Chapters Splintering, ice-filled wind skitters over my face and fur. With every step my hooves dug into the deep snow. I try to hold my thin make-shift cloak even closer to my body to contain what little heat I had left as the wind picks up. It didn’t help that all I was wearing was a formal gown meant to appear regal and majestic. A lot of good that did me now, torn and covered in blood as it is. But at least I’m not bleeding anymore, what little magic I had did the trick.
How did it even get this bad? The Crystal Empire overrun, everypony captured, and for some reason almost no magic works. Where did those… things even come from? In all my years I had never seen nor heard of such creatures.
And I failed to protect them.
How could I do that?! I have been their ruler for over a thousand years, and when they need me most, I fail!
My voice of inner reason spoke up.
There was nothing you could do. You were unprepared.
That doesn’t excuse anything!
It wasn’t your fault!
Yes it was!
I lay here in the freezing snow, still sobbing at the thought of my subjects being held captive or even killed by those monsters. I barely even noticed as the cold started to spread even more throughout my body and the darkness began to overcome my mind.
2 Hours Earlier
Twilight Sparkle, my ever-faithful student, trailed close behind me as we walked through the crystal castle’s extravagant halls. She was dressed appropriately for the formal event about to take place between us the princesses of Equestria, and the recently arrived ambassadors.
Good to see the guard being extra cautious today. I don’t want this meeting to be interrupted.
Twilight and I approached the table. Despite being the last ones to arrive to the meeting, all attendees sat quietly on their cushioned seats, waiting for us to take our places at the table. I took my seat at the head of the table, on my sides sat Luna and Twilight.
“We apologize for keeping you all waiting.”
“There is no need to apologize, Princess Celestia. We understand you are both important mares.” Princess Cadence spoke up.
The ambassador of the Griffin Empire nodded, “Indeed, though I would still appreciate being told why we are gathered here.”
“Yes,” Luna began, “we sent some of our guard and Canterlot’s leading scientists. But they could not get close to the object. An overwhelming force pushed them back whenever they got close.
“And what is more alarming is that the area that pushes them away and the disk itself are expanding.”
That got their attention. It wasn’t long before another spoke up.
“Princess Twilight, is there anything else you can tell us about this disk?”
“Sadly, not much. However, weather around the disk has started to change on it’s own dramatically. I’m sure you all saw the large circular clouds forming above the area when you arrived. While we can’t say what exactly is causing this, we believe that this is a matter worthy for concern.”
Well put my dear student.
Twilight had been studying the proper speech patterns to use with high-ranking officials ever since she found out that she would be the main voice in this meeting. That mare had a book for everything and anything.
“I propose we form a new research team to-“ A loud crack of lightning silenced her completely. Immediately, a member of the royal guard barged through the doors panting heavily.
“Your highness! We are being invaded!”
I felt an immediate chill run down my spine.
“Who dares to even attempt such a thing?!” Luna demanded.
“We don’t know what they are, your highness, but they are coming from the disk.”
“Organize the guard, I must see this for myself. Ambassadors, please head to the inner chambers, it is the most substantially fortified part of the castle. Twilight, gather your friends, we may need their help. Luna, come with me.”
No one questioned my directions and soon the council chamber was emptied. As we followed the guard outside, my mind was racing.
Who would even attempt an attack on us now? With the ambassadors’ escorts, the royal guard, as well as myself and the other princesses, this is currently the most heavily armed area in all of Equestria.
It wasn’t long before we reached the balcony overlooking the city. Normally the sky would be clear and sunny. Instead what greeted me was a swirling tempest unlike any storm I have seen since Discord’s era. Within the tempest, just floating motionlessly, were the most disturbing creatures I had ever seen. They were black, humanoid figures that had a strange static outline and seemed as tall as I was. They did not seem to have hooves or claws, instead their limbs ended in simple stubs. Their bodies seemed solid from afar, but as they moved, they almost seemed liquid. But what struck me most were their eyes. They shifted in color from white to red, and as I looked into them, I felt something that is hard to describe. It was like they could see everything I was, everything I am, and everything I will be. I almost was sick.
In the middle of the mass was a much larger version of the creatures. It seemed to be twice the size of the others.
I shook my head slightly to clear my head. Luna spoke up. “I feel it too, sister. They are not natural.”
“Indeed.” I looked to them once more and called out to them in a tone I hoped seemed only calm and non-threatening.
“I am Princess Celestia. Beside me is my sister Princess Luna. We represent the land of Equestria and its people. We do not wish for any violence, only to speak so that we may understand and help one another.”
I waited with held breath for a response. Soon, the larger one lifted its arm, and lightning began to crackle at the tip of the appendage. My reaction was quick; the strongest shield I could conjure appeared between us and the bolt of blue energy. The attack ricocheted off my shield and off into the distance. Despite this, the shield shattered after the impact and I watched wide-eyed as the bolt flew off towards one of the snow-covered mountains around the city. When it landed, I could see the explosion it created from the balcony.
Luna reacted before I could speak, launching off the balcony towards the creature that launched the attack. Horn charged to strike; she shot passed the other creatures. Then, in the blink of an eye, one of the creatures had her. The stubs acting like tendrils grasping both her neck and horn. Luna squirmed in its grip, struggling for air.
“Luna!” I took off to intervene, only to be intercepted by one of the creatures. “Move aside!” I charged my horn to blast away my obstacle, but before I could fire, I felt a wave of fatigue wash over me, and my magic faded. I had to steady myself so I wouldn’t plummet out of the sky. I looked up just in time to see the creature in front of me raise its leg. To tired to react, I watched as the leg swung with immense speed and connected with my side.
Next thing I knew, I was flying away from the battle, the Crystal Empire growing smaller and smaller as I spun. The pain caught up with my mind, and I lost consciousness.
Author's Note
My first chapter to this story was hard to write. It has been years since my last fanfiction, but I really wanted to give this idea I had a shot. Criticism is appreciated The prologue is the only one that will be set in 1st person. The rest will be in 3rd. Also, I am looking for anyone who is willing to make artwork for this piece.
Cadence's eyes fluttered open as her senses started to return to her, though she almost wished they hadn't. Pain rocked her body and her head ached terribly. Stirring slightly, she felt something tight and heavy around her legs. The floor was cold and the room was dark, but she immediately recognized where she was: her own dungeons.
Eyes widened, she attempted to teleport out but she could not summon her magic. It felt like her power had been sealed in a tight container, unable to get out. Looking down and the shackles around her legs, she noticed that they were not the stone restraints that were usually used for prisoners. Instead, these shackles were made of a polished metal, with unknown runes carved on the surface. On their sides were glowing orange lights that faded in and out of existence.
"Impressive, aren't they?" Cadence looked up in terror at the sight of her captor. It was one one of the monsters that had invaded, her home, her kingdom. The massive black mass towered over her, just outside the cage bars. Its eyes unblinking, staring down at her. "Those are TITAN grade inhibitors. Just one can block the energy of a supernova. One should be more than enough for you, but our leader doesn't want too take any risks." Its voice was chilling, cold, and seemed to echo endlessly.
Cadence's only response was a glare. "Oh, do we have a defiant one here? Good." It turned to the side and waved over something that Cadence couldn't see. "You'll find that I will not fall to you so easily." It turned back to her, its head widened slightly, almost as if something underneath that nightmarish skin was smiling. "I believe your fellow princesses believed something similar, especially that white one. But then again, that is what we hope for." A smaller one of the creatures came up from behind her captor, dragging behind it a brown and bloody sack. It handed the sack to its superior, then left. The big one opened up the sack slowly without breaking eye contact with Cadence. "Because nothing fills us more," the head grew wider as it began to take out the contents at the bag, "than breaking your spirit." Cadence's eyes widened as the creature took out an unconscious, beaten, and bleeding Shining Armor.
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Luna sat in the small cage that was her prison, feeling the wind glide across her fur and through her mane. Her cage jostled from time to time as the large creature who carried it flew through the air. Surrounding her transport were several dozen of the larger varieties of the creatures. After her defeat, her captors chained her and the other princesses, and separated them. She knew not where the others were, but she could tell from the direction they were flying that they were on their way to Canterlot.
Luna sat still, quiet through the entire ride, her mind and heart racked with grief. She was helpless, even without her shackles containing her power. And because of her arrogance and haste, both her sister and the crystal empire was lost. She did not have the will to fight anymore, it was as if a black mist had surrounded her heart and mind. She did not bother to even look up when they arrived in Canterlot.
At first the citizens were dumbstruck at the sight of one of their princesses in a cage. Then their shock turned into fear when they saw her expression, and like a virus, the Luna's feelings of helplessness and grief spread unnaturally through the city. The guards did not even bother to try to stop the creatures from entering the castle and closing the door behind them. They just laid on the ground face in their hooves, All the while, not a single pony noticed that each creature was very slowly, but steadily, growing.
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Twilight Sparkle sat in her own transport, her guard numbering a little more than a couple dozen. Despite being chained and blocked of magic, she still had her mind, and was making good use of it. Over and over, she replayed several different scenarios within her head on how to escape her current situation. She believed that despite the powerful shackles around her legs, that the power she and her friends gained from the Tree of Harmony to defeat Tirek, would be enough to stop these creatures, and save Equestria. She just needed to get to them.
Much to her surprise however, they took her right to Ponyville. Twilight couldn't help but ponder over their destination. Don't they know about the my friends? Twilight looked to each of her captors and noticed how calmly they walked through the panicking town. If they didn't know about the power that she and her friends truly possessed, There might be a chance! Twilight frantically looked around the town for her friends, searching for any sign of their whereabouts.
She saw Rarity's boutique and Sugarcube Corner, but they both looked abandoned. Come on girls, where are you- Her thought was cut short by the sight of a tall column of smoke rising into the sky, and the fact that she was heading right towards it. When they arrived at the source of the smoke, it was surrounded by several of the creatures, all staring at into the pit of blue fire. No... There, slowly burning into dust and ashes, was the Tree of Harmony.
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It was dark. No, not dark, it was empty. Celestia could see her own hooves, her own body, but she was standing in absolute nothingness. Shaking her head, she struggled to wrap her mind around the situation. Where was she? How did she get here? Was she dead?
She blinked.
Dead? Why would I be...
It hit her like her own sun.
"No. No!"
I can't be dead! They still need me. My subjects, my friends, my family! I have to get back! I need to get out of here!
She tried to fly, but found her wings were not able to lift her. She tried to teleport, but she could not draw her magic. So, she started to gallop. She galloped as fast as she could, but she didn't seem to go anywhere. She tried another direction, then another, then another, but her surroundings did not change. She began to slow down, and soon, she stopped completely. A small whimper escaped her and tears soon followed.
"No. No, no, no. No! Why?! How did this happen?! How could I let it happen?!"
Celestia continued to yell into the abyss, begging for an answer. Begging for some sort of response to help her figure this all out. To figure anything out. But nothing came. There was no magic scroll from her beloved student to tell her that everything was alright. There was no gentle yet clever quip from her humorous sister. There was nothing. She was alone.
"Alone. I'm alone again after so long. I have failed."
Celestia could feel her soul start to lose its life, and her heart seemed to be shrinking. All the while, the nothingness started to consume her. Her body began to sink into the nothingness, and she let it. Through the void, a deep, menacing, yet seductive voice rang into her ears.
"Yes, give in."
She lowered her head in defeat despite the last voice of defiance in her head screaming at her to stop this. But she felt like she couldn't, almost as if it was impossible to. She opened her eyes slightly, and repeated the words in a voice that was not her own.
"Give in."
"Yeah... that's enough of that."
A sudden tendril of orange light launched down from above and stuck itself into Celestia's chest. Immediately, it yanked her free of the void, and brought her into a sudden flash of light.
_________________
Celestia's eyes started to open slowly. Her head was in immense pain and she felt like she had just flown across Equestria, but she was alive. She was alive... how? Immediately alert, her eyes shot open, but she did not move. She knew better than to act on instinct and get herself noticed, wherever she was. Her eyes looked everywhere, looking for some sort of indication as to her whereabouts. She was on her side facing a wall, so there wasn't much to go on. But she could tell that the wall was covered in ice and that there was a source of light behind her. So she was still somewhere outside the Crystal Empire. A drop of water slid from the wall and she realized something, the ice was melting. She looked down, and realized the the floor was smooth, warm, and wet. Ice had surely been here, but it had melted recently. She even felt warm, despite no longer having her would-be-dress on. Someone had heated this place recently and was likely still here with her. She shifted her wings slightly, magic had left them, and she still couldn't draw on any of her magic. She felt weak, helpless. What was going on?
She slowly turned her head backward, and saw an opening leading to a storming blizzard with tracks leading in, she was in a cave. At least now she had an idea where she was. the only caves were in the northern mountains outside of The Crystal Empire. The only natural caves anyway. But what caught her attention was that any snow snow that flew into the cave immediately melted. The heat did not come from a short burst like a spell would of caused. It was consistent, yet she heard no fire crackling behind her, and the light did not move.
Celestia listened intently for any form of movement behind her. When she heard none, and confirmed that there were no figures in the shadows casted by the light, she began to slowly turn over to the other side. When she could see what was behind her, her confusion only grew. The source of the light, and it seemed the heat as well, came from a strangely shaped blade that was impaled into the ground. The blade's grip was silver and was elegantly shaped like that of a dragon's claw. It looked impossible to hold with hooves, but not with hands or claws. Who was the owner? A minotaur? A griffin? The hilt was silver as well, and seemed to be of the same material as the grip. In fact, the two looked to be forged from the same piece and were never separate. The hilt came up and took the shape of a dragon's head, its maw engulfing the bottom of the blade, its teeth showing on the sides. She also noticed that the dragon's eyes were unknown, glowing white crystals. But the strangest part was the blade itself. The blade gave off a pure, white light, so much so that she could barely see the blade. But she could barely make out what seemed to be blue symbols engraved into the blade. She had no idea what they were though. Runes? A different language? She couldn't be sure.
The symbols had Celestia rattling her brain when something moved behind the sword, but her breath stopped when she realized there was a figure lying on the other side of the cave, its back to her. She could see a strange pattern on it's back that she did not recognize. It groaned slightly and shifted once more, then it began to rise. Celestia shut her eyes and slowed her breathing, hoping the creature would think she was still asleep. She heard more groaning, and then a pop, as if it was stretching. It took a few steps, then stopped. A few more steps, and she felt it look at her. She knew, because she got the same feeling she always did when she was in front of a crowd. The feeling of thousands of eyes looking at her. But there was only the two of them. What was this thing? Then it spoke. It's voice seemed to carry the weight of ages, it was ancient, maybe even older than her. Yet, despite this, it sounded full of energy and young, as well as holding back laughter.
"I can tell you're faking."
Celestia's eyes shot open and she backed away as quickly as possible. Getting to her hooves, she attempted to get into a defensive stance. Her horned pointed at the creature and ready to strike. But instead of attacking or laughing, it held up its hands in defense and spoke calmly.
"Easy. I'm sorry I surprised you."
Celestia could now see the creature fully and her eyes widened. It was a human. And judging by the voice, it was male. He stood a few inches taller than Celestia with her horn. His hair was a jet black color and was long and messy. He was wearing a dark grey coat that ended at the bottom of his feet. Beneath the coat, he wore a midnight-blue t-shirt. a pair of black jeans, and black combat boots. His skin was fair and his face chiseled. But his eyes seemed out of place. While his features made him appear young and in his prime, his light-blue eyes had a different sense to them. They were, like his voice, full of age and experience. They were not the eyes that belonged with such a body. He reminded her of herself. However, the fact that stuck with her was that he appeared human. But humans were myths. Long ago they were said to be strange unknown beings, like ghosts or spirits. And just like the other two, humans were never proven to exist, but that did not stop the spread of stories about them. Whether it were old religious tales or stories parents told their foals, it was a popular myth. However the stories died out a long time ago, they are not as popular as they once were. Still, no one knows where the legend of humans originated, not even Celestia herself. Now Celestia had one standing right in front of her, and he possibly rescued her.
"Who are you?" Celestia asked, not shifting from her stance at all.
"My name is Saregos, I'm a friend. I healed your wounds and brought you here to recover."
After years of being in the midst of politics both national and international, Celestia got very good at seeing through lies, even with magic involved. Still, she did not want to risk anything with this "Saregos."
"Why?"
Saregos looked confused. "Why? Well, I found you and you needed help. That's pretty much it."
"Alright then. Thank you Saregos, but I need to get back home. I have to help my kingdom or else... who knows what will happen to them."
Saregos lowered his hands and sat down on the floor, staring at the sword. "I'm sorry, but there is no way you can help them as you are."
Celestia's ears flicked, but she held her temper in check. "I appreciate your acts of kindness, but as one of the rulers of Equestria, it is my duty to help my subjects when they are in need."
"I mean no disrespect Princess, but how can you help them when you cannot fly or use magic?"
Celestia froze. "How did you know that?"
"I can sense it. I feel the emptiness in your soul where your magic used to be. You have been weakened immensely. Please, come sit down so we can talk."
After a moment of hesitation, Celestia began to walk towards him. He smiled gently as she sat down by the sword across from him. She sat in silence for a moment, evaluating the situation. So many things had happened so quickly and had left her with so many questions. After careful consideration, she decided to start with what was in front of her.
"Are you a human?"
Saregos shook his head.
"No. I may look like one, but I'm not."
Celestia's confusion and curiosity grew even more. "Then what are you?"
Saregos sighed and looked down for a moment before looking back up. "That's a little complicated. The short version is that I'm someone who hunts down creatures that are a danger to innocent lives and the balance of life." Saregos paused for a moment. "You can guess why I'm here."
Celestia nodded. "What are they?"
"They're called the shyeluks, or 'The Black Virus.'
Celestia didn't like the sound of that at all. "What do they want?"
Saregos' expression grew grim. "To make your lives a living hell."
Author's Note
Chapter one! Yay! I'm sorry it took so long, college is evil. Anyway, as always, criticism is appreciated, feel free to point out what I did wrong and what I did right, always helps. Have a good day and I hope you all enjoyed!
Celestia stared blankly at Saregos for a moment, trying to wrap her head around his statement. She had heard him clearly, but she was having trouble understanding him. "Make our lives a living hell?" She repeated in her mind. That doesn't make sense.
"I'm afraid I don't quite understand."
Saregos glanced outside the cave before speaking. "It makes them stronger." Celestia's ears twitched slightly, remembering her encounter with the changelings. "They thrive around negative feelings, its a food and a drug for them. But that isn't what makes them dangerous." Her expression turned more and more into horror as Saregos continued his explanation. "The only reason they have lived for as long as they have is because of their ability to sense just where they need to hit you to bring out the emotions they want. Fear, depression, hopelessness, anxiety, regret, grief, they know how to drag it all out."
"But why come to Equestria? This is a place of peace and harmony. Granted, not all ponies are model citizens, but almost none of them dwell in such emotions consistently. Almost all of my little ponies remain happy throughout their lifetimes."
Saregos' expression grew even more grim, but he said nothing, letting her statement hang in the air. Celestia's eyes widened in realization. "They've never experienced intense pain or sadness..." she whispered. Saregos nodded. "Almost none have ever had to deal with watching someone die horribly before their eyes, see their home burn down, lose what is most precious to them, or take a life. They don't know how to live with it, how to deal with it. Unlike most other worlds, yours is without war, strife..." The rest of his words were ignored as the gears in Celestia's mind started to turn, realizing just what it was that those horrid creatures intended on. She her mind flashed to an image of her world in flames, her subjects, her student, her sister...
"They are beyond your grade of dangerous. Which is why I want you to stay here while I go handle it."
Celestia snapped out of her thoughts after that comment. "What?! Who are you to make that decision?" Celestia got up to her hooves. "I am a ruler of Equestria! The princess of the sun! I have lived for over a thousand years, protecting my kingdom from all threats, no matter what it cost me. I will not–" "And yet I found you bleeding and broken in the snow, after a single confrontation with just one of them." Saregos raised his voice slightly. He didn't yell, but it was as if his voice carried a power with it, a power which silenced Celestia. She tried to summon a rebuttal, but Saregos spoke first while holding up a hand.
"I mean you no disrespect princess. I am fully aware of your position and capabilities, but your power has dwindled tremendously. I doubt I even need to put up a powerful barrier to keep you in here. And even if you were at your full power, we've already seen how you stand compared to them."
Celestia's head lowered at that, a defeated expression on her face. I was like a foal to them. She didn't say anything for a while. Then, after a few moments, she lifted her gaze to the being before her to find him staring back with an unreadable expression. They sat there for a few moments more, neither looking away from each other's eyes as both tried to figure out what the other was thinking.
To display such a presence that to even affect me. Then for him to tell me to stay here, and silence me how he did... just who or what is this stallion sitting before me? She continued to stare into is slightly glowing eyes, into his pitch black pupils. She realized she couldn't even see her reflection in them, almost like she was looking into two pitch-black holes. Finally, he spoke.
"Very well. I will allow you to come with me." Celestia was taken back slightly, this was not the response she was expecting. But nevertheless, she was please to hear it and smiled slightly. "However, you must follow my orders exactly." Celestia's smile disappeared immediately. "I know the enemy and I can guarantee I have more experience fighting them than you do." One of Celestia's eyebrows rose. "Tell me, are you always this high-strung?"
Saregos then did something that the Princess did not expect. He began to laugh. "Only when the situation calls for it. I don't like being serious when I don't have to." He smiled at her, showing some abnormally sharp teeth. "Now then." Saregos got up and walked over to the glowing blade encased within the ground. He grabbed the grip and pulled it out of the ground with ease. The sword's glow began to fade, and within a moment it ceased completely. "Why don't we go save your friends?"
Able to now see the blade clearly, Celestia saw the white surface did indeed have light blue runes engraved on it. Then, in an instant, the blade disappeared in a flash of purple dust and white light. Saregos turned on his heels and began to walk out of the cave. Celestia quickly followed after him and kept his pace. The blizzard was even worse than before. Ice had already began to reform where it had melted earlier. Saregos stepped out into the incredible winds and intense snowfall, then turned to the princess.
"You wont be able to survive the walk back in this storm in your current condition."
As much as Celestia hated to admit it, he was right. She no longer had the eternal warmth of the sun burning inside her. Even her mane no longer flowed as it used to.
"You mentioned creating a barrier before, can you use magic to protect us?" The tall hunter shook his head. "They would sense my energy. All I can do is block their sensors from detecting us. We'll have to use the old fashion way." Saregos walked over to the princess and put his hands under her sides. "Wait, you're not going to–YELP " In one fluid motion, he picked up the large alicorn and turned her over on her back and into his arms.
Blushing madly, Celestia immediately made her opinion known. "What do you think you're doing?!"
Saregos turned toward her with a blank expression and calmly replied, "Keeping you warm."
Celestia began to speak up once more until she began to feel an intense heat enveloping her, as if they no longer sat in a frozen tundra, but on a beach on summer's day.
"I can raise my body temperature to emanate that of my core temperature. We may have some steam surrounding us, but the blizzard should keep us covered so long as I don't increase the range."
Celestia contemplated this for a moment. "Alright, but please warn me before you do something like that."
"Sorry, I have a problem of forgetting such things." Saregos began to walk deeper into the blizzard with celestia still in his arms, when a question formed inside of the alicorn's mind.
"If you can generate this much heat, why not give me your jacket? Why wear a jacket at all even?"
Without glancing away from his path, Saregos responded. "My clothes are not meant to keep me warm or safe. They're meant to make me stronger. Each article of clothing I wear is enchanted to weigh enormous amounts to any living being. 'Weighted training gear,' if you will. If I were to give you even my shirt, it may very well crush you."
Celestia's eyes widened at this new information. "How much do they even weigh with these enchantments?"
Saregos chuckled slightly as he continued his pace through the thick snow. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."
Celestia decided to not question him further, but instead test it for herself. Pulling back her left foreleg slightly, she slipped her hoof gently inside a crevice between Saregos' jacket and his shirt, then tried to pull out the jacket. To her surprise, the seemingly normal fabric didn't even twitch. She put more pressure against the jacket in another attempt, but found it still immobile. Looking up, she saw that Saregos wasn't showing the slightest bit of interest in what she was doing. He simply kept walking forward, staring out into the blizzard.
Just who in all of creation is he?
__________________________________________________________
After about an hour of trekking through the vast world snow and ice, the two finally reached their destination: the outskirts of the Crystal Empire. Stepping out of the cover of the storm, Saregos stopped behind a snowbank a few dozen meters outside of the city and let Celestia down. She peaked over the side of the bank towards her niece's home, her eyes searching the city.
"Something's not right. Nopony's here, not even the creatures." Her eyes turned toward the sky. "And the portal is gone too." Saregos popped his head out beside Celestia's, his brow furrowed. "You're right. Ordinarily they would be dragging them out of their homes, torturing them in the streets, making displays out of them, causing chaos." Celestia resisted the urge to gag. "But this... this goes against their very nature. I can't even sense them."
"Could they have moved the population? Is that possible for them?"
Saregos shook his head. "No way. They may be strong, but there's too few of them to move an entire city in less than twenty-four hours."
Celestia looked up at him. "Then what could they of done with them?"
"Not sure. But we should head in, carefully. Just because I can't sense them, doesn't mean were safe."
"You think it might be a trap?"
"Maybe. They shouldn't know I'm here, but they might think you're still alive. Let's move in quickly and quietly. See if we can't find out what they're up to."
With that, Saregos started to make his way to the city, Celestia walking beside him. They kept a quick but silent pace. Celestia had some difficulty with keeping quiet with her hooves while keeping pace with her companion. Meanwhile, Saregos wasn't making any noise at all. It was almost as if he wasn't even there. Celestia made a mental note to ask him about that later.
As they reached deeper into the city, Saregos seemed to get more and more tense. Celestia felt it too. The entire city was silent, deserted. But that wasn't all. There wasn't any nagging feeling, no screaming instinct, no creeping sensation that they were being watched. It was as if they were truly alone. It wasn't right.
The pair stopped at the foot of the castle that sat in the middle of the city, and took one more look around. Still nothing. Absolutely nothing. Saregos turned toward the princess, his expression one of concentration. "I still can't sense anything. Is there anyplace they might take them that's nearby? " Celestia turned away from the man. "There's one place. Underneath the castle there's a large cavern that acts as the dungeons, magically sealed with advanced spells to be undetectable." Saregos raised an eyebrow at the princess. "Don't look at me. It was the previous owner's idea. He wasn't the... nicest pony." Saregos chuckled slightly. "Guess 'Sombra' wasn't just a name." Saregos caught the her glance, replying with a smirk. "You think I don't do my homework? Now, how do we get in?"
Celestia walked over to one of the pillars at the base of the castle and placed her horn on the corner. She re-angled her horn slightly, then in one swift motion, swiftly slid her horn down the pillar. A few sparks flew and a section of the ground phased out of existence, revealing a flight of spiral stairs. Celestia walked back over to Saregos, who was staring down into the passage. "That's definitely some strong magic. I sense a couple hundred, no, couple thousand living things down there. But none of the shyeluks, that's not good." With that, Saregos rushed down the stairs before Celestia could even comment.
Within a few seconds, the stairwell opened up, revealing an immense, coliseum-like room. Over a dozen floors with over a hundred barred cells lining the walls on each one. Upon reaching the bottom of the stairwell, Saregos ran over to one of the cells. "No. No, no, no." Celestia came up behind him and peered inside. There were two crystal mares chained to the wall. The windowless cell was dark and made the mares seem almost colorless, but Celestia could make out ruined mascara running down the side of their cheeks. But it seemed as if no harm had been done to them. They were both breathing steadily, as if they were asleep.
"What's wrong with them?"
"Not entirely sure, but hopefully not what I'm thinking."
"And if it is what you're thinking?"
Saregos looked directly into her eyes for a moment, and for the first time since meeting him, she saw fear in them. "Let's... not get into that."
Celestia looked back at him, her expression now one of concern. "They are my subjects. My little ponies. I deserve to know what's wrong with them." It was more of a plea than a statement.
Saregos stared back at her for a few moments, then sighed. "There's been rumors that the shyeluks have been... evolving. There's been reports that they have been relating to their namesake more and more. Leaving victims in a comatose-like state, but dreaming. Constantly living horrible visions in their minds. Extremely realistic visions. Probably to provide a constant flow of food their assailants. But every recorded case has ended in the same way. Eventually, the sheer amount of deep psychological scarring causes their brains to go into a deep form of shock. This shock prevents the dreams from forming for a while. But after it wears off, the cycle starts up again, this time the shock stage coming much sooner. After about a month, the victim's mind is broken to the point where it can no longer perform bodily functions, and they die. So far, no one who has examined them has figured a way to get them out."
Celestia's eyes widened, but Saregos spoke again quickly, as if trying to calm her. "But I myself have never examined them. I should be able to look deeper into this than those who did the original examinations."
Celestia turned away from the bars, sighing. "That's going to be difficult. These walls are made of swirlprism and enchanted with heaven-grade protection spells. It would take my full strength to have even a hope of breaking through. We need to find the–" SNAP
Celestia whipped around to see the barred door torn off the wall and Saregos was looking back at her sheepishly. "Looks like they haven't been very well maintained over these last thousand years."
With that, he stepped inside the cell to examine the two mares. While Celestia stood there, dumbfounded. "We just checked the conditions last week." She whispered.
Running inside the cell, she found Saregos kneeling over one of the mares, his eyes staring down intently at her. "Her condition seems similar to that of the reports. Let's see if I can't get a deeper look." Then, placing a hand on her head, he closed his eyes and drew a deep breath. His hair began to flow as if from wind, and Celestia could sense a strong power starting to arise from him.
"It seems the reports were accurate, I can sense her distress. But it isn't a biological condition that's keeping her like this. No, something has latched onto her soul, reapplying a constant spell to it to keep her in this state. But it's a direct connection, so I should be able to trace it back to it's source."
Celestia walked back out and gazed at the immense room, looking at the many cells lined throughout the dungeon. "What could be powerful enough to keep all these ponies in this state?"
Saregos walked out of the cell to her side. "I can think of a few things."
__________________________________________________________
Celestia paced down the rows of cells, looking for any hint of Cadence or Shining Armor. Meanwhile, Saregos sat on the ground floor with his legs crossed. According to him, he was tracing the spell to its source, but there were several wards trying to stop him. "It should only take a few minutes though. I have their scent, so to speak. They can't hide now." It had been about ten minutes, and Celestia had already gone through two rows of cells. She was starting to get worried when he stood up. "I have it. And you'll never guess where." He pointed a finger down at the floor.
Celestia looked towards the man. "Impossible, there's nothing below this cavern besides several feet of swirlprism."
"And after that?"
Celestia thought for a moment. "I'm not sure."
Saregos smiled. "Then I guess we should find out. Stay up there for a moment."
Before Celestia could reply, Saregos jumped the height of two floors, flipped, and brought the heel of his boot down onto to the ground. As soon as his boot made contact, the ground broke easily from the attack, cracking in a large, circular pattern, before collapsing into a smaller hidden cavern below.
Celestia ran over to the newly formed hole, searching for her companion. When the dust cleared, she could see him standing amidst the rubble within, unharmed.
"What happened to being quiet?" She called down.
"There is no one else here, I checked. Besides, we weren't getting down any other way. They moved the source down here through a series of small tunnels that they could morph their bodies through. Too small for us though."
Celestia simply sighed as she used her wings to slowly descend the hole. "Remember what I said about warning me when you take the initiative?"
Saregos smiled at the princess. "My bad."
She simply shook her head. "Where's the source of the spells?"
Saregos pointed over to a small rock formation that resembled a stalagmite cut in half. Sitting there was a red, egg-like device with light-blue symbols dancing along it. It was so small a filly could hold it with one hoof. Saregos walked over to the egg and picked it up, examining it closely. Celestia walked up beside him, leaning her head in for a closer look. She could sense an immense power coming from it, but the power itself wasn't evil. In fact, the power seemed good in nature, protective.
"What is it?"
Saregos rubbed his fingers against its surface, the symbols reacted to his touch. "It's called a soul body. You place a power source inside, then 'program' it to do something for you. Usually it's something small, like create a ward or watchover an area. But if you place something greater in there,"
"It can do much more."
Saregos nodded. "Exactly."
"But what's powering it?" Saregos tapped a few more symbols and they disappeared from the surface. Four sections at the the tip of the egg revealed themselves, then began to split apart, revealing a large, glowing white object inserted inside the egg. Saregos grabbed the tip of the object and pulled it out for a full view.
Celestia eyed the object inquisitively. "A scale?"
Saregos' eyes narrowed. "How did they get this? They don't have the intelligence to create a soul body, nor the abilities to get something like this."
The princess looked at her companion. "What is it?" Saregos turned towards her, silent for a moment. "I'll tell you later. But right now the ponies should be waking up. We should tend to them first."
With that, Saregos jumped out of the hole in a single leap, taking both the scale and the soul body with him.
Celestia stared at the hole, wondering just what was going on that he wasn't telling her.
Author's Note
I hope this one is better than the others. As always, please let me know what I am doing right and what I am doing wrong.
