//------------------------------// // Interlude Eight: Hybridization // Story: Born In Light, Forged In Darkness // by Jest //------------------------------// Velvet tapped her hoof impatiently against the stone floor, her gaze lingering on her many assistants running to and fro, each one completing some task she had given them. The room they were in was large enough to allow her fifteen minions to sprint around like headless chickens without them running into each other. Something that Velvet was immensely happy for as she did not feel like explaining how one of the ponies serving under her had gone blind or lost a limb due to their own stupidity. The obsidian walls of the room made the bright red light coming from the many magical fires along the perimeter reflect across the room, giving the scene an even eerier light. Something the blood stained floor, sacrificial altar, and the many robed cultists already gave the room. Not like any of that bothered Velvet one bit, as she had been the one to paint the floor with the blood she had acquired from an ancient red dragon, while she was still a member of the same cult her minions were a part of. Unlike the rest of the creatures in the room she had ditched the robes, as the heavy cloth was simply an easy way to enhance the cultists with cheap and effective armor while also making them look alike, and thus easier to sacrifice if necessary. Not like Velvet had ever been forced to do so, as the mare had made it her mission not to become like the other lieutenants she had met while in Blackguard’s little club. Where they sacrificed whatever was necessary to reach their desired ends, Velvet ensured those who served her lived as long as was feasible. Which was one reason she was able to trust her underlings for such an important task and not micromanage them quite as much. “Hey, watch it, Pale Moon. Those jars contain the blood of a wrath demon and will explode if dropped,” Velvet barked, pointing down to a skinny stallion carrying several jars of viscous red liquid. “Sorry, mistress,” the stallion apologized before stopping and placing a few of the jars off to the side and carrying the rest to the other side of the circle where an older mare was using her wings to add the finishing touches to a defensive ward. “Everything is going well so far,” a voice announced to the mare’s right. Velvet didn't have to turn to know that the deep, rumbling voice was coming from her second-in-command, a large copper-furred earth pony stallion. “Good work, Copper Coin. I want those defensive wards perfect. We don't know what potential tricks Tirek has in store for us,” Velvet replied without turning, her gaze fixated on the duo working on the aforementioned ward. “You worry too much, boss,” Copper Coin replied. “Last I heard Tirek was getting his shit pushed in by some rival demon.” Velvet snorted. “Only the dead underestimate their enemies, Copper, I thought you had learned that much since your last mission.” The stallion snorted and flicked his auburn mane from his eyes. “I mean yeah, but this is different. His base is under siege, he lost a good chunk of his outposts last I checked and a good chunk of his forces are tied up elsewhere. This mystery assailant of his timed everything perfectly.” “Still, I will not allow this ritual to be disrupted under any circumstances,” Velvet declared before turning to the stallion. “Now get back to the scrying orb. I only want to hear from you again when you are able to get a visual on the target, understood?” “Yeah yeah, I’m on it,” muttered the stallion, threw up his hooves in defeat and trotted back to the small area in the corner of the room wherein a crystal orb was already viewing the battle occuring on a different plane. Velvet snorted and shook her head, silently doubting if the stallion’s raw skill was worth his difficult attitude. In the end she brushed aside that thought for now and turned back to the duo working on the wards, idly noting that they had done a decent job, and had even managed to complete said job before the first rune was completely dry. Good, that will add some extra oomph to the spell, Velvet thought to herself, the unicorn glancing out over her servants. Each one seemed to be completing their assigned task with ease and success, meaning she had little to do but stand upon her raised platform and worry. Worry which mainly stemmed from a concern for her underlings’ safety, as summoning a keeper of secrets was a challenge fraught with risks. There was also a larger, yet more hidden worry for said keeper, whom Velvet desperately hoped remembered her after all this time. “Don't worry, baby, mommy’s coming,” she whispered to herself. As she continued to scrutinize her workers and worry about what the future held, Velvet couldn't help but think back to her more recent past, and the changes that she had undergone over the time since she had come to this place. Though her daughter’s changes were far more drastic by a considerable amount, the mare had not gone unchanged during her time spent in the service of the ever mysterious Blackguard. She had more aches, pains, joint problems and scars than before for one, as her features were crisscrossed with lines from an explosion that had gone off a bit too close to her face. In addition fur no longer grew within three inches of her left forehoof after she had been attacked by a fire demon who had broken containment. Other than that, age and stress would have taken their toll, had the mare not also been the benefactor of some of the cult’s many advances in the darker arts. Infusions of demonic power gave her the vigor of a mare half her age, while a deal with a succubus had given her the looks of one as well, something Velvet hadn't intended on, but was thankful for nonetheless. Magical training, increased aptitude and years of study and practice had also increased her magical reserves to the point that her horn had even grown another inch or two while also curving ever so slightly. All were changes she found acceptable, given how many of her colleagues had lost limbs, eyes, ears and other body parts due to the sheer danger of their research subjects. The mare was drawn from her musings when the door to her ritual chamber opened to reveal the familiar form of her organization's leader. “Blackguard, to what do I owe the pleasure?” Velvet asked, watching closely as the ever suave stallion strutted into the room, a second stallion following close behind him. “Oh, just coming to see how my most prominent lieutenant's ritual was coming along,” he began, the stallion whistling when he looked out over the massive, nearly twenty foot wide ritual circle in the center of the room. “Whoowee, that's a big one. Are you sure you got enough sigils crammed in there?” Velvet frowned at the stallion’s attempt at levity. “Yes, I’m sure of it. This will ensure the greatest likelihood of success in this dangerous endeavor.” She snorted and glanced back to the strangely blurred stallion who followed him. “And who is this?” “Oh him? He's a uh… Hmm.” The stallion turned and scratched his chin. “An observer from the higher ups who was intrigued by your resonance theory work and wished to see the end result of your nearly decade of study on the subject.” The black furred stallion nodded and continued to look out over the bustling room with a naked and keen interest. Velvet’s frown deepened as she recognized the distinct dark, nondescript appearance of the second stallion. No features were readily apparent, and even the memory of the stallion was hazy, leaving Velvet with no real concrete images of the stallion’s already blurred form. The illusion spell he was using was standard for Blackguard’s benefactors who came down to observe what their donated bits were being used on, something that did not happen frequently to Velvet, given the esoteric nature of her studies. “It's nice to see someone who appreciates the less flashy fields of study,” Velvet remarked slowly, her gaze never leaving the stallion. Blackguard shrugged and trotted up the short few stairs leading to the platform Velvet stood upon. “He's just a curious sort of pony who likes to think he knows everything, isn't that right, boss?” Blackguard yelled. The second stallion snorted derisively, but said nothing. Blackguard snickered and bumped his shoulder against Velvet’s. “So, you ready to start this thing or am I going to disappoint one of our biggest donors?” “We’ve already begun actually,” Velvet replied evenly, gesturing to the center of the room. “The sigils work on their own without the need of auxiliary spell casters, but now that all of the last minute backups are in place, we will begin in earnest.” “Ahh excellent, excellent, maybe we’ll get another shipment of bits if you give us a good show!” Blackguard declared loud enough for his companion to hear. The companion who merely snorted again and began to slowly trot around the exterior of the room. Blackguard shrugged. “So I heard about Celestia’s summoning, you got a plan to beat her to the prize?” Velvet’s eyes narrowed and the mare had to hold back the urge to curse at the mention of the alicorn. “I believe my work with resonance theory should be more than enough to get Twilight before they can. After all my work with the underlying metamagical nature of interplanar beings should be a complete unknown to that solar tart.” Blackguard nodded vigorously. “Well I’ve made sure news of your discoveries stayed in house so to speak, so I doubt that old nag knows anything of the sort.” Velvet nodded and reluctantly turned her attention from the mystery stallion and towards the pony at her side. A stallion that hadn't seemed to age a day since they met, and wore the same cocky yet optimistic smile he always seemed to have plastered on his face. “It shouldn't be long now, I should join my assistants,” Velvet announced. “Of course, of course. By all means,” Blackguard replied, bowing slightly and waving a hoof out over the crowd. The mare nodded slowly before turning and doing just that, leaving a suddenly frowning Blackguard alone on the podium. The stallion kept a close eye on the mysterious pony he had brought with him as well as Velvet, ready to jump into action to help one of them, though at the moment, he knew not which. “And so it all comes down to this,” muttered the stallion. Celestia tapped her hoof impatiently on the railing of the small raised section that allowed her to look out over the hustle and bustle of numerous ponies busy laboring over her summoning circle. The alicorn’s circle was nothing like Velvet’s, as for one, it was not reliant on blood rituals and was generally nicer to look at and more configured towards containment rather than anything else. The room they were in was also significantly larger, more open, and even had windows, though they were fake, and meant only to make the room seem less oppressive. The ponies in the room were also far better equipped than their more demonic counterparts. Unlike the few guards present in Velvet’s summoning chamber, Celestia’s circle was guarded by a small contingent of the most heavily armed and armored ponies to have trod the streets of Canterlot in over two hundred years. Their armor was a brilliant blue and gold, with interlocking plates so thick and so perfectly interlocked that there existed no kinks to exploit, or flesh to see. Their weapons varied, ranging from hammers, axes, swords and others, with the only consistent variable being that they were large and heavy. The assistants and summoners also tended to be older, and a little less self-taught, though they lacked the raw experience that Velvet’s team had. They were also significantly less expendable and generally weren’t ready to throw down their very lives if such was demanded of them. Though these differences were significant, neither party truly knew the other’s strength, only that they were both competing for the same goal. “Shimmering Sphere!” Celestia barked, turning to a teal-maned and silver-furred mare staring off into space. “What is our enemy’s progress?” The robed and distracted mare shook her head, dismissing the glazed expression that dominated her features until said point. “They have already begun, but have not committed all their pieces,” she remarked in a tone barely above a whisper. “They await our move, their bishop held back and awaiting a clumsy strike.” Celestia frowned and continued to tap away at the railing. “That is unfortunate. I assume you have not been able to determine any specifics by chance?” The mare shook her head, her eyes staring off into the distance, unblinking. “They shield themselves well from prying eyes, and though fate sees all, she tells little.” The alicorn sighed. “We will have to go in regardless and pray that my assistance is capable of giving us the edge we need.” Shimmering Sphere didn't nod or say anything, the mare’s gaze so distant that a passing observer would swear she was completely blind. Left with nothing to do but worry, the alicorn watched as her summoners triple-checked the glowing wards. Their own summoning had begun moments earlier, but with both parties waiting for the other to move, they were left in an awkward stalemate. One that Celestia wasn't sure if she should break, or wait for an opening, though her heart demanded action. “Soon, dear Twilight, soon,” she muttered to herself, her gaze lingering over the polished marble that covered nearly every surface of the room. The sound of a door opening brought her attention down to her left where a large armored stallion, who was missing his helmet, was trying to hold back an older stallion, both of whom were instantly recognized by the alicorn. “Dad, please, this is a very delicate operation, even one thing out of place and we may miss the best chance we’ve had in years,” the younger, taller stallion explained in an exasperated tone. “I am not a foal, Shining Armor,” the second declared sternly, placing a firm hoof on his son’s pauldrum. “Would you deny me the chance to see my daughter brought back from Tartarus itself?” “No, you know I’d never,” Shining Armor muttered sadly, running an armored hoof down his face. “If you are here though, you will be under my command, got it?” “You got it, Captain Armor,” the elder stallion remarked with a smirk and a salute. “That will never not be weird,” Shining Armor shook his head. “Just follow me, Celestia will know the best place for you to stand.” The alicorn had to hold back a chuckle as she pretended not to notice their presence until the sharp clip clop of their hooves grew close. Only then did she turn and look at the approaching stallions, giving each one a nod in turn. “Ahh, Captain Armor. I assume our perimeter is secure,” Celestia stated. The armored stallion nodded confidently. “The paladins have reinforced the guard at every major defencive point. Our best seers are also searching the city for any arcane fluctuation.” “I doubt the effort will be anything less than a waste. Though in this instance, I hope to be made a liar,” Celestia remarked before shrugging. “And who is this old stallion?” Said old stallion snickered and lightly punched the alicorn in the shoulder. “I only saw you last week, or did you finally get alzheimers? Should we call Raven to escort you back to the home?” Celestia snickered and pulled the stallion in for a brief hug. “It is good to see that you’ve gotten more sleep since last I saw you.” Night Light pulled back and sighed. “It's strange, last week I was so nervous about today that I couldn't even lay in bed, but now that it's so close it feels more… real for some reason.” Celestia nodded, eyeing the stallion carefully, her calculating gaze noting that although the older stallion had lost a little weight and had small bags under his eyes, his health wasn't overly diminished. His appearance also hadn't changed much over the years, sure he had gotten a little taller, and a little slimmer, in addition to the normal signs of aging like wrinkles, but other than that he was the same stallion he was on that fateful day. “You need to eat more, you are going to waste away before we can even bring Twilight back,” Celestia quipped, poking the stallion in the torso. “You’ll have to stay in the castle for another weekend and let chef Crispy Flake work her magic or she won't even recognize you.” The stallion groaned, clutching his belly. “Augh, don't remind me, last time I visited Shiny I think I put on like ten pounds.” Shining Armor rolled his eyes and stepped up to the alicorn, his hardened gaze locking onto the taller pony’s. “Ma’am, I think we should get ready to move soon. Where would you like my father to stand?” he asked, his tone losing all joviality the second he spoke to the alicorn in a more professional manner. “He will accompany me on the podium until my assistance is necessary for the summoning, after which point Mister Light will remain here,” Celestia declared before turning to the aforementioned stallion. “If that is acceptable with Mister Light?” “For the love of… Please just call me Night, or Night Light. Mister Night makes me feel old, besides, I divorced Velvet years ago, so please just call me Night Light,” the stallion remarked tiredly. “Has Princess Celestia told you about our adversary?” Shining Armor asked Celestia as much as he did Night Light. “Err no,” Night Light muttered. “I know I’m not exactly in the need to know the group, but I’d like to have at least an inkling about this Tirek I’ve heard so little about.” Celestia sighed. “Captain Armor, please double check with my summoners while I regale your father with an embarrassing and sad story.” Shining Armor nodded, slammed a hoof into his chest and trotted away, the enormous bulk of his armor hardly making a sound despite its sheer size. Both alicorn and unicorn alike watched the armored stallion go, wondering where the time went. Though his father was happy for the colt who had grown up without a mother, Night Light had long since figured out that Celestia had more or less filled that vacant roll, giving Shining Armor the guidance and the direction that the young stallion had so craved. Now at the tender age of twenty-two Shining Armor was the head of his own order of knights that served directly under the princess, and was about to achieve a goal he had been trying to complete the majority of his adult life. Unlike Night Light, Celestia’s attention was held by the stallion’s physicality, her eye drawn to the bulky yet near silent armor he wore, and the enormous claymore that was strapped to his back. The armor itself was gold and lined with blue to help make the paladins stick out from the guard, something made easier by the fact that they all wielded such large weapons, and wore the symbol of a burning orange sun on their right shoulders. Such iconography was avoided by the royal guard, who preferred to think of themselves as servants of the people, rather than of the crown itself. The alicorn shook her head, tearing her gaze from the significantly taller, more muscular and all around more well built stallion who was every bit the commander he carried himself as. “Now then,” Celestia began, “I need not remind you, but everything I say here today is not to be repeated anywhere else, understood?” “Absolutely, Your Highness,” Night Light replied instantly. “Good.” Celestia sighed and leaned heavily on the railing. “I must start this sad tale with a bit of a disclaimer I’m afraid, as it's not a pleasant one, nor was it one of my finer hours.” “You can't be right all the time,” Night Light concluded with a shrug. “You are just a pony after all.” Celestia smiled faintly as she looked out over her assistants, noting that Shining Armor was now speaking animatedly with her head summoner. “We were at war, and Equestria was in need of strong allies, ones whose loyalty was beyond reproach,” murmured the alicorn, her confidence building slowly as she spoke. “We found one in the twinned kingdoms of the centaurs and the gargoyles.” “I read about them back in highschool, they have quite the fascinating culture,” Night Light added. “Indeed they do, it's a shame what has become of them.” The alicorn breathed deeply and stood a little straighter. “Back then they were new to the international scene, and had been one of Equestria’s trading partners for but a few short decades before I began my search for dependable allies. In them I found both a steadfast spirit and a remarkable generosity, two things that were appealing to a nation at war. Their people joined our army eagerly, desperate to prove to the world that they were not a mere protectorate state of the ponies and that they could stand on their own.” Celestia smiled faintly, the alicorn staring off into the distance, completely unblinking. “And they did just that, with one such centaur becoming a close friend and confidant through that bloody struggle. After the war was over I had hoped things would return to normal, but that was not meant to be and not long after things were over and they went home, I received word that my close ally had been butchered in his own home by his own flesh and blood no less.” “How horrible,” Night Light muttered aghast. “Hold your judgements till the story’s conclusion, my friend,” Celestia counseled. “You may very well regret those words.” Night Light frowned, the stallion hopping up and leaning upon the same railing Celestia was draped over. “So what happened after that?” “I did what I thought was the honorable thing,” Celestia began, her voice growing quieter by the second. “I flew down there, fought the usurper and locked him away in Tartarus for a thousand years, thinking that such a sentence would spell his doom. He did not however perish in Tartarus but rather due to the artifact he used to kill his father, became a demon and adapted to the punishment I had attempted to inflict upon him.” “So you punished a demon,” Night Light stated, lifting an eyebrow. “Let me guess, this ally was not the stalwart companion you remembered?” “Indeed he wasn't,” Celestia whispered. “The man had grown cruel, paranoid, and unhinged and though I am uncertain if I did the right thing I know that regret blinds many, and I cannot afford for it to cloud my judgement at such an important time.” Night Light stared long and hard out over the ponies, his gaze inevitably drawn to his son, who was directing the flow of traffic about the room with the careful ease of someone who had been born to lead. After over a minute of silence the stallion nodded confidently. “One way or the other, what's done is done, and we can only look forward.” Night Light pushed off the railing and looked up at the alicorn. “Tell me one thing, Princess.” “Of course, I owe you that much,” Celestia replied. “Has he…” The stallion gulped. “Has he done anything to my Twilight?” The alicorn opened her mouth to speak only to stop herself as she realized how loaded the question was. Memories of watching as Tirek and Twilight debate philosophy into the wee hours of the night, and speak animatedly on their theories of magic warred with all the times the centaur had commanded her to do terrible things which she had been all too eager to do. After a long while Celestia nodded. “As you know, she's a demon, which is a condition not easily remedied,” Celestia began, the alicorn unable to look the stallion in the eye. “We may be able to craft a complex shroud capable of hiding her appearance and give her the therapy necessary to assist Twilight in dealing with her trauma, but aside from that…” The alicorn shrugged weakly. The stallion nodded. “Is there no hope of her living a normal life again?” Celestia shook her head slowly. “I’m afraid it's likely that her memory until the point of her capture has been wiped. Though this can be fixed, the process of giving these memories back is not without its own hurdles.” Night Light sighed and placed a hoof on the alicorn’s shoulder, making the larger pony look down at him nervously. “It will be enough that she is back. We can figure out the rest after she is safe from those monsters.” Celestia smiled and placed her own hoof over his, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Thank you, Night Light. For all your patience and understanding. I can't imagine how this has been for you over the last ten years.” The stallion pulled his hoof back and shrugged. “You were never at fault, Celestia, sometimes you can do just about everything right and still fail. That's just life.” “I wish you were right, Night Light, truly I do,” Celestia murmured before bowing and turning away. “If you will excuse me, it seems as though my assistant has need of me.” Now alone, and with little else to do, Night Light frowned as he watched the ritual begin in earnest. “And so it all comes down to this,” muttered the stallion. A thump followed by a groan signalled that Kanathara had survived her journey through the planes of existence, the demon groaning as she lay sprawled out on the ground. “Why does my everything hurt?” she murmured weakly. From between the pores of her skin billowed a deep black smoke which coalesced into the familiar shape of Rainbow Dash. Who immediately landed and lay sprawled out next to her mistress. “Wow, that sucked,” muttered the vengant. “You are telling me,” Kanathara replied weakly. “Is it supposed to feel like we got pulled apart like taffy only to get smooshed back together in the end?” Rainbow Dash asked, her hooves clutching her stomach. “I think it's due to the fact that we were being summoned by two different groups and then chose to go to neither of them,” Kanathara explained. “Great, now what?” Rainbow Dash asked, turning to the keeper of secrets. Who sighed and looked around, noting that they were deep in what looked like a verdant forest of some kind. Everywhere she looked was more and more greenery, the demon quickly deducing where they were. “We are in the Everfree and by the looks of it is nearly evening.” “So, what's the plan then?” Rainbow Dash pressed, the vengant giving her head a shake and rising into a stumbling stand. “We’ll have to see, but if were on the north end of the forest we might have to head to this Ponyville place to rest and recuperate before heading back through the Everfree and towards the safe house,” Kanathara reasoned,rising alongside her friend. “Alright then, you ready to move?” Rainbow Dash asked eagerly, the vengant already flaring her wings. “Ready.”