> The God of Darkness > by Synthetic Soul > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > The seal is broken > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Barely any light made it into the long forgotten cavern. Water dripped down from the stalactites on the roof. The dripping was the only sound in the cave. Ancient carvings lined the walls, each one telling a story from long ago. Upon the ebony pedestal perched a small tripod, which held a long forgotten object. A crystal orb, dark as the night, with wisps of grey smoke whipping around inside it. Without any warning, a small crack appeared on the object. A stream of dark smoke shot out of the crack, amassing a few feet away from the pedestal. Then, the crack grew in size, and the flow of smoke increased. It drained from the orb, emptying it, causing the orb to become clear. The smoke began to take shape and form. It grew into an oval of about six feet in height. Then four strings of smoke spread from the shape. Slowly, the smoke began to materialize. Flesh, and clothing appeared. When it was finished, a creature stood in its place. Devoid of any fur except for the back neck length hair that fell down to its neck. It wore black boots with steel toes. Black pants, shirt, and trench coat covered the rest of its body. The creature examined itself, observing its full body. Then a wicked smile appeared on its face, revealing extremely sharp canines. Then, the creature started chuckling, in a male voice. The chuckling evolved into manic laughter. The creature threw his head back as he laughed. After a few minutes, the laughter died down, but the smile did not falter. "Hehe. At last, I am free of that accursed prison." the creature looked around at his surroundings, observing the cave. He walked to the wall of the cave, and pressed his hand against the carvings. Despite the incredible darkness, he could see perfectly fine. He traced his finger around the outline of the creature portrayed on the wall. It was a mismatched Frankenstein, composed of multiple body parts from multiple different animals. The creature in blacks face looked sad and sorrowful, but it transformed into a look of anger and hatred. "You'll pay," said the creature. His body then blew away as it transformed back into black smoke, and shot away, out through a small hole in the roof of the cave. It had been one week since the defeat of the evil centaur, Tirek. After the defeat of Tirek, a large tree shaped crystal castle appeared in Ponyville. Twilight Sparkle took the palace as her own place of residence, although her friends were always welcome. Currently, nine beings were in the castle. The mane six, princesses of the sun and the moon, and lastly the spirit of chaos Discord. They were all gathered around a table, drinking tea. "Mm, this tea is wonderful Twilight. If you don't mind me asking, what kind is it?" asked Fluttershy. "It's this new thing called oolong tea. It's from the far east," replied Twilight. "Well, its simply marvelous Twilight," said Rarity. "I must thank you for inviting me Twilight. Especially after, well, you know," said a solemn Discord. "You mean how you totally betrayed us to Tirek?" asked Rainbow. "Rainbow!" exclaimed Twilight. Rainbow just rubbed the back of her head, and smiled sheepishly. Twilight returned her gaze to Discord. "It's alright Discord. I'm sure you've learned your lesson." "Still, I feel awful," replied Discord. "Think of it this way Discord," said Celestia. "If you hadn't joined Tirek, you wouldn't have been able to give Twilight that amulet, and she wouldn't have been able to defeat Tirek." "Yes, but if I had apprehended Tirek in the first place, she wouldn't have needed to beat him," replied Discord. "Well, think of it this way Discord. If you hadn't joined Tirek, I wouldn't have this cool castle!" said Twilight. Discord Chuckled. "Well, yes, I guess that's true." "And I do believe that whole incident made our friendship that much stronger," said Rarity. "Hm. I guess you are right. Still, I feel bad." Fluttershy was about to speak up, when the group heard a knocking sound. "I'll get it," said Twilight. She got up and left the room. She then proceeded to trot down the stairs towards the door. She opened the door with her magic to reveal a familiar Pegasus. "Oh, hello Derpy." One hour earlier Deep within the Everfree forest, hidden from view of Ponyville, a grey Pegasus with a blond mane was floating in the air. She was suspended not by her wings, but by black smoke which bound her legs and neck. In front of her stood a figure dressed in black. Its hands were behind its back, and it was pacing back and forth. The Pegasus had tears in her eyes as she sobbed. "P-please l-let me g-go!" she sobbed. The creature stopped and turned to face her. "It would appear that I've been absent for the past, oh I don't know, 1000 years or so? So I need information. You are going to give it to me," said the creature. "A-and if I do, y-you'll let me go?" "It certainly wouldn't hurt your chances." "O-okay. Well, what do you want to know?" "Just tell me anything of historical importance." "Well, a little over 1000 years or so, the princesses defeated Discord by imprisoning him in stone using the elements of harmony." 'A fitting punishment for his sins,' thought the creature. "Tell me more." "Well, after that, Princess Luna transformed into the mare of darkness, Nightmare moon. Princess Celestia used the elements to imprison her sister on the moon. Then, a few years ago, she returned. The new bearers of the elements purified Nightmare Moon, turning her back into Princess Luna. "Where can I find these elements?" "They live in Ponyville. Their names are Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash." "Then what happened?" "Discord escaped his stone imprisonment, but the elements defeated him. But later, they released him and reformed him. Then-" "Hold on a second," said the creature as he held up a hand. "You're telling me that da-Discord is now an ally of the ponies?" "Y-yes," stuttered Derpy. "Anything else?" "Yes. Tirek escaped Tartarus, and convinced Discord to join him. He stole everyponies magic, then he betrayed Discord. The element bearers defeated him, but they didn't use the elements." "Why not?" "They had to return them to the tree of harmony." An evil smirk appeared on the creatures face. "Excellent. That is all." "S-so, now you'll let me go?" "Ehh, no." "W-what! You said you'd let me go if I answered your questions!" "I said it wouldn't hurt you chances." "You son of a-ack!" The creature held up his hand, causing dark smoke to pour into Derpy's mouth. She started to spasm and twitch, and her eyes rolled into the back of her head. As the smoke filled her, her mane and fur darkened, losing their color. When the last of the smoke filled her body, she slowly levitated down to the ground. She just stood there, staring blankly into the distance. "How about you and I pay a visit to Ponyville." "Yes master," said Derpy. But she sounded like a zombie, no tone or emotion in her voice. The creature smiled, and then the two flitted away. "Oh, hello Derpy." "Hello," replied Derpy. But Twilight noticed a few things different about her. Her fur and mane where a bit darker and less colorful. Her voice sounded empty and soulless. "Um, is there something you need?" asked Twilight. "Is Discord here?" "Um, yeah, why?" "That's all I needed." With that, Derpy reared on her back hooves, standing upright. Then, her skin began to fall off like wrapping paper. As the last of her flesh fell to nothingness, all that was left was a black smoke. Twilight screamed. The smoke began to take shape, and soon formed into a figure Twilight had seen before. "A-a h-human!" cried Twilight. "Twilight! What's going on!" Twilight turned around to see her friends rushing to her. Twilight walked back to the group. The human strode into the castle, with his hands behind his back. Twilight saw Discord step forward, a look of surprise on his face. "Dark? Dark Blade?" said a shocked Discord. Twilight and the other ponies looked to Discord. He knew this human? "Hello...father." > Trip down memory lane > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Here's some music for you to listen to while you read Everyone just stood there, in awe. Not five minutes ago, they had been sitting around, relaxing after the defeat of Tirek, and now here was some random human, claiming to be Discord's son. It was an awkward situation. Seconds turned into minutes, but not hours, until the silence was broken by Rainbow Dash. "Bwah ha ha ha ha ha!" laughed Rainbow as she rolled onto her back. Twilight's eyes widened as she looked down at Rainbow. "Rainbow Dash, what the heck is wrong with you?!" exclaimed Twilight. "Ha ha ha! H-his n-name, ha! It's s-so cliche! Ah ha ha ha!" "You DARE laugh at my name! I am a GOD!" yelled Dark Blade. "Rainbow Dash, quiet! You don't want to make him angry!" warned Discord. Unfortunately, Rainbow just kept laughing, tears escaping her clenched eyes. "I'll teach you to laugh at me you pathetic mortal!" screamed Blade through grit teeth. He held up a hand, and thin streams of blackness expelled out of his fingers. They wrapped around each of Rainbows legs, and her neck, and lifted her up into the air. Her laughter turned to choking. "Discord! Make him stop!" shouted Celestia. Discord just stood there, staring at Rainbow. "Hold on a sec. I like her better this way," said Discord. "DISCORD!" yelled everyone in the group, except Rainbow, of course. Discord groaned. "Fine." with a snap of his fingers, Rainbow was free, and gasping for breath. "What the hell did you do that for!?" asked Blade. "Because, she's kinda my sorta my friendish," replied Discord. "Since when do you associate yourself with ponies?" asked Shade. "Discord, who is this?" asked Luna. "Yees Deescord! You have some es-plainin to do!" said Pinkie with a Mexicolt accent. Discord sighed. "Alright every pony, gather round. Uncle Discord's got a story to tell." The ponies hesitantly looked at Blade, and reluctantly sat down. Pinkie pulled out a popcorn bucket out of no where, and started chomping down. 2000 years ago Discord sat atop his throne, and admired the chaos that surrounded him. Mutant bunnies where chasing ponies with chainsaws, bloated frogs floated in the air like balloons, and a bunch of other random stuff. But as Discord observed the mayhem, he felt an emptyness in his heart. A longing for companionship. Unfortunately for him, all the world's inhabitants despised him. Discord pondered and pondered, and eventually he came up with an idea. He would raise somepony to love him. Somepony who would look up to him as a father. But being the only Draconequus in existence, he couldn't sexually reproduce. His magic could produce items, and even thoughtless beasts, but he could not create intelligent life. He couldn't give his creations souls. So it was then that Discord decided he would find a child to call his own. A brand new mind to mold. But what kind of creature would he choose? All the races on the planet were boring. He needed a creature that could be as chaotic as himself. But as far as he knew, there was no such being on the planet. It was then that Discord came up with an idea. If there's no such creature in this world, then maybe I can find one in another! thought Discord. With a snap of his fingers, Discord found himself in a darkly lit stone room, the only illumination coming from perpetually lit magic candles, and in the center of the room was a tall object covered with a sheet. Discord walked over to the sheet, and yanked it off. With the sheet gone, Discord found himself staring face to face with himself. Before him stood an object of his creation; the Multiverse Mirror. With it, Discord could use the mirror to travel to multiple different universes. Discord shot a beam of magic at the mirror, setting the destination for the world home to one of the most destructive and chaotic beings that had ever existed: humans. Discord stepped through the mirror, and reappeared on the other side. But instead of his usual mismatched form, Discord found he was an entirely different creature. His head was rounder than before. Instead of horns, he had a white patch of hair on his head. He still had his goatee, his flesh was now colored like sand, and he still had his hands, but no claws. Discord also found he was wearing clothes. He wore a long brown leather trench coat, and a black shirt. His pants were a few shades darker than his skin and he wore brown hide boots. And finally, he had a double edged sword with a dark silver hilt, in a purple sheath, hanging by his left hip. After Discord took in his appearance, he began observing the surrounding area. The sky was cloudy and grey. Discord saw that he was standing in an open field. In the distance, he could see a stone castle, and what appeared to be a town. But about 1/8 of a mile away, Discord saw a wooden house, with horse stables. Might as well start there, thought Discord. He snapped his fingers in order to teleport near the house, but found that nothing happened. Confused, he tried again and once again found that nothing happened. Hm. My magic isn't working here. It must be either my new form, or there's simply no magic in this world. Discord began walking towards the building. When he reached the house, he heard the sound of a crying foal. Discord looked through the window. Inside was a creature like him. It had long blond hair, and a feminine face. She was cradling a small creature in a bundle. Discord also saw a slightly bulkier creature with a beard sitting at a table, drinking something from a bottle. Discord's eyes returned to look at the creature in the bundle. What incredible luck! My search is already over! Now that he'd found an infant to raise as his own, all he needed was to get the child away from its parents. But he'd need a plan. A plan that would require stealth, an sneakiness. Susan Williams sat on a rocking chair, holding her infant son, George. She was having trouble getting her baby to quit crying. "John, I think the little one has a teething ache. Could you lend me a dab of your rum?" "Of course dear," replied John. Just then, their attention was drawn to their front door, which had kicked to splinters, revealing a white haired man holding a sword. "Freeze, turkeys!" shouted the man. John stood up, and began walking towards the man. "Who are you, and what are you doing in my hou-" but he stopped when the man held the tip of his blade to John's throat. "Tut tut tut; let's take a step back now, shall we?" Once John had stepped back, the man turned to face the woman. He reached over towards her. She shut her eyes and flinched, unknowing that she was not the man's target. She felt her baby ripped from her arms, and when she opened her eyes, she saw the baby in the man's grip. "Alrighty then, this fine young man and I are leaving. If I see you following me, I'll kill you and the baby!" said the man. "You can't do this!" cried Susan. "Oh yes I can." sang the man, who then bolted from the room. "Peace out y'all!" Susan stood from her chair, and was about to give chase, but she was stopped by her husband. "You heard what he said! If we follow, he'll kill our son!" "Then what do we do!" "I'll take a horse to the town, and get help from the guard." "Please, bring our son back." "I will," said John. He kissed his wife, and then ran to the horse stables. Discord stepped through the portal, regaining his random form. Quickly, he shot a beam of magic at the mirror, disabling the link to the other world. He then took a look at the baby in his arms. Discord saw that the young boy was now a colt. "Ugh, I said no ponies!" Discord snapped his fingers, and in a flash, the child was human once again. "Now, what to name him...how about-" Present Time Discord was brought out of his memory by a tugging at his side. He looked over to see Twilight tugging his leg. "Discord? You about to tell us who this human was, and then you spaced out." "Whoops. Sorry," replied Discord. Discord had never told anyone the truth about Blades origin. When ever Blade asked about where he came from, Discord told him he'd found him. If Discord told the ponies the truth in Blades presence, it could infuriate him even further. So, Discord decided to give a brief summary. "It was two thousand years ago, when I ran the show in Equestria. I found a young human infant, and decided to raise it as my own. I used a dark magic ritual to give him immortality, and the power over all things dark and twisted. I actually named him Bey-Blade but he decided to change it when he was fourteen." "Bey-Blade was a stupid name." said Blade. "Go on Discord," said Luna. "Oh, alright. Okay, so I raised my son to be a bad guy like me. But as her grew, he became less jolly and fun loving, and more dark and serious. He became the embodiment of evil, mostly likely due to the dark magic coursing through his body. He started killing anything he found. Now of course, sometimes I would kill, but never as much as him. With no other choice, I imprisoned him in a crystal orb, and sealed it away," said Discord. "Then how did he escape?" asked Applejack. "Well, even when I was imprisoned in stone, I still had enough magic influence to maintain the spell that kept him imprisoned. But when Tirek took all of my magic, my connection to the spell must have been cut. That must be why the seal is broken." "And now, I am free again," said Blade. "And just what is it that you intend to do?" asked Celestia as she stepped forward. "I intend to conquer this world," said Dark Blade. "Father, you betrayed me, but I am willing to forgive. Join me in my conquest, and we can be a family again." Blade held out his hand. "I'm sorry son, but I've been reformed. These ponies are my friends. Well most of them." Blade lowered his arm, and glared at Discord. "So, let me get this straight," said Blade with his voice trembling with anger. "First you raise me to be evil. Then it turns out I'm too evil. Now I return, willing to forgive you for the awful torture you put me through, and be together again as a family, and you choose these ponies over ME? How...HOW DARE YOU!" screamed Blade. He threw his arms down, and his body became engulfed in dark purple flames, causing his body to appear black. His voice became distorted. "Here me now, all of you. I may take my leave now, but I will return! And the next time you see me, I will have all of Equestria in the palm of my hand!" With that, the flames shot away, taking Blade with him. "Well...shit!" said Discord. > Hunter > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- If anypony was to take a look upwards, they would just barely see a dark streak shoot through the sky. But it was so fast that it was nearly invisible to the naked eye. It did not matter though, as no pony was in the area between the Crystal Castle and the Everfree. The streak zipped straight into the darkness of the forest. As soon as it reached an open area, the darkness expanded, and took shape, materializing into the physical form of Dark Blade. In the darkness of the woods, Blade could feel his power grow even stronger. His power was immense even in the daylight, but in the darkness it grew even stronger. “The nerve of that pathetic blue bottomed bitch! How dare she laugh at me!” Blade needed to vent his frustration. He needed something to kill, or at the very least, maim. Just then, he heard a low growling coming from his right. He turned to look directly at one of his father’s creations. A manticore. “Perfect,” growled the human, his canines elongating into fangs, and his eyes turning black with red irises. The manticore let out a loud roar, and Blade let out a primal growl. And then the two opponents rushed each other. “Well…shit.” After Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy helped Rainbow Dash up and made sure she was in decent health, the group all looked to Discord, with less than amused expressions. “Hehe,” chuckled Discord, looking nervous and sweating. “So, who’s up for bingo?” In a flash, Discord was rolling a bingo cage. He reached in and pulled out a ball. "Alright, B6! Does anypony have B6?” “Discord,” said Celestia sternly. “Do you care to tell us why you’ve never mentioned having a son, an evil and powerful one at that?” “Hehe. I guess I kinda forgot,” said Discord as he rubbed the back of his head with his lion paw. “How could you just forget about somepony as important as your son?!” yelled Twilight. Discord bit his lip, and started frantically looking back and forth between the ponies, until finally he collapsed to his knees, and started sobbing. “Oh you’re right! I just locked him away and forgot about him, without even considering the possibility that he might return! I’m just like Celestia ha ha!” cried Discord. Celestia’s eyes widened, and her mouth went agape. “I-I don’t do that!” insisted Celestia defensively. “You kind of do sister,” replied Luna. “Let’s see, Nightmare moon, imprisoned on the moon forgotten by almost everypony. Discord, imprisoned in stone, all memory of his exploits forgotten, and you never considered the possibility that he might break free. Sombra, you banished to the shadows, and Tirek you imprisoned in Tartarus and completely forgot about. All in all, you haven’t been dealing with your enemies very responsibly.” “Well that doesn’t…I mean I…I didn’t…” stuttered Celestia. She turned red with embarrassment, and hid behind her right wing. After a few moments of awkwardly staring at Celestia, and silently judging her, the group turned to look at Twilight as she spoke. “Alright girls! We beat Tirek with the magic of friendship, and we can beat Dark Blade too! Let’s go!” With that, all the mares in the room charged out of the castle, and left to go find their newest foe. “Wait!” called Discord. But it was too late; the group was gone, searching for the human and out of earshot. To himself, Discord muttered; “That might not work.” Deep in the Everfree forest laid a fallen giant. A Manticore, one of the most fearsome monsters of the Everfree, laid dead on the ground. Its body was covered in lacerations, with blood seeping into its fur and onto the ground. Its wings were torn, and its tail had been ripped off; the stinger was stabbed into the Manticores skull. And just in front of the beast, walking away was its killer. Blade walked away chuckling, and brushing the dirt off his outfit. The blood that would normally stain his clothes was evaporating into thin air. Blade walked toward a nearby pond and bent over to take a look at himself. His eyes and teeth had returned to normal. He breathed in and sighed. His all black outfit was a little overused, and redundant as a villain cliché. He needed a change. Blade straightened up and held out his arms. His clothes evaporated off his skin, turning into smoke. As the smoke cleared, his new outfit became visible. He still wore his steel-toed boots, and black pants, but his shirt and trench coat were gone. He now wore a red shirt, and a grey hoodie with black accents. He also had a leather bracelet on his left wrist. Satisfied with his appearance, Blade took a look back at the manticore. He then noticed a rumbling in his stomach. Well, he certainly couldn’t plot his revenge and conquest on an empty stomach, and manticore meat was one of his favorite meals. So, Blade made his way over to the carcass preparing to make it his meal. 1993 years ago Discord sat upon a floating throne, high above the ground, laughing at the chaos he had created. In a smaller throne adjacent to the Discord's throne sat a smaller creature with dark hair, wearing a blue long sleeved shirt and brown pants. While Discord was clearly enjoying the chaos, the youngling next to him looked somewhat conflicted. “Hey dad?” asked the creature. “Ha ha ha! W-what is it son?” asked Discord through tears of joy escaped his eyes. “Well, well I just noticed that the ponies down there don’t seem to be having as much fun as you are.” “Uh huh. And?” “Well, I dunno. I guess I’m just wondering why you do it if it makes the ponies unhappy.” “Oh Bladey! You and me, we’re better than those ponies.” “We are?” “Yes we are. You see, ponies are here for our amusement. They’re like toys.” “But what about how they feel?” asked the boy. “Who cares!” laughed Discord. He then patted his son on the back. “Come on my boy, just sit back and enjoy the chaos!” “Well, okay then.” Blade let himself smile, and started to enjoy himself. If one were to take a closer look at his eyes, they’d see their normally sky blue color turn a little darker. And that was when the darkness started to take hold. > Conquest for Dummies > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Blade sat by the roaring fire, munching the last bit of manticore meat off his drumstick. Picking the last pieces of flesh off and popping them into his mouth, he tossed the inedible into a pile. He was about to stand up and get more, when he saw that the carcass was now devoid of meat, all that was left was bone. “Wow, I didn’t realize I was that hungry. Nearly 2000 years trapped in a mystical orb will give you a real hunger.” said the dark one. He wiped his hands on his hoodie. “Well, now it’s time to get to work on conquering this pathetic nation. Only issue is, all I know how to do is kill. To conquer a nation, and maintain control, I will need knowledge, and followers.” After a moment’s contemplation, Blade decided he would start, by obtaining the knowledge necessary. And what better place to learn then the Library? But before he set out, he used his power to materialize a piece of parchment, and an ink quill. He then scribbled; “To Do List,” on the top of the paper, and then wrote several items on the piece. 1. Find Library 2. Read up on how to conquer Equestria 3. Recruit followers 4. Conquer Equestria 5. Kill Dad 6. Achieve revenge “Ah, the to do list. What would I do without them?” He then folded the list, and put it into his pocket. He then transformed himself into black smoke and shot off in the direction of Ponyville. Twilight, her friends, and fellow princesses galloped towards the Everfree forest. Twilight took the lead, followed by Applejack and Rainbow Dash, then Pinkie, Rarity and Fluttershy, and finally the royal sisters. “Sister...” asked Luna. “What is it Luna?” “Shouldn’t we return to Canterlot to warn the citizens, and prepare the nation to defend against Dark Blade?” “You can go if you want Luna, but I’m tired of sitting back and doing nothing. I want to at least SEE the action this time.” “Very well. I will go make sure our nation and people are safe, while you pursue your reckless thrill seeking.” said Luna as she flapped her wings. “Exactly, wait what?” but it was too late, Luna had already taken to the sky. “What is this, rip on Celestia day?” Shrugging it off, Celestia returned her attention to the task at hand. A few moments later, the group found themselves on the outskirts of the forest, holding the intimidating eeriness it always had. “Well girls, this is it. This is the direction Dark Blade took. Let’s go!” said Twilight. “Do-do we have to Twilight? I mean it’s just so dark…and scary,” shuttered Fluttershy. “Come on Fluttershy! We’ve been in the forest before!” replied Rainbow Dash. “Yes, but… it’s still scary..." whimpered Fluttershy, hiding behind her mane. A few seconds later, she felt a hoof touch her shoulder. She looked up to see none other than the Princess of the sun herself looking down at her with a warm smile. “Do not fret Fluttershy. You have your friends with you, as well as myself. I can promise you that you will not be harmed.” Fluttershy felt her spirits lift somewhat, but she still felt afraid. But she knew the ponies in her company would protect her. She nodded her head, affirming that she would go into the forest. “Alright girls. Lets go!” announced Twilight. And with that, the group charged into the forest, ready to confront evil. Blade found a nice dark alleyway to land in. As soon as the shadow overtook him, he reverted to his human form. When he landed, he looked around to make sure no one saw him. When he was satisfied with his secrecy, he changed his form once again. His body morphed, only this time he took the form of a young colt. A Pegasus child, with alabaster white fur, and neon colored mane and tail. He didn’t bother to add a cutie mark, as it was not uncommon for children this age to not have a cutie mark. “Now, to find the library,” his eyes widened when he heard his voice. “Wow, I sound just like I did when I was ten!” He played with his voice for a few seconds, before getting back on track. He galloped out of the alley, and headed towards the market. Once he found the market, he walked up to the first pony he saw, a blue unicorn mare, with red hair. She was facing away from Blade, so once he reached her, he tapped the back of her leg with his hoof. She turned around and looked down at the colt. “Excuse me miss, but can you tell me where the library is?” “Oh, you must be new to Ponyville, right?” “Um yeah, how can you tell?” “Well, about a week ago, Ponyville Library was destroyed by the evil Centaur Mage Tirek. Now, it’s been relocated into the Palace of Twilight Sparkle.” “The Palace?” “Yes, it looks like a large crystal tree, I can take you there if you want.” “Oh, I think I saw the place. I’m pretty sure I can make my way there.” “Oh, alright then.” “Thank you!” said the disguised deity as he waved at the mare while trotting away. “Don’t mention it!” The ponies made their way deeper into the forest, until they came to an open clearing. But as soon as they arrived, they gasped, and cried out when they saw the scene. A burned out fire, and the fleshless corpse of the dead Manticore. Twilight stepped up to the corpse and examined it. “This defiantly looks like scene of a carnivorous, yet intelligent being. If I had to guess, I’d say it was most likely Blade.” “No…how could he,” said Celestia under her breath. The group was about to head forward to investigate, when they heard heavy breathing behind them. They turned around to see Fluttershy. But her face was not decorated with fear or sadness. It was something they rarely saw in her. It was anger. “Fluttershy…are…are you okay?” asked Rainbow Dash. “That…that…MEANIE!” cried Fluttershy. “How DARE HE! How dare he kill that poor manticore! When I see him, I’ll rip him apart!” “Fluttershy, please calm down!” pleaded the Princess. Fluttershy’s breathing continued to be hard, and almost violent. The ponies backed away, as she screamed with rage. When she finished, she collapsed on the floor. “Fluttershy? Are you alright…Fluttershy?” said Rarity as she poked her friend with her hoof. When Fluttershy didn’t answer she put her ear to Fluttershy’s torso. After a few seconds, she lifted her head. “It’s alright, she’s just passed out.” “Alright,” said Princess Celestia. “It appears as if Dark Blade has moved on. Let’s get Fluttershy back to the castle. We’ll just have to wait for him to make his move. And maybe we can find a way to track him back at the Castle.” The ponies agreed, and headed back towards Ponyville, with Applejack carrying Fluttershy on her back. Once Blade reached the castle, he decided he needed to mask his magical energy. There was a decent chance his father was still there, and if he weren’t careful, Discord would be able to see through the disguise. Dark Blade began suppressing his magical signature, and changing it to match that of a young Pegasus child. When he was finished, he went to the front door, and knocked. He looked around, somewhat nervous of being found out. After about a minute, he knocked again. He could hear a faint voice on the other side. After a few seconds, the door opened to reveal a short purple dragon with green frills. “Can I help you?” The dragon spoke with a high-pitched voice, but Blade could tell he was a young male. “Yes, I was told that this is where Ponyvilles Library was.” “Oh, yeah, sure, I’ll take you there.” The dragon lead the false colt through the hallway, down to the room containing the library. “Here it is” said the Dragon as he directed Blade into the room. “If you need anything, I’ll be down the hall. Make sure to check in with me, so I can record your book.” “Yeah, sure.” Once the dragon left, Blade reverted back to his human form. He then cast a detection spell, a trip alarm that would tell him if the dragon returned. He then started searching for the books of his desire. He made his way through the A’s, and B’s, and then came to the C’s. After searching through the C’s, he came to just what he was looking for. He pulled out the book of his choice. “Conquest for dummies, eh? How convenient.” He held on to the book, and was about search for more, when he heard voices approach. But he had what he needed, so he decided to leave. He morphed himself to his gaseous form, and shot out the window with his book, leaving no evidence that he’d ever been there at all. > Regret > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Discord sat alone, atop a pink cotton candy cloud, hanging high above the earth, with a glass of chocolate milk in his claw. Every few minutes, he would take a drink, but other wise, he remained motionless. He was deep in thought. His thoughts were telling him that the situation was his fault. He thought maybe he should do something to help the others, but he felt that there wasn’t much he could do. After all, they were the heroes. He…well, all he is, is a reformed villain. He wasn’t a hero. Discord remembered when Blade was a child. He was so innocent, just like any child. It was Discords fault he turned out so bad. He had conditioned him to be a psychopath. It was Discord who taught him that ponies the mortal races of Equestria and her neighbors were playthings. It was Discord who taught him to be evil. And it was Discord who literally infused him with the essence of all Darkness. Maybe he could have handled the situation different. Maybe there was a way he could have helped Blade, instead of imprisoning him in that orb. Discord knew from personal experience what being trapped in a stationary prison could do to a person. And Blade had been trapped longer than him. And at least Discord could see and hear the world around him, and observe the ponies walking around. But Blade was trapped in a dark cave. Discord didn’t even know for sure what it was like for him. Discord hoped that his pony friends were able to stop Blade…but at the same time, he didn’t want him to go through being imprisoned for another millennium. Maybe there was a way he could help. It was then that Discord got a look of determination on his face. He had to make this right, for all involved. With a snap of his fingers, he and the cloud of cotton candy were gone, leaving no trace of even being there at all. The group of mares trekked through the deep and dark forest, making their way towards the town of Ponyville. Fluttershy was still unconscious, being carried by AppleJack. When they finally made it out of the forest, Fluttershy began to stir out of her unconsciousness. “Huh…what…what’s going on?” she muttered. The group gathered around her, as Applejack gently set her down on the ground. “Fluttershy, darling, are you alright?” asked Rarity. “Um…I think so. What happened?” “You got yourself so worked up, that you passed out,” replied Celestia. “Really? That doesn’t sound like me. What made me do that?” “Umm…don’t worry about, we wouldn’t want you getting upset again,” said Rainbow Dash. “Wait…I think I’m starting to remember.” “Crap apples!” “I remember now…we were looking for Dark Blade when…oh…my.” Fluttershy started looking a little green. Pinkie pie walked over to her, and put a hoof on her shoulder. “Easy Fluttershy. Stay calm,” said Pinkie. Fluttershy took a few deep breaths to get herself calm. When she finished, she finished; she closed her eyes, and nodded her head, to signal that she was all right. “Alright,” said Twilight. “We should head back to the castle now.” And with that, the group made their way towards Twilights castle. Dragon territory. Few were crazy, or brave enough to enter, unless of course they were a dragon. The majority of the dragons were gathered up in an active Volcano. Within this volcano, dragons of all shapes, colors and sizes were visible. While the adults lounged about, the younger, more active dragons were engaging in activities that demonstrated their physical strength and speed. Such activities included lava cannonballing, wrestling, and king of the hoard. The current champion of these events was a young red-scaled dragon named garble. He led the group of teenaged dragons with an iron claw. He was the champion of the teenaged dragons, and someday, he would be the leader of the entire dragon race. After all, anyone who knew anything about dragons knew that they operated on a alpha male mentality. The biggest and strongest lead the hoard, while the weaker were subservient to them. Garble and his younglings were currently lounging about their pile of gems, with the leader lying on the top, munching gems. All the dragons lied about, basically minding their own business. But they were all roused when they heard a strange noise. It sounded like a thunderous voice, speaking an ancient tongue that had not been heard in millennia. Even the oldest of dragons only recognized it barely. All the dragons looked to the sky to see it turning dark, with flashes of light illuminated the now grey clouds. When all dragons looked to the sky, another thunderous shout could be heard. “Strun Bah Qo!” Lightning filled the sky, with the sound of thunder. The winds picked up, as lightning struck the ground. Then the clouds began to converge, gathering in a circular shape. Only the grand elder dragon knew what was going on. It was the ancient language of the dragons, which had long been forgotten. The question that came to the mind of the elder dragon was; who could be using the language. Then, from the gathering of clouds, shot a cloud of darkness, shooting strait towards the volcano. As the shadows hit their target, a shockwave boomed through the volcano, kicking up dust and dirt into the air. The dragons covered their eyes. As the dust began settling, the dragons could see a silhouette. It didn’t’ look like any creature any of the dragons had ever seen. Then, the dust and dirt was blown away with another shout. “Lok Vah Koor!” The dust was blown away, revealing the creature. The dragons all gazed upon the it. It was bipedal, much like teenage dragons. It had hair, ebony black. It wore clothes, like the ponies sometimes wear. All the dragons gazed upon the creature, not sure what it was. Only one dragon knew who and what he was. The grand elder, and alpha male. He was but a youngling when he had encountered the dark god. He knew from personal experience what this creature was, and what he could do. And his heart filled with dread at the sight of the being he thought had been removed from existence. And then, the dark one spoke. “Greetings, Dragons. Your new alpha has arrived.” > Alpha > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The dragons all sat in silence, no one daring to speak. Instead, the dragons turned to look upon the Grand Elder, who simply stared at the intruder. The Dragon and the God just stared upon each other, sizing the other up. The Elder knew that, despite his size, the one known as Dark Blade was a danger like no other. And the fact that he knew the language of the ancients only heightened that fact. While the Dragon maintained an aggressive stance, his eyes betrayed his fear. In contrast, Blade stood in a very relaxed stance, a cocky smirk on his face. As the two stood, staring at each other, one particular youngling had had enough of the stare off, and decided to act. “New Alpha? Please, I’ll take care of this freak!” Garble Spread his wings, and rocketed towards the intruder. The Alpha turned his head towards Garble. “NO!” But Garble did not heed the Elders call, instead rearing his claws back, attempting to claw at Blade. But instead of making contact, the red dragon merely fell through the dark ones body, as he dissipated into black smoke. Garble landed on the ground, eating dirt. Meanwhile, the Human Deity rematerialized on top of a rock a few meters away. “Ha ha ha! Is that all you have you little punk?” Garble pushed himself up, turning even redder than before. “Oh, you are SO DEAD!” He used his tail, to spin and reorient himself, and then launched himself back towards Blade. The Alpha attempted to warn him, but the youngling was too determined to kill this intruder. As Garble launched towards Blade, the human merely smirked, and leaped in the air, doing a flip over Garble as he flew towards him. Garble turned around, to view the human, who slowly levitated back to the ground. “You get one more,” said Dark Blade. Garble was now consumed with rage. Garble let out a rage filled roar, as he released a torrent of flame towards the human. The Dark one merely cleared his throat, and then released an ancient shout. “FUS RO DAH!” and like that, the flame that was shooting towards Blade, was propelled back towards the red dragon. The fire shot strait into Garbles mouth, shooting down his lungs, and into his stomach, igniting him from the inside. He fell to the ground, screaming, as he was roasted from the inside. The elder gazed upon the dragon that would one day take his place. He just watched as Garble clawed at the air, screaming in pain. For, he knew there was nothing he could do to save him. As the dying dragons suffering came to an end, all the dragons who had witnessed the event, now looked to the killer, and their alpha, to see what would happen next. The Alpha looked to Blade, and spoke in his deep voice. “You killed my son,” growled the Alpha. “I know, I was there,” said Blade as he examined his nails for dirt. “You may not remember me, but I remember you…Dark Blade.” “Ooh, someone who remembers me, how nice!” said the human, while feigning surprise. “Yes, and I remember how you slaughtered many of our kind. Why have you come back?” “Oh, well you see, I’m recruiting for my army.” “And you think we will join you?” “Oh, I know you will,” said Dark Blade with a smirk. “Not as long as I’m here,” said the Alpha as he clawed at the dirt. “Ah ha ha! Well, it looks like you’ve lived long enough. I’ll gladly put you out of your old age!” the dark god took an attack stance, taking this fight slightly more seriously. The two began circling each other, while the other dragons observed the two, not daring to interfere. “I see you remember the language of the old ones,” said the elder. “Indeed…uh…I’m sorry, I don’t think I know your name.” “You’ve heard it before, when you killed my parents. IT’S MOLATAK! AND YOU WILL REMEMBER IT IN THE AFTERLIFE!” Molatak spread his wings, and took to the air. Blade merely laughed, and materialized his own draconic wings made of darkness, taking to the sky himself. As the two reached their climax of height, Molatak blew a ball of fire towards Blade. Before the fire could reach him, Blade uttered another shout; “FEIM ZII GRON!” his body became transparent and ethereal, making him immune to the fire, which passed strait through him. He then shot himself strait towards Molatak, and did a backflip kick, knocking Molataks head upward. The dragon shot upward, but used his wings to steady himself. Blade held his hand up, and shot forth shadowy chains, intent of wrapping the elder dragon in their binds. As a response, Molatak closed his wings, causing him to drop like a rock, out of their path. When he had made a decent descent, he opened his wings, and flew towards Blade, firing another blast of fire at the dark god. Blade merely spoke another shout in response; “FO KRAH DIIN!” Blade sent a blast of ice, matching the fire, causing an explosion of lights and colors. As the light died, Molatak kept himself steady with his powerful wing flaps, while Blade did the same with his wings of darkness. “You’re not that bad. You actually have skills as a warrior,” said Dark Blade. “I have one many battles over the millennia, it is why I am the Grand Elder of the Dragons.” “Still, you have no chance at defeating me. Perhaps if you knew the language of the ancients, you might last a bit longer.” “You assume that I have lost my knowledge of the ancient tongue, but I haven’t forgotten it completely. VEN GAAR NOS!” with that shout, a cyclone of wind started whipping around, attempting to tear Blade from his spot, and whip him around violently. But before the wind could do any harm to the dark god, Blade uttered his own shout. “LOK VAH KOOR!” and just like that, the winds died down, clearing the skies. “Well, well, well. It looks like you do remember a bit of the old language,” said Dark Blade. “Indeed. And I will use every shout I know to stop you!” “Honorable. But futile. You see, I have been toying with you, testing your power. And indeed, you are an imposing opponent, at least for a mortal. But I believe it is time I end this. “JOOR ZAH FRUL!” as this shout was uttered, Molatak felt his wings become impossibly heavy. No longer able to sustain flight, the dragon fell to the ground with a thud, rumbling the entire mountain. Dark Blade continued to hover in the air, and raised his right hand above his head. Five feet above him, five dark, long shard like spears materialized. The human threw his hand down, causing the shards to plummet down, piercing the dragon’s wings, pinning them to the ground. Molatak cried out in pain, as Dark Blade slowly floated down to the ground. Once his boots touched the ground, his wings dissipated, and he began walking towards the dragon. “You’ve shown your skills as a warrior. I am impressed. If your underlings are half as ferocious as you, then they will make a fine addition to my army.” Through deep and ragged breaths, the dragon spoke. “I’ll take some pride in the fact that it took the God of Darkness to kill me.” “That’s a fine way to rationalize your death. You shall die with your honor intact.” Then, Blade spoke the final shout of the battle; Soul Tear. “RII VAAZ ZOL!” the shout caused a blast to tear into the dragon, ripping his flesh from his bones, shattering his very soul. Molatak let out a pain filled scream, as he was torn apart. As he died, he saw flashes from his life; his childhood, his parent’s death, his many battles, and his ascension to Alpha of the Dragon hoard. The last thing he saw before he died was the image of his parents looking down upon him, in a background of white. And then he knew no more. The dragons all stared in shock as they saw the mightiest dragon of all, fall at the hands of this intruder. They watched as the flesh was stripped away, leaving only the skeleton of their leader, as visible winds rushed from his corpse into Dark Blade, with his arms spread wide. The Dark god breathed in, feeling his power grow, with the absorption of a new soul. Once this action was complete, the human walked to the edge of the volcano, and looked upon the other dragons. Then, using his magic to amplify his voice, he spoke. “Dragons! As you have seen, I have destroyed your Grand Elder, the most powerful among you! Hear my words now, for I offer you a choice. Join me in my conquest, or meet the same fate as your leader!” The dragons were silent, until one spoke up. “We dragons may be ferocious, but we are not monsters! We will never follow one as evil as you! You may have beaten our leader in a single fight, but together we are strong! We will stand against you!” The other dragons roared in confirmation, signaling that they would die before following the dark god, who merely chuckled in response. “Well then, it looks like I have no choice. GOL HAH DOV!” This shout was known as Bend Will. This shout gave Dark Blade the power to control the minds and will of the dragons in the hoard. As soon as the shout was spoken, the dragons felt their consciousness drain away, being replaced by the will of their new master. This was the fate of all the dragons. Blade just stood there, with his hands behind his back, smiling at his victory. “Now then. Who do you serve?” As a unit, the dragons answered as one. “Hail Dark Blade!” Blade smiled, as he now controlled the most powerful race on the planet. “That’s one down. I wonder if the ponies have acquired their own