//------------------------------// // Consume All // Story: From One Light Comes Many // by Utopianking //------------------------------// Our Town Starlight Glimmer walks into her home, happy to be done with the work of the day. Her townsponies have finished constructing a house for their newest ‘friend’. She smirks as she closes her door. The stallion was apprehensive at first, but eventually accepted that his cutie mark only causes pain to those around him. They always do. Starlight walks up to her bathroom and pours a large bucket of water into her tub. With a quick spell the water is the perfect temperature. She strips off her simple clothes and gently slides into the tub, sighing in contentment as the warm water washes over her tired muscles. She glances out the window and sees her happy little ponies walking about in the moonlit night. “Do you really think that they are happy?” Starlight shrieks as an indigo octopus rises from her bath. She leaps from the tub and fires a blast of magic at the creature. The blast goes through the creature and singes the floor. There is a frantic knock at Starlight’s door. “Could you excuse me for a moment?” she cautiously asks. When the creature doesn’t move, she quickly wraps a towel around herself and rushes downstairs. She pops her head out of her door to see Double Diamond standing on her porch with a worried look on his face. “Are you alright?” DD asks, “I heard screaming.” “I’m fine,” she replies, “There was a spider. It surprised me.” “Oh. Have a nice night.” “You too.” Starlight closes the door and turns around. The octopus is floating a few feet away from her, its tentacles bobbing in midair. Starlight starts to hiss at the creature, “What are you doing he-” The creature plunges a tentacle into Starlight’s chest and her eyes turn pure indigo. She finds herself floating in a starry space. She stares across the space at the creature, whose form is shifting between octopus-thing and nondescript pony. “What are you?” she yells. “I am the Proselyte, Entity of Compassion. You need to be shown true compassion.” “I know true compassion! I have stripped these ponies of the shackles that cause them pain!” “You truly are deluded. Feel Compassion!” Starlight drops to her knees and starts to scream. The feelings of everypony in her village run through her head. Tears start to run down her face as she feels how miserable they truly are. “I-I’m so sorry that I’m hurting them. I thought I was doing the right thing.” “It is all right. You now understand how they feel.” Starlight looks up, “Can we help other ponies with this? Help them feel compassion with each other?” “We can,” Starlight and Proselyte return to normal space and an indigo ring materializes, “Use this ring and you can help everypony.” Starlight holds out her right hand and the ring slides onto her ring finger. The towel falls away and she is covered in a black and indigo bodysuit. Starlight slowly stands up and looks at Proselyte. “I know where to start.” Tartarus A giant, orange, snake flies over Equestria. Its tongue flicks out of its mouth as it searches for the greatest source of greed to fuel it. After some time, it finds a hole in the ground that simply radiates in avarice. The Ophidian flicks its tongue and flies into the hole. The snake spins as it flies through the cavern. There are plenty of enchantments and boobytraps that kill a physical creature, or do worse to spirits. Alas, not belonging to Equestria has its benefits. It flies until it reaches a large door. Ophidian slowly phases through the door and comes face to face… to face to face with a three-headed dog. Cerberus growls and starts barking at the snake. It looks at the dog, Ophidian looks at its greed. It has no desire beyond protecting the prisoners of Tartarus. Unacceptable as a host. Ophidian looks behind Cerberus and sees a caged centaur. Its cage is on a raised stony outcropping above the abyss of the real Tartarus, almost like a trophy. Ophidian flies over to the cage and flicks its tongue again. The centaur inside looks up and scowls. “What kind of torment are you supposed to be? I’m not afraid of glowing snakes.” “Lord Tirek of Equestria, you have a desire for all of Equestria’s magic. You belong to me now.” Ophidian flies down Tirek’s throat. The centaur howls in pain as his body expands. He becomes muscular and his horns grow out. Finally, his upper body is covered in an orange vest with a black symbol on the chest. “What are you?” Tirek roars, “Get out of me!” The snake’s voice buzzes in his ears, “Now why would I do that? Don’t you desire freedom from this Hell?” “I know does not come without a price. What is your price?” “My brothers are out in Equestria somewhere. I can’t directly find them, but I can find them if I use a powerful host. Or better yet, bring them to me.” “And what would stop me from taking your brothers’ power when we meet?” “I doubt you can, since I’m not made of magic. And because this.” Orange chains weave themselves across Tirek’s arms and down his legs. He drops to his knees and his irises turn orange. His pupils become the symbol on his chest. After a few moments he returns to normal. “I get to ride around in your body until I find my brothers. In the meantime, you have the power to claim all your heart desires. Agreed?” Tirek is panting on the ground, “Agreed.” He slowly rises to his hooves and shatters his manacles. He grabs the bars of his cage and pulls them apart. Stepping out of the cage, Tirek notices Cerberus running towards him. The centaur punches the dog in one of its faces, a blast of orange energy sending the hound flying. Tirek walks down to Cerberus and looks at the hound’s broken neck, “What I wouldn’t give to imprison this son of a bitch like he has me.” “Request acknowledged.” Tirek’s hand raises on its own and points at Cerberus. A beam of orange energy connects the hand to the hound. Orange spreads over Cerberus and pulls him into Tirek’s hand. “What just happened?” “The Orange energy allows you to assimilate your enemies, if your Avarice is high enough. You can summon them to your side later.” Tirek looks back at the prison, “Could I build an army with this power?” “That’s what I like to hear.” Tirek smirks, “What should I call you, creature?” “Call me Oph-. No. Super Kami Ophidian. Nah, that’s stupid. Just Ophidian.” Tirek sighs, "What have I gotten myself into?"