Chipping Away at the Past
Twilight Sparkle and her assistant Spike stood in the entryway to the catacombs. While the rain had stopped an hour ago, the concrete floor was still damp. The carriage drivers who had brought Prince Blueblood to the catacombs were preparing to leave, while a small group of royal guards set up a station outside.
"It isn't a hostage situation," Twilight recalled Celestia saying, "It is just that the sculptor has a tendency to overreact when ponies don't follow her rules."
Twilight, Spike and Celestia stood in the royal hallway with stained glass windows on both sides. Something about the way Celestia had worded that made Twilight feel uncomfortable.
"Teacher, from the way you say that it makes it sound as if this sculptor isn't a pony at all," Twilight remarked.
Princess Celestia had turned to face her student. "I didn't mean it like that, however I can say that there are a few ponies out there who would view the sculptor as something less than a pony, which is a great shame. As a result she prefers to distance herself from others. It will be easier for you to understand once you meet her."
"Is there anything else you would like me to do while I aid in retrieving Prince Blueblood?" Twilight asked, somewhat begrudgingly. She had seen how much of a jerk the prince had been to Rarity at the Grand Galloping Gala, so it was somewhat difficult for her to believe that she was actually helping him at all.
Celestia nodded. "I would like it if you would talk to her. Try to learn what you can about the sculptor's past and perhaps try to come to understand her. However before you go, I have to give you and Spike two pieces of advice."
"What are they?" Spike asked out of curiosity.
"First, try to follow the sculptor's rules. She is very strict when it comes to her domain," Celestia answered. "Secondly, avoid staring. Follow my advice, and I am certain she will welcome your presence."
With two guards as an escort, Twilight and Spike proceeded forward into the catacombs. They hadn't gone very far when they discovered that many statues littered the halls of the catacombs, their faces seemed to be contorted into expressions of fear and terror. Spike began to sweat profusely at the sight of the statues. Many of the statues possessed contorted and pained expressions, while some lacked any faces at all, giving them a surreal appearance.
"Are you sure this is safe?" the baby dragon asked, sweat pouring down his purple and green scales.
"I'm sure it is fine," Twilight said nervously. "Celestia did say the sculptor preferred to distance herself from others. Perhaps this is her way of warding off unwanted guests?"
They continued walking deeper into the catacombs, the concentration of statues growing thicker as they proceeded. Occasionally, Twilight could hear the sound of something slithering through the underground graveyard.
Eventually Twilight and her group discovered a small clearing among the statues surrounded by flowers. While most of the flowers possessed crimson petals there were a few scattered among them that had white petals that seemed to glow with a faint blue energy. A bright light came from a hole in the ceiling above, illuminating the small clearing.
In the center of this clearing was a single figure. While the figure was looking away, Twilight recognized that it belonged to Prince Blueblood. However, something about how the prince stood in the clearing seemed off to Twilight.
"Come on Prince, you have had enough sight seeing for today," Twilight called out. "It is time for you to return to Canterlot."
Despite Twilight's statement, Prince Blueblood didn't move. He just stood there unresponsive to Twilight's call.
"Oh, he is just mad because we were there with Rarity at the Gala," Spike said. "I'll talk to him."
Spike ran over to Prince Blueblood and attempted to tug on his leg. However, upon feeling the cold, hard stone underneath his talons, Spike jumped back.
"What is it Spike?" Twilight and the two guards ran forward, "What’s wrong?"
Upon standing next to Spike, Twilight discovered what was wrong. What she had seen hadn't been Prince Blueblood but instead a statue. A statue with a horrified expression on its face.
"Why, hello there," a feminine voice spoke out of the darkness, startling the group. "So you're the ponies Celestia sent to retrieve this pesky prince," the owner of the voice continued. Hearing the voice, Spike immediately scurried behind Twilight's left foreleg. The guards stood at attention, preparing for any threat. "Though I am not sure this stallion is really worth your trouble," the voice went on, seemingly circling the clearing. "He was such a pain in the flank."
"Show yourself!" one of the guards called out. The only reply he received was a feminine laugh. The sound seemed to echo off of the catacomb walls.
"Very well," the voice giggled. As the disturbing chuckle faded, the sound of hoof steps in the darkness echoed throughout the catacombs. They seemed to be slowly coming in the direction from which Twilight and the group had taken to enter the small grove. Snakes moved from the darkness, slithering out of the path of whatever was heading their way.
Out of the darkness came a figure. She looked like an earth mare with a charcoal-black coat and a golden mane, which seemed to flow behind her. However as she drew closer, Twilight realized that her mane and coat seemed to possess ... scales.
"Hello, my humble guests," the mare said, looking up from the ground to face them, a toothy grin on her face. "It is very nice to meet you."
Twilight noticed the color of mare's eyes were magenta with long slender pupils and that her grin seemed to be filled with sharp fangs. Slowly realization kicked in and Twilight noticed the mare's mane moving, revealing several golden serpentine heads. Their red eyes watched every movement the group made.
"It is a gorgony!" one of the guards yelled before charging at the mare with a spear. With a slight chuckle two of the serpentine strands stretched forward pulling the spear away from the guard before breaking it in half and discarding the pieces.
"Now that isn't very nice!" the gorgony growled at the guards. "It is against the rules to attack the host."
"We didn't mean you any harm," Twilight said, trying to defuse the situation. "We came here to seek the sculptor and to retrieve Prince Blueblood."
The gorgony looked away from the guards and faced Twilight. "I guess this means you are the leader of this little party. Celestia must have high hopes for you, if she sent you to search for me. I am the sculptor and that statue there is your 'beloved' prince."
By the way the gorgony worded "beloved," Twilight could guess that Prince Blueblood had done something to greatly offend this creature. Not wanting to invoke the gorgony's wrath, Twilight bowed her head.
"Is it okay for us to return Prince Blueblood to Canterlot?" Twilight asked, keeping her gaze low.
The smile on the gorgony's face seemed to widen. "Yes, feel free to take the pest away. I have no use for him."
Twilight motioned to the guards, indicating that they needed to carry the prince's petrified body away. Reluctantly the guards did so, however they continued to keep a watchful eye on the gorgony.
"Now, if that is all you wanted," the gorgony spoke, "then I suggest that you all leave."
Spike was about to take the gorgony up on her offer, but Twilight held a hoof out. "Forgive me, but the princess has given me an assignment to speak with you."
"Ummm ... I don't know."
At first it looked almost as if the gorgony was about to refuse, until she noticed the little baby dragon hiding behind Twilight.
"What is this?" the gorgony asked, stepping closer to examine the baby dragon. Her tongue flicked out like a snake tasting the air.
"This is Spike," Twilight said, doing her best to keep Spike safe behind cover. "He assists me in my tasks for the princess."
"Can I touch him?" the gorgony asked, a large grin on her face. Her eyes continued to follow Spike's movements.
"Uhhh... well..."
"I will answer your questions," the snake maned mare answered excitedly.
Twilight bit her lip, "I guess that would be okay."
Spike gave Twilight a look of betrayal as the gorgony scooped him up off the ground. Lying down on a raised platform, the gorgony began to pet the little dragon's head almost like how one would pat a cat.
"So what is it you would like to know?" the gorgony smiled.
"Well, I suppose it would be nice to know your name?" Twilight asked, as she pulled out some paper, a quill, and an ink pot. Once the supplies were in place she carefully sat down.
"Yes, I suppose that would be useful," the gorgony said. "You may call me Euresia. Just remember to address me by that name. Calling me things like monster are against the rules. And what is your name?"
Twilight had remembered Celestia saying something about how the sculptor had rules that would be necessary for her to follow.
"My name is Twilight Sparkle," Twilight said. "I am a student of Princess Celestia and I have been assigned to study friendship."
The strands of Euresia's mane moved rigidly toward Spike. "I hope you manners are better than those of the Princess's nephew."
Judging from the gorgony's actions and the fact that Prince Blueblood had been turned to stone, Twilight could guess that the prince had left a very sour taste in Euresia's mouth. Perhaps he had broken some of the gorgony’s rules. Twilight determined that it would probably be wise to change the subject.
“I-I was informed that you have rules here,” Twilight stated.
A wide smile crossed Euresia’s face. “Indeed. I have created various strict rules to insure the safety of my sanctuary. I punish those who break these rules by stoning them.”
Twilight was fairly certain that the gorgony had no idea what the term “stoning” meant in modern Equestrian culture and was probably referring to her petrifying gaze.
“You mean petrify them,” Twilight corrected.
“Perhaps,” Euresia, said squinting her eyes at the lavender unicorn. “You’re not questioning me, are you?”
Twilight shook her head, “No, no, no, no. Not at all.”
The gorgony’s mood softened. “Good. That would be against the rules.”
Perhaps trying to correct the mare about the ability to turn others into stone was a bad idea. Twilight determined it would be safer if she just proceeded with the interview.
"So... is it true that gorgonies possess the ability to petrify ponies with their gaze?" Once the words left Twilight's lips, she felt like she could smack herself.
Euresia continued to pat Spike's scales, however her tone was clearly that of annoyance. "Of course, your prince can testify to that!"
Change the subject! Change the subject!
"And what is your name?" The gorgony asked the baby dragon she was patting.
"Uh ... my name is Spike," the dragon gulped.
"Spike, that is a very cute name," Euresia smiled. "I had a friend once who had a pet dog named Spike."
The baby dragon crossed his arms in annoyance. "Of course she did."
"Sadly one day the dog bit her," the gorgony continued, "and so she turned him into stone."
Spike's eyes went wide at the statement. Twilight felt worried for the little dragon until she noticed a slight curvature to Euresia's lip. Was the Gorgony teasing him?
"Were you always a gorgony?" Twilight asked nervously.
The gorgony shook her head. "No, when I was much younger I was a mere earth pony. I remember very little of my life before my transformation, other than that I was an earth pony, I lacked my cutie mark and I was alone."
"How did you become a gorgony?"
Putting a hoof under her chin, Euresia almost seemed to be pondering this. "To be honest, I am not sure how I became a gorgony. I do remember seeing a bright, green light in the sky the night before, however I can't recall anything else that could have lead up to my transformation. I just remember one day my mane turned white and started falling out in clumps. My body was racked with pain as I felt my body and mind shift and twist. Slowly one by one all my teeth fell out to be replaced with fangs. The pain was so unbearable that I lost consciousness. When I awoke I was what I am now."
This information surprised Twilight. While she hadn't thought that gorgonies had existed before, once she grew to accept the idea she had figured they were just another pony tribe as opposed to the old myths that claimed that they were cursed creatures. However, if Euresia's story was true then there might be some truth behind those ancient tales.
"Do you ever wish you were still an earth pony?"
"The thought has crossed my mind," Euresia said as she resumed stroking Spike's scales with her hoof. At this point, Spike seemed to be enjoying it. "But when I remember what I gained after becoming a gorgony, I am content. I had a family that understood me for who I was."
The sparkle of Euresia's eye seemed to dim and for a moment she stopped patting the baby dragon. "That was ... long ago."
"So does that mean you met other gorgonies?" Twilight asked writing her notes onto her scroll.
"Y-Yes," Euresia replied returning back to reality. "Most gorgonies have the ability to sense when other gorgonies appear. The older gorgonies will then instinctively seek out the new gorgony to take care of it. It is a strange, maternal urge that all gorgonies possess. That is how I came to know Sapphire Glance."
"What can you tell me about Sapphire Glance?" Twilight inquired, genuinely curious who this gorgony must be.
"She was a wonderful gorgony," Euresia answered. "She found me about a week after my transformation and took me to her sanctuary. For centuries she had been locating other gorgonies and grouping them together into one big family. It was at Sapphire Glance's sanctuary that I learned my true talent as a sculptor and discovered my cutie mark."
"That sounds nice," Twilight said.
Euresia nodded. "With her tutelage, my sisters and I learned how to control our gazes, and she gave us advice on how to help us hold off the frenzy."
"The frenzy?" Twilight inquired.
"It is a strange phenomena with gorgonies," Euresia explained. "It happens when there is so much rage or despair that a gorgony loses control of her gaze and turns every living thing around her into stone. Slowly she moves, wreaking fear and chaos as she goes, blinded by her anger. Her only desire is to see everything around her wiped away. While normally a gorgony can only petrify others with her own gaze, under the effects of the frenzy even a glance from her mane can turn them to stone. No eye contact is needed."
Once again a somber look stretched across the gorgony's face. Her serpentine mane seemed to move in a sullen manner.
"What happened?" Spike asked, comprehending the gorgony's actions.
A deep sigh left Euresia's lips, "It happened so long ago ..."
Euresia ran through the woods, her small frame moving gracefully through the underbrush. Today she had managed to sketch a few drawings that she was looking forward to trying to make into sculptures later. There had been a doe with her fawn walking through the forest that the gorgony had found simply adorable.
The trees were covered in green leaves, which shaded the emerald grass underneath. Birds could be heard singing their majestic songs from among those strong branches. This world was at peace with nature and Euresia wished not to tamper with it. The gorgony enjoyed the gentleness of the forest and wished that it would never change, that she could always return to admire it's beauty. Euresia wasn't a great sculptor, she could never change the full beauty of nature, but that didn't stop her from trying to recreate that beauty in her sculptures.
However as she moved through the forest, something just felt off. The usual sounds of the animals faded away, replaced with a deathly silence. Soon the scent of something burning filled Euresia's nostrils telling her that there must be a fire near the sanctuary.
'Sssomething is wrong,' one of the serpentine voices in the back of the gorgony's mind spoke.
Picking up her pace, Euresia sprinted toward the sanctuary, her heartbeat thumping loudly inside her ears as she ran. If something had happened at the sanctuary then no doubt they would need her help. As Euresia grew closer to the village the gorgonies had called their sanctuary, the smell of smoke and flames grew stronger.
Breaking through the brush, Euresia caught sight of the village. Smoke bellowed from the largest of the huts. Ponies in black and blue armor had circled the village, the symbol of a silver moon brandished upon their shields and armor. The sigil of the Canterlot's House of the Moon, a family that dated their royal lineage back to Princess Luna.
The knight's armor had small eye slits, which in turn made it difficult for their eyes to catch a petrifying glance. Many of them were unicorns and with their magic they wielded powerful mechanical blades. Sapphire Glance had warned of these weapons. The blade had a chain built into it that could be rotated by the unicorn's magic at such a speed that they could cut through stone, making them extremely effective at cutting through a gorgony's scales.
'We ssshould flee!' a serpentine voice spoke.
'Yes, if they sssee us we will be in great trouble,' another voice said.
"But what about the others?" Euresia replied. "What about Sapphire Glance?"
'Forget them!' the snakes roared, 'They could be dead for all we know! We ssshould leave while we ssstill can!'
The gorgony pondered what her mane was telling her. While what they were saying was logical, it contradicted what her emotions were telling her. Sapphire Glance had given her family and a home, the very least she could do to return the favor was to try to find survivors.
"No!" Euresia hissed before galloping toward the village. Stealthily the gorgony crawled through the shadows, doing her best to avoid detection. As she moved closer to the village, Euresia had to do her best to hold back tears as she saw the bodies of her fallen sisters lying on the ground. Their heads completely removed from their torsos and their serpentine manes cleaved off. Many of the strands still moved on the ground not fully comprehending what had happened.
The sound of wood and stone smoldering among the ruins could be heard as they were consumed by the surrounding flames.
'This isn't sssafe!' the voices inside Euresia's head hissed.
The House of the Moon knights moved through the village while setting every building on fire as they went. This made Euresia's movements difficult, but eventually she made her way to the center of the village. Ducking into the shadows, the gorgony watched as she saw Sapphire Glance along with a newer gorgony surrounded by six knights.
Sapphire whispered something to the little gorgony before letting out a great roar, as she did Sapphire sent out to strands of her serpentine mane out toward two of the knights. While the knights managed to cleave the two strands midair it distracted them long enough that the little gorgony was able to flee, leaving Sapphire Glance alone with the knights.
Seeing Sapphire's beautiful blue mane severed made Euresia feel sick. Sapphire Glance had a mane with scales as blue as the ocean waves, with eyes and a tail of a matching color. Her coat was a much paler blue, like the sky on a clear day.
Laughter drew Euresia's attention to another knight who walked into view, joining the other six. He was much taller than the others and his blue armor was covered with silver engravings.
"You have fought well monster," the knight said as he removed his helmet. "You are indeed a worthy foe."
Pulling his head free of the helmet, the knight loosened his silver colored mane, which framed his azure coat and purple eyes. Euresia hated the smug smile the knight had on his face.
Sapphire Glance chuckled. "I wish I could say the same for your knights, young prince. Much like you they lack honor."
"I am Prince Star Aura," the knight growled, "and you will give me the proper respect I deserve, beast!"
"Yes, it is exactly like looking into a mirror," Sapphire teased.
While the prince and the gorgony argued, Euresia moved stealthily toward the group.
Prince Star Aura's horn glowed a bright purple as he used his magic to grab Sapphire by the throat. "Your mockery will only make your death that much sweeter, beast!"
"Then do it!" Sapphire hissed.
In a flash, two golden serpentine strands reached out and bit into the necks of two of the knights. The two knights squealed and reached up to where they had been bitten. To their horror the flesh of their necks began to turn to stone. This in turn caused the remaining four knights along with Prince Star Aura and Sapphire Glance to turn to see Euresia standing there. Her mane stretched out ready to strike.
"Euresia, what are you doing?" Sapphire called out. "Run away, my child!"
A cruel wicked grin stretched across Star Aura's face. "I wonder which would be better. To kill the mother in front of the child or to kill the child in front of her mother?"
The four remaining guards moved toward Euresia, brandishing their blades. As his knights advanced, Prince Star Aura unsheathed his own sword. It was double the size of the weapons his soldiers wielded. The chain built into the blade buzzing to life.
"EURESIA RUN-" Sapphire yelled, her cry cut short as Star Aura's blade slashed into her torso.
The world seemed to stop for Euresia in that moment. Sapphire Glance, the gorgony who had cared for, loved her and had even given her the name ‘Euresia’ now had a large gash stretching across her chest. The gorgony that had been like a mother to Euresia had been cut down and was now dying.
With his victim fatally wounded, Star Aura threw Sapphire to the ground.
Suddenly Euresia could feel something rising within her. Something forbidden and terrible. Something the gorgony had hoped she would never feel. Hatred and rage flowed through her and those two emotions felt so ... wonderful. Now the voices inside her head were on her tongue.
"Let us feast on their flesh," words that were both Euresia's and not her's leapt from her lips.
In horror the knights watched as Euresia's eyes began to glow a bright magenta and the snake heads that stood on end began to glow a terrible blood red.
"No," Sapphire let out a soft whisper, "don't let your anger fuel their lies."
However, Euresia didn't care. She ... they? She and her mane? They were filled with hatred and they wanted to see these pathetic ponies suffer. Waves of euphoria washed over Euresia as the frenzy began to consume her.
'Let's make them all sssuffer!' the snakes spoke. 'Let's sssend them into the darkest pits of Tartarus.'
One of the knights ran toward the gorgony, his blade held ready to strike before he came to a grinding halt as one of Euresia's strands fixed its gaze on him.
"She is going into a frenzy!" Star Aura declared. "Stop her!"
The three remaining guards wielded their blades, in a protective manner trying to conceal their eyes from the gorgony's gaze but all that did was make their advance much more difficult. Euresia fixed her eyes on the three knights, the glance slowly petrifying them where they stood.
A horrified realization swept over Prince Star Aura as he became aware of what was happening. This gorgony was going into a frenzy and there was nothing he nor his soldiers could do to stop it.
"Stop," the Prince begged. "Please, I am sorry. Forgive me."
The gorgony looked at him with only hatred in her eyes.
"Grovel all you want!" an unearthly voice escaped Euresia's lips. "Nothing will sssave you now!"
A scream echoed throughout the burning village as Star Aura's body slowly turned to stone. His screams cut short as his muzzle was petrified.
There was a swooshing sound as an arrow shot through the air, hitting Euresia in the side. The impact was so strong it knocked her to the ground. There the gorgony lay still. Slowly the archer along with a few more knights from the house of the moon stepped out toward the fallen gorgony.
"Do you think she is dead?"one of the knights asked.
"There is only way to know for sure," another knight growled activating his blade. "Sever the head!"
'Make them sssuffer.'
A serpentine head arose from the crumpled body of its mistress, glancing at the knight wielding the blade. Like the others he turned to stone.
'Make them all sssuffer!'
As Euresia arose from the ground the group of knights divided. One half stood courageous and prepared to slay the frenzied gorgony, while the other half fled like cockroaches. However, in the end it didn't matter for soon all of them were turned to stone.
Golden Mane stood at the outskirts of the town, a look of disgust on his face. His lips curled at the scent of burning wood and flesh. This was all the work of the House of the Moon. While Golden Mane understood the House's motives, it didn't make this scent any less obscene.
Centuries ago when Nightmare Moon had been banished to the moon, the House of the Moon had sworn their loyalty to Celestia, saying that they would hunt monsters to undo the sin of the founding princess. However, there was a difference between killing murderous beasts and slaughtering innocent creatures.
Celestia had been aware of Sapphire Glance's sanctuary for a long time but had avoided drawing any attention to it, because the gorgonies had lived within its boundaries and left the countryside alone. However, that hadn't stopped the House of the Moon from sending their troops to murder this village.
After hearing of the House of Moon's actions, Celestia had demanded that Golden Mane and his soldiers escort her to the sanctuary. The flames were gone now, replaced by smoldering ruins and clouds of smoke. Taking a quick look over his shoulder Golden Mane was able to see that despite her strong will, it was difficult for Celestia not to shed tears at the sight.
Once they had passed the outer buildings of the village, more corpses began to come into view. The prince could hear the sound of one of the newer recruits vomiting at the sight of the carnage.
"Do you think any of them survived?" Celestia asked, catching the prince off guard.
"My lady, I fear we both know the answer," Golden Mane replied.
As they moved deeper into the village, the party began to come across various statues interspersed among the smoke of the burning buildings. Their expressions concealed by their helmets. Somehow they had been petrified despite wearing their carefully crafted masks.
"What could have done this?" the prince asked.
"Rage," Celestia answered, "and grief."
Suddenly the sound of weeping could be heard, coming from deeper within the village. Cautiously the party moved forward, wary of what could be hiding within the smoke. The petrified knights didn't make their advance any less foreboding. Soon the shape of a hunched over figure could be seen in a fog.
"Stay here," Celestia commanded.
"Are you sure, your majesty?" Golden Mane asked.
Celestia nodded. "I assure you I will be fine. However, if my theory is correct, then it will be problematic if we were to advance forward as a group."
"As you wish, your highness," the prince nodded, not fully sure what Celestia was worried about.
Cautiously Princess Celestia stepped towards the hunched over figure. It seemed to be a mare bent over the corpse of a fallen gorgony. As she moved closer, Celestia could tell that this pony was the source of the weeping. The mare had a charcoal coat with a golden mane and a cutie mark that resembled a hammer and a chisel with a golden serpent wrapping around them.
"Hello there, little one," Celestia said softly to the mourning mare.
In a flash, the mare turned her head, her mane curling up to reveal serpentine heads. There was a feverish look in the gorgony's eyes as she gazed upon the alicorn with the intention to turn her to stone. However, nothing happened. As the frenzied gorgony attempted to petrify Celestia to no avail, the princess took a look at the body of the deceased gorgony beside her. It was Sapphire Glance, her chest torn by a knight's blade.
Feeling pity for the poor gorgony, Celestia began to advance upon her. As the princess stepped forward, unaffected by the petrifying gaze, the gorgony's eyes grew wide with fear.
"SSSTAY AWAY!" Euresia growled. Despite the warning, Celestia continued forward.
'Ssshe will kill us!' the voices in the gorgony's mind hissed, 'they always do!'
Euresia didn't know what to do. How could she defeat something that was immune to her petrifying gaze? Tears fell from her eyes, as the gorgony prepared to meet her doom at the alicorn's hooves. After all this was the same alicorn that had banished her own sister to the moon. Euresia closed her eyes shut, bracing for the end - an end that never came.
Feeling warm, Euresia opened her eyes and realized that the white Alicorn was hugging her. A gentle hoof rested on the gorgony's back.
"Shhhh... it is okay," Celestia said, patting the gorgony's back. "You’re safe now."
Slowly the frenzy faded from Euresia's mind, leaving behind only grief and sorrow. The gorgony let out a scream as the realization of what had happened came over her. Her family was gone, she had succumbed to the frenzy, and now she was all alone.
"And that is how I came to live here," Euresia said, finishing her tale.
"But if that is the case, then why didn't you live at the castle?" Twilight asked.
"Do you think anyone would want a creature like me in a castle?" the gorgony chuckled. "Besides, it isn't that Celestia didn't give me the opportunity. I simply refused."
"But why here?" Inquired Twilight, "Surely you could have found a better place to live."
"In a way this is my penance," Euresia answered. "Among my kind it is a great sin to fall into the frenzy. It would be like if one of you unicorns started using their magic to spread chaos and mischief. There would be severe consequences for such behavior, like exile."
That did make some sense. Many unicorns who misused their spells were often banished from their own communities, assuming they weren't imprisoned for their crimes. Such events were common for unicorns that attempted to learn necromancy or to commune with beings from beyond the fourth veil.
"And that is why you haven't searched for others of your own kind," Twilight observed.
The gorgony simply nodded. "Certainly there are other questions you would like to ask me."
"What do you like to eat?" Spike asked. To this Euresia raised a hoof to rub her chin.
"Well, grass is always nice," the gorgony replied. "I also like eating flowers sometimes, but not the glowing ones. Those were a gift. Rocks aren't too bad either."
"Doesn't that hurt your teeth?" Spike asked curiously.
"It is no different than biting down on an ice cube," Euresia chuckled.
Looking up from the purple dragon, Euresia saw that Twilight was lost in thought.
"Is something wrong?" the gorgony asked puzzled by the unicorn's silence.
"Are ... are you happy?"
The question sort of surprised Euresia. Why did the unicorn care whether she was happy or not? Why? Slowly, tears began to well up in the gorgony's eyes. Euresia started to push Spike away.
"I-I feel lonely..." the gorgony started, wiping away her tears. "I-I'm not crying. Crying is against the rules."
"Please, Euresia, don't stay here," Twilight encouraged. "Come with me to the surface. You can't keep punishing yourself like this."
"Twilight, I'm fine," Euresia replied. "I am where I'm supposed to be. Now I believe I have answered all your questions, so it is time for you both to leave."
A somewhat annoyed Twilight begrudgingly picked up her scroll and inkwell. Once all her writing supplies were gathered back into her saddlebags, Twilight prepared to leave the catacombs.
"Come on ,Spike," Twilight spoke. "Let's go."
Spike reluctantly complied, feeling a little sad for the gorgony.
"Wait!" The statement caused the unicorn and the dragon to stop in their tracks. "Before you go... uh... just remember that you are both more than welcome to come back. Unlike most of my previous guests, you didn't break very many of my rules."
"We'll think about it," Twilight said.
“You are welcome back too, Spike,” Euresia spoke. “I am certain I could probably find some gems for you to munch on during your next visit.”
“That would be sweet!” Spike said with a large grin on his face.
Twilight then placed the little dragon on her back and began to walk away. As Spike looked back, he saw the gorgony waving them farewell. Her hoof moving back and forth in a slow manner.
Watching the two of them go, Euresia pondered what Twilight had said. Perhaps in time she would be able to forgive herself and be able to venture into the world outside. The idea of exploring and making new friends did seem like it could be fun to the gorgony.
‘It isn’t sssafe out there,’ one of the voices in her mind spoke.
‘None of them will like us,’ another said. ‘Not once they are all aware of our sssin.’
“But maybe what Twilight said is true,” Euresia answered. “What if all we need to do is forgive ourselves?”
