Foundations of Evil

CHAPTER 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.

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Editor's Note

Dat ending... da DA DA DAAAAAAM