A Fiendly Agreement
after thanking her hosts for their hospitality with a smile and wishing them good night, the young mare entered her chambers, with a gentle green glow she closed the heavy doors.
Now surrounded by darkness the troubled mare’s smile quickly vanished replaced with a hollow face and sorrowful eyes.
Trotting ever slowly to her bed for the night, upon reaching it her limbs lost all strength as she plummeted to the sheets.
With a lay there silently cursing her woeful existence, what kind of god or even demon could be as heartless as to let such events take place, with her throat caught and her heart heavy she gave herself to weep. yet no tears came.
Within her dreams at least there was somepony to cry with.
she found herself in a dark chamber dimly lit by many small candles of a blue flame, standing there alone in dimly lit chamber she soon noticed she wasn't alone for there stood a tall black stallion.
She gazed at the figure and soon bittersweetness covered her already hollow heart for she knew the stallion.
“Oh eclipse my love” the brokenhearted mare said “Why doth thou haunt me still”? “I know thou art but a vision of my dreams, for I saw thee in thy noble fall, have thou some message to tell me? Or are thou truly a ghost purely of my mind?” The mare asked in desperation.
The stallion spoke not a word only shed a single crimson tear.
As the red tear ran down his face the mare gave in to her agony and accepted the dream as a place of comfort.
She then ran to embrace her lost love, upon reaching him she placed her neck against his own as she gently stroked his mane.
Though all the pain of watching others die, all horror of being hunted simply for the crime of existing, the insecurity of being forced to stay in the same house of the ponies who murdered all her family and friends, in this moment a small smile broke through.
Yet she still couldn’t cry.
As she lifted her head to gaze into her lover's eyes her smile returned to grief as his black skin quickly faded to grey then to a bright white.
The frightened mare quickly took a step back as upon the stallions now white flesh small holes began to burn their way through every part of his body, legs, wings, even his hair, each with singed edges.
The mare tried to call out to him but with the new sorrow her throat caught again and as much as she wanted to she wanted to she still could not cry.
To her surprize the stallion though on fire made not a response of pain he just shed a final crimson tear and burned away into dust.
Yet still not a single tear could she shed.
All she could do was do was stand and stare as a sudden wind blew through the chamber and picked up the ashes of the one thing that had given her comfort in her troubled time and blew them out the large door.
As she sat there dwelling in her misery her eyes burning from wanting to cry yet there was nothing, nothing but ominous low growl from the large door.
As the door creaked open a grim creature with a white shadow like body rushed through the doors.
It stared at the frightened mare with its soulless black eyes as it licked its lips and unsheathed its pure white claws, with a quick dash the shadow scaled the walls of the chamber never taking its gaze of the mare.
The creature prepared itself to pounce upon the mare but before the white beast could strike the young black mare gathered her senses and ran, she ran out the door into a long dark hallway, the shade chasing her.
she ran as fast as she could the creature matching her every step with equal speed, at the end of the hallway she saw a open door, the younger of her hosts opening the door a dark blue alicorn named luna.
A glimmer of hope filled the black mares heart, yet that hope shattered at what she saw next, the elder of her hosts, the ruling monarch of the land, a white alicorn named celestia. Pushed luna away from the door and with a wicked smile closed the door.
With her escape block by one of the only two alicorns she would thought she could ever trust, the mare continued to run down the second hallway at the end of hallway she saw her dearly beloved eclipse running towards her, with renewed zeal she sprinted for him but the more she ran the bigger the gap between them got and the smaller the gap between and the shadow.
soon the shadow caught up with her and soon had her in its white claws, the mare tried to struggle but its grip was too strong, she screamed as the shadow held her above its open maw, yet no one answered and eclipse had disappeared from the hallway.
The shadow wasted no time and the tender young mare gave a terror filled shriek as the shadow threw her down its gullet, and with a close of its jaws the young mare found herself trapped in white darkness.
The mare awakened with a sudden jolt, her mane straight from her own sweat, her lungs wheeze with heavy breath.
The confused mare removed herself from her bed and with a faint green glow from her horn re light the candles, the chamber illuminated a shade orange as she walked over to the mirror, planting herself in front of it and stared at the sad image before her.
Reflecting upon the unfamiliar figure looking at her she thought about her dream, she knew this was no mere dream but a vision, her husband burning at her touch, a betrayal, and a foul creature, what could it mean?
Before she could think upon it any further suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at her window frame.
“Tis but the wind,” she muttered, “snapping at my window frame-
Only this, and naught remain.
She returned to the mirror and noticed the book which lay upon the desk, she knew the book, twas the latest work of the poet Edgar Allan Pony.
She quickly recalled the poem and the humor of her words, she shook her head with a smile and tempting fate opened the window.
“Darkness there, and naught remain” she said light heartedly.
Her heart drained of sorrow, she trotted back towards her bed, as she nestled herself between her sheets again from the dead of the night sky emerged a ebony bird through the open window and perched itself upon the bed frame.
“Curse this night and whatever gods deem it joyful to map my life unto a grimful poem” the mare cried in frustration “very well then speak thy part and haunt me nevermore”.
The bird sat there and spoke the words of ancient latin “what the hell are you talking about”?
Surprised the bird spoke not the words she expected but proper en... latin she stared wide eyed, the bird flew over to the mirror and upon seeing the book which lay beside the mirror it burst out cawing as if to laugh.
With a flap of its wings the bird returned to bed and spoke again “I can see why you seem of shock but rest assured I bear no grim news nor ill will, but to end this humor fate has bestowed us I shall take my true form”.
As the bird raised its wings a flurry of ebony feathers engulfed the bird, and when the feathers settled in place of the bird stood a black pegasus with yellow eyes and a dark blue mane.
The black stallion retrieved the chair by the mirror and spoke yet still in latin “make yourself comfortable Talio for we have much to discuss”.
At the sound of her name the mare shook out of shock and asked respectively in latin “discuss what and how do you know my name and who are you”?
The pegasus quickly apologised for his rudeness “I do apologise, I should have offered an introduction, I go by Ultio. And to answer your other question let's just say I know many things like how those vicious alicorns hunted your kind like vermin, tell me do you really think you can find safety with the regal sisters they are both alicorns you know”.
Talio thought not for a second and replied “Of course i can they both are sternly against the Alicorn Superiority Klan, besides their leader has been safely imprisoned”.
“Oh you sure they are both against it” Ultio said with a smile “you do remember that a few ASK members escaped recently, both sisters can easily let one or two escape and call it a break out and also remember some of the members got bail what's to stop their leader from getting the same treatment, and while we are on that why did he only get life in prison, I mean the brute killed literally tens of thousands hundreds personally of innocent ponies and all he gets is life, wouldn't death be a more fitting justice, burn him at the stake as most of his victims were burned to death”.
Talio had to think for a minute this time and calmly replied “She let some of the less serious cases have bail because she is a merciful princess”. ultio rolled his eyes at this. “and she didn't kill their leader because then she would be no better then him and also to prevent him becoming a martyr”.
Ultio merely shook his head “ok but if she doesn't want him to die because she wants to protect her image over your lives why does she not just banish him to the sun that way he can no longer harm anypony and he would burn for all eternity and still be alive in case however unlikely he should be forgiven. eveypony would be safe, justice would be served and celestia would still be called a merciful princess. yet she chooses instead to imprison him keeping the lives of millions of innocent ponies in danger why.”
Talio could not think of an answer “what's your point?” was all she could ask.
“Simple” Ultio replied “you can’t trust the alicorns especially celestia right this moment she is practising keep your friends close but keep your enemies closer”. Talio’s jaw hung open as she took all this in. “Luna on the other hoof would make a very trust while friend”. Talio quietly whispered in her confusion. “Oh” exclaimed Ultio in surprise “did you not know?” “luna isn't celestia’s sister.” “no they're actually half-sisters, you see Luna’s father was actually a changeling like yourself.”
“What” Talio said “you mean to tell me that luna is like my cousin”.
“yes its true.” Ultio reassured her “now let me tell you why I came here”. “I came here to make you a chance for justice, to right the wrongs, to reunite with your lost kin, and to reshape the world as you see fit, to create a world where all ponies are equal.”
“What do you mean?” Talio asked
“What I mean is I can make the alicorns responsible for the genocide of your kin get what they deserve, I will make your tribe live again, and if you wish can ensure you replace celestia as queen of all of equestria, and as an added bonus for seeing the reason behind my words, i'll make you and every single changeling from now till the end of time itself immune to sunlight free of charge. Imagine never having to watch another loved one burst into flames again”. Ultio whispered into her ear.
Talio took a moment to think surely such an offer had to come at some price.
While the mare thought it over Ultio began chanting in a tongue that wasn't his usual latin, his wings flapping, and his eyes glowing their yellowish gleam and with a bright flash a large piece of paper and a quill as black as his wings.
Talio looked closely at the document but found she could not understand the text.
“my dear talio heres the deal all you need to do to get everything i promised you is one little thing .. teach me english thats all.” Ultio said in his normal latin. “all you need to do is accept this is sign the paper”. “Do we have a deal”?
Talio hesitantly pick up the quill but froze above the above the parchment was she really going make a deal, a deal she couldn't read for that matter with a pony she just met all over some sweet words and some big promises, but then again she did see him turn from a raven into a pegasus and what looked like magic from his eyes, as a pegasus magic should be impossible for him yet he seems to excel at it. What to do?
She did not have to wait long for the decision to be made as Ultio’s eyes gave another yellow flash and the edges of the quill in talio’s hoof became like knives cutting the poor mares skin causing a drop of blood to fall on the contract, at that moment Ultio snatched the paper away and said with a smile “let's get started fulfilling this contract shall we, ladies first”.
ultio placed a hoof over talio’s head and spoke another strange chant and his eyes once again flashed their signature glow. A yellow aura, a clear sign of magic enshrouded his hoof, when at last the glowing stopped talio instantly had an ache of head.
Ultio removed his hoof from upon her head and spoke in simple english “rest thyself my dear, thou shall have need of thy strength for the coming events, now hear these words and rear them well, upon the fortnight I shall return at that time I shall begin to deliver all which i hath promised thee.”
As Talio returned to her bed to rest her head a flurry of dark feathers engulfed the pegasus and once again stood the black bird, as he flew to the window he turned and spoke one last time “oh one last thing needs be mention my lady, henceforth should thou ever hath need of me, proclaim my name, for upon the words I shall appear.” Quoth the bird and naught remain
And with a flutter flew the bird, fleeing from her window frame.
In the night the bird arose, as it leaves the window close.
With window closed a silence came, and in the chamber darkness reclaim.
For the paper the mare thought not it, yet still her heart began to covet.
Her eyes act a levee, as her eye begin to heavy.
In her heart only pain, for pleasant dreams naught remain.
