//------------------------------// // Episode 14: Measure of a Monster // Story: The Equestrian Wind Mage Classic: Season 1 // by LordSiravant //------------------------------// Episode 14: The Measure of a Monster Deep within the mountains on the edge of Equestria lay a hidden cave. This was no ordinary cave, though; the large, three-headed black hound that stood guard outside its gaping maw was proof of that. This was the most feared and terrifying place in all of Equestria. Tartarus Prison. Here, incarcerated within the maze-like cavern, was a host of vile and terrible creatures, all of whom had been sent there by the will of the Equestrian princesses. Even the odd pony or two stayed locked in cages, starving from lack of food but unable to die due to the altered reality of the hellish cavern. Diamond Tiara had been one such pony. She had been placed here for the attempted murder of four fillies, one of whom was…no, had been her best friend. Too late did she realize how horrible her actions had been. Abandoned by her own father, consumed by grief and remorse over an act that, after that needling voice in her subconscious had gone away, she could not believe she had actually done. What had compelled her to try and kill the Cutie Mark Crusaders? She was angry that Scootaloo had attacked her, yes; but she couldn't believe that she had then resorted to murder to get revenge. But that voice in her head had been persistent. So persistent, in fact, that she had had difficulty in even resisting it. Before that day, though, such horrible thoughts had never entered her mind. But why had they then? And why had she so quickly pounced on them rather than question the morality of it all? Diamond's confusion and remorse for her actions had quickly sent her spiraling down into a suicidal state. To end her pain, she had provoked a krylock, a deadly beast with the head of a cobra and the body of a scorpion, into biting her, injecting her with a poison certain to kill her within minutes. But it hadn't worked out that way. The laws of reality surrounding the prison barred entry to the alicorn of death, and Diamond Tiara only found herself writhing in unimaginable pain for what seemed to be an eternity. Her pain was so great that she never noticed the change her body began to undergo, twisting and morphing into a wholly inequine shape. As the insurmountable agony burned through her changing body, her rational mind began to recede, replaced by a feral lust for violence and blood. She found herself losing her mind to the beast overtaking her. Within days, Diamond Tiara had become a krylock herself. She was unusual in that she did not possess the usual coloration of the krylock species, instead maintaining her coat color from her original pony form. Overcome by rage and madness, Diamond Tiara managed to break out of her cell and began to roam free throughout the bowels of Tartarus, alone with her hunger and hate. But she had not been forgotten. Outside the gates of Tartarus, the three-headed guardian hound, Cerberus, suddenly noticed a peculiar scent on the wind. It was the scent of a truly vile presence, one that did not belong outside of Tartarus. The three-headed hound growled in suspicion as it left its post to investigate. Cerberus loped down the mountain path, his three heads sniffing the air, unable to pinpoint the source of the scent. He did not notice the presence manifesting itself behind him until it was too late. "Go to sleep," the dark force intoned, staring directly into the eyes of Cerberus. At once, the great hellhound was overcome by a sudden fatigue it could not overcome. Within seconds, Cerberus collapsed on his belly, fast asleep. The mysterious presence laughed darkly at its success. "Gwo hoh hoh hoh…" The dark presence, without further ado, entered the depths of Tartarus of its own free will, something that had never happened once in the history of Equestria. But the evil one did not carry fear within the void of its black heart; its domain was no different from this place, and the monsters that lurked here were easy to placate and control. Fear was the weapon it wielded; it could not be turned against its master. The dark one, however, was searching for a particular beast, one that had not been here long. Freeing the other monsters of Tartarus would happen another time, when the allies necessary to sweep across the land and plunge it into the darkness that it and all others under and above its dominion desired would be gathered. For now its activities in Equestria would be minor, simply securing the compliance of its newest proxies such as the unicorn King Sombra, as well as testing the strengths and weaknesses of its enemies. It did not have to search for long before it found the monster it was looking for, milling about on its own: a krylock with an unusual light purple coloration and a tiara with diamond rhinestones situated on its scaly head. The dark force laughed, catching the attention of the krylock. The moment they locked eyes, the krylock's expression slackened, its feral mind succumbing to the powerful will of its visitor. Just as it had once before, when this creature had been a mere pony child. "Gwo hoh hoh," the wicked presence spoke. "Diamond Tiara…A pony you are no more. Your service to us is not yet over, though." The krylock bared her teeth slightly and let out a low hiss. The evil one spoke more, undaunted. "No…your service has yet to even truly begin. You are still needed, Diamond Tiara. Any bonds you may have once had have been broken. Now, it is time for you to break the bonds of another." Diamond Tiara flicked her serpentine tongue, transfixed by the glare of the dark presence. "The way out of Tartarus has been opened for you, and its guardian has been temporarily neutralized. You will go to your old home, the town of Ponyville. All those whom the sorcerer Vaati holds dear to his heart are to be destroyed. His friends and the foal you failed to eliminate before. The Wind Mage must pay for abandoning the cause of darkness. He must suffer for turning away from the path we have set for him. Do not fail us, Diamond Tiara. Know that, even in this world, our divine lord Majora watches over all." Mere minutes later, a terrifying roar echoed as Diamond Tiara, in the body of a vicious krylock and enslaved by the will of her master, emerged from the eldritch maw of Tartarus and began her journey home. XXXXXX Princess Celestia's bedroom, Canterlot Castle… Princess Celestia was troubled. As she removed her crown and jewelry to wind down after yet another long day of looking after the political affairs of Equestria, a foreboding feeling began to weigh on her subconscious. Something was wrong in her land. She hated that feeling; she feared it. For whether or not it was a justified feeling, she could not immediately discern why it gnawed at the deepest recesses of her mind. The last time she had felt this was when her sister had begun contemplating overthrowing her. As Celestia gazed at her own reflection in the mirror of her vanity cabinet, she registered the sound of the door opening behind her as Princess Luna stepped hesitantly into the room. "…Tia?" Celestia could see her dear sister's face in the mirror; it was etched with just as much worry as her own. Without turning away, Celestia spoke. "You feel it too." Luna nodded in confirmation. "An eerie feeling coils around my heart, sister. I don't know what of, or why I am, but I am…I am afraid, Celly." "Something evil lurks within our borders," Celestia surmised before her sister could. "I cannot guess where, and that worries me. I too am afraid, Luna. I'm afraid of what's out there, and what it could do to my little ponies." Luna glanced aside for a moment before focusing once more on Celestia. "Perhaps we should bolster the Guard," she suggested. "Send scouting parties throughout Equestria. Perhaps we can locate whatever it is before it can cause any damage." Celestia shook her head. "I don't want to induce a state of panic. If the media were to hear that the Royal Guards were being deployed throughout Equestria to search for an invading monster, they would blow it so far out of proportion that it would rattle the population's peace of mind. It could exacerbate the problem." Luna frowned. "We cannot sit idly by and do nothing, dear sister." "I know," Celestia snapped with slightly more force than she intended, and winced as Luna recoiled from her sister's harsh attitude. "I'm sorry, Lulu. It's been a stressful day. I know we can't just do nothing. But things are much more complicated than they were back then. Equestria depends on us remaining on the throne near constantly, meaning we can't just seek out and destroy the creature ourselves like we did with the others after Discord was sealed away. And I've worked so hard to keep Equestria's population happy and at peace that I failed to take into account how skittish it would make them over time as a consequence." Celestia inclined her head as she delved into her thoughts, and then looked up as an idea came to her. "Perhaps it's not the guards we should send to investigate." Luna blinked in confusion. "Whatever do you mean, Tia?" "Perhaps we can have Vaati seek it out and discreetly eliminate it on our behalf," Celestia explained, turning towards her sister. "He has a great deal of experience. If he could best Discord, perhaps he could be the one best suited for destroying whatever evil force has invaded Equestria." Luna bit her lip, not entirely convinced. "Vaati achieved that victory through the element of surprise. You know that, Tia. Are…are you certain it is wise to entrust him with this matter?" Celestia quirked an eyebrow. "Do you not have faith in Vaati?" Luna blanched at the accusation. "W-what?! No! We…I…It's just that we…um, I am worried for him, that's all!" "I'm certain Vaati can take care of himself, Luna," Celestia replied. "I will write to my student Twilight and request that she pass on the message to Vaati." "Tia, if she reads it, you know she will try to accompany him. And if she goes, all the Elements of Harmony are certain to go with her. Do you wish to put them in similar danger?" Celestia shook her head. "Twilight trusts me implicitly and would never disobey me unless it meant protecting her friends. If I simply send a message beforehand telling her to take the next message to Vaati and not read it herself, she will not read it." Luna eventually nodded in acceptance as Celestia summoned a quill and parchment and began to write. XXXXXX Golden Oaks Library, Ponyville… Twilight sat on the floor of the balcony, intently reading a book Vaati had lent her from his personal library: Hyrule Historia, Volume Four: Unification War to Imprisoning War, to be exact. As she delved into the history surrounding the first rise of Ganon, she did not notice Spike entering the balcony with a roll of parchment in his hand. "Hey, Twilight!" he said to get her attention. "I just got a note from Princess Celestia." Normally, Twilight would only half-pay attention to him, unwilling to abandon whatever book she was reading, but the name of her beloved mentor snapped her to attention. "The Princess?" she repeated with curiosity. "What does it say?" "She apparently wants you to give a message to Vaati, but it hasn't arrived yet, and she said she doesn't want you to read that message." Twilight's eyebrows furrowed in curiosity. "I wonder why she doesn't want me to read it… But if that's what she wants, okay." A few seconds later, Spike unceremoniously belched out another message, which Twilight enveloped with her magic before it could hit the floor. "Thanks, Spike," Twilight said, trotting back inside the library. "I'll take this up to Vaati's palace and give this to him, then. Keep the place tidy 'til I come back, alright?" Spike saluted. "Will do, Twilight." Twilight soon exited the library and headed towards the center of town, where the omnipresent magically-animated lift ceaselessly made its rounds between the town square and the front entrance of the Palace of Winds. Ignoring the bustling townsponies, Twilight hopped onto the lift once it reached the ground and waited patiently as the lift took her up to the palace. Once she reached her destination, she stepped onto the magical clouds keeping the palace aloft and trotted up to the door and briskly knocked. A few seconds later, the door opened and a Moblin stepped into view. "What you want?" it gruffly asked. "Good afternoon, sir," Twilight greeted, keeping a straight face. "I have a message from Princess Celestia I was instructed to give to Vaati." The Moblin snorted. "Very well. You come in." The Moblin stepped aside, allowing Twilight to enter. "Master in his quarters," the Moblin informed her. "Thank you, sir," Twilight responded with a nod before heading off to Vaati's personal chambers, where Maulgrim and another Darknut stood sentinel on either side. Recognizing Twilight, Maulgrim inclined his head in greeting. "Miss Sparkle. Have you some business with Lord Vaati?" "Yes," Twilight replied, waving the scroll with her magic a bit so the Darknut could see it. "I have a message to him from Princess Celestia. It's urgent that he reads it right away." Maulgrim nodded in understanding. "Very well. You may pass. Master is currently wallowing in boredom; perhaps you can brighten his day somewhat, yes?" Twilight chuckled. "I'll certainly do my best." Twilight nudged open the door to Vaati's room and peeked inside. "Vaati?" she called out. "Eh? Twilight?" Vaati's voice answered back. Twilight then realized Vaati was lying on his bed on his back, and had been apparently staring at the ceiling when she had arrived. Twilight stepped into the room and shut the door behind her. "Hey, Vaati." "What are you doing here?" Vaati inquired. Twilight's patience allowed her not to feel put off by Vaati's bluntness; she knew the mage could get a little snippy when he was bored. "Princess Celestia wanted me to give you this," Twilight explained, levitating the scroll over to Vaati and releasing her magic as he grabbed it. Twilight refrained from mentioning that she wasn't supposed to read it. She honestly wanted to know what it said, and if Vaati read it out loud, she technically wasn't disobeying her mentor… Oh dear Mother Faust, Vaati was starting to become a bad influence on her. That was how he thought, not her. Twilight inwardly cursed her rampant curiosity as Vaati unrolled the parchment. As she had hoped, Vaati deigned to read it out loud. "Dear Vaati, it has come to my sister and I's attention that something evil has invaded Equestria's borders. We do not wish to make the incident public so as to not induce a panic, hence why we are not sending Royal Guards to deal with the unknown threat. We would like you to seek out and eliminate this threat. I know you have probably gotten bored as of late…yeah, no kidding. I must ask, though, that Twilight and her friends not…be…told…" Vaati, realizing his error, looked up from the letter at Twilight's worried face. "…Oops." Finally Twilight spoke. "She wants you to what?!" "Apparently find and kill some kind of monster she thinks has invaded Equestria," Vaati responded bluntly, finishing reading the letter. "She doesn't want you going because you'll inevitably drag the others into it, which would cause unneeded hassle." "I can most certainly be of help, though!" Twilight complained. "And you don't know what kind of monster we could be dealing with here, or even where it could possibly be. If it's something that can put Princess Celestia on edge, then I don't think you should face it alone! You and I are almost equals when it comes to raw magical power. You may need the extra firepower." "I most certainly don't need the extra firepower, thank you very much," Vaati haughtily contested as he rolled up the parchment and tossed it off to one side. "I can handle myself just fine. I beat Discord, remember?" "And you were almost killed by a drunken deadbeat of a pony with a knife!" Twilight shot back. "Explain that!" "I already told you, he just got lucky," Vaati snapped, folding his arms defensively. "Oh yeah? And what happens if the monster gets lucky too?!" "…It won't." "Please Vaati, just let me go with you." "Twilight, let me put it to you like this. I can fly; you cannot. That means I can cover more ground more swiftly than you can. This is a high-priority search-and-destroy mission. You'll only slow me down." "No I won't!" "You're not going!" Vaati snapped, trying to keep himself from yelling. "If it's me being outmatched you're worried about, I'll freaking bring Nigellas with me. Wizzrobes can fly too. There. Happy?" Twilight pouted momentarily before straightening her expression. "Fine, I guess that's alright." Vaati stood up and stretched his limbs in preparation. "I don't know how long this will take. Keep an eye on Scootaloo until I return, would you?" Twilight nodded as Vaati moved to open his door. Before he could, though, it slammed open of its own accord, revealing Nigellas, who had a panicked look in his eyes. "Milord!" he yelled. "A monster! There's a monster attacking Ponyville!" XXXXXX A chorus of screams rose up amongst the townsfolk as a horrible monster burst into the town, snapping its claws and thrashing its barbed tail. A strangely-colored krylock hissed menacingly, its slitted eyes seeking out its intended prey as the crowd of ponies scattered. Snarling in fury, it smashed a fruit stand to pieces with one snap of its claws and barely missed impaling Derpy with its stinger. Finally it saw its target swiftly descending from the sky and landing delicately in the quickly-emptying town square. Vaati glanced over the creature with a mildly curious eye. "So you're the monster that has Celestia all worked up?" he surmised mostly to himself. "Good. That means I actually don't have to go through the trouble of finding you." With a dark smirk, Vaati's form began to change, taking on the familiar appearance of the winged eye. The krylock roared its challenge, its long, curved teeth slick with sickly-green venom. Wind began to blow around the transformed sorcerer as he prepared to do battle with the rampaging monster. Those townsponies that had not already hidden inside their houses tentatively watched from the sidelines as the two monsters sized each other up. The oddly-colored krylock stood at equal height to the flying eye. Both adversaries readied their claws and stared each other down, waiting for one to make the first move. "Don't worry! I'll handle this!" And just like that, Vaati's excitement burst like a bubble as an unwelcome visitor came on the scene and immediately enveloped the startled monster with magic spawned by an idle claw. Discord grinned smugly at his handiwork as the krylock struggled against its bonds. "Fear not, little ponies!" Discord pompously boasted. "Your friendly neighborhood master of chaos is here! Oh hello, Vaati." Ignoring the helpless krylock, Vaati growled irritably, his wings closing in on himself to better express his emotions. "Why did you have to intervene? I was more than ready to pummel this creature into the ground, on Celestia's orders, I might add!" "You've never faced a krylock before, have you?" Discord nonchalantly inquired, inspecting the claws on his free hand. "They happen to possess the most lethal poison in the world, which can be delivered by bite or sting and will kill you in about four or five minutes…unless they bite you in Tartarus, in which case you would become a krylock yourself. They can also snap steel beams like twigs with their claws. I did you a favor, dear Vaati!" Meanwhile, another presence began to observe the scene, and immediately did not like what it was seeing. So this was the one called Discord? By the looks of it, he had immobilized its servant with minimal effort. Unacceptable. "I hope you understand how much I hate you right now," Vaati complained. "Oh, pish-posh, we're the best of friends!" Discord yawned. "Feel free to dispose of this fellow now. I think I need a nice nap." Strangely, however, Discord's fatigue quickly began to worsen, making his concentration waver. "Wait a minute…" he half-mumbled, starting to sway on his feet. "Discord?" Fluttershy spoke urgently, nudging him. And then Discord suddenly collapsed on the ground, unconscious. The krylock was immediately freed from its confinement and wasted no time with charging straight at Vaati. Vaati's mind was so preoccupied with trying to process what had just happened that he almost didn't react in time. Vaati barely managed to avoid being bitten and struck back with a swift claw, raking the krylock's side. The monster recoiled in pain as Vaati pounced on it, latching one hand around its thrashing tail while the other seized one of the krylock's claws. The krylock struggled viciously and managed to get its free claw around Vaati's arm, snapping shut and sending searing pain shooting up his spine. Vaati roared in pain as he was forced to let go of the krylock's other claw. Vaati shot a narrow beam of energy from his eye in retaliation that immediately severed its arm, inky black blood sputtering from the wound. The krylock screeched in agony as Vaati blew it off him with a strong gust of wind. Barely had Vaati shaken the severed claw off his arm when the krylock charged again, its stinger held high. Vaati pulled back and avoided the descending stinger, which implanted itself in the ground where the sorcerer had once been. Frustrated, the beast tried to pull it out, but Vaati then grabbed hold and swung the monster over his head before slamming it against the ground. He swiftly released it when its stinger raked his arm as he swung, thankfully not piercing the dark skin but still startling him nonetheless. The krylock swiftly recovered from its daze and came at him again, its gaping mouth wide open. Vaati seized it by the neck to keep away those deadly teeth, and with the other arm intercepted the incoming stinger. Unfortunately, it still had one claw left, which it used to great effect by grabbing Vaati's arm keeping its head away and squeezing as hard as it could. Vaati yelled in pain as its grip tightened. And that was when Vaati lost his patience. Without warning, an intense whirlwind riddled with Razor Wind spells blasted the krylock away, sending it crashing into a house. Silver Spoon had been very close by, and screamed when the monster landed by her. As she got out of range of its flailing tail, she then noticed something fall off the krylock's head as it struggled to its feet. A familiar filly's tiara clattered to the ground by Silver Spoon's hooves, and her eyes widened in shock. It…it can't be… She looked up at the krylock and then realized that its coloration was also familiar. And then Discord's words when he had arrived rang in her head. They happen to possess the most lethal poison in the world, which can be delivered by bite or sting and will kill you in about four or five minutes…unless they bite you in Tartarus, in which case you would become a krylock yourself. Unless they bite you in Tartarus… "Diamond…?" she whimpered. "D-Diamond Tiara?" The krylock, not yet upright, abruptly glanced towards her, and she saw recognition flash in those serpentine eyes. Recognition and…hurt. Before she could even comprehend what she had seen, Vaati fell upon the krylock that had once been her best friend and slammed it against the ground again. And then he fired another beam of energy from his eye that severed its tail as well, causing it to screech dreadfully. The stump flailed about, spewing its black blood all over like a fountain. Then he raised his claws, ready to finish off the beast right then and there. "W-wait! Wait!" Silver Spoon suddenly cried, giving Vaati pause. "What?" "That…that monster!" she stammered as Vaati's ponderous eye focused on her. "It's…it's Diamond Tiara!" Vaati recoiled slightly in shock. The krylock began to relax its struggle beneath his iron grip, losing its strength due to blood loss. "Child, this is no time for jokes!" he finally snapped. "I'm not joking!" Silver Spoon yelled. "Look! This was on her head!" And then Vaati saw the tiara by the filly's hooves, finally took notice of the monster's skin color. It couldn't be, could it? "Vaati, move aside," he suddenly heard Twilight say. Vaati turned to see Twilight and her friends, all wearing the Elements of Harmony and worried expressions on their faces. "If what Silver Spoon says is true, then the Elements can restore her to normal," Twilight explained. Vaati glanced down at the defeated krylock and shrugged, not really believing this thing could be a filly. "It's about to die anyway. Go ahead." The winged eye floated off to the side, the surrounding winds dying down. Twilight looked upon the broken form of the krylock before saying, "Let's do this, girls." Vaati and the townsponies watched with curiosity as the Elements of Harmony activated, causing Twilight and her friends to float in the air. Light began to collect around them, and then finally a rainbow of light shot forth and surrounded the fallen monster. After a blinding flash of light, it was all over. Vaati returned to his normal Hylian form and opened his eyes. There, lying motionless in the wreckage of where the krylock had once lain was the body of Diamond Tiara. Fluttershy gasped in horror and put her hooves to her mouth. The surrounding crowd reacted similarly. Looking upon her ruined frame, even Vaati felt sick about the damage he had dealt to this small child. Her front left leg and right back leg were gone, nothing more than bleeding stumps now. The parts Vaati had severed shriveled back into the detached limbs of the poor filly. No one noticed the dark presence that quietly slunk away from where it had been hiding, vanishing into the distance. One pony broke away from the crowd, his eyes wide with horror. "Diamond! Diamond!" Filthy Rich frantically galloped over to the still body of his daughter and scooped her into his arms. "Diamond! I'm sorry, baby! I'm sorry!" he choked, breaking down into sobs. Diamond Tiara weakly opened her eyes. "…Daddy?" she faintly whimpered. "I'm here, sweetie. Daddy loves you, Daddy loves you!" A single tear trickled down Diamond's blood-stained cheek. "I…I feel cold…" she whimpered slightly more loudly. Filthy Rich paled. "No…no, stay with me, sweetie! Stay with me! Nurse! NURSE! FOR THE LOVE OF CELESTIA, SOMEPONY HELP!" And like the guardian angel she was, Nurse Redheart immediately appeared, a first-aid kit on hoof already open. "Stand aside," she sternly ordered. "I can stop the bleeding, but I'll need to get her to the hospital right away. She's lost a lot of blood!" As Nurse Redheart set to work on trying to save Diamond Tiara's life, Vaati could no longer watch. Without a word, the wounded mage turned around and left the scene, staggering slightly from a combination of fatigue and shock. Twilight managed to catch sight of him and took off in pursuit, not bothering to give her friends an explanation. She caught up to him on the outskirts of town, where the sorcerer just fell on his knees once he reached a hill and just stared blankly ahead, saying nothing. Twilight trotted up next to him and sat down, unsure of what to say. Looking up at him, she noted the completely broken look on his face. Despite what Diamond Tiara had done in the past, he felt remorse for almost killing her. At this point, Twilight decided that words were not needed. He just needed some company. And so she leaned against his shoulder in an effort to comfort the shell-shocked wind sorcerer. XXXXXX The next night, Ponyville Hospital… Nurse Redheart wasn't one to brag, but it was obvious she had managed to perform a miracle. Despite all the blood Diamond Tiara had lost, Redheart had managed to stop the bleeding and perform a successful blood transfusion, thus saving the filly's life. Her father was by her side at all times, still beating himself up over disowning his daughter and feeling responsible for what happened. Eventually Silver Spoon managed to gather enough courage to visit as well, and Diamond apologized profusely to her for what she had done, and asked her to tell the Cutie Mark Crusaders too that she was sorry. Finally, once nighttime came, visiting hours ended, and Filthy Rich and Silver Spoon had to go home. But the hospital then got a surprise visitor; Princess Celestia herself, who asked to personally see the patient. Nurse Redheart was clearly reluctant but agreed, leading the alicorn to Diamond Tiara's room. Redheart opened the door for the princess and said, "Fifteen minutes, Princess. That's all I can allow." Redheart then left the room, shutting the door behind her. Celestia slowly walked over to the filly's bedside, who looked up at her with sad, guilty eyes. "P-Princess Celestia…" she moaned weakly. "I'm sorry." Celestia inclined her head. "I understand that you are, Diamond Tiara. I want to know, though. Why did you try to kill innocent fillies just like you?" Diamond Tiara looked away and choked back a sob. "I-I don't know. It just…it just felt like a good idea. I don't know w-why I didn't q-q-question it. It w-was like…s-somepony was telling me t-t-to do it." In most circumstances, one would immediately call Diamond Tiara an imaginative liar, but Celestia sensed no deception from her, which was worrisome. "I-I tried to kill myself…in the prison, I got a m-monster to bite me. But it d-didn't kill me, just turned me into one of them! And then…then…s-s-something…something c-came to me. Just l-like before, I couldn't…I couldn't resist. I-it told me to k-k-kill Scootaloo and Twilight Sparkle a-and anypony else Vaati liked." Again, there was no lie in Diamond's eyes. The filly spoke the truth. "Do you remember what this being looked like?" Celestia asked. As Diamond tried to picture her mysterious tormentor, she found herself drawing a blank. "I-I don't…know! All I can remember is…is…eyes…t-those horrible yellow eyes!" Diamond Tiara broke into a fit of sobs and covered her face with her one remaining hoof. Celestia's mothering instincts inexplicably took over, and she draped one of her angelic wings over the distraught filly. "Oh, how you've suffered," she lamented. "I should have known there was more to this…" XXXXXX Canterlot Castle, the princesses' bedroom… Many things were on Celestia's mind when she returned to her safe, comfortable bed in Canterlot. Luna had dutifully waited for her to return in order to bring news before retiring herself. "Is it true that the child became a krylock?" Luna asked as Celestia made herself comfortable. "What happened down there?" Celestia sighed as she collected her thoughts. "Many things, Luna. Yes, it's true; Diamond Tiara was turned into a krylock. Your suspicions also proved true." Luna tilted her head in curiosity. "You mean…?" Celestia nodded. "Something did indeed compel her to commit those vicious crimes. It then set her loose on Ponyville." "…and the filly?" Luna hesitantly ventured. "She'll recover, in time," Celestia answered. "Her life will be fraught with challenges for the remainder of her lifetime, I'm sad to say. In the end, she was as much a victim as Scootaloo and her friends." Luna lay down on her own bed and gave her sister a scrutinizing look. "That's not all, is it, Tia?" Celestia was quiet for a moment. "…Discord tried to help." Luna quirked an eyebrow. "I can only imagine how that turned out." Celestia gave Luna a serious look. "He suddenly fell asleep on the scene without warning." Luna's mouth hung open in disbelief. That was random, even for Discord. "Surely you jest, sister!" Celestia solemnly shook her head. "I wish I was. I spoke to him later, and he told me something…unsettling." "…What did he tell you?" "He believes he was put under a sleeping spell. A powerful one, since it was able to take him out of commission for three whole hours." Luna's expression darkened. "A sleeping spell?" Celestia nodded. "What worries me most, though, is that, whatever it was that was pulling Diamond Tiara's strings, it knows Vaati, and it considers him to be its enemy." Luna paled slightly. "Could…could this mean that it was a creature from Vaati's world?" "I don't know. The implications of such a possibility are troublesome, to say the least." "Whatever it is, I can't feel it anymore," Luna pointed out. "It simply vanished. I don't know if it just passed over the Equestrian border or found some sort of portal, but it's gone now." "I can't sense it either. But something tells me this may not be the last time we are troubled by its presence." Luna's eyes steeled. "If it comes again, we will find out what it is, and we will destroy it." Celestia lay her head down on her soft pillow and sighed. "I hope to Mother that is so." XXXXXX Unknown mountainous region, far north of Equestria… Frigid winds howled as the endless blizzard carried snow across the bleak landscape of Equestria's frozen north. A dark shadow moved against the wind, formless and radiating malice, heading for a hidden cave in the mountains. It entered the cave and manifested itself into a physical shape, stepping into the chamber where its ally resided. A dark-grey unicorn steeped in jagged armor and a red cloak awaited the presence, flashing a fanged grin at its arrival. "The Crystal Empire is close to returning," King Sombra declared. "I can feel it in the wind's breath. My seal on it shall soon break, and then it shall be mine again…" "Do not forget our agreement," the dark force spoke. "All of Equestria shall be yours as well as long as you continue to provide service to our cause. The time is soon, Sombra. Once the Crystal Empire is secured, our influence will begin to seep into this virgin world. You shall serve as the head of the Equestrian Church of Majora when the time comes. Spread his word, spread his will, and our master will reward you in ways even we cannot." Sombra inclined his head. "Of course. I am at your master's beck and call. When the time comes, I will ensure that the will of Majora overcomes the weak-hearted convictions of those false Equestrian goddesses." Content with Sombra's words, the evil presence clawed at the air, forcing open a previously-unseen vortex. "Preparations must still be made for Hyrule," it informed the Crystal Tyrant. "Continue to practice your new skills until your empire returns, then strike with full force. The Equestrians must not be allowed to gain control of the Crystal Empire, is that clear, Your Majesty?" "You taught me well, Your Majesty," Sombra replied. "I will not fail. Not this time." The dark one stepped through the portal and closed it behind it without another word, leaving Sombra to turn his gaze towards the unforgiving weather outside his makeshift shelter. "Not this time," he repeated, staring intently out into the cold where he knew that one day, his empire would appear again. XXXXXX Vaati, now fully healed, was preparing to head off to bed when the memories of the day came back to haunt him. He inwardly shuddered; Diamond Tiara's mangled body and Filthy Rich's agonized cries would not leave his memory anytime soon. He felt much worse now that Celestia had revealed to him that something had essentially forced Diamond Tiara to attempt to murder his daughter. And then the revelation that whatever was behind this knew him… It was all too much to think about. He needed some peace of mind, at least for tonight. And thus, he walked down to Scootaloo's room just before she was about to go to bed. "Hey, Dad," Scootaloo greeted as she packed her schoolbag for tomorrow. "Hey…Scoots," he tentatively asked. "You want to sleep with me tonight?" "What? Um…yeah, sure!" Scootaloo followed Vaati to his room and propelled herself onto his bed. This he regarded with pride; her wings were growing the way they should have been. He estimated it would only be a matter of weeks before she could finally fly on her own. Vaati lifted the covers of his bed and undid his sandals and belt before crawling under the covers, Scootaloo joining him shortly afterwards. Vaati smiled and ruffled the filly's hair, eliciting a giggle from her. "I love you, Scootaloo," Vaati said, hugging her. "I love you too, Dad," Scootaloo replied sincerely. And despite the chaos of the day, Vaati slept soundly and pleasantly.