"Ammy, I've got a really bad feeling about this place...."
It was good to hear she wasn't the only one who found this place to be terrifying. Fluttershy (or the pony who called herself Fluttershy, which Amatersu was seriously doubting) led them through the forest with ease. The dark trees seemed to howl at the group, eyes glared from the underbrush, and on several occasions, Amaterasu could swear she had seen an inanimate object slink off in the shadows. The light of the sun didn't seem to penetrate very deeply through the dense canopy of the forest, and mist creeped and curled around her every step.
It was like she was walking into the belly of a beast, and the last time she did that, it wasn't very pleasant.
That thought bothered her. Why had she been in a stomach? Actually, she'd been in two. Which was yet another weird memory to experience. All these thoughts, these memories hidden away and waiting for the slightest hint to be reawakened... it was strange then, that she couldn't recall who this mysterious figure was who so wanted her to free them, and whom she desperately wished to free. It was as if their fates had been connected, but something had broken them apart, some event that was buried deeper than what would typically be buried. So lost in her thoughts was she, that she had failed to notice that Issun had still been speaking to her. She listened in to his troubled ramblings.
"Something about this place just isn't right. Every step we take, it feels more and more like something evil is lurking. I can feel it deep inside of me. It's almost like it's trying to strangle me, use me like mulch! It kinda reminds me of that old tale... a tale about you actually, Ammy." Her ears perk up in sudden interest. "Oh, so NOW you care? Fine, whatever. It doesn't look like we'll be getting wherever this pony is taking us any time soon, so I might as well tell you about it. Dunno how I remember it, but here's how it goes...."
~~~~~~~~~~
Long ago, Amaterasu (that's YOU, furball) lived with two other gods, who bore a close resemblance to her. I dunno why it said you were a girl, but whatever. Anyways, apparently the three of you ruled over the aspects of the world. One of the gods had dominion over the night, and ruled the moon. He was strong, yet graceful, elegance incarnate. Apparently, he was the weakest as well, but had the kindest heart, preferring diplomacy over violence. He wore the Yasakani no Magatama as his weapon and symbol.
The other god aside from you supposedly ruled storms, seas, and chaos. He wasn't exactly a nice guy, always causing mischief and havoc. A crazy god, he just did whatever he wanted, be it drinking or messing with the lives of others. He sometimes did some heroic things, like defeat Orochi once, but I hear it was only because Orochi had gotten in the way of something he wanted. He was apparently the strongest one of the three. He carried around the Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi , which was called Kusunagi, as his weapon and symbol. Did some crazy things with it.
Finally, Ammy, there was you. goddess of the sun. You were in the middle power-wise. You were apparently some kind of hottie back then, because you were called the most beautiful goddess (hey, don't snip at me!). You had a whole bunch of servants and wherever you went, life sprung up. You were also apparently moody as hell, because you locked yourself up at some point? I dunno, these old legends don't make a lot of sense, because you apparently came out to watch some naked goddess dance. If it was a sexy naked goddess, I might understand.... Anyways, your symbol back then was a mirror known as Yata no Kagami.
So, apparently you and the stormy one were constantly at each other's throats, while you and the moon one were really, really close.... Maybe you were in love, maybe not, I dunno. Anyways, there was some kind of misunderstanding between the two of you, and you became really, really distant. Though it didn't get too bad, it was bad enough that stormy started to misbehave a lot. It apparently got so bad that you two compromised, and using your powers, sealed him away. Somehow, the moon god got sealed as well. Then their powers got sealed inside ya, and I dunno, something happened in the vacuum of power. Darkness formed or something.
~~~~~~~~~~
That story.... It made Amaterasu's insides hurt. There was a fierce burning in her chest and mind. Something wanted to surge out of her. Something wanted to be recognized, but there was a barrier, some kind of barrier, keeping it just below the surface. The pain was exasperating. She honestly wanted to smash her head in, give herself to the land, do anything to make it stop. She didn't even realize she had gotten into fetal position, and was rocking back and forth, tears streaming from her eyes. Issun looked at Amaterasu with pure shock. "Ammy?! What's wrong? Come on, speak to me! Well, maybe not speak ,but do something! You can't be breaking down on me now, not after all we've been through!" He hopped on her head, trying desperately to break her from her stupor. Fluttershy turned, noticing the pair was no longer behind her.
"Oh look," she said as she came trotting back. "You don't look so good. Hm... I wonder if I'd be able to take care of you.... No, here isn't the place." Reaching beneath the fallen goddess, she lifts her onto her back, opening her wings to secure her. "I'll just carry you the rest of the way. Once we get you to my place, we'll see about taking care of the problem." Issun silently prays, while Angel, no longer the focus of "Fluttershy's" attention, silently hops along from behind, his eyes flitting back and forth, though focusing on Amaterasu. He knew something wasn't quite right about the pony, and he'd have to rely on that feeling.
~~~~~~~~~~
Amaterasu awakened on a pellet, on a hard floor. She blinked herself awake, then groaned as she moved her stiff body. It seemed that the pressure in her head and chest, as well as the memories trying to burst free, had settled down. She looked around absently, trying to figure out what's going on, when Issun popped out of her ear. "AMMY!" he says. "You had me seriously freaking out! That pony took us to this weird castle in the woods! It's coursing with major bad mojo." Even just waking, Amaterasu could sense the evil of this place. It wasn't meant to be like this. She couldn't tell what its original state was, but something told her that it wasn't meant to be quite this complete. No, the stone underneath her hooves was old, very old, but some of the stones of the walls looked relatively fresh...
That wasn't what was important at the moment, though. No, what was important now was getting to Fluttershy and figuring out what was wrong. She hadn't reacted to Amaterasu's presence as any of the other Elements had, and something about her personality still rang as off-key to her. It was like she was an entirely different pony... but she didn't have the same feeling of possession that Rainbow Dash had had. No, she seemed to be fully aware, which meant something else was going on. Perhaps it was brainwashing? Perhaps some dark spell? Either way, she would cleanse her of it.
Ammy snagged Issun in her mouth, then threw him onto her head, before taking off in search of the yellow pegasus. Turning corner after corner, she soon realized that she had absolutely no idea where she was. "Um, Ammy, not to seem like a drag or anything, but this isn't exactly helping." Issun shuts up at her growling ,but both their ears perk up when they hear laughter. The laughter was coming from Fluttershy... or at least the pony formerly known as Fluttershy.
"I am glad to see you're awake. Amaterasu. Ah, it has been far too long since we last met. But, oh dear, I'm sure you don't recognize me in this dreadful form. Too weak for my tastes, but I must admit, I do enjoy having wings though." Fluttershy looks at Amaterasu, and she feels a deep, dark dread in her core. This was not Fluttershy. No, she knew who this truly was. She knew just how bad this situation was.
"Ammy... I think we may have a problem." Issun says. If she weren't so scared, she'd have sat on him.
"How right you are," says Fakershy. "And, just like my associates, I am much stronger than you remember.This will be the end, Amaterasu." With a gasp, Fakershy begins to transform; her teeth elongate, and shift into fangs; her body begins to grow and ripple with muscles; her wings expand, and seem to darken; and her fur begins to take on a darker pallor. But the most notable change of all, is how her tail, which Amaterasu had remembered seeming strange, split into nine. Amaterasu looked upon the beast, and gulped. This was not going to be an easy battle. No, she was going to have to be very careful.