He reappeared inside his cave and stood in silence for a moment, trying to contemplate the events of the last days. His discovery, their conversation, his brother... his last words to Celestia. He tried to calm himself, it couldn't be changed now. More importantly, a decision had to be made.
Slowly, he started to collect the void in his hands, forming the connection to the void, directing it around his blockades and executing the phase shift. Before the mediator on the other side had time to open her mouth, he interrupted her.
“Purveyor, identification number six-two-five-one. Clearance level A5.” his voice spoke impatiently, making the mediator shudder. To talk with a purveyor was always a rare and frightening experience for them. To talk with an angered one even more so.
"How can I be of..." she started.
"Set up a conjunction with the council, now." he interrupted her again.
"Of course, purveyor." she got to work immediately.
He waited for the conjunction to establish, what would happen next was decisive. Unknown to the alicorns or the ponies, a decision would be passed that would decide over their very fate. Slowly, the council came into his view and the old zealot stepped forward.
"Purveyor, we had not expected to talk with you again so soon." he said with surprise in his voice.
"The situation has changed..." he stated, "I have found a dissident in this world."
A murmur of unease passed through the council, troubled faces staring at his mask. The zealot motioned them to be quiet, "That is indeed a change for the worse. Has your work been compromised?"
"It has not, though the dominant species of this world are now aware of the intent of my presence."
"Will this cause a problem?"
"It will not, they have yet to take action against me and the dissident has been removed."
"Were you able to identify the dissident?" the zealot asked with worry.
"Former purveyor, identification number six-two-five-two." he replied with a bitter taste in his mouth.
A sign of recognition and grief passed the zealot's face, "Nathaniel?... That is... most unfortunate. I am sorry for your loss."
He shook his head, "There is no need for sympathy, it was bound to take such an end sooner or later."
"Still, he was your brother..."
"We chose our separate ways long ago, and I will mourn for him in my own way when there is time. Send a message to the other purveyors, they must be warned that their work may be compromised. Tell them to search the surface for any signs of interference."
The zealot nodded, "We will send out a message at once." he made a gestures to one of the notaries, "We have to inform you that the situation here has worsened, if anything. The current conflict is starting to spread at an alarming pace, and your discovery may explain the course of the latest events."
The purveyor raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"
"There is more than a religious aspect now, and demands are rising within the clans to... increase the yield of resources by more... drastic means."
A feeling of unease passed through him, "That is an unthinkable request. You believe that the dissidents may be involved in this?"
"It is a most troubling thought I agree, but a possibility we have to consider nonetheless. The elder council may be involved in this as well."
If the elder council was involved in this... it could mean war. Something that had not occurred in decades. The chaos that would follow would require the purveyors to return to the void to uphold order, which in turn would require them to abandon their work or perform the transfer earlier than planned. A very troubling thought indeed.
"Keep me updated on this, I wish to be informed should there be a clear sign of their influence."
The zealot nodded, "Of course, purveyor."
He paused for a moment, "In addition, I need the council to make a decision."
The zealot raised an eyebrow, "You are referring to protocol five-four?"
"I am. With their knowledge it is only a matter of time until the dominant species of this world will try to hinder my work in an attempt to save it, and with the dissidents on the move once more it could only be a matter of time until they try to corrupt my work again or the current conflict requires my... personal presence." Several members of the council swallowed, they still remembered the days when the purveyors had upheld order.
"You do realize that this is a very drastic step?"
"I do, but it would serve to put aside another issue..."
"Another issue?"
"The leaders of this world have asked me for my... help."
The zealot gave a surprised huff and another murmur passed through the council, "That is... unexpected. Do they realize what sort of compensation they would have to offer for something like that?"
"They are starting to realize it." he stated flatly.
"And what is your assessment of this situation?"
He thought for a moment, would he really consider giving the council this choice? He shook his head, his personal opinion did not matter here. He would abide the protocol like he had always done, but still...
"Either we let them talk before the councils, or have me execute protocol five-four within three days and end this before any new problems appear."
The zealot scratched his chin and contemplated the purveyor's words, "Something like this... has not happened before. To have a species from outside our own stand before us..." he passed a contemplating look over the rest of the council before turning to the purveyor again, "We will reach a decision on this matter within two days."
"Very well."
---
When the connection to the council was cut off, he stared at the walls of his cave in silence. It was an unethical move of him to demand this decision from the council, the alicorns were hoping for his help, after all. But the recent events were putting his work at risk at an alarming pace, and they had made clear rules for such scenarios.
If the council decided he should carry out protocol five-four or should the conflict in the void spread further, he would save what he could and end this world before new dangers of corruption could form. If they decided against it, Celestia would get her chance to bargain for her world. Even though he already knew that whatever she would be willing to offer, it would not be enough to sate the hunger of his own kind.
Suddenly, he felt a tug on the flow around him. He sent his mind out and traced the lines through the different dimensions, locating the source of the disturbance in Ponyville. What was happening there? He continued to scan the flow, there it was again... like a prodding... Something was trying to step outside of this world and passed the blockades to the void he had set up so long ago. When he understood what was happening he gave a huff of surprise. Where they really so foolish? Would they actually attempt something like this?
Slowly, the void started to form around him once more. He performed the phase shift and sought out the precise location, finding the source of the disturbance within a tree... A sneer formed on his lips, it seemed that he wasn't the only one trying to influence the course of events. Had his words not been enough to warn them of the danger they were putting themselves and their world into? This would not do. This would not do at all.
---
Inside the Ponyville library, Twilight let out a groan of defiance. "It's not working! Why isn't it working?"
"I'm sure you tried your best, dear." Rarity tried to sooth her troubled friend, "Maybe there really isn't anything we can do. We should trust in princess Celestia to..."
"No! Don't you understand? This is our world! We should fight for it too! If they are really inside the void they must hear us! They can't just decide over our fate like this!" Twilight put on a determined face, "Step back, everypony! I'll try to break through again!"
She concentrated again, sending her magic past her own world and searching what lay past it. The sheer strain it took from her to push her mind so far outside her own world was almost too much for her to handle, but she gritted her teeth and pushed on.
There it was, like an invisible wall surrounded by an impenetrable darkness. The blockade. Only the purveyor truly knew what would await her behind it. She focused her magic more, sending her mind against the barrier in an attempt to break through it. If she could just make one moment of contact, she could get a message to those behind it. And then, they would have to hear them. They wouldn't be able to ignore them, they simply couldn't.
In her concentration, she failed to notice the looks of shock and fear on her friends' faces as a black cloud of swirling shadows started to form behind her.