Everfree Castle, Midnight

"Now as I was saying Moonie, we give them some time to recover from Discord's rampage, let them think that the damage that has been done to me by his chaotic magic was enough to suspend any operations against them so that they would be complacent and have their guard down and once we see a large enough opening we strike hard, sink our fangs in deep, twist like crazy than viciously pull out to watch the aftermath." I said with a warm smile, Nightmare Moon sighed out as I continued to rub her back, her wings twitching ever so slightly whenever my hoof would go near them.

It has been a month since Discord has escaped from his prison only to be forced back into it by my hoof and of those that belonged to the Elements of Harmony, it was after I was treated by the doctors and nurses in our castle and after a hair growth potion from a certain zebra who for some reason was helping me and at the same time those Equestrians, but at the moment I didn't care since I was shaved down and smelled like a sweaty sock wrapped in leathery burnt bacon.

Nightmare's reaction to seeing me on death's doorstep was absolutely livid, and she would have done something to those mares if she wasn't a specter or as she currently is, missing her back half. With all the magic she is absorbing naturally and also being pumped into her by me she is ever so slowly regaining her form and was truly ecstatic when she found out that she was so close to being back to her completed self but was sad when it was postponed until I was back to my normal self, which took a full week of laying in a hospital bed with IV's hooked up to be, mostly to get rid of the residual chaos magic lingering inside my system, which has me sadly sneezing out streamers and confetti.

I have let the Equestrian ponies take back Discord since I was in no condition to levitate and teleport us both back home but came nightfall I had a few of my Shadowbolts fly to Canterlot, take exact measurements of Discord to make a fully scale model of him for the purpose of replacing the real Discord for the fake one. I rather keep my failure of an uncle close than have him in the hooves of those traitors.

One thing I learned about Nightmare Moon was that, she eats meat. At first I thought she was just yanking my chain but when I came back from the hospital good as new I saw her on our bed with her fangs in a chunk of meat still on the bone. We sorta just stared at each other for a few seconds before I came over to her and asked if I could have a small bite, the look on her face was priceless as she handed me a small piece and fed it to me. The taste was something that was yet to be acquired but the fangs that Nightmare gave me let me eat it without gagging on it or trying to throw it up to get rid of the taste, but than again it did leave me hungering for it a bit more than usual.

Anyways, as I was saying to my Moonie that we had to give the Equestrians some time to think that we are going soft from my injuries and that we are slowly becoming not much of a threat but in truth our strength was continuing to grow and everyday ponies continue to show up into the outlaying villages and towns to join us but we know that Celestia has been sending in spies to try and undermine our efforts and it is easy to find these spies with a bit of mental intrusion, the ones that are nervous are the least susceptible since they have every right to be afraid of having their memories looked at but those that aren't afraid are the ones we really look for. Seeing how those that are not flinching at the mention of a mental probe tells us a few things about them but they think we do a quick look through but in reality we get a copy of their entire layout of their mind, give it to our mental experts to sift through them and once we find the ponies with even a hint of Celestia talking to them about what they should do we pull them aside and than promptly execute them.

The executions of those spies may make us look bad for doing it but knowing that they would do the same to us so we preemptively strike first, and seeing how the few we execute have relatives living within our borders now since they have accepted our gift of a new beginning we than use them as a bargaining chip when we want those spies alive to work for us. Ah, the sweet taste of holding ponies ransom to get what we want.

"But Shady, that will make us look weak and they might use that to invade our lands and destroy everything we have worked so hard to create. And besides I don't think that they will just lower their guard since you were injured."

Looking back at her I sigh quietly before crawling back into bed and getting a nice warm hug and a kiss on the forehead before feeling the long days of medical treatment...and the constant alerts from the outlaying scouts and spies within Equestria's borders.

So many reports and all of them varying on the readiness of Celestia's army, strength numbers, supply routes and how many of each supply they have, and almost worst of all was that they were asking for outside assistance from the Gryphon and Diamond Dog kingdoms to the north and south of them. I know that the Gryphons might help Celestia with her cause but at the cost of the border lands and more than likely Hoofington and Trottingham but the Diamond Dogs...Celestia would have to bribe them the few gem mines she has left and seeing how we had stolen quite a few of them along with the quarries and lumberyards but bribing those dogs would harm her more than help seeing how the two still hold a grudge against each other for failing to reclaim their mines from me.

But it is for the best, can't have those grubby idiotic dogs reclaim our gem mines after all the hard work me and the Shadowbolts have done to reclaim them into our hooves, that and I love my new magic powered gem lamp, the pretty colors that thing makes is amazing. Our research ponies have been studying gems for the past year and have found that gems can be used to store magic and with the stored magic it can be used to power everyday devices but recharging them is simply but overfilling said gem would result in it exploding violently.

We have yet to find a way to safely overfill it without the damn thing from exploding in our faces.

My gryphon friend Greaves, he has left our company to keep the gryphons in the north distracted and be of no use to Celestia or Luna, hoping that we can finish this 'rebellion' as he calls before the gryphon army catches up with him and ends his life.

Scootaloo on the otherhoof is always happy to see me whenever we get a chance to meet at night, my flying lessons for her have been doing wonders for the poor filly, her wing strength is still low but she can now hover for a full two minutes before she starts to get tired. My little filly is doing great in her schoolwork and her cutie mark adventures with her friends never cease to amuse me, hearing the three doing everything they can think of to get their cutie marks, even more funny that Scootaloo finally gave Diamond Tiara a piece of her mind.

That filly made me so proud when she told me that she broke her tiara and gave her a black eye, my parents on the other hoof punished her by having her grounded for the next two weeks but I gave her more flying lessons and even a sneaky trip to Canterlot with me disguised as a lunar guard. Doughnut Joe really knows how to make a good chocolate sprinkled long bar.

"Equestria can try to invade the Everfree but even they know that it would be a one way trip to their end to their deaths. They will be walking into a trap if they try to enter from the ground and if they try to fly their troops in than they will be brought down by our crossbows. They can only hope to win if we fight them unprepared in the fields of battle but we are not so foalish are we now my dear." I continued as I kept stroking her back, my hooves doing wonders on the knots in her back, the stress of being locked away on the moon than to get blasted into oblivion is enough to warrant a much needed massage.

'Nearly ten thousand ponies at the standby and between them and Celestia is a castle on a mountain and a long road up it...teleporting my soldiers in would tire both me and Moon out and leave us defenseless...a war of attrition than actual combat...this just might work.'

The Following Day

Walking down the halls of my castle early in the morning, holding a stack of letters by my head with my magic and today's newspaper under my left wing while wearing fuzzy slippers and a bathrobe. My eyes looking over the large stack that was given to me by hoof from Miss Ditzy Hooves, the bubbly mailmare from Ponyville has been given the special privilege to fly directly to the Everfree Castle and with an escort to get her here safely.

"Lets see now...junk mail, junk mail....horn enlargement....wing accessories....junk mail...junk mail...jury duty? Buck that, junk mail and more junk mail...oh yes that is lovely, good old fashion blackmail and a letter from Scootaloo, can this day get any better." I said as I opened the door to my study room, a fresh cup of coffee placed by my lounging chair on a small coffee table adjacent to it.

Opening the first junk mail letter I skimmed it before tossing it into the fireplace, the letter was from Celestia for me to surrender and stand trial, the next four junk letters was the same thing. When it came to the horn enlargement and the wing accessories I just moved them to the side and sputtered out a confused mumbled response, not entirely sure on what I had just read let alone opened up but when I opened up the letter for jury duty against Blueblood for harming another noble for talking back to him I made a note to attend it in a disguise.

Looking at the last two letters, mainly the blackmail letter and Scootaloo's, I picked up the blackmail and popped it open, the letter saying that if I don't hand over the southernmost gem mines back to their rightful owners than we are in for a nasty surprise. Levitating a mirror, quill and inkwell I started to a reply letter back and with the mirror I moved it over to my flank and started to look back at the mirror and the letter while making a near exact copy of my flank and cutie mark before leaving behind one final sentence.

'Kiss my flank diamond mutts.'

Moving the reply to a fresh envelope I placed it inside before licking the edges and covering it with my seal before moving to my little Scoot's letter.

Reading it slowly and scanning it even slower to see if what I was reading was real and after finding out that it is genuine I scribbled down a hurried response before sealing it up and sending it off with a small smile.

Next Day

The first scant rays of sunlight that peeks into Nightmare and I's bedchamber, my eyes groggily opening before snapping shut at the invasive brightness that is the sun. Moving the curtains until the light is gone I shifted a bit before rolling over to give my Moon a loving kiss on the lips as she partially returns it before hitting me upside the head with a pillow, still not used to waking up this early in the morning but seeing how it is a special day today she made it an exception just this once.

Rolling off the side of the bed I slowly dragged myself to the bathroom and with a flick of my horn I turned on the sink and filled it near full and grabbed my toothbrush and toothpaste, both were discreetly given to me by Colgate back in Ponyville as a few of the mares and stallions in that town have sided with us but are staying there on my command, acting as spies and scouts along many others in the other towns and cities within the Equestrian border. It is truly amazing how much faith these particular ponies had in their precious Celestia, seeing how they quickly flocked to my side for protection from the coming storm that is rapidly approaching from the south.

After giving myself a proper cleaning and a thorough combing of my mane I stepped up to my wardrobe and pulled out a rather tasteless suit and top hat, one that I only wore once and it was during the Gala, said suit still had the nightshade flower in the lapel. Going over to my disguise kit that I had 'acquired' from Pinkie Pie I fumbled through the many false mustaches, beards, goatees and even a fake unicorn horn was inside.

'Hello old friend, good to see you again.' my smile returning as I picked up the classic false mustache and monocle piece, fitting it on nice and secure on my face as I maneuvered the top hat to its rightful place upon my brow and with a bit of swagger I levitated a cane over to me as I looked in the vanity mirror. Thinking how that there isn't really many ponies that have facial hair I decided against my original plan and decided to leave the false bit of hair behind.

"And that silly mare said that black doesn't look good on me. Hah!" I said in a mocking tone, Rarity once said to me that wearing a black suit with my colors would not make any sense but seeing how I didn't want to blow my cover at the time I just told her it is my preference and to leave it at that. Now it is my official wardrobe color of choice next to dark red mixed with black, that and armor which thanks to Nightmare Moon, is now back to its original color scheme instead of bright pink. Curse you Discord....curse you.

Gathering what I had stowed away in a drawer and looking over at Nightmare Moon who was by now just waiting for me to be fully ready and with a small grin she turned into a cloud of the night sky before attaching itself to my shadow on the floor and was staring up at me before fading away for the time being.

"Passenger in my shadows, check." taking a quick glance downward I saw that Nightmare Moon was just watching me now, her mischievous eyes gleaming in the low light.

"Birthday presents for little sister, check." looking at the slightly colorful packages now tucked beneath my wings, I give them a slight shake before mentally checking it off the list.

"Teeth brushed and breath minty fresh, check." knowing that I had already tended to my chompers earlier this morning with my Colgate approved toothpaste.

"Party clothes, check." My suit, hat, and monocle all accounted for.

Trotting over to the door I gave the room a once over before locking and closing behind me, still not entirely trusting of the new recruits that came from the Gala or from the recent downturn of Celestia's army but hey, whatever keeps my secrets safe from prying eyes.

'Sometimes I wonder if Celestia is hiding anything from her beloved little ponies, has sure ever revised anything in her history books to make her look like a hero even though her actions were that of a villain? As she ever declared war on a foreign power just for the sake of land and resources, and if so did she make it look like it was in the defense of her ponies or was it that a foreign diplomat that made a mistake or have insulted the solar monarch to the point that she had the poor bastard executed.'

'I do not know love, but I do know is that for a thousand years she has ruled alone, possibly unchecked by the nobles in her court and quite possible by the rulers of the sovereign nations as well. Do not underestimate her for she will run you through if you give her the chance.'

'Don't worry Moon, I will keep an eye on her, I might have to put a spy on their captain, Shining Armor, to see how well he is recovering from his injuries and if need be make sure he stays in the infirmary just a bit longer.'

'Just don't do anything that will tip Celestia off, we can't lose anyone of importance or otherwise this rebellion of ours will fall apart in its infancy.'

As we talked within the safe confines of my mind I barely came back to the reality of the world around me in time to see a maid levitating a rather large pile of stacked folded-up linen and she was galloping at a fast pace, my guess is that she is either late in her schedule or is just working fast to go somewhere, maybe a date somepony.

With an elegance that I have earned by being trained by Nightmare Moon I sidestepped and allowed the maid to pass me by and somehow the maid knew that I was there cause she spoke to me as she galloped on by.

"Good day your grace." the young unicorn maid said as she quickly went about her business, I can't recall her name at the moment.

With a small nod on my part I continued to trot my way out of my palace before entering and exiting the foyer, a small group of guards have been assembled to escort me through the twisting woods and trees of the Everfree even though they know fully well that everything here would not dare harm me nor those that are under my wing of protection.

"We are ready to leave whenever you are my liege." the leader of the group said, Thunderlane if my memory serves me correctly, and with a nod the seven of us walked out of the front gates and down the road and into the slowly building city of New Everfree. Even though the capital of our new nation is under construction the few buildings that are up and running are being used as a place of rest for those staying here. Canterlot is filled with nothing but unicorn nobles who believe that they are better than everyone else but that is their racist talking, no one is better then the other unless they are talking about activities that one has done before then that could be said but nothing else.

But here, all is allowed here, from the high ranking nobles to the lowly commoner, the city will be built with rings in mind to offer protection so in the event of an invasion the civilians will move through one ring and once that is closed off they can then move to the next one, a series of walls to protect them against a land invasion but from under the ground or from the air it could be seen as useless but with the right defensive weapons even airships and flyers can be taken down.

Feeling a nudge on my left I see that it was another recruit and I realized that we have already left the safety of the forest and are now on the outskirts of Ponyville, and off in the distance we all can see a small group of the Equestrian Army camped out near Sweet Apple Acres to keep it safe from my forces but I wouldn't invade my old home, instead I have marked it as already a piece of my kingdom.

Turning back I gave my escort the order to stay within the tree line to watch over me and in the event that the enemy comes to the party to crash it then I will beat a hasty retreat before they arrive.

As soon as I stepped out from the safety of the trees I looked around to make sure that nopony saw me and with a small grin I slowly walked then trotted in the general direction of my old home, I would be flying but I am trying to remain undetected by the locals and the royal guards so for the moment I go by hoof to my destination.

By the time I get to the central market I can already hear the sounds of music playing in the background and I know exactly that it is in the general direction of my home which means that Scootaloo's birthday party is already underway.

"Hey! Mister! Wait up!" a young girlish voice shouted out from behind me, stopping in my tracks I slowly turned to the side just enough to turn my head around to see who it belonged to and I saw that from one of Scootaloo's schoolmates, Diamond Tiara.

Once the little filly stopped in front of me I saw that coming close behind was her father, Filthy Rich, the two earth ponies appear to be heading to my home for the party as Mr. Rich is holding two different colored presents on his back, hopefully they are real presents and not fake presents.

"Yes, how can I be of assistance to you two today?" I said in a calm tone before nodding at the presence of the two ponies.

"Ah yes, I am wondering if you are another of the partygoers that will be attending to Scootaloo's birthday party today." Filthy Rich said, a noble if not snotty tone in his voice, as if he thinks he is superior to me. I would prove him wrong but I can't blow my cover...yet.

"Why yes, I am another, why do you ask?" I said, looking him and his daughter over real fast, seeing if any of them could prove a hazard to my plan for the party but after seeing that both are simple earth ponies and don't have access to magic nor flight I could easily defeat them if needed.

"Oh I was just wondering because you don't seem to be from around here. Where are you from if I may so boldly ask of you?" the rich pony said as we trotted together to my family's home, the music only getting louder and as we get closer I see more and more ponies making their way to the steadily growing party.

"I am from Manehatten, by the docks." I lied, I am not going to tell these two that I live in the Everfree Forest in the old castle that just has been completely reconstructed from the ground up in certain places and is now steadily growing to the point where it could even beat Canterlot in population numbers and power.

"I see, well, at least you are making an honest living by being a dock manager if your refined clothes and being a unicorn is anything to say about it." Rich said as we entered my home through the front door, saying happy birthday to the little birthday filly and when Scootaloo made eye-contact with me I gave a wink long enough for her to see my true eye-color and before she could utter a sound I brought a hoof to my lips and shushed her.

Once the party girl left us I immediately left the company of Filthy Rich and his daughter and made my way upstairs to the bathroom there and once I am inside I closed the door behind me and as soon as the door was locked my horn flickered to life with my magic and opened up both of Scootaloo's presents, looking at the objects within before altering them for the better. The first object was a miniature uniform of the Wonderbolts but have been modified with an enchantment so they wouldn't be damaged by attrition or the ravages of time, in essence it would never be ruined. The other present was a diamond shaped vial with a sparkling green liquid contained within, something that took the medical staff to concoct and thoroughly tested to ensure it will do what it was meant to do.

As soon as everything was checked over I unlocked the bathroom door and trotted out, almost bumping into an already drunk partygoer, a mare with a mulberry coat, mulberry purple mane and tail with a cutie mark of a bundle of grapes. I don't recall the name of this mare and nor do I remember ever seeing her in Ponyville at the time I was exiled so she could have moved here after I was kicked out from my home.

"Hey there *hic* buddy, you done taking a *hic* leak?" the mare said with a bit of a drunken slur on her lips and she has no tact in her speech.

"Yes, I am done taking a 'leak', the bathroom is now empty." I said with a bit of a disgusted look on my face but the mare is either too drunk to notice or just doesn't care as she wraps a leg around my neck and brings me close to her face, I can easily smell the stench of alcohol in her breath.

"Hey, *hic* buddy, wanna have a bit of fun *hic* before the party starts downstairs? I think we might have *hic* enough time to have a quick roll in the hay before anypony *hic* comes up here." the mare said as she starts to rub against my cheek, her body also rubbing up against me and I can hear Nightmare Moon snarling within my shadow, something I know that won't end well for this mare and myself if I don't solve this situation with some tact and grace befitting of a king.

"Back off you harlot, I will not fuck you even if you are the last mare on this planet. And even if I did have sex with you my marefriend would geld me and wear my dangly bits for the hell of it!" I shouted at the drunk mare and immediately used my magic to pull her off of me and moved back towards the stairs leading down and that is when I realized that I might have not been as graceful or tactful as I should have been.

A satisfied chuckle from Nightmare Moon is the only thing I can hear before getting slapped across the muzzle by the drunk mare.

"How *hic* dare you call me a whorse!" she shouted at me before trying to take another swing at me but I stopped it when I wrapped her hoof in my magical aura and when she tried to pull back I allowed her to but at the cost of her slapping herself in the face and to stumble backwards and into the bathroom. As soon as she went past the threshold I closed the door on her before the drunk mare could react to the sudden change in the situation.

"Sorry about this ma'am but I will not allow you to come onto me in such a manner, I am in a committed relationship right now and I will never dare to cheat on my mare." and with that being said I quickly made myself scarce as I trotted down the stairs, turned the corner, entered the kitchen and went out the backdoor to see the party is now in full swing.

I saw a pony messing with some strange device wearing some sort of ear protection, the element of laughter playing a party game, the elements of generosity and kindness talking to one another, the element of magic talking to my parents, the element of honesty busy eating something on the food table and lastly there is the element of loyalty talking to my adopted little sister, Scootaloo.

Trotting to the table with a small pile of presents I placed down my two presents, here is hoping that she opens these first.

"Excuse me mister, not to be a bother or anything but who are you and why are you here?" a voice from behind me spoke up and I instantly knew exactly who it was without even needing to look behind me.

"Ah, Twilight Sparkle, I am Black Pier from Manehatten, I live near the docking districts." I said as I levitated a a small bundle of chips from the chip bowl and brought them over to my mouth and started to munch on their salty goodness.

"You know me?" Twilight said with a bit of unexpected surprise, I can hazard a guess that she was not expecting anyone outside her group of friends and those that live here to know who she is.

"Yes, anyone that pays attention to the current happenings of the world would know of you and your band of friends. You stopped Nightmare Moon, settled a dispute between some farmers and a group of buffalo, attended the Gala and made it better by destroying it and you have recently defeated a spirit of chaos with the assistance of a wanted criminal. If I may be so bold I am wondering how did you managed to get an executed criminals aid to help you stop Discord?" I said with a bit of a snark in my tone, trying to sound like somepony with power and status, hoping she takes the bait.

"Well, yes, that was me and my friends that did all of those things but for Discord it was just the six of us that defeated him, Nightshade had nothing to do with it, if only we were fast enough we could have captured him as well." she said with a smile on her muzzle, I could only frown at her lie, saying that I didn't help at all with weakening and distracting Discord long enough so they could use the elements to imprison him in stone again.

Taking a few steps away from her I went over to the punch bowl and got myself a cup of the sickeningly sweet liquid before taking another mouthful of chips, I don't know why but these chips are very good, I wonder how much better these will be if I had some salsa or guacamole to it.

"My dear Twilight, please do not lie to me, I know that Nightshade assisted you in your battle against Discord, trying to rewrite history to exclude all of those that helped in the matter has a chance of coming back to bite you in the flank." taking a step toward Twilight I let out a snort of hot air, something that both myself and Nightmare Moon did out of hatred for the purple mare.

"Are you calling me a liar?" the purple mare nearly shouted out, alerting all of her friends and a few ponies to our little verbal squabble, something that I didn't want to happen but seeing that it just happened I would have to improvise and change my plans on the spot.

"To be perfectly blunt with you Twilight Sparkle, yes, I am calling you a liar." I said with steel in my voice and fire in my heart, sadly fire and steel won't save me as I see the whole gang of friends come over to me in her defense.

As soon as they arrive I turn around to have my back facing them, letting my eyes settle on Scootaloo for a few moments, her eyes locked on mine as I can see my own reflection within them alongside with the look of utter confusion as to what is going on. My parents are standing right beside her, wondering exactly who I am along with just about every other pony that is at the party.

"Hey! Who the buck do you think you are!" Rainbow Dash's nasally annoying voice shouted at me as I levitated my cup over to the punch bowl before refilling it and taking a short sip I let the sweetness roll over my tongue before swallowing it.

"My name is Black Pier, and I am the stallion who is getting the truth of the matter from somepony who is trying to evade it." I said while taking another sip from my cup before slowly turning around to face the six mares.

"Well Mr. Pier, I am sorry but I am going to have to ask you to leave, you are disturbing some of the party guests here. We can discuss this later but not here." Twilight said with a bit of a sheepish smile on her face, trying to dissolve the situation in her favor, that will not happen on my watch.

"It looks like you are going to have to forgive me because I will not be leaving the premises of this household, besides the family matter of attending my own niece's birthday party I am also here to get the truth from you, one way or another I will hear the words I have came here to hear." I growled out, finished what was left in my cup before crushing it in my magical grasp, throwing away the ruined beverage holder into the nearest trashcan which just so happened to be near the snack table.

"Then it seems we are at an impasse." Rarity said from beside Twilight and Applejack, finally the mare who thinks she is of noble birth and noble intentions speaks out.

"Yes, it seems that we are at one Mrs. Rarity, a way to resolve such a matter perhaps that would be in both our favors instead of it being a one-sided affair for either of us." I spoke up a bit, my voice getting a tad bit louder so everypony present can hear me.

As soon as I said that I watched as the six mares huddled together, whispering to one another on how to get the upper hoof in this matter as I trotted to the food table and grabbed myself yet another hoofful of chips, I am now wondering if I can get a few bags of these to go back with me, Nightmare Moon seems to agree with me also because I watched as a steady stream of salty chips make their way from the bowl, down the table and into my shadow only to be devoured.

I waited patiently for them to finish up making a plan on how to best me at this game and as I waited I decided that waiting in one spot for six mares to make up their mind is pointless so I did the second best thing I can do besides standing still. Looking at the huddle up I turned my back to them to make my way to Scootaloo who saw this and galloped over to me only to stop a short distance away before jumping at me, her wings opening up to take a short flight right at me before bashing into me as her hooves hugged my chest.

"So good to see you again Scootaloo, my you have grown in the short time we have last seen each other." I said in a whisper as I patted her on the back, her small wings, even though they have grown a bit are still undersized for her age. I had to speak in a hushed tone as to not allow anyone around us to hear what we are saying along with knowing the fact that I am wanted criminal.

"Nightshade! Why didn't you show up last week for Hearth's Warming Eve! We all missed you!" Scootaloo almost shouted in a quiet, soft tone, I guess she caught onto what I was doing and is trying to help me not get caught.

"Some things have come up and I had to accelerate my plans a bit, but don't worry, I got a few things for you that you are just going to love, trust me on this one." I whispered out, my eyes moving from my parents to my little brother before finally turning around a bit to see that the girls are ready to persuade me to leave peacefully.

Turning around I give Scootaloo a pat on the head before messing with her mane as she pushed my hoof away.

"So, what are you bringing to the table." I said with a business-like tone, the few times I was ever allowed to talk like this was when I had to make a deal with the gryphons for an import of raw materials like iron ore and leather or the time I made a shady deal with a group of buffalo for some turquoise and obsidian that almost went back on their deal. They are still suffering from the curse of eternal nightmares that I had placed on them.

"I purpose that I will tell you the truth of what happened that day and you will leave the party as soon as I tell you." Twilight said much to the agreement of her friends along with a few of the ponies that are here.

"I am sorry Twilight but I can not accept those terms." shaking my head no I heard a few moans and groans from the crowd along with the gold glint of helmets slowly making their way to the backyard, I don't know who called them but if I could hazard a guess it was that drunk mare that I pushed into the bathroom to get away from.

"Now for my counter-proposal, you will tell me the truth of the matter and as soon as the party is over I will leave you all alone." I said and sure enough I saw six royal guards entering the backyard through the side gate and leading them beside the leader was the drunk mare from before.

"Sorry, no deal."

"I guess then I would have to settle for not knowing the truth. This business is concluded." and as soon as I said that I turned around to see Scootaloo already standing by the presents table, trying to get her hooves on one and I saw that she was trying to grab mine.

I watched with baited breath as I watched the orange filly rapidly tear apart the colorful wrapping paper and bow before lifting up the lid and pulled out the Wonderbolts uniform and goggles from the box for everypony to see.

The cute little gasp of unadulterated glee and excitement is something that I will cherish for as long as I live.

"Ohmygoshthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!" Scootaloo shouted out loud in a gleeful burst of joy, bouncing up and down as she held my gift to her chest, her smile is infectious as many of the ponies here that were giving me a bit of a scowl lessened up and began to smile as they saw just how happy I made that filly.

"Don't forget Scootaloo, there is one more from me that you have to open up." I said with a bit of a chuckle, the rest of the ponies in attendance come a bit closer to see what else I have gotten her and when she started to open it up I can just see the excitement radiating off of her.

As soon as she opened up the second present that smile on her face persisted for a while until one of utter confusion started to grow and when she lifted out the crystal vial from the box and showed it to everypony.

"What is that?"

"Looks like some sort of potion."

"What does it do?"

"Where did it come from?"

"Does anypony know if this stallion is single?"

"Anypony here gonna take that thing away from her before something bad happens?"

"Anypony wanna bet that I could fit my whole hoof in my mouth?"

I waited patiently for Scootaloo to make a decision on what to do with the restorative elixir that I have given her, wondering what her choice will be, I know that if she drinks it or not she will have made the right decision, I just need her to make up her mind.

"Sorry Pier but I can't take this." and with that being said I watched the orange filly put the magical potion back into the box before putting lid back on and pushed it aside.

With a smile on my face I trotted up to my adopted little sister and gave her a pat on the head which earned a 'Hey!' from her and a few weak slaps on my hoof to get it away from her.

"You picked the right choice, by not taking the restorative potion you have picked the route where hard work and dedicated practice will lead you to your life long goals and in the end everything will be worth it. You didn't take the shortcut by taking this potion and for that I am proud of you." I said with a smile on my face as I gave Scootaloo a brief but deep hug before letting her go and started to make my way to the back gate but I was sadly stopped by the six royal guards and the drunk mare.

"Excuse me, sir." the lead guard said as he caught my attention, all of them were loosely holding their spears at the time.

"Yes what seems to be the problem officer?" I said with a cheeky grin on my face, the drunk mare tried to take a swipe at me but being drunk and held up by a royal guard made such an attempt to hit me mote and weak.

"Do you know this mare?"

"Can't say I know her name but we have met before, rather recently in fact."

"Well, Berry Punch has reported to us that you have attacked her within the household on our right, is this true?"

"On the fact of causing her harm?" I said with a look of apprehensive disdain for the purple drunk mare.

With a nod from the royal guard I could only shake my head slowly.

"No, I did not harm her other then using my magic to push her into the bathroom after she gave me the propositioning for a good time while there was other ponies within the house." I said as what was going on between the eight of us was now on display for everyone at the party to hear.

As we talked I can hear the ponies talking behind our back.

"Really Berry? This is the fifth stallion you asked for a quick rut, will you show some restraint!"

"Of course Berry hits on a stallion with a mare, typical."

"Bucking drunkard."

"A rich stallion with a mare, I wonder if he is looking for a herd?"

The royal guard turned to look at Berry before quietly talking to her, I guess he was trying to get more of the truth out from her but from the way she smells and that she is wobbly, I highly doubt that it would work at all.

"Oh for the love of Celestia, Berry Punch, you have got to stop propositioning every single stallion you meet, this almost every single time you ask a married stallion." the guard said and for a moment I saw a small figment of hope that I can get out of this without getting caught.

"But he pushed me and locked me in the bathroom!" Berry shouted as the guard turned to face me with a raised eyebrow and a 'What?' expression.

"To be perfectly honest I did use my magic to put her in the bathroom but in her current drunk state I am amazed that she managed to open an unlocked door without breaking something." with a bemused smirk on my face I let out a light-hearted chuckle for a few seconds before taking a step back after easily getting out of yet another poor-attempt at hitting me by the drunk mare.

Watching the royal guard shake his head along with his fellows is something nice for a change of pace but sadly I have places to go and large scale invasion plan to create.

"Am I being held on any charges?" I said while waiting patiently, I have all the time in the world, they are just slightly prolonging the oncoming invasion.

"Well from hearing what has occurred and the statements taken from both parties, no, you are not being held on charges." the royal guard said and with that being said I knew what I have to say in order to leave.

"So am I free to go?" picking my words carefully, I could just kill them and easily escape but this day requires tact and grace in the public eye.

"Yes, you are free to go Mr...?" the guard said with a bit of a pregnant pause, not knowing my name.

"Pier." the only word I said and with it my freedom was sealed.

"Mr. Pier, sorry for the inconvenience, have a nice day." and with that done I gave a nod to everyone present before trotting off into the distance before taking an immediate right and as soon as I entered the shadow of the building I flared up my horn and faded away from view only to reappear beside my guards waiting for me in the forest.

Nodding to my guards they formed up and started to make their way back home as they left me to do my own business.

"Nightshade, what are you planning on doing now that we are alone?"

"You'll see." was all I said as I started to trot into the shadows of the forest only to fade away from the Everfree Forest, something that I would do if I need to get somewhere fast and in that moment I did need to get somewhere fast, IE, Manehatten.

Manehatten, Docking District

Afternoon, 3:14 PM

The city of stone and metal is bustling with activity today, for many of the inhabitants it is just a typical day and could care less with what is going on, they had a job to get to, they had mouths to feed and they had bits to earn. But for others that worked behind the scenes, they are the ones who are keeping the pony city from falling into darkness and squallier, the shining knights in a city that is often enough filled with enough corrupt officials and criminals that if they should fall then all would be lost.

But when I arrived I removed the heads of the hydra and burnt out all but one stub, if I had killed the beast of Manehatten then someone or something worse would take its place. I instead picked a third option, I removed all corrupted officials from their office, all criminal leaders were rounded up and were either executed for not taking my offer or were recruited to work for me and be my eyes and ears. Those that escaped my grasp are now on the run from both the law and from me, I am keeping them on the run for the sole purpose of showing those that are within my ranks that the few that don't join me when the rest do, they would be hunted down , tortured then killed before their old piers.

Stepping out from the shadows of a back alley I removed my monocle and hat and turned them into small wisps of darkness before having them absorbed into my shadow before stepping out into the light of the afternoon sun, blinking a few times as the bright light crosses my eyes for a few seconds before I could properly again.

"When did you start working here?"

"When I had the free time that I had acquired after my fight with Discord. I have alot of things to get done and not enough time to do it in. I know that Princess Celestia is preparing herself for me and I must be able to work around her plans. Manehatten is one of those plans." I said as I entered one of my many recently 'acquired' docking offices, the one in particular I have entered is the 'Customs and Taxation' office.

"Princess Celestia still gets her bits from the cargo that comes and goes into the harbor but I also get a cut of it, lining our coffers with legit-fully earned Equestrian gold." I said with a grin as I trotted over to the collection box that I had set up near my desk, my secretary, a Mrs. Ambrosia Butterworth, a young gryphoness that I had recruited from the criminals, she was a catburglar with a love for garlic bread. When the crunch came down on her group of outlaws I had hired her with a slightly higher then normal pay check along with a loaf of fine garlic bread, she took it.

"Very clever, have I ever told you how much I love you?" my shadow said as I looked down just a bit to see Nightmare Moon's face slowly form, her horn slightly grazing my suit and with a step forward I opened the collection box, took out a small amount of bits that would be enough to pass under Celestia's gaze so she wouldn't know that she was being robbed by her own government workers.

"You tell me that almost every day or whenever I do something that has genuinely surprised you." I said with a chuckle before trotting out the front door, out from my office and into the overlaying area of the office, the office itself wasn't pretty to look at but it served its purpose well in an attempt to throw anypony off our trail if they were to come sniffing around for corruption within the ranks.

As I trotted on by to the stairs to the first floor, one of the new workers gave me a half-assed salute before putting a ledger onto my secretary's desk.

"Good afternoon Mr. Pier." the young gryphoness said as she looked up from her typewriter, her yellow eyes connected with mine before going back to her paper, it is amazing how fast she adapted from stealing from others to working a typewriter.

"Good afternoon Mrs. Butterworth, is there anything new from the head cheese or is it still the same message?" I said as I trotted to her table as I waited patiently for a response.

"Nothing new at the moment but a number of Celestia's guards came by to search for any contraband that might have slipped by the customs agents, they found nothing but they are starting to come by more often then normal, I think they are starting to catch onto us." she said and for a moment I thought I heard a small errant sound of fear in her tone.

"Don't worry about it Ambrosia, this will keep going for a while until my friend puts a metal rod in their cogs."

"Sir?"

"Our problem will be solved soon my dear, just make sure none of our 'ill-gotten' goods are misplaced." I said with a grin which was matched with one of her own and with that done she went back to work and for myself I disappear back into my office only to fade back into the shadows and stepped back out in my room in the Everfree Castle.

Everfree Castle, Everfree Forest

3:27 PM

Stepping out from a dark corner I let out a sigh of relief in time to see Nightmare Moon slither out from my shadow and reformed into her original self, her body is still not completely solid but with one last ritual, one small piece of the puzzle left to acquire, my queen of the night will be complete.

"Now this was an interesting day, but something feels off." my mare said as she trotted to our bed and jumped on it, lazily lounging on it while messing up the sheets.

"And what my dear, would be off about today hmm?" I said as I took off my coat and placed it on a hanger while materializing my hat and monocle and placed the hat on the hat rack and the monocle back within its small box.

"You said something about throwing a rod into a cog, what exactly is that you have planned without telling me?" she said as she stretched her false wings, sighing sadly as she looked at the spectral limbs.

"Tell me something Moonie, in your time was there a placed called Dodge City?" I said as I looked at my queen, snickering a bit at her sadness as she did the same thing when I was in the hospital bed earlier.

"No, out in the desert near the Badlands was an outpost and they called it the Last Veil because it was where we drove back the changeling swarm." the night queen said while thinking back, I think she knows a little about that area at the time but it must have changed dramatically during her disappearance.

"While you were gone that outpost slowly turned into a city of less then a thousand ponies, a few donkeys, maybe even a diamond dog or two, and is also where Equestria is now getting their coal, iron, copper and tin. It is literally their largest and only deep cavern mine they have that has everything it needs to arm its military without having to ask a foreign nation for it." turning to a small table on the opposite side of the room I pulled out a map that was within a side cupboard alongside with many more maps of the world.

"And this interests us...how? It is several miles away from here, many more miles away from the protection of the wilderness and also that if it stayed true to its old name it is a fortress unto itself." rolling over to face me I saw out from the corner of my eye that she was now looking at me, trying to figure out what exactly I am planning.

"Yes, it is a fortress, very well defended, can outlast an invasion for months, and can easily beat back any enemy invader that would dare lay siege to it." I said while smiling, fully knowing that this target is almost impossible to take over even without our numbers, for all I know they have upgrade their defenses, reinforced and improved their walls and also probably also have added some anti-magic defenses.

"It would seem your plan is filled with holes that would spell defeat for us if you tried to attack it." her deadpan tone earned an eye-roll from me.

"Yes, it would spell doom for us, if we did attack that fortress." I said while eyeing the map as Nightmare Moon got up from our bed and slowly made her way to my side but from the angry scowl on her face I can tell that I am going to get an earful.

"Oh for Faust's sake just tell me what you are planning! You are starting to irritate me with your way of prolonging the inevitable." Nightmare Moon shouted at me as my ears folded back on instinct from the loudness of the shout but I forced them to stand back up as I start to speak up.

"What I am saying is simple, we are not going to attack a fortress that can easily defeat us, we are going to attack the surrounding area." I said as I looked at the map of Equestria and slowly dragged my hoof around Dodge City.

As soon as Nightmare Moon came over to the map that I had on the table I grabbed her with a wing and pulled her in for a hug, something she still hasn't gotten used to in her new body, even when it is partially solid and complete to be touched and held, she still doesn't like it when I initiate a hug or physical contact.

"After all Moonie, I did promise Celestia that I would do this." I said with a slowly widening grin as my plan for the first invasion on Equestrian soil begins to formulate within my head.

Dragging my hoof off Dodge City it revealed to Nightmare Moon what I was saying, the map showed a walled fortress and built almost around it was a defenseless city, no walls to keep out an invasion force or any hostile wildlife.

"A promise of destruction."

Author's Note

Its back, for now.