> Wild Card
>  by Arreis Of Avalon
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prologue: Just A Trick
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Card Trick, a colt of nearly 7 years now, was walking around town. He was mature for his age, but that came from how he was raised and by whom. His father was Hat Trick, renowned for his powers and wisdom. Card had gone through many things in his life, mainly through the effects of potions made by the inn keeper, Diane. The first time, however, had been an accident caused through the folly of a guest at the inn. They were using an age spell on a particular pony at the time, but the spell had been thrown wild, aging Card and his foal friends to a mature, fully grown state. While grown, they had decided to make the most of it and go to Las Pegasus. While there, they experienced… much. Card met the woman of his dreams there, a foal names Lily Bywater, aged to a mature age like him. The only trouble was, her mother had been the one to do this to her. 
Her mother, Ambrosia Bywater, was a cruel, mean woman who saw her daughter as an experiment. When she came searching for Lily at the hotel where they stayed in, Card had lured her away with his own birthright, his horrifying eyes. Gained through genetics, his eyes caused indescribable horror to those who saw them. Worst of all, they had come at a price. Card Trick was blind.
After luring her away, Card had talked to Miss Bywater. When the conversation took a rather… violent turn, he did the only thing possible to ensure Lily’s safety. He broke Ambrosias horn. He called an ambulance so the blood flow would be stemmed, but Ambrosia would be unable to follow them back to Ponyville. They had returned safely to Ponyville, and there they had stayed, growing up and dealing with problems. He had slowly learned to see without his eyes, and with them. He had even made himself mechanical wings to help Lily learn to fly. They were a slight pain while using an aging potion, but they grew with him through magic. 
Card was so deep in his thoughts of his past, he never noticed the cloaked pony in front of him. He bumped into her, taking a step back. “My apologies,” he said quickly, his voice smooth and sweet like honey. It was somewhat strange for a colt to have such a voice, but it bothered none. ‘He’s a Trick’, they’d all say.
The cloaked pony glanced at him, and Card could feel her eyes on him. He knew it was a female, seeing the way she held herself. Something seemed off, however. When she spoke, her voice sounded somehow… familiar. “Are… Are you Card?”
He nodded. “Yes, Miss…” He was dimly aware of himself taking a step backwards into an alleyway, taking what could be a dangerous situation out of the streets.
The pony snarled at him, a guttural sound of pure hatred and misery. “YOU DID THIS TO ME!”
Card gasped and jumped up into the air as the pony charged him with a knife. Flying over her, he grabbed her hood and flicked it off, revealing whom he had thought she was since she had spoken. Before him stood the mother of his special somepony, Ambrosia Bywater. 
Taking her in, he realized she had changed. Her horn was still shattered, but she looked tired and ragged, as though something inside her was fighting her very being. He noticed blood trickling down from her horn, and realized there was a long cut stemming from the broken bone. “Please, miss,” he said, donning a surgical mask. “Let me help you.”
His masks often confused others. Though his name was Card Trick, and he did have the power to control cards, his special talent was actually masks. Any mask he wore, he would get the power that goes to the mask. At the current time, his surgical mask made him by far the most gifted doctor in all of Equestria. 
Ambrosia charged him again, but collapsed at his hooves, weakened by her wound. She glared at him, and he noticed a small bit of blood and foam coming from her mouth. “You… You did this to me…”
He leaned down and began working his magic, trying everything he knew with his gift to heal her. All the while she spoke to him, and all the while, nothing helped. Her horn still bleed and he couldn’t fix things for once. Her words shook him to the core. “You killed me, Card. Nothing you’re trying is enough. It… will never… be… enough…”
He tried and tried and tried again, a slow panic rising to his mind, but her words ran true in his mind, haunting his every action with a possible failure. He could not fail; his father had never failed, so neither could he. He kept trying, even after he knew it was much too late… until, finally, he felt the final pulse of her heart dwindle away to a faded beat, dying away completely. He lightly took off his mask, feeling tears sting at his eyes. He had failed her. What would Lily think? Though Ambrosia was by far one of the worst mothers he knew, she was still Lily’s mother. What would Lily think, knowing he had failed?
He walked back to Sugar Cube Corner in a daze, trying to comprehend what had happened. It had all gone so fast… Ambrosia was dead… and he had been the cause of it. If he had not broken her horn, all that time ago, would she still be alive? Walking inside, he saw Pinkie baking cupcakes. She smiled at him, but then saw his face, realizing something was wrong. “Card, are you alright? What happened?”
He glanced at her numbly, not really taking in her presence. It was as though time around him had sped up, and he was left in the dust. “There’s… a pony in the alley… might wanna… call somepony… you know, to… to pick her up…”
Pinkie looked at him, confused. “Card, what happened?”
Card looked drained and pale, not to mention confused. “T-there’s a pony who died… I-I need to tell Lily…” Slowly he walked into the room he and Lily shared, leaving a concerned Diane to call the police about the body. 
Lily was putting away some cloths when she turned to see Card. She smiled at him, but instantly noticed something was wrong. “Card, what’s wrong?”
Card looked at her sadly, looking into her eyes. “I’m afraid I have some… bad news, Lily…” She looked at him, concerned, as he sat. “I’m afraid… your mother is…” He hung his head slightly. “Your mother is dead, Lily.”
Lily stared at him, uncomprehending. “S-she’s… what?...”
Card held his head in his hooves, feeling utterly empty. He had never failed like this before. “S-she’s dead. Her horn, i-it…” He couldn’t continue.
Lily sat for awhile next to him, and when she spoke, Card was startled to hear anger in her voice. “It was because of what you did, wasn’t it?”
Card looked at her, surprised. He hadn’t been expecting that tone of voice form her. “Y-yes, i-it was her horn. I-I couldn’t do anything to save her…” 
Instead of the sorrow he had expected, he saw anger in her eyes. “You didn’t even try to save her, did you?”
His eyes widened. What had her speaking like this? “L-lily, what are you talking about? Of course I tried!”
Lily glared at him. “No, you didn’t! You’ve never failed Card, why would you now unless you WANTED her to die?!”
Card stood angrily, his mind buzzing with thoughts. What was happening to his friend? “Lily, I TRIED! I COULDN’T SAVE HER!”
Lily was fuming, anger higher than ever. “YOU DIDN’T TRY HARD ENOUGH! YOU COULDN’T DO IT, CARD!”
Her words shook him to the core. He wasn’t good enough. You’ll never be good enough he thought. Or, was it him thinking it? His mind was so confused…
You’ll never be good enough… so why bother trying?
Card hung his head, feeling tears sting at his eyes. Lily was shouting something at him, but he couldn’t hear what the words were. It was as though his mind was fogged with a cloud, and only the thoughts of the current time stuck out. He opened his eyes. He noted, unsurprised, that his eyes had no effect on Lily. Usually, his eyes had tremendous power, able to make ponies stop and tremble in fear, as though his eyes had the power to see into their soul. Now, however, they were useless. 
Slowly he walked over to the wardrobe and opened it, pulling out clothing he needed and masks he owned. “What do you think you’re doing, Card,” he heard Lily scream behind him. She was over reacting. 
“I’m leaving.”
Lily glared at him. “I despise you, Card. Goodbye.” With that, she stormed out, leaving a small colt on the verge of tears. Just one day, and it had all deteriorated. Not even a day, a mere hour had made all he had worked for, everything he had believed in, shatter. Worst of all, deep down he knew, there was no way he could fix it. He had failed.
“Why do down tonight?~”
Card jumped slightly, hearing his father’s voice behind him. His father’s name was Hat Trick. He had similar talents to Cards; His eyes had the same fear inducing quality, and what Card could do with masks, he could do with Hats. He was sitting on the bed, looking at Card curiously, not quite perturbed by his son’s actions.
Card turned back to the wardrobe, an old mask in his hooves. “What do you want, father?” He heard a small hint of accusation in his voice, almost as though he was blaming his father of doing all of this to him. His father had been the one to be perfect. His father had been the one to set up the reputation of the Trick family, amazing at everything they do. This was all his fault.
Hat smiled as he always did. “I wanted to see what was wrong~” 
Card sighed slightly. As much as he wished to walk away from his father, he knew it was of no use. His father had the ability to be wherever he was needed, at any given time. Better to get it over with now than have his father hunting him down. “I failed, father. A pony died by my hooves today.”
The reaction of his father had not been one he had been expecting. Instead of disappointment in his son, or belittlement in the fact that he could have done better, Hat asked him a simple question. “Did you try to save her?”
Card didn’t know how his father knew it was a mare who had died, but it didn’t matter. His father always knew. “Of course I tried, father. What good did it do, in the end? I will never amount to anything.”
Hats smile grew. “Well, you won’t with that attitude~”
Card shut his eyes tight. What was his father’s problem? How was he staying so calm? It annoyed Card to the point of frustration that his father could remain so collected at a time like this while he himself could not. Of course, that was the heart of the problem, wasn’t it? “I’ll never be as good as you dad, so why bother trying anymore?”
"Because I know that's not what you really think~"
Card turned to his father, angry. What did he know? He was perfect. There had been no failure in his life, nothing that he couldn’t fix. How could he make him see? “Father, I couldn’t even save Lily’s mom. All I am is a trick. A joke. All I’ve ever been able to do is what you laid out for me, gave to me on a silver platter. So what would you know, father? You haven’t failed. I’ll only ever be what you see now, and it will never, EVER, be enough.” He hung his head, sighing.
He heard his father chuckle. Then, his father said something he had never expected. “You're under the assumption that I enjoy being like this~"
Card glanced up at his father, confused. Not enjoy this? Being so powerful you could do anything you wanted? “I’m… afraid I don’t understand.” He sat next to his father, watching him. 
His father sighed slightly, surprising Card. He had never seen his father sad in the least. “My... talents came from the loss of somepony very close. It is something I'll never forget. To this day, I'd do anything to undo it.” 
Card thought about this for some time. Finally, he spoke, his voice soft. “So… we have both failed?” His father nodded, smiling at him. Card took a deep breath, thinking. Why was he being so illogical about this? Lily’s outburst had been one of anger and sorrow, not entirely directed at him. Her mother had just died. Truly, was it his fault? Ambrosia seemed to be dying because of her horn, but Card knew there were ways to heal that problem. Perhaps it had been Ambrosia’s own fault, and not his own. Something still bothered him, however. Ambrosia would have clung to life with every fiber of her being. 
His eyes widened as everything started to piece itself together. What if Ambrosia had been somepony else? There were plenty of ponies and potions that could take the appearance of another. In fact, as his head was beginning to clear, he realized his mind had been fogged. Why had he acted like this? Something had taken a hold of his thoughts, clouding his judgment. There was one he knew of that could do that all. 
“Looks like you’re figuring it out~” With that, Hat put his hoof around his son, pulling him close. “Do me a favor.”
Card looked up at him, his white eyes seeming to shine. Hat smiled as ever. “Don’t be a Hat Trick. Be Card.” With those final words, he hugged his son and walked out, his eyes shut and his mouth forming that same, everlasting smile.
Card sighed, knowing what would come now. He walked out of his room to find a sobbing Lily sitting on the couch. He gently laid a hoof on her back, and she glanced up at him, instantly gaining a hurt expression. “What do you want?” He winced slightly at her tone of voice, but knew that Lily was worth any pain. He would stick by her no matter what.
He gently took a hold of her and stroked her mane, making her gasp. He looked into her eyes and smiled. “We’ll get through this, my dear. You and me together~”
Card watched as her anger melted away in the hooves of her special colt; watched as the anger gave way to sorrow and her eyes filled with more tears. With a small sob, she buried her face into his chest, crying as much as she needed. “C-c-card, I-I’m so so s-sorry! I-I didn’t mean to g-get so angry, I-I d-don’t know w-what came over m-me!”
Lightly he hugged her. “No more tears,” he said. “No more tears tonight over forgotten words.” She couldn’t help but smile at his soothing voice and kindness. He gently lifted her chin to look into his eyes, and though only a colt, his wisdom shone in those sparkling eyes. “I never want for you to cry for us again. I only ever want to see you smile.”
Her smile grew as she nodded. “Alright, Card.” He wiped away her tears as she continued to speak. “I’m so sorry I yelled so much earlier… I-I don’t know what came over me, it’s all so foggy now…”
Card nodded, thinking. There was one way to check and be sure. He calmly walked to the nearby phone and dialed a number he had memorized. 
“Hello, is this a Miss Ambrosia Bywater?”
Lily started slightly as he said this. There was no point in calling a dead pony… unless they were still alive. 
Card smiled softly. “Yes, thank you Ambrosia.” With that, he hung up. 
Lily walked over to him, confused. “C-card, that couldn’t have been her… you said she died…”
Card nodded. “She had seemed to. Yet, did you notice how both our minds became clouded? How your kindness turned to hatred and my wisdom became my downfall? We became the opposite of who we truly are inside. Only one person I know can do that.”
Card closes his eyes tightly. “Discord did this to us. He has been hunting Miss Diane for ages now, always trying to change her into a discarded state, playing on her dormant insanity. Now he has begun to target the ponies staying in the inn. I cannot allow him to do this any longer.”
He looked up at Lily, his eyes sparkling no longer with tears, but with vengeance. “The next time I see him, the Discord who has done this to us, I will end him.”
With that, Card took Lily back to their room, both of them lying down to sleep and rest after their frightful experience.
The years passed, and all of the ponies in the inn grew older. Card and Lily lived happily, though many hardships befell them both. Cards mind was assaulted by an unknown force – and a hidden advisory at that -, and he even had a visit from himself from an alternate universe, a pony going by the alias of Valkyrie. Valkyrie had been using shadow magic to manipulate the world around him in evil ways, hurting many of the ponies Card knew and loved. Card reformed him into a good pony after learning of his dark past. Growing older still as the years seemed to fly by, Card matured further, understanding more of the world outside – and inside. Yet, even in times of utter content, he would never forget his vow. He would end Discord.

> Shadowed Sights
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Card was sitting on the sofa, reading. He was a man of nearly 16 now. His voice had gotten deeper, settling in a nice baritone. These past few weeks had been peaceful, and Card smiled, remembering the night out he had had with Lily last night. It seemed everything as of late had been going well. 
He glanced up as he heard a clatter in the kitchen. Pinkie had dropped a pan on accident. Card noticed she had been a bit jumpy lately. It was only when he was around, though. It’s as though she was hiding something from him. “Are you alright, Diane?”
Pinkie nodded, picking up the pan. “Y-yeah, just a bit startled is all.” Card noted the slight hesitation in her voice. He heard it every time she spoke to him. There was also a twinge of something there… worry?
Card nodded, then turned as he heard hoofsteps from the hallway. There stood one of Diane’s closest friends, DrakeFang. He used to be human, a prince even, living in a kingdom named Chikaria. After being deemed too weak to rule, however, he was sentenced to death. He managed to escape, and in the end he killed the one who sentenced him to die. After that, he escaped into Equestria, and he had lived there ever since. Drake was also the father of one of Cards closest friends, a colt named Hot Shot who was the same age as him. They were so close; they referred to each other as brothers. “Are you okay, Pinks,” he asked, a tad bit concerned.
Pinkie nodded, a rueful smile on her face. “Just a bit clumsy is all. Nothing to worry about.”
Drake smiled back at her, then turned to Card. “Hey, buddy, can I talk to you in private?” Card glanced up at him, a bit confused, and nodded. He stood and put the book he had been reading down. He noticed a small glance between Pinkie and Drake. Those two had been talking again. 
He walked into the hallway with Drake and turned to him. “So, what’s up?”
Drake looked at him, and Card could see something in his eyes. It seemed to reflect that same worry that had been in Diane’s voice. “… Card, I’m afraid something big is coming.” 
Card looked somewhat confused. “Drake, something big is always coming. We live on a hell gate.”
“I know, but you’re a part of it.”
“So be it then~”
Drake nodded slightly. “Tell me… have you seen Discord as of late?”
Card was somewhat surprised by the out of the blue question. He hadn’t been expecting that. “Yes, a version of him… why do you ask?”
Drake nodded as though Card had answered a very important question. “He’s bound to return,” he said to himself.
Cards eyes hardened slightly, a twinge of anger hidden in them. In a very soft and slow voice he spoke. “… And I hope that he does.”
“Why?”
Card was silent for a moment, collecting his thoughts. Finally, he spoke. “Long ago, I made a vow that I would destroy him for what he did to me and Lily, as well as the pain he has caused others.”
To his surprise, Drake smiled. “Good. Your fighting spirit is strong.” To this, Card could only add silence. Fighting spirit? Card wasn’t sure if he liked the sound of that. He could fight, certainly, but he tried to use his voice and wisdom to sort out problems. Violence typically didn’t solve much. “Now,” Drake continued, “how good are you with… shadows?”
Card stood in silence again, thinking. Shadows… That had been the magic Valkyrie used. The magic he had fought to protect himself from. “What do you mean, Drake? I don’t have shadows.”
“Oh, no, you do. Trust me. You know I can sense shadow magic, Card. I sense a lot of them in you, and they’re not weak either.”	
Card shook his head defiantly, refusing to believe it. “I do NOT have them, Drake. I fought against Valkyrie to prevent ever having them. Now that I have made it so that I do NOT have shadows inside me, I plan to keep it that way.”
“What if I prove it to you?”
Card’s temper was beginning to unfold. “There’s nothing to prove, Drake.” 
Cards eyes widened as Drake raised his hoof. “Isn’t there?” Drakes hoof became encased in black flames, signaling Card to come closer. Card gasped as his chest glowed black, and he began to move closer to Drake. He tried to stop himself from moving, but it was of no use. All the while, Drake smiled. “Still don’t believe me?”
Card glared at Drake. “Y-you’re doing that,” he said, his voice strained from trying to stand his ground. 
Drake shook his head. “All I’m doing is manipulating the shadows within you.”
Card couldn’t see it, but his eyes were beginning to turn a shade of red, something Drake knew well. Whenever Card was angry, his eyes became a brilliant shade of blood red. The same thing happened to Drake when he used powerful shadow magic. “D-drake, you are making me VERY angry at the moment.”
Drake kept smiling, watching Card’s futile attempts to stay still. “Good. Now, try to break free.”
“Using shadows, I assume?” Card glared at Drake, feeling overwhelming anger.
“Whatever you can come up with~”
Card struggled against the shadows, refusing to give in, though in his heart he knew it was of no use. “D-Drake, just let me go!”
Drake shook his head, still smiling. “Break free. Your enemy won’t just let you go if you ask them to.”	
“LET ME GO!” Cards eyes were now a full blazing red, no longer that faded rose color from before. He was truly angry, and he wanted to take it out on the nearest thing that he hated… unfortunately, he didn’t hate Drake. “Drake, you are NOT my enemy!”
“I could be.”
Cards eyes widened as shadows surrounded Drake, and his voice became echoed. “For all you know… I could be Discord already…” The shadows left Drake, but Card saw it wasn’t his old friend any longer. In fact, it wasn’t a friend at all.
“What will it be, little Trick,” Discord said, his voice seeming to bounce around in his mind, flaring up memories he had blocked out, things he had wanted to forget. Pain. Anger. Sadness. He had pushed what Discord had done to him – to all of them – and now it was all flooding back in one giant wave of emotion. “Will you break free,” he continued, “or surrender?”
Cards eyes were now purely red with a slit of shadow in them. All other thoughts were driven from his mind but one soul goal. “I will END YOU.” His voice shook with not only emotion, but power. 
“It will take more than that, little Trick.”
“More? I’ll give you MORE.” In a burst of shadow, Card was standing back where he had originally stood. Around him curled shadows, his own this time, and not seemingly made by his old friend. He felt good, wonderful even. He could feel the power racing through him, and it felt fantastic. He could do anything in this form. He could win. He could face Discord. He could kill.
“Wonderful, WONDERFUL~” Cards eyes widened as shadows encased Discord, and in his place stood DrakeFang one more. He realized with a shock that he had been tricked. Discord hadn’t been there at all. It had all been an illusion, made by Drake. As the realization hit him, he began to calm down, regaining control on his shadows. His eyes returned to their natural white, and he saw Drake was smiling. “I’d say training can begin~”
Card looked at Drake, unbelieving. He had made the shadows emerge. He had done this. What was he now? “N-no…”
Drake saw the pain in Cards eyes and walked closer to him. “Card.”
Card cut him off with a glare. “Don’t talk to me Drake.” He was surprised to hear the touch of anger in his voice. Perhaps it had been left over by the shadowy state of mind he had donned… or maybe it was his own anger at the pony who had made him… this.
“You’re just like me, Card,” Drake continued, “A wielder of shadows. With my help, you can learn how to control and use those powers.”
Card felt tears sting at his eyes. “Drake… you’ve made me the one thing I never wanted to be… the one thing I never wanted to become…”
Drake walked next to Card and leaned down slightly to his level, putting his hoof on the boys shoulder. “Card, that’s not true. You’re you, not the shadow.”
Card stared into his friends eyes. “Y-You was what I become when I touch shadow, Drake… I… I don’t want to become Valkyrie…”
Drake had a small smile on his face. “You won’t, Card. Valkyrie… didn’t have my help~” Card held his head in his hooves, thinking. This was all so much to take in, and even his mind had trouble sorting out what had happened. In the course of even less than an hour, his life had changed dramatically. All he could do was hope it hadn’t changed for the worse. “Card, we need your shadows.”
Card glanced up at him again. “W-why mine?... Why... Why me?”
Drake sat next to him. “Discord is rising again. Since you have so much anger and shadows in you, you’re seen as easy to manipulate, and so he will come after you. As you are right now, you wouldn’t be able to defeat him… and you WILL have to fight him.” Drake lifted Cards head to look into his eyes. “Now, listen closely. You are strong, Card. You’re shadow powers are amazing, seeing as they broke mine. Now, Discord is the God of chaos, correct?” Card nodded slightly. Drake continued. “Chaos is no more than a unity of light and dark. If you fight Discord on your own, your shadows would take over, losing to the chaos. That’s why I want to teach you, and it’s why Diane has been so worried as of late. She’s afraid she’ll lose you to revenge.”
Card sighed softly, knowing it was inevitable. “… I suppose I have no choice.”
“You have the choice of not using shadows, Card, but you’ll just end up like me.”
Card shook his head sadly, a single thread of defiance left in him. This couldn’t just take over his life… “I never asked for this, Drake. I never asked for shadows. I never asked to be born into madness. So why did it all happen to me?”
Drake looked at him seriously, and Card knew the answer instantly through Drakes eyes. Drake had lived a worse life than he. Drake had been purged of his every aspect, everything that made him human, because he had lost control. “We don’t get to chose that, Card.” Card nodded slightly, knowing now the only course of action. “Let me train you, Card. Let me teach you the secrets of shadows.”
Card sighed. “… Very well. Teach me how to control my shadows, Drake.”
Drake smiled brightly, standing at full height once more. “Excellent. Starting today, then, you’re my pupil. Also, you won’t just learn to control your shadows. You’ll be protecting with them. Your training partner will motivate you all the more to get it right~”
Card glanced at him, already half knowing the answer to his question. “Who is… my partner?”
Drake smiled brightly. “Discord is chaos and chaos is only a combination of light and dark. Shadows are darkness. Now, to you, who is light?”
Cards eyes widened slightly. His closest friend, the one with fire powers… He could summon and control fire at will… “Y-your son… Hot?”
Drake nodded happily. “Through this, my son will learn to control his flames even better. He’s a warrior at heart, and he considers himself your brother.”
Card couldn’t help but smile, Drakes confidence rubbing off. “None more suited to help me, then.”
Drake nodded. “My thoughts exactly. Just watch, Card. In the end, everyone will see two great warriors rise. The Trick and the Comet, the two that defeated chaos.”
Card had a small smile on his face, unable to help himself because of Drakes own happiness. Still, under that smile, sorrow still lurked. A warrior… his father had always ending things peacefully, and Card had always thought that teaching to be sound. Why solve violence with more violence when you could easily solve things different ways? 
Drake caught on that Card was still somewhat down. He could see the inner turmoil, and somehow, he knew who it was about. Card had always looked up to his father, and Drake knew him well enough to know what was on his mind. He also knew Cards father well enough to end these doubts. “Do you know what I think Hat would say?~”
Card glanced at him, somewhat startled that he could get to the heart of the problem so quickly. Drake smiled and kept talking. “I remember there was a time he said to you, “Don’t be a Hat Trick. Be Card”. I said much the same thing earlier. You are Card Trick.” To this, Card could only respond with silence. “Heh. I think your father would say something along the lines of ‘Go and fight, son. I’ll hold your hat~”
Card couldn’t help but laugh along with Drake. His impression of his father was a little rough around the edges, but who in the world could imitate Hat Trick? As he lightened up slightly from the joke, Card allowed himself time to think. If Drake was truly as close to him as he knew, deep down… the he should be able to tell Drake his inner most thoughts. All of his doubts... “Drake?”
“Mhm?”
“… Everypony always tells me… ‘You aren’t your father. You’re Card Trick’.” Card was rather surprised to feel tears rolling down his face. Now was the time to let out all of the deep inner thoughts he had. Everything now would be said… and now was the time for the easiest of the questions on his mind. “W-what if Card Trick… W-what if I’m not enough?”
Drake looked somewhat startled by the question. “What in the world makes you say that?”
Card let his tears run, knowing he needed to let go of his inner fears and doubts if he was ever to succeed. “I-I failed to stop the shadows… It had been my goal, and I couldn’t reach it.” He paused slightly to wipe away some of the stream of tears coming from his eyes. “I-If I couldn’t do that much, Drake… H-how can I ever hope to face Discord?”
“Oh Card…” Drake put his hoof on Cards shoulder once more. “Again, you tried to stop your shadows on your own. Controlling them is something we can do together.” Card sighed to himself, refusing to voice the one thing on his mind. Drake wouldn’t be there during the fight to hold him back. Drake heard the small sigh and thought about what to say for a moment. “You know… I never wanted to be DrakeFang.” Card looked up at this. “In fact, I never intended on becoming Drake either.”
“Really?”
“Really. For a long time, I didn’t know who I was. I didn’t want to find out my name or past; I didn’t want to be that. My shadows took me over, and I was gone. Dead, vanished. No more. I was replaced by shadow, literally becoming a Dark Entity.”
Card couldn’t help but smile slightly. “And look at you now~”
Drake chuckled slightly. “Yeah. Look at me now. You know, you and I are more alike than you think. You’re constantly doubting yourself.” To this, Card could only answer with a sheepish smile. “Life is hard. We can’t deny that. It’s got its obstacles. By trying, never giving up and keeping our spirits high, we get through it all. So what are you? A DrakeFang? Or a Dark Entity?”
Card smiled. Reaching into his hat, he pulled out an old blank mask, one he had gotten from Valkyrie after he had been changed back to good. What was he, really? He thought awhile, then his face grew a nice, small smile. “… I’m just a Wild Card~”
“That’s the spirit.”
Cards smile stayed this time. I guess it’s time to stop deluding myself. 
Drake made a small motion with his hoof. “I can see it now, the Wild Card and the Comet. The warriors who defeated chaos~”
Card nodded and yawned. “For now, I think I should get some rest~”
Drake nodded a bit ruefully. “I’m sorry Card. I’m putting you through so much. How you can still like me, I’ll never know~”
“That’s simple, Drake. Don’t you realize? Hot is what I consider to be a brother. What does that make you?~”
Drake was still smiling softly, blushing just a tad. “Think I know the answer, but again, I don't see how.”
“I sat here in pain being told something i didn't want to hear... and you took the time to explain things calmly and rationally, even when i almost threw a childish fit.” He glanced up at Drake, his smile speaking a thousand words. “That’s the definition of a father if I’ve ever heard one~”
Drake rubbed the back of his head, blushing slightly. “Sheesh, Card~”
Card chuckled slightly. “Now, I think it’s time for sleep~”
Drake tussled Cards mane lightly. “Yeah… Sleep tight…” He walked to the hallway, about to go to his room, when he stopped and glanced back once more. “… Son~”
With a small smile, Card watched as Drake left. He glanced at the mask in his hooves once more. Tomorrow… training would begin. 

> Back to Basics
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Drake was sitting outside, meditating. He did this often as a way to control his shadows and keep them calm. He breathed deeply, concentrating on only his breath. He listened to the world around him. Birds chirped, wind blew… soon, he heard hoofsteps. He opened a single eye and smiled. “Good morning, Card.”
Card nodded his acknowledgement to the hello, smiling. “Good morning~”
Drake stood and turned in one fluid movement, looking at Card. “What’s up?”
Card simply smiled and said “I’m ready to start training, Drake~”
Drake grinned. Hearing Card say he was ready was a big step already, considering just yesterday he had completely objected to the idea. “Well then, no need for chatting. Let’s get to it~”
From inside, Pinkie watched the two ponies whom she called friends while she sipped her morning whiskey. She kept watch, knowing she shouldn’t interfere with this. Diane had a past with shadows. When she touched in on shadow magic, she lost control easily. So easily, a master of them told her she should not use them. For once, she listened to somepony and refused to use them. She used instead a type of demonic magic she had learned from her husband. It had the same power as shadow magic, but it counter acted the effects of shadows, purifying them and cleansing them. “Please, Card, be safe,” she said under her breath, watching. 
“Gotta tell you,” Drake said, “these first few lessons won’t be very interesting. Despite that, you must remember they are valuable.” Card nodded, understanding. These first lessons would be the base of all he did. Drake smiled at his understanding and continued. “Now, as I’m sure you’ve seen before, I possess both fire and shadow magic. Every being that is strong enough to possess shadow magic, such as you, has a secondary element. The shadows need an element to base their shape of, such as my fire. As you’ve seen before, my shadows take the shape of black flames. All we have to do for now is find your secondary element.”
Card nodded. “What elements are there to have?”
Drake smiled. “Just the classic four that everypony knows. Fire, like mine, Water, Air and Earth. Fire, obviously, takes the form of flames. Water tends to act more as though the shadows were a liquid. Air creates ominous winds and fogs, and finally, Earth tends to focus on the raw power of shadows.”
“Diane was Earth, wasn’t she?”
Drake nodded. “Yes, she was able to focus the shadows into solid forms, meaning she had Earth as a secondary element.”
“Is it possible to learn more than one element?”
Drake smiled. “Way to hit on the big stuff. Yes, it is possible. My combination attack, my Crimson Fists, utilizes both the flames of my Fire ability and the raw power of the Earth. It’s possible to master more than one element, but very hard to do. Also, sometimes you can combine elements to make different ones. Wind and Water make Ice.”
“Or Fire and Water making steam?”
Drake nodded. “You’re starting to get it. Now, first things first. What shape do your shadows take? Try to remember Valkyrie.” Card nodded, thinking. “Were they in the shape of flames? Were they transparent? Did they roll off of him like fog?”
Card thought for a few moments. Valkyrie has appeared through shadow, and they had seemed to curl around him intricately. Yet afterwards… Yes, that was it. “He used the shadows to make a throne for himself. He solidified them.”
Drake nodded. “That settles it. Your element is Earth. Step one, complete~” Card smiled at this. “Now, onto attacks. Obviously, since you’re going to be going into battle, we’ll need some attacks set up. I think I know the most effective weapons for you~” Card looked at him curiously. “Obviously, you’ll have to use cards! You can use them as distance weapons, such as a bow and arrow.” 
Card nodded, already thinking about the forms of attack her would use. “This sounds like it will be fun,” he said, grinning. 
Drake smiled. “During training, I’ll be here to help you remain in control. Knowing you, though, you’ll be fine. Alright, go ahead and take out a deck of cards.”
Card reached into his hat and pulled out an ordinary deck of cards. His hat was a hand – me – down from his father. Inside it could hold all manner of things, and only Card and a select few whom he trusted could use its power. Other than that, it looked like a rather faded blue hat. Card gave them to Drake as requested. Drake smiled. “Thanks.” With that, he burst them into flames.
Card started forward slightly. He hated to see ponies damage Cards. They were something he loved dearly and had great meaning to them. Seeing ponies damage them was like an artist watching ponies draw on their work. Yet, after a moment, he was that Drake was merely empowering the cards with shadows. The flames turned black, and the cards turned dark. He handed them back, smiling, and Card tested how they felt. He could feel their power, even now, before all his training had even begun. Imagine how powerful they would be when he was at full power? “Now, let’s see how good you are at target practice, Card.” With that, he created 3 large sized targets. “The movement is simple. Just flick a card off of the top of the deck. Of course, I don’t expect you to hit dead center right from the start. Just try your best, and I’m sure with time yo-“
He was cut off as Card opened his eyes very slightly, looking at the target. He lightly picked up the card, feeling the shadow power inside of it hum from his touch. Quicker than the average pony could blink, he flicked it out, watching the edges of the card spin and curl through the air. He loved the hidden elegance of cards, and knew this was the weapon for him. Only a Trick would be able to bring out such beauty. The card spun faster as it neared the target, and Card smiled as it thudded straight into the yellow bull’s-eye. Little did Card realize, all of this had happened in a fraction of a second.
Drake looked at the target, amazed. “… Huh.”
Card looked at him, his eyes shut once more, another card already held tight in his hoof. “I suppose all those days playing with cards paid off~”
Drake smiled, still a bit shocked at the level of power and control Card had over the cards. It’s what I get for underestimating a Trick he thought. “At this rate, you’ll be a warrior in no time!~”
Card said nothing to this, thinking. He still did not want to become a warrior. He smiled, however. Like it or not, that would be his life, even if it was just for a single battle. Time to grow up and face the enemy. 
“Alright, let’s make this harder~” He made two of the targets disappear, knowing Card could hit those easily. The third target he made smaller and further away. “Let’s see you hit that now~”
Card nodded and looked at the target, once again opening his eyes a smidgeon. He could feel the shadows in the card, eager to set sail and fly to do his bidding. He lifted it up slowly. The further distance was harder to judge, but now was the time to work out the errors. He let the card fly, hitting the target close to center, though a tad bit off. He had noticed the card had veered because of the wind shear. He made a mental note to correct that in the future.
“Very good, Card. Well, this’ll be pointless.” With a rueful grin, he made the final target disappear. “Now…” He turned to card, smiling. “Let’s see you hit a moving target.”
Cards eyes widened slightly. “You… want me to hit you?~”
Drake grinned. “I want you to try~”
Card smiled slightly as Drake readied himself. If it was a challenge he wanted, it would be a challenge he got. Now, he knew a simple head on attack would be what he was expecting. Instead, Card threw two cards in rapid succession, both to two different sides. That wind shear that used to be a problem would now become his ally. 
“What’s wrong, Card? Don’t wanna hit me?~”
Card merely smiled as the wind pushed to two cards together at a fast speed, both of them hurtling towards Drake from the left and right. Drake grinned and bowed, causing the cards to collide with each other. “Maybe you DO want to hit me~”
Drake lifted his head again to see a card headed straight for him. The kid is fast… He caught the card, smiling. “Gonna have to do better than that.” Card made a small ‘tsk’ sound, seeing his maneuver failed. “Keep them coming. This is fun~”
Cards eyes narrowed. He threw three cards quickly. Two came from the sides, like before, but now a third came from behind him, ensuring he could only escape to the front or to the air. Card quickly threw one forwards at a slightly different level than the others, meaning it couldn’t collide with them. Drakes eyes widened, seeing the cards coming at him from all four sides. “Oh dang – “ Quickly he jumped above them all. He glanced at Card again, and his eyes widened further as he saw a 5th card already headed his way. He was stuck in that spot with no means of escape but hoping gravity would save him. How is he even doing this?? “Well sh-!” Quickly he summoned his sword to his hooves, blocking the last card with it. He landed on his hooves again, an exhilarated smile on his face. 
Card chuckled as Drake made his sword disappear. “Told you I would try~”
Drake made a rueful grin. “W-well that was… unexpected.” He walked back over to Card, smiling. “An excellent display, I must say.” Card nodded, his eyes shut once more and a small smile on his face. “How about we call it a day? You’re WAY further ahead that I had thought.”
“As you wish~”
Drake smiled as Card went around and gathered all the cards from the ground. “At least we can skip all that stuff about theory. You have the basics down already. Next session, you’ll be learning to combine elements. The one I have in mind for you is Air. Next, shadow training. If you can manage to make a floating chain of cards, you could use that as a shield and weapon.” Card nodded to this, smiling. “Alright. Dismissed, ‘cadet’~”  Both chuckled at this and walked inside.
“How was the first day of training,” Pinkie asked, sitting on the couch and sipping her whiskey.
Drake smiled at Card and turned back to Diane. “Surprisingly well~”
Card merely smiled and walked to his room. That was all that was needed of him for today~

> Power Vs. Control
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Card was walking to the field where Drake had told him to meet at yesterday. He believed it was part of the training today. Practicing shadows near Sugar Cube Corner wouldn’t have been the best idea, seeing as the colorful inn was set atop a hell gate. Practicing shadows so near something that powerful could easily have adverse effects. 
Coming over the hill to the field, he saw bursts of shadow flame, as well as a rather familiar pony creating the shadows. Drake seemed to dance through the air, spinning and curling along with the shadows he commanded. Card waited a good distance away, watching his teacher. He truly is a master of his trade… He watched as Drake crossed his hooves, creating a circle of fire around him in an explosion of power. He spread his hooves normally once more after the fire had faded. Card smiled and walked over, realizing the performance was done. “Truly a wonderful display, Drake.”
“Thanks Card. This is what I’m going to be training you to do today.” Card nodded, listening. “My version is called the Fire Chain. I take it you brought your cards,” he asked, pointing to Cards hat. Card smiled and took the deck of cards out of his hat once more. He noted that the cards no longer had power. The shadows had faded. “Seems you’ll have to use your own shadows for this one.”
Card looked at the cards. “…Alright…”
“Can you call upon them, Card?”
Card kept his face straight. “Honestly… I’m not sure. I’ve never attempted to bring them forth unless in a rage. The only time I’ve been able to call them forth is when angry.”
Drake nodded, thinking. “The best way to bring out your shadows… hmm…”
Card looked at the cards. Making himself mad would never do. In a real battle, he would have to stay calm and rationalize. Maybe if I try that… He closed his eyes slowly, keeping his breathe calm and slow. He had to concentrate on the shadows inside him, and merely push them into the cards. He could feel the power inside him grow… He opened his eyes just as slowly, trying to remain calm. The power… he could feel all of the power inside of him. Drake hadn’t been lying. Now that Card knew what the shadows felt like, he could sense them, and they weren’t weak. He watched as shadows curled around the cards in his hoof, somehow still keeping calm. “T-this… i-is a bit different…”
“You’re doing wonderfully, Card. Just keep calm like you are.”
“W-what do I do with the shadows now?” Card kept breathing deeply, feeling the shadows trying to escape him. He was full of many doubts… What if they broke free? What if he lost control? Calm down, Card… Drake is here… he will protect you… Card relaxed slightly as Drake continued to speak. 
“Imagine the cards floating off of the deck, following your hoof like a rope. Imagine what I did earlier, with my flames, but instead with your cards.”
Card concentrated again on the deck in his hoof. He felt himself relaxing, growing somewhat used to the shadows. They had always been a part of him… He COULD control them. He had controlled them for years now. He just hadn’t known it at the time. With a small smile, he watched the cards swirl off of the deck, forming a chain of overlapping cards. “This… isn’t nearly as bad as I thought,” he said, smiling softly. He could grow used to this power… as long as he controlled it.
“Very good Card… now… Think fast!”
Cards eyes widened as Drake summoned a fireball and threw it at him. He had a split second to react. He didn’t trust himself to deflect it… Quickly, he coiled the card chain around the fireball, catching it moments before it hit him. The fireball was contained by the cards, and now Card had control over it. 
“Wow… Not what I was expecting, but effective nonetheless. It would be awesome if you could send it back at me with that much power.”
Card couldn’t help himself. Having this much power, he could easily do that, he knew. Might as well get a small laugh~ “Think fast~” He brought the card rope back and struck it forward like a whip, sending the fireball shooting towards Drake at top speed. 
“S-SHI-“ Drake quickly caught the fireball as Card chuckled. Drake grinned and laughed along. “Not bad, not bad at all. As cliché as it sounds, we're calling that the Card Whip.” 
Card smiled at the cards he had around him, watching them turn and swirl in shadow. “I can do anything… anything I want, just with a deck of cards…” Card could feel the power… and he liked it. He realized then that he was starting to lose control. He COULDN’T do anything he wanted. There were rules. He had to maintain control. Keep that in mind, Card… remember that… Card took a few deep breaths, trying not to relax too much again. These shadows were powerful and dangerous. He had to remember that.
“Now, you blocked one projectile… Let’s see you block multiple~” With that, Drake summoned 5 fireballs and threw them at Card.  All 5 came at him from various directions, and all of them came fast. 
Card knew he had only moments. The card coiling tactic had worked earlier. All he needed was more chains. Quickly, he concentrated on making that chain again, but this time, without the cards. The card chain stemming from his hoof seemed to split into 4 other copies. These copies seemed to be solid, but they were made entirely of shadow. Twisting this way and that, following the grace he had seen Drake use earlier with his own shadows, Card grabbed each fireball with the card chain and copies. Card noticed a bit of sweat on his brow. This is wearing me out more than I can feel… Card knew he was on an adrenaline rush right now. The heat of the moment, the power from the shadows – all of it was affecting him at the moment. He sent each of the fireballs back at Drake as he had done earlier. After Drake had caught them all, levitating them around himself, Card merged all of the copies back to the original card chain, saving his energy. 
“Impressive, Card. You’re much further developed than I thought.” He levitated the fireballs around himself, thinking. “One more test~” With that, he doubled each of the fireballs, creating 10. They surrounded Card from a good distance away, spinning around him with incredible speed. “Attack from all sides~” His eyes flashed, and all 10 balls of flame came barreling towards Card.
Defense. Card felt something click inside him, and though he couldn’t see it, his eyes glowed with shadowy power. The card chain he had formed circled around him and expanded, circling around him in a full length shield. The fireballs bounced off the dies of the spinning cards. Card felt his energy deplete quickly, surprised at how much this tired him. The cards slowed as the flames subsided, finally reaching a halt as Card summoned them back to the deck. He then sat on the ground, panting from exhaustion. 
Drake trotted over to him, laughing. “Good, VERY good! You alright, buddy?”
Card nodded, trying to regain his breath. “Y-yeah… T-that last a-attack… t-took a lot outta me…”
Drake nodded, still smiling despite the colt’s exhaustion. “I can believe that. Card, you’re amazing! I couldn’t even do this much at that age.”
Card nodded slightly, feeling somewhat winded. “Must…be i-in my blood…”
“In fact, calling upon your shadows yet keeping calm is no small feat.”
Card smiled slightly at the praise. “It did take q-quite a bit of concentration.”
“In time, it won’t~” Drake helped him stand up straight, taking note that Card looked a little shaky on his hooves. Still a lot to learn yet… “Alright, you know two techniques now. The Card Whip and the Card Shield. Next we’ll be working on your reflexes. No shadows needed for that, just physical training. You’re doing fantastic, Card. MUCH better than I had expected.”
“T-thanks,” Card managed to say. What else could he say to such praise? 
Drake didn’t stop there, however. “You’re power is astounding and your control is undeniable. You only really need to learn about endurance and evasion.”
Card shook his head slightly. “I’m not as sure as you.”
“What do you mean?”
Card hung his head slightly, thinking back to their training - the power coursing through his body, the feeling of being strong enough to take what you wanted… and how much he had feared losing himself. “There were moments when I nearly lost control. There were times where I could easily see myself doing something horrible. I barely contained myself.”
“Yet now, you’re doing terrific.”
Card nodded. “That’s now. Later on… I may lose control.”
“Trust me Card. You won’t. You’ve got me as a teacher~” Card smiled at this. True, he had Drake, a master of shadows, teaching him to control his. “Be honest with me Card. Am I EVER this confident?”
Card laughed slightly. “Well, being honest… You do seem rather overly confident in me.”
“That’s saying something, isn’t it? You’re amazing Card. Even a foal could see that~” Cards smile grew at this. “Alright, let’s get you home. Think you can walk? You used a lot of power back there.”
Cards face turned a little troubled, his hooves still a bit shaky. “W-well… I-I think…” Hesitantly he made a step, but felt his hooves give way under him, causing him to fall. 
Drake quickly caught him with a rueful smile. “Thought so. Overdid it slightly.” Gently he laid Card on his back. “Come on, I’ll take us home.”
If Card had any qualms about riding a full grown stallions back like a small foal, he didn’t voice them. He was quite content to let somepony give him a ride back to town after that tiring experience. 
After a short walk, Drake walked into Sugar Cube Corner with Card still on his back. Pinkie looked up from her spot on the couch as they walked in. “Card?! Are you alright,” she asked, concerned.
Card laughed, lightly getting off of Drakes back. He could walk a little now, but was still tired. “I-I’ll be fine, Diane. Just overdid it a little bit.”
Drake smiled at Pinkie brightly. “You should’ve seen him, Diane. He’s a natural.”
Pinkie smiled and picked Card up so he didn’t have to walk. “Let’s just try not to overdo it anymore, alright boys?”
Card chuckled, feeling an overwhelming sense of family all around. Just as Drake felt like another father, Diane had always seemed to be another mother to him. In fact, everypony at the inn cared for everypony else. It was one, big family. 
Pinkie carried Card to his room and laid him on the bed. “There you are. Get some sleep, now. More training to come.”
“Thank you, Pinkie.” 
Pinkie smiled and walked out, turning off the lights on her way out. Card quickly drifted to a dreamless sleep, regaining his strength for the next lesson.

> Changing
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Card sat on the couch, sipping juice. Drake and his wife, Moonshine, were going to be out all day today. That meant Card had a day off from training. Card didn’t mind having a day off too much, but he found he actually thoroughly enjoyed these past few days with Drake. Training with his shadows was… a change of pace. He felt… different. Not quite as young as he used to be. Still, he sat and sipped juice on the couch, reading a Grimm Brothers fairy tale, one of his favorites. 
“Quite the pleasant day outside,” said a voice behind him.
Card would have been startled, but the voice he heard was not a voice to be afraid of. He turned to see his friend Mendacium standing there. Mendacium was an old knight, living from beyond Celestia and Luna’s reign. He was a close friend of Card. He had been the one to show Card how to open his eyes and see the world through his blind eyes. They had formed a close bond, and it was one that would last for a long time. “Yes, it certainly is~”
Menda smiled at him. “A perfect day for training, wouldn’t you agree?”
Card looked at him curiously. “Well, yes, but Drake is out with Moon.”
Menda face got a small sly smile. “Who mentioned Drake?~” Card grinned, realizing what he was getting at. “That’s right. Today, my best Card, I will be training you~”
Card smiled at the small nickname. “Alright then~” Happily, Card hopped off of the couch, setting down his juice. 
“Determined, are you not?~”
Card nodded and walked outside. Menda followed behind him. “Now, I take it Drake informed you of what we shall be learning today?”
Card nodded. “I think he said something about reflexes~”
Menda frowned slightly. “Is that right?~ Perhaps he made a slight mistake. That wasn’t what he told me~” If Card had any surprise at this comment, it didn’t show. He had been prepared for reflex training, but he knew that in a battle, he wouldn’t be prepared. He supposed Drake was trying to throw him off balance. “No, today I will be teaching you endurance. I have the perfect task for you.” Mendacium’s horn began to glow with magic, and before Card appeared a giant rock. Giant didn’t seem to describe it just right. Monster, massive, enormous, colossal, and perhaps even going to far as to say gargantuan – THAT was how big the stone was. “I think you may understand the task at hoof now~”
Card looked up at the rock, trying to take in its enormity. “Yes, I think I do…”
“By the end of the day, my best Card, you must shatter the rock.” Card nodded, already thinking of the best ways to damage it. “The choice on how to break it is yours. You can try simply attacking it with full force, or you can try to use shadows. Fair warning, this rock is made from the hardest material known to me. Thus, it will not break simply with a good idea. The point of this session is to rely on raw power, to see how long you last.”
Card nodded. “I suppose I should test my limits.” 
Menda looked at Card, gauging his strength. “Perhaps I can make this simpler. The rock does not need to be shattered, but merely half of its current size.”
Card nodded again, watching the stone as he would a foe. “Understood.”
“Should you want to use shadows…” Mendas horn lit with magic and a shield began to form around Card and the rock. He left a small area open so Card could hear him. “This shield will protect you from harming anything but the rock. Other than that, I am here at your side.”
Card nodded as Mendacium filled in the rest of the shield. He turned to the rock, thinking. I suppose I should start with what I know… He reached into his hat and pulled out the deck of cards he had been working with these past few days, shadows already beginning to curl from his hooves. “Interesting already,” Menda remarked to himself. Concentrating, Card engulfed the cards in shadows, enhancing the sides and corners to have a sharper edge. To a normal pony, these cards could now slice through a solid hoof and still be sharp. He began to whip at the rock with the card chain he had learned yesterday, yet saw each whip left not a single dent on the rock. “He’ll be taking far too long if he thinks this will work,” Menda said, watching Card beat away at the stone. 
Inside the shield, Card was thinking much the same thing. This isn’t going to work, the stone is rock hard… I need to find a weak point and use it to my advantage... simply attempting to make one is a waste of time and stamina. He stood up straighter, creating a large copy of the cards he had been using. Quickly, he threw it like a knife at the stone, hoping to crack it. However, it was to no avail. The shadows merely crashed against the rock, doing nothing to damage it. 
Mendacium couldn’t help but smile, watching Cards attacks. “His shadows are very strong…”
“Looks like you’re training somepony.”
Menda turned to see a somewhat familiar pony standing there by the name Maestro Midnight. Maestro was Celestias second top student, just below the Princess Twilight. Mae was very smart, and a friend of Dianes. “Indeed. The colt has an upcoming battle.”
“Really?”
“Yes. He and his friend, Hot, will be fighting.”
Mae glanced into the shield, somewhat surprised. “Isn’t that… Card? Wait, Card is fighting his best friend?”
Menda shook his head. “No, Card will be fighting alongside Hot.”
“O-oh… sorry, I can’t think straight.”
“You’ve been through a lot, Maestro.”
“You’re right,” he said, sighing. “Right now, my future looks dim. My daughter turns out to be an element of disharmony, I died and been revived twice, and I keep getting targeted by crazed ponies...” 
Mendacium didn’t reply, watching Card with interest. “What is he…”
Mae looked over at Card to see he had stopped the worthless melee attack he had been using. Instead, Card had walked to the rock and placed his hoof on the surface of it. 
Card closed his eyes, concentrating. Brute strength won’t destroy this stone. I can’t break it from the outside… so the next logical move is to destroy it from the inside. Card concentrated on moving his shadows into the rock, pushing his essence into the stone. Cards eyes widened. I can feel my shadows move through the rock.... I-it's not solid at all.... everything has a weak point, and you need to find it to shatter it… I have earth magic as well as shadow… both will help me here… His eyes became shadowy once more as he moved his shadows around him. He could still feel the power of the shadows and the urge to let the shadows roam wild and free. He remained in control, however, using that urge to be out in the world to push on the inside of the rock out.
Mendacium smiled brightly, watching from the outside of the shield. “Card is attacking the rock from the inside…”
“Interesting tactic.”
“Yes, unlike anything I have ever seen before.”
Card ignored the sweat rolling down his face as he pushed himself further, determined to make the rock shatter. The inside of the stone has only a little less pressure than that outside… He pushed against the rock harder, sweating badly in the late summer heat under the shield. He manipulated shadows around the rock to pull and tug at the outer edges, trying to help the process along. The sun was moving further down the sky as Card went about his task with diligence, concentrating solely on the task at hoof. 
Outside the shield, both stallions watched the boy attempt to crack the rock, unable to gauge how well he was going. “Come on, Card,” Menda whispered. “You can do this…”	
Maestro nodded. “He has a lot of potential.”
Mendacium turned to him, smiling. “As do you.”
“I really don’t…”
“You aren’t Celestias second student for nothing~”
“But… My life just goes from one disaster to the next…”
Menda laughed. “You’re telling this to who has lived for eons. I have been through many a disaster, Maestro. The rise of Nightmare Moon, Discords reign… I have seen and lived it all, yet now, I am mentoring a great warrior.”
Mae opened his mouth, but was cut off by a loud cracking sound. The rock had a long crack down the side, splintering the rock in places. “He’s doing it!”
Mendas smile grew. “Yes, Card, Yes! Wonderful! Just a little more…”
Inside the shield, Card was struggling. He began to feel weak, knowing he was pushing his limits. This was using up a lot of his energy. Remember why you fight in the first place... Remember all he told you that caused you to take up your shadows.... Use that remembrance to fuel yourself… More cracks began to appear, stemming from the large crack he had already made. He went further still, intent on making the entire stone splinter and shatter. He told me I wasn’t good enough then… that was then… He opened his eyes wide, shadows swirling inside them. “I’m learning to fight you now!” With that declaration, the entire stone cracked, leaving only sections intact. Still, the rock was un-shattered. “C-come on, Card, y-you can do this,” he said under his breath, trying to encourage himself to go even further.
Mendacium watched in anticipation, waiting for the rock to shatter. “Card is achieving great feats…”
“And so will I, soon,” Maestro said, feeling somewhat more confident after his talk with Menda. “But for now…” He stood quickly, smiling. “Come on, Card! You can do this!”
Card could feel the stone incased in his shadowy power. He could feel every speck of rock dust that had formed from the cracks. He saw the large original crack in the stone, and saw the weak spot he had made. He summoned a shadow card, enlarging it with his power. He threw it into the crack, feeling the card impact and stick into the rock. He lifted up his hoof, pointing towards the rock. “SHATTER!” In a burst of power, the card he controlled exploded with shadow magic and blew apart the stone. Card shielded his eyes as the shattered remains of the rock fell to the floor, hardly worth being called pebbles now. With that, Cards eyes went normal… just as his flank flashed. He collapsed on the ground, trying to regain his breath as he sat up. He glanced down at his cutie mark. 
His cutie mark often changed. When he had first gotten it, it had been through a dance with the mare he loved, Lily Bywater. For the longest time, his cutie mark would remain the ace of hearts, depicting his love. Other times, such as after a long battle, his cutie mark would turn into a bloody joker card, representing his wild side. Now, however, it was one of the shadow cards he had been working with all this time. “Well well well~” he said with a small smile. 
Mendacium lowered the shield, smiling brighter than he could remember. Mae trotted over, smiling as well. “Are you alright,” Menda asked quickly, seeing Card slumped on the ground slightly.
Card nodded. “T-that was quite the test…”
“You certainly look tired enough,” Mae said as he offered a hoof to Card. Card gratefully took the hoof and stood, revealing his new cutie mark to the two stallions. 
“You passed the test with flying colors, Card~”
Card chuckled. “Though, I found that to be closer to a mental challenge than a physical one.”
“It was both a mental and physical test, my best Card.”
Card smiled and turned to Mae as he spoke. “I have to say, Card, I’ve never seen somepony use shadows like that as creative as you.” Card merely smiled at this, taking the compliment.
Menda glanced at Cards new cutie mark. “It seems your cutie mark has renewed itself~”
“Yes, it does that sometimes,” Card said with a laugh. “I must say, I was growing rather used to the bloody joker card.”
“Card,” Mae said. “I was hoping to ask you about something.” Card turned to him as Mae pulled a deck of cards from his cloak. He handed Card the deck and sighed. “All of the cards have-“
“-An element of disharmony on them,” Card said, completing the sentence. “Yes, the Deck of Disharmony…”
“What do you know about them?”
“There isn’t much known about these cards… but I do know they used to be Discords main weapon. He, if you’ll excuse the pun, discarded them after he absorbed most of their power. They still have some power, but not nearly as much as he.”
Mae sighed. “Would you mind keeping those? They’re affecting my daughter…”
Card nodded, smiling. “Actually, these will help me greatly.” He put the deck in his hat, then sat the hat back on his head.
“I need help… Discords magic is affecting my daughter horribly…”
Card nodded. “We’re already helping then. The enemy we fight is Discord. I plan for his magic to end in this final battle.”	
Mae rolled his eyes. “Joy joy… I’ve met Discord a few times in the past…”
“Not this one.” 
Mae looked confused. “There are several Discords, Mae. Some are merely pranksters, and others are purely evil.”
Mae was in a slight state of shock. “I-I’ve never heard of this before…”
Card shook his head. “It’s a problem with living at Sugar Cube Corner. It’s one of the few places in Equestria where all of the universes meet. The universes bleed into this dimension because this is the dimension where the Guardian of the Universal Crossings is, otherwise known as Pinkie Pie. As the dimensions bleed into this universe, as do the ponies and beings from the universes themselves. Hence why there are so many different versions and copies of ponies around here.”
Mendacium sighed slightly. “Unfortunately, the Discord we fight is one of the evil ones.”
Mae reached into another pocket of his cloak. “Then take this.” Out of the pocket he pulled another deck of cards. “They’re another one of my inventions. Let me show you what they do.” Mae poofed up a dummy to work with and turned to it, pulling the top card off of the deck. He threw it at the dummy and it ignited. He pulled out another card and threw it over the dummy, sprinkling it with water.
“Elemental cards?”
Mae nodded. “However, some of the cards in the deck are a bit different.” Saying this, Mae picked up two cards and threw them each in opposite directions. “These… are Tunnel Cards.”
Mendaciums eyes widened. “Tunnel cards?! Objects I have not seen in a long time…”
Mae laughed a bit ruefully. “Made these myself… Took me a week to get my strength back after using all that magic on these.”
Card watched as Mae stepped thru the left tunnel and appeared at the right. “Those will come in handy,” Card said as Mae picked up the two cards. “What else is there?” Card laughed as Mae pulled his favorite card out of the deck: The Joker. “My favorite card~”
Mendacium glanced at the card. “What does it do?”
Card grinned. “Anything.”
Mae chuckled at Cards happiness over a simple card. “Just watch~” He threw the card in a circle around Card, letting it curve back around to himself. When the card came back to him, Mae was an exact replica of Card. Card laughed at his duel figure, smiling brightly. It figured that his favorite card would imitate him.
“To un-disguise,” the Mae Card said, “you just do this…” He ripped the card in half, returning to his normal form. The ripped card then melted into one once more, repairing the tear as though nothing had happened. He placed it back in the deck, his face turning grim. “One warning, Card…”
Card could only answer with silence as Mae drew the Ace from the deck. Menda glanced at the card. “What does it do?”
Mae let Card hold the Ace. “Never use this unless you must. It can double your power. However, if you use the card while you’re in full health… it could over fuel you. Be careful with that one.” With that, Mae handed Card the deck with a small smile. “Now, I wish you luck.” He shook Cards hoof and walked away, smiling.
Menda bid Mae farewell as Card shuffled the deck, turning the Ace card face up so he could recall where it hid in his arsenal of 52. “These cards will help me greatly…”
Menda nodded, glancing at him. “But the Ace will not be needed.”
Card grinned. “Trust me. I have a plan for the Ace up my sleeve~”
“Do tell me it, then~”
“My name IS Trick after all. What better than to trick him at his own game?” He summoned the Ace from the deck with his shadows, twirling it around in the air once before catching it. “If he seeks power so greatly… perhaps he should take it~”
“But why would you make him… You plan to over fuel him?” Card nodded, replacing the Ace in the deck. “That is very dangerous, Card.”
Card smiled at Menda. “Chaos magic corrupts the mind. He’s managed to keep his sanity at levels of moderate madness all this time. Anymore, and he’d be mentally unstable, meaning he would make mistakes in his fighting.”
“And if he does somehow manage to control this power?”
“Simple. I tear the card in half. It will undo the affects of the card.” Card glanced up at Mendaciums face, seeing the grim uncertainty of his plan. “Now, granted, I may not need this card.”
Menda nodded. “That is true.” He smiled. “You did impressively today, my best Card.”
Card smiled somewhat awkwardly, never having been good at accepting praise. “Thank you.”
“Now, let’s get you home. You could do with a good rest.” Menda sniffed slightly and laughed. “But first, I think, a shower is in order. You smell like sweat and rock dust.” Card laughed with him and walked at his side. Menda smiled, seeing he was able to walk. “Fascinating. Your durability has already increased.” 
“Guess I’m a quick learner~”
“Very quick indeed~”
They reached the inn quickly. Menda opened the door for Card and together they walked in. Card went off to take a shower, and Mendacium went up to his room to where his wife and child awaited him. The rest of the day came and went, giving Card time to settle his thoughts.
When the night came, Card was alone with them… or was he?~

> Revelations
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Card sat on the bed, shuffling his cards with shadows. His room was dark and he knew it was well past midnight. Despite being tired, he couldn’t make his mind stop thinking long enough to relax. He glanced around his room as he had done all night, taking it in. The walls were bare and a dark blue color, not unlike his mane. The bed was tidy normally, yet now it was folded and wrinkled where he had been sitting. The only noticeable thing in his room was the mirror in the far corner. Long ago, in anger, Card had shattered the large mirror, seeing not his own reflection, but the reflection of a pony similar to him. This pony had come from another dimension, but a dimension where he himself had gone horribly wrong. He had chosen the name Valkyrie in that universe, the name meaning the bringer of war. This version of him, Valkyrie, had accepted the shadows willingly, but could not control their corrupting power. Card had reformed him to the best of his ability, yet still found the pony untrustworthy when he appeared. 
Card stood and walked to the mirror, the deck of cards forgotten on the bed. He looked at his fractured image, somehow seeing beyond the whiteness of his eyes. Somehow, he could see, though being blind. And yet… though able to see, he could not see what to do about what was to come. Card sighed slightly. I don’t… want to do this….
“Why so down tonight?~”
Card turned quickly to find himself staring at Valkyrie. His mind flashed back to years ago when his father had appeared before him with much the same words. However, his father hadn’t been accompanied by the shadowy tendrils that always seemed to follow Valkyrie. Card sat on the bed once more, having nearly grown used to Valkyrie’s presence. Valkyrie appeared to him often now, yet mostly just to check on Cards shadow progress. Card didn’t delude himself for an instant that Valkyrie was concerned at all for his own well being. 
“You haven’t answered me, little Trick~” Valkyrie grinned and leaned against the wall, using shadows as a support. “What’s got us in such a bad mood?~”
Card glanced at him. “You know the answer already. The battle is coming, Valkyrie.” Valkyrie didn’t respond, staring blankly at the ceiling. “What did you do, in that battle?”
Valkyrie thought a moment. “Well, it’s one of the few things I regret now that I’m like you all here. I suppose maiming gods isn’t on the list of good things to do.”
Card sighed. “That’s what I figured.”
Valkyrie glanced at Cards cutie mark, noticing for the first time that it had changed to the shadow cards he practiced with. “Your cutie mark… it’s changed already, then?~”
“I’m not as young as I once was, Valkyrie.”
Valkyrie looked at him fully, taking in the changes that had taken place before his very eyes. Card had grown a bit taller, and he now held himself in a more respectful frame. Still, beneath that cool edge, Valkyrie could see the doubts and thoughts that so horribly plagued the colt’s thoughts. “Yes… I think I can see it now. You’re nearly a man~”
Card brushed the comment aside, barely taking note of it. He was honestly unconcerned about his age. He had known from an early age he would be unlike anypony he knew, and so he had lived his life as such. Age didn’t matter. “I became a man long ago, Valkyrie. I’m just getting the body of one now.”
Valkyrie lifted his head slightly, watching Card closely. With slight hesitation in his voice, he spoke. “You’re scared.”
Card shut his eyes tightly, hearing his doubts confirmed by himself. “Of course I am, Valkyrie!” He stood angrily, pacing once more that night. “I’m terrified I’m making a mistake in all of this. It’s not for me to try and take on a god. I’m…” There was a slight pause as Card stopped once more in front of the shattered mirror, watching his distorted reflection cracked and unclear. “I’m afraid of my weaknesses.”
Valkyrie stood, a pleasantly puzzled look grin on his face. “No, you’re not.” Card turned to him, confused. Valkyrie looked into the less fractured side of the mirror, looking at the duel reflections. “Who better to talk to about what you fear than yourself? Now, I know what you’re going through, believe it or not. Even villains have deep thoughts. You don’t fear your weaknesses, Card. You fear your strength.”
“How can I be so strong when I’ve made so many mistakes in my life?”
“Because of your fears, Card.” Valkyrie pulled Cards head around to look him in the eyes. “Our weaknesses are always evident, to ourselves and to others. Our strengths, on the other hoof, are hidden until we choose to reveal them – and that is when we are truly tested. When all that we have within is exposed, and we may no longer blame out inadequacies for our failure, but must instead depend on our strengths to succeed – That is your true measure Card… and your greatest fear.”
Card took a step back, somewhat startled at Valkyrie’s directness. Card did not delude himself. He knew Valkyrie did not care personally about him. He only cared about what Card would become. Still, Valkyrie had a very valid point. Several, actually. Everything he said made perfect sense in Cards mind, though that made sense, seeing as they were the same pony at heart. Valkyrie summoned a card with his shadows, a joker card with frayed edges. “Believe in yourself, Card,” he said, spinning the card around with his shadows. Card could see the split edges of the card, seeing the fracturing of the card. It was becoming undone, much like himself. He was changing. “Believe,” Valkyrie continued, “you are not meant to spend your days in dusty caves or the battlefields of war. You are meant for something greater.” With that, Valkyrie threw the card to him, shadows swirling around him.
Card caught the card with his own shadows, feeling the card in his power. Shadows began to swirl around Valkyrie, and Card couldn’t help but smile and make one last remark. “Leave it to myself to make up a pep talk. You realize this does nothing to help me, don’t you? It’s just words!~”
Valkyrie smiled through the shadows, his old grin he used to wear shining through the darkness. “Of course I know that, but saying you’re screwed won’t help you any either~” 
Card smiled as Valkyrie disappeared into shadows, departing from this place once more. He sat on the floor, spinning around the joker card. At one point in time, Card had been represented by such a card. Wild and free… He knew now, however, that he was changing. Why else would he be having such doubts and qualms about this battle? Still, he could not help but worry, despite everything he himself had said. He knew he was changing, but what to? 
He summoned his average deck of cards, thinking. He knew how to read cards, almost like a tarot. He began to shuffle the cards, choosing from habit to use shadows. He began to deal them, shutting his eyes as he did so. He did not know how, but he had been born with unnatural sight. He had always assumed it was because of his genetic line. His father saw in much the same way he did when his eyes were shut. It was impossible to describe, since he had never truly known anything different. Card had been born as a blind pony who could see – born a conundrum in itself. He dealt faster, until finally the deck had dispersed. 
He gently opened his eyes, seeing without truly seeing as he always had. He reached in front of him to the top card, seeing the familiar joker card. Something was wrong with it, he knew. The average face that alighted the card seemed to smile with not joy, but false abandon. It was as though the smiling joker smiled through a broken glass, distorting the image to a horrible, cracked grin. He could see red spots on the card, reminding him of blood. There was a time I was known as the Bloody Joker… Known as a powerful pony who could kill as he needed… That reputation allowed me to go about life without having to kill, for they feared me. “No longer,” he said softly, tearing the card in half. “I will no longer be feared like that.”
He reached forward and pulled out another card, the ace of hearts. He remembered the card being his first cutie mark, having gotten it soon after meeting Lily. He remembered there had been times when he had had doubts about himself being able to protect her. “I WILL be able to protect her from this battle. I will not let her be hurt.” He made the card disappear in a flash of shadow, a small smile on his face. 
He reached forward, surprised to see only one card left. There had been a full deck before… Still, he knew cards had power even he did not know. They showed the absolute necessities, editing themselves out of the equation when they served no purpose. He flipped the card over and his eyes widened in surprise. Before him sat a card he had seen only a few times before. It was purely black and seemed to absorb light. When looking at it, your eyes became lost in the darkness of the card, almost like going to sleep. 
Card picked up the cards with his shadows, staring directly into the darkness. These cards reflect who I am inside… “I am not dark. I am not shadow.” He twirled the card around, watching the darkness spin around. “My heart may be black, for I cannot see it… yet, in every darkness, light resides.” He felt his shadow powers work into the card as they had the stone from that morning. He could feel the shadows inside the card, surprised at the amount of them in such a small container. Rather like yourself… 
Yet, deep within the card, he could feel emptiness. Something that was trying to come out of the card, and yet there was nothing there to come out. It was impossible to tell what was truly inside the card because the shadows obscured the deepest area of the card. 
Card threw himself into the card with his powers, concentrating on the heart of the emptiness. Something resided there, he knew, if only he could see it… 
Not something for the blind pony to see~
Cards eyes widened as he heard the voice. He knew that tone, that chaotic slur. Discord. With that realization, he broke through to the card, and in a burst of light, the darkness of the card was expelled. He shielded his eyes as the shadows suddenly rebounded from the card, going back to him. He felt his own power strengthen from the new shadows, and yet he felt the light of the card shine through as well. He had been right. The emptiness heralded a deep light source, one purer than any he had known. 
Finally, the blinding light stopped and Card could see once more. He looked at the card, seeing no darkness in the card. Instead, there was a simple design on the card, a golden apple shape with an arrow through it. He recognized the symbol as the trademark of Discord. This was one of his old cards, having come from something called the Deck of Disharmony… Such a small card could impact him so much.
He felt his shadows swirling through him more evidently now, but knew not what it meant. He didn’t feel truly different at heart. And yet… He had changed. He remembered days, long ago, when he was just Card Trick, a colt living through life. Now, the truth of what he had become shone through. He was the pony who would have to kill a god. It was kill or be killed now, and he would have to end it. 
He made the card disappear, finding himself to be exhausted suddenly. He went to his bed and gently laid down, his powers coming back within a normal range. Nothing horrible had happened. Still, the voice had startled him. He supposed it was something Discord had enchanted the card to do. Discord was not here yet, but he was finally showing his powers. Card knew this was just a sign of what was to come… 
Discord would be making his first moves soon, and when he did, Card was determined to be ready. He closed his eyes lightly and drifted off to a dreamless sleep. 

> Simply Brothers
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Card had had nearly enough of this. 
He had flown down to his cave in the Everfree forest to do some cleaning. He had found a cave deep in the forest one day, accidently crashing there in a storm. He had taken refuge in the cave, only to find somepony had found it before him. The entire cave was full of books and studious things. He had instantly fallen in love with the cave and the books inside. Yet, today had been his day off, and he had expected to go through his collection of books and clean out the damaged and useless books. If only that had been the case…
“OW ASHLEY!” 
Card winced as the pony near him shrieked. A storm had flown in quickly, and these… ponies had invaded his cave to wait it out. They had been non stop pests since he had entered the cave, and they asked pointless questions that grated on his nerves. The one who liked to scream was somepony by the name of Ender. He was deathly afraid of water. The pony whom he was screaming at had learned this and now took every opportunity possible to dump water on his head. There was another pony there as well by the name of Studio. His tail had eyes, it seemed, and could move on its own accord. It managed to aggravate the one named Ashley. Quite honestly, Card thought EVERYTHING aggravated Ashley. She hadn’t stopped annoying everypony else since she had ran into the cave.
Ender was howling in pain as his head burned from the water. “I CAN’T TOUCH WATER, IT BURNS!!!”
Card closed his eyes tightly, slamming the book in his hooves shut. Quickly the bickering stopped. “May I PLEASE ask you all to TRY and KEEP it DOWN?!”
Ashley rolled her eyes, smirking. “Poor colt, getting all worked up. Ashley is just having a bit of fun~” Card grimaced at her usage of the third person. Only conceited ponies spoke like that.
Studios tail seemed to glare at Ashley. “Hey, Tail, come on,” he said, trying to make his tail calm down. Ashley glared back at the tail, and Card groaned as the bickering began once more. Knowing he wouldn’t be able to clean anything today, he summoned his cards.
Ender glanced at him, watching the shadows. “What are you doing?”
Card began to explain as best he could what was happening. “I am a colt training to fight the God, Discord. My main weapon will be these shadow cards. They are my only hope to defeat him.”
Ender looked at him, uncomprehending. “I thought Discord had turned good…”
Ashley laughed. “You, defeat a God like him?”
Studio and his tail both looked at Card. “Endy has a good point, why are you fighting Discord?” Card attempted to reply but was cut off as Studio continued to talk. “I mean, Discords powers can be used to do a lot of good!”
Ashley rolled her eyes. “Or cause a whole heck of a lot of harm. I’m for that one.”
Studio and his tail glared at her and they began to argue again. Card sighed, holding his head.
“They can’t handle such a truth.” 
Card smiled slightly as there was a burst of flame behind him. Ender shrieked, flinching back. Studio and his Tail were busy arguing with Ashley. Card chuckled, the voice having been familiar. “Hot, I fear you are right.”
Turning, Card saw his boyhood friend, Hot Shot, standing there. Hot had always been there for Card, acting more like a brother than a mere friend. He had gained his father’s flame powers, able to control flames with incredible power. Hot laughed at his remark and walked over to him, completely ignoring the others around them. “Has dad been training you enough?”
Card shook his head slightly, his concentration on a certain frayed card in his deck. He would have to keep them in better condition. “Honestly, I don’t know. Out last session was awhile ago.”
Hot made a rueful grin. “Yeah, sorry ‘bout that. Been keeping him occupied with sparring matches.” With a curious glance, he looked at the card in his brother’s hoof. “Say, isn’t that from that deck of disharmony thing?”
Card nodded. “I’m unsure how the card came into disrepair… In any case, I’m sure it’s nothing.”
Ender glanced up at card. “Deck of Disharmony?”
Card waved the small question away. “The original weapon of Discord. He used to use cards.”
Studio glanced back to Card, forgetting for an instant of his argument with Ashley. He has a very short attention span Card thought as Studio spoke. “Wait, this whole thing is a battle with Discord. Couldn’t you just give him the deck back and say screw it?”
Hot glanced at Card with a look that quite plainly said ‘Is this idiot for real?’ Card shook his head sadly. “It would mean he would kill us all.”
Enders eyes widened in fear as Studio stood, confused. “But no, Discord has changed. Besides, what if the cards had had control over him before or somethi-“
Hot cut him off quickly. “It’s not that simple.”
Card closed his eyes angrily. “A card does not possess the wielder. That’s ridiculous. Each card has a dealer, and that card is laid down to its best potential.”
“Besides,” Hot said, “this isn’t the same Discord you know. It’s got something to do with bleeding universes and stuff. This one is SERIOUSLY evil.” He turned to Card. “See what I mean? This is what I meant with the whole ‘can’t handle the truth’ thing.”
Card chuckled slightly. “Yes, I think I understand that now~”
Studio thought a second, brushing the words aside like nothing. “You mean you are talking about how the other Discords will be taking the power of this card, therefore taking controller over Equestria? Magic confuses me sometimes…”
Card groaned in exasperation. “It’s not magic! It’s chaos! Completely different!”
In the background, Ashley chuckled darkly. She had always loved chaos, personally. Hot rolled his eyes. “This isn’t about taking over Equestria. This is the end of the world as we know it. If Card and I don’t stop it, the world is doomed, no matter how strong our warriors may be.”
Card said nothing to this, letting what Hot had said sink into his head. It was rather startling to hear it stated so bluntly. And yet, it was the truth. This was all up to them. 
“So I’m guessing you aren’t destroying the cards, then?”
Card sighed. “Of course not, Studio. Why would I EVER destroy a card?” Card turned to the entrance of the cave. “The storm is dwindling. Come on, Hot, let’s get out of here. I’m tired of this place.”
Hot nodded and walks out with him, leaving behind the ponies in the cave to bicker some more. Card walked out into the rain, unfazed by the storm. Hot glanced at him as they walked through the forest. “Alright, what’s wrong?”
Card smiled slightly, a strange smile. “Who said anything is wrong? I’m just thinking.”
Hot stopped him with a small face, much like the one he had given Card earlier. “I’ve known you for too long for you to get away with that. What’s up?”
Card chuckled slightly. “Guess it’s hard to hide from your brother.” He resumed walking with Hot. “I had a visit last night from Valkyrie.”
“The evil dude?”
“He’s back to normal now, Hot~”
“Alright then. Continue.”
“We talked about what I truly feared.”
Hot glanced at him. “And that is?”
Card opened his eyes softly, watching the rainfall. “… I fear my strength.”
Card wasn’t expecting the small laugh from Hot. “Isn’t that why we’re training, Card?”
“I suppose, yes, but we’re also training to become stronger. I have a lot of power already, Hot.”
“Dad’s helping you out with all of that, isn’t he?”
Card nodded slightly, watching his hooves. Gently, shadows curled around them, softly swirling. They had a sort of beauty to them, he saw. “… Drake can help, yes… but he won’t be there in the final battle. What if I lose control, what if I…” He sighed slightly.
Hot laid a hoof on his brother’s shoulder with a small smile. “That’s where I step in.” Card looked at him curiously and Hot smirked. “What, did you think Dad chose me to work with you to balance Chaos?” 
Card smiled slightly. “Hardly~”
Hot laughed. “Exactly. He chose me to help you because I’ve always got your back.”
Card couldn’t help but smile. Despite his doubts and fears, Hot had and always would be at his side. “Thank you, brother,” he said, unable to find better words to express how he felt. 
Hot smiled back at him, knowing without Card having to say how he felt. “Hey, what are bro’s for, right?”
Card chuckled and began walking through the storm again, feeling much better after a short talk with his brother. Hot glanced up at the clouds with a sour expression and turned to Card once more. “Dude, you know we can teleport, right?”
“Of course I do~”
“So… why aren’t we?”
Card laughed and turned back to his brother. “Afraid of a little water?~”
Hot grinned back at him, rain running down his face. “Not in the slightest.”
Together they walked back to the inn. The storm was still pouring as they entered Sugar Cube Corner. Card pulled a small towel out of his hat and began to dry off, not wishing to get the floor wet. Sitting on the couch was the familiar inn keeper, sipping hot chocolate on a rainy day. “Hello you two,” Pinkie said, snuggled up in a warm blanket. She looked at them curiously. “Why did you two walk all the way through that storm?”
Card chuckled, running a hoof through his wet mane. “I just enjoy rain storms~”
Hot made a face, shaking his head slightly to get the water out. “Well, I don’t.”
Card laughed at this, yet stopped when he noticed Diane squinting at him. He made a puzzled face. “Diane, why are you staring at me like that?”
Pinkie kept staring at him. “… I think you’ve got a bit of scruff.”
Hot glanced at Card as well. “Huh… You know, think she’s right.”
Card put his hoof to his chin, surprised to feel the starts of a beard there. Was he truly that old already? “… Huh.” For once, Card was speechless.
Hot laughed. “You gotta shave, dude!”
Card made a slightly pained face. “S-shave? Hot, really? Besides, maybe I’ll decide to keep it~” To this, all three of the ponies assembled laughed. Imagining Card with a beard was rather hilarious, for some reason. “Well, in any case, I’ll shave later. That should prove to be fun.”
Hot stifled another laugh. “Yeah, ‘fun’. Well, I’m heading to my room.”
Card smiled. “See you later?~”
Hot laughed. “Duh, bro~” With that he trotted upstairs to his families room. Card watched his brother head upstairs and went to his own room, only to be surprised later that night with something fairly amazing… and something not even he could be truly prepared for. 

> Masky
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Card was running through the hospital in a hurry, all thoughts gone but for one: Find the room he needed. He had dashed to the hospital after Pinkie had waked him up. He had apparently been asleep when it had started, and no one had seen fit to wake him for the process. It was late, he knew. He didn’t actually know what time it was, but that didn’t matter at the moment. Nothing mattered but finding the right room. “Room 105, room 105,” he kept repeating to himself as he sprinted. It didn’t occur to him in his state to teleport with his shadows. Of course, all logic flew out the window when it came to his family. 
Finally, he reached room 105 and burst through the doors. “Mom, D-dad I’m he-“ He cut off, a big smile on his face. There sat his father, Hat Trick, smiling as he always did. His mother, Mimic, was lying in the bed, looking happy yet exhausted. Not that that was strange after what she had just gone through. And, of course, there was somepony else in the room. A very small, very new somepony.
The newborn filly in her mother’s hooves looked at her brother curiously. Her coat was a light blue mixed with purple, much like her mothers. Her ears were pointed like her fathers and seemed to suit her nicely. Her eyes were slanted slightly like her mothers, giving her an almost kitten like persona. Card was happy to see her eyes were a bright magenta. The child was not blind, as he had been. He also noted her horn. Just like Mom he thought, unable to stop smiling. Her mane was purple with streaks of her father’s orange mane thrown in on the edges. All in all, she looked to be a very sleepy, adorable filly. More than that, however… she was Cards sister. 
Card walked slowly over to his mother and sister, his eyes shining with tears. “O-oh wow…” Mimic giggled at her son’s reaction. Lightly she passed the child to him, moving his hooves in such a way as to support her head. Card felt tears rolling down his face. “S-she’s… she’s so t-tiny…”
Hat smiled as he always did. “Almost as small as you were~” He held his wife’s hoof gently, his eyes shut as they always seemed to be. “Say hello to Masky, Card~”
Card couldn’t help but laugh slightly at the name. “H-hello, Masky~” He didn’t care if his voice cracked in his emotion. His little sister just stared up at him curiously, watching his eyes. She smiled softly and made a small movement, almost seeming to reach her hooves up to his eyes. Card leaned forward slightly to see what she wanted with his face. Her smile grew as her hoof brushed up against his nose. Card laughed again, ignoring his tears of joy. He hadn’t expected so many emotions all at once, and yet he loved every second of them. His little sister…
Gently Card handed his mother Masky. Masky made a tiny yawn and curled up to her mother, her hoof straying up to her mouth. Card smiled softly as his sister began to suck on the edge of her hoof, almost on the verge of sleep. Then, suddenly, he remembered. “I have a gift for you, Masky~” Mimic watched Card curiously as he reached into his pack. Out of his bag he pulled a small mask, perfectly white. 
Card saw the mask as an appropriate gift. He himself could wear any mask and gain its power. When he had been newly born, he had gotten a mask such as this. This mask, however, was MUCH more powerful. It had the ability to take on ANY power. A clean slate, so to speak. The color of the mask would change to the power needed. He lightly placed the mask close to his sister’s tiny hooves, smiling as he realized the mask was much too big for the newborn.
Masky pulled her hoof out of her mouth, looking at the mask. Mimic giggled again at Masky’s bewildered face. She lightly pushed the mask up to Masky’s face. The mask fit horribly and looked rather ridiculous on such a small filly. Even so, Masky put on a big smile at the gift. Reaching out, she pulled it in close and began to suck on the edge of the mask, her face content. Hat chuckled, Mimic smiled, and Card laughed. 
Together the Trick family sat the night. Hat Trick, Mimic, Card Trick, and the newest member… Masky.

> Self Possessed
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The night was cold. It had been some time after Maskys birth now, a month or two. It must be about August then. The sky was cloudy, meaning the moonlight was slim and seemed to float on the midnight fog. Card walked through the town alone, though not in his usual state. His eyes were shut, which was a rarity to see nowadays. Also, he walked with a much higher regard in himself than usual, holding his chin up high. He looked less like the colt everypony knew and more like the man who would kill a God.
Cards ear twitched slightly as he heard a small noise behind him. It sounded like somepony was walking behind him. He stopped under a small lamp-post and smiled softly. “… Quite the night~”
“I agree,” said the voice behind him. He spun quickly, turning to see an old face there. A pony by the name of Showtune stood in the shadows. Showtune had been possessed at one time by Discord, having gained many powers of chaos and evil. Card didn’t trust this pony in the least. Who knew what chaos had done to his mind? “What brings you out this night,” Showtune asked, smirking.
“I could ask the same of you~”
“I do as I please… Aren’t you the colt who’s going to go against Discord?~”
Card smiled softly. “Aren’t you the stallion who was possessed by him?~”
Show laughed. “Oh, we sorted that out a long time ago~” As he said this, his eyes swirled with chaotic power, having a hypnotizing effect on most ponies. Of course, Card was not most ponies.
“For some reason, I find that hard to believe~” Card summoned his shadow deck behind his back, ready for any battle that could stem from this conversation. 
“Oh, maybe that’s because I became the Lord of Chaos after destroying him?~”
“Yes, perhaps that’s why. What is it you want with me?~”
Showtune rolled his eyes. “You’re too serious. Can’t I visit an old friend?~” Card backed up as Show took a step closer. 
“We were never very close. Tell me, NOW; what do you want from me?”
Show sighed, bored with this pony already. He was far too serious. Still, Show had sense abnormal signs from him that night, and not just from the boy’s blatant shadows. Something was off about him… meaning he was perfect for the job at hoof. “Fine, if you are so driven to know… I’m in need of aid.”
Card raised his eyebrows while keeping his eyes closed, still smiling softly. “What can I do?”
“There is a spirit within the Everfree that I cannot touch… I need somepony to get rid of it. It’s not all that hard~”
Card tilted his head slightly, thinking. “What’s the catch?~”
“No catch. Just kill this spirit and I’ll owe you a favor~”
Card thought a moment. This was the lord of chaos he was speaking to… There was no way Card could trust his word. There had to be some catch to all of this. “Who is the spirit?~”
Show shook his head, smirking. “Uh uh uh, you are FAR too nosy~”
Card stood up straighter, his eyes still closed tight. “I will not head into a battle unless I am prepared.”
“Fine, it’s just a spirit of darkness~”
Card opened his mouth to reply but stopped as a small note fluttered down from the sky. He caught it quickly and glanced at it. 
The woods are dark at night. Shadows need light to survive. Where is your light, little Trick?
“… No deal~” With that, Card put the note in his hat.
Show glanced at the golden note. Something seemed off about this entire conversation… “What does that note say?”
“For me to know~” Showtune glared at him. In a burst of chaotic magic, Show held the note in his hoof. He looked at it carefully… and saw not a word. Card laughed. “You truly believe your chaos has power?”
“Of course it has power… but it’s not the most powerful magic out there… Only Harmony is more powerful than Chaos…”
“Untrue~”
Show glanced at him. “What do you mean?... What is more powerful that even Chaos and Harmony?”
“Simple.” Card grinned slightly, the lamp above him flickering as he sent a wave of shadow up it. The light burst, causing Show to cover his eyes. When he uncovered them, he saw Card standing in front of him. It was darker now without the light, but Show could still see the white of his grin against his coat. “Me~”
Showtune couldn’t help but fear this colt. He seemed dangerous… and yet… “I highly doubt that~”
Card turned his back on the pony, smiling. Such a pest didn’t concern him. “Who asked you?~” He began to walk away slowly, intent on enjoying the rest of his evening as much as he could. 
Showtune glared at him and teleported in front of him. “Tell me your power, colt.”
“What power,~” Card said, grinning. What better way to aggravate this pony than to refuse him what he wanted? 
“What makes you think you can overpower ME,” Show asked, his pride getting the best of him. Card noticed that that was a common trait in most villains. 
“I never said YOU, now did I?~”
“Fine then… What makes you more powerful than Chaos?”
Card laughed softly at the question. “That’s an easy one…” He opened his eyes, the inner pupils burning with shadow magic, and finally Show could sense what was wrong. This colt was possessed with power not his own. It was as though his mind was shaded and had been tampered with. The colt Card Trick laughed more, his eyes nearly paralyzing the lord of chaos with their horrifying power. “I’ve already won~”
Show did all he could to remain calm under the boys gaze. He laughed off the comment with a smile. “You believe SHADOWS can take down the lord of chaos?~”
Card shook his head softly, walking past Show. He’s so calm… “Shadows,” Card said, “would never be able to destroy you… alone~”
Show turned, his heart racing. How was this colt so calm?! He barely had control over his shadows it seemed… “Then what can?!”
Card turned his head slightly to smile at Showtune. “Why bother repeating myself?~” He kept walking away, but stopped when Show blocked his path with a wall of chaos. Card chuckled and waved his hoof. Show gasped as shadows pierced the wall, shattering it instantly. “Is that really the best you can do?~”
Show snarled slightly and turned to ground below Card into cement, attempting to hold him down to the ground. Card yawned and created stairs under his hooves out of shadow, levitating above the ground. “Clever.”
Card smiled. “Logic~”
Show glared at him. “You’re a smart pony… Shame to see your talents wasted.”
Card nodded. “Yes, it is. Hence why I declined your offer. Now, if you’ll excuse me…” With those final words he disappeared into shadow.
Show shook his head and undid all he had done with his chaos magic. That colt was going down a very dark path…
Back at home, Card held his head tightly, closing his eyes. His head was pounding… “G-get… Out…” Card winced as he felt a sort of draining. He nearly collapsed, feeling weak. 
“You never had any fun,” Valkyrie said, grinning. He sat back against the bed, laughing. “So I possessed you for the night, big deal. You got to see power for once, at least.”
Card winced, standing to full height once more. His head was still pounding. “What did you do all of that for?”
“I’m showing you what to do later on.”
“You’ve already shown me how to end Discord. Why are you still here?”
Valkyrie stood angrily, grabbing Card by the chin roughly and forcing his head up to look into his eyes. “You and I both know you can’t kill him, Card. Killing a God comes with consequences that you aren’t ready to handle.” Card could only answer with silence. Valkyrie dropped Cards chin in disgust. “At least I’m not deluding myself. It’s time you opened your eyes and saw the truth, Card. Grow up, or he’ll end you.”
Card glared at Valkyrie. “You’re wrong.”
Valkyrie turned his back on the colt, closing his eyes. “Maybe I am… but that doesn’t mean you’re right. You AREN’T ready to kill Discord. You AREN’T ready to use your shadows to their best abilities…” He glanced at Card with barely opened eyes. Card was startled to see not anger, but sorrow in them. “… And you aren’t ready to see.”
With that last sentence, Valkyrie disappeared into his usual corridor of shadows, leaving Card alone once more. Card sat on his bed, thinking about what Valkyrie had said. This could all end horribly… What if he DID lose control of his shadows? What if they weren’t strong enough to defeat Discord? Hot or Lily or anypony else he loved could be hurt… by him even…
He laid his hoof on the bed, only to feel a small note there. Where had that come from?... He picked it up and glanced at it. 	
You’re right, little Trick. This battle is built on the blood and bones of the ponies you love. How many more must suffer for your revenge? It doesn’t have to be this way. Join me, and together we can create order through madness. You of all ponies should know how wonderful it could be~
Awaiting your response~ 
The God of Chaos
Card stared at the note for awhile, thinking. Discord thought he could win him over?... Card hated to admit it, but the idea had appeal. Too much appeal. To be able to live without hurting his friends and family… to be able to create order through madness… 
He crumpled up the note in anger. “I will not fall for your tricks, Discord. You may try to win me over, but I will always know what you are inside. You are the God of Chaos, and you have always been a trickster. You will not claim my mind.”
The note in his hoof flashed with light. He unfolded it again to find the message had changed. 
Always a trickster?... You know less than you think~ 
Find the order in the madness, and maybe you will understand why I do what I do
At least solve this last puzzle before I take the pleasure of ending you~
- The God of Chaos
Card thought about the puzzle deeply. He couldn’t resist such a task. The order in the madness… Discord always focuses on a pony’s traits and quirks… so who is the most organized pony in Ponyville? Card teleported quietly into the library, knowing it was closed at the moment. Twilight was asleep upstairs and Spike was away in Canterlot. He looked around to find another note on the table.
It was under E~
He walked to the bookshelf, looking under E. There sat the Elements of Harmony book. He flipped it open. Order in the madness… Order in madness… 
He flipped to the index of the book, searching for the E’s. When he reached the page, he saw a small scribbled note in the top margin of the page. He held it up to a small lantern by the door. It seemed to be in another pony’s writing.
Discord was once known by another name. Princess Celestia told me about it long ago, back when I was still studying under her. He hadn’t always been a God, but an Alicorn… by the name of…
Cards eyes widened as he saw the name. How could that be possible? They were complete opposites… He set down the book and walked to the A’s, looking for biographies or something to help. Suddenly, there was a small burst of light in the corner of the room. There sat a large, leather - bound book with a single note on it. 
This is the prize for playing my game~
Card took the book tiredly, glancing at the clock. It was well past midnight now. He had stayed up all night. And yet… 
He teleported back to his room, flicking through the book. He needed to learn everything he could about who Discord REALLY was…
~*~*~*~*~
Valkyrie winced, leaning against the side of a building. He had teleported to an alley way close to Sugar Cube Corner. His hoof ran up to his head as he shut his eyes tightly. Opening them again, he saw blood staining his hoof. “S-shoot… I’m unraveling faster than I thought…”
Valkyrie sighed as he healed the cut on his head. His shadows had been getting weaker for some time now. Soon, they would be completely depleted… and him along with them. He had spent too long outside of his own dimension. He couldn’t find a way back now. Yet, if he stayed here… The universe couldn’t handle two Card Tricks, especially two with that much power. Valkyrie was the extra… and so Valkyrie was dying.
He winced slightly as he began to walk down the alley, limping. His hoof was burning… “I’m not gonna go this easily,” he said. “I haven’t redeemed myself… I’m not leaving until I have made myself worthy of the name Card Trick…”
Valkyrie sighed and curled up next to the building as he had for the past few nights. He had a small tent like structure there he could rest in. He didn’t dare ask Diane for a room at the inn. He had hurt her in the past, horribly so. He couldn’t dare face her again. Instead he slept outside, under the stars. 
He glanced up at the sky, looking at the twinkling stars. “They say the dead are up there, watching over us… I’ve killed a lot of ponies, back in my dimension…” He smiled softly. “I don’t know if you all up there could be the same ones from my dimension… but I hope you can find it in your little star hearts to forgive a foal for his crimes.” With one final sigh, he laid his head down to rest for the night. After all, even villains need sleep.
> Mirrors, Eyes, And The First Battle
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Hot Shot stood outside the room, hesitant to knock on the door. Inside was a very strange and mysterious pony known only by the name the Seer of Kell. She had always been the one to talk to when you needed some answers, but she had a tendency to answer questions you didn’t want answered. She pointed out the important things, but the important things liked being things that sucked to know.
Still, Hot needed someone to talk to… He lifted his hoof to knock on the door when a voice came from inside. “Come in, Child~”
He opened the door, glancing around once he was inside. Dream catchers hung down from the ceiling along with small lanterns. The room was lit by the lanterns and a few purple candles that gave off a strange scent that made Hot yawn. He looked at the Seer. She was standing at the small table in the room, pouring herself a glass of tea into a small chipped glass. “Um… Hey.”
“Hello Hot,” she said with a small smile, her eyes shaded by her hair. Hot saw all sorts of beads and bands scattered through her mane. 
Hot sat down at the table, sensing that was the right thing to do at the moment. “Been awhile, eh?”
She nodded softly, setting down the teapot. “Awhile indeed, young one. Tell me, did you care for some tea?~”
Hot smiled at the offer, relaxing slightly. This room was strangely comforting. “No thanks, I’m good.” He looked around as she nodded and sipped her tea. “So, uh… Having fun at Sugar Cube Corner?”
She chuckled at the question, bringing the cup down from her mouth. Hot saw a small cut on her lip, probably from the chip on the cup. She must’ve been using that cup for years to get a cut like that. “Your town is very accommodating, and I do enjoy living here. However… we both know you have not come to visit me on a mere whim~” Hot sat in silence, not knowing how to answer. The Seer simply smiled as she brought the cup to her lips again. “Tell me… how is the Blind Child?~”
Hot sat, keeping his eyes down. “I take it he’s doing fine.”
The Seer smirked slightly. “’Take it’?~”
Hot felt somewhat tired… He was very relaxed now, sitting down on the soft pillow. “Think you better ask dad how he’s doing…”
The Seer smiled and set down her glass once more. The candles were all lit, and the smell of cinnamon drifted through the air lightly. Hot yawned as the Seer spoke. “Your father?~”
Hot closed his eyes angrily. “It’s like he’s paying more attention to Card than he does to me, his firstborn son.”
The Seer laughed slightly. “Now now, child, do you truly believe that?~”
Hot sighed. “When I see it, yeah. Dad pushes me aside to granddad while he trains Card for the big fight.”
The Seer smirked, glancing up at Hot with her eyes covered by her glasses. “Then perhaps you have answered the question of WHY you act this way with your actions~”
Hot glanced at her. “How I act what way?”
“Like a Child~”
Hot was silent for a few seconds. “…Y-You’re saying I’m childish?”
“I’m saying you see yourself as a child~”
Hot sighed. “I guess… It’s just that, I want dad to notice me, you know?” The Seer nodded, holding her head on her hooves. Hot looked up at her. “Like, I really look up to him, and I want to be like him… but how can I when he doesn’t even notice me?”
The Seer looked at him. “You and Card are quite alike in that regard.” Hot looked up at her curiously. “Card has come to me in the past with much the same problem. Though, not of his Father leaving him for another, but as his father merely not being THERE~”
Hot looked up quickly at her. “Do you think Dad really left me?”
The Seer smiled. “No.”
“I don't...No, dad didn't leave me behind for Card...did he?”
The Seer shrugged and sipped her tea. “Why ask me?~ I know not of children~” To this, Hot could not respond. The Seer sat down her glass. “I will say this, Hot. Your father has trusted you so much that he has let you train with the man he hated… His own Father. Yet Card is training with YOUR father... Where is the Hatter? How do you think Card feels?~ Perhaps he feels the same as you… or perhaps he feels untrustworthy?~”
Hot sat, thinking. Did Card really feel that way? “I guess you’re right… But it's not about dad trusting me, I want him to notice me...”
The Seer smiled. “Notice? But, my dear boy, he already has~”
“He has? How?”
“He knew you well enough to notice your power. To notice your connection to Card~”
Hot smiled. “So this training...is all because he trusts me? :) B-because he notices me?”
The Seer merely smiled and said, “What do you think?~”
Hots smile grew as he thought of his previous doubts and how silly they sounded now… Down the hallway, far away from the room, another colt was facing his doubts as well.
~*~*~*~*~
Card walked out of his room, yawning. He had stayed up all night reading about Discord, having come no better for it all. He had some suspicions as to who Discord truly was, but they were suspicions at best and nothing more. He hadn’t slept nearly at all the night previous and was very tired. 
He began walking to the lobby when he stopped suddenly. A pony was blocking his path, his head down… Cards eyes widened as he realized the pony standing there was… himself? But he didn’t look like Valkyrie… “W-what…” Am I dreaming, he thought to himself.
“Good day… me,” the pony in front of him replied in a stolen voice. 
“W-who are you,” Card said, somewhat shaken up by the pony before him. “You aren’t Valkyrie…”
The pony in front of him stood with his eyes closed and a serene smile on his face. “Why, I am you. The real… blind… you~”
Card glared at the pony. “I wouldn’t call myself blind.”
The other Card laughed. “Would you not?~ So you see all of your doubts?~”
Card kept his eyes on this fake Card, untrusting of the pony in front of him. “That is for me to know, isn’t it?”
The other Card continued to smile. “Exactly. I DO know~” Card glared at this imposter, who chuckled at this. “Why the glare?~”
“You know the answer already, if you are truly me. I don’t trust you.”
“And thus, not yourself~”
Card took a step back, unsure how to handle… himself. “S-shut up…” Card didn’t know how to deal with a situation like this. How to make himself stop talking…
“Yes, shut up me~” The other Card took a step forward as the real Card took a step back. “’Boo hoo, help me, Daddy, I’m scared~ Big bad Draconequus is gonna kill me, where are you?~’” 
Card backed up against the wall, trying to ignore his own voice saying all his inner doubts and fears. Where was his father when he truly needed him? “I-I SAID SHUT UP!”
The fake Card merely continued to smile. “’Daddy will come and save me~ He'll scare away the monsters with his eyes~’”
Card held his hooves over his ears, trying to block out the sound of his voice. He leaned against the wall. “Y-you aren’t real…”
“I am as real as you, Card… I am thou… and thou art I…” The fake Card grinned and continued the charade he had started earlier. “Then again, where ARE the Hatters eyes?~ ‘Daddy, where are you?~’”
Card opened his eyes, using their unnatural powers of fright, hoping beyond hope that they would frighten the imposter away. “I do NOT need my father!”
Card faltered as the other Card looked at him with the same eyes, horrifying him to the core. He had always been able to stand his own gaze, or even his fathers, but now… Card was scared. “You don’t,” the fake Card asked, grinning as Card backed down. “You try to inflict fear with your eyes… yet the eyes are the mirrors of the soul. You are afraid of me… of yourself~”
Card sunk down the wall, unable to look away from his own eyes. “N-no…”
“Two mirrors reflecting each other creates an infinite image. You live in infinite fear of your own image.” He laughed as Card closed his eyes tightly and covered his ears again, trying desperately to refuse the image before him. “It’s  no use… You can still hear me… and yourself~” His grin grew as he saw Card crying under his closed eyes, finally beginning to break the colt through the series of events. “Look at you… The Joker doesn’t cry~”
Card opened his eyes, tears streaming down his face. It was no use… This was one battle he wasn’t going to be able to win. 
He couldn’t defeat himself.
~*~*~*~*~
Hot glanced at the Seer as she sipped her tea. He had another thing he had wanted to ask her. “Do you think Card is ready for this battle?”
The Seer was quiet for a second or two. She sat down her glass and looked at Hot. “No.”
Hot looked surprised. “N-No? W-why not?” Hot knew Card would have to be ready for the final battle… if they weren’t, they had no hope of defeating Discord. 
The Seer sighed slightly. “He does not know peace yet. He still has so many doubts and uncertainties…” She hung her head slightly. “He is not ready for what is to come.”
Hot looked at her, disbelieving. “H-he has to be… Even though Dad is relying on me, I can’t do it alone.”	
The Seer glanced at Hot. “Nor can he. He is coming apart at the seams, child. He does not wish to hurt anypony, and because of this, he is hurting himself. He will push away any help he sees, merely because he does not wish to see it.”
Hot stared at the table, thinking. Card never did like asking for help in the past. He had always tried to be perfect and unfailing. That was a LOT of pressure to put on anypony, kid or not. Hot got why he didn’t want to ask for help now. Card was scared that in the process of somepony helping him, they would get hurt. “What happens if he keeps refusing to see?”
The Seer looked at Hot seriously. “… The Joker will fall.” Hot nodded, knowing the answer before she had given it to him. “I suggest you go to him now, Hot. Before he falls. He faces another enemy as we speak, and it is one he cannot run from.” Hots eyes widened as he heard what she said. Card was fighting somepony?! “You are his eyes, child. Now make him see.”
Hot nodded, standing quickly. “Right.” With that, he ran out of the room, looking for Card. Whatever Card needed, Hot would be there.
How else would Card see the truth?
~*~*~*~ 
“You and I are full of doubts,” the fake Card was saying. “I am your mirror~”
Card opened his eyes once more, knowing they had no power on him. He glared at the pony in front of him, feeling a burning hatred… for himself. “Then shatter.”
The fake Card grinned. “Hmm?~”
Card stood angrily, sick and tired of this fight. He wanted to go to sleep and not have to worry about his doubts and his fears and everything else that kept him up at night. This pony needed to go away. “There is only ONE Card Trick. You are NOT me.”
Card took a step back as suddenly, shadows began to swirl around the fake Cards hooves. The imposter laughed, his voice warping slightly. “Indeed… I am a MUCH better you… a stronger you~” The shadows engulfed the imposter Card, changing his form entirely. Card took a step back, speechless as he saw himself transform into a shadowy beast. He heard a smooth voice in his head, much like his own, but more sinister. I am a shadow… The true self…I am Hanafuda, the real you… Card gasped as this. Hanafuda summoned the same cards he used. Card closed his eyes, unable to think as Hana created a Card Whip and attacked him, sending the rope of cards his way. Card braced himself for the attack…
… And opened his eyes as he was left unscathed. Cards eyes widened as he took in the scene in front of him. Hanafuda was glaring at the pony in front of him, who had intercepted the attack. The chain of cards had wrapped around… HOT’S hoof. “You alright, Bro?”
“H-hot?!”
Hot glanced at him, grinning as he winked. “Didn’t think your eyes would let you down, right?~” He tugged on the rope, pulling Hana close to him. His spare hoof grew flamed, burning blazing hot. “Now back…” He punched Hana with the said hoof, sending him flying. “OFF!”
Hanafuda crashed into the nearby wall, smashing through it. “Good throw,” Card said, gaining a small smile. Having Hot here made everything better. He didn’t have to face this all by himself…
Hot winced as a smaller section of wall fell. “We’re SOOOO gonna get in trouble when Pinks sees this.”
Card chuckled. “IF she sees this~”
Hanafuda stood, his face a storm cloud of anger. Hot turned to Card, grinning. “Goin’ all out?” Card nodded and turned his back to Hot. Hot did the same. Card summoned his cards to him, shadows swirling around him as he smirked. This battle would be short with Hot at his side. Hot grinned as well, both his hooves burning with intense flame. “Take that as a yes then~”
Hot vanished into flames, appearing behind Hana. He punched him in the neck quickly, sending him stumbling towards Card. Hana raised a hoof to attack Card. “Ah ah ah,” Card said, sending a chain of cards at Hana. They wrapped around one of his hooves, causing him to fall as he tripped through the semi – solid shadows. “Perhaps I see more than we thought~”
“Damn right we do,” Hot said, laughing. 
Hana rolled to the right, getting back on his hooves. He send a chain of cards at Hot, slamming him into the wall as he laughed. “See that? You hurt your brother!”
Card smiled serenely. “I’m afraid YOU haven’t hurt him. However…” Card summoned a large, flat card above Hana’s head. With a flick of his hoof it crashed down on him, sending his head barreling into the floor. Hana grunted, being crushed by the card. “You HAVE done a great deal today to PISS ME OFF!” He applied more pressure as he said this and turned to where Hot has fallen. “You alright, Hot?~”
“Had worse!~”
Card smiled and leaned down to Hana, who was stuck being crushed against the floor, unable to move. “Now… for you…”
Hana grinned, his voice echoing in Cards mind once more. I am the true self, Card. The real you~
Card sighed as he stood again. Hot walked on over as Card looked Hana over. “Fighting myself,” Card said “seems an utter waste of time.”
Hot looked at Card. “W-what, CARD! This THING isn’t you!”
Card looked directly into Hanas eyes. The mirror of the soul… “I don’t think you’re right, Hot.”
Hot rolled his eyes, his hoof burning once more. “Just watch!” He quickly pulled Hana up and shoved his hoof through his chest. Card winced slightly, seeing the shadowy blood seep onto Hots hoof. Hana groaned in pain, dissolving into shadow to reappear a few feet away, looking once more like Card and less like the beast they had fought. Hots eyes widened. “TWO CARDS?!”
Card chuckled. “At least he’s attempting to look like me now…”
The other Card looked at Card, repeating the same thing he had said earlier. “I am thou and thou art I… I am your Shadow… your inner self…”
Card sighed with a slightly rueful smile. No more running. “Yes, I do believe you are.” 
The other Card smiled, the shadows around him fading. Finally, Card understood. The beast would not fade until acknowledged as the one it impersonated. The imposter faded into nothingness, leaving Hot and Card to stand in the hallway. Hot glanced around. “Is… it over?” Card nodded. “Card… what the HELL did we just fight?”	
Card shuffled the deck in his hoof, smiling softly. “It is of no circumstance now. We fought an inner demon. Living on the hell mouth, demons are fairly common. It could be a number of different things. A certain ponies talent, or something more. In essence, we fought my worst nightmare.”
“Inner self?...” Hot laughed. “Dude, your inner self is UGLY!”
Card made a slightly pained face as he laughed along. “Um.. Yes. It is.”
They both laughed at their joking around. That is, until they heard a voice across the hallway. “Very impressive, both of you.”
Both Hot and Card turned to the hallway. “You saw us,” Hot said, more of a statement than a question.
Drake walked out of the hallway, smiling brightly. “How could I not?~” He glanced at them both in turn, his face taken up by his ear – to –ear grin. “I am impressed with both of you.”
Hot smiled. “You are?”
“Not only have you two worked in a team… but you also did something most ponies could not. I saw who your enemy was.” Card hung his head slightly, somewhat ashamed to have been taken so far down the wrong path by that imposter. Drake continued to smile, however. “To fight an inner demon takes a lot of courage, Card, and courage is something forged by the bonds of friendship.” Card turned and smiled at Hot as Hot laughed and winked at him again. They were more than two ponies fighting alongside each other. They were brothers, and nothing would ever change that bond. Drake glanced at the two brothers, seeing their bond before his very eyes as they both grinned at their success. “It’s been too long since I’ve seen such a strong bond and such teamwork… Be proud, you two. You’re ready.”
Hot laughed and threw a hoof around Card. “And with ME as your eyes, NOTHING can stop us!~” Card laughed along with him, finally starting to believe in himself. Their victory against… well, himself had shown him that they DID have some skill, at the very least. If they could defeat Card Trick, then how hard could a God be? Card couldn’t help but smile at his brother as they both laughed.
Drake smiled to himself. He was extremely proud of his son, and of Card as well. You better be proud too, Hat… You have one amazing son.
Suddenly, 2 pink hooves grabbed both Cards and Hots ears. Card gasped in surprise and Hot winced in pain. “Owowow, what gives?!”
Behind them stood a very annoyed looking Pinkie. “Oh yes, nothing will be able to stop you two.” She turned to the remains of her wall. “NOT EVEN MY WALL.”
Hot winced as she let go, glancing at Card. “Told you we’d be in trouble…”
Card winked at him, smiling. “Let me handle this~” He turned to Pinkie as she let go of their ears. “Diane, aren’t you always the one who says it doesn’t cost you anything to maintain this place? After all, you never charge anypony for food or lodgings because of that fact.”
Pinkie looked a bit confused at this. “W-well-“
“He’s right,” Hot said, grinning. 
Cards smile grew. “Surely if you say such things, you cannot expect us to be so careful around the building.” Pinkie made a face, trying to think about what he had said. However, he was not going to give her enough time to think this through. “So, I assure you, you will fix this wall without a moment’s hesitation, using the magic you so willingly use to remake it~” 
Pinkie made a startled face. “W-wai-“
Card turned his head to Hot. “Hot?~”
“Yeah?”
Card laughed, charging past Pinkie in a flash. “RUN!!” Hot laughed and ran after him.
“B-buh-“ Pinkie made a pained face, putting her hoof to her head. 
Behind her, Drake was laughing. “Oh, leave them alone, Diane. They’re kids!~” Pinkie couldn’t help but giggle slightly, happy to see Card enjoying himself for once. She waved her hoof and the wall was repaired. Drake smiled at her. “Plus, Card overcame his biggest challenge today.”
“Himself~” 
Both Drake and Pinkie turned to see the Seer walking towards them out of the hallway. However, out of all of the laughter and smiled happening since the latest battle, the Seer was one of the few sorrowful faces they had seen today. She walked up to Diane and held up a note. Pinkie looked at it curiously. “What’s that?”
“A note… for the Joker…”
Pinkie reached out and took it, opening it up. 
So you think you know who I was now? You do good work, little Trick. I do hope you will reconsider my offer and join me. If you would have noticed, you already have~
-	The God Of Chaos
Diane paled slightly, reading this note. “How long has he been getting these?!”
The Seer glared at her. “Maybe you should ask him~”
Pinkie burned the note in her hoof as Drake turned to her. “What… Valkyrie?”
Pinkie shook her head. “Worse… Discord.” She sighed. “I should’ve known he’d be in contact with him!”
The Seer nodded. “It is how he operates, as you know.”
Drake turned to the Seer. “Is he trying to break Card?”
She sighed. “No… He is trying… to ally himself with him.”
Pinkie shook her head, confused. “How the HELL can he think that would work?!”
The Seer glared at Diane. “Perhaps the Puppet should ask herself that.” Pinkie glared back at her. “Do not pretend,” the Seer continued, “that you yourself did not side with him, once.”
Pinkie grimaced. There had been a time, once, where she had sided with Discord, choosing to live in an oblivion dimension he had made instead of living in real life. She had regretted it all her life. “That was years ago. I was insane.”
The Seer smirked. “Question not your own sanity, and then perhaps we'll be getting somewhere~”
Pinkie glared at her. “… Who are you?”
She smiled. “The Seer~”
Pinkie rolled her eyes in anger. “You KNOW what I meant! What is your name?!”
The Seer grinned. “My name is old and forgotten. I am merely a friend of the mad~” She bowed deeply, turning around in the process. “Why else would I be here?~” To this, there was only silence as an answer. She smiled brightly and began to head back to her room. “Now, if you’ll excuse me… It’s tea time~”
Pinkie glanced at Drake as the Seer walked back to her room. “I REALLY hate her sometimes…” Both Drake and Pinkie made a face as Pinkie sighed. Together they walked back to the lobby. Pinkie glanced out the window to where Card and Hot were chatting outside. “Do you really think they’re ready?”
Drake smiled. “After what I saw earlier? I KNOW they’re ready.”
The day went on and everyone went their separate ways. The next few days were peaceful. Both colts trained further and became stronger, learning new techniques and strategies. New ponies came and went from the inn, and life seemed good.
Until the day arrived… along with Discord.

> Betrayal 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Card was standing outside the Seers door with Hot at his side. He was staring at the door, thinking about if he truly wished to do this. Hot glanced at him. “You’re sure about this?”
Card nodded, making up his mind. “Positive. I need answers.”
“Answers to what?”
“Quite a few things… but mainly, if we’re ready.”
Hot nodded. “Yeah… I’ve been worried too.”
Card smiled at his brother, glad that he was not alone in his fears. “Then here we go.” He raised his hoof and knocked on the door.
“Come in, Children~” Card glanced once more at Hot as he pushed open the door. Hot followed behind him. The Seer looked up from her tea and motioned to the two pillows at the table. “Please, sit down~” Both colts sat at the table, thanking her for her hospitality. “Would you care for some tea?~”
Card held up his hoof in disapproval. “I’d prefer not to drink from this set~” The Seer smiled knowingly. The set had come from Wonderland, the center of madness. Card was nearly positive that the Seers strange gifts came from that set, and he was unwilling to partake in such power. He already had a bit too much to handle on his own.
Hot also shook his head. “Nooo thanks, I’m good.” Anything Card didn’t want, he was positive he wouldn’t want either.
The Seer smiled as she sipped her tea. She glanced at Card. “Why have you come to me, Joker?~”
“I believe you already know. None come to you unless they are in need of advice~”
The Seer smiled slyly at Card. “We have discussed this before, Joker. I cannot give advice to those who refuse to listen~”
Card merely smiled. “Then you offer nothing of value.” The Seer started slightly at his directness. “Surely,” he continued, “you wouldn’t be THAT worthless~”
“He’s got a point there,” Hot said, smirking.
The Seer glared at Card. “I do not help those who wish to insult me.”
Card continued to smile. “And I do not trust those who refuse to help~”
The Seer continued to glare at him as Hot sighed. “Look, just help him, alright?”
The Seer smiled at Hot. “Very well… What is it you two wished to know?~”
Hot turned to Card as Card summoned a torn card, the same card from the deck of disharmony that he had been examining, that day in the cave. “Can you tell me what this does?”
The Seer looked at the card curiously, taking it into her hoof. She rolled it over in her hooves, examining it. “This card is very strange… I do not believe it belongs in the deck where it rests. It is almost like a wild card in the deck.” Card lifted his chin slightly, thinking. “Yes, I know this card… I have not seen it in over 1 thousand years… It is known as the Chaining Force.”
“Chaining Force,” Hot said, confused.
The Seer nodded. “Worst of all…” She pointed to the tear in the card. “It is still in effect.”
Card sat up straighter, surprised. “Somepony is under the effects of this card?” The Seer nodded. “Do you possibly know who?”
The Seer sighed. “Unfortunately, yes. I am afraid I may not tell you.”
“Why not?”
“Royal command.”
Card sat, thinking. Royal command?...  Hot glanced at Card. “I could get Dad to call Luna for it. Maybe he can get permission to tell…”
The Seer shook her head. “I suggest letting the matter drop. I do not believe even Luna knows of this card.”
Hot shook his head in defiance. “If it’s a card, it’s important! We can’t just drop it!”
The Seer glared at Hot, her eyes having nearly the same effect as Cards or Hats. He stopped, watching her. “Do not speak of things you do not understand, Child.”
Hot looked as though he was about to say something, but Card cut him off. “What are the effects of this card?”
The Seer shut her eyes, sipping her tea. “The… pony who used this card… he tried to gain its power long ago. He was in a dilemma and he needed to have more power to fix the problem. However… The cards power comes with a price. The card chains the user within them, setting lose their darkest form in their place. The pony had thought they could control the force… but they were wrong. The pony was chained inside himself, transforming into a being with horrible powers. Infinite power… and no control.”
Card sat, thinking, as Hot did the same. Could it be, Card thought. Hot thought a bit… Him?... “Thank you,” Card said as he took back the card. “This will help me greatly.”
The Seer smiled softly as Card de-summoned the card. “I don’t believe that was all you wished to discuss~”
Card hesitated slightly. Should I truly ask?... He looked at her seriously. “… Are we ready?” She looked curious, as though he needed to explain further. “Me and Hot… are we ready to face Discord?”
The Seer smiled lightly. “Your question is one that is hard to answer… How do you think the battle will go?~”
Card sat, thinking over her question. “I… don’t know…”	
Hot nodded. “Everypony expects us to succeed… but what if we can’t?” He looked between Card and the Seer. “I mean, this isn’t training… The whole darn world’s at stake here.”
The Seer looked at both Card and Hot, smiling slyly. She saw Card, adverting his gaze, trying to ignore his doubts. She saw Hot, facing them directly, trying to find the true answers in life despite his doubts. She smirked. “One is ready~” 
Card sat up straighter, surprised. “One??”
The Seer of Kell merely smiled. “You aren’t asking me the right questions, Joker. Both of you are ready to FACE Discord… But your fear, Card… will be your downfall.” Card sat, hearing the truth in her words. Card would not survive this battle.
Hot glanced at Card and back to the Seer. “I’m at his side at all times, no matter what happens!”
“And that, dear Child, is why he is not yet ready~” Card kept his face turned away from the both of them. Neither understood… “You have doubts, Joker~”
Card finally spoke. “Everypony had doubts.”
“But not everypony lets them control their very being~” Card was silent, unable to think of a response. The Seer smiled. “You answer with silence, Joker. Have you seen, now, the truth in your doubts?~”
Card sat, staring into his hooves. My fear will be my downfall… I… I don’t want to go… He kept watching his hooves, the silence deafening. If I continue down this path… I will die. The revelation did not startle him as much as he thought it would. To die… would it be better than losing control? “P-perhaps…”
“Card.” Both the Seer and Card turned to look at Hot, who had a small smile on his face. “I’m not ready if you aren’t. They’re not counting on me and you. They’re counting on US.” The Seer smiled lightly at this, knowing it was more proof that Hot was indeed ready for the battle to come. Card, however…
“H-Hot, if neither of us are ready, then he wins!”
“Yeah. He would.”
“T-that CAN’T happen.”
“Yup.”
Card sat, thinking through this as well. Hot was willing to risk EVERYTHING for him. Not just his life, but the entire world. The entire world rested on whether he was ready or not… “Are you ready,” the Seer asked. 
“It’s not like we have much of a choice,” Hot said. “We’ll HAVE to be ready…”
“And yet, you aren’t~”	
Card glared at the Seer, finally having enough. “Who says?” The Seer looked at him, confused at the outburst. “We all come to you,” he continued, “for advice and things. However, I know the source of your power.” He pointed to the tea set from which she drank daily. “Without that chipped cup, you’d be no better than a normal pony.” The Seer nodded, not surprised that he had figured out the source of her power. “So who are you,” he concluded, “to tell us we aren’t ready?”
“And who are YOU to think you’re safe?”
Hot looked at her, confused. “Did we SAY we’re safe? Danger will be there, we both know that. That’s why we’ve been trained.”
The Seer smirked and sipped her tea. That was what she had been waiting for. Hot had proved himself to be a voice of reason many a time. “Card…” Card looked up at her. “If I am not the one to come to for advice…” She motioned to Hot, smiling. “… merely turn to the side~” Card couldn’t help but glance to the side as Hot turned to look at him. “Tell him your doubts, Child~”
Card sighed, knowing there was no way to escape this problem. He would die if he did not tell somepony… would that be as bad as he thought, if his doubts were true? “Hot…”
“Yeah, bro?”
Card hesitated slightly, unwilling to put the burden of his thoughts on his brother. Still, there was no other way. He looked at his brother, unable to look directly in his eyes. “I… I don’t want you to get hurt.”
Hot chuckled slightly. “You think I’d want us to be hurt?”
“N-no…”
“Besides, you’re forgetting who my parents are~”
Card sighed again, thinking of Hots parents. Hots mother had been a mare named Spectrum, who had died a few years ago. Both of his parents were fantastic at combat and protection… “I-I know Drake and Spectrum… A-all the more reason for me to be scared…” He looked at his hooves sadly. “Because you also know who MY parents are.”
“You’re nothing like either of ‘em,” Hot said with a small smile.
Card continued to stare at his hooves, his face stricken. “I-I have so much power,” he said softly. “Y-you’ve seen my inner self… I… I don’t want to hurt you, Hot…. But I may lose control… and you’ll have to stop me.”
“You won’t lose control, bro.”
Card sighed, closing his eyes. “I-I’m afraid I may have to…” He felt tears sting at his eyes as he opened them once more, just staring into his hooves. “…W-who am I… to kill a God, Hot?... I-I’m just a colt, for heaven’s sakes…” 
“You’re a Wild Card. Nothing is certain with you.” Card heard the truth in his words, knowing his brother believed in him. He dried his tears, listening to his brothers calming words. “We’re going to be fine, Card.”
Card smiled very softly, looking into his brothers eyes. He took in his entire face, his brother in his entirety. His flaming red coat, spiky yellow mane and tail… If the battle took a wrong turn… He wanted to remember his brothers face. “You promise me, Hot… You promise me you won’t die…”
Hot grinned. “That’s it? Promise I don’t die?” Cards smile grew. “I promise, bro.”
The Seer spoke up, smiling at Card. “And what of you, Joker? What promise have you made to yourself?”
Card smiled softly. “Simple… Never go down without a fight~” He stood as the Seer set down her glass. He reached out his hoof to shake it. “Thank you, Seer.”
Cards eyes widened as, before he knew it, the Seer had grabbed his hoof and held the lit candle to it. Card gasped in pain and flinched back as Hot stood. “Dude, you okay?!”
Card tore his hoof out of the Seers grasp, holding it. “What on EARTH was that for!?”
The Seer never stopped smiling, setting down the ever burning candle. “A simple spell, done by my people. Think of it as a blessing from the ponies of Kell~”
Both Hot and Card smiled. “Thank you,” Hot said.
Card looked at the burn on his hoof, surprised to see a design made from the singed fur. Three circles, inter connected to form a symbol of unity. 3 circles, swirling around each other to show acceptance and a connection that could not be broken. Just like his bond with Hot. But who was the third?... The Seer smiled at Card. “This is the last you will see of me before the battle, child. I wished to give you a gift.”
Card bowed deeply to the Seer. “I thank you for your blessing, Madam.”
Both the colts nodded their thanks to the Seer and walked outside, shutting the door behind them. Hot glanced at Card, smirking at his brothers smile. “Why the smile?~”
Card turned to his brother. “Because… I think we’re finally ready.”	
Both colts smiled…
And jumped as behind them, a voice appeared. “G-GAH,” a voice behind them cried out in agony. Both turned quickly, seeing Valkyrie standing there, holding his bleeding head. Both colts saw instantly that he was in severe pain. 
“W-what th- What happened?!” Hot was gaping at the wounds on Valkyrie, counting numerous scratches down his hooves. Card, however, couldn’t help but take in Valkyrie and sense something was… off. Valkyrie had always held himself in a state of self confidence, yet now, it was as though something was holding him back… as though he was chained by some higher force…
“Nothing important, Hot. Don’t worry about it. You have bigger problems to deal with.” Cards eyes widened as Valkyrie summoned a golden letter. “It’s addressed to you two… You can guess who’s calling.”
Hot and Card shared a look. “Discord,” both of them said at the same time. Card reached out and took hold of the envelope, opening it and beginning to read. “’To the little Trick and the Fireball…’” Card made a face. “If those are our names, I’m going to kill him worse than I had planned~”
Hot laughed. “Comet would’ve done fine~” 
Valkyrie snarled in anger. “IS NOW REALLY THE TIME?!”
Hot laughed. “Alright, alright~” Card glanced at the rest of the letter.
To the little Trick and the Fireball
I have waited until you were both ready to face me. Now, the battle begins. Meet me at Sunset Hill when you wish to begin the fight~
The God of Chaos
“Simple enough,” Card said, folding it up and putting it into his hat. 
“Sunset Hill, huh? Wonder why that place?”
Card chuckled. “Who knows. He IS insane, after all. Madness does as madness sees fit.”
Valkyrie was busy trying to heal the cuts with his shadows, seeming to struggle with it. “Are you two ready?”
Cards face was calm as he finally understood what had gone wrong with Valkyrie. He was not in the right mindset. Valkyrie would not have asked that question so easily, knowing how often Card said no. Valkyrie…  I’m sorry…I can’t save you now. “Yes. We are.” Card turned to Hot, grinning. “Shall we make out entrance?~”
Hot grinned, his hooves blazing to life with flame. “Yup.” He reached his burning hoof out to Card. Card smiled, lifting his hoof to take Hots. Shadows curled around Cards hoof lightly as he smiled and took Hots hoof. The instant their hooves touched, both stallions teleported to Sunset Hill, leaving Valkyrie behind in the hallway.
“The time’s come, then.” Valkyrie didn’t turn as he heard Drakes voice behind him. The voice didn’t surprise him. He was silent, feeling tears roll down his face. Drake glanced at Valkyrie. “What’s wrong?”
Valkyrie turned, staring at Drake with sorrowful eyes. There was so much pain in them… “I’m sorry, Drake.” 
“What are you sorry about?”
Valkyrie opened his mouth to answer, but closed it again, unable to answer in his grief. He shut his eyes, knowing what he must do. It was all he could do. I sent them to you like you asked, Master.
Drakes eyes widened as he heard Valkyries thoughts, the power he had learned over time. His eyes narrowed again, however, when he heard the response. There was no mistaking the voice of the God of Chaos. Good, Pet. You know what else you must do. “I see,” Drake said. 
Valkyrie sobbed as the golden collar around his neck revealed itself, shining brightly. “I-I’m sorry, Drake… but Discord has control… and Card and Hot will die by his claw.”

> Split Personalities
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Valkyrie stood, a traitor, in front of Drake, sobbing. He had betrayed his very self, Card, into going into a battle he wasn’t prepared for. He had been deluding himself this whole time, even if it was just separate bodies. Valkyrie was broken, and Discord had seized the pieces. 
“It’s good you sent them, Valkyrie.”
“I’ve sent them to their deaths!”
Drake grinned. “I’d say you sent Discords death to him.”
“Don’t you GET it?!” Valkyrie shook his head in sorrow. “It’s a trap! He’s got the element of surprise…”
“They’re ready for anything.”
“Not this.”
~*~*~*~
On the hill, Card looked around, seeing themselves alone. “Do you see him?...” Hot shook his head. Card continued to look around, knowing that Valkyrie had betrayed them. He had seen the collar, though hidden by Discords magic. Something about his sight had allowed him to see it. He was thus prepared for any tricks Discord would send their way.
“H-Hot! Card!” Both colts turned to see Pinkie running up the hill to them, tears in her eyes. Something looked off about her to Card…
~*~*~*~
Drake winced and held his head, sensing two Pinkamenas. One on the hill and one in Sugar Cube Corner. He always looked out for Diane, and now there we two?! This must be the trick! “T-that’s not…” HOT, CARD! DO YOU COPY?! EITHER OF YOU, ANSWER ME!
Valkyrie sighed sadly, knowing Drake was trying to project his thoughts to the colts. “I’m sorry Drake. They can’t hear you. The hill is protected from outward interference with Chaos magic.”
Drake nodded, logic overcoming his initial panic. “Let’s hope one of them sees through the illusion…” Drake turned to Valkyrie, noticing that he hadn’t moved in awhile. Something was wrong… “What else has Discord told you to do, Valkyrie?...”
Valkryie held out his hoof, a blade of shadow appearing. The insignia on the top of the blade was that of the joker, but blackened and with a golden apple painted over it. The blade itself was perfectly balanced, and shadows curled from it. Valkyrie looked at Drake with sorrowful eyes, his collar shining. “I’m supposed to kill you.”
~*~*~*~
Card watched as Diane ran up to them, tears streaming down her face. Her blue eyes shone brightly through her tears… Card hadn’t seen her eyes shine like that in a long time. There had been too much heartache and too much sorrow in them before, no matter how happy she was at the time. No amount of pleasure or happiness could fix a heart that was not just broken, but shattered and thrown away. “Z-Zeamus has gone missing, you two! I-I tracked your souls here, H-have you seen him?!”
Hot thought for a moment, trying to see what had happened. Card, however, summoned a shadow card. In one fluid movement, Card threw the card directly between Pinkies eyes. Hot started slightly, surprised. “D-dude!!”
Hot turned in time to see the fake Diane disappear into shadow, the card going through the darkness like a knife. “As I thought,” Card said. “They never get the eyes right~”
“Well well well,” a voice around them said, echoing slightly. “who'd have thought the blind pony would guess that?~” The shadows where Diane had stood seemed to swirl into a being of darkness, a beast. He looked nothing like the Discord all had known. This Discord was cunning, with dark, piercing red eyes. All joking was gone with this new enemy. He was truly a formidable figure. “Glad you got my letter~”
“I knew you were in contact with Valkyrie. What other betrayals have you planned? “
“Oh, you’ll see soon enough~” 
Card glanced at Hot, surprising himself with a smile. “Ready, Hot,” he asked, already knowing the answer.
“Ready as I’ll ever be.”
Card summoned his full deck of cards, allowing shadows to swirl around him as he felt power course through him. This was his time. The thing he had been training for had snuck up on them quicker than he had expected, and without warning. Yet, Card felt ready. He knew deep down that somehow, someway, they could not fail.
Hot spread his front hooves, grinning as they burst into flame. He was going to burn brighter than he ever had before, and he knew it. He glanced at his brother, still smiling. Card would get through it with his help, he knew. There was no way he was letting down anyone as awesome as his own brother. 
Both colts turned to watch their adversary. Discord smiled his fanged smile and summoned two blades. The first blade was golden, covered in an intense light aura. The portion he held in his claw was shaped in the golden apple insignia that had become Discords Mark through the years. The blade shone with power, blinding to look at directly. The other blade was in complete contrast to the other blade, black as the purest and deadliest night. The blade was symmetrical to the light blade, but this sword curled and teamed with shadow. Discord lowered himself closer to the ground, ready to strike at a moment’s notice. Card smiled softly and opened his eyes, letting their terrifying power free for the first time in ages. “Then let’s do this,” he shouted, taking a fighting stance, a bright grin filling his face.
“RIGHT!” Hot took a stance as well.
In that moment, Discord charged forward… and the battle began.

> Broken Chains
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“To kill me?” Drake laughed. “Valk, you couldn’t even if you tried.”
Valkyrie narrowed his eyes, the collar around his neck glowing now that Discord had shown himself and Valkyrie was known as a traitor. “I did it once before, Drake.” Back in his own dimension, Valkyrie had killed Drake after he had tried to protect Diane. 
“That was a different me.”
Valkyrie hung his head sorrowfully. “Even so… I must.”
“Really?”
Valkyrie sighed, shutting his eyes tightly in the only sign of defiance he had left. “I must.”
“Says who?”
“Who do you think? Discord.” He pointed to the collar around his neck as it glowed brightly. Drake thought to himself. A form of mind control, hmm? He could fight that. Valkyrie sighed once more, his eyes pained. “I don’t want to do this, Drake.”
“Then don’t.”
Valkyrie shook his head angrily. “I can’t just NOT do it!”
Drake lifted his head slightly. “Tell me. Why am I to die?”
“Because… if they get into trouble, you’re there to save them.”
Drake’s eyes widened as he realized what this meant. “It’s not about me dying… It’s about stalling me.”
Valkyrie gave him a grim face, showing Drake that he was correct. “You cannot help if you are dead.”
“Alright then.” Drake grinned as he summoned his obsidian blade. Diane had made it for him as a gift, long ago. It was purely black along the blade, and the grip for the hoof was pink with 3 balloons curling up from it. The sword resonated with the strength of Pinkie’s soul, a powerful magic imbued in the obsidian. “You really wanna go for it?~”
Valkyrie slowly raised his blade. “I must,” he repeated one last time as the collar glowed brightly. He began to start forward when he stopped, his eyes wide. Pain. Pain gripped his every nerve, bone and organ. He had been having pains and aches for awhile now, knowing he was dying, but never like this. This was agony. He dropped to his knees as the sword left his hoof, clattering to the floor. His hoof went to his head, where the cut had reopened and had resumed bleeding. “N-no,” he managed to say, pain coursing through his entire being.
“What’s the matter? Thought you were gonna strike me down~” Valkyrie shut his eyes tightly as he felt tears begin to form, the pain becoming unbearable. He sunk down closer to the floor, agony ripping at every point in his body. Drake smiled. “This is my chance!” Drake began to charge forward, his blade high. Valkyrie looked up in fear, tears rolling down his face. He remembered the Drake he had known, long ago in his dimension. He would show mercy, kindness… Then he remembered that this was not his Drake. His eyes widened in horror, until he shut them tightly, unable to accept his fate. He didn’t want to die. He let his tears run, both in fear and pain, until he heard the words… “Time to set you free.”
Valkyrie opened his eyes wide as he was lifted up by his neck. Drake smiled at him. “This thing is in the way~” He lightly tapped the collar. Then, he began to pull at it, trying to make it snap off with no success.
Valkyrie winced at the collar rubbing against his neck, though this pain was nothing compared to the receding agony from moments ago. “I-It’s no use, Drake! I am his until he sets me free!”
Drake made a small ‘tsk’ sound. “I refuse to kill you, Valk…”
Valkyrie watched Drake, thinking. This pony could’ve just killed him. Yet, Drake had spared his life. Valkyrie was startled to realize that he didn’t want to kill Drake either. Not only that, but he was ready to fight Discord for his freedom back. He would NOT kill the man who had spared his own life. “And I you, Drake.” Valkyrie’s eyes widened as the collar around his neck burned. 
Drake let Valkyrie stand on his own, looking at the burn appearing around Valkyrie’s neck. The implications of this were too incredible to be left alone. “There’s another way to save yourself, Valkyrie! You have to fight him!” Valkyrie groaned in slight pain as the collar burned and scarred his skin, the heat spreading up his entire neck. Despite this, he still kept in his mind the fact that he wasn’t going to be Discords slave. Drake kept cheering him on, knowing only Valkyrie could break the hold of Discord. “Fight as Card! Fight as you!”
Valkyrie sobbed slightly, the hold starting to take hold once more. He couldn’t fight this… He should go along with it. He wasn’t the hero. He wasn’t going to help. He was the one who hurted… He was a murderer. “I-I’M NOT HIM, DRAKE,” he shouted out, the collar burning horribly, the smell of burnt fur rising in the air. “I-I’LL NEVER BE HIM! I’M JUST THE VILLIAN HERE!”
Drake looked him deep in the eyes, shocking Valkyrie. He was used to ponies adverting their gaze from his eyes, as they were used to doing the same with Card. Drake, however, knew know fear of Card. “You ARE Card Trick, for Celestia’s sake! You aren’t a villain here, Card!”
Valkyrie kept those words close to his heart, struggling against the hold Discord held over him. You are Card… You aren’t a villain… You helped here… “I-I’m n-not the villain,” he struggled to say, the collar scorching his neck burning brighter than ever as he groaned in pain. 
Drake grinned brightly, seeing the collar dim slightly from the red – gold it had grown to. “He’s misled you long enough, Card.”
Valkyrie breathed deeply, tears in his eyes dripping down onto the collar and creating steam. “I… AM… CARD TRICK!” With a scream, the collar seared what felt like his very bone, sending flames through every nerve and bone in his body. It felt like eternity of pain, and it would have been had the collar not shattered after releasing this last blast of heat. 
Valkyrie shuddered slightly and nearly collapsed. Drake caught him, supporting his weak body. “That you are,” he said with a grin.
Valkyrie opened his eyes, panting. The heat was already fading and his mind felt… clear. He felt… warm. “I-I’m… free?”
“You are.” Drake smiled softly. “I said I’d always try and protect you. No matter what Card, I stick to my promise.”
Valkyrie smiled back then glanced at his hoof. Somehow, he knew what he would see there. He should have died already, burned to dust. However, Discord had locked him here with his collar… Now that the collar was gone, Valkyrie was nothing more than a walking corpse. His hoof was fading slightly, almost like he was a ghost. He didn’t have long, he knew. An hour or two at the most, accompanied by pain… Valkyrie stood on his own, his strength renewed by a single thought. That’s not how heroes die. “Drake…  Thank you, for everything.”
Drake knew what was happening with a single glance at Valkyrie’s hoof. He smiled softly. “Any day, Card.”
“Give Lily my best wishes if you see her. I won’t be returning.”
“I know. I will.”
Valkyrie gave Drake a small smile. He turned his back to his old friend, still smiling. Time for the last act of the Martyr. With that last thought, he disappeared into a column of shadow, seeing Drake for the last time.
“Farewell… Valkyrie.”

> Broken Promises
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Card summoned a large shadow card, a sort of shield against the duel blades Discord wielded. He was pushed back slightly as the two swords smashed against the shield. Card was somewhat startled from the amount of power behind the attack. Of course, this was a God. Discord grinned, showing his fangs. “You can’t win,” he said, nearly purring with confidence. 
“We can’t,” Hot asked, laughing.
Card pushed up on the card shield, sending Discords swords back, a similar grin on his face. “My my, this would be an utter waste of time~” Card summoned numerous cards and began to throw them at Discord. Discord dodged nearly each card, and when he was hit, the wound healed instantly. Discord was obviously using his powers.
“Tsk, no good,” Hot said, standing a slight distance away. Discord grinned and swiveled around. He brought the swords in his claw and paw together and created a large ball of chaos magic. He slashed down with both swords, launching the magic towards Hot at a rapid pace. Hot grinned and punched the ball of magic as it got to him. His hoof split it straight down the middle, leaving him unharmed. Training had paid off. 
“Forgetting somepony?” Card had risen up behind Discord on his wings. With one swift movement, Card punched him in the small of his back with a shadowed hoof. Discord stumbled forward, surprised. He had forgotten there were two pests in this battle. He scowled and disappeared into shadow.
“Nice one, Bro!” Hot grinned. Behind him, Discord appeared, his sword already raised for a downward strike. Hot heard the blade whistle through the air. “Oh snap.”
Card was instantly at his side, stopping the blade with another shield card. He grinned at his brother. “I got you.” Discord glared at the two colts, still pushing down with his sword, but to no avail. Card’s cards were strong. 
“Thanks~” Hot reached up from the card and grabs the sword on the sides, tearing it out of Discords claw. Card was rather surprised how much Hot had learned in sparring with Drake. Hot held the sword by the steel, grinning.
Discord grinned back. “How shocking~” He snapped his claws and the blade lit up with magic, electrifying Hot. Hot winced in pain as the volts of chaotic energy surged through him, causing his hooves to smoke. Discord raised his other blade, prepared to strike Hot down as he was indisposed. 
Hot growled, glaring at Discord. “T-training w-was worse than this!” Hot brought his hooves up and flung the blade back at Discord, panting.  Discord grabbed the blade once more. Card launched into him, using his shadows as propulsion. Discord blocked him and threw him into the air. 
Card flared out his wings quickly, using his shadows to help support him. Nothing we’re doing is even touching him! Discord formed a ball of chaos magic again and sent it at Card this time. Card grinned and formed his Card Whip, ready for this attack. He had spent much time preparing for this sort of projectile. His cards wrapped around the ball and flung it back at twice the speed. Discord caught it without a moment’s hesitation, glaring at Card. “Somepony’s been training.” 
“He’s not the only one!” Discord stumbled forward as Hot Shot slammed his hoof into his back, using a technique he deemed the Crimson Fist. Card took his chance and grabbed Discord with the Card Whip he had formed. Discord sliced through the cards like butter, falling back to the ground. Before he made contact, however, Hot unleashed another devastating blow to Discord’s neck. 
Card watched as Discord fell towards the ground. He also saw Discord begin to phase into the ground, hiding in the earth. His eyes widened as he turned to Hot, already in the air himself. “Hot, get into the air!”
“Right!” Hot flares out his wings and took to the air without question, flying up as Discord was fully engulfed by the earth, hidden from them both. Card’s eyes flashed with shadow as he called upon his secondary element. He felt every crevice and fault in the rock, every shadow across the hill. Using his shadows as propulsion, Card launched at the earth like a bullet, aiming straight at the ground. Card shut his eyes, never veering from his downward course. As he made contact with the ground, the earth shattered and cracked, splintering out a long distance. Card flew straight back up into the air, a circle of shadows having protected him. Hot grinned. “Damn, bro!”
Card kept scanning the earth. The ground had shattered down instead of out, reaching Discord. Discord rose out of the ground, body covered in cuts from the rocks that had jetted out. Card saw the blood rolling down Discords sides before Discord healed the wounds. Suddenly, his eyes widened. Proof. Everything Card had theorized had been correct. And now, he was absolutely certain.
They would win this battle.
Discord flared out his claw and the earth shattered further, this time launching into the air. Card created a shield to the shrapnel as Hot dodged the rocks. Discord was laughing and Card could see the touches of madness in his eyes. “You can’t defeat me! I am a God!” 
Card smirked as Discord’s face suddenly fell. Discord summoned the broken remains of a collar. “What’s he holding,” Hot asked.
“Damn…” Discord glared at Hot. “Your father had been a thorn in my side for years now.”
“He tends to do that to bad guys~”
“That’s the end of your betrayal, Discord.” Card smiled, having known Valkyrie would have won against Discord. “You tried to end Drake.” Hot laughed, knowing just how hard it is to kill him. Drake would never go down without a fight.
Discord made the collar disappear, summoning his blades to him once more. “It matters not now~” He grinned and Card saw he was getting stronger. Discord’s madness had started taking over. He may be stronger, but his madness made it more likely he would slip up. The battle would be hard from here on out. 
Discord charged at Card with the duel blades, intent on the kill now, not just playing with his prey. Card formed a shield card, blocking both. However, Discord merely grinned. His blade of light glowed brightly, and Card gasped as, with a single slice, his shield shattered. Card took a step back as his face bled from a cut he had gotten from the blade. Discord raised the blade again, knowing that another card would be destroyed simply, meaning Card had no defense. As the blade came down, Hot formed a wall of fire in front of Card, blocking the strike. Card grinned at Hot as he winked back. “Being a thorn in the side runs in the family~”
Discord snarled, drawing back his swords. “Two on one is hardly fair~” Waving his hoof, Hot was suddenly encased in a wall of shadow. Hot growled as Card prepared himself for the next attack. “Now…” Spinning his blade, Discord rose his blade to strike at Card again, only to stop as Hot smashed through the shadow wall, his hoof burning with fiery light. 
“Think that’ll stop me,” Hot asked, grinning. Discord snarled, spinning to Hot as his eyes flashed red with anger. He charged, spinning his blades. “Well, this isn’t good.” Hot summoned the firewall in front of him again. Discord slammed against the wall with both blades, ignoring the fire burning his fur. Card quickly flared out his wings and tried to fly over to his brother’s aid, but nearly fell flat on his face. Card was ceased by a powerful magic, unable to move. He realized he hadn't moved since the blade had made contact with him. Discord must have put a spell into the blade, freezing him in place. The spell on his hoof burned. Card realized that only two of the three swirls were lit, however. The spell, which had been made to shield off foreign magic, could only be invoked through the bond of three. Card wasn’t powerful enough to move against the force holding him still. All he could do was watch.
Hot saw his brother’s troubles. “I’ll be fine!” The statement was accented by Discord slamming once more into the wall with his blades, intent on killing the pony encased in the fire. Hot winced back, barely able to maintain the shield. Card was forced to watch as Discord grinned and brought down the two blades one last time, blasting through the firewall and sending Hot sprawling on the ground. 
“Finally,” Discord said, eyes swirling with his madness. He was covered in burns and bruises, but he had gotten to his prey. Hot lay on the ground, too weak to stand from the last attack. He turned his head to Card. Card gasped internally to see tears in his brother’s eyes.	
“Gotta keep fighting bro.” The blades rose. “D-don’t you dare be scared…” Hot closed his eyes, surrendering to what was to come. “Keep fighting.” The blades came down.
Card felt tears roll down his face as his brother took his last breath.
~*~*~*~
Drake fell against the wall in the hallway, holding his head. Burning loss. The unthinkable had just happened, he could feel it. “H-hot…” Tears rolled down his face as he felt his son’s dying breath, his last words, somehow knowing his son was lost. “N-no…” He shut his eyes tight, only able to imagine what was to come.

> Unbreakable Bonds
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Discord laughed, standing over the fallen body of Hot Shot. Card stood, finally free of the spell, but frozen as he watched his brother’s body lying in the grass. All he could think was about his brother’s promise. 
Card smiled very softly, looking into his brothers eyes. He took in his entire face, his brother in his entirety. His flaming red coat, spiky yellow mane and tail… If the battle took a wrong turn… He wanted to remember his brother’s face. “You promise me, Hot… You promise me you won’t die…”
Hot grinned. “That’s it? Promise I don’t die?” Cards smile grew. “I promise, bro.”
“Finally, the pest is gone~” Discord’s voice interrupted Card’s thoughts. “The little fireball has fizzled out~”  Card stood, frozen for a moment longer. Then he opened his eyes, allowing their power to release. Horror and fear laced the air, mixed with unnatural anger. Card took a step forward, the earth where he stepped cracking under his hoof, shadows curling from his body. Discord grinned at Card, unfazed by the pony’s powers. “Oh dear, the little colt is ma-ad~” Card summoned a card and threw it at Discord, eyes narrowing. Discord caught the card simply, smirking. Card waved his hoof, eyes cold as the card exploded in a blast of shadow magic, pushing Discord back from the force of the explosion. Discord took a step back, looking through the bit of smoke at the form of the shadow colt, wings unfurled and the earth trembling at his every step.
“You’ve killed my brother,” Card Trick said, his voice eerily calm. Each step he took shattered the earth further, until he wasn’t far from Discord. Discord grinned as the colts eyes darkened. “And you just made a Trick VERY unhappy.” Discord lifted his blade as the colt charged in a blind fury, snarling at the God. All 52 of his usual deck of cards spun around him in his blaze of anger, all pointed at the one foe. He reached the God.
In a single stroke of his blade, Discord sent Card sprawling on the ground, the cards falling useless around him. Card gasped as the wind was knocked out of him. Discord merely laughed. “Oh yes, I can taste your rage… Your blind anger makes you weak. You lost your touch of strategy the moment that little pest over there was swatted down.” Card tried to stand quickly as Discord calmly walked over. Waving his claw, Discord pushed Card back to the ground roughly, pinning him there with strong magic. Discord stood over Card, grinning as he raised his light blade. “And now that one pest is down… Time to kill the other~” 
Card glanced over at the body of his brother, tears in his eyes. Hot had died because he couldn’t save him. Card was dying because he was too weak to save himself. All of Equestria would be lost because of his failure. And there was nothing he could do about it, he realized. All he could do was look at his brother and cry. I’m so sorry, Hot… I failed… I failed us all. Card closed his eyes, accepting his fate, knowing he was too weak to escape the God’s magic. He heard the whistle of the blade as it went down.
He also opened his eyes as blood dripped down on his face. He had been expecting more pain… but…
Valkyrie coughed, licking the blood on his lips, grinning. “F-finally did something right…” The blade intended for Card lie deeply imbedded in his chest, saving Card from a mortal blow. Valkyrie, on the other hoof, was dying. 
“V-valkyrie…”
“VALKYRIE?!” Discord snarled at the pony.
Valkyrie grinned. “C-call me Card…” He glanced at the body on the field, sighing at Hot’s death. “S-so much… for that ace up your sleeve…”
“YOU FOAL!” Discord pulled his sword out of Valkyrie, snarling. “You’ve ruined yourself! You could’ve lived forever with my power!”
Valkyrie fell against Card, wincing. He looked up at his mirror image, wincing at the pain every movement caused him. “C-card… C-came to give you my gift…” He grinned, a strange look on a pony who was bleeding out. “You got a bunch of gifts, right? W-well… here’s mine.” Card gasped as Valkyrie faded into shadow, spinning around him. 
“N-NO,” Discord shouted, realizing too late what Valkyrie was planning. He hadn’t been expecting Valkyrie’s sacrifice.
Card’s eyes widened as he heard Valkyrie’s voice. “W-what?”
I never belonged here, Card… There can’t be two of us… We both know I’ve been dying since the first day I set hoof here… Since I’ve finally accepted that we are one, I think we both think this will be the fight of our lives. 
Card gasped as the shadows covered his entire being, forcing their way into his body. Discord took a step back, fear beginning to show in his eyes. Cards eyes turned black, a single sliver of white highlighting his pupil. T-this power… Card felt his shadows as well as Valkyrie’s surging through him, filling his bloodstream with more power than he had ever been able to control. He felt it work its way into his mind, overcoming him and taking control. “I-I can’t-“ 
Card keeled over, his head down as he tensed up. His wings flared out as they extended, forming more like real wings as opposed to the metal ones he had worn. Shadows swirled up them, extending them further. He stood taller, his body turning darker as the shadows in him fought for their release. The shadows he could not control draped over him like a cloak, billowing in the wind swirling around him. They solidified around him, forming a magician’s cape. A full magicians outfit formed, complete with cuff links and a pure white mask. Card laughed, his voice itself swirling with shadow. He tilted his head up and the very air trembled at the sight of his eyes, the power startling even Discord. “TIME TO END THIS!” Card landed, no longer worthy of so simple a name. This colt was no longer Card Trick. He was something more… Shadow Wing.
And in the sudden silence, after the monster who had been created had spoken, a small chuckle was heard at the side of the battlefield. Both Shadow and Discord glanced to the side, one scared by the noise, the other merely curious. Discord backed away in his fright, confused as to how things had changed so drastically. Shadow was merely curious as to why his brother’s body was floating in the air, suspended by his wings. He was also curious as to how the body was speaking.
“Nice wings… Card.”
“Hot?...”
Hot’s face was shaded by his mane as his head hung down. “I suck at keeping promises… don’t I?...” Shadow was silent. Suddenly, flames gathered around Hot, engulfing him. 
Shadow’s eyes widened as he understood what had happened. His eyes sparked with the small piece of Card left in him as he grinned, the circle on his hoof complete. A three way bond, Him, Valkyrie and his re-born brother, Hot. “That’s one thing you didn’t get, Discord! The fireball didn’t fizzle out…”
Hot flicked up his head, eyes burning with a fire unknown to ponykind, blazing with a power beyond his own. “A phoenix rises from his ashes.” The fire around him turned into a cloak, forming a sort of tail, causing Hot to look like he was a moving flame with every movement. His body swirled like fire, causing him to look almost like a pony sized Phoenix. The blood splattered on him from earlier lie dried on his face, adding to the effect of the inferno. 
Shadow grinned as both he and Phoenix raised their hooves. Two walls warped around Discord, one of shadowy earth, the other a blazing flame. Discord had no means of escape. Raising his other hoof, Shadow chained Discord to the earth wall with shadow vines, letting thorns dig into his fur. Discord groaned in pain, unable to heal his wounds. He attempted to break free of the vines, but was startled to find the combination of the three’s powers was too strong. 
Shadow grinned, glancing at the inferno that had been Hot. “What do you think happens, Phoenix, when Shadows and Fire combine at an epicenter at high speed?~”
Phoenix grinned back at the shadowy form of his brother. “Obliteration~”
“On three?”
“One…”
“Two…”
Phoenix grinned. “… Two and a half~”
Shadow couldn’t help but laugh. “Two and three fourths~”
“Ah, what the heck!” His eyes blazing, Phoenix flared out his wings, in the air. “THREE!”
Shadow’s eyes swirled with his power as he grinned. “THREE!” Together, the Phoenix and the Shadow Wing launched forward, one leaving a trail of fire, the other leaving a trail of shadow. Discord struggled to escape his binds before the inevitable, but it was too late. Together, the two forces collided. In the center of the two, an explosion occurred, blasting both stallions into the air. Both regained their balance, watching the smoke clear after the massive blast. 
Both stallions landed on either side of the smoke. As it cleared, a crater was revealed where Discord had been chained, the walls fallen. In the crater was the form of Discord, unmoving. Shadow watched the body coldly, thinking. There were two options left… 
Shadow waved his hoof and a torn card appeared, swirling around him with shadows. Calmly, Shadow flew down by Discord. “Careful,” Phoenix said, seeing Discord open his eyes weakly. He still wasn’t dead. Shadow walked beside the bruised and bleeding form, nodding to his brother.
Discord glanced up at the card, his eyes tired. “… Do it, then… Kill me…” Shutting his eyes, Discord rolled his head back against the ground, laughing softly in his weakness. “You’ve surpassed even a God…”
Shadow regarded the pitiful body speaking to him. He already knew what would happen if he ended this creature as he was now. The chaos would spread into him, retaining the life force that no longer dwelt inside Discord. The God of Chaos would choose Shadow as his next host, leaving this pathetic draconequus in its place to take the blame. No, Shadow would not allow himself to be taken over. He grinned. “I haven’t surpassed a God.” Discord opened his eyes, staring at the Shadow of Card. The final words that will topple your throne… “Because Gods don’t bleed~”
Discord’s eyes widened as Shadow grinned further, levitating the card. “This card… A measly little thing such as this is the source of all of your power… All I have to do to end you is just that: End you, once and for all.”
Discord’s eyes were panicked. “N-NO! K-KILL ME!”
Shadow merely watched the pitiful soul beneath him. He lifted up the card, feeling sorrow for the creature at his hooves. “With these final words, I bind thee to this card. Farewell, being of Chaos, the Chaining Force.” With that, he sealed the card with shadow, changing the unlocked chain on the card to a locked one. In a bright burst of light, the card was made whole again.
Beneath him, the ‘God’ of Chaos screamed and writhed in agony. His shadowy skin seemed to burn away, the light of the card tearing away at his body. His entire being was being reshaped, recreated. A fate worse than death. Shadow shielded his eyes with his hoof, unable to watch the burning bright light radiating from the morphing figure. 
Finally, the screamed faded along with the light. Shadow uncovered his eyes to find the creature had been utterly destroyed. In its place sat a small white alicorn, weak and knocked out from the draining of power. His body was unscathed, yet his soul was weak. Shadow regarded the alicorn as he had Discord. So this was the pony who had been so weak that he had seeked the power of something far greater than he could possibly control.
Standing there in the field, the wind blew softly. A bird or two chirped happily as the afternoon sun began to reach its peak. Peaceful was Ponyville – at least for the time being – and the battle was over.
The God of Chaos was no more.

> Embrace
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Shadow looked at the card in his hoof. So ordinary looking… yet could offer him all of the power in the world. He could feel the push to tear it and break the lock, unleash the power inside. However, he knew its effects well. He glanced at the alicorn lying in the dirt. Sighing, he concentrated on the card. “This card has caused enough damage.” With a single flash of shadowy power in his eyes, Shadow banished the card. 
“Where’s it gone,” Phoenix asked, landing next to Shadow and folding up his wings. 
“A place familiar to Valkyrie. His home for many a year. The Dark Tower.” Shadow glanced at his brother, shadows teaming around him. “None will find it there.” 
“Let’s hope so…” Shadow shielded his eyes as his brother burst into a flare of light. When the light faded, Phoenix had once more become Hot Shot. How far his power has fallen… Shadow looked at his own hooves, watching the shadows curl around them. Changing back, I lose this… this feeling, this invincibility… “Well well…” Hot glanced at him curiously. “I seem to have lost control…” Is it all that bad to give into such power?...
“Come on, don’t fool around, Card…”
Shadow remembered that name, sparking a memory deep inside his shadow clouded mind. Friends. Brothers. A past… He was losing himself. “H-Hot, I’m not sure how to come back.” He hung his head, thinking. If he didn’t change back soon, he would lose himself completely. There had to be some way… 
“W-wait…” Slowly, Shadow’s hoof went to his pearly white mask. It was smooth to the touch and seemed to burn as he touched it. “I wonder…” Concentrating, Shadow closed his eyes. He felt all of the shadows within him, far more than he had ever sensed before. With an intense amount of self control, Shadow willed all of the shadows, all those he could not control fully, into the mask. Slowly, spreading from his hoof, darkness filled the mask, turning the white to black. He felt his shadows drain from him, all of his wounds aching. The mask turned its darkest and fell off as Card, back to normal, sighed. He felt… drained.
“Seems the mask changes you…”
Card nodded, trying to clear his head. “I-I feel surprisingly weak now.” He put the mask in his hat, not trusting himself with it just yet.
Hot smiled ruefully. “M-me too…” Hots smile grew. “We won, Card!” 
Card glanced at the white alicorn. He had read all about this alicorn in the book Discord had led him to. He still wasn’t sure why Discord had led him to the book. It didn’t matter now, though. All that mattered was he now knew the alicorn’s name. “Accord,” he muttered under his breath.
At the mention of his name, Accord groaned and opened his eyes. Card noticed they still retained the yellow and red of Discords eyes. “Ugh, my head…” Accord glanced at Card and Hot. “ACK YOU TWO!” Accord quickly tried to scramble away from them in fright. “DON’TKILLMEDON’TKILLMEDON’TKILLME!” Card sighed inwardly, feeling pity for the alicorn. Is this really an all powerful alicorn, or a frightful coward?...
“They won’t…” a voice said, startling all three ponies gathered. All of them turned to the rightof the crater to be greeted by Drake. Drake was glaring at Accord. “…Accord…” Accord collapsed back into the crater, eyes wide with fear. Drake turned to the two brothers, smiling. “Card… Hot…” He trotted up to the two of them and hugged them tightly, smiling brightly. “I am so proud of both of you.” Card hugged back with Hot, smiling as well. Drake turned to tussle Hot’s mane. “How’s dying feel, kid? Kinda like going to sleep with a sting?”
Hot smiled ruefully. “Y-yeah…”
Card turned to Hot. “I’m sorry that happened… D-discord, he-“
“Don’t worry about it, Bro.” Hot winked at Card, causing him to smile. “Planned it like that.”
Card picked up the mask as Drake spoke. “Has it never occurred to you how neither Spectrum nor I are pegasi?”
Card took that as a small slap to the face. “… No, actually. I always assumed Hot had wings because of your DragonWing form.” 
Hot looked curious as well. “Wasn’t it because Grandma from mom’s side was a Pegasus?”
Drake smiled. “Well, yes and no. Yes, your grandmother was a Pegasus. No, because it means he inherited a very rare skill from my bloodline.” Drake smiled softly. “The Flame of the Phoenix burns brightly inside you, Hot. That’s why I knew you two would be a perfect match.”
Card grinned at Hot. “Who’d have thought?” Hot grinned, rubbing his head. 
Unseen by the brothers, Accord slowly crawled out of the crater and began to sneak away. “Accord!” He froze as Drake called out his name. Slowly, he turned to look back at Drake. He was rather surprised to see him smiling. “You’ll need a place to stay.”
“W-what?...”
“You heard me.” Card had to smile at Drakes kindness. 
“Y-you… You aren’t mad?” Accord looked bewildered.
“I’m mad at Discord, not you.”
Accord hung his head, shaking it slightly. “B-But I was Discord… I did horrible things because he’s inside of me. I can feel his power, even now.” He shut his eyes angrily. “I-I never should’ve used that card…”
Drake retained his smile despite Accords negativity. “We all did terrible things in our lives. Just come to Sugar Cube Corner.”
Hot glanced at his father, confused. “Dad, he’s the enemy!” Accord winced at the term. 
Drake shook his head. “He’s not anymore.” He waved Accord over.
Accord timidly walked over. All signs that he had been Discord before were erased, except for a single fang and his peculiar eyes. Accord turned to Hot. “You know, t-that Phoenix form of yours isn’t bad… But when you charge forward, you need to keep your wings a bit straighter. You’ll have more control over how and where you fly.”
Hot’s confusion grew. “Are you… giving me battle tactics?”
Accord smiled a bit ruefully. “M-My bad… force of habit…”
“Habit,” Card asked, smiling. He realized that, without a word from anyone, they had all started walking back to the Inn. Hot wobbles a bit on his hooves from exhaustion. Drake went ahead and grabbed his son, letting him ride his back home. 
Accord’s smile grew as Card kept him talking. He was already starting to grow more comfortable around him. “I-I used to work for the princesses… I was their tactician.”
“Interesting~” Drake nodded his agreement.
Accord glanced at Card. “You have a lot of problems flying, don’t you? You didn’t fly as well as most pegasi  I’ve seen, and you depended a lot on your shadows. That made you lose energy much faster.”
Card merely smiled. “I am not a natural Pegasus.” Card extended his wings, showing the metal structure of them. “Since these aren’t your average wings, I won’t fly like your average Pegasus.”
Accord was stunned by the wings. “What an interesting concept…”
They reached the town and veered towards the Inn, following the path. Card still smiled, though looked very exhausted. Drake glanced at him, surprised at the stallion’s endurance. “You okay, Card?”
Card nodded. “That form took quite a bit out of me.” Card glanced up at his hat, knowing that inside rested the black mask. “I can’t use it often.”
Drake nodded at Cards exhaustion. “Yeah, I can tell you’re tired.”
Card smiled. “We may both be tired, but you should’ve seen Hot back there.” Laughing, his boyish dialect began to shine through. “He looked epic.”
Drake chuckled. “Oh?~”
“He had this whole cloak and fire combo.”
“Interesting~”
“Of course,” Card said, grinning, “I don’t think I looked half bad~”
Hot laughed from his father’s back. “Yeah, you looked neat.”
Finally, all four stallions reached their destination. Accord took a deep breath, scared to enter this place. He remembered it from all of his crimes as Discord. He had tried to break into this Inn many a time, trying to poke fun at the Innkeeper and achieve his main goal. “A-are you all sure about this?...”
Hot smiled. “Hey, if dad says so, then I’m sure.”
Card chuckled and opened the door, walking in. Without a moment’s hesitation, a pink blur tackled him to the floor, hugging him tightly. Card gasped as he felt the wind knocked out of him. On top of him was the Innkeeper, nearly sobbing over top of him in joy. “O-Oh my goodness, CardIheardyouweregoingtobattleandIwassoworriedI’msogladyougotbackhomes-s-safely!!” 
Cards eyes spun at the amazing feat Pinkie has just displayed by her lack of breath. “D-diane, s-slow down…”
Pinkie stood, sniffing. “S-sorry, Card.” She reached out her hoof and helped him up, hugging him tightly. “I-I’m so happy, you must’ve won!”
Card smiled at her and glanced at the doorway. “Diane… I’d like you to meet your newest guest.”
Accord timidly walked in, a shy smile on his face. “Hello…”
Diane instantly recoiled as the pony spoke. “T-that’s Discords voice… That’s… DISCORD?!”
Accord merely stood there, unsure what to do. Card nodded. “Yes. It is.”
Pinkie glared at Card. “I thought you were killing him! Not making him an alicorn!”
Card smiled softly at the Innkeeper. “Diane, tell me honestly. Would you EVER want me to kill somepony?”
Pinkie was a little startled by the question. She had often solved disputes at the inn that were going too far with her own personal motto: No spilling blood, on the carpet or anywhere else. Killing was not an option to her anymore. She sighed, seeing Cards point. “W-well, No…”
“Besides Diane,” Card continued, “This is not Discord. This is Accord, and I do believe he is in need of a room.”
Accord took that as his cue to speak. “I-I swear I’ll be on good behavior. I deeply regret all that happened. I don’t even like being evil.”
Pinkie glared at Accord, trying to find the trick there. She sighed, giving up and poofing up some keys. “I haven’t turned somepony away as of yet…” She handed him the keys.
Accord gave Pinkie a genuine smile. “Thank you… P-pinkie.”
Pinkie couldn’t help but smile back. At least he was trying. “Sure thing, Accord.”
Card smiled at the sight and yawned. He was still exhausted. Hot yawned as well as Drake smiled. “I think some warriors need some rest~” Drake happily carried his son back to their room. “Time for sleep, big guy.” 
Card heard Hot say something as they walked down the hall, but passed it off as idle conversation between father and son. Card began walking to his own room as he heard the door open to a female voice. “Finally! An Inn that’s still open!” Card chuckled as he heard Accord begin to speak to the new mare. He knew Diane would be matchmaking the two in no time. He opened the door to his room to find it as it always was – Dark and Lonely. He sighed. “So much for the big welcome home…”
Suddenly, hooves grabbed him from behind in a tight embrace. Card was shocked to hear his mother, Mimic, behind him, hugging him tightly. “Don’t you think that for an instant, Card.”
Lily trotted in quickly, causing Card to smile further. “Even I heard, Card! You went to battle?!”
Card smiled a bit awkwardly, unused to this level of… well, Love. “Y-yeah…”
Lily hugged him tightly as well as Mimic let go. “I’m just so glad you’re okay!”
Mimic began to say something about Hat being away on business, but Card didn’t hear a word of it. He just leaned down and kissed Lily deeply, savoring their kiss. During the battle, right as the blade began to swing down; he realized he would never be able to see her again. Lily was surprised and giggled under the kiss. As they broke the kiss, Card smiled at Lily. “I’m never going to let you go, Lily~”
Lily smiled back, eyes shining with love. “I know you won’t.”
“CAD,” a tiny voice shouted. Card felt something hug onto a part of his hoof and looked down. He smiled as his little sister clung to his hoof, looking thrilled. 
“Why, hello Masky~”
Lily smiled a bit. “Your little sis was worried as hell…”
Masky nuzzled her brother’s hoof, cooing slightly. “Cad safh!” 
Card chuckled, knowing somehow what his sister had said. “Yes, Masky. I’m home and I’m safe~” Masky smiled and nuzzled his hoof once more.
Back in his room, Hot was getting a similar treatment. Upon walking in after leaving Drakes back, Hot was slapped. Hard. “OW!!” Hot’s hoof went to his cheek as his mare friend, Parker, hugged him tightly, sobbing. “P-Parker?!”
“H-HOT!! I-I-I THOUGHT I LOST YOU!!” 
Hot ignored the stinging in his cheek, understanding instantly what had happened. Parker had heard of his death. He hugged her back, holding her comfortingly. “Never, Parker. Sorry I didn’t say anything…”
Parker sniffed, sobbing still. “D-d-don’t you ever leave me again, Hot Shot!” 
“I promise.”
Parker couldn’t help but giggle. “Y-You never did stick to your promises well.” Parker pulled him closer and kissed him deeply. Hot chuckled under the kiss, smiling lightly. Suddenly, a little colt wormed his way into the embrace, being hugged by both. Hot grinned at his little brother, Flash Flame. Flash hugged his brother, giggling. Parker smiled at Hot. “Two more ponies were worried about you.”
From behind him, a filly punched his shoulder. Hot winced in pain, getting sick of the after – battle with his friends and family. He turned to see his sister, StarFang. She scowled at him, but her face softened with tears. “Nubhead.” Without another word she hugged her brother tightly.
Another mare hugged him tightly, sobbing. “L-Love you, sis. A-and you mom.”
Moonshine sobbed, hugging her son. “A-Ah thought y’were DEAD!” 
Hot couldn’t help but laugh a bit. “W-well, mom, in a way, I was…”
“Don’t ruin it fer me!” Moonshine just kept hugging her son. Hot just laughed.
“Both of them were great,” Drake said, smiling. 
Across the Inn, Card gently reached into his hat and pulled out his black mask. He laid it on his desk next to an empty ink well. Lily glanced at the mask curiously. “Are you sure that’s safe there?”
Card smiled lightly. “Strangely… I have no doubt~” 

> Epilogue: The Trick And The Martyr
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Card sighed happily, putting the quill down as the ink all dried. He shut the book lightly, smiling to himself. After Arries Lune had helped him edit the story, everything had gone much faster. There had been a few hiccups whenever life interrupted – such as the birth of his child, Bubble Trick, - But finally, the tale of his coming to adulthood was complete. 
Card glanced around the room he sat in, a study of sorts. It had once been his room, before he had asked Lily to marry him. After that, Card had become a family man, having a daughter with Lily and living in a family suite in the Inn. He had chosen to transform the room into his own sanctuary. He had already cleaned out his old cave (though he visited from time to time to make sure there were enough books for some little foal later in life). The room had lost its bed in favor of a writing desk. Shelves had been added for numerous books, as well as a small shelf near the ceiling, filled with masks of all shapes and sizes. They had become his collection over the years. 
Card couldn’t help but linger on one mask as his eyes swept over them all. A purely black mask, turning grey from the amount of dust on it. It had been sitting on the shelf for quite some time now… Card had once made a promise to himself, before he started writing his story. He remembered his vow as clear as day. “Once you finish this tale,” he said to himself, remembering his own words, “You’ll tell the two ponies it concerns the most…” His eyes strayed to the scar on his hoof, three swirls interconnected. Hot would probably enjoy a tale of his adventures as a boy… But what of the other swirl?
Gingerly, Card brought the mask down with shadows. He let it rest in his hoof, feeling its power once more. Long ago, he had longed for the power inside and had wanted to never take it off. Now, for some reason… He knew he could contain its power now. With a single exhale of breath, Card slipped on the mask. He gasped as the mask turned white, the power all flooding into him. His eyes turned black as they always did, but this time something was different. His outfit did not form around him, and no shadows were beyond his control. Somepony else was helping along.
“So little Trick… You finally figured out how to talk to me.”
Card smiled, shutting his eyes as he heard the voice in his mind. As he shut his eyes, he could imagine clearly the voice which spoke. “Hello… Valkyrie.”
“Please, Trick. Call me Card~”
“I find it strange to refer to myself in the third person~”
Valkyrie laughed, a purer sound than Card had ever heard from him when he was alive. “Very well then. I was called Valkyrie for so long before. It should hardly matter now.”
Card smiled. “You seem so much happier, Valkyrie… Tell me something.” The pony Card saw in his mind’s eye tilted his head slightly, obviously curious. “Were you ready to die?”
Valkyrie smiled back at Card, chuckling to himself. “In so many ways, yes, and in so many ways, never.” It was Cards turn to be curious. “I was ready to end all of the pain and suffering, Card. I was dying, I knew… and, by Celestia’s name, did it hurt. I was ready for the pain to end… but at the time, I wasn’t ready for the sacrifice I had to make to end it then and there.”
“What do you mean?”
“Didn’t you notice how long it took for me to reach you, even after the collar broke?” Card nodded. “That wasn’t because of any delay from magic or pain… That was from my own thoughts and actions. I was terrified, not to die… but to be set free.” Card was even more confused now. “I can see you don’t get it… By allowing myself to die for YOU, Card, I became a martyr. A hero. I… thought that, because of what I was planning, I would lose everything. I would lose my life, powers, and even the ability to properly kick Discord’s behind for trapping me. I didn’t want to lose all of that…”
“But you would’ve lost it anyways… You were dying before the battle…”
“Yes, I was. But… I knew of something else. I knew that if I killed Discord, I would gain all of HIS power, and become the God of Chaos.” Card’s eyes widened, realizing now what Valkyrie had thought. “Yes, you see it now. I wanted to kill Discord that day… but you reminded me of something.”
“Me?”
“Yes, you. Right after Hot died. I had been watching, waiting for my time to strike Discord… I am ashamed to say I was not as torn up by his death as you were. I saw it as another needless death in a bitter war, and that was all. However… You broke free from his spell when your brother died. You call him a brother, though you are not related… And I realized, you loved him. You loved somepony… that was something I could never do as a villain…”
“So… You saw what I had… and realized, maybe being a villain isn’t all it’s cut out to be?”
“That, and I really wanted you to live on to kill that monster.“
Card chuckled. “I only wished to ask that, and tell you of a story I wrote.”
“Yes, yes, I know all about it. Don’t think just because I’m sitting on a shelf collecting dust, I don’t peek over the edge a little and glance at you working. I think you exaggerated your change a little bit.”
“I wrote all I recalled~”
“Yeah yeah, save it for the awards ceremony.”
Card laughed as his hoof went back to his mask. “I suppose I should leave you be now. Hot needs to be told as well~”
“Alright, Card. One last thing for me.” 
Card raised an eyebrow, but nodded as he heard what Valkyrie suggested. “I can easily do that. In the author’s note, perhaps?”
	“That’s fine. Just make sure everyone reads it. I want them to know.”
“Don’t worry, Valkyrie. What you said will be read, word for word.” With that, Card took off the mask, breathing deeply as he felt his rise in power drain. The mask turned black once more and Card smiled. He placed it on his desk and opened the book once more, dipping the quill into the inkwell. One final note needed to be added.