The Shadow in the North

As they plummeted down the fissure, smashing against rocky walls as the driving wind tossed them about, the group eventually dropped into a cavern, where the glow of hasty spellcraft combined with the desperate beating of wings as the little band finally arrested their fall, bringing battered and bruised bodies to rest on the cave floor.

“Is everypony alright?” Shining asked as he helped Cadance to her feet, “Twily? Spike?”

“Banged up, but whole,” the librarian replied as her horn lit, creating a tiny area of light in the blackness of the cave, “Fillies?”

“We’ll live,” responded Applejack, as the other unicorns ignited their own horns, “Anypony know what in Tartarus happened up there?”

“It’s possible the fight, especially all the steam from the frost drake’s breath, weakened the ice shelf,” ‘Caller offered.

Rainbow shook her head, her hands on her sword hilts as she glared out into the darkness, “That wind was too convenient,” she disagreed, “As strong as it was, but now I can’t hear even a bit of it? I call shenanigans.”

The others blinked as they realized the weatherpony was right, the only sound was their own voices – the howling gale that had chased them through the crevice was gone.

Twilight frowned thoughtfully, “First things first, can anypony see where we fell? Maybe we can fly everypony back to the surface.”

Rarity squinted at the cavern ceiling, “The opening might be hidden in the shadows,” she said, “But I’m becoming inclined to agree with Rainbow that our descent was contrived.”

“If somepony wants us in this cave, then we’re not going to just sit around and wait on their pleasure,” Cadance declared, “let’s get everyponies’ injuries tended, and then we’ll look for a way out of here.”

Spreading out, the group poked and peered into the shadowed nooks and crevices of the cave walls. After a time, they regrouped and compared their findings, “There are a few passable tunnels we can try,” said Twilight, “And one of them does seem to go in the direction of the Crystal Empire, so we might be able to get there underground.”

“As dark, cold and generally unpleasant as these caves are, they’re still better than being out in that blizzard,” Rarity declared, drawing agreeing nods from the others, “I say it’s worth the attempt.”

“Trixie thinks we are not the first ponies down here,” added Trixie, “So there must be an exit to the surface somewhere.” Seeing the others’ curiosity, she led them over to a darkened alcove where several pictures had been painted on the walls, though a bit simplistic and stylized, the paintings clearly showed a number of ponies fighting strange beings that looked like mushrooms with legs and arms, while other paintings depicted ponies fleeing from storm clouds with angry, howling faces.

Twilight leaned forward to study the paintings, “Fascinating ... if I’m not mistaken, these painting are in a similar style to the art of the Normane clans who disappeared before the Windigos and the Fell Winter drove the original Three Tribes south ….”

“We can tell Canterlot University later, Twily,” Shining said, drawing his sister reluctantly back to her hooves, “But we have more immediate concerns right now. Besides,” he added jokingly, “No pony has ever been killed by a cave painting.”

“Actually,” Pinkie replied absently, “There was my Great Aunt Shale Pie, but everypony agreed that was a fluke.”

“O-okay,” Cadance said, as Trixie and Spike glared suspiciously at the paintings while the others stared at the baker, “Let’s have a bite to eat and then we can try the tunnels.”

After fashioning some crude wheels from fibrous mushrooms to salvage the abused sled, the band pressed on into the darkness. As Rarity had predicted, it was dark and cold, and the way proved rough and winding with only the distant drip of water and the occasional flutter of bats’ wings for company, but, free from the shrieking gale that hammered the surface and the need to struggle through snowbanks, the group found their spirits lifting.

Several hours later, more than long enough for the injures gathered fighting the frost dragon and in the subsequent plummet to stiffen, the ponies and their companions made camp in a wide, low-ceilinged chamber where an underground pond provided them with water. “How far do you think we came?” Trixie asked as she tried to massage some life back into her aching calves.

“We made pretty good time,” Shining said, as he laid out his bedroll, “If we can keep up this pace – and we can keep finding tunnels going the right direction – we should arrive at the Empire tomorrow … then we’ll just need to find a way up to the surface.”

“Yes, ‘just find a vay up to surface,’ and then find this ‘Crystal Heart,’ find Sombra, oh and defeat him in midst of his own city,” HellCaller observed sardonically, “All very easy, I’m sure.”

“Now, now, we’ll have none of that,” Rarity chided the demoness, “As Gallopous Tacticus said, ‘the moral is to the physical as three is to one,’ so let’s try and not be so negative, hmmm?”

Twilight blinked, “You’ve read Tacticus?”

“I do have interests beside fashion news and romances, Twilight,” the seamstress sniffed primly, as she turned away to help set up camp.

The next day progressed as murky and unpleasant as the one before, although they began to find more signs of habitation – the sporadic marks of pick and chisel, or some long-forgotten support beams reinforcing a tunnel – while sharp pony ears would occasionally flick and twitch in the light of glowstone lanterns, half-convinced that they had heard the sound of distant hooves on stone.

A strange barrier brought them to a halt, the tunnel ahead was blocked by a field of dark violet energy with waves of green pulsing across it.

“It looks like we found the barrier the Princesses mentioned,” Rarity declared, “Rather tacky, if I do say,” she added with a disapproving sniff.

Cadance took a deep breath, “Well, I guess it’s time to see if Aunties ‘Tia and Luna were correct about me,” she said with a shaky smile. Stepping forward she looked the shield over, before glancing back uncertainly at the others. Seeing the trusting and hopeful looks on her fellow Equestrians muzzles and Spike enthusiastically waving her forward, Cadance’s horn blazed forth its pale blue aura as she turned back to the shield and gingerly put her hand on it.

Several minutes passed, the waiting band watching tensely as the two auras flared and dimmed, before, with an exhausted groan from the pink alicorn, the violet field faded away. “Hurry!” Cadance panted as she nearly fell into the now open tunnel, “I don’t know how long I can keep it open!”

“We should be getting close to the city,” Shining observed some time later, “Let’s start looking for tunnels up.”

“I can feel some air movement from this one,” offered Rainbow, her wings twitching with suppressed claustrophobia, “It’s really faint, though.”

“It’s good enough for Trixie,” Trixie declared, “Trixie wants to be back in the open air, storm or no storm.”

As they made their way up the tunnel, Rainbow’s ears twitched … then Fluttershy’s, Pinkie’s and Cadance’s. Holding up a hand to signal a halt, Shining quietly rearranged the group’s marching order before they continued on, but now with weapons in hand and all senses straining for a hint of the ambush they knew was coming.

From around bends in the tunnels and dark side passages burst several shabby, half-starved looking, earth ponies, tools and a few battered weapons clutched in their fists, their ragged charge stumbling to a halt as the alicorn and unicorns flared their auras, leaving the attackers, their eyes long adapted to the tunnels’ gloom, blinking helplessly.

“Stop!” Cadance ordered the dazed ponies, projecting all the authority she had gained from Celestia’s training, “We are not your enemies!”

The bedraggled ponies stared at the band in confusion, before one stallion spoke up, “Who be thou then?” he demanded, shooting suspicious looks at Spike and ‘Caller’s cloaked form.

“We’re from Equestria,” Cadance replied, “We’ve come to help you defeat Sombra.”

Much to the Equestrians surprise, the Princess’ statement was met with mocking laughter, “Defeat the King?” the spokespony snorted, “The King has always ruled the Empire, and he always will. He’s not a pony, he’s some ancient evil, how dost thou propose to defeat something like that?”

HellCaller stepped forward, “With an ‘ancient evil’ of our own, or course,” she replied, flipping back her hood to display her glowing eyes and fanged grin.

“What were you thinking?” Pinkie demanded from where she and Trixie had separated ‘Caller, while the others calmed down the frightened crystal ponies, “Now they’re all scared of us!”

“I vas trying to make entrance and get a little fire in them,” the demoness responded defensively, “You heard how stallion vas talking, they think they can’t vin, and that severely limits how useful they vill be for us.”

“You can’t just spring things like that on ponies willy-nilly,” Trixie scolded her teacher, “You must read the room first. And yes, Trixie is aware of the irony,” the showmare hastily added as Pinkie opened her mouth to comment.

Turning away to rejoin the others, the two ponies could hear Kragor mutter “Vell, I thought it vas funny,” behind them.

Once the Equestrians had soothed the crystal ponies, the refuges -- who claimed to be part of a rebellion -- agreed to take them back to their camp. As they made their way through the winding tunnels, Cadance decided to try and learn what she could about their new allies, “So, Brickbeats, what did you do before?”

The stallion gave her a confused glance, “Before what?”

“Before you joined the resistance against King Sombra.”

“I’ve always been with the resistance.”

“Always?” the alicorn of love replied in surprise, “You never did anything else?”

“Never.”

Cadance blinked, “I see …,” she said, before dropping back to talk to her friends, “These ponies’ poor morale may not be just due to depression or fatalism,” she murmured, “I think there might be something wrong with their memories.”

“Oh, that’s a relief,” Twilight said, drawing arch looks from her companions, “What? When I asked Frost Cider about the city library, she didn’t know what I was talking about! Imagine, a city without a library!”

“Sombra may have destroyed the library anyway,” commented Trixie, “To keep any information out of unfriendly hands.”

“The public library maybe,” Shining reluctantly agreed, as Twilight went pale with horror at the very idea, “But he’ll still have a private one somewhere. There’s simply too much information that he’d want to save, even if only for his own eyes.”

“So, tha place we’re most likely ta find information on tha Crystal Heart is probably right under Sombra’s nose?” sighed Applejack, “Ain’t that jus’ a fine pickle.”

In time, the group reached the rebels’ camp – a natural cavern that had been widened to form a nexus for several natural tunnels and played-out mining shafts – where the Equestrians’ escorts rejoined their fellows, a rough mixture of earth ponies, a few unicorns, and – much to the Equestrians’ surprise – a scattering of pegasus adolescents and even a few pegasus foals watching the strangers with wary eyes from behind the adults.

Brickbeats led Cadance, Shining, and Twilight, with ‘Caller inviting herself along, over to a jade-coated, stubby-legged earth pony mare that he introduced as Pine Breeze. The mare looked them over, her nostrils flaring and eyes narrowing in suspicion as her gaze took in ‘Caller, before sticking her chin out pugnaciously, “Brick says thou claim to be here to fight the King … convince me.”

“We have been sent by the Princesses of Equestria to aid you,” Cadance replied smoothly, unruffled by the other mare’s antagonism, “The Princesses wish to see the Crystal Empire freed from Sombra’s tyrannical rule and put an end to his abuses of the crystal ponies.”

“And the Diarchs of the vaunted Equestrian Empire, sent thou?” Pine sneered, “Such noble claims, but they send only a handful of ponies instead of an army? And they do it now, when the King has ruled the Empire since before either alicorn was ever born?”

“Equestria did send an army!” Twilight protested, “But Sombra cursed the Crystal Empire to the netherworld for over a thousand years rather than be defeated!”

“What the Tartarus be thou prattling about, mare? Equestria never invaded the Empire.”

Shining raised a hand to forestall Twilight’s response, “How many alicorns are there, Mistress Pine?”

“Two, of course,” Pine answered, looking at the stallion as if he might be daft, “Everyone knows that.”

‘Caller and the Equestrians exchanged looks, “Altered memories and perceptions, as you suspected,” the demoness observed.

“Yes,” nodded Cadance, “Let me try something … Mistress Pine Breeze, look at me. What tribe am I from?”

Her eyes drawn by the power in the Princess of Love’s words, Pine stared at her, “Thou be a … a … an alicorn,” the mare gawked at Cadance in shock, “Thou be an alicorn!”

“Yes, yes I am, Mistress. So do you believe me now when I say you have been gone and that things have changed?”

As Pine, dumbfounded by recent revelations, nodded, Cadance decided to press the mare on something that had been bothering her, “Mistress Breeze, why are the foals among you?” she asked, waving to where Pinkie and Spike were coaxing the fillies and colts out.

“To keep them from the King, of course,” she replied distractedly.

Cadance frowned in confusion, “But why only pegasus foals?”

“Because the pegasi be in the legions, or in legion-support occupations,” Pine explained, “And the King decreed that anything involved with the military was his, their limbs move to his will, and he sees what they see.”

“Princess Celestia did say he was accused of using mind-control on his soldiers,” Shining grimaced, “I was rather hoping that had been an exaggeration.”

Twilight patted her brother on the shoulder, “If Miss Breeze is willing to trust us now, we should get back to the others.”

“Speaking of others,” ‘Caller said, “I have enough meat to hold me, and possible Spike, for a time, ve can give my share of rations to these rebels.”

“I’m not sure how I feel about my little brother eating meat,” Shining remarked, as Twilight turned a bit green.

“We can ask Spike how he feels about it,” Cadance pointed out, “But thank you for giving you food to these poor ponies,” she added, giving the demoness a smile.

“Nigh starved as they are, they’re vorthless,” HellCaller shrugged, “At least this vay they might be of some use,” she added over her shoulder, missing Pine Breeze’s insulted glare and the Equestrians’ exasperation.

Spike stood near the camp’s communal cookfire, helping serve out shares of the evening meal to hungry crystal ponies and keeping an eye on the foals that gathered near the fire. His friends were scattered about the cavern as they worked with the rebels; giving what aid and comfort they could while Shining, AJ, Rainbow and ‘Caller evaluated the insurgents' fighting ponies.

Everyone looked around in concern as a rumble, more felt than heard, shook the cave, just before a creature burst out of the wall! Standing almost 20 hooves at the shoulder, the quadrupedal beast had an armored form – much like a gargantuan armadillo’s – and a chisel-shaped head that seemed to be almost all mouth and fangs, while two tiny, recessed eyes glared about madly. Those beady eyes settled on the cluster of ponies around the fire, and with a hissing roar, the beast charged.

Time seemed to slow for Spike as the monster approached, its massive claws – over 3 hooves long – smashing ponies aside to lie broken on the stone. His friends and family, scattered about the hollow, were trying to bring their armaments and magic to bear on the creature, while it barreled down on the drake and the screaming foals, it’s rock-hard flanks easily turning aside the rushed spells and makeshift weapons of the nearby crystal ponies.

Taking a deep breath, Spike stepped in front of the panicking foals and spat a gout of green flame full into the monster’s face.

With a shriek, it turned away, blindly bowling over several ponies before it slammed into the cave wall and slumped to the ground, momentarily stunned.

“Get 'im while he’s down!” Applejack roared as the Equestrians and their demonic ally descended upon the beast, spells blazing and weapons hacking and smashing. But the creature rose back to its feet, bloody and burned, despite their assault, one wildly swinging claw knocked Pinkie Pie sprawling as it lunged blindly at its assailants.

A group of crystal ponies, spells and weapons at the ready, joined the ring around the creature. Hemmed in and its eyes seared sightless by Spike’s initial attack, it was only a matter of time before the beast fell, regardless of how tough its armored hide was.

“What was that thing?” Trixie demanded as she leaned on Twilight’s shoulder.

“One of the King’s hunting beasts,” a crystal pony replied, “See, there is his mark,” the pony added, pointing to the monsters’ flank where a brand like a trio of pointed crystals could be seen.

“We can only hope that there be no more in the area,” Brickbeats added with a shudder.

Quiet enveloped the cavern, with all voices reduced to low mutters, as the crystal ponies and their Equestrian allies tended to the dead and wounded. HellCaller stood off to the side as she stretched out a kinked muscle in her back.

:Dost thou see? They be pathetic, weak, unworthy of thy consideration. If thou had not intervened mine Harrier would hath killed most of the camp. The only reasonable course is for thou to join me. Thou will join me!:

:Okay, don’t tell me you didn’t hear that,: ‘Caller demanded of her soulblade.

:Yeah, I heard that … and felt it too,: Kragor replied, :And another binding spell as vell … vhy are these ponies so gods’ cursed good at binding spells?!:

“I doubt even ponies actually know answer to that,” ‘Caller grumbled aloud, “But ve need to get things moving. Damnit, I hate owing anything to Do Not Steal,” she added with a snarl as she trotted back to the others, “But that is twice now that his cursed binding ritual has protected us.”