The Devil You Know

by DuvetofReason

Rating: mature
Tags: Profanity, Shining Armor, Violence, Death, Twilight Sparkle, Princess Luna, Gore, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Alternate Universe, Rainbow Dash, Thriller, Original Character, Mystery
Length: 27611

When your people are nearing obliteration. When your cities are but smoking ruins. When all other options have been exhausted. Can your final, desperate gambit release their jaws from your throat? Or will the devil you know undo your finest schemes?

They have shredded the flesh of her virtuous people, burned her beautiful farms and forests, and smashed her shining cities for decades. And for no reason but it is their very nature. They know no pity. They offer no mercy. They feel no remorse. They are blacker than the blackest night and more deadly than can be imagined. They are Umbra.

It has been thirty years since they returned.

Few truly remember what Equestria was once like, in a day when ponies knew no true horrors.

Twilight Sparkle grew up knowing only of the ever-hopeless fight against them. This near-friendless academic will learn the true meaning of terror, the true meaning of purpose, and the true meaning of sacrifice.

With Canterlot now the final stronghold of a once proud and free world, hope has been reduced to one final choice. A dark secret buried for millennia may hold the answer for Equestria’s salvation… or, its ultimate destruction.

Heartfelt thanks to :
BernardDK for his awesome artwork and his endless enthusiasm for the story.
Recon777 for his tireless work editing my inane ramblings into something readable.

He has written a little prequel to this story : Ashes give it a read, you won't be disappointed!

Prereaders : Pawz, Orionwolf, Chaos Phantasm
Thanks to Journeyman for giving me the inspiration for this little tale.

Published 2018-06-14 16:50:09 UTC
Last updated 2018-07-01 14:47:46 UTC

01 - Loss

The rotten wooden door burst open, practically knocked off its hinges as Twilight stumbled inside. Flickering light emanated from her horn, banishing the darkness to the shadows.

“Bring him inside, hurry!” she cried, clearing the way so her companions could join her.

As fast as she was able, guardsmare Rainbow Dash staggered into the room. Draped across her back was the limp form of Captain Shining Armour, his forelegs bloodied stumps that oozed crimson down the cyan pegasus’ armour and onto the floor. He groaned in agony with every bump or jostle as the overburdened pegasus limped into the room.

“Be careful, you’re hurting him!” Twilight said, concern for her brother overriding the blind panic that threatened to overtake her.

“We can’t hurt him more than he already is,” Rainbow Dash grunted, her voice strained and beads of sweat running from her brow.

“B-but…”

“Just shut up and find something to barricade the door.”

Twilight’s ears flattened and her eyes darted between the door and her brother, tears beginning to trickle down her cheeks.

“Snap out of it!” Rainbow growled. “They’re probably following his blood trail right now!”

“Do as she says, Twilight,” Shining said weakly, his breath coming in quick gasps. “It’s alright, you can do this, little sister.” He was trying to sound reassuring, but she had never heard his voice sound so fragile before.

Taking a breath, she surveyed the room. It looked to be quarters for one of the army of servants that worked in the ancient fortress. Old cobwebs clung to the ceiling, and motes of thick dust kicked up by their arrival swirled in the air. A single small arched window offered the barest of views to the courtyard beyond, dimly illuminated by the blood-red light of the moon. A rotten bed frame and a collapsed cupboard of ebony oak were the only furniture in the room. They were thick, heavy pieces, and Twilight thanked Celestia that the ancient craftspony had gone a bit overboard in their construction.

Wrapping them in her magic, she levitated them over to the doorway. Between the door and the furniture, a makeshift barricade began to take shape. They would not last long against what was coming, but it was all they had.

A clatter of armour drew her attention back to the room as Rainbow Dash set her brother down as gently as she could. She set about checking the makeshift tourniquet on his legs. “I need to tighten these, sir. It’s going to hurt,” she grimaced. “A lot.”

Shining nodded as she put a small chunk of leather into his mouth for him to bite onto.

“Hey egghead, I need your help to hold him down,” Rainbow called.

Numbly, Twilight lay down beside her brother, her head swimming from the thick coppery scent of blood that permeated the room. Gently, she pressed down onto his armoured side, grimacing at the gore-splattered, rent plate metal that oozed more blood from within.

“Are you ready?” Rainbow asked, grimly, taking a breath to steady herself.

All Twilight could do was nod numbly as she gazed into her brother’s eyes.

“Okay, one, two, three!”

Shining moaned pitifully as she tightened the rag on his bloodied right leg. Twilight could only watch in horror, sobbing as fresh tears came forth. His body bucked as it instinctively tried to escape this fresh pain being inflicted on it.

He should be able to throw us off with ease, Twilight pondered, pinning him down as he thrashed about.

With grim professionalism, Rainbow repeated the procedure on his left leg, each cry a fresh stab into Twilight’s heart. Then, it was over, the only noise their ragged breathing in the flickering light.

Twilight knelt beside her brother, removing the bite, unscrewing her canteen, and gently feeding him some water. He was still conscious, somehow, but his eyes now had a glazed look to them. He had grown pale, so pale.

“They’re gone, all of them,” Rainbow muttered, finally, her voice quivering and her wings refusing to sit still at her sides.

“What do we do now?” Twilight asked.

“We kill those bastards, that’s what we do!” the pegasus growled, stomping her hooves and taking to the air.

“That’s enough, Private,” Shining said. “We still have a mission to perform.”

“Mission?! Everypony is dead, you’re badly injured, and I’m stuck with this bookworm!” Rainbow snorted, gesturing to Twilight.

“That’s my sister, Private,” Shining said sternly, “and she’s the key to getting you out of this mess.”

Rainbow just huffed and folded her forelegs.

“Shining I-I can’t…” Twilight said.

“Yes, you can, sis,” he said softly. “You're the smartest mare I know; if anypony can finish this, it’s you.”

“But your legs,” she stammered.

“I was never a good dancer anyway,” he laughed weakly before letting out a soft sigh. “I wish I had asked Cadence on a date.”

“You still can.”

“We both know I’m not making it out of here,” he said. “I’m just slowing you down at this point.”

“Don’t talk like that.”

“The mission takes priority. Speaking of which…” he said, turning to the grumbling pegasus. “Private Rainbow Dash, I have one last order to give you.”

She straightened to attention. “Sir?”

“The mission. Remember the mission. Protect my sister, everything rests on her.”

Rainbow Dash hesitated but nodded grimly with a salute. “With my life, sir.”

“And Rainbow…”

The pegasus’ ears perked. “Sir?”

“I’m sorry for how things…”

“It’s a bit late for apologies, Sir.”

A chittering sound made them all look towards the door. A pair of burning white orbs stared back at them from the gloom of the hallway. Their blood froze as a deep, bellowing roar echoed through the room. Bladelike claws tore into the doorway, tearing chunks of splintered wood with each pass and hungrily grasping towards its prey.

“That barricade won’t hold that thing forever!” Rainbow shouted, looking around for anything they could use as a weapon. All they had between them were the books in Twilight’s saddlebags.

“Sis, you have to go,” Shining said.

“No! I’m not leaving you,” Twilight sobbed.

“You don’t have a choice. I love you, sister,” he said, his horn beginning to glow, then wrapping her and Rainbow Dash in its light.

“What? No!” Twilight cried, reaching out for him as a flash of light ushered forth from his horn.

With a quiet pop, she and Rainbow Dash appeared in the courtyard.

“Shining!” she cried, trying to reach up to the window as the sound of crashing wood echoed from inside the room.

“Run, Twi-!” His voice trailed into a wet gurgle as the beast descended upon him, his scream cut short by the sound of ripping flesh and splattering gore which filled the room.

Her whole body shook. This was a nightmare, a living nightmare. Twilight’s rational mind refused to process what was happening.

“Come on, we have to go!” Rainbow called, dragging her away from the terrible sounds of the beast feasting on her brother.

“No!” Twilight sobbed, vainly kicking as the pegasus lifted her into the air and took her away from the scene.

She dropped her unceremoniously onto the ground in a side passage. Twilight collapsed into a heap, sobbing into the cracked floor.

“Get up,” the guardsmare ordered.

“No.”

“We can’t stay here—we already reek of blood, and you know they’ll be tracking us.”

“Good.”

Rainbow Dash snorted, dragging her to her hooves. “He died protecting you,” she snarled, jabbing a hoof at her chest. “Now I promised him I’d protect you, but I’m not fond of commiting suicide.” She sighed, her ears flattening. “It hurts, I know. But we have to honour his last wish.”

“I…” Twilight stammered.

“Come on, you’re the brains here, supposedly,” Rainbow said, her eyes narrowing. “Where do we go from here?”

Twilight blinked, her words cutting through the fog of emotions clogging her senses. Rationality returned. Here was a problem that needed solving. She could do this. She pushed back her pain, locking it away to the back of her mind. She would mourn for her brother later.

Sniffing, she wiped her nose, surveying the surroundings for the familiar. There were elements in the architecture she recognised. “O-okay, we shouldn’t be far from the tomb now.”

“Great, lead on.”

Twilight let out a heavy sigh and tried to restore her inner calm. Her heart was in tatters, but they still had a job to do.

02 - Library

Twelve hours earlier...

Twilight had always loved the peace and quiet of the Canterlot archives. The smell of old books and scrolls was a heady aroma that brought the unicorn a warm sense of comfort. The natural quiet that permeated the building suited her perfectly; it let her focus on her loves in life. She could disappear into the winding rows of book and scroll cases and only come up for air when physical necessity demanded it. Here, she was safe from the troubles of the outside world, behind her fortress of books.

The archives were located above the city in an old, large rotunda carved directly into the face of the mountain. The peak of the domed ceiling was glass, allowing light to fall past several floors filled with shelving and illuminating a large circle below. Affectionately referred to as 'the cooking pot' amongst those who worked there, it was currently crammed to the hilt with books, parchments, scrolls and various other items that smelled faintly of ash and soot.

Cloistered away between the shelves in a far corner, Twilight lovingly transferred text from a battered volume to a fresh parchment. It was overcast, but enough light filtered down from above to give her ample light for her delicate job. She had been working on her pile of claw-written texts for several days now. It took precise unicorn telekinesis to replicate the griffons’ particular style of writing, which made it slow work. Still, Twilight loved the challenge.

This latest batch, from the vaults beneath the griffon capital of Griffonstone, had been the last ones evacuated before the great city fell. The war with the Umbra had brought about a massive influx of precious texts from across Equestria and beyond. Many had been rescued, at great cost, from archives and libraries of crumbling nations and falling cities. The Umbra cared nothing for these priceless treasures, burning everything in their reckless, hate-filled fury. These books were charred around the edges, a testament to their narrow escape.

Preserving these books was Twilight’s mission in life. It might not be as glamorous as being a Celestial Knight serving under the Princess, but at least she was doing her small part to protect Equestria for future generations.

She took a small bite from her dandelion sandwich and leaned back in her chair. She had been nibbling on it for most of the morning and now there was barely any left. Rationing being what it was, she would not be getting anything else till tomorrow. It was fine, though—she had been known for going days without eating during a reading binge.

Her ears perked as she heard the squeak of a trolley being wheeled down one of the aisles. It was Esel, one of the few ponies who could be spared to help the in the restoration efforts. He was a scrawny thing, for an earth pony, probably why he had escaped the military draft till now. His lime green coat was shaggy from lack of trimming, as was his long, greasy brown mane. Still, he was a dab hoof when it came to the Old Ponish dialects of the old earth pony clans prior to unification, and Twilight had spent long hours talking with him on a variety of obscure topics.

“Good afternoon, Twilight,” Esel announced with a grin as he came around the corner. “I must say, it’s rare to see the beast of the archives out in broad daylight for once.”

Twilight scowled. “What do you want, Esel?”

“Can I not simply want to check up on my lovely colleague?” he asked with a smile. “We haven’t seen you in days and were getting worried.”

“I’m not that bad,” she huffed, blushing slightly.

“Says the mare who disappeared into the Platinum Era section for a full week without a trace,” he said with a chuckle. “I still don’t know how you did that.”

“When I get into the groove, I lose all sense of time,” she said.

“I’ll say. You missed all the drama outside.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah,” he said, his smile fading. “The Umbra rolled into Ponyville last night. Set the whole place alight.”

Twilight gasped. “Did everypony get out in time?”

Esel’s ears flattened. “Refugees are still coming in, but it looks pretty bleak.”

They both stood in silence for what felt like a full minute as his words sank in. Ponyville was the last settlement before Canterlot. Soon, the Umbra would be coming here.

“Oh, I almost forgot,” he said. “You have a visitor.”

Twilight frowned in confusion. “For me?”

“Yeah, a bigwig Royal Guard no less,” he said, tilting his head to the side. “Have you been in the forbidden section of the archive again?”

“N-no,” Twilight said sheepishly, looking away. “Not recently.”

Esel smirked, “Well, he’s down in the foyer as we speak. I suggest you don’t keep him waiting.”

“Oh, okay,” she said, a little worry in her voice as she hopped down from her seat, giving herself a stretch. “Just leave everything where it is; I’ll finish it when I get back.”

Esel nodded before pushing his cart away into the labyrinth of material, quickly disappearing out of sight.

With trepidation, Twilight made her way down the several floors that lined the rotunda. The archives were a maze to the uninitiated, but she knew each section of the building by heart. She quickly made her way down to the bottom floor where a ring-shaped service counter dominated the centre of the floor. Once there, one of her colleagues pointed her towards the entrance of the building.

Standing there, clad in his distinctive armour of purple and gold plate mail, plumed helmet glinting in the sun, was none other than her brother, Shining Armour. He turned to look at her as she approached, his expression lighting up as their eyes met.

“Twiley!” he called, closing the distance between them in long, confident strides.

“Big brother!” Twilight said, embracing him in a hug which he returned with bone-crunching force. She hadn’t seen him in months, his only contact with her and her family being his infrequent letters. They held one another for a full minute before she broke away.

“What are you doing here? Weren’t you out in Las Pegasus?” she asked.

“I’ve been recalled by the Princess,” he said, “which is why I’ve come here, actually. She wants to see you.”

“Me?” Twilight gasped, bringing a hoof to her chest as questions crashed against her like a raging sea. Was this about the forbidden archive? She’d been chewed out by the curator twice already, but it had never gone higher than that. What could the Princess possibly want with her? She started to hyperventilate as her thoughts spiralled out of control. What if she’d done something wrong? She wouldn’t last five minutes in prison.

A gentle hoof rested on her shoulder. “It’s okay, sis,” Shining said, a gentle smile on his face. “Even I don’t know what she wants, but I can assure you it’s nothing bad.”

Twilight took a few calming breaths to slow her speeding heart. “Do I have time to clean up? I must look a mess.”

There were no mirrors in the archive, but she had been on enough reading binges to know the end result: frazzled mane, baggy eyes, and a healthy dose of body odor to complete the picture.

“We don’t have time—the princess asked to see you right away,” he said, his expression tightening as he slipped into his professional tone. “It sounded pretty urgent.”

She took a breath. “Okay.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be right there with you,” he said, his brotherly smile returning.

She hadn’t seen her brother in a long time, but that smile was still able to make her feel at ease. “Thanks, B.B.B.F.F.”

“Any time,” he said, gesturing towards the double doors. “Shall we?”

She nodded, and with wavering determination, followed him towards the doors.

03 - Canterlot

As they stepped out onto the cobblestone path which led towards the central Canterlot marketplace, a terrible sight caused the air to catch in Twilight’s throat. The whole of the eastern horizon was ablaze, thick black smoke rising high into the sky. The scent of burning wood permeated the air all around them as motes of ash fell down like snow.

“P-Ponyville…” she stammered, her voice timid like a foal’s. The humble village was somewhere within that black cloud of fire, death, and destruction.

Shining nodded, “Sweet Apple Acres, to be precise. The bastards lit up the whole orchard."

It had been years since Twilight had been to Ponyville. She had taken very little interest in the goings-on of the backwater community of mostly earth ponies who had carved out a life at the edge of the Everfree Forest. Supposedly, even their library was so small it fit inside a tree. Still, they didn’t deserve this. She stared silently for a moment as the town burned, the roots they had so lovingly laid down being torn away without a care.

“Why would they do such a thing?” she asked, feeling hollow inside.

“Because they’re monsters and simply because they can,” Shining said with a sigh. “It’s a hard world out there, sis.”

He trotted away, heading towards Canterlot castle, which loomed in the distance. Twilight lingered, looking back to her beloved archive before heading after him.

Canterlot’s streets bustled with refugees displaced from other cities and kingdoms. Proud Griffons from the far east rubbed shoulders with brooding Yaks from the Frozen North. Twilight’s ears were assaulted by a hundred different dialects from across the world.

Most of all, there were ponies of every tribe, huddled together in a vast sea of tents that lined Canterlot’s boulevards. Those that were lucky had been taken in by generous families, her own included. Most, however, were left outside, destitute and broken, desperately clinging to fragments of their former lives.

Twilight tried to look straight ahead as they trotted through the throng. Shining cut a path through the crowd with grim determination, nopony willing to stand in the way of a Royal Guard. He was not alone; the streets were heavily patrolled by guardsponies of the city watch.

The stench of so many bodies crammed together was overpowering, and Twilight had to struggle not to gag. The scents of cooking food, smoke, sweat, and filth all merged into a sickening aroma. Disease was rampant, despite the efforts by the clerics of Celestia’s Mercy. They passed by a cart hauling bodies away for burning, as all the cemeteries were full. Scenes like this were why Twilight hid in the archives.

It didn’t take long before Canterlot castle was before them. Twilight had seen old murals of the castle before the war, a royal palace with ivory towers clad in pristine white marble. Now, all that finery had given way to the practicalities of war. The battlements of the walls that had once been for show were now crammed with catapults and other siege engines. Grim-faced guards stared down at them from the arrow slits, and the skies were full of patrolling pegasi.

They trotted across the drawbridge that reached across a moat drawn from the river that serviced the city. Two imposing towers protected the main gate and portcullis that were the only way into the castle proper.

Twilight hesitated as she watched her brother talking to the soldiers guarding the gate. The last time she had been here was for her final exam to enter Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. That had ended in humiliation for her which she had never been able to live down.

“Come on, Twilight, best not dawdle now,” Shining said, motioning for her to follow.

“R-right,” she said, rushing to join him while trying to avoid the stony gaze of the guards.

The main keep towered above them, the path which led to the keep squeezed between the outer and inner walls. Twilight didn’t fancy trying to pass through this gauntlet of bolt throwers and archers.

They trotted by four earth pony mares breaking down rocks for the battlements. It seemed impossible, given how scrawny they were, but Twilight knew to never underestimate earth ponies. Three were varying shades of stony colours, but the last mare was a bright pink with the deepest blue eyes.

All their manes were straight cut, drooping down over their faces as they worked. What shocked Twilight the most were the scars on their bodies, claw marks racked down their flanks leaving patches of bare skin. The pink mare cast a glance over to Twilight as they passed by, her empty gaze seeming to pass right through her.

"Stare into the abyss too long and it might stare back..." the pink mare said, a grin stretching across her muzzle.

"What?! Did you say something to me?" Twilight asked, scooting a little closer to Shining.

“Pinkamena,” the mare with a slate grey coat warned in a gravelly voice. “Stop staring and get working.”

The spell broken, the pink mare got back to work without a word, crushing a boulder into small chunks with a single punch.

Soon, they were through the final gate and into the castle proper. The place was just as imposing as she remembered, drab walls draped sparingly with the red banners bearing the sun sigil of the princess.

All the while, Twilight was growing more and more anxious. She had only ever seen the princess once in her life—the day she had flunked her exams. The thought of meeting the ruler of Equestria and guardian of the Sun was, frankly, terrifying.

“Shining, do you have any idea what the princess might want with me?” She asked.

“No idea. Knight-Commander Sunset asked me to bring you here on behalf of Her Majesty,” he replied. “She put in for my recall herself, so you being here must be connected somehow.”

“But I’m just an academic. I’m not a soldier,” she said.

He shrugged. “Wars are fought with more than just strength of arms, Twilight. The princess wouldn’t have sent for you without a good reason.”

Twilight fell silent as they continued on their way. Her hooves were aching by the time they finally arrived at an oak door bearing a mural of the sun princess’ first raising of the sun.

“Now Twi,” Shining said, “I won’t be able to help you in there. Answer anything the princess asks and be as courteous as you can.”

“Right.” Twilight nodded, swallowing to try and get some moisture into her drying mouth.

“Good luck, you got this,” he said with a smile before knocking on the door.

“Yes?” came a feminine voice from inside.

“Captain Shining Armour, Commander, I have brought Twilight Sparkle as you requested.”

“Excellent, please come in.”

Shining cast one last supportive look to his sister before pushing open the doors.

04 - Rumination

The study was a small affair, covered in oak panelling with a few paintings covering the walls. A long table covered by a map of Equestria dotted with red and blue flags dominated the room. At the far end, a set of glass doors led out to a veranda with sunlight streaming in from outside.

What drew Twilight’s attention was just who was in the room with her. The last thing she had expected was for some of the most famous (and infamous) ponies in all of Equestria to be present.

To one side stood Spitfire, Captain of the Wonderbolts and Air General of the Pegasi. Her blue leather armour and bright yellow coat were famous across Equestria in recruitment posters. Her fiery orange mane, which was usually hidden under her helm, spilled free and unbound. Yet, her usually cock-sure grin of confidence was subdued. The pegasus barely registered the newcomers as they entered.

Beside her stood Knight-Commander Sunset Shimmer, leader of the Celestial Knights and second only to the Sun Princess herself. She stood resplendent in her fiery red plate armor, the great sword Lightbringer hanging by her side, almost as long as her whole body. Her red and orange streaked mane flowed down her shoulders like a fiery torrent. Those cyan eyes regarded Twilight with an intensity that took her aback.

“This is the one, eh? Are you sure about this?” she asked, casting a glance over to a figure lurking in the shadows.

“Oh yes,” came an impossibly soft voice that danced across the room like a giddy song. “My birdies are never wrong.”

It took a while for Twilight to locate the figure standing in the corner. The pegasus mare was garbed in black dress like she was attending a funeral, a curtain of pink mane concealing her face, save for her butter-coloured muzzle. Perched on her shoulder was a black-eyed raven that let out a caw, earning a titter from the mare.

Even Twilight had heard stories about Celestia’s reclusive spymaster, Madam Crow. The mare had risen to the highest echelons of power in just a few short years. Few had ever seen the mare in person, but her eyes were everywhere and always watching. Given her reputation, Twilight was surprised she was such a dainty thing. Yet Twilight knew that this mare was the reason the nobility were a mere shadow of what they once were. Everypony feared finding a black feather on their bed.

Being in the same room as her gave Twilight a terrible sense of foreboding about her survival prospects.

“Captain Armour,” Spitfire said, “I need you to come with me; we need to discuss the specifics of the upcoming mission.”

“Ma’am, permission to stay with my sister,” Shining said.

Spitfire’s tail flicked, and her wings fluffed at her side. “Denied,” she retorted flatly. “Don’t worry, Captain, you’ll see her again soon enough.”

He looked over to Twilight apologetically. “Will you be okay?”

“I’ll be fine,” Twilight assured with less than complete honesty.

He placed a hoof on her shoulder before trotting outside with Spitfire.

Great. Stuck in a room with Celestia’s protege and her chief assassin—what could possibly go wrong? A new knot of anxiety formed in her chest. Perhaps I’ll just have heart attack now and save everypony the trouble.

“Well, now with that out of the way, let’s get this over with,” Sunset said with a sigh. “Thank you for coming today. I apologise for the short notice, but this is a matter of vital importance. Please, have a seat.” She motioned to a lonely chair sitting beside the table.

Vital importance? Twilight didn’t like that sound of that.

“It’s… um… no bother. I am always at the princess’ service,” Twilight said, bowing her head. Sunset’s eyebrow twitched slightly while Madam Crow gave a dainty chuckle.

“I’ll cut to the chase, Miss Sparkle. You’re here because there is a task that requires your… expertise.” Sunset continued, “Your academic grades are impressive, diplomas in arcane engineering and arcane theory to name but a few. Were it not for your mediocre magical ability, you would have no doubt gone far.”

Twilight winced, yet Sunset’s eyes held no malice, just indifference.

Her horn glowed, causing a mechanical orb to drift up from a box at her hooves. “Do you know what this is?”

Twilight squinted at the orb as it settled onto the table before her. It was unusually large, the size of a pony’s head, and made from polished silver and brass, broken up into thirteen intricate concentric rings which surrounded a bronze orb at its centre. Inscribed into each ring were runes, similar to those used in Old Ponish, but much older.

“Oh, this is a Rumination Orb,” Twilight said while rubbing her chin. “A very old one if I’m not mistaken, pre-Canterlot era?”

Sunset smiled. “Very good. Could you open it for me, please?”

“Open it?” Twilight gasped. “This should be opened in Celestia’s school or at least a museum.”

Rumination Orbs were fairly common amongst the unicorn tribe; they were often used as toys to train foals in the use of telekinesis. Twilight had several she had used from time to time for fun, the more complicated the better. One function they had was also to store items valuable to the unicorn, usually magical artefacts. Because of this, opening older orbs meant they could have any manner of protection cast onto them. Magi liked to booby trap them with an often deadly collection of spells and cantrips.

“Just open it, Miss Sparkle,” Sunset repeated, her voice carrying a tone of impatient boredom.

“Fine, but if it blows up or the contents get ruined, I’m not taking responsibility,” Twilight snorted as she turned her attention to the orb.

“You have ten minutes.”

“Ten minutes! An orb this complex could take days!” She gasped.

“Then I suggest you hurry.”

Lifting it up in her telekinesis, she examined it closely. Most magi had an easily recognised passage or riddle engraved onto their orbs, should they ever forget its combination. In this instance, it appeared to be a riddle of some sort, written in a very obscure dialect etched into the sphere at the centre.

“Speak the answer and the Orb shall open.”

Urakez fi sylfaan. Makran et alef,
Balenir cruvanix Rex Aneir.
Felastrazir silaf Oryanti Raadef.
Gilazan vi straz Otygrafnir.
Tyx du val
Tyx syt val
Ednir Nyx

“May I have a quill, ink, and parchment?” Twilight asked.

Sunset’s horn glowed for a second, and all the items she had asked for materialised in front of her. She began scribbling down notes at a frenetic pace while the two mares watched in avid fascination.

Oh ho! So that’s what you mean. Very clever. Totally in her element, a wide grin spread across her face.

Wrapped up in the joy of the puzzle for several minutes, she began shifting each ring in sequence. Any hesitation or fear of what might happen if she was wrong was lost in the giddy thrill of it.

Slowly, two words took shape: UMBRA FORGOTTEN

The orb made a soft click as the rings slid away slowly, opening the sphere at its centre. Within the sphere was a finely crafted dagger made out of obsidian. The hilt was made of black iron, inlaid with red rubies. The blade was etched in blood-red runes that made Twilight feel uneasy just looking at them.

“You see! I told you she could do it!” Madam Crow cried, turning to a stunned Sunset. “Looks like you owe me fifty bits.”

“Impossible! Not even I could open Starswirl’s gambit,” Sunset gasped.

It was Twilight’s turn to gasp. “This was Starswirl's?! This is amazing! I thought all his artefacts had been accounted for.”

“Indeed they were,” a deeper mare's voice intoned from outside on the veranda.

05 - Legend

Twilight froze. She knew that voice—it was Princess Celestia!

“Come and sit with me, and bring the knife with you, if you would, my dear,” she called, her voice soothing, like she was talking to her own foal. “Sunset, I would speak with her alone.”

“O-of course, Princess,” she said, a frown on her face as she gave humble bow towards the veranda. As she passed, Twilight was sure the temperature of the room had risen slightly.

“I had better be going anyway; my birdies are always chirping so,” Madam Crow said, rising to her hooves. “It’s been a pleasure, Twilight Sparkle. I’ll be sure to remember your name.”

Twilight swallowed dryly as the mare in black opened a passageway hidden behind a panel.

“Oh and Madam Crow,” Celestia called.

“Yes, Your Highness?” she replied, innocently.

“Take your bird with you.”

Twilight blinked as she noticed that the mare’s raven had vanished.

“Oh my, it appears I’ve been caught out,” she said, feigning shock. “Come along, Poe.”

There was a caw, and the raven fluttered down from above, landing on his mistress’ shoulder. “You ladies have a fun little chat now. It’s been a pleasure.”

With that, she was gone.

“Such a troublesome mare,” Celestia muttered. “Come along, my dear. I won’t bite.”

Trotting hesitantly out into the open air, she was confronted by a stunning view of the plains beyond, with the snaking blue of the river winding its way into the distance amongst the grassy plains and forests. From here, she could see columns of black smoke rising from the fires still raging in Ponyville and the surrounding orchards.

Sitting at a small table, with a dainty tea set laid out for two, was the Sun Princess herself. This close, Twilight could only marvel at the alicorn's beauty. Her alabaster coat was flawless, and her multicoloured mane and tail pulsed and shifted to their own rhythm. Her powerful wings sat at her sides, partially covering her cutie mark. She had a strange melancholic smile on her face as their eyes met.

“I used to enjoy the view out here,” Celestia said. “To see all I have made laid out before me. Now, it just reminds me of all I have lost.”

She let out a gentle chuckle, “Forgive the ramblings of an old mare. Come and sit. Would you like some tea?”

“I wouldn’t want to impose,” Twilight stammered.

“Nonsense,” she replied, pouring her a cup. “After dragging you up here, it's the least I could do. Let me take that from you.”

She effortlessly grasped the knife in a golden glow, hovering it before her as she poured the tea from the teapot. Her gaze drifted over the knife, her expression unreadable, before she laid it to rest on the table.

Twilight sat opposite the princess and shakily took a sip of her tea, the soft aroma working wonders on her nerves.

“I must commend you, Twilight. Not even my protege Sunset has ever succeeded in breaking one of Starswirl’s puzzles,” Celestia said. “You are exactly the mare I’ve been searching for.”

“M-me?” Twilight stammered.

“Indeed, you probably have a hundred questions, but let me first ask you one,” Celestia said. “What do you know of the Mare in the Moon?”

Twilight blinked, taken aback by her question, for every foal knew the answer. “Legend says the Mare in the Moon is the dark shadow of the Nightmare that you cast upon Moon, your highness.”

A tiny, almost imperceptible grimace appeared on Celestia’s face.

“Very good, but not entirely accurate,” Celestia began, “Allow me to tell you a story, my dear pony.” The alicorn took a breath before beginning. “Many thousands of years ago, the land was plagued by the vile wickedness of the Umbra.”

“They tormented ponykind, delighting in the suffering they wrought upon their prey. The ponies looked to the heavens for salvation, but the old gods forsook their children, save for two—the daughters of the Sun and Moon—who chose to stand with their mortal brethren.”

Celestia smiled slightly at Twilight’s gaping, wide-eyed expression.

“They fell upon the hated foe with the fury of the Sun and Moon. Yet, it was not enough; the Umbra were endless and possessed evil magics not easily overcome. Thus, the younger sister made a pact that would turn their own strength against them. Using her newfound power, she and her elder sister drove the beasts back into Tartarus.

“For long years, all was well; the sisters raised the sun and moon each day, and ponykind flourished.” Celestia paused, her expression darkening. “Yet, resentment grew within the younger sister’s heart, her sacrifices forgotten and ignored. Ponies shunned her night and embraced the light of the day. It reached a breaking point, one night, when she refused to lower the Moon. The dark magic of the Umbra had corrupted her heart. She had become a living Nightmare.

“The sisters clashed, the younger throwing all the power she had taken from the Umbra at elder sister and those who resisted her claim. She cared not whom she slew. She had become an animal, existing only to butcher and destroy. In desperation, the elder sister consulted with the most powerful mage in the land to create a spell—one that would put an end to her sister's rampage. A trap was set, and the spell was cast, ripping her sister’s dark soul from her body and casting it upon the Moon. Thus, she became the Mare in the Moon, and the elder sister, torn by grief, entombed her sister's remains in a place only she could find.”

Twilight was silent, trying to process what Celestia had just told her. Celestia’s sister was the Nightmare in the old foals’ tales! She had banished her own sister, and ponykind had forgotten about it, casting it into myth.

“But it was not over. For you see, in the mage’s final words, he told the elder sister: ‘The chains that bind the Nightmare can be undone, for the stars covet their blessed child. On the night of the blood moon, the spell can be unravelled; one only has to follow the signs and be willing to pay the price.’

“And do you know what happens this very night?”

Twilight gasped, jumping to her hooves. “You can’t be serious!” she blurted out before catching herself, “um, Your Highness.”

“Indeed, you will travel to my sister’s tomb and awaken her from her slumber,” Celestia said. “She is our last card to play.”

“But there must be another…” Twilight began.

“There is no other way,” Celestia interrupted, her voice hardening. “I can protect Canterlot but not the ponies within. We cannot survive a prolonged siege. This must be done.”

“Surely there is somepony else, um, more qualified for such a task?” Twilight asked, absently pouring another cup of tea and gulping it down in one go.

“There is nopony else. You were the only one to succeed,” Celestia said, rising to her hooves. “Now, I suggest you go and prepare. Your brother and a small squad will escort you to the tomb in the Everfree Forest.”

“O-out there? Your Highness, I’m just a archivist. I can’t do this,” Twilight whimpered, cringing before the Sun Princess.

“But still you shall, my little pony. This is war. We must all do our part,” Celestia said, her motherly tone lost, replaced by the cold dispassion of a ruler.

“But the Umbra…”

“Do not fear, you will be well protected. My knights will take the field to provide you a distraction.”

Celestia moved to leave, motioning her to follow. “Come, I must assemble my pieces for this final gambit. Oh, and bring the knife with you—you’ll need it.”

“Oh fiddlesticks,” Twilight cringed before trotting after her.

06 - Malice

Sunset Shimmer trotted carefully down the narrow passageway that led deep inside Canterlot mountain. The soft light from enchanted torches that lined her path created mesmerizing patterns in the mountain's crystalline walls. The soft rumble of the waterfall running off the mountain echoed through the passage, the noise growing in volume the deeper she went. Moisture clung to the walls and steps, making her tread carefully, lest she trip and fall. Arriving with a broken neck at the bottom of the passage would be preferable to the mocking she would receive, having tripped over herself on the way down.

Her thoughts lingered on that mare who had breezed through Starswirl’s gambit like it was nothing. Sunset had never felt so humiliated in her life! She was the Knight Commander and the princess’ personal protege, and yet Celestia had just swept her aside like a common servant, in favor of this, this archivist!

Eventually, the passage opened out into a vast cavern, covered in jagged white stalactites. To one side was a tunnel that streamed daylight from outside, filtered through the water thundering from above. On the other side, a rough podium had been cut into the bedrock that dominated the cavern. Sitting upon it was a enormous pile of gems of every size and colour, taller than a two storey house. Such was the value gathered here it could have funded the war effort for months.

Yet the one she had come to see was missing.

“Commander Shimmer!” came an angry shout, and a green earth pony stallion with a darker seaweed coloured mane trotted up to her. “I’ve had it! No more!” He tossed his leather apron to the floor.

Sunset frowned, “Shamrock, just calm down and tell me what happened.”

“That beast tried to eat me again!” he huffed, his voice a strange mixture of angry and terrified. “He’s always looking at me like I’m a snack.”

“Malice!” Sunset called. “Is this true?”

The mountain of gems shifted, revealing a row of lime-green spines, emerging from the pile like a row of shark fins. They slithered along until the scarred purple snout of an enormous wyrm emerged from the pile. Smoke billowed from its nostrils as it tilted its head to eye them both with a baleful green eye the size of a shield.

“Is what true?” came a male voice that rumbled through the cavern like an earthquake.

“That you tried to eat him?” she said, looking comical facing down such a beast.

“Tried and sadly failed,” he said, his voice sounding mournful. “Alas, he was too quick for me.”

Shamrock bolted for the passageway leading up and out, wailing as he ran.

“Damn it, Malice,” Sunset fumed, “That’s the third stablecolt you’ve tried to eat in as many months.”

He rumbled a chuckle, black smoke snorting into her angry face. “I cannot survive on gems alone, mistress. You keep me trapped here for too long; my fangs ache for the taste of flesh.”

“But he was the best one we’ve had. He was actually competent!” she huffed, with an exasperated sigh.

The wyrm let out a bellowing laugh, “In more ways than one, it seems. Sometimes, I wonder if you get these stallions more to service your own needs than mine.”

Sunset looked away, trying to hide her blush. “I don’t know what you mean.”

Malice grinned, revealing his maw of sword-length teeth. “These tunnels do carry sound, you know. There’s nothing worse than the echo of your amative moans assaulting my ears. Disgusting.”

Sunset felt her cheeks burning hot.

“I do wish you would go someplace else to have a stallion blow away your cobwebs.”

“That’s enough!” she hissed, her horn glowing a bright red.

The wyrm cringed slightly, but his smile remained. “You ponies have no sense of humour.”

“I didn’t come here to bandy words with you,” she said, the glow from her horn fading. “Tonight, we go to war.”

A gasp rose from him. He emerged completely from the pile to his full terrifying height, the sound of shifting gems cascading around him like a thousand panes of shattering glass. “At last, I will be free of this damp prison! Where must we go, mistress?”

“Ponyville. The Celestial Knights will assault the infestation there,” she said, levitating a heavy leather saddle over from a small wooden hut that was nestled in the corner of the cavern.

His tail flicked, rising from the gems like a breaching whale. “Ponyville? Why must we fight over a pile of ash? War is not exciting without an audience.”

“Are my knights not a sufficient audience for you?” she asked, her eyes narrowing.

“They die too quickly,” he sighed, flopping back down onto his bed of gems. “Why do you taunt me with such false promises? If I wanted to watch you ponies die pointlessly, I could just wait here for the Umbra to come. At least I would have snacks.”

“The Princess has ordered us,” she said, feeling her irritation grow.

“So? The coward chooses to sacrifice us for her vanity then?” he snapped.

With that, he found his head grasped in a red glow and slammed against the floor. “I suggest you remember whom it is you are speaking of!”

“Forgive me, mistress,” he said without the slightest hint of sincerity. “But it is a waste of our potential, is it not?”

Her tail flicked, the thought of wasting her soldiers’ lives for the sake of some runt fool’s errand causing her anger to rise. Did Celestia have so little faith in her?

“You think so too, I see,” he said.

“You’ve been cooped up here for too long. You’re imagining things,” she said as she mounted the saddle onto his muscular neck.

“Am I? Do I detect a sliver of doubt in your mighty princess?” he asked, his tail swishing from side to side in the gem pile.

“Enough. You want war? You want blood? There will be plenty of both before this night is through,” she growled before tilting her head. “Besides, should you survive, you’ll have a front row seat for the spectacle.”

One of his eye ridges rose, “Oh?”

“You are not the only monster being unleashed tonight.”

07 - Luna

Twilight gazed at the carpet of text laid out before her and rubbed her temples with a hoof. She wasn’t sure just how much time had passed since Celestia had enlisted her for this task, but it felt like hours. The light of day was shifting towards evening.

Once they had left the veranda, the Sun Princess had led her into what seemed to be her private archive. It had a domed ceiling that was lined with small windows at its base, filling the room with light. A large well-organised desk dominated the room while pristine books lined a great number of shelves. Twilight had never seen so many ultra rare, first-edition books in one place. She may have even squeed a little out loud.

Celestia had summoned four books from the shelves—all the original copies of Starswirl the Bearded’s works. Despite the situation, Twilight couldn’t help feeling a bit giddy. These were books penned by the greatest mage of the age! What scholar wouldn’t be thrilled at the opportunity?

“I want you to familiarise yourself with these volumes,” Celestia had told her. “Somepony will collect you when it is time. I suggest you do not try to flee your duty, my little pony. Philomena has a particular distaste for cowards.”

Twilight had never seen a real phoenix in the flesh, but she had read enough about them to know not to mess with them. The bird sat on its perch, its plumage a bloody red tinged with orange towards its wings. Its hooked beak looked more than capable of rending flesh and bone, as did the long talons. While it seemed disinterested in Twilight’s work, she was not willing to test Celestia’s warning.

So she had gotten to work. This was something she had plenty of experience in, and it helped distract her from her predicament. As she read, she sank deeper into a familiar peaceful calm.

The books were fascinating reading, covering some of the most advanced arcane diagrams she had ever seen. Everything he and Celestia had done to trap the Nightmare had been meticulously recorded. Here also were parts of the incantations and rituals needed to reverse it. They were dark ceremonies indeed, calling upon powers that had only been alluded to in the forbidden section of the archives.

Her eyes drifted to the knife she had recovered from Starswirl’s orb. This was a piece of the puzzle for certain, and she did not like the implications of it.

Yet there were gaps here and there that frustrated her. The floor was scattered with her attempts to find solutions which were constantly thwarted. She had a feeling the answers were only going to be found at the tomb itself.

The tomb of the Nightmare. The very idea of travelling there was terrifying. She had barely explored beyond her archive, let alone gone beyond Canterlot’s walls. Now, she was going into Umbra controlled territory, into the Everfree no less. She had calculated the odds of her surviving the night several times; the results were not promising. This was not even counting the fact they were going to be summoning a vengeful demi-goddess who had nearly brought Equestria into eternal night. Her odds deceased even more with each passing thought.

Death with a probability of dismemberment. Everything was going swell.

So much time had passed that she was sure the feathered sentinel watching her had fallen asleep. Philomena’s head had lowered to her breast, and her eyes were closed.

Twilight rose to her hooves and stretched her legs. The instant she did, the bird’s eyes flicked open, those burning red orbs locking onto her.

“I’m not going anywhere,” she assured in a trembling voice. “I just need a break.”

Philomena eyed her for a moment before settling back to sleep again.

Hmmm, add possible incineration to the list, Twilight mused morbidly.

Her eyes drifted across the room, settling upon a painting that had been covered over, hidden away in an alcove. It was the only sign of decoration in the otherwise spartan room. She had noticed it a while back, and her curiosity had only grown over time. Trotting over, she stared up at it with trepidation. Judging from the thick coat of dust, it had not been moved in a long time.

A quick peek wouldn’t harm anypony, would it? Gingerly, she lifted the sheet off, keeping an eye on Philomena as she did so.

She was taken aback by what she found underneath. Standing in a proud pose that one might expect from a general surveying a battlefield, was another alicorn mare. Despite being told that Celestia did indeed have a sister, Twilight was not prepared to actually see her.

She was beautiful, much like her sister, but her features were more strongly defined. Those cyan eyes had such a fearsome stare, Twilight had to look away out of instinct. Her coat was a very dark blue, the half-crescent moon on her flank outlined by a black splotch, like ink had been spilt on her rather shapely, toned flanks. Her mane was a starscape which seemed to contain the very night sky within it. She was truly a goddess, like her sister.

Twilight looked down to see an engraving on the painting’s frame, it read simply: Luna.

“What are you doing?” A sharp voice snapped Twilight from her musing. She looked over to see Celestia looming over her, eyes narrowed into a murderous glare.

“Oh, forgive me, Your Highness!” Twilight cried, dropping to her knees. “I was taking a break and noticed this painting, and it was nagging at me and distracting me from my studies, so I thought I’d take a peek, so I could get back to work and…” she took a breath in, “I’m sorry.”

Celestia glared at her for a moment before her expression softened. “I suppose I cannot blame you for being curious.” She looked over to Philomena, “I expected better of you, young lady.”

Philomena mewed softly, fluffing her wings.

“This is…” Twilight began.

“Yes,” Celestia replied, “I have not looked upon her in a long time. It…” she hesitated, “stirs painful memories.”

Gently, she placed the sheet back onto the frame.

“If she returns, what will you do?” Twilight asked, her voice a solemn whisper.

“In truth, I do not know. There is much bad blood between us,” she said, her ears flattening. “I wish things could return to how they were, before she changed.”

Celestia let out a sigh. “It is a foolish dream. But it is one I have clung to all these years.” She blinked, shaking her head. “It’s funny, I have not spoken of her so much in a long time. Perhaps it is because I may soon meet her face to face, once again.”

“Will she help us?”

Celestia chuckled mirthlessly. “If there is a certainty in this world, it is that my sister always despised the Umbra. She will fight them, of that I am sure.”

“And after?”

Celestia stayed silent for a moment, gazing into the white sheet. When she finally spoke, her voice was cold and stern. “If she will not see reason, I will return her to the earth.”

“But...”

Celestia turned and trotted away. “It is time. All our preparations have been made. What progress have you had?”

“Oh! I understand the fundamentals of his work, but pieces are missing,” Twilight said, trotting to catch up with her.

“Yes, the final pieces lie within the tomb itself,” Celestia said, looking over her notes with satisfaction. “Excellent work. Come, your escort is prepared.”

Celestia gathered the books and knife in the golden glow of her magic and trotted towards the door.

“We’re taking those with us?” Twilight gasped. Those were first editions; they were priceless!

“I suspect you will need them before the night is through,” she said. “Come, your team awaits. Oh and Philomena,” she called to the sheepish phoenix, “No mice tonight for you.”

The phoenix let out a mournful squawk and gave Twilight a murderous glare.

“I’m sorry!” she said. “I’ll make it up to you if we meet again.”

If I’m still alive.

08 - Preparation

The journey down into the depths of Canterlot castle was a quiet one for Twilight and Celestia. After their brief talk in her study, she had fallen silent, a heavy frown on her face as she breezed through the comings and goings of the castle proper. Nobles and dignitaries flocked to the princess’ side, but she brushed them off with a brisk apology.

Twilight felt she had seen another side of the princess since this whole mess started. Before, Celestia was so far above her she could never have hoped to understand her. She was a living goddess whose power could move the heavens. A monarch and general whose very will was all that held the shattered nations together.

Yet, Twilight had seen something beneath that hard outer shell the princess had built around herself. She had been forced to banish her own sister and then live a life facing the consequences of her actions for millennia. Now, with the prospect of the two meeting once more, she was faced with the real possibility of history repeating itself, and it clearly hurt her.

Despite Celestia being the architect of her current misfortune, Twilight could not help but pity the mare.

They arrived at a large chamber in the bowels of the castle's keep. Even with Twilight’s limited magical senses, she could feel power emanating from deep underground. It felt old, far older than the castle that had been build over it. This was something ancient, from perhaps before ponykind even existed.

A large arcane diagram had been etched into the ground and marked with blue powder. As they trotted across, Twilight began to see markings she recognised in the smooth granite floor.

This place was a giant teleportation chamber! She had read about them being used by unicorn mage covens in ancient times to pass about unseen. Such things required enormous amounts of magical energy to power.

This explains the power I felt, she mused to herself, It must be drawing energy from ley lines beneath Canterlot!

“Squad, Attention!” a familiar stallion’s voice called out, making her nearly jump out of her skin.

To one side of the chamber, eleven armour-clad ponies had gathered. There looked to be an even mix of the three tribes gathered for the mission, scrambling to attention as the princess approached. Each bore the same grimly determined expression, their eyes having a distant, unsettling intensity.

They all stood at attention, hooves coming down in a unified stomp as Celestia approached.

“Be at ease, my ponies,” Celestia said.

Twilight felt her spirits rise as Shining Armour emerged from the ranks to give Celestia a salute.

“Captain Armour, is the squad to your liking?” she asked, giving him a brief nod in return.

“Yes, Your Highness,” he replied, his gaze softening as his eyes fell upon his sister. “I know most of these ponies personally or by reputation. I couldn’t have asked for a better unit.”

“Good, this mission demands the best. Now, please assist Miss Sparkle in donning her armour,” she said. “I trust the armourers were able to adjust a suit to her size?”

“Um armour, your highness?” Twilight asked nervously.

Celestia tilted her head to look at her. “Of course, you are the most vital part of the mission. You must be protected. Go with the captain; he will see you are outfitted. I must prepare the portal for your journey.”

She nodded, feeling her stomach tighten as her fear began to resurface.

“How are you feeling?” Shining asked softly.

“A strange mix of giddiness and absolute terror,” she joked, though it was disturbingly accurate nonetheless.

“At least you have your sense of humour,” he said as they trotted over to an armour stand where her suit of barding lay. “Hold still while I put this on you. Just relax—deep breaths.”

There was nothing fancy or elaborate about it, a suit of padding followed by a vest of chainmail so heavy it that nearly made her legs buckle. Shining smirked at her discomfort as he attached a set of banded metal greaves onto her legs. Then came a set of saddlebags that had been loaded with Starswirl’s books and everything else they might need.

“There’s a map of the tomb in your saddlebags. We all had one prepared for us so finding our way should be easy.”

“So are you going to carry me into battle or am I going to crawl?” Twilight grumbled, fighting to simply stay standing.

Shining smiled. “Oh don’t worry, you’ll be able to move just fine.”

He levitated a small green emerald and attached it into a slot in her armour’s chest piece. The effect was instantaneous; a tiny pulse of magic, and the oppressive weight of the armour simply vanished. Shining grinned at her astonished expression as she made some test jumps.

“A transmutation spell,” she murmured, “fascinating.”

“Glad it’s to your liking,” he said before levitating over an ornate box. Upon opening it, she found a small amulet of gold with a red ruby at its centre surrounded by runes. The box had at least ten additional empty grooves, showing this amulet as the last of a set.

“Put this on.”

“What is it?” she asked, levitating it over and placing it around her neck.

“Celestia prepared these for us. The Everfree is meant to protect the tomb from any intruders trying to reach it. These amulets should let us pass through the woods unmolested,” he assured, levitating his own to show her.

“First the Umbra, now pony-eating plant life,” she muttered. “This day just keeps getting better and better.”

“You’ll be fine. We’ll be right there with you, sis,” he said, placing a hoof on her shoulder. “Just don’t be calling me any embarrassing nicknames while we’re out there. I’ve got a reputation to uphold.”

“I’ll do my best, B.B.B.F.F.” she said with a sly grin.

Suddenly, the slamming of a door caught everypony’s attention, and all eyes turned towards the offender. Standing there was a cyan coated pegasus mare with the most vibrant rainbow-coloured mane Twilight had ever seen poking out of her leather helm. She looked to be close to Twilight’s age, her eyes lacking that hard edge of the older ponies in the squad. Streams of sweat ran down her brow, and she was panting like she’d just done the Running of the Leaves three or four times.

Shining Armour’s expression darkened. “Wait here, I’ll deal with this.”

He trotted over to the mare, who grinned eagerly before he pulled her away out of earshot. From their expressions, it seemed the mare’s arrival was as unexpected as it was unwelcome.

“Somepony is in trouble,” a flat voice from behind Twilight spoke out of nowhere, nearly making her jump a second time. Standing there was the pink earth pony mare that she’d seen earlier in the day. The newcomer tilted her head with an eerie smile. “You’re awfully jumpy.”

“Oh, you’re the mare from earlier… Pinkamena, wasn’t it?” Twilight stammered, offering a hoof. “I’m Twilight Sparkle. It’s, um, nice to meet you.”

“You remembered! Most ponies forget right away,” Pinkamena said, eagerly shaking her hoof with such force it nearly pulled Twilight’s shoulder from its socket.

“Did they draft you in too?” Twilight asked, snatching her hoof away before she did any permanent damage.

“Oh no! They asked and I volunteered,” the pink mare grinned.

“Y-you volunteered?” Twilight gasped.

“They needed a pony that could shift rocks, and me and my sisters are good at shifting rocks. I’m good but not as good as my sister Maud,” Pinkamena babbled, continuing to talk long after any normal pony would have run out of breath.

“Uh huh,” Twilight said with a frown, eyeing with concern the mare’s practically bare body. “Aren’t you going to wear any armour?”

“Oh I don’t need any,” she said. “I’d just end up breaking it if I wore any. When I go loopy, lots of things tend to break.”

“O-oh,” Twilight said. “T-that’s good to know.”

“Yepperoni,” she grinned. “Don’t worry, I only break bad things.”

“G-great!”

I’m dead. I’m so very dead.

Twilight’s consternation was interrupted by raised voices coming from the direction of Shining Armour and the newly arrived mare.

“You’re not coming with us and that’s final!” Shining snarled. Twilight had never heard him sound so angry.

“Please, sir,” the rainbow maned mare begged. “I can help you. I know I can. Don’t leave me behind like this.”

There was such desperation in her voice, did she not know how dangerous this was going to be?

“You could die, Rainbow.” Shining said, his anger fading into concern.

“Everypony is doing something, and I’m just sitting here.” Her voice dropped and ears flattened as she scuffed the ground with a hoof. “Please, sir, whether I stay or go, I’m dead either way. You know that. I can do this. Just give me a chance.”

Shining was about to speak but clamped his mouth shut. His ears flattened for a moment and he shook his head, “Fine, but you do what I say, when I say it.” He looked over to Celestia. “With your permission, Your Highness.”

“I trust your judgement, Captain.” Celestia said, with a nod, before she turned and began working on the teleportation circle.

He levitated out his Everfree amulet and gently placed it around the pegasus’ neck. “Take this, you’ll need it when we hit the Everfree. Now, fall in, Private.”

The mare looked at the amulet for a second then back at Shining, a slight blush on her cheeks. Then, she straightened herself. “Yes sir! Thank you, sir!” she practically shouted, her smile beaming as she trotted over to join the others. Some gave her narrow-eyed looks of disgust and distrust in equal measure, but most simply turned their backs on her.

“Alright, everypony gather round,” Shining Armour said, motioning for Twilight to join him at the head of the group. “This is Twilight Sparkle. She’s a specialist that is vital to our mission. She must arrive at our destination safely, even if it costs us all our lives.”

There was a silence as everypony's eyes fixed on her; Pinkamena grinned, the cyan pegasus just scowled, and the rest gave her a mixture of encouraging and uninterested looks.

“Permission to speak, sir,” a tall earth pony mare with sea-grey coat asked.

“Go ahead, Corporal Ocean Breeze,” Shining said.

“We’re already watching a civvy, so don’t you think having Rainbow Crash here along for the ride is asking a bit much?” the mare asked, giving the cyan pegasus a dirty look.

There were sniggers from a few of the other ponies present.

The cyan mare’s ears were pinned back, and she seemed to wilt, her lip quivering slightly.

“Are you doubting my judgement, Corporal?” Shining Armour snapped, getting almost snout to snout with her. As big as she was, he was bigger. “Private Rainbow Dash had the courage to at least volunteer, unlike some ponies.”

Twilight winced reflexively even though she knew the accusation hadn’t been directed at her.

“This is going to be hard enough without you picking fights. So let me make one thing clear. If I hear any more of your yakshit, Corporal, I’ll beat you down so hard your foals’ll be spitting out your teeth, are we clear?”

The mare straightened, eyeing him dangerously before she looked away. “Yes, sir.”

“Are we clear?!” he repeated.

“Crystal, sir!” she replied, giving him a salute.

“Alright, grab your gear. We teleport in five minutes.”

Twilight stood with her mouth agape at her brother’s actions. It was like watching a stranger moving around in her brother’s body. He turned to face her, that hard stare softening as their eyes met.

He trotted up to her, causing her to take a step back. “Are you okay?”

“I,” she hesitated, afraid of his reaction. “Y-yes, I’m fine.”

His brow furrowed, “Are you sure?”

“Yes,” she assured, though she really wasn’t. “All this is just a little overwhelming for me.”

“It can seem rough to an outsider, but little arguments like that are everyday life for a pony in the Guard,” he said.

“Remind me never to enlist,” she said.

He gave her a pat on her shoulder before returning to the others.

In the corner of her eye, she caught Rainbow Dash giving her a death glare. Twilight could only frown at the mare, who continued staring at her, her tail swishing.

Great, first that crazy pink mare and now a rainbow pegasus with a chip on her shoulder. This just keeps getting better and better.

“So this is the great Twilight Sparkle, eh Captain?” a mare’s voice asked, breaking her out of her thoughts. Standing beside her brother was light grey unicorn mare with black speckled across her coat, her snow white mane mostly hidden under an impressive looking helmet.

“Oh, hello,” Twilight said sheepishly.

The mare grinned. “Your brother has never stopped talking about you, ever. I hope you live up to the hype.”

“Oh really?” Twilight said, looking to Shining, who was scratching the back of his neck.

“Really,” she said, giving Shining a nudge. “If you’re as wicked smart as he says you are, then getting this done shouldn’t take long.”

Shining blushed slightly and sighed. “This is Meadow Grass. We’ve served together for years. She should be getting ready for our mission.”

“Way ahead of you,” she said with a grin, levitating a hoof-long iron stake from a quiver at her sides. “Brummbar’s getting the rest.” She gestured over to a massive dark brown earth pony stallion, hulking a terrifyingly large warhammer about like it was nothing. “Hey Brum, come and meet Shining’s sister.”

The earth pony trotted over, each hoofstep so heavy Twilight felt a slight tremor as he walked. He towered over them all by a good head in height, even Shining Armour.

“It’s nice to meet you, Miss Sparkle,” he said in an impossibly deep voice. “Don’t worry about a thing; we’ll protect you like you were our own kin.”

“She might as well be, given how much Shining has told us.” Meadow laughed.

It was Twilight’s turn to blush now.

“Everypony, the spell has been prepared,” Celestia called, the spell circle in the ground now having picked up a gentle glow.

“You heard the princess, everypony in the circle!” Shining barked.

They all gathered around in a circle, putting Twilight in the centre. It was a bit irritating because she really wanted to see the spell being cast, and now everypony was in the way. She could already feel the buildup of power in the air, the faint taste of ozone now becoming more apparent.

“This will place you not far from the ruins of the old castle. Good luck, my ponies. The fate of Equestria is in your hooves,” Celestia said, the runes at their hooves beginning to burn brightly now. “You may feel some disorientation when you rematerialise.”

“How much dis—arghh!” Twilight cried as the world melted away in a flash of blinding light.

09 - Diversion

The moon slowly clawed its way into the clear night sky, its normally pleasant silver now a bloody iridescent red.

“Hmm, how apt,” Sunset commented, gazing upwards from atop Malice as he lumbered forward. She had never put much credence in the myth of the Nightmare, dismissing it as an old mare’s tale meant to frighten foals into behaving. Looking up into the Mare in the Moon, she still found it hard to believe that this creature could soon be walking amongst them. The thought disgusted her. To think they would have to stoop so low.

A soft wind whipped through her mane, making her shiver in her armour. She was somewhat glad to be out in the field once more, away from the squalor of Canterlot and its deluded peasantry.

The insipid sermons of Cadenza M’Amore of Celestia’s Mercy Chapel were beginning to chip away at her patience. This was not the time for the kind words of naive priests. This was a time for action. The war was not going to be won by singing songs and holding hooves.

“We have arrived,” Malice rumbled, coming to rest atop a small rise. There was a clatter of metal behind them as the column of her knights came to a halt.

Ahead lay the ruins of Ponyville.

The fires had burnt themselves out by now, leaving only blackened frames and scorched earth in their wake. The scent of burnt wood and ash still lingered in the air around them. Sunset was glad that they were attacking by night; seeing the destruction in daylight would have been too much to bear.

“What a dump,” Malice sneered.

“Ponies recently died here—you should show more respect,” she said.

“Dead is dead. The crows care not who you were when they pick your bones,” Malice retorted, shaking his head.

“We are feeling optimistic tonight, aren’t we?” she asked.

“I should have stayed in my gem pile.”

With a gesture of her hoof, the column wordlessly began to form its battleline. A wedge of a thousand armoured knights took shape with her and Malice at its tip. They all waited anxiously for the order to advance.

“Let’s wake our foe up, shall we?” she said with a grim smile. Her horn lit up, enveloping her in a crimson aura and lifting her into the air above Malice’s head.

“Oh blessed mother, daughter of the sun, hear my prayer,” she began, power coursing through her body as arcane circles appeared before her horn. “I, your chosen, call upon your might. Let your cleansing light burn your enemies to dust! Solis Incendium!”

A beam of searing sunlight pierced the gloom of night as it burst forth from her horn, the backblast knocking her backwards with its force. The beam lanced across the buildings, causing the whole outskirts of Ponyville to explode in a maelstrom of dirt and flame. The ground shook and Malice planted himself as a shockwave raced across the land. The roar of the fire was deafening, and a harsh wind swept through her knights’ ranks as the fire drew more air into itself.

A cheer rose from the gathered ranks as she landed back onto her saddle. Hooves stomped and whinnies rippled through the multitude of knights.

“Show off,” Malice muttered as chunks of charred earth began to fall all around them.

“Oh hush,” she smirked, before looking back to her soldiers.

“Come! Let us drive these beasts back to the shadow! For the glory of the Sun Princess!” She drew Lightbringer from its sheath, pointing forward.

“For the Sun Princess! Helios Aeternum!” came the cry of a thousand voices in response.

Malice let out a bellowing roar and lunged forward, ripping wads of earth from the ground with his claws. Behind him, her knights began to move in a slow trot, which quickly sped up into a full blown gallop. The ground shook and a deep rumble thundered across the field under thousands of armoured hoof falls.

She did not need some monster from story books or a peasant runt to win this war. She would win it with her own strength and that of her knights.

By night’s end, she would make sure that her mentor got the message.

10 - Everfree

Twilight landed face first onto the soft earth as she rematerialised with a pop. Her stomach was lurching, and the whole world was spinning.

“Urggh,” she groaned, trying to steady herself as she stared into the thick grass at her hooves.

She looked over to see that most of the others were already on their hooves. Most were groaning or looking queasy, so she at least didn’t feel too embarrassed about feeling sick.

Pinkamena was sprawled on her back chuckling to herself. “Oooo tingly.”

I’m glad somepony is enjoying themselves. Twilight grimaced.

They had landed in a rough clearing in the thick woods that had been carved out by the teleportation spell’s arrival.

Twilight had never seen such thick forest before, being only familiar with the parks of Canterlot. There were so many species of plant she didn’t recognise!

They were bathed in an odd red glow, and Twilight gasped as she looked up to see the bloody moon hanging there in the sky. She had read about it in astronomical texts numerous times, but seeing it for real was amazing. The rational part of her mind had already given her a dozen scientific explanations for what was happening. Yet, the instinct-driven primitive pony inside could only feel a terrible sense of dread gazing up at it.

“Alright, everypony,” Shining called out. “Shake it off. We have to get moving. Fleeting Wind, Whirlwind, scout out the path ahead of us.”

“Yes, sir!” Came the reply.

“Nice landing, Rainbow Crash,” Ocean Breeze sniggered, looking to the poor pegasus that had landed face first in a muddy bog. “Living up to your name, I see. You should get back in the gutter where you belong.”

Rainbow Dash simply stared into the mud, her teeth clenched and her whole body quivering.

Twilight was about to come to her aid when Shining Armour brushed past her, trotting purposefully over to Rainbow.

“Ocean Breeze, I hope you remember our chat,” he said sternly. “You’re on point.”

“Best place to be, sir!” Ocean Breeze grinned, smirking at the fallen pegasus as she went.

Shining trotted up to Rainbow and offered her a hoof. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah I’m fine, Sh- sir!” Rainbow stuttered, adjusting her helmet.

“Glad to hear. Stay close to Twilight from here on. I want to keep my eye on both of you,” he said, looking over to Twilight as he did so.

Rainbow snorted, “I’m not like some foal that needs to be coddled.”

“Rainbow, that’s not—”

“Forget it,” she huffed, picking her spear out of the mud. “I know how things stand now.”

She trotted towards Twilight with an angry frown on her face. “Move it, egghead. We’re holding everypony up.”

Twilight was about to say something when a loud explosion echoed through the forest, making them both dive for cover. Birds launched themselves into the air from their roosts as a column of smoke rose up over the trees. Ghastly yells and screams rang through the forest.

“What in Celestia’s name was that?” Twilight exclaimed, looking to Rainbow, who looked just as fearful as she did.

“That,” Shining said, looking towards the fire, “was Sunset Shimmer and her knights. Which means we need to move.”

They scrambled to their hooves, Rainbow Dash blushing brightly as Shining looked on. She shoved passed Twilight and trotted away to join the others.

“She doesn’t seem to like me much,” Twilight commented, brushing herself off.

“Try not to take it to heart. She just has a lot of pride in her, that’s all,” he said as they trotted forward.

“She really looks up to you.”

“I just gave her the encouragement she needed,” he said with a shrug. “Sometimes, all a pony needs is a helping hoof.”

Twilight smiled warmly at him, “You’re a good pony, Shining.”

They pushed on into the thick forest in a rough column. The earth pony soldiers formed a makeshift cordon around Twilight while a unicorn stood beside them, providing light from his horn. The pegasi patrolled the perimeter, keeping out of the light as much as possible to preserve their night vision. Rainbow trotted beside Twilight in silence while Pinkamena was to the rear, humming to herself.

The sounds of fighting had drifted off, though the occasional explosion could be heard in the distance. Sunset Shimmer and her knights were evidently putting up quite a fight.

The amulets they had been given were working hard to keep the forest at bay. Twilight had never seen such aggressive looking flora, some big enough to swallow a pony whole. What’s more, the forest was reacting more to their presence the closer they got to their goal.

So far, they hadn’t encountered any Umbra. Shining assured her that the fighting in Ponyville would be drawing every one of the beasts within twenty miles straight to it.

There was a flutter of wings, and their head scout, Fleeting Wind, returned once more. The dark-green mare would continue to return like clockwork after making sweeps of the path up ahead. Her reports had a comforting confidence that Twilight found reassuring, given their surroundings.

"Captain, I can see ruins on the other side of a narrow ravine. It looks like this is the place,” she said, tilting her ears as something caught her attention.

She relaxed slightly as a bird fluttered away. “We should be a—”

Her words were cut off as a blur of motion flicked across her, Then… her head just wasn't there anymore.

Everypony just stood in silence as her body hung there, blood spurting from its neck as her severed head tumbled to the ground. Her body finally lost its battle against the inevitable and fell twitching to the ground, her blood rapidly pooling around her.

“Holy shit!” Ocean Breeze cried as another scream pierced the night. They all spun to see the pegasus on their right was simply gone, his panicked, desperate howls of terror echoing through the forest before ending in a strangled, wet gurgling cry.

‘Form up!” Shining barked, “Protect Twilight at all costs!”

The remaining pegasi took to the air, but one hesitated for a split second. A black form leapt from the night onto the mare's back, sending her tumbling to the ground.

From the inky blackness, a maw of yellow teeth emerged and sank deeply into the mare’s flight muscles. She screamed, writhing, desperately reaching out for her comrades’ aid. With a gut-wrenching yank, it tore the mare's wing off before biting and ripping into her back. Her dying screams were lost in the creature’s frenzied howls as it tore her body apart.

Everypony seemed transfixed as the nightmarish shape rose from the still-twitching mare, gore dripping from its muzzle. Its flesh was almost jet black, seemingly made of a boiling shadow. Vaguely pony-shaped, its legs were long and slender, ending in vicious claws. It gave them a baleful glare through its burning white eyes, flexing its massive jaws.

Even the forest seemed to recoil from this nightmare made flesh. The grass around it shrivelled and died at the merest waft of the miasma boiling off it.

Rainbow Dash was trembling next to Twilight, her mouth hanging open in a mixture of shock and unbridled terror. The spear gripped in her forelegs was visibly shaking.

Twilight was locked in place, her mind screaming at her to run but her body refusing to cooperate. Her scream had died on her lips as she stared into those burning eyes that promised her only a painful death. She barely noticed the warm trickle running down her hind legs.

An Umbra! A real Umbra! Oh sweet Celestia, I have to run! Why can't I move?

The Umbra let out a chittering roar and launched itself at the nearest pony.

Ocean Breeze and Brummbar charged forward to meet it, she drawing a long sword and he clutching his warhammer.

He made a wide sweep, hoping to swat the beast as it came forward. The Umbra simply leapt over his swing, the warhammer exploding a nearby tree into splinters with the force of the impact.

Before the Umbra could touch down, Ocean Breeze drove her sword deep into the beast's chest, knocking it down onto soft earth. She twisted her blade within the Umbra, making it shriek in pain, its legs gouging up wads of dirt as it flailed. She pulled her blade upwards and tore it from the Umbra's torso, sending its black blood splattering against the undergrowth.

“Not so easy, eh, Asshole?!” Ocean Breeze yelled at the crumpled form.

Twilight felt breath leave her body for the first time in what seemed like a long time. They had killed it!

Brummbar moved to bring his hammer down on the beast, but before he could, a clawed swipe raked against his armour, knocking him back in a shower of sparks.

The thing was still alive!

It was impossible. Ocean Breeze’s blow would have killed any pony, yet this thing was shaking it off like it was nothing.

Brummbar jumped back as it staggered to its feet once more.

“Won’t stay down, eh? I’ve got something for ya!” Ocean Breeze grinned, moving forward again.

“Ocean Breeze, no!” Brummbar yelled, trying to stop the mare’s advance.

She aimed her longsword down for another blow, but this time, the Umbra was ready. Slivers of needle-like black shards shot from its back, slicing into the charging earth pony. Most ricocheted off her armour, but one slammed into the eye slit of her helmet. She cried out, reaching instinctively for her eye and stumbled, carried into the waiting Umbra by her momentum. With barely an effort, it sliced off her extended foreleg nearly at the shoulder with an upward swipe of its claws.

She fell to the ground, screaming, blood streaming from her severed leg as she writhed on the ground.

“Fuck! Fuck! Fuuuck!” the mare screamed.

“Brummbar, get down!” Meadow Grass shouted, pulling five stakes from her quiver and telekinetically launching them towards the Umbra. The other unicorns followed suit, filling the air with projectiles and spellfire alike.

Soon, they no longer needed their light spells to see, for the forest was alight with fires lit from their spell beams.

The Umbra leapt away from the fallen mare, stakes and spells slamming and exploding into the nearby trees. Several struck the beast mid jump, driving into its flesh but still not slowing it down.

Nothing could survive those hits, yet it just kept going. It bobbed and weaved through the fire as it constantly attempted to return to its wounded prize.

“Hastam!” Shining’s voice roared, and a searing white bolt slammed into the beast, spearing it through the stomach and nearly driving it through a tree. It hung there, thrashing and grasping at them all before the light faded from its eyes and it fell limp.

“Nice shot, sir!” Meadow Grass whooped.

Twilight stared in horror as the boiling black flesh of its body dissolved away, leaving a terrifying skeleton that crumpled to dust as she watched.

Quickly, they pulled Ocean Breeze into their circle, a slick trail of blood smearing across the grass as they did so. Shining quickly erected a shield around them as they all took stock of their situation.

“Oh Celestia! It hurts so much,” the mare wailed, grasping at her severed stump, the needle still jammed in her eye socket.

“That’s what you get for not following orders,” Brummbar muttered.

“Fuck you!” she growled, then cried out, her whole body writhing in fresh agony as one of their mages cauterized the wound.

“We can’t stay here,” Meadow Grass stated, looking beyond the safety of the shield to see more pairs of eyes in the night. The bodies of Fleeting Wind and the other mare had been dragged off, and the sound of tearing flesh soon found its way to their ears.

“Oh sweet Celestia,” Twilight whimpered, her whole body shaking.

“Don’t worry, Miss,” Brummbar assured, his deep voice strangely comforting. “The captain’ll get us out of this.”

“Those bodies won’t sate them for long,” Shining said. “If Fleeting was right, then there should be a ravine just ahead.”

“What if we can’t get across?” someone asked.

“Then we levitate each other over. Between all of us, we should have enough power to do it.”

“What about Ocean Breeze?” Meadow asked grimly, eyeing their wounded comrade. “She’s in no condition to travel.”

Shining’s expression hardened. “We leave her behind.”

“What?” Twilight gasped, looking into his eyes, unable to believe what she was hearing.

“She’ll slow us down, and her blood will draw them straight to us.”

“Somepony can carry her…”

“No, Twilight, she’s just dead weight to us now.”

Ocean Breeze let out a snort. “Good one, sir.” Then realization hit her. “Wait you’re serious. C-come on, I can still fight.” She tried to stand and fell back to the ground. “No, no, you can’t do this. Come on everypony, don’t let him do this.”

A stony silence greeted her from everypony in the group.

“Whirlwind, I need you to carry a message to Commander Shimmer,” Shining said, ignoring the mare’s pleas. “Tell her we’ve suffered heavy casualties but are pushing on.”

The pegasus stallion saluted. “Yes, sir.”

Shining trotted to Ocean Breeze’s side. “I’m sorry, Corporal; your sacrifice will be remembered.”

“Fuck you! Fuck all of you!” Ocean Breeze growled, spitting in his face. “May the Nightmare drag you all to the shadow, you and your whore—”

Before she could say more, Pinkamena trotted forward and punched the mare in the face, knocking her out cold.

“What?” Pinkamena asked, shrugging at everypony staring at her. “Now she won’t feel it when the ghosties get her.”

“It’s for the best,” Meadow said with a sigh.

“Are you all serious?” Twilight snapped, stomping her hoof. “She needs our help! We can’t just—”

“We don’t have time to discuss this!” Shining said, his voice straining to keep level. “This is the real world, Twilight. Sometimes, you have to make hard choices.”

“But…” She looked up at her brother, feeling a terrible void forming in her heart. Somepony she thought she knew better than anypony in the world was just a mask hiding something far worse.

“This is happening, Twilight. Getting you to the tomb is all that matters now.”

He looked away, his tail flicking, “All we can do now is make these ponies’ sacrifices mean something.”

He looked towards Rainbow Dash, who had barely moved since the fight started, “Private, are you still with us?”

Rainbow Dash just blinked. “U-uh, y-yes sir!”

He turned away. “Good. We won’t have much time when the shield drops, so everypony get ready.”

They all nodded grimly and trotted away from their fallen comrade like she was already dead. Twilight felt a horrible shame as she went to join them; she felt like she was leaving a piece of herself behind with the mare.

“Everypony ready?” Shining asked, getting grunts and nods in reply. “Don’t stop for anything.” His horn glowed, and the shield began to dissipate. “Go!”

They all ran and never looked back.

11 - Collapse

Twilight had never really run anywhere in her life. She had never needed to. Fast and frenetic were not words you would use to describe her day to day life in the archive. There was never a life-threatening need to run anywhere. Well, unless she discovered a copy of Hippogriffs: Now and Then had been delivered, but that's another story.

Now, she was running for her life through a hostile forest, her armour feeling so very heavy despite the enchantment on it. The padding beneath her barding was already soaked with sweat, making every movement uncomfortable. Twigs and branches pulled at her chainmail as the exhausted team ploughed onward through the forest at a reckless pace.

She could hear the black horrors skittering through the woods, practically snapping at their hooves.

Suddenly, one of the mages tripped on a root. With a panicked whinny, he tumbled into the undergrowth and was soon set upon by the relentless shadows. There was no cry for help or a scream, just the sound of teeth rending flesh.

“Keep going!” Shining called out, the light from his horn paving a way for them through the darkness.

Twilight didn’t look back. She couldn’t look back. If she looked back and glanced into those beasts’ burning eyes, her legs would lock up and she’d be dead.

The forest began to thin slightly, and the red light of the moon began to filter through. They all pushed themselves to run faster, as if the light would somehow be their salvation.

Ahead, the ruins of a mighty fortress began to emerge through the trees. The castle was easily equal in size to the one in Canterlot, perhaps even larger. It was in ruins now, a mere shell of its former glory.

But sightseeing wasn’t on top of Twilight’s priorities right now as the ground disappeared into a great split in the earth.

They skidded to a stop at the chasm, narrowly avoiding falling into the abyss. It looked impossibly deep, the bottom shrouded in a thick fog. It stretched across their path, creating an impassable moat around the fortress.

“What now?” Twilight cried, backpedalling to avoid the crumbling edge.

“There’s a bridge!” Rainbow shouted, pointing to a delapidated stone bridge not far from where they were.

“Oh thank Celestia!”

They turned and ran for the bridge, Rainbow narrowly avoiding a lunge from one of their pursuers.

Two massive statues of rearing alicorns guarded the bridge on either side of the walkway, a corroded brass frame depicting the sun and crescent moon linking the two where their horns met. They were matched by another pair on the other side.

“Almost there!” Shining cried, not noticing two shadows on the nearest statue beginning to move.

“Captain, above you!” Meadow shouted as the pair of beasts leapt down upon him.

He looked up, eyes wide as the shadows became an avalanche of teeth and claws. He tried in vain to cast a spell, but they were too fast.

They slammed into him and knocked him sprawling to the ground.

“Shining!” Rainbow and Twilight screamed together as the pair of Umbra tugged on his forelegs like dogs with a toy.

With a sickening tear, one of his legs gave way under the constant gnashing jaws and was ripped away.

Twilight could only watch as her brother desperately tried to fend off the other monster, only to have his other foreleg torn off. Blood spattered against his white coat as the Umbra held his hewn leg up like a trophy.

Rainbow surged forward, her wings propelling her towards her fallen captain.

Rainbow’s spear drove into the grinning beast, but its hide was too thick. The spear’s shaft snapped in two, and Rainbow was sent cartwheeling into the furthest statue.

“Captain!” Brummbar roared. “Meadow! The captain’s down!”

Meadow sidestepped an Umbra’s bite, driving a stake through its skull and pinning it to the ground. “Cover me! I’ll try and get to him.”

Twilight felt a terrible numbness sweep over her. The world felt distant as she staggered towards her brother.

Meadow leapt forward, driving back the two Umbra with spell and stake. Brummbar and the other survivors all pushed towards their fallen captain.

Twilight barely heard Brummbar’s insistent shouts, passively being herded along by him as they formed a small circle.

Rainbow Dash limped back, tears in her eyes as she joined them. “Damn it, damn it, damn it…” she muttered over and over again.

“Can you help him?” Twilight asked, her voice quiet, like a foal’s.

Meadow knelt beside him and looked over his wounds, her expression a heavy frown. “Brummbar, how much time can you give me?”

“Not long, there are more coming,” Brummbar said, frantically swinging his great hammer, forcing the Umbra backward.

“Leave me here,” Shining said, gasping for air as his body quivered in pain.

“No…” Twilight whimpered.

“We’ve lost enough ponies tonight, sir,” Meadow said, quickly pulling off her belt with her magic. “Private, give me your belt.”

“M-my what?”

“Your belt! Give me your belt!” Meadow snapped, tying the belt a way up Shining’s shattered foreleg. “We need to stop the bleeding and our healer is currently splattered all over the forest.”

With a sharp tug, she tightened the belt, making Shining cry out in agony.

“Okay, one more to go.”

Numbly, Rainbow gave up her belt, and she repeated the process on Shining’s other leg.

“You remember your basic training, Private?” Meadow asked.

Rainbow looked down at Shining, a hoof timidly reaching for him as her ears flattened.

Meadow grunted, rising to her hooves and slapping the pegasus across the face, knocking her helmet off. “Snap out of it, Private! We don’t have time for your shit right now!”

Rainbow stared at her, wide eyed, her wings bristling at her sides.

Meadow pointed to Shining. “You want to help him? Then you’re going to have to carry him. Can you do that?”

“I- yes,” Rainbow said, straightening. “I’ll carry him as far as it takes.”

Meadow Grass’ expression softened. “Good, the captain and Twilight are your responsibility. Guard them with your life.”

“I will, Ma’am.”

“Good, keep those belts tight now.”

Rainbow nodded and moved towards Shining, tenderly beginning to move him into position.

“I can help,” Twilight offered.

“Don’t touch him!” Rainbow growled. “I’ve got this.”

“Umm, I hate to interrupt,” Pinkamena said suddenly, her body covered in fresh claw marks, “but there are more ghosties coming and I’m getting tired.”

Everypony looked to see more glowing eyes emerging from the forest.

“Private, Specialist Pinkamena,” Meadow ordered, “get the captain and Twilight across the bridge. We’ll hold them off for as long as we can.”

“No,” Twilight said, shaking her head. “No more. You said it yourself, we’ve lost too many ponies tonight.”

Meadow smiled at her. “The mission comes first, Twilight. We knew what we were getting into.”

There was a scream as one of those holding off the vile creatures was brought down.

“Go, Twilight,” Meadow said. “Get your brother out of here.”

“You never could follow orders.” Shining laughed, weakly, lifting his head to look her in the eyes. “May the sun always light your path, my friend.”

“Celestia watch over you, sir,” Meadow said, saluting to him. “Helios Aeternum!”

With that, she galloped over to join Brummbar, lending her powers to keep the Umbra at bay.

There was a groan from Shining as Rainbow hefted him onto her back. “Come on, we need to go.”

Twilight took one last look to the pair of brave ponies still fighting close by. She wanted to say something to honour them—something that would assuage the terrible guilt gripping her.

In the end, there was only one thing that came to mind.

“Helios Aeternum,” she said, softly, turning to Rainbow. “Let’s go.”

They raced across the bridge as fast as their hooves could carry them, shouts, shrieks, and the clash of metal ringing in their ears as they ran.

Ahead, they came to the second pair of alicorn statues, guarding the far side of the bridge.

Here, Pinkamena came to a stop.

“Pinkamena!” Twilight shouted. “We can’t stop here. They’ll be after us at any moment.”

“Let’s go, egghead,” Rainbow urged. “Leave the weirdo here if she wants to stay so much.”

The pink mare inspected the statues for a moment before grinning. “This’ll work! Give me a sec!”

With that, she drove her forehooves into the base of the closest statue. The ancient stone shattered as the pink mare drove her forehooves against it at a relentless pace. A cloud of pulverized rock rose up from the gouge the pink mare was tearing from the statue’s base.

Twilight and Rainbow could only watch in awe as the statue began to sway. What had stood for eons had been undone in mere moments by a frenzied pink earth pony.

Pinkamena emerged with a grin, giving the teetering statue a gentle tap with a hoof. A deep groan of crumbling rock rumbled from the statue as it began to slowly move. With aching slowness, the ancient relic crashed down into the bridge, causing the structure to collapse in a plume of shattered stone and dust.

As the dust settled, it revealed the majority of the bridge was gone, tumbling to the misty depths below.

“Pinkamena…” Twilight gasped, her jaw hanging open.

The pink mare gave a giggly snort, “That’s why you brought me.” She blinked as a set of claws grasped her hind legs. “Uh oh.”

With that, she was yanked backwards, falling onto her belly and sliding towards the precipice.

“Pinkamena!” Twilight shouted, jumping to grab the mare’s forelegs. Grasping tightly, she dug her hind hooves into the ground and started pulling. “I've got you!”

Pinkamena seemed strangely calm in all this chaos, even as she was being dragged to her death.

“Come on, Pinkamena! Fight them!” Twilight cried, pulling with all her might. “Rainbow, help me!”

“I can’t!” Rainbow replied, “I need to protect Shining.”

She was right, of course. The logic of their situation was clear to see. Already, Twilight’s mind was giving her rational reasons why she needed to let go, yet her heart batted these aside. She wasn’t going to sacrifice anypony else.

The tugs grew stronger, pulling Twilight along with her, despite her best efforts.

“You need to let me go,” Pinkamena said, wincing as a fierce tug wrenched them both.

“No! I won’t! Just hold on a little longer!” Twilight sobbed, clenching her teeth as she felt her grip beginning to slip. “I won't let anypony else die!”

“You’re a nice pony,” Pinkamena said with the sweetest smile Twilight had ever seen. The mare held Twilight in those big blue eyes as she gently loosened Twilight’s grip.

“What are you doing?!”

“Saving you,” she said, giving her one last smile before she was pulled into the chasm.

“Pinkamena!” Twilight called, her forehooves desperately reaching, but she was gone.

12 - Valor

Meadow Grass turned as a loud crash came from the bridge. One of the statues on the far end had suddenly collapsed, destroying the bridge completely.

Even the Umbra ceased their attacks to stare at the growing dust cloud.

“Wow,” Brummbar commented, pulling Umbra spines from his shoulder with his teeth.

“What was that?!” Meadow exclaimed as more masonry tumbled into the abyss.

He chuckled, “Our pink friend, I imagine.”

She breathed a sigh of relief. “At least they’re safe for now.”

“Not sure I can say the same about us,” he said grimly.

These two were all that was left. Their companions had been dragged away and torn apart one by one. Meadow had known some of them personally or at least by reputation, but there were a few she never learned the names of.

To die strangers was a sad fate indeed.

The Umbra were beginning to recover from their stupor, chittering between themselves as they turned to face their prey once more.

Meadow was shocked at just how many there were here. Sunset and her knights should have drawn them off, yet more and more seemed to be coming at them. Were the Umbra here for the same reason as they were?

“Let’s make it one for the songs, my friend,” she said, giving him a smile.

He grinned, turning to face the oncoming horde and hefting his ichor-soaked hammer up. He was covered in wounds across his body, an ear torn and bloody, yet he remained resolute. Meadow Grass could only marvel at the earth pony’s determination.

She would have to show the same resolve.

Drawing the last of her magic, she pulled every stake she had left from her quiver, hovering them above her head like a jagged cloud. Her horn glowed brightly with overcharge as she readied herself for the assault.

Yet it did not come.

The Umbra’s heads jerked from side to side, as if listening to a distant sound, before slowly backing away. Meadow and Brummbar could only watch in confusion as the horde that had been close to overwhelming them receded.

“I don’t like this,” Brummbar said, eyes narrowing as the Umbra returned to the shadows. “They don’t just retreat, unless…”

Her eyes widened in realization as the loud crash of collapsing trees echoed through the woods.

They tensed as the sounds grew closer, the trees swaying before being batted aside by some massive force.

From the gloom of the woods, a solid wall of shadow advanced towards them. It ploughed inexorably forward, tearing through trees, bushes, and stone alike. Somehow, it made no sound as it approached; there was no roar or chittering like its smaller brethren—just an empty, swallowing silence.

The other Umbra silently awaited its arrival, creating a cordon around the bridge to stop the ponies from escaping.

Meadow Grass swallowed hard, feeling an icy chill grip her heart. The stakes hovering above her head felt so heavy all of a sudden, a few bobbing in mid-air as she struggled to maintain control. Even Brummbar was stock still, a forehoof raised as he fought his own battle against his fears.

Eventually, the tide of formless black shadow slowly oozed into view. The trees and plants around it withered and shrivelled in its presence, the thick stench of death permeating the air.

“We’ll take it on together,” Meadow said, steadying her voice as they spread apart. “I’ll try and draw its attention to me, then you hit it from the right.”

Brummbar nodded, shifting his position as they spread out.

The shadow awaited them, seeming to suck everything into that endless black void. All Meadow could hear was her own heartbeat thumping in her ears as she prepared herself.

“Excandescunt!” she yelled, a blinding flash of light exploding before the shadow, making the other Umbra recoil.

Brummbar launched himself forward, putting all of his strength into one powerful swing.

Meadow launched as many stakes at the beast as she was able, aiming for a slight bulge at the top where its ‘head' might be.

They simply bounced off the beast’s black hide, clattering to the ground as it shifted in place.

Brummbar’s roar was cut off as a black tendril emerged from its body, impaling him from above. He cried out, his voice becoming a gargle as blood spurted from his mouth. His hammer clattered to the ground as he fought to stay standing. Blood ran thick onto the ground as the tendril tugged and twisted within him.

“Brummbar!” she cried, intensifying her attacks, throwing everything she had left at it. Spells exploded around the monster’s body, yet they had seemingly no effect.

It hefted Brummbar up, dangling him in the air, before another tendril grasped his forelegs and began to pull. The hardy earth pony resisted briefly, struggling against the pressure building in his body. Then came the popping of limbs coming out their sockets and the sound of tearing flesh. His strangled cry was cut off as it ripped the earth pony in two, his blood splattering against Meadow as she watched in horror.

“No!” she cried, tears in her eyes.

It dangled his severed remains there for a moment, shaking his front half to be sure he was dead. His limp head bobbed up and down like a marionette with its strings cut, watched hungrily by the horde. Then, seemingly bored now, it tossed Brummbar’s remains to its eager minions that fell upon them in a frenzy.

It then turned towards Meadow, moving at an agonisingly slow pace.

She backed away, her horn firing off spell after spell that did little to faze the approaching horror. Eventually, she felt her back hoof reach the edge of the chasm.

She swallowed as she spared a glance down into the mist-shrouded depths of the ravine and its promise of a quick, clean death.

Panting, she pulled a locket from beneath her armour and kissed it gently. “Don’t worry, Morning Dew. Mommy’s coming.”

She turned and leapt.

Only for a tendril to burst out from the beast, driving its way through her flank and punching out the other side. Searing pain blossomed from her sides as the tendril coiled itself around her hindquarters.

She screamed as she dangled over the chasm, her forelegs desperately reaching for the escape that had been snatched from her.

“No!” she cried desperately, writhing in vain as it began to reel her back in.

The darkness split in the centre of the beast from below upwards to reveal multiple rows of jagged, grasping teeth as she was lowered slowly inside.

A forlorn lance of light shot from her dimming horn, but it only served to illuminate her doom one last time before being smothered by the darkness, fizzing into nothing.

The shadowy maw fell upon her like a black avalanche. Her screaming was quickly swallowed up in the inky blackness as it pressed into her, teeth driving themselves into her flesh as the mouth closed around her, plunging her into total darkness.

Agony shot through her body, the last dregs of adrenaline pushing her onwards. She writhed and struggled as her life blood splattered within the creature’s maw. Then, with one final jerk, she blacked out as she was drawn into the beast’s gullet.

13 - Burden

Twilight trotted slowly through a gloomy courtyard with Rainbow Dash trailing behind her, the red moon lighting their path. Periodically, she would levitate out the map they had been provided with to try and get an idea of where they were going. Thankfully, Rainbow Dash proved to be adept at navigation, and they were pressing steadily towards their goal.

The sounds of battle were gone now, replaced with an eerie silence that permeated the ruins. That meant one thing: Everypony was gone.

Meadow Grass, Brummbar, Pinkamena, and now Shining Armour.

Twilight fought back a sob that was behind every breath she took. It felt like a piece of herself had been ripped away, leaving a terrible emptiness in her heart. Her brother had always been there for her, always with that dependable strength she had relied upon, and it had been taken from her. She just wanted to curl into a ball and cry until the pain subsided, or to simply wait for the Umbra to find her and end it.

She blinked her tears away and took a deep breath.

No.

Too many ponies had died for her sake already. Shining had given his life to ensure that she could continue their mission. Rainbow Dash was right. She couldn’t let his sacrifice be for nothing.

She looked towards Rainbow Dash, who had taken the lead and was cautiously checking the path ahead. As much as the pegasus talked of being strong, Twilight knew that Shining’s death had hit her hard. She could hear her sniffing periodically, wiping her eyes and looking away every time Twilight looked at her.

The castle grounds were a maze of ruined passageways and courtyards, which made navigation difficult. All showed signs of destruction that could not be attributed to simple time or weather. Craters pockmarked the area around the keep, and blackened gouges had been torn into the earth.

“Look at this place!” Twilight commented as they passed by another crater field. “This must have been where the goddesses fought!”

Rainbow glanced over to the deep craters full of reeds and stinking water. “Yeah, fascinating.”

“Imagine it! Our whole history will have to be rewritten!” Twilight continued. “I have a feeling I’m going to be busy when I get back.”

Rainbow snorted. “How can you talk about that meaningless shit at a time like this?” She kicked a stone into the water and muttered to herself.

Twilight spun, feeling her anger rise like a hot wave. “What do you expect me to talk about? That we’re stuck, alone, in this horrible place, hunted by Celestia knows what? That we…” Her voice wavered. “That we left my brother to be torn apart by those monsters!”

Rainbow’s mouth worked wordlessly and she looked away, her ears pinned back.

“I-I’m sorry,” Twilight said, looking down with a tiny sob. “Everything has just gone crazy and I, I need something… something to focus on or I’m going to lose my mind.”

Rainbow let out a sigh. “Okay, pick a topic, just keep it down; they’re probably still out there somewhere.”

“Tell me about you and Shining.”

Rainbow blinked and gave her a scowl, “That’s what you want to talk about?”

Twilight looked away. “I feel like tonight has shown me a side of Shining that I never dared believe existed until now.” She let out a sigh. “It’s pretty clear that he kept things from me to protect me. But I have so many questions I’ll never get answers to now.” She looked to Rainbow Dash, “You knew that Shining. I want to know about him, the real Shining.”

She placed a hoof on the mare’s shoulder, “Please, Rainbow.”

Rainbow eyed her carefully, then taking a breath, she began. “The first time I met your brother was during the fall of Cloudsdale. The Umbra were everywhere. There was panic and my parents…” She winced and rubbed her foreleg. “T-they were gone. I was just a filly, all alone.”

Rainbow wiped her eyes. “That was when he found me. Celestia had sent the army to evacuate the city and here was this unicorn, walking around on the clouds like it was nothing!”

A smile graced her face, perhaps the first real smile Twilight had seen on the pegasus. “I’d never heard of non-pegasi walking on clouds. I thought he was some kind of hero you hear about in the story books.”

Her cheeks flushed at Twilight’s little chuckle. “Hey, I was young, okay? You want to hear this or not?”

“I’m sorry. Please continue.”

“He looked after me, made sure I was sent to one of the better orphanages in Canterlot, supported me no matter how many times I messed up.” Her wings twitched and she looked away. “Without him, I’d have ended up just another whore down in Canterbridge. Because of him, I became a guardsmare.”

Her eyes shined with pride, her chest puffing up at the mention of it. “I gave my all because of him. I would have done anything for him.” She let out a snort. “In the end, I did do everything for him.”

She looked away, her wings bristling.

Twilight felt a sense of foreboding. “What happened?”

“What do you think? We got drunk one night, one thing led to another, and we screwed each other senseless,” she said, chuckling darkly. “I thought he loved me as much as I loved him.” She closed her eyes and wiped away fresh tears.

“Y-you’re lying, Shining wouldn’t…” Twilight stammered.

His heart belonged to Cadence, though! Twilight had no experience when it came to romance or relationships, but she knew love when she saw it. Every time he talked about that mare, he went all dreamy eyed. The thought of him with another mare was just impossible.

“You wanted to know, right?” Rainbow said, tears running freely now. “Funny thing was, I was happy for a time because I felt he needed me. But he was just stringing me along because he felt sorry for me! He didn’t love me, he pitied me!”

Twilight reeled from the revelation. She wanted to dismiss it as ravings of a mare in pain, yet Rainbow had no reason to lie to her.

Rainbow closed her eyes. “In the end, I was just a dirty little secret that everypony knew about: Shining’s little whore.”

“Rainbow…”

She straightened. “Don’t. Don’t you dare look at me like that. The last thing I need is pity from the likes of you.”

Twilight bristled at the barbs in her words. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Rainbow let out a bitter laugh, “Oh come on! You and your perfect little quiet life in that cage Shining had built for you. Don’t think I didn’t know about all the strings he pulled for his dropout little sister. Oh, he spoke the world of you, but you were another burden for him. Just like me.”

“You’re wrong…”

“Whatever, don’t believe me if you want. I don’t care,” she snorted, looking up. “Let’s get moving. We’ve wasted enough time already.”

“I’m not a burden,” Twilight said firmly.

“Yeah? Then prove it…” Rainbow’s voice trailed off, her ears pinning back and her pupils narrowing to pin pricks as she stared towards something off to the side.

“Rainbow, what is it?”

“Twilight, we have to run right now,” Rainbow said, her voice a terrified whisper as a low growl echoed through the courtyard.

“Wait. Did they—”

“Run!!”

14 - Tomb

They ran as fast as they could towards the ruined keep, past the once proud spires which lay in piles all about. Their hoofbeats echoed sharply off the keep’s walls of black stone, their crumbling facades mere shadows of their former might. Twilight jumped, nearly tripping over the exposed roots of trees which sprouted from within, having fought their way through centuries of thick undergrowth.

Behind them, a lone Umbra snapped at their tails, spittle flying from its mouth as it eagerly pursued its fleeing prey. Periodically, it would shriek into the night, its call echoing through the ruined halls and courtyards. To Twilight’s horror, she could hear other calls answering back from the night in every direction.

Twilight’s lungs burned as she ran ahead, her horn lighting their way as they wove through the maze of collapsed rock and undergrowth.

“Which way?” she called.

“Next right!” Rainbow replied.

A sharp corner came into view, and Twilight had to slow down to avoid crashing into the stone wall of a slender watchtower. She looked back to see Rainbow skid, letting out a pained cry as she slammed into the wall.

Twilight stopped. “Rainbow!”

“Argh, damn it,” Rainbow grimaced, only to let out a panicked whinny, scrambling to the side as an Umbra lunged at her, missing by mere inches. It slammed right through the wall, collapsing the ancient structure onto itself.

“Keep going! Don’t stop for anything!” Rainbow yelled, clambering to her hooves.

Twilight hesitated, only to see the Umbra rising from the ruin, unfazed by the collision, its eyes hungrily searching for them.

Rainbow trotted up to her, pointing with her wing, “Go!”

“Right!”

Ahead, their destination loomed.

A black ziggurat that looked to have been cannibalized from the castle’s masonry stood, silently awaiting them. It seemed oddly plain on the outside, no adornments or carvings of any kind, just featureless black stone.

They ran headlong towards it, though Twilight had no idea what they would do when they got there. The Umbra knew where they were, now, and it was only a matter of time before they caught up with them.

As they neared the ziggurat, Twilight felt something graze across her senses, like she had passed through a veil. Her pace slowed as she felt the sensation growing stronger, like a pressure in her mind.

“What are you doing?” Rainbow asked. “We can’t stop here!”

“I don’t know, it—” Twilight’s voice cut off as she caught something in the corner of her eye behind them.

The Umbra was standing there, barely a few canters away. Drool ran freely from its hideous hook-fanged mouth, its five oddly positioned eyes staring right at them.

Rainbow gasped and spun to meet it, but the Umbra made no attempt to attack. It just hissed at them, scraping the ground with its clawed feet, its back rippling like an angry cat.

They both stared in silence as it paced back and forth along an invisible line. Soon, it was joined by two more, which were equally unwilling to venture any closer.

“There’s something here, something that’s affecting them,” Twilight commented.

One of them reached towards her, only to jerk its foreleg back with a shriek like it had been scalded, a thin trail of steam rising from it.

Rainbow frowned. “Great, let's get out of here before they figure out a way through it.”

“That’s just it. I don’t think they can,” Twilight said.

One of the Umbra hissed, its back rippling menacingly. Suddenly, needle-like shards shot out from its hide, flying straight at them. As they crossed the invisible threshold, the needles evaporated in an instant, dissolving into nothing.

After flinching hard, a wide grin spread across Rainbow’s face. She sauntered back towards the Umbra, stopping just short of where the shards had vanished. She wagged her tongue, shaking her head back and forth, mockingly. “Not so tough now, are ya?”

The nearest Umbra lunged with a swipe that would have taken Rainbow’s head clean off, only to find its foreleg destroyed, melting swiftly away and its black blood spurting out the wound. The Umbra howled in pain and retreated behind its brethren.

“Yeah. We’re good,” Rainbow said, turning back to Twilight. “Now what?”

Twilight stared at the pegasus for a moment before closing her mouth. “Right.”

“What?”

“Nothing,” Twilight said with a shake of her head. She turned towards the ziggurat. “Let's go, it’s this way.”

There was no staircase leading up to the top of the ziggurat, but from Starswirl’s books, Twilight knew where the entrance was hidden. At the base, they found a simple inlaid stone doorway, etched with arcane runes.

“Can you get it open?” Rainbow asked, but Twilight ignored her.

Pulling one of Starswirl’s books from her saddlebags, she quickly got to work. It was a relatively complex arcane puzzle lock, but it relied on numbered sequences rather than word play this time. Even this was no match for Outreach School for Fillies’ maths decathlon champion—three years running.

As the last rune was connected, a soft thunk came from within, and the doorway slid upwards into the ceiling. Inside was almost pitch black, a thick musty smell of decay wafting out from within.

“Nice work, egghead,” Rainbow said with a grin, only for it to drop at Twilight’s sour expression. “Look, I’m sorry about what I said earlier. I was angry, and I tend to say stupid stuff when I’m angry.”

“I was the one that asked, Rainbow,” Twilight replied.

“Well yeah, but—”

“Look, it doesn’t matter. Let’s just get this thing over with,” Twilight said flatly, lighting her horn and trotting inside. “The sooner this is over the better.”

Her thoughts barely lingered on what she was about to do. Frankly, she had stopped caring about it; she was cold, tired, hungry, and wanted go home.

Home.

What was that at this point? Was everything she found comfort in just a lie her brother had made for her? She had been in a terrible place after flunking Celestia’s school's aptitude tests, caught in a spiral of shame and guilt. Had Shining just been trying to hide away his failure of a sister?

She shook her head. Now wasn’t the time to be thinking of such things.

The passageway was wide and tall, easily able to fit four ponies abreast comfortably. Leering effigies of bat-winged ponies loomed out of the darkness, bowing their heads to the crescent moon that was prevalent everywhere they went.

“What are those?” Rainbow asked, looking at their wings with keen interest. “They look awesome!”

“Oh, now you’re interested,” Twilight grumbled.

“Come on, look at these guys! Bat wings! How awesome is that!” Rainbow said, opening her own wings. “So much cooler than these things.”

Now that she thought about it, she hadn’t seen the pegasus fly much. Most pegasi found it hard to stay on the ground in the best of times, but Rainbow seemed to prefer the ground. She felt the question on her lips but held it in. They were barely on speaking terms without prying into her personal affairs more than she already had.

“So who were they? Were they pegasi?”

“I’m not sure, servants of Luna, it would seem,” she mused. “None of my books even mention them.”

The age before Celestia was a literary desert compared to what came after. She always thought that most records had simply been lost to war and the chaos prior to her reign. Now, things were beginning to take on a sinister edge.

“Who’s Luna?”

Twilight paused. She wondered just how much Rainbow and the others had been told about the one they had come here to resurrect.

“That was her name before she became the Nightmare. She’s Celestia’s sister.”

Rainbow gasped. “Her sister?! How come I’ve never heard about this?”

Twilight placed a hoof to her chin. “A good question. Maybe Celestia didn’t want her sister's name tarnished, or maybe she just swept her dirty little secret under the rug of time.”

Twilight shuddered; this line of thinking was hitting a little too close to home. Rainbow must have felt it too because she went quiet, her expression a heavy frown.

Soon, the passage widened into a huge burial chamber right in the heart of the ziggurat. Their hoofsteps echoed inside the massive space as they entered.

Blue fire suddenly burst from sconces in the walls, casting the tomb in an eerie light.

“Did you do that?”

“No?”

“You don’t think there are any traps here, do you?” Rainbow gulped.

“If there were, we’d have triggered one by now,” Twilight replied, grimly, gazing up into the vast space in awe.

Murals and mosaics covered the walls, depicting the ancient battle between the Sisters and the Umbra. Two alicorns, one white and one blue, did battle with the many-formed foe.

Four massive armour-clad alicorn statues held the ceiling up with their spread wings, their heads bowed towards the centre of the room.

There, the sarcophagus lay, silently awaiting them.

It was jet black, carved from a stone that Twilight didn’t recognise and inlaid with silver patterns. A winged crescent moon adorned its sides while a serene sleeping mare had been carved onto its lid.

The care that had been put into its crafting was amazing. All the details, from individual feathers on her wings to the fluting in her horn, had been painstakingly carved into the stone. As Twilight gazed over it, however, she began to see patterns built into the lid. Runes had been etched into its surface in strategic places around the mare.

“So, are we going to pop this thing or not?” Rainbow asked, hovering above her.

“I don’t think it’s that simple,” Twilight said, blowing away the accumulated dust. “This place was built to be more than just a tomb.”

The more she looked, the more she saw an obvious pattern in everything around her. The arrangement of the sarcophagus, the decorative patterns laid on the floor, even the position of the mare’s head on the lid, they were all pieces of the puzzle.

It all matched the spell diagrams she had found in Starswirl’s books. She trotted around, comparing them, making slight adjustments where she was able.

Yet there was still a missing piece.

She wasn’t sure how long she searched for. Within the flickering light, time seemed to stand still. It didn’t make sense! Everything was here. What was she missing?

“Hey egghead, a question,” Rainbow said, from her perch atop the sarcophagus

“Not now, Rainbow.”

“It’s a quick one. Why do you think there’s so much luminite in this place? Kind of weird for a place that never gets any light, don’t you think?”

Twilight’s eyes widened, “Wait, what did you say?”

“Luminite.” She gestured to one of the lines etched into the floor. “This place is full of it, but there’s no natural light in here for it to react to.”

Twilight stared at her.

“What? We use it all the time in the guard. Saves on signal torches.” Rainbow shrugged.

Twilight gasped and looked up towards the tomb’s ceiling. In the flickering light, she could make out a stone circle at the centre where the pinions of the alicorn’s wings met.

Rainbow watched, dumbfounded, as Twilight let out a giddy laugh. “Rainbow, you’re a genius!”

“I am?”

“Quick, look for a lever,” Twilight yelled. “There must be a lever around here somewhere that controls the ceiling.”

“You mean this one?” Rainbow said, gesturing over to a simple stone lever built into the far wall.

Twilight frowned. “Has that always been there?”

“I’ve been itching to pull it since we got here,” Rainbow said, hovering beside it, her hooves primed to give it a tug.

“Then pull it! Let’s just hope it still works.”

With a grin, Rainbow pressed down and was rewarded with a deep rumble that ran up the walls. Dust trickled down from above as the stone circle slid open, allowing the red moonlight to stream in.

The whole room was lit up in a bright light as the luminite reacted, the runes connecting to each other by thin strands of white light. The runes grew brighter with each connection, racing to complete a spell that had waited millennia to be finished. Twilight stepped back, shielding her eyes as the entire tomb disappeared in blinding light, and yet the light grew brighter still. Twilight and Rainbow Dash were huddled on the ground when a rush of wind plunged them into darkness.

It was then that the sound of rock scraping against rock reverberated through the room as the cover of the sarcophagus began to shift.

15 - Sacrifice

The sarcophagus rumbled as the lid slid open suddenly.

Gingerly, Twilight crept up to the open sarcophagus and peered inside. The stench of death greeted her nostrils and a chill ran down her spine as she stared down at the desiccated corpse of the Nightmare herself.

The body was frozen and contorted into a death spasm, her back arched in a painful arc. The mare’s head was thrown back in a howl of anguish, revealing a set of long, sharp fangs, her mane a matt of thin, silvery strands, clinging to her scalp. The Nightmare’s fall had not been a painless one, it seemed.

“What in Celestia’s name is that?” Rainbow gasped, peering over her shoulder.

“Luna,” Twilight said, simply. “Or what she turned into, at least.”

Rainbow blanched. “And we’re waking this thing up?”

“We’ve come this far. There’s no turning back now.”

Twilight gazed down at the corpse of the Nightmare, the vacant eye sockets staring back at her in silent rage. The inside of her coffin was inlaid with spell diagrams so close together it was almost impossible for her to distinguish them all. Here, Starswirl had laid down his final test for those who had gotten this far.

The diagrams were arranged into interlocking circular patterns, each marked with sets of runes and letters in Old Ponish.

“Not making it easy, eh?” Twilight muttered, hovering out her collection of books and laying them out.

“You can understand all that stuff?” Rainbow asked.

“Egghead, remember?”

Rainbow smirked, “How could I forget? Can you crack it?”

“Are you kidding? This was laid out by one of the most formidable mages in Equestrian history. This could take weeks!” Twilight commented, scratching her head.

“Weeks?!” Rainbow gasped, only to frown at Twilight’s smirk. “What?”

“I’m joking. With Starswirl’s texts here, I should be done in a jiffy,” she said, chuckling to herself.

“Very funny,” Rainbow snorted, though there was the ghost of a smile on her face.

Twilight grinned at her before she set to work on the diagrams.

Her smile faded as the realisation that she would be conducting dark magic around a shrivelled corpse hit her.

“Okay, Twilight,” she muttered to herself with a gulp. “You've got this.”

She set to work, carefully reaching past the Nightmare’s corpse to work on the runes beneath her.

The first few succumbed easily to Twilight’s academic might, glowing softly as the diagram was completed. Twilight soon found her frown deepening, however, as she was repeatedly confounded by the spell sequence. Regardless of what she tried, she was confronted with the same answer: there were letters missing.

She searched through Starswirl’s books but could not find the answer.

“Are you kidding?” Rainbow huffed, throwing her forehooves in the air. “We can’t wake this monster up because some senile old coot forgot to finish it?!”

Twilight brought a hoof to her chin. This wasn’t an accident. There was always an answer to be found, and it was likely staring her right in the face.

Then, something caught her eye. Just behind the skull of the Nightmare was a small inscription.

Twilight grinned. “Found you.”

“What is it?” Rainbow asked.

“Hopefully the last piece,” she replied. “I am made, but you can't carry me. You can break me, but you can't restore me. What am I?”

“Huh?” Rainbow frowned, tilting her head in confusion.

“It’s Starswirl’s last puzzle,” she replied.

“Urgh, this coot is starting to piss me off,” Rainbow grumbled. “Why couldn’t it have just been a giant switch or something?” She tossed her head back. “Damn unicorns always making things complicated.”

“We aim to please,” Twilight said with a smile. “Now we just have to figure this out.”

“Oh, this one’s easy,” Rainbow commented. “It’s a promise.”

Twilight blinked and looked at her. It couldn’t be that simple.

“What? Shining was always throwing riddles at me when we were on guard duty,” Rainbow said, her ears flattening and her gaze becoming distant. “It was one of the most important lessons he ever taught me. A guardsmare always keeps her word, no matter what.”

Rainbow’s eyes shone with a fierce determination as she spoke, as if Shining himself was there with her.

Twilight smiled sadly. “That sounds like him alright.”

She began to alter the spell diagrams in sequence and was amazed to find it was correct. Each letter slotted into place so easily she nearly facehoofed at how simple it was.

“Told ya.” Rainbow grinned smugly, earning a chuckle from Twilight.

The runes glowed as the spell began to charge, causing power to course through the ground beneath their hooves.

Then, all of a sudden, everything stopped.

Where the riddle had been, new letters began to form, and a simple phrase ominously appeared: A life for a life

Twilight stared at it for some time, feeling a deep pit forming in her stomach at the implications of those five words. Of course they would not have been given something simple and benign to complete their task. Dark magic like what they were about to perform always required sacrifices. And this was the mother of all dark incantations.

She reached into her saddlebags and pulled out the knife that she had recovered from Starswirl’s rumination orb. The runes forged into it began to glow brightly as it came closer to the coffin.

“So that’s what you want, eh?” she muttered, hovering the knife before her, the obsidian glinting in the bloody moonlight.

“Twilight, what are you doing?” Rainbow asked warily.

“It’s the final ingredient for the resurrection to work,” she said grimly. “It needs a life to complete the ritual. Starswirl was no fool; if the need was so great that you had no choice but to unleash the Nightmare, you had to be willing to give everything to achieve it—even your life.”

“That’s insane!” Rainbow exclaimed. “There must be something else we can do. There’s always been a way around these things. Come on, you’re the genius here, think!”

“There is no other way!” she retorted. “This is the only way it’ll work.”

Her horn glowed, and she began to slowly unbuckle her armour. “Help me get this off.”

“Twilight…”

“Just do it, Rainbow,” she said, taking a deep breath.

With Rainbow’s more experienced help, she managed to remove the sodden armour from herself. It felt better to get the suffocating skin off, and the cool, dry air felt wonderful against her sweat-soaked coat.

“Twilight, this is wrong,” Rainbow said. “Shining told me to protect you, and I can’t just stand by and let you do this.”

“Don’t make this harder than it already is, Rainbow,” she said. “Enough ponies have died getting me here. I have to honour their sacrifice.”

“By killing yourself?!” Rainbow said with a stomp of her hoof. “You’re not honouring them—you’re running away!”

Twilight smiled, tilting her head back to gaze into the red moon. “All I’ve ever done in my life is run away, Rainbow. But not this time.”

The words felt strange coming from her lips, like they had come from another pony’s mouth. In truth, she was happy to do this, happy to escape this sham of a life. How could she face her parents, knowing she’d left Shining there to die? How could she go back to the archives, having seen everything she had seen tonight?

She climbed into the coffin, standing atop the Nightmare’s remains. The dagger hovered in her grip, now glowing hungrily in anticipation.

“I’m not running from this,” she said. “You asked me to prove I’m not a burden. Well here’s my proof.”

She spun the blade towards herself, fighting against every natural instinct that screamed at her to stop. With a single fluid motion, she drove the dagger into her chest, pushing it deep with every ounce of force she could muster.

She heard Rainbow shout her name, but she felt so distant now. The agony in her chest seemed to fade, a numbing feeling sweeping her body.

With a yank, she pulled the knife out, her blood splattering against the inside of the coffin. She fell forward as her legs gave way, landing atop the blood-soaked Nightmare’s corpse. Her breath came in a gurgling gasp as blood welled up in her throat, her body convulsing as it tried desperately to cling to life. The knife clattered inside the coffin as she lost control of her magic, her horn sputtering with a faint glow.

She stared down at the Nightmare, now covered in her lifeblood. “There, you got what you wanted. Drink your fill, then. Take everything I have.”

She slumped and was caught by Rainbow Dash, her vision rapidly darkening as she felt the frantic beats of her heart begin to slow. The last thing Twilight saw was the blood beginning to shift towards the Nightmare’s mouth, a blue glow forming inside those hollow eye sockets.

16 - Nightmare

Rainbow lifted the lifeless body of Twilight Sparkle from the sarcophagus and set her down onto the cold, hard floor of the crypt. Her eyes were open, that horrible listless expression frozen on her face as she lay there.

“Damn it, egghead. What am I supposed to do now?” she whimpered, staring at her own blood-soaked forelegs.

She sat down and held Twilight’s head in her hooves, gently closing the mare’s eyes as a choked sob escaped her lips. She should have said or done more to stop her! All she had done was just stare as the unicorn had killed herself. And for what? Nothing had happened!

The sound of heavy stone blocks collapsing in a clatter echoed through the corridor leading into the central chamber.

What was that?! Rainbow knew she couldn’t stay long. What should she do? What… would Twilight have done?

Should she go to Ponyville and tell Commander Sunset what had happened? No, they’d never believe her. She still didn’t believe it. They’d likely just execute her for cowardice as an example to the others. If any were even still alive, that is.

She couldn’t just leave Twilight’s body here, with this dark and evil tomb as her final resting place. As much as she hated the mare for what she represented, she still respected her. Twilight had faced more in one night than most anypony could possibly endure, and through it all, she had somehow kept her sanity.

Another loud crash, with the sound of heavy falling rubble, reverberated through the crypt. This time, it seemed to shake the whole building. Not even the Umbra could have…

Then, silence. Rainbow waited, but they must have given up. She looked down at the dead mare once more, blinking away a tear which formed in her eye. Why did she even care?

It was funny, she had probably talked to this unicorn more than she ever had to any other pony, save for Shining. Despite all that had come between them, she missed the stupid egghead already. Even if all they ever did was argue, that connection was there. And now, she was gone.

The sounds of shifting stones once again drew her attention to the passageway. Now, five sets of eyes stared back at her from the flickering shadows.

How? It didn’t matter. None of it mattered now. They had given it their best shot, and they failed. Death would be welcome at this point.

She stood, placing herself in front of Twilight’s body. “You’re a bit late for the party,” she chuckled darkly. “But I’m still here, you little shits, if you want to play.”

Their heads twitched for a moment before the beasts stepped to the side, allowing space for a new arrival. Behind them, a massive shadow entered the room, its skin black as coal and its body a distended mockery of anything natural. There were no eyes, but Rainbow could feel that it knew exactly where she was.

Rainbow gasped, eyes widening as a split formed up the thing’s middle, revealing its horrific mouth in a leering grin. Fear paralyzed her as she saw Meadow’s body dangling there, her head soaked in blood and drool, bobbing slightly amongst its grinding teeth. Most of her coat had been dissolved off, leaving only scattered patches of gore-soaked fur clinging to the twisted muscle and sinew of her battered remains.

The horror rolled forward, carried on a multitude of small black legs. It took its time, for she had no weapons, and its tendrils were beginning to show, ready to catch her before she got into the air.

She stood up on her hind legs, using her wings to balance herself, her forelegs ready.

As it neared, a tendril shot from within the black mass. She tried to hit it away, but she was no earth pony. It wrapped itself around her neck, squeezing her throat. She fought and struggled, but it began reeling her in like a fish on a hook. She beat her wings furiously, but with every beat, the grip tightened. Her breath now came in strangled, desperate gasps, a red tinge forming at the corners of her vision as she neared the beast.

Its mouth opened, revealing several rows of jagged teeth, the remains of Meadow’s body reduced to slivers of meat, clinging to bone within. The fetid stench of partially digested flesh and organs rolled over Rainbow like a wave, causing bile to rush up from her stomach. She coughed and spluttered, mucus and spittle dribbling from her mouth as she fought to stay conscious.

Rainbow wanted to give up, to just accept the inevitable, but something screamed at her to fight. Shining had taught her to never give up, and she wasn’t going to now. The least she could do was give the damn thing indigestion as she went down.

Then, it stopped, its grip loosening just enough for her to get a breath in. A pained gasp brought oxygen back to her burning lungs.

The tendril’s grip slackened, and she dropped to the floor, expecting to be set upon by its minions, yet none came. All their attention was on the sarcophagus.

The room suddenly felt cold. Very cold. Rainbow’s breath came out in visible puffs from her mouth as an irrational fear gripped her heart.

Above her, the light of the moon flickered like a torch in a strong gale. Rainbow’s eyes were drawn upwards, and she let out a gasp of shock. The Mare in the Moon had bled from the Moon like ink from a page. A cloud laced with stars streaked straight towards the temple. It slammed into the open sarcophagus, a beam of pure white starlight shaking the room from the impact.

Then, as quickly as it came, it vanished. The light coming from the Moon had returned back to its usual white.

That’s when she heard it.

The ragged hiss of a sharp intake of breath came from the sarcophagus. With it, came a soft, nebulous mist that oozed from the open coffin. It shifted, as if alive, seeping into the cracks in the stonework.

Rainbow felt a deep, instinctual terror grip her, freezing her to the spot.

What’s more, it seemed to be affecting the Umbra as well. They stood fast, chittering amongst themselves excitedly. Even the large one had turned, a silent ripple passing through its skin.

One of the Umbra stepped forward, hesitantly. It looked back at its comrades and cringed. Claws flexed and scraped against the stone floor while its head bobbed from side to side.

It approached the sarcophagus, its body seeming to quiver as it peered inside.

Suddenly, it shrieked a high-pitch shrill of sheer panic as something burst from the sarcophagus in a blur of motion. Then, the dessicated form of the Nightmare rose from her tomb, hefting the struggling Umbra up in her jaws.

There was the sound of crunching bone as the Nightmare clenched her jaw on her struggling prey. The Umbra let out one pathetic cry as its head was torn from its body in a quick jerk. Black ichor spurted from the Umbra's neck, bathing the Nightmare in gore.

She released her grip, and the body fell, collapsing in a heap on the floor, its lifeblood still spurting against the stone, even as it began to dissolve. As it did so, the Nightmare's skin began to reform, her skeletal face taking on flesh once more. She was incomplete, barely a walking corpse, but she turned to eye the other Umbra hungrily with the burning turquoise orbs in her skull. She rose to her hooves, her skeletal wings flaring in challenge while her mane rapidly grew out and shifted to its own whims.

At some silent order, the Umbra rushed forward in a skittering pack of five. There was a desperation in their moves, none of the assured ferocity that Rainbow had seen before.

The first got close and had a forehoof driven through its open maw and out the back of its skull. Fragments of skull and what counted as its brain exploded outwards onto its comrades. The Nightmare stalked forward, tossing the body at the other Umbra. Sidestepping the Umbra’s pounces with speed and grace that were at odds with her monstrous form, she set upon the straggler. A stomp of both forehooves came down on her cringing foe, its head exploding as it slammed into the rock.

The remaining three turned to attack again, but found themselves violently assailed in return. Dodging one Umbra's gnashing jaws, the Nightmare grabbed its foreleg, throwing it down onto its back. Gripping the flailing limb, she twisted it in its socket, a crack of shattering bone resounding as it succumbed to her overwhelming strength. It shrieked, writhing in agony as she released her grip.

Leaving the wounded Umbra, she strode forward to the last two. With every step, more flesh returned to her body, her mane becoming more luminescent.

They made one last desperate attack, but both immediately found themselves trapped in the turquoise aura of the mare’s telekinetic magic. They writhed and struggled, but it was to no avail. With a little jerk of her horn one Umbra’s head exploded, the skull and spinal column torn from its body in one terrible motion.

The other’s body found itself compressed within her shimmering aura while she watched, a leering grin stitching itself together upon her newly-reformed muzzle. A savage, joyful expression filled her face, her slitted, turquoise eyes rolling back in sadistic pleasure. With a final telekinetic squeeze, the Umbra simply burst into a cloud of ichor, gore and bone.

Rainbow’s mouth hung open in disbelief, her mind trying to process what was happening. The Nightmare was carving through the Umbra like they were nothing, grinning all the while like it was a game. With every one she killed, her body regained yet more of its vigor, returning to life once more.

The last of the Umbra had tried to crawl away, to escape its impending fate. The Nightmare let out a low, sinister chuckle that made Rainbow’s fur stand on end.

“Oh, I’m not done with you yet,” the alicorn spoke, at last, her voice deep and regal. Striding forward, she closed the distance quickly, stomping onto the Umbra’s back with a forehoof.

With a grin, she ground her hoof against its spine, bones shifting beneath the overwhelming force. Her mane swept over it, a sparkling field of stars on velvet, almost caressing the creature with its touch. It struggled, perhaps sensing its fate, rapidly clawing at the stone to get away. Her mane then smothered its head, slowly twisting it around, bit by bit, until the sickening snap and crunch of bone brought an end to the creature’s fight.

As the last one faded away, the Nightmare stood, her body now fully restored. Her coat was almost black, tinged slightly a dark purple, as were the tips of her feathers. The crescent moon cutie mark on a patch of deep purple burned a searing white. She stood there defiant, panting slightly with excitement burning in her eyes as she awaited her next challenger.

The colossal Umbra shifted, its whole body rippling as it faced down the alicorn, who merely tilted her head at it as if daring it to make a move.

With a piercing, alien roar, it charged, nearly trampling Rainbow as it lumbered forward. It barrelled into the motionless alicorn, jaws outstretched to swallow her whole. The sarcophagus exploded into a cloud of dust as the Umbra bit down upon the Nightmare and charged straight through the stone coffin and into the far wall. The whole tomb shook from the force of the impact, the enormous Umbra thrashing wildly as it tried to pulverize the black mare with brute force.

It roared in fury, tossing the Nightmare across the room like a rag doll. She crashed hard into another stone wall, causing a crack to run up to the ceiling and rain bits of stone down on her head.

The Nightmare emerged with a huff, now covered in a thick coating of dust. Thin trickles of blood oozed from numerous wounds on her body. “That actually hurt, you insolent cur.”

Standing square, eyes burning with anger, her horn glowed once more. “Redeo!”

A long, curved wooden shaft of black oak appeared before her with a crescent moon of silver built into one end. With a soft tap on the ground, a curved blade of baleful energy crackled into being, jutting to the side to form a scythe.

A trio of tendrils shot forward from the Umbra but were sliced off with one effortless swing. The smouldering stumps recoiled back into the beast’s body with a pained shriek.

The Nightmare did not allow it a reprieve. Teeth gritted and fangs bared, she launched herself forward with a single powerful thrust from her wings. With one downward swing of her blade, she tore into the shadowy monstrosity, slicing downwards right to the stone beneath it.

The beast howled, black ichor bursting in torrents from the gouge the weapon had torn. It staggered backwards, its blood spreading across the room like a flood.

With one horizontal swing, she cut deeply through, into its mouth and belly. Gore and organs, including chunks of half-digested pony meat, tumbled from the gash as it let out one last pitiful whimper before falling to the ground.

The Nightmare let out soft pleasure-filled whinny as her wounds closed almost instantly. Her mane billowed like a flag in a storm, her wings unfurling to their full majesty.

Then, her eyes turned to Rainbow, a terrible bloodlust in them. They weren’t focused on her, Rainbow realised, but on her chest plate where Celestia’s sun cutie mark was emblazoned. She began to move, the blade of the scythe dragging along the ground and an angry frown gracing those noble features.

“What is a dog of my sister’s doing here?” she demanded, the blade sliding up under Rainbow’s chin.

It felt so terribly cold, even though it was not even touching her, the blade pulsating and crackling, eager for more blood to sate its hunger.

Despite the fear gripping her, Rainbow remained resolute. “Celestia sent us to resurrect you. The Umbra…”

“So, she couldn’t even do such a simple task right,” she muttered, her wings bristling. “You always were weak, my sister.”

“We need your help.”

“You mortals always need my help,” she spat. “Weak and feeble. Even now, you come crawling here, begging on your bellies.”

The blade fizzled away, the Nightmare standing at ease, looking away and clearly feeling no threat.

“We got your sorry flank off the moon, didn’t we? What, you were just having a little holiday up there for the fun of it?” Rainbow growled. “Some goddess you are!”

The dark alicorn regarded her once more, chuckling to herself. “So, it appears the dog has some bark! You are brave, young one, but I warn you, my generosity only goes so far.”

Rainbow gulped but held the mare’s gaze before she turned and began to trot towards Twilight’s body. “Where are you going?”

“To claim what is mine.”

Rainbow didn’t like that savage glint in her eyes. What was she planning? Poor Twilight has already suffered enough on her account.

She rushed to stand between the Nightmare and Twilight’s body. “No. She’s given you enough already. Leave her alone you bitch!”

“I warned you, pegasus,” the Nightmare said, her horn beginning to crackle. “It seems the dog requires discipline.”

Pain exploded through every fibre of Rainbow’s being. Her body convulsed as dark energy fired off every pain receptor it possessed, all at once. She clenched her eyes, an egregious howl escaping her lips as the pain intensified. Even through the agony, she stayed standing, refusing to give in.

Suddenly, the pain ceased and a booming laugh echoed through the shattered tomb. “My, my, it seems you are made of stronger stuff than I gave you credit for! Or perhaps I’ve lost my touch in my slumber,” the Nightmare laughed. “I do believe I’ll keep you, my little pegasus.” With that, the sun-emblazoned armour fell off Rainbow’s chest, clattering to the floor.

“Leave her be,” Rainbow whimpered. “Please.”

“You speak as if you have a say in the matter. She is mine,” the Nightmare said. “If I was you, I’d worry more about myself right now.”

“I don’t care about myself! I won’t let you touch my friend!” Rainbow cried.

The Nightmare paused, tilting her head down. “Your loyalty is commendable, but I do not have time to bandy words with you, welp.”

With a telekinetic shove, Rainbow was tossed away, barely managing to recover before she hit the ground.

The Nightmare loomed over the fallen unicorn, her horn’s light bathing Twilight’s body in a gentle aura. “Wake up, my bloodsworn. Your duty is not yet finished.”

17 - Bloodsworn

“Is anypony here?!” Twilight called, her voice echoing in the empty blackness.

She had been calling frantically ever since she had arrived in this place but had not received an answer. The darkness seemed to go on forever, yet she could see her own hooves and body as if there was light present that only shined on her. She felt warm, like she was standing outside on a summer day. She almost caught the scent of freshly cut grass against her nose as she walked.

But where was she? The last thing she could remember was… killing herself in Luna’s tomb. Now she was here, wherever here was.

She had heard the story of the Elysian fields when she was a foal, a wonderful place where you never had to toil and struggle ever again. Being a skeptical filly, she had argued with the teachers constantly about how they could possibly know such a place existed when nopony had ever been there and come back. That had earned her a visit to the head matron more times than she had liked, but no amount of detention or floor cleaning had been able to persuade her that it was real.

Right now? She was really hoping the Book of the Sun was right and she was just in a waiting room or something. Had the ritual meant she was going to Tartarus for her transgressions? Had Celestia forsaken her?

She fought off her rising panic and set her apparently still-functioning mind to work. She could figure this out; she just had to think.

She sat on her haunches and brought a hoof to her chin. Could this be a side effect of Starswirl’s spell?

“You are partly correct,” a soft voice said from behind her, making her jump with a squeak.

Standing there was the mare from the painting in Celestia’s study, Luna, an amused expression on her face.

“Y-you’re Princess Luna!” Twilight gasped, backpedalling before dropping to her knees and bowing.

There was a chuckle. “You know my true name. You’re full of surprises, my dear.”

“I-how? How are you here? Where is here?” Twilight babbled. “I thought I died. I did die.”

“Indeed you did.”

“Then how?” she asked, hyperventilating. “How am I here? Why have I not gone to Elysium? What is this place? I want to go home… I want…”

A choked, desperate sob escaped her lips, her confusion and fear spiralling out of control.

A gentle hoof lifted her face, and she gazed into the most beautiful cerulean eyes that sparkled with a strange light. “So many questions! Fear not, my bloodsworn, for you are safe.”

“Bloodsworn?”

“Yes, blood is the most potent offering one can give to the gods,” Luna said, leaning forward. “You gave your life to restore me, and now it is mine. Consider yourself honoured.”

She was so close, and her presence was so overwhelming that Twilight felt her cheeks flush a little. “I-I was only doing what Celestia ordered me to.”

Luna’s expression darkened. “Regardless of what my sister desired, you willingly gave your life, and I am grateful to you.” She bowed her head.

Dazed, Twilight returned the bow. “But if I’m still alive, where am I? Where is this place?”

“You are within me, child. I had to put you here to keep from losing you,” Luna said. “Forgive me, I was busy attending to our guests.”

“Guests?”

“The Umbra you led into my tomb,” Luna huffed angrily.

“I… we,” Twilight stammered, unsure how to respond.

The alicorn laughed. “I jest, those beasts will trouble us no more.”

“What about Rainbow Dash? Is she okay?”

Luna tilted her head with a smile. “You will see soon enough. Come. It is time for us to return,” she declared with a flap of her wings. “I would like to thank you in person.”

“But I-I don’t want to go back,” she replied, looking away. “I have nothing to go back to. Just let me go.”

“Indeed? Your companion seemed most adamant to protect you,” Luna said. “Were I not in a generous mood, she would be dead already. She endured much, hoping to protect your honour.”

“She-she did?”

“Oh yes, and there is so much more to come, my dear bloodsworn,” Luna said, her eyes shining with an eagerness that enthralled and frightened Twilight in equal measure.

Twilight looked down, but Luna lifted her head up. “Come, let us walk our path of blood together.”

Her eyes glowed, and Twilight felt herself being pulled into the light. For a brief instant, Twilight saw the being that was Luna, not a mere pony or even an alicorn, but a goddess—a being of light, terrible and yet, so beautiful.

<=======ooO Ooo=======>

Twilight awoke with a gasp of breath, followed by a fit of coughing as air rushed into her lungs.

“Twilight!” she heard Rainbow Dash’s voice cry as she felt herself being pulled into a hug. “I thought you were dead!”

“I am insulted you thought so,” That was Luna, yet her voice was colder and stern.

“Rainbow…” Twilight croaked, feeling a strange relief at seeing the pegasus again.

“How is this possible? You’re not even hurt anymore,” Rainbow gasped, pulling away, her hoof prodding at Twilight’s chest where the blade had entered.

“I don’t know,” she replied, looking down at her blood-soaked fur yet not feeling any sign of injuries. She felt fine. Better than fine, in fact, the weariness of the evening having washed away.

“You live because I will it, my bloodsworn. We are bound now, you and I. While I live, then so shall you,” Luna said, but as Twilight looked to her, she now saw a very different mare than moments before. She was black as night, her star-filled mane billowing like a silent storm, those canines poking out from under her lips. “Now rise, I wish to thank you properly.”

Gingerly, she got to her hooves, staring into those slitted eyes in confusion. Luna tilted her head, her eyes having a dangerous, hungry glint in them.

Was this truly Luna? Why was she so different out here?

Her questions faded away as Luna kissed her on the muzzle. Twilight’s eyes widened, and she tried to pull back, but Luna was not to be denied. Her tongue forced Twilight’s lips apart, urgently exploring her mouth. Luna’s wings unfurled and gently stroked against Twilight’s back as she pressed against her. A soft moan escaped Twilight’s lips as pleasure surged through her body. She leant into the alicorn’s embrace, rational thought a distant memory as she drowned in this new sensation.

As quickly as she had begun, Luna withdrew, leaving a dazed and panting Twilight in her wake.

That had been her first kiss, and it had been stolen! By a mare! The Nightmare, no less! Her cheeks were burning as she looked into the other mare’s eyes.

“You are mine, my bloodsworn,” Luna said, huskily, giving Twilight’s lips a playful nip. “Body and soul.”

A flood of thoughts rushed through Twilight’s mind like a tidal wave, objections, questions, but mostly terrible embarrassment.

An awkward cough from off to the side brought her back to some semblance of clarity. Rainbow was still there, a bright blush on her own cheeks, her wings standing rigid at her sides.

“Do not fear, my pet, you shall receive my gratitude in good time,” Luna said, a predatory smile on her face.

“I…” Rainbow stammered, taking a few steps back.

Luna laughed. “Now, the night wanes and I must regain my strength before I face my sister,” she declared, striding purposefully away. “Come, my minions, let us go!”

“Go? Go where?” Twilight asked.

Luna tilted her head to look back. “Why hunting, my dear bloodsworn. We’re going hunting.”

Twilight looked over to Rainbow, who looked about as dazed and confused as she was. Just what had they gotten themselves into?

18 - Aftermath

The first rays of the sun rose over the blasted battlefield that had once been Ponyville. The last embers from fires set during the night were still smouldering, sending faint trails of smoke into the sky. The stench of blood, sweat, and death drifted in the wind as a sickly miasma.

Bodies of the dead and dying lay scattered about in clusters. The soft moans of the wounded rose up from the shattered landscape in a terrible cacophony of pain. Overhead, the carrion birds circled hungrily, awaiting their chance to feed.

The true victors of this battle.

A battered and bloody Sunset Shimmer sat amongst the carnage, gazing despondently at what remained of her knights. Her helmet lay scoured and broken at her hooves, her well-groomed mane now a frazzled, sweat-soaked mess. Her blood-caked sword rested beside her, its edge chipped and blunted from the night's bloody work.

Of her proud army of knights, only a score were still standing, mere ghosts of their former selves. Of the wounded, only a few would leave this place, the rest not likely to last the hour. Only by the blessings of Celestia, was she herself unscathed, a small comfort amidst all this suffering.

The Celestial Knights, the army she had trained personally, had ceased to exist.

Malice lay behind her, battered and bleeding but unbroken. Even he was quiet as they surveyed the battlefield together. He had not even gone off to partake in his usual pastime of scavenging the dead. This was different—he knew these ponies lying broken at his feet. Perhaps even his black heart was capable of remorse from time to time.

Sunset let out an angry snort, kicking her helmet away.

All this death and sacrifice and they had achieved nothing!

The Umbra had fled the field the moment the Mare in the Moon had fallen from the sky, leaving Sunset and her knights stunned but alive. That welp had succeeded once again, and the thought enraged her.

“Hark, it’s the Princess!” somepony called, all eyes turning to see the graceful form of the Sun goddess swoop overhead, accompanied by her royal pegasus guard and a hundred other ponies riding on air chariots.

Celestia arced over the battlefield, her white coat and rippling mane bathed in the golden hue of the rising sun.

“So, the coward makes her appearance,” Malice muttered as Celestia landed amongst her soldiers, the cheer rising from them as loud as the few could muster.

“Guard your forked tongue,” Sunset growled. “I am in no mood for your nonsense.”

He simply chuckled. “At least I get to watch you fawn over your beloved princess.”

She gave him a scowl before trotting towards the princess, who was amongst the crowd that had rushed to greet her as she landed.

Sunset swallowed, a bitterness in her mouth as she approached Celestia, the goddess, standing pristine amongst the carnage around her.

“Your Highness,” she said, dropping to her knees.

“Ah, my dear Sunset,” Celestia said, relief pouring from her voice. “I knew no Umbra could best my most faithful student.”

“Forgive me, Your Highness,” she said. “I have failed you.”

Celestia frowned. “Failed me? How?”

“Despite all that you have taught me, I could not carry the day,” she cringed, clenching her eyes tightly.

There was a soft sigh, and she felt a hoof gently rest on her shoulder. “No, my dear Sunset, you have performed your task admirably,” Celestia said softly. “It was not an easy one; that was why I gave it to you.”

Sunset looked up to see Celestia give her a sympathetic smile. “You and your knights fought bravely. You should be proud.”

“I am, Your Highness. But we have suffered grievously for the night’s work. Many will not last long.”

“Fear not, I will not allow my subjects to suffer, especially those who have fought so valiantly.”

Celestia closed her eyes and stood straight, her horn beginning to glow with a piercing golden light. “Let that which has been broken be mended. Let my light ease your pain, my little ponies. Sano!”

A golden light swept forth from the alicorn, warm like the sun in mid-summer. Sunset felt her fatigue vanish, her wounds healing instantly. As it swept over the field, those that were dying rose to their hooves, completely healed.

For a moment, all her doubts were swept aside by her princess’ majesty. She felt the same awe she’d felt meeting Celestia for the first time as a filly—that overwhelming sensation of being in the presence of divinity.

As the light faded, a cheer rose up once again, “Helios Aeternum!”

“Thank you, my princess,” Sunset said, bowing once more.

“I only wish I could give you more,” Celestia sighed, looking away towards the Everfree. “It would seem our gambit was a success.” Her expression hardened. “You felt the Nightmare’s awakening, did you not?”

Sunset nodded. “Yes, I don’t think I’ve ever felt anything like it.”

“I expect not.”

Even in Celestia's presence, she could still feel that terrible cold that swept over her when the Nightmare had descended, a deathly chill that made her shudder involuntarily.

“What are your orders, Highness? Shall we go and confront the Nightmare?” she asked, eagerly.

Celestia closed her eyes. “No, the time has not yet come for us to meet once again. Let her sate her bloodlust amongst the Umbra; it will grant us the reprieve we need.”

“But what if she turns on us? Will she not gain strength if left unchecked?”

“Do not fear, my student. I did not spend these millennia idly awaiting her return,” Celestia replied. “When her foolish desires bring her to our door, I will have need of you, my student.”

Sunset ignored the twinge of anger simmering inside her.

“By your will, Your Highness.”