//------------------------------// // 38: An Ending... // Story: An Overlord Apart // by OblivionShadow //------------------------------// Celestia stared openly at the group in front of her. She had sent them to the borders and they had come running back looking worse for wear. Her guards were now stationed in front of her as they related the story to her. Her mind fell on one very simple fact, she had been outmaneuvered. The Overlord had placed his troops and dragons along the old border and they had driven her guards and the others right into the Overlords waiting hooves. Luna sat next to her and so far had remained silent. She could read her sister well enough to know that she was also stunned by what they had been told so far. “We were able to evade the creatures he sent after us when we reached the chariots and took to the air.” The guard went on as she listened. “We did not fully escape though even then.” “Oh?” Celestia said as her tone was neutral to keep him talking. “He sent a red dragon after us.” Luna’s eyes went wide and she leaned forward. “He did what?” “A very large red dragon. I haven’t flown so fast in all my life.” The guard went on. “She or he got close enough a few times that I could see the individual scales on its snout but that’s as close as it came to us.” “It followed you so far as the new border and then left?” Celestia asked. The guards all nodded and the one in front spoke for the others still. “As soon as we went over the border by the old fields it peeled off and circled a few times before it left and went back the way it came.” Celestia closed her eyes in frustration for several seconds before she opened them and graced the group with a gentle smile. “Thank you for all the work you did. Please rest and recover and go back to your duties when you are well rested and fed.” The group nodded and smiles slowly came to their mouths as she spoke and they bowed before the two sisters and left the room. Celestia put her hooves over her face for several seconds before she sighed deeply. “I have to give him credit for seeing through us,” Luna said as she also sighed. Celestia gave a thin smile and nodded. “I suppose he has patrols on the border. I did not think he did.” She admitted, “I had not heard of them but he does have the ability to hide them it seems and they were undetected by our scouts.” The Moon Princess replied. “We keep making the same mistake.” Celestia groused and Luna tilted her head as her sister went on. “We keep underestimating him and the power he wields. His strength comes from the absolute power he holds within the Netherworld Empire.” Luna barked a laugh and Celestia looked at her as she spoke. “You are still underestimating him. He holds the same power outside the Empire as within.” She chuckled. “If we are to have any chance against him then we must start thinking outside the box when it comes to him and his Empire.” “You are right.” Celestia agreed with a nod of her head. “We need to start thinking of what he can do versus what we think he can.” A loud knock on the throne room door caught her attention and she looked up as it opened and a guard came trotting toward them. He bowed deeply when he reached them and she motioned for him to go ahead and speak to them. “Your next appointment has arrived. Shall I bring them inside?” The guard asked, his tone tired showing how long they had been talking to him. “Bring them in, thank you.” The Sun Princess addressed the clearly tired guard. She sighed and a glance to her sister showed the same look on her face as her own. “Here we go.” Luna sat up straighter as the doors opened and a group of five ponies trotted toward them. Celestia waited for them to reach her and her sister and then waited for them to speak. “Princess Celestia. Thank you for agreeing to meet with all of us at once.” The lead pony spoke up. Celestia painted a kind smile on her muzzle as she addressed him in reply. “Thank you for coming, Swift Quill. We know you have many things to do within Canterlot and we are grateful you could make some extra time and arrange your fellows to join us as well.” The cream-colored stallion bowed his head once more and then looked over his shoulder to the others. “We will always make time when we are called Princesses.” He replied, his tone low. Luna said nothing as Celestia shifted her weight slightly on her throne. “We do have more to report on the border situation and we feel that since your lands are close by you must be kept updated as well.” Celestia’s wings flicked at her sides. She dreaded dealing with the Nobles and she knew that Luna did not revel in the thought either. But they were needed and they had their place in the kingdom. They looked at her eagerly as she readied herself to inform them of the Overlord's choice to split the lands with them. She opened her mouth to speak when the throne room doors opened once more and an earth pony hurriedly trotted to join the main group. She looked him over and his dull grey coat and his white mane and tail blended in easily among the brighter colored Nobles. She could see a small set of scars that went down his face and she was going to ask who he was when he pulled a scroll and quill out of a small messenger bag and prepared to take notes. She dismissed him as a secretary that had been late in meeting up with the rest. “We received word from the Overlord of the North about the disputed land that he had laid a claim to.” She began and the Nobles listened intently as she went on. “He has agreed to split the land with us and we have agreed to that as well.” The Nobles were quiet as they stared at her as though she had declared war upon them individually. She could see the secretary staring at her as well as Swift Quill spoke up, his tone indignant. “Princess. Surely you must be kidding? That land was set to be placed under the control of two of us as per your commands.” He said to her. She bit back a sigh and nodded. “I understand that was what was agreed upon to begin with. But he held a claim to it as well and his claim was older due to the landlines that had been set before. The Overlord of the North had a claim to all of it if he had wished to fight for it but he agreed to take the land that came after the towns. We still rule over the ponies while he took the land behind them.” They still stared at her and Swift pulled his head back and looked over his shoulder to the secretary who was writing things down quickly. Swift said nothing for several seconds and Celestia could see the wheels turning in his head as she waited. The others were silent and she could see them looking between Swift Quill and the secretary that had joined them. While that struck her as odd she didn’t have time to consider it. “We were promised that land, Princess Celestia. While his claim might have been correct, which is unlikely, we still should have been considered and given our chance to speak when it was being decided.” He argued. “Does our input not count in this matter?” Celestia bit back a snide reply and glanced at her sister who looked annoyed at the group that stood below them. She knew that Luna was not as diplomatic when it came to sugarcoating things and being political so she plastered on her smile and readied herself to argue with them about their place in the decision to split the lands between them. The claim they had placed upon the lands was relatively new in terms of timing. Swift Quill and two others had asked for her to consider altering the ruling structure of that region months ago. They had asked for it to be changed to be under the rule of one of them or they would split it as their lands were closest to the contested lands. The Overlords dispute had come in shortly after and his claim took up their attention due to the severity of it. His claim was more pressing in terms of needing to be corrected. While she was more than able to put a stop to the Nobles she was not able to stop the Overlord and his dispute had thrown a large monkey wrench into her plans about whether to split it or not. Now that she had them in front of her she had to bring them around to thinking that what had happened was better for them as well. She knew that they were not interested in the benefits to their fellow ponies so much as they worried about the benefits to them personally. “While I do value your input this was a matter of security along with borders. We have always had a…good relationship with our northern neighbor and we desired to keep it that way. He was unwilling at first to split the lands and once he had seen the lands he chose to amend his claim and only sought the lands and not the ponies.” She said to them. “My sister and I felt it was in the best interest of Equestria to compromise with our neighbor and create a stronger friendship between us. We asked the Princess of Friendship to act as our Emissary and speak to him on our behalf.” “So you sent the most inexperienced Princess to deal with him?” Swift replied, his tone sharp. “Pardon?!” Luna nearly bellowed. “She is one of thy Princesses. Thou will show the proper respect that she is owed.” She snarled. Swift and the others bowed their heads in apology and Celestia fought back a smile for her sister’s lack of tact. She nearly laughed at her sister when her old speech came through. Celestia had noticed that she tended to slip back into it when she was riled. “Apologies Princess. I did not mean it to come across as rude to young Princess Twilight. I simply meant that she does not have the experience that the two of you have.” “While that may be true she is still more than capable. She is the reason he agreed to split the lands with us.” Celestia informed him. “She went to his kingdom and was there for several months building a stronger relationship with his kingdom. Due to her efforts, she was able to bring him directly to the lands that were being contested, and through her efforts did he choose to allow us to rule over the ponies while he simply kept the land.” Swift nodded in understanding and looked over his shoulder to the secretary who nodded to him. “I see. So her work with him allowed your subjects to remain under your control?” Celestia nodded. “Then we must add our thanks to her. While we wish we had been consulted I think I can speak for us all when I say we understand what your goal was and we appreciate your work on our behalf. That being said. Will the ponies still be moved into the separate lordships or will they remain on your direct land?” Celestia nearly cursed at him as she had not decided what to do with the ponies yet. At her side, Luna stood up and looked down her snout at the group of them. “We have chosen to keep them.” She said, her tone blunt. Celestia nearly put her hoof to her face but she was not about to go behind her sister and second guess her in front of the Nobles, so she nodded in agreement. The Nobles stared at the younger Alicorn and Celestia chose to simply smile and wait for them to react. “I see,” Swift said to them. “Then I do not think we have anything further to discuss. Please thank Princess Twilight for her work toward a favorable outcome for us and we will leave things in your capable hooves.” He said with a bow of his head. The others mimicked him and the group turned and moved to leave. Celestia watched them closely for any sign of dissent and she watched them until the doors closed. She sighed deeply and sagged in her skin for a second before she raised her head to look at her sister. Luna snorted triumphantly before she looked at her sister, a smile on her muzzle. Her eyes went wide at the look Celestia was giving her, her smile faltering. “What?” He walked out of the Gate and he was greeted with the bright sun of Equestria. His magic held the box that was for Twilight tightly in his aura. His gauntlet roared and Wrath burst out of the minion gate close by and the minion leaped for his armor and held on. His hooves thudded dully against the compact dirt as he moved to the front of the castle and his magic pushed open the doors. Wrath leaped from his back and ran up to the second set of doors and pushed them open to reveal the Princess of Friendship smiling brightly from the map table. “Hello, Hunter.” She called out in greeting. “Afternoon Twilight.” Her magic created a chair for him to sit close enough to her to allow them to speak easily between them. He set the box down in front of her and she looked dubiously at him before her magic gripped it and pulled it closer to her. “What have you done this time?” She teased as she pulled open the tall box. He lounged back in the chair she had provided and Wrath sat down by his hooves. He watched as she stood up and the box opened under her magic. She gripped the items within it and she set them down in front of her and pushed the box aside. The items were further wrapped in tissue paper and she used her hooves to rip it open. Her eyes widened at the sight of the old books and a short squeal of glee escaped from her as she moved them to look at their titles. “Where did you get these?” She asked him. “They are from my Library. They are duplicate copies of some of the Netherworlds history. I figured you would enjoy them.” He replied coolly. She opened the first of them and scanned the first couple of pages and then she closed them and hugged the books close. She smiled brightly and he remained relaxed in his posture and she finally looked at him and set them aside. “Thank you. These are wonderful but I can’t help but wonder what prompted you to bring them to me.” She replied with a chuckle. “Do I need a reason?” She was quiet for several seconds before she looked away from him and then quickly back to him. “Yes.” He barked out a laugh and leaned forward and leaned against the table. “I received a response from Sunder and his ilk.” “Finally.” She breathed out. “I agree. It took them long enough and I am choosing to ignore the timing this time. They have agreed to put me into contact with the one that sold the Chimera. But I have to pay their fee first.” She nodded and sat back in her seat. “How much do you need?” “Just like that?” “I told you I would help and you don’t have the bits from this kingdom. I told you I would help and you can pay me back someday.” “Someday?” “I’m not worried about it. If you pay me back then great if not then I won’t lose any sleep over it.” She said with a wave of her hoof. He shook his head slightly at her reply and scrubbed his face with one hoof. “The fee they have asked for is one thousand and fifty bits.” Her eyes went wide for several seconds before she blinked away her surprise and nodded. “Got it. I can probably have that ready in a few days.” “You can cover that?” She looked at him sideways and he put up a hoof for her to let him go on. “I say that since most ponies do not have a contingency fund that amounts to that.” “I have never really needed to buy anything and what I do buy is not expensive. I buy books and a few supplies for Spike if he needs anything but for the most part, I have saved what I have earned. Plus as a Princess, I do have an allowance that comes from the treasury. It sits idle every month when it is deposited. So I have no problem helping you with this and I consider it worth every bit.” He admitted to himself that he had wondered how she was paid by the kingdom but had chosen to leave the topic alone. “I see.” “You no doubt have an allowance or something similar that you use when purchasing anything.” “It’s a similar system but I rule over the entire treasury so I can use it as I see fit. I do not dip into it very often so it grows over time.” He admitted. She nodded and a scroll came out of her magic as her horn lit. Hunter didn’t say anything as she spun a quill in her magic and began writing quickly. Wrath lounged by his hooves and the minion he had left walked over and sat down with him. Hunter knew that the minion was no doubt staying close to him as a conduit of the Netherworld. As she wrote he allowed himself to calm in her presence and he let himself relax. His mind went over what he knew and he looked at her as she set the scroll aside. Her eyes on him, her expression mixed as she tapped a hoof for several seconds. “I heard from Celestia and Luna that you chased off some of the guards. Was that the same day that I…?” “Yes. To say I was angry is a gross understatement.” He replied. “I went there myself and chased them off the land with the dragons.” “Oh wow. I didn’t hear much about how it happened but I did hear about it in short terms.” “Maranna has taken to patrolling the border on her own once a day. I also have minions on the border that watch over it. Their attempts to steal from me further will not go unnoticed.” “I just…I can’t believe that they were going to try it.” She replied to him as she shook her head. “I can.” He replied. “I know you can. Politics and all that comes with it is normal for you. You can put yourself in a place to understand and come out ahead of it. I don’t know how you do it.” She said with a sigh. “I was taught. Gnarl made sure I understood it and was able to adapt to it. I was a fish out of the water at first but I hit my stride eventually.” He replied. “Over time out thinking them became a bit of a game and I like to think I am pretty good at it. They get ahead of me every now and then but I come out on top more often than not.” She shook her head and leaned back as she opened her mouth to speak when the doors behind him opened. Spike trotted into the room and his eyes lit up at the sight of the armored stallion. “You’re here!” “Hello, Spike.” He greeted the baby dragon. “How come you came to visit? Did Twilight tell you how much she missed you?” Hunter looked from the baby dragon to the sputtering mare as he shook his head. “No. I came to thank her for her help in a personal matter.” “Oh. Cool.” Spike said as he came around to face them both. “Hey, Twilight can I have a few bits to go to Sugarcube Corner?” She nodded and her horn lit as she called on a few bits for him. He took the bits happily and waved to them both as he ran out the doors. Hunter didn’t say anything as Twilight looked at him. “Anyway.” She breathed out. “So now the minions are watching the new border?” “Yes. They patrol it with the war mounts that we have stationed close by. Maranna flies it at random times to ensure that nothing slips past us.” “I’m surprised she is doing that. Well…kind of surprised.” “I was surprised when she said that she was going to do it without any prompting. She came up with it on her own.” Hunter opened his mouth to speak further when Sorkeno suddenly reached out to him, his call insistent, urgent in the sense it gave him. Hunter looked at the doors behind him and dread began to ooze into his mind. He gave a shaky breath as Twilight went quiet and looked at him, her expression concerned. “Hunter?” “Something is wrong.” He whispered to her. “I’m behind you, go.” She said to him as he got up and spun for the doors. She was on his heels as he headed for the doors. Her magic threw them open and he careened around the side of the castle on his way to the Gate. He set a hoof on her shoulder as he commanded the Gate. She was at his side as he took to his heels the moment they were back within the throne room. He could hear her hooves drumming behind him as he leaped for the platform and she had barely landed when it took off across the Netherworld. She yelped and gripped his armor as she struggled to stay on her hooves. He looked at her as panic began to edge into his heart and he simply looked ahead of them as they reached the Lair. He leaped for the stones and barely made it as Twilight yelled for him to be careful. He heard her behind him as he veered around a corner and came to a halt, his hooves sliding on the stones. She heard Twilight gasp as she came to a stop behind him. Kaiana laid in silence in front of her cave with the other dragon’s clustered around her. His breath caught in his throat as he stared ahead. Beside him, he barely noticed Twilight as she gasped at the sight of the silver matriarch. He barely noticed when he galloped forward and leaped the dragon’s tail as he went to face her. Her eyes looked at him as she laid quietly in place. She gave a faint smile as he panted in front of her. “Hello, my Dear Child.” She said to him, her voice quiet. “Kaiana?” He questioned as she still did not move. “What hurts? What do you need?” “I do not need anything.” She replied, her voice warm. “I am out of time, my child.” Hunter stared at her, his eyes wide and disbelief flooded him as he stared at her. “You’re going to be fine.” He replied. She sighed and looked at him closely. “I am sorry, my dear one. I am sorry that I am leaving you as well. You are not alone. I will be with you always. Look to those around you and they will lift you up and help you become even greater than you are.” He said nothing as she looked at him, her gaze gentle and loving. His heartbeat wildly in his chest as an emotion rolled up within him and he had no defense against it. It beat against his heart and his mind frayed under its assault. His body had begun to shake as she breathed harshly and he stared at her. Her breathing was labored as he panted as the realization of what was happening crashed down onto him. Hunter panted as he set his hooves against her snout and nuzzled her. He pulled his head back and she stared back at him as he stood up to talk to her as her breathing became more labored. “No.” He whispered as her body began to fade starting at her tail. “No.” He said, his voice more insistent. “I will always be with you, my love for you is eternal.” She whispered to him as her body faded into nothing. Hunter said nothing as his hooves went through her and the sound of his hooves hitting the stones was deafening in the silence of the Lair. His hooves remained in place as he stared at where she had once been and he pulled a ragged breath into his body as his mind processed that he had just lost the only mother he had ever known. Sorkeno said nothing as Hunter sat down heavily and simply stared at the ground ahead of him. The golden dragon could not see his eyes as his long forelock covered his eyes in shadow. He looked down as Twilight hiccupped beside him, tears going down her face. Sorkeno reached his snout down to the Overlord and gave him a gentle nudge. Hunter didn’t move as the dragon touched him and he was as still as the death that had taken her. He reached out to nudge him again and Hunter got to his hooves and walked away from them, into her cave. Sorkeno looked down into the cave as Hunter simply laid down in the back of it and was silent. Twilight got to her hooves to follow him but Sorkeno reached down and stopped her in her place. She looked up at the dragon and waited for him to explain why she was not allowed to follow him. “Give him a moment,” Sorkeno advised. She sniffled and sat down beside him. “Why did she vanish like that?” “Our bodies are made of more magic than most creatures. When we die we return to the world around us.” “Oh.” She whispered and went back to sitting beside the golden dragon as she waited for it to be okay to go check on him. Minutes ticked past and Sorkeno lowered his head behind her and he gave her a gentle nudge forward. She got to her hooves and looked at the dragon as he nodded to her. She looked at the cave and walked slowly inside of it. The sides were smooth from years of dragon scales rubbing against them. Her purple eyes fell on the stallion as he laid in the back of the cave, facing backward. She came up to him slowly and sat down beside him, tears still going down her cheeks. “Hunter?” She whispered to him and leaned forward to look at him. She sniffled as she looked at his face and she could see that he was staring blankly at the back wall of the cave. He was not crying or even breathing very deeply as she listened to him. She set a hoof on his side and waited for him to move or speak to her. She could tell that he was upset and she didn’t blame him for not saying anything to her as time went by them. Tears pricked her eyes as she tried not to fall apart in front of him. She was not the one who had just lost a mother and she was going to make sure he was not alone. She got to her hooves after a half-hour of nothing and she walked back out into the Lair to rejoin the dragons. She walked up to the golden dragon and looked up at him. “He’s not moving or even crying. He is just staring at the back of the cave wall.” She informed him. “He is still in shock I think,” Sorkeno replied. “He has blocked me from reaching out to him and comforting him.” Twilight nodded in understanding and turned to go back into the cave and rejoin the stallion. “Be careful Little Princess.” “Why?” She replied as she looked over her shoulder at the golden dragon as he went on. “He might lash out in his grief and it would devastate him to learn that he had hurt you. Even though it would not have been his fault he will still regret.” He explained. Twilight shook her head and a smile went over her muzzle. “He’d never hurt me.” She assured the worried dragon. “I trust him completely and I know he would never lash out at me no matter what has happened.” Sorkeno nodded at her as she turned to face the cave and walked back into it to rejoin Hunter. She came back to him and started to sit down beside him but she stopped and instead walked to sit in front of him. She laid down and moved close to him until her snout was a few inches away from his. She knew that he was staring through her and at nothing in particular as she looked into his eyes, which were distant, their glow faded. She stayed still as she waited for him to see her in front of him and minutes ticked past as she sniffled and held back her own tears. She began to inch slowly forward and she paused every second to make sure she hadn’t upset him. She moved forward until her nose touched his and she went still. She stared into his eyes as they came into focus and he finally seemed to see her for the first time. He blinked and his eyes began to glow strongly as she smiled. She breathed in and closed her eyes for a second before she spoke to him. “I know it hurts. But I am here for you and I won’t leave you, you’re not alone.” She whispered. She stared back at him as tears began to form in his eyes and he blinked slowly. She didn’t expect him to speak to her so when he remained silent she was not surprised. She pulled her head back and sat up. Her horn lilt as she pushed his shoulders back to force him to sit up. He sat up, though his head was lowered and she gripped his head in her hooves and lifted it to look at her as she moved under his neck to hug him. She wrapped her forelegs around his neck and held him tightly. His body shuddered once as she held him. She felt his forelegs wrap around her body and he held her tightly. She almost gasped at his grip but she chose to remain silent despite the pressure on her wings. She nuzzled his neck and began to run her hoof over his mane as she held him. She felt him lay his head on her shoulder as a shiver went through him. She looked back and she could hear him gasp as he cried. She looked back forward and gave him what privacy she could in their position. “It’s okay.” She whispered and kept running her hoof over his mane. He held her as he bit back his own cries and she made sure to hold him close as he grieved his loss. She whispered sweet words to him as he cried quietly and she told him of the books she had read recently to make sure her voice was in his ears so he didn’t feel alone. Her ears flicked as the sound of scraping and she looked up as Sorkeno slid his head into the cave and put his snout close to the Overlords back. He breathed steadily on Hunters back and kept him warm. She kept talking to him in a whisper as she ruffled his mane and smoothed it on his neck and back. His armor dug into her skin but she didn’t say anything to him about it. “I’m here.” She whispered as she shifted in place for a moment. Time ticked past her and she had no idea how long they had sat in their position but the ache in her wings only grew worse as time went on. She ignored it and refused to allow it to stop her from comforting him when he needed her most. She looked back as his cries had faded and she could see that he was simply holding onto her. She stayed still once she realized that now what he needed from her was just for her to be there. He didn’t need her to talk to him about what had happened, he simply needed her and that thought brought tears to her eyes. She looked at the golden dragon as he also remained silent as Hunter didn’t move away from the mare or seem to acknowledge the dragon that breathed against his back. Tears were going down her face as she looked over her shoulder at him and she could see tears were still in his eyes as he held onto her. She looked back at the dragon and then nuzzled into Hunter's mane and held him tighter for several seconds before loosening her grip. Hunter seemed to take a small hint from that as he released her slowly and turned to the side, laying back down on the cave floor. She looked down at him as she flexed her wings. Sorkeno moved his head to allow her to leave if she wished and the dragon looked at her. “Thank you for what you have done Little Princess.” He whispered to her. “You can leave him to me now.” “I’m not going anywhere.” She replied, her tone assured as the dragon looked at her. “He needs me here and I’m not going to leave him like this. He would not leave me if our situations were reversed.” Sorkeno smiled and nodded at the mare as he laid his head back on the stone floor. She turned back around and laid down beside him. She pressed her shoulder and hip against his armor and stayed quiet beside him. Her wings rose from her back and she laid one across his back and she leaned against him for several seconds. She stayed close to him as time went by them. She could feel time begin to tick by as she began to whisper to him about more of her favorite books and other topics to fill the time between them. She felt him lean against her as the time went by and he simply stared ahead as she talked quietly to him. Her ears pricked as the sound of claws on stone caught her attention and she looked back as Red, Green, and Grey came into the cave to join them. She watched as they began to crowd around to try to get closer to him. She started to get up to let them take her place but a hoof on hers stopped her in her tracks. She looked down to see Hunter's hoof on hers and she nodded in understanding and laid back down in her place beside him, replacing her wing on his back. Hunter didn’t say anything as the young dragons crowded around them and she stayed beside him as they found places to lay down and try to comfort him as well. She looked back as Sorkeno sighed and didn’t move his place as the others crowded among them. She was still as Red put his head against her shoulder and sighed against her fur. She patted his nose as she looked back to the front of the cave as the cave seemed to get darker and she could see the front of the cave was blocked by the other dragons as they stayed close to the Overlord, their bodies draped over Sorkenos neck and back. She laid her head down next to his and looked at him. She could see that his eyes were once more staring forward and she leaned her head against his and nuzzled him. She looked at him as his eyes moved to look at her for a moment before they stared ahead once more.