Prelude: Cut My Heart Out
Jack Hammer was a simple stallion. He worked as a construction pony in Fillydelphia and had a simple, but loving wife and a sweet little filly. While no pony special, he was content with life. All in all, nothing of interest ever happened in his life.
Yet, as he groggily awoke, he knew something was different. Normally he would be laying on his side, holding his wife.
Normally he could move.
“Uh... Wha..?” he mumbled.
“Ah, it would appear our guest of honor decided to rejoin the waking world.” The voice was deep but smooth and radiated pure, unadulterated malice.
Jack cracked one eye open in an attempt to see just what was going on. The first, and most blatantly obvious thing was that he wasn't in his room at home. In fact, he wasn't in Filly at all, unless there were caverns nearby he never knew about.
“I was beginning to fear my friend was overzealous with her sleep spell.” Jack's attention was drawn to the speaker, visible in the light of a large bonfire. He had only ever seen a few diamond dogs around, mostly working at the docks, but he could have sworn they never had horns.
“We aren't friends,” came the rather young, feminine voice from the shadows that... sounded familiar.
He was suddenly very, very awake as the memory of how he got here returned. She cast a spell on him and his family on their way home from a movie.
“Oh, of course we are,” the 'diamond dog' said sweetly as he lifted his paw, adorned by a wicked looking black claw, and red lightning arced across the body of the silhouette. The cries of pain were terrifying. “Aren't we?”
“Y-yes... I-I was just kidding,” the voice said, shakily.
“Oh, you. Always kidding around.” The dog laughed before turning back to Jack. “Where were we? Of course, our guests. I believe your darling wife is waking, now. Good morning, sleepy head.”
Jack turned his head as much as he could, finally aware of his position, bound to the cave wall by some kind of black crystals. To his left, his beloved wife, Lesson Plan was similarly bound.
“L-Lessy?”
“Jack? What's going on? Where are we?”
“You are my guests?” said the dog. “I invited you here for a little... dinner party.”
For some reason, the way the dog said that sent chills down Jack's spine.
“Wh-what do you want? We ain't rich, and don't have no rich friends,” Jack pleaded.
“I'm hurt. Do you think that's why you're here?” the dog mocked.
“Then why are we here? Are you going to eat us?”
“Heavens, no. What kind of monster do you think I am?” the dog assured as he sat on a stone beside the bonfire. Jack released a sigh of relief at that.
“besides, I already have my meal.” The reached around the opposite side of the stone and grabbed something.
Jack's heart went cold at the sight of his little filly, bound and gagged to a long, wooden spit.
With a quick swipe of his claw, the dog cut the gag, letting the youngster cry out. “Daddy! Help me!”
“Lemon!” Lesson cried out.
“I-it's okay, sweetheart.” her father attempted to reassure her. “You're going to be okay.”
“Now, why would you lie like that? You should always tell the truth,” the dog chided as if speaking to a small foal, and turned to the filly. “You're going to die, and it's going to hurt a lot. Then, I'm going to eat you while mommy and daddy watch.”
“No! I'll kill you!” Jack hollered, struggling against his bonds.
“And do you know why your daddy can't save you? Because he doesn't love you enough.”
“No! Baby, I do love you!”
“Save me! Daddy, why won't you-Aaaaahhhhh!” She screamed as she was slowly lowered into the flames.
“No! Stop it! Please, I'm begging you!”
“Wh-hy are you doing this? What did we do?”
The dog ignored them, whistling a merry tune as the filly writhed and screamed in agony for countless seconds before going silent.
“Mm-mm! Smells delectable.” The dog lifted the charred remains from the fire and placed it beside himself before cutting into her flesh with his claw.
Jack could only watch, feeling numb at the horrid sight. Surely, he would just wake up. Then, he could schedule an appointment with a shrink. Perhaps the stories of Princess Luna saving ponies from their nightmares were true and she was going to charge in and replace this nightmare with a pleasant dream.
“Oh, I'm being rude. You look hungry.”
The sudden statement jolted Jack back to the cruel reality.
The dog sliced off a chunk, taking a bite as he approached. He held out the piece of flesh and said, “Eat it.”
“Wh-what?” Jack asked weakly.
“Eat it. It's rude to turn down food, is it not?”
“You're sick,” Jack whimpered.
The dog sighed and brought one of the claw's blades to press against a nearly catatonic Lesson's throat. “Eat it, and I won't slit her throat.”
“No! Please, I-I'll do it!”
Hesitantly, he opened his mouth and squeezed his eyes shut. He had to force himself not to gag as he felt the bit of flesh touch his tongue.
“Now, chew.”
Slowly, crying silently, he did as he was told, chewing the charred bit of his darling little filly.
“Swallow.”
Struggling not to think, he forced the bit down, barely keeping it from immediately coming back up.
“See, was that so bad?” the dog mocked.
With that, the dog removed his claw from Lesson's throat...
And trust it into her chest.
Lesson screamed as her soul was pulled from her, her body shriveling up.
That was all Jack's mind could take.
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Nag-Ta basked in the torment of his victim, the sweet, sweet taste of a broken spirit, but he dared not take it all. No, this little dinner and show was to serve a higher purpose.
“Sombra!” Nag-Ta called as he returned to the filly, tearing off one of her hind legs
From the darkness, the shadow pony emerged. “Yes, master.”
“Do your thing.”
“Of course.” Sombra's horn glowed his sickly green/black before the energy shot out, wrapping the broken stallion in its evil light.
Nag-Ta felt the stallion's torment rise again as the spell made him relive the past several minutes again and again, wiping his memory of it so he would suffer anew each time.
“Excellent. Bring him.”
Sombra rushed to pull the stallion from the crystal and carry him after the retreating demon down a passageway.
As they walked, a light began filling the cave, but not the light of day. Glowing mushrooms began appearing on the walls as the delved deeper, until they emerged in a massive underground chamber. The chamber was lined with glowing fungus and crystals, but the main feature was the large luminescent lake in the middle.
“Secure our new friend over the pool,” Nag-Ta ordered.
“Master, I'm curious,” Sombra began as he did as he was told. “Why do you need this thing's suffering? The pool needs no sacrifice.”
“You assume I mean to clone myself?” Nag-Ta's question was answered with a nod from the former emperor. “This thing does not have the power to copy me. Besides, why would I want the competition?”
The demon dog smiled and suddenly slashed his own wrist with his claw. He held the gash over the pool, and allowed several drops of his blood to drip into the pristine water. The moment the first touched, the water began to boil, turning deep crimson as it seemed to writhe in pain.
Holding out his claw, runes began glowing around the pool as he spoke.
“I have corrupted this place. With my blood, it no longer simply copies one's outward self, but instead it reflects one's soul.”
Sombra's eyes widened in realization and surprise. “And now it will copy a tormented soul.”
Nag-Ta smiled, wickedly. “Precisely. And with my blood, it shall obey my every command.”
A wail rose from the water as a grotesque mockery of a pony rose up. It's long forelegs pulled itself up with what looked like a minotaur's hands, if it were only skin and bones. The long forelimbs and stumpy hind legs gave it a gorilla like posture.
The creature turned to gaze at them with soulless black eyes and wheezed a garbled sound that Sombra swore sounded like it was pleading for help.
“Then we are to use this to raise an army and strike at Equestria?” Sombra ventured.
“Not just yet. I found another potential ally. These are to be a peace offering.”
“And where is this 'ally'?”
“He's running an errand in Canterlot.”
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
“No luck, I presume?” Celestia asked as she met up with Twilight, Midnight, Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Storm Feather as they walked through the palace.
“No, still nothing on 'Chloe' or 'Pan',” Twilight admitted.
The group had come to Canterlot to seek out their public records, hoping to find something. Rainbow Dash had come as well, but decided it would be best if she stayed out of the others way. She was little use searching through books, anyway, and it had been a while since she saw the Wonderbolts.
Celestia pondered for a moment. “It could be that Chrysalis just wanted to confuse you. Perhaps she used a spell to read your thoughts?”
“I don't think so,” Storm said. “Mother may be a talented spellcaster, but she isn't very subtle. She knows something. I've always been able to tell when she's lying.”
“Is there any changeling that can confirm her real name?” Celestia asked the changeling.
“No. Even I don't know her real name. She's just 'mother' to me, and 'the Queen' to everyone else.”
“Maybe she knew ya from before?” Applebloom suggested. “Maybe you're older than we thought, and ya got zapped back into a filly?”
“Doubtful,” Sweetie Belle interjected. “Age regression is nearly impossible. There are spells, but they're not only incredibly hard, they're temporary. Nothing short of Discord could have pulled off a permanent version.”
“Then... We'll just have to ask her, ourselves,” Storm offered.
“That may be...” Celestia trailed off, turning to gaze into the distance, eyes wide in shock and fear. Without warning, she wrapped the entire group in her aura. In a golden flash, they appeared in the central gardens. “Discord! Prepare yourselves for trouble!”
Before any could ask what was happening, a scream was heard from the center of the hedge maze. As they rounded the last turn, Twilight felt her blood run cold. The statue of Discord was gone, ringed by stone shards. However, the draconequus was nowhere to be seen.
Instead, the figure of a stallion stood over another's prone form, holding a bloody knife and and green heart-shaped gem in his golden aura. The unicorn stallion was covered from head to hoof in an extravagant robe, only his long white beard showing. In a flash, the pony vanished, leaving only his victim.
They rushed over to aid the wounded pony, a young, light brown unicorn stallion with a white mane and goatee. He was cut open, and bleeding profusely.
Storm acted almost instinctively, dropping his disguise and lighting his horn. Probing the wound before getting to work.
“His vital organs are fine, just some severed veins. I should be able to stabilize him.”
The changeling undid what he could, stopping the bleeding and mending the bone that was cut through.
Storm released the spell, and wobbled from the strain. Scootaloo was there in an instant to support him.
“He... should be good... as long as he gets to a hospital.”
“I'll take him,” Celestia said. “Investigate the area. I want to know what happened here.”
