The Darkness Beneath

by Schyler Quinn

Rating: teen
Tags: Adventure, Princess Celestia, Sex, Main 6, Gore, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Other, Romance, Princess Luna, Drama, Original Character, Mystery
Length: 4501

After the return of the Pillars, an old ally of Equestria calls for new arrangements to preserve peace among the species, but is that their real intention?

Following the defeat of the infamous Pony of Shadows and the return of the Pillars, the Parliament of the Golden Islands, a long-term ally to Equestria, summons all the known kingdoms and nations to an assembly to settle terms to preserve peace and safety among the species; Starquill is sent to Equestria to learn about the magic that surounds it, but he is received by an special group of ponies that will melt his heart and make him question his orders, here's a tale of amity and romance, tragedy and betrayals, power-crazed lunatics and evil maniacs, in a land where nopony can be trusted and the more you look, the closer you are to dicover the darkness beneath...

Published 2017-10-23 00:00:06 UTC
Last updated 2017-11-05 03:33:51 UTC

Prologue

Author's Note

Hello fellow Fimfiction readers! here's my first story in this page, it has a dark and edgy look, i know, but I'm trying my best, let me know of any sugestions in the comment section.
This story is told from the perspective of many different characters, each chapter has the name of the character whose perspective we are looking at at the top of the page, this story is the first part of my planned three-part saga called "Tales of magic and Friendship", I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it, and I hope you help me along the way to improve my writing, best wishes to ya'll and I'll be seeing you around here in Fimfiction.net :pinkiehappy:

Prologue

Linen Scroll

The ship rocked his bed back and forth as it moved; he was unable to find sleep in this condition, I knew an airship was a better idea, but right now there was nothing he could do about it, it was a three day trip and this was the third day, it was getting late though, the sky was beginning to colour itself purple and orange as the night closed in; after arriving to Manehattan’s port he would have to take a train to Canterlot, he expected to get there by the morning of the next day; the Parliament was very concerned to send him there, the return of the Pillars to this dimension was the event of the century, he remembered reading a lot about Star Swirl the bearded, the most powerful wizard in all the land, he was slightly excited to meet him and the rest of the legends that were presumed to have been brought back to Earth, but he didn’t show it off, his mission was his priority, the message Linen Scroll carried with him in that ship was of utmost importance, he felt like he wasn’t the right pony to do so, but orders were orders, the Parliament of the Golden Islands needed to talk to these ponies, the destiny of the world depended on it; he heard a knock at the door of his room, he used his horn to magically open it, a sailor entered shortly after.

“We’ll reach port soon milord” the sailor was a white skinned pegasus with a light grey moustache, bluish green eyes and a mane covered by a white sailor cap “I thought you might want to look at the city from here”

“Sure do” Linen Scroll answered as he rose from his bed “I’ll go in a second”

“Alright” the sailor said before quickly turning back to return to the ship’s deck.

Linen Scroll donned the representative dark grey cloak of the Golden Islands’ school of magic and hurried to deck, the sky was already a dark blue sprayed with thousands of stars all over it, the moon was a glistening white pearl in the middle of it, he then looked at the city ahead of them, it gleamed with the hundreds of lights of its buildings, it was like another moon standing on the ground in front of them, he could see the torch on the Mare Statue emitting an orange light that illuminated the little aisle it was standing on.

“Isn’t it a beautiful sight?” the sailor’s voice behind him took him by surprise, but he did his best to stay in shape “All those lights and all the life that can be appreciated even from here, that city never sleeps, day and night ponies from all sorts of places keep doing all sorts of things, it’s amazing”

“It is beautiful indeed” he answered, as the ship slowly made its way to the docks he could feel the smells of the city life, he could see the flowers on the balconies and the light posts illuminating the streets, he spotted a few restaurants and ponies coming and going, beautiful indeed; then the ship finally arrived to the port, he went to his room to grab his saddlebags and quickly returned to the deck; before he left the ship he went to the captain to thank him.

“It’s been a wonderful trip, I will be back here in three days to return to the Golden Islands, meanwhile you may stay here in Manehattan, now I’ll be off to Canterlot, it was a pleasure” He then proceeded to leave the ship, as he walked through the dock he gazed back at the ship, it was a white medium sized vessel with white sails embroidered with the golden diamond sigil of the Parliament of the Golden Islands, the sailors were carrying off the goods that they needed to stay in the city and securing the ship itself, he turned back to resume his path to the train station; when he exited the docks he walked through the sidewalk which was as crowded as the dockside, he finally found a taxi and hurried to board it.

“Where are you going?” The big grey skinned stallion that owned the taxi asked.

“To the main train station if you please”

“Buckle up, it’s going to be a very wild ride” and he set off, Linen Scroll was surprised by the strength of that pony, the carriage moved as fast as an speeding pegasus, as they went through the city he could see what the sailor was talking about back at the ship, “that city never sleeps”, true enough, the city’s streets were as crowded as if it were midday, the restaurants were rushing with ponies of all kinds and so were the shops, there were pegasi flying from here to there and vice versa all over the city It’s amazing he thought; he almost fell when the carriage suddenly stopped.

“We’re here, the main train station, welcome to Manehattan, safe travels”

“Thank you very much sir” he responded vowing lightly “my best wishes to you” Linen Scroll then walked inside the train station, it was a very big building, the floor was covered in marble and the walls were polished stones painted white, he realized it wasn’t as crowded as the rest of the city, but there were more ponies than he expected, he looked around before going to the checkout to buy a ticket to Canterlot.

“The train will be departing in two hours through deck number four; you can wait on the waiting room B” The checkout pony was a light grey skinned mare with dark purple hair, she wore a black bow tie and a silver badge with the emblem of Manehattan “it’s located over there” the mare pointed towards a glass door across the room with the words “Room B” written on top of it

“Thank you” he responded, he then walked to the waiting room, once in he sat on one of the cushioned seats of the waiting room, he gazed at the clock on the wall, it was already past ten, the wait for the train was boring and annoying for him, once the train arrived he got a slight feel of relief, he boarded it as fast as he could and went to his wagon, he watched the train station from his window, its bright colours had a tremendous contrast with the railway which had a seemingly darker look with the near-black steel rails and the wooden sleepers beneath them, it was an almost grim sight; the announcer pony then gave the final call to board the train, soon after that the train whistled loudly and began to move, the first metres were slowly paced but then started to accelerate, each time faster and faster, it left the station and went through a tunnel that let them out of the city, once out of the tunnel he could see the city become smaller as the train speeded up until it was no longer visible and all that was left to see were the fields and mountains of a green darkened by the night, for a portion of the way he kept looking at the window watching the trees and fields pass by, he started thinking of how life was for each pony that lived in those fields that were there, so lonely in the middle of mountains and railroads, he could see another train going on the opposite road, lighting the road as it dashed forward.

“Sir” he turned his head to discover a maid standing on the way with a cart full of sweets and fruits “will you have something to eat?”

He looked at the cart, he wasn’t sure what to pick, but he knew he only wanted to pick one thing, he wasn’t really hungry, he looked at a basket of caramel apples and decided that would be the perfect choice “I’ll have one of those apples, please” The maid levitated it with her horn and gave it to him in a small plate “how much?”

“Oh, nothing, it’s a courtesy of the train line” the maid responded with a smile “will you have anything else?”

“No, I’m good, thank you very much”

“It’s a pleasure” the maid resumed her way towards the next passenger, he then was left alone with his apple, he looked at it thoughtfully, he realized he didn’t really want to eat it, the caramel that covered it gleamed with the lights of the wagon it was a pale brown ball of sweetness, as tasty as it looked he didn’t really want it, after looking at it for a few minutes he decided to practice magic on it, he thought of starting with a teleportation spell, he lighted his horn and locked his view at the apple, then he teleported the apple away from the caramel, with a sparkle of light the caramel melted down to the plate and the apple appeared next to it on the table, he chuckled lightly, he then started thinking of other spells, he pointed his horn at the caramel on the plate and shot a bolt of white energy at it, suddenly the caramel started to take a cubical form and fell on the plate as a cube of caramel, he decided to step up his game, he went to his saddlebags and grabbed a small flagon he had brought with him, he put it on the table and then levitated the apple over it, with a small beam he turned the apple into juice and it poured it into the flagon, he then levitated the cube of caramel he had just created and melted it in mid-air to let it fall into the flagon, he then sealed the flagon with a wooden cap and shook it in the air with his horn, when he put it back on the table he uncapped it and looked at his creation, he thought of drinking the sweetened apple juice, but couldn’t decide whether doing so or continue practising magic on the apple, he preferred to drink the juice, as he drank it he could feel the caramel pall on his tongue, it was extremely sweet, he did not regret it though, after he drank it he cleaned the flagon and returned it to his saddlebags, he started to feel his eyes growing heavy, he yawned and realized he needed sleep, he gazed at the clock on the back of the wagon and saw it was already half past two; well, time flies, doesn’t it?, he thought; he laid on his seat and closed his eyes, he fell asleep faster than he expected.

The sunlight hit him directly in the face, he woke up with his eyes flashed by it, the train was still moving, he looked at the window and saw a beautiful mountainous landscape before his eyes; he realized the train was going upwards, he looked down and he could see that the ground was far below them, he then checked the time, it was ten o’clock, the train was scheduled to arrive in Canterlot at half past ten, we’re close, he thought; then the train started to go around the mountain and entered a tunnel, it was illuminated by dozens of yellow lights, he saw each one of them dash backwards as the train moved through the tunnel, once the train got out of it he saw water pouring down the rocks of the mountain making them glow with the sunlight, then the city of Canterlot appeared before his eyes, it was a short way between the entrance of the city and the train station, when the train stopped he grabbed his belongings and walked out of the train, thanking the announcer pony that led them out, the train station of Canterlot was smaller than the one at Manehattan, he realized, but what it lacked in space it more than made up for in beauty, the walls were a perfect white colour with purple and yellow outlining, the floor was glistening white marble and the pillars that stood inside the station were majestic to look at, there were beautifully carved statues of marble and stone on the corners of the station and the doors were dark oak ornamented with golden handles and out-lines, he left the station and walked through the streets of Canterlot, he could see the glamour and the class Canterlot was well-known for, everything was beautiful to look at in this city, he turned in various corners and went around many streets until he realized he was lost, he walked up to a guard standing in the corner of a white building and asked for directions.

“Excuse me, could you direct me to the castle of Canterlot, please?”

“Sure thing” the guard answered with a deep tone and a smile “here’s a map of the city” he pointed towards a spot on the map “here’s where we are right now” then he pointed towards another spot in the centre of the map “and here’s where you want to be, the castle of Canterlot, take the map if you want, I’d take you to the castle but I’m on duty right now so I cannot really do that” Linen Scroll grabbed the map gently and backed a step.

“It’s okay; I can make my way through the city with the map, but thank you anyway”

“You’re new to Canterlot I presume”

“Why, yes I am”

“Then, welcome to Canterlot my friend, stay safe”

“Thanks, you too sir” Linen Scroll waved and turned to finally get to the castle; he walked for at least half an hour before arriving at a staircase that led to the gates of the castle, he kept the map inside his saddlebags and grabbed out the letter from the Parliament and climbed up the stairs, the sun was straight up in the sky, which gave let him know that it was midday, even so, the air was chilling, once at the gates a guard walked up to him.

“What’s your business here?” The guard was mildly taller than he was, a pale brown skinned unicorn donning the golden armour of the royal guard of Canterlot.

“It is imperative that I speak to the princess, I’m Linen Scroll, and I come on behalf of the Parliament of the Golden Islands to deliver an important message to the current ruler of Equestria” he then showed the letter with the seal of the Parliament to the guard; the guard looked at it and then looked back up.

“Follow me” The guard let him inside the gates, they walked through the esplanade of the castle; when they arrived to the door of the main hall the guard signalled him to wait there, then the guard rushed inside the castle; a couple minutes passed before the guard came out again.

“You may come in” Linen Scroll walked beside the guard as they went through the main hall, it was a long and tall room with crystal walls and floors, the pillars glistened like diamonds as they passed by; the guard stopped and moved to one side of the throne room’s door.

“You may go in, the princesses are awaiting you” Linen Scroll had completely forgotten that there were actually two princesses in Canterlot, he mindslapped himself for that, but the Parliament didn’t seem to remember the second princess either, he thought, right now there was no time to regret that though, he would need to accommodate his speech to the two princesses, the way he saw it it was no big deal at all, he entered the throne room; the two princesses stood side by side accompanied by at least a dozen guards spread across the room, he wasn’t somepony to get nervous by speaking in public so this would be easy for him, when he got close enough he introduced himself.

“Greetings my princesses” he said, before vowing “My name is Linen Scroll, I come on behalf of the Parliament of the Golden Islands to deliver a message, a petition actually, to you”

“Welcome to Equestria Linen Scroll, it’s been long since we had any words from the Parliament, it is a pleasure to have you here” Celestia’s voice was sweet and calm; it certainly sounded like a welcome.

“It is an honour to have a pony from the Golden Islands here in Equestria” Luna’s voice was slightly rougher than Celestia’s but it was just as warm and welcoming as her sister’s.

“So, what is the message you have for us?” Celestia asked.

“Of course” he started off “the Parliament is interested in meeting up with the Pillars, their return to this dimension is a very important event that can change the destiny of the entire world; given to the recent events regarding the death of the Storm King the Parliament is concerned that the Pillars may inspire challenge and conflict because of their reputation as powerful beings, but we are also convinced that their presence is paramount for the safety of the realms, so they have requested an international summit to set accords and strategies to use this for the benefit of everypony and ensure the preserving of peace and harmony so that maniacs like the deceased Storm King fail to succeed in their evil deeds; the summon to the court is described in this parchment” Linen Scroll gave the letter to the princess who willingly accepted it.

“It is a very reasonable request; I assume this court may be aimed at bringing back the Magic Council, am I right?” Celestia asked with a curious look.

“Well, the Parliament’s court room used to be the headquarters for the Magic Council back when Star Swirl the bearded created it along with the other powerful wizards of the age, but the Parliament didn’t explicitly state that in their request” Linen Scroll had read about the Magic Council in various books at the library of the school of magic, the Magic Council was an assembly of wizards that held regular meetings to discuss magical events and maintained a regulation on the magic that was used among the many nations that existed, it was created by Star Swirl the bearded and other four powerful wizards soon after Star Swirl and the Pillars defeated the Sirens and banished them to another dimension so that the world could be protected from magical threats that attacked the safety of the beings that lived all over, it succeeded in its purpose for a long time until the unexpected fading of Star Swirl and the Pillars, when they were believed dead the Magic Council soon started to crumble from the inside due to the doubts their sudden disappearance produced, until it finally vanished just like its creators, maybe the Parliament wanted to bring the Council back, but Linen Scroll wasn’t sure, if the Council couldn’t stand by itself in the past, what tells us it will now?, the uncertainty attacked him for a second; then Luna spoke.

“The world has dark memories of the times after the Magic Council vanished, but back then we were not as prepared for big threats as we are now, we have experience dealing with evil maniacs, still, maybe this summit will be helpful to seek for new strategies to complement each other as allied realms”

“Then I guess we accept the request of the Parliament, but we still need to notify the Pillars and see what they think” Celestia said

“Excellent” the meeting with the princesses had been more successful than he expected, he felt relieved “speaking of which, I had expected to see the Pillars around here, but there is no trace of them, I have to admit, I was thrilled to meet them myself”

“They are settling up in Equestria, it’s been a long time since they were here last” Celestia responded “for how long will you stay in Equestria?”

“I had planned to stay in Canterlot tonight and travel to Manehattan tomorrow’s afternoon to take a ship back to the Golden Islands”

“We will send for the Pillars and by tomorrow at midday we will need to have you here in the throne room to hear their response to your request” Celestia said

“It will be an honour” Linen Scroll vowed his head lightly “I guess that will be all for today then”

“I believe it is” Luna answered.

“Once again, welcome to Equestria, enjoy your stay here in Canterlot” Celestia finished.

“I’ll make sure to do so” he said before vowing to the princesses and heading out of the throne room, he walked back down the stairs of the castle and stopped at the bottom, he felt a rumble in his belly, I can’t believe I forgot to have breakfast, maybe I was too focused on that meeting, he took out the map from his saddlebags and looked for a place to eat, he found a restaurant that was close to the castle and headed towards it, he wanted to trot but he was to hungry to do so, he arrived and finally had breakfast, soon after he finished he peeked at the map to look for a hotel or an inn to stay the night, the sky was already painted orange with the arrival of the afternoon, once he found a place he hurried to get there as fast as he could, the streets of Canterlot were crowded with ponies of all kinds, the walls that had been a perfect white colour in the morning were now a pale orange and the windows were a deep purple swallowing the sunlight that hit them, he finally arrived to the hotel he had seen in the map, he entered and quickly checked-in; once in his room he threw his saddlebags away and dropped on the bed, face down, he could feel the soft mattress swallow him as he laid on it, he hadn’t realized how tired he was, well, I did walk through almost every street in this city in my first day here, he thought, he turned his body to look at the roof above him, it was a plain white rectangle with lights on its corners and a big golden ornamented lamp in the middle of it, he looked at it for a long time as he slowly closed his eyes, until he fell asleep.

The next day he woke up naturally, he checked the time and saw it was nine o’clock, he quickly got inside the bathroom and took a shower, he then brushed his teeth and donned his cloak, he grabbed his saddlebags and wielded them, he dashed towards the entrance of the inn and headed to a small cafeteria that was across from it, he had a coffee and cookies, he then walked to the castle, he had no time to admire the city this time around, he focused on getting to the castle as soon as possible, he arrived and the guards let him through quickly, once at the gates of the main hall the guard that received him the previous day showed him in, they walked towards the throne room’s door.

“They are already waiting for you” the guard said.

“Thanks” Linen Scroll answered, then he entered the throne room and his eyes widened as he walked in and saw them all standing in front of the thrones, the five Pillars and the princesses; he was astonished when he saw the Pillars actually there, he had figured it was true from the day before, but seeing the heroes from the old tales he heard as a foal with his own eyes made him shiver, it was something truly spectacular; he approached the seven ponies slowly, he stopped and suddenly the room was filled with an spectral silence, Star Swirl was the first to speak.

“Greetings” Star Swirl had no expression on his face as he spoke “It is an honour to have you here today”

“The honour is all mine” Linen Scroll said with a slight tone of excitement

“We heard your request from the princesses” despite her aged appearance, Mistmane’s voice was as sweet as a flower, he realized “and we discussed about it”

“We have decided to attend this summit” Flash Magnus finished with a thundering voice, then, Celestia spoke.

“The letter indicated that an ambassador from the Golden Islands will be coming to Equestria to guide us on our visit to the Parliament, we’ll make sure to receive them as warmly as they deserve”

“I’m glad to hear that, the Parliament will be very happy with your answer” Linen Scroll said with enthusiasm “The ambassador should be here in three days, I was told he will stay for a week before the summit, on the seventh day he will accompany you to the Golden Islands, where the Parliament will receive you with open hooves” The princesses nodded with approval at his words “then, I guess my time here is done, I have to return to the Parliament with your answer, as always, it was an honour” he said before vowing to them.

“The honour is all ours” Star Swirl concluded “safe travels” Linen Scroll gestured a “thank you” and turned towards the gates of the castle, along the way he was accompanied by two royal guards until he finally got out the front of the castle, he vowed to the guards and they vowed back; as he climbed down the stairs to the city he looked at the sky, it was barely midday, the time was perfect for him to get back to Manehattan before nightfall, he galloped to the train station to get the soonest scheduled train he could get; once he finally got on the train he started thinking, the Parliament will be able to finally fulfil its objective, and it’s all thanks to me, everything is going as planned, when the powerful ponies of Equestria have succumbed nothing will be able to stop us; when the train started moving, he gazed at the window to see the city slowly vanish behind the mountain, maybe I was the right pony to do this job after all.