//------------------------------// // Villain Chapter: To Be Reminded // Story: A Cog in the Machine // by ManlyDerp //------------------------------// Villain Chapter, To Be Reminded. Hi! Long time no see! An author’s note is present at the end of this page relating to the hiatus as well as some special shout outs! But for now… please enjoy this surprise villain(?) chapter! “… I have one final question for you, Vinyl… do unicorns of your time know what a polymorph spell is?” I asked my captive with the slightest hint of thrill in my voice. The white mare simply shrugged the question off; her blind hatred for me was preventing her from seeing what it was that I was trying to tell her. Her ignorance has provided me with so much joy these past few hours… -sigh-, but I suppose all good things must come to an end. It truly is a shame; with no new books for me to read, no students willing to learn in the afterlife, and Lyssa being mute on a subject I’m quite interested in, Ms. Vinyl Scratch’s leaving of this pit will signify the end of my brief respite and the return of my boredom… …But soon I’ll have Cogwill’s mind to pick. Soon I will have access to the knowledge of an entire civilization. Soon I, Starswirl the Bearded, will possess knowledge equal to that of a god! My hoard will grow large enough to rival even an elder dragon’s, and once that happens… mehehe… well, that’s when the fun begins. Oh… I’m getting quite ahead of my silly little self, aren’t I? I’m missing out on the bard’s reply! “Well… yeah. It’s still taught as one of the basic spells next to levitation and how to set things on fire.” The youngling answered to the best of her pitiful abilities. “Why do you ca-” And there it was. The ‘I just figured it out’ look. Lyssa do I love that look. It has been far too long since I’ve seen such a wondrous expression! The mix of shock and surprise! The pulsating of inner magic growing! The knowledge in the air… divine~ Too bad the young bard, merely a filly in my eyes, did not share in my joy. -Sigh-, thus is the way of the young and (soon to be) living. Too engrossed in the here and now to see the bigger picture… how I pity them. The filly even had the gall to roar at me! The nerve! “Don’t you dare touch one hair on my head you dragon loving, flank kissing, hoard worshiping, knowledge snorting, blank flanking, egg heading, puppy kicking, skin flaking, dog impaling, black and white lying, bat-winged crazy, piece of horse sh-” But her petty insults fell on deaf ears as I completed my spell and as my glorious god released her mighty flames. Combined, these two bursts were enough to aid young Vinyl Scratch in her goal of exiting this world, and aid in my goal of setting the gears in motion for my glorious future. At the sight of it all, I began to laugh. I laughed at Vinyl’s futile attempts to run away from the magic cage. I laughed at her adamancy over ‘spiting’ me. I laughed as I thought about all the marvelous knowledge I was about to receive. And I laughed simply for the sake of laughing. It felt wondrous. Thank goodness too, because I really needed a good laugh after that! My Lyssa are ponies of this time rebellious! I made one little slip up by showing her how Cogwill dies and bam! Suddenly the whole plan crumbles! In retrospect I should have structured my presentation better… bah, it wouldn’t have mattered. I’m horrible at social events, especially ones that I myself started! Ugh! If I had more time I bet I could have kept her on my side… but I guess I shouldn’t keep kicking myself like this. What’s done is done. If I had waited things would have gone smoother, but then the odds of Lyssa’s flame working would have shrank with each passing second… so, again, it wasn’t like I really had the time to work on something better. Still… I’m so incredibly angry at myself. I only had one chance here! One! I’ve used the time lapse between the land of the living and the land of the dead to my advantage by sending Vinyl only twenty four hours into the past… but now the odds of her success are minimal! I needed her cooperation on the first try for my own sake, because if she dies now… well then some other Starswirl will get to read Cogwill’s mind, and not me! … -Sigh- But I guess that’s the inherited problem with time travel. You’re always creating parallel universes. If she dies now, Ms. Vinyl will be cast down into Tartarus again and run into a Starswirl who hasn’t met her yet. I have full confidence that this Starswirl will be brilliant enough to decipher the message I left for her in the bard’s inner magic network and brilliant enough to activate the reanimation time travel charm as well… but that doesn’t benefit me in the slightest! Once more, I found that I could only sigh in response. “Oh well… at least I’ve appropriately punished that little filly for speaking out against me. That ungrateful little punk angered me so…” … Still, she gave me something to think about. The images I showed her of Cogwill were from paralleled worlds Lyssa glimpsed at… yet the scene Vinyl showed me was from this timeline, same as the image of Cogwill’s death. How is that possible? “What is that filly capable of doing?” I asked myself aloud. “Cogwill is destined to die this day, in this timeline, no matter what. Vinyl’s purpose is to simply change events slightly so that Cogwill’s greed flame burns before she dies, as that is all the change the laws of time travel allows without creating paradoxes… yet her presence in the land of the living can change destiny that much?! That’s just not scientifically possible!” “Obviously, friendship is the key” Flaring my wings out and igniting my horn, I turned around and came face to face with a bright green alicorn. I glared at the intruder. “You would say that, you stupid bleeding heart.” The stallion with the black mane snorted in response. “Yeah, I would. What are you going to do about it, you dragon loving bitch?” I kicked up dust as I prepared myself to charge. “I’m going to teach you respect, that’s what, you dolt colt.” He mimicked my actions as his feathery wings flexed. “Bring it, you intolerable mare.” With that we lowered our heads and aimed out horns towards each other. Silence rained as we stretched out our wings… … And then launched ourselves at each other at high speeds. In midair, the forces of Heaven and Hell clashed as the two of us… … Hugged~ “Clover!” I squealed as the stallion returned my embrace. “My faithful student! It’s been ever so long!” The ancient stallion smiled back at me and chuckled. “It’s only been a month, Master Starswirl.” I chuckled as well. “Ah yes, but while a month passes quickly with your presence, it might as well be an eternity when you’re gone!” He returned my chuckle with an even louder chortle. “That would not be the case if you would simply try to make a friend here!” “Oh, but I do have one!” I pouted. Again, the stallion laughed hardily. “I mean besides Lyssa. You need someone in your afterlife to teach or to share stories with or something! I fear at this rate you will grow nuttier then you are now!” One final time, we laughed as one before the two of us promptly separated and got down to business. As always, I allowed Clover to begin the conversation. Always clever that one; always knows the most important things to ask and when to ask them. His title in life was most fitting. “So” My former student began. “Who was that just now?” The obvious first question. With his connections, he probably already knows, but he asked it so he could transition the conversation towards other things. Only two steps ahead as opposed to four… I’m disappointed in him for not keeping his skills sharp. Regardless, I answered him truthfully. “A Ms. Vinyl Scratch, Clover. She was a new resident here in Tartarus who turned out to have been an associate of Fang Cogwill’s. I assume you know who that is?” Clover smirked. “I do now, Master. It was the whole reason you sent me on that trip to Heaven’s archives in the first place.” I smirked right back at him, and it seemed as though the corners of Lyssa’s lips tried to do the same. “Excellent. I expected no less from you.” Reaching into his four leaf clover branded saddle bag, Clover pulled out a small notebook which I could clearly see was full of notes. Again, I expect no less from my star pupil. “This information was not easy to obtain.” He replied. “Her files were only just made publically accessible to ponies of my tier a few days ago, and even then a good chunk of it was either altered or removed outright and placed within the archive’s vault…” I turned away disappointed. “I see…” Clover trotted up to me. “Oh don’t be like that. You already know that I snuck in and got this information as well.” I smiled warmly at him. “Ahhh… thank you, my faithful student. You surprise me again and again with your willingness to risk your spot in The Maker’s paradise for little old me.” Clover the Clever beamed proudly. “I said I would follow you to the ends of existence and I plan to follow through with that promise until the day my spirit gives out. I wasn’t the first bearer of the element of loyalty for nothing.” My inner greed flame flickered briefly as the knowledge of Clover’s faithfulness entered my collection. I purred as its warmth filled me with a sense of completeness. “I thank you once more, Clover… Oh, speaking of the elements; you wouldn’t believe it but I discovered that your little friend Pudding-Head’s vow is still used to this very day! Heh, I even received the chance to use it on Vinyl Scratch a moment ago!” “Really?” Clover asked excitedly. “I don’t believe it! I thought that promise system was gone forever!” “I did as well, but I guess my old journal must have survived all these years somehow… that’s the only explanation I have for it! It’s not like that old fat bastard ever so much as looked at a book in his life, let alone wrote anything down for future generations!” “Hehe, well I’ll be sure to tell him this when I go back up and see him in a couple days. Oh! Speaking of my friends, how is Princess Platinum doing? Has she…?” My head drooped as I looked away, unable to face the child. “I’m afraid her soul expired in your absence. Not that surprising, I’m afraid. She was showing signs of inner decay for the last decade or so, after all.” This news saddened Clover greatly. “I… see. That’s truly a shame… I can only wish her good fortune in the beyond then.” At the mere mentioning of this little tidbit of information, I leaned in expectedly towards Clover, hoping for more. “Well… why would she need good fortune, Clover? What is ‘the beyond’? Is it another plane of existence beyond this one? Is it simply reincarnation? Come on… you can tell me, right?” With the flare of purple magic, Clover pushed my form off himself. Without realizing it, I had clung to him during my inquiry. Using a cloth from his bag, he wiped a thick layer of my drool off his coat. “Master…” My student replied sternly as he put away the cloth. “You know what happens once a spirit dies is strictly knowledge reserved for the angels of Heaven, such as myself. I know your whole... dragon-ism… thing makes you hungry for learning new things, but could you at least restrain yourself from interrogating me while I’m mourning?” As we had been through this song and dance four times already, I simply shrugged off his latest attempt to ‘discipline’ me. “You can’t blame me for being curious. If I wasn’t curious then I wouldn’t have become the mightiest archmage not under Celestia’s rule. If I wasn’t curious then the field of time magic wouldn’t exist and certain feats of unicorn medical science wouldn’t be possible…” My student finished for me. “And if you weren’t curious, then you wouldn’t have delved into black magic and wound up as what is essentially a super market level greeter for the pit of hell.” I shot the child a glare. “I like to think of myself as an administrative assistant, thank you very much.” Clover rolled his eyes. “Whatever. I don’t know why you make me go through this conversation every time, Master… but getting back to the subject at hoof; I have gathered all currently available information relating to this ‘Fang Cogwill’ during my stay up above. I’ve combined everything I have on her into a detailed summary that chronicles her entire life from her arrival in Equestria all the way up to her current predicament… along with a few other snippets. “I hate to say it… but your theory about her being from another world might be correct.” “Meheh… oh, it’s much more than a simple theory now, Clover. Enough with speculation though; please share with me what you do have.” Together the two of us approached Lyssa’s bright burning flame just as its inner image flickered to the subject in question: Ms. Fang Cogwill, the human turned dragoness. Using his purple magic, Clover levitated his notebook forward. “Allow me to cover a few minor points before we start in earnest. To begin, her future was not on record. As I’ve explained to you, Master, the Maker’s angels have a power similar to Lyssa’s, and with it they can see into an individual’s future.” My horn glowed bright orange as I concentrated my attention on manipulating the flame’s image. “Yes yes, you’ve told me this already. From a creature’s point of birth, their entire life is recorded at once and put on file. Their predictions are famously wrong though, so I take little stock in them.” I looked up at Lyssa in all her glory. “Only Lyssa can truly see what is to come, Clover, and actually make a difference.” Clover sighed at my affection towards Lyssa, as he always does. To this day I still do not know whether his sigh is one of envy or pity; whether it be one that envies my close connection to the true god or sees it as something sick and wrong. For the sake of our friendship, however, I choose to ignore it. “Yes, I’m aware.” My student continued. “Their predictions are not as accurate as Lyssa’s, but the point is that this ‘Cogwill’ lacks one. She simply appeared one day, and her very existence has caused many fates’ to go completely off track. Some lives have ended prematurely, some have lengthened, and a massive amount of souls have been deemed ‘unknown’ thanks to her influence.” I mused over this data. “Quite the amazing feat for one so young, wouldn’t you agree?” Clover grinned. Oh no. That’s the ‘I know more then you’ look. Lyssa do I hate that look. That twat, Vinyl, used that same look on me not ten minutes ago. Well… she will pay soon enough for her insolence… … Once she is finished regenerating, that is. “Actually” Clover began. “It is believed that hers’ is an old soul.” “Hmmmm…” I digested this information. “Interesting… an old soul in a youthful body… the chaotic energy generated from such an inner clash would be enormous. This must be how she was able to fight Lyssa’s voice for so long…” Clover cocked an eyebrow. “She has fought off Lyssa’s voice? When did this take place? Also, while we’re on the subject, did I overhear you correctly in that Cogwill is destined to die this day?! Please, tell me what you know, Master. There are still so many events from her life that are missing in Heaven’s archives…” I nodded my head. “And there are many things that Lyssa was unable to see… I say that a recap is necessary for the both of us.” Clover nodded as well. “I agree. Only a single month of her life has been recorded, yet there is still so much we do not know… let us compare notes. It will be just like old times!” I laughed at my pupil’s enthusiasm. Despite all these years, he is still the adorable little colt I remember him being. “Very well, let us begin!” With the flare of my horn, Lyssa’s flame became our chalkboard as we gathered what we knew. I initiated the review. “One month ago, Lyssa summoned me away from my normal Tartarus greeting task in order to warn me about a new addition to her hoard in the form of a baby dragon. This girl was referred to as the ‘nameless one’.” I replayed for Clover the blurred image of Cogwill: the first actual image my Queen and I had on the dragoness until recently. Clover’s purple magic overtook my own as my student acquired control of the flame. “I remember that day all too clearly. You and the Queen were quite furious over this development, as it caused the latter discomfort, and thus you sent me to gather information in Heaven. Here is what I have.” The flame’s image grew more and more focused until I could clearly make out the creature in question. Cogwill sat dazed in the remaining fragments of what I could only assume was her egg. Quite curious; her body is young but not as young as a hatchling’s, so some force must have aged her to this point. It aged her to the stature of a child yet Clover claims her soul is not that of a child’s… again, curious. My student went on. “The information I am about to share it purely theoretical based off of firsthoof experiences and through gazing at estimations of certain individuals’ futures. Those who work in the archives have been desperately trying to gather as much data on this ‘Cogwill’ as they can, but their normal means of viewing an individual’s life have failed them on this subject.” With a quick spark of magic, I summoned my own notebook and began to take notes. “Fascinating. So she is so far removed from this world that not even the powers of Heaven work properly on her… she is truly a frightening individual.” A frown graced my apprentice’s face. “From what I’ve seen, Starswirl… she is not one to be envied.” I took little stock in Clover’s emotional response, but I was interested in his words. “What do you mean?” Sighing, Clover replied “From what I’ve seen, it is as though this very world has conspired against her. If your original theory holds water…” “Which it does.” I cut him off. “But I will explain this to you later. Go on.” “Right.” He answered. “If your original theory holds water, Master, then we can imagine that she is being treated as a foreign entity to this planet. Various creatures have unwittingly taken the role of ‘white blood cells’ and have attempted to take her life on multiple occasions in order to cleanse the ‘sickness’.” Lyssa grunted loudly. “Their failure angers the Queen.” I translated for Clover. He granted Lyssa a quick glance before moving forward. “I believe it would be for the best if I started at the beginning. “On the 27th of September, a pair of unicorn brothers, known as the Flim Flam brothers, stole the egg of a dragoness who goes by the name of Lady Crackle. The rather deformed, yet endearing mother is still unaware to this very day that the egg she currently possesses is not the one containing her future daughter, but instead a simple colored rock.” Lyssa whimpered sadly. Her subject’s pain is her own pain, thus this Crackle’s future sorrow is also her sorrow. It brings a small tear to my own eye to see her beat herself up like this. Queen Lyssa is truly a noble creature. “On the 1st of October” My pupil went on. “The Flim Flam brother’s returned to their home in a town called Trottingham and forcefully hatched their stolen egg.” The scene within the fire warped and changed until the first few moments of Cogwill’s ‘life’, from the brothers’ perspective, played for us. It was a violent scene, filled with angry shouts and dreadful magic. Despite my hatred of the one Lyssa herself fears, I couldn’t help but wince every time the two unicorns electrocuted the child… they were casting that spell in the completely wrong fashion! Fools! You are supposed to aim directly at her flame sac in order to achieve the proper results, as that is the source of her magical energy! Argh. Lord Luminaire must be rolling in his grave… or still drinking at my bar. One of the two. “The brother’s purpose in doing this, Master, was so they could use Cogwill’s flame to power their ‘Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000’; a supposed cider machine, crafted by their hooves, that was intended to make the two rich and famous.” “Did they succeed?” I asked. “Not from what I’ve seen.” Clover said. “This past month only garnished them with bad luck, and their future image on record hasn’t been relevant for the past ten years. It lists them as being hard working apple farmers around this point in their lives, but this is obviously not the case. And now, both of their souls’ fates have been deemed as ‘unknown’, so I haven’t the foggiest idea as to what will happen to them.” I scribbled a few more notes. “Duly noted. Let us move on then. So the two wished to use Cogwill, and I assume this didn’t bode well for her?” Clover nodded his head. “Correct. She attempted to run away the first chance she received, but was instead captured by a pony by the name of Trixie Lulamoon.” The image within Lyssa’s flame changed to that of a blue unicorn with a silver mane. We share the same coat, and her cutie mark resembles a lesser version of the one I cast aside centuries ago… she must be one of my decedents. From the moon clan or the star clan, I do not know nor care. My bloodline has long since stopped producing unicorns of interest, so why should this generation be any different? My student went on heedlessly. “She is nothing more than a showpony who uses her magic to make meager bits. Her role in Cogwill’s life is both minor yet significant at the same time. The ‘Great and Powerful’ Trixie…” “The Great and Powerful?” I asked with a snort. “Is she an archmage worthy of a title then, Clover ‘the Clever’?” I added cheekily. He laughed me off. “Ha! By no stretch of the imagination, Starswirl ‘the Bearded’. As I said, she is only a meager showpony barely capable of performing the spells foals of our time were trained to perform before entering formal education.” I scoffed at this. “And she makes money off of performing basic ‘feats’? By Lyssa do I weep for the future…” The kind stallion at my side placed a reassuring hoof on my shoulder. “Do not fear, Master: the giraffes are still making magical progress!” I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, like that’s encouraging.” Rolling his own eyes, Clover resumed. “The ‘Great and Powerful’ Trixie offered Cogwill food and shelter from the Flim Flam brothers, but then later went on to sell the dragoness back to the two in exchange for a wagon for her traveling talent show. This event was recorded in the unicorn’s personal file as a strike against her possible future residence in Heaven, and from my knowledge it would take a lifetime of good deeds to rectify such a black mark… something I doubt this mare is capable of. More importantly, however, this event also devastated Cogwil greatly, as she viewed Trixie as a friend up until this point. She spent the rest of that night crying…” “How strange.” I thought aloud. Clover shot me a look. “I don’t see anything strange in a young lady crying, Master.” Cursing under my breath, I fought back the urge to berate my former student for his passionate response. After all these years he still lets his sentiments get in the way of seeing the bigger picture. Still so naïve, this one. “I am not refereeing to that, Clover. Consider this: why was Lyssa unable to see this scene?” The colt considered my words. “Hmmmm… Lyssa sees events through a dragon’s greed flame, which burns when they are born and when they die, along with when they try to build and protect their hoards… what am I missing here, Starswirl? This event took place hours after her birth, and she was nowhere near dying, and I have no real clue what her hoard is…” I questioned his last point. “You don’t? Is that information not kept on record up there in the archives?” He shook his head. “It’s not something they deem as important knowledge.” Lyssa grunted angrily at this. Equally as angry, I shouted “Bah, a dragon’s hoard is just as important as a pony’s cutie mark or a griffon’s game preference! To not give it its proper respect is to spit in Lyssa’s face! Oooohhhh… when the day comes when Lyssa reclaims her divine kingdom, so help me there will be some changes to how those archives are kept.” Taking a step back, my little scholar tried to keep a straight face but I could tell that my words concerned him. I’ve assured him again and again that he and his scattered friends will be warned ahead of time, but he still fears the change that will come in the far flung future… Oh well. “Cogwill’s hoard is made of friends and family, Clover.” I told him. “If Trixie was truly her friend, then her loss would have triggered her greed flame, yet it didn’t. I wonder why this is…” Regaining his footing, Clover suggested that “Maybe her flame didn’t develop yet? You did say that her first few images were foggy at best, despite coming from when she was born. In the same sense to how a child only discovers his or her cutie mark when they discover their talent for themselves, maybe Cogwill didn’t realize what it was she wanted to hoard until later on?” I beamed proudly. “An excellent assumption, my faithful student! That might very well be the reasoning… yet, her soul is supposed to be older than what her body would suggest… if she were an adult, then wouldn’t she have discovered this long ago?” Clover shrugged. “Maybe her original race lacks such a system. Maybe they lack magic in general?” “Ha!” I laughed. “A completely magic devoid race? Oh Clover; you and your imagination… although, such a race would certainly be an interesting subject to study… Regardless, we have spent too much time on mere theories. Continue, please.” “Of course. On her second day of life, Cogwill succeeded in running away from the Flim Flam brothers and took up shelter in Trottingham. Here, she ran into a minotaur known as Iron Will.” My eyebrow rose. “A minotaur? In Equestria? Even before the country was named as such, such a thing was deemed a rare sight.” My student chuckled. “It gets better. He’s apparently a motivational speaker.” “My word!” I yelled. “H-he craves to have his voice heard? For money?! A minotaur that craves money?! Surely you’re pulling my leg, Clover?” He laughed at my confusion. “I’m guessing you don’t get a lot of minotaurs down here then, Master? This is not a new trend: for the past 500 years the minotaur race has taken to traveling more populated stretches of land then they have in the past. It is still a rare sight, but not incredibly so anymore.” I was still completely dazed. “Fascinating… is Lord Asterion running things differently then? Is he the cause behind such a drastic change?” “I haven’t the slightest clue, Master. The matters of the gods remain unknown to even residents of Heaven such as me.” I looked towards Lyssa for answers… only to receive none. She gives me so much, but remains quiet on subjects pertaining to the false gods as well as humans… it can be quite frustrating at times, but I push on through. Stretching out my leathery wings and cracking my neck, I took a seat and asked for my student to continue. “Certainly.” He replied. “Iron Will offered to add Cogwill to his family of goats, out of the goodness of his heart, as she claimed to have been an orphan.” “A fact that’s not all together untrue…” I added. “Right. She agreed, but the Flim Flam brother’s kidnapped her away again from right under Iron Will’s nose.” “Stealing from a minotaur… these two brothers must be incredibly brave or incredibly foolish.” I noted. “Tell me more about this ‘Iron Will’, Clover.” “Yes, Master.” Lyssa’s flame warped and changed until the image of Cogwill and Trixie disappeared, and a baby minotaur took their place. “Iron Will was orphaned at a young age.” Clover went on. “He was constantly bounced around from foster home to foster home until he reached his teen years. Most of his adopted families were ponies who didn’t know how to properly raise a minotaur, so they constantly tried to force the young calf to go against his very nature. Some families abused him, some smothered him with love… all were inadequate parenting techniques for raising such a creature. He is famously known for having an anger problem, which is theorized to have originated from such an upbringing.” The flame’s image changed to that of a dark blue, teen minotaur with a horrendously bad case of acne. “… When he reached his teen years, Iron Will left his current foster family and took to doing what all minotaurs do at such an age: travel. He roamed the countryside for many years in solitude, and what little interactions he had with others only served to fuel his short temper…” Changing one final time, the flame displayed the image of a tall, adult minotaur with fully grown horns. This man was surrounded by a large collection of goats. “… After ten years of travel, a rather complex event took place that resulted in the minotaur finally settling down and becoming one of the many sons of a sentient goat named Amalthea. Together with his new sisters and brothers, Iron Will continued his travels in order to impart his wisdom of how ‘To be Heard’ to both young minotaurs and ponies alike.” Bah… hearing such a remarkable feat always makes me envious of the living. The world has changed so much in my absence… I would love to see it someday with my own eyes. But I’m rambling. “What is this minotaur’s current status then?” “Oh, well after Cogwill’s kidnapping, Iron Will looked for the dragoness nonstop for three days before giving up the search and moving on to the next town over. To this day he still performs his shows…” Clover then grinned. “But he ends each show by asking the crowd if any of them just so happened to have spotted a certain green scaled hatchling. With his adamancy over it and the range at which he travels, I’d find it surprising if the two of them weren’t reunited at some point!” I quickly shot down Clover’s zest. “If she survives, that is.” Clover’s face drooped. “Ah… yes, that’s true. The Seapony War… it’s a curious event that has been prophesied for many years now, yet Heaven’s sages never knew when it would take place; how it would start, and what would be the ultimate result. I wonder if it was simply bad luck on our part or destiny that dragged Cogwill into this event… but nonetheless, from what I’ve seen of her character, I pray for the dragoness’ continued existence.” “And I pray for her to give into her greed before her life is extinguished.” I stated bluntly. “Despite what I told to that filly earlier, I’m not a betting mare. The odds of her success are minimal at best, thus I wish to have access to her mind before it is too late.” The stallion looked frustrated. “I remember you being a bit more caring then this, Starswirl.” Huffing, I replied “Oh, I’m still the caring master of the arcana as you remember me being, Clover… but when something bothers Lyssa it bothers me… Surely you understand?” He looked away. “Yeah yeah… I suppose I understand… but while we’re on the subject what did you tell that filly from earlier? More importantly, where is Ms. Vinyl Scratch now?” Lyssa’s face twisted itself into a grand grin, and I felt my own face twist to match hers. “We sent her back to the land of the living!” I stated proudly. Understandably, my former apprentice was shocked. “I-I was unaware that Lyssa possessed such a power.” “Clover, Clover, Clover…” I chimed happily. “What was one of the first lessons of magic that I ever taught you? ‘Loopholes are your greatest weapon!’ Lyssa has the power to return pieces of a dragon’s hoard to them in times of crisis, have I not told you of this?” Clover shuffled in place. “Y-yes, you did… but I was unaware the same could be done to, well, ponies.” Using my wings, I shrugged. “I can only assume that the process is unbearably painful, but it still gets the job done. Ms. Vinyl Scratch should be approximately twenty-four hours into the past by now; right where her corpse originally fell.” “I assume this was not done out of the goodness of your heart.” Clover questioned yet not. “Hehe, no. Of course not. I did it so…” Gargle …Well, that turned my face red. Stupid spirit body with its need for food… I blushed. “Hehe… c-care to join me upstairs in the bar? We can continue this over lunch.” Clover only smirked. “I think I’ll just stick to that lovely tea you serve up there. I haven’t had the need to eat for a long time.” I groaned. “Yeah, rub it in some more why don’t you, my ‘faithful’ student…” ***^*** Smacking my lips expectantly, my mouth couldn’t help but water as I looked at the feast laid out before me. Without a moment’s hesitation, I dug in. My student couldn’t seem to stop shaking his head in response. “Must you eat meat in front of me, Starswirl?” With a quick spell, I cleaned my face and answered while making sure my fangs were clearly on display. “I’m telling you, Clover, it is something you should try someday… once you let Lyssa ‘fix’ your insides, that is.” The stallion continued to shake his head. “I don’t think I could look at my bovine friends again if I did such a thing.” I grumbled. “The odds of this particular bovine being related to and or an acquaintance of one of your friends is astronomical, my student. Even if he was, he should have known better then to demand free service in my bar.” Clover still seemed disappointed in my actions. Tiredly, I sighed and added “I give him the chance to apologize every time his respawns, yet he hasn’t accepted it yet. Once he does, I’ll send him on his way. Happy?” Groaning loudly, Clover was most certainly not happy. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore! Why did you send Vinyl Scratch back to both the land of the living and back in time? Sending her back in time isn’t that crazy to believe, due to the time lapse between the two realms... hay, even I get sent back in time during my sanctioned visits to that realm! “So, again, the time travel bits aren’t that crazy, Master... the ‘resurrecting the dead’ parts, however, most certainly are. Care to explain?” I took another bite of my meal before replying “I’m afraid it will be hard to explain without using Lyssa’s flame. In the meantime, please keep filling me in on what has transpired up to this point and I’ll share my half later.” “… -Sigh-. Fine fine. Let me think... Cogwill had just been recaptured by the Flim Flam brothers, correct?” “Yes, sounds about right.” “Good. That means we are at the point where the three of them started traveling together. The dragoness was chained and bound to the inside of the twos’ contraption, thus she was unable to interact with anyone else during this time. This made things easier for me research-wise, as it meant I only had to keep tabs on the two unicorn brothers.” “Are the two of any worth knowing?” I asked around my latest bite. “Not in the slightest on any realm to which a soul might be judged.” Clover responded quickly and potently. He’s letting his emotions control him again. I’d criticize him, but that would mean I’d have to acknowledge my behavior towards the young bard from earlier. The further I can keep the conversation away from her, the better. “They’re despicable ponies unfit for further research, Starswirl. I am not speaking from the heart on this either; I am simply relating the thoughts and feelings those ‘graced’ with their presence have shared on the subject. A one ‘Mrs. Blue Night’ was quite adamant about speaking negatively about them during the interview I had with her earlier this morning.” I rolled my eyes. “Fine fine; they’re terrible ponies. Please move along.” Clover blushed before moving on. “R-right. The two of them, with dragon in tow, traveled across Equestria in search for quick success and profits. However, they were turned down at every corner. It is currently fall in the land of the living, you see, thus cider is not in season and thus nopony was interested in their machine. They might experience more success in the spring or summer… but I digress. Only two stops during their travels were significant…” “A trip to The Nursery and Manehatten.” I interrupted. I took a swig of my drink as Clover stood surprised. “Well… yes. How did you know this, Master?” “Cogwill’s flame burned during the trip to The Nursery.” I answered as I set my cup back down. “A changeling known as Legion attacked her and threatened to kill her. She was close to death, thus her flame burned. It was the very first time we were able to clearly see her… yet her mind was too full of fear, and later grief, for us to properly make use of the moment.” The stallion across the table made a couple notes in his own journal. “I… see. Well yes, The Nursery fiasco presented an interesting opportunity for Heaven’s sages. Through Legion’s judging, we received the first clear image of Cogwill’s character ourselves… and to this day we still don’t know what to make of it. She murdered a changeling; a race famously known for being literal Tartarus spawn. They are incapable of being anything more than mindless killing machines and those who break away from the mold, such as this ‘Legion’, rarely go on to becoming upstanding souls… yet Cogwill wept for Legion. She wept for the woman who was about to kill her without a moment’s hesitation. The verdict keeps changing on a daily basis… but for now Cogwill’s newly created file marks this incident as simply ‘an accident’.” “Next.” “What? But Master…” “Next, Clover.” I demanded a bit more forcefully. “Her ‘character’ is irrelevant. What I need is a clue; anything at all that seems out of the ordinary that could give me a hint as to how her race works. Need I remind you that this was the point of your little fieldtrip, not whether or not she is a good or bad dragon?” “… Ms. Vinyl Scratch did something that upset you, didn’t she?” Clover’s sudden question caught me off guard and nearly caused me to chock on my latest morsel. Maybe he’s not as out of practice as I originally thought… “…” I sighed. “You’re just as astute as ever, Clover. I grant you this victory.” He bowed to me. “Thank you, Master.” “Yes… Ms. Vinyl Scratch proved to be a frustrating pony. She went on about wanting to ‘protect’ her friend from me! The nerve!” “… You told her that you didn’t care about the dragoness, didn’t you?” “… Possibly, but I fail to see why that would be relevant.” Once more, I found the stallion’s hoof on my shoulder. “And this is why my friends and I were capable of defeating the Windigos while you were not. You always were clueless on how to act around others. Heh, let me guess: you still rely on that dusty old checklist when you go about your ‘greeting’ job, right?” “… Part 1: Greet Pony. Part 2: Take Pony to Bar. Part 3: Zone out Pony’s sob story. Part 4: Bid them farewell and never speak to them again… its worked out so far for me, Clover, so I don’t see any reason in deviating from it.” “… Hehe, Master? I know that nopony has said this to you for centuries… but you’re kind of a silly filly.” As I felt my cheeks heat up, I huffed and turned away. “W-whatever. So yes, Ms. Vinyl Scratch said and showed me some things that I did not agree with. With that out of the way, let us move on to the Manehatten incident.” Fighting dreadfully hard not to start laughing there and then, Clover replied “Sure thing Starswi-… wait, showed? She showed you something? Like, with Lyssa’s flame? Master… may I ask what this wa-” “No you may not!” I roared. He reared back. “Okay okay! J-just lay off the scary-as-all-get-out-skeletal-face thingy, please. You know how much that thing creeps me out…” I felt the skin reapply itself to my face as I calmed myself. Sometimes this colt infuriates me… Clearing his throat, Clover once more continued. “The day before Nightmare Night, the event that replaced Terror Night one thousand years ago, the brothers and dragon attempted to ‘hit it big’ in Manehatten: the current third largest city on the planet after Canterlot and Prance. Nothing of interest happened until later that day, when the brothers left the machine unguarded for a couple of minutes. During this time, the Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000 was stolen by a pair of delinquents with Cogwill still inside. Eventually being chased off by a police officer, the machine and Cogwill were both left abandoned in an alleyway as the thieves galloped off. Cogwill was left alone for hours after that, so not much is known about what happened during this time. “The significant event happened around the evening of that day, Master, when the machine was discovered by three children; a pegasus colt named Key Lime, a unicorn colt named Lock Smith, and, most importantly, a young griffon named Nathan De La Griffon. The griffon was forced into this situation against his will, and was in fact kidnapped off the street by the two other children.” “Goodness… I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: Lyssa do I weep for the future.” Using his wing instead of his horn, Clover took a sip of his herbal tea. Just one of his many odd habits. “Yes, I agree that the two colts were most certainly little bastards, but the griffon child is surprisingly well behaved and most certainly a kind soul.” This surprised me. “You gathered information on a random griffon child? Why? Is he someone of interest relating to Cogwill?" “If her hoard is truly made of friends and family…” Clover answered. “Then Nathan De La Griffon could be considered one of the crown jewels of her collection. I’m quite surprise that you don’t know him, actually.” At the comment, I stopped my gorging and sat back in order to think. “Hmmmm… I don’t know who is a part of Cogwill’s hoard. I didn’t even know Ms. Vinyl was her friend until she told me herself! I can’t recall seeing a griffon in any of the few instances where Cogwill’s flame burned… but those few cases only lasted for a brief second or were too blurry to make anything out… I do recall two instances where she used Lyssa’s strength to threaten others not to mess with her hoard… oh! Wait! Now I remember! She shouted something about this Nathan while partially under the influence of greed growth! So this griffon was this ‘Nathan’ then?” “Yes… but, interestingly enough, before meeting this child in Manehattan, Cogwill actually referred to herself aloud as ‘Nathan’ at one point.” “… What?” “I was confused myself, Master. It was earlier on, on the day she hatched. Flim heard her speaking to herself in passing a couple of times before him and his brother levitated her towards themselves. The foolish unicorn ignored every syllable he heard; mentally filing it as simply ‘noise’, but nonetheless this was still one of the extremely rare instances where Heaven’s sages were able to hear Cogwill talking to herself. As I’ve said, it’s currently impossible to watch her directly, and the brother’s preferred to keep her behind a soundproof wall for most of her life, so for the longest time the sage’s and I took to re-watching old events, such as this, in order to find anything we could use.” “Soooo…” I questioned as I mentally tried to piece together what Clover was trying to tell me myself. “She called herself Nathan? That’s a rather masculine name for a someone, even a supposed alien, to have… are you sure she was not simply speaking about someone el-” Clover cut me off. “Yes. I’m quite sure, because the conversation she was having involved her asking herself what the female variations of the name in question were.” “And what, exactly, is that supposed to mean, Clover?” Clover grinned. “It means that she was trying to give herself a new name. She even specifically started asking herself ‘what would a good female dragon name be?’ The final juicy bit, however, took place only a minute earlier when Flim asked aloud ‘why does the dragon have wings’ to which his brother answered ‘because it’s a girl.’ “Cogwill’s response was shock at the discovery that she was a she. Shock, Master, that I can only assume stemmed from the fact that she was not a she.” “… Are you seriously trying to tell me that she is a he, Clover? Please tell me you’re joking.” Using his hooves, Clover tried to ‘wave’ the accusation away. “Nothing of the sort! I’m simply telling you what it is that I discovered. I even have this recording from Trixie Lulumoon’s memories that backs this theory up. During their night together, Cogwill told Trixie about her day up to that point, along with her thoughts and feelings on certain events. Some of it was heavily modified to mute out certain things she said… but during her retelling, Cogwill referred to herself as a boy.” “Wait… she herself said that she was a boy?! Well that changes everything!” “No, she was lying, Master. I was simply sharing these odd tidbits with you, not trying to convince you that her words were true.” “What? How do you know that she’s lying? We know so little about this dragoness as is… what form of insanity drives you to claim that what little she admits of herself is false, Clover?” “Simple.” My student replied nonchalantly. “Because it was a lie.” Clover then directed my attention to his chestnut eyes. “I, along with all the sages, have seen the truth.” With a quick blink Clover’s eyes went from chestnut to bright red, and I then instantly knew the meaning behind his words. “… Oh. I see. So her soul is pink then?” Clover nodded his head. “Her soul is pink, and that’s all we can really tell. She hasn’t come across anyone capable of seeing her soul’s true form yet, and the odds of her doing so, let alone anypony else’s odds, are laughably low, so we’re not holding our breaths on receiving a better reading anytime soon.” With another blink the color of Clover’s eyes returned to their chestnut hue as he dismissed his celestial vision. Quite an interesting gift to have; the power to see souls. It’s reserved for the goddesses and those who live in Heaven, but cases have popped up over the centuries of mortals possessing these eyes as well. I once conducted research on the subject in life and concluded that the only way one could ever truly hope to obtain these eyes was from an overexposure to spiritual energy. ... It was amazing how many ponies relocated their homes over the gate to Tartarus after I made that information public. Sadly though, their efforts were for not, as even being so close to the gate was not enough to trigger such a thing. Residents of Tartarus, such as myself, are not capable of acquiring those eyes either. Only a mortal or an angel is capable of gaining that power… … Or a filly that was once dead but now is alive again… … Oh dear. “Starswirl?” My faithful student called out. “Are you okay? What’s wrong?” I shook my head to clear my mind of the haze it had just entered. “Oh… oh nothing, Clover. I was just realizing that I may or may not have granted a filly super powers, that’s all.” Clover laughed good heartedly. “Don’t you just hate it when that happens? Let me guess: Ms. Vinyl Scratch again?” “But of course… but it’s only a theory. It would be interesting if she did gain the power in question though, as then she would be able to confirm the state of Cogwill’s soul for us. Lyssa lacks eyes, so the gift of celestial vision is lost on her…” The stallion raised an eyebrow. “You’re… speaking about when Vinyl dies again, right? She’ll be able to share with us what she saw once she dies again… right? Please tell me this is what you’re referring to…” I replied with the toothiest of grins. “Maybe… maybe not~” “… Master… please at least tell me that Ms. Vinyl is still a pony.” “Well… I won’t tell you that she’s not a pony. Will that work?” “… Master… -sigh-. Never mind. So, this Nathan De La Griffon then…” As Clover returned to the main subject of discussion, I lifted my drink to my lips. “Yes, what about him?” “His files are god tier.” And thus my tea was sent jettisoning out of my mouth at high speeds as I performed a quite impressive spit take. “WHAT?!” I yelled at the top of my lungs, drawing attention from the other tables around us. “He’s… I… w-WHAT?!” Wiping away his now tea drenched face, Clover elaborated. “Yes… I reacted much the same way. From what I’ve gathered he’s not a god by any definition… yet his files are treated as such. I don’t know the reasoning behind this, but nevertheless it made keeping track of what happened to Cogwill during her time in Manehatten extremely hard. I had to rely on a second source in order to continue my research.” I was still in complete shock. “A god tier file for a young griffon… Who in Lyssa’s name is this boy?” “He’s Nathan De La Griffon, Master. He’s part of the ‘De La Griffon’ blood line, which contains only two notable members as of this time period; Triiodide De La Griffon and Frostwing De La Griffon, both of whom are loyal subjects to Princess Silphe. Triiodid is the boy’s father as well as a weapons scientist for the Plaines Empire, and Frostwing is the boy’s aunt as well as captain of Princess Silphe’s Crimson Eagles. Both are remarkable griffons, both have a fair amount of enemies, and both have had their files in Heaven tampered with.” Well… there’s a feeling I haven’t experience in centuries: my head spinning. “I was unaware it was even possible to tamper with Heaven’s archives.” “It’s not, Master. Only a goddess is capable of doing such a thing, thus I’m lead to believe that Silphe herself is responsible for this. She’s been known to visit Heaven frequently ever since Queen Gaia disappeared nine hundred years ago, so it’s not too farfetched. That one always was paranoid that the other celestial beings were out to get her…” “You’re getting off topic.” I had to remind Clover. “Please return to the subject of this griffon child. He has piqued my interests.” “Oh… certainly, Master. As I was saying the child is part of an interesting, if almost dead, blood line which has had a long standing tradition of serving the royal family of plains’ creatures.” “And the child, the latest in this line, was in Celestia’s kingdom of Equestria instead of the Silphe’s kingdom of Lemuria?” I asked. “That does not make sense.” “His father relocated him in order to solve a bullying problem… with mixed results.” Clover admitted. “And… how, exactly, do you know this, Clover? I thought you said his files were god tier.” “Oh, they are, and his father’s files are currently under inspection due to the aforementioned tampering… but Zhar-Pititsa De La Griffon is one of the few residents of Heaven who has access to his files, so I simply interviewed her for the information.” “And she is…?” “The boy’s mother, long since dead. From Heaven she continues to watch over her son, thus she is knowledgeable about his current activities. It was through her that I continued to learn about Cogwill’s exploits, starting with her fated meeting with Nathan.” Hmmm… so the boy lost his mother… a sad, yet all too common, occurrence. It’s one of the rare few cases of suffering that I can relate with, even though I didn’t even know my own mother… but that is irrelevant. “Well then, tell me about this ‘fated meeting’, Clover.” “Of course. The boy’s mother provided me with the status of both Cogwill and Nathan at the same time, as the former was responsible for saving her son, thus she felt compelled to watch over her as well. The two colts I mentioned earlier shoved the griffon into the brothers’ machine, which they thought was a dumpster at the time, in order to forcefully remove a birthmark from the griffon’s ‘flank’ as they, in their boyish youth, felt that it looked like a cutie mark thus ‘improper’ in their eyes. “Cogwill, while still hanging from the wall, felt it necessary to intervene during this exchange and stop the event from happening outright. Her actions saved the griffon from harm and, after much convincing from her side, the two became fast friends. “Destiny was a cruel mistress, however, as the Flim Flam brothers found the machine only moments later. With Cogwill’s aid, the griffon escaped harm a second time, but had to leave the dragoness behind as a result.” “I assume he came back then.” I guessed. “It would match up with the timeline, after all.” “Yes he did return, Master, and brought hell with him.” I groaned. “I rather hate that expression. Why must it always be ‘hell’? Why must Tartarus always be considered the worst possible place in existence? I’ve worked hard make this place civil, damn it!” Clover laughed. “Fine fine. How about vengeance? Can we say that he brought vengeance with him?” “That would be much better.” “Okay then. So, bringing vengeance with him, the griffon returned in order to save Cogwill. Mrs. Pititsa went on and on over how brave he was, so I don’t know the exact details of what transpired. All I really gathered from the brothers’ memories is that Flam chased the two of them over rooftops, but I’m unsure how exactly they escaped. The point though is that, for the first time in over four weeks, Cogwill was free. “… But that’s when her true trials started.” “It’s also when her greed flame began to develop.” I added. “I guess this marks Nathan as her first true friend, as he was the first thing she collected.” “She doesn’t view people as things though, Starswirl.” Clover was quick to remind. I disregarded his statement. “How she views them doesn’t matter. What does matter is that Lyssa and I were now able to see her more often thanks to this.” “Right… anyways, after the rescuing, Nathan opened his home to Cogwill and the two promptly recuperated. They shared stories, ate, and Nathan offered an ear for Cogwill’s pain, similarly to how she lent an ear for him. Beyond breaking down into tears again over killing Legion, she also told the child a fabricated story about having lived with Iron Will for years before being kidnapped by the Flim Flam brothers.” Finally finishing my meal, I began to stack my numerous plates with my orange magic. “So even with her first friend, Cogwill resorted to lying in order to hide her true origins. Clover, you’re more of an expert in the field of ‘friendship’ then me, so tell me, is this behavior unusual at all?” “Not at all.” The first expert of the ‘magic’ (and I use that term loosely) of friendship responded. “It’s quite common for one to lie about themselves in order to prevent hurting others, and this is equally as true in friend making. Princess Platinum did it all the time to me, and you tend to slip up every now and then yourself, Starswirl.” I was offended. “I do not! I have been nothing but honest and truthful since the day we’ve met!” “Then what about Ms. Vinyl Scratch then?” “I didn’t lie to her! I was honest and truthful with her the entire time.” “I was referring to how your words and actions tend to contradict each other, Master. That in itself is another form of lying.” “… Hmmmm… I guess I never thought of it like that… I’m not going to change anytime soon, however. Continue, please.” “Sure… the two children’s’ rest was cut short by the arrival of Nathan’s landlord, who came demanding rent. Upon learning that his father had not paid his apartment’s rent for that month, the griffon feared for the worst. He feared that something was about to, or had already, happened to his father, thus the griffon started making plans to travel. He was planning on taking a boat to Prance, the largest city in Lemuria, in order to then get in contact with his aunt over the situation. “Even though she didn’t fully understand the situation, Cogwill was adamant about following Nathan to Prance. She said she wanted to thank him in some way for saving him, so making sure he arrived in Prance safe and soundly seemed logical to her. Something to note; her original reason for following along was due to the fact that Nathan was a child, and she was an ‘adult’. She apparently thought of herself as a dragon of twenty one years of life instead of eleven, and apparently this misconception was brought about by a book titled…” “How to properly care for your Dragon companion for foals.” I finished for Clover. “Oh please don’t tell me the blackest scar on my record is still in existence…” “I’m afraid so, Master.” I banged my head on the table. “Ugh! How was I supposed to know that landwyrms had limbs up until their teen years, which doesn't start until their thirty?! Argh! Stupid landwyrms…” Biting back an obvious laugh, Clover tried to return to the topic. “H-heh..." -Snort- "A-anyways; this could be her true age then, unless she was lying again, but I don’t see the purpose in doing such a thing. Back to the event: reluctantly, Nathan agreed to Cogwill accompanying him and the two went about preparing for the trip. “It was also during these preparations where Cogwill told Nathan to call her ‘Cog’. This was the first time she shared her name with anyone and the first time I, along with Heaven’s sages, could refer to her by a name instead of just as ‘that anomaly’… although we’re the only ones who call her by her name. Most of the lower tiers of angels still don’t even know she exists, which I personally find deplorable. One the greatest anomalies in our soul cycle and only a dozen or so of us even know about it?! Ridiculous!” “Hahah!” I chimed. “I thought you were used to that feeling by now, Clover! It took you years to convince the high councils that your method for exterminating Windigos was legitimate, remember?” Banging his own head on the table, Clover groaned. “Why did you have to remind me of that? I still get a migraine every time I think about it. If Celestia didn’t have that change of heart when she did…” This time, it was my hoof that found purchase on Clover’s shoulder. “The past is the past, my faithful student. Unless you’re considering studying my ancient time travel school of magic, I suggest that let what happened happen and move on.” “Well then stop bringing it up then!” He retorted. “Hehe, I’ll stop when you stop being adorable when flustered~” Blushing wildly, Clover tried to change the subject by getting back on track. “T-the rest of Cogwill’s stay in Manehatten was spent at Nathan’s side. The two of them helped each other out at every turn until they made it to the Manehatten docks… where the Flim Flam brothers were waiting for them. “Thankfully, because it was Nightmare Night, the two children were disguised and thus safe from the brothers’ wandering eyes. Using their bits, Cogwill and Nathan managed to bribe a stallion in exchange for safe passage aboard the only ship leaving the docks that night: the S.S. Luna Returner. Due to a series of unlucky occurrences, however, the two were forced to retreat from their purchased hiding spot. During their retreat they were spotted by the brothers and trapped into an alleyway.” I nodded my head. “Yes, I actually recall a bit of this. Cogwill’s greed flame burned with the desire of protecting her hoard during the resulting fight. It only lasted a second, but it was enough for the Queen and I to see where she was and enough for us to read the overlaying thoughts on her mind; thoughts that simply designated where she was and what she was currently doing… but nothing else. It was truly disappointing, as this was the last time she was ignorant of what the flame in her heart actually was. Once Emeraldgrey explained the nature of the flame to her the next day, she somehow gained the power to block her mind from Lyssa’s eyes…” Clover looked confused. “Emeraldgrey? Crackle’s former mate? At what point did Cogwill meet her father, Master?” “On the S.S. Luna Returner, my good stallion. Please tell me you researched him along with everyone else…” He looked away. “N-no, I didn’t actually. I didn’t know that they met! When could that have taken plac-… wait. There was a point in which she went into the ship’s basement where the sages and I couldn’t watch her anymore… are you telling me that Emeraldgrey was down there?!” I clicked my tongue in disapproval. “Clover… I’m disappointed in you. You seem to be slipping in your ‘old’ age. Ms. Vinyl Scratch was down in the basement during that conversation as well, I saw this in from Emeraldgrey’s eyes. You could have simply looked through her eyes as well in order to see what took place for yourself.” Clover groaned loudly. “Ugh! I used that filly’s memories three times in my research and I didn’t think to look any further then the kitchen incident?!” Our table was then assaulted with Clover’s ancient head banging against the equally ancient conjured wood. “Stupid, stupid stupid!” Lifting a hoof to my mouth, I held back a chuckle. “I hate to make things worse, Clover, but you just admitted to knowing about Ms. Vinyl Scratch ahead of time.” Stopping his assault for a brief second, Clover’s eyes widened before he dived back into his attack. “Argh! Stupid…” “Hehe… don’t worry. I frankly don’t care if you knew her or not, only that you give me any research you conducted on her while you were in Heaven.” “… -Sigh-. I suppose that is only fair. Should we continue this back in Abaddom, where we can use Lyssa’s flame?” “Yes, that sounds like an excellent plan… after desert.” “What? But, Master…” I wagged my hoof. “Uh uh uh. Remember the second rule of magic, Clover. Don’t get in between a mare and her pie.” “…” “… Okay, I’ll admit it’s more of the rule of the world then it is of magic, but that doesn’t make it any less true.” ***^*** I patted my belly contently as I fluttered down into Lyssa’s pit with Clover by my side. “I can’t believe I ate the whole thing…” “You’re a pig.” Clover commented. I smacked my lips noisily. “Hmmm… pig… maybe I should have some ham next time…” Clover facehoofed. “Oh for the love of…” My fangs were once more put on display as I smirked towards my student. “I’m telling you, Clover, the griffons have the right idea.” An angry grunt from Clover shut me up. Rude… but I guess there’s only so much a namby-pamby angel can take. Ignoring my pupil’s growing annoyance, I quickly fluttered up to Lyssa’s giant mouth and reached into my saddle bag with my magic. I levitated the remaining slice of my pie towards her. “Her you go, my Queen. Sorry it’s not cake.” Hurriedly, the mighty Queen of Draconics devoured the treat and roared happily. This brought a smile to my face as I flapped back down to Clover’s side. Once again, Clover only stared at Lyssa for a brief second before shaking his head, thus ridding himself of whatever thoughts he was preoccupied with. “Master, I’m sorry for being rude but I’d like for us to hurry this up. It has been almost an hour and so far I’ve been the only one sharing anything. I don’t know when I’ll be suddenly summoned back to Heaven in preparation for the outcome of the Seapony War…” With the swish of my horn, I brought forth a variety of red flames into existence for the two of us to use. “I agree; this is not fair for you, Clover. You’re just as interested in Cogwill as I am, and it’s not fair that you have not had the chance to learn as much as I have so far. Please, use Lyssa’s flame here to finish retelling the Manehatten incident. From there, I should be able to share my fair share of what happened for your benefit.” With the flash of purple magic, the ball of flame between my student and myself warped and changed until it became large enough for the both of us to peer into it. “There’s not much else to say about her time in Manehatten, Starswirl. The result of the fight was Cogwill and Nathan being victorious over the brothers, and after that they were successful in getting aboard the S.S. Luna Returner as well. Once the two landed on the ship, however, they were instantly discovered by Ms. Vinyl Scratch, and from there by the whole ship. They were quickly put to work after their discovery, in order to work off the debt of their trip. Quite against the norm, the two children agreed to go through the hard labor. This is just another little tidbit that points towards the possibility of Cogwill’s soul being older and wiser than one would think. “During her time on this ship, Cogwill made four friends.” Twinkletwinkle With the use of magic, Lyssa’s flame displayed the images of four ponies; Ms. Vinyl Scratch, a blue furred pegasus (who I can only assume was this ‘Mrs. Blue Night’ mentioned earlier) mare, a red furred unicorn stallion, and lastly a second white furred unicorn mare. This last mare looked incredibly familiar. “My word.” I remarked. “The one with the diamond array cutie mark looks a lot like the late Princess Platinum. Is she her descendent?” There was a pause before Clover answered. I made sure to make note of this. “… It’s… a possibility.” He finally admitted. He then stared at the mare’s image longingly before sighing and continuing. I made sure to make note of this as well. “… Anyways, this unicorn, this ‘Rarity’, is actually one of the current bearers of harmony; Generosity specifically.” “Generosity…” I muttered to myself. Something then clicked in my mind. “Wait…” This time with my own magic, I brought forth my own ball of flame and lengthened it into a decent size. Once it was finished shifting, I closed my eyes and searched through Lyssa’s massive memory library with my mind. Peering into Lyssa’s mind is like peering into the sun itself. It burns the unprepared, destroying their very soul in the process. However, as her faithful student, I have the Queen’s permission to be here and thus protection against the horrors that lie within. Once one is protected against the blinding walls and intense spiritual pressure, they then run into the second obstacle that's designed to challenge fellow seekers of knowledge, such as myself… … It’s too bloody big! Without the gentle push of Lyssa’s magic guiding me, I’d fear to be lost within this labyrinth until the end of time itself. Not even a minotaur would be able to navigate this endless realm… which is truly a shame. Lyssa’s knowledge of humans must be in here somewhere, but to travel off the beaten path would be suicide. Thus I followed along loyally as I was directed to the memory I was seeking. Once I found what I was looking for, a quick spark of magic returned me to the land of the waking, and from there I made quick work of displaying the scene trapped within the memory for my student’s benefit. The image was quite fuzzy, due to the nature of Cogwill’s flame during its recording, but one could make out the blurred images of a fish-like pony and two white unicorns, so it got the job done. “… Oh do not try to hide it, dragon; I can smell your magic upon these two, as well as on this griffon and a little filly. The filly was of no importance to me, but this griffon is quite interesting. He possesses much more magic then his kind is known for, something that resembles Celestia’s magic brandings, and he stinks of the smell of magical Generosity… Sadly, this is not as impressive as it should be, for this aroma emanates from these two unicorns as well. The filly stinks of it as well, but it is only minor in comparison. Because of this, I'm lead to believe that one of these two is the bearer… It’s quite simple, little Cog. Your hoard is powerful. Too powerful. Not even an elder among your kind possesses a greed flame as powerful as yours. Not only that, but it shines with the light of the elements as well! That’s not something you can easily duplicate, especially the smell. The only way any of this could be possible is if you were connected to an element in some way, such as being his or her friend… You've already admitted to having a hoard made of ponies, lizard, so it's not that unbelievable that you are the bearer's friend. Just as you added her to your hoard, so too did the bearer of the element take advantage of you, dragon. One of these two ponies funneled their power into those connected to you and successfully cloaked themselves. Quite clever, I'll admit… Whether it was intentional or not it does not matter; what matters is that, without your knowledge, your hoard became one with the element of Generosity, little one, and led us here… We owe you a debt, Cog; simply point out the true element of Generosity amongst these two, and you get to keep her." As I mused over this scene and glanced back at Clover’s own image, the stallion by my side stared into the flame with a look of shock. “Was… was that the seapony Princess’s voice, Starswirl?” I paid Clover’s question little mind as I kept fiddling around with my own image. I made slight adjustments until the two white smears (presumably the unicorns) were centered in the middle of the flame. I compared my image with Clover’s back to back… and confirmed that these were, in fact, the same ponies, minus the pegasus and the stallion. “Hmmm… that would explain why her greed flame died during this conversation… Clover? Is Cogwill friends with any other griffon, or was the Princess referring to Nathan?” Caught completely off guard, my faithful student had to once again shake himself out of his stupor before he could respond. “Huh? Wha? Oh… no, Master. I believe that Nathan is her only griffon friend, so this woman’s words are probably referring to him… You haven’t answered me. Is this woman the seapony Princess, Starswirl?” I shrugged. “Possibly… I don’t really know nor care. I believe she called herself ‘Diamrem’ or the likes, but I don’t recall seaponies ever having a Princess; only a Queen. Is this information relevant to you?” “I’d say it’s relevant!” Clover suddenly bellowed. “Heaven’s sages have been going absolutely nuts trying to find a way to look into this event, yet here you are showing it to me as if it’s no big deal! If Lyssa would only share these memories with me, we cou-” “RRRRRRROOOOOAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!” “AHHH!” Quickly springing to action, I launched myself into the air and between Lyssa and the cowering Clover. I gave the former a sympathetic look. “Lyssa… please forgive this sinner. He knows not what he does.” Lyssa grunted loudly before allowing the chains that bind her to go slack. I then fluttered next to Clover’s shaking form. I sat down beside him and began to stroke his mane. “Oh Clover. Silly, silly Clover. How many times must I tell you that the Queen doesn’t share? Besides, what would the sages actually do if they were to receive these images?” Clover remained silent. I beamed at him as I patted him on the head with a hoof. “That’s correct! Absolutely nothing! Those stupid bureaucrats would simply file the information away and use it only when the event is good and over with. You know what Lyssa would do though, Clover? Using their flames, she would drive her people forward in glorious war in order to change destiny! So, do you still think that Lyssa should share?” The stallion honestly thought about it for the briefest of seconds before Lyssa snorted loudly, thus releasing a thick stream of black smoke. Clover cringed at the sight and hurriedly replied. “Okay okay! I get it! I won’t ask anymore…” I beamed at him proudly. “Good boy. Now… was there anything else important you needed to share with me then concerning Cogwill?” Getting back to his hooves, Clover scratched his chin. “Hmmmm… well, not that I can really think of. Cogwill spent most of her time on the ship either with herself or with Mrs. Blue night… but nothing of interest really took place between the two. She taught her how to fly, but that was about it. That is not to say that Mrs. Blue wasn’t important to her, however. Quite the opposite, actually; Mrs. Blue was very near and dear to Cogwill’s heart, and her resulting anger over her death was understandable. Interestingly enough, ever since she died a thick blanket of spiritual fog has covered the entire ship, making it impossible for even the sages and myself to see what’s going on. I guess one could say that her death was what started the Seapony War…” Stretching out her massive wings, Lyssa roared mightily as a result of Clover’s words. “She is furious over Cogwill’s inability to protect her hoard.” I once again translated for the still shivering stallion. “That’s… rather cruel, Master.” … … This foolish child. This stupid foolish child. “No, it’s not cruel.” I spat as my voice grew with my anger. “What is cruel, my naïve student, is that Lyssa is being denied something. The Queen, who has done more for this world then you and I could ever hope to comprehend, is being denied what is rightfully hers. She has changed unfavorable fates, she has foreseen disastrous futures, and she has ended the lives of dictators before they even began, with Celestia being the only notable exception… And yet, after all she’s done, after all the love she gives, she is chained up for her ‘crimes’?! No, Clover, I do not view Lyssa’s treatment of Cogwill as ‘cruel’; I view Cogwill’s treatment of Lyssa as cruel! Why must she deny the Queen her proper dues?! Why must she hog her hoard for herself and fail to defend it properly?! “Why must her mind be so delectable, yet so far out of reach?!” “… I’m done here.” At the sudden change of tone, my anger all but ceased. “I-I’m sorry, what?” Clover stretched out his wings. “I said I’m done. I’m sorry, Master, but your behavior on the subject has been less then appropriate. This has gone way beyond simple curiosity to full blown obsession, and I swore to you I would never aid you in your obsessions under fear for your soul. I already lost you once; I’m not going to lose you again.” I remained quiet. “Starswirl… you know I love you like a mother, but you have a habit of being easily obsessed over things, and once you become obsessed with something you quickly disregard your morals in order to better pursue whatever the hay it is. It’s the whole reason you’re here in Tartarus in the first place; to be punished for the horrible crimes you committed while under the influence of obsession. You were never supposed to discover Lyssa, nor intended to make this place livable, and certainly not supposed to turn half dragon. You were supposed to learn from your mistakes, Starswirl, so that when your soul dies…” Suddenly, Clover’s lips became sealed with the glow of yellow magic. After struggling for a moment or two, the magic subsided and Clover was once more able to speak. “…” … But he chose not to. I answered for him. “The beyond? He nodded. “The beyond. I am physically incapable of speaking about it, but please trust me when I tell you that the path you’re currently on will only lead you to despair.” I snorted, finding his accusation laughable. “The only despair I’m going to feel is when Cogwill dies and the mysteries of the human race are forever lost with her.” “Master! Take what I’m saying seriousl- … wait. What was that about humans?” My eyes sparkled, momentarily forgetting Clover’s earlier claims. “Cogwill revealed her race only this morning, and its one I’ve never even heard of! Isn’t that wonderful? New knowledge to consume! “Unless… they are a secret kept by Heaven’s sages, such as the beyond.” I accused my student. He groaned loudly. “Quit trying to derail my speech, Master! I’m being serious here! Also, no, humans aren’t some big secret. They aren’t anything to my knowledge, as this is the first I’ve ever heard of them myself.” “Oh but they are something, my faithful student.” I smiled happily. “Lyssa herself refuses to talk about them. She’s hiding them from me, thus I am led to believe that they are real.” “But I’ve never even seen a human before, Starswirl.” Clover shouted angrily. “Thus there is no possible way they can be real! I’ve seen every race on this planet, and beyond, during my afterlife, and so have you!” “… Do you dare second guess me, colt?” Still shouting angrily, Clover pointed an accusing hoof at me. “See?! This is what I’m talking about! You blame me for being emotional, yet here you are with a bee in your bonnet over me simply pointing out the facts!” “DO YOU NOT SEE WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT?!” I roared with the very power of Lyssa coursing through me. He was threatening my theories! Mine. “NEED I REMIND YOU WHO IS MASTER AND WHO IS STUDENT HERE?!” He dares to question my knowledge. Mine… strike him dow- Clover’s voice snapped me out of my greed rage. “There! You see?! You’re listening to Lyssa’s voice right now, aren’t you?! Told you to strike me down again, didn’t she?!” Despite the blaze of my inner greed flame consuming my very being, I couldn’t help but blush. “M-MAYBE…” “Don’t try to deny it! You’re eyes are all split and dragon-y; that’s your tell right there! Here…” On the ground between us, Clover threw down his notebook. “Read this if you want any more information on Cogwill. I’ll just wait and watch as things unfold from Heaven like everypony else. But before I go, tell me what you did with Vinyl Scratch. Don't think you can hide anything from The Maker's eyes simply because you're trapped here, Master.” My glare intensified. “You want to know? Fine, I’ll tell you. I trapped her in a spatial loop and warped her body beyond recognition. I doomed her to relive this event over and over again until the end of time. I sentenced her to hell. There! That’s what you wanted me to say, right?! RIGHT?!” “… Someday, Starswirl… you’re going to wake up, and not like who you see in the mirror.” He then took to the air… “Good bye, Master…” And left me with Lyssa. … I reached out for the notebook with a skeletal hoof, just as the skin started reapplying itself. … … Stupid Clover. My knowledge is not faulty. Lyssa is not false. My actions are just… … … Let’s see what else that dolt colt kept in this thing. With the twinkling of my orange magic, I sat down and began to read through his report. An encounter with Ms. Vinyl Scratch… playing dress up with Rarity… singing… all of this is irrelevant. It appears as though Clover only truly paid attention to the moments Cogwill’s life where she was happy… I can’t use any of this. The Cogwill Lyssa and I watched through her greed flame, the one filled with draconic rage and such righteous passion, is the one we need. Happy Cogwill doesn’t tell us anything, but devastated Cogwill tells us everything. Her race, her goals, her future... but the most ‘happy’ Cogwill has ever given us is indigestion. A nun… a stupid nun. A black dress, white coif, glasses wearing nun: commonly known to steward orphanages created and funded by Celestia herself. … Lyssa I hate nuns. Only more reason to hate Cogwill as well. Hate the one who’s going to steal Lyssa’s subjects from her. Hate the one who argues with Lyssa. Hate the one who Lyssa fears… … I cannot possibly fathom Clover’s defense of this creature. … Bah. Enough with this. I need to get down to business. I know exactly where she is now, and thanks to Clover I now know how she got to this point. Two days on a boat was enough to convince her to defend it with her life on the third day, where she came face to face with ‘Princess Diamrem’ and her goal to flood the world for her supposed army of seaponies. With greed flame flickering on and off, Cogwill showed us everything but her mind told us nothing. She used Lyssa’s strength to slaughter and rend in the name of her hoard, but refused to give us her mind. And then finally, with her hoard completely devoid of anything for her Queen, Cogwill used her flame to greed growth into a true dragon and continue her rage… … While still blocking her mind from us, somehow. Grrrrr… Now… I can only rely on Vinyl Scratch. I have to rely on that stupid bard to give me the answers I seek… … Oh, speaking of, it should be about that time. Show time. “Lyssa…” I called for my Queen. “I believe it is time for us to watch the fireworks~” I remarked with a genuine smile. “RRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOAAAARRRRRHHHHHHH!!!!!” As happy as can be, Lyssa, in her infinite wisdom, summoned for me five orbs of fire to my side. Personal flames from my Master… truly I am blessed. Burning brightly in a red flame, the five mirrors into the land of the living began to glow and change their hues for me in a glorious display. One ball of red turned into a bright orange flame. Within, I could clearly see one of Lyssa’s true children: Emeraldgrey of the Everfree. His greed flame is burning as he draws closer to death. The second ball of flame transitioned from red to emerald green as a young hatchling appeared. Not a dragon but instead a sea serpent, I looked as the child struggled as he found himself on dry land. How curious… but Lyssa knows best so I chose to not question it. The third flame turned dark brown, and within its blaze stood the treacherous Cogwill. Unlike the others, her flame’s image stood stock-still and lacked the illusion of motion. This is the last image we have of her before she allowed the greed flame to consume her and before the second, unknown power stole our ability to see her away. Once this image moves again, Lyssa and I shall be in business. Purple became the color of the fourth red flame. Inside, an equally purple dragon child sat sick in bed as his green flames escaped his every breath. “Odd… why this one, Lyssa?” I bravely questioned the Queen. “RRRRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRR!!!” Though it may sound like noise to a lesser being, Lyssa has just assured me that this child’s mind will be just as important in the coming times. I nodded my head. “I understand, my Queen.” As the four flames spun around me, I looked towards the fifth and final ball of fire expectantly. This one must belong to none other than… Flapflapflap The sound of feathery wings flapping. Its sound distracted me, and drew my attention away from the flame. Clover had returned. “What is it now?” I spat. “Can’t you see I’m busy?” Clover’s face drooped. “That’s just the greed flame talking, Starswirl… but I guess you honestly don’t care anymore. I’ve come back to say goodbye.” “Ha!” I shouted. “It’s a bit redundant to return in order to say goodbye, Clover. Wouldn’t you agree?” As he landed, Clover kept his wings unfolded and ready, as if ready to bolt at a moment’s notice. “Yes, it is, but I have no choice. I thought I would be here for at least a couple of days… but I’ve already been called back to Heaven. I wanted to stick around, in order to speak with you again once you had calmed down, but I guess I will have to wait until the next full moon in order to make the transit between the two realms again. Hopefully, you can find it in your heart to forgive me for my outburst.” “Bah!” I cried. “Like I even care anymore. Off with you! Leave me to my future studies… not that you truly care.” Angrily, I brought my attention back to the fifth flame as its color began to change. “… Okay.” Clover finally answered. “I’ll go now. But please understand, Master, I do care about your theories, I just don’t care for your methods.” Narrowing my eyes, I gave the fifth flame my full attention as it took on a shade of dark blue. “… -Sigh-. Goodbye, Starswirl. Shuffleshuffle The sound of wings preparing to take off. Shizzle. The sound of the fifth flame settling, and the inner image taking shape. Clover spoke one final time. “Oh… and one last thing, Master?” “… Yes? What is it?” I replied quickly, still not looking at him. “… There is one other race that acts similarly to humans.” My head turned around so fast that it threatened to spin right off my neck. Damn it Clover… you always know how to catch my attention. Despite this, I tried to maintain me posture. “Well… go on. Spit it out.” Clover looked me in the eyes. “There is one other race that lacks a presence in both Heaven and Hell; whose existence has systematically been erased from the archives by various goddesses for as long as I can remember.” Out of the corner of my eye, I witnessed the complete transformation of the fifth flame into a dark blue window. I turned my head to look at it fully as I asked Clover. “And that race would be…?” I could tell from his tone of voice that he was smiling. “The Draconequis.” I turned back to Clover, confirmed that he was smiling… … And then sat forward once more, smiling myself. “Interesting…” I admitted as I stared at the creature within the flame. …The white dragoness within the flame. “How very interesting.” And thus A Cog in the Machine continued