• Published 4th May 2013
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The Watcher: Rise of the Purveyor - GnollReader



After two hundred years of absence, the purveyor returns to Equestria. For the better, or for worse.

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Chapter 3: The old dragon

Zaeres watched, his presence hidden by the void as Celestia left the halls of the old Canterlot Central hospital. He had no doubts that she would inform Luna of their meeting and the words they had exchanged... it didn't matter, her commitment to her subjects had always been her weakness, no matter how commendable it was.

He swayed softly in the silence around him, ignoring the ceaseless whispers of the countless souls that followed him. His connection to the void had deepened to a degree were it no longer mattered if he wished to live or not. The void would not let him go any more... the purveyor pushed the thought aside. He would give his race a new life and rid himself of his burden. They would fend for themselves, and he would watch in silence, just like he had always done.

He closed his eyes and allowed himself to sink into the void he had imbedded this world with so long ago, his senses and mind traveling over it like a spider in its web as he aligned it to his thoughts. He had learned much during his solitude in darkness, the void now served as his eyes and ears. This world no longer held any secrets from him expect those kept in the mind... The purveyor started to search for the deities.

---

There was Celestia, accompanied by Luna, their presence shining like stars in the darkness. Luna had grown, he realized... her presence almost felt as clear to his senses as that of her sister. He lingered over their forms for a fleeting moment, allowing the void to show them to him more clearly.

"Tia..." Luna said with concern, "You look as pale as a ghost! What happened?"

Celestia observed her sister with tired eyes, her mane floating through the air much slower than normal. "He is back."

Celestia's words hung in the air for what seemed like an eternity, Luna staring at her first without understanding, but then in horror as she realized who Celestia was referring to.

"No..." she whispered, "You said it was over! He can't be back!..." she breathed heavily, "What will happen now?"

Even from here, he could hear the distress of her voice clearly, "I made a pact... I will have to call for a council of the deities..."

The purveyor let their vision pass him as he continued his search. Celestia would keep her promise, and Luna would stand by her sister... or he would... no. He pushed the idea from his thoughts, it was too early for plans like that. There was no need to make preparations when the situation didn't require it and he deemed Celestia's influence great enough to handle her sister. He let his senses spread out further.

---

There. The Crystal Kingdom; still ruled by Cadence, and she had barely changed at all. It seemed she was not destined to rival the alicorn sisters. …Good. It would serve to uphold the stability. But there was someone else here besides Cadence, someone who held considerably more power. A surprised huff escaped his lips as he found the source: Twilight Sparkle.

He had known of Celestia's plans to turn her into an alicorn, but he always doubted she would be suited suited for such a position. He scanned her form; strong, still young but not connected to the world as deeply as Celestia and Luna. …When had Celestia deemed this step necessary? The dragon was with her as well. He too had grown, but not much; he only stood a little taller than Twilight.

The purveyor observed her inside her library in silence. It was likely that Celestia would inform her of his presence, and she had tried to meddle with his work before. …He'd have to keep an eye on her in case she was tempted to try something again..

The image cleared from his vision and he continued his search.

---

He found the deity of the wind. The queen of the griffons, Anathis. …She was a fierce fighter, and she commanded her element as she commanded her subjects: forceful and without restraint. She was not nearly as powerful as Celestia, but she was the most troubling to him; her constant desire for power had always put the equilibrium of this world at risk.

The purveyor watched her sit on her throne, contemplating how she would react to him, and towards his race when their presence would become known. Of all deities she was the most likely one to take action... but should she give him a cause to intervene he would make sure it was her last.

Zaeres' mind reached out further.

---

The deity of tranquility, ruler of the stags in the south; wise, patient and peaceful... but blind to the true world around him. He spent his days formulating his philosophies and chanting mantras... a good leader, but lacking in desire. He would not pose a threat to his plans.

A scowl passed the purveyors lips as he found the next deity... Chrysalis. He still despised her race, but she would not dare risk making a move against him. Not after their last encounter.

The Dog Father... weak, greedy, cowardly... ridiculous. In his own greed he had never managed to unite the clans, and he was the least of the purveyor's concerns. If Zaeres made their first encounter intimidating enough, the Dog Father would not dare lift a finger against him.

He stopped, however, as he found the next deity; Nithhogr, dragon emperor and deity of the magic flame. Zaeres still remembered what a formidable dragon he had been in his early years... he had lived longer than any other of the deities, almost as long as the purveyor had watched and even long enough for him to feel the drag of time. These days, he had shrunk considerably, and his eyes were blind... but he still saw more than the others, and his mind was still as sharp as it had been in his youth.

His reaction... would be interesting, but it was unlikely that he would pose a threat. The dragons had always lived detached from the rest of the world and without interest in the much younger races. Still, he wondered how the old dragon would react...

As the purveyor continued his observation in silence, the elder dragon suddenly lifted his head and looked around his cave with his blind eyes before speaking softly. "I have not felt the shadows watch for some time now... have you finally come to take me away?" His voice sounded more tired than in the purveyor's memory.

The old dragon chuckled softly, his voice rasping as he continued; "Or have you come to watch a blind, old fool?"

The purveyor observed him, his form hidden in the void and unmoving. Nithhogr's mind had always been special, he could feel the world around him in a way that eluded even Celestia. He had never shown himself to Nithhogr, and this was the first time the old dragon had ever reacted to his presence... it unnerved him, something had changed.

"Father?" a feminine voice called out behind a huge set of doors, "Is everything well?"

"Yes, yes my child..." Nithhogr croaked weakly, "Go back to bed..." he looked around himself in silence, as if trying to find something.

When Nithhogr spoke again, his voice was almost a whisper. "I have always known that something was watching us, something even older than me... and that is ancient indeed..." he laughed softly, "But I grow tired of waiting for my time to come... step forward... whoever you are... fulfill an old dragon's last wish and let me converse with someone who has seen the world just as I have before I finally leave it."

Zaeres watched him in silence for another moment, studying the flow around the dragon's form. It was barely holding on, the old deity was about to pass on. He observed Nithhogr's face, he was waiting for an answer.

The purveyor sighed deeply, the passing of Nithhogr could have unforeseeable consequences; it was in no way clear which of his offspring would take his place, and none of them was like the other in their personalities. ...It was troubling. But for now...

The shadows started to part and take form, the old dragon turning his head slightly towards Zaeres as he felt the purveyor's presence become clear. For a moment, Zaeres thought he could see relief wash over Nithhogr's face.

"Finally..." he whispered, "I have been waiting for far too long to meet you..."