The soft crackle of her tiny fire accented the sound of her primitive knife crunching through the joints of her food. Metallic scales chimed as they fell off their previous bearers. Bone utensils rested on her table, and bowls made from skulls and clay sat drying in the orange dyed room. The bits of metal she couldn’t use lay in a scrap heap in the corner.

“Cozy look. I brought food again today!” She says gleefully, to the decaying head. It’s bright blue locks remained intact, but the once pink skin had begun to turn a sickly green, bloody tear stains marking the empty eye sockets.

A gasp could be heard, catching her attention. The other Food wasn’t food yet. Her eyes turned to the not-food. It’s claw was around it’s throat, holding closed the surprisingly shallow wound. “Oh. Mr. Food. You can’t leave. I haven’t eaten yet. I wonder what a bronze dragon tastes like.”

She picked up the heavier, red horn dagger, and walked over to it. “Do you want to eat with me?” She offered a piece of the other dragon, still dripping hot, fresh blood. A shake of the head as it scurried back from her was the only answer she received. “Oh. I guess Cozy and I have more to eat!” She lunged, her dagger raised high.

Another scream was heard from her domain, followed by the sounds of ripping flesh and crunching bones once more.

Chrysalis jumped at the sudden, prematurely ended scream. Grogar and Tirek both looked at her, shaking their heads. “Innocence got those two.” Tirek transferred his food to a carved wooden plate, and scraped the stone. “Many avoid her for that very reason.”

“You’re telling me she eats other sentient beings now?” Chrysalis scrunched up her snout, flashing her white fangs. “Let me ask this. Those weapons of hers. They look like your broken horns. Tirek has scars on him that look like something bit him and ripped. Cozy Glow isn’t here. Explain.”

The elder goat looked to the centaur, who just waved him onward. “Very well. Get comfortable, if you can.” The changeling queen curled her legs underneath her, eyes locked to the two ancients.

“Innocence, as we had said, was once Anri, the sweetheart who offered us friendship. Somehow, Cozy Glow had figured out the spells behind Tirek’s ability to take strength from others. However, her mind is- was a machine. As a result, she figured she could pull even more strength from someone, and needed a guinea pig, if you will.” Grogar took one of his radishes, and began to scribble on the wall, making simple figures. One in the shape of a human, and the other in the shape of a pony. A flash of the eyes, and the improvised markings sprung to life.

“Anri had many issues down here. She physically was the weakest down here. No claws, hooves, wings, or proper fangs. No magic either, so she couldn’t fight for any food. Many times, The two of us would give her portions of our food. In exchange, she would trade stories of her world. How the world had changed since our time with humans.” Two more figures joined the play, a goat and a centaur, all around a crude fire. Music notes and lines denoted the friendly atmosphere amongst the dank caverns.

“So you really have gone soft in the last decade or so.” Chrysalis smirked, earning a snort from the eating centaur.

“You tend to think about what’s best for you down here. Pay attention.” Tirek pointed back to the stone wall, where Grogar had been adding additional figures to animate.

“Cozy, however, took advantage of her. Using her cute looks, she lulled Anri into a false sense of security. Cuddling, giving hugs, showing affection as ponies tend to.” The play turned away from Grogar and Tirek, showcasing the two in question. “At night, when Anri would sleep, Cozy Glow would be practicing on her. Changing this symbol or that, until she finally began pulling something from her.” The animated scribblings showed the struggle of the young filly, and the sleeping human.

Tirek at this point looked away, his face set in a firm grimace, his food barely even cut. Chrysalis raised her eyebrow, but continued to watch as Grogar added more scribbles to the dancing story. “Anri woke up tired. Too tired to even leave her cave at that point. She could barely call for help.” The play showed the human trying to drag itself, a very tiny note escaping its open mouth. “Cozy on the other hand, had grown a couple of centimeters. Her magic could push the gargoyles you saw earlier, and she was able to carry her own food for once.” The added gargoyle swooped in, but was deflected by the slightly larger pegasus.

“Hold on, a pegasus with magic? That’s nigh imp--” Chrysalis had started, before the two ancients looked upon her. “You two are special exceptions.”

“Only a fool would believe that only some species have magic. All do. Primarily, Pegasi with weather, Earth Ponies and plants, Unicorns and their spells. The Yak’s have a special dominion over music, and the Dragons with the riches of the earth and fire. To say that a Pegasus could not have spells is to say that magic doesn’t exist.”

The insectoid sighed, resting her sore cheek on her hoof. “Continue.”

Grogar picked up a carrot, and rubbed it’s tip into the wall, creating a tiny little fire with the improvised pigment. “That night, Cozy did the spell once more. Once again, Anri was tired. I checked on her, and she seemed fine, if just weak.” Grogar sighed as the puppet performance continued further. “Even I should have realized what was happening, having taught Sombra… But that last night was the worst.”

The animated lines showed Cozy becoming an intense pink color, as she performed the spell once more. Anri’s were becoming slowly grey. “Anri stopped breathing. As her soul was consumed, so was her knowledge. Her personality. Her emotions. And then Anri was no more.” The drawing of Anri sat up, its stick arms suddenly around Cozy’s throat. “Innocence, the remnant of her soul that Cozy hadn’t absorbed, became the survival instinct, and retaliated.”

Innocence’s scribble began slamming the pony over and over, frantic scribbles emitting from the tiny pegasus. She was screaming. Strangely, the once simplistic play started to evolve, to expand, to illustrate itself in painstaking detail. Grogar and Tirek ran into the cave. Innocence was pallid, and covered in blood. Cozy glow was still screaming. Innocence had one of her leg in her hand, and was beating her to death with the dismembered limb.

Grogar went to slam into her, to push her off Cozy, but was caught off guard. Innocence stabbed him with the exposed bone, and swung Cozy glow like a weapon, silencing her upon his horns and breaking one. As the goat staggered, Tirek grabbed her, but she bared her teeth. She bit him repeatedly, pulling at flesh as she went. Tirek cringed back as his hands became covered in bleeding bite wounds, releasing the feral human. Innocence picked up Grogar’s broken horn like a sword, and swung into Tirek’s general direction. The magic centaur barely shifted his head in time to avoid his skull being smashed, but his horn was broken as well.

Innocence, now armed, looked at them with frenzied eyes, violet and violent. Her face now dripped with gore. The play stopped.

Chrysalis gasped as her focus was broken, lungs sucking in air that had left long before. The emotions just from the story felt like a sharp rock in her stomach, causing her to heave between ragged breaths. “Ever since, she stopped responding to Anri. Innocent or Innocence is the only thing she recognizes as her name now. In the last two years, we have learned her desire to eat flesh. Strangely, it does help her learn, but…”

“... But she's no longer the joyful spirit she was in the dark.” Chrysalis finished, her own feelings being overwhelmed by her companions' heavy auras.

“Precisely. Cozy is dead… and it's her own damn fault..” Grogar rubbed his shoulder, a star shaped scar from the old wound. “Despite all this, she seemingly understands when someone is a threat to her, and when they want to help her. It’s why she backed down today. She might not have, if she was hungry enough.”

Chrysalis’ eyes widened slightly, as her grimace held back her vomit with a hard swallow.. “Wait, you stopped her from..”

Tirek tossed his food into the fire. “Yes. We stopped her from eating you today. I’m going to go for a few laps. I’ll be back.” Heavy thuds of his hooves was the only sign of his anger.

Grogar sighed once more, rubbing his horns. “I suggest you get some sleep. I’ll keep first watch.”

“Watch? Why would you need to keep watch?” Chrysalis queried, leering at the senior villain.

“Because there are others in this pit who have lost their mind in this bleak domain. Be thankful that Innocence got meat today.” The old goat rest his hooves over his eyes, an annoyed breath escaping his tightening jaw.

“So there are other cannibals here?” a smirk splayed across her fangs, savoring the flavor of his aggravations.

“Chrysalis, just go to sleep. I’m tired from explaining. Tirek will be back in a little while, and he can explain to you.” He groaned, turning to glare at her directly as he rose to his hooves.

“Oh, so you really are an old goat.”

“For all that Faust created and damned… Go to sleep or I will make you.” Grogar had turned to the front of their quarters, beginning to walk away.

“Fine. Make me.”

A quick buck to the head and Chrysalis was knocked out. “Told you. Arrogant bug.”

Author's Note

Proofread and Edited by Timeless Lord Slayer