//------------------------------// // Behind Locked Doors // Story: Equus of the Clow // by The Twisted Scripter //------------------------------// part 2 Behind Locked Doors "Caught you! Now take your stupid bag!" Thomas produced the bag and threw it at Taiyu feet. "And next time someone tries to perform a civic good, kindly make it easier for the rest of us by cooperating!" Following the outburst, the royal guard swarmed Thomas's position and quickly apprehended him. Yue continued to sulk while Taiyu began to grin. Something deviant gleaned in her eyes. "Guards! How dare you assault such an esteemed guest!" The startled royal guard released Thomas as he fell to the ground in a display of gasping for breath. “Dear guest, how about you stand by me and introduce yourself to our humble village. I’m sure they are dying to know who your are.” Confused and flustered, Thomas stumbled onto the threshold and stood next to Taiyu. As his gaze met the crowd, the gravity of the situation began to sink into his consciousness. “....uh…..ugh….” Taiyu’s expression turned from inviting to intense as she flashed the katana under her tunic at Thomas and stared viciously into his eyes. In an instant, fear and anxiety gripped his soul. “Listen carefully. As of right now, your life depends on how well do as I say,” Taiyu whispered to Thomas quickly. “You are a visiting dignitary who wanted to take part in the castle party and you hail from a city to the north. If you can’t convince them of this and father suspects something, he will incinerate you on the spot.” Taiyu began to turn to the crowd. “Now why don’t you tell the nice people who you are.” Thomas’s fear began to fade as he collected his thoughts and rehearsed his role in his head a few times. A smile cracked on Thomas’s face as he knew he was about to have a lot of fun. “Good evening, fair citizens of Salutem. Rejoice and kneel before me, for I am the esteemed and fabulous Prince Thundering Spirit of the floating city of Bitonimus that exists right above your heads.” Thomas spouted like a snobbish fop. “My sweet goodness! your guards were not very nice to little old me. How could you not keep them on a leash, mr. Viceroy; and you decided to hold a party…..but you didn’t put out snacks? such sloppy party handling, I say!” Thomas’s act became increasingly silly and ridiculous. The viceroy began to lose his previous happy disposition which faded into a grimace of irritation. Noticing this, Taiyu approached the “prince” and began to take hold of the situation. “Ok,well, it was nice to meet you Mr., um, Thundering Spirit. Why don’t you relax upstairs. We have accommodations ready for you.” “Stop right there!” Viceroy Lychinus boomed with anger. Taiyu’s face fought hard to hide the worry slowly taking over her mind as she turned to face her father. “Who is this…” Lychinus began to compose himself as he saw he was scaring the crowd. “Lovely, eccentric individual who has graced our presence today.” “Oh,” Taiyu began,”this is a visiting dignitary that wanted to attend the castle’s unveiling.” “Uhuhh, a visiting dignitary dressed like a commoner decides to visit an isolated, gated city that has had little contact with any nearby towns or cities because of its self-sustainment and it causes no stir within the town. Would you like to run that by me again?” “He would be in commoner clothes to…divert attention from himself. You know how we get when someone special comes to town. They would have swarmed him.” “How could they have swarmed him if news of this visiting dignitary doesn’t exist.” “Oh, but it does father. He has been the talk of the town since the fair began.” “How would you know that?” Taiyu was losing her grip. The irritation of her father mixed with a scornful stare began chipping away at her resolve. If she didn’t hurry this up, something would give. “ Oh, t-the guards! They are always such gossips. Can’t stop talking to save their lives. They have been muttering about this matter since breakfast. They haven’t told you formally?” Lychinus’s stare began to wane. “No. They neglected to inform me on the matter. I’ll have to deal with that later.” The viceroy’s skepticism faded. His visible irritation was resolved as he returned to his regal demeanor. “Ok, carry on. See to it that his accommodations are to his liking. Aid him with whatever he may want, if you please.” “Oh, of course sir.” “But remember,” Lychinus turned to face his daughter with a faint smile. “Within reason. Never know what will happen. You know, two young lovers, alone in a dark suite, behind locked doors.” Lychinus winked. Taiyu began blushing. “D-dad!” Lychinus began laughing endearingly “Just messing with you sweetheart. You grow up too fast. Alright, run along and we’ll take care of the party down here.” Taiyu left for the stair to the fifth floor in a huff, dragging Thomas behind her. The door to the fifth floor was rather plain compared the the preceding doors. It was an wooden ebony door with brass handles. This doorway led to a hall which led to two rooms opposite each other and a pair of double doors at the end of the hallway. One door was adorned with a brass sun, one with a brass moon, and the double door with a copper phoenix. Both Thomas and Taiyu entered the sun adorned room. Inside were two beds and an assortment of dressers and jewelry boxes that filled the room comfortably. “As our ‘guest,’ you will be lodging in my room. There is always a spare bed made up for such an occasion and a servant to tend to your needs.” Thomas began to grin. “What?” Taiyu inquired. “My my, you’re pretty fast for your age. I guess height adds to desire.” Thomas’s grin failed as a brief chuckle ensued. While his demeanor was rather cheerful, Taiyu’s face never changed from its stoick expression. “I’m only seventeen and barely taller than you; and if you honestly bought that loving facade from the viceroy, you’re even more of an idiot than I imagined.” “Oh! Not very comfortable around daddy, is it? His little girl wants to fight the power and be freed from the shackles of the oppressive family roles.” Taiyu drew her sword in an instant and leveled it to Thomas’s neck. Sheer rage burned deep in her eyes as they seemed to spit fire into Thomas’s very being. “Dont you dare act like you could possibly understand the situation! The only reason you were not a stain on the carpet the moment you opened your mouth was because of this little charade he’s throwing. He is not someone you want to be close with nor is he someone to trifle with.” “Woah, woah,woah! Easy! Ok, ok, ok, ok, I’m sorry. No need to do anything rash. A-after all, if I die the viceroy will find out and won’t like that his guest was killed by his own daughter.” “Do you really think you are that important? Please, you are about as expendable as they come. All I have to say is that you were a changeling disguised as the fruit you just made up and attacked me in my chambers. Visitors will be barred from future events, I get off scotch free, and no one will ever give it a second thought.” “Oh.” As her anger subsided, Taiyu lowered her sword. The arrogant demeanor returned to her expression. “You’re very disrespectful to us high society ponies. Didn’t your parents ever tell you messing with the royalty can get you into deep trouble? They must feel great disgrace because of you.” Thomas’s face writhed with pain. “....Wouldn’t it be nice if they could?” Taiyu’s spiteful words began to burn into both Thomas and herself. The jeering face she adopted soon changed to concern for what she just did to him emotionally. Thomas then began grimacing with anger. “...Well, if you’re going to pull dirty shots like that,” began Thomas,” than I’ll pull ones of my one.” “Come again?” “As I understand it, you take great pains to make your little excursions into the town quiet and unknown to ponies like your father. I suppose I could slip this little secret to his bedmate Ironhide who would be more than happy to inform his majesty about his brutish daughter and her vigilante power trips.” Taiyu began to look worried. “You wouldn’t dare!” “Try me, berserker!” “Oh yeah? First of all, Ironhide isn’t his bedmate. That was a joke, you idiot. Second of all, what’s stopping me from killing you now?” “Your father is going to want to know how I died when his ‘defenseless’ daughter fought and killed a dangerous beast like a changeling. What will you say then? Will you tell him you were possessed by a malicious spirit, or maybe that you found a mystic sword under your bed?” “Uhhh….” “It’s your choice.” Taiyu was cornered. Thomas found the one thing that could subdue her. Checkmate! As Taiyu accepted defeat, she sheathed her sword and prepared for his command. “....What do I have to do to keep you silent?” Taiyu said preparing for the worst. Thomas began to grin. “Well, I’m glad you asked. there is a door in the library that is sealed with barriers and incantations a normal earth pony like myself could not open. Seeing as how you are a member of the royal family, you must have some innate magical abilities that could prove useful. Also, the library will be vacant for some time while the guests are dining and dancing.” “Get to the point.” “Open that door and we’ll be square.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “....and that’s why we need your help, sis.” Yue stared at the two with utter puzzlement. “You want me….to open a door for you?” “Yes,” Thomas replied. “You have the royalty in the palm of your hooves under the thumb of blackmail, able to ask for anything you could desire without limitations, and you want us to open a door.” “Yes, Taiyu is not as capable with magic as you are and the seals are quite powerful. Why?” “I’ve always imagined that Taiyu’s recklessness would come back to bite us in the rear. I just didn’t think we would get off so easily. I guess you were right Taiyu. He isn’t the sharpest person out there.” “Hey! I’ll have you know that I wouldn’t ask for anything that you’re thinking of because I am a gentlecolt. Also, I guess I have great deal of determination for getting the things I want. So, what do you say?” “I say you have a very one track mind and that is the stupidest desire I have ever heard.” “Will you help us or not?” Yue paused and rubbed her chin deep in thought. Looking around the ballroom they were in, the ponies she saw were busy dancing to folk tunes. Each one brimming with glee and filled with liquid courage from dinner. Quickly Yue dashed to the orchestra playing and whispered something into the conductor’s ear. “Everypony, listen up!” The conductor shouted to the crowd. “The fair and beautiful Lady Luna has a special request of us.” The crowd turned to face Yue. “Lady Luna? What’s with that?” Thomas whispered to Taiyu. “That is the name given to her by royalty, as opposed to her birth name Yue. It’s just like mine.” Taiyu retorted. “Fair guests,” she spoke with a voice soft as silk,”in honor of this momentous occasion we should celebrate with the utmost jubilee. To do this, we shall dance to something brand new.” With a flash of her horn, a script of paper manifested before her. “This is a piece I have worked on for years and dedicated it to this event. It would fill me with great joy to have you dance to it and make merry.” The musical score levitated over to the conductor and sat on his podium. With a gleam in the conductor’s eye, he motioned the orchestra to begin as the sheet music began manifesting on every music holder in the orchestra. “You might wanna cover your ears.” Yue said to Taiyu and Thomas. They complied. The orchestra began playing the piece. As the music played, an ominous aura flowed from the sheet music and flooded the room. The eyes of the party goers began to glow with a blue tint and each one began dancing a waltz in a synchronized fashion. “Follow me.” Yue led Taiyu and Thomas out into the staircase and into the library. “The Thoughtless Waltz. One of my many masterpieces. That should keep the partiers and the guard busy for a good hour.” “How so?” “It is a piece of music imbued with my own magic. They are powerless to its control as it forces any unlucky listener to dance for as long as it plays. They can’t hear us or speak to us until the recital is over.” Thomas looked confused. “Why would you do that?” “Well,” Yue said, “ we can’t have anypony finding us when we open that door for you. This way, they won’t have the ability to respond.” “So, you’ll help?” “Eh, I’m bored. I suppose I could lend a hoof. Also, if word of this does get out, I too will be in hot water.” “Wonderful! Welcome aboard.” “Don’t thank me just yet. This is no ordinary lock that you want to fool with. These seals are a fine piece of work.” Yue approached the door and inspected it. “The reason this door is so hard to get into is because the lock is very big and changes every hour. The spell barricading the door will re-arrange with different runes so that no criminal can learn the pattern of these wards and disperse them.” “You’re quite informed on the matter.” “Well, I should be. I did design the lock myself.” “Why would you do something like that?” Taiyu spat with irritation. Yue shot her an arrogant glance. “Because dad asked me to, and his brilliant older daughter couldn’t do it.” “Well, how do we break the seal.” “We don’t.” Yue confirmed. Thomas’s irritation began to grow. “Well then, what good are you for?” “Patience is a virtue! there is a brief moment while the wards are changing when there is no spell protecting it. If I catch it in time, I can lengthen the duration by blocking the flow of magic before it solidifies into a new barrier.” “Splendid! When is the next shift change?” Yue motioned to a grandfather clock in the corner. The time was 8:59. “We have one minute exactly.” “Alright.” Thomas’s giddiness faded as curiosity peaked his consciousness. “What is in there exactly?” “I don’t know. Neither the guards nor the staff were ever told about it as well as me and Taiyu. The only one who knows anything about it is the viceroy and he always said we can’t go near it. So much for that, I suppose.” “Wow, you two really don’t like your dad. Does he owe you money or something. I can’t imagine how two sour mares could be so indifferent to a spectacular stallion like that.” “Believe me,” Yue started,” you would be too if you had to put up with half the stuff he does.” “Some do more than others.” Taiyu said begrudgingly. “Oh please, like he would ever upset his precious little sun child.” “Don’t you dare start with-” “twenty seconds until shift.” Thomas interrupted. The quarrel quickly subsided. “Right. Everypony ready?” Yue said. “Let’s do this” “I’m good.” “Okay.” “Ten seconds.” Thomas’s stomach quivered with anticipation and excitement. He couldn’t wait to find his prize after waiting so impatiently for it. ...Five… ...Four… ...Three… ...Two… ...One… ...Zero! In an instant, the doors strange rune pattern dissolved instantly as the magical aura began to move in a circular pattern. In the next instant, Yue’s horn and eyes flashed a brilliant deep blue as magic began to take shape on her hoof. With a forceful jab, Yue connected with the door. the aura surrounding her hoof flowed into the door, forming a knot in the wood that emanate with a deep blue glow, and the circular flow of energy stopped. The ward was paralyzed. “Voila!” Yue exclaimed. “Excellent!” “Now, the seal will only stay frozen until it is moved. We can open the door once from the outside. After that, the seal will rematerialize. I’ll stand guard outside and open it again at the next change while the two of you go on ahead and figure out what was so important that father didn’t want to flaunt it for the guests.” “Got it. Ready, m’ lady?” “Don’t push it.” “Splendid! Well catch ya later.” “Alright.” Yue opened the door. as it creaked open, the seal began moving again until a rune pattern appeared on the door. Taiyu and Thomas walked in. “See you two in an hour.” The door closed behind them as the hue of the seal surrounded the door and solidified around the frame. They turned to face the room. Unfortunately, it was pitch black. “Hold on, I’ve got this.” Taiyu’s horn began to glow with a faint golden hue. She strained as it sparked to life and a fire appeared on the tip. “Fascinating,” Thomas observed. “Yeah yeah, just find a torch.” Thomas searched the now illuminated walls and found a small row of candlesticks adorning both sides of the hallway they were in. He plucked a large one off of the wall and held it up to Taiyu’s horn until it lit. Taiyu’s horn then winked out as signs of exhaustion became prevalent on her face. “What’s wrong?” “Magic is not my strong suit.” “I thought all alicorns held great magical powers. Isn’t that what makes you all into bedtime tales for foals.” “I thought all grown stallions had their marks, yet your flank is noticeably barren.” Thomas blushed with embarrassment. It was true that he never earned his mark, much to aid the everlasting scorn from peers that came with it. “Not funny.” “Eh, it’s ok. I don’t have mine either. Neither does my sister. I’m sure one day we will, but we can't seem to find what we are exceptionally good at. ” “So, master sword pony doesn’t count.” “Apparently not. Anyway, I probably do have great magical abilities. I just don’t click as well with them as my sister does.” “Okay. “ Thomas turned to face the newly illuminated room. “So, where are we?” “...I’m not entirely sure.” The hall was considerably barren and a lot longer than expected if you based the inside of the house from how it appeared on the outside. Another wonder of the marvels of magic, having impossible closet spaces down to a science. The duo continued down the hallway until they reached a moderately sized octagonal room barren of any decor except for the pedestal in the center of the room. Beneath the pedestal was a ward-like circle burned into the floor that contained an intricate criss-crossing pattern of lines and images of the sun in the center with the moon adjacent to it. On the rim of the circle was inscriptions of symbols unknown to either Thomas or Taiyu. On top of the pedestal was a red and gold encrusted book imprinted with a similar pattern on the front below the title and guarded with a lock on the border. “Ugh, how do you like that. It’s just dad’s old gag book.” “Excuse me.” “Dad use to carry this book in the library and show it off to the guards. He would always say that he would pay a thousand bits to the guard who could open it and read it to him. Of course, no one ever opened it. Both me and Yue tried as well with everything we had, but he just laughed and laughed while the book never budged. Eventually, we all just gave up on it and left it on one of the shelves to be forgotten. This whole secret door thing is also probably one of his cruel jokes to humiliate us.” “Oh please, don’t you pull that. You just want to keep me from reading it with your made up stories.” Taiyu sighed with indifference. “Well, ignorance is bliss, I suppose. Fine, have a go at it. I’ll look for a switch or something. Hopefully, I will find something really worth the effort. Just don’t pull anything. We can’t have you injuring yourself with a book. If you do, no doctor in town would believe you.” Thomas gingerly approached the pedestal carefully, making sure that the circle on the floor wouldn’t blow up in his face or something else like that. The inscription on the cover was similar to the text surrounding the circle and appeared unreadable; however, the symbols began moving and forming words as he picked it up. Eventually, the title appeared. “...The….The Clow?” “Oh, don’t bother trying to make any sense of the text. It’s complete gibberish.” Thomas’s intrigue began to grow. If it is gibberish, then why can I read it. Thomas’s concentration broke abruptly as he noticed the symbols on the floor began moving as well. A text appeared out of the jumbled mess of pictures and runes. “Are you seeing this.” Thomas said maintaining his astonishment as best he could. “Seeing what?” Taiyu replied apathetically. The runes did not appear to change for her as she lazily glanced at Thomas Interesting. As he flashed the candle over the text, Thomas began unconsciously mumbling it to himself in a low voice as he observed it. “The seal..will break, once… the prison is given the proper name. Speak it, then enter.” What idiocy is this? “Hey Taiyu, what do you make of this.” “What?” “The seal will break once the prison is given the proper name. Speak it, then enter.” “Where do you see that.” “Around...Oh, wait. Sorry, never mind.” Taiyu snorted in impatients as boredom began to grip her attention span. “The seal….once...prison is given…name.” Hmmmm, odd. “Once...prison….given…name.” ........... “On...pr...ve...na” …...Wait. “O…p...e...n.” Oh! “Open!” k-chnk The lock on the book clicked and snapped open. “Ha! take that Taiyu! Now, where is my thousand bits?” “What are you going on abo-” taiyu froze in astonishment as she gazed at the opened book that fooled her and countless others beforehand. “H-h-how...did you do that?” “Call it incredible intuition. I guess I must be the best and brightest this town has to offer.” “B-but….but.” “Oh well, bad luck on your part I guess. Say, want to be one of the first to read it. I’m sure Yue’s going to want second crack at it so speak up now.” Thomas said jeeringly. Taiyu shook her head vigorously with approval. “Okay.” Thomas opened the book. Inside were pictures and murals depicting creatures of large, small, and strange shapes with inscriptions under each one describing them. One picture depicted a dark, formless figure that floated in mid air. The...Shadow. On another page was a picture of two ponies side by side with a line dividing them. One had eyes while the other had only white spaces. The Mirror. In the middle of the book, there was an ominous figure. It was an illustration of a void with blackened eyes of malice and multiple sets of sharp teeth that appeared to float in its shadow. The Vile. Thomas then turned the page to written inscription. Around this inscription was six ponies cloaked in black robes with shaded faces. Each one carried a different weapon. One had a sword. The next had a large scythe. The next had a dagger. The next had a large, cross-blade weapon. The next had an imposing war hammer, and the last had an elegant whip. Each one stood side by side forming a circle around the written text as if to chant it. In the beginning, there were two walks of life that governed the land, the Equus and the Jinn…. “Hey! I know what this is! This is my favorite bedtime story.” “You can read that jumbled mess?” “Well, yes.” Thomas began to chuckle. “I guess I can tell grandma what a Jinn looks like now. It’ll be kind of hard since the don’t seem to have one singular form.” “Those are Jinn?...Then… is this really that book?” “I doubt it. maybe a facsimile of the real thing. Can you imagine how old that book is.It would probably be dust by now.” Thomas turned the page. To his amazement, the pages were hollowed out and concealed a deck of cards bearing the same seal as the book and the floor. He picked one up and turned it over to reveal a depiction of a large eye with a luminous aura emanating from it. An inscription lay beneath it. The Insight. “Wow, I didn’t know the Jinn played card games.” “Maybe the got bored while being locked away within a book and needed some levity.” “Wanna play?” “Don’t kid yourself. There is no way they stashed a rulebook for any kind of game in a prison of mystical, god like creatures.” “...Still wouldn’t hurt to look, though.” Thomas then removed the entire deck from the hallowed pages of the book. Underneath the cards Thomas found a strange trinket. A sword-like pendant on a silver chain. “Oo! Shiny! I call dibs.” Taiyu shouted quickly. “What! You can’t call dibs. I opened it.” “Sorry, too slow.” Taiyu reached for the necklace. As she touched it, a spark leapt from the pendant and struck her hoof. “Ow!” “What can I say? even the book agrees with me.” Thomas picked up the necklace and held it up to his eyes. The necklace gave him a sort of chill as it almost felt like it stared back at him. It carried a mysticism about it that drew Thomas into its beckoning and silent call. It captivated him, intrigued him, even spellbound him. Slowly, he could feel his awareness slip away from him. “Uh, hello? Thomas? Are you still alive?!” Thomas regained consciousness as he noticed Taiyu began nudging him. “Yeah, uh, I’m fine. How about that card game now to pass the time? We've still have a while before the next change.” Thomas began shuffling through the deck of cards and came upon one that struck his fancy. “Hmm. The...Vile.” “Hey! it’s that thing the other Jinn don’t like.” “What?” “No, seriously, look here.” Taiyu pointed to a page in the book of a group of strange beasts fighting an empty void of eyes and teeth. Each combatant seethed with rage and fear as they faced it. “Sounds brutal.” How disgraseful. Thomas froze as a voice penetrated his mind. W-who is this? How can she be so rude? Thomas became scared. Tell me. Answer me now! You should teach her a lesson. Thomas’s nerve began to quiver as fear began to take over. No, no, go away! What’s the matter, little one? The voice continued in a soothing, hypnotic tone that caressed Thomas’s mind as it washed over him. Do I scare you? I thought you would be strong enough to hear my wisdom. What are you talking about? I’m not scared of you! Show yourself! Down here. Thomas looked down at the card he was holding. Everyone else was scared of me and my power, so they scorned and mocked me. They even turned on me and locked my beauty away from the world. Will you let me go, and help me proclaim my beauty to the world? You wouldn’t want to stifle your friends of a wonderful thing because you were too scared to help a Godsend share his guiding light with the world? Thomas began to calm down as the words in his head began soothing him. This voice appeared to be speaking helpful insight. “Thomas?” You can’t mean that. Your name is Vile. They named me Vile. Tell me, do I sound vile to you? Thomas thought it over. Well, no. B-but you’re a Jinn, and the Jinn always hated our kind. Silly foal, do you believe everything scared animals tell you? Do you believe in the same kind that neglects, ridicules, and belittles others? Jinn don’t destroy Equus, Equus destroy themselves. I am what is best for this world, and the others saw that. They didn’t want me to act for the greater good because they enjoyed the chaos that they could feed off of. When I did, they sealed me away by throwing me to the sages. Don’t you think that was wrong? Well, yes….b-b-but- Then what is the problem? If you release me, I can create a better world where none of this exists. “Hello? Are you still with the living?” You can fix all of that? Of course! and I’ll even tell you how. All you have to do is free me from my prison and I can change the world. How? Use the key. Thomas then shifted his attention to the pendant in his other hoof. According to this spirit, it was the key to his prison. The only problem was Thomas didn’t know how it would work. The pendant began to call out to him. It began drawing him into the same trance as before. Only this time, Thomas felt more in control. It was almost as if he wanted to fall into its embrace and leave the world behind. “Answer me! Now!” Taiyu began shaking Thomas furiously. After a few moments, Thomas regained consciousness and shook Taiyu off. “Alright, you’re still alive. Don’t scare me like that! I was getting worried.” “...Oh sure, you would be worried about me.” “...Pardon me?” “Oh, I am sure that you are worried about my well being. You just don’t want to get into trouble if anything happens to me. After all, as you said, I am just as disposable as they come. All you can care about is that daddy doesn’t spank you and send you to bed without supper.” Thomas’s voice was laced with rage. Though he was spitting poison at Taiyu, his words almost seemed empty. It was as if he fully meant what he said as well as not at all. “Are you unwell?” “I could say the same thing to you. Always hurting ponies, belittling ponies, even dismembering ponies. You subjugate those weaker than you to make yourself feel better. Am I right? Lady Celestia?” Thomas said in a scornfully mocking tone. Taiyu’s face flashed with disbelief. “You know that that is not true. I would never hurt someone that couldn’t handle it. Those criminals hurt the innocent and deserved it.” “Oh, of course they did. Simple criminals that everypony knows to stay away from totally deserved being cut down, burned, and mocked. Some ruler you would turn out to be.” “That’s not fair! I need to protect my citizens, even if that means hurting those who would harm them. I don't think I should be treated with such cruelty for doing my job. What's the matter with you?!” “Fair? What’s fair?! You say that you should be considered a nice character, yet you have not said one nice thing to me since I was here. Dont even pull that good of the many gag, you did it because you were bored. I don’t like to kneel before hypocrites. You're no ruler of mine.” Taiyu’s face turned from shocked to pain as tears began welling up in her eyes. “Stop it! You’re scaring me! You can’t mean that! What’s happened to you?!” Taiyu screamed. “How disgraceful… how can you be so rude… I should teach you a lesson.” Thomas’s voice was monotone and distant. He did not appear to have control. “Snap out of it!” Taiyu raised her hoof and attempted to smack Thomas. A flash of light appeared as the pendant around Thomas’s hoof illuminated vigorously. Thomas raised his arm Crack! Taiyu’s hoof connected, not with Thomas’s head, but with a sword. The sword was a larger form of the pendant and glistened like a new blade. “No, you wake up!” Thomas threw off Taiyu’s hoof and struck her in the side with the blunt part of the blade. Taiyu fell before him like a bag of stones and quivered in his presence. Thomas smirked at her and placed the card of the Vile in front of her. “What are you doing?” Thomas did not answer. His eyes appeared soulless and empty, as if something else was in control. He lifted the sword above his head, ready to strike. “Stop! No!” Thomas swung. Fwwwoooooooshhh! Bang! Thomas struck the card. In an instant, it ignited with a blinding light that burned with the intensity of the sun. It crackled and screamed as energy poured out of it. Shhhhhhhhhhhinnnnnnnnng! A spell circle like the one under the pedestal appeared on top of the card as a hideous form reared itself out of the circle. First, a thick shadow. Then, an eye. Then, a set of demonic teeth. The terrifying beast eyed Taiyu with great lust, and proceeded to lick his teeth. “Such… a tasty snack!” the void said with a soft and mental-shattering voice that was both soothing and deadly. It was the voice of death itself and it beckoned for Taiyu’s soul. “...I shouldn’t spoil my appetite on such a frail creature. I have bigger plans in mind. As for you.” He said while turning to face Thomas. “Thank you for freeing my voluptuous body from its stifling cage. I can’t wait to reshape this disgusting refuse into my own, glorious image! If only you knew the full gravity of the service you provided this dying world with. They will surely remember this.” Thomas did not respond. “But first, every good plan needs a scapegoat. I am very sorry about using you like that; but rest assure, it was for the good cause. No hard feelings?” Thomas remained silent. “I’ll take that as a yes. Sorry I can't explain right now. I'll be sure to inform you later on the matter. Anyway, nighty night.” The black mist struck Thomas with an almost corporeal appendage, flinging him against the wall and leaving him on the floor convulsing. The once stoic face soon began displaying rushed spasms of fear, anger, sadness, and pain at the same time while his body seized and twisted. “Thomas!” Taiyu screamed. She staggered to her hooves and drew her sword with what little strength she had left. “You… you bastard!” Taiyu then charged the beast. Unfortunately, she was met with a similar attack and was overpowered. She fell before the beast as her sword flew away to the other corner of the room. Taiyu eyes welled up with tears. “Aw, poor little baby. Without your little toy, you can’t play with anypony anymore. How does it feel being so pathetic for the first time instead of being the one subjugating others?” Taiyu shuddered and turned away as tears began to fall from her face. “Not good, I suppose. Well, it’s been a blast meeting you two but I’ve got to go. Enjoy what little, black hearted cruelties you have left as you no doubt will find some other friend to blame your problems on. Tutiloo!” With that, the beast evaporated and blasted through the door like a dark wind. The door exploded and the blackness broke loose. A blue Alicorn entered the room with a surprised look on her face. “What did you two do?!” Taiyu staggered to her knees as she formed weakened words on her lips. “I...couldn’t...stop...it...I'm...worthless.” Her vision faded to purple colors and sounds became mute as she fell to the ground. In the next instant, everything was black. To Be Continued... I apologize for the stories beginning for being so long. I am having a hard time condensing so many actions into one story. After the beginning, it will flow a lot more smoothly as I plan to shorten the stories to one chapter. Thank you for your patients. sincerely, The Twisted Scripter.