//------------------------------// // Through the Valley of the Shadow // Story: Ponies of Grimrock // by Homage //------------------------------// Chapter 5: Through the Valley of the Shadow Spike opened his eyes. He reached up to grab his neck, but found there was no trace of the wound. All the pain was gone. In fact... he felt... warm. Looking around, all he could see was a bright blue light that strangely didn't hurt his sensitive eyes. He was unable to make out any distinct forms other than his own body in the intense radiance. Spike tried to move around, but found his struggles got him nowhere. He was floating, but did not feel weightless. More like... he was being held. “Hello?” he called out. “Anypony there? Twilight? Big Macintosh? Iron Will?” Spike's cries went unanswered. He remained alone, bathed in bright light, unable to move from his current spot. Suddenly, right in the center of his view, something began to take form. He squinted at the dark shape approaching his view. Spike was unable to move away as the silhouette began to take form. As it approached, he realized that it was drawing him closer, rather than moving toward him. He saw details begin to form: it had four legs, a long tail, wings... and... a horn? “Princess?” Spike called out, not sure which princess he was talking to. But as the alicorn approached, she wasn't one Spike had ever seen before. Her coat was the softest gold imaginable, like a buttercup in a beautiful meadow during the first months of spring. Her pure white mane flowed over her eyes and around her neck. Her tail was much the same, curling around and floating as if a breeze was blowing in the still air. Her eyes, sparkling in a color Spike couldn't recognize, held the most gentle expression, as if she had nothing but good intentions. The mysterious mare gave off an aura of love and kindness that was almost tangible. Spike gasped in awe as she spread her wings wide, basking him in even more radiant light. On her head sat a crown that would have put Celestia's tiara to shame. Precariously perched, it seemed not to care as her head leaned all about, not even tipping a bit. It sparkled with a thousand jewels of every possible color imaginable. Her cutie mark was what confused Spike the most. Such an important princess would be expected to have a great and inspiring cutie mark... yet... the picture on her flank was simple: a round, blue, shiny marble with small white flecks in it. Spike immediately lowered his head in a show of respect for the regal pony. She stopped a few feet from the dragon, folding her wings and looking right at him. “Spike the Dragon?” she quietly asked him. Her voice was as soft as Fluttershy's, but more pronounced and dignified. “Yes, that is me, Your Highness,” Spike answered, not raising his bowed head. “My my... so polite,” the alicorn replied, smiling. Spike lifted his head up to look at the tall mare. “If I may ask,” he inquired, waiting for her nod of approval before continuing, “Who are you?” “Isn't it obvious?” the mare responded. “Do you remember what happened after the snail bit you?” Spike rubbed his head. “Uhh... it hurt a lot... then it went numb, then I was cold... and then I fell asleep?” The mare just gave him the gentlest look. Her face gave it all away. Spike's eyes widened in horrible realization of what had happened. “No, no, no, no...” he cried, eyes tearing up. “I can't be dead, I just can't!” He broke down into tears as the alicorn hugged him. “It's all right, it's ok...” she reassured him. “No... it's... not...” he moaned through the sobs. “I can't leave my friends behind! They'll all be miserable and it just won't be the same without me around! Who will clean the library? Twilight would be buried in unorganized books by the end of the week, Rarity won't have anypony to help her dig gems... and... and...” She rubbed his back while singing softly to him. He didn't recognize any of the words, but it made him feel a little better. Sniffling as he was gently released from the comforting embrace, he looked up into the mare's warm eyes. “Does this mean you're here to take me away? To take me to the afterlife?” She chuckled as she rubbed his spiny head. “Oh, not now, Spike. It isn't your time. Your spirit is still in the physical world, trapped inside a Life Crystal until somepony lets it out. Amazing magic my little ponies thought up, there.” “Your little ponies?” Spike asked. “Does that mean you're- “Yes, my son. I am the Great Queen, the Goddess, the Creator, the Beginning and the End. I have many names, but I am one and the same. But that's not important right now. What matters is this: your friends need you, and your time is almost up. Goodbye, Spike. You will see me again someday. I'll be watching you...” “But wait! There are so many questions I have to ask!” Spike called out to the Queen as she drifted away. But it was to no avail. The mare faded away into the bright light, her marble cutie mark disappearing from view as the world began to darken... After several hours of much-needed rest, Twilight Sparkle woke up. The rest of the party quickly followed suit. Except one. “Five more minutes,” Spike grumbled. “Get up, or I'll have to drag you along with me,” Twilight threatened, almost automatically. She quickly realized what had happened. “SPIKE!! You're alive!!!” she shouted, scooping up the baby dragon in her hooves and squeezing him tightly. “Ok, ok, I'll get up,” Spike giggled, his words somewhat muffled by Twilight's embrace. Big Macintosh joined in the hug. He didn't even dare to question the logic of the situation. He was just happy they had Spike back. Iron Will, unaccustomed to getting up early, was still groggy. The light and sound dulled by drowsiness, he thought he saw the baby dragon being cuddled by the two ponies. But... he was alive. This didn't sit well with Iron Will. He had just watched Spike die, and now he was alive again, with no sign of the fatal wound whatsoever. Iron Will had already been fooled before, and many lives were taken because of it. “Before we go on hugging and loving him,” Iron Will gruffly announced, “How can we be sure he isn't a changeling? He had a point. Releasing Spike from her grasp, Twilight realized that Iron Will's explanation made a lot more sense than anything else. Even though Spike was still chained to her, the changelings could have removed the body and slipped into the restraints with no problem in a liquid form. Her horn glowed as she cast her anti-changeling spell. A bright purple beam from her horn washed over Spike. All three let out a sigh of relief as Spike failed to change form. “So, then, Spike, if you're not a changeling, then how did you come back to life?” Iron Will asked rather bluntly. Spike scratched his head. His memory was all foggy, like trying to remember a dream. The details just slipped away. “Umm.... I dunno... something about a crystal, I think,” he stated lamely. “Like that?” Twilight pointed at the brightly glowing blue crystal behind him. Spike turned around. The glow seemed familiar, like something from a memory long faded. “Maybe,” he said hesitantly. “But I think I was inside of it.” “Of course!” Twilight shouted. “A soul anchor!” “Uh... Twi? What's a soul anchor?” Big Macintosh asked. The well-read unicorn proudly recited the exact definition. “A soul anchor is a contraption designed to amplify the natural spiritual eddies in order to consolidate and revitalize the life force energy of the recently deceased.” “Do what now?” Big Mac replied, his eyes crossed from all the big words. “Who's Eddie?” Spike asked, also confused. Iron Will facepalmed. “In Equestrian, please.” Twilight attempted to put it in laymare's terms as best as she could. “Ok, this is all theories and speculation, but: When a person dies, their soul leaves their body and goes to the Everafter-” “Is this science or religion, Twilight Sparkle?” Iron Will gruffly remarked. This wasn't at all what he was brought up to believe. “Roll with me on this,” Twilight droned. “Anyway, the soul leaves the body so fast that it has almost no chance of returning. The few cases where it does are usually described as “miracles”. Some arcane scientists believe there are these... things... called spiritual eddies. “Think of souls leaving their bodies as dead leaves falling off a tree in autumn. Spiritual eddies are like the wind that pushes the leaves around as they slowly descend downward toward the ground. But, no matter how far the wind pushes the leaves, they will eventually reach the ground and stay there, rotting away to become part of the earth. Even if the wind was somehow able to blow the leaves back to the branches they came from, they would still fall off because they are no longer attached. “Now, what if a fan could be placed to strengthen the wind enough that it could always blow back any leaves that fell off of a particular branch? And what if this fan also had an enchantment on it to reattach the dead leaves and turn them green again, to prevent them from just falling off again?” Twilight finished her lecture. “So basically, they bring a body back to life and heal you?” Big Macintosh asked. “In theory,” Twilight quickly added. Nopony's ever been able to build one. And even if they did, the crystals only work when placed in the center of an eddy. Which we can't even prove the existence of, let alone find.” “Well, you have all the evidence you need right here, Twi,” Big Macintosh pointed at the bored Spike, who was currently playing with his tail. “Yeah, I guess so...” Twilight mused. “Of course, further testing would be out of the question.” Spike had tuned her out by now. Smart stuff wasn't his strong suit. He instead focused on a peculiar rock on the nearby wall. Reaching out to push it, it clicked, raising a wall in the chamber with a sound of grating stone. “Hey! Look! Free stuff!” Spike called out, drawing the attention of the others. Walking to the opened alcove, they found two throwing knives, a Spike-sized thick leather vest (no more deadly surprise attacks for him!), heavy iron horseshoes and a spiked metal helmet for Big Mac, tough leather pants for Iron Will, and a spell tome for Twilight which taught her a light spell that would free Big Mac from carrying a torch. They also found the key they needed to open the locked grate. Satisfied with their new gear, and ready for more adventure, the four of them pulled the lever near the door, raising the iron bars. As they walked through the chamber where they had fought the snails, Twilight snickered a bit. “Hey, Spike,” “What, Twilight?” “You died, and now you came back to life, so wouldn't that make you a- It came around the corner. Rotten, putrid flesh hanging off the bones, with tattered bits of clothes and armor still stuck to the hide, the pony-shaped creature growled, turning to face them. The face was horribly decayed; the snout was completely rotted away. One ear was missing and a portion of the chin was showing, the flesh gone, revealing the exposed mandible. It was missing one eye. Maggots crawled in its empty socket. The intact, although partially desiccated eye fixed on the four prisoners as its mouth opened up in an unearthly moan. “ZOMBIE!!!!!” Spike screamed.