Equestria Under

I watch as the dark clouds circle above. "What a lovely shade black that is," I murmur. I also see a few rays of light ascend from those clouds; what a horrible combination! Though dark colors are so very attractive, both of those, together, just won't work...  I then turn my attention away from my dwell's window and wonder over to the hearth. A dim glow from my horn ignites a white fire from between the beautiful black coals... I loved to watch my steaming hearth - not like there was anything better to do.

"I can understand why every shadow-pony would be out on such a wonderful ray... Well, actually, it is the rays that might attract them so much.... hm." I nodded; this must have been correct. It was a sad thing, I thought, the way any of the shadow-ponies would run after the rays, go after them, try to leave this world, below, with them... To me, it just wasn't right... They should all wait their time, that's all. Besides, what's the rush?

I kept my eyes on the steamy fire... Watching it, for a while, I felt my essence begin to burn with a new spirit. What was it? I wasn't sure. See; I had done this so many times before, watched the steaming hearth, but only recently did  begin to feel so... different... This burning, inside of me was literally indescribable...I couldn't understand what I was feeling and didn't recognize the type of burning... "Of all the spirits - I began to say something, but was cut off by some noise outside my dwell.

I turned. "Oh bother! Why can't any shadow-pony keep to themselves, this ray? Can't they see - oh my embers!" I sped over to the window, hooves pressed against the pane... "Oops, have to remember to stop speeding about," I thought. See, it isn't good, I heard, for shadow-ponies to be so active... I wondered why. It's not like it ever bothered me... hm. Just something I heard. I headed for my dwell's entry/exit. It was all misty outside and I loved it! That same feeling, a burning, ignite within me, and I couldn't help a smile; I adored mist!

Not that I believed mist could be a savior to any shadow-pony - why be saved? What about this place not to like?  I slipped through, to the outside of my dwell and shook myself, trying to take in the mist... "Why not take a little walk, Coalette?" I thought to myself.

I began to trot down the street and as I passed by any shadow-pony, I observed their countenance; dreadful expression they had. I turned my head away every time I saw a sorry face and a pale body; nothing of my interest, there. I just couldn't understand how they could be so droll; what's not to enjoy? Well. There were a few things, but what could I do about them?... Actually, there was something...

I trotted towards Scorn Stone valley. The stones there were a beautiful, shiny black rocks - and also home to one of Equestria Under's negatives. On arriving, I headed for the first, biggest rock I saw. "Beautiful!" I threw myself onto it. "Wonderful!" I climbed to the top and looked out over the whole rest of the Scorn Stone field... So many large, pointy rocks to explore...Of course, it's not like I haven't been here, before... I have. My entire essence was burning with that same, new spirit - also another one I couldn't explain, but who cares? Burning with this spirit that wouldn't let the smile off my face, I hurried about, throwing myself on every rock and rubbing against it with my hooves... Such a nice feeling...

I was almost surprised when I began to hear a sort of hissing sound; my ears pricked. I raised my head and looked about...Looking down, I saw two large, green, glowing eyes staring back at me from the shadows between two rocks, one being the one I was on and another right under it. I rose on all four hoofs, still looking down at it. The thing hissed some more and crawled, slowly, out of the space in the rocks... The creature had yellow-green, glowing eyes and strange looking hoof-feet. It was a bit of a mix of creatures, I thought, some I was sure I had never seen before.

I then paid it no mind and continued rubbing the shiny rocks under my hoof, humming to myself, literally ignoring the thing. So it crept closer and closer, up to where I was; hissing, eyes glowing brighter... I still paid it no mind. And just when it was close enough, it reared its ugly head back and made the most irritating, horrible sound. Something between a hiss and a scream, I thought. Just then, others like it seem to appear out of nowhere, coming from between the rocks, stalking me, crowding in from other areas of the Scorn Stone valley...

I stopped what I was doing and stood back on all fours, again, looking down at the first creature that came, I said, "Well, well... it seems you have called up a few friends... You little devil." More hissing, weird sounds and screams started to rise up from the crowd of little devils that surrounded me. I decided to let them get just a bit closer before I reared my head way back, hooves rising off the ground, and ignited a little white glow at the top of my horn.

I can down on my front hooves with a bang! "Ha! Take a good look you hideous things! I, Coalette shall smite thee!" I jumped into the midst of them and shook my horn at them, the best I could. And of course, as usual, they all began to scram; running and screeching their way off somewhere, while other just disappeared in a puff of black smoke and the rest dissolved into the shadows...

"Ha. Well. Looks like my little light was too much for the poor little things... those lit-tle dev-ils." I said, in a bit of a sing-song voice. "They should have learned, long ago not to mess with this little miss Coalette'! Tee-hee!" I couldn't stand it anymore, with the newly found spirit just blazing, roaring within me, I couldn't help but know what it was. I was feeling giddy. A kind of feeling I had that probably no other shadow-pony even knew about; this only made my snorting and giggle-fits worse. This meant that I was now a very special shadow-pony, for I had just gained another spirit!

"Oh, foo-ey!"  said aloud, as I trotted about Scorn Stone Valley, "I am just one spirit closer to Equestria - unlife is so unfair!!" I trotted about, looking for the perfect stone to lay a hoof on, to rub it against... It really did feel nice and I had no idea why!

"Stupid little devils.... now I need to find a new - oh!" Just then, I came across a cave. It had a huge opening, and seemed very deep and dark and spooky...

"Looks like just another excuse to use the ol' horn!" I said, prancing up to the cave entrance... "Oopsy, need to stop doing that!" I said,  with a giggle. "Who knows - I turned and looked at my rear end - that little rump back there might be the first thing to go! I began to giggle again.

"And not to mention how effective it is in the world above! As I understand it, the equines above use their rumps for so many things! Or wait... was it may be something else...? Oh well, I might just have to sit in at the next gathering to find out - tee-hee!"

I was now inside of the cave. I used my little horn light to try and see into the darkness... It bothered me when I saw light on dark like that... it seemed so... unnatural... But I had to see in the dark to know what was there; there was no use complaining... "And you know what?" I said to myself, "I do a lot of that too, don't I? I talk, I mumble, I mutter, I complain... I wonder it that could destroy me...? I tried looking down at my muzzle; it was there, but I couldn't really see it all that much...

Just then I heard some noise in the darkness, something beyond where I stood. "Hm?" I looked about, "Who's there?" When there was hardly an answer, I said, "Oh, well I guess you wouldn't answer, would you? You little devils you..." Just then, a figured thrust his way into my vision.

"Who are you calling a devil?"

"Ha! Get back! I have a light and I am in no way afraid to use it!" I shook my horn at him the best I could.

"Please." The figure said, "I am not afraid of that little thing." He began to approach me.

"Er... You're not?" I said, raising my head.

"No, I am not." He answered, placing a hoof on my horn, seeing as I had it lowered, almost to the ground.

"Hey, get off!" I said, shaking him off, "And how come you can touch me, anyways?" I backed up into the dim light that came in from outside the cave. I could see mostly only the face of a stallion gazing back at me."Who...who are you?" I asked.

"That isn't for you to know." He answered, walking towards me, "All you need to know is that this area is no place for a... um... under-ponies like your-self." I could see that he had dark blue hair on his head, and his body was a full blue... He was a pony!!

"You're... you're a pony!" I said.

He nodded, "Yes, I am. And I am telling you, you do not belong here... Down, within this cave, are horrors probably not discovered of any pony or under pony as of yet..."

"Other than you?" I asked.

"Well, perhaps..." The stallion said, "But still -

"Oh, I don't care." I said, "I have my horn, so what could possibly happen? Hm?"

The stallion just gazed at me.... I couldn't help my eyes wondering all over him; it wasn't every ray any shadow-pony saw a true equine... Just then I began to wonder... did he have a mark? I was searching and poking all over him until he said, taking my hoof off of his head and the other away from his chest, "What are you doing?"

"I am just looking..." I said.

"You." He said, "You are very interesting..."

"Oh, am I?" I said, still looking about him.

"Yes..." He took a hoof and moved my face to look at him.

I smirked, "How are you doing that?"

"Doing what?" He asked, letting me go.

"How can you touch me?" I asked him. "No pony is allowed to touch a shadow-pony, isn't that right?"

"Where have you heard that?" The pony asked me, glancing over his shoulder.

"Ah - he cut me off.

"Let me guess, as a gathering?" He asked.

"Yes - how did you figure?" I shot back.

He chuckled, softly and the said, "I used to be like you."

A moment or so passed before I said, "Of course you have."

"Yes." He said, "But now I must go - be sure not to come around here, again... I might not be around anymore to stop you." He turned and began to walk away.

"Oh, ho-hum." I said, "Please, I can take care of -

"You are not to go this way, am I clear?" The stallion asked, gazing back at me.

"Oh, alright, alright," I said, "Fine.... I guess you ponies think you're better than every shadow-pony else!"

The stallion only shook his head, turning. As he went back into the cave, he said, "You hold a good conversation... keep that up and you might just be next..."

"Oh foo-ey, what's that supposed to mean?" I spat.

"Ah well, ye shall see..." He was gone, his body completely covered by the darkness of the cave...

I waited around to see if he would return, but he did not. As if I cared! I didn't want anything to do with those... those... equines! I was better off alone. And what did he know? How arrogant was he? He is a pony from down here, not one from above, as he seems to think. "I used to be like you - please!" I spat, trotting away, another spirit beginning to take over my essence, "I don't need that from him! I already know that - but what he doesn't know is that I don't care! And what did he mean I might be next?  To go up there?" I looked up at the sky... "Well. I said, it seems that at least the mist has lifted... Oh well." I was never going to the world above until I wanted to and that was that!

I silently walked back to my dwell... What was there to say? To do?... Did I only act like I did because I was getting closer to leaving this place? As I walked back home, I looked at every shadow-pony who passed me; head down, moving slowly... Some walked with their head up, but their eyes were low and they were all so dull... Somehow it all seemed so perfect... But to be the way I am is to have all of the other shadow-ponies... just the way they are... It was really something to think about, so before I reached my dwell, I happened to walk into some shadow-pony., because of it.

So I was walking, thinking, not paying any attention to where  was going, and all of a sudden, things seem to get very, very, very cold. I slowed my steps. My whole world, for just a few moments, was thrown into some kind of dark-swirly darkness of a  world...and for a moment, I could hear voices... far away voices, it seemed.... But only for a moment. I also experienced having the feeling of being very heavy and did not know why... Other feelings came and left, just like a more noticeable stinging sensation had, but as soon as it all passed, I blinked.

I turned and to my surprise, I saw my rump slipping straight out of another shadow-pony. This shadow-pony was surrounded by a dark aura and when he turned to look at me, his eyes were large and red. "Watch where you are going." He said, with a raspy, creepy voice. I just nodded, lazily, feeling it was best to act as any other shadow-pony would... He turned and trotted off. There was something wrong with that shadow-pony that just didn't feel right - well OF COURSE it didn't feel right, none of those feelings felt right... And to be quite honest, it was as if - on passing through that pony - somehow it was if all of my spirits, within me, were separated - they all went crazy, it seemed, and my essence was just... it was just... truly a strange experience... But, of course, this only lasted a moment... all of this only lasted a moment or so, so...Who knows - who knows what it was? Or could have been...?  Who is to say it wasn't just me?