Underneath Canterlot

A hooded pony rushed through the tunnels circa 30 feet underneath Canterlot. A white horn peeked out of it, but other than that, the pony remained concealed as he ran.

Ran from a trio of pursuers, and the chasing pack ran far behind him with an oil lamp that hissed at every tremor, so every step the leader made, the lamp sang.

The Runner didn't need a lamp, he used a quick spell that lit up a small area around his horn, revealing a tender violet muzzle. He ran around a corner and around another one, hoping to loose his hunters.

His Hunters.

It only then came to his mind that he had become a quarry and nothing more. Those huntsman were brainless vessels, though, vessels of a force he couldn't begin to understand, it was run or die.

After another corner, and a leap into a smaller canal that emptied into the original tunnel, he killed his light and held his breath, not because of the stench, but because of the stealth he was trying to use now.

He crawled a few more inches into the canal, and then remained completely silent.

The leader of the pack came around the corner, the light of his lamp claimed the tunnel around him, but it didn't reach the Unicorn.

Instead the horn of the Unicorn started to glow just like the eyes of a cat in the dark would shine, unnoticeable to the followers, but visible to himself. The horn glowed as he worked his magic and the oil lamp shattered, the fire died.

“Shit!” The leader exclaimed loudly as another one of the adversaries shrieked as if he'd felt something creeping up his back.

Slyly the Unicorn climbed out of the tunnel and sneaked along the wall towards his destination. The pack was left in the dark, and he might finally be safe. He was almost where he was supposed to be, and he saw that soft warm light bicker around the next corner and he headed that way.

To his surprise the cold, hard stone of the sewers were covered with some sort of red fabric, a tapestry, he presumed, but it was non-flammable, probably magic.

The room was lit by torches and the flames happily split and jumped onto the fabric, only to die the moment they did so.

At the end of the hall there was a round room that was lit brighter than Canterlot Castle at a normal light, in fact, the Unicorn had to put a hoof over his eyes as he walked towards it, his eyes just couldn't adjust to the stream of light that adjusted from that fleck he was facing.

He wouldn't know about the pony that stood behind that light, his strong magic creating the beam of light that bedazzled him.

No, he didn't know about the pony, he thought it was a fire, the light was a warm light, not like a normal, magic light, which was normally plain white, cold.

So he slowly stepped towards it, his eyes looking at the ground to see where he's going as the light grew brighter and brighter, and he could feel the warmth kiss the hoof he used to shield his eyes.

But just one moment later, just one moment later his breath stopped,

his heart skipped a beat.

He saw another hoof on the ground, right in front of him. He put his own hoof down to look at the pony, but all that did, was blind him further, he looked at the centre of the sun for all he knew, and he felt it burn, burn deep into his eyes.

He sank to the ground, in silent pain, biting on his lower lip not to scream nor cry.

“They all think like that, boy.” A soothing, female voice called. “They all think they can look at me once they stumble upon my hooves. They all think that light is natural. They come towards me light moths. Curiosity, perhaps?”

He felt the light ceased, but he still couldn't see a thing, he had given his last few moments of eyesight pursuing the light that took it from him.

“Look at me, won't ya?”

His eyes pierced up, to the place where he thought the voice originated from. But he couldn't see a thing.

Though, he felt the tears run down his cheeks and he could feel a hoof that rested on his cheek, it was so soft, it caressed him.

“I love those white eyes, they always tell me my work is done.”

He could feel a kiss, a small pack, onto his nose. “Wh-” he stuttered “Why would you do that?”

“Pleasure? Self defence? Money?.” she made a list “Maybe it's because I get told to do it. Maybe it's an order. You don't need to know though.”

The hoof disconnected from his cheek and he heard soft steps leaving him.

“It's nothing personal, darling, but I'll leave you here, I've got things to do, places to be, ponies to blind. I bet'chu will enjoy your company.”

He shouted, he asked, he cried, but after that moment no one was there to answer, or at least no one dared to answer. He crawled around in the room, bumping into things. Soft things. Slightly moist things. Cold things. Furry things. It was for the better he couldn't see that he was in a room full of corpses. All blinded by the light that blinded him, all trying to figure out what they were protecting, and all stupid enough to walk into that trap. All of them died as slowly as he'd now. He was so young, he had so much to lose, and he'd lose all of that now.

And that was the end of his story.

And the beginning of one bigger than he could imagine in his wildest dreams.