Chapter Text

Prologue:

Night was falling upon the small town of Silence, Equestria. 

The sun gently set, and the moon rose swiftly to take its place, glittering stars soon shining brightly. It was a splendid sight, as usual. 

The only thing that soured True Ambition’s thoughts on it was the knowledge that he wasn’t the one to orchestrate the celestial bodies. 

It had been many, many years since the stallion had first had the idea to control the sun and moon like the unicorns of old, and he was now getting old himself. But his vision never wavered. He poured blood, sweat, and magic along the path to his goal as he marched on ahead.

He’d learned countless forms of magic, climbed the ranks of society, stolen many artifacts, and recruited a number of loyal followers. All in preparation for his ascension. For his debut as King. For the new age of unicorn glory.

For everything to change.

“Lord True Ambition?” A gold mare approached, speaking quietly. “The mages are nearly ready.”

True Ambition briefly shifted his gaze to his dedicated follower. “Nearly?”

“We can only wait for the stars to align.” Startouched replied. “All other preparations are complete. We await your presence."

True Ambition nodded, and began walking to the ritual site, Startouched close behind. The clearing was nearly silent — save for the sounds of the nightlife hidden in the forest, and the shuffling of hooves. 

True Ambition scrutinized the scene.

The large stone podium had been erected, and its smooth surface was painted with spiraling runes. The blank ink was aligned exactly according to his specifications. There was an arrangement of recently-lit candles — which was also unchanged from his vision. Eight other unicorns stood in their spots, now looking to their leader for confirmation that everything was according to plan.

The soon-to-be-king nodded in satisfaction, making each of his disciples smile.

Carefully, True Ambition and Startouched stepped into place on the dias, shivering slightly. Not only was the stone frigid under their hooves, but they could also sense the magic lying nearly-dormant.

And they waited. And waited. Until…

The unicorns turned their gazes back towards the heavens, feeling a change in the atmosphere.

The stars winked conspiratorially above, a whispering tone of magic present in their lights. The runes twinkled with an answering inner starlight.

It was time.

Chapter 1:

Dreams were familiar to me. 

For years, I’d found escapism in them, taking delight in the things I’d imagine. Flying above the sky, dashing through fields of green, wielding superpowers, swimming across the sea, or just having conversations with my own imagination — I’d found joy in it all, and I’d indulged so frequently, I could do it all lucidly. 

I learned to recognize dreams — what they felt like, what they were, and what they weren’t. I could even wake myself up on command!

So, when I was unexpectedly faced with a void of black, of course that’s what I tried to do.

But nothing happened.

I tried opening my eyes. 

Nothing.

I tried to move.

Nothing.

In fact — I slowly realized, anxiety rising — this didn’t feel anything like a dream. In a dream, I could still move, could still breathe and blink. I’d still feel my body, if it were a dream.

I couldn’t blink.

I couldn’t breathe.

I couldn’t feel my body!

Panic easily set in, yet I couldn’t even feel the beat of my heart.

“What is this?! Where am I?!?!”

I was answered with blank nothingness, even as I mentally trembled. I had my thoughts, but just like my body, my voice was gone.

“Am I dead?!?!?!”

There were no answers. No up, no down. No light, but also no dark. 

Nothing but my mind, and the void it inhabited.

I don’t know how long I was there, in that void. In that hell. 

Alone.

I just know it felt like forever. Maybe it wasn’t any time at all? I didn’t know.

But I definitely knew when that changed.

Suddenly, with no time to adjust, there was a sound — deafeningly loud, and beyond overstimulating. To my nonexistent ears, it was the equivalent of a jet-engine’s keyboard smash, and equally as intelligible. 

I screamed wordlessly even as the sound morphed into the words of several different speakers.

LISTEN TO OUR HEARTFELT PLEA, O BELOVED STARS!

The voices boomed, shaking the foundations of my being.

OUR AGE OF GLORY WAS ONCE PAST, BUT NOW YOU BRING IT FORTH ONCE MORE! 

The darkness around me sloshed in a way it had lacked the ability to do before.

GIVE US THE POWER TO DESTROY THOSE WHO SHOULD SEEK OUR FAILURE, SO WE MAY HERALD OUR WAYWARD SUN AND MOON!

I spun within the turbulence of black, pinpricks of sensation dragging against me.

BLACKEST INK LIKE NIGHT SKY, WITH POWER THAT SHINES LIKE STARS!

As I writhed with new feelings, rays of light peaked through the void.

WE SUMMON YOU!

My struggles pulled me closer and closer to the pain.

DO AS WE COMMAND!

I breached the surface of the ink.

———

After all the nothingness, existence felt painful. The cold beneath me felt as frigid as space itself, the light above me felt like a supernova, sounds around me were explosions, and the air on my skin was like a black hole ripping me apart.

It was somehow worse than the void. All I could do was breathe, trying not to move.

“Did it work?”

I flinched. The voice had spoken quietly, but it still felt like nails on a chalkboard. 

“Wait.”

I couldn’t yet register what was being said, but slowly, the pain was beginning to fade as I acclimated.

“But it’s not moving…”

My labored, panicked breathing gradually slowed, my heart starting to steady.

“Wait, dammit. It’s just adjusting.”

Adjusting? I thought dazedly as I finally tuned in to the words being spoken. What happened?

“But—“

“Quiet, Geode!”

I flinched at the angry voice, curling in on myself.

“We must have patience.”

“…Yes, my Lord.”

My body, it feels strange… Is this what it felt like before?

Subtly testing the movements of my form, I realized that my proportions felt strange. Lanky and alien. My tail twitched, despite not having one.

My heart began beating faster once more.

What happened? What’s going on?

I heard the slight shuffle of feet.

That’s right… there’s people around me. Who are they?

Slowly, I opened my eyes. Bright shapes appeared in my squinted vision, soon coalescing into concrete shapes.

A pair of hooves were several feet in front of me. I froze.

Attached to them was a purple and black, oddly proportioned pony.

What? A pony?

Not just a pony, but a unicorn, I realized as I looked up at it. The pony — the unicorn — looked old, yet stern. It’s expressive face was pulled into a frown, which lightened slightly as it watched me.

The unicorn opened its mouth. “Creature of ink,” It spoke in a wise, masculine voice. “You have been summoned by the starlight, and will follow our commands. Do you understand?”

My eyes widened. I opened my mouth and attempted to speak. 

Nothing happened.

The unicorn’s eyes narrowed. “Do you understand?”

My eyes darted around, becoming aware of the other unicorns that surrounded me. I tried to reject his statement, ask a question, anything! Despite my efforts, only a dull rasp emerged from my throat. I tried to stagger upright.

Suddenly, I was being yanked to the ground! My head slammed against stone, dazing me.

The unicorn loomed over me, horn glowing a dark purple. He hadn’t moved an inch, yet I was being squashed against the floor as if he had laid all his weight over me.

“You will not move without my say-so.” He growled. 

I wheezed wordlessly. I tried to claw at whatever he was using to hold me down, but my hands found nothing but the cold stone beneath me.

“You will follow my commands. Understand?”

My heart pounded as my lungs strained against the now increasing pressure. I frantically nodded.

“Good.” The choking force diminished to a stifling haze of presence. “Now, you will accept your bindings.”

The circle of unicorn horns began to glow.

Instantly, a strange sensation erupted inside me, pulling at me. 

I tried to hide, to flee, but I couldn’t move. I could only let the energy flow through me, squeezing me, burning as it went. 

As it tore through me, I soon realized an unfamiliar set of senses — something that my mind could only imagine as something somewhere between a cluster of magnetic fields and a river.

I tried to scream as it closed in. The raging rapids and thunderous electricity ignored my protests and wrapped around me. It was warping something inside me! It found pieces of me I was previously unaware of, and bound them all tightly!

And then, like I had hit the eye of the storm, it was over.

I lay panting on the stone floor. I was now facing up towards the night sky, the full moon directly above me. It was an almost inappropriately pretty sight.

“It is done, Lord True Ambition.” A feminine voice spoke. “The magic of the bindings has been set, and now the beast awaits your commands.”

I tried to turn my head, but something within me seized my muscles. 

“Creature of ink.” The first voice spoke once more. “You will listen, and listen well. These are the rules you must abide by.”

The strange sixth sense I had gained felt the unicorn pull closer, and something seemed to tighten in response.

“You will never harm I, True Ambition, nor any of the other Ten Stars. You will not harm our families, nor our belongings. You will not act without our say-so — referring chiefly to me. You will listen to our commands, and follow them. You will not reveal our group, nor our goals. These are your core commands.”

I saw True Ambition’s horn glow out of the corner of my eye as he stopped beside me.

“Rise, ink demon!”

The magic — for what else could it be — squeezed me, jolting my muscles into action. Dazed, I laboriously pulled myself upright.

The unicorns watched coldly as I struggled to get my now-hooved feet underneath me. My legs were long, spindly things compared to the ponies, and even with my hunched posture, I towered over them. 

“Stay. Await your next command.” True Ambition said, a smug smile now visible on his muzzle.

I glared. I longed to get my newly clawed hands on him and tear him apart!

But I couldn’t move an inch.

“See? All is well.” True Ambition pronounced to the unicorns. “Everything is going according to plan, my disciples.”

My muscles were held captive by the magic, tensing repeatedly. The unicorns didn’t look very worried, though.

“Now, we must erase all evidence of our presence. Leave no trace, and converge back at our temple.”

I flinched as the swirl of magic shifted in the air, gathering towards two unicorns — True Ambition and a golden mare. The mare and the stallion each laid a hoof on me, and I wanted so desperately to do more than shiver in disgust at their touches, but before I could do anything —

— With a popping sound and a flash of light, we were suddenly in a stone building.

I stumbled, vertigo instantly bringing me to my knees. My mouth was agape as I swallowed back nausea.

The two unicorns watched disinterestedly as I recovered.

“Creature of ink.” True Ambition caught my attention. My head involuntarily turned towards him. “You will follow Startouched Lining’s words as if they were my own.” He said as he gestured towards the golden mare.

My eyes met hers, silently begging for some sign of mercy.

I saw none.

“Demon,” Startouched spoke her first words to me in an inappropriately soft voice. “You will follow me.”

Startouched left True Ambition behind, leading me involuntarily through hallway after hallway. The stone brick tunnels were underground, I realized, but was otherwise clueless as to where I could be.

They… teleported me somehow… I thought to myself in the near-silence of our walk, which was only interrupted by the sound of our breathing and our hooves against the stone. And they’re making me obey them… their every command… How did this happen? H-how can I escape?

I wanted to turn and run, to lash out and kill her, but the only sign of my agitation was the tenseness of my posture and the swishing of my tail. Startouched easily ignored it.

Finally, the unicorn stopped in front of a stone door. We had passed several ones before — around twenty or so — but this one looked much bigger. Sturdier, and more robust. 

Startouched opened the door with a pulse of magic. It creaked like it was dying.

“This is your room. Do not attempt to escape from it.” She broke the silence.

I stood still, heart beating hard. She hadn’t ordered me to go into the room yet, and I very much did not want to.

She quickly realized this, and ordered me inside. My feet marched against their will.

“Stay inside.”

Then, with a creak and a clang, the stone door shut. 

Left alone, and without new orders, the invisible chains slackened. My posture soon matched, as I slumped to the ground, stricken by shock.

I was a prisoner. More than that — a slave. 

What will they make me do?! I hyperventilated. I-I can’t do this! I’ve got to get away!

I looked around. The room was obviously a cell. Aside from the walls themselves, there was absolutely nothing. Nowhere to go. Nowhere to hide.

Desperate for some sense of security, I wedged my strange new body into a corner opposite of the door, my tail curling around myself. It was my only source of comfort, but even that was barely anything. I pressed myself closer to the wall, shivering — not from cold, but from fear.

———

For what must’ve been hours, my mind was blank with horror. I floated, distant from my body. I wondered distantly how I would escape, but was unable to form any solid thoughts.

Distantly, I heard the faint sound of a door slamming shut. It jolted me back into reality. I listened intently, waiting for a unicorn to open the door, or for someone to save me.

No one came. 

My heart began to return to a somewhat normal pace. I loosened my body’s curl. Clarity returned to me.

…I need to figure out what happened. 

The only thing I could investigate was either myself or the room. Slowly, I began investigating my body.

My hands were four fingered, with sharp claws built in. Both the claws and my skin were a deep black, with a somewhat wet shine. My skin felt… moist, but not entirely wet. Yet somehow, I had left behind a noticeable black stain in the corner of the room. My feet were digitigrade, ending in cloven hooves in a dirty cream color. My legs bulged with lean muscle, but were otherwise quite slim.

I didn’t have a mirror, so I wouldn’t know what my face looked like, but I found that I had a mouth full of protruding, fairly sharp teeth, which were stretched into an involuntary grin. My saliva was ink-black, and held a similar sheen. My head was large and somewhat wide, with the edges of it gradually curling into two pointed horns which blended seamlessly with my flesh. I had no visible eyes, yet could somehow see with perfect clarity, even in the pitch dark.

My bony shoulders and hips held hard spikes which could rise like the hackles of a dog, and my ribcage was large, but skeletal-looking. And lastly, I had a long, thin tail, which ended in a devilish spade.

It wasn’t much of a wonder why they called me a demon, or creature, then.

Regardless of what I am now, I’ve still got to escape! There has to be some way out!

I hauled myself upright and began looking around, only to be disappointed. The cell was spacious, but aside from the dark stain I’d left behind, it was pristine. No noticeable cracks.

Frustrated, I turned to the door. I soon found that while I could inspect it — even giving a testing touch to the hinges — it was otherwise featureless. There was no handle, and attempting to break down the door only resulted in my body seizing as the magic took hold, freezing me mid stride and causing me to crash to the ground, which smarted.

I immediately tested the limits of my restraints. 

I tried getting enough momentum to launch myself at the door without actively thinking of breaking it down. That didn’t work. 

Trying to break the wall ended with a hairline crack the first time, but the second time, I only froze in place.

I tried digging a hole through the stone. After a few attempts, my hands stopped moving, leaving me with only a slight dip in the wall's surface.

Picking at the new crack, I could only get the barest chips of stone before I froze up again.

I couldn’t attempt to break the hinges of the door either.

I slumped over in the corner once more.

It’s hopeless… Whatever this magic is, it’s trapped me…

Feeling dissociation take hold of me once more, I began idly scratching at the floor.

Is this all I can do now? Rot in this cell?

Suddenly, I felt a pulse of magic as the stone door creaked open. Instantly, the bindings stiffened, preventing me from bolting.

True Ambition stood in the doorway.

“Follow.” He demanded.

My body moved on its own.