They were not guards, but the fight against the lake aberration had brought attention of something on their group the moment they’d stepped out of the fishery into the small settlement around it. Sunset Shimmer, to her trepidatious fortune; recognized them:

Gathered around them were a mob of what may have one been people. Each and every one of them shrouded in darkness, wafting off their bodies like some black, heatless flame licking their shapes, wafting into the night sky like smoke. Their bodies seemed limp, almost lifeless, standing with hunched shoulders and sagging arms, the only show of life, or rather some sick imitation of it, were the hollow white orbs peering at everyone through the darkness. Unfeeling, unthinking, just… Sunset couldn’t perceive what exactly gazed at her from behind those unearthly orbs. Just that in her core, she felt a familiar sense of fear, just like in her dream.

Some of them were tall, some of them short. Some men, some women. Thin, fat, anywhere in between. Some had the outlines of simple farmer’s clothing, while some had frames indicating armor, with distinct kettle hats. Some of them carried weapons in their limp-hanging arms, consisting mostly of knives, axes, and simple farming tools, while some of the armored ones wielded swords.

Before Sunset could attempt to comprehend what they were, the Hunters were on them as if by sheer instinct. Scootaloo skewered the closest with her sword with no hesitation. Fluttershy gasped audibly as the blade pierced through, eliciting a haunting, moan-like rasp.

The memories of her dream flooded back as Sunset remembered her struggle with the creatures pursuing her.

Scootaloo in a very callous-seeming manner kicked away the dark husk, the momentum sliding it off her blade. The thing stumbled and collapsed onto the ground, unmoving. When Sunset almost began to feel sick; like the spawn of the lake aberration, the husk began to fade away, like ashes blown in the wind, with no trace of it left.

“These were the same things I saw in my dream…” said Sunset absently, her hand barely grasping at her rapier as the hunters went about dispatching the husks, seeing Lyra cleave one perfectly in two from the waist down, the separated pieces evaporating before either had hit the ground.

“What are they?” asked Twilight Sparkle, horrified.

“Same as the creature from the lake. Only these were once humans,” said Neighsay grimly, standing with Sunset and her friends as the hunters performed their calling. “These are the very things the Umbra Hunters hunt; beings swallowed by the darkness of the Umbra.”

“How… How does this happen?” Twilight stammered, looking over at the archivist.

Neighsay sighed regrettably as he watched the hunters fight. “When humans are overcome by Umbra’s touch, the darkness strips them of everything they once were. Their emotions, their memories, their very sense of existing; all that remains is a husk that will go on to attack the living in hunger for the light within each of us.”

“So that’s what I felt when Twiggy spewed on me? And when the lake thing sprayed Bon-Bon?” asked Rainbow Dash, who, while grasping her cudgels in preparation to fight, looked uneasy as the Hunters effortlessly dispatched their foes.

“Indeed;” confirmed Neighsay, “as the old verses say “Umbra reviled the light, and would swallow it.” That is why the Umbra-Touched attack us.”

Twilight took something from her pocket, “Mr. Neighsay; the lightning enchantments in the Hunters’ weapons are somehow anathema to Umbra-Touched, correct?”

“That is correct: The Umbra-Touched hunger for an consume light. But; ironically the same light they hunger for can also hurt them. Husks like these pose little threat to the Hunters, and even unenchanted weapons can dispatch them, but the more steeped in the darkness they are, the stronger they become. Hence the Hunters’ need to use the shards to put down stronger Umbra-Touched.” He looked over at Twilight, “Is there something you can do?”

“I’m not entirely certain,” said Twilight, “but it’s worth a try.” She stepped ahead from the non-combatants. “Avert your eyes!” she called and pointed her keychain LED lamp at one of the husks, and clicked it on.

At Pinkie’s call of “Bright light!” the husk that was struck by the impossibly bright beam cowered and thrashed wildly, as if it had been set ablaze, and staggered away. Bon-Bon spotted the opportunity and skewered the distracted husk with her spear, making it literally poof into dust the moment the blade struck.

“My word; you possess powerful magic, Lady Sparkle!” said Neighsay, sounding amazed at her use of the little device. “What is it?”

Twilight smirked, holding the lamp casually between her index and middle finger, “Technology.”

“Oi! Not sure if you noticed; but we could use a little help!” Maddie called before parrying a sloppy blow from one of the husks of the armored variety, and in kind slammed the pommel of her claymore into its face.

Almost expected; it was Rainbow Dash who was the first to step forth, cudgels at the ready. The athlete took a deep breath, then craned her neck, twirled her cudgels with deft movements of her fingers and joined the fray alongside Scootaloo. Next was Applejack, looking at her axe with pursed lips, in a look displaying unease. When she looked back at the husks shambling towards Maddie, she grit her teeth in determination before rushing to join the battle. Sunset watched as the farmer used her geode-given strength to shield bash the armored husk backwards off its feet whilst Maddie dealt with a pitchfork wielding one by driving her sword horizontally into its midsection.

Sunset looked at her hand grasping at the rapier still in its sheath. She jolted, looking back at the battle as Pinkie Pie, having moved there without anyone noticing, threw a spray of sprinkles at an armored husk, the burst of crackles dazing it enough for Maud to crush it effortlessly into dust with her great mace.

She felt someone’s hand on her shoulder. She turned to see Rarity, looking at her straight in the eyes. Sunset looked back, questioningly at her fashionista friend. Rarity nudged towards the battle, at their friends, looking at her with a solemn expression. Sunset looked down to her rapier, then back to Rarity. She pursed her lips, furrowing her brow as she silently understood what her friend was implying. Their friends were out there, risking their lives for their new friends from Equis. With a firm nod, Sunset grasped the hilt with her and unsheathed the graceful blade.

“Fluttershy, Twilight;” she turned to the two, “you stay with Neighsay. If it looks like we’re in trouble, use your light to support us. Spike,” she looked down to their small companion, “keep them safe and watch for more.”

“You got it!” said Spike with a salute of a forepaw.

Twilight nodded. With it settled, Sunset rushed to battle with Rarity, the fashionista already forming a diamond to act as a shield. Humans or not, and whether they still retained something of their former selves before becoming the darkness-spewing husks, she rightfully did not know. If this would make her a killer, their lives were on the line regardless.

Sunset deliberately drew the attention of one of the husks, this one grasping a sickle. She assumed a defensive posture, just like in fencing, blade pointed with lethal intent at her adversary. It raised its weapon to strike her, but Sunset, with gritted teeth underneath her lips, lunged. Under usual circumstances she would have been called for foul when she thrust the sword at the husk’s head, the finely-honed blade seeming to pierce, making the husk stagger back. Whether or not it actually felt anything and it was merely some form of muscle memory, she was uncertain. In mimicking what Scootaloo had done, Sunset quickly drove the sword into the husk’s chest, using the momentum from the thrust to shove it back and off her blade: No blood or any other bodily fluids to be seen. The husk collapsed to its knees, and before it managed to fall over, it disintegrated away, with nothing left but the sickle.

Another husk came skidding to a sliding halt close to her after a reverberating slam, only to dissipate too. Applejack came up next to Sunset, shield in front defensively.

“How’re ya farin’?” she asked, revving the wrist of her weapon hand.

Sunset trained her sword forward as an armored husk approached them, doing nothing to help the awful feeling in her stomach, “I’ve been better.”

“Yea, me too,” the farmer girl concurred before stepping forth and brutally snap kicking the husk, her magically amplified strength sending it flying back several feet before sprawling to a halt. “When will these things stop comin’ already?”

“Umbra-Touched won’t stop. Unless you destroy them,” came Maud’s muffled monotone from nearby, Pinkie Pie sitting on her shoulders, flicking gumdrops at any husk that came too close as miniature explosives.

“Pardon me, but-” said Rarity before being interrupted by a hatchet striking the human-sized disk of a diamond in front of her. She then pushed forward, sending it and the husk behind it sliding backwards before slamming into a wall of a shack. “Aren’t we just potentially drawing further attention with all the light and ruckus? I mean the city has battlements; wouldn’t battlements imply patrols?”

“Rarity has a point,” said Scootaloo as she and the hunters had huddled around with everyone into a semi-circle. “We need to make our way towards the drain tunnel,” she said, then loosed an arrow at one of the husks, the lightning-infused projectile disintegrating it upon being struck. “Night Quill, get to Neighsay and take point, we’ll follow suit. Use your shard to light the way.”

“Yes ma’am,” muffled Night Quill, running off towards Neighsay, Twilight, Fluttershy and Spike.

“Alright, Hunters;” said Scootaloo with her tone of authority. “Follow Night Quill’s direction, and just off whatever gets in your way. We need to get to Moonlink.” She loosed another arrow at one of the few remaining armored husks.

With that, they began to briskly move as one, the husks voraciously continuing to approach them. A yelp emanated from Rarity as a larger diamond materialized before them, blocking a bolt that bounced off the barrier. Scootaloo, like she had the eyes of a hawk, loosed yet another arrow and somewhere in the distance a sparkle of electricity signified another felled husk.

Progress was slow with them having to back away, and hazardous, especially when discovering that the husks knew how to use ranged weaponry and had enough cognition that they could throw their armaments. Those that caught up to them had to be quickly dispatched. A combination of the Umbra Hunters’ skill, the girls’ powers, and their numbers made it noticeably easier. Applejack, Maud and Bon-Bon, being the only ones with shields, brought up the rear, while Scootaloo strayed slightly from the rest due to her ranged capabilities, never missing a shot with her blackwood longbow.

-

Eventually they managed to rejoin Twilight, Fluttershy, Spike, Neighsay and Night Quill near the shore of Moonshine Lake, the ground beginning to rise into a steadily climbing hill. The husks were still in pursuit.

“We have a problem!” Rainbow heard the muffled voice of Night Quill, who’d approached Scootaloo, lifting his visor, “It would seem the High Priestess had bars installed at the mouth of the drain tunnel.”

Scootaloo audibly groaned, taking the time to shoot another husk, seemingly needing little to no time to aim, “Great. Any suggestions?”

“What’s going on?” asked Rainbow after zooming in between the two hunters.

“Cinch has closed off access to the drain tunnel with bars,” explained Night Quill. “That was our only surefire way inside Moonlink.”

Rainbow Dash furrowed her brow, coming upon a realization in an instant. “Still is!” she proclaimed, darting back at their rearguard. “Applejack, we’re going to need some of that Equestrian strength!”

With the farm girl joining her, Scootaloo and Night Quill, Rarity taking Applejack’s spot as a shield bearer, the four of them dashed to the end of the drain tunnel. Indeed, a heavy set of vertical iron bars had been framed into the opening, too narrow for any person to slip through, let alone none of their party with their bulkier gear. Applejack scrutinized the bars, going along the heavy iron frame wedged into the tunnel, before she gripped two of them along the same placement as the walkway inside. With nary a grunt, she bent the bars into a wider gap, the iron squealing in futile protest.

“Ah’ll be right back,” she informed, running back towards the nearing rearguard, returning shortly, hefting Maud’s impossibly large bludgeon against her shoulder. The farm girl slipped through the gap in between the bent bars, hefting the bludgeon with both hands. “Now steer clear!” she called, holding up the weapon with both hands like a batter at the plate.

Rainbow, Scootaloo and Night Quill did as requested; getting to a safe distance, when a reverberating bang pierced the night air. Rainbow could feel her ears pop when another bang sounded, followed by another, until the fourth, which brought the entire iron frame collapsing down onto the shore with a rumble.

“Great work, you two!” said Scootaloo in high praise at Rainbow Dash.

Applejack stepped out of the newly opened drain tunnel, “Alright, way’s clear! Let’s all mosey on inside!”

That was the cue for everyone, including their rear guard who had completely closed the gap to scurry into the tunnel.

“Twilight,” Sunset called, pointing at the still approaching husks, “cover our escape!”

“You got it,” said Twilight, switching on her lamp and shining it towards the remaining husks. As hoped, the impossibly powerful modified lighting caused all of them that were struck to reel back, snarling in their hollow, inhuman voices.

Applejack motioned everyone to hurry into the tunnel, relinquishing the bludgeon back to Maud along the way, with Bon-Bon bringing up the rear.

“What’ll we do about them?” she asked, pointing her spear towards the reeling husks.

“Leave that to me,” said Applejack, “Now ya’ll just get on inside.”

Bon-Bon looked back and forth between Applejack and the husks, before relenting and hurrying into the opened drain tunnel. Rainbow tugged at Twilight’s arm, motioning her to follow and led her inside as well. Inside the tunnel, assaulted by the ever-pleasant stench of mold, rot, and things she was better left not knowing, Rainbow watched as Applejack, with a grunt, lifted the entire bar frame up and over her head. Quickly backing into the tunnel, she slammed the frame mightily back into the seams, albeit slightly leaning inwards from part of the ceiling having caved in. Almost forgetting, the farm girl bent the gap between the bars back into place.

Soon enough, the husks came clambering after them. In spite of the impromptu set up, the combined weight of stone and iron kept them from getting through. They forced themselves against the bars, reaching towards their group through the gaps, their echoing rasps reverberating off the tunnel’s infrastructure.

Rainbow Dash handed Applejack her shield, looking back at the ravenous husks with trepidation.

“Ya’ll go on ahead,” said Applejack. “Ah’ll bring up the rear; make sure these guys don’t take us by surprise, just in case…”

-

Inside the drain tunnel their motley group was forced to walk in single-file, Fluttershy being situated behind Neighsay, while ahead of him Maddie now brought up the advance. Behind her came Night Quill, one of his swords sheathed while he continued to loosely hold onto the other, while in his other hand he held his light shard in a flask. Without the illumination the Knight Poet would have probably appeared like some body-less specter, what with his black armor underneath his raggedy cloak.

Seemed like at the moment everything came to look its scariest, thought Fluttershy, not helped by the pitch-blackness of the tunnel. It felt slightly cramped inside, a feeling of claustrophobia creeping through her, but she felt she could manage it, preferring it over the thing in the lake and the shuffling husks that attacked them trying to get this far.

The sounds of her and everyone else’s footsteps echoed through the tunnel, accented by the quiet dripping and drizzle of water emanating from somewhere off the walkway, though how deep down it was now was hard to tell in the darkness. Somewhere behind here she heard Pinkie humming something, which served as a good indicator that things were going smoothly.

“How far is this ladder exactly?” asked Maddie from the front.

Fluttershy could see Neighsay unrolling the map from earlier, “Not far now, I should say. We should be coming by the last cesspit of this line any moment now, so be mindful of your footing, Maddie.”

“Yea-yea, I gathered we’re in a sewer…” murmured the swordswoman.

It was understandable, the drain tunnel reeked. It wasn’t quite as vomit inducing as the fishery, at least to Fluttershy, but the stench of whatever had slid down there, added with the mold and mildew lining the humid walls and ceiling was the farthest from any improvement.

Deciding to break the monotony, Fluttershy glanced over her shoulder, “Um… Sir Quill?”

The Knight Poet lifted his vizor, peering over the rim of his helmet’s faceplate, “Please, Lady Fluttershy, Night Quill will suffice. Is something the matter?”

Fluttershy rubbed her upper arm, looking down at her feet in shame, “I’m… I’m sorry I haven’t been useful.”

“I assure you, Lady Rainbow Dash already did so on your behalf, and we do not think any less of you,” Night Quill said in reiteration.

“I know. I just wanted to say it myself, and thank you,” Fluttershy flashed a meek smile at the Knight Poet. “I may not have someone like Sif on my side, but at least I have my friends…”

“I’m certain you do them proud, milady.”

“Just Fluttershy will suffice,” Fluttershy tittered, echoing the Knight Poet’s words.

“Alright, watch your feet!” called Maddie from the front. “It turns right; so don’t go falling over the ledge. Celestials’ sake, we don’t wanna have to fish you up from the cesspit.”

“Duly noted, Miss Maddie,” said Neighsay flatly as he stepped sideways around the bend.

Fluttershy followed suit, stepping carefully around the bend herself, despite the good two extra feet of legroom before the ledge, leading into a shrouded drop of indeterminable feet. The walkway curved back the direction they were originally going, only the walkways widened noticeably so that at least three people could stand safely side-by-side. As Neighsay had promised; there was indeed a rusty ladder leading upwards.

Everyone tried to fit as best they could around it, though Maud had to keep back with the broad frame of her armor and weapons.

“Now, before anythin’ else,” called Applejack from the rear, still keeping watch, “is everyone here and accounted?”

“In answer to Lady Applejack’s question; I count fifteen heads, including our good canine friend Spike, and we started with fifteen,” said Neighsay. “All are present and accounted, yes.”

“Well, that’s good to know,” Applejack called, with a chuckle. “And it looks like our acquaintances ain’t followin’ us to boot.”

“Assuming they could even see where they’re going if they were,” stated Rainbow Dash in a very matter-of-fact way, quite unbecoming of her.

“Don’t be fooled,” said Scootaloo. “Umbra-Touched creatures can navigate in darkness as easily as a bee finding flowers,” she emphasized.

Fluttershy noticed Rainbow eyeing the darkness of the cesspit warily. In response, she herself could not help but feel slightly vulnerable, thinking if something they themselves could not perceive was skulking down there, in the impenetrable blackness. Something that, as Scootaloo attested, might be eyeing them right now, poised to strike in their obliviousness. The thought made her scoot closer to the wall, suppressing the desire to whimper.

Night Quill took hold of the ladder, “I’ll go first, see that the coast is clear.”

“You remember the code?” asked Maddie, to which the Knight Poet simply nodded.

Night Quill’s boots clacked against the iron fixture as he clambered up, the hems of his coat disappearing into the blackness as he went. After a while the sound of rhythmic knocking of metal against metal resounded up above.

“Anyone else thinking this looks super convenient for something to nab him and gobble him up?” asked Pinkie Pie in what was allegedly meant to be a whisper. This earned the pink-haired party girl several questioning, if not disapproving looks. “Just me then?”

A muffled voice spoke from up above; “They're the prey.”

“And we are the hunters,” came Night Quill's equally muffled tone from up above.

A moment passed when the sound of something metallic scraped and banged. Hinges caked with years’ worth of rust squealed in the darkness, a faded beam of light making its way down into the sewers.

“Ai’ght, welcome to Moonlink, mate!” said a new voice in a heavy accent.

A moment passed as Night Quill’s boots clacked against the ladder further up. A moment of silence passed, when the Knight Poet, his voice sounding slightly clearer called back down, “Alright, the coast is clear!”

Fluttershy stiffened at the feel of a hand on her shoulder, “Lady Fluttershy, I insist you go first,” said Neighsay courteously.

She cleared her throat, the looked at the Archivist gratefully, “Thank you, Mister Neighsay.”

Fluttershy grabbed onto the rusted iron ladder, took a deep breath, and began to ascend, her laced sandals tapping softly as she went. Approaching the soft light of the moon, she saw Night Quill offer her his hand. The Knight Poet, again stripped of his helmet, helped her out of the manhole. Wiping the grime off her hands onto the hem of her robes, Fluttershy observed her new surroundings.

Indeed, where they were was a form of warehouse. The smell of old wood, accented with dust, replaced the reek of the sewer. The building had a simple layout; a large, seemingly square layout composed of mortar and stone, the walls lined with sturdy, wooden mezzanines, with a large door situated at the far end. Bereft of any unique features, besides the series of crates, barrels and various other containers stacked huddled all about above, with more space left around where the manhole was. A tattered blanket had been draped over the mouth of one crate huddle in the corner, the glow of a lantern emanating from within. It seemed someone was living there.

“Sorry about the mess, but in my line of work… Well, wouldn’t be gettin’ anywhere with me dustin’ all the time, eh?” said a new voice, accented with a snicker.

Hunched near the manhole was a small, almost gangly man, draped in a worn and tattered, almost denim-like tunic, complete with a drooping cowl that covered his features, his only means of seeing the world around him being two eyeholes. The man waved idly at Fluttershy, just as Night Quill aided Neighsay out of the manhole. As their friends and companions began to file in, Fluttershy realized the feel of something pawing at her ankle.

She felt almost surprised to realize that tugging on her was a rat. Not Umbra-Touched, not monstrous in any way, shape or form; but a simple brown, button-eyed rat that was looking up at her, its little pink nose sniffing at the air around her. In an instant, her inherent sense of animal rapport kicked in, fawning over the rodent.

“Aww, hello there,” she said quietly as she hunched down. “You’re the first ordinary animal I’ve seen so far. What’s your name?”

The rat squeaked earnestly, the sounds translating in her mind as if the rodent was speaking her language.

“It’s very nice to meet you, Winifred,” said Fluttershy, happily petting the rat atop its head, a notion Winifred seemed pleased by, after which he began to squeak and peep openly, sounding very pleased to have someone new to converse with.

-

Sunset welcome the smell of dust and wood over the nose-assaulting effluents of the sewer. One-by-one, everyone in their group made their way up into the abandoned warehouse, Twilight with the utmost care levitating Spike up into her arms. It took longer than others for Maud, who needed to shed certain parts of her stone armor and have them brought up piece-by-piece with the aid of Applejack’s herculean strength. As this was going on, Sunset couldn’t help but notice Fluttershy standing to the side, with something brown and furry perched on her shoulder, which the animal caretaker seemed to not take any notice of.

“… Fluttershy; did you know you have a rat on your shoulder?” she asked, pointing at the rodent with slight apprehension, its snout twitching incessantly.

“Yup!” said Fluttershy, rather eagerly. “His name is Winifred,” she emphasized, petting the animal gently.

Sunset couldn’t help but manage a wry smile. It figured, seeing as Fluttershy found no animal beneath showing affection towards.

As soon as Maud had finally gotten the rest of her armor brought up and was in the process of reassembling it over herself, Scootaloo called for everyone to focus on her;

“Alright; once again so far so good. But don’t relax yet, for getting inside the walls was the easy part.” She looked around, indicating towards a discarded crate, which Applejack was quick to push over, on which Neighsay spread out the map of the city.

Scootaloo trailed a finger along the map, finding the warehouse, marked with the spade, and then trailed further along the streets, until settling on a larger building that had been marked with a shape reminiscent of an apple. The building was quite far from their current location, seeing as they had to cross well over a mile if drawing a straight line across from their starting point and destination, through the winding and twisting streets of the city, so the trek would be even longer than that.

“I’m assuming there will be patrols, right?” asked Sunset, going over in her mind at the fastest possible routes towards whatever the apple-marked building was.

“Wouldn’t be a city living in curfew without them,” Scootaloo remarked. “And if I’m not too mistaken, it’s now at least four in the afternoon, so the people will be confined into their homes, unless given express permission from Cinch or her followers. This leaves only soldiers and criers as the only people to walk the streets.”

“Dare I even ask what these criers will be preaching about?” asked Twilight with a clear distaste in her tone.

“Cinch is trying to convince people that in embracing the duality of the Celestials we incurred the wrath of Nightmare Moon, and that by forsaking the old teachings we would be spared from the Umbra,” said Night Quill, his words dripping with proverbial venom. “Those who do not submit, or at least outwardly pose as such enough, are expelled from the city.” He crossed his arms, eyeing the map, “I shudder to think what they’ve done to my home…”

“The other problem is that there are no specific patrol patterns that we’re aware of,” added Neighsay, who stroked his goatee in contemplation. “That will make infiltration difficult. Particularly in our need of avoiding conflict.”

“So? If we’re spotted, we’ll just beat the guards to a pulp until it’s lights out,” said Rainbow, slamming a fist into an open palm.

“And when the guards realize they’ve been roughed up?” asked Applejack, eyeing the athlete in disappointment, to which Rainbow reeled in realization.

“Well, if I’mma make a suggestion,” called the man in rags. “Managed to snag a lil’ so’mn that just might help ya!” And with that he slinked into his little abode inside the warehouse. He remerged with a quartet of blue tabards, three kettle hats and a length of rope.

Scootaloo’s eyes brightened amidst everyone, “Good job, Mole!”

Pinkie beamed up in the sudden realization; “Ooh, I get it: He’s a mole, and his name is Mole!”

-

Applejack looked about the currently vacant street, idly adjusting the kettle hat atop her head; the feeling of being without her Stetson was awkward. Her cherished hat had been passed to Rarity, who walked behind her, hands bound in rope, connected to Neighsay, the end of which she grasped in the hand of her shield arm.

This was their plan on hopefully getting to the rendezvous point with increased success. Four of their party, herself, Lyra, Bon-Bon and Rainbow Dash had donned the tabards, emblazoned with the symbols of a waning, full and waxing moon, and three of the kettle hats, with Bon-Bon being forced to use her own and hope any patrols they crossed did not question it, as well as their mismatched armors. They then used the rope provided to give the impression of them having captured dissenters:

Rainbow Dash was pulling along Scootaloo, Fluttershy and Night Quill, using the Knight Poet’s ragged cloak in the hopes of hiding their armaments. Lyra pulled along Twilight and Sunset, and Bon-Bon Maddie, whereas Maud had to make her way with Pinkie Pie and Spike, with the Pinkie Sense and Spike’s higher sense of hearing and smell, hopefully being enough to avoid capture in Maud’s bulky armor, while carrying a portion of the “prisoners’” stripped weapons to boot.

Preferring to take the precaution at first, they decided to covertly make their way across the street from the warehouse to an alley in between two buildings, Applejack spying around the corner, checking to see if the coast was clear.

The roads within the city were mostly cobblestone, while the sidewalks were made up of painstakingly lined stone blocks assembled into tightly compacted lanes along the road. Far from being any expert in history, but she could tell that the architecture was very old. Furthest styles she would recognize were those of settler times back in their home world. Here the buildings seemed composed of a form of half-timber framing with a mostly white infill materials, with angular tiled roofs, though some odd building or two appeared to have been composed of reeds. Overall, very rustic, truly verifying how backwards in time this world was compared to their own.

Many of the buildings in the market district were overshadowed by some of the more grandeur structures much further in the nobles’ district, while everything in the city itself was dwarfed by the temple of the moon, with its grand central spire that pierced into the heavens. Even its surrounding spires themselves were able to outdo all of the buildings in the city from the distance their party was from it.

“Just remember;” called Scootaloo in hushed tone, “by any means, try to steer clear from the market square.”

According to Mole, that place would be swarming with guards, and it was where they kept the cages for people about to be banished.

“Right,” muttered Applejack. “Well, it seems clear. Just stay calm, no sudden moves, and those in rope, keep yer heads down: Looks mighty more convincin’.”

And off they went, Applejack and her row taking the lead, the rest following in a disorderly fashion. As agreed, the “prisoners” kept their heads lowered as a sign of submission, letting their bound arms get dragged loosely for authenticity’s sake. Applejack on occasion yanked at the rope as if ordering her charge to keep pace.

She kept an ear out, hoping that Pinkie Pie, Spike and Maud were making their own progress without any trouble. It was a comfort, knowing that the Umbra-Touched hadn’t made their way into this grand bastion, as far as everyone knew, yet being forced to skulk about like criminals made the city feel unwelcoming and dangerous in its own way.

“It feels so unfair, doesn’t it?” Rarity whispered from behind. “It’s very much the end of the world, and someone has the audacity to take advantage of those left for their own gain…” said the fashionista with utter contempt.

“Ah’ hear ya, Rare,” muttered Applejack as she walked down the road into the direction of the temple, as instructed by Scootaloo and Neighsay, counting down the number of blocks before they would change direction north-east, hoping to circumvent towards their destination.

Applejack tensed when she spotted two guards rounding the very corner where they themselves had planned to turn northward. Instantly recognizable for the blue tri-moon tabards and kettle hats, much like the husks outside the walls. And to their misfortune, the guards were trekking towards their group. Still, Applejack had to urge herself to keep going, trying to look casual. Or was that appropriate?

She pretended like she did not see the two guardsmen, trying to maintain as neutral an expression as she could. They approached. The guards were looking at them. Applejack prayed in her mind that they just let them pass without any hassle.

“Oi!” Oh of course they wouldn’t. “What’s goin’ on here?”

And what a convenience that Applejack was the uncrowned worst liar in Canterlot High. Applejack took a deep breath in preparation to best convince the guards to let them pass, hoping to at least try and disguise her thick accent…

“Got the drop on a bunch of dissenters is what we did!” blurted Bon-Bon with a surprisingly good fake accent, stepping forth with Maddie in tow, jerking the smaller woman along with a convincing display. “This little git even managed to bust my helmet! So I took this thing from her to compensate,” she said, tapping her helmet forcibly. “Actually feels rather good. Taking them to the rest of the trash.”

The two guards looked at one another, murmuring something Applejack couldn’t quite catch, retaining her neutral expression.

“A’ight,” said one of the guards, pointing over yonder. “Just take ’em to market square an’ lock ‘em up with the rest. What’s a few more?”

“Just cram ‘em in there if need be,” Bon-Bon quipped. “Could be more dissenters out in these parts, so stay sharp.”

The guards saluted, which Applejack, along with Bon-Bon, Lyra and Rainbow Dash reciprocated. With that both sides could be on their way. After rounding their designated corner, Applejack checked to see that the guards hadn’t followed. To her, and everyone else’s relief, they had not.

“Nice improvization back there, Bon-Bon!” said Scootaloo with praise.

Bon Bon giggled endearingly, switching back to her own vernacular, “Thanks!”

“Let’s just hope Maud and Pinkie Pie are doin’ alright…” said Applejack under her breath, glancing over her shoulder, wondering where the two inter-dimensional siblings were now.

-

Pinkie Pie felt a sudden shudder rise up her feet, through her body, and coming to a point with a flick of her front-most curl. That meant something unexpected was about to happen. In her reverie, she did not realize until too late when her toes struck something hard and dense. She grimaced wildly as pain shot through her left foot.

“Yow!” she exclaimed, hopping on one foot, “Holy jalapeño haloumi!”

It was at that moment of pain, frustration, and test of balance that she came to a realization;

“Wait, my friends aren’t here…” she mused, suddenly gasping, “I can swear for real!”

She took a deep breath and focused it all to deliver one powerful, boisterous, “Son of a-”

Maud’s armor-covered finger pressed against her lips, cutting her off mid-word. The dimensional counterpart of her sister stood perfectly still, unmoving, when Pinkie saw a pair of guards walks straight past the alley they were currently in. After an uncounted amount of time passed, Maud lowered her finger.

“We better get going, Pinkie,” said Maud, remaining visibly or at least vocally, given her armor, unperturbed by the sudden attempt at profanity. “Plenty of opportunities to swear later.”

“Oh, right!” Pinkie acknowledge before prancing onwards, despite the nagging feeling somewhere in her sugar-addled, logic and sense defying mind that something had changed, but for the life of her, even she could not quite discern what that was. It was likely best to just keep going and get to the rendezvous point.

“… I should feel slightly offended by what she was going to say,” said Spike to no-one in particular, “but I choose not to.”

-

“Oh, I’m certain they’re fine, darling,” said Rarity. “Pinkie Pie has her Pinkie sense and whatnot to keep her out of trouble… Probably. And our little Spikie is with her.”

They continued on northwards, maintaining their façade dragging their “prisoners” in the direction of the market square, about four blocks down if Applejack’s memory of the map remained true. They were to go two blocks north before turning westwards, and that would be their destination. Another pair of guards approached them, this time one male, one female. Applejack swallowed as inconspicuously as she could; these two were on them right when they themselves needed to turn left. If they slowed their pace or stopped, it could look suspicious, and she’d rather not get any closer to the market square two blocks further, knowing it could be swarming with guards.

To the surprise of the guards, and Applejack to boot, something dinged against the kettle hat of one of them, both looking down the street, opposite the direction of where Applejack and her friends needed to go. A moment later and one of the guards flinched when something dense struck her right over the forehead on her helmet: A stone, about the size of a large marble, clacked off the cobblestone road. Both guards ran off in the direction of whomever was throwing stones at them, not paying Applejack and their party any mind.

Whoever it was who bought them this opportunity, Applejack was grateful, pulling Rarity and Neighsay along at a faster pace, peeking over her shoulder in case the guards came back. The eagerness at the prospect of safety almost made her want to run the ending stretch to their destination.

“Almost there,” called Scootaloo. “It’s the big building, apple sign over the door; can’t miss it.”

Sure enough, it was as Scootaloo described it: A large three-story building in that rustic, half-timbered style of construction, its façade lining with windows, two large ones on the ground floor with a hefty double door in between, up three wooden steppes, a faint light emanating from within. The second and third stories’ facades were lined with smaller windows, six for each. The building seemed more high-end than most of the ones near the city walls; not exactly blue blood standards, but still quite nice. The doors even having a patterned frame of a sandy-colored stone that contrasted against the greyish white of the mortar infill that composed the walls. Above the doors hung a prominent sign in the shape of an apple. Burned into the wood in simple lettering was “Apple Hearth Inn” between two embossed images of mugs or flagons.

Scootaloo easily slipped out of their faux bindings, eyeing her surroundings in vigilance as she made her way up the steps. She bid the others wait, then knocked on the door, in some form of pattern; possibly a code like back at the mine:

Knock-knock-knock. Thump. Knock-knock-knock.

Scootaloo continued surveying the streets, as did everyone else, no doubt dreading when the unexpected guard would pop out of nowhere and expose them. After a painfully long moment, the lock of the door rattled and clicked bluntly, no doubt a sturdy model. The door quietly creaked, just a crack, then ajar.

“Holy Celestials; Scoot!” came a surprised, familiar voice from behind the door. The voice made Applejack’s stomach squeeze harshly. The vernacular was completely different, but the tone was spot on.

Scootaloo hushed sharply, taking another look around. “We’ve got to get inside, quickly. We’ve got quite a number of Hunters this time around.” She looked over at Applejack, no doubt catching her expression of trepidation, “You… might want to brace yourself.”

Scootaloo called for Bon-Bon and Maddie to enter first. Applejack silently mouthed thanks towards the huntress for her tact. Followed by Rainbow Dash and her cue, then Lyra, and last was her turn. Swallowing the lump clogging her throat, Applejack steeled herself going up the steps and crossed the threshold. The homey scent of lacquered wood entered her nostrils as her boots clopped against the wooden tile floor. A series of aged, but fine furnishings was the first thing she realized; a number of round tables, with chairs stacked over the surfaces.

To her left came an unmarked door, next to which a staircase arose upwards. At the back of the large room, no doubt the dining area, was a grand hearth set alight. Far to the right from the entrance stood a bar, with three barrels lined at the back. As everyone crammed their way around the tables, the “captives” slipping their wrists out of their bindings and the pretend guards shedding their helms.

But all of this was for the moment trivial for Applejack, as she removed her kettle hat, her attention focused on the girl who stood before the bar. Adorned in clothing befitting a more high-end commoner: A white collared shirt with the sleeves rolled up over her upper arms, over which was a dark green sleeveless vest with bronze buttons emblazoned with embossments of apples. A pair of mahogany pants adorned her lower half with tanned leather boots, stenciled with, as expected, pictures of apples in a triad pattern.

She was roughly Applejack’s age, with a light-yellow skin color, and a head of brilliant vermilion hair, the most distinguishing feature of it being the large, light red bow worn at the back of her head. The hardest part was meeting the girl’s brilliant tangelo eyes, which were fixated on Applejack, the pupils having shrunk to near pin tips.

Indeed; before Applejack stood her sister Apple Bloom. Or rather, the older dimensional counterpart of Apple Bloom. Standing there, one hand almost over her mouth, open with the most disbelieving expression Applejack had seen yet.

Applejack placed the kettle helmet aside. Not even bothering to retrieve her hat from Rarity, she gingerly, with slow, careful steps, approached the dumbstruck Apple Bloom. She could feel the eyes of everyone in the room fixated on her and her sister’s counterpart. Her stomach twisted like yarn, the feeling racing up her chest like a stinging pain against her heart. She stood a few steps away from Apple Bloom, looking at the flummoxed girl somberly.

With a slow, deep breath, her resolve worked its way up from her insides, “Apple Bloom,” she uttered.

Apple Bloom’s lip quivered, her breathing shallow and wavering. Applejack felt her heart ache as she saw tears begin to form in Apple Bloom’s eyes. Having braced herself for the inevitable, Applejack could only close her eyes when her sister’s dimensional counterpart rushed her, and with the tried and true Apple Family fortitude, slammed into her like a miniature truck. That stopped dead in its tracks against her, feeling arms wrap around her torso, and tears smother onto her freckled cheeks from Apple Bloom's.

“Applejack!” gasped Apple Bloom through her tears, embracing Applejack with the strength of a vice. “Holy Celestials, you’re alive!” she sniffed.

Despite the force from Apple Bloom’s embrace, and the burning ache in her chest, Applejack put her arms around her little sister’s dimensional counterpart and let her pour out her emotions. Applejack had been told to have always cried on the inside, but for the life of her, despite such a claim, she could not help it when she felt a streak of warm, salty fluid escape from her own eye.

Applejack almost missed the sound of a door opening adjacent of the bar, “Eh? What’s the matter there, Apple Bloom?” came another familiar voice derived of the southern twang she’d always come to associate with it.

“Now why didn’t Mole or anyone tell us we’d be having…” out came hobbling a somewhat rotund old woman, with a striking lime green complexion and a head of white hair tied in a bun, adorned in a worn, dark green dress with a quite elegantly woven multi-patterned scarf over her shoulders.

“Celestials’ mercy,” murmured Granny Smith, a hand over her heart as she beheld her granddaughter returned from the dead, no doubt wondering for if she had bit the dust for a moment. “Applejack?” she quivered, hobbling closer towards the embracing Apple siblings.

Applejack watched as the counterpart to her beloved grandmother hobbled to her side. She figured she could handle further heartache, as she held out one hand to the elderly woman, who reached out and touched it, looking like she was uncertain of what she grasped in her own wrinkled ones. Applejack could feel her tears swell further as Granny Smith joined in the embrace with Apple Bloom, still exuding strength beyond her age.

-

Rarity wiped away the tears from her eyes with a handkerchief as she beheld the counterparts of Apple Bloom and Granny Smith embracing whom they thought was a sister and granddaughter returned from where there was no return. She passed it to the equally emotional Fluttershy, who subsequently blew her nose before wiping away excess tears with her hands. Rarity could see how Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo stood side-by-side near the Apples, Rainbow having a hand to the huntress’ shoulder, looking forlorn, knowing that soon the once missing Apple would have to reveal the painful truth to the family.

She thought she could hear footsteps coming from upstairs. Was someone staying with the remaining Apple family? A relative? Was it one of the Hunters or an informant coming to see the commotion down below? At first, she did not pay it much mind, though she did look over curiously when she heard the clear sound of boots against the steps just above her.

A pair of tanned leather boots came stepping down first, the feet connected to legs adorned in black pants. Based on the body type, it was a woman, revealing to be wearing a pinkish white shirt with slightly puffy shoulder sleeves and a quite nicely matching magenta vest over it. They might have been in constant peril, but Rarity’s innate eye for fashion and style was just impossible to restrain for extended periods of time.

The woman descending the stairs, her skin a hue of extremely pale grey, bordering on pristine white, leaned over the railing, at which Rarity could have sworn she felt her heart stop for a few seconds. A pair of brilliant green eyes stared directly at hers from above, framed by soft curls of light greyish rose and mulberry hair.

Rarity gasped, “S-s-Sweetie Belle?!”

And with that this universe’s Cutie Mark Crusaders’ (whatever that name actually meant) line-up was complete by the unexpected arrival of Rarity’s little sister’s counterpart descending into the main floor of the Apple Hearth Inn. Sweetie Belle rushed the last steps down and around until she stood before Rarity, eyes gazing up at her in disbelief.

“Rarity…?” she whimpered, reaching out to touch Rarity’s arm, her brilliant green eyes glinting as it was her turn to shed tears, “S-sister?”

Rarity could not help being instantly shattered by her little sister’s sweet innocence at the best of times. Even with this older dimensional counterpart, that same innocence still shone forth from her eyes. Rarity reached out and took Sweetie Belle’s other hand, which tightened around hers almost upon contact.

“Oh, dear Sweetie Belle…” Rarity uttered under hear breath, “I… I didn’t expect this, I… I didn’t know I’d find you here-”

Sweetie Belle sniffled, Rarity felt her hands tightening onto hers and her arm, and feeling like she herself ready to cry seeing her sister, dimensional counterpart or not.

“You’ve come back to us?” Sweetie Belle choked, “You’re you once again?”

Rarity felt at a loss for words. She hadn’t the slightest inkling what the older Sweetie Belle before her was asking her. Her once again? Whatever could that have meant?

“Sweetie Belle, dear. This… This is going to be hard to grasp… A-and accept, but I-”

Sweetie Belle latched onto Rarity, her tears staining the faded cloak she was still adorning as she sobbed against Rarity’s shoulder.

“I forgive you, Rarity,” Sweetie Belle sniffled, embracing whom she thought was her big sister, all the while Rarity’s mind was disheveled and perturbed.

Author's Note

Granny Smith was a late addition to the story based on a dice roll. Overall, I think it decided fine, given elements I've already planned ahead.

This also marks the first moment of Fluttershy being the point of view character in the story.

Since this story has been influenced by things other than just Dark Souls, you might spot the occasional reference to these things. In fact the "husks" as I'm referring to the basic Umbra-Touched human enemies, are directly derived from an enemy from another critically acclaimed videogame franchise.

And boy do I have the perfect talent in choice of musical ambiance when writing sad scenes; was listening to this number towards the end: Rose's Theme