Azil

"We're approaching it," One of them said, standing before a gigantic, circular mirror that sat upon a base of what looked like pure crystal. She turned her head to her right, addressing her companion as she too gently trotted up to take her place before the mirror. Sitting on her haunches, she tapped a hoof to her chin and nodded.

"Yes....yes it would appear so," She acknowledged, her eyes watching as a monstrous being of death and decay tore down the ever blackening hallway of what looked like a school. "Do you...do you think she is ready?"

The first shook her head, sighing "It is impossible to tell, but irrelevant whether she is or not. The Librarian is either taking too long, or it's that the state of decay is growing too rapidly for us to be able to wait out the acceptable time to ease her into what's coming." She looked up towards the mirror, grimacing as she muttered with a nervous edge in her voice "Twilight Sparkle has no choice now...we've reviewed enough and she's endured enough to be able to stave off the ensuing madness because of Azil's infrastructure. Although...they may not understand it in full..." She looked over her left and behind her...staring directly at you. That's right...you. Her eyes gleam with the reddish hue of an infinite number of suns, her rippling majesty unparalleled to any creature that would exist in all of creation. You wonder why you don't fall to pieces the very millisecond her eyes pass over you, though what you may see as words she can see clear as day in the displayed visage of you. Perhaps it is that because you cannot comprehend the very existence of such an otherworldly being, your mind has thus ceased any notion to even attempt such. Self preservation enacted by the brain, one might say. She narrows her eyes at you, looking back up towards the mirror "One day perhaps they'll understand...but now we can no longer wait." She waved her hoof in front of the mirror, the display of the school vanishing in a muddled pool of rippled glass. Immediately the mare commanded "Bring her to us. Now."

After a moment, a voice answered "At once my Divine Majesty."

~~~~

Twilight huffed and puffed, panting rapidly as she tore down the hallway at a blinding speed. The Deathlestia was not far behind, screeching and roaring as long, black tendrils of goo morphed out from its main body and latched themselves into the ceiling, walls, and floors. They served as anchors, hurling her forward in Twilight's direction as the decay she left in her wake continued to eat more and more of the hallway. Lockers, lights, posters, everything was melted and eaten away into nothingness as the duo flew around corners and dashed up and down hallways. The school seemed like it was going on forever, with no clear discernible landmarks poking out at Twilight. No nurse's office, gym, not even a cafeteria passed into view as she swallowed a heavy amount of saliva that had worked up in maw, her throat thick with the substance as she pushed herself to the max. "I gotta get out of here!" she thought, peaking over shoulder to see the Deathlestia turning slowly in the air as the tendrils carried her rapidly towards her. Its mouth was open in a vicious snarl, an inequine screech passing through the razor sharp teeth that lined its rotting gums. The sight only pushed her further, rounding another corner and then another. "There's got to be a way out of here!" she hollered, bounding over another couple of overturned desks.

She yelped as one of the tendrils shot out over her head, the filly ducking as the gooey length crashed into a large trash can in front of her and soaked it in its horrendous substance. Too close is what the young mare thought, ducking to the left. She jumped to the right, then upwards, ducking again. The tendrils were getting closer and closer, Twilight's eyes swimming with tears as the Deathlestia closed in on her. She let out a cry as the hulking beast dove for her, rotting hooves outstretched in attempts to grab her and finish her off once and for all.

And she would have...had a door up ahead and too the right burst open. It hit something within the room with a thunderous crash, eliciting a gasp from the panicked unicorn. Taking the only chance she had, she dove for the newly created opening. With hooves outstretched she hit the ground with a resounding thud, sliding a ways before quickly scrambling upwards and rounding on the opening. Grasping the knob in between her hooves she heaved it forwards, slamming it shut and throwing her full weight into the wood. A terrified squeak came about from the result of a heavy weight slamming into the opposite side, the glass laid into the door smeared and darkened instantly with the writhing black substance that trailed in the Deathlestia's wake.

Thud after thud wracked against the door, the terrified filly pushing her back against the door with all her might. Her barrel heaved rapidly for breath as her eyes looked this way and that, scanning desperately for any sort of escape route or weapon she could use in her favor. She had wound up in another classroom by the looks of it, similar to the one she sat in for the lesson. The only difference for this one it seemed was that all the desks and chairs were thrown into a massive pile in one corner of the room. Aside from this detail however...there were no windows or any other doors to speak of.

Twilight was trapped.

"Dammit!" She swore, tilting her head up to watch the black goop writhe angrily against the glass. Her eyes were drawn towards the top of the door, watching as a small tendril of darkness started to slowly grow through it. Her time was rapidly running out, and with no clear avenues in sight...she started to consider 'other' options. She looked towards the pile of desks, whimpering as she stared at the rusty legs sticking up out from all over the wooden slats. If she was fast enough...maybe...maybe she get her head impaled on one before the Deathlestia got her. A quick death was sure to be better than whatever the monster on the other side had planned for her. Tears brimmed in her eyes, sniffing loudly as the door gave another violent shake. "F-Fluttershy..." She whispered, shutting her eyes tight as she prepared to launch herself away from the door "I'm s-s-so s-sorry...!"

She shimmied up to her hind legs and after a few huffing breaths...

"TWWWIIIIILIIIIIGHT.....!!"

She froze, eyes flying open. Her irises shrunk to that of mere pinpricks as she looked shakily upwards at the glass. The Deathlestia had the side of her face smushed up against the glass, staring at the tiny filly with a gaping, eyeless socket. "OOOPENNN THE DOOOOOOOR!!!" Her voice was unlike anything Twilight could have ever experienced or felt in her entire life.

Sorrow. Sorrow was the only word she could use to describe the horrendous voice. Sorrow and pain, and a measure of anger to lace the top of the mixture. Twilight's mouth was agape, her eyes fixated upon the glass with a look of absolute terror on her face. "W...what..?" She breathed shakily. She was stunned. How the hell was this thing talking to her?! Sure, she knew this was in some form a 'version' of Queen Celestia...some dark, demented version of her yes but there was no mistaking the fallen alicorn underneath the writhing decay that made up her lifeless form. "G-go away!!!!" She shrieked, the door starting to splinter slightly as the Deathlestia threw itself against the reinforced wood. "LEAVE ME ALONE!!!"

"LEEEEET MEEE IIINNNNN!!!" it roared, the doorknob rattling violently as it tried to force her way in "PLEEEEAAAAASE!!! LEEEET MEEE LOOOOOOOVE YOOOOOOU!!!"

"GO AWAY!!!!!" Twilight shrieked again, tears spilling from her tightly shut eyes. This nightmare had escalated far beyond what Twilight could have believed was possible. It felt as if it was taunting her now. It had to of known there was no escape for her, all it was going to take now was just a mere matter of time. Knowing that...why did it bother speaking to her? The door was sure to buckle soon under so much abuse, why did it...?

A thought crossed her mind. 'Surely not' is what she thought, staring up at the Deathlestia that was still staring straight into her eyes, peering into her very soul. Could it be that...she was actually trying to kill her? Or was it something more? She looked back towards the pile of desks and chairs, biting her bottom lip. Even if the ridiculously insane plan she was cooking up didn't work...there was always the finality of Plan B...

She looked up towards the door, shouting "Why should I let you in?! You just want to kill me!"

"III AM LOOOOOST...LEEET MEEE IIINNN..." it screamed, slamming against the door once more as a harsh wail escaped whatever rotten lungs rested within the bowels of the filthy demon "I WAAAANT TO GOOO HOOOOME!!!!!"

"Why are you chasing me then!?" Twilight countered, pushing more of her weight against the ever-cracking wood "You've been after me since I arrived here, just like you were after all those dead children in the classroom!" She took a peek back towards the pile of desks, biting her lip. She'd have to be really fast to get herself impaled on those metallic legs before the Deathlestia got her. There was no way she could suffer the slow, agonizing death that was sure to be dished out should the beast catch her before her leap.

"I AM CUUUURSED...I HAAAVE TO GOOO HOOOOME, YOU PROOOMISED TO SAAAAVE MEEEE!!!!"

At this, Twilight blinked. Cursed? A promise? What was she talking about? She looked up once more, trembling slightly as she said in a bit of a more calming voice "...what promise? What curse? You'll have to forgive me my memory hasn't been the same since I arrived here."

"THE CURSE OF DECAAAAY! YOU PROMISED TO SAVE USSS FROM THE ROT!!!!"

"The Rot..." Twilight whispered, pondering on her words. "A curse of decay...the rot...that couldn't have been my home." Her memory may have been shaky, but she was pretty sure her world hadn't suffered such a vicious, horrific fate. This Deathlestia must have been talking about a different Twilight Sparkle...mayhaps from another timeline or another dimension. It was the only thing that made any logical sense...but whether or not she was willing to put all her chips on that one theory was an entirely different story all together. She wasn't sure if the Deathlestia could be reasoned with, and certainly not to be considered by any means an ally...but her options were limited straight down to just two: Kill herself, or open the door.

She swallowed hard, shutting her eyes and attempting to regain some manner of her composure as she said asked "I-if I help you...will you promise not to kill me?" It was a pretty tall order for a creature of nightmarish proportions she figured...but judging by the Deathlestia's words, perhaps there was some leverage here yet.

It was several moments before the Deathlestia's ghastly voice crawled through the glass "......HELP MEEEEE...AND I WILL NOOOOT DEVOOOOUR YOUUUUU!!!" Twilight took one last look at those desks. That death was a guarantee, the one behind her guaranteed only if she failed. She didn't know how she was going to help the Deathlestia...but she had bought some much needed time for now at least. Taking a few aching moments to get her breath under control, Twilight let out a large, heaving sigh...and turned around.

"Alright..." she said wearily, looking at the writhing eye sockets of the monster before her "I help you...I go free."

She reached up, grasping the doorknob with a hoof and turning it.

As the door started to swing open, barely held together by the splinters which covered it, Twilight's voice pierced through the laughing veil of the wind that had suddenly picked up around her.

"...It's a deal."