3: Regaining a Thought...
As they descended, Twilight kept her eyes open and watched Hunter. He seemed to revel in the sudden plunge of the dragon and the roar and flame that followed. She could see a type of joy go through him. His eyes closed momentarily, then reopened with a look of strength and determination. She could feel his armor pushing against her back as he held her safely in place. She had been afraid that she would fall and slide off the dragon’s smooth scales. But he had held her safely in place and didn’t let her slip. She felt Sorkeno pull up sharply and land softly on the snowy ground. The enormous golden dragon descended the hill outside the city’s main gates.
Hunter lifted his body off her and stepped back to allow her room to rise. She got to her hooves, and he laid a foreleg around her shoulders and led her to the outstretched paw of the Lord Dragon. He lowered them to the ground, and she watched Hunter leave her behind him and walk to the hill’s highest point.
Hunter was quiet as he scanned the city gates and the nearest homes. His ears flicked to the front as he listened. He could hear the ponies within the walls scrambling to open the front gates. As he watched, the gates were pushed outward, and several ponies rushed out to greet him. He recognized the father of one of the traitors running to him. The others he recognized by sight, if not by name. They neared him and slowed to wait for him to approach them at the bottom of the hill, their apparent fear of Sorkeno keeping them at a distance. Hunter looked over his shoulder and nodded to the dragon, who laid down and set his head beside the Overlord.
“What is your plan, little one?” The dragon asked.
“Well, this little rebellion will end today. If I get to the harbor and find that the ship is missing, I’ll call for your help to stop it. You’ve seen the ships I use. Can you pick it up and carry it, or would we destroy it?”
“If it is similar to the others, I should be able to pick it up. I would prefer not to destroy a ship of your fleet.” The Dragon Lord replied.
“Excellent. I will leave Twilight here with you. This should not take me long to rectify.” The stallion replied as he began to walk down the hill toward the assembled ponies.
“Be careful, little one.”
Hunter stopped and looked back, a cocky smile crossed his muzzle. “It’ll be fine, Sorkeno. No problem at all. It’ll be fun.”
The dragon shook his head slowly as he lifted his head from the ground. Twilight came to stand beside the dragon and watched as the stallion whistled. She looked back as the sound of feet drummed behind her. Minions crowded past her, led by Wrath. She didn’t count them as they ran by her, surrounding the stallion at the end of the hill. Sorkeno sighed and settled down to await any news from the stallion.
“Sorkeno?”
The dragon looked at her. His eyes were huge, and she could see her reflection inside them. “Yes, little Princess?”
“Why is he not having you drop him in the area needed?”
“A valid question.” The dragon said to her, amusement in his voice. “Little one does not like to have it appear that he needs me or the other dragons to aid him. His rule cannot be contested, even by a dragon.”
Twilight was quiet as the dragon spoke. “No pony would argue who is their ruler, but it still seems like he’s…” She paused and searched for the correct phrasing. “Making things more difficult than they need to be.”
Sorkeno threw back his head as a loud bark of laughter escaped him. Twilight startled at the laughter. “You are not the first to mention that, little Princess. He chooses to do things himself. Yes, by using myself or another, his rule would never be questioned when we are present. But he reinforces their view of him by doing things independently and using his power. He is a very complex ruler.”
“I can see that,” Twilight admitted as she sat in the snow beside the dragon. She pulled Hunter’s cloak closer to her body and snuggled into the fabric. “What was his father like?” She asked, trying to have a conversation with the dragon.
The dragon glanced at her and then looked back to the city. “He was very different than his son. While Hunter chooses to do things independently, his father is no stranger to using all his resources if he chooses to. One could argue the strength of his character. His greatest joy was his mate and their son.”
“I have heard a little about his mother. Soft Touch said she was a gentle, kind, beautiful mare.” She replied.
“True. Songstress was her name.” Sorkeno said to her.
“Beautiful name,” Twilight admitted.
“It matched her. She was a Unicorn of music and flowers. A mare that had no equal with a harp and other music. She would sing to calm Hunter when he was fussy. Only her voice was enough to calm both father and son truly.”
“What did she look like?”
Sorkeno was quiet as if he were in thought. “Her coat was like spun silver in the moonlight, her mane a golden halo adorning her features, adding to the beauty surrounding her.” He replied as Twilight looked at him. “That was how her mate described her.”
Twilight smiled. “She sounds stunning. What about his father?”
Sorkeno looked away from her, sorrow on his features. “He was a deep gray with black markings that went up his legs to his knees. His mane was always cut short unless his mate forced him to leave it long, and it was a deep blue.”
“Wow. I can see where Hunter has gotten his looks.” Twilight muttered, then startled at her own words.
The dragon laughed once more. “Very true, little Princess. He has his father’s height and his mother’s grace.”
“They had normal eyes?”
“Yes.”
“Then how are his…glowing like that?”
Sorkeno was quiet. “They became like that after I gave him my name. Bonding us as I did gave him a bit of my fire.” Sorkeno explained. “It lit his heart aflame and allowed him to live when he should have died. That fire is still within him, even now, so many years later.”
“Is that why you call him little one?”
The dragon chuckled and nodded. “Yes. He carries an internal flame as though he were a dragon. In that way, he is like my own.”
“You don’t have children of your own?”
“No,” Sorkeno responded. “I am fine with what I do have. One cannot mourn what they never had. A better hatchling there will never be.” Sorkeno said to her.
“He mentioned another dragon a couple of times. I think it was Kian…Something.”
“Kaiana.”
“Right. Sorry, I messed up her name.” Twilight said to him, her tone apologetic.
“It is all right. She is a she-dragon that has been a large piece of his life.” Sorkeno explained as the mare waited for him to speak. “When his mother passed and then losing his father, he needed guidance.”
“Since she passed away when he was two?”
“Yes. It hurt him deeply to lose her. Kaiana had become a dear friend to his mother, and she had sworn that she would love him as her own. And she has. He has never been without a mother who loves him in his life. Kaiana loves him more than her life and has always been ready to guide and care for him.”
“I haven’t seen her,” Twilight said to him.
Sorkeno was quiet once more. “She is the eldest of us.” He said aloud.
Twilight looked at him, dawning in her eyes. “Is she okay?”
“She is nearing the end of her life. He knows this.” He said to her at her worried expression. “He comes to see her as often as he can. Often, she is resting, and he will lay at her side. Words need not be spoken for them to understand.”
Twilight remained quiet as he spoke. “I never thought to ask him about his family,” she replied.
The golden dragon looked down at her and laid his head on the ground close to her. “Do you still desire to trick him into rescinding the claim on the new lands?” He asked her, his voice quiet.
Twilight startled and looked at the ground at the dragon’s question. “I was asked to…but.” She looked up at the city’s gates and watched the lights within it. “I don’t know.”
Sorkeno blinked and then looked to the city as well. “If you will be trying to trick him, then I ask that you leave the Netherworld,” he told her.
Twilight inhaled, her breath catching in her throat. “I won’t try to trick him. He’s not the pony everypony thinks he is. Princess Celestia and Luna don’t know him. He said that Luna never asked him anything and treated him like he had to accommodate her. That wasn’t fair. I have decided that I want to try to get to know him. Applejack says it’s easier to work with a pony than against them.”
“Wise words,” Sorkeno said to her.
“The Element of Honesty.”
Sorkeno laughed and exhaled a ring of smoke from his mouth as he laughed with her. “It suits her then. I will withhold my judgment of your actions as well. So long as he is all right, I see no reason to act.”
“I wanted to come along to understand how things are here. Equestria is almost the exact opposite. I know that things happen in the background of politics and all that.” She explained to the dragon as they waited. “But I don’t see much of it. Ponyville is a very peaceful place.”
“Ponyville?”
“That’s Where I live. My castle and my friends are all there,” she replied, and the dragon nodded his understanding.
“You have friends who love and support you,” Sorkeno told her, his voice hinting at sorrow. “Little one has never truly had that aspect in his life.”
“Why not? He doesn’t seem to be a bad pony or even a crazy one. I don’t see a reason for him to be all alone at all times. With the minions and you obviously, but I mean other ponies.”
Sorkeno was quiet, and he sighed. “He has been hurt many times, so he chooses to remain alone,” Sorkeno informed her. “He was once a very friendly colt who loved nothing more than to run through the snow in Nordberg.”
“What happened?”
“A filly was kind to him, and they were very close. My name had healed him, and he could run and play. It's a joy to watch him run over the snow.” Sorkeno said to her. He looked at the city, his eyes closed slowly as he thought about that time. “He asked if I would bring him here to play. I agreed, and we came to the city for him to play with the filly and a few others. They were brought out in the front to play, and I watched over them.”
“Quite the foal sitter.”
Sorkeno barked a laugh. “Indeed. One would have thought that they would not do something foolish in the presence of a dragon.”
Twilight was quiet. “So what happened?”
The dragon once more looked to the city and then off to the side of it. “Over there. What do you see?”
Twilight stood up, pulled the warm cloak close, and walked around the dragon’s paws to look where he indicated. “A very creepy, dark cave. That looks like it’s half-collapsed,” she admitted and shuddered at the sight of it.
Sorkeno nodded. “I was dozing with them, as I always did. I reopened an eye and found that several of them were missing.”
“Hunter, too?”
“Yes. I rose and searched for him. One side of the city to the other, but I found nothing. I was not the only one searching. The parents of the filly were hunting for her as well. I finally commanded them all to go silent and reach out to him. I have not done it with him before. The chance of hurting him by calling upon our link was a possibility. His body was still very young, and the power that flows between us could easily overwhelm him and cause injury.”
“So that’s why you didn’t use the link.” Twilight nodded in understanding.
“Yes. Desperation called upon me to use that link. I was able to find him in that cave. As I neared it, I could hear him calling for help. As you noticed, half of the structure is missing. I removed that part of it so I could get to him. He d the filly had been thrown into the cave depths.”
“That’s horrible!” Twilight yelled, horrified. “Why ”
“I am not sure of the exact reasoning. If I recall correctly, it was due to the family’s distaste for the Overlord and his bloodline. So the foal of that family sought to hurt him and did exactly that.”
“But you saved them, right?”
Sorkeno shook his head. “I was able to save him. The illy had died in front of him.”
Twilight gasped, her hooves covering her mouth, horror on her face. She felt disgust rising within her, and she looked to the city. “That’s…Why?”
“She was his friend. So they sought to make it seem as though he had killed her. They did not realize the cave had a slope in the back that could be slid down. There was no way to get out of it. The illy rolled down the slope and was injured.”
“She was murdered. That isn’t very good. Please tell me that they got justice?”
“They did. His father saw to that. After that happened, Hunter began to distance himself from all the other foals and threw himself into learning about the kingdom and all that was in it. When his father vanished, he became focused on the kingdom and returned it to its place at his command. His focus has not wavered ever since.”
“That’s why he does it all alone?”
“Yes. He does not have the trust in others to allow others to rule or lead in his stead. Little one is a powerful soul, but he is hurt in other ways. The loss of his father drove him forward, and he gave up all dreams from his foal hood. He grew up in a few short months and dove into his training.” Sorkeno said to her.
“So he stopped being a kid and grew up?”
“Yes. He let go of all foal games and the youth that comes with them. The loss of the filly started it. His father’s loss finished it, and what is left is the Overlord you see now.”
“I suddenly really wish I could just go back to Equestria and tell them to let the lands go and allow him to rule as he does. But also don’t want to see him hurt.” She replied, rubbing her eyes as tears pricked her eyes. “But I want to stay and learn. He ill smiles and laughs once you get to know him.” She looked at the dragon as he looked down at her. “Can I stay?” She asked him.
Sorkeno smiled at her and lowered his body down to surround her. His warmth surrounded her as she began to cry. Guilt washed over her as she remembered the reason for her being there. “I don’t want to hurt him.” She sniffled and pushed up against the dragon’s scales. “I promise I won’t lie to him or hurt him.” Stress and her feelings bubbled to the surface, and she sobbed against his scales.
Sorkeno held her close and allowed her to cry. “I believe you, little Princess,” he said to her, gently nuzzling her. I do not think you can hurt him, truly. I'd ask you a favor.”
She nodded into his skin and looked up at him. “Anything.”
“Please make him smile. He carries the Empire on his shoulders at all times. When I ask him to visit me and relax for a few hours, perhaps you can do more than that.”
“I will. I can do that. Spike adores him already. And I like being around him. He can be a bit intense at times. But he has a good sense of humor once you get past that.”
Sorkeno nodded. “He has his mother’s heart, with his father’s will. He does not back off or give in. He'll always stand tall and prevent anything from getting past him.”
“I noticed.” She giggled and sniffled once more.
“Then I will believe in your words, little Princess.”
She smiled and snuggled against the golden scales.
Hunter strolled through the city towards the back end, where the harbor sat. Nordberg was the main trade route in his kingdom, and the harbor was a relatively new development that added to the city’s resources and trade routes.
“Sire?”
“Yes?” The stallion looked to the father beside him.
“I will try to talk to them. Please, give me a few minutes?”
“I will hold back as long as I think it is fair. I p mise nothing after that time.” Hunter responded.
The stallion raced ahead of him and through the gates to the harbor. He sighed and slowed his stride to give him time.
His hooves raced over the compacted snow as he ran ahead of the Overlord. The black stallion had agreed to let him speak to his daughter and the other ponies. They have to see that this is folly. They can’t beat him.’ He thought as he ran. He slid to a halt at a corner and plunged ahead once more. His hooves slid on ice as he bumped into a fence and rebounded off it to run through the harbor gates. They were open, and he galloped headlong through them. He slid to a halt as his daughter came into view. She wore her mother’s fur coat and yelled at other ponies to hurry so they could take the ship and leave.
“Wait!” He shouted to her, startling the young mare.
She spun, and a bored expression went over her face. She glared at him and then looked away, back to the others. “What do you want now?”
He slowed and stopped, panting as he gathered his breath. “You must stop this, Cure Heart. How do you propose to get far enough away? Our master has a dragon.” He tried to use logic to make her see.
“So? We can escape him. No being told what to do.”
“He has never commanded our lives. We are loyal to him, yes. But he does not tell us how to live. So ng as we are loyal, he will never interfere in our lives.”
“You are so stupid.” She cracked to the stallion and spun to face him. “You are so busy keeping your head down that you don’t think of what we could have if we left him. We n rule ourselves.”
“And where would that be?” He snapped at her. “What happens if your crops fail? If your home burned down? Who do you think aids in the repairs and sees that we are fed?”
The mare blinked. “We would still be better off without him,” she replied. May if he had died instead that day, we would be fine.”
The stallion’s eyes widened. His hoof struck her with enough force to send her back afoot. The slap resounded through the quiet air. Cure gripped her face and stared at him. “Your mother would be ashamed of you. I am ashamed of you. Wishing death upon others is not how you were taught. If you plan to do this, I will allow it. But you are no daughter of mine. Whoever filled your head with the idea that death and pain solve anything is an even bigger fool than I was.” Tears pricked the stallion’s eyes as he backed away from her. “I w sh my hooves of this. I have tried everything to stop this from happening. But it is no longer my place to end this.” He said to her, sorrow gripping him as he looked at the gates.
The Overlord stood on the hill outside of the harbor. The region he commanded surrounded him as he watched. The armored pony had watched from afar. The stallion looked back to his daughter. “I called upon him to help me. Perhaps, if you are faced with the truth, you will remember what it was like to have the world in your hooves.” He said to her and walked away from her.
“You called on him?” Cure shrieked. Her father said nothing as he walked away, his head low. “So you asked him to kill us? You’re worse than he is.”
Hunter heard her words and a snarl built in his throat. He shed the feeling back and began the short walk through the gates. His mind formed the commands that sent the minions off to accomplish his orders and goals. They swarmed over the snow, crying and screaming as they raced into battle. The black stallion watched as the ponies squared off against the minions.
“They might have height on them, but the minions are all battle-tested and relentless.” He said to himself as he stopped at the entrance to the harbor.
The Rune bow on his back pulsed in time with his steady heartbeat. His magic covered the bow, and he reared onto his hind legs, holding the bow in his hooves. While he could fire it with his magic, he was also well-versed in the traditional style. His magic pulled out an arrow, and he notched it into the bowstring. He drew it back to its full draw and breathed out as he aimed. Blu Runes traveled down the arrow shaft, and he loosed the arrow. Blue flame trailed the arrow’s path as it thudded into the shoulder of a young stallion. The pony screamed as the arrow pushed him off his hooves and back several feet. The arrow flame bit into the wound and began to attack the pony’s flesh. The bow had the incantation on it for both flame and poison.
“Here we go.” He muttered as he set up another.
Several ponies advanced on the Overlord as he reached down and pulled three more arrows out of his quiver, notching each. The blue Runes skittered over their shafts as he pulled them back and released all of them. Each arrow found the chest of its target. The force of the impact threw back the ponies, and they went still. He worked for his next target and advanced as he sighted with the bow once more. His hooves slid over the snow as he loosed another arrow.
The ponies that stood against him slowly began to panic. The minions were beating them back, and now they realized that the Overlord himself was picking them off. The armored stallion stood on his hind legs, his stance relaxed and calmed as he continued. He took the father off to the side, hiding in the gate's shadow, sobbing. While he felt bad for the pony, his daughter and the transgressions of the other could not be forgiven.
Ahead of him, a mare began to scream orders to the ship in the harbor. Hunter watched as the ship’s anchor was pulled up and its moorings removed. He slid his bow over his back and galloped forward. As he ran past, Wrath reached out and gripped the shoulder of his armor, slinging onto the stallion’s back. Hunter barely noticed the minion’s weight as he raced around the stern of the ship, heading for the stem of the ship. A long rope was thrown into the water from the top section of the ship, and he leaped for it. His hooves gripped the rope as it hung over the side. He looked up, and it seemed as though he had gone unnoticed.
“Oh, man,” he muttered as he slowly began climbing the rope. He reached the top and gazed over the side to get his bearings.
Ponies raced over the ship’s deck, and he watched to see if he could pick out the ringleaders. He looked over his shoulder and found Wrath clinging tightly to him, his eyes wide due to his inability to swim. Hunter’s red eyes stayed low to prevent himself from being spotted. He watched the mare that seemed to be leading them, slinging commands as she stood in the center of the deck.
“We just need to get out of range. He n’t shoot at us now.” She crowed, clearly pleased with herself. “Onc we make it open water, then we are clear.”
“What about the dragon?” A pony asked her as he was wrapping a rope.
“Well, so far, I don’t see his precious dragon. We're okay, one of the ships that held value for him. So I won’t destroy it so easily.” She reminded them.
Hunter looked back and leaned as much as he dared toward the ship’s stem. His eyes widened at the name across the side. Rage began to build in him as he realized the ship belonged to his mother. It'd been a gift from his father for their wedding. ver-ending. His breathing hitched as he leaned back to watch the ponies again.
“It’s a precious, irreplaceable ship.” She said, her voice snide and cruel.
Hunter watched as a pale stallion approached her and put a leg over her shoulders. “It’s a good choice. I knew leaving this job to you was the best choice.”
Hunter looked at him. The stallion was lame in the left foreleg, a heavy limp slowing his stride. His fur was a pale red, almost pink. His eyes darted around them, and a cruel smile played over his features. As he hung by his hip and moved with him. Hunter could feel something like recognition tugging at his mind. He ignored it for now, refocusing on the scene before him.
“Once we get where we want to go, what will we do with the ship?” Cure finally asked.
“Well. I know we will sell it.” He replied to her. “Or. We could burn it.”
“Burn it?” She asked, incredulous. “But it’s a precious ship. We could make a ton of coins off of it. May even sell it back to him for a price.”
“That is a good idea, my little peach.” He said to her. He was nuzzling her neck suggestively. Hunter fought back a gag as he watched. “But he will know we are serious about our freedom if it’s at the bottom of the sea.”
She nodded but still looked unconvinced. The stallion looked to the others, who also seemed uncertain. “But since this is to be a fair colony, we will all vote and decide on the ship’s fate.” He replied to them.
Hunter felt something biting at the edge of his mind as he listened. He did feel it for more than a moment of listening to the stallion’s words. He brought his magic to bear on his mind and cleared it. The stallion was using magic in his words to control the ponies. At the same time, he wasn’t sure how due to the pony not being a Unicorn, he still knew that it had to stop. He would stop at nothing to bring his mother’s ship home to its place of honor. The other ponies all went back to their work, and Hunter looked around to find out what his next move should be.
He remembered what he knew about the ship’s layout, and a smile pricked his mouth. A hatch off the side of the captain’s quarters could be opened if you knew the code for the lock. He slowly moved down the rope till his tail flicked the waves; Wrath clung even more desperately to him as he began to swing. After several failed attempts, he growled under his breath as he missed the small alcove again. He looked over his shoulder and gave Wrath a few unspoken commands.
The minion nodded, dug his feet into Hunter’s armor, and reached for the alcove, missing the first couple of tries. Hunter groaned and felt a hard lurch as Wrath’s claws dug into the alcove. He held back a shout of joy as he was pulled as close as possible by the panting minion and then managed to pull himself onto the small outcropping. He looked to the lock and set his horn into the ingrained lock. He let the lock close around his horn and focused on a series of numbers and letters. Pressure built on his horn as he focused. He felt a pushback and pulled his horn free as the door clicked open. He pushed back the sash on the wall and stepped into the cabin.
Hunter paused as he looked around to see if he was alone in the cabin. He stepped onto the plush rug and closed the door gently behind him, hiding it behind the wall sash. His eyes scanned the room, and it was the same as the last time he had used it. The décor was the same as it had always been, and he had ensured that the ship was tended to by the best he could find. Wrath fell off his back and collapsed, kissing the hardwood floors under the rug. He shook his head and walked to the door. The Overlord unlocked the door and peeked out. Ponies were still racing around the massive ship, trying to keep it under control and steer her properly. The ship was the biggest of his fleet and the grandest.
He closed the door and locked it as he thought over his options. He knew that the minions were still at the dock. He'd ordered them to wait until he returned. He opened the door and locked it once more. The stallion was quiet as he suddenly recalled the stallion. He knew that pony. Anger surged in him as his memory kicked into gear. His name was Top Quote. That pony had played a part in the Governess of Everlight betraying him years earlier. Now that he had appeared again, Hunter vowed he would not escape. He started as the doorknob shuddered, a pony trying to open it.
“Is there a key for this door?” The mare called out and jiggled the knob again.
“I never heard of it being locked. But I’m sure we can remove the door.” Quote said to her.
“Oh, hell no,” Hunter whispered to himself.
The black stallion backed up. He set Wrath behind him as he reared up, pulling his bow and aiming an arrow at the door. Magic threaded over the arrow, and it slowly grew in power. He breathed out and closed his eyes for a moment.
“I’m sorry, mother.” He whispered as he loosed the arrow.
The arrow thudded into the door with enough force to put the arrowhead through the door. The magic weaved into the arrow, and the Rune weapon’s power collided with the door and exploded outward. He opened his eyes and walked forward. He stepped out of the smoke and splintered wood, standing atop what remained of the cabin door. Ponies coughed and hacked around him. The mare was lying on her side, moaning in pain. The stallion hauled himself to his hooves, his eyes widened at the sight of the Overlord.
The mare rolled over and screamed at the sight of the armored Dark Lord. His red eyes shone out of the dwindling smoke and haze of splinters. Hunter remained in place and waited as they stared at him. He felt Wrath jump to his back and snarl over his shoulder. Quote backed up a step and smiled.
“It’s been a long time, Overlord.” He said aloud.
“Indeed it has,” Hunter replied. His eyes moved slowly over the ponies assembled.
“Last time I saw you were…In Everlight, right?”
“Your memory is correct,” Hunter replied.
“Well, you get older, and that’s the first thing to go, they say.”
“So I have heard.”
The stallion grits his teeth as Hunter appears unaffected by the magic of his voice. “You seem to have learned a few new tricks. How are you not affected?”
“Affected by what?” He asked, giving the pony the chance to speak.
“I figured you might be having a change of heart by this point in our…chat.”
“Not really. I plan to throw you over the side of the ship and let you drown in the sea.”
“Oh, why do we have to do that?” he said, backing up another step as Hunter stepped off the ruined door.
“You have committed crimes against my ponies, crimes against me, and most dire of all. You tole and threatened to burn my mother’s ship!” He roared as he charged the stallion, his bow colliding with the pony’s head as he swung it down.
The pony slid across the deck as Hunter charged after him. While the Overlord was not usually a melee fighter, he was making an exception for this time. He watched as the pony stood and backed up from him. The pony pulled his saber from its sheath. The Overlord slid back and brought the bow down hard against the blade. The stallion appeared shocked as the bow didn’t break against the metal.
Hunter was quiet as his horn charged, and he blasted the other back, rolling him across the deck. Quote got to his hooves as Hunter stomped a hoof down in the place he had been. The stallions kicked away from each other. The pale stallion panted as adrenaline surged through him. Hunter breathed slowly as he remained calm and ready to move. The other ponies had backed away from the fight and were pushing themselves into the ship’s rails, staying as far away from the two combatants.
“Well. You have grown up since we last met.” Quote panted to him.
“It has been a few years,” Hunter replied, his horn lit with his red aura.
“That’s true. So, in the heart of having a nice reunion, we should both calm down and talk it over.” He replied, trying to look calm and in control.
Hunter chuckled. “That would be an option under some circumstances.” The other looked pleased as the Overlord spoke. “But not this time.”
Hunter lunged forward, the other having enough time to look shocked, his bow slapping across the chest of the other stallion, pushing the air out of his lungs and sending him skidding over the surface deck. He asked and tried to breathe as Hunter descended on him. His armored hooves collided with the other’s shoulder. The shoulder cracked, and the other stallion screamed in pain. He dropped his sword and curled into a ball, panting and screaming. Behind him, Wrath snarled at any pony that moved to approach the Overlord. Hunter leaned down to the pony’s ear as he leaned his weight onto the breaking shoulder.
“You should never have returned to harm my ponies. You escaped with your life once. You will not this time.” Hunter vowed and leaned harder on the ailing pony.
Quote cried out and tried to wriggle away from the enraged Dark Lord. The gauntlet on his leg swirled with color as his horn blazed. Hunter looked to the ponies, now groaning and rubbing their heads. He watched as they seemed to be waking up, and they sat back on their haunches.
“What is going on?” Cure Heart suddenly shouted. She slowly pulled her wounded and shocked body up off the deck and looked around her. She turned to find the Overlord standing at the front of the deck, a stallion pinned under him.
“Why am I here?” A mare shrilled out.
Cure started at the Overlord and sat down heavily, horror on her face. “Oh no. What have we done?”
Hunter looked back to the pony under him and smiled. “So, you lost your touch.” He smiled, and a laugh bubbled in his throat. “They are free of you, and now you are nothing without them.”
The stallion stared up at the red eyes of the Dark Master. “No. I didn’t tell them to do anything. You can’t punish me for their actions.”
“I can’t?” Hunter said to him, his head cocked slightly to the side.
“You don’t have that kind of power.” The pale stallion started to speak.
“Silence!” Hunter roared and slammed his hooves down again, causing the pony to scream in pain. “I. AM. THE OVE ORD! I d ide what power I do or don’t have!”
The pony cried out and whimpered under the force of the stallion above him. Hunter brought his head up and stepped back from the pale pony. His magic pulled a heavy rope from one of the rungs’ rails and used it to hogtie the stallion. He picked up and walked away as a dry laugh sounded behind him.
“So, how are those scars?” Quote said to the black stallion’s armored back.
Hunter stopped in his tracks. Wrath looked from the pony to his Master. Hunter fought against his desire to rip out his throat. He knew that no pony would stop him if he chose to end his life. He turned back and looked at the prone stallion. His eyes blazed red as he watched the stallion go from cocky and self-assured to too nervous in the span of a few seconds. He went silent as Hunter approached him. Another rope was pulled from the rails, and it looped around the ponies head as Hunter gagged him and slung him over the side of the ship. He angled above the waves and cried out as the water splashed him.
“Talk through that,” Hunter said from above him.
He could see hatred in the eyes of the pony as he swung in the wind and waves. He pushed back from the railing and breathed in and then out to release the anger in his heart. His eyes closed as he calmed, and he reopened them to see the ponies looking at him. He walked up to the steering platform and spun the wheel, angling the Never-ending back to her port.
“Prep her for the port.” He yelled out.
They were shocked he knew how to pilot and steer the large ship. His mind raced as he set the course and reached out to Sorkeno to let the dragon know he was fine. After several minutes, he saw the golden dragon’s body slice through the air. He smiled at the sight and looked back at the ship’s ponies.
“Sire?” Cure spoke up and limped up to the bottom of the platform.
“Cure Heart, right?”
“Yes, Sire. Please forgive us. I don’t even remember getting on the ship.” She sobbed to him.
“Whose idea was it to betray me?” he asked her, his voice stern as he waited for her response.
She sniffled and looked around her at the other ponies. “It is his. He came to Nordberg a few months ago and…I thought he was helping us.”
“Helping with what? To leave my rule?”
“No, Sire. No. She sobbed and interrupted him. “I don’t even remember why I listened to him. He’s never been to Nordberg. I didn’t recognize him. He asked us why we didn’t break away and try to live without your rule. At first, it sounded so…stupid. You have always treated us well, and we have never wanted to run away. He st kept…talking.”
Hunter was quiet and steered the Never-ending back to her port, his hooves light on the wheel. “He seemed to have the power to influence the minds of others and control their thinking. The more he spoke, the more lost you became.”
“Sire. What stopped it?”
“I did.” He informed them.
“How?”
“I broke his shoulder. That seems to have interrupted his concentration.”
The ponies cringed at the information but smiled weakly as well. They all sat quietly as the ship moved through the waters. Hunter was silently thankful for the favorable winds. Otherwise, he would have needed to ask Sorkeno to provide the propulsion from the water. The dragon hated swimming. He looked up as the dragon weaved through the skies above them.
“Sire?” Cure spoke up once more.
“Yes?”
“Are we going home?”
“Yes. I'll get you home.” He said to her.
She smiled and looked over her shoulder at the growing landmass. “I need to talk to my dad.”
“Yes, you do.” The Overlord replied. “He begged for your life many times. You owe him a great debt, little mare.”
She nodded and limped to the rail. She looked down at the still-suspended pony and then at the Overlord. “Can't we just cut the rope?”
Hunter barked a laugh. “I have thought about it. But he must pay for his crimes.”
The mare nodded and sat down with the other, still bewildered ponies. Hun r looked up as Twilight flew down to the ship. She landed close by him and trotted to his side. She smiled and looked around the deck.
“This ship is beautiful!” She cried out to him.
Hunter smiled and nodded. Sorkeno flew above them, keeping the ship in sight. Hunter kept the course straight as they sliced through the waves. He sighed and inhaled the scent of the sea.
“This ship is amazing. I have seen ships and airships, but none were this grand.” She gushed to him as she ran to the rail and looked over the edge, curiosity brimming through her.
Hunter smiled once more as he watched her. Her exuberance was refreshing, and he felt himself slowly calm. “It's my mother’s ship,” he said to her.
Twilight stopped and looked over her shoulder at him as he finished. “Hers?”
“Yes. It was my father’s wedding gift to her.”
“That’s a fantastic gift. Wow
“He brought her to the dock, blindfolded, of course.” He said, and Twilight giggled. “Once they were there, he stopped her at the gate and pulled the blindfold. She opened her eyes and saw it. According to what I was told, she was quiet for several minutes. My mother was close to panicking, according to Sorkeno, when she screamed for joy and ran across the harbor. He named her Never-ending.”
“That’s a beautiful name. Named for how much he loved her?”
“No. For how long he would.”
Twilight smiled and looked over the deck. “Did she sail often?”
Hunter nodded. “Oh yes. Mother loved the ship and always went with him whenever it left port. She always said that it gave her the ability to fly.”
“She had the ship to fly with; you have Sorkeno,” Twilight replied to him, a wide smile on her muzzle. “Like mother, like son.”
“It seems that way.” He looked over the deck and sighed as he guided her into the port. He saw Twilight frown as the ship slid into her place and stopped. Ponies immediately jumped from the ship to moor it and tie it down. Hunter walked to the front and looked back to find Twilight trailing him. “We have to put the anchor down.” He motioned to the pulley at the front. “Wan to try?”
Twilight looked up at him. “Can I? How?" She gushed and trotted to him.
“There is a lever there. Slowly pull it.”
She reached up and gripped it in her hooves and pulled on it. She helped as the lever clamped down and threw her off her hooves. She looked up as the anchor fell overboard with a resounding splash. She looked back to Hunter to find him holding his sides as he laughed at her. The black stallion fell to his knees as he laughed at her. She got to her hooves and tried to glare at him, making him laugh harder at her. She fought back a grin, but it slowly crossed her muzzle, and she joined him. She collapsed against his side as she laughed at her foolishness.
“You did that on purpose!” She accused.
He panted and coughed as he stood up. “Yes, Yes, I did.”
“I will so get back at you.” She vowed.
“Worried sick.” He mocked back to her.
“You should be. I happen to know a pony or two that thrives on pranks. So you’ll get it when you least expect it.” She said to him.
“Like I said. Worried sick.” Sarcasm bit from him as he led her off the ship and back to the aft of it.
Hunter walked to the side of the dock and used his magic to pull up the soggy stallion from the calm waters. Beside him, Twilight gasped and looked from Hunter to the pony. He picked up the rope and tossed the offending stallion onto the deck.
“Why?” Twilight started to ask.
“He is the one that led to this foolish rebellion. He has some ability to influence the minds of ponies the longer he speaks to them. The ponies on the ship were horrified when the spell broke, and they realized what had happened.”
“Daddy!” Hunter and Twilight turned as Cure Heart limped to her father and held onto him, sobbing.
Twilight smiled at the sight. Hunter said nothing as the minions converged and Sorkeno slowly landed in the harbor.
“Little One?” His voice flowed and got the stallion’s attention.
“I’m okay. Here's the culprit. I trust you can take him back to the Netherworld?” The pony shrieked through the gag at realizing what Hunter had said. “Don't let him talk at all, not one word.”
“Oh?”
“I don’t think his ability could touch you, but just in case. We'll join you there.” Hunter said as he began to walk away. “He has much to answer for.”
Twilight trotted to catch up to him as the dragon wrapped the pony in his paw and took off for the skies. Hunter walked back into the city and led Twilight to the central city Transport Gate. “We are here,” he said to her, then walked to the city hall.
Twilight looked at the structure and reached out a hoof to touch the metal. To her surprise, the metal was warm to the touch. Swirls of living lava moved through the metal, and its claws reached for the skies above. Azure lightning crackled from within the gate, and she looked into it. She pulled back as it crackled and kept her distance from it. She looked back to find Hunter walking back to her, his expression set. He watched her, and she jumped as a bellow came from the gauntlet he wore, bringing forth more minions from the gates. He watched as they flooded the city.
Hunter was quiet, commanding the minions to scour the city and bring it back to heel. He gently pushed Twilight and set his hoof on her shoulder as he commanded the Gates's magic. Twilight yelped and closed her eyes. He watched her open them as he moved away from her.
“How did you? Wha ”
She sputtered behind him, and he turned back to her. “That is one of the Gates that I mentioned. I use them for transport if needed. Not really. I use them, but if I’m walking into a situation like today, I tend to call on Sorkeno.”
“Wow. That was amazing. How does it work?” She questioned.
He paused and shook his head. “Tha ’s a secret that remains here, Twilight.” He said to her.
“Oh. Okay, That's fine. Oh, here.” She pulled his cloak off her shoulders and began to hand it back to him.
“Keep it,” he said and pushed it back to her. If I go to that area again, then you will need it,” he said to her and backed up a few steps, heading for the platforms.
“Wait up.” She yelled at him and trotted to catch up to him.
He looked at her as she drew up next to him. “Why ”
She appeared to be thinking for a moment before responding. “I n eed to drop off my Regalia…For Giblet.”
“Well played.” He said to her and called upon one of the stones.
Twilight gave a relieved exhale and stepped onto the stone with him. She smiled as they moved and waited for the short ride to end.
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Heh, nice foreshadowing from the previous' chapter to this one about the reason of the rebellion.
Can't wait to read more from you.
I never understood why this story is so unknown on fimfiction, the story awesome!
8960856
Thank you! I’m so glad you like it. 😎
I LIKE TO READ unique books and give honest opinon on them if it's good it tends to be read why beca use as long as the chapters continue
You know all this talk of the disputed lands yet No pony has talked to the ponies there. If it was unoccupied I doubt the Sisters would fuss over it.
10118777
not necessarily it could be the princesses just being nosey.
That's sad, so I guess this means we're unlikely to meet ponified versions of the love interests from Overlord 2.
10815086
No. I thought about adding them in in some way but the versions did not mesh well with the current layout.,
Odd ability... Siren or Changeling?
Magnificent chapter! Well done.
mind control...this is an interesting scenario. Does it seem to me or does Twilight have ambiguous feelings for Hunter
11088329
It could be a magical artifact