The field of flowers was stunning. Ciaran smelled the air and watched as a group of leaves were blown toward the sea. This entire place was a world of its own, and it practically radiated with magic. Aldus stood with Rigel as the children played in the field, the two ponies smiled at the changeling as she moved to join them.

“What do you think, Ciaran?” Aldus asked.

“This place is beautiful, it’s paradise. Did you and Seabreeze spend much time here?”

“We did... though when I was last here we had a bad argument.”

“Oh? What about? The war?”

“Yeah, the war...” Aldus trailed off as he watched the children playing. “Seabreeze didn’t want me to fight, she wanted me to do anything but that. She wanted me to leave and be with her. She begged to talk with Celestia and Luna, to make them see reason, but it was too late.”

“Did you ever think about leaving for her?” Ciaran asked.

“Yes,” Aldus said as he lowered his head, “But I couldn’t choose between Breezey and Luna. The Princess of the Night was like a mother to me. The things she did for ponies, for children in their dreams, it was such a good. All that I am, I owe to her. I loved her for what she gave to me. I couldn’t abandon that. But... I loved Seabreeze, too. And because of my choice, I wasn’t there when she died...”

Ciaran watched Aldus’ ears fall flat against his head as he slumped to the ground. Rigel extended a wing and rubbed Aldus’ shoulders in comfort. The changeling felt a tear come to her eye as she leaned down to be at eye level. “What happened? You can tell me. Hey, maybe it’ll make you feel better to talk about it.”

Aldus looked up at the changeling and allowed a weak smile to form across his face. Rigel nodded to Aldus and left to join the children. Iris, Ruby, and Blue Bell wanted to explore the castle at the top of the mountain, so Rigel agreed to go with them.

“During the war,” Aldus began, “The night and day cycle was constantly erratic. It caused problems throughout the land, though the Silver Isles were largely unaffected due to their magic. However, one particular night the magic in the Silver Sea built to a level that was out of control. It caused a massive hurricane and tidal wave that threatened to destroy half the Silver Isles. Princess Desalia was away on royal business when the disaster happened. Word was sent for her to return, but she couldn’t make it in time. Seabreeze knew what she had to do. As a princess, she knew the burden was hers to bear. Taking what little power crystals she had, she stood atop her fortress and erected a barrier around the smaller islands. With what remained of her magic, she calmed the storm and broke the tidal waves, saving the lives of thousands of ponies. But it took all of her magic, and even when she had none left, she continued to stop the waves and the winds. Seabreeze died that night, using her own life energy in place of magic to dissipate the storm.”

Aldus was crying now, tears streaming down his face. “When I heard the news, I braved the blockades of Celestia’s army and traveled to the Silver Isles. I had never felt so hollow in my entire life. When I entered her fortress I was greeted by Princess Desalia and the children Seabreeze looked after. It was the first time I ever saw Desalia cry. I didn’t have the words, and neither did she. She simply opened her wings and embraced me. The children joined us as we mourned. Later that day, she was entombed with the rest of the princesses of the Silver Isles. I never got to say goodbye, the last thing I ever said to her was in an argument.”

The grey unicorn was absolutely balling now, unable to control himself. Ciaran carefully rubbed Aldus’ shoulders and pulled him into a comforting embrace. “I’m so sorry, Aldus. I can’t imagine how that must feel.”

Aldus shook his head and muttered into her chest. “All this sorrow, is this good for you?” he asked with a sarcastic laugh.

Ciaran giggled and shushed him, “If I consumed this, I’d get sick. Thanks for the offer though.”

They both laughed as Aldus regained his composure and let go of Ciaran. “That was... I don’t know what to say. Thank you, Ciaran.”

The changeling smiled, “Now I know why that love is so sublime. It’s charged with so much emotion, layers upon layers, it’s just so... mmm” Ciaran moaned.  

“Yes, well... I think you’ve had enough of my love,” Aldus said, “So what did Silth have to say when she visited you?”

Ciaran was taken aback by the question. “How did you know she met with me to deliver Frost?”

“I didn’t, you just told me.” Aldus said with a smirk. “ But I didn’t think she’d simply leave him on our doorstep. So, what did she say?”

Ciaran swallowed and paused a moment. Aldus watched her while he dried his eyes. She could lie, but that wouldn’t end well. He’d see through it, and Ciaran knew better. Despite his skill in magic and fusion with the Nightmare creature, Aldus was no warrior or battlemage. He was proficient in combat, but that wasn’t his true talent. No, Aldus was a political figure. A leader among nobleponies and diplomat for the princesses. Ciaran was a changeling, deceit was part of who she was. But every fiber of her being told her Aldus would see right through it. The changeling didn’t enjoy just how unsettling that feeling was. That possibly the most important weapon in her arsenal was useless against him. But that didn’t matter, she was smarter than her sister. In a situation like this, the best strategy was to simply not lie.

“She returned Frost under the same spell you experienced...” Ciaran said with a wink, “Silth seemed to care about him, she told me to look after him.”

“Interesting, is that all?” Aldus inquired.

“She said she wanted to change, that you influenced her. Oh... and she said she’d taste your love again...” Ciaran said with a sly smile.

Aldus chuckled and stood up, “Ciaran, I want you to answer this question truthfully.”

The changeling raised an eyebrow, “What question?”

“Do you care about Frost? Is there a bond growing between you two?”

Ciaran nodded, it was true. She did care for the colt. He was adorable and had a lot of spunk. Teasing him was fun and she admired how he cared for his friends. It reminded her of some adolescent changelings in her colony. “Yes, I care for him.”

“Would you enjoy seeing your sister’s actions influence him over your own?” Aldus asked.

Ciaran exposed her fangs and curled her lips in disgust, “No...”

“Then replace them with your own. Once Frost has enough spells and bit more experience, I’m giving him to you for some training and lessons of your own.”

Ciaran smiled and sidled up to Aldus, rubbing against his head, “And what am I supposed to teach him exactly?”

Aldus grinned, “We’ll get to that when the time comes.”

------------------

At the top of the mountain, Rigel landed in front of the castle and knelt down, allowing Blue Bell and Ruby to climb off. Iris landed beside him, dropping a very sick looking Frost in front of her. Antares was the last to land with Pyrite giggling from her back. Rigel stretched his wings and began to examine his feathers when small hooves wrapped around his legs.

“Thank you for flying us here, Rigel.” Ruby said while grinning.

“Yeah,” Blue Bell said, “Next time you could fly a little faster, though.”

Rigel smiled and embraced the fillies, “It was no trouble at all girls, maybe next time I will go faster. Just remember you asked for it.” he added with a wink to Blue Bell.

Frost and Iris trotted forward and stood in awe of just how large the castle was. The door was enormous, at least three times the size of any normal castle or palace entrance.

“How do we get in?” Ruby asked.

Frost approached the door and observed a large ring resting against the door. A strange creature adorned the surface. It seemed almost... feline in appearance. On either side a long mane dangled below it’s head while large teeth clenched the ring knocker. Frost stepped forward and picked up the ring. He looked back to his friends, then slammed the ring against the door three times. At first, there was nothing but silence, then a loud creaking sound reverberated through the door as it slid open.

The foals waited as light bathed the interior of the entrance hall. It was absolutely enormous, with pillars erected on either side stretching to the ceiling. Frost and Iris slowly entered as the rest of the foals followed Rigel. The entrance hall split off in three different directions. The castle itself had three areas all leading back to the central tower.

“C’mon! Let’s explore!” Blue Bell exclaimed as she ran off down the central corridor. Ruby and Antares shrugged and chased after her. Rigel nodded to the Iris, trusting her enough to be alone. He slowly walked down the corridor behind the fillies, admiring the architecture. Pyrite jumped on Iris’s back as she briefly took to the air down the corridor to the right. Several of the doors were closed, so she flew up to the ceiling and examined the stained glass. She hovered close and ran a claw across it, watching the light bend. Pyrite leaned forward and tried do the same but almost fell. Iris giggled and retrieved him from her back with a single claw. She held him up to the glass and chuckled as he smiled at all the colors.

“Wow...” Pyrite murmured, “This is beautiful.”

“Yeah, it is,” Iris agreed as she placed the colt on her back and slowly circled down to the floor. “We have windows like those around the temples dedicated to the Matriarch.”

Frost turned around as the two landed, he squinted at the windows. “They sure look cool even from down here.”

Iris grinned, “I can fly you up there if you want.”

Frost shook his head, “No thanks.”

Iris laughed and flexed her wings, “You’re so light it’s not even a problem. Don’t you like flying with me?” she pouted.

Frost turned away to avoid displaying his blush, “No, I do. Oh! Look at this Iris!” the blue unicorn pointed at something and dashed off further down the corridor.

Iris chuckled and flew after Frost, “You can’t avoid the question by just running off after something... wha?”

The gryphon trailed off as she found herself in a new room alongside Frost. There was a darkened corridor that lead out of the room and continued in the same direction, but it was pitch black. Iris didn’t understand what was going on, the windows stopped just ahead at the entrance to the dark corridor, but there was still light in the room from the outside. So why was it dark down there?

“Iris... look...” Frost said while motioning her forward. As they moved closer to the corridor, the sun began to set outside, revealing a starlit night sky. Frost grabbed Iris and moved backward. With each step back, the sun reversed its direction and climbed higher into the sky.

“What is this?” Iris asked.

“It must be some type of illusion magic in this room, there’s no other explanation, is there?” Frost asked Iris.

The gryphon shrugged, “You’re the magic student, you tell me.”

“I don’t know,” Frost said, pondering the darkness, “But it seems whatever this is, it wants to keep that passage dark for some reason.”

Frost stepped forward and was halted by Pyrite, who grabbed hold of his tail. “Frost, I don’t think going there is such a good idea.”

“Are you scared? I can just make a light with my horn. Besides, I don’t see why Seabreeze would put anything scary in here.” Frost said.

“I dunno...” Pyrite said while staring past Frost into the dark, “I think there’s something bad down there.”

Iris winked at Frost and crouched down. “Tell you what, how bout you go first. I’ll be right behind you. Don’t worry, we have our guardians with us. Nothing is going to hurt us here.”

Pyrite considered the situation and looked at his shadow. A pair of blue eyes materialized from the darkness and winked at him. Andromeda was there to protect him. And Frost had his magic.

“Alright,” Pyrite relented, “But can you stay right behind me?”

“Of course,” Iris said with a smile. The gryphon stood up and extended a wing behind Pyrite as he walked.

As they approached the corridor, the sun retreated beyond the horizon leaving only stars to light the sky. There was a strange statue of a pony. It was a pegasus sitting on its haunches. It’s face obscured by a veil, the pony extended it’s forehooves as if awaiting an offering.

Pyrite continued down the corridor but Frost stopped him, “Wait you two, look at this. I think we’re supposed to place something with this pony.” Frost looked around and found a chest near the statue. He opened it to find several white crystals. He cautiously looked at Iris and Pyrite before placing the crystal in the hooves of the statue. With a low hum, the crystal clicked into place. The statue’s eyes behind the veil began to glow green as fire’s lit up down the corridor, illuminating their path. The fires sprang to life from chandeliers high above the floor. Light allowed various shadows to creep along the corridor, spawning from the various clutter now visible.

Iris chuckled, “Thanks, Frost. Now it’s even more creepy.” She nudged Pyrite forward with her wing, “C’mon brave warrior, lets go.”

The passage was indeed creepy. Several portraits hung on the walls. Paintings of ponies and various landscapes, all illuminated by the fires above. Chairs and tables were covered in sheets along the walls. As they passed further into the corridor, Frost whirled around and looked behind them.

“What’s wrong?” Iris asked.

“Did you hear that?”

“No, what did you hear?”

“I don’t know... I guess it was nothing,” Frost said as they continued on.

At the end of the passage was a great wall covered with a mural. Frost and Iris weren’t sure what make of it. It was equal parts beautiful... and disturbing. A vast sea dominated the mural. The water sparkled as the light danced off the surface, while the sky transitioned from day to night, just like the painting they were in. A beach ran the length of the mural, near the water there were several boats preparing to depart. Ponies gathered around them, some waiting their turn while others boarded the craft. Far in the distance, a pristine shoreline could be seen. It was the destination of the boats.

Despite the beauty of the background, it was the object in the foreground that was most unsettling. A fair distance away from the beach atop a hill, a creature leaned against a tree. It was depicted as watching the ponies carry out their tasks. Though to Frost it seemed quite passive, despite it’s vigilance. The creature was massive, standing at least five times the size of the largest stallion, and twice the size of a minotaur. It was painted in great detail. The creature had long legs, one the hoof of a pony or minotaur, the other the scaly hide of a dragon. It’s torso was obscured by a short tattered green cloak, but it appeared to have a muscular upper body and stood upright. One of it’s arms was a paw, similar to a gryphon’s while the other was a green reptilian claw. The most striking features were it’s head and tail. The creature’s head was feline, that of a lion. A long greying mane hung below it’s massive head while some patches of fur were missing on it’s face and shoulders. It’s tail wasn’t a tail at all, but rather an enormous blue snake. It looked like a cobra and stretched all the way above the creature’s head. In it’s claw rested an enormous pole axe with a blade made of material Frost had never seen before.

“Iris...” Frost whispered.

“Frost,” Iris whispered back, “What exactly am I looking at? What is that thing?”

“I- I don’t know...” Frost answered, “But I think I know what this mural is depicting.”

“What?” Iris asked.

“The Eternal Shores...” Pyrite whispered.

“Yeah,” Frost nodded in agreement. “It’s ponykind’s idea of the afterlife. The shores of eternity. You sail across a tranquil sea and land on the shores, paradise lies beyond.”

“Really?” Iris asked.

“Yeah, some say it’s where the alicorns are from. I don’t know if that’s true or not. But... I don’t know why that thing is standing there.”

Pyrite backed into Iris and looked up at her, “Why is it holding that big battle axe? Is it going to attack those ponies by the water?”

Iris frowned at the mural and shook her head, “I don’t think so... because that isn’t a battle axe.”

“It’s not?” Pyrite whispered.

“I don’t think so. The blade is too long, and it lacks a strong curve. But I have seen something like that before in my kingdom.”

“What was it?” Frost asked.

Iris took another look at the creature and grimaced, “It looks like an executioner’s axe.”

“What?!” Frost exclaimed, still with a whisper. “Why is that thing standing there like that? Seabreeze had to have painted this, it’s so similar to the one Aldus showed us. The one we’re inside.”

“Iris... can we go now?” Pyrite asked, “It’s getting spooky in here.”

“Why are we whispering?”

The foals almost jumped out of their skin at the sound of another voice amongst them. Pyrite lept into Iris’ breast as she jumped backward. Frost teleported alongside her at the same moment while seconds later Black Star and Andromeda were between them and the voice.

“I knew this was a bad idea!” Pyrite shouted.

“Woah! Hang on! Hang on!” the voice pleaded, a claw emerged from the shadows waving a small white flag. “I didn’t come here to fight.”

The foal’s eyes bulged when the owner of the voice revealed himself. Another abomination, but this one they recognized all too well. The trickster spirit of chaos.

“Discord...” Frost said, still very much on edge.

“Yes! Um... Frost, is it? I apologize for the scare, couldn’t resist.”

“The spirit of chaos who ruled Equestria before the alicorn sister’s rise to power, I’ve read about you.” Iris said.

Discord smiled at the gryphon and extended his claw, “All good things I hope.”

Iris reluctantly grasped the draconequus’ appendage and shook. She mentally braced for something to happen, but nothing did. Discord simply smiled and peered around Iris’ neck to the colt who was crouched between her raised wings. “You’re Discord?” he asked with a slight tremble in his voice.

Discord laughed and disappeared in a flash of light. He reappeared on Iris’ back the same size as Pyrite and grabbed the colt in a playful hug. “Thats me!”

Pyrite chuckled at the current size of the draconequus, “Well, it’s nice to meet you Mr. Discord.”

“Mr. Discord? Ha! I appreciate the respect.”

“Alright enough messing around,” Frost said, trying to remain calm, “Why are you here?”

Discord smiled at Frost and returned to his normal size. He snaked his body around Frost and looked at him upside down, “A couple of reasons, honestly. I’ve been wanting to play with you foals for a while now. But I’ve been busy, chaos you know...”

“You’ve been causing chaos?” Pyrite asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

“Yes, and it’s been wonderful but... limited... Can’t upset ol’ sunbutt.”

“Sunbutt?” Iris asked with a laugh, “As in, Princess Celestia?”

“Yep,” Discord answered with a sigh, “So boring. I’ve been traveling, too. I made some stops here and there. The outer planes, the eighth dimension, then I sensed a presence here... where nopony should be.”

“Wait... so you know what this place is?” Frost asked.

“Oh naturally,” Discord replied, “Where is your mother?” he asked to Black Star and Andromeda. “I’m sure she’ll be able to shed some light on this.”

“She’s away,” Black Star said, “We don’t know when she’ll be back.”

“What is this place? Tell us!” Frost demanded.

Discord grinned, “Why, this is a castle. One of splendid make, I might add. A castle that just happens to be inside a painting.”

Frost and Iris deadpanned the draconequus, “Okay... can you at least tell us what that is?”

Discord looked up to the mural and the creature Frost was pointing at. Iris noticed he took on a different demeanor when looking at the mural. “That is somepony you don’t want to meet.” he said.

“Who is it, why is there a mural with him in a place like this?”

The spirit of chaos scratched his head, contemplating his next words carefully. “That is another spirit, like myself and Selene. I knew him a long time ago. Why is there a mural of him here? I can hazard a few guesses. You see... it’s a bit complicated.” Discord snapped his talons and the foals soon found themselves floating above the entire world. “This place is in a... hmm... different world. A pocket dimension so to speak, and it has neighbors.” He snapped his talons again returning them to the corridor. “I’m guessing the neighbors came to visit at one time or another. The creator of this world likely met them.”

“Wait... you’re saying that thing lives in a world next to this one?” Frost asked.

“Next to it, or close to it, yes.” Discord said.

“This is too much to take in,” Frost said with a sigh, “Do you think Aldus knows about this?”

Discord began to say something when an earsplitting scream resonated from deeper inside the castle.

“That sounded like Ruby!” Frost exclaimed. “What’s going on?”

“Your friends are in trouble,” Discord said as he snapped his talons, except nothing happened. He examined his claw and snapped it again and again, still nothing.

“What are you doing?” Iris screeched, “Use your magic! Teleport us to them! Or them to us! Do something!”

Discord frowned, “I can’t, my power is being disrupted, and it’s his doing...” he pointed to the creature on the mural. “Quickly, we can still help them.”

Discord grabbed Frost and flew off down the hallway with Iris close behind.

--------------

Blue Bell screamed as a gigantic blade fell upon her. Just before it hit, Firebrand grabbed her and rolled out of the way. “Stay back!” he yelled to her. Stormcaller was with Ruby and Antares dealing with another assailant. Firebrand watched the creature pull it’s curved blade out from the marble floor it cracked. It looked like some sort of lizard with goat horns. It sported tattered wings and long wiry tail that Firebrand was certain could be used as a piercing weapon. The creature nearest them wielded a halberd and buckler standing on its hind legs, while the other held a single curved sword and sported a feline appearance. There were multiple versions of these creatures in the great hall. They were statues, but somehow these came alive and immediately tried to kill Ruby and the rest of the fillies.

Firebrand extended a hoof to hurl a fireball at the creature. However, all that manifested was a sputter of flame and smoke. As he attempted to cast, he noticed a purple gem glow from the chest of the creature. “Oh no...” Firebrand muttered as the creature brought the halberd across in a wide arcing slash, sending him flying into a wall.

“Firebrand!” Blue Bell screamed in terror.

The creature turned it’s attention to Blue Bell and raised it’s halberd for an overhead strike. She winced and cowered on the floor with nowhere to run. The shadow of the blade grew larger on the floor, then stopped. The blue earth pony looked up to find a draconequus standing in front of her. It caught the halberd with a claw, stopping it mid swing. The creature snarled and pushed the halberd further. Blue Bell knew who it was that saved her. Discord turned around and winked at the filly, “It’s okay, run!”

Blue Bell nodded and ran to Firebrand while Discord faced down the creature. He recognized it all too well, a gargoyle. A creation ancient ponies used to watch over fortresses and important structures, and a remarkable few were granted the ability to come alive and protect their castles. The ones granted that power were often crafted in the likeness of certain spirits, and it was quite obvious which spirit these represented.

Discord conjured a purple sphere in his free paw, as he did the gemstone embedded in the gargoyle’s chest lit up to match it. The interference caused Discord to pour more magic into the spell to make it effective. Once it was large enough, he loosed it on his foe, the impact staggered the gargoyle, but that was all. It roared in anger and slammed it’s buckler into Discord’s face sending him careening into the wall to land in a coiled heap. The gargoyle turned it’s attention to Blue Bell again, and stalked toward her. Firebrand recovered and picked Blue Bell up off the floor. He noticed Frost trying to get Discord to move after the blow.

“Frost! Distract this thing!”

Frost gritted his teeth and pulled at Discord’s paw, “Get up! We need you!”

Discord let out a grunt and reoriented himself, “Those things are passively draining our magic. Whenever we try to use it, they take even more.”

“You’re the spirit of chaos! It took Celestia and Luna to defeat you! You’re more powerful than this!” Frost shouted.

Discord crouched low and looked Frost in the eye. “You don’t understand, these things are guardians placed here specifically to defend against other spirits. Spirits like me. They drain all magic, especially mine and  that of your protector’s.”

“Then why did you come here if these things could kill you?!” Frost stammered.

“I didn’t know they were here!” Discord shouted back. “We need to destroy them before our magic is drained completely.”

“Frost!!!” Firebrand shouted as he dodged a swing from the halberd.

A sound of breaking stone came from above as a third gargoyle broke from its position on the roof and jumped down. “I’ll handle these two, go Frost.” Discord instructed.

Frost nodded and ran to the gargoyle attacking Firebrand, he summoned ice spikes and hurled four into the gargoyle’s back causing it to turn on Frost. Firebrand squeezed Blue Bell tighter and glanced over to Stormcaller, who was dodging attacks from the curved sword. He was cleverly using the pillars to his advantage forcing the gargoyle to limit it’s attacks. Firebrand knew he couldn’t keep it up much longer, not while holding both Ruby and Antares. Luckily, he saw Pyrite bond with Andromeda and transform into his armored appearance. This was the perfect chance.

Firebrand flew over to Pyrite and Iris and pointed a hoof at the curved sword wielding gargoyle. “Stormcaller and I are going to protect the fillies, keep that one occupied for us.”

“Where is Rigel?” Iris asked.

“There were two more in here that awakened earlier, Rigel got their attention and led them away.” He pointed to a hole in the ceiling.

Pyrite nodded and charged the gargoyle, running as fast as his form would allow. The gargoyle heard him coming, but didn’t have time to react. Pyrite plowed into it and forced it back several paces into a pillar and away from Stormcaller.

Iris looked on and clenched her talons. Behind her Black Star grew in size and stared down at her. “Black Star, I’ve got to help. I can wield a blade. Can you do what Andromeda does?”

The black pegasus smiled, “We’ll fight as one. You shall be the most powerful gryphon in the world.” Iris smiled as Black Star picked her up. “Quiet your mind and don’t be afraid.”

Black Star sat on his haunches and slowly pushed Iris into his chest, which gave way becoming a viscous liquid. He hunched over and folded his wings around her. Soon Iris was consumed by darkness in a complete void of black. Then, light. She could see clearer than ever before. Each sense was heightened. She could feel the power radiating through her, Black Star was a part of her now. An extension of her very being like a claw or a wing. Iris set her sights on the gargoyle and leapt into the air.

From a distance away, Frost did a double take to make sure he wasn’t seeing things. Iris had transformed into the same type of gryphon that killed the blue priest. She doubled in size and sported three tails, two sets of wings, and claws that looked like they could rend the strongest iron. Discord was still busy with the third gargoyle, and he had this halberd to worry about. He just hoped Iris and Pyrite could handle themselves.

The gargoyle engaged with Pyrite finally gained leverage and was able to throw off the earth colt, only to be blind sided by a swipe from Iris’ razor blade claws. The gargoyle screamed and slashed at Iris, who dodged at the last second.

Meanwhile, Pyrite got up and shook his head, “I don’t know if we can do this, Andromeda. These things are strong.”

Andromeda coiled ethereal tentacles around Pyrite to calm him, “We can, these things disrupt magic, but I’m not using any while I’m with you. It’s just intertwined with your armor, we’ll beat these things to rubble with our bare hooves!”

Pyrite smiled and focused on the gargoyle, allowing Andromeda to guide his movements. He charged the gargoyle again, but this time it simply sidestepped and kicked him across the room.

Iris watched Pyrite bounce off the floor like a stone skipping across the water. She snarled in rage and flew up to another statue. With a grunt she wrenched the blade from its claws and dropped down. The curved sword sailed through the air and clashed against her blade. Now, with Black Star a part of her, and other lives on the line, Iris was in the first real sword fight of her life.

On the other side of the great hall, yet another gargoyle came to life and landed on the floor with a crash. This one wielding a whip and catch pole, and there was nothing stopping it from attacking the fillies and their guardians. Discord grunted as he dodged another swing from the second halberd gargoyle, but this time the the blade managed to graze him. Discord was shocked to see blood escape the wound. At that moment he felt fear for the first time since he fought the alicorn sisters. These were blood hunt weapons. Deadly tools capable of meting out justice to spirits and alicorns alike. Selene’s children were just as vulnerable to these as he was. Discord watched the gargoyle stalk toward the fillies, but he couldn’t do anything to stop it.

Firebrand and Stormcaller saw their new foe getting closer. Both colts sat the fillies between them and stood on either side. “Hold onto each other and don’t move,” Firebrand instructed while spreading his wings. Opposite him, Stormcaller smiled to Ruby and extended his own wings. “Don’t be afraid, you’ll be safe with us.”

A dark dome covered the fillies, causing the gargoyle to take a step back in caution. Once the dome disappeared, the five foals were gone, replaced by an alicorn. Frost ducked under a swing and teleported a distance away to get a look. It was a combination of the three fillies. Frost considered the situation and it made perfect sense. Firebrand and Stormcaller merged with the girls and created a single entity. An earth pony, a pegasus, and a unicorn. All three aspects represented in an alicorn. And this one sported markings from the three fillies. Overall it was purple, but shades of yellow, blue, and red could barely be seen in it’s mane and tail.

The alicorn stepped forward and fired a beam of magic into the gargoyle’s face sending it staggering backward. Seizing an opportunity, the alicorn flew into the air and prepared another spell. A charged blue orb gathered at its horn and was launched at the gargoyle. The construct rolled to the side and lashed out with its whip, catching the alicorn around a leg and wing. It pulled down hard and sent the mighty pony crashing into the ground. Before it could rise, the gargoyle leapt into the air and pinned the alicorn around its neck with the catch pole. Not able to move, it was finished. The alicorn struggled and attempted to charge a spell when a blast of energy impacted the gargoyle and knocked it completely on its back.

Aldus flew into the room and conjured a rune directly under the fallen construct. As soon as it moved, it was paralyzed with magical energy. However, the crystal in it’s chest lit up brighter than ever, indicating it would soon break free. Aldus wasted no time in seizing a large chunk of concrete from the ceiling and dropping it onto the gargoyle, crushing it.

Aldus surveyed the area and made certain Ciaran was still with him before acting further. A loud boom shook the entire castle as yet another gargoyle crashed to the ground to do battle. This was the largest one, easily double the size of the rest, and it landed right behind Aldus. None of the ponies saw it before since it was resting directly above the entrance on the rear wall. It grabbed Aldus and held him in the air. He screamed as energy left his body, being absorbed into the gargoyle’s chest crystal and gauntlet. It roared in Aldus’ face then slammed him into a wall three times. Frost and Ciaran looked on in horror as the gargoyle tossed Aldus into a wall across the room, limp and unconscious.

The large gargoyle straightened itself and produced an enormous hand ace from its back. It surveyed the hall and focussed on Discord, slowly stalking it’s way toward him. Meanwhile the alicorn got up and yelled to Ciaran, “Help Frost, I’ll fight alongside Discord!”

Frost dodged slashes again, and again until he was out of energy. Several ice crystals were lodged in the construct’s back and chest, but it only seemed to be slowing it down, rather than doing real damage. The gargoyle raised the halberd for an overhead strike when something attached itself to Frost’s back and quickly pulled him backward. He landed in Ciaran’s forehooves as the halberd crashed into the ground where he was just standing. The changeling used some of the green goop Silth cocooned Frost with. Apparently it could be made into other things as well.

The gargoyle spun the halberd in one hand and flew at them with alarming speed.

“Ciaran!!” Frost screamed as the gargoyle approached.

The changeling held Frost against her chest and spit out the slime in her mouth. At the last second she jumped into the air and flew toward the ceiling. As they broke through into the sky above the castle, Ciaran pushed Frost onto her back and looked at him. “Got a plan, Frosty?”

“Plan? We can’t use our magic, and Aldus is knocked out. What do you think we should do?”

The gargoyle charged through the hole and barreled toward them. “Let’s just focus on not getting killed.” Ciaran said as she turned around and flew toward the castle, “Hang on ,Frosty.”

Frost gripped the changeling’s neck for dear life as she dove low and circled around a tower, then zig zagged over and under the buttresses supporting the great hall. The gargoyle was too large to follow them maneuver for maneuver, and so slammed into at least two buttresses knocking them free from the castle. Frost saw part of the gargoyle’s arms break away as it plowed through the supports, then an idea came to him.

“Ciaran, that green stuff you used to save me earlier, can you spit it?”

“Yes,” Ciaran panted, “Why?”

“I think I can destroy the crystals in these things. But I need your help. Land on the topmost tower.”

Ciaran nodded and flew to the top of the castle to land. The tower was flat so they were able to prepare. They didn’t have too long though, the gargoyle rushed up the side and plummeted down with its halberd. Frost waited for the last second to jump out of the way when the blade came down. The impact was so strong in penetrated the tower, just as Frost hoped it would. Frost conjured as much ice as he could around the blade to cement it in ground.

“Now!” Frost shouted.

Ciaran spit green saliva at the gargoyle’s chest and covered the gem completely. Frost then used every last ounce of magic he had to freeze the area round the gem. The gargoyle retaliated by backhanding Frost with the buckler so hard it sent him flying off the edge of the tower. Ciaran seized the opportunity and stuck the gargoyle square in the chest with a precise bolt of magic. With the gem shattered, the gargoyle dropped it’s halberd and fell to the ground.

Ciaran turned around and vaulted over the ramparts to find Frost rapidly approaching the main roof. The changeling dived as fast as she could but knew she wouldn’t make it in time. Ciaran teleported under Frost and clutched him protectively as they impacted the roof and bounced across it. She curled around him as best she could and took most of the impact. When they finally skidded to a halt, pieces of Ciaran’s carapace were torn off and one of her four wings was torn. She winced in pain and opened her forehooves, Frost was unconscious with a large gash in his forehead. She ignited her horn began to heal some of his bruises when he opened his eyes.

“Did we get it?”

“Yeah, Frosty. We did.” Ciaran said with a smile.

“Where are we?”

“You took a little tumble off the tower, but I was able to catch you.” Ciaran said with a cough.

Frost crawled out of her embrace and saw she was injured, “You’re hurt... what can I do to help?”

“I’m fine, Frosty. I’m fi-”

Frost wrapped his hooves around her neck in a tight but gentle embrace. “Thank you for saving me, Ciaran. I love you.”

Ciaran was surprised to hear that, and even more surprised when he planted a soft kiss on her cheek. The changeling princess felt the warmth of love begin to radiate off Frost. She used it to help the healing process of her carapace and wings. Frost still clutched her tightly.

“Frost, it’s okay, I’m fine.” she said reassuringly.

The blue unicorn refused to let go, “No, take this love, use it to get better. I don’t- Ciaran I don’t want to let go. I’m scared.”

Ciaran wrapped her hooves around Frost and gently rubbed his back, “Okay, then I won’t let go either. Not until you’re ready.” she kissed Frost lightly on the forehead and shushed him. “Everything is alright, we’ll rejoin the others soon.”

As the energy seeped into Ciaran to rejuvenate her, she felt another sensation, liquid on her shoulders and neck. Frost was crying. Ciaran hugged him tighter and nuzzled him, “Everything’s going to be fine.”

--------------

In the great hall, Iris parried blow after blow from the gargoyle. It’s curved sword swinging in wide cleaves and diagonal slashes. She was able to land several hits but none were enough to bring the beast down. Meanwhile, the gargoyle itself was learning her attacks, and pressed it’s advantage. The construct followed through with another strike and brought the sword hilt up to strike Iris in the beak, staggering her. The gargoyle followed up with a kick that knocked her flat. It raised it’s sword in two claws and brought the blade down to finish her, but was halted by Pyrite, who appeared in front of Iris and caught the blade. With a roar he bent his hooves and snapped it, causing the gargoyle to roar in anger. Iris wasted no time and jumped over Pyrite grasping her sword in two claws, with a spin she decapitated the gargoyle and landed next to it’s fallen body, Pyrite wasted no time in smashing the gem in it’s chest for good measure.

Iris grasped the blade in her claw and ran a talon over it. She closed her eyes and collected herself. Kathe had taught her well, all of the exercises she thought were pointless contributed to her form and finesse. In the void she suddenly panicked and looked around, Black Star hadn’t said a word since they merged.

“Black Star,” she called. “Black Star! Where are you?!”

Iris felt a claw on her shoulder which made her jump. She turned around to see a black and grey gryphon floating in the void. It had the green eyes of Black Star, and a third eye on it’s forehead. It sported the same two sets of wings, and the wings themselves were massive. However, the thing that made Iris tear up was the grey feathers at the tips, just like her own. The gryphon smiled and extended it’s arms, welcoming her. Iris jumped into it’s embrace without hesitation and let a few tears escape her eyes.

“Black Star?”

“Yes, Iris.” Black Star replied. “I’m here.”

Iris gripped the gryphon tightly, “I was so focussed on the fight I thought I lost you.”

He stroked her back with a single massive claw and chuckled, “I’ve always been here Iris, and I always will be. You fought so bravely and beautifully I barely needed to intervene at all.”

Iris looked up at the gryphon, “Why are you like this now?”

Black Star blinked all three eyes and nuzzled Iris, “I don’t know. But when I merged with you I remembered having this form. I- I don’t remember when or why. Does it not please you?”

Iris looked at the grey wingtips again and pointed to them, “I didn’t expect those.”

Black Star shifted and brought all four wings forward surrounding Iris, “I thought it would be proper to respect you and your father. My loyalty is to you Iris, plus it adds a bit of flair. Is it too much?”

Iris giggled and rested her head against his chest, “No Black Star it’s not too much. In fact, I love it. I think we’ll keep it.”

Pyrite nudged Iris and pointed to Discord, “I’m going to help them. You should go find Rigel.”

Iris nodded and clasped him on the shoulder, “Good luck. I’ll be back.”

Pyrite turned his attention to the spirit of chaos. The enormous gargoyle was slow, it couldn’t manage to land a significant strike against Discord. The smaller gargoyle however presented a bigger problem. It was preventing the alicorn from assisting Discord.

The alicorn circled above the gargoyle and dodged a thrust from the halberd. Pyrite got it’s attention and lured it away. The earth colt waited until the construct attacked him with a thrust before grabbing the blade. Pyrite held his ground long enough for the alicorn to fire a precision shot and destroy it’s crystal. The gargoyle slumped to the side and crashed to the ground, once again an inert statue.

Now all that remained was the big one. Discord dodged yet another swing from the axe and jumped backward to land beside the alicorn and Pyrite.

“We need to destroy that crystal, but I can’t get close to it with that axe.” Discord said.

“We need to make him expose the gem for us to attack it.” that alicorn stated.

Discord nodded, “I think I have an idea. Pyrite, how tough is that armor?”

“It’s unbreakable,” Pyrite replied. “Why? What do you have in mind?”

Discord turned to the alicorn and pointed to the axe, “Get him to do a two handed swing at you. Can you do that?”

The alicorn nodded, “I can.”

“Okay, go now.” Discord said as he jumped away from another slash.

The alicorn flew in front of the gargoyle and fired several bolts at it’s chest. Eventually the creature raised the axe high above it’s head with it’s right claw. It’s left claw was spread out to the side, balancing the massive swing. With little to no warning. Discord grew to the same size as the gargoyle and picked up Pyrite.

“Hey what are you doing?” Pyrite asked.

Discord gripped him tightly and grinned, “Turning you into a projectile.”

With the snap of his talons Pyrite was turned into a silver crossbow bolt. Discord conjured a strange crossbow in his hands and loaded Pyrite. With a moment to aim, he fired straight at the gargoyles chest and landed a direct hit. Pyrite passed straight through the gargoyle destroying the gem. The large construct registered surprise on it’s face before falling backwards with a large crash.

Discord smiled and twisted his body in a stretch, “Ahh... full power again. Feels great.” He snapped his talons and Pyrite appeared in his paw as his normal colt self.

Andromeda materialized from his shadow and screamed at Discord. “Don’t you ever do that to him again! How dare you!!”

Discord laughed and zipped her mouth shut like a zipper on a jacket. “Oh come now he was never in any danger, and he saved the day. Good job, Pyrite.” He returned to his normal size and placed Pyrite on top of his head. “You okay up there?”

Pyrite was still trying to process being turned into a bolt. “I- I think so, Mr. Discord. Just please don’t do that again.”

Discord chuckled and stuck his tongue out at Andromeda. “Let’s go make sure Aldus is okay.”

Pyrite was collected in a magical field and brought into the hooves of the new alicorn. “Who are you?” he asked.

“You don’t recognize us?” it asked with a laugh. “It’s us Pyrite, it’s all of us.”

A large smile formed on Pyrite’s face as he looked the alicorn in the eye. He could hear them in it’s voice. Ruby, Antares, and Blue Bell. Firebrand and Stormcaller were granting them the power to be one pony. The alicorn trotted over to Aldus, who was starting to come to.

“What happened?” He asked groggily, “Who are you?”

The alicorn laughed and levitated Aldus onto it’s back, “It’s going to take a while to explain.”

“But it’s a fun story to tell!” Discord said with a laugh as he floated next to Aldus.

“Discord?” Aldus asked.

“That’s right, these children are so fun! They might be even more entertaining than Twilight Sparkle and her friends.”

Three shadows appeared overhead as Iris and Rigel landed near the group along with Ciaran and an injured Frost.

“We need to get out of here before more things try to kill us,” Ciaran said.

“Yeah,” Iris agreed, “But first I think Aldus and Rigel should see that mural. We need some answers.”

Aldus looked at Iris and raised an eyebrow, “Mural? What mural?”

---------------

Aldus exited the portal with the new alicorn followed by the rest of the group. He quickly grabbed the canvas and covered the painting.

“How do we know those things won’t try to come through and attack us here?” Iris asked.

“I think they just protect the castle,” Aldus said, “Nothing can come through the painting if there is something blocking it from this side, like the canvas. But I’ll put a ward on it just to be sure.”

“What were those things?” Frost asked, “Why would Seabreeze put them there? Why would they attack us? Why would they attack YOU?”

“Those things weren’t there the last time I was inside the castle. And the last time I was inside, the castle was much smaller. For some reason additions were made. The corridor gallery wasn’t there before and neither was the central tower. I have no idea what that thing is in the mural, but Seabreeze painted that herself, I know it. Whatever it is, it stood there while she painted it. It’s the only way she could have captured that much detail.”

The ponies looked over to Discord, who merely averted their gaze.

“Discord, please help us.” Iris pleaded.

“I’ve already done enough, I’m afraid.” the spirit of chaos lamented. “I’m sorry, but I must depart and see to my wounds. I suggest you all do the same.”

“Discord, wait.” Frost said while struggling to see straight. “Thank you for helping us. We might have died without you.”

“Yeah,” Pyrite agreed, “I’m glad you were on our side.”

The alicorn smiled and nodded in agreement. Discord grinned and slithered around Frost and Pyrite. “You all did well, you saved my life as much as I saved yours. I’ll be back for some more fun, hopefully under less dangerous circumstances. Until then, I’ll simply say this. To reveal the identity of the individual in the mural, once in the archives research the eternal shore. Goodbye everypony.”

The spirit of chaos snapped his talons and disappeared in a flash of white light. Aldus let out a sigh and started for the door when Polaris burst through it.

“There you are, I’ve been looking for... by Desalia what happened?!”

“I got punched off a castle tower by a gargoyle’s buckler.” Frost muttered while leaning on Ciaran’s neck. The changeling giggled and shushed him.

“What?” Polaris asked.

“We were attacked, we’re fine. It’s a long story.” Aldus said.

“Well, I’m here to say Princess Desalia wishes to meet Frost.” Polaris said.

Aldus looked at Frost, then at Polaris, “Nopony is going anywhere until we are rested and healed, Desalia can wait.” he winked at Frost before limping out of the room with Rigel and Polaris. Before he left, Aldus poked his back into the room and gave instructions to Ciaran. “See to their injuries, Marigold will help. Children, that was a traumatic event. I think you should spend some time with your guardians tonight.”

The children nodded as Aldus closed the door. The alicorn shook its head and began to speak, this time a familiar chorus of voices could be heard. “We’re enjoying this feeling. We’ll stay like this for a while. Pyrite, Frost, will you be okay?”

The two colts nodded to the alicorn. It teleported away leaving the rest of the foals together. Ciaran levitated Pyrite onto her back with Frost and headed to her room. “Let’s see to those injuries.”

----------------

Later that night, the fillies were still merged with Firebrand and Stormcaller and hadn't returned yet, leaving Iris by herself in their room. The gryphon got off her bed and stretched her wings. She hadn't suffered many injuries thanks to her skill with a blade and Black Star’s enhancing of her senses. She began to preen her feathers and soon found herself at the ones that were difficult to reach.

“Black Star,” Iris called. In a moment the black pegasus emerged from a shadow and stood before her.

“Yes Iris?”

“Could you change into the gryphon, please?”

Black Star nodded and grew larger, almost three times the size of Iris. His features changed to a more avian appearance then sprouted another pair of wings and two more tails. After a few other changes, a black and grey gryphon stood before Iris.

“You know, I think I that look on you.” Iris said with a laugh.

“I’m happy you like it,” Black Star said. “I like it, too. It feels... right.”

Iris was going to say something, but hesitated a moment. “Black Star, can you help me preen. There are some spots that are hard to reach.”

He nodded and sat down behind Iris. Black Star gently hooked a single set of wings around Iris and lifted her in front of him. He began his work softly arranging the feathers in order. After he finished, he was surprised when she didn’t move.

“Is something the matter Iris?” he asked, wondering if he did something wrong.

Iris turned around with tears in her eyes, “No, you did nothing wrong. It’s not you.”

Black Star leaned against the wall and embraced Iris, “What is it?”

“It’s my father,” Iris squeaked, “I miss him, and you remind me of him when you look like this.”

“Oh, I do? I don’t want to make you cry, I’ll change back.”

“No.” Iris said, “I’m glad you can look like this. It reminds me of home. I don’t want you to leave me tonight. Don’t go,” she whimpered, “Just please don’t go.”  

Black Star cradled the little gryphon in his claws and closed all four wings around her. “I won’t go anywhere, Iris.”

The gryphon muttered a thank you into his breast. He gently rubbed a talon against her back to calm her, “Are you tired yet, Iris?”

“No, not yet.”

“You know, it might make you feel better to talk about your father. Tell me about him. What was he like?”

There was silence for a moment after Black Star proposed the idea, then Iris shifted in his embrace and leaned against him. She ran a claw up and down some his feathers. “My father’s name was Ziraal, he was a great king. He was never one to speak often, just like you. But he was always there for me... just like you.”

--------------

Frost walked down the hall and around a corner attempting to be as quiet as possible. Pyrite had already fallen asleep with Andromeda so he was able to leave. He approached Iris’ room and stopped. It wasn’t his destination, but he wanted to make sure she was alright. He cracked the door open and peaked inside to find utter blackness. He slowly stepped inside the room and shut the door. There was a familiar blackness on the opposite side of the room.

“Iris,” Frost whispered.

A single green eye opened within the darkness and blinked.

“Frost, it’s you. How are you doing?”

“Black Star...” Frost whispered with relief. He knew he was referring to the bandage wrapped around his head and covering one eye. “I’m fine, is Iris here?”

One of three tails extended to Frost and beckoned him to approach. The darkness peeled away revealing Black Star’s gryphon form. He opened one of his four wings to show Iris curled up against his chest. “She just went to sleep, would you like to join her?”

Frost shook his head, “No, I just wanted to make sure she was alright.”

As he turned around to walk away one of Black Star’s tails wrapped around his stomach, “Frost, somethings bothering you, I can tell. I just want you to know that if you want to talk, or if you have any problems, I’m here.” he said, then unwrapped his tail and let Frost go.

Frost smiled and quietly left the room. He continued on down the hallway until he reached a certain door. He knocked lightly and waited for a response. The sound of hooves trotting across the floor could be heard. The door opened a crack as Ciaran looked down at the blue unicorn.

“Hello, Frosty. Feeling better?” she asked.

“Uh, yes. Ciaran, can I come in?”

The changeling nodded and opened the door. Frost trotted past her and jumped up on her bed. Ciaran walked over to him and sat on her haunches. “Did you want to talk about something?”

Frost frowned, “I wanted to thank you for saving me today.”

Ciaran chuckled, “What was I supposed to do, let you get hurt?”

“Well... yeah,” Frost said. “I mean, no... I’m happy you care about me. but it’s just...”

“What’s wrong? You can tell me, I won’t bite” she reassured with a giggle.

“Changelings are supposed to be horrible emotion stealing monsters. They kidnap ponies and trap them in pods to feed on them forever. They stick them to walls with that green goop and mess with their minds. But you aren’t like that...”

“It’s true,” Ciaran admitted, “We don’t have a good reputation among the other races.”

“I’ve come to believe all these things about changelings, but your sister helped me when she could have just left me to die. And today, you saved me not once, but twice. You aren’t like what we were told.”

Ciaran smiled, “Being a changeling can be difficult, Frost. Not all are given the opportunity to be themselves in a colony. But I was fortunate enough to be born a changeling princess. I was given the opportunity to be different, and I took it.”

“I’m glad you did, I might have died without you today. I might have died...” Frost shook as his ears fell flat against his head, “For the first time in my life I was afraid of death, I was afraid because it was right there. I saw it coming for me just before you saved me. I didn't feel it when I fought the gryphons. This was different.”

“But you’re okay now, Frosty. It’s over.”

“Living on the streets I've had to be brave for my friends, I had to be tough. I couldn't wear my emotions on my hooves. That can get you in trouble.”

“Frost, slow down,” Ciaran said as she reached out to him, but he smacked her hoof away.

“Today I saw it, I thought it was the end. To see somepony like Aldus dispatched so easily. To see Discord almost killed in front of my eyes, I realize how insignificant I am.” Tears began to escape his eyes.

Ciaran enveloped Frost in her magic and brought him into her forehooves, “Calm down, Frost. It’s okay.”

“I was scared, I’m still scared. Princess Desalia wants to see me. She’ll execute me for freeing Silth.”

Ciaran fluttered onto the bed and laid down with Frost, “No she won’t. Aldus won’t let that happen. I won’t let that happen.”

“All the others have their guardians, Andromeda is with Pyrite, Black Star is with Iris. I don’t have a guardian like they do. But it’s fine, I don’t need one. I can’t afford to be like this. Thanks for listening to me Ciaran, I’ll leave you alone now.”

Frost attempted to leave but was pulled back, she held him tighter and rested her chin on his head, “You’re not going anywhere, little one. You can sleep with me tonight.”

“No, I’m fine.” Frost insisted.

“You’re fine?” Ciaran chuckled, “I don’t think so. I’m a changeling, Frost. You’ll have to do better than that if you want to lie to me.”

“Ciaran,”

“You’re staying, make a fuss and I’ll just use my powers to make you stay. Your choice, Frosty.”

“Fine,” Frost grumbled.

“You need to understand Frost, it’s okay to be scared. It’s okay to be scared even now. But I’m here, nothing is going to hurt you. And if it makes you feel any better, I was scared as much as you were.”

“Really?” Frost asked.

“Mhm. Now go to sleep, Frost. You’ll need rest if you’re going to see the princess tomorrow.”

“You can’t make me sleep if I don’t look at you.” Frost said with a laugh.

Ciaran smiled and began to quietly hum a song. Frost felt his eyes begin to droop as she continued humming. It was familiar to him, he thought he heard Silth sing something similar when he was with her, but that seemed so long ago now. Frost let out a yawn as Ciaran continued humming her song, she leaned over to Frost and whispered in his ear. “Sleep, Frosty. Go to sleep, safe and sound.” She laced her tones with the same magic used in her hypnosis. It now had an audible effect instead of a visual one.

Frost struggled to keep his eyes open and rolled over. “Will you-” he paused for a yawn, “-Will you come with me when I see Princess Desalia?”

“Yes, Frosty. I’ll come,” Ciaran cooed. He fell asleep soon after. Ciaran smiled and turned out the lights, her violet eyes briefly illuminating the blackness. “And when Aldus lets you into the archives... I’ll be there, too. In fact, nothing could keep me away.” she chuckled while pulling the covers around them both.

---------------

Inside the painting, two ponies emerged from the castle corridor gallery. They trotted to the great hall and examined the aftermath. The ponies observed the latent energy still lingering in the room and were able to discern silhouettes of the trespassers.

“Who are they, do you think they knew her?”

“The creator of this realm? Probably.”

“We should question her about it, she might want to know there were intruders here.”

“No, she is at peace. I won’t trouble anypony across the shores.”

“They managed to destroy the guardians, even the strongest one.”

“Yes. I’m curious as to how they were awakened in the first place.”

“Didn’t you see? The chaotic one was with them.”

“I don’t think he set them off, he arrived later. It was something else, there is latent spirit energy here but none that I’ve felt before. It’s strange.”

“You know he’ll want to know about all this, right?”

“Yeah. He’ll likely come himself. They were friends after all, he won’t tolerate defilement of this place.”

“Heh, No... he won’t.”