Chapter 6: Temple of the Shadow anthro

Mason in front of both Big Mac and Spike passed the broken castle and deeper into the everfree forest. Big Mac said in a tired tone, “Mason, can we slow down a bit this big fuckin sword is killin my back.” Spike in a joking tone replied, “It can’t be that heavy right?” Big Mac sighed and retorted, “Then come over here and carry this heavy sword instead.”

Mason walked over to Big Mac and put a rune spell on it that makes the weight of the sword lighter. Mason said, “The weight should go back to normal after you get used to it.” Big Mac replied, “Thanks, should we set up camp?” Mason in a smirk replied, “We have a couple of more miles, and we'll rest near Ghastly Gorge for the night.” Mason looked around and noticed the group was closer to the Gorge than planned.

Big Mac walking ahead of the group, felt the ground break open and as Big Mac fell into the hole spike caught him before he hit the ground. Spike, looking down at Big Mac, said, “That could have been bad for you Mac.” Big Mac looked up at Spike and replied, “First for everything I guess.” Mason looked in the hole and scanned the area with runic magic and noticed it was an underground temple with a detection of body heat a couple rooms away slowly making its way over. Mason grabbed a tree root and climbed down the hole and then let go when he felt it safe to drop in. Mason landed and said in a quiet tone, “Careful, someone is coming, we need to hide or at least come up with a plan of attack.” Big Mac heard the footsteps coming when he drew his buster sword.

Spike flew up and stuck his claws into the wall up above the door waiting to catch the anthro off guard. Mason and Big Mac waited in anticipation only to stop and look in confusion. Stygian after making it into the clearing saw Big Mac and Mason and looked at them in confusion and said, “Who are you guy’s and how did you get in this temple without setting off the front temple traps?” Mason looked at Spike and said, “Spike come down! We fell in by accident and we are on a quest to gain allies and stop a greater evil than ever seen.” Stygian respawned, “What is this great evil?” Mason looked at Stygian seriously and replied, “The Storm King and his Army.”

Stygian saw these guys in front of him and thought to himself, “Seems the weird ape is the leader. The dragon and the anthro are his friends.” Stygian’s train of thought was broken when he heard Mason say to him, “You know this ape has a name, it’s Mason and I’m a human.” Stygian looked surprised and said sharply, “So Mason the human you can read minds I suppose.” Mason replied with a smirk, “Nope, I figured you were thinking something like that because all you anthro’s think that at first.”

Stygian looked at Mason and asked, “Are you trying to recruit me into your boy band? Because I’m not interested.” Mason replied, “No, only if you're interested in destroying the Storm Kings empire and ripping the arms off that dick head. I’m not trying to force you. But I need an anthro with your knowledge to help me.” Stygian looked scared for a second and replied, “The marriage was announced to take place in two years and the Storm King has an empire the size of equestria. That goal is physically impossible, and you would need at most all of equestria and its inhabitants to beat the Storm King’s army. Plus, you seem pretty crazy and clearly suicidal. If you want to take on this clearly impossible feat. Then by all means do it but leave me out of it.” Mason looked at Stygian and retorted, “What if I told you I only needed two year’s and six guys. I know you find my ramblings crazy, and or suicidal. But I speak the truth and if my eyes don’t deceive me, you must be Stygian the strategist and scholar. I also don’t intend to die in front of my friends and loved ones.” Stygian looked at Mason, not impressed.

Stygian said, “It’s not that hard to recognize me! I’ve been back only a year and some dumb boy band wants to use my skills. What next I sit back and you guys take all the credit.” Mason smiled and replied, “Nope, I don’t just want your skills in strategy. But, I need your abilities as a shadow anthro to help in espionage and sabotaging the Storm Kings army and no, I want no credit to killing that piece of shit. I just want to free my friends from an unfair marriage.” Stygian stepped back in a shocked face and retorted, “What are you talking about I’m no…… friends?” Mason replied, “Celestia and Luna are my friends and I won’t sit idly by and watch them become pawns to some piece of shit cum rag.” Mason looked at Stygian with a face of confidence and conviction. Stygian replied, “I want your help first to gain power from this temple.”

Mason said, “Let me guess you want to absorb the artifact in the other room but can’t get to it right.” Stygian replied, “Yeah, it’s some sort of shadow energy that can be consumed or injected into my body. The book didn’t explain it very well. Look it will make me stronger. That’s all I care about.” Mason, interested in Stygian’s reply, said, “Well, not judging all of us have been in some shit for power.” Mason walking to the room and saw a chest in a pit that looked bottomless. Mason scanned the room only to laugh and say, “Stygian just walk over to the chest you should be fine.” Stygian looked angry and retorted, “That is a bottomless pit. I’m pretty sure I’ll die.” Mason in an uninterested face shoved Stygian into the “bottomless pit” only for Stygian to realize that the pit was fake. Stygian stood up and walked up to the chest and opened it only to see a book on ancient shadow magic and six different colored shadow sprites. Mason walked up to Stygian and saw the six sprites.

Mason said, “Oh, good haul I suppose for you. Just take all six of them.” Stygian replied, “I can't. The temple guardian said to take only one sprite, but the pure black sprite is what I wanted.” Mason grabbed the book and started to speed read through the book. Only to stop on a certain page that had a word spell to make sprites mix and become a stronger shadow sprite. Mason whispered the word magic out loud, and the six sprites started to get darker and mix together And the black color and shadows slowly became an oily black and seeped into the sprite and then wrote a rune spell and as he finished the rune all the black and shadow energy in the temple started going into the orb making it stronger and darker. Stygian looked confused and saw the sprite emitted a darker black aura layer around it that looked like a blackhole. When Stygian looked back at Mason. Mason said, “It’s not just some impossible feat.”

Stygian took the sprite and absorbed the big sprite and felt his power get stronger only to realize that the Black floor started to move to his body and wrap around him like a cocoon, as the black cocooned around him it started to spiral and Stygian’s body absorbed the shadow and blackness and it transformed him from a skinny, short anthro, into a muscular anthro that was a little bit taller. Mason said, “Do you feel better or are you tired?” Stygian replied, “I’m pretty tired.” Stygian passed out. Only to groggily wake up a couple of hours later in a sleeping bag next to a fire. Stygian not moving because he didn’t want to the group knowing he was awake yet. Overheard the conversation Mason, Spike, and Big Mac were having.

Mason said confidently, “We only need six guys.” Big Mac replied, “I believe you but what about the king of a kingdom thing?” Mason looked at the fire and retorted, “That will be a little harder to figure out. But I heard the Griffin Kingdom has no king or a good one at least. So, we can take that kingdom and make it better.” Spike asked, “What about the dragon kingdom?”

Mason said, “That's a no because the dragon Queen is a good leader and I’m not fighting that. Plus I have plans for the Dragon Kingdom.” Big Mac looked back at Stygian and asked, “What about this guy Mason?” Mason replied, “Stygian is a shadow anthro his skills in strategy and planning are unmatched. He could turn into or use the shadows in our favor to hear or see all those that want to stay hidden. Plus, I think he would be a good candidate for the group and he’s clearly the best choice.” Stygian, still listening to the conversation, was now interested. Mason looked over and asked, “What do you think Stygian you interested in joining the group or not? I mean you clearly heard my opinion on you but we should hear your side in this.” Stygian sighed and got up and joined the three next to the fire.

Stygian said, “Who are the other two that will join us on this adventure?” Mason replied, “I don’t know, we kind of got lucky meeting you in the temple.” Stygian retorted, “So why did you pick me to join your group of guys?” Mason laughed and replied, “Is there a reason you seemed like a nice guy and thought why not let him join.” Stygian looked at the fire and kind of felt a little happy that a group of guys didn’t judge him on his appearance or past.

Stygian looked back at Mason and said, “Where are we going next?” Mason replied, “Los Pegasus and we'll take the train all the way to the Griffin Stone Station to get to the Griffin Kingdom. Then head over to the dragon kingdom to help Spike become a stronger dragon. The training will continue before and after crossing the Celestia Sea into the Forbidden jungle training all the way to the Crystal Empire just in time to stop the wedding and destroy the Storm King. How’s that for a slice of fried gold?" Stygian looked impressed and replied, “This is a two-year plan?” Mason retorted, “Eeyup, The plan is to train while we make our way to and from the griffin kingdom and the dragon kingdom.”

Stygian noticed Spike and Big Mac getting ready for bed by setting up their sleeping bags. Mason, still watching the fire, set a rune barrier around the camp and then grabbed his sleeping bag and other stuff to go to sleep. Stygian grabbed a little of the soup Mason made for dinner and ate while watching the fire for awhile. Stygian looked back at Mason and thought to himself, “This human maybe different from all the others. But his heart is boundless.” Mason after getting into bed. He entered a white room. Where he saw Celestia reading a book in the library with Mason. The peaceful quiet of both of them reading. Celestia stopped reading and looked at Mason and asked, “This is a memory of a better time, isn’t it?” Mason replied, “No, it's just a peaceful thought of us hanging out.” Mason looked over at the table he was at with Celestia sharing a lovely moment. Mason turned around and saw Luna. Luna said, “How have you been?”

Author's Note

I never see Stygian ever used in theses fanfictions so I wanted to use him for once. this MF right here