Tantibus

THE NINTH CHAPTER

Avany sat at the bottom of the broken staircase, comforting the devastated friend that was sitting adjacent to her with her head down. Twilight was struggling to remain composed, fighting back any tears that made their way onto her shimmering retinas.
“Hey… It’ll be okay.” Avany whispered to Twilight, “Don’t feel bad Twilight… You had no way of knowing that I was going to end up here. Besides, if I were going to die here… Well… I’m glad I’m not alone.”
“No…” Twilight looked up, “I can’t let you die here… You’re the youngest of us… You said you wanted to explore the world… and I don’t want to be the one who stopped you. I’ll do all I can to help you survive.”
“I also said I wanted adventure, Twilight. And look at me now! I’m in a haunted mansion, and part of a legend! Let’s take Tantibus down!” Avany exclaimed. However, Twilight could not help but wonder if Avany truly was this optimistic, or if it was just a charade she pulled to cheer up Twilight. Incidentally, the speculation addressed itself and Avany commanded with convincing encouragement; “I’m serious! Let’s both survive this, Twilight. Let’s beat the system and survive together!”

Twilight looked up, but did not feel any less remorse. She did, however, realize that her apparent grief only made things worse for herself and Avany. The least she could do was to throw Avany a friendly smile and give her hope. But before saying anything, she was interrupted by Ebony approaching them.

“Do you girls know each other from before?” Ebony decided to strike up a conversation with them, for selfish reasons. The other girl, Admira, was now talking to the boys and Ebony did not want to be left alone in a place like Tantibus.
“We met yesterday, but we are already really good friends.” Avany smiled.
“I see. You just seem to have been through quite a lot…” Ebony sat down next to Avany on the worn and frayed carpet that was covering the staircase stump. She glanced over at Twilight, who appeared to be the most gloomy of the two.
“No, not really.” Twilight replied, “It is just that… well… The last thing you want to do with your friend is end up here.” She then proceeded to point to the rules on the wall.

Only one competitor can leave Tantibus alive.

“Oh...” Ebony saw their little dilemma.
“Don’t worry. We are going to find a way around this. I’m sure of that.” Avany declared. It was beyond Twilight’s comprehension how she could still manage to retain such a positive outlook on their predicament.
“I hope so.” Ebony smiled as an idea struck her mind, “What if we simply abstain? You know… protest?”
“It doesn’t work that way…” Twilight looked down once more. She had seen this before. It is what happened to Decker’s group. They refused the challenge and as a result, Maverick became a puppet and slaughtered almost everyone. The same befell Flaming Ace, who later took his own life because of the guilt.
“What do you mean?” Ebony asked.
Twilight braced herself for the bad news and begun explaining, “Well, if everypony refuses to compete in the challenge…” Cutting Twilight off, a gust of wind blew out all of the candles simultaneously. They were once again draped in the cloak of darkness.
“Here we go again…” Deacon remarked.

The darkness withdrew from the room as quickly as it had concealed it. The candles lit up from the same unsettling breeze that had put them out. However, this distressing routine was not the most alarming aspect of the magic trick.

“Look at all those weapons!” Deacon announced. Part of him felt impressed by the huge collection of blunt and bladed killing tools laid out in the middle of the room. But mostly, he was afraid of their significance and what was left to come.
“Nobody touch them!” Apollo yelled.

Twilight, Avany and Ebony all stood up and joined the others, now gathered near the middle, staring at the intimidating arsenal. Twilight feared that the timely candles breaking off her explanation was no coincidence. It was a pattern that she had noticed throughout the various challenges. Tantibus did not appreciate being predictable.

“I have never seen so many weapons.” Ebony murmured, successfully distracted.
“So… this is how it starts, huh?” Deacon began, with everybody’s attention directed at him for the moment, “These are supposed to be our tools… to perform Tantibus’ dirty work…”
“Don’t be ridiculous! Nopony’s killing anypony here!” Apollo was sure to add.
“I’m not saying I was going to!”
“Do we have a choice?” a fearful Ebony added.
“Has anybody looked for a way out?” Avany spoke up.

Even though it was assumed to be futile, they tried all of the doors and looked everywhere one more time. Through all of the frenzy, Twilight loudly exclaimed “There’s no point! Everything is sealed shut. There is nothing we can do to escape. Without magic, we’re sitting ducks... I think the challenge is the only way out…”
“You have got to be kidding me!!!” Apollo raged and violently kicked a small table away. “I’m not going to resort to that! Never in my life! And neither should you!”

Apollo’s eruption echoed in the massive hall, and nobody knew what to say or do. They had tried everything. They had unsuccessfully tried ramming the doors, jumping up the stairs and they had checked the drawers and shelves, which only housed dusty, old and useless decorations, if anything at all. They stood gathered, hoping that a solution would present itself. Until then, one thing needed to be made clear.

“Do we have an agreement? Nobody does anything.” Apollo declared.
“Sure. I guess we’ll have to face the consequences later.” Deacon commented, followed by a unanimous and yet apprehensive series of nods.

“You hear that, Tantibus? We refuse!” Apollo hissed and walked up to the arsenal of weapons. To further punctuate his uproar, he kicked a machete across the room. It slid across the wooden planks and stopped short of a pair of hooves. Even though it almost scraped her, Avany managed to remain motionless during the near accidental assault.

Twilight was not comforted by the rebellious action. Though it made her glad that nobody had participated voluntarily, she knew that the spectacle was going to commence one way or another. In fact, she had been monitoring Apollo’s and Deacon’s actions carefully as she assumed that one of them was going to be the ‘selected’. They were both male, in good physical condition and quite outspoken; attributes they had in common with both Flaming Ace and Maverick. Twilight also noticed that the machete had slid into the reach of an oddly passive Avany. Her apathy towards it made Twilight anxious. To think of it… Avany had not spoken a word in quite a while. And now she was looking down at the blade, studying it with her gaze.

What is happening? I can’t seem to control myself. I can’t move! Someone help me! Help! I can’t talk either. What is this? Wait, what am I doing? What is happening to me?!

When she finally moved, it was as she raised her front right hoof from the ground and let it hover over the blade. Avany looked around almost mechanically and came into eye contact with Twilight. She appeared concerned and somber, unlike Avany, whose eyes expressed no emotion. Slowly, her hoof descended upon the handle.

Oh my goodness! The blade… I’m going to... Oh please no! Somepony! Something! Help me!

Twilight saw only the stiff movements on the outside and nothing of the distressed soul locked away inside. But immediately, she recognized the situation. The tormenting final thoughts of Maverick echoed in her mind, and perfectly matched the unnatural motions that drove the fixated mare, now firmly grasping the weapon on the floor.

Somebody, help me! Run! Run away from me! Please! Can anybody out there hear me?! Please! I’m begging you! They are innocent! They don’t deserve to die! Make me kill myself instead! Please! I’m begging you... Please… Anybody… Help me...

I will not let it take you, Avany. Twilight ensured herself and turned to the others. “Somebody, stop her!”

Faster than anyone could say ‘go’, Avany had already picked up the machete and shifted into a combat ready stance. The others were shocked and appalled by the move. Neither of them dared respond to the open invitation for battle, and instead chose to gasp and back away.

“What’s happening?!” Admira shouted.
“She’s not herself! She is possessed!” Twilight commanded in response, “Please, don’t hurt her!”
“Wait, what?!” Apollo questioned.
“There is no time to explain!” Twilight added while Avany took a step closer. Please, do not let it end this way…
“What the hell do we do then?!” Apollo yelled.

Deacon, who had otherwise cussed loudly at this instance, remained focused and looked frantically for a solution. If she is possessed, as her friend claims… How are we supposed to defend ourselves without hurting her? This is ridiculous! I have to defend myself, no matter what! But if she is truly innocent…? Argh! Why is this happening?! I can’t kill anyone! There has to be another way!

He examined the buffet of weapons in the middle of the hall. Only just now did he notice a large shield lying amongst the otherwise deadly clutter. Had that always been there? It was oblong and rested on some blades with its handle facing up, easing a quick wield. Unfortunately, it was only a few feet in front of the crazed servant of Tantibus. If his newly hatched plan was going to work, he would have to act fast before she got closer. Avany was already slowly approaching step by step and the others were pushing themselves towards the wall furthest away from her. Most, including Twilight, as well as himself, were sweating from fear. This was no longer about him. He knew what he had to do, no matter how foolish it may seem to be. The time for doubts was long gone.

He took off in a flash, to the surprise of everyone, and galloped ahead with his mind focused solely on his goal. He gave off a war cry as he went, mainly to intimidate, but also to divert attention away from the distinct fear and panic that had struck him.

“No!” Twilight pleaded, unaware of his intentions.
“Are you crazy?!” Apollo shouted.
“Don’t hurt her!” Twilight also cried out.

As Deacon neared the assailant, Avany raised the blade and prepared to strike relentlessly. Fortunately, the sudden charge stopped her in her menacing approach, granting him the space and time to swipe the shield from the ground in a swift motion. He hoisted the oblong armor up vertically and lined it up with his body as he ran as fast as his other three hooves would let him.

Avany had no time to move out of the way, and her body braced for impact. She repositioned her arm with the aim of swinging sideways, in an attempt to swat the shield away and get the attacker off balance. The unstoppable force was about to collide with the immovable object.

Contact was made and the opponents clashed. Avany lashed the machete at Deacon. The weapon struck the shield with fierce strength, and Deacon felt a burning sensation in his arm as it absorbed part of the ferocious strike. However, the momentum he had built up was too strong for Avany to stop. The shield assaulted Avany’s body with enough force to knock the machete out of her robust grip and send her flying back. She slid a considerable distance upon landing and appeared disoriented. Deacon slowed down and threw the shield to the side, after which he attempted to shake the pain out of his near pulsating hoof.

“Holy crap, that hurts!” Deacon exclaimed and made sure to pick up the machete and throw it away as well before it fell into Tantibus’ grasp again. He exhaled in relief and then looked back at the others. They appeared startled, but still glad. His gaze then returned to Avany. “I’m so sorry… I had to.”
“I think you just saved us.” Apollo admitted. He then walked up to him and gave him a playful punch in the side.
“You think that did it?” Ebony questioned.

Twilight Sparkle ran up to Avany’s crashed body and asked her if she was alright. There was no response, and she appeared to be knocked out cold. What if she is seriously injured? Emotions of distress and panic came back to Twilight. She kneeled over and begun caressing Avany’s body. “Please, Avany. Tell me you’re okay... Please…”

Finally, she saw movement. Avany lifted her hoof up towards Twilight chest. Unfortunately, instead of the gentle touch she was expecting, the hoof lunged forward and pushed Twilight away with a disproportionately powerful force. The unicorn fell back and landed stomach up. Shocked and betrayed, Twilight announced: “It’s not over!”

The others saw the whole thing, and Ebony now ran up to help Twilight get back up.
“Are you okay?” she asked. Twilight nodded and stood up. Her chest was pounding, but she doubted it would result in more than just a bruise.

“At least now she’s unarmed!”, Apollo yelled. As Avany was getting up from the floor, he and Deacon ran up to her. They grabbed her by her shoulders and pushed her against the wall behind her. She was held in place, firmly, though not without resistance. Avany fought back hard and with surprising strength.

“Damn it, she’s strong!” Deacon shouted and felt his grip loosen, “We’re going to need some help over here!”

Twilight and Ebony galloped up to the possessed pony and latched on to her vigorously moving limbs. Admira stood back, too afraid to approach. She could only wish that her assistance was not needed.

“Why is this even happening?!” Apollo yelled with a hint of struggle in his voice. “And how do we stop it?!”

Why, Tantibus…? Why? Why do you have to take my friend and turn her against me? It’s just not fair… Twilight felt fury bottling up inside of her, and it was at this point that it took over her being completely and the cap came soaring off.

“You take my friend, and you turn her against us...” Twilight bit down hard and then unleashed her innermost rage, “You force her to kill us against her will?! All the while she is breaking down on the inside?! I thought that Tantibus gave everyone a fair chance of survival… but that is just a bunch of bullshit! You have no standards! You are pathetic! If you’re going to kill five of us, at least follow your own fucking rules! Let her go!!!”

The thundering words were unexpected and stunned everyone. They said nothing. There was nothing to add. They all unanimously hoped that it would work and somehow get the attention of whatever being or spirit was pulling the strings.

The sweating, light pink pony’s body slumped as if all muscles shut down. The group gently lowered the earth pony down to the floor and most of them backed off. Twilight stayed and bent down to check for a pulse, but before she could, Avany suddenly gasped for breath. She was drenched in sweat and her fur was hot to the touch. She panted rapidly to oxygenate her overworked muscles. She looked into the eyes of Twilight and made numerous attempts to speak, only to be interrupted by her own burning lungs. It took her a minute to communicate coherently, although in short bursts.

“Please… Forgive me…” she stammered in between breaths, “Twilight… All of you… Thanks… You saved me.”
“You have nothing to apologize for.” Twilight assured and embraced Avany’s recovering body, “I know it wasn’t you.”

After waiting for a moment as to not interrupt, Apollo questioned, “Now… Can any of you please tell us what the hell happened?”
“I don’t know… I just… lost control.” Avany confessed.
“I believe that when nobody willingly competes, Tantibus picks someone to do so unwillingly.” Twilight revealed, “Anything to get the challenge to start.”
“Wow… That explains it.” Deacon commented, “Is there anything else you think we should know about?”
“Not anything you haven’t already witnessed. I honestly have no idea what is going to happen now.” Twilight thought about what she said. It was an honest remark. Now that they had overcome the puppet… What was going to happen next?
“I cannot believe this…” Admira finally spoke, “Why us? What have we done to deserve this?!” she was nearly crying. “Is this someone’s idea of fun?!”
“Don’t worry… We can get through this.” Ebony tried to comfort her, “We have made it so far, have we not?”
“Holy shit…” Deacon interjected, “Look at the wall!”

They all turned to the wall that had been bleeding before, whose original scripture was now dry. As of now, it was slowly adding a new line of words. It was presenting a third rule, exclusively crafted for situations like the rebellious one that currently befell the mansion. And once the blood of the last word had settled, it became apparent that this rule was not as straight forward as the others. It was, however, far more sinister.

RULE THREE; IN CASE OF REFUSAL TO COMPETE, HELL WILL BREAK LOOSE

“That cannot be good.” Deacon declared.
“What is that even supposed to mean?!” Apollo questioned.
“I guess we’ll find out…” Twilight whimpered.

The candles blew out, though it only lasted for a moment before lighting up the room again. It happened in the blink of an eye, before anyone could comprehend what was going on.

“What the hell was that?” Deacon was startled.
“I have no idea.” Avany responded.
“Did something change?” Apollo asked, “Look around, everybody!”

They were frantically searching for a new potential danger. Oddly enough, nothing had been added to the room. Instead, something had been taken away.

“Hey, where is the turquoise colored girl?!” Avany realized, and was gripped by panic.
“Oh yeah, the unicorn!” Apollo was horrified, “It took her!”
“What’s happening?!” Ebony yelled.
“Is this Tantibus meaning of ‘hell breaking loose’?“ Apollo questioned. The darkness pulled its cloth over the room, and once it had passed… he was gone.

They all screamed. They had nowhere to go, and nothing could be done. The onslaught of darkness could not be prevented, and they feared the worst.

“It’s picking us off one by one!” Twilight shouted.
“I don’t want to die!” Ebony cried. Unfortunately, one dark moment later… she too had vanished.

“I’m scared, Twilight…” Avany confessed as she pushed up against Twilight for protection.
“Me too…” Twilight replied solemnly.
“What the fuck do we do?!” Deacon shouted from across the room as the lights went out for the fourth time. They all shrieked.

This time, Twilight found that her friend had been taken away. With seconds away from their possible demise, there were only Deacon and Twilight left.
“No!!!” Twilight wailed in a mournful cry, “Please don’t do this!”

Deacon looked down at the floor, and found the jagged machete. In an attempt to defend himself against the incoming darkness, he picked it up and waved it around frantically. “Leave me alone! For the love of…!”

In a flash, Twilight was alone. It was just her in the massive hall, where so much blood had been shed and so many lives taken away. Avany was gone... They all were… And with everything now taken away from her, she fell down to her knees on the cold, hard floor, helpless.

“I give up… You win, Tantibus…”

After letting a teardrop fall to the floor, the darkness came for a final time and Twilight Sparkle disappeared.