The heir of the trickster

Chapters

Chapter 1: The heir and the saddened Princess
chapter 2: The moons malice
Chapter 3: Ben
Chapter 4: The council's meeting
Chapter 5: Falling into a bedchamber

Chapter 1: The heir and the saddened Princess

Discord was not happy. The draconequus was not happy at all. He couldn't move. From the scaled left foot to the lion paw where one of Discord's hands should've been, the spirit of chaos was completely paralyzed. The mismatched creature was angrier than he had ever been before. As a spirit of chaos, he could hardly blame the ponies of Equestria for being afraid of him. He had tried to take over before and he'd wanted to do it again. But then...The mis-matched creature felt a surge of anger at the memories. The Elements of Harmony. That pesky, purple, know-it-all Unicorn, Twilight Sparkle and her interfering friends had managed to stop him once again, freezing him within the statue he had been imprisoned for so long. It was so unfair. Why couldn't he have a group of followers like the Unicorn had, to do his every bidding.

But then again...he always had...If Discord could've moved his lips to smile, he would. The frozen spirit felt a small surge of pride as he continued to stare into the darkness. Even his eyes had been covered by the stone. His heir. Discord felt the surge of pride again. If he had been any-pony else, it might've been considered selfish, or even egotistical. But that was all part of being a spirit of chaos. Having an ego was good. It gave you the confidence to continue down the path of an all powerful deity. Or at least, that was what Discord thought of himself. His heir...Discord mentally shook himself. Even though Discord was, in his opinion, all powerful, he'd still worried about what would happen when his time came to...pass on. Even deities like himself had a limited span of existence. But then who would take up his mantle then?

In the darkness of his prison, hugged from all sides by immovable, uncaring stone, Discord felt not just pride but pain. It didn't come from any wound however. It was the pain of love. It was unusual for the Spirit of chaos to feel love. He supposed he loved causing chaos and mayhem but was it possible for a spirit born of chaos to love anything other than chaos? But then again...his heir had been born into a species more chaotic and terrible than even him. Discord thought happily of those mad, unpredictable creatures. Like talking Apes but with the potential for so much chaos! And his heir would be born into them. Though...Discord would've sighed if he'd been able. He wasn't sure when his heir would appear or even if he'd know when his heir arrived. And he was here, frozen, as helpless as a newborn puppy. It was so unfair!

"Damn you Twilight Sparkle!" Discord thought venomously, straining his body against the confines of his stone prison, struggling against the magical frame keeping him in place. But it was useless. The magic of that foal and her pathetic little friends had managed to snare him. Him! Just when he was needed the most, just when his child was set to appear, he'd been sent back to this torment. The ponies of Equestria had several prisons capable of holding creatures like him. Tartarus, the deep dungeon in the underworld was one such place. But this imprisonment was worse. Much worse than Tartarus. It was hell! Living hell. "I swear I'll get out again little Unicorn!" Discord screamed, within the confines of his mind. "I'll get out, my heir will come. And then you'll get a taste of what it's like to be locked away!"

The garden was quiet. It was a rather majestic looking garden with several flower beds arranged into neat, orderly lines and the grass had been trimmed expertly. Four squares of green wall surrounded the garden, each had been pruned to perfection. A light breeze whistled through the cracks in the green walls, brushing through the large collection of statues, assembled tastefully in groups or on specially isolated podiums. Some were of dragons, with clawed feet, sharpened talons and eyes full of anger. Others were of different species of pony. Unicorns with elongated, sharpened horns or of pegasi, their wings stretched out majestically, each feather precisely crafted out of white marble. But one stood apart from all the others. It was a strange looking statue. It had a long, almost serpentine body, but the tail ended with a tuft of fur, and the scales passed into a feathered midsection. Two legs stuck out at the bottom holding the statue up. One was scaled ending in a claw. The other was furred and ended in a hoof.

Two arms stuck out of the statues front. One was thick and padded with what could've been fur. A lions paw. The other arm ended in a taloned hand, the five fingers stretched out as though to ward off some sort of danger. The head was much like a horses, though with a larger mouth, opened in a snarl of anger. A large fang poked out of the creatures top lip and curved down into the open mouth. Tufts sprouted out over the wide eyes, wide and full of hatred. Atop the creatures head were two horns. One was thin and branched out at angles, much like a stags horn. The other was thicker, with ribbed sections, ending in a tapered point. The statue might've looked beautiful. But the wide eyes, full of hatred robbed the statue of any beauty it might've possessed.

A soft sobbing noise shattered the silence of the garden. A door, invisible to any naked eye, swung open on one of the leafy walls. A Pony staggered through. This was no ordinary pony however. Her fur was a dark, navy blue and her mane which was colored the same navy blue, fluttered about as though in a non-existent breeze. A long horn, colored a lighter blue, was tapered to a point. A pair of large, sapphire blue wings were furled against her back. A black splodge of color against her flank was embossed with the image of a crescent moon. A small black crown was balanced on top of the Alicorns head. Sapphire eyes, bloodshot now and obscured by thick shiny tears, falling in streams to the grassy floor darted around the garden, making sure that none of the royal guards were around.

This was Princess Luna. Co-ruler of Equestria alongside her older sister, Princess Celestia. But right now, the Alicorn wanted to be left alone, to cry in peace. Luna was the younger of the two princesses. She'd recently returned from a thousand year banishment. It hadn't been her fault really. The young Alicorn had been jealous of her older sister and had transformed into a wicked Alicorn of darkness. Nightmare Moon. It was only thanks to her sisters student, a studious Unicorn by the name of Twilight Sparkle and the Elements of Harmony, that she had been returned to her former self. She had been happy at the time. Luna had thought that she was coming back to a welcoming society. A chance to start anew. But that was one of the only times she'd been happy since coming back to her senses.

Every single pony that she had met in Canterlot, the capital city of Equestria where she and Celestia lived, had treated her as though she was an interloper. An intruder. Some had even gone so far as to call her a pretender to the throne. That had been the final straw for her today. She'd rushed through her paperwork for the day and then had come straight here. It was her favorite place to come when she was feeling down. Luna sat down in front of a small, marble pool, right in the middle of the garden. The distressed Princess looked down into the still water, watching her reflection in the water. It flickered repeatedly as her tears fell into the water, making her appearance seem oddly warped. She gently placed the tip of her hoof into the water, feeling the cold water touch the end. It make her feel any better.

"Why me?" She demanded at her reflection. "Why is it always me?" The reflection didn't answer. Luna felt another stab of anger, this time at herself. Why was she sitting here, talking to her reflection? It was just an image in water. It couldn't help her. Luna gritted her teeth but still the tears fell, hitting the water with small plunks. "Why?" She demanded, her voice cracking. Only silence greeted her question. Luna brought her hoof down upon the waters surface. Her reflection vanished as her armor plated hoof hit the water, sending sparkling droplets into the air. They shone in the evening light, glittering like gemstones before tumbling back into the pool. The Princess repeated the action again and again, soaking her fur as she pounded the pool, feeling the metal hoof-plates striking the marble.

Finally, she stopped. Panting slightly, the exhausted Princess examined the soaked fur of her hoof. The blue fur was standing out in all directions, each hair dripping water back into the pool. The hoof-plate was slightly dented from the repeated strikes against the marble of the pool. It hurt slightly. The metal had bent inward and was pressing against the underside of her hoof. Some of the strikes must have done some damage. Her eyes were hurting now. She had no one. That was the cold reality of it. She was on her own. Luna sighed as she stood up again, pushing her hooves into her eyes, trying to dry them. Seeing as how one hoof was still soaked with water, Luna soon gave up this en-devour. She stared up into the evening sky, feeling that same loneliness rising up in her like bile. It was a horrible feeling.

"I wish...I wish I had a friend." Luna mumbled to herself sadly, ignoring the fresh streams of tears beginning to leak out of her bloodshot eyes. "Please..." She whimpered sadly, watching the sky cloud over as the tears flowed down her cheeks. "Isn't there some-pony out there...who will be my friend?" Luna was so intent upon watching the sky, that she didn't notice the figure standing in the open doorway. It was a rather tall figure, wrapped in thick rags that covered every inch of the creatures skin. A pair of yellow eyes blinked several times as they took in the upset Princess. Cradled in the creatures long arms, was a guitar. The princess did not notice as her unseen watcher reached up with a pale skinned, five fingered hand and ran the fingers down the strings, producing a few quiet notes that rang out, floating up into the air like exotic birds.

chapter 2: The moons malice

The sun had hidden itself behind the mountain, upon which the majestic castle of Canterlot was fixed. The city of Canterlot, perched slightly below the castle was now glowing brightly, the lights hidden behind many glass windows, casting an orange veil all through and over the sprawling city, the veil providing a cover from the black sky, in which hung a full moon, glowing pearly white like a gigantic diamond.. The ponies, a mixture of Unicorns and Earth ponies strode through the streets, each dressed in fine suits that covered the upper parts of their bodies. There was a quiet babble of talk over the small groups as they slowly dispersed back to their homes. The swanky shops, each showing a variety of high quality goods, ranging from smart-party clothes to top-quality ingredients. Each shop was closed however, the interiors dark and empty.

A figure strode across the wide street. Garbed in black robes, the figure moved slowly through the streets, pausing every so often to look into the darkened interiors of the shops. A pair of crimson eyes stared back at the figure from the glass. The reflection did not reveal much about the figures body. The only thing that showed was the pair of crimson eyes, gazing back at him. The pupils, while black, were slanted, almost snake-like. The figure was tall, though the cloak still covered the entirety of his body. The cloak barely fluttered as the figure finally tore his gaze away from the wedding dresses in the shop window and strode up the street. The blood-red gaze traveled over the tall skyscrapers, the shops and some of the last stragglers, making their way home. The eyes narrowed slightly, the snake-like pupils folding inwards.

"I never took you for someone who took walks Eclipse." The figure spun round, the cloak flapping about like a great pair of wings. Another tall figure was leaning against the wall of the wedding-dress shop. Like Eclipse, the new arrival was covered in a thick black cloak. Eclipse seemed to relax, the flapping fabric of his cloak falling back into stillness. The new arrival chuckled lightly, pushing himself off the wall and striding over to Eclipse. "Why'd do you come here Eclipse?" demanded the new arrival, coming to a stop in front of Eclipse. He had a clipped but friendly way of speaking. Unlike Eclipse however, this new arrival's gaze was a bright emerald. They glowed the same way as Eclipse's however, the colors mingling together. "Why'd you come here Eclipse?" The arrival demanded, his voice losing the friendly tone. "You were warned."

"You don't say." Eclipse chuckled and the blue eyes narrowed. "Aw come on James." He growled, noticing the narrowed eyes of his companion.The voice that wormed its way from underneath the thick fabric covering Eclipse's mouth, was cool, and seemed to worm its way through the air. "I can't have a simple stroll through the city?" James snorted rather loudly. Eclipse sighed, shrugging his rather broad shoulders. Now that he noticed it, Eclipse saw that he was slightly taller than James. As one, the pair of cloaked figures made their way down the street. Their eyes glowing brightly, despite the blazing orange of the surrounding buildings. Eclipse chuckled again, the sound muffled by his thick coverings. "So the council sent you did they?" he demanded, unable to hide the sneer in his voice. James turned his head slightly, so that one of his Emerald eyes glared out at him. "Of course." Eclipse snarled, stamping his foot down onto the cobblestones.

"You were warned Eclipse." The was a bite of impatience in James's voice now. The pair had walked into a small square, with three different pathways branching out. A small fountain was playing in the middle of the square. It was a circular fountain, made of white marble. James and Eclipse walked over to it and Jay sat down, the cloak bending like a second skin around the body as he settled onto the marble. "You know the dangers of appearing in Canterlot Eclipse, yet you still feel the need to wander down the streets?" James sounded politely incredulous. Eclipse snorted incredulously, narrowing his ruby-red gaze at Jay. "Don't look at me like that Eclipse." James snarled leaning back slightly so that specks of water hit the cloak covering his body. "At least I know how to hide. You just go strolling up the street in plain bloody sight!" Eclipse sighed thickly through the shroud covering his face. James narrowed his glowing eyes.

Eclipse was about to argue when the sound of clopping hooves made the two stop. The pair turned to look down one of the other streets. A pair of Unicorns had appeared, walking down the street and talking animatedly. One was a stallion. He had white fur and navy a blue mane, blue eyes and was wearing a monocle over his right eye. He was also wearing a stylish, black tuxedo. The Stallions companion was a mare, also with white fur but she had a pink mane and violet eyes. The mare was clad in a long, flowing white dress, with several ribbons tied throughout it. Both Unicorns had been talking animatedly but stopped as soon as their eyes found James and Eclipse. The two Unicorns froze. Their faces twisted into grimaces of surprise, then they turned and began trotting quickly away. Eclipse moved quicker. there was a flash and two grey objects flashed across the square. There was two sickening cracks as the round grey spheres hit the ponies across the back of the neck.

"Was that really necessary Eclipse?" Jay asked coldly, standing up as the two Unicorns crumpled to the floor. Eclipse chuckled as the two spheres floated up from the floor and moved over to the pair. The spheres could've been made of metal or some other metallic substance. The spheres pressed through the folds of Eclipses cloak and vanished, not leaving a single bulge or any sign that they'd been there before. Eclipse had moved so fast that it looked as though he'd barely moved. James sighed, theatrically, moving over to the unconscious ponies and checked them. Eclipse narrowed his glowing eyes slightly, watching his companion. "There's no permanent damage to them but really Eclipse," James stood back up again, narrowing his own glowing orbs. "The truth seeker orbs? Really?" James shook his head. Eclipse snorted again, feeling anger rising inside of him.

"I have not come out here to be lectured like a child James!" He snarled as James walked back over to him. "You should do well to remember that!" James's eyes had narrowed, so much so that they were now sapphire blue slits. "Remember James," Eclipse muttered warningly, "We must remain in secret till the time is right. A fight would bring guards running." James, despite the thickness of the cloak, tensed. Eclipse could see the thin muscles preparing to spring. "Willing to have a go?" Eclipse asked mockingly. Then James relaxed and his eyes returned to normal. Eclipse relaxed too, feeling a sense of relief. Both he and James had nearly the same power. If they had fought, the devastation would bring guards running. And guards were exactly the one thing that they did not need right now. "I apologize James." Despite the words, the sneer in Eclipse's voice made it clear, the apology was empty. James nodded, barely moving his head.

Both figures turned to look back at the two unconscious Unicorns. Both turned their glowing gazes back towards each other. As if by some silent agreement, the two figures made their way over to the two prone ponies. Their eyes seemed to glow brighter and the two Unicorns floated upwards to hover a few centimeters off the ground, as though held up by invisible strings. Both floated over to a nearby bench and were dumped onto the wood with a dull thumps. James and Eclipse took a minute to examine the two unconscious forms, trying to look at it from an outsiders perspective. Two ponies, a night of partying and heavy drinking who had both collapsed onto the bench and fallen asleep. Just a simple nighttime accident. An innocent accident. By the time the night was over, the bruises caused by Eclipses spheres would have faded. There would have been no evidence that anything had happened. By that time, Eclipse of James would've have vanished.

"I'm guessing your here to check up on the project?" James asked. Eclipse nodded. The two figures looked up. The moon glowed a pearly white, hanging in the sky like a single, giant eye. Eclipse chuckled softly, turning his head slightly, as James had done before, so that one crimson orb watched his companion silently. "Project Suki-No-Mei." James whispered the name as though frightened that saying it any louder might bring danger. The crimson orb widened slightly, but Eclipse made no other visible movement. James chuckled, turning his head to look back at the moon. "When do we move?" James demanded, sounding eager. Eclipse tore his gaze from James's face and walked back over to the fountain. James didn't move, continuing to stare upwards at the moon. "I didn't follow you down here for you to give me the silent treatment." James sighed sounding tired and exasperated. Eclipse didn't say anything until he'd settled himself on the marble.

"Once the heir arrives and the we break the Elements of Harmony, then we'll commence the main part of the project." He said coolly. James tensed again. There was now a hint of steel in Eclipse's voice. "The spell is still too powerful to break just now. Chrysalis will make sure that the spell weakens enough for us." James nodded, moving over to sit next to Eclipse. "Though...when we launch the project," Eclipse said, speaking slowly as though he was thinking about every single word coming out of his mouth. "We will still need to finish the essence transfer. It's essential." James nodded shaking his hooded head. Eclipse sighed, getting up with a groan of exertion. "I think you were right James." He mummered beginning to work back the way they had come. "We should get back. I do relish the chance to listen to another of Robin's speeches." James gave a low chuckle, before getting up and following Eclipse. But just before the two figures disappeared back down into the street, James took one last look at the moon. The glowing blue eyes blinked once. Then the two figures disappeared.

Princess Celestia sighed as she wandered along the darkened halls of the Castle. She and her sister, Princess Luna had shared this castle for only a few months, since her little sisters return from banishment. The Alicorn passed an ornate mirror seated upon a plinth. It was a gift from one of the neighboring kingdoms. She stopped to stare into the glass. A violet gaze stared back at her, with white fur and an iridescent mane that rippled as though it was caught in a non-existent breeze. A white horn was sticking up from under a small golden crown, perched atop her head. In what could be seen of her body, Celestia saw exhaustion etched into every part of her body. Her wings, once majestic, were now slightly bedraggled. Her fur, which used to glow brightly, even in this darkness, seemed duller, grayer. Her eyes had dark bags under her eyes. She sometimes wondered why she bothered sometimes. She really didn't

It was often late at night, such as tonight, when she found herself wandering through the halls, often thinking of things that were troubling her. She hated these thoughts. As Princess of Equestria, her problems tended to be far larger than any other. It couldn't be solved by taking a headache tablet, or doing something that would normally relax oneself. Her duties constrained her as tightly as a straight-jacket, binding her so tightly she felt she would choke. Her sister wasn't faring any better. Since returning from banishment, Luna had been ridiculed, abused and tortured by the many ponies she was supposed to rule over. Celestia felt a stab of anger. Why couldn't ponies just accept Luna for what she was. A princess. Celestia's sister. Even though Alicorns lived for thousands upon thousands of years, Celestia sometimes wished Alicorns had the same life span as the average pony. It would make grudges so much easier to handle. Much, much easier. She sighed.

A small cough brought the Alicorn out of her revere. Looking into the mirror, she smiled, showing pearly white teeth. Something had appeared behind her. It stood, wrapped from head to foot in grey wrappings. Two long arms were hung out it in front, cradling a guitar. She knew that guitar. She couldn't see the figures eyes but she knew what color they would be. She also knew why the figure was here. The Alicorn turned calmly to face her companion. Her inviting smile had not faltered. Celestia took a few steps forward until she was right in front the figure. He as tall as she was now. It unnerved her slightly to see how much he had changed.

"Hello Rick." The Princess mummered, looking up into the figure's face. "I assume there's a good reason for you being here?" But of course, Celestia already knew the answer. Rick did not turn up, unless it was for a good reason. "What is it this time Rick?" Celestia sighed. It was one problem after another today.

Chapter 3: Ben

Dayton/Ohio/Riverscape Park

The Riverscape orphanage was an old building, covered in peeling yellow paint, with a hanging sign with old, rotting wood. There was several chips and bricks missing from the walls and the roof was missing several tiles, revealing the skeletal outline of rotten wood supports. It was perched upon a platform, overlooking the Miami river. Just like the orphanage, the river was overshadowed and scummy, with a thick layer of green algae covering it. The sky over Ohio seemed to match this depressing mood. Black clouds hung over the city, bloated but seemingly unable to release their payloads. Icy blades of wind scythed across the river, teasing the patches of grass. The atmosphere was damp, cold and miserable. But not even the threat of a rainstorm could deter the fourteen-year-old boy sitting on the front steps of the orphanage.

The boy had chocolate-brown skin, with short curly black hair and brown eyes. His clothes consisted of a pair of torn, navy blue jeans, a pair of scuffed brown boots and short-sleeved black shirt. A patched leather jacket was folded at the boys side on the cracked steps. The boy groaned as he slumped backwards onto the damp step, his brown eyes glaring angrily at the black clouds. His long arms pulled back behind his head, his hands curled into fists, supporting his head. Thunder boomed loudly in the distance, matching the grim expression on the boys face. The thin light dribbling through the clouds reflected off the dog-tags hanging around the boys neck. One of the rectangular tags was stamped with the name, "Ben."

Ben sighed grumpily, feeling as though hot fire was coursing through his veins. Another adoption day and he'd been passed up by the other children. Ben could not believe that he'd been stuck here for years and still nothing. Fourteen years of living in this hellhole and he'd been passed up again. The boy closed his eyes, thinking. Ben sometimes wondered if some godly being despised his existence. Fourteen years ago, his parents had dumped him on this orphanage's doorstep. According to the orphanage's staff, his parents were caught up in something important to do and that they would return after a few days. But they never had. He'd been stuck here for years. So long, that he'd been put up as one of the kids in need of adoption. But nobody seemed to want him. And the staff seemed to treat him more as interloper or annoyance, rather than one of the kids they were supposed to be taking care of.

Ben felt another stab of anger at the thought of his parents. He cursed his luck for about the hundredth time. He supposed it was selfish but he couldn't understand for the life of him, why his parents had left him in this god-forsaken place, where every single person hated the sight of him. Why had his parents abandoned him to fourteen years of pain and wishing for them to come home. Ben gritted his teeth so hard, he thought that he'd cracked a molar. Continuously thinking about his past was a sure-fire way of ruining his day. The boy sat back up again, slipping on his jacket. It was the only thing his parents had left him. Made of thick, black leather, though with several tears across the arms and chest, the jacket made him think of security and...strength. Ben wasn't sure whether this was because it was his fathers but he loved the feeling it gave whenever he wore it. He liked his image as well. A tough guy who didn't have time for any nonsense.

Something whooshed over his head. Ben looked up just in time to see a gigantic, winged, crimson scaly thing flying towards the local college. A dragon. Nobody knew exactly where these gigantic creatures had come. According to legends and research, these creatures had simply appeared on a remote island. At first there'd been years of warfare between humans and dragons, before a group of brave humans had created a peace treaty between humanity and the dragons. Since then the dragons had become a part of everyday life. They were useful but they were only given to high ranking officials of the government or the extremely rich. Anybody of value to society really. Ben supposed that kids from an orphanage didn't count as people valuable to society. Ben had occasionally seen other people who owned dragons come by the orphanage though they only stayed for a few hours, sometimes taking a few kids with them. They never chose Ben though.

"BEN! WHERE ARE YOU, YOU LITTLE BRAT!?" Ben groaned, his head falling onto his knees. He knew that voice. It was the voice of the manager and head matron of the orphanage, Victoria Bull-strode. Bull-strode was a vicious old woman, that delighted in terrifying some of the children that she was supposed to be taking care of, often punishing them for crimes such as breathing to loudly, laughing or eating nosily. Ben looked up as one of the windows above the doorway swung open. Bull-strode poked her head out. She was a horrible looking woman, with two curtains of greasy gray hair covering the sides of her wrinkled, veined face. A large, crooked nose curved down over puckered gray lips. Ben rather thought the woman looked like a vulture or a particularly ugly, badger. "BEN, YOU BETTER..." Bull-strode suddenly looked down, directly at Ben, who smiled coldly back up her. "GET UP HERE!" The manager shrieked. "SOMEONE'S HERE FOR YOU!"

Ben waited until Bull-strode had pulled her head back inside, before getting up and dusting of his backside. He'd been sitting upon the steps for what seemed like an eternity and his muscles were sore. Ben stretched, pulling his arms up above his head. There were several loud cracks as his bones reinstated themselves. Ben was about to open the door to go back inside when he stopped. For the last fourteen years, Bull-strode had insisted that nobody had come for him because he was unwanted and a waste of space. Anytime someone would come along to the orphanage who showed the slightest interest in adopting Ben, Bull-strode had told them he was a trouble-maker and a vandal. Nobody believed him if he tried to explain the manager was lying. So why was she now letting him know that someone was here to see him? He supposed it was some sort of sick joke, conjured up by the staff. He considered ignoring the order but thought better of it. He might as well see what she wanted.

He pushed open the door and walked inside. The place didn't look like an orphanage inside or out. Every inch of the inside was covered in either dust or grease. There were large holes in every wall, some exposing wires or wooden supports. Ben looked up just as he stepped onto the wet patch of the carpet. The roof was so full of holes, that whenever it rained, the bottom floors were often flooded with rainwater. Some of the other kids, each dressed in tattered clothing, glared at him. Most kids in the orphanage kept to themselves and were openly hostile to each other. The managers didn't care if fights broke out between the children, they only cared if the kids weren't to badly hurt. If they were badly hurt, then they weren't good for adoption. Ben ignored the glares and began to climb the creaky stairs. The managers didn't care about the upkeep of the orphanage. Ben jumped several of the missing steps, and stood outside the door to the head matrons office. He knocked.

"Ah you're here at last then are you?" Demanded Bull-strode coldly as Ben opened the door. Sitting behind the desk, Bull-strode looked even more like an overgrown bat or raven than before. She was wearing a thick, dressing gown, covering thick dress that made it look like she was dressed for a party, instead of managing an orphanage. Ben was used to this by now, as he'd been summoned to this office for a talking to almost everyday. Instead, Ben focused on the other person sitting in front of the desk. The man was dressed in a pair of jeans, with a pair of high-rise boots with rusted spurs. A thick black jacket covered a thin cotton shirt, embossed with strange symbol. It was of a five pointed star, with a circle at each point. The circles were colored differently. One was red, another pink. One was yellow and the other two were colored blue and green. There was a center circle colored a purplish. The man was carrying a large acoustic guitar. A pair of bright yellow eyes stared at Ben from under a patched, wide-brimmed stetson. Streaks of grayish-black hair stuck out from under the large hat.

"Yeah. I'm here." Said Ben coolly, glaring at Bull-strode, trying to ignore the continued stare of the man carrying the guitar. It was unnerving how the man did not seem to blink or even move his body. "So what d'you want Matron?" Ben demanded and Bull-strode's eyes narrowed slightly. A thin smile had appeared on the old woman's face and the wrinkles surrounding her face tightened, making her face look even more disfigured. She pointed with a bony finger at the empty seat next to the guitar carrying man. Ben sat down at the unspoken order, still determinately avoiding the gaze of the man. Those strange yellow eyes were scary. Bull-strode was looking up and down a small clipboard, a pencil sticking out between her teeth. Ben froze in surprise. Bull-strode only used those small clipboards for one things. Adoption forms. "So what's up?" Ben demanded, growing tired of the silence. "You finally letting me get out of this dump?" Bull-strode looked up.

"This is Rick, Ben" The old woman said coolly, motioning towards the other man. Ben turned to look at the other man. Rick's gaze had not faltered in it's examination of him. Those piercing yellow eyes had widened slightly and Rick's pale skinned hands were moving slightly across the strings of the guitar as though they were yearning to play as song. "Rick was a friend of your dad." Ben stared at Rick, completely non-plussed. Rick was smiling now, showing pearly-white teeth. "He has been abroad for the past couple of years and has only just returned." Bull-strode said, ignoring the look of surprise on Ben's face. "It was written in your father's will that Rick is to take care of you until you come of age." Bull-strode said shaking her head as though the idea was not believable. "So if you will get packed, you can leave us in a few minutes." Bull-strode sounded ecstatic. Ben couldn't exactly blame her though. He too felt ecstatic about the fact that he was finally leaving the orphanage. At last, someone was adopting him.

Ben smiled widely as he stuffed what little he owned in the sports bag he used to carry what little possessions he had. He stuffed in the tatty, second-hand clothes that the orphanage had supplied him with. Depressingly, there were only a few outfits. Ben smiled as he stuffed in the small bedside lamp he'd bought using what little money he had earned from part-time jobs. A noise behind him made Ben whirl round. Rick was standing in the doorway, his guitar slung over his shoulder. His glowing yellow gaze was fixed on the small bag that Ben had been packing. The glowing gaze had narrowed slightly and Rick's lips were curled indignantly. Ben shifted to the side, trying to screen the bag from view. He wasn't sure why but he felt like Rick's gaze was judging him. Ben frowned and attempted to start up a conversation. He couldn't stand the strange, silent examination that Rick was giving him.

"S-S-Sorry about this." Ben stammered, finding it hard to continue staring at the bright yellow eyes. "I shouldn't be to much longer." Rick smiled calmly but did not reply. "So...you're a friend of my dads then?" Ben mumbled quietly, turning away in the hopes that this would prompt Rick into a more conversational mood. Rick did not reply. "Er...that is true isn't Rick?" Ben demanded. Rick's silence had begun to really unnerve him. Silence. But something moved behind him. Ben whirled round just as something whistled through the air. Something hard collided with the back of Ben's head with a loud, sickening crunch. Stars danced in front of Ben's vision and the boy stumbled, attempting to clutch the bed for support. Once again, something hard crashed into the back of his head. Ben fell to the floor, his vision fading rapidly. As he crashed to the floor, Ben heard a voice, deep and full of triumphant glee speaking over him.

"Found at last didn't I?" The voice said, growing slower and harder to hear as Ben's vision faded. "At least I found you before the council of chaos did. And I thought the council could stoop no lower, using Bull-strode's orphanage to suppress your powers." Ben groaned, trying weakly to raise his head. He caught one last glimpse of Rick standing over him, his glowing yellow eyes widening slightly in happiness. The guitar carrying human was holding a small piece of lead piping. "Shame it had to be this way really Ben," Rick mumbled bending down and raising the pipe again. "I regret the pain but...meh..." The pipe fell. "I'M SURE LUNA WON'T MIND AN UNCONSCIOUS GUEST!" Ben opened his mouth to cry out. But too late. The last thing the boy saw was the pipe falling. There was a blinding, sickening pain. A flash of light. The sensation of falling down a long tunnel. Then, silence.

Chapter 4: The council's meeting

The chamber was dimly lit, a faint bluish light emanating from the large, circular pool of water in the middle. Large, curving walls made of browning rocks surrounded the pool, some expelling dust or loose chips of rock. The water rippled slightly in a non-existent breeze. The chamber was bare...except for the gigantic statue set against one of the walls. It was shaped like the upper part of a human torso, with two thick muscular arms sticking upwards, the elbows resting on the stone floor. The wrists were bent so that the palms were facing up, the fingers bent so that each were pointing straight up. A pair of thick steel bands were wrapped around the wrists with a thin steel rope connecting them. The head was large, with a massive mouth hanging open, each stone tooth sharpened to a point. A large band had been carved so that wrapped around the creatures head. There were nine closed eyes, carved so that there was a group of four on each side, with a larger eye at the center.

If any creature had come into this dank chamber, it would have been impossible to miss the giant statue, even with the gloom of the chamber. But there was nothing to see the statue. No sign of life. Even the noise of the falling rock chips seemed dulled. Sitting in the center of the large pool, almost as though a child had placed it there, was a small mound of rock, not quite large enough to be an island but big enough that it could be seen as trying. A small stone block was set on this small mound, atop of which was a small, square shaped box, with the walls missing, the flat top supported by four thin pillars. Inside the box was a large candle made of yellowish wax. The small flame that was burning pathetically in the gloomy room. What little light the candle provided was immediately swallowed up by the gloom. But such Darkness suited the needs of the council of chaos. After all, the group had needed a secret hideout. No secret society was complete without a secret hideout. It was the way of these things.

Suddenly, there was a low hum and a light began to shine above one of the thick stone fingers. The light was glowing with a multi-colored glow. At first, it was only a thin beam of light but it began to twist and turn, as though it was alive, the light thickening, spreading out as though it was oil on water. The light thickened, some elongating into a pair of arms and a head. Finally the elongation of light stopped. The shining light was now in the shape of a thin, human male. The human was standing on the top of the finger as though he'd been there for several hours. Covered by what appeared to be a thick cloak, that extended to the males knees. A shock of long hair was atop the persons head, though what color it might've been was obscured by the multi-colored light that seemed to make up his body. A pair of eyes, that seemed to have no pupils stared up at the face of the statue he was standing on. The thick cloak covered the lower part of the mans face, hiding the smile

"You stare at the thing to long, you'll go blind Eclipse." Said another male though light-hearted voice. There was another low hum and a second beam of light appeared on another of the thick-fingers. Once again, the light elongated, spreading out into another form. Like the first one, the new-arrival was wearing a thick cloak that covered most of the his body. The new arrival was also composed of multi-colored light. He too also had eyes that had no pupils. A pair of arms were crossed in front of the arrivals chest pulling the cloak up slightly. A head-band was secured over the humans eyes. Eclipse turned to look at the new arrival. "How long have you been here?" Demanded the new arrival. The voice had a metallic, artificial quality to it. "It's been quite a while since you called us here like this Eclipse," The arrival said shrugging his shoulders slightly, "What possible need could you have for calling the council again?"

"The heir has disappeared Jay." Eclipse said coldly. Tainted by the communication spell, Eclipse's voice had a harsh grating quality to it. Jay's multi-colored eyes widened slightly, and the arrival uncrossed his arms. Eclipse's smile widened slightly beneath his cloak. "That's got your attention hasn't it?" Jay's eyes narrowed slightly. Eclipse tensed. Despite the fact that their conversation was being conducted over a special magic, Eclipse new better than to antagonize a fellow council member. You didn't do that unless you had a death wish....or had about the same level of power. Jay tilted his head to one side so that one corner of his mouth could be seen. His holographic lip had curled into a slight snarl. "Apparently," Eclipse said slowly, trying to word the news without Jay losing his temper. "Rick turned up out of nowhere and adopted him." Jay's narrowed again. Eclipse nodded coolly. "I know. I have no idea how he got away with..."

"Rick's back again?" a voice interrupted. Like before, this one was male, though it was slightly lower than either Jay's or Eclipse's. Two other holograms appeared, both on fingers in-between the two figures. Eclipse and Jay both waited until the figures had materialized. One was taller than the rest with two curtains of hair covering a thin, slightly freckled face. Unlike the others however, the cloak the human was wearing seemed a little to short for him. A pair of small dog tags hung around the males neck. Inscribed upon the the tags was the name: Robin. Eclipse sighed and Robin frowned. "Don't sigh at me Eclipse." Robin said coldly, ignoring the small wave that Jay gave him. "You know it was risk that the orphanage was a risk. Especially after we took..." But Robin stopped. Both Eclipse and Jay had noticed it too. The other hologram that had materialized beside Robin had finally come into view.

The new arrival was shorter than all the previous arrivals. Like the other three, the arrival was male. He had a shock of short hair, cut in ragged clumps. Unlike the rest, however the male was not wearing a cloak. Instead, the new arrival was wearing a large jacket, almost like a school blazer, with a pair of jeans an a pair of high rise boots. This newest figure had raised one of his arms, so that the hand was raised to shoulder height. The other three watched carefully as the new arrival curled all his fingers until all but two remained sticking up. The new arrival pointed these two fingers at Jay, then Eclipse , then Robin who all exchanged glances. Their holographic forms flickered slightly, as though their holograms were having bad reception. Once again, the new arrival raised his hand, cocked his fingers and pointed them at the others.

"Yes, we've all made mistakes Jinx." Eclipse said coldly, his eyes not looking away from Jinx. "But we now know what to do with the knowledge that we have gained." Eclipse smiled nodding at Jinx. "In your world, your power was abused and the world almost ended." He turned to Jay. "In your world, your six-feet-under, AFTER you tried to protect those selfish ponies." Then he turned to Robin. "And in your world, your partner was executed and humans and ponies are at war." He shook his head. "Can any of you really say that because we've made mistakes, we're supposed to accept our punishments?" Jinx, Jay and Robin traded glances, then each shook their heads slowly. "Alright then." Eclipse said, clapping his hands together softly. "Yes Robin, Rick has returned and he's taking the heir to Equestria." Eclipse sighed again and shook his head. "We're still not ready for the sealing though." Eclipse said impatiently. "Jay!" He snapped. "Have you collected the cells yet." Jay sighed but nodded tiredly. Eclipse smiled. "Then all that is needed is Ben. Once we have him..." Eclipse lapsed into silence.

"Then, if our business is completed?" It was the first time Jinx had spoken. He had a rich, fruity voice. Eclipse nodded slightly and turned back to the statue. "Then I guess we have our own assignments to deal with don't we?" Nobody spoke. Jinx nodded at both Jay and Robin, neither of whom reacted. There was a soft buzzing noise then Robin's hologram flickered and went out. Jinx's hologram faded out as well. But Jay's hologram did not. Instead, the hologram turned its gaze to focus on the statue's face. Eclipse stiffened slightly, before turning back to look at Jay. He frowned. It was not usual for members of the council to remain behind after a meeting. Eclipse didn't like it when things deviated from a schedule. When things weren't planned, things weren't under his control. And when things weren't under his control, they posed a problem.

"I apologize for this Eclipse but I know that my wood-style will be needed. Plus the sealing spell. But when we strike, will Ben's soul still be needed for project Suki-No-May?" Eclipse shook his head once. Jay smiled slightly. "What will be done with....ah to hell with it." Jay sighed and turned away. "I cannot wait for the project to start." Jay's hologram shut off with another humming noise. Eclipse chuckled lightly, taking one last look up at the statue. He smiled slightly and was glad there was nobody else to see him do it. Smiling was such a rare thing for him. But Eclipse supposed he could let one slip out.

"Any day now." He told the statue quietly. "He'll be here any day now." Then with another soft humming noise, Eclipse vanished to, returning the chamber back. Back to the quiet it had once enjoyed.

Chapter 5: Falling into a bedchamber

Ben was floating. It was somewhere dark. Somewhere very dark. The human couldn't see anything, nor could he hear anything. It was like...being non-existent. But he could still feel. That was a nice surprise. There was a strange tingling feeling, starting from the base of his head and moving down his body to the tips of his feet, almost like his body had gone numb. At least Rick hadn't broken his neck or something else fatal. But where had the crazy, guitar playing kidnapper brought him. Last time the Dark-skinned human had checked, it wasn't good manners to conk someone on the back of the head. It just wasn't decent. Ben knew it wasn't somewhere he recognized. The human wished he could see something, instead of just floating here in the dead silence. It was unnerving. The worst time to be alone is when you are on your own, in an unknown place.

Goosebumps rolled up his arms. Wherever he was, the human was cold. He'd wished that Rick had left him his clothes...Wait...Ben felt around him, running his hands over his bare arms...BARE! With a sense of outrage, Ben realized that the guitar player had stripped him of everything, including his dog-tags and leather jacket, leaving him just in a pair of boxers. Ben felt a surge of heat cross his face, not caring about the fact that he was alone. He'd never felt so embarrassed in his life. First some crazy, odd-eyed, guitar-playing creep kidnapped him then that same creep had the nerve to strip him of almost every scrap of clothing. To add insult to injury, Rick had seen fit to dump him somewhere where the sun didn't shine. Rick sighed, trying to curl up slightly in an attempt to draw in some more heat, not daring to move with such little sight. It was disconcerting to be curled up but still upright at the same time. Rick sighed, resting his head on his knees.

"You know you could've just asked for help." Ben's head snapped up, trying to pinpoint the source of the voice. He recognized the deep tones. It was Rick. Uncurling himself, Ben whirled round, though with such poor visibility it was useless to even try finding Rick. "Relax Ben," The voice said again, full of barely repressed laughter. "It's not like you'll be able to see me anyway. You don't have the right vision." Ben snarled, balling his fists at his sides. "I'm guessing you want some answers huh?" Asked the voice, giving another chuckle. Ben's temper was rising and his desire to scream out every foul word he knew was growing stronger and stronger. "You wanna talk, then you might wanna restrain your temper." The voice was now full of scorn, laced with a tremulous laughter. "Temper, Temper little heir." Ben stopped. Little heir? What was Rick talking about? "Oh that's right. You wouldn't know would you?!" Crowed the voice, the tone rising with each word. "Oh I'm so glad I got you out of there!" Rick yelled, now losing his composure. "HA! Where should I drop you off...Luna's chamber!" Ben frowned wondering what the heck Rick was talking about now. Then it happened.

A bright square of light appeared, right in front of him. Wind began to howl, whistling past the human, almost as though the still air was leaking out through the opening. Ben gasped as something thick and heavy, flapping like fabric, appeared out of nowhere and smacked him hard in the face. Pulling it away from his face, Ben saw that what had hit him was a long robe, made of a navy blue fabric, with a pair of long sleeves. Ben looked up, pulling the robe tight around him, shielding him from the howling wind. The Robe was so long that the ends came down and covered his bare feet. The fabric flapped around him as Ben tried to tighten the thick belt wrapped around the middle. The opening was widening...no, the wind was howling even louder, which was pulling him closer and closer to it. Just as he got to the edge, Ben's hands shot out, catching what appeared to a frame. In the near darkness before, it had been almost impossible to know that the frame had been there. Looking out through the opening, Ben could see the turrets and tiled roofs of....No, that wasn't possible. Ben was standing above what appeared to be a castle, attached to the side of a huge mountain. His hand slipped and one his feet fell out, hanging over the void.

"No!" Ben yelled, trying hard to redouble his grip on the frame. But it felt like his hands had been smeared with butter. His fingers were slipping, one by one and he was steadily inching out of the opening. Then his last few fingers slipped and he began to to fall. "NOOOOO!" Screamed Ben as he fell, the wind whistling in his ears, the speed of his fall blinding him. He was going to die. That was the one thought echoing through his mind. Besides a whole lot of wind and fear. "HELP MEEE!" Ben screamed, his arms flailing wildly as the human tumbled through the air, the castles turrets coming up faster and faster, he was falling, falling, falling....

Luna frowned as she made her way to her bedroom, yawing widely in a most un-princess-like fashion. But she didn't care. Once again, her night-court had been almost empty, comprising this time of only two to three advisers and one of them being her elocution teacher. There were times when she wished she didn't have to go through the monotonous tasks of the court and just make her own personal decisions. But, as her sister, Princess Celestia had said, it was all part of the job. It didn't change how she felt about it though. Being Princess of the Night could be very lonely, especially when most of the other ponies were asleep during her duties. Being custodian of her subjects dreams could lose its charm very quickly. Especially when she was the only Princess there to actually carry out those duties. It was a very lonely job. But now she was on her way back, to escape into her own little dream world. She smiled at the guards stationed at intervals along the walls. Some of the inexperienced ones waved back, though most just nodded at her, keeping their looks of poker-stiff professionalism. Sighing to herself, Luna pushed open the small wooden door, marked with a small blue moon.

Luna stopped dead. What appeared to be a large ball of navy blue fabric was lying on her bed, accompanied by what appeared to be a large quantity of broken timbers and glass. Luna frowned as what appeared to be an arm unfolded from the roll of fabric and slumped itself, palm down on the thin blue blanket. The arm had tanned, brown skin with what appeared to be a thin, navy-blue sleeve covering the arm. Approaching the odd creature, Luna stared thoughtfully at the thing, watching as it slowly began to disentangle itself. A long pair of legs hit the floor with a soft thump. The creature had a long body, the arms, legs and face covered in dark tanned skin. There was a shock of hair and a pair of confused light, brown eyes stared back at her. The Princess frowned again, turning her head to look up at the ceiling. There was what appeared to be a large circular hole in the ceiling where the creature had fallen through. Though, with the absence of wings anywhere on the creature, the Princess couldn't fathom where the creature had come from. Strange, anthropomorphic creatures did not just fall out of the sky at random...did they?

"Erm...Good Day sir." Luna said, trying hard not to use the Royal-Canterlot-Voice, as so many ponies called it. The last thing she wanted was to startle a potentially hostile creature with the loud voice. "May I ask what you are...and why you've landed on mine bed?" The creature's eyes widened and it struggled to its feet. Then slipped on the overlong robe and fell back onto the bed, prompting a spray of wood-chips and shredded fabric up into the air. Luna moved forward slightly, frowning at the robe. One of the sides had a thin disk of metal, shaped into a crescent shaped moon. "Where did you get that robe sir?" She inquired frowning at the creature.

"A....A...A TALKING BLUE PONY!!! The creature shrieked, scrambling backwards, off the bed and onto the floor. Luna sighed, rubbing an armored-hoof against her face in agitation. All she wanted to do was climb into her bed and sleep off a long nights work. Why did this have to happen to her?

"You had the BALLS to drop the heir right over the FRICKIN' CASTLE!" The Cloaked human demanded, staring at the guitar carrying human standing in front of the chair, a mixture of outrage and fear splashed across his face. Rick sighed, strumming lightly on his guitar. "IF IT WAS OVER THE GARDENS, I WOULD UNDERSTAND BUT THE WHOLE FRICKIN' CASTLE?! James Shrieked, his glowing Green eyes widening under the cloak. Rick nodded slightly, still strumming lightly on the guitar. James closed his eyes, gave a great groan of frustration and slammed his head back against the chairs high-backed cushion. It didn't hurt much but it didn't have the cleansing effect that James had been hoping for. The cloaked human sighed heavily, placing his head in his hands. Rick's glowing yellow gaze continued to focus on the human, the only sound between the two, Richard's guitar. James looked up, trying hard not to lose his temper. "So what now?" He demanded, leaning back in the chair and crossing his legs. Rick chuckled, flipping his guitar so that it hung across his back.

"We wait for Luna and Rick to get more acquainted. The council can't do anything until the heir shows off his powers...Besides," Rick smiled slightly, shrugging his shoulders. "It's not like my aim was off. I did try not make him hit the mountain. Right?" James sighed, closing his eyes again. "What's the worst that could happen to him?" Rick asked innocently. "If he's close to Discord, what's the harm?"