Mera had drifted off to sleep while laying next to Pearl. She didn't need sleep, but something had forced her to go to sleep, and that was terrifying.

She looked around the void of the dream and saw the familiar table and chairs. She gulped as she went towards them. She was not normally intimidated by Grogar, but the continued existence of that pegasus filly after Mera had been ordered to kill it gave this meeting a far more sinister feel. She touched her hoof up to her bell, hoping that she was not about to lose it to the possession of that goat.

Mera took the same seat she had past time and waited patiently. Despite the fact this was a dream her heart was pounding in her chest. The fact that she had not been summoned, but instead forcibly brought her against her will did not bode well for her. She got to work trying to figure out how to plead her case while she waited.

There was not much time given to her however. The familiar stench of the old goat hit her nosterals like a hammer, and he walked casually by her from behind to his seat across from her. She held her breath as he sat down and looked at her with a devilish smile.

"My dear, you look a bit anxious, so out of character for you. Where's my defiant little pony who likes to spit and snarl at me? You act like I should have reason to be punishing you," Grogar laughed to himself.

Mera didn't answer, she knew that he was trying to get a further rise out of her. Her best bet at the moment was to play the part of an obedient servant to him. Make him think he had her completely intimidated. There was no acting involved with it this time though, she was intimidated, her bell was on the line.

"No answer? Just wanting to be respectful to get you out of your perceived predicament? Let me put your mind at ease my dear, I won't be taking your bell from you today. I have brought you to me for another matter altogether," Grogar said. His tone could almost be considered kind. Looking into his face she knew there was no kindness in him. He had some other sadistic intention in mind. The one positive thing was the bastard wasn't a liar, he had no need to lie when he could intimidate far more with the truth.

"What did you bring me her for then," she demanded, getting some of her nerve back.

"Aww, there we go, so much better when you're able to talk. I do so enjoy your defiant spirit. You're such a refreshing individual to deal with," Grogar laughed again.

"To the point, Goat," she hissed.

"Very well, to the point it is. I'm here because I have been watching you closely for a while. I watch all the Elder God's servants closely, it is a large part of my job. You have no secrets from me, none of you do. I've been watching as you try to maneuver yourself for my position, and know all about your long term goals," he said with a smile.

"And?" Mera asked, her blood running cold. She didn't know that he could know what she was planning till now, and she felt a sense of dread that all her hopes and dreams were about to come to an abrupt end.

"Honestly, I actually kind of liked your plans to tell the truth. It would mean our masters would be able to return to this world long after they finished it the first time and have a fresh banquet waiting for them. Your little reborn world would have many millennia to get itself back together again and then the process could start all over again. Our masters would be quite pleased with the prospect, like replanting a fallow field that has sat dormant after its last harvest. I have little reason to interfere with such a thing," Grogar said with a casual shrug.

"Then why even bring it up? Are you intending on helping me reach my goals?" Mera demanded. She needed to know what the old goat was getting at. No freedom from the Elder Gods was going to happen then, at least she could buy some time without them, but it was sickening to learn.

"Actually, I am going to be putting a halt to those plans. While in discussion with our masters there was a surge of inspiration from them, and they have decided to explore new options for causing the suffering and death we all so need on a much wider scale," Grogar explained.

"And that would be?" Mera asked, curious at what sadism the Elder Gods had concocted. She at least could still get Pearl.

"None of your concern, my dear. No, what I have to do with you now is offer you a fresh contract in place of your old one, one that you might find very agreeable," Grogar cackled as he spoke.

"What are the terms?" Mera asked apprehensively.

"Oh they are all so simple, and all favor you so much. You no longer will be required to exterminate all pony kind. Your kill requirements are reduced down to just that one pegasus being murdered in your Sanctuary Tomb. Further you don't have to worry about fighting it out for the final reward. You complete your contract and you get your lover's life returned to her, right then and there, no other stipulations. Further completion of your contract will free your soul from your bell, you will not have to live in fear of the need to protect that little ornament, the masters will give you back your soul and it will be purged of all corruption. They, and by extension I, promise to also do no harm to you and your precious Pearl, nor do anything to corrupt her or you once you complete the contract. Also there will be no order to any other acolyte current or future to eliminate Ponykind. All of this if you just take that pegasus to your Sanctuary Tomb and personally murder her there," Grogar said slyly.

"That all seems excessively generous. What is so important about that filly that you are willing to override my contract with one that gives such terms? What is the bloody catch, bastard," she snarled at him. She couldn't see it, but there had to be a catch. There was always a catch. The Elder Gods were all sadists who would never offer something like this if there wasn't some massive catch.

"There is no catch. No strings attached to this. Consider this a very generous severance package as our masters look in other directions," Grogar said in a businesslike tone. She wasn't buying it.

"Other directions? Do you have another acolyte waiting in the wings to replace me?" She asked.

"I have a number of candidates I are currently observing, at least a dozen of them that show some promise for what our masters are looking for in the new plan. I have not settled on who yet, but I am definitely watching carefully to see who is best to bring into the fold," Grogar said while extended her hooves apart.

"Is my sister one of them?" Mera said with her ears laid back.

"Oh certainly, but she is only one possible candidate. I am watching her, all the alicorns, their acolytes, and others. There are so many options. I am even considering the possibility of bringing Pinkie Pie back into the fold, or trying to work with that pegasus herself, death is no barrier that can't be overcome after all. Such a wide field of potential that I am watching, all with just a little bit of darkness in their souls that can be fostered, but there will only be one pony replacing you in the end, so I have to consider them all carefully," Grogar said with a smile.

He was talking like she would accept this deal and already making preparations to move on with another acolyte in her place. The sad truth was she knew she wanted to take this deal more than anything. It was a guarantee to give her Pearl back, not just a possibility of getting Pearl back. She had to find the catch though.

"What happens if I don't take this deal, and instead decide to keep my original contract?" Mera asked.

"Well my dear, I would be very disappointed, but I suppose things would have to continue as they had been. Our masters would have to abandon for the moment any of the newer plans, and have to work on them elsewhere," Grogar said in a very overacted display of disappointment.

"And if I sign it, and fulfill the terms, Pearl is restored as she was. No messing with her to make her a monster or side effects that would make her existence torture?" Mera demanded clarification.

Grogar nodded affirmation.

"And I am purged of all the Elder God's corruption, and am free to live my life as I choose with no meddling done to me?" She continued.

Grogar nodded affirmation.

"And the Elder Gods will no longer seek to eradicate Ponykind?" She finished.

"In the new direction Ponykind will definitely be allowed to flourish, with no new attempts to exterminate it or cause it suffering to it," Grogar said with a smile that was too large. He knew those smiles made her uncomfortable.

She sat considering the whole thing. What was the damn catch? She still wasn't seeing it, but it had to be there. She had covered all the details that seemed pertinent and found nothing so far. He wasn't going to tell her what this new direction was, and that made her very uneasy. It was too good to be true, which meant it was probably the most vile thing she could imagine.

It all didn't matter in the end though. Everything she ever could want was being given to her when she completed this contract. This was her chance at assuring the survival of Ponykind, her possible redemption, and most of all Pearl. The bastard was right to be speaking like he knew that she would accept the deal.

"I'll sign this new contract if you void the old one in the process," she finally said.

"I'm glad we can come to agreement, my dear," Grogar said with a heckle. Two contracts then suddenly appeared floating next to him. One was her current contract, the other the one that she had just agreed to sign. He laid them down before her on the table. She took the opportunity to read over the new contract to make sure it didn't add anything to what he had told her, or left anything out. It did appear to be exactly what he had said though. She gave her old contract another read over just in case she was missing something there, but saw nothing that would be relevant.

There was nothing left to do but sign. She willed her forehoof to bleed and pressed it to the new contract and felt the magic of the contract take hold upon her. As it took hold the old contract crumbled into dust and quickly faded from existence. She was both relieved and pissed to see that happen. Pissed because her last eight hundred years had been tied up in serving that contract and now she was being told it didn't even matter. She had made herself a true monster for the sake of the promises of that contract. It was a sick joke worthy of Pinkie Pie. Screw Grogar, screw Pinkie Pie, and screw the Elder Gods; she hated them all.

"I'll let you be about your work now. Please note your contract calls for the pegasus to die inside your Sanctuary Tomb by your hoof. I'm not particularly concerned with the timetable, you can kill her as an old mare for all I care, as long as it plays out that way. However, you are on a timetable despite my lack of concern. If she dies in any other way you have failed in your contract and your soul belongs to me," Grogar leered as he spoke.

And there it was, there was the catch, and she had been stupid to miss it. He was going to try to make sure the pegasus died before she could do the deed. She would be his eternal slave, and this contract would be void because she couldn't fulfill the conditions. A tightness seized her chest as she realized the full implications of what she had just done. This was possibly the end of any freedom she had, the end of any future for Ponykind free from the Elder Gods, and most of all an end to any chance at Pearl's resurrection. Damn it, she might have just made the worst mistake of her life.

"Bye bye now, clock is ticking my dear," Grogar said as he winked out of the dream, leaving her alone in the void. Clock was ticking indeed, and she needed to move fast before Grogar could do whatever it was he had planned for the pegasus. He likely already had plans in motion, some other acolyte moving in to kill the pegasus before she could get the pegasus back to Sanctuary Tomb and slay her herself. Her first priority was making sure the pegasus survived long enough for her to be captured.

Mera needed allies and she needed them now. She couldn't trust Pinkie Pie, that clause about killing the pegasus by her own hoof sounded too much like Pinkie Pie was a trap waiting to be sprung within the Sanctuary Tomb, especially with Pinkie Pie being among the list of candidates for her replacement. Mera could see that now. It did no good if she got the pegasus back to Sanctuary Tomb only to have Pinkie strike first. She would have to figure out a way to deal with that problem very soon.

Unfortunately all of her potential protectors of the pegasus were also on Grogar's list of candidates and were all suspect as a result. There was only one among them that she felt she could trust completely not to be in Grogar's sway. Sunset Shimmer's mind had been open to Mera, and Mera saw nothing that indicated Grogar had any influence on Sunset yet. Sunset might listen to her, Sunset wanted to redeem her after all. If she didn't then her next bet was Peridot. She would try both no matter what. They were both likely going to be less afraid of her now that they knew who she was, but that might be a benefit to her. Trying to convince any pony was going to be a struggle as she was going to be pleading for help to ponies that saw her as the worst possible threat to their lives.

Mera went into action and moved herself into the greater dream realm, so she could search out sleeping ponies. Sunset had been exhausted from their fight, and hopefully she was sleeping or would be asleep soon. Sunset was Mera's best hope at the moment. She just hoped she hadn't already missed her opportunity. Her emotions were running on overdrive as she went searching.

The lights appeared all around her and she searched them frantically for the right one. She let off a sigh of relief as she spotted Sunset's. The alicorn was resting now. Hopefully Sunset had already made her way back to Ocid and could get to action right away. It would take time to talk to Sunset, and time was of the essence. There was no telling how quickly whatever Grogar had planned was going to take place. Mera dived into the dream.

Inside the dream she found herself in one of Sunset's memories being played out. Sunset was reliving their original duel. Not a surprising memory to be reliving right now, but it was something Mera would have to put a stop to right away. There was no time for a walk down memory lane.

Mera shattered the dream memory and stood before Sunset's dream form. Sunset gaped at her as she did.

"Sorry to break up your dream and memory, but I'm in a hurry, and you need to be too," Mera said frantically to the alicorn.

"I didn't expect you to seek me out this quickly, Mera. I am actually glad you did, there were some things I wanted to speak to you about," Sunset said evenly.

"Whatever you want to speak to me about will have to wait, as will the task I asked of you. Something far more urgent has come up that I need your help on. I need you to do whatever it takes to protect the pegasus now," Mera said hurriedly.

Sunset's mouth just dropped for a moment, and when she closed it she took up a look of suspicion.

"That's a complete about face from you. While it definitely seems like something I was going to do anyway, I have to wonder why you've gone from saying you're going to kill Dove no matter what to Dove has to be protected at all costs," Sunset said in a level tone.

"Because I'm apparently a bigger idiot than you. Grogar tricked me into signing a new contract that voided out my old one, but if anything kills the pegasus, other than me within my home, then we all lose. And I mean anything else killing her, even old age. I'm sure he already has some plan in action to kill the pegasus before I can get her into place and finish her myself. That cannot be allowed to happen," Mera said with emotion filling her voice. She was panicked and it was showing, and she didn't care. She needed Sunset's help.

"Why? What reason should I have not to protect her from you as well just like I have been? What does this new contract of yours call for exactly?" Sunset said skeptically.

"I've but one duty; to kill the pegasus by my own hoof within Sanctuary Tomb. If I do so I get Pearl back, I get purified of corruption, and Ponykind gets to live. I knew it sounded too good to be true when it was offered to me, and I tried hard to find the catch. After I signed Grogar dropped the catch on me. He has possession of my bell if I fail, his agreements about leaving Ponykind alive are void, and that will be it. I'll be but his weapon for Ponykind's likely immediate extermination, all hope for resurrecting Ponykind will be lost, and most of all, Pearl will never live again. We can't let that happen," Mera said near tears now.

"Why should I believe you, Mera? Why should I believe you're not just lying to get what you want? I want to bring you back into the light, but this isn't the way," Sunset said in a sad tone.

"Screw you, Sunset! Do you want to take another run through my mind to confirm the truth? I'm begging you to do something you were going to do anyway, protect the damn pegasus. I'm just alerting you to the fact Grogar has a bloody plan probably already in motion to try to kill her before I can do so," Mera was in tears now. How had she been this stupid? It was all going to fall through after all this time. She should have just kept her original contract. It was bad, but it was no where near the risk of this contract. How in bloody Tartarus was she supposed to make sure that pegasus remained alive long enough and got positioned correctly with Grogar likely already with a plan before he presented that contract? Protecting one pony was infinitely harder than trying to kill one, especially when Grogar was the one pulling the strings of the killers.

"If your entire fate, and ours, depends on her I think you should start calling her by name. The name of your victim is Dove, stop calling her the pegasus. She is a living being, not a thing," Sunset said scornfully.

"Alright then, Dove it is. I need you to protect Dove, any way you can. I'll do anything I can to help you," Mera cried.

"Why should I accept help from a pony that is committed to killing Dove herself?" Sunset asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I see what you're doing Sunset, and we don't have time for it. You're trying to pull your damn redemption crap on me by making me agree not to kill Dove. I walked my contract back from killing all Ponykind for this one, you damn moralistic prick! This isn't about me being good, or evil, or anything like that. This is potentially the end of the line for every pony. You want me to be redeemed? I've one last vile thing to do and after that is done you can try your best to make me the most perfect little pony that ever lived. Dove has to die in Sanctuary Tomb by my hoof, however that is made to happen. She could be an old mare on her deathbed when it happens, but it has to go down that way. I can't kill her anywhere else without failing the contract so she is safe from me if she is anywhere else," Mera snarled at the alicorn. Sunset had to see reason. This wasn't some moral dilemma, this was the fate of everything.

Sunset sat and stared at her for a long moment saying nothing, before finally sighing.

"Tell me how to seal ascension within a universe. I know you know how. I want to seal the ability to ascend within the mirror world and keep the mirror intact. Dove can be safe in the mirror world from any dark power, at least for a time. It solves our mutual alicorn problem, and gives her safety. With some care she live a full life over the course of a few days and could as an old mare present herself for death by your hoof, if she so chooses. I won't present her to you at that point, she has to choose to do so. That's my suggestion on how to deal with this, and the best offer for help you will get from me. I will not condone murder of an innocent no matter what. If she chooses to sacrifice herself that is her call," Sunset finally said with lowered ears .

"I can agree to that," Mera said as she dried her tears. She wasn't sure it was going to be good enough, but it would have to do for an agreement for now. She would try to honor it if she could afford to. If Dove didn't consent she would have to do it by force. Mera couldn't afford to just go full nice-nice. She might want to try, but reality didn't work that way. But she could try to be if it would secure help.

"Is there anything else you aren't telling me?" Sunset said in a low voice.

"Yes, there is something," Mera answered solemnly. "Grogar is planning on replacing me one way or another. He said he has a list of candidates to replace me. He listed off Peridot, you, Water Shadow, that new alicorn that ascended, and others. He even listed off Dove and Pinkie Pie, saying the grave is no barrier. He intends to tempt some pony into a contract, and it's likely going to be some pony close to you, if not you yourself. Grogar is a master at playing on others' temptations. Hydia was the one who tried to tempt Peridot before, but she is no where near the same league as Grogar in trying to drive a bargain. He's only going to take one, but he will do it. Grogar always wins in the end with such things."

"So you're telling me I'll be trading you for another of my friends in terms of madness," Sunset said in a voice devoid of emotion. Mera could only nod back.

Sunset then laid down and wept in front of her. Mera watched as the suffering filled her with bliss, causing her to shiver with physical pleasure. Mera snarled at herself, hating herself for getting bliss from this, but glad that it dulled her panic some. She looked back at Sunset being miserable and made a decision.

Mera dropped her shadow and flame to retake her crystal pony form, and then went over to the crying alicorn. Mera still had tears in her own eyes from before. She then did something she hadn't done in well over a thousand years. She bent down and she hugged the alicorn.

Sunset froze at the sign of affection from what was likely the most vile and twisted pony to ever live. Then Sunset wrapped first a wing and then a foreleg around Mera and returned the embrace. And so the two sat for a long moment. It was a step, a small step, but a step, towards trying to mend her soul. Hopefully soon she would never feel bliss again from suffering. Damn that goat for giving her hope. All she could do now was latch onto that hope for all it was worth.

"You give good hugs," Mera whispered.

Being dead was one of the most un-fun things ever. Pinkie had observed this fact time and time again over the last thousand years. She didn't understand the full mechanics of being a ghost, but she understood she couldn't get more than a certain distance from her body. That distance didn't extend much past this tomb complex. Pinkie wondered what would happen when her body finally turned to dust, if she would finally be able to pass on or face a worse fate.

One impulsive moment long ago in a moment of sorrow had led her to this point. She had gotten upset about the fact that her friends had become such mockeries of their old selves, nothing like the good ponies they were, and Grogar had been waiting with a contract to take advantage of her impulsive nature. He had been whispering in her ear for some time before, and he had eventually manipulated her into a signature. She had tried avoiding doing that contract as long as she could. Grogar finally got tired of her refusals and took her bell. Then he made her do terrible, awful things.

Then he had given her an opportunity to get her bell back, and by that point she was so ready to do anything. She did what he wanted and got it back, and then a few short years later Bibulous had crushed it. Grogar had known what would happen. Grogar had a horrible sense of humor.

At least she had some hope to make everything alright in the end. Bibulous was helping her see to it there would be a world where ponies didn't have to deal with monsters anymore. She was just so tired of being bored all the time.

"Hello Pinkie Pie," gave a grating voice.

Pinkie looked to the source and saw the source of her misery, Grogar himself. Actually it wasn't him, only a projection, she could tell right away. He couldn't actually leave Tambelon, because the masters had a sicker sense of humor than he did.

"I was wondering if you would be interested in living again. I have an offer," the goat said with a smile.

Pinkie knew what came of listening to Grogar's offers, but with how bored she was what was the harm?

First Word wandered the ruins of the long forgotten city just observing. Here and there were little remnants of a world long gone, and she wished to understand it. She didn't know what else to do with herself.

Her mother had seemingly abandoned her and her sisters. Her mother seemed not to care that they could have been destroyed in the conflict with the alicorn, and had left that area without bothering to check on them or give them any orders. There was no direction, so they had to find one. This place had once been filled with many purposes. Creatures had walked these streets and gone about various different purposes. Perhaps some lost purpose still remained.

"You look list and alone, my dear. Has your mother turned her back on you?" A voice asked.

First Word turned her attention to the source of the voice. There was a mural on the a still standing wall of some collapsed building. It was the image a smiling Yak.

"Your mother cares more about that pegasus than she cares about you it seems. A mother should care for her daughter. Why doesn't The Mare if Shadows care for you? Perhaps she isn't a very good mother. Perhaps you need to find a new purpose," the mural said to her.

She listened intently.

The throne room of Tambelon once belonged to some sort of royalty, but Grogar couldn't remember who or what they were. They had fallen to him so long ago it escaped all memory. Their existence was chronicled away in his journals, but he only wrote them, he rarely ever read any of them. There were many journals, a full library, all gathering dust.

Grogar had once been a being with some perceived purpose. He guessed he most likely had wanted power, he sat on some dead civilization's throne after all, but now such things were meaningless to him. All things were ultimately meaningless, things that would be lost eventually, and ceased to be cared about. Why concern himself with any meaningless things?

Now he had but one purpose, to serve the Elder Gods. He was their perfect thrall, and he was satisfied with such an existence; it had as much value as any other. He received the bliss of the world's suffering, but really could care less. Bliss like everything else was but a passing thing. Watching a creature's dreams turn into a nightmare, and learning that there was no true hope or purpose, that was true bliss.

The Elder Gods had recently changed their minds about how to best feed themselves on suffering. They had a grand plan about causing suffering over countless worlds, instead of focusing on just one at a time to feed off of. Even beings as powerful as they were not constants, even their will was just another passing thing. Whatever their will was he would do; there was no point in resisting their will just as there was no point questioning it. Why should he care if it had changed? He got what he wanted along the way after all.

There was a small joy for him in this particular task though. He would get to make that pathetic little upstart mare see the pointlessness of it all; that all her planning and manipulation meant nothing in the end. Crushing such fantasies gave him a perverse pleasure. He knew that that too served no point, but as a pointless being he was allowed to have pointless joys.

All was progressing nicely. Already he was making contact with some of the candidates for her replacement, and he would make contact with many more yet. Twisting creatures against what they once believed was another of his meaningless joys, and there was so much potential all around to plunge them all into doing so. He wondered which one would actually succeed in breaking that mare.

Of course there was an outside chance she might stop him, but such a victory for her was also but a passing thing. She would soon find her victory just the beginnings of a new nightmare, one that she had part in making, so he won no matter what. He would teach her that there was no true hope.