Alptraum sat in his old throne, admiring the walls the other pony within once knew. However, such memories of his old kingdom were dark blurs in his mind; they were distant, faded shapes of faces, muffled sounds of cheering, faint screams of agony. His conscious mind could no longer recognize pain and suffering, he felt only a cold mist within his hollow, fragmented mind– pieced together again like a broken vase. The only name he recognized was 'Luna'. Perhaps an enemy or a rival? Alptraum only harboured hatred for this pony, though, he wasn't sure why. Was it his hatred, or somepony else's hatred crudely stuffed into his mind? He leaned back uneasily on his chair, not noticing the young dragon who stood next to him– the Changeling Ambassador.

"My lord...?" The dragon asked, noticing Alptraum's blank expression and troubled scowl.

"Hmm?" Alptraum raised his brow and stood up as he returned to reality.

"You appear troubled. Is anything the matter?" Ambassador Fang asked the vampire lord as he watched him shuffle to the other side of the room, to a mirror on the wall. "Lord Alptraum?"

"Tell me... who is this stallion, Ambassador?" Alptraum pointed to the figure in the mirror in front of him.

"I beg your pardon?" Fang was baffled by Alptraum's question, as his reflection was clearly regular. His hair was white, his eyes were red , and his fur was powder blue. Although, he did wonder why Alptraum, a vampire lord, had a reflection. "My lord, this stallion is you. I'm not sure what you're asking..."

"No, no... this stallion isn't right. He's not whatever I am," Alptraum disregarded what Fang said as he peered into the deep, emerald green eyes of the stallion in the mirror.

The doppelganger in the mirror had bright blue fur full of life, and his hair was brown and wavy, well-kept, unlike the mess of white tangles on Alptraum's head. He was so familiar. Maybe he was a relative? No, that didn't sit right with Alptraum. No, he knew the face in the mirror, although he couldn't remember his name. Was the doppelganger, in fact, not a doppelganger at all? Was he fake? Alptraum growled as he smashed the mirror to pieces with his hand, tossing glass across the room.

"My lord!" Fang shouted as glass fell just in front of his feet. "What is the matter-?"

"Nothing," Alptraum replied suddenly, turning to face Fang. "Nothing at all."

Just as Fang began to sweep the glass, the skeletal gentlecolt, Theodore entered with his cane in hand. The rest of Alptraum's inner circle also entered the throne room after him, awaiting orders from the newly appointed King of Ccrondil. "My lord, are you quite alright? What is this glass?"

"I'm fine. I just had an accident is all..." Alptraum massaged his temple as he stared down at the pile of glass on the floor. "What is it you want?"

"Very well, my lord," Theodore nodded as he approached Alptraum, who sat back down on his throne. "I have rather grim news for you, unfortunately, my lord."

"What is it?" Alptraum asked as he got up from his seat once again. "Is Luna on her way?"

"Yes, but she has others with her. The Equestrian fleet admiral and his crew are with her, and the Dragon Prince of Ponyville and Draven's crew are with her as well." Sven piped up as he ran his hand through his scaly mane of fins. "This will be harder than expected."

"Then you all must stop them from reaching Fortnight Tower. I believe they intend to go there," Alptraum ordered them; granted, he wasn't too sure why. Fortnight Tower simply seemed important to him, as if it was something worth protecting. Ah, but then the memory returned to him again! He needed to stop Luna from summoning the Cadre! "Yes, you must stop them at all cost."

"But, my lord, what of Caven Isle? Don't you need protection?" The demonic swordstallion, Amon, asked Alptraum.

"More importantly, what if your inner circle fails?" Fang chimed in, gesturing to the group of devotees in front of him.

"Like we'd fail, hatchling!" Sven laughed off the idea of failure.

"Don't you dare call me a hatchling, you mindless brute! I am a lord dragon, fool! I am above you!" Fang shouted at the muscle-bound dragon, scoffing at his remark; his fist ignited into an amethyst flame.

"Oh, really? You think you can take me on, squirt?!" Sven's eyes burned as a blade of red ice formed in his hand.

"Enough!" Alptraum silenced the two dragons then took a sip of red wine from his silver goblet. "What Fang says is true, Sven. If we are to ensure my reign here, we must practice redundancy. I cannot be open to attack."

"Then what do you propose?" Fang said as the flame in his hand faded.

"Should The Indigo Rose fail, Fang, you are to send word to Constantine to send The Four Generals and his army here. If Luna obtains the Eclipse Blade, she will be able to bypass the effects of my Blood Moon. I cannot let her reach me." Alptraum stated as he took yet another sip from his cup.

"Seems like overkill to me..." Lamia criticized Alptraum's paranoia.

"Not at all," Dr. Thatches chimed in, leaning against a nearby stone wall. "Admiral Pisces shouldn't be underestimated. We need all the help we can get from Constantine."

"And what do you know of the Admiral, Dr. Thatches?" Lamia said with a tinge of suspicion.

"Enough to know that we'd be making a bloody big mistake if we didn't send for The Four Generals, love," Dr. Thatches crossed his arms, dodging her suspicions. "If Pisces is gonna be in the fight, we better get all the firepower we can. Those generals are in a league of their own." Dr. Thatches then walked over to the grand entranceway. "I'll join you in Mystwood when I can. Now, if you'll excuse me, there are some prisoners that need torturin' down in the dungeon. I'll be there if ya need me..."

Without another word, Dr. Thatches exited the throne room, slamming the door shut behind him. Fang knew there was something awry with Thatches. He knew an awful lot about the Equestrian marines, especially Pisces. For a doctor, he also knew quite a lot about mapping and strategy too. In fact, he orchestrated the whole plan to take Caven Isle by himself for Alptraum. These qualities caught Fang's attention; they were the attributes of a pirate, or at least a former marine. Perhaps an Equestrian spy? No. Fang had reason to believe this 'Dr. Thatches' was tied to somepony high on the food chain, somepony powerful. Fang was getting more curious by the minute. However, he had to get permission from Constantine if he were to investigate, and that would surely waste his valuable time; the Equestrians were closing in on Ccrondil, and fast. He had to be ready, but he'd keep his eye on the mysterious stallion in the meantime.

"Well then, off with you all. Go to Mystwood with our army in an hour or so. Make sure Luna and her allies don't make it to the tower," Alptraum instructed them as he waved them away.

"Now, about Constantine's offer..." Fang spoke up as the rest of The Indigo Rose left the chamber.

"I told you before, Fang... I will not accept its conditions until my position on this throne is secured," Alptraum refused as he took another sip of wine. "Away with you."

****

Dr. Thatches made his way to the dungeon, descending a flight of damp, stone steps to a long corridor filled with the moans of the few prisoners they took during their siege of Caven Isle. He removed his mask with a sigh of relief, eager to get rid of the stuffiness, and he took off his cap, letting his long yellow hair flow down the back of his neck over his Tyrian purple fur. His eyes were grey and he was a well-built stallion with a strong jaw and a large neck, but he had an air of deceit about him as if he were always scheming about something. His various ear piercings and tattoos accented his rough nature, and the gold-toothed skull under his chin boasted his rank as a Dorian Commander, a Pirate Executive of Goldblood Gaine's army– Rufus H. Thatchet.

"Hmm," Thatchet pulled out one of the various triple-barrelled flintlocks in his leather coat and walked down the hallway, firing into each occupied prison cell as he walked by until there was nopony else; he didn't want any witnesses. He then pulled out another object from within his coat, a crystal sphere used for long-distance communication. "Oi, your majesty... I got a bit of information for ya that I thought I'd pass on."

"Well...?" A deep gravelly voice emanated from the crystal ball as the magic within it swirled about to form a picture– a projection of the speaker. "Whatcha got, Thatchet?"

The speaker was the half-changeling Five-Brand Gaines on his throne, in all his terrifying glory. His eyes were gold with pupils like diamonds, and his gigantic muscular body could intimidate almost anypony. He was probably the size of a small giant– over three meters in height and his long, matted grey hair cascaded down his barreled chest like a mess of vines. He wore a grand, royal purple cape with golden epaulettes over his unclothed, tattooed torso, and he wore a pair of brick red harem pants with a navy blue sash around his waist. His gold, jewel-encrusted teeth glimmered as he grinned maniacally, and Thatchet watched as his slave mares kissed his massive hands and chest as he sat on his throne.

"Sorry to bother you, your majesty..." Thatchet could see that Gaines was obviously busy; the scantily clad, whip-scarred mares were clearly about to pleasure him.

"Oh, Thatchet, you ain't interruptin' anything important! These mares here were just gonna show me a good time!" Gaines snickered as he grabbed a whip off his sash and lashed the mare on his shoulder that was playing with his hair. She gasped as the whip impacted her arm, and she tumbled down with a thud, out of Thatchet's sight. "Don't touch the hair, bitch! Ha! Ha! Ha!"

"Heh..." Thatchet smirked as Gaines kicked the mare who had tumbled down. "I'm guessin' you're gonna kill em' after, right?"

"Oh yeah..." Gaines' tongue stuck out as the mare on his left bit his neck. However, she stopped soon after what Gaines said sunk in, and she realized her fate. Gaines snarled as he tugged on her mane. "Did I say stop?! C'mon! At least enjoy your last few hours! Ha! Ha! Ha!"

"So, back to the matter at hand..." Thatchet got back on topic as he heard movement from the floor above. "Word in Ccrondil is that the Equestrians are sending Luna and the damn fleet admiral. Looks like everypony's gearin' up for war. Constantine is sendin' The Four Generals too."

"Now that's what I'm talkin' about! That old lich is throwin' everything out of his back of tricks! Good to see him finally get shit done for once! What about Draven? Is he in on this action too?" Gaines said as he pushed another slave mare away. "Oh! How about the runt– that little dragon cub of his?"

"Draven's in, yeah..." Thatchet nodded as he thought back to his mission in Ausrüstung during Liberty Day when he spied on Draven and his crew. "And as for the Drafir hatchling... I think he's still with our dear friend as well."

"Ha! Great! I knew that old dragon couldn't resist a fight like this! This'll be good! Blood, violence, death! The whole nine yards!" Gaines laughed again, spilling his tankard of beer all over his lap. "Aw shit. Oh, wait! This reminds me! How's Rummy and Ginny? Are they on their way?"

"Oh yeah. If Draven and Pisces are in this fight, they'll be there too," Thatchet answered as he took a swig from the flask of rum in his coat pocket.

"Oooo... this is just gettin' better and better! If you see em', tell em' I use their dad's skin as a blanket. Oh, and pummel em' a little too while you're at it..." Gaines instructed his commander as he took a large gulp from what remained in his tankard.

"No problem, your majesty..." Thatchet said as he put his flask back in his coat pocket. "I'll keep you posted if your name gets mentioned."

"See to it that 'Emperor Constantine' over at changeling HQ knows that we mean business!" Gaines set his tankard down and let out a roaring belch. "I wanna see em' cry!"

"You got it, King Gaines," Thatchet nodded as the image in the crystal ball began to fade away. "I'll see you after this all blows over."

As the image completely vanished, Thatchet heard a faint breath from an open cell to his right that was filled with crates and other supplies. He grabbed another flintlock from his coat and held it up, preparing for an ambush. Then, out of the shadows, a figure armed with a black blade jumped out of the shadows and cut off his head, causing it to tumble to the ground. However, Thatchet, being a Tradendi Brand user, was not affected by the attack. His head liquefied into a black ooze and crawled up his body, which still stood upright, and his head rematerialized quickly once the black substance congealed around his neck.

"You could have just said hello, love..." Thatchet grinned as he turned around to face the mysterious mare clad in black, leather armor.

Based on the shape of the rogue pony's hourglass body, he assumed she was a mare. She held in her hand a blade made of obsidian. Although, after taking another good look, Thatchet could see that the blade actually protruded from the palm of her hand like some kind of spiny growth. It retreated back into her hand as she stood. The hood on her head covered her face, and her tight suit of leather fit her curves well; Thatchet had a thing for leather.

"Brand-users... always got to make things difficult," Her soft yet mature Canterlot voice was soothing and serious at the same time, almost sultry.

"You're feisty, love..." Thatchet grinned as he cracked his knuckles. "Whatcha doin' here?"

"I could ask you the same question, Goldblood Pirate– mixing yourself up with the likes of The Indigo Rose..." The mare said as shards of obsidian shot out of her hands like a hail of arrows.

"Funny..." The shards went through the liquid body of Thatchet, and he raced at his foe with blinding speed, catching her off-guard. He grabbed her collar tightly, then removed her cowl to reveal her face. "Now, that's what I was expectin', love... now we're even. You saw my face, now I can see yours."

The young, half-changeling mare beneath the cowl was as attractive as Lamia. Her silky smooth, auburn hair trickled down the one side of her head like a waterfall, and her mystifying, orange topaz eyes were deep and intense like the very gemstone they embodied. And her fur was neat and well kept, smooth like a polished crystal. Thatchet let her go, and she dusted herself off hastily, cautious of the pirate commander.

"So, what's a Cadre member doing here?" Thatchet recognized the outfit; he had seen it before in his travels. "You're supposed to be underground, aren't you?"

"I've been called out of retirement," The mare replied sarcastically, trying to keep her answers non-specific.

"Relax, love, I'm in the same position as you up there. I won't tell," Thatchet said as he pointed up at the ceiling to where his 'allies' were. "I won't tell a soul– spy's promise. Why don't we just turn around and forget this happened, huh?"

"How do I know you're not telling the truth?" The mare asked as an obsidian blade appeared in her hand again.

"You're just gonna have to trust me, I suppose..." Thatchet grinned as he put his hands up in surrender. "Even if I am lying, I won't try to stop you, that much I can promise you. You'll have plenty of time to escape with that ninja bullocks of yours or whatever if I do tell..."

"Very well. Then this meeting never happened, alright?" The mare said as she pulled up her hood with her free hand.

"Alright..." Thatchet gave her a smug grin as he put his mask and hat back on. "Say, you look an awful lot like a halfling I know... you know Gaines?"

"Sadly..." The mare said as she disappeared into the shadows without a trace.

"See you around then, huh?" Thatchet snickered as he waltzed down the corridor and back up the steps.

Author's Notes:

Foreshadowing, foreshadowing, foreshadowing! Don't you love foreshadowing?

As always, I hope you enjoyed! See you in the next chapter!