Introduction

Heroes have always fought Villains, and Villains have always fought Heroes, so is the endless cycle of good and evil. Now of course there are breaks, where one triumphs over the other for some time, but in the end the cycle starts again.

Those Princesses think they can hold the world in a balance of peace, maybe they can in their eyes. But I know better, I know that even if they can bring everyone together it will crumble with the slightest touch. I mean look at what’s gone on in the past few years, Nightmare Moon returns, Discord returns, Canterlot gets invaded, the Crystal Empire incident and now if you look at it there’s also a whole nother Alicorn now. Of course all the incidents were dealt with via the Elements of Harmony but still. I think it’s a too unbalanced, maybe it isn’t who knows? Out here we hear very little, and what we do hear about is only the big stuff. Maybe every day there’s death threats on the Princesses, maybe there is always a prospect of war, certainly keeping Chrysalis down in the dungeon is dangerous enough. I should probably free her, yes she invaded Canterlot but I really doubt her intentions were truly evil. She needed to feed her hive and now it sounds like they are all dead.

Now that I think about it if I do free Chrysalis what will happen? Will she go on and breed a new hive and seek revenge? No I’d think they or I would stop that long before, well maybe the revenge part for me at least she can have her hive. What would happen if Discord came back from wherever he went and wasn’t ‘reformed’ he’d have to be fought and it’s always annoying to have the world go from day to night in minutes, so I would step in as well.

Stepping in to events now days is so much easier now that I’ve figured out how I do things. Only step in on the scale of large battles, don’t fight the small ones. Just keep the world from falling apart; otherwise live your life as you wish.

Now living the life part I haven’t figured out yet beyond working here on this mountain with my friend Ebony.

Now Ebony is a great friend of mine, a Griffin who loves to work with metal. She ran the local smith for six years now and I’ve only been around for four so she helped me settle into town and gave me a good job mining for the hardest to obtain ores, due to my skills and body.

I have a few odd powers that really help in this job, first I can’t really get cold seeing as I have Demon’s Fire held within my soul, I can also turn into a fine black mist, so I can use it to slip through layers upon layers of rock looking for veins of ore. Funny thing about that Demon’s Fire, I acquired it after being the host to a demon, I served my purpose and he gave it to me as a gift. So far I’ve used it fairly well, mainly to keep myself alive. I never really knew the demon’s plans as I was just stuck inside my mind for the time, while he controlled the body. But I caught a good part of it through our chatter; he was out for revenge against a group who killed him and his family. When he left he said he did what he needed to do and let me go, never heard anything about what he did from anywhere else so I guessed he pulled it off without any notice, for a few years anyway.

It was six years after that when I was arrested for the murders he committed, I was sentenced to death.

So I died, but the story didn’t end. I woke up in a chair in front of a man; he named himself as the Void. He told me that he was giving me a second chance at life, one that he would watch. He thought that not all of the intent to kill was from the demon; he said that possibly I also wanted to kill the men.

I had no regrets for what I did of course, I asked the demon who he was after and he told me. I knew them and I wanted them dead. So I made a pact with the Demon, I would help him whenever he needed me and he would help me when I needed him, that was my end, so I helped him kill those who he wanted to kill and I got my Demon’s Fire, which connected him with my soul. So I of course flat out told Void that yes I wanted those people dead and I gave him my reason, they had fucked me over a while back, they needed a way inside to a place I was working at and one of them was my friend, they offered tons of cash so I accepted and they used me to get in, and stabbed me in the back both figuratively and literally. I lived and got away before the police arrived.

Void told me simply, “And that’s why I’m giving you this second chance. You have been in situations that you have made choices, and each led to an ending that was unclear and mostly unfair. I have a fair judgment on those that cross my desk, but you I can’t judge while the back stab was much clearer than the demon I just can’t send you anywhere. So I’m sending you to a place full of magical ponies and the like. So have fun and try not to wipe the world out!” From there I woke up at the base of the mountains that I now live in. Makes a lot of sense right? I thought so, anyway I worked my way around and got enough money to get a house here in town and started as a full time miner here, thanks to my amazing skill set.

So here I am sitting in a bar, with Ebony drinking away the night as we do every Friday and things change.

“Another round for us Moriarty!” Ebony shouted raising her claw.

“Aye!” The gruff aged pony behind the bar shouted heading our way, grabbing bottles of liquor on his way. He quickly filled our glasses with our desired drink, and we lifted our glasses in thanks when he finished downing them.

“Well Ebony, I think after tomorrow we should have enough ebony to last for the rest of the month.”

“Do you know how silly you sound?”

“Yes I do, but I just don’t care.” The Griffin gave me a smile.

“Alright, so that just leaves getting a bit of tungsten.” I perk at the mention of the rare ore.

“What do you need tungsten for?”

“Well I wanted to try and mess with it, see if I could make something out of it.”

“Well alright I’ll have to look for some wolframite so you can get it, but I wouldn’t get your hopes up this mountain may be full of ores but I have little doubt that we may never find anything with tungsten in it.”

“That sounded horrible.”

“Yeah now that I think about it. Anyway, I’ll look sure but as I said don’t get your hopes up.” I reach into my coat and pull out a bag of bits. “I’ll pay for tonight, I’m headed home.” I place a generous amount of bits to pay the bill and for a tip, and leave the bar.

I walk through the chilled town, giving greetings to the few acquaintances I have as I reach my house. I pull the key to the door from one of my pockets and unlock the door. I shut the door as I enter and make my way to the kitchen. Lying on the table were hand drawn plans from a few friends that I had made, of the Canterlot dungeons. They were pre-invasion but there weren’t any large renovations that they knew of.

I give them a last look over, and put the plans to memory. Chrysalis was being kept in lowest area, guarded by twenty guards at any point in time on four shifts. Her cell was made primarily of stone, but in between the stone walls was a solid wall of steel. The cell door was enchanted steel as well, so getting in would be annoying. Thankfully, having a demon in your head also gave way to quickly learning how to break in and out of places like this.

I rolled up the plans and opened one of my cabinets placing them inside a compartment in the back. With the plans hidden I stepped outside and switched to my mist form, taking to the sky and moving towards Canterlot. Thankfully I could move a hell of a lot faster in this form. In about an hour I was above Canterlot. I descended upon the unsuspecting castle and snaked my way inside, passing through the darkened halls, avoiding guards and their lights for obvious reasons, when I finally reached the dungeon levels I switched back to my Human form. Making my way through the empty halls, I bring up my mental map.

“Alright she should be down this hall and down three levels…” I whisper to myself, the first mistake.

“Who said that?” A voice called from the darkness.

“Flash that you?” I kept moving and I spotted the outline of a guard, he stepped into a beam of moonlight, and I switched into my mist form as he shined a light in my direction moving behind him and switching back.

“Sorry about this.”

“Wha--” I drove my fist into the back of his head, hopefully knocking him out. I should have really brought a club. When he didn’t get up I moved on, getting back to my objective. I opened a door that lead to a stairwell, heading down three levels or at least I hoped so each time you went down a flight of stairs there was a landing but they all didn’t have doors. So I was guessing as to how many levels I went down, either way when I re entered I was still in the dungeons so I believed I went down to the correct level. This level wasn't as full of cells as the others are this one is actually much, much smaller reserved for the worst criminals in Equestria. So pretty much the only one down here was Chrysalis. Surprised at the amount of guards I had run into, maybe my friends had exaggerated on how many guards actually guarded this place.

As I walked through the halls searching for the right door, I started to hear whispers coming from behind me. I looked back and a group of ponies was walking down the hall towards me, and they were too close for me to change into my mist form. I ran forward, trying to keep my footsteps as quiet as possible and failing. The guards near immediately heard me, and of course knew that I wasn't a rat.

“There’s an intruder!” The heavy hoof beats against the stone behind me; I kept running making appropriate turns when needed. I heard another set of hoof steps and a door to my right opened, guards running out. I crashed into them, all of us going to the floor. The guard that I actually crashed into had recovered quicker than I did, and jumped atop me trying to hold me down. I tossed him off and started to get up only for him to tackle me again, I grab him with one arm and try to pull him off but he has too tight of a grip. Doing the next best thing I stood up with him on my back and ran my back into the wall, getting him to let go and drop to the floor. The other guards at this point either got up or showed up so I ran onward, the cell was in sight. When suddenly a dark blue aura surrounded it, I stopped raising my arms and slamming my hands onto the shield. Using my Demon’s Fire I burned through the shield and stepped inside, the shield quickly dissipated behind me and I ran up to the door. I melted the door, and stepped inside spotting Chrysalis, she’s staring at me from a bed in the corner.

“Get up; I’m getting you out of here.” She crawled out of the bed while I turned back around erecting a wall of fire to block the entrance.

“Who are you?” Her weak voice asked me as I turned back around, my mind already thinking of a way out.

“My name isn’t important right now, all that is that you and I get out of here.”

“And how do you propose we do to get out of here?” She asked with what little sarcasm she could muster.

“Simple I melt a hole through the wall.” She looked at me with disbelief as I walked over to the stone wall across from the entrance, placing my hands on it. Concentrating I send a heated blast through the rock and steel, making a large hole.

“Can you fly?” She nods still in utter disbelief, “Alright good then follow me.” I switched forms and took off into the night sky. I stopped; looking back she was still standing at the hole.

In my ethereal voice I have while in this form I shout, “What are you waiting for!? We don’t have time just follow me I need to get you somewhere safe!” She took to the air, hesitantly but also weakly. I could hear her having troubles, it made me angry that the Princesses wouldn’t even allow her to feed on the emotions, that’s pretty much torture! She was going to die if she didn’t feed off of some kind of emotion at some point. I will have some choice words for them if I ever meet them. The buzzing of Chrysalis’s wings grew louder as I thought; I cast a glance to her.

“Thank you!” She shouted over the wind, and I was about to ask what for when I remembered the obvious. I was just expressing anger and she fed off it, I am certainly dense at times aren’t I?

“No problem!” We continue in the direction of my home in silence.

When we land and I switch to my Human form, she immediately asks, “What’s with you changing into a mist?”

“It’s something I acquired from being linked with a demon for some time.”

“Okay…Now why did you save me?”

“You didn’t deserve to be in prison; well totally at least you should have been given some leniency.”

“Why!? I invaded Canterlot!”

“Why indeed, what made you invade Canterlot?” I questioned as we walked inside.

“It was rich with food of course! I invaded so I could feed my hive!”

I nodded, “Exactly. You were invading Canterlot because you needed food, in my book it may be wrong but not completely. You don’t deserve to rot in prison, and you really don’t deserve to die of starvation.” I told her as I took notice of her skinny form. “You need to feed right?” She quickly nodded.

“Try my neighbors there should be something…” I told her as I made my way to the kitchen

“You’re letting me feed on your neighbors?” I opened the fridge and peered at the contents.

“Unless you want regular food, I know you can survive off of regular food for the longest time but you haven’t fed on emotions in what? A year at least.”

“Yes...I’ve barely kept myself alive.”

“Then go and feed I won’t stop you”

“Aren’t you afraid I’ll run away?” She tilted her head as I pulled out a pint of milk.

“And do what?” I ask before I down the pint.

“Seek revenge perhaps, or maybe start a new hive?”

Setting the bottle down I look at her, “Are you going to seek revenge? And about the hive I really don’t care I wouldn’t suggest it really mainly since what happened to your last one would probably happen again since it seems the Equestrians really don’t like Changelings.”

“No…” She started to walk outside, stopping next to me and turning to face me. “Thanks for getting me out of prison.” She gave me a hug which I didn’t expect but returned nonetheless, “I’ll be back.”

“I’ll be asleep so just make yourself at home, you can take the couch. The name’s Vincent by the way.”

She looked back and smiled, “Alright Vincent.” She left the house and took off, the buzzing of her wings sounding for a second and then fading away.

“Well...I did that. Wonder what this will get me…” I mutter as I walk through my home and to my room. Tossing off my pants and falling into bed, I let the embrace of sleep take me.

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