“Sorry sorry sorry!” Midnight apologized repeatedly as she and the three teams of adventures sat around the council table in the Castle of Friendship.
“Aw, it’s alright, sugar cube,” Applejack reassured her. “Pinkie and Ah are okay.”
“But you could’ve been hurt! I let you all go with proper preparation!”
“It’s not it your fault,” Twilight told her daughter. “It’s mine. In our rush, I failed to conduct the proper research.”
“No, it’s mine,” Spike objected. “I was just in too much of a rush to save Rarity.”
“No one can blame you for that,” Pinkie Pie told him. “We all want to save Rarity.”
“If it’s anyone’s fault, it’s that curator’s,” Rainbow Dash grumbled. “He if wasn’t so concerned about his precious family heirloom, then we would already have the staff!”
“Now, Rainbow, we mustn't be too critical of him,” Fluttershy tried to calm the grumpy Pegasus. “That staff is very important to him. It would be the same as asking you to give up all of your Wonderbolt medals.”
“But I would gladly give up my medals if it meant saving all of Equestria!” Rainbow Dash pointed out.
“Yes, but not everypony can be as loyal you,” Fluttershy complemented, hoping to cheer her up.
“Yeah, but we’ve wasted an entire day! Now we have to go spelunking in some boneyard looking for some lost harp! Who knows how long that’ll take!” Rainbow Dash complained. Being reminded about the fact that the Silver Harp of Garin Silverharp was located in a catacomb made Fluttershy tremble with dread.
“Don’t sweat it,” Applejack said. “We have seven days…”
“Six,” Pinkie Pie corrected her.
“Six days to find it and save Rarity.”
“Yeah? Well, I doubt Spike, and Rarity for that matter, can wait for another six days!” Rainbow Dash correctly assumed. “And on top of all that, the Dragon King has the stupid sword!”
“Yeah. How are we supposed to stop him without it?” Pinkie Pie asked, causing Twilight to think of a solution.
“Midnight, the book said that Erdrick used the gifts to weaken Zoma and then slayed him with the sword?” Twilight asked her daughter to verify.
“Yes, it did,” Midnight confirmed.
“Then we might not actually need it. It was the Powers of Harmony that defeated the demon. Erdrick just finished him off.”
“Are you sure?” Spike asked.
“We didn’t need anything else to defeat Nightmare Moon or Discord. All we had was the Element and, more importantly, we had each other,” Twilight reminded all of them.
“But we don’t know exactly what these things will do or if they’ll even be enough to stop him,” Applejack said.
“We’re just going to have faith,” Twilight told Applejack. “The Powers of Harmony have never failed us before and I’m certain that they’ll won’t fail us now. And if all else fails, at least we knew where the sword is.”
“Yeah, in the middle of a dragon’s lair,” Rainbow Dash muttered.
“We have to sneak in to Charlock Castle anyway,” Applejack reminded. “We’ll just have to grab when we get there.”
“Okay, but what are we going to be about Mr. Stoney?” Pinkie Pie asked.
“And what about the harp? How are we gonna find it?” Rainbow Dash added.
“I have the answer to that,” Midnight explained, pulling out a book. “It says here that the golem can be deactivated by the sound of music played by a magic flute called the ‘Fairy Flute’. It is located in the Everfree Forest.”
“The Everfree Forest?!” everyone exclaimed.
“But without the Tree of Harmony, the forest has become crazy again!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed.
“But we’re gonna have to go in there if we want that flute,” Applejack told Pinkie Pie. “Midnight, does the book say exactly where the flute is, or is this just gonna be another wild goose chase?”
“No no. It says it right here,” Midnight reassured her, pointing to the book.
“And I can ask Celestia for a map of the catacombs. Maybe she knows where to find the harp,” Twilight suggested, already preparing a letter to the Princess.
“Okay then. I can go with you and Pinkie to find the flute. With the forest like it is, you’ll need all the muscle you can get,” Spike suggested to Applejack.
“And Twilight can come with me and Fluttershy to search the catacombs,” Rainbow Dash concluded.
“Um… I was just thinking… maybe I could… go help find the flute instead. If that’s okay with everypony else, that is,” Fluttershy meekly requested.
“Oh, right,” Rainbow Dash said, realizing that Fluttershy and spooky, underground cemeteries don’t mix. “Why don’t you go with Pinkie and Spike, and Applejack can come with me and Twilight?”
“Ah can agree to that. Besides, your way with animals might be helpful,” Applejack agreed with Rainbow Dash.
“It’s settled,” Twilight decreed. “We’ll head out first thing tomorrow. It’s too dangerous to search the forest at night.”
“Or a cemetery for that matter,” Pinkie Pie added.
“I ain’t scared of a bunch of bones,” Rainbow Dash boasted.
“Neither am Ah, but it’s been a long day. We all need our rest before settin’ out again,” Applejack said, to which everyone agreed. With a new plan formed, the adventurers went home to rest up. Spike was about to head out of the castle when Twilight stopped him.
“Spike, considering what’s happened today, would you like to stay here for the night?” Twilight offered, concerned for her son’s well being. She knew it must be hard for him with his wife being the Dragon King’s prisoner. Being all alone in Carousel Boutique wouldn’t help his distraught state of mind.
“Sure, I guess,” he accepted. He followed Twilight and Midnight back into the castle, thinking of a way to save Rarity.
*****
It was nearly sunset and an uneasy tension had settled upon Dragon Town. The news of the Dragon King’s threat against Equestria had already reached Fillydelphia and both the pony and dragon populations waited with dread to see what would happen next. Mina was afraid that she already knew answer. She looked to her two guests in her apartment, particularly the Kirin princess. Just a few hours ago, Thunderbolt had told her that not only had the Dragon King proclaimed his intentions of destroying Equestria, but that he also had taken her mother hostage to force her father to surrender to him.
Understandably, Amethyst looked miserable and Mina moved to go comfort her friend, but a noise from outside caught their attention. In the distance, they could hear police sirens approaching. Mina groaned to herself, knowing what this most likely meant. She went to the window and could see the red and blue lights of police carriages as they rode into Dragon Town.
“How typical,” the dragoness sighed, shaking her head.
“What’s going on?” Amethyst asked.
“A curfew is in effect,” Mina explained joylessly. This was the fire snail incident all over again. Her community was being blamed for something they had nothing to do with.
Then there was another noise, surprising Mina. She looked down the street and saw the police ponies forcing dragons from their homes. The dragons were in shackles, being ushered by the officers into the back of the carriages which Mina then recognized as paddy wagons. Hearing the commotion, Thunderbolt and Amethyst crowded Mina at the window as they tried to see what was going on. They watched in disbelief as innocent dragons protested their arrest, mother dragons holding their frightened, crying whelps as they were all loaded up into the vehicles. A police carriage along with a fancier vehicle pulled up outside of the comic book store. As somepony exited the shiny black carriage, the cops rushed to the door and banged on it.
“Fillydelphia Police Department! Open up!”
The three looked at each other at a loss. Mina then walked down the stairs, knowing that they would just break down the door if she didn’t answer. Amethyst and Thunderbolt followed her down to the comic store. Mina opened the door and backed up as ponies in riot gear rushed in, surrounding her.
“By order of Mayor Skinflint, all dragons are to be interned as potential enemies of the Kingdom of Equestria and to be relocated to a holding facility so they can be thoroughly questioned,” a police pony told Mina as cuffs were clasped around her wrists.
“Y-You can’t do this! We have rights!” an outraged Mina shouted as a pushy police officer prodded her with his baton to make her walk towards the door.
“Your rights have been suspend. Now, come quietly and there won’t be any need for violence.”
“Stop this at once!” Amethyst commanded, placing herself between her friend and the police. This only caused the police to raise their batons threateningly. “I am a Princess of Equestria, and I command you to release her and all the other dragons at once!”
“I’m afraid you don’t have any authority here, Your Highness,” a voice sneered. They turned to see Mayor Skinflint entering the store with one of his aides. “I have declared a state of emergency, which gives me emergency powers.”
“You can’t do that! An order such as that has to come from Canterlot, and Princess Celestia would never approve!”
“Her Majesty is too trusting. We’re at the brink of war and I’m doing my part to ensure that my country is safe.”
“By arresting innocent civilians?!” Thunderbolt questioned.
“By rounding up potential spies,” Skinflint told him. “Is it coincidence that the dragons invade mere days before their New Year? Is it coincidence that a dragon has been living in the Royal Family for years and all of a sudden his ‘wife’ is conveniently ‘kidnapped’ by their king?”
“Are you an idiot or something?! Spike is being forced to surrender to him!” Thunderbolt yelled, baffled by the mayor’s ignorance.
“Well, that’s the perfect cover then, isn’t it?” the mayor countered. “It gives him a perfect excuse to return to the dragon lands without any suspicion falling upon him. The Dragon King said he was going to destroy Equestria regardless of whether he surrendered or not. Why would he take a hostage if he plans on attacking anyway?”
“My father isn’t a spy!” Amethyst denied, trying to defend her father’s honor.
“All evidence says otherwise.” Mayor Skinflint nodded to the police ponies, who approached the Kirin with shackles. “Take her as well. She must have been sent here to spy on us.”
Before the the police could detain the frightened princess, Thunderbolt dashed in front of her and whirled about, knocking the officers back with his wings.
“I won’t let you take her!” he yelled. “I’ve been ordered by Prince Spike to keep her safe, and that’s what I’m going to do!”
“No, Thunderbolt!” Amethyst told him, stopping him from attacking the officers. “I’ll be okay. I need you to get back to Ponyville and tell my grandmother what’s happened. She’ll resolve this.”
“But-”
“No. If you fight them, they’ll just arrest you too. I need you to do this for me.”
The mayor’s aide then whispered into Skinflint’s ear. She was a beige Unicorn with a dark blue mane pulled back into a bun. She was wearing a black blazer and their was a pin in the shape of a bat in her lapel. The mayor nodded to whatever she told him and said to the cops, “Take him as well. He said it himself that he’s working for the dragon. He could be another spy.”
Thunderbolt flared his wings again, ready to fight, but Amethyst placed a claw on his shoulder. She shook her head at him and then was placed in irons. Thunderbolt snorted with frustration as restraints were placed on his legs and wings, preventing him from flying away. The three were loaded into the carriage and were hauled off.
Pleased with himself, Mayor Skinflint and his aide entered his personal carriage and headed back to city hall. As they rode back, his aide said, “That went rather well, sir.”
“Yes. And we’ll know what those dragons know soon enough,” he said back.
“I’m sure Princess Celestia will be thankful for what you’ve done here. You very well may have saved countless of lives today. Who knows? Maybe she’ll honor you with knighthood or even a title of nobility.” Hearing this, Skinflint swell with pride, imaging himself being honored by Princess Celestia herself for his heroic deed. Maybe he’ll get his own stained-glass window in Canterlot Palace. The aide smirked as she watched the mayor daydreaming.
Once the mayor’s carriage arrived at city hall, the beige Unicorn walked to her own office as the mayor went to his to practice his acceptance speech. She locked the door behind her and made sure the shutters of the office’s windows were closed before pulling a small glass orb from a drawer and placed it on her desk. Activating her magic, the orb began to glow and a face appeared within it.
“It is done, my lord. The dragons have been rounded up,” she reported to the figure in the crystal ball.
“Excellent. I’m pleased that Mayor Skinflint is so easily swayed,” a voice emanated from the orb.
“It wasn’t that hard. He’s a xenophobic fool only concern about his self interest. All it took was some flattering and the push in the right direction.”
“Yes, he has been a useful puppet. That’s why we arranged to have him elected,” the voice chuckled. “But his usefulness has come to an end.”
“Celestia is sure to learn of what happened tonight,” the mare voiced a concern.
“No matter. By the time she finds out, it’ll be too late,” the voice dismissed her concern. “The Dragon King will find out and begin his rampage. I’ll see to that. Now, return to Rhone. Your job there is done.”
“Hail Hargon,” the mare saluted before the transmission ceased.
*****
Princess Celestia was lying on a floor cushion in her personal chambers in Canterlot Palace while Princess Luna overlooked the city from the balcony. Shortly after the younger of the Royal Alicorn Sisters had raised the moon, a letter arrived via Spike’s green fire for Celestia detailing the day’s events. Luna listened as Celestia read Twilight’s letter describing how the Cloudsdale Museum's curator would only trade the Staff of Rain for Garin’s harp, how Erdrick’s tomb was guarded by a golem, and that Erdrick’s sword was almost certainly taken by the Dragon King’s forces during the raid on Hawk’s Nest. The letter also explained their new plan of action.
“I’ll send for Mrs. Rolodex,” Celestia told Luna. “She’ll have a map to the catacombs.”
Luna nodded with acknowledgement as she continued survey the damage that the dragons had caused that morning. The city walls were crumbled at parts, the roofs of some buildings were collapsed, and there were claw-shaped holes in the streets. Just below the balcony, Luna could see the clawprints the Dragon King left behind in the courtyard before he left with Rarity in his clutches. Each clawprint was a crater able to hold many ponies. Ryuo had grown considerably since the last time Luna had seen them. Then again, that was thousands of years ago. Back then, he was the size of average adult dragon. Now, he was as tall as the castle!
There was a knock at the door and Celestia said, “Come in.” The door opened and Flash Sentry and Evening Star entered Celestia’s chambers.
“Your Highness, we have news to report,” Evening Star stated with a salute.
“Very well,” Celestia said before she noticed the smokey purple mare that was behind the two Pegasi. “Ah, Mrs. Rolodex. Just the pony I wanted to see. Do you have the information I requested?”
“Yes, Princess,” the archivist confirmed.
Turning back to the stallions, Celestia nodded. “Please continue.”
“We have secured the perimeter of the Everfree Forest,” Flash Sentry reported. “Without the Tree of Harmony’s magic, the forest is becoming more untamed. So far, no dangerous creatures have tried to leave the forest, but we’ll remain on guard. We also have the Pegasi guards patrolling the eastern coast. If the Dragon King tries to make a move against Equestria before the deadline, we’ll know of it.”
“We’ve received a letter from the Crystal Empire,” Evening Star added. “Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor confirm that many refugees have arrived in the Empire.”
“I thought as much,” Celestia stated. “They’ll be safe there. Does the letter say anything else?”
“Affirmative. Princess Cadance says that the Empire willing to take in as many refugees as needed and that there is still plenty of room for more. But she also reports that not all of the refugees are staying in the Crystal Empire.”
“What do you mean?” Celestia asked, surprised to hear this. Luna even stepped back in from the balcony, listening intently to the report.
“Princess Cadance reports that a number of ponies have continued onward into the Frozen North.”
“The only thing pass the Crystal Empire is Yakyakistan,” Luna pointed out. “Not only do our subjects feel that Equestria is no longer safe but have elected to leave the nation altogether.”
Princess Celestia was dismayed by this news. She wanted her little ponies to be brave and have faith, but she wanted them to be safe above all. If they believed that they’ll be safer in Yakyakistan, so be it.
“Very well. We shall send a letter to King Rutherford explaining the situation,” Celestia declared before turning to Mrs. Rolodex. “What have you discovered?”
“I did as you asked and made a list of all the staff and all of the guards stationed at the archives for the past month,” the mare told Celestia as she passed the list to the white Alicorn. Taking the parchment with her magic, she saw that the small list of names had check marks by each of them, except for two that were circled. “There weren’t too many changes in the past month, and with the help of Prince Evening Star, I was able to interview all of the staff. All were accounted for and had solid alibis, leaving only the guards.” Hearing Mrs. Rolodex’s words and reading the circled names, Celestia’s heart panged with sorrow to know that two of the stallions that had sworn to defend Equestria had betrayed her.
“The only change in the guards stationed in the archives were Private Chain Mail and Private Iron Shield,” Evening Star elaborated. “They were posted as the night guard of the Royal Archives until three weeks ago when they requested to be transferred to the detention center.”
“Where are they now?” Celestia asked.
“AWOL as of this morning, Your Highness. After the attack on the city this morning, a headcount was performed and they were not at their post.”
Hearing this practically confirmed their involvement in the theft of the scroll to Celestia. But were they working alone? No, they would have had to traveled to the dragon lands to deliver it to Ryuo, and their absence would have been noticed. They must have been working with somepony else.
“There is something else, Your Highness,” Evening Star continued. “The prisoner is missing.”
*****
Narcissus could hear the howl of the freezing wind from outside of the mountain tunnel he and other ponies were traversing. It was cold in the tunnel and the only light was the glow of Unicorn horns. At least he was no longer out in the snow. After the two guards sprung him from his cell beneath Canterlot Palace, they had led him to a safe house where they changed into drab traveler’s cloaks and left when citizens of Canterlot began to flee the Crystal Empire. He was, or used to be, a prince and was accustomed to wearing the finest clothing money could buy. Normally, he wouldn’t be caught dead in a tacky brown cloak, but he needed to hide his identity. Though he had fallen from Celestia’s favor, he was still well known throughout Equestria. With his unkempt appearance and the cloak, he was just another refugee.
Once he and the guards, who he came to learn their names were Chain Mail and Iron Shield, arrived in the colorful crystalline city, they met up with a group of ponies wearing white cloaks marked with an image of a bat. They were ponies from all over Equestria and from different walks of life, but they all had something in common; each of them were discontent with the rule of the princesses. Some were criminals that rejected society’s laws, some were disgruntled, self-entitled nobles that desired to usurp Celestia, and others were ponies that misfortune had fallen upon and blamed the Diarchy for their hardships. These malcontents had managed to take advantage of the fears of a collection of ponies from various cities that were frightened by the appearance of the dragons. Though they knew next to nothing of the order’s beliefs, they were promising them answers and protection from the inevitable destruction of Equestria.
Narcissus wasn’t seeking answers to life’s mysteries, but he was promised freedom from Celestia’s dungeon and he accepted. But he wanted to know where these ponies were leading him. He had followed them from the Crystal Empire, an oasis of temperate weather in the frozen wastes, into the bitter cold of the Crystal Mountains. Like the Everfree Forest, the weather in this part of world was unregulated and blizzards could rage on for days. At first, Narcissus thought they were headed to Yakyakistan, but the pilgrims departed from the trail and headed towards Mount Everhoof.
When the group came to wall of mountains, one of the cloaked ponies stepped forward and procured a strange carved object made of gold and jade and held it aloft. The mountainside rumbled and an opening of a tunnel appeared before them. Following the passage through the mountains, Narcissus saw a light at the end and was amazed to see a green valley on the other side. It was like the Crystal Empire in the fact that there was a weather shield protecting the valley from the cold. Along with a green field of grass, there was a lake of clear water, groves of fruit bearing trees, and fields of crops. However, the most impressive feature this valley had to offer was the castle. The stone structure had two towers rising in the back with a bridge connecting them at the top. The towers were four sided and had large rectangle windows rising up the height of the twin structures. A green light glowed from the large windows of the east tower.
Narcissus followed the others to the castle. Upon entering, he saw more ponies wearing white cloaks walking the halls. Each robed pony was guiding a small group of refugees, indoctrinating them in the ways of their cult while giving them a tour of the castle. Lining the hallways were statues of a Unicorn that Narcissus assumed was this “Lord Hargon” his guides had told him so much about. The walls were also decorated with tapestries depicting the cult’s iconography. The tapestries depicted the ever present symbol of the grinning bat along with bizarre creatures: one-eyed bipedal creatures, apes with bat wings, and beings that had features of both minotaurs and dragons.
At the end of the hallway was a spacious chapel. On either side of the room were exits that lead to east and west wings of the castle. At the back of the chapel, there was an altar with a large stone statue of a creature Narcissus didn’t recognize dominating the room. At first glance, it appeared to be a dragon, but it had four arms and a shorter neck and snout than a dragon’s.
Atop of the altar was another pony wearing a white cloak, but unlike the others, his robe was more extravagant. It had a high red collar and the hem was decorated with red triangles. Like the other robes, there was the image of black grinning bat on the sides. The pony wore a gold necklace set with a ruby and had a black headdress with protrusions coming off from its sides that resembled a dragon’s ear frills. As the group entered the chapel and approached the altar, Narcissus recognized the stallion wearing the fancy robe atop of the platform. It was the same blue Unicorn that had visited him in prison the other day. He was holding a glowing crystal ball in his red magic, speaking to it. Once he noticed the new arrivals, he put the ball away and addressed them.
“Welcome, weary travelers. I am Lord Hargon, High Priest of the Great Malroth, and this is the sanctuary of Rhone,” the Unicorn greeted. “Here you will find solace from the tribulations of Celestia’s tyranny. Here you will be spared from the flames that will consume the corrupted world, safe in the loving embrace of our god’s protection. By his providence, you have been chosen by the Great Malroth to be his instruments in rebuilding the world after he shall cleanse it in his coming. Praise Malroth!”
“Praise Malroth! Hail Hargon!” The robed ponies chanted while the refugees looked on timidly, unsure about the situation they have found themselves in.
“You all must be exhausted and famished from your pilgrimage. The brothers and sisters of the order will show you to the living quarters to your left. There you will find dormitories and a banquet waiting for you,” Lord Hargon explained as he waved a hoof to the hall that led to the castle’s west wing. Then pointing to the east wing, he told the crowd, “After you have settled in, you will be taught in the ways of our order and learn how you can help in our noble cause.”
“Please follow me,” a robed mare said to the crowd before she and other cultists led the refugees to the living quarters. Instead of following the others, Narcissus was guided by Chain Mail and Iron Shield up the steps of the altar to Lord Hargon.
“Ah, welcome Prince Narcissus,” the cult leader greeted. “Thank you, Brother Chain Mail and Brother Iron Shield. Would you kindly tell Sister Honeysuckle and Brother Cider Barrel to meet me in the temple?”
“Yes, my lord. Hail Hargon!” the gray stallions saluted before leaving to carry out the request.
“Come, my prince. Walk with me.” Lord Hargon then led Narcissus down the altar and through a doorway at the back of the chapel which led to a t-junction. The path to the right was lit by an eerie green glow. It was the same glow that Narcissus saw coming from the windows of the eastern tower and figured that was the entrance to said tower. Periodically, he would see a white robed cultist passing from one side to the other. As Narcissus followed Hargon, he saw that the ponies were hauling buckets filled with appeared to be glowing green slime that emitted luminous vapors from the east tower to the west and were returning with empty buckets.
Heading towards the left, the two Unicorns went down the hallway to the west tower and ascended the stairs. The square tower was mostly empty, only having a staircase winding up the height of the interior from corner to corner. Along the way up, Narcissus could see out from the large openings that took up most of each tier’s walls out over the green valley surrounded by snowy mountains. In the distance, he could see Mount Everhoof towering over the rest of the mountain range. As they climbed the stairs, the ponies carrying the buckets would make way for the two while saluting their leader with a “Hail Hargon!”
When they had reached the top of the tower, there was an actual floor. The top floor exited to a bridge that spanned the two towers. Crossing the bridge, they came to another chapel that was similar to the one in the castle’s great hall aside from two exceptions; there was a large bowl-shaped cistern in front of the altar and there were openings in the floor along the central aisle of the chapel that allowed the green glow and the ethereal vapors to rise through, bathing the chapel in an unearthly light. The four-armed colossus in the back of temple looked particularly ominous with the unnatural light illuminating it. Members of Hargon’s cult would walk up the stairs of the altar and pour the glowing contents of their buckets into the cistern, which was almost full.
As Narcissus followed Hargon to the altar, he paused to peer down one of the vents in the floor. He saw that the eastern tower was empty, devoid of any internal structure. Down below, he could see that the base of the tower led to a subterranean mine. The cult members were drawing the glowing ooze from a large reservoir the size of a hoofball stadium. Something spurred Narcissus’s curiosity and he squinted his eyes to get a better look. He saw what looked like giant bones jutting out from the mine’s walls.
“I see you and your little group have been busy,” Narcissus said to Hargon as he left the hole in the floor and stepped onto the platform.
“Yes, we have been preparing for Malroth’s coming for years now, and it is almost at hoof,” Hargon told his guest. “And when he comes, he shall vanquish all of our enemies, and I, as his messenger, shall lead the world into a new golden age.”
“Spare me the sermon. I’m not one of your chattel. The only reason I’m here is because you said you could get me out of that cell. My question is why. What’s the plan? Your followers have been talking nonstop since we left Canterlot how you foretold how the dragons would destroy Equestria, and you showed up and tell me that you arranged for my release right before they showed up. I’m not stupid. I too tried to overthrow Celestia, and I can see that is was no ‘prophecy’. This was all planned out by you.”
“You call it planned, but when a higher power reveals its plan to you it is called prophecy,” Hargon explained with an amused smirk.
“So you’re serious about this ‘Malroth’ business?”
“Of course.”
“Okay… But why do you need me? It’s not that I’m ungrateful, but by the looks of it, you and your, I don’t know, few hundred followers have everything taken care of.”
“I brought you here because you’re essential to my plan,” Hargon explained to the confused stallion, placing a hoof on his shoulder. “I’m attempting to build a new kingdom, and I need royal blood to help make it a reality. Who better to help than somepony who too seeks to overthrow those incompetent fools that the masses call princesses. Don’t you want to see them knocked off their pedestals?”
“I do. But how did you do it? Getting the dragons to attack, I mean.”
“Let’s just say the Dragon King and I have a little understanding. I did him a favor, and he did me a favor.”
“That must have been some favor.” Just then, they heard cackling laughter and three creatures flew into the temple and hovered before Hargon. They resembled bats, but they had longer tails. Narcissus noted they resembled the bat emblems on Hargon’s robe, down to their grinning faces. The three bats cackled and shrieked to Hargon, who nodded along as though he understood them.
“Ah, so Twilight Sparkle did indeed tried to locate the sword. Too bad it’s no longer there to be found,” Hargon laughed at the first report. “And Erdrick’s tomb is guarded by a golem. No help can be found there for them. Hhmmm...The Staff of Rain? The harp of a dead minstrel? What could they want with those? No matter. If they want it the harp, then I'll make them work for it.” After listening to his spy’s reports, Hargon’s horn glowed red with his magic and the conjured creatures disappeared in a puff of purple magic smoke. Hargon return his attention back to Narcissus with a triumphant look upon his face.
“What was all that about?” Narcissus asked.
“Have you ever played chess? Not only do you have to be able to plan out your own moves but your opponent's as well. You have to know how each piece moves and how to use them to maximum efficiency. One strategy is to distract your opponent by putting a valuable piece into play so that they’ll be too focused on that piece that they’ll won’t see your pawns placing their king in checkmate. Celestia is master chess player. She's spent centuries using ponies as pawns in her game. Right now, she's sending her pawns across the board to counteract my queen, or should I say, my Dragon King. What she doesn’t know is that her move is all a part of my master plan. And now that Celestia has made her move, I shall make mine. The Dragon King said he’ll destroy Equestria in a week. Let’s see if we can’t speed thing up a bit.”
“You’re using the Dragon King as a distraction?” Narcissus asked, astounded by Hargon’s boldness. “But what if they manage to stop him?”
“My dear prince, in chess, all pieces are expendable, even the most powerful one.” As he said this, Hargon grinned maliciously. “I doubt they’ll be able to slay him, but even if they do somehow manage to, it doesn't matter. If he and the rest of his kind don't submit to our god's might, they'll be eradicated with the rest of the filth. What does matter is that the accursed Tree of Harmony remains out of play long enough for us to summon the Great Malroth. I even have a contingency plan already in action if they do manage to get the Tree back.”
“You still haven’t explain what you want from me.”
“I told you. I need your royal blood.” As Hargon told him this, two robed ponies joined them on the altar: a white Unicorn mare with a golden mane and a tan Earth Pony stallion with a brown mane. “After the world is cleansed of the filth, we’ll need to rebuild it.” As he said this, he brushed the mare’s mane. “She’s a lovely mare, don’t you think? She’ll make a faithful wife and a loving mother some day.”
“Oh, I get what you’re saying,” Narcissus said, eyeing the attractive mare. “When you build your new kingdom, you’ll need a pony of royal blood to start a new royal family.”
The mare blushed and giggled at what the stallion was implicating. Hargon chuckled and introduced the mare. “This is Honeysuckle. She’ll tend to your needs. Sister, why don’t you take the prince to his private quarters and have him groomed. He'll need to look his best for his big day coming up.”
“Yes, my lord. This way, my prince,” Honeysuckle said with another giggle as Narcissus followed her with an eager grin.
“Brother Cider Barrel, I’m sorry to hear that she didn’t accept the offer,” Hargon consoled Applejack’s ex-husband.
“It is as you said it would be,” Cider Barrel admitted with disappointment.
“Do not despair, brother. You are better off without her, and her children are too entrenched in the Celestia’s false dogma to be saved. They're only good for one thing now. After the cleansing, you’ll have the opportunity to start a new family with the Great Malroth’s blessing.”
“Thank you, my lord.”
“Now, it is time to prepare for our next move. We already have one, but we still need three more. If you can’t get both of them, then just get the younger one. Have Live Wire and the others get the rest we need. Once you have her, take her to the auxiliary site. Do you understand?”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Good, now hurry and get into position and inform the others. After I speak to the Dragon King tomorrow, the clock will be ticking. Be ready for my signal.”
“Hail Hargon!” Cider Barrel saluted before Hargon used his magic to teleport the Earth Pony away to carry out his orders.