Trixie slammed into the pavement as the dancer disappeared. A grumbling boom overwhelmed her and then a single high pitched tone overtook her hearing. She rolled onto her hooves and scanned about through smoke and dust. An ebon pegasus was seen before a second shockwave hit, this time nearer. The mare stumbled, black static filled her vision but she saw the pegasus again. Wearing a yellow cape he floated over the spheres holding a wooden staff in his mouth. The rod was capped with a copper orb cackling with lightning. The screeching tone subsided to make way to the growing hum of the staff. The assailant had a gleam of delight in his eyes, a malevolent wit about him. She sent a jolt of magic to disrupt the floating of the pegasus, then galloped to behind an undulating pillar. Panting, she waited for the ebon pegasus to make a move, unsure of his position.
That's when she was waved at to follow by a white unicorn from the portal of a building. Sprinting inside, she saw the interior was gilded in silver. "Hurry now. We can't let the demon catch you!" The mare had beady violet eyes, was clothed in a green cape and searched nervously bout the floor. "Ah, here it is. And just in time!" A latch that Trixie knew she could never have hoped to find was opened. The illusionist followed the unicorn down into a long tunnel. It was a circular stone passage, sloping deep into the earth, lined regular with glowing emeralds.
The unicorn suddenly stopped at an intersection. "It's okay. You're safe now."
The white mare took a right turn and Trixie followed behind. "What were those dreadful things crawling in the city? Those dancers and that pegasus? Why did he attack Trixie?" Walking along in silence, making several turns through intricate tubes, the mare continued. Trixie paused for a moment to lean against the wall. It was soft to the touch, warm and sweating. The gems glared their disapproving light at her, giving a migraine. On purpose, Trixie later told me. The white unicorn stopped to wait. "Are you okay?"
"Yes, she is fine. Now answer her questions!"
"The dancers are the spirits of the masters dream. He sleeps peacefully. You were attacked by a demon. The demons wear the yellow. Ponies wear the green. We saw you enter the city, wearing the blue. Come now. It is only a little ways. We must reach safety ourselves before the anti-sun rises. And my name is Decipere Sneaux. Though you never asked."
Trixie blurted out incoherent questions before being interrupted by Sneaux. "Quiet. This is the way we need to go." Sneaux tapped three times upon the blocks and spoke the olden words. The layers of blocks on the low ceiling above slid away revealing a fleshy orifice. Shrouded by slick and yellow lips was a pulsating sphincter. "Come on. Move. Hold your breath when you enter."
"WHAT? That vile, disgusting thing? You want Trixie to enter it?"
"Exactly. Follow me or be lost in the tunnels. It's your choice."
Decipere pushed a hoof past fleshy layers into the orifice. It began to loosen then tighten rapidly. The lips began to rotate, grinding stone away. Undulating contractions pulled Sneaux up and within seconds peristalsis had drawn her inside the orifice. Trixie hesitantly walked under the orifice, careful to avoid the dripping fluid. She felt nervous sweat began to collect as, trembling, she pushed a hoof up to it. Before touching it, the portal grew wide and dumped its contents on her. A thick and whitish yellow mucus splashed about, every part of her covered in sticky gel. Knowing her like I do, I'm sure she stood with her mouth open, eyes wide, refusing to comprehend what just happened. Then screamed and howled in indignation, stomped her hooves and pouted. "Buck it." Determined, she thrust her hoof into the orifice. A tendril textured like sandpaper grabbed her hoof and pulled. She quickly skipped to the next part of her tale when I asked what it was like inside the passageway.
Bursting through the ground, wet and slimy as a newborn, Trixie was helped to her hooves by Sneaux. Behind her the portal closed, stone folding like an eyelid. 5 ponies were all around her, looks of puzzlement upon their faces. She was inside an odd building. It was a single room with circular walls going into a pointed dome. The walls and floors made of a soft and yielding type of marble rested on supports of a black metal, bleeding ichor. The ponies stood between Trixie and the exit to the street.
A burly yellow pony to her right declared "We need to be quick, before the anti-sun rises.". They drew closer to her, Sneaux moving to block the exit. Trixie steadied herself and began to light her horn. "Relax" Came words in a soothing voice from Sneaux. "We have to ask a few questions to make sure you're not a nightmare."
"Well then." Trixie chuckled a little to herself. "Trixie is flesh and blood is she not? Let's get this quant folk custom over with shall we?"
A lanky red stallion to Trixies left cleared his throat and began.
"As speaker of law and ceremony I shall lead the trial of questions."
"Are we free of the gaze from the moon?"
At ease now, Trixie confidently answered. "The mare in the moon is long gone, nothing gazes at-"
"WRONG"
In unison they chanted. "All hail Belon who is the city. The city doth protect us from the night."
"Will the dream ever end."
Flustered and confused, Trixie responded "Umm. No? What do you want me to say?".
"The dream must be with all. All must learn to love the dream."
"Who does Belon protect the city from?" was the third question.
"They were driven to the waste and left to die. They returned with their evil queens in pony guise. They are the elder race."
Shouting and furious Trixie screamed "You didn't even give Trixie time to respond! This court is a sham!"
"Lost to these lands is the lore of the high ones." They solemnly declared.
"Oh come on! That's not even a question!"
"Moonless nights await the return of the alicorn."
The speaker of law charged and then sharply turned to kick Trixie to the ground. They fled the building as she shot a magic blast, missing wide. Jumping to the spell scorched archway, she saw them dive into a fleshy circle. The mosaic slid over the orifice afore she even reached it.
She was alone again. Hungry as well... Stretching to yon yellow mist, the avenue galloped beyond the limit of sight. The only building she could see stood as a thumb of beating marble. The shadow of the anti-sun clawed the thumb, melting flesh away to reveal the iron skeleton. Approaching it, pooling bout her feet, the marble rippled as it touched her hooves. Cold to the touch. Everything was growing cold to the touch, as the shadow clutched her warmth away. From behind her rose the rays of anti-sun. Standing ever tall, far too quick, her shadow grew a blinding brilliant hue.
How do I know all this is true? I asked a traveling poet from Griffinstone ya know, if he had ever heard of such a place. The fragment of an ancient poem he told me. Said it brought bad luck to speak of a such a place so I gave him a couple bits.
Strange is the night where black stars rise,
And strange songs echo through the skies,
But stranger still is
Carsapone.
It was then. In lost Carsapone that the tale grew ever stranger. She heard a familiar voice singing from the mists. A ragged, ancient and young voice.
"A wonderful treat! A wonderful treat! Mommy murderer did give to me! A greater treat shall be her flesh. The mommy murderer!"