As the Crystal Empire lay under a dark mist there was an eerie silence within it. Though the undead roamed mindlessly around there was no indication of life, with the exception of the now corrupted Ember flying over the Empire. On occasion she would stop and perch herself on one of the many crystal towers or a small building and look upon the undead around her. She dared not fly below the mist for fear of a darker evil lurking within the mist. Even high above she still feared to stay in one place too long and soon took flight again before perching atop another tower.

Down below the mist was a different story. Ponies cowered in their homes and barricaded themselves in. They let neither friend, foe, or neighbor in fearing the mist would enter the sanctity of their homes and death would follow.

Far away there was another battle on hold at that very moment. Deep underground near a large magma vein was Sir Alonne with his long bewitched katana at Loreane and Queelara who were standing between him and a wounded Quelaag.

Sir Alonne drew his blade putting his two hands on the hilt in a ko gasumi stance. Loreane held up her hands to him.

“Sir Alonne, we don’t have to do this,” She said calmly to him. “Queelara has proven to be a valuable ally. We could try to work this out with the witch if you give me a chance-”

“NO! I won’t negotiate with a monster like her! She killed my men with her vile spawn!” Sir Alonne yelled through his mask.

Quelaag snorted standing on her seven (one of them was crushed) large legs. “Guess we can at least agree partially. Yes I won’t negotiate with you, but I did not kill your men! Nor did my daughter!”

“You lie evil witch!” Sir Alonne yelled back angrily.

“Sir Alonne, please still thy blade! Let’s talk this over!”Loreane suggested holding her hands up.

Sir Alonne paused momentarily, his grip tightening around the hilt of his katana. Thinking for a while then placing the sword at his side, but keeping it unsheathed. Queelara stood between the two of them with Silver Spoon who was now healing Sir Alonne’s wounds. The healing would take time however Silver Spoon's mastery of the simple healing miracles was astounding to the knight. She quickly healed the internal wounds and got to work closing it. Even Alonne’s best healers would take an hour to do what Silver had done in a few minutes.

While Silver Spoon worked silently healing the damaged knight, Quelaag, Loreane, and Queelara continued to talk. Babs, Trixie, and Maud stood by watching around the derelict temple ruins while they spoke.

“Sir Alonne, I understand you’re angry for the loss of your men,” Loreane said to the knight. “And Quelaag you’re distressed by the loss of your kin. Believe me when I say I understand where the both of you are coming from. I too lost everything dear to me once. Betrayed by the one I loved, and slain by her own hand because I was foolish.”

“I won’t ask you to forgive or forget what the other has done to you, but I do ask that you hear me out before you both do something you regret. Sir Alonne, Quelaag, will you please hear what I have to say? Time is not on our side and we need to hurry.” Loreane peaded to the two.

Sir Alonne made no indications other than crossing his arms over his chest, but Quelaag looked like she was contemplating on trying to lunge at them with her spear, or maybe going for the jugular. The massive spider witch stood thoughtfully for several minutes until finally she crossed her arms and looked at her niece. The smaller spider witch smiled hopefully to her aunt. Her eyes went wide like saucers, dark and with a cute smile with her hands clasped together over her chest. Loreane’s heart nearly melted at the sight of Queelara’s cute face, but Quelaag scoffed looking away from her niece.

“Fine, Firekeeper. I’ll hear what you have to say,” Quelaag agreed.

“Thank you.”

“BUT! If I don’t like what I hear I’ll kill every last one of you. Do you understand?” Quelaag warned.

“I understand.”

Loreane took a moment to gaze over at Trixie who was talking to Babs and Maud about something. Maud was leaning into Trixie’s side and wrapped her tail around Trixie’s tail. Loreane had felt Trixie wrap her tail around her many times. It was what was described by Rarity as a show of loving affection. Ponies only did this when they felt close or loved someone in particular. It wasn’t something done on a whim. Seeing Trixie willing to allow Maud to do this made Loreane turn red with anger, but she took a deep breath to help clear her mind with mild success. For the sake of what was going on she had to workout a peace between Sir Alonne and Quelaag.

Turning away from Trixie and Maud, she returned her focus on the two she was delegating. Quelaag was glaring narrow eyed at Sir Alonne, and the knight was now sitting cross legged with his sword over his lap and Silver Spoon still healing his wound.

Loreane turned to Quelaag. “So, I know you two have history, I want to help but we are in the middle of rushing to the Crystal Empire to help our friends there. A mad woman named Diana is planning something there and whatever it is we need to stop her. We just want to have safe passage through to help them.”

“What did you offer him in exchange for his protection?” Quelaag asked, with heavy suspicion in her voice.

“He, he wanted us to help kill you for killing his men. If we did that he would help me and my friends pass through with his army to the Crystal Empire.” Loreane hesitantly relied.

At first the witch of Izalith remained still. It made Loreane uneasy how the witch took long pauses to think things over. At first glance she appeared to be hotheaded ready to charge in with no thought what so ever. Seeing her during this talk was different than how she acted, and it gave Loreane hope that the talks would be successful if she could get them to talk.

So far it was working.

Quelaag closed her eyes and settled her body down. Holding her legs under her massive abdomen and thorax she set her spear to the side and took a moment to think. When she was done she looked directly at Sir Alonne.

“Why did you agree to help them?” She asked.

“I agreed because it was in our best interests,” Sir Alonne replied under his helmet. “For many years we lived in the subterranean world much like you. Though you clearly have more time than we do obviously, but when I learned what Diana was doing and that these ponies and Firekeeper were conspiring against her I knew it was the best thing to do.”

Lorenae tilted her head at the knight. “What do you mean? You knew?!”

“Yes, as I told you before. I am well aware of Lady Diana and her army. She controls the Abyss Watchers, allied with the Great Wolf Lord Farron himself. She has the support and rules the hollowed armies during the time of darkness. No one can control armies like that and NOT go unnoticed. As I said, I have agents everywhere, just not down here.”

“I’ve known her plans to attack the Empire for some time now. She’s been amassing an army for that very reason. The last time I heard before coming down here with you was that she had allied herself with the changelings from the Bad Lands.”

Loreane leaned closer to him as if trying to see the man behind the mask.

“You said you knew her plans? What does she plan to do?” Loreane asked more sternly.

“She plans to find a Dark Soul. For what purpose I have no idea, but she is willing to kill for it so she must want it badly,” Sir Alonne said.

“Then she will die or succumb to the blood madness.”

Both Sir Alonne, Queelara, and Loreane looked at Quelaag wondering what she meant.

“The Dark Soul will corrupt most who try to wield it. It requires one strong in blood and mind to control. If this Diana wants it she better hope she’s got a strong blood lineage other wise she won’t stand a chance with the Dark Soul.” Quelaag said.

“What does the Dark Soul do? I’ve heard about it but only in rumors and stories passed down by the Firekeepers,” Loreane asked.

This time to her surprise it was Sir Alonne who spoke cutting off Quelaag.

“The Dark Soul is the soul of the forgotten pygmy. It’s a weak soul, but it is the oldest soul and the only one that’s lasted eternally supposedly. Legend says that the Dark Soul isn’t a powerful soul like the Lords of Cinder, although it’s said its power rivals that of the Souls of Cinder.”

Sir Alonne looked down at Silver Spoon who had just finished healing his wound with a single ring from her crystal chime. Sir Alonne looked over the wound. It was perfect. There was no scar and he felt invigorated by Silver Spoon’s miracle. He allowed himself a small smile under his helm and bowed to the filly.

“Thank you, little one. Your healing miracles are quite impressive.”

Silver Spoon giggled. “Well, it helps that I have to mend Babs on an hourly basis. In fact this is the longest I’ve gone without mending anything on her!” Silver chirped playfully.

Just then a small pebble collided with the side of Silver’s head and bounced off with a hollow *thud*. Silver Spoon growled glaring to the side where Babs was whistling innocently, swinging her legs back and forth while sitting next to Trixie and Maud who were looking down at her. Silver Spoon snorted and turned her nose up and went to Quelaag and rang her chime over her light wounds.

Sir Alonne watched the witch carefully as she allowed the filly close. He was worried the sudden approach would be met with hostility. To his surprise the witch made no moves against the filly. Even more so Loreane didn’t seem worried in the slightest. Even Queelara smiled as her aunt continued to talk with Loreane.

Sir Alonne wondered if he had the witch figured all wrong. Was she really not responsible for the loss of his men? Surely not. He then caught Lorenae glimpsing at Trixie and Maud’s direction. Her eyes were narrow and her cheeks were slightly pink. She looked upset. Quelaag said something that brought her attention back and Sir Alonne look at her too with a fresh outlook.

“We need to stop Diana Quelaag. If we don’t there’s no telling what she’ll do to my friend in the Empire.” He heard Loreane plead to the witch.

“You expect me to trust him and allow his army to just walk through my domain? Hardly! I’ll never let them pass through without incentive! Not that it would matter, they’d probably just kill me and my kin all the same!”

“I promise you that Sir Alonne and his knights are honorable!” Loreane said. “Please, if you allow us passage, just a small amount of troops that’d be fine right? We don’t need his whole army.”

Sir Alonne looked around the structure. He then remembered when he first entered these halls long ago. It was still decrepit back then as it was now. Him and his knights came here looking for his missing troops and encountered Quelaag and her children. There was little talk from what he remembered and much bloodshed on both sides. He then noted how many of Quelaag's children died that day. He looked around and saw their bones littering the ground around the entire temple remains.

Queelara scooted closer to him and looked at where he was staring. She slowly reached for him and gently placed her hand over his. The man looked down at the pale hand over his as it gently gripped him. The hand was small and frail. Queelara herself looked rather frail in body.

“My aunt told me what happened that day. I lost my family because of what happened. My mother is sick and always near death. When I was born I was born from many but within hours my brothers and sisters died.”

“When I survived I ate the bodies of my fallen kin to survive. Mother said it was the only way I’d live at the time. Since then my aunt took care of me and I hardly see my mother anymore."

Perhaps she wasn’t the monster he made her out to be. Diana though, she was a monster. Killing without regard to anyone's life and that was something he wouldn’t accept any longer.

Then he heard a long hissing over the conversation the others were having. He stood up quickly making Quelaag and Lorenae jump to their feet, accidentally knocking Silver Spoon to the side, and startled by his sudden rise. Queelara looked worried and huddled lower to the ground wondering what her aunt and Sir Alonne were about to do. Then Sir Alonne took a few steps forward holding his katana at his side, but kept the blade away from Quelaag as he approached. The witch made no effort to move taking his approach as a challenge she stood her ground with her spear in hand.

He drew his sword up and looked above him turning in place to see all around him. Bab, Trixie, and Maud quickly stood up and readied themselves. Silver Spoon stood by his side and raised her chime to cast a new miracle she learned, tears of denial.

Everyone in the group glowed as she rang her chime three times emitting a bright light from her that reached out to the others and left a small afterglow in their chests.

Then there was a loud rattling noise like one would hear from a rattling snake. Then the sound of the rattling got louder as it seemed to draw nearer to the group. Maud however wasn’t looking up like almost everyone else was. She was looking down at the ground. Her eyes slowly moved along the ground as if she could see something coming closer and closer. She followed the ground until she was looking only inches from herself. Then she leaped in the air taking the dragon tooth in her hooves and drove the handle into the ground several inches.

Suddenly there was a loud feminine screeching as the ground gave in and released a massive dust cloud around Trixie and Babs. Maud landed a few feet away taking her shield off her back and attached it to her arm and ran to Trixie’s side using the shield to block both of them. Babs yelped as a long scorpion tail broke the surface with a neon green tip that flailed around wildly.

Babs rolled out the side as the tail made an attempt to stab her through, but instead it dug into the ground. Sir Alonne charged the tail and attempted to strike it but was knocked back by a second tail breaching the ground from under him.

Sir Alonne flew back digging his sword in the ground to skid to a halt. Then the two tails slithered back into the ground disappearing from sight. Everyone was on edge waiting for the creatures to return for another round. When nothing happened for several minutes they allowed themselves a moments rest.

Sir Alonne remained with his blade in hands while the others gathered around Loreane.

“What was that?” Trixie asked.

Maud, Babs, and Silver Spoon all shrugged. Then looked at Loreane. She too shrugged unsure of what she saw.

“Probably just a large scorpion?” She guessed.

“No, it was worse.”

Quelaag snarled drawing her spear and then summoned a sword from her abdomen made of fire.

“I will kill her,” She said jumping and attaching herself to the ceiling.

“What was that thing?” Alonne asked.

“Her name is Najka, and she’s one of my mortal enemies,” Quelaag turned to the others from above them. “Help me kill her and her followers and I’ll consider allowing you passage!”

Silver groaned. “Why is it always like this?”

“What do ya mean?” Babs asked.

“We always do this! It’s like in a game, we’re doing this fetch quest that seems to need another fetch quest to get something to do the last one! It’s annoying!”

“I know it may seem that way Silver Spoon, but trust me when I say that this will payout in the long run.” Loreane said, petting the filly's head.

“I guess… Still don’t like it. We’ll never get to the Empire at this rate!”

“We will just be patient.”

Just then a large mass of flesh was flung from the far side of the chamber and landed under Quelaag. The massive spider woman gasped and jumped from the ceiling down to it and leaned over it. It was a large flesh object like a massive pus filled boil with several more all around it.

“Eingyi! What happened?” Queelag asked the puss covered man.

The puss cover man named Eingyi coughed horsely trying to cover his mouth to not cough on Queelag.

“My mistress, the Fair Lady, she is hurt! It was Najka, she found the wall! You must go to her!” He gasped, trying to reach for her.

Queelara gasped hearing the news and made a run for the end of the chamber. “Mother!” She cried running past the group. Quelaag wasted no time to give chase too. The whole group joined them leaving the injured man behind.

The group followed Quelaag’s form through an archway that lead to a massive spiral staircase that went higher above the chamber they were in. Quelaag and Queelara both climbed the walls covered on webs so thick they were completely white like silk.

The group followed them up the stairs into a central chamber and here the temperature skyrocketed. It was now very hot and Loreane was forced to use a sweat spell on herself and the others to help alleviate the heat. They came up from the staircase they saw Quelaag near a wall that seemed different from the others. She ran her hand across it and said a small chant before the wall suddenly disappeared.

Inside was a very sickly figure almost identical to Quelaag against the wall. Unlike Quelaag the body of this figure was pale as was her spider half with white hair. She was thin and barely moved at all, in fact the others approached thinking she was dead. Only the slightest movement from her spidery legs indicated she still lived, albeit slowly. They then noticed that the figure was covered in cuts, gashes, and what appeared to be infected puncture wounds over her body. Quelaag and Queelara both rushed to the figures side trying to comfort her.

“Sister, are you alright?”

Queelara hugged the frail from behind on the wall.

“Mom, what happened?” The younger spider witch asked.

The frail figure who weakly smiled back. One hand slowly lifted and patted her head while the other reached for her sister and pulled her close.

“It was Najka, she and her friends came to kill us. What became of Eingyi?” She asked with heavy breaths. “Is he alright?”

“He lives for now.”

Quelaag waved her hand for Silver Spoon to come closer. The filly hesitated, but Babs patted her back and nodded to her with a small curl to her lips. Silver Spoon smiled and walked up to Quelaag with Babs at her side.

“Can you help her?” Quelaag asked.

“I can try. She’s badly inured. I don’t know if my miracles can heal her completely, but I’ll try.”

Silver Spoon walked up to Quelaag’s sister and was lifted by her to be placed on her back. From there Silver Spoon pulled out her crystal chime and began her prayers ringing her chime on and off as her body glowed like the sun in this dark dank place.

Babs stood guard by their side smashing her warchime to the ground. Silver Spoon looked at the bronze filly who stood proud as her guard. Queelara spun a web line and dangled over Bab's head watching her like a creeper.

Maud however was concerned with the ground. She kept pawing at it like something was distracting her. Trixie, Loreane, and Sir Alonne gathered around her. Suddenly the ground cracked under them.

“We should move.” Maud said flatly.

Then a moment later the four of them fell through the ground through the earth and fel through to the chamber where they first encountered Quelaag. Maud was barely able to recover and caught Trixie bride style in the air, before coming to a ground pounding stop to the ground with Trixie safely in her arms. Sir Alonne was able to get himself oriented to land on his feet and roll to minimize any injury he would sustain, but Loreane was the worst off. Not expecting it, nor having any idea what to do she fell and landed on the ground hard followed by a sharp pain in her leg.

She screamed so loud that her voice echoed through the chamber as she gripped her thigh. A large jagged rock and pierced through and was badly bleeding out. Babs head poked over the hole calling own.

“Guys! You alright?!”

Trixie shoved away from Maud and ran to Loreane and inspected her leg.

“Loreane’s badly hurt!” Trixie called up. “Send Silver down once she’s done!”

“Roger!”

Babs then disappeared from view.

Maud grabbed her dragontooth club and swung it on her shoulder standing on her back legs with her shield on her other arm, Sir Alonne stood ready as if expecting something while Trixie helped Loreane. Then from beneath Maud the group ruptured and out came a green tipped scorpion tail aimed right at her stomach. Maud rolled to the side with a clunky roll from her heavy armor as the ground erupted into a cloud of rock, ash, and sand.

The sound of hissing could be heard over the falling debris as Trixie, Maud, and Sir Alonne stood around Loreane to protect her. Trixie drew her sword and readied her fireball as the dust settled revealing two creatures. Both were very similar to Quelaag, half human half bug, only these two were half scorpion from the waist down. One was male the other was female. The female was pale with long black hair and a long spear in her hands with two large scorpion tails protruding from her mesosoma that loomed over her head of her massive hulking form, and covered her with a shadow over her dark black eyes. Her lower bodies two small pincers snapped at the group as she dusted herself off curling her lip up.

“Najka” Sir Alonne said under his breath.

The other was a male with a well built upper body wielding a halberd and a hooked staff. His body was armored lightly with sharp shoulder guards, and bracers and a light scaled helmet. He flexed his body, which was about half the size of Najka, but his pincers were as massive as his lower body and looked like they could do some serious damage. He had many holes over his chest and body clearly indicating he’d seen combat often and was injured many times. Trixie noted that he leaned off to the left a bit as Najka readied her spear as did the other with her.

Trixie readied herself but gave a worried look back at Loreane who was trying to put on a brave face and gave her a wink and a thumb up. Trixie managed to crack a smile despite the dire circumstances.

“Just like the mines, huh Maud?” Trixie asked to the mare at her side.

Maud nodded silently. “Just like the mines.”

Author's Note

First off I want to give a thanks to Mr.pancake800 for helping with the revisions for me thus far. He’s been a great help.

now for what we’re all waiting for. Trixie, Sir Alonne, and Maud are in for a fight now! With things like this what will happen next? Will Silver Spoon be able to save the Fair Lady? Will Najka succeed in killing off the witches of izzalith? And what is going to happen to Maud and Loreane? What is Diana’s real plan with the Dark Soul? Is it really as simple as save the world from darkness or could it be something more sinister?

I’ve been waiting to do this chapter a long time now and I hope the next one will be good. I tend to do better with long fight scenes.