A Bhaalspawn in Equestria

by Thadius0

Chapter 5 - Erectin' a dis- I mean, constructing a base.

Okay, note to self: exercise more caution and stealth in future endeavors. Or just use agents, when I acquire them!

I barely managed to get in the stairwell to the basement before a bright light swept the ground floor. Fortunately, the owner of the light failed to find me, and after a few seconds of the light sweeping back and forth, it faded as quickly as it came. Voices drifted down from above again.

"See? I told you, nopony was there."

"If...If you're sure."

"I'm sure, Spike. Now get some rest."

I waited five minutes for the noises to turn from silence to snoring and carefully made my way over to the shelves again. I perused quickly, finding two tomes of interest. Magical Artifacts of the Strange, Weird, and Famous caught my eye, along with Unexplained Magical Phenomena. I carefully plucked the two books off the shelves and made my way out of the library, closing the door with a soft clicking noise.

I made my way out of the town and headed to the Whitetail Woods. I liked it more than the Everfree, I used it whenever I could. It was less...antagonistic to pony life - and by extension, me - than the Everfree. Oh, it still had its guardian spirits and the like, but we hit it off much faster. Though by now, it would have reclaimed the last camp I used. So I'd have to make a new one, a more permanent one.

Not that bad, all things considered. Could've been worse. But it's been long enough since I last slept. I should change that.

...I don't like sleeping anymore. I relive my memories, wrestling with the Voice constantly whenever it is not sated or quiet. I never lose, but I don't like having to fight either.

I found an isolated glade in the forest and fell into slumber.

-----

Tonight was...different. More often than not, I go through all sorts of memories, but tonight was focused on just one. The one I hated the most. The time I'd given in.

I was watching myself talk to the Dogs, close my eyes...open them, and then the blades began their work.

As I observed the slaughter, the Voice spoke up again. "Do you regret your actions of that day, little one?"

I turned and saw...him.

The Slayer, the avatar of Murder Itself. Previously it had just been a red mist with black eyes. But now it was formed, as demonic as I remembered him being. Horns, claws, skin as red as the blood it shed. Huge, massive! The thing towered over me! Spikes trailed down its spine, down the the tip of its tail. It...it was the owner of the Voice.

I turned back towards the memory and sighed. "There is much I regret. I regret living this long, however it happened. I regret having become what I am," and here my eyes flicked over to the Slayer, "Because it means I have to put with you as a head-mate and regulate my actions. And...there are things I regret about that day."

I walked forward as the memory paused during one particular dismemberment, that of the lead Dog, even as he begged for mercy. I gathered my thoughts and began again. "I regret that the Dogs did not listen to reason. I regret that so many had to die before they realized they could not stop me. I regret that it came to blows. I offered them mercy, and they ignored me. I offered them their lives, but then had to take them. I regret many things about that day, but none of them my own actions. I regret that the day was one soaked in blood, for the Dogs had so many options to avoid it. But I will never regret defending the ponies."

The Slayer laughed, and my skin crawled as he did. "A Bhaalspawn attempting to walk the path of the righteous. It would be easier for fire to not consume wood. Still, I suppose the important part is that you try."

I shuddered at the implications, then my mind hit upon something. "Why now? Why do you take a form now? I have walked this world for near a thousand years, and any night where you torment me in my dreams has been one where you are formless. Why change that now?"

He laughed again. "The time has come, child, for your blood to awaken to its heritage. Otherwise, the coming days shall be far more torturous than what I have done to you. You will falter, fall, fail without its gifts, be they good or ill."

I blinked and realized what he said. "You mean-"

"It is nearly time for Chaos."

I actually snarled at the Slayer then. "I will NOT bring the sort of chaos the Sword Coast experienced to this land! The ponies do not DESERVE a war where blood rains from the heavens as the Bhaalspawn fight amongst themselves! I WILL find a way to painlessly, HARMLESSLY remove the 'divine' taint of Bhaal's blood, his spark of power, from any Bhaalspawn I find! I will NOT make the mistakes of Irenicus when I do! I WILL AVERT THE DAMN ALAUNDO'S PROPHECY!"

"Oh child...you talk like you have a CHOICE."

-----

I jolted awake after a good rest, but my heart was nearly pounding out of my chest. The details of the dream flooded into my mind, and I gulped. Could he be right? Could the prophecy come true, no matter the steps I took to prevent it?

...I would only know once I tried, sadly. Better to have tried and failed, after all. I looked around the clearing and decided that this would be a good place to begin to set up my base. I began to draw up the plans in my mind, and absently, I hummed an old tune while I worked.

"Mahna mahna, doo do de doo do, mahna mahna, do doo de do, mahna mahna, do doo de doo doo, de doo do, de doo do..."

So into my singing and working was I that I had barely noticed until I started dancing and singing in tandem with another voice that there was another voice. Once my brain caught on to what was going on, I went as stiff as a board and turned my head slowly to my impromptu showtunes partner.

"Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie! I've never seen anything like you before, but I'm here to welcome you to Ponyville all the same!"

Brain has performed an illegal operation (watdafuk.exe) and will now shut down. Please restart your brain.

-----
(POV shift - Celestia)

"Sister dear?"

Celestia looked up from the latest bill placed before her to look at Luna entering the room. Immediately she noticed that Luna looked a bit more shaken than usual. The last time she was like this was when she had been exposed to some of the citizen's nightmares that portrayed her as a monster.

The bill fell to the desk as the solar alicorn got up and embraced her sister. "Does this help, Luna?"

There were a few shaky breaths drawn before Celestia felt her sister nod a few times. "It does indeed."

Celestia drew herself back and looked Luna in the face. "Now, what happened?"

Luna drew a deep breath to steady herself before beginning her tale. "We were patrolling the realm of dreams, seeking nightmares to destroy, when We came across a dream most dark and foul. Upon attempting to enter, We did find that all was dark around Us. Yet We could still hear and feel the sensations of the nightmare. It was a dream reliving a memory most foul, one of darkness and death, of a pony talking with his darker self. It was far darker than Our time as the Nightmare, dear sister. We fear that this pony could be a danger to others and his own self should he be unchecked."

Celestia blanched at the very thought. Someone with darker intentions than that terrible time? She was thankful it was not an alicorn, but were it a unicorn of any power...

"Sister, did you get any idea of identity from the dream? Or the location of the dreamer?"

Luna shook her head. "By the time We were able to fight back against the darkness within the dream, it had ended. There was no time to discern anything about the dreamer. All We know is that he is, and he is close to Canterlot. Close enough that Our recovering powers sensed him."

Celestia held up a hoof and hummed to herself. "How far away can you sense dreams these days?"

Luna held up a hoof and waved it side to side. "It varies with the phase of the moon and time of the night, but Our greatest range is a bit beyond Pony-"

The sisters sucked in a breath as the implications hit them, and began drawing up new guidelines for the Guard. Hopefully they were wrong, but if the Grandmaster and this dark dreamer were one and the same, it did not bode well for any involved.

Author's Note:

Link to what the Slayer looks like: link.
(Please ignore the fact that it is apparently from some version of Yu-Gi-Oh. That damn demon came from Baldur's Gate and we all know it.)

Comments

[The Serpent Mage]

"A Bhaalspawn attempting to walk the path of the righteous. It would be easier for fire to not consume wood.

'Twould be rather funny if he were a Paladin, and not a Thief/Assassin.

[SeventhBrony]

and Equestria shall be brought to the edge of oblivion due to Shining and the sister's meddling figures

[rikusorasephiroth]

You probably could have linked an image of Molag Bal and we'd have never known the difference.

[Greatazuredragon]

Brain has performed an illegal operation (watdafuk.exe) and will now shut down. Please restart your brain.

Beware the Pink!

[LostArchivist]

Brain has performed an illegal operation (watdafuk.exe) and will now shut down. Please restart your brain.

Wait until he sees a shortcut, or worse, how they work.