The Origin Chronicles Vol. 3

by SmokeShadow95

I'm Here

A pained scream erupted from behind jagged teeth. Through hissing fangs every breath was forced out. A few deep breaths kept the pain at the forefront of thought. Shallow breaths slid their way out in a feeble attempt to ease what pain their was. Eyes were closed as the source of the pain was sought after. The chest? Yes, definitely the chest. A grunt escaped as claws traveled across his scales.

Spike's eyes opened. He shot upright in a second, breathing hard. He took a moment to take everything in. His eyes scanned the area around him. Blackness. Dark. Empty. All those words seemed to apply. He slowed his breathing as his mind traced back to him, and how he got here.

“Where am I,” He thought to himself. His bleak surrounding did nothing to instill hope that he was in a good place. In fact, the low hanging mist covering the ground for as far as he could see did the opposite. He had a very bad feeling about this place. He put his hand on the ground beside and pushed up to lift himself off the ground. He was barely able to move an inch before an incredible pain tore through his chest.

He fell to the ground, his hands clutching at the scales of his chest. He had never felt anything like this. Every beat of his heart sent the throbbing pain through his chest. His clawed hand dug at the scar across his chest. It did nothing. This was not the source of his pain.

“Argh! What,” Spike groaned in pain, “What is this? Why does my chest hurt so much?”

With strain and effort, Spike managed to roll over to his stomach. The mist rolled over his as he lay there and panted. The mist was cold, too cold. It chilled him deep into his scales. He felt the chill of this place deeper and deeper, until he could feel it in his very soul. He cared not for such a chill. It shook him. With all his strength he lifted himself up. His arms outstretched before him and holding him up. He pulled his legs beneath him and threw his torso back.

“Aah!”

He screamed at last. One last jolt of pain shot through his chest. Heavy breaths, breaths only made through hard work and effort, fell from his mouth. He sat there on his knees for a moment. His eyes were closed and he just focused on himself. He focused on blocking out as much of the pain as he could manage. He focused on his breathing, his emotions. He had to remain calm. After a moment he slowly opened his eyes to survey his surroundings.

“Nothing but darkness,” Spike thought. “And this strange mist. Where am I? And how did I get here?”

He was right. All around him, in every direction. It was nothing but a dark, empty void. The only thing giving this place any sort of depth was the mist rolling along the floor. As Spike looked around him, his eyes carefully scanning for anything, something caught his attention. It was something in the mist. A shape? A figure? His searched for any more signs of it, but he lost it. The mist swirled and shifted, rolled and drifted all over. There was nothing that left any singular spot any different than any other. Another sudden flitter of something caught his eye. He saw it just out of the corner of his eye. And then another, from the opposite direction. He reached out for something, not knowing what might be reaching back for him. His grasp met nothing as he fell to his stomach.

“Wait,” He called out. “Wait!”

Another flitter spurred him to rise once again. He managed to get to his knees again. He lifted himself up to standing. Pain was throbbing beneath his scales, but he pushed forward. The pain wasn't as bad as it was just moments ago. He could at least walk and bear it.

He stepped forward a few steps. He was seeing things all around him. The mist was more than just drifting and shifting at this point. It moved with purpose. It rolled around him, by him, past him. It avoided him. The mist was alive. His head spun as he tried to get even a small glance at whatever was in the mist, yet all he got was nothing. Spike stumbled forward, growing ever more contemptuous of the mist. It was just mist. He shouldn't be having this much trouble with it. Why couldn't he see anything?

“Just show me already,” He shouted to anyone or anything that might hear him. “I'm tired of this. Just let me find what you're hiding already, you stupid fog.”

Spike's anger was beginning to rise. It had gone past irritation already. He knew full well he couldn't lash out against the mist. It was formless vapor. It would do no good. He could not hurt it. And so he searched in all directions, looking for something. Some clue as to where he was. Some hint as to what had happened to him. At the very least he could find something to hit. He felt like he had a lot of pent up energy ready to be released. He roared in frustration and at nothing in particular. His feelings almost blinded him to the fact that his chest was no longer hurting him. At least, he was no longer feeling it at the moment. He also, almost lost sight of the light that now shone down upon him.

“Hold up,” he thought as he noticed the light. He looked down at his hands, the sheen of his scales. There was light reflecting off them. He pushed his anger aside and looked up. A pillar of light shone down. He couldn't bear to stare straight into, not even for a second. He looked back down at his hands. “I know where I am,” he thought. “But how can I be here?” Spike looked around him. More pillars of light off in the distance. He sneered at them. He hated them. He growled.

“How can I be here,” He yelled and shouted. “This place isn't real. This is a nightmare created by the darkness, by Galeek. It's not real! I can't be here. I shouldn't be here!”

The anger in his voice was slowly dissolving into a panic. Spike knew where he was. It was place of nightmares and darkness where he foresaw the horrible things that would happen to the ones he cared about. The lights in the dark were filled with lies, or harsh truths. Spike spun around to turn his back to the pillars of light, even though he stood in one himself. His mind was not at ease as he saw several more when he turned. Closer than ever and with the mist purposefully drifting around them the pillars stood. Spike growled to himself as the mist rose up.

Slowly pulling itself up out of the mist was a dark, flat surface. Broken and jagged edges on all sides. It was as large as Spike's torso. And it wasn't alone. All around him broken shards rose up like an swarm. Hundreds of pieces hung in the air, higher than he could see at times. Each piece shimmered in the light of the pillars, but cast out no light in return. Spike watched them anxiously. What were they going to do?

He got his answer when they started moving. Slowly, at first, the broken shards drifted sideways. They moved from one pillar to another in a lazy, monotonous pattern. Spike watched as they moved. He kept his head moving from side to side. He was always turning around. He was watching, waiting. After moments upon moments he began to see things in the shards.

“What is this,” He asked himself. “What trick is being played on me this time?”

Flashes of images appeared in the shards. He could only see passing glances of them. Ponies of all kinds. Mares, stallions, fillies and colts. All were in the shards. Some were working at stands and shops. Some were sleeping peacefully in their beds. Some were standing guard by important looking doors. Some flashes didn't contain any ponies at all. Griffons flew threw the sky in some flashes. Some flashed were devoid of the living and only displayed locations. Empty shops and empty streets. Libraries with only books and dust in them. Spike couldn't understand what it all meant.

“What is this,” He growled. “What am I supposed to do with this, huh?”

The shards flew past him faster than before. The images were barely even flashes as each one blurred into the next. A dizzying array of colors encircled him. He roared out defensively. He wasn't sure what else to do. His heart was racing, bring back with it that pain from before. It beat against the scales of his chest like drums.

“NNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!”

That single scream shattered Spike's world. Immediately, gone was the rage that was rising higher and higher in him. Gone was the panic that was threatening to grip him tight. Gone were the shards that surrounded him with fleeting distractions. The fell from the air, sinking back down into the mist where they were before without so much as a noise from any of them. Gone were the pillars of light that shone down from nowhere and illuminated nothing. And gone was the darkness itself. Spike stepped towards the scream, knowing that had no way to be sure what made it. Yet, something about the scream called to him. It was strangely familiar to him, but he couldn't place why. So he simply moved after it with a new determination in his steps. He barely had to move at all before the mist parted before him. The mist rose up and fell back down again, parting like the pages of a book and letting Spike pass through. He could feel something, tugging at him as he passed through the mist, Something didn't want him to leave, but he had to. And so he stepped from the land of darkness and into the light.

=====

“NO! Back off!”

Several ponies had to dive out of the way to avoid being hit by the sporadic magical blasts. The pony who fired them struggled against her captors. Several pairs of hooves held down the pony, or tried to. Her body lurched with every passing moment. She showed a surprising amount of raw strength. Ponies were scrambling all around her. They were trying to avoid her horn, yet get a firm grip to hold her down. Meanwhile, one pony stood back and away from it all.

“I've never seen her like this,” Charmer said. Her normal tone of voice, sleek and alluring while being underhoofed was gone. Compassion and worry carried with her words now. She watched as her best friend lashed out once more. One of her hooves was loose. She struck out with it and sent two ponies to the floor, each of them strong earth ponies. In a desperate attempt to stop her thrashing one pony even tried to lay his body over hers. A quick, yet powerful blast from her horn stopped that. With more ease than any other being there Talon managed to get a grip on both her front hooves with one clawed hand. The other pinned them to her body in such a way that she couldn't use them. He put as much of his body weight as he dared onto her, but he didn't want to hurt her.

“'Ey, girl,” Talon called out to Charmer. “What happened out there?”

“The job went bad,” Was all Charmer could say. “The job went bad and she got hurt.”

“Obviously, but I ain't askin' for the obvious,” Talon remarked. “I asked what happened to her.”

“I don't know,” Charmer said. “She was hit by some kind of magic, I think?”

Talon wasn't able to say anything more. Runner had been using her small size to pin Shadow's head to the ground. However, her small size also made her very lightweight. One false step was made, and Runner was made into a flyer. Now Talon was having to avoid her angered magic. He couldn't. She sent out a massive wave of dark force in all directions. Every pony within a few paces of her was pushed back, and rather violently so.

“No,” Shadow screamed at no one. She shook her head. “Get away from me! Leave me alone!” She shot the floor around her a few times, but nothing was there.

“Calm down, child.”

The voice got her attention and now Shadow spun around to face this new voice. Ebony was approaching slowly. Her own horn held a soft glow to it.

“Calm yourself, child,” She half sung towards Shadow.

Calm yourself, Child, for the lowering light
The day is done. Time for it to drift away
Ease yourself, for there is more to come

Still yourself, Child, with the stars so bright
The moon rises, as the day slowly fades
Rest in your dreams now, with the setting sun

Sleep now, Child, on this beautiful night
Stars be with you, can you hear what they say
Peaceful slumber before a new days begun

Dream now, Child. Such a lovely sight
It's your world now, gallop and play
Sweet dreams, child, and your endless fun

Ebony's words rolled off her tongue like the sweetest of honey. Shadow eyes slowly closed as her faltering steps came to an end. She collapsed under the power of Ebony's spell, but she couldn't refute the fact that she also felt exhausted. The dark embrace of sleep overcame her and that's the last thing she remembered.

“Take her to my quarters now,” Ebony ordered a few of the closest ponies that weren't injured.

They rushed to obey and carried the now sleeping Shadow off to Ebony's quarters. Ebony stood there and watched them as they carried her up the stairs. She then turned back and looked around at the dining hall. It was a mess, to say the least. Broken tables and chairs lay in pieces everywhere. Dark marks from the cascade of spells that were cast stained the floor, the walls, and even a few on the ceiling. All around ponies were picking themselves up, or helping somepony else up. There were many injured. Thankfully, none of the injuries were anything worse than a sprained wing or hoof. Ebony sighed.

“I'm so sorry, Ebony. I should've done something.”

Ebony turned to face Charmer. “It's alright, Charmer. I cannot blame you for this unfortunate incident,” She said. “But you must tell me exactly what happened if I am to help her. Can you do that?”

“Of course,” Charmer said. “I don't like seeing her like that. What is happening to her?”

“I have an idea, but I need to hear what you have to say to know if I'm right,” Ebony told her. “Come now. Let's go and sit with Shadow. It is better if we speak there.”

Charmer turned and headed up the stairs. Ebony was right behind when she felt something. A sudden chill ran through her coat, and much deeper still. She turned quickly only to find no one there. She felt it again. It was right on top of her. She quickly stepped to the side and stared at the place she where just stood. Again, nothing. She felt the chill pass, but an unsettling familiarity brought on a new one.

“Everything alright, Boss,” Talon asked her.

“Yes, of course,” Ebony told him. “It seems my spell took a bit more out of me than I thought. Subduing a powerful pony like Shadow with just a sleep spell was tricky.”

“Good thing you did what ya did when ya did, Boss,” Talon said to her. “I've seen that kinda madness before. Never ended well then. Honestly, I don't know what you can do to help her now I ain't gotta lot hope for her.”

“I appreciate the honesty,” Ebony replied. “But Shadow will recover. She's simply too stubborn not to.”

“Now that I can believe,” Talon said with a light chuckle.

“Indeed,” Ebony walked off with a smile. The smile quickly faded, however, as she rushed to her quarters. She managed to save face with Talon, but something was not right down there. She felt something. She was willing to admit to herself that it gave her pause, but she was afraid of it. She wouldn't be until she knew what it was. The fact that it was here, in her home, and that she didn't know what it was. At the moment, that was what made her afraid.

=====

Spike was blinded by the light for a second. Everything was bright and shining. So much light. He squinted his eyes, waiting for them to adjust. He could make a few of the things around him. It was mostly blurry shapes with indistinct outlines. He took a few careful steps forward, away from the dark void he was just in. Some of the shapes in the light moved and shifted, some did not. Were they ponies? A ringing in his ears made left him unable to hear any of the potential voices. Slowly, little by little, the world came into focus. Everything was still brighter than staring into the sun, but he could tell the outlines of things more clearly. There was one thing, however, that wasn't so bright. A dark patch, moving fast and away from him.

He rushed after it, moving carefully around the shapes, both moving and not. The ringing in his ears had lessened down to dull tone, but he still couldn't hear much of anything. Formless murmurs and indistinguishable whispers. All of it quiet and at the same time loud. Were they talking about him? He had no way of knowing. He just continued following the dark patch.

He followed it up what he could only assume to be stairs. He was lead farther and farther in until finally it stopped. The world had become much clearer now, yet also less so. Details were emerging, defined and sharp. He could clearly make out what things were at a distance and the sounds he was hearing were identifiable, even voices. The problem was he had long since heard or seen anything of note. Occasionally he could make out something, but it was never close. The environment was nothing but corridors lined with doors. The dark patch he was following ended up being a pony being carried by two other ponies. They went up another flight of stairs and this brought them to what Spike assumed was a tower of some sort. No more doors, no long hallways. Just a single set of double doors leading to a room. The two ponies gently set the third down on a nearby padded bench. Spike approached.

His eyes clear now, he looked down. A mare, young and beautiful. She was sleeping. “Must be a deep sleeper,” Spike mused to himself. “if those two can carry you around without you waking up.”

Spike took the small moment of amusement but didn't let himself stray to far from his task. He was drawn here for some reason. From the most foreboding darkness to the brightest light. She was the only thing to stand out. Who was she?

“Why are you so important,” Spike thought. He knelt down next to her. Only afterwards did he realize two other ponies were there with him. He looked over his shoulder at them. One was fiddling with a key ring and the other was standing next to him. They talked back and forth, but the one without the key ring was most definitely looking directly at him, or the mare. They spoke as if Spike wasn't there at all.

“They can't see me,” Spike thought. “What is going on?”

Spike stared back at the mare on the bench. Her coat was naturally dark, but it seemed unnatural to Spike. His scaled hand hovered just above her, shaking. He was nervous. He had fought monsters in his past but he was nervous to touch this mare. He didn't know where he was, how he got here, and at that moment he was beginning to question what he was. He reached down and placed a gentle hand on her neck, brushing away a few strands of her mane. She shuddered under his touch. Her tail twitched strongly before going back to hanging off the side of the bench. Spike's gazed traveled across her body.

She was young, but very fit. She was tall and thin, but healthily defined. For a Unicorn he could see she had some well defined muscles that supported her frame. Her coat was marred, though, from what he could see. Sweat and dust mattered her coat in layers. Dark lines crossed her body, coming from her chest. He couldn't see it clear enough, but he could assume they were scars. It reminded of him of his own scar on his chest. Her cutie mark caught his eye next.

“Why does that seem so familiar to me,” He thought. “What does it mean?”

Spike spent a little too long looking at her cutie mark. He finally pulled himself away and turned back to face her, only to jump. His head turned to look back at her face. Instead, he found her staring directly at him. Her head was up, her eyes were open, and she was staring right at him. Her body shook under his hand. Her lips quivered and a certain amount of shock was present in her eyes. Spike fell back in shock of his own. It faded fast, however, as he looked up into her eyes.

“Star Shadow,” Spike whispered.

“You're here,” Star Shadow said under her breath. “You're here.”

She closed her eyes tightly and shook her head. She wanted to shake the very image of him out of her head. He couldn't be here. She knew that. He was gone. He couldn't be here, so why was she seeing him?

“Star Shadow,” Spike said. He crawled back over to her. He placed a hand on her again, the loving hand of a father. “I'm here.”

Comments

[Love able chaos]

So Spike died and became soul bound with his daughter?

[Korasoki1993]

is this story gonna revive anytime soon?

[Gear BP]

10228925
I think it's dead sadly.

[Korasoki1993]

11480530
Lol I completely forgot about this story until you replied to my comment from 2 years ago. Nice to know that you're still alive and kicking.

[Gear BP]

11481938
I'M not dead yet lol. I have a tone of stories to get through yet thats why I'M still here.

[Korasoki1993]

11482036
Ah the good motivation of not done yet. My mom has a dog that's 18 years old and we're pretty sure it's still alive due to spite and crankiness.

[Gear BP]

11482068
sounds like typical old age to me. you get to a point where you don't die just because you wanna spite some one else.