exactly that. "And then he closed his eyes, and when he next opened them, they were as black as pitch. And then he slaughtered most of the war party, to the point where the only reason the story exists is because of the guys in the back seeing what was happening and running like the demons of Tarturus were chasing them." Twilight's mouth dropped in shock as Dash backed up and nodded. Eventually her jaw responded again. "How is that a griffon story?!" Dash shrugged. "Griffons are all about honor and valor and military accomplishments. That's one of their legends and motivating stories, and they know about it cause a griffon trader showed up at one of their colonies a year or so after it's supposed to have happened. They loved it, naturally. Gilda even told me that her dad's in charge of the branch that's trying to make a griffon that can do even half of what happened in the story. He tried putting her through the same training, but...well, that's kinda why she ended up in flight camp. It was either she didn't want to put up with him anymore...or she couldn't quite handle the training." Twilight tilted her head to the side. "Interesting...when did he start trying that on her, then?" Dash shook her head at the question. "Probably when we were fillies. So I can understand the first one. Maybe he was just trying to train her wrong?" Twilight shook her head. "Thank you for answering my questions, Dash. I have a letter to write to the Princess, it would seem." Dash smirked. "This doesn't sound like a friendship lesson, egghead." Twilight shook her head. "It's not. We should tell her that such a dangerous being was in...and might still be around Ponyville." Chapter 15 - Well now, this is getting ridiculous.After a few days worth of digging and training the dogs, I had a passable basement. The rooms that I'd specified were there, they just needed furnishing. Which, of course, left us with options on how to do it. The first was, we could do it legally. Not bloody likely. The town had seen me, and the Guard had likely passed out word as to who slash what I was. I was lucky Pinkie still hadn't told anyone where I lived, otherwise I'd have a small horde on my metaphorical front lawn. Another reason we wouldn't be doing it legally was because all of my apprentices informed me they were less than welcome in Ponyville. So that left the options of getting another apprentice and doing it legally, or doing it illegally and damn the consequences. ... Of course, first they would have to catch us... "Shh!" I hissed to Fido. "Your job is to tell me when ponies are getting close. That's what a lookout does!" We were outside Ponyville's hardware store, it was the middle of the night. The stores, unlike the vast majority of the town, did lock up at night. Not that it would help. The reason we were here was simple: Gilda had taken Rover and Spot with her to the lumberyard so that we'd have the wood we'd need for my various projects. It wouldn't take long, especially if she flew it back. The dogs were mostly there for lookout purposes. But we would need all sorts of tools and supplies, and Fido could haul. Which is good, I intended to pick up a few safes while we were here, to round out my collection of lockpicking materials. Speaking of, my skills paid off, and the lock clicked open. I held my breath and carefully turned the knob, pushed the door a little bit, and winced at the sound of the hinges. One hand still on the door, I procured every thief's friend from under my clothes with the other: a can of oil. I spotted the hinges and quickly applied the oil, then pushed the door a little further before stopping. I looked up to see a string attached to a bell and frowned. Once again, my free hand found a job, that of keeping the bell silent while I opened the door the rest of the way. I looked around the darkened shop before my eyes adjusted to the lack of moonlight. Perfect. Nobody here. I turned to Fido and whispered. "Right, you stay here and keep an eye...and ear out. You see or hear anything suspicious that doesn't give our signal, you know what to do." Fido nodded and proceeded to his lookout post, which was just off to the side. What he would do was simple, scream out the word 'Mockingbird' and run like his life depended on it. Our signal was also simple, the old 'shave and a haircut' routine. The first thing I took notice of was, in fact, the safes. I dragged one of each model over to the front door and lined them all up, I'd tell Fido to haul them back once my 'shopping' was done. I then turned to the aisles and grinned. Wrenches, hammers, gears, nails, paint, paintbrushes, screwdrivers, screws, springs, cogs, nuts, wires, especially wires. I used up wire like you would not believe. Shame we couldn't pick up any of the more...vicious things. But seeing as this was an herbivore-dominated town, I wasn't expecting to find traps for catching animals anyways. That'd be a thing Gilda would have to procure, probably legally, from her homeland. I'd managed to get my 'shopping' together and near the entrance when Fido poked his head in. "Uh, sir?" I groaned internally. Externally I gritted my teeth. "What, Fido." He seemed to notice my hostility and backed off a bit, but continued. "Got somethin' you'll wanna see." I pulled my 'shopping' out of the store and actually said "Huh" at what Fido had wanted me to see. It was a Thestral. Light gray coat, black-and-blue striped mane and tail, slitted green cat's-eyes, tufted ears, and bat wings. I absently noted that the cutie mark was that of a covered lantern and decided not to guess. "And you are?" He looked to me and smiled. Actually smiled! "My parents named me Whispered Secret. My talent is being able to see in the darkness better than any other. Downside is easy enough to guess: I get hit worse than the rest when I step into the light." I nodded at that. He'd make an excellent Night Guard. But then why wasn't he in the uniform of one? "And the reason you're here?" He shifted a bit at that and sighed. "I'm not very physically fit. Flunked out of Guard training. Something about not putting on enough muscle." And then he turned to me and smiled again, this time displaying his fangs. "But you. Word spread in Canterlot about you. And I really want to put my talent to use." I frowned and crossed my arms. "You sure? You absolutely sure you want to go down this path? Because every guild I've ever run, I'm the only one that I know of that did not end up caught. You're free to leave whenever you want, but as long as you stay, there is the chance you'll be caught and charged as a criminal." He blinked at that and seemed to consider, but finally nodded again. I groaned at that. "I guarantee you that you'll drop out of my little training program after two days." He seemed to take that as a challenge, because I could see his eyes narrow. "Bring it." I smiled at that and turned to Fido. "They've got a lot of safes in there that we could use for our training room. Think you're up to carrying them home?" The dog poked his head in and hummed. "Two trips. Make them fast ones, get done before night is over." I nodded at him and picked up my 'shopping' before shouldering its burden. "Right. Make sure you put them down gently in the right room when you get there. I have to escort our newest Thestral home." Thestral were...interesting. They rarely left their colonies to mingle with the ponies as a whole, though that had changed a good deal with the return of Luna. They disliked sunlight because of their sensitive eyes, and they had a love for fruit. Especially anything from Sweet Apple Acres. The ugly rumor that they were vamponies were just that: rumor. They had no more need to drink blood than I- ...Bad example. Than any other pony did. They weren't as good at weather magic as a Pegasus, and those that were ended up, where else, on the night shift. Night guards, night watch, night weather duties. Most ponies slept at night, though, so they had few friends outside of other thestrals and the occasional oddball. When they did come out of their colonies, they preferred to go to cities with an actual nightlife. Y'know, now that it was a Thing that was Happening. Mostly because they enjoyed socializing, just like any other pony, but also because they were excellent bouncers. So for one to come here from Canterlot...meant he was being at least partially truthful. I turned all my accumulated facts about thestrals over in my head while we walked back to my home. Whispered whistled at the sight, partially because he probably wasn't expecting it, and more likely because Gilda, Rover, and Spot had also returned and were standing next to a huge pile of wooden planks. "Gilda, Spot, Rover, this is Whispered Secret, he's expressed an interest in the guild. Whispered, meet your fellow apprentices. Gilda, Spot, and Rover. Though Gilda's nearly a full-fledged member." The four regarded each other warily, and I turned to the two dogs. "Fido'll be here soon with some safes, make sure he's careful with them when he places them upstairs." As they nodded I turned to Gilda. "Take five, then move this wood down into the basement. I'm gonna just drop off my stuff there as well and get to work on the underground training course tomorrow." I then turned to Whispered and gave him my best stare. He eventually noticed. "What?" "You," I said, poking his chest for emphasis, "Have the important job as of right now of being the night-watchpony for the guild." He nodded at that, a slight bit of surprise showing on his face from me thrusting so much responsibility on him so suddenly. I wasn't done, however. "I have never been caught, and with good reason. Meaning that if I find out that they have been because you weren't keeping an eye out..." He gulped as I let the threat trail off, and I felt a wicked smile creep onto my face. I dropped my bag of shopping in the basement and went to my bed, keeping only the wire on me. It wasn't long before I fell asleep... The realm of dreams came quickly this time, and I could feel the invader with ease. It had become something akin to a knack, these days. One I wish I didn't have to have in the first place. "Back again, Luna?" The alicorn appeared out of the darkness in front of me and nodded once. "Tis Our duty to watch over the dreams of Our subjects of Equestria...no matter how deformed they may be." I blinked, huffed as the insult hit home, and crossed my arms while looking away. "And here I thought you and I were getting along so well, Luna." I then took note that her speech hadn't been quite as bad as it usually was. I turned back to her and quirked an eyebrow. "Speech lessons, then? Or are you imitating me while you're here?" She nodded. "A fair guess, half-elf. We have been taking elocution lessons at Our sister's behest, but 'tis Our conversations with thee that help them to...stick?" I nodded at that. "Fair enough. So!" And here I clapped my hands, and the scenery around us changed to that of the Everfree. "Here to convince me to give over the Slayer for your destruction? Or perhaps aid in killing him off?" She sighed and shook her head. "Thou must comprehend that the presence of such a dangerous parasite within thine mind can only lead to ruin!" I nodded at that. "Oh, sure enough. But I'll not be giving him over." Luna stomped angrily, the scenery rippled a bit. "Whyever not?!" The scenery shifted, to show the glade where I'd first arrived. Here, in this place, the prophecy was eternally playing. And hovering, the words written in golden fire even as they were sung out. "The Lord of Murder shall perish...but in his doom, he shall spawn a score of mortal progeny...Chaos shall be sown from their passing..." I pointed to the middle portion and jabbed at it angrily. "This. This bit right here is why not." Luna did that head-tilt thing again. "A score of mortal progeny? Why doth this lead to thine keeping of that wretched demon?" I spread my arms out, and the scenery changed again, this time to the blood-plain with a black sky. The image of the Pinkie Demon and Fluttershy's twisted cottage appeared, along with the image of the three fillies. "Because the only way to save my half-brothers and sisters is by continuing to share Father's blood. Should you take the Slayer, I shall have no more connection. Already, five are saved. More could be found yet. For while a good number of his score of children were in the Forgotten Realms, he clearly Planeswalked before his death." At the very idea of me having more brothers or sisters and not being able to help them, Luna blanched. It was impressive, really, seeing a cerulean mare turn that white. Eventually she got herself under control again and nodded reluctantly. "And perchance the Slayer intervenes whilst thou are saving thine siblings?" I mulled over the question and looked into the distance. "Then I'll take that risk. Nobody else should have to." Before she could object again, I grabbed her by the chin and stared into her eyes. "But I give you this word of mine. Should it ever get so bad that I literally transform again...should the Slayer, or worse, walk Equestria..." I closed my eyes and sighed. "Then don't try to save me. Save yourselves from me, no matter the cost." A gasp was all I heard as the dream ended... (Celestia POV - 3rd person) The solar mare woke up slowly and looked to the East, lighting her horn up as she looked at the clock. Her sleep cycle had been pretty well set for these past centuries, and she tended to wake up just before the world needed her charge again. She'd only just pulled it over the horizon and set it on its path when Luna entered the room and hugged her, fiercely. Caught off-guard for just a moment, Celestia quickly returned the hug, nuzzling her sister all the while. "Shh, Luna. Was it him again?" Luna nodded and hiccuped before composing herself. "We tried to convince him again, Sister dear. To give up the demonic parasite lurking within his mind. We have done this every night, ever since We helped him lock it away again after Discord addled him." Celestia started a bit at that, but after mulling it over, nodded again. It did sound like the sort of thing Luna would be wont to do. "And what did he say that upset you so?" Luna took a deep breath then. "He said...that the demon was his connection to his father's blood, and that should it be removed, and any half-siblings of his found, that he would be...unable to save them..." And here she choked a bit and started crying. Celestia hugged her tighter. "What next, Luna?" She barely got the words out. "He said...if the worst were to happen...if his demon got loose...do not save him...save ourselves...from him..." Celestia's mind flashed back to that awful, terrible night a thousand years ago, when she'd lost her sister. Luna wasn't done, though. "...no matter the cost..." And Celestia's mind was filled with scenes of horror at the mere thought. She eventually worked up the courage to ask one question. "Truly?" Luna nodded. "He meant every word. We could see the pain in his eyes as he said it. He was picturing the pain he would be allowing to pass should he not be stopped, and it hurt him." Celestia considered for a moment, and then smiled. "Methinks it's high time we met this mysterious creature in pony, Luna. Perhaps even help him...subdue his inner beast. Not remove, for if it were gone, he would be far less helpful. But perhaps we could add to the chains?" Luna blinked at that before turning to face her sister. "Art thou certain, Sister? He may not take such an invitation well. He is, after all, the grandmaster thief thou hast been looking for." Celestia giggled at that. "Fair enough. But perhaps a cease-fire for as long as it takes to help him subdue his...other side?" Luna nodded slowly. "We shall pass the message along when next we meet in dreams...though We cannot picture it ending in anything but a tragedy." Chapter 16 - Generally speakingY'know that old saying, Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned? Yeah, I found something that can compare. An angry griffon father. Apparently sending Gilda back to her homeland to procure animal traps had not gone unnoticed. I was in the middle of disassembling one when she burst into my room and essentially screamed into my ear. "Marketh, I need you!" I calmly lowered my tools from the bear trap I had been breaking apart and took a few steps back from it before turning to her with my best scowl on. "What is it, Gilda?" "My dad followed me back!" I blinked at that, processing the data. "Your father? The one you have issues with? The one who's in charge of training griffons to try and match the feats that earned me that title? That father?" She nodded rapidly. "And he brought his champion as well, probably to try and 'convince' me to come back with him! What do I do, Marketh?!" I smiled at that and placed a hand on her shoulder. She flinched at the sudden contact; usually it would only occur in a bout between us and would signify that she'd failed again. "Relax, first of all. Secondly, I have a plan. Are you rested, do you feel like you could do a bout?" She blinked and nodded slowly. "Yeaaaah...but how is that-" I cut her off with a finger to the beak. She looked at it as though she were about to chomp it off for a moment, but my smile stopped her. "We're going to put on a show." A quick trip downstairs showed me a very pissed off elder male griffon in dress uniform and a few scars adorning his lion half. I swear, the damn thing was more shiny than what the dogs find on a regular basis during their tunnel digging. It was the griffon next to him that had my attention. Black feathers, first off, which while unusual, did happen from time to time. Dark blue crest on his chest. Lithe. Powerful. I could see the muscles shifting under his skin. There were a few faint scars, but they were all small and old. Signs of training, those were, and as there were none more recent, he'd learned and become good over the years. I smiled as I ran that thought through my head. Here was someone who'd be fun. The look of surprise in their eyes faded momentarily. The champion got a look similar to the one I'd probably just graced him with, and the general was back to his angry expression. "Are you the one who's been keeping my daughter away from returning home?" I hummed at that and looked over at Gilda. "Gilda, do you particularly want to leave?" She shook her head. "Not till I figure out how to beat you in a fight." I smiled and looked back to the general. "Which isn't happening anytime soon. Might I inquire as to your name, trespasser?" The general blinked at that, clearly taken aback that the response I'd given wasn't one he was looking for, and that I'd had the audacity to ask him such a question. "I am Major General Behertz, trainer for every recruit that enters the Griffon Special Forces, and commander of its fifth division. Who are you that you do not know of me?" My smile only grew at that and I looked over to Gilda again. "You didn't tell him? I'm hurt!" She shrugged. "I didn't think he'd believe me anyways. But look at like this, you get to do your fancy introduction again. I know you like it." I rolled my eyes and turned back to the general. "Well, you all really already know of me, but I do tend to have to introduce myself." Thus said, I drew my short swords, causing both of the griffons in front of me to widen their eyes slightly in alarm. I smirked as I began to rattle off my titles. "My name is Marketh Shadeblade. Forestwalker, Ageless." I paused again, wanting to savor the look that would appear in their eyes at the last one. "Doom of the Diamond Dogs." Just as I predicted, their eyes widened even more, their jaws dropped, and their eyebrows went through the roof. Total, complete shock. The champion recovered quickly and seemed to try and study me without looking like it anymore, whereas the general... He wasn't happy that I'd claimed that title. "How dare you claim to be that one! We would know if you were!" I pursed my lips. "Reaaaaaally?" I looked over to Gilda once again. "Did you?" She shook her head. "Nope. But, considering that even with your training, I haven't yet passed your first rung, I'm believing it." I smiled and looked back to the General, who could not be more red. He then turned to his champion and issued a command. "Ignatius, teach this bipedal freak some manners." The champion stepped forward, and I held out a hand. "A proposition for you, sir." He quirked one eyebrow, and I continued. "I could do one of two things. I could treat it like a normal bout that I would have with those under me. In which case, your goal would be to hit me once without being hit yourself." He held a talon to his chin, considering the offer. I smiled then. "Of course, in such a bout, I would sheathe my blades, and you your claws. No unnecessary harm." He waved his claw in a 'go on' motion. I closed my eyes, opening them only when I was sure they would be black. "Or I could show you how I earned that title." At this, both griffons in front of me blanched, and I could see Gilda flinch. I blinked again, returning my eyes to normal. Ignatius gulped a few times and held up a single finger, indicating that he'd prefer the first option. I smiled and sheathed my blades. "A bout it is." I turned to Gilda then. "Mind starting us off?" She nodded, and I turned back to face Ignatius. We'd gotten used to having multiple trainees. One would start us off whenever they wanted, to add a bit of surprise to the fight. After a moment of waiting, Gilda said, "Go!" It was a wonderful thing, this fight. Limbs flailing, blows being exchanged, at times I thought I met my match. ... At least, I would say that, but the damn bird had held firm to his training. His blows were a little hard to predict, but his dodging left a lot to be desired. I could harry him all day, and he wouldn't be able to touch me. It was during a comparatively easy-to-see blow that I grabbed him and said my favored line for those that made it to regular member status. "Come on! Stop trying to hit me, and hit me!" At that, I saw his eyes narrow in anger. The blows became slightly easier to predict when he was under the influence of his rage at being told he was inadequate. All too soon, Gilda yelled out "Time!" and the battle stopped. I was none the worse for wear, and there were bruises forming on Ignatius. He looked shocked and turned to Gilda, who shrugged. "Time limit is five minutes. His reasoning is that if you don't bring your best in that amount of time..." "...Then you're taking too long, and in some cases, are dead," I finished. "You don't think I became a Forestwalker or the Doom of the Diamond Dogs by acting nice from the get-go, do you?" Ignatius nodded slowly as the reasoning sunk in, while the general seemed to get more and more puffed up with anger. I turned to Gilda and cocked my head to the side. "Think we can put a show on for your old man?" At this, she smirked. "Bring it, grandpa. I'm ready for you." I smiled, reached down, picked up a rock, and held it in one hand. "This hits the ground, we go." She walked over and nodded at me, already regulating her breathing. I tossed the rock up, and when it hit... She was perfect. Absolutely, 100% perfect. She'd been training, clearly. It'd only been a day after we returned from the theft that I'd put a rudimentary obstacle course and target range in the basement, and every time I went down to fine-tune the course, I would find Gilda there, working on her reflexes. It'd paid off. Five minutes passed, and I hadn't landed a blow on her. I pulled back and nodded at her, impressed. "How goes your training with the rest of the facilities?" She shrugged. "Saddlebags are easy, suits are tricky, and dresses are nigh impossible. Doors are child's play, safes are where it gets fun. Haven't tried out your latest obstacle course yet, but last version only the last bit tripped me up. And the target range is fun, I've got twenty-three targets out of thirty." I nodded at the numbers. "Congratulations, Gilda. You're a full member now." She blinked at that, then smiled wide. "You mean?" I smirked. "Not getting hit is the member test. Whenever you want, we can fight again. Hitting me is the master's test." Gilda smiled and all but pranced back to the house. Her father, however, was less than happy. He puffed up even more, somehow, and said, "You...pretentious biped! You tell my daughter to purchase those...those slacker tools, go easy on her in your training, promote her in front of me...do you think I don't know grandstanding when I see it?!" Interesting sidenote: Griffons view traps as 'lazy good for nothing mechanical devices' and heavily discourage others from using them...unless they're old or infirm. I'd gotten a lecture on that when I'd asked Gilda to go get some for my obstacle course. I narrowed my eyes at the general and spoke in my coldest voice possible. "Sir, I will have you know that due to my extensive list of recruits over the ages, I know exactly where a griffon's pressure points are. It may have been a hundred years, but I do believe I could disable you six ways to Sunday before you laid a claw on me." He blanched at that and deflated slightly. "But then...why did you go easy on her?" I smirked. "I didn't." Both the griffons were dumbfounded at that, and I shrugged. "Your version of training is easy enough to read, and it doesn't come close to what I can do. I've just been teaching her to dodge what most foes can dish out, and I used the same on Ignatius here. The difference is, Gilda let go of her training, and let her body tell her when to dodge, not what you taught her." Both griffons blinked at that, and finally, Ignatius spoke. "Were I to return, would you train me as well?" That voice was the very definition of power. I smiled a bit at him and nodded. "I proffer training to those that need it." I shot a quick glance at the general before continuing. "And frankly, if you're the champion, you all might need it. But then we'll have to talk compensation..." Ignatius laughed then, a deep, rumbling sound that reverberated in my very bones. "Very true. I will see about returning and bringing others with me." I held up a hand then. "Discreetly. I don't want the Sisters to find me because they followed the line of griffons to my door." Ignatius nodded then. "Fair enough." And with that, he took off, leaving me and the general alone. He looked at me with this...cold, calculating look before asking a series of questions. "You're really the one who killed all those dogs a hundred years ago?" I nodded at that. "Yup." "You're training my daughter in your combat techniques?" I shrugged. "Among other things, yes." He paused before continuing. "You promise to keep her safe?" I smiled at that. "As safe as I can. None of those I've trained have wound up dead because of me, if that's what you're getting at." He paused again before stating one final thing. "If I find out that she's been hurt at all...you'd better run far. You'd better run and hope and pray that I never find you, because retribution won't be enough." I nodded. "Understood. And general? Take care." He paused, nodded, and flew off. I groaned and went to take a short nap. I was training Whispered tonight, and would need all the rest I could get... "Again!" Whispered nodded and went to throw a knife, but just before he released, a torch flared up in the corner, instantly destroying his night-vision. The flinch that came with that threw his aim off, and the knife flew far to the side, embedding itself in one of the fake houses I'd set up. As the thestral rubbed his eyes, I chuckled. He glared at me once he heard my laughter. "Why'd you do that?" "Because," I said while retrieving the knife, "if you can't overcome your weakness, someone will use it against you. Your night-vision is a strength, but all it takes is one person with a sudden, bright light, and you're no good in a fight. True thieves learn to either minimize their weaknesses, or work with someone whose skillsets can help plug the holes in their own." Whispered seem to think it over before nodding, then frowning. "How am I supposed to counter a big blazing thing of light, though?" I smiled at that and motioned for him to come closer. When he did, I leaned in and, heh, whispered the secret to him. "Try fixing the target in your mind and closing your eyes when you notice light getting close or flaring up. It only works for a short amount of time, but I can teach you other tactics once you can hit the target." He backed up and nodded, committing the tactic to memory, presumably. The thestral took his place again, and I pulled the appropriate lever. The target flipped up, Whispered took his aim, the torch flared, the knife flew... Thunk. And hit the target successfully. I clapped at that. "Bravo, bravo. Think you could do another?" He hesitated for a moment, drew another knife, and hit the target again. Not as well as the last hit, but a solid hit all the same. I clapped again, then turned the torch off by pushing the lever back. I poked him in the back of the head while I went to retrieve the knives. "Light's off, you can look now." He blinked and noticed the two clean hits. "I...I did that?" I nodded as I worked them out of the wood. "Sure did." I then turned to him and quirked an eyebrow. "Ready for those other tactics?" He nodded hesitantly, and I decided to pose it as a question he could try to answer. "Well, if you know where the light's coming from, then why haven't you tried to put it out after it flares up?" I love seeing that expression on a pony's face when they realize their way of thinking is no longer practical. You could almost see the little TILT signs in their eyes, it was adorable! I went upstairs to get some real sleep for tonight... I came to in my dreams on the outskirts of Ponyville, looking in at the nighttime scenery. "A beautiful, lovely town. Wish I could see it during the day again." "Perhaps tis for the best that thou doth not, half-elf." I sighed and turned to look at Luna, who was just landing behind me. "Hello again, Mistress of the Moon. Come to convince me again?" She shook her head, which surprised me. "Nay. We have conversed with Our Sister, and she wishes to extend an offer to you in regard to this...creature." That raised an eyebrow, certainly. "And it would be?" Luna looked askance for a moment. "She is willing to halt hostilities for a moment, for a cease fire, so as to aid thou in restraining this beast. For if it be as fearsome as you say, then We should aid in whatever manner We can." I ruminated on that for a moment, then shook my head. "Magic would only hold for so long. It is only silent when I give in to the dark desires it whispers to me, or when I do enough good deeds that it can't get through to me. It is born of hate, of evil, of the pure desire to take the life of another." And at this, the damn lunar mare smiled. "Perhaps not Us or Sister, then, but We still do know of a mare that could help. Wouldst thou be adverse to meeting them?" I shrugged my shoulders and pictured a glade in the Everfree that was halfway between where I was and the former castle was. "Have her meet me here tomorrow at noon. I'll wait for an hour, and if she hasn't arrived or can't help, then that's the last I want to hear of it." She nodded at my ultimatum, and I smiled. "I also get a head start on running away when she's done. I have no desire to be taken in." Luna let out a wan smile at that. "Sooner or later, thou wilt slip up, and we will converse face-to-face." "And may that day be looooong in coming," I replied as the dreamscape faded... The glade I'd picked out hadn't taken too long for me to get too. On the way, I'd been accosted by a Timberwolf. Turns out the Heart had taken notice of a particularly unruly manticore, and it wanted me to find out what was going on, as a way to repay my debt for the fillies. When I got there and found out the poor thing had gone rabid, it thanked me for my work and let me continue on my way. I didn't even want to think about the other eyes I'd seen as I left... I had been waiting in the glade for only ten minutes when I heard wingbeats from above. A small chariot, pulled by stallions in Royal Guard armor, descended from above, and out walked the pinkest pony I have ever seen. And I've met Pinkie Pie. The fact that she had both wings and a horn didn't escape my notice either. A pretty pink pony princess. Try saying that five times fast. She took note of me lying against a tree near the edge of the glade. After the initial shock wore off, she cleared her throat and smiled at me. "Hello," she said, "My name is Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, but please, call me Cadence. My aunts Celestia and Luna told me you have a problem I could help with." My thoughts at the time could be summed up quite succinctly: Well fuck, she's royalty. Followed by: Well, fuck, she's royalty! Chapter 17 - No greater bondsI had learned many things since coming to magical pony land. One of the more deeply ingrained lessons in my mind was simple enough: If it looks cute, cuddly, or just plain pretty, don't fucking underestimate it. When the chips are down, when a pony is pressed for survival, then you would not believe what one of them could find themselves capable of. I'd come across a member of the Apple clan in Manehatten about...seventy-five years ago. Girl had been cornered by some thugs (not my fault) and they were after her bits or some other...unsavory things, judging by their leers. She managed to beat their behinds in so badly they couldn't really call themselves stallions anymore. I'd offered her a job as one of mine, but she declined. However, she did keep any that I sent to check up on her informed on the goings-on in the city and well-fed, and in exchange, I protected her from any other similar situations from forming in the first place. Professional courtesy. I say this because the one thing that flooded me during Cadence's introduction was sheer, unbridled (heh!) panic. Not only was she the niece of the Celestial Sisters, but she was ungodly pretty. For a pony, at any rate. You could see the effort she took to maintain her appearance. Which meant one of two things. Either she was an incredibly vain Princess with no real power, or she had every right to look the way she did because of her power. And seeing as how she insisted I call her Cadence, not Princess Cadence, I had my doubts as to the first one. Which essentially meant tread fucking lightly, this is a damn Alicorn with god knows how much power behind her. "Intriguing," I mused out loud as I stood up and brushed off my pants. "I've...heard a few legends about you, but nowhere near as many as those of your aunts." She raised an eyebrow at that. "Oh? Do tell." She stepped a little closer, but halted when she saw me flinch. It was an involuntary reaction, something about her presence sent the Slayer into a fit, which only I could hear, naturally. It'd take time to shut him up, so I decided to regale her. "Well, for the one everyone knows, there's Celestia. Sol Invictus, Warden of the Sun, Keeper of the Day, Protector for the pony tribes. She who is not to be crossed, lest all ye hold dear be burned to ash, and then have naught even that remain." Cadence's eyebrows could not go higher. "Where are you getting these legends from?" I waved the question off. "Oh, my recruits over the years have given me all sorts of stories from all sorts of places. Griffon, Minotaur, Thestrals, Dogs, so many exotic legends. I compiled their hear-say and checked it when I got the chances, cross-referencing the more...unique legends with what I could find on their activities." Surprisingly, Cadence giggled. "You remind me of a filly I once had the pleasure to watch over. A more studious individual I did not think I could find, but you're proving to be, at the very least, quite interesting." I shrugged at that. "Comes from living as long as I do." I could tell she wanted to question what I'd just said, but I decided to cut her off. "And Luna, while...not having been in the public theater for some time, still has legends from the time when she was on this world. Lunar Ira, Mistress of the Moon, Tide, Stars, and Dreams. She who is most patient and cunning, and you will only know you have invoked her wrath when all you love falls down around you." I shrugged as Cadence's jaw dropped. "Still, a thousand years might give her new titles. We'll just have to see." Cadence nodded dumbly at my statement. "Where...did you get this information?" I put a hand to my chin and hummed. "Gods...had to have been when I just got here...so quite a while ago. I wrote it all down and made sure to keep it as preserved as possible. Sometimes I had to copy it to another scroll, but eventually I found a unicorn that just enchanted my case with a preservation charm. Now I don't have to worry about my notes literally falling apart. Still, I think I hadn't yet begun to write titles or dates on my notes way back when, so I can't tell you." Cadence blinked at that, then chuckled. "That's something that she wouldn't do, so at least you have that difference..." I smiled as I continued my recitation. "But you...the legends regarding you are...quite recent. Cadence, Lady of Love and Emotion. That's all that I know of you, sorry." Cadence nodded as she realized the topic had turned to her. "Do you know what Love is tied with?" I pondered, then shook my head. "Haven't the foggiest." "Life," she answered simply, and all the puzzle pieces fell in place. An Alicorn tied in with Love and Life? The exact things the Slayer cannot stand? Luna did well. I just hope she's ready for me. Or rather, my other half, because I can feel him stirring in the depths at my realization. "Allow me to...regale you then, Cadence, so you realize the enormity of the task set before you." She drew a little closer and sat on her haunches, and I leaned back against the tree and sighed, trying to recall lore from a game I'd only really read once. "This...is highly paraphrased and simplified, plus some of it may just be plain wrong. But it's as much as I can recall, regarding the situation... "In the Forgotten Realms, Godhood and Divinity behave quite differently than they do here. The more followers a god has there, the more power he has, the more he can do to earn more followers, and the cycle continues. But in its early days, when trade networks were a new idea...when villages and towns could be isolated for stretches of time...there was one town that had a guardian deity that didn't have many, if any, external supporters. Eventually a great calamity struck the town, and the deity was forced into his avatar's form, doomed to be forgotten...until the day three brothers came. "These cruel and violent brothers had hatched a plan, to overthrow the God of Death and claim his kingdom for their own. But in order to even challenge him, they would need some measure of divinity themselves, which would mean they would need to slay a god. So they found this old, forgotten god, slew his avatar, and took his divinity for their own, using some sort of ritual or spell." Cadence's jaw had dropped as the story went on, but she nodded along at the appropriate spots. I kept an eye on her as I recited, though, wanting to see her reaction to the big bombshell. "The three brothers Planeswalked to the God of Death's throne and challenged him, and he surrendered...on the condition that they divide his kingdom between them. The eldest went first, and claimed the Land of the Dead as his own, on the basis that his kingdom would be ever-growing. The middle child went next, and claimed the Land of the Living, for with proper nourishment, it would never fully pass. And the youngest child...he pondered the situation, and eventually claimed an Aspect that neither of the other two had thought of. "His name was Bhaal, and he claimed the Aspect of Murder. For, unless either of his brothers paid him heed, he could cause one to grow or wither as his mood fancied. And so time passed. Until a prophet named Aluando predicted that there would come a time when all gods would be forced from their ethereal thrones and walk amongst the mortals once more...and Bhaal heard that such a Time of Troubles would only end with the death of those gods. So he hatched a cruel and vile plan." I looked Cadence in the eyes for the next bit, and she shivered. "He planned to have as many children as possible with as many females as possible, no matter their race, so that when they all died, the spark of divinity within his children would gather at his ethereal throne. After which, all it would take is the proper incantations, and the Lord of Murder would walk the Forgotten Realms again." Ah, there's the gobsmacked expression I was looking for. Ponies view intimacy, sex, families, kids, and so on to be highly important, to the point where talking about it isn't as taboo as it would be back home, and in fact having a healthy sex life and family are seen as nearly as important as having a healthy diet. Cadence eventually worked her jaw into compliance again. "That...That utter, complete monster! How selfish do you have to be to spawn so many children, just to sacrifice them so that you can cheat fate?!" I sighed at that and half-looked at the sky. "Yeah, Father was never big on other people. 'S probably why he became the Lord of Murder, honestly." Whoops, looks like I broke her. Just when the warranty runs out, isn't that always the case? It takes her a good minute to recompose her mind, and when she looks at me again, it's with an expression of sorrow and compassion. "Luna did say you had family issues...I never expected something like this, though." I smiled sadly. "That's only half the problem, though. There are two types of Bhaalspawn. Lessers have just a spark of his blood, enough to perform weird talents in certain situations. Greaters...I would know. They...they can't stop hearing the voice of his avatar. They always have the...urge. To give into their darker desires. To take the life of another. And should they give in...they become far more talented at it than they have any right to be." We shared a look then, and she nodded. "You're one of those, aren't you?" I nodded, slowly, but held a hand up. "I've been wrestling with my darker half for quite some time, and he's only had a few moments of freedom in all the time I've been here. Carefully moderated freedom. Save for that episode with Discord. To remove him is to remove the link to Father's blood, and I've found some here that I could call related to me by such blood." Cadence actually blanched at that thought. "More that are as dark as you?" I shook my head. "Not as dark, no. But I found them, and purged them of their connection, their taint. Something I couldn't do if my connection were cut. So the task becomes far more difficult." Cadence smiled and nodded again. "You hate your other half, but need him so that you can save others. Yet by keeping him around, you put yourself and others in danger. And as such, I'm here to help...chain him up, so to speak. Keep him from moving around so much." I cocked my head at her and hummed. "Love and Life are anathema to his elements, that of Murder and Hatred, this is true. And he has been reacting to your very presence, so I'm willing to give you a shot. But this is going to require that you enter my mind...and it's not a nice place to be. Sure you're up to it?" In response, she drew a bit closer, close enough to lay a hoof on my hand. Even as the contact sent him raging in the depths, I could feel the confidence radiating off of her. "I wouldn't be here still if I didn't think I could handle whatever is to happen." I smiled as well. "If you can truly aid me in keeping him under control, then I welcome you." Just as she touched her horn to my forehead, I figured something out and gasped. Her eyes widened at the same time mine did. "Creation. You're tied in to Creation, which would make me-" "DAMNIT! Cadence, you here?" Silence passed for a moment before the pink alicorn appeared from nowhere next to me. "How did you figure it out?" I sighed and walked forward, absently willing our jaunt to take us to the Slayer's prison while puzzling out how to answer her. "Normally you only see that reaction when extreme opposites meet. Something holy meeting an undead beast. A fire elemental having to cross a body of water. The Slayer, my other half, is born of Hate and the desire to cause death to another; in essence, a facet of Destruction. You...are his opposite. His exact opposite, which means that Life and Love are tied into Creation. Which makes this little operation of ours all the more dangerous." Cadence nodded as we came upon my mind's version of my guild. "I would be highly surprised if he didn't fight back." I paused and placed a hand on the wall of the building, concentrating on making the underground maze mirror the one that now existed, rather than the one that had existed. Things shifted around, rumbling was felt, and the Slayer's prison ended up moved but no less secure. "A warning. Since he and I have shared the same mindspace all this time, there may be instances where he seeks to guide you away and will be capable of doing so. Illusions of sound or light only you can perceive. If I don't react to it, then don't react yourself. Otherwise, I can't promise you you'll come out unscathed." She slowly nodded as I opened the door and moved briskly to the stairs down. "Come, quickly. The less time we spend standing around, the better." Cadence looked around briefly, shuddered at something only she could see, and hurried along after me. She flinched every few seconds, but the worst offender was in the target range, where she stood still for several minutes, just gawping at something. It took quite a bit of prodding before she managed to move again. When we got to the obstacle course, I pushed the hidden master override button, and heard the traps deactivate. Which of course is why it was a surprise that I walked into one. Apparently, the Slayer really didn't want Cadence getting in! I would have to dodge all my traps and deactivate them one by one, which would take for-flipping-ever! Or not. Cadence merely let out this animal growl, and with a wave of magic, all the traps in front of me were set off. I blinked at that, then looked back to her. "What...What is he sending you to make you that angry?" "You don't want to know. Suffice to say, when we're in the waking world again, I will have plenty of questions for you." After a short walk to the end of the course, we were met with a door that didn't exist in the waking world. Opening it showed us a void, what I'd pictured the deepest depths of space to be like. Save for the central feature of the room, you could almost stare at the non-euclidean architecture here and lose yourself. From the nothingness that made up the walls, chains came out at random intervals and wrapped around the Slayer, looping and locking and forming complex knots and bindings. He struggled constantly, and every time he did, sparks flew down the chains to shock him into submission. It wasn't working. Cadence and I floated closer, and Cadence charged her horn. "As my ancestors would say," Cadence stated, quite angrily, as her horn built up a charge, "Requiesce in pace, monster!" "Monster? Monster?! I'M THE MONSTER HERE?! YOU COME INTO THIS ONE'S VERY SOUL AND SEEK TO BIND HIS NATURE, AND I'M THE MONSTER?! GET A MIRROR, YOU OVERPOWERED PINK PUFFBALL! BECAUSE WHEN YOUR BINDINGS FAIL, I'LL SHOW YOU A MONSTER!" After the Slayer had his little rant, Cadence's spell hit him full on, and the chains around him glowed blue. After which, he was still. I smiled at that, finally feeling the urges vanish after so long, and the mindscape fell apart around us... Both Cadence and I gasped as we came to, and we looked each other in the eyes as we pulled apart from one another. "So, little miss facet of Creation. What would you like to know?" She blinked, blushed, and coughed a few times. When she composed herself again, her face was serious. "At first, it wasn't that bad. The ground floor was...decorated with...trophies of animals from the Everfree." I nodded at that. "Seems reasonable. He would like to keep score." "And when we walked down the stairs, in the room before the target range, he showed me...a pile of dead Diamond Dogs, saying something about their doom being wrought at your hands..." I sighed at that and ran a hand through my hair. "Really, they wouldn't listen to reason, and wanted to attack Manehatten. I told them to run. I warned them. And they decided to ignore me, my warnings, and my threats. I don't regret what I did that day. But he probably likes it because that was one of the, very few, times when he got to act through me." Her eyes widened, and I elaborated. "I can...loosen the chains. Allow a bit of his nature through. One loose boosts my combat capabilities, but in return, he tends to talk more and louder sooner. Two allows some of his traits through, like a layered voice, blackened eyes. Five is what I used the day the Dogs attacked, and it was a merger between me and him, one where I had to cling to who and what I was, so that I could return to it when the merger was over. Reforging the chains takes time. Either via doing good deeds, so that he can't break them, and they fade eventually, or via doing evil ones, and he breaks those over time." Cadence slowly nodded as my logic sunk in. Then I remembered that she had been talking, and I prodded her verbally. "And in the target range itself?" She drew a deep breath. "That was when he went into what could have been. All the targets were replaced with members of the Royal Guard...but one was replaced with its captain. My fiancee. Shining Armor. He said to me, 'He could have done this to me, Cadence. Why are you helping someone who could have done this to me without a second thought?'" I growled at that: threatening good people with the potential harm of their loved ones was a dirty, underhanded tactic, and the Slayer fucking knew it. Which is another reason why I hated him: he had no qualms about abusing others' morals and values. "And when we started to go through your obstacle course, three fillies showed up, saying that you could have left them to die, and that I should do the same for you. It was said again by Fluttershy and Pinkie...though they didn't quite look like themselves. I tried not to pay attention, but their words..." I sighed. "Technically, all those words are true. They were all things that the Slayer whispered to me when those scenarios showed up. He wants nothing more than to find his brothers and sisters and take their power for his own. Because that monster you saw isn't his most powerful form." Her jaw dropped then, and I continued. "The Slayer is the manifestation of Bhaal's taint. Should a Bhaalspawn nurture their powers, strengthen them, and slay their brothers or sisters...then their power grows out of control. Turning from the Slayer to the Ravager, Bhaal's favored avatar for dealing with mortals. In that form, he's much harder to ignore or resist, and he tends to...walk the land, murdering freely, regardless of whoever he might have been before." I turned to face her then and said the next words with such sincerity that they could be mistaken for actual facts of the universe. "He wanted you gone from my mind because you were his opposite. He would dig up anything about me, about what I've done, about what I could have done, or what I've done only under his influence, just to win. He doesn't have morals. He doesn't care how he achieves his goal of walking freely again. But now I won't have to worry about that, so thank you." Cadence smiled a bit at that and waved a hoof at me. "Technically, the binding I placed on you is more of a long-term thing. At least for me it is. It's a small drain on me to keep the binding active, and while it was hard to set up, it'll be negligible to maintain. I shouldn't even notice." I smiled and stood up. "Well Cadence, it was fun meeting you. Perhaps we can do this again sometime, when I'm not a wanted felon or wrestling with a demon in my head." At this, she tittered, then tilted her head, as if considering something. "Perhaps a wager?" I quirked an eyebrow at her. "Go on." She smiled at that. "In a few weeks time, I'm getting married. I propose this: should you manage to elude all the guards of the city, all our security measures, and find a way to attend my wedding, I'll intervene on your behalf and see to it that your charges are, at the very least, reduced to the point where you wouldn't find attending a trial for them to be a bother at all." I crossed my arms, waiting for the other shoe. "And if I fail?" Here her smirk turned mischevious. "Then you get pressed into service as a trainer for the Equestrian Military, so that we know how to not only employ your tactics, but also catch you. And afterwards, you'll be forced into community service...most notably, helping any victims of your crimes." I smirked at that. A bet like that...how could I resist? I stuck a hand out to her. "We have an accord, Princess." She took it with one of her hooves and we shook on it. (Somewhere, over a desert...) The Queen was displeased. This was a common sensation. They'd recently managed to abduct a few ponies who'd been exploring the Badlands, along with their guard escort. No real amounts of love in them, none that they could access anyways. However, the information they'd gotten from the guards had been...interesting. Their captain had a marefriend who, more likely than not, would be marrying him soon. After many hours of...interrogation, one of the drones learned the name of the marefriend. It caused a sort of shockwave to ripple through the Hive when it was learned. Cadence. Chrysalis' eyes opened wide at that. She knew that name. The Alicorn of Love. She gained a wicked smile and called the drone who'd learned the name to her, cooing to it all the while. "Yes...my spawn...your grandfather would be so pleased..." Her eyes and horn burned green as she granted the drone a promotion. His chitin thickened, his fangs grew, and he grew, a good foot taller, with added bulk to match. "Come, Commander Polistes. Gather the swarm. Let us show Equestria the might of my spawn." The newly promoted commander chittered and flew off to do as his queen bid. Within him, a great power had begun to be awakened... Chapter 18 - Complete the setIt would only occur to me later on in the week to check up on the Everfree Castle. Or whatever the hell they ended up calling it. Damn thing is at least a thousand years old, there's every chance there would be records in there that I could use. I set out near noon and passed through the same glade Cadence and I used for our little session at about noon-ten, to find that I was not the only one there. The last Alicorn I had yet to meet was apparently waiting for me, staring at her sun. Silence reigned for a minute. The solar diarch looked to me, while my mind was racing. Recently I had meditated and unlocked two 'feats' of my class. Apparently, I'd forgotten to check lately, and missed two such opportunities. The first was simple enough to take: Use Any Item. Not only was it a stepping-stone to feats I wanted, but now, I was unrestricted in Things I could Do. It'd take me a while to adjust my fighting styles for this new development, but I had every confidence in myself. The second was a feat that I'd also been waiting for: Time Trap. It took a midnight raid of Ponyville's clock shop to find the materials I wanted, but I put together a mechanical stopwatch easily enough. Add a wire to the mechanism, throw and pull when primed, and...well, it's hard to describe. Time Trap was made so the Assassin, any Assassin, could find a place away from the battle, hide, and once time flowed again, be capable of being where he was most efficient: right behind you. I intended to use it as an equalizer if the Alicorns or, really, anyone thought they had me cornered. I was at least a little confident I could handle Celestia, but there was always the chance I was wrong. And from her amused smirk at seeing me, I wouldn't be surprised if she knew along what lines I had been thinking. We stared at each other for a moment longer, and then I broke the silence. "Just so we're clear. I see you lighting up that horn of yours, I'm gone." She nodded her head at me. "Understandable. From what the others have told me, your greatest strength lies in the realm of combat and mental control." She hummed and put a hoof to her chin. "Were you a mage, you'd be a fairly decent one. As it stands, without magic of your own, you have every right to fear mine." "Especially," I chipped in with a smirk, "since I've only been antagonizing you for gods only know how long. And that's not to mention all the legends others have of you." At this, her smile dropped a fraction of an inch, but I saw it all the same. Nice to see the immortal sun princess doesn't like any of her combat titles, it gives me hope that this won't devolve to combat. "By the way," I said as I began to make my way to the other side of the glade, so as to continue on my path to the Everfree Castle, "how are you here at this specific glade, at this specific time? Don't you have a country to run?" She giggled a little bit at that. "Firstly, while you are an important matter, don't act so paranoid. Ever since Cadence met you, I've been coming here, at the same time she did, to try and meet you as well. It seems only fair: you've met my sister and my niece, I thought you would want to finish meeting all us alicorns." I shrugged at that. "Not particularly. An alicorn is essentially the manifestation of pure, magical power, combined with flight and sheer strength. I...am none of that. I rely on stealth and being well-informed. Actually meeting one of you in combat can't end in anything good for me." At this, she hummed a bit. "An intriguing perspective. And secondly, I'm a princess, I do what I want. Although, technically, this is my lunch hour, and I do use a few spells to slip past my ever-zealous Guard." I actually laughed at that. "So your main goal all this time has not been monetary gain?" I paused as I moved some bits of the foliage out of the way. "You could say that. None of mine ever really knew that, though." Celestia and I finally walked into the clearing with the old castle, and I continued the thought. "While the money was all well and good, keeping mine fed and housed and warm and things like that, what we primarily dealt in was the intangible. Things that didn't exist outside of someone's mind or off of someone's lips. We dealt mostly in information, and there was always something I kept to myself." She blinked at that. "So much...mayhem, caused over such a timeframe, just for information? What possessed you to do something like that?" I slowly turned to look at Celestia from in front of the rope bridge. "Did...did neither of the others tell you? The score of mortal progeny father graced the realms with?" At this, she blinked and had the good grace to look abashed. "Oh. I would think, though, that I would hear of it as well, if there were ponies with the sort of...problems you have." I shook my head. "Only vaguely. Let's get inside, please. I'd like to see some census records from a thousand years ago and compare it with what I have before I tell you my theory." Once we were both in, Celestia sighed as she looked around. "So many memories. Most of them pleasant, but..." I stood back as she walked around in the entryway, then interjected. "...But the ones that stay with you are the ones you'd rather forget, am I right?" She nodded absently, and I smiled. "So, for example, were I to call you Sol Invictus-" Here she winced, and I smiled at that before she turned to me. "You've done your research." I waved a hand at her, brushing off her unasked question of 'how did you learn that name'. "Wasn't hard. At least, not with my travels and recruits over the years. The hard part was figuring out which of the legends had any degree of truth to them." She smiled slightly before replying. "Then you would know how much I...dislike titles earned through might, Doom of the Diamond Dogs." I winced then and looked askance. "I don't regret defending your ponies, Celestia. I never will. My only regret is that it became violent. Every time I form chains of evil to bind the Slayer...I relive the events that I use against him." I looked at her out of the corner of my eyes for the next bit. "And while compared to you, my life is probably very short, and the past hundred years only an eyeblink...they've been torment for me, because I can't forget what I did. It's only recently that I've been able to put the nightmare to rest. And the fact that...that occasionally I have to...to flaunt that title around, to intimidate or impress!" I blink back tears as I look up to the sky. "It makes me sick, sometimes. Recently, quite a bit, now that I've met griffons again. They...they like that story." I look back at her, to see a bit of sympathy on her face. "Tell me, Celestia, how do you deal with that? Because I've been wracking my brain for a hundred years, trying to get the memories out. And every time I use the title attached to them, all I can remember...is the sensation of that battle...of that slaughter..." And then she actually came towards me and attempted to comfort me with a wing. "I'll let you know when I find a way." I smiled sadly and sniffed before pulling away. "Thanks. So. Library?" She nodded and pointed with her other wing. "That way." The census records from a thousand years ago had exactly what I'd feared. Pulling out my own notes on the topic from my scroll case had only reinforced the conclusion I'd drawn. Celestia sat nearby, waiting for me to tell her my conclusions. I took out a new, blank scroll and began writing down names. Names of the lines that had started with Bhaal, and ended...abruptly. Which, tellingly, was nearly all of them. Then I pulled out a fresh map of Equestria and began plotting the disappearances. It started in the west, but followed a line to the north-east. Then they stopped for about ten years, before they picked up again. Only this time, they were widespread, and happened all over Equestria, with no pattern at all, except for one noticeable fact. Whenever I zeroed in on a Bhaalspawn in any town I was in, they vanished. Ponyville had been my lucky break. I motioned for Celestia to come closer, and she looked over my shoulder at my work. "This," I pointed to the line I'd graphed, "Probably indicates one of my half-siblings going to work a while back. After the ten-year gap, I don't know what happened for said sibling to become able to go from one side of Equestria to another in a flash, but I know they did. Because whenever I found another sibling and prepared to move...they were gone." Celestia pointed at Las Pegasus with her hoof. The dots there were nearly all black, save one, which I'd done in red. "And that one?" I grimaced. "That...was a brother of mine coming into his strength. His full strength. He'd begun to find clever ways to murder, and do so frequently. Eventually, I cornered him, and we recognized each other right away. After a battle that I wasn't sure I could win, I ended up atop a broken and battered Earth Pony stallion. The black in his eyes faded, and he spoke in his normal voice for the first time since I met him." She placed a hoof on my hand. "What did he say?" I closed my eyes, seeing his face in front of me. "His name was Loaded Dice. White coat, black mane and tail, red eyes...when he wasn't possessed, that is. And he begged me to kill him before the Slayer took hold again." I opened my eyes and looked at hers. "I granted him that mercy, a quick end to pain. And that was when I realized just how much of a mistake it was to kill my brothers and sisters, because for the first time in a while, it became hard to ignore the Slayer." Celestia gulped at that, but I pressed on. "Bhaalspawn that slay their siblings...take that spark of divinity for their own. But the price is simple enough. Oh sure, we get a bit more power, we live longer and are better at what we do...at the cost of having a stronger demon inside us as well. That was when I started to delve into old magics, and found the Blood Bridge ritual. It would only work between relations...but that's all I needed." Celestia nodded at my reasoning. "I do recall that case that came before me. It was surprising how atop the stallion's corpse was a plethora of scrolls containing all the information we would need to lock him away forever, had he been alive." I nodded at her unasked question. "My doing. I'd been looking into the sudden vanishings, and found the one common link between them beforehand. Namely, Loaded Dice. I figured the least I could do for the authorities was explain why Loaded deserved to die as best I could. Couldn't exactly write down 'he's a Bhaalspawn,' so I went with the next best thing." Celestia let out a little snort at that. "True, I think that back then, even I would have had trouble believing you." I looked to her and smiled. "And now?" She hummed a little bit before her horn lit up, and I was ten feet away in a flash. She blinked, but realized her mistake, and shook her head. "I'm merely conjuring something for you. Something I think you'll like." I kept my eyes on her horn and one hand on my stopwatch. "You have ten seconds." She only needed two before a slip of paper popped into existence before her. It fluttered to the ground, and she backed away from it. I slowly advanced, never taking my eyes off her horn as I bent down and picked it up off the floor. I briefly glanced at it, looked up to the horn again, then did a double take. The bearer of this ticket is hereby invited to attend the Royal Wedding between Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and Captain of the Guard Shining Armor. The rest of it was standard information. Time and location. I smirked as I read it. "She invited me to break into the Palace?" Celestia nodded and smiled. "Good luck." I prepared the watch before saying my parting phrase to her. "Celestia, please. I make my own luck." And with that, the Time Trap triggered, and I was gone. Chapter 20 - Worst. Family reunion. Ever.Chapter 20 - Worst. Family reunion. Ever. A wasteland. A blasted, dry, cracked wasteland, with a thousand flames burning in front of me. Some on the ground, some in the sky. All of them green. And then a voice came from behind me. "Who and what are you?!" I turned and saw her. Far larger. Far more powerful. She looked like she could stand hoof-to-hoof with Celestia for at least a minute. It started to fall into place, then. She was the progenitor of the rest. She was the direct link between me and them. And judging from the way the Slayer was reacting, we were related quite closely. In fact, he'd only acted this way around... Oh hell, Loaded Dice. A Greater Spawn. "Hello, sister." At that, she jerked her head back in shock. She clearly hadn't been expecting that sort of response! "What? Are you...we share his blood? Impossible! I scoured the lands ages ago of any who did!" At that, I growled. No, it was me, I checked. Though the Slayer showing up behind her wasn't a bad thing, either. Fortunately, he had the sense of mind to keep silent. I, on the other hand, was pissed. "You gave in to temptation? You slaughtered our brothers and sisters in blood? You took their divinity for your own?" I began to pace as I puzzled the situation out. "It makes sense, now that I think about it. That line I saw in the patterns, that was you, all those years ago, learning your powers, killing any that were related. But then, when you vanished, when I got to find and stop one of our brothers...you learned how to make...them." I waved my arm at the flames in the distance that represented her 'army.' "And then you sent them across the lands, seeking your relatives, taking their divinity for your own so you could live just a bit longer. And whenever I got close to one, you'd find out about it, and I ended up failing. Again and again." She started to preen a bit at that, but the Slayer talking behind her caused her to freeze. "Only one problem, insect. Your father shared his divinity with all his children, giving them a spark of his own, cutting away at his life every time he conceived another. In the end, he died alone, powerless." I leaned in and smiled at her. It was not a pleasant smile. "What makes you think your children don't obey the same rules, or that you won't share his fate?" She blinked at that, then when she realized what I was insinuating, she screamed an unholy scream, and the mindscape broke... Okay, so, pop quiz. You've got a demon inside of you that grows stronger the more of your relatives you murder. The city you're in is under attack by a literal horde of your technical nieces and nephews. The one responsible for it all is ungodly powerful, your sister by blood, and sitting pretty...somewhere in the city, directing said invasion. You have at your disposal a lifetime of stealth and sneaking skills, along with aforementioned demon and his insatiable thirst for spilling blood, and a few swords and throwing knives. Lying in front of you is one of your nephews. What do you do? If your answer was not 'Secure the nephew, get to a safe place, interrogate him, and figure out where your sister is so you can at least try to end this as quickly as possible,' then sorry. You lose. I sheathed my blades, made sure all my throwing knives were secure, bodily heaved the creature up and over my shoulders (thanking whatever gods existed that I would admit to that he was still out), and went directly to the tunnel into the dungeons. ...Yeah, we were gonna use it for evacuating the populace. But I needed somewhere to interrogate him. And afterwards, I could lock him into the dungeon. Perfect plan! I should stop giving the universe openings like that. But I digress. We'd just entered the dungeons and I was picking out a lovely cell for my nephew when I felt him begin to stir. Guess he wasn't going to stay out for long. I took an open cell, bodily tossed the creature onto the ground, slammed the door shut behind me (not caring that it would probably lock or that I didn't have any keys, I knew how to pick locks, thank you), and confronted the now-groggy creature. I held a sword to its neck as it began to hiss and pressed just hard enough to make him feel it through the carapace. "I'm going to ask you questions. I'm pretty sure you can understand me. Whether or not you're intelligent remains to be seen. Answer correctly, and you are, and will live through this. Fail, and I will slice you open like half of me wants to." He got real quiet then. Good, he had a brain connected to those ears. "First question. What are you?" There was a flash of green around his throat, and he coughed a few times before answering. "Changeling. I am a changeling drone. Simple things, simple tasks. I cannot do much more. Not smart enough." I nodded, storing the information away. "Why are you here?" "The queen commanded us to attack the city, take the ponies, drain them of their love. We obey." Emotional vampires? Interesting. Wonder if they Level-drain like the Forgotten Realm's version... "Who is your queen?" "She is Queen Chrysalis. All in the Hive hear her and obey." Iiiiinteresting. "Where is she?" "In the castle. She has taken the place of the alicorn of love and disrupted the marriage. We fight now to secure the capital and her." Physical incarnation of what amounts to a goddess of love in front of a group of insects that drain love...yeah, I can see that. "Final question. Why do you obey me?" Here he looked me in the eye. I think. Hard to tell. "You share her blood. I can sense it. Any changeling could." I blinked at that, then did a mental ping to my worse half. You hearin' him? Indeed. Perhaps allowing a bit of my nature to spill forth from you will allow you to avert conflict with the chaff on your way to our estranged sister? Just what I was thinkin'. I'ma go with three loose. There was the sound of chains snapping in my mind, and I could feel the changes come over my body. My breathing became deeper, my eyesight grew sharper, and the veins in my arms bulged slightly. I also began to emanate this...aura of malice. It was almost visible as a black haze around me. The changeling below me shuddered a bit. "Hey, little one?" He shuddered worse and raised his head a bit. "Yes?" he squeaked out. "I wouldn't leave the cell if I were you." He blinked and began to ask me something, but I turned around and kicked the cell door so hard, the locking mechanism snapped in half. I then turned around and returned my glare to him. "After all, someone might think you were trying to join the fight. And then someone might have to deal with you." As I began to stalk up the stairs to the rest of the castle, I could hear the cell behind me being slammed again, and snickered. Too bad, he would really need that lock when the refugees showed up... Finding the wedding was an exercise in annoyance. No, seriously, it was. No sign of it anywhere on the first floor. Plenty of hallways, though. I swear, some of them looped back on themselves or were just plain non-Euclidean. It was only when I made it to the second floor that I saw signs detailing where the wedding was. Which was apparently on the third floor, in a room with a view overlooking the city. So I groaned and made my way up one more flight of stairs. This time, the signs all had arrows painted on them, in a cheery pink color. I perked a little bit at that, thinking that perhaps Pinkie had had a hoof in this. When I got to the reception, however, good feelings were gone. Chrysalis was staring into the city that had once been Canterlot. Celestia was in some sort of green...cocoon on the ceiling. The six I had met in Ponyville, along with a child drake and Cadence, were off to one side, bound in similar slime. Standing near the queen bug was the captain that had tried to arrest me earlier. Once they caught sight of me, reactions were...mixed. Some groaned out a 'Oh now we have him to worry about?' Some waved. Some were confused. And Cadence plead with me. "Marketh, if you can do anything..." Then she noticed that I wasn't quite all me, and gasped. I merely nodded to her and cleared my throat. Chrysalis slowly turned around and looked at me, her eyes not widening an inch. "So. You're real, and you came. I must admit, I'm surprised my changelings didn't stop you." I snorted a laugh at that. "Puh-lease. We share the same blood of a dead god. They'd bow to me for the same reason they bow to you." She let out a little tisk at that. "We may share his blood, but I have a greater reserve. I've only been adding to it for so long. Let me show you what I can do." With that, she fired off a bolt of green at me. Or rather, where I was. I was now standing a few feet away, idly inspecting my fingernails. "You were saying?" She blinked at that, but shot again. Once again, I was not there, but under Celestia's cocoon. "Hey sun-flank. Doin' alright in there?" ...I should point out that normally, I would never say those things to an alicorn ruler, but at the time, sorta fueled up on demonic powers. It seemed like the correct thing to do. Nonetheless, I got a weak smile from Celestia for that, while Chrysalis growled at me. "Hold still, curse you!" She fired again, and I was over in front of the prisoners not in cocoons. "Oh, is that all you want? Fine, go ahead, take your best shot, dear. I'll not move." She blinked before slowly bringing her horn around and firing a significantly larger blast at me. Once again, it missed, but this time, it impacted the goo that was keeping the prisoners stuck where they were. Thus, freeing some of them. I was now ten feet in front of Chrysalis, whistling softly. "Guess what, dear? I lied. But then again, that's not something we're unfamiliar with, is it?" She snarled at that. "How?! How do you keep dodging my blasts?" I shrugged and motioned to the outside. "You seem to forget that while yes, you're the queen, and technically more of a monster than me, you siphoned off bits and pieces of your divinity to give life to them out there. Now, with what dregs of you remain, even my demon, even when I'm only letting him run free for a bit is more than enough to handle the likes of you." I didn't notice Cadence sneak over and grab the Guard-Captain. My eyes were focused on Chrysalis' horn, which had begun to glow a very familiar shade of green. Similar beacons appeared all over Canterlot, and my eyes widened, even as she began speaking again. "Then let us see you face me at the apex of my power, insignificant worm!" Lances of green streamed into her from the town, each one connecting with her and giving her a gradually increasing fearsome aura. By the time the last one connected, she was laughing manically. "FOOLISH, PITIFUL CREATURE! BEHOLD, MY TRUE FORM, A GODDESS AMONG MORT-" Rule 1 of Big Bad engagements: yes, it's unsporting, but when the Big Bad is spouting off a speech and you have a shot, fucking take the shot! This explained why Chrysalis and I were suddenly a lot closer than we had been a moment ago. Or why my sword was in her neck. Her aura flickered, faded, died, just as the light in her eyes began to do the same. She had time for one question, though. "H...how?" It was too perfect. "Puny goddess." ...And then...everything irises out... (POV shift - Shining) Shining shook his head clear for the first time in days and saw a sight he had hoped never to see, especially on his wedding day. The creature, Marketh Shadeblade, standing over the corpse of another creature, his sword dripping with green blood. Cadence reached out with one hoof and said in a very shaky voice, "M...Marketh? Marketh, is everything..." And then he growled and gained a fearsome dark aura around himself. And when he replied, it was not in his normal voice. "I...am Murder..." 'Marketh' turned himself around and glared at the ponies gathered there with a blackness in his eyes that was darker than a spot without stars in Luna's sky. When he opened his mouth, it was all sharp teeth, and Shining could swear that tongue of his was far too long. "I...am Death." Chapter 21 - Murder RebornThe creature was huge. It towered in the room, the room was nearly too small for it! It's limbs were comparatively skinny and lanky, yet both ended in a massive hand that was just full of razor-sharp claws. The legs were no better, the feet down there also ended in sharp, dragon-esque claws. Shining almost swore he saw the air itself be ripped as it moved about. Horns curled back from atop its head, spines trailed down its spine to the tip of the tail it had grown. The torso was huge, the head still had a maw full of pointed teeth and a tongue too long to be considered sane. The eyes had faded to coal black long ago, and the skin of the creature was blood red, while the more...bony protrusions were darker, but still red. The thing just radiated power and rippled with muscles, and there was this...aura of malice around it. Move, and you're dead, it said. THINK about moving, and you're dead. So much as TWITCH, and I will eviscerate you. Shining had been through training, he'd been on a few operations for the Princesses during his time in the Royal Guard before he became Captain. This thing still scared him on levels he didn't know he had. What was worse was that it hadn't attacked at all. Instead, it had closed its eyes and seemed to be...thinking? Concentrating? It had been like this for a moment, before it let out a bestial growl and stalked over to the window. With a single punch, a hole was made in the glass, and the thing stuck its head outside. And then it roared. The sound was like the gates of Tartarus going 'buck this, I'm out, you can stand here and listen to my charges all day.' It was like having your horn dragged down a chalkboard: painful to do, painful to hear. It was like the sound itself was pain incarnate. Silence reigned after the scream as everypony tried to get their hearing back. The first thing to break it was the sound of the creature talking. "But...no. This should not be. I am whole. Complete once more. My call should have been answered. The Throne should have heard me, should have recognized me. Perhaps...it is incapable of coming to me? Then I...will simply have to go to it..." And then the creature began sniffing, which was seen as odd by nearly everypony present. Twilight spoke up first. "Um...what are you doing?" And it responded. "Searching for that Chaos Elemental. His magic is the only one compatible with my nature, considering we both represent some of the darker aspects of creation. Now that I am whole, I can force a Blood Bridge to happen, and merely...consume him. Then I will be free to seek out the Throne of Blood and resume my form as Lord of Murder." Those that knew what he was talking about paled, while those that didn't merely gulped at the idea of someone being able to merely eat Discord. Twilight, again, decided to speak up. "You mean Discord, right?" And then the thing turned its attention to Twilight. "Speak, if you know where the creature hides." "He, uh, doesn't hide anywhere. We turned him to stone with the Elements of Harmony. He's down there, in the gardens, if you want to see him." There was silence for a second as the creature digested this information. "You speak nothing but the truth?" Twilight nodded, and the creature was silent again. And then it did one thing nobody expected. It began to laugh. The laugh went on for a long, long time, and slowly got more and more demented as it went on. "BRILLIANT! Just BRILLIANT! The first way I can come up with to get back to the Throne with minimal pain or death involved, and it's already not an option!" And then it raised one hand up and looked at it while it continued to talk, but this time, in a far more menacing tone. "Well then, option 2 it is." It lowered its hand and looked at all the ponies present before he began to do the one thing Big Bads should never do. He began to monologue. "Remember this day, ponies, for it was your last peaceful one! Until I return to the Throne, I shall plague your lands, murdering as I see fit! So long as I fulfill my role, I will gain strength, a little for every murder I commit! And as such, I will devote myself to turning your lands into a suburb of Pandemonium, until I return there!" The creature raised itself up and began to bellow then. "THE SKIES SHALL RAIN FIRE! THE SEAS SHALL BE AS BLOOD! THE RIGHTEOUS SHALL FALL BEFORE THE WICKED, AND ALL SHALL BOW TO THE MIGHT OF THE RAVA-" And that was when Princess Luna flew in the room and blasted the creature in the back of the head. "FOUL BEAST, THOU SHALT NOT WALK THESE LANDS! DESPITE WHAT MARKETH HATH SAID TO US, WE SHALL SAVE HIM FROM YOU!" It has to be said, that while normally it would be a terrible idea to stand up to The Ravager, Luna's stance was simple to understand. The Nightmare had taken her so long ago, and only recently had she been reformed. She knew what it was like to be a slave, a prisoner in your own mind, and she would not stand for it happening again. Especially with something aligned with something so dark as Murder. That was when everypony noticed the azure chain forming at the base of the creature's skull. It ran to the ground and attached itself to a bolt that had appeared in the floor. The creature turned and growled at Luna. "Spare me, Order. You and your sister here could not contain me. After all, should all things be dead, it would be extremely orderly, forever." That was when the creature was struck in the back of the head again, only this time, the blast came from Twilight. The beast let out a low roar at that and turned to look at the unicorn. "You! Some sort of...Order-Creation hybrid? You will PAY for that, little one!" By this point in time, Cadence had gotten Celestia out of the cocoon. A violet chain formed from the site of impact, and it, too, attached itself to the ground. Cadence drew a deep breath, but let it out and shook her head. "Nothing. I'm going to need to get some good rest before I can help with this." Celestia put her shaky hooves under her and stood up slowly. "I agree. Would you and Shining be so kind as to restore our shield so that we can be sure that we are free of the Changelings?" Cadence and Shining Armor drew close together, crossed horns, and a pink shield blossomed between them... ...Only for nothing to happen in the city below. The Ravager, however, screamed like a thousand banshees. Getting the idea, the two modified the shield, turning it from a city-wide phenomena into a dome encasing the Ravager's form. It screeched and howled as it tried to get past the energy now restraining it, to no avail. Cadence and Shining uncrossed their horns and shakily made their way over to their now-trapped prey. "So," Cadence said, "My bonds failed, and yet, staring at you, I still find you to be the monster." "I am what always lay within the boy. The deepest, darkest desire of his, that hidden shadow behind his heart. I am merely being true to my nature, whereas YOU! You would RESTRAIN his nature! To deny someone the freedom to be what they were always meant to, THAT IS MONSTROUS!" Cadence slowly shook her head and replied softly. "When you would be free at the expense of others lives, then you are restraining them far more than I am restraining you." Beaten by his own words, the Ravager screamed to the heavens. Shining and Cadence looked to Celestia and Luna. "Perhaps...should the shield hold, we can return after a good rest and attempt to return him to his normal form?" Shining sputtered and made to object, while Celestia eyed the demon warily. It was Luna who spoke up first. "Indeed, there are two potential solutions, niece. The first being that together, all of us with sufficient magic attempt to dive within his mind and find Marketh. The second being..." She trailed off while gesturing at the Bearers with a wing. Celestia slowly shook her head. "I am...uncertain, sister. If this...thing speaks any amount of truth, then I do not know if the Elements can have an effect. Their purpose is to help restore the true nature of a thing, to bring back balance. If...if this is his true nature..." Luna held up a hoof and glared at her sister. "Do not speak as such, Sister. I have every faith in Marketh, just as you had every faith in me and the Elements." She looked to the soon-to-be-wed couple and smiled sadly. "Rest well tonight, for tomorrow, you will be required." Her eyes flickered over to Twilight as well, as if to indicate that she, too, would be needed. The ponies left the Ravager to his glowing pink cell and went to recover from the incidents that had rocked their capitol. The next morning dawned, and the spellcasters were ready. The alicorns, along with the Sparkle siblings, gathered in a loose circle around the Ravager. Waiting in the background were the other Bearers, wearing their Elements. "Okay, so I've had some time to come up with a basic and back-up plan, along with several redundancies in case something comes up which we aren't ready for." Almost everypony present snickered at Twilight's ability to plan for nearly everything. She ignored them pointedly and continued. "First, we lower the shield. Immediately afterwards, everypony except Luna hits him with a similar binding spell. In my case, I'll reinforce mine. Then Luna reinforces hers, and begins to use her dream-magic. If she's right, and Marketh is merely slumbering inside this...creature, then it should be a matter of finding him, waking him up, and strengthening him to the point where he's the stronger mind again." Luna nodded. "I am more familiar with his mind and dreams than any creature save himself. I will be able to guide you all easily." "However, if we fail to restore Marketh, then we can fall back on the Elements." "Ready an' waitin', Twi," Applejack pitched in. Celestia spoke up then. "And should both our options fail, then I will be forced to banish him to the most secure place I can think of. Tartarus." Everypony present gulped at the thought, and Twilight nodded. "Shall we begin?" Cadence and Shining Armor nodded and cancelled the shield. Immediately afterwards, Shining, Cadence, and Celestia shot beams of magic at the Ravager's head. These morphed into chains that connected to appearing pegs in the ground. One was white, one was pink, and one was sky-blue. Twilight shot a beam at her chain, which had begun to crack slightly under the Ravager's attempts to escape, and the beast merely raised his head and glared at all present. "You cannot beat me. I will be free, and I will bring my namesake to this land..." Luna merely snorted and shot some magic to her chain, which the Ravager had ignored. Afterwards, the ponies around the Ravager joined their magic with hers, and they entered its mind... Author's Note I, uh, may have reinstalled the games in question, just to have a little fun... ...or for reference... Chapter 22 - Giggling not recommendedAuthor's Note I apologize in advance for the length of this chapter. ...You may want to get a drink and a snack before sitting down to read this one. I had one while writing it and I needed to get refills. Chapter 22 - Giggling not recommended This mindscape was different. A circular room of steel, with six doors. One set alone, while the other five gathered at the other side. The lone one was significantly larger than the rest, and in the middle of the room was some sort of raised hill, also of steel, with five holes set into it. The lone door was shiny and brand new, while the other five had slight rust on them. The grooves around the middle one showed it had been opened and shut multiple times. The five ponies who had chained the Ravager appeared slowly around the hill in the middle of the room. Once they looked around and gained their bearings, a voice spoke that belonged to none of them. "Hello, you who seek the dormant soul." The ponies started at that, but Twilight recovered first. "Who said that?! Where are you?!" "My apologies. You have heard the Ravager say that he is what always lay within the boy?" The ponies nodded, and the voice continued. "He lies. I am the true darkness in his soul, and currently, this realm is my doing. The part of him you seek, his light, it remains, but is dimming. Both because of the Ravager...and itself. He wishes to fade, now." Luna snorted once at that. "We are familiar with the feeling. Tell us, if you are his darkness, why make this realm? Why not join with the Ravager?" "Because he would destroy me as well in his mad quest to dominate this mind. I have saved the light, imprisoned it here, but he needs help if the Ravager is to be thrown off. And as you ponies are, you cannot help him. Which is why there are so many doors here." The party of ponies looked from one door to the next, taking in what few differences there were. "The larger one leads back to the mind as a whole. The Ravager cannot yet find us, though he looks feverishly. The others lead...to tests. Each of you must face your darkest secret, and bare it for the rest. Confront the truth about yourselves, and you will be of sufficient fortitude to help the boy. But the test in the center shall be taken last." The door in the middle suddenly seemed more ominous at the end of the voice's words. Twilight decided to speak up again after the voice was done. "What should we call you?" There was silence for a moment, and then, amused laughter. "My my. Giving portions of his mind identities? So amusing you are, child. Call me...Shade. It fits me well, and as I am merely a portion of him, so too is my name merely a portion of his..." The ponies nodded at that and went to one of the doors before hearing another chuckle. "Or...is it?..." This gave them pause for a moment before Celestia reached towards a door and began to pull on the handle. "Sooner started, sooner finished." "Oh, by the way, the tests depend on who opens them. Let's see what lies in your heart, Celestia..." At that, her eyes widened, and she began to whinny... "Celly, Lulu, wonderful to see you. Here to enjoy my Chaos?" The two mares stand before a young Discord as he begins causing a forest to float into the sky. Their horns are ablaze, their wings spread. "Nay, foul miscreant. We are here to stop your vile reign over our subjects!" Discord puts a paw to his chin and hums. "Last I recall, I was ruler of these lands. Has that changed lately?" He snaps, and a oversized crown, cloak, and scepter adorn him that would not look amiss upon any king. "Why no! No it has not!" Celestia, clearly unamused, snorts, lets out a bestial roar, and charges, knocking Discord to the ground and starting to pummel him with her hooves. "You. Will. Stop. Tormenting. The ponies. This. INSTANT!" Each word is punctuated with another punch, and eventually, Celestia stops, panting, while Discord just lays there, congealing. However, with another flash, Discord, sans his regal attire, is floating in front of the sisters again. "Had your little temper tantrum?" Celestia snorts and narrows her eyes in rage. "Why won't you just DIE!" "Because, Celly, I'm Chaos. You can't kill chaos, you can only fuel it, especially in a fight..." "It may have taken you a thousand years, but you learned, didn't you, Celly?" The vision faded, and the ponies in the room were confronted with what looked like a highly more ephemeral Spirit of Chaos. The ponies gasped at the sight, and Twilight, again, spoke up. "But you're stone! How can you be here if you're out there?!" The pseudo-spirit waved one appendage around lazily. "Oh, pick an option, Sparkly. A failsafe I slipped into his head, I was here all along after you stoned me, or, my personal favorite," and here he grinned wildly, "Maybe I'm not here at all! Maybe the mind we're inside just latched on to me and made an echo for later...or maybe it made a version of me from sunbutt's memories!" Shining slowly gulped and raised a hoof. "Was...what we saw, true?" Discord hummed and put a talon to his chin. "Well, if it was pulled directly from Sunbutt's mind, then yes, yes it was true." And then he gained a maniacal grin and spread his arms wide. "But wait, there's more!" And with a snap, another memory surfaced, drowning the ponies in the waves of thought and emotion... Another image formed, of a creature that was half-horse, half-man, with demonic horns. Behind him stood a hundred more of his kind, none of them in armor. On a distant hill, Celestia sat, waiting. She didn't have to wait for long. The creature strode forth on the grassy plains, and bellowed at her. "CELESTIA DAYWARDEN, I TELL YE THIS: SURRENDER LAND TO US FREE OF YOUR PONIES, OR WE SHALL TAKE IT FROM YOU, NO MATTER WHO OR WHAT IS ON IT!" Her response was immediate: a beam of concentrated light struck at the ground by the commander's hooves, and he reared back before returning to his army. "SO BE IT! YOU BROUGHT THIS ON YOUR SELF!" And the army charged as Celestia began to shine with light... "It was quite interesting, seeing my legion fall before her," the appearing ghostly centaur said. All the ponies gasped, but it continued. "After all, we thought ourselves invulnerable! We were the magic-weavers! And then we met the alicorn. None of us remained, save me." The creature looked to Celestia with a fire burning in its eyes as it finished its statement. "Her Dawnhammer destroyed all my soldiers. Only I remained, because of my incredible magic resistance. They would have remained had it been a normal unicorn. And even as you cast me into the depths of Tartarus, I cursed you, Sol Invictus." Cadence put two and two together and shook her head. "No. No, she wouldn't. Aunty, you wouldn't do these things." Celestia gulped once and nodded to herself. "For the good of Equestria, I have done much..." The creature cut her off. "Like destroy soldiers seeking refuge in your lands from their own across the ocean? Like banishing their commander to the depths of Tartarus, thus dooming the rest of his kind back home to a slow, steady death? Oh wait. How about this one?" And with another snap, the chamber changed again... "Please, I throw myself on your mercy." The young Chrysalis was nearly completely prostrate before Celestia. Next to the alabaster mare, a pink alicorn filly cowered. The leader had her stern poker face on. "Why do you require my mercy, creature?" Chrysalis gulped, and stated her reason in a shaky voice. "Because of my nature...I have a...sickness within me. Not only do I...feed off of positive emotions..." Here she paused and gulped again. Celestia's gaze had gotten a touch harsher. "...There is this...darkness within me...and every time I feed...it makes me want to drain...and drain...until there is nothing left. I need...help." "How many." Chrysalis shook her head at the question slash statement. "Too many. Far too many. I...I want...I need it to stop...I need help..." Celestia shook her head. "I can do naught for you. Leave my country and ponies in peace." Chrysalis threw herself down then. "Please! I beg you, something, anything! I don't want this! I want it to stop, to go away, to-" "SILENCE!" The statement was punctuated with a solar laser beam to the floor in front of Chrysalis, who went rigid from shock. "As I said. Leave. I can do naught for you." And then Chrysalis hissed and stood back up. "Mark my words, Daywarden, Sun-Shepard. I will return one day, and you will look back to this moment, and rue not aiding me." "And so I did," the ghostly Chrysalis said. "And you did remember me, didn't you, Daywarden?" Celestia flinched at that. "I...I was not talented in mind magic, nor did I have the link to the Elements, with Luna gone..." Chrysalis waved her hoof in a dismissive manner. "Your first instinct was to strike out at me for what I had done, rather than help me prevent what would come to pass." "So Celly," Discord started as the three ghosts of her past closed in. "What are we to you?" The space between the centaur's horns lit up, and Chrysalis' horn began to glow. Celestia began to shake a little before she collapsed on the ground, weeping softly. "You are my failures. My moments when I lost myself. The time when I was less than I should have been." "Not good enough, Celestia," Chrysalis nearly spat. "What...is your sin?" Discord nearly hissed out as he traced his claws down her neck. At that, Celestia gasped and spoke one word. "Wrath." And instantly, the room changed. The apparitions vanished, and the walls and floors of the room became awash in colors. Looking around, Twilight saw a strange...pattern to it. A small, red jewel appeared in the middle of the air, and absently, she took a hold of it with her magic and gave it to her mentor. The troupe of ponies made their way to the door that they could now see, and just before they left, Twilight looked back and gasped herself. The colors in the room aligned perfectly, showing Marketh beheading a Diamond Dog in the middle of a fierce and pitched battle. And then they were gone, back to the central room. Twilight's head spun from what she had seen, but she filed the sight away under 'to be determined later.' Carefully, Celestia placed the red jewel in a hole, and there was a clicking noise. Beyond that, nothing happened, save for the door they had used vanishing. Luna nodded at the spectacle and went to another door. Just as her hoof was about to touch it, that voice spoke up again. "Are you sure about this, Luna? After all, who can say which side of the mirror is the dark one..." The hoof pulled the door open, and their surroundings shifted again. In front of the ponies, in a room similar to the last, was another version of Luna. Only this Luna was just as grand and radiant as Celestia, done up in her formal silver armor, wielding a halberd seemingly made of moonlight. And this Luna was not amused. "Behold, my counterpart. I am what could have been. Under both my and my sister's rule, Equestria thrived." An image formed on the back wall, showing a far more populated Ponyville. It shifted, showing that the inhabitants were no worse off than the ones of Canterlot. And then the other Luna continued. "While my sister tends the day, keeps the peace between nations, cities, species, it falls to me to ensure that no unreasonable threats arise to begin with." The scene became one of night, and surprisingly, the ponies still walked about, most casting a smile upwards to the moon. "Under my watch, all are safe. I find and deal with threats quietly, discreetly. My thestrals are elites among those that deal in threat assessment and removal, and best of all..." The scen shifted again, to show a vision of Marketh kneeling before the two thrones in the Everfree Castle. "Best of all, this situation did not come to pass. The half-elf found us within his first month in our world, and we used him to find the taint of his father, and then we kept him on as a trainer for our guard, for there was much to learn from him." Another vision shift, this time of Marketh yelling at ponies in guard's armor. And then the room went dark as the other Luna lowered her halberd a touch. "So tell me why I, Luna Selene, Lunar Ira, Moon-Maiden, Shadow-warden, She Who Guards The Night, should permit you to exist. There is a weakness in your heart, my twisted double. Because of one moment, because of one thing, you damned your world to this fate." Luna caught on and decided to state what the room wanted of her. "Yes, because of that weakness in my heart, the Nightmare took me. And that weakness was the Envy of my sister's day and the love she gained for it." The other Luna slowly faded out, from back to front, after Luna had said her sin. The last thing to go was her mouth, and she used it to state one final thing. "True...tis better to never fall...but when you do, the rise is all the sweeter..." With that, the dopple-mare faded, a green jewel hovered in the room for Luna to take with her magic, and a door appeared behind them. Waiting for it, Twilight saw a flash of color appear in the room, and as they left, she placed it. But why...Ponyville? Why Ponyville during the day? When they returned to the center, Luna put her jewel to the core, generating a similar clicking noise. Skipping the center door, Cadence selected the one after it, and put her hoof to it. Again, the voice intervened beforehand. "Oooh, are you sure, miss alicorn of love? With your fiance here? He won't like what he sees..." Once again, their surroundings shifted... "Cadence, will you love me?" "Of course I do! Why do you need to ask?" The scene is one of Cadence, in a younger form, talking to...a pony. The details are vague, blurred. Nearly gone. But the vision remains, showing snippets throughout the other pony's life...up until Cadence is older, standing next to a freshly-filled grave. She sniffs, sets her eyes, her horn glows... And then she's in a younger form again. And the sequence repeats itself. Over. And over. And over again. Until Celestia comes into the picture, thundering and taking a hold of the pink alicorn, turning her into a proper filly. The filly looks around and asks a simple question. "Where are momma and daddy?" And then her life continues, with Celestia teaching her what it means to be an alicorn... But lining the walls of the room, the crosses of the ponies from her life remain. At the base of each one, a skeletal hoof disturbs the 'ground', and the corpses of her previous loves slowly extract themselves. "You said you would love me, Cadence..." one rasps. "You said we would be together forever..." "You said there would never be another in your heart..." "You promised, Cadence..." "Why did you do it, Cadence?" "Why did you lie to us?" The pink alicorn is breathing deeply, nearly on the verge of breaking down, and then she finally does. She throws herself to the ground and starts screaming her rage. "I DON'T KNOW! When Celestia turned back my clock to when I was just a filly, the ascension stuck with me, and I learned what it meant to be an alicorn! I learned it meant an immortal life, and that to promise to mortals 'till death do us part' was harsh on the mortals, especially when I was...as I had been. But my mindset from back then is gone! Celestia raised me all over again, I couldn't tell you what the older version of me was thinking!" Twilight slowly raised a hoof to her foalsitter's withers. "It...seems like she just keep wanting more love directed at her..." Cadence nodded once and hiccuped. "But...why would I be so...so Greedy, over something as irreplaceable as love?" That did it. One by one, the skeletons of her former loves fell apart, disappearing as the bones hit the ground. A golden gem appeared in the room, and Cadence shakily took it. As the group left, Twilight quickly cast her eyes over her shoulder and saw... The library, at night...and he's taking books? How...how do these visions tie in together? Cadence slotted the gem into a hole, and another click reverberated through the space. Shining Armor approached the last available door, and once more, the voice interjected. "Oh Shining, you'll enjoy this. You'll get to see a part of yourself that everyone but you has..." The scenery melted around them... "Discord may have returned, and he may be wrecking havoc on the land, but we are the ROYAL GUARD, and Canterlot will NOT FALL!" The dopple of Shining Armor rallied his faceless troops, who cheered, and then faded. The dopple, however, remained...and another appeared, rallying another set of troops. "Nightmare Moon may have imprisoned Princess Celestia, but we are the ROYAL GUARD, and we WILL FIND and RETURN her!" And again, the troops cheered...only for them to fade, the dopple to remain, and another appeared, rallying the same faceless army. "The Changelings have taken much from us, even our Princess is out of commission, but we WILL succeed, because we are the ROYAL GUARD, and we DO NOT GIVE UP!" Again, the soldiers cheered and faded, again the dopple remained, and one more appeared... "Okay, so the creature is within the library, and the Bearers are there as well. I want this done quick and clean. We give it one chance to surrender, and if he doesn't we knock him out. Remember, we are the Royal Guard, and failure is not an option!" The guards around the last Shining dopple nodded their heads, and once they faded, the real test began... All four dopple Shining Armors turned to face the real one and began speaking in turn. "Whether it's Nightmare Moon, Discord, or some other threat to Equestria..." "Or just your little sister..." "You throw out all concepts of what you can and can't do..." "And stop thinking with the one muscle that really matters." "I really can't believe they made you captain of the guard." "At least have the decency to put the colt through the janitorial staff, Princess." "Yeah, afterwards, he could clean up his own messes!" "Yeah, instead of dumping them all on someone else..." "And it's all because of that one little nugget of darkness." The dopples started to advance, and Shining panicked. What had been the same in all those visions? "That one tiny seed, from which all his little problems sprout..." Closer still. "Tell us, Shining, What...do you want? What does that little burning fire inside of you really want?" "You deserve it...you are the Captain of the royal guard..." Shining made to protest when he realized the pattern. The room wanted him to admit to something, and after a second's reflection, he found it. "Yes, true, I am the Captain, because of my magic in shielding spells. And while I do tend to get a bit of a swelled head sometimes, I think I have to disagree with you. Pride in your abilities is important, especially when you can deliver." Three dopple Shinings winked out of existence, and the last pointed a hoof at him. "That. That right there. There are things in this world you cannot do, and yet you act like you are a true member of the Royal Family, wings and all. Tell me, what will you do when it becomes fatal to those under your command, or you?" Shining sighed. "I knew the risks when I signed on, and my father gave me one critical piece of advice when I was younger. If you don't reach for the stars, then short of being Luna, how will you ever get there?" The dopple vanished slowly, leaving a blue gem in his place. As Shining reached out to grab it, a whisper echoed throughout the space. "Sparring and pushing yourself is all well and good, but acting like you eat lighting in the face of death is foolishness itself..." The ponies made to leave, and once more, Twilight stayed behind to see the change in the room. The colors came and went in a flash, showing Marketh fighting a gryphon outside some sort of structure. A whisper echoed through her mind. "Come on, stop trying to hit me and HIT ME!" "Gilda, you're now a full member of the guild." He...trained others? I wish these flashes would make sense! The jewel was inserted in one of the only places left, and the ponies looked to the last, intimidating door. Twilight decided to ask, then. "Who should open this one?" The answer was instant. "You should, young one. Come...meet me." Twilight gulped and put a hoof to the door-pull... The room was plain, barren of anything, save for an inhabitant. He looked...similar to the beast outside, but smaller, and with large wings on his back. It did a bow as the ponies appeared. "Greetings, ponies. I am Shade, Marketh's true darker side. I have been expecting you." His eyes flickered over to Twilight. "Most specifically, I have been expecting you, miss Sparkle." She gulped at that. "Why me?" Shade waved a clawed paw around. "Oh come now. You must have seen some link. You overcome one trial, only to receive an image associated with Marketh's experience with that sin. Fairly straightforward." Twilight scrunched her face up. "I...I can see Wrath. If he really was the Doom of the Diamond Dogs, then yes, Wrath I can see easily. But Envy and Ponyville? I don't see it." Luna spoke up then, softly. "One of his dreams was of him looking out towards Ponyville and wishing he could walk its streets again." Shade pointed at her and smiled (which did not help) before chuckling. "Any true Bhaalspawn desires peace after a lifetime of combat. And Ponyville, by far, was the most peaceful place he had ever seen. Not being allowed to visit...that only caused his feelings of Envy to build." Twilight nodded and stored the information away. "Greed and the library, him taking books, I also don't quite get..." Celestia spoke up next. "The one thing he has hoarded most over the years has been information. If he stole from the library, he probably values the information in those books more highly than ponies do the sun and moon..." The creature chuckled again. "Any true Bhaalspawn desires more and more, so as to be able to put its resources to bettering itself. The fact that his Greed was that of information does not lessen the fact that he did desire more and more of it." Twilight put another tic into her 'suspicious sayings' column and said the last one. "And Pride and him training gryphons? It doesn't add up as far as I can see..." The creature in front of them sighed and drooped a bit. "Any true Bhaalspawn takes great Pride in his abilities and powers over his betters, yet the only thing he is Proud of is the others he has trained over the years." Twilight finally decided to ask the question. "Okay, so you keep saying this, so I have to ask. Is he a true Bhaalspawn?" Here the creature's gaze shot up and locked with Twilight's before he started to laugh uproariously. By the time he finished, he had begun to fade, slowly. Slow enough that by the time he finished responding to Twilight, he was naught more than an outline. "Ah, miss Sparkle. That was the right question. For if he is, no harm, no foul. But if he isn't?" And with that, the creature was gone while a violet gem hovered in the room. The moment Twilight grabbed a hold of it with her magic, the room shifted. It still appeared to be made of steel, but carved into every available surface, as though it had been cut with claws, were the same six letters and singular symbol. WHO AM I? Repeated ad infinium, ad nauseum, the ponies looked around at the hundreds, no, thousands of times he had carved it in here. Some large, some small, some inside others, and all of them realized the same thing in the same moment. The only reason they assumed he was Marketh Shadeblade was because he had introduced himself as such. The only one to say otherwise was him, after all. But if even he didn't know who he was... Who did? Chapter 23 - Memory pend-D̢́̕̕̕Á̶̸̢͡T̶̴̸͜͟A̷͘͘͘͢ ̢͘C̡̀̕͟O̷̢Ŕ̀͏̕ŖŲ̵͢P̶͠͏̀T̶̢̨̕͡È̛D̸͢͝͞Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.Chapter 24 - Congratulations, it's a swarm!The cloud of changelings moved to be above Canterlot, and Marketh grinned. "Well, this is an...interesting sensation. Let's see how much control I have..." Before anyone could interject, the cloud shot a bit higher into the sky, and then the changelings moved in a pattern. It took the ponies a minute before they deciphered it, but when they did, they were not put at ease. After all, seeing a changeling swarm spelling out the word HI! over your city is about as relaxing as waking up to someone's face an inch away from yours before they loudly say 'GOOOOOOD MORNING!' "Excellent," Marketh said. "Control is in place. And...yep, that's going on as well! Now all I need is somewhere suitably dramatic and- oh hey! Shining, you don't mind if I borrow the training grounds, do you?" "Well actually I-" Shining began to object. "Great! I'd advise that you lot either stay well away or merely come close enough to hear. Changelings, come! Take me to the training grounds!" Before any pony could get off an interjection, a small swarm of the black forms crashed through the window, grabbed a hold of Marketh, picked him up, and flew him through the still-wrecked window. There was silence for a beat, and then Rarity asked the question that was in the back of every pony's head. "Why haven't we fixed that thing?" By the time Celestia and Luna had made their way to the training grounds, they saw it had been completely taken over. Packed. Filled. In essence, it was swarmed by the changelings. Normally this would be cause for concern. After all, they had just invaded not a day ago. However, they were all looking to one spot. Namely, they were all looking at Marketh. He noticed the alicorns coming in and winked at them, then raised his arms. "Changelings! For too long, Chrysalis has had you under her control. And when I returned what was rightfully yours to you, that position transferred to me. However, she kept you weak, dormant, unaware of anything save her will. Now is the hour when you will look back and say one thing." He raised his right hand over his head and finished his dramatic speech. "That this was the hour of your awakening." There should have been something, the sisters would later ruminate, that indicated that the changelings would change to such a degree. A flash of light, an explosion of wind. Something to punctuate that statement. What they got instead was every changeling closing their eyes, opening them, and rushing Marketh in a changeling version of a pony-pile. Apparently they were grateful. The sisters sighed and tried to get at Marketh, but the sheer mass of changelings clinging to him made it difficult to find his form underneath them all. Eventually, they found his face, and managed to get a word in edgewise. "We need to talk," they said. "Probably so, yes," Marketh agreed. "However, I seem to be a bit...stuck right now. I'm sure it can wait until this isn't a thing that is happening to me." The sisters looked at the mass of changelings and sighed. "You have five minutes," Celestia informed them. After the changelings voiced their disappointment with the idea of letting go of Marketh, Luna pitched in. "It could be worse. You could have no time." That shut the changelings up very quickly, and they resumed hugging their newest friend. "So essentially," Marketh said while sitting in one of the meeting rooms, with a changeling to his left that he was absently petting, "Chrysalis kept them all...dormant, for lack of a better word. They did her will, gathered intelligence...they were extensions of her. She could have changed that. She could have given them just one spark more of power, and they would have 'woken up,' but she never did. What I did was give back to them everything she took, along with everything she had, and a bit of my own strength, just a bit, to make sure every changeling would 'wake up' and form their own personalities." Everypony present, which was the Sisters, Cadence, Shining, and the Bearers, nodded slowly as the statements sunk in. "However," Celestia interjected, "I get the feeling you're leaving out some steps of that." Marketh sighed and motioned for the changeling to sit on his lap, which complied readily. "To go from 'extensions of Chrysalis' to 'comatose' to 'fully awake' would have been damaging to an extreme. Along with the fact that I had to help them deal with the memories of her rule. I had to pick. Cutting them out? Making it seem like a dream? Letting them be fully aware?" "In the end," the changeling stated, "He decided to give us a warning, that we may not like the memories, and let us choose how to deal with them. As of right now, every changeling has decided to treat it like a dream. It won't make up a part of who or what we will become, but neither will we forget it." The ponies had recoiled when the changeling spoke, but Marketh nodded and resumed petting the creature. "And there's still a connection as well, and seeing as how I currently am the ranking member, technically, you lot are dealing with a changeling king here. 'cept I'm not a changeling." "Like you need any more help blending in, sir," the changeling said while rolling its eyes. There was silence for a moment, and then Twilight spoke up. "So...what now?" The changeling and Marketh blinked at that, before Marketh smiled. "Well, for now, I think the changelings could do with some time to discover who and what they are and want to be. That'll take a while, though. So for now..." The sound of a thousand pairs of droning wings filled the air, and every pony present realized it was the sound of changeling wings. Looking out the window showed the ponies that the changelings were flying away from the mountain, towards the Everfree. All of them, that is, save the one on Marketh's lap. After the sound of droning wings died down, Marketh picked up the line of conversation again. "For now, they'll live in the Everfree while they work out all those little issues." The ponies in the room slowly came out of their shock and looked at the changeling on Marketh's lap. It merely smiled at them before replying. "I'm sticking around with him, I've already decided." "And a fine choice it is, my young apprentice." Marketh poked the changeling in the side, causing it to wince, before looking back at the ponies. "Now, unless I miss my guess, the rest of this meeting is going to be things I don't want to deal with, so..." A pocketwatch appeared on the table, let out a tiny ring, and then, Marketh was gone. Ah, Time Trap. It never gets old. Now to make my way out of this place, and- "Marketh." I turned to see that Celestia and Luna were looking at me, their hair not flowing in the non-existent breeze like it normally would. Shit. That's right, they're the closest thing to a divine on this plane. They can break through my Time Trap if they try. Though it would appear the effort does at least drain them somewhat, if the hair is anything to go by... "Princesses," I replied while picking up the changeling that had elected to stay with me. I reached the door, turned it, and began walking out when I heard them talk again. "You need to talk to someone, Marketh." I paused at that and sighed. "Yes. Yes I do. And the only ones who I can talk to about this are you two, your niece, your student, and your captain. Tell Pinkie she's allowed to tell you where my house is, and she will. Just...give me a week? To sort out the changelings?" And with that, I kept walking, not waiting for a response from them. Time Trap only lasts for so long... I lay against the wall of my base, humming to myself. I'd gone light on the training for the recruits as of late, but that hadn't stopped them from improving. Whispered Secret had finally made Member, and I was happy enough with the last Dog to say he could step up and join his friends as well. These days, they trained themselves with the facilities I'd provided and continued to update, which was busywork, really. The hum of the Hive Mind was something that I was trying to drown out, and I never really could. Today, I was experimenting. Maybe accepting it would make it annoy me less. Or at the very least, hurt less. I'd finally started to make headway into this when the sound of massive wingbeats from above jolted me out of my meditation. Knowing who it would be, I merely started to hum to myself. The sound of two ponies walking up towards me only confirmed which alicorns I would be seeing. Namely, the sisters. I opened my eyes to find Cadence and Luna sitting in front of me, which caused me to raise an eyebrow. Huh, guess I was wrong. "And you two are here because..." They exchanged a look with each other, then looked back to me. "Luna's here to lead me in, and then we're hoping the three of us can find your memories." I blinked at that. I hadn't considered that someone would actually be able to help me. "If you two can do that, I would be extremely grateful to you." I sat down against my base, the two alicorns came close to me and touched their horns to my head, and all the world went white again... Chapter 25 - Pull yourself together!The mindscape was different this time. It almost always was, depending on where you went in it. Fortunately, Luna knew where she was going, and Cadence had been in here enough times as well. The image of Marketh holding a tattered and ripped book while two others waited nearby slowly resolved. Pages flitted about in the air, flying just out of reach. The half elf looked from the book to the pages, then sighed. Luna decided to ask the first question. "Why do you not try to grasp the pages?" The half-elf looked up to her, then to the pages, and then to the book before shaking his head. "The tome is weighty as is. Should I fail to support it with both hands, then I would lose what little I could remember. The pages can only fly out of the book if I'm not holding it." Cadence focused, her horn glowing blue, then it shifted to white, before a beam shot at the book. The pages seemed to settle down considerably, and the elf looked at the book with a hint of wonder on his face. "What have you done?" Cadence merely smiled. "Your brain couldn't hold all your memories, true enough. But since an Alicorn is born immortal, we can. I tweaked your brain just a bit, so that your brain's long-term memory would slowly become like ours. In addition, over time, you'll slowly start to recall all you lost." The half-elf blinked twice, then slowly set the book down before opening all three and watching as a three pages drew near from above before settling into the books and fusing back where they were meant to be. He smiled at the alicorns before nodding. "Thank you for that." And with a wave of his hand, the mindscape faded... The two alicorns drew their horns back from my head, and I blinked at the new sensation, of something setting itself right, finally. I smiled at them, and they returned it. "Remember anything?" I shook my head at Cadence's question. "I can feel that something's changed in my memory, yes. I also know that you tweaked my memory, true. But as to whether I can recall anything now that I could not before, I could not say." At this, Luna sadly nodded. "Time is the only thing that can heal this wound. But at least now, it can be healed." I stood up and stretched, popping a few joints to keep myself limber. "Oooh, that felt good. Well then, m'ladies, I do have a swarm and guild to maintain..." Luna's coy smile did not set my nerves at ease. "And you also have about a thousand years of thievery to make up for." I shook my right index finger at her while my left hand sought out my pocketwatch. "Now now. The only thing I stole that you can still press charges for was information. I may have managed the guilds and taught them the skills, but the only thing I did beyond that was seek and obtain information pertinent to the Bhaalspawn phenomenon." Cadence began to smirk as well. "We could bring you in for giving them the skills in the first place. I'm fairly certain that if you hadn't sought to train them that there wouldn't have been near as many thieves as there are." And then her smirk grew. "Plus, you had to obtain startup funds somehow." The energy began to leak into the watch at an accelerated pace. Screw ten seconds, I would need ten minutes. I could only hope the watch could hold it all. "Ladies, you are grossly mistaken in your lines of thinking if you believe that I'm just going to come quietly." Luna's horn faintly glowed as her smile became downright devious. "You talk like you will have a choice, half-elf." Fuck it, any time I could get, now would be a good time to use it! I pulled the watch out and pushed the button, and the world around me faded into black-and-white. Yet I could see the colors on Luna and Cadence struggling to assert themselves. I would have so very little time. I rushed into the guild itself and dropped off a series of prepared notes in front of my recruits. To Gilda, I told her to take her skills back and trounce her father, take his command and share my lessons. I also told her that if I didn't hear of the Griffons dealing with problems before they became problems that I would be severely disappointed. To the dogs Fido, Rover, and Spot, I told them something similar. I told them in no uncertain terms that Spot was the brains of the outfit, Fido was the muscle, and Rover was the closest one to my body type to be called the thief. But I also told them that so long as they worked together, they could accomplish anything, including taking over their old den and instating a rule that I would agree with. And to Whispered Secret, I told him that if he didn't get in the Night Guard now, to try and come find me. I didn't tell him where I was going, because even I didn't know right at that moment, but I figured that if he found me once, he could find me again. By the time I walked back outside, Luna and Cadence were fully colored in again, but they seemed to have difficulty moving. Talking was another matter entire. "Marketh, why did you do this?" I reached over to Luna and plucked the crown off her head, looking at it and sighing. "Heavy is the head that wears the crown, so long as it rests properly. You are in a position of strength like no other, yet you are weaker than any other pony, because you have to think about the good of them all. To appease one is to displease another. Your throne may be so appealing to others, but I see it for the golden chain it is." I replaced the crown and looked to the sun, frozen in the sky as it was. "You are chained, but I am free. And I will not be bound. Not while I do not know who I am. All I know is the what, and the what tells me that in time, my shadow games could rival yours." "Especially now that you have a swarm of Changelings at your beck and call," Cadence mused. I smiled and waved a hand at her. "True, they'd make the perfect thieves. But frankly, they need to grow up and answer the same question I do." I turned to look at them both, sighed, and shook my head. "If you truly seek to take me in, then I will have to abandon my system. Not all that hard. And now that I know that all of Bhaal's descendents in this world are me and the changelings, I don't need to set up any more thievery guilds. In fact, with my link with the swarm, I could set up...yeah, that's a viable fall-back plan." Here my grin widened and must have looked maniacal to them. "Hell, I don't need to live in a town at all anymore! I could just...leave Equestria!" Their faces dropped in horror at the very thought of me leaving their lands. Huh, maybe they don't have extradition treaties with the other countries? I smiled and set off to the north. "Take care, ladies!" As the effect of Time Itself being stopped wore off, Luna looked to Cadence and sighed. "Methinks we doth play too hard with the half-elf." Cadence nodded and pulled a scroll out from somewhere. "He might have liked being the Royal Spy. We'll just have to see if we can't find a changeling in the coming days and make the offer through one of them." Luna shook her head. "Knowing him and them, he'll teach them everything he knows about blending in seamlessly. We'll be hard pressed to find them, and to go actively looking for them with the guard for any extended period of time would just worry the populace. He's outmatched us without really knowing that he was doing it." Cadence sighed and put the scroll back away. Gilda would go on to not only kick her old man's behind, but Ignatius' as well. Her father was quietly moved back to the regular Army, where he had been happier anyways. Gilda and Ignatius took over teaching the Spec Ops of the Griffon Army. In a few short months, the two of them had an effective working relationship that produced the smartest, deadliest griffons this side of Tartarus. And somewhere in all the endless bouts, Gilda got Ignatius into a compromising position. And griffons, being descended from birds of prey, pounce on what they want. The wedding was held shortly thereafter. Fido, Rover, and Spot would go back to their den and ingrain themselves back like nothing had ever happened. Right up until Fido walked into the makeshift throne room and punched the doors in. The current king was advised by Spot that this challenger to the throne was somedog who could be dispatched easily, and so the two fought. His blood still decorates the pillars where he more or less exploded to this day. Fido took the throne, Spot retained the position of adviser, and Rover was granted a new title: Bad Dog, the Dog's equivalent of a top spy, for handily poisoning the old king just a touch to make the display possible. The trio managed to lead their den to, well, the dog's version of a golden age. At least, as well as they could. And Whispered Secret? Well, he searched in Canterlot for a while, until he heard the rumors that something was happening up in the north. Once he confirmed that something big was happening, as evidenced by the disappearance of Cadence and Shining Armor, he knew there was only one place left to check for the biped he was looking for. "Cold up here!" I nodded, not really surprised that of all my recruits, he was the one to not only want to find me, but able to find me. "Almost always is," I replied. The sound of crunching snow announced that the thestral was now next to me, staring at the same phenomena I was. A dome of blue in the middle of this arctic wasteland. "What's that?" I shrugged. "There was a lightshow up here about a week ago. I got here about a day ago to find this. The dome's new. There was some sort of city in there, all shiny and everything. Then a train pulls in, and this dome goes up, and suddenly the snow starts melting as it hits. Good thing, too." "Yeah," the thestral replied. "Can't imagine living up here without whatever that thing is." "Not just that," I replied. I pointed to a bit beyond the city at a black smoke cloud just on the horizon. "See that thing over there? That patch of blackness that just feels wrong to think about?" "Yup, I saw it right away. What is it?" I shrugged. "I dunno, but it looks like it wants in. Been banging away at the dome since it went up, and only recently took a break. Think we should try the dome first?" "Sure thing, boss." And I could almost hear the smile in his voice. "But if we end up anywhere near that thing, I'm turning tail." "Good," I quipped, "You've learned something!" Chapter 26 - Like a chihuahua threatening a bulldog.Watching the crystal city come back was a spectacle in and of itself. I caught vague glimpses of the six from Ponyville running some sort of carnival, though they called it the crystal faire. And while I had wanted to slightly show myself to them, I realized it would be a bad idea when the shield came down for the first time and that shade slipped something in. What was really bad was when the shield kept flickering, kept failing, and the buildings kept transforming. I did, however, have a tiny bit of faith in the ponies from Ponyville. Having caught a glimpse of Cadence and Shining on the balcony also set my nerves at ease, but really, I never took my left hand off my pocketwatch or my right hand off my long sword. I wasn't even sure if I could do anything to the malevolent smoke creature, but I intended to try. It was only when it became corporeal in the form of a unicorn that I thought I actually stood a chance. I snuck out from Whispered's and mine hiding spot and advanced on the thing, preparing to take it down. Never got the chance. Some little dragon appeared at the top of the castle with a jewel of some sort, and the shade reacted by summoning a tower of dark crystal to launch himself at it. Thank the gods that Shining can throw his wife. And there's a sentence I thought I would never say. Cadence intercepted the dragon, the two of them dodged the shade until they reached the base of the towering structure, and when the MacGuffin activated, the shade was blasted to kingdom come. But I saw his horn. It remained intact as it sailed away from the city, the ruby light glinting in the air before it left the bubble. I took notes on the trajectory and nodded at the fact that after the device activated, the storms outside died down considerably. Guess the shade was responsible for some of their intensity. I swung back by the hideout Whispered and I were using and knocked on the door, causing the thestral to pop his head out, his specialized sunglasses only barely working now that the city had been restored. "C'mon, we've got a thing to find." He sighed and I could see the eye-roll under the glasses. "When do we not?" Scaling a nearby mountain revealed a cave whose shadows were deeper and darker than one would normally expect, even from a cave in the middle of nowhere. It was the tendrils that did it for me, really. Whispered and I looked at it for a minute before either of us spoke up. "So, what are we looking for again?" I put the watch away and drew both of my shortswords. "I'm looking for the horn of whatever that creature was, cause it was blown off intact. And I'm fairly certain leaving it be would create a situation for the world, which would give me a headache sooner or later, as evidenced by this." Whispered nodded and sat down a fair distance away from the cave. "Fine, if you get in trouble, just scream really loudly, and I'll tell the changelings that you died trying to defeat a great and terrible evil." I sighed at that. "You've learned far too well the art of snark." I could almost hear the smirk in his reply. "This would be after I go back to the city, find out who's in charge, and bucking tell them that there's an eldritch shadow abomination hiding in a cave that you went to fight." "Aw," I cooed, "You do care." He snorted at that. "Only because I don't want to try and bury you out here." I nodded and boldly walked into the cave, feeling the shadows wrap around me. It was oddly warm, and it was hard, even with my Infravision, to see the path ahead. I had to shuffle carefully through the ice cavern, and I heard a whisper as I did. "You are...strange. Your mind is...fragmented. It is...hard to see what you hate...what you fear..." I snorted at that and kept myself moving forwards. The horn was in here somewhere, I knew it. "That'd be because my mind is broken." "An interesting development. But it will not save you." Green and red eyes opened up in front of me, and I sighed. "Intimidation won't work on me. I've seen and done more terrible things than you likely dreamed of." At this, there was a surge from deeper in the cave, one that briefly lit up the entire thing. There, a red glow! And then the moment passed, and the voice returned. "I am KING SOMBRA! Tyrant of the Crystal Empire! Enslaver of them all! I command the shadows and twist your fears until they devour you!" I flourished my swords a bit and smiled wryly. "I'm Marketh Shadeblade. Last of the Greater Bhaalspawn by my own blades, Doom of the Diamond Dogs by slaughtering a war party of them. Shall we continue?" The eyes actually receded for a moment, and then returned. I got the impression that if this thing had eyebrows, he'd be narrowing them at me. "You think that impresses me? I am a master of the shadows and darkness! I will not be cowed by your mewling!" At that point, I saw the darkness give way to a redness, and beneath that, the faint outline of a horn on the ground. I reached for it and snagged the thing, and the shade of Sombra drew closer to me. The darkness became suffocating, thick, almost physical. "Let us see what lies within your mind! Let us see what you fear, what you hate! LET YOUR DARKNESS CONSUME YOU!" At that, I felt him tapping at my mind, and I closed my eyes, merging with what little was left of the spark within me. I'd kept him starved, and he was no longer able to whisper to me. I could still make use of his energy, though. Forcing a bit of his energy into the Swarm had helped as well. "You think to see what a Bhaalspawn fears? What a Bhaalspawn hates? You think my darkness is your ally? You know nothing of my darkness, Aspect of Destruction!" The darkness started to vanish, its presence lessening, and things just...go black from there... Within the mind, the forms of Sombra and the Slayer stared at one another, then looked to the form of Marketh. "So, you wanted to see my shadow. Here he is." The shade scoffed. "And this is supposed to impress me? This creature could barely touch me in my glory days!" "But you're not in your glory days anymore. And this is our mind. Our rules." Before the shade could react, the Slayer picked him up, and all his color vanished as he turned to stone. It didn't stop with that, though, as the shadows he commanded slipped over to the Slayer, who appeared panicked. The form of Sombra, now fully grey, crumbled to dust, and the form of the Slayer became amorphous. Marketh drew his sword and stared at the black, indistinct form that now lay there. "Now what the hell are you?" "We are Destruction...nearly. And you will carry us to our other parts, so that we may be whole once more." The half-elf shook his head. "Not interested. Now if you'd kindly returned my demon and get out of my head, that'd be great." "You talk like you have a choice, child. Hatred, Fear, Wrath are all part of us. Lust, you dealt with. Envy, Pride, Greed remain. And we will be whole once more." And before any more words could be said, the ball of black and red flowed over the boy, silencing his screams... Whispered Secret saw the shadowy tendrils in the cave recede, heard a high screaming, and then there was silence for a minute. Then there were footfalls from within that slowly drew near, and Marketh showed himself. But something was wrong. Something was dreadfully wrong, and the moment he entered the sunlight, Whispered saw what it was. When the light hit his form, darkness trailed behind him, creating a distortion in the air. "Sir?" Marketh looked to him with black eyes and holding a red horn in his right hand. And then he spoke two words. "Two remain." Author's Note Short, but I hope it gets the idea across as to what this story'll end with. ...I did say this story was ending soon enough, right? Chapter 27 - I don't know who thought it, but yes, it can get worse!"So let me see if I understand you here." Whispered Secret fidgeted and readjusted his specialty sunglasses while the Princess of the Crystal Empire, also known as Cadence, reviewed the story he'd just told her. "You snuck into the city and watched the whole battle without intervening." "To be fair, I'm a thestral, I tend to sleep during the day, and this city is bright," he nitpicked. Cadence continued like he hadn't tried to defend himself. "Marketh says that there's something you two need to find and you follow without question." "Well yeah," Whispered interjected, "He only trained me." "And when you arrive at the cave which is leaking actual tendrils of shadows, his first instinct is to go in and deal with it because 'if I don't do it, it'll cause a headache for Equestria and me'." The thestral stallion shrugged at that. "He's very self-serving, true, but deny his claim, I dare you." "And when he comes out wrapped up in shadows and acting like a possessed being, only then is your first instinct to come and tell me. When it should have been that all along. That about right?" Whispered made a show of thinking it over before nodding twice. "Sums it up. So, any idea what he found? All he said when he came out was something about there being two left." The other ponies in the room shuffled around a bit. Shining stood next to his wife, and the Bearers were halfway between Whispered and the door. There were at least four guards that he recalled seeing, two to the door and two to the throne. There were probably more hidden just out of sight, waiting in case they were needed. Then there was a sound from behind him, and Whispered slowly turned to see the lavender unicorn with a hoof raised. Whispered raised an eyebrow before nodding at her. "Well," she said, "based on the trajectory and location, I think I know what it was that landed there. After all, I had a good view of it, trapped in the tower at the time as I was." The other ponies waited as she let out a sigh and finished her sentence. "Sombra's horn. I saw it survive the explosion and get blasted out of the city. If any fragment of Sombra could end up with any real power or link to him, it would be his horn. Marketh was right to after it, yes, but..." Every pony there mentally finished her sentence. Just what did he get involved with by doing so? The Castle in the Everfree. Once home to the two sisters, once the seat of the Equine's power. Nowadays, it has fallen into ruin, for none have been there to maintain it for the past thousand years. The most action that's happened in it in the past while has been the rediscovery of the Elements of Harmony. Oh, and a biped and an alicorn checking out old records in the library. Still, not a whole lot going on, there. Until this day. Resting where she last existed in this world, the torn remnants of Nightmare Moon clung to her shattered and scattered armor. Black smoke curled up from each piece, each one seeming to let out a low, desolate moan. If only any piece had the power to find any other. Then it would return, the Nightmare, and bring fear and terror back to the world. No longer would it cower in the shadow of others. Alas, it was stuck, forgotten, alone. Once the armor rusted away forever, the spirit of Nightmare would have nothing left binding it to this world, and would be forced to move on to another. Too bad it was not going to get that chance. A series of low footfalls would have been heard in the castle, if anything else were around to hear them. The form of Marketh, trailing shadows behind him, approached the shattered armor, and carefully nudged it closer together. The wisps merged into one large, dark, smoky cloud, and a set of slitted cyan eyes opened on it. They cast their gaze around before they landed on the figure in the room, who thrust a hand into the cloud and somehow grabbed a hold of it. "Nightmare Moon. Mare of Envy, Jealousy, Greed, Pride. She who was one with Luna, true mistress of the Night, one half of Order. Destruction requires your essence and your memories so that it may be brought to bear on this realm." If clouds of smoke can panic, this one did and attempted to move back away from the figure before it. Heck, it would have taken dissolution and banishment from existence rather than the fate this creature had planned. However, what little struggle it could put up was in vain, as the figure drew its hand back, taking the smoke cloud with it, and inhaled it. The armor on the floor melted and twisted, then attached itself to Marketh's form in the form of greaves, bracers, and highly superfluous pauldrons, all of which gleamed silver. However, the body itself became more obscured by shadows. It was getting hard to distinguish anything about it until it opened its burning red, slitted cat eyes. And then it spoke again. "Hmm. Interesting...Tartarus is the most secure place you know of? You had plans to break in there and see what Celestia locked away while you were exiled?" The figure turned and looked towards the direction of the gates of Tartarus before speaking again. "Perhaps we will find the last one there..." "Sister, we have most disturbing news." The sisters Celestial had been upset ever since the report a week back about Marketh finding the horn of Sombra and being possessed by whatever dark magics lay within it. Actually, strike that. They'd been upset ever since he'd vanished. To hear that he'd reappeared, only to vanish again while under dark influences... They'd seen the darkness in his mind. They didn't want to think about what he could do when a thing like Sombra had him in his thrall. And that curious statement about there being two left chilled them. "More disturbing than our bipedal acquaintance being possessed by a millennia-old shade of one of our greater foes, Luna?" Luna nodded. "Indeed. Near our old castle, there had been a slight...disturbance in the Dreamscape. Those closer to it suffered more frequently from nightmares. I did ponder why this could be for some time, then came to the only conclusion that could be, and sought to find out the truth of the matter myself." Celestia's breath hitched for a moment. She'd known ever since Luna had been returned, of course, that fragments of Nightmare would linger for some time. She'd taken effort to make sure that every piece of the armor was scattered far enough from another that they would not accidentally come too close and begin to restore its power. "What did you find, sister dear?" Luna strode to a window and replied while looking out it. "Fragments of Nightmare. And while the memory of our time as one being sickened me...I did decide that letting it linger, suffer, wither, and being forced to move on a fitting punishment for the pain it had brought us and was bringing our subjects. I merely had to place a ward around the pieces to prevent their influence from the Dreamscape, so they could not draw from the fear of our subjects." Celestia nodded, and Luna turned to look at her. "But that ward had nothing to do last night. And when I looked, the fragments were gone. The room still reeked strongly of magic, but Nightmare's essence was gone. The echoes of its presence, however, were not as weak as they would have been had it simply faded away, nor was there any scrap metal on the floor. I fear...somepony has absconded with the spirit of Nightmare." Suddenly, something clicked in Celestia's mind. Two remained? He'd been talking about great, dark threats. Chrysalis had already been dealt with. Sombra had been dealt with. Now Nightmare had been dealt with. The only one left was- "Tirek," she whispered. Luna cocked her head at Celestia. "That was that centaur from your memories, correct? What of him?" Celestia began to walk briskly to the entrance of the room. "He's in Tartarus, and if I'm right, Marketh is going to pay him a visit!" She called for her guards, and together, they began to plan, hoping that somehow, some way, they could catch Marketh off-guard before he got in those gates... In front of the gates to Tartarus, a three-headed dog snoozed, dreaming idle dreams. It had one duty, make sure the gates never opened, and except for that one instance where it wandered off, it had fulfilled that duty to the letter. While it was now snoozing, it was snoozing in front of the doors themselves, and they opened outwards. If anything from inside tried to get out, the dog would know. And then there was a smell. The snouts sniffed once, twice, and then one of the heads sneezed before blinking and looking around. Finding nothing of interest, it moved back to lie asleep and yawned. When it looked dead ahead, that's when the head saw it and barked, waking up its fellow heads. The other two were cranky for a minute, and then they saw what the third head had. Standing in front of them was a bipedal being that just oozed dark magic and shadows and evil. It was exactly like something the dog's master would have him stand guard over. Did this thing come from inside?! And then it spoke, and despite the creature being smaller than the dog, the voice inspired terror. "Cerberus. Guard Dog of Tartarus, holding cell for that which Celestia deems too dangerous to live, yet cannot bring herself to kill. You. Will. MOVE." The dog growled at that, and the being chuckled. "We merely wish to see if our suspicions are true, if there is a creature in there. We can do this the boring way or the fun way. But one way or another, we are getting in there." The dog kept growling, and the creature sighed. "Sit. Stay. Roll over. PLAY DEAD!" There was a sudden sound, and all the birds that had dared perch near the gate took off at once... Within the mind, it was chaos. The gestalt entity that Destruction had been had pulled apart at the seams when the Nightmare was introduced. Now, three separate voices guided the will of the being. Sombra and Nightmare both sought ways to bring the Slayer down while trying not to lose to each other. The Slayer had been reduced in recent days, and while he could take one of them on easily, with two, it was difficult. He couldn't stand before them both. It was a holding pattern. He merely hoped Tirek would be easy to sway to his side...and then easy to dispose of. There was only room for one voice in the entity they would become! Denied the chance to become Murder Incarnate, it would go another route! It WOULD be divine again! Meanwhile, below the brawl taking place, a young boy looked at the three tattered books before him before staring up at the storm of paper above. He closed his eyes, raised his hands, and fought tooth and nail. He wanted to remember again. He knew the risks, knew the stakes. If, whenever this thing was whole, he couldn't stand up to the survivors, then he would never be in control again. A small section of paper drifted down from above and affixed themselves to the books as he began reciting five words to himself, over and over again, relishing in their taste and sound. "My name is Christopher Wetherby....my name is Christopher Wetherby...MY NAME is CHRISTOPHER WETHERBY..." Chapter 28 - *Insert Portal song title here*Chapter 28 - *Insert Portal song title here* The amalgamation of shadows stared at the broken chains in Tartarus. "He was here. Tirek. Greed, Pride, Wrath. He was here for so long, but recently left." The creature looked to the doorway, and there was an audible sniffing sound. "His scent, his presence, it permeates this place, but only in recent time did it go that way...and it did not come back. He escaped." The creature sighed. "Why do they never make it easy?" And as the creature of darkness left Tartarus and slid the doors closed behind it, it cast one gaze over to Cerberus' form and snorted. "Be thankful we left you alive, dog. For we will need you to guard this prison when we put Order and Creation in here." Cerberus merely let out his version of a groan as he lay against a nearby tree that hadn't snapped under his weight. He'd been flung into several to be beaten into submission. He'd failed in his duty... The creature stalked off, and not half an hour later, a squad of royal guards showed up to see that Cerberus lay defeated. From there, they would extrapolate that Marketh, or more accurately, the thing Marketh had become, had been here, bested Cerberus, and taken what he wanted from the prison before they could get there. While technically true, and it would send Celestia and Luna into a tizzy, it was also inaccurate in the sense that Marketh hadn't gotten everything he came to Tarturus for... Tirek groaned. He needed magic! That solar nag had taken all of his power when she imprisoned him. He'd managed to get by by stealing magic from the foliage and small animals, but today was to be different. Today, he had been stalking a pony that had recently used a corrupting artifact. That would only make it all the sweeter when he drained her... The pony grumbled to herself as she walked along one of the many 'safe' forest paths. The sound of the forest around her unnerved her, true, but the Great and Powerful Trixie would not particularly mind until the rustling came towards her. And then, the forest went silent, which was quite probably worse. There was the sound of steady hoofsteps, and Trixie turned in multiple directions before she placed it: Whoever it was, it was coming through the forest from the west. There was a sudden rushing sound, and Trixie whipped around to see some sort of pony-creature running at her. The thing exuded an aura of malevolence, and she backed up a touch, eyes widening. This felt far worse than being under the Amulet's control. Far, far worse... The sounds of the creature running at her did not lessen, they increased to the point where they sounded like a stampede. In fact, it was rather loud for one creature, wasn't it? Almost like there was- From behind her, a growl was all the warning she received before a creature seemingly made of shadows and silver jumped and tackled the thing to the ground. Trixie stared, slack-jawed, at the sight of two monsters fighting in front of her. She had no idea what they were, but she knew a certain lavender unicorn who might... And then the shadowy one of them spoke, and all thoughts of bringing either one back to that town left her mind in favor of getting the buck out of there! "Tirek. General of the Centaurs, last of your kind. Magic-eater. Pride, Greed, Wrath. Destruction requires you for it to be brought to bear upon this realm." "FOOL!" Tirek bellowed, which was impressive, considering his stature didn't seem to lend itself to bellowing. "I serve none! And you interrupted me from my snack! I will destroy you, then her, and then proceed to that solar nag!" "It was not a request, Tirek." And then Tirek's body turned ashen grey before it broke apart into tiny particles and collapsed. What little was left was blown away on the wind, and the creature growled before it seemed to...grow outwards. The shadows that made it up became thicker somehow, more defined, more...bulky. As though they were far more solid. It seemed intent to match the minotaurs in terms of raw strength...and horn count. And then it drew itself up and looked towards Mt. Canterhorn, and growled. "Order, Creation, We come for thee." Everything was just about perfect in Ponyville. These days happened more often than they didn't, but nobody paid attention to them, not really. It was just another day to run around and do things. Twilight had been in the middle of a particularly large tome detailing how Sombra had risen to power and what, exactly, those powers were. Hey, considering that Sombra was where the current debacle started, she thought it prudent to try and understand his shadow manipulation, along with any weaknesses his darker magics could have. She was making excellent time, too. And then the screams of 'MONSTER' permeated into her mind, and she drew her head up before her pupils shrunk in panic. "SPIKE!" The baby dragon rushed downstairs. "What is it, Twilight?" Twilight shook her head and began penning a missive. "I don't know, Spike. But if the townsponies are crying monster, then I'm going to inspect it. If I'm not back in ten minutes, or if I scream your name again, send this message to the Princess." The message was simple enough. A suspicious call of monster had arisen, her thoughts on what it likely could be, and a request for aid. She rolled it up and placed it on the desk, then galloped out the front door, heading towards where the screams were loudest. She was not prepared for what she saw. A behorned, shadowy, bipedal creature, with portions of it gleaming silver. The eyes were slitted crimson, and if it had a mouth, she couldn't see it. She could hear it, though. It was growling incessantly. And then it spoke, and she could only recall all the times she and her friends had faced down evil. "Begone, little ones, we shall institute our rule soon en-" Then it caught sight of her and howled. Twilight did the first thing that came to mind when it came lumbering after her: She teleported back to the library and all but shoved the scroll into Spike's face. "SenditsenditSENDIT!" A burst of green fire had the scroll aflame and off to Princess Celestia in an instant. In the next, there was a thumping noise, and Twilight instinctively cast a shielding spell on the inside of the Library. The thumping kept up for a second, and then the voice came back. "Twilight Sparkle. Student of the Sun. Creation, Order...one day, perhaps. Come forth, little mare, and be dealt with!" Twilight managed a shaky response. "I'd rather not, if it's all the same to you." A pause, and then it responded again. "Actually, it is. So long as you are separated from your friends, the Elements of Harmony cannot be brought to bear on us." There was a flash of light from outside, and the unmistakable tone of Celestia, and an angry Celestia at that, was heard through the walls of the library. "MARKETH SHADEBLADE, CEASE AT ONCE!" "We are Destruction now, whole and complete, Order! And we will HAVE THIS WORLD!" The sounds of a furious battle came from outside, and then there was silence as the sounds tapered off. Presumably, the two were combating one another, and Celestia was leading that creature away from Ponyville. After a minute, there was another flash, and Luna's voice could now be heard through the walls of the library as well. "Twilight Sparkle, are you well?" Twilight held her head to the door and flattened one ear against it. "Princess Luna?" "Are we not friends, Twilight? Just Luna, please." Twilight chuckled a bit. "Alright Luna." Twilight lowered her shield spell and cracked the door open. Not only was Luna there, but Cadence as well, along with the box that held the Elements of Harmony. "Cadence! The Elements! Luna...what is happening?" Luna sighed and looked at the box. "Marketh Shadeblade has been meddling in forces that no mortal should be meddling in. True, he appears to be ageless...or age-locked...or some such thing, which is probably why he is still alive, but the influence is clear. His inner demon, Sombra's remains, Nightmare's tattered scraps, and sister believes, Tirek as well, have banded together under one banner to create a creature of unfathomable darkness." Twilight's mind boggled at the implications. "So wait, that thing calling itself Destruction, and when Princess Celestia called it by Marketh's name..." Luna nodded. "They are one and the same...or at least, they were. Sister believes that Marketh is too deeply buried, too far gone to be found anymore." Twilight looked from her friend to her old foalsitter and cocked her head. "But you two..." Cadence smiled softly. "We think he can still be found. We've been in his mind, Luna more than most, and can attest to the fact that it's very strong. Given the fact that the Elements worked on most of the beings he's taken into himself, along with the fact that we never tried it on him directly, we should give it a chance, don't you think?" Twilight nodded rapidly. "Yes! The Elements are the strongest artifact and magical power for good and harmony in Equestria! If anything can help him, it'll be them!" And the trio went out to find Twilight's other friends... Within the mind, the war was total. Tirek's body may have been weak, but his spirit was strong, and he took no side save his own. The only one that came close to his level of power was the Slayer, so the Nightmare and Sombra stayed away from the fight that was to come. The demon and the centaur traded blows back and forth, and neither could gain the upper hand. Below, the boy had nearly finished his work. The three books were almost all repaired. The blue one was his life on Earth, the red one was the memories and instincts of Marketh Shadeblade as they had been given to him upon his entry into Equestria, and the green one was his memories of Equestria. But there was one page left, and it flitted about above him, not affixing itself to any book. Curious, the boy reached out and willed the page into his hand, then smiled as the title made itself known. With that last bit of knowledge in his grasp, his memories were complete again, and his mind could be his own, once the squatters were gone. He looked up and snorted at the thought of waiting. Suddenly, he was the size of a Titan, and all around him were the villains and their little contest. Tirek stopped mid-punch, and even the Slayer stopped growling. This wasn't the mortal he was used to pushing around... "I...AM NOT...AMUSED!" Chapter 29 - Helluva spin cyclePonyville in and of itself appeared to be relatively intact. There was a little cosmetic damage from the start of the fight between Celestia and the creature of darkness, but it wasn't anything that couldn't be fixed in an hour. The real commotion was from the area to the south of the town, between it and the forest. Dust was settling from the battle Celestia had drawn there. Twilight, Cadence, and Luna had gathered the other Bearers and arrived to see something that was frankly unbelievable. Both Celestia and the creature of shadows were panting, exhausted from their bout. Both of them were in the center of a circle of dead grass, the earth itself slightly disturbed by whatever had transpired recently. But where Celestia seemed to need a moment to gather her wits and power, the creature was already recovering. It got its legs under itself, drew itself back to its full height, growled a growl that could plausibly cause avalanches, and spoke. "Celestia, your time on this world ends now. You will be sent to Tartarus, and Destruction shall reign!" The sound of this thing's voice was terror-inducing. However, bolstered by each other and the Elements Luna quickly placed on them, the Bearers stepped up to the creature. And that was when Luna opened her mouth. "Foul beast! You shall pay for defiling Marketh and attacking my sister!" The creature turned around, saw the Princesses, saw the Bearers, saw the Elements, and began a ear-rending howl. One that was cut off in the middle by a hacking cough and the beast taking a knee as it spasmed and twitched. And then it spoke again. "Twilight...Sparkle..." All present held their breaths. "Open...fire..." Twilight blinked twice, nodded, and the Elements of Harmony went off. The rainbow impacted the beast, and it howled... The Titan had asserted its will and entreated to be blasted with the Elements of Harmony. When the rush of rainbow entered the mind, young Christopher molded and directed the flow. Each of the three Equestrian villains was reduced to smoky essence and bound up in a sphere. The Slayer would take more work, though. And then the boy's eyes fell on the books of memory, and he smiled as a plan came together. With a couple of mighty punches, the Slayer was reduced again, then his unconscious form grabbed along with all the rest. The boy turned his attention skyward, and the mindscape finally broke. He was finally free... The rainbow cleared, and what was left in the clearing was not the creature or Marketh. It was something similar to Marketh, yes. But at the same time, not. Its hair was brown, its eyes were green. Its ears were decidedly non-pointed, as opposed to Marketh's slightly pointed ones. It was wearing a black shirt that showed off its forearms as well as its hands, and the pants were of a strange blue fabric. The shoes were white and laced. Then the new being drew itself up and began to speak, thus identifying its height as lesser than that of Marketh's, but the gender as the same. "Invaders, I cast thee out of mine mind." He raised his left hand to the heavens, and three shadowy spheres, followed by one green one, appeared over it. Then, the male brought his right hand over and made some sort of flicking motion with each of the three shadowy orbs, sending each one off, screaming, into the distance. After that, he looked at the green one, sighed, and put his right hand to his chest. What happened next was something no pony could ever unsee, despite how much they might want to. The being placed his right hand over his heart, pushed, grabbed a hold of something, and in a fountain of blood, extracted two tomes. One done up in red, which he passed to his left hand, and one done in blue, which he kept a firm hold over. Once the red tome was in his left hand, the orb of green sunk into it and caused the tome to start glowing. The male looked at it firmly for a moment before talking again. "Return to whence you came." And then he threw the book into the air, where it vanished with a flash of light. After which, he turned to Cadence and smiled. "For the first time in a long time, I remember. And I have you two to thank for it." With that, he held out the blue book and continued. "What I sent back was all the memories and instincts of Marketh Shadeblade, infused with the Slayer. Unbound from me, it had no tether to this world, and was snapped back to its own. This book...contains my memories of Equestria. Take it, and I will be similarly unbound, and snapped back. Possibly. Or, you could leave it with me, and I could start again." The sound of Celestia speaking up interrupted the male. The ponies and others turned to look at her, and she pointedly looked at the book before looking back into the being's eyes. "You would offer us this? Why?" He smiled softly. "Because I do not know if I want to return, nor do I know if I can forgive myself. Or if you can forgive me. While it is true I had another man's life, another man's curse, jammed into my head, my thoughts and ideals mixed with his. So how much of what happened is my fault, and how much of it is worthy of the best banishment you could offer?" Celestia's eyes narrowed as she looked at the male's chest. "And what is that?" His left hand reached back into himself and withdrew a simple yellow book. It was extremely thin, Twilight would be surprised if it held more than twenty pages. The being smiled and looked back to Celestia. "A probable future. Should you choose to let me remain, this will turn from the blank book it is into the life I will lead next." There was a pause for roughly a minute as various twitches and near-expressions played themselves out on the faces of the three alicorns. Finally, Celestia sighed and proclaimed her decision. "Place them back in yourself. Both of them." With a quick flourish, the books were replaced with no small amount of bloodcurdling noises. The male bowed, there was a flash of light, and the clearing was clean again as the remnants of the Elements of Harmony's magic left. The being in the clearing was mostly the same, but now it staggered and fell into a kneeling position while a blue bag appeared and fell next to it. The creature clutched his head with one hand and moaned. "What...what happened? Why...how..." Celestia cautiously approached, but by the time she did, he'd collapsed fully onto the ground. Checking for a pulse, the solar mare turned to her sister and said the one phrase nobody really wants to hear. "Call a doctor!" Beeping. Incessant beeping. The feeling of something stuck in my arm, and constant, constant, beeping. The sensation of something being attached to my chest, and that damnable beeping! I pried my eyes open to see a white ceiling above me, and I felt a blanket atop me. There was a noise from one side, but I paid no attention to it. Instead, I focused on myself and thought long and hard about what I could remember. The last thing I could recall with clarity was...seeing Sombra's horn in my hand, hearing his voice...after that, it was a blur of me fighting tooth and nail to try and regain some semblance of control again. And then I was...here. I had no idea where here was. After another moment to think, I realized that moving was an option, and began to do so. I immediately noticed that I was in a hospital room. I hadn't been in one in Equestria, but seeing as how the machines around me matched up with some that I'd seen on Earth, it seemed the most logical conclusion to make. I then made a startling conclusion: whatever I had ended up doing to regain control, I had been possessed by...I think multiple? dark forces at the time. Naturally there would be some recovery time factored in, but there would also probably be some dungeon time afterwards. Not sticking around for that. Luna'd been banished to the moon, and she'd been Celestia's sister! I had no such familial ties. And Tartarus was horrible this time of year. I carefully looked at the nearby machines and turned each one of them off before looking down at my body. There were what looked to be sensors and an IV stuck in me, which told me a few things. One, the ponies didn't know much of my physiology and wanted to get a better idea while I was out so that they could keep me alive, and two, I'd been out long enough for hydration of my body to be a valid concern. The third thing was noticed while I was carefully removing the sensors from myself, and that was that I was currently absent my pants, shirt, and shoes. A quick scan showed me they were likely in a wardrobe in the room, and I gulped at the thought of trying to escape in my underwear. A small hiss escaped me as I pulled the needle for the IV out. Never did like those things. Once I pulled myself off the bed, I realized something highly important: I wasn't Marketh anymore. Everything that had made him up, everything that he could do, was gone. This went from having the Slayer's voice in my ear to being able to dance in combat like he could. Granted, I still remembered how he did it while he was here in Equestria, but that was academic knowledge, not muscle memory anymore. And while I enjoyed the thought, I could certainly use his skills in stealth right about now! I had just managed to get my clothes on and was starting to plan my daring hospital escape when the door to my room opened. And in walked Celestia. Followed by Luna and Cadence. The room was suddenly very cramped with three royal ponies in it. I slowly looked between them all and got in a relaxed position on my bed. They studied me, and then Cadence asked a question. "What is your name?" I chuckled at that. "Well, while I've gone by that name for a while, the name I was born with is Christopher Wetherby. Pleasure to finally meet you, your highnesses." Cadence nodded and stuck out a hoof, which I shook. Luna looked to Celestia with a slight hint of smugness, and Celestia rolled her eyes. Then the solar mare spoke up. "So any and all traces of that other name?" I thought about it for a moment. "Hmm. I can remember my time here. But any of his specific skills are mere knowledge to me. Not muscle memory. I know how he did them, but don't expect me to reproduce any." Celestia actually went from her usual 'poker face' to a soft smile at that, and Luna put a hoof on my shoulder. Then the lunar mistress questioned me. "And the traces of darkness upon your soul?" I really focused at that one, and there was a flash of memory. I responded absently as I watched it play out in my head. "What was formed from the union of the Slayer and Sombra was an amalgamation, something that desired more power merely to have more power. Once Nightmare was added, the two fought against the Slayer, and a unified mind was a pipe dream. The Slayer sought out Tirek in the hopes that once added to the entity, he would help subdue the others. However, Tirek had no desire to serve any others, and sought control himself. Their fighting only had one common goal: dethrone you two, take over, and from there, figure out who the dominant mind would be, and rule as Destruction Incarnate. However, all that fighting allowed me to rebuild my memories, and with knowledge of who I am, I was able to take back control. The darkness was cast out, and the Slayer was returned from whence he came, along with the memories of Marketh Shadeblade. He and I are no longer one, and I am no longer a danger." The three seemed impressed by my tirade, and Luna nodded softly. She too had been taken by darkness, so she likely thought that she'd found a kindred spirit. Celestia smiled, actually smiled, and placed a hoof on my head. "Welcome to Equestria, Christopher Wetherby. May your stay be long and pleasant." At that, I chuckled, and all three of them raised an eyebrow at me. I then decided to elaborate. "In my home, there are a set of three ancient sayings that can be taken as curses when thought about properly. The first is 'may you live in interesting times', and I certainly have at that. My whole life up until this point can be thought of as interesting. The second, 'may people in authority take notice of you', done. You lot are here." At this, the three were chuckling. I waited patiently for them to ask, which didn't take long. "And the third?" I turned to Cadence and made sure my smile was full of teeth. "May you get exactly what you wish for." At this, Celestia fidgeted, and I wrote it off as mere familiarity with the phrase... Author's Note So yeah, just one more chapter. The epilogue. With a guest we haven't seen for quite a while conversing with Chris! ...Make that two of them! Chapter 30 - Epilogue"You know," I said while stirring my tea, "If you had told me even as far back as one year ago that I would be having tea with the embodiment of Chaos and the Guard Captain, I would have asked you what you were on and if I could have some." Indeed, outside my home slash hideout, at a lawn table that had suddenly appeared with incredibly comfy chairs, Discord sat opposite me, while Shining Armor eyed both of us warily. Discord had provided most of the setting, while I provided the location. "Indeed," Discord had said, "If you had told me something similar when I broke out, that I would be taking tea with the Guard-Captain and he who once gave me chills, I would have called you off your rocker." Shining smiled at that and snarked. "You calling someone crazy? Aren't you the definition?" Discord grimaced, drank from his cup, and waggled a talon at Shining. "Please. I may enjoy a good bit of fun every now and then, but that Slayer creature..." I grimaced as well, then drank my tea. Strawberry, this time. Interesting. Then again, when Discord provided, few things weren't. "Distilled Murder. An aspect of Destruction. This world is just bursting with the opposite, so even the most unbalanced blanch at the idea of even the slightest hint of it. Sombra and Nightmare Moon being apt examples." The others nodded, and I turned to more fully look at Discord. "Hmm...by the way, did you ever check out that glade I told you about? I would like some answers, finally." Discord nodded and snapped his lion's paw, causing a small image to appear over the table. As he began narrating, it changed to reflect his words. "While I don't know how you got here from your end, on ours, it was a simple magical scan that showed me the situation. A rare one, at that. Some remnants from Celly and Lulu's fight with me, along with some from Cell's fight with her sister's darker half. Combined with an astral alignment that happens in that forest once every hundred years or so, it was more than enough to open a portal...or pull a being from where it did not belong to here." I sighed at that. "The only thing I can tell you is that on my end, I was playing the game from which Marketh came. And since my world doesn't have magic, I can't tell you if there was anything I did to bring it on. I doubt it, though. More likely than not, something in Marketh's world triggered it." Shining and Discord nodded, and Shining took a sip of tea before humming. "By the way, what happened with your apprentices?" I waved a hand. "The dogs and Gilda went back, they've learned more than enough to be able to teach it to others. Whispered, I have no idea. Lost track of him after Sombra." Shining filled in at that. "From what I hear, after he warned us about you, he went back to a Thestral colony, to share the tricks you taught him about existing in daylight to those that want to try. At least, that's what he said he was going to do. Beyond that, no clue. He might yet return." I shrugged and drank from my tea again before making a face. Lemon. Really sour lemon. "Well I'm glad he's doing well." Discord waved his paw in a so-so fashion. "From what I heard whispered through the batpony grapevine, his family made a practice of tracking you and the crime wave you propagated, in hopes that bringing you in would earn them all some good grace with sunbutt. So while he is being looked down slightly for colluding with you, the tricks of the trade are getting some of them noticed when they apply to the Night Guard...along with helping them coexist with the day-timers." Shining took a sip of his tea and grimaced. "Licorice. Bleh. Anyways, how about you? How're you holding up without a guild of scoundrels or the powers of Marketh?" I shrugged. "I still have the memories of everything he did. I don't think I'll ever be able to replicate even half of them, but time and effort should see me through the basic techniques. They're academic memory, not muscle memory." At that, I snapped my fingers and drew up the Bag of Holding from under the table. I rummaged for a bit before drawing out a stout, brown box with a hinged, latched lid. I set it down in front of Shining with a slight 'thud'. He looked at it, then at me, with a raised eyebrow. "That," I said, tapping it, "contains all my notes and journals and the like from my time here. A good portion at the start are disorganized, but it's nothing a certain lavender librarian won't be able to figure out." Shining's eyes widened, but eventually he smiled and put a hoof on it. "A thousand years of notes from a perspective not a pony. I'm certain she'll love it." Discord actually smiled and folded his hands together. "A mighty gift indeed. What next, you pull out Angel from that hat of yours?" I shuddered at the thought. "Perish the thought. I've had the displeasure of meeting that little hellion. He's just lucky I lack my skills or a decent hasenpfeffer recipe at the time. I'd not put him near anything of mine if you paid me. Speaking of..." I held the bag upside down and over the nearby ground. Shaking brought out a flood of Bits which I stopped halfway through. Needed some to live on, after all, but I didn't need them all. Not with my job as a security consultant for local and sometimes abroad businesses and banks. Giving some back would be seen as a good gesture. "Think you could get these back to where they're needed?" Discord put his eyeballs back in his head, they'd boggled out during the flood of gold. He shook his head a few times, focused, and snapped. The gold slowly faded out, bit by bit. I then remembered one last thing, reached in, and pulled out a small violet bag with golden drawstrings. I thumped it down in front of Discord, and the table vibrated slightly. "And this," I said while gesturing at it, "Is my Gem Bag, filled with what gems remain from my adventures. I don't need them nearly as much anymore, nor do I have dogs to feed, so I'd ask of you to dispose of it. Either Spike or Rarity would make good candidates, considering its storage capabilities and what already lies within." Discord hefted it and grunted. "Surprising amount of weight for a little bag." I nodded and drew the Bag of Holding's drawstrings closed. "Considering the amount of jewels in there, I'm not surprised." Discord drank from his teacup and placed it back on the saucer, which shifted from the alabaster it had been to a rich, verdant green. "Giving away your possessions? You're not thinking of dying, are you?" I shook my head. "Eventually, yes. Without that little divine spark within me, I'll start aging again. But not anytime soon. This is just to smooth over relations between myself and ponykind. If I'm to be trapped here, let it be on good terms." Shining nodded, and the two of us set our teacups down. With a snap, the table and tea set were sent back from wherever Discord had conjured them from. Another moment for us to stand up and stretch saw the chairs on the same path. I shook Discord's paw, then turned to Shining and shook his hoof. "A pleasure, gentlemen. We'll have to do this again next week. Maybe with cards?" Discord's eyes widened as his eyebrows climbed. "Oooh, there's an idea! We could make this a regular thing. Poker with the boys!" Shining raised one eyebrow at my suggestion. "And why would you want to see me again? Discord, I can understand, the both of you are suited to each other now. But me? We're on the opposite side of the fence!" I smiled at him. "A popular opinion of those in power in my homeland is to surround yourself with an equal measure of those that don't agree with you along with those that do. That way, if you run a plan by them, you get a thorough dissection of it and find all the flaws and perks. If you go too far either way, one will tell you that it'll never work while the other will tell you it always will. And half the time, they're wrong. Keeping me close will let you find out where the flaws are in your guarding." Shining nodded at my logic. "Fair enough." Discord popped on his way, probably on to Twilight's library. Shining walked off, probably to the train station. After a minute of the area outside my house being clear, I heard the distinctive sound of wingbeats. Featherless wingbeats. "They gone?" I nodded without looking around. A moment passed, and I felt a distinctive hoof on my hip. "Well, time to get back to training." I sighed at the thought of more training. "I'll be surprised if I come anywhere close to where I used to be. Any improvement is good, Whispered." "Yeah, but I want to see you able to beat me." I rolled my eyes. "Oh, how the mighty have fallen, for the student to become the master." Chapter 1 - ...And scene!"Careful," Shining Armor instructed his guards, who were currently scanning the space in front of them with their magic, "We've already dealt with no less than three trapped hallways. We're probably going to find a few more before-" That was as far as he got before the underground hallway in front of him and his three guards erupted into a cloud of flying metal. Almost as a reflex, Shining Armor cast his shield spell and winced at the sudden strain. Nonetheless, all the guards breathed a sigh of relief that the trap had been stopped. Disbanding this den of thieves is becoming troublesome, the Guard-Captain thought to himself. They'd already picked up fifteen ponies, and while all of them had been skilled in a fight, slipping in and around the guards, almost dancing around the magic and metal, each one had been subdued. Especially when Shining made his shields airtight and just waited for the ponies to pass out due to lack of oxygen. However, one of the...apprentices, that was it. One of them had let slip that while they'd nabbed the apprentices, regular members, and masters, there was one more hiding in the basement. The grandmaster. Of course, he'd been chastised for his slip-up, and even he himself seemed sheepish that he'd admitted to it, but the damage was done. Shining and his three trusted lieutenants had descended to find themselves having to run a gauntlet, the likes of which none of the guard had even been aware could exist. Pressure plates linked to numerous devious devices, swinging metal meant to test agility, and even a target range. With dummies in guard armor and targets drawn on. It's not all bad, Shining mused to himself. We could definitely use some training in dexterity, if these things and our inability to dodge them are any indication, and they're giving me ideas for an obstacle course to implement back at base. Casting out a quick pulse of magic and receiving an echo back, Shining smiled. The corridor ahead turned and ended at a room with no other apparent doors. Got you, whoever you are. Shining charged up a stunning spell, intending to end the final fight before it even began, and motioned to his lieutenants to do the same. Pausing for a second to impart some last-second non-vocal commands, Shining took a deep breath. On the exhale, him and his squad burst around the corner, into the room, and were greeted with absolutely nothing. Oh, the room was furnished, and even had a few maps of the city, Manehatten, hanging around. A few filing cabinets were open and bare, and the desk appeared ransacked as well. It didn't take long, though, for the oddities to start stacking up. For one, the desk and chair appeared far larger than normal, as though they'd been built for a minotaur rather than a pony. Second, it appeared that none of the cleaning out of this den had been done in haste, as evidenced by the fact that everything, not just what had been important at the time, was missing. And third- was that a bed over there? Yes, a bed. Meaning that who or what ever the grandmaster was, he slept down here as well. And it, too, was oddly proportioned. Glancing around showed that whoever was in charge of this den had taken great pains to make sure that it ran smoothly. And then Shining's eyes fell upon the folded paper on top of the desk. Wordlessly, he floated it down and opened it, reading it out loud. To the Guard- Well done, I say! You found us! ...Of course, that means bugger all. I knew you were coming. You can't run a den of black-hearted scoundrels and not expect to be found out at some point. The trick is not getting hauled off with the rest of them. And while I will lament the loss of the individuals I left behind, I made it quite clear from day one that this was a thing that could happen to them, and they still stuck around. Adding in the fact that they all know not to say a word to implicate their fellow pony, and, well, I estimate that you'll be able to only make the charges of resisting arrest actually stick. In the meantime, I'm skipping out with the funds and settling down again elsewhere. Do take care on your way out! Sincerely- The Grandmaster Shining's fur bristled more and more as the note openly mocked the Guard. None of his squad said anything, even as the note burst into flame in his grasp. Who or whatever the grandmaster was, he was certainly one thing: Annoying. (POV shift - Marketh) I stood atop a nearby building and smiled as the Guard-Captain emerged from my former Guild. I would be set back by this, true. One does not just find ponies that have a talent in theft. My ears picked out what he was saying, even from this distance. "Get the criminal investigators down there as soon as possible, try to determine any and everything about the grandmaster. The more we know, the better we can fight him." I sighed and pulled out a world map that had been one of my first acquisitions in this world. I'd had to update it every so often, of course, but it was still a useful tool. I pulled out a pencil and drew an X over Manehatten, wincing at the pun. Manehatten. Seriously? What will they think up next? I looked over the map and the various X's that were on it, whistling lowly. Every time I'd been caught in a town or city, even slightly, I'd fled and made sure not to return for a while. But it would seem my options in this past century had been diminishing rapidly. And ever since Canterlot had become the capital and Celestia, along with her newly-recovered sister Luna, had taken residence there, I'd put it on the list of places I would not visit. At least, not for any extended period of time. Not yet, at least. I was only beginning to learn my feats, and I wouldn't be able to stand against magic of their magnitude until I prepared. There were only a few places left to me, really. At least for a while, and even then, they might have heard of me already. One was a town out in the dusty desert known as Appleloosa. And it was small and new, nothing worth my time there, most likely. Whereas the other was known as Ponyville. And while it too was small, its location near the base of Mt. Canterhorn, while regrettable, also meant there was a high influx of stopover tourists, people who came for one day to rest while they proceeded up to Canterlot. I winced again at the pun. Are there no names that are sacred to them?! Still, Ponyville's high tourist rate meant that there would be no shortage of targets...or recruits, assuming I could find them. I smiled and packed my map back up before making my way across the rooftops to the edge of Manehatten. Dropping down to the ground left me facing the most dreaded, by ponies, of places: The Everfree Forest. It loomed in the distance, projecting an aura of something both sinister and twisted. I'd vowed to one day look into the history of the place. Y'know, when I wasn't on the run from the Guard. I smiled as I drew closer to the forest. Last time I came through here, I got a level. Let's see how many I can get on my journey to this Ponyville place. And with that, my latest relocation trip began. (POV shift - Celestia) Celestia sighed in disappointment as she read the report from Shining Armor. "Another guild, another failure." Luna perked up and peered over her sister's shoulder, quickly glancing over the document. "Pray tell, how so, sister? The Captain doth say that he hath captured all the members of the guild spare for their master. Even a partial success is a success." Celestia's horn glowed and summoned a map from her bedchambers to float in front of the duo. Marked on the map were several notes, tiny, near mistakable for errant inkblots. "Every time a den of thievery has been seen in the last millennium, I have taken pains to see to it that the details were recorded. And a pattern began to emerge." Celestia motioned at one of the notes, which was near a dot symbolizing the town of Trottingham. "Whenever a scarily competent guild emerged and the guard moved in and disbanded it, their guildmaster always escaped." Celestia motioned towards the note near the town of Baltimare. "Whereas when it was a guild that bumbled more than stole, it was determined that it was a copy-cat guild, made of ponies entire, and their guildmasters never fled before the guard moved in." Celestia sighed and began to make a note around the city of Manehatten. "As such, I can only determine that who or whatever has been running the competent guilds can only be some sort of wicked, long-lived being. It began shortly after your banishment, sister dear, and I took little interest at first. But when it kept happening time and again, it became a project of mine to try and find this being and stop them." Luna peered at the map, studying it intently. "Sister, hath this being ever set up a guild in the same town twice?" Celestia blinked. "No, never. Sometimes in the same town as one that had a copy-cat guild in it, but never in the same town twice." The two sisters peered at the map with a renewed fervor, realizing that their quarry might now be predictable. Three towns lacked notes around them. One, out in the desert, known as Appleloosa. The second, Ponyville. And the third, Canterlot. One seemed far more likely than the others to be the next destination of their mysterious antagonist. At least, if he were interested in the acquisition of wealth and not getting caught. The sisters shared a grin as Celestia began penning a missive to Shining Armor, detailing what the two of them had puzzled out about their elusive target... Author's Note Eh, I suppose I shoulda stopped. But I just couldn't! Not with this game bumming around my place, demanding to know why I haven't picked it up. So I suppose this'll suffice. For now. And any of you that know of the plot twists in Baulder's Gate, keep them to yourself! And here's his 'character sheet.' Name: Marketh Shadeblade Race: Half-elf. Level: 11 Stats: Strength: 14 Dexterity: 18 Constitution: 18 Wisdom: 9 Intelligence: 11 Charisma: 11 Proficiencies: Short blade: 3 Long blade: 2 Thrown weapons: 1 Daggers: 1 Thievery skills: Hide in shadows: 75% Lockpick: 75% Pickpocket: 15% Detect Secret Door/Traps: 15% Move Silently: 75% Backstab: 15% Set Traps: 75% Racial bonuses: Infravision: Eyes see in the dark better, automatically pick out secret doors and traps (eventually). Class-specific skills: Poison: Can coat weapon in a crippling poison once every four levels per day. Set snare trap: can use three times a day Set spike trap: can use once a day ~~Bhaalspawn specific skills:~~ ~~none yet~~ Inventory: Two short blades of steel, sharpened regularly to a +1 sheen. One long blade, also steel, also maintained regularly to a +1 sharpness. One suit of form-fitting leather armor, maintained regularly, but not to any degree of extra protectiveness. Thirty throwing knives. One scroll case, contains nothing yet. One gem bag, with about twenty diamonds inside it. About 50,000 bits, located...somewhere on his person. (He never asks where.) This is actually all the money the Guild made, and only about 500 of it is actually 'his'...assuming he wants to start up another guild, then these funds will immediately go towards it. Chapter 19 - Bring the threads together...So yeah, Canterlot. The one place I'd been avoiding for ages. If I was going to pull this off, I would need to prepare at least a few weeks in advance. Fortunately, we still had funds to fall back on, so we had options. The plan quickly evolved after I mentioned it to my recruits...and three regular members. Rover and Spot had succeeded in a modified version of training, whereas Fido was still a wee bit too beefy to be considered a proper thief. Maybe a warrior? We'd have to hit an armory up while at the castle... But I digress. Plans were mentioned, drawn up, contingencies planned for, entire scenarios drawn out of the blue and cast aside. Our 'perfectly legitimate secondhand goods' shopfront was overtaken with a plethora of papers before we finally settled on a course of action. Gilda would go in first, rent a room, inform the staff that her thestral friend would be arriving that night. Whispered would be guided in by Gilda, and he'd then come back, find me, and show me the way to said room. Then he'd go and find the Dogs and get them to the room. Over the next few days, we'd carefully and discreetly have the dogs dig towards the dungeons of Canterlot Castle from...somewhere else in the city, close enough to the room that it wouldn't be more than a five minute walk. Gilda would mingle in the town during the day, observing the patrol routes of the guards, while Whispered would take over at night. It was, all in all, a wonderful plan for stealing the spotlight of Cadence's wedding. A beautiful, solid, yet simple plan, that could be modified as needed should any situation come up. And that was when Murphy butted in with his damn law. No plan survives contact with the enemy. We'd only been there three days before the damn shield went up around the city. Discreetly sending the others to check revealed it to be porous and permeable, though they did report back to me that they'd encountered slight...resistance. And when I went under cover of night to check if I could get through, the answer was a firm 'no'. My attempts left the shield ringing, and that was when I decided to take cover. Ten bits said that whoever cast the shield would have a squad of guards on the way to check on disturbances. I would have won ten bits had anyone been there to take the bet. Not fifteen seconds had passed before two thestrals showed up and looked around. More than once they glared a little too hard at the tree I'd taken refuge in, but ultimately they moved on. I slowly lowered myself from the tree and made my way back to the hotel we'd taken refuge in. I managed to get some practice in with my Hide In Shadows skill again, thankfully. It'd been a while since I could even think to 'turn it on,' so to speak. What should have been the indispensable thievery skill had been...altered. Probably on my entry to Equestria. It wasn't a skill that made me unnoticed by acting like part of the crowd. I'd had one unicorn look at it about...eight hundred years ago? Sounds right. He found it was a form of natural magic my body emanated when I told it to, and it combined several smaller effects into a wonderful illusion of light and shadow. A subtle Notice Me Not effect, to ensure that none looked too hard at me. A tiny Suggestion spell, to make them think that I was just an ordinary biped. A reflexive bit of Mind-Reading, to determine what an ordinary biped looked like, which also altered my behavior and the way it came across in miniscule ways, so as to make it easier for the illusion to hold together. And finally, a portion of shadow and light manipulation, to hide my very presence from sight, given the right circumstances. All this boiled down to two very simple things. Were I attempting to Hide In Shadows, and the ponies I was attempting to hide from used to bipedal visitors, I would be able to walk down the street in broad daylight, and none of them would figure it out. ...However, places like Ponyville, where the town was composed of quadrupeds, they'd notice right off the bat. This led to a very...awkward conversation between myself and Whispered Secret atop the hotel. "Almost didn't realize it was you, sir. What is that, by the way?" I slowly eased my swords back into their sheathes, only now realizing that I'd reflexively drawn them when Whispered had seen through my skill. Calming myself by taking deep breaths, I turned my head slightly so he'd hear my response all the clearer. "A skill thieves like me learn. It is meant to hide ones self in the shadows, or the particularly talented can use it as a cloak to go unseen even in broad daylight. It was...changed, slightly, upon my entry to Equestria. It gained far more magical components to it, but the cost is simple enough to spot. I can only use it in a town with bipeds or bipedal visitors. Otherwise, ponies see through it with ease." "I...noticed that, sir. You looked vaguely like a diamond dog. But then I picked out a few discrepancies, and it faded, to show me you." I nodded. "Yes, that happens sometimes. Those that are of strong mind and will tend to pick apart my illusion easily. Though there was that one ti-" And then my voice cut out as I felt something. Something stirring. The Slayer was stirring, talking again. Cadence's bonds had faltered, flickered...failed. This meant one of two things. Either the Slayer was stronger than previously thought... ...Or something had happened to Cadence, so that she couldn't even keep up a trickle of power to subdue the beast within me. "Sir? Are you all right?" I replied absently as I looked up to the castle. "No. No I'm not. And that scares me." I whipped around to look at Whispered, even as my mind whirled. "Get to the dogs, tell them to double-time that tunnel. Stealth is no longer as much of a priority as getting in that castle." Whispered balked for a moment before nodding twice and flying off into the night. Cadence... The next day was when we got a bit of surprise information, in the sense of Gilda catching sight of a certain rainbow-mane while she was doing her rounds on the town. Rainbow Dash and her friends had apparently shown up. Why, I didn't know. Probably had something to do with the upcoming wedding, but I was uncertain as to what use those six would be. That night brought welcome news, thankfully. The dogs had completed the tunnel to the dungeons of Canterlot. Fortunately, their tunnel was near a set of stairs, and Spot had already told me the lock was so easy to pick, Fido could have done it. The day after that was the day of the wedding, and just as I was preparing to start up our sneaky plan for me to get in the castle, everything went to hell. A swarm of black locusts in vaguely pony form appeared on the edge of the shield and started battering away at it. The cracks weren't encouraging in the least. I stared at it and began to issues orders. Not suggestions, orders. "Gilda, guys, I want you all to start looking around at the citizenry here. Take a good look at where they are, in relation to where our tunnel is." "Why?" I pointed to the sky as an answer. "The guys know why I'm familiar with situations like this. Boys, I want you to take care of the ground, Gilda can handle the air. Get everyone into the dungeons of Canterlot as fast as you can to minimize casualties. If one of them attacks you, feel free to harm it back. I get the feeling they're not here to wish the happy couple a good honeymoon." The group around me nodded before Gilda spoke up. "And what about Whispered?" I replied in a deadpan voice. "Did you get his shades today?" She blinked a few times before smiling and pulling out a special pair of sunglasses that had been made for thestrals. Even that normally wasn't enough, so Gilda had to take them to an optometrist and get them enchanted further. Hopefully, these would work. I nodded and continued my thought from earlier. "Give them to him and whether they work or not, he has to go find Luna and tell her we're under attack. I'd like to have the help of at least one of the alicorns today." They all tilted their heads at that. "Huh?" I began ticking off the reasons on my fingers. "Whoever is attacking Canterlot would plan for Celestia. Cadence had a spell on me to restrict a bit of my more violent nature at the cost of a trickle of power from her, which has failed. That's two of three that we can count out. Luna's return is still a fairly recent thing, at least by my standards, so either whoever's doing this didn't plan for her, or didn't think she'd be a threat." They slowly nodded as the words I said sunk in, and then I let out a vicious grin. "Besides which, even if they did, there's one thing they didn't plan for, besides Luna." Gilda asked the question. "What else didn't they plan for?" I drew my short blades as I watched the shield crack. "Me." At this, the dogs and griffon were off to their tasks, leaving me alone on the roof of the hotel as the shield began to shudder, groan, creak. And then, with an explosion of magic, it failed. And instantly, it rained green comets into Canterlot. One landed right before me, and I saw it was an insectoid pony. It chittered a bit and looked up at me, its horn lighting up as its wings fluttered. I didn't give it a chance and threw a knife at the base of its horn, causing the magic to backlash onto it. As it clutched its head in pain, I darted forward and smacked the back of its head with the pommel of one of my swords. It let out a squeal as it slumped forward, and I caught it before it hit the ground. I felt the Slayer react, then, and it chilled me. If...if this one was related to me, then... My eyes swept the battlefield that Canterlot had become, noticing the absurd amount of creatures in the streets. ...were they ALL related to me?! ...I cracked open the chitin of the creature before me, causing it to bleed, before doing the same to myself and forming a Blood Bridge between us. That was probably the biggest mistake I've ever made, hands down. Meanwhile, a gloating queen suddenly felt something tear into her Hive Mind...
Chapter 2 - A trip down memory (forest) laneAaah, the Everfree. One of the few places I feel truly at ease. And I'm never quite certain as to why. Perhaps it's because I appeared here first in this world. Maybe it's due to my half-elf nature, putting me a bit more at ease in wooded areas. But maybe, just maybe, it's because no pony ever comes here willingly. ...Of course, I never like to dwell on the second reason. Mainly because of what the other half is. Most people like to claim that they're good, or if not wholly good, then mostly well-intentioned. As did I! ...But after so long of listening to that little voice, of staring into the hole in my mind and soul...One that I'm certain didn't exist before I came to Equestria... ...I'm able to drown it out by doing minor evil things. Like setting up thieves guilds. And it silences itself fully when I commit to doing good things, like actually looking out for those under me, or giving money back to worthy organizations. ...Or stopping something terrible from happening to a town, like a diamond dog raiding party. Hundred years ago, that was...useful. Silenced that little voice for seventy-five years. Could have been more if some of them hadn't managed to flee. Nobody said being transformed into a son of Murder would be fun or easy, and if anyone did, I'll punch their lights out. I have to shut the voice out, either by being too 'good' for it to break through, or by doing enough 'evil' that it'll be sated. ...I know what'll happen if I don't. ...And look at that, just as I get lost in my melancholy thoughts, the forest obliges me and gives me some targets. Or at least, some rustling that promises targets. Fortunately, I can blend into the shadows very well, and it allows me to get the drop on most any foe I face. I wonder what it'll be? Maticore? Cockatrice? Basilisk? Chimera? Hydra? I smile and draw my short blades, one in each hand. This...is gonna be fun. (POV - Shining Armor) Shining groaned and thumped his head into his desk. Reading the report from the investigators had turned up nothing new or useful. Whatever manner of creature the grandmaster of the thieves guild was, it completely defied all known understanding. A knocking at the door drew Shining's attention and he raised his head to see one of the many couriers of the palace nearby with a scroll in his grasp. "Missive for you, sir, from the Princess." Shining grabbed a hold of it with his magic and nodded to the courier. "Thank you." As the pony left, Shining broke the wax seal and read. To Shining Armor- I believe I may know where the grandmaster of the thief guild you disbanded will show up next. Over the years, I have made it a hobby to disband thief guilds, and have noticed a curious pattern emerge as of late. Any guild in which the guildmaster is talented enough to run before being caught sets up shop in any town once...and only once. It is therefor unlikely that the guildmaster will return to its den in Manehatten. However, there are a few cities that have never been beset by such intense crime. One is this very city of Canterlot. The second is Appleloosa. And the final, most likely one, is Ponyville. Sincerely, Princess Celestia As Shining Armor read the note, his fur bristled more and more until, finally, he let out a yell that caused all nearby guardsmen to drop what they had been doing and run to his office. Upon seeing an angry Shining, the guards moved to escape before one opened his mouth and began to ask a question. This drew the Guard-Captain's attention and he refocused on the new arrivals. Which had been exactly what they had been trying to avoid. "Get a contingent together! Discreet, silent, powerful! We're going to find this guildmaster if it's the last thing I do!" One of the guards raised a hoof. Clearly, he'd not been through survival training yet. "Sir, where are they to go?" "PONYVILLE!" (Marketh POV - 995 years ago) The moment the world stopped spinning around me, I bent double and vomited out my lunch. Gah...That 'brunch wrap' had been a better idea going down. Once I'd voided the contents of my stomach, I wiped off my mouth, only to pause as I felt my clothes shift. Clothes that I had been quite certain I had not been wearing a moment ago. I held my arm up to see that I was clad in dark grey, form-fitting clothing. These are not my clothes. What... I clapped my hands to my head in an effort to try and keep myself stable, to make the world stop spinning. That was when I felt the slightly-pointed nature of my ears. Those aren't my ears. How... I looked up and around to notice I was in the middle of a forest, not just in my backyard or something of the sort. A forest that seemed to exhude an aura of...wrongness, it being twisted somehow. This is not my home. This isn't even anywhere I know of. Where... And then a growl sounded from behind me. I stiffened and slowly turned around to see... Manticore. Body of a lion, tail of a scorpion, wings of a bat slash dragon. Though some of the proportions are all wrong, its murderous intent is clear. I slowly drew myself up and started to back away from the beast before me, and it matched me, step for step. I would have to deal with it in some fashion or another. And as it roared in a typical threat display, my mind suddenly shifted gears. Paws are dangerous laceration weapons, due to his reach. As are his teeth, though those would cause puncture wounds first. Both are somewhat limited to his front. Side and back would be an angle of attack, were it not for the tail. Plan is, dodge or parry the claws, slip around the side, deal with the tail, and go in for the kill. Before I could even process the last bit, I had drawn two swords and held one in each hand. I...flowed, is the only way I can put it. It wasn't just moving, it was like I knew where those claws were going to be, where the teeth would snap, and moved just enough to put myself out of reach. The tail came down, but a blade dealt with it by knocking it off to the side, leaving me behind the temporarily defenseless manticore. I moved in for the kill when my brain kicked back down a notch. Wait, kill?! No! I altered the trajectory of my blades and, instead of plunging them through his heart, I aimed for his shoulders instead, pinning him to the ground via the steel. The beast yowled and withdrew his tail, but another blade drawn from my back saw to holding that appendage off. I then leaned in to his ears and whispered. "Consider this, beast. I could have killed you now. I could have ended you. It goes against my morals to kill mere animals, because they don't know better. I am not to be trifled with. I give you this one chance. Prove me wrong. Show me you know better, and walk away. Otherwise, I won't restrain myself next time." The tail lifted, I sheathed my long sword and withdrew the shorter blades from the manticore's body, and we looked at each other for a moment. Then he snorted once at me and turned around, walking weakly off, clearly feeling his injuries. What...was that? It was like I knew what to do, like I had been in combat a thousand times before, like I'd fought more foes and drowned myself in blood... And then my mind pieced it together. I looked the way I did for a reason. I had been doing something before appearing in this wacky forest. And it was looking awfully like... I'm...I'm my character? I'm Marketh Shadeblade? But...how?! Why?! Then I heard two different things. One was from my self. It was a growling noise, but it wasn't from my stomach. It was as though someone had put an angry dog in my head. I had a sneaking suspicion as to what it was. The second thing I heard drifted through the forest, and caused me to weep at what it said. "The Lord of Murder shall perish, but in his doom he shall spawn a score of mortal progeny. Chaos shall be sown from their passing. So sayeth the wise Alaundo." So...my doom is sealed. If I truly am Marketh now, then my fate is to either survive and make a terrible choice, or die to one of my half-brothers or sisters. I blinked the burning tears from my eyes. I'd never believed in fate or destiny back home, and I wasn't going to start now. No. No! My doom is not sealed! All I have to do is be well-informed! I just have to watch to see if there are any other Bhaalspawn in this world, and avoid them for as long as possible! But... My mind turned over the various possibilities. Who dealt in information? Who stayed out of the way? Who knew more about his foes than his foes did? ...A thief guild's master, especially if what they deal in... Is information...
Chapter 3 - Bre- I mean, observe the tar- I mean, populace.Whew. Three cockatrices, a trio of hydra hatchlings, and a very angry bear. That is what I call a workout. I'm still not sure how I got past the bear. ...What? No, it's a legitimate obstacle, an angry bear. Especially when I'm on my own. I have to... ...I have to fight my instincts. Giving in...it turns me from something decent into a monster. I learned that a hundred years ago. It wasn't as bad as I feared, but...I didn't even recognize myself. I still don't, when I look back at it. Hopefully there's nobody that's into soul magics and a mad scientist in this world. Otherwise, we might have a problem. Especially if I stumble onto their radar. Huh, so that's Ponyville? Nice. A little cutesy for my taste, but still, a nice little town. I don't think I can get in during the day, though...talented as I am at being unnoticed, that usually only works in public when other bipeds are known to walk through it. Otherwise, the ponies pick me out real fast. And I haven't seen anything other than a quadruped yet. Setting up shop in the town isn't an option. Recruiting will also be both interesting and annoying. I'll only be able to move around the town during the moonlit hours. ...So, standard operation is to make a house in the forest, skulk through the town at night, look for other night-time ponies, and try to find information at all costs. Especially about any unusual ponies. Taking no chances, after all. I had only just begun to form my plan properly when there was a trio of shrill screams from somewhere in the nearby forest. Someone, please explain to me why any pony would set hoof in here?! Oh well. Time to go see the situation and be a hero. It'll be good for about a month's worth of silence. Maybe. (POV shift - CMC) The trio of fillies huddled together and looked up at the pack of timberwolves that had herded them to this large tree. They were so scared that they had lost control of their voices except to whimper. The only sound that filled their ears was that of the wolves growling. And then there was another voice from above. "Leave, agents of the forest, lest you feel the sting of the Shadeblade." At this, all the timberwolves stiffened and stopped growling, save for the largest one. He turned around and pointed a paw directly at the fillies, who cowered back even as he barked at them. "Well, yes, but would you like it if one of your pups wandered into one of their towns and was put down for merely being curious?" At this, the wolf grumbled a bit, but lowered his paw. The rest of the wolves left, but the lead wolf barked three times. "Yes yes, I'll help you in a week's time, if not sooner. It would have been better if this situation had not happened, on either side, but I'll be there." The wolf looked ashamed for a moment, but nodded and walked off. The Crusaders slowly untangled themselves from each other and looked around. Sweetie actually looked up, because she realized that the strange voice had been talking from above them. "Uh, mister?" There was silence for a moment, and then..."Yes, young ones?" "Did you say something to the timberwolves to make them leave?" "After a fashion, yes. I have an...understanding with the forest and its guardians. Such is it that so long as we abide by each other's rules, we listen when the other has something to say." The trio looked at each other before turning back to look at whatever the tree's top hid from them. "So...what now?" "Now you leave the forest. It does not take well to trespassers. It took me ages for it and I to forge our understanding. Perhaps, in time, I will be able to change its attitude towards ponies. But until that day, it will always give you the stink-eye, at best." The Crusaders picked themselves up and looked around. "Uh, mister? Which way should we go to leave?" At this, there was an amused chuckling noise. "Just follow the way the yellow one is facing, you'll end up at the nearby village soon. I hope. I'll keep watch until you're near the treeline in any case." The trio of terror nodded and headed off through the forest. (Marketh POV - 750 years ago) Damn, damn, double damn, damn it all to the fiery planes of Pandemonium itself! I should have been better informed about the Guard coming! One of mine was a lousy snitch, and now I had to run from Trottingham! None of my so called 'safehouses' could be counted on, and I had only just gotten some good intel! I mean, yeah, when I started up the guild, I'd managed to get bribery and blackmail material on every pony in a position of power. And I kept it up to date...or archived, if need be. But I was finally learning something about ponies that exhibited...odd talents. Talents that I had vaguely come to recognize. The main character from Baldur's Gate had always been a Greater Bhaalspawn, meaning he heard the Voice, felt the urges. Seeing as that was me now, I knew I had to keep my actions...and morals and justifications and lines of thought and all of it under strict control. Lesser Bhaalspawn would be harder to pick out at any point in time. It usually only manifested as a quirk, a thing that they did, either voluntarily or involuntarily, because of the blood they shared with Bhaal. Teleporting when in a panic. Being able to unlock things with a touch. Sensing danger. Greater Bhaalspawn...those would be evident to me, if not themselves. If only by the fact that they wouldn't know how to resist the Voice. And I had just gotten a lead on what seemed like a Lesser when the damn Guard comes crashing down around my ears! So here I was in the damn Everfree forest again, and if I wasn't mistaken, that was a pack of timberwolves. I sighed and drew my blades, staring at the eyes surrounding me. "Why is it that every time I come in here, I become accosted?" One of the timberwolves stepped forward then and...spoke. Not with words, but with gestures, mannerisms, intentions. A language of body language that I could easily interpret. That fact took second place in my mind compared to what he said. "The forest knows you are here the moment you enter, and we are its agents to keep it free of meddling." I blinked at that, then smiled. "And why would you need to keep it free of my meddling? I intend to travel through it, not meddle in what it does. It is, after all, a forest. Thinking that I could interfere with it is like saying an ant could alter what a pony does." The wolf blinked a few times at my words. "You understand me?" I nodded at that. "Half-elf. Elves have a connection with nature. I can understand what you 'say' when you choose to actually talk to me and not attack on first sight." "Be that as it may. The forest wishes you to leave. You carry a smell, a taint, something unnatural in you. The Heart will not suffer it to remain." My smile only widened. "Why don't you escort me to the Heart, then? We should have words with each other, seeing as how it has an issue with my very existence. Perhaps we'd finally be able to talk like rational beings." There was silence for a moment before the wolf nodded. "It agrees, for now. One wrong move, and our mercy shall vanish. Follow us." I sheathed one of my blades and followed the wolves deeper into the forest...
Chapter 4 - A midnight jauntPonyville at night is both beautiful and creepy. I'm just putting that out there. It's beautiful because it's still a nice little town, and what with most of the ponies actually going to sleep at night, unlike Manehatten, which never truly slept if you knew where to look (and boy did I ever), you could actually look up and see the stars. Granted, I recognize none of them, but the splendor thus represented is something I will always admire. Especially now that there's a princess in proper charge of the night and all it holds dear again. And it's creepy because, like most pony towns, everyone goes to sleep at night. I grew up on a world with highways and lights on everywhere at night. It wasn't a major city by any means, but typically you could still go out and find nightlife. Seeing the entire town go silent at night? When I walk around after dark, it makes me feel like I've walked into a damn slasher movie. I always hold my breath when turning corners, thinking I'll finally find the missing townsfolk... ...Probably doesn't help that the Voice is the one who'd make them go missing... Anyways! My midnight trip through the town showed me that there was no pony active at the same time I was. Pity, really. Recruiting will be a bitch and a half if there's none that share my...unique view on sleep cycles and how they can sometimes be an optional thing. Still, it would be nice to know more about the locals. Where's the town- Ah! There it is! Beautiful! Town hall always has information! Usually of the legal sort, which is no fun, because that means everyone knows about it already. Still, if you're talented at reading between the lines, then you can find where to go digging for the illegal information. The sort ponies pay to keep silent, or pay to find out. I never played favorites when it came to the information game: whoever had more coin got their wishes fulfilled. Though I always did the gentlemanly thing and give the loser one day's head start, along with their bits back. I pulled out my scroll case from my pack and took out my pencil, preparing to take notes on what I found, thankful for the newspapers that someone hadn't gotten to recycling or tossing yet. It was mostly cut and dry boring stuff, but there were a few ponies of note that I marked down on my list. This mare, Fluttershy, and her Stare...I should look into it. And reports of this Pinkie Sense, predicting all manner of futures. They sound like Lesser talents to me. I had just left when I realized I'd not visited my local library in some time, so decided to do so. And upon finding it, I regretted my decision, because I nearly broke the silence of the night. A library in a tree. I...I think my brain needs to reboot. This is either hilarious or just plain wrong. After two minutes to recompose myself, I carefully tested the front door and found it unlocked. Perfect, guess they haven't heard of me here. I had just begun to peruse the shelves when I heard a pair of voices drifting down from upstairs. "Twi? Twi, I think there's someone downstairs." "Don't be silly, it's nearly midnight! What pony would come to the library at this hour?" "Still, could you check?" The sound of a sigh and hooves impacting wood that got louder as time went on clued me in to what was going on. My thoughts at the time? Of course someone's living in the damn library, can never make anything easy on me, can you?! (POV shift - Shining) "Sir?" Shining looked up from his latest form, blinking the sleep from his eyes. One of his guards had poked his head in and was trying to get his attention. Perhaps I should get some sleep. "Ye-" Shining paused to yawn before trying again. "Yes?" The guard looked at his superior with an air of curiosity before shaking his head and refocusing. "One of the master thieves has agreed to talk. I think you're going to want to talk to him in pony. Perhaps after a good night's rest?" Instantly, sleep was the furthest thing from Shining's mind. "No, I'll go now. Take me to him." A five minute walk had him seated in an interrogation room, with a white-coated, blue-maned pegasus pony opposite him. "So, you wish to talk?" The pegasus nodded. "Name's Storm Front. And I'm willing to negotiate with you. I'll tell you about the guild and everything, and you can make as big a fuss about it as you want. Hay, I'd like it if you did, especially seeing as how I'm related to some of these fuddy-duddies in this place. Give the bird cage a good rattle, y'know?" Shining nodded absently, already making mental notes to keep Storm's name out of the proceedings. "And your price for doing this?" Storm sighed and looked off to the side before returning his glare to Shining. "I can't tell you much about the Guildmaster. I only ever really saw him once. And what little I know about him isn't going to be much of a help. Still, he'd make sure I ask one thing of you before I say anything." Storm's eyes were suddenly filled with a steel that hadn't been there before. "Swear to me on whatever you hold dear that you will keep any and everything about the Guildmaster that I may or may not tell you to yourself. Keep it away from the public eye. Tell as few of your guard as you possibly can. I'm taking a big risk by telling you anything." Shining's eyebrows raised before he nodded. "I swear to you by Celestia and Luna themselves that any information pertaining to the Guildmaster will remain between us. May they strike me down if I don't." Elsewhere, a set of sisters suddenly felt their ears burning before they sneezed in synch. Storm nodded once, and Shining's eyebrows remained raised. "What did you mean when you said that you were taking a big risk?" Storm sighed. "He trained us, y'know? Found us on the streets, took us in, and we perpetuated the cycle. He taught us how to steal, how to listen, how to lie, and how to find things. Be it information that others didn't want us to know, trinkets hidden behind locked drawers, or a bit-bag on their person, he showed us how to perfect our arts. His natural skill at hiding in plain sight was something hard to teach, but quite a few of us learned it. But he never - never - showed us how to set traps. Those were his domain. If we needed a trap, he would come by our safehouses later and then tell us that it had been done to specification." Shining frowned a bit. "And yet, you've only really seen him once?" Storm rubbed the back of his head with a hoof. "Around us, it was like...some sort of natural illusion magic. We saw him, but couldn't really see him. Like it was a costume of light and shadow he wore at all times. He told us it was a skill unique to him, and that if he were in any other city without a regular bipedal visitor, that it wouldn't work." Bipedal, Shining noted automatically, even as Storm continued his tale. "I don't think he ever expected me outside his office that night. He was arguing with...well, himself. Something about never giving in to dark desires like he had a hundred years ago. And when I opened the room, I saw him for a brief moment. Bipedal is a start, but there's no real describing him. I've never seen anything like him in Equestria before. But more than that, I saw something in his eyes. Something dark. Something violent." Shining shuddered at the implications, even as Stom finished his tale with a question. "So I looked into it. And I found something dark all right. Something that most ponies aren't aware ever happened. Did you know Manehatten had a near miss with Diamond Dogs a hundred years ago?" (Marketh POV - 100 years ago) The Diamond Dogs had come to Manehatten. The city was small, barely worthy of its name yet. I had found it and lurked in the shadows. It was all too obvious to me that the Diamond Dogs would come here. First, there had been failures in the crops. Small ones, but ones not plausible when Earth Pony magic was involved. Then, trading caravans had been waylaid. And finally, a few ponies had gone missing a day ago. The Dogs were making their move. And while I may prey on the ponies... I only do so in the non-literal and non-terrible fashion. I walked to the west of the town, towards a distant clearing, seeing the Dogs in front of me nearing the same one. Once I and they had arrived, I stopped in front of them and drew my blades, already hearing the Voice. One of them stepped forward. "You not pony. You not Dog. What are you?" I opened my eyes, seeing not Diamond Dogs anymore, but targets. I could almost hear their blood pumping through their veins. "A monster. Your worst nightmare. A demon from the depths of Pandemonium. Your choice, really. But most importantly, I defend these ponies. I offer you this one chance. Turn back now, and you will live. Continue, and you will die." The Dogs jeered at me and the lead Dog even made a demand. One that he would get fulfilled. "Who you to order Diamond Dogs? We take what we want when we want it! And today, we want pony!" I breathed deep, closed my eyes, and gave in to the Voice. When I opened them again, they'd turned black. Not that I knew that right away. I figured it out later. But I knew something was wrong when my voice sounded...odd. Layered. "I am the greatest of Bhaal's spawn, He who commands the Aspect of Murder. Life and Death are mine to deal or withhold as I see fit, and you have ignored my mercy. I am Marketh Shadeblade, and you shall taste my sting. Say hello to the lords of Pandemonium when you arrive, screaming, in its depths. It has been so long since they were fed, after all." And with that, the Slaughter of Manehatten began and ended on the same day.
Chapter 5 - Erectin' a dis- I mean, constructing a base.Okay, note to self: exercise more caution and stealth in future endeavors. Or just use agents, when I acquire them! I barely managed to get in the stairwell to the basement before a bright light swept the ground floor. Fortunately, the owner of the light failed to find me, and after a few seconds of the light sweeping back and forth, it faded as quickly as it came. Voices drifted down from above again. "See? I told you, nopony was there." "If...If you're sure." "I'm sure, Spike. Now get some rest." I waited five minutes for the noises to turn from silence to snoring and carefully made my way over to the shelves again. I perused quickly, finding two tomes of interest. Magical Artifacts of the Strange, Weird, and Famous caught my eye, along with Unexplained Magical Phenomena. I carefully plucked the two books off the shelves and made my way out of the library, closing the door with a soft clicking noise. I made my way out of the town and headed to the Whitetail Woods. I liked it more than the Everfree, I used it whenever I could. It was less...antagonistic to pony life - and by extension, me - than the Everfree. Oh, it still had its guardian spirits and the like, but we hit it off much faster. Though by now, it would have reclaimed the last camp I used. So I'd have to make a new one, a more permanent one. Not that bad, all things considered. Could've been worse. But it's been long enough since I last slept. I should change that. ...I don't like sleeping anymore. I relive my memories, wrestling with the Voice constantly whenever it is not sated or quiet. I never lose, but I don't like having to fight either. I found an isolated glade in the forest and fell into slumber. Tonight was...different. More often than not, I go through all sorts of memories, but tonight was focused on just one. The one I hated the most. The time I'd given in. I was watching myself talk to the Dogs, close my eyes...open them, and then the blades began their work. As I observed the slaughter, the Voice spoke up again. "Do you regret your actions of that day, little one?" I turned and saw...him. The Slayer, the avatar of Murder Itself. Previously it had just been a red mist with black eyes. But now it was formed, as demonic as I remembered him being. Horns, claws, skin as red as the blood it shed. Huge, massive! The thing towered over me! Spikes trailed down its spine, down the the tip of its tail. It...it was the owner of the Voice. I turned back towards the memory and sighed. "There is much I regret. I regret living this long, however it happened. I regret having become what I am," and here my eyes flicked over to the Slayer, "Because it means I have to put with you as a head-mate and regulate my actions. And...there are things I regret about that day." I walked forward as the memory paused during one particular dismemberment, that of the lead Dog, even as he begged for mercy. I gathered my thoughts and began again. "I regret that the Dogs did not listen to reason. I regret that so many had to die before they realized they could not stop me. I regret that it came to blows. I offered them mercy, and they ignored me. I offered them their lives, but then had to take them. I regret many things about that day, but none of them my own actions. I regret that the day was one soaked in blood, for the Dogs had so many options to avoid it. But I will never regret defending the ponies." The Slayer laughed, and my skin crawled as he did. "A Bhaalspawn attempting to walk the path of the righteous. It would be easier for fire to not consume wood. Still, I suppose the important part is that you try." I shuddered at the implications, then my mind hit upon something. "Why now? Why do you take a form now? I have walked this world for near a thousand years, and any night where you torment me in my dreams has been one where you are formless. Why change that now?" He laughed again. "The time has come, child, for your blood to awaken to its heritage. Otherwise, the coming days shall be far more torturous than what I have done to you. You will falter, fall, fail without its gifts, be they good or ill." I blinked and realized what he said. "You mean-" "It is nearly time for Chaos." I actually snarled at the Slayer then. "I will NOT bring the sort of chaos the Sword Coast experienced to this land! The ponies do not DESERVE a war where blood rains from the heavens as the Bhaalspawn fight amongst themselves! I WILL find a way to painlessly, HARMLESSLY remove the 'divine' taint of Bhaal's blood, his spark of power, from any Bhaalspawn I find! I will NOT make the mistakes of Irenicus when I do! I WILL AVERT THE DAMN ALAUNDO'S PROPHECY!" "Oh child...you talk like you have a CHOICE." I jolted awake after a good rest, but my heart was nearly pounding out of my chest. The details of the dream flooded into my mind, and I gulped. Could he be right? Could the prophecy come true, no matter the steps I took to prevent it? ...I would only know once I tried, sadly. Better to have tried and failed, after all. I looked around the clearing and decided that this would be a good place to begin to set up my base. I began to draw up the plans in my mind, and absently, I hummed an old tune while I worked. "Mahna mahna, doo do de doo do, mahna mahna, do doo de do, mahna mahna, do doo de doo doo, de doo do, de doo do..." So into my singing and working was I that I had barely noticed until I started dancing and singing in tandem with another voice that there was another voice. Once my brain caught on to what was going on, I went as stiff as a board and turned my head slowly to my impromptu showtunes partner. "Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie! I've never seen anything like you before, but I'm here to welcome you to Ponyville all the same!" Brain has performed an illegal operation (watdafuk.exe) and will now shut down. Please restart your brain. (POV shift - Celestia) "Sister dear?" Celestia looked up from the latest bill placed before her to look at Luna entering the room. Immediately she noticed that Luna looked a bit more shaken than usual. The last time she was like this was when she had been exposed to some of the citizen's nightmares that portrayed her as a monster. The bill fell to the desk as the solar alicorn got up and embraced her sister. "Does this help, Luna?" There were a few shaky breaths drawn before Celestia felt her sister nod a few times. "It does indeed." Celestia drew herself back and looked Luna in the face. "Now, what happened?" Luna drew a deep breath to steady herself before beginning her tale. "We were patrolling the realm of dreams, seeking nightmares to destroy, when We came across a dream most dark and foul. Upon attempting to enter, We did find that all was dark around Us. Yet We could still hear and feel the sensations of the nightmare. It was a dream reliving a memory most foul, one of darkness and death, of a pony talking with his darker self. It was far darker than Our time as the Nightmare, dear sister. We fear that this pony could be a danger to others and his own self should he be unchecked." Celestia blanched at the very thought. Someone with darker intentions than that terrible time? She was thankful it was not an alicorn, but were it a unicorn of any power... "Sister, did you get any idea of identity from the dream? Or the location of the dreamer?" Luna shook her head. "By the time We were able to fight back against the darkness within the dream, it had ended. There was no time to discern anything about the dreamer. All We know is that he is, and he is close to Canterlot. Close enough that Our recovering powers sensed him." Celestia held up a hoof and hummed to herself. "How far away can you sense dreams these days?" Luna held up a hoof and waved it side to side. "It varies with the phase of the moon and time of the night, but Our greatest range is a bit beyond Pony-" The sisters sucked in a breath as the implications hit them, and began drawing up new guidelines for the Guard. Hopefully they were wrong, but if the Grandmaster and this dark dreamer were one and the same, it did not bode well for any involved. Author's Note Link to what the Slayer looks like: link. (Please ignore the fact that it is apparently from some version of Yu-Gi-Oh. That damn demon came from Baldur's Gate and we all know it.)
Chapter 6 - A pesky pink pony's problemsThe processes involved in recovering from a complete mind-fuckery are nothing to sneeze at. I liken them to carefully reconstructing a LEGO building. Only in this case, the 'bricks' are my thoughts and ideals, the completed 'building' is my sanity, and occasionally, the bricks fight back from being put where I want them to be. ...Oh, and it's also built over my version of an Indian burial ground. Which in this case is actually a 'dungeon' containing the taint of my blood. Without a building on top, well...It wouldn't be pretty. The taint would have nothing to fight through to get to the surface of my mind, and it would quite easily become...messy. For everyone. Given five peaceful minutes, I'm pretty sure I could have rebuilt my mind exactly the way it was! It was not to be. "So hey, what are you? I've never seen something like you before, are you new to Ponyville, you have to be, if you weren't I'd have seen something like you before, and since I haven't, that means you're new, which means you need a welcome to Ponyville PARTY!" ...Did I mention this pony was on some sort of coffee that man hadn't had time to discover? Or engineer? Cause no way that five words a second is her normal talking speed! She had just reared back and placed her hooves on me when I felt it. A jolt. A tingle. A warning siren in my mind. The temperature of my blood rose a few degrees at her touch, and I'm almost certain all my instinctive panic responses went off at the same time. Instinctively I knew, even as the Slayer raged in the depths, that this mare, this 'Pinkie Pie'... We were related. Probably, hopefully, distant relations, but our blood knew. We were related on my father's side. I saw her eyes dilate, her breath catch, and she backed up and dropped into a sitting position as the fur on her spine stood up straight. "I've...I've never gotten a Pinkie Sense like that before...But I'm getting the idea that it's a dangerous one..." I carefully started to rebuild my mind, even as I took a knee to make myself appear less threatening. I had an idea as to how to deal with this, but it would require both of us to cooperate. Meaning she would need a reason to cooperate. Meaning I would need to build some trust with her, the one thing I tended to use and abuse. "Probably because you've never met anyone like me before. Why don't we play a game, Pinkie?" Her eyes returned to normal and she nodded her head at that slowly. "What sorta game?" "Well, why don't we make it an information exchange game? You ask a question, then I ask one. And you already asked a whole lot, but I think I'll answer this one. My name is Marketh. Marketh Shadeblade. What's the Pinkie Sense, Pinkie?" At this, Pinkie smiled a little. "Oooh, the Pinkie Sense is when I get all sorts of twitches and tingles running through my body, and they mean all sorts of things! If my tail's twitching, it means something is going to fall! If I get an itchy nose, that means there's a swarm of bees on the way! And sometimes I get combos, when more than one twitch happens!" I smiled at that. Future prediction. A typical trait. She then held a hoof up to her chin. "So...I know your name...How about I ask...what sort of creature you are?" I winced at that. "Well, I'm a half-elf. Mother was an elf. Father...wasn't." Pinkie opened her mouth again, but I held up a hand. "Ah ah, my turn." She pouted a bit at that, which looked adorable. I chuckled a bit, having finally rebuilt my mind and sanity to the point where it felt stable again. "Pinkie, I'm going to ask a question, and I want you to be completely honest with me. Is there something about the Pinkie Sense you've not told your friends or family or anyone about? Something that scares you about it?" She sucked in a huge breath and looked from side to side quickly, as though she were expecting said friends or family to appear. Then she looked me in the eye and hissed in a low voice. "How do you know?" I smiled sadly at that. "Because there's something about me that scares me too. You know it, don't you?" She looked to the ground and choked out a sob. "Ye-yeah. So...sometimes I get a twitch. A not-nice twitch. My ears twitch. I hear something. Something nopony else can hear. It tells me to do...not-nice things. Things that would make ponies cry instead of be happy. Things that would make them scream, not be surprised pleasantly. I...I don't like that voice, but I ignore it. I keep throwing parties, keep smiling, but every night I hear it...it makes me go to bed crying." I pulled out a short sword and looked at my reflection in it. My eyes briefly flickered to black, and I heard him. You rang? If I provide the medium, will you aid me? Aid you in doing what? My eyes rested on the mare before me, who was on the verge of tears. Something monumentally stupid, but if it works, you'll meet up with another of your 'siblings'. I 'felt' the Slayer go over my half-baked mental plans and begin laughing. And this is why I like mortals. They are so innovative! It will be done! I nodded and scooted closer to Pinkie. "Pinkie, do you trust me?" She considered for a moment. "Should I?" I smiled again and took her left hoof in my left hand. "Let me tell you a story, then." She looked up to me with a head cocked to the side in confusion. "Is it gonna be a good story?" I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know. It's the first time I've told it to a pony before." She 'oooh'ed at that and looked at me with rapt fascination. I chuckled and cleared my throat before beginning. "Once, long ago, in a land known as the Forgotten Realms, there were gods and goddesses, and mortals of all races and types. The land soldiered on through peace and war, through times prosperous and of famine. And then one man made a prediction. "He predicted that there would come a time, a Time of Troubles. When all gods and goddesses would be forced from their ethereal thrones above and down into mortal shells. And one of the not-nice gods heard about it. His name was Bhaal, and he was the Lord of Murder." Pinkie gasped at that, and I nodded my head at her. "Yes, he's a terrible being. Because when he heard that he would be forced to walk among mortals, and that more importantly, the Time of Troubles would end with the deaths of the former gods and goddesses, he concocted a plan. A plan any decent being would balk at." I paused for a moment to emphasize how bad a plan it was, and naturally Pinkie asked. "How bad a plan?" "He decided to have as many children as possible, with as many females as possible, before he died. So that after he died, their deaths...would fuel his rebirth." Pinkie cocked her head to the side. "How would that work?" I sighed. "Being made mortal didn't cancel out the fact that he had been a god, Pinkie. His blood still carried a portion of his power. And when the children who carried his blood died, the power, the divine spark within them, went to his ethereal throne. All it would need is one of his priests to invoke the proper rites when enough of his essence had gathered, and Bhaal would return." Pinkie slowly nodded. "So...what happened to his kids?" I looked to the skies then. "The same one who prophesied the Time of Troubles made another prophecy. The Lord of Murder shall perish, but in his doom he shall spawn a score of mortal progeny. Chaos shall be sown from their passing. The Bhaalspawn...tore the Sword Coast apart. In one of the greatest wars in history. All because they thought their half-brothers and sisters were out to get them, they all struck at each other. Self-fulfilling prophecies suck." I looked down at Pinkie, who had tears in her eyes, and smiled at her. "Hey, easy there. It's not all over." Pinkie sniffed once. "It's not?" I shook my head. "Sure isn't. See, I'm one too. And this place is still standing, isn't it?" Pinkie nodded at that. "True..." Here I booped her on the nose with my left hand. "And thanks to that little reaction from earlier, I'm gonna guess that waaaaay back in your family tree, if you looked, you could find a time when one of your ancestors met my dad." She grimaced at that. "What does that make us? Half-brother and sister to the nth degree?" I laughed a bit at that, then brought the blade of the sword to rest in my left hand. "I actually wanna talk to you about that, Pinkie. If I told you that I could deal with that little voice in your head...but it would require both a small cut on your part and for you to trust me, would you?" She thought about it for a minute and slowly nodded. "I...I think if you can get rid of that voice...then yes, I should trust you." I let go of my sword, took a hold of her right hoof, and made a quick, shallow slash across her foreleg. She winced, and I quickly slashed open my left hand. "Think, Pinkie. Focus. Concentrate on your Pinkie Sense. Listen for that voice. Think about hearing it. Let it dominate your mind." And with those words, I grabbed a hold of her wound with my own, and the world faded from my perception. I came to in a dark plane. Black was the order for the sky, and the ground was red that flaked whenever I took a step. "Pinkie!" "Over here! Please hurry!" I homed in on the voice of the panicked mare, finding her...and her? Pinkie was struggling with a set of iron chains that were wrapped around her, chains that connected her to another version of herself. Only this version wasn't a happy-go-lucky mare. This version had a straight mane and tail, a disturbing look in her eyes...and a very, VERY large knife in her hooves. "You know, Pinkie, ignoring me all that time isn't something a friend would do. Maybe, if you're not going to use your ears, I could take them." I snarled at that and jumped, coming down right next to Pinkie's other half. She tensed and turned to look at me, not liking what she saw. "Who and what the buck are YOU?" "Your worst nightmare." With that, the Slayer came from nowhere and bowled the mare over, causing the chains to...lengthen. Somehow. While our two demons fought it out, I took a knee next to Pinkie, who was shaking. "What is this place? What was that?" I sighed and put my hand on the chains. "When our blood mingled, it created a Bridge of Blood. This is a psuedo-realm, a mindscape between your mind and mine. This is something I looked into a while ago, quite intensively, and I've only had the chance to try it now. I figured if I brought my demon to fight yours...I might have a shot at helping you." "That thing is yours?! What's it doing to..." Pinkie couldn't finish her question, but I knew what she was about to ask. "Nothing nice, but don't worry. She can probably take it. They're made of the same sort of stuff, after all. Now hold still. This might sting." I focused my mind on understanding what the chains meant, and found them to be more disturbing than I thought possible. The spark within Pinkie was feeding off of her life energy, her abilities, her talent itself, growing stronger. With time, it would break free, take over...and heaven help us. I reached out, grasped my longsword, and brought it down on half of the chains, snapping them clean off. From far off, there was a howling noise, and then heavy footfalls. The Slayer returned, holding up the chained Pinkie Demon in one of his hands. "Excellent work. Cut the rest of the ties, and this Spark shall be powerless, mine to...dispose of." I thought quickly and the shattered chains rose up from the ground, grabbing a hold of the Slayer's legs and dragging him a fair ways away from the Pinkie Demon. He howled even as the chains grew and crisscrossed, binding him in great excess. "I don't think so. You're manageable the way you are, I don't need you consuming any of your relations. I just need them removed from their hosts and cast into the Abyss." Even as both demons howled, I brought my sword down again, cutting the chains. Without a host, the Pinkie Demon became a formless ball of green, and I thrust a hand at it. "Begone, taint of Bhaal. You have no more purpose here." It faded slowly from the landscape, and I smiled at Pinkie. "Mission accomplished." And with that, I thrust my sword into the ground between us. I focused on the reality around us and warped it, causing the floor to vanish as my blade pierced it. Pinkie and I fell, screaming, into the bottomless void beneath us... I woke up with a gasp, recalling the time spent in the mindscape perfectly. Just then, there was another gasp from beside me, and then a rapid-fire voice filled the air. "Oh my gosh, this has got to be the bestest thing ever! I meet a new friend, I help a new friend with a song and building a house for him-" At this, my eyes flicked over and confirmed that yes, sometime during the singing and working, but before I became aware that there was a pink pony in the glade singing with me, we had built my imagined base of operations together. Pinkie continued with her speech, naturally. "And then we learn things together and he helps me get rid of that super creepy meany voice in my head!" A pink face suddenly invaded my vision and I blinked as she continued. "Even if you have a meaner, creepier voice in your head, you're in better control of him than I was of mine, so I think that makes you a nice half-elf! I'm gonna throw a 'welcome to Ponyville' party for you, but it's gonna also be a 'thanks for getting rid of the creepy voice in my head party'! I just won't tell anypony about that bit." I smiled politely at her. "Well, Pinkie, I don't think you have to go through all that trouble..." She clearly wasn't listening. "And I'm gonna introduce you to all my friends too! That way you'll have lots of friends as well!" My main thought as the pink pony dragged me along? How do I get out of this without bloodshed? (Shining POV) Shining Armor went over the letter the Princesses had just sent him. He was uneasy with it. Previously, he had intended to find the Grandmaster, maybe rough him up a little bit, and drag him in for a nice, long stint in the dungeons. Now he was being told to not provoke the creature, whatever he was, at any cost, and discreetly bring it in to Canterlot so that the Princesses could interrogate him. All because Luna had trouble finding his nightmares and dealing with them. If this creature was so dark that Luna couldn't deal with his troubles, then he wasn't sure he wanted him anywhere near the Princesses. Orders were orders though... And with that thought, he carefully rolled the scroll up and shoved it under his seat, leaving it behind as he disembarked. He'd try to follow them, sure. But if the creature resisted or showed any hint of its dark nature, he could always say he lost them. After all... The Guard didn't coddle monsters. It dealt with them.
Chapter 7 - A day in the townPop quiz: A pink party pony is parading you through a populated area near high noon like you're the greatest thing since sliced bread. Your craft is one that goes well in the dark of the night, meaning you don't like the situation at all. Your previous ability of making ponies not notice you is not an option because of the fact that you're a biped and this is a pony-dominated town, meaning they'd notice and break the illusion instantly. You also have a wide variety of skills with your armaments, but said skills are being hampered by the desire to do no harm to the ponies, seeing as how they're mostly staring in shock at you. Your last resort option is also laughing his goddamn head off in your head. What do you do? If you answered the question with 'Violence!' then congrats, you're one of the more violent Bhaalspawn, and I'd have to hurt you on principle. Repeatedly. I chose to do the other thing I'm quite good at. I've only had so long to work on them, after all. I put a smile on my face and responded eagerly and questioned quite a bit of what Pinkie said, with a voice that was a touch too loud and with emphasis that made me sound just a bit too silly to be a real threat. In short, I used the power of dramatics and acting against the village's current shock and awe. One of us would break, and I was reasonably certain it would not be me. Especially not with Pinkie catching on and helping me. "And this is Sugarcube Corner, where the Cakes and I work on making the best sweets and treats in Ponyville!" I put a hand to my chin and hummed a bit. "The best, you say?" "Yeah!" Pinkie looked around and motioned for me to move a bit closer as she put a hoof to the side of her mouth. "Don't believe what Bon-Bon says, I could totally outdo her in a sweets contest. Applejack may have apples, and as a professional courtesy and the fact that she's my friend, I don't touch them without her permission, but everypony else is fair game." "Hey!" an indignant voice said from nearby. "I could so totallllll..." I'd been getting that reaction a lot. Ponies tended to have their words trail off as they caught sight of me walking through the town with Pinkie. Jaws and belongings dropped and heads rotated to follow me. I swear, it was almost like I had an area-of-effect Silence spell cast on me that spread wherever I went and only affected ponies besides Pinkie. I turned to face where the voice had come from, seeing a cream-colored earth pony mare with a blue-and-pink mane and tail. It was her companion that interested me, however. A mint-green unicorn with a cyan-and-white mane and tail, and a smile that threatened to pop her head clean off. Said unicorn pointed a hoof at me and sucked in a huge breath. "A HU-" Instantly, Pinkie and I were there, standing next to her. I put a hand around her muzzle to silence her. This only seemed to make her smile grow larger. "Shh! Do you want everyone to hear?" Her ears flicked a bit at that, and she looked at me. I continued with my impromptu serious speech. "If the wrong ponies knew about me, who knows what would happen? There's a reason you haven't seen me around before." All technically true, and I didn't have to elaborate at all, merely let her come to her own conclusions. The fact that she even knew the right way to begin that word meant that either I'd not been as discreet as I thought over the years, or at some point in time, I'd had some manner of contact with her family. Let's hope it was the second, it'd be easier to explain that way. I looked over to Pinkie, who had somehow procured sunglasses for myself and her. Without questioning it, I slipped them on. "Agent Pie, what does the book say about this situation?" ...From her mane, Pinkie pulled a blank pamphlet and began leafing through it. "Uh huh...uh huh....oh. Interesting." She closed it and stuck it back in, then looked at me while lowering the glasses a little. "She knows too much. You know what to do." There was panic for a moment as I nodded. "Understood." I picked the unicorn up and stuck her on my shoulders. "You're coming with me, little miss. Until we figure out what you know, how you know it, and what it'll take to keep you quiet, I have a new hat." Silence reigned for a second, then the unicorn laughed a bit. "That's it? That's my fate? To be your hat until we sit down and talk? I thought it would be worse than that." I rolled my eyes, not that she could see it from her position. "It could be worse. I could tickle you to make you talk." I actually felt her snort at that. "Pfft, like that scares me." I grinned evilly at that. "You've never been tickled by someone with fingers, then." I could almost feel her excitement as I said that. "True!" Our silly procession continued to a tree. No, I kid you not, it was a tree, a pretty large oak tree. The difference between this one and the ones I saw in the forest sometimes were that this one had been hollowed out and turned into a home while still alive. The doors and windows kinda gave it away. "And this is the Golden Oaks library! It's also where my bestest friend Twilight lives! Let me introduce you to her!" Pinkie bounced up to the door and knocked rapidly. After a moment, the door swung open in a pink aura and a lavender unicorn poked her head out. "Yes Pinkie? I'm in the middle of an experiment, and..." Here her eyes caught sight of me standing a ways back with the unicorn on my shoulders and head. Seeing as how this was a chance to make a perfectly wrong first impression, I went for it. I smiled, waved, and talked in a voice that was just a touch too bright. "Well hi there! Pinkie's been showing me around town, and I must say, it's quite the place! Then she said she was going to introduce me to her friend Twilight! I don't suppose you know the pony?" There was silence for a few seconds, and Pinkie giggled a little. The unicorn cleared her throat before responding to my question. "Why yes, I do know the pony, seeing as how I am the pony. Twilight Sparkle is my name. Would you mind if I asked, not only who you are, but what you are and why you're here in the first place, besides Pinkie?" I let my expression shift into one of shock, and after a moment, I replaced it with my trademark smile. "Well. I was almost afraid none of the ponies would ask those sorts of questions." I stood up and took in a deep breath before going into over-the-top dramatics. "Behold, Ponyville! The most intelligent mare-" Here I cut out for a moment and looked to Twilight. "You are a mare, right? I forgot to ask." Twilight sputtered a bit at that as she tried to force some words out. I shrugged as she failed to form a proper thought. "Fine." I put my voice back into the dramatic tone. "The most intelligent stallion-" "NO!" "Well which is it?" My grin could not be any bigger, especially when I actually looked at Twilight, whose face was now red. Pinkie, on the other hand, was rolling around laughing at my antics. "YOU HAD IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME!" "Ah, fine. The most intelligent mare in Ponyville! For upon seeing me, not only did she retain her intellect, but she immediately set about asking me the right questions!" There was silence for a moment, after which Twilight sighed and looked at me with just a hint of exasperation. "Did you really have to grandstand that much?" I scoffed a bit. "Of course! What with Pinkie dragging me into town in broad daylight and denying me a chance to run or hide from the situation, grandstanding and dramatics are all I have left to deal with the situation! So of course I shall use them to their fullest extent!" Lest I go mad, I mentally tacked on, with a slight twitch of my left eye. Twilight noticed this, apparently, and the sheathed swords at my hips, before nodding slightly. "Riiiiiight. Well, why don't you come in, and we can talk about it?" I looked upwards to my hat's position. "What say you, hat? Should I?" "I have a name, you know. It's Lyra Heartstrings." "Interesting. Well, what say you, Lyra Hatstrings? Should we?" There was a slight giggle from atop me before I got a response. "Sure thing! Onwards, noble beast!" I ducked far more than I normally would going in, mostly to make sure that Lyra didn't get knocked off of my head. Twilight turned to Pinkie and said something about gathering the rest of their friends while I made myself comfortable. Once I found a seat, I plucked Lyra from my head and laid her down in my lap like a cat, stroking her mane. It was a remarkable form of stress relief. I heard Twilight clear her throat, and turned to look at her. She had an inkwell, a feather quill, a huge stack of parchment, and a wide grin on her face to match Lyra's. "I have so many things I want to ask you!" I swear I felt the Slayer cringe just as much as I did at those words. (Shining POV) Okay, wait. That shouldn't have happened. None of it should have happened. This weird...creature. Had just strolled into town while being accompanied by the Bearer of Laughter. It had quickly gotten a tour, slightly abducted a mare, and walked right up to his sister, and nopony said anything. In fact, the creature had done most of the talking. Most of it grandstanding, but somepony should have screamed. Yelled. Panicked. Something! Maybe it was an effect of the Bearer of Laughter accompanying the creature? Or perhaps it was the creature itself? And now the Bearer had bounced off, and was that blood on her leg? Had she been wounded by that thing?! And now it was alone with his sister?! The pink mare had hummed something about gathering the rest of her friends, also known as the other Bearers. Not good. Very not good! This was no longer the time to plan. This was the time to act. Sadly, getting all of his undercover guards together would take time. Time he wasn't sure they had. Shining sent the message anyways and kept an eye on the library. If there was even a hint of a scream or the inkling of violence from within, orders be damned. He would not fail to protect his baby sister from that creature.
Chapter 8 - Wait for it...Fortunately, I had the one weapon that could possibly dissuade Twilight from asking a thousand questions at once: Lyra. Oh, not as she was originally. But after ten seconds of being petted and scratched behind the ear, she was enjoying my stress-relief treatment more than I had and actually started to whine when I stopped for any length of time. The sight was so adorable that Twilight actually paused before asking any questions to let out an 'aww' at the scene. Which let me quickly sneak in a question of my own. "So, if I heard you properly, Pinkie is going to gather the rest of your friends to meet me here, correct?" Not quite paying full attention, Twilight merely nodded at my statement. I grinned and managed to get another question out, one that would snap her back to the land of the living. "Well then, why don't we wait on the questioning until they get here? I'd like it if I only had to explain things once." At this point, it was Twilight's turn to whine. "But- science!" "No." "It would be a great boon to-" "Nuh-uh." "And there are so many things you could answer-" "Lyra, give her the cute face," I said, pulling my hands away from Lyra's head. I didn't actually look, but Lyra turned towards Twilight and let out a sniff. "Why are you stopping him from giving me attention?" Twilight actually cringed at the look Lyra was broadcasting, which I refused to look at. I know my limits. "I...I....I...Oh fine! You win! But once they're here, I expect your full cooperation!" I nodded at that. "Can do! But until then..." I resumed petting and scratching Lyra, to her approval and Twilight's bemusement. It was barely half an hour later when Pinkie bounced into the library, trailing four unfamiliar ponies behind her. "Heya Marky! I'm back, and these are my other friends I was talking about!" I nodded at Pinkie and poked Lyra in the ribs. "C'mon, off you. I need to go greet the ponies Pinkie picked for my perusal." Lyra giggled a bit and hopped off my lap. "Try saying that three times fast." I stood up and stretched, cracking quite a few joints in the process. "Ooooh, that never gets old." All the ponies winced as I rolled my neck and cracked my knuckles. All of them save the cyan pegasus that is. She flew into my face and gave me a quick once over. "Sheesh. You look like you're ready for just about anything." She looked from me to Pinkie with a slight frown. "Are you the one that injured Pinkie?" Injured? Oh CRAP! "Pinkie, c'mere! I wanna try something." Pinkie bounced over and I knelt down, clasping her injured leg in my hands. I focused my thoughts...and found what I was looking for. Since I'd acted in a 'good' manner when dealing with another Spawn, or perhaps in my conversation with the Slayer earlier, it had been reflected back at me. My powers...had begun to awaken. The basics were now mine. Which is good, they were all I needed right now. "Blood calls to blood, Kith calls to kin, I call to you, Be whole once again." My hands glowed light blue, and the wound on Pinkie's leg also glowed. The glow receded quickly, and when it vanished, all the ponies in the room were astounded at what I had done. Pinkie's wound was no more. Fitting, really. I'd given it to her, it was only right I take it from her as well. I nodded once and stood up. "Now that that matter has been taken care of, let us proceed with this meet 'n greet. Pinkie, will you do the honors?" The pink party pony flexed her leg with a wide smile. "Sure thing Marky! And thanks, I wasn't really looking forward to another hospital visit. Lemme just wash the dried stuff out of my coat and I'll get right on that!" After a minute of looking at the new ponies' shocked faces, Pinkie bounced back out of the bathroom with a freshly-washed and dried leg. You wouldn't be able to tell that she'd been injured now unless you really looked for it. She wandered over to the four ponies she'd brought with her and put a hoof to her chin in contemplation. Evidently she was having trouble deciding who to introduce first, and eventually one of the ponies got fed up with it. "Aw, the hay with it!" The cyan pegasus with a rainbow for a mane and tail was back in my immediate line of sight. "The name's Rainbow Dash, and I am only the fastest flier in all of Equestria!" She extended a hoof, which I met with a fist. I'd seen this greeting before and had a way to mimic it. "Interesting. I'll have to see your claims to determine if they're true." "You sayin' I'm not?" She got real close then. I merely chuckled and pushed her back with a hand. "More like...I'm saying I'm well-traveled, and seen a lot of pegasi in my time. I'd be able to determine where you fall as compared to them if I see you flying." "Ah." Comprehension flitted across her face before she nodded and landed next to the other ponies. The next one to come up to me was an orange earth pony with a blonde mane and tail. "Th' name's Applejack. I run Sweet Apple Acres with mah brother Big Macintosh and my sister Applebloom. Granny helps with all the bakin'." I blinked at that: some fruit markets had claimed to sell Sweet Apple Acres merchandise, either the apples themselves or things made with them, across Equestria, and it had always been worth the bits. Here was an opportunity to get at some of these goods from the source. "My dear, your farm is well-known. I do believe your food has been one of the bigger investments of bits I've made lately." At this, she chuckled a bit. "Does a pony good to hear that. Thanks fer that." Applejack stepped back, and the white unicorn with a rich violet mane and tail stepped forward. "I am Rarity, owner and proprietor of Carousel Boutique, Ponyville's leading fashion hub. Now, correct me if I am in error, but you did say you were well-traveled, yes?" I nodded at Rarity, taking note of her accent as well. "I am indeed. You would be hard-pressed to find a corner of Equestria I have not explored in some fashion or another. And if I haven't, then I have plans to do so at some point in time." Rarity merely smiled at me. "Fantastic! Have your journeys ever brought you to Canterlot?" I sighed at that. "Alas, no. My travel plans dictate that shall be the last stop on my wanderings." I winked at her then. "Save the best for last, am I right? Besides, there's still a bit of Equestria I've not seen out there still. I'll get to the center of Ponykind's civilization soon. Perhaps in a few years, when I've finalized my journey." Rarity nodded at that. "Still, all that culture you must have seen, first-hoof! The art, the music, the clothes!" Here, her eyes flitted over my clothing, which had remained surprisingly intact. "Speaking of..." I held up a hand to forestall her. "We can go over what I know and what I'm wearing at a later date. I believe there is still one more I have to meet?" Rarity nodded, and the ponies parted to show me a canary yellow pegasus with a bubblegum-pink mane and tail. Upon seeing that there was nothing between her and me anymore, she squeaked and curled into a ball. "This is Fluttershy, dear. She's quite shy, but has a way with animals, and is in fact the local caretaker of them. Fluttershy, this is..." Rarity trailed off as all the ponies realized that I hadn't quite given them my name. I smiled as they came to the same realization at the same time. Sure, Pinky had called me Marky, but that wasn't my real name. Time for a bit of grandstanding. "My name is Marketh Shadeblade, and I have a long and shadowed history. My heritage is nothing to sneeze at, but it is for that reason that I walk these lands. If you ladies would be so kind? Pinkie's already undergone my treatment, so she's exempt, but I would like to shake hooves with you three." Here I pointed at Twilight, Rarity, and Applejack. Rainbow caught on that I'd already hoof-bumped her, so she wasn't left out of whatever I'd planned. "Treatment? What are you planning?" Rainbow was up in my face again, and I carefully pushed her back. "A test. A quick, non-invasive test to determine if a crucial fact is true or not. They need to undergo it, but I don't need to test Fluttershy." At this, said mare poked her head up, and I continued. "I already know the reaction I'd provoke, and it's likely the reason she's hiding now." At this, I got a shaky nod, and I kept going. "However, the other mares in this room should make contact with me so I can determine this fact." At this, Lyra stepped forward and placed a hoof on me, probably to show that there was nothing wrong with what I was suggesting. "See? Nothing happened. And he's been doing this amazing thing with his..." She shot me a questioning look, one that was directed to my hands, as though she didn't know what to call them. "Hands," I filled in. Lyra let out a little hum at that and smiled. The mares exchanged a quick glance before Twilight stepped up and gulped. "Here goes, then..." Twilight touched me, and there was no reaction. I smiled and shook my head. "You're clean." I looked to Applejack and Rarity. "Next?" The apple mare strode forward at the same time as the unicorn and both touched me together. This provoked a reaction, and I studied it, frowning. "Not you...but your lines...at some point in time, they met someone of great power...someone evil...it's skipped a few generations here and there, but it's slightly manifesting now...in those close to you." The two backed off at that about to protest my accusations, when I held up a hand to them. "Don't bother. The blood knows. It's manifesting in your family, probably in your generation, just not in you." I drew closer to Fluttershy and knelt in front of her, and she merely squeaked and curled up into a ball again. Rarity finally found her voice. "Why of all the nerve! Who do you think you are, telling us about our family lines?" I drew a short blade with my right hand and cradled the tip with my left. "I am Marketh Shadeblade. Doom of the Diamond Dogs, Forestwalker, Ageless. But most importantly, I am a Greater Spawn of Bhaal, Lord of Murder. It is his blood that flows in my veins, and I am determined to not give in to its corruptive allure of power. However, his blood does carry a few gifts, and one allows me to find any of my half-brothers or sisters, no matter how removed from me they may be." Fluttershy had looked up at those words, and I reached behind her ear and scratched it, earning a soft coo from her and an instant reaction from the Slayer. A Spawn had been in her family line at some point, and a spark of his 'divinity' now rested within her. I continued with my explanation even as I took a hold of one of her forelegs. "My goal for most of my very long life has been simple: gather information and see if I can find any of my distant relations before they manifest their powers, then remove it from them. I got a chance to try it with Pinkie, and it works wonderfully. The taint of Bhaal's blood is not meant for mortal kind. Much less pony-kind. The only issue is, of course, the initial wounds I must make, but I am perfectly capable of handling that matter. That is, as long as the pony in question trusts me." Fluttershy looked me in the eyes with those words, and I returned it, before she gave the tiniest of nods. I gave a similarly small smile and made the smallest of wounds on her leg, just enough to get the blood flowing. I clasped my still-wounded hand over her leg and talked to her in a low voice. "Focus, miss Fluttershy. Concentrate. Think about your Stare, about that voice you sometimes hear, about those sensations you sometimes get when you're truly upset with a misbehaving animal..." Just as the world around us faded, I heard a shout and a door opening... (Twilight POV) She didn't know what to think anymore. First, Pinkie drags a new creature into her library, after she shows it around the entire town. At least, knowing her, she probably showed it around the town. Twice. Then it manages to dominate and divert the conversation in such a way that she can't ask any questions of it at all. And she had so many! And for a topping on this sundae, it spouts off some crazy talk about how it's ageless and has been seeking some sort of spawn of a Lord of Murder. Whatever he meant, it couldn't be good. Now he's involved in some sort of freaky blood ritual with Fluttershy, because he thinks she might be related to him? Could this day get any worse?! "ROYAL GUARD! FREEZE!" ...Apparently, it could. Twenty-odd guards in armor showed up, followed by a stallion in gold and purple armor. The stallion took one look at Marketh and Fluttershy and tried to separate them, only to be thwarted by their grasped appendages. They just could not be forced into letting go. ...It probably didn't help that Flutter's and Marketh's eyes had turned to a solid black and their mouths were locked open in a silent scream. The stallion snorted and motioned for some of his guards to surround the scene. "The moment they come out of this, whatever it is, take this creature into custody. It's done enough for one day." "But Shi-" "Not now, civilian," Shining Armor cut her off with. "I have a mission to do, and I will not be stopped by anyone. Even you." ...Yes, this day could get worse. But surely that was the extent of it, right? (Marketh POV) Once again, black was the order of the sky, and blood was the order for the ground. The surroundings weren't empty, however. A forest populated this place, and I could hear weeping from somewhere nearby. I followed it to find a house that would not be remiss if it were in the Shire. But something was wrong. It felt...wrong for a forest like this to be so quiet. I walked up to the door and opened it, finding an interesting, yet immaculate house beyond. At least, until I got to the kitchen. ...Even I balk at what seemed to have taken place in the kitchen. The sobbing came from upstairs, and I found a bedroom with Fluttershy in it. She was weeping on her bed, and nearby was a large, circular mirror. It was criss-crossed with cracks, distorting the image of the room it was supposed to reflect... ...And from that reflection came a voice. "Oh yes, Fluttershy. Take care of the animals. Especially the meat-eaters. What's that? Not enough fish? Not enough meat for them? That's fine, we can always find some. All you have to do is get one of your friends alone and Stare at them, then your carnivore friends won't be hungry anymore. It might even be painless." The voice grated on my nerves and I held a hand out, placing it on the mirror. I felt the Spark recoil at my touch. "You...no! You can't be a Greater Spawn! That just doesn't happen in Equestria!" I snarled at the mirror, willing it to mend itself from the outside in. "Believe it, I am. And you've tortured this poor soul LONG ENOUGH." The cracks melted as the mirror began to fill itself in, and the voice on the other side started screaming at me. "You think this changes anything, Spawn? Chaos is meant to come, whether you act to prevent it or not! Even if you hunt down all your distant relations and remove their taint, CHAOS SHALL STILL RETURN!" With that, the mirror was mended, and the link was cut. No longer did it reflect a distorted world, and as such, the Spark had no more hold in her mind. The world around us came to life in a big way, and the mirror dissolved into a ball of green power. I whisked it away with a thought, and then I heard the two most important words in the universe. "Thank you." I turned to look at Fluttershy and smiled at her. "My dear, I would do this for anyone, because they do not deserve this curse, no matter who they are." And then she looked up at me and asked the most damning question of all in the most innocent of ways. "Then who will help you when the rest are gone?" The shock of the unexpected question knocked me out of the mindscape... I gasped and blinked a few times, making sure everything was in working order, before noticing the contingent of guards that had appeared in the library. I slowly looked around, making sure that what I was seeing was in fact reality, when a large unicorn stallion (well, for a unicorn anyways) cleared his throat. Judging by the armor and attitude, I'ma say that's the Guard-Captain. He pointed a hoof at me and said a simple phrase that nearly caused me to laugh. "Come with me if you want to live." Author's Note Bhaalspawn powers unlocked: Cure minor wounds - may use once per day.
Chapter 9 - Did he just do that?!I stared at the quite obvious leader of these guards in front of me and slowly turned my head back and forth to take in how many I was facing. Besides him, ten unicorns and ten pegasi. Nothing I couldn't deal with in my own way. This was hardly the first time I'd encountered law enforcement, though it was contending for one of the more even encounters I'd fought through. Don't get me wrong, I was still going to win. But only because of a last resort I'd saved. I began to talk while reaching between my pack and my back with my right hand. "Well. This is rather interesting. All this trouble, for me?" The stallion in charge snorted. "Apparently this isn't the first time you've run from the law, so yes. Along with the fact that you're holed up in here with the Bearers. So I reiterate: Come with me if you want to live. Fail to do so, and I will have no other options save force." I chuckled at that and gestured at Pinkie and Fluttershy with my left hand. My right had found the glass bottle I'd sought. "These two can tell you, quite clearly, that I am not to be messed with. Pinkie moreso, I would think, seeing as how she actually saw the beastie in question. They also know more about me than any other living being in this age, including the ones you arrested in Manehatten." At this, Rarity spoke up. "You mean the den of thievery that the Guard dealt...with..." Her voice trailed off as she connected the dots. I smiled and gave a showman's bow, giving me the chance to move the bottle from my back to in front of me. "Indeed. Marketh Shadeblade, runner of every major thievery guild in Equestria...up until they were forced to disband, anyways." I stood up and looked the stallion in the eyes. "And now that I've said that, what makes you think, sir, that I would come with you of my own volition?" He blinked a few times as he looked at me, then shook his head and glared. "You're going to wish you did." He raised a hoof to signal his guards. He never got a chance to finish that signal. The moment his hoof raised, I popped the cork on the bottle and downed its contents. After just a second, I'd vanished from the visible light spectrum. Or in other words, I'd turned invisible. (Marketh POV - 250 years ago) "Well, you're an interesting one." The cloaked figure in the bar looked up at me, chuckling as he did. "I could say the same of you. That's not your normal self, is it? Some sort of illusion to deceive others into thinking you're just an ordinary biped." I let out a small laugh of my own as well. "Fair enough, and up until it met you, it was working. I'm rather proud of that. Then again, your more natural camouflage serves you well...zebra." At this, the figure stiffened and looked at me with what can only be termed a death glare. "You got a problem with me?" I laughed again. "Oh no! No, see, I've heard tell that you and your kin are quite adept at potion-making, something I've been meaning to both learn...and make use of. I've quite the laundry list of potions that I could use, and if you know a way to create similar kinds, or tell me how to, then I'd be much appreciative." There was silence for a few seconds as the cloaked figure contemplated my words. He spoke up eventually, though. "Huh. Never thought I'd see someone who'd see past the stripes and look at the skills beneath." I shrugged at that. "What can I say? Being weird has its advantages. You stop seeing other people for what they are and instead look at who they are." The zebra across from me slowly nodded. "Yes...by chance, would you happen to know anything about the strange being that is sometimes said to visit the Everfree...and come back alive? Multiple times?" I grinned widely at that. "You're looking at 'im." The zebra chuckled at my quick response. "Well, I'm not here alone. If you're willing to lead a small party of my fellow zebras into the forest so they can study it, perhaps gather some samples, and defend them while they do, then I'd be willing to lend my alchemical knowledge to you." I nodded at him. "Deal." (Present time) That crazy zebra had pulled through back then, and I was ever so glad for the preservation spell laid into the glass. Invisibility seemed to run by different rules here than the Forgotten Realm's version. I took note that the unicorns were charging spells and the pegasi were blocking exits. I grinned. They stood no chance. I carefully aimed my first knife and nicked the horn of the unicorn closest to the lead stallion. Then I grabbed two more and aimed to slice up a peagsi's flight muscles. Both guards fell, the pegasus due to the sheer pain, and the unicorn because he had lost control of his spell, which turned on him and knocked him out instead. On and on and on this went, me crippling one guard or another, the rest getting more and more paranoid, and the leader getting more and more agitated, lashing out with blasts of magic in an effort hit me. It was futile, but a nice try nonetheless. He didn't even seem to notice that I'd been recovering my knives from where they'd ended up. Very soon we had twenty groaning guards on the floor, in various stages of pain and incapacitation, while the leader was the only one left standing. I aimed to fix that. I jumped and landed on his back, causing him to fall to the ground at the unexpected weight. With a slight ringing noise, I drew both my short blades and rested them at the base of his horn, ceasing his struggles instantly. I faded back into view, causing the girls to gasp slightly. "Know you this, O Captain. I have shown remarkable restraint and mercy to you and yours. Attempt to find or track me down again, and you will find it lacking. The Diamond Dogs ignored my warning. Don't make that mistake." The leader nodded once, jerkily, and I removed my blades from his horn and walked to the door. Just as I got there, I heard a familiar enough voice, though it was no longer bubbly. "Marky? Where will you go?" I turned my head slightly and waved at Pinkie as I left. "Home, Pinks. You should know where that is. Just don't tell anyone here where that is yet, okay?" "O-okay." I smiled at her and the other mares and decided to toss in one last line. "Don't worry, I'll be back." And with that, I took my leave of Ponyville, went to my new home, crashed from all the adrenaline, and decided to sleep. The dream realm is nothing to sneeze at. No, literally, I tried, some dude got up in my face about it. Apparently that's one of his 'dream rules,' can't sneeze in a dream. I've no idea if it would be true without him or not, but there we have it. Tonight's featured film was a scene from today's action-packed adventure at the library. I felt another presence behind me, and responded automatically without checking it. "I know what you're going to say. Or ask, rather. Do I regret doing what I did?' The presence was silent as I held a hand up to the memory and slowly rotated it. "The answer is no. I don't regret doing what I did. In fact, I'm proud. I managed to resolve the situation in more or less a perfect manner. Granted, the ideal solution would be one where it didn't happen, but failing that, I did rather well, don't you think?" Silence for a moment more, and then I heard a response. "Thou think'st that We art proud of what thou hast done to Our loyal guards?" I turned around rapidly to see a blue alicorn with a mane like the night sky standing behind me. I smiled and gave her a showman's bow. "Princess Luna, I presume. It is an honor to meet you, though really, you shouldn't have come here." She tilted her head to the side in confusion. "Whyever not? The realm of dreams is Our domain." I smiled and nodded at her. "True, but you're in MY mind. MY domain. And frankly..." Another voice pitched in then. "We don't share all that well." Luna turned around to see the Slayer standing behind her, and one could almost hear her mind stopping as she contemplated the being before her. "Luna, Slayer. Slayer, Luna. Play nice, you two..."
Chapter 10 - Chaos shall be sown...I looked up from my mock complex alchemical equation to see Luna land near me, torn and bloody. With not even a flash, she was whole again and growled almost like a predator. "Foul beast...." "You know," I pitched in, "That's fifteen straight wins to him. You should just give up and ask the question that's sitting in your head." She turned to me and glared quite impressively. If looks could kill, that one would have at least seriously wounded me. "Fine. Pray tell, how doth this beast keep defeating Us in Our own realm?" I waved my hands and dismissed the floating equation, conjuring up a chair to recline in at the same time. "It's quite simple," I said, sipping on a glass of wine that had appeared from nowhere. "One of the things I took to heart when I was younger was a simple saying. Know Thyself. And I do. I know not only my Self, but my Mind. My control over my own dreams is something I've honed...when I've gotten a chance to sleep, that is." "And I have helped him hone it, by being a foe he had to WORK to defeat. I am, after all, only the dark little voice in his head that tells him, constantly, that 'all this trouble could be avoided with a swift slice to the jugular.'" The Slayer had walked up to my side during my explanation, and Luna immediately stiffened, preparing herself for a strike that didn't come. "Slayer, play nice." As he growled I turned back to Luna and smiled. "Wanna know something fun, Luna?" She nodded once, jerkily, not quite paying attention. I jerked a thumb at the Slayer, and my next words caught her attention. "Even though I've resisted him for nigh a thousand years, that's not even his final form." Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. "But...a thousand years...not his true form...if that be true, then...what manner of monster ART thou?!" I grinned wildly, this had all the makings of an exceptional set-up, she just needed a bit of bait. "Mine mother was an elf," I started, mimicking a bit of her tone, "While father was a shape-changer, a skin-walker, one who could be many. When he met mine mother, he was in the form of an ordinary man, though that did not diminish his nature...or the nature of the curse he passed on to me, like he passed on to so many of my half-siblings." Luna considered for a moment, and then opened her mouth to ask a question. "Elf...man? What is a...man?" It could not be more perfect. I smashed the wineglass on the imaginary floor of the dream realm and bellowed at her. "A MISERABLE LITTLE PILE OF SECRETS!" The Slayer pitched in then. "But enough talk...HAVE AT YOU!" And with that, round sixteen started, but did not end before I woke up... (Let's quickly look at Canterlot Gardens...) "Girls! Now this is a really interesting statue. What do you notice about it?" "It's got an eagle claw!" Capable of rending asunder any rules or laws... "And a lion paw!" That which brings all things to heel under its weight... "And a snake tail!" To show that even in his honor, he is dishonorable... "This creature is called a draconequus. He has the head of a pony and a body made up of all sorts of things. What do you suppose that represents?" "Confusion!" He DOES leave it in his wake... "Evil!" Nay, merely...misunderstood... "Chaos!" He IS its Lord and Master... "It's not chaos, you dodo!" Oooh, such infighting already? Brother Mayhem, how very nice... "Don't call me things I don't know the meaning of! And it is too chaos!" Why thank you, Sister Anarchy... "Is not!" What say you, Brother Madness? Is this enough yet? "You're both wrong!" It should be, by now. He should have enough to draw on to break his prison, what with the re-alignment of the Elements... "Actually, in a way, you're all right. This statue represents 'Discord,' which means a lack of harmony between ponies. In fact, you three have demonstrated discord so well that you're each going to write me an essay explaining it." The class laughed, oblivious to the looming doom... "Now let's go, and I don't want anymore fighting." (Wuh-oh...) I knew the day was going to be interesting when I walked out the door to see a pink cloud zoom by. Even moreso when I saw it dribble some sort of brown fluid behind it. I raised an eyebrow as nearby forest animals started to mutate and head into town, to do...I dunno. Probably monstrous things. I looked again at the insanity that was encompassing the area around me and pulled out one of the books I'd snagged from the library during my late-night visit. I flipped through the pages until I reached 'D' and stopped. "Huh. Brought chaos to the landscape, caused strife and disharmony amongst pony kind, nothing made any sense from one day to the next..." I looked up from the book to see that things had only gotten worse, looked back down, sighed, and snapped it shut. Then I softly sang the prophecy that had been seared into my memory upon my first arriving in Equestria. "The Lord of Murder shall perish, but in his doom he shall spawn a score of mortal progeny." I paused for effect, to make sure the spirit in question was listening. "Chaos shall be sown from their passing." "Well," said a disembodied voice, "I'm not certain how related you are to those three fillies, but I did break out after they passed me by, so I suppose your little statement is correct." I shook my head and responded to the voice. "It is not just a statement. It was a prophecy. The Sword Coast was embroiled in a war like no other when the Bhaalspawn there learned of it. Afraid of his fellow man, each one attempted to strike first. At times, it seemed that the sky rained blood." There was a flash and a popping noise from behind me, and I refused to look. "How gruesome. What does that have to do with the here and now?" I looked up to the sky, which had begun to take on an interesting hue. "I heard it again when I first came here, nigh a thousand years ago. I suppose, if the three fillies that passed in front of you are related to me by father's blood, then the prophecy can technically be fulfilled here, without the need for bloodshed." I turned to regard the chimera that stood before me and smiled. "Of course, that does leave the problem of you..." Discord raised his claw and smirked at me. "And who do you think you are that you can stop ME, the Lord of Chaos and Disharmony?" "Stop you?" I quirked an eyebrow. "Heavens no. If there's one thing this place needs, it's a dose of Chaos." Discord paused mid-snap, his mouth agape as he heard my words. "You...what?" I shrugged my shoulders and explained myself. "I've always seen it like this: four physical, four metaphysical, two divine. All are required in balance, in harmony, for each and every world, lest it stagnate and wither." The spirit of chaos held his lion paw up to his beard and stroked it. "I think I can guess some of it, but you're doing such a good job of explaining it. Do continue." I nodded and gathered my thoughts. "Four physical. Air, Water, Earth, Fire. They form the base. Four metaphysical. Creation, Destruction, Order, Chaos. Properly moderated, they motivate the life that arises. Two divine. Heaven, Hell. They safeguard the souls of they that pass on. A world without a proper dose of all ten such planes...is not a true world at all." I waved a hand at the scenery around us. "Before you came about, there was hardly any Chaos here at all. Perhaps residue from your last jaunt, or maybe some leakage from your prison. Just enough to keep the world limping on, but not enough for a true world at all. I've yet to find any avatars of Creation or Destruction, but methinks the sisters Celestial would do well for avatars of Order. And they've done too good a job these past eons." Discord summoned up an armchair and drank a glass of chocolate milk as he heard my explanation. "So you think I'm necessary?" I nodded. "In moderation, yes. Just as too much Order would end with ponies marching through the streets in perfect order, curfews being in effect, Big Celestia watching you, and us always being at war with Griffonia...or is it Zanzebra? Or perhaps the Dragons? Too much Chaos will result in something nobody wants to deal with." I shook my head as the scenery around us began to turn worse and worse. "Chaos may be change, the creation of new ideas, but Order is needed to incorporate those ideas into already existing systems. Destruction may help break things down, but Creation can remake the useful portions. Disharmony is always needed, because without a differing viewpoint, how would you know where you went wrong in making a Harmonious empire?" I glared at the spirit and stated, quite firmly, "You need to be stopped and shown the values in moderating your power." He glared back. "And who are you to think, no, demand, that I do so?" I moved to answer him, but he tapped me on the head before I could. "Never mind, don't bother. Let's see who you aren't instead. I'm sure it'll be more entertaining than your doom and gloom personality." I began to twitch as I felt his magic go to work, rearranging my mind...cracking seals...hearing the Slayer exalt in the depths as all the doors were flung open... I had time for one phrase, and I looked the spirit in the eyes as he began to notice my shift. "You shouldn't have done that." Then I felt it. My skin began to crawl, my bones began to shift, my muscles quivered with anticipation, and my blood began to boil and sing. The Slayer was about to truly be unleashed...
Chapter 11 - ...from their passing.(Slayer POV) I opened my eyes and looked at the Chaos Spirit before me. "Thank you ever so much for releasing me. Just give me one moment..." The spirit's eyes widened as Marketh's body began to shift and change into the one I was more familiar with. Bones cracked and shifted, muscle grew, skin darkened, and overall I just frightened the poor spirit. His eyes widened as he realized that he was the one responsible for this. "H-H-How?!" "It's quite simple. The boy's father was Bhaal, Lord of Murder. When he walked the mortal realm, he fathered many children. The boy is one of his greater creations. Should he have ever, oh, lost control of himself, he would have become a monster. And now that you've put me in control..." The spirit made to cast another spell, but I caught a familiar scent and moved close, sniffing and huffing like an animal. Undignified, really, but the boy was never one for magic, and frankly, neither was I. Why bother memorizing a long line of ancient words to kill someone when a sword through the ribs does the same with not even half the effort? The spirit was unnerved by my actions. "What are you...doing?" I responded halfheartedly. "Three familiar scents cling to you..." I finally placed them and growled. "Those fillies you mentioned to the boy. Where are they?" The spirit looked at me warily. "And why do you want to know?" "Mayhem, Madness, Anarchy. Three imps from Pandemonium cling to them and nurture their nature, their heritage. I will find the imps, devour them, and cut the young ones from their heritage and take it for mine own. The boy refuses to allow me to grow, this is an opportune moment." The sprit's jaw dropped off, he hastily picked it up and reattached it. "Grow? You mean you can get worse?" I smiled, it seemed to unnerve him even more. "But of course. This form is known as The Slayer, the taint that lies within all of Bhaal's spawn. And once I find and take enough of Bhaal's legacy from this world, I will grow to become His avatar again. I will become The Ravager, and all of Equestria shall be bathed in blood as I murder freely once again. None will be capable of stopping me!" Here I stopped and looked the spirit in the eyes and smiled wider. "And I have you to thank for the chance, O Spirit of Chaos." And with that, I stalked off, with the smell of the imps fresh in my mind. They had to be somewhere... (Let's...check in with the CMC, shall we?) The crusaders huddled in their clubhouse, the one place that it seemed the chaos outside had yet to notice. "What d'ya think is causin' all this ruckus?" Sweetie looked outside and briefly caught a glimpse of Canterlot Castle. Memories flashed across her mind of the field trip the class had taken not too long ago and she gasped before replying to Applebloom. "Girls, remember that statue Miss Cheerilee made us write about?" "Y'mean Discord? What about it?" Sweetie gathered her friends closer. "Remember what we said it was before she told us it was a lack of harmony between ponies?" "Yeah..." Applebloom trailed off, starting to see where Sweetie was going with this. "We said something about confusion and evil..." "AND chaos! And if the stuff outside isn't chaos, then I don't know what is!" Three distinct shadows that had no object to cast them laughed to each other at the filly stumbling upon an answer. It would likely be wrong, or she might stumble again, but they had to admire her ability to put two and two together. And then everything in the clubhouse stopped as a voice outside rumbled like an avalanche. "Well well well. Three little morsels in a tree, all nice and sedate, just for me." While the fillies didn't know that voice, the imps did, and it terrified them. That was the voice of an Avatar of a master of one of Pandemonium's layers. Even if he were in his...lesser form, he could and most likely would find and destroy them. He preferred to work alone, after all. There wasn't even a second between the voice uttering its terrifying rhyme and the next thing occurring, which in this case happened to be the Slayer materializing in the clubhouse. There was no other verb for it: he was there as though he was always there and meant to be there. Naturally, the three fillies panicked and ran to the far corner of their clubhouse, while the Slayer grabbed on to the camouflaged imps, who had unsuccessfully tried to flee. "Oh no you three don't. I'm here for a reason. The fillies can wait, you're being dealt with now." There was almost a sound as the three imps faded rapidly into, then out of view. The Slayer sighed in satisfaction and let out a small burp. "'Scuse me, but absorbing imps tends to make me gassy." The fillies just stared, but started scooting backwards as the creature advanced on them. "Now...you three have something I need. So let's just see if I can find it." With that, the creature grabbed their forelegs, made a quick pass with his free hand to shallowly cut their legs open, made a similar pass on himself, and tore into their minds, seeking the taint of Bhaal. Between the fillies and the Slayer stood Marketh, his arms crossed and his face screwed up in a scowl. "I think you've done enough for one day. Give me back my mind, and I'll go easier on the locks when I rebuild your cage." The Slayer laughed. "Not a chance, boy! I'm free for the first time in ages, and I will capitalize on it! Now get out of my way, I have taint to find and take for my own!" "Oh, you mean this?" And with that, Marketh held up a hand, and from the darkness around them, three green orbs coalesced into one, which hovered over his hand. The Slayer stiffened as he realized he'd been bested. "How did you do this so quickly?" "Well, I was here while you were forcing your way in, mainly because I asked politely. That resistance you encountered? Yeah, that wasn't them. That was me. This taint wasn't even formed into an alternate self yet, either. Pretty easy to take out of these fillies. And now you get to choose. You either fight me for control, and win or lose, the taint goes to the Void, or you give my body back, and in return, I feed you this. Your move." The Slayer growled again, having to make a choice between the two things he wanted most. Unfortunately, that was when a burst of rainbow light echoed throughout the mindscape, shattering it nigh instantly... (Marketh POV) I gasped and looked down around myself, noticing the fillies second to the main thing: I was back in control of my body, and it had returned to its normal form. Silently cheering on the inside, I looked over to the girls to see they were out cold. Not surprising, it isn't every day a demon and his better half force their way into your collective minds. But what separated us like that so suddenly? I shrugged and put it on the list of mysteries to solve. There was something a wee bit more important to worry about. Namely, my shattered mindscape. The Slayer was being delayed, true, but I would need time either in a meditative pose or asleep to truly work on my mind. And I needed to do it fast, the taint I'd taken from the girls had followed me back. This wasn't good. I didn't know how much the Slayer needed to grow into the Ravager, and I couldn't get rid of the stuff I'd taken now that I'd taken it. My one chance to get rid of it was when I cut it free from the girls, and I'd lost that chance. So now I had to deal with a demon in my head who wanted the demon-chow I'd taken back with me. Fun! I mulled over my options, then smiled. Assuming Luna paid me another visit when I fell asleep, this situation could still be salvaged... And with that, I quietly, silently, made my way out of the clubouse of the fillies, across Sweet Apple Acres, and headed for my home in the Whitetail Woods by skirting the rest of Ponyville. The locals seemed to be focused on the town and...was everything normal again? That meant that they had something that could not only defeat Discord, a spirit of chaos, but something that could undo all of his magic? The very thought of such a weapon not only existing, but my odds should I ever have to go up against it, made me shudder. After a moment, I shook my head and continued on my way. I had a mindscape to work on, and I preferred to be in relative safety while I did so.
Chapter 12 - A mind is a terrible thing to lay waste toIt is almost always never a dull night at Casa de Marketh. Especially not if you can dream-walk. Like a certain cerulean alicorn. "Foul biped, We hath returned to...what in the name of Our Sister hath happened here?" Especially not after yesterday. The place was a damn war zone. Partially due to Discord's meddling, mostly due to the Slayer hunting for the Taint. I was looking at the ruins of his former prison, sighing sadly. "Hello again Luna. Turns out yesterday was interesting. Had a run-in with a certain Spirit, and he ended up wanting to see 'who I'm not'." The Slayer chose that moment to roar in the distance. I waved a hand afterwards to punctuate my next statement. "As you're no doubt aware, that's not the best of ideas. Plus the Slayer found a source of...call it demon-chow while he was out. So now I not only have to rebuild this, but keep the Slayer-food away from him. Fun times." I could almost hear her blink incredulously behind me. "We do believe thou hath spouted enough of this 'sar-chasm' for one eve, half-elf. Dost thou..." Her voice trailed off before she finished her sentence, and I grinned and turned to face her. "Begging your pardon, I didn't quite catch that." She sucked in a breath and steeled herself. "Were We to offer Our aid in this, wouldst thou accept it?" I smiled and nodded. "Of course! So long as you either are the bait to keep Mr Slayer running, or are willing to follow my every direction to the letter." Luna pouted and stuck her tongue out at the choice I had presented to her. "We hath had enough of thine 'friend' to last Us even Our lifetime. We shalt suffer thine directions." ----- Rebuilding a mindscape with the help of the Princess of the Night, Moon, Stars, and Dreams? One of a kind experience. As in, I hope that was the only time I experience it. At least this time it was far more relateable. We'd ended up making it in the image of my new base. Two visible stories, the bottom one is a perfectly legitimate shopfront, the top holds the housing for the regular and apprentice thieves... It was the basement that I had yet to build that I was interested in. Seeing as how I had nothing else ready to draw on, I drew from the last guild I'd founded, and made the basement a betrapped maze. Only, these traps were quite deadly, thank you. Perhaps they'd even slow the damn thing down when we got him in there. And of course, at the end, where my office and room would be, we have instead a prison worthy of Bhaal, much less the Slayer. "So, how shall thee lure thine eternal foe within?" I smiled and 'ported us back to the surface, found the approximate location of the room while on the surface, and held up a hand. A green ball zoomed down from the skies and zipped inside the building. It was rapidly followed by two more, all three seeking the downstairs. They'd just begun to run the obstacle course to the room when a bellowing yell sounded out and the Slayer ripped into the mock base. It roared again as he had lost sight of them, but a quick sniff showed him to go to the basement. The balls had proven to exceed in the course and would likely excel in evading him for some time. Every so often he would come tantalizingly close to grabbing a hold of one, only for it to slip away and put on a burst of speed. The creature kept going, seeking the food he'd dragged into this mindscape. Finally, though, he'd cornered them in the final room of this place... Only to see the door close, a tunnel briefly connecting the room to the world above that was sealed, and for him to come to a sinking realization. He'd been led here for a single purpose. To be trapped. He screamed his rage to the world around him in vain... I sighed and pulled out a glass of wine from nowhere while looking at Luna. "It's been fun Luna, it really has. But I would like to get some actual sleep now, if you don't mind." The blue alicorn nodded, and I continued. "However, as a way of saying thanks, I invite you to come back again some other time when I'm not under siege from the demon in my mind. We can have a lovely conversation, where we each answer each others questions." Luna considered the offer and slowly nodded. "Thine proposal sounds fair." She turned and began walking out of the dreamscape. "We shall return another night." I waved, not that she could see it, and replied in an upbeat tone. "Byeeee! Don't be a stranger!" And with that, the dreamscape faded around us... (So, how is everyone's favorite Guard-Captain doing?) Shining Armor groaned and hit his head on his desk. He couldn't come up with any plans to find the creature that wouldn't result in it standing over him, threatening his horn again. Just how had he done any of that? The precision throwing! The turning invisible! That combat prowess! He could be a damn fine guard, if he wasn't dead-set on being on the other side of the law. Now there was a thought. Perhaps he could be pressed into service to make him pay for his crimes? He might even like it! ...Assuming he could be found. Once he'd left the library, he was gone from Ponyville in less than a minute. And the Bearer of Laughter wasn't saying where his home was. Something about breaking promises being the fastest way to lose friends. Shining's thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. He jerked his head up and opened it with a burst of magic. "Yes?" And that was when all of his thoughts fled, because standing there was his marefriend, the Princess of Love, Mi Amore Cadenza. Or Cadence. She really preferred Cadence. "Captain, I'm noticing that while the amount of guards on patrol is certainly adequate, there is still one slight problem." Shining straightened himself automatically. "And what would that be, Princess?" She gave what can only be described as a mischevious smile towards her coltfriend. "There is no guard on the inside of my room to help guard me." Shining coughed and looked away. This was another way of saying she wanted him to take the next step and just sleep with her. Hopefully not in that sense. "Princess, there are plenty of guards on the outside of your room in case something were to happen." Cadence pouted. "But my room, like many of the personal rooms in the castle, has been heavily soundproofed. Who knows what might happen inside that the guards outside wouldn't be able to hear?" ...Okay maybe she was inviting him to her bed in that way. She continued after noticing the way he squirmed. "And goodness knows there could be any manner of security breeches on the inside that I could be...unaware of..." She'd drawn closer and whispered in his ear then. "The monster will keep for another day, Shining. I'd like it if you came back with me now." ...Mares. What can you do?
Chapter 13 - The guild begins...A normal day. For once. Is that too much to fucking ask for?! I'd just walked out the front door of my new home to get a griffon landing on me. Or quite nearly so. I heard the wingbeats at the last second and dodged out of the way of what would have either been a landing or a pounce. I rolled across the ground, stood up, swiftly drew steel, and confronted the griffon. I noticed a few things about it even as I was sizing it up. Female. Small. Young adult, or a runt. It always hurt me a bit to hurt the younger generation...but then again, with my age, nigh everyone was the younger generation. She was more shocked to see me than I was to see her, clearly. "What the buck are you and how did you dodge that blow?" I merely smiled and started circling. The girl didn't disappoint when she started to circle as well. "The only answer I could give you that your might respect is one that I'm not sure you've heard of. Marketh Shadeblade. Forestwalker, Ageless." I paused for a moment before saying the final one. "Doom of the Diamond Dogs." Huh, apparently the griffins have heard of me. Or rather, my exploits. Her beak dropped and her eyes widened. "No way. That was you?" I smiled and nodded, but didn't drop my guard at all. "Took out a good portion of them before the rest finally realized that I wasn't anyone to mess with." The griffoness's eyes couldn't get any wider. "Dude! You're, like, a legend!" I blinked. "Really?" Then I crossed my arms and pouted. "And I try so hard to stay out of the limelight." She waved a talon around. "Not quite like that! Once the Diamond Dogs ran back with their tails between their legs, a griffon trader came back with the story. It spread like wildfire back in Gryphus." I uncrossed my arms and quirked an eyebrow; this was getting interesting. "Really?" The gryphoness nodded. "Yeah, griffon culture is all about military exploits and honor, things like that. To hear that one being stood against a war party of Diamond Dogs for ponies...we're sorta split about the story. A third of us disbelieve that it actually happened. A third of us use it as motivation, to try and match what happened in the story. And a third of us wonder just why in Tartarus anyone would bother defending the ponies." I sheathed my blades then and looked at her with the same intrigued expression. "And where do you fall?" She looked askance for a moment. "Bit of the second, lot of the third." And then she focused on me. "Just...one question? If you're the one who stood against them, and that was a hundred years ago...just how old are you?" I laughed then. "Didn't you hear the 'ageless' bit? To me, age is but a mile marker, telling me how far I've come in this thing called Life and Time. I don't know when, if ever, I'll get off this ride, but I intend to enjoy it." Her eyes narrowed then. "Alright, so that's my plan set then." I tilted my head to the side. "Oh?" She nodded once, firmly. "Yeah. If I can bring you to Gryphus, everyone'll forget about what I did and focus on you instead." I waved my hand at my new house. "Sorry, just got settled. Ask again in a few decades." Her claws unsheathed with a disturbing schnick noise. "Who said you were being given a choice?" I raised my eyebrows and held my arms to my side. "You really think that's a good idea? Considering what I've told you about myself?" She smirked at me with the cockiness of a thousand young recruits. "Hey, I don't need to beat you. Just knock you out and drag you there." I sighed and motioned for her to try. "Fine. Let's get this farce over with." She was good, I'll give her that. The problem with being good is that it's merely the starting point for my recruits. I saw every blow of hers as being telegraphed and flowed around them. I didn't even touch her, I just let her tire herself out trying to hit me. She progressively got more angry as more blows missed, and eventually she just lay on the ground, panting, swearing with what little rational thought and breath she could muster. "Not bad, kid. You have potential." She glared at me and snarled. I was undeterred. "Y'see, I'm not just someone who can whip a whole lot of behind when needed. I can also avoid confrontations, or solve them before they even start. Combat is but one facet to me, skilled at it I may be." I carefully placed a hand on the underside of her beak and guided her to look at me, despite her feeble clawing motions. "I was the Grandmaster of every competent thievery guild in Equestria for the past...millennium or so. The only reason I disbanded them was because the Guard came closing in on us. I know tricks to combat that you've likely never even thought of. Want to know where you rank?" Warily and wearily she nodded, and I smiled. "You're one of the more talented apprentices I've seen. The only reason I'm rating you like that, is because I wasn't trying against you. I don't know if you're better than that yet. However, your endurance is to be commended, and perhaps, once I show you some tricks, I can see if you can actually hold your own." She'd finally gotten her breathing under control. "Are you...offering to train me?" I shook my head. "Not quite. I'm offering you a spot here, at this house, as one of mine. An apprentice in the next guild. Do you accept?" She considered for a good, long while. "Wouldn't that make me a criminal?" I smiled wickedly at her. "Heavens no! Criminals are the ones that get caught." And for the first time since our little bout, she smiled as well. "Can I have your name, miss?" She shrugged. "Call me Gilda." Dash was upset. This was not quite a normal mood for her. Yeah, things upset her from time to time. But either she dealt with it by being her, or she figured out why they upset her and solved the problem. Occasionally by talking, but more often than not, with a hoof to a face. This problem, however, was quite bothersome, in that the reason for her mood was too far away to talk to/punch. Gilda had proven to be a horrible, terrible friend. By all rights, if she wanted to be a griffon that couldn't get along with ponies, she was free to be that sort of griffon...far away from Dash. However, she was still a once-loyal friend to her. Maybe it was something she had against ponies other than her? Maybe Gilda just couldn't deal with the idea that Dash could have more than one friend? Their time in flight camp together had formed a nice foundation. One she wasn't willing to throw away. She couldn't betray her friends either, though. Was there any way to get everything she wanted? Any advice Rarity would give would so not apply. To Gilda or her. Flutters wouldn't be happy about the mere idea of confrontation. Pinkie...yeah, she wouldn't be happy with the mere mention of the name. Applejack might have some good advice, but once again, Gilda was too far away to punch. And Twilight...She'd probably suggest researching her, gack, feelings, figure out why she felt this way, and send a letter to the prin- Dash's eyes widened and her breath caught. That was the answer. She raced home from the cloud she'd been sulking on. She had a letter to write.
Chapter 14 - *Insert training montage here*Chapter 14 - *Insert training montage here* There are three tests. Three, simple tests in any guild I run, to determine where you rank. The first test is, of course, getting my interest. It's not easy, I've lived for a while, and I have remarkably high standards. Those that pass that test and accept my offer become apprentices. The next test is the one apprentices take every time I train them. They have to spar with me for five minutes and not get hit. Once they've shown they understand that the first step to dominating combat is to read their foes and be exactly where the blow won't be, they pass and become full-fledged members. The final test is the one that only so many members can claim to have passed. When they desire it, we spar again, and this time, the time limit is, again, five minutes. They have that long to land a single blow on me, and of course I'm fighting back as well. They that pass are dubbed Masters of the craft. I've gotten lucky in my last few attempts in running a guild, I found quite a few worthy of the title of Master. The training facilities are also easy enough to understand. Doors with incremental lock difficulties, safes from every major manufacturer, ponyquines with saddlebags and fancy get up...laced in tiny, tiny bells. So much as one goes off, you've failed to pick that pocket. Digging out a basement is gonna take a while, as is rigging up target practice and a dexterity course. Along with a couple of abject lessons in 'if it looks too good to be true...' Gilda was doing well at the training. For an apprentice, anyways. She'd managed to make it so I only hit her five times in our latest session today. Better than yesterday's low of ten. "How are you...so good at this?" I smiled and tapped my head. "Killer instinct. My kind took kill-or-be-killed to an artform. Several, actually." She glared at me a bit. "Is that what you're teaching me? What you've taught all the others?" I shook my head. "Goodness, no. I'm teaching you to try and read your opponent. Try to see where the blows are coming from, and then be where they aren't. Barely dodging the blow is seen as foolhardy by some, but you would not believe the amount of startled looks I get when I do it myself. It's almost like the ponies don't believe anyone could dodge so easily." In the immortal words of Piccolo: DODGE! That is the first lesson. If you can dodge, you won't be hit. If you're not hit, they will be. Gilda seemed to get it a bit and got up again, breathing deeply. She closed her eyes, focusing on the rhythm of her breathing, before snapping them open and nodding at me once, sharply. And then the combat was on again, and I have to say... It was amazing. She dodged and flowed around near every blow I threw at her. I would aim a punch at her wing, it would dip just enough that I could see the feathers ruffle. A kick aimed at her talons ended up in her leaning away just the right amount. It was like I was water, and she was oil. We flowed around each other in a dance of limbs, wind, and fury. And then, just as I finished counting five minutes, her wing didn't quite dip far enough, and I landed a hit. A feather came off with it, and she squawked at me. I twirled it in my fingers and sighed. "So close. Not bad, for someone I've only begun to train." She ruffled her wings, trying to get the sensation of having a feather plucked worked out most likely. "Yeah, just messed up on that last one. If I wasn't so tired, I'd have made it." I nodded and let the feather fall to the ground. "Most likely. Want another, or are you done for the day?" She shook her head. "Nah, I think I'll go try the doors and the pick-pocketing tests." As she turned around, I felt the sudden urge to ask, and gave in to it. "By the way, who trained you?" She halted for a moment, then turned a baleful eye back at me. "What?" I shrugged. "I can recognize when someone's had training, from martial artists, to self-taught, to military. You had all the markings of someone who was trained to do combat a certain way, and only when I told you what I was aiming for did you let go. Who trained you, and in what?" She sighed. "I told you that griffon culture values military exploits, right? There's a branch of our military that's dedicated to trying to bring up a crop of griffons that can do even half of what you're said to have done. My dad...he's pretty involved in that, and that's all I'm saying." I nodded, piecing the story together. "I think I can guess from there, thanks, though if you ever want to talk about it, my door's always open...or will be, when you pass your training." She smirked at that. "Eh, no real reason to hurry just yet. But I might take you up on that offer one day." All in all, a nice day. And that was when the damn Diamond Dogs showed up. I swear I felt my eyes go black as the three mounds of earth were pushed up from below. Three scruffy-looking dogs popped out of the holes, and I glared at them. They went from full of indignant anger to pants-pissingly terrified in seconds, and I would be lying if I didn't get a thrill from that. "You have to the count of three to explain why you're here." The smallest one squeaked then, after which he cleared his throat and spoke up. "We were just coming up to complain about noise..." I blinked at that. "Really?" They all nodded, and the thinnest, tallest one spoke up next. "Us Dogs can feel vibrations in earth. All your running around is like if you went in pony town and started screaming 'look at me.'" I blinked again and started laughing at that. "Well, that's interesting. Learn something new every day." I made a shooing motion with my right hand. "I'm just training my next apprentice. Go on, off with you." They looked from me to each other, then back to me. "You...not going to harm us?" Middle asked, beefy as all get-out. I shook my head. "Nope. You know who I am, and I have no problem with you...yet. Keep it up, though..." They gulped at that and the small one called for a huddle. After a moment passed, they broke it up and the small one came forward. "You were training your next minion?" I blinked and waved a hand around. "Minion's a little harsh. They've always been free to do as they will, even leave. I make suggestions and requests, and provide training and facilities. The fact that they stick it out with me is just a happy coincidence." The other two dogs tilt their heads at that, but the small one smiles and nods. "We'd like to sign up." ...Jaw, meet ground. Ground, meet jaw. Here's a ball, play nice. After my moment of confusion, I looked at the three with what had to be a glare, because they flinched back. "Why?" The smallest one cleared his throat; he was either the spokesdog or the smartest one. "Because living with you promises to be better than living with the colony. You at least care about the ones under you." I blinked at that, then smiled a cruel smile. "You sure? Cause it's been at least a hundred years since I had any Dog recruits." I jerked my head over to my house and continued. "Something similar for the griffons. And we both know why." The three winced and nodded, and I held up a hand to my chin and hummed. "We'll do it like this. On any given day, I spar with one of you. Another one will recover from the sparring of the previous day, and the third will spend a few hours digging out my basement, seeing as how I know how good you are at that. Once the basement is done, we'll work on a series of quick access...and escape tunnels from here to the nearest settlement." They nodded as the schedule sunk in, and I continued. "I have a few gems on me right now that you all can have to munch on, and three-quarters of what you dig up during excavation is yours. With the last quarter being mine, naturally. Don't fret, all I'll do is save it for later, in case of a dry spell. All I ask for is a fair share." The three looked to each other, nodded, and then the small one nodded as well. "Sounds good." I smiled at them. "Can I get your names then, my new apprentices?" "Rover," the lanky one said. "Fido," the muscled one replied. "And Spot," the small one finished. Twilight Sparkle was not a happy pony. Ever since the whole Smarty Pants incident, she found herself with a lot more free time on her hooves. Seeing as how the schedule for writing letters to the Princess had never actually existed, she had more time to study the mysteries of magic and friendship. Her latest subject, however, was the one known as Marketh Shadeblade and his various titles. Forestwalker? Nopony knew much of anything about the Everfree. It could very well be true. Ageless? More than likely, considering his previous claims, but nopony knew how it was possible. Runner of every major den of thievery? Far too many of those in her history books to count. It only made sense when combined with the Ageless one. Doom of the Diamond Dogs? Nopony knew anything about that, there hadn't been any recorded major skirmishes with the Dogs in a good long while! She'd inquired about what her friends thought about the titles, and they'd all put in their two bits. She had yet to ask Dash, but all her other friends had agreed that her previous conclusions sounded right. "Dash!" The blue pegasus landed in front of her and swept her mane back with a hoof. "Oh hey Twi, how's it going?" Twilight sighed. "I just have a question to ask you, Dash." Dash nodded. "Sure, lay it on me." "Marketh Shadeblade. Any of his titles ring a bell with you?" And then Rainbow Dash actually winced and looked aside. "Eh...kinda?" Twilight narrowed her eyes. "Dash..." Dash sighed, breathed deep, and looked Twilight in the eyes. "Okay. When I was in flight camp, and friends with Gilda, she shared all sorts of stories about griffon culture with me. I responded with some of pony culture. But one of the major ones was about the Doom of the Diamond Dogs." Twilight blinked, but motioned for Dash to continue. After a second to mull over her next words, she did. "They have this old legend. About a hundred years ago, the Diamond Dogs began to attack Manehatten as sneakily as they could. Most ponies didn't notice, but one being did. He didn't take the crop failure, the town being cut off, or the ponies disappearing all too well." Twilight blinked at that. She could certainly look up those statistics. "And what happened next?" Dash grimaced at that question. "Well, the Diamond Dogs got this huuuuge war party. And then they showed up about a mile away from Manehatten, to find one being standing against them. It offered them one chance to turn away and live, and they laughed at it." Twilight waited. "And theeeeen?" Dash looked around and noticed that despite being in the middle of the day, nopony was close enough to hear if she whispered, so she got close to Twi's ear and did exactly that. "And then he closed his eyes, and when he next opened them, they were as black as pitch. And then he slaughtered most of the war party, to the point where the only reason the story exists is because of the guys in the back seeing what was happening and running like the demons of Tarturus were chasing them." Twilight's mouth dropped in shock as Dash backed up and nodded. Eventually her jaw responded again. "How is that a griffon story?!" Dash shrugged. "Griffons are all about honor and valor and military accomplishments. That's one of their legends and motivating stories, and they know about it cause a griffon trader showed up at one of their colonies a year or so after it's supposed to have happened. They loved it, naturally. Gilda even told me that her dad's in charge of the branch that's trying to make a griffon that can do even half of what happened in the story. He tried putting her through the same training, but...well, that's kinda why she ended up in flight camp. It was either she didn't want to put up with him anymore...or she couldn't quite handle the training." Twilight tilted her head to the side. "Interesting...when did he start trying that on her, then?" Dash shook her head at the question. "Probably when we were fillies. So I can understand the first one. Maybe he was just trying to train her wrong?" Twilight shook her head. "Thank you for answering my questions, Dash. I have a letter to write to the Princess, it would seem." Dash smirked. "This doesn't sound like a friendship lesson, egghead." Twilight shook her head. "It's not. We should tell her that such a dangerous being was in...and might still be around Ponyville."
Chapter 15 - Well now, this is getting ridiculous.After a few days worth of digging and training the dogs, I had a passable basement. The rooms that I'd specified were there, they just needed furnishing. Which, of course, left us with options on how to do it. The first was, we could do it legally. Not bloody likely. The town had seen me, and the Guard had likely passed out word as to who slash what I was. I was lucky Pinkie still hadn't told anyone where I lived, otherwise I'd have a small horde on my metaphorical front lawn. Another reason we wouldn't be doing it legally was because all of my apprentices informed me they were less than welcome in Ponyville. So that left the options of getting another apprentice and doing it legally, or doing it illegally and damn the consequences. ... Of course, first they would have to catch us... "Shh!" I hissed to Fido. "Your job is to tell me when ponies are getting close. That's what a lookout does!" We were outside Ponyville's hardware store, it was the middle of the night. The stores, unlike the vast majority of the town, did lock up at night. Not that it would help. The reason we were here was simple: Gilda had taken Rover and Spot with her to the lumberyard so that we'd have the wood we'd need for my various projects. It wouldn't take long, especially if she flew it back. The dogs were mostly there for lookout purposes. But we would need all sorts of tools and supplies, and Fido could haul. Which is good, I intended to pick up a few safes while we were here, to round out my collection of lockpicking materials. Speaking of, my skills paid off, and the lock clicked open. I held my breath and carefully turned the knob, pushed the door a little bit, and winced at the sound of the hinges. One hand still on the door, I procured every thief's friend from under my clothes with the other: a can of oil. I spotted the hinges and quickly applied the oil, then pushed the door a little further before stopping. I looked up to see a string attached to a bell and frowned. Once again, my free hand found a job, that of keeping the bell silent while I opened the door the rest of the way. I looked around the darkened shop before my eyes adjusted to the lack of moonlight. Perfect. Nobody here. I turned to Fido and whispered. "Right, you stay here and keep an eye...and ear out. You see or hear anything suspicious that doesn't give our signal, you know what to do." Fido nodded and proceeded to his lookout post, which was just off to the side. What he would do was simple, scream out the word 'Mockingbird' and run like his life depended on it. Our signal was also simple, the old 'shave and a haircut' routine. The first thing I took notice of was, in fact, the safes. I dragged one of each model over to the front door and lined them all up, I'd tell Fido to haul them back once my 'shopping' was done. I then turned to the aisles and grinned. Wrenches, hammers, gears, nails, paint, paintbrushes, screwdrivers, screws, springs, cogs, nuts, wires, especially wires. I used up wire like you would not believe. Shame we couldn't pick up any of the more...vicious things. But seeing as this was an herbivore-dominated town, I wasn't expecting to find traps for catching animals anyways. That'd be a thing Gilda would have to procure, probably legally, from her homeland. I'd managed to get my 'shopping' together and near the entrance when Fido poked his head in. "Uh, sir?" I groaned internally. Externally I gritted my teeth. "What, Fido." He seemed to notice my hostility and backed off a bit, but continued. "Got somethin' you'll wanna see." I pulled my 'shopping' out of the store and actually said "Huh" at what Fido had wanted me to see. It was a Thestral. Light gray coat, black-and-blue striped mane and tail, slitted green cat's-eyes, tufted ears, and bat wings. I absently noted that the cutie mark was that of a covered lantern and decided not to guess. "And you are?" He looked to me and smiled. Actually smiled! "My parents named me Whispered Secret. My talent is being able to see in the darkness better than any other. Downside is easy enough to guess: I get hit worse than the rest when I step into the light." I nodded at that. He'd make an excellent Night Guard. But then why wasn't he in the uniform of one? "And the reason you're here?" He shifted a bit at that and sighed. "I'm not very physically fit. Flunked out of Guard training. Something about not putting on enough muscle." And then he turned to me and smiled again, this time displaying his fangs. "But you. Word spread in Canterlot about you. And I really want to put my talent to use." I frowned and crossed my arms. "You sure? You absolutely sure you want to go down this path? Because every guild I've ever run, I'm the only one that I know of that did not end up caught. You're free to leave whenever you want, but as long as you stay, there is the chance you'll be caught and charged as a criminal." He blinked at that and seemed to consider, but finally nodded again. I groaned at that. "I guarantee you that you'll drop out of my little training program after two days." He seemed to take that as a challenge, because I could see his eyes narrow. "Bring it." I smiled at that and turned to Fido. "They've got a lot of safes in there that we could use for our training room. Think you're up to carrying them home?" The dog poked his head in and hummed. "Two trips. Make them fast ones, get done before night is over." I nodded at him and picked up my 'shopping' before shouldering its burden. "Right. Make sure you put them down gently in the right room when you get there. I have to escort our newest Thestral home." Thestral were...interesting. They rarely left their colonies to mingle with the ponies as a whole, though that had changed a good deal with the return of Luna. They disliked sunlight because of their sensitive eyes, and they had a love for fruit. Especially anything from Sweet Apple Acres. The ugly rumor that they were vamponies were just that: rumor. They had no more need to drink blood than I- ...Bad example. Than any other pony did. They weren't as good at weather magic as a Pegasus, and those that were ended up, where else, on the night shift. Night guards, night watch, night weather duties. Most ponies slept at night, though, so they had few friends outside of other thestrals and the occasional oddball. When they did come out of their colonies, they preferred to go to cities with an actual nightlife. Y'know, now that it was a Thing that was Happening. Mostly because they enjoyed socializing, just like any other pony, but also because they were excellent bouncers. So for one to come here from Canterlot...meant he was being at least partially truthful. I turned all my accumulated facts about thestrals over in my head while we walked back to my home. Whispered whistled at the sight, partially because he probably wasn't expecting it, and more likely because Gilda, Rover, and Spot had also returned and were standing next to a huge pile of wooden planks. "Gilda, Spot, Rover, this is Whispered Secret, he's expressed an interest in the guild. Whispered, meet your fellow apprentices. Gilda, Spot, and Rover. Though Gilda's nearly a full-fledged member." The four regarded each other warily, and I turned to the two dogs. "Fido'll be here soon with some safes, make sure he's careful with them when he places them upstairs." As they nodded I turned to Gilda. "Take five, then move this wood down into the basement. I'm gonna just drop off my stuff there as well and get to work on the underground training course tomorrow." I then turned to Whispered and gave him my best stare. He eventually noticed. "What?" "You," I said, poking his chest for emphasis, "Have the important job as of right now of being the night-watchpony for the guild." He nodded at that, a slight bit of surprise showing on his face from me thrusting so much responsibility on him so suddenly. I wasn't done, however. "I have never been caught, and with good reason. Meaning that if I find out that they have been because you weren't keeping an eye out..." He gulped as I let the threat trail off, and I felt a wicked smile creep onto my face. I dropped my bag of shopping in the basement and went to my bed, keeping only the wire on me. It wasn't long before I fell asleep... The realm of dreams came quickly this time, and I could feel the invader with ease. It had become something akin to a knack, these days. One I wish I didn't have to have in the first place. "Back again, Luna?" The alicorn appeared out of the darkness in front of me and nodded once. "Tis Our duty to watch over the dreams of Our subjects of Equestria...no matter how deformed they may be." I blinked, huffed as the insult hit home, and crossed my arms while looking away. "And here I thought you and I were getting along so well, Luna." I then took note that her speech hadn't been quite as bad as it usually was. I turned back to her and quirked an eyebrow. "Speech lessons, then? Or are you imitating me while you're here?" She nodded. "A fair guess, half-elf. We have been taking elocution lessons at Our sister's behest, but 'tis Our conversations with thee that help them to...stick?" I nodded at that. "Fair enough. So!" And here I clapped my hands, and the scenery around us changed to that of the Everfree. "Here to convince me to give over the Slayer for your destruction? Or perhaps aid in killing him off?" She sighed and shook her head. "Thou must comprehend that the presence of such a dangerous parasite within thine mind can only lead to ruin!" I nodded at that. "Oh, sure enough. But I'll not be giving him over." Luna stomped angrily, the scenery rippled a bit. "Whyever not?!" The scenery shifted, to show the glade where I'd first arrived. Here, in this place, the prophecy was eternally playing. And hovering, the words written in golden fire even as they were sung out. "The Lord of Murder shall perish...but in his doom, he shall spawn a score of mortal progeny...Chaos shall be sown from their passing..." I pointed to the middle portion and jabbed at it angrily. "This. This bit right here is why not." Luna did that head-tilt thing again. "A score of mortal progeny? Why doth this lead to thine keeping of that wretched demon?" I spread my arms out, and the scenery changed again, this time to the blood-plain with a black sky. The image of the Pinkie Demon and Fluttershy's twisted cottage appeared, along with the image of the three fillies. "Because the only way to save my half-brothers and sisters is by continuing to share Father's blood. Should you take the Slayer, I shall have no more connection. Already, five are saved. More could be found yet. For while a good number of his score of children were in the Forgotten Realms, he clearly Planeswalked before his death." At the very idea of me having more brothers or sisters and not being able to help them, Luna blanched. It was impressive, really, seeing a cerulean mare turn that white. Eventually she got herself under control again and nodded reluctantly. "And perchance the Slayer intervenes whilst thou are saving thine siblings?" I mulled over the question and looked into the distance. "Then I'll take that risk. Nobody else should have to." Before she could object again, I grabbed her by the chin and stared into her eyes. "But I give you this word of mine. Should it ever get so bad that I literally transform again...should the Slayer, or worse, walk Equestria..." I closed my eyes and sighed. "Then don't try to save me. Save yourselves from me, no matter the cost." A gasp was all I heard as the dream ended... (Celestia POV - 3rd person) The solar mare woke up slowly and looked to the East, lighting her horn up as she looked at the clock. Her sleep cycle had been pretty well set for these past centuries, and she tended to wake up just before the world needed her charge again. She'd only just pulled it over the horizon and set it on its path when Luna entered the room and hugged her, fiercely. Caught off-guard for just a moment, Celestia quickly returned the hug, nuzzling her sister all the while. "Shh, Luna. Was it him again?" Luna nodded and hiccuped before composing herself. "We tried to convince him again, Sister dear. To give up the demonic parasite lurking within his mind. We have done this every night, ever since We helped him lock it away again after Discord addled him." Celestia started a bit at that, but after mulling it over, nodded again. It did sound like the sort of thing Luna would be wont to do. "And what did he say that upset you so?" Luna took a deep breath then. "He said...that the demon was his connection to his father's blood, and that should it be removed, and any half-siblings of his found, that he would be...unable to save them..." And here she choked a bit and started crying. Celestia hugged her tighter. "What next, Luna?" She barely got the words out. "He said...if the worst were to happen...if his demon got loose...do not save him...save ourselves...from him..." Celestia's mind flashed back to that awful, terrible night a thousand years ago, when she'd lost her sister. Luna wasn't done, though. "...no matter the cost..." And Celestia's mind was filled with scenes of horror at the mere thought. She eventually worked up the courage to ask one question. "Truly?" Luna nodded. "He meant every word. We could see the pain in his eyes as he said it. He was picturing the pain he would be allowing to pass should he not be stopped, and it hurt him." Celestia considered for a moment, and then smiled. "Methinks it's high time we met this mysterious creature in pony, Luna. Perhaps even help him...subdue his inner beast. Not remove, for if it were gone, he would be far less helpful. But perhaps we could add to the chains?" Luna blinked at that before turning to face her sister. "Art thou certain, Sister? He may not take such an invitation well. He is, after all, the grandmaster thief thou hast been looking for." Celestia giggled at that. "Fair enough. But perhaps a cease-fire for as long as it takes to help him subdue his...other side?" Luna nodded slowly. "We shall pass the message along when next we meet in dreams...though We cannot picture it ending in anything but a tragedy."
Chapter 16 - Generally speakingY'know that old saying, Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned? Yeah, I found something that can compare. An angry griffon father. Apparently sending Gilda back to her homeland to procure animal traps had not gone unnoticed. I was in the middle of disassembling one when she burst into my room and essentially screamed into my ear. "Marketh, I need you!" I calmly lowered my tools from the bear trap I had been breaking apart and took a few steps back from it before turning to her with my best scowl on. "What is it, Gilda?" "My dad followed me back!" I blinked at that, processing the data. "Your father? The one you have issues with? The one who's in charge of training griffons to try and match the feats that earned me that title? That father?" She nodded rapidly. "And he brought his champion as well, probably to try and 'convince' me to come back with him! What do I do, Marketh?!" I smiled at that and placed a hand on her shoulder. She flinched at the sudden contact; usually it would only occur in a bout between us and would signify that she'd failed again. "Relax, first of all. Secondly, I have a plan. Are you rested, do you feel like you could do a bout?" She blinked and nodded slowly. "Yeaaaah...but how is that-" I cut her off with a finger to the beak. She looked at it as though she were about to chomp it off for a moment, but my smile stopped her. "We're going to put on a show." A quick trip downstairs showed me a very pissed off elder male griffon in dress uniform and a few scars adorning his lion half. I swear, the damn thing was more shiny than what the dogs find on a regular basis during their tunnel digging. It was the griffon next to him that had my attention. Black feathers, first off, which while unusual, did happen from time to time. Dark blue crest on his chest. Lithe. Powerful. I could see the muscles shifting under his skin. There were a few faint scars, but they were all small and old. Signs of training, those were, and as there were none more recent, he'd learned and become good over the years. I smiled as I ran that thought through my head. Here was someone who'd be fun. The look of surprise in their eyes faded momentarily. The champion got a look similar to the one I'd probably just graced him with, and the general was back to his angry expression. "Are you the one who's been keeping my daughter away from returning home?" I hummed at that and looked over at Gilda. "Gilda, do you particularly want to leave?" She shook her head. "Not till I figure out how to beat you in a fight." I smiled and looked back to the general. "Which isn't happening anytime soon. Might I inquire as to your name, trespasser?" The general blinked at that, clearly taken aback that the response I'd given wasn't one he was looking for, and that I'd had the audacity to ask him such a question. "I am Major General Behertz, trainer for every recruit that enters the Griffon Special Forces, and commander of its fifth division. Who are you that you do not know of me?" My smile only grew at that and I looked over to Gilda again. "You didn't tell him? I'm hurt!" She shrugged. "I didn't think he'd believe me anyways. But look at like this, you get to do your fancy introduction again. I know you like it." I rolled my eyes and turned back to the general. "Well, you all really already know of me, but I do tend to have to introduce myself." Thus said, I drew my short swords, causing both of the griffons in front of me to widen their eyes slightly in alarm. I smirked as I began to rattle off my titles. "My name is Marketh Shadeblade. Forestwalker, Ageless." I paused again, wanting to savor the look that would appear in their eyes at the last one. "Doom of the Diamond Dogs." Just as I predicted, their eyes widened even more, their jaws dropped, and their eyebrows went through the roof. Total, complete shock. The champion recovered quickly and seemed to try and study me without looking like it anymore, whereas the general... He wasn't happy that I'd claimed that title. "How dare you claim to be that one! We would know if you were!" I pursed my lips. "Reaaaaaally?" I looked over to Gilda once again. "Did you?" She shook her head. "Nope. But, considering that even with your training, I haven't yet passed your first rung, I'm believing it." I smiled and looked back to the General, who could not be more red. He then turned to his champion and issued a command. "Ignatius, teach this bipedal freak some manners." The champion stepped forward, and I held out a hand. "A proposition for you, sir." He quirked one eyebrow, and I continued. "I could do one of two things. I could treat it like a normal bout that I would have with those under me. In which case, your goal would be to hit me once without being hit yourself." He held a talon to his chin, considering the offer. I smiled then. "Of course, in such a bout, I would sheathe my blades, and you your claws. No unnecessary harm." He waved his claw in a 'go on' motion. I closed my eyes, opening them only when I was sure they would be black. "Or I could show you how I earned that title." At this, both griffons in front of me blanched, and I could see Gilda flinch. I blinked again, returning my eyes to normal. Ignatius gulped a few times and held up a single finger, indicating that he'd prefer the first option. I smiled and sheathed my blades. "A bout it is." I turned to Gilda then. "Mind starting us off?" She nodded, and I turned back to face Ignatius. We'd gotten used to having multiple trainees. One would start us off whenever they wanted, to add a bit of surprise to the fight. After a moment of waiting, Gilda said, "Go!" It was a wonderful thing, this fight. Limbs flailing, blows being exchanged, at times I thought I met my match. ... At least, I would say that, but the damn bird had held firm to his training. His blows were a little hard to predict, but his dodging left a lot to be desired. I could harry him all day, and he wouldn't be able to touch me. It was during a comparatively easy-to-see blow that I grabbed him and said my favored line for those that made it to regular member status. "Come on! Stop trying to hit me, and hit me!" At that, I saw his eyes narrow in anger. The blows became slightly easier to predict when he was under the influence of his rage at being told he was inadequate. All too soon, Gilda yelled out "Time!" and the battle stopped. I was none the worse for wear, and there were bruises forming on Ignatius. He looked shocked and turned to Gilda, who shrugged. "Time limit is five minutes. His reasoning is that if you don't bring your best in that amount of time..." "...Then you're taking too long, and in some cases, are dead," I finished. "You don't think I became a Forestwalker or the Doom of the Diamond Dogs by acting nice from the get-go, do you?" Ignatius nodded slowly as the reasoning sunk in, while the general seemed to get more and more puffed up with anger. I turned to Gilda and cocked my head to the side. "Think we can put a show on for your old man?" At this, she smirked. "Bring it, grandpa. I'm ready for you." I smiled, reached down, picked up a rock, and held it in one hand. "This hits the ground, we go." She walked over and nodded at me, already regulating her breathing. I tossed the rock up, and when it hit... She was perfect. Absolutely, 100% perfect. She'd been training, clearly. It'd only been a day after we returned from the theft that I'd put a rudimentary obstacle course and target range in the basement, and every time I went down to fine-tune the course, I would find Gilda there, working on her reflexes. It'd paid off. Five minutes passed, and I hadn't landed a blow on her. I pulled back and nodded at her, impressed. "How goes your training with the rest of the facilities?" She shrugged. "Saddlebags are easy, suits are tricky, and dresses are nigh impossible. Doors are child's play, safes are where it gets fun. Haven't tried out your latest obstacle course yet, but last version only the last bit tripped me up. And the target range is fun, I've got twenty-three targets out of thirty." I nodded at the numbers. "Congratulations, Gilda. You're a full member now." She blinked at that, then smiled wide. "You mean?" I smirked. "Not getting hit is the member test. Whenever you want, we can fight again. Hitting me is the master's test." Gilda smiled and all but pranced back to the house. Her father, however, was less than happy. He puffed up even more, somehow, and said, "You...pretentious biped! You tell my daughter to purchase those...those slacker tools, go easy on her in your training, promote her in front of me...do you think I don't know grandstanding when I see it?!" Interesting sidenote: Griffons view traps as 'lazy good for nothing mechanical devices' and heavily discourage others from using them...unless they're old or infirm. I'd gotten a lecture on that when I'd asked Gilda to go get some for my obstacle course. I narrowed my eyes at the general and spoke in my coldest voice possible. "Sir, I will have you know that due to my extensive list of recruits over the ages, I know exactly where a griffon's pressure points are. It may have been a hundred years, but I do believe I could disable you six ways to Sunday before you laid a claw on me." He blanched at that and deflated slightly. "But then...why did you go easy on her?" I smirked. "I didn't." Both the griffons were dumbfounded at that, and I shrugged. "Your version of training is easy enough to read, and it doesn't come close to what I can do. I've just been teaching her to dodge what most foes can dish out, and I used the same on Ignatius here. The difference is, Gilda let go of her training, and let her body tell her when to dodge, not what you taught her." Both griffons blinked at that, and finally, Ignatius spoke. "Were I to return, would you train me as well?" That voice was the very definition of power. I smiled a bit at him and nodded. "I proffer training to those that need it." I shot a quick glance at the general before continuing. "And frankly, if you're the champion, you all might need it. But then we'll have to talk compensation..." Ignatius laughed then, a deep, rumbling sound that reverberated in my very bones. "Very true. I will see about returning and bringing others with me." I held up a hand then. "Discreetly. I don't want the Sisters to find me because they followed the line of griffons to my door." Ignatius nodded then. "Fair enough." And with that, he took off, leaving me and the general alone. He looked at me with this...cold, calculating look before asking a series of questions. "You're really the one who killed all those dogs a hundred years ago?" I nodded at that. "Yup." "You're training my daughter in your combat techniques?" I shrugged. "Among other things, yes." He paused before continuing. "You promise to keep her safe?" I smiled at that. "As safe as I can. None of those I've trained have wound up dead because of me, if that's what you're getting at." He paused again before stating one final thing. "If I find out that she's been hurt at all...you'd better run far. You'd better run and hope and pray that I never find you, because retribution won't be enough." I nodded. "Understood. And general? Take care." He paused, nodded, and flew off. I groaned and went to take a short nap. I was training Whispered tonight, and would need all the rest I could get... "Again!" Whispered nodded and went to throw a knife, but just before he released, a torch flared up in the corner, instantly destroying his night-vision. The flinch that came with that threw his aim off, and the knife flew far to the side, embedding itself in one of the fake houses I'd set up. As the thestral rubbed his eyes, I chuckled. He glared at me once he heard my laughter. "Why'd you do that?" "Because," I said while retrieving the knife, "if you can't overcome your weakness, someone will use it against you. Your night-vision is a strength, but all it takes is one person with a sudden, bright light, and you're no good in a fight. True thieves learn to either minimize their weaknesses, or work with someone whose skillsets can help plug the holes in their own." Whispered seem to think it over before nodding, then frowning. "How am I supposed to counter a big blazing thing of light, though?" I smiled at that and motioned for him to come closer. When he did, I leaned in and, heh, whispered the secret to him. "Try fixing the target in your mind and closing your eyes when you notice light getting close or flaring up. It only works for a short amount of time, but I can teach you other tactics once you can hit the target." He backed up and nodded, committing the tactic to memory, presumably. The thestral took his place again, and I pulled the appropriate lever. The target flipped up, Whispered took his aim, the torch flared, the knife flew... Thunk. And hit the target successfully. I clapped at that. "Bravo, bravo. Think you could do another?" He hesitated for a moment, drew another knife, and hit the target again. Not as well as the last hit, but a solid hit all the same. I clapped again, then turned the torch off by pushing the lever back. I poked him in the back of the head while I went to retrieve the knives. "Light's off, you can look now." He blinked and noticed the two clean hits. "I...I did that?" I nodded as I worked them out of the wood. "Sure did." I then turned to him and quirked an eyebrow. "Ready for those other tactics?" He nodded hesitantly, and I decided to pose it as a question he could try to answer. "Well, if you know where the light's coming from, then why haven't you tried to put it out after it flares up?" I love seeing that expression on a pony's face when they realize their way of thinking is no longer practical. You could almost see the little TILT signs in their eyes, it was adorable! I went upstairs to get some real sleep for tonight... I came to in my dreams on the outskirts of Ponyville, looking in at the nighttime scenery. "A beautiful, lovely town. Wish I could see it during the day again." "Perhaps tis for the best that thou doth not, half-elf." I sighed and turned to look at Luna, who was just landing behind me. "Hello again, Mistress of the Moon. Come to convince me again?" She shook her head, which surprised me. "Nay. We have conversed with Our Sister, and she wishes to extend an offer to you in regard to this...creature." That raised an eyebrow, certainly. "And it would be?" Luna looked askance for a moment. "She is willing to halt hostilities for a moment, for a cease fire, so as to aid thou in restraining this beast. For if it be as fearsome as you say, then We should aid in whatever manner We can." I ruminated on that for a moment, then shook my head. "Magic would only hold for so long. It is only silent when I give in to the dark desires it whispers to me, or when I do enough good deeds that it can't get through to me. It is born of hate, of evil, of the pure desire to take the life of another." And at this, the damn lunar mare smiled. "Perhaps not Us or Sister, then, but We still do know of a mare that could help. Wouldst thou be adverse to meeting them?" I shrugged my shoulders and pictured a glade in the Everfree that was halfway between where I was and the former castle was. "Have her meet me here tomorrow at noon. I'll wait for an hour, and if she hasn't arrived or can't help, then that's the last I want to hear of it." She nodded at my ultimatum, and I smiled. "I also get a head start on running away when she's done. I have no desire to be taken in." Luna let out a wan smile at that. "Sooner or later, thou wilt slip up, and we will converse face-to-face." "And may that day be looooong in coming," I replied as the dreamscape faded... The glade I'd picked out hadn't taken too long for me to get too. On the way, I'd been accosted by a Timberwolf. Turns out the Heart had taken notice of a particularly unruly manticore, and it wanted me to find out what was going on, as a way to repay my debt for the fillies. When I got there and found out the poor thing had gone rabid, it thanked me for my work and let me continue on my way. I didn't even want to think about the other eyes I'd seen as I left... I had been waiting in the glade for only ten minutes when I heard wingbeats from above. A small chariot, pulled by stallions in Royal Guard armor, descended from above, and out walked the pinkest pony I have ever seen. And I've met Pinkie Pie. The fact that she had both wings and a horn didn't escape my notice either. A pretty pink pony princess. Try saying that five times fast. She took note of me lying against a tree near the edge of the glade. After the initial shock wore off, she cleared her throat and smiled at me. "Hello," she said, "My name is Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, but please, call me Cadence. My aunts Celestia and Luna told me you have a problem I could help with." My thoughts at the time could be summed up quite succinctly: Well fuck, she's royalty. Followed by: Well, fuck, she's royalty!
Chapter 17 - No greater bondsI had learned many things since coming to magical pony land. One of the more deeply ingrained lessons in my mind was simple enough: If it looks cute, cuddly, or just plain pretty, don't fucking underestimate it. When the chips are down, when a pony is pressed for survival, then you would not believe what one of them could find themselves capable of. I'd come across a member of the Apple clan in Manehatten about...seventy-five years ago. Girl had been cornered by some thugs (not my fault) and they were after her bits or some other...unsavory things, judging by their leers. She managed to beat their behinds in so badly they couldn't really call themselves stallions anymore. I'd offered her a job as one of mine, but she declined. However, she did keep any that I sent to check up on her informed on the goings-on in the city and well-fed, and in exchange, I protected her from any other similar situations from forming in the first place. Professional courtesy. I say this because the one thing that flooded me during Cadence's introduction was sheer, unbridled (heh!) panic. Not only was she the niece of the Celestial Sisters, but she was ungodly pretty. For a pony, at any rate. You could see the effort she took to maintain her appearance. Which meant one of two things. Either she was an incredibly vain Princess with no real power, or she had every right to look the way she did because of her power. And seeing as how she insisted I call her Cadence, not Princess Cadence, I had my doubts as to the first one. Which essentially meant tread fucking lightly, this is a damn Alicorn with god knows how much power behind her. "Intriguing," I mused out loud as I stood up and brushed off my pants. "I've...heard a few legends about you, but nowhere near as many as those of your aunts." She raised an eyebrow at that. "Oh? Do tell." She stepped a little closer, but halted when she saw me flinch. It was an involuntary reaction, something about her presence sent the Slayer into a fit, which only I could hear, naturally. It'd take time to shut him up, so I decided to regale her. "Well, for the one everyone knows, there's Celestia. Sol Invictus, Warden of the Sun, Keeper of the Day, Protector for the pony tribes. She who is not to be crossed, lest all ye hold dear be burned to ash, and then have naught even that remain." Cadence's eyebrows could not go higher. "Where are you getting these legends from?" I waved the question off. "Oh, my recruits over the years have given me all sorts of stories from all sorts of places. Griffon, Minotaur, Thestrals, Dogs, so many exotic legends. I compiled their hear-say and checked it when I got the chances, cross-referencing the more...unique legends with what I could find on their activities." Surprisingly, Cadence giggled. "You remind me of a filly I once had the pleasure to watch over. A more studious individual I did not think I could find, but you're proving to be, at the very least, quite interesting." I shrugged at that. "Comes from living as long as I do." I could tell she wanted to question what I'd just said, but I decided to cut her off. "And Luna, while...not having been in the public theater for some time, still has legends from the time when she was on this world. Lunar Ira, Mistress of the Moon, Tide, Stars, and Dreams. She who is most patient and cunning, and you will only know you have invoked her wrath when all you love falls down around you." I shrugged as Cadence's jaw dropped. "Still, a thousand years might give her new titles. We'll just have to see." Cadence nodded dumbly at my statement. "Where...did you get this information?" I put a hand to my chin and hummed. "Gods...had to have been when I just got here...so quite a while ago. I wrote it all down and made sure to keep it as preserved as possible. Sometimes I had to copy it to another scroll, but eventually I found a unicorn that just enchanted my case with a preservation charm. Now I don't have to worry about my notes literally falling apart. Still, I think I hadn't yet begun to write titles or dates on my notes way back when, so I can't tell you." Cadence blinked at that, then chuckled. "That's something that she wouldn't do, so at least you have that difference..." I smiled as I continued my recitation. "But you...the legends regarding you are...quite recent. Cadence, Lady of Love and Emotion. That's all that I know of you, sorry." Cadence nodded as she realized the topic had turned to her. "Do you know what Love is tied with?" I pondered, then shook my head. "Haven't the foggiest." "Life," she answered simply, and all the puzzle pieces fell in place. An Alicorn tied in with Love and Life? The exact things the Slayer cannot stand? Luna did well. I just hope she's ready for me. Or rather, my other half, because I can feel him stirring in the depths at my realization. "Allow me to...regale you then, Cadence, so you realize the enormity of the task set before you." She drew a little closer and sat on her haunches, and I leaned back against the tree and sighed, trying to recall lore from a game I'd only really read once. "This...is highly paraphrased and simplified, plus some of it may just be plain wrong. But it's as much as I can recall, regarding the situation... "In the Forgotten Realms, Godhood and Divinity behave quite differently than they do here. The more followers a god has there, the more power he has, the more he can do to earn more followers, and the cycle continues. But in its early days, when trade networks were a new idea...when villages and towns could be isolated for stretches of time...there was one town that had a guardian deity that didn't have many, if any, external supporters. Eventually a great calamity struck the town, and the deity was forced into his avatar's form, doomed to be forgotten...until the day three brothers came. "These cruel and violent brothers had hatched a plan, to overthrow the God of Death and claim his kingdom for their own. But in order to even challenge him, they would need some measure of divinity themselves, which would mean they would need to slay a god. So they found this old, forgotten god, slew his avatar, and took his divinity for their own, using some sort of ritual or spell." Cadence's jaw had dropped as the story went on, but she nodded along at the appropriate spots. I kept an eye on her as I recited, though, wanting to see her reaction to the big bombshell. "The three brothers Planeswalked to the God of Death's throne and challenged him, and he surrendered...on the condition that they divide his kingdom between them. The eldest went first, and claimed the Land of the Dead as his own, on the basis that his kingdom would be ever-growing. The middle child went next, and claimed the Land of the Living, for with proper nourishment, it would never fully pass. And the youngest child...he pondered the situation, and eventually claimed an Aspect that neither of the other two had thought of. "His name was Bhaal, and he claimed the Aspect of Murder. For, unless either of his brothers paid him heed, he could cause one to grow or wither as his mood fancied. And so time passed. Until a prophet named Aluando predicted that there would come a time when all gods would be forced from their ethereal thrones and walk amongst the mortals once more...and Bhaal heard that such a Time of Troubles would only end with the death of those gods. So he hatched a cruel and vile plan." I looked Cadence in the eyes for the next bit, and she shivered. "He planned to have as many children as possible with as many females as possible, no matter their race, so that when they all died, the spark of divinity within his children would gather at his ethereal throne. After which, all it would take is the proper incantations, and the Lord of Murder would walk the Forgotten Realms again." Ah, there's the gobsmacked expression I was looking for. Ponies view intimacy, sex, families, kids, and so on to be highly important, to the point where talking about it isn't as taboo as it would be back home, and in fact having a healthy sex life and family are seen as nearly as important as having a healthy diet. Cadence eventually worked her jaw into compliance again. "That...That utter, complete monster! How selfish do you have to be to spawn so many children, just to sacrifice them so that you can cheat fate?!" I sighed at that and half-looked at the sky. "Yeah, Father was never big on other people. 'S probably why he became the Lord of Murder, honestly." Whoops, looks like I broke her. Just when the warranty runs out, isn't that always the case? It takes her a good minute to recompose her mind, and when she looks at me again, it's with an expression of sorrow and compassion. "Luna did say you had family issues...I never expected something like this, though." I smiled sadly. "That's only half the problem, though. There are two types of Bhaalspawn. Lessers have just a spark of his blood, enough to perform weird talents in certain situations. Greaters...I would know. They...they can't stop hearing the voice of his avatar. They always have the...urge. To give into their darker desires. To take the life of another. And should they give in...they become far more talented at it than they have any right to be." We shared a look then, and she nodded. "You're one of those, aren't you?" I nodded, slowly, but held a hand up. "I've been wrestling with my darker half for quite some time, and he's only had a few moments of freedom in all the time I've been here. Carefully moderated freedom. Save for that episode with Discord. To remove him is to remove the link to Father's blood, and I've found some here that I could call related to me by such blood." Cadence actually blanched at that thought. "More that are as dark as you?" I shook my head. "Not as dark, no. But I found them, and purged them of their connection, their taint. Something I couldn't do if my connection were cut. So the task becomes far more difficult." Cadence smiled and nodded again. "You hate your other half, but need him so that you can save others. Yet by keeping him around, you put yourself and others in danger. And as such, I'm here to help...chain him up, so to speak. Keep him from moving around so much." I cocked my head at her and hummed. "Love and Life are anathema to his elements, that of Murder and Hatred, this is true. And he has been reacting to your very presence, so I'm willing to give you a shot. But this is going to require that you enter my mind...and it's not a nice place to be. Sure you're up to it?" In response, she drew a bit closer, close enough to lay a hoof on my hand. Even as the contact sent him raging in the depths, I could feel the confidence radiating off of her. "I wouldn't be here still if I didn't think I could handle whatever is to happen." I smiled as well. "If you can truly aid me in keeping him under control, then I welcome you." Just as she touched her horn to my forehead, I figured something out and gasped. Her eyes widened at the same time mine did. "Creation. You're tied in to Creation, which would make me-" "DAMNIT! Cadence, you here?" Silence passed for a moment before the pink alicorn appeared from nowhere next to me. "How did you figure it out?" I sighed and walked forward, absently willing our jaunt to take us to the Slayer's prison while puzzling out how to answer her. "Normally you only see that reaction when extreme opposites meet. Something holy meeting an undead beast. A fire elemental having to cross a body of water. The Slayer, my other half, is born of Hate and the desire to cause death to another; in essence, a facet of Destruction. You...are his opposite. His exact opposite, which means that Life and Love are tied into Creation. Which makes this little operation of ours all the more dangerous." Cadence nodded as we came upon my mind's version of my guild. "I would be highly surprised if he didn't fight back." I paused and placed a hand on the wall of the building, concentrating on making the underground maze mirror the one that now existed, rather than the one that had existed. Things shifted around, rumbling was felt, and the Slayer's prison ended up moved but no less secure. "A warning. Since he and I have shared the same mindspace all this time, there may be instances where he seeks to guide you away and will be capable of doing so. Illusions of sound or light only you can perceive. If I don't react to it, then don't react yourself. Otherwise, I can't promise you you'll come out unscathed." She slowly nodded as I opened the door and moved briskly to the stairs down. "Come, quickly. The less time we spend standing around, the better." Cadence looked around briefly, shuddered at something only she could see, and hurried along after me. She flinched every few seconds, but the worst offender was in the target range, where she stood still for several minutes, just gawping at something. It took quite a bit of prodding before she managed to move again. When we got to the obstacle course, I pushed the hidden master override button, and heard the traps deactivate. Which of course is why it was a surprise that I walked into one. Apparently, the Slayer really didn't want Cadence getting in! I would have to dodge all my traps and deactivate them one by one, which would take for-flipping-ever! Or not. Cadence merely let out this animal growl, and with a wave of magic, all the traps in front of me were set off. I blinked at that, then looked back to her. "What...What is he sending you to make you that angry?" "You don't want to know. Suffice to say, when we're in the waking world again, I will have plenty of questions for you." After a short walk to the end of the course, we were met with a door that didn't exist in the waking world. Opening it showed us a void, what I'd pictured the deepest depths of space to be like. Save for the central feature of the room, you could almost stare at the non-euclidean architecture here and lose yourself. From the nothingness that made up the walls, chains came out at random intervals and wrapped around the Slayer, looping and locking and forming complex knots and bindings. He struggled constantly, and every time he did, sparks flew down the chains to shock him into submission. It wasn't working. Cadence and I floated closer, and Cadence charged her horn. "As my ancestors would say," Cadence stated, quite angrily, as her horn built up a charge, "Requiesce in pace, monster!" "Monster? Monster?! I'M THE MONSTER HERE?! YOU COME INTO THIS ONE'S VERY SOUL AND SEEK TO BIND HIS NATURE, AND I'M THE MONSTER?! GET A MIRROR, YOU OVERPOWERED PINK PUFFBALL! BECAUSE WHEN YOUR BINDINGS FAIL, I'LL SHOW YOU A MONSTER!" After the Slayer had his little rant, Cadence's spell hit him full on, and the chains around him glowed blue. After which, he was still. I smiled at that, finally feeling the urges vanish after so long, and the mindscape fell apart around us... Both Cadence and I gasped as we came to, and we looked each other in the eyes as we pulled apart from one another. "So, little miss facet of Creation. What would you like to know?" She blinked, blushed, and coughed a few times. When she composed herself again, her face was serious. "At first, it wasn't that bad. The ground floor was...decorated with...trophies of animals from the Everfree." I nodded at that. "Seems reasonable. He would like to keep score." "And when we walked down the stairs, in the room before the target range, he showed me...a pile of dead Diamond Dogs, saying something about their doom being wrought at your hands..." I sighed at that and ran a hand through my hair. "Really, they wouldn't listen to reason, and wanted to attack Manehatten. I told them to run. I warned them. And they decided to ignore me, my warnings, and my threats. I don't regret what I did that day. But he probably likes it because that was one of the, very few, times when he got to act through me." Her eyes widened, and I elaborated. "I can...loosen the chains. Allow a bit of his nature through. One loose boosts my combat capabilities, but in return, he tends to talk more and louder sooner. Two allows some of his traits through, like a layered voice, blackened eyes. Five is what I used the day the Dogs attacked, and it was a merger between me and him, one where I had to cling to who and what I was, so that I could return to it when the merger was over. Reforging the chains takes time. Either via doing good deeds, so that he can't break them, and they fade eventually, or via doing evil ones, and he breaks those over time." Cadence slowly nodded as my logic sunk in. Then I remembered that she had been talking, and I prodded her verbally. "And in the target range itself?" She drew a deep breath. "That was when he went into what could have been. All the targets were replaced with members of the Royal Guard...but one was replaced with its captain. My fiancee. Shining Armor. He said to me, 'He could have done this to me, Cadence. Why are you helping someone who could have done this to me without a second thought?'" I growled at that: threatening good people with the potential harm of their loved ones was a dirty, underhanded tactic, and the Slayer fucking knew it. Which is another reason why I hated him: he had no qualms about abusing others' morals and values. "And when we started to go through your obstacle course, three fillies showed up, saying that you could have left them to die, and that I should do the same for you. It was said again by Fluttershy and Pinkie...though they didn't quite look like themselves. I tried not to pay attention, but their words..." I sighed. "Technically, all those words are true. They were all things that the Slayer whispered to me when those scenarios showed up. He wants nothing more than to find his brothers and sisters and take their power for his own. Because that monster you saw isn't his most powerful form." Her jaw dropped then, and I continued. "The Slayer is the manifestation of Bhaal's taint. Should a Bhaalspawn nurture their powers, strengthen them, and slay their brothers or sisters...then their power grows out of control. Turning from the Slayer to the Ravager, Bhaal's favored avatar for dealing with mortals. In that form, he's much harder to ignore or resist, and he tends to...walk the land, murdering freely, regardless of whoever he might have been before." I turned to face her then and said the next words with such sincerity that they could be mistaken for actual facts of the universe. "He wanted you gone from my mind because you were his opposite. He would dig up anything about me, about what I've done, about what I could have done, or what I've done only under his influence, just to win. He doesn't have morals. He doesn't care how he achieves his goal of walking freely again. But now I won't have to worry about that, so thank you." Cadence smiled a bit at that and waved a hoof at me. "Technically, the binding I placed on you is more of a long-term thing. At least for me it is. It's a small drain on me to keep the binding active, and while it was hard to set up, it'll be negligible to maintain. I shouldn't even notice." I smiled and stood up. "Well Cadence, it was fun meeting you. Perhaps we can do this again sometime, when I'm not a wanted felon or wrestling with a demon in my head." At this, she tittered, then tilted her head, as if considering something. "Perhaps a wager?" I quirked an eyebrow at her. "Go on." She smiled at that. "In a few weeks time, I'm getting married. I propose this: should you manage to elude all the guards of the city, all our security measures, and find a way to attend my wedding, I'll intervene on your behalf and see to it that your charges are, at the very least, reduced to the point where you wouldn't find attending a trial for them to be a bother at all." I crossed my arms, waiting for the other shoe. "And if I fail?" Here her smirk turned mischevious. "Then you get pressed into service as a trainer for the Equestrian Military, so that we know how to not only employ your tactics, but also catch you. And afterwards, you'll be forced into community service...most notably, helping any victims of your crimes." I smirked at that. A bet like that...how could I resist? I stuck a hand out to her. "We have an accord, Princess." She took it with one of her hooves and we shook on it. (Somewhere, over a desert...) The Queen was displeased. This was a common sensation. They'd recently managed to abduct a few ponies who'd been exploring the Badlands, along with their guard escort. No real amounts of love in them, none that they could access anyways. However, the information they'd gotten from the guards had been...interesting. Their captain had a marefriend who, more likely than not, would be marrying him soon. After many hours of...interrogation, one of the drones learned the name of the marefriend. It caused a sort of shockwave to ripple through the Hive when it was learned. Cadence. Chrysalis' eyes opened wide at that. She knew that name. The Alicorn of Love. She gained a wicked smile and called the drone who'd learned the name to her, cooing to it all the while. "Yes...my spawn...your grandfather would be so pleased..." Her eyes and horn burned green as she granted the drone a promotion. His chitin thickened, his fangs grew, and he grew, a good foot taller, with added bulk to match. "Come, Commander Polistes. Gather the swarm. Let us show Equestria the might of my spawn." The newly promoted commander chittered and flew off to do as his queen bid. Within him, a great power had begun to be awakened...
Chapter 18 - Complete the setIt would only occur to me later on in the week to check up on the Everfree Castle. Or whatever the hell they ended up calling it. Damn thing is at least a thousand years old, there's every chance there would be records in there that I could use. I set out near noon and passed through the same glade Cadence and I used for our little session at about noon-ten, to find that I was not the only one there. The last Alicorn I had yet to meet was apparently waiting for me, staring at her sun. Silence reigned for a minute. The solar diarch looked to me, while my mind was racing. Recently I had meditated and unlocked two 'feats' of my class. Apparently, I'd forgotten to check lately, and missed two such opportunities. The first was simple enough to take: Use Any Item. Not only was it a stepping-stone to feats I wanted, but now, I was unrestricted in Things I could Do. It'd take me a while to adjust my fighting styles for this new development, but I had every confidence in myself. The second was a feat that I'd also been waiting for: Time Trap. It took a midnight raid of Ponyville's clock shop to find the materials I wanted, but I put together a mechanical stopwatch easily enough. Add a wire to the mechanism, throw and pull when primed, and...well, it's hard to describe. Time Trap was made so the Assassin, any Assassin, could find a place away from the battle, hide, and once time flowed again, be capable of being where he was most efficient: right behind you. I intended to use it as an equalizer if the Alicorns or, really, anyone thought they had me cornered. I was at least a little confident I could handle Celestia, but there was always the chance I was wrong. And from her amused smirk at seeing me, I wouldn't be surprised if she knew along what lines I had been thinking. We stared at each other for a moment longer, and then I broke the silence. "Just so we're clear. I see you lighting up that horn of yours, I'm gone." She nodded her head at me. "Understandable. From what the others have told me, your greatest strength lies in the realm of combat and mental control." She hummed and put a hoof to her chin. "Were you a mage, you'd be a fairly decent one. As it stands, without magic of your own, you have every right to fear mine." "Especially," I chipped in with a smirk, "since I've only been antagonizing you for gods only know how long. And that's not to mention all the legends others have of you." At this, her smile dropped a fraction of an inch, but I saw it all the same. Nice to see the immortal sun princess doesn't like any of her combat titles, it gives me hope that this won't devolve to combat. "By the way," I said as I began to make my way to the other side of the glade, so as to continue on my path to the Everfree Castle, "how are you here at this specific glade, at this specific time? Don't you have a country to run?" She giggled a little bit at that. "Firstly, while you are an important matter, don't act so paranoid. Ever since Cadence met you, I've been coming here, at the same time she did, to try and meet you as well. It seems only fair: you've met my sister and my niece, I thought you would want to finish meeting all us alicorns." I shrugged at that. "Not particularly. An alicorn is essentially the manifestation of pure, magical power, combined with flight and sheer strength. I...am none of that. I rely on stealth and being well-informed. Actually meeting one of you in combat can't end in anything good for me." At this, she hummed a bit. "An intriguing perspective. And secondly, I'm a princess, I do what I want. Although, technically, this is my lunch hour, and I do use a few spells to slip past my ever-zealous Guard." I actually laughed at that. "So your main goal all this time has not been monetary gain?" I paused as I moved some bits of the foliage out of the way. "You could say that. None of mine ever really knew that, though." Celestia and I finally walked into the clearing with the old castle, and I continued the thought. "While the money was all well and good, keeping mine fed and housed and warm and things like that, what we primarily dealt in was the intangible. Things that didn't exist outside of someone's mind or off of someone's lips. We dealt mostly in information, and there was always something I kept to myself." She blinked at that. "So much...mayhem, caused over such a timeframe, just for information? What possessed you to do something like that?" I slowly turned to look at Celestia from in front of the rope bridge. "Did...did neither of the others tell you? The score of mortal progeny father graced the realms with?" At this, she blinked and had the good grace to look abashed. "Oh. I would think, though, that I would hear of it as well, if there were ponies with the sort of...problems you have." I shook my head. "Only vaguely. Let's get inside, please. I'd like to see some census records from a thousand years ago and compare it with what I have before I tell you my theory." Once we were both in, Celestia sighed as she looked around. "So many memories. Most of them pleasant, but..." I stood back as she walked around in the entryway, then interjected. "...But the ones that stay with you are the ones you'd rather forget, am I right?" She nodded absently, and I smiled. "So, for example, were I to call you Sol Invictus-" Here she winced, and I smiled at that before she turned to me. "You've done your research." I waved a hand at her, brushing off her unasked question of 'how did you learn that name'. "Wasn't hard. At least, not with my travels and recruits over the years. The hard part was figuring out which of the legends had any degree of truth to them." She smiled slightly before replying. "Then you would know how much I...dislike titles earned through might, Doom of the Diamond Dogs." I winced then and looked askance. "I don't regret defending your ponies, Celestia. I never will. My only regret is that it became violent. Every time I form chains of evil to bind the Slayer...I relive the events that I use against him." I looked at her out of the corner of my eyes for the next bit. "And while compared to you, my life is probably very short, and the past hundred years only an eyeblink...they've been torment for me, because I can't forget what I did. It's only recently that I've been able to put the nightmare to rest. And the fact that...that occasionally I have to...to flaunt that title around, to intimidate or impress!" I blink back tears as I look up to the sky. "It makes me sick, sometimes. Recently, quite a bit, now that I've met griffons again. They...they like that story." I look back at her, to see a bit of sympathy on her face. "Tell me, Celestia, how do you deal with that? Because I've been wracking my brain for a hundred years, trying to get the memories out. And every time I use the title attached to them, all I can remember...is the sensation of that battle...of that slaughter..." And then she actually came towards me and attempted to comfort me with a wing. "I'll let you know when I find a way." I smiled sadly and sniffed before pulling away. "Thanks. So. Library?" She nodded and pointed with her other wing. "That way." The census records from a thousand years ago had exactly what I'd feared. Pulling out my own notes on the topic from my scroll case had only reinforced the conclusion I'd drawn. Celestia sat nearby, waiting for me to tell her my conclusions. I took out a new, blank scroll and began writing down names. Names of the lines that had started with Bhaal, and ended...abruptly. Which, tellingly, was nearly all of them. Then I pulled out a fresh map of Equestria and began plotting the disappearances. It started in the west, but followed a line to the north-east. Then they stopped for about ten years, before they picked up again. Only this time, they were widespread, and happened all over Equestria, with no pattern at all, except for one noticeable fact. Whenever I zeroed in on a Bhaalspawn in any town I was in, they vanished. Ponyville had been my lucky break. I motioned for Celestia to come closer, and she looked over my shoulder at my work. "This," I pointed to the line I'd graphed, "Probably indicates one of my half-siblings going to work a while back. After the ten-year gap, I don't know what happened for said sibling to become able to go from one side of Equestria to another in a flash, but I know they did. Because whenever I found another sibling and prepared to move...they were gone." Celestia pointed at Las Pegasus with her hoof. The dots there were nearly all black, save one, which I'd done in red. "And that one?" I grimaced. "That...was a brother of mine coming into his strength. His full strength. He'd begun to find clever ways to murder, and do so frequently. Eventually, I cornered him, and we recognized each other right away. After a battle that I wasn't sure I could win, I ended up atop a broken and battered Earth Pony stallion. The black in his eyes faded, and he spoke in his normal voice for the first time since I met him." She placed a hoof on my hand. "What did he say?" I closed my eyes, seeing his face in front of me. "His name was Loaded Dice. White coat, black mane and tail, red eyes...when he wasn't possessed, that is. And he begged me to kill him before the Slayer took hold again." I opened my eyes and looked at hers. "I granted him that mercy, a quick end to pain. And that was when I realized just how much of a mistake it was to kill my brothers and sisters, because for the first time in a while, it became hard to ignore the Slayer." Celestia gulped at that, but I pressed on. "Bhaalspawn that slay their siblings...take that spark of divinity for their own. But the price is simple enough. Oh sure, we get a bit more power, we live longer and are better at what we do...at the cost of having a stronger demon inside us as well. That was when I started to delve into old magics, and found the Blood Bridge ritual. It would only work between relations...but that's all I needed." Celestia nodded at my reasoning. "I do recall that case that came before me. It was surprising how atop the stallion's corpse was a plethora of scrolls containing all the information we would need to lock him away forever, had he been alive." I nodded at her unasked question. "My doing. I'd been looking into the sudden vanishings, and found the one common link between them beforehand. Namely, Loaded Dice. I figured the least I could do for the authorities was explain why Loaded deserved to die as best I could. Couldn't exactly write down 'he's a Bhaalspawn,' so I went with the next best thing." Celestia let out a little snort at that. "True, I think that back then, even I would have had trouble believing you." I looked to her and smiled. "And now?" She hummed a little bit before her horn lit up, and I was ten feet away in a flash. She blinked, but realized her mistake, and shook her head. "I'm merely conjuring something for you. Something I think you'll like." I kept my eyes on her horn and one hand on my stopwatch. "You have ten seconds." She only needed two before a slip of paper popped into existence before her. It fluttered to the ground, and she backed away from it. I slowly advanced, never taking my eyes off her horn as I bent down and picked it up off the floor. I briefly glanced at it, looked up to the horn again, then did a double take. The bearer of this ticket is hereby invited to attend the Royal Wedding between Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and Captain of the Guard Shining Armor. The rest of it was standard information. Time and location. I smirked as I read it. "She invited me to break into the Palace?" Celestia nodded and smiled. "Good luck." I prepared the watch before saying my parting phrase to her. "Celestia, please. I make my own luck." And with that, the Time Trap triggered, and I was gone.
Chapter 20 - Worst. Family reunion. Ever.Chapter 20 - Worst. Family reunion. Ever. A wasteland. A blasted, dry, cracked wasteland, with a thousand flames burning in front of me. Some on the ground, some in the sky. All of them green. And then a voice came from behind me. "Who and what are you?!" I turned and saw her. Far larger. Far more powerful. She looked like she could stand hoof-to-hoof with Celestia for at least a minute. It started to fall into place, then. She was the progenitor of the rest. She was the direct link between me and them. And judging from the way the Slayer was reacting, we were related quite closely. In fact, he'd only acted this way around... Oh hell, Loaded Dice. A Greater Spawn. "Hello, sister." At that, she jerked her head back in shock. She clearly hadn't been expecting that sort of response! "What? Are you...we share his blood? Impossible! I scoured the lands ages ago of any who did!" At that, I growled. No, it was me, I checked. Though the Slayer showing up behind her wasn't a bad thing, either. Fortunately, he had the sense of mind to keep silent. I, on the other hand, was pissed. "You gave in to temptation? You slaughtered our brothers and sisters in blood? You took their divinity for your own?" I began to pace as I puzzled the situation out. "It makes sense, now that I think about it. That line I saw in the patterns, that was you, all those years ago, learning your powers, killing any that were related. But then, when you vanished, when I got to find and stop one of our brothers...you learned how to make...them." I waved my arm at the flames in the distance that represented her 'army.' "And then you sent them across the lands, seeking your relatives, taking their divinity for your own so you could live just a bit longer. And whenever I got close to one, you'd find out about it, and I ended up failing. Again and again." She started to preen a bit at that, but the Slayer talking behind her caused her to freeze. "Only one problem, insect. Your father shared his divinity with all his children, giving them a spark of his own, cutting away at his life every time he conceived another. In the end, he died alone, powerless." I leaned in and smiled at her. It was not a pleasant smile. "What makes you think your children don't obey the same rules, or that you won't share his fate?" She blinked at that, then when she realized what I was insinuating, she screamed an unholy scream, and the mindscape broke... Okay, so, pop quiz. You've got a demon inside of you that grows stronger the more of your relatives you murder. The city you're in is under attack by a literal horde of your technical nieces and nephews. The one responsible for it all is ungodly powerful, your sister by blood, and sitting pretty...somewhere in the city, directing said invasion. You have at your disposal a lifetime of stealth and sneaking skills, along with aforementioned demon and his insatiable thirst for spilling blood, and a few swords and throwing knives. Lying in front of you is one of your nephews. What do you do? If your answer was not 'Secure the nephew, get to a safe place, interrogate him, and figure out where your sister is so you can at least try to end this as quickly as possible,' then sorry. You lose. I sheathed my blades, made sure all my throwing knives were secure, bodily heaved the creature up and over my shoulders (thanking whatever gods existed that I would admit to that he was still out), and went directly to the tunnel into the dungeons. ...Yeah, we were gonna use it for evacuating the populace. But I needed somewhere to interrogate him. And afterwards, I could lock him into the dungeon. Perfect plan! I should stop giving the universe openings like that. But I digress. We'd just entered the dungeons and I was picking out a lovely cell for my nephew when I felt him begin to stir. Guess he wasn't going to stay out for long. I took an open cell, bodily tossed the creature onto the ground, slammed the door shut behind me (not caring that it would probably lock or that I didn't have any keys, I knew how to pick locks, thank you), and confronted the now-groggy creature. I held a sword to its neck as it began to hiss and pressed just hard enough to make him feel it through the carapace. "I'm going to ask you questions. I'm pretty sure you can understand me. Whether or not you're intelligent remains to be seen. Answer correctly, and you are, and will live through this. Fail, and I will slice you open like half of me wants to." He got real quiet then. Good, he had a brain connected to those ears. "First question. What are you?" There was a flash of green around his throat, and he coughed a few times before answering. "Changeling. I am a changeling drone. Simple things, simple tasks. I cannot do much more. Not smart enough." I nodded, storing the information away. "Why are you here?" "The queen commanded us to attack the city, take the ponies, drain them of their love. We obey." Emotional vampires? Interesting. Wonder if they Level-drain like the Forgotten Realm's version... "Who is your queen?" "She is Queen Chrysalis. All in the Hive hear her and obey." Iiiiinteresting. "Where is she?" "In the castle. She has taken the place of the alicorn of love and disrupted the marriage. We fight now to secure the capital and her." Physical incarnation of what amounts to a goddess of love in front of a group of insects that drain love...yeah, I can see that. "Final question. Why do you obey me?" Here he looked me in the eye. I think. Hard to tell. "You share her blood. I can sense it. Any changeling could." I blinked at that, then did a mental ping to my worse half. You hearin' him? Indeed. Perhaps allowing a bit of my nature to spill forth from you will allow you to avert conflict with the chaff on your way to our estranged sister? Just what I was thinkin'. I'ma go with three loose. There was the sound of chains snapping in my mind, and I could feel the changes come over my body. My breathing became deeper, my eyesight grew sharper, and the veins in my arms bulged slightly. I also began to emanate this...aura of malice. It was almost visible as a black haze around me. The changeling below me shuddered a bit. "Hey, little one?" He shuddered worse and raised his head a bit. "Yes?" he squeaked out. "I wouldn't leave the cell if I were you." He blinked and began to ask me something, but I turned around and kicked the cell door so hard, the locking mechanism snapped in half. I then turned around and returned my glare to him. "After all, someone might think you were trying to join the fight. And then someone might have to deal with you." As I began to stalk up the stairs to the rest of the castle, I could hear the cell behind me being slammed again, and snickered. Too bad, he would really need that lock when the refugees showed up... Finding the wedding was an exercise in annoyance. No, seriously, it was. No sign of it anywhere on the first floor. Plenty of hallways, though. I swear, some of them looped back on themselves or were just plain non-Euclidean. It was only when I made it to the second floor that I saw signs detailing where the wedding was. Which was apparently on the third floor, in a room with a view overlooking the city. So I groaned and made my way up one more flight of stairs. This time, the signs all had arrows painted on them, in a cheery pink color. I perked a little bit at that, thinking that perhaps Pinkie had had a hoof in this. When I got to the reception, however, good feelings were gone. Chrysalis was staring into the city that had once been Canterlot. Celestia was in some sort of green...cocoon on the ceiling. The six I had met in Ponyville, along with a child drake and Cadence, were off to one side, bound in similar slime. Standing near the queen bug was the captain that had tried to arrest me earlier. Once they caught sight of me, reactions were...mixed. Some groaned out a 'Oh now we have him to worry about?' Some waved. Some were confused. And Cadence plead with me. "Marketh, if you can do anything..." Then she noticed that I wasn't quite all me, and gasped. I merely nodded to her and cleared my throat. Chrysalis slowly turned around and looked at me, her eyes not widening an inch. "So. You're real, and you came. I must admit, I'm surprised my changelings didn't stop you." I snorted a laugh at that. "Puh-lease. We share the same blood of a dead god. They'd bow to me for the same reason they bow to you." She let out a little tisk at that. "We may share his blood, but I have a greater reserve. I've only been adding to it for so long. Let me show you what I can do." With that, she fired off a bolt of green at me. Or rather, where I was. I was now standing a few feet away, idly inspecting my fingernails. "You were saying?" She blinked at that, but shot again. Once again, I was not there, but under Celestia's cocoon. "Hey sun-flank. Doin' alright in there?" ...I should point out that normally, I would never say those things to an alicorn ruler, but at the time, sorta fueled up on demonic powers. It seemed like the correct thing to do. Nonetheless, I got a weak smile from Celestia for that, while Chrysalis growled at me. "Hold still, curse you!" She fired again, and I was over in front of the prisoners not in cocoons. "Oh, is that all you want? Fine, go ahead, take your best shot, dear. I'll not move." She blinked before slowly bringing her horn around and firing a significantly larger blast at me. Once again, it missed, but this time, it impacted the goo that was keeping the prisoners stuck where they were. Thus, freeing some of them. I was now ten feet in front of Chrysalis, whistling softly. "Guess what, dear? I lied. But then again, that's not something we're unfamiliar with, is it?" She snarled at that. "How?! How do you keep dodging my blasts?" I shrugged and motioned to the outside. "You seem to forget that while yes, you're the queen, and technically more of a monster than me, you siphoned off bits and pieces of your divinity to give life to them out there. Now, with what dregs of you remain, even my demon, even when I'm only letting him run free for a bit is more than enough to handle the likes of you." I didn't notice Cadence sneak over and grab the Guard-Captain. My eyes were focused on Chrysalis' horn, which had begun to glow a very familiar shade of green. Similar beacons appeared all over Canterlot, and my eyes widened, even as she began speaking again. "Then let us see you face me at the apex of my power, insignificant worm!" Lances of green streamed into her from the town, each one connecting with her and giving her a gradually increasing fearsome aura. By the time the last one connected, she was laughing manically. "FOOLISH, PITIFUL CREATURE! BEHOLD, MY TRUE FORM, A GODDESS AMONG MORT-" Rule 1 of Big Bad engagements: yes, it's unsporting, but when the Big Bad is spouting off a speech and you have a shot, fucking take the shot! This explained why Chrysalis and I were suddenly a lot closer than we had been a moment ago. Or why my sword was in her neck. Her aura flickered, faded, died, just as the light in her eyes began to do the same. She had time for one question, though. "H...how?" It was too perfect. "Puny goddess." ...And then...everything irises out... (POV shift - Shining) Shining shook his head clear for the first time in days and saw a sight he had hoped never to see, especially on his wedding day. The creature, Marketh Shadeblade, standing over the corpse of another creature, his sword dripping with green blood. Cadence reached out with one hoof and said in a very shaky voice, "M...Marketh? Marketh, is everything..." And then he growled and gained a fearsome dark aura around himself. And when he replied, it was not in his normal voice. "I...am Murder..." 'Marketh' turned himself around and glared at the ponies gathered there with a blackness in his eyes that was darker than a spot without stars in Luna's sky. When he opened his mouth, it was all sharp teeth, and Shining could swear that tongue of his was far too long. "I...am Death."
Chapter 21 - Murder RebornThe creature was huge. It towered in the room, the room was nearly too small for it! It's limbs were comparatively skinny and lanky, yet both ended in a massive hand that was just full of razor-sharp claws. The legs were no better, the feet down there also ended in sharp, dragon-esque claws. Shining almost swore he saw the air itself be ripped as it moved about. Horns curled back from atop its head, spines trailed down its spine to the tip of the tail it had grown. The torso was huge, the head still had a maw full of pointed teeth and a tongue too long to be considered sane. The eyes had faded to coal black long ago, and the skin of the creature was blood red, while the more...bony protrusions were darker, but still red. The thing just radiated power and rippled with muscles, and there was this...aura of malice around it. Move, and you're dead, it said. THINK about moving, and you're dead. So much as TWITCH, and I will eviscerate you. Shining had been through training, he'd been on a few operations for the Princesses during his time in the Royal Guard before he became Captain. This thing still scared him on levels he didn't know he had. What was worse was that it hadn't attacked at all. Instead, it had closed its eyes and seemed to be...thinking? Concentrating? It had been like this for a moment, before it let out a bestial growl and stalked over to the window. With a single punch, a hole was made in the glass, and the thing stuck its head outside. And then it roared. The sound was like the gates of Tartarus going 'buck this, I'm out, you can stand here and listen to my charges all day.' It was like having your horn dragged down a chalkboard: painful to do, painful to hear. It was like the sound itself was pain incarnate. Silence reigned after the scream as everypony tried to get their hearing back. The first thing to break it was the sound of the creature talking. "But...no. This should not be. I am whole. Complete once more. My call should have been answered. The Throne should have heard me, should have recognized me. Perhaps...it is incapable of coming to me? Then I...will simply have to go to it..." And then the creature began sniffing, which was seen as odd by nearly everypony present. Twilight spoke up first. "Um...what are you doing?" And it responded. "Searching for that Chaos Elemental. His magic is the only one compatible with my nature, considering we both represent some of the darker aspects of creation. Now that I am whole, I can force a Blood Bridge to happen, and merely...consume him. Then I will be free to seek out the Throne of Blood and resume my form as Lord of Murder." Those that knew what he was talking about paled, while those that didn't merely gulped at the idea of someone being able to merely eat Discord. Twilight, again, decided to speak up. "You mean Discord, right?" And then the thing turned its attention to Twilight. "Speak, if you know where the creature hides." "He, uh, doesn't hide anywhere. We turned him to stone with the Elements of Harmony. He's down there, in the gardens, if you want to see him." There was silence for a second as the creature digested this information. "You speak nothing but the truth?" Twilight nodded, and the creature was silent again. And then it did one thing nobody expected. It began to laugh. The laugh went on for a long, long time, and slowly got more and more demented as it went on. "BRILLIANT! Just BRILLIANT! The first way I can come up with to get back to the Throne with minimal pain or death involved, and it's already not an option!" And then it raised one hand up and looked at it while it continued to talk, but this time, in a far more menacing tone. "Well then, option 2 it is." It lowered its hand and looked at all the ponies present before he began to do the one thing Big Bads should never do. He began to monologue. "Remember this day, ponies, for it was your last peaceful one! Until I return to the Throne, I shall plague your lands, murdering as I see fit! So long as I fulfill my role, I will gain strength, a little for every murder I commit! And as such, I will devote myself to turning your lands into a suburb of Pandemonium, until I return there!" The creature raised itself up and began to bellow then. "THE SKIES SHALL RAIN FIRE! THE SEAS SHALL BE AS BLOOD! THE RIGHTEOUS SHALL FALL BEFORE THE WICKED, AND ALL SHALL BOW TO THE MIGHT OF THE RAVA-" And that was when Princess Luna flew in the room and blasted the creature in the back of the head. "FOUL BEAST, THOU SHALT NOT WALK THESE LANDS! DESPITE WHAT MARKETH HATH SAID TO US, WE SHALL SAVE HIM FROM YOU!" It has to be said, that while normally it would be a terrible idea to stand up to The Ravager, Luna's stance was simple to understand. The Nightmare had taken her so long ago, and only recently had she been reformed. She knew what it was like to be a slave, a prisoner in your own mind, and she would not stand for it happening again. Especially with something aligned with something so dark as Murder. That was when everypony noticed the azure chain forming at the base of the creature's skull. It ran to the ground and attached itself to a bolt that had appeared in the floor. The creature turned and growled at Luna. "Spare me, Order. You and your sister here could not contain me. After all, should all things be dead, it would be extremely orderly, forever." That was when the creature was struck in the back of the head again, only this time, the blast came from Twilight. The beast let out a low roar at that and turned to look at the unicorn. "You! Some sort of...Order-Creation hybrid? You will PAY for that, little one!" By this point in time, Cadence had gotten Celestia out of the cocoon. A violet chain formed from the site of impact, and it, too, attached itself to the ground. Cadence drew a deep breath, but let it out and shook her head. "Nothing. I'm going to need to get some good rest before I can help with this." Celestia put her shaky hooves under her and stood up slowly. "I agree. Would you and Shining be so kind as to restore our shield so that we can be sure that we are free of the Changelings?" Cadence and Shining Armor drew close together, crossed horns, and a pink shield blossomed between them... ...Only for nothing to happen in the city below. The Ravager, however, screamed like a thousand banshees. Getting the idea, the two modified the shield, turning it from a city-wide phenomena into a dome encasing the Ravager's form. It screeched and howled as it tried to get past the energy now restraining it, to no avail. Cadence and Shining uncrossed their horns and shakily made their way over to their now-trapped prey. "So," Cadence said, "My bonds failed, and yet, staring at you, I still find you to be the monster." "I am what always lay within the boy. The deepest, darkest desire of his, that hidden shadow behind his heart. I am merely being true to my nature, whereas YOU! You would RESTRAIN his nature! To deny someone the freedom to be what they were always meant to, THAT IS MONSTROUS!" Cadence slowly shook her head and replied softly. "When you would be free at the expense of others lives, then you are restraining them far more than I am restraining you." Beaten by his own words, the Ravager screamed to the heavens. Shining and Cadence looked to Celestia and Luna. "Perhaps...should the shield hold, we can return after a good rest and attempt to return him to his normal form?" Shining sputtered and made to object, while Celestia eyed the demon warily. It was Luna who spoke up first. "Indeed, there are two potential solutions, niece. The first being that together, all of us with sufficient magic attempt to dive within his mind and find Marketh. The second being..." She trailed off while gesturing at the Bearers with a wing. Celestia slowly shook her head. "I am...uncertain, sister. If this...thing speaks any amount of truth, then I do not know if the Elements can have an effect. Their purpose is to help restore the true nature of a thing, to bring back balance. If...if this is his true nature..." Luna held up a hoof and glared at her sister. "Do not speak as such, Sister. I have every faith in Marketh, just as you had every faith in me and the Elements." She looked to the soon-to-be-wed couple and smiled sadly. "Rest well tonight, for tomorrow, you will be required." Her eyes flickered over to Twilight as well, as if to indicate that she, too, would be needed. The ponies left the Ravager to his glowing pink cell and went to recover from the incidents that had rocked their capitol. The next morning dawned, and the spellcasters were ready. The alicorns, along with the Sparkle siblings, gathered in a loose circle around the Ravager. Waiting in the background were the other Bearers, wearing their Elements. "Okay, so I've had some time to come up with a basic and back-up plan, along with several redundancies in case something comes up which we aren't ready for." Almost everypony present snickered at Twilight's ability to plan for nearly everything. She ignored them pointedly and continued. "First, we lower the shield. Immediately afterwards, everypony except Luna hits him with a similar binding spell. In my case, I'll reinforce mine. Then Luna reinforces hers, and begins to use her dream-magic. If she's right, and Marketh is merely slumbering inside this...creature, then it should be a matter of finding him, waking him up, and strengthening him to the point where he's the stronger mind again." Luna nodded. "I am more familiar with his mind and dreams than any creature save himself. I will be able to guide you all easily." "However, if we fail to restore Marketh, then we can fall back on the Elements." "Ready an' waitin', Twi," Applejack pitched in. Celestia spoke up then. "And should both our options fail, then I will be forced to banish him to the most secure place I can think of. Tartarus." Everypony present gulped at the thought, and Twilight nodded. "Shall we begin?" Cadence and Shining Armor nodded and cancelled the shield. Immediately afterwards, Shining, Cadence, and Celestia shot beams of magic at the Ravager's head. These morphed into chains that connected to appearing pegs in the ground. One was white, one was pink, and one was sky-blue. Twilight shot a beam at her chain, which had begun to crack slightly under the Ravager's attempts to escape, and the beast merely raised his head and glared at all present. "You cannot beat me. I will be free, and I will bring my namesake to this land..." Luna merely snorted and shot some magic to her chain, which the Ravager had ignored. Afterwards, the ponies around the Ravager joined their magic with hers, and they entered its mind... Author's Note I, uh, may have reinstalled the games in question, just to have a little fun... ...or for reference...
Chapter 22 - Giggling not recommendedAuthor's Note I apologize in advance for the length of this chapter. ...You may want to get a drink and a snack before sitting down to read this one. I had one while writing it and I needed to get refills. Chapter 22 - Giggling not recommended This mindscape was different. A circular room of steel, with six doors. One set alone, while the other five gathered at the other side. The lone one was significantly larger than the rest, and in the middle of the room was some sort of raised hill, also of steel, with five holes set into it. The lone door was shiny and brand new, while the other five had slight rust on them. The grooves around the middle one showed it had been opened and shut multiple times. The five ponies who had chained the Ravager appeared slowly around the hill in the middle of the room. Once they looked around and gained their bearings, a voice spoke that belonged to none of them. "Hello, you who seek the dormant soul." The ponies started at that, but Twilight recovered first. "Who said that?! Where are you?!" "My apologies. You have heard the Ravager say that he is what always lay within the boy?" The ponies nodded, and the voice continued. "He lies. I am the true darkness in his soul, and currently, this realm is my doing. The part of him you seek, his light, it remains, but is dimming. Both because of the Ravager...and itself. He wishes to fade, now." Luna snorted once at that. "We are familiar with the feeling. Tell us, if you are his darkness, why make this realm? Why not join with the Ravager?" "Because he would destroy me as well in his mad quest to dominate this mind. I have saved the light, imprisoned it here, but he needs help if the Ravager is to be thrown off. And as you ponies are, you cannot help him. Which is why there are so many doors here." The party of ponies looked from one door to the next, taking in what few differences there were. "The larger one leads back to the mind as a whole. The Ravager cannot yet find us, though he looks feverishly. The others lead...to tests. Each of you must face your darkest secret, and bare it for the rest. Confront the truth about yourselves, and you will be of sufficient fortitude to help the boy. But the test in the center shall be taken last." The door in the middle suddenly seemed more ominous at the end of the voice's words. Twilight decided to speak up again after the voice was done. "What should we call you?" There was silence for a moment, and then, amused laughter. "My my. Giving portions of his mind identities? So amusing you are, child. Call me...Shade. It fits me well, and as I am merely a portion of him, so too is my name merely a portion of his..." The ponies nodded at that and went to one of the doors before hearing another chuckle. "Or...is it?..." This gave them pause for a moment before Celestia reached towards a door and began to pull on the handle. "Sooner started, sooner finished." "Oh, by the way, the tests depend on who opens them. Let's see what lies in your heart, Celestia..." At that, her eyes widened, and she began to whinny... "Celly, Lulu, wonderful to see you. Here to enjoy my Chaos?" The two mares stand before a young Discord as he begins causing a forest to float into the sky. Their horns are ablaze, their wings spread. "Nay, foul miscreant. We are here to stop your vile reign over our subjects!" Discord puts a paw to his chin and hums. "Last I recall, I was ruler of these lands. Has that changed lately?" He snaps, and a oversized crown, cloak, and scepter adorn him that would not look amiss upon any king. "Why no! No it has not!" Celestia, clearly unamused, snorts, lets out a bestial roar, and charges, knocking Discord to the ground and starting to pummel him with her hooves. "You. Will. Stop. Tormenting. The ponies. This. INSTANT!" Each word is punctuated with another punch, and eventually, Celestia stops, panting, while Discord just lays there, congealing. However, with another flash, Discord, sans his regal attire, is floating in front of the sisters again. "Had your little temper tantrum?" Celestia snorts and narrows her eyes in rage. "Why won't you just DIE!" "Because, Celly, I'm Chaos. You can't kill chaos, you can only fuel it, especially in a fight..." "It may have taken you a thousand years, but you learned, didn't you, Celly?" The vision faded, and the ponies in the room were confronted with what looked like a highly more ephemeral Spirit of Chaos. The ponies gasped at the sight, and Twilight, again, spoke up. "But you're stone! How can you be here if you're out there?!" The pseudo-spirit waved one appendage around lazily. "Oh, pick an option, Sparkly. A failsafe I slipped into his head, I was here all along after you stoned me, or, my personal favorite," and here he grinned wildly, "Maybe I'm not here at all! Maybe the mind we're inside just latched on to me and made an echo for later...or maybe it made a version of me from sunbutt's memories!" Shining slowly gulped and raised a hoof. "Was...what we saw, true?" Discord hummed and put a talon to his chin. "Well, if it was pulled directly from Sunbutt's mind, then yes, yes it was true." And then he gained a maniacal grin and spread his arms wide. "But wait, there's more!" And with a snap, another memory surfaced, drowning the ponies in the waves of thought and emotion... Another image formed, of a creature that was half-horse, half-man, with demonic horns. Behind him stood a hundred more of his kind, none of them in armor. On a distant hill, Celestia sat, waiting. She didn't have to wait for long. The creature strode forth on the grassy plains, and bellowed at her. "CELESTIA DAYWARDEN, I TELL YE THIS: SURRENDER LAND TO US FREE OF YOUR PONIES, OR WE SHALL TAKE IT FROM YOU, NO MATTER WHO OR WHAT IS ON IT!" Her response was immediate: a beam of concentrated light struck at the ground by the commander's hooves, and he reared back before returning to his army. "SO BE IT! YOU BROUGHT THIS ON YOUR SELF!" And the army charged as Celestia began to shine with light... "It was quite interesting, seeing my legion fall before her," the appearing ghostly centaur said. All the ponies gasped, but it continued. "After all, we thought ourselves invulnerable! We were the magic-weavers! And then we met the alicorn. None of us remained, save me." The creature looked to Celestia with a fire burning in its eyes as it finished its statement. "Her Dawnhammer destroyed all my soldiers. Only I remained, because of my incredible magic resistance. They would have remained had it been a normal unicorn. And even as you cast me into the depths of Tartarus, I cursed you, Sol Invictus." Cadence put two and two together and shook her head. "No. No, she wouldn't. Aunty, you wouldn't do these things." Celestia gulped once and nodded to herself. "For the good of Equestria, I have done much..." The creature cut her off. "Like destroy soldiers seeking refuge in your lands from their own across the ocean? Like banishing their commander to the depths of Tartarus, thus dooming the rest of his kind back home to a slow, steady death? Oh wait. How about this one?" And with another snap, the chamber changed again... "Please, I throw myself on your mercy." The young Chrysalis was nearly completely prostrate before Celestia. Next to the alabaster mare, a pink alicorn filly cowered. The leader had her stern poker face on. "Why do you require my mercy, creature?" Chrysalis gulped, and stated her reason in a shaky voice. "Because of my nature...I have a...sickness within me. Not only do I...feed off of positive emotions..." Here she paused and gulped again. Celestia's gaze had gotten a touch harsher. "...There is this...darkness within me...and every time I feed...it makes me want to drain...and drain...until there is nothing left. I need...help." "How many." Chrysalis shook her head at the question slash statement. "Too many. Far too many. I...I want...I need it to stop...I need help..." Celestia shook her head. "I can do naught for you. Leave my country and ponies in peace." Chrysalis threw herself down then. "Please! I beg you, something, anything! I don't want this! I want it to stop, to go away, to-" "SILENCE!" The statement was punctuated with a solar laser beam to the floor in front of Chrysalis, who went rigid from shock. "As I said. Leave. I can do naught for you." And then Chrysalis hissed and stood back up. "Mark my words, Daywarden, Sun-Shepard. I will return one day, and you will look back to this moment, and rue not aiding me." "And so I did," the ghostly Chrysalis said. "And you did remember me, didn't you, Daywarden?" Celestia flinched at that. "I...I was not talented in mind magic, nor did I have the link to the Elements, with Luna gone..." Chrysalis waved her hoof in a dismissive manner. "Your first instinct was to strike out at me for what I had done, rather than help me prevent what would come to pass." "So Celly," Discord started as the three ghosts of her past closed in. "What are we to you?" The space between the centaur's horns lit up, and Chrysalis' horn began to glow. Celestia began to shake a little before she collapsed on the ground, weeping softly. "You are my failures. My moments when I lost myself. The time when I was less than I should have been." "Not good enough, Celestia," Chrysalis nearly spat. "What...is your sin?" Discord nearly hissed out as he traced his claws down her neck. At that, Celestia gasped and spoke one word. "Wrath." And instantly, the room changed. The apparitions vanished, and the walls and floors of the room became awash in colors. Looking around, Twilight saw a strange...pattern to it. A small, red jewel appeared in the middle of the air, and absently, she took a hold of it with her magic and gave it to her mentor. The troupe of ponies made their way to the door that they could now see, and just before they left, Twilight looked back and gasped herself. The colors in the room aligned perfectly, showing Marketh beheading a Diamond Dog in the middle of a fierce and pitched battle. And then they were gone, back to the central room. Twilight's head spun from what she had seen, but she filed the sight away under 'to be determined later.' Carefully, Celestia placed the red jewel in a hole, and there was a clicking noise. Beyond that, nothing happened, save for the door they had used vanishing. Luna nodded at the spectacle and went to another door. Just as her hoof was about to touch it, that voice spoke up again. "Are you sure about this, Luna? After all, who can say which side of the mirror is the dark one..." The hoof pulled the door open, and their surroundings shifted again. In front of the ponies, in a room similar to the last, was another version of Luna. Only this Luna was just as grand and radiant as Celestia, done up in her formal silver armor, wielding a halberd seemingly made of moonlight. And this Luna was not amused. "Behold, my counterpart. I am what could have been. Under both my and my sister's rule, Equestria thrived." An image formed on the back wall, showing a far more populated Ponyville. It shifted, showing that the inhabitants were no worse off than the ones of Canterlot. And then the other Luna continued. "While my sister tends the day, keeps the peace between nations, cities, species, it falls to me to ensure that no unreasonable threats arise to begin with." The scene became one of night, and surprisingly, the ponies still walked about, most casting a smile upwards to the moon. "Under my watch, all are safe. I find and deal with threats quietly, discreetly. My thestrals are elites among those that deal in threat assessment and removal, and best of all..." The scen shifted again, to show a vision of Marketh kneeling before the two thrones in the Everfree Castle. "Best of all, this situation did not come to pass. The half-elf found us within his first month in our world, and we used him to find the taint of his father, and then we kept him on as a trainer for our guard, for there was much to learn from him." Another vision shift, this time of Marketh yelling at ponies in guard's armor. And then the room went dark as the other Luna lowered her halberd a touch. "So tell me why I, Luna Selene, Lunar Ira, Moon-Maiden, Shadow-warden, She Who Guards The Night, should permit you to exist. There is a weakness in your heart, my twisted double. Because of one moment, because of one thing, you damned your world to this fate." Luna caught on and decided to state what the room wanted of her. "Yes, because of that weakness in my heart, the Nightmare took me. And that weakness was the Envy of my sister's day and the love she gained for it." The other Luna slowly faded out, from back to front, after Luna had said her sin. The last thing to go was her mouth, and she used it to state one final thing. "True...tis better to never fall...but when you do, the rise is all the sweeter..." With that, the dopple-mare faded, a green jewel hovered in the room for Luna to take with her magic, and a door appeared behind them. Waiting for it, Twilight saw a flash of color appear in the room, and as they left, she placed it. But why...Ponyville? Why Ponyville during the day? When they returned to the center, Luna put her jewel to the core, generating a similar clicking noise. Skipping the center door, Cadence selected the one after it, and put her hoof to it. Again, the voice intervened beforehand. "Oooh, are you sure, miss alicorn of love? With your fiance here? He won't like what he sees..." Once again, their surroundings shifted... "Cadence, will you love me?" "Of course I do! Why do you need to ask?" The scene is one of Cadence, in a younger form, talking to...a pony. The details are vague, blurred. Nearly gone. But the vision remains, showing snippets throughout the other pony's life...up until Cadence is older, standing next to a freshly-filled grave. She sniffs, sets her eyes, her horn glows... And then she's in a younger form again. And the sequence repeats itself. Over. And over. And over again. Until Celestia comes into the picture, thundering and taking a hold of the pink alicorn, turning her into a proper filly. The filly looks around and asks a simple question. "Where are momma and daddy?" And then her life continues, with Celestia teaching her what it means to be an alicorn... But lining the walls of the room, the crosses of the ponies from her life remain. At the base of each one, a skeletal hoof disturbs the 'ground', and the corpses of her previous loves slowly extract themselves. "You said you would love me, Cadence..." one rasps. "You said we would be together forever..." "You said there would never be another in your heart..." "You promised, Cadence..." "Why did you do it, Cadence?" "Why did you lie to us?" The pink alicorn is breathing deeply, nearly on the verge of breaking down, and then she finally does. She throws herself to the ground and starts screaming her rage. "I DON'T KNOW! When Celestia turned back my clock to when I was just a filly, the ascension stuck with me, and I learned what it meant to be an alicorn! I learned it meant an immortal life, and that to promise to mortals 'till death do us part' was harsh on the mortals, especially when I was...as I had been. But my mindset from back then is gone! Celestia raised me all over again, I couldn't tell you what the older version of me was thinking!" Twilight slowly raised a hoof to her foalsitter's withers. "It...seems like she just keep wanting more love directed at her..." Cadence nodded once and hiccuped. "But...why would I be so...so Greedy, over something as irreplaceable as love?" That did it. One by one, the skeletons of her former loves fell apart, disappearing as the bones hit the ground. A golden gem appeared in the room, and Cadence shakily took it. As the group left, Twilight quickly cast her eyes over her shoulder and saw... The library, at night...and he's taking books? How...how do these visions tie in together? Cadence slotted the gem into a hole, and another click reverberated through the space. Shining Armor approached the last available door, and once more, the voice interjected. "Oh Shining, you'll enjoy this. You'll get to see a part of yourself that everyone but you has..." The scenery melted around them... "Discord may have returned, and he may be wrecking havoc on the land, but we are the ROYAL GUARD, and Canterlot will NOT FALL!" The dopple of Shining Armor rallied his faceless troops, who cheered, and then faded. The dopple, however, remained...and another appeared, rallying another set of troops. "Nightmare Moon may have imprisoned Princess Celestia, but we are the ROYAL GUARD, and we WILL FIND and RETURN her!" And again, the troops cheered...only for them to fade, the dopple to remain, and another appeared, rallying the same faceless army. "The Changelings have taken much from us, even our Princess is out of commission, but we WILL succeed, because we are the ROYAL GUARD, and we DO NOT GIVE UP!" Again, the soldiers cheered and faded, again the dopple remained, and one more appeared... "Okay, so the creature is within the library, and the Bearers are there as well. I want this done quick and clean. We give it one chance to surrender, and if he doesn't we knock him out. Remember, we are the Royal Guard, and failure is not an option!" The guards around the last Shining dopple nodded their heads, and once they faded, the real test began... All four dopple Shining Armors turned to face the real one and began speaking in turn. "Whether it's Nightmare Moon, Discord, or some other threat to Equestria..." "Or just your little sister..." "You throw out all concepts of what you can and can't do..." "And stop thinking with the one muscle that really matters." "I really can't believe they made you captain of the guard." "At least have the decency to put the colt through the janitorial staff, Princess." "Yeah, afterwards, he could clean up his own messes!" "Yeah, instead of dumping them all on someone else..." "And it's all because of that one little nugget of darkness." The dopples started to advance, and Shining panicked. What had been the same in all those visions? "That one tiny seed, from which all his little problems sprout..." Closer still. "Tell us, Shining, What...do you want? What does that little burning fire inside of you really want?" "You deserve it...you are the Captain of the royal guard..." Shining made to protest when he realized the pattern. The room wanted him to admit to something, and after a second's reflection, he found it. "Yes, true, I am the Captain, because of my magic in shielding spells. And while I do tend to get a bit of a swelled head sometimes, I think I have to disagree with you. Pride in your abilities is important, especially when you can deliver." Three dopple Shinings winked out of existence, and the last pointed a hoof at him. "That. That right there. There are things in this world you cannot do, and yet you act like you are a true member of the Royal Family, wings and all. Tell me, what will you do when it becomes fatal to those under your command, or you?" Shining sighed. "I knew the risks when I signed on, and my father gave me one critical piece of advice when I was younger. If you don't reach for the stars, then short of being Luna, how will you ever get there?" The dopple vanished slowly, leaving a blue gem in his place. As Shining reached out to grab it, a whisper echoed throughout the space. "Sparring and pushing yourself is all well and good, but acting like you eat lighting in the face of death is foolishness itself..." The ponies made to leave, and once more, Twilight stayed behind to see the change in the room. The colors came and went in a flash, showing Marketh fighting a gryphon outside some sort of structure. A whisper echoed through her mind. "Come on, stop trying to hit me and HIT ME!" "Gilda, you're now a full member of the guild." He...trained others? I wish these flashes would make sense! The jewel was inserted in one of the only places left, and the ponies looked to the last, intimidating door. Twilight decided to ask, then. "Who should open this one?" The answer was instant. "You should, young one. Come...meet me." Twilight gulped and put a hoof to the door-pull... The room was plain, barren of anything, save for an inhabitant. He looked...similar to the beast outside, but smaller, and with large wings on his back. It did a bow as the ponies appeared. "Greetings, ponies. I am Shade, Marketh's true darker side. I have been expecting you." His eyes flickered over to Twilight. "Most specifically, I have been expecting you, miss Sparkle." She gulped at that. "Why me?" Shade waved a clawed paw around. "Oh come now. You must have seen some link. You overcome one trial, only to receive an image associated with Marketh's experience with that sin. Fairly straightforward." Twilight scrunched her face up. "I...I can see Wrath. If he really was the Doom of the Diamond Dogs, then yes, Wrath I can see easily. But Envy and Ponyville? I don't see it." Luna spoke up then, softly. "One of his dreams was of him looking out towards Ponyville and wishing he could walk its streets again." Shade pointed at her and smiled (which did not help) before chuckling. "Any true Bhaalspawn desires peace after a lifetime of combat. And Ponyville, by far, was the most peaceful place he had ever seen. Not being allowed to visit...that only caused his feelings of Envy to build." Twilight nodded and stored the information away. "Greed and the library, him taking books, I also don't quite get..." Celestia spoke up next. "The one thing he has hoarded most over the years has been information. If he stole from the library, he probably values the information in those books more highly than ponies do the sun and moon..." The creature chuckled again. "Any true Bhaalspawn desires more and more, so as to be able to put its resources to bettering itself. The fact that his Greed was that of information does not lessen the fact that he did desire more and more of it." Twilight put another tic into her 'suspicious sayings' column and said the last one. "And Pride and him training gryphons? It doesn't add up as far as I can see..." The creature in front of them sighed and drooped a bit. "Any true Bhaalspawn takes great Pride in his abilities and powers over his betters, yet the only thing he is Proud of is the others he has trained over the years." Twilight finally decided to ask the question. "Okay, so you keep saying this, so I have to ask. Is he a true Bhaalspawn?" Here the creature's gaze shot up and locked with Twilight's before he started to laugh uproariously. By the time he finished, he had begun to fade, slowly. Slow enough that by the time he finished responding to Twilight, he was naught more than an outline. "Ah, miss Sparkle. That was the right question. For if he is, no harm, no foul. But if he isn't?" And with that, the creature was gone while a violet gem hovered in the room. The moment Twilight grabbed a hold of it with her magic, the room shifted. It still appeared to be made of steel, but carved into every available surface, as though it had been cut with claws, were the same six letters and singular symbol. WHO AM I? Repeated ad infinium, ad nauseum, the ponies looked around at the hundreds, no, thousands of times he had carved it in here. Some large, some small, some inside others, and all of them realized the same thing in the same moment. The only reason they assumed he was Marketh Shadeblade was because he had introduced himself as such. The only one to say otherwise was him, after all. But if even he didn't know who he was... Who did?
Chapter 23 - Memory pend-D̢́̕̕̕Á̶̸̢͡T̶̴̸͜͟A̷͘͘͘͢ ̢͘C̡̀̕͟O̷̢Ŕ̀͏̕ŖŲ̵͢P̶͠͏̀T̶̢̨̕͡È̛D̸͢͝͞Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.
Chapter 24 - Congratulations, it's a swarm!The cloud of changelings moved to be above Canterlot, and Marketh grinned. "Well, this is an...interesting sensation. Let's see how much control I have..." Before anyone could interject, the cloud shot a bit higher into the sky, and then the changelings moved in a pattern. It took the ponies a minute before they deciphered it, but when they did, they were not put at ease. After all, seeing a changeling swarm spelling out the word HI! over your city is about as relaxing as waking up to someone's face an inch away from yours before they loudly say 'GOOOOOOD MORNING!' "Excellent," Marketh said. "Control is in place. And...yep, that's going on as well! Now all I need is somewhere suitably dramatic and- oh hey! Shining, you don't mind if I borrow the training grounds, do you?" "Well actually I-" Shining began to object. "Great! I'd advise that you lot either stay well away or merely come close enough to hear. Changelings, come! Take me to the training grounds!" Before any pony could get off an interjection, a small swarm of the black forms crashed through the window, grabbed a hold of Marketh, picked him up, and flew him through the still-wrecked window. There was silence for a beat, and then Rarity asked the question that was in the back of every pony's head. "Why haven't we fixed that thing?" By the time Celestia and Luna had made their way to the training grounds, they saw it had been completely taken over. Packed. Filled. In essence, it was swarmed by the changelings. Normally this would be cause for concern. After all, they had just invaded not a day ago. However, they were all looking to one spot. Namely, they were all looking at Marketh. He noticed the alicorns coming in and winked at them, then raised his arms. "Changelings! For too long, Chrysalis has had you under her control. And when I returned what was rightfully yours to you, that position transferred to me. However, she kept you weak, dormant, unaware of anything save her will. Now is the hour when you will look back and say one thing." He raised his right hand over his head and finished his dramatic speech. "That this was the hour of your awakening." There should have been something, the sisters would later ruminate, that indicated that the changelings would change to such a degree. A flash of light, an explosion of wind. Something to punctuate that statement. What they got instead was every changeling closing their eyes, opening them, and rushing Marketh in a changeling version of a pony-pile. Apparently they were grateful. The sisters sighed and tried to get at Marketh, but the sheer mass of changelings clinging to him made it difficult to find his form underneath them all. Eventually, they found his face, and managed to get a word in edgewise. "We need to talk," they said. "Probably so, yes," Marketh agreed. "However, I seem to be a bit...stuck right now. I'm sure it can wait until this isn't a thing that is happening to me." The sisters looked at the mass of changelings and sighed. "You have five minutes," Celestia informed them. After the changelings voiced their disappointment with the idea of letting go of Marketh, Luna pitched in. "It could be worse. You could have no time." That shut the changelings up very quickly, and they resumed hugging their newest friend. "So essentially," Marketh said while sitting in one of the meeting rooms, with a changeling to his left that he was absently petting, "Chrysalis kept them all...dormant, for lack of a better word. They did her will, gathered intelligence...they were extensions of her. She could have changed that. She could have given them just one spark more of power, and they would have 'woken up,' but she never did. What I did was give back to them everything she took, along with everything she had, and a bit of my own strength, just a bit, to make sure every changeling would 'wake up' and form their own personalities." Everypony present, which was the Sisters, Cadence, Shining, and the Bearers, nodded slowly as the statements sunk in. "However," Celestia interjected, "I get the feeling you're leaving out some steps of that." Marketh sighed and motioned for the changeling to sit on his lap, which complied readily. "To go from 'extensions of Chrysalis' to 'comatose' to 'fully awake' would have been damaging to an extreme. Along with the fact that I had to help them deal with the memories of her rule. I had to pick. Cutting them out? Making it seem like a dream? Letting them be fully aware?" "In the end," the changeling stated, "He decided to give us a warning, that we may not like the memories, and let us choose how to deal with them. As of right now, every changeling has decided to treat it like a dream. It won't make up a part of who or what we will become, but neither will we forget it." The ponies had recoiled when the changeling spoke, but Marketh nodded and resumed petting the creature. "And there's still a connection as well, and seeing as how I currently am the ranking member, technically, you lot are dealing with a changeling king here. 'cept I'm not a changeling." "Like you need any more help blending in, sir," the changeling said while rolling its eyes. There was silence for a moment, and then Twilight spoke up. "So...what now?" The changeling and Marketh blinked at that, before Marketh smiled. "Well, for now, I think the changelings could do with some time to discover who and what they are and want to be. That'll take a while, though. So for now..." The sound of a thousand pairs of droning wings filled the air, and every pony present realized it was the sound of changeling wings. Looking out the window showed the ponies that the changelings were flying away from the mountain, towards the Everfree. All of them, that is, save the one on Marketh's lap. After the sound of droning wings died down, Marketh picked up the line of conversation again. "For now, they'll live in the Everfree while they work out all those little issues." The ponies in the room slowly came out of their shock and looked at the changeling on Marketh's lap. It merely smiled at them before replying. "I'm sticking around with him, I've already decided." "And a fine choice it is, my young apprentice." Marketh poked the changeling in the side, causing it to wince, before looking back at the ponies. "Now, unless I miss my guess, the rest of this meeting is going to be things I don't want to deal with, so..." A pocketwatch appeared on the table, let out a tiny ring, and then, Marketh was gone. Ah, Time Trap. It never gets old. Now to make my way out of this place, and- "Marketh." I turned to see that Celestia and Luna were looking at me, their hair not flowing in the non-existent breeze like it normally would. Shit. That's right, they're the closest thing to a divine on this plane. They can break through my Time Trap if they try. Though it would appear the effort does at least drain them somewhat, if the hair is anything to go by... "Princesses," I replied while picking up the changeling that had elected to stay with me. I reached the door, turned it, and began walking out when I heard them talk again. "You need to talk to someone, Marketh." I paused at that and sighed. "Yes. Yes I do. And the only ones who I can talk to about this are you two, your niece, your student, and your captain. Tell Pinkie she's allowed to tell you where my house is, and she will. Just...give me a week? To sort out the changelings?" And with that, I kept walking, not waiting for a response from them. Time Trap only lasts for so long... I lay against the wall of my base, humming to myself. I'd gone light on the training for the recruits as of late, but that hadn't stopped them from improving. Whispered Secret had finally made Member, and I was happy enough with the last Dog to say he could step up and join his friends as well. These days, they trained themselves with the facilities I'd provided and continued to update, which was busywork, really. The hum of the Hive Mind was something that I was trying to drown out, and I never really could. Today, I was experimenting. Maybe accepting it would make it annoy me less. Or at the very least, hurt less. I'd finally started to make headway into this when the sound of massive wingbeats from above jolted me out of my meditation. Knowing who it would be, I merely started to hum to myself. The sound of two ponies walking up towards me only confirmed which alicorns I would be seeing. Namely, the sisters. I opened my eyes to find Cadence and Luna sitting in front of me, which caused me to raise an eyebrow. Huh, guess I was wrong. "And you two are here because..." They exchanged a look with each other, then looked back to me. "Luna's here to lead me in, and then we're hoping the three of us can find your memories." I blinked at that. I hadn't considered that someone would actually be able to help me. "If you two can do that, I would be extremely grateful to you." I sat down against my base, the two alicorns came close to me and touched their horns to my head, and all the world went white again...
Chapter 25 - Pull yourself together!The mindscape was different this time. It almost always was, depending on where you went in it. Fortunately, Luna knew where she was going, and Cadence had been in here enough times as well. The image of Marketh holding a tattered and ripped book while two others waited nearby slowly resolved. Pages flitted about in the air, flying just out of reach. The half elf looked from the book to the pages, then sighed. Luna decided to ask the first question. "Why do you not try to grasp the pages?" The half-elf looked up to her, then to the pages, and then to the book before shaking his head. "The tome is weighty as is. Should I fail to support it with both hands, then I would lose what little I could remember. The pages can only fly out of the book if I'm not holding it." Cadence focused, her horn glowing blue, then it shifted to white, before a beam shot at the book. The pages seemed to settle down considerably, and the elf looked at the book with a hint of wonder on his face. "What have you done?" Cadence merely smiled. "Your brain couldn't hold all your memories, true enough. But since an Alicorn is born immortal, we can. I tweaked your brain just a bit, so that your brain's long-term memory would slowly become like ours. In addition, over time, you'll slowly start to recall all you lost." The half-elf blinked twice, then slowly set the book down before opening all three and watching as a three pages drew near from above before settling into the books and fusing back where they were meant to be. He smiled at the alicorns before nodding. "Thank you for that." And with a wave of his hand, the mindscape faded... The two alicorns drew their horns back from my head, and I blinked at the new sensation, of something setting itself right, finally. I smiled at them, and they returned it. "Remember anything?" I shook my head at Cadence's question. "I can feel that something's changed in my memory, yes. I also know that you tweaked my memory, true. But as to whether I can recall anything now that I could not before, I could not say." At this, Luna sadly nodded. "Time is the only thing that can heal this wound. But at least now, it can be healed." I stood up and stretched, popping a few joints to keep myself limber. "Oooh, that felt good. Well then, m'ladies, I do have a swarm and guild to maintain..." Luna's coy smile did not set my nerves at ease. "And you also have about a thousand years of thievery to make up for." I shook my right index finger at her while my left hand sought out my pocketwatch. "Now now. The only thing I stole that you can still press charges for was information. I may have managed the guilds and taught them the skills, but the only thing I did beyond that was seek and obtain information pertinent to the Bhaalspawn phenomenon." Cadence began to smirk as well. "We could bring you in for giving them the skills in the first place. I'm fairly certain that if you hadn't sought to train them that there wouldn't have been near as many thieves as there are." And then her smirk grew. "Plus, you had to obtain startup funds somehow." The energy began to leak into the watch at an accelerated pace. Screw ten seconds, I would need ten minutes. I could only hope the watch could hold it all. "Ladies, you are grossly mistaken in your lines of thinking if you believe that I'm just going to come quietly." Luna's horn faintly glowed as her smile became downright devious. "You talk like you will have a choice, half-elf." Fuck it, any time I could get, now would be a good time to use it! I pulled the watch out and pushed the button, and the world around me faded into black-and-white. Yet I could see the colors on Luna and Cadence struggling to assert themselves. I would have so very little time. I rushed into the guild itself and dropped off a series of prepared notes in front of my recruits. To Gilda, I told her to take her skills back and trounce her father, take his command and share my lessons. I also told her that if I didn't hear of the Griffons dealing with problems before they became problems that I would be severely disappointed. To the dogs Fido, Rover, and Spot, I told them something similar. I told them in no uncertain terms that Spot was the brains of the outfit, Fido was the muscle, and Rover was the closest one to my body type to be called the thief. But I also told them that so long as they worked together, they could accomplish anything, including taking over their old den and instating a rule that I would agree with. And to Whispered Secret, I told him that if he didn't get in the Night Guard now, to try and come find me. I didn't tell him where I was going, because even I didn't know right at that moment, but I figured that if he found me once, he could find me again. By the time I walked back outside, Luna and Cadence were fully colored in again, but they seemed to have difficulty moving. Talking was another matter entire. "Marketh, why did you do this?" I reached over to Luna and plucked the crown off her head, looking at it and sighing. "Heavy is the head that wears the crown, so long as it rests properly. You are in a position of strength like no other, yet you are weaker than any other pony, because you have to think about the good of them all. To appease one is to displease another. Your throne may be so appealing to others, but I see it for the golden chain it is." I replaced the crown and looked to the sun, frozen in the sky as it was. "You are chained, but I am free. And I will not be bound. Not while I do not know who I am. All I know is the what, and the what tells me that in time, my shadow games could rival yours." "Especially now that you have a swarm of Changelings at your beck and call," Cadence mused. I smiled and waved a hand at her. "True, they'd make the perfect thieves. But frankly, they need to grow up and answer the same question I do." I turned to look at them both, sighed, and shook my head. "If you truly seek to take me in, then I will have to abandon my system. Not all that hard. And now that I know that all of Bhaal's descendents in this world are me and the changelings, I don't need to set up any more thievery guilds. In fact, with my link with the swarm, I could set up...yeah, that's a viable fall-back plan." Here my grin widened and must have looked maniacal to them. "Hell, I don't need to live in a town at all anymore! I could just...leave Equestria!" Their faces dropped in horror at the very thought of me leaving their lands. Huh, maybe they don't have extradition treaties with the other countries? I smiled and set off to the north. "Take care, ladies!" As the effect of Time Itself being stopped wore off, Luna looked to Cadence and sighed. "Methinks we doth play too hard with the half-elf." Cadence nodded and pulled a scroll out from somewhere. "He might have liked being the Royal Spy. We'll just have to see if we can't find a changeling in the coming days and make the offer through one of them." Luna shook her head. "Knowing him and them, he'll teach them everything he knows about blending in seamlessly. We'll be hard pressed to find them, and to go actively looking for them with the guard for any extended period of time would just worry the populace. He's outmatched us without really knowing that he was doing it." Cadence sighed and put the scroll back away. Gilda would go on to not only kick her old man's behind, but Ignatius' as well. Her father was quietly moved back to the regular Army, where he had been happier anyways. Gilda and Ignatius took over teaching the Spec Ops of the Griffon Army. In a few short months, the two of them had an effective working relationship that produced the smartest, deadliest griffons this side of Tartarus. And somewhere in all the endless bouts, Gilda got Ignatius into a compromising position. And griffons, being descended from birds of prey, pounce on what they want. The wedding was held shortly thereafter. Fido, Rover, and Spot would go back to their den and ingrain themselves back like nothing had ever happened. Right up until Fido walked into the makeshift throne room and punched the doors in. The current king was advised by Spot that this challenger to the throne was somedog who could be dispatched easily, and so the two fought. His blood still decorates the pillars where he more or less exploded to this day. Fido took the throne, Spot retained the position of adviser, and Rover was granted a new title: Bad Dog, the Dog's equivalent of a top spy, for handily poisoning the old king just a touch to make the display possible. The trio managed to lead their den to, well, the dog's version of a golden age. At least, as well as they could. And Whispered Secret? Well, he searched in Canterlot for a while, until he heard the rumors that something was happening up in the north. Once he confirmed that something big was happening, as evidenced by the disappearance of Cadence and Shining Armor, he knew there was only one place left to check for the biped he was looking for. "Cold up here!" I nodded, not really surprised that of all my recruits, he was the one to not only want to find me, but able to find me. "Almost always is," I replied. The sound of crunching snow announced that the thestral was now next to me, staring at the same phenomena I was. A dome of blue in the middle of this arctic wasteland. "What's that?" I shrugged. "There was a lightshow up here about a week ago. I got here about a day ago to find this. The dome's new. There was some sort of city in there, all shiny and everything. Then a train pulls in, and this dome goes up, and suddenly the snow starts melting as it hits. Good thing, too." "Yeah," the thestral replied. "Can't imagine living up here without whatever that thing is." "Not just that," I replied. I pointed to a bit beyond the city at a black smoke cloud just on the horizon. "See that thing over there? That patch of blackness that just feels wrong to think about?" "Yup, I saw it right away. What is it?" I shrugged. "I dunno, but it looks like it wants in. Been banging away at the dome since it went up, and only recently took a break. Think we should try the dome first?" "Sure thing, boss." And I could almost hear the smile in his voice. "But if we end up anywhere near that thing, I'm turning tail." "Good," I quipped, "You've learned something!"
Chapter 26 - Like a chihuahua threatening a bulldog.Watching the crystal city come back was a spectacle in and of itself. I caught vague glimpses of the six from Ponyville running some sort of carnival, though they called it the crystal faire. And while I had wanted to slightly show myself to them, I realized it would be a bad idea when the shield came down for the first time and that shade slipped something in. What was really bad was when the shield kept flickering, kept failing, and the buildings kept transforming. I did, however, have a tiny bit of faith in the ponies from Ponyville. Having caught a glimpse of Cadence and Shining on the balcony also set my nerves at ease, but really, I never took my left hand off my pocketwatch or my right hand off my long sword. I wasn't even sure if I could do anything to the malevolent smoke creature, but I intended to try. It was only when it became corporeal in the form of a unicorn that I thought I actually stood a chance. I snuck out from Whispered's and mine hiding spot and advanced on the thing, preparing to take it down. Never got the chance. Some little dragon appeared at the top of the castle with a jewel of some sort, and the shade reacted by summoning a tower of dark crystal to launch himself at it. Thank the gods that Shining can throw his wife. And there's a sentence I thought I would never say. Cadence intercepted the dragon, the two of them dodged the shade until they reached the base of the towering structure, and when the MacGuffin activated, the shade was blasted to kingdom come. But I saw his horn. It remained intact as it sailed away from the city, the ruby light glinting in the air before it left the bubble. I took notes on the trajectory and nodded at the fact that after the device activated, the storms outside died down considerably. Guess the shade was responsible for some of their intensity. I swung back by the hideout Whispered and I were using and knocked on the door, causing the thestral to pop his head out, his specialized sunglasses only barely working now that the city had been restored. "C'mon, we've got a thing to find." He sighed and I could see the eye-roll under the glasses. "When do we not?" Scaling a nearby mountain revealed a cave whose shadows were deeper and darker than one would normally expect, even from a cave in the middle of nowhere. It was the tendrils that did it for me, really. Whispered and I looked at it for a minute before either of us spoke up. "So, what are we looking for again?" I put the watch away and drew both of my shortswords. "I'm looking for the horn of whatever that creature was, cause it was blown off intact. And I'm fairly certain leaving it be would create a situation for the world, which would give me a headache sooner or later, as evidenced by this." Whispered nodded and sat down a fair distance away from the cave. "Fine, if you get in trouble, just scream really loudly, and I'll tell the changelings that you died trying to defeat a great and terrible evil." I sighed at that. "You've learned far too well the art of snark." I could almost hear the smirk in his reply. "This would be after I go back to the city, find out who's in charge, and bucking tell them that there's an eldritch shadow abomination hiding in a cave that you went to fight." "Aw," I cooed, "You do care." He snorted at that. "Only because I don't want to try and bury you out here." I nodded and boldly walked into the cave, feeling the shadows wrap around me. It was oddly warm, and it was hard, even with my Infravision, to see the path ahead. I had to shuffle carefully through the ice cavern, and I heard a whisper as I did. "You are...strange. Your mind is...fragmented. It is...hard to see what you hate...what you fear..." I snorted at that and kept myself moving forwards. The horn was in here somewhere, I knew it. "That'd be because my mind is broken." "An interesting development. But it will not save you." Green and red eyes opened up in front of me, and I sighed. "Intimidation won't work on me. I've seen and done more terrible things than you likely dreamed of." At this, there was a surge from deeper in the cave, one that briefly lit up the entire thing. There, a red glow! And then the moment passed, and the voice returned. "I am KING SOMBRA! Tyrant of the Crystal Empire! Enslaver of them all! I command the shadows and twist your fears until they devour you!" I flourished my swords a bit and smiled wryly. "I'm Marketh Shadeblade. Last of the Greater Bhaalspawn by my own blades, Doom of the Diamond Dogs by slaughtering a war party of them. Shall we continue?" The eyes actually receded for a moment, and then returned. I got the impression that if this thing had eyebrows, he'd be narrowing them at me. "You think that impresses me? I am a master of the shadows and darkness! I will not be cowed by your mewling!" At that point, I saw the darkness give way to a redness, and beneath that, the faint outline of a horn on the ground. I reached for it and snagged the thing, and the shade of Sombra drew closer to me. The darkness became suffocating, thick, almost physical. "Let us see what lies within your mind! Let us see what you fear, what you hate! LET YOUR DARKNESS CONSUME YOU!" At that, I felt him tapping at my mind, and I closed my eyes, merging with what little was left of the spark within me. I'd kept him starved, and he was no longer able to whisper to me. I could still make use of his energy, though. Forcing a bit of his energy into the Swarm had helped as well. "You think to see what a Bhaalspawn fears? What a Bhaalspawn hates? You think my darkness is your ally? You know nothing of my darkness, Aspect of Destruction!" The darkness started to vanish, its presence lessening, and things just...go black from there... Within the mind, the forms of Sombra and the Slayer stared at one another, then looked to the form of Marketh. "So, you wanted to see my shadow. Here he is." The shade scoffed. "And this is supposed to impress me? This creature could barely touch me in my glory days!" "But you're not in your glory days anymore. And this is our mind. Our rules." Before the shade could react, the Slayer picked him up, and all his color vanished as he turned to stone. It didn't stop with that, though, as the shadows he commanded slipped over to the Slayer, who appeared panicked. The form of Sombra, now fully grey, crumbled to dust, and the form of the Slayer became amorphous. Marketh drew his sword and stared at the black, indistinct form that now lay there. "Now what the hell are you?" "We are Destruction...nearly. And you will carry us to our other parts, so that we may be whole once more." The half-elf shook his head. "Not interested. Now if you'd kindly returned my demon and get out of my head, that'd be great." "You talk like you have a choice, child. Hatred, Fear, Wrath are all part of us. Lust, you dealt with. Envy, Pride, Greed remain. And we will be whole once more." And before any more words could be said, the ball of black and red flowed over the boy, silencing his screams... Whispered Secret saw the shadowy tendrils in the cave recede, heard a high screaming, and then there was silence for a minute. Then there were footfalls from within that slowly drew near, and Marketh showed himself. But something was wrong. Something was dreadfully wrong, and the moment he entered the sunlight, Whispered saw what it was. When the light hit his form, darkness trailed behind him, creating a distortion in the air. "Sir?" Marketh looked to him with black eyes and holding a red horn in his right hand. And then he spoke two words. "Two remain." Author's Note Short, but I hope it gets the idea across as to what this story'll end with. ...I did say this story was ending soon enough, right?
Chapter 27 - I don't know who thought it, but yes, it can get worse!"So let me see if I understand you here." Whispered Secret fidgeted and readjusted his specialty sunglasses while the Princess of the Crystal Empire, also known as Cadence, reviewed the story he'd just told her. "You snuck into the city and watched the whole battle without intervening." "To be fair, I'm a thestral, I tend to sleep during the day, and this city is bright," he nitpicked. Cadence continued like he hadn't tried to defend himself. "Marketh says that there's something you two need to find and you follow without question." "Well yeah," Whispered interjected, "He only trained me." "And when you arrive at the cave which is leaking actual tendrils of shadows, his first instinct is to go in and deal with it because 'if I don't do it, it'll cause a headache for Equestria and me'." The thestral stallion shrugged at that. "He's very self-serving, true, but deny his claim, I dare you." "And when he comes out wrapped up in shadows and acting like a possessed being, only then is your first instinct to come and tell me. When it should have been that all along. That about right?" Whispered made a show of thinking it over before nodding twice. "Sums it up. So, any idea what he found? All he said when he came out was something about there being two left." The other ponies in the room shuffled around a bit. Shining stood next to his wife, and the Bearers were halfway between Whispered and the door. There were at least four guards that he recalled seeing, two to the door and two to the throne. There were probably more hidden just out of sight, waiting in case they were needed. Then there was a sound from behind him, and Whispered slowly turned to see the lavender unicorn with a hoof raised. Whispered raised an eyebrow before nodding at her. "Well," she said, "based on the trajectory and location, I think I know what it was that landed there. After all, I had a good view of it, trapped in the tower at the time as I was." The other ponies waited as she let out a sigh and finished her sentence. "Sombra's horn. I saw it survive the explosion and get blasted out of the city. If any fragment of Sombra could end up with any real power or link to him, it would be his horn. Marketh was right to after it, yes, but..." Every pony there mentally finished her sentence. Just what did he get involved with by doing so? The Castle in the Everfree. Once home to the two sisters, once the seat of the Equine's power. Nowadays, it has fallen into ruin, for none have been there to maintain it for the past thousand years. The most action that's happened in it in the past while has been the rediscovery of the Elements of Harmony. Oh, and a biped and an alicorn checking out old records in the library. Still, not a whole lot going on, there. Until this day. Resting where she last existed in this world, the torn remnants of Nightmare Moon clung to her shattered and scattered armor. Black smoke curled up from each piece, each one seeming to let out a low, desolate moan. If only any piece had the power to find any other. Then it would return, the Nightmare, and bring fear and terror back to the world. No longer would it cower in the shadow of others. Alas, it was stuck, forgotten, alone. Once the armor rusted away forever, the spirit of Nightmare would have nothing left binding it to this world, and would be forced to move on to another. Too bad it was not going to get that chance. A series of low footfalls would have been heard in the castle, if anything else were around to hear them. The form of Marketh, trailing shadows behind him, approached the shattered armor, and carefully nudged it closer together. The wisps merged into one large, dark, smoky cloud, and a set of slitted cyan eyes opened on it. They cast their gaze around before they landed on the figure in the room, who thrust a hand into the cloud and somehow grabbed a hold of it. "Nightmare Moon. Mare of Envy, Jealousy, Greed, Pride. She who was one with Luna, true mistress of the Night, one half of Order. Destruction requires your essence and your memories so that it may be brought to bear on this realm." If clouds of smoke can panic, this one did and attempted to move back away from the figure before it. Heck, it would have taken dissolution and banishment from existence rather than the fate this creature had planned. However, what little struggle it could put up was in vain, as the figure drew its hand back, taking the smoke cloud with it, and inhaled it. The armor on the floor melted and twisted, then attached itself to Marketh's form in the form of greaves, bracers, and highly superfluous pauldrons, all of which gleamed silver. However, the body itself became more obscured by shadows. It was getting hard to distinguish anything about it until it opened its burning red, slitted cat eyes. And then it spoke again. "Hmm. Interesting...Tartarus is the most secure place you know of? You had plans to break in there and see what Celestia locked away while you were exiled?" The figure turned and looked towards the direction of the gates of Tartarus before speaking again. "Perhaps we will find the last one there..." "Sister, we have most disturbing news." The sisters Celestial had been upset ever since the report a week back about Marketh finding the horn of Sombra and being possessed by whatever dark magics lay within it. Actually, strike that. They'd been upset ever since he'd vanished. To hear that he'd reappeared, only to vanish again while under dark influences... They'd seen the darkness in his mind. They didn't want to think about what he could do when a thing like Sombra had him in his thrall. And that curious statement about there being two left chilled them. "More disturbing than our bipedal acquaintance being possessed by a millennia-old shade of one of our greater foes, Luna?" Luna nodded. "Indeed. Near our old castle, there had been a slight...disturbance in the Dreamscape. Those closer to it suffered more frequently from nightmares. I did ponder why this could be for some time, then came to the only conclusion that could be, and sought to find out the truth of the matter myself." Celestia's breath hitched for a moment. She'd known ever since Luna had been returned, of course, that fragments of Nightmare would linger for some time. She'd taken effort to make sure that every piece of the armor was scattered far enough from another that they would not accidentally come too close and begin to restore its power. "What did you find, sister dear?" Luna strode to a window and replied while looking out it. "Fragments of Nightmare. And while the memory of our time as one being sickened me...I did decide that letting it linger, suffer, wither, and being forced to move on a fitting punishment for the pain it had brought us and was bringing our subjects. I merely had to place a ward around the pieces to prevent their influence from the Dreamscape, so they could not draw from the fear of our subjects." Celestia nodded, and Luna turned to look at her. "But that ward had nothing to do last night. And when I looked, the fragments were gone. The room still reeked strongly of magic, but Nightmare's essence was gone. The echoes of its presence, however, were not as weak as they would have been had it simply faded away, nor was there any scrap metal on the floor. I fear...somepony has absconded with the spirit of Nightmare." Suddenly, something clicked in Celestia's mind. Two remained? He'd been talking about great, dark threats. Chrysalis had already been dealt with. Sombra had been dealt with. Now Nightmare had been dealt with. The only one left was- "Tirek," she whispered. Luna cocked her head at Celestia. "That was that centaur from your memories, correct? What of him?" Celestia began to walk briskly to the entrance of the room. "He's in Tartarus, and if I'm right, Marketh is going to pay him a visit!" She called for her guards, and together, they began to plan, hoping that somehow, some way, they could catch Marketh off-guard before he got in those gates... In front of the gates to Tartarus, a three-headed dog snoozed, dreaming idle dreams. It had one duty, make sure the gates never opened, and except for that one instance where it wandered off, it had fulfilled that duty to the letter. While it was now snoozing, it was snoozing in front of the doors themselves, and they opened outwards. If anything from inside tried to get out, the dog would know. And then there was a smell. The snouts sniffed once, twice, and then one of the heads sneezed before blinking and looking around. Finding nothing of interest, it moved back to lie asleep and yawned. When it looked dead ahead, that's when the head saw it and barked, waking up its fellow heads. The other two were cranky for a minute, and then they saw what the third head had. Standing in front of them was a bipedal being that just oozed dark magic and shadows and evil. It was exactly like something the dog's master would have him stand guard over. Did this thing come from inside?! And then it spoke, and despite the creature being smaller than the dog, the voice inspired terror. "Cerberus. Guard Dog of Tartarus, holding cell for that which Celestia deems too dangerous to live, yet cannot bring herself to kill. You. Will. MOVE." The dog growled at that, and the being chuckled. "We merely wish to see if our suspicions are true, if there is a creature in there. We can do this the boring way or the fun way. But one way or another, we are getting in there." The dog kept growling, and the creature sighed. "Sit. Stay. Roll over. PLAY DEAD!" There was a sudden sound, and all the birds that had dared perch near the gate took off at once... Within the mind, it was chaos. The gestalt entity that Destruction had been had pulled apart at the seams when the Nightmare was introduced. Now, three separate voices guided the will of the being. Sombra and Nightmare both sought ways to bring the Slayer down while trying not to lose to each other. The Slayer had been reduced in recent days, and while he could take one of them on easily, with two, it was difficult. He couldn't stand before them both. It was a holding pattern. He merely hoped Tirek would be easy to sway to his side...and then easy to dispose of. There was only room for one voice in the entity they would become! Denied the chance to become Murder Incarnate, it would go another route! It WOULD be divine again! Meanwhile, below the brawl taking place, a young boy looked at the three tattered books before him before staring up at the storm of paper above. He closed his eyes, raised his hands, and fought tooth and nail. He wanted to remember again. He knew the risks, knew the stakes. If, whenever this thing was whole, he couldn't stand up to the survivors, then he would never be in control again. A small section of paper drifted down from above and affixed themselves to the books as he began reciting five words to himself, over and over again, relishing in their taste and sound. "My name is Christopher Wetherby....my name is Christopher Wetherby...MY NAME is CHRISTOPHER WETHERBY..."
Chapter 28 - *Insert Portal song title here*Chapter 28 - *Insert Portal song title here* The amalgamation of shadows stared at the broken chains in Tartarus. "He was here. Tirek. Greed, Pride, Wrath. He was here for so long, but recently left." The creature looked to the doorway, and there was an audible sniffing sound. "His scent, his presence, it permeates this place, but only in recent time did it go that way...and it did not come back. He escaped." The creature sighed. "Why do they never make it easy?" And as the creature of darkness left Tartarus and slid the doors closed behind it, it cast one gaze over to Cerberus' form and snorted. "Be thankful we left you alive, dog. For we will need you to guard this prison when we put Order and Creation in here." Cerberus merely let out his version of a groan as he lay against a nearby tree that hadn't snapped under his weight. He'd been flung into several to be beaten into submission. He'd failed in his duty... The creature stalked off, and not half an hour later, a squad of royal guards showed up to see that Cerberus lay defeated. From there, they would extrapolate that Marketh, or more accurately, the thing Marketh had become, had been here, bested Cerberus, and taken what he wanted from the prison before they could get there. While technically true, and it would send Celestia and Luna into a tizzy, it was also inaccurate in the sense that Marketh hadn't gotten everything he came to Tarturus for... Tirek groaned. He needed magic! That solar nag had taken all of his power when she imprisoned him. He'd managed to get by by stealing magic from the foliage and small animals, but today was to be different. Today, he had been stalking a pony that had recently used a corrupting artifact. That would only make it all the sweeter when he drained her... The pony grumbled to herself as she walked along one of the many 'safe' forest paths. The sound of the forest around her unnerved her, true, but the Great and Powerful Trixie would not particularly mind until the rustling came towards her. And then, the forest went silent, which was quite probably worse. There was the sound of steady hoofsteps, and Trixie turned in multiple directions before she placed it: Whoever it was, it was coming through the forest from the west. There was a sudden rushing sound, and Trixie whipped around to see some sort of pony-creature running at her. The thing exuded an aura of malevolence, and she backed up a touch, eyes widening. This felt far worse than being under the Amulet's control. Far, far worse... The sounds of the creature running at her did not lessen, they increased to the point where they sounded like a stampede. In fact, it was rather loud for one creature, wasn't it? Almost like there was- From behind her, a growl was all the warning she received before a creature seemingly made of shadows and silver jumped and tackled the thing to the ground. Trixie stared, slack-jawed, at the sight of two monsters fighting in front of her. She had no idea what they were, but she knew a certain lavender unicorn who might... And then the shadowy one of them spoke, and all thoughts of bringing either one back to that town left her mind in favor of getting the buck out of there! "Tirek. General of the Centaurs, last of your kind. Magic-eater. Pride, Greed, Wrath. Destruction requires you for it to be brought to bear upon this realm." "FOOL!" Tirek bellowed, which was impressive, considering his stature didn't seem to lend itself to bellowing. "I serve none! And you interrupted me from my snack! I will destroy you, then her, and then proceed to that solar nag!" "It was not a request, Tirek." And then Tirek's body turned ashen grey before it broke apart into tiny particles and collapsed. What little was left was blown away on the wind, and the creature growled before it seemed to...grow outwards. The shadows that made it up became thicker somehow, more defined, more...bulky. As though they were far more solid. It seemed intent to match the minotaurs in terms of raw strength...and horn count. And then it drew itself up and looked towards Mt. Canterhorn, and growled. "Order, Creation, We come for thee." Everything was just about perfect in Ponyville. These days happened more often than they didn't, but nobody paid attention to them, not really. It was just another day to run around and do things. Twilight had been in the middle of a particularly large tome detailing how Sombra had risen to power and what, exactly, those powers were. Hey, considering that Sombra was where the current debacle started, she thought it prudent to try and understand his shadow manipulation, along with any weaknesses his darker magics could have. She was making excellent time, too. And then the screams of 'MONSTER' permeated into her mind, and she drew her head up before her pupils shrunk in panic. "SPIKE!" The baby dragon rushed downstairs. "What is it, Twilight?" Twilight shook her head and began penning a missive. "I don't know, Spike. But if the townsponies are crying monster, then I'm going to inspect it. If I'm not back in ten minutes, or if I scream your name again, send this message to the Princess." The message was simple enough. A suspicious call of monster had arisen, her thoughts on what it likely could be, and a request for aid. She rolled it up and placed it on the desk, then galloped out the front door, heading towards where the screams were loudest. She was not prepared for what she saw. A behorned, shadowy, bipedal creature, with portions of it gleaming silver. The eyes were slitted crimson, and if it had a mouth, she couldn't see it. She could hear it, though. It was growling incessantly. And then it spoke, and she could only recall all the times she and her friends had faced down evil. "Begone, little ones, we shall institute our rule soon en-" Then it caught sight of her and howled. Twilight did the first thing that came to mind when it came lumbering after her: She teleported back to the library and all but shoved the scroll into Spike's face. "SenditsenditSENDIT!" A burst of green fire had the scroll aflame and off to Princess Celestia in an instant. In the next, there was a thumping noise, and Twilight instinctively cast a shielding spell on the inside of the Library. The thumping kept up for a second, and then the voice came back. "Twilight Sparkle. Student of the Sun. Creation, Order...one day, perhaps. Come forth, little mare, and be dealt with!" Twilight managed a shaky response. "I'd rather not, if it's all the same to you." A pause, and then it responded again. "Actually, it is. So long as you are separated from your friends, the Elements of Harmony cannot be brought to bear on us." There was a flash of light from outside, and the unmistakable tone of Celestia, and an angry Celestia at that, was heard through the walls of the library. "MARKETH SHADEBLADE, CEASE AT ONCE!" "We are Destruction now, whole and complete, Order! And we will HAVE THIS WORLD!" The sounds of a furious battle came from outside, and then there was silence as the sounds tapered off. Presumably, the two were combating one another, and Celestia was leading that creature away from Ponyville. After a minute, there was another flash, and Luna's voice could now be heard through the walls of the library as well. "Twilight Sparkle, are you well?" Twilight held her head to the door and flattened one ear against it. "Princess Luna?" "Are we not friends, Twilight? Just Luna, please." Twilight chuckled a bit. "Alright Luna." Twilight lowered her shield spell and cracked the door open. Not only was Luna there, but Cadence as well, along with the box that held the Elements of Harmony. "Cadence! The Elements! Luna...what is happening?" Luna sighed and looked at the box. "Marketh Shadeblade has been meddling in forces that no mortal should be meddling in. True, he appears to be ageless...or age-locked...or some such thing, which is probably why he is still alive, but the influence is clear. His inner demon, Sombra's remains, Nightmare's tattered scraps, and sister believes, Tirek as well, have banded together under one banner to create a creature of unfathomable darkness." Twilight's mind boggled at the implications. "So wait, that thing calling itself Destruction, and when Princess Celestia called it by Marketh's name..." Luna nodded. "They are one and the same...or at least, they were. Sister believes that Marketh is too deeply buried, too far gone to be found anymore." Twilight looked from her friend to her old foalsitter and cocked her head. "But you two..." Cadence smiled softly. "We think he can still be found. We've been in his mind, Luna more than most, and can attest to the fact that it's very strong. Given the fact that the Elements worked on most of the beings he's taken into himself, along with the fact that we never tried it on him directly, we should give it a chance, don't you think?" Twilight nodded rapidly. "Yes! The Elements are the strongest artifact and magical power for good and harmony in Equestria! If anything can help him, it'll be them!" And the trio went out to find Twilight's other friends... Within the mind, the war was total. Tirek's body may have been weak, but his spirit was strong, and he took no side save his own. The only one that came close to his level of power was the Slayer, so the Nightmare and Sombra stayed away from the fight that was to come. The demon and the centaur traded blows back and forth, and neither could gain the upper hand. Below, the boy had nearly finished his work. The three books were almost all repaired. The blue one was his life on Earth, the red one was the memories and instincts of Marketh Shadeblade as they had been given to him upon his entry into Equestria, and the green one was his memories of Equestria. But there was one page left, and it flitted about above him, not affixing itself to any book. Curious, the boy reached out and willed the page into his hand, then smiled as the title made itself known. With that last bit of knowledge in his grasp, his memories were complete again, and his mind could be his own, once the squatters were gone. He looked up and snorted at the thought of waiting. Suddenly, he was the size of a Titan, and all around him were the villains and their little contest. Tirek stopped mid-punch, and even the Slayer stopped growling. This wasn't the mortal he was used to pushing around... "I...AM NOT...AMUSED!"
Chapter 29 - Helluva spin cyclePonyville in and of itself appeared to be relatively intact. There was a little cosmetic damage from the start of the fight between Celestia and the creature of darkness, but it wasn't anything that couldn't be fixed in an hour. The real commotion was from the area to the south of the town, between it and the forest. Dust was settling from the battle Celestia had drawn there. Twilight, Cadence, and Luna had gathered the other Bearers and arrived to see something that was frankly unbelievable. Both Celestia and the creature of shadows were panting, exhausted from their bout. Both of them were in the center of a circle of dead grass, the earth itself slightly disturbed by whatever had transpired recently. But where Celestia seemed to need a moment to gather her wits and power, the creature was already recovering. It got its legs under itself, drew itself back to its full height, growled a growl that could plausibly cause avalanches, and spoke. "Celestia, your time on this world ends now. You will be sent to Tartarus, and Destruction shall reign!" The sound of this thing's voice was terror-inducing. However, bolstered by each other and the Elements Luna quickly placed on them, the Bearers stepped up to the creature. And that was when Luna opened her mouth. "Foul beast! You shall pay for defiling Marketh and attacking my sister!" The creature turned around, saw the Princesses, saw the Bearers, saw the Elements, and began a ear-rending howl. One that was cut off in the middle by a hacking cough and the beast taking a knee as it spasmed and twitched. And then it spoke again. "Twilight...Sparkle..." All present held their breaths. "Open...fire..." Twilight blinked twice, nodded, and the Elements of Harmony went off. The rainbow impacted the beast, and it howled... The Titan had asserted its will and entreated to be blasted with the Elements of Harmony. When the rush of rainbow entered the mind, young Christopher molded and directed the flow. Each of the three Equestrian villains was reduced to smoky essence and bound up in a sphere. The Slayer would take more work, though. And then the boy's eyes fell on the books of memory, and he smiled as a plan came together. With a couple of mighty punches, the Slayer was reduced again, then his unconscious form grabbed along with all the rest. The boy turned his attention skyward, and the mindscape finally broke. He was finally free... The rainbow cleared, and what was left in the clearing was not the creature or Marketh. It was something similar to Marketh, yes. But at the same time, not. Its hair was brown, its eyes were green. Its ears were decidedly non-pointed, as opposed to Marketh's slightly pointed ones. It was wearing a black shirt that showed off its forearms as well as its hands, and the pants were of a strange blue fabric. The shoes were white and laced. Then the new being drew itself up and began to speak, thus identifying its height as lesser than that of Marketh's, but the gender as the same. "Invaders, I cast thee out of mine mind." He raised his left hand to the heavens, and three shadowy spheres, followed by one green one, appeared over it. Then, the male brought his right hand over and made some sort of flicking motion with each of the three shadowy orbs, sending each one off, screaming, into the distance. After that, he looked at the green one, sighed, and put his right hand to his chest. What happened next was something no pony could ever unsee, despite how much they might want to. The being placed his right hand over his heart, pushed, grabbed a hold of something, and in a fountain of blood, extracted two tomes. One done up in red, which he passed to his left hand, and one done in blue, which he kept a firm hold over. Once the red tome was in his left hand, the orb of green sunk into it and caused the tome to start glowing. The male looked at it firmly for a moment before talking again. "Return to whence you came." And then he threw the book into the air, where it vanished with a flash of light. After which, he turned to Cadence and smiled. "For the first time in a long time, I remember. And I have you two to thank for it." With that, he held out the blue book and continued. "What I sent back was all the memories and instincts of Marketh Shadeblade, infused with the Slayer. Unbound from me, it had no tether to this world, and was snapped back to its own. This book...contains my memories of Equestria. Take it, and I will be similarly unbound, and snapped back. Possibly. Or, you could leave it with me, and I could start again." The sound of Celestia speaking up interrupted the male. The ponies and others turned to look at her, and she pointedly looked at the book before looking back into the being's eyes. "You would offer us this? Why?" He smiled softly. "Because I do not know if I want to return, nor do I know if I can forgive myself. Or if you can forgive me. While it is true I had another man's life, another man's curse, jammed into my head, my thoughts and ideals mixed with his. So how much of what happened is my fault, and how much of it is worthy of the best banishment you could offer?" Celestia's eyes narrowed as she looked at the male's chest. "And what is that?" His left hand reached back into himself and withdrew a simple yellow book. It was extremely thin, Twilight would be surprised if it held more than twenty pages. The being smiled and looked back to Celestia. "A probable future. Should you choose to let me remain, this will turn from the blank book it is into the life I will lead next." There was a pause for roughly a minute as various twitches and near-expressions played themselves out on the faces of the three alicorns. Finally, Celestia sighed and proclaimed her decision. "Place them back in yourself. Both of them." With a quick flourish, the books were replaced with no small amount of bloodcurdling noises. The male bowed, there was a flash of light, and the clearing was clean again as the remnants of the Elements of Harmony's magic left. The being in the clearing was mostly the same, but now it staggered and fell into a kneeling position while a blue bag appeared and fell next to it. The creature clutched his head with one hand and moaned. "What...what happened? Why...how..." Celestia cautiously approached, but by the time she did, he'd collapsed fully onto the ground. Checking for a pulse, the solar mare turned to her sister and said the one phrase nobody really wants to hear. "Call a doctor!" Beeping. Incessant beeping. The feeling of something stuck in my arm, and constant, constant, beeping. The sensation of something being attached to my chest, and that damnable beeping! I pried my eyes open to see a white ceiling above me, and I felt a blanket atop me. There was a noise from one side, but I paid no attention to it. Instead, I focused on myself and thought long and hard about what I could remember. The last thing I could recall with clarity was...seeing Sombra's horn in my hand, hearing his voice...after that, it was a blur of me fighting tooth and nail to try and regain some semblance of control again. And then I was...here. I had no idea where here was. After another moment to think, I realized that moving was an option, and began to do so. I immediately noticed that I was in a hospital room. I hadn't been in one in Equestria, but seeing as how the machines around me matched up with some that I'd seen on Earth, it seemed the most logical conclusion to make. I then made a startling conclusion: whatever I had ended up doing to regain control, I had been possessed by...I think multiple? dark forces at the time. Naturally there would be some recovery time factored in, but there would also probably be some dungeon time afterwards. Not sticking around for that. Luna'd been banished to the moon, and she'd been Celestia's sister! I had no such familial ties. And Tartarus was horrible this time of year. I carefully looked at the nearby machines and turned each one of them off before looking down at my body. There were what looked to be sensors and an IV stuck in me, which told me a few things. One, the ponies didn't know much of my physiology and wanted to get a better idea while I was out so that they could keep me alive, and two, I'd been out long enough for hydration of my body to be a valid concern. The third thing was noticed while I was carefully removing the sensors from myself, and that was that I was currently absent my pants, shirt, and shoes. A quick scan showed me they were likely in a wardrobe in the room, and I gulped at the thought of trying to escape in my underwear. A small hiss escaped me as I pulled the needle for the IV out. Never did like those things. Once I pulled myself off the bed, I realized something highly important: I wasn't Marketh anymore. Everything that had made him up, everything that he could do, was gone. This went from having the Slayer's voice in my ear to being able to dance in combat like he could. Granted, I still remembered how he did it while he was here in Equestria, but that was academic knowledge, not muscle memory anymore. And while I enjoyed the thought, I could certainly use his skills in stealth right about now! I had just managed to get my clothes on and was starting to plan my daring hospital escape when the door to my room opened. And in walked Celestia. Followed by Luna and Cadence. The room was suddenly very cramped with three royal ponies in it. I slowly looked between them all and got in a relaxed position on my bed. They studied me, and then Cadence asked a question. "What is your name?" I chuckled at that. "Well, while I've gone by that name for a while, the name I was born with is Christopher Wetherby. Pleasure to finally meet you, your highnesses." Cadence nodded and stuck out a hoof, which I shook. Luna looked to Celestia with a slight hint of smugness, and Celestia rolled her eyes. Then the solar mare spoke up. "So any and all traces of that other name?" I thought about it for a moment. "Hmm. I can remember my time here. But any of his specific skills are mere knowledge to me. Not muscle memory. I know how he did them, but don't expect me to reproduce any." Celestia actually went from her usual 'poker face' to a soft smile at that, and Luna put a hoof on my shoulder. Then the lunar mistress questioned me. "And the traces of darkness upon your soul?" I really focused at that one, and there was a flash of memory. I responded absently as I watched it play out in my head. "What was formed from the union of the Slayer and Sombra was an amalgamation, something that desired more power merely to have more power. Once Nightmare was added, the two fought against the Slayer, and a unified mind was a pipe dream. The Slayer sought out Tirek in the hopes that once added to the entity, he would help subdue the others. However, Tirek had no desire to serve any others, and sought control himself. Their fighting only had one common goal: dethrone you two, take over, and from there, figure out who the dominant mind would be, and rule as Destruction Incarnate. However, all that fighting allowed me to rebuild my memories, and with knowledge of who I am, I was able to take back control. The darkness was cast out, and the Slayer was returned from whence he came, along with the memories of Marketh Shadeblade. He and I are no longer one, and I am no longer a danger." The three seemed impressed by my tirade, and Luna nodded softly. She too had been taken by darkness, so she likely thought that she'd found a kindred spirit. Celestia smiled, actually smiled, and placed a hoof on my head. "Welcome to Equestria, Christopher Wetherby. May your stay be long and pleasant." At that, I chuckled, and all three of them raised an eyebrow at me. I then decided to elaborate. "In my home, there are a set of three ancient sayings that can be taken as curses when thought about properly. The first is 'may you live in interesting times', and I certainly have at that. My whole life up until this point can be thought of as interesting. The second, 'may people in authority take notice of you', done. You lot are here." At this, the three were chuckling. I waited patiently for them to ask, which didn't take long. "And the third?" I turned to Cadence and made sure my smile was full of teeth. "May you get exactly what you wish for." At this, Celestia fidgeted, and I wrote it off as mere familiarity with the phrase... Author's Note So yeah, just one more chapter. The epilogue. With a guest we haven't seen for quite a while conversing with Chris! ...Make that two of them!
Chapter 30 - Epilogue"You know," I said while stirring my tea, "If you had told me even as far back as one year ago that I would be having tea with the embodiment of Chaos and the Guard Captain, I would have asked you what you were on and if I could have some." Indeed, outside my home slash hideout, at a lawn table that had suddenly appeared with incredibly comfy chairs, Discord sat opposite me, while Shining Armor eyed both of us warily. Discord had provided most of the setting, while I provided the location. "Indeed," Discord had said, "If you had told me something similar when I broke out, that I would be taking tea with the Guard-Captain and he who once gave me chills, I would have called you off your rocker." Shining smiled at that and snarked. "You calling someone crazy? Aren't you the definition?" Discord grimaced, drank from his cup, and waggled a talon at Shining. "Please. I may enjoy a good bit of fun every now and then, but that Slayer creature..." I grimaced as well, then drank my tea. Strawberry, this time. Interesting. Then again, when Discord provided, few things weren't. "Distilled Murder. An aspect of Destruction. This world is just bursting with the opposite, so even the most unbalanced blanch at the idea of even the slightest hint of it. Sombra and Nightmare Moon being apt examples." The others nodded, and I turned to more fully look at Discord. "Hmm...by the way, did you ever check out that glade I told you about? I would like some answers, finally." Discord nodded and snapped his lion's paw, causing a small image to appear over the table. As he began narrating, it changed to reflect his words. "While I don't know how you got here from your end, on ours, it was a simple magical scan that showed me the situation. A rare one, at that. Some remnants from Celly and Lulu's fight with me, along with some from Cell's fight with her sister's darker half. Combined with an astral alignment that happens in that forest once every hundred years or so, it was more than enough to open a portal...or pull a being from where it did not belong to here." I sighed at that. "The only thing I can tell you is that on my end, I was playing the game from which Marketh came. And since my world doesn't have magic, I can't tell you if there was anything I did to bring it on. I doubt it, though. More likely than not, something in Marketh's world triggered it." Shining and Discord nodded, and Shining took a sip of tea before humming. "By the way, what happened with your apprentices?" I waved a hand. "The dogs and Gilda went back, they've learned more than enough to be able to teach it to others. Whispered, I have no idea. Lost track of him after Sombra." Shining filled in at that. "From what I hear, after he warned us about you, he went back to a Thestral colony, to share the tricks you taught him about existing in daylight to those that want to try. At least, that's what he said he was going to do. Beyond that, no clue. He might yet return." I shrugged and drank from my tea again before making a face. Lemon. Really sour lemon. "Well I'm glad he's doing well." Discord waved his paw in a so-so fashion. "From what I heard whispered through the batpony grapevine, his family made a practice of tracking you and the crime wave you propagated, in hopes that bringing you in would earn them all some good grace with sunbutt. So while he is being looked down slightly for colluding with you, the tricks of the trade are getting some of them noticed when they apply to the Night Guard...along with helping them coexist with the day-timers." Shining took a sip of his tea and grimaced. "Licorice. Bleh. Anyways, how about you? How're you holding up without a guild of scoundrels or the powers of Marketh?" I shrugged. "I still have the memories of everything he did. I don't think I'll ever be able to replicate even half of them, but time and effort should see me through the basic techniques. They're academic memory, not muscle memory." At that, I snapped my fingers and drew up the Bag of Holding from under the table. I rummaged for a bit before drawing out a stout, brown box with a hinged, latched lid. I set it down in front of Shining with a slight 'thud'. He looked at it, then at me, with a raised eyebrow. "That," I said, tapping it, "contains all my notes and journals and the like from my time here. A good portion at the start are disorganized, but it's nothing a certain lavender librarian won't be able to figure out." Shining's eyes widened, but eventually he smiled and put a hoof on it. "A thousand years of notes from a perspective not a pony. I'm certain she'll love it." Discord actually smiled and folded his hands together. "A mighty gift indeed. What next, you pull out Angel from that hat of yours?" I shuddered at the thought. "Perish the thought. I've had the displeasure of meeting that little hellion. He's just lucky I lack my skills or a decent hasenpfeffer recipe at the time. I'd not put him near anything of mine if you paid me. Speaking of..." I held the bag upside down and over the nearby ground. Shaking brought out a flood of Bits which I stopped halfway through. Needed some to live on, after all, but I didn't need them all. Not with my job as a security consultant for local and sometimes abroad businesses and banks. Giving some back would be seen as a good gesture. "Think you could get these back to where they're needed?" Discord put his eyeballs back in his head, they'd boggled out during the flood of gold. He shook his head a few times, focused, and snapped. The gold slowly faded out, bit by bit. I then remembered one last thing, reached in, and pulled out a small violet bag with golden drawstrings. I thumped it down in front of Discord, and the table vibrated slightly. "And this," I said while gesturing at it, "Is my Gem Bag, filled with what gems remain from my adventures. I don't need them nearly as much anymore, nor do I have dogs to feed, so I'd ask of you to dispose of it. Either Spike or Rarity would make good candidates, considering its storage capabilities and what already lies within." Discord hefted it and grunted. "Surprising amount of weight for a little bag." I nodded and drew the Bag of Holding's drawstrings closed. "Considering the amount of jewels in there, I'm not surprised." Discord drank from his teacup and placed it back on the saucer, which shifted from the alabaster it had been to a rich, verdant green. "Giving away your possessions? You're not thinking of dying, are you?" I shook my head. "Eventually, yes. Without that little divine spark within me, I'll start aging again. But not anytime soon. This is just to smooth over relations between myself and ponykind. If I'm to be trapped here, let it be on good terms." Shining nodded, and the two of us set our teacups down. With a snap, the table and tea set were sent back from wherever Discord had conjured them from. Another moment for us to stand up and stretch saw the chairs on the same path. I shook Discord's paw, then turned to Shining and shook his hoof. "A pleasure, gentlemen. We'll have to do this again next week. Maybe with cards?" Discord's eyes widened as his eyebrows climbed. "Oooh, there's an idea! We could make this a regular thing. Poker with the boys!" Shining raised one eyebrow at my suggestion. "And why would you want to see me again? Discord, I can understand, the both of you are suited to each other now. But me? We're on the opposite side of the fence!" I smiled at him. "A popular opinion of those in power in my homeland is to surround yourself with an equal measure of those that don't agree with you along with those that do. That way, if you run a plan by them, you get a thorough dissection of it and find all the flaws and perks. If you go too far either way, one will tell you that it'll never work while the other will tell you it always will. And half the time, they're wrong. Keeping me close will let you find out where the flaws are in your guarding." Shining nodded at my logic. "Fair enough." Discord popped on his way, probably on to Twilight's library. Shining walked off, probably to the train station. After a minute of the area outside my house being clear, I heard the distinctive sound of wingbeats. Featherless wingbeats. "They gone?" I nodded without looking around. A moment passed, and I felt a distinctive hoof on my hip. "Well, time to get back to training." I sighed at the thought of more training. "I'll be surprised if I come anywhere close to where I used to be. Any improvement is good, Whispered." "Yeah, but I want to see you able to beat me." I rolled my eyes. "Oh, how the mighty have fallen, for the student to become the master."
Chapter 1 - ...And scene!"Careful," Shining Armor instructed his guards, who were currently scanning the space in front of them with their magic, "We've already dealt with no less than three trapped hallways. We're probably going to find a few more before-" That was as far as he got before the underground hallway in front of him and his three guards erupted into a cloud of flying metal. Almost as a reflex, Shining Armor cast his shield spell and winced at the sudden strain. Nonetheless, all the guards breathed a sigh of relief that the trap had been stopped. Disbanding this den of thieves is becoming troublesome, the Guard-Captain thought to himself. They'd already picked up fifteen ponies, and while all of them had been skilled in a fight, slipping in and around the guards, almost dancing around the magic and metal, each one had been subdued. Especially when Shining made his shields airtight and just waited for the ponies to pass out due to lack of oxygen. However, one of the...apprentices, that was it. One of them had let slip that while they'd nabbed the apprentices, regular members, and masters, there was one more hiding in the basement. The grandmaster. Of course, he'd been chastised for his slip-up, and even he himself seemed sheepish that he'd admitted to it, but the damage was done. Shining and his three trusted lieutenants had descended to find themselves having to run a gauntlet, the likes of which none of the guard had even been aware could exist. Pressure plates linked to numerous devious devices, swinging metal meant to test agility, and even a target range. With dummies in guard armor and targets drawn on. It's not all bad, Shining mused to himself. We could definitely use some training in dexterity, if these things and our inability to dodge them are any indication, and they're giving me ideas for an obstacle course to implement back at base. Casting out a quick pulse of magic and receiving an echo back, Shining smiled. The corridor ahead turned and ended at a room with no other apparent doors. Got you, whoever you are. Shining charged up a stunning spell, intending to end the final fight before it even began, and motioned to his lieutenants to do the same. Pausing for a second to impart some last-second non-vocal commands, Shining took a deep breath. On the exhale, him and his squad burst around the corner, into the room, and were greeted with absolutely nothing. Oh, the room was furnished, and even had a few maps of the city, Manehatten, hanging around. A few filing cabinets were open and bare, and the desk appeared ransacked as well. It didn't take long, though, for the oddities to start stacking up. For one, the desk and chair appeared far larger than normal, as though they'd been built for a minotaur rather than a pony. Second, it appeared that none of the cleaning out of this den had been done in haste, as evidenced by the fact that everything, not just what had been important at the time, was missing. And third- was that a bed over there? Yes, a bed. Meaning that who or what ever the grandmaster was, he slept down here as well. And it, too, was oddly proportioned. Glancing around showed that whoever was in charge of this den had taken great pains to make sure that it ran smoothly. And then Shining's eyes fell upon the folded paper on top of the desk. Wordlessly, he floated it down and opened it, reading it out loud. To the Guard- Well done, I say! You found us! ...Of course, that means bugger all. I knew you were coming. You can't run a den of black-hearted scoundrels and not expect to be found out at some point. The trick is not getting hauled off with the rest of them. And while I will lament the loss of the individuals I left behind, I made it quite clear from day one that this was a thing that could happen to them, and they still stuck around. Adding in the fact that they all know not to say a word to implicate their fellow pony, and, well, I estimate that you'll be able to only make the charges of resisting arrest actually stick. In the meantime, I'm skipping out with the funds and settling down again elsewhere. Do take care on your way out! Sincerely- The Grandmaster Shining's fur bristled more and more as the note openly mocked the Guard. None of his squad said anything, even as the note burst into flame in his grasp. Who or whatever the grandmaster was, he was certainly one thing: Annoying. (POV shift - Marketh) I stood atop a nearby building and smiled as the Guard-Captain emerged from my former Guild. I would be set back by this, true. One does not just find ponies that have a talent in theft. My ears picked out what he was saying, even from this distance. "Get the criminal investigators down there as soon as possible, try to determine any and everything about the grandmaster. The more we know, the better we can fight him." I sighed and pulled out a world map that had been one of my first acquisitions in this world. I'd had to update it every so often, of course, but it was still a useful tool. I pulled out a pencil and drew an X over Manehatten, wincing at the pun. Manehatten. Seriously? What will they think up next? I looked over the map and the various X's that were on it, whistling lowly. Every time I'd been caught in a town or city, even slightly, I'd fled and made sure not to return for a while. But it would seem my options in this past century had been diminishing rapidly. And ever since Canterlot had become the capital and Celestia, along with her newly-recovered sister Luna, had taken residence there, I'd put it on the list of places I would not visit. At least, not for any extended period of time. Not yet, at least. I was only beginning to learn my feats, and I wouldn't be able to stand against magic of their magnitude until I prepared. There were only a few places left to me, really. At least for a while, and even then, they might have heard of me already. One was a town out in the dusty desert known as Appleloosa. And it was small and new, nothing worth my time there, most likely. Whereas the other was known as Ponyville. And while it too was small, its location near the base of Mt. Canterhorn, while regrettable, also meant there was a high influx of stopover tourists, people who came for one day to rest while they proceeded up to Canterlot. I winced again at the pun. Are there no names that are sacred to them?! Still, Ponyville's high tourist rate meant that there would be no shortage of targets...or recruits, assuming I could find them. I smiled and packed my map back up before making my way across the rooftops to the edge of Manehatten. Dropping down to the ground left me facing the most dreaded, by ponies, of places: The Everfree Forest. It loomed in the distance, projecting an aura of something both sinister and twisted. I'd vowed to one day look into the history of the place. Y'know, when I wasn't on the run from the Guard. I smiled as I drew closer to the forest. Last time I came through here, I got a level. Let's see how many I can get on my journey to this Ponyville place. And with that, my latest relocation trip began. (POV shift - Celestia) Celestia sighed in disappointment as she read the report from Shining Armor. "Another guild, another failure." Luna perked up and peered over her sister's shoulder, quickly glancing over the document. "Pray tell, how so, sister? The Captain doth say that he hath captured all the members of the guild spare for their master. Even a partial success is a success." Celestia's horn glowed and summoned a map from her bedchambers to float in front of the duo. Marked on the map were several notes, tiny, near mistakable for errant inkblots. "Every time a den of thievery has been seen in the last millennium, I have taken pains to see to it that the details were recorded. And a pattern began to emerge." Celestia motioned at one of the notes, which was near a dot symbolizing the town of Trottingham. "Whenever a scarily competent guild emerged and the guard moved in and disbanded it, their guildmaster always escaped." Celestia motioned towards the note near the town of Baltimare. "Whereas when it was a guild that bumbled more than stole, it was determined that it was a copy-cat guild, made of ponies entire, and their guildmasters never fled before the guard moved in." Celestia sighed and began to make a note around the city of Manehatten. "As such, I can only determine that who or whatever has been running the competent guilds can only be some sort of wicked, long-lived being. It began shortly after your banishment, sister dear, and I took little interest at first. But when it kept happening time and again, it became a project of mine to try and find this being and stop them." Luna peered at the map, studying it intently. "Sister, hath this being ever set up a guild in the same town twice?" Celestia blinked. "No, never. Sometimes in the same town as one that had a copy-cat guild in it, but never in the same town twice." The two sisters peered at the map with a renewed fervor, realizing that their quarry might now be predictable. Three towns lacked notes around them. One, out in the desert, known as Appleloosa. The second, Ponyville. And the third, Canterlot. One seemed far more likely than the others to be the next destination of their mysterious antagonist. At least, if he were interested in the acquisition of wealth and not getting caught. The sisters shared a grin as Celestia began penning a missive to Shining Armor, detailing what the two of them had puzzled out about their elusive target... Author's Note Eh, I suppose I shoulda stopped. But I just couldn't! Not with this game bumming around my place, demanding to know why I haven't picked it up. So I suppose this'll suffice. For now. And any of you that know of the plot twists in Baulder's Gate, keep them to yourself! And here's his 'character sheet.' Name: Marketh Shadeblade Race: Half-elf. Level: 11 Stats: Strength: 14 Dexterity: 18 Constitution: 18 Wisdom: 9 Intelligence: 11 Charisma: 11 Proficiencies: Short blade: 3 Long blade: 2 Thrown weapons: 1 Daggers: 1 Thievery skills: Hide in shadows: 75% Lockpick: 75% Pickpocket: 15% Detect Secret Door/Traps: 15% Move Silently: 75% Backstab: 15% Set Traps: 75% Racial bonuses: Infravision: Eyes see in the dark better, automatically pick out secret doors and traps (eventually). Class-specific skills: Poison: Can coat weapon in a crippling poison once every four levels per day. Set snare trap: can use three times a day Set spike trap: can use once a day ~~Bhaalspawn specific skills:~~ ~~none yet~~ Inventory: Two short blades of steel, sharpened regularly to a +1 sheen. One long blade, also steel, also maintained regularly to a +1 sharpness. One suit of form-fitting leather armor, maintained regularly, but not to any degree of extra protectiveness. Thirty throwing knives. One scroll case, contains nothing yet. One gem bag, with about twenty diamonds inside it. About 50,000 bits, located...somewhere on his person. (He never asks where.) This is actually all the money the Guild made, and only about 500 of it is actually 'his'...assuming he wants to start up another guild, then these funds will immediately go towards it.
Chapter 19 - Bring the threads together...So yeah, Canterlot. The one place I'd been avoiding for ages. If I was going to pull this off, I would need to prepare at least a few weeks in advance. Fortunately, we still had funds to fall back on, so we had options. The plan quickly evolved after I mentioned it to my recruits...and three regular members. Rover and Spot had succeeded in a modified version of training, whereas Fido was still a wee bit too beefy to be considered a proper thief. Maybe a warrior? We'd have to hit an armory up while at the castle... But I digress. Plans were mentioned, drawn up, contingencies planned for, entire scenarios drawn out of the blue and cast aside. Our 'perfectly legitimate secondhand goods' shopfront was overtaken with a plethora of papers before we finally settled on a course of action. Gilda would go in first, rent a room, inform the staff that her thestral friend would be arriving that night. Whispered would be guided in by Gilda, and he'd then come back, find me, and show me the way to said room. Then he'd go and find the Dogs and get them to the room. Over the next few days, we'd carefully and discreetly have the dogs dig towards the dungeons of Canterlot Castle from...somewhere else in the city, close enough to the room that it wouldn't be more than a five minute walk. Gilda would mingle in the town during the day, observing the patrol routes of the guards, while Whispered would take over at night. It was, all in all, a wonderful plan for stealing the spotlight of Cadence's wedding. A beautiful, solid, yet simple plan, that could be modified as needed should any situation come up. And that was when Murphy butted in with his damn law. No plan survives contact with the enemy. We'd only been there three days before the damn shield went up around the city. Discreetly sending the others to check revealed it to be porous and permeable, though they did report back to me that they'd encountered slight...resistance. And when I went under cover of night to check if I could get through, the answer was a firm 'no'. My attempts left the shield ringing, and that was when I decided to take cover. Ten bits said that whoever cast the shield would have a squad of guards on the way to check on disturbances. I would have won ten bits had anyone been there to take the bet. Not fifteen seconds had passed before two thestrals showed up and looked around. More than once they glared a little too hard at the tree I'd taken refuge in, but ultimately they moved on. I slowly lowered myself from the tree and made my way back to the hotel we'd taken refuge in. I managed to get some practice in with my Hide In Shadows skill again, thankfully. It'd been a while since I could even think to 'turn it on,' so to speak. What should have been the indispensable thievery skill had been...altered. Probably on my entry to Equestria. It wasn't a skill that made me unnoticed by acting like part of the crowd. I'd had one unicorn look at it about...eight hundred years ago? Sounds right. He found it was a form of natural magic my body emanated when I told it to, and it combined several smaller effects into a wonderful illusion of light and shadow. A subtle Notice Me Not effect, to ensure that none looked too hard at me. A tiny Suggestion spell, to make them think that I was just an ordinary biped. A reflexive bit of Mind-Reading, to determine what an ordinary biped looked like, which also altered my behavior and the way it came across in miniscule ways, so as to make it easier for the illusion to hold together. And finally, a portion of shadow and light manipulation, to hide my very presence from sight, given the right circumstances. All this boiled down to two very simple things. Were I attempting to Hide In Shadows, and the ponies I was attempting to hide from used to bipedal visitors, I would be able to walk down the street in broad daylight, and none of them would figure it out. ...However, places like Ponyville, where the town was composed of quadrupeds, they'd notice right off the bat. This led to a very...awkward conversation between myself and Whispered Secret atop the hotel. "Almost didn't realize it was you, sir. What is that, by the way?" I slowly eased my swords back into their sheathes, only now realizing that I'd reflexively drawn them when Whispered had seen through my skill. Calming myself by taking deep breaths, I turned my head slightly so he'd hear my response all the clearer. "A skill thieves like me learn. It is meant to hide ones self in the shadows, or the particularly talented can use it as a cloak to go unseen even in broad daylight. It was...changed, slightly, upon my entry to Equestria. It gained far more magical components to it, but the cost is simple enough to spot. I can only use it in a town with bipeds or bipedal visitors. Otherwise, ponies see through it with ease." "I...noticed that, sir. You looked vaguely like a diamond dog. But then I picked out a few discrepancies, and it faded, to show me you." I nodded. "Yes, that happens sometimes. Those that are of strong mind and will tend to pick apart my illusion easily. Though there was that one ti-" And then my voice cut out as I felt something. Something stirring. The Slayer was stirring, talking again. Cadence's bonds had faltered, flickered...failed. This meant one of two things. Either the Slayer was stronger than previously thought... ...Or something had happened to Cadence, so that she couldn't even keep up a trickle of power to subdue the beast within me. "Sir? Are you all right?" I replied absently as I looked up to the castle. "No. No I'm not. And that scares me." I whipped around to look at Whispered, even as my mind whirled. "Get to the dogs, tell them to double-time that tunnel. Stealth is no longer as much of a priority as getting in that castle." Whispered balked for a moment before nodding twice and flying off into the night. Cadence... The next day was when we got a bit of surprise information, in the sense of Gilda catching sight of a certain rainbow-mane while she was doing her rounds on the town. Rainbow Dash and her friends had apparently shown up. Why, I didn't know. Probably had something to do with the upcoming wedding, but I was uncertain as to what use those six would be. That night brought welcome news, thankfully. The dogs had completed the tunnel to the dungeons of Canterlot. Fortunately, their tunnel was near a set of stairs, and Spot had already told me the lock was so easy to pick, Fido could have done it. The day after that was the day of the wedding, and just as I was preparing to start up our sneaky plan for me to get in the castle, everything went to hell. A swarm of black locusts in vaguely pony form appeared on the edge of the shield and started battering away at it. The cracks weren't encouraging in the least. I stared at it and began to issues orders. Not suggestions, orders. "Gilda, guys, I want you all to start looking around at the citizenry here. Take a good look at where they are, in relation to where our tunnel is." "Why?" I pointed to the sky as an answer. "The guys know why I'm familiar with situations like this. Boys, I want you to take care of the ground, Gilda can handle the air. Get everyone into the dungeons of Canterlot as fast as you can to minimize casualties. If one of them attacks you, feel free to harm it back. I get the feeling they're not here to wish the happy couple a good honeymoon." The group around me nodded before Gilda spoke up. "And what about Whispered?" I replied in a deadpan voice. "Did you get his shades today?" She blinked a few times before smiling and pulling out a special pair of sunglasses that had been made for thestrals. Even that normally wasn't enough, so Gilda had to take them to an optometrist and get them enchanted further. Hopefully, these would work. I nodded and continued my thought from earlier. "Give them to him and whether they work or not, he has to go find Luna and tell her we're under attack. I'd like to have the help of at least one of the alicorns today." They all tilted their heads at that. "Huh?" I began ticking off the reasons on my fingers. "Whoever is attacking Canterlot would plan for Celestia. Cadence had a spell on me to restrict a bit of my more violent nature at the cost of a trickle of power from her, which has failed. That's two of three that we can count out. Luna's return is still a fairly recent thing, at least by my standards, so either whoever's doing this didn't plan for her, or didn't think she'd be a threat." They slowly nodded as the words I said sunk in, and then I let out a vicious grin. "Besides which, even if they did, there's one thing they didn't plan for, besides Luna." Gilda asked the question. "What else didn't they plan for?" I drew my short blades as I watched the shield crack. "Me." At this, the dogs and griffon were off to their tasks, leaving me alone on the roof of the hotel as the shield began to shudder, groan, creak. And then, with an explosion of magic, it failed. And instantly, it rained green comets into Canterlot. One landed right before me, and I saw it was an insectoid pony. It chittered a bit and looked up at me, its horn lighting up as its wings fluttered. I didn't give it a chance and threw a knife at the base of its horn, causing the magic to backlash onto it. As it clutched its head in pain, I darted forward and smacked the back of its head with the pommel of one of my swords. It let out a squeal as it slumped forward, and I caught it before it hit the ground. I felt the Slayer react, then, and it chilled me. If...if this one was related to me, then... My eyes swept the battlefield that Canterlot had become, noticing the absurd amount of creatures in the streets. ...were they ALL related to me?! ...I cracked open the chitin of the creature before me, causing it to bleed, before doing the same to myself and forming a Blood Bridge between us. That was probably the biggest mistake I've ever made, hands down. Meanwhile, a gloating queen suddenly felt something tear into her Hive Mind...
