Worth Less Than a Fly

by nightshade745

Chapter 16: The Chess Pieces

The lion headed humanoid stood in front of a window that took up the entire wall. The desert sands outside blew fiercely as a storm approached. His face was one of satisfaction. The office he was in was relatively bare. A rose colored rug covered most of the floor, a few shelves consumed the walls, and a dark wooden desk was centered just bellow the window. Only a picture frame had a place on its surface, the picture being of another lion headed creature. Obviously his father. The photo was old and beginning to turn brown.

The lion was named Oswin. He was the warden of Soul-Shatter Prison and he took pride in it. It was a family business actually. His father, his grandfather, his great grandfather, and so on, all ran the prison before him. Each passing ownership down to the next in line. Oswin couldn't deny that he took pleasure in his work. It was an honest living, keeping the scum of the earth under control and periodically erasing them from it too. That was another thing he found so great about this prison, its execution method. Soul-Shatter was the only place in the world that terminated its prisoners in such a fashion. In fact, the very technique was a mystery to much of the magic community.

Ancient memories and past emotions could not stop the nagging feeling at the back of his skull though. Something just wasn't right. He felt like there was something horribly wrong, that he should be scared for his life. He held his hands together behind his back underneath the sheath of the Giant's Knife he carried. He was well trained and extraordinarily skilled with the large blade. It was incredibly rare to find someone who could even lift such a weapon, let alone actually put it to use in a combat situation.

Oswin's idle thoughts were interrupted when one of the Heavy Guards came through the red iron doors of his office. The guard's heavy footfalls let Oswin determine his progress into the room without even looking. "Oswin, there is someone here to see you."

Oswin's small round ears perked, "someone? Surely you mean some people." He continued to look out the window.

"No sir. He walked here on his own."

Oswin spun his head around and looked at the guard skeptically, "he just walked a thousand miles through a desert? He hiked all the way out here just to see me? Who is this guy?"

"He went by the name of Robes."

Oswin's eyes shrank to pinpricks, absolute horror flooding into him. "Where is he right now?"

"We had him wait outside the main gate."

"You had Robes, the six-winged angel, wait outside...in a sandstorm?!" Oswin was in a rage.

"Yes sir." The Heavy Guard answered without emotion.

"YOU WORTHLESS PILE OF SCRAP!!! YOU GO DOWN THERE AND YOU TREAT HIM LIKE THE ROYALTY HE IS!!!"

The guard bowed and left the chamber quickly. Sweat was pouring down his face as his blood continued to boil. Oswin turned back to his window and stared out at the sandy plane below. His thoughts were filled with images of destroying the hunks of iron he called guards. They were loyal and strong, but they weren't the most intelligent things in the world. Oswin's fuming halted when a different thought finally came to his attention.

"Why would Robes come all the way out here?" Oswin asked himself out loud as he pondered. Robes was a legend, a six-winged angel. Despite the fact that he wasn't even the most powerful Angel out there, he was probably the most well-known due to his part in bringing down Shadaico. When it came to the topic of the King of Evil, no one was more knowledgeable about it then him. He knew or could find out pretty much anything that had ever happened in Shadaico's life. Heck, he was the one who performed the final blow that left the King on his knees and nearly dead. Without Robes, the monster never would have been brought down.

The title of Angel was sometimes misleading. Angels were called so not only because of there appearance but also because of the role they filled in the world. Angels were holy warriors that scoured the earth looking for crime and dealing with it appropriately. A magic wielding police force would be the best comparison. The Central Government holds a great deal of control over the Angelic Academy and their operations, but they are in fact a separate entity capable of independent action. In other words, the Angels can go after government officials should they be found breaking the law.

But why would an Angel of any stature walk through a desert just to see Oswin? Was he in some kind of trouble? Unlikely. If he was, a lot more than just one Angel, no matter how famous, would have come. It couldn't have been a prisoner transfer, you needed far more security to account for the most unlikely escape attempts. Oswin was left clueless. He couldn't think of another reason anyone would want to come out to his prison. His thought train was derailed as the Heavy Guard returned with a stranger in tow.

Oswin looked at the stranger with surprise. Angels were beings of light, strength, prestige, and represented all that was good. Robes didn't look like any of that at the moment. The tarp like rags he had draped over his entire body made him look more like a homeless man. His face was still concealed by sun tanned cloth and goggles. The only thing that looked great about him was his golden boots. Robes stood straight and his height equalled Oswin's. The Heavy made a hasty exit.

"Robes!" Oswin greeted graciously. "So kind of you to pay us a visit out here in the lonely desert!"

Robes said nothing as we walked around the desk and looked out Oswin's window.

Oswin turned towards him and continued, "For what is the purpose of your visit?"

"Shadaico, where is he?" Robes was monotone under his garb.

"I'm proud to say he was executed about four days ago."

Robes looked at him through his dusty goggles, "of course, it seems he got just what he deserved."

There was something in the way he said it that made Oswin nervous. "Indeed. The world is a much better place now."

"Yeah, a better place," Robes scoffed as he turned back to the window.

"Forgive me for my intrusion, but what are you implying?" Oswin was thoroughly confused.

"Shadaico was a brilliant tactician. He planned out every major battle in his life...even his death." Robes went and stood by a bookshelf as he idly browsed the random tomes.

"Excuse me?" Oswin was suddenly worried.

"You don't get it do you?" Robes finally removed his goggles and his hood. He had light brown hair and shining golden eyes. The skin on his face was rough, but that was probably because it was dry.

Oswin shook his head, "I do not."

Robes sighed. "It was his final 'fuck you' sort of speak."

Oswin's mouth fell open. Did an Angel just swear? "Y-y-you're an Angel, you can't swear!"

Robes rolled his eyes. "My kind may be named after the servants of heaven, but we aren't. We are mortal beings and we can swear all we want...dammit!"

Oswin was left speechless.

"Shadaico wanted to die, but he made his death even more important by having it carried out here."

"What is that supposed to mean?!" Oswin felt like he was being accused.

"IT MEANS--here." Robes's voice suddenly dropped as he handed Oswin a parchment. "All the details you need to know are included." Robes walked away from Oswin and stood with his back to him.

Oswin began to read, but his rage quickly boiled over. "YOU'RE TAKING OVER MY PRISON UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE!?"

"Yes," Robes answered him calmly. "I need to conduct a few experiments with your prison you see..."

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Twilight was in a panic as she tried to gather the other element bearers in the confusion. The whole town was awake and many were running around in the streets in confusion. Word had already come in from Canterlot that they were evacuating the city. News like that was enough to scare the locals, add in the fires they could see from so far away, and it was a receipt for disaster. Despite knowing all this, Twilight wasn't letting anything distract her from her chosen goal. She had to get the elements ready for battle. There was only one problem; how were they supposed to fight if they were a hundred miles from said battlefield? This question did not seem to register in her mind though.

Rainbow Dash was quick to get Fluttershy and Applejack while Twilight got Rarity and Pinkie. Not surprisingly, she found Rarity unconscious outside her door. Twilight ignored this and levitated Rarity behind her as she made her way to Sugarcube Corner. Pinkie was standing on her roof just staring at the display with a neutral face. Twilight was unsure if this was good or bad.

"Pinkie come on! We've got to go!"

"There's no point Twilight," Pinkie said calmly.

"WHAT! No point!" Twilight was about to explode on Pinkie. "Canterlot's under attack, Celestia might need us, and there's no point!?"

"Yeah, the fights over, pegasi are putting out the fires, and everything is under control." Pinkie began to smile as she stood up on her roof.

"How could you possibly know that?" Twilight demanded.

"Well, the princesses, with the help of your brother of course, were able to put the magic seals back in the wolf's back and reduce him to a harmless dog. Now the pegasi, and that includes the Wonderbolts, are gathering storm clouds to put out the fires."

"But...how could you--?"

Pinkie pulled out a telescope from thin air, "with this. Why do you think I'm on my roof, to see which way the winds blowing you silly filly?"

"Let me see that!" Twilight dropped Rarity as she teleported up onto the roof by Pinkie.

"See, that's the princesses!" Pinkie pointed the telescope and didn't even bother checking to make sure she had pointed it at anything whatsoever.

Twilight greedily looked through the eyepiece and couldn't believe her eyes. There was her brother, her mentor, and Luna. They weren't exactly unhurt, but they were clearly alive in the Canterlot gardens. "I don't believe it."

"Well you don't have to. You can know it!" Pinkie beamed.

Twilight's fear for her mentor was only reduced, not erased. "We still need to get to Canterlot Pinkie!"

"But we can't, the trains not running," Rainbow informed her as she joined the conversation.

"How we supposed to get there without the train then?" Applejack asked as she approached a still unconscious Rarity down below.

"I don't think the elements are meant to put out fires," squeaked Fluttershy as she helped Applejack try to wake Rarity.

"So what!? We just do nothing?!" Twilight scolded them.

"We won't be able to get there until tomorrow Twilight," Pinkie pointed out rather smartly. "If we walked, it could take until tomorrow night. If you tried to teleport, you wouldn't have the strength to use the Element of Magic and the trip would have been pointless too."

"But-but-but-but we have to do something."

"Send yer mentor a letter," Applejack proposed.

Twilight's eyes lit up, "you're a genius. But," her ears fell back against her head, "I left Spike home all alone!" With the sudden realization, she had teleported off the roof and made a charge for the library.

Rarity, having just awoken, began to mutter. "Oh dear me. I had the most dreadful dream. I saw Canterlot and it was ablaze."

"It uh, wasn't a dream there Rarity," Applejack filled her in regretfully. In response, she fainted again.

As Fluttershy tried to scoot away and get home, she was almost run over by a panicking golden unicorn as he carried a practically screaming pegasus on his back. After narrowly avoiding the collision, Bore screamed back at her. "Watch where you're going! I've got an emergency here!"

"Who's was that?" Applejack blurted out as the two ran through town towards the Everfree Forest.

Pinkie mysteriously knew the answer. "That's Bore and the one on his back is Skipper. His leg is broken so his uncle is taking him to Firethorn."

"And who in the hay is that?" Applejack looked back at Pinkie who had somehow gotten off the roof.

"He's this really nasty pony that lives out in the Everfree with all his kids. They're always being mean and snarling at anypony who comes near. Like this one time, I snuck into his house, and he could have just thrown me out, but he did more then that. First he tried to catch me. I wasn't sure why he kept telling me to stop moving, that's not how you play tag. Then he tried shooting me with magic. But he was a really bad shot, I mean, his spells kept zigzagging all over the place! And when he finally caught me, he said that if I ever came back, he'd peal my skin off." Pinkie continued to smile innocently despite the horribly graphic image she had painted in that last sentence. "But I didn't get it. I mean seriously, you don't peal a pony! You can peal potatoes and carrots and apples and oranges and--" Pinkie was cut off when a hoof rammed down her throat.

"I get it Pinkie," Applejack sighed.

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The room was similar in many ways to the throne room of Canterlot Castle. It was tall, long, and it had pillars along the sides of the carpet that led up to the throne. It differed from Canterlot's throne room in that it had a green carpet instead of a red one and that all of the walls were made of a dark black rock. Even the throne was made of the jagged stone and twisted shapes that ended in numerous narrow points. Behind the throne was a stained glass window that was dark green with spiderweb like metal crisscrossing the glass. It would normally cast an eerie green glow on the room, but it couldn't at this late hour. Instead, green flames danced in tall iron torch stands along the walls.

Sitting in the ugly throne was Chrysalis herself. She was currently shuffling through a pile of papers detailing the current status of her hive in numerous areas. Chrysalis looked healthy, but not happy. She was interrupted when the doors to her throne room burst open and a Changeling Behemoth exploded into the room! Her first reaction was a battle stance. Her second was to call for her guards. Before anypony could blink, dozens of Chrysalis's personal guard were out and ready to fight.

But all the ideas they had about attacking the intruder vanished when it spread its wings. On its back, previously covered by his thick insectoid wings, was one of Chrysalis's children, but he was badly injured. All of them froze upon seeing him. The Behemoth seemed to wait for them to react, or for the shock to wear off. Chrysalis's mind was storming as it tried to decipher what she was seeing. Soon enough, the injured one broke the silence.

"M-my queen, I have important news."

"What have you done to my child!" Chrysalis raged at the intruder.

"He did not attack me. He saved me," the injured changeling explained.

This confused Chrysalis further. "Explain yourself!" she commanded the Behemoth.

"Maybe you should get this one some medical attention first."

"I take it you aren't here to attack me then?"

"No."

Immediately, medics appeared and removed the changeling that was hurt. Chrysalis also ordered her guards to leave the room with the medics. But just before the injured one could be taken from the room, he tried to speak. "But I must tell you something."

The Behemoth calmed him, "I'll tell her for you. You have lost much of your blood and need to rest."

He nodded solemnly as he was levitated out of the room. Chrysalis eyed him suspiciously. "Tell me what?"

"He was attacked by two Pric--I mean Thorns," he had to stop himself from using such an inappropriate term in front of a queen.

One of Chrysalis's eyebrows rose, "who did this to my child?"

"Two of Firethorn's kids, your highness." The Behemoth promptly bowed and spoke with the utmost respect.

Her anger began to erupt, "he better get his children under control before I..." her voice seemed to die in her throat. Her ears lowered and her defensive posture sank away. She slowly approached the Behemoth. Once she was closer to him, it was made clear he was far taller than her. He stood at twice her height at the least!

"I apologize for there behaviour. I was unable to prevent the fight in the first place."

"You protected my child?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"We were in Canterlot, neutral territory." A sudden fact dawned on him only after he told her. She probably still held some negative emotions towards Canterlot. Even mentioning it would likely upset her.

"Typical," she scoffed and turned away from him and waddled over to her throne. "You behemoths honor the old treaties to the letter even after all these years."

"Thank you, my queen."

"I will have to speak to Firethorn it seems. Even he must honor the agreements of old. And if he has to kill his little bratty children to make sure they obey too, so be it."

"May I speak freely on the subject?" The Behemoth bowed and closed his eyes as if begging.

Chrysalis looked back at him, "granted."

"You broke the biggest treaty first, so Firethorn and his hive do not believe it wrong to brake some of their own."

Chrysalis snorted, "of course."

"But there is something else I feel I must tell you."

"What would that be." Chrysalis continued to stare at her throne.

"Canterlot came under attack today."

"Why would you tell me this," she growled. Memories of her failure flashed in her mind.

"The entire castle was set on fire," he told her monotone.

Chrysalis ripped her head around and stared at him. "The entire castle!?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Who could pull something like that off?" Chrysalis was suddenly interested in the subject.

"All we know is that only one being was responsible. I regret to admit, that I don't even know how the fight turned out." Chrysalis didn't say anything. "I must return to my hive and inform my king, your brother, Milkweed. He must know of these events as well."

Chrysalis looked at him for a moment as she went over his request. He wasn't just telling her that he was going to leave, but he was actually asking for her permission to leave! Apparently he too realized how dangerous a move he had made by telling her first. By letting Chrysalis, a potential enemy, know about this first, he was risking his life. Chrysalis could easily lock him up or kill him with news like this. But, he had also protected one of her precious young ones. Not only that, but he had escorted him home on his back. Chrysalis looked away from him as she thought about it.

He was counting on Chrysalis's love for her kind to show him mercy and let him leave. But it would be a major strategic advantage if Milkweed didn't find out about this for a few days. Chrysalis was divided on what to do. Letting him go would cost her an advantage in their skirmishes, but he had hit a soft spot in her heart. Chrysalis sighed. She approached the Behemoth and tapped both sides of his bowed head.

"You may go..."

"Thank you for your kindness," he breathed as he stood up and turned to leave. Chrysalis backed away to give him room to do so.

Just before he escaped the room however, Chrysalis wanted to say one last thing. "Behemoth!"

"Yes, my queen," he froze and looked back at her.

"Thank you." She quickly turned away from him as he smiled and left.

Chrysalis sighed again much louder. Having her own heart strings pulled was not easy. She had other things to think about first though. "Firethorn," she snarled. He may have been a distant cousin, but she still hated his guts. Unknown to the ponies and even some of the other hives, Chrysalis and Firethorn were always fighting. It was a family feud that would never be settled. Firethorn was a hothead and easily angered. He had a thing for violence and hasty decisions. Now that she was calm, Chrysalis saw a lot of those qualities in her own actions the day she tried to takeover Equestria.

She also suspected that the many hives would be having another conference soon. It was a pretty informal matter, considering that many hives would never run into each other. For example, Nightshade's hive was the only one operating in Zebraca and it just happened to be the biggest hive in terms of land area. While Chrysalis's was only one of the three hives in Equestria, the others belonging to Firethorn and Milkweed.

There were three reasons she suspected the hive kings and queens would be called for a meeting this year. First off, she wanted it so she could give Firethorn a piece of her mind in front of all the others. Second; the recent return of the Crystal Empire meant that the Crystal Changelings were back! Their queen, Paradise, hadn't been around for over a thousand years and would probably need some help adjusting to the new times and its laws. Not unlike Luna actually. And thirdly, there needed to be talk about the events taking place in Equestria.

But before any of that could happen, Chrysalis needed to know what was going on...and if she could capitalize on it...

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The zebra had found the perfect spot. There was a small clearing, only a couple yards across, surrounded by bushes that would conceal him while he performed his spell. He made one last check to be sure nopony was around. Once satisfied, he gave a single nod before he stood in the center of the clearing and tested his footing. Focusing, his body began to change. His stripes began to fade and his eyes followed. In seconds, his stripes were gone and his eyes were pure white. The zebra had become a pale-eyed earth pony, but he wasn't done yet. He suddenly sprouted a horn! He'd need it, and one more thing for his plan. A set of wings formed on his back. He was now an alicorn...

Now that he was done changing his form, he adjusted his footing again. He had to make sure his body wouldn't be discovered or fall over while he was busy. He proceeded to cast three spells at once. He made himself invisible, invincible, and he ejected his spirit from his body. Now a bodiless energy floating in the air, he could see the natural energies of all other living things. The grass, the trees, the bushes, they all glowed in an eerie green light. As he floated into the air as a ghost, he could see the many glows of ponies in Canterlot as it was evacuated. Although he would have loved to watch the chaos from close up, he had a date with an old friend he couldn't afford to miss.

At this time, the battle had just entered the Canterlot Castle gardens. He caught a slight glimpse of the bipedal wolf falling into the pond and the princesses approaching it afterwords. As he floated past them on his way to a certain statue, he saw the wolf emerge on a massive column of water and continue the epic fighting. The former zebra lost sight of the action as the statue of Discord appeared in front of him. He closed his eyes as he fazed through the cold stone and entered the chaotic realm of the most powerful psychopath to ever live.

There was a short tunnel of grey as he dived into its mind. The mental landscape was always a strange and often dangerous place. In a being as old as Discord, it could be even more so simply from clutter. As he finally arrived on the astral plane, he rolled his eyes. Discord obviously hadn't changed. Before him, Canterlot Castle stood in all its glory...upside down. Not only that, the grass was a checkerboard design with cotton candy clouds raining chocolate milk in random places. The former zebra shook his head, Discord did not have any new ideas from last he'd seen him. He quickly headed for the castle, figuring that's where the master of chaos and disharmony would be spending his evening. That was something else he noticed with a passing glance, the sun was setting like normal. Maybe he did have some new ideas.

Using his wings, he was able to reach the castle's gate, but inside was very different from expected. The interior seemed like a football stadium. Complete with lights, stands, grass, and lines. Another strange thing was the sounds of cheering. It was like the benches were filled with screaming fans; yet, the place was empty. It was kind of creepy to hear such a racket when there was nopony there. The fact that the castle itself was upside down but the interior wasn't was not lost on him.

He approached the edge of the field and began to look around. He could hear humming and a strange scraping sound whenever the roaring crowd, that still didn't exist, quieted down for a second. Knowing how Discord liked to operate, he began to question his current setting. The castle was upside down, but this football field was clearly right side up. Exhaling, he looked up. Sure enough, on the ceiling was an ice skating ring and there was Discord. Discord wasn't wearing any skates, but he was gliding over the ice easily enough. He was in the middle of some kind of act; he was doing various spins and maneuvers. He was also humming a merry tune with his eyes closed while he flung himself about the ring. The zebra shook his head and cleared his throat as he prepared to address him.

"Hey Discord!"

"Hm?" Discord stopped and looked up.

"What are you doing?!" the former zebra asked harshly.

"What am I doing? What are you doing?! You're the one walking over my nice clean ceiling!"

"This is a football stadium, not a ceiling."

"Anything can be your roof if you choose it to be," Discord commented wisely.

He face hoofed at Discord's ridiculousness. "I don't have time for this right now. Are you in the middle of something?"

"I'm in the middle of the One Thousand and Third Annual Ultimate Spirit of Chaos Competition!"

"Uh...Discord, you're the only Spirit of Chaos."

"I know, but the competition is fierce!"

"Discord you make no sense as always," he huffed.

"And you, my old friend, are far too serious, as always."

"Well I didn't come here to catch up on old times. I came here for a favor."

"Can I finish my show first? The audience can be an impatient thing you know."

He looked over at the empty stands and rolled his eyes. "No, I cannot wait. Get down here now."

Discord pouted and warped. After making a dramatic appearance next to his old friend, he threw an arm over his shoulder, "so what's up?"

"I need to borrow some of your chaos magic again."

Discord stared at him. "My...chaos...again. But, why? Last time you almost died. And that's not funny."

"I need to do something that no other power can do. Now are you going to give it to me or not?!" He was poking Discord's chest now.

"Calm down, you'll get some of my chaos Eyes--"

"The name is Blank!" he raged suddenly.

"You still hate your first name huh?" Discord patiently raised an eyebrow.

"Just give me the damn power."

"I'll only give it to you if I get something in return."

"I'm not letting you out again."

"You didn't even do anything! Those little fillies did," Discord accused him.

"I influenced them and aided in cracking open that shell of yours!" Blank insisted.

"Whatever," Discord huffed angrily. "For my deal, you have to cause some form of chaos in Equestria and then bring back an image of it."

"I actually plan to."

Discord analyzed him for a while before he closed his eyes, sighed, and then smiled. "You never change. Very well, prepare yourself......FOR CHAOS!!"

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Shadaico's quest for the surface couldn't have come soon enough. He broke the surface and took in the precious air with shameless greed. Looking around quickly, he found the princesses and Shining Armor tending to their wounds. They hadn't seen or heard him yet and he hoped it stayed that way. Despite his promise to Nash, Shadaico had a new plan. First he needed to get away. So he headed for the shore opposite the ponies, which also just happened to be in the direction of the walls that surrounded the castle.

Lady lucked smiled on Shadaico once again as he found that a stray blast of magic from the battle had left a hole in the wall! He jumped through it just as Shining Armor looked over. His eyes near popped out of his head. He was about to chase after Shadaico when Celestia grabbed him with a hoof. Confused, he looked into her eyes. Blood was still running down the side of her head, but she looked as in control as ever.

"Don't chase after it alone," she cautioned him wisely. "Take as many guards with you as you can. And don't touch the screws in its back."

Shining gave a quick solute before giving chase. As he galloped, he called out for guards and soon found himself with just over a dozen. Most of them were pegasi and the rest were unicorns. He gave strict instructions on what they were to do when they encountered the wolf. A few pegasi however, were sent off to get more guards and get the city under control. An informal evacuation had begun and their were no officials regulating it. It was everypony for himself.

Shadaico fled down the side of the mountain as fast as he could. He took no care to watch his step, and he found himself in uncontrollable slides frequently. The forest below was the goal. He knew he had a swarm of soldiers right on his tail and there was no way he could lose them without something to block their vision. The trees looked close together and large, it was his best option at the moment. All the while he ran, he had a plan forming in his head.

A brief memory from when the fight had first started was the one responsible for the brewing plan. The memory of the screws being taken out of his back with pure force. If he could find a way to grab the screws, or catch them on something, with enough willpower he could theoretically remove them again. The only problem was the willpower and control. When the seals had first been removed, the overwhelming energy flooding back into his mind had overloaded his brain and cost him control of his body. He'd need to find a way to prevent that. There was also the willpower. Removing the screws was an excruciating experience. He wasn't looking forward to doing it again.

Shadaico leapt over a rock and dove into the trees. He had made it! Now all he had to do was twist and turn so he could lose his pursuers. Shadaico allowed himself to grin as well as look back. He couldn't see them through the dark trees. Had he lost them already? Shadaico wasn't about to take a risk, he kept going. Unknown to him, another pony was coming his way at incredibly high speeds. Shadaico suddenly felt the power. It was strange and warped...and right behind him.

He stopped and turned on a dime, expecting to have to fight one of the guards. But what greeted him was not a soldier. It was a pony just a tad shorter than him with a black mane and tail. His coat was a pale white, its eyes were absolutely empty, and he had a horn and wings. Shadaico growled, another alicorn. But then it did something that should have been utterly impossible. It spoke, but not in Equestrian.

"My name is Blank, what is yours?" the mysterious alicorn asked him.

"What did you just say to me?" Shadaico questioned him in shock, how was it speaking english?!

The alicorn smiled, and secretly thanked Discord for the power to defy reality...

Author's Note:

Robes seeks to determine if Shadaico planned to die, the changelings watch Equestria carefully for an opening to strike, and Blank plays his wild card...

The next chapter may be short, but I haven't gotten to writing it yet so I'm not sure. Things are about to cool down for a while and get back to Nash as the main focus of the story. If you have any questions about the Angels, consult this before asking please.