Throne of the Rot Queen

by Mystic Mind

Epilogue

“Dear Princess Luna.
Please meet me in Griffonstone post-haste. We must discuss a matter of utmost urgency.”

Of all the creatures Princess Luna had expected to receive a letter from, Discord wasn’t one of them. If she were honest, she still felt somewhat uneasy being around him, given their history. In her mind, she had accepted Discord’s reformation, but her heart still clung to the same old scraps of resentment, no matter how much she rationalised it.

She would have dismissed this as another of Discord’s pranks, were it not for the straightforward and frank nature of the letter. Rarely, if ever, did he ever get right to the point – no riddles, no jokes, just the straight facts.

But why Griffonstone, of all places? Aside from the trouble the education regulators had given Twilight’s school, the griffons were peaceful allies, keeping themselves to themselves beyond the occasional friendship student.

Still, she did as Discord asked. She doubted he would ask her to come all the way to Griffonstone without a very good reason. So, she organised a private train to take her most of the way, leaving the night after she received the letter. It took her a few hours to fly from the nearest station, but accounted for it, arriving in Griffonstone just before Sunrise.

Upon her arrival, Discord manifested himself in front of the old castle ruins. Already, a small crowd was gathering, curious to see what business the Princess of the Night had with the legendary Draconequs.

“Discord. It’s been a while,” Luna greeted him, a little out of breath from the long flight. “I got your letter. I take it that the news you wish to discuss is not a pleasant matter.”

“Perceptive as ever, Princess Luna,” Discord said with a bow, his expression uncharacteristically grim. “Tell me, have you encountered anything strange in Griffon dreams lately?”

Luna thought about that for a moment. She visited hundreds, if not thousands of dreams every night, with only a fraction of those being spread across all of Equestria’s allies. All dreams could be categorised into simple trends, and those of Griffons was no exception. “Other than some recurring nightmares of monsters, I cannot say any were noteworthy.”

Discord sighed. “As much as I wished we could meet under better circumstances, I have sensed something terrible coming from Griffonstone’s old castle ruins. Something older and far more dangerous than even me. I suspect it’s tied to the dreams.”

“I don’t understand.” Luna cocked an eyebrow. “I was already one hundred years old when my sister and I first encountered you. Other than Tirek, what danger could be so ancient that not even I know about it? And invading dreams, no less?”

“With all due respects, the fact that you are ignorant is precisely the reason I have never brought it up before. I am not the only creature of chaos, my dear Luna. It seems I was too fixated on distracting ponies, exclusively, and not other races.”

Luna knew all too well how dangerous a rogue deity could be. Though she never considered herself to be of such a status, her nature as an Alicorn had already brought Equestria – and, by extension, the planet – to the brink of ruin. Her Tantabus was keen to remind her of that.

Before Discord could explain any further, a series of loud bangs echoed out from the castle ruins. Listening carefully, it sounded like some creature thumping against wooden doors.

“Help! Help!” The distorted voice of Gilda called. “Let me out of here! Let me out!”

Author's Note:

I hope you've enjoyed this spooky little tale, and in record time, too! It's been a while since I wrote anything MLP related, but I think UK Ponycon helped me rekindle the passion for this fandom.

If you want to support my work, consider donating to my Ko-Fi tip jar! In additionally, I am finally open to writing commissions. Check out my blog post for details.

Comments

[eiggengrau]

Well done! This would have been great for Nightmare Night! But it was great for today too, yay!

[Mystic Mind]

11726312
I guess I am a tad impatient ^^'. But I always post horror stories in October because of Nightmare Night!

[Diamond Sparkle]

I always like Griffin stories.

[Zlaggi]

Yo, I did my very first fic reading to this story. I'll be reading the rest on my channel as well. I hope anyone who enjoyed the story can tolerate my voice.

[Moosetasm]

I guess I’m a little confused. I thought Gilda succumbed to the eldritch horror and became the Rot Queen, but her shouting for help at the end kinda throws a wrench into that narrative. Unless that’s a phantom Gilda trying to lure in more victims. Either way, good story, many spooks to be had.