Chapters Celestia's sun was rising in the morning, as all the ponies of Equestria began their days as normal. However, for the past few days, things haven't been really normal lately. Recently, a massive floating building had appeared in Ponyville, startling several ponies and driving some to panic. If it wasn't for the efforts of one grey-coated unicorn, explaining that it was a Hotel that traveled beyond the veil of the universe, somepony would start a riot. Thankfully, the most that happened were a few skirmishes with the unusual staff of the Hotel, and all was peaceful. Three days had passed since the Hotel made itself known, but it wasn't the Hotel itself that concerned the rulers of the peaceful pony nation. Princess Celestia remembered the Hotel from ages ago, the massive building appearing just a few centuries before Nightmare Moon was banished, and at the time it was monitored by a cynical alien with a snarky attitude. What made her more interested in the Hotel was an encounter with the true owner of the Hotel, the Guardian of Worlds. The mysterious black Alicorn had been a rumor circulating Equestria at the time, and to see the myth before her was a surprised. She learned of the universal community from him, and even allowed her and Princess Luna a few weeks stay at the Hotel. They saw wondrous and exciting sights together, but when the time came to an end, Celestia asked that Equis be one of the worlds the Hotel frequents, specifically as a protected universe under his watchful eye. However, fate had other plans, as Guardian told Celestia that he couldn't bring Equestria into his order, lest lives be destroyed. When the Hotel returned centuries later, when the Hotel reappeared, and with three of her own little ponies given jobs at the illustrious building, she saw her chance again. It never came, as Guardian was not at the Hotel. Dejected and dismissed, Celestia and Luna returned to Canterlot Castle, waiting for the chance to enter the universal community. On the third day, the Hotel announced its departure.
As the sun reached its zenith in the sky, Princess Celestia, standing tall and regal, stood on her balcony and watched as the tall, golden building hovered over her city. Her little ponies had gathered outside, watching the Hotel with anticipation or some running in for last minute vacations, looks of awe and excitements on their faces. For Celestia, however, it was a moment of melancholy, as she would once again lose the chance to make the entire world safe with the aid of one of the most powerful beings in existence. And as she saw the platform roll up, rendering the Hotel inaccessible, all the Solar Princess could do was sigh.
"Waiting for lift-off, sister?" Princess Luna asked, trotting up to her sister. Celestia turned to her side, seeing her blue coated sister, running a brush through the galaxy that was her mane. She gave off a small smile, turning her attention back to the Hotel, just as a glow seemed to envelope it.
"I felt that I should witness my little ponies departure from beyond the worlds." Celestia said. "This is a truly momentous occasion for ponykind, even if we haven't earned the interest of the universal community."
"Nonsense," Luna said, nuzzling her sister. "Young Twilight has crossed the universal barrier twice now, and the Hotel will always come again. Everything will be fine." And then the Hotel exploded. Well, not really exploded, more like burst into sudden shows of light and spun about like a foal's top. With a loud roar, the Hotel zoomed into the sky faster than even a Wonderbolt could pull off, and vanished into a swirling vortex. Whilst several bystanders below were picking themselves up from the sudden blast, Celestia and Luna felt their fur disheveled and several feathers out of place. "Hopefully."
"I know, Luna," Celestia said as she brushed her slightly messy fur back. "But, sometimes I worry." She slowly trotted away, Luna following in pursuit.
"About what, Celestia? That you won't see Guardian again?" Luna teased as her elder sister's cheeks reddened. "I've seen how you get whenever you mention him."
"Not at all! Not at all!" The Solar Princess quickly retorted, waving her forehooves frantically. "He might be a handsome stallion, but he constantly appears to be in strife, no matter how hard he hides it. But I'm more concerned with the well-being of Equestria." Sadly, she sat her haunches down upon her golden throne, while her sister took the indigo throne to her side. "Equestria is plagued with more and more dangers as they come. If Twilight hadn't been able to defeat Tirek, we might have all been doomed. We need more help than to rely on the Elements and the Magic of Friendship."
"We're allies with the Zebra nations and the Buffalo tribes," Luna added. "And with a little coaxing, we can receive aid from the Minotaurs and Griffons if needed. Equestria will be safe."
"But what if they won't be enough, sister?" Celestia asked. "What if something more powerful plagues our home and we cannot do anything to stop it? We need the aid of Guardian and his organization," She drooped her head down, a pout on her face. "But he feels that Equestria doesn't need universal protection. I just want my little ponies to be safe."
"And they will be." Luna sweetly said, placing a hoof on her sister's shoulder. "And don't worry, we'll be recognized by the universal community eventually." As Luna pulled her hoof away, a huge gust of wind blew across Canterlot, violently forcing the doors open and knocking several stationary guards off the ground. Celestia and Luna could barely lift their hooves to deflect this sudden burst of wind, but through squinted eyes, they saw something standing in the doorway. Though their eyes were nearly closed, they saw something that looked like a bipedal creature wearing a wide-brimmed hat, completely obscured in shadows. Once the wind subsided, and most of the guards lay strewn about, Celestia managed to see that the figure looked like nothing more than a shadow. Slowly, the figure lifted an arm, holding a rectangular object in its shadowy hand. With a flick of its wrist, the object flew across the throne room and struck above the throne. Celestia glanced at the projectile and saw it was an envelope, sealed with a red-wax stamp. Just as she turned to address the assailant, he was gone.
"How odd." Luna stated, her mane splayed about by the violet gale. "What does that letter say?" Steadily, Celestia removed the letter from the wall, and examined the wax stamp: a mask with the letters AoA scrawled on. She opened the envelope, removed the formal looking letter within, and gave it a read-through. Slowly, a smile began to form on her face. Luna looked at Celestia with curiosity as she rolled up the letter and proceeded to write another one. "Sister, what did it say?" In a puff of magic, the second letter was sent away, the Solar Princess displaying a joyous grin.
"Looks like the time as come sooner than expected."
Bystanders cleared the way as the train rumbled into Canterlot Station. Once the Friendship Express halted, allowing several ponies to exit the locomotive, a lavender hoof stuck out of the front door. Trotting out was the indigo mane (with a pink hair stripe, she always tells us to mention that) and joyous face of Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship. She cantered off the station, gazing at her home city with awe. She was excited today unlike any other, namely thanks to a little letter she received from her former mentor, asking her to visit Canterlot Castle in regards to otherworldly events. Ever since Hotel Nebula made an appearance in Equestria, Twilight had begun focusing her studies towards universal studies. Sure, she had experience in the Human Parallel world, but to think that there were even more universes with infinite possibilities, it was enough to make her mind explode! Without delay (and avoiding the sometimes irritating escorts that came with being royalty), the lavender alicorn cast a spell and transported herself to the Castle. Her aim was exact, as she appeared right before Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, who had just finished sending off a noble petitioner. Seeing her former student appear, Princess Celestia smiled warmly, and gave her guards a tell-all nod. After the last of the guards filed out of the room, the three Princesses stood together, nuzzling affectionately.
"I'm so glad you could make it, Twilight." Celestia said. "And much faster than anticipated."
"Well, when your letter said it involved something beyond Equestria," Twilight said, blushing. "I could only assume it was relating to the Hotel."
"Yes, Hotel Nebula." Celestia said, seating herself at her throne. "What did you think of that experience?"
"Phenomenal!" Twilight exclaimed, slightly hopping midair. "I mean, we had just experienced an interaction with species and creatures beyond our very universe. Sure, there's the Mirror World where Sunset Shimmer lives, but that's only a parallel world to ours! Mr. Tab Keeper and his friends are very lucky to be exploring the very cosmos and beyond." The Solar and Lunar Princesses exchanged grins, putting everything into place.
"Well, what if we were to tell you that you could have that same chance?" Luna suggested, snickering as Twilight's jaw dropped to the floor.
"R-really?!" Twilight exclaimed, before calming herself and blushing. Chuckling at the new princess' actions, Celestia reached out with her magic and levitated an envelope from a stand, bearing a red wax stamp.
"Right after the Hotel departed from Equestria," Celestia explained. "A mysterious figure *ahem* delivered a letter to us." She levitated the letter over to Twilight, who in turn took it in her magic. "Give it a quick read-through and tell me what you think." Opening the letter, Twilight saw a fine written script in Equestrian, but it appeared to be done not by hoof or magic, but possibly by hand.
"'You are cordially invited to a multi-universal event beyond a realm that is not your own.'" She read, eyes agleam. "/This get together is intended to bring various species and groups together under a common banner, and your home universe of Equis. You will be treated to rooming, dining, and comforts of home for three days at the home base of the AoA, one of the largest and most active Universal Powers, located in the universal region known as the Abyss. A chariot will arrive in precisely three days of this letter arriving, and one guest may attend. We expect you to be there. Sincerely, Mask.'" The letter ended with a strange icon similar to the wax stamp: a theatrical mask with the letters "AoA" where the mouth should be. Twilight looked at Princess Celestia and Luna, beaming widely. "Is this really happening, because I hope it is!"
"It indeed is, Twilight." Celestia said, smiling with her student. "This is our chance to get into the universal community. Guardian may deject Equestria's requests to join with him, but if this AoA is willing to give us notice, then we'd be foolish not to reject it."
"However," Luna interjected, raising a hoof. "We can't just rush into this blindly. For all we know, this AoA could be an evil organization who wants to conquer Equestria just as we're recovering from the Tirek attack."
"But that doesn't mean we can't at least give them the benefit of the doubt, sister." Celestia said, glaring at her sister.
"Look at the signs, sister!" Luna shouted (not at Royal Canterlot Voice levels, but still pretty loudly). "The letter is signed by somepony called Mask, the insignia is a mask with creepy eyes, the messenger wore all black, and need I point to the mark above your throne where the letter nearly killed you?!" Luna finished by pointing at the aforementioned groove where the mysterious assailant delivered his message. Twilight's ears folded back in nervousness, now knowing of how dangerous the stakes are. The two Princesses continued to argue about the implications of interacting with an unknown factor, until finally just glaring at each other and turning to face the lavender alicorn.
"Let us consider this," Celestia said. "Twilight, you yourself sent me a friendship report ages ago about learning not to judge a book by its cover. I simply think we should take their offer, and you should be the one to attend this get-together." Twilight was stunned, although rather unsurprised by this. Her teacher had often sent Twilight and her friends on various life-and-limb missions, so this was nothing new. But to practically represent all of Equestria to an unknown universal group whom could only be associated with a mysterious letter and a haunting assailant was unbelievable.
"You want me to go to whatever this is?" Twilight asked.
Celestia nodded. "As the Princess of Friendship, it is your duty to spread the Magic of Friendship across Equestria and beyond. This would also be a test of diplomacy and negotiation, of which Luna and I have had years of experience."
"We'd come to a conclusion that you, a new princess," Luna said. "Would be best to sway whoever this 'Mask' is, and hopefully would earn his favor." Twilight stood still for a moment as Celestia placed an alabaster hoof on her shoulder.
"This is a lot to ask for," Celestia condescended. "And there is no shame in saying no. Take as much time as you want to decide."
"Or she can decide now because the invitation expires in an hour." Said a mysterious, almost hissing voice. Gasping in surprise, the three Princesses turned and saw the shadowy messenger from before, standing in the doorway. Its features seemed a little more recognizable, but the most they could tell he was indeed some kind of grey human wearing a hat and trench coat. Luna snarled, stepping down from the throne.
"You've returned," Luna said, wings flaring. "Come to deliver more lethal messages?"
"Only if you call simple words lethal," The messenger spoke, his raspy voice sending a chill down Twilight's spine. "I was simply sent to send and accept the message from my master."
"I presume you represent the one who sent this letter, then?" Celestia asked. The grey figure chuckled, tipping his hat and further obscuring his face.
"That I am." He hissed. "The Grey Man, at your service." He lifted his hat slightly, showing something shocking: he had no face. "And the Grey Man wants to know if you ponies will accept my lord's offer."
"You can't just rush a decision like this!" Celestia exclaimed, standing beside her sister. The Grey Man simply laughed an eerie chuckle.
"Yes I can." He coldly stated. "In fact, as a Creep, I can do pretty much whatever I want. And what I want," In an instant, he vanished from sight, causing the Princesses to gasp in surprise. Then Twilight felt a cold chill down her spine as something rubbed her back. "Is an answer." Slowly cranking her neck, Twilight saw the Grey Man standing right next to her , staring with a non-existent face. "And I want that answer," Vanishing again, he appeared at the throne, standing atop the golden chair with arms crossed behind his back. "Now."
"What are you?!" Luna shouted, her horn flaring up in magic. Before she could attack this unnerving man, Twilight raised her hoof, and stepped forward.
"What happens if I accept?" She asked.
"Then a Chariot will arrive exactly 22 hours from now," The Grey Man explained. "And you will spend three days at our headquarters."
"And if I refuse?" The Grey Man stood still for a while, unmoving and not saying anything. Then, he started laughing loudly, doubling over and clutching his sides. After a good five minutes of laughing, the Grey Man stood upright and immediately regained his composure.
"Don't." Twilight's eyes darted left and right, whilst the Princesses stared headlong at the frightening messenger. "Tick, tock, ladies. My master isn't a patient man, and he requires an answer in the next few minutes."
"You can't just waltz in here and start making demands about-" Celestia said.
"I'll do it." Twilight abruptly said, stamping her hoof. The two alicorns turned towards the young princess with wide eyes as the Grey Man began rapidly applauding.
"Very wise choice, Princess Twilight Sparkle." The Grey Man cheered, striding towards the lavender mare. Standing before her, the shadowy Creep raised his gloved hand, which Twilight reluctantly took and shook it. "A chariot will arrive tomorrow, pack enough for three days, and come alone, thank you!" Quickly, the Grey Man strode off, vanishing into the shadows and leaving behind three perplexed princesses. Silence was the only sound heard in the throne room for the longest time, as everypony was unsure of what exactly to say. Finally, the newly crowned princess cleared her throat and began trotting towards the door.
"I'll get packing."
"But why do you have to go alone?" Spike argued, pacing back and forth in Twilight's bedroom. Ever since the encounter with the Grey Man, Twilight had been busy packing for her trip across worlds. However, when she told her friends that she had to go alone, they were less than pleased. The lavender princess sighed as she shut her luggage, turning about to her number one assistant with a sorrowful glance.
"Because the messenger said so." Twilight said. "I know it doesn't sound like a good excuse, but we don't know how this universal group works, and they might be offended if I don't follow their rules."
"That don't mean this whole thing stinks like a barrel of rotten apples!" Applejack exclaimed, stomping her hoof on the ground. "They want y'all to come alone to Celestia knows where, and the messenger was a gosh darn grey creep without a face! If that ain't suspicious, Ah don't know what is."
"I'll say!" Rainbow Dash butted in, lightly fluttering above the others. "What if they're a bunch of monsters that want to take over the world, or something? What if they're like those big metal dudes from the Hotel?" Twilight turned to her friends with an irritated expression just as she placed her luggage at her side.
"Just because you happened to wander into a restricted area and the manager warned you," Twilight reasoned. "Doesn't mean that everything from beyond Equus is evil and out to take over the world." Rainbow Dash simply scoffed, tossing her multi-colored mane back.
"Well, darling, she does have a point," Rarity said, moving towards her friend. "You said it yourself, we don't know anything about whoever this group is. We just want you to be safe."
"I will be safe, Rarity," Twilight said, placing a reassuring hoof on her friend's shoulder. "This AoA hopefully won't harm a foreign ambassador to a universe (despite Grey Man's behavior saying otherwise). And if anything goes wrong, I'm sure I can defend myself or contact Celestia." Seeing the solemn looks on her friend's faces, Twilight knew there was something else she had to do. "I promise I'll be safe."
"Pinkie Promise?" Pinkie Pie called out, the normally bubbly mare oddly calmer with the current situation.
"Cross my heart, hope to fly," Twilight said as she mimed out the motions. "Stick a cupcake in my eye." She finished the deal by placing a hoof over her eye. She quickly found herself surrounded by all her friends, clustered in a tight group hug that she couldn't help but join. Just as Twilight began to wish the hug would never end, a simple glance at the clock showed she had only a few minutes until the chariot arrived. Reluctantly, she broke away from the hug, small specks of tears in her eyes. "I'll see you later." Igniting her horn, Twilight cast a teleportation spell, and vanished in a flash of light.
Waiting at the empty chariot landing zone outside Canterlot Castle was tedious, simply standing around and waiting for this ride from the AoA was beginning to drive Twilight mad. Luggage placed at her side, the Princess of Friendship steadily rocked back and forth, whistling a tune as she stood in wait. Her thoughts drifted to curiosity regarding the mysterious Universal Power, wondering exactly what they are like. Despite the cruel and dark nature of their messenger, she knew better than most not to judge a book by its cover. Maybe it was just their customs to be dark, and they were in all actuality a kindhearted group. Although, apparently being on time was not something they were strong suited at.
"Ugh!" Twilight groaned, stamping her hoof. "Where the hay is this chariot?"
No sooner had the words left Twilight's muzzle than a massive gust of wind blew across the landing zone, threatening to bowl the young alicorn over. A faint crackle of electricity surged through Twilight's ears, sending her to search for the source of the sound. A loud, booming crack echoed in a cacophonous roar, much like the sound the Hotel Nebula made when it left Equestria. Twilight looked to the skies, and saw a deep gash was tearing itself open amidst the sky, opening a deep, swirling vortex into who knows what. From within the vortex, or Rift, a small black dot seemed to shoot out of it, drifting downwards and expanding in size. As it drew closer, Twilight realized that it was gaining speed... And heading right for her. Quickly grabbing her luggage, Twilight immediately dove out of the way, bracing herself for the impending crash. But nothing came. Lifting a hoof off her eyes, Twilight saw the mysterious object had come to a rest right before her, but it was floating midair. And was it a sight to behold!
Much like the letter had promised, a Chariot had indeed arrived, but it was nothing like she had expected. It's entire color was darker than a moonless night, highlighted with grey scraps and accents. Twisted bits of iron wrought metal jutted out of the sides like a wicked bramble, sharply protruding outward from within the box. Rusted black wheels sat on the sides, not really serving any purpose due to the vehicle hovering midair. Tied at the end of the Chariot by thick wires akin to thorn covered black vines were hideous creatures larger than an average pony. They resembled vicious dark purple bats, ivory fangs jutted from their small mouths, oozing a type of thick green drool. Five red eyes flitted about, looking forward on their long faces at the end of their pointed snouts. Four wicked wings clung limply to their sides as they scratched at themselves with sharp claws. Holding them by the reins was an odd looking pale human, adorned in a blue and purple uniform and hat, a happy look on his face. At least, his face would presume to be happy, since it appeared to have been completely stitched together. And it wasn't even a chariot, and more like a carriage. Like the letter said, it was a Chariot... intended for deliveries to a morgue.
The stitched-up driver glanced at the lavender alicorn, and with a smile, waved and called out in a cheerful voice. "Hello there! You wouldn't happen to be Princess Twilight Sparkle, wouldn't you?"
"Y-yes..." Twilight meekly nodded, gaping at the nightmarish vehicle before her. The man let out a jovial laugh, clapping his gloved hands together.
"Splendid! My name is Mortis, driver of the Black Chariot," The driver greeted. "And I'll be taking you to the Abyss this fine day." Twilight eyed the Chariot with suspicion, confused why such an oddly cheerful person was piloting something one would see in a Nightmare Night Haunted House. Mortis apparently noted her thoughts, and chuckled. "If it's the design, wasn't my idea. The boss likes things to be super spooky for intimidation factor. It's perfectly safe and comfy." Slightly comforted by the driver's words, Twilight wordlessly began moving towards the Chariot. However, just as she reached the vehicle proper, one of the beasts tied up front turned and hissed at the lavender alicorn, spitting a thick sludge all over and causing Twilight to yelp in surprise. The cracking of the reins silenced the beast, as Twilight looked at Mortis bearing a stern face. "No! Bad Voidwing! No hissing at passengers! I'm sorry about that, these little pests are incredibly unfriendly."
"What are they?" Twilight asked, gawking at the beast.
"Voidwings, remnants from the Void Invasion millions of years ago." Mortis explained. "Void Walkers are nasty monsters that live between worlds, and ages ago, before the Universal Orders were formed, tried to invade. They were stopped, but some still leak through. I keep these Voidwings because they're fast and can travel through universes unscathed." Mortis hopped down from his seat, walking towards Twilight. "Alright, let me load up your bags and you can get seated. Just a heads up," Mortis hefted the luggage on his shoulder. "There's another passenger along for the ride, and he isn't exactly the friendliest of people." As Mortis tossed the luggage into the Chariot's trunk, he lowered a small set of stairs for Twilight to walk on and took his place at the driver's seat. Steadily climbing up on the steps, Twilight peered inside the compartment, and found it to be, oddly, visually pleasing. The entire interior was a maroon shade on everything, complete with fuzzy carpeting and polyester cushioned seats. Small windows sat on the windows, opening to a view of the outside, including a little slot located behind Mortis for conversations with the driver. The other passenger, however, was not as visually pleasing. Like the driver, the passenger was a human, dressed in a yellow and black warrior's garb, wearing a black hood over his head and a yellow mouthpiece of a scorpion shielding a majority of his head, revealing two milky white eyes, lacking irises. Two swords sat on his back, and what appeared to be a spearhead was resting on his wrist.
"Um... Mister Mortis..." Twilight called out, slightly frightened by the other passenger. "Who's the... man I'm riding with?"
"Oh, that's Scorpion," Mortis simply said. "He's a Revenant from the Netherrealm, a foul-tempered undead. Just don't bother him and he won't bother you." The yellow armored man, Scorpion, took a simple look at Twilight, grunted, and turned to face the window, arms crossed. Mortis gave a whistle, signaling Twilight to climb aboard. The lavender pony steadily took her seat next to the Revenant, who paid her no mind. With a loud crack of the reins, the Black Chariot began to hoist itself into the air.
"Next stop, Universal Array 666, the Abyss!" Mortis exclaimed with a cackle, cracking the reins again. With a rumble and the loud shrieks of the Voidwings, the Chariot took off into the sky at speeds that would make Rainbow Dash jealous. Twilight tried to keep herself still on the seat, but a lack of protective belts and Mortis' slightly reckless driving was making it very difficult, meanwhile Scorpion hardly moved at all. She felt the Chariot rise higher and higher into the air, a slight glance at the window brought up a full view of Canterlot mountain and the Everfree Forest below. Clouds zoomed fast like they were a blur, and Twilight could feel the air getting thinner. Before her worry about oxygen deprivation, a sudden rushing feeling made her feel tingly all over. The shaking slowed to a gradual pace, and the Voidwings appeared to have calmed down.
Allowing herself one glance out the window, Twilight saw the whole scenery had shifted. No longer were there blue skies and white fluffy clouds, but a swirling vortex of purple, red, and black. Surges of blue lightening shot across this strange zone, skimming off the Chariot like stones on a wall, and the air felt both a mixture of hot and cold no matter where you stood. Leaning towards the window behind the driver's seat, Twilight could see that they were in a tunnel, spiraling towards a black hole that always appeared out of reach.
"What is this?" Twilight asked, eyes full of awe.
"Welcome to the Rift, Princess." Mortis answered with a chuckle. "A stable means of transportation between worlds that runs straight through the Void in an almost complete line. It'll take us a while to reach the exit Rift, so take a nap and wait." Turning around, Twilight saw that the other passenger had already taken Mortis' offer and had fallen asleep. Feeling slightly fatigued herself from the sudden adrenaline rush, Twilight trotted over to her seat, curled up in a comfy position on the cushions, and fell into a blissful rest until her trip came to an end.
"NOW ARRIVING IN THE ABYSS!" Loudly announced the driver from his seat, waking Princess Twilight Sparkle from her blissful sleep. "We have exited the Rift and now have officially entered the Abyss." Batting the sleep from her eyes and stretching her limbs, Twilight shifted her seat and looked out the window. True to Mortis' word, they had exited the massive vortex tunnel from before, and had entered a new area entirely. Outside, Twilight could see... practically nothing. From beyond the interior of the Black Chariot, all she could see was an empty land, spanning as far as the eye can see, covered in a thick grey fog. She couldn't even see the sky or the ground, let alone if there is one.
'No wonder this place is called the Abyss,' Twilight thought to herself. "There's nothing here." Having spoken that out loud, Mortis peeked his head through the small window, his stitched face showing amusement.
"Eh, don't let that fool you." Mortis said from the front. "The Abyss is one of the largest Universal Sectors in the entire Nexus. This fog hides more than it lets on." The Voidwings up front shrieked, forcing Mortis to return to his post. "Alright, we're running a little late, and the Castle is just a few miles away. So... We're kicking it into overdrive."
"Overdrive?" Twilight asked, slight fear evident in her voice. A quick glance to the side revealed the other passenger, Scorpion, was clutching firmly onto the side of his chair. The reins cracked loudly across the Abyss, accompanied by the sounds of Mortis cackling.
"Hold onto your butts!" Mortis wildly cheered. With a mighty thrust, the Black Chariot lifted off the ground, and they were off like a bullet.
The Chariot flew across the fog faster than any dragon or pegasi in Equestria, darting back and forth like a frantic bee escaping certain doom. Twilight, unable to prepare for the sudden boost of speed, found herself being knocked all over the compartment with every turn. One unfortunate swerve sent Twilight careening into the window, her face planted on the glass, revealing to herself that Mortis was recklessly driving around large crag-like spires, jutting out of the ground and/or sky. Another harsh turn sent Twilight back into her seat, several bruises sported across her coat. Slowly trying to pull herself forward against the g-force of the flight, Twilight attempted to reach the driver's window and order him to slow down.
"Can you slow down?!" Twilight shouted over the rampant speed.
"Can't! We're making great time!" Mortis cheerfully responded, cracking his reins like lightening.
"I'll die if you keep driving like this!" Twilight attempted to reason. "Are you insane?!" Just as Twilight reached the window, something thick slapped against her face, obscuring her vision. Using her magic to remove the visual impediment, she saw in her hands was something sewn together... that suspiciously felt like skin. Mouth open aghast, she looked up and saw Mortis facing her... completely missing his skin with nothing but a blue skull in it's place.
"YES!" Mortis cackled once more, sending the Chariot into a full-on rampant flight. Twilight screamed at the top of her lungs as the Chariot suddenly shot upwards, landing her back on her seat, limbs and wings splayed wide open. The transport dashed madly right and left, up and down, not once showing any sign of slowing, and all the Princess of Friendship could do was scream helplessly, while the other passenger remained abstinent as he sat calmly in his seat. Finally, as the Black Chariot reached the zenith of it's trajectory, joyous news echoed from the now skinless Mortis' head.
"Destination straight ahead!" Mortis announced. "Castle Cauchemar, dead ahead!" The words breathed an air of relief, even as the Chariot still flew rampantly in the skies of the Abyss, Twilight allowed herself a cheerful smile knowing she was finally going to get off this deathtrap. Glancing out the window, Twilight could see their destination in the distance. Within the mists of the thick fog, Twilight could make out the outline of a massive castle looming off in the distance. It looked to be like the spires they had nearly crashed into, only in a more structural fashion. What didn't help change the mood was that spikes were jutting out randomly from the sides, ominous purple clouds hovered all over, and red lightening randomly shot about. Before Twilight could raise any objections, the Chariot shot down, and flew right towards the Castle. Twilight ended up slammed into the side of the compartment as the Black Chariot came to a rough stop. "We have arrived."
"About damn time." Scorpion snarled, standing up and exiting the Chariot without another word. Dizzy and dazed, Twilight managed to pull herself from the Black Chariot's compartment and landing with a rough thud on the ground on her back, moaning in pain.
Mortis poked his skull-head from his seat, clutching his sewn-together skin mask. "I'm going to put this back on, then I'll go and get someone to take your luggage to your room. Take care!" With a mad cackle and a crack of the reins, Mortis and the Black Chariot shot off the platform, flying away back into the fog. Twilight pulled herself to all fours, sore all over, as she tried to get her bearings.
"Is everyone here crazy?" She muttered to herself. Turning about face, Twilight was surprised to see how massive this Castle Cauchemar really is, it was even taller than her Crystal Castle and Canterlot Castle combined! Standing before her were a set of two massive black doors atop a flight of wide stairs, displaying a wide variety of grey and red gothic runes and symbols, some of which glowed ominously. At the center of the doorway was a large image of a blank white theater mask with two black eye holes, looming over all who entered. The sight made Twilight swallow in nervousness.
"Oh, there you are!" Exclaimed a male voice. Standing at the top of the stairs was a human wearing a dark-grey cotton coat, light grey fedora, grey pants, black shoes and gloves, and a mask identical to the one displayed on the door. "I was wondering when you were going to arrive."
'That must be Mask,' Twilight thought, watching as the masked man walked down the stairs. 'The one who wrote the invitation. The masked man stood before Twilight, towering over her, but oddly not by much. Twilight was oddly surprised to see that the man who represented a Universal Power stood only two hooves taller than herself (in human measurements, that's one foot).
"Introductions!" The masked man exclaimed. "I am Mask, Overseer of the Abyss, Lord and Master of Castle Cauchemar, and Leader of the AoA, otherwise known as the Army of Abominations!" Suddenly, Twilight felt a sinking feeling that this might have been a bad idea. "And you must be Princess Twilight Sparkle, newly crowned Princess of Friendship of Equestria." With a formal bow, Mask extended an open hand. "How do you do?" Slightly intimidated by this masked man, Twilight timidly put her hoof in the man's gloved hand, in which the two shook in greetings.
"I'm fine... Just a little frazzled from the trip." Twilight admitted. Mask chuckled, straightened up, and motioned to walk with him. Twilight began to follow as Mask crossed his arms behind his back.
"Yes, well, most people aren't exactly used to Mortis' driving, first time around." Mask said as the two walked up the stairs. "Granted, this kind of behavior is expected from a specter of his stature."
"Well, if he at least had given me more of a warning," Twilight said, rolling her eyes. "I wouldn't have had to call him- Did you just say 'specter'?"
"Indeed I did." Mask said, glancing down at the young pony. "Mortis is a specter, spirit, spook, ectoplasmic entity, in other words, a ghost."
"So... I was driven by a ghost?" Twilight asked, shocked by the knowledge of ghosts actually existing.
"Of course! Ghosts and Void Beasts are the only few creatures in existence that can safely pass through Rifts and Gates," Mask explained. "And in life, Mortis was a carriage driver of high caliber. Sadly, it was his career that ended his life in the first place."
"What happened?" Twilight asked, curious at the aspect of a story.
"A customer was in a rush and wanted him to take a shortcut through thick woods." Mask continued. "He was going so fast, the tree branches snagged onto his ears and..." He put his fingers to the front of his mask, pulling them back at an agonizingly slow pace, painting a perfect picture. Twilight shuddered at the image, but found the question regarding the flesh-mask flung in her face answered. "Carriage crashed, passenger ran for her life, and Mortis became the Ghostly Carriageman. I found him, gave him a job, and now he drives the Black Chariot." The two had finally reached the doors of the Castle, and Mask reached for a comically small golden doorknob on the nose of an image of a human skull.
"So, you gave him a purpose." Twilight reasoned. "That's... Really kindhearted of you."
"Of course it is." Mask said as he turned the knob. "You might find that I am a kind person." With a hiss and a click, a smaller door opened as Mask pulled the knob, hidden amongst the larger doors. Twilight allowed herself a small giggle at the appearance of a tiny door, which Mask caught and added with a chuckle of his own.
"Funny, I know. The large doors are mostly for show and larger guests, but I kind of need an entrance more accommodating to my size." Mask opened the door wide, allowing Twilight to step in, but before she could set a hoof inside, Mask blocked the doorway with his leg. "Before we enter, I want to make it abundantly clear that during the tour you are to stay by my side the entire time. Castle Cauchemar is large and it is very easy to get lost inside. Most of the denizens inside are not the friendliest, and I can't be held responsible if you end up hurt. Now, any questions before we begin?"
"Um... Yes." Twilight tentatively raised a hoof. "For some reason, the name of your castle sounds familiar. What does it mean?"
"Well, in Equestria, the language would be Prench. For most humans, it's French." Mask explained. "But in translation... It means 'nightmare'." With a cheerful whistle, Mask walked inside the Castle, leaving Twilight alone and once again questioning her choice to accept.