//------------------------------// // Conquest for Dummies // Story: The God of Darkness // by Synthetic Soul //------------------------------// Blade sat by the roaring fire, munching the last bit of manticore meat off his drumstick. Picking the last pieces of flesh off and popping them into his mouth, he tossed the inedible into a pile. He was about to stand up and get more, when he saw that the carcass was now devoid of meat, all that was left was bone. “Wow, I didn’t realize I was that hungry. Nearly 2000 years trapped in a mystical orb will give you a real hunger.” said the dark one. He wiped his hands on his hoodie. “Well, now it’s time to get to work on conquering this pathetic nation. Only issue is, all I know how to do is kill. To conquer a nation, and maintain control, I will need knowledge, and followers.” After a moment’s contemplation, Blade decided he would start, by obtaining the knowledge necessary. And what better place to learn then the Library? But before he set out, he used his power to materialize a piece of parchment, and an ink quill. He then scribbled; “To Do List,” on the top of the paper, and then wrote several items on the piece. 1. Find Library 2. Read up on how to conquer Equestria 3. Recruit followers 4. Conquer Equestria 5. Kill Dad 6. Achieve revenge “Ah, the to do list. What would I do without them?” He then folded the list, and put it into his pocket. He then transformed himself into black smoke and shot off in the direction of Ponyville. Twilight, her friends, and fellow princesses galloped towards the Everfree forest. Twilight took the lead, followed by Applejack and Rainbow Dash, then Pinkie, Rarity and Fluttershy, and finally the royal sisters. “Sister...” asked Luna. “What is it Luna?” “Shouldn’t we return to Canterlot to warn the citizens, and prepare the nation to defend against Dark Blade?” “You can go if you want Luna, but I’m tired of sitting back and doing nothing. I want to at least SEE the action this time.” “Very well. I will go make sure our nation and people are safe, while you pursue your reckless thrill seeking.” said Luna as she flapped her wings. “Exactly, wait what?” but it was too late, Luna had already taken to the sky. “What is this, rip on Celestia day?” Shrugging it off, Celestia returned her attention to the task at hand. A few moments later, the group found themselves on the outskirts of the forest, holding the intimidating eeriness it always had. “Well girls, this is it. This is the direction Dark Blade took. Let’s go!” said Twilight. “Do-do we have to Twilight? I mean it’s just so dark…and scary,” shuttered Fluttershy. “Come on Fluttershy! We’ve been in the forest before!” replied Rainbow Dash. “Yes, but… it’s still scary..." whimpered Fluttershy, hiding behind her mane. A few seconds later, she felt a hoof touch her shoulder. She looked up to see none other than the Princess of the sun herself looking down at her with a warm smile. “Do not fret Fluttershy. You have your friends with you, as well as myself. I can promise you that you will not be harmed.” Fluttershy felt her spirits lift somewhat, but she still felt afraid. But she knew the ponies in her company would protect her. She nodded her head, affirming that she would go into the forest. “Alright girls. Lets go!” announced Twilight. And with that, the group charged into the forest, ready to confront evil. Blade found a nice dark alleyway to land in. As soon as the shadow overtook him, he reverted to his human form. When he landed, he looked around to make sure no one saw him. When he was satisfied with his secrecy, he changed his form once again. His body morphed, only this time he took the form of a young colt. A Pegasus child, with alabaster white fur, and neon colored mane and tail. He didn’t bother to add a cutie mark, as it was not uncommon for children this age to not have a cutie mark. “Now, to find the library,” his eyes widened when he heard his voice. “Wow, I sound just like I did when I was ten!” He played with his voice for a few seconds, before getting back on track. He galloped out of the alley, and headed towards the market. Once he found the market, he walked up to the first pony he saw, a blue unicorn mare, with red hair. She was facing away from Blade, so once he reached her, he tapped the back of her leg with his hoof. She turned around and looked down at the colt. “Excuse me miss, but can you tell me where the library is?” “Oh, you must be new to Ponyville, right?” “Um yeah, how can you tell?” “Well, about a week ago, Ponyville Library was destroyed by the evil Centaur Mage Tirek. Now, it’s been relocated into the Palace of Twilight Sparkle.” “The Palace?” “Yes, it looks like a large crystal tree, I can take you there if you want.” “Oh, I think I saw the place. I’m pretty sure I can make my way there.” “Oh, alright then.” “Thank you!” said the disguised deity as he waved at the mare while trotting away. “Don’t mention it!” The ponies made their way deeper into the forest, until they came to an open clearing. But as soon as they arrived, they gasped, and cried out when they saw the scene. A burned out fire, and the fleshless corpse of the dead Manticore. Twilight stepped up to the corpse and examined it. “This defiantly looks like scene of a carnivorous, yet intelligent being. If I had to guess, I’d say it was most likely Blade.” “No…how could he,” said Celestia under her breath. The group was about to head forward to investigate, when they heard heavy breathing behind them. They turned around to see Fluttershy. But her face was not decorated with fear or sadness. It was something they rarely saw in her. It was anger. “Fluttershy…are…are you okay?” asked Rainbow Dash. “That…that…MEANIE!” cried Fluttershy. “How DARE HE! How dare he kill that poor manticore! When I see him, I’ll rip him apart!” “Fluttershy, please calm down!” pleaded the Princess. Fluttershy’s breathing continued to be hard, and almost violent. The ponies backed away, as she screamed with rage. When she finished, she collapsed on the floor. “Fluttershy? Are you alright…Fluttershy?” said Rarity as she poked her friend with her hoof. When Fluttershy didn’t answer she put her ear to Fluttershy’s torso. After a few seconds, she lifted her head. “It’s alright, she’s just passed out.” “Alright,” said Princess Celestia. “It appears as if Dark Blade has moved on. Let’s get Fluttershy back to the castle. We’ll just have to wait for him to make his move. And maybe we can find a way to track him back at the Castle.” The ponies agreed, and headed back towards Ponyville, with Applejack carrying Fluttershy on her back. Once Blade reached the castle, he decided he needed to mask his magical energy. There was a decent chance his father was still there, and if he weren’t careful, Discord would be able to see through the disguise. Dark Blade began suppressing his magical signature, and changing it to match that of a young Pegasus child. When he was finished, he went to the front door, and knocked. He looked around, somewhat nervous of being found out. After about a minute, he knocked again. He could hear a faint voice on the other side. After a few seconds, the door opened to reveal a short purple dragon with green frills. “Can I help you?” The dragon spoke with a high-pitched voice, but Blade could tell he was a young male. “Yes, I was told that this is where Ponyvilles Library was.” “Oh, yeah, sure, I’ll take you there.” The dragon lead the false colt through the hallway, down to the room containing the library. “Here it is” said the Dragon as he directed Blade into the room. “If you need anything, I’ll be down the hall. Make sure to check in with me, so I can record your book.” “Yeah, sure.” Once the dragon left, Blade reverted back to his human form. He then cast a detection spell, a trip alarm that would tell him if the dragon returned. He then started searching for the books of his desire. He made his way through the A’s, and B’s, and then came to the C’s. After searching through the C’s, he came to just what he was looking for. He pulled out the book of his choice. “Conquest for dummies, eh? How convenient.” He held on to the book, and was about search for more, when he heard voices approach. But he had what he needed, so he decided to leave. He morphed himself to his gaseous form, and shot out the window with his book, leaving no evidence that he’d ever been there at all.