Pandemonia, the Sunken Citadel

Fluttershy widened her eyes in surprise as she saw Sunlight Spear jumped from the roof of the cathedral as if he were skipping on puddles. She saw as he landed on one of the buttresses below and continued sprinting. The fall must have been easily six stories down, and she was confident they wouldn’t be able to make such a jump.

Iron wrapped an arm around her, the cold metal of his armor pressing through her thin linen sweater and even her cotton shirt. He grabbed his rifle, his hands glowing with magic, and fired at the ground. The bolt latched itself to the edge of the roof, producing a grey beam . “Ma’am, I will need you to hold onto me.” She clung to him tighter than any bear she had dealt with. “On the count of three we jump.”

Fluttershy felt her heart race faster with anxiety as each word left his mouth. Once the signal left his lips, she felt as his left hand squeezed around her waist and carried her over the edge. A gust of wind swept over her legs, freezing her lower body as her green skirt billowed out. They landed on the steep stone buttress, but she felt like her feet would slip under the smooth floor. Iron let go of his rifle and dissolved the magical tether.

She didn’t let go of the soldier, feeling as if she’d fall if she so much as removed a finger. He fired a second tether at the wall. She managed to get a quick look at his face, and was surprised at the reddish tinge on his cheeks. “Don’t let go…” he whispered. He squeezed her again and began running down the smooth tiles. There were moments in which she felt her legs step on thin air, on other times she felt as if she was about to trip.

By the time they were nearing the end of their path, Iron destroyed his magical line and fired the next line near the edge. They jumped down, letting the tether slowly ease them to the ground. She felt her feet land against the soft soil. They both sighed in relief, letting go of each other and staring at the massive cobblestone bridge before them.

“Well, that took you longer than I would have hoped.” Sunlight was using his spear as a crutch, resting his weight as if he weighed less than a feather. “But do not worry, for I understand that such mortals cannot compete against the mighty Custodians!”

“How far until we get to the Archives?” Iron asked.

“Not long, we must only cross this bridge, through the gates and then a brief walk across the city.” Sunlight was still resting, as if waiting to see what would happen. “Let us not tarry, for we do not want to invoke the wrath of Pandemonia.” His words produced a low rumble. Fluttershy scanned the source: the side doors of the cathedral. Another rumble sounded off, this time louder.

“The doors…” Iron Murmured, narrowing his brow to focus. A loud crack rang across the open space. “RUN!” Iron cried, grabbing Fluttershy and sprinting across the bridge. She had a second to look at the source of terror. The husks that had appeared before were now a tide. Hundreds, if not thousands, were shambling toward them. While most were naked, only wearing a burlap tunic, some wore rusted pieces of armor. From behind the swarm rose a creature, about the height of Sunlight, wearing a black hood and a bronze staff.

A pair of emerald cat eyes peered from beneath the cloak. Fluttershy felt a shiver slowly work its way through her spine. Her legs doubled their efforts, letting her run ahead of the soldier in the effort to escape. Her ears detected a brief twang in the distance. She barely jumped out of the way, letting a massive spear impale the air.

“What the hell was that?!” barked Iron, spraying bullets into the crowd.

“That fool!” Sunlight cried. “Keep running, I will stop the arrows!” he flung his spear at the wall. A moment later he disappeared with a brief pop. Another arrow struck the floor, showering them in debris. One of the pebbles struck Fluttershy on her left shoulder. She didn’t have the breath to scream in pain, instead releasing a faint cry to express her pain.

A third stake coursed through the bridge, brushing past Iron as it crashed against the crowd. The gates were four stories tall, with the doors themselves being ornate slabs of iron. The lieutenant grabbed his rifle and fired another tether to the parapets. He put his arm around her and with only a nod, reeled them to the top.

Sunspear stood proudly on the top, his hands now holding a loaded crossbow, next to a new figure clad in a midnight blue armor. “Glad you could join us!” Sunlight chuckled, holding his golden chest with his arms. “This fool is Night Blade, Luna’s Eternal Sentinel.”

The knight bowed. “I heard that you are looking for The Red Cyclops, and while it would be an honor to aid you in this quest, sadly I cannot aid you with these horrors attacking the gates. If you help me stop the tide, I will be grateful.”

Iron peeked over the parapet. “I don’t think we have a choice!” He cried as he brought his rifle to bear. “They’re already climbing the gates!” He fired a few shots at the husks, turning them to ash before they could hit the ground. But despite his accurate shots, Iron could only destroy less than a tenth of the climbers.

Night Blade began firing his bolts, nailing dozens of corpses as they intended to approach him. Sunlight joined him, firing smaller arrows with inhuman speed and accuracy. Fluttershy kept her distance from the edge, knowing that she’d be more of a burden to the warriors if she kept close.

It wasn’t soon before Iron was jabbing his bayonet at his opponents, while the survivors shambled to surround him. He began bashing his way out of the trap, occasionally firing shots to create a brief opening. Sunlight turned his weapon and fired a brief volley, quickly dissolving the mob before returning to destroy the invaders that had climbed near him.

“Thanks!” Iron yelled as he backed away from the parapet, blasting away as many enemies as his weapon allowed him. He would occasionally jab his weapon at the ones that survived, but he appeared to be focusing on not getting surrounded. “There’s just too many of them!” he roared. His rifle suddenly sprang open, hissing steam as if furious of its treatment. He dropped the magazine on the ground and kicked it toward Fluttershy. “Wait for it to cool down!” he barked, jamming another box into place.

She knelt down to grab the magazine, feeling the heat of the topaz against her fingertips. She picked it up, feeling a small heart beat on her palms as the topaz cooled down. She opened her knapsack and placed it under the packet of kingsfoil. She looked up to notice that the battle raged on, as the titans fought effortlessly while the lieutenant bashed his opponents ferociously.

In the distance she noticed that something was towering over the horde, something clad in a patchwork of red and purple fabrics, something that made her hairs stand on end. The mysterious person brought a brass staff to the air, swirling a cloud of magical energy as it circulated above her head. “Witch!” Iron yelled. “We’ve got a witch!” He stabbed a husk, destroying its head with a point-blank shot.

Both knights turned to face the threat immediately, absentmindedly knocking husks away. “Sunlight, you deal with the hollows.” Night Blade barked with his bow on his hands. “I shall deal with the monster myself.” He fired two of his spears at the witch, the reloading speed was far more than she could have accomplished in school. His proyectiles missed their mark, smashing instead against a blackened barrier.

Night Blade merely scoffed. He drew another arrow, letting the magical glow of his hands power the shot, and fired. The spear sailed through the air, slicing through the barrier as if it wasn’t ever there. It impaled itself through the witch’s heart, sending her back a few steps. He fired another shot, but it crashed against thin air.

The witch appeared behind Fluttershy, and she could see that witch was definitely the right word. Despite the hood, she could clearly see a pair of feline eyes glowing inside. The emerald orbs scanned her, forcing her nerves to go ballistic. On one hand she had a staff, but the other wielded a crooked dagger. “You will make a fine addition to our flock.” the witch whispered, her voice cool despite the fire in her eyes. She thrusted her staff and fired a ball made of the abyss itself.

The sphere exploded in front of Fluttershy and released a pair of eldritch tentacles. They lashed out at Fluttershy, wrapping themselves around thin air. She kept dodging the next few swipes, keeping her body as light as she could. Two bolts of blue magic crackled through the air, turning the abysmal sphere into nothing. He fired three more bolts, cursing when the barrier stopped two shots to the head.

“You wanna get her?!” he yelled “Then you’re gonna have to go-” he was interrupted by a green lightning bolt hitting him in the chest. He was sent flying a few meters, before rolling in the ground like a ragdoll. She could hear him groan in pain, but he still stood up. He fired five shots, all of which exploded before the witch. She glided toward him and thrust her blade, punching through his armor and releasing gushes of blood.

“NO!” Fluttershy screamed, She dodged more tentacles, and let the bolts only graze her skin. The witch sent another attack, and managed to seize her. The abyss tentacles didn’t have any feeling, but she knew that they held her in place because she could see them. “Let me go!” she cried

“So much despair,” the witch replied, her voice coming from inside Fluttershy’s head “for such a pitiful soul. But do not worry, for he will be joining us shortly.” she chuckled. Fluttershy struggled more. “Do not bother, the tendrils of Mot may not be the strongest magic-” a small crackle of gunfire interrupted her.

Iron Cross was prone on the floor, his rifle smoking as the excess heat left the barrel. He fired again, letting the shots crash wildly against the shield. He fired another volley, one of his bullets crashed against Fluttershy’s captors. The magic disappeared, letting Fluttershy free. “SUNLIGHT!” he cried, collapsing over his rifle almost immediately.

Two crossbow bolts broke through the Witch’s defense, piercing through her right shoulder. Ash spread from the wounds, the same ash that formed the husks. Sunlight’s electrified spear came flying into the witch, letting the warrior blink into existence as he thrusted his weapon. The witch stepped back, using her blade to swipe the attack away.

Sunlight took a step forward and thrusted again, this time letting the bolts of electricity lash at her like whips. Her shield stopped them. “So the hounds of Celestia still live?!” she hissed, swiping her blade at him. The attack was parried, followed swiftly by three strikes to the chest. The blade bounced away from the armor, managing to scrape bits of gold.

“My dear,” Sunlight interjected, thrusting his weapon ath her “true heroes of Celestia never die!” he took a step back and swung his spear over his head, sweeping the ground before him. The Witch stepped back, using her blade to parry the attacks.

Using the distraction, Fluttershy rushed over to Iron’s side. His face had lost what little shades of color it had to begin with, and a pool of blood was beginning to form around him. She found herself removing the haversack on his back and using her diminutive strength to turn him out. She worked quickly to remove the slab of metal and his blood-soaked trenchcoat, hoping that the wound would look like something she had seen before.

The wound ran across his sternum, with sickly green veins emerging from its center. She stepped back and opened a packet of kingsfoil. Feeling  the cool leaves, she grabbed one and began mashing it against her hands. Once she was convinced of the thin paste, she began rubbing it across. She had no intention of believing that it would work, but kingsfoil had a habit of healing all sorts of magical problems. Maybe it wouldn’t heal him immediately, but she just needed to do slow down whatever was running in him.

She coughed on her sleeve rather violently, letting terror run amok as she gazed at the drops of blood mixed with green spores. She looked at her shoulder, where the bolt of magic had grazed her, to see her skin had an unnatural black tinge. She had expected her skin to have suffered burns, but her skin looked like it had been dyed black.

Fluttershy could see Night Blade joining the melee, using a massive claymore to cut through the husks that blocked his path. He thrusted through the witch’s defenses, managing to dislodge her left arm. She cried in pain, using her right arm to slam her staff to the ground. She disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving both knights swinging over thin air.

“That was rude!” Sunlight exclaimed, “One would at least have the decency to die when defeated! It’s not like she couldn’t just do it tomorrow!” He slammed his spear into the ground and turned to face Night Blade. “I appreciate your help Night Blade, without you I may have lost the painting on my fabulous armor.” he caressed his stomach.

“You need not speak of it Sunlight. It is my duty to fend off these miscreants.” the knight merely sheathed his word behind his back. “While I would enjoy your regular company,” he turned to look at Iron “I believe we have someone to take care of.” He approached and rested his body on his left knee. “I extend my service to all citizens of Equestria young one.” he bowed his head and extended an arm.

She met the hand, her arm was almost as big as his palm, and felt a cold kiss from the knight’s helm. “I am at your full service my lady.” The knight looked at Iron. “It is a shame, this warrior would have made a fine bodyguard for my princess. I suppose we should give him his last rites before he goes hollow.”

“Isn’t there something you can do?” Fluttershy protested, stepping in front of the body. “I need him.”

Sunlight roared with laughter. “My dear, this man has been stabbed with the blade of a witch. It would take a miracle-” he stopped and turned to the city. “Say Night,” she could tell he would be straining his eyes if he actually had them. “I do not suppose you remember where the temple of Saint Kvasir lies?”

Night Blade tilted his head, dumbfounded. “Of course I do, it lies in that direction.” He pointed at a tall dome in the distance. “As it always has been…” he sounded doubtful, as if he began to form Sunlight’s plan. “You could not be planning on-”

“Of course! Saint Kvasir promised all warriors that they would have his blessing! If he is meant to die, at least we can send his soul to Lord Areion.” he finished with a chuckle. “Come, let us not tarry any more. Miracles may happen, but I would rather not push someone’s luck.”