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.