Chrysalis smiled through her efforts as she watched her emerald flames surround her newest victim, taking great joy in the sight of the grass as it burned away from the magical heat. The flames roiled and swirled over the dark princess, the changeling could feel the massive increase to her own power and knew deep in her heart that Luna could never be a match for her new abilities. This fight was over before it would ever begin, she had won without the slightest of effort.

Sensing no further emotional energies leaving her target the Queen quelled her power, leaving the fire to slowly die away to nothing. So assured she was of her victory Chrysalis threw her head back in a fit of near maniacal laughter, crying out to the heavens with glee as she examined this new found strength flowing within her form. It was immense, more than doubling her own natural abilities and granting the changeling power far beyond anything she had ever experienced throughout her life. She felt as though the very world itself shook under her hooves, and perhaps in some ways, it did. Inhaling deeply she finally returned her gaze to the charred place in the grass before her, thinking perhaps she might collect an alicorn bone or two to take home. As the last of the smoke cleared the scene however, a shape began to resolve within the obscuring cloud, and she became aware of an emotion. Amusement.

Before the Queen’s very eyes the shadow hidden within the smoke was revealed to be none other than Princess Luna, standing in a rather relaxed stance with a look of dubious boredom draped over her features. An eyebrow slowly raised to complete the face of a pony who simply seemed, unimpressed. “Doth thou intend us harm?” Luna asked with unabashed sarcasm as she brought a hoof to her eye level for inspection, a slight shimmer of dark energy running over the limb as she spoke. “I cannot tell,” she said lowering her hoof again. “However, if you would insist on a duel with us,” a glow of eerie black light began to emanate from her body as her eyes lit from within. “It would be most rude to decline a guest, dear Tia will be glad to hear you could make it,” Luna said, taking an advancing step.

The changeling unconsciously took a step back as her eyes widened in shock, the surge of confidence nullified by a sudden realization. Chrysalis allowed fear to show for only a moment before it was replaced by anger. She set her shoulders and strengthened her stance, readying for Luna’s attack. “Calm yourself. You only need get close enough for me to act,” a cold voice said from some place in the back of her mind, a strong reminder to the passenger she carried.

A burst of vibrant light lit up the night, causing both mares to glance skyward. Blinking in the brightness they watched as a beam of magical energy ascended into the heavens, detonating high above in a massive ball of heat and light. Even at this distance Luna felt the shockwave as it found the ground easily a mile below the blast, it kicked up dust and leaves from the ground and scattered them about her hooves. A distraction. An insignificant distraction, that is all that this was. Chrysalis was meant as nothing more than a fleeting distraction to keep her occupied, temporarily removing her from some bigger picture. To her dismay, it had worked.

Faster than one could say the words Luna scanned the castle and searched for the cause of the discharge. It had been of an unknown origin, though it had also contained traces of Celestia’s magical signature. A rather blatant signal that something was wrong, and that she was needed right away. The princess reeled as her senses came across something powerful and unquestioningly evil, possessing a darkness greater than anything she had ever experienced. And it was coming from an all too familiar being. “Discord…” She said quietly, only dimly aware of the seething queen standing within range of a hoof shake. Luna cringed as she came across her sisters’ signature, someone had certainly made a mistake. Celestia, was angry.

As the rage steadily built within her Chrysalis began to seethe in pure fury. So close, she was so close to her revenge that she could almost taste its sweet completion. Yet, somehow this petty princess had withstood her newfound might. Chrysalis, the mighty Queen of the Changelings, the one being in all the lands strong enough to have bested Celestia herself in a duel had somehow failed to kill this, lesser child of a pony. How? How could this be possible?! With this newfound power she was nearly twice as strong as she had been that day, the day she had faced the white Alicorn of the sun, and came forth victorious. “No…” She whispered as her teeth began to grind together in pure rage, her magic boiling within her very soul. “NO!!!” She screamed as she unleashed her fury in earnest at her target, merely scant feet from the point of impact. The detonation sent both mares sprawling across the grass, Chrysalis impacted a tree so hard the trunk splintered and its length fell to the ground. Luna flew into the side of a large statue, shattering it instantly as she tumbled to a stop.

/ / / / / / / / / / / /

With a shuddering cough Alex Rustwing climbed to his hooves as dust and bits of marble fell from the ceiling. He quickly glanced around, taking note of the glints of armor that flashed in the weak moonlight seeping in through a window further down the hall. For a brief second the lights flickered back on and he reacted instantly as the fake guard straight across the hallway thrust a spear at his throat, a moment before impact the lights died again as the tower continued to lean sickeningly.

Parrying blindly Alex reared back and knocked the spear aside with a foreleg, unsheathing the hidden blades in the gauntlet as he did so. With a powerful twist of the limb he snapped the end of the spear clean off as the shaft sped past his ear, missing him by mere inches. From across the way he could hear a grunt of pain as the other Changeling’s weapon found its mark, in the darkness the shapes of struggling combatants danced around one another.

A burst of green flames flying high across the space in front of him served to alert Alex of the Changeling warrior as it reverted back to its true form, a large dagger in its jaws as it tackled him, shoving him back first against the wall.

Alex grunted under the force of the blow, unlike the drones or scavengers of the Changeling race, the warriors were to be taken quite seriously. He struggled against the force of the insectoid as it strained to pin his forelegs to the wall, and slowly began to succeed. He head butted it once, twice, it dropped the dagger as it staggered slightly. He slammed his thick helmet into its face a third time, a blow that sent it skidding back on its rear hooves a meter or so before it flipped backwards away with surprising agility and drawing yet another dagger from some unknown location, only to receive its own dropped dagger in the shoulder as Alex hurled it before making a lunge of his own.

The Changeling spun in order to kick out, only for the Pegasus’s blade to cleanly sever the limb at the knee as he barreled into the bug, crushing it to the floor. Alex raised his blade for a finishing blow, whispering a prayer to the sisters in thanks for the strength to overcome his foe. The lights flickered off as the tower was jostled yet again, dropping another foot as the base crumbled under the unbalanced structure, yet by some miracle had not simply collapsed.

In that single instant of disorientation the downed Changeling wriggled sideways and planted its good leg under the moment ago victor, kicking him away and rolling to its hooves once more. Gritting its teeth in pain but none the less willing to continue the fight the bleeding creature grasped the handle of the blade imbedded in its shoulder and yanked the dagger free before hurling it at the still recovering Rustwing. The blade landed straight and true, right along his neckline where most armor was weakest, and simply bounced off with a flourish of sparks.

With a grin at the shocked bug pony Alex took advantage of the moment and quickly closed the distance, bringing his wings to bear he wrapped them around his opponent’s neck and twisted. The wing blades attached to the appendages instantly severed the Changeling’s head at the shoulders, spraying the insect’s bioluminescent ichor across the floor.

As the lights dimly came back to life Alex stole a glance at his sole fellow guard just as he drove his short sword deep into the neck of the false guard attacking him, a one on one fight, just as his had been…Spinning on instinct he brought his wings before him, blades out in an x pattern. At the same instant a single wing blade flew down in an arc that would have rent him in two. The blades met in a shower of sparks and ringing steel as they pressed together.

“Glad to see you’ve not lost your edge ‘ole boy,” Obsidian Black said in something nearing a playful tone. He leaned down further, placing more of his weight onto his blade as he looked Alex over. “It’s been awhile, hasn’t it?”

Pushing through his confusion Alex steadied his wings as they began to shake from the strain. “How can you be alive? The hive…it…” He trailed off as Obsidian Chuckled quietly with a shake of his head.

“All just a part of the plan, dear Rustwing,” he said. To Alex’s surprise he let up on his blade slightly as he nodded at some internal realization. “Now, stand aside and there will be no reason for further, unpleasantries.”

Alex swallowed hard as a fire built behind his eyes. “Sorry Black, but I can’t do that,” Shoving upward as hard as he could he parried away the black blade and made to lunge into an attack, at that very moment the lights flickered out again and his attack met with nothing but air. Cursing quietly as the lights came on again Alex glanced around frantically in search of the Bat pony, who had vanished in the mere second of blackness. Seeing nothing he turned back to see the two additional Changelings now locked in battle with the other guard, who was remarkably holding his own against the pair. He immediately moved to assist his outnumbered comrade, only to have the hair on the back of his neck stand on end.

/ / / / / / / / / / / /

Luna stood, brushing some dust from her side as she did so and immediately braced herself as another blast of green magic scored a direct hit to her ribs. Staggering back slightly from the impact she channeled energy into the shadows around her, causing them to rise up into the air, absorbing the next attack and allowing her a moments respite to regain control of her situation.

Chrysalis, however, was having none of that. The Changeling queen poured even more power into her attacks, stretching the limits of this new power at her disposal. She fired increasingly more powerful blasts, each one larger and faster than the last. And yet, not a single one ever made contact with its intended target.

Smiling coyly, Luna began to advance upon the queen. Her void shadow absorbing the furious attacks with ease leaving her free to move at a leisurely pace. “A commendable effort, to be sure. Though thou must surely have realized that this is becoming pointless,” she said stopping a few paces away. The queen still refusing to relent and continued her fruitless barrage. “Thou art clearly outmatched in this bout continued attacks are futile,” Luna said with a sigh as she dropped her shadow defense, allowing the next blast to simply splash harmlessly over her aura, inflicting no damage to the princess whatsoever.

Silence fell over the area as Chrysalis ceased her assault, her horn steaming as she panted from the exertion of releasing such a massive amount of energy. She stood there, growling to herself at her failure. How could this be happening? She was queen! No enemy had ever withstood her might, not even the sun princess herself could best her.

With a smile of her own Chrysalis decided to change her tactics. Perhaps if sheer magical displays of her power were not enough to win her the day, then perhaps her skills at physical combat would be more up to the task. Wings buzzing as a means to increase her speed and agility, the queen darted forward. A mere blur in the darkness, she sprung at the princess as she leveled a hoof for a jab to the throat that would easily collapse most pony’s windpipes. Moving faster than most eyes could track, Chrysalis sailed on the perfect trajectory for the perfect strike. Until…

Before the Changeling could even blink, Luna sidestepped the devastating attack and with a powerful, yet precise swipe of her hoof, essentially bitch slapped the queen to the side sending her rolling across the grass.

Cringing slightly Luna began to approach her downed combatant, secretly she almost wished for the fight not to have ended so abruptly, though if the queen’s sudden power loss was any indication, this engagement was over. As she approached the still form on the ground Luna took note of the small trickle of blood moving down the side of the queen’s head, the bright greenish gray fluid oozed from a crack in the hardened chitinous skin. “Perhaps we took things too far,” Luna thought aloud with a shrug.

Sensing the wound not to be immediately life threatening Luna turned and made to assist her sister, only to be stopped by a growl from the ground behind her as Chrysalis rose to her hooves, and promptly fired a beam of black and purple light. The attack caught the princess in her side, piercing her aura and causing her to cry out in pain as it sliced deep into her barrel.

Sensing her advantage appearing at last, Chrysalis advanced as the tables turned in her favor. She fired beam after beam, causing Luna to go on the defensive as the attacks burned into her, piercing her aura with impossible ease.

Luna began backing away as she took additional blasts, her protection aura flickering dimly as it dulled the beams, but could not stop them alone. Another beam tore into the dark princess’ shoulder, ripping apart the muscle and cracking the bone beneath. Without thinking she again called upon the shadows for aid, lifting a wall of the inky blackness between her and the queen.

Chrysalis smiled at the action, firing an even bigger lance of this deadly new attack at the now retreating Alicorn. The torrent of condensed energy vanished into the void of the shadow, before reappearing a heartbeat later on the other side. It smashed into Luna’s chest, blowing her backwards off her hooves and tossing her through several walls of the hedgerow.

Panting heavily, the queen loped forward and inspected the point of impact. She smiled as the sight of blood spattering the ground graced her vision, it was beautiful, she realized. It gave her a newfound sense of confidence, if Luna could bleed, she could be killed.

/ / / / / / / / / / / /

Alex rolled forward just as a black wing blade swung past his ears in a vicious arc, missing by mere inches as he followed through with a quick hop back to his hooves. He instantly leaned away as a second blade swung at his side, the tip elegantly scraping along his armor leaving a surprisingly deep scratch in the metal. Before he could even properly act he was forced to block a straight on jab at his eye.

Obsidian followed through with a swipe at his legs that the Pegasus barely managed to dodge before he returned with a vertical slice of his own that the Bat pony sidestepped with an air of boredom emanating from his face.

As another blow was blocked and then countered with ease Alex feinted with a jab, to which Obsidian sought to intercept, only to find one of the Pegasus’s wing blades descending at his skull. He leaned out of the strike, too late. The blade made contact with flesh just below the bottom edge of Obsidians helmet.

Alex felt the subtle grind as the tip of the blade scraped against his opponents’ cheekbone. A hit. Not a deep one, but one that would most surely be felt. Lowering his blade slightly as his opponent did the same, he glanced at the other guard just in time to watch a Changeling run him through with a spear from the side as he struggled with another. “Buck…” Rustwing muttered.

Obsidian ran a hoof slowly over the fresh wound as it began to weep freely. He smiled at the sight of the blood as it ran down the side of his limb. “You know what you’re doing, I’ll give you that,” he said nodding approvingly.

“Years of practice,” Alex said in return as he took a fresh defensive posture, keeping an eye on the other two remaining Changeling imposters. The fake guards moving to cut off any retreat he could have made as Obsidian drew closer.

Obsidian Black smiled as he moved to within striking distance, still leaving his weapons down at his sides as if not concerned about his situation in the slightest. “Good. You’re going to need every second of it,” he said, wings slowly fluttering at his side.

Smirking, Alex couldn’t resist a retort. “I’m thinking you will too. Considering the presence of your backup,” he taunted, trying to keep the entire trio in his field of view. He was outnumbered and fighting a very skilled opponent. He knew he needed to goad him into one-on-one combat if he wanted a chance to win this fight.

Glancing past him with a dull look, Obsidian gave a chuckle. “Oh, these two? No, they’re just eye candy. Sometimes I have them carry the bags,” he stepped forward a pace, his chest plate casually brushing up against Alex’s raised blade without a care. “I’m all that I need.”

“Two bugs carrying two bags apiece? I’ll see if I can manage to cut you into just four pieces,” Alex said with a glare as he tensed, holding his stance as he stared down his opponent, continuously adjusting it subtly to account for Obsidians every move. “Even though a traitor such as you deserves far worse,” he finished with a snarl.

“A traitor? Hardly,” Obsidian smiled, his face changing to reflect a mixture of malice, then approval. “Oh I like this one,” he said just loud enough under his breath for his opponent to hear. “Witty and a decent fighter. A rare treat, a rare treat indeed,” he backed off a few paces before rearing up on his hind legs, releasing a similar set of hidden gauntlet blades to the ones Alex carried. “Let’s play,” he finished with a come hither motion.

Alex realized the posture was intended to draw him out of his counter stance and into an attack that would likely be fatal for him. He decided instead to dash right, then forward around his enemy’s posture and launched a series of quick attacks, followed swiftly by a heavy Earth pony style swing.

Obsidian simply feigned a retreat, encouraging Alex into committing to his attack before diving under his blade and ramming a shoulder into his lower chest, lifting the Pegasus over himself and using his momentum in an attempt to slam him into the floor.

During the flip Alex wrapped his wing around Obsidian’s foreleg. Pulling him down, and himself up at the same time, swinging a hoof at that smug black face as he did so in an attempt to knock his helmet off.

With a very un-pony like growl, the Bat pony brought his own wing around to rest the edge of the wing blade against the base of Alex’s wing. A position in which it would likely be severed unless the Pegasus released his hold before they smashed to the floor. His other wing simultaneously swiping away the blow meant for his face.

Feeling the blade pressing at the base of his wing Alex released his grip and flexed the appendage inward, away from the blade that had threatened to sever it. This in turn brought the wing’s blade along the inside of Obsidian’s foreleg where he would otherwise be able to land another hit. Alex then pulled his own foreleg back, hooking Obsidian’s wing in one of the deep serrations in his gauntlet. He then flexed, locking the wing into place as he flipped over to the left around his partially entrapped opponent. In this position and angle, he could break the wing, or, if he could get into the right spot, tear it completely off from the base.

Not slowing his motions in the slightest, Obsidian Black twisted his free wing around the back side of Alex’s head while running his opposite foreleg around the other way. Locking them together he pressed the now just as trapped Pegasus’s head forward towards his chest. At the same time his back right leg came up, a small dagger sliding out at the knee joint and pressing right for the pony’s eye. With his opponent suddenly off balance Obsidian twisted them around and pushed them to the floor, chuckling loudly as they landed. “Well, this is an interesting spot now, isn’t it? You have my wing, and I have, your eye. And brain, by extension,” he said calmly as his dagger slowly dug into the soft fleshy area under Alex’s left eye. “I’ll accept calling that one a draw. How about a trade?”

Alex growled as he strained his face away from the blade obscuring his vision, he could feel it sinking into his skin. “I’m listening,” he muttered, trying to put down more pressure on the wing he so desperately wanted to break, his compromised position not allowing for sufficient straining of the captured joint to do so.

Obsidian grunted as he flicked his tail in annoyance. “My wing for your life,” he said casually, wiggling the tip of the dagger to emphasize his point.

“Deal,” Rustwing muttered before tucking his chin and forcing his head forward causing the blade to slice along his upper nose and into his forehead, sparing his eye as the dagger scraped against the bone before popping his helmet lose. “But I’m gonna rob you on this one!” He bellowed as he yanked on the wing still hooked into his gauntlet, pulling with all his might as the appendage popped from its socket. He then curled his back hooves under Obsidian’s middle and let loose a strong buck, breaking the holds they had on each other and bruising his opponent’s ribs.

Putting some distance between himself and his wounded opponent Alex aloud himself a moment to breath, though he would never admit it, his heart was racing. Much faster than it ever did in a fight, he instinctively reached for his helmet only to grope at it like a drunk and send it sliding across the floor. His victorious grin quickly faded as he began to feel feverish, his extremities growing numb. “Oh…THAT…” He slurred, panting between words. Listing terribly Alex shuffled forward, his legs already starting to tremble.

“Was a poisoned blade, yes,” Obsidian remarked dryly as he looked over his limp wing with a look of mild surprise. “I had hoped not to need to resort to that, but,” he said with traces of disappointment in his tone as he turned to the stumbling Pegasus. “Unfortunately, you took the bait of an ensnared opponent, making this all too easy really. But, as I said, it’s all a part of the plan,” Alex began to gasp as he lost connection to the last of his body, his ears barely picking up Obsidian’s voice as he passed him, giving the Pegasus a smile as he went. “Don’t fret Alex, it’s nonlethal. I’m a better pony than that. I can’t say the same for the collapsing tower however,” he said with an evil chuckle.

Alex slumped into the wall as he tried to glare at the Bat pony. “You… Worthless… Trai… Tor…” He slurred, gaze moving over the body of the fallen guard further down the hall. At the very least he had managed to take down one of the fakes, leaving only two others remaining. “When the Princesses… Learn of… Thi…” His ability to speak faded from his mouth.

Obsidian paused briefly, glancing back at him with a look of something close to pity before muttering quietly to himself. “When they learn…” He nodded slowly as he turned back and sauntered up to the door. “No worries lad, you might get another chance.”

“Cadence!” Alex shouted, or rather, thought he shouted as all he managed was a soft mumble. Trying to warn her not to open the door he stumbled awkwardly before pitching forward like a felled tree, his attempts at shouting becoming muffled as his face contacted the floor. The last thought to linger through his mind was failing the princess. And how he was going to atone for his failure. Then, the darkness took him.

Moving closer to the entrance of the dressing room obsidian Black stopped and put a hoof to his dislocated wing and winced, struggling with the unresponsive limb he looked back at the two Changeling lackeys Chrysalis had assigned to him, a bit of insurance at Discord’s instruction. “Hello? Get your green flanks over here and help me with this,” he said sharply, eliciting a few angry mutters from the pair.

They wandered over, one moving up next to Obsidian to help with the wing. The other simply stood directly behind him, staring at the doors with a bored expression. The first took hold of the offered wing and gave it a quick look over before carefully lining it up. “Nice job back there,” he said, straightening his stance in order to set the wing. “I don’t get one thing though, when you said this was all a part of the plan, how does leaving him alive and allowing our two other infiltrators to get killed fighting factor into the plan at all?”

Obsidian grunted loudly as his wing was popped back into its socket, his head leaning up against the door, an ear pressed to the wood. He smiled as he listened to the sound of approaching hooves. “My apologies if you feel left uninformed,” he said working the relocated wing as a hoof left the floor to rest on his helper’s shoulder, right at the point his neck met his upper chest. “Allow me to, educate you,” no sooner had the words left his mouth his raised hoof twitched in such a way as to release the blades concealed in his gauntlet, the spring loaded weapon slammed forward, piercing into the Changeling’s neck. In the same instant Obsidian brought a rear hoof up under the chin of the Changeling standing behind him, just before his limb could connect he flexed it as well allowing a similar blade to slide into position.

The rear victim had just enough time to gasp in surprise before the eleven inch twin blades slammed through his throat, before exiting out the top of his head followed by a burst of green blood and bits of skull.

The second however was somewhat less lucky, as his most vital areas had been intentionally missed by the Scarlet’s weapon. Instead he gasped for breath as he choked on a lacerated windpipe, not damaged enough to kill, but just enough to silence the voice. He squirmed in Obsidian’s iron grip, struggling desperately to reach for his own weapon strapped uselessly at his side.

Retrieving his blade from the rear love sucker, Obsidian quickly stomped down, re-sheathing the blade in one fluid motion before turning his attention back to the Changeling struggling in his fore hooves, leaving the twitching corpse to fall to the floor.

Just as the door opened Obsidian Black wrapped his now fully functioning wing around the other side of his prey’s neck, ensuring that the newcomers saw his next move he brought the wing in close and promptly slit the Changelings throat. Always one for dramatics, he then pushed the body to the floor with his shoulder and used his weight as leverage to shove his gauntlet blades deeper into the now fully dead Changeling before wrenching upward, nearly severing its head completely from the body in a spray of grayish green fluid.

Taking a deep breath, Obsidian sheathed his blade and rose to look over his next obstacle, smiling at what he saw. A young Pegasus stallion stood between him and a somewhat frazzled princess. He cracked his neck and took an advancing steep, getting rid of this foal would be easy enough. Which was good. After all. He had a promise to keep.

/ / / / / / / / / / / /

Far above Canterlot, on a bluff of rock hanging out over nothing but air and wonder for several thousand feet, there sat a tree. An old Ivory wood, its once lustrous bark dulled with the passing of more time than most could recall. It sat there, atop the perfect place for a view of the city far below. It waited, swaying gently in the breeze, barely noticing the sudden forceful gust made by the recently passed shock wave that hit mere moments ago.

The barely discernable sound of a wing flap brushed past a withered branch, scarred from countless roostings from a bird that was never seen, save this night. This was soon followed by a set of talons, gently touching down as they had done countless times before. Ruffling his feathers in an anxious fashion the owl gazed at the city. He watched as the sun princess was blasted into the tower. He watched as her sister screamed from repeated blows, and was ultimately thrown back from something she could never truly understand.

Always, he watched. Never missing any detail, large, or small. He saw everything. He saw Twilight as her friends drug her back from danger, a danger that for once, was no mere test concocted by her mentor. He saw the bleeding body of a devoted captain, lying out past the farthest reaches of the hedge maze. Blinking slowly, or rather, slowly from his point of view, he glanced through the matter of the tower walls. He watched as the armored Pegasus slumped to the floor, beaten.

Sighing heavily he looked ever more distant, to Ponyville. In through the upper windows of the Apple household, his gaze wandered, ever searching. Yes, she was there. The one piece of this puzzle that just might forestall the end, but for a while longer. He watched, ever observing. Yet, never acting. At least, never before this night…

“You’re late,” came a small, yet impossibly annoying voice from behind the bird. “For having a position of observance, I would think being punctual to be something you might take more seriously,” Tillook said pointedly, slithering up out of a shadow where the limb attached to the tree.

“For a being removed from the very bonds of time itself, punctuality tends to lose its meaning. Additionally, I was here first, if anything you, are the one who is late,” Owlovard rebuked, not once looking away from the spectacle playing out before him.

“Fine, fine. Believe what you want, I obviously can’t stop you,” Tillook muttered, gesturing absentmindedly at the manacles wrapped around his wrists. He clanged one against the other, causing a dull glow from within. “No matter how much I want to…” He said, voice trailing off as he watched Chrysalis approaching Luna’s prone form.

“Don’t you understand?” Owlovard huffed, talons gripping the branch harder as the Changeling looked down on her prey like a victorious hunter. “It doesn’t matter what either of us want, not anymore. These events were set in motion far before our quarrel, Tillook. Our involvement now, will not be of any consequence.”

In an instant the tiny newt was standing before the owl, ignoring gravity on a whim so as to stare him eye to eye. “Don’t you even… You, the others, Malithion!” His voice grew lower, dangerous even. “You all sound the same. Never willing to get down in the dirt, you know, the only reason any of this was even possible is because of the Forger,” Tillook shook his head and looked away in disgust. “At least that guy had vision, ya know, he wasn’t afraid to get down in the muck and try to make something from it! And the ironic part is, he actually succeeded!” He said loudly, throwing his tiny hands in the air in exasperation. “And then, he goes and puts you idiots in charge of things,” he said whilst turning back around and walking back to Owlovard to sit down, a defeated stare coming over him. “And it all goes to hell from there… The oh so mighty Fates, Observers of all that they deem important enough to watch over.”

Clicking his beak in frustration Owlovard peered down at the pitiful looking creature. “Is this meant to sway me in some degree? Or do you honestly believe that I no longer care about what befalls this world?!”

Tillook glared up at him. “Prove me wrong! For once, just this one time prove you’re still in there. That you really haven’t just become another drone to Infinity like all the rest of them,” he pointed at the battle taking place below. “The Owlovard I remember would never take this lying down, he would have come up with some daring manipulation of the rules to stop this madness, this, this… Chaos.”

His face remained impassive as another scream split the night from below. “Tillook, I am sorry, but this is no longer within our control. Even if it were up to the Fates, I doubt it could be stopped, we alone have not the strength to stop the greatest weapon. The Forger has made it so.”

Tillook smiled, it had been millennia since he had heard the owl admit to an imperfection. He began a long drawn out laugh, a genuine lament from the heart as he shook his head. It was refreshing. “Then don’t try it alone, you have all the strength you need. Sitting right here,” he said, elbowing the bird in the side. “Release me, and all your worries would be over,” the newt encouraged, hands flexing eagerly at his sides. “You know perfectly well he could never hope to survive, me.”

Owlovard stiffened, old memories surfacing from a distant past. “That, can never happen, Tillook. Your wrath would never stop at him. I fear for the very existence of this realm, should you ever escape your bondage,” he said, eyeing his company closely for a moment.

Tillook simply waved him away with a soft grin. “Eh, was worth a shot,” he said patting Owlovards talon fondly. “I guess I just miss the old days, is all,” he muttered whimsically before developing a thoughtful look. “So, that suicide plan of yours with Star Swirl, how is that coming?”

Owlovard stiffened, talons gripping his perch so tightly the wood cracked. “Who told you of such a thing?” He hissed, feathers ruffling in surprise as he stared at the bane of his existence.

“Oh calm down feather head, you really think I would miss out on a conspiratorial meeting between a Fate and the last surviving member of Malithion’s yes ponies? I know all about your little, ‘shot in the dark’ plan,” he said casually, producing a framed picture from out of nowhere and displaying it for the owl to see.

“How…” The bird trailed off as he reached for the picture, his breath catching in his throat as he realized he had been found out.

Tillook drew the portrait away from the wing as it grasped for it. “Spirit of Mischief, remember?” He said fondling the picture with a smile. “Star Swirl was right about this one by the way,” his finger traced the outline of the thigh of the purple mare in his painting, moving along her back as he hummed quietly. “She will be quite useful.”

“Tillook,” Owlovard said dangerously, a faint aura of power coming into existence around him as he spoke. “Remember your place, demon. Infinity may have written, but this time, some things have got to change…!” He trailed off as Tillook started laughing yet again, even more crazily than usual.

“No, Owlovard. You’re right, things do need to change this go around,” He stood back up on his stubby little feet and nodded at the city below. “Only this time. I want in.”

Author's Notes:

Wooo! We made it to the double digits!
Also Dollars asked me to link the Chronicles story so if you want some context and back story, check for it here.
-Jake