Repercussions (MLP)

[Hiver]

"How bad is it?" Dee asked as she made her way over to me, my satchel slung over her neck

"Not too bad," I said and sighed, "Could have been a lot worse. Nopony died at least. But we have," I said and glanced down on the scroll with the report on it, "Four ponies with broken legs, one broken wing. Six ponies with lacerations. Ten ponies with various other serious injuries, such as broken ribs or concussions. There is... a lot of overlap. But the medics don't think anypony is in risk of dying from it, thank Luna, but it will slow us down and make us more vulnerable."

Dee frowned and nodded, "I meant your shoulder."

I glanced down at it, "Oh, that. I think I just sliced it on a rock or something, I don't remember being that close to claw or tooth. They cleaned it and put a pressure bandage on it and gave me something against infection, but then she had more critical cases in hoof with my bleeding dealt with. But it's nothing serious, I've had worse."

"Can you walk on it?" she asked as she sat down.

I glowered at her, "I haven't tried yet. Whenever I try to get up, Amber push me back down."

"The medic said you should rest and try not to move too much, sir" Amber said from next to me, "I'm just making sure."

"As he should," Dee said and nodded to the changeling before patting the satchel, "I think I'll carry this thing today. I put your bedroll and tent in the pile of supplies for ponies to divide to carry."

"I can carry my own stuff," I said and glowered at her.

"Why don't you come up here and say that to my face?" Dee asked with a smirk, "You can't even carry yourself right now.".

I hissed at her before I just gave up, "...Whatever," I grumbled and flicked my ears, "But we should get going soon. Ponies and those things bled here, blood attract predators. We should move before something worse shows up."

Dee nodded in agreement, her smile gone, "We should," she agreed, "I'm on my way to talk to Princess Midnight. Do you want me to send some ponies with a stretcher?" she asked and looked at Amber instead of me.

"No, you should not," I protested, "I'm good as soon as I'm allowed to stand," I then added and glanced at Amber, "I still have three working legs and two wings!"

Amber buzzed her wings and looked at me for a second before she finally shook her head, "...Won't be needed."

Dee nodded, "Just making sure," she said and moved on.

I glared after her for a second before I sighed and scraped the ground with one hoof in a circle, "I bruised my shoulder, I didn't lose a limb. Seriously, everypony making a fuss," I grumbled.

A lot of ponies got worse than me. I could see the medics working from here and I could smell blood on the wind. Which was bad considering predators.

Over a week until rescue gets here. We had to get to the temple today or this might happen again tonight.

Or worse.

I started to get up and Amber surged to her hooves.

I shook my head, "I need to talk to Midnight," I told her seriously, "There has to be a way to speed this up."

Amber buzzed her wings, glancing around before she nodded, "Hoof off the ground," she ordered and moved around to my injured side, leaning against me to take some weight while avoiding my shoulder.

"I slashed my shoulder, I didn't break my leg," I grumbled to her, but accepted her assistance, putting my wing over her back for support.

Which admittedly made it a lot faster to walk over to where Midnight was talking with Dee and Captain Jetstream. At least it was faster than trying to argue a changeling out of something.

I walked up next to Dee, "We need to get there today. With time to at least get things ready for tonight," I said, "We can't stay in the open like this."

"I still can't teleport this many ponies safely," Midnight said, "Not even in groups. Not that far."

"You teleported those monsters," Dee said.

"I didn't particularly care where they ended up," Midnight answered, her ears drooping for a split second before she shook her head, "If anypony has any ideas, I'm all ears."

Gulp.

Definitely never making her mad at me.

"How many can you teleport that far, Princess? In a group?" Jetstream asked.

"Safely..." she said and shifted her wings, "One or two. But even I need to rest after a couple of those."

"That'd take all day," Jetstream said with a sigh.

"And split the party," I agreed, "Never split the party."

"Might still speed things up," Dee said, "Get some of us there so we can start to prepare, clear the interior for traps and such. The injured that will have trouble moving at full speed and a couple of guards to keep them safe."

I thought about that for a second and then shook my head, "You can't be in two places at once," I said and looked to Dee, "We'd need you for navigation and for the traps."

"I or one of my navigators can get us there," Jetstream said, "Miss Dee showed me the location relative to where we were last night. It's almost a straight line from here anyway."

"And one of the unicorns at the temple can send up a flare every twenty minutes or so, just have a pegasus circling above the caravan to spot it when we get close enough," Midnight agreed, slowly nodding, "That... could work."

"It would still be splitting the party," I said, "Harder to defend both groups."

Tempest moved up stand next to Midnight. She looked thoughtful before she flicked her ears and nodded, "But one group would be in a defensible position and get it ready for the rest and the others would be able to move much quicker."

Midnight nodded and looked at her before she turned to me, "Page?"

I forced myself to pause and think it over. If we could move at full speed without the wounded, if the wounded could be behind thick stone walls...

"...Okay," I admitted, "It should work. I just don't like splitting resources like that, but we need to get to the temple before dark no matter what. We can't risk another night like this."

"Agreed," Captain Jetstream said and stomped his hoof, "So it's decided. How much can you move at once?"

Midnight hesitated for a second, "I'd need to fly there first to get a lock," she said, "Dee?"

"I'll guide you."

Midnight nodded, "Assuming the distance I think it is, two ponies or a pony and a hundred kilos. Maybe a bit more if it's nothing that'll break from falling a few meters. We should leave at once while everypony here gets organized. Tempest, find Moon Dancer, she has the lists of what's critical to bring at the first couple of teleports. Page?"

"Yes?"

"Lay down before you start to bleed again."

"...Yes Ma'am."

 

[Krazyfan1]

If only there was healing magic....

Or a shapeshifter that could shapeshift into something large enough to carry everyone

 

[Captainwolf]

Page?"

"Yes?"

"Lay down before you start to bleed again."

"...Yes Ma'am."

Click to shrink...

Heh, he's willing to argue with Dee and Amber, but not with Midnight.

 

[Hiver]

I stumbled slightly as the teleport deposited me onto the second terrace of the temple. In all honesty, it was likely from the change of environment than anything else. Midnights teleport had been smooth, relatively speaking.

...Smoother than when I did it thirty meters in line of sight to be honest.

She had dropped us across kilometers of jungle. Even if she didn't want to do more than two ponies with precision like this, that's impressive.

"You okay?" I asked her as her wings drooped slightly.

Midnight nodded, "I'm fine," she answered and took a slow deep breath, raising her head again and gave me a weak smile, "Just glad we didn't try to move everypony like this. Teleporting is exhausting."

"Speaking of which," I said and flicked one ear as I looked to the pile of supplies she brought along with me, "What happened to you after you scattered us across the jungle?"

"I passed out for something like twelve hours," Midnight admitted and scraped her hoof against the ground, "Even without precision, teleporting takes a lot of power."

I nodded and looked at the wounded laid out along the level of the temple, ponies tending to them, "How far can you go? Ponyville to Canterlot?"

Midnight frowned and then shrugged her wings, "Not in one jump," she explained, "And I wouldn't do it with passengers. But I have done that before. It's just such a pain that I rather take the train or fly."

I could definitely see that.

Teleporting line of sight across a training ground wasn't that difficult and I think most unicorns that put in the practice could do it. Most just didn't bother learning it.

Because how useful is being able to teleport thirty meters if you couldn't even chain it?

It took a lot of effort to get good at it and if you didn't have the hornpower to back it up, it wasn't worth it.

"One more trip?" I asked her.

She nodded, "Two more guards," she said, "Then that's everypony and we can get moving."

"Take a couple of minutes," I told her seriously, "You're tired."

Midnight nodded, "Five minutes, then I'm good. It's only three more trips."

I had wanted to stay with the group that was trekking through the jungle, they might need me. But it would have been stupid to try with a injured leg. I couldn't cast, I could barely walk and like this I definitely couldn't fight.

I was completely useless to the group right now so the best I could do was to try to stay out of their way.

...As much as it pained me to think. I wanted to help, damn it!

"You want some water?" I asked her, "I could get some."

Midnight shook her head, "I'm good, I'll get something when I get back to camp. Just need a couple of minutes of rest."

I nodded and moved away from her as I moved towards the entrance of this level of the temple. The tents weren't here yet, they weren't critical to set up so the injured were out in the sun right now which made it important to clear the inside for potential traps so we could get them properly into the shade.

This was somewhere my eyes could at least help. I may be slow and my magic was currently not working unless I wanted to try to knock myself out, but I could still see, damn it!

Dee exited the shadows and smiled when she spotted me, "Page! There you are. You got to see this!"

"What did you find?" I asked as I limped up to her.

"Something you have to see, come on!" she said and turned, leaning the way into the dark temple. I followed her inside, somepony had put torches every couple of meters and it wasn't far inside.

The first chamber was mostly empty and kinda small, maybe four meters a side. Other than some pots, it was empty but the walls were carved into some sort of image I couldn't make out as the colours were gone, only the shapes remained.

She led me through that into what looked to be the main chamber on this level and it seemed like it took up most of the pyramid all the way to the top. It was pyramid shaped and contained a pyramid in the middle too, but only as a dias for some sort of altar.

On the altar was a pyramid of pony skulls stacked. Mostly unicorns going by the horn, but some without and could have been earth ponies or pegasi, I couldn't tell. But there were a lot of them there, the altar was wider and longer than a pony and it was almost covered with them, six layers tall. If there was nothing but skulls there...

Over it all towered a massive statue, it's wings spread.

It was a thestral, the statue towering over the chamber and the altar, the wings seemingly encompassing the room. It's body was made from an almost obsidian-like black stone and rubies shimmered as the eyes where the light from the torches hit it. It was inlaid with silver, the fangs, trails along the ears and wings. The spiral of it's horn.

I looked up at the alicorn thestral statue for a long moment before I slowly sat down. I looked at it and then down to the pyramid of skulls.

"Dee?" I finally said as I scanned the chamber. We weren't the only ones in here, some ponies were still looking for traps, "I think that maybe we should look to house everypony at the lower level instead."

She slowly nodded, "That might be a good idea," she agreed.

"And Dee?" I then said as I looked up at the statue.

"Yes, Lord Page?"

"I think the history we have learned about thestrals so far may have been... distorted... with time."

She was silent for a long moment before I felt her hoof on my shoulder, "I think so too."

 

[Kitty S. Lillian]

Well, that's rather different than unification tribes, innit?
Typos:

it's wings spread.

the room. It's body […] The spiral of it's horn.

Click to shrink...

its [×3]

 

[Krazyfan1]

And then it turns out that there is a perfectly non-evil explanation for this....

The skulls? those of the Threstrals most loyal retainers, their skulls placed there after a peaceful death to guard their leader for all eternity.

Also something something time shenanigans

 

[Captainwolf]

Aztec bat ponies?

Also something something time shenanigans

Click to shrink...

IDK, it could be there was an Alicorn in ancient history that was corrupted by dark magic and underwent a transition like how Luna turned into Nightmare Moon. It would help explain the desire for skulls, anyway. Admittedly, I could see Page (and Midnight probably) going into the past, defeating the evil thestral alicorn and then making Thestrals not be carnivores.

 

[Zarion]

Aztec bat ponies?

IDK, it could be there was an Alicorn in ancient history that was corrupted by dark magic and underwent a transition like how Luna turned into Nightmare Moon. It would help explain the desire for skulls, anyway. Admittedly, I could see Page (and Midnight probably) going into the past, defeating the evil thestral alicorn and then making Thestrals not be carnivores.

Click to shrink...

Someone doesn't need to be corrupted to partake in blood sacrifice, it's totally possible that a good thestral Alicorn could have done it, their cultural norms just had that be the right thing to do.

 

[Krazyfan1]

Aztec bat ponies?

Click to shrink...

I wonder if the Thestral Alicorns name is Camazotz

 

[Byzantine]

Aztec bat ponies?

IDK, it could be there was an Alicorn in ancient history that was corrupted by dark magic and underwent a transition like how Luna turned into Nightmare Moon. It would help explain the desire for skulls, anyway. Admittedly, I could see Page (and Midnight probably) going into the past, defeating the evil thestral alicorn and then making Thestrals not be carnivores.

Click to shrink...

It's also possible it was the thestral alicorn that eventually solved the carnivore problem. Being worshipped doesn't mean you want to be, especially for alicorns. We lack too much information.

Someone doesn't need to be corrupted to partake in blood sacrifice, it's totally possible that a good thestral Alicorn could have done it, their cultural norms just had that be the right thing to do.

Click to shrink...

That and presumably they were carnivores at the time, so this may have simply been their equivalent of the worlds-over human practice of sacrificing some part of the (already killed) animal to the gods. ...Just due to equestria it has far nastier implications.

Of course thestrals may never have actually been carnivores either! We will see.

Oh, and I'm currently on 6/10 that said thestral alicorn is still very much alive. Potentially sealed, if so.

 

[TatsuZZMage]

Just wait for the Undead Temple Guardian
The Skull Reaper.

 

[Hiver]

The level below the one with the skulls destined for the throne didn't have nearly as much headroom. But there was enough for even taller ponies to move around even if perhaps Luna would need to duck not to hit her horn.

What more, it seemed to have been set up for living space once. Now it was full of scuttling things and debri however. What remained was some urns and tools, any wood and fabric long since rotted away.

It must have been the living quarters for the priests or whomever ran this... monstrocity.

Now, it was more of an above ground cellar with creepy crawlies in it.

"Well, don't seem to be anything dangerous in here," I finally said as we reached the last of the small chambers, "Just not very pleasant."

"Not too bad," Dee said and looked around, "It's mostly for emergencies anyway, ponies won't be staying in here. But as soon as the main group arrives we have ponies to throw at the problem to clean it out."

I nodded and touched a large urn with the hoof of my hurt leg and peered inside. Nothing much there, it was empty.

Then again, with it being open and this place having been here for this long, what did I expect?

It was impressive as hell that it was even still standing.

I turned away and started back towards the exit through the small maze of rooms, "...What do you think of this place?" I finally asked.

Dee shifted her wings, moving along next to me on three legs, holding a touch with her left forehoof, "I think this was an important place to the ponies that inhabited these lands in the past," she said, "likely their main ritual site, a place of power. Going by the statue... we might have found the place we were looking for."

"More or less," I said and shook my head, "The story says the thestrals were pegasi that was cursed to look like they... like we do. But this doesn't match that in my mind."

Dee shook her head, "It doesn't track for me either," she admitted, "Where do we go from 'curse' to 'alicorn statue'? And pony sacrifice?"

I nodded, thinking about the statue on the level above us, "She almost looked like she encompassed the room," I said, "looming over the skulls. They were an offering to her."

"Him."

I blinked at her, "Him?"

Dee nodded, "I think so," she said, "Did you look at the proportions of the wings and the neck? And the shape of the jawbone? Unless the sculptor made some mistakes, that's a he."

I stopped at that and frowned as I raised my wings.

A thestral unicorn stallion overlooking a pile of pony skulls in a temple set up for pony sacrifice. In a region we were investigating for thestral origins. I didn't like this. I didn't like this at all.

What if this just made things worse? What if ponies learning about this put three and three together, got five and decided that thestrals were all monsters out to...

I wanted to help, but I could have made things impossibly worse.

I slowly sank down to sit with a sigh. Damn it. What did I do wrong here? What does everything I touch turn into roadapples? Was it some sort of karmic balance for my happiness with Luna and Sunset or was it just me being too crap to do anything major right?

We should just leave this place to the jungle and return home when the rescue team gets here.

...Assuming any of us are still alive by then. What if the rexosaurus found the other group? What if they were all...

"Hey?" Dee asked as she moved up next to me, touching my back with her wing, "Are you okay?"

"No," I answered quietly, "I'm not sure I am. Everything about this entire expedition had gone wrong and possibly made things worse for just the ponies I tried to help. Ponies has already died."

Dee shook her head and frowned up at me, "They have. But they all knew what they were doing was dangerous, but they wanted to come anyway."

"Unless they were ordered. Or it was their job. Or if they didn't realize how dangerous it was. I didn't."

"I'm not sure anypony did," Dee admitted, "None of us knew things like that roamed these jungles. Not even I did and I had worked here before, if not as far south."

I stomped my hoof in frustration, trying not to flinch when I did it with my injured leg, "I just..." I said and then I sighed, "I should just go back and write adventure books instead. I think that would just be better for everypony involved."

Twack!

I almost fell over from surprise as Dee smacked me over the back of my head with her wing, just barely missing brushing my horn,

"Don't you dare!" she said firmly, rounding on me, "You searched the truth for those ponies. Do you have any idea how important that is? Thestrals had no idea this place even existed, no idea what happened here, no idea what their heritage really is! We don't know, but we have somewhere to start digging! Somewhere to start looking to find their history, their past!"

"It wouldn't help anypony if they found out about this, if anything it could further dama-"

"Don't give me that!" Dee almost snarled at me, tossing the torch to the side to poke me firmly in the chest, almost driving me back a hoof, "The history of this place is important! It could mean Thestrals aren't a group of cursed pegasi! What if they were their own ancient tribe to begin with!?"

I flicked my ear and looked down at her, "But the precep-"

"I don't give a crap! I found enough proof to know that the Princesses hide some of our uglier history. Well, not this time!" Dee said firmly, stomping her hoof against the stone floor with a slight echo, "Don't you understand what this could be!?"

"...Apparently not."

"No, you don't," she said and her wings raised as she poked me again for emphasis, "You're not thinking, you're too busy feeling sorry for yourself! This could be the origin, the homeland of a fifth pony tribe! A real one! It could be a rallying cry for all thestrals, something to encourage, something to give them a heritage to unite them!"

I blinked down at her in surprise for a long moment before I sighed and shook my head, "...No," I finally said, "That doesn't make sense, I'm sorry Dee. Pegasi get pegasi, but also unicorn and earth pony children, there has been so much cross breeding between the tribes. Same for unicorns and earth ponies. Thestrals mostly get pegasus children. I don't have the numbers exactly, but it's something like one foal in three from a thestral is a thestral... or become one. That doesn't track with them being a fifth tribe, that looks like a blood curse to me."

Dee nodded, "Yes it does," she agreed and looked up at me, shadows from the fallen torch playing across her, "What if it has nothing to do with them being thestrals?"

I looked down at her for a long moment as it clicked. What if it has nothing to do with them being thestrals. What if it was separate.

What if thestrals were natural and everything else...

Oh.

Oh shit.

 

[Kitty S. Lillian]

Then, as usual, ponies will be guilty of dropping the fenceposts directly behind the group they've corralled?

A thestral unicorn stallion

Click to shrink...

alicorn
Unless he's intentionally cutting out the earth pony part.

Ponies has already died."

Click to shrink...

have

"But the precep-"

Click to shrink...

percep- (tion, presumably)

 

[Byzantine]

So thestrals may be a fifth tribe cursed to die out. Perhaps the final act of the alicorn thestral? A curse that their lineage shall die.

 

[ptbptb]

So thestrals may be a fifth tribe cursed to die out. Perhaps the final act of the alicorn thestral? A curse that their lineage shall die.

Click to shrink...

What if thestrals were natural and everything else...

Click to shrink...

No, what if everypony was blood-drinking thestral at the start ruled by skull-collecting alicorn thestral. Then there was a revolution led by four genius mage thestrals who overthrew their Emperor-god. The liberated rebels were then turned into Earth ponies/Unicorns/Pegasi/(Wait, what was fourth?) by (blood-curse?) magic.

The current thestrals are either a few missed out, or ponies who have 'reverted' as the magic failed. History was re-written to say "Thestrals result of bad blood-curse, others were there from the start".

 

[NHO]

Page will learn everything about thestrals when he gets flung into the past, becomes their Alicorn god, tries to unfuck them and gets sealed for ten thousand years just to be released an hour after his disappearance by worried expedition.

Yes, Amber gets flung off, too, and becomes progenitor of all Changelings, before being sealed with Page.

 

[Stratagemini]

So, the blood curse is that Thestrals are doomed to beget pegasi?

 

[Captainwolf]

So, the blood curse is that Thestrals are doomed to beget pegasi?

Click to shrink...

It seems like that was at least part of the curse. Apparently the ancient thestral worshipped an Alicorn, and it seems that the blood drinking could have come from the Thestrals sacrificing other ponies, maybe even from them ritualistically drinking the blood of their enemies or something.

 

[Krazyfan1]

Maybe the thestrals were omnivorous, with a heavy lean towards meat, as well as getting more nutrients from blood than normal...
the other tribes found them creepy and cursed them?

 

[Byzantine]

Wait. Okay so Page is the Alicorn of stories. We should stop approaching this with the idea dartboard... what story with that lead fits things the best? Because that is almost certainly what Page would have thought of.

 

[Hiver]

I looked up at the sound of wings and the first thing I saw was a pegasus flying down from the air to land on the lower terrace of the pyramid. Only a minute or two later, the main group exited through the trees at the base of the large structure, Captain Jetstream and Midnight taking up the lead.

I glanced towards the sun and then smiled as I got up. They made it with hours to spare.

Midnight had the right idea with splitting us up like this, they made a lot better time without the injured.

Spreading my wings, I took to the air and glided down to meet them, my hooves touching the ground only a couple of meters ahead of Midnight and I folded my wings again, "Any difficulties?" I asked her.

She shook her head, "Not really. There was a pack of wolves, but they didn't seem too interested after discovering some of us could shoot fire at them," she added with a smile, "We're here. We made it."

I nodded, "You were right," I said, "It was a good idea."

Midnight smiled slightly, "Your worries weren't exactly unwarranted."

"No, but you were right," I repeated and then looked up towards the pyramid, "The idea is that the tents are set up on the lower terrace, it'll bring them into a defensible position. We'll keep a constant guard tonight and tomorrow we can start installing barricades. Should be faster than last time."

"Smaller circle," Midnight agreed.

"In the event of an attack, everypony retreat into the lower level interior," I continued, "It's behind heavier stone than the upper one and while it need's a good cleaning, it will be a defensible position."

Midnight frowned, "Not the upper level?"

I shook my head, "No. It would not be a... suitable location to keep ponies calm. In fact, I think we should restrict access to it and the top level to anypony not a member of the research staff."

Midnight scraped a hoof against the ground in thought, "What did you find?"

"I'll show you, if you like."

She quickly nodded and looked at Jetstream, "Can you get everypony to get everything ready?"

"We'll get the camp set up, don't worry, Princess," he confirmed with a nod.

Midnight nodded and looked at me.

I smiled at her excitement before I spread my wings, "Come on. I'm not climbing those stairs with my shoulder," I said and took to the air. It still tugged a bit at the wound, but it was also over a lot faster. I soon landed on the second level, Midnight setting down a second after I did.

"How's the horn?" she asked as she folded her wings and started to walk inside with me.

"...Better," I admitted, "Not good, but it's down to aching instead of feeling like it's on fire."

I let her drift ahead a little which considering I was going on three legs wasn't difficult as I kept my eyes on her for her reaction.

Midnight stopped as she entered the main chamber, her jaw dropping as she slowly turned her head, taking it all in.

"That's... a thestral alicorn..." she slowly said as she sank down to sit, looking at the statue and the altar.

"Predating the birth of Celestia," I said, "Assuming that Dee's estimation of the age of this place to be six thousand years is correct, that statue is at least a thousand years older. There were alicorns before the sisters."

Midnight looked at the pyramid of skulls and then swallowed, looking away to me, "What happened to them?"

I looked at the pyramid, "Well... this place is set up for pony sacrifice, so my guess would be a sharp stone bla-"

"Not them!" Midnight said and shook her head, "If there were alicorns before Celestia, I wonder what happened to them? We don't die of old age."

"Off the hoof guess?" I asked and glanced back towards the glow of the setting sun outside the corridor to the chamber, "A rexosaurus. Or a blade somewhere unpleasant. We're long lived, not invulnerable, Midnight. Even back when Celestia and Luna united Equestria, it was a violent time. When this place was built it was a time of pony against pony against griffon against minotaur against everything else this world could throw at them. A lot of things can happen in a thousand years, even to one of us. Accidents, assassination... war."

Midnight's ears drooped slightly and she sighed, "...It can, can't it?" she answered softly, her wings slowly shifting, "There could have been many."

"There could have," I agreed, "But... I doubt it."

"How come?"

"If there were scores of alicorns across the ages, there would have been more traces of us," I said and stretched my wings for a second, looking up at the statue, "Like that thing. Say what you will of alicorns, we don't blend in well among other ponies. How much have you grown since you got your wings?"

She blinked at me and then nodded, "Half a hoof," she admitted, "And I see what you mean."

"I'm at almost a hoof," I told her, "And just hoping I don't end up as Celestia or I'll spend my hopefully very long life ducking in doorways or banging my horn against things."

Midnight put her hoof against her muzzle, hiding a grin before she shook her head, "...You're likely right though, we likely were always rare. But this means there used to be more. And a natural one with thestral wings t-" she started and then trailed off and her eyes found mine, "a natural thestral alicorn. But that would mean that-"

"Unless he also got caught in the curse," I warned her, "We just don't have enough evidence one way or another. As for this place, finding yourself drinking blood would be a long jump to starting to sacrifice ponies. Would have kept them together until the prey pool got too small. We just don't know yet."

Midnight looked slightly queasy as the idea before she nodded, "You're right, we shouldn't jump to conclusions."

I shook my head and looked up at the statue again.

Who are you?

What were you?

Tell me.

"But," Midnight continued and stood up again, "What we should be doing is going out and helping to set things up. It'll be dark soon."

"Yeeep," I agreed and stretched my wings for a second before moving to limp after her, shooting a final glance back towards the statue.

You will tell me your secrets.

You can't hide them from me.

 

[NHO]

Definitely time travel

 

[Byzantine]

Definitely time travel

Click to shrink...

I'm thinking the statue isn't a statue, actually. That the alicorn was statuefied the same way as discord was. And, well, that breaking now that the heros are here is inevitable.

 

[Kitty S. Lillian]

Splitting the party turned out sensible in that case. It did seem likely, but…
Found a couple typos:

restrict access to it and the top level to anypony not a member of the research staff."

Click to shrink...

from

need's

Click to shrink...

needs

 

[Hiver]

The sound of rain against stone filled the chamber at the top of the pyramid. I didn't bother with a torch, even with it being in the middle of a rainstorm with the sun down, I still saw well enough to move around, especially in the slight light filtering in from lamps in the camp below.

I was sitting close to the entrance, listening to the heavy rainfall outside as I stared at the altar in the middle of the chamber.

The one an unknown number of beings had been sacrificed on.

Why? For power? Belief?

To do such a thing to another thinking being... I had trouble understanding the mindset of somepony like that. From the skulls below, it wasn't even non-ponies... and if the statue was anything to go off, he had been like I was now. Assuming that's really what Discord did and not just copying the effects.

But I don't think that was it, Discord wasn't one to just do the lazy copy thing.

I was the same as the thing that did this... or was I?

I ate fruit, not blood. Was that what this was? An actual vampony? A vampony that came to this place and took over, spreading his curse to the rest of the pegasi? To be worshipped like a blood god?

Skulls for the throne indeed.

A glow from outside drew my attention and Moon Dancer stopped outside, a bubble of magic around her, keeping the water away, "Lord Page?" she asked, peering into the darkness.

"I'm here," I said and moved out where she could see me.

"Oh!" she said and nodded, taking half a step back before she smiled, "Princess Midnight told me to come get you. We found something in the main chamber."

"What? We searched the place pretty thoroughly," I said and moved out into the bubble of her magic, trying not to limp. My shoulder ached but it didn't bleed, so fuck it. It can heal on its own time.

Moon Dancer led down the stairs, "The carvings on the walls," she explained, "It's not just patterns, it's images. You just can't see them as the paint is gone. Midnight has a spell that makes them stand out... and you should see them."

Now that I really wanted to see.

We moved down the stairs to the entrance and I followed her inside. She canceled the field over us and instead her horn glowed like a light and we moved through the short tunnel into the main chamber. It was lit up by the light of torches burning in the corners, set into ready made sconces. Midnight was talking with Dee close to the pyramid of skulls and I moved over to them.

"Page!" Midnight said with a smile, "We found something. It's amazing!"

"So I heard. Show me?"

Midnight nodded and stepped up, her eyes half closing as she focused before her horn lip up in a bright glow and beams shot out from it in all directions. They played across the rock walls of the chamber and where they touched, they left lines of lights following the contours of the rock like small lines of glowing purple neon.

I felt my jaw drop as the inside of the chamber was revealed. Every crack between the stones stood out, yes, but what's more, the entire inside was carved into images from floor to ceiling.

"Over here," Dee said and touched my shoulder before pointing towards the side.

I looked over and then slowly approached. It showed a landscape of ponies with batwings among trees with small huts. It showed fighting against other ponies, being driven back.

"I think it may be part of the history," Dee explained quietly, "It starts here and then goes all the way around the chamber."

I nodded and kept moving. The next image showed a larger thestral arriving. One with a horn. Light shone out from him, seemingly radiating from his horn as he drove the invaders off.

The next image they were all bowing before him, offering up gifts.

Another image, this one once more of battle. It seemed more even now, equally as many on each side. I continued along the wall to the next image. One displaying the thestral lord sitting on a throne, overlooking bowing subjects... thestrals... with one hoof extended, pointing towards half a pyramid behind them.

They were building this place.

The next one was... gory. A dead pony on the altar at the top of the pyramid, streams of blood running down the sides. But there were thestrals standing on the levels of the pyramid and they were surrounded by some sort of glow.

The next image was one of the thestrals overrunning their enemies, the unicorns were on the ground, thestrals standing above them.

Feeding.

I stopped walking and looked around and then up at the statue. Thestrals... wasn't a curse. They... we... were an actual pony tribe. It wasn't a curse at all, it was a fucking super soldier program!

Fuck me...

I shook my head, feeling my fangs with my tongue before I looked to Midnight, "But why did we start to crave fruit? Why the low reproductive rate?"

"We don't know," Midnight admitted as her spell faded away, "But my working theory is that it was a curse cast by one of their enemies. It's possible that the low reproductive rate or suppression of thestral traits was intended or an unintended consequence from an interaction of the blood magic, but I don't know. I need to study it more."

I took a slow breath and nodded, "Let me know if you need to examine me or something. I'm fairly certain Discord used the entire package on me, everything else has matched so far."

Midnight nodded, "I'll let you know," she said with a small smile.

"Okay," I agreed and looked at the wall behind me for a second before starting out of the chamber again. Better let the experts get on with things.

I stopped though and turned to look up at the statue.

You. You did this.

You were like me. You were like Celestia, like Luna, Like Midnight and Twilight. You could have been so, so much better than you were. You could have brought prosperity, formed Equestria or something like it over a thousand years early.

But what did you do with your power? Your knowledge? Your abilities?

You turned ponies into monsters to drive away everypony else.

Fuck you, you fucking failure of an alicorn.

I looked up into the statue's ruby eyes and barred my fangs, hissing at it. I'll undo your work. I'll make sure thestrals are accepted among everypony else, as common as pegasi, unicorns or earth ponies!

You will have failed!

Then I'll find a time spell and go back to your death to show you. Just to make sure that you know about it!

I gave the statue another hiss and then turned and left.





AN// Posted early because early morning tomorrow.