Rook (Book 1 - The Forever Blade)

The chamber stretched out indefinitely in the opposite direction. At first, Rook only saw a shadow, standing idly about halfway in. Soon, however, the blur of the sudden light receded from the edges of his eyes and the rest of the room came into view. Rows upon rows of glass chambers lined the floor of the seemingly endless hall, radiating a faint luminance. They were domed on top and all steel on the bottom. The domes themselves seemed to be filled with bubbling liquid, magenta in hue. And hovering in the liquid... Rook could not discern.

"Do you like my decorations?" called the shadow from across the room, "I do like to think their flickering light energy creates a nice ambience."

"Who are you?" shouted Rook, not entirely caring for the answer.

"Me?" the shadow mocked, "You come into my home uninvited, and then you ask me who I am?"

The shadow began marching toward Rook slowly, hoofsteps calmly mimicked by the domed chambers and high ceiling. First the plating over his body glinted in the light from the chambers. Then, his face came into view. A charming, friendly old face. The sort Rook would have trusted under any other circumstances. And, in fact, he had.

"You're the..."

"Ah, yes, we have met before haven't we?" the old unicorn stallion mused, smiling a horrid and sickening smile, "now, let's chat, shall we? So much has happened since we last spoke..."

The aged stallion put a foreleg over Rook's shoulders forcefully, "You see... since the Forever Blade has come to light, things have changed. The world is a new place. A kingdom fit for the taking. A force exists in Equestria that even the Princesses fear, a force which has brought the Harmony Bearers to their knees and indeed all but wiped them from existence! Don't you see?"

Rook shook his head, pushing away the stallion's hold.

"I don't see anything. All I see is a bitter, tricky old man trying to plant ideas in a malleable mind."

The stallion frowned. "You'll understand in time. Come with me, good friend, and I will show you what my work has amounted to."

Rook hesitated at first, but seeing the stallion walking away, decided to follow. They continued down, deeper into the rows upon rows of luminescent domes, each giving Rook the faintest impression that they were alive. There was a sort of churning in their depths, a pulse. Like a uniform heartbeat resonating through all the domes in the room.