//------------------------------// // Chapter 36 // Story: Trickster Priest // by Fresnor //------------------------------// “Have fun storming the castle!” Xellos waved to Babs as she rolled her eyes and began walking towards the Coiffure Cuts Castle. As she entered the building he let out a sigh. “Oh well, it was fun while it lasted. Pity though, she had such potential yet all she wants is to do is style hair. Still, maybe she'll put some of those spells to use in the future. I'll have to check in on her from time to time. Well, back to Ponyville I guess.” Taking to the air, the monster flew back towards the entertaining town that he stayed around most often. Once there, he found out that he was missing out on an event he had been curious about for a long time. “So they left not too long ago for some kind of Princess Summit?” The gray pegasus mare nodded to the biped as he looked thoughtfully towards the north. With a nod he pulls out a muffin and tosses it to the town mailmare in thanks and winces as she fumbles it. Chasing after the treat she flew headlong into the market to predictable results. “MY CABBAGES!” Xellos wanted to applaud the mare as he looked over the scene of carnage left in her wake. The market square which was once peaceful had been demolished in seconds with overturned carts and stalls. Pondering the burning cabbage cart, and just how it had managed to explode into flames like that, he eventually just shook his head and began his flight north. When he arrived at the edge of the Crystal Empire's barrier, he landed to look it over with a sigh. “Well here's to hoping that I've perfected that barrier. At least it doesn't feel near as bad as it did before old smokey took over.” Stepping through the barrier around the city, Xellos winced as the positive emotions washed over him before he smirked. While it was still very uncomfortable and he could feel the positive emotions weakening him, there was an undertone of negative emotions that still sustained him enough that he probably could have gone without the barrier as well. As it was he was probably at only five percent of his normal strength, which was still considerable compared to what a pony could normally reach. With that major hurtle out of the way he made his way towards the crystal palace in the center while keeping out of sight. That was easy for him even in his weakened state as the sun slowly dropped below the horizon causing the crystal ponies to retreat to their homes. Not wanting to be discovered just yet, he found a vantage point overlooking the guest rooms of the palace and settled down to wait. He relaxed in a shadowed corner of the ceiling as he watched ponies pass by below them. When he saw six familiar mares pass by below him and head into various rooms he knew that it was almost time as the lights began to dim. It was a couple hours when he spotted a cloaked figure moving below him as they took cover to hide from a patrol. When the cloaked figure's horn lit up, Xellos' eyebrow rose as he recognized the spell, and it was not one that a former student of the sun princess should have. The unicorn's magic covered the entire hall, and the hidden monster could even hear the sound of the patrol collapsing further down the hall as he fell asleep. When the figure moved into Twilight's room, Xellos floated down to peer inside. “Well, well. Isn't this interesting? And it's even perfectly cast as well, if it was used on normal ponies.” He winced as the mare stumbled over Spike's tail, but due to her spell nobody awoke from the noise. As she left the room, the disguised mare tossed a final glance back towards the room that Twilight was inhabiting. “Sweet dreams, princess. By the time you wake up it'll all be over.” Turning around to leave, she bumped her head into something she wasn't expecting. Her gaze took in the legs standing before her before her gaze traveled upwards until she came face-to-face with a smirking figure she recognized from her studies and was one she did not want to see. With a whinny of panic she unleashed a ball of orange flames, engulfing the figure, before she took off down the hall. Once she was out of sight she began panting wildly. “What was that!? It looked like a human but that couldn't be. The only thing in Equestria that could have been... But how can he be here!? I thought he was trapped in stone back in Canterlot.” She froze as she heard a 'tsk'ing sound behind her and she slowly turned her head. “First Discord, and now you. What is it with second rate villains thinking that I would be dumb enough to let myself be turned to stone? Any villain worth their salt would know when to fight and when to run.” When Sunset's mind rebooted she let out another shriek and proceeded to do both ideas at once. “DIG VOLT!” Arcs of electricity flew from the unicorn's horn and covered the area in which the biped was standing. As the current flowed around his body, Sunset Shimmer took off running yet again. After making random twists and turns through the halls, she found herself back in front of Twilight's room, panting from her exertion. She froze up when she heard a voice behind her yet again. “Huh, I was always curious about what you were getting into that Sunbutt didn't like. Not only that you also managed to actually take an elemental spell and combine it with magic from the sun.” Sunset Shimmer's mind froze at the nickname the monster used, but she soon recovered and slowly backed away from him despite the praise. “What do you want with me? How are you even here?” She flinched when Xellos vanished, only to reappear once again with an arm thrown over her back. The only reason why she wasn't running away screaming now was that she had noticed that his eyes were still closed. From what she had read about Xellos, he was always at his most dangerous when you could see his eyes, though it was written that he could still be very annoying. “Oh I just had to come and see Celestia's greatest failure.” The mare's face fell on hearing this and she was about to respond with a biting remark until he continued. “I mean, throwing away one of the most talented sorcery geniuses I've seen in centuries? That's just a perfect waste of such good potential. As if everyone can fit into her narrow view of what is proper.” Sunset's jaw dropped at the praise before she frowned at the monster. “All right, what are you up to? All the stories I've read about you say that the only time you are helpful is when you want something. So spill.” Xellos' eyebrow rose at her accusation before he smirked. “Oh I have nothing planned right now. Granted I was expecting things to be a bit more entertaining than it has been. I just had to see the mare that Sunbutt wrote so much about.” The mare looked confused at what he was saying as he pulled a book out of his bag. “'Dear Diary, today my dear little Sunny did the most amazing thing in class. If only she could control her temper more then maybe... If only I was not so afraid to tell her.' Hmm, it never does say just what she wanted to tell you.” Sunset Shimmer rolled her eyes before turning her back to him, mostly to hide her tears at what she had heard. “Well if you have no need of me then I really have to be going. Things to do, power to acquire.” The mare took a step away, but was stopped when Xellos cleared his throat. “Oh, before you go, just one question. Did you remember to put enough power into your sleep spell to fully affect nine alicorns?” Sunset Shimmer froze at hearing this and her head slowly turned to look back at him. “What did you just say? NINE alicorns? But I thought...” She was interrupted as the door next to her was thrown open, revealing the disheveled form of Twilight Sparkle. The alicorn's eyes focused on the unicorn and the crown peeking out of her saddlebags. “My crown! She's got my crown!” The mare took off down the hall with Twilight following close behind her as she shouted back over her shoulder. “Xellos! Stop her!” His only response was to wave after her with a smile. “Have fun in school, Twilight!” With those words the monster vanished from sight to keep track of the coming show. <><><><><><><><><><> Eight princess stood in shock as Spike vanished through the mirror in chase of the ninth. The youngest of the group turned towards the eldest with a questioning look before Applejack stepped forward. “Well since we don't know how long she is going ta be gone. Why don't ya tell us just who that was? Ah'm pretty sure there is more ta all this than what ya told us.” The other mares nodded, even Luna and Cadance, as all eyes focused on the eldest princess. She sigh and looked sad about something but before she could say anything a chuckle rang out through the room. “Oh this ought to be a good one. Please, tell us just what happened between you and your adoptive daughter.” Heads turned in shock when Xellos appeared, staying far from the Princess of Love even if the aura around her was somewhat bearable now, and hearing his words but they soon turned right back to the solar princess as he finished speaking. “DAUGHTER!?” Celestia tosses a glare at the floating biped before she sighed sadly and shook her head. “It is as he says. I did take her as my student, but that was after rescuing her from a burning mansion where her family was killed. The conflagration was caused when she earned her cutie mark and I knew that she needed help in controlling her powers. Over the years I grew more and more attached to her until I made it official, but before I could tell her we were separated. But how did you find out about it, Xellos? There are no official records of it and you were not in Equestria at that time.” Xellos smirked as he pulled out the book he had read from earlier to Sunset and tossed it in front of the princess. “Oh it may not have been specifically written anywhere, but you might as well have been screaming about it in there.” The princess' face reddens as she realizes that the book is one of her diaries and she quickly snatches it up in her magic, but not before her sister recognizes it and rolls her eyes at Xellos. “After all these years you still steal the diaries of others? When will grow up?” Xellos smirks as her looks over at the night princess and slowly pulls another book out of his bag, causing her eyes to widen. “No... You wouldn't...” His smirk only grew as he opened the book to a random page and began reading. “'None know the pain of my loneliness. Alone and unwanted. For the light of day holds little for. Fear me, for I am the Night.'” Waves of heat rolled off of Luna's face at the monster reading one of her old poems from when she was a teenager. Rearing back she lashed out at Xellos, causing him to dodge. “Xellos, you idiot!” The princess began chasing after the biped as he started flying around the room, dodging her flailing hooves. The other princesses watched on, dumbfounded at their actions as Luna chased Xellos around the room. Cadance, not having much interaction with the monster before, blinked as the two before looking closer at them as she noticed something. “Um, Auntie? Are those two... You know?” Celestia blinked at her adopted nieces question before shaking her head in response. “No, those two have always been like that ever since he showed up and accidentally... blew my sister up in an attack. I do not know his motivations but my sister has always disliked him ever since.” Cadance looked thoughtful as she thought back to what she knew of the monster, but couldn't come up with much beyond some recent stories. “That is odd then. I swear that there is something else between those two. I mean he acts just like a colt on the playground teasing a filly he likes. I guess my intuition does not work so well on his kind.” She still sounded unsure of her words, though she dropped the issue. Celestia wasn't as sure that her fellow princess was wrong as she watched the interaction of the two in a new light.