The Crown of Sands

The clover-colored unicorn lay sprawled on the cold stone floor. Her pink eyes were constricted to pinpricks, staring intensely into the shadows, unseeing. The smooth surface of her horn was charred black, all the way to the base. The chilled air was full of the acrid smell of her burnt mane and coat.

Had she been somepony else, looking down at her carcass, she would have planted a hoof into her face in embarrassment. Underestimating your opponent was one of the first mistakes she had been trained to avoid, and rushing a spell and missing important details in the magical fields was another.

An odd light fell upon her body, not illuminating the hall but setting her prone form alight with a wan glow. For a moment, it was as if she was there and somewhere else at the same time. The small flecks of blood that had dripped from her mouth and onto the floor could be seen through her, as if she were fading out. With a flash, she vanished entirely, the distinct whine of a high level spell wearing off cutting the unnatural silence.

All was still for a moment. The dampening charms on the doors at either end didn't allow any sound to travel in or out, and the extinguished torches set into the walls didn't allow the shadows to shift or move. The only sound was a low, almost imperceptible hiss, like air from a tire.

Suddenly, the hiss rose into a crackle, the hall illuminated by an intense white flash. When the light and the sound died away again, the clover-colored unicorn shook her head and sighed. Damn, that was dumb of me...

The unicorn reached out and felt the magical fields again, this time taking care to feel out any manifestations before launching a spell. She noted the dampening charms, the seals on the door, the trap layered just beneath them. Whoever had cast them was clever, they had looped the trap's energy around and under the seals. If you were in a hurry, you would mistake the trap for part of the seal and get yourself killed.

It took a good five minutes, but the unicorn finally peeled away the trap and its fail safes, the redundant lesser seals, and could finally turn her attention to the greater seal. There was no need for stealth with this spell, it seemed. The magical energy was so intense the sealing charm practically shone like the sun where it had been cast to her magically tuned senses. With a spell this strong, I guess there's no need to weave it carefully.

The greater seal itself was almost too easy to remove. With all the lesser seals and the carefully woven trap over it, the greater seal was a fairly simple affair. A spell of motionlessness and a spell of solidity, cast together and bound as a seal on the door's smooth wooden surface. A simple charge to agitate the energy, and then a high level dispel shattered the seal with a little burst of magic.

The unicorn mare slid against the wall, sweat running down her brow. Her horn ached from all that exertion. Maybe next time I'll actually get in, she noted with a bitter little grin. The door was ready to open, as easy as pulling on the handle, but whatever was on the other side was a threat, and one she wouldn't be able to deal with. Not in this state, and not in time.

The whine rose again, only audible to the magically attuned unicorn. If someone else had been there, they wouldn't have heard a thing, save the soft gasp that escaped the mare. Time's up already? I thought I had another minute... With a flash, she disappeared again.

It only took a moment for her to reappear this time. The unicorn took a moment to compose herself, preparing a rudimentary bolt spell. Whatever was on the other side was not friendly, considering it had already killed her. With a steadying breath to still the faintest of flutters in her heart, she reached a hoof out to the handle and gave it a pull.

Thud. The door moved slightly in its frame, but refused to open.

Blood heated the mare's cheeks as she let the bolt spell dissipate from her horn. She took a moment to be thankful no one could see her, and then put her attention toward manipulating the tumblers inside the lock with telekinesis. One by one, they popped into place, and finally the lock released with a click.

The mare sighed and shook her head. That was dumb. She focused her attention back on the bolt attack, wrapping the patterns of energy for it around and weaving the spell itself inside her horn. Finally, she carefully pulled it open, peeking around the wooden door. For a moment all she could see was inky blackness beyond.

Through that absolute darkness was a light, intense and crimson. It curved to a sharp point like a huge thorn. It exuded an intense magical field, which wrapped itself around the room, as if the entire room were under some spell. In the ruby light, the mare could just make out somepony between her and the thorn, who she took to be Arc. He was swaying slightly from side to side and staring directly away from her.

At the sight of the glowing crimson thorn, the unicorn's eyes went wide. She stifled a gasp and pushed herself against the door jamb, trying to make her presence unnoticeable. The room of shadows, the swaying pony in the light's thrall, and now the horn. He's not supposed to be here yet, she thought furiously, This isn't what the book said would happen!

Despite the impossibly long moments that passed with the unicorn mare's heart pounding against her sternum in what could only be an attempt at escape, her presence went unnoticed. The thorn-like light maintained its position over Arc, and Arc continued to sway slightly, no doubt the victim of whatever spell was cast over the room.

Finally, the mare worked up the nerve to press into the thick web of shadow. As she passed through it, she felt the familiar tingle of an area spell, and the room changed around her. She was in the country side, probably in central Equestria judging by the oak trees all around and the mountains in the distance. There was a neat little cottage with an elm in the front yard, surrounded by a low white fence with a gravel path leading to the door. Seated on that path, just as far as he had been in the Catacombs, was Arc.

Another, older, unicorn mare was looming over him, her face a scowl. Her dull blue coat and lavender mane clashed with the glowing red horn curving out of her forehead. A sickly green aura spilled from the horn, coalescing around Arc's eyes.

The clover-colored mare fired the bolt spell, and the magical projectile struck dead-center into the horn's base. The older mare vanished in a burst of smoke, and the illusion melted away into the shadows. Arc slumped over, all the energy gone from him.

“Gahh! How dare you!?” A deep rumbling voice oozed from the swirling shadows around the mare as she stepped protectively over Arc. The curved horn shone even brighter now, illuminating the stone walkway the pair were upon, and it was joined by two glinting sickly green eyes. The mare began focusing more energy into her horn, prepared for the swirling shadows to collapse upon her, horn leading.

“Do you even know who I am?” The shadows demanded, the horned face pausing over the end of the walkway. The mare could feel more magical energy being siphoned into the horn from the darkness around her.

“You should be dead.” The unicorn mare's answer elicited a rumbling chuckle from the darkness. “Your subjects rose up and killed you.”

“They did little more than inconvenience me. In due time, I'll return to reclaim my home,” The shadows growled, an even greater wash of energy flowing into the horn. “All I need is a new body.” At this, the glinting green eyes glanced at Arc's prone form.

The unicorn mare stomped a hoof, leveling her horn as the shadows darted forward. They crossed horns, the intense energies crackling around their heads as they clashed. Already it was a losing battle for the mare. This dark presence was strong, looming over her and pressing down, intent on crushing her. Already the unicorn mare's knees were beginning to buckle. Suddenly, her legs were no longer beneath her, and she slipped. In that instant before she was dashed apart, she launched her spell.

The bolt blasted through the shadows' right eye, detonating in a shower of green energy. The dark form leaped back, howling in pain and rage, and fired off its own spell. The energy it had siphoned from the darkness shot into the floor beneath the mare, and from it spilled a series of wickedly sharp stalactites made up of dark crystal. The mare dove to the side as the crystals speared the air where she had been. That was close-, her thankfulness was cut short by Arc's screaming. Dammit!

The shadows crashed into her before her hooves could touch back down from her dodge, and the unicorn mare was hurled across the room. She hit the wall with a loud crack before tumbling into the shadows below. The dark form let out another rumbling chuckle as it loomed over Arc. Arc's prone form writhed amongst the crystals, his mind awash with pain. The shadows collapsed over him in a cascade, forcing him back out of consciousness.

Something shifted in the shadow below, a brief scuffle like a pair of wings aiding a jump, and then a form wrapped in a long blue cloak appeared from over the side. A pair of intense violet eyes glared out from beneath the hood, a white curving beak and a single talon the only parts exposed.

“Ignis,” a soft voice called from beneath the navy-blue hood, and the talon burst into flame. “Strike.”

At the griffon's voice, the fire shot forth in a massive column, consuming the shadows as they whirled and shuddered about. The deep rumbling voice howled in pain, the remaining eye squeezed shut. It was as if the shadows themselves were catching fire, and the whole room was lit up by the madly tumbling form as it desperately beat itself against the walls, trying to put itself out.

“Damn you!! This isn't over!” The form promised before it smashed against the opposite door, tearing the door off of its hinges as the smoldering darkness fled deeper into the Catacombs.

Without pause, the griffon lass leveled her talon at the mass of crystals that held Arc, piercing his sides.

“Vitreous,” Bertha murmured, “Disperse.” At her words, the crystals shattered and fell apart, sinking back into the stone of the walkway.

Bertha's attack had lit the torches of the chamber, and in the flickering torchlight she examined Arc's wounds. She was no healer, but she quietly did what she could to ease the pain, claws glowing dimly. The crystals had crushed his chest plate before deflecting into his sides, shredding the points where his wings met his torso and tearing the straps that had held his pack. The wings hung limp and motionless as the rest of his body gave brief shudders and jerks at Bertha's efforts, and she tossed the pack aside to get her talons closer to his wounds.

Mercifully, Arc slid into unconsciousness as Bertha worked over him. With a groan, he fell into a dark, dreamless sleep. Only one thing pervaded his thoughts before even these melted away; the book, digging hard into his sternum beneath the bent and crushed metal of the armor.

~ ~ ~

The crystal blue skies over the sweltering cream-colored desert were filled with the thrum of propellers buffeting the air as three airships slid purposefully over the dunes. Aboard these ships were a motley of creatures with varying degrees of sapience, armed with curving blades and heavy crossbows. Perched atop one of the ship's red balloons, leaning over the metal railing of his crow's nest, a pony in a worn old uniform peered through a long telescope.

Dutifully, he scanned through the sea of sand sprawling outward below. At last, his emerald eyes lighted on the ships' destination. With a nod of certainty, the pony dropped the telescope to the metal platform beneath him and scampered over the side, scaling down the net of ropes coiling over the balloon's smooth surface. He landed on the wooden deck below with a clunk.

The Earth pony darted around the other crew members and up the staircase to the head of the ship, where a grizzled old fox was reclining on a pillow, wrapped in a lavender shawl and reading a book through a pair of thick spectacles. His amber coat had been turned almost entirely silver by the years. Absentmindedly, the old fox ran a paw over his long white beard.

“Sir, I've spotted Fillydelphia.” The pony bowed his head respectfully as he approached. “It's straight ahead.”

“Hmm? Oh, good, good,” The fox flipped shut the book and removed his glasses, sliding them under his shawl. “You, pilot, take us lower. We'll be landing soon enough.” The fox grabbed the oak walking stick sitting next to him and pushed himself up, leaning heavily on the railing behind him. The mare at the wheel nodded before pressing a pedal with one of her rear hooves, bringing the ship into a slow, gentle decline.

“Suppose we should tell the captain, eh?” The old fox asked rhetorically, clapping the Earth pony on the back as he passed with his free front paw. “You can take a break, you've done well.”

The fox descended the staircase, walking stick leading with his three free paws following. The crew members milling about the main deck parted for him as he crossed to the cabin at the other end of the ship. Reaching the door, he grabbed the iron knocker and wrapped it on the door three times.

“Come in,” A smooth, calm voice inside answered, and the fox pushed through and let the door fall shut. The crew members quickly returned to their duties, the lookout clambering back up the netting. Arvelo the Clever might grant him a break, but the captain certainly wouldn't allow it. It's just better to look busy when the captain comes on deck, even if my job is done.