You summon all your dark powers. It takes great effort; you haven’t summoned your aspect in a thousand years. You feel yourself slipping away from your normal body and being remade into a new form. Eventually, you magic does its job and you open your ethereal eyes to the world.
Dreadrock Mountain sits behind you, as well as you body beneath it. You smile gleefully and turn around to face the north, the last image of the ponies you can remember were seeing them fleeing to the north. Perhaps that’s where their civilization has survived.
You propel yourself through the air at supersonic speeds, racing past the barren rocks. Quickly the land becomes more green and lively as you speed through the land. The clouds soon part away to reveal a sun at high noon, shining above you. Another constant reminder of your failure.
Suddenly you notice you are flying over a lake. As you continue your course, you look down. You see a literal shadow of your formal self. A black cloud of darkness with a red outline zooming through the air, only a pair of slitted, angry-looking red eyes show a hint of your true form. It’s not the same as before, but it’ll do for now. The reflection suddenly cuts back to land as the lake ends. You look back up continuing on.
As you look around you notice some pegasi in the distance, flying in the same direction. You must be nearing a settlement of some kind. You quickly change a part of your aspect to insure that you remain invisible to the eye.
Then you see it, civilization. You quickly speed into a small town located in a forest area.
You float around a bit and examine the town. It is bustling with trade and commerce as many ponies have set up shop outside and are selling their assorted products.
It appears to be a marketplace. You think as you fly around.
You examine the buildings and the architecture; it appears that the ponies have yet to advance from cobble and cottages. Pathetic, in just a few years your species would have advanced into a new technological age of wonder.
That is, if you were still around.
No matter, those thoughts leave your mind as something new catches your attention.
Out of your incorporeal ear you can hear someone yelling. Faintly but surely you can hear someone shouting. Angrily.
You turn to see the noise coming from some building in the distance. You fly towards the sound getting louder and louder. You can feel the anger getting more potent as you get closer.
You come upon a cottage just outside of the town. You can see two heads arguing through the window. You descend upon the household and enter through the walls. The warm wave of hatred rushes through your smoky body as you do so. You find a young pink mare yelling at a green-coated stallion. She has a pearl necklace on her flank, and the male has a book and a quill on his.
The mare appears to be the one in control, as the male is simply looking down in shame, holding a tacky-looking vase in his front hooves.
You focus on what the mare is saying.
“You didn’t give back the vase!? I told you, I didn’t want it!” she screams at the male. She then goes silent, waiting for him to respond. The male looks up for a moment and thanks of what he wants to say.
“Pearl… I just wanted to make you happy for once-“
“This doesn’t make me happy! And now we can’t give it back because you forgot the receipt, Open Book!” she interrupted him angrily. “And now were stuck with a vase that I never even wanted!” she yelled and began to continue her tirade against the stallion identified as Open Book.
Yes you can feel the anger, it is quite potent, but hidden. Not the mare, no. She’s merely having a rant, letting out a deluded pathetic smell of irritation, something she probably does a lot. No, the true meal is within the colt she’s yelling at.
You look at this pitiable stallion as he lowers his head as this mare continues to yell at him. You narrow your eyes and enter the mind of this weak willed colt.
Apparently this nagging creature is his wife, and she’s mad about a vase he bought to please her, because it didn’t have the proper pattern. Also it appears this colt was always bullied by someone in his life, by schoolmates, his abusive parents, and now his nagging wife of two years.
All he wanted was to settle down with someone he loved, someone he cared for. But he was forced into this marriage by his parents in a businesses merger with the mare’s parents. She didn’t even want children. Now that’s just cruel.
But you can feel the rage within this young colt, and anger waiting to be released, a viper waiting to strike. You could sense it building. You can see his face twitching with anger. It’s beginning to grow. He’s had these moments before, but he never acted upon them, not yet.
Yes, it’s so potent, so ready, he just needs a little push.
You lean down to the stallion’s ear and whisper the key word; the one word that will bring him release from his torment.
“Kill.” You whisper
That was all it took, for suddenly, in a swift motion. Open Book raised the vase over his head, which was the last thing that the mare formally known as Pearl saw, right before he smashed it over the young pony’s head. She fell to the ground with a satisfying crash, but that was not enough, not for the two years the stallion had to deal with her nagging, yelling, and complaining. She needs to suffer more.
He got down over her unconscious head and began stabbing into it with the jagged edges of what was left of the vase. Each time, the vase shards sunk in with a bloody shlunk. You watch as the crimson spreads across the wooden floor, carrying the stallion’s hatred within its currents. You quickly absorb the primal rage for yourself.
Ahhhhh… it’s been too long since you’ve had a meal. You feel it, your presence growing stronger. You feel your form become a little more corporal as you digest the primal emotions from this young buck.
After a minute or two of his outburst, Open Book put the vase down and stared in shock of what he just did. He stares at his blood-soaked hooves and placed them over his mouth and began to shake.
You lean down next to the stallion and utter another word.
“Hide.”
The colt stops shaking and looks at the carcass he’s left in his wake. Better clean up the mess before someone get’s the wrong idea. It wasn’t his fault after all.
He gets up and walks toward the kitchen, looking for a mop.
You quickly flew out of the cottage and flew back into town. If your aspect had a face it would be smiling.
Your work was done.
You had gained from what little knowledge of that pea-brain’s mind of a local library in the town. Perhaps that is where you can find the answers you seek.
You fly through the town until you reach a big stone structure in the center of the town; you float in and find rows of books, all old and worn from usage. You float around the seemingly endless shelves until you find a young mare sitting in the middle of the library.
Her fur is the color of peaches, her mane is green. She is reading a small book, giggling to herself.
You float down behind her and look over her shoulder. It appears to be a comedy… a romantic comedy. You sneer at her taste as you enter her body.
Possession can be difficult if you’re dealing with a strong willed being, not surprisingly, that is a quality that this librarian lacks.
You force your way into her mind and search, for everything; every little detail of history past your imprisonment. It appears that the librarian has read all the books in the library. Good, that solves the problem of searching the library. You find the place where her memories of history lie. You peer in.
What you find is… interesting.
Apparently, this is a growing community called Trottingham, within the pony country known as Equestria.
Equestria… really?
Sigh… anyway,
It appears that after they fled, the ponies didn’t have the princesses to guide them for the first couple of years. Each subset of the species formed their own small kingdoms. They constantly quarreled with each other.
Well that’s what you get with no strong leader to take control of a situation.
Apparently their hatred for each other grew to a point where a group of winter spirits known as Windigos was able to feed of the ponies’ hatred and cause a great blizzard storm.
Why are you not surprised?
However, when all hope was lost, a group of ponies formed together and managed to destroy the evil spirits and bring unity to the pony tribes. Through the magic of… friendship?
…There are no words…
Anyway the ponies then founded the nation of Equestria. And soon after the princesses where found and were established as the rightful rulers of the realm.
However soon after that period, a rogue draconequus named Discord took over the kingdom and ushered in a reign of terror…
Wait a draconequus? But… you killed them… you killed them all! You were sure of it!
Eris’s last laugh apparently.
Wait… Eris…
No, NO! You will not think about what she did!
Anyway. The princesses quickly found the elements of harmony and used it against the spirit. They turned him into stone, effectively ending his reign before it could properly start.
Hrmph. You would feel a sense of pride at knowing your imprisonment was greater than his. But, such thoughts are petty and beneath you.
It also appears that another nation was formed further north, by a bunch of ponies who somehow became gifted in the creation of crystals.
They were just recently taken over by a tyrant who used dark magic to usurp the throne from the former empress.
Interesting, someone using a dark magic not related to your own? What could it be?
However, the tyrant was stricken down after the princesses used the elements once again to cast him into an icy prison.
Are they really too sensitive to kill their enemies? This habit will truly destroy them.
But the evil king was able to place a curse upon his entire empire, teleporting it to his own black dimension before the diarchs could liberate the populace.
Interesting.
You admire this creature’s cunning. But anyway.
It also appears that the buffalo’s territory has been greatly reduced due to changeling encroachment.
You stop.
Changelings, oh how you loath those parasites, you remember when they were first encountered.
And their demonic creator.
Wait, you’re loosing your train of thought! Back to history.
And the griffons have migrated to the northern mountains and have become a xenophobic military dictatorship.
Oh, Eos, if only things were different…
And the Canii have retreated into the earth. There are no current reports on their activities. However all attempts by ponies to explore forgotten underground territories have resulted in mysterious disappearances.
Very well then, but you must know the most important information.
There is no information on the whereabouts of dragons for they are the most reclusive species known to ponies.
On one hand you’re disappointed by the lack of information, but on the other hand you're thankful that they haven’t allied with Celestia and Luna in your absence.
They are still your children after all.
In other news, it has now been a year since the events of the “crystal empire’s” curse and a celebration is coming in a few months. The birthday of Princesses Celestia and Luna-
Alright you’ve had enough.
You leave the mind of this mare and float out of the library. Leaving behind a twitching corpse for the villagers to find.
You float above the whole town and look to the north once again.
You gathered from the mare that the capital of this nation is further north. So you speed away, leaving the small town with two dead mares and a new serial killer to deal with.
It’s good to be back.
The city is huge.
The cobble streets are packed with ponies, carts, and marketplaces, all under the afternoon sun. Suddenly Trotingham doesn’t look so packed to you.
You fly around the streets of the city; the buildings are much more advanced then that little lumber town down south. Here was where the ponies had left off.
And yet it will never recapture the glory that they once had.
You chuckle.
This great city seams to by lying under a great mountain, it almost looks to be stabbing the sun as it sets behind it.
The streets become more calm and quiet as the ponies become sparser. But of course there are some nighttime things that come out as well. Restaurants, clubs, and plays open up in the artistic streets.
However, the great plagues of city life also come about as well.
Something to occupy the law enforcement’s time.
A gang of criminals beating an innocent who can’t pay their debt, a dozen or so brothels opening for business, and a serial killer dumping a body in the nearby sewer.
You sigh with disappointment; such is the tradition of giving your mortal subjects free will. They’ll abuse it like the children they are.
You’ll have to do something about that won’t you?
You float toward the royal palace. It is a tall grand, cobblestone castle, with a large collection of towers reaching toward the twilight sky.
You fly past the lot of them, looking for the one who holds the mare you hate.
Then you see it. A small modest tower with a blazing sun on its tip.
There.
You fly over to the balcony and look in. There she is.
She is sitting at a desk, going over some bills and reports you assume. A fresh candle sits next to her desk, her eyes are focused on the documents, and her face shows the expression that one would make reading a book. Sublime calmness.
How it angers you.
How she, should deserve rulership over you! Her and her weak willed sister, you should’ve killed them when they were young and weak. Before they grew up, before your betrayal… before entering that cave…
Wait, what’s that.
She looks up, she looks around, as if she heard something.
No!
She senses you.
Before she can look outside, you are gone. You fly away from her tower.
She mused have sensed your anger, alas it is like a beacon to an immortal. Just like that young stallion was to you.
Speaking of beacons, you can sense a new magic.
You fly towards this magic, it feels cool and sublime, the opposite of the warm potent rage you’re used to sensing. You fly to the tallest tower of the castle, where a crescent moon stands at its peak. You fly around to find the source, ah yes, the other one.
Luna walks out toward the balcony and faces the east. Her astral mane floats in the calm summer wind. However her face is one of sadness.
You watch her look towards Celestia’s tower and sigh. Then her horn lights up as she looks toward the east.
You watch as the full moon rises from the horizon. Its pale glow shines upon the countryside, bathing it in a stunning white.
It’s quite beautiful, you’re actually amazed. The white… it reminds you of… of.
No, another time.
This is what’s truly important.
For even has Luna raises this beautiful sight for the kingdom, she looks sad. Her head lowers in a sigh as she sits down.
Then you feel it, that aching sensation.
No… it can’t be.
A longing within her, an absence, a hole.
No, this would be too good!
A longing for attention, a longing for appreciation, a longing for… love.
But something is deeper, something very small, but noticeable. It is a new feeling, one that you are all too familiar with. But within this creature, is now your biggest opportunity.
Envy.
But not just that: Envy, for her sister.
Somewhere, far away, deep within a blackened mountain, a smile spreads across the ancient dragon’s lips. It grows into a wide toothy grin until the joy could not be contained.
Laughter, a deep booming laughter, filled with evil and malice. The whole mountain shakes, the charred land around it rumbles with power. The laughter grows louder and louder. The land splits apart as the mirth of the demon dragon continues.
Let the revenge begin.