The World Weaver
Fluttershy took a deep breath in, holding it for as long as it was comfortable, before letting it out with a soft sigh. She breathed in again, this time through her nose, trying to slow the pumping of her blood through her veins as she let this breath out as well. Swallowing hard, she repeated, breathing in deeply, feeling her lungs fill and her chest broaden, then, facing her fears, she allowed the air to escape her, imagining herself breathing out the fear and paranoia from within her. She could do this, she could face what was coming, what there was going to be very, very soon.
“Hey, you don’t have to follow me, you don’t have to come to the Harkening,” Ray’s voice assured her as a hand gently rested on her head.
Opening her eyes, she stared at the entrance to Tartarus, the doorway into the prison of the most evil and monstrous beings in Equestria past and present. Behind that gate was everypony else’s worst nightmares, terrifying beasts that had ravaged the world, tyrants with unspeakable power, and being beyond understanding. If only that was what she was afraid of, something so simple as a monster that would eat ponies like her for fun. If only the truth behind why she was here, the reason that she could hear her heartbeat like it was thunder, was something everypony else understood. If only they knew that if Ray was upholding his promise, it meant that soon he would be gone, across the sea and potentially dying for them all.
Fluttershy breathed in deeply, keeping her eyes open, looking up to the human with a determined stare as she let it out, assuring him, “I’m ready.”
Ray hesitated for a moment longer, searching her eyes for any signs that she might retreat from the idea at the last moment, but he didn’t even realize why she hated this moment either. He was ignorant in perhaps the worst way, not even realizing that what he was doing, contradicting his own character to provide her with what she wanted in spite of his own wants, was exactly why she now dreaded this trip. Sweet Celestia, why did she have to open her big mouth and ask him to bring her down to Tartarus, to the Harkening? Wasn’t it enough to just have him apologize and swear to do better no matter how dire it was? Apparently not, because here she was, watching Ray reach to the cold stone and run his fingers along the figures graven into the doorway to Tartarus.
Suddenly, light enveloped her, unbelievably bright and warm, as if a summer day had manifested physically into her very eyes. She gasped at the light show as orbs of the pure white warmth suddenly began to hover all around the two of them, until suddenly, it was all gone, replaced by darkness. The warmth was immediately dissipated as they were brought into the holds of Tartarus, the humid cold of the cavern cutting off the blissful experience swiftly. As soon as she felt the ground beneath her hooves, she sensed it, the terrible evils that lay here, the sadness and loneliness that the banished faced. Darkness itself had its grip here, and Fluttershy felt it coldly.
“Why did we come this way,” she asked the human as he began to nonchalantly walk down the narrow path. She looked around warily, unable to see the roof of the cavern or the bottom of it, only the cages that held hidden monsters. “Wouldn’t it have been easier and quicker to use the wayport down to the Harkening?”
Ray noted where she was looking at, before solemnly answering, “It’s best to remind you of who else is down here, and why its first pony inhabitants deserved to be among them. That is how everyone else is introduced to the Harkening. Its name isn’t without purpose, you know. The Fallen, the Princesses… heck, even me… we all want others to harken back to why there are so many of us damned to this place and what we need to do to leave it. Like everything else in Tartarus, the Fallen were an evil force sent away to never harm Equestria again.” Ray paused, staring down into the darkness almost forlornly. “Maybe the redemption of the Fallen will prove that there is no way to be truly evil, just lost.”
Smiling at the human, Fluttershy stepped forward, resting a hoof against his knee gently. “You and your ponies have already proven your true character,” she told him, her forehead coming to rest against the side of his leg as well. “Equestria knows who you truly are.”
“Yes, well, we don’t, so good on them,” Ray responded sharply, causing Fluttershy to jerk away, stung. Instantly, Ray’s palm smacked against his cheek, and continued to wipe down his face. “Sorry, Fluttershy, ignore that. Dark thoughts have a tendency to become words down here. I know you want to try to help me by talking through this with me, but trust me, the silence of Tartarus is where the healing truly happens, not through conversation. Besides, I don’t think you'll like talking much on the elevator.”
“The elevator,” she questioned, cocking her head to the side. Ray winced as he nodded, simply gesturing for her to follow him. Understanding suddenly the dread and solemnity of the motion, Fluttershy moved quickly to obey, practically dashing to his heels as she warily glanced around. Many of the cages seemed to be devoid of life, empty, craggy stone and steel that held nothing but darkness. The few that were inhabited were of strange creatures that didn’t seem to be dangerous behind the bars of their cages, save for the strange glint in their eyes that suggested otherwise. Deciding it better to not stare, she looked to the ground instead, following Ray’s feet to something near the center of the path.
A large stone platform jutted out of the side of the path, hanging over the cloudy darkness below. Swallowing, she realized this must be the elevator as Ray stepped onto it. He reached for a strange rectangle that stuck up from the side of the elevator, a simple set of buttons and some dials were the only decoration on it. The human glanced down to her before he turned the knob all the way down and pressed a button, the platform instantly beginning to move. Ray casually stepped over the small gap between the path and the slab, Fluttershy following suit hurriedly. As soon as they both were on, the speed of the elevator accelerated, though not to a speedy degree.
A single hoof-sized crystal lit their journey down into the depths of Tartarus, and within seconds she felt the darkness wrap around them. They were in the middle of the broad cavern now, the walls, roof, and ground concealed from them in the dark, feeling as if they were miles away. Fluttershy shuddered at the thought of being stuck here alone, with only the light allowing her to see some distance while whatever may be out there stared back without her knowing. She unconsciously took a step back, bumping into Ray as she did so.
“Woah, easy there,” Ray warned as he rebalanced himself. “Falling this height would be lethal for me.
R-right,” the mare nodded, staring into the depths of darkness. Another shudder rocked her, vibrating against Ray’s leg. “It’s just…”
“Scary, I know,” Ray replied, staring calmly out into the misty darkness. “Sometimes I wonder who and what is staring back at me, wishing it was them on this platform, in the ample light. I wonder if they deserved the darkness they were condemned to, if what they did was enough to take away the sun from them. However, I know firsthand some of the things down here are not the kind or forgivable type. It’s very faint, but you can hear the screaming and growling of some of those beasts far away. Most of the time it’s covered up by the sound of the wind blowing through.”
Fluttershy strained her ears, and indeed faintly, she heard those animals calling out to her, though not in the screams that Ray had described. She could hear something- no, someone- calling out to her from across the divide, someone who was shouting a whisper out to her. Squinting, attempting to see the disembodied voice she couldn’t quite understand, she leaned over the edge of the slab. It was out there, whoever they were, and it was attempting to get their attention. Frowning, Fluttershy spread her wings, preparing to launch, when suddenly Ray’s hand was resting on her back.
“What the heck do ya think you’re doing,” he hissed, his eyes scanning the surrounding darkness fearfully.
“I was… I was going to follow one of the voices,” she responded, glancing between him and the darkness. “There’s someone out there who wants to help us. We’ve got to go find them and see what they mean.”
“Fluttershy, there is nothing out there but darkness and monsters, and I know you can understand them, but that doesn’t make them any less dangerous,” he warned harshly. “Skalos told me about some of the things down here that share the depths with them. They were some of the largest and hungriest monsters to roam Equestria before the Princesses, huge beasts that snacked on entire villages and leveled mountains. There were tricksters and mind benders too, ones that wanted only to consume and control. They don’t want to help; they just want another victim.”
“But the voice is soft and helpless, Ray, and I can barely hear it,” Fluttershy argued. “Whatever it is, it's weak and can’t hurt me, even if it tried. I can tell.”
“It’s a trick, Fluttershy, a deception to get you closer to it and to harm you,” he stubbornly stated. “We can’t risk losing ourselves to the unknown down here, because the unknown, the darkness, wants us to become lost. I’ve made this trip plenty of times to know that there is no possible way whatever you’re hearing is something to be calm about. Ignore it, force it out of your head. It’s safer like that.”
“You're not listening,” she countered, pointing out into the depths of the black underworld. “Not to me, and not to it. You have to trust me on this one. We have to go and find it and discover why it’s calling.”
“And how do you propose I follow you to this unknown voice,” Ray questioned, pointing to the empty space on his back.
“You’ll have to let me go alone,” she responded without thinking.
Instantly, Ray’s face darkened, his jaw setting as he crossed his arms, brows furrowing as he said, “You know that isn’t an option. I can’t let you simply leave the elevator to go find some mysterious voice that’s calling to you from the darkness.”
“Then I guess you won’t let me leave,” she answered coolly. Without a second thought, she stepped sideways, plummeting off the elevator even as Ray leapt to grab her, missing by a hair’s breadth.
“No no no no, Fluttershy, listen to me,” he cried from the platform, still attempting to reach her, but that was the last she heard as the rushing air was suddenly caught in her wings, causing her to suddenly lift into the air from the drag. Momentum and gravity coincided to let her shoot across the open cavern air, slicing through the dark cloud determinedly towards the calling voice. In an instant, all of the light was gone, her eyes attempting to adjust, but having no light at all, simply leaving her in darkness.
Letting a breath out, she allowed the voice to guide her as it rapidly began to become more and more clear. “Come hither, child of magic, come hither,” it called softly. No, she called softly. The beckoning voice was feminine, but very old, and incredibly wise. “Posthaste, child. The time draws near when your mortal brother reaches Absolution’s cold premonitions. My assistance is required in this mortal conflict for the eternal conflicts to begin.”
“What do you mean,” she shouted into the darkness. “I don’t understand.”
“The arbitrary lines of mortality grow dim, existence aging these concepts and loosening them. The headlong flight of dimensions shifting has opened a voidfull rift into Absolution’s well. The ending of this conflict is one and punctual. Ensure you live to see it.”
Fluttershy came to a halt at those words, the hint of amused warning in the voice the only sign of the wall she was about to collide into with her hasty flight. Panting slightly in exertion, she stared at the stony face, only able to see it thanks to a slight tint of light provided by moss. Squinting at her surroundings, she realized the faintest gray light covered the surface of any stone, spindly moss surviving in the cracks in the stony faces of rock. Frowning at the ground beneath her, she slowly brought herself down, looking around warily.
“Fear will not aide your survival here, child,” the voice warned, now very close to Fluttershy. The mare shuttered and glanced around, unable to tell if it had come from in front of or behind her. “Child, my creations require you alive, rather than be passed on mortally. Fear not darkness. It is merely the absence of light.”
“Where are you,” she asked, suddenly feeling more frightened than when she had looked out over the dark. “Why can’t I see you?”
“You have no need to see me child, for I see you. The grand mystique of this petulant prison is only of mortal construct, an illusion of imprisonment. Here, the mind is truly freed and allotted the time required to work through the enigmatic creations of we cosmetic welders.”
“I don’t understand, why did you call me, then,” Fluttershy asked the surrounding blackness, desperately searching for the source of the voice. “I need to see you to understand you and trust you.”
“That is merely your own mind confining itself to a mortal’s ambitions, child, but if it eases you, it would be most amusing to reveal myself, though valuable time may be lost to your mortal reaction to such things,” the voice calmly responded.
Suddenly, the ground around her shook as a great scratching sound caused her to crinkle down and cover her ears, eyes wide as suddenly the gray lines of sinewy moss moved upwards and away. A large form suddenly was standing before her, the wall she thought she had been staring at suddenly staring back with eight, ruby red eyes, each the size of her head. Fluttershy’s jaw dropped as she stared into the face of the large, spider-like creature, large mandibles mere inches from her but nearly as long as she. The area suddenly began to glow distinctly as the body of the spider moved away from where it had been laying, revealing a massive web of glowing white silk that lit up the cavern and horrendous spider around it.
Instantly, Fluttershy’s jaw began to quiver at the sight of such a large creature, one almost a hundred times the size of Celestia stood over her, its head level with her body yet still looming over her. Its legs were extended to what seemed to be miles away, long hairs poking out that were half the size of the hapless pegasus. The spider seemed keenly interested in the miniscule pony, its head tilted ever so slightly to the side as its eight eyes stared into Fluttershy’s very soul. Realizing it was useless to do anything, she plopped down into a sitting position, overwhelmed by the massive creature that had revealed itself to her.
Slowly, one of its massive feelers reached out towards her, causing the poor pony to squeeze her eyes shut and jerk her head sideways, bracing for the end. She felt the hairs of the arachnid against her own equine, rough, yet somehow soft, like grass, brushing across her cheek carefully. However, instead of pulling her towards the ginormous mandibles of the spider, it reached slightly higher, gently patting itself against her head in an almost loving manner. Opening her eyes, looking up at the face of the spider, she saw the tiniest amount of joy and care in the red orbs, something she had never expected to see in even common garden spiders.
“Fear, child, is a useless emotion. I would never hurt a child of magic, nor an Element of Harmony. The balance you bring to this feeble world enables my sustained existence upon this mortal plain and expands my understanding of the philosophies of mortals. Curious that one such as you fears one such as I, whose powers and might are unknown to you, but who knows to whom I address.” The large spider head nodded in agreement to her own words, the feeler retracting as she muttered, “Strange you are indeed, child. Stranger still, though, your companion. Orphaned from the cosmos, without any birthright. I should like to meet him very much.”
“W-w-w-wait, w-what… What are you,” Fluttershy dared ask, her neck straining as she looked up to the topmost eyes.
The head looked back down at her befuddled, as if unexpectant of the question. “Queer that mortals forget power such as majestic as my own so quickly, but remember the meaningless conjurings of their own for centuries. I am the Matriarch, or the World Weaver as I was once called by your eldest ancestors. You may simply call me Gahslyconalislhum, if it pleases you.”
Fluttershy blinked, dumbfounded by the spider’s words, genuinely at a loss for words by what all she was experiencing. She had never heard of the Matriarch or the World Weaver before, and as such, had never even realized that this creature had once roamed Equestria’ surface. The concept was so alien to her, that trying to imagine what the Matriarch must have looked like in broad daylight only served to dumbfound her even more. Noting the confusion on the mare’s face, the spider’s head rotated again as she sighed, “Twenty-three thousand years and mortal humor is still a lost art to one such as I. How humiliating. Oh well, many thousands more to come, if the plan is completed by my approximations.”
“Th-th-the plan,” Fluttershy stammered questioningly. Shaking her head, feeling dizzy, she giggled, “I don’t have a plan.”
“Well of course not, child, you never would have realized you needed one if it wasn’t for me,” the spider exclaimed incredulously. “The World Weaver’s eyes are hardly ever dimmed, but some two thousand years ago, I came to the realization that I needed some time to make devoid the distractions of my mortal cousins. I came here, to the realm of damned souls and trapped bodies to clear the muddled corners of my mind and reassess. It’s a fortunate thing that I did, elsewise creation itself may have been halted entirely in a short time from now. It may still be regardless, but it is scarcely my concern now.”
“What are you talking about,” Fluttershy asked, still unable to understand a single thing the large being was speaking of. “Creation itself?”
“Hm, child, you are not the plan, simply the path by which it occurs. I have watched and sensed you, your emotions and purpose fulfilled time and time again in the minute wars of Harmony and its opposition. You have proven yourself an indispensable ally of peace, however, your contributions to the cosmos are… inconsequential, unfortunately. I know the feeling of being obsolete, and would not wish that upon any mortal, thus, I turned to you as the source by which my freedom came to pass. Lo and behold, here you are, child. As with all that I have envisaged, you are a fulfillment, promise, and covenant all in one.”
“You… you made me want to come here, to Tartarus, and you made me come to you… to free you,” Fluttershy slowly pieced together, ducking her head away in shame. “Ray was right, you are just a mindbender who wants to use me to break free of Tartarus. I was stupid to doubt him.”
“Not foolish, child, but wise,” the Matriarch corrected, reaching out a feeler and lifting the mare’s head with it. “The Cosmos’ Orphan is a strong-willed and hardheaded individual, capable of many things, but comprehending his worth was still beyond him when he arrived. You were the path by which his eternal journey has begun.”
“Wait, you’re talking about Ray,” the pegasus exclaimed, stepping backwards. “Ray is here to save us ponies from the minotaurs, not to help fulfill some divine plan!”
“Yes, the reason for which he brought here is mortal, but the reason he stays is seraphic. You, however, will know not of the plan’s face until the map of all eternity unfolds before you. In this regard, you will be blind until the time you watch your and your own’s destiny play out in front of omnipotence. Your Ray will become the stabilizing force on which this solitary universe shall balance, and you, the catalyst to allow me to assist in his goal.”
“I still don’t understand,” Fluttershy protested.
“Do not worry, child, for you never will, not until the day passes when the plan is fulfilled and the map is closed,” the Matriarch assured her. “Until that time, your only purpose will be to bring me to the Cosmos’ Orphan so that I may provide my physical power to the realms of battle which he shall fight in. An ally such as I should accelerate his efforts and provide him an equal chance against the force he would presume to defeat.”
“That’s, that’s kind of you, I think,” Fluttershy attempted, earning a rapid clicking sound from the Matriarch, her large mandibles vibrating together in laughter.
“While I may not have much care for mortals beyond that of amusement from their qualms, great beings such as I do feel emotions the same as our mortal cousins. Love for this world and the cosmos is what stems my actions, not search for dominion and control. Only the wily and young of immortals seek such trivial paraphernalia. I have long ago discovered I could conquer this world within a day’s time, and as such have no need to, for what I can do is not a challenge to one such as I. What I can’t do intrigues me, and what is beyond me I attempt to reach,” the Matriarch explained, bemused. “Perhaps, if all immortals thought alike, there would be no need for immortality or mortality, simply life, but alas, agency robs us the opportunity, but grants us all others.”
“I may never understand exactly what you’re saying,” Fluttershy admitted, “but I can understand that you’re a friend. Ray will know everything you mean to say to him. The only real question is how we get to him from here.”
“Well, as I have only confined myself here by my own will, I have had the luxury of physical freedom for whenever my legs wish to wander with my mind. There isn’t a part of these depths that are foreign to me, even the Harkening, though I forbid myself from interference there for fear of ruining the peace those poor, foolish souls have briefly found. Aside from the random vacuous and inept escapee that I feed upon, there is very little communication between I and the others. Even Tirek had no clue my eyes had searched his evil body for the semblance of a soul when I was scarcely a hair away from him.”
“So, you know how to get to Ray,” Fluttershy concluded. “That’s wonderful, but unfortunately I can’t see in the dark, and without you guiding me, I might hurt myself like I almost did.”
“Fear not, child, for you can simply ride on my fovea,” the Matriarch replied cheerfully, lowering her head and shaking the upper part of her abdomen to indicate the position. “Your quaint size will hardly hinder me at all. It would be phenomenal if I even noticed you while I moved.”
“Okay, if you’re sure about this,” the pegasus muttered unsurely. She stared at the patch of fuzzy exoskeleton warily for a moment before noticing the almost eager joy in the eight eyes of the spider. Letting out a breath, imagining herself breathing out her fears, she opened up her wings and lifted off the ground, briefly hovering through the air before landing on the indicated spot. Forcing herself not to shudder at the ticklish hairs of the spider, she settled herself on the spot, sitting down just in time for the Matriarch to launch forward, her long legs spanning hundreds of spans forward and carrying them across the rugged wall. As soon as they were off the small ledge, the tilted practically vertical to the ground, causing Fluttershy to need to grasp onto the Matriarchs back to stay on, but as soon as she had settled herself where she was, they were suddenly level again and traveling across the bottom of the cavern, toward a distant, yet distinctly familiar light.
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Ray cursed again, slamming the base of his spear into the ground as he continued through the darkness, roughly towards the area where he thought he had seen Fluttershy flying. He had no clue of knowing now, as it had taken at least another ten minutes to reach the bottom of Tartarus, in which time the pegasus could have easily been killed in a hundred different ways. He was so stupid to have brought her here, especially this way, using the actual entrance instead of the wayport. Another curse escaped him as he stubbed his toes on an unseen rock, the pitch black concealing his pair. How he expected to find Fluttershy in a light level similar to the darkest reaches of space, he had no clue, but he had to try.
Wiping away sweat, he glanced behind him, making sure he was still perfectly in line with the distant crystal light of the elevator. He didn’t know exactly from how far away he would be able to see it, but as soon as he lost sight of it, he knew he would have to head back. Gritting his teeth at the possibility of losing Fluttershy to Tartarus of all things, he forced those thoughts to the back of his head, focusing instead on his surroundings. While he couldn’t see anything for the life of her, he could hear plenty well the distant sounds of screeching and clicking, though thankfully they didn’t seem to be intensifying. Gripping his kharamh tightly, he pointed it out into the darkness, using it as his unseen guide to prevent him from running headlong into anything.
Moving forward as quickly as he could, he soon found himself stepping through something that was both damp and sticky. Fearing the worst, he bent low, looking around him as if he could see in an attempt to ward off potential unforeseen enemies. Reaching down while keeping his head up, he felt the substance, realizing it was only a patch of moss formed from what must have been moisture trapped in the stones. Sighing in relief that it wasn’t anything worse, he slowly stood again and continued to move forward, diligently checking each step along the way. After another hundred, he turned to look back.
Cursing profusely under his breath, he searched for the light, but by now, he had lost it. Holding back the urge to shout another stream of foul words, he simply picked his feet back up and began sprinting straight backwards, hoping beyond hopes he hadn’t somehow gotten himself turned around in the darkness. After a hundred steps straight, there was no sign of the light, and with the running becoming louder and louder as he pushed himself to find the light, the more paranoid he became. Something out here was listening, he could tell, searching for him, following the sound of his footsteps.
Coming to an abrupt stop, feeling the eyes of countless monsters held within the depths of Tartarus on him from all sides, he crouched low. Holding his kharamh up level to his face, he turned looking around him from all sides, straining to see where the foe was. Growling softly as he felt the pressure rise with his heartbeat, he jerked his head left and right, desperately searching the blackness for anything. Finally, deciding he had to be the one to make the move, he let out a ferocious shout and lunged forward, slicing through the dark air around him with the hook and spearhead alike, looking for any purchase.
Finally wearing himself out after several minutes of engaging the darkness, he came to a stop, panting furiously. His jaw set hard, he reestablished a stance, gripping the kharamh with both of his hands. If that display hadn’t attracted the attention of the prisoners that he knew were nearby, then most likely they were dead or too lost at this point to be a danger. Still, he had to maintain this stance, if not for defense, then for show, to show that he would not give into this darkness. Glaring into the black, he slowly began to back away, towards where he could only now assume the elevator was.
Suddenly, he felt himself bump into something very large, and very, very hairy. Jumping away while also whirling his weapon around, he moved to strike whatever it was when his weapon was wrenched from hands by an unseen and incredibly powerful force. Freezing where he was, he stared into the black where the hairy wall had been, unable to see anything. Then, as if whatever it was had read his thoughts, a bright white light suddenly flashed out from in front of him. Shouting in surprise, temporarily blinded by the flash of light in the dark, Ray lifted his arms to cover his eyes as he stumbled backwards.
As soon as his eyes had adjusted to the new light, he knew there was not much it would help him with. Staring upwards, he found himself facing what he could only describe as a massive tarantula, its eight red eyes glaring down at him from a head larger than he stood. Letting out a soft sigh of discontent, he raised his spear, preparing himself to most likely be eaten by the massive arachnid. At the very least, he was going to make this spider hurt.
Before he could charge however, the spider tilted its head sideways, its mandibles clicking together in a distinctly amused way as it hissed into the darkness. Unable to understand what the hiss meant, he took the opportunity to take a small step backwards, watching the enormous head for any sign of hostile movement.
“Yes, he does have a tendency to fight instead of flee,” a very welcome and familiar voice agreed from somewhere behind the spider, answering an unheard response. Without any warning, Fluttershy suddenly landed in front of him, the light from behind the spider illuminating everything save her face. Tightening his grip on his kharamh, uncertain about if the mare he was staring at was actually the Fluttershy he had entered Tartarus with, he took another step back.
“Fluttershy, what’s going on,” he asked carefully, treading lightly on his own words. “What’s going on?”
The mare looked up suddenly with a sheepish smile, the light finally illuminating her cream face and pink mane. “Ray, don’t be afraid. This is the Matriarch, and she’s a friend. She wants to help with the war.”
Ray narrowed his eyes, squinting at the pegasus’ face for any signs of abnormal behavior or anything to suggest the mare wasn’t the Element of Kindness. “I don’t understand, Fluttershy. This spider wants to help me?”
“Perhaps it’s best if I explain myself, child,” a wise, ancient voice suddenly called from behind Fluttershy. Ray felt his eyes widen as the Matriarch carefully stepped over the mare, leaning its head down so that one of its eight ruby eyes was level with his head. “I am the Matriarch, the World Weaver as some have called me, and the Mother of Monstrosities as others have called me. I have been around since the first life on this plane, though I was merely the common offspring of a much greater being to begin with, as with you. For two thousand years, I have confined myself to these depths, to meditate on the plan laid out before me and you and have come to realize the value of your mortal time here, Orphan of the Cosmos.”
“Orphan,” Ray questioned, leaning in towards the Matriarch’s face, furious. “I have a family here.”
“Yes, indeed, you have found yourself roots in this otherworldly soil, but being an orphan is not your mortal status, but your ethereality. You come from a universe and world dissimilar from Equestria, and with it, have severed the connection to all other universes. An isolated individual from distant realms and allocated presence here, in this arcanic freeland. You are a homeless nomad who has traveled unwillingly across the dimensions, leaving you without your true home world and true species. Thus, the Cosmos’ Orphan you have become.”
“So you intend to insult me until you join my cause,” Ray spat, looking the Matriarch up and down.
“These are not insults, but misunderstood achievements,” the Matriarch explained patiently. “You are no longer leashed to the world you called home, nor are you bound by the laws of this world you find yourself presiding over. You are truly the freest of creatures in these cosmos, for there are none save you who are unbound from the flowings of the ethereal strand. Do you see it?”
“Yes, I think I understand,” Ray nodded in sudden realization. This thing, the Matriarch was obviously much older, wiser, and smarter than he ever would be, which made her equally informative and out of touch with what she was explaining to him. “But why do you want to help with a war between mortals when you have obviously seen so many pass before you.”
“Honestly, lordling, do you need to ask such a question?” Ray gasped, stepping back in surprise as he dropped his kharamh, the moniker given to him by the Fallen sounding alien from the Matriarch. “If you are involved with this conflict, if the tearing of the weaving of the world and a disruption in the flow of the universe is required for this mortal qualm, then by all accounts it must also involve the culmination of immortal, mortal, and ethereal beings.”
The head leaned in very closely to Ray, some of the Matriarchs hairs touching his own as it whispered harshly to him, “Why you are the centripetal force behind the movements of the cosmos are still unknown to me, but those in the void, the masters of Equestria, do know. I may never find out, but I will serve their grand purpose by assisting you in the field of this mortal conflict. By giving you the chance to move beyond this frivolous conflict, it will allow you to truly save those who matter to you, and allows me to serve my masters.” The large arachnid paused for a moment contemplatively, twisting its head to where Fluttershy had finally emerged from behind it. “Perhaps they will allow us insight into the map of eternity beyond the plan.”
“How…” Ray questioned, falling into a sitting position, overcome by everything the Matriarch had revealed. “How can there be so much more to this than I ever knew, and more than Twilight ever intended? I don’t understand how you could know all of this.”
“Lordling, the first threads were sewn by me and created the world of Equestria long before the ponies or minotaurs or other inhabitants existed. I was one of the four first mortals to ever be created by those Aspects Twilight the Princess of Friendship informed you of. After your slaying of Tirek, I am the last of them to remain alive, the wisest of them and the most careful. With the time I have been granted upon this plane, I have amassed the knowledge of my creators and even seen beyond their voidfull veil, glancing at the map of eternity for the briefest of moments and understanding nigh none of it but the plan, this plan. With the reign of chaos and bloodshed of two thousand years ago, I had to conceal myself from the world in the safest of places so that I may be of use to you when the time came. Now the time has come for me to reveal myself to this world and remind my creators of their last prophet. Now is the time for you to fulfill the destiny placed before you, planned for but shattered by your arrival.”
“I’m the point on which all of the universe pivots, then,” Ray slowly concluded, hollow from the realization. “Everything I do now and onwards, everything I have done, will decide what occurs next.”
“Yes, and with your resistance to the Spectre and its wishes, it seems you are properly equipped for the obstreperous conflict of the Aspects,” the Matriarch encouraged. “To meet you in the flesh as well, to have your lance pointed to my eyes, ready to fight me in spite of your lilliputian size compared to my grandiose, to see the fire in your eyes and soul…” The Matriarch trailed off, simply staring as Fluttershy glanced back and forth between the two. Finally, the Matriarch finished, “Well, I must say that I am simply lacking the description for you I am looking for, consummate one.”
Running a hand through his hair while loosely grabbing his kharamh from the floor with his other hand, he muttered, “This is all so much more than I could have ever expected. I mean, I’m talking to a giant spider who’s thousands of years old. I… am I ready?”
“Ray, all that you fear is what makes you the candidate the cosmos desired, and all that you do not fear makes you the candidate that mortals require. The balance within you is upheld firmly on your own conscience, of which, like unto the rest of you, is in the best of conditions for such characteristics. You may never feel ready or worthy, but all sides of the veil dictate that you are. You needn’t not fear the dangers you face, for the time will never come that you are alone in your conflict.” Then, with a bit of smugness, the Matriarch added, “Besides, with a mammoth monster such as myself backing your cause, what need do you have to truly fear?”
“Fair enough,” Ray answered with a laugh, glancing over to where Fluttershy was standing patiently, watching the two of them talking without complaint. “She can’t understand us, can she?” Seeing approval from the Matriarch, he allowed himself, “I guess I was right that you were a powerful and dangerous creature trying to get her to release you, but I was wrong on why. I’m not sure I’m mad at her anymore, knowing that she found you of all creatures and beings down here. But don’t tell her I said any of that.”
“True danger has long feared to walk these caverns, for while Cerberus guarded the doorway, I was the true keeper of peace within Tartarus. Any and all dangers that failed to respect me or my dominion were… appetizers for my hunger. Alas, those tales are hardly entertaining and are for another time, when we can afford to share them. I believe that it’s about time for you to introduce me to General Skalos and inform him of his second army.”
Ray let out a laugh, a full belly one that echoed in the dark lit up by the spindles of the World Weaver. “While you are a powerful ally and undoubtedly large, I think it’s a bit of a stretch to call yourself a whole second army!”
“Oh, lordling, you mustn’t have realized it,” the Matriarch chided sarcastically. Suddenly, a sound, soft and distant, almost unnoticed through the conversation, began to be louder. After only a few more seconds, Ray could scarcely hear anything but the scraping, scuttling sound that echoed through the depths of Tartarus. With a gasp, he watched as hundreds, then thousands, then hundreds of thousands of ruby eyes were suddenly illuminated by the bright light of the World Weaver’s silk as they approached. “A matriarch is nothing without her myrmidons.”
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This is an interesting development, love to see more and where this goes!
11326227
I see, did I miss his age being mentioned somewhere? Though that also dose help to explain his current emotional stability as well, combined with the off the charts stress level his family life would bring
Me: and so I feel that Ray two more allies even if he defeats the mentors you still have to face your true evil and no I feel like at the end he will perish it will have a smile knowing that he fulfilled what he swore to protect
11326319
Perhaps, but the true question is the nature of the Matriarch. After all, we have seen that her loyalties are to a higher power, and she is only interested in helping in this conflict to quicken it. The question is, if she wants Ray's war to end quickly so he can serve her master, who is her master?
11326317
I believe it's mentioned in Chapter 2,3, or 6. I can't remember which exactly, but he starts this story young.
11326900
Very interesting but when I was reading one of the
Chapters I came across a relatable thing I mean when Ray Said (you either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain) I do feel like this is going to be very important later on in the chapters
11327174
Ah, well, you see, I can't say much because it will spoil it, but let's just say I've left a hundred or more little crumbs throughout the story for you to dissect and to hint at the future of the story, cuz Imma be real, I'm terrible with spoilers...
11327381
In the many things that I was thinking I have come across this song and playing The narrative of the story it seems fitting to hear this while reading
https://youtu.be/HsM_VmN6ytk
Come into my parlor said the spider to the fly.
I don't know if this matriarch character is one you created or not but as the fallen are like the army of wraiths this matriarch seems to be like Shelob.
11763727
Neither the Matriarch nor the Fallen were inspired by the LOTR, though it is interesting the similarities my story has with them. The two were actually inspired by art to Carbon Maestro's Derpy & Carrot Top playlist. First song here