Conquest: Prologues

by pretty-pegasus-wings

Stone Walls and Iron Bars

Tap, tap, tap, tap tap. It echoed through the ambient silence of his prison. Hoof against the chipped stone floor. In another circumstance, this may be an irksome sound, yet here, it was a welcomed change. Between the heavy weight of emptiness around him and the huffs of his three headed guard, this was music. Tap, tap, tap, tap! Clank!

The drained centaur grasped through his bars and snatched the stone worked from the ground, rolling it around in the palm of his scrawny, rust colored hand. A nice size for once. To his right, he took a needle pointed shard and tapped away at his chip. It’s not an ideal activity, something he’d never take interest in had he not been forced into this state of boredom. At the least, crushing and tossing them made it worth the trouble by the end. These last hundred were different. With his first escape, he gained plenty of knowledge, enough to assist him upon a second attempt. Equestria had changed drastically since the time before his imprisonment. When he's able to escape again, he pondered what it would be like. Would some disaster have swept civilization away? Perhaps magic would evolve by a hundred-fold. That would be the best case which he doubted. Whatever happens, his newest plan will not fail.

Click, click. It rung in his ears, bits and pieces of stone gently danced upon the metal floor of his cage. The chip piece took shape as he tapped the pieces away. First a head, followed by a body, a mane. It's going better than the last, not that it mattered, he'll be crushing it soon enough. Sometimes, he'd throw them, but that blasted dog would always get on his case; as if a measly stone could do anything to the magically reinforced bars. Only a fool would place their adversary in a place they could worm out of. If only.

He leaned back a moment peering out at the landscape, as far as his eyes could reach, observing the many islands surrounding the area. Slowly, he ran his fingers through his stiff, white beard, going over the details all too familiar to him. The miles and miles this prison extended. It’s no surprise escapees would go mad trying to find the exit had they not been clever, and he was far from dim witted. If only he could watch one make an attempt, see them frantically search for an end when it's right there in front of them, if they knew what to do. How fun their struggle would be to watch as the dog ran after them, throwing them around like a chew toy. Would a little entertainment be too much to ask?

As if to answer him, the sky opened before him, a swirling green portal brought a new light to his world. Maybe I should have asked for that some time ago. He gave a snarky grin, eyes transfixed upon this new development. Out popped a sweetly wrapped gift which tumbled into place before him. Cute. Obviously, this wasn’t some normal gift. It could well be some trap or a test. At the same time, what did it matter? Left to waste away in this forsaken place, is there something worse than eternal damnation? He snatched it, quickly untying the bow and tore away the paper all while keeping a close eye out for that dog. Inside the plain, brown box was a letter and a lyre.

The centaur let out a gleeful chuckle. It seems I have a friend outside these walls. On cue, the three headed dog’s bounding echoed. His muscular black body charged at his cage, mouths snarling and barking with rage. With haste, he pulled out the lyre, turned over the letter and found exactly what he needed. Before the dog could get too close, his fingers gently strung the strings as the paper instructed. Music, real music. The dog’s pace slowed, heads bobbed lazily until his legs gave way. His massive body fell and skidded across the ground. Carefully, the centaur continued his song playing it till the beast snored. With the beast tamed, he placed the lyre upon the steel floor and flipped the letter back over.

Lord Tirek,

We’ve never met, but I’m sure you’ve heard of our kind at some point, not that my identity means much to you. By now, I assume you put the mutt to sleep. Once you are sure he will not be a problem, open the hatch on the handle of the instrument, there will be an object that will help you escape. When you’ve achieved your freedom, I request you come to these coordinates upon the moon turning full. That should give you plenty of time to find my location based on the instructions I have provided below. What I want from you, I will tell once we meet.

Until we meet,
Chrysalis

The changeling queen? How fascinating. His curiosity was peaked, never would he have imagined he’d meet with that bug. What was it she tried to do before, crash a wedding? A murmur he heard while ducking through allies in Canterlot not too long after the supposed day. An interesting approach, but flawed in his mind. This was an intriguing opportunity he could not turn away. Carefully, he felt the handles of the lyre until his fingers ran over the slight groove of a hatch. He picked up his makeshift pick and pried open the compartment which revealed a glowing stone brimming with magic. Perfect. The centaur took the shard in his hands and focused its energy upon his bars. It let out a magnificent light smacking the field around his prison and breaking through like butter. Slowly, the bars melted, the smell punctured his nostrils, the smell of freedom.

Once an exit had been cut, he stepped out, took a deep breath and walked past his guard. The once ambient space now seemed open and unconstrained. No longer did the stone suffocate his being, nor would the mutts’ steps make him twinge with hate. My time has come.