//------------------------------// // The Dark // Story: The God of Anger // by The Toaster //------------------------------// "My Lord, with all due respect. That was a failure." He said as he pinched his brows in exasperation. In front of him stood Vader, who kept his back to the Spymaster, something that irritated him even more. "On the contrary Keeper, this has been one of the greatest successes of mine since coming to this world." He responded with his arms crossed as he watched the rising sun. Keeper, furiously slammed both of his hands on the table in an attempt to get a reaction from his master. "Success??? SUCCESS??? 40 of my agents died! The best ones for no reason!" He ranted with hatred, while Vader gave him a sideways glance with his helmet. His posture did not change at all with his Spymaster's outburst. It was clear to any human who had known them well that their god's motivation was a complete mystery. Every order he gave was cryptic and without any explanation at first, just out of loyalty and a sense of duty they did it without question. They would always win. Time and time again, battle after battle. City after city. Everyone under the dark lord's banner saw themselves as invincible. But Keeper knew better, he knew his master much better. Everything he did was calculated down to the smallest detail, and everything had a reason. That was why he was so enraged at that moment, how could his master spend such valuable resources and men for something as trivial as a legend?? It didn't make any sense. "Do you know what exactly the ruins I had sent you to investigate were?" Vader asked in a tone Keeper couldn't recognize under his mask. "Or its importance?" "Importance? What importance? Historical??" He casually scoffed as he threw up his hands in frustration. "We are in a war my lord! We can't derail like this!" Anyone in his place would never speak or act like that in front of an entity capable of ending his life and soul with the literal snap of his fingers, in the blink of an eye with a minimum of effort. But for Vader, this was very refreshing. The Spymaster had the Sith's confidence, and although he did not reveal too much to the council member, he knew he could tell him some of his plans. And it was Vader's own incentive to put Keeper in a position to speak out to the Sith, since he already had admirers or loyal souls in absurd numbers. Having someone who had the guts to say something Vader wouldn't want to hear or outright criticize him was far better than thousands bowing or praising him with every breath he took. That didn't make him like it. But it was extremely necessary. "Now I'm going to have a huge headache to recruit more and be able to replace the ones that are already in training! And I'll have to promote some who still don't have enough experience-" "Enough" Vader cut him off, slowly turning his body to face his counselor. "Their sacrifices will not be forgotten, nor their importance in helping me acquire new power to challenge our enemies." Now the councilor's face had changed from anger to confusion. "An ally is the best description of him." "Him? I don't follow my lord, who-" He froze. A sense of desperation washed over his body, a feeling he couldn't describe as anything less than terrifying. An aura of terror and darkness filled the room. It was like a pitch-black, a mist that began to dissipate from his master's body that reverberated in his soul to the world outside. He tried to speak, but nothing came out of his voice. His mouth opened and closed but nothing happened. He had never felt so terrified as at that moment. He felt. Something caressing his shoulders, slowly squeezing and releasing. It was like a satisfying massage. If it weren't for the being that was doing it. "Шнλτ λπ ιπτгιϑυιπϑ ιϑπσгλπτ sσυl..." The voice was thick, deep. The hands-on his shoulder were pure darkness, a dark aura seemed to completely engulf her. But the face of that thing had made him freeze. It did not look like it had skin, it did not look like a mask, it was just pitch black. Its white eyes shimmered with a brilliance that almost made him close his eyes. But the Shock made him keep his eyes wide open. The figure smiled at him, its mouth toothless and it looked as if much of its upper lip was glued to its lower lip, like goo or melting skin. It was a nightmare. "Шнλτ's шгσπϑ, lιττlε σπε? Dσεs ϻψ λρρελгλπςε... Ѕςλгε ψσυ?" That thing asked in an innocent and hurt tone, it's out worldly and terrifying voice coupled with its evil smile showing its true intentions as his eyes narrowed. "Shadow, that's enough." Vader commanded him in a tight, disapproving voice as if he were disciplining a child. "Ψσυ λгε πσ ғυπ ϻλsτεг!" That thing struck a dramatic pose after letting go of the counselor, in a false tone of hurt. That figure slowly emerged from behind the human and walked towards Vader, fully revealing itself as it entered his field of vision. He had to hold back a frown of disgust as he took in the details of the thing trying to keep the shape of a pony. It was an impressive feat of making a disgusting race even more difficult to look at. The shadow creature seemed to have noticed the looks he was giving itself. It chuckled as he walked. "My Lord, with all the respect that a divine being like you should receive.... What the fuck is this?" He almost screamed, completely freaked out by… whatever that thing was. "This is the fruit of our discovery." His eyes widened even more at the revelation. The creature approaching the Dark Lord completely spread out into a black aura, gliding towards the Sith's outstretched hand, completely engulfing it in darkness. As quickly as it arrived, the darkness was fully absorbed by Vader, his arms returned to being crossed as if nothing had happened. Spymaster couldn't believe it. He couldn't trust his own eyes. That thing, that creature matched all the references to..... .... The Pony of Shadows..... A million things flashed through his mind and made him instinctively take a step back. He did everything he could to hold back the beads of sweat that threatened to run down his face. The creature seemed to enjoy seeing the realization on his face, along with the fear. This thing... It was an abomination that had plagued the world in ancient times. When the world was still trying to recover from the great war and when anarchy reigned. A creature that had forced all the great warriors and element bearers of the ponies to sacrifice themselves just to seal this thing, and yet here it was... Free and unbound to do plague the world just like in the ancient times... But he trusted his master, he had that thing on a tight leash. Otherwise, he would not have been with his guard down in the presence of such a vile thing. Nevertheless, he still did not feel safe. This thing carried itself so carelessly and relaxed. And that was what frightened him the most. Such people were the most dangerous. When someone tried to act like a strong person by hurling insults and trying to assert himself by acting superior, you could easily tell that he was trying to prove something. A person who is insecure with himself and wants to make up for it in any way possible. This is easily seen in weak leaders who try to show strength when they lack any. But if someone really has the intellect and power to make good on their threats. The person does not show it. The Pony of Shadows not only did not show its villainous power, but it also acted like a child. As if it was all a joke. It was terrifying. "Well, my lord... I... understand...-" The counselor said, trying to change the subject while trying to ignore the overwhelming feeling of being watched. They could continue talking about that...Thing, other time. "Unfortunately, your unforeseen 'departure' caused.... problems..." His enormous hesitation and tension as he tried to speak meant only meant one thing. Bad news, and he was afraid of angering the Lord of the Sith. Vader heaved a great internal sigh. He only left for 4 weeks. It only took 4 weeks for everything go wrong. It was amazing how much they depended on him. Everything had to be done by him or something would go wrong. Every little detail had to be checked by him. No orders could be given without his permission, and no failures were reported back. He was the undisputed divine Autocrat of the Human Domain, but it was absurd that his council could not take the initiative in either domestic or foreign policy. He had chosen each to delegate a branch from each part of his empire; Stalker was the Master of espionage, trainer of his agents, and Vader's eyes and ears. Guardian was the general of the army, the one who commanded his troops when he was unavailable. When Vader took on the role of commanding the troops, she kept order and managed the conquered territories. The Elder was the civil administrator, the one who oversaw and ordered the civil constructions and, with his team, looked after the welfare of the common people. And finally, Keeper was the Indoctrinator (master of propaganda), who made sure that all books, arts or news were checked and who censored anything that presented his enemies in a good light, while constantly vilifying them. Each of them was supposed to take care of certain important aspects while improving and expanding them over time. But the truth was far more disappointing Vader had to take full charge and use his autocratic powers to issue orders, for his will was absolute and couldn't be veto'd. For in the council each member tried to sabotage the other in some way for petty reasons; Ranging from internal land disputes to influence or personal animosity. At first, Vader ignored this, assuming that such infighting would end with the start of the war against a common enemy. He was wrong. As they took advantage of the conflict to sabotage even each other, with the hopes of gaining Vader's attention with their 'better' performance than the 'competition'. This frustrated the Sith Lord deeply. The only ones he could trust were Thorax, the spymaster, and his field commanders. For they were the only ones where their loyalty did not threaten the progress of the war with imbecile schemes "Have no fear councilor, you are too efficient to be punished for a mistake made by your colleagues." He said in a neutral tone, hoping to allay his advisor's fears. "Th-Thank you, my lord, your mercy is boundless!" he exclaimed gratefully. As he cleared his throat and returned his attention to his report. "But... What we will say to the people about your new... Powers?" He asked hesitantly while looking at Vader. "Invent some excuse using my 'divinity'. No one must know of our newfound advantage." He said, while motioning for his servant to give him the bad news. "Understood..." He nodded while nervously adjusting the collar of his clothes. "We have 3 new crises since your absence, 1 internal and 2 external..." He announced with a pause, expecting a reaction that never came from his master, seeing this as a signal for him to proceed. Vader listened intently as he spoke. 3 crises in a period of 4 weeks. Absurd. But the more he listened, the angrier he got and the more nervous his advisor became. While Shadow only became more interested. An entire legion had been decimated on the border of Equestria, and many of the conquered territories were threatened by a new wave of troops commanded by Celestia's heir, Twilight Sparkle and the Elements of Harmony. On the front lines of the Crystal Empire, there were reports of a new enemy appearing in the ranks, raiding and fighting both his troops and the Crystal Ponies. Who these enemies were? The sources did not say, but they were certain that the enemy was not from the mainland. And to complete the chaos, public riots broke out in the capital as much of the food from the vaults collected by the government and held for distribution was being blocked by local rebellious guards. Led by an ambitious and delusional officer who believed that by controlling the city's food supply, he could put pressure on the council to gain prestigious office for himself. Vader let out a long sigh, managing only to maintain his composure rigid as he shook his head, surprising his advisor, who had never seen his master look so…tired? Yeah, tired is the right word. The Human Leader slowly got up and walked past him, who looked at his master in surprise and quickly followed him as he left his chambers. "My lord?" he asked as he caught up to Vader. "What you-?" "Prepare an immediate meeting. We have a lot to talk about." The Counselor can only swallow hard while shaking his head in the affirmative. "Let them know I'll be late." "What will you do... My lord?" Vader was silent for a few moments before turning to face him. "I'll be setting an example" He yawned loudly, trying hard to turn around and lay on his back as he stretched. Letting out a lazy grunt as he scratched his right eye. His memory was very messed up, and his body felt like it had been trampled on. And along with that his head was killing him. 'What the hell happened last night?' He struggled to force his eyes open, they seemed to weigh tons. My god how he wanted to just turn over and go back to sleep, his body seemed to be refusing to get up. Even though wanted to, he couldn't sleep all day. If Vader knew he was slacking off, he'd be fucked. After finally opening his eyes, he came across his bedroom ceiling. The same roof as when he woke up bruised and completely disoriented. When he had been driven out and abandoned by his own people, and when he had been left for dead. He let out a tired sigh. But a small smile emerged. For it was in this room that he had met the one who had saved him, the one who had given him a second chance. His eyes widened as the memories of last night flooded in his mind. The party, the dancing, and the kiss.... And then when they..... His cheeks exploded in a blue tinge of embarrassment as he scratched his cheek with a crooked smile. He had spent the night with someone.... Someone he had liked... Slowly he passed his gaze around the room, his armor and clothes were strewn across the bedroom floor.... It was a crazy night.... Looking at his side..... ....... There was no one.... But a small letter between the messy covers and pillow. Quickly, he grabbed the letter. There was nothing special about it, and no writing mentioning name or seal. Opening it, both out of curiosity and concern. There was no letter, not a single word, just a small object. A pendant. Where in it a small blue crystal hung. A gift. A gift for him. But..... Where is she? Rising from his bed, while carried the crystal close to his chest. He walked towards the door, opening it and looking to both sides of the hall. No sign of her. Closing the door, he let out a long and sad sigh...... She was gone. He glanced back at the pendant next to the crystal. He unceremoniously wrapped it around his neck, holding it close. A glow followed along with a sparkle in the crystal. This caught his attention. Bringing it closer to his face, he could see a small pink aura dancing within it. And its scent…. It was extremely familiar…. It was love.... But not just any kind of love.... It was her love, from that wonderful and beautiful female Changeling he had come to fall in love with. Changelings didn't give love, they took it and consumed it. An act like that demonstrated something Thorax missed so much... Trust. Trust to carry the love of hers he'd enjoyed that night together. With a smile he released the pendant, leaving it hanging proudly around his neck. He took on his armor that had been left scattered around the room. He walked out into the hallway, smiling all the way out of the house to return to attend his duties.