-1010-

by -Hidden Identity-

Intentionless

Twilight was positioned in the middle of a veritable mob of ponies. Sweet Apple Acres had become the most popular spot in Equestria in a matter of minutes. The majority of the crowd was ponies from Ponyville, but it was evident that there were ponies from all over Equestria. High-end ponies from Canterlot, the crafty business ponies from Manehattan, and even a few of the less desirable crowd from Las Pegasus had all shown up to verify for themselves that something no less than a miracle had occurred, and that hope for the slipping state of Equestria could be raised once again. Twilight had anticipated that word of the Apple family’s crops would spread swiftly, but even to her it was staggering to see how far ponies had traveled to see this. While it was excellent that ponies were beginning to see a change, regardless of how it came about, it also meant that Equestria’s current state was even worse that she assumed. It ponies were truly willing to travel immense distances on a moments notice just for a bit of news, regardless of how great, it was an obvious sign that things had been truly bleak for Equestria’s greater cities.

“Can you believe it? How do you think this happened?” A pony at Twilight’s shoulder, whom she did not recognize, asked.

“Who cares how it happened, just as long as it did happen!” another pony replied, glancing back at the original speaker.

“It’s about time things started to shape up. Now if only a little bit of this here miracle fell onto our economy, then I would be celebrating.” The voice was close enough to be heard above the noise of the crowd, but the speaker could not be seen. More faceless voices started to join it.

“I hope it cures the illness that has been spreading.”

“Maybe the rest of the crops will also improve, now that this orchard has.”

“The Everfree Forest needs to be contained before any of the rumors start to become true. That’s were the miracle needs to travel.”

“And the drought!”

“Yeah, what he said!”

How about replacing Celestia?

Twilight spun and tried to identify the pony who had just dare to incite rebellion. But none of the ponies around her had the same voice as the one she had just heard. The voice sounded cunning and malicious, but in this crowd there were no malicious thoughts it seemed. Everypony was just too happy about the healing of the orchard. Plus, the voice had been quite quiet, the only way she could have heard the voice was if the pony who it belonged to was right beside her. There were ponies to either side of her, but she could hear their tones easily, and neither of them matched. She shook her head, dismissing the odd voice and pressed forward into the crowd. Moving forward was difficult enough considering the number of ponies present, and the space they all were attempting to fit into. It did not help that everpony was attempting to the same thing she was: get to the front for a better view. Granted, she also wanted to find and talk to Applejack, but it was inevitable that she would be able to talk to Applejack all she wanted after the masses dispersed. However, she managed to find gaps that allowed her access to the front. It was not long before she could see the orchard. It was magnificent; there was no other word for how it looked. Every trace of the sickness that had infected the orchard was gone. In fact, the trees had never looked so healthy. Twilight had no trouble finding her orange friend, as the earth pony seemed to be having four conversations at once with ponies who kept coming up to ask her what had she done to heal the crops. Applejack looked stressed, but happy all the same. Big Macintosh, Granny Smith, and Applebloom were all there as well, answering questions and giving the same general answer: “We’re just happy.” Twilight could not help but smile at this. She had helped her friends, hope had been given back to the residents of Equestria, and all was well. 1010 might be an extremely dangerous tool, and powerful enough to make Celestia herself fearful of its magical ability, but it had still been used for the blessing and joy of others.

“Reaction.”

Twilight may have only caught the one word of one of the many sentences that could be heard, but it caused her smile to fall, and the feeling of joy, as well as a bit of pride for a job well done, began to vanish. She still had to reset the balance before it overcompensated and resulted in something horrible. She still had to decide what would have to suffer. Her eyes grew wide and her gaze fell as the reality came upon her once again. Something had to suffer, and become ill, and it would be by her hoof that it would have to wither, suffer, and eventually die. But, she reminded herself, she did have control over what would bear the illness, and she did have the ability to simply choose something insignificant that nopony would miss, or even care about; not to mention would not be able to cause repercussions for her actions. She focused back on the situation at hand and managed to push herself to the front of the crowd, and next to Applejack.

“Twilight!” Applejack exclaimed, “Can you believe it?”

“It’s incredible, that’s for sure.” Twilight responded, attempting to avoid lying, but still sound amazed by the event.

“Incredible doesn’t even begin to…yes, thank ya’ll very much, we’re very happy…but it was just this morning that we were talking about this, and not eight hours later the orchard was healed.”

“Do you have any idea what could have...” it was not necessary to finish, after all, there were no other topics that could have been directed to.

“I could not even begin to guess. Maybe it was the Princess somehow, or just the luck of things changing.” She smiled.

“Do you think that this will protect your other fields, or heal the crops of other ponies?” Twilight was genuinely interested in Applejack’s answer. How contained was the magic of 1010? She had commanded that it would heal Applejack’s orchard, but could its power spread by itself?

“I’m hopeful, and I do think that it is possible if this happened. I mean, this all just happened so suddenly, so who’s to say what will happen or not? Shoot, I would love for Equestria to be healed, and it seems that perhaps something has been listening to us.”

“What do you mean?” Twilight asked.

“I mean, that there is a chance that this was just a coincidence, but how it Equestria could it be? Of all the problems that ponies have been worried about, it has been the crops that have caused the most unrest among folks.”

“I had been aware that the crops were one of the most pressing issues, but I did not realize that they were the greatest concern.”

Applejack shrugged, something she did not often do. It worried Twilight; but she could not place why it worried her. Something about the action sent a warning into her. It was just too nonchalant. The crowd moved and stirred, and Twilight was pushed away from Applejack. It was not a huge concern at the moment, as she would have ample time to speak with her later, as she had previously reminded herself. She moved her way around the crowd, looking for a way out of the throng. Her path was paved with “excuse me” and “oh, sorry for stepping on your hoof”. By this time most of the Ponyville ponies had come and gone, it was just the visitors who remained, along with a few spell-bound ponies who had apparently forgotten where they were, such was the shock of hope. Twilight eventually did move past the crowd moved towards the farmhouse and the exit to the Acres.

“Twilight Sparkle!” a familiar voice rang out.

Twilight turned about to see both Rarity and Fluttershy moving towards her. She smiled and met them halfway. There was no real reason to speak where they had met, as it was not the most social atmosphere, and Rarity was worried about her coat and mane becoming, as she said, horribly disfigured by the crowd. It was not long before they found themselves at one of Ponyville’s more leisurely cafés. They purchased drinks and moved to sit outside and enjoy the warmth of the sun. Some cloud cover would have been nice, as the sun blazed, but the shade more than made up for it.

“I really couldn’t believe it when I heard the news.” Rarity was saying as they took their seats outside the café. “I was worried about how the Apples would fare if their crops died off. I mean, that is all that they do!”

“I’m glad that the sickness was stopped before it could spread. It caused the trees and fruit to die, so what about the animals?” said Fluttershy.

Twilight nodded, taking a drink. It was a cold, clear drink with a satisfying citrus tone to it. No ice, as it would have lessened the flavor. Rarity proceeded to speak.

“That’s a good point Fluttershy, could this be the same sickness that has been inflicting ponies? The crop failure has been much more dreadful and widespread than the other disease, but could they be related? Twilight, what do you think?”

“It wouldn’t surprise me, considering everything that has been going on lately, but if it was similar, I would think that more ponies would have been getting ill. Like you said, the crops have been affected on a much grander scale.” Twilight glanced up at the sky, squinted, and looked back down. “I haven’t heard how you two have been doing.”

“I’m fine.” Fluttershy replied in her usual short and sweet fashion. Rarity was another story altogether.

“Oh, it’s been quite hard actually. With the economy the way it is, ponies can’t buy fancy clothes anymore. Even then, the prices of things are dropping severely. Thankfully I can find my own gems, and don’t have to buy them, but even so…”

The conversation continued as the day waned on, shadows slowly began to creep out from the corners of houses and under the hooves of ponies. The sun threatened them, but was helpless at the moment to do anything about it. Twilight finished her drink, ordered another, enjoyed it, said goodbye to her friends and moved in the direction of home. The day was still young, but she wanted to decide what the reaction was going to be, and what aftermath would be the result. The last thing she wanted was to cause Equestria more pain, especially after hope had been raised. She had survived round one with 1010, and now it was time to see how good she really was. Well…it wasn’t time just yet. She still had about six hours to go before the time was, quite literally, perfect.

Twilight began to look through her vast collection of books. She wasn’t even sure what she was looking for, or if she would know when she found it. Ever topic, subject, genre, and author was nothing more than a shot in the dark in order to find…whatever it was she was trying to find. Someplace to place the sickness she had just removed, something to infect perhaps…whichever one it was.

The Circle.

Twilight turned her head slowly and peered out the corner of her eye. Nopony besides her was in the library, and yet the voice had been close to her. It couldn’t have been Spike, she as he had not been home when she arrived, and Spike was exactly the quietest of creatures when it came to making an entrance. Twilight shook her head and focused on the book she had propped open in front of her. She turned a page and continued to skim.

The Circle.

Twilight spun around this time, a small chill kissed its way up her neck, leaving her feeling very cold and alone. The library was empty save her. She turned back to her book, breaking her line of sight of the room only at the last moment. She took a deep breath and turned the page.

“Your being silly, Twilight.” She told herself. “You’ve had a long day, and its nothing more than your mind playing tricks on you.”

She went quiet and thought about the words: the circle.

The circle, she thought to herself. The circle. She chuckled slightly and moved back to her book, running the words through her head.

The Circle.

“That’s right,” she said quietly, “The circle.”

The Circle. Send it to The Circle.

“Why?” she asked the silence around her without realizing it.

Because it is The Circle. What could it do to you?

“What is the circle?” Twilight turned a page, skimming the titles of chapters and sub-chapters.

It is The Circle.

“Which circle?”

The Circle!

“I don’t know what that means.”

“What what means, Twilight?”

Twilight’s head snapped up and turned. Spike was standing on the other side of the room, watching in a manner most curious.

“I…what?”

“You just asked what does that mean.”

“What does what mean?” asked Twilight, glancing about the room.

“That’s why I asked you, I don’t know.” Spike replied, shrugging his shoulders.

Twilight sighed and moved back to her book, but found that she couldn’t concentrate on it. Her thought process had been completely derailed, and she found herself unable to quite remember what she had been thinking about. It had something do with balancing 1010, that much she did recall, but there was something else that was just out of her mental grasp. It had been a long day, and she was tired. Her first actual use of the spell had taken more out of her than she had first realized, or even felt. But the activities and emotional rush of the day were wearing her down, clouding her mind. She glanced at the clock, reading that she had just under six hours before she had to reset the balance. She blinked a couple of times and yawned. What to do…what to do...she was just about to drift off into a deep and soundless sleep when the idea struck her. If her books could not answer her many questions and give her some direction about how to go about her task, then why not consult the one pony in Equestria who would have the answers in one form or another? After all, she was trusted completely.

One hour later, Twilight was in conversation with Princess Celestia.

“Are the Shilo found anywhere else in Equestria besides Sihr?” Twilight asked, jotting down notes as the Princess continued her role as her teacher.

“Well technically Sihr is not even part of Equestria. When this land was first settled upon, we took only a small part of the Everfree Forest, and even then our boundaries have been extended only slightly since. To rule and manage the Everfree would take more ponies and time than we can spare. Beyond that, the Everfree is not the most hospitable place to live. The Equestria that we live in is both safe and bountiful, we can afford to leave the more dangerous places to the resident inhabitants.” Celestia was sitting opposite her eager student, sipping tea.

“How many sections is the Everfree broken up into? My books only mentioned five.”

“Some of the sections have been combined for one reason or another, so the number changes from time to time. I believe that there are eleven currently.”
Celestia took a drink of her tea. Twilight had graciously refused any.

“Eleven?” Twilight asked, writing the response down. “There’s the Everfree that borders Ponyville, the Outer and Inner Centres, the Briar Sanctum, and Sihr.”

“Those are the most common sections, and the only sections that we have records of. The rest we know of by their location and names, but have no record of what or who lives in them. Tihr is the neighbor of Sihr, as you may have guessed, and beyond that is Dense Ceol, Sparse Ceol, the Burned Krumholtz, the Ash Woods, and the farthest section known as the Mist. The Mist borders an ocean we have seen and sailed on via alternate routes, and as such we have seen the Mist. It is clear that there are trees within the unmoving cloud that inhabits the section, but beyond that we know nothing about it.” Celestia informed her student as she refilled her tea.

“And you said the Shilo only live within Sihr?”

“That is where they are born, yes. Sihr’s terrain is full of caves and sinkholes that make ideal living conditions for the Shilo. As a result they almost never stray from their section of the forest, and nothing else dares to live alongside them.”

Twilight jotted a few notes down, pondered a moment, then looked back up at the alicorn. “You had said something earlier about the fact that Shilo are drawn to power, and as such are liable to be controlled. What did you mean by that?”

“I mean that Shilo base their society off of the greatest of them is in control, but should something else decide to come along that is more powerful than the Shilo, as they have no magic and aren’t exactly intelligent, they are drawn to them and will follow almost blindly because they truly believe they should.” Celestia looked out the window. The sun’s magnificent rays cut through the clouds, drawing patterns for the ground to enjoy. The shadowy murals constantly shifted, ever changing, it was as if the ground became bored with the natural art all too quickly, and the wind much appease it. Celestia spoke without looking back at the unicorn. “You said that your friend Applejack had heard of these things and had told you?”

“Yes, she had overheard a few ponies talking about them.”

At this point Princess Celestia stood and walked over to the same window, gazing out of it at her kingdom. Twilight hesitated for a moment, then proceeded to join her. For several long minutes there was absolute silence. The shadows proceeded to dance around the ground, the rays slicing through the clouds in a brilliant display of light and pattern. Questions and thoughts hung on Twilight’s lips, but were restrained, unsure of whether she should break the silence. As fate would have it, it was Celestia who spoke first; yet her words were unexpected.

“What’s happening to my kingdom?” Celestia spoke quietly, and indirectly. She turned to Twilight. “The last time Shilo were used against ponies was ages ago. It could be that the Shilo that were seen could have been lost, but even then…” she looked back out, her ethereal mane flowed without any source.

“What controlled them last time?” Twilight asked.

“A powerful creature of magical origin. It was insane, proclaimed itself ruler of every living thing, and anything that stood against it would perish. Well, this was back before our neighboring kingdom was destroyed, so we made an alliance and combined what military strength we had. Equestria has never had much in the way of soldiers, then or now. But anyway, long story short, we stopped the creature. It fled and the Shilo returned to their homes. As you are well aware, there are those out there who would be able to control Shilo. Nightmare Moon, Discord, the Changelings, powerful ponies, creatures of the Everfree…”

“When you said the creature was of magical origin, did you mean that it was created through magic?” Twilight continued to write as she spoke.

Celestia looked at her.

“I mean, I know that it is possible to create other beings out of magic, but could something both intelligent and powerful be created without allegiance to anypony? I’ve read a lot on the subject, but all the examples in my books are things along the lines of golems or doppelgangers.”

Celestia looked away, but whispered a very faint “yes”. Twilight back away from the subject, unsure of what she had just come close to tapping into. Silence retook the room.

“Um, Princess.” Twilight spoke up timidly.

Celestia looked back over at her.

“I had another question about something that I…”she stopped, how had she come to think about this anyway? “I don’t remember.”

“Something that you read about?” Celestia tried.

“Hmm? Oh, I had…heard about something called The Circle. It sounded quite bad, but I haven’t been able to find anything about circles besides the geometry.”

At this the tall, white alicorn, Princess Celestia, ruler of all ponies and the one who raised the sun every single day, backed up. Her eyes were wide, and there was a clear trace of consternation on her face.

“Where did you hear this?” She asked. She asked the question unusually firmly, but there was no disguising the fact that this was something she was very concerned about, in a way that came close to worry.

“I don’t remember exactly, I think I overheard it during my time over at Applejack’s farm while I was mingling in the crowd.

Celestia glanced about. Twilight did the same, but not for the same reasons.

“Twilight, listen to me. I want you to put that out of your mind. I would tell you to focus your studies on that which is good, but I feel that that is impossible considering everything that is currently happening. But if there is one thing that you need to remember, it’s this: The Circle does not concern you. Don’t look for it. But, if you hear somepony mention it again, take note of who it is, the come to me immediately.”

“Why? What is it?” Twilight began to write again.

“These are hard times Twilight, but you are straying into things that are far more dangerous and harmful than our current situation. I was wondering when you first came in asking about the Shilo what you had been up to, but now this. These are dark subjects, too dark. I don’t mind telling you about the Shilo, lest your friend’s sources be correct, but ignore the other. Your mind can, and should, be free of these questions and concerns.”

Princess Celestia arranged for a royal Pegasus carriage to take Twilight back. Twilight was very quiet the ride back. The pegasai ponies pulling the airborne carriage weren’t talking either. She looked out across Equestria. It was so different seeing it from up here, the differing shades of the land, the mountains, fields, streams, hills, and towns. Far off in the distance she could see the haze of some large city. She turned around to observe the opposite direction and was faced with the Everfree forest. She felt slightly cold and, as luck would have it, a darkened cloud passed in front of the sun. The forest had always been intimidating from the ground, but from the air…it was terrifying. The deep green of the foliage was twisted from being visually appealing by the gnarled, bare branches that jutted out of the tops of the trees. It was as if the forest was trying to claim the sky, but the dead vines that were curled around the base kept it down, chained to a living hell. Beyond that she could barely make out where the green disappeared and became a blackened shroud of twisted and broken trunks and branches. Twilight shivered and turned once again. The cloud moved away from the sun.

It was ten till ten. Twenty minutes to decide what would have to endure the agonizing sickness that had been lifted from Applejack’s farm. Twilight had already prepared the scroll; Spike was already asleep. Sleep sounded nice, she could go for some sleep, and the use of this thing would most likely take everything she had left emotionally and physically. The town was near silent, a few ponies walked about the roads, going their own way. Clouds blotted the moon, yet somehow a few stars still managed to show their greatness. A small breeze worked its way into her study, extinguishing her candle and plunging her into a haze of deep blue. Where the breeze had come from was anypony’s guess, but she did not pay any sort of heed to it, as her mind was focused upon the events of far greater importance. She relit her candle and glanced at the clock again. The minute hand shifted to tell her that she still had nineteen more rounds of the second hand before it was her time, in all and every essence of the saying.

Twilight Sparkle began to pace around the room. Why was she so anxious? She had used 1010 before, why was it so very different now? The asking of these questions to herself was both ignorant and feeble-minded, and she knew it. It was not merely the use of the spell and the scroll, but it was what it truly made her. She, as previously stated many times, held all power in her hooves for sixty seconds. Life, death, health, sickness, wealth, ruin, prosperity, loss, destruction, creation, rule, fall, time, creation, happiness, pain, sorrow, joy, bliss, wrath, pity, spite, goodness…and malicious intent. She was a goddess for a short time, but with limited scope. She had disrupted the balance, and now it was time for her to decide what would suffer her power and judgment. She had not yet decided, but there were the obvious options: send it to the desert, but now that she knew the truth about the history of the barren wasteland she could not face it. There was the Everfree, send it to the depths of the Everfree where the land was already blackened by some unknown factor. What more could a little sickness to an already hospitable land do? Better yet, she knew the names of the various sections, so it would be easier and more direct to make that choice if she found it the optimum choice. There was also the risk of using sickness to heal. Could she sicken the drought? Could a drought be sickened? Perhaps it could be if Famine, pony of the apocalypse, was revealed and tangible, but a myth cannot be touched, much to her dismay. Twilight glanced at the clock again, she had fifteen seconds? How did she let time get away from her?

The magically apt purple unicorn trotted over to her desk where the scroll lay. Time was short; pressure and stress had already risen, and continued to rise to a point Twilight did not know about prior to this. She snapped her head over to the clock, her mane swished. Five…four…it had to be the Everfree…one…it was ten after ten.

“Let it be known to the magic and the power that I, Twilight Sparkle, am restoring the balance.”

The right-hand 10 glowed a pale golden hue. Twilight closed her eyes, sighed, opened, and continued.

“I am restoring the balance that was broken via the command that the herbal sickness infecting Sweet Apple Acres would be lifted, and the farm would become invulnerable to the disease henceforth.”

The same right-handed 10 increased its light display as the pale gold intensified into a brilliant golden shine.

“I restore the balance by proclaiming that the sickness lifted from Sweet Apple Acres must now be placed in the section of the Everfree forest known as the Mist.”

A moment of baited breath later, the left-handed 10 glowed in equilibrium to its brother, and then both subsided. Twilight tried to smile, but found herself needing to cough. She rasped at the air, and then fell into a dead faint. Above her on the desk, the 1010 scroll rolled itself back up. A voice, quite distant and ethereal, yet so very close, murmured in delight. Up in the night sky the light of a single star was extinguished, and deep within the ever-present cloud of the Mist, the already black ground within a circle of toadstools wilted.

Ras was not in the mood for mistakes. It had taken all of his influence and credibility to see this particular pony. This pony was the first step in a rebellion. Ras hated that word, rebellion. Yet he could not deny that was what this was. A rebellion indicated battles, blood, pain, sorrow and other aspects of life he was all too familiar with. If he was to honestly try and take Equestria from the hooves of the immortal alicorns, then it would have to be quiet, quick and above all, as peaceful as possible. After all, who would there be to rule if all of them were killed in the process? There would be survivors of course, but what is the few compared to the masses? Less is not always more, especially in this case. Ras quickly checked behind him to ensure that Flailer was still behind him. He was not too overly worried about Flailer abandoning him, but it was still wise to keep tabs.

The two ponies were in an exceptionally atrocious area of Manehattan. The only ponies who dwelt here were those who could thrive in the misery of others and somehow make a profit, or those who simply didn’t have a choice but to drift here and live among the degenerate. Ras knew the rules of the streets well enough to know not to look at the ponies who leaned against the walls or shifted behind them. Flailer knew no such rule. He had very few rules and paid attention to only a select four of them. He would stare down anypony who dared look at him. He might be a bit slow, but that didn’t stop him from being menacing. It was fortunate, if unexpected, that nopony challenged their arrival, as it would have…dampened their first appearance with this certain pony. When they were not twenty feet from the entrance to the pony’s home, Ras turned to Flailer.

“You say nothing, do nothing, and think nothing. You are here because…actually, don’t worry about why you’re here. Just remember, you don’t do anything.”

“What if he speaks to me?”

“If he speaks to you then you give a short, sweet answer and shut back up. Don’t insult him by keeping silent, and don’t bore him by rambling. Give the best minimalist answer you can.”

“Ok.” Flailer turned to look at the door. There were two very large earth ponies positioned directly in front of it. “How do we get past them?”

“You let me worry about that. Now then, he likes his guests to be punctual, but being late would be unacceptable, so let’s go; and remember, you don’t say anything.”

Ras and Flailer walked over to the door. Immediately the earth ponies stationed in front of it moved in front of their path. Ras began to mumble words too incoherent, lest you were the owner or intended recipient, to understand. But the guards parted and bid them inside, closing the door immediately after them. The room inside was decently well lit. With more than the standard naked, hanging bulbs that were trademark in this particular end of the city. Inside were a few other ponies, all who were silent, but watched the pair as they entered. Ras scanned the room, taking in the staring faces around them. Off in the shadowy corners more eyes watched without faces. Unicorns were scattered about, eyes wide and staring. A few had their heads cocked slightly to one side. Pegasai could also be seen above them, resting on well-placed rafters. The earth ponies may as well be statues. As they did not breathe, blink, twitch, or turn.

“We’re here upon permission from Vareen.” Ras broke the silence with a voice of authority and reason. Flailer remained silent.

Silent eyes and faces faced them. The hidden faces blinked, and the unicorns cocked their heads. There was a moment before any sort of response came. A small sound, which sounded of a compromise between a screech and a squeak, came from above them. One of the pegasai was crawling along the rafters, peering down at Ras. Ras met the curious eyes with his own hard gaze and held it without so much as a waver. Flailer kept his own sight on those who deemed it their purpose to watch.

“Where’s Vareen?” Ras asked the Pegasus calmly.

The Pegasus made the sound again in reply.

“Vareen.” Ras repeated, a bit more firmly.

Sound.

Without warning, a door opened, causing the watching ponies to scatter. Their movements were near completely silent. Each action seemed fluid and practiced. In the new doorway stood a tall, slender, and elegant Pegasus.

“Vareen.” Ras smiled as he called out to the figure.

Vareen laughed. His coat was almost completely white. His mane was short cut and light grey in its hue. He wore a white suit to match his coat, along with a blood-red rose placed within his shirt pocket, juxtaposed against everything he was. Vareen was a pony whose very being was the embodiment of class. To be friends with this pony rewarded a title of great importance, the name of which is unknown less one has it already. Yet the fact that Celestia had given her royal guard permission to kill Vareen on sight could not be overlook.

Vareen invited the pair into the room from whence he had just emerged. It was better lit, and furnished. A luxurious desk was placed closer to the back, where paper and money could be seen in small stacks. Paintings and other art of great value were organized around the wooden walls. Over to the far left was what seemed to be a personal kitchen, complete with menus. A coat of arms stood in between two marble statues, and above that a coat of arms was displayed in a majestic quality. But what would the inner working of one of the most celebrated and feared ponies of the city’s underworld be without the two massive bodyguards positioned to either side of the door. Just in case Vareen had to keep somepony out…or in.

As the host took his place behind the desk, Ras stepped forward, eager to start.

“Thank you for seeing us Vareen.” He bowed his head in respect.

“No, please. The pleasure is, how you say, all of mine.” Vareen replied warmly, the thick accent working its own way around the words.

“Still, I know you don’t see everypony who wants to talk.” Ras smiled.

“Ah, this is true. I do have schedule and priority, and you are both, yes?”

“I do hope so. I—” Ras started before being cut off by Vareen’s loud laugh.

“I joke, my friend, I joke. I know you are both or else you would not be here. You would be with my friends who like to jump out and say ‘boo!’”

Ras’ eyes shifted. “I beg your pardon?”

“Those outside of my room. I, how you say, destroyed their minds and now they are mine.”

“Are they useful?”

“Oh my yes. They need no reward, do anything…good workers. But, enough about them, you say you have business?” Vareen asked as he poured himself a drink from a bottle on his desk.

“Yes. I was contemplating the state of our country right now, and I found it to be…lacking, to say the least.”

“Many problems.”

“Yes, exactly. There’s the drought, economy, the sickness infecting the various crops, disease, and there are rumors of strange creatures off closer towards Canterlot.”

“Yes, I have heard about the forest monsters. I do not worry about things that are not close. But, what is it you are asking exactly, Ras?”

Ras swallowed. It was the first time Vareen had used his name, which had varying meanings.

“I was thinking that, because of the way things are, well…ponies are not exactly happy with the way things are going, and they blame Celestia for it. I was thinking that we could get some of the more powerful ponies over here in Manehattan and perhaps a couple of the other major metropolitan cities to…have a regime change?”

“A rebellion?” Vareen took a drink.

“Well, yes but with as little bloodshed as possible. No sense in killing those we want to have follow us.”

There was a moment of silence as Vareen regarded this, then he laughed.

“Ras, you are smart. Good, my friend, good. I know what you are asking. You would take on the princess, but you lack, how you say, workers.”

“Exactly.” Ras smiled, things were going better than expected.

“But,” Vareen’s tone dropped along with his smile. “Who takes power?”

“I came to you didn’t I?” Ras replied. Vareen grinned, nodding.

“Yes, I knew you were good. Ah, my friend, I do enjoy talking business. Drink?”

Ras accepted the drink, levitating it over to him, taking a sip before letting it hang in the air close to him. It was a strong drink, too strong for his tastes, but it was unwise to reject the gift, or to look unhappy with it. Flailer stayed back, obedient to his friend.

“Who do you want to help, Ras.” Vareen asked as prepared to write down whatever names the unicorn produced. He gripped the pencil in his teeth, placed the tip to the paper and gestured for Ras to start.

“I was thinking about Sycamore, White Hoof, Fortinbras, Searin…”Ras listed off the names, keeping an eye on Vareen’s reaction to each. So far, so good.

In all, Ras had listed thirty names, five of which Vareen had chosen to disregard for one reason or another.

“This is good, my friend. I am glad you came to me first. When I rule Equestria, you will have anything you want.”

“I’m glad we could form a partnership.” Ras replied. He glanced back at Flailer. The white tail of his companion swished and he nodded.

“One question,” Vareen said off-handedly as he looked over the list of names. “Do you have any worries about what, how you say, would cause trouble?”

Ras’ eyes went wide as he finished the drink and guided the now emptied glass back to the desk. He needed to know, yes, but was this the right time to ask? Well, perhaps. After all, he was on good terms currently, and he could probably get away with asking about…him. He didn’t know anything about him really, besides the fact that he was dangerous and could cause major complications.

“Well,” he started, attempting to sound offhand. “I heard about a certain pony a while ago. I don’t know much about him besides the fact that he possibly couldn’t be trusted and I was wondering if he is still a threat.”

“Good, you are thinking correctly. Name the pony, please.”

Ras took a breath.

“Balancer.”

The two bodyguards immediately started forward, but Vareen held up his hoof to stop them, but did not send the back.

“How much do you know about him?” Vareen asked calmly.

“Almost nothing.”

“He is most likely dead. He ran off into the forest with the monsters many years ago. No threat to us now.”

Ras smiled and nodded. Vareen poured the two of them another drink and invited Flailer over to join them. Everything went perfectly. Away in the Mist, a pair of perfect black eyes observed the three through a haze of obscure color. It was the best he could do currently. The Mist has a negative effect on magic, but he still managed to get through, far enough to watch his potential enemies. The black eyes blinked and the connection was severed. He walked at a slow pace through the fog, watching the trees loom out in front of him, as if coming out of a dream. He stopped at the strange occurrence he had happened upon earlier, that odd circle of toadstools with the withered ground. He stood and regarded it.

Comments

[-Hidden Identity-]

Aight, so my apologies concerning the tardiness of this here chapter. I will work harder to have the others come sooner in the future. Enjoy some cliffhangers.

[That_one_guy]

...Did Twilight just do what I think she just did?

GRIMDARKGRIMDARKGRIMDARKGRIMDARKGRIMDARK

Jesus Fuck!

I love you, Hidden Identity.

EDIT: Ahem, nevermind. I misread. I thought I read that Twilight moved the famine to Sihr. But, regardless, no good will come of this. And poor Celestia can't catch a break, she doesn't even know what's coming.

[Balancer]

Ahhhh Balancer, a good name indeed