The Golden Trail

Rarity hummed a happy tune to herself as she went about her kitchen, her tea cups and an ornate ivory kettle floating around her in her magic's grip. With practiced ease, she went to work brewing the best tea from her collection. At the same time, she started setting a small assortment of snacks onto the dining room table to go with her drink. While she waited for the water to come to a boil, she set a clear crystal vase full of assorted roses onto the middle of the table. She took in the arrangement with a critical eye for a moment, before giving it a satisfied nod.

Perfect. Oooooooh I can't wait to see the look on her face when she arrives!

Her smile flickered at that, her mind drifting back to the day her guest first visited her.

She knew that Gold had been harmed by a Unicorn, but she hadn't been fully aware of just how deep the mare's scars had formed. The way Gold gave Rarity permission to harm her chilled her to her soul. It was almost as if such treatment was expected of her, a fact that even after three days still made her stomach churn. Part of her wanted to demand details of what happened, to have a name to give her worst words to. At the same time, another part of her knew that such an option was not available to her. At least, not yet anyway.

She wanted to help her, but to do that, she needed Gold to trust her. A tall order, one that would likely take a considerable amount of time and patience, but one that she was certain she could accomplish. Especially if Gold followed through on her end of their deal.

Just a second after the thought crossed her mind, she heard the bell over her front door ring. Quickly hiding her discomfort behind a charming smile, she put the last few touches she needed for the table before making her way out of the kitchen. When she made it to the waiting area at the front of her store, she paused at what greeted her.

Gold sat in one of the area's lavish waiting chairs staring blankly at the ground. She had her cloak's hood pulled all the way up and was wrapping it around her trembling form like a blanket. Starlight sat three chairs to the shaking mare's left, visibly torn between comforting the mare and keeping her distance. Confusion gracing her features, she walked fully into the waiting area. That instantly got the two mares' attention, one giving her an awkward smile while the other had the wide-eyed look of a cat just seconds away from fleeing from a predator.

Taking note of Gold's state, she halted her advance a slightly farther distance from her than Starlight was.

"Hello Gold, how are you fairing today?" she asked, sporting what she hoped was a comforting smile to the mare.

"I....I will survive," she gulped, still shaken. "Just...Just give me a moment to center myself."

"Of course. Take all of the time you need," she nodded, then aimed a questioning look at Starlight.

"It's...complicated," Starlight nervously chuckled.

"I....see," she allowed, a hint of unease creeping onto her features. "Fear not, I am sure that I can make some accommodations for you as well."

"Oh, no, that's alright," Starlight hastily stated, hooves up in a placating manner. "I'll just wait here until you're done. It's not a big deal."

"Nonsense, darling. All it will take is an extra seat and cup."

"But-" Starlight started,

"I insist," Rarity cut in, a hint of finality slipping past her calm smile.

Starlight visibly struggled to find a way to politely decline the mare's offer, but eventually gave up that fight with a reluctant sigh.

"Alright. I guess one cup of tea wouldn't hurt."

"Excellent," Rarity nodded, a subtle victorious edge entering her smile. "Just give me a moment to arrange your setting."

Before either mare could respond, Rarity quickly trotted back towards the dining room. While she went to work, her smile was replaced by a thoughtful frown. Why was Gold allowing Starlight near her? She knew of the mare's phobia, a fact that was the cornerstone of the reason she had added these meetings to her "punishment". She also knew that the last time she saw these two ponies interact, it had not ended particularly well.

Her inner gossip was running wild with over a dozen different possibilities, everything from a possible hidden romance to one blackmailing the other into submission. She shook off these fantasies, mentally chastising herself for having such thoughts. The conditions holding this meeting together was already tenuous at best and she knew it wouldn't take much to turn it into a disaster.

"Just be a good hostess and let things play out as they will," she asserted, adding the last finishing touches to Starlight's place-setting. "This is not an interview nor an interrogation. This is just three mares sitting down to have a nice cup of tea together."

Nodding to herself and in satisfaction with the arrangement, she made her way back to the waiting room. Thankfully, Gold was in a much more relaxed state, taking in Rarity's presence with a reserved smile as she entered the room. Starlight was still awkward, looking around and fidgeting with her hooves.

"Are you ready, darling?' she asked, giving Gold a patient smile.

"I...I believe so," Gold relented, with a stiff nod.

"Good," Rarity nodded back. "Now, let's not tarry for long. Unless you wish to drink iced tea today."

Tittering at her own joke, she turned to guide her two guests further into the building. Following her, Starlight and Gold took in the sights of the seamstress's base of operations with varying levels of interest. Gold had been to plenty of dress shops and other such businesses plenty of times in her past life, but she had never seen this side of it before now. As such, she couldn't hold back her fascination over the sheer scale of the raw materials Rarity had at her disposal when they passed through the store's back rooms.

Bolts of fabric, spools of thread, and clusters of gems of every size and color were set neatly into massive shelves that reached the ceiling. near the center of the room stood a long table, a few sewing machines along with various cutting tools and measuring tape sat on it in organized arrangements for easy access. The blades made Gold give the table a wide berth, eyes locked onto them the whole time they were in the room. It wasn't until they entered the dining room that Gold finally let herself truly relax.

The room in question was about what she had expected when she first entered the building. White walls painted to look like marble held the large room together with two magenta doors being the only ways in or out of it. Ornate paintings depicting some of the more illustrious parts of Canterlot where hung sparingly on them, each adding an element of sophistication that Gold hadn't felt in what felt like years. An equally extravagant silver chandelier hung at the ceiling's heart, small, enchanted sapphire flowers filling the room with a soft light. Set below it was a round table that the home's host had set up for this meeting.

Taking a deep breath, Gold made her way towards the table, the rest of her party not far behind her. While she took a seat, she kept a careful eye on the two Unicorns as they did the same. To be more specific, she kept an eye on their horns. If the two mares noticed, they chose not to show it.

With shaky hooves, Rarity tried to fill her guests' cups. While the attempt was graceless, Gold appreciated the mare's willingness to go the extra mile for her. She mentally laughed at herself when she remembered how awkward she was when she was forced to not use her horn in training. The fact that the mare managed to avoid dropping the kettle or spilling tea all over the table was legitimately impressive as far as Gold was concerned. The fact that Starlight seemed much more adept with her hooves than Rarity was another shock. One that made her feel a lot more leery about being around her, even with the promise of Gaia's retaliation should anything happen to her.

"Cream or sugar?" Rarity asked, gesturing to the two containers in question.

"N-Neither," Gold forced out, picking up her cup. "I prefer the natural flavors of the herbs. I-It is a sign of the quality behind the brew."

"i see," Rarity frowned, staring down at her own cup. "I never considered that. Is the taste that noticeable?"

she nodded, taking a small sip.

"If the brew is good, then that is all you need. Anything else is just an excuse to have the additive."

"That's an... interesting way to put it," Starlight said, raising a brow.

"I-It was something my Grandmother would say," Gold sheepishly said, taking another dainty sip.

"She certainly sounds like a wise mare," Rarity nodded. "How is she, if you do not mind me asking?"

"She is dead," Gold said, tone as heavy as a sheet of lead. "Has been for several years now."

Rarity cringed at that, then sadly said, "My apologies. I did not mean to bring up such a grim topic."

"It is fine," Gold sighed. "I came to terms with it a long time ago."

Starlight had some doubts about that, but neither voiced them or let it show on her face. Instead, she gave the mare a sympathetic smile and lightly pushed a small tray of cookies closer to the mare. Gold gave her an appreciative nod as she placed a couple of the offered treats onto a small plate by her cup.

"Now Gold, why don't you tell us a little about yourself," Rarity softly pressed, a small friendly smile gracing her muzzle.

"What do you wish to know?" Gold frowned, a subtle edge creeping into her features.

"Whatever you feel like sharing, darling," she calmly stated, taking a shaky sip from her cup.

Gold's eyes pierced her, searching for even the slightest signs of deception. Seeing none, she took a shaky breath, closed her eyes, and tried to think of an answer to the question. Obviously, she couldn't tell her too much about her past; not if she did not want to spend years locked in a cell, at least. At the same time, she didn't feel right about lying to her.

Left with few options, she decided to tread the waters with the safest topic she could think of.

"I have several hobbies," she sheepishly offered.

"Such as?" Rarity pressed, smiling encouraging.

Gold was hesitant to continue, but pushed herself to move forward with the conversation.

She...is not Moonstone Dagger. She is....not Moonstone Dagger. She is not Moonstone...Dagger.

"I-I-I play the violin," she offered, taking a sip of her tea.

"You do?" Rarity asked, giving an encouraging smile.

She nodded.

"Granted, I am out of practice, but Big Macintosh says my skills are acceptable."

"Big Mac said that?" Rarity blinked. "If that is the case, then you must be quite talented."

"W-What would lead you to that conclusion?"

"You may not think it, but Big Mac is a very dedicated music lover. To earn praise from him on that particular topic is something many of the mares in town have hurt themselves over."

"I never knew that," she mumbled, staring thoughtfully into her cup. "Though, I am not surprised that he has a herd of mares longing for him."

"Indeed," Rarity nodded, her cheeks taking on a small blush as she added, "There are quite a few mares that have their eyes on him."

"Q-Quite," Gold nodded, still staring into her cup.

"She's also really good at chess," Starlight offered.

"A-A-A simple past time," Gold stammered out. "Grandmother was a much better player then I am."

"Really?" Starlight balked. "You beat me, like, four times in a row."

"The fact that I struggled to do so is a sign of my failings," she frowned, taking a sip.

Starlight gave her a flat look.

"You take things way too seriously."

"Better than being too flippant," she softly countered.

"Perhaps," Rarity nodded. "Though I feel that a little fun wouldn't hurt."

"Agreed," Gold allowed, taking a dainty nibble from one of her cookies. "I am....learning that particular lesson more and more these days."

"That is good to hear," Rarity nodded, taking a sip from her cup.

Gold nodded.

Another bout of silence took the room, the sipping of tea or the light munching of treats the only occasional break in it. At the same time, Gold struggled to find a more substantial way to break it. In her old life, she hated pointless small talk and empty silences in meetings like these. She still did, but every time she worked up the nerve to break the silence, her eyes would drift towards Rarity or Starlight's horn and it would instantly vanish.

Fortunately, Starlight's tongue was much less bound.

"Gold's been teaching me how to meditate recently."

"You too?" Rarity balked, then gave Gold a playful smile as she added, "If this is the start of a trend, maybe I should ask to take some lessons as well."

"P-P-P-Please no," Gold shivered, shrinking in on herself. "J-J-Just Starlight is too much for me."

"Very well, dear," she nodded, giving her an understanding smile. "I was simply ribbing you a bit."

"I...I understand," she gulped, slowly coming out of herself and focusing on her tea. "While we are on the topic, h-how are Sweetie's lessons going?"

"Quite well, actually," Rarity beamed. "While she still struggles to cast, she has already gained fantastic control of her magic's flow. If things continue as they are, it will not be long before she casts her first true spell."

"That's great!" Starlight cheered, excitedly clapping her forehooves. "I remember when I did my first spell and believe me, it left one heck of an impression."

"What was it?" Rarity asked, eagerly leaning towards her.

"A gravity spell," she proudly stated, then sheepishly added, "It....uh.....took a while to get everything in the house off of the ceiling. My dad and I included."

"Quite the achievement," Rarity nodded, impressed. "My first spell was just a basic levitation spell."

"To be expected," Gold nodded, still staring into her cup. "Mine was a stunning spe-."

She froze, heart sinking straight into her gut when her mind caught up with her mouth. Slowly, she shifted her gaze from her cup to her hostess and stalker. The confused looks they gave her made her heart hammer in her chest. Her cup rattled in her shaking hooves, the sound starting to become smothered by her rapidly quickening breaths.

Starlight said something, but it was muffled by the pounding in her ears.

***

A dark void enveloped Moonstone, all of her senses stripped from her completely against her will. She wanted to scream, to cry, but nothing came when she opened her mouth. She wanted to weep, but her eyes were as dry as dessert sand. She wanted to breath, but her lungs were completely destroyed. Only the cold in the air and the hard stone floor her dried carcass laid upon told her that she was still on Equis. Those, and the steady sound of water dripping off of the dark cave ceiling above her. The ability to tell that much about her surroundings also left her in true physical agony beyond anything she could describe.

While Bloodstone was mostly unaffected by their previous fight, the same could not be said for Moonstone.

According to the demon, most of her organs were destroyed by the Cheshire's curses, especially her stomach and aforementioned lungs. In addition, large portions of her bones were rotted through, another sign of the caster's foul magic being at play. Combine that with the damage that managed to creep past Bloodstone's defenses and it was a miracle that Moonstone was alive in the first place. Funnily enough, the source of her survival was not a gift from the Maker, but the diabolic contract with a servant of the Taker.

Being a blood demon, Moonstone knew that he would keep her alive, regardless of how much damage she took. So long as a single drop of their blood remained or the source of their contract stayed intact, she would never truly die. Bloodstone would make sure of that; in any way he deemed acceptable. In exchange, she was given power greater than anything she could have possibly imagined. True, blood magic was not her forte, but with a master caster "at her side", it didn't take long for her to become at the very least competent in the art. The powers Bloodstone had granted her were more than she needed to complete her goal, but their deal did come with several drawbacks that would've churned her stomach if it was currently still functional.

The first was the fact that Bloodstone needed to be fed on occasion, an act that tore her apart inside both literally and metaphorically. The massacre at the orphanage was a more extreme case of the demon gorging himself after days of sipping blood from the beggars that sat in the less opulent parts of Canterlot. She could still hear the screams in the back of her mind, the terrified faces of foals just before Bloodstone ripped their blood and souls out of their bodies before tossing the dried husks aside like trash. She spent the following night in tears, the heavy haze of alcohol doing little to make the weight of her crimes any less heavy. Fortunately, such feedings were infrequent enough that she could keep herself from straying from her goal and when he did feed, Bloodstone stuck mostly to what few animals wandered into their path.

A wet clack echoed through the gloom, announcing the arrival of her sole companion. Bloodstone casually sauntered over to his descendant, his dark red form rippling with each step. Were one to see him at that moment, they would see a scarlet Unicorn stallion with a darker red mane and tail that was straight and brushed back in a professional manner. His cutie mark was a oval-cut bloodstone set in the middle of a magic circle that was a brighter shade of red from the rest of his body. Aside from the rippling and coppery scent he gave off, there were few things one would be able to use to know that he was not an ordinary pony. His eyes were the only sure thing that would shatter the illusion with a glance; pitch-black holes with a pair of glowing red and slitted pupils staring down at the laying mare at his hooves. He smiled down at her, revealing the tips of pointed teeth made of the same crystalized blood that made up his hooves and horn.

"Sorry for the wait my dear," he chuckled. "The foolish bats in this cave are so unwilling to part with their blood. How utterly inconsiderate of them."

Moonstone didn't respond.

Bloodstone gave her an indignant snort, his smile falling into a bored scowl.

"Oh come now, dear. Do try to liven up a bit! Just because you are now an empty husk is no excuse for being rude!"

Again, Moonstone gave no response.

The demon scoffed at that, hoof pressed to his chest as if struck.

"Such gall! And I even went to all of the trouble of gathering enough blood to restore your body! A sign of appreciation would not kill you, my dear."

Bloodstone was granted no response to that.

"Very well," Bloodstone, sighed, rolling his eyes. "Honestly, when I was still mortal, I remember my family holding manners to a much higher standard."

As he said that, his body slowly melted and slithered into Moonstone's ears, nose, and mouth. Just as slowly, the mare's body started to restore itself. Shallow breaths gradually grew in strength as new lungs started to take form. Taste slowly came to her with the return of her tongue. She could see the familiar darkness of the back of her eyelids when her eyes reformed in her sockets. Hearing became real for her again, the hammering of her new heart the first thing to remind her that she was alive. Her eyes flew open and a gargled scream flew past her lips before she laid panting on the cave's floor.

"Welcome back to the land of the living my dear," Bloodstone cackled. "Did you sleep well?"

"W-W-What did you....do to me?" she rasped, staggering to her hooves.

"Nothing much. I simply found a few liters of fresh blood hanging from the cave's ceiling."

Barely listening to the demon, she did a quick spin to take in her underground surroundings. Everything was in grey scale, a sure sign that the cave system they were hiding in was completely dark to her new senses. Littering the floor in a circle around were she stood were dozens of dead rats and bats, their bodies drained to the point of mummification. Disgusted, Moonstone searched for a way out of the space to put the gristly scene as far behind her as equinely possible. Upon spotting an opening not far from her position, she carefully stepped around the dead animals towards it.

"Where are we?" she asked, passing into a damp tunnel.

"Deep in the mines near some useless mud-horse hamlet," Bloodstone spat. "One of many escape options I had prepared in my mortal years."

"Escape options?" Moonstone frowned. "I heard noting about this when I was made Head of House."

"Why would my family trust such secrets to a mare?" Bloodstone scoffed. "Head of House or not, such safeguards are not needed for you. At least, not until you birth a colt."

Moonstone ground her teeth, fighting back a plethora of very colorful thoughts she had on the matter.

"Besides," he continued. "Only a sangumancer could use them anyway and I doubt a lamb such as yourself is capable of wielding the magic of a wolf."

"I was able to summon you, was I not?" Moonstone pressed.

"Needing to form a contract in blood is not the same as using the art," Bloodstone snipped, a frown audible in his tone. "You should know that much after all that I have taught you, mare."

"A fair point, demon," she spat. "Also, do not forget the terms of our contract. I will not have a repeat of what happened at the orphanage."

"That only happened because I was hungry and you were not strong enough to stop me," the demon cackled. "Those foals' blood is on your hooves just as much as mine."

"Shut up," she spat, stopping in her furiously trembling tracks.

"Well, maybe in your hooves would be more accurate," he continued, ignoring the mare's fury. "I can still feel their souls running around inside my belly. Do you feel it too?"

"I said , SHUT UP!" she screamed, slamming her foreleg into the nearest tunnel wall.

She felt the jagged stones on the wall cut into it when she pulled her leg away, but her blood refused to leave the wound. Said wound quickly started to mend itself, but the demon's words cut in a way that could not be so easily tended to.

"Oh relax my dear," Bloodstone chuckled. "It is not as if they are there to stay."

She nodded, glad that she had been smart enough to add one particular clause to their contract. Once the conditions of their contract was met, any souls that Bloodstone consumed would be set free. This didn't change Moonstone's original mission; only added to the reasons she would see it through.

"We will need to be more cautious moving forward," Moonstone coldly stated, resuming her slow march through the tunnels. "If the Princesses are sending their personal guards after us, we cannot afford to be as reckless as we have been up till now."

"Yes," he chuckled, a slight hiss entering his tone. "It will also take some time to regain our strength. I was able to reverse most of that moon-spawn's work, but we will need more blood to be back in top form."

"is there something that can be done in the mean time?" Moonstone asked. "I hate to be left idle."

"Of course," Bloodstone chuckled. "Raise your hoof."

She reluctantly, she stopped and did as she was told. She flinched when a sharp pain came from it, then grimaced at a few small drops of blood that fell from her wrist. She shuddered when a new spell seeped into her mind, then stared down at the drops on the floor with a small smirk. The crystalized blood filling the cracks in her horn glowed a mirky red along with the normal scarlet of her own magic's aura. A similar aura coated the drops, then seeped into them. A second later, the blood droplets slowly shaped themselves into a small cluster of red spiders. Each one was about the same size an shape of a common Black Widow, with only their coloration separating them from each other. With a slight push through the spell, she saw the world from the blood spiders' eyes for a brief second before coming back to her own senses.

Moonstone stared down at the small creatures, a sinister smile spreading across her muzzle.

"You like?" Bloodstone playfully asked.

"Oh yes," she darkly chuckled. "These will do nicely."

***

Starlight and Rarity did not know what to make of their current situation. In less then a second, their simple banter took a turn so wide, it could've circled Canterlot City a hundred times over. After making an odd comment, they saw Gold freeze in her seat, then start to hyperventilate. Both of the Unicorns traded panicked looks, wordlessly asking each other what they could do. Before they could even begin to come up with a plan, Gold dropped her cup, curled in on herself, and suddenly sprouted silver thorns all across her body. Their jaws dropped, shock and terror running through them as they watched the thorns crumble away. A second later, blood started to pool from the wounds, only it was much thicker and had a more metallic-gray sheen to it. Their shock grew when the blood spread itself all across Gold's body instead of dripping onto the floor. Once she was completely covered, it turned a dark gray and hardened, turning Gold into an extremely realistic metal statue.

"What...the Taker just happened?" Rarity sputtered, jumping to her hooves

"I...think she just used metal magic," Starlight blinked, slowly rising from her own seat.

"Metal!?" Rarity squawked, frantically pointing a hoof at Gold. "B-B-But the thorns! And the blood!"

"Metal mages can use trace metals in their own bodies to cast spells," she explained, studying Gold with a critical eye.

"B-But she's an Earth Pony! She shouldn't be able to perform that type of magic!"

"Gold's a...special case," Starlight coughed, a nervous grimace briefly slipping across her muzzle.

"So it would seem," Rarity nodded, starting to reel in her shock. "Is she alright? That was quite a lot of....blood."

She gulped and shuddered at the word, somehow seeming to pale in spite of her ivory coat.

Sharing some of her friend's concern, Starlight's horn glowed as she began casting. An identical light blue aura surrounded Gold and seeped into the mare's metallic shell. Instantly, a detailed display of Gold's anatomy entered Starlight's mind. What she saw made her eyes widen with true horror.

For the most part, Gold's body was functioning as it should for a mare of her approximate age and build, but that was were the good news ended. Various parasitic or toxic plants were merged with her organs or rooted in her bones with their seeds circulating through her in her blood. Said blood also contained toxic levels of every kind of metal imaginable. Right before her eyes, she could see Gold's body get eaten away by these hazards, only for it to heal itself again at a slightly faster rate. If it wasn't for that unusual trait, she was sure Gold would be dead where she sat, if not now, then long before she had arrived at Ponyville.

What happened to her? How did she end up like this?

Schooling her features, she canceled the spell and gave Rarity a stiff, yet reassuring smile.

"She's going to be anemic for a while, but I think she'll be okay."

"Well, that's a relief," she sighed. "But...how do we get her out of that?"

"I'm not sure," Starlight frowned, rubbing her chin in thought. "From what I can tell, that shell won't come down unless Gold wants it too."

"I see," Rarity mused, giving Gold a sympathetic smile. "Perhaps we should take her home?"

"You mean I should do it, right?" Starlight deadpanned.

Rarity just awkwardly looked away, rubbing a foreleg.

Sighing, Starlight prepared to cast a levitation spell on Gold, only for a loud bang and familiar frantic voice from the front of the store to spook her out of it.

"Was that....Pinkie?" Starlight asked, staring at the door.

Before Rarity could respond, said pink mare burst through the door.

"Gold! Gold! Where are you?! Are you okay!?" she cried, frantically looking around the room.

It didn't take long at all for her to notice her cousin, her face paling the second her eyes landed on her. Neither mare could do no more than blink before Pinkie shot to the petrified mare's side. After taking a few seconds to inspect her, she turned towards her friends with a look that made them both freeze. Pinkie's face was completely void of any emotion, with eyes that seemed to pierce them straight down to their souls. A frozen stone slammed into their guts when, in a tone as empty as the void, she asked a single question.

"What happened?"