Author's Note

So it's here, the Ash lake, and stuff n' things! I love stuff n' things! Whatever they are. Not gonna go into much depth with the notes today just saying I hope you enjoy the new chapter!

Dark Lake

Diana glared down at Silver Spoon.

Silver Spoon simply stuck her nose up and turned her back on Diana and crossed her arms with a huff. Diana felt her brow twitched angrily as the filly snubbed her. Getting on one knee Diana leaned next to the filly and moved her lips close to her ear.

Silver Spoon tried to not flinch as her breath touch the soft fur of Silver’s ear. Feeling her cheeks heat up Silver Spoon leaned away from Diana, getting ready to run if need be. The denizens of the dark would surely be more merciful than her current company.

“Don’t count on it filly, the dark dwellers are vile creatures who prey on anything that enters the darkness. I wouldn’t try without fire,” Diana warned her, standing up afterwards.

Silver Spoon slowly turned her head to see Diana pull out a satchel from behind a large stone and got a torch out. Diana then leaned down and lit the torch. After the base caught flames Diana pulled another torch out and lit it and offered it to Silver Spoon.

“Com on. I’m leaving. I’ll take you to the others and then we part ways from there,” Diana said sternly shoving the torch into Silver Spoons hooves. “Come on or I’ll leave you behind. The fire’s about to die. We should leave while we can.”

Silver Spoon watched as Diana turned to leave, and sure enough as the light from her torch slowly grew in distance the fire from the small fire began to fade. Silver Spoon looked around and saw dark red glowing eyes in the darkness staring directly at her. With a terrified ‘meep!’ she turned tail and ran after Diana staying close to her.

It was at this time Silver Spoon noticed a large greatsword on the woman’s back. Instantly she recognized it. It was a sword from the Abyss Watchers that Loreane told her about that attacked Ponyville. In fact she even recognized the armor she was wearing, albeit heavily modified.

For one thing the pant she wore were white with knee high greaves made of a silver colored steel. At less than knee high Silver Spoon saw the leggings closely and swore hey had a small layer of frost on them. The next thing she notices was the cape. It was a massive cape like the Abyss Watchers but was heavily torn as the edges with a few cut openings like it was out through a scissor factory. The metal gauntlet on her left hand had metal claws, her shoulder plate had a large kukri strapped to it and her long jet black hair flowed with her cape as she walked.

One thing she noticed was a small piece of yellow cloth wrapped around her waist like a sash. A piece hung off Diana’s left hip where her dagger was sheathed. On her leg was a large pouch and under her cape she caught a glimpse of arrows in a quiver along with several throwing dagger. *This woman is practically ready for war!* Silver Spoon through as they walked.

All around them the darkness felt claustrophobic. Silver Spoon was breathing heavily looking around every time there was a noise. She half expected something to jump from the darkness at any moment. When nothing came it only increased her anxiety. After the first 30 minutes she practically wanted something to attack just so she wouldn’t have this dreadful feeling of anticipation.

Diana however seemed perfectly calm. Eerily calm.

All around them the smell of the swamp was overpowering to Silver Spoon. Diana seemed unphased by it and continued to walk through until she came upon a large pond. There she stopped just at the water's edge. The water was calm, there were sounds of crickets nearby. With their torches they saw what looked like small ripples in the water.

Silver Spoon stepped forward and leaned towards the water putting her nose just centimeters from it. Suddenly her vision was blurred by a large silver blade stabbing into the water. The sudden appearance of said blade scared her causing her to trip falling on her back.

“W-what was that for!? You almost hit me!!”

“Tch, look again.”

Silver Spoon continued glaring at Diana, but slowly she looked down at the sword. A black swirling mass was pulled up from the water. It took Silver Spoon a moment to figure out what it was. It was a large slug of sorts. It’s dark blood spilled out from the wound and into the already decaying swamp.

Staring at the slug Silver Spoon heard Diana speak softly as she drew out the blade, “They’re deep slugs. Normal slugs that are touched by the Abyss and changed into the overgrown abominations you see for fore you.”

Taking her Farron Greatsword, Diana pointed all around at the darkness as she continued speaking in a quiet tone.

“Basilisks, mosquitos, the hollowed people of Blighttown, hell, even deeper that this pit of darkness lies a hydra corrupted by the darkness. It is there that I’m heading. Your friends seek Quelaag, Daughter of Izalith. Also known as the ‘witch’ Sir Alonne wishes dead.”

That caught Silver Spoons attention.

The filly wondered how Diana knew about their plans to get to the ‘witch’. As if anticipating this question Diana went on to explain openly how she knew.

“I have agents in Alonne's stronghold. No matter where he goes i will know where and when he’s there. He has opposed me in the past as such I couldn’t care less. Quelaag has done so too and I honestly hope they kill each other off so i don’t have to waste time and resources to do so myself,” Diana said, in a cold uncaring tone.

That hit Silver Spoon hard.

As they continued walking through the swamp the sound of creatures following close kept them on their toes, but Diana’s words rang in Silver Spoon. After trekking through the swamp for some ways Diana stopped in the middle of the water holding her torch high to illuminate the area. She then spotted something in the water and knelt down to reach for it.

As she did Silver Spoon grabbed her hand with her hoof and held it just after it breached the water and asked, “Was my home town a ‘waste of resources’ to you?” She asked harshly. “Or did you plan on killing all of us anyways?”

Diana said nothing at first. She simply took her hand back and felt in the water and pulled out a silver box. Opening it she pulled out a strange looking rock that Silver Spoon didn’t recognize.

“It’s a dragon scale,” Diana said putting the scale back and closing the box.

She stood up and started walking again with Silver Spoon at her heels.

“Dragons of the ancient age were not like dragons from your age.They were massive yes, but far bigger than the dragons of your age.”

Silver Spoon tilted her head as they exited the swamp and started climbing up a hill where a large gnarled tree remained. All around there were many dead trees, but this one was tall. It was as wide as a castle and seemingly endlessly tall. The darkness made it impossible for Silver Spoon to see the top but she assumed by its width it was a tall tree as it was wide.

“What were dragons like before, and what do you mean by ‘our age’?” Silver asked.

Climbing up the hill Diana stopped and drew her sword and dagger. Silver Spoon felt her body being pushed down by Diana’s hand into the dirt. A few seconds passed and neither of them moved. There was the sound of approaching steps in the soft dirt from above them, and Silver spoon liked to see more Balder Knights passing by.

Then as quick as lightning Diana was on her feet and with a might swing of her farron greatsword she cut the small group of knights down with a single powerful swipe, cutting them all three of them in half.

Silver Spoon watched as their split bodies collapsed to the ground. Their armors clanking as they collapsed. It was then Silver Spoon noticed a book on the side of one of the knights. Taking it she looked at the cover as Diana wiped her sword clean.

“That’s a braille tome of divine blessings. You should keep that close filly,” Diana said putting her sword over her back.

“What’s it for?”

“It’s a time to teach priest and priestesses about miracles and how to use them.”

Silver Spoon’s eyes lit up as she looked into the book. To her horror it wasn’t called a braille tome for nothing.

“It’s… it’s in braille.” she said sounding troubled.

Diana rolled her eyes and continued walking.

“No shit kid.”

Silver Spoon scoffed and ran after her.

“Ah! RUUUUDE MUCH!? And while we're on the subject you never answered my question!”

Diana looked down at the filly. She stopped at the base of the tree and looked around as if trying to find something. She then approached a stone was and touched it with her palm. The was then vanished to Silver Spoon’s surprise revealing two root paths through the tree. One went up in a straight path, the other spiraled down into the ground and deeper into the earth.

“ could spout all day what my intentions were. All you need to know is I had to take care of a ‘snitch’ in Ponyville before sensitive information was given out. Your town was just an unfortunate casualty,” Diana said factually to Silver Spoon.

“That, that is cruel! How can you sleep at night knowing you killed several ponies!?”

Diana rolled her eyes and stepped into the tree and started up the path heading up. She stopped after a few steps and looked back to see Silver Spoon standing just at the trees threshold.

“I am undead kid. I don’t sleep first off. Second, not a day goes by I don’t think of the thousands, possibly millions of lives I’ve taken from man and beasts alike,” She said, crossing her arm over her chest. “All I know is that I plan on fixing a broken world, and I’m sorry for the things I’ve done. I’m sure Loreane told you about me?”

Silver Spoon nodded.

“Well, what did she tell you?” Diana asked.

“She told me and Babs about you only in passing. Mostly what I know is from what I heard from her talking to Trixie. She said you’re cruel and vicious and untrustworthy.”

Silver Spoon stepped forward looking up at the human with tear strained eyes and asked the big question Diana had been waiting for since this conversation started.

“Why didn’t you kill who you needed and nopony else?” Silver Spoon asked,

Diana didn’t answer immediately. She paused and donned a contemplative look, as if she were actually thinking why she did it. In truth she knew the reason, but the filly didn’t need to know. Yet, looking into the fillies teared eyes something tugged at Diana’s chest.

She looked into the fillies eyes again, and once more felt the tug. Was it guilt? Yes, yes it was. She had felt this for a long time. Back when she started everything that led to now. Deep down in what was left of her heart she felt an overwhelming sense of guilt. She really didn’t need to kill most of the town, but the idea that the Abyss had tainted the town was far more prominent at the time that her own moral compass.

“I did what a I needed to do,” She then saw silver Spoon’s angry glare. “I didn’t like having to do it but... “

Her words died as she thought about it. After a moment she resumed.

“Have you heard of the Abyss?” Diana asked, sitting on the roots.

Silver Spoon shook her head. “No, I, can’t say that I have. Why? What does that have to do with anything?”

“The Abyss, it's a place that is, difficult to describe. There are many rumors and theories of what it is. What I can tell you is that it is a real place in the world and is very dangerous,” She said as Silver Spoon sat beside her.

“I once traversed there. Long, long, ago. In an age of darkness that I was responsible for.”

“What did you do?” Silver Spoon asked.

“It’ll take a while to explain. So, try to keep up. The world is divided into two parts, the surface realm and the dark realm under the earths crust called the Abyss. A vile wretched place of evil and darkness. The world itself is continually engulfing itself to replenish itself<” Diana used her hands to explain, sliding them over one another. “Until recently there was no explanation how this happened before, then ponies from your Canterlot University discovered tectonic plates.”

At the mere mention of the tectonic plates Silver Spoons eyes glinted.

“The techtonics shift constantly changing the world. What you ponies don’t seem to realize is that it isn’t random like you think.”

It’s not?”

Diana shook her head scratching her side. “No, it’s not. The Parish and Blighttown, do you know why they’re like the way they are?”

“I uh, no not really. Why are they like that?”

“Well, the world changes so it can consume the old and renew itself. The world is literally alive in a sense that it is self sustaining and rejuvenating. That’s why the place called the Undead Parish is underground. It use to be above ground like most civilizations but was consumed by the world's tectonic plates. That’s why you can find many underground civilizations that worship the sun and moon.”

“Wow, that’s interesting.”

“It is. The Abyss however is a whole thing on its own. It’s the place where darkness lies and no light exists naturally. Where darkness is the Abyss is. Nightmares, death, disease, all things of such nature come from their, but possibly the worst thing of all, corruption.”

“Corruption?”

“Yes, corruption.”

Diana heard voices coming from below and sighed. She stood up and drew her sword and started to walk up the roots and pointed with her sword to the bottom path.

“Take that route. Your friends will be there,” Diana instructed the filly. “But beware the hydra in the lake bed.”

Silver Spoon heard shouting. It was Babs, Trixie, and Loreane! She was sure of it. She ran down the path but was stopped by a thick fog barrier.

“What the heck is this!?” Silver Spoon yelped prodding the fog.

Diana stopped her march and groaned with slumped shoulders. She turned on her heels and returned to Silver Spoon at the base of the root where a familiar barrier she’d grown accustomed to was.

“Ah, that’s something that shows there’s great danger ahead. Usually only the undead see it and are affected by it.” She looked Silvers Spoon over closely.

“You should go. Your friends will need you.”

Silver Spoon looked at the fog wall for a few seconds more then turned to find Diana had disappeared without a sound. She then heard a scream followed by a loud roar from beyond the barrier.

Steeling herself with a calming breath, Silver Spoon traversed the fog barrier with her eyes closed. As she breached the barrier there was a cold rush of air, like she was falling in a frigid environment. Once through her body quickly warmed up and she opened her eyes to see Babs being flung around in the maw a a eight headed Hydra, with Trixie and Loreane beneath the beast.

Silver Spoon gasped and rushed over to them, taking note that Sir Alonne and his knights were missing. She was halfway to the fight when Babs was flung over towards her and skipped across the sandy area before sliding to a stop near Silver Spoon with a red trail behind her and her wartime just feet away.

“BABS!!” Trixie’s voice called from afar.

“Trixie watch out!”

Silver Spoon looked to see Loreane whip a fire whip at the hydra’s face before it was able to chomp down on Trixie. Silver Spoon quickly flipped Babs oer on her back and rested her head on her lap. Quickly Silver Spoon drew her crystal chime and chanted a heal prayer.

The power of her small amount of faith in the divine glowed through the chime and resonate with it. With a twist of her wrist Silver SPoon rang the chime and held it over Babs as a bright golden glow covered the injured pony and enveloped her with divine power. Moments later the wounds in her flesh had healed and Babs eyes fluttered open.

“S-silver? Is that you?” Babs asked feeling light headed.

A brone hoof reached and caressed Silver Spoon's cheek affectionately. Silver Spoon to the hoof with hers and rubbed her nose into it making Babs chuckle.

“Hehe, he, eh, wow, you’re such a wuss, Silv,” She said in a pained chuckle.

Silver Spoon harrumphed and dropped Babs onto the ground by standing up suddenly.

“Hey! What was that for!?”

Come on silly filly. Let’s go help!” Silver said giving Babs her wartime

Babs took the giant hammer and threw it on one shoulder and gave a cocky grin to Silver Spoon, and a playful wink. Silver Spoon blushed and averted her gaze.

“Hey guys! Guess who I found?!” babs yelled charging the hydra.

Trixie and Loreane looked behind themselves. Babs was running on her hind legs and rushed towards them with her hammer ready to strike, and SIlver Spoon was right behind her.

Trixie and Loreane smiled happy to see their young friend was alive. Though the hydra made the reunion very short lived as it roared reminding them of its hostile presence. Babs and Silver joined them and together they readied for the fight.

Ash Lake Greater Beast: Ash Hydra

The four bodies stood before the mighty beast. Silver Spoon had once seen a hydra in a book but this was very different. For her, and Babs for that matter, the hydras they knew about were the common feral hydra of the Everfree Forest. More catlike in appearance these were the common hydra over most of the lands. This creature before them however was different.

It was fierce looking with a beak maw on each head and hundreds of razor sharp teeth. The scales looked more like aged green leather with a deep red underbelly. Most notably different was the size. While most hydras stood about the size of a two story building, this hydra was at least three times that size.

It was in the lake which in of itself wasn't that massive as Silver Spoon imagined. It was a small lake probably only a mile wide at best and the hydra took up a good portion of it. Around the back of the lake was the root system of the great tree Silver Spoon descended from that ran long a long ridge above the massive.

The hydra was a bruiser that was for sure.

What the beast did next only solidified that thought in the small group of adventurers. One of the massive heads went to bite down at them but the group scattered in every direction trying to avoid it.

Babs side rolled to the left with Loreane, while Trixie used her magic to grab Silver Spoon and dodged to the right. Babs swung her hammer with her body motion in one fluid motion right into the side of the hydras face.

The beast roared flailing its head back as another struck at Babs. With another mighty swing, Babs clobbered the hydra straight in the nose. The bells on the war hammer rang and on contact the sound of bone breaking resonated loudly from the beak of the hydra's mouth. The head reared back screeching in pain as green blood spewed out of the cracked in its scales.

“HA HA! Up yours beast!” Babs cheered triumphantly.

“Babs! Pay attention!”

From behind the bronze filly, Babs heard Loreane scold her. Just as this happened Trixie shot a magical stun beam as the same head tried to bite at Babs. The magical beam hit the hydra in one of it eyes causing it a world of pain. Each head then reached high up above them as roared loudly.

Everyone readied themselves as all the heads struck down at the scattered group. Once more they broke apart even further from each other. This time however the hydra breathed a powerful jet stream of water from each of its mouths. The streams of water hit the ground missing their targets and sent huge ash clouds up that covered its view. The small group reunited under cover and tried to come up with a plan to deal with the hydra.

“What should we do?” Silver Spoon asked.

“We should just run and leave the beast behind!” Trixie said, looking around for any sign of the dust cloud clearing.

The hydra’s roars sounded close but were still far enough away that it didn’t give the group and real worry. For the moment.

“Yeh, ah agree with Trixie. We should get outta here while we can,” Babs agreed.

“How?” Silver Spoon asked. “The entry way I used is blocked by a wall of mist.”

Loreane looked down at Silver Spoon with a deeply worried look.

“Are you sure?” She asked.

Silver Spoon silently nodded. With a sigh of resignation Loreane slumped her shoulders and clenched her fists.

“Then we have to defeat the beast. Otherwise we will remain here until it dies or we do.”

“So, then how do we beat it?” Babs asked as the dust began to settle revealing their hiding spot to the hydra.

“He must destroy all the heads! Focus on one and move on to the next!” Loreane yelled throwing a powerful fireball at the hydra.

The fireball struck true to its target hitting the hydra head that was injured by Babs earlier. The fireball exploded on contact creating a horrid burnt flesh smell. It was then that Loreane realized she left her side open as one of the many heads struck her from the side and sent her flying into a nearby log and winded her.

Babs rushed in front of her downed companion and held up her hammer like a bat. Then each hydra head rushed Babs who batted them away one after the other. Several scales and chunks of flesh splattered against the hammer with each swing she made giving her some deep sick satisfaction in the pain she caused the hydra. It was easy at first, but then the hydra changed it up by attacking with two heads at the same time. The two heads pressed cheek to cheek and dove at the bronze filly.

Babs struck one to the side but the other managed to grabbed her with its beak maw. The head rose up and shook the captured prey in its mouth. Babs screamed in pain as the sharp teeth penetrated her armor and dug into her flesh. The took her hammer and jabbed the hydra in the eye several times until one of the sharp points pierced the eye in a green bloody mess.

The hydra dropped her roaring in agony from its damaged eye. Trixie used her magic to catch the filly in her magical aura. Trixie ran with Babs to Silver Spoon while Loreane tried to divert the beast's attention. Doing so when your foe had ten plus heads made it difficult.

Loreane was trying, but with great difficulty, to distract all the heads by spamming as many pyromancy spells she could, and she dodged every counter attack the hydra made against her. The taxing task of casting so many pyromancies drained her until she collapsed to her knees.

Trixie left Babs and rushed to Lorraine's side. The azure mare pulled her friend away from the hydra as the heads came crashing down where they were just moments ago. As they played dodge the hydra Silver Spoon was casting the heal miracle she learned and healed Babs wound and sealed it. There was a small amount of blood that stained the armor, but Babs didn’t care too much.

“Thanks,” Babs said hugging Silver Spoon.

The metallic grey filly felt her heart skip as she embraced Babs in a warm hug. A roar from the hydra shattered the moment as one ot the heads exploded in a fiery green bloody mess and collapsed limply to the ground.

Without thinking Silver Spoon ran to Loreane and Trixie and stood in front of them. She pulled out her crystal chime and pulled it close to her chest. She gave a long silent prayer, as faint glow of golden rings appeared around her. Then as the hydra made a full head on attack with all its heads. A wall of flesh and teeth came down on the group lightning fast. Then as they closed in large pillars of radiant light illuminated the entire area as they shot up from the ground cutting through the hydra's heads causing great amounts of green blood to spew everywhere and stained the sand beneath them.

The pillars of light continued to erupt from the ground for several seconds, lighting the area and pushing the hydra back. With each of its heads badly injured it looked as if the hydra was about to retreat, but then the pillars of light ceased their onslaught, and Silver Spoon collapsed from fatigue. Babs ran over and slid by her side ready to defend her with all she had.

Trixie stood up and readied herself as well, preparing a fireball spell and a stun spell in her horn.

The hydra roared with each of its injured heads shaking the world around them. As each head readied to strike a whistling sound came from above as a large spider like creature with an upper portion of a human body came down and pieced one head with a spear killing it.

The with a mighty leap the human spider hybrid leapt from the head and landed next to the group. Silver Spoon and the others recognized it as the creature Sliver poon helped earlier. It’s leg was wrapped in a bloodied bandage where it was shot before.

“Hey,” The spider human hybrid greeted them kindly.

“Hey! I know you!” Silver Spoon exclaimed pointing at her. “LOOK OUT!”

As the words came out from Silver Spoon’s lips the hybrid turned to see the teeth of the hydra inches from devouring her whole. Her eyes went wide with horror as the teeth seem to slowly descend upon her. Her life flashed before her eyes and fear paralyzed her in place.

*FOOSH!*

From above them a long arrow flew from the darkness and pierced a hydra head killing it instantly. Looking around confused by its unseen assailant the hydra’s heads each looked in a different direction trying to find the new threat. FRom above another arrow pierced a second head through the eye making it squirm and screech in pain before slumping over dead. Several more arrows flew through the air and hit every head on the hydra killing each with one decisive blow. When all the heads were dead the hydra's body dissolved into ashes. Its soul floated in place where the great beast once was and drifted towards the soul gathering flask Gerihat gave to Loreane.

Once the soul was safe and secure Loreane took a moment to look over Silver Spoon who had passed out from her fatigue. Babs, Trixie, and the newcomer looked over the filly with worried looks. Especially from the hybrid.

“Will she be alright?” She asked, stretching her eight legs out.

“She’ll be fine,” Loreane said petting the filly. “Thanks for saving us.”

“Sure I helped but it wasn’t me who killed the hydra,” she said.

“Well, if it wasn’t you then who?” Trixie wondered, looking up into the darkness above where she thought the arrows came from.

High above the group Diana was overlooking the scene on a large gnarled root. She had her oni giant slayer bow in hand, her cape fluttered gently with a gust of wind. Looking over the side she saw that Loreane and the others were safe from the hydra. Slinging her bow she took one last look over the side focusing on Silver Spoon and Loreane.

“Take care my little grey friend. Watch over Loreane for me, keep her safe.”

With a heavy sigh Diana turned to head up the root path she was heading. She walked around the root and followed it up for several minutes until she came across a larger tree deep within. As she approached the air grew humid and warm.

She entered the tree as a loud growling that came from within. Diana had no fear. She continued to walk in without any slight bit of hesitation into the tree vanishing within.