//------------------------------//
// In the Darkest Depths, Evil Waits 
// Story: Azure Flame 
// by Silver Page 
//------------------------------//


“You fought valiantly, I’ll give you that,” Vandal said, wiping thick greenish-blue ichor from his scaled snout, staring down at a shattered throne. Amidst the splinters lay Queen Chrysalis, her side torn open and oozing her noisome fluids. She could only gurgle in response, her throat partially caved in from a heavy blow from a mace. That same blow had shattered Vandal’s weapon, forcing the Dragon to use his teeth to rend the Changeling Queen open during the brutal melee.
The two combatants were in the ruins of the throne room, one splintered when the large Changeling had slammed into it, the other knocked over, causing the chained up zombie king to begin screaming in fury at the one who dared attack his wife. Several other bodies littered the floor of the grand room, but all were dead, and were those of Changelings who’d tried to interfere in the fight.
“I honestly hadn’t expected your hide to be so difficult to crack, pardon my pun,” Vandal said, walking leisurely over to the snapping and snarling undead Earth Pony. “I’ll bet zombie flesh is much easier to rend.”
“Gaaak…” was all Chrysalis could say, trying to crawl feebly towards Vandal to stop him.
“Long live the King,” Vandal smirked, and he opened his jaws to unleash a searing blast of fire upon the mummy.
“Aggh!” Chrysalis cried, desperate to reach her husband.
“Crys…tal…” it moaned, looking over at her. It raised a still burning hoof towards her, and she reached out with one of her own. They touched, and a spark of life and recognition blazed briefly in its sunken eye sockets.
“Till… death… do… us… part…” it wheezed, before collapsing into cinders and ash.
“Aaahh…!” Chrysalis wept, tears spilling down her face, smearing the dirt and blood caked upon her.
“Long live the Queen,” Vandal said, a touch of melancholy in his voice. The Alicorn turned Changeling looked up, just in time to see a wave of golden fire consume her.


Vandal turned away from the blazing corpses, and started to walk out of the chambers. As he left, he nudged one of the Changeling bodies. This one had lunged at him, screaming about not touching her lady, or some such nonsense. A quick blow to the head from his mace had shattered her skull and pulped her brain instantly. He recalled her eyes having pupils, oddly enough. The Rememberers may have been loyal subjects once, but to think that such bonds lasted even after all those long, terrible centuries...
“So loyal, even to the bitter end,” he murmured to himself.
“Vandal!” The Dragon turned to see Shadow Law trotting over, his own body stained with blood and ichor, a dripping lance at his side.
“Report, Shadow Law,” he commanded, and the Alicorn saluted.
“We’ve driven the remaining Rememberers into the east wing of the Castle. Only a few drones and soldiers remain through-out, both in the castle and the city, and will be dealt with soon. Only a few prisoners were found, all of them in the Feeding Chamber, and most of them died as soon as they were removed from the containment cocoons. Furthermore, some of our scouts report a large underground cistern that seems to have been disturbed recently, and we suspect a few of the Rememberers may have fled through them.”
Vandal mulled over the information.
“Focus on cleaning up the rest of the Changeling resistance, and send medics to deal with the prisoners. As for the ones who escaped via the cistern… leave them be, do not pursue.”
“But, why not?” Shadow Law inquired.
“Because down there lurks something worse than I,” the snow white Dragon replied cryptically. Shadow Law nodded and walked off, still confused but determined to do his duty.
Vandal stood there for a while, looking out the window. The battle had lasted long, far longer than he’d expected. The sun was already rising in the distance, and he made a note to dispatch a few squads to hunt down and eliminate any undead in the area before rebuilding. Tambelon made for a good forward operating base, with easy access to both Gaeum, Gryphonia, and Toro.
‘As much as I detest Changelings, I do hope the ones down below in the cavern don’t suffer too much,’ Vandal thought, before leaving to deal with the final conflicts still going. 



“How long is this tunnel?” Slim griped, plodding doggedly along behind Azure Flame and Creepy, both just as tired as he was, but far quieter about it.
“I have no idea, Slim,” Azure answered, sighing softly. His horn was glowing softly in the tunnel, which was almost completely dark save for the occasional blob of glow-goo every dozen feet or so. They’d walked for hours now, stopping only a few times for water and quick naps. 
Azure had no idea where they even were, and worryingly, Slim’s internal compass had stopped working a mile or so back. The Minotaur had claimed that in places with such massive amounts of raw magic, places like the Everfree Forest, the passive magic of the Minotaurs and other less attuned creatures tended to stop working. Slim had gone on to say that Tambelon was full of such magical dead zones, due to Thaumatic Fallout caused by Disaster and Catastrophe-class spells. 
So on they’d marched, weary yet determined. Thankfully, the path they were taking was mostly straight, and wide enough not to worry about slipping and plunging into the stream beside them.
“Is that light up ahead?” Creepy asked, breaking the silence. Azure Flame blinked in surprise, and dimmed the radiance from his horn to check. Indeed, a faint glow came from further down the tunnel, and smiles broke out across the companions faces.
“We must be near the exit!” Creepy exclaimed giddily, with far more enthusiasm than the Unicorn or Minotaur had seen their friend display any other time. The Trio picked up their pace, but remained mindful of slick footing. Falling now would be both bad and embarrassing. Soon enough, they neared the end of the tunnel, and were treated to an amazing sight.
The tunnel ended almost abruptly, stonework petering out a few feet from where the mouth of the cisterns hole terminated, allowing the stream to gush forth into a massive underground lake. A rocky beach encircled the lake, the edges starting near the tunnel’s mouth and extending further out into the cavern. As for the light, it seemed to come from the water itself, patches of brightly glowing algae and moss floating about on the surface. Scraggly spots of similarly luminescent lichen and moss clung to stalactites and stalagmites here and there, mostly far above at the caves roof.
“Beautiful,” Azure whispered, staring out at the sight before them. Slim and Creepy simply nodded in agreement.
"That Changeling said there was a path to the right…” Slim murmured, looking about. “There it is!”
Triumphantly, Slim stepped cautiously over the water-slicked stones and gravel before stopping in front of a plain stone wall, where the stonework met rough rock. However, it was a cleverly hidden optical illusion, and looking at it from the sides or straight on, it was almost impossible to see it. With just the right angle or height, the seams became visible.
“Finally! I’m sick of being underground!” Creepy declared, a smile of relief on his muzzle.
“Afraid of the dark, are ya?” Slim teased, which earned a glare from the Donkey.
“Let’s go then, Azure!” Creepy said, ignoring the Minotaur, but when he turned around, he saw their Unicorn leader walking in the opposite direction.
“Hey, wait! They said not to go any further! And the exit’s right here!” Slim shouted, but Azure walked onwards.
“Oh, jeez!” Creepy moaned, moving over to Azure as fast as he could over the wet ground.
“What’s…” Creepy trailed off, looking with shock at the disguised prince’s expression.
“That’s not good,” Slim muttered, joining Creepy. 
Azure Flames eyes were blank, with a greyish sheen over them, and his whole face was just slack. He mumbled something, but it was incoherent.
“Damn it,” Slim griped, and leaned down to pick up Azure, but grunted in surprise when he felt enormous resistance from the tiny body. 
“Hurry up, Slim! We need to leave, and this place is giving me a bad feeling,” Creepy urged, suppressing a shiver. Indeed, there was a subtle change in the atmosphere of the cave. Once calm and serene, it had bled away to slowly be replaced by fear and ominous shadows. For once, he felt helpless as his Aura was useless before this mysterious, looming terror.
“I! Can’t! Lift him!” Slim grunted, muscles straining as he tried to pick up the much smaller Unicorn.
“What?!” Creepy shouted, looking back to see, yes, the burly Minotaur was unable to lift Azure Flame. 
“I think something’s wrong with him, too! His eyes look weird!” Slim cried, but fell on his ass as Azure continued to walk forward.
“Should… should we follow him?” Creepy wondered, unsure of what to do. He wasn’t used to being this helpless, and it disgusted him. Plus, as loath as he was to admit it, Azure Flame was the glue of their tiny group. Without him, could he and Slim work together, let alone survive?
“Of course we’re going to follow him!” Slim declared, standing up. “I owe Azure so much, and I’m not about to let him get brain-washed and walked to his doom!”
Creepy blinked, then smiled. “You’re right. Let’s follow him and see how we can fix this situation.”
Carefully, the two began to trail after Azure, who’d trotted on ahead, but was going rather slow. Time passed, and after a while, the two un-manipulated creatures started to notice a change in their surroundings.
They’d left the underground cavern a while back, following along what seemed to be sheer cliffs that glowed with eerie lights in their depths and the moisture and dampness that had been everywhere back at the lake was gone. The walls became more rough and jagged, and the stalactites and stalagmites were now imbedded with glowing chunks of crystal. For some reason, the air did not grow colder, but stayed the same, and in some places began to heat up, before dipping into biting cold and then back into regular chilly room temperature once more.
“Damn it, where is he taking us?” Slim rumbled, casting glancing around at the cavern. Creepy shrugged.
“No idea, but I think the better question is; who hijacked Azure, and is taking him down here?” Creepy’s question gave the Minotaur a pause, and horror scenarios flashed through his mind.
“… let’s just keep going,” Slim mumbled, his gaze becoming more fearful.
“No need. You’re already here.” The voice burst forth around them, Slim and Creepy squealing in fear and panic as the walls seemed to transmit the words themselves. Azure had stopped moving, and was slowly shaking his head, his eyes returning to normal.
“Ugh, what hit me?” The Unicorn grunted, massaging his head. “And where am I?”
“You’re in my home, little mortal!” All at once, previously unseen torches burst to life, the flames alternating between pale purple and deep crimson, while the shadows the Trio cast danced and cavorted in mockery of what was actually going on. 
“Bucking Tartarus!!” Azure shouted, looking around in shock. Slim and Creepy mirrored his facial expression, as the rough, uneven stone walls they’d just been in were gone, replaced by smooth tile floors and carved marble walls. 
“I’m so glad to welcome you into my abode, oh little wanderers,” the voice hissed out. It was a sickening sound, like claws on a chalkboard mixed with bones and chains scraping across a dungeon floor. The walls no longer echoed the voice, however, instead it came from the far end of the room they were in. Looking over, the Trio saw nothing except a writhing mass of shadows, and as they tried to peer into the thick, roiling darkness, a single glowing, sideways slitted eye appeared, staring back out at them.
“Wait a second! This is the Throne Room of Tambelon’s castle!” Slim exclaimed, eyes darting about. Indeed, it was eerily reminiscent of the castle’s chamber they’d been in a while back.
“Yes, I grew quite fond of it, while I ruled from it. So, I remade it here, in my little realm of shadows.” The trio shivered as the voice returned, emanating from the shadows, which slowly peeled back, to reveal the one who spoke.
A throne sat before them, a tall and imposing piece of furniture. Hewn from what appeared to be a single block of black granite, it was ornately designed in a gothic style, with bones seemingly carved into its surface… no, wait, those were actual bones fused to the stone, placed in a macabre portrayal of death.
But what grabbed their attention the most was what sat upon the throne. Once, it had been a Goat, but now utterly devoid of flesh. Its horns had curled and twisted around its head and pierced through the back of its pale white skull, the jagged tips bursting out of empty eye sockets. Nestled within a gaping mouth full of unnaturally sharp teeth a single pulsing green and purple eye stared out at the world, as magical as it was terrifying. Its hooves were cracked and split, becoming more like clawed talons than what they’d once been. Inside its ribcage a hellish orb of purple and green fire burned, flickering in time to an unholy heartbeat. And draped around its neck was a black metal chain holding a black and silver bell.
“G, G, Grogar!” Slim whispered, his voice less than a squeak. 
“Indeed I am, mortals,” the … thing upon the throne said with a dark, vile chuckle. “It has been so long since anything has come before me, I almost forgot my manners! I am Grogar Arthwold Thade, Eternal Tyrant of Tambelon. You have my name, now, so why not speak yours?”
“I, I am Azure Flame of Canterlot,” Azure stammered, paralyzed by fear.
“Slim Shadow of Toro,” Slim croaked.
“Creepy Crawly of Bitaly,” the Donkey hissed, throat constricted with fear.
“Ahhh! Lies! The most wonderful of mortal inventions!” Grogar crowed. “Now, if I’m not mistaken, you are Shadow Horn of Grandine, correct, Minotaur?” Slim froze, his breathing becoming erratic. “And you, Donkey, are Bitter Worth of Prance.” Creepy jerked as if struck as Grogar spoke his true name.
“And last, but not least, Prince Blueblood DeMarco Regitas! Such an honor to host the kin of the WHORES THAT BANISHED ME!!” Grogar roared, his voice shaking the air with his fury. The torches erupted, spewing fire and sparks everywhere, and the shadows leapt up from the ground, becoming corporeal for a moment, before everything settled down once more. “Oh! Pardon me! A thousand plus years with little contact or conversation has made me a bit … irritable.”
“Why did you bring me here?” Azure asked, his voice no more than a whimper, to his shame.
“It was not intentional, I assure you. I’d felt you on the surface, and visited your dreams, but nothing more. Upon entering the cavern, however, you got too close to me, and my aura latched onto you. Unicorns are so very susceptible to my caress. They become ‘enchanted’ with my very presence and come to me, unwittingly and unwillingly.”
Grogar threw a hoof out, waving it to encompass the room. “I have little power beyond my prison, but the occasional ‘guest’ is drawn to me every so often. So, let us enjoy our time together! We have eternity, after all.”
“My dreams?” Azure muttered, confused at what the undead Goat had mention earlier. “Wait, but there were two voices last night. Who was the other?”
“Oh. Him.” The flames guttered briefly as the Undead Goat’s mood fluctuated. “Pay him no heed. A relic of the past, and nothing more.”
“No more so than you.” A new voice boomed into existence, causing the Trio to jump. It was loud. It was powerful. And it filled the three beings with hope and a sense of security. The fires in the fake throne room crackled and hissed as Grogar rose from his seat, his ancient bones creaking in protest.
“These ones are mine, Arnos! You shall not take them from me!”
“They have a greater destiny to fulfill, Old Bones! I will not let you deviate their paths any further!” suddenly, several of the flames in the torches changed color, becoming a shifting mess of blue, green, yellow, red, and more. In fact, every color known to Ponykind was appearing, replacing the Undead lord’s cursed flames.
Surprisingly, the ancient Necromancer said nothing and simply sat back down on his throne. Azure and his friends were confused, and shocked. Was the dreaded Grogar backing down?!
“So be it, Arnos. I can continue to play the long game. Besides,” at this, Grogar’s single glowing eye settled on Azure Flame, “I feel that one of them might bring me more use freed than trapped down here.” Azure shuddered. Deep in his heart, he knew what he was to Grogar; nothing. He was less than a pawn to the Undead monster, he was a toy, a plaything, not even worthy of being part of a centuries spanning game of wit and maneuvering. And it made the Unicorn very, very afraid for the future.
All of a sudden, a shockwave of energy ripped through the room, and Grogar jerked in surprise, glancing everywhere for the source. It filled Azure, Slim, and Creepy with a tingling sensation of… love? They didn’t have time to ponder the odd burst of feel-good energy, or the sudden booming laughter from their mysterious savior, nor the insane cackle from the Lich of Tambelon, as rainbow flames began to dance around the room, slowly enveloping the three lost souls in their embrace. A sensation of motherly warmth filled them, and they felt their eyelids droop. Before Azure drifted off, he heard a voice speak to him in his mind.
“The answers you seek are many, but few can answer them. Go to Ti-bit, and travel to the Spear of the World. There, you must ask to speak with the one who I once knew as Kibo. He will lead you to the Shard of Eternity. Complete its trials, and all will become clear.”
“Who… are you…” Azure wondered, stifling a yawn.
“One whom your aunts once called father.” With those final cryptic words, Azure Flame’s world vanished in a blaze of white, and then nothingness.


Deep in the darkness of a prison forged from shadows and bound to the void with chains of pure malice and loathing, Grogar sighed. 
“Another batch of guests gone. Though I feel disappointed that it was not my actions that ‘put them out of their misery,’ so to speak.” The Goat looked up at the ‘ceiling,’ eye narrowed in thought. 
“It seems like the world is changing faster than I anticipated. That magic just now was old… Old and one I’d thought hidden away. With the return of the Elements of Harmony, the old Order so loved by the Heavenly Sisters is being shaken up.” The skeletal fiend wiggled a bit in its seat, and closed its ‘eye’ in meditation. “How will things play out now, oh crippled Dragon who stole my eye…”