Tantibus

THE EIGHTH CHAPTER

Avany’s back was hurting and one of her legs was asleep. The reason why was obvious, seeing as she found herself on the floor. She could not recall how or when, but it seemed that she had fallen off of the side of the bed at some point during the night. However, she could not see the bed, or anything else for that matter, because of the darkness. It was pitch-black and the atmosphere was anything but welcoming. The air was cold, just like the rough foundation below her. There was a lingering sensation of hollow, as if you could feel the room feeding on your warmth. It was unsettling and a signal that something was not right. But she did not notice, as she had not fully come to her senses yet, remaining in a state of daze and disorientation. She was still transitioning from dream to reality, and in this moment nothing could feel out of the ordinary. The part of Avany’s brain that handled basic reasoning had simply not returned from its holiday as of yet. My covers are gone? Meh, that’s normal. - I’m on the floor? Happens all the time. - I’m stuck in a game of life and death where I’m most likely going to be violently murdered? Just my usual morning routine… wait what?!

She slowly opened her eyes and came to the unfathomable realization that she was not sleeping in her bed. In fact, she was not even in her home at all. And wherever she was, Avany was definitely not alone. She heard steps from about five feet to the left. Before she could react, a female voice from her right beat her to it and commanded “Who’s there?!”

Meanwhile, across the room from Avany’s location, there was another sleepy-head. This particular individual was having a serious moment of déjà vu. Twilight Sparkle had most certainly been through this before, including the abrupt awakening on the wooden floor as well as the ominous presence of Tantibus’ otherwise welcoming halls. Regardless, she managed to keep her emotions in check by lying to herself in disbelief, to escape the truth.

Have I not felt this before? Waking up in… in… Tantibus! But… why is it starting over again? I mean, last time it ended with Dawna’s death… and now I’m starting over? Maybe it’s portraying another Tantibus round. Flaming Ace’s perhaps?

Well, this was definitely another round... She just did not know that she was the star of the show yet.

“Who said that? And why are you in my house?!” a new voice commanded. It came from Apollo, a 32 year old pegasus from Baltimare. He just so happened to live in a rather large house, so he felt no different here than in his own hall of equal hollow and desolation. His initial interpretation of why he felt so unhinged and imperiled relied on his history of drinking a bit too much. He probably came home yesterday as drunk as ever, closed the door behind himself, locked it, hung up his coat, took off his shoes and then collapsed on the rug. This had happened four times already.

The original voice responded; “Whoa... Am I in your house? I’m sorry. I don’t remember getting here. Could you show me to the exit then?” This was the voice of Admira, a polite little unicorn from Canterlot.

“Sure, it’s over here… At least, I think it is over here... It is so dark.” He blindly faltered his way ahead and accidentally tripped over Twilight’s drowsy body.
Twilight grunted at the sudden kick to her back and was met with a very vivid shout. “What the hell? Who are you?! Why the hell is everypony in my house?!”

Twilight was agitated by the moronic and inaccurate assumptions that this stallion made.
“It is not ‘YOUR’ house!” she reactively exclaimed. Immediately after, her eyes shot wide open and she covered up her mouth in horror. Did I say that?! Oh Celestia, I’m in control. This is my body. She begun to sweat. Her body was itching all over and she found herself almost starting to hyperventilate. She could not believe it. I’m in Tantibus?!

The sudden outburst took Avany by surprise and her brain hastily got back to work. I know that voice! But from who… and where am I?! Now aware of the peculiar situation she found herself in, she slowly got up from the floor.

“Huh? Then where are we?!” Apollo argued, being caught off guard by both the stumble and agitated retort. But Twilight neither listened nor responded, remaining frozen solid in a state of shock. Perhaps this was ironic, considering that she was perhaps the only one who could properly answer that question at the moment.

Avany, now fully awake and on her hooves, assessed the situation. “Let’s just assume for the moment… that nobody here knows where we are, okay? I know I’m really confused, and it seems so are all of you.”
“Huh, what?” Apollo turned around and directed his attention to the part of the dark abyss from where he had heard the new voice. “Are you suggesting that we have been kidnapped?!”
“Maybe I am. I remember quite vividly that I did not fall asleep… here.” Avany tried to stay calm and on top of the situation, even under grim circumstances like this. After all, was this finally the adventure she had been waiting for?

Is that… Avany? Twilight inquired, but was not sure if she wanted the answer. No… it can’t be….

“How many are here?!” Admira exclaimed.
“My thoughts exactly.” Apollo commented.
“You guys are hilarious.” Voice number five butted in, followed by an audible chuckle.
“Who are you, now?” Avany asked.
“Deacon at your service.” replied a young colt with confidence that seemed out of place.
“Well then, Deacon. Where are we?” commanded Apollo.
“You think I know? Whoa there… I am just as clueless as you fellas.”
“Then you are of no help.”
“Ahh, relax dude. I mean… You’ve got to keep your chin up, isn’t that so?”
“This is serious!” An agitated Apollo hissed.
“Guys, calm down.” Avany intervened, ”Maybe we should focus our energy on more immediate things such as… oh, I don’t know… turning on the lights?!”

They were all silenced by the sudden brightness that swept across the room. The lights of the chandelier were lit and, for the first time, the contestants were introduced to one another face to face. Twilight gazed across the hall, inspecting the unfortunate competitors.

Apollo was a large and fully grown stallion. He had bright fur that shone of silver, with contrasting black hair.

Admira was a light turquoise and decorated pony. She wore a small tiara in her blue mane and a dainty red rosette in her matching blue tail.

Deacon quickly jumped away from the wall he had been leaning on for support. “Whoa.” he expressed in awe as he looked around. He was clearly still a young colt and had light blue fur and blond hair. He wore ornamental, red hoof-wear suited with golden cufflinks. Naïve in posture, and superficial in wardrobe… He is definitely not an adult. He should not be here… Twilight sighed to herself. None of us should…

Ebony was the final and so far unnamed stranger. She was also young and appeared distraught. She arose from the wooden floor, shaken and afraid to speak. She had golden fur with two shades of blue lining her hair.

Finally, she saw Avany and her fears had come true. She did not want to believe it. Why is Avany here…?! There were so many questions she wanted to ask… And yet… It seemed pointless. Reason was the last thing Twilight expected from Tantibus. There were no answers to look for, so Twilight instead abandoned her thoughts and ran to embrace her friend.

“Twilight!” Avany yelled happily.
“Avany…” Twilight responded melancholically.
Avany backed out of the hug, holding Twilight in front her while exchanging looks. “Is something wrong? You know where we are?” She wanted to know whether to be happy or not. And judging by Twilight’s expression, the initial forecast was not promising.

“We are… we’re in…” Twilight just could not do it. She could not reveal that they were both about to die. Twilight shut her eyes and looked away.
“Oh... That place you were talking about… Is this it?”
Twilight nodded silently and took a deep breath. Then she looked up into Avany’s eyes and asked her “What did you do?” But before Avany could reply, she repeated herself to clarify. There was a tone of sorrow in her voice. “What did you do, after I left you, to end up here?”

Avany realized that this was serious. She recalled the events of the past day and began to outline them. “Well, after my shift ended I decided to go and visit Luthus. And maybe even check out that ‘Aeon’ guy as well. But when…” She stopped for breath as she remembered the journalists… the authorities… and the medics… “When I got there… They did not let me enter. Someone had died… They refused to tell me who…” Twilight realized what Avany was fearful of, and they effectively switched roles as Avany was now the one addressing her in desperation. “You were there, right? Was it my uncle?!”
“I…” Twilight started, but she did not know. “Did they say anything about cause of death?”
“Uhm… Girls?” Deacon tried to enter the conversation. Twilight and Avany were the center of attention at the moment. Everypony else was left silently staring and observing their dramatic exchange. Deacon’s inquiry went unnoticed and the conversation continued.
“All they said was overdose. Not when, why or from what…”

Overdose… Painkillers… ‘Take Responsibly’… Could it be? He had the incentive and the means… Twilight looked down, trying to grasp what might have transpired… What she might be responsible for… “It wasn’t Luthus.”
“How do you know?”
“It was Aeon. I…” Twilight begun to tear up, “I think I saw him take an overdose of pills. It’s my fault… I could have stopped him… I should have…”

The mind of Twilight Sparkle was spiraling. It was too much information to process. Her negligence had killed another pony. She was a murderer. Aeon was dead by her hooves. She entered his life, dug up all of his torment and suffocated him with it. Nobody deserved to die in such agony. Tantibus might as well take her now. This is why she is here. She does not deserve to be anywhere else. She deserves to die…

“No, Twilight.”

What? Who said that? Avany? You are wrong. You don’t know. You weren’t there. Because if you were, you would agree. You would hate Twilight. Nobody likes a murderer. There is nothing but condemnation awaiting her.

“You must not blame yourself. It must have been his own choice.”

How would you know?

“I may not have known him, but from the time spent with you, I know you. And I know you are not a bad pony.”

Avany…

“You said he had been there for years, right? Being locked up in there for that long can’t be a good way to live your life. He is probably better off now…” Avany paused, “Regardless, nopony should make that decision. They should not even have to. He did, sadly, but it was his decision. You had nothing to do with it. I am sure of that.”

Maybe… Maybe Avany was right. The Aeon that Twilight had met was only a shell of the pony he had once been, and every shell is prone to crack. He was unstable and volatile before Twilight even stepped into his room. However, in her intrusion, Twilight had still played with fire and inadvertently lit the fuse. She was the catalyst at the end of a torturous chain of events, but perhaps she only served to hasten the inevitable.

Taking a moment to look around the room she was in, Twilight shifted the blame elsewhere. It was not her fault as much as it was that of Tantibus. This mansion had tormented Aeon long after he escaped it, but now he was free. Twilight was not though, seeing as she had taken his place. The matter of ‘why?’ remained and now, more than ever, she wanted to know what motive Tantibus had in choosing its victims. Because if not for what happened to Aeon, why else would Twilight Sparkle be here?

“Thank you, Avany. Really.” Twilight smiled, but she still had so many questions. She decided that bouncing one off Avany was worth a shot. “Do you know why we are here?”
“No.” Avany replied earnestly, “Do you? You’re the one who has been researching this so much, after all.”
“I don’t know either. Unless it’s because I’ve been researching this so much…” Twilight stopped and thought about what she said. Then she remembered the words of Decker.

When I first heard of this legend, I found it truly fascinating. For weeks, I studied its origin, rules, locations, and competitors. Quite frankly, it was only a matter of time before I ended up here myself.

The parallels Twilight had found between herself and Decker only shone stronger now. Am I… the new Decker? The note, the tombstones, the book, the dreams, Aeon and Avany… It’s all a part of the challenge. It was all meant to happen… Tantibus wanted me from the start… Why else would the tombstones show up? Why would I have the dreams? I’m sure Decker had those too. That would mean… that the sole reason that Avany is here… is to get to me.

Twilight jumped back in horror. She fell onto the floor, away from Avany, and shielded her eyes.
“I’m so sorry!” Twilight burst out in tears, “It’s all my fault. I am so sorry, Avany…”

“What are…” Avany begun but was subsequently cut off.
“What the hell is going on between you two?!” Apollo stepped in.
Twilight looked around. Deacon’s mouth and eyes were wide open, Ebony was distraught, Admira horrified and Apollo’s face showcased a mixture of intrigue and frustration.

There was a momentary silence, letting the whole room and its occupants soak in the tension and grief that engulfed it all. They were all waiting for someone else to say something. Soon, someone would surely explain what was actually going on. Or crack a joke. They were longing for anything to distract them from their fears…

Eventually, the reveal they were waiting for came, but it was not the reveal they wanted. The ground beneath them swept the rest of them off of their hooves. And as they all scrambled to get their balance back, an addition to the room was quickly addressed.
“Tantibus…?” Admira faltered in her whimper.
“What?” Apollo questioned.
“Oh shit!” Deacon yelped and pointed to the back wall.

The timely message was the perfect excuse for Deacon to drop his swearword. One by one, the words came back to haunt Twilight for a second time.

THE RULES OF THE TANTIBUS CHALLENGE

RULE ONE; ONLY ONE COMPETITOR CAN LEAVE TANTIBUS ALIVE

RULE TWO; THAT COMPETITOR MAY ONLY DO SO WHEN ALL OTHERS ARE DEAD

All of the ponies were talking on top of each other. What had been an ominous silence mere moments ago was now reminiscent of a barn filled with chickens... Chickens about to be slaughtered. The females were discussing what they could do to avoid this horrible fate, while the two males were discussing whether this was legitimate or an elaborate setup for the sadistic joy of some pranksters.

“Let me try something…” Deacon said. Then he begun flailing and flapping his wings with all of his might, but he could not get off the ground to save his life. Perhaps literally. “This looks pretty real to me... I mean, it’s pretty hard to remove a pegasus’ wingpower without any physical damage…”
“You’re right…” Apollo confessed, “We must be dealing with something really powerful here. Must be some dark magic beyond anything I’ve ever seen before.” He directed his attention to Admira. “Hey! The girl with the tiara!”
“Huh?” She turned around.
“Use your magic!” Deacon said.
“I-I don’t…” she stuttered, and hopelessly attempted a teleportation spell. “We’re doomed…” she concluded.