ON THE MOUNTAINS
Around early afternoon, several animals were running for their lives right in between the mountains. Those animals consisted of rabbits, squirrels, deer, foxes, snakes, and wolves. Both prey and predator ran together in fear from an apex predator who smiled gleefully with bloodlust.
“Come here, little ones! Don’t worry! I promise I won’t hurt you...mercifully!” Clawbreak sadistically grinned.
His spider legs gave him an incredible amount of speed that would make even Rainbow Dash jealous. The animals fled desperately from their superior predator until they encountered a dead end. They stopped before a large stone wall that had strange markings scratched across on it. They looked behind them and beheld the evil crab monster as he sharpened his claws.
“Your heads will make fine additions to my collection.” Clawbreak taunted.
They quivered in fear and embraced each other—prey and predator—for their cruel death. Clawbreak lunged at them and impaled them with his razor sharp legs. He cruelly smiled at the sounds of agony they uttered. Then he peeled their skins off and decapitated them. He picked up their torn bodies and devoured them one by one.
After he finished his meal, he placed their bloodied heads underneath his trench coat where several other heads were attached. “Ahhh, I love my job. Too bad King Vorak never understood the benefits of poaching.” Clawbreak bragged.
“Clawbreak! There you are!” an angry voice called. He looked back to see Tirek, Clavicle, and their gargoyle henchmen arrive to his location. “Where have you been?! What have you been doing out here?!” Tirek demanded.
“Pardon me, my lord, but I was simply resuming my former occupation. I dearly missed it since I was banished for it by your own father. Nostalgia never ceases.” Clawbreak replied.
“I ordered you to stay put! You might end up getting spotted by those ponies! We cannot afford to have our plans go up in smoke before we are ready!” Tirek reprimanded.
“My apologies, son of King Vorak. It must have slipped my mind. Oh, please do forgive me for my rashness in seeking power, mighty Vorak—I mean, Lord Tirek!” Clawbreak sarcastically mocked.
“STOP MENTIONING THAT IDIOT’S NAME!!!” Tirek bellowed in rage. “Fortunately, he is dead in that way I’ll not only take over his kingdom but also ALL of Equestria as their new king! Celestia and Luna will be dead before they see it coming!”
“I love your spirit, master. Vengeance and hatred are more deliciously powerful than love which my foolish mother erroneously savored.” Clavicle commended.
“Yes...excellent point, my dear changeling.” Tirek agreed. “When I was young, I never knew anything about the wonderful uses of magic...and its taste thanks to my pathetic excuse of a father. Luckily, Sendak the Elder tutored me about magical uses and how to execute them skillfully.”
“I remember that old hermit.” said one of the gargoyles. “He was a great instructor until he was confined to the mines for his actions. Our people were so self-righteous back then.” he finished contemptuously.
“True, but his ways will never be forgotten.” Tirek evilly smiled. “Now, in order for us to dominate this land, we need to have a guideline as to how we can accomplish that. We all heard how it went for King Sombra, yes?”
His servants nodded in reply. “Therefore, we need to seek guidance from someone I know who will be able to give us directions.” Tirek finished.
“Who will that be, master?” Clavicle asked. Tirek’s yellow pupils glowed as he grinned.
“The Lurking Phantom.” Tirek said.
IN THE EVERFREE FOREST
Bane paced through the trees and bushes. If ever there was a time when determined revenge was to be exacted perfectly with needed help, it was at that moment for him. He might have lost his army and his resources to Batman and Gotham, but he at least knew that there were potentially dangerous creatures in the colorful world who could assist him.
“I sure hope that Thorax is enjoying himself with those corrupt heathens. Soon, he will see the truth, and the truth...will set him free.” Bane said.
After he passed by three more trees, he saw a sign out of nowhere that said “Tirek is straight ahead from the forest.” Bane was confused and wondered if there was someone else who heard of those creatures and knew of their whereabouts. However, he decided to waste no further time. He walked passed the sign and followed its direction. Little did he know that the sign quietly sunk in the ground by itself.
As he exited out of the Everfree Forest, he saw two large mountains in a distance. He looked right and left before spotting another sign which said “You will find him within that mountain trench.” Not willing to again question who wrote those directions and knew the centaur, he quickly followed its direction. Just as he passed by, the wooden sign grew a Jack-o-lantern-like smile and wickedly chuckled.
WITHIN THE TRENCH
“Are you sure that’s how it works, my liege?” a gargoyle asked.
“Of course. That’s how the ancients always contacted him whenever they needed him. Legends say that he has the power to solve mysteries known and unknown. His origin is unknown, but his power is unmeasurable.” Tirek explained.
“We are ready, my lord.” Clawbreak notified.
“Good. Summon him.” Tirek commanded.
Clawbreak held a sharp stone while two gargoyles shot their magic from their horns right to it. The ancient stone hovered in the air as it brightly beamed. Suddenly, it sent a massive beam of yellow and black magic at the scratched markings on the wall. The ancient markings glowed bright yellow and emitted a shadowy phantom; afterwards, it grew tall and loomed out of the wall. The villains, except Tirek, trembled before the being. “Ahhhhh, Tirek, I presume...” the phantom spoke with a deep, gravelly voice.
“You...you know me?” Tirek wondered.
“Yes, I’ve heard many things about you. I am assuming you summoned me to give you your guideline to conquer all of Equestria, yes?” the Lurking Phantom spoke.
“Yes, precisely that, mighty one.” Tirek bowed. Then he perked his ears up. “Wait...how did you know that?”
“I know everything and hear everything, my good centaur. Now, as far as your guideline is concerned, I shall gladly assist you in that department. For the time has come that every single earth pony, pegasus, and unicorn surrender themselves to us. The inevitable is nigh at hoof.” the Phantom continued. “To prevent yourselves from making the same fatal mistake that Sombra made, you need to complete three requisites as follows:”
“First, finding a villainous creature of experience from another universe to facilitate your plans. Second, gaining recruits from every place in Equestria; and third, eliminating any loose end that will rattle our cage.” he listed.
Tirek and the villains listened to everything he said to them with various reactions: Tirek stroked his beard as he attentively listened, Clavicle looked scared and tried not to look at the spirit, and Clawbreak appeared to be confused. The gargoyles were silent as they were frozen with fear. Once he concluded, Tirek stood back up on his hooves. “Much appreciated, Looming Phantom. We will do our best to adhere to this guideline you gave us.” he said.
“Of course; however, you need not worry of the first step as I have already done it for you.” the Phantom said.
“You have?” Tirek asked.
“Yes. Dear children, your benefactor has just arrived!” the ghost proudly announced.
The villains turned back to see Bane approaching them while he held on to his trench coat and breathed heavily through his mask. Tirek and his men looked both surprised and bewildered to see a strange bipedal creature with a menacing appearance. Bane looked at the ghost slightly confused until he remembered the signs from earlier. “So that phantom was the one who directed me. That makes sense.” he thought.
“Greetings, mighty beings of this Equestria! The admirable centaur leader Lord Tirek, I presume, I am pleased to meet you in the flesh.” Bane formally greeted.
“Who are you?” Tirek asked.
“The name is...Bane, Gotham’s reckoning.” he darkly replied.