Khan Subzero removed his glasses and rubbed his wrinkled forehead. He had always suspected Clan Draconequus was up to no good, but this was much worse than he could have ever imagined. First invading their own cities and murdering innocent civilians, then treating the survivors as livestock, and now this? A plan to cut off the heads of so many other Clans out of spite? He sighed. The thought that his old friend Khan Bolt had become such a bloodthirsty ruler was appalling.

"Is there no end to this madness? Every action that cursed Clan makes is even more heinous than the last," one of the Khans said, leaning back into his seat.

"This could all be a scheme to get their warriors in as one of our own, only to betray us in the end. The Khan of Clan Draconequus is devious. That would not be unlike him," another spoke as he turned to Subzero.

Subzero shook his head. "No, Cloud. I can assure you this is no trick. I trust everything those freeborn soldiers told us."

"And how can you be so sure? They have played us for fools before. What proof is there that anything those ponies said is factual?" Cloud argued, leaning over the massive table.

Just then, the tall wooden doors behind Subzero swung open and banged loudly against the walls. Every head in the large circular space turned toward the sound, which was followed shortly by the clicking of boots on stone as a dark blue pegasus with a short rainbow mane and pink eyes swept into the room. He was dressed in a silver uniform with sapphire blue accents and black claw marks sewn onto the shoulders, along with the mark of a Star Colonel and his cutie mark, a single yellow lightning bolt. "I believe I can provide that proof, Khan Cloud," the pegasus said, bowing slightly as he came to a halt next to Subzero.

Subzero nodded to the new arrival and placed his glasses on the table in front of him. "Colonel Cobalt Dash, just in time. What news do you bring?"

Cobalt shook his head and pulled a noteputer from his uniform. "Nothing good, Sir. Everything the surviving freeborns from Clan Draconequus said is true." He placed the small device on the massive table between the twenty-three assembled ponies, and a series of Holovision Monitors descended from the tall ceiling. The Khans all inclined their heads toward the massive screens as Cobalt's noteputer connected to the displays.

"This is a video taken on Draco, a planet under Clan Draconequus's control mostly populated by freeborns. One of my scouts shot this from far orbit, and I think it shows all the proof we need," Cobalt said as he tapped a few buttons on the device.

A video pulled up on the holographic screens, showing a small town in the hours of early morning. Soldiers could be seen filing through the narrow streets before suddenly breaking apart and smashing their way into the houses. There was a collective gasp around the room as the flash of gunfire illuminated the grey buildings and blood the color of rust pooled on the streets. Cobalt bowed his head and pressed a button on the noteputer. The video ceased and the screens began sliding back into the ceiling, their creaking loud in the silent chamber.

Subzero stared after the screens and clenched his jaw tightly. "This... this is serious. Very serious indeed." He reached out and fumbled for his glasses before shakily placing them back over his eyes. Cobalt reached to help the old pony, but he waved the Colonel away. "I am fine. Thank you, Colonel. You are dismissed."

Cobalt saluted and turned to leave, taking the small device with him. The doors swung shut as he exited the chamber, and one of the other Khans spoke up. "I know we were told it was bad, but that was... abhorrent," she said, a grim look steeling her normally soft features.

Subzero nodded sadly. "Yes, Howl, this is quite the stiff situation." He sighed heavily. This was something he had hoped he would never have to sanction, and having neared the end of his long life, he had started to think he wouldn't have to. He apparently had no such luck. Subzero cast his eyes upwards. "May Rainbow Dash forgive me," he thought, closing his eyes.

After a brief moment, he lowered his head and glanced around the twenty-two other ponies seated around the table. "Fellow Khans, we face a grave decision this evening. One of our brothers has fallen from the way of the Clans and is beyond our help or forgiveness." He clenched one hoof, wincing slightly at the ache in his ancient bones, and sighed again. "There is only one answer to such crimes. We must conduct a Trial of Annihilation against the warriors of Clan Draconequus."

Howl scratched the side of her neck and nodded slightly. "That does appear to be the course of action here."

Cloud ran a hoof through his white mane. "A Trial of Annihilation? Against an entire Clan? Are you sure about this? Such a thing has never been done before."

"I am certain. Khan Bolt and saKhan Flash will both be executed, the Draconequus gene centers will be destroyed, and their genetic material here on Strana will be disposed of. Any of their warriors who do not surrender and comply with sterilization will also be eliminated. The civilians will be absorbed into our Clans, ideally unharmed."

A large black unicorn stood up and turned towards Cloud, his hard face set in determination. His clear voice carried easily across the large space. "I agree with Subzero. The leaders of Clan Draconequus must answer for their transgressions. They are not fighting for honor or glory. They are not even fighting for resources. The one goal of Bolt and his Clan is to cause as much destruction to us as they can before they fall. This fruitless struggle must end now."

Cloud slumped back into his seat and ran a hoof over his face. He shook his head and was silent for a moment, thinking deeply to himself. "Alright. Fine. I will agree with that, but Clan Slingtail will take no part in the fighting."

The unicorn nodded. "Fair enough. We do not need every clan to participate, only to approve the Trial." He turned to the other Khans around the room. "Trust me, brothers and sisters, when I say this is not an easy choice to make. I do not wish for the destruction of one of our own any more than you do. But it has to be done."

Subzero nodded to the unicorn as he turned to the older stallion. "Khan Lance," he thought. "Leader of Clan Star Spider, and the most respected out of everypony here. If it ever came down to it, there is no doubt in my mind he would become the ilKhan."

Lance turned back towards the other ponies in the room. "We must take a vote. Nothing less than a unanimous decision can bring about a Trial of Annihilation." He took a deep breath and raised one hoof high above his head. "All in favor, raise your right hoof."

Slowly, hooves around the room began rising. Subzero was first, followed by Howl, and eventually Cloud. Lance glanced around the room at the solemn ponies after a few moments. There were twenty-one hooves in the air, not including his own. The only hesitant Khan was a griffin, her claws placed firmly on the table in front of her.

Lance turned to the griffin. "Khan Nereida? I know the Jade Falcons were allied with Clan Draconequus, but-"

"We were never allied with them!" Nereida snapped, digging her claws into the table. Splinters sprung up as she gouged lines into the wood, and she took a deep breath to calm herself. "We were just... trading partners. Like-minded Clans trying to survive a deadly war." Nereida sighed and leaned back into her seat. "Or so I had thought. There are no similarities between us." After another silent moment, her own claw reached slowly into the air to join the others. "Clan Jade Falcon will join the assault. We will eliminate this blemish from the Clans."

Lance nodded slightly to her. "Then it is settled. Clan Draconequus will be destroyed." He sat back down in his seat and glanced around the room again. "I realize not all of you will want to participate in such a thing. No dishonor will come from that decision, and your warriors may even thank you for that. All who wish to withdraw from the fighting, head back to your Clans and rebuild. The rest of us will take it from here."

The scraping of chairs against the floor echoed around him as many of the Khans got up to leave. "That is more than I would have liked. Will we really be able to pull this off?" he thought to himself as most of the ponies in the room left the table. However, his confidence returned as he saw the strong Clans who had chosen to stay. The sound of doors swinging shut put an end to the noise, and the six remaining Khans all glanced at each other.

Lance nodded to the others. "Khan Venom of Clan Star Adder, Khan Stampede of Clan Hell's Horses, Khan Howl of Clan Wolf, Khan Nereida of Clan Jade Falcon, and Khan Subzero of Clan Ghost Bear. You have my respect for choosing to stay. Between the six of us, there is no doubt we will remove this evil from the galaxy and return peace to the Clans. Clan Draconequus started this fight over a century ago, and now we are going to end it." He leaned forward and placed his hooves on the table, rapping them sharply against the wood. "Now, which of us should lead the charge?"

---

Discord glanced around him as he materialized inside the modern castle. It was strange being so powerful after half a millennium of weakness, and it was almost disorienting. He reached a hand forward and admired it for a second. "It's really back. Chaos has returned," he thought, grinning to himself. A ring appeared out of thin air, an exact copy of the one Celestia had given him. She'd probably go into an immediate panic if she realized his magic had returned, so he should make it appear as if he was still powerless. He slipped the inert ring onto his finger and flexed his hand. It really was a wonderful design. Maybe he'd keep it.

The sound of hooves galloping down the hall caught Discord's attention, and he turned towards the noise just as a pair of royal guards sped around the corner. Upon seeing him, they screeched to a halt and raised their laser rifles shakily toward him. One of them, an orange unicorn with a short blue mane and blue eyes, took a nervous step forward. "Y-you're under arrest, Discord. Come quietly or we'll have to use force."

Discord frowned at them. "Under arrest? Really, Storm Sentry, what is all of this about? I've done nothing wrong."

Storm shook his head. "Celestia's orders. We're to take you to Tartarus and await further orders."

"Was the ring also enchanted to tell her when I removed it? Ugh, that's too clever. I guess I can drop the act," Discord thought to himself. He raised an eyebrow at the guards. "So she just told you to take me to Tartarus? Did she not tell you what had happened?"

Storm shifted the rifle in his hooves. "She did. Her Majesty informed us of the full situation before she left."

This made Discord's frown deepen. "Left? You mean she's not here?"

Storm smirked slightly. "She'll be on the other side of the galaxy by now, along with her entire guard. You'll never find her, Discord."

Discord growled. "We'll see about that." He raised his clawed hand and snapped, watching in satisfaction as the two guards suddenly stuck together and began to fuse. The sounds of bones crunching, flesh slapping together, and agonized screams echoed down the hallway as their bodies and armor morphed into one.

The writhing mass fell to the floor, finally complete. The two ponies had become one large abomination, with their armor and the myomer inside turning the creature into a half-mechanical beast with immense strength and durability. Discord walked over to his creation and looked down at it. "Hmm. Not bad for not using my magic for five hundred years." The creature growled as Discord reached a hand down and placed a finger over its broad forehead. "Now. You are to remain here in charge of the Inner Sphere while I search for the princesses. I want the Clans destroyed. Unite the Great Houses and invade their planets if you have to, and kill every single pony you come across. If it's not done by the time I return, I'll mount your head on a spike outside the palace walls."

The creature's expression went blank as its eyes glowed for a moment. It nodded slightly after Discord stopped talking and pulled itself to its six hooves.

Discord grinned smugly. "Good. While you have fun with that, I'm going to go enjoy myself. It's been far too long since I've had a good hunt." He turned to leave and raised a hand, but paused for a moment. "I guess you'll need a name. How does... Vendetta sound?"

Vendetta simply nodded, accepting whatever its master told it. The personality of both ponies had been wiped, leaving only knowledge, as well as the irresistible urge to do whatever Discord said.

Discord nodded and snapped his fingers again. His body vanished in a flash of light, and Vendetta was left alone in the dark hallway.

"Kill..." the creature said, uttering its first word into the empty castle. Spittle had begun form at the corners of its mouth as it salivated at the thought of death. "Clans..." Vendetta's mouth began twisting into a grin as a lust for blood flooded its mind. "Kill Clans. Kill the Clans. Kill the Clans! Eliminate the filthy ponies! Pillage, destroy, rape, torture!" The creature pounded its hooves against the floor, its mind overcome with the need for death. "Murder... Everypony!"

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