End of Balance: the Warlord´s pathby DostoronChaptersThe Umbrum´s plightMaker's involvementKind incarnationMagic in the air, in the Tree... and in the dragon?The assignment and the first choiceThe Umbrum´s plight"I have decided, i will see to bringing the umbrum to power." Your announcement didn´t seem to faze Fate in the slightest, knowing the eldritch being he knew your choice well before you did. "Very well, my Little resolve, as a boon to your natural abilities i will give you the ability to drain life force from all that lives, this will in turn bolster your own power but may prove lethal to your donors, Keep that in mind as you proceed, killing all in your path may turn out badly for you." As he finishes a light envelops you before you black out. You awaken in the Wastelands far outside the Crystal Empire, your Body was wracked from the strain of pulling against the chains seeking to bind you back into the Underground of that accursed place. It had all gone so well, Your kin had sent one of them, a runt they remodeled, to the cold outside, to either be picked up or perish... The first Runt got lucky, he was picked up and cared for by the ponies, as planned. and true to her naive nature amore ignited his hatred, the source of his power. But then that meddlesome Thing called Love entered the Picture, in the form of Radiant Hope. She ran off and called the Princesses on him, ending the first Liberation attempt before it started. Then your kin had turned to her, luring her in and convincing her to help, how naive she too was, she gladly volunteered, even brought back that failure... and then it all went wrong... he betrayed his very species... and the chains once more sought to bind you and all other umbrum... You, however, were smart, the second the road was open you fled the empire without turning back... you were almost too slow but managed to resist and pull yourself free... but it had taken a hefty toll on you... you were weakened... extremely so, barely enough to maintain a small faery appearance... barely enough of yourself to fill a jar. Remembering your nature you knew no one would aid you... but maybe... maybe adjusting your Looks a bit could save your life in convincing others to save it... You had time to worry about that later however... now you had spotted a cute Little birdie, pecking in the dust. You slunk up to it, the wispy form you Held now too Little to be noticable... it Held no malice by itself no hatred... not a good Food source you thought, but something in you hungered... you leapt onto its' back sinking a tendril into it... and pulled. To your immense surprise, something gave... the power... life itself flowed into you as the bird´s struggling weakened... deciding to make it quick you pulled out all the life it Held, the bird felt no pain... it just dropped... why does it concern you if it did?... maybe you didn´t get out unscathed after all... now with your life no longer in immediate danger, and a powerful new way of gaining strength you felt about ready to take on the world and take whatever you liked... but first you had to rely on pity... you could take on the faerie appearance... but would you identify as a male, or a female? not that it really changed much except your Looks, heck you could attempt to construct a believable "both" if you felt like trying. Author's Note votes: -male fairy Pony,tiny and helpless but can still look proud and ask Things tearlessly... might not always work. -female fairy Pony, much cuter, but might have to add a few tears into the begging, better success Chance though. -androgyne, just never say your gender, you´re fabulous anyways. the "gender" can later on be adjusted as you take new forms but this vote will determine how our shady warlord sees itself. Maker's involvementFate hated playing around with its' own creations, but they were technically only as alive as their hosts, and it could not play favourites, not even with its' chosen. The little umbrum had made a clever call in remaining androgynous, that way the little piece of darkness incarnate could adjust their story as necessary. but now it was faced with a different dilemma, the little thing was still hopelessly stuck in the Tundric lands surrounding the crystal empire and didn't actually gather enough strength to make any form of journey... Fate would have to get involved in a way that would cost him dearly if its' own creators would grow wise to it, after all even fate had no particular influence over them. Fortunately there were still the uplifters that had returned to observe, and the magical spike of raw positive energy had caught their eye. they would investigate and find the weakened faery of darkness, with any luck they would even lend assistance beyond getting it to safety. Of course the Uplifters had strict orders to not at all get involved in the well and woe of the planet underneath, but they were also strictly against extinction, Fate would just bring the right ideas to their minds at the right moment. Your first transformation was done and you had gone from a formless glob of black misty goo to an adorable tiny pony with butterfly wings and antennae, a breezie, even if those who had seen one before would be able to tell that you looked kinda gothic compared to those soft hearted beings, and you were sure you could handle air and leaves much better than them... well, you totally would if you weren't still just barely above near death. Looking around, that bird unfortunately was the only nourishment for miles. You had a problem. "hmm... maybe i can arouse someone's sympathy... anyone at all would do." You took a deep breath and ampllified your voice with all the power you could spare, before letting out a wail that sounded fairly akin to an adorable little critter in pain. You let it peter out, seemingly it lacked effect. you let your head down, you had come so far you had escaped destruction by the crystal heart by the skin of your teeth, and now you would simply collapse, forgotten in the middle of nowhere? A noise startled you out of these thoughts, an odd metallic devie had touched down a short distance away, you felt no life aboard though, it would not help... The device opened, revealing itself to be a vessel, and out stepped a bipedal... thing, it held no life force, but it moved without being a magical puppet, it came closer, looking you over and apparently debating something. "H-hello? can you please help me?" You talking to it seemed to have effect. "Involvement goes against directive, passivity will result in extinction of an intelligent species, preservation directive overrides orders to passivity, offering assistance." The machine spoke in an odd way, but you understood that it would help you, as it picked you up and carried you to the strange vessel. "listing possibilities: transport near populated area to gain native assistance, transport to orbit for stasis-safekeeping or transport to orbit for medical treatment." Apparently it expected an answer from you, you had to choose, from the way it sounded safekeeping would result in you being put somewhere your frail body could handle for possibly a long time, medical treatment by them was probably good but it also put you onto their home turf, you could get a look at their power, but if you fed up there they would probably let you feel it. getting to a settlement would mean you're on your own again, but it would also mean you could continue doing things your way. You decided to take your chances alone. "I'll always be grateful for your help, but if you could get me near civilization that will do nicely." "Acknowledged, minimizes involvement, can be excused before superiors." The vessel closes around you and this strange being lifting up and you feel it accelerate. It loaded you off further south, past a chasm you never have crossed on your own power and you catch glimpse of a town in the distance as the vessel came to a halt an the automaton stepped out placing you carefully on a treestump in a forest rather befitting your looks. "possible native assistance is nearby, this unit will not get involved any further, good luck, little creature." With that it leaves you to your own devices and you let out another amplified Wail, hoping to be found. This time it didn't take long as a wooden wolf had taken interest in your noises, it lunged at you, but you had just enough strength to hop onto his nose, forming a pair of tendrils and stabbing into the wood golem's eyes, draining the eldritch magic that held them cohesive and bound the poor dog's soul to eternal mortality. It clattered apart into twigs and you felt a bit better, sustenance from it was not great at all, it was after all just an undead puppet of this forest, a toy you would normally ignore, but the forest saw fit to test you it seemed, it would not send more toys, knowing you'd break them. You were broken out of pondering this ceasefire with the chaotic forest when you heard hoofsteps approach and what looked to be an earth pony with stripes entered the clearing with the stump, thankfully missing the firewood that used to be a dangerous beast of the forest, or she might have taken a guess at your potential. "What in Elysium's name is this i see, a darkened harmed and pained breezie?" You let out a little sob. "G-greetings, i'm sorry to pop in unannounced... but the others exiled me when the taint befell me. they were afraid of me... please... i need help." She looked a bit unsure, you had admitted to a taint being on you, and it being the reason you had been cast out after all, not the best excuse you could have made but she had felt your darkness, better if she believes you a victim of it, rather than the source. "P-please, i don't wanna go like this... i just want to see my family again." That last sentence gave her pause, it seems patheticness had a power all its' own. she came closer and scooped you up carefully, something you were grateful for, the breezie form you had taken was rather frail. "Your wounds i can quite easily mend, for the taint you'll need my friend. outside this forest you find ponyville, seek twilight out there, if you will." You gave a soft nod and hugged against her chest, Radiant hope had given you plenty of practice in feigning innocence. It was a few days under Zecora's care, and a few secret trips draining critters on your own before you felt well enough to make the trip, the burn wounds the love blast had caused you healed over but scarred you just a bit, that aside however Zecora had been very helpful towards you. You hoped she would not notice the darkness encroaching on her own body mind and soul, but being confident she'd have little contact that would notice change in her behaviour you had set it to work very slowly but unstoppable. She was carrying you to town now, where you happened across a small cottage. Zecora mentioned that it was the home of one Fluttershy another friend of that twilight, meaning another possible risk to you. you knew heir role in the crystal empire fiasco, and were a bit nervous about the possibility of facing one of them. You pondered though, should you keep playing innocent and go to twilight's, make a detour to Fluttershy, or do something else altogether? Author's Note writing a rhyming character, never again, i'll use passive speech when Zecora is involved from now on. Kind incarnationFrom what you had heard about Fluttershy over the last few days she had a house chock full of little animals, and big ones too, that she took care of, she could also speak with them, this would be interesting for sure, you asked Zecora to take you to her so you could meet her and possibly gather some support. Sure enough her home was secluded from the rest of town and surrounded by birdhouses. some of the birds in them, particularly the more intelligent ones, eyed you with intrigue, the Ravens seemed to hold a small bit of excitement too. It was a secret no one ever asked that the ravens were a favored form of the departed, wardens to the otherworld they were called, observers. They knew what you were and what you want, but were they going to stop you? You got your answer in the form of one flapping towards you and perching on Zecora's head to take a closer look at you, it moved as if bowing before flapping up and off, they seemingly approved of what was going to happen. That little meet and greet done it was time for the next, as Zecora knocked at the door of the cottage. it opened to reveal the butter yellow pony, and right away you felt something odd, she was connected to the creatures of the wild in a way no mortal being was. You wondered a bit longer before a grin entered your face, there had been jokes about her age before, they had no idea how right they were, she was a prim and proper forest maiden, guardian to the little creatures and guarded by the big ones. these maidens had a severe achilles heel in their life of healing powers, the skill to tame any animal and their boundless kindness though, they were completely and utterly helpless against aggresive magics, especially those born from misused weather control and darkness. They lacked warning instincts against it and even of they felt the touch they succumbed quickly instead. You quickly reverted to your poor and helpless lost fairy persona, just as she made to look at you, she wasn't particularly fazed by your appearance, guessing that the fashion existed among breezies too but instead seemed pained by seeing your scars. "you poor thing, i'll get you something for that right away." Ah, that was the nature of the maidens, you faintly recalled back in the day Umbrum would corrupt strips of forest to lure them and then corrupt them to gain the whole forest, keeping them around as medical support for their slaves and so that the animals connected to them could be used as fodder. it was a stroke of luck to find her. "th-thank you miss fluttershy, i'm sorry to inconvenience you." you still had to act the part, the ravens felt what you were, and one of these critters, her familiar, would feel it too. you looked around for her guardian, dismissing the bear after a second look, he was dumb as a brick and familiars were cunning. "it's fine, i was just about to finish feeding the animals, Angel helped me." That name froze you, familiars were often given names like that, a testament to the lacking capacity of the light dwellers to use their brains. Looking around you spotted a bunny glaring at you hatefully, you could see fierce intelligence in his eyes and an uncompromising desire to protect his master, yup, he was it. the one being whose life stood between you and your target, the one being that could destroy you before you got anywhere at all. You also remembered the major problem these familiars caused, Killing the bunny was out of the question because it meant Fluttershy too would die, you needed her if you wanted to get anywhere significant in a timely fashion, you could corrupt Angel, but that would take time, in which he could cause lasting damage. Umbrum were often thwarted by these pests. "m-miss shy, could me and Angel talk for a moment?" "oh of course, i was going to put on some tea anyways, be nice with each other." with that she left and you and the bunny faced each other directly. Up close and personal he was a fair bit bigger than you, sure enough he demanded ou get and stay away from her quickly. "we both know that that is not going to happen bunbun, she'll be mine, and you will too." In return he just grinned and leapt, paws alight with the power he wanted to use to exorcise you, big mistake. Your butterfly wings were tiny, but so were you and you easily used the lift to land on his back and begin draining. Angel froze terrified at what he could feel happening. "i'm not the average umbrum, i can keep you just barely strong enough to breathe and have fun all i want while you can't lift an ear to stop me." the bunny drooped and you knew you had won, now you had to secure your catch. "Miss fluttershy, something is wrong with Angel bunny!" the pegasus quickly rushed up and put th pest to bed, the other critters were owed into acting normal, they knew angel was the strongest of them, and Harry didn't get what was wrong, you had planted the corruption, draining your reserves almost dangerously, asevery last of fluttershy's little friends, her guardian Angel, and she herself now were well on the way to becoming your slaves, a good start, but tiring. All said and done you told Zecora you'd stay over, something Fluttershy readily agreed to, a new kingdom was founding, surrounded by your now helplessly loyal followers you took to rest. Magic in the air, in the Tree... and in the dragon?It felt like months had passed when you awoke the next morning, feeling not just refreshed but stronger than ever before. Clearly making sure the dear forest maiden became yours was an excellent move on your part, her entire menagerie now supplied you with their very life, your intake not nearly enough to even be noticeable but given the number of animals she had it still gave you a steady income of energy. Now however it was time to broaden your approach, with the Angel Bunny being a fallen angel at best now he was no longer able to snuff you out completely, and would instead in time be your most loyal pet, and with him came Fluttershy, always the package deal. Over the day you conversed with the Yellow Pony and sure enough she took care of just about any pet in ponyville, being a voluntary assistant to the local vet as well, she took the less serious cases that just need special food or fur care. apparently she had to give a documentary promise to go to a real vet for anything more serious, probably a story behind that... Your talks also revealed a side to her friends that was very interesting, apparently the six of them were Equestria's most successful defense. being able to stop nightmare moon and even Discord, the latter of which she didn't actually sound very happy about. You also felt her connection to the everfree ripple at the mention, apparently the natural wild magic of the place was not too happy about the elements being a thing, and suitably grateful that your corruption was set to bring an end to their power. Knowing that such a wellspring of raw might could be incredibly useful, you decided to continue catering to this wish of the forest, setting your sights on the other Elements, and most importantly, the Element of Magic. Normally you would deem it wise to save that one for last, but you had an in with that pony, under the guise of looking to get yourself purified, something you would not so easily achieve again. Furthermore her own mental defenses were shaken, her conflict with one Thunderhead in Manehattan, which she had admirably resolved, had still shaken the entire Kingdom, this unrest did not sit well with her, a fan of the status quo. No, you had to go to her today, find another pillar upholding her mind's peace and strength and break it. Then you could lean back and take care of the other four with relative impunity. The walk to the town center was also a good time to review your story, being befallen by the taint and ousted by the breezies was easy enough to claim, without any others around it was impossible to prove after all, but she would inquire about the source of that corruption and you drew a total blank on that front... eh, you could blame the everfree nopony really knows what's going on there. You also got a glimpse of a pink pony gasping and disappearing suddenly, had Fluttershy not told you about her that might have made you worry about being found out. Then you felt it, power, not in any raw or unrefined form but more a Beacon of Arcane energy, a powerful Unicorn mage's dwelling... in a tree? As you got closer you subtly let your shadow extend to feel it out, the power was much older and even greater than that of it's current inhabitant... and it felt familiar... Starswirl! That damnable kooky Arcane Spellsmith created this tree, apparently force-growing a sapling into shape and replacing it's normal connection to the earth with a connection to himself. no surprise it was a library either... bookworms, the whole lot of them. Your Dwelling on the matter was cut short though, the next greatest wizard in equestria had just opened the door. "Hmm? Oh, hello Fluttershy, can i help you?" "Oh, umm, n-not exactly me but... if it's fine... and not a bother... could you take a look at my friend here? he's not feeling very well." "It's a he?" "I get asked that all the time Miss... and i never answer because it's fun to keep them guessing... but i have an actual problem too... you can probably tell by looking at me... but i've been struck by magic corruption in the Everfree... and need help getting that cleaned." Her horn lights up and her magic washes over you for a moment before she all but recoils. "Oh yes, i can feel it, this is a very serious case too, come on in, i'll have to read up on that." Of course she did... did i mention that Arcane wizards are without exception utter nerds? As you entered you noticed something else, the inside was filled with her own Arcane power, centered around two hot points rather than just her though, looking for the other you found it in a... Gecko? No, not a Gecko, a dragon, or rather a creature looking like a miniature Dragon. "Who's that?" you asked as innocently as you could muster. "Oh, that's Spike, a baby Dragon and my number one Assistant." Hmm, she believed that to be true but you knew better, whatever Spike was, he was not a dragon, more like a magical construct that used a Dragon as a blueprint... you had to pry. "I thought baby dragons are closely guarded by their moms in the volcanic lands?" "Oh, no i hatched him from an egg about... ten years ago i think, it was my entrance exam into Princess Celestia's school for gifted unicorns." So they still had that egg test... an unfertilized dragon egg that would sponge up the magic to be measurable, and this unicorn not only blew it up but used the genes of the not-mother to give her magical surplus form... and they were still connected, her being his lifeline and him being her safety vent... oh this was an opportunity not of Gold but of Platinum. You could openly accuse her of conducting dangerous experiments by creating life, accident or not. You could confidentially talk with spike and point out his makings, telling him that Twilight created him for the sake of herself alone... Or you could let Twilight and him know the truth, informing them that their favourite Solar diarch knew the entire time and lied to them. Author's Note phew, WAY too long on this one but suddenly i felt inspired and here we are, vot in the comments as always loyal readers, and if you're new to it, welcome. The assignment and the first choiceBalance, Fate clearly put immense importance to such a simple word, though his reasoning seemed Sound enough. if it even was a he at times it sounded more feminine, though you supposed that was ultimately a manner of Fashion rather than a certainty when you were a bodiless Entity... where had your thoughts gone again? oh yes, Balance. Apparently there was an inhabited world chock full of species, in which one, Equinity or ponykind had gotten too powerful, his first solution, split them apart, there was only a Problem, even now that they were halved and a new Nation had popped up, they refused to be openly hostile to each other, something about your predecessor being too good or rather not evil enough. From what you could gather, or rather was dumped into your brain, he had been a Pegasus convict that broke free, then proceeded to gather help and ressources before making himself a public appearance. Add to the equation how poorly Equestria handled his presence and he quickly gained half the Nation´s adoration, which he then used to found his own Nation, all in all he was pretty admirable, except that it was very much not Fate´s Intention. Such were seemingly the pitfalls of giving your Agent free will and making him Forget he was your Agent, not that Fate could go about it differently, apparently he had a Boss too and that one carefully watched that he didn´t go too far in intervening. So here you were, another "Resolve", another Agent sent to Change the Status Quo, made to use the Hand me down choices your predecessor didn´t take and make something of the mess he currently locked Equestria and his new Nation Tempesta in. "As it is, I must apparently go for a threat from outside ponykind. And as luck would have it a few opportunities are there." "Is it really luck when you are involved?" You had figured out the whole speech without an anything rather quickly. "You raise a good Point and maybe I shall discuss it with another Resolve that is philosophically inclined." "How many of us Agents do you have anyways?" "As many as i deem necessary. Usually just one, but that didn´t work this time." Yeah, you about expected as much. "Alright, so... my Job?" "You will have to go down there and become one with a Champion of your choice, guiding their Actions, but more importantly Setting the path you will walk through your choices. I am sorry to tell you that your Options are more limited than those of your predecessor, but in a way, his work brought your possibilities about." "Basically, go down there and do whatever i want." "I have found that that is usually the best way to go about it, i cannot interfere a lot after all." "So then, do i get the rundown of my Options?" "Straight to the Point i see, the last one was more curious." Three orbs materialize before you. "The first is a fledgling of a species made of pure malice, an umbrum. It escaped an artifact made to imprison them, but paid dearly. It is alone but powerful and its' power grows as he gathers Followers. There are many species and it can take Control of them... Your path will be one of growth in all aspects." The shadow pony you saw looked to be in pain, it would take steely Determination, you, to make it. "Not choosing to aid it will Keep it off your back as well, as it will depend on you to even muster the will to go on." "Hmm, i´ll consider it." Another orb Pops up. "The next Comes from a species that Long ago shaped this world, uplifting the many species of it, and then being banished as they did not want to fight their children." Visible was a Thin figure on two legs, most of the Skin covered by a suit and only few of them and a lot of machines around. "They have since rediscovered their abilities for combat and seek to contact them once more, their orders are to observe, take samples and learn of them, but the festering resentment of the Precursors could, with a little push, become the Will to reclaim rulership. Your path would be one of subjugation and rulership, you would have to claim them and keep them in line. Without you they will simply go on their Mission, largely ignoring the politics of the world." "Hmm, this could get interesting." The third and last orb Shows up. "The third candidate is a mere officer in the Changeling Swarm, following the Queen named Chrysalis, though he has Long ago grown discontent with her obsessions and gathered help in the Swarm and outside it too, he isn´t fully committed yet, but you may Change that. You would be the one to take down the Queens and Claim all Swarms before falling over Equestria, taking the sustenance they would deny you by force." The insectoid creature you see is looking over a wall covered in cocoons, in each the silouette of more of them is outlined. "These three candidates may never meet, but they each hold equal chances of success or disaster, each of them could be the ruler of Equis if given the time and dedication. But i must warn you, their life will become yours and I cannot give you a do-over." You nodded, or you would have if you had the Body to do so, before looking the orbs over. each of them were known enemies to ponykind, or forgotten enemies too, and each would ultimately wind up waging war, a friendly Nation behind them, plenty of enemies before them, it was time to choose. Author's Note So, here we go for the second time. Comment vote driven like before, and only comment votes, upvoting a comment that fits your pick does not Count. just to clarify.
The Umbrum´s plight"I have decided, i will see to bringing the umbrum to power." Your announcement didn´t seem to faze Fate in the slightest, knowing the eldritch being he knew your choice well before you did. "Very well, my Little resolve, as a boon to your natural abilities i will give you the ability to drain life force from all that lives, this will in turn bolster your own power but may prove lethal to your donors, Keep that in mind as you proceed, killing all in your path may turn out badly for you." As he finishes a light envelops you before you black out. You awaken in the Wastelands far outside the Crystal Empire, your Body was wracked from the strain of pulling against the chains seeking to bind you back into the Underground of that accursed place. It had all gone so well, Your kin had sent one of them, a runt they remodeled, to the cold outside, to either be picked up or perish... The first Runt got lucky, he was picked up and cared for by the ponies, as planned. and true to her naive nature amore ignited his hatred, the source of his power. But then that meddlesome Thing called Love entered the Picture, in the form of Radiant Hope. She ran off and called the Princesses on him, ending the first Liberation attempt before it started. Then your kin had turned to her, luring her in and convincing her to help, how naive she too was, she gladly volunteered, even brought back that failure... and then it all went wrong... he betrayed his very species... and the chains once more sought to bind you and all other umbrum... You, however, were smart, the second the road was open you fled the empire without turning back... you were almost too slow but managed to resist and pull yourself free... but it had taken a hefty toll on you... you were weakened... extremely so, barely enough to maintain a small faery appearance... barely enough of yourself to fill a jar. Remembering your nature you knew no one would aid you... but maybe... maybe adjusting your Looks a bit could save your life in convincing others to save it... You had time to worry about that later however... now you had spotted a cute Little birdie, pecking in the dust. You slunk up to it, the wispy form you Held now too Little to be noticable... it Held no malice by itself no hatred... not a good Food source you thought, but something in you hungered... you leapt onto its' back sinking a tendril into it... and pulled. To your immense surprise, something gave... the power... life itself flowed into you as the bird´s struggling weakened... deciding to make it quick you pulled out all the life it Held, the bird felt no pain... it just dropped... why does it concern you if it did?... maybe you didn´t get out unscathed after all... now with your life no longer in immediate danger, and a powerful new way of gaining strength you felt about ready to take on the world and take whatever you liked... but first you had to rely on pity... you could take on the faerie appearance... but would you identify as a male, or a female? not that it really changed much except your Looks, heck you could attempt to construct a believable "both" if you felt like trying. Author's Note votes: -male fairy Pony,tiny and helpless but can still look proud and ask Things tearlessly... might not always work. -female fairy Pony, much cuter, but might have to add a few tears into the begging, better success Chance though. -androgyne, just never say your gender, you´re fabulous anyways. the "gender" can later on be adjusted as you take new forms but this vote will determine how our shady warlord sees itself.
Maker's involvementFate hated playing around with its' own creations, but they were technically only as alive as their hosts, and it could not play favourites, not even with its' chosen. The little umbrum had made a clever call in remaining androgynous, that way the little piece of darkness incarnate could adjust their story as necessary. but now it was faced with a different dilemma, the little thing was still hopelessly stuck in the Tundric lands surrounding the crystal empire and didn't actually gather enough strength to make any form of journey... Fate would have to get involved in a way that would cost him dearly if its' own creators would grow wise to it, after all even fate had no particular influence over them. Fortunately there were still the uplifters that had returned to observe, and the magical spike of raw positive energy had caught their eye. they would investigate and find the weakened faery of darkness, with any luck they would even lend assistance beyond getting it to safety. Of course the Uplifters had strict orders to not at all get involved in the well and woe of the planet underneath, but they were also strictly against extinction, Fate would just bring the right ideas to their minds at the right moment. Your first transformation was done and you had gone from a formless glob of black misty goo to an adorable tiny pony with butterfly wings and antennae, a breezie, even if those who had seen one before would be able to tell that you looked kinda gothic compared to those soft hearted beings, and you were sure you could handle air and leaves much better than them... well, you totally would if you weren't still just barely above near death. Looking around, that bird unfortunately was the only nourishment for miles. You had a problem. "hmm... maybe i can arouse someone's sympathy... anyone at all would do." You took a deep breath and ampllified your voice with all the power you could spare, before letting out a wail that sounded fairly akin to an adorable little critter in pain. You let it peter out, seemingly it lacked effect. you let your head down, you had come so far you had escaped destruction by the crystal heart by the skin of your teeth, and now you would simply collapse, forgotten in the middle of nowhere? A noise startled you out of these thoughts, an odd metallic devie had touched down a short distance away, you felt no life aboard though, it would not help... The device opened, revealing itself to be a vessel, and out stepped a bipedal... thing, it held no life force, but it moved without being a magical puppet, it came closer, looking you over and apparently debating something. "H-hello? can you please help me?" You talking to it seemed to have effect. "Involvement goes against directive, passivity will result in extinction of an intelligent species, preservation directive overrides orders to passivity, offering assistance." The machine spoke in an odd way, but you understood that it would help you, as it picked you up and carried you to the strange vessel. "listing possibilities: transport near populated area to gain native assistance, transport to orbit for stasis-safekeeping or transport to orbit for medical treatment." Apparently it expected an answer from you, you had to choose, from the way it sounded safekeeping would result in you being put somewhere your frail body could handle for possibly a long time, medical treatment by them was probably good but it also put you onto their home turf, you could get a look at their power, but if you fed up there they would probably let you feel it. getting to a settlement would mean you're on your own again, but it would also mean you could continue doing things your way. You decided to take your chances alone. "I'll always be grateful for your help, but if you could get me near civilization that will do nicely." "Acknowledged, minimizes involvement, can be excused before superiors." The vessel closes around you and this strange being lifting up and you feel it accelerate. It loaded you off further south, past a chasm you never have crossed on your own power and you catch glimpse of a town in the distance as the vessel came to a halt an the automaton stepped out placing you carefully on a treestump in a forest rather befitting your looks. "possible native assistance is nearby, this unit will not get involved any further, good luck, little creature." With that it leaves you to your own devices and you let out another amplified Wail, hoping to be found. This time it didn't take long as a wooden wolf had taken interest in your noises, it lunged at you, but you had just enough strength to hop onto his nose, forming a pair of tendrils and stabbing into the wood golem's eyes, draining the eldritch magic that held them cohesive and bound the poor dog's soul to eternal mortality. It clattered apart into twigs and you felt a bit better, sustenance from it was not great at all, it was after all just an undead puppet of this forest, a toy you would normally ignore, but the forest saw fit to test you it seemed, it would not send more toys, knowing you'd break them. You were broken out of pondering this ceasefire with the chaotic forest when you heard hoofsteps approach and what looked to be an earth pony with stripes entered the clearing with the stump, thankfully missing the firewood that used to be a dangerous beast of the forest, or she might have taken a guess at your potential. "What in Elysium's name is this i see, a darkened harmed and pained breezie?" You let out a little sob. "G-greetings, i'm sorry to pop in unannounced... but the others exiled me when the taint befell me. they were afraid of me... please... i need help." She looked a bit unsure, you had admitted to a taint being on you, and it being the reason you had been cast out after all, not the best excuse you could have made but she had felt your darkness, better if she believes you a victim of it, rather than the source. "P-please, i don't wanna go like this... i just want to see my family again." That last sentence gave her pause, it seems patheticness had a power all its' own. she came closer and scooped you up carefully, something you were grateful for, the breezie form you had taken was rather frail. "Your wounds i can quite easily mend, for the taint you'll need my friend. outside this forest you find ponyville, seek twilight out there, if you will." You gave a soft nod and hugged against her chest, Radiant hope had given you plenty of practice in feigning innocence. It was a few days under Zecora's care, and a few secret trips draining critters on your own before you felt well enough to make the trip, the burn wounds the love blast had caused you healed over but scarred you just a bit, that aside however Zecora had been very helpful towards you. You hoped she would not notice the darkness encroaching on her own body mind and soul, but being confident she'd have little contact that would notice change in her behaviour you had set it to work very slowly but unstoppable. She was carrying you to town now, where you happened across a small cottage. Zecora mentioned that it was the home of one Fluttershy another friend of that twilight, meaning another possible risk to you. you knew heir role in the crystal empire fiasco, and were a bit nervous about the possibility of facing one of them. You pondered though, should you keep playing innocent and go to twilight's, make a detour to Fluttershy, or do something else altogether? Author's Note writing a rhyming character, never again, i'll use passive speech when Zecora is involved from now on.
Kind incarnationFrom what you had heard about Fluttershy over the last few days she had a house chock full of little animals, and big ones too, that she took care of, she could also speak with them, this would be interesting for sure, you asked Zecora to take you to her so you could meet her and possibly gather some support. Sure enough her home was secluded from the rest of town and surrounded by birdhouses. some of the birds in them, particularly the more intelligent ones, eyed you with intrigue, the Ravens seemed to hold a small bit of excitement too. It was a secret no one ever asked that the ravens were a favored form of the departed, wardens to the otherworld they were called, observers. They knew what you were and what you want, but were they going to stop you? You got your answer in the form of one flapping towards you and perching on Zecora's head to take a closer look at you, it moved as if bowing before flapping up and off, they seemingly approved of what was going to happen. That little meet and greet done it was time for the next, as Zecora knocked at the door of the cottage. it opened to reveal the butter yellow pony, and right away you felt something odd, she was connected to the creatures of the wild in a way no mortal being was. You wondered a bit longer before a grin entered your face, there had been jokes about her age before, they had no idea how right they were, she was a prim and proper forest maiden, guardian to the little creatures and guarded by the big ones. these maidens had a severe achilles heel in their life of healing powers, the skill to tame any animal and their boundless kindness though, they were completely and utterly helpless against aggresive magics, especially those born from misused weather control and darkness. They lacked warning instincts against it and even of they felt the touch they succumbed quickly instead. You quickly reverted to your poor and helpless lost fairy persona, just as she made to look at you, she wasn't particularly fazed by your appearance, guessing that the fashion existed among breezies too but instead seemed pained by seeing your scars. "you poor thing, i'll get you something for that right away." Ah, that was the nature of the maidens, you faintly recalled back in the day Umbrum would corrupt strips of forest to lure them and then corrupt them to gain the whole forest, keeping them around as medical support for their slaves and so that the animals connected to them could be used as fodder. it was a stroke of luck to find her. "th-thank you miss fluttershy, i'm sorry to inconvenience you." you still had to act the part, the ravens felt what you were, and one of these critters, her familiar, would feel it too. you looked around for her guardian, dismissing the bear after a second look, he was dumb as a brick and familiars were cunning. "it's fine, i was just about to finish feeding the animals, Angel helped me." That name froze you, familiars were often given names like that, a testament to the lacking capacity of the light dwellers to use their brains. Looking around you spotted a bunny glaring at you hatefully, you could see fierce intelligence in his eyes and an uncompromising desire to protect his master, yup, he was it. the one being whose life stood between you and your target, the one being that could destroy you before you got anywhere at all. You also remembered the major problem these familiars caused, Killing the bunny was out of the question because it meant Fluttershy too would die, you needed her if you wanted to get anywhere significant in a timely fashion, you could corrupt Angel, but that would take time, in which he could cause lasting damage. Umbrum were often thwarted by these pests. "m-miss shy, could me and Angel talk for a moment?" "oh of course, i was going to put on some tea anyways, be nice with each other." with that she left and you and the bunny faced each other directly. Up close and personal he was a fair bit bigger than you, sure enough he demanded ou get and stay away from her quickly. "we both know that that is not going to happen bunbun, she'll be mine, and you will too." In return he just grinned and leapt, paws alight with the power he wanted to use to exorcise you, big mistake. Your butterfly wings were tiny, but so were you and you easily used the lift to land on his back and begin draining. Angel froze terrified at what he could feel happening. "i'm not the average umbrum, i can keep you just barely strong enough to breathe and have fun all i want while you can't lift an ear to stop me." the bunny drooped and you knew you had won, now you had to secure your catch. "Miss fluttershy, something is wrong with Angel bunny!" the pegasus quickly rushed up and put th pest to bed, the other critters were owed into acting normal, they knew angel was the strongest of them, and Harry didn't get what was wrong, you had planted the corruption, draining your reserves almost dangerously, asevery last of fluttershy's little friends, her guardian Angel, and she herself now were well on the way to becoming your slaves, a good start, but tiring. All said and done you told Zecora you'd stay over, something Fluttershy readily agreed to, a new kingdom was founding, surrounded by your now helplessly loyal followers you took to rest.
Magic in the air, in the Tree... and in the dragon?It felt like months had passed when you awoke the next morning, feeling not just refreshed but stronger than ever before. Clearly making sure the dear forest maiden became yours was an excellent move on your part, her entire menagerie now supplied you with their very life, your intake not nearly enough to even be noticeable but given the number of animals she had it still gave you a steady income of energy. Now however it was time to broaden your approach, with the Angel Bunny being a fallen angel at best now he was no longer able to snuff you out completely, and would instead in time be your most loyal pet, and with him came Fluttershy, always the package deal. Over the day you conversed with the Yellow Pony and sure enough she took care of just about any pet in ponyville, being a voluntary assistant to the local vet as well, she took the less serious cases that just need special food or fur care. apparently she had to give a documentary promise to go to a real vet for anything more serious, probably a story behind that... Your talks also revealed a side to her friends that was very interesting, apparently the six of them were Equestria's most successful defense. being able to stop nightmare moon and even Discord, the latter of which she didn't actually sound very happy about. You also felt her connection to the everfree ripple at the mention, apparently the natural wild magic of the place was not too happy about the elements being a thing, and suitably grateful that your corruption was set to bring an end to their power. Knowing that such a wellspring of raw might could be incredibly useful, you decided to continue catering to this wish of the forest, setting your sights on the other Elements, and most importantly, the Element of Magic. Normally you would deem it wise to save that one for last, but you had an in with that pony, under the guise of looking to get yourself purified, something you would not so easily achieve again. Furthermore her own mental defenses were shaken, her conflict with one Thunderhead in Manehattan, which she had admirably resolved, had still shaken the entire Kingdom, this unrest did not sit well with her, a fan of the status quo. No, you had to go to her today, find another pillar upholding her mind's peace and strength and break it. Then you could lean back and take care of the other four with relative impunity. The walk to the town center was also a good time to review your story, being befallen by the taint and ousted by the breezies was easy enough to claim, without any others around it was impossible to prove after all, but she would inquire about the source of that corruption and you drew a total blank on that front... eh, you could blame the everfree nopony really knows what's going on there. You also got a glimpse of a pink pony gasping and disappearing suddenly, had Fluttershy not told you about her that might have made you worry about being found out. Then you felt it, power, not in any raw or unrefined form but more a Beacon of Arcane energy, a powerful Unicorn mage's dwelling... in a tree? As you got closer you subtly let your shadow extend to feel it out, the power was much older and even greater than that of it's current inhabitant... and it felt familiar... Starswirl! That damnable kooky Arcane Spellsmith created this tree, apparently force-growing a sapling into shape and replacing it's normal connection to the earth with a connection to himself. no surprise it was a library either... bookworms, the whole lot of them. Your Dwelling on the matter was cut short though, the next greatest wizard in equestria had just opened the door. "Hmm? Oh, hello Fluttershy, can i help you?" "Oh, umm, n-not exactly me but... if it's fine... and not a bother... could you take a look at my friend here? he's not feeling very well." "It's a he?" "I get asked that all the time Miss... and i never answer because it's fun to keep them guessing... but i have an actual problem too... you can probably tell by looking at me... but i've been struck by magic corruption in the Everfree... and need help getting that cleaned." Her horn lights up and her magic washes over you for a moment before she all but recoils. "Oh yes, i can feel it, this is a very serious case too, come on in, i'll have to read up on that." Of course she did... did i mention that Arcane wizards are without exception utter nerds? As you entered you noticed something else, the inside was filled with her own Arcane power, centered around two hot points rather than just her though, looking for the other you found it in a... Gecko? No, not a Gecko, a dragon, or rather a creature looking like a miniature Dragon. "Who's that?" you asked as innocently as you could muster. "Oh, that's Spike, a baby Dragon and my number one Assistant." Hmm, she believed that to be true but you knew better, whatever Spike was, he was not a dragon, more like a magical construct that used a Dragon as a blueprint... you had to pry. "I thought baby dragons are closely guarded by their moms in the volcanic lands?" "Oh, no i hatched him from an egg about... ten years ago i think, it was my entrance exam into Princess Celestia's school for gifted unicorns." So they still had that egg test... an unfertilized dragon egg that would sponge up the magic to be measurable, and this unicorn not only blew it up but used the genes of the not-mother to give her magical surplus form... and they were still connected, her being his lifeline and him being her safety vent... oh this was an opportunity not of Gold but of Platinum. You could openly accuse her of conducting dangerous experiments by creating life, accident or not. You could confidentially talk with spike and point out his makings, telling him that Twilight created him for the sake of herself alone... Or you could let Twilight and him know the truth, informing them that their favourite Solar diarch knew the entire time and lied to them. Author's Note phew, WAY too long on this one but suddenly i felt inspired and here we are, vot in the comments as always loyal readers, and if you're new to it, welcome.
The assignment and the first choiceBalance, Fate clearly put immense importance to such a simple word, though his reasoning seemed Sound enough. if it even was a he at times it sounded more feminine, though you supposed that was ultimately a manner of Fashion rather than a certainty when you were a bodiless Entity... where had your thoughts gone again? oh yes, Balance. Apparently there was an inhabited world chock full of species, in which one, Equinity or ponykind had gotten too powerful, his first solution, split them apart, there was only a Problem, even now that they were halved and a new Nation had popped up, they refused to be openly hostile to each other, something about your predecessor being too good or rather not evil enough. From what you could gather, or rather was dumped into your brain, he had been a Pegasus convict that broke free, then proceeded to gather help and ressources before making himself a public appearance. Add to the equation how poorly Equestria handled his presence and he quickly gained half the Nation´s adoration, which he then used to found his own Nation, all in all he was pretty admirable, except that it was very much not Fate´s Intention. Such were seemingly the pitfalls of giving your Agent free will and making him Forget he was your Agent, not that Fate could go about it differently, apparently he had a Boss too and that one carefully watched that he didn´t go too far in intervening. So here you were, another "Resolve", another Agent sent to Change the Status Quo, made to use the Hand me down choices your predecessor didn´t take and make something of the mess he currently locked Equestria and his new Nation Tempesta in. "As it is, I must apparently go for a threat from outside ponykind. And as luck would have it a few opportunities are there." "Is it really luck when you are involved?" You had figured out the whole speech without an anything rather quickly. "You raise a good Point and maybe I shall discuss it with another Resolve that is philosophically inclined." "How many of us Agents do you have anyways?" "As many as i deem necessary. Usually just one, but that didn´t work this time." Yeah, you about expected as much. "Alright, so... my Job?" "You will have to go down there and become one with a Champion of your choice, guiding their Actions, but more importantly Setting the path you will walk through your choices. I am sorry to tell you that your Options are more limited than those of your predecessor, but in a way, his work brought your possibilities about." "Basically, go down there and do whatever i want." "I have found that that is usually the best way to go about it, i cannot interfere a lot after all." "So then, do i get the rundown of my Options?" "Straight to the Point i see, the last one was more curious." Three orbs materialize before you. "The first is a fledgling of a species made of pure malice, an umbrum. It escaped an artifact made to imprison them, but paid dearly. It is alone but powerful and its' power grows as he gathers Followers. There are many species and it can take Control of them... Your path will be one of growth in all aspects." The shadow pony you saw looked to be in pain, it would take steely Determination, you, to make it. "Not choosing to aid it will Keep it off your back as well, as it will depend on you to even muster the will to go on." "Hmm, i´ll consider it." Another orb Pops up. "The next Comes from a species that Long ago shaped this world, uplifting the many species of it, and then being banished as they did not want to fight their children." Visible was a Thin figure on two legs, most of the Skin covered by a suit and only few of them and a lot of machines around. "They have since rediscovered their abilities for combat and seek to contact them once more, their orders are to observe, take samples and learn of them, but the festering resentment of the Precursors could, with a little push, become the Will to reclaim rulership. Your path would be one of subjugation and rulership, you would have to claim them and keep them in line. Without you they will simply go on their Mission, largely ignoring the politics of the world." "Hmm, this could get interesting." The third and last orb Shows up. "The third candidate is a mere officer in the Changeling Swarm, following the Queen named Chrysalis, though he has Long ago grown discontent with her obsessions and gathered help in the Swarm and outside it too, he isn´t fully committed yet, but you may Change that. You would be the one to take down the Queens and Claim all Swarms before falling over Equestria, taking the sustenance they would deny you by force." The insectoid creature you see is looking over a wall covered in cocoons, in each the silouette of more of them is outlined. "These three candidates may never meet, but they each hold equal chances of success or disaster, each of them could be the ruler of Equis if given the time and dedication. But i must warn you, their life will become yours and I cannot give you a do-over." You nodded, or you would have if you had the Body to do so, before looking the orbs over. each of them were known enemies to ponykind, or forgotten enemies too, and each would ultimately wind up waging war, a friendly Nation behind them, plenty of enemies before them, it was time to choose. Author's Note So, here we go for the second time. Comment vote driven like before, and only comment votes, upvoting a comment that fits your pick does not Count. just to clarify.
