I look at her expression and snap my fingers pointing down. “Come.”

I guide her out and into the hall finding an unused room to talk to her in. “So that was King Sombra, tyrant of the Crystal Empire?”

“Indeed! I know not how he escaped or made it here, but we have to alert my sister!”

I reflect on the situation. “Why bother?”

“We- what?”

“Way I figure it, you and Celestia took him out on your own ages ago, since then you’ve grown stronger and he spent a thousand years imprisoned, been blasted in the face by an ancient and powerful artifact and lost his ability to use black magic. Hell, far as I could tell he genuinely cares about everypony here, so he wouldn’t risk forcing you to use full power. It would be easy, I just wait till he’s leaving, deck him and he wakes up in the dungeon.” I pause as my words seem to have an effect and her eyes go wide. “Or we could go say hi, congratulate him on his scene, generally treat him like somepony you just met as he nervously tries to hide who he is, and in the end be like ‘I knew you were Sombra the whole time’ as we walk off laughing.”

She looks uncertain. “He enslaved the Crystal Empire, he was a twisted evil stallion who sought to rule and control all his subjects. A sadistic monster who..”

“Spent a thousand year imprisoned for his crime and has been purified by a mysterious artifact and has sought, on his own, a path to some manner of redemption? Sorry, Luna but to be honest I kinda want to meet him and take action only if necessary. I don’t want…”

“What?” She actually looks like she’s on her way to angry. Her tone is definitely demanding.

My eyes narrow and my voice drops into a dark tone. “I don’t want to watch you set a precedent for your own imprisonment. This world seems to run on irony and such is the kind of thing where it would be really easy for some idiot to bind your fates together. I can’t allow our anger to take you from me. I refuse to lose you over some stallion that isn’t even enough of a threat for me to be allowed to use my magic against.”

Are those slitted pupils? “Won't allow?” Yup, those are slitted pupils. “Refuse?” Oh my, fangs and a weird voice.

I lock eyes with her and cock my head to the side resting one hand against her cheek. I can feel her power building, her Wrath is immense and powerful, but my Element is a subtle one, a steadfast and all-consuming one. “Yes Luna, I refuse to allow it. I will protect you and do what I must if needed and you will leave it be until I can at least provide evidence of current wrongs.”

“Insolent WRETCH! Thy-” My aura explodes as I bring forth everything I have and yank my restrictor cuffs from my pocket. I pounce on her, driving her down, belly up, on the table before she can even complete her spell. The cuffs go on her forelegs and her magic cuts off causing her to stare at me in shock as I clamp the restraints on the table to her legs, spreading her out. I kiss her as she continues to stare at me.

“Release me!”

My voice is calm and light, but my words are slow and focused. “No, I don’t think I will. You are Mine and you’ve been misbehaving. I think you need a reminder of what I am. Now Luna, or Moon, perhaps, if the eyes are an indication, what am I?”

Her struggles and breathing slowly as I talk and she regards me warily. “A human?”

I pull the floggers from my back and trail them over her chest. “True, but not what I’m looking for. What am I to you?”

Her eyes go wide and she blushes brightly before averting her eyes from me. Her voice is quiet and tinged with need. “M-master… I’m sorry.”

I step closer to her head and pet her. “Good girl, now what have we learned today?”

She turns back to me, her face normal. “I need to trust you more and to adjust to being…” She starts to trail off and I arch my eyebrow she continues but her voice is small and unsure. “It’s been so long. I’ve grown used to the attempts to control me for political reasons, even my sister. I’ve forgotten what it’s like to be loved and taken care of.”

I continue petting her for a moment before bending to kiss her. “You won’t have to forget again so long as I draw breath, Luna. Now I agree that we need to assess him, seeing how he reacts to you would be quite a good gauge. If he is still a threat if he still holds a great evil in his heart. Then, and only then, I shall strike him down and see to it that his shadow never again falls over the light. I hope that even should he maintain his darkness it will be capable of being used in a positive manner, after all, I posses infernal magick of my own, yet I wield it for good. “

I bite her neck and enjoy the way her body relaxes at the contact as her power finally drops down to its normal level. Wrath, such a powerful element, but in the end only sloth can resist the power of Lust… I release her bindings as something occurs to me, when did I learn so much about the infernal elements or start thinking of myself as Lust?

“Let’s go pay Hu-Sombra a visit, It should be enlightening, one way or another.” Now I’m thinking of him as Hubris, foreign knowledge in your head of the black arts is never a good sign, but for now I need to set it aside and take care of my mare. Luna casts a spell to find all the exits from the room Sombra took his slave into and lets me know that it exits into this room, the common area and a small room that only opens into the room he’s in. I set a ward on the door in here to let me know if he comes out of it and lead her to the common area.

The common area seems to be divided into three sections, on the left side is a bunch of low couches and pads around the floor, there seem to only be submissives in that section, based on the collars present on all the mares and stallions over there. To the right looks almost like an executive lounge, with fancy looking couches and chairs that all seem to be reminiscent of thrones without being overbearing, most of the mares and stallions in that section are wearing outfits that vary between screaming Dom and simply tasteful suits.

In the center of the room is a big multilayered bisected circle of couches where the rest seem to have gathered and are engaged in various quiet activities ranging from cuddle puddles to a civilized tea serve with the two conversing Doms wearing matching outfits and being served by submissives whose outfits also seem to match.

My eyes flick to Luna who seems to be trying not to stare down to the area that seems to be the sub sections where a group of mares and one stallion are grouped together and are doing some kind of fashion stuff, I focus and my ears catch the conversation being all about manes. I’m so focused on trying to figure out what is going on that has Luna so distracted that I almost fail to notice the silence slowly spreading through the room, coupled with covert stares at us. Oh, right. Their princess on a leash has got to be on the top ten lists of things you never expect to see.

I grin as my eyes drink in the room, I can smell the lust in the air and taste the elegance. “If you wish to join them I wouldn’t mind meeting some of the Doms and getting to know the community better. We have plenty of time before we can go say hi.”

I turn to her after I say that and see a conflicted look on her face. “I cannot. If I go over there, if I seek to make friends, it always ends with disturbing their activities as the seek to bow and scrape before me. I really want to but-”

She cuts off as my hand goes over her mouth. I sigh and pet her. “C’mon.” I start to lead her towards the group My hand still over her mouth cutting off her protests.A large green unicorn stallion with a bracer moves to stop me with a stern look on his face but I smile.

“Just dropping her off then heading over there, she’s shy and just needs a firm hand to help her say hi.” He nods, points a hoof to his eyes then walks back to where he was standing by the wall. I continue to the group who seems to freeze as we approach. To Luna’s credit, they begin to scramble for a moment before I put as much authority in my tone as I can while keeping my voice level. “Stay.”

They freeze up again and I smirk. “This is my adorable pet Luna, she’s kinda shy and wants to make some friends. While she is here, she is just Luna, My pet, nothing more. Bowing to another submissive would be kinda silly, don’t you think? Say hi Luna.” I drop my hand from her mouth and she takes in a deep breath before trying to say something only to have it come out as a squeak. “Good enough, take care of her, okay cuddlies? I’ll be over there if you need me. Peace.”

With that I walk off leaving them to do what cuddlies do best, take care of the messes a Dom leaves in His wake. I nod to the DM as I pass him and get a smile back as I hear the mares begin to fuss over Luna behind me, encouraging her to join them. With her taken care of, I stride over to the Dom section and take a seat in one of the chairs that has a solid line of sight with the door I’m watching. I look over the group around me as my thoughts turn to trying to add all these things up. My mind is being twisted, ever since I got this Element I’m known things, things I shouldn’t. Every time I gave into Lust I strengthened it, in turn strengthening myself.

I will keep this path, but I need to set up some fail safes to keep my mind from growing too twisted. As it is now, there is no one left I can rely on to destroy me if needed. I’ve taken Luna’s heart, and with it both her and her sister would be unable to cut me down. Nightshade would join me in anything I did, she only remains in the light because it pays better and she has free access to knowledge. For that matter, would Nightmare Moon join me if I turned evil? Would Discord? Looking at the web I’ve woven without meaning too I realize the true insidious power of Lust. It should terrify me, yet it brings a smile to my face.

“Waiting to speak with Shadow I take it? You know, if you have questions I can probably answer them.” A stallion says this as he sits next to me. He is a tall blue unicorn stallion with a black mane and tail, both streaked with ash highlights. He's trying to seem casual, but there is an intensity in his eyes that betrays a deep hatred and barely contained rage. It can’t be directed at me, can it?

“No, my talk with him is more of a personal thing. Nothing bad, just a casual conversation.”

He snorts and before I can react his horn flashes and I find myself sprawling to the ground. Grass? I’ve been teleported. I roll to my feet and drop to a combat ready stance reaching for a pack that I’m worried to not find on my back. “I know the truth. I know why you want him. I’ve been waiting for one of you to show up and I’ve been ready. I know him. He won’t lie, even to save his own life he’ll just hand himself over to the fuzz despite doing NOTHING WRONG!”

He fires a blast of magic at me that I roll under only for him to teleport and buck me in the face. I go down hard and even as I try to stand a spell of pure light strikes me on the side. I yelp in pain as I struggle to a sitting position. His horn lights up as he glares at me. My magick won’t respond and a look around shows the area to be saturated with wind and light magick. The beam flies from his horn as I smile. At least this solves my dilemma, if I die here then Grogar has no reason to hurt the ones I care about. My mouth gapes at the beam strikes a pillar of black crystal that suddenly form between us and a purple aura yanks me out of the circle of death. The angry stallion’s snarl fades as he sees Shadow glaring at him, a purple smoke trailing from the corner of his eyes.

“Have you learned nothing in your time here, Storm? Violence is the last resort, not the opening statement. If they have come to lock me away then I deserve it. It should not be your choice to join me in my imprisonment. I have done so much wrong in my life, left so much death and misery in my wake. I wish to repent and seek redemption, not drag an innocent youth into the dungeons with me.”

“You don’t understand! It’s him! Wolf is the Beast! He’s the one who murdered my brother, who killed all those people. He’s a real monster, not one like you or Luna who is simply misunderstood, but a true force of evil and chaos. He’ll destroy the harmony of this world and kill all who stand in his path. He is nothing but-” Storm goes quiet as Sombra puts his hoof against his lips.

He turns and stares at us regally. Luna, by now, has almost finished patching me up and I rise to my feet to look over at Storm. “So, you're the brother of that necromancer. I’ll have you know that I stand by my choice. If I hadn’t killed him he would have brought death to this world. If that is your reasoning for attacking me, I will forgive you this once. But heed my words, follow his path and I shall cut you down. Now, Sombra?”

The stallion in question sighs and bows his head managing to still look regal even as he bows. “You had matters to discuss with me it seems. I knew I would be found eventually. Go ahead and say your peace. I will not resist the Justice of the alicorns this time. My mind has been cleansed of the spirit, but the crimes are still mine to bear and so I shall.”

“That was a very nice scene, I’m glad to see you're doing so well on your path to redemption. If you ever find yourself looking for someone who can understand you, my door is always open. Luna too, once she gets over her old emotions.”

Storm looks so confused. “What fucking necromancer? You actually just wanted to talk to him? Who the hell are you? I thought you were that fucker from my world who went by Wolf, but you're nothing like him. What the fucking tacos is going on?”

“Odd, you remind me of my old sparring partner’s little brother, his name was Storm too, but he wasn’t nearly this good.”

“It is you!” He snarls shifting into a combat stance before getting smacked upside the head by a casual back hoof from Sombra. “I’m so strong because I trained to kill you after you murdered my brother, your sparring partner,”

“What are you on about? Inky died in a battle with an aeromancer. You already know this! You're the one who told me in the first place.”

Sombra finally speaks up. “If I might interject, are either of you familiar with the concept of parallel worlds? It’s entirely possible that you two are simply from similar worlds. One from a world where you are enemies, and another from where you are friends. I suggest that rather than drag out grievances he had an infinitesimally small chance of committing, you simply start over as two humans who have just met in a world that is not their own. Perhaps ponder out together why one remains a human, while the other has become a pony.”

I nod as I hide my smirk behind an earnest smile. “Even if you're not the Storm I grew up with, it’s good to see you again. Well, perhaps see isn’t the right word here. Why are you a pony?”

It seems my guess was right because the last of his resistance fades and he smiles back. “It was a part of the deal. My twisted second chance.” He walks over and it's on the ground next to me staring up into the night sky. “Does MLP or brony mean anything to you, Wolf?”

“That acronym doesn’t ring any bells but brony is something certain stallions call each other. I have a feeling it’s not that, though.”

He sighs and his horn lights up, I tense only for him to float a framed picture of a cartoon version of Dash and her friends, my principles, to float out of his mane. Why does he have this? This is a digital photo, ponies don’t have this technology yet. So this photo is from our world? How would that even make sense? “I was dying. Unfulfilled, slain by an unworthy foe with my vengeance unfulfilled. The one I had wanted so hard to kill was already long dead, I had thought I had gotten over it. But there I was, my ending just as pointless as his and I found my last thoughts turning to the Justice I never received. My dying words were not of the moment, not of death, but of Justice not served.”

As he speaks I find myself drawing the similarities between us. Both killed and with our dying wish, we thought not of our deaths, but of that which we could never have. A sense of calm fills me as I lean back and look at the stars. “Where does the photo come into play?

He chuckles a bitter sound that puts my instincts on edge. “Their was a show in our world. My Little Pony; Friendship is magic. It starred a certain Twilight Sparkle and her friends, together as the Elements of Harmony. Sound familiar? Well, it goes without saying that I was a major fan. So as I lay dying the god of Order shows up and offers me a deal. One of his Elements and a free trip to Equestria. Only one catch. I must choose between the ponies I love and the man I hate. On either side of the choice I am Justice.” He punctuates the last word by forming a silver sword in his hoof that skewers me. I look at him in shock as I stagger back away from him as he pulls the blade free. Blood flows down my stomach from the wound, just a few inches below my heart.

He lunges with the blade in his magic as a purple shield forms in front of me that simply shatters as the blade touches it. As I roll to the side I see Luna’s horn give off a burst of light as she grabs it with her hooves, pain clear on her face as she collapses. Sombra rushes to her aid eliminating my hope of allies. Use my power, Wolf. I switch into the form of the Monster and leap back studying my foe. His swordplay is sub-par, but his weapon is far from it. The Element of Justice’s Manifesto Doubled Edged Blade. Unleash my power Master, only together can we survive.

I drop the entire area in darkness only for it to completely dispel the moment it touches the blade. A fireball and lightning bolt suffer the same fate as he attempts to advance on me. I hear the voice in my head. My Element begging to used like a good toy should be. I remember the party, the death I predicted for myself that this amulet would prevent. To use the Element once is to start myself firmly on the Path of Grogar's lackey, but to refrain means death. A grin splits my face. Serve a god as a powerful warrior or die a foolish mortal. I’ve made this choice so many times that I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to come to the same conclusion as I always have.

“All mortals are the playthings of higher beings, so it is better to be a useful favorite toy than a discarded boring one. Attend to me, Lust.”

The monster form vanishes along with my clothes. As I stand before my foe nude save the Element on my neck a wicked smile and Predator's Gaze forces him back a step. Black tar flows from the medallion leaving behind leather armor that seems more at home in a BDSM club than a battle field, complete with a masquerade mask in the form of a wolf. On my left hip is a whip and my right has a cluster of chains dangling down. Knowledge of how to use these fills my mind as all my doubts flee. Leaving only the call of Dominance and a very bad stallion who needs to be punished.

Master, you are mighty indeed, but be wary. Your true foe is not the sniveling stallion, but the blade itself. Just as I kneel behind you in your service, Justice stands over him, waiting to control his puppet.

I nod and uncoil the whip. Shaking it loose a burst of fire and lightning flare down it. Seemingly in response Storms eyes change to one eye black and the other white as his stance loses its sloppiness and the blade begins the song only heard when a true Swordsman holds their weapon of choice. Storm whispers “let Justice be done” and charges me.

His charge is reversed as a well-placed crack of my whip lands in the center of his forehead knocking him backward. I hear a moan from the whip in my head as she unfurls. Mmmm… Master your so strong. Despite the power, he lands on his feet with a scowl. “Infernal slut! Do you dare stand in the way of justice? You believe the weakest of the infernals can challenge the greatest of the divines? I will crush you here and dispel your manifesto to the aether, never to return to this world again. Wielder, cease your pointless struggle, this battle was over for you before it began, even with this pointless struggle you are doomed, do you wish to know why?”

My left hand pulls one of the chains behind my back as I begin the process of activating it. It twists and curls in my hand as my thoughts guide it into the shape and power I need for my plan. Now to trick him into another foolish charge, not that it’s hard. Justice is direct and Justice is blind. All he knows is reckless charging relying on his power and skill over any sense of tact or subtlety. My tone is that of mock horror “Oh no! An enemy who monologues! Truly I must be facing a powerful foe indeed! Next, are you going to prove your superiority by pointing out your weakness, knowing that I could never manage enough power to exploit it?”

He snarls and charges again this time dodging under the snap of the whip and almost reaching me before my left hand snaps out launching a net of chains that wraps around him slowly binding him to the ground and spreading him in a compromising position. Despite his unearthly roars of rage it’s hard for me to take him seriously with his body in a bowing position and his plot waved high in the air with his tail pulled free, exposing him. A flash of flame burns the words ‘cum dumpster’ into his flank. The sword falls from his grip and the blade sinks a foot into the ground. Such amazing art, Master. Use me. Please. Let me finish him. I beg you master. Spurred on by her begging I let fly with the whip landing a resounding blow against the hilt as she moans at the contact.

A crack forms on the medallion consisting it’s pummel causing Storm’s eyes to return to normal. Terror fills his expression as I land another blow with my beautiful Lust making the crack bigger. He surprises me enough to make me hesitate as he teleports out of the chains and takes the sword in his mouth. I take a defensive stance ready to finish this once and for all when he teleports away. I’m sorry Master. I failed you. My chains bind order magic and ponies magic is naturally chaotic. Please forgive me? I swear Master, I didn’t know he could remain conscious after a full possession.

I glance towards the direction he teleported, I’m so sorry, then at Luna who is being tended by Sombra. “If you truly wish to be redeemed then tend to her. I must destroy that sword, it holds the power to destroy this world.” I’m sorry.

I chase after the trail the teleport left behind. Forgive me, Master, let me make it up to you? As I run wings of flame form on my back speeding me along and aiding me as I chase the trails of the chained teleports. I see him ahead of me landing out of a teleport in front of a house then teleporting inside. A lash of my whip removes the door and I find him standing, gasping for breath, inside a runic circle. “This isn’t over, Wolf.”

He vanishes as my thrown chains clatter against the wall behind where he was and before I can study them the runes turn molten and unmake themselves erasing the magical residue as the gold he used turns back into a neat stack of gold rods. A time magic fail-safe. That little... A snarl splits my face as horns and claws of flames form and my armor begins leaking flames.

“FUCK! You! I will find you and cut off your horn to use as a butt plug you insolent worm. You chose the wrong fucking monster to play a game of Manhunt with. You are my prey and I will hunt you down and shatter that pathetic Element you wield along with your mind. When I’m done with you, you’ll be convinced you name is Butt-Slut and all you exist for is to be used be every stallion with the inclination to be bothered with wasting seed on a bitch as useless as you.”

Master. Please find your calm. Lust holds fragments of all the other Infernal Elements within it. Remember Master. You are the Lord, you rule Wrath and Hubris, not the other way around. Please, Master. They must be punished, this is true. But what you plan is rape. Have you forgotten Consent Master? Stooping to such pathetic levels as forcing yourself on someone is beneath you Master. Please, calm down.

I snort, flames leaving my nostrils. The demon in my head is being the voice of reason here. It’s time to cut my losses and check on Luna. As I trek back to where I left them my anger cools and slowly the horns and claws vanish By the time I reach them only tiny versions of the wings remain. Master, I will soon run out of power for this scene. Be sure to have lots of fun so you can call on me again, okay? Love you lots and talk to you real soon! I promise next time I will do better.

My clothes reappear as the Element returns to its amulet form. “How is she?”

“I’m fine, it’s simply some form of magical burnout. Something about that blade… You were right to prioritize its destruction. I will be far more comfortable when I sleep knowing that such a thing was destroyed. Weapons such as that have no place in this world.”

“Then I’ll have to work harder to get you to sleep, love. He escaped, he had a teleport circle ready and could be anywhere in a 50-mile radius by now, if he didn’t teleport to a teleport. His escape ability, at least, is admirable. The Element was Damaged at least. He won’t even be able to wield it at all until he can fix it. Then he has to charge it.”

Luna rises to her feet and her horn glows jerking the moon towards the horizon. The moment her magic flared there was a crack behind me and I’m bowled out of the way by a pissed white alicorn. Catching myself I look at her as she embraces her sister with a spark briefly connecting their horns.

Celestia rounds on me. “I will send a message to all the crafters capable of repairing an artifact blade that I want that blade and pony with it brought to me.”

“It’s not some artifact Princess, it’s an Element. You can’t repair them through mortal means.”

“I am aware Sir Wolf. However, this pony does not seem to be as knowledgeable as we are. He was not quite wielding the blade as the blade was wielding him. That damage should have been sufficient to silence the voice of the blade and artifacts like that are always too confident in their own superiority to bother to inform their wielders how they truly work or how they can be fixed. Therefore, there is a high probability that this Storm pony would simply take it to the most legendary smith he can think of. I’ve seen this before many times in my little ponies. No matter how far into evil they fall, even the worst of us has a certain naivety about them.”

I sigh. “Only one problem with that. This isn’t one of your ponies. This is a human who was heavily focused on scholarly pursuits due to their lack of power. They likely know the basics of the Elements, including use and maintenance of manifestos.”

She gives Luna a dark look. “Lulu, what are you hiding?”

“I don’t want to show you...”

“This is important, Luna!”

“I can’t, he’s more important to me.”

I sigh. “Just go ahead and show her Luna, it seems worse to you then it would to her. She can understand how a lie can be used for the greater good. Even if in the end I failed to keep my past from catching up with me.”

A nod and another flash between their horns. Celestia looks at me with pity and understanding. “In my life, Wolf, I have learned one all-consuming truth. The past is the true foe we all must face. No matter how hard we struggle as we defeat the ones it throws at us it is still making new legions for us to face with every action we take.”

Luna picks up the thought, moving to stand beside her sister in the slowly growing dawn. “Immortality is naught but an unending battle between the present and the past for the future. An impossible fight, for in the end we too,”

“The Immortals” “The immortals” Together they speak these two words with a cutting power before Luna continues.

“Shall fade and become one with the past, another sleeping beast to be conquered by those that remain. Time is what we were given, equal parts blessing and curse.”

Celestia picks it up, bringing what I've come to realize is a poem to an end. “Remember, young one, as you join us in our eternity that living forever is not enough. To become a relic lost in the past is no different than being dead. You have a duty to shape the world, and so you should strive to make it’s shape beautiful, rather than twisted and unsightly, lest a day will come when you look at what you’ve wrought and you will realize this cesspool you are forced to wallow in is one of your own creation.”

Author's Note

The hiatus is over! I apologize to each and every one of you who had to wait so long for so few updates. I've been broken wallowing in one of my worst depressions for so long. Things happened, I lost my herd. One to a mistake I made, the other is simply doing her best to ignore me, with those and the depression I spiraled into only Velvet remains steadfastly at my side. I'm doing my best to bridge the gap and reach out to all my friends and lovers who I have grown distant from and I have a long way to go to fix everything. But it matters not. my mind is whole again and now that I have my fire back I will reclaim what I've lost or forge it anew. If ever you read this Death, thank you for waking me up. If you hadn't managed to piss me off so thoroughly I doubt my emotions would have restarted anytime soon. It was rage, but it was something and that reminded me how to feel and not simply be pretending.

But in any event, I have a chapter to write and music to jam to. So I leave you with a question, who here likes when I link music in chapters?