"So...he's alive an...an he's alright?" Applebloom asked hesitantly. She had experienced the Gryphons methods for herself, but she needed to know. She couldn't go on wondering.
"He is as ok as one can be in a Gryphon maximum security prison. I know what you are thinking, you want to go save him." Dinky said, lifting a map in her magic.
"And I plan to help." she said softly. Beside her a dragon snorted, smoke coiling around his face.
"Dinky this is nuts, we'll be killed if we go in there." Spike said, looking over the map.
"We aren't the ones going. You are staying here Spike. We need you at full strength. I'll go, I already have it planned out. I'll need Shadow though." The colt nodded, Nox sitting close by him.
"Then I'm going too." Nox said, determined to help her brother.
"I'm sorry Nox, but if you tagged along it would ruin our chances. I need Shadow because he is the only one immune to the changelings power."
"What in th' hay are ya goin on about Dinky?" Applebloom asked from her bed nearby. Dinky smiled slightly to herself.
"I've been observing the Gryphons in Demarescus. I can only get so close with the TARDIS without them noticing. They seem to have found a way to detect its presence. I don't know how, but thats not important right now. What is important is that I have seen their security, how their codes work and how they communicate. The only thing left to do is to infiltrate the Prison and break out Pip and Amethyst."
"Amy is there?" Melody asked excitedly, snapping out of her trance at the mention of her mentors name. Dinky nodded, her smile fading.
"Yes...He's...He is there." Dinky said softly.
"Then I'm going too. Shadow is under my command and Amethyst is our number five rescue target."
"Melody, you need to understand. This isn't a normal rescue mission. We will be relying on the Changelings for this."
"How do you plan on convincing them to help us? In case you don't remember, we aren't exactly the best of friends." Sweetie Belle spoke up. Dinky looked over at her and flinched visibly. She couldn't help it, it was a natural reaction every time any unicorn saw such a sight.
A unicorn who had her horn removed, it was enough to make her sick, so much so that she was forced to swallow the bile rising in her throat. She smiled once more, trying to ignore the cracked stump atop her friends head.
"That's why I need Shadowflare. With the Darkness that fills his heart he can be completely emotionless and can stand against the Changelings manipulative powers and give them a message. You see, long ago the Changelings were ruled by a king, not a Queen. Much like the Alicorn's, the Changelings have an incredibly long lifespan, but this can only be maintained if they are well-fed. In the time of their Kings rule, the Doctor came to their Aid. Just as they were on their last vestiges of strength, he found them a source of willing love to keep them alive. In return for his help, they offered him this." Dinky lifted a strange relic into the air with her magic.
"This emblem marks The Doctor as an Honorary Member of the Changeling Royal Family. Shadow will go to them wearing this and demand they help us."
"Now how do you expect that to work?" Shadowflare asked, raising an eyebrow, though all they saw was a shifting of darkness.
"The changelings are bound by powerful magic to obey any who wear this emblem." Dinky said, continuing her explanation, though it was broken with a long yawn.
"OK, I understand the power of the Emblem, but if thats true why does Shadow have to go?" Melody asked.
"As I said before, he is the only one immune to their power. A changeling could still take the form of someone we love before we would have a chance to use the Emblem. Its a last resort in any case. You see, the changelings need only a peek into our minds and hearts to see who we cherish most. Then they take that form and drain us of our love and strength." Shadow took hold of the Emblem.
"I understand. The Darkness shrouds my mind and heart and if I allow it to, it will protect me from the Changelings. But if Nox comes along then love will fill my heart and my defenses will fall and we will lose our advantage. But that doesn't explain why you are tagging along and no one else can."
"I have nothing left to love." Dinky said simply.
"What about Amethyst?" Melody asked knowingly. Dinky merely lowered her head.
"Its not meant to be Melody. Amethyst...he deserves better." Dinky said, turning away.
"And before you ask again, you cannot come with us. You are too close to Sunshine to enter the Changeling Hive. It has to be me and Shadow. We'll return soon."
"Be careful..." Nox said softly. Shadow nodded, closing his eyes for a moment.
I am darkness...there is no light, no hope, only darkness, strength, power, unending and forever growing he chanted to himself. When he opened his eyes, all that remained was the empty red glow. It worried Nox and her mother, but they knew it was for the best. Dinky marched half-heartedly to the TARDIS with Shadow close behind her.
"In the meanwhile, Melody...take care of your family and don't worry about Piper."
"Dinky, theres something you aren't telling me..." The unicorn smiled for a moment and tipped her hat.
"Spoilers." the TARDIS closed and vanished.
A field of maps sat before the Pegasus. She sighed loudly, rubbing a hoof against her temple and looking back over the maps. Things weren't looking well for them. It would take a miracle for them to survive the next assault and they didn't even know when it would be coming.
Only one of her scouts had returned and they had done so on hoof with a pack of Gryphon's chasing them. It had taken hours but they managed to save the wounded Pegasi scout. The Gryphon's would rather die then give them any information and she had been only too happy to oblige them. Her frown faded into a smile as she felt a pair of hooves wrapping around her from behind.
"I need to focus AJ." Rainbow spoke up softly, feeling the mare lean against her back.
"Ya'll need t' relax a moment sugarcube. We can't have ya overworkin yerself." Applejack said back, tightening her grip slightly. Rainbow shook her head.
"They could attack us at any time AJ. I gotta be ready. We still haven't heard from the other camps. If we can get just one of them to send us reinforcements we can push them back and then we can surround them. We'll have the stronghold and the Gryphons will be that much closer to getting the buck out of Equestria." Rainbow said, determined to see her plan through. She blinked as a letter appeared in a burst of flames in front of her. She dared not hope, dared not dream who it had come from. She slowly unfurled the letter, her smile growing.
General Rainbow Dash. I would like to report my mission was a success. Sadly though it was not. Upon reaching the Gryphon outpost we discovered that Piper was indeed being held prisoner there, as well as Spike (who will be sending this letter to you) and my parents. We were unable to rescue Piper in our attempt.
However he did manage to escape on his own. I do not wish for you to get your hopes up, he is not himself. He has begun the changes towards becoming the Beast. In other news, Dinky has discovered the whereabouts of Percival Ignacious Peregrine Squeak as well as Amethyst Darastrix Shrike. She has taken Shadowflare with her as well as a magical artifact to recruit the changelings in our efforts to free them.
We do not have many targets left and will be returning to the battlefield shortly.
Your Loyal Crusader
Melody Delia Belle.
Rainbow Dash chuckled to herself and set the letter down.
"That kid...so much like her brother." Rainbow said. Applejack read over her shoulder and smiled.
"So they got Spike an her parents. But what 'bout Piper? What are we gonna do about him?" Applejack asked softly. Rainbow sighed and paced back and forth for a moment, glancing at her maps.
"If he does become the Beast...then we won't have any other choice. He'll be an enemy...and we'll have to kill him."
Hundreds of thousands of Heartless stood in formation as Piper walked down the aisle. He had formed his castle in the clouds, searching for the strongest amongst his army. Those of which had the power of mind to be able to speak were further tested to see the extent of their knowledge. To those who met his standards, he gave the titles of Generals and Commanders. The rest were devoured to increase their strength.
He would need all of them at their peak when he tore Niare down from the throne. He glanced to his right, his latest commander saluting.
"Blackbeak, with me." the Beast spoke up, the Heartless falling into line beside him along with his contingent of soldiers. A smirk spread across the Beast's face.
That's right. I'm not Piper anymore. I am the Darkness, I am the Beast. Piper was weak, he failed. But the Beast will not fail. All will be made right. The smirk changed into a grin. It was time for Equestria to see its savior, to repay its debt for all of his work from the shadows. But first, he had a date with a nearby Gryphon Stronghold.
Shadow remained quiet as Dinky turned and tweaked with the main console of the TARDIS, a look of grim determination on her face. Lost in the Darkness as he was, he felt no sympathy nor pity, but knew in the back of his mind that a piece of him wished happiness on the unicorn.
"Dinky. What you said back there about Amethyst, was it true?" he asked softly. Dinky paused for a moment, resting her hoof against a lever as she glanced over at him.
"There's nothing there for me Shadow. If we...no. When we do free him, he will need to recover and take his place as protector of the Elements."
"What point is there in that? The Element of Magic is dead. The Element of Loyalty is our enemy. The Element of Laughter is nowhere to be seen. The Element of Kindness has become bitter and sticks to her only duty of protecting the Element of Generosity who has given nothing but false promises to her soldiers and citizens. Dinky, you need to face the truth. There is only one way out of this." Shadow said simply, his voice holding no emotion.
"Love isn't the answer Shadow. We can't just 'love' the war away. My 'love' for Amethyst won't fix anything. We need to be strong, we need to fight. Thats all there is left to do."
"Is that what your father and mother would've wanted Dinky?" he asked as the TARDIS came to a stop. He pushed the doors open, taking the Emblem with him.
"Wait here." he told her.
"I'm going with yo..." she stopped as he glared at her.
"You still love Amethyst. All it will take is a moment of weakness and they'll have you. I can't allow them to tap into your mind. If I have to I will kill you to keep that from happening and you know I will do it Dinky. Wait here until I have subdued them. Then make your move." He said softly, letting the darkness fade for only a moment, a smile touching his lips.
Dinky wouldn't have seen it if she hadn't been staring directly at his face. She sighed and gave a nod, stepping back as he turned away.
"Be careful." She said, the doors closing behind him as he vanished.
Darkness and voices, screams echoing in the distance. He was sure he had gone insane. He rested his good ear against the stone wall, listening for the sounds of Gryphon claws against the cobbled road outside his cell. Sound had become his only means of determining anything these days.
He could still feel the sunlight against his scales, what little of it there was. It had to have been about mid-day. He brushed his claw against the wall, tracing the markings slowly. At the end he dragged his claw against the wall, making another marking. He had lost count of the days so long ago, but he had an estimate with this. Each day more and more prisoners were brought in.
It had become a true madhouse. He was thankful to be on the higher cellblock where the sun still managed to shine in, even if he couldn't see it. Down below were the dungeons. There was no light down there, no sun, not even a torch. If the torture didn't break you, the darkness would.
But there was one soldier below who stayed strong and pure within the darkness. A pony blessed by the mare of darkness herself. Pip. Amethyst smiled to himself, feeling a tug at the back of his mind. He curled up in a corner of his cell and let himself drift off to sleep. There in the dreamstate waited Pip, looking over plans he had formed in mid-air.
Amethyst couldn't physically see him there, but he could sense him. He sat beside him and looked up, knowing thats where the plans would be. He reached out with his mind, letting his thoughts brush against them.
"This isn't going to work Pip. They've doubled the guard and on top of that they moved me from my old cell. I don't know my way around and it would take too long for me to figure it out." Amethyst said with a sigh, placing a claw over the blindfold he wore.
"You told me about a trick you used once. How you rearranged Discords castle, well that's what we're gonna do. Look, all you have to do is make contact right? Keep your claw embedded in the wall and you can feel your way to my cell, drag it out next to yours and drop us at the outer gates. After that its as simple as running for our lives." Pip said with a small smile. Amethyst chuckled and shook his head.
"If it weren't for her, I'd say you were crazy."
"She could help you too you know." Pip said softly. Amethyst lowered his head.
"No...She couldn't. Even if she could...I don't deserve it. If that day is to ever come, I will earn it. Until then I will make do with my fate." The kirin said with finality. Pip sighed.
"For the last bucking time, Emeralds dea..." he was cut off by Amethyst placing a claw on his throat.
"She isn't dead...I can hear her sometimes...calling my name, reaching out for me. But everytime I reach for her there's something in the way, something pushing me back." He sighed, letting go of Pip. The stallion had become accustomed to Amethyst's sudden outbursts. Especially after his eyes had been plucked out. The kirin cleared his throat, turning his attention back to the plans.
"It won't work Pip. My cell prevents any and all draconic magic."
"Then use Unicorn magic." Pip said simply. Amethyst snorted and laughed.
"You know I can't do that and so do the Gryphons."
"Have you ever tried?" Pip asked. Amethyst was silent for a moment.
"Alright, lets say I do manage to somehow use some unicorn magic. The spell we need is draconic by nature, a unicorn CAN'T use it which means the plan is useless anyway."
"Amethyst, you're thinking too hard."
"AND YOU AREN'T THINKING AT ALL!" Amethyst yelled, steam drifting from his nostrils.
"All i've had time to do is think Amethyst. Thats all i have. My body is chained to a wall. I can't move, I can't even get up and go take a piss!"
"Will you two just shut up already." a voice echoed around them.
"That voice..." Pip blinked, looking around.
"Wait...you..you heard that too?" Amethyst asked softly.
"Yea..." The stallion replied, searching the dreamscape for its source. He jumped in surprise as his plans vanished, a pair of mismatched eyes hovering where they had been, a mouth slowly forming into a smile just underneath them. Slowly the floating face began to fill in with color, scales and claws taking shape until a figure appeared, standing on two feet and smiling at them, a single fang protruding from her mouth. Amethyst lowered his head.
"Now I know i'm dreaming." he muttered, surprise taking over as the figure pulled him into a hug.
"Just because this a dream, doesn't mean its not real big brother." Emerald said softly.