Sky looked over the edge of the drop-off, and, sure enough, the remainder of the rope bridge dangled down the side of the cliff. “Looks like I’ll need to perform some maintenance on our walkway,” he muttered.

“This seems all too familiar,” Twilight said thoughtfully. “When we first came to get the Elements of Harmony, this same rope bridge was out. Rainbow Dash went across to tie it back, but when she came back, we could all tell that she had had an encounter of some kind. But she never told us what it was. What if this thing is trying to get you by yourself?”

Sky spread his wings and flapped them slowly. “I really don’t see much of another way over,” he responded.

“I could always just teleport ourselves over,” she countered.

Sky turned to her, obviously surprised, but also rather relieved. “Well…I guess that could work.” Inwardly, he was very thankful that there was another option. After experiencing those few moments when he was most aware of those eyes staring at him, he wasn’t entirely sure he could trust his wings to carry him across. That, and he felt that it was much easier to be brave when his friends were standing beside him.

“Okay, gather up,” Twilight said. Spike leapt onto Sky’s back as he trotted over beside the unicorn. Twilight’s horn began to glow, then, in an instant, there was a bright flash. Before Sky could inhale or even blink, he found himself still standing beside Twilight, but now on the steps leading into the ruined castle.

“Points for creativity, bonus points for coolness,” Sky said, trying to stay lighthearted.

“Thank you,” Twilight replied, nodding her head in acknowledgement.

Suddenly, a rumble shook the ground beneath them, and Spike went stiff as he leapt into the air. Sky swung around to face the ruins, just in time to see cracks appear in the arched gateway leading inside. Small fragments of the walls fell to the ground, and crashing sounds came from inside, but the whole of the castle remained intact.

“I don’t think it’s too happy that you came with me,” Sky said, alarmed.

“It’ll have to deal with it,” Twilight responded defiantly. “Let’s go see what this thing really is.”

Cautiously, the trio moved up the stairs. As soon as they reached the top, Twilight used her light spell to illuminate the corridor. It was still much the same as it had been when she had been there last: the windows had grown slightly larger as they continued to fall apart, the columns looked less than sturdy, and the ceiling was cracked in several places. In a far corner lay a still-settling pile of rubble. It apparently had given in during the tremors they had felt outside.

“I don’t see anything,” Spike said, clinging to Sky’s mane.

“Neither do I,” Sky agreed. “But it’s here.” He shook his mane gently. “Let go, Spike. You’ll need to get down. I’m gonna see if I can have a chat with this thing.”

“But—”

“Do it.” Sky’s voice was firm. Reluctantly, Spike dismounted from atop the pegasus’ back and stood beside Twilight. Then, their sense of worry rising with each passing moment, they watched as Sky walked out into the open area of the floor.

“Alright, I’m here. Can we talk like civilized beings now?” he practically shouted, though there was a quiver in his voice that was rather unmistakable.

The silence that followed seemed to last for hours, and Sky nearly found it unbearable. He knew the…thing…was here, and that it could see him, but it didn’t respond. That terrified him more than the eyes. Was it biding its time, or was it simply toying with him, like a predator plays with its prey?

Finally, there came a voice that froze the hearts of each of the companions. It was deep and strong, like a growl, but pierced the air like the hiss of a serpent. Sky found that he was still standing, though he knew that it was because he was too terrified to cower.

“You did come. Very good! I was beginning to worry,” it said in a voice that sounded rather pleased, which came as a most unpleasant thought.

Then it was Sky’s turn to be silent. His voice was gone. Or, rather, it refused to work. He stood, stiff as a board, in the center of the room, like a statue. If anyone could have seen him, it would have appeared that he had turned to stone.

At last, Sky heard a voice come from behind him. “We all came together! Now, what are you?” Twilight yelled from the entryway.

The voice made a noise like a snarl, then spoke. “Ah, the other pony speaks. I did not beckon you to come, and I do not welcome you to my halls.”

“I came with Sky Streak, and if you would speak to him, then you speak to me,” she replied with an air of regality.

The air became thick with menace as the voice spoke again. “I will deal with you eventually. But I still must speak with this pony here. He and I have great matters to discuss.”

Sky’s surprise overcame his terror. “Discuss?” he asked in a high voice.

“Indeed. You are an emissary of the Equestrian Royal Council, are you not?”

Sky blinked. “What?”

The voice continued. “How long has it been since the ponies abandoned this forest? A thousand years, at the least. And they have never been able to return. Has no pony ever wondered why that is?”

It paused for a moment, apparently enjoying the attention that it was receiving. “It is because they fear this forest. They fear the fact that the creatures are so frightful and dangerous. They fear the weather that changes on its own. They fear the darkness. But most of all, they fear the rumor of a lingering spirit that resides in the wood, ruling it as its dark domain. And they do wisely to fear. But they are misguided. For if they knew the truth of what lingers within this forest, they would have long ago fled for the hills!”

With that, a dark vapor flowed in through the windows, fell from the ceiling, and seeped up through the floor. Sky cried out and jumped backwards, his legs and wings flailing wildly as he careened through the air. Through his panic, he saw the darkness gather on a raised platform at the far end of the room. Slowly, it began to take form: there were four long, black legs, each capped with a crystal blue hoof guard. Around its neck was a similarly colored and designed chest piece, with the image of a crescent moon adorning the center emblem. A pair of black wings sprouted from its body, and a misty mane and tail sifted from the shadows. A crystal helm materialized from the mane, as the shadows merged into the shape of a head. A long black horn protruded from the front, and a pair of deep violet patches appeared on either side of its head. Sky didn’t need to see into its open eyes to know what he was looking at. He scrambled to back up as his mouth struggled to utter the name of the specter before him.

“N-N-Ni…” he stammered.

“Oh, you recognize me?” came the voice, now with a distinctive feminine tone. “Tell me, then…are you afraid?”

Sky’s mouth finally found the words he was after. “Night Mare Moon!” he screamed in utter horror.

“Well, yes and no,” the voice replied. “Princess Luna was kind enough to leave behind the broken pieces of her form as Night Mare Moon, which I have put to good use, as you can see. But,” it continued, losing its feminine tone and gaining a far more ghoulish one, “I never could get the eyes quite right. But I don’t mind.” With that, her eyes opened, revealing a pair of glowing red eyes, full of hate and despise. In that instant, her crystal adornments changed to a blood-red tone, and her tail and mane became a deep shade of crimson. Its cruel laughter shook the castle, and the room nearly split in half when it spoke again. “I ACTUALLY RATHER PREFER IT THIS WAY!!!”

Sky dropped to the floor, unable to control himself. He tried to stuff his hooves in his ears. He bit his lip as hard as he could. He tried anything to wake himself from this nightmare. But the reality of the situation came to him like a splash of cold water when he heard a familiar voice call out from the rear of the room.

“I’ve seen enough! I’ve faced Night Mare Moon once before; I’ll face you, too!”

The chaos subsided for a moment. “As for you, my dear,” the monstrosity said in an icy voice, “your part in this tale is over.”

Sky didn’t dare look up. Not until he heard a loud crack and a deep rumble. Suddenly, he knew what was coming. He willed his legs to work as he leapt up and spun back to where he had left Spike and Twilight.

He was too late. Twilight’s scream split the air as a deafening crash shook the floor. All he could see was a blinding cloud of dust, but he didn’t care. He sprung forward, running headlong towards where he had heard Twilight call out.

He slammed into the pile of rubble as soon as he saw it. He stumbled backwards, then, gathering his wits, looked along the base of the pile. For a few moments, he saw nothing but broken stone. Then, at last, he saw a pair of purple legs, and a dirt-covered purple mane sticking out from underneath the pile.

“Twilight!” he yelled, galloping over to her. “Twilight! Say something!”

For a moment, he heard nothing but the sound of a few small pieces of debris clattering along the ground. Then, mercifully, he heard a soft, yet distinct groan.

“Oh…” Twilight moaned softly. “Ow…”

“Twilight, don’t move, I’ll try and get these off you…” Sky said, moving to push aside the rubble that fallen on her when the ceiling had given way. To his bewilderment, he couldn’t even budge the smallest of the pieces.

“Sky…you…you have to face her…”

He looked back down at Twilight. He had been so caught up in the moment that he had somehow totally forgotten about the reincarnated terror on the other side of the room. For a moment, Sky locked up again, frozen stiff in agonizing fear.

No. Not now.

He softly placed his hoof on one of Twilight’s free legs. “It’s my turn now,” he said softly. “I won’t let you down.” And with that, he turned to face his foe.

“Alright, you’ve had your turn to talk. Now you’re gonna answer my questions. What are you?” Sky asked, pausing between each of the last words for special emphasis.

“Oh, he can talk. What a pleasant surprise,” the terror said as its form became visible against the lingering cloud of dust.

“Answer me!” Sky shouted through clenched teeth.

The thing began to chuckle cruelly. “Oh, come. I don’t really need to spell this out for you, do I? A creature that can cause natural disasters like earthquakes? A monster whose very presence invokes the most potent feeling of fear? You’re smart enough to figure this out,” it teased.

Sky didn’t take his eyes off the thing. He struggled to recall the names of all the horrible things that he had ever read or heard about. Manticores, dragons, gorgons, cockatrice…nothing seemed to fit.

Suddenly, he found it. “No. No, you can’t be. It’s all wrong. There’s nothing about you being able to take on different forms,” he said, unable to reconcile his thoughts with the terrible reality before him.

“Hahahaha! It has been a thousand years, little one. It would be a shame if I had nothing new to show after so long. Perhaps I stole the powers of a changeling. Perhaps I ate one.” The thought made Sky’s insides twist like a pretzel. “Now, have you come to a conclusion? Tell me, little colt! Tell me my name!”

Sky snorted and stamped. A voice that both growled and hissed at the same time. It wasn’t just one voice: it spoke with several voices. Which means that it had multiple mouths. And probably, multiple heads. “Show me your true form, demon. I’m tired of talking to an illusion.”

For a moment, the creature was silent. When it spoke, it seemed genuinely impressed. “Do you think you can bring yourself to face me? None have dared to try in over a millennium.”

“Then you’re overdue for it,” Sky said. He took a step back and pressed a hoof against Twilight for support. As long as she was back there, needing help, he knew he could find the courage he needed.

As he looked on, the altered image of Night Mare Moon changed form: its long black legs grew shorter and thicker, its tail became long and slender, and its head became larger as its mane shrunk around the whole of its neck. A new growth sprouted out of its back, and its black color faded into an array of brown, green, and other colors that created a rather grotesque image. The form roared as its metamorphosis completed, and brilliant red flames shot from its body.

“You know, I hadn’t planned on facing a monster from the depths of Tartarus today, but since it came up, I guess I can pencil in an appointment with the Chimera,” Sky said defiantly.

The Chimera howled with delight. “Very good! You’re quite knowledgeable for a pegasus. I’d love to be able to keep you around for entertainment, but I think this charade has gone on long enough. It’s been ages since I’ve had a nice meal of roast pony. It will be good to taste it again,” it said, all three of its heads licking its lips in anticipation.

All in all, the situation looked pretty hopeless. Sky couldn’t leave Twilight and Spike to face the Chimera alone...

Wait a minute, Sky thought. “Spike!” he called, suddenly realizing he hadn’t seen a trace of the dragon since he had first walked into the room.

He heard his voice, strong, yet strained, coming from behind and above him. “Sky! Try and distract that thing! I’ll try and get Twilight out of here!”

Sky turned back to see the baby dragon on top of the pile of debris, desperately trying to move the rubble that was on top the unicorn. And in the midst of the despair and hopeless circumstances he found himself in, Sky smiled at his bravery and loyalty.

“It won’t work,” Twilight muttered in a pained voice. “The debris is being held down by the Chimera’s magic…not even I can move it.”

“I’m not leaving unless you two are with me,” Sky said, though his mind disagreed with his mouth.

Twilight shook her head. “Take Spike and get out of here!” she ordered as her horn lit up. “I’ll try to hold it off for as long as I can.”

“No!” Sky shouted, bringing his hoof up to her horn. “Either we’re all leaving, or I’m fighting this thing!”

And as his hoof touched her horn, there was a brilliant flash of light. It split the darkness open, and the Chimera hissed loudly, retreating from the sudden intrusion of light. Spike squinted in the sudden outburst, but continued to watch in awe.

As the light slowly subsided, Sky and Twilight emerged, still in the same locations, but now, a transformation had come over the pegasus. His wings were open, and they glowed with a pale blue glimmer that left streams of light behind them as they moved.

Spike was the first to find his voice. “Whoa! Sky, you look…awesome!” he shouted.

And for the first time since the night he had left Canterlot, Sky’s heart felt free. The oppressive fear and apprehension were gone, replaced by courage and love for his friends. Each breath made his lungs feel like they would burst, and his wings…his wings tingled with an energy he’d not known before. He cast one last glance down at Twilight; she still lay on the ground, but her eyes were full of hope as she looked up at him. He gave her a reassuring smile, then turned back to where the Chimera stood by the far wall.

“If your presence evokes fear, then I’d say your power is weakening,” Sky challenged. “I think you need to find another way to intimidate your opponents.”

“Fool!” the Chimera shouted. “If you think that fear was my only weapon, then you are gravely mistaken! I will show you the depths of despair before I tear your life from you!” A flash of lightning lit the sky outside as she spoke.

Sky leveled his eyes and flattened his ears. His hooves were splayed on the ground in preparation to charge. “Spike!” he called.

“What?” the dragon shouted back, barely audible over the growing wind and the pealing thunder.

“Take notes on this! When this fight is over, I want you to send it to Princess Celestia! The Council will need to know about this, whatever happens!”

“You want me to write a letter NOW?!”

“Spike! Do it!”

He turned back, facing the Chimera. His mind fell onto the night he was given his task. He smiled grimly at the memory.

If this is the task that was appointed to me, then I will see it through. No matter the cost.

The Chimera roared with all three heads as it charged.

For friendship.

Author's Note

BOSS BATTLE!!!