12: Understanding Lies...
Sorkeno raised his head as the morning had dawned. He could sense that Hunter was awake and he reached out to see how he was doing. His eyes widened as he found that he could not reach the young stallion. AS he reached out again his senses were once more blocked and he got to his feet. By his feet the eggs sat silent as those around them waited for them to begin to chirp. He looked down once more and the silver matriarch had opened one eye and was regarding him, closely. His eyes widened as he came to the realization that he could not find the young Overlord and that his ability to find him had been blocked.
“Lord Dragon?” Kaiana said to him as her head raised from the lair floor. “Is he all right?”
“I…I am not certain.” He admitted to her and she looked alarmed as he went on. “I can sense that he is awake and alive but I cannot find his exact location.”
“What do you mean?” She asked as she raised her upper body to sit and look to him. “Is he all right?”
“As I said I can tell that he is in good health and alive but I cannot reach him as I normally do.”
Kaiana looked to him, her eyes watching as he began to uncoil himself from the eggs that he protected and kept warm. The golden dragon looked to the matriarch and she stood up as well.
“Are you going to go or shall I?” She asked him.
“I will. I can find him easier for the two of us. Can you keep the eggs warm in my stead?” He replied to her.
“Of course. If needed call upon me as well.”
Sorkeno nodded and began to walk to the edge of their lair as Kaiana took his place with the eggs. He glanced back at the other adult dragons as they also leaned in to watch over the eggs with the silver she-dragon. His body slid over the edge of the netherworld and he allowed himself to free fall for several yards before his wings snapped out from his sides and he began to fly quickly through the Netherworld and out into the sun. He angled his body to allow him to fly for the Empire lands and allow him to find the young stallion who was a son to him and the one he was bound to as well.
Twilight awoke the next morning and she rubbed her eyes and sat up. Her wings itched and she fluttered them against her back, relieving the itching. She slid out of her bed and looked to the doorway and the small bell that was up there. Her magic rang the bell absently as she looked to Spike, soundly asleep in his basket. She smiled at him and moved away from her bed as a knock sounded on her door.
“Come in.” She called out.
Soft Touch pushed the door open and she smiled warmly at the Alicorn mare. “Did you sleep well, My Lady?”
“Yes. I was pretty tired so I slept like a rock.” She replied with a chuckle.
“That’s good to hear. I have an odd question for you.” She replied and the Alicorn mare gave her an odd look at her wording. “Please pardon me for asking, but was the Overlord here?”
Twilight's face flushed a brilliant red and she covered her face with her hooves. “No!” She nearly shrieked. “Oh my Celestia, no. I was asleep and he was never here and why are you asking!?”
“Please forgive me for asking, My Lady. I ask because Wrath can’t find him.” She explained, desperate to explain even as her own blush brightened.
“No there was no pony here besides…Wait, what?” She began to shriek a response when her mind clicked in on to what the other had said. “What do you mean?”
“Wrath has been going from room to room all night looking for him. We can’t find Dezhara either. I had thought that maybe…well…umm…he might have come to you.” She replied.
“Soft Touch!” She squealed and hid once more.
“No. I…I…I mean for lessons in magic…”
Twilight let her hooves drop to the floor and she yelped when Spike reached out and ran his claws over her fur. “Why are you yelling? It’s early.” He complained.
“Sorry Spike.” She said to him and motioned for the other mare to follow her to the other side of the room to talk further. “Okay. We will just forget that you asked me if he had slept with me.”
“Agreed.” Soft Touch quickly agreed to the Alicorn’s words.
“Okay, so he’s missing?” She asked. “He said last night that he had some things he needed to look into. Did he just leave really early?”
“No. Wrath sleeps at the foot of his bed normally. So since that minion was wandering all night then it meant the Master never went to bed either.” The handmaiden replied.
“Oh. That’s not good. Okay, so we need to find him. Where is the building that he talked about?” The handmaid looked confused so she explained. “He mentioned that there was a new structure going up that needed to be investigated. He mentioned that the Empire had gone quiet lately and it seemed to make him nervous. So that is why we came.” She explained.
“I can ask around. I personally did not know any of that.” Soft Touch nodded as she understood. “I will finish with you and then go ask around.”
“This is more important than filing my hooves, Soft Touch. This is a matter of his safety. That comes first. Go.” She commanded and stood up. “I will get my friends and we will look around the city as well. There is no way they could wrangle an angry dire wolf if she isn’t with him.”
“That’s true. Very well, My Lady. If I find anything I will find you.” She said and left the room in a hurry, her dress fluttering behind her as she left.
“Spike!” She yelled and the baby dragon yelped and fell out of his basket.
“What?” He called to her.
“We have work to do. Come on.” She said and as she was about to leave the room she paused and glanced to her Regalia. Her magic covered it and it slid into place on her form. She lifted her hooves and slid her hoof boots into place. Spike gave her a strange look and waited for her to explain. “Hunter is missing.” She said and they left the room behind.
“He’s what?” The drake asked her, his eyes wide.
“Wrath sleeps at the end of his bed and that minion was up all night looking for him. Dezhara is missing as well. We need to get the others and go out to the city to see if we can find him.” She related back to the drake at her side.
“Okay.” He jumped to her back as she came to the first of her friend’s rooms and knocked heavily.
Soft Touch rounded a corner and entered into the kitchens. She knew that the Master did not need to eat as much or as often as a normal pony but even he had to be hungry after the fight yesterday. “Pardon me.” She called out to one of the chefs. The stallion spun to look at her, his apron dirty, and his magic holding several ingredients aloft, waiting for her to go on. “Did anypony send a meal to the Overlord last night or this morning?”
“A moment.” He said back to her and a pad of paper came to him enveloped in his magic and checked the list. “No. Nothing last night or this morning. Why is he asking for anything?”
“No. I was just checking. I am so sorry for interrupting you.” She said and gave a slight bow of her head to the stallion who shrugged and nodded to her before going back to his cooking.
The pale mare left the kitchen and came back into the hallway. “Okay…Now to check with the servants who would be tending to his room?” She broke into a long trot and reached the servant’s quarters and knocked on the door. A mare with a sour expression opened the door after a few beats. The mare’s expression didn’t change as the handmaiden spoke. “I was wondering if those who are tending to our Lords room have seen him this morning.” She asked. Her tone was polite as she regarded the other pony.
“I have no idea, hang on.” She growled and slammed the door behind her.
Soft Touch blinked at the rudeness of the mare and shook her head to clear it. “This behavior is becoming annoying. The Master would not permit this in the Netherworld.” She whispered to herself and kept waiting. Time turned to minutes and she was tempted to open the door and walk in but the handle turned as she began to reach for the door. The handmaiden pulled back her hoof swiftly and smiled as the door opened and two ponies were shoved through the doorway, landing at her hooves.
“They took care of it. You can have them.” The mare snapped and slammed the door behind them.
Soft Touch stared at the newly slammed door and then to the ponies who were pulling themselves up to look at her. The pale mare was quiet as she waited for them to speak but they remained silent at her glance. “Are you both all right?” She asked them after a pregnant pause between them.
Both looked to her, their eyes wide at her question. The younger of the two looked to her, her eyes were a pale blue, her coat was pale pink. She stared at the handmaiden and seemed uncertain of how to answer the other mare. The other, a colt, with green eyes and a coat of gold stared as well. After a few more moments they both nodded frantically and Soft Touch bit back an exasperated sigh.
“That’s good. So I am wondering if either of you saw the Overlord last night or this morning.” She finally spoke to them as they continued to stare.
“No. The room hadn’t been touched when we checked it this morning.” The colt finally answered.
Soft Touch sighed and leaned back on her haunches as she thought of her next move. “Thank you.” She said with a gentle smile to them as she began to walk away from them. ‘All right so the Master did not go to bed last night. That leaves only one option. He went back out instead of retiring for the night. But where?’ She thought to herself as she walked back the way she had come.
A screech sounded behind her and she whirled back to find the young servants on the floor as the rude mare towered over them. Soft Touch watched as the mare's hoof lashed out and struck the colt across his face, sending him rolling back. The mare yelped and dodged to avoid being hit as well. Soft Touch’s stomach dropped as she watched and even she was unsure of the exact moment she had starting galloping back to them. Her shoulder crashed into the cruel mare and sent her rolling a few feet away.
She stopped and got to her hooves as she was faced with a panting Soft Touch. “How dare you touch me!” She shrieked.
“How dare I touch you?!” She yelled back. “How dare you hit him!”
“They are useless to me so I can do as I wish with them.” She snarled in reply.
Soft Touch felt her eyes widen as anger rolled over her. “You are the one in charge that’s true. But that does not give you the right to abuse the staff who are employed here. They look to you and you are treating them worse than a flea-bitten dog.” She growled back. The handmaid shifted her placement until she was in between the mare and the young ponies.
“Get out of my way, you useless cretin.” She said and stepped forward.
“I think not.” The pale handmaid replied. “I think I will take them with me if you have no use for them. They answered my questions and were very helpful. I am certain I can find a task for them that will be of use to our Lord.”
“You presume much, nag. I will keep them and use them as I see fit.”
“No.”
“No. How dare you interrupt me...”
“I will speak as I need to. You are not worth listening to, much less being allowed to command others. You are a disgrace.” Soft Touch said nothing, she inhaled as the mare advanced on her. She raised a hoof to hit the handmaid who spoke further. “I should warn you that the last mare to hit me was punished by the Overlord himself.” She breathed out in a rush.
The rude mare paused and stared at her. “What?’
“And I can assure you my Mistress, Princess Twilight Sparkle, would not approve of any violence against me as I do as she had instructed me.” She said aloud.
“You little…”
“That’s enough.” Soft Touch said to her and backed up to look at the ponies hiding behind her. “Come with me. We will get that jaw looked at and make sure that both of you are okay.” She said to them and spun leaving the mare behind. She glanced back and the two ponies had fallen in behind her, staying almost uncomfortably close to her.
She nearly told them to back off or they would end up stepping on her dress but she instead was quiet and allowed them to remain in place. 'Oh, I hope the Master and the Princess are not upset that I used their names as I did.' She led them out of the hallway and toward their servant’s quarters. She led them in and several others looked up at her approach.
“Soft what are you doing here?” A mare approached her and addressed her.
“Silk. I need your help.” She replied to the pale green mare.
“Of course. Are you…Are you aware that you have two very young ponies hiding behind your dress?”
“I am aware. They need a job. And we need to have the jaw of the colt checked. The lead servant here is a witch of a mare and struck him rather hard. I brought them with me when she said that she had no use for them.” The handmaiden explained.
“Oh my.” Silk lunged to the ponies and they were wide-eyed as she descended upon them. “Hold still, sweet boy.” She cooed to the colt, who had fallen to his flanks in surprise. She gently moved the colts face to the side, allowing her to see the growing mark on his face. “Oh, that brute mare really did hit you.” She crooned to them and tried to calm them both.
Soft Touch stepped aside as more stepped forward to console and help the newcomers. She smiled at the sight and spun to leave the room once more.
“Miss, wait!” The filly cried out and waved for her attention.
“Yes?” Soft Touch turned back as the filly escaped the groups grasp and stumbled up to her. “What is it?”
"The Master. Will he really protect you?” She asked, her tone hushed and breathless.
“Our Lord does not permit cruelty to any who serve him. Nor does he allow it to happen in this kingdom. I can assure you of that. You are safe now.” She said to her, her voice was gentle and soothing.
The young mare looked uncertain as tears brimmed in her eyes. They spilled over and Soft Touch lunged into her and held the now trembling filly close. The young pony wrapped her forelegs around the handmaid and began to sob. The others came up to her and began to speak softly to her, assuring her that what the handmaiden had said was the truth. The colt looked lost as they held and spoke gently to him as well. A servant reached up and set a bag of ice gently against his cheek and he held it in place as they also held him close among them.
“They hate him.” The filly croaked and Soft Touch gently pushed her away from her.
“What do you mean?” Soft Touch asked her.
“The Master. They hate him. They want to, to…” She sniffled and her voice gave out as she looked to them.
“Sweet girl, it’s okay. You can tell us.” Silk crooned to her and began to pet her mane, trying to calm her.
“They want to kill him.” The colt spoke up as the filly nodded at his words.
“What!?” Soft Touch nearly shrieked but managed to keep her voice from hysterics. “Why? How?”
“They want to keep the wealth to themselves and put things the way they used to be.” He said to them, his voice was quiet as he spoke. “They were building something in the main city, but I don’t know what it is.” He admitted.
Soft Touch looked to him and her jaw slowly dropped at his words. “Oh no.” She whispered as the implications hit her. “But what about the Princess and those that came with her?”
“They are going to keep them here and ransom them. They want the money to rule the Empire once more.” He said aloud.
“Soft!” Silk cried out to her. “I saw the Princess and her friends leave a while ago. You have to reach them and protect them. Take some of the minions. I know they have their guards but more can’t hurt.”
Soft Touch was already halfway through the door at her friend’s words and she galloped down the hall. She raced down the hall and saw Wrath standing at the far door. “Wrath!” She shouted at the minion stood at attention as he looked to her. “Come with me. I need you to help protect the Princess and her friends. The Empire has done something to the Master.” She called and slid to a stop at the minion’s side. The armored minion nodded and jumped to sit astride the mares back, his claws gripping her mane. The pale mare took off and tore through the open door, out into the streets, her eyes frantically searching for her charge.
Hunter groaned as he opened his eyes and pushed himself into a sitting position. He shook his head and opened his eyes. He was about to call for Wrath when a sound caught his attention. He looked up and saw the wide cavern around him. His mind fell into place and he remembered the night before.
“Hells.” He cursed under his breath as he looked to the ceiling above him.
He pushed himself to his hooves and cringed as his crushed armor dug into his back. He looked to the armor pieces and found the section across his back had been caved in and was crumpled in several places. His hoof gripped the armor and he bent it away from his skin, allowing him to move easier. He looked to the rest and found other pieces that had been caved in and fixed them to the best of his ability and began to look around him. The Overlord was quiet as he looked to the rest of the cavern. The sides were smooth and he could see tool marks on them and he strained his ears to listen for anything around him.
He stood in the center of a waste rock pile. His armor creaked and complained as he picked his way down the pile and to the bottom. He stopped in sudden alarm as he realized that his bow was not on his back. He glanced around and the steady glow from the Rune bow caught his attention as he reached out to it with his magic. He began to walk forward when the sudden realization that his bow was still on the ground overtook him. A quick glance to his horn found it to be dormant.
A flash of annoyance went through him and he cast a glance around him for anyone that could hear him. “DAMNIT!” He yelled to no one and stalked over to the bow on the ground and slung it over his back, sliding it into place. He looked to the ground and saw a set of tracks that were used in mining leading toward the far wall.
His hooves thudded on the dirt floor as he began to walk away from the rock pile. He could feel bruises and a few cuts on his body but he deemed that he had come out of the tumble from on high fairly well considering the height he had fallen from. His gaze landed on a doorway and he broke into a trot to reach it stopped when a section of his armor cut against his right side and he slowed to a walk.
“Okay so my magic is being blocked by something and my armor is two steps away from falling off. And Dezhara is nowhere to be found. She was able to avoid the trap door. When I find out the purpose behind this I will skin the one who did this….Publicly.” He vowed as he walked forward.
As his hooves carried him away from the rock pile and he entered into the small doorway that he had to duck his head slightly to avoid hitting his horn on the doorway. As he walked carefully down the narrow path he could hear something ahead of him. He paused in his steps and perked his ears forward as he waited to hear what lay ahead of him. His ears caught the sound of trolley wheels as they came toward him, he backed up and then spun to gallop back the way he had come when a chunk of his armor bit into the meat of his right shoulder. He groaned and stopped in his tracks as the sound neared him. He heard the trolley stop behind him stop in place and a voice rang out from his back.
“Hey! You stop working you know what will happen! You will end up…in…the…Wait.” The voice was a few feet behind him as the dull thud of hooves neared him. “Who are you?”
Hunter raised his head and looked back over his shoulder, his red eyes glowing from behind his thick mane. The pony’s eyes widened and he scrambled backward, his flank striking the cart behind him. The Overlord turned to him, slowly. Hunter found himself staring at a deep brown stallion with emerald eyes. The pony held up his hooves in front of his face as the Overlord now faced him. Hunter’s eyes widened slightly as he recognized the stallion now trembling before him. He was a pony that was part of his father’s inner circle when he had been in power. The black stallion closed his eyes as he tried to recall his name. It had been years since he had seen him and even longer since he had been in the same room with him.
“Light Gaze?” He finally spoke the name aloud and hoped he had it right.
The pony stopped cringing and looked back to the Overlord, who now stood before him. “Sire?”
“What in the Netherworld is going on here?” He asked and strode up to the now bewildered pony.
The older stallion looked uncertain at his question as the black Unicorn pulled him to his hooves. “We are doing as you said.” He replied, his voice uncertain.
Hunter could hear the quiver of fear in the stallion’s voice as he stood up and looked to the Overlord before him. “Pardon?”
“You said for us to excavate the mine and that you had chosen the ponies to accomplish the task.” He began to explain as Hunter watched him. “The Emissary, Clarity, came back with the list of those that would work it and we set to the task as soon as possible.”
“Wait.” Hunter raised a hoof and the others went silent. “I have done no such thing. Why would I send a pony down here to the depths of a mine when I can send a group of minions who are faster?”
Gaze paused at the others question and a light seemed to go off in his mind as he looked at the other pony. “So I assume then that you did not approve the Council that they wanted?”
“Absolutely not.” Hunter thundered, outrage plain in his tone. “They wished to…Oh no.”
Hunter bade the stallion follow him as he walked past the cart and further into the mine. They emerged into a mining structure and the tunnels stretched out from the main channel that the Overlord stood inside. Ponies of various ages toiled in the tunnels ahead of him. The Overlords' eyes widened at the sight and his breath caught in his throat as he watched even foals put to hard labor. He looked to the stallion at his side who looked sad and beaten at the sight before them. His outrage boiled under the surface as he watched them.
“My Lord?” Gaze suddenly spoke to him, jarring him from his thoughts.
“How long have you been down here?” He finally breathed out.
“Ever since Clarity returned. We were gathered up slowly as our names were called and sent down here.”
“Let me assume that the names are those who are not one of their own?”
“Right.”
“Anypony that stood up to them and disagreed?”
“Yes, Sire.”
“I will skin them living.” He snarled.
Gaze raised his head at the words from the younger stallion. “Sire. I love the idea, but.”
“What?”
“There is no way out. The exit is not big enough for a pony, we slide the gems and gold ore under the barrier for collection.”
“Show me.” The black stallion looked to the other stallion who shook his head. “Gaze?”
“Forgive me but, there is a guard that won’t allow most of us near.”
“Ponies they have stationed?”
“No. It’s a magical construct of some kind. It scans those who are allowed near it and attacks those that are not allowed.”
Hunter was quiet as the other explained. He breathed in and held his breath for a moment as the words sunk in. “Hmm.” He gave a non-committal noise and walked slowly forward. A gasp from his right told him he had been spotted. He glanced to the eight and saw a stallion staring at the armored Overlord. Others looked to him as he passed by and they stared at the sight of him. His gaze was trained forward as the tunnels stretched out before him. “Gaze. Take me to these constructs. I want to see what that construct is.”
“Yes, Sire.” He replied and took the lead.
Ponies began to follow behind him as he walked ahead. They remained at a distance as the Overlord walked forward, his steps thudding dully against the dirt. Ahead of him, they walked down a tunnel that slowly widened till them a sharp corner stopped them. Gaze looked back to the Overlord at his heels.
“It’s just around this corner.” He said quietly, his voice barely above a whisper.
The Overlord walked past him and looked around the corner and to the construct around the corner. He stared at the strange figure at the end of the walkway. It stood about Hunter's own height and had runes skittering across its surface. His eyes narrowed at the figure which did not move, giving no sign that he had been seen. The figure was close to two feet wide and had no eyes or features that he could discern without getting closer to it. The runes alternated in color from reds to blues to orange. Hunter stepped out from the corner and stood in place to see if the figure would react. When nothing happened he took another step and waited.
He could hear the ponies behind him and he flicked an ear to them. They did not stop him as he took another step forward, still no change and he stepped forward. He continued to approach at one step intervals until he was within five feet of the construct. The runes shifted their color to red and a string of light came from the sides of the construct and connected in the middle of what could have been the forward face if it had one. Hunter paused and stepped a foot back to see if it would stop and a short gasp escaped as the coloring did not change. A hard yank on his tail pulled him back and away from the small beam of light that came from the construct, striking the ground, leaving a small crater in place.
“Come back, it won’t stop!”
Gaze yelled in his hear as he yanked the Overlord back and pulled him around the corner, out of sight. Hunter’s flank pushed against the wall as he gave a short pant and then looked to the pony that had pulled him back. “Thank you, Gaze.” He said aloud.
“Of course, Sire.” He whispered back.
“Okay, so the range is about five feet, then it reacts. Where are the ponies that are allowed near it?” He asked.
“They're back in the tunnel junction.” Gaze pushed away from the wall and began to lead the way back the way they had come. “What are you going to do, Sire?”
“I have a few ideas but first we need to figure out how that thing works exactly. Nothing I am thinking of doing can go forward until we figure out a few more details.” He admitted.
Hunter paused and looked back for a moment, a sense of frustration washed over him before he pushed it back and focused on answering the questions he now had. Everything else would have to wait. He stopped in his tracks as a snort broke from him and he chuckled at his own foolishness. “I can fix this in an instant.” He muttered to himself and reached out to Sorkeno, calling for his aid. He could sense the Lord Dragon, but his call was met with silence. His eyes widened as he realized that his connection was being interfered with. He looked ahead as the others had paused at his sudden lack of movement.
“Cover your ears.” He commanded and they quickly sat down and covered their ears. “SHIT!” He yelled aloud, the curse echoed as he closed his eyes and his head went back in clear frustration. He inhaled a deep breath then slowly released it. He gathered himself and looked at them. He covered one ear and removed his hoof to signal them that they were allowed to listen to him once more. He rejoined them and began to walk faster toward the junction.
Okay, so my roomie finished editing this one first so it is getting released first. The other would be in the next couple of days since half the chapter got lost while transferring to my laptop since I'm not going to be at my house for a couple of weeks, so I am redoing it from memory as best I can. So it should be ready soon. Otherwise, I will publish what I have and try to get the rest later. I am sorry if that leaves another cliffhanger. 
Edit: 2/21/2019: Added Sorkeno's part since I forgot it before!
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I cannot wait to see what The Overlord does to the council of that Empire, slaving arseholes.
9435338
Working on it.
Well, this supposed 'council' will have a bad time coming. The best part is that you can just heal their wounds, and skin them alive over and over if you don't go too drastic or cut any important veins!
9435459
Very true! The blues make that pretty easy!
Man I'm sad now i read through this in one entire day now i have nothing to do but wait for possibly the best fanfic i have read
9467296
Thank you! I’m working on new chapters. 😎
Well, the Council is about to face problems from multiple fronts especially with the Sorkeno already on the way. I wonder when would the Elements of Harmony take some of the center stage of the issue as the ones solving it.
*they're
their is possessive.
"That is their dog."
"Their magic is no match for that monster!""
9740278
Fixed thank you for letting me know.
I'm still loving that ending.
They will burn for this
10069299
Oh yes. There will be fire!
Rereading this and I am surprise the ponies so easily went along with this. Did none try to warn Hunter?
Needs to be added
There will be a lot of Pony to be skinned alive... Their coats will make good Trophys for examples how betrayal and harming of his population is repayed.
11089171
Fixed! Thank you!
11089178
Maybe he can use their coats to make a new cape because I doubt his survived the fall.