Wish

Chapter 9

“What’s going on? What happened to the Moon?” Valiari asks.

“Something has gone horribly wrong. . .” Aria peers down and stares into her pool of water puzzlingly. “I cannot see anything out there. . . It has become a total blackout with not a single spec of light. . . First the night lasts longer than it should, and now the Moon has fallen. The Princesses are in grave danger.”

“Well what are we waiting for? Let’s get moving!”

“Then we must act quickly, you all must travel to the cult’s cavern and stop them . . . before the sun and Moon never rise again.”

“But how will we get there? There doesn’t seem to be a way out of this cave.” Says Trixie.

“You all will travel through here.” Aria says pointing down to the pool of water. She motions her hoof in a circular motion around the water’s surface stirring around a series of ripples. After lifting her hoof back up the waves throughout the water don’t seem to lighten but instead intensify. All of us examine the water, and instead of seeing our reflections or the colorful lights from the stones glimmering off the surface we find that we are staring into nothing but complete blackness.

“I-I don’t see anything.” Says Trixie.

“That is because it is a portal to the outside. You all will step through the water and out into the forest; from there you must find the caverns on your own.”

“Our own? But we don’t know where to even begin looking for such caverns!”

“You are right, but there is one with us that does. . . Vali?” All of us turn our attention to Valiari who looks surprised to have all the attention put upon him.

“Yes. . . Yes I know the way! I just. . . Let me remember. . . It’s umm.” Valiari struggles to remember as he puts his hoof over his forehead desperately trying to remember. “I-I don’t. . . I can’t remember.”

“Yes you can. Just look deeper. Try to remember what happened that night, and look for anything that may serve as a landmark.”

“Uhh. . . Well umm. . .” Valiari is acting so nervously under the pressure. He needs to put his mind at ease and not strain his thoughts. If he continues I fear that he may never find an answer, or that he may lose it.

“. . . Just relax.” I say in an attempt to calm him down.

“Oh how can I relax?! This is all depending on me and I just can’t . . . !”

“Vali please. Listen to what he says. Do not beat yourself up to try and force your mind to remember, but file through your memories gently. You will find something then I promise you.” Says Aria. After hearing the advice from her he finally decides to take a breath and focus. All of us retain our silence so that he can keep his peace. “. . . I. . . I remember. . . a mark. A mark that was engraved on the torn trunk of one of the maples! From there I remember that the hole leading down into the cavern was nearby!”

“Then you all must search for that.”

“But will my spell be enough to light the way?” Trixie asks.

“No, but do not worry. I’m sure you’ll have plenty of light. The wondrous glow from these stones can pierce through darkness with ease as I am sure you have all noticed. I can sense that your friend Aireal is in possession of a few of these gems.”

“Right, Aireal, the stones I gave you; where are they?” I reach into my pocket and pull out the small black sack that the stones reside in. I untie the tie around the opening and pull out a stone with a minty green glow.

“Each of you will carry one of those stones with you while traveling through the woods. But you all must use them carefully. For the creatures that live within the forest will spot your light and hunt you down. If you see any signs of danger then hide the light until you are sure it is safe.” As she speaks I hand Trixie and Valiari a stone. Trixie uses her magic to carry a bright blue glowing stone, and Valiari carries a milky white stone while I keep hold of the green stone. “What I am sensing out in those woods is not any form of magic that I am familiar with . . . but it instead feels like a completely new art. You all must take caution when confronting them.”

“How will we even begin to figure out how we will stop them if they have this power?” Trixie asks.

“Miss Lulamoon, I feel that you are doubting yourself. You believe that you are prepared for the danger, but your mind is still unsure. You still fear them don’t you?”

“Well. . . Yes, I do but. . . I’m not sure if we have the power to stop them.”

“Really now? And that is how you have your mind set? Miss Lulamoon step forward.” Trixie glances at Valiari and I before cautiously stepping closer to Aria before her pool of water. “If there is anypony who is equipped to end this it is you.”

“But . . . just how can you be sure? My magic cannot be strong enough to stop them.”

“Perhaps a memory will show you otherwise.” Aria places her hoof upon Trixie’s head as her eyes begin to glow extremely bright white. The beams of light from her eyes puncture the thick colors of the stones and fill the whole cave with an ocean of white. It becomes so intense that Valiari and I need to shield our eyes from the light. Suddenly the sounds of the cave stop. The movement of water and howling of winds around the cave’s walls are replaced with the sounds of rain pelting the roof above our heads. The air has gotten slightly colder and filled with the sounds of coughing. Moving my hand away from my eyes I find that we are no longer in the colored cave but instead a cozy little cabin. The three of us look around madly at the surrounding wooden walls and floor that is sheeted with a dark green circular rug lined with designs of white that weave all around the edges. There is a soft-looking couch and a wooden table to its side. The room is shadowed, but the hall in front of us leads to a room dimly lit by one candle.

“What is this place?” Valiari asks.

“I. . . I remember. This is where. . . I used to live when I was a little filly. What are we doing here?” Trixie asks still looking around the room confusedly.

“Trixie honey?” A voice asks from down the hall.

“Th-That voice. . . Hello? Who is there?” Trixie starts walking quietly down the hall to the dimly lit room as Valiari and I follow closely behind. All of us peer around the doorway at the end of the hall and see a unicorn lying in bed covered with a white sheet near a little wooden table with the candle resting atop it. At the other side lies another table but with a tall glass vase and flowers that are just beginning to wilt within it. The unicorn looks exactly like Trixie’s Mother. The same coat; the same mane; everything seems about the same; but how?

“Trixie what are you doing up so late? You should be in bed sweetheart.”

“Mother?” Trixie asks.

“I can’t sleep.” A young feminine voice erupts from behind causing all of us to jolt. Leaning against the other side of the doorway is a stunningly familiar looking filly. She has a cobalt coat, silver mane, violet eyes. . . It’s Trixie, except she looks much smaller. My mind is baffled. Trixie is right here; how can she be right there as well? While lost in my thoughts the smaller Trixie passes right through us as if we were ghosts. All of us jump our eyes at each other glancing and examining our limbs as if to find an answer to how she could’ve passed through. The smaller Trixie walks up to her Mother’s bedside resting her chin and forelegs against the edge of the mattress.

“Why can’t you sleep? Is something bothering you? I’m sorry if my coughing is keeping you awake dear I just can’t help it.” Her Mother then rests her hoof on Trixie’s back.

“When are you going to get better?” Asks Trixie’s young and innocent voice.

“Oh sweetheart I. . . I really don’t know.”

“. . . This is truly remarkable! A memory spell! But . . . just what happened on this day?” Valiari asks curiously while attempting to keep it to a whisper.

“. . . This was the day she. . . She left.” Trixie says while still staring out into the room.

“Come here Trixie hop up.” The little Trixie climbs onto the bed and lays near her Mother wile she wraps her foreleg around Trixie’s back bringing her closer. “Why don’t you tell me about your day? You came home and you ran right upstairs. What happened?” As she speaks Trixie breaks away from us and steps out into the middle of the room staring at them while Valiari and I stay behind near the doorway.

“The other ponies at school just won’t leave me alone. Everyday they pick on me when I did nothing to them. I just wanted to be alone for a little. . .”

“Those rotten kids again? What did they say?”

“Th-They keep saying that I’m never going to get my cutie mark because I’m not special like them. . .” Trixie’s voice starts to quiver as she leans her head against her Mother’s shoulder.

“Now don’t let those kids convince you you’re nothing special. Because they have no idea what you’re capable of. One day you’ll show them all what a wonder you are. Soon everypony will be looking at you asking, ‘Wow, who is that amazing mare?’ I’ll tell you what you already amaze me Trixie. You’re so beautiful, smart, kind-hearted, talented. . . I can’t even find all the words for everything that is so wonderful about you, because there is just so much. Promise me, that you won’t stop being who you are…” Trixie’s eyes have been crying during her speech and I can tell that her voice is caught in her throat keeping her form responding. “Come now wipe those tears away.” Trixie then starts to wipe the tears away from her eyes. I then notice that the real Trixie is also crying and wiping her tears away at the same time. “Now show me that beautiful smile that I always want to see.” And the both of them smile.

“That’s my girl. Now promise me you will never stop being great, because deep inside you’re powerful. It’s there, I know it is. You just have to find it. Don’t let their words mean anything to you. Just ignore them and remember what I said. Promise?”

“. . . I promise. . .” The smaller Trixie replies while the real Trixie keeps it under a whisper.

“You make me so proud. I love you so much sweetheart.”

“I love you too Mom. . .”

“And remember, if something ever happens to me I will always be with you in your heart. . . Do you understand?”

“Y-Yes.” Trixie’s eyes are overwhelmed with so much sadness that she embraces her Mother and rests her head on her chest.

“. . . Here honey, take this.” Trixie’s Mother takes out a folded sheet of paper and hands it to Trixie. As soon as Trixie begins to pry apart the fold her Mother immediately stops her. “Don’t open it now. When you feel truly lost and alone to the point where you just can’t take it anymore; I want you to read what’s inside that note. So be careful not to lose it okay?”

“I won’t.”

“Good. . .” My heart is touched by the words the two are sharing, but it begins to subside after I notice that her Mother’s eyes slowly close and her coughing silences. Her body is motionless and her breathing seems to have stopped.

“. . . Mom? Mom wake up. . . Mom? . . . Mom!” The little Trixie tries desperately to shake her Mother awake while calling her name, but she never wakes up. The room starts to fade back to white and within seconds I find that we are all back in the warm cave. But no amount of warmth can heal the cold in my heart from watching the life from her Mother vanish without warning.

“That, Miss Lulamoon, is the reason. Your Mother knew that you are something special, and she was right. There is a power within you . . . yet you choose to ignore it.”

“She was only trying to keep my spirit up—”

“And you persist on telling yourself that? I watched horrified as you plummeted down into the Tar Pits. No living thing that has gotten trapped in them has ever escaped. I thought that you would have been claimed as another victim to their adhesive grasp. Yet here you are standing before me! Now tell me, how are you still here?”

“. . . My magic saved me.”

“Now let me tell you: no ordinary unicorn could have possibly escaped those pits alive . . . You seem nervous Miss Lulamoon. What would be the matter? Is there something you’re not telling me?”

“I . . . I felt something. My magic it was . . . different.”

“Different you say? Perhaps that is your inner power trying to show itself, but you just won’t let it. You must set that energy free if you are to have a chance against this cult.”

“But how?!”

“That I cannot answer. I will say this however. . . You made your Mother a promise. . . Are you certain that you want to break it?”

“Of course not! I would never.”

“Your mind won’t always find the answer, so perhaps you must put your faith to something else for it.”

“Something else. . .” Aria looks up at the newly blackened sky and nervously back at us.

“We are losing precious time. Miss Lulamoon I hope that you think about what I have said . . . but there is one more thing that has been puzzling me this whole time. Vali, there is something strange about you. Will you tell me why I am sensing an odd energy among you?”

“I uhh. . . Oh Alright.” Valiari removes his hat to show his missing horn, and pulls down his inner shirt to show a section of the black scar across his chest. Aria gasps at the sight.

“What has happened to you?”

“When they brought me to their cave they cursed me with this. This is how I am still alive to this day . . . but in a way I am glad they did this to me. Because if it wasn’t for this I wouldn’t be here to see you again.”

“My dear Vali, how do you find light in the darkest of situations?”

“Because during my years I’ve realized that there is no point in moping about your problems, because that time can be used to find a solution. Being alone for so long gave me time to think, and thinking about how I could see you again kept the tears from my eyes; and determination in my heart. I was willing to do whatever I could . . . and I had to put another in danger for it.” Valiari then glances at me. “You were right Aireal, I was only thinking for myself. I didn’t stop for a second to think about how you felt and your friend. Because I didn’t know that you could— . . . What I’m trying to say is. I apologize for the way I’ve treated you. I guess being isolated from society has deprived me of consideration for others.”

“There is nothing you need to apologize for. I appreciate everything you’ve done for me. If it wasn’t for your help I . . . I don’t know where I would be right now. So thank you.” Valiari appears that he is too touched to respond. I can tell by his smile that he understands there is nothing sour between us. If anything I owe it to him for he was the one who has been helping me since the very beginning. He made a promise to reunite me with Trixie and he kept it; I found it only proper that I keep my promise to him.

“Vali there is something I am just recognizing. . .” Aria says while staring wonderingly at me. “. . . Just when will you—”

“I will in time! Just . . . leave it be please. I-I can’t yet.” Trixie and I look at each other in confusion. Just what was Aria going to say before Valiari interrupted? Was it about me? Maybe it was just something between them that they need to sort out for all I know. Perhaps it’s best just to stay out of it.

“W-What were you going to say?” Trixie asks.

“Nevermind. You must hurry now. I will hold the portal open for you so that you may return quickly and safely. Go, and good luck to all of you. And Trixie . . . do not forget the promise you made to her.” Trixie nods her head before the three of us jump into the black rippling waves of the pool. Feeling my body pass through a layer of water everything is still dark but I can breathe the air. I find that I have made the transition from falling through the water’s surface to leaping up into the air. I land on a soft grassy land with the sound of chirping crickets surrounding me. Uncurling my hand to reveal the stone’s green light it illuminates a good distance ahead to reveal the trees and the light shinning off of their frosty bark. I realize the temperature has changed from warm to freezing. Every breath feels like tiny icicles forming along the walls of my lungs. Trixie and Valiari beside me reveal their lights to broaden the distance in which we can see. Looking back I find a small puddle of water and its surface is similar to the pool of water from the cave: dark and the ripples do not end.

“Well, we don’t want to waste anymore time. Let’s get going. I’m sure we’ll find that tree here somewhere.” Says Valiari now leading the way through the cold forest. Occasionally during the walk he will stop and reorient himself around the woods making twists and turns around fallen tree trunks and clusters of trees we can’t really fit ourselves through. By now the time we’ve spent out in the cold would be freezing us, but the stones’ warmth makes it bearable. Valiari has made sure to keep track of landmarks that can help us find our way back. We’ve come across a random rounded stone, past an extremely crooked tree and its branches that reach to the ground, a tall plant with hundreds of thin spines along its skin, and the last thing we pass by is a wide patch of short leafy plants before he decides to stop. He paces around the ground crunching leaves and twigs with every step pondering to himself and muttering out loud. “Ohh we went here then there . . . over that way . . . we should be close . . . or should we have turned there . . .?”

“Are you sure you know where you’re going?” Trixie asks.

“Y-Yes of course! Why wouldn’t I? It . . . should . . . be . . . Oh we are lost!”

“You didn’t see this tree you were talking about?!”

“N-No, at least I don’t think so. Uhh. . . umm. . .” Valiari is panicking and desperately trying to figure out what to do.

“We just have to keep looking.” Trixie sputters.

“But what if I don’t find it in time?! It’ll all be my fau—” Valiari’s nervous breakdown is interrupted by a sudden cracking of twigs in the dark distance of the forest. “The light! Hide the light!” Valiari attempts to whisper. We all cover our stones and remain still. An owl hoots, wind blows, and leaves scurry along the forest floor by the blowing of the wind but there is not a single other sound apart from these. I can feel eyes watching me through the dark sending a shiver up my spine to keep still and lessen my breathing as much as possible so that it cannot be heard. Despite this my ears could swear they catch another body breathing. It cannot be Trixie or Valiari as they are at the front of me; this breathing was far behind. I only hear it for one agonizing moment before it gets lost with the wind. “. . . I-I think it’s clear.” Valiari whispers. Cautiously we allow the light to peer back through the dark as we check all sides to find nothing there. My mind then grabs the chance to grow comfortable and slightly back at ease. “W-What was that?” Trixie asks her voice trembling with fright.

“I don’t know, but whatever it was it’s gone now. . . We shouldn’t stay in one spot for too long incase it comes back. Come on let’s go keep looking.” We all pick ourselves up and hurry away from the area. Everything is beginning to feel like the same place over and over again. Endless trees and grass nearly frozen stiff are all that’s ahead. In a sudden burst of speed Valiari gallops through the woods with ease ignoring the branches that slam against his head and body. “Hey! Wait for us!” Trixie shouts, but he does not listen. We fall a bit behind as we try to maneuver safely through the trees’ clustered branches. Then we find him, but he has stopped trotting and is standing as stoic as a statue. Confused we quietly walk up behind him. “Valiari?” I ask.

“Shh! . . . Don’t you see her?” He says still staring out to the woods.

“. . . I-I don’t see anything.” I say trying to locate what it is he’s claiming to see.

“Neither do I.” Says Trixie.

“What are you talking about?” He says now looking at us. “She’s right over . . . there.” Pointing his hoof over to the trees he notices that there still is nothing. “. . . I don’t understand. . . Sh-She was here! The whole time! Didn’t you see her?!” He says loudly and heatedly. Walking out to the trees he inspects every inch of space around the trees with his jaw hanging open. “She. . . She was here. . . That little filly . . . looked so familiar. . .”

“What are you talking about Valiari? What filly?” Trixie asks demandingly.

“It. . . It was the filly that saved me from the cult that day.”

“That’s preposterous! She couldn’t possibly have been here.” Trixie argues.

“B-But I saw her! I wasn’t sure if it was relevant to tell you two but; after the incident, and with whatever sleep I could get, I would see the little filly in my dreams. . . Guiding me through the woods. . . I must be going insane. Actually no, scratch that, ‘more’ insane would be more like it.”

“W-Well where did she take you?” Trixie asks.

“I’m not sure. I could never catch up to her. . . I don’t understand. . . She was here right next to this tree. . . Unless. . .” Valiari begins to whirl around the tree trunk examining it with the upmost comprehension. His eyes never leave the bark no matter how many questions we ask.

“What are you doing now? . . . Do you think this is the tree?” Trixie attempts to ask.

“It just . . . might . . . Ahah! Here it is!”

“What?! Let me see.” Trixie says unsurely while the both of us walk to the tree trunk.

“Right here.” He says pointing his hoof to a spot of the trunk where a section of the bark appears to have been torn off. Carved into the wood is a circular mark with several geometric shapes lining the inside. The symbol brings not only fear into my mind but a surge of anxiety; if this is the mark Valiari was talking about then the way inside the cult’s cavern should be somewhere around this general area. “The entry to the cave should be near. Quick, spread out and check the ground for an opening of some sort!” On his command we all dash across the dirt, twigs, and stones that sheet the forest floor. Using our stones we hold them near the ground to light up the shadowed floor. Trixie uses her magic to try and clear away some of the forest debris from the soil so that she may have a better look. Valiari aggressively uses his bare hooves to brush and kick it all away. Bending my body down for some time causes my back to ache and stiffen, but I don’t want to waste any time to straighten myself out and ease the small aching. Brushing around dead leaves and watching small insects scurry away from underneath them into small holes in the soil my fingers hit something solid along the surface. I realize that it is a round rusted handle screwed to a board of dirty wood. At the sight I raise my head and my voice to call out to Trixie and Valiari.

“I think I found something!” I shout.

“Really?! Where?! Show me!” Valiari says eagerly as they both trot over to the side of me. He grips the metal handle with his teeth and pulls up a wooden door from the dirt revealing a torch lit chamber below. As he holds the door up stone stairs that descend down into the dark echoing with the sound of crackling flames are revealed. “Well. . . Down we go.” In an attempt to move my legs they seem to have become tired. My whole body suddenly feels exhausted as my strength to stand is quickly withering away. My knees bend and my legs collapse to the ground, but I’m able to barely hold myself up with my hands pressed against the dirt. I could just lie down and go to sleep here on the frosty soil. Trixie rushes to my side asking me if I am alright, but my voice is too tired to speak. “. . . We should hurry.” Valiari advises.

“But something is wrong with him! Aireal? Are you well?”

“He’ll be fine, b-but we should really get moving.”

“What if he has some kind of illness? Or-”

“He doesn’t have an illness.”

“How do you know?” Trixie asks irately.

“Because I. . . I just know okay?”

“Aireal? Aireal talk to me.” Trixie says now turned to me.

“. . . I-I’m fine.” I say with energy now returning to my bones and muscles. Lifting myself off the ground Trixie still looks concerned, but Valiari . . . there is something about his face that seems odd. It shares a fair amount of concern, but mainly an uneasiness can be seen through his eyes. What is it that is running though is thoughts at this moment? Something is deeply troubling him, and I have a feeling that it isn’t about what lies below the stairs into the abyss of darkness.

“. . . Let’s go.” Valiari then leads the way down into the underground hall. At first I struggle to walk, but I eventually get back into the rhythm of walking. We leave the door open behind us incase we need to make a quick get away. Our steps echo down the descending hall of rigid stone steps. The rough stone walls have square pieces of rusted metal that hold the lit torches in which to light up the hall, but the darkness is far more powerful as it consumes most of it. Glancing back the exit is so far back it is almost not even visible anymore. On the way down we run into the occasional spider web as it gets caught around our faces and hair, we try our best to pull and swat them away. Along the steps we catch a glimpse of a rat before it scurries away into the dark. Slightly the sounds of voices break through the monotony of crackling flames and our steps. “Wait. . . Do you hear that?” Says Valiari as he holds his hoof out to stop us. We put our ears to the dark ahead and there is definitely more than one voice. They don’t seem to be too far away. “Somepony else is here. . . Come on!” We jog and jump down the steps until we finally reach the bottom which leads out onto a rocky balcony with a clear view of what’s far down below. “Quick! Hide!” We flatten our bodies down and cautiously peak over the edge to see what’s below. “There they are! Aireal hold on to the stones.” Valiari whispers handing me the stones as I shove them back into the black sack then into my pocket. The bottom chamber of this cave is extremely familiar, and then I realize it’s the same cave I was in when Valiari’s spell went wrong. The stone ground is cracked and covered in loose stone shards with a long tattered red rug stretching up a rigid set of long stone steps leading to the stone podium. Before the stone steps are the six ponies from before, and near the podium are two of the robed ponies.

“. . . Hello?” Asks Twilight.

“Oh! Hello weary travelers. Who might you all be?” Asks one of the female robed ponies.

“I am Twilight Sparkle, and these are my friends. What are you two doing down here in this cave?”

“Oh my Sister, Brother, and I have lived here for as long as I can remember. We simply have no where else to turn. Without money or jobs we are forced to live out the rest of our lives down here. Sure it’s not the cleanest or warmest place but . . . you learn to live with what you have.” The six ponies glance at each other with a sad look on their faces.

“I-I’m so sorry to hear.”

“It must be hard for y’all ain’t it?” The orange pony asks.

“Well, the three of us are family. Without that bond I don’t think we would have survived this long.”

“That’s so sad.” The yellow Pegasus says softly nearly about to cry.

“I don’t wish to bore you all with our story, how about you tell more about yourselves?”

“W-We’ve been sent on a mission to find Princess Celestia by Princess Luna, but it would seem that she has been taken as well. It is our duty to find them.” Says Twilight.

“The princesses have gone missing?! How terrible!”

“Have either of y’all seen a couple of ponies or a . . . a thing around these woods?”

“A pony? No . . . but what ‘thing’ do you speak of?”

“A weird creature that stands on two legs, dark brown hair on its head, strange black outfit.” The rainbow pony informs.

“As a matter of fact . . . yes, we actually did see something like that earlier today.”

“You have?!” Twilight asks.

“Yes . . . you suppose that it is the reason behind the princess’ disappearances?”

“We’re positive.”

“Well that creature came and caused nothing but havoc for my family and I. It’s even tried to attack us, but we were able to hide within the caverns. It destroyed a fair amount of our home along with what little we had.”

“Those liars!” Valiari whispers angrily.

“Oh my, that’s . . . that’s just horrible.” Says Twilight.

“You see Fluttershy! I told you it was nothing but trouble!” The rainbow pony says to the yellow Pegasus as she lowers her head in shame.

“I. . . I just thought. . .” She stops and says nothing further.

“We’re sorry about what happened, and as soon as this is all fixed we will make sure you all get a better place to live than this cold cave. Maybe you could come back with us to Ponyville.” Says Twilight sympathetically.

“Why that is oh so kind of you to say. But you need not waste your time with us.”

“Now that’s just crazy talk.” Says the orange pony.

“Applejack is right, I’m sure you all would be much happier in a place like Ponyville than this wretched hole. . . No offense of course.” Says the white coated purple-maned pony with an exquisite voice in an attempt to cover up her rude comment.

“My, I don’t know what to say. But what if you don’t find the princesses in time?”

“You don’t have to worry, we will find them. No matter what it takes.” Twilight assures them. “Oh and . . . one more thing. Futtershy?” The yellow Pegasus walks over to Twilight and I notice that she has a white bag tied around her waist. My eyes become horrified to watch as Twilight reaches inside and pulls out a stone with a bright lavender glow. Without a doubt it is one of the stones that I have in my bag, but how could she have gotten hold of one? I immediately think back to the moments where they chased me back at the castle. I had the stone in my hand and was struggling to put it back into my pocket. Then I realize . . . I must’ve dropped it.

“How do they have one of those?!” Valiari asks.

“I-I must’ve dropped it back at the castle.” I say shamefully.

“What?!”

“Aireal!” Trixie whispers disappointedly. With both their voices attacking I feel too ashamed to say anything to defend myself. What I had done may just lead to our downfall and it’s all my fault. If the cult gets hold of one of the stones who knows what consequences I may have caused? Now I understand fully how that ‘Fluttershy’ felt. I was supposed to help us, not deepen our struggle and enhance their chances of conquering this world.

“I think you two should take this. The magic it contains is warm and comforting. It would be better in your hooves to ease your hearts.” Twilight trots up the steps and hands the stone over to one of the robed ponies.

“Th-This is incredible. . . Please I cannot accept a gift such as this.”

“I insist. You need it more than we do.” Twilight says smiling.

“Oh thank you so very much!”

“You’re very welcome.”

“I do hope you find that monster and the other ponies you spoke of.”

“Oh we will, and they are going to pay for what they’ve done.”

“Ugh this is not good. . . Just what are we going to do . . . ?” Says Valiari flustered.

“Enjoying the show?” A male voice erupts from behind us. All of us jolt up and quickly turning around to see a robed pony looming over us. “Here, why don’t you get a closer look?” The stallion rams his side into us forcing all three of us to fall off the edge and tumble down the rounded but rough cave wall straight to the bottom. We grunt upon rolling over each other onto the ground rubbing the parts of our bodies that hurt from the impact. The dust we brought with us clears and the six ponies gasp at the sight of us. Twilight trots down and joins her group staring down intently as we lay aching on the cold stone floor.

“It’s you!” Twilight shouts.

“No where for you all to run this tahm!” The orange pony taunts.

“We should end it right here right now!” The rainbow pony shouts.

“Agreed.” Says the purple-maned mare confidently.

“Ready your Elements girls. Let’s end this here, and now.” Twilight says promptly, and the colored jewels on their gold necklaces begin to glow. The three of us glance at each other . . . filled with fear.