//------------------------------// // Chapter 5 - Dark Days Are Coming(Edited by Dark Lord Kirito!) // Story: Playing The Villain // by Northern Desert //------------------------------//         “Lord…” The white alicorn hesitated, trying to pronounce the name of her guest properly.  It was a sudden surprise for something like him to appear before her throne room, usually Day Court was a boring and bland process she would have to experience.          But it seemed that Celestia was in for something new.         “Makuta,” The drake replied softly, his voice giving off a warm and relaxed vibe.  His scales gleamed as the morning light bathed the ruby colored dragon.  “No need for this ‘Lord’ nonsense, Your Majesty.”         His size was another interesting feature.  He bore an amulet, one of gold with a shining ruby ominously glowing in the center, that was one of Zanzar’s creations.  The old wizard rivaled Starswirl in his time, and many of his artifacts were believed to be lost.  The magical trinket was designed to increase or decrease the bearers size. “Well, I must say that you have gained my interest,”  Celestia hummed, thinking carefully on the dragon’s proposition.  “It is not everyday that a dragon comes to me with the offer of trading such rare materials, especially one from the Ember isles.  I have tried fruitlessly to obtain Brimnite from your village in the past, but it seems like my nephew has succeeded where I have failed.” Her head turned to her nephew, Blueblood, as she spoke.  He seemed somewhat nervous, but that was normal for one new to such a large political stage.  Though, it puzzled her at the thought of her pompous nephew receiving such a liking from anypony, let alone a dragon. “I admit, I was somewhat hesitant,” Makuta said sheepishly at the regal pony’s statement.  He then turned to look at the white unicorn.  “But Prince Blueblood offered me a peculiar proposition, one I had not seen before.” “Ah, yes!” Celestia exclaimed, using her magic to once again see the document in which brought the drake here.  “If we were to offer magical and material resources to your colony, you in return would swear allegiance to Equestria and offer your unique metals.”         The dragon nodded in agreement to what the Princess had said, earning a warm smile from the princess.  She had hoped to gain some allies in the dragon colonies as a way to spread the draconic cultures to her ponies.  She was not blind to the skittish behavior her subjects had expressed to other species, and she hoped that this was the first step in a more open Equestria.         “I regret to inform you that I must return to my home,” Makuta said, giving a genuine look of disappointment to the Princess.  “But I do hope that Prince Blueblood will be the perfect choice as a liaison between our two people!”         “It was a pleasure to have you here, Lord Makuta,” Celestia said, giving a small bow of respect to the dragon.  “We will talk again when we make the official arrangements.”  Celestia would need to get some information from her ambassadors in the Dragonlands so that they could set up proper trade routes and communication centers.         “I look forward to it!” Makuta said, giving a small bow as he got up and left the throne room.  Blueblood gave a nervous grin to his aunt before taking off to follow the dragon.  As they left the room, the unicorn chose to finally speak to his partner.         “Do--do you think she bought it?” Blueblood asked, frantically looking over his shoulder as if they were being followed.  He was starting to have regrets about agreeing to work with the scheming drake.  But the promises made to him were too great for him to resist this opportunity.         A cruel grin came upon his partner’s face.  “Indubitably, my dear Prince,” The dragon said calmly, giving a questioning look towards the unicorn.  “Do you have...second doubts about the Operation?”  The question sent a chill down the pampered pony’s spine.  While he may have been willing work with Makuta at first, fear was the main thing that drove him at this point.         “Of---of course not!” Blueblood answer hastily, starting to sweat due to the intensity of the dragon’s gaze.  “Everything will be done, just as you instructed!”  The scaly beast gave a hearty laugh and pulled the shaking prince into a hug.         “That’s good to hear,” He said, his breath giving off a metallic scent.  “I intrust this to you, Prince Blueblood.  Don’t disappoint me.”  With that said, the dragon simply vanished in a puff of dark smoke, leaving the noble to question what he had gotten himself into. Twilight’s castle had been a mess in the frantic search of the intruder and what other nefarious deeds he committed during his short stay.  She would need to contact the families of the guards who had...perished during the break in.  While the guard was expected to take the risks of death during the line of duty, it had been centuries since Equestria’s security was attacked by such violent actions. “Even Chrysalis didn’t kill anypony,” The young alicorn thought to herself, alone in her study room.  Her friends were dismissed from the castle, each one getting their own guard detail until this was all sorted out.  Discord had gone to investigate the Mirror Pool, or what was left of it.  “And it won’t be the last time we see that...thing again.”         Her mind flashed back to every detail about the stranger who violated her home.  He spoke as if he expected to get in and out with ease, even with Discord and Tirek present.  And the way he acted so...nonchalant when the matter of the ponies he murdered was brought up honestly scared the Princess of Friendship.         Anypony would if they had some psychopathic murder break into their home.         Knock Knock The sudden knock on her door startled Twilight, ready to blast a hole through the structure to attack the intruder.  But the familiar voice of her dragon companion stopped the violent response         “Um...Twilight?” Spike said hesitantly, knocking weakly on the crystal door.  The whole castle made him want to pig out, but he learned to reign in that temptation a long time ago.  Celestia need a new jewel for her crown anyway.  “The guards are in somewhat of a...panic, and I think it would be great if you came out.”         Twilight groaned at her own ignorance.  Giving out simple orders to search for some blood mongering wacko and than locking herself in her study to find anything in her books would not provide any confidence in the Guard.  She wasn’t the only one worried about these strange turn of events, and neither were they. “I’ll...I’ll be right there, Spike,” Twilight sighed, getting off the couch and putting the disorganized mess of books she made into a pile.  “I can take care of those later…” she thought to herself.  Sometimes when something bad happens, you have to get out of your comfort zone in order to deal with it. Stretching her wings and taking a deep breath, the alicorn composed herself so that she would be somewhat presentable to her subjects.  Pushing open the door with her hoof, she walked out to see Spike patiently waiting for her by the entrance of the castle.  Waving his hand, the young drake attempted to keep a calm appearance, but his constant fidgeting told Twilight that he was just as uneasy about the whole affair as she was.         Looking around, she noticed the lack of guards in this section of the castle.  “Odd,” Twilight mused, not understanding why her guards were not at all of their posts.  While she was not military leader, her older brother had taught her the values of diligence.  But maybe she assumed too much from the Royal Guard…         “Spike,” She sighed, relieved to see someone who wasn’t shaking in their fur.  He gave her a look of relief, his walking turned into a short jog.  “Where...where is everypony?” she asked, trying to keep her voice void of concern.         “The entire town has been in a fuss,” The dragon said with concern, giving her as small hug when reaching her.  “Princess Luna shipped her own personal guards here, they’ve been reorganizing the whole town for a ‘defensive position’” He finished, making air quotes with his purple claws.         “Wha--while I appreciate the help from her, it really isn’t necessary for her to do all this…” Twilight said, somewhat frustrated that the Lunar Guards were disrupting the town.  “Please tell me they haven’t caused too much of a mess?”         When Luna had regained her position as Co-Ruler of Equestria, her original thestral ponies had returned to take their place as her new night police.  New guards meant a more...recent system had to be put into place, and the Lunar Guard were famous for their strict and, as many saw, uncivilized approach on situations.         “They’re only the tip of the iceberg,” Spike groaned, grabbing her hoof and dragging the mare to the castle door.  “Discord up and vanished, Tirek has been recalled to Canterlot, the Wonderbolts have been scouting the area from Cloudsdale to Vanhoover, and the Princess’s guards aren’t exactly making everyone feel safe!”         Twilight looked down on the ground in shock.  “How could I have missed so much!?” She asked in distress, unsure now on how long she was actually studying into the intruder know as Teridax.         “Long enough to cause the Mayor to set a curfew for all residents...but I think it may be best if you check this out for yourself.” Spike answered and upon reaching the castle doors, he opened them for Twilight to see not her once peaceful town, but something of a military fortress. The wind howled and trees swayed back and forth.  The sky continued to darken as storm clouds descended from the east.  A single metal figure strolled about the lake, getting a view of the gleaming waters one last time before the storm fully set upon the island. “It sure is nice here,” The Makuta mused, relieved by the pure silence around him.  Between his dealings with Blueblood and Equestria, Teridax was also needed to speak with the Dragon King, Blackfang, about the new leadership of the Colony.  “Greedy lizards, the lot of them.”         The first words required to be said when speaking with the gold-loving drakes was money.  It proved to be a mind numbing experience when pointless questions about tribute, the specific shine said tributary gems needed, and the time on the deliveries.         The machine let out a sigh of annoyance, contemplating how much time those drakes wasted just inspecting the gems he brought to the hearing.  “I have no idea how the Sun Raiser puts up with them.  I was nearly to the point where I would give them all a concussion.”         “Someone’s antsy,” The dark voice laughed, only increasing Teridax’s anger.  He did not have time for his mask’s snarky remarks.  The mechanical monster groaned and cut down one of the trees that blocked his path.  He would need to make it back to the village soon, otherwise one of those hotshot dragons might take interest in his throne.           “Your such a hardass, you know that right?” The mask giggled, more excited than what the Makuta usually heard in its tone.  Probably finished another one of his memories, the mask seeming to feed off of those.  “Nah, let’s just say that a person of interest has chosen to grace us with her presence!” “That was something you should have told me as soon as they arrived,” Teridax growled at his tool.  He often wondered how much the Mask was doing for him, or for itself.  The Makuta was about to ask the Mask who had chosen to intrude upon his island, but he liked surprises every once in awhile.  “Any luck on what Celestia knew about this ‘Zanzar’?”         The magical items he had come into possession of contained a large variety of size manipulation, fire resistance, and teleportation.  While he assumed it may be due to a unicorn living in the Dragon Territories, being able to shrink dragons or become resistant to fire would provide useful, however these kinds of objects were scattered across the Dragon Empire with notes and a lot of dragon biology research papers.  It was as if this ‘Zanzar’ was trying to create weapons to use against the Drakes...but why would a peaceful nation such as Equestria ever want such a thing?         “That can wait,” The Kraahkan whispered in a hushed tone, as their conversation was in risk of being eavesdropped on.  “That visitor I mentioned...they’re not friendly.  Proceed to the village with extreme caution, because whoever this is has a magic aura that trumps the Sun Pony.”         He halted my approach, multiple thoughts swarming with possible outcomes that had spooked the Mask.  While The Makuta wouldn’t say that he was worried about the dragons who were serving him, there was a sense of loyalty towards them.  Teridax had made a deal and they had pledged their loyalty to him, so who was he to not ensure his end of the bargain.  Teridax chose to slow his pace, but as the machine reached the guard post, he knew that time was of the essence.  While three dragons were an intimidating force to guard such a small area, they were not as intimidating as golden statues. “What do we have here?” The Dark Lord mused, more interested with the handy work than the dragons.  He could sense the imprisoned drakes’ fear, so they were still alive.  “The irony of being turned to Gold...now who do I know that would have the confidence to take on three dragons and make a joke out of it…”  As The Makuta touched the golden figure of one of the guards, so as to release him, his mind was immediately assaulted by some form of mental magic. The world around him turned white, all color and sound vanishing to leave only the Dark Lord behind.  Teridax chuckled in amusement. It was as if whoever made the spell didn’t even try to hide the fact that he had left the Physical World.  But as the colors and sounds returned, he saw himself on a bluff of some kind.  One would have assumed that he had returned to the island, but the magic around Teridax felt more...chaotic. “That’s not good,” The Kraahkan groaned, both of them coming to a similar conclusion on who exactly chose to drop by.  “We’ve gotta stop her before she messes up anything or takes the Protodermis!”  The Mask was in a panic at the concept of failure, that they're new guest might throw a wrench in everything they have planned. Not that it was wrong, she could make a great disturbance.  Their plans on confronting her was a ways off, but it seems that they were left no choice.  Sending out a mental command, Teridax hoped to reach his Rahkshi and alert them of the threat.  But no answer came... “She’s in my inner sanctum,” The machine growled, his eyes blazing a fiery red.  She was truly a fool to come here on their terms, in his personal lair no less.  “Well, it would be rude to not greet my guests...unwanted or not.”  He snorted, shadows all around the area coming towards him and forming a cocoon around his mechanical body.  The cocoon slowly sank into the ground, giving him mere seconds on how they would confront her. “This should prove...interesting,” Teridax chuckled at the mere thought of confronting his greatest enemy.  He had questions, ones that only she could answer.  “I’m coming...Eris!” His laughter amplifying as he came up with a brilliant plan, one that ironically heroes used on their evil nemeses. The shadows that had carried Teridax to his lair soon lashed out at the surrounding area he arrived in.  Looking around with his eyes, he scanned the area with his superior vision to see what changes had come about.  Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, he continued to his throne, knowing that if that arrogant Draconequus was going to be anywhere, she would probably be perched on the chair.         “I say we leave now,” The Kraahkan said, trying to convince him away from confronting Eris.  Understandable considering her power, but Teridax was not one to run from a foe or abandon his allies.  “Stop being such a noble fool and turn now, we can find more willing servants elsewhere!”         The Makuta ignored the mask’s reasoning.  If Teridax turned tail now, she would hound him forever and his plans would never come into play.  And he refused to be her plaything.  As he approached the door that lead to the most inner section of his lair, he noticed the doors glowing with some strange aura.         “Oh look,” His mask said happily, as if it was given an early birthday present.  “The doors are shut, we should turn around since whoever’s in there obviously doesn’t want to be--”         “Shut up,” Teridax said cooly, silencing the mask.  It had been the first time that he had openly dismissed it in such a manner.  “Besides, I’m sure whatever that draconequus is doing--” his eyes glowed orange and the steel doors that barred him access to his room melted, “--can be interrupted for a moment.”         As the doors melted due to his heat vision, Teridax stormed in the room.  Every part of his body creaked and his Staff of Shadows flew into his hand from the corner of the room.  What he saw next baffled him.         “Heya,” Eris said, laying seductively across a plush bed that sat smack dab in the middle of Teridax’s room. The smirk on her face reminded Teridax of someone familiar, but he disregarded the notion.  Honestly, he was in a shocked state just trying to comprehend what the Draconequus was doing. Finally collecting himself, The Dark Lord chose to just ask her what she was doing and hope it made some sense.  “Wha--what are you doing here...Eris?” He inquired, slowly approaching the hybrid.  She gave a small laugh, and sat up from her position. “Awww,” She wined, still keeping that smug grin plastered on her face.  “I just wanted to give a welcoming party, it’s the least I can do buddy!”  Her words simply increased Teridax’s suspicion, his eyes darting towards the corners.  Waiting for the Rainbows to come pouring in. “Well,” He began cautiously, as if he were dealing with an asylum escapee.  At least they would be more reasonable.  “You have a funny way of saying ‘hi’, turning an entire village to golden ornaments doesn’t scream ‘welcome’...” She raised an eyebrow at his comment, but giggled at his reaction to her little ‘gift’.         “Well sorry,” She said, getting off the bed and strolling towards him.  “But they would have ruined the surprise, besides...now that we’re--” Teridax raised his hand and used his magnetism to hurl around twenty swords and spears towards her, in hopes of securing the Draconequus.         Unfortunately, the projectiles were simply repulsed off some invisible shield.  Before The Makuta could react, his metal body was launched backwards into a wall, smashing through any poor object that stood in the way.  Somewhat confused by the sudden attack, Teridax attempted to pick himelf up, only to find that he could not leave the floor.         “Well...that’s new,” His mask said sarcastically. Teridax mentally commanded him to be silent, but he was already preparing the ‘I told you so’ speech.  “So, we’re dead...nice going kid!  At least I get to go knowing that I was in capable hands, right?” “My my,” Eris tsked, now barely three feet away from The Makuta.  The ground seemed to break as as his body dug in, and somehow more pressure had been applied to his form.  “That was ruddddde, but it can’t be helped.  At least I was ready for that little act of yours.” I guess that happens when you become a walking death machine, you tend to think highly of yourself. “Act huh?” Teridax  asked in confusion, somewhat puzzled by these new turn of events. ‘I guess that happens when you become a walking death machine, you tend to think highly of yourself.’ Teridax noted in his head. “What exactly is going on here?  I can get the home invasion part if you planned on destroying me--” Eris titled her head in amusement at that proposal, “--but here you are, strutting around and making this one big show.  Could it be that you came here just for some attention, a thrill or something?”          She scoffed at that remark, waving her orange claw at the idea.  “You really have an ego, buddy,”  She laughed, taking another step closer to The Makuta.  Teridax’s body sank further into the ground.  “But inquisitive...I knew I liked you for a reason pal.”  She then tapped her rabbit’s foot on the ground, pondering on what to do with him.         He, however, had come up with a theory.  If she was using some kind of gravity magic, other objects around him would have the same effect as he's under.  But she was using her own form of magnetism to keep him down.  Which meant....         Two read beams of light shot from his eyes at her.  In response, she raised her owl talon and deflected both beams of energy.  “Oh come now, Teridax,” She laughed, snapping her clawed fingers. Teridax slowly drifted up into the air.  “I know everything you’re able to do.”         “What, did she check our wikipedia page or something?”         “Fascinating,” The Dark Lord said with fake amazement, getting a deadpanned look from the proud hybrid.  “Truly, I had no idea that you were stalking me.  But I guess I can’t complain, I’ve been reading up on you as well.”         “I don’t need to stalk you in order to learn your powers,” She huffed in annoyance, peeved about something.  “Honestly, I’m hurt that you haven’t figured it out yet.”  At this point she was making little to no sense, not that Teridax had suspected otherwise.         “Sorry, I’ve been busy,” He shrugged, or at least attempted to shrug.  “You know, plotting your demise and trying takeover the world, the usual.”  She raised an eyebrow, but her smile remained intact.  Honestly, The Makuta felt discontent with this turn of events.         “So, you don’t remember me?” She questioned, her lip quivering in mock sadness.  “After everything I’ve done for you?”  She asked, a small smirk of triumph appeared on her face.  Teridax simply tilted his head, an attempt to convey interest in what she was going on about.  She stroked her chin with her claw, thinking on how to jog the Robot’s memory.         “Ah,” She said, snapping her fingers at her idea.  A cloud of purple mist enveloped her for a few seconds before dissipating, leaving a man Teridax thought he would never lay eyes on again.  That familiar black cloak and ominous bag…         “Oh, you have got to be kidding me!”         “Would you be interested in any of my wares, Traveler?” The man asked in a raspy voice, his tone cutting at what was left of Teridax’s emotions.         “You were that...merchant?” The Makuta asked, unsure on how to react to her confession, or if he could even believe her. for all he knew, this was some trick to get in his head. Snapping his fingers, the Merchant transformed back into the goofy Draconequus.         “Yeah,” She said nonchalantly, giving a shrug as if she hadn’t done anything wrong.  “I thought it would be fun, and boy was I right!” She chuckled, walking closer to the mechanical schemer.  “You’ve been a riot, you really have.  I’ve been looking in this boring old plush land for something a little darker, add a little spice to the Kindness Brew, you know?”         Teridax then started to laugh.          “So you had the idea of taking me here!?” He roared with laughter, trying his best to get the words out, but ultimately failing as the words became jumbled as he continued to laugh maniacally. She gave him a curious, if not confused look.         “Well, I expected anger or...something else,” Eris admitted, unsure on how to take the Makuta’s reaction to her ‘big’ reveal.  “But a comedic take wasn’t something I expected. Maybe I went a little overboard--”         “That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard,” He interrupted coldly, the laughter dying in mere seconds of its start.  What she had informed him of...he can’t even begin to explain to her the sheer idiocy of her reckless actions.   “You took a being from another...wherever I was before, one that you give immense power to, and stick on your planet.”  Teridax questioned her logic behind the whole plan.  “What were you hoping for, that I would make some dark clouds and scare your ‘plush’ world a little?” Was he mad that she managed to get him involved in her fun?  Yes!  But the idea that she could possibly doom her entire world just to get a laugh probably angered him more.         “It didn’t seem world ending at the time,” The Draconequus responded with a shrug, clearly unfazed by this point at others telling her that her choices were insane and childish.  “But I do grow bored after a while...things should never last too long or they lose the ‘specialness’ behind them.” “Oh, I couldn’t agree more…” Teridax agreed, but his words were more directed towards her than himself.  “That’s somewhat hypocritical, coming from a centuries old being.”  “Hey, I change myself up once in awhile!” She said defensively, somewhat nettled at the Makuta calling her old and boring. “Besides, I’ve got my own plans for world domination, ones that you’ll get in the way of...unless you want to play second fiddle?” Teridax’s  expression stayed the same as it usually did, but inside, he was seething with anger.         How dare she take my life as a joke!         “You should just kill me then,” He scoffed, a plan starting to form in his mind.  ‘If I could get this right, I could catch her off guard, even with her knowledge of my abilities.’ “I don’t do henchman, but I’m sure if your planning is as good as what you’ve managed to do so far, my money’s on the ponies.”  She rolled her eyes at his comment as a glowing red ball started to emerge in her hand. “Eh, I’m pretty confident I can pull it off.” She replied, aiming the glowing ball of magic at The Master of Shadows’ head.  “I’ll make good use of what you’ve managed to build up though, so don’t feel like you accomplished nothing!”  The ball launched from her hand, turning into some kind of laser harpoon as it made its way towards Teridax. Just as it was mere inches from his metal shell, a small blazing green dot formed in between the object and his head.  It spun intensely, slowly opening as a green flaming oval opened up with an image in between the lines of flames.  The current events in motion, except playing behind Eris.         “Carapace!?” She exclaimed, turning around to see another one of these portals right behind her, with that magic spear heading right towards her.  She threw both her arms out and a red aura came to life from her hands, ready to stop the incoming projectile.  But as she lifted her arms up, Teridax used his magnetism to call upon one of the trinkets that he had collected. ‘ Vvvvvvuuwwwwooommmm The red lightsaber from one of the shelves flew towards the distracted hybrid, the glowing blade severing both of her arms as it made its towards The Makuta. Now holding a weapon in his hand and Eris now fully preoccupied, he leapt up with all his strength and gave her a sickening kick towards the harpoon, which then impaled her upon impact.         “D--amn---it,” She groaned, flying back into him.  She crashed into Teridax like a pebble, bouncing off upon impact.  “Tha---t could ha--ve gone better…” She coughed, blood running down her mouth.         “Probably,” he responded, standing over the injured Draconequus with his staff aimed at her throat. His attack was probably more brutal than he had planned it to be, but it did the trick in disarming Eris. Literally. “But look on the brightside--” “I’ve got a hole in my chest and both of my hands have be decapitated,” She attempted laugh, but stopped abruptly when she coughed out more blood.  A slim sense of pity erupted from The Makuta’s cold, nonexistent heart. “True,” He agreed, giving a small nod as a ball of orangish white plasma formed in his metallic claw.  “But at least your not going to pop up on some strange island in a body that barely feels natural.”  She let a gurgled of pain as he applied pressure from his foot onto her tail.  “What, am I not amusing anymore?” The Makuta asked coldly, reaching down to grab the disheveled draconequus by the neck. “N--ot r--ea--lly,” She choked, a small light of fear came from her multicolored eyes.  “L--et’s---cal--l it--a d--raw!” She said, a small smirk coming to her face at her own proposal. “Nah,” Teridax replied nonchalantly, lifting her up higher in the air.  “But don’t worry, I'll make good use of what you’ve accomplished so far, so don’t feel like you did nothing!” He said, mimicking her snarky words from earlier.  But before he could deal any kind of blow, a gleaming blade launched itself towards him. He directed his eyes towards the sword, using heat vision to melt the projectile before it could provide any assistance to his captive.  “See ya, Terry!” Eris said with amusement. Snap A bright flash illuminated behind Teridax. The Dark Lord turned his head to see that he was no longer holding Eris, his mask being the only other thing that accompanied him in the room.  His anger rose at his own arrogance, assuming that she had no escape plan was a foolish thought.  While he could berate himself for his stupid pride, The Makuta had more important things to do.         “I hate to say it,” The Kraahkan interrupted, shadows pouring from Teridax’s body and expanding itself out of the Lair and into the village.  With Eris gone, he could focus his power on freeing the dragons from her spell.  “But we barely got her, and she won’t fall for the same trick twice...we’re gonna need help.”         Teridax looked to the ground in disdain, knowing that the Kanohi had a point.  Eris didn’t even bother taking the fight seriously, and her true intentions were most likely to mess with his plans.  That and her revealing that she was responsible for his transformation was unnerving. “She knows how I will act,” Teridax started, realizing that she may have more information on him than he had expected.  “What my powers are and how to repel them...I was lucky that she didn’t expect Carapace’s portals.”  He had hoped to keep the death of the Changeling Emperor a secret, but now she would know and not be fooled. But she would probably not inform anyone else of this discovery...no, she’s already untrusted as it is.  The likelihood of Celestia on anyone else believing she just found this all out would raise eyebrows.  At best, Teridax could use them against her and make them think he was some mind controlled outsider, forced to do the Draconequus ’ bidding. “We still need to put everything in motion,” The Kraahkan whispered, trying to brainstorm the possibilities they would be facing.  “Rebuild Nightmare Moon, get Chrysalis to back us up with her hive, and finding that horn.”  The Kanohi was probably right. going out alone was risky if Eris was looking for a fight. Teridax would need backup… Some of the shadows that slithered around the lair started to emerge into a more 3D shape, stitching itself into a ragged cloth.  Teridax looked over to see a pole made from Protodermis lying near the forge, and used his magnetism to bring it towards him.  By the time the pole reached him, the cloth had completed itself.  A red symbol radiated from the middle of the cloth as he attached it to the pole.         Teridax then whispered to the cloth, the shadows beginning to stretch the Fabric of Reality around The Makuta. I am He who Dwells in Darkness...Evil and Good are merely titles, used to label one’s enemies...and mean little to me.  If you seek security, call upon me and I shall shroud you from your foes.  I am Nothing...I am Makuta Teridax...         With his message made, Teridax lifted the banner that he had created, and walked over to the puncture that lead to the void. The ability to even open such a hole was difficult, Teridax himself struggling to keep it open for such a long time as now. He eventually chose to chuck the object into the hole before he lost control and closed the gap. Ridding himself of the Tokken, Teridax made his way to his throne.  He could hear the shouts of rejoicing dragons and Rahkshi, excited to be free from their mysterious imprisonment.  Sitting down on the chair, The Makuta let himself relax with what time he had left before someone came rushing into the chamber to bother him. “Every plan has obstacles that it needs to work around,” Teridax mumbled to himself, already formulating a way to bypass Eris.  “But it seems that I’ve underestimated this world far too much...I will need to reevaluate my notes on those who stand in my way...I’m sure I’ve missed something.” While The Makuta may have taken this world far too lightly, he knew that they still had their flaws and weaknesses. He would just need to find better ways of exploiting them...and unlike Eris, he had time to do just that.  ‘I will not rush this, nor will I blindly throw my resources at those I know nothing about.’ He thought to himself.