//------------------------------// // Cloudly Nights // Story: Equestrian Landings // by qwefg //------------------------------// Maxwell I stood inside Stardust’s house as we tried to argue our points. I had received a letter informing me about a possible problem near the Tree of Harmony and something about the other five. The only problem was that we didn’t agree on what the letter meant. Stardust poured me a cup of tea as I felt a little bit impatient and said “Why not?” “First of all it’s the Everfree Forest.” Stardust replied as if that answer somehow summed everything up “Secondly… do you realize how vague the whole letter sounds?” I took a deep breath as I tried to explain “He was trying to keep it secret.” She rolled her eyes “No names or anything really pertaining to you. It is just a really vague statement with a possible clue leading you out into the middle of the Everfree Forest to do what exactly?” I shook my head as I guessed out loud “To check on the vines?” She nodded her head “And didn’t that letter also say not to do something stupid... like checking on up on a set of magical vines without any means to fix it?” I sighed in frustration as she did have a point. The only way they fixed it in MLP was by putting the Elements of Harmony back into the Tree… and not all of them had been found. Even the few that had been recovered were currently resting with Celestia so unless we had a really convincing argument I doubt she’d just simply hand them over to us. I rubbed my aching head “Well what do you think the letters meant?” Stardust pulled out a second letter “Either it is a cryptic message left by Lockheart that would only be revealed when the stars aligned… or it could be a fake.” She handed the letter over to me as this one wasn’t so much a last will… but more of a get well card. “While it may not seem like much advice all I can say is that you should just take a look in the mirror. If you are happy with your life than be happy. If you are unhappy then think about your options or why you are upset. Besides someone once told me that “Reality is but an illusion we use to entertain ourselves.” It may not sound like much, but it depends more of the person’s perspective than what others may judge or think.” I stared at her in confusion “What is this letter saying exactly?” Stardust smiled as she sipped her cup of tea “I was having… issues. I didn’t know what to do so when I tried talking to Lockheart about it he sent… this.” I stared at the letter in confusion as I couldn’t understand what was being told. Was there some sort of cipher I was supposed to use or some missing detail that I didn’t know about? She nodded her head “It sounds kind of weird as I think he was trying to sound really wise and intelligent like Princess Celestia. Still he told me his advice and at the time… It really helped me out.” I fidgeted in my seat as I really wanted to ask her what the question was about to make sense of the letter… but I wasn’t sure if that would be appropriate. I handed back her letter “So you think his letters are more like Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy?” She tilted her head to the side “What?” I chuckled as I tried to explain “Oh it’s a book. One group got fed up with the question of life. ‘Why are we here or what’s the meaning of life?’ That sort of stuff… so they built a giant supercomputer to solve it. The computer turned out an answer stating forty two.” Stardust chuckled as she shook her head “They didn’t like that answer.” “They really didn’t.” I replied as I shook my head “So the computer told them the answer didn’t make much sense without knowing what the original question was… and without the Ultimate question then the answer wouldn’t make much sense.” She relaxed in her chair as she sighed “So the letter as one of two possibilities. Either the letter is a fake meaning someone is trying to manipulate us… or it’s the answer to question that has yet to be asked and without the question being said… the answer is useless.” “That is kind of bleak isn’t it?” I replied as I stared at my own version of a very odd letter “I mean… Celestia sent Valkyrie and the others off on a mission while nothing seems to have happened to us.” Stardust shook her head “Valkyrie is a member of the Royal Guard along with Steel Halberd and Midnight Vixen. Remedy Cross works for Celestia so it makes sense that she would send them off somewhere. After all technically both of us are civilians who are not a part of Equestria’s military.” She poured herself another cup of tea “You run a bar helping people adjust to their new lives while I sit in my house trying to mix new chemicals together just to see what makes a bigger boom. So I wouldn’t sell us short.” I took another sip of her tea as… this felt nice. I should visit her more often… but I just wish that I could simply do something… more. Was that bad of me? I mean here I am in a land full of magic and I just feel a little bit… useless. She noticed my expression “So how are some of the people you’ve been trying to help?” I closed my eyes and sighed “Well they’re what you’d expect. Sometimes it feels like I’m trying to herd a group of cats as everyone has their own ideas on what they want to do. I mean the fact that some of the groups in Cloudsdale sent someone to check about wooden planes.” I shook my head as I figured they would have tried starting with wooden planes before attempt to craft metal ones… but they somehow thought the clouds would fix the weight issue or something. Sometimes I couldn’t help but wonder if turning somebody into a pony messed with their ability to use common sense. Stardust nodded “Do you think that the reason why you’re looking at the letter’s hidden meaning is because you’re feeling a little bit bothered from everything that is happening with your clients?” I thought about it for a moment as she might have a point. Between some of the random requests why I can find a Java programming expert and not find a civil war re-enactor just to help build guns was a little bit grating. Trying to build a golem was a lot more interesting than sending out requests for someone to try to make old inaccurate riffles when people could shoot fireballs and throw boulders like baseballs. I shook my head “Why do you seem so calm? I mean you seemed kind of nervous when Valkyrie was cursed. Why aren’t you worried about Lockheart’s disappearance?” “Yes… but the difference was that I didn’t know what to do when a friend of mine was in trouble.” She carefully replied “Lockheart’s disappearance is a little bit worrying…. But Celestia hasn’t said anything bad so he should be alright. As for the complaints… The public is a fickle beast as I’m sure they’ll all shut up when he returns.” I felt myself smile as… things really didn’t seem that bad anymore. She smiled as she had helped me out by simply lending me an ear and giving me a small bit of advice. Maybe this was all I really needed… someone to talk to. “So… are you doing anything tonight?” I asked out of curiosity. ****** I walked around the bar as Pocket Ace chuckled “So you finally asked somepony out?” “Just a get together…” I softly muttered “Things in Canterlot feel a little bit off and… I just want someone to talk to.” Pocket Ace nodded as he wagged his eyebrows “Yes you want to talk to the mare. That’s why you’re setting up a private room and making sure the meal is cooked to perfection.” The griffin chef called Pierre laughed out loud “I will do my best to make this my culinary masterpiece!” Some of the chefs chuckled as I sighed. I’ll admit that I wouldn’t mind if things went that way, but for some reason I just felt a constant nagging feeling on the back of my neck. It felt like I was forgetting something important or that there was some obvious detail that I had yet to realize. “I have the rest of the day off.” I muttered to myself and looked at Pocket Ace “Do you think it would be a bad idea if we tried just letting the customers know about some of the good things Lockheart has done?” The stallion chuckled “We can give it a shot, but some of us have been joking about the complaints.” One of the chiefs shouted “We’re placing bets on seeing if they’re going to blame Lockheart for alien abductions or making the trains run on time!” One of the other chiefs cheerfully asked out loud “Why is that last on a bad idea?” The others shouted “Because the trains are never supposed to run on time! Everybody knows that!” I shook my head as I had no idea where these idiots got their jokes. Personally I blame humanity as we were suckers for bad puns, jokes, and the unique brand of insanity that makes us want to create a food that sets our mouths on fire… and then try to figure out how to make it even hotter. I turned around and prepared to look for Stardust only to see the problem I had forgotten about. Ivan stared at me with great distaste as I had yet to hear his daily offer before give him his daily rejection. Then he would revealed an actual purpose for the meeting or he left my humble tavern. I stared at the dirty white stallion “What is it this time?” He glanced at Pocket Ace with disgust “I was going to suggest you get with the times, but apparently you have let a bad influence affect your judgment.” Pocket Ace smiled as he replied in a cheerful tone “If I knew doing a bit of PR would tick you off I would have done it weeks ago.” The two of them glared at each other as I didn’t have time for this. Ivan could come back tomorrow with whatever job offer or complaint he had about this place. Right now I had more important things to deal with as Stardust should be arriving any minute now. I started to walk away only for Ivan to place a hoof in front of me “We still need to talk Maxwell.” I gritted my teeth “And I give you my answer every time you come. I don’t know why you seem to act as if Lockheart had dumped a bowl of hot soup all over your lap and while he’s not my favorite person he has done some good.” “The point is he isn’t an Alicorn.” Ivan stressed “He is a liar and a deceiver…” “In what way?” Pocket Ace shouted “I don’t mean to be the voice of reason but what is he lying about? He hasn’t accepted the title of Prince as he isn’t claiming to be an alicorn. None of the things he’s done would have really made a difference if you said he was a unicorn or a hippogriff!” Ivan glared at Pocket Ace “How about you grab whatever garbage you can find while I give you some bits to leave me alone so that I can conduct my business in peace?” Pocket Ace shook his head “How about you just state your offer or should I go out into the crowd and see if I can’t hire a bouncer to toss you off your high throne and into a garbage can?” The room felt colder as the two stallions stared at each other as it felt like a fight was about to break out. I stepped in between them as I didn’t like Ivan, but he paid good money. While I did agree with most of Pocket Ace’s comments he didn’t have to be so blunt… especially with that last comment. Ivan glared at me as he replied “Look just come with me and we can talk about my offer and price is not an issue.” Pocket Ace flared his nostrils “And you can tell that offer to me as he already had prior arrangements today Ivan. As it turns out you are not the center of the universe.” I took a deep breath and replied “I have someone else I need to talk to so you can either wait until after I’m done or you can and Pocket Ace can try to be civil with each other and talk about the job offer.” I stepped out of the room as I had enough of him. Ivan always stressed me out and right now I didn’t want him to be repeating the same song and dance number again. The idiot had other ideas as he grabbed me said “This is the last time I offer you. Come with me or be left in the dust. You didn’t try gathering up candidates for the Elements of Harmony or going back to fight the one who betrayed you because you wanted a pathetic life of tending to a tavern. You did it because you wanted to be a hero and I doubt that stamp on your flank means your task is to wash dishes and listen to ponies complain.” I took a deep breath as I stared at him “If you think I charged straight in there because of some wish for glory or some thrill than you are dead wrong.” I closed my eyes and took a deep breath “If I was a hero I wouldn’t have fled from the Everfree Castle when Duran went forth with his insane plan.” Ivan hissed “Gaichu had…” I shook my head “I knew that person before they went crazy as both of our goals was to just go home. I left because I was terrified and the only reason why I returned was because two people risked their lives to stop something I was too frightened to stand up against!” I slammed my hoof down “Maybe I helped cut of the bug queen’s horn but I only entered the fight after Lockheart and Valkyrie fought her first. I know I’m a coward… and I do want to help people, but if being a hero means turning my back on the friends I’ve made than I’d rather be a stupid spineless coward who is left in the dust than be a hero!” I took a deep breath and stared him straight into the eyes “So tell me right here and now what do you want from me?” Ivan glared at me with disgust as he replied “I wanted someone who wasn’t a fool.” I smirked as I couldn’t help but reply “Funny how those were the same words she had said to me before turning the Everfree Castle into an insane asylum. I just hope that you don’t blind yourselves like Gaichu did and think the ends justify the means.” Ivan walked out of the room as I hung my head. I was not going to miss him, but I will miss his money. Pocket Ace looked over thrilled as he couldn’t help but smile. I looked at him as I could see the beads of sweat rolling down his face along with the nearby workers trying to hide what looked like a party banner and a cake. I rolled my eyes “Yes you can celebrate, but just remember that he might get over his ego and come back tomorrow.” Pocket Ace and his Equestrian friends laughed as I tried to straighten myself up before taking a deep breath. I wasn’t sure if Stardust thought if we were going to talk or if this was a date… but you know what? I’m going to give it a shot. I walked into the main room as I spotted Stardust with her sister along with a white unicorn with a long pink mane. I shook my head as apparently they were in the middle of a girl’s night out. I prepared to greet them only to see a look of concern on their faces. I took a deep breath as I hoped Ivan didn’t make a scene or say anything that could have caused any problems. I mean it would have been petty… but I wouldn’t have put it past him. Stardust looked at me as she said “There’s someone who wants to talk to you and I think you should listen.” I sighed “Who is it?” The floor shook a little as a voice replied “This is pony who can help Yaks?” I turned to the voice and stared in utter shock at the rather large yak wearing a cloak. My brain temporarily froze as it tried to make sense of what I was seeing. I mean yaks aren’t supposed to come until after the Crystal Empire returned. Was this just another player who somehow ended up as a yak? I mean… why would a Yak be looking for me instead Princess Celestia or someone else? The Yak cleared his voice “Sorry Equestrian bad. Not good at many words.” I slowly nodded my head “Okay… who are you?” The Yak took a deep breath “Rotifer captain of the scout division. I go to Equestria for problem.” Stardust looked worried as she replied “You really need to hear what he has to say.” ****** My dinner date was put on hold for now as the Yak stood rested on one of the couches. Pocket Ace put the meals on hold as he had stumbled straight into a wall when he saw that a Yak was inside our building. A mug of ale had been given to him along with a sandwich as it looked like he hadn’t eaten for days. The Yak had a brown coat and one of those Norse Viking looking beards where he had two long thick brands underneath his chin. While he was as freakishly big as their cartoon counterparts as this Yak seemed twice as big as me… and yet his body looked malnourished leaving more of a raggedy old doll look than a fearsome Viking warrior. Rotifer made a small bow towards me “Thanks for meal.” “No problem.” I honestly replied “Just take your time and tell me why you are here.” Rotifer took a deep breath and said “Black things… Black…” he muttered something that I couldn’t understand as he seemed to grow frustrated “Scroll… Need scroll to show.” I quickly pulled out a sheet of paper and left a quill and a bottle of ink for him to use. The Yak bit his lip as I went to grab a piece of charcoal “Things attack Yakyakistan. Attack walls on when light. Yaks go missing at night. They repeat for days.” I came back with the charcoal and placed it by the paper “Snow forced them back. Ran to strike them.” He sighed as he took the charcoal and made a crude dragging of what looked like a changeling queen with a large tree standing behind her. I stared at the drawing in fear as Rotifer continued “One leading attacks out in snow. More creatures attack each day. We sent group for allies… I’m only one left.” An awkward silence filled the air as I didn’t know what to say. I mean the Yaks were asking me for help and the ones that were attacking them were changelings! I didn’t think about what would happen to the Yaks considering the two nations wouldn’t talk until after the Crystal Empire returned. I’m not even sure if I should be surprised that someone was attacking their nation considering they were kind of jerks in MLP. Rotifer hung his head “Others attacked by things in forest. I was caught until fire happened.” Stardust took a deep breath “Can you show him the card?” Rotifer nodded “Strange pony who broke my cage gave me card. Told me find pony to talk to.” I felt a small chill up my spine “Who was the strange pony?” Rotifer shrugged “Pony was strange pony. Set creature den on fire. Saw me awake and pulled me over. I told him things attack homeland and needed help. He gave me card and told me to talk to pony.” I flinched as I had to ask “Black coat? Green mane?” Rotifer nodded “I talk to you because pony helped free me. I owe pony so I ask pony for help.” I tried to make sense of what he was trying to say “Why didn’t you ask Celestia.” Rotifer frowned as he bitterly replied “Sun Pony not allowed back in Yakyakistan. Old King still say keep her out. If Moon Pony go mad than Sun Pony go mad. You pony and pony has coin soldiers. Yak King has coin for coin soldiers.” “Where were you originally planning to ask for help from then?” I couldn’t help but ask. Rotifer pulled out a map “Giffin Metal Claw has warriors. If they fight then they fight things that attack. If they want coin than Yak King has coin. Rotifer thanks pony for meal, but can pony help?” “Give me a moment.” I quickly replied. I tried to make sense of everything that was happening. Gaichu or another group of players with changelings was attacking Yakyakistan. The Yaks needed help, but they didn’t trust Celestia or they still had a grudge for something that happened when the two nations stopped talking. Right now Rotifer was looking for help as he didn’t want to ask Celestia’s help. He also didn’t care if the soldiers were sellsword mercenaries. I looked at the Yak and sighed “I can try to help, but I’ll need at least a day to contact some people. I can offer you a room and something to eat until then.” Rotifer shook his head “Pony gift is nice. Yak can support self.” I shook my head “Your look like your skin and bones and your Equestrian is a bit… rough. Just use the time to help regain your strength while you try to inform everyone what is happening up north and any other information they need to help your people out.” Stardust nodded “Are the city’s walls still intact? Is it a siege where the entire city is surrounded or are they just camping outside and trying to starve your city? Do they launch attacks at night or do they simply try infiltrate and abduct one or two Yaks every night? Is it just a single race or are their other races hidden in the group?” Rotifer stared at Stardust in confusion before looking back at me “Rotifer take gift to prepare talk… can Rotifer also borrow more scroll?” I sighed in relief “Paper, ink, quill, charcoal, chalk board. The more information we have the easier it’ll be to convince them to join. They want to make sure you know what you’re asking instead of sending them out into the frozen north with no idea where to go.” Rotifer smiled “Nice to see coin soldiers here know more than swing and hack.” I couldn’t help but smile as I replied “My coin soldiers have pride in being good soldiers. They just prefer to have more options available to them.” I got up and escorted the yak out the door as I spotted Pocket Ace “Pocket Ace… our new client has a big job for us. Give him one of the spare rooms with a chalk board with lots of paper and ink.” The earth pony just nodded as he was still staring at the Yak in shock “Anything else?” “Get ready to contact anyone who is used to feral exterminations along with anyone who can fight.” I quickly added “I’ll do my best to explain the rest of it tomorrow… and give him supper on the house.” Pocket Ace nodded “Alright… I’ll show you to your room. Is there anything you would like?” Rotifer didn’t say anything for a moment “Stew… hot stew.” Pocket Ace nodded “A bowl of hot stew.” I watched both of them walk up stairs as I felt Stardust’s unspoken question and to be quite honest… I didn’t know what to do. She was sitting down as she seemed to be lost in thought as I walked over to her “So what do you think that I should?” Stardust bit her lip “I think you should tell Celestia… but… Today was supposed to be simple.” I couldn’t help but chuckle “Yah… any idea how we break this to Celestia?” She stared at me in confusion “Why are you chuckling?” I shrugged as life was really strange right now “Well Ivan pestered me for the last time as he left sort of a vague and ominous threat. I made a comment about Gaichu and now a Yak comes to inform me that the very person I was talking about earlier may be attacking his nation.” I shook my head as I continued “So I don’t know if I should laugh or cry right now. I mean Celestia is going to notice me sending requests out to so many people talking about a bug infestation. Then I’m going to have to deal with explaining to Celestia why I’m gathering all these people and why a Yak went to me instead of her.” I hung my head “So yes… I really don’t know if I should laugh or cry at this moment.” Stardust smiled “But you’re still going to try to help.” I nodded “I’m still going to send word out and try to help. I’m just not looking forward to it.” Stardust looked at the table where I had a dinner plan only to have it canceled by the recent disaster. She wrapped a hoof around my neck and asked “Want me to try to get an audience between you and Celestia right now?” “You can do that?” I asked in genuine shock. She looked a little bit nervous as she replied “Do you remember the unicorn that came with me?” The door opened up as Stardust’s sister and her friend came into the room. Once they shut the door in a flash of light Celestia was now standing inside the room as I felt my jaw drop. Why was Celestia in this place? Did she notice the Yak and wanted to know what was going on? The solar princess stood in front of me and spoke in a soft tone “Thank you for seeing me at this hour Maxwell.” I nearly coughed as I think I was missing something “Is it about the Yaks because…” There was a look of concern or possibly embarrassment on her face as she replied “I was the one who rescued him and suggested that he visited this place.” My ears had heard what she had said, but my brain was trying to process just what exactly she had just said to me. Celestia frowned as her horn glowed for just a moment revealing an illusion of Lockheart… I shook my head as… I had no idea what to say. I mean… why was Celestia impersonating Lockheart? I mean shouldn’t it be the other way around or was this a changeling impersonating Celestia… Celestia closed her eyes and in a bright flash… suddenly we were all in her office. Celestia had just teleported everybody in the room to her office just so that she could pick up two objects and open up the door revealing a couple of soldiers. Celestia smiled as she spoke “If anypony asks tell them I’m in the middle of a meeting.” The guard nodded as Celestia closed the doors before teleporting us all back to the room we were just in as I stared at her in shock. Now I think I understood the reason for them looking as if they were sitting on pins and needles when I saw them waiting for me. Celestia glanced back at me “If it would be alright I’d like to have some… privacy talking about my request.” Stardust and her sister walked out of the room as I was suddenly left alone in the room with Princess freaking Celestia. I’m not sure if this afternoon can get any weirder after this? I had Yak client brought to me from Princess Celestia because she knew the Yak wouldn’t accept her help. I stared at Celestia and replied “You impersonated Lockheart so that the Yak would talk to you allowing you to send him to me so that I could send people to help him out!” Celestia nodded her head as she replied “And I have a few ponies that I’d also like to add to your expedition force to help out.” I felt my heartbeat quicken as I shook my head “But… why did you disguise yourself as Lockheart?” I saw the proud ruler of Equestria sigh as she hung her head… I mean I knew she was a pony and that stresses can affect her just like everyone else, but… I wasn’t actually expecting to see it myself. “Because…” Celestia started to say before she paused “Because it was not only the easiest way to help convince your client to visit you… but because it also was my attempt to make up for a past mistake.” I opened my mouth as I wanted to ask… but kept it shut as it was probably way above my pay grade. Celestia wore a soft smile on her face as she replied “The short version is that I was young and I didn’t realize just how long a yak could hold a grudge. Still I doubt they would actually accept my help even if their kingdom was on fire.” I rubbed the back of my head “If you don’t mind me asking… what exactly happened with Lockheart?” Celestia looked upset for just a moment as she shook her head “We… we had an argument and I was the one that was wrong.” a bitter smile hung over her face “Even after all these years I can still make mistakes.” The solar princess got up from her seat “If you need more ponies or funds to help Rotifer just tell Stardust to let me know about it. “ In a flash of light the white coat and pink mane unicorn reappeared as she walked right out the door. Stardust came back in with Pocket Ace who was staring at me in shock. He shook his head as he replied “Well I think that’s everypony… yak… or possible clients we might have. Want me to bring you both anything to eat?” Stardust slowly nodded her head “Something light... “ “And alcohol.” I replied as I just had a Yak hire me to help find mercenaries to help his kingdom only to have Celestia then arrive to hire me for the same job. “Wine, ale, hard cider… anything with alcohol.” Stardust replied “I take it you realized the full detail of the job.” I nodded my head “Yep… Ivan is definitely not the center of the universe.” She looked at me strangely as I couldn’t help but chuckle “Just a client who thought their meeting was more important.” She chuckled as she nodded her head “So what now?” Pocket Ace came back into the room with the meal that had been put on hold “I say… ‘Eat, Drink, and be merry for tomorrow is a busy day’ and you don’t have to worry about a bar tab for today.” Stardust shook her head as she couldn’t help but smile “Thanks.” I shrugged as Pocket Ace wagged his eyebrows causing me to roll my eyes. I’m going to have to fill him in on the full details of this job tomorrow. I looked across the table as Stardust and decided to take his advice. ****** Tirek Tirek was currently huddle in the corner of the crude cell that he was resting in. He stared at the steel bars in hatred as he held his broken arm. He hated Celestia for stopping him… how that wretched mare had tore away his magic before tossing him into the pits of Tartarus to rot. Oh the days he spent trying to nurture the flame of vengeance in his heart as he planned on what he would do to Celestia and her kingdom once he returned. He thought after being freed from Tartarus he had faced the worst the world had to offer him… but he was poorly mistaken. Instead these… non-equestrians took him out of that pit only to toss him into a new one. They kept his mouth gagged at all times as they didn’t treat him like a person. They didn’t even see him as the evil dark and dreaded centaur that had nearly become unstoppable. They treated him like an object… something to be used only once and then tossed aside when he was no longer needed. His last attempt to escape the wretched earth pony guard broke his right arm snapping the bone as the non-equestrian griffin laughed before tossing him back into the cage. When he had tried stealing their magic they had gagged him and nearly broke his legs. Of course the only reason why they didn’t was because they wanted Tirek to walk so that they wouldn’t have to carry his ‘worthless body’ out for their plan. He gritted his teeth as the flame towards Celestia had slowly died out only to be replaced with a burning flame towards his captors. His brother scorpan the weak coward that he was had respected Tirek, but he couldn’t stand watching him continue his quest for power. The wretched Princess of Equestria knew of his strength as they feared him. His own kingdom hated him… but they all knew he was somebody important. It was not his own broken body and the gruel they rarely fed him that made Tirek wish vengeance upon his captors… it was the fact they ignored him. They did not respect him. They did not fear him. They laughed at him. The only thing that kept him going was the thirst for revenge… when he regained his power he would make them pay. A small chuckle came from the other right end of the cell “Oh how was your escape attempt this time oh great and might Tirek?” He hissed in rage as he replied “At least they know who I am witch.” The third voice sighed “At least try and wait for their plan. Otherwise they may simply try hacking your limbs off and healing the stumps with their magic.” The witch laughed “They think you’ll be of any use? I doubt you’d even be of any use against the wendigoes.” Tirek growled as he snapped back “Reminded me where you are the history books Royal Scepter?” The mare stuck at the walls as he couldn’t help but chuckle. Royal Scepter… the pony who would have lead the Unicorn Tribes after Princess Platinum died until the pony’s reformation era came into existence. The lithe snow white mare with and ice blue mane had been a figure depicted of beauty only to now look like a shriveled up old gray witch. The mare hissed back “At least I’m not powerless like you.” “Then why haven’t you broken out yet?” Tirek snapped back. “Because unlike you I employ something called strategy you brainless oaf!” She replied raising her voice. Tirek rolled his eyes “Oh yes what was your brilliant strategy when you got kicked out of Equestria?” Royal Scepter kicked the wall hissing out loud “That’s only because that traitor Clover used some sort of mind manipulating magic on the Princess! I only went only with that unity farce as long as we were in control! When they decided to put those freaks on the throne they had gone too far!” “Oh yes one thousand years of peace certainly showed them.” Tirek quipped back. “Especially after the wendigo scare.” Royal Scepter growled “If the forced the earth pony fools and the pegasi into submission the wendigoes would have left because there would be no pony to hate. I still can’t figure out why we didn’t just tear the flying rats from their skies and burn the fields of those mud ponies.” “And that is why your own people tossed you into Tartarus.” The third voice added. The mare snapped back “Oh some deceiver you are Wolf. They don’t even realize you’re the wrong spider!” Wolf chuckled “Better to be mistaken for someone else than to let them know who you are really are." Tirek rolled his eyes “I can’t believe you haven’t tried luring one into your cell already.” Wolf sighed as they heard him lean up against the bars “And do what? Even if I get lucky there’s only so many ponies I can wrap in my webs before they overwhelm me with numbers.” “How did you even get tossed into Tartarus?” Royal Scepter spoke out loud. Wolf groaned as he replied “Turns out I had taken a liking to one of Celestia’s friends. The young mare was drawn to my pound where I tempted her near my layer before… in hindsight I should have moved to a different area sooner as Celestia was quite… displeased after finding the remains of her friend.” Tirek grumbled as he watched what little of the world he could see from outside his jail. The guards wouldn’t return after giving them their daily gruel. He choked down the foul mixture they called “food’ as he was forced to listen to the spider continue “I did manage to capture Celestia and pin her to the ground. Oh how lovely she would have tasted… sadly I did not have enough webs to deal with the other forty ponies and their torches.” Royal Scepter sighed “Just another reason why having that weakling on the was a bad idea a pure blooded unicorn would have had both of your heads on a pike.” Tirek glared at the adjacent cell “That weakling has more magic in her than you. Alicorns also have the magic of three tribes instead of one.” “Making her only one third of her useful.” She replied “Place a bottle of fine wine and mixing two thirds of it with dirt and water does not make it better than a bottle of pure wine. We should have stripped those two freaks of their magic and used it for ourselves, but Star Swirl had to listen to the crazy rants of his traitorous apprentice.” Wolf spoke up “Guards are coming.” They all went silent as they had learned to trust the spider’s warning. After a few more seconds the sounds of hooves came from the hallway as two Zebras came into the room escorting some sort of bug creature. There was a feral look in the creature’s eyes as it hissed while being dragged towards Tirek’s cell. The first zebra glanced at Tirek “Try anything funny and we break the other arm.” The centaur nodded as he watched the guards unlock the cell door… before tossing the feral creature inside. The zebras stepped out of sight and spoke out loud “Now you can take the feral’s magic.” The feral creature bared it’s fangs as it prepared to pounce him only for Tirek to work his magic. He felt a small sliver of strength return to his bones as he drained the creature of it’s magic. The guards spoke up “Try anything funny and we break one of your legs.” Tirek gritted his teeth as he watched the Zebras unlock his cell only to drag out the fallen creature. Most ponies would have fallen weak or looked helpless… but the bug looked like it had died as the light in it’s eyes went out. The guards didn’t seem to care as they locked Tirek back up in his cage before exiting the room. Once they were finally a safe distance away wolf spoke up “We’re going to need a plan we can all agree on before they send in the next bug.” Royal Scepter coughed “Abomination would be the correct term.” Tirek rubbed his broken arm as he thought about what Wolf had said. Until now they had always tried to prevent him from draining any magic yet now they freely handed him something close to a pony as they wanted him to drain it dry. “Their getting ready for their plan.” Tirek said out loud to himself They could hear wolf moving around in his jail cell “And we all know what that means. They’ll take us out of these wretched cells before sending us outside. If we all go our own way they’ll decorate our heads on the end of their pikes.” Royal Scepter sighed “Just who is this Discord creature?” Wolf chuckled as he bitterly replied “A creature that can bend reality to his will. Surely you heard of him down in Tartarus.” The mare huffed “Yet he was never placed in the pit.” “That’s because they banished him. Sealed him away or turned him into a statue.” Wolf replied out loud “He was a creature that made the sun and moon dance to his fingers and I highly doubt Tirek would be able to beat him.” Tirek gritted his teeth “All I would have to do is drain his magic.” Wolf sighed out loud as he replied “And tell me how you will hit a creature that can turn you into a rabbit or alter the very fabric of reality with but a snap of his fingers. Even if he lets you get a free shot do you think he’ll just stand still and let you hit him?” Tirek kept his mouth shut as he didn’t like the spider’s response. If he had the magic of Equestria at his fingertips than he was sure he could stand a chance against Discord… but he wouldn’t exactly want to run into Discord in his current state. Wolf began using his honey coated words as he tried to convince them to his plan “On the surface they will do either one of two things. They will attack Celestia’s forces as they try to free Discord in their vain attempt to slay him… or he’ll be free and we’ll be sent up there to try to fight him.” Royal Sceptor sighed “If the rumors about him are true then how would we even fight him.” Wolf hesitated before he replied “We follow the ones who captured us. There will be no safe place to run to and he will turn this land into his own personal playground. The only way to avoid him is not being in Equestria. He will play with this nation he finally grows bored and moves onto another land. All we have to do is be anywhere but here.” Tirek rubbed his neck “But I get the feeling that the use of our lives will be at an end once Discord is dead.” Wolf went silent for a moment before replying “Which is why we need to work together long enough to escape. Most likely they’ll try to bring us to where Discord will be released before they release him.” They could hear Wolf moving about in his cell “They’ll keep feeding Tirek new bugs until they feel is he fat enough for their hunt. Once they bring us out to the surface we’ll need to work together and that involves helping each other.” Tirek rolled his eyes as he knew how that always ended. Wolf hissed “Yes we all know that after we escape one of us will turn on the others. Tirek would drain us dry of our magic. Scepter would hack our heads off as she tries in vain to take over the nation that rejected her and I wouldn’t mind feasting on the marrow in everyone’s bones.” Tirek nodded as that sounded about right. Unlike most ‘alliances’ this group fully knew that the others were not to be trusted as they would all stab each other in the back without batting an eye. Wolf sighed for a moment before trying his honey coated words again “Miss Scepter… you have done a very good job hiding your magic from our captors. I’m sure they haven’t realized that your back to full strength and could easily cure those wrinkles.” Tirek looked at the wall where Scepter was with interest now. There was a large source of magic which he could use to break himself out of here? If he knew about that sooner he would have spent more time trying to dig a way into that jail cell that throwing insults at her. “I can quite adept with my webs… but I cannot take on an army by myself.” He freely admitted “While the two of us may have our differences… both of us want the Princess Celestia’s head. You want to take control over the nation and for me I simply want to feast upon her succulent body.” Royal Scepter chuckled “That gives me reason to work with you, but not for Tirek to work with us.” Wolf chuckled “But for us to escape we’ll need to help stop the guards around us. Tirek you wish for their magic… if we take them down then it should be easy for you to drain them dry and before you think about saying no to our offer… need I remind you that Celestia had defeated you once before and I highly doubt the magic from a group of random maniacs would be enough for you to beat her.” Tirek grunted as he replied “Who says I’ll march straight to her throne?” “Because once these idiots declare their little rebellion…” wolf slowly replied as he waited for the words to sink in “Celestia and her forces will try to stop them. I think the big red centaur will be number one on the list of targets to go after.” Tirek frowned as he realized his role in their plan “I’m bait.” “Bait… assistance. Take your pick.” the spider cheerfully replied “I have taken her down before… but never got to finish the job. I’m sure with the three of us we can take down an alicorn. After that… you should have enough power to make your valiant last stand as we try to escape and go forth with our own plans.” Tirek growled “You’ll ditch me after I’ve accomplished my task?” “No you’ll try and betray us because you should have enough magic to think you’ll no longer need us.” Royal Scepter replied “Personally I’ll enjoy watching you rant before one of the unicorns kills you.” “What I am saying…” Wolf spoke out loud “Is that they’ll send Tirek another order of bugs to feed upon and we are now on a clock. If we cannot agree in trying to work together to get out of these cells then let us see if we can work out a plan for when they drag us up to the surface.” He growled as he said “Another shipment has arrived.” Everyone was quiet as they could hear more hoof steps. The pair of Zebra guards came in except this time two griffins walked with them as they escorted two more bugs towards Tirek’s jail cell. One of the Zebra spoke up “Try and break out and we’ll break the other arm.” Tirek clenched his fists as he waited for them to unlock his door. He kept himself from trying to break out and draining their magic before snapping their necks as he focused on the two feral bugs that were dropped off in his cell. The bugs stared at him before they prepared to attack him. Tirek managed to start draining one of the bugs only for the other one to leap at him baring it’s fangs. It landed on Tirek knocking him tot he ground as the bug went in for the kill. Tirek watched the bug twitch before falling to the ground as one of the griffins replied “One bug at a time then.” Tirek focused on finishing draining the bug in front of him as he kept an eye on the other bug that currently had a cross bolt in its neck. he took everything that he could from the bug as its lifeless husk collapsed onto the ground. He clenched his teeth as he bitterly replied “If I try anything you’ll break one of my legs.” One of the Zebras chuckled “Glad you understand.” It didn’t take long for them to drag the bodies out of the jail cell as Tirek unclenched his fists. They were planning on moving forward with their plans. He glanced at the other two cells as he tried to figure out what he was going to do next. ****** Rover Rover put away his pick axe as he grumbled over the poor pickings he had received for the day. The black and white diamond dog had moved to New Terra in hopes of living the easy life. At first he thought he would follow in his cousin Tracer’s steps only to realize he was way out of his league. How many other cities had a dragon living in it and not one of the punks that could be defeated by a simple dog pile. Oh no this was an adult dragon big enough to swallow him in one gulp. So he tried legal work. He rubbed the small golden bits with distaste as he was stuck buying his gems. There were no gem mines nearby this town as most of the construction work was simply work. They’d hire the dogs to help lay down foundations, build basements, and reinforce structures. Sure there were a couple of dogs who enjoyed this change of pace… but Rover was in it for the jewels. He glanced at one of the wanted posters on the wall and kicked the wall before biting his lips. Matilda… the cow highway bandit was finally captured. A cow had been robbing everyone going in and out of New Terra with her gang of multiracial thieves. Rover tore down the poster informing everyone of her capture “I don’t know if I should be laughing or crying right now.” New Terra was the second chance for some dogs. It was the random collection of races that all had managed to gather near a big artificially created lake as the fledgling town had grown into a fledgling city with a dragon for a mayor. Right now there seemed to be more work in building rooms as the other races were curious at their little oasis out in the middle of the badlands. Rover kicked the dirt as he hated his life. The Badlands was suppose to be where he would strike it rich… only to not find any places with gems and water was a bit hard to come by. The only reason why he was even stuck living in this place was because he needed food and water in order to survive. Oh sure he made enough bits to have a room to himself and be able to look around the New Terra… but he didn’t make enough bits to cover his entire room in gems. No he barely had any gems as merchants were the only ones who brought gems to the this wretched place. He glanced at a diamond dog and griffin couple as he had no idea how that even happened as he saw the griffin chick kissing the diamond dog. Rover shook his head as they must have been adventures or something. It was just another thing he hated about this town as it was full of those freaks. The adventures were crazy, but they were strong… then again if he had that strength he wouldn’t be sulking in the streets as he felt envious towards a cow. How was he jealous of a cow… and not some sort of adventure cow with crazy powers, but a normal brown cow that came from Equestria out of all places! He marched towards the apartment complex and marched over to his mailbox. He tried to ignore the changeling who was flipping through his mail. How those creepy black bugs ever became accepted into society he had no idea. The changeling muttered to himself “I’ll need to restock on whoopee cushions… maybe get a bit more confetti. Also remember that with pranks turnabout is fair play.” Rover shivered as he hated those bugs. No he hated New Terra… he hated everything about it! He didn’t strike it rich or make his dreams come true. Oh no he was just another little runt in a pack full of alphas only this time life just kept mocking him. He glared at the package his cousin and sent him as it was life’s way of reminding him just how pathetic he truly was. Rover gritted his teeth as Tracer hit the big leagues. Apparently he was helping lead the pack back home as Brass had been recruiting more diamond dogs. He was doing so well he even sent Rover a box full of gems. Yes his cousin Tracer was doing so well he could freely give away gems as he was offering his cousin a chance to join up with Brass’s pack. Here he was trying to strike it rich only to see every other dog including cows striking it rich as some adventure dog named Richard had gotten a promotion over him. Rover hated toiling around in the dirt. He hated trying to reinforce sections as they looked into the construction techniques of different races. Oh how he despised working with the wet gooey rock that would harden when it dried. Rover kept gritting his teeth as he walked down stairs to his apartment room. He hated opening up the door revealing the soft bed as the few gems in his room barely lit it up. He hated that he’d have to buy a house or one of those smaller apartment homes just so that he’d be allowed to dig holes into the wall to cover the room with the faint light of his gems. Most of all he hated how he placed the box full of various gems right beside his own collection of gems and how much bigger his small bag of gems stood against the small package full of gems. There was a knock on his door as Rover opened up it up and bitterly replied “What do you want?” He glared at the donkey as she replied “Your rent Rover.” Rover tried not to growl as he paid the donkey. He hated that a donkey was forcing him to give her money. She should have been tied to a mining cart dragging his gems instead of forcing him to pay her for the apartment room he living in. "Maybe you got passed over for promotion because you're a lousy person." The Donkey replied as she stomped her hoof waiting for the rent money. Once he had finished paying her the bits she left as she cheerfully asked the changeling that lived next do to him. The changeling was more than happy enough as the love sucking tick… Rover felt a soft growl come from his throat as the bug had more money than he had. He walked out of his room as he needed to find a good bar to get himself drunk. ****** It was dark outside as the stars lit up the skies. Rover glanced in the direction of the castle in the distance as he knew he couldn’t see it. He hated that he wasn’t sitting on that throne. He hated how the mayor surely had more gems than Rover had in his old gem mine he called home back in Equestria. Oh how he wished he had the same luck… power… whatever that damn cow had to let her become a somebody instead of a no… no he was just down on his luck. Rover wasn’t a nobody… He refused to be a nobody! A soft chuckle came from a dark alleyway causing Rover’s ears to rise up as he heard a voice say “Just trust me. You know statistics, but I know people. I know the course of action they will take instead of what you think they’ll take.” Rover glanced into the alleyway as he couldn’t help but wonder what they were talking about. “He’ll take the offer for his lust of gems.” The voice replied “And as you pointed out this will be a big job. We can’t have someone backing out at the last minute.” Rover strained his ears as he tried to hear the second voice. He wanted to know what this job was. Was it a con or were they planning to make a heist? Where they going to get a cart full of gems? Rover’s eyes focused on the bright light as he saw a cart full of gems resting near one of the figures. His fingers ached to touched them as wanted to just jump straight into that shining horde and swim around in it. He cursed the cloak figured for covering up the gems as forcing Rover’s eyes to adjust to the dark… and the fact he could no longer see the gems again. The cloaked figure chuckled “As you can see it would be hard to not tempt him with this. You say he’ll go with Brass, but trust a fellow crook to place his faith in the greed of men.” Rover took a step closer only to curse as he notice the cloaked figure turn and stare at him. He couldn’t see any of the person’s details except for the odd almost luminescent yellow eyes. The figure raised a cloaked appendage to the right and shook his head. Rover glanced up to the right as something large disappeared from his sight leaving talon marks on the roofs of the buildings. “You’ll have to excuse my friend.” The cloaked figure replied “She prefers not to be seen especially after having seen you stumble upon our meeting.” Rover took a step back “Sorry I was just trying to take a short cut to a nearby bar.” Something large landed behind him as he could feel talons around his neck. He glanced down and noticed large bird talons wrapped around his neck. His ears tried to strain themselves as he thought he heard the person behind him say something. The cloaked figured rolled his eyes “Yes but we do need another person for this job so let’s ask him?” Rover tried turning his head only to feel something grab his arm “Sorry but my friend is a little bit shy about her looks so let’s try not and offend her shall we?” Rover slowly nodded his head as he felt the death grip around his neck loosen. He could feel the body heat of something larger than him standing behind him as it was hard not to look with the unknown creature staring at him. The cloaked figured chuckled “As you might have guessed we’re about to pull off a big job… a heist you could say, but sadly we are one member short.” Rover glanced at the cart “And just what are you planning?” The cloaked figure held up a talon revealing himself to be a griffin… or maybe a hippogriff. The point was he had front bird talons and a cart full of gems. The yellow eyes focused on Rover as the cloaked figure replied “We were planning on sending someone to distract the dragon… run a little bit of interference just to buy us a couple of minutes. Thus the cart full of gems.” Rover stared at the gems as that would certainly attract a dragon’s attention. It certainly had his attention when he walked into the alleyway. The figured walked over to the cart revealing it’s hidden treasure “But we didn’t know if such a treasure would work. After all our goal is to try to prevent a dragon from transporting… a train cart so to speak.” Rover stared at the gems as he slowly nodded “What’s in the cart?” He felt his ears strain as he watched the cloaked figure nod his head apparently listening to the person behind him. Rover couldn’t help but shiver as he tried not to turn his head. He tried not to look behind him as he focused on the gems. The cloaked figure sighed “But the real problem is getting the cart away from the city. I mean we can easily take the cargo if it falls from the skies… but it might be a bit too hard dealing with it once it enters the city.” Rover glanced at the cart “Thus the cart full of gems.” “Exactly.” He replied… but it didn’t sound like he was agreeing for the same reason Rover was. “We just need the gems to help out a little.” Rover glanced at the gems “I’m not sure that’s enough to distract a dragon.” “Oh no we have more…” The figure replied “Everybody has their own little quirks and desires… but the gems are just used to help pay for the distraction. I mean I can get the dragon's attention… but I’m going to need someone else to deal with the dragon.” Rover licked his lips “I just have to distract the dragon… I distract the dragon and I get to keep all those gems?” Rover felt his ears start to strain as he watched the cloak figure listen to the other one’s response. Rover could hear the talons shifting around in the dirt as apparently she didn’t agree with his decision. The figure rolled his eyes “I don’t need the gems and quite frankly you only care about grabbing that stupid magical artifact… Yes I know it’s important.” Rover tried to focus on the cloaked figure “What are you looking for in the train cart?” The cloaked figure shrugged “A few goods… maybe a good haul of loot and to help prevent her statistic probability as she’s really feeling the stress of her boss about some screw up their group made. I’d tell you more about it… but that would be only if you want to stick around after this job.” Rover glanced at the cart full of gems as the figure revealed the gems “So do you want the offer or do I need to show you the rest of the carts?” The cloaked figure let Rover touch the gems as he felt their touch… he rubbed his paws over them as he stared at a diamond the size of his head and they had even more gems. All he had to do was distract a dragon and they would be his. “You’ll get his attention and it’ll be my job to distract him when he notices me.” Rover replied as he wanted to ensure he kept the gems. The cloaked figure chuckled “Oh trust me when I say he’ll have an easy time spotting you… so what do you say?” Rover grinned “I’ll need to see the rest of the gems.” ****** Rover stood outside the city as the cloaked figure escorted him to the site. He stared at the dozen or so carts full of gems as this was the haul he had been searching for. He could easily spend one of those carts to buy himself a house and then replace the walls of an entire room with a four walls and a roof made out of gems as he laid down on a bed made out of gems. The cloaked figured motioned towards the carts “So do you think this will be enough for the distraction cost? Any gems you have left over are yours to keep.” Rover stared at the carts in greed as he was going to take all of them. He didn’t care about the legal ramifications as he would sell out his own mother for all of these gems. He could go back home and buy his pack while still having enough to live like a king. Cloaked figure now stood beside him with a talon held out “So do we have a deal?” Rover grabbed the talon and smiled “I’ll distract the dragon.” He didn’t care about any of the other details. He didn’t care what would happen next. All he cared about was the gems as his greed consumed him. He didn’t even notice the cloaked figure’s other talon until he pressed up against what looked like a square made out of light. His eyes widened in panic when he saw it tear through the square leaving a burning blue flame wrapped around his talons. Rover noticed the raven like face revealed underneath the hood along with the griffin’s twisted grin as the flaming blue talon grabbed Rover by the face. He nearly screamed as the figure replied “Now let’s put that greed of yours to good use.” Rover felt his body burn as the flames consumed him. His body twisted as his fur fell out… yet his skin felt thicker as the griffin started to shrink. The diamond dog felt two appendages grow out of his back as a fire started to burn in his stomach. He closed his eyes only to open them again revealing a sharper sight. Rover started to laugh as he felt strength coursing through his body. His claws tore into the very dirt as his wings kicked up a storm around him. He noticed gray scales covering his body as flames flicked out of his mouth. The cart full of gems had a new calling to him… they were his. They were his horde, his treasure. He felt stronger as he grabbed the carts as his tail grew longer. He wrapped his body around his treasure as he felt it rub against his scales. He glanced at the griffin only to realize how small he had become… no how big Rover had become. How much stronger he felt as he no longer thought about hiding from the Mayor’s wrath. No he felt strong enough to kick that scaly drake out of his hole and take his hoard for himself. Rover shook his head… it wasn’t the mayor’s horde. It was Rover’s horde that the mayor had denied him. In fact the entire town should be following him… giving him his tribute as they listened to his orders. He looked down at the griffin who grinned “I told you I’d get him to notice you.” Rover the dragon coiled his body around his horde “And what happens next?” The griffin shrugged “Well you deal with Peter. Do whatever you want. Kick his butt out of town and take his horde. Set yourself up as king. Heck you could even take what’s inside the cart for yourself if you want.” Rover flicked his tongue out tasting the night air “Won’t your friend be mad?” The griffin shook his head “All we want is one measly item and for this job to be done. I’m also the only one who can turn you back… or keep you in this form depending on which form you prefer.” Rover stared down as the griffin as he didn’t like the threat, but he enjoyed the power coursing through his veins. He stretched his body feeling the muscles that could crush buildings and talons that could tear through the earth far faster than his old claws. They thought some old cow was a big deal? Then let’s see how all those fools reacted to a dragon. The griffin stretched his talons out cracking his claws “I’ll let you know when Peter arrives. You just make sure that package doesn’t reach New Terra.”