Better the devil you know
Inside the cave, lost in the far-off mountains, there lay an ancient altar surrounded by pillars of stone. Long forgotten words littered the few walls that remained. Never before had I felt safer from the horrors outside, and never before had I been so afraid.
I held the parchment; its content probed at my magic and whispered loudly into my ear, struggling like a caged animal. I sat down and readied the amulet, studying it with apprehension. Obtaining it had been a feat I feared I would not be able to repeat. With a quick breath and a twinge of fear I broke it open, pouring an impossibly black substance on the ground. It reeked of something I had never smelled before, and I could not have been more thankful for that. I had but a few minutes to perform the ritual. The writing screamed the instant I unrolled the scroll, louder once it got a waft of the putrid stench. It kept tugging as I dipped my hooves into the bubbling liquid. It burnt as I copied the words upon the altar. Its shrieks clouded my vision into complete blindness, leaving me to rely on the memory of the movements I had practiced hundreds of times. They seemed so distant now that all my senses were being assaulted at once.
I shed a few tears of relief once I was done. I looked at both writings to compare, of which one kept crying. My breath quickening, I lifted the scroll over the altar and set it ablaze with a spell. I smiled as I heard its voice drown into dead silence. My expression quickly shifted once the black began to glow, replacing one blindness with another. The walls rumbled and the pillars shook, dropping pebbles around me. The air inside the room converged into a single point, my mane flowing wildly, attracted to it. The impenetrably dark substance rose, forming a curtain that enveloped itself, giving way to a perfect, refulgent black sphere hovering over the altar. It crackled and sang, enticing me to look closer. I felt the need to extend my hoofs toward it, to touch it, to become one with it. I held back.
The song died down and for an instant so did everything else.
The sphere blinked to life.
It expanded.
Then it burst.
Blinded, deafened, lost; it took me a moment to make out the figure before me.
Tall, languid, and…
I had seen many monsters before, much more imposing than this one. But it filled me with a fear that I had only ever known when I stood next to him.
A pitch-black body of dripping liquid, exposing glimpses of skinless muscle and bone where it dropped. What seemed like its head turned in my direction. No eyes, nor mouth, nor anything resembling what I had ever known. Still, I could tell it was looking at me.
I bowed.
It looked on.
Then nodded.
And laughed.
“Easy, little unicorn”, it said. “Get up, look at me and tell me what you see”.
His voice was masculine, vibrant, just the slightest bit playful. But the menace behind it was unmistakable.
“Yes, oh great one”. My voice shook. I could swear he smirked without a mouth. “You are unlike anything I have ever seen, nothing but darkness.”
And I have seen plenty, I said to myself.
“I only like one of those two. I’ll have to fix it later… Why have you summoned me?”
“I prostrate myself before your greatness and request your aid in a most urgent matter”, I recited. Short and clear is the best way to deal with spirits.
“No need to be so formal. Just tell me what you want, and I’ll see what I can do.”
“I need you to vanquish a foe of mine.”
“What a horrible thing to hear from such a tiny mare”, he said, amused. “Whom do you want me to kill?”.
“His name is Grogar. He must die for my people to be free.”
He gagged.
“That boorish goat. I should have imagined that nopony would come to me with a petty request.”
“Will you do it?”, I asked, my voice quivering.
“I don’t feel particularly up to it”. His good humor clashed with his words. “However, I will admit you aim high.”
“Please, oh great spirit, I beg of you”, I cried, nearly in tears.
“You’re making a mess of yourself, silly filly. Stop it,” he coldly replied.
I could not. I buried my face between my hooves and sobbed.
“Please…”
“Look at me”, he commanded. “I’m not too keen on murder. Even if I wanted to, as I stand right now I’m far from the cusp of my power, and you couldn’t have picked a more troublesome enemy. However…”
He hung on that word. I stared at him piercingly.
“I will help you.” He knelt and caressed my cheek. “Just not how you may have expected. You’ll have to get your hooves dirty, little pony.” He looked me in the eyes. “Take his bell. Don’t bother trying to destroy it; hide it where no one will ever find it. That will be enough.”
I stared in disbelief.
“How?”
“The same way you snatched that amulet and that scroll from him.” He paused. “What’s your name?”
“Gusty”.
“You’ll do great, Gusty”, he smirked.
“Thank you, oh Spirit of Grievances”, I stammered.
His smile now exposed his teeth.
“You must simply improve your hoofwriting, dear Gusty. Your message seems to have reached the wrong recipient.” My hear skipped a beat. “Unlike him, I won’t ask you for anything in return.”
“Why?” My voice almost failed.
“You have already given me far more than you could imagine.”
“Who are you?” I barely mumbled.
“Chaos. Good luck on your quest, silly filly. I’ll stick around to watch over what happens afterwards.”
He disappeared in a white flash.
In that instant, I was truly convinced that in mere moments I might have surpassed all of Grogar’s evils.
