The Keepers of The Balance

by Steven1992

Chapter 13: Circe Trusdale

Circe Trusdale

The facility was relatively quiet which was just fine for Raynin. He was used to it after all, working on the machines he believed would bring an end to the Triplets. But alas, his machinations always proved to be inferior to their potential. It infuriated him that his near perfect machines were always one upped by the Triplets. Why was their power and potential always beyond his calculations? Even when he tried to single them out, they would either survive long enough for others to help them or get out of the situation by themselves.

He had hoped that by finding a way to traverse the Web of Reality, he would escape them. A task that seemed almost impossible. After years of studies and research, he finally made a breakthrough. Unfortunately, he was only able to create a one-way gateway to an unknown destination. When he had arrived in this new world, he had changed from a human to a unicorn, and discovered that this world lacked technology. So he had a major set back and had to compensate with magic, which in of itself took quite some time to learn.

Thankfully, applying magic to his creations made them far better than he could hope to achieve with technology. After all, in his own world, technology was limited until advancements were made which wouldn’t happen for some time. But he couldn’t make any robots due to the lack of technology. He suspects that if he incorporates magic into them, they would be twice as powerful.

Naturally ‘he’ arrived. Although it should have surprised him that Sarius Trusdale appeared in this world, it really didn’t. Raynin knew deep down there was no escape from the Triplets. Eventually one would show up and it wouldn’t be long before the other two show up. At the mention of that, the monitor flashed an alert getting Raynin’s attention. He turned from his current work, an updated formula that would strengthen those injected, to look at the monitor. The alert was about the appearance of something through dimensional travel.

Raynin smirked. “She’s arrived.”

He walked over to the monitor to check the location. It seemed to be a location to the east and a bit south from Ponyville, in a mountain ridge. He opens the surveillance feed. He then sees an unconscious dragon with a serpentine body and no wings, surrounded by a bunch of devices and tech.

“Ah, she’s brought some toys with her. Good. I could make use of those.” Nelkanth walks into the room. Raynin turns to him. “Perfect timing. Go gather some of the mercenaries and head to this location.”

Nelkanth eyed the monitor then scoffed. “You’re fortunate my master has a need for you. Otherwise I would kill you on the spot for such disrespect.”

Raynin frowned. “Oh my apologies. I’m just so used to having machines at my command.” Nelkanth shook his head and turned to leave. “And take the cage with you too.”

“Anything else… Raynin?” Nelkanth asked in a soft annoyed tone.

“Just one. Grab as much of the equipment you see there and send them here. I can make use of them.”

Nelkanth was quiet for a minute. “And what of the dragon?”

“That’s what the cage is for. Keep her alive. As much as I want to dispose of her, I have a use for her as well. Speaking of-” Raynin’s horn lights up and a canister levitates over to Nelkanth, who grabs it with his own magic. “-put some of her energy in that.”

Nelkanth eyed the canister. It was cylinder shaped and looked as though it could hold a jug of water. “And how would I do that?”

“Simply have it next to her and press the button on the top. It’ll automatically collect energy that's leaking from her body and fill to capacity. This way even when she escapes, I’ll have Energtris to work with.”

Nelkanth turns to give Raynin a dirty look. “When, you say. And what makes you think she will escape from me?”

Raynin didn’t answer as he turned back to the monitor. The dragon was stirring a bit. “Get going. She won’t be out for long.”

---

Luna had just finished the diplomatic relations between two nobles. To say she was annoyed was an understatement. As the nobles left the throne room, she let out a long exasperated sigh. She already had to endure maintaining a smile and positive outward appearance throughout the day, which was much easier than she thought considering she had such a good time with Sarius the night before, as well as having a pleasant dream. But still, these nobles.

“How does my sister put up with their antics and absurd manners day by day?” Luna rubbed her temples. “By the moon, Sarius was right. My nightly duties are easier compared to this. I wouldn’t be surprised they only treated me with respect because I’m a Princess of Equestria.”

Luna finally got out of her rather uncomfortable chair and the effect of having to sit in it for a couple hours kicked in. She rubbed her flank trying to alleviate the pain and nullify the numbness, but to no avail. It didn’t help that she was going to be doing her nightly duties tonight.

As she made her way to the kitchens to request dinner, a pegasus stallion was approaching her quickly. From her exhausted eyes, the stallion had white medium length hair, light greenish skin tone, and dark blue eyes. He was also wearing the sun guard armor, meaning he was a part of her sister’s guards. “Princess Luna!” He shouted seemingly in a rush. “Where is your sister?”

“Princess Celestia is currently resting right now. I am handling her duties in her steed. Is there a problem…” Luna droned in a way to signal the stallion to give a name.

“Loveheart. Dullin Loveheart, your highness.” Dullin answered.

“Loveheart…” Luna repeated in a hushed tone. “Are you perhaps related to Cadenza, Dullin?”

“Princess Cadence? No ma'am. Just a happy coincidence.” Luna was a bit exhausted but she could swear she saw his eye twitch at the mention of Cadence. “Anyway, I have some disturbing news, your highness.”

Luna’s ears twitched at the thought of disturbing news and gave Dullin her full attention. “Speak then.”

“I’m afraid to inform you that Galedon, the griffon king, is dead.”

Luna’s eyes widened in horror. “Dead?! How and why?” Luna shouted, nearly reaching Royal Canterlot levels.

“Unfortunately, the griffons withheld the information. I couldn’t tell you why they would, but they are accusing us.”

Luna was now confused on top of being shocked. “My sister and I just had peace talks with Galedon a few days ago. I would remember because we were nearly assassinated that day.”

“I’m sorry I was unable to get any information.” Dullin apologized as if Luna was blaming him.

Luna shook her head and tried to give him a reassuring look. “It’s fine, Dullin. I’m sure you did your best. Did the griffons say anything else?” Luna asked, fearful of an answer.

Dullin’s grim expression was enough to tip her off. “Yes ma’am. They said if we don’t turn over the killer, they will wage war.”

Luna bit her lower lip and cursed. “Turn over the killer. They make it sound like they already know who it is.”

“They do, it seems ma’am.”

“Who?” Luna asked.

“They didn’t give a name, only a description. A blue dragon with brown hair and hazel green eyes around your size.”

Luna’s pupils shrunk to dots. She knew who he was describing; Sarius. Sarius was wearing armor acting as a secondary layer of scales that made him look blue that day, but his hair and eyes remained unchanged. That and Sarius is the only dragon she knew of that had hair instead of spines.

“What should we do ma’am? I can warrant this dragon’s arrest.”

“No!” Luna shouted, causing Dullin to flinch. “I mean, no. Did they say how long we have to turn the killer over?”

“Yes. 3 days.”

She took a deep breath. “I will take care of it. Don’t inform anypony about this or let it go public. Is that clear?” Luna asked sternly.

Dullin bowed his head. “Yes ma’am.”

“Good. You may go.”

Dullin backed away and turned to leave. As he was walking away, he had a disapproving frown. Luna was staring at the floor trying to think of a way out of this. She gritted her teeth. She was already having a mentally exhausting day with a night shift to worry about to boot. Now the news of Galedon’s death and Sarius being accused of his murder.

“This is gonna be the longest 24 hours of my life. At least when I was trapped in the moon for a thousand years, Nightmare Moon was in control so I didn’t experience it personally.” Luna let out yet another sigh. “I’ll have to tell my sister before my night shift.”

Luna tried her best to continue the day with the news on her mind. Thankfully it wasn’t long till the sun began to set and Luna had taken care of most of her sister’s duties. When the sun was setting, Luna stepped outside to lower the sun and saw her sister on the nearest tower balcony raising the moon. Once day had turned to night, Luna flew over to Celestia, who greeted her with a warm smile.

“Good evening sister.” Celestia then saw Luna was upset about something and her smile faded. “What’s wrong?”

Luna let out one more sigh. “Let’s step inside for a moment sister. You’re gonna wanna sit down for this.”

Celestia blinked and was feeling rather nervous now, but she took a seat once she stepped inside. Luna made sure to close the balcony doors then she took a seat as well.

“I’ve been informed Galedon the griffin king has been murdered, according to the griffins.”

Celestia gasped as her eyes widened in horror. “Why and who?”

“I don’t know why but as for who, well they suspect Sarius Trusdale.” Celestia was glad her sister told her to sit down. This was an absolute shock that she was at a loss for words. “It unfortunately gets worse. If we don’t hand over Sarius, the griffins will wage war.”

Celestia looked down in thought. “While we let that sit, I have news of my own that I need to share with you.”

Luna looked at her sister. “What kind of news?”

“I may have discovered something in the dream realm. I came across a dream that gave off a dreadful feeling. When I entered it, it was completely dark and no magic could illuminate it. I then came across a very young alicorn colt.”

Luna’s eyes widened in shock. “An alicorn colt?! I had thought you and I were the last of our kind.”

“So did I. That’s why I investigated but no matter what I tried I couldn’t establish communication with the colt. He was so scared and was pleading to something. Then a figure appeared and warned me that I shouldn’t mettle with the affairs of others. I tried to question him but he absolutely refused to answer me. The last thing he told me was that it was far too late to save the colt, then I was forced out.”

Luna was hanging onto every word her sister was saying. She was certainly concerned. “This figure forced you out of the dream?”

“Correct. Is that natural?”

Luna shook her head. “No. You could only be forced out if the host was waking up and it isn’t sudden. This is different.”

“Has this happened to you?” Celestia asked with concern.

“No. This is a first for me too. But I do know that in order for this to have happened, the host has to be strong and proficient in magic. The host also has to know the Dream Walking spell.”

“What are the chances?”

“Hmm. To my knowledge only Star Swirl’s old spell book has a record of the spell, which is in our possession. So very low.”

“I see. And what about the colt?”

Luna thought about it for a minute. “Since the figure appeared in the dream with the colt, it’s highly likely it’s a memory.”

Celestia was surprised. “Is it possible to have a dream about a memory?”

“It’s a very rare case but yes. There have been a couple times I entered another’s dream and it was a past memory. Usually the past memory is a painful one that haunts the host.”

“Are you suggesting that the figure is the colt?”

“It’s possible. What did the figure look like?”

“I saw a horn but no wings. He had a grey mane and light green skin. The figure was cloaked as well. And before you ask, I couldn’t see the colt since it was too dark.”

“Then all we have is speculation. We’ll think on it, for now what do we do about the griffons?”

“How long do we have?”

“3 days.”

“I see. Go about your duties and I’ll think on it.” Celestia got up and started walking to the door then stopped.

“Do you think he did it sister?” Luna asked with concern.

“Do you?” Celestias asked back.

“Of course not. We may not know him well but I know for certainty, he’s not the type to commit murder. Not even his alter ego Kasulis will senselessly kill.”

Celestia smiled. “I feel the same way, Luna.” Celestia made her way out of the room as Luna smiled. Luna then went about her nightly duties.

---

Dusty was busy maintaining the mansion since she said she would do that to repay Sarius. The sun was just rising when somepony barged in through the door screaming.

“Sarius!!” It was Pinkie Pie and the sudden entry and yelling made Dusty jump and scream. “I got a disturbance! I got a disturbance!”

Sarius jumped down the stairs and looked very alert. “Calm down Pinkie. You don’t need to yell. Tell me what you got.”

Pinkie galloped up to Sarius. “I got the Pinkie Sense. The same one from yesterday when you and Fluttershy were in Sugarcube Corner.”

“You mean when you sense something that doesn’t originate in your world?” Sarius asked.

“Yup yup.”

Sarius almost smiled. “Do you know where?”

“Yupperro.” She digs into her mane and pulls out a map… somehow. She then points at the location which was labeled: Rambling Rock Ridge. “Right around here. This 6th sense is really nifty, Sarius.”

He nodded. “Great.”

“Do you know what it is?” Dusty spoke up, curious.

“Well, I’m not 100% sure. But I have an idea.” Sarius answered.

Pinkie did small rapid bounces in excitement. “Ooo, ooo, ooo. Can I guess?”

Sarius laughed. “You could try but I doubt you’ll guess it ri-”

“-You think it’s your sister.” Pinkie interrupted.

Sarius was shocked. “Don’t tell me that 6th sense also tells you who or what as well?”

“Who what?” Pinkie asked, confused.

“I mean, you can sense something when it appears and where. Does it also tell you who or what appeared?”

“Hmmm.” Pinkie droned. “I don’t think so, just a where and maybe a when.”

Sarius blinked. “I won’t question how you guessed it right.” Pinkie Pie laughed. Sarius then put on a determined look. “Still, once my sister gets settled in and caught up to speed, I have no doubt she’ll be extremely helpful.”

“Wow, you must have a lot of faith in your sister Sarius.” Dusty stated.

“You bet I do. She’s far smarter than me and is more proficient in things I have little knowledge about. So I better get going and bring her home.”

Sarius started walking to the door. “Be careful out there, Sarius.” Dusty said.

Sarius stopped to turn and give Dusty a smile. “I will.” He then left.

---

Celestia let out a sigh. It was almost time for her duties and what she learned from her sister is still heavy on her mind. She couldn’t believe the griffon king was dead and that the griffons blamed Sarius, and they wanted him handed over or they’ll wage war. This was quite the problem to deal with. Thankfully Celestia found a silver lining while Luna was doing her nightly duties. Something that could give them a chance to prove Sarius’ innocence as well as drawing out the ones truly behind framing him.

Morning Dew approached Celestia. He had a look of urgency on his face. “Your highness. I was just informed that a group of mercenaries have appeared at the Rambling Rock Ridge.”

Celestia gave him a look of surprise. “Mercenaries? Do you know why they’re there?”

“No, ma’am.”

“Send somepony out there to investigate them. If they’re up to anything malicious, deal with them accordingly.”

Dew bowed. “Understood ma’am.”

“No need to send anypony, I’ll go myself.” Luna said as she approached. She looked exhausted from doing Celestia’s duties yesterday and her own last night.

“Are you sure sister?” Celestia asked with concern.

“Yes. I promise once it’s done I will get some rest.”

Celestia knew there would be no way to talk Luna out of something once she set her mind to something. “Very well. Please be safe. If it helps, I figured out a way we can prove Sarius’ innocence.”

Dew was a bit confused. “Innocence? Is he guilty of something?”

“I’ll inform you on the details later Dew.” Celestia remarked.

Luna gave a tired smile. “It will help, sister. Thank you.”

Luna then took her leave and went to Rambling Rock Ridge.

---

As I landed in the general area I took a look around. I could sense my sister’s presence without a doubt, but it was weak for some reason. Not only that, I could sense several life signs in the area. I had a feeling my sister was in a tight spot. And when I found her, I realized how tight of a spot she was in.

The clearing was covered with technical equipment and various ponies examining it or carrying it to what looks like a portal. I didn’t recognize any of them. I turned my attention left and saw my sister in a cage. At first I wondered why she was letting herself be caged like a beast, but I quickly realized it was specifically designed to keep someone of her power contained. Which meant one thing; the cage was made with traces of cobalt or lapis to shut down my sister’s power. I had no doubt Raynin was behind this. Then I saw a familiar face approach the cage; Nelkanth. He looked like he was talking to Circe about something.

“Ah, Sir Sarius.”

I quickly turned to see Luna walking up to me. I gave her the signal to shush and take cover. She tilted her head in confusion. I sighed.

“Not so loud and lower yourself down so you aren’t seen.”

Luna was confused as she walked over to me much lower to the ground. I pointed to the clearing. She raised her head to look and was a bit shocked at what she saw. She lowered her head to look at me.

“What are those contraptions and why are the mercenaries examining and collecting them?”

“Those ‘contraptions’ are machines and devices I’m sure were made by my sister, who brought them with her.”

Luna was surprised to hear about my sister. “She’s here?”

I pointed toward the cage. “That’s her.”

Luna looked and ended up glaring down Nelkanth. “Who’s that?” She asked with a low serious tone.

“That is Nelkanth.”

Luna looked at me with an angry glare. Thankfully I knew it wasn’t for me. “He’s the one that nearly assassinated me and my sister?” I nodded.

She looked back at him as if to memorize him in his entirety. She took note of how he had a grey mane and light green skin like what her sister described in the dream. “Something tells me you know who the group of ponies here are.”

“I do. My sister was informed that a group of mercenaries had appeared here. So I came to investigate on her behalf.”

“Are you sure you’re okay with this despite working for a full 24 hours without rest?” I asked with great concern.

“I’ll be fine, Sir Sarius.”

I wasn’t convinced but it was best not to question it further. “Then let’s compare notes here.”

Luna looked at me. “Very well, but can we afford to waste the time we can use to save your sister?”

“She’ll be fine for a few minutes. And I have no doubt in my mind she’ll figure out a way to get out on her own eventually. She’s that smart. Besides-” I looked over at Nelkanth still talking to Circe. “-I know for a fact, Raynin has no desire to kill her right away.”

“Raynin’s involved with this?”

I turn back to Luna. “Don’t act surprised. I told you that Raynin has made use of me and my siblings' power before. Capturing one of us is simply a means of harvesting our energy for his work.”

“That just means we need to free her now.”

“I said she’ll be fine for a bit. Now let’s catch each other up.”

Luna and I spent the next few minutes going into more detail about why we were here. I wanted to bring Circe home so she can help me with protecting this world, while Luna wanted to find out why the mercenaries were here and now, why they were assisting one of our greatest enemies. On top of all that, we both wanted to figure out how Nelkanth was connected with Raynin.

“There’s no way this is a coincidence. Raynin has relations with Nelkanth, because I have no doubt if it were up to Nelkanth; he would kill Circe on the spot instead of capturing her. Also there’s the fact the mercenaries are collecting Circe’s equipment and sending them through a portal. If the previous fact doesn’t convince you that Raynin is connected to Nelkanth, then the latter certainly will. Only Raynin would benefit from making use of that equipment due to the lack of technology in this world.”

“Alright, so how should we do this?”

“Well for one, I need to stay away from that cage. I can’t tell what part of it is cobalt, so it would be wise and best for you to get her out. Besides, I can’t really help much in dealing with things that have cobalt and lapis involved. Second, Nelkanth is smart. I don’t know his strength and overall power, but I know he’s smart. We have to approach this carefully. Which isn’t usually my style to be honest.”

“Very well. Then may I suggest you get their attention while I get your sister out?”

I raised an eyebrow. “I mean, sure. But do you think it’s an ok idea?”

“You said we have to approach this carefully and yet you also said it’s not your style. So I thought you should do what’s more natural to you. I’ll free your sister.”

I nod. “Alright. I’ll try to not make a mess or heavily injure the mercenaries.”

Luna walked off as I took a deep breath. I looked over the clearing to figure out the best place to make my approach.

Circe’s POV, 3rd person view. 30 minutes ago

Circe slowly opened her eyes. She only saw white for a whole minute. ”Did I pass out during the traversal?”

After the white finally faded her sight was greeted by the bars of a cage. She was a bit shocked and slowly started to freak out internally, considering her past experience. But thankfully her brother had helped her in overcoming the trauma. Even though the experience was etched into her very being. All she had to do was take a deep breath, which she did.

Once she got herself to calm down, she took a careful look around. Her keen eyes saw the bars were made from different metals melded together. One of which was cobalt, the rest being either steel or iron. She checked the spot she was sitting on and it was the same way. So her energy has been shut down.

”That’s gonna be a pain to deal with.”

She turned her attention to what’s outside the cage and saw all the things she brought with her spread out all over the clearing and… ponies were examining and carrying them.

She blinked. ”Wait, ponies? What kind of world did my brother find himself in and dragged me to?”

She noticed not every pony was the same. Every single one was of various different colors. Some had horns, some had wings, others had neither. But they all had one thing in common; they had what seemed to be tattoos on their flanks and each one was different as well.

She heard something click next to her and she quickly snapped her attention to it. She saw a canister next to her arm, floating in place. As she examined it, she saw it was slowly filling. Once she realized it was being filled with Energtris it was too late, because as she made a grab for it, it disappeared. She quickly looked around for it and saw a unicorn standing in front of the cage, staring at her with light blue eyes. He had dark gray hair and dark green skin as well as a horn on his forehead. The canister was next to him surrounded by a light blue aura, the same aura was around his horn as well. Circe realized he was holding the canister with telekinesis.

“Who are you?” She asked.

He pressed a button on the top of the canister and it closed. “My name is of no concern to you, Circe Trusdale.”

Circe was already on edge but the fact this unicorn knew her full name put her defenses on high alert. “I’ll take a wild guess and say someone I know is working with you.”

The unicorn stared at her. “You are indeed as smart as he said.”

Circe narrowed her eyes. “Raynin… Of course it had to be him. So that means you know everything about me and my brothers, correct?”

“Not everything. Only what I needed to know. Your strengths, weaknesses, and personality.”

The unicorn began walking away. “You can’t trust him.”

The unicorn stopped and turned to look at her. “I don’t trust him. He’s simply a means to an end for me.”

“It’s the same for Raynin.”

“I assure you, if that fool tries to backstab me he won’t succeed.”

“And how can you be so sure?”

The unicorn turned away and resumed walking. “Get comfortable Circe. You’ll be in that cage for a while.”

“That’s what you think.” She said under her breath.

For the next 30 minutes, Circe could do nothing except sit in the cage patiently. All while watching some random ponies go through her things. Circe knew that the tech was being sent to Raynin which upset her. She knew only he would be able to make sense of her work. She then saw the unicorn come back.

“It’s almost time.”

“Time for what?” Circe asked with a raised eyebrow.

“To transport you to Raynin.”

Circe glared at the unicorn. “Yeah… no. That’s not gonna happen.”

“I’m afraid you don’t have much of a choice my dear.”

“Not if my brother has anything to say about it.”

“No matter how strong your brother may be, he can’t rescue you and fight the mercenaries at the same time.”

“You’re underestimating him, and that’s a bad idea.”

“Funny. That’s exactly what Raynin keeps warning me about.”

“For good reason you know.”

“Hmph.”

The unicorn looked like he was about to start moving the cage when a loud thud followed by a pony being thrown in their general direction, got his attention. The pony landed next to the unicorn with a thud. The unicorn groaned softly. “Great…”

Circe smirked. “Right on cue as always.”

A couple yards out across the clearing, stood Sarius. Confident and ready for action.

Sarius’ POV, 1st Person View

After Luna left quietly, I thought it best to not stay idle for too long. She was counting on me to draw attention from her. So I lept out into the clearing and landed conveniently right next to a merc. He barely had time to register my presence before I curled my tail around his back legs, then spinning around and tossing him towards the cage.

“Yeet!” Was all I said, and something I wanted to say for a long time. The merc missed Nelkanth which was a shame since I was trying to hit him with the merc. “Hey buddy. I’m gonna have to ask you to let my sister go, and I’m asking nicely first because I’m a nice guy.”

Nelkanth just stared at me as the rest of the mercs showed up. “You got a lot of nerve and guts trying to take us all on alone, even if you are a dragon.” One of the mercs remarked.

I smiled. “That’s just who I am.”

The earth ponies and pegasi mercs charged at me at once while the unicorns prepared spells to use on me. I knew I had to take them out first. The mercs charging me had various weapons made from iron and possibly steel, but little armor. As I dodged the first wave of attacks, I figured these mercs weren’t really prepared for battle but transporting things. I saw one of the unicorns finish a spell and fired a lightning bolt at my head. I dodged the lightning bolt by ducking and since lightning moves at mach 364, my movement was seen as being instantaneous by everyone.

This shocked all the mercs, pun intended, but didn’t seem to surprise Nelkanth. I took the chance to charge at the unicorns moving at near mach 1. While I moved much slower than when I dodged the lightning bolt, I was still quite fast. I had to hold back from going mach 1 since that would create a sonic boom and either damage or destroy my sister’s devices, as well as harming the mercs which I was avoiding. The merc I ran up to seemed to turn to me in slow motion as I spun around and swept his legs with my tail. As he was falling forward I grabbed his face with an energized claw, I used my energy to temporarily shut down his cerebellum. I let go of him and he fell to the ground. He tried to get back up but his muscles wouldn’t respond right. He tried to use his magic but it was also malfunctioning.

“I suggest you sit this out. You’ll be fine in a few minutes.”

Another unicorn fired a bolt of magic at me and while I was tempted to let it hit me, I knew it was far smarter to dodge it and give the illusion I could be harmed by it. I dodged it by side stepping to the right, but it turned out it was a set up as I saw a few of the melee wielding mercs take swings at me. One aimed for my neck, a few aimed for my legs, and the last aimed for my tucked wing. The blades hit my neck and legs with a clank, but I pulled my wing up so the sword just hit my side. They were all shocked again.

I smirked. “Did you know that bathing in lava helps toughen scales? Mine were already tough as it is, but since I had to bathe myself in lava for training, they got tougher. Sure lava softens them up but once they dry the molten stone mends with the scales, essentially adding a layer of defense. Sorry to say but your iron and steel weapons are ineffective against me.” I generated a weak energy pulse that pushed the mercs back a bit. “Though my wings are a different story and I would rather not have them get messed up again. Especially by low tier fighters like you.”

Out of the corner of my eye I could see Luna slowly making her way to the side of the cage. Circe hasn’t noticed her apparently, neither has Nelkanth or the mercs. But I then saw Nelkanth was turning away from me and towards the cage. I gritted my teeth for two reasons; one he would most likely spot Luna and second, but most importantly, I felt insulted that I wasn't worth his attention. So once again moving at near mach 1, I charged him. He noticed me moving towards him and in the span of just a couple seconds, he conjured a magic shield to block my punch. I didn’t see him charge up his horn for it but it was glowing with magic. That was all I needed to know that Nelkanth was in a league of his own. He may very well compare to Celestia and Luna in terms of magic mastery and reaction speed.

Thankfully, my stunt got his full attention back on me. I gave him a disapproving look. “A word of advice, Nelkanth; don’t turn your back to me.”

“Hmph.” His horn charged up and with a swing of his head, he fired a magic wave at my throat. I quickly backed off and moved my head to the side as far as I could to avoid decapitation, but he made it wide enough that it cut my cheek.

I took my front right claw and felt where my cheek was cut and sure enough there was blood. Though the wound healed quickly. Despite being injured I smiled. “Where was this side of you when you ran with your tail between your legs last time?” I was trying to get him riled up, but either he was good at masking his emotions or he wasn’t bothered.

“I had places to be, Trusdale. I am a busy stallion after all. In fact you’re taking up too much of my time right now.” I suddenly felt an aura begin to surge from him. I could tell he was starting to take me seriously. “So I’m afraid I’ll have to dispose of you, much to Raynin’s displeasure.”

I didn’t need to see it but I knew the mercs were all backing away now, trying to get a safe distance away from the upcoming fight. My smile faded as I put on a more serious expression. “Just don’t expect me to die as easily as you hope.”

“Noted.” He closed the distance between me and him in less than a second, which took me by surprise, then delivered a powerful punch to my chest. I was sent flying into a small rock face behind me with a loud crash. I felt the wind get knocked out of me but I didn’t feel any broken bones or other damages.

My instincts then screamed at me to move. I quickly flipped onto the top of the cliff face as a beam of magic hit the spot where my chest was, piercing straight through it. If I hadn’t moved then the beam would have pierced my heart. Under normal circumstances it wouldn’t kill me right away, but this was far from normal. I already experienced nearly getting mauled and ripped apart by timberwolves due to their abnormal magic infusion. Who’s to say that Nelkanth’s magic wouldn’t nullify my healing factors.

I glared at Nelkanth who kept his horn charged up. I knew for a fact he was waiting for me to make a move. My pupils slitted as I charged at him.
Circe’s POV, 3rd Person View

Circe has been deadpanning since the moment her brother showed up. ”Did he charge in without thinking first, again? How’s this gonna help me get out of here?” She sighed. ”Why is he always like this?”

The sound of someone approaching got her attention and she turned her head right to see another pony quietly walking to the cage. Circe couldn’t tell if the pony was male or female, but she judged from the pony’s features, the pony was female. The female was even wearing attire, the female was still naked in all sense of the word, but at least she was wearing something. Circe noticed that the attire seemed to be regal, she even had a crown. Then Circe noticed the female had a horn and wings.

“Who are you?” Circe inquired.

The female looked at her and placed a hoof over her mouth, as if to tell Circe to be quiet. “Not so loud, dear Circe. You’ll ruin the opportunity Sir Sarius has given me.”

Circe blinked a few times. “You know me too?” Circe narrowed her eyes. “Are you with Raynin too?”

The female stared at Circe like she’d been insulted. “Of course not. I’m helping Sir Sarius.”

Circe then put two and two together. “Wait, are you one of the princesses he told me about?”

The female blinked. “I am unsure of when he mentioned that to you, but yes I am. I am Princess Luna.”

Circe relaxed, but not too much as she knew she would be going to help her brother very soon. “Alright Luna. Think you can get me out of here?”

Luna was a bit surprised that Circe was quick to accept her answer. She was sure Circe would still be skeptical of her. “You actually… trust me?”

Circe smiled. “Of course.”

“Just like that?” Luna inquired further.

Circe gave her a smug look. “Yeah. My brother obviously trusts you, if he’s willing to have you get me out. And you trust him too, since he’s fighting to keep them distracted for you. So if my brother trusts you, then so do I.”

Luna couldn’t help but smile. “Sir Sarius was right, you are smart. Anyway to answer your question, I’ll have to examine the cage. So give me a minute.”

Circe turned to the battle unfolding in front of her. Sarius was taking swings at the head unicorn while moving at high speeds. The unicorn was even keeping up with him and using spells to block and counter Sarius. Circe could easily see this unicorn was very experienced… too experienced for someone of his age. Plus the fact he could keep up with her brother at his current speed was worrying.

“Hmm. It seems to be a regular cage that’s just got cobalt infused in the metal. A simple unlocking should do the trick.” Circe turned to Luna as her horn glowed and the sound of the lock rattled. “Ah. I see Nelkanth has taken the liberty of applying an anti-magic seal on the lock. He’s far more talented than I gave him credit for.”

“You can still get me out, right?”

Luna huffed. “Of course. I am an alicorn. The only beings that I know of who’s magic either rivals mine or surpasses it are; my sister, Discord, and Grogar.”

Luna seemed pretty confident as her horn glowed again but a bit brighter. The lock rattled again. After a couple seconds, the sound of something shattering is heard and the lock clicks. Circe pushes on the door gate and it opens. She then pushes it all the way.

Sarius’ POV, 1st Person View

I was having a tough time getting past Nelkanth’s magic defense and every time he countered me, I barely managed to dodge. He was very skilled and good at adapting to my moves. I wasn’t going at my fastest since I was trying to hold back. But it was slowly dawning on me that I have to stop holding back. Just when I was about to use more of my power, I heard something shatter and apparently Nelkanth did too, since he and I stopped to turn to look at the cage.

The cage door was fully open and Circe stepped out, with Luna walking around to her. “Well, well. Princess Luna. I honestly wasn’t expecting to see you here.” Nelkanth commented.

“And I’m glad I came. Since I got to see the face of the pony who tried to assassinate me and my sister. I’m surprised that such a young and handsome stallion is behind it.”

Nelkanth scoffed. “Flattery won’t help you, your highness.” He sighed. “It seems like we’ll have to retreat.”

One of the unicorn mercs walked up to Nelkanth. “Are you sure?”

“We have no choice. I rather not deal with two of the Triplets and Luna.”

“Don’t think you’ll get away that easily Nelkanth.” I glared at him as he turned to me. “You’re not getting away again.”

“If it means anything, I don’t plan to get away alone. Your sister has been in the cage for at least 30 minutes, so she can’t use her power for a couple hours. According to Raynin anyway.”

I growled then I saw Circe start moving from the corner of my eye, and when I looked over I saw her running around looking for something. This also got the attention of everyone else as well.

I blinked. “What are you doing, sis?”

She didn’t bother looking my way as she dug around in a pile. “I knew this situation would come up eventually, so I came prepared with something that should help. If I can just find it…”

“Grab her now.” Nelkanth ordered. “Luna and Sarius can’t stop all of you.”

The mercs all started running to grab Circe. I got ready to charge at them but Nelkanth blocked my path. I saw Luna rush over to combat the mercs, but they were already using their advantage in numbers to get around her. I actually started to think I would lose my sister.

Thankfully, I knew better.

“Got it!” Circe pulled out what looked like a flashlight. “Now let’s see if this works as I intended.”

She pointed the bulb end at her chest and pressed a button on the end of the handle. The bulb end began to shift around into a metallic grabber and seemed to begin scanning her. After a few seconds, the bulb end gave off a blue light and started to suck energy out of her. I thought she was intentionally draining her own power but I realized I didn’t see nor sense energy leaving her. Instead it was something else. The handle began glowing as a blue substance filled it. Turns out the handle was a capsule of some kind. It suddenly stopped and returned to normal with the only change being the substance in the capsule.

“Perfect. Just as intended.” I saw a couple mercs make a grab for her and I was about to charge past Nelkanth to get to her. “Now did you say I couldn’t use my power for a couple hours?” With a swipe of her claw, she created a wind current infused with Energtris to blow back the mercs onto their flanks. Safe to say, everyone was shocked.

I saw Nelkanth grit his teeth. “It seems Raynin lied to me.”

Circe put the device down. “No he didn’t. I wasn’t able to use my power like you said, but as I said earlier I came prepared for this. This device is something that’s long overdue. My brothers and I always lose our power when we come into contact with either cobalt or lapis. Depending on how long we’re exposed, determines how long our power is offline. But after careful examination and assistance from someone who didn’t suffer from that weakness, I was able to make this device.”

Circe turned to Nelkanth. “It’s a work in progress so there’s bound to be side effects and minor issues, but I can deal with that at my own leisure later. For now, I can kick your butt for capturing me.”

“Mind explaining how you manage to get your power back?” Nelkanth inquired, as if he expected Circe to actually tell him.

She gave him a wink and stuck her tongue out. “I’m not telling you the trade secret, bucko.” I couldn’t help but chuckle and smile at her juvenile behavior. It’s one of the many things I loved about my sister.

Nelkanth clicked his tongue. All the mercs went back to his side. “It’s time to leave.”

“Raynin’s gonna be furious if we come back empty handed.” One of the mercs pointed out.

“I think not.” He pulled out a capsule that’s filled with energy. Energtris. “In fact, I’m certain this is what he meant when he said ‘when she escapes’.”

Circe recognized the capsule. “Hey! You actually took my energy while I was asleep? It’s rude and naughty to mess with a lady while she’s asleep, you pervert.”

I swear I saw Nelkanth’s eye twitch at being called a pervert. He then glared at me. “I advise that you pick your friends and enemies carefully, Sarius Trusdale.”

“Why you gotta say something so ominous?” I asked.

“It’s simply friendly advice.” He chuckled as he and the mercs walked through the portal.

Luna and Circe were about to chase after them but I stopped them. Luna was upset by that. “Why are you stopping us? We can still capture them.”

“There’s where you’re wrong. The fact the portal is still open, obviously means he’s waiting for us on the other side.” I point out.

Luna sighed. “We can’t just let him get away. He nearly killed me and my sister, Sir Sarius.”

“I know. But I rather you didn’t make the fact I protected the two of you pointless in the end.”

Luna groaned. “Relax your highness. I kinda expected my equipment to get taken from me.”

When me and Luna turned to look at her, she had a remote in her claw. A remote I recognized from a lot of movies. “Sis. What are you planning to do?”

Circe gave a small evil smile. “Giving Raynin and his helpers a nice ‘surprise’.” She pressed it and then started running. “I suggest you two run now.”

My eyes widened as Luna was just puzzled. “Why would she-”

I started running. “Just start running Luna!” Luna was taken aback by my sudden rush but she started to run as well. We caught up to my sister and followed her. “Are you doing what I think you’re doing?”

She gave me that evil smile again. “Yup. I was feeling generous when I made the kill switch so they’ll have maybe a minute or two to do what they want with my stuff before it literally blows up in their faces. I just wish I could see their faces.”

I shivered a bit. “I said it before and I’ll say it again; you’re really scary sometimes.”

She simply laughed. “Back at you, bro.” She then stopped and we stopped with her. “This should be far enough.”

“What did Miss Circe do exactly and why did we need to run?” Luna inquired.

“And more importantly, how big are we expecting it to be? We ran at least half a mile away.”

“Oh it’s not gonna be that big. This distance is just a precaution.”

Luna stamped her hoof. “Will somepony please tell me what Miss Circe-”

She was caught off by the sound of several explosions. From this distance we could see the explosions. They weren’t big like Circe said, but the fact there was a chain of explosions going off meant a lot of debris was going to scatter like literal dust. So we were far enough to not have to worry about the debris.

“Oh, right… this is gonna make quite a mess.” Circe turned to Luna and pressed her claws together in an apologetic manner. “I’m really sorry and don’t worry, I’ll clean up my mess. You have my word.”

Luna was quite flabbergasted by the explosions. “R-right. I’ll… take your word. Just…” She paused. “Don’t make any more explosives please.”

“Sure. I can do that. I’m not really into demolition anyway. I simply create and construct things to help me and my brothers. I also love to tinker too.”

Luna then took a good look at Circe. She wasn’t really paying much attention to Circe’s appearance, due to the situation and the fact she was still mentally exhausted from pulling a double shift, but now that things have calmed down, and Luna could see Circe up close, she instantly realized Circe doesn’t look like a typical dragon.

Circe had a more serpentine-like body with no wings. Her scale color was a mixture of dark blue and gold in the form of stripes. Her hair was bright red and her eyes were bright blue. What really caught Luna by surprise was that Circe had antler-like horns. She immediately began to wonder if Circe could use magic using those horns.

“I got a question for you sis.”

“Yes?”

“What did you use to get your power back?”

She pulled out the device she used. “This?”

Luna took a step back. “That’s not gonna explode too is it?”

“No, don’t worry. As for what it is, it’s a device meant to extract the cobalt and lapis essence that goes into our bodies when we’re in contact with it. I learned that for Energtris users like me, you, and our brother, cobalt and lapis tend to implant a special type of essence into us. This essence is what prevents us from using our power. The longer we’re in contact with either, the more essence that’s implanted. And it takes our bodies a long while to dispose of it naturally. So I created this device to extract it.”

I was surprised. “You were able to figure all that out and make something we can use to prevent power loss?”

“Of course. Would you expect anything less from your sister?”

“Nope, but I must ask. Why did you take so long to make it?”

Circe gave me an annoyed look. “Well, researching the effects of cobalt and lapis on us wasn’t easy, not to mention I needed someone to help me analyze. It also took a while which was time we didn’t really have while we were dealing with Raynin. So when Raynin up and vanished it was the perfect time to start. Though the whole ordeal with the Deity of Darkness put it on hold for a bit.” Circe pouted. “And it was almost finished too.”

I deadpanned. “That wasn’t my fault, you know.”

The device then broke as the essence in it escaped and faded away. “And there it is…” Circe sighs. “Knew there was gonna be a problem. Now I just have to figure out what that problem is and fix it.”

“Ahem.” Luna said aloud to get our attention. “While this was a very eventful morning, I do need to get some sleep.”

“You didn’t sleep Luna?” Circe asked.

“No. I have duties to tend to every night. Last night in particular was rough since I had to take care of my sister’s duties yesterday in exchange for her taking care of mine the night before. So I haven’t slept for a full 24 hours.”

“Okay but why though?”

“Why did my sister and I switch our duties? Well.” Luna blushed a bit. “Because I went on a date with your brother the night before.”

Circe gasped and smiled. “You two went on a date?!”

“It was… a rather short one, but yes.” Luna answered.

Circe gave me a knowing look. “So are you two an item now?”

Luna and I blushed. “Sis, you know couples don’t get together after just one date.”

“I don’t know about that.” Circe winked at me. “You and Kalia did. In fact I would dare say you two hooked up before you went on your first date.”

Luna was surprised at this. “Is this true, Sir Sarius?”

“Kalia and I were a special case. One could make the argument we’re soul mates.”

Circe looked up in thought. “That’s true.” Then she looked at Luna. “Also what’s with the prefix?”

“Are you referring to me calling your brother, Sir Sarius?” Circe nodded. “Simple. Out of respect for him. My sister and I traded blows with your brother and he held his own. In the process he impressed both of us.”

“You had a fight with my brother?!” Circe was taken aback.

I rolled my eyes. “It was a spar, sis.”

Luna nodded in agreement. “Indeed. Though I got a bit carried away when Sarius accidentally wounded me. I mistook his intention and thought he wanted me to get serious.”

“Where you nearly chopped my head off.” I pointed out.

“And I deeply apologized. Please don’t remind me.”

“Wait, seriously?” Circe was surprised.

“Seriously. You know I would never joke about that.”

“Wow. That must have been one sharp blade then.”

“Ahem.” Luna said to get our attention again. “I must be going now. It was wonderful getting to meet your sister, Sir Sarius. I look forward to speaking to you when I’m less…” Luna yawned. “Exhausted, Circe.”

Circe smiled. “So am I. Just worry about getting some sleep, your highness.”

“I will. Farewell.” Luna used her magic to teleport away.

Circe looked at me. “I’m hoping you have a place for us to stay, cause I really don’t plan on sleeping or tinkering on a rock.”

I deadpanned. “We can’t sleep sis. Remember?”

She pouts. “We still need to rest.”

“Yeah, yeah. Anyway, I do happen to have a place. Celestia was kind enough to build me a mansion with plenty of room. Even though most of the rooms aren’t furnished, there is one that was recently furnished.”

Circe’s eyes lit up with glee. “A mansion? Are you serious?” I nodded. “How did you manage to woo two princesses?”

“Okay firstly, it wasn’t my intention. Secondly, I only wooed Luna. And to answer your question, without the woo part, being a DNA child of Asgorath does have benefits. Though it was most likely because I was a good and fun sparring partner. Plus I believe the spar helped me connect with them.”

Circe deadpanned. “Are you really gonna throw that fact out every time?”

“Of course not.” I retorted.

“Well, let’s go home then brother.”

I smiled, unfolded my wings and started flapping them then flew off to our home. I turned to see my sister following me by floating through the air and easily keeping up with me. After several minutes of flying we made it and landed right outside the front door.

Circe let out a slightly exhausted sigh. “It’s been a long while since I flew around like that and walked around as a dragon.”

“I know right?” I walk up to the front door. “Come on in sis. Oh, and there is another pony living here with us. Her name’s Dusty Homage and she’ll be tending to the cleaning of the mansion, despite my protests.”

“Oh, we have our own personal maid?” Circe then gives me a knowing look. “Have you done anything naughty with her, brother?”

I give her a disappointed look. “Of course not. Who do you take me for?”

“A guy who has a maid fetish.” Circe winks which causes me to blush.

I loudly gave a fake cough. “I’m gonna need you to focus, sis. Kasulis and I have determined there’s something bad brewing under the surface of the world. So to speak.”

“Something bad? Here?” Circe asked, confused. “This world is practically brimming with positive energy.”

“I know. That’s all the more reason why he senses it. Remember; even though we’re whole now, he still holds most of my negative energy.”

“You got a point. Still it’s hard to believe anything bad exists here.”

“Well when I first arrived, I ended up battling a unicorn who was a literal shadow.”

“A shadow you say?”

“Yeah, which is something I’ll need your help with.”

“Say no more. I’m pretty sure I know what it is you want.”

“Anyway, let’s head in already so I can show you your room.” I opened the front door which surprised Dusty who was standing there. “You know eavesdropping can be a bad look.”

“Well, it’s kinda hard not to when you both were standing right outside the door, talking a bit loudly.” Dusty said with a pout.

Circe’s eyes sparkled then she ran up to start hugging and petting Dusty which surprised Dusty. “Aww. She’s adorable and cute.” Circe then winked at me. “Not to mention gorgeous. Just how many suitresses are lined up for you?”

Dusty blushed at that. “S-suitress?”

I rolled my eyes. “Not as many as you think, sister.”

Dusty’s eyes widened a bit. “Sister?!”

Circe smiled. “Yup. I’m Circe Trusdale. Pleasure to meet you Dusty.”

“Likewise Circe.”

“She’s formerly a changeling queen who’s also wanted.”

Circe gave me a serious look. “So why is she here then?”

“It’s because I made a mistake.” Dusty spoke up. Circe turned her gaze to Dusty but she didn’t waver. “I infiltrated a wedding to harvest the love and positive emotions to feed my subjects but due to the immense love and positivity, I lost myself to my primal instincts. I was soundly defeated and I went into hiding when I regained my senses. Your brother happened upon me and brought me here. He helped me despite what I did and he’s willing to help me redeem myself.” Dusty looked into Circe’s eyes with powerful determination. “So I owe him.”

Circe’s serious look faded and she gave an approving smile. “I like that attitude of yours. So is Dusty your real name?”

“No, it’s a cover name. My real identity is Chrysalis.”

“Chrysalis. As in the in-between state of a caterpillar and a butterfly or moth?”

“Well… yes. Huh, I never thought of it that way.”

“You learn something new every day.” Circe chirped.

“If you’re done caressing Dusty, I’d like to show you your room sis.” I said, trying to pry my sister’s attention from Dusty.

Circe looked at me. “Oh yeah.” She let Dusty go, who took a minute to breathe like she was suffocating. “Please show me.”

I walked her to the only other room that was furnished. It wasn’t as big as my room but there was still plenty of space for a dragon of her size. It had the typical bed, nightstand, closet, a chair and table as well as a window with blinds and curtains. She took a quick look around.

“Well, I guess this could work. I’ll just need a bigger table and a more comfortable chair.” Circe said.

“You can either ask the mover ponies or go into town to find what you’re looking for. Knowing you, you’ll do the latter. Though you don’t have money and neither do I.” I suddenly realized something. “Actually, I don’t even know the currency.”

Circe gave me a deadpanned look. “Way to be on top of things, bro.”

“Shut up. A lot has happened since I arrived.”

“Bits.” I heard Dusty say at the door. “Equestria’s currency is bits.”

Circe and I raise an eyebrow. “Bits huh. If I hadn’t seen the currency myself, I wouldn’t help but wonder if it’s the same as the currency in Digimon.”

Dusty blinked. “Digimon?”

I shook my head. “Nothing. Don’t worry about it. Do you happen to have any bits, Dusty?”

Dusty rubbed her front leg with the other, like she was embarrassed. “Do you think I would be stealing apples from the farm if I had bits?”

“...Fair point.” I frowned. “Great. So we’re broke.”

“If we think about it, we’ll find a way to earn bits brother.” Circe said. “We can start now if you have nothing to do.”

Before I could answer, a loud familiar voice yelled out. “So you’re Circe?!”

Circe yelped as we all turned to see Pinkie Pie, somehow popping out from under the bed. “Y-yes. I am.”

Pinkie let out a loud gasp as she was suddenly suspended in the air. “Oh my gosh! I knew there was somepony new in Ponyville. But you’re not a pony of course, you’re a dragon. A different dragon than usual but still, I gotta go!”

Pinkie raced out the mansion like a blur after finishing her breakneck pace talk. Circe was left dumbfounded by the whole experience. “Uh… what just-”

“For the sake of sanity, don’t question it.”

Circe’s eye twitched at that. “Why?”

“Just-” I gave her a serious look. “-don’t. Trust me, okay?”

Circe pouted. “...Fine.”

“Anyway, I don’t have anything to do for today. Though we’ll be going to a party shortly now.”

“I can’t believe we’re just ignoring that a pink mare suddenly appeared and just as suddenly disappeared who also knew who I was.” Circe mumbled. “Wait. A party?”

“Yes.”

Circe was getting confused. “When was it set up?”

“It’s being set up as we speak.”

Circe became more confused. “By who?”

“Pinkie Pie, the pony who just ran out.”

Circe got even more confused. “Why would she throw a party so suddenly for no reason?”

“It’s her thing from what I can tell.”

Somehow, Circe was more confused than physically possible. “W-what kind of party?”

“Welcome to Ponyville party.”

I could swear Circe’s brain was about to crash at this point. “T-t-t-t-t-t-that’s not a party I’ve heard of.”

“I know. It’s because it’s a party only Pinkie Pie sets up and throws apparently.”

And Circe’s brain has officially crashed and rebooted. “And you told me not to question this?”

“Yes.”

“Again why?! I have to understand how-”

“Just don’t.” I quickly said. “There’s just some things you shouldn’t question and have to accept.” Circe pouted again and made a cute groaning sound. “On that thought, instead of thinking of something we can ask Pinkie Pie or other ponies what we can do to earn bits.”

Circe calmed down a bit. “You have a point.”

“Let’s get going then.” I start walking to the front door.

Circe followed me. “Go where?”

I turned to her. “To the town hall. I have no doubt Pinkie is setting up the party there. Dusty you’re coming too.”

Dusty was suddenly nervous. “Uh. I thought I would stay here.”

“Don’t be nervous Dusty. Circe and I will be with you to keep you company, not to mention Fluttershy as well.”

Dusty looked down. “Don’t force the poor mare, bro.”

“Thank you for the support Circe. But your brother is right.” Circe looked at Dusty. “I was once queen of the changelings, and if I want to be queen again, I can’t afford to be nervous and back down from a social gathering. Especially if I’m gonna be allying with Equestria.”

I smiled. “Then let’s get going, Queen Chrysalis.”

Dusty blushed a bit at me calling her queen then the three of us left.

Meanwhile

Raynin was absolutely fuming. All the gear and tech that Nelkanth and the mercs sent to him were completely destroyed. Set to self destruct by Circe herself no doubt. Not only that but some of his work got caught in the destruction. Nelkanth rolled his eyes while the mercs tried to keep their distance.

“I expected Circe to escape but rigging her equipment to be destroyed. She’s too smart for her own good.”

“And what exactly do you plan to do about it, Raynin?” Nelkanth asked.

Raynin growled and grabbed the injection he was working on, with a now completed formula. “It’s time to take this for a test run.”

Raynin started walking over to the hydra that was recently captured and chained down. It’s multiple heads growling and hissing at him as he approaches. However their expressions changed to horrified looks when they saw the malice and anger on Raynin’s face, not to mention he wasn’t even fazed by their intimidation tactic. The hydra tried to get away but due to the chains it could only struggle and squirm. Raynin held the injection in his magic and then forced the injection into the hydra’s chest, a little too forcefully. Once the substance went into the hydra’s blood stream, its eyes went bloodshot with uncontrollable rage. The chain that was holding it down was beginning to break from the hydra’s newfound strength. It eventually broke free and let out a loud guttural roar.

Before it went on a rampage, Nelkanth stopped it in its tracks with his magic. “Seems like your new formula worked.”

Raynin laughed. “Good. Now knock it unconscious.”

Nelkanth narrowed his eyes as he shot a powerful lightning bolt at the hydra’s multiple heads. The electricity forced the brains to shut down temporarily rendering the hydra unconscious. “What’s your plan Raynin?”

“We wait. For the next sibling to arrive. Then we’ll sic this creature on him.”

Nelkanth raised an eyebrow. “And what do you expect to happen then?”

“For one, I’m expecting the hydra to kill him. Second, I have no doubt Circe and Sarius will rush to his aid. So I’m hoping Circe will pay greatly for humiliating me.”

“You’re gonna kill off a valuable resource?”

Raynin shot Nelkanth a glare. “I have ways of capturing the Triplets. But Tirean Trusdale, is more troublesome to be kept alive. More so than Circe or Sarius.” Nelkanth just stared back at Raynin. “Believe me or not, you had better not underestimate them.”

“Like when you thought you would get Circe’s equipment?”

Raynin narrowed his eyes and walked away. “Just keep this beast asleep until it’s time.”