End of Balance: the Warlord´s path

by Dostoron

Maker's involvement

Fate hated playing around with its' own creations, but they were technically only as alive as their hosts, and it could not play favourites, not even with its' chosen.
The little umbrum had made a clever call in remaining androgynous, that way the little piece of darkness incarnate could adjust their story as necessary. but now it was faced with a different dilemma, the little thing was still hopelessly stuck in the Tundric lands surrounding the crystal empire and didn't actually gather enough strength to make any form of journey...
Fate would have to get involved in a way that would cost him dearly if its' own creators would grow wise to it, after all even fate had no particular influence over them.
Fortunately there were still the uplifters that had returned to observe, and the magical spike of raw positive energy had caught their eye. they would investigate and find the weakened faery of darkness, with any luck they would even lend assistance beyond getting it to safety.
Of course the Uplifters had strict orders to not at all get involved in the well and woe of the planet underneath, but they were also strictly against extinction, Fate would just bring the right ideas to their minds at the right moment.

----------

Your first transformation was done and you had gone from a formless glob of black misty goo to an adorable tiny pony with butterfly wings and antennae, a breezie, even if those who had seen one before would be able to tell that you looked kinda gothic compared to those soft hearted beings, and you were sure you could handle air and leaves much better than them...
well, you totally would if you weren't still just barely above near death.
Looking around, that bird unfortunately was the only nourishment for miles. You had a problem.

"hmm... maybe i can arouse someone's sympathy... anyone at all would do."

You took a deep breath and ampllified your voice with all the power you could spare, before letting out a wail that sounded fairly akin to an adorable little critter in pain.
You let it peter out, seemingly it lacked effect. you let your head down, you had come so far you had escaped destruction by the crystal heart by the skin of your teeth, and now you would simply collapse, forgotten in the middle of nowhere?
A noise startled you out of these thoughts, an odd metallic devie had touched down a short distance away, you felt no life aboard though, it would not help...
The device opened, revealing itself to be a vessel, and out stepped a bipedal... thing, it held no life force, but it moved without being a magical puppet, it came closer, looking you over and apparently debating something.

"H-hello? can you please help me?"

You talking to it seemed to have effect.

"Involvement goes against directive, passivity will result in extinction of an intelligent species, preservation directive overrides orders to passivity, offering assistance."

The machine spoke in an odd way, but you understood that it would help you, as it picked you up and carried you to the strange vessel.

"listing possibilities: transport near populated area to gain native assistance, transport to orbit for stasis-safekeeping or transport to orbit for medical treatment."

Apparently it expected an answer from you, you had to choose,
from the way it sounded safekeeping would result in you being put somewhere your frail body could handle for possibly a long time,
medical treatment by them was probably good but it also put you onto their home turf, you could get a look at their power, but if you fed up there they would probably let you feel it.
getting to a settlement would mean you're on your own again, but it would also mean you could continue doing things your way.
You decided to take your chances alone.

"I'll always be grateful for your help, but if you could get me near civilization that will do nicely."

"Acknowledged, minimizes involvement, can be excused before superiors."

The vessel closes around you and this strange being lifting up and you feel it accelerate.

-- -- -- -- -- -- --

It loaded you off further south, past a chasm you never have crossed on your own power and you catch glimpse of a town in the distance as the vessel came to a halt an the automaton stepped out placing you carefully on a treestump in a forest rather befitting your looks.

"possible native assistance is nearby, this unit will not get involved any further, good luck, little creature."

With that it leaves you to your own devices and you let out another amplified Wail, hoping to be found.
This time it didn't take long as a wooden wolf had taken interest in your noises, it lunged at you, but you had just enough strength to hop onto his nose, forming a pair of tendrils and stabbing into the wood golem's eyes, draining the eldritch magic that held them cohesive and bound the poor dog's soul to eternal mortality. It clattered apart into twigs and you felt a bit better, sustenance from it was not great at all, it was after all just an undead puppet of this forest, a toy you would normally ignore, but the forest saw fit to test you it seemed, it would not send more toys, knowing you'd break them.

You were broken out of pondering this ceasefire with the chaotic forest when you heard hoofsteps approach and what looked to be an earth pony with stripes entered the clearing with the stump, thankfully missing the firewood that used to be a dangerous beast of the forest, or she might have taken a guess at your potential.

"What in Elysium's name is this i see, a darkened harmed and pained breezie?"
You let out a little sob.

"G-greetings, i'm sorry to pop in unannounced... but the others exiled me when the taint befell me. they were afraid of me... please... i need help."

She looked a bit unsure, you had admitted to a taint being on you, and it being the reason you had been cast out after all, not the best excuse you could have made but she had felt your darkness, better if she believes you a victim of it, rather than the source.

"P-please, i don't wanna go like this... i just want to see my family again."

That last sentence gave her pause, it seems patheticness had a power all its' own. she came closer and scooped you up carefully, something you were grateful for, the breezie form you had taken was rather frail.

"Your wounds i can quite easily mend, for the taint you'll need my friend. outside this forest you find ponyville, seek twilight out there, if you will."

You gave a soft nod and hugged against her chest, Radiant hope had given you plenty of practice in feigning innocence.

-- -- -- -- -- --

It was a few days under Zecora's care, and a few secret trips draining critters on your own before you felt well enough to make the trip, the burn wounds the love blast had caused you healed over but scarred you just a bit, that aside however Zecora had been very helpful towards you.
You hoped she would not notice the darkness encroaching on her own body mind and soul, but being confident she'd have little contact that would notice change in her behaviour you had set it to work very slowly but unstoppable.
She was carrying you to town now, where you happened across a small cottage.
Zecora mentioned that it was the home of one Fluttershy another friend of that twilight, meaning another possible risk to you. you knew heir role in the crystal empire fiasco, and were a bit nervous about the possibility of facing one of them.

You pondered though, should you keep playing innocent and go to twilight's, make a detour to Fluttershy, or do something else altogether?

Author's Note:

writing a rhyming character, never again, i'll use passive speech when Zecora is involved from now on.

Comments

[SeventhBrony]

DO NOT ABSORB THE PONIES, USE THEIR OWN TRICKS AGAINST THEM!
tia and the tree, with the applications of "Cutie Marks" have just slightly added key points in minds that will GRADUALLY alter thoughts and actions, resulting in a complacent and air-headed populous with the exceptions being the military and the "nobles".
Granted, getting the taint around the mental conditioning and subjugation tia and the tree of "harmony" have done would be tricky as all get out but it would pay off in the long run which all this depends on except a secondary soul/respawn point which should be created VERY SOON!
All of this is long run based (except the repawn) low and slow, low and slow