A Game of Chess

A foul silence had taken hold of the chamber in which the Ignis sat, as Asgard held the dagger firmly to Pinkie's throat. The pink pony's eyes were wide, but whether it was fear or surprise, Valice was unsure. However, the scout was not watching her eyes, but merely focusing her attention upon the sleipnir and the dagger in his left hoof.

At last, after a few minutes of simply staring at each other, Dusk broke the silence. "What kind of questions?" he asked, hesitantly. "What is it that you wish to know of us?" The sell-sword had shed his more friendly personality, instead showing only the coldness that he'd seemed to revel in the night that he'd held a blade to Valice's throat.

Asgard didn't even blink, with his eyes remaining narrowed as he looked upon the ponies in front of him. Even Cora, his own captain, seemed surprised and horrified at this new change that had overtaken him.

"Nothing that is too important," said the lord of Solace, his gaze unwavering. "I simply have two questions of you. Whether you answer them correctly or not, I shall release this creature to you. All that I ask is that you answer them at all."

"Well, what are they?" Twilight asked, unmoving.

Asgard moved the dagger away from Pinkie's throat, but only slightly. "Pay close attention to what I'm about to say," he replied, and took a breath.

"Long ago - thousands of years prior, actually -, there were born two brothers, twins, into the lowest level of Tartarus. The two were renowned for being polite, compassionate, brilliant, and genuinely enjoyable to be around. They were famous to the creatures living upon their floor, mostly due to their optimistic look on life, and were scheduled by Fear herself to move upwards to the thirty-first floor within mere decades of their birth.

"You see, in Tartarus, ponies move down further the worse crimes - be they arson, murder, or anything of the like - that they commit, and higher the better they act towards those around them. Naturally, the highest floors are beautiful, wonderful, and perfect, while the lowest are wretched, horrid, and hellish. That may sound fair, as us sleipnirs are given thirty-two chances to err before we are sentenced to burn in hellfire for eternity. However, that is not the case; if a sleipnir is born unto Tartarus's lowest floors, he is not simply moved to the first, but is left there to rot. Naturally, it should be easy to expect the bitterness felt by those born into those depths.

"These children, however, averted that immensely; they never fought, robbed, nor challenged anypony else, and only showed love and compassion for those around them, even as their parents had been slaughtered by vile criminals around them. Instead, they were peace-lovers, and both were loved, in turn, by everypony there. However, that beauty, that wondrousness... it was not to last.

"You see, one day, one of the two twins - a sleipnir known as 'Hecatoncheir' - began to change, mentally. His mind, and all kindness that remained for other ponies, deteriorated until only a sadistic insanity was left. The only pony he cared for was his brother, who he genuinely loved in spite of his mental alteration. However, his brother suffered differently; his twin's transformation into cruelty left him cynical and jaded of the world around him, with only his beloved brother to comfort him of the wretched place in which he lived. Ponies stopped caring for them, and thoughts to move them upwards were forgotten.

"Eventually, even that wretched world was thrown into turmoil, as Hecatoncheir one day accidentally caused the death of another sleipnir. He was a well-known and feared criminal who'd threatened he and his brother with death if they did not comply to his wishes. So Hecatoncheir slew him, tearing apart his enemy until nothing remained. Naturally, you can all guess exactly what happened after this."

Asgard looked at all of them, then, and laughed, bitterly. "They were stalked by Fear's forces, now enemies of all life in Tartarus. So, of course, the two decided to take a route that nopony had completed beforehand; they decided to flee from Tartarus, so that they could escape from the darkness and into the light.

"Of course, this trek was not without complications. For the first thirty floors, it was a simple enough trek for the two; they simply used stealth and speed - two traits that Hecatoncheir was not excellent at, if I may say - and managed fine up until that point. At the thirty-first floor, however, they ran into... complications. Fear's most dangerous soldiers patrolled that area, due to her wanting to stamp out all crime from the first and second floors, and thus, stealth was no longer and option. The two brothers were forced to fight for the remainder of their escape, with Hecatoncheir using his infamous arm creation, and his brother using his foresight to deflect attacks that could have possibly killed either.

"As you all can likely guess, that went about as well as expected. These children were not yet five centuries, and they were thrust into this hellish situation, with Fear's soldiers attacking them with the intent to kill. Hecatoncheir was able to escape perfectly unharmed. His brother, however..."

Asgard laughed, once more, with the same bitterness as before. "His brother was killed trying to defend Hecatoncheir from death, and the guard that delivered the finishing blow was quickly slain by the enraged twin. In the end, Hecatoncheir was able to escape from Tartarus, past the vile Cerberus, and out into the Desert of Death, before he found his way to Solace. This was more than twenty-five-hundred years ago."

The lord of Solace stopped, then, and turned away, still holding Pinkie, and still with the dagger to her throat. "Now, then," he started, slowly, "here is my first question for you: what was the name of Hecatoncheir's brother?"

Valice felt like screaming, at that. She wanted to shout with all of the effort she could muster, "Asgard! His name is Asgard!", but she couldn't. After all, if she told the lord of Solace what she knew, then questions would begin to arise. How did she know that? What could she see? Who was she, really?

No, the scout couldn't say it, even as the pink pony was before them, the smallest amount of blood dripping from her throat. She couldn't speak, although she wanted to. Half of her simply wanted to say it now, before they went any further, but the other half - the half desiring survival - had locked the truth away.

This revelation, the thought that she'd let an innocent die because of her own desire for life, made her feel sick. Even if she despised their kind, Valice could not deny the kindness, the compassion, and the hospitality that seemed to exude from these creatures that she'd, at one time, wanted nothing more than to gut.

Nevertheless, silence seemed to have consumed the room. Her jaw was clenched shut, and her throat felt dry and ached from the heat around them. The others were all in a similar situation; None could speak, but all seemed like they wanted to guess.

At last, after what felt like an eternity, a voice that was all-too-familiar spoke up. "Asgard," Dusk said, calmly. "That was his name, wasn't it?"

Asgard turned towards him, and smiled, sadly. "That's correct," he said. "That was the name of Hecatoncheir's brother. Asgard, born in Tartarus, born in darkness, and born with nothing. And, before you ask, yes, the 'Asgard' that your friend refers to, name-wise, -" he paused "- is the one standing in front of you."

Checkmate's eyes widened. "You..." He breathed, "You're Hecatoncheir's brother?!"

"Indeed," replied Asgard, as he stepped towards them, "Why are you all staring at me as if you are in view of the dead? It's quite... unnerving, truly."

"You... you are dead!" Rainbow shouted, "Didn't you just say that you're -?"

"That's correct," said the sleipnir, as he turned to the side. "Asgard died that day, his body rotting away inside of Tartarus. However, that leads me to my second question, and, after this, if you can answer properly, I shall release your friend."

Asgard turned towards them, his eyes cold. "Which brother," he started, "is standing before you now? Hecatoncheir, or Asgard?"

"What..." Twilight breathed. "What do you mean 'which brother is standing before you now'?"

"There were two brothers," replied Asgard. "Which one of the two is in front of you at this moment? I'll give you... let us say... five minutes to create your answer."

Valice felt her legs beginning to shake, and to shiver, and to be filled with fear and nervousness. The first answer was somewhat obvious; after all, Asgard essentially gave away everything through his speech to them about he and Hecatoncheir. The second question, however, was impossible. Dusk looked confused, and seemed to be straining to figure out the response, and the others simply looked blank.

She was the only one who knew the truth.

And it was time to make sure that the others did, as well. Even if it meant telling them just who she was, she would rather see Pinkie released than have her head roll on the floor, no matter how annoying she perceived the creature. Without her, it was possible that the others would never smile again, and that wouldn't help her in the slightest. No, it was time to say exactly what she'd been hiding since the beginning.

Valice stepped towards Asgard, then, and her eyes were cold and set, her legs were sturdy, albeit still shaking somewhat, and her back was straight.

"That's impossible to answer," she said, her voice firm.

"Whatever do you mean?" Asgard asked, his grip on the dagger loosening, slightly.

The scout's eyes flashed. "Because there isn't one pony standing in front of us," she stated. "There isn't simply Asgard or Hecatoncheir in front of us now. There are both of you, sharing the same body!"

"WHAT?!" came the cry from everypony around her. Even Dusk's voice had raised in surprise at this revelation.

Asgard's eyes widened, and he stumbled back. "What..." he breathed. "How could you possibly have...?!"

"Two reasons, actually," said Valice, her voice calm. "The first is the most obvious, and the one I'm sure that everypony noticed the instant they stepped in here."

Twilight's eyes widened. "Th-the wound on his side...!" she gasped. "It's the same one that Hecatoncheir got from Checkmate earlier!"

"Exactly," said Valice. "And, if you've seen his rear legs, he has the same wound that the antlion inflicted on his twin earlier today, as well. One wound wouldn't be major, but two? It's impossible to deny the similarities."

"What's the second reason, then?" asked Dusk, his voice sounding bemused, but his face straight. "I'm curious."

Valice smirked. This was it, her time to tell them everything. It would all be done in one movement, in one graceful statement.

"Your soul," supplied the scout, "or 'souls', rather, that are in your body. I can see them quite clearly. Hecatoncheir's is clearly the one that owns this form, and yours is the one that's currently in control, based on the size of them."

"H-how is that possible?" Twilight asked. "Not even an alicorn like Celestia is able to see into a pony's soul, and Luna can only do it while a pony is asleep!"

"Because, Twilight Sparkle, isn't it obvious?" asked Valice, and she turned back to the lavender alicorn. "I'm not seeing their souls, per se, but instead what their souls are holding for each other." She turned back towards Asgard, who looked somewhat nervous. "You and your brother... you have quite a bit of love for each other, don't you?"

"Love...?" Asgard started, and his eyes widened. "No... you cannot possibly be...!"

Valice laughed, and her eyes burned with joy. She'd wanted to throw off the cowl for far too long, and now was her chance to truly show these ponies what she was capable of.

"That's right," the scout said, smirking, as green flames began to envelop her body.

The cherry-red body was completely engulfed in the fire, as her body began to change. The mark on her side vanished, as a dark-colored carapace covered in small holes took its place, followed by a spike of the same substance that appeared on her forehead. Insect-like wings replaced her feathery ones, and her eyes became an icy blue.

The new figure that stood before the ponies stared into Asgard's eyes with a strange anger. "Well, are you happy, now?" she asked, her voice the same. "Now that you can all see me for what I truly am? You asked me, Dusk, on the night that you captured me, a question that I'm sure you've wanted answered for awhile. Well, I have the answer for you now, and I'm not ashamed to admit it, either."

The changeling's eyes lit up, as a smirk crossed her muzzle. "My name is Valice, famed scout, and one of Queen Chrysalis's closest fri- er, allies."

"A changeling..." Asgard muttered. "Of course. It is no wonder that you managed to see through the veil cast by my brother and I. Now all of the ponies created by Fear, Love, and Hatred are completely present; the Glacius, myself, and now this changeling." He paused, then, but spoke once more. "In either case, I am a sleipnir of my word."

Asgard lowered the dagger, then, and pushed Pinkie back towards her friends. "I despise killing those who have yet to truly experience their lives," he said, and shook his head. "However, I am afraid that I cannot allow you to exit this chamber with yours."

The others regarded Valice with fear in their eyes. While it was understandable, due to what had only recently occurred in Equestria, she still could not deny the pain that she felt as they stared at her in horror.

Dusk, however, said something that surprised her completely. "It certainly took you long enough to reveal that fact, didn't it?" he asked, smirking. "I mean, it was fairly obvious that you weren't exactly a normal pegasus from the beginning."

"What do you mean, obvious?" asked Valice, annoyed. "I tried as hard as I could to be discreet, and you're telling me that it was obvious?"

"Quite," said Dusk. "To me, at least. I didn't expect a changeling, but I knew that you were not simply a normal pony. The talent sign you used, after all... Far too blatant that you couldn't create anything better, so you just used a slightly different color and claimed that it was 'stealth'. Really, you'd think that the others would have at least thought about it at a little bit..."

Checkmate grimaced, but drew the Glacius. "We can discuss this later," he said. "Don't you think we should take care of Asgard, first?"

Twilight nodded. "Yeah," she said, "We can talk all about these... things later. For now, it might be best for us to focus on what really matters."

"I couldn't agree more," replied Asgard, and he shook his head. "Don't believe that I want this, however. As I said, I do not want to kill any of you, but this is what is necessary."

"Why?" asked Cora. "Why are you helping Hecatoncheir after all that he's done?"

Asgard looked at them, and they could see tears in his eyes. "He's... Hecatoncheir is my brother," he replied. "My parents have been slaughtered and now lay burning in hellfire. He... he is all that I have left. Even if he has become a monster, he's my brother, and he's the only creature on this world - or in any other - who cares for me, and loves me, and gave me a chance to survive."

"But how is that possible?" Dusk asked, although his voice was surprisingly soft. "If you died inside of Tartarus, then how could your spirit still be here now?"

"The answer to that is simple," replied Asgard, though he sighed. "It is an ability that many sleipnirs gloss over, widely regarded as a monstrous and evil technique."

"How fitting," quipped Valice, and the others stared at her in shock, as if surprised that she still retained her old sense of humor, even in her new form.

"It's a technique that is used to absorb a fallen foe, and add his strength to our own," said Asgard. "You see, it's easy to perform, but many think of it as barbaric, as it destroys the soul entirely of that which it absorbs, and it leaves not even enough for a creature to go into the afterlife. However, it requires one single, simply precaution." He raised up his left hoof. "The hoof dominance must be the same on both the absorber and the one who is being absorbed. If they are not the same, then the soul being taken is instead stored within the body, and is able to take command of it or exit it whenever necessary. As such, Hecatoncheir and I made this our conjoined form, and I, when he is in control, would simply move my soul elsewhere."

"What do you mean... elsewhere?" asked Twilight, cautiously.

Asgard smiled, but the tears were still evident. "Us sleipnirs, as we are known to spread fear, do it in a simple, unobtrusive manner: the dream channels."

Twilight gasped. "Nightmares...!" she breathed.

"That's correct," said Asgard. "We spread fear through dreams. What we create is nothing major or fatal, but nothing that can be simply ignored, either. A nightmare is nothing more than a sleipnir who has lost his form and who seeks to use your fear to create a new one. Nothing but harmless fear, and nothing less than that."

Checkmate lowered the Glacius. "So all of this," he said. "Sealing away Illia, cursing this place with Hecatoncheir, taking over Solace... It was all for your brother?"

"That's correct," said the lord of Solace. "Everything that's happened - all of this - all came down to this moment. I lost my foresight due to lacking my own body, and I lost my own elemental affinity, but I'm close, now, to its creation. And once it is done, I can have a form of my own, and my brother and I can finally leave this place, and find somewhere in which we can truly be at peace."

Valice actually felt her heart break at this. A pony who felt such love - even for one who devoured love, it was wretched - that he was willing to sacrifice everything just for the one creature who cared for him.

"Enough," said Asgard. "As I said, I cannot allow you to leave here, not knowing what you do. It would be a simple matter to just give you the Ignis and allow you to be off, but I cannot let our secret be revealed to anypony."

He threw the dagger up in the air, and caught it in his right hoof. "Please accept my apologies," Asgard said. "It is nothing personal, but this is something that I must do."

The sleipnir's eyes began to change, then, taking upon the hue of Hecatoncheir's own. "Ha!" he laughed, a foul sneer appearing on his muzzle. "I was waiting for this chance!" He threw the dagger into the air, and caught it. "I am Hecatoncheir of the light!"

Asgard's eyes reappeared. "And I am Asgard of the darkness!"

"And now," said the former, his eyes reasserting themselves. "I believe that it's time my beloved twin and I rip you lot apart - particularly you, Checkmate - LIMB-FROM-LIMB!"

Then, laughing insanely, Hecatoncheir rushed towards them, the dagger glistening in the light of the cavern.