84 Filth On The Move

Onyx looked at the various plans he had written and could not help but look excited because this was his first Equestrian Games. As he hummed a minor tune, he was surprised when he felt someone pull him into a hug from behind. He looked over his shoulder in curiosity and noticed that Pinkie was acting weird and being extra clingy. He spoke with a deep tone of voice, belaying his question. "Are you alright, Pinkie?"

Pinkie nodded her head and smiled up at Onyx and looked incredibly excited about the games. As she let Onyx go, she started spinning in circles which confused Onyx because Pinkie was acting like she was slightly drunk. Onyx watched her walk around in confusion and slowly reached out and picked her up and sat down with her in his lap, looking over her body and eyes, trying to figure out what was going on. Pinkie just looked up at Onyx with slightly dilated eyes which told Onyx that she had picked up something that was messing with her equilibrium. Onyx spoke with worry in his tone of voice. "What on earth did you consume to do this to yourself?"

"Rarity brought over a green bottle of sweet juice and told me that it was delicious, and she wanted you to run some tests on it. I can tell her that it was a slight hallucinogenic Onyx." Pinkie replied in good humor because this was only slightly affecting her because she only took a tiny sip. Onyx was highly confused because he has no idea where Rarity keeps picking these things up, but it was slightly worrying him. He hummed and cast a slight bit of diagnostic magic on Pinkie and saw that it would only hang around her system for a couple of hours, and already it was almost out of her system. She looked over the plans in confusion before speaking with a slight haze on her tone. "Onyx, is this stuff stronger than I think, or are you already planning your trip for the games."

Onyx snickered because stoned Pinkie was something he totally wanted in his life and had no idea how he never saw this before. He hummed and rubbed her body, making it so Pinkie was able to focus on the here and now. Pinkie blinked and felt the buzz fall away and slowly laid on his body and felt herself falling asleep because her body was coming down from the high. Before she could ask another question, she fell asleep, and Onyx carried her towards the bed. As he sat her down gently and tucked her in, he summoned the bottle to himself. He spoke in curiosity. "Now, where on earth did Rarity find you because I have yet to find anything that matches the description that Pinkie gave me."

---Canterlot---

Celestia looked over the paperwork that she was getting done with, so she had no backlog for when the games really started. She looked over various reports when she sensed Discord moving into her office, causing her to sigh in annoyance but not at Discord himself but that she had something to mess up her work. Celestia looked up at Discord with her reading glasses and sighed again even deeper because Discord had a severe face, which meant even more annoyance. She spoke desperately, hoping that it was not something horrible. "What has gone wrong now, Discord?"

Discord snickered because this totally fit the image of the past Celestia. She did not like being interrupted when she was working on something. Discord sighed, though, because this was too important for him to leave alone. After all, if Onyx was visited by one of the big cheeses, as it were, then something terrible is happing. He spoke while looking out the window, trying to desperately find what on earth it could be. "Onyx is finally getting tested by Harmony, Celestia."

Celestia felt the pen in her hand snap in half because that meant she was missing something happing in her lands which was not alright. She looked at him and tried to think about what on earth could be Onyx's mission because they only got actual missions when the Filth was moving. She spoke in a tense tone that told Discord that she was on the edge of violence because as much as Celestia does not admit it, she considers all ponies and Alicorns her responsibility. "What is the Filth doing Discord? What on Equus could be forcing Harmony to give Onyx an unknown task right now?"

Discord hummed because if he was being honest, nothing on their continent is being forced to change by the Filth, no mass sacrifice, no disappearing towns, nothing that points to the Filth acting. This is exceptionally annoying because Celestia might disagree on many things, but the Filth is a monstrous cancer. He looked over his shoulder and looked Celestia in the eyes, which were not his normal ones but swirling pools of Chaos, and spoke words that were damn near damning to Celestia. "I have no idea; there is no proof of the Filth doing anything out there on our Continent."

Celestia used some magic and pulled out a map of their lands and the places that Onyx could affect because he does not have much pull, but before they could begin looking things over, Rose came in with a report and handed it over in silence. Celestia and Discord pulled it out and could not help the grimace that came over them as this was an account of Filth beings attacking locations and being put down by the Rune Knights. She slowly put the pins in places where the attacks happened while Discord pulled out a thing of yarn and made a timeline of the attacks.

As they looked over the attacks that had happened just this week, they were shocked there were over a total of 34 attacks. Celestia was confused because this was not the Filth's normal operandum because they went for Stealth and hit/runs. This was a full-blown attack which was extremely crazy by most standards. Nothing had ever happened in her entire life. Lucky for her, she had a true monster of war who had seen a lot of Filth tactics, and Discord snorted at the basic plan that the Filth was attempting. He spoke in full war mode. "This is Filth basic planning for a distraction and softening for a big attack on something."

Celestia hummed and saw what Discord was talking about, but now she was even more confused and tried to figure out the Filth's plan for this. She wondered what the Filth's target was and was even more confused about which being was going to be leading this attack. She looked over at Discord and blinked when she realized that he was gone and was super confusing. Celestia looked out the window with worry in her eyes because every test Harmony gave her nearly killed her. She spoke softly to herself. "I hope you are being safe, Onyx."

---Rune Society---

Grand Master Shine smiled at what he had completed, which was a way to connect some doors over a vast distance with a single key. He would have to send one to Onyx and all the ways to make it because it was made using the Godly Runic Language. Shine turned away from the doorway and headed off to look over the various reports about the Filth making its opening moves for some grand attack. He could not help but snort in amusement because this was the first time in his long life that the Filth has made such a move.

'Well then, you Cancer, I hope you have a good plan because all you have done is allowed us to do was blood our new Knights.' Shine thought to himself in amusement and looked at the 20 new Rune knights bringing the new Knight total to 32, the most that have been seen in over 90 years. He could not help the giddiness that was spread over his face because this was proving they were coming back. He felt his blood burning hotter than it had in over several years.

As he looked at the young Rune Knights looking up at the senior ones with awe in their eyes, Shine could not help the excitement that was shaking his body. He noticed a Rune Warrior watching with worry, most likely worried about his health, but Shine could only sigh because that is why this Rune Warrior failed the Knight test. At the end of the day, he did not understand that battle a place that all those Knights would die or be corrupted beyond the right to be buried. Knight's love battle, there is nothing better to fight and live, but dying in battle is a close second.

Shine moved away from the banister and moved off towards his office so he could look over the reports and get a good sense about what is going on in the lands where the Filth attacked. He was just so confused about what they were trying to do because this was a distraction, but it was a smack in the face, pretty much saying look right here nowhere else, and it was pretty effective because who wants to look around while being smacked. Shine, though, could not help the snicker that escaped him because the Filth was used to fighting the Rune society but not those shades that look over Equestria, which have been experiencing a resurgence as well.

So, while the Rune Society will hit back every time, the shades will go do what they do best, spy, hunt, and steal away the secrets, and finally, when the Rune Society has a target, they will be let loose. After all, the herd looks after each other, as the saying goes, which just caused Shine to burst into laughter at the corny thoughts he was thinking in his twilight years. He looked up at the roof and smirked with amusement before he looked at the door to his office and went in to finally start going over the reports and send them where they are needed.

---Afterlife---

Scáthach hummed while looking over the chained-up Mythic Note before she sensed a pony soul disappearing from her domain. This caused her head to snap in the direction of the missing soul and caused her to growl in hatred. All the ponies looked at their lady with worry because they knew about the disappearing souls and knew who was doing it. The previous Alicorn of Shadow has thrown her name away and took on the name Pony of Shadow.

Mythic Note was also annoyed because this time it was a Rune Knight that was taking specifically it was his killer. Those killed by the Rune Knight's knew to respect those who waded their way to their level and ended their sprees are exceptionally strong. He looked in the direction of his missing Rune Knight because that was his Rune Knight none of the others who were killed by his Knight had the right to claim him. After all, Mythic ended his life when the Knight ended his. Filth causes extreme emotions in the infected, known as the ponies in the room, and could see the madness in Mythic's eyes and shiver.

Mythic looked over at Scáthach with burning eyes, and Scáthach looked back just annoyed because she was certain she ripped the traitor to shreds, but she had survived and started taking heroes of old and began causing problems. Usually, Scáthach would rush over and stop her, but Mythic has allowed her to gather even more souls. The only good part about this was the Pony in the Shadows used them as a battery and memories about their skills that allowed them to be crowned heroes. The heroes were still alive, just used to fuel a soul that is insane.

Mythic sighed because this was annoying for both of them. Scáthach cannot leave her castle and protect those that wanted her protection. Mythic was chained to a wall which had allowed him to lose his Knight to this prissy bitch who was sad that Harmony allowed her to lose her Godhood and allowed a new one to be crowned. Before he could continue that line of thought, his chain around his legs was pulled, causing him to look down at the young colt that was holding some food up to him and sighed and ate it. Scáthach watched with worry, but Mythic had made no move to hurt the child, but that told them nothing about how he would act in the wild.