Celestia knelt beside the bed in her royal chambers. The room was draped in a somber blanket of dim light, courtesy of a handful of candles that formed flickering silhouettes on the wall. An irritating burning sensation filled her nostrils from the combination of disinfectant, vomit, and mildew. Silken sheets rose and fell with quiet wheezing. Luna lay atop the blankets with her teeth clenched and brow creased. Sweat matted her fur and mane as her wings quivered beneath the velvet covers. She groaned as another wave of shivers cascaded over her body.
The Princess's eyes were soft with worry. Redness marred the snow-white coat around her eyes. Her brow was wrinkled in concentration while Luna's was clenched in pain. Celestia levitated a thick sponge from the water basin beside her and gently dabbed her sister's forehead.
"Well… Upon reviewing her symptoms, I believe her condition to be most obvious…"
Celestia turned towards the voice. A brown-coated stallion in a white lab coat stood beside her. He wore a stethoscope around his neck and a silver mirror strapped to his forehead below his horn. His green magical aura closed the medical bag to his left with a click.
"… And what would that be, Doctor Cure?"
"Besides the psychological damage…" Doctor Hard Cure harrumphed, "her symptoms match a textbook case of heavy narcotics withdrawal. If what you told me is correct, then she has just spent the last thousand years on the biggest dark magic high in recorded history."
"Yes…" Celestia turned to Luna's fitfully sleeping form. "That makes sense. I expected as much."
"Excuse me, Your Highness?" Hard Cure raised an eyebrow. "You knew your sister would be in this condition?"
"Yes, but honestly not in this capacity. It is as you said, doctor. She has been consumed by dark magic for a thousand years only to have it forcefully ripped from her all at once. I knew it would leave her weak for some time, but not like this…"
"Frankly, Celestia, I'm surprised she was even able to stand!" He stamped his hoof. "Let alone her being alive after that kind of shock to her system. Do you even realize how dangerous that was?!"
Princess Celestia narrowed her eyes coldly at the stallion. "Be mindful of your tone, doctor. I have learned from my mistakes, and I will never dismiss my sister again like I did all those centuries ago."
"I will be mindful of my patients, Your Highness." He met her gaze. "I don't care what you did a thousand years ago. All I care about is my patient now, and that your secrecy prevented me from carrying out my own duties. Would it have been too much to ask for a little notice before you got yourself foalnapped by a raging she-demon of darkness?"
"I will tell you what I told Captain Armor." Celestia dabbed her sister's forehead. "I needed my plans for the Summer Sun Celebration to be absolutely secret in order for my student to succeed. Nightmare Moon needed to remain a legend until the final hour. I agree that it was a gamble, but it paid off in the end."
"Barely." Hard Cure scoffed.
"Will that be all, doctor?" Celestia raised an eyebrow.
Hard Cure grumbled as he picked up his medical bag. "Given that this is a priority case," he began as he walked toward the door, "I will be taking responsibility for the patient and letting my apprentice handle the palace clinic. I will ensure your sister lives to raise the moon again, Your Highness, but I want you to ask yourself something over these hard weeks to come…
"Did you really learn your lesson?" he finished.
Doctor Hard Cure departed the room, leaving Celestia with a shivering Luna lying in the bed. Celestia sighed and allowed her shoulders to sag. Ten centuries of tension slipped from her, one year at a time, like the slow unwinding of a grandfather clock. She lifted the thick sponge, saturated with water, and dribbled some of its contents into Luna's mouth.
Her secrets were justified. Nearly three centuries of plotting, ensuring the right ponies met at the right time and went to the right places when they needed to be there, hung on the events of a single night. It was a massive gamble, and it filled her mouth with bile at the thought of forcing her beloved Twilight to face a monster like Nightmare Moon. Her little ponies thought they knew what monsters were, but they knew nothing.
They did not know of the horrors that lurked in the darkest shadows of the night. They did not know of the predators that stalked the realm of dreams – the ever-shifting plane that acted as the buffer between universes. Dark and terrible things lurked there. It had always been her sister's sworn duty to beat back the eldritch forces that preyed on their ponies whenever their backs were turned, as it was her own duty to protect them against the more mundane forces of the world.
However, while Celestia had a virtual army of advisors, diplomats, nobles, and a literal army of enlisted stallions at her beck and call – Luna's was a solitary vigil. Yes, there had been a half-dozen incarnations of the legendary Night Guard throughout the centuries preceding the Lunar Rebellion, but none had lasted long enough to sate Luna's thirst for companionship.
It is no surprise that you eventually fell to the darkness that you warred with for so long, sister. Celestia mused.
"So how is she?" a voice shocked Celestia from her thoughts.
Celestia turned to the newcomer. A well-groomed stallion stood inside the doorway. His coat was nearly as white as her own and shined with a brilliance only affordable by a small fortune of care products. The stallion's voluminous blonde mane fell loosely across his shoulders while piercing blue-green eyes, like the sea, watched Celestia with concern. Such eyes would instantly swoon her were she not a millennia-old matriarch with a will of adamantine. Maybe in her younger days, but now it only filled her with a maternal warmth. A dark blue suit jacket with gold trimming hugged his thick barrel and forelegs. It was enough to cover his frame, but just short enough to leave his cutie mark exposed – a golden compass.
"Blueblood." Celestia smiled warmly and nodded. "I did not hear you come in. Luna is… stable. She still has a long road to recover, I fear."
"You were understandably pre-occupied, Auntie." He shrugged before stepping toward the bed. "Captain Armor informed me of your arrival. The court's already been thrown into a tizzy over this… development." Blueblood gestured toward Luna.
"Well…" A smirk spread across Celestia's muzzle. "They'll have to suck it up like the good colts and fillies they are. There are going to be many changes in the weeks to come. Either they'll jump on the wagon or they'll be left behind in the dust."
"Rest assured, Auntie," Blueblood chuckled as he sat beside her, "I've already buckled in. I'm sure you are aware, however, that this is going to upset a lot of power circles. The dukes and counts have grown complacent with you at the helm for the last thousand years. Through all of the politics and intrigue, you were the constant – the sole lighthouse in the storm. They've tolerated Cadence since her duties are vague at best and have few, if any, ramifications on the political theatre. Her on the other hoof…"
"They'll get over it." Celestia snapped with finality as her brow creased. It loosened with a sigh. "I understand that there will be trials ahead, dear nephew. I have been planning for this since your great-grandfather was getting his sea legs. However, as my sister used to say, and our mentor before us, 'no plan survives first contact with the enemy.' Despite all of my contingencies and schemes, I am still dreading the headache of my court's and vassals' reactions to my sister's return."
"Rest assured, Auntie," Blueblood nodded. "I will keep my own vassals in line as well as my allies. If anypony else causes any trouble, I have strings I can pull to bring them to heel. Whatever happens, you can count on me to stand beside you, Your Highness."
Celestia sighed and draped a wing over her nephew. "Thank you, Blueblood. You have no idea how much that means to me. Although, there is one more thing I fear I must ask of you… Would it be too much trouble to take care of the Day Court for a few days while I nurse Luna back to health? I will have Cadence help you; it will be good practice for her."
"Say no more, Your Highness." Blueblood raised a hoof. "I will be happy to take court off of your shoulders for a while, and it will be good to spend some time with Cadence. Maker knows it's been ages since we've gotten together. Rest assured that nothing short of a dragon attack or parasprite invasion will see you disturbed."
"Please, Blue." Celestia clenched her eyes. "Don't jinx it."
"I'm sure everything will be fine, Auntie." Blueblood waved dismissively. "After all... Do we not have a brand new set of heroines to confront the evil-doers that threaten the realm?" he quirked an eyebrow.
Celestia rolled her eyes. "Oh, try not to harass them too much, Blueblood. I have a feeling most of them would prefer living out of the limelight."
"Oh, very well," he huffed. "How is your student, by the way?"
"She is... well, I believe." She furrowed her brow. "While I am immensely proud of her for what she has accomplished and how much she has grown from this ordeal, I can't help but wonder if she is being a little... hasty."
"Oh?" He sat beside the Princess.
"I mean..." Celestia began. "She has always been very bright, as you know, and her experience dwarfs that of many mares her age. However, most of that experience lies in scholarly and financial pursuits. She is stepping into new territory – territory of which I am unsure she is equipped for.
"I agree," Blueblood replied. "While she has done well in navigating and even thriving at times in the intrigue of your court, it is a far cry from forming actual relationships with every-day ponies. Politics requires a calculating and observant mind, like that of your student, and at its simplest form it is simply a dynamic script. It is a game of the mind rather than the heart."
"And while I have taken great lengths to ensure Twilight remains untouched by the corruption and slime of some of the nobility and bureaucrats, she is still not used to actually connecting with ponies, aside from a few individuals. I fear that most of what she has learned so far about friendship is from books, where they are idealistic at best and fanciful at worst."
"Well, perhaps this is a good thing." Blueblood nodded.
"How so?" She looked down with a frown.
"If you think about it, Twilight's largest intellectual flaw is that she believes there is nothing she cannot learn from a book. You and I both know that is incorrect, but she has yet to be broken out of that world-view. True friendship is something that must be learned through experience, trial, and error. It may be rocky at first, but what friendship is not? In the end, though, she will grow both in heart and mind – in that she will allow others to truly acquaint her without duplicity, and she will learn that there is some knowledge that can only be learned by doing."
"That is... insightful of you, Blue." Celestia smiled.
"It is like piloting a vessel across the open sea," he said while brushing a hoof across the water in the bowl beside him. "It requires a great deal of technical knowledge – from naval terminology to astronomy, carpentry, and hydrodynamics – but it also requires a mutual trust between the captain and his crew. You cannot have one without the other."
"Makes sense." Celestia nodded. "Such is life, in a way."
"Precisely!" Blueblood grinned before standing up. "I apologize to depart so quickly, Auntie, but if I am to be taking over Day Court, I have some preparations to make. I must also pen some correspondences regarding the return of your sister."
"That is no trouble, Blue." She offered a motherly smile in return. "Have a good evening."
While Deathweaver maintained vigil over the ruins of Circadia Castle, the sinister shadow of Nightgaunt prowled through the deeper recesses of the Everfree Forest. He drifted through the underbrush like a cold fog laced with a miasma of dread. His approach was heralded by an anxious silence followed by the rhythmic rattle of heavy chains.
Three long gashes slowly materialized across the bark of a tree as a set of invisible claws were raked across its surface. A pair of predatory eyes peered out from the inky smoke. They were ripe with malice... and hunger.
"I can sssmell them, brotherssss..." the spirit hissed. "I can sssmell their mirtthh and joy – how they fffrolic through the night in their merriment."
A murmur of snarling growls echoed in reply.
"Yesss... Let usss join them."
The pack of shadows drifted further into the forest, where a glimmer of light peeked through the trees. It was followed by the faint wisp of whimsical song carried by a dreary spring mist. Several figures pranced through the clearing. Starlight glimmered across their antlers while dozens of fireflies swam through the air around their hooves. A song, like a summer lullaby, danced across their muzzles. Their hooves kicked up the midnight dew in their dance, and it drifted through the air like honeyed nectar.
So engrossed were they by their midnight merriment that they did not notice the starlit sky vanish behind a thick shadow.
At least, until it was too late.
A single terrified scream pierced through the night, but it was smothered and drowned out by a gleeful cackle and chorus of howls that faded into a chilling silence.
The silence was broken by the melody of crickets. Moonlight washed the glade in pale silvery light. The air was thick with mist and the scent of wildflowers. Several rows of trees stood trunk-to-trunk like a stalwart phalanx. Hundreds of leafy vines snaked up the living wall of wood while glittering flowers of silver, purple, and gold hung from them like bells. The mist of the Everfree lapped against the wall like a slow tide.
A silent village lay nestled within the wall of trees. The houses were molded from titanic stumps and built high in the canopy. Pools of still water dotted the glade. Frogs hummed in contemplation while fireflies danced their evening ballad as dictated by the orchestra of crickets and nightingales. Owls swooped to and fro between the trees.
A tall stag stood on a terrace overlooking the sleeping village. His coat was a shining white that glistened like the purest mountain snow. Long and slender legs, like twigs, held up his lean body. A pair of golden antlers adorned his head – matching the stripe of bronze fur that cascaded down his back to the tip of his tail. Piercing green eyes, like emeralds, watched the fog outside the wall with a stoic resilience that held back the waves of exhaustion like a dam.
King Aspen stood vigilant on the terrace above the village of Thicket. His steely gaze swept over the clearing and pierced through the dark wilds outside the wall.
"Your Majesty," a concerned voice spoke behind him. "Is everything well?"
King Aspen rolled his shoulders but maintained his vigil. "There is... something amiss. Can you feel it, Willow?"
"Everydeer has been uneasy since the solstice." Willow stepped beside the king. He was much shorter than the white stag, and his coat was a more subdued earthy brown than the striking white of his liege.
"No." Aspen's mouth dipped into a scowl. "It is something more than that. The Nightmare returned as prophesied, and since the sun has risen, we should assume it has been defeated. This... is something different. A foulness haunts the air. It is like the scent of a rotting carcass. A new predator stalks the forest. I can feel the hatred emanating from it like a slow fire ready to ignite into an inferno. 'Tis not like the madness of the Nightmare. This is... cunning."
"Shall I inform the marshal?"
"Yes," Aspen nodded, "but do so discretely. It would be counterproductive to drive everydeer into a paralysis of fear. Tell Oaken to double the guard and be vigilant. Send a message to Canterlot in the morning. It is probably some beast that slunk out of the deeper forest, but if it is truly a threat then Celestia will need to be aware."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Willow bowed before trotting away.
King Aspen narrowed his eyes.
"We will be ready."
Beatrix's wagon lumbered down the road. The setting sun bathed the landscape in a coat of burnt orange and rusty red. She sat in the coach's seat with a cup of tea in her magic and the newspaper in her hooves. It was a particular brew that she had developed herself on the road – a green tea made of yaupon leaves and seasoned with a dash of cinnamon and honey. The pleasant buzz of caffeine kept her back hoof tapping with the rhythmic rattle of the wagon's wheels.
She read the article while keeping the road in her peripherals. It gave a short history of each of the Element Bearers along with a detailed (if not exaggerated) rendition of the evening's events. What caught her gaze, though, was a particular purple unicorn. Beatrix's eyes lit up in recognition.
"Rupert!" she squealed. "Rupert, look! It's her! It's really her! It's Twilight Sparkle!"
Rupert poked his head out of the wagon door and yipped. He tilted his head, gave Beatrix a pensive frown, and clambered up beside her.
"Oh, that's right!" Beatrix scratched the dog behind the ear with her hoof. Rupert leaned into the gesture affectionately. "You weren't around during my school days. Well, when I was a filly, my parents wanted me get a good education. While we weren't poor, per say, we weren't wealthy either. I could have gone to a regular trade school, but my parents wanted something better for me, so they scrounged up enough bits to send me to Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns.
"I wasn't the best student, though," Beatrix continued after a sip of her tea. "I learn by doing, not pouring over a stack of books day and night! My first few semesters were a struggle. Passing my courses was a challenge, let alone excelling, but then there was Twilight… Born from minor nobility, well off, but not so rich she was unapproachable, and an outright prodigy. It was like the books just puked their words directly into her head! She even had the eye of Princess Celestia. Can you imagine... receiving direct instruction from the Princess herself?
"I was jealous of her for a while…" Beatrix sighed. "She was everything I wanted to be - smart, successful, connected, important. Twilight Sparkle is going to be in history books. Me? Maybe the top of the entertainment section if I'm lucky. It was her success that pushed me forward. After all, if she could be great and powerful, why not me? She was my ideal - my idol."
Rupert pawed at her hoof and whined. Beatrix smiled, lifted the dog in her magic, and deposited him by her legs.
"It is fitting that she would be the one to restore Luna," Beatrix mused. "She was always destined for greatness. I imagine Luna is already in Canterlot getting ready to resume her duties, so I doubt she would have time for a lowly stage performer like myself… However! If I can't show my appreciation for the Princess of the Night, maybe I can do so with her rescuer. I can show her exactly how far she inspired me to go…
"Get ready, Twilight Sparkle," Beatrix suddenly took on a nasally and haughty voice as she flipped her mane, "and be prepared to gaze in awe at the Great… and Powerful… Trixie!"
Twilight trotted through the town square. She spun her head in every direction with the morning's incident completely forgotten. The buzz of friendly conversation filled the market with a welcoming atmosphere. Stallions and mares hawked their wares - everything from produce to small tools - and greeted each other with cheerful smiles and neighborly countenance.
She was stunned by the peculiarity of it all. Three ponies had wished her a good morning, replied only by a feeble mumble in return, before she realized she was standing in the middle of the road. Twilight stepped out of the escalating hoof traffic and took it all in with a deep breath. It was all so different from Canterlot. The city cultivated an illusion of privacy. Ponies trotted the streets, shoulder to shoulder, but never acknowledged - even looked at - each other unless it profited themselves in some fashion.
But here… Twilight breathed in the country air, It looks like ponies actually care about each other.
Ponies meandered to and fro. They clearly had things to do, but they weren't overflowing with the manic urgency that ponies in the city had throughout the day. A mare took her time conversing with one of the stall-keepers. Twilight saw a stallion suavely leaning against a hay bale and flirting with a mare. A herd of foals scampered by on some imagined quest.
I should see about enrolling Spike in the local school, Twilight pondered, If I'm going to study the Magic of Friendship, then so should he.
The purple unicorn continued her leisurely stroll through the market and tried to move with the flow of traffic. Her hooves instinctively drifted into the same rhythm as the herd, and she let her gaze drift through the scenery. A peculiar building caught her eyes and Twilight did a double-take. It was a cheery building the color of lemons. Bright pink windows grinned happily at her from across the street while an open door, framed by what appeared to be giant candy canes, beckoned her inside. A wooden sign hung outside the door that depicted a large pink and purple cupcake. The roof was a chocolate brown and decorated with swirling snow-white designs. Twilight was getting a toothache just looking at the ensemble.
The building had snagged her by the curiosity and had no intention of being gentle. She was stepping onto the wooden stairs and pushing through the door before she knew what was happening, but for some Celestia-forsaken reason she couldn't find a reason to be bothered by it. The interior was framed by the same warm chocolate brown that reminded her of late-night hot cocoa on Hearth's Warming Eve. A dozen scents - cinnamon, coffee, peppermint, freshly baked bread and pastries - caused Twilight to swoon in content.
"Heya, Twilight!" a giddy voice shocked her out of her stupor.
"Gah!" Twilight reared back in fright as her vision was assaulted by a wall of pink with two pools of sapphire leading the charge. A phalanx of white emerged from the wall to meet her feeble defense. Her horn flashed and a shimmering purple barrier appeared between them.
Pinkie giggled as she smooshed her nose against Twilight's shield. Her snout folded like an accordion. She opened her mouth wide enough for Twilight to see her uvula before she exhaled. A layer of condensation grew over the shield's surface like a cancerous fungus. Finally, like a giant suction cup, Pinkie extracted her face with a pop. Twilight watched in mild fascination as the mare drew a smiley face in the fog left behind.
"Pinkie Pie!" Twilight repressed a scowl as she dismissed the shield, "What are you doing here?"
"I work here, silly!" Pinkie grinned. "I also live here, but not here here. The Cakes and I live in the apartment upstairs. I mean, I couldn't live in a bakery. That would be crazy! Crazy awesome, though! Could you imagine?! I can probably slide a couple tables together and tie a mattress to them, there's already a bathroom down here, and I only have to do a hop, skip, and a jump for midnight snacks! I should ask Mr. Cake about it later. Oooo, maybe I could throw a housewarming party? But then I would need more housy furniture in order to throw a house party. Otherwise it'll just be a regular party. Those are great and all, but there's a theme for every occasion and every theme has guidelines that need to be followed because really you wouldn't have a cutecenara for a baby shower 'cause that would raise all sorts of weird questions because…"
"Pinkie!"
"Yeeeesss?" Pinkie blinked innocently.
Twilight closed her eyes, clenched her jaw, and dissected Pinkie's rant. She stepped into the quagmire of meaning, inhaled, and sifted through the information. She's a baker. Lives with employers. Possibly in-house apprentice. Relatives? Not parents. Addressed by last name. Could be adopted? Most likely extended family.
She creased her brow and examined the rest of the dialogue. Twilight tilted it in several directions, peered at it from a dozen angles, and peeled it apart like an onion. As far as she could tell, there were no double-meanings, hidden nuances, or cleverly disguised requests. It was all just so inane.
Error: Deviation from script. Revert to default subjects and adapt.
Exhale.
"So…" Twilight tilted her ears forward. "How's your morning going, Pinkie?"
"Hmmmmmmmm…." Pinkie furrowed her brow, rubbed her chin, and bit her tongue, "Pretty good so far I think. It's been pretty normal considering we almost fell under a tyrannical regime led by a jealousy-fueled, power-crazed she-demon that could smite us all with just a thought and flick of her tail. Although, we do live right next to the Everfree Forest. My Granny Pie told me all sorts of stories about that place. Have you ever seen an Ursa? They're supposed to be giant space bears or something. Are they from space, or made of space? Do you think they're hiding a giant spaceship in the forest? How can something be made of space if space is literally nothing? If they're made of nothing, maybe they're just figments of our imaginations and if we wish really hard they'll go away!"
"Actually…" Twilight perked up. "I read in an old journal once that Ursas and the other Star-beasts are what remains of the primordials. When Equis was formed, the leftover cosmic magic consolidated and formed several avatars with rudimentary intelligences. The most documented ones are the Ursas, Scorpios, and Lupi, but they haven't been seen by pony eyes in decades. There are vague rumors of other similar creatures, but it's mostly conjecture. Are you interested in astronomy?"
"Of course!" Pinkie grinned. "How else am I supposed to throw parties and make friends with all the ponies out there if I don't know where they are?!"
Twilight blinked and stared. "O-okay…"
"So what bring you here, Twi?" Pinkie kept her eyes and ears focused on Twilight while she cleared off a vacant table.
"Well…" Twilight cleared her throat. "My things should be arriving from Canterlot by train in a while. I thought I would explore the town in the meantime. To be honest, I've never seen a building like this before."
"Pretty cool, huh?! You'd think living in a gingerbread house would make you constantly hungry, but that only really lasts until you find out that the walls aren't actually made of gingerbread! I keep telling the Cakes that they can't false advertise like that, but noooo~ They have to follow all those boring health codes and building regulations. Sounds like a bunch of boring-pants paperwork mumbo-jumbo to me. Oh well, he's the boss man! Say, if you want a tour, you should ask Applejack. She was born and raised in Ponyville, and her family even helped found the town! I would do it myself, but I'll be busy here for the morning and lunch shifts. Oh, that reminds me!"
Twilight blinked, but Pinkie had vanished in a pink blur. A cacophony of crashing kitchenware thundered from beyond the door on the opposite end of the room. She barely had time to process the mare's disappearance before Pinkie shot out of the door like a cannon ball.
Pinkie Pie's grin stretched from ear to ear. A small brown paper sack hung from her teeth. It was decorated with a variety of pictures that depicted sugary confections in bright and happy colors.
"Jhish ish fer you!" Pinkie held out the bag.
Twilight quirked an eyebrow but took the bag in her magic. "But… You didn't know I was coming… How?"
"Call it a hunch." she beamed.
"Well thank you, Pinkie. How much do I owe you?"
"What do you mean?" Pinkie tilted her head and scrunched her eyebrows.
"How much does this cost?" Twilight shook the bag for emphasis.
"Nothing, silly! I always have time to make special treats for my friends!"
"But… Won't you get in trouble?"
"Don't worry about it," Pinkie nodded firmly, "but if you are really set on paying for it, then I guess I can charge you…"
"Oh, okay. So how mu-"
"One hug!" Pinkie leaped onto the purple unicorn and wrapped her hooves around her neck. Twilight's face was devoured by Pinkie's mane. She could feel herself being pulled in - consumed - by the mass of pink fluff. It was like drowning in cotton candy, but only slightly less sticky.
Then it was over. Twilight gasped, free from the aberration's clutches, and searched frantically for her assaulter.
"See ya later, Twilight!" Pinkie called out from the other side of the room as she bounced gracefully between the tables.
Twilight stood there a moment, panting, before slowing trotting out the door. She stumbled out of the building even more confused than before she entered.
Lord Deathweaver was not pleased.
He sat upon his throne in silence. His icy blue eyes smoldered like coals and his horn burned with restrained anger. The stone around the protrusion of earthen bone had grown grey and ashen from his necrotic power. Deathweaver knew that the longer he stayed here, the more the blight would spread, but that was not his concern at the moment.
"Tell me, Nightgaunt," Deathweaver spoke coldly, "What would you have done if even a single one of them had escaped?"
"But…" Nightgaunt's raspy voice resonated from the shadows, "None of them essscaped, my lord. I made sssure of it."
"If…" he snarled, "If they had, Nightgaunt, then Celestia would be on our doorstep by morning. We cannot afford to show our hand so early. Preparations must be made and power consolidated. The villagers you slew will be expected to return, and their neighbors and families will ask questions if they do not. Fortunately, given your savagery, their deaths can be pinned on some monster from the forest."
The shadows cowered.
"However," Deathweaver sighed, "The memories of your new converts have given me valuable information. From what I have gathered, there is an enclave deep within the forest. These people - these deer - have an intimate knowledge of the magic of this place. They will prove worthy assets to our cause. In addition, their leader, King Aspen,is apparently an acquaintance of Princess Celestia's. He will surely send word to her if he learns of our presence."
"What are your ordersss, my liege?"
"Go forth and send scouts to watch the enclave. I wish to know if any of those deer step into the forest. Ensure your shadows know that they must remain discreet. They are to be spies, not assassins, and I will be extremely crossed if I discover any of your siblings have compromised our activities. In the meantime, I will have the ghouls begin construction on a forge and armory."
Nightgaunt departed the throne room, leaving Deathweaver to his thoughts. He closed his eyes, rolled his shoulders back, and fell inward into his mindscape.
It was like a web woven from dozens of glowing blue threads. They spread out from him in every direction like ripples in a pond. He touched one thread and a barrage of sensations passed through his mind's eye. The scent of mildew, the sharp clang of a pick against stone, and a flickering image of a dark tunnel… Deathweaver focused on another, and he felt a primal hunger surge through his body. He felt himself soaring through the underbrush like a fog.
Let us see what you have found for me…
Deathweaver focused on the threads leading to his shadows. He squashed down their gurgling ferocity with a will of iron and peered into their minds. Hundreds of images, sounds, and smells drifted through the mindscape. The pale alicorn sifted through their memories with a fine comb.
One shadow prodded at a sleeping scaled behemoth deep beneath the marsh. It stirred in the muck, disturbed by the draft generated by the curious spirit, but returned to its hibernation. Another investigated a gargantuan cave filled with thunder and starlight. A hut, carved from the corpse of an ancient tree, lurked in the shadows of the forest.
There are many fascinating creatures here… Many could prove useful - either as thralls or for alchemical study - and it looks like I have a witch doctor as a neighbor. Perhaps I should send a gift basket… They may make a useful thrall if not an ally.
Deathweaver released the shadows and turned to the ghouls toiling in the castle grounds. They scurried through the hallways, cleared debris, and were in the process of reinforcing walls and ceilings that were on the verge of collapsing. The diamond dogs were excellent engineers - quite brilliant in their own ways. He could see the accumulated knowledge of centuries of mining, forging, and excavation. However, something in the mindscape made Deathweaver scowl.
It was then that the duo stepped into a large chamber. Numerous dogs filled the room. Some lined the walls, armed with spear and shield. Others huddled together in bundles, passing around clay bowls of mush. Many dogs were without bowls, Grog bitterly noticed.
"When is the next shipment from Dimondia due?" Grog asked.
"Three days. We should hold out on food until then. Medicine, though?" Rover snarled. "Those pompous poodles that eat the scraps from King Fenrir's plate can't be bothered to care enough about us miners to send us adequate supplies. Let's see them feast and drink away their wealth when their mines are filled with corpses."
"There must be something we can do…"
"If…" Rover began. "If the King won't help us, then we may have to take what we need from the ponies."
Deathweaver curled his lips and snarled. It was all the same. Greed, pride, and elitism. The living could never be trusted to take care of one another. The strong always grew fat off the toils of the weak as they suffered in the filth like swine. Pestilence, hunger, and injustice were all they had to look forward to every sunrise.
Just another few souls that slipped through the ever watchful gaze of the Unconquered Sun.
Perhaps, then, Deathweaver would have a word with this King Fenrir.
Perhaps, then, Deathweaver would save these pathetical mongrels from their wretched life.
As soon as I am finished securing the foundation of my power, I will come for you. You shall be liberated from hunger, disease, weakness, and tyranny. You shall have vengeance, and shall know the comforting embrace of Death.