//------------------------------// // A new pupil... and a new enemy // Story: Casting a Shadow // by Ssendam the Masked //------------------------------// Before I entered the portal, I slightly focused on the woman summoning me. Seemed nice, thoguh a bit too... heroic for my tastes. But I could appreciate the powerful mind behind those pretty eyes. Not that I even had a sex drive now. I would have to fix that, in order to understand my opponents better. So, I decided to grace her with the presence of an immaculate and perfect being such as myself. ==---== Kat's P.O.V The shadow around me was darker than anything I had ever experienced. There was not even a single shred of light. Out of the darkness, came a loud, mechanical sound, reminiscent of foot steps. As suddenly as it appeared, the shadow faded revealing a massive being in my bedroom. His deep red eyes hidden behind a mask of pure black. I blinked once, then my eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. I recognized this creature from my childhood and reacted as any one else would: I screamed. “AAAAAHHHH!!! IT’S THE MAKUTA!! HIDE YOUR KIDS, HIDE YOUR WIFE, HIDE YOUR HUSBAND! RUN AWAY!!” I dove behind my bed, shaking in fear and my head slightly peeking out to keep my eyes on him. He gazed at me with a slight frown. “Come out of there. You’re a grown woman.” “Not in mind! Jerk!” I called out not moving from my spot. He sighed, and with a minor shudder started shrinking down, into a form about the height of a pony, a rusty, pockmarked Hau on his face. Glowing yellow eyes glared in my direction. “Get out of there before I make you get out of there.” I blinked twice at what just happened. Definitely one of the strangest things I’ve seen. “Well, okay, but no funny business!” I slowly got out from my hiding spot, but made sure I was near my shield just in case. Makuta’s eye changed colour, into a sickly green. “Right.” He then shrugged. “So, may I have the pleasure of knowing your name? You already know mine, or are at least grudgingly accepting of it.” “Kat. Kat Shifter. Why did your eyes change color?” Teridax chuckled. “Quite simple. It conveys my eyebrow raising normally, but I changed it to yellow so that it wouldn’t be so… intimidating. After all, just because I am a criminal does not mean that I cannot be considerate of the needs of other people.” “Wait…you’re a civilized villain?” I asked cautiously. Never offend a villain, it doesn’t pan out well. He chuckled, faintly. “Culture is never too hard to acquire. An intelligent villain is something above a more… shall we say, crude and unrefined one. After all, a man can smile, and smile, and smile, and still be called villain.” My eyes lit up. This was the guy I needed! I wasn’t sure whether or not he was evil yet, but he wasn’t trying to kill me so I figured the risk was worth taking. “Can you teach me?” I asked with enthusiasm. He shrugged. “Villainy is hard to teach. Intelligence above all else, but presentation is good as well. Villainy is also aided by having… less than is commonly accepted goals.” “Like beating up a princess or two?” Teridax waved a hand. “I’ve been busy for a very, very long time. My plan requires a lot of pawns to be in the right place at the right time. Everything is a piece on my board. Everything.” He paused. “And I would say no to that. Examining the princesses, assessing psychological weaknesses, then speaking exactly the right words at the right time, letting them fester in the backs of their minds until the wrong circumstances at the wrong time roll by… that would be more my style.” I put a finger to my chin and started tapping. “Hmm, you may have a point there, but I don’t want to drag this out longer than I have to. All I need to know is how to make the ponies of Equestria fear me without becoming some kind of evil monster. I don’t want to hurt anyone, well except the Princesses.” Teridax seemed bored. “Put on black and red and apply red contacts. Then, get a dread fortress. And a cape. It’ll get results quickly- most things that are evil use that. Or use black and green- the changelings pulled off the ‘dark’ look very well with that colour palette. Don’t use natural green though, use lime green. Or if not green or red, use purple. Not a colour often seen.” I gave him a deadpan look. “I don’t quite like that attitude, mister. If I wanted sarcasm, I’d go some place else! Look, I really need some help in this area. I’ve always been a hero, so I rightly don’t know what I’m doing. And don’t think I’m some pushover; just because I’m a hero doesn’t mean I’m against destruction. I did nearly destroy the entire planet in a psychotic rage after all.” Teridax seemed curiously calm. “Duly noted.” he then rubbed his mechanical hands together. “But I am actually offering some serious advice with the dread fortress. Get a fortress and minions. Dependable minions are hard to come by, but get them loyal and your work will be super easy. Have a plan for what you want to do- not a long one, like the gambit I’m running, but a simple, short-term one. Make it flexible and adaptable as well. Finally…”  He looked at me. “Gain an appreciation for culture and poetry. A sound body hosts a sound mind.” I raise an eyebrow slightly. “Okay, that kind of came out of nowhere. Minions, huh? Hmm… would worshipers count?” Teridax shrugged. “Organised religion is not something I have dabbled in. Though…” he tapped a large foot on the floor. Eventually, he came to a decision. “Yes, I did move a couple of religions around… along with starting and destroying a couple of monarchies. Personally, I never used them as minions, only as fall-guys. After all…” he tore into his chest, pulling out a kraata and staring at it, “why hire, when I can birth?” I stared at the strange looking creature. “Yeah, that’s creepy. I was just wondering since the dragons apparently see me as the goddess of battle. Some of the older ones probably wouldn’t go for it, but I was thinking more along the lines of the younger generation.” Teridax nodded. “Get them at about the dragon equivalent of twenty. Don’t want puberty getting in the way. Plus, any younger and your opponents will exploit it. Hang on.” He pulled out another mask, and with a wave, a hole was created. He tossed the writhing slug in, letting it close. “There, that’s out of the way. Now then.” He faced me. “For the basis of an evil lair, particularly with dragons, I cannot, repeat, cannot emphasize the importance of location enough. A volcano lair for you, my dear, it seems. Be careful not to fall into it, and make sure all your precarious catwalks have railings.” “Eh, wouldn’t be the first time I fell into lava,” I shrugged. Teridax tilted his head, then apparently decided not to ask. “Regardless, miss Kat, location, location, location, as terrible estate agents always say. But even so, evil is not always clear cut. For instance, to be morally good I would advise that you start an anti-smoking campaign, rebuild a collapsed economy, and talk about how the public will cheerily accept a big lie over a small lie. Are those not noble things?” “Uh, dude, this Equestria, not America,” I say with a raised eyebrow. “Even back then, everything was practically perfect. I may have to check with Twilight later, but I’m quite sure the crime rate hasn’t increased since then and, while I may loathe them right now, the Princesses were always pretty good about keeping a balanced checkbook.” Teridax shook his head. “Oh, no. All those things? Hitler actually did every single one of them. Oh, and he kept a dog. Very well, according to historical accounts.” He paused. “Just a thought.” I glared at him slightly, though not sure why. Why did it bother me that he just compared Celestia and Luna to Hitler? Eh, figure it out later. “Okay, so step one: evil lair. Step two: Minions. Step three: try to make things better for other compared to the princesses (not really confident on that one). Anything else?” He chuckled. “Oh, not the last one; I used that as an example of how morality is not always so easy to determine. And I wasn’t comparing the Princesses to Hitler- though there are qualities I admire in the man. Not his policies,” he added as an afterthought, “not his prejudices, but his strengths. He was charismatic, patriotic, and highly intelligent. And above all else, his pragmatism and ruthlessness. Character traits that are to be admired in all.” “Well, unfortunately, for my plan to work, I need the ponies to despise me. I need to get on everyone’s bad side here. It’s the only way the Princesses will take me seriously when the time comes.” Teridax seemed curious. “And what will happen then?” I stopped for a second. . . then waved it off. “Eh, that’s future Kat’s problem.” He shook his head. “My end goal is clear in my mind… though I will not tell you what it is. But you must have a clear goal, that you work towards in smaller goals until you have achieved it.” I shrugged. “Just call me Sasuke Uchiha.” Teridax shook his head. “More of a Hamlet if you ask me, if revenge your true goal be. Just the honest opinion of a classicist.” “I just need to focus on my current plans. After that, I’ll probably focus on the nevi threat.” Yet Teridax focused on that. “Villainy is something I picked up, from snippets of advice and my own designs on it. You could form your opinions on villainy without much help at all. Yet it is the case of ‘to be or not to be’ all over again. You are simply too morally… good for villainy. I cannot teach you on my level. Our worldviews are too different, my dear. I can give you general pointers, but I dislike leaving things to fate too much. I have… plans within plans within plans, so complex that to show you might break your mind. I have steered a planet to my will for the best part of four thousand years, through dreams and portents.” He paced. “Setbacks have come and I have adapted them in to my plan, as simple as breathing. Or rather, as breathing used to be for me.” I stopped on the break my mind part, thinking, “Too late for that…” “Well, Mr. Teridax, it’s probably because I’m not trying to become a villain. I just want to look like one to the people. I’m still a hero at heart.” Teridax shrugged. “Acting. Admirable in one so young. The world is a stage, miss Kat; and all the living creatures within merely players.” He gave, somehow, the impression of a smile. “In my world, guess who holds most of the strings? Who wrote most of the script, who designed the costumes? Not me, but rather, people who have become convinced that they are doing it for them, but actually for me. I merely need to poke at a string, and it reverberates with my tune.” I shrugged. “What can I say? I’m a stickler for the drama. I do thank you for the advice, Teridax. It has been most helpful.” Before Teridax could speak again, another voice rang out through the castle. “Kat? KAT? Are you awake?” I recognized the voice as Twilight’s. It must be time for our get together. I need to wrap this up. "That's my friend, we have plans." Teridax shrugged. “That means you need to leave… like now.” Teridax nodded. “In that case, good day.” With a wave, a similar portal appeared. He was about to leave, then paused. “By the way… I’ve been reading your mind the entire time.” And with that, he left. I stared at the spot where he seemingly vanished back into the shadows, blinked once, and then fumed. “You what?! OOOHH! Teridax if you ever come near me again, you and the ground will get to know each other on an intimate level! That bucking jerk! If any of his plans involve me or my world, so help me…” I ranted on for another minute before I heard Twilight calling for me again. “Coming Twilight!” I called back. I looked back to where the Makuta had vanished. “That’s it, no more multiuniversal help for this girl for a while.” Teridax's P.O.V As soon as I was back, I decided to spy on Kat using the Orb of Vision. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, I always think. Kat would be a danger. I resolved to teach her as much as I could, then at the first available opportunity I would kill her. Since I didn't know the extent of her likely immortality, I was going to have her shot in the head, then encased in concrete and then buried on the ocean floor. Should she ever get out, I would simply blow her concrete coffin up. I idly watched her interacting with six ponies, slightly bored but doing it to gain an understanding of her. SHe was a genuinely heroic soul, and she would resspond violently if I threatened any of them- The purple one. That one was different. I refocused on her. I then subtly opened a portal with my Olmak, and then probed through her mind. She had such knowledge of so many types of magic... I hurriedly closed the portal and then activated the Orb of Vision again, spying on all realities. I then came across one where the purple one was an alicorn. Had I been human, I would have been grinning so widely right now. I was wondering how my plan to take over the entirety of Equestria would work. And thanks to Kat, the answer had been dropped right into my lap. "Heh. Hehheh. HehhehhehBWAHAHAHAHAHA!" I then coughed. Rather cliche, that. I turned to Mystique. "Mystique, keep the base running, I'm going to the opera."