Snippetsby The Wind KingChaptersSobrietyThe HatchingAnother Perfect DayForgotten FatherDubstep of the NightEmpty KnightBrass BeastSobrietyThe grey unicorn sat there, the barstool underneath him a familiar companion, the bottles arrayed before him temporary friends on a road that was far, far too long; a road that still stretched on before him. He could still hear them, whispering voices that longed for him to listen, to give in, to talk with him, to pass their message on to others. Grimacing, the Unicorn picked up another bottle, the label swam in his blurry vision, a pink Pegasus pony brandishing a mug of amber ale that he had seen so many times before, but it was alcohol, that was all that mattered, not the label, not the number of times he had seen it, not the siren song of the voices. All that mattered was the silence that the bottom of the bottle promised. Tilting the bottle back against his lips the Unicorn started to drink, the bitter liquid pooling in the back of his throat before each audible gulp, faint trails of amber fluid and pearlescent froth spilling out from the sides of his mouth as the liquid drained from the bottle. Finally after the long, shuddering drink, the unicorn pitched forward, slamming the now empty bottle onto the bar, the sudden movement disrupting his balance, and he teetered on the edge of his stool, before finally succumbing to gravity, and falling to the floor with a wet thump. Lying there, he could see the bartender look wearily over the counter at him, a look of tired resignation, a look he’d received for so many nights since the he’d read the book, since he’d heard the song, since the voices had started to speak to him. Lying there, as the bartender walked around the counter, he had found blessed silence, finally at the bottom of a bottle he had found silence. Lying there he could hear the bartender speak “Come on friend, let’s get you to your actual home” The bartender picked the Unicorn up and slung him over his back as he carried him out of the inn, walking through the moonlit streets, soft puddles of light taking the edge of the darkness, letting the muted shadows swirl and writhe as the clouds shifted in the sky. The bartender walked up to a dilapidated house on the edges of the town. Trudging through the weeds of the lawn, he pushed the door open as its hinges squealed with feverish intensity, before carrying the unicorn through to a broken couch, an indent in the shape of the Unicorns body dominating the cushions; an indent the Unicorn settled into as the bartender lowered him carefully to the fabric, before turning to leave. “See you tomorrow friend, hope you feel better” “He watched the bartender leave, the shrieking of the hinges barely making it through the haze of alcohol that covered his brain as he lay there in blessed silence, a silence he had gone so far to find. His eyes started shut, his mind turning blank in the comfortable alcohol fog sleep starting to claim, just second before the whispering voices started again. “Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn” Tears poured from his eyes as sleep claimed him, sleep and nightmares Author's Note This one was a bit of thanks to Sober for giving me the link to a certain GIF (I don't internet well). Unfortunately with only his Image and short bio to work off of I don't think I did a very good job, but I tried, I tried so hard, and got so far, but in the end, does it really matter? ia, ia The HatchingIt wasn't an impressive chamber. Small, poorly lit, no real defining features other than the five small pedestals that each held their own small black rubbery egg, eggs that were squirming and moving as what monstrosity was in them wanted out. And yet to the five ponies that were bound to the floor with a smooth, overly natural looking resin that small, poorly lit, almost empty room was the whole world. Their minds held no other existence than that room, the unnatural eggs, and the ponies and places they had left behind, all thoughts of their plans lost on waking up in this terrifyingly alien chamber, their mouths, hooves, horns, and wings bound. None of them could say how long they had been watching the eggs, a side effect of having their mouths bound shut, but all of the ponies snapped out of their thoughts of home as a crack echoed through the chamber, lines of green running down an egg as the black shell started to split down the middle, whatever was contained within growing ever more desperate to escape, and to the captive audience; ever more ready to devour the feast on pony flesh that had been left for it. Another cracking noise, and the ponies eyes flickered nervously to the second egg to start falling open, ever so slowly, before it was followed in rapid succession by the last three eggs, each of them breaking open with a rush of green slime and the thump of alien flesh against egg shell; before, with a dreaded sense of finality all five eggs split apart almost completely evenly, revealing their strange, horrifying contents, that could only be the most abominable creatures ready to consume the helpless ponies. It was adorable. Not in the conventional sense, but as each pony looked at the strange creatures that almost tumbled out of the remains of their eggs, their hearts warmed, their fears melted away, and even though the organic bindings over their mouths the soft sounds of a muted "D'awwwww" could be heard. Hearing this each hatchling looked up at the ponies, looks of purest curiosity on their faces as they tilted their heads, wide blue eyes looking with fresh wonder at this strange new world, and the confusing noises it made. Before each of them started to shuffle forward on the wobbling legs of newborns towards the bound ponies, each tumble and accompanying squeak bringing forth another chorus of parental adoration. As each hatchling nuzzled the snouts of the captive ponies, sniffing and licking in their exploration, so too could each pony feel their resolve weakening to the utterly captivating things that were now either snuffling their way into sleep by snouts, on top of necks, or under wings; flexible chitin warm against soft fur. No pony or hatchling noticed the quiet noise of a door opening, another muted "D'awwww", and the sound of a door closing as a fully grown nurse drone trotted away, her heart soaring at the sight of the hatching chamber so full of love. Author's Note So yeah, I wanted to write Horror fading into Adorableness, tell me what you think Another Perfect DayCelestia sat on her throne, watching calmly as the two ponies bowed before her, before leaving. Their case had been morally simple, but legally complicated, and the noble's eyes had been narrowed at her judgement, even as he lifted his head and trotted from the room. Celestia knew her nobility, he wouldn't dare go against her judgement, but she made a mental note have several of Green Vale's town guards keep an eye on the farm and its inhabitants, just in case somepony decided to do something rash, that would allow him to purchase one of the countries premier vineyards for a price that would be considered theft. She very rarely enjoyed court, but it was one of the most subtle methods she had to watch over her little ponies, spot the problems that were threatening their lives, the talents, the little sections of lands that they called their homes, even the pampered nobles who continued to call for a decrease in taxes, embargoes on foreign goods, or the removal of 'barbarous' species such as the Buffalo or the Griffons, let her know which way the winds of society were blowing. She would be a poor tyrant indeed if she could not read these subtle signs and move her pieces accordingly. Still, dealing with the nobility was tiring and Celestia found herself looking through the windows at her sun, watching it as it made its way down the sky, maybe another half an hour before it set and her sister would begin the ritual to raise her moon, resetting the orbit once more, just enough time that she would be forced to deal with another case before the passing of authority and a brief break for dinner. Motioning to the door guards to call in the next and then dismiss the line Celestia straightened her tired shoulders and smiled once more, her endlessly practised smile that was warm and caring, without being overly mirthful or capricious, as the last group for the day entered. A slender unicorn mare led the group, her dark green eyes never leaving Celestia's, even as the others in the group attempted to both huddle behind her, and somehow shield her from the Solar Diarch's inquisitive eyes. "Good day my little ponies" the sudden flinching of the group was something she was sadly used to by now, even from the largest of earth ponies, like the one who was now trying to hide himself behind the mare's long teal mane, "Please do not be afraid, and let me hear your claim" "A fine evening Princess" the unicorn's voice was polite and soft as she bowed her head, before meeting Celestia's eyes again "I doubt I will be the first, but may I congratulate you on you niece's wedding," the mare smirked as though there was a joke only she got "it was a most fufilling ceremony to see love bloom like that." "Thank you..." Celestia began, but the mare cut her off before she could continue, that smirk widening as she did so. "And a honeymoon in the Caymare islands as well, it could be considered almost storybook couldn't it" Celestia felt her eyes narrow as the mare finished. The location of Cadance and Shining Armour's honeymoon has been a closely guarded secret, not just to prevent the press from turning it into another media circus but with the paranoia that had been flying around at the wedding. "And just how do you know where my niece and nephew are enjoying their well deserved rest?" Celestia didn't have to raise her voice or light her horn, her guards did that for her, with the subtle clinking of armour and shifting of weapons. "One of my daughters saw them leaving their plane this morning" once again that smirk widened, it was a wonder that the mare even had any mouth left to speak with "and the Papillon really does not deserve their reputation for secrecy." "I see" Celestia remained calm, the only hint to her current emotions was the steel in her voice "If you think that threatening me in my throne..." before the mare interupted her, again. "Threatening you?" the mare snorted as though the idea was utterly beneath her, "no Celestia, I am here to make you an offer." Before the white alicorn could even start to form her reply green fire swept over the unicorn, and her entourage, burning away the ponies before her, and leaving something else entirely in their places. "I am Queen Chrysalis of the Badlands Changelings, and I am here in order to offer my and my hive's services in exchange for Equestrian citizenship". Author's Note Diplomacy for the win, now all they have to do is slowly subvert the entire system from the inside, Chrysalis is immortal, she can wait. For those of you who who are going to go "Celestia, a tyrant, DISLIKE!!!" read Terry Pratchett's "Diskworld" novels, I'm using that definition of tyrant. An authoritarian ruler who could do any of those terrible things, but doesn't because it's just easy to make it easier to just keep them in office. Also this is the second time I've written this, the first time my internet and mouse decided to screw the pooch in tandem (it's a short but stupid story) and delete half of it, and I just rage-quit. Forgotten FatherHe stood there on the edge of the mountaintop; his bone white fur blending invisibly with the moonlight on the alpine snow, amber eyes sweeping across the peaks before and below him, a single motion of his head taking in the vast untrammelled wilderness that was his domain with a mixture of contempt and resignation before great muscles bunched and tensed. Almost soundlessly the ancient wolf turned from the cliff edge and padded softly to the first slope that he would walk tonight, for all his size and weight he left no marks in the snow, only the motion of one amber eye in the gloom was any sign of his passing, as it had the night before, and the night before that stretching all the way back for a time far greater than he could count in the changing of the sun and moon. Another night of the duty he had taken upon himself when the Twisting One had gone truly mad, when nightmares, abominations, unreal things in real flesh had been unleashed upon the world, when the Light Bringer and the Dreamer had faced the Twisting One for the sake of their mortals. Another night under the watching eyes of moon and stars to prowl the darkness and find the things that should not be, should never have been, and could not be allowed to continue being. Another night where his duty took him away from his pack-children, should any of them still hunt the monsters that stalked in the moonlight shadows as he had taught them in the first breaths of the world. Fenrir wondered to himself as he reached the base of the slope, arctic winds covering the padding of his paws on snow and rock, amber eyes searching the pooling shadows that did not move, did not cower, did not hide from the great wolf as he loped past, what had become of his children? Years had passed since he had last heard the hunting howls on the night winds, years had passed since he had last seen a bold pup out for its first inexpert hunt, years had passed since the Twisting One had taken the few of his children who had listened to its lies and turned them into cold unfeeling ice, a mockery in their ceaseless hunger for the warmth of life; warped them and bound them into unthinking plants that could never grow or change, a thoughtless pastiche of the cunning he had left his pack-children that allowed them to work together as one, or twisted them into cowerous, timorous, mutts who hid themselves within the deep parts of the world, hiding in their dens as prey, flinching at every passing shadow and breath of wind. Fenrir idly noted the rocks of the great northern moraines shifting under his paws, a layer of rime spreading in his wake while silent winds dragged at fallen flakes of snow with his passing. Idle thoughts and passing fancies flickering into life in his mind before dying just as quickly while he continued onwards. The hours passed silently like all the years behind him had, while he continued his hunt, the only trace of the great wolf's passing the hoarfrost glittering under moon and stars, before he had circled the all the great peaks. The moon setting below the broken horizon as he found himself where he had began the night's prowl under the soft blanket of starlight. Not sure why, Fenrir found himself looking at the heavenly orb sinking further behind the jagged peaks of his domain. He wondered what had happened to the Dreamer after she had disappeared from her charges visage, the presence within Selene vanishing several months ago, a thousand years after it first appeared. Maybe soon he would wander south and sate his curiosity. Author's Note So I read all of Ardashir's Wolf in Pony's Clothing series in a weekend, gotta say great stories, but what leapt out at me was what happened to Father Fenrir? Immortals quite literally pop out of the woodwork every other week in Equestria. Headcanon, after Discord ran free the first time, he left his monstrosities wandering in the wild parts of the world, and Fenrir took it upon himself to hunt through the great northern wastes until there were none left. He doesn't actually realise just how well he's done his job, and he is now stalking through an empty domain searching for something that is not there. Dubstep of the NightTavi x VampScratch Prologue It’s a funny little thing death, ponies are so scared of it, well I am too, I would not be cowering under my sheets if I was not afraid of the immediate and extremely bloody death awaiting me outside my bedroom door otherwise, but I am starting to digress. When I say the word death to most ponies they hear something of a final word, the cessation of life, the last thump of soil on the casket, a solemn prayer to Princess Temperance to look favourably upon the souls of our loved ones, memories that may never be relived or replaced. I would be forced to agree, that is certainly one of death’s manifold forms. However death can mean so much more, it is not just the loss of life but also the loss of possibilities, the loss of the rich and varied paths a pony may walk down as they live. In this way death is intrinsically mixed with life; we live as we die, and as we die we live For example I died when I was twelve, the brash and confident me that wished to be a model strutting down the runways of Manhattan's great Fall Fashion Festivals died; the quiet and desperate me that tried oh so hard to be an artist putting alien landscapes and untold dreams onto canvas with brush and paint died; the small and distant me that held dreams of being an alchemical scientist with Stable prize* after Stable prize to my name. All those me’s died when I discovered the cello and my destiny appeared before me in the tattered and beaten old instrument my parents bought for me as a distraction to the path they had laid before me, oh their faces when I first touched bow to string and thousands of me’s died in the outpouring of my soul upon that sweet muse. To anypony else it sounded like the warblings of a dying cat, but to me it was the sweetest of siren songs. I fear I am digressing again, the pounding on my door should be focusing my thoughts, not causing them to scatter like snapped strings. Then as my life continued I died again and again. The me that would only ever amount to being a street busker died when I put the hours of effort and work into my cello pulling ahead of all my peers. The me that would have made her paltry living in lounge bars and seedy Las Pegasus dives died when I fought tooth and hoof for my position in the Royal Sister’s Orchestra. The me that was forced out of her position and killed herself in a fit of depression died when I pushed myself against the yoke and proved, without a shadow of a doubt that I, an Earth Pony in a Unicorn city, had earned my position. And then, the me that had worked so hard, sacrificed so much, literally coated my strings and bow in blood and sweat and quiet tears, died in a nervous breakdown due to unforeseen circumstances that I do not wish to repeat here. And then, the me that had always been alone, the me that was so focused on her cello, on her success, on her destiny died. She died a slow, cancerous death fighting against it all the while; even as she was surrounded by newly-made friends. The concert leader having sent her and I the both of us to Ponyville, a little town hiding in the Cantering foothills, sheltered in the shadows of Canterlot. It was in that town that I found something I hadn’t had before, not in my family, not in my study and practice, not in my position and prestige. I found a mare who would be willing to live with me and die with me, our lives so deeply intertwined that when we died, we died together or not at all. Of course the both of us died once more when I discovered the one secret she had actually chosen to keep from me. I died when I discovered my marefriend was a vampire. She died when she realised I had uncovered her secret. Author's Note This is something of a preview for a TavixVampScratch project that popped into my head after reading, and being far too disappointed in "My Roommate is a Vampire". It's way off in the future, but the prologue's first draft formed over the course of a day, and I had pretty much all the words I wanted to type assembled in 3-4 hours, so why not? Let's gauge interest right here, right now. Empty KnightAuthor's Note So if there's one thing I just find plain stupid in this fandom, it's Nightmare Moon's R63 name, "Night Terror Stallion", and I am motivated by spite. Welcome to my head-canon. Dresden Files puns come free. PS: All done in one take, baby. PPS: The usage of "we", "I", "our", and "my" was symbolic. PPPS: I kept on typing "borther", something tells me one take snippet's drain away at me. Empty Knight Solaris hurried down the darkening corridors of the Palace of the Two Brothers, something was wrong, something was very wrong. The night sky was empty. No moon, the symbol of his brother’s power and grace. No stars to remember the fallen heroes of old. No light to guide the travellers in the dark. Just a blackness that spoke only of despair and loneliness. The absence of his brother's celestial sphere chilled him in a manner he couldn't explain, much as he couldn't explain the widening gulf between him and his brother Artemis, and much like his younger brother's sudden chilly attitude and self-isolation it had come out of nowhere. He had woken early for the Summer Sun Celebration. The various revelries that would extend from the cresting of his sun until the raising of Artemis's moon often leaving him no time to see to his own matters throughout the day, he had only had to make the mistake of walking onto stage with an empty stomach once. The dining hall being void of his brother hadn't surprised him, Artemis had been skipping out on their shared mealtimes so often that it was rarer to see him in the private room Solaris had insisted on so that the nobles couldn't interrupt what little time they shared. However the lunar alicorn's absence left the solar prince with a deep sense of melancholy that he had briefly indulged before quashing it as he had finished his meal, and given his thanks to the staff. Today was to be a day of celebration. Artemis would understand that their little ponies had to come first today. His long legs propelled him through the halls at a gallop as self-recriminating thoughts echoed throughout Solaris's mind. He should have thrown protocol to the side and checked in on his little brother. He should have made an effort to share the days joys with the increasingly moody lunar prince. He should have done something. Finally, after charging through the strangely empty and oppressively dark corridors for what seemed to be an eternity, Solaris barrelled through the twin doors of the brothers' shared courtroom, and his orichalcum shod hooves clattered to a stop as he spied Artemis sitting at the base of the stairs leading up to the twin thrones, his armoured frame turned away from the entrance. "Artemis, oh brother mine, we are so glad to see you are unhurt." Solaris panted out as he slowed to a trot, throwing away all his doubts and worries. Artemis was still here, he just had forgotten that it was time for him to raise the moon. Solaris could still salvage whatever scraps of a brotherhood they still shared. "When the moon and stars did not show themselves we feared the worst for you." "Unhurt? The worst? That has long since happened to us." The passionless tone his brother's voice stopped the solar prince in his tracks, that could not be Artemis's voice, even at his lowest the lunar alicorn's speech had been filled with a passion that could bring the most despairing of ponies back to hope. "Brother mine?" Solaris took another step forward, reaching one of his hooves out as he came closer to the slumped form of Artemis, barely noticing as his words exited from his mouth in chilled clouds. "Nay, Prince Solaris," even in the dull melancholy of Artemis's voice Solaris flinched back from the cold venom contained in those two words, his outstretched hoof falling to the stone floor. "You should know that not all wounds are of the flesh. What could hurt more than seeing my friends forgotten. Heroes that gave their heartblood and future so that others could enjoy the bounty of your land cast aside. Feasts and gatherings ignored, while the monuments we had erected to them face constant defilement and petty destruction." The lunar alicorn's cloak bulged and churned as his aetheric tail lashed underneath it with each word. "What could be worse than being forgotten by your own kin, ignored and cast aside for those same ponies that have spat upon the sacrifice of those long-lost friends." "Artemis," Solaris's heart beat heavily in his chest, exertion turning to dread as Artemis's head twitched backwards as if to turn towards the solar prince and he felt, rather than saw, his brother's attention switch from the thrones to him. "I did not know that such things were happening, I loved our friends as greatly as any other." "But you did know. I told you, I told you time and time again, and you shrugged away mine pleas for aid as if I were no more than a colt too young for any adult's time." "Artemis, brother mine, please just raise thine moon and place the stars in the sky, and we sill see what we can do to aid you" "You are no brother of mine, Prince Solaris, and the time for aid has long since passed." Solaris flinched back as a wave of darkness, raw and cold, surged from the lunar alicorn as he pulled himself into a standing position, before turning to face Solaris, revealing to the solar alicorn a horror he felt he would never forget. Artemis's armour looked to be empty, but a closer look showed the dark alicorn holding it together, a pelt the colour of darkness so deep and chilling that it seemed to drag at Solaris's very soul peeking out from between the joint between adamantine plates, his once sparkling mane and tail now nothing more than lank shadows that fell lifelessly to the floor leaving patches of barely visible ice wherever they touched the stone surface, but the worst of it were his eyes, now empty and void of all the that had made the lunar alicorn so beloved, no cheer, no passion, no promise of protection from all the terrors that a ponies dreams could hold. Just a darkness that seethed with dispassionate hatred. "Artemis..." Solaris could feel his heart screaming in his chest as he tried to reach out with a hoof, hoarfrost crackling as the metal strained against the chill that was creeping outwards from his brother. "I am Empty Knight," the dark alicorn slapped aside Solaris's outstretched hoof. "And if you and your ponies so desire to forget the sacrifices of the past, and leave me alone in my sorrows then they shall be alone in the dark forevermore." Solaris's horn barely ignited in time to shield him from the wave of darkness that poured forth from his brother, patterns of ice following stopping at the edge of the golden dome, even as the air around Solaris turned so cold and sharp as to drive the solar prince to his knees. "Artemis, brother mine, please do not do this," Solaris could feel sweat run down his neck and sides as he strained to hold his shield against whatever strange force was pouring from the lunar alicorn. "Our ponies need our sun, thine moon and stars. Our friends fought so desperately to bring light and trusted us to protect them with it. Please do not do this, please do not leave them alone in the shadows, nopony deserves that." "You would turn the memory of my friends against me?" Solaris wept at the almost dead tone of his brother's voice as the pressure on his shield doubled and redoubled. "You would use my loneliness as a justification for the continued indolence and disrespect of your ponies." Solaris felt his hooves leave the floor as his shield shattered, his flight through the darkness seemingly without end until he crashed into a stone dais, six gems falling into the slowly faltering circle of light cast by his horn, and a plan born only of desperation fell into his mind. Struggling to his hooves Solaris's magic sputtered and sparked as he hefted aloft the Elements of Harmony, they had done so much to help his brother and him. If there was anything that could save Artemis it would be them. Barely had he started to pour what magic he could summon into the gems before a tendril of shadow lanced out, and wrapped itself around his neck. The spiteful cold burning away at his flesh as his breath abandoned him, and he only just noticed Artemis standing at the edge of his magic's light. "Brother... Please" Solaris managed to choke out as the elements spun ever faster in his fading magic and the noose of shadows tightened around his neck, sapping at his focus and power. "Suffer alone." The noose tightened as Solaris's last breath left him and the fading prince sent his last surge of magic into the elements, making the gems blaze with the same inner light that had defeated and sealed so many threats before, before the solar prince felt his body collapse as the bands of shadow that had kept him standing dissipated under the burning fury of Generosity, Laughter, and Loyalty betrayed. His brother's screams tearing at his heart as the maelstrom of Magic unleashed engulfed the dark alicorn, until, with a final calamitous surge of energy, the light whisked his brother, his Artemis, away. It was only the following morning, when a curious maid entered the throne to find out what was taking so long for the royal brothers to switch the moon and sun around that they found Prince Solaris weeping openly as he stared upwards at the moon which now held a shadow in the shape of an alicorn's head. Brass BeastThe Beast shuddered to life, steam whistling through its limbs as though it was life-blood as the magical pump I had laboured away on beat rhythmically, my lips twitching back as a smile threatened to overtake my face. Thu-tsssh; a gout of steam escaped from the vents on its “back”, the heat and pressure blasting my hair back, the water clouding on the smoked glass of my goggles, as more droplets formed on the Beast’s brass shell, droplets cascading down its form, leaving trails of gleaming metal the colour of the autumns first fallen leaves. It was almost poetic, I mused as I ran my tongue over my teeth. THUMP. Thu-tsssh. One step, its metal hoof cracking the stone floor underneath as more steam escaped from the pneumatic joints hidden in its “knees”, the Beast lifted its head towards me, the Sapphire sunstones it had for eyes settled on mine as I held my breath. Thu-tsssh. “WHAT…DO…YOU…COMMAND…” the beast asked, it voice was dull, heavy, monotonous, an entity of inevitability, the voice echoing from within the brass casing as more water flowed down its carapace, the rhythmic pulsing of its heart beating at my ears, the heat pouring from it causing me to sweat. I couldn’t help it, I could feel the laugh building in my chest, struggling, fighting, warring against my restraint in its attempt to escape, until it spilled from my lips. My mad cackling echoing through the stone room, the erratic sound mixing with the steady pounding of the Beast’s 'heart'. “WHAT…DO…YOU…COMMAND…” I met its eyes with my own, my laughter dying away as I spoke the words that would shape my future from this point onwards. “Let’s go cause mayhem, Beast” Author's Note Blame Kudzuhaiku, of "The Chase-verse" fame, this one was spawned from a short conversation I had with him on his story "The Weed", a conversation about Self-Healing brass
SobrietyThe grey unicorn sat there, the barstool underneath him a familiar companion, the bottles arrayed before him temporary friends on a road that was far, far too long; a road that still stretched on before him. He could still hear them, whispering voices that longed for him to listen, to give in, to talk with him, to pass their message on to others. Grimacing, the Unicorn picked up another bottle, the label swam in his blurry vision, a pink Pegasus pony brandishing a mug of amber ale that he had seen so many times before, but it was alcohol, that was all that mattered, not the label, not the number of times he had seen it, not the siren song of the voices. All that mattered was the silence that the bottom of the bottle promised. Tilting the bottle back against his lips the Unicorn started to drink, the bitter liquid pooling in the back of his throat before each audible gulp, faint trails of amber fluid and pearlescent froth spilling out from the sides of his mouth as the liquid drained from the bottle. Finally after the long, shuddering drink, the unicorn pitched forward, slamming the now empty bottle onto the bar, the sudden movement disrupting his balance, and he teetered on the edge of his stool, before finally succumbing to gravity, and falling to the floor with a wet thump. Lying there, he could see the bartender look wearily over the counter at him, a look of tired resignation, a look he’d received for so many nights since the he’d read the book, since he’d heard the song, since the voices had started to speak to him. Lying there, as the bartender walked around the counter, he had found blessed silence, finally at the bottom of a bottle he had found silence. Lying there he could hear the bartender speak “Come on friend, let’s get you to your actual home” The bartender picked the Unicorn up and slung him over his back as he carried him out of the inn, walking through the moonlit streets, soft puddles of light taking the edge of the darkness, letting the muted shadows swirl and writhe as the clouds shifted in the sky. The bartender walked up to a dilapidated house on the edges of the town. Trudging through the weeds of the lawn, he pushed the door open as its hinges squealed with feverish intensity, before carrying the unicorn through to a broken couch, an indent in the shape of the Unicorns body dominating the cushions; an indent the Unicorn settled into as the bartender lowered him carefully to the fabric, before turning to leave. “See you tomorrow friend, hope you feel better” “He watched the bartender leave, the shrieking of the hinges barely making it through the haze of alcohol that covered his brain as he lay there in blessed silence, a silence he had gone so far to find. His eyes started shut, his mind turning blank in the comfortable alcohol fog sleep starting to claim, just second before the whispering voices started again. “Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn” Tears poured from his eyes as sleep claimed him, sleep and nightmares Author's Note This one was a bit of thanks to Sober for giving me the link to a certain GIF (I don't internet well). Unfortunately with only his Image and short bio to work off of I don't think I did a very good job, but I tried, I tried so hard, and got so far, but in the end, does it really matter? ia, ia
The HatchingIt wasn't an impressive chamber. Small, poorly lit, no real defining features other than the five small pedestals that each held their own small black rubbery egg, eggs that were squirming and moving as what monstrosity was in them wanted out. And yet to the five ponies that were bound to the floor with a smooth, overly natural looking resin that small, poorly lit, almost empty room was the whole world. Their minds held no other existence than that room, the unnatural eggs, and the ponies and places they had left behind, all thoughts of their plans lost on waking up in this terrifyingly alien chamber, their mouths, hooves, horns, and wings bound. None of them could say how long they had been watching the eggs, a side effect of having their mouths bound shut, but all of the ponies snapped out of their thoughts of home as a crack echoed through the chamber, lines of green running down an egg as the black shell started to split down the middle, whatever was contained within growing ever more desperate to escape, and to the captive audience; ever more ready to devour the feast on pony flesh that had been left for it. Another cracking noise, and the ponies eyes flickered nervously to the second egg to start falling open, ever so slowly, before it was followed in rapid succession by the last three eggs, each of them breaking open with a rush of green slime and the thump of alien flesh against egg shell; before, with a dreaded sense of finality all five eggs split apart almost completely evenly, revealing their strange, horrifying contents, that could only be the most abominable creatures ready to consume the helpless ponies. It was adorable. Not in the conventional sense, but as each pony looked at the strange creatures that almost tumbled out of the remains of their eggs, their hearts warmed, their fears melted away, and even though the organic bindings over their mouths the soft sounds of a muted "D'awwwww" could be heard. Hearing this each hatchling looked up at the ponies, looks of purest curiosity on their faces as they tilted their heads, wide blue eyes looking with fresh wonder at this strange new world, and the confusing noises it made. Before each of them started to shuffle forward on the wobbling legs of newborns towards the bound ponies, each tumble and accompanying squeak bringing forth another chorus of parental adoration. As each hatchling nuzzled the snouts of the captive ponies, sniffing and licking in their exploration, so too could each pony feel their resolve weakening to the utterly captivating things that were now either snuffling their way into sleep by snouts, on top of necks, or under wings; flexible chitin warm against soft fur. No pony or hatchling noticed the quiet noise of a door opening, another muted "D'awwww", and the sound of a door closing as a fully grown nurse drone trotted away, her heart soaring at the sight of the hatching chamber so full of love. Author's Note So yeah, I wanted to write Horror fading into Adorableness, tell me what you think
Another Perfect DayCelestia sat on her throne, watching calmly as the two ponies bowed before her, before leaving. Their case had been morally simple, but legally complicated, and the noble's eyes had been narrowed at her judgement, even as he lifted his head and trotted from the room. Celestia knew her nobility, he wouldn't dare go against her judgement, but she made a mental note have several of Green Vale's town guards keep an eye on the farm and its inhabitants, just in case somepony decided to do something rash, that would allow him to purchase one of the countries premier vineyards for a price that would be considered theft. She very rarely enjoyed court, but it was one of the most subtle methods she had to watch over her little ponies, spot the problems that were threatening their lives, the talents, the little sections of lands that they called their homes, even the pampered nobles who continued to call for a decrease in taxes, embargoes on foreign goods, or the removal of 'barbarous' species such as the Buffalo or the Griffons, let her know which way the winds of society were blowing. She would be a poor tyrant indeed if she could not read these subtle signs and move her pieces accordingly. Still, dealing with the nobility was tiring and Celestia found herself looking through the windows at her sun, watching it as it made its way down the sky, maybe another half an hour before it set and her sister would begin the ritual to raise her moon, resetting the orbit once more, just enough time that she would be forced to deal with another case before the passing of authority and a brief break for dinner. Motioning to the door guards to call in the next and then dismiss the line Celestia straightened her tired shoulders and smiled once more, her endlessly practised smile that was warm and caring, without being overly mirthful or capricious, as the last group for the day entered. A slender unicorn mare led the group, her dark green eyes never leaving Celestia's, even as the others in the group attempted to both huddle behind her, and somehow shield her from the Solar Diarch's inquisitive eyes. "Good day my little ponies" the sudden flinching of the group was something she was sadly used to by now, even from the largest of earth ponies, like the one who was now trying to hide himself behind the mare's long teal mane, "Please do not be afraid, and let me hear your claim" "A fine evening Princess" the unicorn's voice was polite and soft as she bowed her head, before meeting Celestia's eyes again "I doubt I will be the first, but may I congratulate you on you niece's wedding," the mare smirked as though there was a joke only she got "it was a most fufilling ceremony to see love bloom like that." "Thank you..." Celestia began, but the mare cut her off before she could continue, that smirk widening as she did so. "And a honeymoon in the Caymare islands as well, it could be considered almost storybook couldn't it" Celestia felt her eyes narrow as the mare finished. The location of Cadance and Shining Armour's honeymoon has been a closely guarded secret, not just to prevent the press from turning it into another media circus but with the paranoia that had been flying around at the wedding. "And just how do you know where my niece and nephew are enjoying their well deserved rest?" Celestia didn't have to raise her voice or light her horn, her guards did that for her, with the subtle clinking of armour and shifting of weapons. "One of my daughters saw them leaving their plane this morning" once again that smirk widened, it was a wonder that the mare even had any mouth left to speak with "and the Papillon really does not deserve their reputation for secrecy." "I see" Celestia remained calm, the only hint to her current emotions was the steel in her voice "If you think that threatening me in my throne..." before the mare interupted her, again. "Threatening you?" the mare snorted as though the idea was utterly beneath her, "no Celestia, I am here to make you an offer." Before the white alicorn could even start to form her reply green fire swept over the unicorn, and her entourage, burning away the ponies before her, and leaving something else entirely in their places. "I am Queen Chrysalis of the Badlands Changelings, and I am here in order to offer my and my hive's services in exchange for Equestrian citizenship". Author's Note Diplomacy for the win, now all they have to do is slowly subvert the entire system from the inside, Chrysalis is immortal, she can wait. For those of you who who are going to go "Celestia, a tyrant, DISLIKE!!!" read Terry Pratchett's "Diskworld" novels, I'm using that definition of tyrant. An authoritarian ruler who could do any of those terrible things, but doesn't because it's just easy to make it easier to just keep them in office. Also this is the second time I've written this, the first time my internet and mouse decided to screw the pooch in tandem (it's a short but stupid story) and delete half of it, and I just rage-quit.
Forgotten FatherHe stood there on the edge of the mountaintop; his bone white fur blending invisibly with the moonlight on the alpine snow, amber eyes sweeping across the peaks before and below him, a single motion of his head taking in the vast untrammelled wilderness that was his domain with a mixture of contempt and resignation before great muscles bunched and tensed. Almost soundlessly the ancient wolf turned from the cliff edge and padded softly to the first slope that he would walk tonight, for all his size and weight he left no marks in the snow, only the motion of one amber eye in the gloom was any sign of his passing, as it had the night before, and the night before that stretching all the way back for a time far greater than he could count in the changing of the sun and moon. Another night of the duty he had taken upon himself when the Twisting One had gone truly mad, when nightmares, abominations, unreal things in real flesh had been unleashed upon the world, when the Light Bringer and the Dreamer had faced the Twisting One for the sake of their mortals. Another night under the watching eyes of moon and stars to prowl the darkness and find the things that should not be, should never have been, and could not be allowed to continue being. Another night where his duty took him away from his pack-children, should any of them still hunt the monsters that stalked in the moonlight shadows as he had taught them in the first breaths of the world. Fenrir wondered to himself as he reached the base of the slope, arctic winds covering the padding of his paws on snow and rock, amber eyes searching the pooling shadows that did not move, did not cower, did not hide from the great wolf as he loped past, what had become of his children? Years had passed since he had last heard the hunting howls on the night winds, years had passed since he had last seen a bold pup out for its first inexpert hunt, years had passed since the Twisting One had taken the few of his children who had listened to its lies and turned them into cold unfeeling ice, a mockery in their ceaseless hunger for the warmth of life; warped them and bound them into unthinking plants that could never grow or change, a thoughtless pastiche of the cunning he had left his pack-children that allowed them to work together as one, or twisted them into cowerous, timorous, mutts who hid themselves within the deep parts of the world, hiding in their dens as prey, flinching at every passing shadow and breath of wind. Fenrir idly noted the rocks of the great northern moraines shifting under his paws, a layer of rime spreading in his wake while silent winds dragged at fallen flakes of snow with his passing. Idle thoughts and passing fancies flickering into life in his mind before dying just as quickly while he continued onwards. The hours passed silently like all the years behind him had, while he continued his hunt, the only trace of the great wolf's passing the hoarfrost glittering under moon and stars, before he had circled the all the great peaks. The moon setting below the broken horizon as he found himself where he had began the night's prowl under the soft blanket of starlight. Not sure why, Fenrir found himself looking at the heavenly orb sinking further behind the jagged peaks of his domain. He wondered what had happened to the Dreamer after she had disappeared from her charges visage, the presence within Selene vanishing several months ago, a thousand years after it first appeared. Maybe soon he would wander south and sate his curiosity. Author's Note So I read all of Ardashir's Wolf in Pony's Clothing series in a weekend, gotta say great stories, but what leapt out at me was what happened to Father Fenrir? Immortals quite literally pop out of the woodwork every other week in Equestria. Headcanon, after Discord ran free the first time, he left his monstrosities wandering in the wild parts of the world, and Fenrir took it upon himself to hunt through the great northern wastes until there were none left. He doesn't actually realise just how well he's done his job, and he is now stalking through an empty domain searching for something that is not there.
Dubstep of the NightTavi x VampScratch Prologue It’s a funny little thing death, ponies are so scared of it, well I am too, I would not be cowering under my sheets if I was not afraid of the immediate and extremely bloody death awaiting me outside my bedroom door otherwise, but I am starting to digress. When I say the word death to most ponies they hear something of a final word, the cessation of life, the last thump of soil on the casket, a solemn prayer to Princess Temperance to look favourably upon the souls of our loved ones, memories that may never be relived or replaced. I would be forced to agree, that is certainly one of death’s manifold forms. However death can mean so much more, it is not just the loss of life but also the loss of possibilities, the loss of the rich and varied paths a pony may walk down as they live. In this way death is intrinsically mixed with life; we live as we die, and as we die we live For example I died when I was twelve, the brash and confident me that wished to be a model strutting down the runways of Manhattan's great Fall Fashion Festivals died; the quiet and desperate me that tried oh so hard to be an artist putting alien landscapes and untold dreams onto canvas with brush and paint died; the small and distant me that held dreams of being an alchemical scientist with Stable prize* after Stable prize to my name. All those me’s died when I discovered the cello and my destiny appeared before me in the tattered and beaten old instrument my parents bought for me as a distraction to the path they had laid before me, oh their faces when I first touched bow to string and thousands of me’s died in the outpouring of my soul upon that sweet muse. To anypony else it sounded like the warblings of a dying cat, but to me it was the sweetest of siren songs. I fear I am digressing again, the pounding on my door should be focusing my thoughts, not causing them to scatter like snapped strings. Then as my life continued I died again and again. The me that would only ever amount to being a street busker died when I put the hours of effort and work into my cello pulling ahead of all my peers. The me that would have made her paltry living in lounge bars and seedy Las Pegasus dives died when I fought tooth and hoof for my position in the Royal Sister’s Orchestra. The me that was forced out of her position and killed herself in a fit of depression died when I pushed myself against the yoke and proved, without a shadow of a doubt that I, an Earth Pony in a Unicorn city, had earned my position. And then, the me that had worked so hard, sacrificed so much, literally coated my strings and bow in blood and sweat and quiet tears, died in a nervous breakdown due to unforeseen circumstances that I do not wish to repeat here. And then, the me that had always been alone, the me that was so focused on her cello, on her success, on her destiny died. She died a slow, cancerous death fighting against it all the while; even as she was surrounded by newly-made friends. The concert leader having sent her and I the both of us to Ponyville, a little town hiding in the Cantering foothills, sheltered in the shadows of Canterlot. It was in that town that I found something I hadn’t had before, not in my family, not in my study and practice, not in my position and prestige. I found a mare who would be willing to live with me and die with me, our lives so deeply intertwined that when we died, we died together or not at all. Of course the both of us died once more when I discovered the one secret she had actually chosen to keep from me. I died when I discovered my marefriend was a vampire. She died when she realised I had uncovered her secret. Author's Note This is something of a preview for a TavixVampScratch project that popped into my head after reading, and being far too disappointed in "My Roommate is a Vampire". It's way off in the future, but the prologue's first draft formed over the course of a day, and I had pretty much all the words I wanted to type assembled in 3-4 hours, so why not? Let's gauge interest right here, right now.
Empty KnightAuthor's Note So if there's one thing I just find plain stupid in this fandom, it's Nightmare Moon's R63 name, "Night Terror Stallion", and I am motivated by spite. Welcome to my head-canon. Dresden Files puns come free. PS: All done in one take, baby. PPS: The usage of "we", "I", "our", and "my" was symbolic. PPPS: I kept on typing "borther", something tells me one take snippet's drain away at me. Empty Knight Solaris hurried down the darkening corridors of the Palace of the Two Brothers, something was wrong, something was very wrong. The night sky was empty. No moon, the symbol of his brother’s power and grace. No stars to remember the fallen heroes of old. No light to guide the travellers in the dark. Just a blackness that spoke only of despair and loneliness. The absence of his brother's celestial sphere chilled him in a manner he couldn't explain, much as he couldn't explain the widening gulf between him and his brother Artemis, and much like his younger brother's sudden chilly attitude and self-isolation it had come out of nowhere. He had woken early for the Summer Sun Celebration. The various revelries that would extend from the cresting of his sun until the raising of Artemis's moon often leaving him no time to see to his own matters throughout the day, he had only had to make the mistake of walking onto stage with an empty stomach once. The dining hall being void of his brother hadn't surprised him, Artemis had been skipping out on their shared mealtimes so often that it was rarer to see him in the private room Solaris had insisted on so that the nobles couldn't interrupt what little time they shared. However the lunar alicorn's absence left the solar prince with a deep sense of melancholy that he had briefly indulged before quashing it as he had finished his meal, and given his thanks to the staff. Today was to be a day of celebration. Artemis would understand that their little ponies had to come first today. His long legs propelled him through the halls at a gallop as self-recriminating thoughts echoed throughout Solaris's mind. He should have thrown protocol to the side and checked in on his little brother. He should have made an effort to share the days joys with the increasingly moody lunar prince. He should have done something. Finally, after charging through the strangely empty and oppressively dark corridors for what seemed to be an eternity, Solaris barrelled through the twin doors of the brothers' shared courtroom, and his orichalcum shod hooves clattered to a stop as he spied Artemis sitting at the base of the stairs leading up to the twin thrones, his armoured frame turned away from the entrance. "Artemis, oh brother mine, we are so glad to see you are unhurt." Solaris panted out as he slowed to a trot, throwing away all his doubts and worries. Artemis was still here, he just had forgotten that it was time for him to raise the moon. Solaris could still salvage whatever scraps of a brotherhood they still shared. "When the moon and stars did not show themselves we feared the worst for you." "Unhurt? The worst? That has long since happened to us." The passionless tone his brother's voice stopped the solar prince in his tracks, that could not be Artemis's voice, even at his lowest the lunar alicorn's speech had been filled with a passion that could bring the most despairing of ponies back to hope. "Brother mine?" Solaris took another step forward, reaching one of his hooves out as he came closer to the slumped form of Artemis, barely noticing as his words exited from his mouth in chilled clouds. "Nay, Prince Solaris," even in the dull melancholy of Artemis's voice Solaris flinched back from the cold venom contained in those two words, his outstretched hoof falling to the stone floor. "You should know that not all wounds are of the flesh. What could hurt more than seeing my friends forgotten. Heroes that gave their heartblood and future so that others could enjoy the bounty of your land cast aside. Feasts and gatherings ignored, while the monuments we had erected to them face constant defilement and petty destruction." The lunar alicorn's cloak bulged and churned as his aetheric tail lashed underneath it with each word. "What could be worse than being forgotten by your own kin, ignored and cast aside for those same ponies that have spat upon the sacrifice of those long-lost friends." "Artemis," Solaris's heart beat heavily in his chest, exertion turning to dread as Artemis's head twitched backwards as if to turn towards the solar prince and he felt, rather than saw, his brother's attention switch from the thrones to him. "I did not know that such things were happening, I loved our friends as greatly as any other." "But you did know. I told you, I told you time and time again, and you shrugged away mine pleas for aid as if I were no more than a colt too young for any adult's time." "Artemis, brother mine, please just raise thine moon and place the stars in the sky, and we sill see what we can do to aid you" "You are no brother of mine, Prince Solaris, and the time for aid has long since passed." Solaris flinched back as a wave of darkness, raw and cold, surged from the lunar alicorn as he pulled himself into a standing position, before turning to face Solaris, revealing to the solar alicorn a horror he felt he would never forget. Artemis's armour looked to be empty, but a closer look showed the dark alicorn holding it together, a pelt the colour of darkness so deep and chilling that it seemed to drag at Solaris's very soul peeking out from between the joint between adamantine plates, his once sparkling mane and tail now nothing more than lank shadows that fell lifelessly to the floor leaving patches of barely visible ice wherever they touched the stone surface, but the worst of it were his eyes, now empty and void of all the that had made the lunar alicorn so beloved, no cheer, no passion, no promise of protection from all the terrors that a ponies dreams could hold. Just a darkness that seethed with dispassionate hatred. "Artemis..." Solaris could feel his heart screaming in his chest as he tried to reach out with a hoof, hoarfrost crackling as the metal strained against the chill that was creeping outwards from his brother. "I am Empty Knight," the dark alicorn slapped aside Solaris's outstretched hoof. "And if you and your ponies so desire to forget the sacrifices of the past, and leave me alone in my sorrows then they shall be alone in the dark forevermore." Solaris's horn barely ignited in time to shield him from the wave of darkness that poured forth from his brother, patterns of ice following stopping at the edge of the golden dome, even as the air around Solaris turned so cold and sharp as to drive the solar prince to his knees. "Artemis, brother mine, please do not do this," Solaris could feel sweat run down his neck and sides as he strained to hold his shield against whatever strange force was pouring from the lunar alicorn. "Our ponies need our sun, thine moon and stars. Our friends fought so desperately to bring light and trusted us to protect them with it. Please do not do this, please do not leave them alone in the shadows, nopony deserves that." "You would turn the memory of my friends against me?" Solaris wept at the almost dead tone of his brother's voice as the pressure on his shield doubled and redoubled. "You would use my loneliness as a justification for the continued indolence and disrespect of your ponies." Solaris felt his hooves leave the floor as his shield shattered, his flight through the darkness seemingly without end until he crashed into a stone dais, six gems falling into the slowly faltering circle of light cast by his horn, and a plan born only of desperation fell into his mind. Struggling to his hooves Solaris's magic sputtered and sparked as he hefted aloft the Elements of Harmony, they had done so much to help his brother and him. If there was anything that could save Artemis it would be them. Barely had he started to pour what magic he could summon into the gems before a tendril of shadow lanced out, and wrapped itself around his neck. The spiteful cold burning away at his flesh as his breath abandoned him, and he only just noticed Artemis standing at the edge of his magic's light. "Brother... Please" Solaris managed to choke out as the elements spun ever faster in his fading magic and the noose of shadows tightened around his neck, sapping at his focus and power. "Suffer alone." The noose tightened as Solaris's last breath left him and the fading prince sent his last surge of magic into the elements, making the gems blaze with the same inner light that had defeated and sealed so many threats before, before the solar prince felt his body collapse as the bands of shadow that had kept him standing dissipated under the burning fury of Generosity, Laughter, and Loyalty betrayed. His brother's screams tearing at his heart as the maelstrom of Magic unleashed engulfed the dark alicorn, until, with a final calamitous surge of energy, the light whisked his brother, his Artemis, away. It was only the following morning, when a curious maid entered the throne to find out what was taking so long for the royal brothers to switch the moon and sun around that they found Prince Solaris weeping openly as he stared upwards at the moon which now held a shadow in the shape of an alicorn's head.
Brass BeastThe Beast shuddered to life, steam whistling through its limbs as though it was life-blood as the magical pump I had laboured away on beat rhythmically, my lips twitching back as a smile threatened to overtake my face. Thu-tsssh; a gout of steam escaped from the vents on its “back”, the heat and pressure blasting my hair back, the water clouding on the smoked glass of my goggles, as more droplets formed on the Beast’s brass shell, droplets cascading down its form, leaving trails of gleaming metal the colour of the autumns first fallen leaves. It was almost poetic, I mused as I ran my tongue over my teeth. THUMP. Thu-tsssh. One step, its metal hoof cracking the stone floor underneath as more steam escaped from the pneumatic joints hidden in its “knees”, the Beast lifted its head towards me, the Sapphire sunstones it had for eyes settled on mine as I held my breath. Thu-tsssh. “WHAT…DO…YOU…COMMAND…” the beast asked, it voice was dull, heavy, monotonous, an entity of inevitability, the voice echoing from within the brass casing as more water flowed down its carapace, the rhythmic pulsing of its heart beating at my ears, the heat pouring from it causing me to sweat. I couldn’t help it, I could feel the laugh building in my chest, struggling, fighting, warring against my restraint in its attempt to escape, until it spilled from my lips. My mad cackling echoing through the stone room, the erratic sound mixing with the steady pounding of the Beast’s 'heart'. “WHAT…DO…YOU…COMMAND…” I met its eyes with my own, my laughter dying away as I spoke the words that would shape my future from this point onwards. “Let’s go cause mayhem, Beast” Author's Note Blame Kudzuhaiku, of "The Chase-verse" fame, this one was spawned from a short conversation I had with him on his story "The Weed", a conversation about Self-Healing brass
