//------------------------------// // 32: Illusions // Story: An Overlord Apart // by OblivionShadow //------------------------------// “So what is the plan?” Twilight asked him as they stayed in the shadows of a nearby building. “The bar is down the road.” “We will be going in there under our illusions and our goal is to find out who the Governess got her monsters from. The secondary reason is who ordered the kidnap and ransom of you and your friends. Mercenaries are many things, but advanced thinking is generally beyond them. They see the money and that is as far as they think.” Twilight nodded as he explained and she looked thoughtful for several seconds. “So your thinking somepony organized it all?” “Precisely.” He replied. “Asking to abduct a Princess of another country is not something that comes to fruition easily. While it may have seemed like those nobles came to that choice on their own I can’t help but wonder if that’s the truth. If I’m being paranoid then that’s the end of it and we move on. For now, we are after the supplier for the creatures.” “Do you think they will give up the information easily?” “With enough coin, anything can happen.” He replied easily. “Do they care what currency you use?” She asked him. “If they do then we might be in trouble. I only have access to the gold of my own kingdom. We will find out.” “I have my own savings if it comes down to it that we can use.” “I don’t need your money.” He said to her, his tone gentle so as not to offend her. “I know. But I am offering it. I want this solved as much as you do. If it helps you then…I have no problem with you needing to use it.” She said as a slight blush went over her face. He was quiet as he leaned his shoulder against her for several seconds before he nodded. “Very well. Hopefully, we do not need to worry about it. If we play our cards right then they will tip their hoof and we will have them in chains by the end of it.” “What if they don’t?” “Then we force them,” Hunter replied, his tone icy as she gave a quiet nod in response. “Hopefully it doesn’t come to that,” Twilight admitted with a glance to him. “One can only hope.” He admitted. “Let me lead and you follow with what I say.” “Got it. This is your territory and I’m just helping.” She replied with a nod. The Overlord fell silent as he reached out to the dragon to make sure he was still close by. He had no intention of needing the dragon’s fire but it was reassuring to have him close by. His horn lit up as he called on his Unicorn magic to create the illusion over his body. He saw Twilight's horn light as she did the same. A bare second later and both of them were covered in their illusions and ready to continue onward. He glanced at the mare and her coat had been turned silver and her mane grey. She was now a simple Unicorn and she stood next to him, ready to lead him to the bar. She had taught him how to change his voice and he looked at her, ready. “Lead on.” He said to her and she nodded. Twilight led him forward and he stayed as close as he dared without stepping on her heels. The mare broke into a trot and he followed her lead as she looked over her shoulder to him and he nodded that he was still with her. They trotted down the dirty streets and she paused outside of the bar. He held back a snort at the sight of the weathered doors and broken windows. “Here it is.” She said to him as he drew up next to her. He nodded and led her into the building. His horn lit as he pushed the doors open and he looked around as his eyes adjusted to the dim lighting and he walked in, his stride confident. He led the nervous mare to a booth in the back and he sat down facing the front. From his place, he could easily see the door and he could not be snuck up on. Twilight slid into the booth beside him with a slight grimace at the state of the leather of the booth. He watched the entrance and after a few minutes, the doors were pushed open as a small group came in. Hunter’s eyes watched carefully under their illusion and he followed them from his place. The lead pony wore a set of leather armor and had a set of small scars along his face. His coat was a dull grey with a white mane and tail. The ponies with him were a different shade of grey and if Hunter looked at them right he could tell that they were twins. All three were earth ponies and they approached with a confident stride. The group of three came toward him and they produced the letter that he had sent them and he produced the one they had sent to him. They smiled and he watched as they sat down, their backs to the doors. He could tell easily that they were comfortable enough in this place to not worry about their backs. They sat in silence across from him as they waited or one of them to speak. Hunter sat in silence and he could feel Twilight push her leg up against his. He could sense that she was nervous and he raised his head to look down at them. “I’m your contact, Sunder. So how did you get our information?” The lead pony finally spoke up, breaking the tense silence. “From an associate of yours, Top Quote,” Hunter replied easily. “Been a while since we heard from him. Was beginning to think he dropped off the face of Equus.” “He was still within the borders of the Netherworld Empire when I spoke with him last.” He replied, his voice smooth as he lied to them. They nodded and a chuckle broke from one of the twins. Sunder looked at him and chuckled as well. “You’d think he’d give up in that area. He has the worst luck when it comes to those ponies and their Ruler.” Hunter said nothing and acted as if he did not know what they were talking about. Playing ignorant would go a long way to keeping his identity from them. He leaned back in the booth and waited for a second before he spoke. “So you don’t have anything to do with that land?” “If we are paid then we deal with it.” He admitted with a shrug. “So you have handled them before?” “A few times. We tend to stay in the shadows when it comes to that kingdom. Their Overlord is hard to handle so we remain in the shadow and tend to avoid him. But if the pay is good then we will handle him as needed.” He assured him. Hunter leaned slightly forward and made a motion for him to go on and the leader leaned his forelegs against the table and went on as asked. “In Equestria we are in the shadows but anything that goes on with the nobles tends to have our hooves in it. It’s pretty easy to manipulate the nobles when you dangle what they want in front of their eyes.” Hunter said nothing for several seconds before he breathed in and went on. “And when there are no nobles?” “Ahh you know the Empire then.” He said and leaned back. “Yeah since there are no nobles in that Empire it’s not easy to manipulate. But it can be done.” “I heard about something in the Empire recently. It failed to remove him and was routed. Was that one of yours?” Hunter asked carefully. “That was a splinter group. It was part of a larger plan by us but it was routed as you say. But that does not mean it was a total failure. We are still in the shadows and we are involved without the use of the nobles. I have to admit I was a bit shocked when he burned them alive.” He said with a chuckle. Hunter looked at the twins and then back to the lead pony. “So are you worth my time if you failed that spectacularly?” Sunder’s eyes widened at the stallion's words and he leaned back deeper against the chair. “You asked about our animal trafficking. Though I can’t say I blame you for asking about our record of success. That splinter group had two purposes and they may have failed one of them but they managed to gain a foothold in the Empire itself. In the time it will pay for itself.” He said with a malicious grin. “Don’t worry too much over it. We are worth the effort.” Hunter leaned back into the booth and gave a slight nod to them and he could hear Twilight breathe out a breath and he refocused on the ponies across the table. “I assure you, my friend. If we had been serious that particular Ruler would have fallen. I can assure you of that.” He replied, his tone arrogant and self-assured. The Overlord gave a slight nod once more and waited for them to settle. “I had heard a rumor in the Empire of an attempt on the Princess of Equestria that was within the Empire during that time. You’re doing?” He asked, his tone light as he waited for them to speak. “You’re pretty well informed for an outside pony.” He said as he leaned forward and stared at the Overlord under his illusion. “I have my sources. You have yours and I have mine.” He replied, his voice smooth. The leader glared and stood partially out of his chair, looming over the pair of ponies. “You might want to be careful about who you trust when it comes to your info. Now, who told you?” Hunter held his head high and remained quiet. The twins stood up from their seats to try to intimidate them. Hunter remained silent as Twilight stayed quiet beside him. Seconds ticked past as he remained quiet, his body ready to move should he need to. Their illusion was still and solid as they were being stared at. The lead pony suddenly broke out into a laugh and sat back down. The twins followed suit as he waved a hoof at them. “You’re tougher than I thought you would be. Most anypony would have given it up but not you.” He said with a loud laugh. “What gives you that confidence I wonder?” “You can attack me if you wish but I am a Unicorn with the skill of my own. You hold muscle but I can throw them as quickly as they can strike.” Hunter replied as he looked up at his horn. The twins chuckled and their leader nodded. “It’s not often we find a pony that is not afraid of us. I have to admit it’s kind of fun to find one.” “Glad you are pleased,” Hunter replied. “I have no reason to fear you. Do you have more to offer or should I take my business elsewhere?” “Oh don’t worry. We will take care of you and you’re safe with us. So long as you pay we will make sure you are safe and happy.” Sunder assured him with a malicious smile. “But don’t think that means you will be told anything you ask for. You’re a simple buyer, not one of us.” Hunter held up his hooves in a placating manner to assure them that he was no threat to them. “Very well. I will back off and see where that leads us.” “You’re smarter than you look,” Sunder said to him and Hunter put his hooves back on the table. “Down to business then?” They nodded as he spoke and Hunter put his hooves together and leaned them under his chin. “I am after a Chimera.” Sunder looked surprised and shook his head. “I gotta admit we don’t really deal with those brutes. They tend to end up killing more of our men than is worth it to keep them. Now before ya write us off.” He said as Hunter began to move and Twilight shifted her weight. “We do know of a broker who can hook ya up with one. I can put ya in contact with him, for a fee.” Hunter sat still and looked back at them. “And this fee is?” “Don’t worry about it too much. I’ll be in contact with the broker and once I have them I will reach out to you and let you know what you owe.” Sunder assured him. “Very well. What kind of currency do you prefer?” Hunter asked. “We are in Equestria so the Equestrian Bit is what we need from you.” He informed the stallion. Hunter leaned back and looked at the mare beside him and she nodded at his look. He looked back to Sunder and the twins and they looked at the mare as if seeing her for the first time. Hunter felt himself bristle at the looks she was getting but he remained quiet about it. “She is my assistant and she keeps tabs on the bits I have at my disposal.” He assured them. “She’s a cute little thing, isn’t she?” Sunder said to the twins who nodded as they looked hungrily at the mare. “You know. I know a buyer who would pay top dollar for her.” Hunter held back his anger and simply shook his head. “That won’t work for me. I just now got her trained to how I like her. I have invested too much time and effort into her to sell her and start over.” Sunder chuckled and leaned back in his chair. “All right. Do you hear that boys? She’s off-limits.” He said to the twins and they looked back to the stallion and went back to ignoring the mare with him. The Overlord waited for several seconds to ensure that Twilight was no longer their focus and then spoke once more. “Have you used this broker before?” “We used him once a few years ago. Chimera are his thing and he breeds and sells them. In my opinion, he’s out of his mind, those things are vicious even by our standards.” “Oh?” Hunter goaded him to go on. “Yeah, some pony in the Empire wanted one. Top Quote got in touch with us and asked about a creature for some sporting event there. He wanted it to go through us but whoever was buying cut him out of the deal and went through us. Pretty sure Quote wanted to strangle them for it but what can ya do?” He nodded in agreement and Twilight leaned her leg against his once more, the pressure more urgent and he know that she was telling him to be careful. Hunter didn’t say anything to her but he did lean back in the booth and look away from them. He had gotten the confirmation he had been after and now he needed to make a break for it with the mare on his heels. “Thank you for your time Gentlecolts. I looks forward to your contacting me with the assurance of this seller you have mentioned.” Hunter said to them as he pushed Twilight out of the booth and she waited for him to join her. “I trust you will not make me wait too long.” Sunder chuckled and shook his head. “Nah. We will get in touch pretty quick once we get the broker on the horn. I have to ask though. Have you seen the dragon outside?” Hunter paused and looked over his shoulder at Sunder and nodded. “I saw it. I chose to stay away from it but it was hard to miss.” Sunder laughed and nodded. “I can see why. Just so you know since you seem to be more interested in the rare creatures we are thinking of finding a way to subdue that monster. If we do, you interested?” “You think you can subdue something that size?” Hunter asked, his voice inquisitive. “Well if it’s impossible then we will find a way to kill it and sell the parts. My question still stands.” Hunter looked at the twins and then back to Sunder as a smile went over his muzzle at their question. He kept his temper in check at the threat to his dragon. “I would be interested in a few of those golden scales if you manage it.” He said his piece and looked back as Twilight began to walk out of the bar. He walked in front of her and she fell in behind him as he led her out into the sun. He led her through the town to a location they had scouted before that would allow them to hide and drop the illusions. He listened for any sign that they were being followed as he led the mare. Minutes passed by as he listened and occasionally he would look to the rooftops and soon they reached the spot and he slid into the alley with her right behind him. He motioned for her to wait as he listened for any sign of a tail. When he was sure they were safe his horn lit and he dropped his illusion. Twilight sagged as her illusion fell and she looked at him, the stress in her eyes. “How did you manage not to lose your temper when they talked about Sorkeno?” “I reminded myself that the odds of them hurting him are so remote it’s laughable. And how did you fare with them asking if I wanted to sell you?” She shivered at the mention of it and she looked at him as she sat down in place. “I am trying not to think about it.” “Don’t worry about it.” He assured her and she tried to smile. “They were probably trying to bait me and see what I would do. Same with the question about my dragon.” “What do you mean?” “They wanted to see if I had any connection to the dragon. If I did I would react in a different way. When I asked them to save me a few scales I acted as a potential buyer, not an Overlord.” He explained. “When they asked about you I was pretty sure they were trying to see if you were related to me in any way or if I was more attached to you. If you were closer to me then it appeared then you would be ammunition to use against me if they wished.” Twilight stared at him as he finished. “So they were thinking that I was simply your assistant?” “They were asking if I was romantically involved with you or not.” She blushed as he clarified. “That means a deeper relationship and one that they can use against me.” “So when you were talking about me being the way you wanted me?” “I was saying that you were more loyal to me than I was to you.” He replied. “It worked thankfully.” She shook her head and got to her hooves. “This is more complicated than I thought it would be.” She admitted with a grimace. “You’re dealing with the underworld that exists under every stable kingdom. You exist above it in many ways but that does not mean it does not exist.” He said to her. “I have one as well. The difference is that I keep close tabs on mine and when needed I deal with them.” “You buy things from them?” “If I need to. I rarely reach out to them and it’s usually something that I do not want on the market so I reach out to take it back or away from them.” He explained as they began to move out of the alley and into the sun. “So will they reach out or did we waste our time?” “No, they will. They know I have the bits to make me worth their time. They were only interested in the pony that had the connections and the money to back it up. We played our parts well and they will do the work now.” “Thank Equestria.” She said to him as they moved toward the nearby park where they had left Sorkeno. “What's the plan now?” “I will be sending the information that we gathered from them to Gnarl and have him use our own connections to do some research through our black market.” He explained. “We will look for any further information connecting Everlight to the market and the Chimera dealer.” “Are we sure they weren’t talking about another pony that wanted a Chimera?” She asked. “It’s possible. The odds of them mentioning it are pretty slim. The fact that the pony was supposed to go through Top Quote tells me that we are on the right track. Only he had knowledge of the Governess’s desire to get a monster for the Arena. Through him, she got into contact with Sunder and his ilk. The fact that she cut out Top Quote means that might have been when he chose to leave Everlight and wash his hooves of her.” “I have to admit I hope its exactly what you are looking for. Otherwise, you going to that nasty bar was a waste of time.” She said to him with a chuckle. “It was pretty bad.” He agreed. “I was kind of worried that they would get madder when you refused to talk to them. They stood up and I was sure our cover was blown.” “Simple intimidation. They were testing to see if I would give up and be afraid of them. They were waiting for me to show that little bit of weakness that they could exploit.” “Is that what they were doing?” He nodded as they left the streets and walked into the park itself. “Even if we had fought them off the rest of the bar would have become involved.” He said to her. “What?” “I’m pretty certain the rest of that bar or at least most of it was members of their organization or connected to it somehow. We would have been sorely outnumbered.” “I had no idea. They all looked the same and…” “That’s the point.” He interrupted. “You’re not meant to see any of them as out of the ordinary and they use that to their advantage. I need to teach you how to scan a room for threats again.” She chuckled and nodded in agreement. “Maybe you do. I saw that they were all looking at us but I figured that was due to us being a bit out of place.” “We were very out of place. We stood out and that was the point. We needed to be seen as their potential clients and not somepony that is going to be unable to pay for their services.” He explained to her. “I didn’t mention it to you since I had the feeling you would have been tenser and they would have paid more attention to you than I wanted them to. I wanted you to be overshadowed by my actions so I made sure that I stayed their focus.” She gave him a sidelong look and shook her head. “Is that why you were borderline rude to them?” He chuckled and nodded. “I’m acting as a noble would, what do they do when they want something?” She stumbled and then nodded in agreement. “That’s true. Their kind of rude.” He barked a laugh at her admittance and led her toward the dragon as they entered into the main park. Sorkeno looked up as they approached and his golden scales shone in the bright sunlight. “Are you certain you wish to sit on his back that long?” Hunter asked as the mare walked out to the golden dragon. “I can easily enough but the longest you have sat on his back without a break is a little over two hours.” “It’ll be fine.” She assured him. “I’m leaving Spike here with Applejack for the day anyway. I planned on us staying in one of the towns overnight and then we will come back here in the morning.” He leaned against the dragon’s snout as he reached him and watched as she turned to face him. “I know you have it all planned out. But that does not change my earlier question.” She sighed and nodded. “It will be fine. I can sit there just fine with you.” “True.” He agreed and looked up as the sun was not even up yet. They had dropped Spike off with Applejack last night and she would watch over him while they headed for the border. “That’s close to ten hours by my guess.” He went one and she glared at him. “Your tail not mine.” He said and finally gave up. She had planned out for them to go to the border towns to allow him to meet the ponies and for them to see him versus only hearing about him. She had it figured out that if they left before dawn then they would arrive a little before dinner and that would allow him to see the town and they would stay overnight in one of the larger ones that had an Inn available. “Like I said it will be fine.” She assured him and walked up to the golden dragon who cast a look at the black stallion as he sighed and shook his head in exasperation. Hunter was quiet as he sat still on the dragons back. Beside him, Twilight was beginning to look more miserable by the minute and he bit back a bark of laughter as she got to her hooves once more to walk down the dragon’s snout and back to him. He watched as she walked to the end of Sorkeno’s nose, paused and smiled for the dragon and began to walk back to where he sat in silence. She looked at him and saw the slight grin on his face and she scowled at him before rejoining him. “Not one word.” She growled and he snorted a laugh at her expense. “I didn’t say anything.” He replied and stared straight ahead of him. “You didn’t have to. The look on your face said enough for ten ponies.” She groused. “I tried to warn you about sitting dragon back for ten hours.” He admitted and shrugged dismissively. “How do you do it?” She asked him. “I wear armor for one.” He replied and she looked at the armor plating that covered his flanks and grumbled as he went on. “I have been sitting on dragon back for many years. I like to think my hide is a bit tougher for it.” She didn’t say anything for several seconds as he fell quiet. She gave a deep sigh and stared ahead of them. “So your armor helps you to sit on his scales for ten hours?” “That too.” He replied. “Through my connection to him, I’m a bit thicker skinned than most ponies. So that might be why it does not affect me as much as others.” “I have to admit I’m jealous of that.” She replied as she shifted her weight and leaned back on her tail. “So we are almost there I think. What do you think of going there so far?” “I think it is needed to ensure that they know who I am. We shall see how they react.” He replied. “I think they will reply with some fear. If only because of the dragon. No offense Sorkeno.” She said as she patted the dragon’s scales. “There is no need to apologize to me Little Princess,” Sorkeno said back to her. Twilight smiled and settled back in her place next to the Overlord. He said nothing and simply allowed the silence to drag on between them. His mind went over what he was doing and he knew that in the end, he might lose what he had come for. In a way, he was not as set on the land as he had once been and it had now become something that tied him to Equestria. They were not allies in the sense that they could call on his aid should anything happen but he knew that in time he might need to act as an ally. He had watched Equestria for years and he knew more about them than he let on to the Alicorn mare. He closed his eyes for several seconds as they began to descend through the clouds and he looked down to the ground ahead of them. “There it is.” Twilight suddenly stood up and pointed ahead of them. He shook aside his thoughts and got to his hooves to follow her hoof to see what she was seeing. He could see the small dot that was the town and the dragon under them angled for the spot on the horizon. Sorkeno’s flight remained even and easy to sit through as they moved quickly forward. Twilight sat back down and he saw her grimace slightly and rub her back as he tried to hold back a laugh. “Shush.” She complained to him and sat down beside him. He said nothing in reply and set his hooves in the notches in the dragon’s scales and Twilight stayed close to him and was ready to grip him if she needed to. Hunter held onto the smooth scales as the dragon began to slow in his descent and his wings began to bank to land easily outside of the town.