I looked around the large block of protosteel that I called the meeting table at my forty-six generals. As soon as I'd returned, I'd gotten around to making some much-needed modifications.
"You can talk to me, you know. You are my children, after all."
Venom looked up, flexing the new tongue I'd made for him. "Yes, we remember that the generals could talk... still a bit weird how we have tongues now."
I nodded. "You're my children. Why shouldn't I give you this gift? Now, use your gift wisely. Though I will tolerate a certain level of insubordination, I will not tolerate outright rebellion."
Venom glared at me. "In which case, may I recommend that we get rid of that fat thing? It damn near destroyed my legs!"
I paused. "Really?" That hadn't been communicated. I picked up Malideus' piece, staring at it. Should I give the kill order yet?
After a moment's thought, I shook my head. Malideus was still useful to me... though his usefulness was steadily declining. It hadn't before, but it was now. If he couldn't control his own minions...
I returned to the subject at hand. "Not yet, Venom. But I assure you, Malideus' usefulness to me WILL reach an end. And the demon known as Gondon will be destroyed."
Venom grinned. "Good. I want it to suffer."
I nodded. Anybody who threatened my family would get destroyed. "Now, returning to the subject at hand: other humans."
I gave a signal to Magnifico, a Rahkshi of Illusion. With a wave of his staff, a complex illusion of all the humans I had identified through the Orb of Vision appeared.
I gestured. "As I'm sure you all know, my fellow humans all exist in alternate versions of Equestria. Most of them aren't human anymore, like me."
With another wave, more pictures of them came up, the demon, Nemesis, various others who didn't even have their own species for comfort. I continued talking.
"I believe that none of them will pose any threat to the plan's initial stage. But the second stage faces significant risk from several select humans. As such, I have plans to destroy them as soon as they prove to be a threat."
With a flicker, one human's image grew larger. Intimidating and dressed in black, its Darth Vader helmet with extra horns would have intimidated most people. As it was, I thought he looked ridiculous.
"Darth Vulcan. He's a teenager with an Alicorn Amulet. And just as dangerous as that implies." I snorted.
"He's a weak-willed fool who's a slave to his own tool. I expect him to be killed by the alicorns of his world in a couple of months. He is not fit to even lick my foot." He was a pretentious teenager with some serious mysantthropy issues. Not fit to even think about joining forces with.
Tavish nodded, laughing boisterously. "Aye, but he could be a threat, otherwise why talk about him?"
I clapped to the Rahkshi of Fragmentation. "Unfortunately, he is a threat. Thanks to that Amulet, he's an incredible threat, if a mentally deluded one. That's why, Tavish, I want you to make sure that he isn't. Keep an eye on him, and should he mobilise against me in the second stage, kill him. Decapitate him and bring me his head as a trophy."
That done, another image appeared, of an armoured warrior with the emblem of the sun on his chest. "The next item on the agenda is Solaire of Astora. From my views of him, he appears to be... unkillable."
Skrillex raised a hand. I pointed to the Rahkshi of Sonics. "Yes, Skrillex?"
He gestured at the image of the knight with one hand, while the other started spinning his staff around. "Nothing's unkillable. Are you sure that they're trying to kill him?"
I nodded briefly, continuing. "You're quite right. He can be killed, but he doesn't die. Instead, he... respawns, for lack of a better word, around a bonfire."
I grinned, chuckling. "Which is why I've built a cell with enough magic suppressants on it that even he couldn't teleport out, and placed a bonfire there, in case he comes here."
Skrillex clapped. "Your genius truly knows no bounds sir."
I waved the praise off. "You don't have to tell me what the universe and I already know, Skrillex. But back to the matter of Solaire. Very dangerous, especially with that... humanity of his."
I sneered distastefully. "He's an idealistic fool, but those are often the best kind."
Another image appeared, of Malideus, the dark wizard. I looked at Venom, Tavish and Sek. "You three know who he is."
Sek nodded. "He's the idiot, isn't he? Is he even qualified to find his own arse?"
I shook my head. "I understand his plight, but I have to agree with you: he's a moron. Still, he's a moron with a demon inside of him. A very, VERY powerful demon. Might have to kill him just to get that demon for myself."
Venom nodded eagerly. "Do it sir. Do it now."
I shook my head and steepled my fingers. "Later, my dear Venom. Later." I then stood up.
"I want somebody to keep a close eye on him. Sek!"
The Rahkshi of Disintegration focused on me again. "Yes sir?"
I pointed at him. "You will go to Malideus' world, and keep an eye on him. If he deviates from the course I have planned for him, then you are to kill him. Understood?"
Sek nodded. "Crystal clear sir."
I paused. "Oh, and inform Jarvis that he is not to inform Malideus of your existence. If he does, I will personally extract him and end his vacation. Got that?"
Sek nodded again, hand resting on his staff. "Again, it's crystal clear sir."
I looked at him. "Don't call me sir. You bow to no-one."
I gestured to Magnifico again, and this time the image of Kat appeared."Kat, gravity manipulator, capable of tearing the planet apart. And very nearly succeeded too. Motivated by the death of a stuffed cat, the most retarded excuse for a revenge plot that has ever existed."
I chuckled. "She honestly thinks that, because the stuffed cat could talk, that it's worth getting excited about! Insects and animals talk in their own languages, and do we care when they die? No, we don't."
I paused, reflecting on her. "Still, for what it's worth, she's a hero." I spat the last word out as if it had a nasty taste in my mouth, which it honestly did. I pointed at John Smith, my Rahkshi of Stasis Field.
"Go there. Keep an eye on her. If she's a threat, put her in stasis and just cut her throat. Her immortality isn't absolute. She can be harmed, and thus she can be killed. Stay undetected, and watch her from afar."
Another flicker, and the image of a golden pony with a flaming orange hair appeared. "Auric Fulcrum, the Wielder of the Flames of Alchemy. Another dangerous heroic type. If he comes here, you are to kill on sight. Do you hear me? Kill. On. Sight. Right now, he's able to be wounded, and thus there is a possibility of killing him. Or if you can't, then paralyse him and bring him to me. I'll absorb him."
A final flicker, revealing a tall, muscular figure with a huge, metallic head, dragging an oversized knife around. Most of the Rahkshi in the room drew back a little. I smirked. "Pyramid Head. Currently residing in Silent Hill. Of all of them, he's the biggest threat because within his home dimension he is invincible. Thus, all I should really have to do is remove him from said dimension, and then snap that rangy neck."
I gazed around the room. "Any questions?"
Nobody moved. I felt mildly happy. "Then it's decided." I slammed the butt end of my staff on the floor.
"Meeting adjourned."