Foundations of Evilby XenogaeaChaptersChapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 4Chapter 1CHAPTER 1 Burned Pages It's a bright sunny day in Ponyville, the birds are chirping and the bees are stinging. Applejack was farming the apples with her brother Big 'Mac' Macintosh and Rarity was busy designing her latest dress in her boutique. While everypony was busy doing their chores was Twilight Sparkle about to start with her weekly activity: Re-organizing the books in her hollow tree library. 'It's that time of the week again, Spike.' She said towards a small purple dragon that was reading a small book. It was quite thin for a book, especially for Twilight, and had a dark blue binding. On the cover was the title written in golden letters: 'Hitting on Unicorns: A Step by Step Guide for Desperate Males' 'Aaaw, really? I was going to Rarity today' 'No excuses, Spike. You knew that we would organize the library today.' She looked towards her little, scaled assistant. He was really looking forward to meet up with his crush. 'Spike...If we work really good together, we'll get done faster and when we're done faster, then you can see Rarity faster.' Said the mulberry colored unicorn with a comforting smile. Spike closed his book and stood up ready to work. 'What are we waiting for then?' The two started to work. Twilight used her magic to get all the books from the shelves while Spike checked them all on the checklist. Hundreds of books were floating in the air, Spike was losing hope that it would all get organized fast enough for him to meet up with Rarity. 'Slumber 101: All You've Ever Wanted to Know About Slumber Parties But Were Afraid to Ask' 'Check!' 'The Red Book of Equestria' 'Check' 'Eh... A muffin?' 'Che-wait... Can't find that title on the list.' 'No, Spike. Literally: a muffin' She said while a half-eaten muffin floats around Twilight's head. 'I think that's Derpy's...' 'She and I have talk, but first let's-... hmm...' She looks at a small, floating brown booklet. 'I don't remember this one.' Spike was also unfamiliar with the little booklet. 'Does it have a title?' He asked. Twilight made the book spin, flip upside down but no clear title was visible. It was just a simple notepad. 'Let's just put this aside and look at it after we're done,' She said while she made the little enigma float towards the windowsill and the two continued checking. 'Ancient Spells and the Grave Consequences After Use' 'Check!' It took two hours to check all the books and organize them back on the shelves, actually faster than usual. As promised, Spike could go to Rarity. Twilight is now alone in her library, looking at the shelves full of books and is very proud to have read all of them. Except one, and that one lied on the windowsill. She went to sit on the couch and used her magic to make the little booklet float towards her, 'Time to read,' she said. While she opened the little notepad, she came to the conclusion that it was blank. There were no lines, no sentences, no words, it was completely blank. Hmm... Strange. Twilight closed the book to examine it further. At first there was nothing special about it, it was still a little notepad with a brown, leather binding and the manufacturer's logo printed on the front. Twilight, know-it-all qua books, quickly saw that it was quite old. The spine was almost breaking apart and the manufacturer of these booklets went bankrupt 200 years ago. 'Why is there an old, empty notepad of Swirl Co in my library without me noticing, let alone reading it.' She asked to herself. Twilight opened the book again, still blank. She started to think. What if... Her horn started to glow and she uttered ancient words in a language long dead for most ponies, she spoke three lines and ended with a soft: 'Show me your secrets.' The book started to glow in a bright, yellow light and the pages started to fill up with words much to Twilight's delight. 'I KNEW IT!' She yelled in joy, 'I knew that this little booklet held secrets from me!' Twilight proceeded to read and delve in the knowledge that this little monograph could hold. She read the first page: Here you read now the chronicles of an anonymous unicorn that delves in the ancient Catacombs of Azazel. I write this for that I have found the secret entrance to the forgotten catacombs inside a hollow tree. My research finally pays off. I shall enter oblivion and unravel the secrets of Azazel. Not a moment later the book started to heat up and the pages eventually lit up in fire. 'A Lecticendium Spell!' Twilight yelled in shock and tried to put down the flames with her magic. She made a magical, purple sphere around the blazing book and the flames quickly burn out due to the lack of air inside the sphere. Twilight dismissed her spell and the book fell on the ground. Much to her surprise did the little book look unharmed, save for the pages. Twilight opened the book only to see that all the pages where burned beyond repair. All but one. The last page was, like the binding, unharmed by the flames. Twilight started to read: I made a terrible mistake to enter the catacombs, let alone writing down my sinful journey. I have to destroy my little notepad, my life's work but I can't make myself to do it. Not directly at least. I will put a Lectima Spell on the pages to hide the text from curious eyes. Either the one that finds this will write over the invisible text or throw it away as piece of garbage. If one does dismiss the Lectima, will the pages burn after 20 seconds of reading due to a Lecticendium Spell. Save for the last as it will be used as a warning sign. I do this with great pain but for me it is the only way to prevent anypony to know the secrets of the catacombs. You who read this now! Do NOT enter the catacombs or proceed to search for it. I can't tell you why but I'm happy to be barely alive than dead. It can turn out different for you. Twilight was quite startled for the contents of the page. She never heard, or read, about this Azazel, the catacombs or anything that revolves around them. She closes the booklet and she put it on the coach. A secret entrance in a hollow tree... Could it be? She used her magic to lift up every carpet, every table, every bed in her library/house to find a sign for a secret entrance, thinking that her house could be the hollow tree the strange pony wrote about. She couldn't find anything but Twilight's curiousness and stubbornness made her look further. She proceeded to lift the bookcases, carefully ofcourse, she took two hours to re-organize them with Spike. Even though she wouldn't mind doing it again. The bookcases loosened from the wall and float in the air. Twilight examined the wooden wall to find a large stone door. 'I found it!' She yelled. She wasn't really sure to be happy about it or to be scared that the entrance to the supposedly haunted catacombs lies in her house. She put down the bookcases to examine the door. It was large, rectangular and had a big ruby in the center surrounded by ancient runes. 'The Ancient Language of the Dawn?' She asked herself and made a big, red banded book float towards her from one of the bookcases. She reads the book to find references to the runes on the wall. It took her hours to translate the runes on the door. It started to get dark outside. Suddenly the door of the library opened and there stood a little, scaly individual: Spike. 'I'm back, Twilight!' He said. Twilight even forgot that he wasn't home, she answered with a small, dry Good to see you while she proceeded to further translate the runes. Spike looked around the room to see all the bookcases in the middle. 'Twi... Why are the bookcases in the middle of the room?' 'FINALLY' Twilight yelled, 'Now I know what stands on the wall. It's a riddle!' Spike was confused, 'A riddle? A riddle for what?' 'A riddle to open this door silly. It took me a while to translate it but I can finally read it!' 'What's the riddle then?' Twilight spoke the riddle while she reads it of the wall. Her name starts with the 6th and ends with the 20th. She is both the sun and the moon. She made the cats dance and the iron giant walk. For one a mother, for one a creator. Spike's eyes were rolling in his eye sockets. 'Well, we'll probably never know the answer. Time to sleep.' Twilight was still tinkering for an answer. The 6th could be 'F', the sixth letter in the alphabet. That means the 20th is 'T'! 'Eh... Twilight?' 'F and T... mother... creator...' 'Twilight?' 'I know the answer Spike!' She yelled in happiness towards her little servant. Spike sighed, 'What's the answer then?' 'It's Faust. The All-mother, Faust!' And with those words, the ruby on the door started to glow and with a loud, metal grinding noise, it opened. A cold wind flew through it. Twilight and Spike suddenly felt a dark, gloomy atmosphere surrounding them. Twilight felt her manes rising up from the cold and sudden fear. Spike looked at the darkness behind the door. 'What's this all about Twilight?' 'Long story, Spike... Long story...' ________________________________________________________________________________ Author Notes Lecticendium is made up of the words: Lectio and Incendium Lectigma is made up from the words: Lectio and Enigma Try to find the The Hobbit/Lord of the Rings reference in this text :P Chapter 2CHAPTER 2 Enter Oblivion 'No, Twilight! I won't let you!' Spike yelled. He stood before the open stone door, spreading his arms making sure that nobody would pass him. 'It's too dangerous and you know it!' Twilight looked down towards Spike, 'We already talked about this Spike,' she said, 'Now get out of the way.' Spike didn't budge, 'No! It is scary enough to even know that there even ARE catacombs beneath Ponyville. It is even scarier that the writer of that booklet barely escaped, I won't let you get trough.' he said with great valor. This was the first time he even spoke to Twilight in this way. 'We should at least report this to the princess!' He said but Twilight shook her head, 'No, Spike. This could be my only chance to see these so-called haunted halls. Reporting this to her can shatter that chance!' 'At least you won't DIE!' Spike yelled, he lowered his arms and shaped his hands into fists and shivered. 'Why can't you just leave this secret for what it is? What am I supposed to do when you... you...' Twilight held her hoof over his shoulder to comfort him. 'Nothing will happen to me, Spike. I'm just going to examine the first couple of rooms and I'll be back.' Spike was still hesitating. 'If something DOES happen, there's still my teleportation spell.' Twilight continued, 'I'll be back in a millisecond, no harm will come to me.' Spike closed his eyes and shivered more heavily than before, not being sure to let her trough or not. He eventually stepped aside and allowed Twilight to pass, 'You can go...' he said reluctantly. Twilight thanked Spike and gave a small kiss on his forehead, 'See you later, Spike.' she said and proceeded to enter the door. Leaving Spike behind to look over the library. 'See you later Twi.' Twilight entered the door and felt a staircase under her hoof. it was dark, so dark that she couldn't see her hoof before her very eyes. Using magic, she lit up her horn with a brilliant raspberry light to create sight for her sore eyes. Now with better sight, she could take a better look of her surroundings. Like she felt at first, there was a stone staircase that lead to somewhere below. The staircase looked like it was build in tunnel that was caved out by hooves and spiderwebs covered the ceiling. She proceeded to place her hoof on the first step. It felt cold, these stairs weren't used for probably a century so there was also a feeling of abandonment. Twilight placed her other hoof on the second step, the cold and abandoning feeling surged trough her body a second time. Twilight looked behind her to see the still open door. Spike still stood there, his face looked like that of someone that won't see his best friend or family member for a long time. Maybe never. Twilight winked at him to let him feel less concerned and she finally continued her descend. She walks down the stairs, with the feeling of abandonment building up inside her body. It felt like ages ago when she placed her hoof on the first step and it looked like it would take ages to get to the end. The caved out tunnel eventually lead to one with stone walls and Twilight finally came to the end of the stairs. She stood now in a long, seemingly high hallway. She looked around and found a burned out torch. She dismissed the light of her horn, sacrificing her sight in the darkness, to lit up the torch with a spell. Hoping that she could use a floating spell to carry the torch instead of using her horn as a lantern, which started to exhaust her. But to her amazement, when she lit up the torch, other torch started to lit up. Making the long hallway less dark. 'This was the least of my expectations.' Twilight said to herself and walked trough the long hallway without the need of a torch. After going trough a doorway, she ended up in a very large, dark hall. Twilight estimated it to be like 30 meters in both length, width and hight but she wasn't quite sure about it, as it was quite dark. A foul stench entered Twilight's nostrils and she instantly felt sick of the horrible smell, putting her hoof before her muzzle to spare her senses from the stench. She looked around looking for a torch, which she found and, like in the hallway, all the other torches lit up after igniting it. Twilight gasped and jumped in the air out of shock for the horrible image she saw before her. Sweet Celestia... The whole hall was filled with the skeletal remains of ponies from times long forgotten. Bones from both Earth-Ponies, Unicorns and Pegasi alike. Twilight felt like she had to puke. As she walked trough the wasteland of rotten bones, she further examined the large hall. The hall was, like she estimated, 30 meters in both length and width but the height is still unclear for as she looks towards the ceiling, there is only darkness. The hall is stabilized by very large pillars and how higher they go, the more they're consumed by the darkness that rules the ceiling. From the middle of the hall Twilight could see a large statue of, for what she thinks is, Celestia and Luna on the right end of the hall, a closed two-piece door on the left end and some kind of balcony on the end before her. Twilight tries to open the door but it won't budge. She tried to use magic, but for some reason she couldn't perform any spells. 'What? Why can't I use magic?' She asked to herself and she tried and tried again but no single form of magic was used other than a dim light from her horn. 'It's no use,' She said to herself, 'Just one look on that balcony and then I'll go back. Spike's probably worried.' She proceeded to the balcony and looked beneath her. Nothing to see, only darkness. She looked before her, only darkness. 'Wow... That's quite... Depressing.' She said, 'Now time to go back and report the princess abou-abou-abou-' As she turned around to return, she saw in horror how one of the skeletal ponies stood before her. It's hollow eye sockets glowed with a bright, poisonous green light and it stared right into Twilight's eyes, she was paralyzed by fear. The undead skeleton opened it's mouth and it screamed a death, ear-grinding shriek; Twilight snapped out of her paralysis to run away with her life. But she saw in horror how the other skeletons' eyes started to glow with the same light as the other one and eventually started to stand up with their eyes set on a certain mulberry colored Unicorn. Twilight ran for the hallway but her path was blocked by the skeletons. She tried to use her magic again but to no avail. As the skeletal ponies started to close in on Twilight she ran trough an open spot in their defenses. She ran back and forth, left to right and right to left to find a way to escape this hall of death but she eventually found herself back on the balcony, cornered with the army of undead right in front of her, ready to tear her apart. She suddenly heard a loud, buzzing noise from above and looked towards the ceiling. 'Oh, sweet Celestia. Like it couldn't get any worse...' It did get worse, a large swarm of parasprites emerged from shadows and flied towards the cornered Unicorn. Twilight shed a little tear. 'Oh, Spike...' And as the parasprites bumped onto Twilight, the foundation of the balcony broke and the Unicorn fell into the dark depths of the catacombs and her scream eventually faded as she fell deeper and deeper. ... Spike stood before the open, stone door in the library. A half hour has passed since Twilight entered the cold darkness behind the opening. 'You shouldn't be so worried about her, Spikey.' He said to himself. He went to sit on the stairs where he usually sits and proceeded to further read in his book. He eventually ended reading the book after a while and was angered for the words he read on the last page: On a final note: This doesn't work with dragons. 'Puh, like i need a book to hit on Rarity. She's totally into me. Especially after-' His line was broken by an agonizing scream that came from the door. Twilight? The door started to close by himself and Spike turned white from fear. He tried to keep the door open but it just keeps on going and eventually closed with a large THUMP. Spike knocked with both his paws on the door. 'COME ON! OPEN! OPEN!' He yelled, starting to tear up, 'FAUST! FAUST! WASN'T THAT THE ANSWER? FAUST!!! CAN'T YOU HEAR ME, YOU STUPID DOOR!!!???' It was to no avail and Twilight's scream faded away, Spike fell on his knees and cried. 'Why didn't you listen to me... *sniff*' ________________________________________________________________________________ Editor's Note Sorry that it took a while, I was on vacation in France. Man... I really suck at describing interiors... -.- Chapter 3CHAPTER 3 Voices Hey! Twilight! Wake up! Twilight woke up from her sleep. Was it all a dream? 'No it wasn't, little Unicorn...' Said a strange voice, it sounded male and soothing but it did startle Twilight and the sudden pain she felt made her remember the horror she witnessed, the undead skeleton ponies, the parasprites, the unavailability of her magic and even worse: her fall. She wanted to ask the voice, wherever the source of it was, how she survived the fall and where she was now. Only if there wasn't a rope bound around her muzzle and a chain around her neck and hooves that was connected to the wall. She looked around her and came to the conclusion that she was imprisoned in a small cave with a burning torch as the only source of light but the most interesting fact was that she was alone. Where did that voice come from? I am everywhere at anytime, Twilight. As long as we are in these caves though. Twilight instinctively answered with her mind instead of her mouth, it seemed that the source of the voice is inside her head, 'Who are you? And how do you know my name?' I have no name nor can I explain why I know yours. I just know everyone's and every thing's name that dwell here and I forget the ones from those that leave. 'Can you tell me how I survived the fall?' You were lucky to fall into a small subterranean lake. One of the local Diamond Dogs fished you up and chained you up in this little cell. They will probably use you for labor. Twilight was ofcourse stunned for the luck that she had, she could've been impaled by a stalactite or her bones could be crushed beyond repair after colliding with solid ground. But for what use was her luck? She's now a slave to a pack of Diamond Dogs, probably the only one. 'Is there a way you can save me?' She asked the voice. There is and there isn't. But why should a little Unicorn be saved from this torment? What does the outside world have for you? Didn't you threw everything away just to embrace death by entering this cursed place? 'There's Spike... My helper, no, my friend. I promised him to return immediately if something bad would happen. He told me that it was dangerous but I didn't listen.' Twilight said/thought and she shed a small tear as she thinks about her small, draconic friend, 'My friends, my family, the princess...' The Princess? Do you mean Celestia? 'You know her?' We go way back. I remember only a few names from those that live outside. She is one of those few. Tell me, child, what's your connection to her? 'She's my private teacher and ,sort of, my family. Not by blood ofcourse but my brother married her niece and-' Her sentence was cut short by the voice, 'You need to say no more, child.' it said, 'It is shameful to say that I don't have the ability to free you from this torment.' Twilight felt even more depressed after hearing this but the voice continued: 'But have no worries. There is help and it's on the way.' ... It was half an hour ago since the voice said that, at least that's what Twilight estimated. After the voice told her that help was on it's way; It didn't spoke to her again. She tried to use some magic in the main time only to come to the conclusion that she still can't conjure up a spell, even worse is that she can't even make light with her horn. Magic doesn't work in this place, Twilight. Twilight was startled by the sudden 'appearance' of the voice inside her head. 'The influence of Azazel roams these catacombs, dismissing any connection to the magical stream in the atmosphere.' It said. 'But if there's no magic here, how could those dead ponies come back to life?' Twilight asked. 'Like I said, Azazel's influence roams here. His hatred for all of ponykind and the harmony in the world is so great that it corrupts both the living and the dead.' 'Who is this Azazel anyway?' Before the voice could answer her question, Twilight heard footsteps from around the corner. Could this be the her way out? Twilight hoped for that but that hope was shattered when she heard the source of those footsteps talk, 'Time to work, little pony.' it said. What came from behind the corner was large, it's skin was blue-grayish, it's arms were so long the could touch the ground and the creature looked like a canine. Twilight was sure of it, a Diamond Dog stood before her and her days of hard labor and slavery were about to start. The large Diamond Dog stared at her, it's eyes piercing trough Twilight's soul. She shivered in fear. The Dog started to walk towards Twilight while she struggles in fear to free herself. She could yell for help but nothing came out of it except for some hmphs and moans. While the Diamond Dog stood before her, it crouched and held it's arms around the Unicorn. Twilight was both afraid and confused. It rubbed it's head against hers and combed her mane with it's claws. 'What is it doing to me?'She thought to herself. When the dog took a small, playful bite in her ear, the voice yelled with a malevolent roar, 'NO LAMIA! Bad girl!' The Diamond Dog suddenly crawled back in fear in a corner with its paws before its eyes. 'La- Lamia is very sorry, master. It's the love. It drips of her body. Lamia won't do it again, Lamia promises!' It said in a voice that sounded like one from a small girl that was crying. 'Just do what I asked you to, child.' The voice said, more calmly than a second ago but still malevolent. Twilight was still confused. Could the Diamond Dog hear the voice too? The Dog wept its tears away with its big paws and proceed towards Twilight again. It held its paw high in the air to slash the chain that connected Twilight to the wall to pieces. It then did the same with the chains on her hooves, then it calmly removed the rope from the little Pony's muzzle. Twilight opened and closed her mouth, the rope was a bit tight and kinda hurt. 'T- Thank you.' Twilight muttered towards the large Diamond Dog. 'It's nothing.' It said and its skin started to turn from grayish blue to greenish black and started to shrink a little. Its eyes became bigger too and the iris dissapeared only to make way for an arctic blue glow that fills the whole eye socket. Twilight was amazed to see what stood before her, 'You... You are...' A Changeling, Twilight. And her name is Lamia. 'L- Lamia's pleased to meet you.' The little changeling muttered in a shy tone. ... Twilight walked trough the caves with Lamia, while asking a lot of questions to the voice, 'Okay, for the record: You have no name, so you can't tell me who you are.' Indeed 'But can you tell me what you are?' I am a Guiding Spirit, my task is to help the lost to find their way out of here. Giving them advice for against the dangers that they may face along the way. 'How many ponies escaped with your help?' You are the second pony to visit this place after it was closed off from the rest of Equestria. The last one was some 200 years ago. Twilight knew about who the voice was talking about. The previous one MUST be the Unicorn that wrote the little booklet. She looked at Lamia who was walking right beside her. She didn't say a single word after they first met. It came to Twilight's thought that if she was the second one to visit this place, and that nameless Unicorn the first, that she could've been born here. 'Say, Lamia...', The little Changeling looked towards Twilight, she had a cute young expression on her face; like she saw something grand and beautiful for the first time in her life. Twilight had the same face when she saw Princess Celestia made the sun rise up on the first Summer Sun Celebration she visited. 'Were you born here, Lamia?' Twilight asked, Lamia didn't say anything, she just nodded her head. 'But... How can a creature that feeds on love survive in this place?' Twilight continued only to be answered by the voice instead of Lamia. This is one of the side effects of Azazel's influence. You see, Changelings feed on love but they fear hate. Somewhere, in one of these cave structures lies a Changeling Hive. The Changelings eventually fled away due to the awesome power of Azazel's hate but they left behind the eggs. The eggs did came out but all of them died directly after birth, all but one. And that one stands beside you. 'That's... That's so terrible. Who is this Azazel, what kind of creature could cause this? A demon from the void. A creature born from Chaos. A son of Discord. ________________________________________________________________________________ Editor's Note Dat ending... da DA DA DAAAAAAM Chapter 4CHAPTER 4 Friends and Revelations 'A son of Discord? That's impossible!' Twilight shouted to the voice, Lamia almost fell over in shock. 'How can Discord, the god of Chaos have any sons?' That's actually not a difficult question to answer, child. You see, he is a 'god' and 'gods' have the power to 'create' their 'children' from scratch without the necessary act of 'procreation'. Even your princesses, Celestia and Luna, are children of creation. You seem like a smart, little Unicorn to me, you probably know their 'creator' don't you? She knew did knew that, not many ponies know the mythology of Equestria in a whole. Not many ponies know that the Great All-Mother, Faust, created the two princesses to raise the sun and the moon while she was busy giving life on the planet. 'If you put it that way...' Twilight muttered, 'It's just... Strange... Strange to know that Discord has a son.' Two to be exact. 'Sweet Celestia... Two!?' Yes, the other one is Hades and he resides in Tartarus. But unlike Azazel, he isn't imprisoned. Hades took on the task to keep the most foulest of creatures locked away out of regret while Azazel continued his rampage only to be sealed away in this cursed place.' The voice sounded quite contemptuously while talking about Azazel's brother. 'Get behind that stalagmite, NOW!' It yelled. Twilight and Lamia did precisely what the voice said and quickly hid themselves behind a large stalagmite. A Diamond Dog came out a hole in the wall and sniffed in the air. Twilight looked from the edge of the stalagmite to examine it. The Diamond Dog looks just like the one Lamia impersonated, only this one's eyes were blank. No iris, no pupil, it's completely white. The Diamond Dog still stands on the same spot, sniffing in the air like it smelled something or... Somepony. This is the Rover Clan of Diamond Dogs. These ones are, unlike others, blind. The greed of King Rover, who is the clan lord, greatly increased due to Azazel's influence. They never saw the light of the outside world since the minute they entered this place. All thanks to the oath their 'king' swore. He swore that neither he or his 'subjects' will see the light of day until all gems were mined. Twilight whispered, she didn't want the Diamond Dog to notice her or Lamia: 'How long are they mining here, actually?' Long. Their greed blinded them. They never knew that this place has no diamonds or shining pieces of worth. There's only death and death defines these catacombs. They will never leave as long as there is greed in their hearts, they are forever lost. The Diamond Dog is still sniffing. Jeez... How long is is it gonna stand there? It looked towards the stalagmite where Twilight and Lamia where hiding behind and stared at it like there was something wrong with it. It proceeded to step towards the stalagmite, Twilight's heart was beating like it never beat before, Lamia was surprisingly calm. As the Diamond Dog came closer, he was then halted by a bark from further in the tunnel. 'What are you doing over there, Muttley? The Diamond Dog answered with another bark: 'Examining this stalagmite, Barkun! My scent says something's wrong with it.' The other dog barked again, 'You can't even smell a bone even if it sat right next to ya. Get over here and help me digging here!' The dog eventually left the stalagmite for what it was and ran towards the other side of the tunnel, 'Alright. ALRIGHT!' 'Phew... That was a close.' Twilight said, Lamia nodded in agreement. 'You aren't much of a talker, aren't you Lamia?' Twilight noted, Lamia suddenly blushed: 'Lamia... Lamia doesn't talk much, no.' She shyly stares at the ground, she looked quite like Fluttershy in that way. 'There's one question I'd like to ask, Lamia.' The Unicorn said. The little Changeling turned her gaze away from the ground into Twilight's face and without her saying a word Twilight knew her expression meant yes. 'You know this... Voice, right?' Lamia nodded, 'Then... Why are you still here? I mean...You can escape this place with his help.' Lamia looked quite sad, 'L-Lamia was always alone... Mr. Voice is Lamia's only friend, Lamia really l-loves Mr. Voice. Lamia doesn't want to leave Mr. Voice. Lamia doesn't want to be alone again.' Twilight wasn't surprised with that answer. She would do the same if she was born alone, no one to care for her, she against the world. Lamia never felt real parental love, so it's understandable that she is emotionally attached to the first, and probably the only one she sees as a 'friend'. Twilight felt something in her body, a feeling she once had before her first visit to Ponyville, before she met them... 'Can I...' She muttered, 'Can I be your friend?' The look on Lamia's face burned with happiness, a big smile with an open mouth filled her entire head. Her glowing arctic blue eyes shined like diamonds in the sun and tears started to appear on her lower eye-lids. She quickly grabbed Twilight in a tick hug and she teared up, crying in happiness. 'Yes! You can be Lamia's friend! You can be friend! You can be friend!' Her happiness was unparalleled to anything Twilight ever saw, even Pinkie Pie's cheer personality couldn't top this. However... Their emotional get-together was disrupted by the voice. I'm sorry to bring this beautiful and emotional moment to an halt but this could be a good time to move further. Before more Diamond Dogs show up. Twilight and Lamia did exactly what he said. They let each other go and went further, Twilight saw Lamia smiling for the first time since they've met. They got to the hole in the wall where the Diamond Dog came trough, she thinks of going trough it; This certainly leads to somewhere outside was what she thought. But after remembering what the voice said, she left the hole for what it was. They walked further trough the tunnel, the voice was silent and Lamia was still smiling. The earthen walls made way for those made of stone bricks. They eventually passed pillars that where embed into the walls and after a while they ended up in some kind of plaza. They were on a large octagonal terrace, a large fountain stood in the middle that still poured water. Several torches are lit and Twilight tried to see where she was now. It looked like a they were in a large cave-hall, where stone structures were build on the sides of the cave; Connected by stone paths, stairs and bridges. As Twilight looked in front of her, she could see a large stairway that lead to a castle/temple-like structure above. Twilight gasped: 'This ain't a catacomb system... This is a city!' Indeed, Twilight. This is the underground city of Rochgroth. ... King Rover pondered in his throne room but to be fair, it never was his in the first place. Not to mention, this whole castle isn't his either. He can't remember how long it was since he and his clan of Diamond Dogs first set foot, or rather paw, in this underground city. The only thing that haunted his mind was the thought of diamonds, crystals, shining trinkets and all other things that glitter in the light. The light... This 'light' became foreign to him, he couldn't remember the bright shine that filled his eyes or the warm, soothing touch it gave when it gazed onto him. No, he defied it. He misses it but also wants to neglect it, forget it. All that he cared about was getting all the shinies from these caves and he swore that he would never see that light again until it all came under his possession. Myyy..... Thrrrrronnnnnee... 'How many times do I have to say to be SILENT!' The king yelled. The strange thing is that he's all alone in his throne room. Other Dogs started to think that their king went mad. His 'oath' was one thing but hearing voices... Yelling at someone that isn't there... Even that goes too far but not even the most brave Dog in their clan even 'thought' to stand before their 'king' and tell him that he is going mad. One did though and he payed with his life for this act of 'treason'. Myyy..... Thrrrrronnnnnee... The king yelled again: 'SILENCE, I TELL YOU!!!' 'Eh... Sire?' Another Dog stood before his throne, he was little but still quite masculine. The little canine has a wrinkled face and a pushed-in nose. 'What news do you think is important enough to halt your progress in the mines, pup?' Rover said in a snobby and arrogant tone. 'I-I excuse myself, sire, fo-for halting my p-p-progress but I have urgent news.' The little dog stuttered. 'Speak up!' 'D-Do you r-remember that little p-pony we fished out of the lake?' King Rover didn't say anything. He just glared at the poor little Dog, waiting for him to continue. 'W-Well... I-It e-e-e...' 'SPIT IT OUT, MUTT!' 'I-It e-e-escaped, sire...' The King's glare filled itself with anger, he stood up from his throne, 'And that... That is the so called 'important' news?' Poor little doggy, he awakened the greedy wrath of his king. 'That pony was only to help you in the mines. It escaped? That's bad but that doesn't mean you. Can. Quit! You can start a hunt on this pony but your primary task. Is. MINING!!! I want all the shinies in this place and we won't stop until we have them all!' 'B-B-But... W-we never found a single s-shiny since w-we came here, s-sire!' The King's anger was boiling up, his eyes blank, white eyes turned red, 'Are you doubting me?' 'N-No, s-sire...' 'ARE YOU DOUBTING ME!!!???' Rover took a large golden axe from behind his throne and swings it around in the air. The little Dog ran away in fear. 'NO ONE DOUBTS THE KING! NO ONE DOUBTS ME!!! The King threw his axe and it flew trough the room to eventually end up in the back of the little dog. It fell on the ground, his blood dripped out of the open wound in his back. The little dog felt his muscles going numb and the last pieces of air escaping his lungs. He lied death on the ground. The King pulled his axe from the little Dog's back only to kick the corpse disrespectfully aside. Rover then proceeded to sit on his throne again. Myyy..... Thrrrrronnnnnee... ________________________________________________________________________________ Editor's Note I'm kinda tired of writing right now... Gonna take a little break. 'Rochgroth' is made up of the Sindarin words 'Roch' (horse) and Groth (cave, tunnel, large excavation, delving, underground dwelling)
Chapter 1CHAPTER 1 Burned Pages It's a bright sunny day in Ponyville, the birds are chirping and the bees are stinging. Applejack was farming the apples with her brother Big 'Mac' Macintosh and Rarity was busy designing her latest dress in her boutique. While everypony was busy doing their chores was Twilight Sparkle about to start with her weekly activity: Re-organizing the books in her hollow tree library. 'It's that time of the week again, Spike.' She said towards a small purple dragon that was reading a small book. It was quite thin for a book, especially for Twilight, and had a dark blue binding. On the cover was the title written in golden letters: 'Hitting on Unicorns: A Step by Step Guide for Desperate Males' 'Aaaw, really? I was going to Rarity today' 'No excuses, Spike. You knew that we would organize the library today.' She looked towards her little, scaled assistant. He was really looking forward to meet up with his crush. 'Spike...If we work really good together, we'll get done faster and when we're done faster, then you can see Rarity faster.' Said the mulberry colored unicorn with a comforting smile. Spike closed his book and stood up ready to work. 'What are we waiting for then?' The two started to work. Twilight used her magic to get all the books from the shelves while Spike checked them all on the checklist. Hundreds of books were floating in the air, Spike was losing hope that it would all get organized fast enough for him to meet up with Rarity. 'Slumber 101: All You've Ever Wanted to Know About Slumber Parties But Were Afraid to Ask' 'Check!' 'The Red Book of Equestria' 'Check' 'Eh... A muffin?' 'Che-wait... Can't find that title on the list.' 'No, Spike. Literally: a muffin' She said while a half-eaten muffin floats around Twilight's head. 'I think that's Derpy's...' 'She and I have talk, but first let's-... hmm...' She looks at a small, floating brown booklet. 'I don't remember this one.' Spike was also unfamiliar with the little booklet. 'Does it have a title?' He asked. Twilight made the book spin, flip upside down but no clear title was visible. It was just a simple notepad. 'Let's just put this aside and look at it after we're done,' She said while she made the little enigma float towards the windowsill and the two continued checking. 'Ancient Spells and the Grave Consequences After Use' 'Check!' It took two hours to check all the books and organize them back on the shelves, actually faster than usual. As promised, Spike could go to Rarity. Twilight is now alone in her library, looking at the shelves full of books and is very proud to have read all of them. Except one, and that one lied on the windowsill. She went to sit on the couch and used her magic to make the little booklet float towards her, 'Time to read,' she said. While she opened the little notepad, she came to the conclusion that it was blank. There were no lines, no sentences, no words, it was completely blank. Hmm... Strange. Twilight closed the book to examine it further. At first there was nothing special about it, it was still a little notepad with a brown, leather binding and the manufacturer's logo printed on the front. Twilight, know-it-all qua books, quickly saw that it was quite old. The spine was almost breaking apart and the manufacturer of these booklets went bankrupt 200 years ago. 'Why is there an old, empty notepad of Swirl Co in my library without me noticing, let alone reading it.' She asked to herself. Twilight opened the book again, still blank. She started to think. What if... Her horn started to glow and she uttered ancient words in a language long dead for most ponies, she spoke three lines and ended with a soft: 'Show me your secrets.' The book started to glow in a bright, yellow light and the pages started to fill up with words much to Twilight's delight. 'I KNEW IT!' She yelled in joy, 'I knew that this little booklet held secrets from me!' Twilight proceeded to read and delve in the knowledge that this little monograph could hold. She read the first page: Here you read now the chronicles of an anonymous unicorn that delves in the ancient Catacombs of Azazel. I write this for that I have found the secret entrance to the forgotten catacombs inside a hollow tree. My research finally pays off. I shall enter oblivion and unravel the secrets of Azazel. Not a moment later the book started to heat up and the pages eventually lit up in fire. 'A Lecticendium Spell!' Twilight yelled in shock and tried to put down the flames with her magic. She made a magical, purple sphere around the blazing book and the flames quickly burn out due to the lack of air inside the sphere. Twilight dismissed her spell and the book fell on the ground. Much to her surprise did the little book look unharmed, save for the pages. Twilight opened the book only to see that all the pages where burned beyond repair. All but one. The last page was, like the binding, unharmed by the flames. Twilight started to read: I made a terrible mistake to enter the catacombs, let alone writing down my sinful journey. I have to destroy my little notepad, my life's work but I can't make myself to do it. Not directly at least. I will put a Lectima Spell on the pages to hide the text from curious eyes. Either the one that finds this will write over the invisible text or throw it away as piece of garbage. If one does dismiss the Lectima, will the pages burn after 20 seconds of reading due to a Lecticendium Spell. Save for the last as it will be used as a warning sign. I do this with great pain but for me it is the only way to prevent anypony to know the secrets of the catacombs. You who read this now! Do NOT enter the catacombs or proceed to search for it. I can't tell you why but I'm happy to be barely alive than dead. It can turn out different for you. Twilight was quite startled for the contents of the page. She never heard, or read, about this Azazel, the catacombs or anything that revolves around them. She closes the booklet and she put it on the coach. A secret entrance in a hollow tree... Could it be? She used her magic to lift up every carpet, every table, every bed in her library/house to find a sign for a secret entrance, thinking that her house could be the hollow tree the strange pony wrote about. She couldn't find anything but Twilight's curiousness and stubbornness made her look further. She proceeded to lift the bookcases, carefully ofcourse, she took two hours to re-organize them with Spike. Even though she wouldn't mind doing it again. The bookcases loosened from the wall and float in the air. Twilight examined the wooden wall to find a large stone door. 'I found it!' She yelled. She wasn't really sure to be happy about it or to be scared that the entrance to the supposedly haunted catacombs lies in her house. She put down the bookcases to examine the door. It was large, rectangular and had a big ruby in the center surrounded by ancient runes. 'The Ancient Language of the Dawn?' She asked herself and made a big, red banded book float towards her from one of the bookcases. She reads the book to find references to the runes on the wall. It took her hours to translate the runes on the door. It started to get dark outside. Suddenly the door of the library opened and there stood a little, scaly individual: Spike. 'I'm back, Twilight!' He said. Twilight even forgot that he wasn't home, she answered with a small, dry Good to see you while she proceeded to further translate the runes. Spike looked around the room to see all the bookcases in the middle. 'Twi... Why are the bookcases in the middle of the room?' 'FINALLY' Twilight yelled, 'Now I know what stands on the wall. It's a riddle!' Spike was confused, 'A riddle? A riddle for what?' 'A riddle to open this door silly. It took me a while to translate it but I can finally read it!' 'What's the riddle then?' Twilight spoke the riddle while she reads it of the wall. Her name starts with the 6th and ends with the 20th. She is both the sun and the moon. She made the cats dance and the iron giant walk. For one a mother, for one a creator. Spike's eyes were rolling in his eye sockets. 'Well, we'll probably never know the answer. Time to sleep.' Twilight was still tinkering for an answer. The 6th could be 'F', the sixth letter in the alphabet. That means the 20th is 'T'! 'Eh... Twilight?' 'F and T... mother... creator...' 'Twilight?' 'I know the answer Spike!' She yelled in happiness towards her little servant. Spike sighed, 'What's the answer then?' 'It's Faust. The All-mother, Faust!' And with those words, the ruby on the door started to glow and with a loud, metal grinding noise, it opened. A cold wind flew through it. Twilight and Spike suddenly felt a dark, gloomy atmosphere surrounding them. Twilight felt her manes rising up from the cold and sudden fear. Spike looked at the darkness behind the door. 'What's this all about Twilight?' 'Long story, Spike... Long story...' ________________________________________________________________________________ Author Notes Lecticendium is made up of the words: Lectio and Incendium Lectigma is made up from the words: Lectio and Enigma Try to find the The Hobbit/Lord of the Rings reference in this text :P
Chapter 2CHAPTER 2 Enter Oblivion 'No, Twilight! I won't let you!' Spike yelled. He stood before the open stone door, spreading his arms making sure that nobody would pass him. 'It's too dangerous and you know it!' Twilight looked down towards Spike, 'We already talked about this Spike,' she said, 'Now get out of the way.' Spike didn't budge, 'No! It is scary enough to even know that there even ARE catacombs beneath Ponyville. It is even scarier that the writer of that booklet barely escaped, I won't let you get trough.' he said with great valor. This was the first time he even spoke to Twilight in this way. 'We should at least report this to the princess!' He said but Twilight shook her head, 'No, Spike. This could be my only chance to see these so-called haunted halls. Reporting this to her can shatter that chance!' 'At least you won't DIE!' Spike yelled, he lowered his arms and shaped his hands into fists and shivered. 'Why can't you just leave this secret for what it is? What am I supposed to do when you... you...' Twilight held her hoof over his shoulder to comfort him. 'Nothing will happen to me, Spike. I'm just going to examine the first couple of rooms and I'll be back.' Spike was still hesitating. 'If something DOES happen, there's still my teleportation spell.' Twilight continued, 'I'll be back in a millisecond, no harm will come to me.' Spike closed his eyes and shivered more heavily than before, not being sure to let her trough or not. He eventually stepped aside and allowed Twilight to pass, 'You can go...' he said reluctantly. Twilight thanked Spike and gave a small kiss on his forehead, 'See you later, Spike.' she said and proceeded to enter the door. Leaving Spike behind to look over the library. 'See you later Twi.' Twilight entered the door and felt a staircase under her hoof. it was dark, so dark that she couldn't see her hoof before her very eyes. Using magic, she lit up her horn with a brilliant raspberry light to create sight for her sore eyes. Now with better sight, she could take a better look of her surroundings. Like she felt at first, there was a stone staircase that lead to somewhere below. The staircase looked like it was build in tunnel that was caved out by hooves and spiderwebs covered the ceiling. She proceeded to place her hoof on the first step. It felt cold, these stairs weren't used for probably a century so there was also a feeling of abandonment. Twilight placed her other hoof on the second step, the cold and abandoning feeling surged trough her body a second time. Twilight looked behind her to see the still open door. Spike still stood there, his face looked like that of someone that won't see his best friend or family member for a long time. Maybe never. Twilight winked at him to let him feel less concerned and she finally continued her descend. She walks down the stairs, with the feeling of abandonment building up inside her body. It felt like ages ago when she placed her hoof on the first step and it looked like it would take ages to get to the end. The caved out tunnel eventually lead to one with stone walls and Twilight finally came to the end of the stairs. She stood now in a long, seemingly high hallway. She looked around and found a burned out torch. She dismissed the light of her horn, sacrificing her sight in the darkness, to lit up the torch with a spell. Hoping that she could use a floating spell to carry the torch instead of using her horn as a lantern, which started to exhaust her. But to her amazement, when she lit up the torch, other torch started to lit up. Making the long hallway less dark. 'This was the least of my expectations.' Twilight said to herself and walked trough the long hallway without the need of a torch. After going trough a doorway, she ended up in a very large, dark hall. Twilight estimated it to be like 30 meters in both length, width and hight but she wasn't quite sure about it, as it was quite dark. A foul stench entered Twilight's nostrils and she instantly felt sick of the horrible smell, putting her hoof before her muzzle to spare her senses from the stench. She looked around looking for a torch, which she found and, like in the hallway, all the other torches lit up after igniting it. Twilight gasped and jumped in the air out of shock for the horrible image she saw before her. Sweet Celestia... The whole hall was filled with the skeletal remains of ponies from times long forgotten. Bones from both Earth-Ponies, Unicorns and Pegasi alike. Twilight felt like she had to puke. As she walked trough the wasteland of rotten bones, she further examined the large hall. The hall was, like she estimated, 30 meters in both length and width but the height is still unclear for as she looks towards the ceiling, there is only darkness. The hall is stabilized by very large pillars and how higher they go, the more they're consumed by the darkness that rules the ceiling. From the middle of the hall Twilight could see a large statue of, for what she thinks is, Celestia and Luna on the right end of the hall, a closed two-piece door on the left end and some kind of balcony on the end before her. Twilight tries to open the door but it won't budge. She tried to use magic, but for some reason she couldn't perform any spells. 'What? Why can't I use magic?' She asked to herself and she tried and tried again but no single form of magic was used other than a dim light from her horn. 'It's no use,' She said to herself, 'Just one look on that balcony and then I'll go back. Spike's probably worried.' She proceeded to the balcony and looked beneath her. Nothing to see, only darkness. She looked before her, only darkness. 'Wow... That's quite... Depressing.' She said, 'Now time to go back and report the princess abou-abou-abou-' As she turned around to return, she saw in horror how one of the skeletal ponies stood before her. It's hollow eye sockets glowed with a bright, poisonous green light and it stared right into Twilight's eyes, she was paralyzed by fear. The undead skeleton opened it's mouth and it screamed a death, ear-grinding shriek; Twilight snapped out of her paralysis to run away with her life. But she saw in horror how the other skeletons' eyes started to glow with the same light as the other one and eventually started to stand up with their eyes set on a certain mulberry colored Unicorn. Twilight ran for the hallway but her path was blocked by the skeletons. She tried to use her magic again but to no avail. As the skeletal ponies started to close in on Twilight she ran trough an open spot in their defenses. She ran back and forth, left to right and right to left to find a way to escape this hall of death but she eventually found herself back on the balcony, cornered with the army of undead right in front of her, ready to tear her apart. She suddenly heard a loud, buzzing noise from above and looked towards the ceiling. 'Oh, sweet Celestia. Like it couldn't get any worse...' It did get worse, a large swarm of parasprites emerged from shadows and flied towards the cornered Unicorn. Twilight shed a little tear. 'Oh, Spike...' And as the parasprites bumped onto Twilight, the foundation of the balcony broke and the Unicorn fell into the dark depths of the catacombs and her scream eventually faded as she fell deeper and deeper. ... Spike stood before the open, stone door in the library. A half hour has passed since Twilight entered the cold darkness behind the opening. 'You shouldn't be so worried about her, Spikey.' He said to himself. He went to sit on the stairs where he usually sits and proceeded to further read in his book. He eventually ended reading the book after a while and was angered for the words he read on the last page: On a final note: This doesn't work with dragons. 'Puh, like i need a book to hit on Rarity. She's totally into me. Especially after-' His line was broken by an agonizing scream that came from the door. Twilight? The door started to close by himself and Spike turned white from fear. He tried to keep the door open but it just keeps on going and eventually closed with a large THUMP. Spike knocked with both his paws on the door. 'COME ON! OPEN! OPEN!' He yelled, starting to tear up, 'FAUST! FAUST! WASN'T THAT THE ANSWER? FAUST!!! CAN'T YOU HEAR ME, YOU STUPID DOOR!!!???' It was to no avail and Twilight's scream faded away, Spike fell on his knees and cried. 'Why didn't you listen to me... *sniff*' ________________________________________________________________________________ Editor's Note Sorry that it took a while, I was on vacation in France. Man... I really suck at describing interiors... -.-
Chapter 3CHAPTER 3 Voices Hey! Twilight! Wake up! Twilight woke up from her sleep. Was it all a dream? 'No it wasn't, little Unicorn...' Said a strange voice, it sounded male and soothing but it did startle Twilight and the sudden pain she felt made her remember the horror she witnessed, the undead skeleton ponies, the parasprites, the unavailability of her magic and even worse: her fall. She wanted to ask the voice, wherever the source of it was, how she survived the fall and where she was now. Only if there wasn't a rope bound around her muzzle and a chain around her neck and hooves that was connected to the wall. She looked around her and came to the conclusion that she was imprisoned in a small cave with a burning torch as the only source of light but the most interesting fact was that she was alone. Where did that voice come from? I am everywhere at anytime, Twilight. As long as we are in these caves though. Twilight instinctively answered with her mind instead of her mouth, it seemed that the source of the voice is inside her head, 'Who are you? And how do you know my name?' I have no name nor can I explain why I know yours. I just know everyone's and every thing's name that dwell here and I forget the ones from those that leave. 'Can you tell me how I survived the fall?' You were lucky to fall into a small subterranean lake. One of the local Diamond Dogs fished you up and chained you up in this little cell. They will probably use you for labor. Twilight was ofcourse stunned for the luck that she had, she could've been impaled by a stalactite or her bones could be crushed beyond repair after colliding with solid ground. But for what use was her luck? She's now a slave to a pack of Diamond Dogs, probably the only one. 'Is there a way you can save me?' She asked the voice. There is and there isn't. But why should a little Unicorn be saved from this torment? What does the outside world have for you? Didn't you threw everything away just to embrace death by entering this cursed place? 'There's Spike... My helper, no, my friend. I promised him to return immediately if something bad would happen. He told me that it was dangerous but I didn't listen.' Twilight said/thought and she shed a small tear as she thinks about her small, draconic friend, 'My friends, my family, the princess...' The Princess? Do you mean Celestia? 'You know her?' We go way back. I remember only a few names from those that live outside. She is one of those few. Tell me, child, what's your connection to her? 'She's my private teacher and ,sort of, my family. Not by blood ofcourse but my brother married her niece and-' Her sentence was cut short by the voice, 'You need to say no more, child.' it said, 'It is shameful to say that I don't have the ability to free you from this torment.' Twilight felt even more depressed after hearing this but the voice continued: 'But have no worries. There is help and it's on the way.' ... It was half an hour ago since the voice said that, at least that's what Twilight estimated. After the voice told her that help was on it's way; It didn't spoke to her again. She tried to use some magic in the main time only to come to the conclusion that she still can't conjure up a spell, even worse is that she can't even make light with her horn. Magic doesn't work in this place, Twilight. Twilight was startled by the sudden 'appearance' of the voice inside her head. 'The influence of Azazel roams these catacombs, dismissing any connection to the magical stream in the atmosphere.' It said. 'But if there's no magic here, how could those dead ponies come back to life?' Twilight asked. 'Like I said, Azazel's influence roams here. His hatred for all of ponykind and the harmony in the world is so great that it corrupts both the living and the dead.' 'Who is this Azazel anyway?' Before the voice could answer her question, Twilight heard footsteps from around the corner. Could this be the her way out? Twilight hoped for that but that hope was shattered when she heard the source of those footsteps talk, 'Time to work, little pony.' it said. What came from behind the corner was large, it's skin was blue-grayish, it's arms were so long the could touch the ground and the creature looked like a canine. Twilight was sure of it, a Diamond Dog stood before her and her days of hard labor and slavery were about to start. The large Diamond Dog stared at her, it's eyes piercing trough Twilight's soul. She shivered in fear. The Dog started to walk towards Twilight while she struggles in fear to free herself. She could yell for help but nothing came out of it except for some hmphs and moans. While the Diamond Dog stood before her, it crouched and held it's arms around the Unicorn. Twilight was both afraid and confused. It rubbed it's head against hers and combed her mane with it's claws. 'What is it doing to me?'She thought to herself. When the dog took a small, playful bite in her ear, the voice yelled with a malevolent roar, 'NO LAMIA! Bad girl!' The Diamond Dog suddenly crawled back in fear in a corner with its paws before its eyes. 'La- Lamia is very sorry, master. It's the love. It drips of her body. Lamia won't do it again, Lamia promises!' It said in a voice that sounded like one from a small girl that was crying. 'Just do what I asked you to, child.' The voice said, more calmly than a second ago but still malevolent. Twilight was still confused. Could the Diamond Dog hear the voice too? The Dog wept its tears away with its big paws and proceed towards Twilight again. It held its paw high in the air to slash the chain that connected Twilight to the wall to pieces. It then did the same with the chains on her hooves, then it calmly removed the rope from the little Pony's muzzle. Twilight opened and closed her mouth, the rope was a bit tight and kinda hurt. 'T- Thank you.' Twilight muttered towards the large Diamond Dog. 'It's nothing.' It said and its skin started to turn from grayish blue to greenish black and started to shrink a little. Its eyes became bigger too and the iris dissapeared only to make way for an arctic blue glow that fills the whole eye socket. Twilight was amazed to see what stood before her, 'You... You are...' A Changeling, Twilight. And her name is Lamia. 'L- Lamia's pleased to meet you.' The little changeling muttered in a shy tone. ... Twilight walked trough the caves with Lamia, while asking a lot of questions to the voice, 'Okay, for the record: You have no name, so you can't tell me who you are.' Indeed 'But can you tell me what you are?' I am a Guiding Spirit, my task is to help the lost to find their way out of here. Giving them advice for against the dangers that they may face along the way. 'How many ponies escaped with your help?' You are the second pony to visit this place after it was closed off from the rest of Equestria. The last one was some 200 years ago. Twilight knew about who the voice was talking about. The previous one MUST be the Unicorn that wrote the little booklet. She looked at Lamia who was walking right beside her. She didn't say a single word after they first met. It came to Twilight's thought that if she was the second one to visit this place, and that nameless Unicorn the first, that she could've been born here. 'Say, Lamia...', The little Changeling looked towards Twilight, she had a cute young expression on her face; like she saw something grand and beautiful for the first time in her life. Twilight had the same face when she saw Princess Celestia made the sun rise up on the first Summer Sun Celebration she visited. 'Were you born here, Lamia?' Twilight asked, Lamia didn't say anything, she just nodded her head. 'But... How can a creature that feeds on love survive in this place?' Twilight continued only to be answered by the voice instead of Lamia. This is one of the side effects of Azazel's influence. You see, Changelings feed on love but they fear hate. Somewhere, in one of these cave structures lies a Changeling Hive. The Changelings eventually fled away due to the awesome power of Azazel's hate but they left behind the eggs. The eggs did came out but all of them died directly after birth, all but one. And that one stands beside you. 'That's... That's so terrible. Who is this Azazel, what kind of creature could cause this? A demon from the void. A creature born from Chaos. A son of Discord. ________________________________________________________________________________ Editor's Note Dat ending... da DA DA DAAAAAAM
Chapter 4CHAPTER 4 Friends and Revelations 'A son of Discord? That's impossible!' Twilight shouted to the voice, Lamia almost fell over in shock. 'How can Discord, the god of Chaos have any sons?' That's actually not a difficult question to answer, child. You see, he is a 'god' and 'gods' have the power to 'create' their 'children' from scratch without the necessary act of 'procreation'. Even your princesses, Celestia and Luna, are children of creation. You seem like a smart, little Unicorn to me, you probably know their 'creator' don't you? She knew did knew that, not many ponies know the mythology of Equestria in a whole. Not many ponies know that the Great All-Mother, Faust, created the two princesses to raise the sun and the moon while she was busy giving life on the planet. 'If you put it that way...' Twilight muttered, 'It's just... Strange... Strange to know that Discord has a son.' Two to be exact. 'Sweet Celestia... Two!?' Yes, the other one is Hades and he resides in Tartarus. But unlike Azazel, he isn't imprisoned. Hades took on the task to keep the most foulest of creatures locked away out of regret while Azazel continued his rampage only to be sealed away in this cursed place.' The voice sounded quite contemptuously while talking about Azazel's brother. 'Get behind that stalagmite, NOW!' It yelled. Twilight and Lamia did precisely what the voice said and quickly hid themselves behind a large stalagmite. A Diamond Dog came out a hole in the wall and sniffed in the air. Twilight looked from the edge of the stalagmite to examine it. The Diamond Dog looks just like the one Lamia impersonated, only this one's eyes were blank. No iris, no pupil, it's completely white. The Diamond Dog still stands on the same spot, sniffing in the air like it smelled something or... Somepony. This is the Rover Clan of Diamond Dogs. These ones are, unlike others, blind. The greed of King Rover, who is the clan lord, greatly increased due to Azazel's influence. They never saw the light of the outside world since the minute they entered this place. All thanks to the oath their 'king' swore. He swore that neither he or his 'subjects' will see the light of day until all gems were mined. Twilight whispered, she didn't want the Diamond Dog to notice her or Lamia: 'How long are they mining here, actually?' Long. Their greed blinded them. They never knew that this place has no diamonds or shining pieces of worth. There's only death and death defines these catacombs. They will never leave as long as there is greed in their hearts, they are forever lost. The Diamond Dog is still sniffing. Jeez... How long is is it gonna stand there? It looked towards the stalagmite where Twilight and Lamia where hiding behind and stared at it like there was something wrong with it. It proceeded to step towards the stalagmite, Twilight's heart was beating like it never beat before, Lamia was surprisingly calm. As the Diamond Dog came closer, he was then halted by a bark from further in the tunnel. 'What are you doing over there, Muttley? The Diamond Dog answered with another bark: 'Examining this stalagmite, Barkun! My scent says something's wrong with it.' The other dog barked again, 'You can't even smell a bone even if it sat right next to ya. Get over here and help me digging here!' The dog eventually left the stalagmite for what it was and ran towards the other side of the tunnel, 'Alright. ALRIGHT!' 'Phew... That was a close.' Twilight said, Lamia nodded in agreement. 'You aren't much of a talker, aren't you Lamia?' Twilight noted, Lamia suddenly blushed: 'Lamia... Lamia doesn't talk much, no.' She shyly stares at the ground, she looked quite like Fluttershy in that way. 'There's one question I'd like to ask, Lamia.' The Unicorn said. The little Changeling turned her gaze away from the ground into Twilight's face and without her saying a word Twilight knew her expression meant yes. 'You know this... Voice, right?' Lamia nodded, 'Then... Why are you still here? I mean...You can escape this place with his help.' Lamia looked quite sad, 'L-Lamia was always alone... Mr. Voice is Lamia's only friend, Lamia really l-loves Mr. Voice. Lamia doesn't want to leave Mr. Voice. Lamia doesn't want to be alone again.' Twilight wasn't surprised with that answer. She would do the same if she was born alone, no one to care for her, she against the world. Lamia never felt real parental love, so it's understandable that she is emotionally attached to the first, and probably the only one she sees as a 'friend'. Twilight felt something in her body, a feeling she once had before her first visit to Ponyville, before she met them... 'Can I...' She muttered, 'Can I be your friend?' The look on Lamia's face burned with happiness, a big smile with an open mouth filled her entire head. Her glowing arctic blue eyes shined like diamonds in the sun and tears started to appear on her lower eye-lids. She quickly grabbed Twilight in a tick hug and she teared up, crying in happiness. 'Yes! You can be Lamia's friend! You can be friend! You can be friend!' Her happiness was unparalleled to anything Twilight ever saw, even Pinkie Pie's cheer personality couldn't top this. However... Their emotional get-together was disrupted by the voice. I'm sorry to bring this beautiful and emotional moment to an halt but this could be a good time to move further. Before more Diamond Dogs show up. Twilight and Lamia did exactly what he said. They let each other go and went further, Twilight saw Lamia smiling for the first time since they've met. They got to the hole in the wall where the Diamond Dog came trough, she thinks of going trough it; This certainly leads to somewhere outside was what she thought. But after remembering what the voice said, she left the hole for what it was. They walked further trough the tunnel, the voice was silent and Lamia was still smiling. The earthen walls made way for those made of stone bricks. They eventually passed pillars that where embed into the walls and after a while they ended up in some kind of plaza. They were on a large octagonal terrace, a large fountain stood in the middle that still poured water. Several torches are lit and Twilight tried to see where she was now. It looked like a they were in a large cave-hall, where stone structures were build on the sides of the cave; Connected by stone paths, stairs and bridges. As Twilight looked in front of her, she could see a large stairway that lead to a castle/temple-like structure above. Twilight gasped: 'This ain't a catacomb system... This is a city!' Indeed, Twilight. This is the underground city of Rochgroth. ... King Rover pondered in his throne room but to be fair, it never was his in the first place. Not to mention, this whole castle isn't his either. He can't remember how long it was since he and his clan of Diamond Dogs first set foot, or rather paw, in this underground city. The only thing that haunted his mind was the thought of diamonds, crystals, shining trinkets and all other things that glitter in the light. The light... This 'light' became foreign to him, he couldn't remember the bright shine that filled his eyes or the warm, soothing touch it gave when it gazed onto him. No, he defied it. He misses it but also wants to neglect it, forget it. All that he cared about was getting all the shinies from these caves and he swore that he would never see that light again until it all came under his possession. Myyy..... Thrrrrronnnnnee... 'How many times do I have to say to be SILENT!' The king yelled. The strange thing is that he's all alone in his throne room. Other Dogs started to think that their king went mad. His 'oath' was one thing but hearing voices... Yelling at someone that isn't there... Even that goes too far but not even the most brave Dog in their clan even 'thought' to stand before their 'king' and tell him that he is going mad. One did though and he payed with his life for this act of 'treason'. Myyy..... Thrrrrronnnnnee... The king yelled again: 'SILENCE, I TELL YOU!!!' 'Eh... Sire?' Another Dog stood before his throne, he was little but still quite masculine. The little canine has a wrinkled face and a pushed-in nose. 'What news do you think is important enough to halt your progress in the mines, pup?' Rover said in a snobby and arrogant tone. 'I-I excuse myself, sire, fo-for halting my p-p-progress but I have urgent news.' The little dog stuttered. 'Speak up!' 'D-Do you r-remember that little p-pony we fished out of the lake?' King Rover didn't say anything. He just glared at the poor little Dog, waiting for him to continue. 'W-Well... I-It e-e-e...' 'SPIT IT OUT, MUTT!' 'I-It e-e-escaped, sire...' The King's glare filled itself with anger, he stood up from his throne, 'And that... That is the so called 'important' news?' Poor little doggy, he awakened the greedy wrath of his king. 'That pony was only to help you in the mines. It escaped? That's bad but that doesn't mean you. Can. Quit! You can start a hunt on this pony but your primary task. Is. MINING!!! I want all the shinies in this place and we won't stop until we have them all!' 'B-B-But... W-we never found a single s-shiny since w-we came here, s-sire!' The King's anger was boiling up, his eyes blank, white eyes turned red, 'Are you doubting me?' 'N-No, s-sire...' 'ARE YOU DOUBTING ME!!!???' Rover took a large golden axe from behind his throne and swings it around in the air. The little Dog ran away in fear. 'NO ONE DOUBTS THE KING! NO ONE DOUBTS ME!!! The King threw his axe and it flew trough the room to eventually end up in the back of the little dog. It fell on the ground, his blood dripped out of the open wound in his back. The little dog felt his muscles going numb and the last pieces of air escaping his lungs. He lied death on the ground. The King pulled his axe from the little Dog's back only to kick the corpse disrespectfully aside. Rover then proceeded to sit on his throne again. Myyy..... Thrrrrronnnnnee... ________________________________________________________________________________ Editor's Note I'm kinda tired of writing right now... Gonna take a little break. 'Rochgroth' is made up of the Sindarin words 'Roch' (horse) and Groth (cave, tunnel, large excavation, delving, underground dwelling)
