There were many times in Rarity’s life where she’d come to believe that she’d seen it all. The return of Nightmare Moon was a start, but that was quickly replaced by the manic madness Discord had wreaked on Ponyville, only to fall short yet again to a changeling invasion. Rarity’s life had gotten so increasingly complicated since meeting Twilight all those years ago, and every time something new and strange happened, she wondered if it could ever be topped. As of late, she’d merely stopped setting those expectations for herself, assuming that she’d just be surprised in a few weeks.
This one, though, made a strong and horrifying case for king of the hill.
Rarity couldn’t comprehend what she saw in the vast darkness that had swallowed her whole. Across from her, on the other side of the altar, a silhouette leered out of the abyss, a shade of a large and menacing equine-like monster. Its outline would briefly give it a shape before it disappeared into the darkness again, but its eyes and its teeth remained. It reminded Rarity of the Pony of Shadows to an extent, except somehow more horrifying in the darkness beneath the tomb. Perhaps it was because she couldn’t see it very well, or perhaps it was its simple, chilling voice that cut right to the bleeding edge of her soul, but it frightened her in a way she hadn’t ever been frightened before.
And she was the sole subject of this being’s attention. It stared right at her, through her, with eyes of pure starlight and teeth made from comets. Rarity felt so small and weak next to it, and she couldn’t even refuse to listen to it if she wanted. Whenever it spoke, its words manifested inside of her. She was as powerless to resist its intentions as a leaf in a storm.
WHO ARE YOU, MORTAL?
Again, it asked the question, and Rarity whimpered in pain as her whole body vibrated with its voice. Trembling, she could only try to summon the strength and will to respond. “Ra… R-R-Rarit-t-t-ty,” she stuttered. “W-Who are—?”
YOU DO NOT ASK QUESTIONS.
Rarity immediately fell silent, her jaws gnashed together as she tried to stop even another squeak from escaping her throat. The eyes and teeth shifted, and Rarity quickly realized that it was moving around the altar, moving closer toward her. Unable to summon the willpower to move or flee, Rarity could only watch as it approached, until it stood right over her.
YOU OPENED THE TEMPLE. YOU OPENED MY TOMB. YOU GAVE ME BLOOD.
When it didn’t say anything more, Rarity swallowed hard and nodded her head in acknowledgement. “We were l-looking for an idol, a s-statuette.”
The eyes shifted; Rarity didn’t dare make contact with them, but she thought the spirit changed its look to one of curiosity. It continued to glide across the ground, and Rarity shivered and gasped as it passed right through her, sending icy sensations up and down her blood. It stopped on the other side and continued to look down at her with curiosity.
YOU WOULD UNDO THE WARDS AROUND THE ISLANDS?
That confirmed one suspicion of Rarity’s, at the very least. Her and Rainbow were right that there was some powerful magic hiding them within the islands and preventing the Princess from finding their dreams, and it seemed they were right about the figurines controlling it as well. But what she was now starting to question was just why those wards were up in the first place. And with a spirit of darkness and shadow talking to her deep in the bowels of the earth, she was starting to understand why.
YOU WILL ANSWER.
“Yes,” Rarity squeaked. “We want to go home!”
The monster stopped, turned about again to face her, and let its teeth shine in a predatory smile.
VERY WELL. THAT IS YOUR RIGHT.
Rarity blinked. Did that… thing… just allow her to leave? Her ear perked up a little, and she even managed to get her chin off the floor. “You… you aren’t going to murder me?”
NO. WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO?
“I would rather you did not, to be honest.” Rarity let a nervous smile touch her muzzle. Her conversational partner could jest, so that had to be something, right? Maybe—and she was hesitant to admit it—she wasn’t as hopelessly screwed as she thought. At first she bit back her next words out of hesitation and worry, but curiosity got the better of her. She was speaking to something that seemed to know what was what around the islands, after all. Why not try to push it for more?
Clearing her throat, she tried to make eye contact with the being. “Who are you?” she asked. “Why are you down here?”
The response she received was a darkening of the shadows around her and the shaking of the tomb. The eyes twisted in anger, and the teeth of the being parted in malice. When it spoke into her, every word was hooked and spoken with venom.
YOU DO NOT KNOW. BUT YOU WILL SOON KNOW. THAT, I GUARANTEE.
Rarity cried, tears leaking out of her eyes, as the words cut her apart from within. The shadow leered at her some more, and then its toothy maw hooked into a smile. It drifted back to Rarity once again, hovering over her, a million angry wraiths forming a the face of a monster.
ENJOY YOUR STATUE, MORTAL. WE WILL MEET AGAIN.
The air around the temple blew into a fury, tossing Rarity’s salt-streaked mane around and buffeting her haggard expression. Bit by bit, the shadows receded, and little by little, the room began to brighten. Within seconds, the darkness was gone, and all that remained was the light of Rarity’s horn, illuminating the walls and the altar of the room around her.
Swallowing hard, Rarity managed to stand. There was no more magical darkness, and she could finally see her surroundings. She saw numerous runes carved sharply into the walls in neat and orderly lines, and decorative statues holding bowls for burning incense poked out of the wall at random. The altar looked twisted and evil, jagged and menacing, sitting in the center of the room in front of her, while over it, a toothy and fanged statue of a unicorn protruded from the wall.
On the altar itself sat two things. The first, Rarity recognized as the horn she had seen earlier. It was sharp, curved, and lethal, unlike any horn she’d ever seen before, but she could still see the grooves spiraling around it like on all unicorn horns. It was also very large, on a level comparable to that of Celestia’s. Its base had been chained and bolted to the altar, and some of her own blood still decorated the sharp tip.
Behind it, however, she saw what it was she was looking for. A statuette of a unicorn holding an intimidating pose, head arched back and fanged maw wide open. It was the same size and general shape of the other statuettes they’d found so far, and she knew right away it was what she came here looking for. She immediately plucked it up with her magic and looked at it, not wanting to linger around the altar any longer.
Now she started to wonder about what she had seen and experienced. It had all happened so quickly and seemed so surreal that she wasn’t even sure if she could trust what she’d seen and experienced. But what was that monster? It refused to answer her, and it treated her with disdain, like she wasn’t worth its time.
The vicious statue of the unicorn god lunging out of the wall behind the altar gave her a clue.
Rarity swallowed hard and looked again at the same likeness carried on the statuette in her hoof.
That couldn’t have been who she’d just talked to… could it?