To Be Malevolent

by The Bannerlord

10 - Thoughts

Chaos stood in place; eyes glued onto the vacant wall before him. Sighing, his eyes failed to avert from this particular section. Behind, his patient acolyte awaited the conclusion to his final confrontation. Another sigh escaped his maw, the air inhaled mere moments later. Haunches placed onto the stone tiles beneath him, the former King of Shades stared, motionless. Not emotionless, he could feel himself becoming weaker every second. His body shivered; his stomach contracted. He hadn’t realised that he shrunk down.

“What troubles you, your eminence?” Questioned the concerned lesser Unicorn whose coat was a lavender with a black mane and tail, a wand of sparks was his mark. He wasn’t offered a response. Approaching cautiously, the servant could feel a sense of dread creeping onto his pelt. The King of Shades turned to face his lesser and recoiled, hissing as his back made contact with the wall. The rather shocked Unicorn merely watched as his superior curled into a ball of mist and miasma.

“Leave this room.” Chaos muttered; vision filled with charcoal fur. He heard not a step, nor did he feel mere motion. “Leave me, that is an order.” He commanded, voice turning to authoritarian and malevolent. There still hung a melancholy in his voice, however commanding it may have turned out.

The Acolyte obeyed his order, bowing respectfully before leaving the chamber. At this moment, the congregation of victim Unicorns woke from their immense torment, dazed and unruly. Immediately, the mist encased them and began converting them into shades. They marched into formation and snapped to attention.

Chaos watched his new guard form, standing onto his hooves and closely examining them. “You all disappoint me.” He hissed at the foremost Shade. “You specifically. I am speaking to you, mentor.” Rasping at the particular shade, the King slapped him across the muzzle. “Perhaps you have always required an improvement…” He spoke, hoof rubbing his chin as he pondered. Then, the Shade-Unicorn was floored, hoof against his chest where the heart would be located. Manfesting a rather weak halberd, he prodded the unarmoured pelt lightly. “This is your greatest weakness, where you shall perish.” He continued, forcing the blade into his machination, killing it instantly. “I am not immune to that either.” Another Shade was dragged before him. “THAT IS WHERE YOU HAVE DISAPPOINATED ME!” He roared, loud enough for the entire chamber to rumble, prior etiquette having been abandoned. “Why did you fail me… How…”

The smaller Unicorn listened as the King of Shades disciplined his ensemble of shades, rather intrigued at his ramblings, even chuckling at points where the dark Unicorn lost his temper.

“I believe I am done… Father…” The Dark Unicorn sighed as he dispatched the last shade, leaving his corpse writhing on the floor. He smirked. “Begone.” With a wave of his hoof, the corpses disintegrated into dust, never to be seen again by Ponykind. “Even after all of these centuries… I haven’t changed, have I?” He contemplated his actions, looking down to the floor. A broken mess of a Unicorn, mind scrambled, pain lingered still, desire lingered still, desire for torment. He felt… Unrestrained. Unshackled. Free at last, but yet… There were still manacles attached to him.

The lesser Unicorn entered into view of Chaos, slowly approaching the quite literally emotion driven dark being with caution. He had calmed, posture no longer that of a wild beast but rather a Canterlot noble. “Your eminence, are you feeling well?” He asked, careful with his approach.

“Y-Yes… Yes, I apologise- I mean…” He paused, he just apologised to his subordinate. “Damn it all!” He stamped his hoof. “I believe I require… I require proper rest. My tower still stands, am I correct in that assumption?” He spoke in a rushed manner, head lifted to meet his new servant’s eyes.

“Indeed, your eminence.” The Unicorn politely responded. “Shall I lead you to your chambers?” He continued, hoof gesturing in the direction of the exit. He received a tired smile and sigh. Both Unicorns trotted out of the dreadful tomb, leaving behind the unforgiving memories.

The two strolled through the archaic structure. The halls filled with shattered glass panes and destroyed statues. This place had been desecrated in the King of Shades’ absence. Much of the items in here were definitely of high value, after all, some were personally sculpted and crafted by the shade-Unicorn himself. He wasn’t necessarily the greatest artist on the planet, in fact he was rather mediocre compared to even artisans of his time. He may have fled for a majority of his existence, but during the quiet moments, he had bothered to pick up passion projects long abandoned.

Eventually, the duo reached the top of the tower, a relatively untouched chamber filled to the brim with dust and nests. Chaos immediately flung himself into the bed. Finally, rest, true rest unlike before. “What about the rest of your story?” He heard the Unicorn ask, but he was too tired to answer in full, a Noo… Could be heard.

His horn ignited, magic billowing from its tip and attaching themselves to the armour straps. Firstly, the cape, a ruined form of its former glory. He removed the criniere second, carefully placing them aside his velvety bed. Then came the peytral, a thick piece of refined metal which had withstood blade after blade, magical blasts of all types. Its centre piece was exposed by a great gash, punctured by intensive combat, exposing the location of the heart. The flanchards slid off without issue, having been the piece of armour to be struck by Daybreaker’s violent meteorite manoeuvre. After this came the mail underneath, a time-consuming task attempting to remove the carefully warn chain of armour. As the barding was finally removed, the Shade stretched his body, the sounds of bones clicking filled the chamber.

“Quite an interesting set of armour, your eminence.” The lesser Unicorn whistled, admiring the neatly packed barding. “Isn’t it a little… Heavy?” He continued, hoof prodding at the plates of steel.

“Are you… Are you saying that they have abandoned plate armour?” He asked, disappointment clear in his voice. “Has technological progress advanced to that point already? Perhaps it is merely ceremonial.” He continued; eyes glued to the iridescent window, what he saw beyond was… Spectacular. “What happened in my absence?”

“Discord, a being of chaotic magic. Responsible for a technological dark age. He still roams this world…” The lesser Unicorn trailed off as he heard laughter. “What? I don’t…”

“Discord, spirit of mischief. Chaos brough pandemonium to the world of order and left a ruined kingdom. In turn, he must’ve strengthened its resolve if a discordant God of Chaos wasn’t satisfied. What grave irony, I brought order through chaos, so chaos had returned to destroy order.” The King of Shades spoke, amusement predominant in his speech, then another yawn.

“Your eminence-“

“Silence… We need-“ He paused, yawning. “I need to recollect my thoughts…” He finished, breathing yet another sigh and slumping into the bed and fully melting into its sheets. “Leave…” The Shade hissed, not a second later was he already asleep. The smaller Unicorn took notes of the dark Unicorn’s behaviour, rather odd for one described to be malevolence incarnate. His expression was one of deep regret and shame, yet there was a certain pain in it. The smirk prior had been merely a façade.

What was he thinking?

---

Time Skip – Mindscape

---

‘What was I thinking...?’

A rhetorical question came from the King of Shades. He looked down upon his dominion, his empire, the false world. He hadn’t visited this place in centuries, yet little had changed. It was his perfect world. His world. It needed to go, to be destroyed, replaced.

At an instant, it disappeared, replaced with a hallway. A hallway of memories. It was in total disrepair. Rows of doors led to treasured and loathed memories, from torment to lament.

‘Why do I still cling on to those thoughts?’

A sigh, he motioned his hoof, banishing those thoughts further down the corridor. One door disobeyed his command, one defiant memory. His expression twisted into one of fear, fear of that door. He was beyond terrified, words yet to be fathomed by Ponykind. His mind reverberated the same word, a simple word. No… No… No… No… Then, the symphony was broken, a new word introduced. Please… No… No… Until the orchestra flared. I beg of you… No… Spare me that thought… Anything, anything! His very thoughts were opposing him.

‘They do not benefit me, merely hold me back.’

Suddenly, a whiteness encircled and eventually consumed his incorporeal form. He clawed at it, screeched and hissed, refusing its abduction. Yet, nothing worked. Twisted laughter echoed through the mind, the twisted laughter of Chaos. It lacked his perfected malevolence, it lacked his persistent sorrow or regret, it lacked the elegance, the glamour, grace. It was beyond them. Beyond insanity too.

‘Then banish those thoughts, let me help you my creation, my son.’

He wasn’t speaking, or thinking of that… W-what is happening t-to m-me… Then, before him, the memory played like a tape recorder. The harrowing screams amplified in his void. His soldiers, they were screaming in pain. He could hear them, their anguish clear, their true torment. It terrified him beyond limits. He shouldn’t have been terrified; he wasn’t a pony to be easily terrified… He wasn’t susceptible to fear… “Enough!” He weakly cried, yet none followed his command.

‘As you wish, father, my one true father.’

“Please… Stop!” He pleaded as his shades surrounded him. They cared naught. They felt no remorse, they felt no fear, no pain. They were perfect. They parted to reveal a dark Unicorn, Chaos. He was impaled through the chest with a sword, directly through the heart. His expression was one of shock, of terror and pain. Before him, the Solar and Lunar Alicorns, cured of their blight, triumphantly standing before the King of Shades.

‘You will become the greatest in the eyes of many and all.’

He felt himself impaled by his own shades. They all descending onto him, ripping his hide, canines piercing the pelt. His screams of agony were muffled, muffled by the laughter of his own creations. Laughter of the shades, hoarse, a rasping noise, they cackled into the midnight.

---

Time Skip

---

“Please, I-” He stopped himself, heart beating abnormally, hoof on his chest, panting and gasping. It was midnight. Silence reigned supreme, yet a familiar sensation creeped onto him. The bitter wind howled, emanating its ghostly presence throughout Equestria. The breeze occasionally brushed past his pelt, leaving a shivering paranoid Unicorn.

He hadn’t spoken those words… It was… It was replaying a memory from times past. He was speaking in those memories, yet he was thinking of the exact words. Who…? Who was this father? He… He who called my voice creation, his son… He contemplated these words, eyes locked onto the stained-glass window. No... I have only one creator, and he… Pause. Time passed. Snow fell upon the untamed Everfree. Birds sang their early morning choirs. Wolves howled as their precious night was consumed by the break of day.

He was soon snapped out of his thought. “Good morning, Your eminence.” Came the voice of his second most favourite pony of the century. “Did you sleep well?” His question was responded with a shake of the head.

“Why are you still here?” He demanded; horn ignited as he placed his armour on. “Go home, leave this poor excuse of an ancient stallion behind, leave him to rot in his personal fortress.” He grumbled; cape draped along his back. “Eminence… Hmmm… I rather like it...”

“I realised you were more than a history subject, more than just another roadblock in the Celestial Alicorn’s path.” He spoke, stunning the dark Unicorn. “There must’ve been more, more I could learn. They know you’re alive, we all do.” He continued, grinning at the shade. “What has kept you striding forth? What kept your ship afloat? What was it?”

“Why do you care?” Chaos replied, hissing as he stood on all fours. “What you see isn’t me… I am a walking corpse, mutilated, infernal pain even the most enduring earth stallion of all couldn’t fathom. What has kept me going? Pain. Torment. And now, Hatred. Hatred for Celestia, for her sister, for myself, for my other self.” Concluding his explanation, his form, true form was revealed to the smaller Unicorn.

He gasped, before him stood what could only be described as a silhouette, one with patches of its translucent body leaking a vile dark substance. His horn was chipped at the tip, his mane and tail were ethereal. He rasped and growled, hissed and screeched. Posture more akin to that of a wolf than the regal stance before.

“Cel… Celestia… Celestia… Cel…” The Silhouette reverberated, a forked tongue licking his fangs. He turned to face the smaller Unicorn, growling as his stance became predatory. “Yes… Magic… Yes… Yes-“ He rasped, head snapping to the left. In the place of the translucent monster was Chaos, regal posture returning. “I apologise for you having to witness that. Dark magic, it still consumes my mind. By the end of my reign, I will be naught but a feral hound, left to wander the forests awaiting my eventual demise.” He spoke, chuckling.

“I- Uh… Okay… I believe I will be having a lot of nightmares tonight.” Nonchalantly replied the Unicorn, though still quite on edge after the display. “Let’s… Get onto a different topic…”

“What is your name, young Unicorn?” The King of Shades asked, giving a welcoming smile, or as close of a convincing non-evil smile as he could. Though, it was still rather terrifying. “You’d make a fine servant; Intuition has spoken.”

“Arcane, Arcane Scroll, descendant of many great Unicorn spellcasters of your time.” He began, bowing his head. “In fact, many participated in your battle against Empress Daybreaker and Queen Luna of the Solar and Lunar Empires. My ancestors may have fought to destroy you, but I know better than them. They were blind to the true capabilities of your magic.” He concluded, though one thought still lingered within his mind. “Have you ever heard of a certain `cataclysm` during your century of freedom?”

“Cataclysm? Of what magnitude do you speak of? I had caused much destruction during the century of which I reigned.” He questioned, intrigued by this student of the forbidden.

“Circa fifty years after your initial appearance to the Kingdom of Unicornia, a great surge of dark energy consumed the skies. Reportedly, the screams of thousands of ponies in torment could be heard, though I seriously doubt-“

“That event. O-oh no... He did it… Unintentionally.” Chaos spoke aloud, downcast.

“Shall I continue, your eminence?” Arcane asked, his interest in the past renewed. With a nod, he smirked. “That dark energy was identified to be yours. Or rather, the magical signature of thousands which had been… Influenced by your magic. Most Unicorns have now inherited this artificially created magic, so the majority of the population could tap into dark magic, though with great difficulty as it is fed by emotio- You already know this. In essence, a myriad of powerful spellcasters had been granted power beyond their wildest fantasies. Necromancers rose. Sorcerers lurked. Warlocks reave.” He finished speaking and heard a chuckle.

“Oh, grandiose, that crown truly possessed power beyond what I could fathom, I doubt the one I don, despite being fuelled by Alicorn magic could’ve compared to that crystal. In my efforts to bring this world harmony, I created true disharmony. What is light without dark? What is benevolence without malevolence? A concept without true purpose, without true opposition.” He spoke with venom, another chuckle escaping his maw. “Come, let us leave this dreary building. I have not explored Equestria in… Excuse me for my ignorance, how long has it been?”

“Say- two centuries minimum.”

“Two centuries of history I have missed… Four centuries since my creation and yet I am still remembered.” He spoke with a grin. The two Unicorns prepared for their departure from the desecrated tower.

---

Time Skip

---

The day was young, the skies were cloaked with a barrier of shaded clouds. A great storm was brewing, a great magical storm of forbidden energy. It wrought havoc where it went, it cared not for the inhabitants of Equestria, nor the flora or fauna. It was a directionless chaotic vortex. The one who had conjured it was indeed the spirit of mischief, lord of chaos Discord.

Beneath those skies was the ever-expansive Everfree. It had become rather quiet. Tranquil. It was a sanctuary, a garden of eden. Ever since the great battle centuries ago, the mightiest predators had fled, leaving only the harmless woodland critters to tread. Everfree Castle had been fully rebuilt, greater than it ever was prior to the Solar-Lunar Eclipse. All that remained of the old was the harrowing spire of Chaos.

“They’re here, I could recognise that signature anywhere!”Spoke a young Unicorn of crimson hide and midnight black mane, his cutiemark a glaive surrounded by a sea of crimson spoke to his companions as they navigated the dense woods.

“At ease Crimson Glaive, they aren’t going anywhere. Our intelligence had stated clearly that they had reached the tower.” Came the voice of a companion, a Pegasus of a tangerine pelt and brown mane and tail.

“Stay vigilant, or we shall taste the bitterness of defeat, Seasonal Wind. They have evaded us for long, but this dawn, our efforts will pay!” Replied the crimson Unicorn, unsheathing a glaive. “Come, Crusaders of the Sun! No longer shall this accursed group of dark magicians lurk in Equestria’s shadows!” He declared, his companions cheering as they simultaneously drew their weapons. Unicorns, Pegasi, Earth Ponies all clad in gilded plating, though lacking the superior protective capabilities of past armour, inspired by Chaos’ personal combat equipment, this new mail-less equipment was light, its bearers were manoeuvrable. All Crusaders wore a Solar pendant, repelling the forbidden magic and destroying it from its bearer.

They escaped the forest, alas, they arrived before the towering structure built by Chaos all those centuries prior. A constant reminder of the darkness which prowls Equestria. He himself was entombed within this structure, his spell having back-fired once the cured Princess Celestia and Queen Luna had interrupted his final spell. Doomed to an eternity of solitary confinement.

“Thank Celestia for that.” One of the Solar Crusaders muttered.

As they walked past the flora infested gate, a sense of dread crawled onto their iron-clad pelts. Howls and shrieks of the long deceased were audible, the tens of thousands of souls shackled by the will of shades. The influence of dark magic creeped onto their minds, but hissed and recoiled as they were repelled by the solar pendants.

“May you rest in peace, tortured souls!” Crimson, ever the melodramatic Unicorn that acted as if he was expelling demons. The others gave either an eye-roll or a sigh and groan. There was nothing but lamenting voices here, they were harmless. Still both leading ponies felt a shiver down their spine as a hiss could be heard from within the spire.

“I-I’m sure its n-nothing…” Another Solar Crusader nervously remarked, weapon shuffling in his hooves.

“Worry not! For we shall return un-harmed by these vile and dangerous practitioners of the dark!” The Unicorn of theatrics triumphantly declared. He is the first to enter, one hoof pushing the creaking door to reveal a grand chamber at the base. It may have been grand during its heyday, but now it was a ruined and desecrated mess. Statues had collapsed or severely damaged and degraded, portraits were either torn or their frames broken.

“This place is a wreck. Must’ve contained some extremely valuable artefacts or jewellery in here.” An observant Solar Crusader spoke, his comrades nodding in agreement.

Seasonal Wind overtook his red pelted companion and reached the centre ignoring his pleas of ‘vigilance’ and ‘danger lurking’. What nonsense, the group they were hunting weren’t the most organised of dark magicians in Equestria. No, they weren’t even the most dangerous. It was their intention, the return of the King of Shades. Wind couldn’t allow that. Not in a million solar cycles. Intuition had already told him be wary, but he ignored its call. “Justice awaits.” He whispered.

A rasping sound resonated in their collective ears. The clash of armour plating, the rattle of chain mail. Armoured hoof against the stone tiles. They unanimously prepared for combat, swords and spears, axes and maces raised. The mist rolled, seeping into the chamber through cracks in the wall or entrances to hallways.

Panic, yet they stood in place.

“Seasonal… I think we should retreat…” The glaive wielding Unicorn nervously asked, simultaneously igniting his horn and illuminating the room. “Seasonal?” He received no response, the Pegasus merely waited, focusing his attention on the direction of the noise.

“I have a bad feeling about this…” Nervously spoke a Solar Crusader, clutching his weapon tightly.

“It’s him… It’s HIM!” The Pegasus suddenly had an outburst, causing his fellow Crusaders to squeal. “Stand your ground, soldiers! Do not falter in the face of your enemy!” He commanded, dragging a pair of terrified Earth ponies.

Agonisingly slowly, the miasma encircled the Solar ensemble. Luminescent eyes emanated from the thick mist. Out of the shroud strutted the armoured-clad Dark Unicorn. Chaos, King of Shades, harbinger of dark magic. With him, a lavender Unicorn donning a cloak and circlet, the Unicorn they had been hunting.

“Shalt I call thy companions brave or foolish? Brave to face me, foolish to come here. But I digress. I welcome thee, children of Celestia. Welcome to mine fallen Kingdom.” Declared the formerly entombed King. His armour was battered beyond recognition, his body was scarred from hoof to head.

Crimson Glaive took a step back along with the majority of his fellow Solar Crusaders, his eyes focused on the tangerine Pegasus whom took combat stance, spear raised and prepared to impale his foe. Others were inspired of his bravery, in spite of their terror. After all, the Unicorn before them managed to face two Alicorns, in the same battle.

“Nay. I wish not to fight thee, for I harbour no hatred towards thee and thy associates.” Continued the Dark Unicorn as he approached the Pegasus, nonchalantly batting his weapon aside with an armoured hoof. He noticed multiple Crusaders attempting to escape and raised the mist barrier, halting them entirely.

“You have caused great harm to my family.” The Pegasus spoke in a sombre tone. “My ancestors suffered from your rule. Many of my family had became Shades, destined to toil under your control for the rest of their lives. One of the greatest of my family, Sudden Strike had accomplished much before your merciless slaughter. You are a parasite, a blight upon our world. And you shall be vanquished!” He scorned. Disregarding his previous worry, merely being fuelled by vengeance the Pegasus charged.

Chaos was rather amused, raising a shield before the Pegasus. Then, rather surprisingly, the winged tangerine didn’t crash into his barrier. “Oh no, I have been threatened, whatever shalt I do? But seriously, what do you expect to happen? That you’re going to plunge that puny little spear into my heart and get the vengeance you desire? Because that isn’t how events here play out.” He spoke with amusement. “Understand that I wish not to fight, instead, you are interrupting my morning walk around the Everfree, my first one in centuries. I only need to clear my mind a little.” He explained, walking past the Solar Crusader.

“You may not know this, but with the little stunt Celestia pulled on me whilst I was busy, she had inadvertently killed over eight thousand of her own people including the ones her army had already killed by disintegrating them into ash. Only I can reverse the Shade curse, and if you try to revert it yourself, you kill whoever it controls.” He informed the Crusaders, who were all disheartened.

“By the way, faithful servant Arcane.” He turned his head, watching the little Unicorn trot. “Who are these… Sun-lovers?”

They took great offence to this nickname. “How dare you insul-mmmph!” Instantaneously, the Solar Crusader was silenced by his comrades.

“After your entombment, Celestia formed the order of which they are a part of. They are Crusaders of the Sun, what nonsense. You having escaped that tomb is living proof that they are incapable of doing their job correctly.” Arcane Scroll mocked, much to the dismay of the others. “You are an organised militia, created to hunt down those who freely practiced dark magic. Is it so vile that you must burn us at the stake? Is it so vile that we must be lynched in every town and city we enter? You do not see the benefits of this gift. Merely its malignancies.” He scorned, receiving looks of anger and shame from the Crusaders.

“Don’t think we’ll ever forgive you, former brother Arcane Scroll.” Crimson spoke in a much more serious tone. “You were too ambitious and took up this magic.” He continued, the others nodding in agreement and giving glares.

“Silence! I have enough of you lot grumbling behind my back!” Chaos growled, displaying his fangs to the shrinking Crusaders. “Go. Get out of my castle. The ones following Arcane Scroll have perished, so unless you so wish to be turned into a Shade, I would recommend your immediate withdraw from this fortress.” He scowled at them, hoof pointing to the entrance.

The Crusaders scrambled out of the angered demi-god’s home; most were glad to have not fought with the King of Shades. Seasonal Wind felt different, he felt his ancestors were cheated, and they wouldn’t rest in peace. Crimson on the other hoof felt betrayed and insulted. This couldn’t continue. With the discovery of Chaos, the Princesses must be warned.

---

Time Skip

---

After the rather amusing display of Equestria’s finest buffoons, Chaos needed to clear his mind. Sleep didn’t help, merely nightmares and memories of the past. I hate them, so inconceivably much. He thought, aimlessly wandering the snow covered Everfree. Beside him was a rather useful information machine, everything he needed to know about modern day Equestria. Or well, ‘modern’. Equestrian technology had advanced to what would be the renaissance. It hasn’t exactly been a golden age for the nation.

Empires from across the azure seas have come and went, pillaging the land as they pleased. Deer, Griffons, other Griffons, Minotaurs, Pirates, Dragons quite frequently and internal threats such as powerful dark magicians. Now, in the skies, Discord. Chaos was rather giddy, a peculiar behaviour rarely exhibited by the Unicorn. Many of the Unicorn inhabitants of Equestria were now technically his descendants, marked by his magic. In fact, he felt an increase in dark magical presence universally.

“Ah, it must be noon. Unless Discord is messing with the skies once more. How about a picnic?” Arcane suggested, looking up at the dark Unicorn hopefully.

“Yes, that sounds appetising. Since you don’t look in any way like an omnivore, I am presuming that you’ve only brought regular Pony-food, the stuff tastes like venom to me.” Chaos responded, licking his fangs at the thought of food. His companion however was taken aback.

“Omnivore? You eat meat?! Ooh… If only I had known! Wait, you don’t like the food we normally have? Omnivore? Only eats meat? What happened to the vegetation part? Do you… Do you like pony?” The young Unicorn felt a little uncomfortable around the Dark Unicorn now. Creating a little bit of distance between him and himself.

“Ooh noo! Chaos is going to eat me! Oh, the ponymanity! No. I am not a cannibal. Where did you get that idea from?” He asked, snickering at the smaller Unicorn’s antics.

“Griffons… They ea-“

“Don’t even continue. I don’t want to hear it.” Chaos placed a hoof onto his companion’s muzzle. “Predators, I have never considered the animal’s perspective whilst I poached, roasted and devoured them.” He was given a certain look. “What? I cook my food.”

“O-okay…” Nervously replied the Unicorn, shuffling a little further away.

Eventually, the two dark magic addicted Unicorns arrived onto a hill with a great scenic view of the Everfree and beyond. In the distance, there stood the spire, the Everfree castle, Canterville in the far distance, or rather Canterlot, plenty of obscure villages, the river. Discord’s antics was unmissable, neither were the Royal Pony Sisters attempting to eradicate him.

Chaos had hunted down many of the local wild life inhabiting the local area, ensuring his lunch would be as grand as a banquet. He was starving. Beyond starving. Using magic to sustain one’s body was exhausting and didn’t completely negate the requirement of a pony’s body.

In the distance, Discord seemed to be tormenting the two unfortunate Alicorn sisters with his rather cruel machinations. It seems he enjoyed spreading this torment as much as Chaos did centuries prior. The two dark magicians merely observed, their view was spectacular.

Arcane on the other hand was granted a training session with the pony whom was the single most potent in dark magic. He loved it. Just a single duel with the Dark Unicorn and he already figured he was outmatched. But proper pupils are always determined to learn, to become as great, or greater than their tutors.

And that is why you must endure this pain, no matter how much I break you, how many bones are broken, how many organs are crushed, how much of your skin is destroyed, how much you bleed. You must stand. You must stand back up. Chaos halted in place; eyes glued to the skies. That was his mentor’s voice… No… It was mixture of two voices. The one his voice called ‘father’.

You must adapt if you are to ever face your foes in combat. Be tenacious. Be relentless. And eventually, we will face each other on the battlefield. The battle will be fierce. But you shall fulfil your purpose. That which you will learn in the future. I will be relentless. I will not show you mercy. We shall know each other as foes, not parent and child. Eventually, the prophecy shall be broken. My destiny will be fulfilled. My child, know this; Harmony awaits.

“Harmony awaits…” He hissed aloud and collapsed to the ground.

Author's Note:

Less action-packed chapters to come.

Harmony awaits.

Comments

[Zake]

This was a very interesting story i hope to see more from you

[Mix-up]

Finally started reading the story, it's on a good start and I do enjoy the writing style a lot, I like the semi-cryptic narration with only bits of information to guess what was happening with keeping the detail focused on the feelings rather the physical descriptions or reflect the characters actual thoughts. While do like this form of writing, Fortunately, I have seen a few story like this and the one major draw back of this style of writing is that it's overly focused on visceral emotions and sensation then to lead to wild directions (while often very interesting ones), it tends to eventually draw itself in a corner plot wise and then the plot eventually doesn't make much sense anymore, which it is already showing signs of that, I'm afraid. But I do think that his revival 200 years later might breath new life to the story and that new unicorn servant might help add a little more depth into the MC's personality other then his wild bouts of passions that he keeps getting and that unicorn does can serve as a good guide for him, along with repeating the cycle. I its nice that he currently has an en goal of becoming an alicorn.

To be honest despite the lot of unanswered questions we get from the story, I do like a lot of the ideas that you bring and how a character is being dominated and being twisted into his tool for control, I would have loved to have learned more of that spirit and see more of the process of the training and how he dehumanized him. Not exactly a fan of multiple instances of reincarnation, even twice at the same time, but you managed to make it look interesting and you did add interesting twists to it. Keep up the good work.

Also if you are looking for an other cover art, I would just like to let you know that I am open for commissions and if you with to talk about it in depth you can PM me when ever you want. Also if you wish to see some of my art you can go see it in the link bellow and you might actually recognize some of them too.
https://www.deviantart.com/amalgamzaku

Good luck on your writing.

[The Bannerlord]

10053914
To be completely honest with you, the story is going to become something beyond insanity. I am still experimenting with multiple ideas and it feels like i'm being blindfolded during my writing process. Perhaps its the worry that gets me. This second... Act? Yes, is more about exploring beyond the main character, focusing on side characters and the, technically secondary main-character Lament. There will most likely be a huge cascade of characters to support the story and add to it. I believe that will add to the story, especially with the grand finale i have planned, and the final plot twist. Perhaps you have figured it out already?

The cover art i have at the moment i made myself. I am not particularly interested in artwork, so most likely i'd need a new cover art. Perhaps something like the main character ( Which i envisioned to be a Sombra-ish, white eyed, mostly steel plated, maybe fanged teeth like the Pony-of-Shadows) at the top overlooking, say, the princesses. Perhaps a Sun and Moon just above that?

And also, thank you for the analysis.