Equestria Under

As I exited Shadow Dwell, I felt as though I was stepping through some kind of barrier. Once on the other side, I turned and looked back into Shadow Dwell. I saw a bit of mist settle over the town. I was not worried about that, because mist settling didn't usually mean anything other than what the normal would; that a cloud descended and settled. The only strange thing about this was that with the clouds down here being so dark -- how is it when they descend they are so light?

I watched as a few shadow-ponies exit their dwells. Why they did this? It was the same idea with the rays which came at ray-time -- they thought that once the clouds went back up, they could go, too. This was sad to see, for I knew it didn't work, but I didn't blame them for wanting so hard to leave such a place we were in. I turned from them and began to walk out onto the large fields that covered a vast area of Equestria Under.

Walking along, I felt cool breezes past straight through me... I felt moisture from the recent rain just barely touch my nearly transparent hooves as I walked. Like I mentioned earlier, that it is not a shadow-pony's "tradition" to come close to feeling him or herself. That would simply mean that shadow-ponies don't care to act as though they are true ponies, like those of the true Equestria. And why not? Why not act like it if they want to be up there, so much? Well the answer is this; if a shadow-pony were to act like a pony, then it would be like abandoning their essence; this could destroy them. Running and/or doing really active things could destroy our frail essences, I have heard, and am cautious about doing anything I ought not to... We usually just move slowly, anyways...

Sometime this bothers me because I feel like I am literally and practically getting nowhere. I am getting nowhere closer to Equestria, I am getting nowhere, at all, and some days I just feel so... low... Being slow doesn't help -- I just can't accept my self, nevertheless, I am not crazy enough to destroy myself. The only way a shadow-pony can make it out of this place in one piece is either through ascension or ceasing to exist y way of the death of their host.

Sometime later, as I still walked across the misty fields, I looked past it all to a large shadowy silhouette that was pretty far away. I had never strayed so far from Shadow Dwell, so I stilled, lifting one hoof, hesitant to go on. I squinted; what was it? Just then, some of the mist cleared, and I saw a large mountain. The mountain seemed to disappear, it highest part somewhere far up into the black clouds. I wondered just how far up it went... Some movement caught my eyes as I stared up at the mountain; something, a creature of some sort, was circling about the mountain, steadily getting higher and higher. I shook my head and blinked; it was gone. What had I just seen? I slowly took my attention off of the mount. I would probably never know what they thing was; it was black and dark and when close up, it was most-likely too look either really ugly or really scary... may be even both. All I know is the vibe I got from just seeing the creature was bad enough.

I continued to walk through the fields, aimlessly, not really sure of what it was I was looking for, or what I was doing. But even so, it felt good to get away from Shadow Dwell, for once. Just then, another movement caught my eye; I looked out into meadow ahead of me to see a winged shadow-pony. He or she was standing under a colored ray of light, which descended from the dark, swirling clouds above... My eyes followed the ray back up into dark clouds... How close was I to being up there and beyond? I wondered. d where had such  ray of light come from?

I turned my attention back to the shadow-pony; it began to slowly flap its wings and was soon off of the ground. I stared at it, intently. Was that shadow-pony really going to make it to the top? How foolish I had thought it was to try to do such a thing, but now - I watched the shadow-pony, carefully. Slowly, it rose higher and higher and when it got to the point, within the ray, where it had reached half-way point, it seemed to shudder and then immediately fell back to the ground. The shadow-pony collected him/her self, rather quickly, and then, folding in its wings, stared back up into the ray.

What was it waiting on? I wondered, watching the sky, now. Was there a certain time one should go about getting up there, through the rays? And wasn't this shadow-pony supposed to wait until the ray was began to ascend, in order to attempt such a feat? I felt myself moving forward, moving towards the shadow-pony. "Is he... or she... going to make it?" I thought, readying to increase my speed if I figured this to be so.

But this is when I stopped dead in my tracks, when I noticed a dark, bulging, rippling, hideous mass approaching the shadow-pony from behind, (his/her left side turned to me). My eyes widened with horror at the sight. The thing was getting closer, but the shadow-pony paid it no attention. Didn't he or she feel it coming?! Why not run? They had a chance to save themselves - run!

See, down here, to deliberately fly and run or actively go about, as a shadow-pony, then that is when an essence might be lost. But to do so out of fear and/or escaping the horrors of this world, then - and only then - that is such a thing permitted. I quickly looked about, for shelter, as my leg-parts began to weaken from fear. I quickly scanned the area about me, when suddenly, I spotted a rock! I dove behind it as quickly and as silently as I could; my virtually weightless form making hardly a sound.

I looked on as the creature was just a few hooves behind the shadow-pony, now. The shadow-pony was still trying, (and failing) to fly up into the ray and beyond. The feat was unsurprisingly exhausting, so the shadow-pony wasn't really getting too far off the ground, at this point. I feared greatly for him or her, but I could not have managed a squeak if I wanted to. I felt my essence begin to burn at the core, as a spirit rose to consume it.

A shadow-pony's form is really nothing more than a frail shadow of an form - much like a ghosts, only tangible, yet hollow. The emptiness in a shadow-pony is only there as a vessel of the spirits the shadow-pony is supposed to gather. Being a shadow-pony, though, the typical spirits which inhabit the hollow space are usually lowly ones, akin to sadness, fear and hate. The one over-taking me, now, was fear.I have heard that in the world above, it is not as perfect as many shadow-ponies would like to believe... There is this thing called pain; something every creature up there must suffer... I know not what this pain is, exactly, but to burn from the inward out is not very comforting; it is very discomforting, in fact, but nothing less than what I was experiencing. The spirit-fire of fear burned greatly within me, causing me to e rooted in place, slow to make any sort of movement.

So saying,, my eyes would not leave the scene before me. I watched, trembling and wide-eyed as the creature rippled and stretched, creating a large black-as-night opening in its self. The thing had large red eyes which, in the dim light, illuminated the inside of its huge mouth. Even from where I was, I could see that the creature's mouth was very, very, very deep. It was very, very, very dark, also. This sight frightened me --  and even more for the other shadow-pony. Had he or she really not felt the presence of that creature, as of yet?

I watched, then, with complete terror, as the shadow-pony finally realized its position. It turned and slowly looked at the beast. Loud roaring, gurgling noises could be heard from within the cavernous opening which served to be a mouth. The shadow-pony took a step back, and the creature advanced with quick pace upon him/her, devouring the shadow-pony, completely. Oh the horrible noises it made! Just then, the creature back off, backed away, turned and then headed in another direction; no doubt to go find a new prey. My hooves trembled at the sight of it going and with the rising mist, I felt as though it could come at me, from anywhere; I quickly looked about me; nothing.

I then gave my attention to the spot where the shadow-pony had been and - wait! It was still there! But how? I could see the what was left for a form of a shadow-pony, only now it lie on one side, on its flank... Still... Surely this isn't what happens to shadow ponies, right? When they are devoured by such creatures, then surely they are devoured whole and nothing is left! That or the shadow-pony simply becomes possessed and darkens, turning into a terror of this world, below. The later I was nearly sure had not happened, although I had never come across a possessed shadow-pony before.

The shadow-pony did not stir. I was going to walk over to it, out of curiosity, which had gotten the better of my fear, but then I saw that I could not approach it. The mists had risen, again and as the mist crept over the shadow-pony's essence, the form seemed to dissolve, disappear into nothing... Right. In front. Of my eyes.

I didn't know what to make of this, but I still felt a burning within me; my spirit of fear was still in command. I scrambled back and turned - not in the direction of Shadow Dwell, but to another; the opposite way the creature had gone. I ran, ran, ran, not knowing where I was going, and couldn't help not caring. I found that, after some time, something was drawing me... drawing me in the direction I had lready een going. Eventually, I ran my self out of the mists and stood before a large forest!

"A forest? Here? Down below?" I thought to myself. "No such thing is ever known to exist, except in the world, above..." The forest was beautiful. The trees were very tall and all seemed to be made of and/or full of light! Light was everywhere in that forest, and I could see little sphere's of light floating just beyond the treeline....

"What is this place?"

I remembered hearing of a place beyond Shadow-Dwell that was "full of light", but I thought that the shadow-pony who spoke meant Equestria, the world above... I guessed wrong; this had to be that place. And now... now that I was here... what next? I approached the forest, slowly, creeping up to an entrance I had spotted among the trees -- a trail leading back into the forest, clearer than any I've ever seen, despite the fact that it was more hidden than not.

I involuntarily side-stepped, as a small wave of force rippled through me and I caught an aura. Abad aura. Was it... coming from the trees? The forest? I looked about; where was it coming from? My attention finally landed to the east of me. What my eyes fell on was a large, goopy, black mass. It didn't  too much different from the daemons which I had encountered during the storm that had occurred, in Shadow Dwell, a few days back, only that it was took on no normal form. I was paralyzed with fear. The thing seemed to realize this, and began to advance in my direction. I began to see bulbous, sinister eyes appearing in its blackness, frightening me, all the more. Multiple mouths began to open up on the creature, as is now seemed to take a more stable form; it's cavernous, multiple mouths were literally dripping black goo. The drips would hit the ground and sizzle into it, leaving a black mark! I could only imagine what would happen to me if that thing got to me. They say that the "greedier" the creature, the "goopier" the creature. A saying I didn't fully understand, though I still shivered at the thought. I could do no more; I just couldn't move! My essence was, once again, ablaze with the spirit of fear and I was stilled!

I watched in horror as different sections of the creature departed the mass and formed into shadow ponies the color of darkness. They all began to come at me; the mass of blackness slowing back as they advanced. I only managed a step back.

"Was this the creature from before? Has it... followed me? How did that other *shadow-pony feel? Did he or she feel as terrified as I am, now?"* These thoughts ran through my mind, helping the situation, little.

Just as the creatures advanced and I was sure it was my doom, sure that this was my fate, certain that I was destined to cease to exist  by no other means -

PSHEW! PSHEW! Beams of radiant, heated light came from behind me and zapped the creatures. PSHEW! PSHEW! The beams came again, longer this time, and didn't stop. I faltered and fell onto my flank, eyes wide as I watched the screaming, howling, black members seem to explode in the areas at which the beams hit. The beams pierced their blackness, causing their unearthly wails to grow louder.

As the black-shadow-ponies retreated into their black matrix,  I was made to be thoroughly amazed when a white flanked, white maned pony appeared before me. PSHEW! PSHEW! His horn was illuminated right before a blast -- a stream of power surged out, towards the mass of creatures. The now gathered creature groaned with each impact of energy. It didn't take the beast long to realize it was out-matched and began to retreat. More howling ensued, but I could hear none of it. My full attention was on the pony before me. A burst of energy came to life inside of me: I had gained a spirit! The spirit of amazement!

The pony momentarily ceased fire and turn to yell at me, "What are you doing?! Go! Get out of here, now!"

I blinked. "What?" My spirit of confusion beginning to mix with those of fear and amazement.

"Go! I said, GO!" The pony dashed over and quickly ushered me to my hooves, pushing me with his snout, his horn still glowing at what seemed to be full charge. The sparks from it hit me and I felt... I didn't know what I felt, but I didn't have the time to think; his horn went dull and he began to shove me forward.

"Go, go!" He shouted. I wasted no more time andI took off! It was good to have strength in my leg-parts, again. I looked back when I heard a loud rumbling sound; the creature was all smokey, now, and flailed about. I could no longer see any eyes or mouths... Just then, there was a burst of light, and the pony was beside me, running along side me!

"Yes, that's right - don't look back, just keep going!" He said. "You're doing great, just don't look back - go, go!"

I could only glance at him, briefly, before turning my head forward and speeding up. We ran and ran - just then, the pony came to an abrupt halt, his hooves skidding across the ground. He turned back. I ran but then slowed and began to stop, wondering why he had done so.  It seemed that pony knew I  would do that, and immediately turned and pushed me forward. "I said go." He said, more calm, now, then before.

"Bu - but -!" I began, the spirit of confusion over-taking me. Just then, the mist behind us seemed to be ripped in two as the large black creature came bursting into view - and it was close!! How had it gotten so close?!

The pony, wide-eyed, turned and kicked his hind legs at me; "GO! GO NOW!!" I stumbled back, but one look at the hideous creature set me running.

And this time, I did not look back.