The Rise of Inferniby starheart1049ChaptersChapter 4: Gates of DoomChapter 6: Battle of the ForgeChapter 8: RedemptionPrologue: RebornChapter 1: Arrival of EvilChapter 2: Discovering the TruthChapter 3: The JourneyChapter 5: Fires of the HeartChapter 7: Test of FateChapter 4: Gates of DoomAfter walking through the dessert, the team of travelers had arrived at a forest of trees so tall they blotted out the sky. As they walked into the forest, Rainbow asked, "Hey Twi, are you sure this is the right way?" "Yes, this is they way the map shows" Twilight answered as they continued to walk. They stopped when they heard the sound of rustling leaves. They looked around nervously as they sound became louder, Then, in a shower of branches and leaves, a huge lion leaped out of the trees, landing in front of the group, roaring. As they backed away, the lion crept closer, snarling. Twilight then activated her magic causing a pink mist to envelope the lion. "RUN!!!" she yelled as they ran around the lion and away as fast as they could. The lion, having escaped the cloud of mist roared in fury as he leaped after the group. Twilight looked back, and seeing the lion was closing in, activated her magic again and used an illusion spell to create duplicates of her friends, which she sent the other way to distract the lion. Then, she frantically motioned for them all to hide in the bushes. After leaping into the buses, they stilled their labored breathing as the lion ran after the illusions of the Mane 6. After he was gone, they crawled out of the bush, brushing twigs and leaves out of their hair. "That was close, is every pony ok?" Twilight asked, looking around. Everyone said they were fine and continued down the forest path. Not long after they reached a set of black iron gates set between two giant oak trees. The gates themselves were as menacing as they were tall. At the top, twisted spires topped the gates and were held closed by a set of huge chains held together by a demonic-looking lock. Looking at the gate Applejack asked the question they all were wondering. "So how in the hay are we supposed to get past these?" they all thought about it, then Twilight gasped, having an idea. Then, she went to the gate and activated her magic. But it wasn't her usual magic. It was the dark magic she had used in the Crystal Empire. The magic flowed around the lock. Then with a click, the lock fell apart, smoking on the ground. Twilight looked back at her friends and they all nodded, indicating her to go on. She turned back around and pushed the gates open, and the sight before her stunned her into absolute silence. Beyond the gates, was a burned out landscape. There wasn't any form of life to be seen, only fire and destruction. As the others walked up and stood by her, she turned her head to see some writing on the ground. She squinted to see what it said and her eyes went wide in horror. The writing, written in black ash read, WELCOME TO FURNACE, THE PLACE BELOW HELL. Chapter 6: Battle of the ForgeLight Hoof had led the group to the volcano, where they stood at its base, looking up the side. Twilight looked to her friends and said, "This is it girls, this is where it happens. I don't know what we'll see in that volcano, but whatever it is, we'll face it together." They all nodded. "Bring it on!, Let's get to it, Yee Haw!, yay..., it's time to rock this place!." Twilight smiled at them, grateful to have such great friends. Then she turned to Drake, who nodded and said, "Let's do this." Then, together, they all raced into the volcano, and were soon swallowed by the darkness. Once they were all inside, Twilight activated her magic, lighting the room they were in. looking around they saw that there were two passageways in the room. So, to cover more ground they split up, each heading down one of the two passages. Heading down passage 1 were Drake, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie. The passage led to a wide room with a high ceiling, and in the room they found what looked like chains on the walls, tables piled with rocks, and other assortments of weapons. In the corner, there was a platform which held what looked like a rusted lever and a chair embroidered with a flame pattern. "Whoa, looks like some ancient torture room," Rainbow said in astonishment. "Yes, but it could do with a complete make over," Rarity replied. Pinkie was over by the table, examining the items when the room shook with a resounding boom. They all looked at Pinkie who was shaking her head. " I didn't do it" she said. Then, a voice without a source said, " Of course not, I did." They all looked around wildly, then Rainbow said, "Inferni! Come out and fight like a man!" The voice laughed, causing the floor to shake, knocking them all to the ground. " Now what fun would that be, hen i can watch you fight instead." Suddenly, red tendrils of mist seeped from the floor, wrapping themselves around everyone's hooves, except Drake's. Then, the tendrils pulled them to the wall, where collared chains put themselves around their necks. But no matter how hard they tried they couldn't free themselves. Drake rushed over and tried to break the collars, but could not. The voice then said, " If you want to save your friends then you will have to fight." Drake, now angry turned around and shouted, "Fine! I'll fight." " Excellent." Suddenly, Drake was wearing full battle armor with a wicked edged sword. Then, he looked up, and gasped at what he saw. Standing in front of him was another warrior in battle armor. But this was not an ordinary warrior. It had a lizard-like tail and fangs as sharp as knives. When it raised its head, he saw that its eyes were like a snake's, slitted and cold. Once again the voice spoke. " This will be your opponent, my best warrior, Slither, the snake pony. Defeat him and you and your friends will go free, but if you loose, he will devour you, from head to toe." The voice laughed, then faded away. Then, the sound of a gong sounded around the room, and the fight began. Slither moved forward, faster than the eyes could see and was behind Drake before he could blink. Before he could react, Slither kicked Drake in the back of the head and sent him flying into the wall. Drake slowly go to his feet and dived out of the way just as Slither attacked again. Drake then delivered an attack of his own, which sent Slither crashing into the floor. Before he could get back up, Drake dived at him but was sent sent crashing to the floor as Slither used his hind leg to kick him. Drake got up as Slither did and began circling each other. Then, Drake, using hiss vampire speed ran behind Slither, who didn't react in time and was sent face first into the wall. Before he could recover,Drake ran up and grabbed his tail with his teeth and began spinning. Just as he was about to fall, he let go of the tail and sent Slither flying into the ceiling, rock crumbling away and falling to the floor. Then, with a crash Slither fell to the floor as well, a snap resounding as he landed. As they watched, a red mist enveloped him as he disappeared from sight. The chained collars disappeared as well, and the ponies dropped to the floor. They stood up and raced over to Drake, hugging him. After that they turned to see another tunnel opening up and they looked at each other and ran into it, vanishing into the darkness. Chapter 8: RedemptionThe two groups met again in a room which joined the two passages together. After meeting up they each told of their experiences about going through the challenges. Just as they were finished talking another tunnel opened with a rumble in front of them. They all looked at the entrance and then at each other, nodded and went up the stairs. When they reached the top they looked around. They were at the top of the volcano. To their right they saw a lava pool in a carved out section of rock. to their left, they saw a throne made from black rock with had a red jewel on the back, but there was no sign of Inferni. They spread out, looking for clues to her where a bouts. Suddenly, they heard laughing and raced back to the center of the volcano. Then, a red sphere appeared, and started to grow and grow until it burst, and there stood Inferni, Grinning at them like a crazed mad man. " So, the heroes survived my tests, impressive." Twilight stepped forward and said, " We are here to stop you Inferni, we can not let you destroy Equestria!" She stared at Twilight for a moment, then began to laugh again, which caused Twilight to frown in confusion. " You little fool, do you really think you can stop me, think again!" She activated her magic and chains appears around all of their neck pulling them to the ground. She Smirked and said, " As I said, there is no way you can stop me, not when I have this." she turned to her throne and used her magic to free the jewel from its base. She turned back to the group and grinned. " This is the Jewel of Darkness. It is created when someone feels hatred or anger to someone in their life. When I rule Equestria i will make Celestia and Luna suffer for the way they have treated me." She closed her eyes, placing the jewel into her collar with a flash. " For years i have given fire and warmth to the ponies of Equestria, and how do they repay me, by abusing my gift to them! Her eyes flew open, filled with anger and hate. " And my own sisters, the ones who i loved, betrayed me, ridiculed me, said my fire wasn't important, well I'll show them, I'll show them all! MHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!! Inferni walked past the group the the lava pool. She then activated a spell and fired it into the pool, beginning her reign of terror across Equestria. Twilight tried to free herself but the chains just got tighter, so she put her head on the ground, sighing. " I'm sorry girls, I've let you down." Applejack turned to Twilight and said soothingly, " You haven't let us down sugar cube, we can still defeat her." Everyone agreed and twilight smiled. Then, concentrating, she activated a spell and focused on the chains. Just as she was about spent, the chains broke and they were free! They all stood up and stepped toward Inferni. Hearing them, she turned her head, eyes widening as she sees them. " So you managed to escape, no matter, Equestria will soon fall to my power!" " Never!" they yelled and raced toward her. She turned to face them, readying a spell, which she fired at them, causing them to fall. She grinned, then fired another spell, this one causing a ring of fire to surround them. They glared at her as she approached them, smirking. Twilight then cast a spell of her own causing the flames to disappear. They then leaped at her but they bounced off of her force field. " FOOLS, soon all of Equestria will fall and all will bow to me!!! MHAHAHA!!!" Inferni then leaped into the air, unfurling her wings, using them to gain height. She then made a fire ball with her horn and fired it at them, hitting them square on. When the smoke cleared, the group were sprawled on the ground, burned and weak. Still in the air, Inferni laughed, her plan working as the jewel in her collar glowing brightly. Then, Twilight opened her eyes and got unsteadily to her feet. Soon after, the rest of them got to their feet as well. Then, a white light blossomed in front of them. When the light died, there was a beautiful pink gem, glimmering with all the colors of the rainbow. They all smiled, then turning their gazes to to sky, they began to float as the gem enveloped them in a shimmering veil. Inferni stopped laughing and was looking at them, frowning. " What is this?" she wondered. Then, the pink jewel glowed again, activated by Twilight's magic as she said, " The Magic of Friendship is the strongest magic of all, and it shines within each of us, and together as one, together as friends, we will win every battle to the very end!" Then, beams of light shone from each of the ponies, streaming into the gem, and as they gathered together, they burst through to form a brilliant rainbow, which flew into the sky, then flew straight toward Inferni. " What no.. NOOOOOOO!!!!" she screamed as the rainbow enveloped her, wrapping around and around until the rainbow burst into a white blinding light. As the light faded away, Twilight and her friends floated gently to the ground, cheering. Then, they fell silent as they looked to where Inferni had been. Surrounded by shards of shattered armor, lay Firestar, eyes closed. Then, with a gasp, her eyes flew open. Raising her head slowly, she looked around, confused. When she saw Twilight and he friends, she realized what she had down and closed her eyes, tears flowing freely from them. Twilight then stepped toward her. Softly, she said, " Firestar, it's ok, you are no longer the evil being you were. You are safe now." She opened her eyes and looked at Twilight, who smiled at her. She then stood slowly and hugged her. " Thank you," she whispered softly. When they had finished hugging, a gasp came from behind them. Applejack pointed to the landscape, so they turned around and gasped as well. The burned waste land was now covered with lush green grass and flowers. The inhabitants of the land had also returned to their former selves. As they emerged from the volcano a cheer went up from the crowd as Light Hoof came forward, bowing, saying " Thank you Twilight, you have saved our land." Firestar, looking at Light Hoof said, " I am sorry i have caused so mush pain to you all, i didn't know what i was doing, and am truly sorry. Light Hoof smiled and hugged her. " It's ok, i forgive you, it was not your fault." As they broke apart she smiled back at him and the crows cheered ever louder as she smiled at them all. After teleporting back to Canterlot, Firestar approached her sisters, ashamed of what she had done. Steeling herself, she looked at them and said, " I am sorry for what I have caused, I should not have let my emotions get the better of me, i hope you can forgive me someday." Celestia and Luna looked at each other, then smiling they raced to her and hugged her fiercely. " Of course we forgive you sister, and we are sorry for what we said about you. Your fire is important and will always have a special place in Equestria." Luna nodded in agreement and hugged her sisters close to her. Firestar hugged them just as fiercely, and smiled from ear to ear. Finally, she knew she did belong here, with her friends, her family, and nothing would ever change that again Prologue: RebornPrincess Fire Star was walking through the streets of Canterlot, lighting the lamps along the way, enjoying the crisp, cold air. As she walked past a boutique she heard a small sound, like that of a small mouse. Turning, she saw a young filly huddled in an alley way, shivering in the cold. As she approached the young filly, she looked up into the princess's eyes, her own eyes widening as she bowed. Fire Star smiled, then said, "Arise young filly, no need for such formalities. The filly got to her hooves and smiled at her. " What is your name young one", asked the princess. Shaking with cold the filly said, "C-C- Clover your highness." Then, Fire Star raised her wing and lowered it over the filly's shivering body. " Come, I will take you home." "Oh thank you princess!", Clover said with happiness. She then led the way to the filly's house, being greeted my her mother, thanking her for bringing her daughter home. After returning Clover home, Fire Star continued her walk. After having walked back around to the castle, she noticed a pronounced giggling near a tall building. Curious, she went over and to her surprise found three little ponies setting fire to a small garden of flowers. Quite angered by this, her mane began to flare as she stepped up to the three fouls. Startled, they spun around to see a frowning Fire Star standing before them. Frightened they put out the fire and ran off. Shaking her head, she walked back to the castle and to her room, closing the door with a soft, but pronounced thud. As night fell over Equestria, she emerged from her room and walked down the stairs to the throne room. once down, she saw a pale light coming from under a door in the hall, and hearing her sisters voices coming from the other side, she quietly leaned closer to hear what they were saying. " I don't know how we're going to tell her," Celestia was saying, the sound of her pacing hoof steps coming through the door. " We will have to tell her eventually sister", Luna said. Fire Star blinked in confusion -what were they talking about- then leaned over to listen again. " Every pony is taking advantage of her fire Luna, they're doing whatever they want with it, and it is not even for their own needs, just pitiless games." " I know sister but I've started thinking fire isn't really that important anymore." Fire Star raised her head in surprise, then closed her eyes in hurt. Using her magic, horn glowing, she teleported to her room and packed her things, then writing a note and leaving it on her mantle, she used her magic to teleport outside and flew off toward the Everfree Forest. After touching down on the forest floor, she ran deeper into the woods, tears flowing down her face as she thought of all the things her sisters had said, and imagining what they would do without her. Slowing down, she lifted her head to see she had arrived at an ancient alter, moss growing on the sides. On top of the alter was a diamond-shaped crevice, which looked like it could hold something. Then, blinking her eyes she saw that a purple-sh black mist was seeping out of the alter and was floating towards her. Then, the strange mist surrounded her, embracing her like it had been waiting for her. She tried to get free but couldn't and watched in horror as a tendril of mist came straight toward her and wrapped around her horn. She closed her eyes as images of the past and present flooded her mind, images of ponies abusing the fire she had given them, images of her sisters trying to find ways to make her powers theirs, and then, an image of a pair of glowing green eyes, and then, a feeling of pure hatred and anger flooded her heart, anger at her sisters, at her subjects, and especially at herself. Then came a flash of white, and just when she opened her eyes, a blood red gem materialized in front of her, oozing shadow energy. Then, she touched her horn to the gem and it floated over to the alter, landing in the crevice. a bright light came from the gem, surrounding her as she began to transform, her mane and tail a flowing dark red flame. Then, as the light faded, she looked down at herself, seeing the gem in a necklace around her neck, and a dark orange helmet on her head. Then a voice, coming from everywhere at once, " Inferni..." then she grinned, then began to laugh manically, eyes glowing a blood red as she then said in a fiery whisper, " I am darkness, I am destruction, I am Inferni!!!" and continued to laugh evilly as the darkness and fog closed in, hiding Equestria's newest villian. Chapter 1: Arrival of EvilOne sunny day in the town of Ponyville, the Mane 6 lay on a blanket in a field, having a picnic. Pinkie Pie was skipping around in her usual, bubbly way and Twilight was reading a book from her library. As they were just finishing dessert, Spike, Twilight's loyal assistant ran up to them, tripping over a small rock in his haste. Panting, he got up as Twilight asked, " Hey Spike, whats the rush for?" Bending over to catch his breathe he wheezed, " I have a message from Princess Celestia", then burped fire and a piece of parchment emerged from the green fire. Twilight then levitated the letter with her magic as she read it, frowning as she reached the end. " What is it sugar cube?" asked Apple Jack in a worried voice. " Princess Celestia has requested our presence in Canterlot, she said it's urgent", she said still frowning. "Well then let's go!", declared Rainbow Dash. After that they packed their saddle bags and rode the train to the great city, proceeding to the castle. After entering the throne room, they were greeted by Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. The princesses smiled as they approached, " Hello everyone, it is wonderful to see you all again", Celestia said to Twilight. "Hello princess, we got your letter, what's wrong", asked Twilight. Celestia's smile faded as she started to explain. " Well you see, Fire Star is missing,we haven't seen her for a few days." They then led the Mane 6 to their sister's bed chambers where they showed them the note she had left. They had just started searching when a loud crash filled their ears. They looked at each other and race back to the throne room. In the middle of the room, was a glowing red sphere, surrounded by deb-re. The sphere was glowing faintly but then started to get brighter as it grew in size. Suddenly, the sphere burst and light pulsed out of it as bright as the sun. After the light died down, the group looked in astonishment at what was standing before them. Where the sphere had been, now stood a dark red mare with a mane that moved like a living flame. Around her neck was a black collar with a blood red gem in its center. She then opened her eyes, revealing them to be a crimson red. She looked at the group of ponies before her and smirked. " So these are the ponies who represent the elements of harmony, how charming." Celestia had her horn at the ready, staring straight at the mysterious mare. " Who are you and what do you want?" The mare then chuckled, peering at the princess with hate-filled eyes, " I believe you know what i want, dear sister." She then activated her magic, which glowed a dark crimson red, and took aim at the princesses. Twilight and her friends then charged at the stranger, ready to defend Celestia and Luna. The mare grinned then fired a bolt of burning fire at the group which caused them to fall away from each other. Then, with a flick of her horn, she ripped a pillar from its place and hurled it at the princesses, pinning them against the wall. She then raised her head, laughing as the Mane 6 leaped at her from all directions. But before they could reach her she teleported away still laughing. Suddenly a voice echoed around the room, soft at first, then as loud as a sonic rainboom. " I am chaos, I am destruction, I am Inferni!" As the stunned ponies got up they raced over to the pinned princesses, and freed them from the pillar. Twilight then looked at Celestia with frightened eyes, " Princess, who was that?" and her answer was a shock to them all, " That, I believe was our sister", and they all stared at the spot where Fire Star had been, unbelieving as to what they had just seen. Chapter 2: Discovering the TruthAfter the encounter with Fire Star, the princesses had everyone gather in Celestia's room to talk about what they were going to do. After a few minutes of ideas, Rarity had a suggestion. " Why don't we go find her and use the elements of harmony on her?" Everyone thought that this was a good idea but then remembered what had happened. Inferni had to be very strong as to over power the Mane 6, so what if she could over power the elements as well. They then sat, deep in their own thoughts until Luna said, " I have and idea. Tia, do you remember the old legend about the jewel of light?" Celestia nodded and motioned for her to continue. " Well, maybe if we combine the jewel's power with the elements of harmony, maybe we can return Fire Star to her former self." Celestia nodded and approved of the plan so she made plans for the Mane 6 to go on the quest for the Jewel of Light. After showing them to their rooms, Celestia and Luna went to the royal library to search for the map to the legendary jewel, completely unaware that they were being watched. Inferni was spying on them from a volcano she had found and now called home. Looking through the lava of a magical pool, she smirked, thinking how foolish they were to think they could stand up to her, now that she had everything she needed. Mean while, back in Canterlot, Twilight was pacing back and forth, worrying about the quest. Spike sat up, awakened by the sound of pacing. " Twilight, what's wrong?" he said, yawning. " It's just, i'm worried that something will go wrong if we go on this quest, what if some one gets hurt. Spike pt his hand on Twilight's shoulder and gave her a knowing smile, " Everything's going to be fine, you went on more dangerous quests then this." She smiled, hugging Spike as she said, " Thanks Spike, that's what I wanted to her." So as Spike went back to sleep, she pulled the blankets up over her and fell asleep as well, waiting for the dawn and the start of their new adventure. Chapter 3: The JourneyAs the sun rose over Canter-lot, Twilight and her friends stood anxiously in the court yard with Celestia and Luna. "Is everypony ready?" asked Princess Celestia, looking at the group. Everyone nodded and Celestia nodded as well, seeing them off. Twilight nodded in turn and raced off with her friends to find Inferni. Unknown to them however, they were being watched by the prying eyes of Inferni in her magic pool of lave. " So, they think they can beat me, how quaint." She turns away from the lava pool and walks to the throne she has made from the volcanic rock. Sitting down she gazes out over the horizon, imagining what Equestria will look like when she burned it to the ground. After running for quite a ways, the friends stop to have a rest. Twilight levitates a map out of her saddle bag and looks at it, determining which way they had to go. Pinkie Pie came up to her and tapped her on the shoulder. "Yes Pinkie?" Twilight asked, distracted by reading the map. "I don't mean to interrupt but should that be there?" Pinkie asked, pointing with her hoof to a black cloud coming toward them. Twilight looked up, then gasped as the cloud begins to take the shade of a black and grey stallion. As the group looked at the mystery stallion in shock, he smiled, revealing sharps fangs. "Hello there, I don't believe we've met," he said still smiling. 'Umm who are you and what do you want?" Rainbow Dash asked, hovering over to him and looking him in the eye. "I am Drake, Prince of the Vamponies, and you are?" Twilight stepped forward and said," I'm twilight Sparkle, and these are my friends Applejack, Rarity, Flutter shy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Spike. May I ask what you are doing here?" Drake's smile disappeared to be replaced by a frown. "I am tracking down an ancient evil, one who controls fire. Twilight's eyes widened as she said, "That's who we're looking for to." Drake, looking surprised said, "Really? Hmm, interesting." His smile returned as he then said, "maybe we can team up, then we'll be able to find her together." The group looked at each other and nodded.Twilight looked back at Drake and said, "Ok, we'll team up with you." Drake grinned and bowed to Twilight. then said, "It is an honor to team up with you." After standing up Drake followed the Mane 6 in the direction they believed Inferni had went, silent as the winter snow. Chapter 5: Fires of the HeartAfter discovering the gates in the forest, the Mane 6 had followed them into Furnace, a burned out waste land of destruction. After walking for a while and not finding any sign of Inferni, they stopped, trying to figure out where to go next. Drake then heard something, so he perked his ear up and motioned for the others to be silent. There it was again, the sound of moaning. The sound was getting closer, so they gathered in a circle to watch each others backs. Then, out of no where, a pale figure appeared. The figure was wearing nothing but a tattered blanket over its back. As it drew closer they were able to make out its whispering words. "Who are you.. and what are you doing here?" the figure wheezed. Drake, who was closer answered. "We are here to find the queen of fire, who are you?" The figure nodded slowly and answered, "I am Light Hoof, and i am a spirit of Furnace, for you see, this place is evil. 1000 years ago this place was a flourishing land filled with life. Then, one day an evil queen arrived and took over, imprisoning us all. She worked us to death, and tortured us, until we were nothing but shells of our former selves." Light Hoof coughed heavily, then continued with a shaky breath. "Then, one day she lost all of her sanity and used a powerful spell to cast this land into a shadow of its former glory. In the blast, everything was destroyed, the land, our homes, and all of the inhabitants. After the blast, the queen was no where to be found, and in the place of her castle, a volcano stood in its place." Light Hoof sighed, tear drops at the corners of his eyes. "Nothing was ever the same, and we can never leave, because of the curse the queen put us under." Twilight stepped forward and laid a hoof on his shoulder. "I am sorry you have had to endure all this suffering, but I promise we will do everything in our power to help you. The rest of the group nodded and Light Hoof smiled. "Thank you young one, that is very kind of you." Twilight returned his smile, then growing serious she asked, "Have you seen an alicorn fly by here." Light Hoof thought for a moment, then said,"Yes, I believe i did see someone fly to the volcano." Twilight looked to where he was pointing. "Then that's where we need to go to find Inferni." Light Hoof looked at her, his eyes wide. "Did you say Inferni?" Twilight nodded and Light Hoof's face twisted into a snarl. "That's the name of the evil queen,she has returned!" The group looked at each other and Twilight turned back to Light Hoof and said,"Can you take us to the volcano Light Hoof?" Light Hoof nodded, eyes alight with fury, "Of course, anything to defeat that witch!, come" He started walking and they followed him in the direction of the volcano. Chapter 7: Test of FateMean while in passage 2, Twilight, Flutter shy, and Applejack followed the dark and twisting tunnel into a room that looked sort of like a classroom. As they entered, the tunnel behind them closed with a boom as the voice filled the cavern. " Welcome to class everyone, today's lesson, Impending doom! In this challenge, one of you will take a test. There will be a total of three questions. If you answer each one correctly, you are free. If you answer them wrong, lets just say it won't be a happy ending." With a laugh, the voice faded away. Twilight stepped forward, volunteering to take on the challenge. As she stopped in front of the black board, the first question appeared. What instrument can you hear, but can't see and can't touch? " Hmm, Twilight thought, this one is tricky." "Aha!" Twilight then levitated the chalk and wrote your voice on the board. The question and answer disappeared to be replaced with a green check mark, which them moved to the side of the board. The next question appeared on the board. What can you put in a wooden box to make it lighter? Twilight thought again then wrote holes on the board. Again, a green check mark appeared on the side and the last question appeared. What is so delicate that it breaks when you say its name? Twilight frowned. This was a really tricky question. She thought then wrote down the heart. But that was wrong. Suddenly the floor began to slide away and lava was revealed to be underneath. If she didn't get this question right, they'd all be barbeque! She thought long and hard and then she had it. She wrote silence after erasing the old answer and a third check mark appeared. The floor returned to normal and another entrance opened up. Twilight sighed in relief and they all walked into the tunnel, vanishing from sight.
Chapter 4: Gates of DoomAfter walking through the dessert, the team of travelers had arrived at a forest of trees so tall they blotted out the sky. As they walked into the forest, Rainbow asked, "Hey Twi, are you sure this is the right way?" "Yes, this is they way the map shows" Twilight answered as they continued to walk. They stopped when they heard the sound of rustling leaves. They looked around nervously as they sound became louder, Then, in a shower of branches and leaves, a huge lion leaped out of the trees, landing in front of the group, roaring. As they backed away, the lion crept closer, snarling. Twilight then activated her magic causing a pink mist to envelope the lion. "RUN!!!" she yelled as they ran around the lion and away as fast as they could. The lion, having escaped the cloud of mist roared in fury as he leaped after the group. Twilight looked back, and seeing the lion was closing in, activated her magic again and used an illusion spell to create duplicates of her friends, which she sent the other way to distract the lion. Then, she frantically motioned for them all to hide in the bushes. After leaping into the buses, they stilled their labored breathing as the lion ran after the illusions of the Mane 6. After he was gone, they crawled out of the bush, brushing twigs and leaves out of their hair. "That was close, is every pony ok?" Twilight asked, looking around. Everyone said they were fine and continued down the forest path. Not long after they reached a set of black iron gates set between two giant oak trees. The gates themselves were as menacing as they were tall. At the top, twisted spires topped the gates and were held closed by a set of huge chains held together by a demonic-looking lock. Looking at the gate Applejack asked the question they all were wondering. "So how in the hay are we supposed to get past these?" they all thought about it, then Twilight gasped, having an idea. Then, she went to the gate and activated her magic. But it wasn't her usual magic. It was the dark magic she had used in the Crystal Empire. The magic flowed around the lock. Then with a click, the lock fell apart, smoking on the ground. Twilight looked back at her friends and they all nodded, indicating her to go on. She turned back around and pushed the gates open, and the sight before her stunned her into absolute silence. Beyond the gates, was a burned out landscape. There wasn't any form of life to be seen, only fire and destruction. As the others walked up and stood by her, she turned her head to see some writing on the ground. She squinted to see what it said and her eyes went wide in horror. The writing, written in black ash read, WELCOME TO FURNACE, THE PLACE BELOW HELL.
Chapter 6: Battle of the ForgeLight Hoof had led the group to the volcano, where they stood at its base, looking up the side. Twilight looked to her friends and said, "This is it girls, this is where it happens. I don't know what we'll see in that volcano, but whatever it is, we'll face it together." They all nodded. "Bring it on!, Let's get to it, Yee Haw!, yay..., it's time to rock this place!." Twilight smiled at them, grateful to have such great friends. Then she turned to Drake, who nodded and said, "Let's do this." Then, together, they all raced into the volcano, and were soon swallowed by the darkness. Once they were all inside, Twilight activated her magic, lighting the room they were in. looking around they saw that there were two passageways in the room. So, to cover more ground they split up, each heading down one of the two passages. Heading down passage 1 were Drake, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie. The passage led to a wide room with a high ceiling, and in the room they found what looked like chains on the walls, tables piled with rocks, and other assortments of weapons. In the corner, there was a platform which held what looked like a rusted lever and a chair embroidered with a flame pattern. "Whoa, looks like some ancient torture room," Rainbow said in astonishment. "Yes, but it could do with a complete make over," Rarity replied. Pinkie was over by the table, examining the items when the room shook with a resounding boom. They all looked at Pinkie who was shaking her head. " I didn't do it" she said. Then, a voice without a source said, " Of course not, I did." They all looked around wildly, then Rainbow said, "Inferni! Come out and fight like a man!" The voice laughed, causing the floor to shake, knocking them all to the ground. " Now what fun would that be, hen i can watch you fight instead." Suddenly, red tendrils of mist seeped from the floor, wrapping themselves around everyone's hooves, except Drake's. Then, the tendrils pulled them to the wall, where collared chains put themselves around their necks. But no matter how hard they tried they couldn't free themselves. Drake rushed over and tried to break the collars, but could not. The voice then said, " If you want to save your friends then you will have to fight." Drake, now angry turned around and shouted, "Fine! I'll fight." " Excellent." Suddenly, Drake was wearing full battle armor with a wicked edged sword. Then, he looked up, and gasped at what he saw. Standing in front of him was another warrior in battle armor. But this was not an ordinary warrior. It had a lizard-like tail and fangs as sharp as knives. When it raised its head, he saw that its eyes were like a snake's, slitted and cold. Once again the voice spoke. " This will be your opponent, my best warrior, Slither, the snake pony. Defeat him and you and your friends will go free, but if you loose, he will devour you, from head to toe." The voice laughed, then faded away. Then, the sound of a gong sounded around the room, and the fight began. Slither moved forward, faster than the eyes could see and was behind Drake before he could blink. Before he could react, Slither kicked Drake in the back of the head and sent him flying into the wall. Drake slowly go to his feet and dived out of the way just as Slither attacked again. Drake then delivered an attack of his own, which sent Slither crashing into the floor. Before he could get back up, Drake dived at him but was sent sent crashing to the floor as Slither used his hind leg to kick him. Drake got up as Slither did and began circling each other. Then, Drake, using hiss vampire speed ran behind Slither, who didn't react in time and was sent face first into the wall. Before he could recover,Drake ran up and grabbed his tail with his teeth and began spinning. Just as he was about to fall, he let go of the tail and sent Slither flying into the ceiling, rock crumbling away and falling to the floor. Then, with a crash Slither fell to the floor as well, a snap resounding as he landed. As they watched, a red mist enveloped him as he disappeared from sight. The chained collars disappeared as well, and the ponies dropped to the floor. They stood up and raced over to Drake, hugging him. After that they turned to see another tunnel opening up and they looked at each other and ran into it, vanishing into the darkness.
Chapter 8: RedemptionThe two groups met again in a room which joined the two passages together. After meeting up they each told of their experiences about going through the challenges. Just as they were finished talking another tunnel opened with a rumble in front of them. They all looked at the entrance and then at each other, nodded and went up the stairs. When they reached the top they looked around. They were at the top of the volcano. To their right they saw a lava pool in a carved out section of rock. to their left, they saw a throne made from black rock with had a red jewel on the back, but there was no sign of Inferni. They spread out, looking for clues to her where a bouts. Suddenly, they heard laughing and raced back to the center of the volcano. Then, a red sphere appeared, and started to grow and grow until it burst, and there stood Inferni, Grinning at them like a crazed mad man. " So, the heroes survived my tests, impressive." Twilight stepped forward and said, " We are here to stop you Inferni, we can not let you destroy Equestria!" She stared at Twilight for a moment, then began to laugh again, which caused Twilight to frown in confusion. " You little fool, do you really think you can stop me, think again!" She activated her magic and chains appears around all of their neck pulling them to the ground. She Smirked and said, " As I said, there is no way you can stop me, not when I have this." she turned to her throne and used her magic to free the jewel from its base. She turned back to the group and grinned. " This is the Jewel of Darkness. It is created when someone feels hatred or anger to someone in their life. When I rule Equestria i will make Celestia and Luna suffer for the way they have treated me." She closed her eyes, placing the jewel into her collar with a flash. " For years i have given fire and warmth to the ponies of Equestria, and how do they repay me, by abusing my gift to them! Her eyes flew open, filled with anger and hate. " And my own sisters, the ones who i loved, betrayed me, ridiculed me, said my fire wasn't important, well I'll show them, I'll show them all! MHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!! Inferni walked past the group the the lava pool. She then activated a spell and fired it into the pool, beginning her reign of terror across Equestria. Twilight tried to free herself but the chains just got tighter, so she put her head on the ground, sighing. " I'm sorry girls, I've let you down." Applejack turned to Twilight and said soothingly, " You haven't let us down sugar cube, we can still defeat her." Everyone agreed and twilight smiled. Then, concentrating, she activated a spell and focused on the chains. Just as she was about spent, the chains broke and they were free! They all stood up and stepped toward Inferni. Hearing them, she turned her head, eyes widening as she sees them. " So you managed to escape, no matter, Equestria will soon fall to my power!" " Never!" they yelled and raced toward her. She turned to face them, readying a spell, which she fired at them, causing them to fall. She grinned, then fired another spell, this one causing a ring of fire to surround them. They glared at her as she approached them, smirking. Twilight then cast a spell of her own causing the flames to disappear. They then leaped at her but they bounced off of her force field. " FOOLS, soon all of Equestria will fall and all will bow to me!!! MHAHAHA!!!" Inferni then leaped into the air, unfurling her wings, using them to gain height. She then made a fire ball with her horn and fired it at them, hitting them square on. When the smoke cleared, the group were sprawled on the ground, burned and weak. Still in the air, Inferni laughed, her plan working as the jewel in her collar glowing brightly. Then, Twilight opened her eyes and got unsteadily to her feet. Soon after, the rest of them got to their feet as well. Then, a white light blossomed in front of them. When the light died, there was a beautiful pink gem, glimmering with all the colors of the rainbow. They all smiled, then turning their gazes to to sky, they began to float as the gem enveloped them in a shimmering veil. Inferni stopped laughing and was looking at them, frowning. " What is this?" she wondered. Then, the pink jewel glowed again, activated by Twilight's magic as she said, " The Magic of Friendship is the strongest magic of all, and it shines within each of us, and together as one, together as friends, we will win every battle to the very end!" Then, beams of light shone from each of the ponies, streaming into the gem, and as they gathered together, they burst through to form a brilliant rainbow, which flew into the sky, then flew straight toward Inferni. " What no.. NOOOOOOO!!!!" she screamed as the rainbow enveloped her, wrapping around and around until the rainbow burst into a white blinding light. As the light faded away, Twilight and her friends floated gently to the ground, cheering. Then, they fell silent as they looked to where Inferni had been. Surrounded by shards of shattered armor, lay Firestar, eyes closed. Then, with a gasp, her eyes flew open. Raising her head slowly, she looked around, confused. When she saw Twilight and he friends, she realized what she had down and closed her eyes, tears flowing freely from them. Twilight then stepped toward her. Softly, she said, " Firestar, it's ok, you are no longer the evil being you were. You are safe now." She opened her eyes and looked at Twilight, who smiled at her. She then stood slowly and hugged her. " Thank you," she whispered softly. When they had finished hugging, a gasp came from behind them. Applejack pointed to the landscape, so they turned around and gasped as well. The burned waste land was now covered with lush green grass and flowers. The inhabitants of the land had also returned to their former selves. As they emerged from the volcano a cheer went up from the crowd as Light Hoof came forward, bowing, saying " Thank you Twilight, you have saved our land." Firestar, looking at Light Hoof said, " I am sorry i have caused so mush pain to you all, i didn't know what i was doing, and am truly sorry. Light Hoof smiled and hugged her. " It's ok, i forgive you, it was not your fault." As they broke apart she smiled back at him and the crows cheered ever louder as she smiled at them all. After teleporting back to Canterlot, Firestar approached her sisters, ashamed of what she had done. Steeling herself, she looked at them and said, " I am sorry for what I have caused, I should not have let my emotions get the better of me, i hope you can forgive me someday." Celestia and Luna looked at each other, then smiling they raced to her and hugged her fiercely. " Of course we forgive you sister, and we are sorry for what we said about you. Your fire is important and will always have a special place in Equestria." Luna nodded in agreement and hugged her sisters close to her. Firestar hugged them just as fiercely, and smiled from ear to ear. Finally, she knew she did belong here, with her friends, her family, and nothing would ever change that again
Prologue: RebornPrincess Fire Star was walking through the streets of Canterlot, lighting the lamps along the way, enjoying the crisp, cold air. As she walked past a boutique she heard a small sound, like that of a small mouse. Turning, she saw a young filly huddled in an alley way, shivering in the cold. As she approached the young filly, she looked up into the princess's eyes, her own eyes widening as she bowed. Fire Star smiled, then said, "Arise young filly, no need for such formalities. The filly got to her hooves and smiled at her. " What is your name young one", asked the princess. Shaking with cold the filly said, "C-C- Clover your highness." Then, Fire Star raised her wing and lowered it over the filly's shivering body. " Come, I will take you home." "Oh thank you princess!", Clover said with happiness. She then led the way to the filly's house, being greeted my her mother, thanking her for bringing her daughter home. After returning Clover home, Fire Star continued her walk. After having walked back around to the castle, she noticed a pronounced giggling near a tall building. Curious, she went over and to her surprise found three little ponies setting fire to a small garden of flowers. Quite angered by this, her mane began to flare as she stepped up to the three fouls. Startled, they spun around to see a frowning Fire Star standing before them. Frightened they put out the fire and ran off. Shaking her head, she walked back to the castle and to her room, closing the door with a soft, but pronounced thud. As night fell over Equestria, she emerged from her room and walked down the stairs to the throne room. once down, she saw a pale light coming from under a door in the hall, and hearing her sisters voices coming from the other side, she quietly leaned closer to hear what they were saying. " I don't know how we're going to tell her," Celestia was saying, the sound of her pacing hoof steps coming through the door. " We will have to tell her eventually sister", Luna said. Fire Star blinked in confusion -what were they talking about- then leaned over to listen again. " Every pony is taking advantage of her fire Luna, they're doing whatever they want with it, and it is not even for their own needs, just pitiless games." " I know sister but I've started thinking fire isn't really that important anymore." Fire Star raised her head in surprise, then closed her eyes in hurt. Using her magic, horn glowing, she teleported to her room and packed her things, then writing a note and leaving it on her mantle, she used her magic to teleport outside and flew off toward the Everfree Forest. After touching down on the forest floor, she ran deeper into the woods, tears flowing down her face as she thought of all the things her sisters had said, and imagining what they would do without her. Slowing down, she lifted her head to see she had arrived at an ancient alter, moss growing on the sides. On top of the alter was a diamond-shaped crevice, which looked like it could hold something. Then, blinking her eyes she saw that a purple-sh black mist was seeping out of the alter and was floating towards her. Then, the strange mist surrounded her, embracing her like it had been waiting for her. She tried to get free but couldn't and watched in horror as a tendril of mist came straight toward her and wrapped around her horn. She closed her eyes as images of the past and present flooded her mind, images of ponies abusing the fire she had given them, images of her sisters trying to find ways to make her powers theirs, and then, an image of a pair of glowing green eyes, and then, a feeling of pure hatred and anger flooded her heart, anger at her sisters, at her subjects, and especially at herself. Then came a flash of white, and just when she opened her eyes, a blood red gem materialized in front of her, oozing shadow energy. Then, she touched her horn to the gem and it floated over to the alter, landing in the crevice. a bright light came from the gem, surrounding her as she began to transform, her mane and tail a flowing dark red flame. Then, as the light faded, she looked down at herself, seeing the gem in a necklace around her neck, and a dark orange helmet on her head. Then a voice, coming from everywhere at once, " Inferni..." then she grinned, then began to laugh manically, eyes glowing a blood red as she then said in a fiery whisper, " I am darkness, I am destruction, I am Inferni!!!" and continued to laugh evilly as the darkness and fog closed in, hiding Equestria's newest villian.
Chapter 1: Arrival of EvilOne sunny day in the town of Ponyville, the Mane 6 lay on a blanket in a field, having a picnic. Pinkie Pie was skipping around in her usual, bubbly way and Twilight was reading a book from her library. As they were just finishing dessert, Spike, Twilight's loyal assistant ran up to them, tripping over a small rock in his haste. Panting, he got up as Twilight asked, " Hey Spike, whats the rush for?" Bending over to catch his breathe he wheezed, " I have a message from Princess Celestia", then burped fire and a piece of parchment emerged from the green fire. Twilight then levitated the letter with her magic as she read it, frowning as she reached the end. " What is it sugar cube?" asked Apple Jack in a worried voice. " Princess Celestia has requested our presence in Canterlot, she said it's urgent", she said still frowning. "Well then let's go!", declared Rainbow Dash. After that they packed their saddle bags and rode the train to the great city, proceeding to the castle. After entering the throne room, they were greeted by Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. The princesses smiled as they approached, " Hello everyone, it is wonderful to see you all again", Celestia said to Twilight. "Hello princess, we got your letter, what's wrong", asked Twilight. Celestia's smile faded as she started to explain. " Well you see, Fire Star is missing,we haven't seen her for a few days." They then led the Mane 6 to their sister's bed chambers where they showed them the note she had left. They had just started searching when a loud crash filled their ears. They looked at each other and race back to the throne room. In the middle of the room, was a glowing red sphere, surrounded by deb-re. The sphere was glowing faintly but then started to get brighter as it grew in size. Suddenly, the sphere burst and light pulsed out of it as bright as the sun. After the light died down, the group looked in astonishment at what was standing before them. Where the sphere had been, now stood a dark red mare with a mane that moved like a living flame. Around her neck was a black collar with a blood red gem in its center. She then opened her eyes, revealing them to be a crimson red. She looked at the group of ponies before her and smirked. " So these are the ponies who represent the elements of harmony, how charming." Celestia had her horn at the ready, staring straight at the mysterious mare. " Who are you and what do you want?" The mare then chuckled, peering at the princess with hate-filled eyes, " I believe you know what i want, dear sister." She then activated her magic, which glowed a dark crimson red, and took aim at the princesses. Twilight and her friends then charged at the stranger, ready to defend Celestia and Luna. The mare grinned then fired a bolt of burning fire at the group which caused them to fall away from each other. Then, with a flick of her horn, she ripped a pillar from its place and hurled it at the princesses, pinning them against the wall. She then raised her head, laughing as the Mane 6 leaped at her from all directions. But before they could reach her she teleported away still laughing. Suddenly a voice echoed around the room, soft at first, then as loud as a sonic rainboom. " I am chaos, I am destruction, I am Inferni!" As the stunned ponies got up they raced over to the pinned princesses, and freed them from the pillar. Twilight then looked at Celestia with frightened eyes, " Princess, who was that?" and her answer was a shock to them all, " That, I believe was our sister", and they all stared at the spot where Fire Star had been, unbelieving as to what they had just seen.
Chapter 2: Discovering the TruthAfter the encounter with Fire Star, the princesses had everyone gather in Celestia's room to talk about what they were going to do. After a few minutes of ideas, Rarity had a suggestion. " Why don't we go find her and use the elements of harmony on her?" Everyone thought that this was a good idea but then remembered what had happened. Inferni had to be very strong as to over power the Mane 6, so what if she could over power the elements as well. They then sat, deep in their own thoughts until Luna said, " I have and idea. Tia, do you remember the old legend about the jewel of light?" Celestia nodded and motioned for her to continue. " Well, maybe if we combine the jewel's power with the elements of harmony, maybe we can return Fire Star to her former self." Celestia nodded and approved of the plan so she made plans for the Mane 6 to go on the quest for the Jewel of Light. After showing them to their rooms, Celestia and Luna went to the royal library to search for the map to the legendary jewel, completely unaware that they were being watched. Inferni was spying on them from a volcano she had found and now called home. Looking through the lava of a magical pool, she smirked, thinking how foolish they were to think they could stand up to her, now that she had everything she needed. Mean while, back in Canterlot, Twilight was pacing back and forth, worrying about the quest. Spike sat up, awakened by the sound of pacing. " Twilight, what's wrong?" he said, yawning. " It's just, i'm worried that something will go wrong if we go on this quest, what if some one gets hurt. Spike pt his hand on Twilight's shoulder and gave her a knowing smile, " Everything's going to be fine, you went on more dangerous quests then this." She smiled, hugging Spike as she said, " Thanks Spike, that's what I wanted to her." So as Spike went back to sleep, she pulled the blankets up over her and fell asleep as well, waiting for the dawn and the start of their new adventure.
Chapter 3: The JourneyAs the sun rose over Canter-lot, Twilight and her friends stood anxiously in the court yard with Celestia and Luna. "Is everypony ready?" asked Princess Celestia, looking at the group. Everyone nodded and Celestia nodded as well, seeing them off. Twilight nodded in turn and raced off with her friends to find Inferni. Unknown to them however, they were being watched by the prying eyes of Inferni in her magic pool of lave. " So, they think they can beat me, how quaint." She turns away from the lava pool and walks to the throne she has made from the volcanic rock. Sitting down she gazes out over the horizon, imagining what Equestria will look like when she burned it to the ground. After running for quite a ways, the friends stop to have a rest. Twilight levitates a map out of her saddle bag and looks at it, determining which way they had to go. Pinkie Pie came up to her and tapped her on the shoulder. "Yes Pinkie?" Twilight asked, distracted by reading the map. "I don't mean to interrupt but should that be there?" Pinkie asked, pointing with her hoof to a black cloud coming toward them. Twilight looked up, then gasped as the cloud begins to take the shade of a black and grey stallion. As the group looked at the mystery stallion in shock, he smiled, revealing sharps fangs. "Hello there, I don't believe we've met," he said still smiling. 'Umm who are you and what do you want?" Rainbow Dash asked, hovering over to him and looking him in the eye. "I am Drake, Prince of the Vamponies, and you are?" Twilight stepped forward and said," I'm twilight Sparkle, and these are my friends Applejack, Rarity, Flutter shy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Spike. May I ask what you are doing here?" Drake's smile disappeared to be replaced by a frown. "I am tracking down an ancient evil, one who controls fire. Twilight's eyes widened as she said, "That's who we're looking for to." Drake, looking surprised said, "Really? Hmm, interesting." His smile returned as he then said, "maybe we can team up, then we'll be able to find her together." The group looked at each other and nodded.Twilight looked back at Drake and said, "Ok, we'll team up with you." Drake grinned and bowed to Twilight. then said, "It is an honor to team up with you." After standing up Drake followed the Mane 6 in the direction they believed Inferni had went, silent as the winter snow.
Chapter 5: Fires of the HeartAfter discovering the gates in the forest, the Mane 6 had followed them into Furnace, a burned out waste land of destruction. After walking for a while and not finding any sign of Inferni, they stopped, trying to figure out where to go next. Drake then heard something, so he perked his ear up and motioned for the others to be silent. There it was again, the sound of moaning. The sound was getting closer, so they gathered in a circle to watch each others backs. Then, out of no where, a pale figure appeared. The figure was wearing nothing but a tattered blanket over its back. As it drew closer they were able to make out its whispering words. "Who are you.. and what are you doing here?" the figure wheezed. Drake, who was closer answered. "We are here to find the queen of fire, who are you?" The figure nodded slowly and answered, "I am Light Hoof, and i am a spirit of Furnace, for you see, this place is evil. 1000 years ago this place was a flourishing land filled with life. Then, one day an evil queen arrived and took over, imprisoning us all. She worked us to death, and tortured us, until we were nothing but shells of our former selves." Light Hoof coughed heavily, then continued with a shaky breath. "Then, one day she lost all of her sanity and used a powerful spell to cast this land into a shadow of its former glory. In the blast, everything was destroyed, the land, our homes, and all of the inhabitants. After the blast, the queen was no where to be found, and in the place of her castle, a volcano stood in its place." Light Hoof sighed, tear drops at the corners of his eyes. "Nothing was ever the same, and we can never leave, because of the curse the queen put us under." Twilight stepped forward and laid a hoof on his shoulder. "I am sorry you have had to endure all this suffering, but I promise we will do everything in our power to help you. The rest of the group nodded and Light Hoof smiled. "Thank you young one, that is very kind of you." Twilight returned his smile, then growing serious she asked, "Have you seen an alicorn fly by here." Light Hoof thought for a moment, then said,"Yes, I believe i did see someone fly to the volcano." Twilight looked to where he was pointing. "Then that's where we need to go to find Inferni." Light Hoof looked at her, his eyes wide. "Did you say Inferni?" Twilight nodded and Light Hoof's face twisted into a snarl. "That's the name of the evil queen,she has returned!" The group looked at each other and Twilight turned back to Light Hoof and said,"Can you take us to the volcano Light Hoof?" Light Hoof nodded, eyes alight with fury, "Of course, anything to defeat that witch!, come" He started walking and they followed him in the direction of the volcano.
Chapter 7: Test of FateMean while in passage 2, Twilight, Flutter shy, and Applejack followed the dark and twisting tunnel into a room that looked sort of like a classroom. As they entered, the tunnel behind them closed with a boom as the voice filled the cavern. " Welcome to class everyone, today's lesson, Impending doom! In this challenge, one of you will take a test. There will be a total of three questions. If you answer each one correctly, you are free. If you answer them wrong, lets just say it won't be a happy ending." With a laugh, the voice faded away. Twilight stepped forward, volunteering to take on the challenge. As she stopped in front of the black board, the first question appeared. What instrument can you hear, but can't see and can't touch? " Hmm, Twilight thought, this one is tricky." "Aha!" Twilight then levitated the chalk and wrote your voice on the board. The question and answer disappeared to be replaced with a green check mark, which them moved to the side of the board. The next question appeared on the board. What can you put in a wooden box to make it lighter? Twilight thought again then wrote holes on the board. Again, a green check mark appeared on the side and the last question appeared. What is so delicate that it breaks when you say its name? Twilight frowned. This was a really tricky question. She thought then wrote down the heart. But that was wrong. Suddenly the floor began to slide away and lava was revealed to be underneath. If she didn't get this question right, they'd all be barbeque! She thought long and hard and then she had it. She wrote silence after erasing the old answer and a third check mark appeared. The floor returned to normal and another entrance opened up. Twilight sighed in relief and they all walked into the tunnel, vanishing from sight.
