“I'm not going out of my way looking for devils; but I wouldn't step out of my path to let one go by.”
― Robert E. Howard
It wasn't long before the two of them had to leave and though two artifacts were in their presence Greymane felt that they were safely hidden simply because the only pony in the tribe who knew was the old shaman, and she was willing to play stupid to hide them in plain sight while pointing out the obvious fact that she couldn't see. Though the village offered them much Greymane advised Ember to take only what was needed for the trip head, and that was plenty of water and to travel light. Having talked with the staff Greymane was able to learn that though the attacks have been on the nearby villages they were the ones that young Ember had visited and marked down on her map, though she was unaware the Order was tracking her to these locations Grey felt that it was best she was left unaware even if she did figure it out.
The one thing that stayed constant and kept her from knowing it was the Order was they were using the bandits to disguise what was going on, that much Greymane managed to piece together that way they didn’t draw any unnecessary attention to themselves. It was true that Ember was being used as bait but they tracked her for another reason, each village had knowledge of smaller ones that dotted the area and where unknown to many so it was only a matter of time before one of them hinted away to this village. Once they had the information she gathered they would then attack both the ones she visited and the ones she learned of, but one thing didn't add up for Greymane. Though he knew the Order would have ponies at the highest level of the governments on both end why haven't either side taken any action towards this, not wanting to worry the village about the attacks, keeping this knowledge to himself he feared that if they knew they might try to do something giving themselves away, so Greymane waited till he and Ember where a good distance from the village to ask her.
Following the river bank around to the opposite side Greymane turned to ask Emberglow if she had any solid reason as to why neither of the two governments were taking action, "Oh well..." Trying to focus on the question she was given Ember couldn't help but dwell on what the old shaman had told her as she looked at Greymane, "...as you probably know better than I do from your years of experience dealing with us.. er..."Trying to find the right pronouns to describe the Order was hard for her seeing as to how she was and some what still is one of them while hoping that she had moved passed such thoughts, "...them, they are within the local governments in this side of the world. And though it's an issue for both Camelu and Unyasi I was given a report that mentioned they were also going to try and drag Nefertia into the mix to create a little tension between them all. While they don't want an all out war just yet, they have the advisers they managed to put in their governments tell them the worst that could happen putting all of them in a stalemate." Asking where the nation of Nefertia was he looked as Ember pointed to the southeast, "Roughly there is a point where all three of the nations meet, a little over a hundred years ago the three of them gave up an equal amount of land to create a small town between them that acts as a neutral point so any and all negotiations can take place there, even in the event of war the town is to remain out of the conflict, though the town isn't governed by any one nation all three have representatives there to try and resolve any issues that come up, however..."
Her prolonged pause was not a well greeted one in his mind and he felt he knew what her next words where, "You don't have to say it..." Letting out a disgruntled sigh Greymane knew that this was only getting worse by the second, "...I can guess what they're up to. The representatives play their part when they have to so they don't get caught but answer to the Order and do as they are tolled. And the advisers have more than likely told each government that if they try and get involved without some kind of talk with the other two, then it could kick start an unnecessary war."
Though Ember knew he was right she felt she had to fill in the gaps, "Well that's the basic gist of it but what I was informed of was this, here in Unyasi the adviser has said that if they mount up a group to deal with this problem then Nefertia could see it as an act of aggression and send in troops to the border to prepare for the worst and cause a reaction from Camelu. Where as if they did resolve it and took prisoners then Camelu could see the need that Unyasi wanted to protect its people but could also use it as an excuse to go to war, claiming that the prisoners are not being given a fair trial or being treated properly. In Camelu they are being warned that since the attacks are being made on zebra lands then it is the job of that government to deal with it, other wise sending in troops to deal with it could cause a war if they crossed the border by accident while chasing the bandits. What's worse is if this happens then they violate the treaty and this would cause Nefertia to step in, and though they are strong they don't have the numbers to fight two enemies at once." Looking at Greymane she saw that he was carefully planning on his next move with each bit of information she gave him, "As for Nefertia their adviser is doing what she can to move them towards the notion of trying to force the other two into having the representatives talk about a way to resolve this, and if they can't then they will have no choice but to muster their forces and prepare to take action against them both countries in the event that things turn for the worst."
Standing there he thought about where his attention was needed the most as Xiuhtecutli suggested they go to the nearest village that hadn't been hit yet and wait to see what happens, Greymane however felt this would take too long and feared that the worst could happen with that course of action. However taking the risky option had proven to get them the most results in the past, but this course of action stood a great chance of exposing his continued life to the Order.
Asking Ember to pull out her map Greymane had a look at the neutral town that the three nations created, "From what you've just told me we can guess that they are using this town as a means to control everything that's going on right now, and if that is the case then the Order has also weakened themselves to us..." Letting out a disgruntled laugh filled sigh Greymane started walking to the East, "...lets hope I'm wrong and we don't find anything."
Packing the map away Ember knew that going to the neutral town was the best way to get information, but knowing that it was controlled by the Order of Balance worried her not just because she was never given any orders to go there. But her greatest concern was if she was discovered traveling with Greymane then the consequences were beyond her imagining, yet at the same time she recalled about how many of its higher ranking members often talked about how the ancient one had a tendency to swear that he would grant anything anypony wanted in exchange for bringing in Greymane. And though the thought was quite tempting she questioned if turning in Greymane in exchange for her and her mother to be free, Ember felt that after all he had done so far it wasn't right and left a horrifying taste in her mouth. And yet at the back of her mind she could feel the temptation slowly growing, as if it was alive and pressing her to betray him.
As the sun began to set they made camp a few miles outside of a small village, thinking he would not sleep this night Greymane told Ember that he would take the first watch and wake her later. Sadly Ember however couldn't help but think about how the old shaman said she couldn't help him, but in some small way she felt that she could and at the least wanted to try.
"I'm not that tired right now, how about I take the first round and you get some sleep?" Looking at her Greymane could see that there was much on her mind that made her worry, and though he felt he should say something he knew that some things she had to learn to deal with on her own. After all he couldn't be there for her all the time and both of them knew it.
Lying down on his side Greymane closed his eyes fearful of what horrors the artifacts would bring him this time around, as he started to sleep Xiuhtecutli did what he could to keep them both safe during the night. Taking a moment to read Ember's thoughts Xiuhtecutli learned that all she had tolled Greymane was the truth, but he felt she was hiding something so he dug a little deeper careful not to cause her any pain knowing that reading the minds of others could harm them if the thought was too deep in their minds or if he got too impatient and rushed through her mind.
Being careful not to harm her Xiuhtecutli couldn't find anything that gave him enough reason for his suspicions against her, as he left her mind he soon found a demonic minion hidden by a spell as it continued to smile while whispering into her mind telling her that giving Grey to the Order was the best option she had. Entering the demon's mind he learned the demon had started to tag along with them sometime after she began to doubt herself when they learned the Order was tracking them, casting a small spell to burn the demon's foot to break its concentration Xiuhtecutli called out to it warning that if it didn't leave then he had a small snack to last him for the next decade or so. Looking around the demon saw no one except for Greymane as fear shoot through his body knowing who it was that had spoken to him, leaving the demon vowed to have its prize sooner or later so saving her now only delayed the inevitable and sadly Xiuhtecutli agreed.
Though the demon was no longer affecting her thoughts Ember could still feel the temptation growing within her but it didn't take long before she could remember how he had helped her thus far, sitting next to him she looked down at Greymane only to hear faint grunts and notice he was sweating profusely. Fearing that he had caught something or a poisonous insect had bit him she quickly turned him on his back to have a better look at him in what little light the fire gave, as she started to examine him Greymane started to toss and turn as he muttered in his sleep of what he was saying she didn't know. Lifting up his head onto her lap she held him as she caressed his head while whispering to him that everything would be alright, while in her mind she was unsure of her own words fearing that this is what the old shaman meant when she said that no pony could truly help him.
As Ember did what she could to try and comfort him Greymane was reliving his time in Tartaros every bit of torture, every lie and twisted truth they ever told him, there wasn't a thing they didn't think of that the demons didn't try. To the vast majority of Tartaros his torment down there had become legendary simply because he was still alive and not among the dead. But out of all he had to endure nothing brought the most pain to him than when they often reminded him that he was the cause of Luna's banishment though it wasn’t real he watched as Luna stood trial for being allied with him and how Celestia banished her at the command of their parents, they had even shown him how she was banished with the use of the Elements of Harmony to add to his torment and drive his heart and mind deeper into despair in the hopes they could break his spirit.
Though this nightmare lasted a few hours in the last moments of his nightmare Greymane sat up crying out Luna's name after watching her being banished before his eyes ending it by whispering ‘Forgive Me’, having awoken in a cold sweat and panting heavily he looked around only to see Ember staring at him in astonishment.
Looking at Ember he knew she heard him and there wasn't anything he could do about that, "G-go ahead and get some sleep I'll start my watch a little early."
Lying down questions now rang in the back of her mind what did he do to the Princess of the night, and why did he do it? These questions she wanted to know the answers to them and yet she questioned if she was willing to know what the answers to them where, as she slept Xiuhtecutli tried talking to Greymane knowing the cause of his nightmare.
*Her banishment had nothing to do with you, and I am more than certain she has said something about it to you. I even talked to the demonic gods and they told me everything you endured down there, they even said that the news of Luna's banishment was brought to you but they twisted the facts to try and break you and weaken you.*
Looking up at the night sky to see the countless beautiful stars brought tears to his eyes, *No, they told the truth...* Pulling his hood over his eyes as he started to stare at the ground Greymane could still remember the night she first learned who he was over a thousand years ago, *...I was the cause of it… I started it, and all because I hid the truth from her. If I had just been honest from the start then...*
Trying to fight his own tears as he took a few steps as Xiuhtecutli took his physical form, "Then what, you think she would have been fine with who you where then, you think she would have stood by your side with a smile. We don't know what the outcome of the past could have been, all we know is what has happened, and we cannot change the past all we can do is accept it and move on." Taking hold of his advocate's shoulders Xiuhtecutli looked Greymane in the eyes, "And that is what you must do, move on. She has already shown that she is willing to stand behind you and support you, all of them back in Equestria have. And though I don't quite agree with what is going on, I am not blind to the change in times. Sooner or later you may not have to walk in the shadows, you will not have to travel alone any longer, and perhaps the world will no longer see you as the thief it has always known. It just might come to see you as the hero that has always been there."
Looking back at Ember Greymane sighed at the thought that he would be seen as a hero when the same possibility stood that he could be seen as a monster, "Are you sure you're talking about me and not some other Greymane that has passed from this world, or are you talking about the Greymane that you will pick after I've gone into the grave?"
Removing his hands from his advocate Xiuhtecutli frowned knowing that Greymane would not willingly pick the next pony to take his place, "I'm hoping that it is with in your life time that the world starts to open its eyes to the truth, and to have some faith in what I said earlier I took notice of it back when they thought you had died at the end of our battle with Asmoday. I had seen them all mourn your assumed passing from this world, how it tore them up to believe you were dead. And for once I wasn't the only one who saw you for who you truly are… it made me proud to see this change in the world. Though it did pain me to see it come about when we all thought you died, I was still glad to see that we have allies in Equestria who would stand alongside us when we need their help."
Letting out a chuckle Greymane walked back towards Ember as Xiuhtecutli took his astral form, *You only see that which you want to, just like how she has shown me that the Order sees me as a monster that they have always known. So tell me who is telling the truth, what am I, a thief, a hero, or a monster?*
Unsure of how to answer Xiuhtecutli knew that it didn't matter what answer he gave to his advocate. Greymane was still only going to look towards the darkest side of it, *I believe that you must find the answer to this question within yourself.*
As the sun started to rise Greymane nudged Ember awake so they could continue their journey, for several hours it was an awkward silence between them or at least that's how it felt for Ember. Looking at Greymane she pondered why he cried out to Princess Luna when up till now he had never mentioned her not once, and even before she was given her current task she had never heard anypony in the Order mention any kind of connection or relation between the two of them.
As the sun reached its highest point in the sky they took shelter under a small rock formation that gave a little shade, "Grey..." Fearing that he would either lash out or remain quite Ember felt that she could no longer hold out in wanting to know a little bit more about him, "...you knew Luna didn't you?"
Bracing herself for what could come she watched as Greymane leaned against the stone wall and stared off at the open landscape, "One could say that."
Starting to feel at ease Ember started to fidget around with her hooves with nervous anticipation, "Did something happen?"
Though she could not see his expression she could feel his guilt as it slowly mixed in with his sorrow, "Everypony has at least one secret they wish to take to their grave, I ask that you let me have this one." Fearing that she had struck a nerve Ember slowly stopped fidgeting as her ears tilted back, "But I thank you for asking anyway..." Turning around he reached out towards her, "...come let's continue your training since we still have some time before we can continue moving on."
Standing up she prepared herself as Greymane signaled for her to attack him, keeping to what he had taught her she soon saw that her movements were more fluid and were slowly becoming faster. And yet she could still see that Greymane was simply playing with her not wishing to harm her as he held back much of what he truly was, but with each passing moment he started to get a little more serious alongside each little bit of progression he saw in her as a means to help her grow steadily.
Before long Greymane felt that it was time for them to continue moving and by the end of the week they could see the neutral town just on the horizon sitting in a rather odd location where the savanna started to turn to desert, ready to get out of the wild and into some means of civilization Ember started to gallop away only for Greymane to hold her back as he looked on at the town. Having a look at the town he saw high walls with towers and guard patrolling like clockwork, this only made him worry about being caught for anything to work in his favor he required the element of surprise so he told Ember they would wait till nightfall.
"I don't understand why wait when we can just walk up there now?" She asked with great disappointment from having to stay out in the wilderness a little longer.
Walking around to the right Greymane kept an eye on the guards hoping to learn something but saw that there was nothing beyond what he already knew, *Xiuhtecutli are any of them from the Order?*
Casting a spell to view the guards from their current distance Xiuhtecutli focused on their cutie marks and tried to read just a small bit of their minds, *From what I can tell it doesn't seem like it, although they are mostly grunts only a few of them are ranking just a little above that but nothing that would make us worry.*
Turning to look at Ember he smiled, “Right now we need to remain unseen, you may know who are members of the Order but they could have made regular changes here. So till we know who is who we don’t make any hasty movements.” Slightly pouting Ember gave a nod as Greymane tussled her mane, “Don’t get too eager, I have taught you much but that doesn’t mean you should rush off thinking you can take on a small band of guards. I have years of experience and I don’t even do that. But I will say this, if you keep up your training one of these days you could go hoof to hoof with me.” Though he didn’t lie to her Grey felt that by the time that day came she would be more cautious about what she did.
As the sun finally set Ember looked up at the night sky and saw that there was no sign of the moon and assumed this was what Greymane was waiting on, however Greymane didn't care what phase the moon was in that evening his mind was stuck on trying to figure out how many of the ponies in the town where with the Order. What added to his worries was where they should start their search for answers, under normal circumstances a bar or tavern would be all Greymane needed but he knew the Order would be far more careful in locations they controlled. It wasn't something they did in the past mostly because they never controlled anything more than their group but this was basic knowledge that he knew most military like groups practiced, and simply asking a question could bring out far too much attention to them.
Using the cover of night they snuck up to the west wall managing to slip past the torch lights many of the guards were using to light up the area, looking at the wall that surrounded the town Greymane recalled how many towns in the past he had visited had walls to protect them. But for one like this brought up one question in his mind, if it was meant to bring peace between three nations and would remain a neutral zone even in the event of war then why the need for the walls?
Looking at Ember he waited for the guards above them to stop talking and leave the area, "Tell me why does this place look like a fortress more than it does a town?"
With a slight stunned expression on her face she almost questioned if he hadn't heard about this place in his many years of traveling throughout the world but felt it wasn't wise to question him thinking it was a test, "Well this place was created by the camels who tried to occupy a piece of land from both Unyasi and Nefertia, their greed started a small conflict that erupted into an all out war between the three nations. According to the records the Order has the war lasted about two hundred years and in that time this place was fortified by all three during the time anyone of them controlled it, it wasn't until the final year that the leaders from each nation sent emissaries to this fortress to settle everything once and for all as the war had become far too costly on all sides. The first point made was that the fortress would stay standing and be occupied by an equal number of soldiers from each nation, also each nation was to give up an equal amount of land to help make the treaty between them work as well as open up new trade routes between them with the fortress being the center of it." Before she could continue she paused for a moment watching as Greymane started to feel around the wall, "What are you doing?"
Lightly hopping on the ground he continued to search for something, "If this place was a fortress for each of them at any given point then that means each would have added an escape route in the event they could not hold this place for too long, so all we have to do is find it and that's our way in."
When Ember mentioned that it was a fortress during times of war Xiuhtecutli had begun his search by going under ground however uncommon the thought to dig tunnels in the area was, as they searched Xiuhtecutli soon found an underground tunnel that seemed to be mostly natural save for a few extra added rooms and a set of stairs leading back out about thirty yards or so.
Looking around Xiuhtecutli found him self to the southwest of Greymane's location, *Whenever you're done trying to make the wall your friend and the ground your plaything, you can come to your secret passage.*
Letting out a slight laugh as he started to walk towards Xiuhtecutli, as he walked Greymane acted as though he found something that drew his attention away from the wall. Pushing aside dirt mixed with sand as he pushed on the ground he could tell Ember was trying to see what he might have found, walking up to Xiuhtecutli he found the hidden trap door that led to some rather old stairs. So old in fact he questioned how they managed to stay standing, pressing down on the first step as Ember came up behind him they could hear the creak of the board as it nearly seemed to snap in half.
Looking down the short distance Greymane knew that he could jump it with no problem but he was unsure of Ember, though she was a unicorn her magic could be used to levitate her down or she teleport if she knew the spell. But the problem with either of them was the guards would see the glowing of her horn or a flash of magical energy, carefully walking down the steps Greymane mapped out which steps where still had some strength to them and which ones were going to just snap.
As he neared the base of the stairs he felt them slightly move as they nearly fell under him, *Do what you can to give these old stairs some support for Ember. The last thing we need is to have the local guard coming to check out the noise.* Looking at Greymane Xiuhtecutli had suggested turning the wooden stairs into stone ones using a rune, *Takes too long and besides it could give off too much light trying to do that, once the hatch is sealed I will do it. After all we might use this as our way out later on.*
As Xiuhtecutli rolled his eyes Greymane signaled to Ember to take it slow and to be careful, flying through the steps Xiuhtecutli began casting a spell holding them in place for a short time. Coming down the steps Ember closed the door to keep from being caught as Greymane wished, as she came to the base of the steps the spell ended and the staircase slightly rocked as it let out a slight creaking noise. Casting a low level light spell to see better in their new location Ember watched as Greymane picked up a fairly good size stone and began to carve something into it, the second the markings were finished she watched as the stone started to glow as Greymane tossed it under the stairs slowly turning them into solid stone.
Amazed at what she had seen she asked how he did that. Recalling that it was something discovered by the fifth Greymane he smiled at how she often used these runes to her advantage, she often made others believe that when they chased her they were chasing at the least ten other ponies. These runes gave the illusion that even if he appeared as either an earth pony or a pegasus then he could still use magic, but the use of runes were far too dangerous and was mostly used as a last resort.
"Its rune magic..." Repeating what he said as a question she watched as he picked up a few more stones and tucked them away in the small sack on his right side, "...yes, as you already know unicorns such as yourself can tap into the magical energies that not only flow within their bodies but the natural magical energies that flow throughout the world with the use of their horns. Rune magic only uses the natural energies that flow throughout the world with something acting as its catalyst to activate and channel these energies, but there is far too much that can go wrong with using them. The slightest change or even the tiniest of mistakes can alter the spell completely, in some cases it doesn't mean too much but it is far more common that it has the worst effects tend to happen so I rarely use them."
Looking at her astonished yet eager expression to learn on her face made him smile as, “How did you come by such a wonderful thing, more specifically where and when did you discover it?”
Tussling her mane he let out a joy filled sigh to know he was teaching somepony and not preparing them to walk down his darkened path, "I discovered it about…” Thinking back to the fifth Greymane he tried to give an accurate estimate on how long it had been, “ten thousand years ago… at least I believe it’s been that long, the secrets where on the walls of a tomb that had been lost to time but explained that the civilization that used them had done so during a time of war. During this war a tribe of earth ponies were fighting unicorns and we're slowly losing, though they had their own strengths to combat with they were out matched by the use of magic. So one night in a fit of desperation a young stallion performed a forbidden ritual and summoned a demon in the hopes he could save his fellow ponies, the deal he made was to be granted the gift to use magic while still remaining as he was. The demon was willing to grant this knowledge however in exchanged he wanted the souls of all the young stallion taught this secret to as well as any and all who learned it from them, without hesitation he agreed and the demon taught the young stallion all he knew about rune magic. The ins and outs, how they worked, and how to delay the reaction or set them as traps. Once he had all he needed the young stallion returned to his tribe and shared what he knew with all who were willing to learn, they then took what they learned and engraved them on the walls so future generations could learn. However once the war ended they wished to know how he learned all of this and as he told them he struck a deal with a demon they didn't hesitate in ending his life where he stood, but with his last breath he told them of how all whom he taught owed their souls to the demon."
Greymane didn't have to finished telling the story for her to guess what happened to the tribe, "But if that's the case then wouldn't it mean that by learning what they left behind… that..."
Fearful that her question would make him worry about the fact a demon now chases him she watched as Greymane started to smile, "That demon has come for me quite a few times, but I have a few tricks to deal with their kind. Besides even if I didn't the dark gods of Tartaros have an agreement with me and will never go back on their words, even if they are demons themselves they have one code they hold onto. Keep a deal regardless of how long it is, it's a strange thing but it's custom to them."
Though he spoke of the hardships the fifth through tenth Greymanes went through after learning how to use rune magic, it was their tenacity and cleverness that made the Greymanes so revered as well as the largest target amongst demons. Their continued encounters with them with each new Greymane is what added to the ever growing respect for them that the demonic gods had, but it wasn't until a conflict with the tenth Greymane that caused the current deal that continues to stand between them. What had happened he didn't quite know but what he did know was that from that conflict came the demonic curse that he uses now, where it came from and how it came to be was unknown not only to the tenth Greymane but to Xiuhtecutli as well stranger still not even the demons of Tartaros themselves knew.
As they walked down the corridor they started to hear somepony speaking but they could not hear what they were saying, as they came closer to the sound they soon came across an execution as one stallion was reading from a scroll the reasons the one before him had been condemned to die. Being tolled by both Ember and Xiuhtecutli that there was nothing they could do and it was best they just went on their way, Greymane however couldn't help but feel something was off as the young stallion with the noose around his neck kept crying out that he was innocent till the executioner put a gag in his mouth.
As the young stallion continued to cry out through the gag his muffled voice pulled at Greymane who was examining the room, "The two right behind the stallion reading that scroll, both have the same cutie marks you did and the same with the one reading that scroll. Ember do you know any of them?"
Looking into the room her eyes focused on the pony standing to the right, "The mare on the right side, I'm suppose to be answering to her and giving her all the information I gather. She is also the emissary the Order had positioned out here as a representative of the Zebra Nation."
Asking Xiuhtecutli to read their minds Greymane asked why the young stallion was being executed, *Though we can hear the list of charges, I assume that you find this to be wrong and wish to help, but fine...* Letting out an annoyed sigh as he read the minds of all three of the ponies who stood at the front of the room, *...this execution is a farce, the one on the left wants the mare who is married to the condemned and has worked out a nice little deal with the other two to make that happen. And before you can quote The Count of Monte Cristo they've clearly thrown out the idea about imprisonment and went for an execution, also the mare on the right is letting this happen for her own amusement and plans on executing the stallion next to her later on when he feels that he has everything he wants. She knows she can get away with this because of the three of them she is the highest ranking member from the Order in this town.*
With a displeased smile finding its way across his face Greymane targeted the mare, *Then she is my victim tonight, and I hope she enjoys being scared out of her mind.*
Walking into the room with his hood pulled over his head Greymane instructed Ember to stay where she was for the time being, looking around he took notice of an old tarp with a bit of rope sitting in the corner of the room just to the left of the hangmare's platform. Telling Xiuhtecutli to turn the room dark as he started to run towards the tarp all were unaware of what came next, for a moment all they could here was the sounds of the trap door falling as a few ponies screamed causing the room to fall into chaos.
Rushing out of the room with some pony tied up in the tarp Greymane had the young stallion who was about to be executed following him with the mare he married, "Run down this path till you come to a set of stairs, take them up and flee this country." Greymane commanded as he pointed to his left.
As light returned to the room they all saw the hangmare hanging upside down with the noose around both of her back hooves, as they looked around they saw that not only had the condemned vanished but so had his wife and the emissary for the Zebras. As they parted ways Greymane did what he could to use the winding tunnels to hide from his soon to be chasers as his captive started shouting, before long he found a nice little set of stairs leading up to where he didn't know but it was a change that Greymane welcomed. Opening the hatch above himself they found themselves in an abandoned building, it was here he felt it was time to start getting answers.
Thanks to how dark it was it gave Greymane the advantage as he tossed the mare into a corner, "I hear you are somepony with a few answers for me, let's be fair that time is not on either of our sides and I don't have any patience left in me."
As the mare came out of the tarp she was greeted by a flash of light that blinded her as she claimed that foal-napping her would be the end of her assailants, "I'll have you know that as the representative for the Zebra Nation I will not tolerate any of this!"
As her eyes adjusted to the light she soon saw Emberglow and was slightly shocked to see her as she was slammed into the wall by Greymane, "Keep your eyes on me, as of right now I'm the one who holds your fate in their hooves. I know the Order has been making a lot of moves out here and I want answers, for what reason do they have for working with a group of bandits and why are they trying to cause a war?"
Looking at Ember the mare refused to answer Greymane unaware of who he was, "This isn't going to fare well for you or your mother, becoming a traitor, abandoning your mission. Oh yes these things are going to look very well on your record, I wonder what he will do when he finds out."
Seeing the fear start to take hold of Ember the mare started to smile thinking she had everything under her control till she looked back at Greymane and saw his eyes glowing red, "That's one more thing I want to know..." Slamming her into the wall again causing the wood behind her to crack with the impact of her body, "...where is that little bastard hiding? I still have some unfinished business with him, after all I can't say I've done a good job so long as one of you still live. And I don't like beginning something new without finishing what I have already started."
Having realized who was holding her as her eyes moved back and forth between him and Ember as she started to stutter, "Y-y-you b-b-brought him?" Frozen by her fear as her eyes slowly became stuck on Greymane her pupils started to narrow knowing that death stared her in the eyes, "YOU'VE BROUGHT THE CRIMSON STAINED STALLION HERE!?!?"
Knowing he now had her undivided attention Greymane started to smile as he punched the wall next to her head opening a hole the size of his hoof, "Next one will be into you if you continue to ignore me, now start talking what does the Order have planned with the bandits, and why bring tensions so high that it can start a war, and let's not forget where is he hiding. I've heard all about how he claims he can end me so I just want to set the record straight. No pony has the power to kill me, not even the dark gods of Tartaros.” Though he knew he was lying it disgusted him to use such a dirty tactic as playing on her fears to make her do what he wanted. “Now start talking and tell me everything and I just might humor letting you out of here."
Though Ember was trying her best to trust him she almost wanted to step in and ask about her mother and where she was as the mare started to cry, "I don't know where he is, I'm not that high up in the ranks to know and even I was I still wouldn't know. The higher ups don't know where to find him he finds them, I swear it's the truth."
Pressing harder on her they heard the cracks in the wood and could even start to see a little of the outside, "What of the bandits and the growing tensions between the three nations?"
As her tears started to flow like a river she spilled everything, how the bandits were just a front as they looked for the artifacts and planed on eliminating them after they had what they wanted. As for the three nations they were trying to hold off on them interfering for as long as possible so they can have free reign over the area, but the building tensions were just a natural cause from them taking so long with the search and from trying to give them a reasonable solution to deal with these attacks. Though this was all he wanted to know Greymane hadn't forgotten about Ember's mother and felt that if somepony knew something it was the mare right in front of him, after all she had spoken as though she knew something about her mother only a few minutes ago.
Knowing that she wouldn't give up such information willingly he broke open the wall behind her and held her out over what was a rough three story drop as she begged him not to kill her, "I feel like you're withholding some information, start talking and make sure it's worth my time!"
Pointing back at Ember she cried out that her mother was with the bandits, after they lost track of her they thought she would try to come for her. And as a precaution that she didn't willing do her job to start out she was brought to this town as a means to motivate her, but once they couldn't find her they moved her to the bandit hideout so they could threaten her later.
Slowly letting his grip on her go she tried to grab on to his forehoof as she cried out, "I know where they are hiding and it's not far from here, so please don't kill me~e."
Though Greymane didn't like doing any of this he knew it was the best option to make her talk as he started to shake her, "I'm sorry but I don't really care about that, unless you're holding out again."
Frantically trying to take hold of him as she cried out how she didn't want to die as Ember walked up scared that Greymane would kill her as she whispered, 'Grey, please, I know she's not the best of ponies out there but...'
As she looked into his eyes she could see that he didn't have the intent to kill her but was trying to save them time, "Start talking, other wise I just might..." Loosening his grip and tilting his hoof slightly down she shrieked in terror, "...let my leg rest."
"The bandits are in a cave just to the north from here about a two day’s trip, it's hard to find unless you know where it is. Start traveling north for about a day and a half then head west for the remaining half of the second day, once you come across a small rock formation you're there..." Trying to pull herself up his forehoof she felt herself slipping from his grasp, "...now please I don't want to die!"
Looking her in the eyes Greymane said a deal was a deal and he said that he would let her go, as she started to let out a sigh of relief she watched as he tossed her away from himself, “But now that I think about it you were going to kill somepony for your own selfish pleasure.”
As she fell she started to scream as Ember tried to run out and save her only to find she had only fallen about five feet from the edge of a rather old stage, looking at Greymane she watched as he sat down and exhaled as he wiped what little sweat was on his forehead.
'For a moment there I though she wasn't going to buy any of that.' He whispered as a stupid grin made its way across his face as he looked at Ember.
Walking over half scared to death that he was going to kill somepony she slapped him across the face and nearly started to yell at him, only to be stopped by Greymane as he whispered for her to follow him as he walked back over to the edge of the platform they were on.
Looking to where he was pointing she saw a glowing stone next to her former superior, 'If we are too loud then it will break the illusion, as of right now we have about two hours before it ends so let's get moving. And don’t worry about her when it ends she’s going to wake up and may start to rethink her path in life, at least I hope she does.'
As they started to walk away Greymane thanked Xiuhtecutli for helping him pull that off, *Please don't thank me, this illusion was simple infant's play for a creature such as myself.*
As they left Greymane asked that he erased her memories of the last half hour so the Order couldn't know he had been there, as the mare slowly fell asleep Xiuhtecutli looked her in the eyes as he cleared all that had happened to her from this encounter so that she could sleep peacefully. And though she wouldn't remember a thing all she will recall is a blissful dream that ended in a nightmare and for her to question how she got where she is when she wakes up later.
Though they had access to the tunnels under ground Greymane felt that the local guard would now be patrolling them after his recent actions as he told Ember that they were going to have to be careful as they traveled above ground, as they navigated the city sticking to alleyways and side paths the guards paid no attention to it was several hours till they came to the north side of the city. Sadly the time it took to get their information and sneak around had taken up the night and the sun was starting to rise, looking around Greymane saw a cart full of exotic spices and fabrics being pulled by a camel ready to leave. Sneaking over they watched as the local guard gave it one quick inspection for anything illegal or even a fugitive from a stack of wanted posters they were posting up at the entrance, as the guards gave the all clear and turned their attention elsewhere Greymane and Ember rushed to climb in back to hide among everything the camel was transporting.
Lying down the two of them waited for the right moment for them to slip back out of the cart and continue on their journey, peeking out the back Greymane watched till the guards were just simple dots on the horizon giving him and Ember the best chance to hop out. Making sure not to be seen by the camel as they hid behind a large bolder, though Ember could understand the reason for remaining hidden as often as possible she questioned why they didn't stay in the cart a little while longer.
"There was no telling how far along our path he was going to travel, on top of that we have to carry our own burdens to add them to someone else who knows nothing of what they would be taking on is something we cannot ask of them."
Though she didn't quite understand his reason Ember kept quiet as she pondered his response hoping to find the answer she was looking for. Continuing to travel north for the next day and half Greymane kept up with Ember's training to help her be better prepared for what could come next, in his mind he knew that no amount of training would prepare her but Greymane felt that even the smallest of chances had the greatest possibilities.
At the end of the second day it was as the mare had said and they had come to a small rock formation, "If this is a cave then there has to be some caverns or at the least another way in that they have yet to discover. If I'm right then all we have to do is find it and we get to keep the element of surprise so that w-..." Hoping to keep some level of optimism with them as he turned around only to fall straight through an opening that had been covered by dead roots and sand.
As Greymane started to stand up from his short fall Ember chuckled as she looked down at him. "I often wondered how the Great Greymane was always right, now I see it's dumb luck." She stated trying to contain her out burst of laughter.
As she continued to laugh through her teeth Greymane watched as more of the sand seemed to give way through the roots that held up the small area they were on, walking under where she was standing Ember poked her head in to say she was sorry for making fun of him only for the roots under her to give way.
As she fell Greymane caught her at the last second as he smiled, "You poking fun at me wasn't the reason I moved."
Setting her down the two of them nearly burst out laughing at the situation only to be stopped as they heard somepony shouting at somepony else, sneaking over to a small cliff with in the cave they looked down and could see Ember's mother in a cage that seemed to be too small for her.
"Quit yer bitch'n less I's give you a reason to bitch..." Caressing her back as he licked her cheek the stallion gave a lust filled laugh, "...and believe me I'd enjoy every… little… second… of it."
Standing up Ember nearly jumped down in a fit of anger only to be restrained by Greymane who had wrapped both his front and back legs around her, as she tossed and turned trying to get out of his hold she nearly started to scream how her mother was right there and she could save her.
Covering her mouth so she couldn't scream Greymane whispered into her ear, "As of right now we only see at the most ten of them down there, five ponies and five camels, we don't know how many they have in here and even if we did if you jump out now we lose the one advantage we've got. I know you want to save your mother but what good does it do to go rushing in blinded by your emotions, believe me no pony in this world knows what that can do more than me and you were taught to control your emotions this whole time."
As he let her go he could see tears slowly run down the side of her face as she rolled off of him, "But my mother is right there and you've been teaching me how to fight..."
Taking hold of her Greymane let her sob on his shoulder, "I know, but I taught you to control yourself so even in the worst of it you can think of how to protect those you love. Not go rushing in without a single thought of what to do or how to help somepony, we have to be careful of what we do. Each little action has consequences that can do far more harm than good, unless we stay calm and think."
Walking back up to the edge of the cliff Greymane looked around the cave to see what he could find, as he looked around he found a light coming from across where they were. Looking for anything that could tell him where to go he soon saw a camel shaking his hoof as he came walking out ranting and raving, what he was saying neither Greymane nor Ember could hear at a best guess whomever was still in that room was using a spell to silence that one small area. Following the wall on his right side with his eyes Greymane could see there were a few spots he could use to sneak over to the other side, but it left him so exposed that one wrong move, too much noise, or even one lucky guard looking up could see him.
Looking down he saw a winding path that let him go past them unseen, however, it went right past Ember's mother, and sadly Greymane knew that even if he asked Ember to wait she would watch his movements and notice him pass the cage.
Knowing his options were limited Greymane made the one choice he had and hoped for the best, *Xiuhtecutli I want you to keep an eye on Ember if she leaves this location for any reason let me know.* Patting Ember on her shoulder as he walked off to the left he whispered, 'Stay here, I'm going to find out what they are keeping in that room over there. Once I have all that I think is important I will do what I can to save your mother, and with any luck there just might be a key in there as well.'
Moving around on the main floor careful to not be seen Greymane looked back up at Ember and as he thought she was trying to watch the path he took, as the bandits talked he often heard how each of them didn't find the staff they were looking for and each piece of bad news was never good.
Every time they came back empty hoofed somepony went missing and it was usually the one that was in charge of the raid, many of them were afraid that they could be next and often wished to end this mission as soon as possible. As he continued to slip past them he soon past by Ember's mother where he stopped and whispered to her that she would soon be free and all she had to do was stay calm, before long he made his way up to the room he saw earlier and strangely enough it was twice the size of the one he just came from. It made him question why they were not using this room to store all of their stolen goods and the previous one as a means to set up for an ambush in the event they were attacked, then again they were working with the Order so perhaps they were letting their guard down thinking they would be safe from any repercussions of their actions.
If only they knew the truth, though Greymane wanted to warn them he knew that with the Order in their ranks he would simply expose himself to them making things worse for Ember and her mother. Having a quick look around the room he found a diary with several tabs marking the book in what seemed to be random spots, taking a moment to read the most recent one Greymane learned that as of this moment one of the few reasons the Order was working with them was because they had a creature known as a Djinn in their possession.
Before he could turn it back a few pages hoping to learn a little something more his attention was drawn elsewhere, looking around once again he noticed that the smoke from the tips of the lit candles seemed to be drifting in the same direction. Slipping behind the bed Grey hopped to remain hidden in the shadows and use them to his advantage and learn about this new creature that was taking form in the center of the room.
As the smoke started to form Greymane could hear laughter as the bed and many other things started to levitate off the ground, "You can't hide from me that easily, after all I watched you come in here. And to think I had assumed you were better than that."
Tucking the diary away in the small sack Greymane walked out into the open with a smile on his face, "If I had known I would be speaking with a jinn perhaps I would have brought you a drink." Looking at the creature Greymane saw that on his wrists was a pair of golden shackles a clear sign that he was imprisoned for his evil deeds, "But where are my manners, that would mean all jinn are the same. If what I've read to be correct then there are three tribes of the jinn, and judging by those shackles you are either from the neutral tribe or the evil tribe. So tell me are you neutral who had a little too much fun and ended up getting tricked. Or are you evil and you've been imprisoned?"
Smiling the Djinn knew that a Greymane had dealt with his kind before, yet he believed the one who stood before him was not the same Greymane from that time period. The tone of voice was different, the gender, the attitude, the fact he was an earth pony instead of a unicorn, and most of all his lack of respect for whose presence he stood in.
"That is a good question, let me answer it with another; who are you to impersonate the Great Greymane? I knew her well over seven thousand years ago when she found a way to imprison me, and you are nothing like her."
Knowing they had each other in a stalemate the two stared at each other waiting to see who was going to break, "Well of course you wouldn't recognize me, when you live as long as I do you tend to change your appearance from time to time. I was a mare when I first took you down and using a spell I changed my gender so no pony could recognize me. But such a spell has its drawbacks, a few bits and pieces of my memory tend to go missing each time I use it."
Unsure if such a lie would work Greymane was ready to call out to Xiuhtecutli for a little help only for it to end up the other way around, *I don't know why you taught her anything in the first place, when the first thing she does after managing to free her mother is get angry at the sight of the stallion that had threatened to have his way with her mother.*
Their focus on each other was broken when they heard shouting from below and the sounds of a fight breaking out only to end nearly as fast as it started, as Greymane and the Djinn looked into the open room Greymane let out a sigh knowing that she had been caught.
Walking back into the room he called out to Xiuhtecutli, *So things went from worse to good, that's fine I can fix this.*
*Oh I would love to see how you fix this...* Pausing for a moment Xiuhtecutli seemed slightly dumbfounded, *...the hell do you mean from worse to good?*
Rushing to his advocate he saw the Djinn who was now inspecting Greymane trying to find signs of a magical transformation, "I feel I must say you're lying, out of my many years I have never once heard of a spell to change genders or even races that didn't end as soon as the caster was tired, unless you're a changeling and even then I still doubt it. Being this far out from any of the hives, and not a matron either I find that this is not adding up."
Giving a gentle blow Xiuhtecutli lifted a bit of dust and sand to swirl it around Greymane as he cast an illusion spell, changing him to appear exactly as 43rd Greymane had back in her prime even with her tone of voice and accent.
"Do you still doubt me, or must I teach you another lesson?"
Letting out a light laugh as he dispersed back into smoke retreating to who knows where the Djinn whispered, "I don't need a lesson in being tricked, but know this my master is close to freeing me. And once I am free I will come for you."
Walking back to the main room Greymane pulled out one of his powders as he looked around the room, *Some of those crates are marked as fossils, care to give them one hell of a show?* Knowing he didn't have to wait for a response he threw down the powder and teleported back to the cliff he and Ember were before as the illusion on his body came to an end, "I wouldn't lay a single hoof on either of them if I was you. Better yet if I was you I wouldn't stay here for much longer!" Grey exclaimed as he made himself known to everypony and camel there.
As they all started laughing thinking that he was a fool for trying to scare so many at once, mixed amongst the laughter one of them asked what could one pony do against a small army? For Greymane a small army was near nothing but he knew that if he jumped down to try and fight them Ember and her mother could get hurt, moving just his eyes he looked over at the creates and saw Xiuhtecutli getting ready for one of the oldest tricks his predecessors came up with. Sitting on his flank as he raised his hooves above his head in a 'V' shape as he began to chant random gibberish, for those who knew the language they would have had one hell of a good laugh at him as he said he was the king of shit mountain and had come to claim the most beautiful yellow tree with pink leaves as his wife as well as a few other things.
But sadly none of the bandits nor the members of the Order spoke this dead dialect and slowly started to become scared as the fossils started floating around Ember and her mother, as Greymane reached the height of what would have caused those who spoke gibberish to start pissing them selves in laughter they watched as the fossils came together to create an undead dragon that attacked them without hesitation or discrimination. The only thing the dragon did not do was kill any of them as its one purpose was to scare them off, as the last of them fled for their life the dragon slowly started to turn to dust as all things tend to do when brought back to life through the art of necromancy.
Jumping down he had a rather stern look on his face as he walked up to Ember as she tried to rush her way through an explanation for her actions, "I know I was foolish and I rushed in, but I saw one of them set down a key a-a-and I thought..."
As she tried to explain herself Greymane walked around the two of them to look them over, "Other than a few bruises, some minor cuts, and a little bit of worry. Your mother seems to be alright, and though I didn't get to see how you took care of yourself I can clearly see that you don't show any major injuries, a few minor ones but nothing that won’t go away in a few hours. But I have one question for you Ember..." As he turned around Ember asked what what his question was worried she was going to get scolded, "...now that you and your mother are free what will you do?"
As they looked at him Ember's mother feared that her life now belonged to somepony else as Ember stepped towards him, "If possible we want to go home, back to Canterlot. But that's not really possible is it, the Order would re-capture us the second they saw us wouldn't they."
As Ember and her mother held each other Greymane smiled as he turned around while drawing a circle in the sand, adding a star and a few markings they watched as he started to chant something. As his chanting came to an end the shadows around them began to focus towards the center of the circle as they seemed to be torn away from their spots, as the shadows came to a single point they watched as a demon slowly sprouted out of the shadows with a confused expression on his face.
Though he could feel Greymane's presence as well as Xiuhtecutli's he kept eye contact with Emberglow as he started to throw a rather mild tantrum, "YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!! I was halfway through sealing a deal with somepony all the way in Germaney, out of any given moment why Greymane, why now did you have to summon me?"
Walking around to look him in the face Greymane smiled, "So then it wasn't anything too important I assume?"
Pointing his finger at Greymane as he let out an annoyed chuckle Blisargon started to look at him with regret of having made his deal with Greymane, "Oh no it wasn't that important, just the son of politician who got bored and wanted to spice up his life a tad. So ya it wasn't that important… to you..." Dropping to his knees as he reached for the sky with one outstretched arm and slightly curled fingers Blisargon started to show signs of crying, "but for me it means the world, another thief to run around and cause a little mischief. A soul to collect when the time is right, I'm so close to becoming a god and you just had to step on my toes." Letting out a sigh as he slowly started to rise Blisargon turned his attention to Ember and her mother, "But hold on just one second now and tell me just where are my manners, please excuse me for my lack of respect towards company..." Taking one hoof from Ember and her mother Blisargon bowed to them as he kissed their hooves, "...I am the demon Blisargon the Grand Enticer of Thieves, and though I can clearly assume the two of you are in his care. I feel I must ask who you lovely mares are?"
"I'm Emberglow Greymane has been helping me to..."
Before she could continue in her explanation Blisargon turned his attention over to her mother after complimenting her name being worthy of a mare of her beauty, "And if I were a betting demon I would have to say that this equally lovely mare next to you is your Twin sister."
As she started to blush she called him a silver tongued charmer, "I'm actually her mother and my name is Aquaglow, and it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance Mr. Blisargon."
Complementing on how polite he was she accidentally let slip how she heard from the Order that all demons where brutish thugs and had less brains than the common insect, "For demons below my ranking that is quite true.” Bowing to them he let out a slightly sorrowful tone as he sounded like he was going to weep, “But don't worry I take no offense even I often look back at those days and ponder why was I so ignorant and arrogant to think that I could do anything I wanted simply because I’m a demon?"
Clearing his throat as he walked between them Greymane looked up at Blisargon, "Look if you want to date her then perhaps you can help us first which is why I summoned you here."
Looking down at them Blisargon knew that he was caught in his act of trying to claim a couple of souls, and he knew that any response pertaining to them would show it to Greymane causing him to let it slip in the most subtle of ways he could.
Bowing to them he asked that they excused him as he spoke with Greymane in a low tone to keep the other two from trying to hear him as he turned his back to them, "Alright fine I see the game we are playing here, and we can go back and forth all day and we would get nowhere. So then what do you want of me?"
"Just your help, they want to return home to Canterlot but they fear the Order would try to recapture them the second they're spotted. But I'm more than certain that you can solve that little problem, return them home and keep them hidden from the sight of the Order that is all you have to do."
Smiling he knew that if Blisargon didn't aid him then he was trapped in the cave, but then again Greymane was not the type to do that to someone he was slowly starting to call his friend… nay… his brother. Despite Blisargon being a demon the two of them were kindred spirits in how they acted, and in some small way they respected each other for it. However, at this moment in time they didn't know it nor did they take notice to this small change with in themselves, and though Greymane would not notice it for some time to come he would soon discover that same kindred spirit he shared with Blisargon he may also share with a few other demonic gods.
Turning back round with a smile on his face Blisargon shook his hands in the air as he acted like he was shackled to the ceiling, "Alright then, it wouldn't be that hard. Break the seal that holds me and it will be done..." Leaning towards Greymane Blisargon looked up at the ceiling of the cave as he whispered, '...also we should be careful of what we say if the walls have ears then a Djinn will speak.'
Looking up Greymane could see a bit of smoke just sitting up there doing nothing and going nowhere, keeping his eyes on it for a few minutes he noticed that it didn't even disperse or try to leave.
Whispering back into the demon's ear Greymane shared what he felt was the best bit of information, 'Thanks for the heads up I’ll deal with him soon enough, also I'm not sure if this is any good to you, but the Order is using a tracking spell to keep an eye on their members. Xiuhtecutli removed a couple that was on Ember.'
With a smile Blisargon nearly bust out laughing as he whispered back how they just left themselves open to being tracked down, all he needed was one of their members and he could use their own spell against them.
As Greymane turned around he broke the seal that held Blisargon in place, "He will take you back to Canterlot with no strings attached, and he will do what he can to keep the Order from coming after you. If you have any further problems with the Order or..." Looking to his left Greymane jokingly punched Blisargon in the side of his leg as he smiled, "...with this pain in the flank then go to Princess Luna she will be able to help."
Though Ember and and her mother didn't hear Blisargon as he grumbled under his breath his attitude towards Greymane though joking in nature was a little too much, 'Oh ya she can help them all right, all she has to do is wiggle her flank, bat an eyelash, while saying your name and you come running. Whipped is what you are, but then again who wouldn't be, ya spend this much time alone and you do anything for some tail. You know there's an idea maybe I can get Luna to sell me your soul, after all she doesn't need to trick you a simple smile from her will get you to do just about anything. I think that's why you fought Adramelech, you were worried more about Luna. Greymane and Luna sitt'n in a tree… K-I-S-S-I-N-G...' Without holding back Greymane punched Blisargon in the back of his knee as hard as he could causing the demon to nearly fall over, "Twas a jest I say, can ye not take a jest?"
Looking up at Blisargon he smiled but under that smile was a look that said, 'Not when we have more pressing matters to attend to.' Taking a knee before them Blisargon explained that the trip would be near instantaneous and all they had to do was remain calm, he also warned them that though they would not be harmed they would feel a little strange for a short period of time.
As they asked what he meant they watched as their shadows swirled under them and they began to sink, "I can't really say, the experience is different for every mortal. The last one I did this to was over three hundred years ago and he was speaking backwards for a week, and I mean the sentences he would say 'Hi how are you' and what came out was 'Uoy era woh ih'. But don't worry its nothing to worry about."
As they continued to enter their own shadows both Emberglow and Aquaglow smiled at Greymane thanking him for all he had done, smiling back he wished them the best of luck in Canterlot as he pulled his hood over his head to hide the tears that were starting to build up.
Wiping the tears from his eyes Greymane pulled the diary he took out of the sack on his right side and started to read the recently marked page again knowing that he was being watched, "So they were planning on taking the Staff of Wisdom and trading it to the Order of Balance in exchange for something, do I have to go further back into this book to learn what that something is or shall I take a guess?"
Turning a few pages towards the front of the diary Greymane could see the smoke slowly collect around him as it filled up the room, "Turn one more page and I will fill your lungs with so much smoke that you will die from it."
Wanting to test the limits of the Djinn Greymane turned three pages as he watched the room fill up with smoke as the creature said he would, after about five minutes the Djinn began to take its physical form as the smoke gathered into one spot as it cleared the room.
Laughing having believed that he killed Greymane the Djinn mocked him for being called a legend when it was arrogance that was his downfall, "That would be true if I was dead..." as the smoke around Greymane began to clear the Djinn saw that he was surrounded by what appeared to be an aura of light in the shape of a bubble, "...but then again it has been a long time since we've talked last, and I've picked up a few new tricks since then as well."
Though the Djinn couldn't see Xiuhtecutli he could feel his presence and not Greymane's, giving off an illusion that Greymane was far more powerful and far more skilled in the use of magic than he first thought.
As the light dispersed Greymane started to read from one of the pages, "It has been nearly a year now since my first wish, I had asked the Djinn to give me a foe worthy of my skills and strength. And though he assures me that my perfect challenge is on its way, he often asks that I wish him to be free from his imprisonment with in this black diamond."
Slamming the book shut Greymane recalled the last Void Diamond he came into contact with during his conflict with Asmoday, as well as the horrors within the void that tried to tear him apart and would have nearly escaped into this world if he hadn't made the choice he did. Looking at the Djinn he worried that whomever had the diamond my accidentally use it without knowing what lies beyond that gate lacking the ability to use the diamond to its fullest or worse, the Djinn himself would try to use it once he was free for who knows what purpose. Either way Greymane didn't like this turn of events as any possibility that can and probably would happen made him worry that if it did he would be powerless to stop it.
Looking at the Djinn he could see the creature was baffled as to how he protected himself, when only moments ago when it was just the two of them talking he didn't show any signs of being as strong as he seemed to be now. Going through a list of reasons in his mind the Djinn could not find any logical explanation for what was going on, the only thing he could guess was happening was Greymane had a magical item tucked away somewhere and he was using it. The best assumption was that the item protected him from any magic that was harmful to him but a physical attack would be more than enough to deal with his target, taking a moment to analyze what he saw the protection stems from his body but was most effective at a distance of roughly six feet in diameter.
Best guess was if he could get pass where the spell was its strongest the rest was easy, his plan was to come in with a punch and at the last second augment his fist with an elemental spell while increasing his speed with an agility spell for good measure. Setting one foot back as he took a combat stance he watched as Greymane stood on his back hooves to take a defensive stance in response as he tucked the book back into the sack, charging Greymane he kept to his plan only to watch as Greymane fell back of his own will as the Djinn’s fist seemed to act like like a guide for Grey’s movements. As Greymane touched the ground with his front hooves he followed the motion by striking the Djinn under his chin with his back right hoof, while the Djinn was dazed Greymane curled up on his front hooves to bring his back hooves as close to his body between him and the ground so he could push off the ground with all that he had and dive at the Djinn punching him across the face as he went past him.
As he passed the Djinn he used the same hoof that he punched with to take hold of the Djinn's head and slam him into the ground, "How?" Looking down at him Greymane almost asked what he meant, "How did you manage to do that just now, I am a Djinn, my body can become like smoke at will. So how did you pull that off?"
Smiling as he looked down with a somewhat superior look on his face Greymane sighed as he recalled the lessons the seventh Greymane had undertaken alongside a tribe of jinn, "It was easy, sure your body can become shapeless, or even formless at your will. But you have one key weakness that you overlooked, to make physical contact with me you yourself have to remain physical to land a single hit. And though you could have used just your arm I had hoped after my little display earlier that you would take the bait and keep your entire body in a state I could fight against, and even if you didn't I was prepared for whatever half baked plan you could come up with. After all I've been fighting creatures well above my own skills all my life, so facing someone's rabid dog is nothing."
Though he spoke of the experiences of his predecessors his words were not completely false by any means, throughout the years before he was imprisoned in Tartaros he faced minotaurs, unicorns augmented by enchanted items, pegasi with near legendary control over the weather, griffins with talons so sharp they could cut through iron like a hot knife through butter. And though the worst of these trials he had overcome thus far had been creatures who had possessed artifacts, none had ever been harder to face than his adversary the current leader for the Order of Balance. And though he wasn't a demon, griffin, minotaur, alicorn, or pegasus he was the single greatest threat because of his ambition, Greymane knew that all the skills he had and all he had learned from his predecessors allowing his adversary to become as powerful as he has was slowly becoming his greatest failure. Turning his back to the Djinn Greymane planned on letting him believe that he had a chance, yet the creature refused to attack knowing who he was facing and didn't want to press his luck. This was a clear sign to Greymane that he was an experienced strategist for adapting to the situation as soon as he did, this also troubled Greymane to know that if the two of them continued to adapt he would eventually have to rely on Xiuhtecutli's magical prowess far more than he intended.
Though it would give Greymane a chance to see which of the two had the greater skill as well as the endurance to keep going, he knew that if such a fight started the Djinn would figure out that he could not use magic and do what he could to separate Greymane from Xiuhtecutli. Preparing to take on any attacks the Djinn could start with Greymane slightly widened his stance while staying on all fours and lowering his body to the ground, it was a very unorthodox stance that left him wide open to attacks but was very effective for catching an opponent off guard. This stance was developed by the 20th Greymane when she traveled to what is currently IB'IXAN in her era it had not yet been taken in by the empire of that time, the stance was a take on common fighting styles at where being developed at the time as a form of meditation. When she picked up on this she felt that she too needed to learn this but in a way that felt best to her, over the years she practiced this stance till it soon became one of the most offensive skills the Greymanes who came after her and relied on this stance only in the worst of situations.
Though he didn't have much use for this skill from time to time he did practice it but as of this moment Greymane was baffled as the Djinn turned his lower half into smoke and started to smile, "I'm not that much of a fool to not notice when I don't have the upper hand, so how about this instead since I have a master already I'll let you have one wish." Giving off a seductive smile the Djinn though he had turned the tide of the fight, "Go on wish for anything the sky's the limit, however there are three rules as to what you can't wish for, the first is an obvious one: you cannot wish for someone to fall in love with you, after all that has to be natural. Second you cannot ask me to resurrect the dead: after all the dead are dead for a reason, and trying to bring them back could end badly. And finally: you cannot wish for omnipotence because that is beyond my own power so therefore I cannot grant it. So what will it be?"
Greymane knew that a wish with a Djinn was the same as striking a deal with a demon, there was always something attached to it and it always came at a price. The difference between the two was a demon could perform a resurrection but wanted lives of equal to greater value than the one that was being brought back as well as the soul of the one they struck their deal with, as for the Djinn though they could not perform a resurrection what made them slightly trickier to contend with was the hubris of the wish was always the undoing of the one making the wish. Knowing this he knew that his best option was to hold onto the wish for a later time if he ever saw the Djinn again, by then he had hoped to have a better idea of what he wanted and how to go about asking for it.
For the time being however he wanted information and not wanting to waste his one wish on that he smiled, "If there was anything in this world I wanted I can just take it, after all I am a thief and nopony can stop me. And even if there was something I couldn't get and yet I wanted it's not like you can give it to me I'll take my leave for now."
Feeling insulted the Djinn grew angry as it began to fill the room back up with smoke without trying to harm Greymane, "Oh you think that there is nothing I can give you..." With a snap of his fingers a chest fell between them, "...how about The Enchanted Chest of Endeara? Filled with treasures the likes of which none can dream of, empty the chest and it fills itself back up. With this you can be rich beyond your wildest dreams. According to the tails this chest was lost unto the ages, but with my magic it is now yours."
Scoffing at such a thing Greymane waved his hoof as he chuckled, "And what do I need such a useless item for? I can be rich beyond my wildest dreams by simply stealing, and I get to enjoy the challenge that comes with it."
Pointing to the ground the Djinn released a bolt of lightning from his finger summoning a sword with strange markings on its sheath and hilt, "To prove myself I have also brought forth The Blade of The Ages, it is said that whom ever possess this can cut through time itself, this in turn will let them travel to the past as well as the future as they please."
Though Greymane had never heard of such a weapon he was more than well aware of an artifact that was said to do the same where it was he didn't know nor did the sixth Greymane who took the time to search for it, "And why would I want such a thing? I don't have any reason to go traveling across time, I'm immortal after all I can just simply wait it out."
Though he didn't completely lie if he did put on the medallion he would have the life span to outlive even the end of the world if he felt like it.
Becoming fed up with the current situation the Djinn flexed his muscles as he brought forth a ring of fire around Greymane, "Say the word and I will give you power to rival even an alicorn nay ten alicorns."
Busting out in a fit of laughter Greymane recalled how powerful the demonic lords are and how they just barely come close to equaling either Luna or Celestia on their own while remembering there was still the demonic gods, whose power had never been seen by any living pony other than the tenth Greymane, "You think I want that kind of power when I already have the power to take down all the gods of Tartaros? The only power I would want is the only power that matters, as they say knowledge is power..." Pulling the book back out Greymane smiled as he waved it back and forth, "...and I have all that I need right here."
Though the Djinn was fed up with Greymane's antics he thought about a piece of information that was purposefully left out of the diary, "Well then how about this, I'll tell you what my master is up to."
As Greymane tucked the book away he knew that he had the Djinn right where he wanted him, "Don't make me laugh any harder than I have to, if there was anything worth knowing about your master it will be written in the book. All I have to do is take a moment to read it."
In a fit of anger the Djinn showed an image of the Castle of Canterlot, "My master intends to conquer Camelu, however he wants to do it with little to no resistance. Some time back he found me and had made two wishes to make his dream come true, the first wish you already know but his second wish was to find the Staff of Wisdom but I wouldn't just simply give it to him so I pointed in a direction and he started looking. I had hoped he would die from the search or even waste his last wish but his search caught the attention of the Order of Balance, and that is when they chose to take advantage of the situation. Their deal was a simple one, once he conquered Camelu he was to allow them to move in on all he had control over so they could help make the transition to his reign smoother. But when I read their minds I knew they planned on doing away with him when the time came, so I made a deal with them in secret, they allow my master to live long enough to make his final wish and it is then I will destroy him for the Order. Then not only will I be set free I will continue to aid them in their future endeavors, a few I hear just so happen to mention you."
Looking at the Djinn Greymane knew that if the Order had that kind of power under their control then conquering new lands would be as simple as picking up a gallon of milk, "Well that certainly is interesting but that isn't worth my time..." Turning his back to the Djinn Greymane started to walk away hoping he was goading the creature into explaining why he showed him the Castle of Canterlot and not the Ruling family of Camelu, "...oh and by the way that is Canterlot you're showing me, and to think a creature of your caliber would make such a stupid mistake."
As he took a few steps he called out to Xiuhtecutli and told him to be prepared to ward off the Djinn and take the items he had already summoned, telling him that though neither of them seemed to be of any importance simply leaving them there was a bit of a waste. After all the chest could be put to good use in some small way, and the blade was something they can't just let sit if it could do as the Djinn claimed it to.
Letting out an annoyed laugh the Djinn slowly started to grow angry with Greymane, "I am not some simple minded plebe who doesn't act without thinking. If you were paying attention to what I said then you would have figured it out, to conquer without needing to use too much force my master plans on trying to take on the ruling family in Canterlot. Once the alicorn sisters have fallen to him he will turn his attention to the other nations and force them to submit, once all whom are willing to submit to his rule have done so that is when I act and the Order of Balance gets all that my master commands. He gets what he wants, I get what I want, and the Order is one step closer to their goals."
Knowing the Order and its leader Greymane knew the Djinn was going to be closer to the top ranks, more than likely alongside their leader seeing as to how much power he possessed and how they could use it with no restrictions. But knowing that they were planning on making a move sooner or later in Canterlot was one thing but this was just asinine of them to target Celestia and Luna even under the guise of a group of bandits, but then again for them to use a bandit for their plans was a simple side step for them and this made Greymane worry. Even if they failed the Order would simply kill off their own members to keep their involvement in the dark, and with them in the guard it wouldn’t be that hard to do so.
"Oh so you're master finds you competent enough to let you have this much information, however I still don't think the Order is that willing to trust a creature like you." Looking down at Greymane the Djinn's anger started to reach its peak as he asked what Greymane meant by 'creature like you', "What else could I mean, I didn't think they trusted someone who was easily led around like a dog on a leash." Knowing he had angered the Djinn beyond what was needed Greymane felt he was still missing a bit of information to aid him even though he knew what their plans for the time being was, "I bet they don't even trust you to know when any of this is going to happen."
Letting out an annoyed filled sigh the Djinn placed two of its fingers on the side of its head and started to rub in a counterclockwise motion, "Well of course I know all about that, my master is taking steps to ensure his plans will work. By the years' end he will be on the proverbial door steps of Canterlot, and I by his side."
For once time was on Greymane's side though it wasn't much he was more than willing to take advantage of what he now knew, "Thank you for all you have done and given me, I shall take my wish and save it for a time that I deem it worthy of use."
Laughing at Greymane the Djinn pointed at the items that lay before him, "I believe I must correct you, as you can see you have wasted your wish and gotten quite a bit out of the deal. However I don't believe you are worthy of such items..." Reaching down for the sword and chest the Djinn watched as his hand was consumed by fire causing him to scream out in agony, "...what trick is this?"
As the flame died on his hands he looked over to see a ring of fire around Greymane as he started to laugh, "To be fair I never made a wish, I simply said you couldn't give me anything worth my time. So you tried to prove me wrong and willingly gave me these items as well as the information I wanted, and all on top of a wish that I can use as I freely choose. And to think all I had to do was say the right thing at the right time..." As he sat there he watched as the ring of fire started to burn towards its center engulfing the sword, chest, and Greymane, "...till next we meet."
Trying to cast a spell to take back the items the Djinn found his magic could not make its way through the fire as everything within the blaze turned to smoke and vanished, rising to his feet the Djinn was furious with what had happened but knew if he reported it to the Order his deal with them could fall through. So against his better judgement he chose to keep this information to himself.
With what information they had Xiuhtecutli returned Greymane along with their newly acquired items back to the cave under Canterlot, taking the sword Greymane walked over to a solid stone wall about three feet to the left of his chemistry set where a hole only one and a half the size of his hoof seemed to have been carved into. Though Xiuhtecutli had told him the sword held no magical enchantment Greymane felt he should be on the safe side of things. Reaching into the hole Greymane moved around some tiles till they made a rune that turned a section of the wall into a bridged that led down to a winding staircase, once he was inside this new room he watched as runes along the entrance started to glow red sealing off the entrance with a very powerful mix of offensive and defensive magic that could tear even a demonic god from the inside out.
This was designed by the fifth Greymane who learned how to adapt the runes to do as she pleased, after several years of trials and errors she soon learned to master them and created new ways of safeguarding the world. Though their original plan was to hide the artifacts some where too dangerous to just simply hide some where in the world, so she created the vault using a series of well designed and carefully crafted runes that worked not just alongside each other but off one another as well circulating the flow of magical energies to keep them from building up to disastrous proportions. The first one used was to make the vault into its own pocket space that almost seem to go on forever as it expanded to contain any and all new items, it was a rune version of the spell that was on the sack he kept on his right side.
The next one used helped make it impossible to enter unless you were one of the Greymanes themselves, the exact specifics of the runes and how they worked were blocked by the fifth Greymane in her research notes in the event somepony somehow found a way onto the island or figured out how to use the books they kept. And the last one was a simple puzzle Grey used at the start that opened and closed up the vault itself, when it was first crafted the fifth ensured that even if the puzzle didn’t come out to the right rune that nothing happened. In her notes she claimed that out of all of them that the one controlling the way in and out of the vault was the hardest one to get just the right way.
Each one of the runes were unique in the way that they were created and used. And though Greymane had often thought about changing how the main entrance to the cave was sealed up, he felt its current way was best for the time being, after all if somepony got the rune wrong they could end up hurting themselves even if he followed the notes that the fifth left behind..
As Greymane did what he believed to be best the leader to the Order of Balance was going over a few of the recent reports with the subordinates who were overlooking the areas pertaining to the reports, "According to this we lost Emberglow, I would like to ask how this is possible when we have had her under a tracking spell since she was a young filly? And no older than seven years if I am not mistaken."
Taking a step forward a young stallion quivered in fear at the sight of his leader, "Well sir from what was mentioned in the report… um… she went into the savanna with some strange stallion none of us had ever seen before, he somehow discovered the tracking party and well dispelled the tracking spell. They then teleported away and we lost track of them after that."
Slowly walking towards the young stallion they could all see the one they feared, though his appearance was old enough to make Granny Smith look like she was in her prime there wasn't a single one of them who would dare to challenge him.
"Yes and the description of this stallion earth pony is far too vague to be a coincidence, and if it was somepony she knew we would have known long before now and dealt with whomever they were." Looking at the file of her mother the old stallion let out a lustful sigh, "But at the least we have her mother, so she will come back to us all in due time. After all her mother is all she has ever cared for since she was just a filly, bring her to me I want to have her near me at all times till Ember comes for her."
Letting out a nervous chuckle didn't help the young stallion's cause as his leader took notice of it and gripped the collar of his shirt demanding to know what his chuckle was about, "The thing is sir, I thought it was a good idea to have her mother taken to the bandit hideout where we stood a greater chance of capturing her. And according to the most recent reports we have the same stallion she was last seen with helped her to free her mother, it was said he used necromancy to fight the bandits. So sorry to say Ancient One but we no longer have either of them."
Placing his hooves on the young stallion's neck they watched as he slowly strangled the poor colt to death, "You mean to tell me that Greymane yet lives, and the one chance any of you had to catch him and bring him to me you… JUST.. LET… HIM... GO!?!?"
As the young stallion was strangled he struggled to speak, "But… sir… Greymane... is… dead… twelve… of our… own… at the least… were… at the… ceremony."
As his neck snapped from the amount of pressure their leader had used they watched as he let the lifeless corpse fell to the ground, "Somepony toss this trash into the river and have his name stricken from all documents for his failure..." Letting out a sigh as he walked past the other young scared ponies only to stop and look at a silver maned stallion, "...tell me, is this my fault? Am I the one to blame for this, or has the quality of the training you all have been given just gone down hill over these past few years? I mean I know I've taught you all what was needed to survive out there, and I know I taught you all enough to know that Greymane will do what he can to deceive us. What a few of you saw that day, that funeral it was him trying to put on an act. He wants you to think he is a good stallion that he's on the side of the innocent, but do not forget what he has done to us. Do not forget that he is the Crimson Stained Stallion, and when we have let our guards down he will try to slaughter us all again. And he won't stop there I know for sure he won’t, he just might try to slaughter the world if they give him just enough trust. So tell me Am I the one to blame for this blunder for this failure that we lost a rather good potential in a young filly and her slut of a mother? Whom by the way could have been used to bring more ponies into this world to better serve the Order. Well..." Pausing for a moment he could see the fear in the young stallion's eyes that told him he was unwilling to answer the question, "ANSWER ME DAMN IT!!!"
As sweat started to slowly roll down the young stallion's face he looked his leader in the eyes, "I'm afraid I cannot answer that sir." Punching the young stallion in the face to make him to fall over he demanded to know why he refused to give an answer, "T-to answer your question sir would mean I think there is something wrong with how we are taught and how you have done things..." Seeing the anger in his leader's eyes he young stallion began to feel the icy cold touch of death slowly making its way up his spine, "...n-n-n-not that I think that. After all you've led the Order with wisdom and valor the likes of which none can claim to, not even the sisters ruling Equestria can make such a claim. For over a thousand years you've led us and none can ever do a better job than you."
Picking the young stallion up by his jacket he slammed him into the wall, "Are you saying that because of my leadership it is my fault Greymane slipped past your grasp? And is it possible you believe you can do better than I?"
Feeling the icy cold fingers of death slowly sink in through his spine and deep within his body the young stallion began to cry out for mercy, "I-I-I-I never meant any of that, none are greater than you sir not even this lowly peasant who isn't worth your anger or forgiveness!"
As the young stallion was set down on his flank he looked at his leader who was smiling as he slowly unfastened the jacket he was wearing, with a smile on his face he complemented the jacket as he said he forgave the young stallion asking him what kind of a leader would he be if he could not forgive? As the young stallion began to shed tears of relief thinking he was being spared his life he thanked his leader for showing him mercy he didn't deserve, as the others watched on in astonishment they saw their leader's hoof slowly caressing the young stallion's chest as it circled round in a counterclockwise motion. In the last moment they watched as he shoved his hoof deep into the young stallion and ripped his still beating heart out, as the young stallion fell to the floor he asked why he had done that when he had forgiven him.
Staring down with a disgusted look their leader snarled as he spoke, "I did forgive you that much is true, so I spare you an agonizing death but I want you to die slow enough to know one thing. I don't let pathetic, worthless, piles of shit live longer than they have to. I may have been mortal at one point and though I am immortal now you must all know this, I have always been your GOD!" As the life of the young stallion slowly left him their leader turned around to remind them that his statement was ment for not just the Order of Balance but the whole world, even if the world had yet to come to terms with this fact.
Walking away he commanded to have the young stallion's body tossed into the pit for the cannibals to feast on as it has been three full moons since last they ate, throughout the many years he had been at odds ends with Greymane he knew that though he was a thief he would do what he could to protect the world and stop him. But he had often wondered about the last night they had encountered each other and how he managed to survive when the guards had his head on a chopping block, about a year prior to that he learned that a mysterious grey stallion was spotted going to and from the castle of the two sisters but nothing ever happened.
He had suspected that it was just some scout scoping out the castle trying to find weaknesses for an upcoming assault, when he had gone there to steal the Elements of Harmony he had not anticipated Greymane to show up. And so that night had always ate away at the back of his mind with nothing but questions, why was he there, why did he leave such powerful artifacts in their possession, and why did he frequent the castle once a year? But none of it ate away at him more than when Greymane had finally returned after a thousand years when Canterlot was attacked, looking over the reports from the attack itself from when he unveiled to the all of Equestria that he was real.
The only answer he could come up with was Celestia and Luna were connected in some way, but how and why, but more importantly did they somehow manage to do what he could not and gain control over Greymane to do their bidding? Nothing in the reports leading up to and even till now from that assault by the demons connected them, nor was there any sign that Greymane had been around during the thousand years Luna was gone. And that was the only clue he had… Luna held at the least one answer to any of this, and he wanted to make her talk by any means necessary.
After he came to the conclusion that he had to deal with Luna he stopped and turn his attention to the last pony he was yelling at.
Looking at the young mare as he pointed caused her to nearly jump out of her skin in fear of what he had planned for her, "Send a message to our informants in Canterlot, I want them observe Princess Luna and report back with anything worth their lives." As the remaining officers rushed out of the room to do what was demanded of them he tapped his hoof three times and watched as an executioner came walking in with an axe, "This body has served me well, but it will not last much longer, bring me a low ranking scout it is time I gained a new body. Oh, and don't tell the scout what is going on."
Saying nothing she folded her leg across her chest and gave a quick nod of her head as she took off running as fast as she could not wanting to disappoint her leader, as she took off he stared at her flank and figured the first thing he was going to do in his new body was enjoy hers to the fullest. Before long his mind in a sea of lustful thoughts he was back to the thought of Greymane returning and how this put a pin in any plans he had, for the time being he knew the only advantages he had was a demon, a djinn, and the fact Greymane did not know their current location. But the last advantage was quickly being lost because Ember was no longer being tracked, and though she didn't know his location he did however know that if Greymane tracked the spell back to its source he would be there as soon as he could.
Taking a few steps outside of his chambers he commanded the guards to kill the one's who placed the tracking spell on Ember, and to dispose of their bodies as far away from their hide out as possible, preferably somewhere remote that would leave no clues as to where they came from. As the guards took off he knew this would at the least buy them some time but hoped that it would give Greymane a cold lead that ended in the middle of nowhere, at the moment he cared little for the fact he killed so many ponies today simply because in his mind it was Greymane who killed them. Though for the time being he worried more about if Greymane was hunting him down and how much he knew, thinking back to his younger years he recalled how the Order tracked down every bit of clue to find Greymane only to end up empty hoofed. Yet they left no clues behind and Greymane found his little group as though it was nothing.
As the executioner returned with a young scout he could see the young colt was scared having been brought in the way he was, "Do not be afraid my dear sweet child..." Waving his hoof to the executioner she shut the door and waited outside for further instructions, "...I have a very important mission for you, but before I can give it I must train you to be strong enough to handle such a task."
As the young colt started to relax he was quickly startled by the command to attack his leader, "I'm sorry sir..." Starting to stutter the young colt feared questioning the command he was given, "...I m-m-must have misheard you, d-d-did you just tell me to..."
"Attack me yes," As he prepared himself for the young colt's attack he smiled knowing the mind of the young colt was strong but his will still belonged to him, "for me to properly train you I must know where you stand in your skills. So please come at me with all that you are."
He knew that the young colt didn't stand a chance against him nor did he truly care how skilled he was, the only thing that was on his mind was how well developed he was. His plan for the young colt was to see where he stood in terms of all those around him, and once he knew where that was he was going to let him kill the body he possessed. Once his current host body was dead he would would then take advantage of the fear stricken mind of the young colt and posses his body to make it his own, for however long it would last anyway. However he planned on saving this plan for the young colt for much later after he had some idea as to what was going on, at the moment he did plan on teaching him a few things and having the executioner or the young colt destroy his current body so he could posses one of the guards in Canterlot when the time came.
As he fought with the young colt he could see that he had great speed but then again what pegasus didn't, he was however clever enough to use his wings in what would have been considered random moments and highly unnecessary as well as unorthodox. But he saw through this knowing that the use of his wings were not just to speed him up but to slow him down and move in ways that most could not and it was a very good trick that he wanted, facing off against the young stallion he fought in the same manner he had once seen Greymane fight yet he knew that it was nothing close to how it looked. His steps where off, his motion ridged, but from this came his own style of fighting.
A style that allowed him to be as aggressive as he wished and let him put as much power behind each strike as he wanted, but the downside to this was with each new body he only had a limited amount of time to fight like this before that body aged to a point where he was forced to restrict what he did. Though the artifact he possessed granted him the gift to possess others at will and transfer what they had to the next body, he knew there were many restrictions to this and was careful enough to take steps so these restrictions didn't affect him too much. The first of it all was if a pony's mind and will were great enough he could be cast out of them, but if either of those were too weak then he could control them but have to fight to stay in control.
But out of any creature in the world there was none he wanted to posses more than Greymane himself, the power he shown the night he assaulted the Order was so great he wanted it for himself so that no pony could ever stand in his way. His only problem was finding him as Greymane had eluded him for the past thousand years, to add to it he would have to take the time to break him so when he possessed his body there would be no internal conflict and the power he wanted would be his. And once that power was his he questioned who would stand in his way, the answer to that was simple in his mind no one.
After all he would have the power to slaughter all he wanted and rule the world not as a king or emperor but as a god, and that was what he wanted to be feared and worshiped as a god knowing that to do this he either needed to posses Greymane or kill him either way he proved he was superior. In the last moment of the fight he allowed himself to be struck in the chest which caused the heart of his host body to rupture, telling the young stallion he did well for his first session he stomped his hoof on the ground as a signal for the executioner to come back in.
As she came into the room he commanded her to close the doors and seal them tight, once this was done the young stallion took notice that his leader was slowly dying and feared he would be executed for his actions.
"Do not worry young one, for the time being the executioner will train you to the fullest of her capabilities. And when I return I will bestow upon you the greatest task that will bring you much glory..." As he lied down he could feel the artifact release him from his host body as it turned into a corpse and though they could not hear his voice he laughed at how he was free to claim another, "...and what glory is greater than to become my new host. Train well and become perfect for me, and you my lovely executioner..." Letting out a lustful chuckle as he came up to her and wrapped his ghostly legs around her acting as if he could feel her body, "...when I return, o~oh the fun we shall have."
As he made his way towards Canterlot he figure he would take his time to enjoy his newly acquired freedom for a little while and view the countryside, as he did this he started to make plans for what he would do once he was ruling everything. A garden of dismembered bodies here with a fountain of blood and a statue of him on a throne all made of the bones of those who opposed him, and off to the side of that he saw a wonderful spot for farmland that would be tended by slaves of those he conquered to be worked and beaten to death. To say his imagination was sadistic was to put it horrifyingly mildly.
As he slowly made his way to Canterlot fantasizing about what he was going to do with the world Greymane was finishing up a few last things in his home before going to see Luna, he felt that while he was at his home it would be a good time to share what he had learned and warn both her and Celestia so the attack on them can be avoided. This would also set the Order of Balance back by a year at the least by having them go back underground and hide, for now until he can find a way to deal with them without causing a war and unnecessary bloodshed this was his only hope to keep them from moving forward. Looking at his chemistry set he knew that the new powders were not going to be finished for some time and left them in their liquid state to cool and solidify while going over some notes from the eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth Greymanes pertaining to the potion that lets him change his appearance as a changeling does, the current formula was slightly better than when it was first made and that was the problem.
Though he had an extra half hour before the effects of the potion wore off it's toxic levels were still too damn high, for the moment his endeavors into that would have to wait as he went over the amount for his teleporting and sleeping powders. Going over the qualities of them to ensure they were the best they could be Grey took a few measurements to estimate how much he had, out of a rough guess he made enough of the teleporting powders that he would have at the least twelve of the one ounce bags. As for the sleeping powder he hardly ever had to use it but often tried to make something stronger so it could act faster and last a little longer, the reason for this was so he could then take it and mix it with some dirt, dust, sand, or whatever else was close by while it retained the same level of potency as the original formula.
Making his way out of the crystal cavern Greymane found himself staring up at the clear night sky in amazement, though a star filled sky was nothing new to him tonight seemed different and yet he didn't know why. Enjoying his walk through Canterlot unnoticed by the guards he continued to think about the notes his predecessors left behind, the three of them spent their years researching that one potion and trying to perfect it with little to no success. Though the twelfth Greymane was a changeling herself the idea came from the eleventh after he adopted her, and she continued to work on the potion knowing that her natural power to change her appearance at will would be of great use to the later generations.
But towards the end of her life and the start of the thirteenth they were trying to make it last longer while making it less toxic, the best they could do was make it last for three hours but its toxic levels were so high that its use was limited to once every six months. Since those three every Greymane that has come and gone would tinker and toy with their final product and formula to try and finish their work, but the most any of them could do was extend the time from three hours adding about an extra half an hour and that included his recent work. As of right now he didn't care about the length of time the potion had infact he thought that was plenty of time, what worried him the most was the toxic levels and trying to bring them down to a little more safer levels even if it was just a little.
Before long Greymane made his way up the tower where he knew Luna would be hoping that she was still safe, as he neared the top he caught a slight glistening of the moon light off of something in the distance. Looking around he didn't see anything and almost wanted to toss it up to the top of one of the towers, tilting his body every which way he could think of did not bring that shine back and it made him worry. Keeping on guard as he made his way over the railing he saw Luna looking through the telescope as she watched over the city, greeting her with a smile he watched as she turned around yet refused to make eye contact with him.
On her face he could see she was not too happy about something as she sat down, before he could figure it out she nearly cried as she commanded the guard to arrest him. As a group of earth ponies came out from the door he attempted to jump the railing only to find the skies were full of pegasi, and on the distant towers he saw a few unicorns ready to cast spells and lob arrows his way. As the guards attempted to put him in chains Xiuhtecutli put a ring of fire around him granting him the one chance he needed to escape, and yet Greymane refused to move and as the spell died out he sat there looking at Luna not caring about those around them.
Without hesitation he stood up and took a few steps towards her as the guards feared what he would do if they tried to stop him, "Luna, please tell me. Why are you doing this?"
Still refusing to make eye contact Luna dug her hoof into the ground hoping it went unnoticed, “You are under arrest for stealing the Elements of Harmony, this was set up by my sister and myself to catch you. The guards have been instructed to do whatever it takes to bring you in, even if they have to break every bone in your body.” Luna expected him to try and fight his way out and even attempt to escape but she knew he was innocent thanks to the diary he gave her, and though she didn't want to betray his trust she kept the knowledge of his diary a secret from Celestia making this very situation far more difficult on herself.
Walking over to the guard who held up the shackles and chains they watched as he sat down and brought up his hooves, "Very well then, I will turn myself in but on one condition..." As Luna looked at him she saw in his eyes that he did this for her so that she could not be incriminated in any way, "...I wish to speak to you and your sister alone if at all possible."
Though there wasn't much she could do at the moment Luna let out a sigh of relief to know Greymane was willing to let himself be arrested rather than fight, "We are not sure if that will be possible, but we will speak with our sister to see if such an arrangement can be made..." Turning around to take flight as she spread her wings she gave a faint smile to know that for now he was still safe, "...for now the guards will take you to the dungeon.
As she started to leave she soon felt his mind touch hers it was as gentle and loving as when he holds her in his embrace, *Thank you for having faith in me Luna, I know you question this situation as much as I do, I know the pain you feel now from being torn between the choices that you must make, but I will find some way for us both to come out of this. And if not, then at the least I will do what I can to protect you and see to it that only I face whatever may come.*