Chapters Chapter 1: A Warm Breakfast
Twilight closed her eyes and smiled as she opened the door to her castle, letting in the warm summer air. Today was a big day, maybe not for anypony else, but it was certainly one of major importance to her nonetheless. Wrapped up in the comfortable, balmy breeze, she completely missed the two ponies standing in the doorway, looking at her slightly confused.
"Are you going to let us in, honey?" laughed her mother, Twilight Velvet.
"You're a busy pony now, sweetheart, but we wouldn’t miss this for the world," her father, Night Light, declared.
"I made oatmeal!" exclaimed a voice from behind the lavender princess. "Enough for everypony to have seconds!" Twilight Velvet smiled, hearing the familiar boyish voice. Spike emerged from behind Twilight Sparkle and beamed as he saw Twilight's parents. They may not have been his blood parents, but he always liked to think of them as such.
"Hopefully you didn't burn it this time, champ," Night Light said, walking over to him and giving him a fatherly smile.
"I've gotten much better! Dragon fire oatmeal is going to be a big hit!"
As everypony migrated to the dining hall and settled into their seats, Twilight Velvet noticed somepony she hadn't seen before—a light pink pony with a mane similar in color to her daughter's, but with a striking aquamarine stripe running through it. The pink pony caught her gaze and gave her a nervous smile.
"Starlight Glimmer, right?" Twilight Velvet asked her warmly.
"Y-Yeah! I'm learning friendship lessons from Princess Twilight. It's an honor to meet the ponies who raised my teacher," Starlight concluded with a slight bow from her chair. Night Light looked at his wife and then to Starlight.
"She was quite a handful. I've never seen a filly who would actually look forward to studying!" he laughed "She went missing once—"
Twilight's face became red and she interrupted. "Please don't tell this story!" she pleaded.
"So where did you find her?" Starlight asked, cocking her head in confusion.
"Mooom!" Princess Twilight protested.
"But you were so cute, honey!" Velvet replied, trying not to laugh.
The ponies and Spike finished their dragon fire oatmeal. Once the last bowl was clean, Spike and Starlight gathered all the bowls and spoons and left for the kitchen.
"It's so nice to see you again, Twilight" Night Light said.
"You've grown up so much since that night you slept in the tree," Velvet remarked, with a sad but proud grin.
The family held each other for some time. It had been too long since Velvet and Night had seen their little filly, only she wasn't a filly anymore. She was a princess now—the princess of friendship—no parent could be more proud. The embrace slowly faded as a loud, desperate knocking came from the front door.
"It's probably Pinkie, she knows of all the get-togethers going on. I'll be right back," Twilight said, trotting over to the door. As she approached it she heard a loud thud, as if something heavy had collapsed right outside. "Pinkie Pie, I swear, if this is a party cannon..." She threw the door open to find nothing like what she expected. On her doorstep lay a wounded pegasus. One of her wings was badly hurt.
"Oh Celestia no!" Twilight screamed. Her scream was heard by her parents, who were at the scene in an instant. Velvet gasped at the sight of the pegasus.
"Is... Is she breathing?" Velvet asked.
"Okay," Velvet replied in a serious tone, her horn already glowing. Slowly, the pegasus began to levitate upwards, surrounded by two different color auras.
Twilight teleported back to find the injured pegasus resting on the couch in her living room and her parents a bit winded.
"Are you guys okay?!" Twilight asked.
"Yeah," Night Light replied, panting a bit. "It's just been a while since we had to use our magic to lift a fully-grown pony."
"Starlight is on the way with a doctor. Is... Is she still..." Twilight began. Night Light carefully knelt down to the pony’s mouth again and could hear faint breathing. He turned to Twilight and nodded in assurance.
"Over here!" Twilight yelled to the three medical ponies that burst in. Starlight Glimmer brought up the rear of the group and ran over to Twilight's side. Twilight recognized one of the three as nurse Red Heart.
"We need to get her back to the hospital as soo—" Red Heart began, but was cut off by the unknown pegasus laying on the couch.
"E-Everfree... Unspoken..." was all the pony could muster before slipping back into her coma-like state. Quickly, nurse Red Heart gave the pegasus a shot of some kind of green liquid.
"She's in a lot of pain. This should help her relax and hopefully stay under while we transport her to the hospital," Red Heart asserted, as two more medical ponies, both roughly the size of Big McIntosh, rushed into the room carrying a stretcher between them. The medical ponies lifted the pegasus slowly and carefully onto the stretcher and made their way back outside, followed by everypony else besides one: Velvet.
"Mom?" Twilight called from the castle door. Velvet looked up at her daughter as if she'd seen a ghost.
"Coming, Twi."
Velvet stared down at the waiting room floor in a mix of confusion and dread—that wounded pegasus was Lily Spring, a pony who she hadn't seen for years. The last time they had spoken was when Velvet retired from the Explorer's Guild of Canterlot—Velvet had promoted her to Guildmaster—with Shining Armor growing up so quickly and Twilight on the way she realized her adventuring days were over. A ping of regret burned through her mind like wildfire—what if Lily wasn't ready to be Guildmaster? What if she was the reason Lily got hurt? Lost in her thoughts and fears, she didn't hear nurse Red Heart return to give them the verdict.
"Her injuries were very dire; she'll... she'll recover but... she lost the injured wing," Red Heart said faintly, her head lowering in defeat. The group of ponies exchanged glances but nothing was said. "Does anypony know her name? Her cutie mark is a lily-pad and a pegasus wi-"
"Her name is Lily Spring," Velvet interjected. Everypony suddenly turned to her with a collective look of confusion. Velvet turned only to Twilight to reply: "She is one of your mom's old co-workers."
"Wait... the Explorer’s Guild?" Night Light asked abruptly. Twilight looked at them both, clearly lost.
Velvet nodded. "Nurse Red Heart, may I speak with her alone when she recovers?" Red Heart took a step back in shock.
"I'm afraid she might be out for some time, Mrs. Velvet," Red Heart answered. Velvet just looked away and went back to her thoughts.
"Yes dear?" Velvet replied in a distant tone.
"Is... Is everything alright?" Twilight asked directly. Velvet turned away, wanting so badly not to lie.
A week had passed since since Lily Spring had been taken into Ponyville Hospital. Word had spread quickly about a badly-wounded pegasus spotted at Princess Twilight's castle, but only rumors of what had happened were known. Some ponies said it was a rabid animal in the forest that caused her injuries, others said she had simply been flying too fast. Only Lily knew the truth.
"Hey Lily," Velvet said, trying to be as comforting as possible.
"Hey Twi," Lily replied with a half smile. Velvet was taken aback by the name. She hadn't been called that since she had given the name to her daughter. "Long time no see... how's the baby?"
"She's fully grown. Her name is Twilight Sparkle. When you recover I can take you to meet her," Velvet said with a chuckle.
"The doctor's told me I lost my right wing," Lily began. Velvet could see tears begin to form in her eyes. "I can still... I can still feel it."
"I'm so sorry Lily," Velvet replied, but her words weren't enough. She knew that.
"I guess I was lucky," Lily stated, turning over, away from Velvet.
"Until what?" Velvet asked.
"Until we saw a light... I can't explain it, but when we exited the cave, we were on this cliff-side above some open plains. We saw this small temple off in the distance and decided to set up camp there and begin our exploration at dawn the following day." Lily took a deep breath and waited for a moment before continuing. "When night fell, we started hearing noises out in the distance but when we looked outside we saw nothing. Still, our unicorn translator decided it best for us to put up a magic barrier while we slept. The next morning she was gone."
A chill went up Velvet's spine.
"We thought she had just wandered off to get a head start on exploring this new area, but something told me that wasn't it—she wasn't a rash pony. We set out to look for her, but...it didn't take long. We found her atop the temple we were sleeping in. We had managed to get her down but... she was gone. Her horn had been sawed off and... and somepony had made a brand over her cutie mark... they tortured her, Velvet."
Velvet began to feel a bit sick as her mind flooded with images of this poor unicorn.
"I wanted to turn around and go back, but my team wanted to find the ponies responsible for her death—not to mention the bits involved for mapping a new section of Equestria—so we stayed. We were exploring a canyon when the stallion carrying our equipment dropped. I heard a scream... and then... nothing. I woke up in chains in a dark room. My team was nowhere to be seen."
Velvet looked at her and put a hoof on her shoulder. "You don't have t-"
"I need to tell somepony!" Lily interrupted. "I tried to stay up to catch a look at our attackers but I never saw them. I'd pass out, and when I would wake up a tray of food would be there waiting for me... This is how it happened for... for so long... I learned to ration out the food to last me the day. That was until about a week or so ago." Lily looked away, memories of what happened returning to her. "These tall, masked ponies in cloaks came as I awoke one day. After such a long time of waking up to nothing but food, I wasn't ready to defend myself from them. One kicked me in the side, knocking the wind clean out of me. Then they unlocked my chains and dragged me into a room where... where they..." Lily reached around to the many bandages covering where her right wing should be.
"How did you escape?" Velvet asked, understanding her friend’s hesitance
Velvet was silent, trying to find any words to help her friend, but after hearing such a tale, there were no words to be found.
Velvet turned to Lily once more. She was staring out the window blankly. Velvet knew she couldn't ask anything more; Lily had been through enough.
That night Velvet lay staring up at the ceiling of her bedroom in Canterlot. Lily's story kept replaying in her head. She imagined the cold body of that poor unicorn on display atop their temple. She imagined Lily being held prisoner for a year in some dark room with nopony to talk or keep her company. Then images of her friend being tortured began to fill her thoughts. Velvet turned in her bed and adjusted her pillow trying so desperately to just fall asleep, but as the images faded, they were replaced by endless questions. What was that place? Why had those ponies killed one of Lily's team? Why did they do those horrible things to her? Who were they? Velvet didn't have the answers.
Chapter 3: Unlike Daring Do
"Lily!" Velvet screamed as she burst through the Guild's front doors. Lily Spring was there, a bandage around her abdomen. She was speaking with two other ponies—both stallions.
Lily turned, surprised to see her old friend busting in so abruptly. "Twi!" she exclaimed, trotting over to greet Velvet. The two embraced, Velvet being extra careful to not touch Lily's injuries.
"What brings you here?" Lily asked with a smile.
"I should ask you! Lily... you aren't doing what I think you are, are you?" Velvet inquired. Lily looked away.
"I knew you wouldn't like it but... My team is still out there, Twi. When you were Guildmaster you looked out for your whole team; I'm just leading by example," Lily stated, still avoiding eye contact.
"This is different. You barely made it out; it's too dangerous," Velvet pleaded. Lily was silent. Velvet knew she couldn't stop Lily from going, and despite her knowing it would be a mistake, Velvet understood why Lily needed to go back.
"May I help you, Mrs..."
Velvet turned to see a dark grey unicorn stallion had approached them. "Twilight Velvet. I used to-"
"Yes, yes, I know of you, Mrs. Velvet. May I ask why you're here? The Explorers Guild isn't a place for ponies that lack the drive to adventure," the stallion muttered. Velvet glared at him. He brushed his silver-colored mane back and gave her a cocky look, daring her to lash out.
"And you are?" Velvet asked calmly.
The stallion huffed. "My Name is Silver Shine, I am the Guildmaster of the Explorer's Guild of Canterlot."
"But I thought Lily wa-"
"Ms. Spring forfeited her position when she was presumed dead. Now Lily returns and expects a team. The manners of this pony," Silver said with a chuckle.
Velvet turned to Lily, who was still looking away, as if Silver wasn't even there. Velvet knew Lily was going to go with or without a team. A Guildmaster is expected to treat their team as their children. One of Lily’s team was already dead, and she would not stand idly by if it meant a chance at bringing the other two home.
"Lily?" Velvet asked in a soft tone. Lily finally turned back. "I've decided I'm going with you." Silver and Lily both looked at Velvet, speechless. Lily was the first to recover and gave Velvet a warm smile.
"You sure, Twi?" Lily asked.
Velvet returned her smile, "I understand what you're feeling, Lily. I don't want you to bear it alone."
Silver Shine glared at them both.
"You're welcome to come too, Silver," Velvet murmured.
"Or you could stay here and let us have all the glory for mapping a brand new section of Equestria." Lily added. Silver growled. Not going meant potentially missing out on a goldmine of bits.
"Very well, but as Guildmaster, my name will be the one mentioned when they talk about this in the history books." Silver stated with a grin. He looked around until he saw a young looking mare about to trot into the Equestria Maps office. "Ebony!" The young pegasus looked to the group and slowly trotted over. "Lily, Mrs. Velvet, meet Ebony Breeze! She works as an enforcer for the Guild, Ebony?"
Ebony looked at the two of them, emotionless, and nodded.
"She doesn't talk much," Silver added.
Velvet looked the young mare up and down. She had a short dark green mane and a slightly lighter green coat. Her eyes were a bright lime and were rather pretty.
"Ebony will be our enforcer, Velvet will be our translator, Lily will be mapping, and I, naturally, will be leading," Silver said, though it came off as an order. Still, nopony had an objection. The four looked at each other in a silent agreement.
The next day, the four ponies met at the entrance to the Everfree Forest, all packing extra large saddle bags. Velvet was the last to arrive. She noticed Lily and Silver were arguing about something and Ebony was sitting a distance away, looking up at the sky. Velvet approached the dark green pegasus and gave her a warm smile. Ebony turned to Velvet and blinked.
"Ebony Breeze, right?" Velvet asked. Ebony nodded. "Silver said you don't talk much. Just a uh... quiet pony, huh?"
Ebony looked back at the clouds.
"We're heading out!" Silver yelled to Velvet and Ebony from the edge of the Everfree. Velvet trotted over to them as Ebony rose to her hooves. "You've been out of the game for a while Ms. Velvet," Silver began. Velvet huffed. "Remember that this isn't like the Daring Do books; this is the real thing."
"Twi is a legend, Silver!" Lily yelled. "How many operations have you been on?"
Silver sighed, brushing his mane back into its neat fashion. Ebony trotted past them and into the Everfree. "We're off!" Silver exclaimed. The group followed with Velvet picking up the rear.
Chapter 4: A Familiar Path
The team stood at the entrance to a cave. Velvet peered into it but saw nothing but darkness.
"It goes down quite a ways," Lily said to the group.
Silver laughed. "Then I guess we had better start trotting—after you Ms. Spring." Silver's horn lit up as he cast an illumination spell. Lily went first, with Silver right behind her.
Velvet cast the same spell and followed them with Ebony in the back. As they ventured deeper, Velvet began to see markings on the cave wall. "Hold up!" she yelled to Silver and Lily. The two turned and joined her.
"Can it wait Mrs. Velvet? We are-" Silver began but was cut off.
"Look at these markings," Velvet started. The four looked to the wall.
"Yeah, we saw those when my team went down here. We didn't know what to make of them though," Lily replied. Velvet looked closely at the markings.
"They look like ponies to me... all bowing before... whatever this is," Lily stated putting a hoof on another marking. The four looked to this marking. "Looks like a giant snake," she asserted.
Silver laughed. "What snake gets that large?"
"What do you think it is then?" Lily growled.
Silver moved closer until he was right next to Velvet. His right hoof rose to his chin and scratched it, pondering, until his eyes opened wide. He turned to Lily with a confident smile. "It's a dragon."
Lily burst into a fit of laughter. "A dragon?! What dragon is that large?"
"Actually, I think he's right," Velvet said, turning to them. Lily looked to her, shocked.
"Come on Twi, you aren't siding with Silver now, are you?"
"Not at all, but my daughter told me about a dragon named Torch who was around this size. Even so... Twilight said he was the only one that size, and lord of all dragons."
"But Twi, compared to the ponies in these markings, this dragon is big enough to stomp on half of Ponyville! It's massive, even for a dragon."
The group went silent; not even Silver had some witty remark to throw out. Velvet turned back to the markings. Her mind began racing. Whatever this creature was, it was massive in size and the ponies seemed to be bowing to it. Perhaps it was how these ponies viewed god to look like. Maybe it didn't even exist.
"Let’s keep going," Lily said. Velvet nodded and followed them again.
Lily was right, this cave kept going deeper and deeper. It had been at least an hour since they'd left the markings, and Velvet was beginning to wonder if Lily had forgot the way. It was a silly thought—the cave seemed to be just one way so far. Even as they trotted into what Velvet thought must be the planet's core, she couldn't help but think about the markings. The only thing that chased those thoughts away was a light at the end of the tunnel.
"Finally!" Silver exclaimed. Lily and Silver were the first to exit, followed by Velvet and Ebony. The group found themselves on a ridge overlooking an open plain with some mountains in the distance. Velvet looked around and noticed on the left was a way down into the plains. She also noticed a structure—that must been the temple Lily's team stayed at during their first night here.
"We should make camp here," Lily suggested. Velvet turned to her and for the first time since they'd set out, Velvet could see fear in her eyes.
"I agree," Silver stated. Lily turned to him, a bit surprised.
"That's a first from you," she chuckled.
"I'm no fool, Mrs. Spring; the ponies that live here don't know we're here. I'd like to keep it that way. And bumbling down to that temple like you did isn't the best way to stay subtle!" Silver stated in a commanding tone. Lily glared at him but before she could speak, Silver interrupted. "Make no mistake ponies... We've come to a dangerous place."
The "camp" consisted of four ponies, and four sleeping bags. Not much of a camp, but indeed very subtle. Velvet looked down at the plains again. A year ago Lily lead a team to this place. One was killed, Lily was badly injured, and the last two were missing—probably dead. Velvet averted her gaze from the plains and to Lily. Lily turned back and gave a half-hearted smile to her old friend. Velvet smiled back and trotted over.
"There's something I've been meaning to ask you about," Velvet said.
"Sure! What's on your mind Twi?"
"When you showed up in Ponyville that day... you muttered “unspoken” before losing consciousness. What did you mean?"
Lily looked away. "I... I don't remember Twi."
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked." Velvet frowned.
"No it's okay, I think... I think I heard one of them say it," Lily said, looking back to the plains. Velvet looked to the plains too. "You think they're still out there? My team?" She added
Velvet looked to the plains aswell and thought about her answer. She didn't want to lie, the odds certainly weren't in their favor, but there was a chance, a chance that she knew Lily was grasping at to keep going.
"There is a chance, don't lose hope, we'll find them. After all, we have three guildmasters! We can't lose!" Velvet stated with a laugh.
Lily giggled a bit. "Thanks Twi, I needed that."
The next day the group went down into the massive field. The temple Lily's team had stayed at was the team's first stop.
"It's just weird... being back."
Ebony and Silver trotted out to the two ponies. "I believe this temple is some kind of altar, how about you Mrs. Spring?" Silver asked.
Lily was silent; she just kept staring up at the roof.
"Lily?" Velvet asked. Lily turned to her, but said nothing.
It was only a short hike to the valley where Lily's team was captured. Simply standing at the entrance to the valley, Velvet could tell that the group’s presence had been noticed. With every step, Velvet felt like somepony was watching, and much closer than her eyes led her to believe. As they stood at the valley's entrance, Velvet turned to Lily. Ever since the they had arrived at the temple, Lily had been quiet. She couldn't tell if it was fear, or guilt. Maybe a part of her knew her team was dead.
"Ebony," Silver said. Ebony looked at him. "Be a dear and stay on guard." Ebony nodded and the group trotted into the valley. It was a strange place, far different than the green fields that lay behind them.
"Hey, could we stop for a moment?" Velvet asked Silver.
"One sec," Velvet told him and trotted over to Lily, pulling her aside.
"We're being followed," Ebony stated.
"I figured as much. How many?"
As the words left his muzzle, a lone pebble dropped down from the ridge above them. As Silver looked up, his eyes widened. Quickly, Ebony grabbed him and flew the both of them out of the way as a giant boulder came crashing down where they had just been. It landed with a loud thud, hitting the ground with thundering force.
"Are you two okay?!" Velvet screamed, running over to them.
"Quiet!" Ebony yelled, with the sword handle still in her mouth. The group was silent.
Ebony quickly looked directly above them and saw it—a massive stallion pegasus in a cloak and mask flying at the group at lightning speed. Ebony spread her wings and took to the sky. The two flew directly at one another, and right as they were about to collide, Ebony spun, slicing down the stallion's massive side with her blade, blood splattering the ground just inches from Silver. The stallion landed a few feet from the group but looked back to the skies and to Ebony who was hovering there. His cloak was stained on the right side in his blood—he didn't seem to notice, let alone care. He spread his massive wings and flew full speed at Ebony again.
The idea of spinning and slicing him again crept into Ebony's mind but she knew he'd be ready this time. She looked to Silver and pointed to her forehead, Silver stood up and nodded to her, his horn beginning to glow. Ebony turned her gaze back to the stallion who was closing the gap between her and him at incredible speeds. Five seconds and he'd collide with her and considering his size, he'd crush her. Four seconds—Ebony adjusted the handle in her mouth. Three seconds. Suddenly the stallion's wings gave a hard flap—he rushed her and doubled his already-swift speed. Ebony's eyes widened. Silver cast the spell, but half a second too late. The stallion smacked into Ebony for a moment before she was teleported back down to the group.
The green pegasus immediately dropped her blade before gasping for air and coughing.
"He's coming back!" Velvet yelled, pointing up to the blur of a stallion flying like a bullet right at them. Thinking quickly, Velvet's horn began glowing and she shot a bolt of magical energy at the stallion. The bolt smacked him directly in the face, burning his wooden mask and stopping his flight in a panic as he quickly began trying to take the mask off. Ebony took back the sky, her sword in both hooves. As the stallion removed his mask, he saw Ebony was only inches from him, but before he could react, she plunged her sword right into his ribs. He let out a yell as Ebony used all her strength to drive it further. He cried out and suddenly delivered a powerful right-hooved punch to the side of Ebony’s head, sending her plummeting down to the valley below.
Ebony hit the ground with a lifeless thud. The stallion removed the blade quickly and more blood spat out of him like a fountain. He coughed and wheezed before falling to the ground just as Ebony did, but before he had even hit the ground, the group was at Ebony's side. The green pegasus looked around, trying desperately to move. After a few brief seconds, her head went numb, and her eyes closed.
Velvet's horn had been glowing for the past hour, fixated on a simple healing spell once used on Twilight and Shining when they would get hurt many years ago.
"Will this work, Twi?" Lily asked worriedly.
"I don't know... it's not a spell used for injuries like this. Just minor stuff." Velvet replied. Velvet turned to Silver, who had been quiet since they retreated out of the canyon and back into the fields. "Silver?"
He turned and looked at her. "What?"
"What should we do next?"
Silver looked at Ebony. Velvet saw something in him she hadn't seen before. Before she could think on it more, Silver spoke up.
"We'll camp for the night. Mrs. Spring will take watch the first two hours, then Mrs. Velvet, then I will finish. We will start whenever you're ready, Mrs. Velvet."
Velvet looked back to Ebony, Velvet's spell still doing its best to heal her. She and the two others knew the spell was just a basic one. Still, it was all they had. Their medical supplies had already been used to just keep Ebony stable when they ran. They all feared that, come morning, their group would be down one member. After 30 long minutes of healing, Velvet's horn finally stopped glowing. She turned to Silver, who turned to Lily.
"We're going to rest, Mrs. Spring. Keep a sharp eye." Silver ordered. Lily nodded. Velvet looked down to Ebony again. She felt like she had failed… because her spells weren't as strong as they once were, Ebony would...
"Hey Twi... Twi!" Velvet slowly woke up and looked to Lily. "Twi, something is out there..." Velvet's blood ran ice cold as she slowly turned from Lily and peered deep into the darkness surrounding them. "Silver, wake up," Lily ordered. The three stood around Ebony, all scanning the abyss surrounding them. Silver and Velvet's horns began glowing, ready to blast their attacker, or attackers, with magic.
"Everypony ready?" Silver whispered.
"Is... Is it getting closer?" Velvet asked. Everypony was silent but after a few seconds it was clear the light was moving straight for them.
"Stay on guard, defend Ebony, I am not losing anypony!" Silver ordered, still trying his hardest to whisper. The light moved closer and closer, it was closing in. 30 feet, 25, 20, 15... There was a loud scream from Lily. Velvet and Silver quickly turned from the light and saw their friend being pulled away.
"Lily!!" Velvet screamed. Silver blindly fired a magical blast into the shadows but missed the attacker. Out of the corner of Velvet's eye she saw Ebony quickly dragged away into the void. Silver screamed and ran after her. "Silver don't!!" Velvet protested, but was too late. She could hear his hooves pounding across the field, speeding after Ebony's attacker. Then nothing. Velvet looked around in terror; she was alone.
Velvet began to panic and just ran, running as fast as her hooves could take her. She didn't know where she was going, but surely anywhere was better than there. Suddenly, she felt something catch her hoof. She fell, face first into the ground. Her ears began ringing and her vision went blurry. Just before she lost consciousness, she saw the light from before, closing in on her.
"Too far..." a distant voice echoed. "Take them."
Ebony's eyes slowly opened. She felt cold. Ponies say right before you die, you feel cold. Or, at least those were the stories she heard as a filly.
"Relax," a new voice said. She didn't recognize it as belonging to one of her crew. She opened her eyes wider to see she was at the mouth of a cave. The sound of water rushing and crashing down outside made her ears perk up.
"Where am-"
"You're nowhere. But you are with a friend."
"S-Silver?" she asked, holding out false hope.
"I have no name."
Ebony shakily rose to her hooves; the mystery pony trotted over and helped lean her against the cave wall. She looked at the pony but all she could make out was a mask, and the fact that he was a stallion.
"Why am I..." She stopped for a moment, trying to focus on her words. She raised a hoof slowly and watched as it shook uncontrollably.
"You took a hit to the head. It's mostly healed I think," the mystery pony stated. His voice was low and he almost sounded uninterested. Ebony raised her hoof and pointed to the mask strapped tightly to his face.
"You're one of them," Ebony said.
"I was."
"Not anymore?" Ebony asked, confused.
"Not anymore," he replied.
They both sat in silence for a time. Ebony watched the masked stallion, waiting to see if he was going to attack her. She took a moment to look at the cave entrance and found the source of the water sound she heard before—they were behind a waterfall.
"You're from the outside... Why are you here?" the stallion asked.
"I am... was with an exploration team... They're probably all dead now."
"It is possible they are. More likely, they were taken," he said, turning towards the waterfall.
"Taken to where?" Ebony asked.
"To nowhere."
She glared at him. These vague answers were, ironically, getting her nowhere. "If you're not with them... Why are you here? And why do you still wear that mask?"
"Because I still believe," he said, still looking outside the cave.
"Believe in what?"
The stallion turned towards her and stared at her, the eyeholes in his mask allowing his piercing gaze to seemingly see right through her. "You wish to know where you are?"
Ebony nodded.
"We called it the Unspoken Lands. There is nothing here."
"You are here," Ebony told him. "I am here."
"I am nopony, you are nopony. He is the only one who exists."
"Who is 'he'?"
"Our Lord, the only one to exist, God."
Ebony felt colder than before.
"God is here?"
"Not here, not in this cave."
Ebony thought for a moment. This stallion was vague and all of her questions seemed to be useless. She looked to the waterfall again. The sound of it relaxed her and helped clear her mind. Without looking away from the waterfall she asked, "Why did you save me? Why aren't you like the others here?"
The stallion stopped looking at her and looked back to the waterfall. He was silent. Ebony waited and began to fear he wasn't going to answer.
"I am an outcast. I believe in God, just as they do. But..."
"But what?"
"I am... not sure."
Ebony rolled her eyes as she began to get more and more frustrated. "And my other question?"
"I saved you because it was right," the stallion said. After finishing that sentence he rose to his hooves and extended a foreleg towards Ebony. "Can you walk?" Ebony hesitated for a moment but thought that if he wanted to kill her, it would have been done already. With that, she grabbed his hoof and rose.
"If your crew was taken, I know where they'd be."
"And you're going to show me?"
"I will take you, yes." With that, the stallion’s mask began to glow. Or rather, something began to glow underneath his mask.
"You're a unicorn?" Ebony asked.
"I am nopony," he stated again. Effortlessly, the waterfall parted and he trotted out and onto the river bed. Ebony slowly trotted out and followed him. After they were a safe distance away, the waterfall became one again. Ebony looked around but saw nothing but trees—trees whose branches and leaves made it impossible to see the sky.
"Here," the stallion ordered. Ebony trotted over to him and looked to where he was pointing—it was a small spot of dead grass on the ground, but it didn't look like it had been disturbed recently.
"What?" Ebony asked, confused. The stallion was silent but he moved out of the way for her. Ebony stepped to where he was standing and looked to him one last time before she began digging. It didn't take long before she found it—a steel necklace with a small cube attached to it. Ebony picked it up and heard something rattle around inside.
"How do I open it?"
"You don't, not yet." The stallion looked to the forest surrounding them.
"Stop being so vague!" Ebony yelled. "You're telling me all this, but you might as well be telling me nothing!"
"What is it you wish to know?"
"Since you refuse to tell me where we are, or who you are, or anything about your group, I'll ask something else. What is this “god” you told me about?"
The stallion sat down and slowly looked to the sky. "God is not Celestia or Luna. God is here, in the Unspoken Lands, here were nothing exists but Him. I grew up here, we all grew up here."
"Why are you an outcast?"
"Because I know what God is. Many decades ago, a team of ponies came here. Much like your team," the stallion said, turning back to Ebony. "We captured them, I captured them."
Ebony glared at him. "Why?" she asked coldly.
"At the time I thought we were going to show them the ways of God... I was wrong. Our priest, a unicorn with no horn, pulled me aside one night and took me into the church. In the back of the church was a cave; deep within that cave were the team of ponies... and the hole."
"A-A hole?"
"God was in that hole. You couldn't see him... but you knew. I stood there, silent as the priest pushed the first pony into the hole. He never hit the bottom. One after one, the priest threw the whole team in; none of them ever hit the bottom. There were no screams, no cries for help... just silence."
In that moment, the whole forest seemed to go silent too.
Velvet woke up in a cave. Her coat was wet from laying on the cold cavern floors. She quickly stood up and looked around to find she was in a corner, steel bars formed into a makeshift cell around her. Velvet trotted up to the bars and ignited her horn. Using every ounce of magic she could muster, she attempted to part the steel.
"C-Come on!" Velvet grunted, but the bars didn't budge. She sighed and her horn stopped glowing. Even if she weren't exhausted, she knew her magic wasn't strong enough to bend them. She looked around again and noticed a light source—a torch mounted to the cave wall burned outside her cell. She reached a foreleg out to grab it but it was too far. She took a step back and her horn began glowing again. Her magic aura surrounded the base and she pulled as hard as she could. Like the bars, the torch refused to move.
"Having trouble?"
Velvet froze and peered into the darkness outside her cell.
"I'm curious," the voice asked. "Do you know where you are?"
"N-No," Velvet replied sheepishly.
Silence.
"Where are my friends?" Velvet asked to the darkness. She heard steps, the sound of hooves hitting the cave floor. Whoever she was talking to was moving close. Finally, the figure stepped out of the darkness and into the light of the torch.
"Your name is... Twilight Velvet."
"H-How do you know that?"
"So many questions... come close." Velvet's mind went blank and she began walking. Every fiber of her being told her to stop but for some reason she couldn't. She was inches from the bars when she stopped and stood still., like a dog waiting for the next order from its master.
"D-Did you do that?"
"I did... through tribute I have gained many things," the pony told her. Velvet examined the pony in front of her. A stallion, but not as big as the one they encountered in the valley. Although, this one wore the same mask and cloak as the stallion that attacked them wore. He stepped closer.
"Look," he muttered, his mask slowly levitated off of him and falling to the ground. The stallion was old, much older than Velvet and even Granny Smith. His eyes matched his mane, grey with age. He may have even been blind. But the most recognizable feature the stallion sported was a broken horn—it looked like somepony snapped it off. Velvet gulped and remained silent.
"He took my horn, my sight... me," the stallion began. "But when we cast off all of what makes us who we are, we gain everything."
"You're insane..." Velvet said quietly.
"I am nothing. You are nothing. Here, only God exists. Soon, God will leave this place." Suddenly Velvet began to feel lightheaded.
"Wh-What are you doing?!" Velvet asked as she began to lay down. It felt like a massive weight was pressing down on her. It started off manageable but slowly began to crush her. She desperately tried to stand but fell to the cave floor.
"S-Stop! Please!" Velvet protested. The old stallion smiled down at her.
"You can feel his presence. Give in Velvet... give in and there will be no pain, only God's embrace."
Velvet tried to protest again but the weight had now forced her to the floor; she could no longer move and even breathing had become difficult.
"S...Stop..."
Velvet's vision faded and she lost consciousness.
"Velvet!" a voice sounded to her. "Velvet!! Wake up!" it said again in an urgent manner. Velvet's eyes opened to see she was in a dimly-lit room. She tried to move but she was bound to a wooden table.
"Thank Celestia you're awake!" the voice said. She recognized it this time—it was Silver. She turned to her left and saw him. He too was bound to a similar wooden table.
"Where are we? Where are Lily and Ebony?" Velvet asked him.
"I don't know..." Silver began. "Listen to me Velvet, this place, it's not right. There is something here...they worship it," Silver slowly looked away from Velvet and to the center of the room. Velvet followed and gasped when she saw it. In the center of the room was a hole. She couldn't see down into it thanks to the table's angle but somehow she knew what was down there.
"Silver... we need to get out of here." Velvet ordered.
"I know, but first I have to find Ebony!" Silver stated.
"Okay okay... how do we get out of-" Velvet stopped as she heard a door open behind her. Both the ponies went quiet. The only sound that could be heard was the faint clop of hooves hitting the wet cave floor as the other pony came closer. After a few moments the stallion from before presented himself once more. He gave Velvet a smile and raised a hoof to her face.
"Which would you like to give up first, Velvet? Horn? Cutie Mark? Sight? Speech? Or maybe you wish to join with God?"
Velvet was silent.
"How about you?" the stallion asked, turning to Silver. Like Velvet, Silver said nothing. The stallion's smile turned to a frown. "Perhaps you both need an... example of what happens when you defy God?"
The door opened again and two more ponies came in. They stood next to the old stallion, both wearing masks and cloaks. Velvet shuddered when she saw what, or rather who, they had with them.
"What did you do to her?!?" Silver screamed. One of the stallions was carrying a very familiar pegasus on their back. He dropped her to the ground with a thud.
"L-Lily..." Velvet said. Lily's mane and tail were a mess. She had dried blood painted across her face and ribs.
"God is accepting. He will take all under his wings. Lily Spring defied God. So we punished her," the old stallion stated with a grin. "God will take you both, you just have to accept Him as He has done for you!"
"Fuck your god!" Silver spat out. The stallion glared at him and the room went silent. The old stallion raised a forehoof to Silver. Silver felt a headache begin to set in almost immediately. Velvet turned to Silver. There was a twisted expression of pain that tore across his face.
"Stop!" Velvet screamed.
"This pony has defied God," the stallion stated. Silver let out a loud scream as the pain began to become more and more intense. He struggled against his restraints but could not escape them. Velvet began to hear a cracking sound and Silver's screams grew louder.
*snap*
Velvet gasped as Silver's horn was ripped off of his head. Silver collapsed on the table, his body completely shut down from shock.
"You both will accept God," the old stallion stated coldly, tossing the horn down into the hole with his magic before walking out of the room, the other two cloaked stallions following closely behind and leaving the three others alone. Tears rolled down Velvet's face. They were all going to die here.
Ebony had finally made it to a village, the village. She sat, perched low on one of the roofs. A few masked ponies roamed the court yard and chatted. She hadn't arrived late but decided it best to wait for nightfall to make her move. Right as the sun began to set, she heard a stallion speak loudly down below. Slowly, she peeked over the roof.
The town had crowded to an old looking church at the base of a mountain, no doubt the same church from the outcast's story. Some ponies had brought torches.
The source of the voice was an old stallion and behind him stood two much bigger stallions. The old stallion stood out, he wore the cloak everypony else wore, but lacked a mask, and his horn seemed to be missing too.
"Tonight," the stallion began. There were gasps from the audience.
"Tonight is the night that God graces us with His glory," the stallion stated, which granted him applause from the crowd. "I'm an honest stallion, and I would be lying if I said the transition had been easy. But we're close now."
As the words left the stallion's mouth, he slowly turned his gaze up to Ebony’s. It was impossible, he couldn't see her up here with as dark as it was. Plus she'd made sure to be completely silent-
The stallion smiled at her.
Quickly, she ducked down, no longer wanting to see his empty grey eyes.
"Sleep well tonight, for tomorrow, we meet with God."
Ebony heard the church doors close, then silence.
"Lily!"
"Lily, please! Wake up!"
Tears rolled down Velvet's face. She was the last one. Lily was lying unresponsive on the ground. Silver had lost consciousness from... what they had done to him. All she could do was stare into the hole—the deep blackness in front of her. Her mind tried desperately to imagine what was down there. Perhaps the cult was wrong, maybe it was just a long hole, yeah. Velvet began to smile, and it grew ‘till it was nearly ear to ear.
"It's just a hole. It's just a hole. It's just a hole!"
She started giggling but it quickly devolved into frantic laughter.
"It's just a hole! It's just a hole! It's just a hole!"
Velvet's vision started to blur but her laughter only got louder.
"IT'S JUST A HOLE"
*Click*
Velvet's laughter quickly died as her right forehoof restraint came loose, her hoof falling limply to her side. Her mind was blank. Had the room became foggy too? Slowly, she reached up and unhooked the latches on her left forehoof, then proceeded to the ones on her hind legs.
Velvet rolled off the slab and stood on the cold cave floor. She brought a hoof up to her head and rubbed it slightly. A dull pain arose but not one all that bad. Soon her head became numb and her vision even more obscured. She felt herself turn away from the door and back to the hole. She took a step forward towards the blackness, the wet cave floor splashing a bit underhoof.
Before she knew what was happening, she was there, at the edge of the hole. She peered down, not really sure what was down there. She began to feel warm. Like being curled up next to a fire on a cold winter day. It felt... good. As she stood there, looking down into the darkness, she felt more like it was where she belonged. Everything would make sense. Everything would be okay. Velvet held a hoof over the hole. All she had to do was put weight forward.
"Mom?"
Velvet's eyes shot open. It came from the hole!
"It's time to wake up, Mom. You're late for breakfast. Come on down."
Velvet stood there for a moment, barely maintaining balance at the edge of the darkness.
"Twilight?" The voice came from behind her this time.
Velvet turned, her gaze meeting an awake Lily Spring. Lily gasped at her friend. Velvet's colorful blue eyes had been replaced with a soulless, empty grey.
Lily sprang up as fast as she could. It happened so quickly. Lily put all of her strength into getting to Velvet, but Velvet took the final step.
"TWILIGHT!!"
There was no sound; Twilight Velvet never hit the bottom.
Chapter 10: Determination
A droplet of rain smacked Ebony in the face. She'd stayed on the roof of one of the village houses ever since that stallion had seen her. Or had he? She didn't make a sound, it was dark, and these ponies were obviously crazy.
"Maybe he was just looking in my direction and smiled," Ebony thought to herself.
Another droplet hit her, followed quickly by another. It was like Mother Nature, frustrated with Ebony's stalling, was trying to get her to go inside and find her friends. A part of her just wanted to leave, get back to Equestria, inform the princesses, and have them send in the military or somepony more qualified than one lone pegasus. She knew she couldn't run though; she'd made a promise long ago to never turn tail and run again, not after mom and dad.
Another 3 droplets hit her face and chest, followed by more. Ebony heard the crack of thunder in the distance. She flipped over onto her belly and peered at the church. There was only a single masked pony on guard, a stallion. Small but big enough to be a problem. Slowly, Ebony got off the roof and landed silently on the ground. Leaving was never an option; if nothing else, she needed to do this for Silver.
"Twi... you... why did you..." Lily's words met nopony. Her long time friend was gone, swallowed up by the darkness that lived deep in the hole. The image of Twilight Velvet with those soulless grey eyes would be one she'd never forget... if she would live to try.
"Lil...y."
Lily turned quickly to Silver, guilt washing over her. She hadn't even noticed him.
"Silver!" she exclaimed, rushing over only to stop in front of him and stare in horror. A trail of blood could be seen slowly flowing from his destroyed horn and down his face and mane. "S-Silver? Can you hear me?"
"Y... Yeah." Silver stumbled.
"I'm going to get you down from there, okay? Stay with me." Silver's eyes glazed over; his consciousness was fading quickly. "Hey! Come on, don't close your eyes!" Lily demanded. Quickly she took his restraints off and helped him off the table. He stood for a moment but then crumpled to the floor. Lily knelt down next to him and grabbed his forehoof, helping him back up. Quickly she drapped his foreleg over her shoulders and walked him to the door. Silver wasn't the biggest pony but she wasn't in tip-top shape.
As she stumbled to the door with Silver, Lily tried to recall how she ended up here. The last thing she remembered before getting knocked out and thrown in here was masked ponies... beating her. The images then began to flood back to her like a tidal wave. She had been chained up while two stallions took turns seeing how many strikes it took to make her scream. But the worst part was this wasn't the first time she had been tortured by the group. Flashes of painful memories had come back to her since she had awoken here, in this room—this was the room they took her wing, her ability to fly. She didn't remember much about before, with her old team. She just knew the pain.
As they reached the door, she turned to Silver. He was awake, but his eyes were closed and his breathing was slow. Her brain had tried to block out the memory of her wing being removed; no doubt the same would happen to him. It was probably for the best. Nopony should have to relive what they had been through. Lily took one last look back to the hole, then opened the door to the hall.
Ebony glared at the unconscious cultist below her. It appears that if that hornless unicorn 'had' seen her, he was the only one who could have. The normal cultists were nothing but average ponies, or they could at least be knocked out like average ponies The thought was comforting but then slowly that comfort faded. If that was true, it meant the old stallion she saw in front of the church was special somehow, perhaps blessed by the creature that dwelled in the hole.
Ebony spat and quickly took the young cultist's attire. God or no god, she had to save her team. It was her job, and she knew that despite it all, she couldn't leave Silver. He was a jerk, and arrogant to the core, but...
She grabbed a small dagger off her foe, then finally his mask. As she removed it, a wave of guilt rolled over her. A young colt, maybe in his teens. This was all he knew, that he was nothing and god was everything, just like the outcast. To him, he had found and intruder to their village, an outsider who was ready to destroy all they knew. Quickly she pushed away the guilt; her friends were in trouble, and that should be her only focus right now. Slipping on the mask, she slowly walked to the church door.
As soon as her hoof touched the church’s doorknob, she felt something... cold. Not physically cold, but the feeling one gets when being watched. Quickly, she turned around but nopony was there. The village was completely silent—only the rain could be heard lightly splashing the ground as more and more came down. Still, she was sure somepony had saw her. But the villagers were all in their houses, and even if they weren't, she was wearing the uniform. So what was giving her the chills? Slowly Ebony pushed the door open, sure now that she didn't want to know.
Silver crumpled to the ground again.
"Please, we have to keep moving!" Lily pleaded to him. Silver grunted in response. She knew they weren't going to make it out, not with him unable to move on his own and her whole body wanting desperately to lay down. Still, she knew it was this, or giving up. She made it out once, she could do it again! With newfound determination, she hoisted Silver up and started down the hall once more. Lily struggled down the hall—she wasn't sure where she was going but anywhere was better tha-
"Why, where are you two off to?"
Lily froze. It was him, the unicorn with no horn, standing no less than 10 feet from her.
"Now, you look familiar, yes, you were the one that got away," the stallion stated. Lily saw it then, the same soulless grey eyes Twilight wore before...
Lily stood silently, glaring at the stallion.
"I hope you weren’t planning on leaving," he said to them.
"Let us go... and there won't be any trouble," Lily began. "We won't tell anypony about this place, we'll leave, and never say a word."
The stallion pondered for a moment. "No. No, I can't allow that. Both of you... you're part of Him now. He'll be born tonight. Birthed from the unspoken lands. Free at last. And when He emerges, He'll grace us all with His light."
Lily's vision started to blur a bit; carrying Silver and the beating she received was really starting to take effect on her. Slowly, she layed Silver against the cave wall.
"Fine then... if we're both part of whatever is down there... then escape isn't an option," Lily stated with a smile.
"No," The unicorn with no horn stated coldly. "Escape was never an option for you."
"Then tell me," Lily said smiling. "What will your 'god' think when he shows up without his priest?"
The stallion looked at her confused for a moment, then broke out in a torrent of crazed laughter. "You want to kill me girl?!" he laughed. "You can't begin to-"
Lily's hoof connected firmly against the stallions jaw; he spun around and landed hard on the cave floor, blood flowing from his muzzle. Lily shook her now aching hoof.
"I've been waiting... over a year for that." Lily said, spitting on the stallion beneath her. Suddenly Lily heard hoofsteps coming from down the hall. She looked up and saw two massive stallions appear from around a corner. Lily looked down and smiled to Silver. "You know, you were always a jerk," she laughed. Even before she said the words, she could hear the thundering clops of the stallions coming for her. "Do me a favor Silver."
Silver looked up at her but just saw a blur move past him and then she was gone. He heard a high pitched scream, then a loud crack, then the hall was filled with silence. Silver lost consciousness again.
