A Blight on Equestriaby GivingSpiderChaptersSpike 1Discord 1Twilight 1Blight 1Spike 1Characters of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic are property of their respected owners. - The pain in my back lets me know that I’m alive. I smile to myself as I stretch and with an abrupt snort I light up the room for a brief moment. I had less than a second to see my surroundings and it was all the time I needed. In front of me is a massive horde of gold, gems and other treasures that would turn any dragon into a feral beast. I’m much stronger than that. I get to my feet and with one breath I exhale flames and sweep the room. Torches are lit and the familiar room greets me. In front of me is a horde that makes the assumed fortune of Princess Celestia look like lunch money. Behind me is a tunnel that leads to a small network of passageways that was once a copper mine. Beyond that is the dragon who keeps me prisoner here. I stretch my wings and glance at a section of wall near the exit from this well of temptation. I made deep scratches there and I add another. Eight times I have woken up in this room. Eight times I tried to leave. Eight times I was bested by the dragon at the end. I start to walk towards the pile of wealth and to be honest it kind of looks obscene. Part of me wants to climb it and take a season long nap; the rest of me wants to leave. I guess I’m more pony than dragon. I stop at the edge of the pile and start carefully digging through the bits with my claws until I uncover a large brass hourglass. The tarnished frame is unimpressive and draws attention from the true value of this time keeping piece: the diamond dust steadily cascading into the bottom half. I’m reminded of a dragon I met who liked to snort this stuff. That’s just wrong. I pick up the device and carefully inspect the bottom half. I had been unconscious for just over one day. I reach for a large golden bowl decorated by sapphire earth ponies around the base. I take a deep breath and whistle a low pitch. The narrow opening my mouth makes provided a narrow precise flame which I use to carefully cut into the base hourglass. With equal care I remove a small disk from the device and gently empty the diamond dust from the less full half. When that’s done I put the brass disc back and with the same whistling technique I weld the device shut. Next I place the hourglass back down and repeat the cutting process on the top. I smile and realize that I almost skipped a step. I’m glad Twilight wasn’t here to see that. I reach into the pile and find a heavy robe that looks like it came right from Rarity’s designs. I resume my surgical pace and empty the bowl onto the center of the garment. I lose some dust in this process but I would lose a lot more is I cut corners; and I would lose time if I just waited for the simple clock to reset itself. I carefully fold the robe on itself and funnel the dust into the top. After I seal it shut I flip the device over. A day of waiting was just replaced by half an hour of logical application of my skills. I wish Twilight had been here to see it. I stretch my wings and stand to my full height; about twelve foot four. I stretch my arms and take the time to admire my claws. My body isn’t as sore as it was when I woke up in this prison. Every time I try to escape and fail I keep waking up stronger. I’m not a full grown dragon, but my might speaks for itself. It takes an adult dragon to keep me caged. I look at the pile of useless trinkets and money that I could never spend in a lifetime, no matter how long it would be. I look at the gems that anypony would trade their very hooves for and all I see is food. Part of me wants to stay with this worthless pile. The rest of me is focused on what’s waiting for me outside. I have stayed by Twilight’s side my entire life. Even when she was still a foal and myself a hatchling I’ve helped her with her endless studies. Through her triumphs and free falls I have been nearby without wavering. When Blight came… I ball my hands into fists. A dark grey earth pony with a copper mane came to Canterlot. Its deep blue eyes drew your attention from the anorexic looking frame. The steady flow of bloody tears from its eyes drew your gaze from the frail looking body. I use the term ‘it’ because I’m not sure it it’s a colt or a mare. Whenever it speaks you distinctly hear two voices coming from opposite genders. It just walked calmly into the part of the grand Canterlot Archives where we were and it apologized for coming unannounced into a restricted area and for interrupting. Once it had out attention it said that it would destroy everything that we loved. It ignored what Twilight said after its claim and just left. Two days after that we found something disturbing; or rather the citizens of Canterlot found it. A great statue of a spider stood in the center of the city. It appeared to be made of obsidian and it was clear that a lot of careful attention was spent on crafting the body. The ting was as tall as some of the houses. Everypony thought it was real until it was noticed that it was just standing there. What was really unsettling was what was hanging from the top of its legs. From just where a leg connects to the body hung a length of barbed wire. Down two feet on each segment of wire was a corpse being hung by the hind legs. Four Unicorns and four Changelings were hanging lifeless. They appeared starved and had deep fresh cuts under their eyes that stretched to toward their mouths, the wounds were still dripping blood onto the stone street. The strangest detail was that the bodies did not cast any shadow until they were removed from the statue. That afternoon Princess Celestia received a letter saying ‘the age of Equestria is ending’. I don’t even know where the Changelings came from. I had no idea that any were even in Canterlot. Shortly after that the creature calling itself Blight had raised a small army of changelings and ponies. I stop thinking about the beginning of this hell. I turn over the hourglass and bury it in the pile of glorified rust. I can’t help anypony if I’m here in this damned cave. Twilight needs me. My sister needs me. My mother needs me. All our friends need me. I pause to look at the scratches I’ve made on the wall. This will be my ninth attempt since I’ve been trapped here. The last time Twilight saw me I was still practically a hatchling. This horde may have been meant to turn me into a feral beast; but my heart stayed the same. I raise my hand and bring my claws down until I have half a fist. With a sharp breath I put a bright ball of fire in my hand. The dancing contained flame gives me illumination for my walk. I’m familiar with the tunnels of this empty mine and wonder how many generations of ponies worked to move so much metal and stone. I wonder how much labor it took to put that great pile of rubbish in the deepest part of this forgotten place. I make my way through the maze of pathways and snort faintly. I had forgotten that the tunnels shifted every time. I smile to myself. The tunnels can move but the deep cuts I put into the rock stay the same; telling me that the mine is never truly different. It never gets bigger or smaller, and the soft flow of air that teases the fire in my hand gives me a compass that hasn’t failed me yet. Twilight would be proud. My journey takes me to the mouth of the cave and as always it is barred. Beyond the exit is a large open area that is home to a full grown dragon. I close my claws and snuff the fire out as I approach the portal to the outside. My eyes adjust to sunlight and the large brown scaled leviathan open’s his eyes. He slowly inched his abnormally long neck towards me and smiled in a mocking way. He rolled his eyes and snorted as if to stifle a laugh. He spoke to me like this was just a game to him. “Well now young torch; I see you’ve come back out only to be sent back inside.” I snap at him and take a confident step forward. “Maybe. Maybe not.” “Why are you so upset torch? You’ve been given vast treasure, more than any dragon could ask for. I’m actually a little jealous.” He stretches his neck closer to me and twists like a cork screw. His eyes are now level with my own, my jaws even with his forehead. I growl threateningly as I reply. “I’m not in the mood. Get out of my way.” With almost supernatural speed he hops slightly and twists until his head it right side up again. “Dragon kind has been forbidden to interfere with this war. That included you. Don’t even think about trying to confuse me by saying that you’re ‘more pony than dragon’ just because you lived with them your entire life. You are staying here young torch. Just turn around and go back to your pile of joy so I can resume my nap.” I reach out and grab a solitary fang. I look him right in the eye and I give him a fair warning. “Listen good stranger. Every time we fight I learn more about you. I learn about your strengths and weaknesses. I get stronger while you stay the same. I heal faster and faster, possibly faster than you do. You may knock be out again today. You might do it tomorrow. I don’t bucking care.” I tug on the tooth and his face follows and hovers closer to my own. “One of these days, I will break you. I will get back to Twilight Sparkle’s side. I will help her defeat Blight.” I pull him a bit closer and I swear I can smell the hesitation born from fear on him. “I would rather die a slow painful death having gone out there and failed; than spend one more day in this damn cave not knowing if she’s alive. One of these days dragon I won’t fight to escape. I. Will. Fight. To. Kill. You.” I steel myself for another brawl. I prepare myself for what might be another painful defeat. I let go of the fang and the dragon pulls back. He stares at me for what feels like eternity and I step forward. I set forward again. I spread my wings and ascend a few feet into the air. The dragon must have decided that it didn’t want to risk it this time. It does nothing as I fly away. I remember Twilight’s scent; I have a direction. I watch as the young dragon leave. I don’t stop him partly because he sounded like he really meant it this time. Plus I can’t stand hurting him like this anymore. I close my hands together and let my magic envelop me briefly and my body recalls its true form. I pluck a now sore fang from my mouth and conjure a simple scroll and dictate a letter. Dear Twilight Sparkle, I am writing to inform you that I can no longer keep my promise to keep Spike safely away from the war that is starting to engulf the land. I feel that keeping him here against his will with no way of knowing how things are going are just hurting him more than anything Blight might do. He pays no mind to the treasure I’ve laid out for him and no matter how many times I re-arrange the maze he keeps coming out. Plus he’s really starting to scare me. Yeah, ME. Anyway he should be with you shortly, and soon I will also join Equestria’s ranks and spread some chaos among that monster’s army. So sorry, but I’m sure one day with counseling that you will one day learn to forgive me. Also please keep this business of breaking a pinkie promise to ourselves. As I write this I can almost feel Pinkie Pie’s accusing stare on me. Regards, Discord Discord 1My eyes adjust to the sunlight that just came uninvited into my bedroom. Or rather the room I fell asleep in anyway. With a yawn I lazily levitate to my feet and spawn a glass of pure pomegranate juice, then I promptly toss it into nothing in favor of something less tart and less healthy. In my now vacant hand I summon a glorious cupcake from a little shop back in Ponyville. I’m about to inhale it when a dull sensation overtakes my whimsical mind and I recall a promise I made to the first friend I ever made. I swore that I would be a generally good draconequus and that did include a clause against stealing. I send the treat back where it came from. It was literally fresh from a baking pan anyway. Seriously, right from the pan. I’m sure that a certain pink pony was wondering if it was offended by something she said or didn’t say or whatever she panics about when confectionary treats are concerned. Out of the abyss that in reality is actually a potted plant I call back the tart beverage. It’s not that I don’t like pomegranate; I just really wanted that cupcake. Oh well, there wasn’t any frosting on it yet anyhow. I drink the glass in one gulp and chew the remains while a guard tries his best to keep a straight face. Abruptly visiting Canterlot was going to be an amusing little vacation. My mind innocently drifts to wondering about what qualifies as acceptable mischief when abruptly white flash of light just eats everything. Just as fast as it appears it leaves and there is a parting gift in the hall. Princess Celestia in most of her glory stands before me and it’s obvious that my day just became full of tediousness. I should have taken an actual bedroom instead of just making myself at home on the floor. I make eye contact and start to take this meeting a bit more seriously, just a bit though. She doesn’t say anything. She just regards me with stone cold eyes and opens an oval shaped portal of several hues stolen from some poor rainbow’s copyright papers somewhere. I start marching through and start working my brain on establishing an alibi. The portal drops me off in a secluded area of the palace gardens; specifically in the heart of a maze built with rose bushes. Quite thorny ones I might add. In front of me is something that makes me forget all about my story about how I couldn’t have possible had anything to do with a certain cheesecake suddenly tasting like dirt with a splash of rope. A very well made statue of a spider is looking right at me. It stands quite tall, taller than some houses in town actually. It’s made of obsidian and the fangs and eyes are very well crafted. Heck even the tiny hairs on the legs are impressive. I can imagine the look on the poor pony who woke up to see that staring in their window and I’m intrigued. Is this a challenge to my own imagination? Did Rainbow Dash own up to her boasts of being a master prankster? I’m about to laugh as I again marvel at the leg detail when I see something…obscene. Lying in the well maintained grass under the statue’s abdomen are corpses. Four of them are changelings and the others are Unicorns. Their hind legs are decorated with small cuts and puncture wounds near the hooves, and they all have deep fresher cuts under their eyes that stretch to their mouths. The princess of the sun makes herself known by speaking to me with a restrained tone. “Discord. Do you know anything about this?” I fight the urge to give her quite the indignant verbal thrashing that compares to master trolling. I look back at her and re-establish eye contact. I fight with everything I have and a few thoughts about Fluttershy as I try to be as civil as possible. “I’ve done a great deal of things both alleged and proven that possibly merited me being trapped in stone on two occasions from certain perspectives; but not once have I ever killed anypony.” She believes me and it looks like she wants to apologize but isn’t sure what words she wants to use. I look back at the dead bodies. Their small frames just lay motionless in the grass which is being stained crimson by some blood flow from the wounds. I walk over to the closes one; a changeling. The poor creature looks like it had starved to death and all the wounds appear to have been made been made before she had passed on. That’s right. She died of starvation after being cut up by a very precise violent motion. Her eyes are open and I notice something wrong. Not that I’m saying that what I’ve seen so far is right but rather that I see something that makes this somehow worse. She was at peace when she expired. It just looked like she wanted this lingering death. Celestia says something and I ignore it. The other changelings have the same details. They all looked like willing participants in this macabre mystery. “The changelings…weren’t murdered.” The princes speaks and this time I actually hear her, and by that I mean I listened. “And the ponies?” I look over them and their bodies tell a different story. Their coats are matted in several places on their limbs with dried blood. There are dark bruises that look like they were tied down. Their eyes are full of pain. It’s like they are trying to ask me why they died since whoever did this didn’t seem to think they deserved an answer. Their bodies are just as thin and hard to look at. For some reason their bones are more noticeable through their cold figures. I try to keep my rage down as I answer the monarch. “They didn’t want this. They were tied down like animals.” I think I failed to keep my emotions under control. She places a lone hoof on my shoulder as if it was supposed to be a comforting gesture. “I needed to hear it from you Discord; that you had nothing to do with this.” Fluttershy keeps me from smacking the hoof away as I speak. “I. Never. Killed. Anypony. I turned their worlds and heads fifty flavors of upside down many times but I never took a life.” I look at the first changeling again and I start to offer some of my body’s water in a form of silent solidarity. I’m not crying. I don't care what she sees or says. “That changeling is pregnant. Well rather she was anyway…” Celestia takes her hoof back and approaches the bodies and just stares at them. I guess never in her thousand year reign she had to witness this degree of brutality. I’m sure that she has watched over a few conflicts or the occasional declaration of war but seeing her subjects killed and just left behind in her backyard was clearly a new experience. I break the silence with a question. “When did you find them here?” She doesn’t look back at me and it takes her some time to answer. “The giant spider was discovered in the middle of the city with the bodies hanging upside down from its legs by barbed wire.” “That explains the injuries on their ankles.” “My sister is probably taking this harder than myself. This…thing was set up right under her nose…she still won’t speak to anyone. She’s probably still awake.” I look at the spider again to take my mind off the victims. Whoever made this put a lot of work into the craftsmanship. From a distance you would think that it was carved from one single block of obsidian. You can barely tell where stone pieces have been fused together. “Well it wasn’t someone magically inclined who made this.” I didn’t realize that I had said it out loud. Princess Celestia turns back to me and before she says anything I go on. I have an idea of what she wants to ask anyway. “I have an eye for detail; there are a lot of small bits and pieces that go into organized chaos after all. If you look closely you can see where the pieces were put together. All the statues made by Unicorn magic were welded to appear as if it was from one large chunk. This was done by a pair or possibly even a quad of patient and more crafty hooves.” I walk around the strange monument and I pause at another oddity. Up the body just over one of its back legs is something that catches my eye and then the other eye. I see what looks like a Cutie Mark. I take my eyes out of my head and polish them on my chest like pieces of fruit and put them back in. The mark is still there. “Princess…I’m starting to think that somepony is quite upset with somepony.” The Cutie Mark on the black beast is three stars that appear to be scratched and cracked in several places. She sees what I’m looking at and without another word she’s gone in a flash of light. I start to wonder why she has a chariot in the first place if she can do that at will. I start to wonder how she keeps a figure without any real motivation to actually walk. I shake my head to clear the thoughts out and the symbols on the spider remind me of a certain lavender pony’s own mark. I’m about to further examine to corpses when the object of my last thought comes storming into the heart of the rose bush maze. She’s out of breath and I almost don’t recognize her without the young dragon at her side. If I hadn’t seen the bodies or had been indirectly accused to making them I might have made a wisecrack about child labor. She catches her breath and sparks conversation. “Discord. I know we’ve had our differences but I really need a favor.” I could mock her while bringing up the whole ‘reforming’ affair but I decide against it. This really isn’t the time for fun or games. I just nod and she goes on. “I need you to take Spike away. I…couldn’t live with myself he got hurt because…” I catch something in her voice and eyes. She knows something that I don’t. I keep that bit to myself and let her continue. “I can’t know where you take him. I need you to get him somewhere safe. I don’t care how or where. Just…please Discord. Spike will be safer if he’s far away from all this.” At this point I have to ask. What can I say? I’m curious by nature. “And why do you think that he’ll be safer if he’s far away from you?” She glances around as if to see if anypony is around to listen. She gets closer and her voice shrinks to a whisper. “I was visited…by somepony two nights ago. It was an earth pony who said its name was Blight. Well…I guess it could have been a ‘they’. Whenever it or they spoke there were two different voices. It was like I was talking to a mare and a stallion at the same time. Anyway…Blight said that they would ‘destroy everything that I love’. I know that that means Spike too. My closest friends are bearers of the Elements of Harmony but Spike…he’s still just a child…” She starts to get all teary eyed and I decide that it’s time to just get to the bullet point of the matter at hand. I place a paw and a claw on her shoulders and give her my answer. “I’ll do it. I’ll take Spike away somewhere where this Blight won’t easily find him and I’ll keep him there one way or another. That’s a promise.” She looks up at me again and I bend my body to make my face level with hers. “Twilight Sparkle. That’s a Pinkie Pie promise. Cupcake in my eye and the rest of the other stuff.” I’m satisfied with what Discord said. I give one last look at the bodies on the grass and turn away. A warm feeling in the tip of my horn tells me that the Princess is looking for me. I guess I shouldn’t keep her waiting. She probably wants me to tell her very detail about that creepy meeting in the archives the other night. I sniffle again and try to keep myself from crying. I don’t think I’ll be able to say goodbye to my number one assistant. I don’t know if I even could. I take a deep breath and walk onward. I’ll be strong for Spike. I’ll miss him terribly but he’ll be safer this way. I hope. Twilight 1I take a deep breath and prepare for the worst as I focus and light up the beginning of the cave. I’m relieved that Blight isn’t in front of me but at the same time it just means that he she or it or possibly even they are waiting in ambush deeper inside. I take another deep breath and take my first step into the opening. The area is lit up as if Celestia herself brought the sun inside and I can’t help but feel a little proud of myself for the spell’s success. Then again, I am Princess Celestia’s number one pupil and I could cast a simple light spell in my sleep. Actually it did happen one time. I got gently shaken awake by a kind of irate dragon around three in the morning around the time I first moved to Ponyville. I sigh to myself. Just a month ago I sent Discord to take Spike as far away as he could go to keep him safe from Blight’s threat, and now I can’t imagine going into this abyss without him. I look at my number one assistant as he steps in behind me. I’m guessing that Discord’s plan involved a lot of treasure since my baby dragon is now just over twelve feet high. Well… twelve foot one if you want to be more precise. I’m still impressed on how close his guess to his height was to be honest. His guess was only three inches above the reality. I take a brief moment to look at Spike again. He doesn’t look as ferocious as he did when he was overcome by his natural greed. Instead of an angry beast looking to expand his horde, I’m walking next to a gentle leviathan whose strength is in fire use rather than brute strength. I smile a bit more. He took after me even after all that time being poisoned by tempting treasures that I can’t imagine. Don’t get me wrong he has a lot of strength but it’s not what he considers his best asset. I agree. His heart is made of tougher stuff than I thought. I’m glad he’s here. I’m still mad at Discord for apparently attacking my Spike to subdue him and I’m still mad at him for just stepping aside after he promised me that he’d keep him safe. I shrug the thoughts out of my head as I venture onward. All the tools and mine carts are very well maintained. Somepony had done a lot of work down here. My mind starts to compile what Discord learned about the spider statue against what I know about the material. Obsidian is a brittle material so logically without magical enforcement the statue would not have come out so flawless being erected then given bodies to hang from some of the most delicate areas. Any kind of obsidian can be traced to its volcanic area of origin just like any other type of stone and thanks to Discord’s surprisingly good eye for details the trail led me to this old mine. Well it led me to the abandoned town outside of it. About two hundred years ago the town’s silver mine went dry and thanks to a sudden rising fad of using obsidian in jewelry they thought they would save the town by making their own. Sadly by the time they got a good process for magically making the new town’s export the market was already dominated by suppliers who had built strong reputations in the field. The marketing campaign that encouraged ponies to buy naturally occurring obsidian didn’t exactly help the town either. They had made a lot of high quality stone but nopony was interested in buying it from them. Eventually everypony moved and their obsidian making factory was left behind. Left behind for Blight to eventually find and use. I venture deeper into the mine with my faithful assistant at my side. Obsidian is formed when felsic lava is rapidly cooled, which would be a dangerous thing to manually accomplish so it makes sense that they kept the operations in the empty mine instead of the town. I start to think about another thing Discord said about the statue. Somepony made the statue with attention to detail that borders on obsessive. I didn’t notice the spots where pieces were sealed together at first or even right after they were pointed out to me. If the pony who made it wasn’t magically inclined then they logically needed one who was to put the completed statue in the heart of Canterlot. There just was no possible way one could build the spider and hang corpses from it with nopony noticing. “Hop in the cart.” I barely realize Spike even said anything. I just climb into the mine cart that I didn’t realize we had even walked towards. It doesn’t take a lot of effort for Spike to push it forward, which further proves that somepony has used this place recently. I start to think about the poor souls who were killed for the grotesque display. Four changelings and four unicorns. According to Discord the changelings had no signs of being forced to starve whereas the ponies were tied down savagely. I shudder as I recall him telling me that one of the changelings was caring a child at the time. Who willingly gives themselves to such a terrible fate? Who does that with a baby on the way? I drift my thoughts back to the victims again. All eight of them could use magic. Yeah…Blight really was going to make this all about me. I lean over the edge of the cart and vomit. Ponies and changelings suffered because of me. Blight has an army terrorizing random cities and towns because of me. Another round of my stomach’s contents come out and I realize that the cart had stopped. I’m crying at this point. Spike gently rubs my back and I just lean into him and lose it. He lightly holds me against him; obviously making an effort to mind his strength and my much smaller body. It’s strange actually. Hugging Spike just made me feel safer back when he was still just a baby dragon. Being this close now doesn’t make me feel all that better. With all his strength and my magic I’m not sure if we’re really capable of handling Blight. On the other hoof however, we’ve never actually tried yet. Now that I think about it, nopony reports even seeing Blight after one of the raids. It is possible that Blight is as fragile as … well… they look. I pull myself together and reluctantly break away from the embrace of my silent guardian. I also realize that the light from my horn went out. I also notice that there is light at the other end of the shaft. A bright glow consistent with what I’ve read about lava. I jump out of the cart and with some effort I try to sound brave. “The cart will make too much noise. We’d better carry on without it.” “Agreed. I defiantly smell someone.” I pause before I ask the inevitable question. “Blight?” Spike just nods. “It also smells like it’s not alone down there. There’s somepony else but I can’t quite place who. I feel like I should but I can’t. There’s also something…I don’t know…it’s like it smells explosive or something” “It’s OK Spike. We’ll find out.” “Ah reckon we will.” My mind stops as the third voice beings tones of conviction to the conversation. I turn and face one of my closest friends. Applejack somehow caught up with us and I have no idea how. I then realize that she’s not alone. With Fluttershy bringing up the rear the rest of our group comes forward behind Rarity who is casting a faint light of her own. I don’t want them anywhere near me but at the same time I’ve never been happier to see them. I suppress the urge to initiate a group hug and just smile at them. Part of me really wants to know how they got here but it will have to wait. The seven of us make our way to the source of light at the end of the tunnel. The path leads us to a vast open area. It was once a large vein of silver, but now it’s a large and impressive forge. There are so many large cauldrons full of magma and almost as many rectangular workstations for cooling and crafting the desired product. Everything is so well lit up with the bright glow of iron braziers that the lone figure coming forward stands out. They look like they did back in the archives. The sickly thin looking dark grey pony with the copper mane; the steady flow of blood from the corners of their blue eyes... that almost peaceful look their giving me… I’m looking right at the pony who’s responsible for all the recent chaos. I’ll admit that I didn’t exactly plan much for this. Aside from using offensive magic to defend myself and be ready to face a group there wasn’t a lot of planning. I kind of feel embarrassed at how unprepared I really am. I’m suddenly very grateful that Princess Celestia isn’t here to see this. The pony who startled me in the archives is clearly surprised to see us all here. The brief silence is broken by a pony with a stout heart. “Y’all got a lot to answer for.” The confident threat is followed by somepony every bit as brave and headstrong. “You’re in for a world of hurt! Pinkie Pie makes her presence pronounced just by confidently marching forward and planting herself next to spike. She just stares forward at the pony across the cavern. If looks could kill then the anorexic figure just caught an undocumented strain of something lingering and painful. “Did you honestly think that you would never have to answer for such barbaric actions?” Rarity picked up the chain again which I’m honestly grateful for. Pinkie was starting to scare me. “The sooner you turn yourself in; the sooner this will be over.” I’m relieved more to hear Fluttershy is still the same old Fluttershy. The offer of turning oneself in is a lot more merciful than what the rest of us have in mind, but she’s right. We may be able to kill Blight but it wouldn’t be the right thing to do. Even if they are a monster…or monsters. It’s still weird that Blight sounds like two ponies. Abruptly a weak voice from further back into the revived foundry calls out to us. It’s hard to make out but it’s definitely a call for help. Rainbow Dash takes flight and charges head on with Fluttershy following as close as she can manage and Blight just stands there. It just speaks to us in that two toned voice. “I’m impressed Twilight Sparkle and company. Then again you were taken under the sun monarch’s wing and nurtured instead of punished for what happened. You’ve grown into somepony clever, I’ll give you that.” Blight comes forward and Spike and Applejack plant themselves in front of me. I charge up my horn as the sick pony continues. “Unfortunately however I must decline participating in this confrontation. It’s too soon. You still have a lot to answer for Twilight. You have so much more to lose. For example…you have a sibling who’s’ done very well for himself, where as I only have my older sister’s voice and the image of her outline burned into a tree.” I pause for a moment. Blight’s manners are different. There’s some hint of spite in the two voices, and my mind seizes the new detail of Blight ever having a sibling. I also snap to attention as it registers that Blight just suggested ill intent for my B. B. B. F. F. Shining Armor. Blight abruptly darts to their right towards a cauldron. I send a blast of magical energy into the destined object of cover while Spike and Applejack rush to prevent Blight’s escape. I suddenly realize that blasting the large metal pot was a miscalculation. I recall Spike’s warning about something explosive a bit too late. It detonates into a violent flare of bright pink hues and the harsh scent of burning sulfur penetrates the chamber. The intense light dies down and we are greeted by a thick cloud of ash that had taken up about a third of the room. I growl at the realization that I just helped them get away. In the brief moments of distorted visibility Blight had disappeared. I’m brought back to reality when a hoof is placed on my shoulder and its owner speaks calmly. “Now Twilight; it can’t be helped now. Blight’s gone, but there’s still somepony trapped in here under these horrid conditions.” I nod my head in response to Rarity’s wisdom. We all dart to the back of the chamber and reach the two pegasi who went ahead. Fluttershy is tenderly supporting a quivering figure who is weakly talking. “Please…I didn’t want to help…that monster…I just want to go anywhere but here…All I did was move giant spiders I swear…don’t hurt me…please don’t…I can’t…” The prisoner is a unicorn chained to a workstation by her back right hoof. She’s weak and thin and sounds like she hasn’t had any water in a long time. It crosses my mind to wonder if Blight ever pretended that that was me in her position. The scared pony cowers into Fluttershy with a squeak and starts trembling more as Spike uses a narrow flame from his mouth to cut the shackle off her bruised ankle. Oh sweet Celestia…I barely recognize poor Trixie… I silently creep out from my hiding place behind one of the cauldrons. Their all too concerned with the welfare of that unicorn to consider the possibility that I’m still here, and I intend to make the most of the misconception. I had hoped for some more rest but my hoof’s been forced. I’ll make my way to my camp beyond the town and press forward. It burned me with so much fire to have looked into that damn unicorns eyes. She takes away everything I love from me and becomes Celestia’s protégé while my cursed form presses forward in constant agony. It makes me think of how much I’ll enjoy it when I take her family away. I smile to myself as I leave the chamber. I’m getting under their skin with a few acts of brutality and I’ve only just begun. Blight 1I stretch over the table on my front and take a few deep breaths. A Changeling comes into my cone of vision and with simple deliberate motions he places a length of wood in my mouth. My breathing becomes more focused as he moves behind me. I focus on what I came here for and how farther I need to go. I think about the pain I’m in. I think about the rocks I landed on after I was expelled from Canterlot. I bite down on the piece of wood and refuse to scream. A familiar pain hits my lower back near the spine. A large syringe presses deeper into my body sending a shockwave of agony through my small frame. Powerful drugs are pumped into my body and for a brief moment it feels like I’m on fire. To my credit I don’t scream anymore. It’s been several treatments since I yelled out; and for the first two I had to be restrained. I think about my goal as the pain gets worse. The large needle is leaving my back as slowly as it had entered. I didn’t even realize that I had shed a few tears in my agony. I lay there still for a while and let the wooden bit hit the floor. The Changeling leaves without a word; or perhaps I didn’t hear him. I remain still as the pain starts to subside. I change my body to resemble an Earth Pony just to prove to myself that I still can. It takes a toll on my body to retain a Pony’s form. One of the side effects of straining myself is that I start to bleed from behind my eyes; and it comes out the only way it can. My body just isn’t built for magic. I groan as I get off the table and pace around it. I compile my more recent thoughts to take my mind off the slowly numbing pain. I have the first of two spider statues done; I’m quite proud of the detail. Pop was a carpenter by trade and Mom was an artist. I wanted to entertain my people with magic but my condition prevented me from using any real power. So I improvised. Go to a magic show. See some illusions. Watch as the trickster performs feats of wonder. I used to envy magicians in my youth until I learned what it was all about. Showmanship. I learned how to act, how to misdirect, deceive and outright lie to a crowd and perform ‘magic’ with no sparks of power. Ever see a teleportation spell? I’ve got something similar. I have two doors set up on the stage and open one. I stand in the blind spot created by the visual obstacle and a trapdoor drops me into a crawlspace under the floor. On the other side is a lever system that opens the other door and in the second blind spot I ascend through another trap door. I step out disoriented as if something went wrong with the ‘spell’ and skepticism from the crowd becomes relief that I’m OK. Ever see sparks fly out of someone’s hooves? I can do that too. I wrap my hooves in a durable burn resistant material and coat them with flammable powders and put an abrasive surface on the bottoms of them. I strike them together like a match against its box and point them away from my face and colored sparks fly like a small fireworks display. The material is reduced to a layer of fine ash which I just dust off. Ever watch a magician make their assistant disappear? That’s an easy one. A pressure sensitive smoke bomb hits the floor and the assistant quickly darts straight backwards through the wall behind me; specifically through a set of boards that double as a door triggered by a pressure plate. Ever watch a giant obsidian spider appear out of nowhere with starved corpses hanging from it? That reminds me. A lone Unicorn actually saw through my Earth Pony disguise. I can use her to move the completed statues to their destinations. I had methods for moving them in mind but this would drastically minimize being intercepted. The pain in my back subsides and I’m not taking any more labored breaths. I think about my parents again. I miss them dearly. We were hiding in Canterlot living under the radar. We never hurt anypony in our lives. Ponies were so infatuated with their projects that we actually were fed by it. You’d never guess that we weren’t really like them. Of course we didn’t stay there as long as my parents would have wanted. The three of us had gone out to breakfast to celebrate my Dad getting a real important job for the palace. We got to see some real important parts of the city that day. We even stopped to look at one of the more impressive schools. I feel a degree of rage rising over me as my mind keeps going. A stray bolt of magic jolts out from a window of the school and nails us. We were teleported far away from Canterlot; I’m not really sure where to be honest. I woke up and my Dad wasn’t moving. My Mom was banged up too. I got off lucky. Next thing I know I swear that I can see in the face of the Princess Celestia in the sun. I thought we were going to get rescued and brought back. I was wrong. If he had kept our Pony disguises maybe it would have been different. Instead my Mom and I were found by our own kind a day later. They took care of us until she died and watched over me up until I could fend for myself. I started wondering why my parents even left the Changelings in the first place. I sigh as I start towards the exit of the room. When I heard that we were going to invade Canterlot I dropped my career and enlisted. I was one of the first Changelings in the streets once the barrier fell. I took canon fire at point blank range and I don’t know where the heck it even came from! I guess that blow weakened my back a great deal and landing on that rock didn’t help me either. The pain fully subsides and I exit the room. The building had been long forgotten along with the rest of the town. With the exception of that Unicorn not a single soul seemed to remember the place existed. I see a few Changelings adapting to their Pony disguises. I’m only going to have about half of them wearing the masks of Ponykind. I want this to look like a rebellion with Changeling allies rather than round two of the invasion. My Queen is counting on me. At least I tell myself that. Her injuries didn’t leave her in any position to give orders, so I put on my best ‘Alpha’ act and assumed command. I had years learning to emulate an aura of command and the high captains were banged up a lot worse than me. I sent the most wounded home and kept the healthy and plotted since. This war would be finished the only way I knew how to really fight. Showmanship. I enter the abandoned mine the previous inhabitants had turned into a good sized manufacturing plant. Learning about the bearers of the Elements of Harmony was easy. Their seen as heroes; it would be hard to find a pony who didn’t know who they were. I singled out Twilight Sparkle because she’s somewhat seen as their leader. Plus I still Hate her for what she did to my family. My father died. My mother lingered for awhile after that. The aftereffect of the freak spell weakened my shape shifting abilities. She took away our home… And she’s…a bucking hero… I’ll give the statue a distorted reproduction of her cutie mark and hang Unicorns from its body. I’ll hang a few ‘volunteers’ from my division to make me look like more of a monster. I’ll visit her in Canterlot next time I hear that she’s there and give her a little teaser trailer of what’s to come. I reach the part of the old mine where I keep the statues. I guess I got my knack for fine details from my parents. They almost look like they might be real. One of them is for Canterlot and the other is for Cloudsdale. The Canterlot one is done except for the broken cutie mark. The Cloudsdale one is different. This one has more obvious fangs and its body is positioned as if it is about to start spinning a web. It’s also built to hold just one body from its underside rather than eight from the leg joints. I prop a ladder against the back of the Canterlot spider and start to carve the new adjustment when a Changeling enters the chamber. I look down at him and he speaks plainly. “We’ve met the quota. Four Unicorns are now in custody.” I smile to myself and promptly reply. “I’ll see to them shortly.” The Changeling turns to leave and I get back to work. The Unicorns will send quite the message to Equestria soon. A thought comes to my mind and I address the soldier. “The Changeling bodies?” “Still in good condition. We have at least four months before the enchantments fade.” I nod and get back to carving. A few Changelings who didn’t survive the fall I’ve kept preserved. Part of me does feel a bit remorseful for desecrating the bodies of my fallen brothers and sisters but it doesn’t last. I have a war to finish. This is going to be my greatest performance. She is going to pay.
Spike 1Characters of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic are property of their respected owners. - The pain in my back lets me know that I’m alive. I smile to myself as I stretch and with an abrupt snort I light up the room for a brief moment. I had less than a second to see my surroundings and it was all the time I needed. In front of me is a massive horde of gold, gems and other treasures that would turn any dragon into a feral beast. I’m much stronger than that. I get to my feet and with one breath I exhale flames and sweep the room. Torches are lit and the familiar room greets me. In front of me is a horde that makes the assumed fortune of Princess Celestia look like lunch money. Behind me is a tunnel that leads to a small network of passageways that was once a copper mine. Beyond that is the dragon who keeps me prisoner here. I stretch my wings and glance at a section of wall near the exit from this well of temptation. I made deep scratches there and I add another. Eight times I have woken up in this room. Eight times I tried to leave. Eight times I was bested by the dragon at the end. I start to walk towards the pile of wealth and to be honest it kind of looks obscene. Part of me wants to climb it and take a season long nap; the rest of me wants to leave. I guess I’m more pony than dragon. I stop at the edge of the pile and start carefully digging through the bits with my claws until I uncover a large brass hourglass. The tarnished frame is unimpressive and draws attention from the true value of this time keeping piece: the diamond dust steadily cascading into the bottom half. I’m reminded of a dragon I met who liked to snort this stuff. That’s just wrong. I pick up the device and carefully inspect the bottom half. I had been unconscious for just over one day. I reach for a large golden bowl decorated by sapphire earth ponies around the base. I take a deep breath and whistle a low pitch. The narrow opening my mouth makes provided a narrow precise flame which I use to carefully cut into the base hourglass. With equal care I remove a small disk from the device and gently empty the diamond dust from the less full half. When that’s done I put the brass disc back and with the same whistling technique I weld the device shut. Next I place the hourglass back down and repeat the cutting process on the top. I smile and realize that I almost skipped a step. I’m glad Twilight wasn’t here to see that. I reach into the pile and find a heavy robe that looks like it came right from Rarity’s designs. I resume my surgical pace and empty the bowl onto the center of the garment. I lose some dust in this process but I would lose a lot more is I cut corners; and I would lose time if I just waited for the simple clock to reset itself. I carefully fold the robe on itself and funnel the dust into the top. After I seal it shut I flip the device over. A day of waiting was just replaced by half an hour of logical application of my skills. I wish Twilight had been here to see it. I stretch my wings and stand to my full height; about twelve foot four. I stretch my arms and take the time to admire my claws. My body isn’t as sore as it was when I woke up in this prison. Every time I try to escape and fail I keep waking up stronger. I’m not a full grown dragon, but my might speaks for itself. It takes an adult dragon to keep me caged. I look at the pile of useless trinkets and money that I could never spend in a lifetime, no matter how long it would be. I look at the gems that anypony would trade their very hooves for and all I see is food. Part of me wants to stay with this worthless pile. The rest of me is focused on what’s waiting for me outside. I have stayed by Twilight’s side my entire life. Even when she was still a foal and myself a hatchling I’ve helped her with her endless studies. Through her triumphs and free falls I have been nearby without wavering. When Blight came… I ball my hands into fists. A dark grey earth pony with a copper mane came to Canterlot. Its deep blue eyes drew your attention from the anorexic looking frame. The steady flow of bloody tears from its eyes drew your gaze from the frail looking body. I use the term ‘it’ because I’m not sure it it’s a colt or a mare. Whenever it speaks you distinctly hear two voices coming from opposite genders. It just walked calmly into the part of the grand Canterlot Archives where we were and it apologized for coming unannounced into a restricted area and for interrupting. Once it had out attention it said that it would destroy everything that we loved. It ignored what Twilight said after its claim and just left. Two days after that we found something disturbing; or rather the citizens of Canterlot found it. A great statue of a spider stood in the center of the city. It appeared to be made of obsidian and it was clear that a lot of careful attention was spent on crafting the body. The ting was as tall as some of the houses. Everypony thought it was real until it was noticed that it was just standing there. What was really unsettling was what was hanging from the top of its legs. From just where a leg connects to the body hung a length of barbed wire. Down two feet on each segment of wire was a corpse being hung by the hind legs. Four Unicorns and four Changelings were hanging lifeless. They appeared starved and had deep fresh cuts under their eyes that stretched to toward their mouths, the wounds were still dripping blood onto the stone street. The strangest detail was that the bodies did not cast any shadow until they were removed from the statue. That afternoon Princess Celestia received a letter saying ‘the age of Equestria is ending’. I don’t even know where the Changelings came from. I had no idea that any were even in Canterlot. Shortly after that the creature calling itself Blight had raised a small army of changelings and ponies. I stop thinking about the beginning of this hell. I turn over the hourglass and bury it in the pile of glorified rust. I can’t help anypony if I’m here in this damned cave. Twilight needs me. My sister needs me. My mother needs me. All our friends need me. I pause to look at the scratches I’ve made on the wall. This will be my ninth attempt since I’ve been trapped here. The last time Twilight saw me I was still practically a hatchling. This horde may have been meant to turn me into a feral beast; but my heart stayed the same. I raise my hand and bring my claws down until I have half a fist. With a sharp breath I put a bright ball of fire in my hand. The dancing contained flame gives me illumination for my walk. I’m familiar with the tunnels of this empty mine and wonder how many generations of ponies worked to move so much metal and stone. I wonder how much labor it took to put that great pile of rubbish in the deepest part of this forgotten place. I make my way through the maze of pathways and snort faintly. I had forgotten that the tunnels shifted every time. I smile to myself. The tunnels can move but the deep cuts I put into the rock stay the same; telling me that the mine is never truly different. It never gets bigger or smaller, and the soft flow of air that teases the fire in my hand gives me a compass that hasn’t failed me yet. Twilight would be proud. My journey takes me to the mouth of the cave and as always it is barred. Beyond the exit is a large open area that is home to a full grown dragon. I close my claws and snuff the fire out as I approach the portal to the outside. My eyes adjust to sunlight and the large brown scaled leviathan open’s his eyes. He slowly inched his abnormally long neck towards me and smiled in a mocking way. He rolled his eyes and snorted as if to stifle a laugh. He spoke to me like this was just a game to him. “Well now young torch; I see you’ve come back out only to be sent back inside.” I snap at him and take a confident step forward. “Maybe. Maybe not.” “Why are you so upset torch? You’ve been given vast treasure, more than any dragon could ask for. I’m actually a little jealous.” He stretches his neck closer to me and twists like a cork screw. His eyes are now level with my own, my jaws even with his forehead. I growl threateningly as I reply. “I’m not in the mood. Get out of my way.” With almost supernatural speed he hops slightly and twists until his head it right side up again. “Dragon kind has been forbidden to interfere with this war. That included you. Don’t even think about trying to confuse me by saying that you’re ‘more pony than dragon’ just because you lived with them your entire life. You are staying here young torch. Just turn around and go back to your pile of joy so I can resume my nap.” I reach out and grab a solitary fang. I look him right in the eye and I give him a fair warning. “Listen good stranger. Every time we fight I learn more about you. I learn about your strengths and weaknesses. I get stronger while you stay the same. I heal faster and faster, possibly faster than you do. You may knock be out again today. You might do it tomorrow. I don’t bucking care.” I tug on the tooth and his face follows and hovers closer to my own. “One of these days, I will break you. I will get back to Twilight Sparkle’s side. I will help her defeat Blight.” I pull him a bit closer and I swear I can smell the hesitation born from fear on him. “I would rather die a slow painful death having gone out there and failed; than spend one more day in this damn cave not knowing if she’s alive. One of these days dragon I won’t fight to escape. I. Will. Fight. To. Kill. You.” I steel myself for another brawl. I prepare myself for what might be another painful defeat. I let go of the fang and the dragon pulls back. He stares at me for what feels like eternity and I step forward. I set forward again. I spread my wings and ascend a few feet into the air. The dragon must have decided that it didn’t want to risk it this time. It does nothing as I fly away. I remember Twilight’s scent; I have a direction. I watch as the young dragon leave. I don’t stop him partly because he sounded like he really meant it this time. Plus I can’t stand hurting him like this anymore. I close my hands together and let my magic envelop me briefly and my body recalls its true form. I pluck a now sore fang from my mouth and conjure a simple scroll and dictate a letter. Dear Twilight Sparkle, I am writing to inform you that I can no longer keep my promise to keep Spike safely away from the war that is starting to engulf the land. I feel that keeping him here against his will with no way of knowing how things are going are just hurting him more than anything Blight might do. He pays no mind to the treasure I’ve laid out for him and no matter how many times I re-arrange the maze he keeps coming out. Plus he’s really starting to scare me. Yeah, ME. Anyway he should be with you shortly, and soon I will also join Equestria’s ranks and spread some chaos among that monster’s army. So sorry, but I’m sure one day with counseling that you will one day learn to forgive me. Also please keep this business of breaking a pinkie promise to ourselves. As I write this I can almost feel Pinkie Pie’s accusing stare on me. Regards, Discord
Discord 1My eyes adjust to the sunlight that just came uninvited into my bedroom. Or rather the room I fell asleep in anyway. With a yawn I lazily levitate to my feet and spawn a glass of pure pomegranate juice, then I promptly toss it into nothing in favor of something less tart and less healthy. In my now vacant hand I summon a glorious cupcake from a little shop back in Ponyville. I’m about to inhale it when a dull sensation overtakes my whimsical mind and I recall a promise I made to the first friend I ever made. I swore that I would be a generally good draconequus and that did include a clause against stealing. I send the treat back where it came from. It was literally fresh from a baking pan anyway. Seriously, right from the pan. I’m sure that a certain pink pony was wondering if it was offended by something she said or didn’t say or whatever she panics about when confectionary treats are concerned. Out of the abyss that in reality is actually a potted plant I call back the tart beverage. It’s not that I don’t like pomegranate; I just really wanted that cupcake. Oh well, there wasn’t any frosting on it yet anyhow. I drink the glass in one gulp and chew the remains while a guard tries his best to keep a straight face. Abruptly visiting Canterlot was going to be an amusing little vacation. My mind innocently drifts to wondering about what qualifies as acceptable mischief when abruptly white flash of light just eats everything. Just as fast as it appears it leaves and there is a parting gift in the hall. Princess Celestia in most of her glory stands before me and it’s obvious that my day just became full of tediousness. I should have taken an actual bedroom instead of just making myself at home on the floor. I make eye contact and start to take this meeting a bit more seriously, just a bit though. She doesn’t say anything. She just regards me with stone cold eyes and opens an oval shaped portal of several hues stolen from some poor rainbow’s copyright papers somewhere. I start marching through and start working my brain on establishing an alibi. The portal drops me off in a secluded area of the palace gardens; specifically in the heart of a maze built with rose bushes. Quite thorny ones I might add. In front of me is something that makes me forget all about my story about how I couldn’t have possible had anything to do with a certain cheesecake suddenly tasting like dirt with a splash of rope. A very well made statue of a spider is looking right at me. It stands quite tall, taller than some houses in town actually. It’s made of obsidian and the fangs and eyes are very well crafted. Heck even the tiny hairs on the legs are impressive. I can imagine the look on the poor pony who woke up to see that staring in their window and I’m intrigued. Is this a challenge to my own imagination? Did Rainbow Dash own up to her boasts of being a master prankster? I’m about to laugh as I again marvel at the leg detail when I see something…obscene. Lying in the well maintained grass under the statue’s abdomen are corpses. Four of them are changelings and the others are Unicorns. Their hind legs are decorated with small cuts and puncture wounds near the hooves, and they all have deep fresher cuts under their eyes that stretch to their mouths. The princess of the sun makes herself known by speaking to me with a restrained tone. “Discord. Do you know anything about this?” I fight the urge to give her quite the indignant verbal thrashing that compares to master trolling. I look back at her and re-establish eye contact. I fight with everything I have and a few thoughts about Fluttershy as I try to be as civil as possible. “I’ve done a great deal of things both alleged and proven that possibly merited me being trapped in stone on two occasions from certain perspectives; but not once have I ever killed anypony.” She believes me and it looks like she wants to apologize but isn’t sure what words she wants to use. I look back at the dead bodies. Their small frames just lay motionless in the grass which is being stained crimson by some blood flow from the wounds. I walk over to the closes one; a changeling. The poor creature looks like it had starved to death and all the wounds appear to have been made been made before she had passed on. That’s right. She died of starvation after being cut up by a very precise violent motion. Her eyes are open and I notice something wrong. Not that I’m saying that what I’ve seen so far is right but rather that I see something that makes this somehow worse. She was at peace when she expired. It just looked like she wanted this lingering death. Celestia says something and I ignore it. The other changelings have the same details. They all looked like willing participants in this macabre mystery. “The changelings…weren’t murdered.” The princes speaks and this time I actually hear her, and by that I mean I listened. “And the ponies?” I look over them and their bodies tell a different story. Their coats are matted in several places on their limbs with dried blood. There are dark bruises that look like they were tied down. Their eyes are full of pain. It’s like they are trying to ask me why they died since whoever did this didn’t seem to think they deserved an answer. Their bodies are just as thin and hard to look at. For some reason their bones are more noticeable through their cold figures. I try to keep my rage down as I answer the monarch. “They didn’t want this. They were tied down like animals.” I think I failed to keep my emotions under control. She places a lone hoof on my shoulder as if it was supposed to be a comforting gesture. “I needed to hear it from you Discord; that you had nothing to do with this.” Fluttershy keeps me from smacking the hoof away as I speak. “I. Never. Killed. Anypony. I turned their worlds and heads fifty flavors of upside down many times but I never took a life.” I look at the first changeling again and I start to offer some of my body’s water in a form of silent solidarity. I’m not crying. I don't care what she sees or says. “That changeling is pregnant. Well rather she was anyway…” Celestia takes her hoof back and approaches the bodies and just stares at them. I guess never in her thousand year reign she had to witness this degree of brutality. I’m sure that she has watched over a few conflicts or the occasional declaration of war but seeing her subjects killed and just left behind in her backyard was clearly a new experience. I break the silence with a question. “When did you find them here?” She doesn’t look back at me and it takes her some time to answer. “The giant spider was discovered in the middle of the city with the bodies hanging upside down from its legs by barbed wire.” “That explains the injuries on their ankles.” “My sister is probably taking this harder than myself. This…thing was set up right under her nose…she still won’t speak to anyone. She’s probably still awake.” I look at the spider again to take my mind off the victims. Whoever made this put a lot of work into the craftsmanship. From a distance you would think that it was carved from one single block of obsidian. You can barely tell where stone pieces have been fused together. “Well it wasn’t someone magically inclined who made this.” I didn’t realize that I had said it out loud. Princess Celestia turns back to me and before she says anything I go on. I have an idea of what she wants to ask anyway. “I have an eye for detail; there are a lot of small bits and pieces that go into organized chaos after all. If you look closely you can see where the pieces were put together. All the statues made by Unicorn magic were welded to appear as if it was from one large chunk. This was done by a pair or possibly even a quad of patient and more crafty hooves.” I walk around the strange monument and I pause at another oddity. Up the body just over one of its back legs is something that catches my eye and then the other eye. I see what looks like a Cutie Mark. I take my eyes out of my head and polish them on my chest like pieces of fruit and put them back in. The mark is still there. “Princess…I’m starting to think that somepony is quite upset with somepony.” The Cutie Mark on the black beast is three stars that appear to be scratched and cracked in several places. She sees what I’m looking at and without another word she’s gone in a flash of light. I start to wonder why she has a chariot in the first place if she can do that at will. I start to wonder how she keeps a figure without any real motivation to actually walk. I shake my head to clear the thoughts out and the symbols on the spider remind me of a certain lavender pony’s own mark. I’m about to further examine to corpses when the object of my last thought comes storming into the heart of the rose bush maze. She’s out of breath and I almost don’t recognize her without the young dragon at her side. If I hadn’t seen the bodies or had been indirectly accused to making them I might have made a wisecrack about child labor. She catches her breath and sparks conversation. “Discord. I know we’ve had our differences but I really need a favor.” I could mock her while bringing up the whole ‘reforming’ affair but I decide against it. This really isn’t the time for fun or games. I just nod and she goes on. “I need you to take Spike away. I…couldn’t live with myself he got hurt because…” I catch something in her voice and eyes. She knows something that I don’t. I keep that bit to myself and let her continue. “I can’t know where you take him. I need you to get him somewhere safe. I don’t care how or where. Just…please Discord. Spike will be safer if he’s far away from all this.” At this point I have to ask. What can I say? I’m curious by nature. “And why do you think that he’ll be safer if he’s far away from you?” She glances around as if to see if anypony is around to listen. She gets closer and her voice shrinks to a whisper. “I was visited…by somepony two nights ago. It was an earth pony who said its name was Blight. Well…I guess it could have been a ‘they’. Whenever it or they spoke there were two different voices. It was like I was talking to a mare and a stallion at the same time. Anyway…Blight said that they would ‘destroy everything that I love’. I know that that means Spike too. My closest friends are bearers of the Elements of Harmony but Spike…he’s still just a child…” She starts to get all teary eyed and I decide that it’s time to just get to the bullet point of the matter at hand. I place a paw and a claw on her shoulders and give her my answer. “I’ll do it. I’ll take Spike away somewhere where this Blight won’t easily find him and I’ll keep him there one way or another. That’s a promise.” She looks up at me again and I bend my body to make my face level with hers. “Twilight Sparkle. That’s a Pinkie Pie promise. Cupcake in my eye and the rest of the other stuff.” I’m satisfied with what Discord said. I give one last look at the bodies on the grass and turn away. A warm feeling in the tip of my horn tells me that the Princess is looking for me. I guess I shouldn’t keep her waiting. She probably wants me to tell her very detail about that creepy meeting in the archives the other night. I sniffle again and try to keep myself from crying. I don’t think I’ll be able to say goodbye to my number one assistant. I don’t know if I even could. I take a deep breath and walk onward. I’ll be strong for Spike. I’ll miss him terribly but he’ll be safer this way. I hope.
Twilight 1I take a deep breath and prepare for the worst as I focus and light up the beginning of the cave. I’m relieved that Blight isn’t in front of me but at the same time it just means that he she or it or possibly even they are waiting in ambush deeper inside. I take another deep breath and take my first step into the opening. The area is lit up as if Celestia herself brought the sun inside and I can’t help but feel a little proud of myself for the spell’s success. Then again, I am Princess Celestia’s number one pupil and I could cast a simple light spell in my sleep. Actually it did happen one time. I got gently shaken awake by a kind of irate dragon around three in the morning around the time I first moved to Ponyville. I sigh to myself. Just a month ago I sent Discord to take Spike as far away as he could go to keep him safe from Blight’s threat, and now I can’t imagine going into this abyss without him. I look at my number one assistant as he steps in behind me. I’m guessing that Discord’s plan involved a lot of treasure since my baby dragon is now just over twelve feet high. Well… twelve foot one if you want to be more precise. I’m still impressed on how close his guess to his height was to be honest. His guess was only three inches above the reality. I take a brief moment to look at Spike again. He doesn’t look as ferocious as he did when he was overcome by his natural greed. Instead of an angry beast looking to expand his horde, I’m walking next to a gentle leviathan whose strength is in fire use rather than brute strength. I smile a bit more. He took after me even after all that time being poisoned by tempting treasures that I can’t imagine. Don’t get me wrong he has a lot of strength but it’s not what he considers his best asset. I agree. His heart is made of tougher stuff than I thought. I’m glad he’s here. I’m still mad at Discord for apparently attacking my Spike to subdue him and I’m still mad at him for just stepping aside after he promised me that he’d keep him safe. I shrug the thoughts out of my head as I venture onward. All the tools and mine carts are very well maintained. Somepony had done a lot of work down here. My mind starts to compile what Discord learned about the spider statue against what I know about the material. Obsidian is a brittle material so logically without magical enforcement the statue would not have come out so flawless being erected then given bodies to hang from some of the most delicate areas. Any kind of obsidian can be traced to its volcanic area of origin just like any other type of stone and thanks to Discord’s surprisingly good eye for details the trail led me to this old mine. Well it led me to the abandoned town outside of it. About two hundred years ago the town’s silver mine went dry and thanks to a sudden rising fad of using obsidian in jewelry they thought they would save the town by making their own. Sadly by the time they got a good process for magically making the new town’s export the market was already dominated by suppliers who had built strong reputations in the field. The marketing campaign that encouraged ponies to buy naturally occurring obsidian didn’t exactly help the town either. They had made a lot of high quality stone but nopony was interested in buying it from them. Eventually everypony moved and their obsidian making factory was left behind. Left behind for Blight to eventually find and use. I venture deeper into the mine with my faithful assistant at my side. Obsidian is formed when felsic lava is rapidly cooled, which would be a dangerous thing to manually accomplish so it makes sense that they kept the operations in the empty mine instead of the town. I start to think about another thing Discord said about the statue. Somepony made the statue with attention to detail that borders on obsessive. I didn’t notice the spots where pieces were sealed together at first or even right after they were pointed out to me. If the pony who made it wasn’t magically inclined then they logically needed one who was to put the completed statue in the heart of Canterlot. There just was no possible way one could build the spider and hang corpses from it with nopony noticing. “Hop in the cart.” I barely realize Spike even said anything. I just climb into the mine cart that I didn’t realize we had even walked towards. It doesn’t take a lot of effort for Spike to push it forward, which further proves that somepony has used this place recently. I start to think about the poor souls who were killed for the grotesque display. Four changelings and four unicorns. According to Discord the changelings had no signs of being forced to starve whereas the ponies were tied down savagely. I shudder as I recall him telling me that one of the changelings was caring a child at the time. Who willingly gives themselves to such a terrible fate? Who does that with a baby on the way? I drift my thoughts back to the victims again. All eight of them could use magic. Yeah…Blight really was going to make this all about me. I lean over the edge of the cart and vomit. Ponies and changelings suffered because of me. Blight has an army terrorizing random cities and towns because of me. Another round of my stomach’s contents come out and I realize that the cart had stopped. I’m crying at this point. Spike gently rubs my back and I just lean into him and lose it. He lightly holds me against him; obviously making an effort to mind his strength and my much smaller body. It’s strange actually. Hugging Spike just made me feel safer back when he was still just a baby dragon. Being this close now doesn’t make me feel all that better. With all his strength and my magic I’m not sure if we’re really capable of handling Blight. On the other hoof however, we’ve never actually tried yet. Now that I think about it, nopony reports even seeing Blight after one of the raids. It is possible that Blight is as fragile as … well… they look. I pull myself together and reluctantly break away from the embrace of my silent guardian. I also realize that the light from my horn went out. I also notice that there is light at the other end of the shaft. A bright glow consistent with what I’ve read about lava. I jump out of the cart and with some effort I try to sound brave. “The cart will make too much noise. We’d better carry on without it.” “Agreed. I defiantly smell someone.” I pause before I ask the inevitable question. “Blight?” Spike just nods. “It also smells like it’s not alone down there. There’s somepony else but I can’t quite place who. I feel like I should but I can’t. There’s also something…I don’t know…it’s like it smells explosive or something” “It’s OK Spike. We’ll find out.” “Ah reckon we will.” My mind stops as the third voice beings tones of conviction to the conversation. I turn and face one of my closest friends. Applejack somehow caught up with us and I have no idea how. I then realize that she’s not alone. With Fluttershy bringing up the rear the rest of our group comes forward behind Rarity who is casting a faint light of her own. I don’t want them anywhere near me but at the same time I’ve never been happier to see them. I suppress the urge to initiate a group hug and just smile at them. Part of me really wants to know how they got here but it will have to wait. The seven of us make our way to the source of light at the end of the tunnel. The path leads us to a vast open area. It was once a large vein of silver, but now it’s a large and impressive forge. There are so many large cauldrons full of magma and almost as many rectangular workstations for cooling and crafting the desired product. Everything is so well lit up with the bright glow of iron braziers that the lone figure coming forward stands out. They look like they did back in the archives. The sickly thin looking dark grey pony with the copper mane; the steady flow of blood from the corners of their blue eyes... that almost peaceful look their giving me… I’m looking right at the pony who’s responsible for all the recent chaos. I’ll admit that I didn’t exactly plan much for this. Aside from using offensive magic to defend myself and be ready to face a group there wasn’t a lot of planning. I kind of feel embarrassed at how unprepared I really am. I’m suddenly very grateful that Princess Celestia isn’t here to see this. The pony who startled me in the archives is clearly surprised to see us all here. The brief silence is broken by a pony with a stout heart. “Y’all got a lot to answer for.” The confident threat is followed by somepony every bit as brave and headstrong. “You’re in for a world of hurt! Pinkie Pie makes her presence pronounced just by confidently marching forward and planting herself next to spike. She just stares forward at the pony across the cavern. If looks could kill then the anorexic figure just caught an undocumented strain of something lingering and painful. “Did you honestly think that you would never have to answer for such barbaric actions?” Rarity picked up the chain again which I’m honestly grateful for. Pinkie was starting to scare me. “The sooner you turn yourself in; the sooner this will be over.” I’m relieved more to hear Fluttershy is still the same old Fluttershy. The offer of turning oneself in is a lot more merciful than what the rest of us have in mind, but she’s right. We may be able to kill Blight but it wouldn’t be the right thing to do. Even if they are a monster…or monsters. It’s still weird that Blight sounds like two ponies. Abruptly a weak voice from further back into the revived foundry calls out to us. It’s hard to make out but it’s definitely a call for help. Rainbow Dash takes flight and charges head on with Fluttershy following as close as she can manage and Blight just stands there. It just speaks to us in that two toned voice. “I’m impressed Twilight Sparkle and company. Then again you were taken under the sun monarch’s wing and nurtured instead of punished for what happened. You’ve grown into somepony clever, I’ll give you that.” Blight comes forward and Spike and Applejack plant themselves in front of me. I charge up my horn as the sick pony continues. “Unfortunately however I must decline participating in this confrontation. It’s too soon. You still have a lot to answer for Twilight. You have so much more to lose. For example…you have a sibling who’s’ done very well for himself, where as I only have my older sister’s voice and the image of her outline burned into a tree.” I pause for a moment. Blight’s manners are different. There’s some hint of spite in the two voices, and my mind seizes the new detail of Blight ever having a sibling. I also snap to attention as it registers that Blight just suggested ill intent for my B. B. B. F. F. Shining Armor. Blight abruptly darts to their right towards a cauldron. I send a blast of magical energy into the destined object of cover while Spike and Applejack rush to prevent Blight’s escape. I suddenly realize that blasting the large metal pot was a miscalculation. I recall Spike’s warning about something explosive a bit too late. It detonates into a violent flare of bright pink hues and the harsh scent of burning sulfur penetrates the chamber. The intense light dies down and we are greeted by a thick cloud of ash that had taken up about a third of the room. I growl at the realization that I just helped them get away. In the brief moments of distorted visibility Blight had disappeared. I’m brought back to reality when a hoof is placed on my shoulder and its owner speaks calmly. “Now Twilight; it can’t be helped now. Blight’s gone, but there’s still somepony trapped in here under these horrid conditions.” I nod my head in response to Rarity’s wisdom. We all dart to the back of the chamber and reach the two pegasi who went ahead. Fluttershy is tenderly supporting a quivering figure who is weakly talking. “Please…I didn’t want to help…that monster…I just want to go anywhere but here…All I did was move giant spiders I swear…don’t hurt me…please don’t…I can’t…” The prisoner is a unicorn chained to a workstation by her back right hoof. She’s weak and thin and sounds like she hasn’t had any water in a long time. It crosses my mind to wonder if Blight ever pretended that that was me in her position. The scared pony cowers into Fluttershy with a squeak and starts trembling more as Spike uses a narrow flame from his mouth to cut the shackle off her bruised ankle. Oh sweet Celestia…I barely recognize poor Trixie… I silently creep out from my hiding place behind one of the cauldrons. Their all too concerned with the welfare of that unicorn to consider the possibility that I’m still here, and I intend to make the most of the misconception. I had hoped for some more rest but my hoof’s been forced. I’ll make my way to my camp beyond the town and press forward. It burned me with so much fire to have looked into that damn unicorns eyes. She takes away everything I love from me and becomes Celestia’s protégé while my cursed form presses forward in constant agony. It makes me think of how much I’ll enjoy it when I take her family away. I smile to myself as I leave the chamber. I’m getting under their skin with a few acts of brutality and I’ve only just begun.
Blight 1I stretch over the table on my front and take a few deep breaths. A Changeling comes into my cone of vision and with simple deliberate motions he places a length of wood in my mouth. My breathing becomes more focused as he moves behind me. I focus on what I came here for and how farther I need to go. I think about the pain I’m in. I think about the rocks I landed on after I was expelled from Canterlot. I bite down on the piece of wood and refuse to scream. A familiar pain hits my lower back near the spine. A large syringe presses deeper into my body sending a shockwave of agony through my small frame. Powerful drugs are pumped into my body and for a brief moment it feels like I’m on fire. To my credit I don’t scream anymore. It’s been several treatments since I yelled out; and for the first two I had to be restrained. I think about my goal as the pain gets worse. The large needle is leaving my back as slowly as it had entered. I didn’t even realize that I had shed a few tears in my agony. I lay there still for a while and let the wooden bit hit the floor. The Changeling leaves without a word; or perhaps I didn’t hear him. I remain still as the pain starts to subside. I change my body to resemble an Earth Pony just to prove to myself that I still can. It takes a toll on my body to retain a Pony’s form. One of the side effects of straining myself is that I start to bleed from behind my eyes; and it comes out the only way it can. My body just isn’t built for magic. I groan as I get off the table and pace around it. I compile my more recent thoughts to take my mind off the slowly numbing pain. I have the first of two spider statues done; I’m quite proud of the detail. Pop was a carpenter by trade and Mom was an artist. I wanted to entertain my people with magic but my condition prevented me from using any real power. So I improvised. Go to a magic show. See some illusions. Watch as the trickster performs feats of wonder. I used to envy magicians in my youth until I learned what it was all about. Showmanship. I learned how to act, how to misdirect, deceive and outright lie to a crowd and perform ‘magic’ with no sparks of power. Ever see a teleportation spell? I’ve got something similar. I have two doors set up on the stage and open one. I stand in the blind spot created by the visual obstacle and a trapdoor drops me into a crawlspace under the floor. On the other side is a lever system that opens the other door and in the second blind spot I ascend through another trap door. I step out disoriented as if something went wrong with the ‘spell’ and skepticism from the crowd becomes relief that I’m OK. Ever see sparks fly out of someone’s hooves? I can do that too. I wrap my hooves in a durable burn resistant material and coat them with flammable powders and put an abrasive surface on the bottoms of them. I strike them together like a match against its box and point them away from my face and colored sparks fly like a small fireworks display. The material is reduced to a layer of fine ash which I just dust off. Ever watch a magician make their assistant disappear? That’s an easy one. A pressure sensitive smoke bomb hits the floor and the assistant quickly darts straight backwards through the wall behind me; specifically through a set of boards that double as a door triggered by a pressure plate. Ever watch a giant obsidian spider appear out of nowhere with starved corpses hanging from it? That reminds me. A lone Unicorn actually saw through my Earth Pony disguise. I can use her to move the completed statues to their destinations. I had methods for moving them in mind but this would drastically minimize being intercepted. The pain in my back subsides and I’m not taking any more labored breaths. I think about my parents again. I miss them dearly. We were hiding in Canterlot living under the radar. We never hurt anypony in our lives. Ponies were so infatuated with their projects that we actually were fed by it. You’d never guess that we weren’t really like them. Of course we didn’t stay there as long as my parents would have wanted. The three of us had gone out to breakfast to celebrate my Dad getting a real important job for the palace. We got to see some real important parts of the city that day. We even stopped to look at one of the more impressive schools. I feel a degree of rage rising over me as my mind keeps going. A stray bolt of magic jolts out from a window of the school and nails us. We were teleported far away from Canterlot; I’m not really sure where to be honest. I woke up and my Dad wasn’t moving. My Mom was banged up too. I got off lucky. Next thing I know I swear that I can see in the face of the Princess Celestia in the sun. I thought we were going to get rescued and brought back. I was wrong. If he had kept our Pony disguises maybe it would have been different. Instead my Mom and I were found by our own kind a day later. They took care of us until she died and watched over me up until I could fend for myself. I started wondering why my parents even left the Changelings in the first place. I sigh as I start towards the exit of the room. When I heard that we were going to invade Canterlot I dropped my career and enlisted. I was one of the first Changelings in the streets once the barrier fell. I took canon fire at point blank range and I don’t know where the heck it even came from! I guess that blow weakened my back a great deal and landing on that rock didn’t help me either. The pain fully subsides and I exit the room. The building had been long forgotten along with the rest of the town. With the exception of that Unicorn not a single soul seemed to remember the place existed. I see a few Changelings adapting to their Pony disguises. I’m only going to have about half of them wearing the masks of Ponykind. I want this to look like a rebellion with Changeling allies rather than round two of the invasion. My Queen is counting on me. At least I tell myself that. Her injuries didn’t leave her in any position to give orders, so I put on my best ‘Alpha’ act and assumed command. I had years learning to emulate an aura of command and the high captains were banged up a lot worse than me. I sent the most wounded home and kept the healthy and plotted since. This war would be finished the only way I knew how to really fight. Showmanship. I enter the abandoned mine the previous inhabitants had turned into a good sized manufacturing plant. Learning about the bearers of the Elements of Harmony was easy. Their seen as heroes; it would be hard to find a pony who didn’t know who they were. I singled out Twilight Sparkle because she’s somewhat seen as their leader. Plus I still Hate her for what she did to my family. My father died. My mother lingered for awhile after that. The aftereffect of the freak spell weakened my shape shifting abilities. She took away our home… And she’s…a bucking hero… I’ll give the statue a distorted reproduction of her cutie mark and hang Unicorns from its body. I’ll hang a few ‘volunteers’ from my division to make me look like more of a monster. I’ll visit her in Canterlot next time I hear that she’s there and give her a little teaser trailer of what’s to come. I reach the part of the old mine where I keep the statues. I guess I got my knack for fine details from my parents. They almost look like they might be real. One of them is for Canterlot and the other is for Cloudsdale. The Canterlot one is done except for the broken cutie mark. The Cloudsdale one is different. This one has more obvious fangs and its body is positioned as if it is about to start spinning a web. It’s also built to hold just one body from its underside rather than eight from the leg joints. I prop a ladder against the back of the Canterlot spider and start to carve the new adjustment when a Changeling enters the chamber. I look down at him and he speaks plainly. “We’ve met the quota. Four Unicorns are now in custody.” I smile to myself and promptly reply. “I’ll see to them shortly.” The Changeling turns to leave and I get back to work. The Unicorns will send quite the message to Equestria soon. A thought comes to my mind and I address the soldier. “The Changeling bodies?” “Still in good condition. We have at least four months before the enchantments fade.” I nod and get back to carving. A few Changelings who didn’t survive the fall I’ve kept preserved. Part of me does feel a bit remorseful for desecrating the bodies of my fallen brothers and sisters but it doesn’t last. I have a war to finish. This is going to be my greatest performance. She is going to pay.
