//------------------------------// // Chapter Five // Story: A Shadow Over Ponyville // by Mr Darcy //------------------------------// A Shadow Over Ponyville Chapter Five Had I simply followed my instinct to go directly to Ponyville, much time could have been saved, and much trouble avoided. But I decided that, while still in Canterlot, it would behoove me to pay a visit to the Princess and warn her in person of the things I had learned. Some things I still did not know. Was Lyra Hoofstep the being known as Nyarlathotep, or merely one of his servants? Why did she need the notes of Ethersong to complete her work, when she clearly had powerful connections and magics? Why had Heartstrings imprisoned me in the tunnels beneath the Ethersong apartments, rather than kill me outright? The gaps in my knowledge irked me, though I knew my sanity would be better served by keeping them unfilled. I would simply have to make an incomplete report to Princess Celestia. It was dark as I galloped through the Canterlot streets, though whether this was the same night I had seen upon entering Ethersong's apartment or another entirely, I had no clue. The first sign of something amiss was the ease with which I approached the castle. There appeared to be no guards on duty, and the grounds were empty of all activity. The entry hall was likewise empty, and most worrying was the fact that the grand double doors were thrown wide open. I entered cautiously, and the light filtering through the stained glass windows, tinged by my fear, took on a sinister quality. The shadows danced with rainbow colors, and in the corners where the light did not penetrate I envisioned a single, flaming eye, like that of the creature from the tunnels. I picked up my pace, drawn by some unknown destiny towards the throne room. Like the entry to the castle, the large doors that opened on the Princess' throne room were open. As I neared, the sound of echoing voices reached me. I stopped just outside the room, and peering around the corner I could make out the flowing mane and brilliant white coat of my mentor, Princess Celestia. She stood upon the lower steps of the dais that led to her throne, and before her was a pony I had not expected to see, Lyra Hoofstep herself. All around were the bodies of the royal guard, in varying states of mutilation. I will not describe their wounds to you Spike, but know they were beyond anything capable of being inflicted by a normal pony. I do not know whether to bless or curse the fact that, between the shadows and the condition of the bodies, I could not tell whether my brother was among them. Knowing him, he would have been the first to fight...and the first to fall. It is alright Spike, I'm not crying. I can continue the tale. It is almost over, anyway. Now I will relate to you the conversation held between Hoofstep and Celestia, as best I can remember it, starting with the faint echoes I heard as I neared the throne room doors. “...who...you be?” Said the first voice, which I recognized as that of Celestia. “...never met...know you...” This second voice would therefore belong to Hoofstep. It echoed more loudly than Celestia's, and an undertone could be heard, a dark voice barely constrained by the veil adopted by Lyra Hoofstep. “You have...guards...do you...are you here?” said Celestia, and at this point I reached the doors. I dared not enter the room, not yet, but my position just outside allowed me to hear everything with relative clarity. “I bring you an offer, sun princess,” said Hoofstep, “one you would be wise to accept.” Celestia snorted loudly in response. “After what you have done here, what offer could you make that I would accept?” There was a pause, and then a rolling laugh from Hoofstep. “Do you refer to these bodies? Sacks of meat and fragile life. I know you are not on the same level as I am, Princess, but how can one so far above the mortal flesh harbor such sentiments? Do you also take cares to avoid trampling the ants?” Hoofstep laughed again. I risked a glance around the doors, and noted the annoyed stamp of Celestia's hoof. “You think you are above me? You are nothing more than a murderer! I will end you right here and now!” Hoofstep's laughter ended abruptly, and I saw Celestia begin to charge, her horn aglow. I silently cheered her on, but when Celestia reached the point where Hoofstep had been standing moments ago, she touched only empty air. Startled, both she and I looked about for Hoofstep. I saw her just before the Princess did, sitting upon the throne, a condescending grin on her face. “Look at your guards, dear Celestia.” Hoofstep swept a hoof around the room to indicate the scene of carnage. “You could kill me in this form, I will grant you that. You wouldn't survive the ordeal, however, and it is in both our interests that you live.” Celestia snorted again and took a few steps towards the throne, her horn still glowing with arcane power. “What is your offer, then?” “You give me Twilight Sparkle, and I will allow you to continue ruling.” I nearly gasped, but managed to restrain myself. At this point, the Princess had her back turned to me, and I could not discern her face. Her horn slowly dimmed, and she stood silent for a time. At last, Celestia said, “What do you want with Twilight?” Her voice seemed even, but I knew my mentor. I had grown up under her tutelage, and never before had I heard such conflict in her tone. Hoofstep delighted in Celestia's torment, and the thing that was not a pony grinned more maliciously. “She is one of the Elements, yes? The spark, the leader, the focus of it all. The Elements of Harmony are dangerous, as I learned when you and your sister used them to defeat my most powerful avatar. I believe you call him Discord.” Celestia's head snapped up. “Discord was your doing?” She stamped her hoof again, and I could feel her preparing her magic again. From her perch upon the throne, Hoofstep frowned at the Princess. “Indeed he was, and you ruined my plans, not to mention my fun, by disposing of him.” Hoofstep smirked and said, “Which is why I had to punish you, of course. Corrupting your sister almost made up for losing Discord.” Celestia whinnied in rage, and her horn burst forth with power. Tendrils of light, radiating in all the colors of the dawn, reached out towards the thing on the throne. Hoofstep stood her ground, and as the beams of light neared, they dissipated, seemingly absorbed by the air. Seeing her attack completely blocked, Celestia calmed, and her horn lost it's brilliance again. Lyra Hoofstep growled. “Congratulations. That almost killed me. I invested much power in Discord, and almost as much in corrupting your sister. It is why I have been...absent these last thousand years. I only returned decades ago, and since you thwarted my attempts at direct mayhem through Discord, I decided to take a more cautious approach. I chose this avatar to blend in for that purpose, and-” “Enough! Why do you do this?” Celestia interrupted, and Hoofstep laughed. “I am who I am. I do what I do. I am the crawling chaos, the soul and messenger of the Outer Gods. Do I need another reason?” “And if I give Twilight Sparkle to you,” the Princess said, “that negates the Elements and frees you to do as you please. In return you will spare me.” “Exactly, my little pony princess. Your sister also, and the two of you may continue to rule Equestria in your divine benevolence, making the world a better place for all ponies. I had a marvelous trap prepared for your pupil, and she fell for every step. That is, until I underestimated her magic and she escaped me. I know she will come to you, and when she does, you will give her to me.” Hoofstep descended from the throne, slowly, every step expressing arrogance. She continued on past Celestia, who turned to follow her progress, but took no further action. “In fact,” Hoofstep said, “she is here already.” My breath froze. Hoofstep continued towards the doors of the throne room, and with each step her oppressive aura weighed more heavily upon me. I gathered what courage I had left and stepped out to face the monster in the guise of a pony. Before I could make my final peace with the world, I heard Celestia shout. I looked away from Hoofstep to see the Princess galloping towards us. She tackled the abomination, who screeched in a voice that could not have come from the throat of any pony, and I saw the Princess' horn glow again as she cast another spell. Her light enveloped me, and I felt myself being pulled away from the scene. In the final moments before the Princess' spell took me completely, I saw my beloved mentor rearing for combat, facing Lyra Hoofstep as the shadows of the room grew thicker and demonic images danced in the darkness. “Goodbye Twilight,” Celestia said, and then I was gone.